Tita Cor

The heart of Country

is our unity, our Peace -

t'is worth defending!

Our Republic has

a heart, tita, you restored -

may we remember!

Thy heart of

unity.

---<--@

Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (19330125-20090801 peaceably recalled by God, of natural causes) 11th President of the one Republic of the Philippines, a most honorable Filipino statesman, heart of the EDSA Revolution, Icon of Democracy, wife, mother, inspiration - via con Dios!

Today is the 2nd year anniversary of her passing...

She may not be perfect, this is true. But without her, as one can plainly observe in our world today, we would find ourselves in a very different place in time.

An Office is a lineage of persons.

May we truly let go of the sins of our nation's past, may Justice abide in our Republic that good may flourish and evil fade away, may the LORD, our God, forgive us and release our present generations from the pain of all our past hurts, may He grant us peace. AMEN.

Corazon is Spanish for "heart".

Ninoy

When I think about

Ninoy, I think of father -

a heart, brave and true.

I think of struggle

and the virtues it requires -

that which makes us free...

thy soul of

bravery.

---<--@

Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. (19322711-19830821 of valor and love of Country) - a most honorable Filipino statesman, hero of the one Filipino nation, martyred scion of the one Republic of the Philippines, a star among stars in the skies above my nation - via con Dios!

Mang Bab

I miss you, Mang Bab!

You're one of my favorite stars.

And one of a kind.

How can I forget

that chin and that face, I smile.

Your style is your own.

Salamat,

Babalu.

---<--@

Pablito Sarmiento, Jr. (19420220-19980827 peaceably recalled by God, of natural causes) a most beloved Filipino comedian - thanks for the laughter and the fun - via con Dios!

There is a kind of bravery in humor. The kind that reminds us of our own humble humanity.

Princess Alex

Pretty purrrincess -

energetic but fragile

like a flower, soft.

Sweet and brave, seeming,

yet often vulnerable...

you take care, you cat.

May you find

your true prince.

---<--@

I wish you well, you cat.

Skyla

Skyla is a cat.

Strong and sunny is this one.

Funny and crazy.

I feel her brightness.

Not sharp, but soft and aglow.

She's Starla's sister.

Her earth name

is Sheena.

---<--@

I wish you well, you cat.

My Ate Mane

My Ate Mane

is a down-to-earth person,

real as real can be.

She is an artist

with a passion for her art;

a wife and mother.

Above all,

she's fam'ly.

---<--@

Two less lonely people in the world...

Happy birthday, Kirk!

Now, this is what I mean when I say that

my ate and my kuya are real stars -

Real Stars

Some stars are fake, some are real -

of the fake ones, the heart can feel,

because of the real ones,

when one can tell -

it's their nearness to our earth

that makes it sell.

Real stars shine with a warmth

that often reaches us

and are full of genuine concern

but fake ones really don't connect

as much as we would like,

their light is not as warm and comforting

as far as the heart can tell

they could be as far from our earth

as heaven is to hell.

=^.^=

Utak Wang-wang

Ang utak wang-wang

ay sadyang mapanlamang

at mapanlinlang...

'Kala mo kung sino,

humirit panay tunog -

sa kapwa'y mang-mang.

Ang kapal

ng mukha!

---<--@

Patuloy

Patuloy tayo,

patuloy Pilipino

sa pagbabago!

Iwanan na at

iwaksi panlalamang

at pandaraya.

Mahalin

ang Bayan!

---<--@

Halina

Halina Bayan

sa pagtatanim ng bukas

sa kabataan.

Magandang asal,

halimbawang maka-Diyos,

ating ipunla.

Ang ani'y

umaga.

---<--@

Pipoy

Pipoy, I miss you!

Once you played the bad guy role

and made me hate you.

And then, you became

the funny-looking, bald guy

and made me love you.

Thank you, sir.

Godspeed!

---<--@

Larry "Pipoy" Silva (19371021-20040427 peaceably recalled by God, of natural causes) actor, comedian, public servant, Filipino - I miss you, Pipoy - thanks for the comedy - you made me feel old and you made me feel young - Godspeed!

Love Your Family

Honor thy parents,
and listen to their counsel,
obeying the truth.

Love your family,
they are thy friends that God chose,
apart from thy kith.

Life begins
and ends here.
---<--@

Family is Family is Family

Our close family ties is a peculiar strength of our Filipino national identity.

In our society, the extended family plays an indispensable role in the raising of the generations.

The fact that we have grown presently accustomed to calling total strangers "ate" or "kuya" (a recent social adaptation) is a manifestation of this familial bent in the Filipino soul.

Truly, we are a nation passionate for identity, belonging, and most of all, family.

It is a strength we also share with our kindred nations, arrayed within our regional belongings (Asia South East), as well as with those others, equally beloved to all, that comprise our one, great continental belonging (Asia).

Now, notice that our characteristic close family ties is a strength and not a weakness.

BUT it is an intended strength because it is one that we must ever always choose to align harmoniously with the other wholes of human community -

from the individual
- being the person for whom -
the familial whole exists to shelter
and whose unique and unrepeatable spirit
the presence of the family serves to
fortify, guard and fulfill -

to the nations
that exist (for each other) as greater shelters
serving to bring various families
and diverse tribes together
in the spirit and peace
of one, single human community,
binding all into one freedom
- one lineage of victory -
making possible the building
of the inhabited earth.

- selah -

Indeed,
the family is the window
from which one learns about
the value of human relationships
- both vertical and horizontal -
and the singular doorway
that eventually permits all to enter
into the larger, nobler wholes
of human community.
---<--@