From the Barrel of My Pen

2011-07-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

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

ORIGIN OF A FINANCIAL SIN IN AMERICA

In the United States, two names are synonymous with the 2008 financial crisis, the largest and global Great Recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s: Fannie Mae(Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddie Mac(Federal Home Mortgage Corporation).

In 1999, former democratic president Bill Clinton and the Democrat-controlled Congress turned these two big government-sponsored enterprises created to sell federally secured mortgages to homebuyers into a run away financial institutions lending mortgage money to jobless, credit less, and mendicant Americans who were mostly welfare recipients.

In 2002, Republican President George Bush tried to regulate the activities of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac but the Democratic-controlled Congress under Sen. Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank stopped him by saying the two agencies were doing a great job that did not warrant a regulating agency under the Treasury Department.

Then Illinois Senator Barack Obama organized a community-based pressure group called ACORN(Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) among the nation’s jobless and low-income families and launched a massive campaign to apply for low-interest sub-prime mortgages(no income and no credit check) from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These on welfare and low-income constituency became Obama’s majority voters.

Like a person eating a rotting food, the private banks and other foreign investors who bought those federally secured low interest mortgages bundled as securities went bankrupt when the jobless and low income homeowners failed to pay their monthly amortizations. It was reported that some unscrupulous financial crooks presumably allied with the democrats artificially caused a meteoric rise in home prices. During the peak between 2005 and 2007, those jobless and low income homebuyers even obtained large amount of cash by applying for home equity and second mortgage loans. Those people became Obama’s voters.

When Obama became president, he bailed out the banks going bankrupt and other related financial institutions that fell victims to the mortgage racket such as the AIG. Obama used the American taxpayers’ money notably coming from the middle income and wealthy Americans. He can be said to be none other than a modern-day Robin Hood who stole the money of the middle income and rich Americans and gave it to the lazy, jobless and welfare dependent Americans.

Last year, Democratic Senator Dodd and Democratic Congressman Frank, the supposed to be principal culprits of the 2008 financial crisis in America, designed a legislation in 2010 called the Dodd-Frank Act that was signed by President Obama naturally. This terrible piece of legislation provides the largest conglomeration of financial regulations, rules, and procedures specifically aimed to prevent another 2008 financial debacle.

Here’s the moral of this story: If you cause it, fix it.

Here’s what actually has happened: President Obama and his Democratic minions incurred trillions of public debt in trying to cure the financial cancer they themselves caused. And so, we the American people, will suffer the consequences for several years to come unless the culprits surrender to justice.

Consider this report from the Congressional Budget Office: the highest spending level in 40 years occurred in 2009. In 2008 presidential elections, the American voters chose “a fox to guard the hen.” Let us not commit the same mistake next year, my countrymen.

Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio
2008 Republican candidate for 5th District of Congress nominated by the Conservative Party

2011-07-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

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

GOD’S HAND MOVES ACCORDING TO HIS WAYS

When the Americans kidnapped the Filipino dictator Marcos and dumped him and his family to Hawaii instead of Paoay, Ilocos Norrte in the heat of the People Power Revolution in 1986, the Filipino people were denied the privilege of rendering judgment against a greedy and tyrannical ruler like what happened to Saddam Hussein and Nicolae Ceausescu who were both sentenced to die. Former president Joseph Estrada somehow underwent a prosecution and upon his conviction, a court of law sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Now we have another former “president” Gloria Macapagal Arroyo about to be prosecuted for multiple plunders, multiple graft and corruption cases, and multiple acts of bribery to rig the electoral system in 2004 and 2007. Let’s hope this time the Philippine judicial system would be able to try her and her cohorts in a court of law and render the appropriate decision for the sake of justice. If convicted, appropriate punishment should be imposed to discourage any other sitting or future presidents from stealing from, lying to, and cheating the poor idol-worshipping and gullible Filipino masses.

The Biblical saying, “there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed” still rules in this digital world. The first murderer, Cain, who killed his brother Abel, tried to cover his sin but failed. His brother’s blood came out from the ground.

A carpenter tried to put his wife’s dead body after killing her in a sawmill grinder to destroy any possible evidence but he still failed. An Asian American forensics expert was able to sort out the victim’s ground bones and used a DNA test for accurate identification. The murderer was appropriately punished.

Even a husband cannot lie to his wife because eventually, the wife gifted with the sixth sense will finally find out the truth. Let us learned this lesson.

These ever-expanding tribe of corrupt and evil Filipino government officials should learn their lessons, too. They cannot hide their evils forever.

Look what’s happening now. A crooked election official came out from hiding and recently told the press that he is ready to be a state witness and resurrect the dying “Hello Garci” cheating scandal during the 2004 presidential elections as well as the 2007 senatorial elections involving the Arroyos and their minions. This sudden turn of event must be an offshoot when another crooked politician, Zaldy Ampatuan, in exchange for his freedom offered to be a state witness against his father and other relatives charged of planning and executing the massacre of journalists and their political enemies in Maguindanao.

I believe it’s God’s Hand that is moving in order for justice to prevail. I’ll not question or try to understand why God does it according to His ways. I will just believe that God is a God of Justice and that’s enough for a man of simple faith.

2011-07-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

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

THE TOY PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

The last hope to save the Philippines from poverty and corruption is turning out to be a dud. No fire and brimstone to fall on the evil and the looters of the people’s money dancing on the street like a throng of fools. Such is Noynoy Aquino, the “gameboy” president of the Philippines.

I did perceive the only son of former President Cory who kicked out the dictator from Malacanang and Ninoy who was killed by the dictator’s minions as the ultimate saving grace of the poor Filipino masses raped and ravished by a series of foreign colonizers. I now realized that like anybody else, I am also a victim of a wild imagination. He definitely cannot deliver what he promised to do during his campaign for the presidency after one long year of fuzzy politics.

Consider the case of Jocjoc Bolante who escaped to the United States and applied for asylum in order to avoid prosecution in a multi-million dollar Fertilizer Fund scam then being investigated by the Philippine Senate. The United States government denied his asylum application and finally agreed to send him back to the Philippines instead of wasting American taxpayers’money in feeding him in jail.

Here’s the joke on Jocjoc: Aquino has been president for one year and Bolante is living like a king in the Philippines.

What has happened is that the Arroyo regime of thieves preceded a ruling crowd of limping wrists led by an unmarried leader who appears to be a Casanova wannabe. This culture naturally spawned an emerging and fast dominating subculture of influential entertainers and comedians with no brains mostly gays and lesbians even permeating the halls of Congress, both the Senate and the House and some local governments. And the result is, it seems to be: the Philippines has become the entertainment capital of Asia where the poor gets poorer when they give their hardearned money to the rich entertainers who managed to make them laugh with an empty stomach.

Unless I see thousands of job-creating factories and industries being established in the Philippine under his second year in office, President Noynoy Aquino can only good as a toy president of the idol-worshipping and gullible Filipino masses.

And wait for the next leader!

2011-04-29T14:48:00.001-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo "Jun" Policarpio

"THIS TROUBLED WORLD IS NOT MY FINAL HOME"

American President Barack Hussein Obama obliged to release his Hawaiian birth certificate to the media to dispel any doubt of his natural birth in the United States. Donald Trump, an American billionaire who aspires to replace Obama next year as president, somehow pushed the first Black president of the United States to show his birth certificate to the public during his series of television interviews and press releases.

If Obama's birth certificate paper turned out to be genuine but the information contained turned out to be false, what will happen next? Well, we can just say that the strongest and most powerful nation in the world fell victim to the mother of all fraud. Yet I must say that this could never happen given America's capability to detect fraud.

Why did President Obama just ignore Trump's foolish cajole, if such is the case? Why pay attention to a silly joke, if such is the case? Maybe because everybody believes in the power of the media to sensationalize a lie, if such is the case. And this lie is so serious that it can destroy the American nation.

I hope that there is nothing to believe in the persistent rumor even before the 2008 presidential elections that Obama was born in Kenya and not in the United States. If it still persists and no evidence to prove otherwise that Obama is a natural born citizen, then the White House should cry racial prejudice owing to the fact that Obama's father was a foreigner from Africa. Remember, racial prejudice is against the United States Constitution.

In another country such as the United Kingdom, something happened there now that captured the interest of the whole world: the magnificent Royal Wedding of the future King and Queen of England, Prince William and commoner Kate Middleton. I was surprised not to see American First Lady Michelle Obama as one the 650 guests invited to the wedding. Perhaps Queen Elizabeth, the current British monarch and grandmother of the future King, or rather Brfitish protocol officials did not forget that sometine in April of 2009, the American First Lady hugged and tapped the Queen's back. It is against British protocol to touch the Queen. To wink at the Queen may not be as what former president George W. Bush did one time.

Again in another counry such as the Republic of the Philippines, former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo faces mountain of corruption and plunder charges. Today as I write this article, Ombudsman Mercedital Gutierrez who was handpicked by Arroyo during her administration to investigate corrupt and plunderous officials except the Arroyo family and their cronies resigned from her post as the Philippine Senate is getting ready for her impeachment trial.

Philippine president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino is now looking for Guitierrez's replacement who would be able to help him fulfill his campaign promise to root out corruption in government.

I cited only three countries and look at the drama and melodrama unfolding. Stay tuned for world events are getting interesting.

2011-04-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

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

GOD’S WAY OF SALVATION: SHEDDING OF BLOOD

Salvation has only one cost: the shedding of blood by the Savior. This is true both in the spiritual sense as well as in the material sense.

On a Good Friday, more or less than two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ of Nazareth shed his blood at the cross on Mt. Golgotha in the Old City of Jerusalem to save mankind from eternal death. We, Christians all over the world, worshipped Him as our Lord and Savior and looked forward to an eternal life in Heaven.

In this material world, so many proclaimed heroes and martyrs shed their blood to save a nation, a family, a friend, even an enemy from physical death. The Philippines has Jose Rizal and Benigno Aquino Jr; America has Abraham Lincoln and Captain Nathan Hale; Spain has Martin Diaz; and France has Joan of Arc.

It is indeed very hard to comprehend why one has to shed blood before being considered s a hero and martyr. Yet it would be easier to understand if we look at the element of love as the cause for martyrdom. One can really sacrifice his or her life for someone or something loved. Without love, there is no sacrifice; without sacrifice, there is no love.

Everything boils down to love as the main ingredient for martyrdom or heroism. For God in Heaven is Love that He sacrificed His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross for the salvation of His creation. I only speak to those who believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of mankind in writing this article. I pray that those who do not may finally understand the meaning of God’s Way of Salvation.

2011-04-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

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

“PRESIDENT JUAN POLICARPIO”

Any country whose armed forces leadership can be bought is up for grabs to international “adventurers” with millions and millions of dollars. I am referring to the Philippines that may soon be an “outer province of China” as predicted by Jose Rizal, the Philippines’ National Hero, in his essay “The Philippines A Century Hence.”

The ten richest Filipinos in Asia, according to FORBES MAGAZINE for 2011 except for Jaime Zobel de Ayala are Filipino-Chinese: Henry Sy of SM Enterprises, Lucio Tan who owns Philippine Airlines, George Ty of METROBANK, Eduardo Cojuangco of San Miguel Corporation, Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee, Andrew Tan of MEGAWORLD Intenational, and John Gokongwei of Cebu Pacific Airways and Robinsons, Emilio Yap of the Manila Daily Bulletin, and Oscar Lopez of ABS-CBS television network. They can buy the whole Philippines and deliver it to the People’s Republic of China. Then we can say that Rizal is a prophet. Not yet, because I don’t believe that these Filipino Chinese billionaires will play the China card. And I don’t blame them for being billionaires in the Philippines. They know how to get rich. I just hope that they pool their resources to open up more enterprises to create enough jobs for the Filipino masses whom they call in secret as the "natives."

Once upon a time in Manila circa 1970s, I received a tip from an informant(he is now deceased) that there existed a syndicate involving officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration under the Department of Justice issuing Philippine passports and Identification Certificates to Chinese illegal entrants in exchange for large sums of money. Thirty thousand pesos per head was then a treasure during those times. I am now presuming some of these illegal aliens now belong to the millionaire class in the Philippines. Again I don’t blame these fake Filipinos for becoming millionaires as long as they create more jobs for the “natives” and save them from being drug couriers and exploited caregivers abroad.

What I am trying to say simply is that the Philippine government was corrupt then, corrupt now, and will stay corrupt in the future. The only thing we can hope for is reduce the magnitude and intensity a la earthquake in Japan of the effect of corruption on the Filipino people. To do that is to prosecute and punish the corrupt Philippine government officials, both civilian and military, in order to save the people’s money from being stolen further.

After the media publication of my intelligence report on the Fake Filipino syndicate in 1971, Marcos declared Martial Law. None of the officials involved in my solo investigation was punished. The Department of Foreign Affairs terminated my services. The United States Embassy issued me a professional immigrant visa to migrate to the United States. And finally I became an American and resident of New York.

I chose the United States, the greatest country in the world, to be my adopted country and I am committed to help to the best of my ability to keep the United States as the strongest leader of world despite the Obamamania.

With the reported filing of criminal charges against certain “big fish” in the Philippine government such as Congressman Mikey Arroyo for tax evasion, former Congressman Prospero Pichay Jr,, special prosecutors of the Office of the Ombudsman, the forfeiture and freeze order of General Ligot’s stolen wealth, and the impending Senate trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez for impeachable offenses, I think the current Aquino Administration is no longer talking but doing it. That is, combat corruption in government and safeguard the people’s money.

Let the real Philippine drama continue and may President Noynoy Aquino emulate the incorruptible television character of a make-believe Philippine President Juan Policarpio in the drama series, “Tanging Yaman.”

End

2011-03-18T15:23:00.001-07:00

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

TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER!

In order to save about one million lives from a threatening nuclear meltdown at Fukushima, Japan that will cause the release of radioactive gases into the air, something more powerful than natural calamities is required to stop it. I am referring to nothing else but the Creator of Heaven and Earth to move to stop it.

It has always been said that a prayer of faith can move mountains. It therefore can also stop a nuclear explosion caused by an act of nature.

International media caught the face of Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a United Nations watchdog, worriedly begging the whole world to cooperate with Japan in preventing a nuclear disaster.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on March 18th that the nuclear crisis is indeed “very grave” but vowed that Japan would be able to overcome it.

On March 17th, Japanese Emperor Akihito, the sovereign head, spoke calmly to his subjects and asked them to hope for a solution to the crisis. He definitely showed his humility that only hope could save his nation from the crisis though he never mentioned God or intimated about Him. It is good to remember that when Japan surrendered to the Allied forces at the close of the second world war, Akihito’s father, Emperor Hirohito renounced his being of divine nature and accepted the fact that he was not a living God as regarded by the Japanese people for many years.

The nuclear crisis occurred when a magnitude 9 earthquake and the tsunami, both natural calamities, damaged the back up generators that control the cooling system of the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima-Dai-ichi Atomic Plant. The engineers have been working very hard to prevent the fuel rods from overheating and exploding. The Japanese soldiers pitched in by dousing sea water to the fuel rods that seemed to work temporarily.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company is trying to connect cable lines to restart the crippled water pumps. Still one official said that even if the connection is successful, there is no guarantee that it will prevent an explosion.

In short and plain language, Japanese superb technological skills and expertise cannot promise that it can stop an explosion and the release of radioactive materials into the air.
The Japanese government raised the alert lever from 4 to 5 just two levels below from Ukraine’s Chernobyl disaster in 1986 alert level 7 when the reactors finally exploded causing thousands and thousands of death from radiation.

Moral of this story: God in Heaven is waiting for the Japanese leaders and people to ask for His help in solving this nuclear crisis and give credit where credit is due.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

2011-01-28T16:58:00.000-08:00

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

“GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS”

Philippine President Noynoy Aquino and US President Barack Obama seem to be both placed into a political test tube for national leadership of their respective countries at the opening of this year 2011. The test is how to pilot their ships of state safely amidst a raging storm of crises after crises.

Just recently the shooting of twenty people in Arizona that killed a Federal Judge and five other innocent civilians and seriously injured an incumbent Democratic Congresswoman from that state shocked the White House. In an interview before the media, President Obama sounded like Rodney King, the big black guy beaten with clubs by Los Angeles policemen during a traffic incident, begging, “why can’t we not get along.”

On top of the mounting deficit in the American budget and the huge foreign debt caused by the financial collapse of leading American institutions, Obama’s expensive health care reform law is poised to be repealed by the incoming Republican Congress. He failed to solve the unemployment crisis as he promised to do during the campaign and opted to “kowtow” in the political sense as well as in the literal sense before foreign leaders like Japanese Emperor Hirohito, Chinese leader Hu, Jintao, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his sidekick, Russian President Medvedev. Majority of Americans who voted for him now feel that Obama is just all talk, and no walk.

On the Philippine front, the son of the late former President Aquino, who also came to power in the aftermath of her mother’s death and burial, is being besieged by a crisis of violence, deaths, massacres, acquittal of convicted rapists and murderers, release of accused plunderers of the Filipino people’s money, and signs of possible terrorist acts with using incendiary explosive device( I.E.D.) which is a standard tool of terrorists and suicide bombers in Iraq.

At the height of all these serious threats to peace and order, the Philippine media chose to focus on the bachelor president driving his luxury car perhaps to pick up another new date. Majority of the Filipinos who elected him now feel that he is more of a talker than a doer. Or perhaps he just moves too slowly to respond to crises as perceived by many as a sign of weak leadership. Even the reputable Washington-based American thinktank, Heritage Foundation, recently gave him a poor rating in leadership.

So what can we say now about these two political phenomena, Barack Obama and Noynoy, to whom their nations fully rest their hopes for a better future via a cry for change. Let me say this “God works in mysterious ways.”

2011-01-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

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

THE MARRIAGE OF POWER AND CORRUPTION

I think almost every Filipino believes that Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino won the presidency last year mainly because of his message in his campaign slogan “Kung walang korap, walang mahirap.” (English translation: If there are no corrupt officials, there will be no poor people.) Sounds convincing but only to the naïve.
Revising the slogan this way is more credible: “Kung walang mahirap, walang korap.”(English translation: If there are no poor people, there will be no corrupt officials.”)

Majority of the poor Filipinos voted for Aquino because they felt that he is the agent of change that would improve their living conditions with Aquino’s anti-corruption agenda.
Here is the truth of the matter: no political power nor any kind of power as long as it is in the hands of a human being can eradicate corruption because power and corruption exist symbiotically: power corrupts.

Let’s accept the fact that in the Philippines, we will enjoy five more years of corrupt government and in the United States, only two more years. What happens in the succeeding government would be much of the same kind of corruption. A meritorious government can only exist in Heaven above where the Angels enforce the law of God.

What am I trying to say, you may ask? I am saying is that we live in a corruptible world and the only way out of it is to fight corruption when we see it. It surely is a long struggle that is worth fighting for.

Imagine yourself swimming in a river full of crocodiles. Surely you’ll be eaten alive unless you fight them off and survive. You cannot kill them all those devilish reptiles.
Yet you can survive with the help of God if you ask Him for help.

So that’s the only thing we can do to survive: ask God for help while still living in this corruptible world.

2011-01-12T14:00:00.001-08:00

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

TRUE AMERICAN PATRIOTS UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF LIBERTY

The idea of denying American citizenship to children born in the United States by undocumented mothers seems to come straight from a person without a heart and soul. Such a person therefore is truly not a person but a robot or a dummy.

The Fourteenth Amendment of the American Constitution provides that “ All persons, born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and of the state where they reside.” So these dummies want to repeal this amendment.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v.Doe rules that the “Fourteenth Amendment extends to anyone, citizen or stranger, who is subject to the jurisdiction of the laws of a state, and reaches into every corner of a State’s territory. That the person’s initial entry into a State, or into the United States, was unlawful, and that for that reason he may be expelled, cannot negate the fact of his presence within the State’s territorial perimeter.”
So again these dummies want to repeal this highest court’s decision.

Back to my first query, why do these people, if they are not truly dummies, think of adding insult to injury towards illegal aliens. If you do a quick research as to the background of these people or their forefathers, they all entered the New World without a visa. They even tried to exterminate the American aborigines, the American Indians.

Again American history will tell us that the Fourteenth Amendment originally excluded the American Indians from becoming U.S. citizens, except for the passage of the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 that granted them American citizenship.

I am surprised why some Americans who just became naturalized citizens would want to deprive U.S. citizenship to American born children of undocumented mothers. I am much too surprised and upset with some Filipino Americans who toe this xenophobic orientation. Do a random check of these “WhiteWannabe Pinoys” and you may find most of them entered the United States fraudulently.

United States is the “land of the free, and the home of the brave.” We, American citizens and aliens, sing it during every Independence Day celebration. Look at the Statue of Liberty and read the poetic words inscribed on its pedestal: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!“

Only true American patriots can understand the meaning of Liberty.

2010-12-24T08:01:00.001-08:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo "Jun" Policarpio

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Christmas is always my happiest day of the year. I somehow cannot really explain this joyous feeling of mine. Perhaps because this day brings lots of memories from the past that were all full of joy mostly from my childhood days.

Like listening to Christmas Carols and stories of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, I never get tired unlike some comments I hear from jerks.

I cannot blame those jerks because they just don't understand the story of Christmas.

Once upon a time, I wrote a column in another Filipino American newspaper in New York complaining that maybe only one radio station in New York does play Christmas Carols during this season. I may have touched the nerve of some non-Christians when I noted a fact that most of these radio stations are managed or controlled by non-Christians or atheists. They called me a "bigot" which is not true. I just exercised my freedom of expression.

I shall always protect the American tradition of Christmas celebration especially when murmurings from political sectors call for the repeal of the law making Christmas a federal holiday.

When I ran for the U.S. Congress in 2008 to represent the 5th Congressional District of New York, I used the issue of incumbent Congressman Ackerman's negative vote on a Congressional Resolution honoring Christmas as an important American holiday as well as Christianity as a religion. Unfortunately I failed to get the endorsement of the Republican Party in New York and another candidate who is not a Christian continued the campaign line against her fellow non-Christian. It was good for her but still she lost the election. The passion of a Christian was not there.

Congressman Ackerman finally admitted he made a mistake in voting against the Congressional Resolution on Christmas. Personally I accepted his admission of error. A member of the U.S. Congress is duty bound to respect the sacred holidays of all religions in America because here unlike in other countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, there is freedom of religion.

In my current work as a consultant after retiring from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as an adjudications officer, I informed a certain undocumented college graduate from China who expressed to me his devotion to Christ as a believer and a Christian practitioner about the process of asylum when a person has credible fear of going back to his or her country of birth. He said he was truly scared of being deported back to China where there is no freedom of religion.

Last month he told me that he was granted asylum in the United States. He also said he asked his church congregation to pray for him during the interview.

Let's not argue about it that the United States of America is the best country in the world because of what it stands for: LIBERTY.

Christmas also stands for liberty when Christ was born to save mankind from eternal death.

Lastly, though I am a staunch Republican, I salute President Barack Obama when he greeted the world during the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree in President's Park in Washington, DC in this manner: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2010-12-17T17:42:00.001-08:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo "Jun" Policarpio

O.J. AND BILL CLINTON, REVISITED

Almost everybody in America even perhaps the whole world believes former football player, O.J. Simpson, killed his wife and her male friend despite the jury's decision to aquit him of murder. The jury composed mostly of African-Americans went along with the impact statement of the late Johnny Cochran, O.J.'s lead defense counsel, that the prosecutors failed to prove the famous African American athlete committed murder beyond reasonable doubt: evidence was tampered and lack of a murder weapon.

O.J. looked very suprised when the verdict to acquit him was announced. After his release, he promised to help in finding the killer of his wife. He failed to help and he is now in jail for another crime. Jay Leno, popular television late talkshow comedian, even advised O.J. to look at the mirror and he will find the culprit.

On another case, without former President Clinton's semen on the blue dress of his young intern, Monica Lewinsky, he would have not been convicted of perjury for saying to the world "I have no sexual relations with that woman."

Consider these two criminal cases and apply them to the controversial acquittal by the Philippine Supreme Court of the son of a former Philippine actor-senator for the heinous crimes of rape and murder and other scions of wealthy Filipino families for the same crimes. Those individuals were previously convicted by a regional trial court and the Court of Appeals.

Based on what I read and listened from the Filipino media, it took 15 years for the Supreme Court to overturn the Court of Appeals' decision to convict. According to the the Supreme Court's spokeman while explaining the decision to the media, the Court's decision to aquit Hubert Webb and the other convicts does not mean that they were innocent of the crime of murder. He said that the reason for the acquittal was that the prosecutors failed to prove the commission of the crimes of rape and murder beyond reasonable doubt: rapists' semen disappeared and only one eyewitness to the murder.

In the case of the Clinton's semen, a friend of the intern kept it and submitted it to the Ken Starr Commission, an independent counsel created to investigate Bill Clinton's wrongdoings.

The Webb family announced that they are willing to help find the real perpetrators of the rape massacre of the whole female members of the Vizconde family of Paranaque. Raising a 150 million peso reward for any information that would lead to the arrest of the real culprits would be a good gesture from the defendants's families.

If the families of those convicts acquitted by the Supreme Court truly believed that their sons were innocent of raping and murdering the wife and two daughters of Lauro Vizconde, then I must say that they should be at peace with their conscience and with God. If not, then they have raped again and murdered again the Vizconde family through a legal technicality. And the wages of such sin is eternal life in hell, if not in jail on earth.

2010-12-10T13:35:00.000-08:00

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

GO, GET THEM!

The Aquino presidency in the Philippines suffered another humiliating legal knock-out, third in a row, when the Supreme Court, the country’s highest court, ruled as “unconstitutional” the creation of the Truth Commission designed to investigate charges of corruption and other violations of law against the previous administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Now, what do you think about it?

We can say right away that the appointed legal handlers of President Aquino need to sharpen more their legal minds. There is no need to resort to indignant public protests and demonstrations against the Supreme Court. PNOY must tap the best prosecutorial legal minds available at his disposal and field them to finally haul known corrupt government officials already charged with corruption and other violations of law and dump them to a place where they belong.

What is the sense of publicizing again the gathering of information or evidence to proceed with the prosecution of a corrupt government official? If the Department of Justice and other law-enforcement agencies as well as the Congressional investigating committees have already gathered the required solid evidence to convict a corrupt government official, why do it again with a Truth Commission?

The right words to tell President Aquino NOW is do it and enforce the law. Avoid this childish legal encounters with the Supreme Court whose members were all appointed by his main target of prosecution. I believe the evidence is already in the bag ready to convict a group of criminals where some of them may be members of the Supreme Court.

Remember that the government officials under the previous Arroyo administration including Arroyo’s husband and sons accused of corruption already did challenge anybody with guts to file criminal complaints in a court of law if they have the evidence. So what is impeding the current Aquino prosecutorial team to accept the challenge?

It is hard to believe that in a democratic and just country like the Philippines, only one agency is authorized to prosecute top government officials charged with corruption and other violations of law. I am referring to the OMBUDSMAN who has refused to prosecute former Arroyo officials found to have committed graft and corruption by Congress and other law enforcement agencies.

To PNOY and legal advisers, there must be a way to “kick the rascals” out of government circulation.

2010-11-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

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

NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IS AHEAD

In the aftermath of the Republican Party takeover of the U.S. Capitol, the Democratic Congress is not only a “lame duck” but a dying duck. I mean no significant bills, particularly those pertaining to immigration reform, will pass at this stage.

The incoming Republican Congress seems to be eagerly poised to repeal some major legislations passed by the Democrats, most importantly the controversial Health Care Law which most economists blame for the persistent economic crisis.

But what is most interesting among things the Republicans are now planning is to know who is the best Conservative Republican candidate for president in 2012. The names of the prominent ones all end with an “ee” sound: Paulenti, Romney, and Huckabee. The other name ends with an “een” sound: Palin.

If the American people chose an African American to be president, would they be also ready to choose a woman as their president. Former Republican vice presidential candidate just recently announced that she can beat Obama in 2012.

The next two years definitely would be full of excitement that may finally pave the way for the election of the real Philippine-born candidate to the U.S. Congress.

A local newspaper columnist once said that there must be something wrong with Filipino American candidates in the East Coast for not winning any higher elective office. I agree with him.

The very thing that is wrong at face value or prima facie is not with the candidate but with the Filipino community in the tri-state area whose priority is not to see a fellow Filipino win an elective office. Some would even thank their gods for a Filipino to lose the election. What can you say about that? Brutally frank, right?

A any rate, it is God in Heaven who knows what is ahead. The best we can do is just to hold His Hand.

Just think how God allowed a person named Barack Obama that ryhmes with Osama to be president of the United States of America. I believe it is not for us to question and to know the reason why. For our mortal minds are truly limited in intelligence.

2010-11-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

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

POOR PNOY!

I am not a movie tattler or a gossip columnist but the story going around the Philippine media about the new lovelife of the bachelor Philippine President Noynoy Aquino is too interesting that pushed me to be one for this column. Let us just say I can’t help writing about it.

The rumormongers are now saying that Pnoy just dumped his girlfriend for many years and planned to marry his personal assistant who is a close friend of his youngest sister. If this is true, then I may say that the young Philippine president has rushed to a path “where angels fear to tread.” He became a “fool.”

Dealing with women, especially beautiful women with brains, is a special skill. I just hope that Pnoy finds an excellent adviser in this area. What I am trying to say is that a woman rejected is a dangerous tiger. And this tiger can fight back.

Look what happened to JFK and Bill Clinton. They are both losers in love, and in war, too.

Another gossip milling around the Philippine media circles is that the President’s dumped girlfriend has accepted to be a television co-host of the popular singer-comedian Willie Revillame. Willie, as the television host is commonly known to the masses, has fully enriched himself through his extra-popular gameshow, Wowowie, that equally gained millions of viewers around the world. This guy really knows how to use his millions in luring beautiful women. I know because he comes from my hometown of Cabanatuan City where most men are regarded as “barakos” or “katyao baryo.” (Lady’s Man in English)

This gossip story will become more interesting if in the end, we will see Willie Revillame proposing marriage to his co-host, the President’s former girlfriend. And he wins when he wins her heart.

Poor Pnoy!

2010-11-06T15:18:00.001-07:00

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

PNOY SPEAKS PERFECT TAGALOG!

So far one of the best things about Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino popularly called PNOY is the way he speaks Tagalog, the basis of the people’s national language called Pilipino. He uses the language much, much better than the leading television anchors and reporters in the Philippines.

Definitely, his Tagalog is crystal clear and well-accented and enunciated. The Filipino media practitioners and movie people should listen to his conversational skills and speeches in Tagalog.

I understand about the concept of a “lingua franca” when used by the people in a certain country. Some foreign words or coined words are added into language structure of the language recognized as the national language. It’s Pilipino in the Philippines and you will notice that there are words adopted into it from other dialects such as “kada”and “likas” or even expressions commonly used in the Filipino gay community such as “bongang bonga.”

I also understand that it’s really hard to change one’s accent, say from Ilocano accent into Tagalog. The bottomline in spoken language is as long as you can be understood.

Here lies the danger of mispronouncing some Tagalog words. The Tagalog word “aso” means dog if the accent is on the first syllable and means smoke if the accent is on the second syllable.

In one of my previous columns, I also took to task the Philippines’ National Language Institute to lead in correcting the erroneous use of the Tagalog pronoun “siya” popular even among television and movie personalities to refer to inanimate objects. This pronoun refers only to human beings of both sexes.

Another common mistake among several public communicators is the mispronunciation of the Tagalog word “nakita” meaning I saw. The correct way to say this Tagalog word is without any accent on the third syllable.

So much for this quick refresher on the Pilipino language. I just wish you again to listen to PNOY whenever he speaks to the media and try to speak Tagalog like him.

2010-10-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

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

THE RETURN OF THE CONSERVATIVES IN AMERICA

The American political pendulum may swing to the right during this coming midterm elections in November. When I say to the right it means back to the Conservative Republicans with full backing from the nation-wide right-wing Tea Party Movement. One of their prominent promoters is a Filipino American blogger and newspaper columnist, Michelle Malkin.

There are 138 Conservatives running for Congress, 129 for the House and 9 for the Senate. There is a near possibility that the Republicans may take back Capitol Hill this year.

Life in this world is truly cyclical. It’s like a wheel. That’s why we call it the “wheel of life.” You may be up, one time and down, another time. Only God in Heaven is always up in His throne forever. We, mortals, are all at His disposal and mercy. But always remember, God loves His children.

Why did Christ, the Son of God, teach His flock to be “moderate in all times” as written in the Bible? Because God hates extremism. His way is always the optimum.

Back to American politics. President Obama’s approval rating among the voters is at a very low point because he insisted in applying the failed socialistic policy of Karl Marx: take the money of the rich and give it to the poor or in other words, spread the wealth. This is way far from the economic idea gleaned from the biblical “Parable of the Talents.”

According to the parable, a Master of a household before he left for a journey, gave his money to three of his slaves. Two slaves worked and double the money. But one slave did not work and gained nothing from the money. When the master returned, he even punished the slave that did not work and gained nothing. He rewarded the two slaves who invested their money wisely. This is the American way of free enterprise that makes our country the greatest financial power in the world.

When I first campaigned for the U.S. Congress in 2004, I told CBS News Anchor, Cindy Hsu, that my economic platform was “help the poor get rich and the rich richer.”

It’s not a sin to be rich even though it’s hard for a rich man to enter heaven. It surely would be hard in this sense if the rich cannot follow Christ. When Christ challenged a rich man to give up his wealth and follow him, he admitted he could not do it. He failed the test of faith. He proved that gold is his god. So he is doomed to hell.

Joseph of Arimathea during the days of Jesus’ crucifixion was one the richest men in Judea. After Jesus’ death at the Cross, there was no place for his dead body to be buried. But Joseph offered his expensive catacomb for Jesus. So Joseph proved that he valued Jesus more than his wealth.

What I am trying to say simply through my religio-economic polemics is that capitalism is still the best economic system in the world. China is on a financial boom because of it.

Yet the liberal Democrats in control the government is pushing our country to the brink of bankruptcy through wasteful spending and heavy taxation especially on those sectors that create jobs.

I therefore welcome the return of the Conservatives where I belong.

2010-10-08T18:15:00.001-07:00

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

AS TIME GOES ON

Two political phenomena the world has recently known recently met at the United Nations General Assembly Meeting in New York City. They are President Barack Obama of the United States and President Benign “Noynoy” Aquino of the Philippines.

The meeting of the two leaders was not a formal one but something what the media terms as a “pull aside” meeting. Nobody really heard what they talked about except one who can read lips.

Anyway the political neophyte duo seemed to like each other based from their body language. Well, both politicians were plucked from the shadows and then hoisted by their peoples to the highest post in their governments.

I’m still waiting to see why God chose a mixed race brown-skinned young man born in a far-away multi-ethnic state like Hawaii to rule over America, the most powerful country in the world. Is it to confound the Caucasian segment of American society who always think and feel that they own the United States? Some of them even desire to deny American citizenship from those born in American soil to illegal aliens. Or perhaps just to be true to the biblical saying, “the last shall the first and the first shall be the last in the United States of America?

What about the mixed brown yellowish skinned young man from the Philippines who can traced his family roots from his mother’s side to the Fujian province in China? Remember, the Chinese in the Philippines have suffered years and years of persecution and discrimination going back to the Spanish times. He won this year’s election with a landslide victory despite the rumors spread by his political opponents that he belongs to a mental hospital. He just celebrated his first 100 days as president with a 70 per cent approval rating from the Filipino people. What should be in God’s mind to put him in charge of a country where almost 80 per cent of the population live on squalor? Can he save his people from death and starvation?

Now is the time to wait and see what God in Heaven has planned for the United States and the Philippines in the near future.

2010-09-09T18:09:00.001-07:00

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

UNSUNG HEROES OF THE PHILIPPINES?

If ever acting Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government, Jesse Robredo, would be asked to go by Philippine President Noynoy Aquino, this will remind me of what happened to my late friend, Manoling Maravilla of Queens, New York during the early days of Cory Aquino’s administration in the late 80s. Manoling had a heart attack months after he was dismissed from his position as Officer-in-Charge of a sequestered Marcos government-owned corporation called Philippine Commercial Satellite Corporation or PHILCOMSAT.

I have personal knowledge on how Manoling Maravilla worked hard with then anti-Marcos and pro-Aquino groups in the United States, mainly the Ninoy Aquino Movement (NAM) then headed by Heherson Alvarez. I even coordinated with this group during my time as member of Mayor Ed Koch’s ethnic advisory body in sponsoring community events calling for the end of martial law in the Philippines.

I observed with my own eyes how the NAM leaders turned Manoling and former New York Consul General, Francisco “King” Rodrigo as their gofers to buy some Chinese food around the corner in downtown Manhattan. I even used his residence in Queens Village where Cory and Ninoy used to stay when I testified before the New York City Council during the public hearing justifying the passage of the Benigno Aquino Triangle Law naming a public park in Queens, New York after the Filipino martyr.

The political tragedy, however, caught on poor Manoling when he mistakenly signed papers, according to an informant, returning some shares of stock to a Marcos crony from the sequestered PHILCOMSAT. Perhaps succumbing to some nudging from self-serving presidential advisers, President Corazon Aquino gave him the boot.

On one occasion after Manoling‘s dismissal, I saw Aida, Manoling’s wife and she confided to me saying with much remorse that after working so hard for the fall of the Marcos dictatorship, her husband did not deserve what he got. Then a few months later, I heard that Manoling passed away.

Isn’t this same thing happened to former Manila Times Editor, Eddie Monteclaro, after working hard for an anti-Marcos group called MOVEMENT FOR A FREE PHILIPPINES, then headed by the late Raul Manglapus? After receiving no responsible position from the new Aquino government, he just went to his old job in Manila as a newspaper copy editor and according to his wife, Rudi, he also suffered a heart attack and later died in grief.

I hope a similar tragic fate would not fall on acting DILG secretary, Jesse Robredo, for appearing too late at the scene of the Manila Hostage Crisis on August 23, 2010.

2010-09-05T12:21:00.001-07:00

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

“LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD”

On Thursday, September 2nd, Floyd Mayweather, American boxer of Negroid ancestry, was caught on a Ustream webcam format published byYOUTUBE calling Manny Pacquiao, the world’s boxing champion from the Philippines, a string of racist remarks.

He told his video audience mispronouncing Pacquiao’s name as Poochiao, that he “will cook the yellow chump.“ and “cook him with some barbecued dogs and cats,“ “will kick his midget ass,” and calling him a “fag,” He boasted that after he beat him in a fight, he “will make him cook some sushi rolls and some rice.”

Then on the following day, Friday, Mayweather apologizes to everybody for his remarks on Pacquiao via the same webcam format saying that he is not a racist and he did not mean what he said.

If he is just promoting a possible match with Pacquiao in the near future, he may be imitating Muhammad Ali’s insulting remarks about Joe Frazier during the Thrilla in Manila fight.

It could be acceptable for Ali, an African American, to descibe Frazier, a fellow African American, as an ugly “gorilla.” Definitely it’s not acceptable to resort to racial slurs between two fighters from different ethnicity. As science declares, for every action there is a reaction.

Why don’t we do this game scenario, fellow Filipinos, where Pacquiao answers back to Mayweather’s racial epithets accompanied with an explanation that he doesn’t really mean what he is saying.

This is only a scenario:

Here’s Pacquiao ranting against Mayweather on a videocam:

I will knock out that charcoal colored cannival, Floyd “Mau-Mau” Mayweather whose parents fell off from the Planet of the Apes, kick his monkey-like butt, and present him to anthropologists as the “missing link.“ After I knocked him out, I will ask him to cook me with some snake rolls mixed with deepfried monkey brain.

The playing field is now even. End of the fight, says the Equalizer.

2010-08-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

STOLEN HONOR?

August 31, 2010

Mr.Momar Visaya
Editor-in-Chief
Asian Journal
5 Penn Plaza, Ste. 1932
New York, NY 10001

Dear Mr. Editor:

Your article on the Benigno Aquino Triangle that appeared last week caught my attention due to an unfortunate but persistent omission of a very important historical fact.

The question is: Who initiated this project and how this vacant public lot came to be named as BENIGNO AQUINO TRIANGLE?

Because I have first hand knowledge about this Filipino community project and a direct participant in the passage of a New York law naming a public triangle after a Filipino, let me help you in providing the significant historical origin of this New York park named in honor of the assassinated former Philippine senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. who died fighting for justice, freedom, and democracy.

First of all, the naming of the Triangle did not happen in 1986 because of an “NYC Council Resolution.” The Resolution allowed the construction of the concrete marker and not the naming of the lot after Aquino.

The Benigno Aquino Triangle is a product of a local law introduced by former Queens Councilman Sheldon Leffler and co-sponsored by fellow council members, namely Ward, Povman, Foster, Dibrienza, Crispino, Eisland, Greitzer, Messinger, Michels, O’Donovan and Wooten and passed by the New York City Council on September 23, 1986. Former Mayor Ed Koch approved and signed the Local Law 42 of 1986 known as the BENIGNO AQUINO TRIANGLE.

Prior to the passage of this law, in accordance to council rules and procedures, I, Gonzalo M. Policarpio, Jr. as the representative of the Filipino community and member of the Mayor’s Ethnic Advisory Council passed through a public hearing conducted by the Committee on Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs on September 5, 1986 to justify the legislation in honor of a Filipino martyr and answered questions from the media. On the side of the Philippine government, the late Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations, Salvador P. Lopez, testified before the Committee.

I also secured the approval of the Filipino Association in Hollis, Queens then headed by Jacinto Tiamsic , president and Procopio Carlay, vice president. Both Filipino leaders also submitted the approval of the Community Board who has jurisdiction over the area.

During the signing ceremony of the BENIGNO AQUINO TRIANGLE Law on October 9, 1986 by then Mayor Koch at the City Hall Blue Room, I invited Mr. Procopio Carlay to be in attendance as the representative of the Filipino Association in Hollis. Pictures of the signing ceremony as well as the unveiling ceremony of the public sign, Benigno Aquino Triangle that was attended by former Philippine Consul General Francisco “King” Rodrigo and local New York politicians were published by Filipino newspapers such as FILIPINO REPORTER and PHILIPPINE NEWS.

In a press release authored by former Councilman Sheldon Leffler, he stated that in February, 1986, he was approached by Gonzalo Policarpio Jr who is also an area resident, about the wishes of the city’s Filipino community to commemorate the memory of the late senator.

The emergence of the group BENIGNO AQUINO TRIANGLE FOUNDATION came much later when Filipino residents around the area where the sign stood decided to pool their resources and establish a permanent marker.

Mr. Carlos Caramanzana, an active resident in the area, called me to inform that a certain Dr. Concepcion Quiambao was interested in raising funds to construct a concrete marker in place of the steel post bearing the Aquino Triangle sign. I said OK.

For more than twenty years that the leadership of the Foundation has been hosting ceremonial events at the Triangle, I finally received the only invitation in 2008 from Ms. Lydia Bunag of FAHSI to join a religious mass to be held at the area. Luckily she was given the privilege to coordinate the events during that time and good for me.

I am doing this summary of events because of the silence about the Triangle’s real origin condoned by responsible Filipino media, responsible Philippine Consulate officials, and responsible Filipino leaders.

Here’s my question: Are they scared to antagonize a presumed “friend or relative of Cory Aquino” as the lady said if credit is given where credit is due? This has lingered for more than twenty years.

Enough of injustice, deception, greed, theft, and covetousness. These were not the reasons Ninoy Aquino died for. How can an honest human being enjoy a credit that does not belong to him or her for more than twenty years?

Sincerely,

Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

Enclosures:
Copy of Benigno Aquino Triangle Law
Copy of Councilman Sheldon Leffler’s Letter to President Corazon Aquino
Copies of newspaper clippings

2010-08-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo "Jun" Policarpio

BLAME THE DEVIL FOR THE DEATH OF THE HOSTAGES!

In any hostage situation, there is no guarantee of success. The fate of the hostages depends upon chance, luck, sudden change of mind of the hostage taker, or via a miracle from God. The mind of any hostage-taker borders on insanity or to a lesser degree, irrationality.

There are a variety of reasons why an individual or group would decide to hold another individual or group hostage such as political, personal, religious, or just an act of terrorism to pursue a goal.

In 1972, eight Israeli Olympic athletes died in the hands of Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics. West German authorties tried their best to rescue the hostages but failed.

In 1979, the whole American nation was held hostage by militant Iranian radicals under the command of the Iranian religious fanatic leader Khomeini when they rushed to the Embassy compound in Tehran and captured 66 American officials and employees. This hostage crisis preoccupied half of American President Carter's term of office. Carter's failure to get the release of all the hostages led to his disgrace in the eyes of the electorate. HIs successor, Ronald Reagan, was able to achieve Carter's goal of a complete release that catapulted the Republican president as their savior in the eyes of the American voters.

I sincerely believe that nobody wants the hostages killed in any scenario. But during the hostage negotiations, things can change suddenly without warning. There is only a very, very thin line about to disappear that divides the hostage taker's mind between sanity and insanity. That is the nature of the sensitive human brain when put under intense stress, pressure, and perhaps a whisper from the devil.

The Manila hostage situation a few days ago where nine Hong Kong tourist were fatally shot by the hostage-taker, a dismissed Manila police offficer, is typical of a scenario when the hostage-taker lost his mind and decided to take his hostages with him to death.

As I watched the television coverage, the Manila authorites tried their best to avoid any tragedy. It took them a day-long of negotiations to satisfy the wishes of the hostage-taker. Not one of them, even when they decided to begin the assault, desired the death of any hostage. The goal of the assault was to take the hostage-taker out dead or alive to save any surviving hostages.

In any hostage negotiation, there is no guarantee that all the hostages will be saved. Some may be released and some may be killed.

Back to the Manila hostage situation, events may turn out differently such as the sudden change of mind of the hostage taker's brother telling his brother not to compromise. The Manila authorities used him in the negotiation believing that he would be able to persuade his brother to give up.

The Manila Mayor who ordered his removal from the premises was right. The hostage taker's brother became a liability, instead of an asset. But here's the unforeseen event: he tried to avoid being taken to police headquarters by running away towards where the media people were stationed yelling for help. Television cameras caught him being collared by his fellow police officers. And this scene was viewed by his brother, the hostage taker, inside the tourist bus' television monitor.

On top of this unwholesome event for him, the hostage taker got upset with the document from the Ombudsman, the Philippine government's prosecuting agency, which he expected would give him back his job.

I surely think these two events caused the hostage taker's mind to run berserk and started shooting at his hostages.

Now tell me, who's to blame for the death of the hostages? My good Filipino senators making an inquiry into the failure of the hostage negotiation, blame the devil who whispered to the hostage taker's ears to go for broke.

Let me give you a piece of my mind in dealing with any hostage situation: neutralize the hostage-taker when the chance permits before any negotiation starts for the hostage-taker's humanity has already started to deteriorate.

2010-08-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

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

TORTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES?

Vivid video images of a robbery suspect being brutally tortured by a police officer in a Manila Police Precinct may conveniently come out as a good argument for Filipinos illegally staying in the United States who would think of filing for asylum, withholding of removal and protection under the Geneva Convention against Torture. The poor detainee was shown on video completely naked on the ground being whipped by another person who was also caught in the act of pulling with a string the male prisoner’s penis.

Fear of Torture is one of the valid grounds for granting an alien the benefit of staying in the United States indefinitely. The United States government has been very strict in condemning any act of torture even against terrorists.

Torture of prisoners and detainees is widely used in China, in Latin America, and other authoritarian countries as reported in the annual U.S. State Department Human Rights Report. It is very hard to believe that it can happen to a democracy-loving and Christian country like the Philippines.

Yes, it’s true that some members of the New Police Department one time tortured an African-American detainee by shoving a toilet bowl plunger into his anus. But American justice moved quickly. The involved lawmen were punished severely while the torture victim received millions of dollars for punitive damages. He is now a multi-millionaire living in Florida.

I just hope that justice under the Aquino administration will move quickly by prosecuting the torturers, punish them severely, and provide appropriate payment of monetary damages to the victim.

I expect to hear about this Filipino torture victim as a future multi-millionaire living in Serendra 1 in Taguig City. He does not need to come to the United States and apply for asylum.

2010-08-14T07:59:00.001-07:00

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

MUCH NOBLER THAN FOLLOWING TRAFFIC LIGHTS

Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino captured the imagination of the poor Filipino masses as their “knight in shining armor” and agreed to hoist him from his boring Senate seat as their leader. According to generally accepted estimates, about 80% of the total Philippine population belong to the impoverished segment. So after the smoke cleared out from the recent May 10 presidential elections, Noynoy, the only son of the popular former president Cory and the assassinated anti-Marcos freedom fighter, Ninoy, won the biggest margin of victory in the history of Philippine elections mainly because of the poor.

Noynoy’s election victory fever got hotter with the masses when he refused to use the siren in driving through traffic like any other Pinoy commuter.

Like any other story, there is always the sunny side and the cloudy one.

What has the potential to prolong the cloudy side in the early days of the popular Aquino presidency is the case of the Hacienda Luisita, a 6,435 hectare plantation estate owned by the Cojuangco Family that is even much larger than Makati and Pasig combined.

The story of this Hacienda already has a tragic episode: several poor farmers died of gunshots while airing their grievances during protest demonstrations. And now the farmers are still complaining of unfulfilled promises from the hacienda owners such as their right to own the small farms they till in compliance with the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program initiated by former president Cory, Noynoy’s mother.

Noynoy Aquino indeed however has the potential to become a great Filipino president and leader. Here’s the right time at the right place to do it by just following the law - the Agrarian Reform law.

Isn’t this much nobler than following the traffic lights of MetroManila?

__._,_.___

2010-08-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

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

THE DEVIL’S JUSTICE

If it’s true that Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson had nothing to do with the Dacer-Corbito double murder according to a government witness for the prosecution who turned the tables against Lacson’s accusers, then Lacson missed an opportunity to be on the level of two famous national heroes, Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio. Philippine history will tell that both of these heroes were convicted and executed under false charges. Did not Jesus Christ suffer the same fate?

It is greed and covetousness plus vengeance that can move a person or group to set up their target or buy false witnesses to accuse their common enemy of crimes that were not committed. That character trait originated from Satan himself.

I would suggest to Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to pass a law making individuals who maliciously file false charges against another as a criminal act punishable for the same penalty if the person would be found guilty of the false charges..

Anyway, Senator Lacson by evading the Arroyo government’s warrant for his arrest clearly decided not to be dead hero.

Here comes now a legislative proposal from a newly-elected senator to re-instate the death penalty.

To kill an innocent is definitely worse than to detain a hardcore criminal.

There is no more hope to resurrect a dead innocent; yet there’s still some hope for a murderer to repent for his sins and be upgraded to a person like some former convicts who now carry a Bible and preach the Word of God.

2010-07-30T16:26:00.001-07:00

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

A BILL TO REDUCE THE ELEMENTS OF TREASON?

During his presidential inauguration, Noynoy Aquino lambasted those arrogant ones, mostly politicians and top government officials who used sirens or “wangwangs” unnecessarily like taking their wives to a shopping spree. They even called them in a way little kings of the city or translated in Tagalog, “mga naghari-harian sa lansangan.” After the speech, police and other law enforcement officials quickly moved to confiscate the crazy gadgets.

Just recently, President Noynoy once again lambasted the previous Arroyo administration of depleting the 2010 budget from 1 trillion plus pesos to a few scores of billions, stockpiling an oversupply of unnecessary imported rice laying rotten in government warehouses, and flagrant bribery being conducted between bus operators and officials of the MetroManila Development Authority under the past administration.

Again, government law enforcement and investigating authorities jumped up and down and started to go after the culprits. Even the Ombudsman whose head is known to be protecting the former president from any criminal charges issued a summons to a Mr. Lorenzo, former Arroyo agriculture chief, to explain the notorious multimillion peso fertilizer scandal.

Yet the main culprit as it would seem to be under the principle of command responsibility is the former Philippine president who skipped Aquino’s State of the Nation Address by traveling to Hong Kong. I don’t blame her for doing it. Who would anyone in his or her right mind be made captive of an event where your sins against the Filipino people be recited by the incumbent president elected with the biggest mandate?

Former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who is a newly elected congresswoman came back from her short trip abroad and would resume her lawmaking career. Remember, her first bill was to change the Philippine Constitution, perhaps to reduce the elements that constitute the act of treason.

Noynoy’s nanny said in public that the strongest point of this current president is he does what he says. And he said many times what he will go after the corrupt regardless of stature or personal relationships, from the highest post to the lowest.

I would like to suggest a minor change in his approach in dealing with the corrupt: from “reconciliation with justice” to reconciliation and justice with punishment.

2010-07-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

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

CAN YOU FORGIVE AND FORGET THOSE WHO SINNED AGAINST YOU?

The ugly sores of corruption afflicting the Philippine government left by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is slowly being exposed by the new government of Noynoy Aquino as gleaned from recent Philippine press reports. The OMBUDSMAN, the special government agency created by the Constitution to prosecute corrupt government officials who stole the people’s money, is now being revealed as the “special agency” used by the previous administration NOT to prosecute corrupt government officials who were political allies of the former president.

To any simple political theoretician, it is very hard to reconcile injustice with justice. When President Noynoy Aquino during his inaugural address used the phrase “ reconciliation with justice” as the hallmark of his political policy toward known unjust presidents like Marcos and Arroyo, does he mean forgiveness within the definition of the Christian doctrine?

I believe Noynoy’s mother, former president Cory, did try to experiment with the theory of “reconciliation with justice or through justice.” As a devout Christian, she indeed believed in the Christian doctrine of forgiveness. And God helped her keep democracy intact despite the seven coup attempts launched by rebel soldiers? Still if Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines chose to continue fighting Philippine democracy by exiling himself in another country after receiving forgiveness, that was his call. Cory Aquino did what her forgiving heart dictated. And God once again blessed her by preserving freedom in the Philippines

God truly loves a forgiving heart. Yet it is still hard for a forgiving heart to forget the sins inflicted. Some sinners do not deserve forgiveness such as the “children of the Devil.“ Only Jesus Christ can forgive and forget the sins of a person.

Anyway, President Noynoy somehow explained in his speech that he forgives those who inflicted harm on his person, but not those who sinned against the Filipino people by stealing what belong to them. In this regard, I am on his side.

The saga of the Filipino people continues.

2010-07-10T12:16:00.001-07:00

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

IS THERE HOPE FOR JUSTICE?

The return of those who escaped from the Arroyo brand of justice such as the renegade marine of the Oakwood Mutiny, Lt. Faeldon, and former Agriculture secretary Cito Lorenzo sends a very good signal for President Noynoy Aquino’s campaign against corruption and injustice. If or when Senator Panfilo Lacson voluntarily appears from hiding to confront his accusers, the best of the new Philippine government is yet to come. Let us hope.

Everyone and everything have their own time in this world. In the political sense, the minorities symbolized by the election of the first African-American president, Barack Obama, are experiencing some semblance of recognition in the United States. Who died for this cause? Isn’t it Martin Luther King?

In the Philippines, those who fight for human rights and some who gave up their lives for it are experiencing some sort of rewards for their noble deeds. Among the known and unknown martyrs for the good fight for human rights, isn’t Ninoy Aquino the widely accepted icon for this cause? His only son, Noynoy, just got elected to the presidency with a big mandate from the people.

When I left the Philippines in the early 70s for a new life in the United States, I saw two human rights lawyers together somewhat waiting in a line for something inside a building. I greeted them cordially as former political science classmates at the University of the Philippines and they returned my greetings with a nice smile despite the recent imposition of martial law by Ferdinand Marcos. They were Jejomar Binay and Edcel Lagman.

Mr. Binay just got elected to the vice-presidency of the Philippines while Mr. Lagman still aspires to be the House Speaker. During the Arroyo regime, the two chummy-chummy human rights lawyers were no longer together politically. I believe they followed separate visions of the future.

Now the time for true justice in the Philippines has come. I hope again. For there is no substitute for hope but only hope. As mere mortals, the “powers that be” are subject to the highest power from Above, God.

With hope comes action and I urge every believer in justice to pray and work together that justice prevails under the new Aquino regime.

2010-06-29T16:38:00.003-07:00

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

AQUINO’S NANNY: HE DOES WHAT HE PROMISES

June 30, 2010 marks the end of the Arroyo regime in the Philippines that lasted for nine exciting years. Those years were also inciting because majority of the people have been looking forward to see the end of the Arroyo line.

As I said before in my previous column, the outgoing Philippine president I may say was chosen to rule the Filipino people for reasons God only knows. The same thing was true to the Marcos regime or to any other unpopular governments the world has ever had.

I surely think that God’s way is from night to day, death to life, or from gloom to joy. That would explain the applicability of some popular quotations such as “behind the cloud, there is a silver lining” or a Tagalog saying, “kung may hirap, may ginhawa.”(After poverty is prosperity)

The best way to start the incoming Aquino regime is look on the sunny side of life.

However, there are always bumps on any road or pitfalls to avoid on any journey to happiness. A positive mental attitude or hope for a better Philippines is indeed imperative to start rebuilding what was broken or damaged.

The idea that a public office is a public trust suffered the most in terms of value during the outgoing administration. Bundles and bundles of graft and corruption cases against high government officials have piled up in the courts’ logbooks and so far there have been very few convictions.

Lying and stealing among top government officials has become rampant at the expense of justice. Bribery has become a cultural trait among the people to get things done.

Killing of a human being has also become a norm as a byproduct of the rule of injustice. A crooked politician may order the liquidation of his political enemies at a cost of two thousand pesos per head, I presume. In most cases, the lawmen were the outlaws.

But I must say that “honesty is still the best policy.”

If what the former nanny said of Noynoy Aquino, the incoming president, is true that his greatest strength is doing what he promises to do or in other words, being honest, then we, the Filipino people, are in for a lot of surprises in dealing with the new Philippine government.

2010-06-29T16:38:00.002-07:00

2010-06-29T16:38:00.001-07:00

2010-06-18T14:20:00.001-07:00

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

GOD KNOWS BEST!

Judging from the manner he came from nowhere compared to other presidential candidates who expressed their intent to run for president much, much earlier, Benigno“Noynoy” Aquino III, may be called as the Philippines’ Barack Obama.

At age 50 on the day of his inauguration on June 30 this year, Noynoy is only two years older than the American president whom many Americans particularly the media did not expect to win the White House in 2008. \

The media described Obama as a political lightweight with no chance of winning the American presidency for having been U.S. senator only for 2 years and carrying a name that somewhat sounds like Osama the terrorist.

As the saying goes, “God works in mysterious ways.” Noynoy’s and Barack’s election to the highest office of their respective countries is truly miraculous. When I predicted in one of my columns that the name of the next American president ends in a vowel, I was really thinking of Giuliani or Huckabee who both lost.

Out of these two miraculous political events, there is a lesson being revealed to mortals like us: No amount of money, powerful political machines, or an expensive all-out media blitz can derail what has been predestined. On this point, I may say that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Corruptible, was predestined to rule the Filipino people over the late Fernando Poe, Jr., the movie actor. I don’t need to question why but God in Heaven has His own reason.

Now, the American people have Barack Obama, definitely a weird name for an American president, as their leader for 2 more years. As he himself remarked, President Obama during the campaign told his audience, presumably because of his African American looks, his White Caucasian opponents would say: “You know, he doesn’t look like those American presidents on those dollar bills, you know.”

Now, the Filipino people have Noynoy Aquino as their leader for six years. Just imagine those nasty things his opponents said about him to the extent of pressuring him to get a psychological test. How much amazed were these people when he intelligently and firmly answered questions from the media immediately after his proclamation.

This is my belief: GOD KNOWS BEST.

2010-06-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

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

HEED THE CALL FOR GREATNESS

One of the most important responsibilities of the incoming president of the Philippines is to search for good men and women to effect change in the new government. I believe that honesty coupled with intelligence should be one of the first requisites of a government official.

Is it really hard to find an intelligent and at the same time an honest person to serve the Filipino people? What a rare combination of good traits!

To the American people, Abraham Lincoln may be described as both honest and intelligent. Have you ever read his writings, most particularly his famous Gettysburg Address? His speech delivered at the height of the American civil war was short but concise, straightforward and honest, and rich in the advocacy for strong faith, honor, and glory that was worth fighting for. Under his leadership, the American nation was saved from destruction.

Our country, the Philippines, is still young and restless but has the potential to be great like the United States of America. Our leaders since the founding of the Filipino nation under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo have made some mistakes but always quick to learn from such mistakes. No doubt it really takes many years for a nation to be great.

The time to be positive and optimistic about the future of the Philippines is now and not tomorrow or another day. As the saying goes, like people like government.

It’s the call of the Filipino people to change for the better, not to tolerate corruption or the “among lagay”system, for one. So many have raised the issue of moral regeneration, so to speak, to do what is good, and to leave what is bad.

What would say “No” to such a call for greatness but the terrorists and the scums of the Philippines?

2010-05-28T11:43:00.001-07:00

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

SOONER RATHER THAN LATER

So the time has come for CHANGE in the Philippines. The Filipino people chose Noynoy, the son of former president Cory Aquino and Filipino hero, Ninoy, to be their president for six years.

Real change is the big challenge facing the incoming president. First in the chopping block is the deep-rooted problem of graft and corruption that has plagued leaders of mostly third-world countries where the Philippines is still one of them.

If money can be used for evil purposes, then I think it can also be used for good ones.

The record says that the nation’s wealth is controlled by very few Filipino families. Because wealth is power anywhere in the world, former dictator Marcos called those rich Filipinos as “oligarchs.” Marcos’ folly, I believe, was his scheme to covet those riches that did not belong to him.

Given such a situation where the very powerful few can convert their money into power, the new Filipino leader may try to convince this special segment of the Filipino society to convert their money into ways to improve the economy of the Philippines, particularly in creating millions of jobs for the jobless through opening of thousands of industries, plants, and factories all over the archipelago. One way to move them is to offer incentives, most particularly tax incentives.

However, for those “rich” Filipino kleptocrats who stashed most of their stolen wealth abroad, one country such as the United States has a policy of seizing the “dirty” stuff and giving them back to the Filipino people. This campaign should start as soon as possible.

I will call the election of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as one last chance for CHANGE. After it, I do not see anything better if it won’t succeed.

Fellow Filipinos, it’s also time to work together to get the job done sooner rather than later.

2010-05-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN

MIRACLES STILL HAPPEN TODAY

Fellow Filipinos, allow me to say Heaven’s mandate came down on May 10th, Election Day in the Philippines, and anointed Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino as the next president. Only God knows the reason why. Why He chose a neophyte but honest politician to rule the country beset with millions of problems only an Angel of the Lord can solve.

Is it because Noynoy’s father sacrificed his life for freedom and democracy while his mother dismantled dictatorship and restored democracy for her once subjugated people?

Or perhaps God would not want to tolerate anymore the rule of plunderers of the people’s resources.

Or perhaps God would not want to risk anymore the welfare of the people at the hands of greedy politicians and their minions?

Let’s again consider a story in the Bible how God plucked a shepherd boy to rule Israel and defeat the ungodly conquering Philistines.

There is another story how God anointed a slave to rule Egypt in order to restore prosperity in the land.

Miracles still happen today, my friends. And Noynoy’s victory is truly one of them.

2010-05-07T15:07:00.001-07:00

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

“LET THE DIE BE CAST!”

On this coming May 10th presidential election, the Filipino people will choose their own fate in the next six years and nobody knows what is ahead, except ONE WHO KNOWS ALL. Maybe heaven or maybe hell on earth. For it all depends on who will be entrusted with all the powers delegated by the Constitution- political, economic, social, military, and other attendant authorities - the next president of the Philippines.

I think God allowed Marcos to rule the Filipino people with a dictatorial hand in order to let the people experience life with less freedom.

I think God allowed Cory Aquino to rule with a motherly hand in order to let the people experience life with more freedom.

I think God allowed Ramos to rule with a military hand in order to let the people experience life guided by some sort of discipline.

I think God allowed Estrada to rule with a gambler’s hand in order to let the people experience life with a risky mind.

I think God allowed Macapagal-Arroyo to rule without the people’s mandate in order to let the people experience life under pretense.

Now who do you think God will allow to rule?

An innocent but honest young man catapulted to popularity by virtue of being the son of extraordinarily good parents?

A mega-rich businessman noted for shrewdness and wheeling-dealing?

A former gambler-president who was convicted of plunder?

Or a candidate nobody expects to win?

Let the die be cast!

2010-04-30T13:43:00.001-07:00

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

BE A PART OF SHAPING PHILIPPINE HISTORY RIGHTEOUSLY

This coming May 10th presidential elections in the Philippines is just too important to have a “wait and see” attitude and let it go without naming the best and most appropriate candidate to occupy the most powerful office of the land.

So on April 29th, Thursday afternoon, at a popular Filipino restaurant in Woodside, New York, a group of New Yorker Filipinos gathered and unanimously endorsed the candidacy of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, only son of the martyred senator Ninoy Aquino and former president Cory Aquino.

The special group is composed of Filipino professionals coming from various backgrounds, namely:

This columnist who once served as a member of New York City Mayor’s Ethnic Advisory Council acting as the Mayor’s Liaison to the Filipino community from 1981 to 1989. He worked with former New York City Councilman Sheldon Leffler in 1983 to name a public park in Queens after Ninoy, called BENIGNO AQUINO TRIANGLE, the assassinated father of Noynoy for sake of freedom and democracy in the Philippines.

Prof. Ruben Policarpio Mendez, son of former Philippine Foreign Secretary Mauro Mendez and distinguished educator, author, and Rizalist, Dr. Paz Policarpio Mendez. Prof. Mendez wrote 2 textbooks on International Public Finance currently being used by college students at New York University. He also teaches at Yale University.

Jose Mari Mercader, former Philippine Tourism Attache in New York and former fiery anti-Marcos television commentator in the Philippines.

Atty. Roberto Hernandez, Immigration Lawyer in New York who once participated in the world-famous EDSA “People Power” Revolution and a relative in-law of former Senator Jovito Salonga, honorary chairman of the Liberal Party where Noynoy belongs.

Atty. Gabriel De la Merced, Immigration Lawyer in New York and son of the former Mayor of Norzagaray, Bulacan.

Luis Pedron, Jr., noted Filipino American filmmaker and director and newspaper publisher

Arturo Zamora, foremost Filipino visual artist in the Philippines and currently in New York. Former San Francisco Mayor, Willie Brown, once proclaimed an “Arturo Zamora Day” in honor of his artistic distinctions.

Last but not the least, Emmanuel Agbanlog, publisher of this paper and GLOBAL PINOY, a monthly magazine for Filipinos worldwide.

You may log on to www.filipinotimesonline.com to view and listen to this Filipino New Yorkers’ hearty endorsement of Noynoy Aquino as next president of the Philippines and Mar Roxas, as his vice-president.

Now to those who can vote, go the Philippine Center in Manhattan and cast your sacred vote. Remember that your one vote can make a big difference on what will happen to our mother country for the next six years.

2010-04-23T10:10:00.001-07:00

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

“WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE MINDS OF MEN”

Whatever bloody and sinister hand caused the acquittal without a trial of two suspected murderers of more than 50 innocent Filipino civilians in the province of Maguindanao some five months ago could also cause a failure of the May 10 presidential elections in order to hold on to power. The Filipino people whose forefathers like Rizal and Bonifacio gave up their lives for freedom and honor should not allow such an evil hand to rule their lives by cutting it into pieces.

The Philippine’s chief law enforcement officer, none other than the Secretary of Justice, issued the release order for the two murder suspects belonging the Ampatuan Clan with close ties to Malacanang. He was shown on television shedding tears when victims of the massacre protested his decision and finally lodged a disbarment complaint against him. His tears may indicate a manifestation of fear if he changed his decision or a feeling of being torn by two opposing forces - public opinion and common sense against his benefactor, Malacanang perceived to being blackmailed by the wealthy and trigger-happy Ampatuans.

If public opinion fueled by the media is pointing its finger to the justice secretary’s boss, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, as the person with the evil hand, then such charge is just too serious to ignore and that calls for a very serious investigation. The outgoing president should initiate it promptly in order to clear her good name if it is so. If not, there may be more serious things to come.

When President Arroyo placed Maguindanao under Martial Law after the mass murder, I approved of it because it would hasten the arrest and detention of the ruthless butchers of innocent men and women, most of them were journalists. Most people are now thinking that she may have nudged her justice secretary to fail to prosecute two prime suspects of the murder as payback for some political debts incurred in the 2004 presidential elections. If that is true, then she would finally find herself truly in hot boiling water.

I may now think that my approval for the martial law imposition in Maguindanao was based on a wrong expectation. It now seems to indicate that such imposition would be a shrewd ploy to charge the Ampatuans of rebellion without murder and consider the massacre victims as mere casualties of war.

As a once in a lifetime opening lines of a television drama says, “Who knows what evil lurks in the minds of men. The Shadow knows.“ Let me now add the following: of women, too.

2010-04-16T13:03:00.001-07:00

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

“JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY”

We normally experience joy whenever we get what we desire such as a good paying job, a college graduation, first prize in a contest, a marriage proposal from a loved one, or a feeling of being forgiven from some sins we committed.

How about “joy unspeakable and full of glory”? Have you ever experienced it?

The Bible said such joy is loving Somebody that you have not seen but you believe in Him. Therefore, without faith, you cannot have this special kind of joy for the object of this joy is Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior.

Again I speak as a Christian and I do not intend to impose my beliefs to my readers. I just want to share them with you. Take it or leave it.

You found yourself lost in a maze and doomed to fall in a bottomless pit. You call for help. Then here is this unseen Friend who came to your rescue and led you to your destination safe and sound. This Friend loves you truly and He expects you to love Him too. And then you begin to love this Friend and so the beginning of joy starts. Yet you cannot express it because it is glorified or celestial. This Friend is Jesus.

Being redeemed from the debt of sin caused by man’s disobedience to God Almighty and set free from the grasp of eternal death is indeed “joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

The Gift of Salvation is offered to whosoever will believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior at no price or suffering required. He already paid it all at the Cross of Calvary.

I just cannot express the joy I feel every time I sing or listen to the church hymn, “How Great Thou Art.” This kind of joy is unspeakable and full of glory.

2010-04-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

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

THE EYE OF A NEEDLE

Who wants to be rich? Almost everybody, I presume.

With richness comes a luxurious life, beautiful mansions, expensive jewelry made of gold and diamonds, closets full of any trendy clothes or shoes you want to wear, no problem with financial debts or obligations, a complete staff of household help ready to work at your service, and other manifestations of comfort you would think of.

But if you’re running for a public office in the Philippines, you would not want to be identified with the wealthy class. Naturally, the poor Filipino masses deliver the largest chunk of votes that will elect the new set of leaders. So the candidates try to identify themselves with the poor such as being published having dinner with a poor family using their hands as they appeared to enjoy eating a plate of rice and some pieces of fried salted fish.

The naked truth is all the official candidates for president and other top government posts in the Philippines are rich. With less money, you cannot win even a local election for a town chairman.

If Mayor Bloomberg of New York City who is a billionaire had to spend his multi-millions of his own money to win his mayoral election three times, then any other candidate for public office particularly in a third world country like the Philippines cannot win an election with less money.

In politics anywhere in the world, everything boils down to money as the most potent weapon to win an election. In short, what I am trying to say is most voters go to the highest bidder. Most voters sell their votes, as said in another way.

Selling one’s vote comes in various forms of return of investment. It can be a nice government job, a promotion, a college education for the children, a house and lot, a sack of rice, or just plain cold cash.

I am now retired from New York politics because I don’t have enough money. When I ever stumble on a gold mine in the sky, so to speak, I shall return.

As a footnote, before amassing enormous wealth, I will still consider the biblical saying before making any move that says: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”

2010-04-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

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

BE PROUD OF YOUR GOOD PARENTS!

Being the son of a hero and martyr is a big deal in every respect. Being the son of a disgraced man and a thief is just unfortunate and equally a disgrace.

Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, the Liberal Party presidential candidate for the coming May elections in the Philippines, is the son of the martyred Filipino senator Ninoy Aquino who died in quest of freedom and democracy in the late 80s and the most admired former President Cory Aquino. These credentials definitely deserve greater weight among other factors in considering who would be the best candidate to take over the reins of the Philippine government for the next six years.

Former American president George W. Bush, Jr. is the son of former president George H.W. Bush. He defeated his political opponents twice largely owing to his father’s good record as president credited to have led the liberation of Kuwait from the invading forces forces of Saddam Hussein.

On the other hand, Kim Chong-il, the abusive ruler of Communist North Korea is the son of Kim II-Sung who imposed absolute power over the North Koreans. Both father and son came from the same mold of ruthless dictators. Iraq is just fortunate that the insane sons of Saddam Hussein were taken out to join their father to hell.

There is indeed a close connection between father and son or between mother and son. As the psychologist would say it, it’s in the genes. Or as we Tagalogs would say it, “Kung ano ang puno, iyan ang bunga.” Translated into English, it means whatever is the fruit, it’s from the tree.

So what’s wrong to use the Aquino honorable and heroic legacy in the presidential campaign for Noynoy, Aquino’s only son, in this year’s election.

The whole world regards Ninoy Aquino as a hero for democracy and Cory Aquino as the mother for the restoration of Philippine democracy.

Even former New York City Mayor Edward I. Koch believed in Ninoy’s heroism when he signed the Benigno Aquino Triangle naming a park in Queens after the fallen hero. As the Mayor’s adviser on Filipino affairs, I, together with the late Ambassador to the United Nations Salvador P. Lopez, however, had to convince the Committee on Parks and Recreation to recommend the signing of the legislation initiated by former Queens Councilman Sheldon Leffler.

When Marcos fell and Ninoy’s widow, Cory, took power, Mayor Koch was just too willing and proud at the suggestion to open New York City to Cory after her magnanimous speech before the joint session of the U.S. Congress during the late 80s. A festive celebration followed afterwards along the officially closed 46th Street in Manhattan. Thereafter, the yearly Philippine Independence Day Parade event along Madison Avenue became a tradition among Filipinos in the tri-state area.

What is scary to watch is the possibility of a dictator’s son to rise to power or a corrupt official’s son to wield power. Remember the Ampatuan tribe in Maguindanao and what crimes they have been charged.

Being the son of good parents is something to be proud of in this coming presidential elections in the Philippines. Noynoy Aquino should take note of this and ignore the desperate critics.

End

2010-03-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

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

KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN

When I trained for an immigration officer’s job at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia way back in the mid90s, I learned that there were segments and segments of immigration regulations and procedures not accessible to the public including lawyers. I believe that’s still true today.

Though I may agree with the suggestion to seek the advice of an immigration lawyer when it comes to an immigration or naturalization issue, lawyers do not have all the answers or solutions. Some of them have even been disbarred for misrepresentation.

Lawyers definitely would need the assistance of an immigration expert or one who has been fully trained or completely immersed on a regular basis in immigration law and regulations. Such are former immigration or adjudications officers who were able to acquire long years of experience and knowledge in the implementation and enforcement of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the U.S. Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, and various court decisions including those of the Board of Immigration Appeals.

The people to watch out with regard to an immigration problem are those so-called “consultants” or “notarios” who do not have any experience or training in the Immigration Officer’s Academy. Don’t you ever seek their assistance because they will promise you or guarantee you everything in exchange for your money.

True to every field of endeavor such as in medicine, engineering, or in the arts and sciences, getting a second opinion from another professional is always better than not.

Most particularly in being confronted with the issue of whether or not one would need an invasive surgical procedure to cure an ailment, the best move is to get the best of all available medical advice from experts. Being totally dependent on one doctor is unwise because he or she is definitely subject to make a mistake.

Who I would recommend to put our trust completely for solution to any kind of problems in life is One who is All Knowing and Omnipotent. That’s God in Heaven if you have a personal relationship with his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Other from Him, it would be better to keep our options open.

End

2010-03-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

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

“SUBSTANCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN”

So many preachers have used the test of faith illustration about a man with a wheelbarrow walking on a tightrope. One could not control his admiration for the extraordinary feat by jumping up and down shouting that he’s now a believer of the stunt man. Then a preacher asked him if he truly believes in the man. And he answered with a big Yes. He again asked him if he could ride on the wheelbarrow while being pushed by the stunt man on the tightrope. And he said, “That’s a different story”

That answer “That’s a different story” sounds familiar and common with anybody’s pronouncement of Christian faith or faith in God when it comes to a real test. Normally a man may proclaim his faith but cannot commit his life to it.

In the New Testament, there’s an account of a rich man who proudly told Jesus that he obeyed all of his commandments and asked whether he would go to heaven after death. Jesus asked him to leave all his riches and follow him. The rich man was not able to do it.

Faith is not plain belief. It is deep and divine. The Bible said that if one has faith even the size of a mustard seed, then he can command the mountain to move and it will move.

Faith is also described as like that of a child’s faith. A child obeys without question. Abraham of the Old Testament obeyed God like a child when told to offer his beloved son Isaac as a burnt offering. It was just a test of Abraham’s faith in God and he passed when God stopped him from doing it. That is why it is said of the children as the kingdom of Heaven.

Faith also does not require sight. It does not apply to the saying “to see is to believe.” The Bible teaches believers to walk “by faith not by sight…nor by might but by my Spirit, sayeth the Lord.”

The essence of Faith, therefore, is the “substance of things not seen and things hoped for.” The Scriptures say “God is Spirit, and one must worship God in spirit and in truth”

I think only a chosen few are endowed with the divine gift of Faith yet whosoever may ask God for it, according to the Bible. I WANT IT! Don’t you?

End

2010-03-05T10:45:00.000-08:00

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

A SCENARIO FOR A NEW PHILIPPINES

I consider the next presidential elections in the Philippines as crucial to me personally as a natural born Filipino. It shall finally nudge me with full pressure to do something for that seemingly God-forsaken country in the Far East in case of an election failure.

If a supremely powerful force would transport me to the Philippines and install as the leader with zero connections to any living or dead person there, I should do the following to cure this nation’s combined socio-economic, political, religio-cultural, and ecological problems that have impoverished the people since the Spanish colonial times:

Seizure of all lands grabbed by the former Spanish Colonial Government and distributed to favored persons or entities in exchange of pro-Spanish activities as well as to favored military officials and five religious orders of Roman Catholic Church historically referred to as the FRIAR LANDS comprising thousands and thousands of hectares all over the Philippines. Note that the United States after taking over the Philippines from Spain was not able to properly and equitably solve the unlawful occupation of such lands that belonged to the real owners with titles.

Seizure of all lands and other properties from corrupt Filipino government officials and their cohorts since the founding of the Filipino nation under former President Emilio Aguinaldo. All those found to be guilty would be meted justice with mercy.

Seizure of stolen wealth taken from the sequestered MARCOS STOLEN WEALTH by officials and cronies of the government agency empowered to do it, the Presidential Commission on Good Government. This is a heinous crime and the culprits should be justifiably punished.

Support to successful Filipino entrepreneurs and investors who obtained their wealth legally under the Free Enterprise System by using their business intelligence using their insight, hindsight and foresight. Encourage them through tax subsidies to develop idle lands, explore and utilize the country’s natural resources, especially her mineral wealth and oil, gas, and other energy resources to build more job-creating industrial plants and factories.

Support to Filipino scientists and inventors as well as to academic theoreticians in order to advance the country’s science and technology program. This would change the country from a predominantly agricultural economy into one that may be described as highly industrialized.

Contingency programs to minimize the effects of natural calamities such as typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, and drought.

So much for these and just stay tuned for more.

As the leader, I would consider myself as a missionary sent by God to teach the Filipino people that GOD HELPS THOSE HELP THEMSELVES and to choose good over evil, justice over injustice, in our lives.

This is the end of my scenario. Remember, it’s only a scenario.

2010-02-26T09:48:00.001-08:00

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

SAY A PRAYER TO GOD FOR THE FILIPINO PEOPLE

No one can doubt that the Filipino people are very religious, Godbelieving, and prayerful. Most of them expect miracles to happen in their lives as a solution to their problems. And so are the American people. And so are the Latin Americans, the Spaniards, the Italians, and other people who call themselves Christians or Catholics.

As children of God, Christians are supposed to be blessed and endowed with all the necessary things in life. As the Bible said, “there should be no poor among you.” But the said reality is that some of the poor peoples in the world are Christians or Catholics.

One thing that God hates, according to the Bible, is idolatry or worship of other beings or things. The Old Testament speaks of the severe punishment that idolaters deserve that is death by stoning.

A friend of mine once asked me to comment on Rev. Pat Robertson’s statement attributing the recent killer-earthquake to hit Haiti to a past historical episode where the Haitian people were said to have sought the help of the occult spirits in driving away the French colonizers. I refused to remark because I don’t know if it really happened. If it did, then there may be a correlation even to the killer-typhoon Katrina that destroyed New Orleans sometime ago.

We know of the killer floods that devastated lives and properties in the Philippines last year. Now, right now, a killer drought is destroying once productive land all over that country causing shortages of food, electricity, water, and other basic necessities of life. Worst of all, it also started epidemics of all kinds of diseases among the people.

Do you think there is a pervasive influence of idolatry in the Philippines today?

Idolatry is worship or excessive devotion to other beings or things other than God in Heaven. It is categorically written as the second commandment of God in the Bible and the punishment is death.

An episode in a running soap opera titled “Agua Bendita” shown at the Filipino Channel in New York caught my interest. It’s about a Filipino priest who chose to leave his flock and went to hide in the mountain instead of being worshipped other than God.

One Sunday as my wife tuned again at The Filipino Channel to watch some Filipino soap operas, I noticed a Filipino religious leader dressed in a flaming red blazer as he jokingly preached to his thousands of followers while walking to and fro on the stage. Do his followers worship God in Heaven or him as they raised their handkerchiefs and umbrellas for the religious leader’s blessing?

I love my country of birth, the Philippines proudly called “Pearl of the Orient” because of her beauty even surpassing Hawaii or any other Polynesian group of islands in the Pacific. I believe there are more than ten true believers of God living there and I hope God will not destroy her like what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah.

End

2010-02-19T08:21:00.000-08:00

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

THE FALL AND RISE OF MAN

I want to share with you one reality of life that is persistent and irrevocable: we live with all kinds of problems and we cannot avoid them. Why?

From the time of conception until delivery, every human being passes through a series of problems, medical or otherwise. As God told Eve in the Book of Genesis after touching the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, “in pain you shall bring forth children.”

And for listening to his wife to taste the forbidden fruit, God told Adam, “by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Disobedience to God’s commandment caused all these problems surrounding us as punishment until we all return to the ground. But God is a good God and a God of Justice: He provided solutions for every problem confronting our lives.

Here comes the subject of faith in God’s promise of redemption from the sin of disobedience.

As a Christian, I will talk from the Christian point of view via the following biblical verse in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Now before us lie the cause of the problems of life in this world and the solution provided by the Creator.

We all get sick because our physical body is full of germs and bacteria and constantly under attack by various kinds of viruses. But God has allowed medical science to advance and show the right path for treatment together with His promise “the prayer of faith shall save the sick.”

We all suffer from financial problems because of the “thorns and thistles” that the cursed ground brings forth. But again God has showed ways to solve them such as “saving a penny for a rainy day.”

We all die or return to dust because sin has turned us into mortal beings. But God has promised that “whosoever believeth in Him (Jesus Christ) should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Problems may come and go but FAITH will make us go forever

2010-02-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

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

FILIPINO GREED

There is no doubt that Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial rule in the Philippines in 1972 to remain in power. Yet he tried to justify his means with a vision of creating a “New Society” via a revolution from the top. He tried to impose discipline among the people a la Singapore’s Strong Man Lee Kuan Yew and fought graft and corruption. He even tried to reinvent Philippine history by glorifying pre-Spanish Filipino culture. He failed because the spirit of greed inhabited his soul. He coveted wealth and properties that did not belong to him.

Who among the eight presidential candidates, you think, will be able to withstand the three temptations: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

I would urge every Filipino voter to examine each of the eight presidential candidates, Aquino, Villar, Estrada, Teodoro, Gordon, Villanueva, Madrigal, Delos Reyes, and Perlas and put each of them into a simple Greed test.

Based on their track records and background, consider the following presidential candidates:

Noynoy Aquino. Do you think he will sign a business investment deal in the Philippines with a foreign country such as China or Malaysia in exchange of a fat kickback for him,his elatives, or cronies?

Manny Villar. Will he do it to put more money in his pocket though he already has billions in his other pocket?

Erap Estrada. Is he susceptible to accept millions and millions of bribe money from investors or other unscrupulous gambling/drug lords?

Dick Gordon. Is there any businessman or investor in his province of Zambales who will say he will do it?

Gibo Teodoro. Is he or his extended family immune from the temptation of graft and corruption?

Eddie Villanueva. Would he be able to imitate Jesus against the temptations of the Devil?

J.C. Delos Reyes. Presented with cartons and cartons of bribe money from unscrupulous businessmen, how would he respond being a neophyte in national politics?

Jamby Madrigal. As a woman, how would she withstand the lust of the eyes toward expensive jewelry, clothing, and other material things as symbolized by the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden?

Nick Perlas. How would he use billions and billions of the people’s money available for his disposal? Would he be tempted to use part of it for personal reasons such as running for another elective post after serving his term?

The persistent issues in every presidential election in the Philippines are breakdown in peace and order, rampant graft and corruption in high places, and the vicious cycle of poverty of the masses. I believe Greed is the rootcause of all these problems.

Whoever pass the simple Greed Test, I think, should be the new leader of the Filipino people in this year’s presidential election.

End

2010-02-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

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

ESSENCE OF WISDOM

Whenever we speak of wisdom, we usually refer to the wisdom of King Solomon in the Old Testament who is regarded as the wisest king who ever lived.

Solomon' s wisdom is well described in the Book of Kings where two mothers asked him to judge as to who is the true mother of a child. One of the mothers accidentally killed her child during sleep and wanted to covet the other mother's child. The Wise King suggested to have the child be cut into two by a sword and let the two mothers get one half each. One mother cried and agreed to give up her claim to spare the child's life. So King Solomon made his final decision to give the child to her as being the true mother.

The wisdom showed by King Solomon clearly was not predicated by any legal citation or precedent decision. His judgment was based on pure wisdom derived from God and not from some presumably legalistic man-made decision.

Now let me cite two of my immigration cases about two bright graduating college students who came to the United States illegally at a very young age of 10. They were sent away by their parents definitely because of the brutal and inhuman treatment they received from the Chinese government. The young students told me of their frustration with the passage of the Dream Act that somehow would give them some form of legalization in order to use their American education to get a good paying job.

The Act has so far remained just a dream with the failure of the previous Congress to pass the Kennedy-McCain Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill with the Dream Act as a rider.

I could understand the students' predicament about their uncertain future in the United States without any legal immigration documents. One of them is even expecting to graduate with honors. So what? Shall we say, if she cannot work legally. Their American education that effectively turned them into freedom-loving individuals would definitely be wasted. Worse still, they would be possible victims of unscupulous and exploiting employers in the underground economy.

With my legal counsel, Atty. Gabriel de la Merced, I advised them to file for asylum, withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture. Accompanied by my lawyer, they passed the asylum interview at the Rosedale Asylum Office in Queens.

Wise "Uncle Sam" through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services finally granted asylum to my two student clients that would now enable them to find suitable jobs after their graduation this year.

This coming July they are coming back to my office for assistance in applying for their priceless "Green Cards."

Note that these two college students who were smuggled to the United States when they were minors thought that were already against the wall upon the failed passage of the Dream Act. With their full American education from elementary to college, they have already become virtual Americans without legal documents. They truly love America and really scared to go back to China that has become a strange and dangerous place for them.

The two Chinese college students came to me as a last resort having been told to keep waiting for the Dream Act that has remained to be just a dream for now perhaps due to the persisting bias or lack of wisdom by most members of Congress. Being true to what they feel and believe and what happened to their loved ones back home under the repressive and ungodly Chinese regime, they finally realized their dream last year due the wise decision of a certain asylum officer in Rosedale, Queens.

I think the Asylum Officer never had the idea of the hope and bright future he offered to the desperate Chinese students. He just applied plain wisdom in arriving at his decision.

The essence of wisdom, therefore, is always the triumph of what is right and just.

End

2010-01-29T16:37:00.000-08:00

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

ESSENCE OF FREEDOM: BEING RIGHT WITH GOD

Consider yourself driving along a busy five-lane expressway. You enjoy freedom of transportation as long as you obey the prescribed traffic laws all designed to promote safety of the motorists. You definitely shall reach your destination in complete liberty of the road.

Once you violate the laws by swerving from one lane to another without using your signal lights, you deny yourself freedom to use the road safely in order to go where you want to go.

You are no longer free because the other car hit you hard and disabled you to drive to your destination. You also deny the freedom of the other motorist. For that violation, you deserve the right punishment.

This, I believe, is the essence of freedom or the “perfect law of liberty.”

Freedom, therefore, is always governed by law or principle. Without such, there is no liberty.

Freedom is not to do what you want to do to satisfy your foolish self.

Freedom is to think, act, or move subject to governing laws designed to enforce what is right and proper for the benefit of everybody, not for one person or a group of persons.

As long as our planet Earth and other heavenly bodies in the universe follow their paths or orbits subject to the gravitational forces of the outer space under the control of God, our world still exists.

As long as laws are being respected among all peoples and among all nations in this world, life in this world continues to exist.

As long as one’s blood is free to flow normally subject to biologically laws and principles along his or her veins and arteries, one’s life is maintained.

In short, any violation or deviation of the essence of freedom according to God’s design is violated, death comes in.

The essence of freedom, indeed, is to be right with God who created everything.

End

2010-01-15T10:06:00.001-08:00

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

“THE LORD GAVE, THE LORD TAKETH AWAY, BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD”

Calamity and death struck again! This time the victim is Haiti, an island nation in the backyard of America.

The worst earthquake in 200 years with a magnitude of 7.0 followed by twelve aftershocks with a magnitude more than 5 hit the Caribbean city of Porto au Prince, in Haiti in the morning of January 12th. It is predicted that about half a million people died and about 3 million is feared injured or missing.

When the killer floods and typhoons hit the Philippines in October of last year, I referred my readers to the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible authored by King Solomon, the wisest king of all times. He said “no man knows when his hour will come as fish are caught in a cruel net and birds are ken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly on them.” In other words, our life here in this world is governed by time and chance according to God’s timing.

As mere creations, can we question God the Creator for all these unfortunate events? No way.

In the Book of Job in the Old Testament considered by theologists and religious scholars as the most profound book in the Bible, Satan requested permission from God to test the faith of Job, a man endowed by God with wealth and other material things. He challenged God that without his prosperous life, Job would rebel against his Creator.

Satan destroyed all of Job’s possessions and later took away his seven sons and three daughters. Job remained steadfast in his faith. God again allowed Satan to hit Job’s physical body without killing him to test his faith. So Satan caused painful boils to cover Job’s body that even his wife urged him to curse God. He refused even to repent from his sins as suggested by his friends because he believed that he has never sinned against God.

However, Job felt without questioning God’s justice that his sufferings are not justified because he has not wronged the Creator. In this instance, God spoke in a divine voice like coming from a cloud or whirlwind that God is the Creator of all things including men and Job has not experienced of being the Creator. God is saying that Job does not fully understand the reasons for his sufferings because as God says “where were you when I created the world”

The Book of Job teaches that God is God and He is free to do what He wants. What He wants from His creations is total faith without question.

Job passed the test of faith. Satan failed. God restored Job’s health and doubles his wealth; God also gave him back his seven sons and three daughters.

One thing God asked Job to do before his restoration is to pray for forgiveness for his friends who urged him to question God for his sufferings.

Moral lesson: The most POWERFUL weapon against evil things and events is PRAYER.

End

2010-01-08T14:26:00.001-08:00

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

LOVE IS ETERNAL!

After an unfortunate car accident, reporters found a young baby alive under the dead body of the mother. That is a good example of a mother’s love.

At a very heated incident of a man held hostage by a group of kidnappers, the man’s brother offered himself to take his place before negotiations with the police would start. So he took his brother’s place as the hostage. When negotiations failed and police decided to rush the kidnappers, the man’s brother got killed in the shooting. That is a good example of a brother’s love.

A woman’s husband was about to be shot by a crazed killer when she lurched forward and took the bullet intended for her husband. That is a good example of a spousal love.

The element of sacrifice forms the core substance of love, the strongest emotion that a normal person has. Without sacrifice, there is no love.

A house was burning but the father jumped out of the door leaving his wife and children to die in the fire. That is a good example of a father without love.

A husband learned about his wife’s fatal disease. Instead of caring for his sick wife, he vanished into thin air. That is a good example of a husband without love.

In the Old Testament, Cain noticed of his brother Abel’s getting favors from God. He killed him. That is a good example of a brother without love.

We all say that God is Love. I believe that is very true. So many stories have been told that God has given His people ways to love one another as He loves them but they failed to see and feel it. That is why we still have wars and rumors of wars, murders and rumors of murders.

Who is God’s Sacrifice to show His love to the world? Didn’t He allow His Only Son, Jesus Christ, to live with us and to die on the cross crucified to save us from destruction?

Let us remember that Jesus’ story did not end on death at the cross. For Christians like me, we believe He resurrected from the dead on the third day, Easter Day, to show to the world that those who believe on Him shall not truly die but will live forever with God in Heaven.

Though Death is a sacrifice for the sake of love, eternal life is the reward, for Love is Eternal.

2009-12-30T23:06:00.001-08:00

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!

End

2009-12-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-12-17T17:58:00.000-08:00

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?

End

2009-12-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

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.

End

2009-12-04T18:31:00.000-08:00

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.

End

2009-11-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

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

BEWARE TO WORSHIP THE GOLDEN CALF!

As I have said before that if a Filipino can accomplish something that is truly outstanding far exceeding that of any other competitor in his career or line of work, then the Philippines can also be comparably great or even greater than any country in the world.

Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao broke the record of winning seven championship belts in seven different weight divisions. His story is quite amazing to tell of an impoverished boy who by struggled to fulfill his dream to excel in his chosen field of sport which is boxing.

His recent victory on the boxing ring in Las Vegas technically put him on top of every other boxer in history as the greatest. So remember, it’s not Muhammad Ali but Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino who came from the ghettoes of Mindanao.

By all means, Jose Rizal is the National Hero of the Filipino people. Let no innocent boy or girl make the mistake of thinking that Pacquiao is a hero in the likes of Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Emilio Aguinaldo, Gregorio del Pilar, and those who sacrificed their lives for freedom against the foreign invaders.

Rizal has gained worldwide recognition as a universal genius whose martyrdom for the sake of liberty for his people is indeed outstanding. He tried to imitate the death of Christ at the Cross when he willingly “gave up his ghost” before the Spanish firing squad.

Rizal’s heroism emboldened the timid and lethargic Filipino masses to rise against their Spanish masters that finally let to the declaration of independence of the Philippines from Spain with the founding of the first Philippine Republic in Malolos, Bulacan.

It is very important to tell our young children the true merits of Filipinos who are considered super achievers in their own particular fields of endeavor such as in sports or entertainment. Such deserve our accolades and due appreciation of their outstanding skills.

At any rate, what the Filipino people need now are super achievers in inspiring the masses to believe in themselves and most especially to our God the Creator who endowed each individual with special gifts or skills for a purpose. This is what popular American pastor Rich Warren is saying in his best-selling book, “Purpose-Driven Life.”

Manny Pacquiao no doubt pays tribute for all his successes to God and he is not ashamed to show it. All our national heroes dedicated their sacrifices for liberty believing that God is a God of Liberty.

I may say that the secret to success is to acknowledge our God in Heaven for all the blessings one receives for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The purpose of living in this world is to glorify the Creator, not the creation.

Beware to worship the Golden Calf!

End

2009-11-06T09:36:00.000-08:00

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

THE “GOD” OF THIS WORLD

We hear people say that in politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies. Other say it is a dirty game where morality or conscience does not apply.

Former president Ronald Reagan once called politics as the second oldest profession and bears a likely resemblance to the first, prostitution.

Anyway, no one on this planet can get away from politics because it affects our daily life. Did it not use technology to create the atomic bomb to kill thousands of people in one blow?

Politics in essence is a process to gain power for the strong to rule over the weak. It is an ongoing activity governed by varying determinant factors such as money, group alliances, deception, exploitation, and other dirty tricks necessary in the struggle for power.

In Ancient Roman politics, Cassius made use of forged letters to convince Brutus, a loyal friend and ally of Julius Caesar, to join in the conspiracy to assassinate the Roman Emperor.

In recent American politics, John Dean who was a loyal friend and aide to former president Richard Nixon turned witness against his benefactor for reasons only known to him that led to Nixon’s political demise.

Philippine dictator Marcos fell from power because two of his closest friends and allies turned against him for reasons only known to them.

Now I may say that politics also bears a likely resemblance to an auction: the highest bidder wins.

If money is power, can we say then that love for money is the root of all evils?

How can we get way from politics if money is the god of this world?

Let’s just wait for that time when this world will be ruled by Angels of the Lord from Heaven.

End

2009-10-30T09:23:00.001-07:00

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

POWER OF WORDS

There is no doubt that the media, most especially television, has so much influence in shaping the conversational language or “lingua franca” of any particular people.

I think the glaringly erroneous use of the Filipino pronoun “siya” to refer to anything from insects to inanimate objects such as mud by television reporters and anchors is so alarming that it could damage the foundation of the national language of the Filipinos.

Recently I watched a segment of the The Filipino Channel called “Filipino Ka, Sabihin Mo” teaching the viewers particularly American born Filipinos the proper use of the Filipino pronouns such as “ikaw”(you), “ako”((I), “siya”(he or she), “sila”(they), “tayo”(us), and “kami”(we). The segment host correctly said that all these pronouns refer to persons.

Now let me add that Filipino pronouns that refer to animals or inanimate objects are “ito”(this), “iyan”(that), “iyon”(those) and add the word “mga” before the pronoun to refer to more than one thing.

I want to raise a point that in the Pilipino language, persons are persons and not things.

I call on the Philippine Department of Education, particularly its National Language Branch, to address this issue. I may suggest that they also address the issue of mispronunciation of the Pilipino word “nakita”(I saw) and many others.

American television anchors and reporters are fully trained in the correct and proper use of English in communicating to the public. They are presumed to be the model in the right way to speak English.

I believe the Philippine media and the government have the responsibility to educate the people in the correct grammatical use of the Pilipino language despite the infusion of words from other dialects. There is surely power in words.

End

2009-10-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 4:09 PM, Jun Policarpio wrote:
FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

A CALL TO SALVATION FROM A CHRISTIAN POINT OF VIEW

When the Serpent at the Garden of Eden succeeded in tempting the first woman, Eve, to eat the forbidden fruit and share it with her husband, Adam, it tells us that man is by nature corruptible and condemned to eternal punishment. So we all need a Savior in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. By the way, as a Christian, I say this to my readers and this is my faith.

Yet history will teach us that a person is essentially evil, not holy. Every human being needs to be reborn spiritually to effect a change from evil to goodness.

So many novels have been written based on true stories about the greed of men and women. A common plot would be about a group of friends who discovered a treasure somewhere and because of greed, each one tried to kill each other to grab the treasure.

Greed may take the form of lust for money or for power or for glory: three temptations used by the Devil to tempt Christ. Jesus is the only man who ever lived to pass this test. Though He was the Son of God, Jesus took the test as a man subject to human frailties.

Without Jesus, no person would be able to reject the Devil’s temptations: an extremely delicious fruit to eat and to have power and knowledge like God in exchange for your soul.

Leaders of the world since time immemorial have sold theirs soul to the Devil that brought about sickness, destruction, and catastrophes caused by wars and violence. Such leaders failed to get power, knowledge, and riches as promised by the Devil. Instead, they were all condemned to die forever as victims of the evil deceiver.

Still most people allow themselves to be deceived by Satan because they miss something in their hearts – a Savior.

The Bible says to fight the Devil, we need the Savior who said: seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door will open; ask, and you will be given Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God.

End

2009-10-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

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

LET’S DO WHATSOEVER IS HONORABLE IN THE COMING ELECTIONS

From the lips of one of the most popular young movie stars from the Philippines, she told reporters while reacting to the devastations brought about by the killer floods that hit MetroManila: All the material possessions I have accumulated from my movie career gone in an instance. She was referring to her luxurious mansion, her cars, and all the material wealth she used to possess gobbled by rain waters and mud that overflowed her village.

While we need all these earthly things that fulfill our dreams and satisfy our luxuries, such can perish in a moment’s time. For they are all corruptible. Truly this is a persistent lesson to be learned by every human being on this earth. It’s not worth to sell your soul, your dignity, and your honor in exchange of things that can decay quickly.

Yet man is so corruptible that he or she will succumb to the devil for a few pieces of silver.

Well, the Philippines is known all over the world to have been ruled by a series of corrupt governments. It hurts me to say that as a Filipino by birth but that’s the truth. Most recent survey shows that the Philippines ranks just a few slots behind Indonesia, the most corrupt country in Asia.

Now we hear of a former Philippine president who served time in jail for plunder that is even worse than graft and corruption declaring his candidacy for president for the 2010 presidential elections. What does that make of the mentality of a Filipino who will vote for him?

The late American senator, Ted Kennedy, never tried to run for president after losing a primary to Jimmy Carter. He knew that the American people cannot vote for a person as their president who saved himself from drowning and let his drunken secretary die while trapped inside his car lying at the bottom of the river. He was not even convicted of any crime.

The late American president, Richard Nixon, resigned from the White House for being charged of a cover-up of the infamous Watergate Scandal. He was not even convicted. But the American people seemed to have branded him as unreliable and irresponsible that caused him to live in the shadows until his death.

Let’s hope and pray that the Philippines, the only Christian nation in Asia, remains faithful to things that “moth cannot corrupt” such as honor, integrity, and righteousness and her people to choose honest leaders for the nation.

2009-10-13T08:29:00.001-07:00

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

“I KNOW WHO HOLDS TOMORROW”

Natural calamities or disasters can happen anytime, anywhere and can hit anybody- male and female, old and young, rich and poor, Christian or non-Christian.

I believe we, God’s creation, are all subject to His Grand Design that no exceptional genius or savant would be able to decipher. Haven’t you heard of the biblical phrase, “according to His time” to refer to all things to come.

You may read the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 9, verses 11-12 where King Solomon declares: “ I have seen something else under the sun; The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Morever, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.”

The Philippines where majority of the people worship God in Heaven recently suffered one of the worst typhoons and floods that killed hundreds in 40 years according to the record.

Yet last year on May 12, 2008, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake killed 70,000 people with 18,000 missing in Sichuan, China. On September 1, 1923, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake hit one third of Tokyo and almost all of Yokohama and killed 143,000 people.

On November 13, 1970, a cyclone killed almost a million people in Bangladesh. During the ancient times before Christ, the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in Southern Italy destroyed the flourishing city of Pompeii.

We all know that following every disaster comes the restoration. Again, I may say this is God’s Way - from death to life, from the Cross to Easter.

Anyway, still God allows us to be prepared for things to come.

There is no doubt that the ravaging storms and floods caught the Philippines unprepared. Most of the Philippine leaders appear to be more preoccupied with stealing the people’s money for their future than using the resources for the people’s welfare.

Let the incoming leaders to emerge in next year’s elections learn a lesson from this calamity, natural or manmade: the cause, I believe is violation of both natural and human laws that affect our environment.

Let’s pray that the just will rule in the Philippines for once.

End

2009-09-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN

By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

THE WHEEL OF LIFE

The world we live in revolves around the sun. That’s how we experience day and night.

I may say that our life in this world is also in the process of revolution. That’s how we experience youth and old age.

The Bible says that in heaven there is no night; therefore, in heaven there is also no old age.

Back to this real world we are now in, everything is subject to cyclical movements. That’s the reason we compare life to a wheel: at one time, we may be up, next time we may be down.

A few days ago, I got an exuberant call from my friend and political ally, Dr. Myrna V. Littlewort. I call her that because she, as a hardcore Republican, stood by me come hell and high water against the wishes of the majority that controls the Party in Queens when I ran for U.S. Congress to represent New York’s 5th District last year for the second time. Another friend and political ally who I need to mention in this regard is Tom Long, chairman of the Queens Country Conservative Party who supported my candidacy all the way against all odds.

Myrna told me that the so-called insurgent group among the Republicans in Queens may no longer be the same with its landslide victory in the recently concluded elections of district leaders. She said that Bart Haggerty, the recognized leader of the insurgent group, as well as his colleagues demolished their opponents endorsed by the Queens county leadership. She herself was just elected Republican District Leader in the 35th Assembly District of Queens.

Well, back to the larger and much larger world we live in, I believe God the Creator does not allow anything or anybody to be always in power. That may be His law and principle because only He should always remain in control.

Moral lesson today: It does not pay to be arrogant for God doesn’t like it.

End

junpolicarpio@gmail.com

2009-09-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

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

WHERE IS THY BROTHER?

A criminal charge of ordering the murder of at least a human being is a very serious matter that should not be taken lightly. Yet in the Philippines where the cost of a human life is going down maybe about a few thousand pesos, the accused generally laughs it off.

In the eyes of justice, every accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The burden is on the prosecutor or accuser to produce hard evidence for conviction. Examples of such are a true eyewitness of the crime being committed by the accused, a clear camera or video shot of the person committing the murder, or a true confession of the crime from the accused not obtained under duress. However, other evidence still maybe gathered to help in the prosecution of the crime.

Right now before the eyes of the world via the help of the worldwide media, a former president of the Philippines and an incumbent member of the Philippine Senate are the accused in a brutal crime of murder of two human beings. This is a very serious charge and should not be politicized. No stone should be left unturned during the investigation, so to speak.

But here’s the problem: is there a prima facie case to launch a full investigation of the two prominent Filipino politicians accused of murder or just a mere case of hearsay - he said, she said, they said?

If not, then the media or the press should not allow itself to be exploited by unscrupulous but powerful forces for the sake of politics or otherwise.

It is always easy to lodge an accusation but hard to prove it. It is just and fair under the law and under any court of justice to find out first if there is that element called “probable cause” before proceeding to any investigation.

Remember, the rights of the accused should be protected all the time. It is now time to consider that a person who files a frivolous suit deserves punishment.

End

Junpolicarpio@gmail.com

2009-09-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

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

“YES, WE CAN” – FILIPINO STYLE

If Marcos did not impose martial law in the Philippines on September 21, 1972, the assassinated Philippine senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino who was then the most popular opposition leader, should have been elected as the next president of the Philippines. What happened during the Marcos dictatorial regime and after now is now part of the revolving Philippine history replete with drama, melodrama, comedy, and tragedy.

Philippine newspapers just reported that incumbent Philippine senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, son of Ninoy and former President Cory Aquino, is all set to declare his candidacy for president on September 10th after a series of consultations with political and religious leaders supporting him. When this happens in a few days, this is history repeating itself. But this time, I believe, nobody would play the role of another Marcos.

There is no other way to paint the recent death of Cory Aquino and the accompanying funeral and burial procession attended by so many Filipinos as a sign, perhaps from heaven, that it’s time for the bad guys to retire and let the good guys take over the Philippines. As the Holy Scriptures say, there’s always a time for everything.

Though I may have predicted in one of my previous columns that Sen. Manny Villar would be the next president of the Philippines, I am not a prophet. I’m just a simple newspaper columnist and political analyst prone to committing mistakes.

In short, speaking from my senses, I call on all opposition candidates to unite around the candidacy of Noynoy Aquino for president of the Philippines next year for he would be a very good version of the Filipino Barack Obama shouting “Yes, We Can.”

End

junpolicarpio@gmail.com

2009-08-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

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

A NAME IS A NAME, ISN’T IT?

To the best of my knowledge and that of Google search engine, there is only one person in the Philippines with the name of GONZALO POLICARPIO who was born in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. He is my father. In fact, there are two more Filipinos with the same name, myself, as the Jr. and my son, as Gonzalo Policarpio III. both born in the same city and province.

My wife loves to watch some Filipino soap operas on the Filipino channel in our Verizon Fios cable. One time she took exception to one episode in “May Bukas Pa”(There’s still Tomorrow), a socio-politico-religious drama, by getting my attention to a mention of the name of GONZALVO POLICARPIO as one of the leading characters.

This character was a victim of violence when his parents were murdered by landgrabbers. He portrays that of a vindictive and conniving politician whose main obsession is power and money to enable him to pursue his vendetta. He also fathered a boy called Santino, the story’s main character, with a low-level woman in the barrio. Santino received spiritual gifts of healing and other powers when Jesus appeared to him.

I wonder how the writers of this story came up with the name Gonzalvo Policarpio. I have not heard of any Filipino family named a son Gonzalvo because it is the Portuguese version of the Spanish Gonzalo.

Though I would not ask the writers of the story to use a disclaimer about the use of my name, I hope this article serves the purpose. But I would still be interested on how they came up with the name Gonzalvo Policarpio.

Anyhow, here’s a reprint of an article about me that appeared in the local papers in Queens, New York:

Policarpio ran Ackerman seat race fairly

Thursday, August 20, 2009 9:15 AM EDT
Comment (No comments posted.)

Email To a Friend

TimesLedger Newspapers
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio, who was one of my opponents in the 2008 election for U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman’s (D-Bayside) seat. Policarpio mentioned he felt hurt that the last article many voters saw involved the accusations from our election petitions dispute.

It is only fair voters should also know Policarpio ran the remainder of the race in an honorable manner. For instance, although tearing down opponent’s signs plagued many of last year’s races, Policarpio did not engage in such tactics. More importantly, while other opponents often refused to debate, Policarpio always stood willing to debate anywhere at anytime and kept his debate statements focused on important policy issues.

Thinking about this now is particularly timely. The local 2009 races are currently embroiled in petition disputes. Hopefully, we will get past this point and the remainder of the 2009 races will be honorably run, with full and fair candidate debates on the policy issues facing our community.

Elizabeth Berney

Former Candidate

U.S. House of Representatives

Bayside

2009-08-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD!

The New York Post titled its article dated August 7, 2009 on President Arroyo’s dinner with her entourage at Le Cirque, the most expensive restaurant in New York City in this way: “Eat and Drink.“

Well, there’s really nothing wrong with eating and drinking. That’s how we, mortals, live in this world.

However, when Jesus’ 13th apostle Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians that was included in the New Testament, “If I fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not: let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Reading through the New York Post heading, the letter seems to address those people who enjoy the luxuries of their worldly life without thinking of the future. Are they going to heaven or to hell when they die?

One of God’s Ten Commandments is: Thou shalt not steal. We also know that death is the wages of sin. It follows that those who would use stolen money or money that does not belong to them for their own selfish reasons of eating and drinking have already committed sin.

Sinners generally do not care where they would go after death. Most of them refused to believe that there is life after death. They just live on other people’s money to satisfy their carnal desires because they believe they will die tomorrow and that’s the end of everything for them. In short, they see no judgment for their worldly deeds before and after death.

But here’s the bitter truth: judgment will come for the sinners before and after death.

I am also a sinner but saved by the Grace of God. I hope President Arroyo and her entourage are. If not, they surely go to Hell.

End

Junpolicarpio@gmail.com

2009-08-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

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

GOD IS MERCIFUL AND JUST

Ever since the beginning of this world, God has worked in signs and wonders. As a Christian, I believe that by His Word alone everything under the sun, around the sun, and over the sun and the sun itself were created.

Now what do you make of a massive Filipino people presence that engulfed the funeral procession of former President Corazon Aquino a few days ago and took more than eight hours from the Manila Cathedral to the Aquino family burial ground in Paranaque, Rizal.

The first ever and even bigger people turnout in a funeral march happened during that of the assassinated Filipino Senator Ninoy Aquino, President Cory’s husband in 1983. This preceded the historic People Power Revolution that led to the downfall of Marcos the Dictator and put Cory Aquino in power to dismantle dictatorship and restore democracy in the Philippines in 1986.

I can see the timing of Cory’s death before the upcoming 2010 presidential elections in the Philippines as a glaring sign that any attempt to stop the elections and extend the presidential term of the incumbent president will spell a similar uprising that could turn to be tragic for the culprits.

Let’s now hope and pray that all the parties concerned in keeping peace and democracy in the Philippines listen to the voice of God reflected in the resounding voice of the Filipino people that justice shall reign for such is the Will of God.

End

2009-08-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

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

UNCLE SAM HAS A GOOD HEART!

I have witnessed first hand tears flowing from so many alien applicants for immigration benefits either for receiving an approval or a denial of their applications to have a Green Card or to become a U.S. citizen.

As a former Adjudications Officer of the U.S.C.I.S New York District Office, it’s indeed heartbreaking for any person waiting for many years for an approval to receive the bad news of being denied the benefit of permanent residence in the United States.

I cannot forget the tears even that of one of my relatives who aged out and failed to receive a Green Card because the slow pace of the immigration process. Somehow our lawmakers had seen the light and passed the Child Status Protection Act to benefit those who aged out at the time of the adjustment interview.

Here’s the case of my 89-year old aunt, sister of my late father, Gonzalo J. Policarpio, Sr., who almost believed that she would never be able to visit the Philippines, especially her mansion in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.

She was petitioned by her elder sister who was a U.S. citizen some fifteen years ago. The waiting time under this category is about 20 years to have an available visa number.

Fortunately, one of her children became a U.S. citizen about 2 years ago. Her daughter promptly petitioned her for adjustment to lawful permanent residence.

Unluckily, she could not produce her arrival document or I-94 to prove her legal entry. Her lawyer filed for an application to replace the lost document. For almost a year her lawyer was still waiting for the document that never came. She was told that she needed to produce the I-94 in order to start the application process.

Finally she decided to ask for my help in her predicament. I gave her instructions on how to file the application papers and other related documents without the “precious” I-94.

A few months after filing her immigration documents, she received her work permit or employment authorization document after being required to be fingerprinted two times. In fact, she does not need to be fingerprinted because of her old age and she does not need the work permit because she was already too old to work. What she wanted was a Green Card.

I then helped her draft a letter to a USCIS regional office requesting follow-up of her application. What she got was another letter informing that her application was transferred to another center in California for processing. After a few months of waiting, nothing happened.

So I finally decided to draft a stronger letter addressed to the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, my former employer, stating that the applicant may not be alive anymore to receive the Green Card given the long delay of the process.

A few weeks ago, my 89-year old aunt called me and ecstatically told me that she already got her most wanted document, her Green Card.

Now she plans to visit her birthplace in Cabanatuan City and celebrate her birthday there in November. I don’t know if she will invite Senator Manny Villar, first cousin of her son-in-law for a long delayed get-together.

Believe me, Uncle Sam has a good heart!

End
Junpolicarpio@gmail.com

2009-08-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

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

UNCLE SAM HAS A GOOD HEART!

I have witnessed first hand tears flowing from so many alien applicants for immigration benefits either for receiving an approval or a denial of their applications to have a Green Card or to become a U.S. citizen.

As a former Adjudications Officer of the U.S.C.I.S New York District Office, it’s indeed heartbreaking for any person waiting for many years for an approval to receive the bad news of being denied the benefit of permanent residence in the United States.

I cannot forget the tears even that of one of my relatives who aged out and failed to receive a Green Card because the slow pace of the immigration process. Somehow our lawmakers had seen the light and passed the Child Status Protection Act to benefit those who aged out at the time of the adjustment interview.

Here’s the case of my 89-year old aunt, sister of my late father, Gonzalo J. Policarpio, Sr., who almost believed that she would never be able to visit the Philippines, especially her mansion in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.
She was petitioned by her elder sister who was a U.S. citizen some fifteen years ago. The waiting time under this category is about 20 years to have an available visa number.

Fortunately, one of her children became a U.S. citizen about 2 years ago. Her daughter promptly petitioned her for adjustment to lawful permanent residence.
Unluckily, she could not produce her arrival document or I-94 to prove her legal entry. Her lawyer filed for an application to replace the lost document. For almost a year her lawyer was still waiting for the document that never came. She was told that she needed to produce the I-94 in order to start the application process.

Finally she decided to ask for my help in her predicament. I gave her instructions on how to file the application papers and other related documents without the “precious” I-94.

A few months after filing her immigration documents, she received her work permit or employment authorization document after being required to be fingerprinted two times. In fact, she does not need to be fingerprinted because of her old age and she does not need the work permit because she was already too old to work. What she wanted was a Green Card.

I then helped her draft a letter to a USCIS regional office requesting follow-up of her application. What she got was another letter informing that her application was transferred to another center in California for processing. After a few months of waiting, nothing happened.

So I finally decided to draft a stronger letter addressed to the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, my former employer, stating that the applicant may not be alive anymore to receive the Green Card given the long delay of the process.

A few weeks ago, my 89-year old aunt called me and ecstatically told me that she already got her most wanted document, her Green Card.

Now she plans to visit her birthplace in Cabanatuan City and celebrate her birthday there in November. I don’t know if she will invite Senator Manny Villar, first cousin of her son-in-law for a long delayed get-together.

Believe me, Uncle Sam has a good heart!

End
Junpolicarpio@gmail.com

2009-07-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN

By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

“LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL”

As the pop world mourns the death of contoversial singer Michael Jackson who is widely regarded as its “king,” he may be remembered by some as an accused child molester. For me, I will look at him as an abused child turned superstar of the entertainment world. I have no authority to render judgment to his soul.

Another abused child turned superstar of the television talk show world is Michael Jackson’s friend , Ophra Winfrey. Both of them were able to influence millions and million of their fans around the world in their own ways positively. These two super-rich icons were able to “turn their scars into stars.”

According to Alice Miller, who has a doctorate in psychology and sociology and authored several books, 90 per cent of criminals in American prisons have been abused in their childhood. She conducted the survey in 1991 and published it in her book, BANISHED KNOWLEDGE.

Dr. Miller believed that with proper care and guidance instead of neglect and condemnation given to abused children, the prison population in America would greatly diminish. She admitted that she was an abused child herself but was able to find the way to her own treatment.

So let the examples of the late Michael Jackson, Ophrah Winfrey, and Dr. Miller serve to bring hope to millions of abused children in the world that despite the pain and suffering of child abuse, it is not the end of their world. It could be their path to success and stardom.

As the popular saying goes, the light can always be found at the end of the tunnel.

End

junpolicarpio

2009-07-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

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

“AMERICA IS GREAT BECAUSE SHE IS GOOD”

As we have been celebrating the founding of America on July 4th every year since her Declaration of Independence from England in 1776, let us always look back as to why the “founding fathers” came here. IT’S FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

All the signers of the American Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were religious persons whose families were persecuted in their home countries in Europe. Examine every official document related to the founding of the American nation and you will find references to God or Divine Providence and the value of freedom of worship.

It was a French historian named Alexis de Tocqueville who in his book , Democracy in America, written in 1835, said that “America is great because she is good… if America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” Here’s Tocqueville’s full quote:

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her fertile fields and boundless forests, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her public school system and her institutions of learning, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good America will cease to be great.

During one of last year’s congressional candidates’ forum I attended in Bayside, Queens, I raised this historical quotation without mentioning the author. And I was surprised when New York State Senator Toby Stavisky volunteered to shout the name of Alexis de Tocqueville. That simple gesture made me think later that although she belongs to another political party, she deserved to be reelected.

It is indeed in America’s religious convictions, not in her material wealth, where America’s greatness lies.”

Now we see history repeating itself with the influx of persecuted Christians and other religious groups in our shores who fled China, India, and Russia

As long as America remains faithful to the ideals of liberty and equality, America will always be great. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

End

2009-06-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

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

GET THE MESSAGE OUT QUICKLY!

Driven by a need to put more pressure to U.S. Congress to pass the comprehensive immigration reform bill initiated by Senators McCain and Kennedy some years ago, I bought the idea of Art Zamora, the leading Filipino visual artist now based in the United States. He believed the emblem of a passenger jumbo jet hoisted by a parade float, to participate in the 2009 Philippine Independence Parade in Manhattan, would be just right to fit into the celebration theme: Filipino American as a modern day hero.

American history tells us that the persecuted pilgrims of old came to America via a sailboat they called Mayflower in search of freedom and a better life in the New World.

Now Filipino Americans came to New York by air and landed at JFK Airport also in quest of freedom and hope for the American Dream. We are the modern-day pilgrims and hero given the millions and millions of dollars we remit to the Filipino people every year.

After a meeting of the minds of the float designer, Art Zamora, and the builder, former Philippine military officer Romuel Aguila, I confirmed to the parade officials that my float was ready to go for the June 7th parade.

To highlight the purpose of the float’s emblem, David Temprante, a professional sign maker, wrapped several streamers urging the U.S. Congress to pass the Immigration Reform bill this year. Nap, a Filipino CPA waiting for the bill, was assigned to drive the float.

It’s too sad to say that my fellow Republicans killed the bill last year. They also killed my political ambition to represent New York in the Washington Capitol. I am now tempted to switch parties if the Democratic Congress would pass the bill very soon. It’s long overdue.

Anyway, I think most of the spectators got the message of the parade float and hopefully this will reverberate in the mainstream media and several political forums.

And to add luster to my cause-oriented float, my granddaughter, Sophia Raffaella, proudly and joyfully rode on the front bearing her 2008 beauty title as Little Miss Ilocana. Being a third generation American born to my son, Jason who is a Giorgio Armani executive and his doctor-wife Mariliz who competed for Miss America in 1994, she did enjoy her majestic ride unmindful of the political message.

2009-06-12T12:04:00.001-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

MONEY TALKS AND KILLS!

Consider these similar situations:

I recently watched a television program beamed via satellite from the Philippines showing several leading presidential candidates for the upcoming 2010 Philippine elections answered questions from a panel of journalists. I got a big surprise when they all agreed to support a criminal investigation of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her family after she leaves office next year. As a kid on the block would remark, that’s a no-no. Never let a power-crazed individual know what happens next after he or she gives up power. Because the result would be: All hell would break loose.

A factory manager suspected of stealing money from his employer went berserk and massacred his co-workers as well as his employer’s family after learning that he was about to be reported to the Police.

Roman Emperor Nero decided to burn Rome when he was about to see his downfall.

The Japanese soldiers during the Second World War launched a large-scale series of massacres and rapes of women in their captive countries a few months before their imminent surrender to the Allies.

However, I do not foresee the Philippine President turning into a “juramentado” before the end of her term. Just remember what her billions and billions of the people’s money at her disposal could do to maintain herself in power.

As a scoundrel would always say: Money talks and kills.

End

2009-06-05T05:20:00.001-07:00

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

“SOON AND VERY SOON”

Filipinos are truly God-loving people and God will not allow that nation to perish despite the persistent wickedness of its government. As long as the Filipino people remain firm on faith in the Almighty Creator, like Job of the Old Testament who remained faithful despite the extreme sufferings and hardships that Satan manifested on him, the nation will finally rise from poverty and corruption to greatness and strength upon God’s command.

Try to look back at the history of powerful leaders of nations with evil minds and hearts some of which would even use the name of God hypocritically in a prayer or politically controlled legislative actions to cling to their despicable rule. They were the ones who perished.

One familiar example of such a ruler is Marcos, the Filipino dictator who stole the wealth of the Filipino people, to satisfy his own vanity and that of his wife. God had to intervene to stop him from launching a massacre against the people during the EDSA revolution, a massive popular protest demonstration against Marcos despotic rule during the mid 80s.

Like a devil’s child, Marcos escaped from the manifestation of God’s power during the peaceful revolt never to come back alive. And Democracy was restored in the Philippines.

Any ruler or leader of a nation who failed to learn from the lesson of EDSA I must have gone mad. But I believe a similar situation would not happen again. There is the Will of God calling for justice and truth.

Ask any Filipino on the streets of Manila or any other locality in the whole country how problems of escalating poverty and persistent government corruption could be solved, he or she relies on one ray of hope: IT WILL COME IN GOD’S TIMING SOON AND VERY SOON.

End

2009-05-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

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

A DAY OF “WOWOWEE” AT THE SENATE

It is said that former Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos got caught on tape while making love accompanied by groans and careless musical whispers “Ilocano” style with a planted American sexy model named Dobie Beams. Who did the recording and who disseminated it in the media during the pre-people power days? It’s still a mystery today.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo some years ago also got caught on tape talking to former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano to do something to increase her votes during the 2004 presidential elections. Who did the recording and disseminated it to the press? It’s still a mystery today.

Now we have an interesting case of a sex video of a famous doctor and a famous actress in the Philippines being flooded in the internet and CD outlets all over the country. Who did the recording and the initial dissemination of the sex videos to the public. Still nobody knows who did it. It’s still a mystery.

My point in this article is that indeed mysteries are still around us waiting to be solved. But what can we do about it. Nothing but leave it to posterity until the day of reckoning so to speak. That is what the Bible says: there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed.

What is getting interesting about the doctor-actress sex video in the Philippines is its questionable significance that would warrant a Senate investigation.

I would say that the Marcos-Dobie Beams sex tape should have warranted a Senate investigation except that it happened during Martial Law. It was a matter of national security considering suspicion that the American sexy model was perceived to be a CIA spy. Marcos’ wife, Imelda, opted instead to instruct the Immigration Commisssioner to deport the sexy spy back to California. What a pre-emptied strike against any escalation of the scandal.

The Gloria-Garcillano tapes somehow came under the curious and suspicious eyes of the senators and congresssmen. It was indeed a matter of national security or a violation of law. Bu nothing happened to punish the culprits. Perhaps Philippine justice succumbed to the glitter of gold.

So what is interesting about the Dr.Hayden Kho-Sexy Actress Katrina Halili sex video? It warranted much to my surprise a formal Senate investigation! Definitely it was not a case of government corruption or national security.

Consider the number of Philippine senators who are former movie actors and entertainment personalities. I may say this that the recent Senate hearing of the sex video of two famous personalities was just for the sake of entertainment. However, it was indeed a good show nonetheless.

End

2009-05-22T16:11:00.001-07:00

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

WISDOM OF A LEADER

This much I can say now about who would be the next mayor of New York City. He is none other than the incumbent, Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

This much I can say who would be the next president of the Philippines. He is none other than Senator Manny Villar.

The ball is now in your court to tell me why I am bold enough to make these two predictions.

I believe that the best leader of any association or group is one who can lead, who can inspire, and most of all who can provide.

The one who can help provide for the needs of the people, starting with the basic human needs - food, shelter, clothing - deserve to be the leader.

Who can live or survive with empty promises and impossible dreams that a scammer or swindler does best? How much worse is one who lies, cheats, and steals.

Remember Joseph of the Old Testament.

God gave Joseph, a former slave, the wisdom to interpret the dreams of the Egyptian Pharoah about what would happen in the future as to the financial state of the country.
Equipped with such foreknowledge, the Egyptian Pharaoh was able to prepare his county and people to the onset of imminent shortages of food.

It was Joseph, God’s chosen leader, who saved the people from famine and starvation that finally led to a life of plenty and prosperity. He was finally selected to be the ruler of Egypt where he kept the people under his regime with bountiful blessings from God.

Yet he never became vindictive against his brothers who sold him while he was young to the slave traders. He even saved them from sure death and starvation. And God truly blessed Joseph thereafter.

I just hope that both Mayor Bloomberg and Senator Villar have the leadership calibre of Joseph to make my predictions true.

End

2009-05-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

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

PHILIPPINES: A NATION OF CHAMPIONS, NOT SERVANTS

I watched the Pacquiao-Hatton boxing match over the weekend and I never saw Hatton, the British opponent, even for a second gestured a prayer. But Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino champion, did so many times. It helps to show you worship God in Heaven before the worldly crowd and television audience. God likes it very much. Yet I can’t say for sure whether God helped Pacquiao to win. I believe his prayer to God helped himself. And he demolished the British “Hitman” to pieces.

Talking about the same boxing event at Las Vegas, Nevada, a controversy emerged revolving around the way Martin Nievera, a Filipino pop vocalist, sang the Philippine National Anthem. According to officials of the Philippine Historical Society, Nievera violated a certain law that prohibits changing the tempo as composed by Julian Felipe, a Filipino patriot, from the early days of the Philippine Revolution. I did listen to the “polluted” tempo that Nievera used in singing a la cabaret. Perchance because of his ignorance of the history of the Philippine Revolution, his singing styled failed to emit any patriotic Filipino sentiment. Now Filipino singers should learn from that mistake.

Speaking of Philippine historical bits and pieces once again put me into a recollection mode.

Former Mayor Ed Koch of New York in the early 80s once attended a Filipino function held at the Silver Palace Restaurant in lower Manhattan in honor the birthday anniversary of Jose Rizal, the Filipino National Hero. In attendance that night were former Senator Ernesto Maceda, former Senator Heherson Alvarez and his wife, and former journalist Alejandro Roces . They were in the United States as political refugees from the Marcos regime.

At the gala reception, the former New York City Mayor Koch received a gift of two famous revolutionary books written by Jose Rizal, the NOLI ME TANGERE and the EL FILIBUSTERISMO. Remember that Rizal’s authorship of these two novels caused his death by firing squad . I just wondered whether the former mayor has bothered to read the books. I never had a chance to ask that question .

A sense of Filipino patriotism as symbolized by the singing of the Philippine National Anthem or a sense of respect for Jose Rizal, who died in the fight for freedom and justice for the Filipino people, would be best captured in an honest and effective rendition of anthem’s message and effective portrayal of the Filipino hero’s sacrifice for his country. Commercializing these two Filipino values should forever be shunned.

Anyway, a Filipino won in a contest against a non-Filipino for the glory of the Philippines. That ’s good enough nowadays since some crazy journalists are branding the Philippines as a “a nation of servants.”

2009-04-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

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

ALWAYS TAKE A SECOND LOOK

Wise men say “don’t judge the book by its cover.”

The judges at a British singing contest a la American Idol style seemed to have committed this mistake in their minds as shown in their facial expressions when an ugly-looking shapeless middle-aged contestant sang the Les Miserables theme song, “I Dreamed a Dream” like world-famous Broadway singer Lea Salonga and stunned the whole world. International press is now calling the “believe it or not” singer, Susan Boyle as an upcoming superstar.

I have also been guilty of ignoring what the wise men say in so many situations in the past.

I once thought of a mild-mannered, smiling well-dressed gentleman to be a man of compassion and honesty. He turned out to be a scammer and a swindler. He finally got arrested, convicted, and sentenced in court.

A friend told me of his experience with an exquisitely alluring female date. She turned out to be a guy dressed in sexy women’s clothing.

I know of many so-called spiritual or religious persons who always speak of the value of becoming holy and prophesy about the end of the world. Some of them are nothing less than “false prophets” whose main focus is your wallet or a beautiful innocent young girl.

Somebody told me that she once saw a regular looking matured gentleman with a worn-out wallet driving an old model car and wearing a very cheap suit. He turned out to be the richest person in the world, Warren Buffet.

Thought for today: During the Vietnam War, our American generals thought the Vietnamese irregular forces known as the Vietcong were no match with our well-trained soldiers. What happened?

End

2009-04-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN

By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

A TALE OF TWO RAPE VICTIMS

Whenever a victim in a rape case changes her story and acquit the alleged rapist, there is no more case. That’s the storyline of the Daniel Smith-Nicole Rape Story.

Rape is a crime against the human being, not against the state unless it‘s a state-sponsored rape. I believe the Philippine government this time is not to blame for the sudden turn around of the Filipina accuser.

This incident as usual as time goes by reminds of me of an incident at Harlem Hospital in Manhattan during the early 80s when I was a department adminstrator of the medical/surgical units. One of the newly-hired batch of Filipino nurses was found one morning in a secluded area of the hospital premises lying unconscious. She was brought to emergency where initial findings apparently showed possible rape.

A very concerned Filipino nurse asked me to do something about it since the natural reaction of hospital management and security was a cover-up. A top hospital security approached one morning and warned me not to interfere with security matters.

Still I asked this concerned Filipino nurse (who I heard still works at the hospital) to give me copies of the well-kept hidden medical notes of the victim’s injuries on her private parts.

Then I talked to the victim and persuaded her to report the incident to the nearby police station in Harlem. She did make the report after I accompanied her to the station but later on decided not to proceed with filing a case of rape that happened in a city hospital premises. Her reason: She needed the nursing job very badly and she was scared of being deported if she fought the hospital management and security.

Now, tell me the moral lesson of the two similar rape stories.

End

2009-04-17T11:49:00.001-07:00

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

AMERICA'S COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE AND LIBERTY

In the Philippines, I heard of certain Christians being converted to Islam, especially among celebrities. But I have been hearing of famous Filipino movie stars and entertainers who have dedicated their talents to give glory to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Top of the list is singer Gary Valenciano.

When an exceedingly beautiful movie actress and beauty queen named Ruffa Gutierrez stumbled from her Christian faith to marry a Muslim and later return to her Christian Church after a failed marriage, she did the right thing. Such cases always remind us of the story of the Prodigal Son: the door to Christ will always open to those who faithfully knock in order to enter into His heart.

America is founded on Christian values of mercy and justice. But America's door is open only to the true freedom-seekers trying to escape persecution because of their love for liberty. It is close to the fugitives from justice, the kleptocrats, the thieves, and other criminals inasmuch as as Christ's heart is open only to His flock and the lost ones, not to the Devil' disciples.

After the Pilgrims and other European travelers came to America fleeing persecution from their home countries and settled permanently, that marked the foundation of the New World as land of the free. Succeeding waves of refugees and other migrants from other countries followed leading to the establishment of the American colonies and later the United States of America.

So let no so-called “born in America” advocates claim themselves to be real Americans for history will tell where your forefathers came from. They may have been either former slaves from Africa or slave owners from England or just plain refugees from other countries.

As Christianity stands for mercy, equality, and justice so should America and her government be anything less.

End

2009-04-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

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

GOD’S DEAL WITH THE SINNERS

Some people with problems think that by killing themselves or committing suicide would be the end of their miserable life. Speaking as a Christian, I believe that is not the case.

Christians believe there’s life after death as we know it. That is the mystery of Christianity: death gives way to life.

This present life as Christians know it is just a preparation to enter another world after our last breath: either to go to Heaven with God, the Creator, or to hell with Satan, the destroyer.

The celebration of the Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, sends out the basic doctrine of Christianity written in the Bible in three-day events about Jesus Christ: His death at the cross, His burial, and His resurrection.

With Christ’s death, the promise of salvation from eternal death is offered to believers.

With Christ’s burial, the promise of Holy Spirit baptism comes to those who accept.

With Christ’s resurrection, the promise of eternal life with God in Heaven makes real the Blessed Hope when Christ returns again to redeem the dead and the living believers to live forever.

Fellow human beings, who would not want that kind of God’s deal in exchange of Faith in his Only Begotten Son, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

End

2009-04-02T21:05:00.001-07:00

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

SOME THOUGHTS TO PONDER

I am not a Preacher but I just want to share with you some of my inner thoughts:

A straight stick is stronger than a crooked one. Don’t you know that anything crooked breaks easily? That is according to the law of physics.

The same principle applies to any part of the human body, particularly the mind. The insane has a crooked mind; therefore, the insane is a broken being.

The fastest way from one point to another point is through a straight line because is it is physically the shortest. Follow a crooked way and you go nowhere.

Now let’s talk about crooks in government and business, anywhere in the world. They go nowhere and break easily. And all of them at a certain point became mad.

Look at Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian Emperor, who finally lived like an animal and Adolph Hitler, the mad dictator. Yet there are still plenty of their descendants roaming the earth.

Now let’s turn to spiritual things. Among Christians, the fastest way and the surest way to God’s Kingdom is one straight way through God’s Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

That is what the Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved and thy house.” Isn’t that a very straightforward thing to do, no ifs or buts?

It’s yours for the taking.

End

2009-03-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

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

PAST AND PRESENT EVENTS PREDICT THE FUTURE

I don’t think God will allow fire and brimstone to rain over the Philippines despite the corrupt ways of her leaders. There are still a few good men and women who can save her from total destruction.

During my recent stay in MetroManila, I received a gift of two books written by Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel and his wife, Bing, that put God first in their life. Sen. Pimentel’s book , “Invoking God in a Secular Senate” and that of Bing’s “True Love Within Our Reach” are both their true life’s experiences testifying about God’s greatness and love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

I believe there are more Filipino national leaders and their families like the Pimentels that would stop a Sodomic disaster to happen in the Philippines. That is what God wants from his creation: praise, worship and adoration. It’s that simple, my fellow beings, isn’t it? And you’ll be blessed and be saved from damnation.

Yet the reality of man’s wickedness seems to be out of control for now. That’s the way it is anywhere in this world. I don’t know why God allows Satan to rule for just a little while. But I really don’t need to reason why. Only God knows what He’s doing. What I can do as a Christian believer is just believe and hold His hand. For in the final conflict, as it is written, Satan will be chained and thrown down to the bottlomless pit. This is the quintessence of Christian Faith.

Not getting younger caused me to reminisce about time past:

After the Americans rescued Marcos from the wrath of the Filipino people during the people power revolution in 1986, Cory, the widow of the assassinated senator, Ninoy Aquino, became the revolutionary president.

Cory later went to Washington, D.C. and spoke at a joint session of the U.S.Congress. Herbert Rickman, then Special Assistant to New York City Mayor Ed Koch, talked to me in my capacity as the Mayor’s liaison to the Filipino community in the city and expressed the Mayor’s interest to invite Cory to New York as a conquering hero. He wanted to give Cory the symbolic key to the City of New York as a recognition of Cory’s restoration of democracy in the Philippines.

The event turned to be one of the most spectacular events in the history of the Filipino community in New York that paved the way for the annual Philippine Independence Day Parade and Street Fair in Manhattan.

Before Cory’s visit to New York City, the Benigno Aquino Triangle was already in place. The New York City council passed the legislation naming a public vacant land after the assassinated senator who died for freedom and liberty. Mayor Ed Koch signed the legislation also to honor the contributions of the Filipino community to the city.

Before the Council approved the legislation, I and the late Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations had to justify before the Committee on Parks and Recreation the importance of granting recognition to the Filipino martyr who used to stay in Queens, New York before he returned to the Philippines n 1983.

By the way, I must say that remembering the past helps a person prepare for the future. And past events normally cannot be erased from the mind.

End

2009-03-20T20:57:00.001-07:00

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

CHANGE IN THE WAY FILIPINOS SPEAK?

The Pilipino language based on the Tagalog dialect as spoken by majority of Filipinos in the Philippines nowadays has turned out to be a hodgepodge of words from other Filipino dialects, foreign languages, and coined words.

Here’s a sampling:

The English word “every” such as in everyday translated into Tagalog as “bawa’t” is now translated as “kada” from the Spanish word cada.

The English word “evacuate” translated into Tagalog as “ilipat” is now translated as “ilikas” borrowed from the Kapampangan dialect.

The English word “homosexual” translated into Tagalog as “bakla or binabae” is now translated as “bading” perhaps a shortened combination of words.

The English word “impression” translated into Tagalog as “palagay” is now translated as “dating” used to mean arrival.

The English word “outing” translated into Tagalog as “pasyal” is now translated as gimmick borrowed from English that means a deal or a ploy.

The English word “business” translated into Tagalog as “pinagkakakitaan” is now translated as “racket” borrowed from English that commonly means criminal activity.

I have no idea whether these changes in the way today’s Filipinos speak is a sign of progress or otherwise. But what has so grammatically changed based on the BALARILA, the Filipino national language manual is the common use of the Tagalog pronoun “siya” to refer to all kinds of persons, objects, and things. The pronoun “siya” originally pertains only to people and the pronouns “ito” or “iyan” refer to animals, objects or things.

In so doing, there is no more distinction among people, animals and things in the universal use of the pronoun “siya” .Is this the way Philippine culture goes?

End

2009-03-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

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

JUSTICE STILL PREVAILS

I just watched President Barack Obama on Jay Leno’s late night talk show at Channel 4. He seems to be a regular open-minded American guy devoid of any pretensions despite the awesomeness of his presidential office.

I believe it is not right to judge the newly-elected president’s performance at this time whether it’s good or bad. Let’s give him some more time to adjust to his new role as President of the most powerful country in the world, the United States of America.

I can’t wait knowing how he plans to do with millions and millions of undocumented aliens especially those who came to the United States when they were still minors. This special group of aliens known as “refugee children” has grown up in American education and culture in thought and in deed. How can America, land of the free, deport these Americans whose only deficiency is lack of immigration documents?

Anyway, what caught my attention during President Obama’s appearance on the famous late night show was when he went to pick up Jay Leno’s coffee mug a few seconds before the first commercial break. Jay Leno signaled and pointed to his mug he put on the other coffee table. Well, he’s just like me and any other person who makes silly mistakes.

Now, do you believe God put Barack Obama at the Oval Office to rule over the American people? I believe so. As the Bible says, the first shall be the last, and the last shall be the first. For I think Obama was the last person thought by most Americans before last year’s elections to win the presidency.

In the Philippines, who do you think God will put in Malacanang Palace in 2010 to reign over the Filipino people? President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo believes God put her there in 2001. That’s why she refused to give up power despite her high public disapproval rating.

I think what we can do in this imperfect world is just to live or cope with things and events that an individual cannot control. That leaves to the Almighty God full control to see to it that justice ultimately prevails.

End

2009-03-05T15:12:00.000-08:00

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

A QUICK TRIP TO CABANATUAN CITY, NUEVA ECIJA

The Bible says “all things work together for good to them that love God…”

Well, I’ll say emphatically I do love God, my Creator. So my losing in the last congressional elections for the second time was good for me. God knows best.

It was good because I found time to take care of the land I inherited from my late father, Gonzalo J. Policarpio, Sr. of Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. As a footnote to my father’s first government job, he was the Civil Registrar of Cabanatuan City when the Japanese invaded the Philippines during the second world war. I was only a few months old. To add color to his shortened stint at that job, he officiated at the emergency wedding of the late Sen. Hermogenes Concepcion, Sr. to his second wife.

For almost a month away back home in the Philippines, I spent my time with my only living brother, Conrado, nephews and nieces from my deceased siblings examining land titles some of which apparently have been mysteriously transferred from my father’s name to that of another person. We also agreed to develop more than a hectare of land in Sumacab and turn it into a Policarpio Manor as a tribute to my late father Gonzalo and late grandfather Julio. We still have to petition the Department of Education to rename the Talipapa Elementary School after my grandfather Julio who donated the land.

I visited the mausoleum of my late brother-in-law, Cecilio T. Marcelo, who was married to my eldest sister Felicisima. My sister passed away long time ago. It was located at the spacious Baliwag Memorial Park in Bulacan that he owned. He also left to his second wife and children an educational legacy - the St. Joseph Academy of Candaba, Pampanga that he founded. He is an example of a Filipino who accumulated lots of assets and wealth through hard work and sound investments and not through corruption.

On Valentine’s Day, I hosted a get-together party held at Aberdeen Court in Makati to assemble most of my nephews and grandnephews and nieces and grandnieces to meet and know each other. I learned that they have never met since their childhood days. I never thought MetroManila is too big for them.

Now they know that one of them owns a fleet of 250 taxicabs called EFE. Now they know that they have an Uncle who ran for the U.S. Congress and lost twice and another Uncle who is retiring from the Court of Appeals this coming May at age 70. His name is Edgardo P. Cruz, said by the media to belong to the group of four Court of Appeals justices who are not corrupt.

In another occasion at Serendra I where my son Jason and his wife Mariliz took over the condo unit they bought, a relative of Mariliz who teaches piano in Quezon City proudly posed with me in a picture taking. She said she will tell her friends that she met the father-in-law of Rowena Arrieta who is married to Jason’s elder brother Jonathan. I never thought that Weenie is still a big star in the Philippines. It’s time to hold another concert in Manila.

End

2009-01-21T20:46:00.001-08:00

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

GREED: A DEADLY SIN

Bernard Madoff, former chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange, who pulled the biggest Ponzi Scheme of all times victimizing stupid and greedy multi-millionanaires worth $50 billion dollars, used one of the Devil’s temptations against Christ: I will give you the wealth of this world if you believe in me. According to the New Testament account, the Son of God rebuked the Evil One and stopped him for good.

According to current press accounts, Madoff’s believers succumbed to his lies and lost their fortune in a fraudulent investment scheme. That makes the notorious financial scammer a direct scion of the father of lies. A lesson that we can learn from this story is never to believe the Devil or his children.

Greed has always been a vulnerability to some people. It has been said, according to a Filipino whistleblower, that one greedy Filipino bureaucrat once admonished his fellow cronies to “moderate their greed” in stealing money from unscrupulous government transactions. The culprits however were not able put their greed under control and finally were exposed.

So many crimes have been committed because of greed. No doubt the Christian
Church classifies it as one of the “seven deadly sins.”

Greed in essence is the uncontrollable desire to amass wealth even those that do not belong to you. How then can a poor human being free himself or herself from that kind of slavery?

Christ was able to withstand Satan’s temptations despite his poor and hungry physical condition. He knows the Devil cannot deliver because he is a liar. He, being the Son of God, knows that only God can provide because He is the Divine Providence.

Remember as history of mankind will tell us, God never allows one man or woman to amass the wealth of this world for He is the God of Justice and Reason. So the answer on how to free oneself from greed is true faith in God the Provider.

End

2009-01-08T13:53:00.000-08:00

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

MEMORIES TO ENJOY

After spending relatively a longer time in this world, I feel the urge to reminisce certain peculiar episodes hard to forget.

I once worked as a Security Officer for one year in the mid70s at the former WNEW Channel 5 television station in Manhattan then owned by billionaire John Kluge. That was one of the odd jobs I had to grab after arriving in New York city as a professional immigrant with outstanding qualifications.

Lately somebody told me that a movie was shown about the late comedian Andy Kaufman. Naturally my memorable encounter with this comedian came to mind in the station’s hallway.

The late comedian went crazy after being informed that he was off the program one midday. He ran across the hallway yelling and banging the office door of the producer. Other guards were not able to subdue him. So I had to threaten him with my wooden club to calm him down. It’s just too bad this incident was not mentioned in his biography and in the movie where Jim Carrey played Andy Kaufman.

I believe I already wrote in another paper about my encounter with the late Old Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra during the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon still being sponsored by Channel 5 as a tradition. I had the surprise of my life when I found out later that famous crooner was a target of assassination. My supervisor assigned me, a short regularly built Asian man, to guard him from the time he stepped out of his limo, stayed in the dressing room, and back to his limo with his friend Jilly Rizzo.

Other celebrities whom I engaged in idle talk during my security desk job as far I would recollect were Rita Moreno, Peggy Lee, former Mayor Ed Koch then a Congressman, and sexy Monique Van Buren, and many others. Yet some celebrities ignored me with a look of disdain.

Keeping true with the life of an immigrant in America whose goal is to reach the American Dream, from the lowly job of a Security Officer/Guard, I took on the job of a department hospital administrator after graduating with a Master’s degree from New York University in 1980.

And there are memorable episodes to worth recollecting during those times perhaps in my next column.

---------------------------------------------------
I mourn the passing away last week of my brother-in-law, Cecilio T. Marcelo of Baliuag, Bulacan and Candaba, Pampanga. He acted like a real brother to me after the death of my eldest sister Felicisima in the early 50s. His eldest son, Jose, was the former Chief of Police of Valenzuela, Bulacan. He belonged to the Marcelo and Trinidad families of Bulacan and Pampanga.

End

2008-12-27T07:46:00.000-08:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo "Jun" Policarpio

"RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU"

We'll have a New Year and a new president in America next year, 2009. Is it really true what somebody said that normally we like anything new? Like a new car, a new house, a new pair of shoes, or a new suit.

Well, I think it depends on the quality of the new item. Let's talk about Barack Obama, the incoming new president of the United States.
Obama is new but has not been tested before as a chief executive of a large entity such as a country, a state, or a city. It remains to be seen what would his new approach in governance of the richest country in the world, the United States of America.

The multi-ethnic profile of Obama's cabinet based on the racial origin of his announced nominees, some Blacks, some Latinos, and some Asians, is a good sign. I would say that his admiration for Abraham Lincoln as his model president has something to do with it.

Obama's decision to retain President Bush's secretary of defense is also a reflection of his good judgment. His selection of former Army General Eric Shinseki to head the Veterans Affairs department is another thing worth to be appreciated to indicate his fairness and sensitivity to a most qualified leader.

Now comes the scandal involving Governor Blagogevich of Illinois, ardent political supporter in his home state. He is accused of selling Obama's Senate seat, perhaps to the highest bidder.

How well or bad President-elect Obama would handle this sticky problem is anybody's guess.

I welcome Obama's choice of Pastor Rick Warren, author of the book, PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE, considered the biggest best seller of all time, to give the invocation during his inauguration next month.

He really needs the prayer of a man of faith to help his infant presidency guide the fate of the American people in these troubled times when the Devil seems to be very active in sowing evil.
End

2008-12-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN

By Gonzalo "Jun" Policarpio

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Christmas always brings memories to me , especially my child hood days. It must the gifts being showered to children by parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives and friends every Christmas season I know because I was once a child.

Why are the children the most favored recipient of Christmas gifts?

It was Baby Jesus, the Child King, who received the most precious gifts ever from the Three Wise Men from the East, as told in the New Testament. Guided by a beautiful shining star in the evening, the Three Kings finally found the object of their long search, a baby in a manger who was born King of Kings to a virgin maiden, Mary, especially chosen by the Holy Spirit.

So we see Baby Jesus on the faces of those beautiful children with pure faith who received our gifts. And we Christians do it in celebration of Almighty God's greatest gift to sinful mankind doomed to hell – Jesus our Lord and Savior.

During this Christmas Season 2008, let's refocus our sight on the poor children living on the dirty streets of Manila, and other impoverished cities of the world and showered them with things they need to survive for " they are the Kingdom of Heaven."

End

2008-12-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

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

VICTORY IS THE REWARD OF HUMILITY

True champions of this world give glory to God in Heaven for their victories. Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino boxing champion, who technically knocked out Oscar de la Hoya from East Los Angeles, one of the greatest boxers of all time, now belong to that special class of champions. He told the media after the fight that he owes his victory to God his Creator.

Arrogance is never the hallmark of a Christian. Humility is the sign of Christianity - Christ crucified at the cross after being extremely humiliated by His enemies. Victory is the reward of humility - Christ Resurrection that defeated the power of Death. Truly it is hard to be a Christian but the gift of being such is fulfilling.

Majority of Filipinos are Christians, yet they are suffering from poverty, sickness, and humiliation. Despite their extreme hardships, they can still smile and even offer help of any kind to anybody in distress. What an exemplary national trait of a people that seem to be doomed. Do you know of another class of people who underwent a series of struggles to survive as a nation saved from becoming obliterated from the face of the earth at the hands of a mad dictator?

There are reasons to wonder at the mysterious way God loves His people. The philosophical mind definitely will question God’s master plan. But who are these hapless mortals to spew doubt about God’s love to His creation? They will surely die without any hope of any kind such as the hope of eternal life for God’s believers.

The incoming Obama Administration that campaigned primarily on offering material goods to the American people and freedom to kill an unborn baby, recognize homosexuality and lesbianism as legitimate lifestyle, and to totally ban God in public schools is worth watching. Is it another example of God’s permissive Will demonstrated in the Old Testament when He let Satan do harm to Job, a faithful servant of God? However, it may be a big challenge to so-called conservative Christians and Jews to raise their moral standards like doing what they preach so to speak .

Remember what my former Muslim classmate at the University of the Philippines once told me: Show me a good Christian and I’ll be one.

End

2008-12-04T20:35:00.001-08:00

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

TACTICAL IN CHESS, POLITICS, AND ROMANCE?

Boxing may be compared to chess rather than to politics. In politics, the politician needs money and support from a major political party machine to promote his candidacy to win votes. A boxer needs to be strong physically and mentally, skillful with boxing techniques, and exceptionally fast with his whole body using a great deal of reflexes in order to knock out his opponent. Comparing the Pacquiao – De la Hoya fight on Dec. 6th to the recent presidential contest between Obama and McCain is ridiculous.

A boxer may apply some of the mating techniques of famous chess masters to win by knockout. Some world heavyweight boxing champions like Dr. Vitaly Klitschko of Ukraine and Britiain’s Lennox Lewis study chess strategy and tactics and use them during championship fights.

As a Filipino American born in the Philippines, I want Manny Pacquiao to win this fight with the greatest Mexican American boxer, Oscar De la Hoya. However, from an objective assessment of their different fighting skills and other assets, De la Hoya has a definite advantage due to his height(4 inches over), length of his fighting arms(six inches over), and his methodical fighting techniques.

Both Pacquiao and De la Hoya have shown to be equally strong. But they use different moves during the first rounds. Pacquiao seems to be more of a tactical fighter going for the jugular a la Mike Tyson. He is more of a brawler letting off with his lightning fast punches all over his opponent. One good solid hit with a Pacquiao punch would knock out his opponent. If he misses a lot of such punches, then he would be the one under attack. Such is a tactical player like Pacquiao.

De la Hoya, on the other hand, makes use of his equally lightning fast jabs in the early rounds against his opponent. The intent is to weaken his opponent’s defenses in the same manner a chess champion would deploy his pawns. He waits for the right position to hit his opponent hard for a knockout or to mate the king as in a chess game.

At any rate, I will choose not to bet on either boxer though my heart goes to my “kababayan” Pacquiao. Also, I, too, am a tactical fighter in chess or in politics or even in romance.

End

2008-12-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo "Jun" Policarpio

WHO ARE THE TRAITORS?

Looking at the frowning former Philippine Speaker of the House of Representatives Joe de Venecia during the methodical slaughter of the Gloria Arroyo Impeachment Complaint filed by his son, Joey, is a perfect case of a role reversal. When de Venecia was Speaker, he was credited to have led the killing of previous impeachment complaints against the same respondent by the notoriously well-financed legislative hacks, presumably including himself. He should be familiar with the character of his colleagues in the majority that no amount of appeal to conscience can work. Anyway the hearing was worth the publicity to wake up the "no hear, no tell, no talk" Filipino people. But as history will tell us, money or gold, the god of this world, still reigns supreme.

With the impending financial collapse of major businesses and banking institutions worldwide caused by greed and corruption , he or she who has the money controls the world regardless whether the money belongs to the people. If the government which is the agency entrusted by the people to use their money for the benefit of the many such as in a representative system of government, steal or misappropriate public funds to benefit the public officers for their selfish interest, then the time for change is the solution. What must be changed are the violators the public trust, and not the constitution. That is usually done through honest and clean elections in order to avoid a resort to a violent revolution. It's just that simple and it's applicable to the Philippine situation in the wake of the recent American presidential elections.
Democracy is still the best form of government where there exists a mechanism of check and balance among the three branches of power: executive, legislative, and judicial. The reason for such provision is to prevent dictatorship of anyone or combination of two of the three power centers. If such mechanism fails, greed and corruption follows. And the people's sovereignty is in danger. When the people asserts its sovereignty, a bloody revolution is inevitable at the expense of precious human lives. Nobody wants this kind of situation but the "desperados."
The only solution I see that has worked in several political settings worldwide is the role of clean and honest elections to preserve democracy in the Philippines. That time is scheduled to happen in 2010 in the Philippines. So any attempt to disrupt the schedule is treasonous in substance. Let's now watch out for the traitors.
End
Reply Forward

New window
Print all

2008-11-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

A BIG THANK YOU FROM MY HEART

My dear friends, classmates, and relatives:

What is so gracious in your exceptional support to my candidacy for Congress '08 is your cheerful gift despite all the odds against winning as a third party candidate in a two-party system in American politics. You are my true friends, not my fairweathered friends. I can still remember my son cautioning me to run as such whether I'm willing to be like Ralph Nader. Yet I did it twice. Why?

I must be crazy. I can't blame my wife for threatening to divorce me when she learned from somebody else that I had announced my candidacy for Congress '08. Yet she did not. I'm lucky still. But still crazy. Why?

Because when I failed to get the Republican Party endorsement, I decided again against all odds to continue fighting under the Conservative endorsement. Tell me now. Am I crazy or I just want to prove to my "political enemies" that the Filipino is no longer timid, subservient, weak. To show to those fools that the days of the Filipino coolies are over.

I would rather lose in any competition than to be branded as a coward, a weakling, and easy to be bullied.

Yet there's indeed pain in losing. But it's better to lose than to get lost. That's what my enemies tried to do to me twice. And they failed. Yes I lost twice but did not get lost.

Through my campaign, I always say that if God wants me to win, I'll win nevertheless. It's between God and myself talking. Now I know He does not, perhaps not according to His timing or else, it's really not my calling to be a politician. I therefore submit to His Will.

Before I dump my boxing gloves permanently, please accept my heartfelt gratitude for expressing your help and support in your own particular ways. GOD BLESS YOU ALL. AMEN.

Your brother in Christ,

Jun Policarpio

2008-08-21T19:48:00.001-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Jun Policarpio

GOD OF JUSTICE

The mother of all sins, I may say, is the sin of covetousness. It is the sin that drove Satan to covet God’s throne in Heaven.

Covetousness is defined by dictionary as the unreasonable desire for what we do not possess. The Roman Catholic Church considers it as a capital sin that means a sin that leads to other sins.

When King David coveted his soldier’s wife, Bathsheba, his kingdom broke into pieces and God punished his chosen king one with severe remorse that almost killed him.

Evil man Adolf Hitler coveted a land that did not belong to him. It started the second world war and the Holocaust that slaughtered millions and millions of people.

Now back to politics. What will happen to a candidate who brags to be without sin and who tried to covet another candidate’s political party ballot through unlawful means?

Consider this truth. God is not dead. He’s alive. And He’s a God of Justice.

End

junpolicarpio@gmail.com

2008-07-11T05:43:00.000-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Jun Policarpio

BEWARE OF THE SIN OF ENVY

A live television microphone caught Rev. Jesse Jackson while waiting for an interview badmouthing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to a fellow television guest heard round the world. I think the former presidential candidate and first Black to run for the White House behaves like typical Filipino losers towards another Filipino aspiring for higher public office. The usual cause for such frail human reaction is the insidious sin of envy direct from the bloodline of Cain.

The element of envy is both ungodly and satanic. It is the prime characteristic of Lucifer who became envious of God and tried to usurp His throne. He failed and turned from being the most beautiful angel in heaven to be the ugliest fallen angel named Satan.

Because of envy, a person steals, kills, and lies. Cain killed his younger brother Abel because he thought Abel was God’s favorite. King Saul tried to kill David because of David’s rising popularity due to his many victories in war. Joseph’s brethren sold him to the slave traders because they perceived him to be their father’s favorite.

The annals of crime will show envy to be the root cause of most murders and other sins. For an envious heart to be cleansed, a person really needs to be reborn spiritually.

Spiritual rebirth cannot be bought with material wealth. A person has to ask God for it to be born again. It is mysterious and cannot be explained mathematically or scientifically.

The first requirement to undergo the experience of being born again spiritually is faith. A person without the element of faith in God is a hopeless case unless a miracle happens like what happened to Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor of Christians. On the road to Damascus, according to a biblical account, Christ appeared to him and Saul became blind. Christ gave him specific instructions to regain his sight. So the former Saul, the Christian hater, became Paul, the greatest and last of Christ’s apostle, when he obeyed Christ’s instructions faithfully that made him see again.

Back to Rev. Jackson’s unfortunate comments against a fellow Black political leader, it may not constitute the element of envy yet. I really don’t know what caused it. But the former civil rights leader and Martin Luther King’s contemporary needs to cut the re-emerging old human nature that is sinful.

End

junpolicarpio@gmail.com

2008-07-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Jun Policarpio

2008 AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS: HERO V. COWARD

July 4th 2008 should be the most opportune time for us all Americans to consider who between the two presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, is the better leader of the most powerful and richest country in the world.

Rivers of American blood have been shed to claim independence from England during the American Revolutionary period and oceans of the same precious blood of our American troops have flowed during the first and second world wars in our fight to protect our independence and liberty from totalitarian regimes.

Our first American patriots did not sacrifice their battle cry: taxation without representation is tyranny. They revolted and fought hard with their precious lives and won American Independence.

Our military and political leaders did not compromise with the enemies of democracy to save the world from dictatorship and tolitarianism then spearheaded by such countries as Germany, Italy, Japan, China, and former Soviet Union. Our country, the United States of America, is the only superpower in the world today committed to promote the spirit of freedom and democracy.

Now, it’s Islamic terrorism that threatens world peace and security. 9/11 is a day to always remember that a small group of Islamic Jihadists burning with hatred toward freedom-loving people can be so destructive. Intelligence reports have identified that Iran has assumed the role as main sponsor of Islamic terrorism following the fall of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Iran’s main strategy, I believe, to counter the spread of democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan initiated by the Bush Administration is to support an anti-war movement in the United States demanding a quick withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. A retreat and surrender would no doubt hasten the fall of the pro-democracy regimes now in place in both countries.

Put 2 and 2 together and you got 4. In short, Republican Candidate McCain favors a victory in the war against the Islamic terrorists and insurgents whereas Democratic Candidate Obama calls for a withdrawal of our American forces fighting the enemies.

You may now tell me who between the two candidates is the hero and who is the coward.

End

2008-06-27T20:42:00.001-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Jun Policarpio

“GOD BLESS AMERICA”

I believe God chose the United States of America for a special purpose according to His will.

From a small colony of pilgrims who escaped from the tyrannical rulers of Europe during the 17th Century, the first batch of settlers landing in Jamestown, Virginia on May 13, 1607 later grew with succeeding influxes of what may now be commonly called “immigrants.” When they became so numerous, they decided to organize themselves into a colonial government under the authority granted by England.

Being denied representation in the English legislature, the American colonists revolted and finally won their independence on July 4, 1776.

From then on, America overcame periods of hardships, struggles for survival, and disunity. The end of the civil war during the later part of the 19th century brought into life a reinvigorated Union of the North and the South with the abolition of slavery and other economic reforms instituted by President Abraham Lincoln.

The rise of industrialism turned the United States into a prosperous country beefed up by a strong economy. Being acclaimed by the free world as the leading country to preserve democracy threatened by the first and second world wars, America has been regarded by the international community as a world power.

Upon the collapse of the Soviet power during the Reagan administration, the United States is now the only superpower in the world.

Since becoming a world power militarily and economically, America has been constantly blessed by God as immortally documented in the song “God Bless America.” As if under the instructions from the Divine, our country has offered freedom and refuge to all victims of tyranny and terrorism all over the world. She has also been consistent in offering help of any kind to the poor and impoverished nations of the world.

I believe that as long as we, the American people, keep the faith and the ideals upon which our country was founded such as the basic core values of freedom, justice, and equality and the loving faith of our fathers who founded this “land of the free and home of the brave,” God’s blessings will continue to pour on the American Nation.

End

Junpolicarpio@gmail.com

2008-06-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Jun Policarpio

A NIGHTMARE IN AN OBAMA-CLINTON PARTNERSHIP!

Politics affects every person in this world without knowing it.

The poor suffering people of Myanmar or Burma hopes against hope for a quick change of their country’s political situation from a totalitarian government to a free and democratic system of government where freedom reigns. Who does not want liberty?

Millions of slum dwellers in the Philippine ghettoes still look forward to a day when the corrupt politicians stealing the wealth of the land go to jail. Then they can hope for a better government that can provide for their needs and aspirations.

A change in the political system to seek for solutions to rising oil prices and other problems in America does not apply in American politics. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s cry for “change” applies only to countries like Iran, Iraq, or North Korea. These countries definitely need regime change for the good of the people.

Changing the American economic system from capitalistic to socialistic that Obama longs for echoes the cry of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the forerunner of the communist ideology. It is antithetical to the founding principles of the American nation which is freedom of the individual to earn, save, and invest and to contribute for the common good in the form of taxes.

One clear evidence of Obama’s socialistic philosophy similar to Hillary is his idea of a socialized health care system to be imposed on the American people. We, the American people, should realize that in this economic model that the Democrats propound to the electorate next November election, the government mandates every American to contribute to a health care fund regardless of their earning capacity under penalty of law. In case of non compliance, they suffer sanctions or some form of punishment. Indeed, that is not democracy!

If I said before that Hillary would be a dangerous American president because of her tarnished political and economic record, Obama is not far behind from her political notoriety. So a possible Obama-Clinton ticket in next presidential election would surely spell doom to the country’s business enterprise system and perhaps to the country’s moral system.

End