By REV. LUNA L. DINGAYAN

SECOND OF TWO PARTS

“Be compassionate as your Father in heaven is compassionate,” — Luke 6:36

Re-defining Holiness

This would lead us to the question, what is holiness in the first place? Essentially, to be holy means to be different, to be set apart. For instance, Israel was a holy nation because the Israelites were set apart from other peoples in the world, with a noble purpose as mentioned by Apostle Peter in his first letter, “to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light” (Ex. 19:6; I Peter 2:9-10).

Therefore, to be holy is to have a special relationship with the one who called us to be holy. This does not mean, however, that the unholy ones or those who are not set apart are evil, rather it simply means that they are not called or are not set apart or have no special relationship to God for a particular purpose. Read the rest of this entry →

By ARTHUR BOQUIREN

The United States economic crisis of 2008 illustrates that while the US prescribes laissez faire or free trade, the US actually implement a corrupted or bastardized version of Keynesian economics in its homeland. Adam Smith originally formally prescribed laissez faire or free market economics in his book, The Wealth of Nations.

However, throwing aside the flowery words or capitalist niceties, it is not through laissez faire but through arms that the US and many capitalist countries accumulated the wealth that they enjoy today. Colonialism and neo-colonialism are actually monopolies or oligopolies on trade and economies of colonies and semi-colonies. In the colonies and semi-colonies, the economies dominated by monopolies and oligopolies are misrepresented by capitalism as free markets. Read the rest of this entry →

By KATHLEEN T. OKUBO

It has been 32 days now since James M. Balao fell victim of enforced diasappearance.

Last Friday in a rally organized by colleagues, family and friends a mabtad was re-echoed. It is fetad against enforced disappearances.

One speaker in the rally from central Bontoc who found it in her heart to pitch in her much valued help, seemed scared to be among angry militant organizations and their red banners. Apparently her rage at the violent abduction and more so that it can only be an enforced disappearance made her speak strongly against the act and the enforcers. Read the rest of this entry →