Tuesday, January 30, 2007

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio


AN AMERICAN UNSOLVED MYSTERY

When asked by a voter in Iowa how she would deal with evil men, like Osama bin Laden, Democratic presidential aspirant Sen. Hillary Clinton quipped: “ And what in my background equips me to deal with evil, bad men?” Almost all the women in the audience laughed at what they perceived to be a joke the former First Lady made at her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who was disbarred from his law practice , for lying under oath during the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. But not the men in the audience who looked surprised.

Those who attended Hillary’s question and answer event in Iowa were polled by the media as to who the New York senator may be referring to as “evil, bad men.” Some said it was her scandalous husband, Bill. Others say it was Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr who investigated the Whitewater Scandal where she was involved. Third and fourth placers in the survey were President George W. Bush and former Speaker Newt Gingrich.

I may say that in the innermost recesses of her mind, Hillary probably was referring to her former law partner and Whitehouse deputy counsel, Vincent Foster, who was mysteriously found dead at Fort Marcy Park in Virginia just outside Washington, D.C. on July 20, 1993. For the interest of the American people, THIS IS A MYSTERY THAT SHOULD BE SOLVED.

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As I watched a popular game show, WOWOWEE, via Directv being hosted by popular actor-comedian, Wilfredo Revillame, I thought of the book, “The Purpose-Driven Life,” authored by Rick Warren, an American Pastor of a Christian Church in California. The book’s message applies to everybody born in this world regardless of the manner of birth, in or out of wedlock or whatever means: God created each one of us for His purpose. I believe Willie, despite all the problems he underwent to achieve utmost success in his career, including last year’s tragedy that killed 70 persons in the show’s stampede, always looks to his Creator for guidance.

I also learned that Mr. Revillame was born in Cabanatuan City, Nueva
Ecija, my birthplace in the Philippines. And I’m glad that he’s proud of his roots in Cabanatuan. I am, too, though I grew up in Tondo, Manila.

End
Junpolicarpio@yahoo.com
junpolicarpio@gmail.com0.

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio


AN AMERICAN UNSOLVED MYSTERY

When asked by a voter in Iowa how she would deal with evil men, like Osama bin Laden, Democratic presidential aspirant Sen. Hillary Clinton quipped: “ And what in my background equips me to deal with evil, bad men?” Almost all the women in the audience laughed at what they perceived to be a joke the former First Lady made at her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who was disbarred from his law practice , for lying under oath during the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. But not the men in the audience who looked surprised.

Those who attended Hillary’s question and answer event in Iowa were polled by the media as to who the New York senator may be referring to as “evil, bad men.” Some said it was her scandalous husband, Bill. Others say it was Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr who investigated the Whitewater Scandal where she was involved. Third and fourth placers in the survey were President George W. Bush and former Speaker Newt Gingrich.

I may say that in the innermost recesses of her mind, Hillary probably was referring to her former law partner and Whitehouse deputy counsel, Vincent Foster, who was mysteriously found dead at Fort Marcy Park in Virginia just outside Washington, D.C. on July 20, 1993. For the interest of the American people, THIS IS A MYSTERY THAT SHOULD BE SOLVED.

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As I watched a popular game show, WOWOWEE, via Directv being hosted by popular actor-comedian, Wilfredo Revillame, I thought of the book, “The Purpose-Driven Life,” authored by Rick Warren, an American Pastor of a Christian Church in California. The book’s message applies to everybody born in this world regardless of the manner of birth, in or out of wedlock or whatever means: God created each one of us for His purpose. I believe Willie, despite all the problems he underwent to achieve utmost success in his career, including last year’s tragedy that killed 70 persons in the show’s stampede, always looks to his Creator for guidance.

I also learned that Mr. Revillame was born in Cabanatuan City, Nueva
Ecija, my birthplace in the Philippines. And I’m glad that he’s proud of his roots in Cabanatuan. I am, too, though I grew up in Tondo, Manila.

End
Junpolicarpio@yahoo.com
junpolicarpio@gmail.com0.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio


A TIME OF PROSPERITY IN AMERICA TODAY

President George W. Bush is just the right leader for the American people in these times of uncertainty but a time of prosperity. He keeps his promise of protecting America from all evil, particularly from terrorist groups. And now he is taking the better course to accomplish the mission in Iraq: keep the spirit of freedom alive and defeat the insurgent terrorists.

Consider President Bush’s pronouncements in his recent State of the Union Address: “Yet we’re all held to the same standards, and called to serve the same good purposes: To extend this nation’s prosperity; to spend the people’s money wisely; to solve problems, not leave them to future generations; to guard America against all evil; and to keep faith with those we have sent forth to defend us.”

To abandon Iraq and send American troops back home may be quite popular with the media and a lot of ultra-active pressure groups. Some Republican allies of the White House seem to be falling into that miscalculation for political expediency. But the president of the United States given the amount of intelligence he receives every morning knows what to do and to go with the emotions and not with reason and the truth is not the correct path to solve the problem in the Middle East. A mission to free any people from bondage of dictatorship and totalitarianism is always in accordance to the will of God. It will surely succeed!

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The Philippines with her rich natural resources and her Filipino people endowed with excellent talents and abilities do not deserve the corrupt and self-seeking kind of leaders and politicians aspiring to be elected to responsible positions in government. I call on concerned non-partisan groups to educate the voters in these very important and historical May elections by feeding them with accurate data on the character background and performance of the aspiring candidates for public offices. And I also call on concerned foreign organizations to observe the conduct of the May elections and report any irregularities to the media, both local and foreign, in the casting and counting of votes.

End
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Thursday, January 18, 2007

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

“SHOW ME A CHRISTIAN AND I’LL BE ONE”
An Indonesian Muslim classmate of mine from my college years at the University of the Philippines during the 60s asked me: “Show me a Christian and I’ll be one.” I thought for a while if I would qualify to be considered as a true Christian and finally said. “I am a Christian.” Then he replied, “Do you truly love your enemies?”

It’s really hard for anybody to love one’s enemy but that’s one of the qualifications to be a Christian.

One evening, my daughter Desiree, handed me a CD movie titled “FEARLESS” and convinced me to watch it. She was so sure that I would like the theme of the story. This movie starred Jet Li, a famous Chinese martial arts champion and actor-producer. It was supposed to be his last movie. It’s about a Chinese Kung Fu tournament champion and master of a martial arts school set during the days of Old China when it was closed to foreigners.

The plot revolves around the vow of the main character played by Jet Li to beat all martial arts masters in China and be the over-all champion. He made this vow to himself when he saw his father, a martial arts school master, who held off his deadly hands against his opponent that caused his defeat in the competition. Because of his father’s defeat, he was ridiculed by the opponent’s son. Though he didn’t know how to fight, he charged the bigger kid, a martial arts student, who easily knocked him down.

He studied Chinese martial arts secretly and trained very hard instead of learning calligraphy as directed by his father. His father once told him that martial arts is not supposed to harm or kill another person but to be used a form of self-discipline.

When his father died, he took over the martial arts school as the chief master. He beat all the masters of other schools in a series of tournaments including the son of his father’s opponent. He was feared by all Kung Fu masters except one.

One day, one of his favorite students was brought to him badly beaten black and blue. The student told him that it was the master of another school who refused to fight him in a tournament that roughed him up. He was incensed with anger and challenged the other master in a fight to the death. He won and killed his opponent. But he learned later that it was his student’s fault why he was hit by the master. The master caught the student sleeping with his wife.

The slain master’s adopted son took revenge by killing the champion’s mother and daughter. The champion rushed to the slain master’s house and killed the adopted son. But he did not kill the adopted son’s mother and sister. He suffered intense feelings of guilt and sadness and decided to drown himself to death. He was saved by people from another locality who did not recognize him. A blind girl nourished him and restored him to be strong again. When he left that locality, he promised the blind girl that he would return for her in time.

The champion went back to his hometown and found a lot of foreigners. After a lapse of years since his disappearance, China opened her ports to foreigners. So the champion reopened his martial arts school to preserve the honor of China as the best in competition. He joined tournaments and won all of them except this time an opponent from Japan. China and Japan were then considered as mortal enemies in every respect. But this time, he had a new philosophy about martial arts: it’s just plain competition based on self- discipline and not to kill.

After winning over other competitors, the champion’s main tournament was against the Japanese opponent. There was intense rivalry and animosity between the Chinese and Japanese during those times especially in the field of martial arts. Before the fight, the champion had a small talk with the Japanese opponent who understood his new attitude in fighting.

On the day of the tournament, he was winning over his Japanese opponent. When he was about to hit him with a fatal blow, he remembered his father who held it off against his opponent. He did it, too. But the Japanese handlers poisoned him. He could no longer fight his opponent because of the effect of the poison on his body. The Japanese opponent saw him weakening and unable to fight. He had all the opportunity to knock him out dead as directed by his handlers, Instead, the Japanese opponent held his hand high and declared him to be the winner.

Moral of this story: Your enemy can be your friend through love and understanding. And I must say that Love is a universal force so strong that it transcends all religions.

End
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Thursday, January 11, 2007

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

Easier to be like Judas Iscariot than like Christ

As we enter the New Year 2007 let’s pause for awhile and examine ourselves and ask: Which character do I represent – that of Christ who chose to be tortured and crucified to death than to deny the Truth that He is the Son of God or that of Judas Iscariot who sold his soul to the Devil for 30 pieces of silver? Consider that Christ resurrected from the dead and lives while Judas hanged himself to death forever. It’s indeed very hard for many people even to those who profess their Christianity or Roman Catholicism to have the character of Christ because the nature of man tends to satisfy the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

Let’s say that you read the Bible or Prayer Book everyday, go to Mass or Service every Sunday, and you really try to live the life of a true Christian. While walking alone one night, a gunman held you up and threatened to shoot you if you will not deny that you love Christ. What will you do, save yourself from death or deny Christ? What is given is this scenario is that the gunman will kill you if you don’t deny Christ. Now examine your inner self and find out what’s truly in your character.

Remember Simon Peter, one of Christ’s disciples, who cut the ear of one of the Roman soldiers sent to arrest his Master. He was the one who denied knowing Christ to protect himself from arrest. When he heard the cock crowing, he remembered his Master’s warning about his denial and repented from his sin. Christ forgave Peter for his first and last failure in faith for Peter later became a man of strong faith. . This happened a long time ago before the completion of the Scriptures and I believe we cannot do again what Peter did.

Though Jesus Christ is a forgiving Lord and Master, He knows what’s in every person’s heart.

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The May 2007 congressional and local elections in the Philippines may be the last hope for democracy to survive in that Southeast Asian country. In a democracy, the will of the people reigns supreme unless it’s thwarted by undemocratic elements such as large scale mechanized election cheating similar to what infected the 2004 presidential elections, disenfranchisement of large number of voters, and suppression of the people’s freedom of expression, through speech or the press.

If the May elections come out to be an honest and clean exercise of the people’s right to choose their representatives and servants in the government, the results would clearly serve as a verdict on the questionable presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

End

Thursday, January 04, 2007

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio


“GIVE FOOD TO THE HUNGRY AND WATER TO THE THIRSTY”


Somebody told me that Filipinos are not worth dying for. Perhaps this person was just too much disappointed with the perceived tolerant attitude of the masses toward government graft and corruption and other illegal activities of politicians. .He may have to conclude that Ninoy Aquino, an exiled Filipino leader who was assassinated by his enemies upon his return to the Philippines to fight for justice, died in vain. And so with all those revered Filipino martyrs who died in defense of freedom for the Filipino people from the Spanish and American colonialism and the Japanese invasion. I believe the best way to say it is that Filipinos are worth dying for and also living for, if we are afraid to die.

It’s more fitting to say that Filipino Americans can afford to live for the Filipino people by sending their hard earned dollars to alleviate the generally poor living conditions in the Philippines. A good first step in this simple social reform program is for one committed Filipino American family with adequate resources to adopt one or more poor Filipino families back home. This plan does not require any government or non-government agency to handle the resource distribution. For such normally invites the onset of corruption or misuse of funds. It would take the form of a family- to- family adoption program in the same way as a simple donor-beneficiary program operates. Any Filipino American family may start with their impoverished relatives in the Philippines.

The role of the media is to report the results of the family-to-family adoption program in terms of how the donations are being used by the beneficiary family. Typically, a poor Filipino family with children needs funds for college education, medical expenses, and enough capital to start a small business. This is where involved Filipino Americans would interact with Philippine media to monitor the results of their good works.

I hope that this simple idea would be a good way to start the year 2007 for the Filipino people who suffer daily from poverty, sickness, and exploitation by the rich politicians. A good Christian or any other believer who truly intends to do something for the poor and the needy must simply obey Christ’s teaching to give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty. As the Holy Bible says, “faith without works is dead.”

End
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