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Opinion
Ang peryodiko
www.angperyodiko.ca n November 16-30, 2017
Hoping for Trump’s support
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t is heartwarming to see the soldiers and policemen who fought for our country in Marawi City given the heroes’ welcome they deserved. Rightly so, these soldiers and policemen returned to their respective camps with honor parades in the presence of their families and loved ones. After surviving the Marawi battles, all troopers were honored with homecoming parades by the respective major service commands of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as well as by the Philippine National Police (PNP), and even by the Philippine Coast Guard. The PNP Special Action Force held theirs inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. This is in contrast to the usual negativity the protectors of our nation, specially our policemen who are all still smarting from the controversial “Oplan Tokhang” all out war against illegal drugs of President Rodrigo Duterte. While indeed there are the proverbial rotten eggs in any basket, we should not also lose focus on the much greater service and sacrifice of the majority of our men in uniform. One thing good that came out of the battle against the Islamic State (IS)-influenced local terrorists groups in Marawi City is a little improvement in the image of the PNP. The PNP slowly regaining its stature as an institution of men, like the AFP, who know how to die in defense of our people and nation. Our cops really needed a morale booster. Our cops lay down their lives
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N THE Philippines, the Christmas season is supposed to start in September, the first of the so-called “ber” months. That’s when we start hearing Christmas songs being played on radio and items for Christmas decorations start surfacing in malls and department stores. The practice had some people abroad considering our Christmas season as the longest in the world. The problem with that notion is Nov. 1 and 2. For us in the family, it is awkward to focus on a joyous celebration starting in September when two months later would be All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, a solemn activity. Besides, our family are traditionalists when it comes to remembering the, and paying homage to, the dead. So we only start decorating for Christmas after All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
sebastian...
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than pure. I still get angry when someone cuts me off when I’m driving on our street. I get frustrated when my best plans are not carried out. I still get jealous when I hear of others whose achievements out shine my own. How can we become pure in heart? What do we have to do? I have some extremely bad news for you: there is nothing you can do to make your heart pure! The good news is that God is the one who cleans the
Malacanang started getting much friendlier White House calls that came through twice already from President Trump. to fight not only against criminality but also help the military win the war against insurgency and terrorism. This we saw again when our government forces fought together against the Maute and Abu Sayaff terrorists for almost five months to end the IS-inspired siege in Marawi City. As our military and police fight terrorism, insurgency and criminality, they need a lot of support – not just words of encouragement to moraleboosting parades but most especially the firepower they need to perform their role to keep peace and order. As ordered last month by their Commander-in-chief, the PNP has stopped its “Oplan Tokhang” and relinquished its drive against illegal drugs to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). With this, the PNP can help more the military to fight terrorism – a far greater national security threat we should guard against. This will really help our police be at a better position to fight criminality, insurgency and terrorism – which all have become threats not just in remote areas but even in urban centers. The PNP recently tried to purchase 36,000 additional USmade 9mm service pistols and 25,000 M4 rifles, in addition to those already delivered to them during the past administra-
tion. But this time, it’s Export Permit being applied with the US Department of State is reportedly stalled. To help our police perform their jobs better, President Duterte could sway his newfound friend US President Donald Trump to help get this going. The PNP service pistol requirement is on top of the US commitment of $32-million in training and services” that Malacanang announced after former US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Manila in July last year. Former presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella disclosed this aid to the PNP aims “to intensify the police’s law enforcement efforts.” President Duterte earlier ranted about how the US Congress had derailed the Philippines’ procurement of US-made arms after American democrat congressmen bitterly scored his administration’s bloody antidrug war, marred by alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and human rights abuses. At that time, there was no Marawi siege yet. President Duterte’s tirades against then US President Barack Obama over the human rights issues in the Philippines was not helping any to push the gun purchase. Out of spite perhaps, President Duterte ordered the PNP to cancel the firearms purchase. “Because at that time we were short of arms for the police
Marichu A. Villanueva
COMMONSENSE and we wanted to buy (these) from America but because of the almost equal power of the US Congress and the President, (the procurement) was stymied by the legislators,” President Duterte pointed out. The need for heavy firearms came to the fore at the height of the Marawi siege when soldiers and policemen were being mowed down by IS-supported Mautes and Abu Sayyaf terrorists sniping at them with their high-powered and long-ranged rifles. Thus, President Duterte turned to China and Russia for firearms. The Commander-inchief conceded the AFP and the PNP are partial to US rifles and firearms, being our country’s chief defense ally through these long years since World War II. Last month, President Duterte witnessed the turnover of military equipment from Russia, which includes 20 units of multi-purpose vehicles, 5,000 units of AK-74M Kalashnikov assault rifles, one million units of ammunition and 5,000 steel helmets.
Much earlier, China donated 3,000 assault rifles to the AFP. The first batch of assault weapons are currently being used by the PNP’s elite SAF troopers who also fought alongside the military in Marawi City. It is now a different story after Mr. Obama stepped down from office in January this year. Malacanang started getting much friendlier White House calls that came through twice already from President Trump. President Trump arrived last night in Manila from Vietnam where he and President Duterte attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ summit. While in Vietnam, the two leaders who were phone pals before had a brief “Hi” and “Hello” chat at the sidelines of the APEC Leaders’ meeting. Mr. Trump reportedly told President Duterte: “See you in Manila.” President Trump flew in on board his Air Force-One plane. Mr.Trump is attending today’s 5th ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations)-US Summit which also coincides with the 40th anniversary of the ASEAN-US Dialogue Relations. The White House earlier announced Mr.Trump decided to extend his stay in Manila a day longer in order to attend also the East Asia Summit (EAS) taking place tomorrow. Quietly perhaps, the visit here of President Trump is keeping hopes alive for our men in uniform to support the weapons of their choice to come from the US. Philstar
With Christmas near Bong Wenceslao
Candid Thoughts The Christmas season is strategically positioned in December obviously to cap our year with a joyous feeling. That’s something I want to savor this year considering how 2017 has played out for my family and me. These are trying times for me both professionally and personally. I would leave out heart and all that you need to do is ask Him. King David asked God for this exact thing: “Create in me a pure heart and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) God granted David’s request and gave him a clean heart. He can do the same for you; all you need to do is ask Him. An essential part of preparing for Christmas involves re-arranging of our priorities. Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) Just as we arranged our
IN THE Philippines, the Christmas season is supposed to start in September, the first of the so-called “ber” months. talks about career for now. But I have something to say about the challenges the family had to go through this year. Two medical issues hit us. My wife had to undergo surgery to take out a stone-filled gall bladder. The technology for the procedure is advanced, ensuring that the scar left behind wouldn’t be long and looking ugly. But it is relatively expensive, especially for a patient whose medical insurance could only pay for consultations and lab tests. Which reminds me of the advice of a former SunStar colleague when we were deciding on the amount that we would allow the company to deduct from our salaries for our medical
insurance. At that time, some employees complained that the insurance is often unused. “Di gyud ta magtihik-tihik,” she said, “because who knows when we encounter health problems and need a big amount for a cure?” My turn came two months later when a fly-borne infection downed me with fever and caused my lower right leg to swell. I spent six days in the hospital for that, which caused another dent on our finances. As if those medical episodes weren’t enough, weeks later our bank changing our ATM cards resulted in the loss of my savings that I am still trying to recover. After All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, I heard my
homes, schedules and other aspects of our lives for Christmas, God wants us to arrange our hearts for Christmas. His desire is for you to make more room for His Son in the room of your heart. When we make this extra room in the heart, God blesses us with more of Christ. It is then that the blessings of God begin to rapidly flow into our lives and overflow into the lives of others. When we put Christ in the center of our lives, everything else comes together.
antidote for worry. Jesus makes it clear that if we are to succeed in life; our focus must be on God first.
When Jesus made this statement of seeking the kingdom of God first, he was giving the
We become so busy celebrating the season that we totally miss the reason for the season! We become centered on shopping for the right gifts and forget to tell others of God’s perfect gift. We are not prepared for Christmas until our hearts are clean and our priorities are in line. The wonder of Christmas can come alive for you in brand new ways if you will open your heart and allow God to prepare
wife say she lacked the urge to decorate the house for the yuletide season. I didn’t ask her why but told her days later to dust off the Christmas tree and the series lights. The other day, the Christmas tree was finally up in our sala and the series lights wrapped around it have started to provide color to our nights. This year, we have decided to forego some of our Christmas practices as we continue to straighten up our finances. But life is like that, there are ups and there are downs. Our prayers are that next year would be different and better. As for the Christmas season, this is precisely why it is positioned in December. Despite everything: there is still something in the year that we can be joyous about. Like the birth of hope.SunStar Cebu
you for Christmas. Praying that your Christmas this year will be Merry indeed! (Pastor Fred Sebastian serves the Church of the Living Hope, 235 Enniskillen Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Pastor Fred invites you to their services on Sundays, beginning at 10:30 AM. We also have strong ministries for children (Promiseland, Sundays) Youth (Fridays, 7PM) and Young Adults (Thursdays, 7PM). For more information: 204.633.2230/204.952.4460 or e-mail: hope1@mymts.net) For more information visit our website: www.churchofthelivinghope.mb.ca )