then don't fix it. How many times have I heard this line before?
We were scheduled to go south one Saturday afternoon. Days before, I decided to have the car undergo its annual routine checkup - tune up, change oil and change/replace whatever needs replacement.
I thought everything will be ok. Sked was tight but the car checkup was done a little after lunch and we were supposed to leave early afternoon.
We passed by our Tita's place first before proceeding to the main event - a wedding occasion in the family. Soon after we left our Tita's place, as I was cruising along Sucat road, the car battery suddenly went then. I tried to start it to no avail. Within seconds, there were men circling us offering to push the car to make it run thinking it's a battery problem. To cut the story short, the car broke down and the standby mechanic was able to fix it so we were able to make it to the appointed time.
Ironically, just when you thought you had the car getting up and ready, it broke down when it mattered most.
Lesson for the day: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Sure you can schedule preventive maintenance but ideally, it must be done a few days ahead of the appointed date so that if ever something comes up, you still have time to fix it.
Such is life. You don't know what lies ahead.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Bull Run!
I am excited.
The bull run is back. It's time to make money again if you know how. This is about investing in stocks. But I invest in stocks indirectly. No more playing stocks directly. I'm done with it. Will let the fund managers take care of my investments. They know better. Anyway, holding period is only 6 months. If it gains after 6 months, I have the prerogative to redeem it in full or just the profits or just park the funds and accummulate some more. But the problem is mutual fund investing is not like that. Sure, there's the bearing on the length of time. Time is of the essence in investing. The earlier you invest, the better because historically, the prices are still low and a couple of years from now, the prices would have gone up. That's the beauty of long-term investments. You appreciate your investments over time because you see dramatic yields or gains.
Lately, the Philippine stock market has hit record levels. It has breached the 4000 index and stock analysts and fund managers are one in saying that the bull run will be sustained in the next 3 years. Well, God willing. This is the time to make money. This is the time to invest. This is the time to have faith.
It's like this. When money is pouring in, the market becomes active which in turn will benefit the company's growth. Which leads to more jobs. Really good for the economy.
So if you don't know anything about investing. Try mutual fund investing. I know a good fund manager. Philam Asset Management, Inc. (PAMI). And I park my funds at the equity-laden fund, Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc.
Thank God for the bull run. It's back!
The bull run is back. It's time to make money again if you know how. This is about investing in stocks. But I invest in stocks indirectly. No more playing stocks directly. I'm done with it. Will let the fund managers take care of my investments. They know better. Anyway, holding period is only 6 months. If it gains after 6 months, I have the prerogative to redeem it in full or just the profits or just park the funds and accummulate some more. But the problem is mutual fund investing is not like that. Sure, there's the bearing on the length of time. Time is of the essence in investing. The earlier you invest, the better because historically, the prices are still low and a couple of years from now, the prices would have gone up. That's the beauty of long-term investments. You appreciate your investments over time because you see dramatic yields or gains.
Lately, the Philippine stock market has hit record levels. It has breached the 4000 index and stock analysts and fund managers are one in saying that the bull run will be sustained in the next 3 years. Well, God willing. This is the time to make money. This is the time to invest. This is the time to have faith.
It's like this. When money is pouring in, the market becomes active which in turn will benefit the company's growth. Which leads to more jobs. Really good for the economy.
So if you don't know anything about investing. Try mutual fund investing. I know a good fund manager. Philam Asset Management, Inc. (PAMI). And I park my funds at the equity-laden fund, Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc.
Thank God for the bull run. It's back!
Marketing
Marketing is Selling and Selling is Marketing. These two words are intertwined.
You market to sell and you sell to market. That's why you often see labels such as Marketing and Sales, Sales and Marketing because they co-exist. One cannot live without the other.
There are many ways to market yourself or the product that you are selling. But before I go on. Just what is marketing?
Marketing is creating awareness. Marketing is seeking to establish recognition. Marketing is imprinting a label in the consumer's mind that the need is there for the taking. Selling is just a formality when you have achieved what Marketing is all about. Indeed, Marketing is winning half of the battle when a sale is already decided even before the actual sale is implemented.
Marketing can be done in many ways. There's face-to-face. There's telephone calls or what you call telemarketing. You have print ads. You have the technology to harness marketing to the fullest. You can email directly ( I do not promote spamming although that's marketing also but done in an illegal way). You can add a signature in your email. There are networking sites like Facebook, Multiply, Friendster, Twitter, etc. You can even post your ads online for free. Indeed, there are many ways to market just as there are many ways to make money.
Bottomline: Marketing is Selling and Selling is Marketing and both have one thing in common: To make money.
You market to sell and you sell to market. That's why you often see labels such as Marketing and Sales, Sales and Marketing because they co-exist. One cannot live without the other.
There are many ways to market yourself or the product that you are selling. But before I go on. Just what is marketing?
Marketing is creating awareness. Marketing is seeking to establish recognition. Marketing is imprinting a label in the consumer's mind that the need is there for the taking. Selling is just a formality when you have achieved what Marketing is all about. Indeed, Marketing is winning half of the battle when a sale is already decided even before the actual sale is implemented.
Marketing can be done in many ways. There's face-to-face. There's telephone calls or what you call telemarketing. You have print ads. You have the technology to harness marketing to the fullest. You can email directly ( I do not promote spamming although that's marketing also but done in an illegal way). You can add a signature in your email. There are networking sites like Facebook, Multiply, Friendster, Twitter, etc. You can even post your ads online for free. Indeed, there are many ways to market just as there are many ways to make money.
Bottomline: Marketing is Selling and Selling is Marketing and both have one thing in common: To make money.
I love Mandaluyong!
I was not born here. But I grew up here.
I'm now in my mid-40s and I haven't changed location yet. If I could write my life's script, I want to die in my house in Mandaluyong.
Mandaluyong is more known as the place where the National Mental Health Institution (used to be known as National Mental Hospital) is located. But there's more to it than being associated with mentally-deranged people. There's a famous joke that when people found out that you live in Mandaluyong, they will ask if you live inside Mandaluyong or outside Mandaluyong. Because inside Mandaluyong refers to the mental health institution.
I will not exchange my house for a place in down South or up North. I deem it the center of everything.
Even the Municipal Hall is very efficient when you need something. And the City Hall is housed in a new building.
Malls abound. There's Mega Mall, Shangrila Mall, Robinson's Place Pioneer, Pioneer Center, Cherry's, Liberty Center, Puregold, SM Hypermart.
I'll stop short of listing down nearby establishments like hospitals, schools, churches, and other services that you can find within minutes drive lest I sound like a real estate brochure or flyer.
The point is this. Everything is in Mandaluyong within reach. No need to drive far or get out of Mandaluyong.
That's the beauty of living in a tiger city like Mandaluyong. Progress is evident. Real estate construction is booming. As a testament to the city's prime location, Henry Sy's real estate arm, SMDC, is putting up Light Residences, a 3 tower residential condominium project interspersed with office/commercial establishments at the lower floors. Superb amenities are not lacking either. You have 5 different types of pools, catering to different needs (lap, wading, etc.). Best of all, all units in Tower 1, being the first building to be launched, are fully-furnished and VAT-free. No wonder, investing in Light Residences is a win-win proposition.
I just live at the other side of Light Residences, across or Boni-side. And I'm looking forward to its completion to enjoy condo living in a prime location.
I'm now in my mid-40s and I haven't changed location yet. If I could write my life's script, I want to die in my house in Mandaluyong.
Mandaluyong is more known as the place where the National Mental Health Institution (used to be known as National Mental Hospital) is located. But there's more to it than being associated with mentally-deranged people. There's a famous joke that when people found out that you live in Mandaluyong, they will ask if you live inside Mandaluyong or outside Mandaluyong. Because inside Mandaluyong refers to the mental health institution.
I will not exchange my house for a place in down South or up North. I deem it the center of everything.
Even the Municipal Hall is very efficient when you need something. And the City Hall is housed in a new building.
Malls abound. There's Mega Mall, Shangrila Mall, Robinson's Place Pioneer, Pioneer Center, Cherry's, Liberty Center, Puregold, SM Hypermart.
I'll stop short of listing down nearby establishments like hospitals, schools, churches, and other services that you can find within minutes drive lest I sound like a real estate brochure or flyer.
The point is this. Everything is in Mandaluyong within reach. No need to drive far or get out of Mandaluyong.
That's the beauty of living in a tiger city like Mandaluyong. Progress is evident. Real estate construction is booming. As a testament to the city's prime location, Henry Sy's real estate arm, SMDC, is putting up Light Residences, a 3 tower residential condominium project interspersed with office/commercial establishments at the lower floors. Superb amenities are not lacking either. You have 5 different types of pools, catering to different needs (lap, wading, etc.). Best of all, all units in Tower 1, being the first building to be launched, are fully-furnished and VAT-free. No wonder, investing in Light Residences is a win-win proposition.
I just live at the other side of Light Residences, across or Boni-side. And I'm looking forward to its completion to enjoy condo living in a prime location.
Business - SMDC to raise P11.7B by selling new shares to shareholders - INQUIRER.net
Business - SMDC to raise P11.7B by selling new shares to shareholders - INQUIRER.net
I first added into my multiply blog an article about SMDC last February 2010. Seven months later, SMDC's rise is unprecedented. Below is the article I picked up from Phil. Star.
I first added into my multiply blog an article about SMDC last February 2010. Seven months later, SMDC's rise is unprecedented. Below is the article I picked up from Phil. Star.
| Strong fundamentals seen to boost market By Zinnia B. Dela Peña (The Philippine Star) Updated February 15, 2010 12:00 AM |
MANILA, Philippines - The local stock market is set to take investors on a topsy-turvy ride this year but the country’s strong fundamentals and an improving global economy will give the bulls ammunition to take the indices to higher ground, according to Philequity Fund Management Inc. and Wealth Securities.
In a joint investors’ forum held by Philequity and Wealth Securities late Thursday afternoon, Jerome R. Gonzalez, head of research at leading mutual fund firm Philequity, said the market still maintains a bullish tone in spite of the ravaging falls over the past two weeks that scared many people away from equities.
Volatility kicked into high gear in February with the main composite index shedding as much as 12 percent from a high of 3,133.53 registered last Jan. 15. Local shares were weighed down by concerns about Greece’s financial problems and the risk of debt contagion spreading through the euro-zone and to the US.
Gonzalez said 2010 will be a more volatile year than 2009 with January marking the start of a longer and deeper correction. “We view this sell-off as a normal pullback (probably not yet over) within a cyclical bull market,” Gonzalez said, pointing out that the PSEi could end the year at 3,300, a modest 10 percent return for a market that gained 63 percent in 2009. The index could easily hit the projected level assuming elections will be successful and peaceful and that no financial contagion takes place.
The main composite index closed at 2,949.65 Friday, up 40.77 points or 1.4 percent on news that European Union leaders will help Greece address its huge deficit. Greece shocked the investing community last month when it announced that its budget deficit for 2009 reached 12.7 percent of GDP. Under the Maastricht Treaty, they are supposed to keep it at a maximum of three percent.
Greece also now has a debt stock of 54 billion euros. That’s a debt-to-GDP ratio of 100 percent, well above the limit of the treaty, which is 60 percent.
Wealth Holdings chairman and president Wilson Sy, a maverick stockbroker and former chairman of the Philippine Stock Exchange, acknowledged that the intermediate term is going to be choppy and challenging to the average investor but urged the investing public to ride out the volatility. “The key is to keep your balance and keep your eyes on what you think is going to happen over the long-term,“ Sy said.
The view is echoed by Philequity’s Ignacio B. Gimenez who says that although local stocks are in for a bumpy ride, most people should not consider selling or yanking out their money from mutual funds. He advised investors to spot exciting investment opportunities in a bearish market. “When prices go down, there are greater opportunities for more investment at a lower price. Investors should stick with quality investments whatever the market is doing,” Gimenez said.
Gonzalez said investing in falling markets is an ideal way of taking full advantage of the downturn because of the effects of averaging out the cost of investment. For investors who may want to remain exposed to equities but want protection from potential falls in the future, Wealth Securities’ Bernard Avinante suggests that they go for a defensive portfolio by snapping up stocks that are likely to withstand market volatility such as telecommunications, utility and consumer-related companies.
Among Wealth Securities’ top picks are telecommunications conglomerate Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., SM Investments Corp. (the flagship holding firm of retail tycoon Henry Sy, Ty-owned banking giant Metrobank, Energy Development Corp. ( a leading renewable power generating company owned by the Lopez family, Robinsons Land Corp. (the property arm of Gokongwei conglomerate JG Summit Holduings Inc.), Universal Robina Corp., and SM Development Corp. Avinante said PLDT, the leading mobile phone provider in the country with a 54-percent market share, is a relative outperformer in an uncertain market, providing attractive dividend yields of 10 percent. For this year, the telco’s earnings are forecast to grow by 16.6 percent. He said the stock could hit P2,800.
He said SMDC is touted to become the next big player in the real estate industry with its net income seen matching those of property giant Ayala Land Inc. by 2013. While it was a late entrant in the sector, SMDC’s business formula of offering units under the P2.5 million cap has become an instant hit among condominium buyers.
Gonzalez said investors who are overweight should use rallies to lighten up on positions. For those who don’t have any equity position at all, this correction is an opportunity to dabble in the stockmarket or park their money in a mutual fund like Philequity.
Gimenez said a P1 investment made in Philequity in 1994 is now worth P12.40 (equivalent to a compounded annual return of 18 percent). Organized in 1994, Philequity gained 65 percent last year, the highest yield recorded among other mutual funds.
Investing in a mutual fund gives someone the ability to earn high rates of return by investing in a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds that are carefully chosen and monitored by professional fund managers.
The rising debt buildup has also become a concern especially with the possibility that the US Fed may start raising interest rates.
Last year, the Philippines had a budget deficit of P293.2 billion, 17 percent above target and equivalent to 3.7 percent of GDP.
Gonzalez said that with the economy expected to post some modest recovery this year, the government should already put a rein on the deficit.
Similar to the situation in the US, the country’s debt problem is worsening and revenue collections have been disappointing. Given this, Gonzalez said the next president should have a clear direction on how to address this issue.
Gonzalez said now is a good time to review the lessons of 2007 so as not to repeat them. “Dubai’s financial woes reminds us that things may happen unexpectedly.The greatest danger is contagion to other countries whose fundamentals are weak, such as Greece, Latvia,etc…” Gonzalez said.
Another factor that could affect market sentiment is the expected rise in food and utility prices which should push the country’s inflation higher in the second and third quarters of the year, ranging from 3.5 percent to only 5.5 percent.
Gonzalez said the surging US dollar also caused commodities to pull back substantially. Light sweet crude oil has already fallen 14.4 percent from a high of 83.95 on Jan. 11. Gold has dropped 13.1 percent and copper has plunged 18.9 percent from their respective highs.
A ride on an upside-down, topsy-turvy roller coaster is pretty risky, but the resulting excitement takes your breath away.
In a joint investors’ forum held by Philequity and Wealth Securities late Thursday afternoon, Jerome R. Gonzalez, head of research at leading mutual fund firm Philequity, said the market still maintains a bullish tone in spite of the ravaging falls over the past two weeks that scared many people away from equities.
Volatility kicked into high gear in February with the main composite index shedding as much as 12 percent from a high of 3,133.53 registered last Jan. 15. Local shares were weighed down by concerns about Greece’s financial problems and the risk of debt contagion spreading through the euro-zone and to the US.
Gonzalez said 2010 will be a more volatile year than 2009 with January marking the start of a longer and deeper correction. “We view this sell-off as a normal pullback (probably not yet over) within a cyclical bull market,” Gonzalez said, pointing out that the PSEi could end the year at 3,300, a modest 10 percent return for a market that gained 63 percent in 2009. The index could easily hit the projected level assuming elections will be successful and peaceful and that no financial contagion takes place.
The main composite index closed at 2,949.65 Friday, up 40.77 points or 1.4 percent on news that European Union leaders will help Greece address its huge deficit. Greece shocked the investing community last month when it announced that its budget deficit for 2009 reached 12.7 percent of GDP. Under the Maastricht Treaty, they are supposed to keep it at a maximum of three percent.
Greece also now has a debt stock of 54 billion euros. That’s a debt-to-GDP ratio of 100 percent, well above the limit of the treaty, which is 60 percent.
Wealth Holdings chairman and president Wilson Sy, a maverick stockbroker and former chairman of the Philippine Stock Exchange, acknowledged that the intermediate term is going to be choppy and challenging to the average investor but urged the investing public to ride out the volatility. “The key is to keep your balance and keep your eyes on what you think is going to happen over the long-term,“ Sy said.
The view is echoed by Philequity’s Ignacio B. Gimenez who says that although local stocks are in for a bumpy ride, most people should not consider selling or yanking out their money from mutual funds. He advised investors to spot exciting investment opportunities in a bearish market. “When prices go down, there are greater opportunities for more investment at a lower price. Investors should stick with quality investments whatever the market is doing,” Gimenez said.
Gonzalez said investing in falling markets is an ideal way of taking full advantage of the downturn because of the effects of averaging out the cost of investment. For investors who may want to remain exposed to equities but want protection from potential falls in the future, Wealth Securities’ Bernard Avinante suggests that they go for a defensive portfolio by snapping up stocks that are likely to withstand market volatility such as telecommunications, utility and consumer-related companies.
Among Wealth Securities’ top picks are telecommunications conglomerate Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., SM Investments Corp. (the flagship holding firm of retail tycoon Henry Sy, Ty-owned banking giant Metrobank, Energy Development Corp. ( a leading renewable power generating company owned by the Lopez family, Robinsons Land Corp. (the property arm of Gokongwei conglomerate JG Summit Holduings Inc.), Universal Robina Corp., and SM Development Corp. Avinante said PLDT, the leading mobile phone provider in the country with a 54-percent market share, is a relative outperformer in an uncertain market, providing attractive dividend yields of 10 percent. For this year, the telco’s earnings are forecast to grow by 16.6 percent. He said the stock could hit P2,800.
He said SMDC is touted to become the next big player in the real estate industry with its net income seen matching those of property giant Ayala Land Inc. by 2013. While it was a late entrant in the sector, SMDC’s business formula of offering units under the P2.5 million cap has become an instant hit among condominium buyers.
Gonzalez said investors who are overweight should use rallies to lighten up on positions. For those who don’t have any equity position at all, this correction is an opportunity to dabble in the stockmarket or park their money in a mutual fund like Philequity.
Gimenez said a P1 investment made in Philequity in 1994 is now worth P12.40 (equivalent to a compounded annual return of 18 percent). Organized in 1994, Philequity gained 65 percent last year, the highest yield recorded among other mutual funds.
Investing in a mutual fund gives someone the ability to earn high rates of return by investing in a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds that are carefully chosen and monitored by professional fund managers.
The rising debt buildup has also become a concern especially with the possibility that the US Fed may start raising interest rates.
Last year, the Philippines had a budget deficit of P293.2 billion, 17 percent above target and equivalent to 3.7 percent of GDP.
Gonzalez said that with the economy expected to post some modest recovery this year, the government should already put a rein on the deficit.
Similar to the situation in the US, the country’s debt problem is worsening and revenue collections have been disappointing. Given this, Gonzalez said the next president should have a clear direction on how to address this issue.
Gonzalez said now is a good time to review the lessons of 2007 so as not to repeat them. “Dubai’s financial woes reminds us that things may happen unexpectedly.The greatest danger is contagion to other countries whose fundamentals are weak, such as Greece, Latvia,etc…” Gonzalez said.
Another factor that could affect market sentiment is the expected rise in food and utility prices which should push the country’s inflation higher in the second and third quarters of the year, ranging from 3.5 percent to only 5.5 percent.
Gonzalez said the surging US dollar also caused commodities to pull back substantially. Light sweet crude oil has already fallen 14.4 percent from a high of 83.95 on Jan. 11. Gold has dropped 13.1 percent and copper has plunged 18.9 percent from their respective highs.
A ride on an upside-down, topsy-turvy roller coaster is pretty risky, but the resulting excitement takes your breath away.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Modern Day Evangelists
I am in awe of the man for his blessed life. Get hold of the book, his autobiography, "Just As I Am", and you will be definitely touched how God used him in his prime to reach the world. You will also be surprised how his influence has shaped the minds of the US presidents. So indirectly, God's hands is written in the world events through the counsel and wisdom of Billy Graham.
Billy Graham is already in his golden years and I can't help but compare him with this young pastor by the name of Rick Warren.
Deep inside, I would have wanted to be a pastor someday - but Destiny has other plans.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Ibaan
I have many fond memories here when I was a kid.
Every December 30, Rizal Day, it coincides with the town "fiesta" or anniversary. So from our place in Mandaluyong, my family goes there to eat, drink "kapeng barako" (Batangas coffee), and sleep there overnight and go home on December 31, just in time for New Year's Eve.
Ibaan is a small town in Batangas City, a little farther than Lipa and Cuenca. There's no resort to speak of, no tourist attraction that makes you want to come back for it. It is not as popular as Nasugbu or Lipa since there's really no activity there. Still, there's no place like Ibaan.
I remember when me and my cousins were still kids, we behaved like brats. And we bully the local boys there as if we have a swagger in us. Those were the days. How I wish that we behaved well back then.
It was there, as a kid, when I first witnessed live how the "experts" kill a calf or a pig. Maybe at that time, my curiosity got the better of me back then instead of shying away from such "grossly" and "gruesome" act done to mammals.
I must admit that even though Ibaan is not known for tourist-like places, Ibaan is known for good food if you are a meat lover. I always look forward going there every town fiesta to savor the meals that our "lola" prepares for us. There's longganisa, dinuguan, adobo, apritada, kaldereta and lately they coined this word, "kaldorobo", a mix of kaldereta and adobo. I also remember picking up some "coffee beans" from the trees in the backyard and starbucks was not a household name yet.
What makes the place special is that my "lolo" used to be a town mayor during the time of President Magsaysay. I learned that it was my "lolo" who was responsible for providing adequate water supply in the whole of Ibaan. And now decades after his death, the street where my mother's ancestral home is located is renamed after my lolo's name. During my lolo's political reign, corruption is unheard of. And that makes me prouder to be one of his grandchildren.
I wish I could relive the days when all the families from my mother side flock there to celebrate the town anniversary. Those were one of the happiest moments of my childhood days.
But now I have come to grips with reality. My mother's ancestral home is no longer livable and soon a new owner will take its place.
Goodbye Ibaan. Thank you for the memories. You will forever live in my heart.
Every December 30, Rizal Day, it coincides with the town "fiesta" or anniversary. So from our place in Mandaluyong, my family goes there to eat, drink "kapeng barako" (Batangas coffee), and sleep there overnight and go home on December 31, just in time for New Year's Eve.
I remember when me and my cousins were still kids, we behaved like brats. And we bully the local boys there as if we have a swagger in us. Those were the days. How I wish that we behaved well back then.
It was there, as a kid, when I first witnessed live how the "experts" kill a calf or a pig. Maybe at that time, my curiosity got the better of me back then instead of shying away from such "grossly" and "gruesome" act done to mammals.
I must admit that even though Ibaan is not known for tourist-like places, Ibaan is known for good food if you are a meat lover. I always look forward going there every town fiesta to savor the meals that our "lola" prepares for us. There's longganisa, dinuguan, adobo, apritada, kaldereta and lately they coined this word, "kaldorobo", a mix of kaldereta and adobo. I also remember picking up some "coffee beans" from the trees in the backyard and starbucks was not a household name yet.
What makes the place special is that my "lolo" used to be a town mayor during the time of President Magsaysay. I learned that it was my "lolo" who was responsible for providing adequate water supply in the whole of Ibaan. And now decades after his death, the street where my mother's ancestral home is located is renamed after my lolo's name. During my lolo's political reign, corruption is unheard of. And that makes me prouder to be one of his grandchildren.
I wish I could relive the days when all the families from my mother side flock there to celebrate the town anniversary. Those were one of the happiest moments of my childhood days.
But now I have come to grips with reality. My mother's ancestral home is no longer livable and soon a new owner will take its place.
Goodbye Ibaan. Thank you for the memories. You will forever live in my heart.
Mama Mary
Today is September 8 (Manila time).
To the Catholics, September 8 is a very important day - for it is the birthday of Mary, the mother of Jesus. But to the Catholics, she is more than the mother of Jesus. Case in point. When it's Christmas, supposedly the birthday of Jesus, you hear Catholics say, Merry Christmas to everyone. But when it's Mary's birthday, you will hear some of them say, "Happy Birthday Mama Mary! I love you!". So the greeting is more personal, isn't it? She is most revered in the Catholic world. There are many titles attached to her name borne out of healing miracles and apparitions, whether clear or mysterious, in different places, all over the world.
She is known as the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mama Mary, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Medugorje, Our Lady of Antipolo, Immaculate Conception...and many more.
I have turned my back on Catholicism precisely because of how Catholics treat Mary. I feel that sometimes she is more important than Jesus. Some Catholics, if not most, would rather pray to Mary than to Jesus, or even to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. It's as if when you pray to Mary, all your prayers will be answered because Mary will intercede for you. It's like presupposing that Jesus can't say no to whatever Mary requests of him. This attitude was borne out of the story in the Bible when Jesus changed the water into wine upon Mary's request.
My Catholic education taught me that God is omnipotent, that is, an all-powerful God; omnipresent, that is, God is everywhere; and omniscient, that is, God knows everything. I can accept these attributes since God is God. What my mind can't reconcile is why some people think and treat that Mary is also attributed with these supernatural or godly powers.
It is only fitting to say that Mary is the mother of Jesus - but we have to qualify - Jesus as a man for Jesus is God and man at the same time. Jesus can't be a man without being born from a woman and God chose Mary to be the mother of His Son. In that aspect, Mary was the most blessed mother of all - and what made it more special is that Mary gave birth to Jesus through the Holy Spirit. That's why she is called the Blessed Virgin Mary because no man touched her before giving birth to Jesus. So if Mary is the mother of Jesus as a man, she should not be called the mother of God for that is not what the Bible teaches.
So it is wrong to associate the all those miraculous and supernatural healings and apparitions to Mary as if she is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Mary is not in the league of the Holy Trinity. Mary is not a God. She was only used by God to be an instrument for Jesus to be born as a man, to be one with us and to suffer the worst form of death which He certainly did not deserve. Just like the role of Judas. If Judas did not betray Jesus, there would be no death on the crucifixion and resurrection.
But because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16), Mary came into the picture to fulfill the biblical prophesy that a Savior will be born in Bethlehem to save mankind from the death of sin.
I do not hate Mary.
What I'm saying is that Mary is not a God. She doesn't deserve to be worshipped. Some Catholics call it veneration. But what's in a name? What's the difference anyway? Catholics build statues and images in honor of Mary, pray the Rosary, pray to her repeatedly, make sacrifices, light a candle, kneel in front of her image when they need something to pray for. Isn't that a form of idolatry which God abhors?
Mary's place in Christianity is secure. She will always be the most blessed virgin mother of Jesus. It was not her fault that people treat her this way, that is, to be treated like a God, like she is equal with God which is not biblical.
Mary should be treated with respect as part of Christianity but Mary is just like one of us, a human being, who was placed in a very important role in the history of Christianity. But that's all there is to it. Jesus is the main story of the Bible. All the Bible prophets, apostles and disciples lived and sacrificed their lives for God the Father in the Old Testament, and Jesus in the New Testament.
To my mind, the devil used some people to depict Mary to what is considered now so that the focus will not be on Jesus. Satan will use any form of distraction to lure people away from Jesus, who is God and man, the mediator between God and man, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
That's one of the reasons why I turned my back on Catholicism -- because of how Catholics treat Mary... like a God.
To the Catholics, September 8 is a very important day - for it is the birthday of Mary, the mother of Jesus. But to the Catholics, she is more than the mother of Jesus. Case in point. When it's Christmas, supposedly the birthday of Jesus, you hear Catholics say, Merry Christmas to everyone. But when it's Mary's birthday, you will hear some of them say, "Happy Birthday Mama Mary! I love you!". So the greeting is more personal, isn't it? She is most revered in the Catholic world. There are many titles attached to her name borne out of healing miracles and apparitions, whether clear or mysterious, in different places, all over the world.
She is known as the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mama Mary, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Medugorje, Our Lady of Antipolo, Immaculate Conception...and many more.
I have turned my back on Catholicism precisely because of how Catholics treat Mary. I feel that sometimes she is more important than Jesus. Some Catholics, if not most, would rather pray to Mary than to Jesus, or even to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. It's as if when you pray to Mary, all your prayers will be answered because Mary will intercede for you. It's like presupposing that Jesus can't say no to whatever Mary requests of him. This attitude was borne out of the story in the Bible when Jesus changed the water into wine upon Mary's request.
My Catholic education taught me that God is omnipotent, that is, an all-powerful God; omnipresent, that is, God is everywhere; and omniscient, that is, God knows everything. I can accept these attributes since God is God. What my mind can't reconcile is why some people think and treat that Mary is also attributed with these supernatural or godly powers.
It is only fitting to say that Mary is the mother of Jesus - but we have to qualify - Jesus as a man for Jesus is God and man at the same time. Jesus can't be a man without being born from a woman and God chose Mary to be the mother of His Son. In that aspect, Mary was the most blessed mother of all - and what made it more special is that Mary gave birth to Jesus through the Holy Spirit. That's why she is called the Blessed Virgin Mary because no man touched her before giving birth to Jesus. So if Mary is the mother of Jesus as a man, she should not be called the mother of God for that is not what the Bible teaches.
So it is wrong to associate the all those miraculous and supernatural healings and apparitions to Mary as if she is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Mary is not in the league of the Holy Trinity. Mary is not a God. She was only used by God to be an instrument for Jesus to be born as a man, to be one with us and to suffer the worst form of death which He certainly did not deserve. Just like the role of Judas. If Judas did not betray Jesus, there would be no death on the crucifixion and resurrection.
But because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16), Mary came into the picture to fulfill the biblical prophesy that a Savior will be born in Bethlehem to save mankind from the death of sin.
I do not hate Mary.
What I'm saying is that Mary is not a God. She doesn't deserve to be worshipped. Some Catholics call it veneration. But what's in a name? What's the difference anyway? Catholics build statues and images in honor of Mary, pray the Rosary, pray to her repeatedly, make sacrifices, light a candle, kneel in front of her image when they need something to pray for. Isn't that a form of idolatry which God abhors?
Mary's place in Christianity is secure. She will always be the most blessed virgin mother of Jesus. It was not her fault that people treat her this way, that is, to be treated like a God, like she is equal with God which is not biblical.
Mary should be treated with respect as part of Christianity but Mary is just like one of us, a human being, who was placed in a very important role in the history of Christianity. But that's all there is to it. Jesus is the main story of the Bible. All the Bible prophets, apostles and disciples lived and sacrificed their lives for God the Father in the Old Testament, and Jesus in the New Testament.
To my mind, the devil used some people to depict Mary to what is considered now so that the focus will not be on Jesus. Satan will use any form of distraction to lure people away from Jesus, who is God and man, the mediator between God and man, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
That's one of the reasons why I turned my back on Catholicism -- because of how Catholics treat Mary... like a God.
Monday, September 6, 2010
To be a Real Estate Broker
I recently attended a Broker Accreditation seminar for a residential project located in the North developed by Phinma Properties.
I liked what I learned in that seminar. It only validated my career as a licensed Real Estate Broker.
Here are the reasons why being a Real Estate Broker is worth it.
1. A rewarding profession
2. High income potential
3. Work close to home (I actually work at home!)
4. Flexible hours (that's why I can blog!)
5. Opportunity for growth
6. Be your own boss
7. Investment Opportunities
8. Each day is different
I've had my share in all of the above and honestly, when you provide your clients good service, word-of-mouth will sustain your business by way of referrals when clients are happy with your service.
I liked what I learned in that seminar. It only validated my career as a licensed Real Estate Broker.
Here are the reasons why being a Real Estate Broker is worth it.
1. A rewarding profession
2. High income potential
3. Work close to home (I actually work at home!)
4. Flexible hours (that's why I can blog!)
5. Opportunity for growth
6. Be your own boss
7. Investment Opportunities
8. Each day is different
I've had my share in all of the above and honestly, when you provide your clients good service, word-of-mouth will sustain your business by way of referrals when clients are happy with your service.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Stephen Hawking
He made news again. And his publishers couldn't be happier.In his latest book entitled, "The Grand Design", he suggested that God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics. Therefore, the Creation does not need a Creator.
Just who is Stephen Hawking that he can bravely make a bold statement such as this?
This eminent British theoretical physicist and mathematician first won global recognition for his book, "A Brief History of Time", an account of the origins of the universe.
Hawking, who is only able to speak through a computer-generated voice synthesizer, has neuromuscular dystrophy that has progressed over the years and left him almost completely paralyzed.
With his latest views, he has completely broken away from his previous view that the laws of physics meant that it was simply not necessary to believe that God had intervened in the Big Bang.
Personally, to say that God is not needed for creation runs contrary to my belief because of my Christian faith and mindset.
I still subscribe to the Christian belief that the Creation was God's plan and that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, and the world and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1)
I will not judge Stephen Hawking for his courageous statement and findings. He is entitled to his own opinion. I just marvel at his intelligence despite his physical condition.
But I wish he refrained from making such a bold statement.
It's too risky especially if God proves him wrong in the end.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The Filipino Today
As a Filipino, I felt compelled to re-post this well-written article by Alex Lacson, former senatorial candidate, lawyer and author. Through this article, I ask for the world's understanding in the light of the botched hostage-rescue attempt recently that created so much negativity against the Filipino.
Ironically, it was the late Ninoy Aquino, the father of the present Philippine President, Noynoy Aquino, who has been receiving a tremendous flak because of the incident, who coined the legendary phrase, "The Filipino is worth dying for"
Please read. A well written article by Alex Lacson ...
"Fight all this negativity about the Filipino that is circulating in many parts of the world. Let us not allow this single incident define who the Filipino is, and who we are as a people. And second, demand for good leadership and good government from our leaders. Question both their actions and inaction; expose the follies of their policies and decisions. The only way we can perfect our system is by engaging it. The only way we can solve our problem, is by facing it, head on."
Ironically, it was the late Ninoy Aquino, the father of the present Philippine President, Noynoy Aquino, who has been receiving a tremendous flak because of the incident, who coined the legendary phrase, "The Filipino is worth dying for"
Please read. A well written article by Alex Lacson ...
"Fight all this negativity about the Filipino that is circulating in many parts of the world. Let us not allow this single incident define who the Filipino is, and who we are as a people. And second, demand for good leadership and good government from our leaders. Question both their actions and inaction; expose the follies of their policies and decisions. The only way we can perfect our system is by engaging it. The only way we can solve our problem, is by facing it, head on."
The Filipino today
By Alex Lacson
After the August 23 hostage drama, there is just too much negativity about and against the Filipino.
“It is difficult to be a Filipino these days”, says a friend who works in Hongkong. “Nakakahiya tayo”, “Only in the Philippines” were some of the comments lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles received in her Facebook. There is this email supposedly written by a Dutch married to a Filipina, with 2 kids, making a litany of the supposed stupidity or idiocy of Filipinos in general. There was also this statement by Fermi Wong, founder of Unison HongKong, where she said – “Filipino maids have a very low status in our city”. Then there is this article from a certain Daniel Wagner of Huffington Post, wherein he said he sees nothing good in our country’s future.
Clearly, the hostage crisis has spawned another crisis – a crisis of faith in the Filipino, one that exists in the minds of a significant number of Filipinos and some quarters in the world.
It is important for us Filipinos to take stock of ourselves as a people – of who we truly are as a people. It is important that we remind ourselves who the Filipino really is, before our young children believe all this negativity that they hear and read about the Filipino.
We have to protect and defend the Filipino in each one of us.
The August 23 hostage fiasco is now part of us as Filipinos, it being part now of our country’s and world’s history. But that is not all that there is to the Filipino. Yes, we accept it as a failure on our part, a disappointment to HongKong, China and to the whole world.
But there is so much more about the Filipino.
In 1945, at the end of World War II, Hitler and his Nazi had killed more than 6 million Jews in Europe. But in 1939, when the Jews and their families were fleeing Europe at a time when several countries refused to open their doors to them, our Philippines did the highly risky and the unlikely –thru President Manuel L Quezon, we opened our country’s doors and our nation’s heart to the fleeing and persecuted Jews. Eventually, some 1,200 Jews and their families made it to Manila. Last 21 June 2010, or 70 years later, the first ever monument honoring Quezon and the Filipino nation for this “open door policy” was inaugurated on Israeli soil, at the 65-hectare Holocaust Memorial Park in Rishon LeZion, Israel.
The Filipino heart is one of history’s biggest, one of the world’s rare jewels, and one of humanity’s greatest treasures.
In 2007, Baldomero M. Olivera, a Filipino, was chosen and awarded as the Scientist for the Year 2007 by Harvard University Foundation, for his work in neurotoxins which is produced by venomous cone snails commonly found in the tropical waters of Philippines. Olivera is a distinguished professor of biology at University of Utah, USA. The Scientist for the Year 2007 award was given to him in recognition to his outstanding contribution to science, particularly to molecular biology and groundbreaking work with conotoxins. The research conducted by Olivera’s group became the basis for the production of commercial drug called Prialt (generic name – Ziconotide), which is considered more effective than morphine and does not result in addiction.
The Filipino mind is one of the world’s best, one of humanity’s great assets.
The Filipino is capable of greatness, of making great sacrifices for the greater good of the least of our people. Josette Biyo is an example of this. Biyo has masteral and doctoral degress from one of the top universities in the Philippines – the De La Salle University (Taft, Manila) – where she used to teach rich college students and was paid well for it. But Dr Biyo left all that and all the glamour of Manila, and chose to teach in a far-away public school in a rural area in the province, receiving the salary of less than US$ 300 a month. When asked why she did that, she replied “but who will teach our children?” In recognition of the rarity of her kind, the world-famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States honoured Dr Biyo a very rare honor – by naming a small and new-discovered planet in our galaxy as “Biyo”.
The Filipino is one of humanity’s best examples on the greatness of human spirit!
Efren Penaflorida was born to a father who worked as a tricycle driver and a mother who worked as laundrywoman. Through sheer determination and the help of other people, Penaflorida finished college. In 1997, Penaflorida and his friends formed a group that made pushcarts (kariton) and loaded them with books, pens, crayons, blackboard, clothes, jugs of water, and a Philippine flag. Then he and his group would go to the public cemetery, market and garbage dump sites in Cavite City – to teach street children with reading, math, basic literacy skills and values, to save them from illegal drugs and prevent them from joining gangs. Penaflorida and his group have been doing this for more than a decade. Last year, Penaflorida was chosen and awarded as CNN Hero for 2009.
Efren Penaflorida is one of the great human beings alive today. And he is a Filipino!
Nestor Suplico is yet another example of the Filipino’s nobility of spirit. Suplico was a taxi driver In New York. On 17 July 2004, Suplico drove 43 miles from New York City to Connecticut, USA to return the US$80,000 worth of jewelry (rare black pearls) to his passenger who forgot it at the back seat of his taxi. When his passenger offered to give him a reward, Suplico even refused the reward. He just asked to be reimbursed for his taxi fuel for his travel to Connecticut. At the time, Suplico was just earning $80 a day as a taxi driver. What do you call that? That’s honesty in its purest sense. That is decency most sublime. And it occurred in New York, the Big Apple City, where all kinds of snakes and sinners abound, and a place where – according to American novelist Sydney Sheldon – angels no longer descend. No wonder all New York newspapers called him “New York’s Most Honest Taxi Driver”. The New York City Government also held a ceremony to officially acknowledge his noble deed. The Philippine Senate passed a Resolution for giving honors to the Filipino people and our country.
In Singapore, Filipina Marites Perez-Galam, 33, a mother of four, found a wallet in a public toilet near the restaurant where she works as the head waitress found a wallet containing 16,000 Singaporean dollars (US $11,000). Maritess immediately handed the wallet to the restaurant manager of Imperial Herbal restaurant where she worked located in Vivo City Mall. The manager in turn reported the lost money to the mall’s management. It took the Indonesian woman less than two hours to claim her lost wallet intended for her son’s ear surgery that she and her husband saved for the medical treatment. Maritess refused the reward offered by the grateful owner and said it was the right thing to do.
The Filipina, in features and physical beauty, is one of the world’s most beautiful creatures! Look at this list – Gemma Cruz became the first Filipina to win Miss International in 1964; Gloria Diaz won as Miss Universe in 1969; Aurora Pijuan won Miss International in 1970; Margie Moran won Miss Universe in 1973; Evangeline Pascual was 1st runner up in Miss World 1974; Melanie Marquez was Miss International in 1979; Ruffa Gutierrez was 2nd runner up in Miss World 1993; Charlene Gonzalez was Miss Universe finalist in 1994; Mirriam Quiambao was Miss Universe 1st runner up in 1999; and last week, Venus Raj was 4th runner up in Miss Universe pageant.
I can cite more great Filipinos like Ramon Magsaysay, Ninoy Aquino, Leah Salonga, Manny Pacquaio, Paeng Nepomuceno, Tony Meloto, Joey Velasco, Juan Luna and Jose Rizal. For truly, there are many more great Filipinos who define who we are as a people and as a nation – each one of them is part of each one of us, for they are Filipinos like us, for they are part of our history as a people.
What we see and hear of the Filipino today is not all that there is about the Filipino. I believe that the Filipino is higher and greater than all these that we see and hear about the Filipino. God has a beautiful story for us as a people. And the story that we see today is but a fleeting portion of that beautiful story that is yet to fully unfold before the eyes of our world.
So let’s rise as one people. Let’s pick up the pieces. Let’s ask for understanding and forgiveness for our failure. Let us also ask for space and time to correct our mistakes, so we can improve our system.
To all of you my fellow Filipinos, let’s keep on building the Filipino great and respectable in the eyes of our world – one story, two stories, three stories at a time – by your story, by my story, by your child’s story, by your story of excellence at work, by another Filipino’s honesty in dealing with others, by another Pinoy’s example of extreme sacrifice, by the faith in God we Filipinos are known for.
Every Filipino, wherever he or she maybe in the world today, is part of the solution. Each one of us is part of the answer. Every one of us is part of the hope we seek for our country. The Filipino will not become a world-class citizen unless we are able to build a world-class homeland in our Philippines.
We are a beautiful people. Let no one in the world take that beauty away from you. Let no one in the world take away that beauty away from any of your children! We just have to learn – very soon – to build a beautiful country for ourselves, with an honest and competent government in our midst.
Mga kababayan, after reading this, I ask you to do two things.
First, defend and protect the Filipino whenever you can, especially among your children. Fight all this negativity about the Filipino that is circulating in many parts of the world. Let us not allow this single incident define who the Filipino is, and who we are as a people. And second, demand for good leadership and good government from our leaders. Question both their actions and inaction; expose the follies of their policies and decisions. The only way we can perfect our system is by engaging it. The only way we can solve our problem, is by facing it, head on.
We are all builders of the beauty and greatness of the Filipino. We are the architects of our nation’s success.
To all the people of HK and China, especially the relatives of the victims, my family and I deeply mourn with the loss of your loved ones. Every life is precious. My family and I humbly ask for your understanding and forgiveness.
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