blackshama's commentary on Philippine issues

Nothing shows that we are so far from Christ as Christmas. As Saint Luke tells us, the baby was born of a virgin, had no room for him at the inn, and was born where animals were kept in a manger. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes not the fancy one but what the poor have. Mary and Joseph were poor. The manifestation that this wasn't an ordinary baby came from what the shepherds say what the angels told them. The first visitors to see the baby were what the scriptures say are downtrodden. The baby was born empty of the trappings of one who has power. None of the shepherds offered a present as the Lucan gospel tells us. It was the magi who gave the precious presents of myrrh, gold and frankincense since they recognized that the child was of royal lineage and has absolute power. But the baby would follow the Israelite way of being refugees and flee to Egypt. This baby has experienced everything! Even this power had to be emptied and whatever power Christ exhibited during his earthly ...

Three days ago, I had an animated conversation with a former student of mine who now is an mid-level executive of a government agency involved in regulation. He told me that he gets a heaps of Christmas baskets and other presents from contractors and suppliers. His rule is that if the supplier or contactor is involved with a project under his watch, he returns the present. But he finds it increasingly difficult to draw the line. He says that if it is a money envelope, it is easier to deal with it. He told me that bribers know when to sense if the public servant is really in need of money. So I told him "I am in government service too, and we all know that government servants are ALWAYS IN NEED of money. Just look at the paychecks we get!" But contrary to what many in the public think, the overwhelming majority of public servants are honest. The papers report of cab drivers, security guards and other blue collar workers returning thousands if not milions of pesos to their ri...