Election Day and the Trees of Elias

This morning, one of my history professors in college sent me via email an English narrative version of Mga Puno ni Elias (Elias & His Trees). It was an opportune moment to stroll down memory road. I remember him as the budding Jose Rizal, largely because of his erudition in Philippine literature and his unquestioned devotion to his family and students. I have not heard from him in...

Open letter to a dear friend

Hello M, I know you have a strict policy of anonymity, so allow me to address you with the initial M. When I first laid my eyes on the gift you gave me for my birthday, everything in me, right down to the tiny hairs of my skin, was expressing joy. I couldn’t be happier. I went to Dumaguete alone. I stayed there for four days. It was the most refreshing decision I made —...

Ethics and religion

What is Ethics? When you ask people around you what ethics means, some might define it with their religious beliefs; others might define it as cultural values, code of conduct or principles. Most people define ethics as “set of values or principles” whether by an individual or a group. Each one has his or he own ethics. The question now is who has a better set of values? You now try to...

An OFW’s woe

Just last week after the burgeoning days of stressful corporate activities, I took the opportunity to connect with my friends from abroad and caught my bestfriend on the chat list of Facebook. In the course of our crazy and most whimsical conversation, I learned that her struggles in keeping tabs with her family in the Philippines widened the gap of interactive family bonding. She took...

Two cheers for colonialism!

Sociology Science Dictionary defines colonialism as: The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically. I do not agree with Dinesh D’Souza in his claim that Western colonialism should not be held responsible for the wretchedness of the Third World. The colonists, as far as my limited...

Blank reflection

  4 November 2012 06:42 PM    What right do I have to claim that he is no longer waiting there? If by some chance, he believed in our promise and has been waiting there all this time, then how lonely do you think he feels right now? If he considered the fact that we may have betrayed him, but chose to continue waiting, then how can anyone question the strength of his resolve?...