Just PINK Happy Thoughts and You’ll fly!

Gasp. Gulp. Gush. 

I had no words for the way the Cheerleaders for Leni/Kiko flew up in the sky during the proclamation rally of the Leni/Kiko Team in Quezon City. Like birds, they soared, and how! 

With mouth agape, I gazed in awe at my computer monitor, remembering the Peter Pan of my youth whose words always make me smile, “Just think happy thoughts and you’ll fly.” 

When I came to, I mused, These kids must be PINKing happy thoughts. Peering closely, my eyes seemed to have glimpsed my niece Dazha among them. She used to be the only reason I'd watch the UAAP Opening Season, where her school’s cheerdance team won the grand prize many times in a row. 

Nah, that was sometime ago, I thought. Dazha has since carved a name for herself at Disneyland and now as a dance instructor. 

But indeed it was Dazha!  She, with 25 other cheerdancers (past and current) from different universities, who used to be fierce competitors, formed the Cheerleaders for Leni. 

“We’re now more than 100 in NCR, Tita,” Dazha said when I finally had a chance to message her. “But there are many, many more all over the country!” 

Gasp. Gulp. Gush. 

“And in addition to Cheerleaders for Leni, there are other groups: Dancers for Leni, Life Events for Leni . . .” 

It was all too much to fathom. But when she uploaded to her FB page a video of about 150 volunteer dancers (hip-hop, ballet, cheer, jazz, contemporary, ballroom) produced by Life Events for Leni and Film Makers for Leni, I was totally  blown away. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQogkw0LDrk

However, the coup de grace that slayed and slew me was the cast of characters; it has no star billing. Every name is written with the same font size. But one name leaped at me: 

Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, a prima Ballerina, who became the first foreign soloist to ever join the Kirov Ballet; Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Manila; and was the Vice-Chairman of the Philippine UNESCO National Commission.

Such is what’s making this campaign fly. Volunteers ask no favors, no rewards, no special treatment. Like Dazha and all the participants in this magnum opus of a video, we volunteer and PINK happy thoughts for a better tomorrow.  

Without a doubt,  

#SaGobyernongTapatAngatBuhayLahat 

(Under an honest and competent government, everyone will have a better life.)

“Always be joyful.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16 NLT 

Photo credits: All borrowed from the Net

PINK Murals on Good Morals

When even a famous master artist like Lydia Velasco takes to the streets and joins people of all ages and social strata in painting murals on community and private walls—under the heat of the sun—you know something sublime is simmering.  

PINK is at work.  

It’s the campaign for good and honest governance for a rosy tomorrow (transliteration of VP Leni’s tagline: Kulay rosas ang bukas). 

Painting murals (done and financed by volunteers) on the beauty of a better future if we had VP Leni at the helm, began with the presidential campaign in October. But it accelerated to a feverish speed when in Echague, Isabela, COMELEC personnel—abetted by men in uniform—painted white over a VP Leni’s team mural, painstakingly done by youth volunteers for days on a private wall! 

They claimed it was a part of the COMELEC’s directive to take down campaign materials that violated specified sizes. Immediately after that infamous white paint-over, VP Leni’s campaign volunteers painted the wall again. This time with plain PINK, a statement more eloquent than images and words.  

Many of VP Leni’s posters were also taken down in that northern province, which is reportedly the bailiwick of Marcos Jr., VP Leni’s rival. As more posters were taken down elsewhere, and after one other wall in Las Pinas City was painted over by unidentified men during a Marcos Jr. rally, mural painting went on overdrive! 

Men, women, and children all over the country now continue to paint PINK murals. These images of grace (there are many, many more on the Internet or un-uploaded ones) have but one message: An honest government brings about better lives for all.  

“Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed.” (Proverbs 12:19 NLT) 

Photo credits: All photos are borrowed from the Net. 

Picture perfect: PINK Worth a Thousand Words

The lighting is flat; the composition is chaotic; the colors are washed out; the texture is uneven; and the subject is defocused.  

Perfect.  

This picture says all that I could not put accurately in words. It demonstrates all the reasons why I chose VP Leni for my president.  Based on her sterling track record, I believe she will bring our country to where it should be—a well-run home Filipinos deserve. 

This happened on her way to a rally in Cavite, where an estimated crowd of 47,000 people awaited her. But the political kingpins, who have ruled that place for years and are  supporting another candidate, put up roadblocks (literally and figuratively). According to news reports, the air waves were jammed,  posters were torn down, bus rentals were banned, road repairs suddenly surfaced, and many routes to the venue were closed. 

Result: monumental traffic jam! 

After getting stuck in the gridlock for more than four hours, VP Leni decided to hitch a ride on the back of a motorcycle. It was something nobody expected. It happened so fast that cameras were outraced to document it well. 

“A political gimmick!” her bashers chorused. Indeed, why would a person in her position even think of it? But look! Pictures, like grace, write more words that we can craft. 

She is not a stranger to motorcycle in all her years lawyering at the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) and later at SALIGAN, an NGO, where she defended the poor and the helpless to ensure their free access to the courts. She had gone and will go to places in/on any transportation available to ordinary people (bus, tricyle, cart, boat, jeepney) where she is needed, whatever it takes, rain or shine. 

A few weeks later, we read on the news again that she visited a miniscule community on an island politicians ignore—this time on a cramped boat!   

So this is not about riding a motrocycle in that place where she is a persona non grata; it is about having the heart to serve and serve well, even if it means going to danger zones. It is about being a courageous servant leader, a rarity these modern days.  

The servant-leadership theory in workplaces is defined as “focusing on your staff’s growth and well-being, and putting their needs first. Instead of you being served, you serve them.” 

That’s what these pictures paint so vividly for those who attend her mammoth rallies. It is why the color of hope, PINK, which her supporters chose as her campaign color, is worth a thousand words.  

“ . . . Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45 NLT)

Photo credits: Thank you to all those who posted these photos online.  

Volunteerism: Phenomenal Passion for PINK

For six months now, I have been what my late mom would tut-tut at, "social butterfly," but which is my polar opposite. I have always shunned big gatherings, preferring meet-ups with close friends, family, and peers. I am content staying home writing, reading, musing, and solving crossword puzzles. 

But in October, the beginning of the presidential campaign, I metamophosed into a flitter.    

On social media, I joined and continue to join ad hoc chat groups (more aptly called work groups because we work and not chat) with past friends, from my childhood up to the workpace that I left years ago. This is not to mention current friends with whom I share the same values, and many new friends whom I will probably never meet in my life.  

Technology and our passion for PINK, premised on hope for good and honest governance, transformed me, and them! 

This PINK phenomenon has a name: volunteerism.  

As a former advertising creative director, I had worked with many art directors, who are now again my partners in creating ads. The same is true with many former peers and younger admen today. 

Tony and I distribute tarps (and pink parol last Christmas); veteran and amateur producers of competing ad agencies are combining their resources (talents, musicians, lyricists, and singers) to shoot commercials; celebrity talents and bands perform in rallies; account executives craft strategies and timelines; artists create logos, images, and memes. 

Nobody calls the shots, but everyone (of diverse ages!) is in sync. 

Unlike in the workplace where feuding egos derail work, in this campaign, egos are extinct. Nobody cares for credit or glory. Nobody counts the cost. 

Meanwhile, this same passion is ablaze among people on the ground: lugawan, putohan, pansitan, and community pantries; free transportation; printing and designing of tarps, leaflets, comics, and other materials; prettifying walls by painting murals; posting gripping photos and stories; uploading testimonies of eureka moments in print and on video; donating cash and whatever is needed; and many more. 

Often, I grab images on social media and ask to whom I may credit them. Nobody replies. Meaning, for kakampink (pink army for VP Leni’s team), it’s grab all you want. “We are all in this together.” Like me, many or all of the kakampink, have never volunteered in any political campaign before.  

That’s why we were enraged when Governor Remulla of Cavite accused VP Leni’s team of paying us to attend rallies. Not only was it an irresponsible statement, it was an insult to the essence of volunteerism, a burgeoning virtue never seen in such magnitude till today.  

My eyes well up just writing about this unlikely pro-bono collaborations (there are gazillions more, but space limits me). And I am not alone.  Members of my work groups ask, “Why am I so weepy these days?”

If my Mom were still around today, she'd most likely change "social butterfly" to "firefly" (light in the dark). 

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)

Papa God

Aside from the names of God in the Bible (Yahweh, Jehovah, El Shaddai,  Abba, etc.),  people sometimes stick to a nickname to keep Him close. 

A lady named Krista calls the Lord “Papa God.” She addresses Him thus in her prayers, during discussions in Bible study, and Sunday school.  

This disconcerts some of her faith brethren:   

“Yes, Abba means father, but to call the Lord of all ‘Papa God’ diminishes Him.” 

“It’s equating God to our earthly father whom we fondly call Papa.” 

“Being a father is just one of His many attributes—and to emphasize just His being a loving Father is a distorted view.”      

By consistently referring to the Lord as “Papa God,” others who hear it might be misled, limiting His attributes to their human father’s. They could miss out on the facts that: 

God is a demanding Judge. In Exodus 34:6-7 (NLT), God calls out to Moses, “’Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness . . . I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren . . . even children in the third and fourth generations.’” 

God is infinite. ". . . he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17)  

God is Omnipotent. “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” (Psalm 33:6) 

God is our (to use today’s legal terms) Benefactor, Custodian, and Grantor:  “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.” (Acts 20:32) 

Our CAMACOP LOGO encapsulates four of the all-encompassing attributes of an all-powerful God: 

Savior. Sanctifier. Healer. Coming King. 

Let us not be tempted to make God one-dimensional. We may have our favorite attribute of Him, but we need to worship and honor all of Him—infinite, from everlasting to everlasting.      

Photo credit: top  

Awe-inspiring: 100 PINK Poems for Leni

What is it about VP Leni that inspires 68 famous poets to write a total of 100 poems for her? 

Writer/director Floy Quintos posted on social media, "A kind of Renaissance has been brewing, have you noticed? A Renaissance of Hope." 

How did this poetry anthology happen? 

We read in the back-cover blurb of the book (published by San Anselmo Publications, Inc.), "Remarkably, the process of dissemination, submission, collation and editing took only four weeks—in time to have this collection of multilingual poetry printed and presented as a Valentine’s Day gift to Vice President Leni Robredo." 

Krip Yuson, a member of the editorial board, in his article in Philippine Star, wrote, “. . . the oldest contributor is 87-year-old Luis Cabalquinto, a New York-based oragon from Camarines Sur; the youngest is 17-year-old Yñigo Miguel Almeda, a biology freshman from Ateneo de Manila University.” 

The very young and the very old are of one mind when it comes to VP Leni!

Let me quote parts of what Executive Producer Marvin Aceron said that touched my core:  

". . . poetry is also the repository of our collective memory. Thus, the long term value of this book is that, many years from now, people will remember that this country was hit by the 2020 pandemic with a terrible president at the helm, and there was this lady who inspired us and took on this daunting task of putting our country back in order with the right political values . . .  

“Over time, politics will deteriorate again and people will forget. But people may relive this time of our lives. All they need to do is to open this book and be delighted and inspired again by the 67 poets, their 100 poems, and their muse, the lady in pink."

Grace appears in all colors; with this book, it came in PINK. 

I ordered copies for me and kin, but, alas, every single one has been sold out before the day was over! Kakampinks who heard about my plight immediately said they would be happy to lend me their copy. 

At least I got a peek of one page of the book—by a writer whom I have looked up to through the years. It went viral before, during, and after the launching. I tear up every single time I read it. 

Jose Dalisay explained, "I chose to write a poem from the point of view of Leni's late husband Jesse, whom I had the privilege to meet at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. I imagined what Jesse might want to say now, seeing his beloved at the forefront of a massive campaign to defeat dictatorship and restore peace and justice to our benighted country." 

Always with great humility and both feet on the ground, VP Leni exclaimed,  “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be the subject of a poem, let alone 100 of them!”   

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you . . ."  (1 Peter 5:6 ESV)

Photo credits: Top and bottom images were grabbed from the Net. 

Son, Mother: Hope for a PINK Future

When this photo (snapped by Aica Dioquino) first passed through my FB wall, I didn’t dare blink. Is this for real? 

It tugged at my heart as both a mother now and as a child then. From whichever point of view, the photo was grace beyond telling. 

I saw my young, innocent face full of joy and optimism for the future. At the same time, I glimpsed my old, lined face reaching out to the dreamer, ecouraging him, “There is hope, son. There is hope for a rosy furutre.” 

I may be waxing nostalgic and sentimental, bordering on maudlin, but these are the emotions that often visit me (sometimes they overstay) these days of feverish campaigning for our next president and team. 

In all my years as a voting citizen, I have never helped in any campaign as much as I am doing now: being a keyboard warrior (blogging, forwarding, messaging, liking, and all the “ings” you can think of when one faces the computer monitor); spending for PINK parol and tarps and giving them away; convincing individuals to help in re-sculpting  our beloved Philippines back to the good values that should always be our essence.    

These are painted in PINK words so eloquently in a POEM by Pablo Tariman, entitled “Snapshot.”  

Over five million other people (and counting) as of today, who saw this photo on their wall, are one in lauding Tariman's words, which mirror our own hope for a PINK future.  

"As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you." (Isaiah 66:13 NIV)

Sloppy, Messy handwriting

Griffonage, the new normal in this digital age among the X, Y, Z generations, is the term for careless, illegible handwriting. 

It didn’t exist in the silent generation (1925-1945) among adults. My parents had beautiful, readable handwriting, and so did their peers. 

The baby boomers (my generation) followed suit. We were taught how to write our alphabets properly in grade school—capital and small letters.  Some private schools even had subjects focused on perfecting cursive writing. In those days, you could tell who graduated from what school, based on their penmanship.  

Today, those who have never known a day without a computer, type on keyboards rather than write on paper. Without practice, handwriting becomes griffonage—sloppy and messy.  

Also today, handwriting is taught and encouraged only in grade school. Its importance has dipped rock bottom.  

It is a miracle that pharmacists can read doctors’ prescriptions!   

In my writing journey, despite the availability of digital writing gadgets, I have learned that the brain retains knowledge from handwritten scribbles, more than typed notes. Studies verify that the brain comprehends better when we commit notes to paper (perhaps because our hands are connected to our gray matter and our laptop is not?). 

Due to the glut of interesting and distracting things happening at the same time at super speed these modern times, people tend to rush things, including their writing. 

Writing by hand slows the world down. 

It helps me focus and think more thoroughly about the information I am recording. At the same time, it allows me to enjoy the grace that expands my thoughts and to form connections between them. 

According to psychologists, handwriting—because it is tedious—forces the brain to engage with the information, developing a strong conceptual and critical understanding since words are not jotted down verbatim. Therefore, the writer summarizes the information in a way that makes sense to him. 

In truth, I lapse often into griffonage because my mind thinks faster than my hand can write, but when I reread my notes, they’re crystal clear to me because my heart and soul know exactly the context upon which they were written.  

If you’re a digital fan, try writing by hand sometime.  

Walk on PINK

Jesse Robredo, VP Leni's late husband, was Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), at the time of his death in a plane crash on August 18. 

In life, Sec. Jesse was a highly-regarded, multi-awarded public servant, and an internationally recognized expert in local governance. As mayor of Naga City for 18 years, he transformed this once-lethargic city into a premier metropolis in the Bicol region (the Asia Foundation, 2012). 

Many people today remember Sec. Jesse as the leader who championed participatory governance, better known as "tsinelas leadership,” because he wore tsinelas (slippers) in public often. 

Now, VP Leni is walking in his shoes (slippers, rather) as she runs for president. 

Painting by Mark Anthony Taduran

This is no surprise. Long before the demise of Sec. Jesse, VP Leni worked to support her husband's concerns—as a legal adviser to the poor, pro-bono, and a helping hand to the marginalized (immediately during natural calamities). 

When she was elected VP, she put her office to work through her Angat Buhay (improved life) program, providing assistance for pandemic urgent needs and to disaster victims even in remote areas. These she had been able to accomplish in partnership with private enterprises who trusted her with their resources.  

Clad in PINK (the color of hope and the symbol of a rosy future), those of us who support her vision for this country walk with her. 

Like Sec. Jesse, we walk on slippers (PINK) with VP Leni, so our land will embrace hope after the May elections. 

Alas, we might have lost our way and have fallen into a filthy pit of rude language, revolting behavior, and rancid values over the last few years, but if we scramble up then walk . . . and walk . . . and walk on PINK, one step at a time by grace through faith, we will find our way again towards a governance that will listen to our voices and allow us to participate. 

"Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." (1 John 2:6 ESV) 

Long or short?

Long hair is more difficult to manage vs. short hair.

Following the same argument, long sentences are more difficult to understand than short ones. But many of my university and MBA students think that big words and long, run-on sentences make for more impressive academic papers.

“I am not impressed with big words and long sentences,” I said, smiling kindly so as not to offend them. (Students today are more vulnerable than we ever were. A teacher has to be careful with her words or she might be accused of bullying: Republic Act No. 10627 on anti-bullying.)

“What impresses you?” one asked.

“Short sentences and short paragraphs,” I said.

“Why?”

“Because, unless we are Ernest Hemingway, who can write an impeccable sentence with over 400 words, our complicated sentences might be misunderstood by the reader—particularly the person who will grade our paper.”

And so I sit down with each one, pointing out where a sentence may be simplified. In the process, they see how a thought written in a shorter sentence becomes so clear it could be understood even by fifth grader.

In sharing the gospel, we sometimes use too many words, too, making it sound more complicated than it is. The Bible presents the good news of salvation in a simple language everybody should understand.

When Paul and Silas were preaching about Christ (Acts 16:20-32), they were imprisoned. Suddenly, a massive earthquake caused the jail door to open. The jailer panicked, thinking that his prisoners had escaped and tried to kill himself.  Paul shouted, “Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!” The jailer, trembling with fear, asked how he could be saved. Their simple reply, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 

God’s love story need not be belabored. It is grace—short and simple that even a fifth grader can understand: God sent His Son to save us from sin and death.

How then, can we share the gospel to doubters and unbelievers in a short and simple language?

PINK Minds Think Alike

Long ago, you could gain a friend through snail mail anywhere in the world, without ever seeing him. He was called a pen pal. Those days are gone now. For the longest time, our friends were those within our circles.

Then social media redefined "friend" as someone on your "friends' list" and privy to your posts. I have had a few friend requests now and then . . .

 . . . but never like this! 

Days after VP Leni filed her Certificate of Candidacy for president, I have been deluged with friend requests. Suspicious of scammers, I first visit their walls.  

Why, they are all of PINK Minds! These are people who share my values, love this country, are judicious decision makers, and want an honest governance.  

Why would they want me to be their friend? They must have visited my wall, read my posts and blogs, and saw my PINK mind, which matches theirs.  

Accept. Accept. Accept. I couldn't click accept fast enough.

And today, I have many, many friends, with whom I share VP Leni pages. All posts are unifying:  concerns are appeased, successes are toasted, impatience are pacified, and values are affirmed. Words of apology (over words that  might have offended a sensitive soul), are profuse.  

PINK pages are where we hold each other up. Here, we learn about voluntary contributions; feeding events at the host's expense; pink parol hung on fences and trees; jingles and videos produced pro-bono; tarps and comic books given away; plus more.  

Here, we know by heart her 8-pronged program if elected—under the omnibus tagline, Gobyernong Tapat, Angat Buhay Lahat (A sincere government ushers in a better life for all). 

When handled with commitment and compassion, these will raise our standard of living:   

1) Jobs 

2) Housing 

3) Security

4) Health

5) Education

6) Food 

7) Environment

8) Infrastructure/Technology 

Often, we are hurled with insults, nasty remarks, laughing emojis, profanities, non-sensical gobbledygook, and disparagement from rubble rousers (or even friends from a different camp) and paid trolls. Some try to talk sense into them. But when these are met with derision, I delete and block them.  

That's our community of PINK minds. We call each other kakampink, our Filipino version of bosom buddy. 

It is my safe place. It is where grace turns up in comforting words of hope and peace. It came just as I was at my wit's end over failed governance, on the verge of losing my moral compass amidst a crippling pandemic. 

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works." Hebrews 10:24 (NLT) 

Eat All You Can

Cardiologists warn us, especially when our blood chemistry reveals risky results, to have a healthy diet.  “Eat in moderation. Avoid eat-all-you-can restaurants,” are words spoken to hefty, overweight patients with heart problems. Often, doctors suggest an ultra-low-fat diet.  

The pandemic saved us from that kind of over-indulgence. Health protocols banned eat-all-you-can binges. We break bread in moderation at home. But creatures of habits, we still prepare so much food during celebrations such as birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and New Year.  

We do know that good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Our balanced diet can help us reach and maintain an ideal weight, reduce our risk of heart troubles, and promote our overall health. 

Too much intake can lead to disaster.  

When it comes to “eating” God’s Word, however, the flip side is true. The more we  ingest it, the healthier our spiritual life becomes. 

“Break your fast in the morning,” Pastor Ariel encouraged the congregation. “Read God’s word first thing in the morning, and you won’t go hungry or thirsty all day—you will have all the nutritional grace you need. He then cited what Jesus said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” 

Remember when Satan dared (Matthew 4:3-4) Jesus to turn stones into bread to prove that He is the son of God? 

Jesus replied, “No! The Scriptures say,‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 

“Eat all you can!” Pastor Ariel stressed. There is no such thing as over-eating God’s Word. Otherwise, you’ll suffer from spiritual malnutrition. Eat God’s Word every morning, every day, and find yourself growing in relationship with Jesus.”   

Questions to self: How often do I ingest God’s word? Do I eat all I can?

Len-Len: PINKaholic

A lady senator, who plays the mistress of the house in a short video, scolds her househelp named Len-Len, off-camera. The name is a thinly veiled allusion, with mockery and malice, to VP Leni. Speaking in Filipino, she calls Len-Len to task for being dumb and inept in making her coffee bitter. 

Not content with that, she uploaded online this message, all caps: 

TIRED LEN-LEN

ANYONE WHO CLAIMS TO WORK 18 HOURS A DAY IS EITHER LYING OR STUPID

What brought on this acerbic tirade against VP Leni? 

On TV, VP Leni was asked by an interviewer how many hours does she work. She replied, "18 hours." 

The all caps, white-on-black message of the senator, whose family reeks of money, on Len-Len went viral. 

Those who work 18 hours a day or more are many. Across the board, they have been demeaned, condemned for working hard and for long hours: 

• Farmers who wake up early to either plant or harvest their crops
• Healthcare professionals, front liners who often go into a double or 24-hour shift
• Advertising, movie, and TV production practitioners
• Movie and stage actors, and musicians 
• Journalists, authors, editors, and printers
• OFWs toiling the night away to earn enough for their families back home
• Single parents tackling two jobs
• househelps (stay-in or per day), gardeners, labanderas
• Market vendors, restaurant and supermarket staff
• CEOs, managers, department heads 
• Teachers who spend the night preparing materials and checking papers
• Security and coast guards  
• Mothers  
• Plus many, many more     

In unison, "We are not lying, nor are we stupid." 

This gave birth to a series of memes, where hardworking people (who can never have the lady senator's wealth even if they worked over 18 hours a day all their lives), PINKaholics all, have come forward as Len-Len. 

I am proudly one of them.  

Those of us who toil and work hard for our families, or for the love of our craft—if not recognized for our perseverance—should not be mocked. We might be insignificant like the tiny ants, but the Bible admonishes the high and the mighty, who enjoy an easy and relaxed life, to work like these little crawlers: Len-Len, we are called.  

Proverbs 6:6 reads, "Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!"

Photo credits: All images of Len-Len were borrowed from social media. 

The 7 Things the Lord Detests

As I read Proverbs 6:16-19 (NLT), I shivered. The words hit a little too close to home. They’re on the Net and newspaper editorials almost every day. 

They describe how our country’s leaders behave on TV or on video, the media where we see them during the pandemic. 

“There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests:

Haughty eyes. They glare at us as though nobody but they have a say on how our country should be run, or that their opinions are gospel truth.  

Lying tongue. How many times have we caught them making pronouncements, but the facts say otherwise? “We will solve graft and corruption in three years, bad traffic in three months, the drug problem in two years." It’s been six years and corruption, traffic, and drugs are nowhere close to being solved. In fact, they are worse. No corrupt official or drug lord has been punished. 

Hands that kill the innocent. There are over 122 minors killed in the war on drugs in the last five years; many others have been killed without due process. One of the most sacred principles in our criminal justice system is that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. 

A heart that plots evil. The national elections will happen three months from today, and already many are plotting against and vilifying possible candidates to influence voters. Social media, particularly FB, found around 600 fake news websites and 10,000+ fake news stories from 2015 to 2018 alone.  

Feet that race to do wrong. Because elective positions are short, a number of politicians amass wealth that’s more than they could earn in their lifetime within a three-year term. Just take a look at their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).  

A false witness who pours out lies. High-profile inmates, including murder and  drug lord convicts, testified against Senator Leila de Lima’s alleged involvement in drugs. The lady senator is still in jail five years hence. But those inmates have been transferred out of the penal facility and are now in more comfortable quarters. 

A person who sows discord in the family. Unfounded gossip about politicians’ “indiscretions” have resulted in broken homes. 

Now, how about ordinary people? These seven abominations may be in us, too. 

So why does God bother with sinful us, mortals with human heart? Mystifying grace. 

“What are mere mortals that you should think about them, or a son of man that you should care for him?” (Hebrews 2:6 NLT) 

PINK Is a Many-splendored Thing

Since October, the color PINK—initiated by volunteers for VP Leni's presidential campaign—has spawned so many meanings. If you were to ask kakampinks (rough translation: pink allies or kindred souls), what PINK represents, they each would come up with something different. 

In the beginning I had no doubt in my mind that PINK meant hope, which is what PINK generally denotes. 

With Leni's campaign now in full gear, after watching her many interviews on mass media, seeing her old photos helping the poor and calamity victims through the years, I have realized that hope has many-splendored dimensions. Kakampinks have added more nouns and adjective phrases in all hues of the color PINK: 

Accountability   

Service to all people

Good values 

Transparency

Corruption-free government 

Love of country  

Simple living  

Better life for all   

Reliable and true  

Sincere, unpretentious

Compassionate  

 

No wonder VP Leni has a slew of different slogans coming from different demographics. Indeed, PINK, from God's rainbow, is a many-splendored thing. 

Since it is February, the love month, many are singing this old favorite, Love is a many-splendored thing.  The song refers to romantic love, but love, to those who believe in Jesus, is a command found in many Bible verses.  

". . . Love each other as I have loved you. (Corinthians 16:14)  

"Do everything in love." (John 15:12)  

All isms have some idea of the value of love, but the Christian faith stresses its importance, because God has revealed that He is love (1 John 4:8, 16). 

Love is both what God is and what he has done—sending his Son to die on the cross to save sinners (Rom. 5:8; John 3:16; 1 John 4:10).

Shouldn't our attitudes and behavior in everyday life then reflect that love? Jesus said that only two commands are needed to govern our lives: love of God and love of neighbor. 

PINK demonstrates that in many-splendored grace:  

From this kakampink, just one in a growing crowd who desires love and good values to reign in government, Happy Valentine's Day! 

PINK Is the Color of Tomorrow

Every language has its own phrases/clauses that are untranslatable to any language. We can try, but the essence is lost.  

One example is Kulay Rosas ang Bukas, one of the slogans of VP Leni's campaign for the presidency. It is a beautiful rhyming clause in Filipino and tugs at the heart. But translating it to English (my blog title) takes its marrow away.  

But what does it matter? My FB wall today is blanketed with PINK. More than a thousand of my friends have uploaded PINK images and changed their profile pictures to PINK with this phrase/clause: Kulay Rosas ang Bukas. 

So have I! 

Many more have followed suit as this day wears on. The 10 on PINK is VP Leni's number on the ballot;  it also signifies the highest level of standard; and in the Bible, it symbolizes the completion of a cycle.  

08 February 2022, today, is the first day of the official campaign period for the elections. From the high tides in the ocean, the force of the PINK wave, the strongest kind, is upon us and visible to all.  

As revealed in my previous blog on PINK, I have gained over 200 like-minded friends who believe in the PINK revolution—a movement of hope to stop the atrophy of morality in the country, caused by power-and-money-hungry politicians. PINK friends uplift the spirit and, I believe, are the Lord's channels of grace, for people like me who have become cynical of governance. 

Today is PINK day. 

It is my prayer that PINK will be the color of tomorrow in our land. 

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13 NLT)  

Facetiously, Fabulously Funny

Two adverbs and one adjective do not accurately describe how I feel about Frasier, a sitcom series in the 90’s (spin-off of Cheers). It is so much more, because it defies description. 

It has been the after-supper staple night after night of Tony, our son #3, and me during the pandemic lockdown. 

Let me gush over it. 

Kelsey Grammer (a talented actor, director, writer and producer) portrays the title role. He went back to his hometown in Seattle, where he is a celebrity as a well-paid radio psychiatrist (who actually needs one!). He takes his father and his dog to live with him; his younger brother, also a wealthy psychiatrist (who also needs one!), pops in and out of their home. Naturally, their lifestyle is opulent and their taste, snobbish. 

The series’ credentials? 

It won 37 Emmy Awards during its 11-year stint on TV including “Outstanding Comedy Series” from 1994 to 1998. Channel 4 in the US voted the show as the greatest sitcom of all time in 2006! It was the undisputed gold-standard of ’90s sitcoms. 

But those are not what makes Frasier outstanding for us, more than two decades later. 

Aside from bringing out our loudest laughter, which is not the norm during these foreboding times, we see ourselves in the cast, with every member acting as a foil to each other: pretentious yet natural, refined yet crude, vulnerable yet resilient, carefree yet anxious, ethical yet improper—and enjoying the warmth of family and home.     

Their farcical speech is facetious and their uppity milieu with bespoke furniture, art museums, champagne, and opera is fabulous—all toward a funny ha-ha viewing. It’s like a therapy, which I call grace, waxing nostalgic about what was and what could be, and forgetting what is. 

The only hitch is, sometimes our DVDs, because of age, act up and therefore unwatchable. 

No matter. Each episode of Frasier is like a modern-day fairy tale, with gags that have both heart and soul, ending ha-ha-happily ever after. 

“He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." (Job 8:21 NLT) 

The Times They Are a-PINKin'

If you are a millennial, you won't know Bob Dylan. But those who were already humans (as I was) in the 60's, he was a respected celebrity—a Nobel and Grammy awardee.  

Now 80 years old, Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author and a visual artist, often referred to as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. His protest songs challenged the wrongs of the establishment. He encouraged people to change with the times. 

For me, his song, The Times They are a-Changin', is specially relevant today in our Philippine political platform. 

The last stanza is eerily true: 

The curse it is cast

The slow one now

Will later be fast

As the present now

Will later be past

The order is rapidly fadin'

And the first one now

Will later be last

For the times they are a-changin

I am taking the liberty of substituting a-changin' to a-PINKin', because the pink movement is changing many voters' mindset. Women were branded by macho society to be weak leaders, the same way that presidential candidate VP Leni is being diminished.  

But times are a-PINKin'. 

On social media, we see changes in people (I have recently gained over 200 pink-minded friends who know and fight for issues that benefit the marginalized) in never-before-possible ways. 

For years, the moral decay in our country has been breaking down relationships. On national TV, a stream of vitriol from the presidential sanctum, aimed at anyone who suggests new ways of doing things, has been constant. Many kith and kin have lost hope and emigrated abroad because of flagrant corruption that inflict deeper pain upon a suffering populace. 

But "the order is rapidly a-changin'."  

By God's merciful grace, those who are lording it over by foul means now, "will later be last, for the times are a-PINKin'." 

Change will not happen overnight. But pink is the color of hope.   

VP Leni's slogan says it all: Gobyernong tapat, angat buhay lahat!  (Rough translation: A lawful/honest government brings about better lives for all.)  

Scripture tells us that God always does new things. He never changes, but as He reveals layers upon layers of the truth, we experience aspects of God and His salvation in brand-new ways and depths.

"And the one sitting on the throne said, 'Look, I am making everything new!'” (Revelation 21:5 NLT) 

The Chapter Carved in My Memory

The year 2021 marked the 411th anniversary of the most important event in English Bible translation history.  Since its first printing in 1611, the King James Version (KJV) remains the bestselling English book of all time. 

Why is that? 

This translation was done by 47 men who were England's "best of the best" in Hebrew and Greek language studies and biblical scholarship.  All were clerics in the Church of England, but all viewpoints were represented—from high church Anglo-Catholics to low-church Puritans. 

Divided into six committees, they met in three separate locations. All had the opportunity to read and comment on the entire manuscript. The result? A unified product.   

Aside from being an accurate translation, the KJV is a literary masterpiece. According to experts, “It is definitely not colloquial, but it combines simplicity with majesty. The quality of its language and style may seem formal . . . to readers today, but they were the daily speech of the time.” 

Since the KJV is not conversational, many say it is stilted. 

I think it is elegant. 

Its cadence and word patterns remind me of Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter (my staple reading in college and thereafter). 

As a religious authority, the KJV has provided a standard of language excellence among generations of artists, poets, musicians and political leaders. The phrases from KJV below are now woven into the fabric of the English language: 

“a drop in the bucket”

“cast pearls before swine” 

“eye for an eye” 

“fall from grace” 

“holier than thou” 

“in the twinkling of an eye: 

“money is the root of all evil”

“the powers that be”

“two are better than one” 

“two-edged sword”

“white as snow”

“woe is me” 

“my brother’s keeper” 

“the blind leading the blind” 

“the kiss of death” 

Plus many, many more. 

I didn’t know any of the  above as a child, but the KJV was our church’s Bible. In Sunday school, we had Bible verses to memorize, which I enjoyed, because the lines rolled in my tongue. 

As a writer today, I refer to various translations, but the KJV remains my personal favorite. (I am blogging about it today because in the Philippines, January is Bible Month.) 

This chapter, with its vivid imagery that paints the role of Jesus in our Christian faith, is carved in my memory. When it is read in church or anywhere, I recite it silently in KJV: 

The PINK Less Traveled

We all know the drill. 

Presidential candidates spend millions to hire brilliant minds to create and produce their campaign materials (with an integrated slogan repeated in jingles and ads) for airing on mass media. They likewise finance impact projects of local officials to get them on their side. Plus more.  

That's the common path.   

VP Leni chose the less popular and the more difficult option: the path (or pink, her campaign color of hope) less traveled. 

She announced early on that she could not do any of the grandiose campaign tactics, because she has neither money nor resources. This gave birth to volunteerism. 

There is no space big enough to show all the materials (tons upon tons of songs, jingles, art works, etc.) with a myriad of different slogans, done for free by volunteers of all ages. 

VP Leni also chose to dwell only on what is for the common good, even pausing from her campaign to personally visit and help the victims of Typhoon Odette. This encouraged groups to donate, organize, and help prepare relief goods. 

The path less traveled is a phrase associated with Robert Frost's 1916 poem, "The Road Not Taken." The last stanza reads: 

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

This phrase relates to life in general—when it dawns on us that we cannot always do what is easiest. Sometimes, we reluctantly take the less crowded path, but there, we find solutions we never knew before.  

In our Christian history, Jesus took the path less traveled. From birth to death, He did what seemed undoable. And what a beautiful ending He gives to all who believe!  

During this presidential campaign, those of us who have chosen to trek the pink less traveled are meeting unexpected problems, but they are not insurmountable. If we hold on and unite for our shared goal of an efficiently-run country by electing Leni as our president, we can (we will!) reach the path's end—and, by grace, what an incredible ending it would be!   

 

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT) 

Photo credits: all borrowed from VP Leni's various pages and groups

RSVP

RSVP means “please respond.” It is the acronym for the French phrase Répondez S'il Vous Plaît.

This requests the invitee to formally accept or decline the invitation to the event on or before a specific date.     

In the Philippines, many forget to RSVP or mistakenly think it is not important enough to respond. That's why hosts are often left holding the bag, because preparations (and expenses) are based on the number of confirmed guests. On the day of the affair, many of those who did not confirm show up—or vice-versa. 

Perhaps you have attended a few occasions with vacant tables because the hosts tried to guess how many would come. Then there are affairs where new tables had to be hurriedly set up because even those who did not respond to the RSVP arrived and brought along family members. 

There is a standing and open invitation for us that we need to RSVP—the sooner the better. It’s found in many Bible verses.   

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free! (Isaiah 55:1 NLT) Continue reading up to verse 7, and you’ll find how sincere, how ardent, how urgent this invitation is. It is God’s offer of salvation and a promise of everlasting life.

This invitation is reiterated by Jesus many times.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

“ . . . ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.'” (Mark 1:17)

“Abide in Me, and I in you.” (John 15:4)

Everlasting life does not begin when we die as believers. It actually begins when we confirm His invitation anytime, even as I write today, right now: "I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior" and receive the grace of salvation.  

As we grapple with enormous problems during this pandemic, God’s call for us to live with Him forever and ever—in a wonderful place no human imagery can replicate—is the greatest invitation of all! 

This is an RSVP we cannot and should not ignore

Photo credit: thespruce.com