Filipino Superstitions or Sayings and Various Connotations - Part One

We Filipinos, especially the Tagalogs, have so many superstitious beliefs that writing them into a compilation including their meanings or explanations can fill a book. Certainly, there could be writers who already made such a compilation. Thus, in this piece, the comments or repartee on some sayings I shall include herein are hoped to clarify for the benefit of non-Tagalogs.

"Ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan, di makakarating sa paroruunan."  It's roughly translated as one who forgets the past will not have a better future. A naughty repartee to it will be: "Ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay may stiff neck." One who looks not to the past has a stiff neck. This usually applies to someone from below middle class who's lucky enough to get a very rich person as a partner and now puts on the air of arrogance of one who's born to the old rich.

A Citizen's Perspective on the China-US Syndrome

The Philippines is now facing a very difficult geopolitical situation where its territorial integrity is threatened by the highly expansionist ambition of China, an emerging world superpower which may eclipse soon the present lone superpower, the United States of America. The Spratlys has now become a dangerous bone of contention among several countries of which China is the most powerful and overly aggressive while the Philippines is the weakest militarily.  

Furthermore, our country is in an unenviable situation as even its incontestable territory is encroached by the overreaching China which is invoking its historical rights that is now deemed obsolete by the international community. Who knows that in the near future, China becomes so inebriated with its new found might that it dares declare its historical rights over the whole Philippine archipelago. Since some delegations from pre-Spanish Filipino sultanates would regularly bring tributes to the court of the Chinese emperor, then the country could be considered a vassal state then of China.

Rizal, the Hero of my Yesteryears

The Philippines will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal, our National Hero on June 19, 2011. The national government has fittingly lined up several activities in recognition of this important date in our history. More so with my home province, Laguna, particularly Calamba City, where Rizal was born, grandiose celebrations are reportedly being feverishly prepared to commemorate this day. Indeed, this news certainly brings back some memories of my younger years when I loved to read history books, magazines and newspapers, devouring every item which caught my fancy. Then, I was more interested in Rizal's life and achievements though Bonifacio, Aguinaldo, Mabini and other heroes were likewise objects of my reading habits.

Today's Youth vis-a-vis the Youth of Yesteryears

The youth today is more fortunate and immensely techno-savvy than the youth of yesteryears. The latest gadgets or equipment in technology are available for entertainment, education or what have you, be they smartphones, laptop, tablet, etc. so forth and so on, everything money can buy. Such modern tools have made life so easy and comfortable as well as practically no sweat as they say. 

Music or movies can be available without leaving the confines of homes or braving the overbearing heat of the vehicular traffic. For students, they have the Internet to access

A Catholic's Take on the RH Bill

The Reproductive Health (RH) Bill, its pros and cons, has been bitterly debated extensively in the halls of Congress with the people's attention zeroing intensely on every proceedings therein. For this blogger who has been a Catholic since birth, through more than sixty-six (66) calendar years and definitely until the end of my life, it pains me so much that the larger problem of a ballooning population is glossed over by harping endlessly on the claimed objectionable provisions of the bill. 

The antis are insisting that the bill is pro-abortion in toto thus necessitating its eventual rejection, nothing else will matter. Yet, the antis have conveniently excluded from the equation the tolls exacted on the country's economy in the present and the near future by the run-away population abetted by the hopelessly corrupt and woeful Arroyo regime and with the virtual imprimatur of our Catholic Church.

It's given that in more than nine (9) years of the Arroyo regime, the government accorded lip service to the need of arresting the population explosion since ex-President Arroyo was deathly fearful of losing the support of the powerful Catholic Church. Sadly, I have to admit that the Catholic Church should share the blame along with the government in the existing population problem. Considering that more than 80% of the population belongs to the Catholic faith, the Catholic Church has failed to exert its moral authority to influence the low income families limit the number of their offspring.