The Baby In The Manger

            I ask you a question. Have you ever heard of news during your generation or witnessed a human baby born in a stable or under where animals are kept and placed in a trough or manger?

Answering this question for myself, I haven’t yet. When I gave birth to my now seven-year-old girl, it was in a hospital with a private obstetrician. On the minute light illumined on her form at the delivery room, she was immediately wiped by the doctor’s assistants, wrapped with a sanitized cloth and placed in a small crib in the hospital’s pedia ward for proper SOP’s for newborns before she was finally given to me.

            For what on earth then is my giving birth got to do with a baby born in an animal house and placed in a trough or manger?

           December is the finale of the year when both colorful decors and lively choruses warm the breeze of the season signifying the celebration of Christmas. This month made it’s way to the details of the story of the nativity as told in the first chapter in the book of Luke of the Holy Bible.

            Years ago since I first heard of the nativity, I haven’t felt strangely about it until one particular morning during a new children’s Bible Study held in our house every Saturday that began around mid-November this year with a group of kids from our neighborhood. It was the fourth Bible Study that started with who Jesus is, how He came to earth, what He wants for us and finally about His ministry. When our lesson was about Jesus’s birth, I described the part by how He was conceived until the point of Him being placed on a manger likely with dried hay as bed on a very cold night in a stable where sheep and other ruminants that time were kept and probably with many mosquitoes whizzing around. A strange feeling immediately crept inside me while narrating the story of which deeply touched my being and bringing me into tears. It was a feeling I never experienced before. I was with children about 10 of them aged 4-11 including my very own daughter and I was very certain that they were born in a hospice in the care of birthing aides. If ever one of those kids in front of me got born among cows, goats or horses kept in a stable, I’m sure he/she would have been the top list story in the community and his/her parents might have been the center of unfathomable ridicule. It was at this very point then that I got teary and felt somewhat physically drained. (I managed though to hide my face from the children). I found and felt the truest humility ever of God turning Himself into a human form and born into this world without any assistance from a doctor nor laying down on sterilized birthing accessories.

       As a mother having experienced pregnancy, I imagined myself as Mary with my husband Joseph knocking on doors of a strange village on a very cold night praying that someone would shelter us because I was in severe pain laboring for birth. But nobody did so we ended in a cows’ and horses’ shaded corral. We were wearing thick rugs and our feet so dusty. We smell sour because of sweat maybe. With human feelings I pitied myself. I felt so insecure. I felt a tinge of anger against the innkeepers and the villagers. I shed a tear. Then I gave birth. The pain slowly ceased when I heard my baby cry for the very first time. Jesus our God and Saviour was born fully as a human being.

          In the context of social science, one can never understand the behavior of a person or group of persons without putting himself in the shoes of the sample vis a vis the sample with the sampler. This situation is a metaphor of God turning Himself into human form. The reason? Because of His unconditional love to you. To me. And to the whole humanity. He loves us very, very much.

        Like us though, He experienced hunger. He experienced thirst. He experienced pain. He laughed and cried and even got angry. He was ridiculed. He had to walk kilometers or possibly even miles and miles on mountains, plains and deserts during His ministry. He never slept in a cozy bedroom. He was born not in a palace. Educated not in Harvard University nor at the University of the Philippines nor at the Hebrew University in Israel nor at any prestigious school around the world. Yet He knows all. He knows every detail of your and my system. He knows you and me. He does not do magic yet He can cause the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the dumb to talk. He is immortal.

         To most of the children whom I was telling the story was their first time to hear of the entirety of it. They only know the names of the figurines of the nativity scene that is popularly displayed every December - where there is Joseph and Mary, the baby Jesus, the sheep around and the “three kings” (the children haven’t heard of the wise men) who brought them gifts.

        If God had not become a man, I would never understand His sacrifice just to save me from my evil ways. He had to obey death – death on the cross. He is the reason why there is CHRIST in Christmas! He was the baby born on a very cold night in Bethlehem. He was the baby in the trough. He is the Almighty God and I worship Him. Amen.

Playing God or Just Weird?

Technologies today rapidly change the manner of living into systems that were unimaginable 10 or 20 years ago driving humans to live an odd life eventually changing our world into an uncanny one especially in the empires of computers and biosciences.

Since the discovery of the molecular structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in 1953, researchers continue to operate through their creepy imaginations where newer tools of genetic science are now on the racetrack. Scientists today play God by trying to mix and match almost any unmatchable units of life and try to fit into another genome and finally declaring in the whole universe that they’ve created a new species! Think of the recombinant DNA technology in which a copy of a piece of DNA containing one or few genes then transferred between organisms or "recombined" within an organism. Think of the stem-cell researches that would eventually solve terminal diseases of the human race as claimed. Think of xenotransplantation, an alternative to allotransplantation, that involves transplanting or grafting of animal organs, tissues, or cells to replace failing organs or to treat disease in humans. Researchers however continue to stabilize the rejection problem of transplanting animal organs into the human system. One example of xenotransplantation is the transplanting of a healthy heart of a pig into a human being who has a failing heart to further extend life.

Other examples of somewhat weird products of advanced bioscience researches are transgenic animals that carry foreign genes deliberately inserted into each one’s genome i.e. sheep, cows and goats to express foreign proteins in their milk as well as chickens that synthesize human proteins in their egg whites. Think also of the goat that produces spider silk as raw material for security vests, ropes for towing ships and materials for currency bills. Think of “Dolly” the cloned sheep in 1996. Think of the potato and the tomato that was called pomato, which can bear fruit when fused together. Think of the flavor-savor tomato. Think of the seedless yet still sweet watermelon. Think of the crops and animals that are and were bred so they can resist pests and pathogens or can withstand adverse environments: i.e. BT corn that can resist corn borer, rice and corn that can yield in saline waters, cows and sheep that can give liters and liters of milk or can give leaner meat than fatty meat and many other crops and animals that yield beyond the normal amount, size and weight! Scientists then call these organisms that carry manipulated DNA, Genetically Modified Organisms! And who could have thought that all of these things will practically happen after ten, fifteen or twenty years ago!

I consider the process of how GMO’s produced as eerie because they don’t undergo the normal divine steps of growing. There’s human manipulation! The impossible square peg that can’t fit into a round one can now be disproved! (The main goal however of crop and animal biotechnology researches as scientists claim is increased food security for the growing population).

And…as my Mangyan friend once jokingly told me of his weird imagination - when will rice breeders breed a rice variety that will yield single large grains so that each grain could fit into a large cooking pot enough to feed a family of twelve in one meal?! It would be an amazing research! Well, it all seems that nothing is impossible these days my friend! There’d be no more rice crisis in the Philippines if that would be so, where even the headquarters of the International Rice Research Institute is based! When that time comes though if I would still be alive, hope I won’t get frightened if I’ll see one!

Long Walk

I woke up late on the morning of October 14th and found messages and missed calls in my cell phone. They were messages greeting me because it was my birthdayyyeeyyyeyyey....!!!! It was my 37th birthday!!!

I was however surprised to receive greetings from around mid-day from two dear friends whom I thought all the while have forgotten me because I only had occasional communication with them for the past 2 to 5 years. They spared few minutes of their time just to either call or send text message of their greetings. One even tauntingly asked me, "Hey Yoli, how old are you now?"

Well, friends I just left the toe pad still a few meters away and have yet a long walk to the finish line.

I am one among few people who do not pay much attention to birthdays, special holidays and anniversaries. Besides, the meaning of these occasions are truly convoluted especially at this very generation. Most of the time I would just give thanks to the Lord and let the day pass by.

October 14 was a rainy day in Los Baños (where I was that time) so when one of my long time friends called, I mentioned to him about the day. I was told however that the rain was a blessing and implies more blessings to pour for me onthat very particular day! All I was able to say back to him was my sincere thanks. Thanks that I have friends like him who truly cares and who are very thoughtful even if I'm not and was not thoughtful enough to them. And no matter how distant we all are from each other.

Looking back then to those years that passed in my life allows myself for re-assessment. I questioned myself again as I usually do. Who am I now? Where am I now? Where do I and should I continue my walk from here?

I am a weak vessel prone to sorts of dangers along my walkway. Many times i slipped to the wrong path. Thanks though to the grace of God that restores me and stay right. If I weigh the failures in my life versus the triumphs would bring the scale into a diagonal position with the failures outbalancing the triumphs at nearly 100%.

But how did I respond to all of those failures until today? I found out though that those questions along the years in my long walk are answered with questions also. How many people have I hurt because of my insensitivity, uncaring ways, thoughtlessness, impatience and wrong values? Was I able to restore old friendships? How did I and do I treat my parents, my brothers and sisters, my husband, my daughter, my neighbors, my friends and everybody I meet and have met? How do I talk? How do I tell jokes and respond to filthy jokes? How do I care for myself or for my health? For my surroundings/environment? And most of all, how is my present personal relationship with the Lord?

oOo

TSISMIS

Lately, I got messed up with four of my dorm mates because of our very own offensive manners during our past daily conversations. The end result? - piles of stories were fabricated not only against me but to each of the five of us. In the first place though, I didn't guard my tongue. I allowed myself to wallow with them in the misfortunes of others and even helped them build the fire by wrongly treating some personalities through our conversations or through --- TSISMIS! (character assassinations). The result? -- battling eyes on the hallway, straight face, hatred and the over-all reaction? --- 'DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER" situation! Again -- PRIDE is underway!

Right now, I'm very much puzzled of how well engineered stories and situations come surprisingly tumbling down in front of me because  I'm accused as the doer or the one who said such statements. I just kept and keep quiet, observed and observe and listened and listen more of what was and is still going to happen. In fact, I have heard many absurd character assassinations against other people from the very own mouths of these four individuals themselves. I just dropped them all to the trash bins. No need to recall them even if some of these individuals demand me to retell those tsismis against them that the other person they think have told the tsismis.

As of now, double-edged tongues still keep fabricating stories which are being hurled back against either each one of the five of us. Even my established freindship/s in the dorm were and are obviously affected! for whatever motives do these people wanted makes me even more puzzled. I don't understand it at all!!!

This situation I got into grieves my Maker a lot just like the situations during those long walks in my 37 years. But thanks for His saving grace that restores me always. It is my fervent prayer then to the Lord that from now on, I will allow Him to fully control the throne of my life and ask Him for forgiveness and for Him to teach me more how to understand the deeper meaning of forgiveness, for Him to take my hands and lead me more into His righteousness, for Him to help me guard, control and use my tongue in the proper way (James 3:1-12), for Him to help me walk the (long) way ahead with right attitude.

PSALM 139

	A Psalm of David in the King James Version
1	O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2	Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off.
3	Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4	For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5	Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6	Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7	Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8	If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9	If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10	even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11	If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12	Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13	For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14	I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15	My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16	Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17	How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
18	If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19	Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20	For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21	Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22	I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23	Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24	and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Researchers Challenge Assumptions Of GMO Agriculture or Feeding the World Without Genetic Engineering

Posting here an article about the challenge that Rex Bernardo and Jianming Yu wanted to prove in accelerating "classical breeding through genetic analysis and selection of existing natural diversity in various crops without having to resort to alien species". It is an article published by Paul Schaefer in the agriculture sector of the Environmental News Network (ENN).

Manhatten, Kansas - A researcher is challenging the assumption that genetically engineered plants are the great scientific and technological revolution in agriculture and the only efficient and cheap way to feed a growing population. They are working on non-GMO methods to accelerate plant breeding. It's called "marker-assisted selection" (MAS). The research is focused on breeding methodology, finding more efficient ways to breed better varieties of corn, sorghum, wheat or barley that yield higher, require less irrigation and are resistant to diseases in farmers' fields. The work was recently published in an edition of the scientific journal Crop Science.

Kansas State University professor Jianming Yu, an assistant professor of agronomy, is teaming with Rex Bernardo, a professor of agronomy and plant genetics at the University of Minnesota, on research with marker-assisted selection. This agricultural technology offers a sophisticated method to greatly accelerate classical breeding through genetic analysis and selection of existing natural diversity in various crops without having to resort to alien species. Currently, marker-assisted selection has been a routine in many private seed companies with large-scale fingerprinting, global germplasm assessment and comprehensive bioinformatics support.

"With abundant molecular markers that can be routinely processed with modern genomic technology, we found it is more efficient to focus on selection based information all across the genome rather than the traditional way of genomic regions containing signals that pass a threshold," Yu said.

Their research is "a result of our constant deliberation of how to incorporate modern genomic technologies into breeding process, a more general term as genomic-assisted plant breeding, which differs from what scientists have been doing -- using markers to guide the introgression of single or multiple disease resistance genes," Yu said.

"The traditional way is to identify genome regions that show significant information," he said. "The new way is to consider all information genomewide. In other words, we strategically shifted the focus from finding the most interesting genome areas to considering all information simultaneously. This is critical, especially given that most of traits with agricultural importance are controlled by many interacting genomic regions and their individual effects are relatively small."

Yu and Bernardo plan to conduct experiments with sorghum in Kansas and maize in Minnesota.

"It will provide breeders, public or private, a powerful tool to advance their breeding practices," Yu said.

Psalm 100

A Psalm of Praise

Posting here this Psalm of Praise one of which inspired me to know and worship the only true God who created me and you.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

IGOROTA

This is a current popular folkhouse song in Baguio city. If you visit Ayuyang kano, it is where Jun Utleg, its artist, usually sings it. Makapasyar to man mamingsan! hehehe... The lyrics was composed by Danny Tawanna but the following isnot the perfect structure as how it was composed like the use of gerunds and prepositions in some lines. The following was captured by how the artist sang it.

On a smooth gray ground by the river bend
She was seated there to meet the morning sun
She was playing a flute when the songbirds went down.

As they listened to her wonderful melody
And the air was filled with every note she played
Slowly I sat by her side.

Refrain:
Igorota, girl of my dreams
You're the most precious gift that I ever had
Igorota, queen of my heart
I'll go on loving you throughout my life. (2x)

You are my day my morning sun
You'll forever be my only one
She puts down the flute then sweetly she smiled.

And she asked me, "Why are you staring at me?"
I held her close and a songbird sang
I whispered to her, "I love you."

Repeat refrain once

Ang Bata

Posting here the lyrics of the song sung by Jun Utleg in his album, Sa Kanyang Panahon....

Ang bata, may dala'ng isang laruang lata
Hila-hila sa kalsada
Makipot at sira pa
Butas ang damit, marumi ang ayos niya
Siya ang bagong Pilipino.

Ang bata, may muta, tinunaw ng kanyang luha
Panis na laway, naghihintay sa kapirasong pan de sal
Ngunit mataas na ang araw sa Silangan
Wala pa rin si Ama.

Ang bata, nakayakap, dinadama ang init ni Ina
Malakas na ulan, malakas na kulog, tinatakot siya
Pintuan ng bahay, bubungan sira-sira
Ang tanging karamay niya.

Ang bata, nakatingala, nakatingkayad sa bintana
Siya'y nakasilip at nakikinig ng bulong sa labas
Bakit ang buhay kay ingay, kay gulo
Natutulig na ako.

Ang bata, ang bata, kawawang mga bata
Saan sila patutungo, saan papunta
Dito ba sa Lupa'ng puno ng kaguluhan
Puno ng kasawian.

(Repeat stanza I)

Morning In The Woods

It was a pleasant walk one early June morning into the pine woods that smelled sweet of fresh humus. The sun's blazes rising from the east looked so beautiful against the blue horizon that was mapped with floating cottony white clouds.

As I walked through the narrow path of fresh hooves engraved on wet earth by wild horses that frequented the area, the cool and jaunty breeze played on the bare skin of my face and arms. The path led to the east as evidenced by the prism of early morning sun rays sending quasars lurking deep through the tall and slender legs of pine trees. Cheerful birds sang their varieties of songs. It was their way of greeting the day and giving praises to the Almighty Creator who gives them the daily fresh morning to enjoy and feast upon. I imitated some tunes and watched them hop and fly from one tree branch to another, their colorful wings adding to the festive fashion of the newborn day.

Finally, I reached a clearing, the sun then gaining momentum to heat the earth proved by steam that slowly rose from the ground. Crystal dews interlaced among the leaves dropped as a sluggish wind brushed its way through. From a distance, I spotted more than a dozen of wild horses, some gaily playing while some lazily feeding on the short lush of greens.

To the North, where tree ferns with large fronds stood, was a herd of cows, some lying down while enjoying their cuds. Black mounds of what I call, "grass cakes" were scattered around the vicinity indicating that the group took an overnight rest in the clearing. ( I was tempted to think of going back to the place to collect the "grass cakes" --- a perfect part for a soil media).

As I continued to commune with the physical universe, I moved to a shade under an evergreen with leaves similar to that of a eucalyptus tree. I sat down on a boulder of lime rock under it and just watched the seemingly tired cows and horses. The lazy leaves of all sorts danced in mockery along the passing by of the gentle June breeze. An eagle soared high to the blue sky. Some May and June beetles crawled their way underground to hide from the preying eyes of birds that just finished their songs of praise and were by then scheduled to hunt for breakfast. Breathed the purest air. Listened to the hush of swishing pine trees from the other faces of the mountain. Gazed at the different wild and colorful flowers often visited by different arthropods.

Near where I sat was a wild rhododendron with beautiful pink flowers. I watched as a bee came for a sip then flew away, came another insect of the wasp family, flew away again until a small and frail white butterfly came along, perched for a moment then as it lifted its wings to say goodbye to the flower, a darting red-tailed purple dragonfly caught and flew away with it. Poor little guy! That's symbiosis anyway!

I glanced at my wristwatch, it was time for me to go back since the sun was starting to push the mercury up the scale as it began it's journey to mid-sky.

Thanks to that real June morning in the woods 16 years ago back in my dearest hometown. How I wish then that if I go home and trek the place would be the same. But I know it would just remain a wish, because that particular morning would never be the same. It would just stay as one of the clippings in my memory.

PINK

Pink is my favorite color. Pink is so attractive. Pink represents beauty. Pink is love... etc! On the other hand though, pink is vulnerable. Pink is sissy - and a lot more of pink denigration - and still - pink is haiiissssssssshhhhhhhhh!!!! I don't know why!

For my visitors, just a CHANGE in the environment....geeee...!!! And - just like that! I still love pink!

A Mother's Commitment

7:00 a.m.

‘T was a bright Sunday morning, just woke up, thanked the Lord for the day and said a simple prayer. My mind then flashed back to the chapters of the novel I’ve read just before I drifted to dreamland last night. I jumped out of bed then had to do simple chores in our room like swept the floor, fixed the books I had spread while searching for facts to justify the claims I am currently discussing in the writing of my thesis, washed the spoon and mug I used late last night and scribbled some notes I found important.

8:00 a.m.

While preparing for church, my mobile phone was busy signaling me since an hour before of messages it was receiving re: mother’s day greetings and quotations – my inbox was then full so I had to choose the best messages and kept them and erased the other ones. I wasn’t able to send back thank you’s anymore because I got empty load after a few sent messages…. lol.

11 a.m.

I was back in my quarters, nourished with the message in church, digested and reflected upon it.

I agree with the message delivered by the pastor that: “A mother’s love is a reflection of God’s love to us.” A mother’s love to his child is unconditional just like the unconditional love of God to us, His children. If a child gets wayward, the mother is so patient to guide him/her to be good and remain on the right road. This picture therefore demonstrates the faithfulness and love of Jesus Christ, our Lord to us His children keeping us on the right path.

There are many quotes describing who a mother is especially of her being a superwoman amidst the non-appreciations and all. And like many others, the heroine in my life is my mother. I’m the eldest of eleven children in the family and I witnessed how our mother sacrificed just to keep our home safe and comfortable. There were many super-duper prickly stages the family faced though yet she emotionally, physically and spiritually defied these circumstances with strength and bravery.

Today, when my younger siblings and I gather during occasions, we always talk about our mother especially about her emotional strength. We sometimes wonder where she gets all her strength in keeping her whole. I would always say that if I were in her shoes, I would have been broken down into pieces long time ago before other siblings came into the family. Nevertheless, I’m very thankful that I have a mother like her – a committed and a super mother.

4:00 p.m.

I glanced at the little clock on my table that told me that in just an hour more the day would wrap up its events to add to its files of history and I hadn’t called home yet to greet or say hi to my mother. I wondered though if my younger siblings have done it however I received greetings from some of them earlier this day.

My First Grade School Teacher

It was my mother, though an elementary graduate, who became my first teacher. She was the one who first taught me how to read and write my ABC’s and 123’s before I enrolled in Grade 1. I never attended a kindergarten school where most children learn first their alphabets and 123’s. My mother was so patient to monitor my progress in school. When I wasn’t able to cope with my lessons, she would find time every night before we were sent to bed to teach me on my home works and guide me to read more, write more and count more even if she was so tired of the demands of the day. She was also my first storyteller. She told me many children’s stories and when more siblings came into the family I helped her repeat those stories to my younger bothers and sisters.
Years after I graduated from college, was already in my mid-twenties and was always away from home, many times, albeit funny, there were moments when I would just reminisce my childhood years and remember the doting of my mother, I would long and cry for her in bed before I sleep, much more when I got sick.

Mother Stories

Right now, I’m currently reading a story along with the writing of my MS thesis, tempted, and I can’t forego because I just borrowed the pocketbook (hehehe), about a single mother who got to be brave and face the challenges of being one even if her current situation was from her stupidity. When she learned that she was pregnant, she had to tell the man who fathered it. Three times, the man convinced her for an abortion but she never liked the idea. She then gave birth to a boy who was diagnosed after two years of a speech defect. She courageously faced all the tests in life to raise her son in the most normal possible way.

Relative to this story, when I was surfing the Youtube for music yesterday, I came across a Christian singer’s testimony about he being an adoptee. He described that there are three kinds of a mother. First, a mother in the normal sense. Second, a mother who takes care of her pregnancy and gives up the baby for adoption, even if how painful, because she knows she cannot fully give what her child needs. Third, a mother who opts for an abortion. This singer was in tears while telling his story that he was still very thankful to his birthmom whoever and wherever she is because she opted to give up her son for adoption providing him the chance to live.

Celebration

Many to honor every mother celebrated this day’s event. The West and many countries it influenced including us in the Orient and every church regardless of denomination had a share of it. Many gifts I know were given and opened and many enjoyed this notable day.

Commitment

Becoming a mother is a lifetime commitment that pulls all the instincts of motherhood out to reality. And it is this commitment that fuels her to have the energy that words sometimes cannot even express of how she becomes a superwoman for all seasons. Nothing can describe her compassion, her sacrificial love, her strength, her beauty and all that keeps her a hero in every home.

Quotes

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. Washington Irving.

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." Exodus 20:12

"As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children." 1 Thessalonians 2:7

COUNTRYSIDE ROMANCE

Yolanda B. Botigan/ 021095

Into I draw air fresh and clean

Where grasses, trees grow tall and green

The stars that shine look I nightly

With clouds that paint the blue beauty.

At times I sit beneath the pine

At leaves gaze I like crystal shine

The touch of earth so deep and brown

Smells Queen of May’s like perfumed crown.

The soothing pitch of Mother Earth I hear

The streams that flow, the winds that roar

The morning dew I touch and smell

And smile at Rhodoras pink, shaped as bell.

Wild roots and vines to trees they cling

Look down they search cold, silent spring

The sweet, sweet songs of birds that fly

Gifts all they give to God up high.

With You I am in loved so deep

‘Tis where I dream to live, no droll

So down I kneel, pray, sing and leap

To thank my Lord who made them all!

THE LITTLE LOST SEEDS

by: Yolanda B. Botigan/ March 1992

In the midst of a twilight

I sat down alone, forgotten

Eyes wide, mind set

Tracing towards an unknown plight.

Quiet place – I took strength to stand

At a glance

A teary child, alone, I spied

Like me, another lost seed, I sighed.

Deep a feeling froze inside

Trembling, I slowly took a little stride

Alone, dirty, hungry, tired and helpless

Why? Where? Hopeless?

Who are you? Nobody.

From where are you? Nowhere.

Then lost like me, you are

Yes, just existed and no more.

Growing little seeds --- lost

Beauty of life, dispossessed

Unnamed tomorrow, scattered

Even just a single light

In darkness, little lost seeds …

Grow but groping

Eat but begging

In clothes but unclothed.

Yes, lost, they are

Lost, lost, lost

Will they ever be LOST?

I Am An Igorot

this is just a reprint..... still searching for the name of the original author

I am an Igorot. Take a good look at me. Look at me for I defy the distortions heaped on my image by fellow Filipinos. Look at me for I defy those who have heard of me but have not seen me. Look at me for I am a living proof that defies the inanities of those who seek to degrade my integrity. Look at me for I am a part of you; and you, a part of me.

My skin, the fair and tender Benguet Lily that blooms in May, at the slightest touch of the first rain, hundreds of eyes relish on its sweetness whenever I pass by.

My shape, the graceful contours and the splendor of the eighth wonder of the world – Our Banaue Rice Terraces. And my youth, the greenness of the pines, of the forest and of the lush vegetation that in turn speak of the vitality and the strength of my people.

Look at me for I don’t hide behind the deceptions of cosmetiques – Look at me in my entirety, for I am poor, yet so rich in virtues as purity, honesty and simplicity.

Many centuries ago, my brave forbears set out to discover new horizons that to them meant sunshine and promise. Along the broad span of plains and valleys, hills and mountains, seas and rivers, they finally stumbled into a vast stretch of mountains. On these mountains lurked, the fear of the unknown yet over them was the promise of fertility.

At last, here was the land that was to be theirs, the land that they gave to me, and the land that I will give to my children so long as we exist in this part of the earth.

Over the years, my fathers toiled the early hours of dawn until darkness. Naked as the soil where they trod, they withstood the burning heat of the sun and the biting cold of the mountain winds. With few weapons but with the stoutness in their hearts, they fought the adverse forces of man and nature. With patience and perseverance, they created the forest and dug deep into the earth for the wealth that it hid. With inherent sense of beauty, they built a culture so rich, as their tools were so crude and ugly. Today, other people would wonder how my mother, lacking in all facilities that one finds in modern textile factories, but with the use of sticks and bamboo reeds, have fashioned so intricate a material as the cloth, that I wear. Still, it puzzles many that with no formal schooling my mother wove such rich designs and blended so beautiful the colors that no doubt would stand among the finest works of art.

Bare of tools and armed with ingenuity and resourcefulness, my fathers carved out of deep walls of these mountains, a magnificence that was to astound the world. Amidst our rice terraces is the skill, which surpasses many of man’s engineering feats. Amidst the beauty of our rice fields, our farms and our mines, which we have nurtured for ages with our sweat and blood, is proof of the ingenuity of my people. Amongst my people is the pride, which I must cherish with fervor as long as I live.

Who will speak for my fathers who have fashioned beauty out of these mountains and brought progress into this land? for my fathers who have contributed so rich a cultural legacy to this country?

Today even as alien cultures have seeped to the very core of our way of life, who will stand up for the quest of a true Filipino identity, unblemished by foreign tastes and idiosyncrasies? Who will answer the question of who is “the most Filipino among the Filipinos?” Truly, it is I. I am an Igorot!

Still, as the truth of the past is slowly unfolded, it saddens me and my brothers that here remains some callous hearts that would refuse to see the light. Truly, this is man’s inhumanity to man. What do I have that makes me anathema to writers of books and magazines? What have I done that has earned me the contempt of my own people?

I possess nothing but virtues which man has extolled over the centuries. That is what I possess. I have nothing but courage in the face of danger, fortitude – in my duties, patience in life. That is what I have. I have done nothing but toiled hard from the bowels of the earth until, such time as when prosperity flowered from my sweat and labor. And I have done nothing but defend to the last breath every inch of the ground which my fathers rightfully claimed their own. That is what I have done.

Over these rugged slopes and mountains, these fields and rivers my toils and struggles, my colorful heritage and my heroic past, I cry out with rage and indignation, “Rise up you souls of my immortal fathers and we will challenge the wisdom of this society. Rise up my unsung heroes and help me shout into the heavens … Give me justice which you have so long denied me. Bring me the glory that was mine, and give me back the honor to my name!

"I Am An Igorot"

(A Reprint from "The Cordilleras and Behind" by Dtj)

I am an Igorot, son of parents in whose veins
flow Malayan and Indonesian blood. I was born
and reared amidst the mountains and hills,
covered with sturdy and verdant pines, that
sway and dance with the mountain breeze, beside the
mountain streams. This part of the country, the
mountain provinces I have learned to love and
called my home.

I am an Igorot. In my veins run the immortal
blood of my gallant, peaceful and freedom
loving forefathers. Blood borne by them, who openly
defied the authority of Spain, in the year
sixteen hundred and one. Again, it was the
blood that also freely flowed in the bloody
battlefields of the world famous Bataan and in
the rocky bastions of Corregidor.

That blood is immortal. It is the self-same
blood that flowed in the hearts of my
grandfather, father, uncles, cousins, and
nephews, who formed the might, 66th infantry.
Blood that watered the wild lilies of the
treacherous mountains. Some of them died,
fighting that I may be what I am now, a free
man, living in a free country governed by the
principles of democracy.

I am an Igorot, a proud one. I am proud of my
noble, brave, peaceful and hardworking
ancestors. Proud of the mountains and hills,
rivers, trees, and of the lilies that adorn the
forests which were given by Him above to mine.
Proud of the canao, and of the custom and
traditions handed to me from generation to
generation. Proud to beat the gangsa and to
hear the ravage sounds of the solibao.

I am proud too of my Christian status and
education, brought about by the pioneering goal
of the occidental missionaries and teachers.
Proud to be in an integral part of the Republic
of the Philippines.

Though in educational, economic, social and
political aspects, I may be far behind. Though
in high society, I may be frowned upon. Though
all and all, I may be called a barbarian. Still
I shall shout aloud that all may know and hear,
that I Am An Igorot.

Biofuels or Food?

I believe that BIOFUEL PRODUCTION is a worldwide CRIME to humanity!

We produce GMO's to solve global hunger but the irony of it all is still hunger!

I hope you understand how the two statements above are related!

The Sting Of Death

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 NIV.

“For the wages of sin is death...” Romans 6:23 NIV.

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned - ” Romans 5:12 NIV.

Death is an irreversible cessation of biological life that people generally are afraid to face though everyone is destined to finally leave this world with it. For believers in Christ, death is the separation of the soul from the physical body. Everyone knows for a fact that someday our mortal bodies will soon return to the ground but when that time comes though, we do all the best to defy it.

Last February 14th this year, everyone in my workplace was shocked to hear a news that one of the employees (who was actually my former supervisor when I went on study leave) met a car accident and was critically injured. I witnessed how he fought for life. He tried to be strong. He was so aware of what was going around him and of what was being done with his body especially the medical drugs that were injected into his system. He tried to speak in answer to my greeting when we visited him in the hospital. His spirit to live was so strong. Nine days after the accident though, everyone got even more shocked when news spread that he died. He was quoted to have said a day or two before his death that he was so afraid and was so nervous. Death of a loved one is always difficult so that I felt the gruesome struggle of his family in the hospital, during the wake and until the burial.

On the 7th day of the wake, another fellow employee also died of complications leaving our whole Institute mourning for them.

When death strikes in the family, it becomes the worst stage each one has to face. For a believer in Christ though or the saved, death ushers him in the presence of God. Jesus also died. Adam, the first man, also died. Only the difference is Adam died because he was a sinner, and Jesus, who had never sinned, chose to suffer death as a substitute for sinners (Hebrews 2:9, 14-16). In Matthew 28, Jesus triumphed over death and sin and showed His power by rising from the dead on the third day. Because of Christ, death is a defeated foe.

For the non-believer in Christ or the unsaved, death is an end for the chance to accept God’s gracious offer of salvation. “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment...” Hebrews 9:27 NIV.

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain..." Revelation 21:4 NIV. How sweet would it be when that time comes for all believers in Christ to enjoy. We shall look forward onto it.

Michael Bronson in BibleHelp.org estimates that there are 153, 000 people who die every day in the whole world or 56.0 million every year. Of this number, how many souls are sure to go home to God and how many would end up the opposite?

I suggest you all to visit the website: http://www.gotquestions.org

Biofuel Euphoria

I was in static smiles one trip home to the province from Manila upon seeing several plant shops along the stretch of Bulacan to La Union of Jatropha seedlings on sale! Will this Jatropha case ever bring the Philippines to wonderland if ever her dream comes true?

It's so obvious that Filipinos are now very desperate to escape from the pit of poverty in the country with either thousands regardless of status in life on exodus to many parts of the world in quest for more glitters to fill the pocket while others grip to sorts of money-making including this Jatropha biodiesel craze in the offing (albeit not only poverty that moves other Filipinos abroad but mere greed).

While researchers and scientists all over the globe are in the zenith of commercializing GMO's and biodiesel crops, Filipinos from all walks of life now talk about the Jatropha curcas L. or commonly known as "tuba-tuba" in Tagalog (Ilocanos call it "tagumbao" or "tag-tagumbao") as another big time source of money. Jatropha is from the family Euphorbiaceae and has a genus of approximately 175 succulents, shrubs and trees. It originates from the Carribean and was spread as a valuable hedge and medicinal plant to Africa, Asia and India by Portuguese traders. It is a weed in Brazil, Fiji, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico and El Salvador (Holm, et. al. 1979).

Jatropha is an introduced plant species into the Philippines and it hardly grows just anywhere in the country. The seeds is known to be a source of biofuel which according to studies if used will not be as hazardous to the environment as compared to the effects of ground fuel that we import.

For a long time, sewage, biodegradable wastes (i.e. kitchen left-overs, garden wastes, etc.) and swine wastes had been used as source of methane as bioenergy for cooking.

Now, aside from this Jatropha, research studies have also proved other agricultural crops that can be extracted for biodiesel oil. The U.S. has its corn while Europe has its flaxseed and rapeseed and Brazil has its sugarcane.

The Philippine government has alloted a P1B investment in biodiesel production primarily for Jatropha and half of the funds came from the Philippine National Oil Co., an alternative development corporation (PNOC-NDC). Half also came from the National Dev't. Co. This fund is mainly for developing marginally landless farmers who are supposed to benefit from the opportunity to grow biodiesel feedstocks including sugarcane, cassava, maize, soybeans and Jatropha.

According to Bioimpact and PNOC and to quote, "Most of the planned biofuel plantation are located in Mindanao where the country's poorest provinces are, where refineries with a capacity of 60, 000 to 240, 000 tonnes will be built at the center of growing areas with a 30, 000 to 120, 000 has. respectively."

While talking some time ago with some graduate students in the Chemical Engineering and other BioSciences field at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, we haven't escaped issues re: crazes that suddenly brought biofuels to the limelight driving politicians even to lick on the bowl of this euphoria. Some foregin students in the university have tried to study biofuel from our coconuts and came out with very attractive results. But the question is, should we allow our coconuts to be exploited more for biofuel when on the other end we direly need it in the food industry? The ratio of the Philippine population to its viable landmass is far not enough for support! Which is more on the priority list? This issue brought concern to some research organizations so that further campaign on this knowledge is restricted albeit investigations on coconuts as source of biofuel per se are still on the top list. At this time, jittery researchers continuously hover upon the chase like vultures to find an alternative commodity that which brought Jatropha curcas to the cinema of Philippine bioresearch.

In January 2006, Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law R. A. 9367 or otherwise known as Biofuels Act of 2006 with the following mandates: a) A minimum 1% biodiesel blend into all diesel engine fuels, which increases to 2% after two years; b) a minimum 5% bioethanol blend into all gasoline fuel distributed and sold in the country within two years going up to 10% after 4 years. This law promotes the use of alternative transport fuels consistent with the Declaration on East Asian Energy Security ratified by the 16 heads of state of the Association of SEAN and its dialogue partners during the 12th ASEAN summit held on January 10-15, 2006 in Cebu City. In addition to the mandate, this Act aims to develop and utilize indigenous renewable and sustainably-sourced clean energy sources to reduce the country's dependence on imported oil and lower the amounts of toxins and pollutants in the atmosphere.

All this scenario then bred opportunists to sell Jatropha seedlings although they don't know exactly what is the plant and how it can produce fuel energy to run engines.

I thought all the while though that there's no need anymore for these seedlings to be produced and sold by private growers either in big or small-scale because a big chunk of the pie was alloted purposely for the production of such species!

Are all these discoveries that we so go euphoric about would uplift our economy or would it just spin the country the other way around? Is the Philippines a viable place for Jatropha biodiesel production? How much funds and non-bio energy do we have to spend before a liter of ready to use Jatropha biodiesel oil will be produced? Is it not better to use the alloted funds to rehabilitate the dwindling coconut industry or improve the copra production rather than starting a Jatropha industry from zero? The group tasked to steer this new venture has to hire foreign experts/consultants and which requires an amount of fees. Besides, they themselves travel to Jatropha growing countries like India and the South Americas for seminars and other related concerns. Their expenses is not a joke on the budget! There are so many questions that until now have unclear answers. And I'm not the only one who is cynical about this issue.

Recently, I even chanced upon a headline aired on TV that the Philippine malunggay or commonly called horseradish tree and scientifically known as Moringa oleifera Lamk. is also a plant that can be extracted for biofuel albeit plants generally, if not all, produce oils in different amounts and for different purpose.

The Philippines is just again hitting through this biofuel craze and is making the word/s "biodiesel" and "biofuel" a hot lingo even to the commonest citizen who have vague understanding of this topic while opportunists in the uppermost echelon of the government have already gulped and are enjoying their chunks of share in the supposed wholesome budget particularly for the said research.

The Powerful Tongue

"The tongue is but three inches long, yet it can kill a man six feet high." - Japanese Proverb

"One thing man hasn't been able to tame is his own tongue. It can cause the most uncontrollable evil in all creation and can spread the deadliest poison. If not disciplined and controlled, one minute it can praise and bless God and the next minute it can curse those created in God's image.'' - Inspired by James 3:8,9.

True, the tongue is just a small piece of flesh in the human anatomy, yet how many morals have it destroyed? It is a muscle part of the digestive system yet many times it becomes a double-edged sword that violently quells the values of an individual. How many dreams, decisions, reputations and even families have it slayed and hurled into the fiery furnace of doom?

From elite brains to morons, this piece of flesh doesn't choose whom to wreck or regard. It is not even learned nor educated. It just flaggelates anytime when jerked.

And have you ever wondered yourself of the time when you became either the hero or the villain in the battlefield of the tongue? How many times did you become the villain or the hero? Did you feast upon your triumph?

It is such a tragedy that man easily embraces the deceptions carefully woven by the tongue into the norms of society today that psychologists would even justify as a favorable response. This sets me then to wonder that if as long as a man lives (that includes me of course), how much is the ratio between the correct usage of his tongue to its grave misuse.

It's not surprising though that the first misuse of the tongue happened at the Garden of Eden by the earliest couple of human beings which had since then been passed from generations to generations. Unfortunately, the misuse was thoroughly bred through the years giving birth to multiple deceits, debaucheries, treacheries to name a few.

If we want however real change and live in a world of honesty and Godly ways, where then do we divide the line and promise to use it in pious ways. How do we guard it from the imps around and cease from hissing?

Taming the tongue is a task so huge to undertake and one way to conquer its deceptive powers is to acknowledge that we are sinful and need to sincerely repent and totally turn around for change. The evil powers of the tongue must not be allowed to prevail.

"Such a tiny flicker it begins, sets many mountains into flames. Friend or foe this li'l creature power it so keeps." - Yolanda B. Botigan

Luck Vs. Blessing

"Oh, you're lucky!"

Whenever something gets rewarding is usually owed to luck.

I am an individual who believed in luck during my earlier years so that I, too, always had the "good luck" words dangling in my vocabulary.

Luck in the common lingo is basically defined as, "the accidental occurrence of events affecting an individual, fortune and fate." Concluding thereby that luck is not something to be achieved.

A blessing on the other hand is defined as a "divine benefit or gift, that which promotes happiness or prosperity." It is a "consecration" and further means that it is a "special favor or approval."

Luck plays a lot in the lives of many whatever race and culture one belongs. It even goes to the extent of keeping charms and gems just to attract it to the bearer. We bid friends good luck if they are to undergo something challenging, i.e. exams, sport competitions, etc.

Unawarely though, too much dependency in luck leads a person to cast wholely his/her faith to it tending him to become either an agnostic and/or forgetting God the sole provider.

Here are some reasons why we put our faiths in the name of luck:

a. We are afraid of failures and other shortcomings the reason we even gamble the rest of what lies ahead aiming to double or triple that fortune. At the end though, imps will be laughing at our loss.

b. Plain laziness.

c. Offering life and fate in the name of luck is a form of greed because of discontentment.

d. Unbelief in one's capacity to face life's challenges and then immediately surrendering to weakness/es.

e. Unbelief in Jesus Christ our Saviour and God who provides everything.

In any achievement where efforts were invested, a blessing of course will surely follow. Blessings are in uncountable ways and these have not just existed or accidentally given. It is/was with a purpose that blessings are/were infront of the blessed.

We live daily with all the undue blessings that the Almighty God gave and is giving us. Only we just ignore or lack to acknowledge their presence in us, i. e. our very own lives, the whole creation where we stay and enjoy, the smile of a child, the encouraging words of friends, the smell and site of blooming flowers, the foods on our table, etc...

Just as there are reasons why we put faith in luck, so are there reasons also that hinder blessings to flow:

a. Unbelief in God who provides all blessings.

b. Greediness. One can own acres of land and fine houses here and there through greedy motives. But one may ask, are these still blessings because they were of course acquired through efforts? Material things are of course blessings provided, they are/were acquired through the most legal and Godly way sacrificing no one.

c. Unconfessed sins. We hide sins that hinder the normal flow of events in our lives.

d. Pride. This is also an unconfessed sin that we always blanket with all sorts of lies, artificial smiles, etc...

e. Plain laziness.

In my own tribal dialect, luck is termed, "gasat." If one wins in any game show or lottery draw, or is given a house and lot from any sponsoring agent, he is usually said to be "nagasat."

Winning in game shows and lotteries which involves betting are best examples of luck, an accident or probability that befalls upon one's name. This is in no way a blessing but is a form of gambling!

Remember that there is no such thing as luck or "gasat" to the one who has faith in God Our Saviour and Provider.

Learn to identify what is a blessing and what is luck.

The Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ

"2008 is the year of the rat." "I was born in the year of the boar." "Last year was the year of the horse." etc...

Most Filipinos believe on these named years dictating them even on what to and not what to do, what to wear, where to go, what's good for business and many more.

Where did these, "in the year of the animals," originate though?

The Chinese people believe so much on lucks and omens so that they have all sorts of charms and calendar guides for direction on what to either keep or let go of. Their calendars are full of symbols to follow everyday. Each new year is welcomed with extravagant celebration owing to tradition with all eye-catching decor of antique and period pieces to all sorts of delicacies with tikoy never to be forgotten. The captivating lion and dragon dance symbolizing a prosperous future and long life respectively are parts that complete each celebration. And each year is named accordingly with an animal. Whenever unfavorable situations cross paths is usually blamed to the animal symbolizing the year.

As Bible believing Christian, each day, week and year is the day or year of the Lord Jesus Christ! He made each day of the year and blessed it for every human being to enjoy. Animals have nothing to do with each turn of the year. Any event, therefore pleasing or not is generally the consequence of man's own doing.

2008 is the year of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!