Racism in the Philippines – Part 2

I am a Filipina. I was born in the Philippines and grew up there until the age of 12. Although I’ve been here in the US since, I’ve gone back twice and kept up (somewhat) with its pop culture. It is no different from the US when it comes to the mainstream of “what’s in” or “what’s hip.” However, I must speak the the truth even when it might project that I am being biased.

Yes, many actors, actresses, and singers are light-skinned with sharp noses. But, they are not always the ones thrown in the spotlight. Let’s see. One may want to actually check websites (ex. You tube) regarding Filipino stars to know what I mean. For instance, Nora Aunor is the “Superstar” of the Philippine cinema. She’s dark, short, with “pacific-islander” features. She is beautiful. There is also Maricel Soriano. Yes, she’s light-skinned but she does not have a sharp nose. She’s beautiful anyway. Male actors, such as Roderick Paulate, are not all light-skinned either. You see, they are stars in their own rights.

Could some of the “light-skinned” and “sharp-nosed” celebrities been through plastic surgery? Maybe some, but absolutely not all. If you know our history, we were conquered by the Spaniards for hundreds of years. It’s only natural that we eventually would have their features too.

So, it isn’t right to place judgment towards another country without studying it to the fullest. We, Filipinos, are not so self-conscious.

The Pearl Harbor Attack: Did President Roosevelt Know in Advance?

The question of whether or not Franklin Roosevelt had advance knowledge of the Japanese Navy’s plan to attack Pearl Harbor was raised within days of the attack. Since that time, such speculation has been a common theme in a number of books and essays. The purpose of this posting will be to challenge two of the more common misstatements of such literature that are often presented as historical “fact.”

The misstatement that is perhaps the most frequently cited states that the American military intelligence community had “broken” the Japanese encryption codes which were in use prior to the attack.

This is partially correct. The Americans (as well as British and Australians) had broken the Japanese diplomatic code (known as PURPLE) but had only partially broken the code in use by the Japanese Navy (known as JN-25). As part of its routine procedure, the Japanese would periodically introduce revisions (new “versions”) of JN-25 which severely constrained the code-breaking ability of the American forces in the Pacific. In fact, the Americans were not aware that the Japanese fleets used in the attacks on both Pearl Harbor and the Philippine Islands had left Japan’s territorial waters simply because the Americans were unable to decipher the coded radio traffic!

The other common misstatement is to the effect that the US Navy’s aircraft carriers had been secretly ordered “out of harm’s way.”

The three carriers assigned to the Pacific Fleet; Enterprise,

Lexington, and Saratoga were disposed as follows on the morning of December 7th:

Enterprise had left Pearl Harbor on November 27 to deliver aircraft to Wake Island and was positioned some 200 miles west of the island of Oahu; Lexington had set sail on December 5 to deliver aircraft to Midway Island and was positioned 500 miles south of that island, and Saratoga (which had just undergone a major overhaul in Bremerton, Washington) was entering the harbor at the San Diego Naval Air Station when the attack on Pearl Harbor began.

As the historical record has proven, the Roosevelt administration felt that an attack by Japan on the United States would be “insanity” and that the United States could easily defeat Japan even if it did attack. Much of this arrogance on the part of the Americans was based on its racial prejudices against the Japanese, that an army of “skinny, short, nearsighted weaklings” were no match for the American military and that the Japanese were technologically incapable of an attack for from its own territory.

The United States paid a dear price in the Pacific for its arrogance, as it would also pay for its hubris in Vietnam a quarter-century later.

In conclusion, the War in the Pacific was not the result of some vague conspiracy. To insist otherwise is to ignore lessons that today’s policy planners, regardless of their country of loyalty, should take to heart.

Travel experiences: Road trip horror stories

In the central Philippines lies an island called Siquijor. It is known as the Isle of Enchantment and Mystery and is one of the most beautiful in the 7,000-island chain. It is definitely a tropical paradise. Several sparkling white-sand beaches ring the island and its warm turquoise waters are as inviting as any of the more popular tropical destinations in the Caribbean, Pacific or Indian oceans.There is a laid-back, genteel charm to this place. Many of the houses and public structures such as churches and schools are over a century old. Locals carry on in an unhurried, languorous pace.Indeed, time seems to stand still in Siquijor. Despite its idyllic natural attractions, Siquijor does not get the volume of visitors and tourists of the other islands.It is said that one of the reasons for this is the existence of so-called ’sorcerers’ and malevolent spell-casters who inhabit its hilly jungle interiors.

I found myself on this postcard-pretty island on a Good Friday a few years ago for some speculative business interests. On Easter Week break, the islands around the archipelago are usually full of vacationing people. But not Siquijor. It was quiet and tranquil and that suited me just fine. Being away from the maddening hordes that flock to the beaches this time of the year was my idea of a real vacation. And so I set out to meet the people with whom I was to do business with on the island. I had heard many stories of the do’s and mostly the don’ts about Siquijor. Like, never give a stranger your real name; never accept food or drink from people you don’t know or have just met; never look a “mamba barang” (sorcerer) in the eye…etc. I even heard of people getting spells cast on them with some actually suffering a slow agonizing death. Well, I like to think of myself as having a firm footing in the 21st century and consider this sort of local lore merely entertaining.

On my second day, I was driven to a hillside house where my island guide said a good or “white magic” healer lived. I decided to try a session with the old man. His method consisted of rubbing a glass jar filled with pure mountain water all over your head, shoulders, chest, back and arms while he blew gently on a small copper tube which was inside the water jar. Impurities then would slowly materialize in the water in the form of little dark pebble-like objects in varying sizes; also, the water would slowly get murky, presumably from the impurities. As my turn came, I checked the glass jar

A Little Place Called Bacolod Philippines

Experience a happy blending of cosmopolitan and rustic lifestyle in Negros Occidental, the sugar capital of the country. Celebrate nature’s blessings: waterfalls, caves, mountains, rivers, springs and valleys. Go hiking and camping, fishing and angling, scuba diving and snorkeling, mountain biking and sky diving with guidance from reliable locals. Travel centuries back in time visiting stately mansions in Silay City, one of the top 25 destinations of the Philippines. Or go on Iron Dinosaurs (steam locomotives) or other special interest tours.

There are varied accommodation and dining facilities from luxurious to simply modest. Rates are reasonable. Whatever you go for, Negros Occidental has it.

BRIEF HISTORY

Originally known as “Buglas” by its natives. This fourth largest island in the Philippine archipelago was given the name “Negros” by the Spanish navigators when Esteban de Rodriguez discovered the island in April, 1565 and found its earliest occupants to be dark-skinned natives belonging to the Negrito ethnic group. The natives then, occupied initially most of the southern portion of the province, being Binalbagan and Ilog. Two of the earliest native settlements which officially became towns in 1572 and 1584, respectively. Other settlements were Hinigaran, Bago, Marayo (now Pontevedra), Mamalan (now HImamaylan) and Candaguit.

In 1734, the island became a military district and Ilog became its first capital. Bacolod was made provincial capital in 1849. Then in 1856, Negros Occidental was raised to the category of a politico-military province. During this time, several more towns were established like San Carlos and Calatrava. Other towns were created, particularly Saravia, Escalante and Valladolid (1860) as a result of the growth of Population and the influx of immigrants coming from neighboring provinces such as Iloilo, Antique, Capiz, and Cebu. These growth in population and immigrants brought to the province in turn rapid material growth and development during the later part of the 18th century.

The major boon to the province at this time were two: the cultivation of sugar which brought economic boost as it later led Negros to pioneer other provinces in sugar production with its initial of 4,000 piculs of sugar in 1856 increasing to 2,000,000 piculs in 1897. With this, new machineries such as those operated by steam were used in the towns of Bacolod, Minuluan and Bago. Another boon was the opening of the ports like Iloilo and Cebu to foreign commerce.

During the last decade of the 19th century, several important events may be summarized: one, the making of Negros Occidental as a separate province in 1890. Two, the joining of the Negrense revolutionary leaders in the nationwide Katipunan Movement which overcame the Spanish garrison in the province on November 6, 1898 during one of the Filipinos?revolt against the Spanish rule. Three, the arrival of the Americans in the province in May, 1899 leading to the establishment of a Civil Government in Negros Occidental on April 20, 1901. Fouth, the ousting and surrender of the Japanese Forces in Negros (1945) after both civilian and military leaders in Negros Occidental pursued and organized a free government in the province.

After the upheaval and destruction brought by the first and second world wars, the next years following it, were dedicated to the rehabilitation and reconstructions of various sectors as Industry and Commerce, principally the sugar industry. Following this recuperation period, socio-economic growth in the province ensued.

LANGUAGE/DIALECT

Negrenses, as practically all Filipinos, are poly-lingual. Of the 87 dialects in the country, two Visayan dialects are predominantly used in the province: Ilonggo, which is spoken by 80% to 90% of the populace, and Cebuano which is used by the rest. English, however, is widely spoken; thus the English-speaking visitor will have little or no communication problem at all.

MAJOR INDUSTRIES

Negros Occidental is primarily an agricultural province. Of the total land area of 792,607 hectares, 588,145 hectares are arable land of which appoximately 419,305.084 hectares or 53% are devoted to agriculture.

With diversification as a major provincial development program, new land uses such as more inland fishing, livestock & poultry, grains and new crops like coffee, cacao, black pepper, orchards, ramie and others are increasing.

The province of Negros Occidental is reported by the Bureau of Mines to be rich in both metallic and non-metallic mineral resources, notably copper, gold, silver and molybdenum. Among the non-metallic minerals are stones, gravel, and sand and other construction materials, also salt and guano.

The socio-economic life of Negros Occidental from the 1950?s up to the 1980?s depended mainly on sugar, producing annually about 60% of the country?s sugar output. The four corners of the archipelago have focused their wide open eyes and melting mouth to the glory of the Negrenses. Negros is where high living and high eyebrows were. (Source:The Philippine Department of Tourism)

Simply Philippine Paradise at Puerto Princesa

Puerto Princesa tops the list when it comes to ecotourism in the Philippines. Dubbed the ecotourism capital, there’s not just a lot to see in Puerto Princesa, there’s a lot to do while there. But before we even talk about what to do there and what to see, let’s backtrack a little and look at the colorful history that this place has.

Legend has it that Puerto Princesa got its name from a maiden who used to roam the island on certain evenings of the year. Others would say that Puerto Princesa got its name from being a haven for everyone, from the seafarers who dock to the nature lovers and environmentalists who are amazed by the protected area. Although there are many stories on how Puerto Princesa got its name, history tells us that it was named after a Spanish Princess in 1864, Princes Eulalia of Spain, daughter of Queen Isabel II. When Princess Eulalia died, Queen Isabel named the place Puerto de la Princesa and as time progressed, this was reduced to Puerto Princesa.

During the American regime, Puerto Princesa became the seat of the Palawan Government and became a city in 1970. Today, it is the center of all activities in Palawan including trade, commerce and industry for the entire province. Puerto Princesa has also gained distinction for its efforts towards protection of the environment and cleanliness.

If we look at the map of the Philippines and the Palawan Island, we would find Puerto Princesa in the middle and the province itself is bounded by the South China Sea in the west and the Sulu Sea in the east. The total area of Puerto Princesa alone is approximately 260 thousand hectares. As for the inhabitants of Puerto Princesa, many of them came from all over the Philippines but among the original occupants are the Cuyunons. The local language in Puerto Princesa is Cuyuno but and English and Tagalog are among those spoken.

When in Puerto Princesa, one should not pass up on the opportunity to see the Subterranean River National Park. The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park has been nominated to become one of the 7 Wonders of Nature. This national park boasts of having a subterranean river comparable to none when it comes to beauty. The river is 8.2 kilometers long and it goes through an amazing cave before it makes its exit into the South China Sea. Once at the mouth of the cave, there is a clear, peaceful lagoon surrounded by ancient trees. The wildlife in this area is thriving and squirrels, monkeys and monitors lizards are among those that can be found here. Among the things to do in the national park are forest exploration, bird watching and trekking.

Puerto Princesa is the proud recipient of prestigious awards such as Commerce and Conscience Award, Earth Day Award, Cleanest and Greenest Component City of the Philippines and Cleanest Inlet Body of Water to name a few. The best part about being in Puerto Princesa however is that aside from being in nature heaven, at the end of our trip we will surely see the world in a different way.

Not a Lot of People Know That…

Did you know that Malaysia is actually made up of two completely different land masses separated by a huge stretch of the south China sea? – as actor Michael Caine would say: ‘not a lot of people know that.’ (well, ok he never actually said it, but everyone thinks he did. I digress…)

Well anyway, Malaysia’s capital – Kuala Lumpur – is on the western bit, where the majority of the population lives. There’s nothing wrong with the east; it too is blessed with fine beaches, forests and mountains. It’s just that most of the important things in any country tend to take place around the capital, right? So that’s where the power base and economic might tend to congregate.

On the resources front, Malaysia is a big exporter of palm oil, which is basically a type of vegetable oil. This brings in shed loads of income, but rubber, cocoa and tobacco also play a part. However, Malaysia is considered to be a newly industrialised country and isn’t restricting itself to traditional exports – it’s also the world’s leading exporter of computer disk drives of all things, and it’s tourism industry has plenty of room for expansion. Overall, although it’s having to face serious economic competition from China and India (who isn’t?) the economy is doing very well thank you, compared to neighbours like Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines. So what about property then?

Well, it’s a double-edged sword as they say. Over the last few months, rich buyers from Russia, India and Pakistan have been snapping up properties, and in doing so keeping the property market buoyant. However, this has been tempered somewhat by rising fuel and energy prices, which have made construction more expensive, and hence property prices aren’t as low as they could be. This is starting to exclude the local market from the prime locations, whose pay packets cannot compete with the new millionaire (or billionaire) types from abroad.
 
Nonetheless, it is still helping to steer the Malaysian economy in the right direction and in some ways perhaps that growth will be steadier and more sustainable than it would have been if it wasn’t restricted by the all pervading ‘credit crunch.’ Meanwhile the government has been busy on a social programme designed to repair and upgrade the homes of some of the poorest of its population. To achieve this, it’s been offering incentives to building companies to contribute to the scheme, including matching grants for each contribution to the project, which is called the ‘Amal Jariah’ programme. Will any company that gets involved be awarded a certain degree of government patronage in the future? Who knows? But so far, around 5,000 homes have been spruced up, with a target of 30,000. Good vote-winning stuff. 

Meanwhile, there has been some disquiet in the Sabah peninsula where some complaints from property investors have been surfacing regarding the re-sale of units. The country’s Daily Express newspaper (the independent national newspaper of east Malaysia) reports that there have been ‘numerous complaints by house buyers on the requirement of getting consent from the developer before they can sell or get a new loan from the bank.’ The result being that ‘when house buyers are unable to get consent from the private developers that have wound-up they have to go through a tedious process to get consent from the appointed receivers.’ This has yet to be fully resolved, and is proving to be something of a headache for prospective buyers in that region.

In general though, investment property in Malaysia is still on the up. It’s excellent infrastructure, tropical climate, exotic culture, great sports facilities (like golf, diving, and other water sports) beautiful beaches and well-designed holiday resorts, are all contributing to Malaysia’s current success and future prosperity. And not a lot of people know that…

My Experience at a Natural Therapy Healing Center in the Philippines

I recently experienced a revolution. But it was not a bloody revolution. Rather it was an internal revolution experienced during my stay at a natural therapy healing center in Cebu, Philippines.

This is a health revolution I am talking about, a completely new way to keep myself healthy in the most natural sense of the word. It was definitely one of the best decisions I made in my life.

When my daughter spent her usual summer vacation in Larena (my Mom’s hometown in the island of Siquijor), I figured it was the only time I would be able to undergo the natural therapies this year. For practical and professional reasons, and for curiosity’s sake, I decided to go for the 10-day regimen.

The Ananda Marga Wellness Center in Green View Subdivision in Pagsabungan, Mandaue in Cebu is a comfortable dome-shaped house, fully carpeted with 22 rooms, including an art room, meditation room (also called cave), and a media room, a huge exercise room, and a garden. Its design is so well-planned to harmonize all physical, mental, and spiritual activities that promote our well-being. Upon entering the house, there is immediately this positive feeling of ease.

One can choose to learn about heathy and happy lifestyles through the Wellness Center in the most urgent of times – now. We do not have to wait for a debilitating disease in order to do a reversal of our unhealthy ways of living. It is better to be pro-active.

As a journalist who writes extensively on environmental issues, believing in natural ways of health care is a given. Experiencing the natural holistic health program of Ananda Marga was thus a major undertaking in my personal and professional life. A 10-day regimen is only a short one for those who are not seriously sick and only want a detoxification process.

I thought it was exciting and enjoyable to experience the mud pack treatment as well as the sun bathing. Done systematically in the early morning so that the sun is not yet so fiercely shining, the treatments are thus healthful to the skin. Oil and water massage were applied locally and generally on the body to gain best results.

Mud and sunshine are two natural elements that detoxify the skin which make the treatments necessary, more than just being an act of vanity, as what commercial health centers have somehow impressed.

These therapies are quite popular in commercial spas and I thought they are truly a luxury. Having experienced these treatments easily made me feel pampered. Of course, that was the immediate psychic reward.

The daily exercises (yoga asanas) which were done in the mornings were a good way to start my day. These posture exercises were soothing and rejuvenating, and immediately at the outset, detoxified my skin because of the sweat that is emitted by doing the exercises.

The asanas have however more value than just skin detox. They correct hormonal imbalance thereby enabling the body to cure itself of whatever malfunction or disease it has. The yoga was complimented with

My food was pleasurable and prepared in accordance with my health condition and in compliance with the detox process. I had purely fruits and vegetables for the first three days and fresh fruit juices for the next seven days.

Honestly, I dreaded thinking of the seven-day fruit juices diet. I have never done fasting in my life. Not once did I deliberately starve myself even for just a few hours, despite personal problems or enormous work load. Many times I thought of asking if I can just postpone my fasting.

But then, like a brave soldier conquering one’s fear, I marched through the days of just taking liquid food. And to my surprise, I did not feel weak. Although I felt very hungry and salivating at the thought of all my favorite food, I had to shot off my brain from making fuss. After gulping a huge jar of buko juice, or at times apple juice, or melon juice, or pipino mixed with melon juice, I was full and all right.

What made me intact and able to sustain were the detox powder and capsules I took along with the fruit juices. Without these, I doubt if I would have finished my fasting without fainting. The powder and capsules were essentially food and cleaners of the colon.

There were many other treatments that immediately made me feel good after experiencing them – the hot foot bath, steam bath, and hip bath.

But the best detox was colema, a painless method of cleaning the colon. That really made me cleansed from the inside and each time was a truly liberating experience! It was a relief to see that I have at last released the very ugly stuff I have been harboring for a long time!

I also went through art therapy sessions that was psychologically helpful. My own art work revealed my present concerns and state of mind. In a way, it served as a mirror of my current state of being, both consciously and unconsciously. The experience was a reaffirmation that art is indeed a powerful tool for self-understanding and realization.

Finally, the meditation sessions. For so many times that I sat down and closed my eyes to meditate, my mind wandered through all corners of the universe. There is always a mad scramble of thoughts in my head.

But I gradually learned to find the key to still my mind (after all the many sessions that I did) and to focus on a single beautiful thought. This beautiful thought, embedded inside me in silence, eradicated confusion, fear, and all the monsters in my mind.

Meditation is a style of thinking that teaches us to focus on our individuality and to discover that inside us there is an infinite reservoir of love that will nourish us to go through anything in life. It is a spiritual journey into oneself, regardless of his or her religious background.

My mind is amazing, if it is calm and quiet, it can naturally and effortlessly pick up from its own vastness the solutions to its concerns, both real or perceived.

Each time I open my eyes, I become increasingly calm and confident that anything in life can be handled well and beautifully. Through regular meditation, I can sense that I have developed the ability to focus on good thoughts, get inspired by these thoughts and try to maintain a cheerful disposition.

The greatest lesson I learned in my 10-day regimen at the Wellness Center could be said in one statement – my happiness and good health begin and depend on me, primarily, and ultimately. It is a choice I gladly

undertake now.

(The Ananda Marga Wellness Center is at N. Alinsug Street, Green View Subdivision, Pagsabungan, Mandaue City. Tel. No. 346-9664 and can be reached at info@amwellness.org or www.amwellness.org)

Tropical Christmas

I can recall from my days in England, watching television at Christmas and seeing how others celebrated across the world. At one time I used to think about people in Australia, who seemed to be featured on the news every Christmas Day: “it’s not like Christmas, hot weather and going to the beach”.

Why I used do think like that I really do not know. I did not like the cold once I got past the age of about 30. Or was it 35? Who cares, I hate the cold now. That’s one of the many reasons I live in what many call paradise: Palawan, in the south west of the Philippines.

Being a predominantly Christian country, Christmas is a big occasion in the Philippines. It is also still a religious occasion, which of course it should be. Only a tiny percentage of people can afford gifts, so the emphasis is on family holidays, time together, and for many going to church. Very few families have anything special for Christmas lunch, they just don’t have the money. They do make up for it, though, as Filipinos certainly know how to enjoy themselves.

Despite the lack of money in most families, Christmas starts early in the stores, around August. One thing they go in for in a big way here is Christmas lights. Sometimes even the poorest homes will be adorned with fairy lights, some having quite spectacular displays. Even in early November last year, as I travelled back from the jungle’s edge about 90km south, it was quite magical to see the Christmas lights as we got near the city.

My first Christmas in the country was memorable. I was invited to a girlfriend’s house Christmas Eve, a very poor but very friendly neighbourhood with mostly small timber houses cramped next to each other; intimate to say the least. Outside in the garden (a tiny yard) there were lights everywhere, set up for the party that would last all evening and into the night. I remember sitting there as they got everything organised around me, how magical and special it all was. Just a few months earlier I had been a resident in England and had only experienced Christmas in England. Now, I was sitting outside on a hot Christmas Eve, the sound of tropical insects a prelude to the modern disco music that was to follow later. I loved it.

As with most occasions in the Philippines, there were lots of children. Neighbours came and went, people moved from one party to another, and there was a constant flow of people and especially children. Children’s games were followed later by adult versions of children’s games, most of which had come from Western influence, but Filipinos always put their own stamp on the foreign habits they adopt. Alcohol would not have been a part of the occasion, but the adults were delighted when I offered to buy beer and rum.

At midnight, I was advised to go inside. I soon saw why. All hell broke lose with fireworks as midnight approached, exploding from every tightly packed, confined little garden in the neighbourhood. Fireworks that would have been banned in the UK, but I have to admit they were very loud and impressive. I was amazed, as nobody had warned me of this tradition beforehand.

Now, all my Christmases are tropical, and very different from those in England. I sometimes wonder how much Christmas would change here if it ever became a wealthy country. The major differences between here and England are the profligate spending and materialism in England, and the normal subdued spending in the Philippines. Yet, it is the Filipinos who seem more able to enjoy it that the English.

Reflections: World War II

WHOOMP!

The noise and a sudden jolt shook the two men in the PBY seaplane cockpit. They look around trying to understand what had happened. Then they saw it. Water seeped up through the floor of seaplane’s flight deck.

“We hit something,” the pilot shouted. “Must have made a hole in the nose! Water’s coming in! We got to get back to the bank!”

The pilot pulled the throttle gently back to slow the engine speed. They’d been trying to take off. Then as the nose settled-and more water came. The pilot pushed the throttle forward to gain enough speed to try to keep the nose-and its hole-above the lake surface.

“Just pray we make it back,” the pilot said anxiously.

Morris W. Hancock and the pilot came to be on this US Navy seaplane by pure luck. Hancock had been on the crew of one of the last PT boat’s to escape as American and Philippine forces crumbled before advancing Japanese forces around Manila.. Now they were trying to escape in a seaplane from the Philippine island of Mindanao.

Hancock’s PT boat squadron and its exploits in the Philippines were written about in the book by William Allen White that later became the movie staring Robert Montgomery and John Wayne, “They Were Expendable.”

I chanced to meet Hancock one day in the spring of 1969. I’d always liked the book and the movie, and one night I wondered if any of the PT boat squadron’s sailors might have been from Indiana. Sure enough, in looking through the list of all the crew in the back of the book, I found: Morris W. Hancock, Southport, Indiana.

Southport was near Indianapolis, maybe 40 miles away from where I worked at the “Bloomington Courier-Tribune” newspaper in Bloomington, Indiana. I called the telephone operator (you did that in those days before computers) felt lucky to hear he had a telephone number and called. Sure enough, he was the one who’d been with the PT boats in the Philippines, and he readily agreed to an interview. The next afternoon I was at his home.

Hancock was as friendly and likable, and he enjoyed talking about being a sailor in the U.S. Navy and his service on the PT boats. He was retired from the Navy when I met him, as a small sign at the front of his house told: “Morris W. Hancock, LTJG (lieutenant junior grade) U.S. Navy Ret.”

It is probably 40 years ago now since my interview with him, and I long ago lost the “clip” of the story I wrote about him. So, this will not cover the entire story, but what I remember of the interview is fun to recall and

Can information contained in the Bible be placed in the realm of absolute truth, or does it simply present us with fables and myths?

DOMINUS VOBISCUM!

The bits of information that follows are not contained in the Holy Bible. Neither can it be found in fables such as the popular, entertaining and axiomatic Aesop’s fables. Nor can it be unearthed from the classical Greek mythology that immortalizes Achilles and Prince Hector. It is definitely not found in contemporary superhero mythology that highlights the exploits of legendary superheroes Batman, Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk that, of late, are being bannered by theaters worldwide.

The bits of information that follows are indisputably placed as absolute facts or truths because they happened and were witnessed by the world at the time of its occurrence and they involved celebrities that people looked up to or looked down to.

In Dallas, Texas sometime in November 1963 the world was shocked with the assassination of a President of the most powerful country of these contemporary times. John Fitzgerald Kennedy died and was buried exactly a century after prodigious predecessor Abraham Lincoln died and was buried also from an assassin’s bullet.

The world-acclaimed and so-called bloodless “People’s Power Revolution” in the Philippines in 1986 sent into exile against his will President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos. He was exiled in Hawaii where He died in 1989 and has not been buried as of this writing. His remains were waxed and preserved in the Marcos Mausoleum in Batac, Ilocos Norte in his homeland. It has become a tourist attraction.

Earlier this year, a fellow screen-named Charlton Heston, the actor best remembered for his portrayal of the Biblical Moses in the unforgettable classic of a movie “The Ten Commandments” succumbed to a lingering illness at his mansion. He died and was buried.

The preceding bits of information are enshrined in certain historical manuscripts or documents. They are absolute facts or truths not found in the pages of fables, myths and the Sacred Scriptures. However, the common denominator about the aforementioned bits of information pertains to the absolute reality of death. Death is an absolute truth. It is the mechanism that makes this world an ever-changing place whether we like it or not. It is the absolute truth that makes Biblical debates such as these pointless because those who have joined the fray or will join the fray in this debate will certainly die and mix with the dust sooner or later. They will have to be replaced by another generation who will recycle this kind of forum and engage as it

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