PRIOR to media exposing the heartless and shameless scheme at the Ninoy Aquino

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Melina Underwood
5 years ago
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1 PRIOR to media exposing the heartless and shameless scheme at the Ninoy Aquino 1 / 8

2 International Airport in Manila, now widely known as laglag-bala or tanim-bala, I planned to go back to the native country early next year to join my high school classmates in a reunion and to join a medical mission. I have decided I will not go, as a protest against those who are perpetuating this scheme, until after the demonic practice is completely stopped and the perpetrators are apprehended. You and I could be the next victim of this evidently most unfair and extremely cruel bribery scheme. This is so unfair and most cruel to immigrants like us, and to poor overseas foreign workers, who had been the early victims of this worst syndicate ever. The earlier stories exposing the alleged practice of placing bullets in the bags of unsuspecting passengers, both departing and arriving, for extortion purposes, are now being confirmed by earlier victims. Lane Michael White, son of a missionary American couple who were going to Palawan, was stopped at the airport after his bag revealed a bullet in it. Lane told the senators, who are investigating the case, he was asked to give a bribe of P30, 000 by an airport officer for a crime he did not commit. In another related case, perhaps, some of you saw the video of a weeping young female arriving overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was apprehended at NAIA last week because she was allegedly carrying bullet in her bag. There is a law in the Philippines which makes it illegal for a person to carry live ammunition (bullet with gunpowder is one). 2 / 8

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4 Some passengers get their luggage wrapped. The following is an interesting published story in a Manila newspaper related to laglag-bala : The Public Attorney s Office (PAO) under the Department of Justice has secured the release of 12 alleged tanim-bala (bullet-planting) suspects who had been charged by the police after bullets were found in their bags at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). PAO chief Persida V. Rueda-Acosta identified four of the suspects released from police custody over the weekend as Rufina Cruz of Angeles City, Pampanga; Mildred Bitog of Bacolod City; Ma. Josephin Rabano of Batangas City; and Shine Enola of Quezon City. Earlier released through the efforts of the PAO were Melody Valdez of Pozzorubio, Pangasinan; Marlou Espanola of Bacolod City; Rowena Otic of Nueva Ecija; Milagros Cadiente of Pasay City; Rey Salado of Cagayan de Oro City; Ryan Rosales of San Mateo, Rizal; Santiago Peñaflorida of Iloilo City; and Gloria Ortinez of Paoay, Ilocos Norte. Apparently, most of the victims are poor OFWs who leave their respective families so they could work and earn money to support them. Those callous and heartless people, who are called public servants receiving their pay from the taxes paid by their victims, now want to get a share of the hard-earned monies? That s insane! 4 / 8

5 Again, I m putting off my planned trip to Manila until after this dirty laglag-bala scheme is completely stopped. Matuwid na daan sa NAIA. *** 5 / 8

6 His Excellency Filipino Archbishop Bernardito Auza (Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations) was the principal mass celebrant during the 24th Anniversary Mass of Couples for Christ ANCOP New Jersey on Nov. 7 in Bergenfield s St. John the Evangelist Church. Filipino Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, was the principal celebrant during the 24th Anniversary Mass of Couples for Christ ANCOP New Jersey on Nov. 7 in Bergenfield s St. John the Evangelist Church. I d like to share with our readers excerpts from the celebrant s homily about new evangelization : New evangelization means finding an adequate response to the signs of the times, and the signs of the times tell us that we must find an adequate response to the spiritual needs of individual believers and of faith communities of today. Peoples and their situations among which the Church is present have changed, sometimes radically, thus an entirely new set of circumstances have arisen in our times. Consequently, new evangelization means fostering a culture deeply grounded in the Gospel in this new setting, in these new cultures, in these new human situations. These new situations and cultures are not, of course, always negative. Indeed, there are many positive aspects of new expressions of cultures, of new scientific and technological discoveries and inventions. Take the new medical advances that allow us to cure diseases. Take the social media like Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Who among us here is not familiar with these things? Even the Holy Father enthusiastically uses Twitter and gladly appears in selfies. On the other hand, let us also admit that these new things form a negative environment for the practice of our faith and the transmission of values to the younger generations. Especially for those whose faith is not well grounded, new value systems and cultures weaken the faith in 6 / 8

7 individuals and communities, diminish the regard for every kind of authorities, and contribute to the decline in religious practice and to the disengagement in the transmission of the faith to new generations. It is in this context that new evangelization means the ability to discern or read the signs of the times, to analyze and understand the impact of new things on our faith, without rejecting what is good. Cultural changes and values of the last decades and of the present have doubtlessly the most impact on how we live and practice our faith and how it is being transmitted to new generations. Culture is the area of life where the secularizing trends and the weakening of the faith are taking place at the most rapid pace, in particular in what we call the western culture or the western world or the developed world, where secularization and secular values dominate. 7 / 8

8 Archbishop Bernardito Auza. 8 / 8

K to 12 and Seminary Education Maxell Lowell C. Aranilla, Ph.D. Iloilo City February 2013

K to 12 and Seminary Education Maxell Lowell C. Aranilla, Ph.D. Iloilo City February 2013 K to 12 and Education Maxell Lowell C. Aranilla, Ph.D. Iloilo City February 2013 Nature of Minor The Minor (High School) is a formative community that primarily aims at nurturing the seeds of vocation