Pope Benedict XVI to take actions on Catholic Church scandal

Finally, after a bit of silence Pope Benedict XVI announced that he will take actions on Catholic Church scandal as reported on BBC News.

This is after the Pope was being accused of failing to act over complaints during the 1990s, where a certain Fr Lawrence Murphy is believed to have molested some 200 boys at St John's School for the Deaf in St Francis, Wisconsin, between 1950 and 1974.

Speaking in Rome at his weekly general audience, he referred to his weekend meeting with abuse victims in Malta.

"I shared with them their suffering and, with emotion, I prayed with them, promising them action on the part of the Church," the Pope said.

Earlier, the Pope also apologized previously for similar acts committed in the US and Australia but has said nothing publicly about similar scandals which took place for many years in his own country, Germany, including at the school where his own brother was choirmaster.

It can also be remembered that the leaders of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (Snap) demonstrated in front of St Peter's Square in Rome, holding up pictures of Fr Murphy and some of his victims.

Pope Benedict then only has to look down from his study window overlooking St Peter's square to see that the wave of international protest against his silence has arrived on his own doorstep.

At a news conference on Thursday in Milwaukee, one of the victims, Arthur Budzinski, said Fr Murphy had begun to assault him when he was 12.

The Catholic Church teaches that it is also a particularly grave sin, in theory subject to extreme sanctions, but the evidence is that priests accused of molesting children were usually moved to another parish rather than being punished or removed from office.

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I attended the Batangas Bloggers Food Trip at SM City Lipa

This post is one week late, but I suppose it is better late than never. Anyway, I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the Batangas Bloggers Food Trip at SM City Lipa last April 18.

Actually, I am usually online during Saturdays and Sundays only due to my busy schedule at work. Last Saturday April 17, my good blogger-friend Itot invited me through Facebook to attend that event which will be on the next day.

That was around 7pm and I thought it was too late for me to be informed, but I am glad I made it and I even brought along a good friend who has been blogging since 2003 - Raden Payas.

Apparently, he was the first one who introduced me to blogging back in 2007 and I am just glad he did.

But back to last event, it was not the first Batangas Bloggers event at SM Lipa as Raden claimed. I remember I shared to you the event which took place when I finally met Marhgil Macuha in person.

This time, I noticed that he is into dieting while Mrs. Macuha is in good shape...lol! JR Cantos of www.wowbatangas.com was also there whom I also met on the last event.

But before we enjoyed that free bunch of good meals, Ms. Wendy Cueto-Bautista who is the SM City Lipa PR Officer introduced us and asked a few questions related to our experience in blogging.

Afterward, it's time to chow and one could just imagine how delicious the food was. No wonder, the sponsors include Kusina ni Gracia, Inihaw Express, Chin’s Express, Sizzling Plate, Seafood Grill Station, Potato Madness, Khaleb’s Shawarma, Chicharon Espesyal, Thirsty Juices and Shakes, Chef Chow Shabu, Miguelito’s Soft Ice Cream.

By the way, did I mention about the strong and free Wi-Fi connection inside the SM City Lipa Foodcourt?

And to add spices to the program, there were raffles and I won the consolation prize of beauty products from Watson. Itot won the digital camera as the grand raffle prize.

With that, I wish I will be invited again and I hope next time more Batangas bloggers will come.

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An Inconvenient Truth: Al Gore Live in Manila to speak on Climate Change

SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall developer and operator here in the Philippines, brings the former US Vice-President Al Gore live in Manila to speak on Climate Change.

Gore, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate will present an Asian version of An Inconvenient Truth, a multimedia presentation on the threat of climate change and solutions to global warming and the subject of the movie of the same title that has won critical and box-office acclaim.

The Academy Award-winning film is already considered one of the top documentary films of all time.

"We have always been committed to environmental preservation. Beyond our many environmental programs, we feel that we can further spread the advocacy by having more people learn about this global problem and how it impacts each and everyone of us," SM Prime Holdings President Hans Sy said in a statement.

Al Gore Live in Manila will be held at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia Complex this coming June 8, 2010.

You can get your tickets now here at TicketNet.com

For more info call TicketNet at 911-5555 or email algore-in-manila@smprime.com

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Get ready for the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs 2010

In case you are not aware, my Father Blogger dot Com was chosen as among the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009 and the experience was wonderful and unforgettable.

In fact, it was so colorful and was talked about for quite some time.

So this year 2010, Ms. Janette Toral will continue this tradition she has been doing since 2007. However, below are some changes as we get ready for Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs 2010

1.0 Recognition of blogs (and their bloggers) will be in a major blogging event happening this August.

2.0 Blogs created from March 2009 to the present are qualified to be cited as one of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2010.

3.0 A blog must be at least 3 months old in order to participate in the writing project. (for further clarification)

4.0 A writing project entry must cite at least 5 qualified blogs. All blogs mentioned should be accompanied by a brief explanation on why they were chosen.

5.0 Only those with complete 10 qualified blogs mentioned shall be included in the raffle.

I will be updating you later if additional information shall arrive.

For the mean time, you can get details from Ms. Janette Toral's post.

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Philippine Election 2010: The Plans of Manny Villar for OFWs

Many has been said about Manny Villar being an giant businessman and entrepreneur, and his rags-to-riches life story; but only a few has been mentioning about his real plans in case he will be elected in the upcoming presidential election this May 2010.

Interestingly, one of the dreams of Manny Villar dreams is when Filipinos do not have to leave their country to earn a living. His long-term plan is to provide jobs for Filipinos in the Philippines while his short term plan is to provide safety nets to ensure the welfare of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

With this, I found an an interesting article at OFW Guide which is about the plans of Manny Villar for OFWs.

1. Create a safety net until such time as we can create jobs in the Philippines like provide for placement for workers who were victimized or a return trip back to the Philippines.

2. Increase the Department of Labor & Employment (DOLE) budget.

3. Have to change structure of Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) so more Filipinos can be sent out.

4. Send more lawyers for OFWs.

5. Provide Hospitals for OFWs.

6. Help OFWs find ways to invest.

7. Create government programs for small and medium enterprises.

8. Change the banking system to ensure flow and credit for small and medium enterprises.

9. Teach and encourage Filipinos to be entrepreneurs.

Well, I think this is a very noble plan and I hope these are also the plans of other presidential candidates. But can it be done? Are the Filipinos ready to sacrifice that much?

Manny Villar or any presidential candidate cannot achieve this alone, since working abroad is a personal choice. However, the last part of the plan which is to teach and encourage Filipinos to be entrepreneurs is the best part.

Disclaimer:

Angel Cuala is not campaigning Manny Villar for President. He just wishes to educate Filipinos about his plans in case we will win.

If you have ideas about the plans of other presidential candidates, please spread the word so they will know how to vote wisely.

Related posts:
Why the Philippines will never have a Good President
Download Comelec Sample Ballot for Philippine Election 2010
Philippine Election 2010: Top 5 Presidential Candidates and their growing wealth
Pulse Asia Survey: Manny Villar vs Noynoy Aquino for President now virtually equal
Noynoy Aquino vs Manny Villar for President 2010: From SWS Survey to Facebook

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Why the Philippines will never have a Good President

I have been exercising my vote this since the Marcos regime, but all the presidential candidates that I voted for did not win. It is maybe because I have been choosing the wrong candidate or maybe only a few of us know how to vote wisely. The last reason I want to say is because of rampant cheating, and I hope I made you smile a bit.

Anyway, I did not say that the past presidents have been bad. But I truly believe that a good president may not always start as a good presidential candidate. Apparently, the election here in the Philippines is still very far from what I expect. Well, it’s maybe because we never learn or we do not want to learn.

So before casting your vote this coming May, let me explain why I think the Philippines will never have a good president.

First of all, a good president may not exactly a good presidential candidate. A good presidential candidate should tell the nation that he can stop the corruption, maintain peace and order, and make our economy grow. Unfortunately, he will need more than a billion pesos just to make him popular. Otherwise, only a few will notice him.

Consequently, he will need huge machinery and a lot of friends to help his face scattered all over the country. He will also need to have a few cash on his wallet when someone asks him for help. If he cannot even afford to sponsor a few events, then he will be as good as a nuisance candidate. Needless to say, he should also be kind to the media people if he wants his image to be exposed nicely.

Now, let us assume that he is good enough as a candidate so he will win; but his headache has just began. It’s payback time, my friends. We Filipinos are very friendly, you know. We sell our carabaos just to feed the whole barangay during fiestas, and even get a high-interest loan just to please our visitors on weddings. Interestingly, that’s just a part of our being a very hospitality people and being a good president.

On the other hand, honesty is also a part of being a good president. But who among us can say that he is always honest? If he does, then he is not being honest. Will you tell your potential foreign business investor that your country sucks? Have you ever known a president who did not get richer after his term? Can someone convince me that we did not have freedom after the World War 2?

My countrymen, corruption will never be stopped, poverty will always be ours, and killings will continue. Corruption is present because we allow it even in our homes. We are poor because we chose to be poor; we don’t bother to learn the stock market. There are killings because of our evil minds, and not because we have bad presidents. Therefore, all of these problems are our personal choices. We just look for reasons for not doing what we are supposed to do.

We are good citizens, industrious people, and humans who care for each other especially for our family. We are already talented, intelligent, and highly skilled; but foreign countries are getting the more benefits out of us. Most bright workers are leaving the country to serve other countries. No wonder, our country is being left behind in terms of almost everything.

The OFWs suffer a lot for their families and their future, but not for their country. They may be bringing home pride and honor but it is the country that they worked for that will feel the long term effect of their act. A hero suffers a lot for his country, and sometimes even forgets that he has a family. A hero is someone doing the right thing at the right place at the right time.

Now, here’s the kicker. The reason why the Philippines will not have a good president is because we don’t need one. What we need for a president is a smart one who knows when to lie and when to tell the truth, a tough president who can handle tough situations like natural calamities and terrorism. He should also have an iron hand if necessary, and has Mathematics as one of his favorite subjects so he cannot easily be fooled by numbers. Finally, we need a president who can motivate us to love our country more than anywhere else.

Don’t worry, I will still cast my vote this coming May although I am quite sure that my chosen presidential candidate will not win. I got used to it, and I am even proud of it simply because I know how to vote wisely.

I hope you do too…

Related posts:
Download Comelec Sample Ballot for Philippine Election 2010
Philippine Election 2010: Top 5 Presidential Candidates and their growing wealth
2010 Philippine Automated Election Guide now released
How to Vote this coming Philippine Automated Election 2010
Philippine Election 2010 Special Registration and How to Verify Online
Sexbomb dancers in Automated Election 2010 Instruction Video
Who should you vote in the First Philippine Automated Election 2010

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GMA7 vs ABS CBN 2 2010: And the winner is…

This year 2010, GMA7 vs ABS CBN 2 continues as these two giant local TV networks aim to win the number one TV station. For all you know, ABS CBN 2 restored its power after the People Power in 1986, while GMA7 is now celebrating its 60th year anniversary. Needless to say, each of them has its own different strategy to win the majority of the audience although there are times I feel that they are copying each other.

Meanwhile, it is interesting to know each other’s strong points and weak points. With that, allow me to share my observations which are not intended to degrade anybody. Instead, I hope they will be used as a guide so they can improve more.

So is it GMA7 (Kapuso) or ABS CBN 2 (Kapamilya) this 2010? And the winner is…

The early morning show of ABS CBN 2’s Umagang Kay Ganda has Anthony Taberna as their ace, while Pinky Web and Karen Davila (a former GMA7 news anchor) are continuously improving. I have been watching GMA7’s Unang Hirit since day one, and I got used to Arnold Clavio and the rest of the gang. Love Anover deserves her throne as the Reyna ng Kalsada (Queen of the Streets) for her traffic update and other stuff, although puppet Arn-Arn rarely adds spice to the show. Mareng Winnie Monsod has sharp comments but Anthony Taberna has the sharper ones.

For the noontime show, ABS CBN 2’s Wowowie seem to win a bigger crowd now but it cannot put GMA 7’s Eat Bulaga down easily. It must be remembered that Eat Bulaga once aired at ABS CBN 2, while GMA7’s Lunchdate only got closer due to the popularity of Randy Santiago. Don’t forget also that Eat Bulaga is now on its 30th year which means the star magic of Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon never run out of style.

Apparently, Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) consistently shines from the first season and the recent Melason effect can still be felt. Young love teams like Gerald-Kim are now with the veterans, which make them better actors rather than just sweet love team idols. The Albert Martinez-Gabby Concepcion back to back brings us back to the 80s and a lot better this time. As for me, the teleserye of ABS CBN are better than the fantaserye of GMA7 maybe because the latter focuses on the younger audience.

In terms of great actresses of today, Judy Ann Santos is again the teleserye queen on her Habang May Buhay at ABS CBN 2, although Claudine Baretto (a former ABS CBN drama talent) might have a good fight when she makes a comeback at GMA7 in the near future. Marian Rivera may be the latest superstar of GMA7 and in her own right, but I notice that she is starting to lose her charisma. I also feel that ABS CBN 2 has better story writers than GMA7 these days.

Meanwhile, Regine Velasquez and boyfriend Ogie Alcacid may be the King and Queen of local music industry today but GMA7’s Sunday noontime show SOP is already gone. Although Party Pilipinas was recently launched, the effect on fans is still hard to assume. GMA7 may have a lot more music talents than ABS CBN 2, but ABS CBN 2 has put a stronger impact plus they have Charice Pempengo on the side. In terms of talent search shows, It’s Showtime and Pilipinas Got Talent which are both from ABS CBN 2 are far better than GMA7’s Diz Is It and its other talent search shows.

On the other hand, Kris Aquino is still the Queen of Talks and continuous to be among the most controversial and influential individuals of today. It is hard to say though how things will be different after the May 2010 election, while her brother Noynoy Aquino continuous to be a very strong presidential candidate. Furthermore, Kuya Kim continues to shine while Vice Ganda is unstoppable with his (I mean her) brand of comedy and talent, as well as Ted Failon who is so adorable in his comeback at Failon Ngayon.

But for journalism and serious issues, I suppose everyone will agree if I say that GMA7 is better. I sleep early but I don’t mind waking up very early in the morning just to watch the replay of shows like Reporter’s Notebook, Case Unclosed, and others. Kara David, Howie Severino, and the rest of the team are simply incomparable. I am even not surprised that Jessica Soho ranked third as the most trusted Filipino in the recent Readers’s Digest survey since she is very human. In addition, Mel Tiangco is always at her best at Kapuso Foundation, while Mike Enriquez remains as the best ever Imbestigador ng Bayan.

GMA7 vs ABS CBN 2 2010 is still far from over, and a lot of things can still happen. But for the meantime, I think the winner in terms of journalism and public service is GMA7 but ABS CBN 2 is winning in the entertainment field.

But of course, the issue of who is copying who will never end.

In the end, I just wish that both of them will continue to be responsible and committed to serve the Filipinos worldwide especially for the children.

Related posts:
Pilipinas now got a lot of Talent Search shows, so what’s next?
Remake Songs: The Art to Save the Music Industry

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