Friday, May 23, 2008
FOR THE LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY, THE PHILIPPINES PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE
Please pass it to all Filipinos you know.

As you know, we have plenty of Koreans currently studying in the Philippines to take advantage of our cheap tuition fees and learn English at the same time.

This is an essay written by a Korean student, (Never mind the grammar; it's the CONTENT that counts ). Maybe it is timely to think about this in the midst of all the confusion at present ?


MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
Jaeyoun Kim

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption is the problem? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines .

Let me first talk about my country, Korea . It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had nonatural resources. Koreans used to talk about the Philippines, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia .


We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine.My father & brother also died because of famine. Korean government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism. Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea . He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park. They asked to him, "President, when can we be well off?" That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea . So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea . He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart. Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off. Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea . They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood. Have you cried for the Philippines?

I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines . I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea , I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia, but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids.

When we went to Pasangjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.

My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action.

She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off.

I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody, in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes.

I discover that every person is worthy to beloved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood and country.

Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the Philippines , there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love.

If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines . Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country. You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others.

That's all I really want to ask you Filipinos.

(FOR THE LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY, THE PHILIPPINES PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE)


Eric A. Quitevis
Manager, IMO Broadband Communication and Base Stations,
NXP Semiconductors Phils.,Inc.
Philips Ave. LISP Cabuyao Laguna, Philippines
Tel.: (632)8445139/ 8445239 ext. 2510 / 2403
E-mail: eric.a.quitevis@ nxp.com
posted by mingsworld.com @ 7:49 PM   0 comments
Friday, March 07, 2008
Travel from the Philippines
Dear friends,

Sharing with you are some incidents forwarded by a friend which would be helpful to us travelling to and from the US or Philippines or from other countries too.... just to be safe.

You may want to share this with your friends too..God bless.


1. U.S. Immigration , US Dept. of Homeland Security & TRAVEL ADVISORY

FYI......... .. This information is very alarming and I think it's
worth sharing to save you from trouble and embarrassment.

A Filipino friend shared this email. His friend who works for Homeland
Security as Immigration Inspector at LAX ( Los Angeles International
Airport ) called him yesterday to share the information that happened
last weekend. A FIL-AM citizen who was flying to the Philippines for
vacation was apprehended by an Airport Immigration agent while she was
checking in her baggage and going through the X-ray machine. For some
reason, she was randomly checked and was told to open all the
envelopes inside her carry-on Coach bag.

They found 10 envelops addressed to different people in the
Philippines. When all the envelops were opened, a total of $11,000
cash was discovered. They asked the traveler if she knew the contents
of the envelope. She said no, because all the envelopes are just
"padala"and the senders didn't tell her whether or not there was money
inside.

Immigration agents showed her a Policy and guidance stating that it is
illegal to import and export over $10,000 in any Asian countries to
prevent the possibility of supporting terrorism. She was fined $500,
her name was "red labeled" by Immigration (means every time she enters
and exits the airport, she will be searched 100%),and she also missed
her scheduled flight to the Philippines for being held almost 5 hours.
Hard to believe that departing passengers from the U.S. are also
subject to the policy but looks like it is being strictly enforced
now.

The lessons learned is before you accept any "padala", make sure the
envelopes are open and you physically see the contents of it or just
plainly say "sorry but I can't accept any padala" for your own safety.

This email came from a former U.S. Embassy employee and this could be
useful to all balikbayans

2. Subject: TRAVEL ADVISORY FROM AMERICAN EMBASSY MANILA

Please share this with your friends and relatives.

Please be informed of the recent travel advisory to the United States.

However, not only pirated VCDs/DVDs are on the hot list. Customs
officials are also looking into fake bags like Louis Vuitton, Coach,
etc.

Please be informed that the American Association of Publishers (AAP)
has also alerted the American customs officers to check out for
pirated books. This information; was given to me by Patricia Judd of
the AAP.

Please warn all nursing graduates who plan to take the NCLEX and CGF
exams in the States not to bring in these pirated books because there
will be a penalty of automatic deportation as violation of
intellectual property rights. If you know anyone going from the
Philippines and coming back to the USA , with "pasalubongs" and
"padalas," please read this important enclosed advisory from the
American Embassy in Manila.

Please share with your friends.

Just a friendly reminder: if you have plans of going to the
U.S.,please take precautionary measures on all "padalas," especially
those containing fake/pirated compact discs/DVDs. US Embassy employees
have been given an advisory that as US Gov't employees, we should
abide by the U.S.laws, including Intellectual Property Rights
(anti-piracy) laws.

As an additional incentive, the Consular Section recently received a
report that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) searched the bag
of a Filipino entering the U.S. on NW 72 in Detroit.

During the search, 70-80 compact discs, 30-40 empty DVD jackets and
10-20 DVDs were found. Since the travelers were not American citizens,
their visas were canceled and they returned to the Philippines . If
they had been Americans, they could have been subject to arrest and
criminal prosecution in addition to civil fines and penalties.

Please remember even ONE pirated item can jeopardize your trip.

Also, the fingerprinting system has successfully been instituted in
all port of entries. I suggest you bring extra identification cards in
addition to your passport to facilitate your entry in the US
Immigration. I hope this is helpful to you.
posted by mingsworld.com @ 9:51 AM   0 comments
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Homesick
Pride of the Philippines...

Check this out:

http://www.tourism.gov.ph/media_source/byahetayo.wmv
posted by mingsworld.com @ 10:43 PM   0 comments
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Cabbie's Clever Comeback
by Henk H. van Zuilekom, an Australian journalist/travel writer.


This humorous tale is dedicated to my dear friend Ricky, who, together with his wife Irene and ever-helpful staff member Evelyn, host the Birdwatchers’ Apartelle, Bar and Restaurant in Ermita. An eternal comedian, Ricky tells this story far better than I could ever write it down:

For 14 hours a day Umberto drives his taxi throughout the giant metropolis of Manila. An unsightly excuse for a public conveyance on balding tyres that would pass registration inspection only in Philippines.
One day, at NAIA, the international airport, he is approached by a Japanese businessman carrying a laptop and a small overnight bag:
“Oooh, you bring me City Garden Hotel, A Mabini Street,” and with that takes the front seat next to Umberto.
Traffic is light and the pair travel along in silence until, on Roxas Boulevarde, a gleaming new Toyota sedan overtakes Umberto’s smoking vehicle at considerable speed whereupon his passenger becomes more than a little excited:
“Ooooh, lookie, lookie, Tohota motorcar, maaade in Yapan, veeeery good, veeeery fast, gooood for Yapanese, gooood for me!” tapping himself on the chest.
Umberto, with an understanding in his fare’s national pride, offers a broad, nodding smile and returns his attention to the traffic.
However, barely half a kilometer hence his passenger spots a Kawasaki motorcycle and once again shouts into Umberto’s ear:
“Ooooh, lookie, lookie, Kawasaki motorcycle, maaade in Yapan, veeeery good, veeeery fast, gooood for Yapanese, gooood for me!” and so it went on with the Nip pointing out a Mitsubishi: “Ooooh, lookie, lookie. . .” a Yamaha: “ Ooooh, lookie, lookie . . .” and finally a Honda: “Ooooh, lookie, lookie, Honda motorcycle, maaade in Yapan, veeeery good, veeeery fast, gooood for Yapanese, gooood for me!” to the point of boredom for Umberto.
Having arrived at the hotel, as Umberto helps his passenger retrieve his luggage from the boot, his customer asks: “How muchie muchie?”
Umberto holds up two fingers on one hand and all five on the other indicating a fare of two thousand five hundred Pesos whereupon the man shows considerable anger and even more excitement, shouting: “Ooooh, too muchie muchie, short ride only, why you charge too muchie muchie?”
Umberto’s broad smile returns as he points at the dashboard inside the cab:
“Ooooh, lookie, lookie, Filipino taxi meter, maaaade in Philippines, veeeery good, veeeery fast, gooood for Filipino . . .
posted by mingsworld.com @ 10:52 AM   0 comments
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Filipino Time
The concept of time in my country varies...

In my island Cebu for example, when I make an appointment with my friend at 4:30pm, my friend starts to get ready at 4:30. So that means she can meet me at 5:00pm or even an hour later. If I am lucky, she will show up at all. Can I get mad at this? No, I can only shrug it off because it's "Filipino time".

If my friend did not show at all, than we call it "Indian Time". It's a no-show. So you confront your friend, "Why did you indian me?"



One time, we had a family meeting and my sister and I decided to boycott the meeting because we wanted to avoid some family issues. We decided to go shopping and turn up 1.5 hours late hoping the meeting would be over when we returned. Of course, we forgot to calculate the "Filipino time". We turned up just to be in time for the meeting because the rest of the family just showed up. Bummer!

My husband jokingly remarked, "Well if you want to be on time, just try being late than you'll still end up being on time."

Sometimes the Filipinos joke about Philippine Airlines. "Why is it called PAL?..because PAL always late."

In Camotes island, I feel that time stands still. The minutes/hour/day is so long when nothing is going on. That's how it feels like when I am there.

However, I cannot generalize Filipino Time. I used to work for the tourist industry as a tour guide, and I was surprised that the people in the industry was very punctual. Sometimes, they were way too early. I was actually very impressed.
posted by mingsworld.com @ 2:00 AM   1 comments
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Maori "Koha": Seeding Your Wealth Consciousness
From: Dr Rev James Sia
Sent: Monday, June 12, 2006 12:52 PM
Subject: Maori "Koha": Seeding Your Wealth Consciousness


Namo Arihantanam Divine Friends,
OHA
The following interview crossed my inbox this morning. Although, it is intended as an eventual book pitch (and I haven't bought the ebooks), it affords a glimpse into the indigenous Maori perspective. Years ago, my Filipino Kabbalah teacher in the Philippines, Eliseo Cabalfin, told me that the 91-glyphed ancient Filipino Alphabet, known as 'Baybayin' or 'AliBata' (any connection to Hebrew Aleph Beth?) were coded energetic signatures with corresponding numerical values that is the hidden link between our consciousness and the Universal 'Manna' life force. In other words, it was an advanced, magical language of symbol-letter-number that vastly pre-dated the Spanish Conquest in the 15th Century. About a year ago, I showed these glyphs to one of Paramahansa Yogananda's original disciples, Mr. Norman Paulsen. He believes that this 'AliBata' may have Lemurian origins. The earliest known Copper Plate Inscriptions were serendipitously discovered in 1989. It was authenticated at around 900C.E. http://www.mts.net/~pmorrow/lcieng.htm
Some scholars suggest that they bear some affinity to Sanskrit and the powerful Southeast Asian 'Kavi'.
My teacher, Mr. Cabalfin, was an oral wisdom-keeper of this tradition. He bequethed the lost teachings of the 'Alibata' to yours truly, when I coincidentally went back home, one week before he left the physical form in 1997. I am one of seven. The others were given knowledge of the 1,000 Herbs, Prophecy, Healing,...etc. His Teacher, Valentin De Los Santos, was a great Kabbalist, from whom the late dictator, President Ferdinand Marcos, stole and used some of the lost knowledge for his own gain. President Marcos' Political Party, for example, was KBL (which was also an acronym for Kabbalah). The time is fast approaching where my promise to this beloved being to reveal this secret to the world will come to pass. My only role is that of a messenger and have no intention of enriching myself out of this wisdom tradition that was wholeheartedly given. Filipino Indigenous Prophecy stated centuries ago that the Philippine youths of modern day will look to the West and lose their spiritual heritage. But, a 'day' will come when those spiritual roots will be rekindled. I believe that this time it will be rekindled for all of mankind.
Out of curiosity, I played around with a symbolic transliteration of OM, and found remarkable physical similarities with it's Sanskrit phonetic character. Incidentally, that's the only Sanskrit I know. Two weeks ago, I received an insight of a possible link to accelerated manifestation. I need to test this hypothesis out. Someone told me of a study done by Deepak Chopra's group, where they found that the Cymatic tracings in sand were exact replicas of the corresponding Sanskrit Alphabet. Meaning, the sound and physical counterpart are one.
AHO

Only Love ¸..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·*Reigns.·´¨¨))¸¸.·´
((¸¸.·´-:|:- ..·´ In A Heart-:¦:-
..·´ ((¸¸.·´*With Rainbows!
James
If you enjoyed this e-mail and it was forwarded to you, and you wish to be added to James' Mind-blowing, Out-of-this-world e-mail Distribution List, simply send me an e-mail at emptyuntolove@yahoo.com and write on the Subject Header: "Please add me to your list"
posted by mingsworld.com @ 10:52 PM   1 comments
Monday, June 12, 2006
balikbayan boxes

Last month, I flew to my country for a family reunion. We boarded Cathay Pacific for a straight shot to Cebu. As we waited in line, several people with different nationalities stayed in line. I could easily spot a Filipino just by looking at their "balikbayan" boxes. As they drew nearer to the line, I heard a familiar dialect. "Yes, they are Filipinos alright".

What is a balikbayan box? Balikbyan boxes are what some of my countrymen use instead of luggages or aside from the luggages. We throw in a lot of stuff mostly presents, so it is most practical to use a box instead of a luggage.

Who ever invented the box? I wonder. I remember my mother who resided in San Francisco, always had a balikbayan box in her room even when she was not travelling. Everytime she went shopping, she filled in a box throughout the year and sent it back home on special occasions like Christmas. The recipient of the box is always joyful and it is usually shared amongst the rest of the family members back at home.
posted by mingsworld.com @ 1:10 AM   1 comments
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