Of Death

(Photo source: http://www.gmanews.tv)

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde's untimely death came as a total surprise, as Jen was telling me about it on the way to ATC yesterday. I don't know the man personally. Heck, I don't even remember his face! Lol. I haven't read any of this articles nor watched him intently in the news.

OK, what actually caught me by surprise was the fact that he died alone in his bathroom at a very young age of 51. I haven't read or seen much news about his death (because I haven't been watching TV recently), but Jen was telling me that the Press Secretary lived alone here in Manila and that his family was based in Cebu. Upon hearing that, I thought that his passing was such a sad way to go; he died without his family by his side. And he lived his recent years just working and working away from his family.

Some of us, we work hard in building our careers or in engaging in our businesses. We sometimes fail to spend time with family and friends. We fail to create time for recreation. We think, "I'll just relax and spend time with friends and family when I retire from work. I'll have the time then." But this sudden passing of Remonde should remind us that time is of the essence and that life is truly short. We do not know when we'll go and how sudden or how prolonged death will come to us. The retirement age that we envision may not even come upon us. Our time may be up before we know it.

So live life NOW. Spend time with people who are important to you NOW. Yes, do not forget responsibilities, but do not also forget your loved ones. Try to always be happy and to feel blessed and grateful (I'm also saying this to myself! hehe).

Maguindanao massacre

It is amazing how little power can do so much to corrupt people.

(Photo courtesy of crienglish.com)

As of last night, it has gone up to 57, i.e., the number of recovered bodies of victims of the recent gruesome murder in Maguindanao. The well-planned mass killing that happened last Monday has been all over the news. And why not? Women, lawyers, media men-all innocent civilians-have been abducted by some 100 armed men, killed in various horrific ways that no one can possibly imagine, and buried in a massive grave. As if initial reports of the victims only going to file COCs in the local comelec being abducted and killed were not horrendous enough, the latest news about the terrible incident of the women being raped first before being killed, of some being shot not only in the head but in their private parts, of the slain being buried alive inside their vehicles in a massive grave, and of some body parts found that had been teared up with chainsaws makes one think, "Is this for real?" Is is really possible for people to do this kind of atrocity toward others? How can the perpetrators stand doing this? Don't they have hearts? Don't they believe in a God that sees all things and all their doings? How can they sleep at night, knowing that they killed 57 people, ended 57 dreams, and destroyed 57 futures?

The answers to such questions will not be known as long as the people behind this act of cruelty are freely roaming around, attending to their day-to-day activities like nothing ever happened and unmindful of the extensive call for justice from different sectors of the society.

And while investigations are still currently underway and as the authorities are "trying their best" to go after the perpetrators, for people like us who cannot march the streets and cry for justice, who cannot go to Maguindanao to directly voice out how unhuman this murder is, and who cannot contribute much in the ongoing investigations, the only thing that we can do to help is to offer a prayer. Let us pray:

- for the repose of the souls of those brutally murdered
- for comfort for their families and loved ones during this time of mourning
- for justice for the lives lost in a trivial quest for power
- for strength of character for people in the government for them to do what needs to be done despite affiliations and debts
- for safety for the people who are currently in Maguindanao helping in finding justice for those slained (the media men who are covering the news, the people from Commission on Human Rights, etc.)
- for peace in Maguindanao and in areas that have a similar situation with regard to political clans and violence
- for change in the hearts of not only those behind this massacre but also-and more importantly-people who have been too enamored by power and have been corrupted by it.

Chiz: I'm not running

(Photo courtesy of ChizEscudero.com)

It is final. Chiz Escudero is not running for the presidency in 2010.

In a press conference early morning today, Chiz finally revealed his decision regarding his presidential bid come May of next year. For the past few weeks, he has been delaying his announcement of his plans as he "needed time to weigh his options."

It can be remembered that he was initially with NPC and was the other half of the Chiz-Loren tandem. He then decided to leave the party and run for president as an independent candidate. But, with this decision, many feared that, although he is qualified to run, he may not have a fighting chance, because-let's face it-money is a big factor in Philippine politics. Without a party to support his bid, rally up sponsors and supporters, and gather funds for his campaign, he will surely be left in the dust by his opponents.

That reality must have settled in as he announced this morning that he will not run for any position at all. He further said that he has yet to decide whom to support. Asked if his decision was affected by Sen. Noynoy's decision to run for the same position, he noted that it was a factor, among everything else, as the latter is a dear friend. Chiz said that, in a time that seems to be intended for Sen. Noynoy, he would not want to stand in the way of his friend. However, he reiterated that he has not chosen a presidential candidate to support and instead encouraged everyone to be aggressive in making this coming elections clean and peaceful and in making the right choices.