Warmth & Words

From the idea that baranggays (villages) can team up to play basketball and help underprivileged youths secure their futures with full scholarship grants , UNTV Cup has materialized into a much wider undertaking — one that is most certainly, a league of its own. S eason 1 kicked off with just seven departments of the Philippine government . Now, 13 teams of public servants take it out agai nst each other not just in the name of sportmanship, but of c are for their respective chosen beneficiaries .  Indeed , the winning teams may bag the title s , but its their charitab le institutions that bring home the prizes. And millions at that. What started as over ₱ 1M in tax-free donations now sum up to nearly ₱ 10M . And th ese to o ur fellowmen who were displaced or hurt by war or typhoons , who were born with disabilities of th e body or mind, w ho were bereaved families of their fathers or mothers who sacrificed themselves for the sake of peace. As Season 5 ends, we wil

Subali’t kapag nalagot   hiningang lubhang marupok   ng katawan mong mairog,   ang araw mo’y matatapos   ang iiral ay ang sa Diyos   (But when the very fragile breath   of your beloved body is no more,   your days will end, and God’s will begin.)   At one time or another, we need to talk about God.   Thankfully, it has been one of the echoing themes, advocacies of the program Ang Dating Daan or The Old Path.   For 36 years now, it has served in the most basic , and yet, beamingly, most effective and satisfying way, it can: Answering any question about God—raw, live and founded.   Once asked, expect its hosts Bro. Eli Soriano and Bro. Daniel Razon to respond with verses of the Bible and display them on TV, Youtube and Facebook screens for everyone’s reference and checking. Hence, the show’s tagline: “The Bible Will Answer. Ask Bro. Eli.”   In that same spirit, they give out free copies of the Bible—a practice they have exercised since the early days of MC

Photo source: Kellysthoughtsonthings.com Nang isang hapon sa aking buhay Sa pagkahimbing, nagising na tunay Kaluluwang dati’y sa layaw ay patay Sa katwira’y bumangon, nagkaro’n ng saysay Ito’y nagsimula nang isang hapon din Nang ako’y ayain sa isang panuorin Upang tignan, usisain, kilatisin Isang mangangaral na bago sa paningin Nang ang telebisyon ay sadyang binuksan Iba’t-ibang mangangaral aming tinunghayan Sa kaisipang makinig, sila ay subukan Nguni’t ‘di nagtagal, iba’y dagling nilisan ‘Pagka’t ano ngang buti aming mapapala Kung sarili’t-sariling turo lang ang pangaral nila ‘Di ba’t madaming tao na ang nagsalita Aanhin namin kung ‘di Dios ang nagwika Kaya’t talapihitan ng telebisyon muli naming ipinihit At sa mangangaral na yao’y nagpasimulang makinig Dangan nga lamang dahil sa aking pagkagalit Dumoon sa isang sulok, humiga at pumikit Sapagka’t siya’y tila naging dahilan ng aming pagtatalo Ng tungkol sa relihiyon ng aking mahal na tito At minsan isang hapon, sa kadugo’y n

It’s hard writing how much Bro. Eli Soriano means to me. It will be his 50th birthday in the spirit come April 7 this year. And fathoming feelings of love and gratitude for a person as special as he is is never easy. Most certainly, such depths of emotion do not stem from fanaticism as some may easily and soullessly accuse me of. For if some take a great deal of joy hearing their religious leader greet them in their own tongue once in a while, how much more others whose preacher untiringly answers their scriptural queries and solves their spiritual problems, for free might I add? Nevertheless, this humble piece of writing is not one of contention, but of celebration. And as mentioned, of love and gratitude to a Filipino, a preacher, a leader like Bro. Eli Soriano.   Where It All Began   Thirteen years ago, my uncle brought me to this “magical” place called “Convention Center” in Apalit, Pampanga. In my head, it was the only term I could find to describe a place where p

One thing I'm giving thanks for? Knowing how to do it right. ♫ I know I had a wicked childhood, I know I had a miserable youth ♫ In the busy life of kids at school, summer time gives chance for reflection, introspection, and even reinvention. (Maybe at least during our time when mobile gadgets referred to items that only the armed forces or James Bond could get their hands on.) And being the "home-buddy" that I was, summer breaks from school became just that. Even as a child, we were taught at an early age about God. I've wondered about Paradise, and the question of whether there would be a sea there that I could explore or a sky where I could soar already played in my mind since I was a kid. But I was really disobedient and disrespectful to my parents at times. I cannot recall how many times I've made my mother and grandmother shout my name in piercing pitch and volume. Growing up, I guess I generally didn't know how to fit in so I