SALAMAT! (Isang Talumpating Pasasalamat)

Sinasabing ang edukasyon ay ang solusyon sa lahat ng problema lalung-lalo na sa ating bayan. Sa buhay ng isang mag-aaral, isang napaka-laking karangalan ang makapagtapos sa kaniyang pag-aaral. Bilang isang mag-aaral, ako ay nagpapasalamat na ako ay nakarating sa ganitong estado ng aking buhay- ang makapagtapos sa pag-aaral. Ngunit, hindi ako makapagtatapos sa aking pag-aaral kung hindi dahil sa mga tao na naging inspirasyon ko upang ipagpatuloy at makapag-tapos. 

Unang-una, ako’y nagpapasalamat sa aking pamilya na laging andyan sa aking tabi lalung-lalo na sa mga panahong ako’y maraming problema. Maraming salamat sa aking mga magulang na wala sawang nagbibigay ng kanilang pagmamahal at walang sawang pagsusuporta sa aking mga desisyon sa buhay. 

Pangalawa, ako’y nagpapasalamat sa aking mga naging pangalawang magulang- ang aking mga guro. Kayo ang nagsilbing instrumento ng ating Panginoon upang ako’y bigyan ng sapat na karunungan at katalinuhan upang magamit ko para ako ay magtagumpay sa aking buhay. Kayo ang siyang tumutulong sa akin sa mga panahong ako’y hirap sa mga leksyon sa aking mga asignatura. Maraming salamat. Dahil sa inyo, ako ay may mga bagong kaalaman na maaari kong magamit sa darating na mga panahon. 

Pangatlo, sa mga kamag-aral ko. Kayo ang ginamit ng Panginoon upang ako’y maging masaya kahit pa sa mga panahon na ako’y puno na ng mga problema. Maraming salamat sa mga oras na inyong ginugol na kasama ako, sa mga tawanan, sa mga pang-aasar at higit sa lahat, sa pagmamahal na inyong ipinadama sa akin. 

At higit sa lahat, maraming maraming salamat sa Panginoon na siyang nagbigay ng buhay sa akin. Kung hindi dahil sa kanya, wala ako sa inyong harapan. Siya ang nagsilbing ilaw sa akin lalung-lalo na sa panahong puno ng kadiliman ang aking buhay. Siya ang nagsilbing pag-asa sa aking puso sa mga panahong nahihirapan ako sa pag-aaral. At higit sa lahat, siya ang nagsilbing katulong ko sa aking paggawa ng mga desisyon na nakatulong sa akin upang magtagumpay at makatapos ng pag-aaral. 

Ito ang nagsisilbing simula ng mas mahirap na kabanata sa ating buhay. Ngunit, mapagtatagumpayan natin ito kung tayo ay hindi makakalimot na may mga taong handang tulungan tayo sa mga problema natin. Lagi nating tatandaan, wala nang iba pang makatutulong sa atin kundi tayo lamang at ang mga taong walang sawang nagmamahal sa atin. At kung tayo man ay dumating sa puntong hirap na hirap na sa buhay, huwag tayong magdalawang isip na humingi ng tulong sa Maykapal. Tiyak akong iniisip mo pa lamang, ibibigay Niya na! 

Muli, isang magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

WHERE IS LOVE? (A Personal Reflection)

All of my life, I offer it to my family. Yet, they still don't appreciate everything I've done for them. I am so tired! If I could just stop breathing. I feel so alone. 

Now I know why I am so desperate when it comes to love. It's because no one, even in my family, I have felt to be loved. 

So, I am so sorry for the people whom I brought disturbance in their lives especially to that one whom I shared my love with even for a short period of time. All I want is for you to love me too. 

That's all. 

But, life's like that. You can't please everyone. 

All I have to do is to keep on loving those people dear to me. After all, life is all about giving so much love even if you have not felt being loved in return. 

Life really is unfair, yes. But, you are the one responsible in make it fair. 

I will just live my life to the fullest and wait for that time that Love will finally get me. 

Remember, GOD is LOVE.

My Personality Quiz Result

Instructions:

1. Open this website http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

2. Take the Personality Quiz (it's VERY short and easy, really)

Your view on yourself: You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for: You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship: You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love: Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates.

Your views on education: You may not like to study but you have many practical ideas. You listen to your own instincts and tend to follow your heart, so you will probably end up with an unusual job.

The right job for you: You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.

How do you view success: You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.

What are you most afraid of: You are afraid of things that you cannot control. Sometimes you show your anger to cover up how you feel.

Who is your true self: You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

JESSE ROBREDO: ICON OF GOOD GOVERNANCE AND SINCERE PUBLIC SERVICE (An Essay)

Public service is one of the most hardest yet most fulfilling duties a person could do. Serving your subordinates is a nice way to show your concern and love for them. A person who does a sincere public service works does not mind his being superior to his constituents. In spite of being in a position in any organizations or even in the government, he still manage to live his life as simple as his countrymen do.

Whenever we hear the term public service, many names of different famous persons come to our mind. But, there is one great person that makes himself an icon of good governance and sincere public service. I am talking about the late Jesse M. Robredo, secretary of the Interior and Local Government.

Who is Secretary Jesse M. Robredo? What makes him an icon of good governance and sincere public service? Let's take a glimpse of the life and legacy of Secretary Jesse Robredo.

Born Jesse Manalastas Robredo on May 27, 1958 in Naga City, Camarines Sur. Third to five children of Jose Chan Robredo Sr. and Marcelina Manalastas. He was a second-generation Chinese-Filipino.

Robredo first attended Naga Parochial School, a private Catholic school in Naga for his elementary education. He then studied in Ateneo de Naga University for his secondary education in 1970 until September 21, 1972 when President Marcos declared Martial Law. The administrators of the Ateneo de Naga warned its students from participating in different anti-government activities that would result to the school's risk of closure.

He obtained his undergraduate degrees in Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from the De La Salle University in Manila. He was an Edward Mason Fellow and a graduate of Master of Public Administration at John F. Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University in Massachusetts in 1999. In 1985, he obtained his Masters in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines - Diliman.

He worked for San Miguel Corporation in Mandaluyong City in 1988. From being assigned to the Physical Distribution Technical Services of the General Services Division, within six months, Robredo had hurdled two of the three levels in the division and was then sent to the finance division for another six months. He was transferred to Magnolia Ice Cream and then assigned to logistics planning and concurrently, he functioned as staff assistant to the physical distribution director.

He began entering politics in 1988 when he ran and eventually won the Mayoral position of Naga City. HE helped the city in becoming one of the "Most Improved Cities in Asia," as cited by Asiaweek Magazine in 1999.

Because of his outstanding performance as a public servant, he received various awards and recognitions. Some of these awards given to him are the following: 2000 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service (known to be Asia's version of the Nobel Prize) for his good governance, 1998 Konrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence as Most Outstanding City Mayor of the Philippines, Junior Chamber International (JCI) 1994 Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) Honoree, Junior Chamber of the Philippines (JCI-Philippines) 1990 The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM), and the first ever "Dangal ng Bayan" Award of the Civil Service Commission. In March 2008, Robredo was conferred an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree by the Far Eastern University in Manila.

  

He was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as the secretary of the Interior and Local Government.

On August 18, 2012, he boarded a Pipa Seneca airplane from Cebu City going to Naga City to attend to his child's swimming competition. The pilot of the plane decided to have an emergency landing in Moises R. Espinosa Airport due to a discovered machine turbulence. Because of this, the plane crashed off the shores of Masbate Island. His aide survived the plane crash. Unfortunately, he and the two pilots did not. Search and retrieval operations were conducted by various government agencies headed by the Philippine Coast Guards, along with the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, the local government of Masbate and some concerned local and international divers.

In August 21, 2012, at exactly 8:15 A.M. (PHT), three days after the aircraft disaster happened, DOTC Secretary Mar Roxas confirmed that the body of Secretary Robredo was found. According to the secretary, the remains of Secretary Robredo was found 800 meters (2,600 feet) off Masbate at 54 metres (180 feet) deep.

Because of this unexpected event that took place, the entire Filipino nation mourned for the loss of a great sincere public servant. Secretary Robredo showed to the world that being a politician does not make you superior to everyone. Rather, he showed to us that being a public servant is just one of many possible things to show your care and love to others. 

Let us remember him as a person who dedicated himself for the service of the Filipino people. "Public servants are made to serve, not to be served," just as Secretary Jesse Robredo had said during one of his speeches.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Robredo)

ON FORGIVENESS (A Gospel Reflection)

Let us have the gospel from the Bible according to Matthew and reflect on it afterwards.

Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister? Seven times?” Jesus answered, “No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants. Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand gold ingots. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, children and all his goods in payment.

The official threw himself at the feet of the king and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.’ The king took pity on him and not only set him free but even canceled his debt.

This official then left the king’s presence and he met one of his companions who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost strangled him, shouting, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ His companion threw himself at his feet and asked him, ‘Give me time, and I will pay everything.’ The other did not agree, but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt.

His companions saw what happened. They were indignant and so they went and reported everything to their lord. Then the lord summoned his official and said, ‘Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so. Weren’t you bound to have pity on your companion as I had pity on you?’ The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt.”

Jesus added, “So will my heavenly Father do with you unless each of you sincerely forgive your brother or sister.”

When Jesus had finished this teaching, he left Galilee and arrived at the border of Judea, on the other side of the Jordan River.

MY REFLECTIONS:

The gospel above is all about forgiveness. Forgiving someone who did something that brought to us some irritations and hatred is one of the many necessary things we need to fulfill for us to enter the Kingdom of God in heaven.

"Forgive and forget." This is a very famous phrase we could connect with forgiveness. Forgive the person who brought something bad to you and forget of the thing he did to you. Yes, it is very easy to offer forgiveness, but it is very hard to forget all the bad things he did to you. it takes a long period of time to forget them.

But, never say that you will never forgive the person who did something wrong to you. Worse, do not think of bad things towards the same person who did something bad to you. Kung ang Diyos nga nagpapatawad, tayo pa kayang mga tao lang.

So, starting this moment, begin to release all your hatred for someone. After all, they are not the one who will suffer. It is you who suffers a lot if you will not forgive the people who did bad thing to you. Better give everything you feel to God, and He will take care of them. Pray for the people who brought irritation and hatred to you. Ask God to enlighten their mind and never do the things they did to you to others. For Confucius once said, Do not do unto others what you don't want them to do unto you.

ABC # 2 (A Photo)

ABC # 1 (A Photo)