In His Book

“Am I in your book?” asked one little boy in one of my book-signing events.  

“Well, your name is not in this book, but I am sure you will know that the obedient and delightful little boy I wrote about is just like you,” I replied, hoping he’d be satisfied with my answer. 

But he pressed on. “But when will my name be in your book?” 

“In my next book, promise, I will name one of the characters Dante.”    

“Yey!” He cheered, took his signed book and his dad’s hand, and skipped away. 

And so Dante is the name of the major character in Twin Blessings.* 

I never saw Dante again, but if ever he chances upon that book, he would remember my promise.  

ooo

That very same question was asked by the preacher in his message in one virtual worship service.   

“Are you in God’s book? Am I?” 

He then read what Scripture says, emphasizing every word:  

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them. 
(Psalm 139:16 NKJV) 

More than amazing! I’ve read that verse many times before and I never looked at it the way I did that morning. I shouted in my mind, I am in God’s book!  

Long before I was formed, God had me in mind. He had written my name in His book. And I didn’t have to request Him. 

The pastor explained further God’s promise: anyone who believes in God, in the redemptive grace of His Son Jesus, and in His Holy Spirit is in His book. 

What a reassurance, especially at this time of pandemic confusion and commotion and this politics of disunity and disharmony.    

He asked one other question before he ended his message: “Will you turn your thoughts to the God who turns His thoughts to you?”  

*

What's That Light?

For 10 miserable years, Lorenz was addicted to drugs. It started innocently—a few puffs of marijuana with friends during parties. But the urge to have more never left him. He got hooked. 

On year eight, he was into cocaine and lost everything he ever owned—his job, his home, his cars, his integrity, and his family (a wife and two children). 

In a seedy, dark apartment unit one night, he knelt in prayer, “God, I surrender. Do what you will with me.” Grace rushed in as a blinding light and illumined the phone before him. He picked up the phone to call his brother-in-law to come and get him.  

The next thing he knew, he was in a hospital room with his wife watching over him. That was the beginning of his painful journey to recovery—from detoxification to rehabilitation.  

In just over a year, he was welcomed back home. “The craving for drugs never left me,” he confessed, but in his struggle, he rediscovered his love for the arts and started painting. 

Lorenz hawked his works in tiangges (flea markets) and was surprised that young people were drawn to them. They asked him questions on how he did them. 

He’d reply by citing his past darkness and how he saw the light. Then he’d quote the verse written by prophet Isaiah (chapter 9, verse 2) during a dark period of Israel’s history, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” 

His young market could relate to Lorenz’s art because the images mirrored their own feelings and struggles.  

Amidst the darkness, may we see the light in our lives as Lorenz did, and reflect this light to others. 

Surrender

Crossword clue: “Wave the white flag.”  

Answer? Surrender. 

The white flag is a sign of truce that requests for negotiation. It also symbolizes surrender, since it is the weaker party which requests for negotiation. 

Have you ever felt like waving the white flag? When we are saddled with problems, giving up seems to be the easiest way out. 

In Scripture, Job, a faithful man of God, lived out the real and true meaning of the word surrender. He lost his children and wealth, then he was struck with painful and ugly sores over his entire body. His friends shunned him and he became a pariah; his good life was razed to the ground.    

Instead of encouraging Job to endure, his wife added to his pain by saying, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9 NLT). She thought God abandoned Job in his time of trouble.

The response of Job’s wife is similar to ours when everything seems to crumble. Job, however, rebukes her. He tells her that we are to accept all—both good and bad—from the Lord, trusting that His plan is best. 

In short, it is not waving the white flag, which is what we use to mean “I give up!" 

Surrender means offering and leaving our life and all that we have to God. 

Surrendering therefore is completely giving up our own will, so that our thoughts and deeds are placed in God’s care. 

James 5:10–11 (NLT) reminds us, “. . . We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance. . . Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.” 

Job gives us, despairing people, the clue: surrender our all to the rescuing grace of God. 

Let’s make a covenant with God today by singing the chorus of the hymn, All to Jesus I Surrender (written by Judson W. Van DeVenter [1855–1939], and put to music by Winfield S. Weeden):  

Planted and Re-Planted

Pastor Popoy was ecstatic when he was accepted to teach English in a Cambodian school. Fascinated  by the place and its people early on, he had already read as many books as he could find about Cambodian culture.  

His friends, however, were sad to see him go. The young pastor had been a dynamic leader in the youth group, where he was a role model. “The Lord has been using you here,” cried some of his wards. “Why leave?” 

“Remember Abraham?” he would reply. “The Lord asked him to leave his country to a place he never knew existed. As for me, I am going to a place I already know so well. God planted me here, and He will re-plant me there so I could produce lasting fruit for Him.” 

“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.’” (Genesis 12:1 NLT) 

The youth need not have worried. After Pastor Popoy was gone, several members of the group rose to the occasion, and shared doing the work he left behind.   

Meanwhile, Pastor Popoy embraced his new job with purpose and excitement. In teaching the children English, he used Bible parables, stories, and heroes to illustrate concepts.  After the kids had learned enough English, he introduced them to Jesus.  

He and the Philippine youth group continued to communicate via social media, sending each other photos and narratives of how grace nurtured them in their growing work for the Lord. 

“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” (John 15:16) 

May we always aspire to produce lasting fruit wherever we go. 

Lower photo credit 

A PINK Panacea for the Basher Bug

The Flu Bug is as old as the hills. But the Basher Bug is new; it came with VP Leni's announcement to run for president. Unlike the Flu Bug that afflicts you physically and makes you miserable for, at most, a week, the Basher Bug afflicts your self-respect, your soul, your middle, and makes you miserable for months on end. 

Why? Because you don't know where it's coming from. No rhyme, no reason. As Dr. Ambeth R. Ocampo, a noted historian and whose books/articles we love to read, said, bashing is a different kind of discourse.  

As a writer focused on the theme of grace, I am careful with the messages I write, especially online. I often agonize over misused words, misplaced commas, and grammatical lapses. Despite that, my posts (PINK campaign) were incessantly bashed—a new and noxious-to-the-nth-degree nightmare for me. 

Bashers are vile and vicious, spewing venom. They always pick a fight. They split hairs, claiming malice where there is none. They reply with fake news and expletives to make you feel dirty and small.  

I'd quickly block them, especially those with hidden profiles and shallow posts on their timeline.

But they are like bacteria, specifically the strains that double in size every 10 minutes and therefore produce more offspring than the combined weight of all organisms! They have a prodigious power of reproduction, because whoever hired them has an "unli" stash of cash.

These bacteria leave a gnawing feeling at the pit of the stomach and sometimes cause insomnia.  

But two days ago, while I was scrolling down my wall, this was re-uploaded by a kakampink. It was the one-letter reply of VP Leni's spokesperson, Atty. Barry Gutierrez III, to a cantankerous presidential candidate.

It shushed up the loquacious leech for good.

Immediately, I borrowed it as my reply to bashers. Eureka, it worked! 

Bashers/trolls don't know what to make of K. Is she agreeing? They stay quiet, as though tased. It has made blocking unnecessary. 

This one-letter-word capsule seems to have these ingredients: "I don't care." "Blab all you want." "It does not affect me." "Your comments are your baggage, not mine." "Wallow in your own blank blank blank." "C'est la vie." Plus, it has extra-strength Vitamin C, for courage to combat fake news and disinfomation. 

Well, what do you know!  Rx PINK panacea has slowed down my pulse rate. Dosage: as needed. It has allayed the toxic Basher Bug that used to bug/badger/bully/belittle/bait/bedevil me.  

Thank you, Dr. Barry.

On that note, I will cease writing PINK blogs. 

For now.

"Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:27 NIV)

Wedding Vows

You must have attended many wedding ceremonies through the years, as I have. Then we have all witnessed how the traditional vows have evolved. 

They used to be sacrosanct classics. No wedding vow would be complete without these words—“to have and to to hold; to love and obey; in sickness or in health; for richer or poorer; and till death do us part.” 

In this multi-polar world today, wedding vows are as varied as websites and URLs.

But no matter how differently worded, wedding vows express undying love. It is that part of the ceremony where the betrothed couple uses profuse superlatives but never accused as mushy; and guests shed copious tears but never branded as sappy. 

Marriage vows express so much love they make one forget wars, disasters, political upheavals, and other depressing news around the world. 

One such vow made me laugh and cry at the same time—and to this day, even as the bride and groom  already have three children, I remember the words fondly. This was the wedding of Pastor Ralph, our associate pastor then (now an officiating minister), and Shiela, a teacher in our church’s school. They have many things in common, one of which is asthma.  

My eyes misted when Pastor Ralph promised his bride, “I will let you use the nebulizer first, and I would give you my last nebule.”  

Shiela vowed, “And I promise to laugh at your jokes . . .” 

Beneath and beyond the wit and humor, the couple expressed the covenant of loving someone above self. 

Our Savior—bleeding, tired, in pain, and ridiculed on the cross—showed us what Eternal Love is, till His very last breath. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NLT)  

 

From Him, we learned to love and to explicitly express it in wedding vows. 

Recalling my wedding vows now, I wonder, How have I demonstrated love through the years?  

Servant-Leader in PINK: TOTGA?

Servant-leader (or servant-leadership) is a term credited to Robert K. Greenleaf, who introduced the concept in his 1970 essay, The Servant as Leader. 

Much earlier, however, the world already recognized several inspiring leaders who exemplified this concept: Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela.

As a Christian, I believe that servant-leadership has its origins in Jesus, the embodiment of Hope and Grace, over 2,000 years ago. 

In “The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard” (Matthew 1:1-16 NLT), verse 16  reads, “The last will be first, and the first will be last.”

In Mark 10:42-45, Jesus told his disciples:  

“. . . whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

Tough (or impossible) act to follow?  

The good news is, this benchmark has been simplified since 1970 into various permutations for mortals in workplaces. Here’s one that, I feel, covers all aspects:  

Based on documents, Atty. Leni’s work ethic (in Angat Buhay, Office of the Vice President, for six years; her years as developmental lawyer prior to and during her stint in government) was guided by this template. 

Those who pored over the candidates’ platforms would know that VP Leni's eight-pronged program was the strategic statement and execution of the above. 

Integrity is for government officials to model, so the country's resources can be accounted for.  

A leader needs to listen to divergent groups to come up with projects and solutions to issues.     

People in government who do their job well must be recognized by the leader, not only to improve morale, but to reward competence. 

A leader must share his/her vision with her team so that the electorate will buy into the direction the government is taking. 

To fight injustices, a leader guides change.  

These qualities were reinforced during the launching on July 1 of the SEC-registered Angat Buhay Inc, devoted to helping  improve lives. Citizen Leni outlined four doable programs: 1) Health and Nutrition; 2) Education; 3) Disaster relief and rehabilitation; and 4) Community engagement. 

It's almost like a parallel "universe" except that: 

The government has all the resources for all projects, but are in danger of being siphoned off by corrupt beauracrats. 

In contrast, Angat Buhay depends on volunteers for logistics and money, every cent of which will be accounted for.  

This servant-leader in PINK is TOTGA (the one that got away), people say. That was also my belief when she lost the presidential election. Thirty-one million voters (per Comelec count) ignored the qualities of a servant-leader.    

With Angat Buhay, however, this lawyer and mother in PINK did not really get away. She is right here with us, working just as hard in a parallel, but better (although poorer in resources) "universe." 

For kakampinks, PINK symbolizes HOPE. I remain hopeful therefore that one day (maybe not in my lifetime), unenlightened voters will finally see the light—recognize and elect a candidate who lives by the values of a servant-leader.  

P.S.

And speaking of transparency, Leni's work for six years as VP is documented. 

PINK Alert! Troll Farms Go Berserk

Several blog posts ago, I wrote about rhodophobia, the fear of PINK. That was tame. 

This fear has become virulent and violent—fake news peddlers are running amok, especially after the launching of the Angat Buhay project on July 1.  

I would have thought (the normal human behavior) that the troll farms’ candidates, plus their alleged 31-million compatriots, would be dancing on the streets, shouting with glee, patting each other on the back for a job-well-done, being magnanimous “winners,” and working for unity, their solitary campaign promise. 

Instead, these nameless, faceless windbags have stepped-up their disinformation on practically all posts about Leni since the winners were proclaimed till now. While I agree that public officials need to be called out for their misconduct and mandate failure, I can't fathom why troll farms continue their massive slandering. Leni is no longer a government official and her VP post required no job but to stand by in case something happens to the president. And now as private citizen, she is continuing her project in the OVP, financed by volunteers and the private sector.   

Yet, they continue to vomit damning fakery like “did nothing as VP” “asking for Angat Buhay donations to fund her next presidential campaign" “Met with diatabelizers in the US” “NPA supporter” “Brainless” “$%^#+!@*!” and a lot more I dare not write for fear of falling into the pit of ungrace.  

One posted a scoffing message (let me try to make sense of it in English): “Kakampinks are a poor copy of us. We are united and we have the numbers. One post alone earns thousands of likes in minutes. Our vloggers have millions of followers.” 

Poor copy?! That would be comparing apples and oranges. 

Trolls are handsomely paid and therefore spend their time on the Net, their source of income. In an article in South China Morning Post (researched by Jonathan Ong), the president-elect admitted, "I hired a troll army, thousands and thousands." 

Kakampinks are all volunteers and go online only during our spare time; we have legitimate jobs or businesses. 

Trolls are provided with scripts or content, as evidenced by many sumilar cut-and-paste posts. 

Kakampinks write what they have in their heart. Nobody, not even Tony beloved, orders me what to write about. 

Trolls hide their profiles on socmed because they have multiple accounts; they go by aliases and borrowed photos.  

Kakampinks’ profiles are for all to read and our individual pages are openly PINK. 

Trolls do nothing but comment, using gutter language meant to divide and incite rebellion.  

Kakampinks speak their minds and do creative things. An endless number of songs, poems, presentations, art pieces, books, etc. by individuals and groups for the PINK campaign pepper the Net. 

So why the PINK alert? 

Disinformation by troll farms were mostly directed against Leni prior to the election, according to UP professor of journalism, Yvonne Chua. And now, in “victory,” these fake-news generators have become more vicious, more ferocious, and more dangerous than ever. I have been cursed and damned for my posts on helping with Angat Buhay. Let us not let our guard down. 

What can we do? 

For one, the announcement that a number of lawyers will take to court those spreading fake news is welcome news. 

We can likewise debunk lies and present the truth, always with proof. Those of us who have been praying for divine justice must press on. 

Together, we are a 15-million force that can help uplift the lives of our people by helping kakampinks in need and being as driven in working for the Angat Pinas, Inc. (Angat Buhay project) as we were during the campaign. 

Divine justice is a promise; it is forthcoming. 

"A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish." (Proverbs 19:9 NIV)

Photo credits: the images in the collage are borrowed from kakampinks' socmed posts.  

We Wear PINK on June 30, 2022

This announcement must have passed my socmed wall a hundred times from different kakampinks since mid-June. What's so important about today? It is the swearing in of our voting-machine-anointed president. 

And so I wear PINK. 

Rather, my blog site, which reflects my swirling thoughts (I write PINK blogs to talk to myself; it's my self-prescribed therapy for post-election syndrome) wears PINK. 

Today, too, VP Leni steps down to begin Angat Buhay NGO tomorrow as citizen Leni. Words are unnecessary, except for a most heartfelt thanksgiving to the One whose grace enables us to keep working—and safeguarding our hope—for a rosy/healthy Philippines.

"I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving." (Psalm 69:30) 

PINK Flowers for Gene

Just before the presidential election, Gene sent me a photo of a lovely pink flower via Messenger with this note: “My first-ever collection of multi-petals adenium . . . for VP Leni for President!” 

“Oh, wow!” I gushed, “I wish I had a green thumb, too!” 

He replied, “If there were a garden in Heaven for flowering plants, I'd like to be one of the gardeners.” 

Perhaps he got his wish. The Lord welcomed Gene to His heavenly garden last week. He was 71. 

Gene was a dear friend and a colleague. A respected professor, he was my chat-mate in the faculty room about grace, our common faith, and ministries.  We lost touch for sometime, with the pandemic and all, but somehow, during the presidential campaign, we met again—online. He got in touch with me after reading my posts and told me he was a kakampink. 

Cyberspace enables friends to say “hello” again, and alas, “goodbye” again.

He did not reply to my last message so I wondered how he was doing. Upon visiting his socmed page, I was shocked to read about what happened. A neighbor narrated that Gene was found unconscious in his garden and was rushed to the hospital. A few days later, he was gone. 

I last saw Gene years ago, but our recent exchange of messages about our shared vision for our country made me feel like we were still in the faculty room, this time around, talking about politics and flowers. 

In memory of Gene, I made a collage of unusual PINK flowers, which I am sure he would have loved to plant in his garden. I am uploading it today, PINK Wednesday, because we, along with other kakampinks, always greeted each other on a day such as this.  

So long, Gene. Till we meet again—at the Lord’s home with its lovely garden! 

“Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.  The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.” (Psalm 103:15-16 NLT) 

PINK NGO: Politicians vs. Statesmen

James Freeman Clarke, an American theologian and author, wrote in the 1800s, “A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman, of the next generation.” 

Two years before the election, most politicians start laying the groundwork for their campaign. They expose themselves to media and public gatherings. When election comes, their names have top-of-mind recall. The list of elected senators shows well-known names. 

Now, how about politicians salivating for the presidency? How long is prep time for a sure win? From news reports and commentaries, our country’s winner hired the services of a well-known British consulting firm to plot out a campaign that would deodorize, revise, and re-brand his and his family’s 36-year reputation.  

Compare this with VP Leni’s and the PINK campaign birthed by people who believe in her advocacies and integrity. She declared her candidacy only in October, with no previous strategies and implementation plans. Everything was organic, funded by grace, and supported by volunteers for a total of only 6 months.  

How does that compute?  

Well, politics is short ranged. It begins and ends with the politicians’ term of office. So where can we find statesmen—those who think long term and are concerned about the future?  

We find them in NGOs (Non-Government Organizations), community-based or grassroots groups that help improve people’s lives with concrete programs, instead of dole outs. They help victims of society’s ills such as sexual abuse, child labor, human rights violations, etc.

    

This was what VP Leni announced at her thanksgiving rally, attended by thousands of grieving kakampinks, as the election numbers took shape, “We will launch an Angat Buhay NGO and it would the widest volunteer network in the country's history.”

Angat Buhay is the flagship anti-poverty program of the Office of the Vice President, which is also the slogan of her campaign: “Gobyernong Tapat, Angat Buhay lahat.”  

There are about 60,000 registered NGOs in the Philippines. Therefore, there are thousands of statesmen whose names are unknown. Many NGO members are retired politicians who saw up close their constituents’ needs and now, outside of government, are able to help them more. 

These statesmen will be joined by soon-to-be-ex-VP Leni, on the first day she becomes citizen Leni, July 1, five days from now.    

Some people argue that perhaps she was not born to be a politician but a statesman. 

Whatever. This much I know—the over 15 million votes (the number assigned by Comelec) who believe in the concept of PINK, not as a color but as a mindset, will again volunteer to give their best to the Angat Buhay NGO as they did to the campaign.

Many verses in the Bible (NLT) remind us to be statesmen: 

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) 

“And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.” ( Hebrews 13:16) 

PINK Team Redefined

“Needed ASAP! An off-the-wall advertising idea for my beleaguered brand,” the client directed the ad agency creative director (CD).  

The CD rushed back to his office and organized two teams (five members each). He explained to them what was needed. “You have four hours.” 

Team A decided that everyone must speak his mind—no holds barred; no judgments. While listing down their ideas (some corny, some hackneyed, some gross), they laughed and bantered. Then someone said, “Hey there’s something there! What if . . ."   

". . . let’s twist it a little so . . .” added another. 

After four hours, they had three brilliant and viable concepts which everyone helped to develop. Nobody took the credit; everyone owned all three.

Team B, in contrast, emphasized unity. They had to be unified to beat Team A. Afraid that his/her idea might not be good enough, nobody—except the most vocal one—put anything on the table. After four hours, they presented the only one idea credited to the one who suggested it. 

This memory of long ago came back to me during the presidential campaign. 

Team A exemplified the PINK way, where everyone’s idea and thought bubble was respected. In fact, VP Leni was criticized for doing an ad (Hadouken ) that made her look “ridiculous” according to some quarters. 

Her explanation, “It was the least I could do for those who gave their all to the concept.”  

Hers was an act of gratitude, of teaming up, which took priority over what critics might say. As a result, hundreds of jingles, poems, songs, dances, blogs, paintings, drawings, sculptures, and presentations were produced by volunteers from and for all demographics. 

As a former ad gal, I was not used to this kind of attitude and communication process. We either followed one united voice for a brand, or bust. 

Yet, this was what charmed me most about the PINK team. It redefined teamwork in politics. Although this style (or non-style) was harshly lambasted by communication veterans of old—pointed to this “crazy mix-up” as the cause of the PINK loss—I learned another important lesson in grace, which in fact is the essence of my faith:    

In numbers (as fed to us by Comelec), this is the PINK team. 

This number may have lost, but it is still formidable. If those who are a part of it will do exactly as they  did during the campaign, we could change our country for the better. 

Our goal, as represented by our logos, is to listen to all voices expressing the same goal in various ways, so that we can lift each other up for a rosy future. 

Naivete? Martyrdom? Idealism? Romance? 

I think not. It is an idea ahead of its time in Philippine politics. 

This redefinition of a political team was exactly what the PINK movement promised: “Sa Gobyernong Tapat, Angat Buhay Lahat.” (Under an honest and efficient government, everyone will have a better life.) 

"For the body is not one member, but many." (1 Corinthians 12:14 NLT)

PFF: PINK Friends Forever

People have defined friend in countless ways. 

“A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.” Arnold H. Glasow

“Friendship . . . is born at the moment when one man says to another 'What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .'” C.S. Lewis

“A true friend encourages us, comforts us, supports us like a big easy chair, offering us a safe refuge from the world.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Likewise, countless songs have been written about friends—all of them enabling. James Taylor’s You’ve Got a Friend is one of my favorites: 

"When you're down and troubled

And you need a helping hand . . .

You’ve got a friend." 

This I sang after an online meet-up with kakampinks in one of my many Group Chats on FB. All eight of us, old friends who have been separated by time and space for years, got together again virtually during the presidential campaign, which resulted in a fiasco.  So we needed to de-stress, and one hour later, we were each other’s helping hand. 

PFF. It's being on the same wavelength and having shared values, shared vision, and shared commitment for a better country (our term: rosy). 

And like receiving a bunch of over 600 PINK roses, I have been blessed with additional virtual kindred souls. These new friendships blossomed when a powerful question was silently asked, What? You too?

I will probably never meet them in person, but we are PINK Forever Friends as we continue to communicate about our dreams for the Philippines, encourage, help, pray for one another; exchange inspiring thoughts; and to never give up on what we have begun. 

(In contrast, I have blocked thrice that number of FB netizens for cursing, lying, insulting, belittling, and sowing hatred. Like noxious and repulsive weeds, they keep sprouting—so I keep blocking.)

Having PFF is indeed like being nestled in a big easy chair (Brown Jr.'s metaphor), a safe place from a cruel, stressful world of paid trolls rooting for what should never be. 

Heartwarming anecdotes, woven in grace, experienced during the rallies and other events—and even simply meeting someone in PINK anywhere—bred (and continue to breed) instant camaraderie and connections. In my case, as I hardly go out, in cyberspace.  

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT)

Rhodophobia: Fear of PINK

Funny? It should be. In the context of the PINK campaign, this should be hilarious. 

This is not meant to trivialize phobias, because they exist and cause great mental anguish. A phobia is a serious matter as it can happen along with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If someone is traumatized by an event associated with anything, it results in an intense fear of it. 

But fear of the color PINK?! 

Trolls are paid an enormous amount of money to demonize VP Leni, who personified this color during the presidential campaign, on all media 24/7. Fake news, spliced videos, manufactured sex scenes and numbers, photoshopped images, malevolent caricatures, and all kinds of vitriol—name it, they had everything, including the kitchen sink, thrown at her and anyone PINK. To my deep anguish, I was not spared from curses and unspeakable language because of my favorable comments about VP Leni’s advocacies and platforms.  

These unprecedented and orchestrated maneuvers of a most evil kind could only be caused by fear of the PINK wave.

But why? All cards are stacked in their favor.   

Power: Political bigwigs, then and now, have banded together for them.  

Numbers:  Their votes, as released by Comelec, are more than twice those of the lady's. 

Money:  According to trolls, they have tons of gold. The lady had only PINK volunteers who offered their services free and spent for materials and logistics.  

Unity: That was their singular promise to voters during the campaign. The implementation should now be in place. 

This intense fear, although disguised as extreme hatred, comes from somewhere. They know what it is, and it's eating them up.  

VP Leni has been serving the marginalized, and always quick to come to the recue of disaster victims, for so many years. Instead of gratitude, the scared cabal gave the lady nicknames like “fake VP” “lutang” “madumb” “bobo” “tanga” “mistress” and many more unprintable barbs.  

So, okay, the election is over. The trolls’ candidate for president has been acknowledged as winner by  the voting machines. It should be the end of the story, right? 

Wrong. This fear has worsened. More than ever, the massive trolling has intensified—all of the lady's activites and messages are twisted to make her look brainless and useless. The PINK wave must be really terrifying; they're shaking in their boots. 

It’d be so easy for us to say “Woe unto those who suffer from rhodophobia!” 

But VP Leni begs us not to do what they do. She wants us to push back and straighten out  misinformation—in ways that enlighten, inspire, educate, and heal. Tough order. 

If you are a kakampink, you and I know that the easiest way to push back is to give the haters a dose of their own medicine (please pardon the cliché). But then, again, we live by grace and help promote good values. We are PINK. 

We are not the same.

“Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving.” (Proverbs 4:14-15 NLT)

photo credit: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/1900024812985288/ 

PINK On and Fly Free

“Move on!” The red camp taunts us, as if it were a heinous crime to speak about the presidential election. It’s a phrase meant to muzzle those who want to ferret out the truth.  

I say, “Pink on!” 

Pinking on is moving forward with a tight grip on grace. The past, fraught with documented atrocities, cannot be dropped. Forgiving and forgetting misdeeds that caused ignorance and impunity cannot be legislated, especially when facts are big as life. 

Only when truth becomes our guiding principle in governance can we fly free as we should in a democracy.  

It’s ironic how “move on” makes me and kakampinks (kindred spirits) vividly remember, especially those that happened 36 years ago. My friend Marian uploaded a photo of her treasured books about Martial Law and other important events during the dark periods of our history. These are literature the younger generation ought to read! 

After clicking a heart emoji, I was surprised when she messaged me back, “Grace, Fly, Malaya, Fly! is displayed proudly too!” 

It sure is—side-by-side with books that document how we lost our freedom. 

Fly, Malaya, Fly! is a children’s book which I co-wrote with my then 10-year-old son #3 and illustrated by Longlong Pesquira. It’s about letting a bird, Malaya (free) fly safe—our dream for everyone in this country: be free from the miseries of poverty (both economically and morally), caused by power-and-money-hungry leaders who run for office not for the people but for themselves. 

Young as he was, son #3 joined an essay writing contest, which won him a prize. As I had just retired from the workplace, I re-worked it with him, to further emphasize that birds are meant to soar high, not caged or hunted. 

The book was published by Caltex Philippines through Marian (then the Communications Manager)  for the Philippine Eagle Foundation "to ensure the survival of the Philippine Eagle, the biodiversity it represents, and the sustainable use of our forest resources for future generations to enjoy.” 

At the same hour when we were launching Fly, Malaya, Fly! in Davao, President Erap was deposed and was exiting from Malacanang—an event that dramatized our being malaya from a head of state found unfit to lead us.  

The book mirrors the aspirations of the song Bayan Ko (My Dear Country) composed in 1929, when Filipinos were struggling for independence from colonizers. Based on a poem by Jose Corazon de Jesus, the lyrics are a prayer of a people caged for over 400 years. The words likened the Philippines—a nest of tears and poverty—to a bird set free.

Today, June 12, we celebrate our Independence Day. Let's pink on and fly.

With courage, authors need to write more and the youth need to read books about our past. Alas, some of my author friends have been red-tagged for children’s books about dictatorship.  But we cannot allow our country to be locked-up again, not by lies and historical revisionism, financed by money stolen from us. 

“The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.” (Job 17:9 NLT)

Detox Farm and PINK Pleasures

Toxins from the bloody presidential election held three weeks earlier were coming out of our ears.  

Son #3 noticed that these were causing us—especially his aging parents—unnecessary anxiety, and declared we all needed detoxification. 

“My treat,” he said and booked an overnight stay in a farm in Bali, Indonesia on Philippine soil. 

What I remember of Bali, where I once attended a meeting, are all at Dewi Sri Farm, only better. Everything is natural—from hydroponically grown veggies and fruits to organically fed fish, chickens, and cattle. 

The air is pollution free as the farm is tucked in a 10-hectare lot away from the highway. And because it is in Laguna, where the soil is richer than many places in Metro Manila, all flora and fauna are ten times bigger, taller, and healthier than what we have in our garden. 

That blissful and peaceful weekend, we were the only guests—just Tony, two sons, and me. We claimed all as our own—the swimming pool, gazebo, fish pond, birds in the air, animals freely roaming around, and all other areas that the two boys toured on young, sturdy legs. Tony and I pretty much kept ourselves around the Indonesian villa. 

A surprise bonus: PINK pleasures were here and there—the décor, art pieces, flowers, and leaves. Why, even the tilapia was PINK! 

Beside the swimming pool, while the cicadas sang, the geckos rasped, and the birds chirped, I had a spirited chat with the farm manager, who is a kakampink. We reminisced about the campaign, and how it inspired volunteerism and awakened love for country. 

“I am looking forward to the Angat Buhay NGO,”  he said, “so I can help the needy with citizen Leni leading us.”  Like me, this is the first time he has ever participated in a political campaign in his life, although he had been a student leader in a state university. 

PINK made its presence felt. 

Whether in a toxic environment or a detox farm, hope occupies a space. With detoxified ears and eyes, we can clearly hear and see it, and appreciate the grace it brings. 

". . . if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work." (2 Timothy 2:21 ESV)

Look for the (PINK) Star

An 85-year-old lady was asked by her daughter what her plan was for the PINK parol (star lanterns) hanging from their tree after Comelec announced the election results.  

“Leave them there. If they fade, replace them. So when things go bad, people will know we stood for what is right,” she replied. 

That, in sum, was one FB post of a kakampink, which my friend Joan forwarded to me with this message, “This made me think of your book, Look for the Star." 

Yes, the similarity is uncanny. 

Look for the Star is about hope—hope for an intemperate son to come back home where the big star, a metaphor for love, awaits unconditionally. In our Bible, the magi followed the star of Bethlehem which led them to the Hope of mankind. 

This book (published by Hiyas of OMF Lit and illustrated by Beth Parrocha-Doctolero) was awarded the ASEAN Grand Prize in a children’s book competition in Singapore by judges of different nationalities. Hope resonates with everyone, no matter where he comes from.  

Before Joan sent me this post, we had already taken down our PINK stars (over 50 of them in all sizes, hanging from trees around our house).  Mulling over the 85-year-old woman’s stand, I teared up (as I often do these days; please indulge me), and decided to hang one star again, “so if things go wrong, people will know we stood for what is right.”   

 When we first ordered bulk materials for campaign giveaways, we told the delivery boy, “Just look for the house with PINK stars.” 

He complained, “Almost all houses in your village have PINK stars!” Hope was ablaze then.   

But hope seems to hide now after a heartbreaking loss. Only the PINK stars in photos remind us that HOPE has not left.  

In Look for the Star, there was no way a delinquent boy would return home after many years. But his parents never took the star down, till he found his way back.   

By grace, hope is found in the heart of people who will never take the star down, because they don't give up. Believing they are on the side of good, they know that one day, the unenlightened, waylaid sons will look for the star. 

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)  

Will PINK Still Glow? Will Light Still Shine?

Here she was, peacefully retired, free from migraine and acid reflux, waking up any time of day or night, receiving her SSS pension, augmented by freebies from three sons, and doing the one thing she has always wanted to do if she had the time—writing. 

Time she finally had. 

No need to dress up, smudge eye shadows, blow-dry hair, meet with staff, evaluate output, and be nice, exceedingly nice.  

Charmed, comfy life. Like peacefully waiting for her flight home in the departure lounge.   

That was upended one day in October 2021, as the pandemic lulled. She rushed back to the ticket counter, changed her flight for a war zone, braved the air pockets, seized the seat of an adventurous youth.    

That one day was when VP Leni announced her candidacy for the presidency, and the retiree is moi. 

I refer to myself in the third person because I can’t slip back to where I was ensconced anymore. Not yet anyway. 

That change-of-flight took me to a place I have never been before: a political campaign. 

What pushed me? 

HOPE. I had hoped that this country, which has been flogged fiercely by foul language, curses, EJK, arrogance, inefficiency (especially during the pandemic), and cover-ups of suspected anomalies (i.e. Pharmally), could morph into a good place, if led by honest and hard-working leaders who demonstrate good values.

PINK campaign it was called, because the team had an eight-pronged workable platform toward a rosy future. 

I got reunited with old BFFs and met new pals as we worked harmoniously together, financing our own expenses, wearing different hats but heading toward one direction. It was exhilarating, but bloody.

In the workplace, not even the meanest meanies ever cursed or wished me dead. 

“F%#! you, go home to China where you will be with murderers like Mao.”  

“I hope you get cancer and die! $%#@” 

“Madumb, the color of rose is red, not PINK.” 

Plus many more unmentionables. 

Grace held me (us) up. 

The result was even more bloody. The team that offered hope was assigned low numbers, a twisted plot that will never be unraveled.   

And so I grieve. But this heartwarming art work by Tarantadong Kalbo unites those who stood up; it’s comforting. It is now my screen saver. 

I am concerned, however, about the youth (my nieces and nephews included), whose love of country was ignited. Now with eyes wide open, they educated the uninformed, ran errands before, during, and after rallies, under the heat of the sun, often without meals. 

Because their hope was dashed, will they still feel the same way about future elections? Will they still rise as they did for PINK?    

As soon as I get back to the departure lounge, before my last boarding call for my flight home, my prayer would still be for the younger generation to keep that kindled light for our country burning, glowing in the dark.   

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1 NIV) 

Photo credits: New York Times for the crowd shot; the rest were borrowed from the "Umingan for Leni" FB page 

Stunning Mother-and-Child in PINK

A mother-and-child painting always stops me dead in my tracks. The special love of a mother for an infant evokes so many virtues: strength, sacrifice, resoluteness, and patience—all of them divine.  

I have a file folder of my favorite mother-and-child paintings by various artists. 

On Mother’s Day this year—amidst the presidential campaign—I was particularly riveted to one titled "La Leche Materna" with a PINK background on FB. Not only because of the color which had become our campaign staple, but because of the impact of a selfless mom breastfeeding her child.  

I can never describe the exquisite artistry as I am not an authority on art. But I can express my feelings in one word: stunned. 

The artist, Tom Yboa, is a dear, long-time friend, whose works I marvel at on social media—but only if they happen to pass my wall during the hours I spend online. 

This stunning image never left me as the campaign drew to a close, because that was how I imagined the election results: 

Our next president is a mother.   

She has demonstrated all the sterling qualities of a mom to the people whom she served (nursed may be a better word) for years. I had dreamed of her doing the same for the rest of the country.  

Alas, it was not to be. Today, VP Leni announced—through Atty. Romulo Macalintal—that she will bow to the voice of the people.  

This mother has accepted “defeat” with grace.

Macalintal's short speech was cathartic to us kakampinks (kindred spirits) who, during her Pasasalamat (Thanksgiving rally), cheered her plan to launch the Angat Buhay NGO on July 1, the day after she ends her VP stint. 

Her words, "Allow yourself to cry, but when you're ready to wipe your tears, prepare yourself, strengthen you heart, because we have work to do." She vowed that even as an ordinary citizen, stripped of any government post, she will continue helping Filipinos to have a better life. 

Tom’s art will always remind me that once in my lifetime, I helped passionately campaign for hope, humanized by a mother in PINK, who was spurned by the majority (if the numbers are indeed true). 

But no matter how many times a mother is spurned, she will give of her best, she will persevere. That is a universal truth. 

 “ . . . God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:27 NIV)