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


THIS IS MY WINNING FAITH!

With the passing of this year 2009 and the coming of the New Year 2010, this world of ours continues to go round and round fixed on its designed orbit around the sun. Nobody knows when it will go off orbit except God in Heaven the Creator, according to the Holy Bible. This is my belief.

The amazing Grace of God that saved this world from total destruction during the Great Deluge is another of my belief. He saved the “world that then was” despite its filthiness because of the strong faith of one man, Noah.

But the descendants of Cain persisted to disobey God’s commandments of love, faith, and praise to Him. They keep on dishonoring their Creator and worshiping themselves, the devil, and other idols.

Again, according to the Bible in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The same Grace of God once again has offered us, the humankind, another hope for salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, whose birthday, we just celebrated on Christmas Day.

Now we just look forward as days, months, years, and centuries go by, to the time when this world will be replaced by another world, as revealed in the Bible. The Scriptures said, nobody knows even the Angels of the Lord. This is my belief.

Let us always remember that God who controls our world’s movement along its orbit is the same God who controls the blood flow along every person’s veins and arteries. This is my belief.

It pays to believe in God and His Word because when these things happen, you win. It doesn’t pay not to believe because when these things happen, you lose.

This is my Belief.

Happy New Year! God Bless You!


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


TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER!


Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, was born in Bethlehem on Christmas Day more than 2000 years ago, in a livestock barn because that was then the only available place for His miraculous virgin birth. After his birth, He was placed in a manger, the livestock woodbox for feeds as His crib, the lowliest designated for the Highest.

It was a beautiful shining star from Heaven that led the three wise men from the East and the poor shepherds on the field to the manger where He was lying in order to worship Him and offer their most precious gifts to God manifest in the flesh. This is the essence of Christianity.

Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas because it is the birthday anniversary of mankind’s Lord and Savior and the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD who will save those who believe on Him from eternal death in hell.

As a Christian, I was shocked when U.S. Congressman Gary Ackerman voted against a congressional resolution honoring Christmas and the Christian faith. However during the debates in 2008 when I run against him for the fifth congressional district of New York, the honorable congressman who is Jewish expressed his regret for doing it. He said he was not against the Christian faith for voting against the resolution but against the politics if there is in the resolution.

I am glad that Congressman Ackerman who always addressed me during the debates as his political opponent, was able to explain his vote against the Christmas Resolution.

I may say that history will tell that those who blasphemed Christ went the way of King Herod, then the Roman client king of Israel during the birth of Jesus who ordered the massacre of innocent male children about age 2 in Bethlehem for failing to kill Christ at the time of His birth.

King Herod died of a mysterious disease that he crawled like a worm with his putrefied body full of worms. It is said that his sons who succeeded his rule also suffered the same terrible sickness.

Jesus’ humble birth in a manger teaches that we must humble ourselves before God and obey His commandments because that’s what He is – God in Heaven and no other else.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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

THE JUST ALWAYS WINS

When a powerful political family in Maguindanao savagely and mercilessly murdered some 30 journalists whose only tools for their trade are their pens, look what came out from the barrels of their fellow journalists’ pens – a more potent force that will not stop until their whole tribe is totally placed under penalty of law and justice. If the God in Heaven is the God of Justice, why should any believer be afraid to rebuke the evil in this world?

If the judge who was initially assigned to handle the criminal charges against the Ampatuan Family for the heinous crime of multiple murders accompanied with brutalities backed out because of fear of reprisal from the accused murderers, he has no more future in the halls of justice. The door to his retirement or resignation is wide enough to escape from terror. His retention as a judge may weaken the foundation of justice whose sword of truth should be fearless.

Let us always remember so many lessons from history since time immemorial that truth, justice, and righteousness are the stronger forces than any other evil things in this world. I will say this from the bottom of my heart: THE JUST WINS IN THE FINAL CONFLICT!

What happened to Hitler who tried to exterminate the Jews, to Pol Pot, the Cambodian communist leader in the mid70s who massacred millions of his fellow Cambodians, to Idi Amin who murdered almost half a million people belonging to other ethnic groupsin Uganda during the 70s, and most recently to Saddam Hussein and his crazy sons, who terrorized his fellow Iraqis with mass murders and tortures? I believe they were all condemned to eternal death and punishment.

I always say to myself these words: right is might. If you are correct, you are strong.

Let me paraphrase a biblical verse in closing: If God is with us, who can win against us?


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


SUPPORT THE PROTECTOR OF THE PEOPLE!


The shedding of blood of 57 innocent civilians in the Maguindanao Massacre led to the uprooting of evil power and its imminent final destruction in that seemingly God-forsaken spot in the Philippines. Before the massacre, Maguindanao, a huge province in the island of Mindanao located in the southern part of the Philippines, was under virtual totalitarian control of the Ampatuan family, a political ally of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s ruling political party.

Election records will show that the votes cast in Maguindanao for President Arroyo during the 2004 presidential elections guaranteed her victory over the late Fernando Poe, Jr. It is also said that opposition candidates received zero votes in every election that assured victory of the President’s endorsed candidates in that province.

Then came the massacre of innocent civilians – journalists, traveling residents, and female members of another family that included their lawyers and aides – on the way to file a certificate of candidacy of another political leader for governor of Maguindanao in order to oust the incumbent Governor Ampatuan in next year’s elections. Is this Abel’s blood crying out from the ground?

It is good news that the Arroyo administration did not answer, “Am I my brother’s keeper? “ Somehow, President Arroyo proclaimed Martial Law in Maguindanao and ordered the arrest of all members of the Ampatuan Family involved in the massacre based on findings that they were all equipped with heavy and powerful firearms.

The Philippine government charged the Ampatuans of murder and rebellion to justify the imposition of Martial Law in Maguindanao. As long as the media will be allowed to cover every military move against those involved in the massacre and other military maneuvers to gather evidence such as buried firearms and ammunitions and election paraphernalia inside and around the Ampatuan Family mansions, I believe faster actions during martial law will help find swift justice for the victims.

Martial law is a dangerous tool of a government to solve political unrest. Its power should be limited to a specific area where the problem exists and later to be lifted when the problem is deemed to be under control, the sooner the better. For the Filipino people has vowed: NEVER AGAIN, to Marcos-Style Grinning Martial Law.

WE all try to believe that the Philippine Military is the protector of the people against invaders, rebels, and all lawless elements. This time, let’s give our soldiers and police the opportunity to prove to the Filipino people that they are the Guardians of Peace and Justice in a democracy by adhering to the principle that NO MAN OR WOMAN IS ABOVE THE LAW.

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


PUNISH THE MURDERERS OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS!


I welcome Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’ s decision to run for Congress in 2010 national elections given the perceived notion that she wants to cling to any political power available for self-preservation. Instead of imposing martial law like what Marcos did in 1981, she takes the legal road to perpetuate herself in power. That’s better, I may quip, if she can guarantee victory from her local voters.

Political observers say that indeed President Arroyo’s victory as a congresswoman- elect from Pampanga is assured considering her political influence as a sitting president and her overflowing cash that will run her political machine.

But what if she lost to an honest candidate endorsed by majority of her voting townmates? Surely that scenario would be the worst thing that could happen to President Arroyo. I just hope she would not go the way of Roman Emperor Nero or Babylonian King
Nebuchadnezzar of the Old Testament. Both of them went nuts.

Even if Arroyo wins a seat in Congress next year, she is still liable to criminal prosecution. I believe that under Philippine laws which are similar to American jurisprudence, members of Congress are not immune from criminal suit, especially when the charge is very serious like plunder.

Anyway, if history repeats itself and she would be convicted of plunder, the next president, I presume, would be ready to offer her pardon. Remember, she pardoned ex-president Joseph Estrada from a similar crime of plunder. To obtain pardon or forgiveness, she has to beg for it. Isn’t this the essence of justice?

Anyway, look at the Marcos family and where are they now? The head of this family, ex-philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, plundered the wealth of the Philippine nation, from gold bars and bullions to possibly trillions of pesos in real estate and other resources.

Now I hear that Bad Guy Marcos may even be buried and honored as a national hero. His son, Bongbong, is currently running for Senator. His daughter, Imee, did serve as a congresswoman from Ilocos Norte. His wife, Imelda, still wields power and influence in Philippine society with her hidden wealth.

The Filipino people are very forgiving by nature. Look at their wide smiles despite calamities and disasters. The rich and the powerful surely know how to manipulate and exploit the children of Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, and the rest of the patriots who gave up their lives during the Philippine Revolution of 1896. This is the legacy from three hundred years of Spanish colonialism that created a timid, mendicant, indolent, or happy-go-lucky” (bahala na” syndrome) Filipino people who try to forget their hopelessness through singing and dancing.

It is best for President Arroyo to solve swiftly the Maguindanao Massacre instead of anythingelse in order to preserve even a scintilla of her honor and dignity. These heinous crimes perpetrated against innocent people happened during her watch. I believe she can do it using all the resources at her disposal and punish the murderers. Isn’t this the essence of justice?

If she fails to do it or waits too long for the wheels of justice to grind, she may not deserve the benefit of pardon from the next president.

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