Every year as Christmas is fast approaching in the Philippines, everyone gets excited. As early as the month of September radio stations start playing Christmas songs, TV stations and news channels start the countdown for Christmas. As it is getting close, say by November, families start planning what to cook and where to spend their time during that holiday. Christmas is obviously is an immense occasion in the Philippines. I, too have fond memories of Christmas season when I was a child.
Even now, I still have fascination over Christmas trees. Christmas has always been associated with gifts, food and fun.




But there is another side of the coin, since spending is inevitable during this season. Crime rate goes up, number of robbery cases is high. Everyone wants to have lots of money to spend. In most cases, the entire 13th month pay and Christmas bonus will be spent to buy gifts and food and used-up on trips to other places and fun parks, and if in case you have a dozen of inaanak, you can't avoid spending too much for them. And by January, when everybody is back to work, nothing is left in your pocket. Many people will over eat, drink in excess , and they end up being sick. Then comes New Year, in which 6 days after the extravagant spending, the same process of overspending and laxity is repeated.

Christmas hype is all over in the Philippines. It is sad to know that many people don't realize the harm this season brings. If there is one who
will benefit so much on Christmas, it is the commercial companies that make too much profit out of this holiday season. They are the ones making hypes out of Christmas.

There is nothing Christian about Christmas. It was a pagan tradition during the Winter Solstice, which was eventually adopted by the Catholic Church.
Despite being modern, Filipinos often act like the ancient Romans and Celts who indulged themselves in certain festivities and whose attitude about tomorrow was “come what may.”

I am not saying that Christmas in general is bad, but I think everything should be in moderation, and the church should not claim it as a religious festival. I was even thinking of putting up a big, new Christmas tree in my house next Christmas! And don't you ever think I should not receive a gift or a Christmas bonus!


anyway, MERRY XMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!!

My Take On Marriage


I don't know whether you agree with marriage or not, but I assume that 90% percent of the population in the Philippines is in favor of marriage. I have nothing against marriage, it is only that when marriage creates inconveniences and unfavorable results for the couples and their offspring is when I am with ardent displeasure. Through the years, I have seen marriages that succeed and failed, and many that I knew are the ones that failed. Maybe because they get into marriage unprepared or don't know anymore how to keep the fire burning.

One of the common mistakes that lead to unsuccessful marriage is the immaturity of the couple. In the Philippines, many marriages happen because of premarital sex that leads to pregnancy. And because Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, its culture is mainly shaped by religion where pregnancy out of wedlock is unacceptable and considered a disgrace to the family. Because of these pressures, the couple get into marriage where most of them are without financial and emotional capacity to sustain a healthy family. Many of them are underage and most do not even have stable jobs. From 2005 to 2008, brides under 20 years of age comprise 13.4% of total marriage and 36.8%(bride) and 30%(groom) are ages 20-24 (http://www.census.gov.ph/data/sectordata/2005/ms0503.htm) This age bracket is the critical age where a person has just graduated from college and has started to build their dreams and are investing for their future family. Is premarital sex to be blamed? I think not. If the Catholic church is effective in preaching to its flock, the cons of premarital sex, then why do we still have this dilemma? 0.07 percent of birth is from ages 15-19 most active in NCR, and 3.6% ages 20-24. You might think that this is a small percentage, but it still has an effect in the quality of life for these families in a very unstable economy of the Philippines. Pre-marital sex is again a matter of choice and responsibility. Should the church not be hypocrite on the nature of man and his needs, then at least people will know what real meaning of responsibility is.

Whatever is one's reason for getting married, originally, the Church has nothing to do with it. Marriage is simply a contract for the couple. It is often said that marriage is a tripartite bonding between man, god, and woman, that dogma only came from the Church who wanted to manipulate individuals. Back in the Middle Ages, the church didn't meddle on marriages specially on peasants.

Marriage by that time was only for the convenience of the wealthy who wanted to protect their properties and bloodlines. Powerful families such as kings and dukes would marry a bride or groom from an affluent family to expand their wealth and power. There is nothing "holy" about marriage. The church might do the ceremony only for the wealthy families, but since the popularity of wedding among peasants became widespread, then they began to get their hands on it, of course for control. It has since then become part of the system. Back then, marriage has become a contract wherein the wife is considered the property of his husband. But, now we believe that God is the one who made it all happen! (ang pinagsama ng Diyos ay hindi maaring paghiwalayin ng tao/What God has put together, let no man put asunder).

For me, marriage is a wonderful thing for people who truly love each other. Which means, it is more than a paper for couples who are deeply in love.

It is one way of telling the world you are crazy for this person, head over heels and wanted each other for life.

But with or without it, what is most important is that element that binds these two people together, that something in between..

not God.

not property.

but that precious thing called

LOVE..


There is nothing more powerful than the power of love.

It's been a long absence on my blog writing. I think this month is a one year anniversary of my blog inactivity, but with all those lectures and trainings, client meetings,projects, book writing, travel and family, I hardly got a chance to write even my own diary, much less for a blog.

When an opportunity to work offshore came, I grab it without second thoughts because I knew that I'll have much time to do what I always love to do for myself, including..blogs!!

Shine boy, shine!...