Who needs big names?

Many government officials often fail to remember the very essence of being elected to public office. And this is not some random hackneyed statement instigated by the obvious misconducts of the majority of them. It’s all over the news (or olds?), how cannot that be obvious? Rather, my grounds for this claim is in fact a more subtle issue yet very physically visible but is commonly overlooked. Thank goodness, I’m radical!

Reasonably radical.

Acquiring a seat in the government gives one a special privilege to serve the people and the nation. And this privilege is like a gift you owe to people who have entrusted their welfare to your care. This gift consists of an honorable title prefixed to your name, subordinates, monetary resources, and most of all, the power to utilize this gift in the service of the people who believe in you. All of that in just one package.

Public service is simply sincerely doing your responsibilities as a public servant so why make a big deal out of it by displaying your name on every public facility you’ve put up? To me, it’s like a slap in the face. An insult. It’s as if you’re reminding us that we, the people who have placed you in power, owe these structures to you. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? You’ve been elected to public office. Therefore, isn’t it already given that you do public service?

I mean for once, get real! Never mind the righteousness crap above. No one in his right mind would ever want your name in ridiculously BOLD letters and not-so-appealing-to-the-eyes colors as decorations in his surroundings. Unless your name spells beauty and peace, then by all means, have the walls of our house inside and out.

(By the way, I’m pretty sure the inscription of your name also consumes a portion of the allotted budget.)

I would always find myself shaking my head in disillusionment whenever I see the sooo-overused phrase “Through the efforts of this BIG NAME et al.” on the roofs of waiting sheds. Well, guess what? You don’t need to make an effort. If you’re a true public servant and you mean your public service with all your genuine intentions, it should just come out naturally.

Instead of plastering your names on the roofs of covered courts, park benches, bridges, and other public facilities, why don’t we hire our local talents, in painting and other related craft, to exhibit their artistic abilities and decorate these structures? And have them sign their own masterpieces afterwards, that would be fantastic! It’s an opportunity for them to showcase their works. Who knows, they might even do the job for free.

And that’s just one of the many options of how we can continuously make our communities a better place to live in. Let others contribute. Don’t take on the entire workload. Make room for others to have their own unique share.

So come on, there’s no need for you to remind us (shamelessly) of your noble deeds. We, the people who voted for you are not stupid to not know who made all these projects possible. Heck, we voted for you. How could we ever be more stupid?

We don’t need big names. We need big dreams.

Give us big dreams, instead of big names – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

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The P.A.R.I.S.H. P.R.I.E.S.T.

I was cleaning up my hard drive two days ago, removing unnecessary files and programs, when I came across with this Word document I believe I have written almost two years ago. I’m not quite sure how I was made to write this piece or what became of it after I have submitted it. In fact, I almost deleted it without checking what it was really because the filename “letters.doc” didn’t ring a bell at all. Good thing I checked.

Anyway, the time I wrote this (it’s dated May 2007 to be exact) was the year of the traditional reshuffling of parish priests in the Archdiocese of San Fernando here in Pampanga province. And from what I’ve heard during the period of study, all the parishes were asked to submit a summary of the qualities of their dream priest.

Personally, I think doing such was rather useless. For one thing, most of these priests are old already and there’s no way you can change their pastoral methods. Second, the available choices are simply limited. That’s why I said I wasn’t quite sure how I was made to write this but I did it anyway.

So without further ado, meet my ideal parish priest:

For a large and diverse parish such as Dolores, having a spiritual leader who can serve as an encouragement to the people to become an active and willful members of the Christian community and at the same time maintain our unparalleled faith in God is very essential. Without trying so hard, he must be able to promote this faith through his own vigorous participation and contagious fervor. The people would want to have a visible leader with zeal and diligence. This way, it will be easier to attract and stir up the interest of the laity.

Presence. He must possess the “aura” that gives off a unique impression of himself.

Active. He must be committed in fulfilling his ministerial duties, as well as show his involvement in most (if not all) occasions, festivities, council meetings, etc.

Respect. He should be able to command respect from the people and recognize them as persons as well in return.

Inspiration. He should be able to set a good example and motivate the laity, especially the youth, to take part in Church activities.

Sociable. He should be able to exhibit an approachable image.

Humor. He must have a good sense of humor, just enough to take away the monotony of the mood.

Parent. He must see to it that his children grow to become good Christian citizens.

Responsible. He must have a clear sense of duty.

Influence. He should be able to persuade those who lack spiritual guidance to come back to Church and renew their lives.

Enthusiasm. He must have the passion in his vocation.

Smart. He must be smart enough to know or notice what the parish is lacking and provide or suggest solutions to these deficiencies.

Temperament. He must possess a Christ-like nature and character.

Too ideal? Not too impossible though. It’s just what we need.

Who defines the features that a cell phone should have?

Is it really the consumer or the manufacturer?

Before, a cell phone is simply used as a mobile phone. It can only do calls. For leaving short messages, we use pagers or beepers. Then text messaging service was introduced in mobile phones. So that eradicated the pager industry. Then came the FM radio, music player, camera, internet browsing, and so on.

But if you think about it, did the consumers actually ask for these features to be included in the package? When you watch a commercial of a new model (the camera phone for instance), it will tell you that it’s got camera and all, that you can take pictures anytime, anywhere (as long as it’s not underwater). But it will never tell you that you need a camera anytime, anywhere. Therefore, the consumer will think “Oh, I want this phone with a camera so I can take pictures anytime, anywhere.” Then later on, this I want mentality becomes an I need mentality. Most likely, he will never buy a camera-free phone again in the future because he thinks that he now needs the camera.

So to me, it seems that the phone manufacturers are the ones dictating that “you need this, you need that” in your phone. They introduce new features and make you believe that you need or will need them. And once a new feature has been integrated, many more are sure to follow. For example, infrared and the Bluetooth technology would not be introduced if you didn’t have to take pictures, listen to music, play games, etc. Yes, they make life easier when it comes to transferring files. But have you ever thought that they just made everything (especially inside the phone) more complicated?

And this phenomenon does not only apply to the cell phone industry. Just to clarify, I have nothing against cell phone manufacturers. I, myself, own a good-looking phone with all the above features. I simply want to share my opinion from my own observations. So what’s yours?

Jesus feeds the five thousand: The true miracle behind

You all probably know this famous miraculous deed by Jesus Christ. But did the miracle really take place right before the five thousand pairs of eyes? Here’s the story as stated in the Bible:

Mark 6:35-44

35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: 36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? 38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, five, and two fishes.

39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And they did all eat, and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. 44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

Now let’s be more realistic (this is not blasphemy):

In the early days (even up until now), nobody would dare go on a journey or to any place without bringing some food and drink (unless, of course, you’re fasting for forty days). Though packed lunch is somewhat obsolete nowadays, you’d still be bringing some extra cash so you could buy food, right? The point is, you’ll never let yourself go hungry.

Now the problem with those people in Jesus’ time (even up until now, too) was that they were selfish. They wanted to keep their own food to themselves alone.

Alas! There was this boy who stepped forward to offer what he’s got. And from this simple act of giving, everyone followed suit and was able to partake in this feast brought about by sharing.

Still looking for the miracle?

It was simply the people changing their selfish attitude.

Shedding our own magnificent robes

This is a reaction to the news report “Candidate priest faces suspension.” (Inquirer, 3/29/07).

I admit that Archbishop Oscar Cruz was not entirely out of line when he gave his opinion on the issue. In fact, I was terribly disturbed for a moment upon reading his views. While the majority of Kapampangans are devoted Christians — from head to toe, skin to soul — one cannot ignore the fact that some of them would have qualms (and become so insanely hypercritical) about this development which could lead to (God forbid) some discord among the people of Pampanga province.

Should the province arrive at such scenario, it’s going to be really bad news. The mere thought of it upsets me because I know it’s not a remote possibility. But, hey, aren’t we talking of the Catholic Church here, which I believe is the only institution that has lasted for more than a thousand years?
Enough said.

Anyway, I don’t think God will allow this to happen. Some may say Fr. Eddie Panlilio is no different from the ambitious celebrities aspiring to become legislators. But for me, his candidacy is far more tolerable than Lito Lapid’s ludicrous attempt to dethrone Mayor Jejomar Binay of Makati City.

What if under Father Panlilio’s governance, Pampanga does recover from its present pitiable image, which shames us Cabalens? But don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales run for president. I’m merely implying that Father Panlilio could serve as an example for our national officials and wake them up into doing their jobs to bring our country out of its present predicament.

Just an analogy shared by another priest: Jesus took off his godly robes and was willing to suffer to save His people. Father Panlilio is simply making a similar sacrifice. But one doesn’t need to be a priest to make a hero out of himself. If only we are all willing to take off our own magnificent robes, then perhaps, the world will be a much better place.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20070413-60121/Shedding_our_own_magnificent_robes