I was watching Al Jazeera yesterday when suddenly the anchor announced that Obama was named the winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. I was so shocked in disbelief. I am not an Obama fan and my reaction would always be negative towards everything he does. The announcement of the Nobel Prize committee generated several comments and it looks like I am not the only one against it. The Noble committee says that they placed importance on Obama’s commitment towards peace.
The thing is, Obama is barely 9 months in the office and he and his administration had been criticized that they could only write good speeches and rhetoric but could not deliver. Obama in fact decided to increase the US troop deployment in Afghanistan. North Korea on the other hand is still not willing to rejoin the 6 nation talks while Iran could not give up their nuclear or whatever weapons of mass destructions they are hiding. To his credit however, his softening stand towards Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and even North Korea it’s quite opposite to the policies of George Bush, the world’s most hated man.
Past winners of Nobel Peace Prize such as Mohammed Younus of Bangladesh and Former US Vice President Al Gore both deserve to receive their awards because they were able to deliver. Obama on the other hand has not delivered anything except for his well delivered speeches. Even Obama himself admitted that it’s too premature for him receive such an award. If he’s really sincere on his proclamation, he should refuse the Nobel Prize. The Nobel Prize could also work against him in so many ways given the political climate in the States. This absurd decision and the selection process of the Nobel Prize committee will definitely hurt their credibility.
Ilonggo sa Desyerto (Ilonggo in the Desert) – A blog containing insights, opinion and analysis by the author on life, work, religion and events he personally experienced.
10 October 2009
03 October 2009
I’m JCs Ninong
Baptism is the most important of all the sacraments because it’s the first of the seven sacraments in Catholic faith. The Universal Church believes that baptism washes away and removes our original sin. It allows us to enter heaven. That is the reason why babies are baptized as soon as they are born.
As posted earlier, I was invited by my Kumpareng Bro to be the Ninong of his second son JC. I have to go through the seminar that the parish is giving for the would be Ninong. The seminar’s content is a review of the Theology 101 – Orientation to Christian living course that I took from the University of San Agustin. As Ninong, I was tasked to answer in the child’s behalf the profession of faith. Profession of faith otherwise known as the apostle’s creed will be recited by the priest during the baptism. The baptism revolves on symbolisms like the white garment that the child is wearing for purity. The Oil of Catechumens that symbolizes that the baptized child belongs to the God and heaven. The water symbolizes the washing away of the original sin. The Sacred Chrism symbolizes that when the child is anointed with it, he is now a Christian. The baptism candle stands for the light to the world of Christ.
I jokingly told Nonoy, a good friend and kumpare of mine that if ever we’re going to have a falling out, we should return our candles. Yong saulian ng kandila that usually happens when two of the kumpares would fight over something.
It’s good feeling to be invited to be a child’s godparent. I was so thankful that Kumpareng Bro and Kumareng Sis gave me the opportunity to be JCs Ninong. I promised them that I’m going to be the best Ninong in the world.
As posted earlier, I was invited by my Kumpareng Bro to be the Ninong of his second son JC. I have to go through the seminar that the parish is giving for the would be Ninong. The seminar’s content is a review of the Theology 101 – Orientation to Christian living course that I took from the University of San Agustin. As Ninong, I was tasked to answer in the child’s behalf the profession of faith. Profession of faith otherwise known as the apostle’s creed will be recited by the priest during the baptism. The baptism revolves on symbolisms like the white garment that the child is wearing for purity. The Oil of Catechumens that symbolizes that the baptized child belongs to the God and heaven. The water symbolizes the washing away of the original sin. The Sacred Chrism symbolizes that when the child is anointed with it, he is now a Christian. The baptism candle stands for the light to the world of Christ.
I jokingly told Nonoy, a good friend and kumpare of mine that if ever we’re going to have a falling out, we should return our candles. Yong saulian ng kandila that usually happens when two of the kumpares would fight over something.
It’s good feeling to be invited to be a child’s godparent. I was so thankful that Kumpareng Bro and Kumareng Sis gave me the opportunity to be JCs Ninong. I promised them that I’m going to be the best Ninong in the world.
Flood, Tsunami and Earthquake
I attended a mass at the Aramco yesterday and noticed that in the reading of the prayer intentions, the priest mentioned the victims of the recent flooding in Manila. I was touched by the generosity of the parish but also questioned why the victims of the South Pacific Tsunami and the Indonesian Earthquake were not mentioned in the prayer intention.
Like Filipinos, the people of the South Pacific (particularly the Islands of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga) and Indonesia also suffered mass devastation and they also need our prayers and aid. Was Indonesia left out because it’s a Muslim country?
In times of disasters, we’re all equal. Death could come knocking to anybody’s door. Hunger could strike to everyone. I understand that the Filipino’s resources are exhausted. We’re at the point where we could only do so much. However, if we have nothing else to give, we can still pray. And prayer is the only thing that our brothers in Indonesia and the South Pacific are asking. Let’s not be selfish and include them in our prayers.
Like Filipinos, the people of the South Pacific (particularly the Islands of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga) and Indonesia also suffered mass devastation and they also need our prayers and aid. Was Indonesia left out because it’s a Muslim country?
In times of disasters, we’re all equal. Death could come knocking to anybody’s door. Hunger could strike to everyone. I understand that the Filipino’s resources are exhausted. We’re at the point where we could only do so much. However, if we have nothing else to give, we can still pray. And prayer is the only thing that our brothers in Indonesia and the South Pacific are asking. Let’s not be selfish and include them in our prayers.
Rio de Janiero to host 2016 Olympics
Its official, Brazil’s Rio de Janiero won the rights to host the 2016 games. It’s going to be the first Olympic Games to be held in the South American Continent. Rio’s victory came as a surprise since other candidate cities such as Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago are tough competitors.
Rio’s candidacy focused in an argument stressing that previous games were never held in the South American continent. It was unlikely that Tokyo would be awarded the hosting since it was only recently that Beijing hosted the Games. The lukewarm reception of the Tokyo residents did not help its candidacy either. Although Madrid already build stadiums and sent their reigning monarch to campaign, it also did not help their candidacy for obvious reasons that London is hosting the 2012 games. As for Chicago, people there are campaigning for Rio to win fearing that the Olympic Games will only exacerbate the prices of the real estate in the City. Chicago’s defeat is a big slap on Obama’s face. It just shows that he is just a good talker but couldn’t close a deal.
The 2016 Olympics is going to be another exciting game. I hope that the Philippine Olympic Team would finally relent to the pressures of the public to drop their Olympic dreams altogether. There’s no chance that a Filipino athlete would be able to get an Olympic gold unless our sports governing bodies and our government gives full support for our athletes training.
Rio’s candidacy focused in an argument stressing that previous games were never held in the South American continent. It was unlikely that Tokyo would be awarded the hosting since it was only recently that Beijing hosted the Games. The lukewarm reception of the Tokyo residents did not help its candidacy either. Although Madrid already build stadiums and sent their reigning monarch to campaign, it also did not help their candidacy for obvious reasons that London is hosting the 2012 games. As for Chicago, people there are campaigning for Rio to win fearing that the Olympic Games will only exacerbate the prices of the real estate in the City. Chicago’s defeat is a big slap on Obama’s face. It just shows that he is just a good talker but couldn’t close a deal.
The 2016 Olympics is going to be another exciting game. I hope that the Philippine Olympic Team would finally relent to the pressures of the public to drop their Olympic dreams altogether. There’s no chance that a Filipino athlete would be able to get an Olympic gold unless our sports governing bodies and our government gives full support for our athletes training.
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