Christmas...

The Birth of Christ 

Christmas is here as we see the light

And the beauty surrounds the earth 

The darkness soon becomes very bright

Proclaiming Jesus's holy birth.

His birth heralds Christianity

John, the Baptist announced his coming

Of salvation and eternity

Glad tidings of a new beginning.

The Sagttarian Reporter

The Mystery of a  Leader

April brings a shower of questions

Why a leader is prone to hatred?

Comes May for the best solutions:

To the country's love, and not greed.

From the South emerged a leader

Whose mission was simply to change

The scene from the top to down under.

The idea is to rearrange.

To place a high premium on drug

Nip the leader and the user

But this isn't the reason to brag

Just doing what's really proper.

He is bold and that is not bad

Yet the high and the mighty loathe him

And this really is very sad

For he is allegedly condemned.

A plan was mulled for the communist

That wrought havoc on the country

He is on the go and it's a test

The paradigm of change comes in handy.

Are we, not all born with an option

To find the version that helps us most?

Then go straight in that direction

And somehow we'll never be lost.

U.P. displayed the Oblation

An inspiration to build, build, build.

A legacy of his obsession

To move forward and never yield.

The search leads to a remote place

To the guarded NPA's lair.

A gallant Group  formed a solid base

And penetrated them unaware.

The Palace now gladly welcomes them

By offerings to their need and want

And really they have nothing to blame

But to their out-of-state commandant.

Aware of the dire happening

The members unearthed the secret

That their armed struggles had no bearing

At long last back home with sweet regret.

This is the tale of a great leader

Marching onward with intricacy:

The defining moment of a soldier

Unfading into reality.

(Note) The Philippines is a Paradise and a blessed country, bridged together by serene and tempestuous seas from all directions. However, it is buttressed with love, hospitality, religion, and education. But it is also subjected to calamities that are man-made and inevitably natural. 

The country's strategic geo-aquatic location is also within the borders of the powerful nations of Europe and the East plying their trades and commerce along the sea and air. As an independent and democratic country, it is friendly to its neighbors, especially since it gained an independent open foreign policy.

This bold and unique leader is going to end his six years of astounding leadership. The poem is humbly dedicated to him - The President, Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

(Greg In Trabanca)

Philippine History - 2

Philippine History 11

Rebellion With a Cause

In the countryside was a cry

That started at Pugad Lawin

Balintawak acted the why?

For freedom's sake, they have to win. 

Loyalty to Spain must be cut

As the people have suffered much

And with the gumption and the gut

That this allegiance must end as such.

On the fertile soil of the land

Sprout some seeds with the urge to lead

Smiling at its vast pebbly strand

With the healthy produce to spread.

Leaders like the weather come and go 

Some are obsessed with good reasons

But the people have the right to know

What's in store for them in all seasons.

Brilliant promises stir the air

The people are filled with energy

This land of the valiant and the fair

Will weather many a century.

(Greg In Trabanca)

 

Philippine History - 1

Philippine History 1

The Great Circumnavigation

It is the month to remember

When humanity yearns for hope

Those things will be getting better

Although they're unlimited in scope.

History of our dear country

Encompasses our hopes and fears.

The search for peace and to be free;

Engraved in our smiles through our tears.

It started with Spain's supremacy

Gazing at the roundness of the Earth

A Portuguese-born has to see

That the globe's problem is unearthed.

Over a route  in search of spices

An expedition was mulled over

But the toll has got high prices

As spices and gold have their power. 

The great circumnavigation

Got impact on humanity

But planted seeds of rebellion

That blooms into disparity.

Lessons gleaned from our brave heroes;

Of their feat against the invaders

Yet we are enveloped with woes

Gleaming like undying embers.

(Greg In Trabanca)

This is the Moment

This Is The Moment 

A Holy Moment - with my God 

Surfaced in the whirlpool of time

Forgetting that what I have had

Been in my past and the modern clime.

I need this - a Holy Moment

That Thy will be done on this earth,

While heaven is the final event;

Need to understand Thy lowly birth.

And setting aside what I felt

As I availed myself to Him

Daring in my prayer to vent

The faith that is clear, not bedimmed.

I must act fast on what to do

On the Almighty Creator

Without any further ado;

Must succumb to my Editor.

And on this day, I must admit

I just need only the moment

With my love and to be legit;

A moment that is permanent.

In the firmament of my conscience

In a terrain of loveliness;

In technology and science

In a world of profound bliss.

(N.B.)  This poem from the smithy of my being is a remembering of the moment when my wife expelled her last breath on this day. (29th of November 2015) . Evangeline Rueles Magallanes Caermare Trabanca ( Eve/Vangie) is remembered and in her peaceful rest, may the perpetual light illumines.

(Greg Intas Caponong Trabanca)

Evening of November 2021

 The Pouring Rain...

There's a time in life when the rain just falls.

You are soaked wet. You look for shelter.

And you search for different walls

Then comes the moment to ponder.

And you pray for the rain to stop

Tears just cascade into your cheeks

Those worldly things you have to drop

One by one in the lonely creeks

Waver not as help is on the way

When you are lost you have an angel

Ever ready when you are astray

With that, you have a story to tell.

 

In life, true friends are hard to find

Like rare seeds of beautiful plants

You have to pick and choose the right kind

Remember there are rabbits and ants.

(Greg Intas Caponong Trabanca)

Sunday of November 2016

A Sunday to Remember

By the window, I look out Eastward. 

The trees are calm in the park. The sky

Is ash white. I notice that the yard

Nature is asleep; the ground is dry.

Smoke spews out from the clean heater; 

The breeze awakens the sleeping leaves

 Of varying colors, of amber

And all that Mother Nature gives.

 

What's up?

Point to Ponder.

Why do we go on living? It is because there's something to live on. For this place called Earth is so beautiful, so alluring to leave, to exit without exploring the vastness of its existence. It goads us to question further why we are here and who placed us here? What are we looking for anyway?

These questions boggle our minds. The reason why I penned this is so others may have the answer. The reason why we study the Bible. That knowledge is essential. It has a beginning but no end.

By the way, what 4 things did - Mother Teresa, Francis of Assisi, John Paul II, Therese of Lisieux, and Ignatius of Loyola have in common? They all practiced the Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic. And these are:

1. Prayer   2. Study  3. Generosity      4. Evangelization

Are we highly engaged or disengaged Catholics? This interest in Bible Study uncovers the reason why? Welcome then all and sundry to the world of Education to the Kingdom of God! To the classroom of Verbum Dei - The Word of God!

Question?

Flashback on History (08/09/2021, 3:00 PM CST)

I found this in a note which I usually do when I see something worth recording and remembering. Here it goes - "The Romans are not great inventors but the Apple of their day. Apple didn't invent Smartphones, nor did they create the first music download and electronic tablets were around for more than a decade before the Ipad. But what Apple did do was take existing concepts and develop them in ways that hadn't been done before. The Romans did exactly the same thing. They took an idea and developed it to the next level."                                                      

The Phoenicians were master seafarers and traders of antiquity who created robust networks...best known for creating the alphabet. They occupied a narrow tract of land along the coast of modern Syria, Lebanon, and northern Israel.

 The ancient Greeks adopted their alphabet from the Phoenicians. Both were seafaring people and eager to trade not only ideas. Most important was the alphabet. It enabled a system of writing by which they could record their transactions. As with other ideas they borrowed, the Greeks made improvements, increasing the number of letters by adding vowels. This happened sometime around the beginning of the 8th century B.C. (The Alphabet and Writing)

This tells us that there is that human nature to seek independence but the reality is we are always dependent on one another and as the writer, John Donne wrote, "no man is an island entirely of itself, every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main. " 

The truth is we are dependent on Him, the Creator of all things, visible and invisible.

All About Amelioration

On Amelioration

There is a man  obsessed with change
On the plight of his dear nation

Of a long-range idea;

All about amelioration.

This he did try his best version 

Giving the people what they need

Amidst the storms of objection

He destroyed the grafts of their greed.

He was questioned about his promises

On corruption and fatal drugs

As dooms loom when the sun rises

And tears cascade instead of hugs.

Blends his words and actions with love

This man's heart is for his people;

He's brave and hale and fears the Above.

Yet these oligarchs want his fall.

His watching sun is soon to set

Again a dream of another day

With vim and vigor, he tries to get

While hubris is out of his way.

He needs the terrorists' hills down

And the valley of the honest be raised

So then expect a lovely crown

That all nations will be amazed.

Dedicated to the "down to the masses" president who calls himself "mayor and just an employee of the government". He doesn't banner his name on projects done as they are the money of the people, according to him.  John  F. Kennedy historically said, " Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

Rodrigo Roa Duterte was asked what will he say in his State of the Nation Address, about his accomplishments during his watch. He nonchalantly replied,  "Nothing, just look around." He is the epitome of the good, the bad, and the beautiful story! He is Build, Build, Build!

(In hindsight) Presidents of the Philippines

(1) (Cavite.)  Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, President of the Philippine Republic (1899-1901). Andres Bonifacio sparked the revolution of 1896, described as the revolt of the masses. Emilio Aguinaldo was exiled in 1898 to Hongkong with Filipino exiles and Spanish hostages. 

Apolinario Mabini, President Aguinaldo's factotum and the "Conscience and Brains of the Revolution. Members of the First Philippine Assembly were elected in 1907. Speaker Sergio Osmen'a presided over the First Philippine Assembly.

(2) (Aurora) Manuel L. Quezon - the first Filipino to head a government of the entire Philippines ( as opposed to the government of previous Philippine states, and is considered to have been the second president of the Philippines after Emilio Aguinaldo (1899 - 1901), whom Quezon defeated in the 1935 presidential election.

 Manuel L. Quezon took the oath of office as the first President of the Commonwealth on Nov 15, 1935.

(3)  Batangas) Dr. Jose' P. Laurel, President of the Second Philippines Republic, 1943-1945.

Senators Jose' P. Laurel and Claro N. Recto great Filipino nationalists, jurists, and scholars who fought for national dignity and the preservation of national patrimony. ( History of the Filipino People, 5th edition by  Agoncillo and Guerrero)

(4) Cebu) Sergio Osme'na - Aug. 1, 1944- May 28, 1946.  He is commonly associated with the Philippine fifty-peso bill bearing his image and is popularly known as the "Grand Old Man of Cebu". Osmen'a rose from being a newspaper reporter to the Presidency of the Philippine Republic in 1944-1946.

Statesman, founder of the Nacionalista Party (Partido Nacionalista). He took the examination for aspiring lawyers and placed second in the overall ranking with an average of 95.66, and got 100 percent in Penal Code and Civil Procedure. With the support of Governor Jun Climaco, Osmen'a initially became involved in politics. He was appointed as acting provincial governor by Gov. Climaco in 1904 and won as governor in 1905. In  1907, he won a seat in the Philippine Assembly and was easily proclaimed as the first speaker at 29.  At that time, speakership was the highest position that a Filipino could aspire to be second only to the American Governor-General. The1946 election, Osmen'a lost to Manuel A. Roxas but his character as a Nationalist and Statesman never vanished from the memory of the Filipinos until now. His descendants are very visible and active in politics, a manifestation, that the Filipino people have trusted the Osmen'as through the decades. Truly, it is worth paying tribute to a man who fought for the liberty we enjoy today. 

(5) (Capiz) Manuel Acun'a Roxas- May 28, 1946 - April 5, 1948 

Manuel A. Roxas broke with President Osmen'a and formed the Liberal Party, which he led to victory as a Presidential candidate on April 23, 1946. Roxas thus became the last president of the Commonwealth and the first president of the Republic of the Philippines. President Manuel A. Roxas signed the Independence Documents on July 4, 1946, with American Commissioner Paul V. McNutt who read the Independence Proclamation for Harry Truman. 

(6) Ilocos Sur) Elpidio Quirino - April 19, 1948 - Dec. 30, 1953. President Elpidio Quirino continued the task of rebuilding the war-torn Philippines. He is one of the architects of contemporary Philippine progress.

(7) Zambales) Ramon Magsaysay - Dec. 30, 1953 - March 17, 1957

Secretary of National Defense Ramon Magsaysay launched numerous rural area inspection trips during the campaign against the Huks. His "common touch" paved the path to his election to the Presidency in 1951.

(8) Bohol) Carlos P. Garcia - March 13, 1957 - Dec. 30, 1961

President Carlos P. Garcia was noted for his enunciation of the Filipino First Policy. He was the Architect of Economic Nationalism.

(9) Pampanga) Diosdado Macapagal - Dec. 30, 1961 - Dec. 30, 1965.

President Diosdado Macapagal launched land reform and made it the cornerstone of his policy on Central Luzon.

(10) Ilocos Norte) Ferdinand Edralin Marcos - Dec. 30, 1965 - Feb. 25, 1986.

On October 24, 1966, University students demonstrated against Philippine participation in the Vietnam War.

Marcos - was one of the most controversial leaders of the 20th century. His rule was infamous for its corruption, extravagance, and brutalities. Throughout his political career, Marcos claimed to have been the "most decorated war hero" in the Philippines. However, Marcos assisted 107 institutions in undertaking nuclear energy work by sending scientists to study nuclear science and technology abroad and providing basic training to 482 scientists, doctors, engineers, and technicians.

(Ferdinand Marcos - Wikipedia)

(11) Tarlac) Corazon Aquino - Feb. 25, 1986 - June 30, 1992.

(12) Pangasinan)  Fidel V. Ramos - June 30, 1992 - June 30, 1998

(13) Metro Manila) Joseph Estrada - June 30, 1998 - Jan. 20, 2001.

(14) Pampanga) Gloria Macapagal Arroyo - Jan 20, 2001 - June 30, 2010

(15) Tarlac) Benigno Simeon Aquino 111 - June 30, 2010 - June 30, 2016.

(16) Davao del Sur) Rodrigo Roa Duterte - June 30, 2016 - June 30, 2022

(17) Ilocos Norte) Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos - June 30, 2022 -

(Greg Intas Caponong Trabanca)

The Nativity of St. John The Baptist

 (06/24/21) A Get-together By the Park as we say bye-bye to June.

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) The New American Bible, Saint Joseph Edition.

After a brief hiatus, foregoing a year of celebration, the Santo Nino' de Agosto, a Catholic Religious Organization deserves a get-together. This was the great idea of Gloria Lumanao Espinoza Key, the untiring and energetic leader of the Society of the Beloved Disciple and who is also responsible for holding a nightly (8:00 pm to 9:00 pm) virtual prayer group since the advent of the pandemic covid-19.

At this precarious pandemic time, when almost everybody communicates by distance, Zoom through phones or the internet, a gathering in the park is worthy to be chronicled. Thursday, the 24th of June 2021, the Santo Nino' Group of Rev. Fr. Leoncio S. Santiago, his weekly Bible Study Group, and the members of the monthly Sister Milagros's Verbum Dei Bible Study Group, held a picnic by the Labagh Woods Park from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. This is a prelude to the yearly Santo Nino' de Agosto Fiesta by August.

Mother Nature was kind enough to scatter showers sans thunderstorms in mid-afternoon at least to ease out the heat of summer. The Groups'  members and their friends arrived happily bringing homemade and restaurant foods for the picnic table on a shed. The food-laden tables at precisely noon time were surrounded by the red-shirt picnickers who bowed their heads while the Spiritual Adviser led the prayer before a meal.

Meanwhile, an Atenean and a former seminarian provided the music of almost all retiree members of the Santo Nino' de Agosto, and the Bible Study Groups.

Somebody has said, " Never give up. Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine. Life is not waiting for the  storm to pass, it's learning to dance in the rain."  Amidst the rain outside, the Group by the picnic shed did their valuable time with songs, jokes, and dancing.

Fr. Santiago, made an inspiring remark about the day of St. John, the Baptist. Indeed we should be glad, enjoy, sing, and dance as life are short and priceless. And rightfully so, happiness filled the air, meanwhile, the emcee, Expo Taghap, and Fr. Santiago interspersed the program with gems of jokes, which really were a relief at the moment. Then, there was a picture-taking session of the different Santo Nino' chapters for the Souvenir  Program of the coming Fiesta.

Another good-hearted person said, " Every day is a new beginning. Take a deep breath, smile, and begin again. God woke you up today for a reason. Trust in His plan. His timing is perfect. He will make a way. Amen."

"NO MATTER HOW YOU FEEL, GET UP, DRESS UP, SHOW UP and NEVER GIVE UP! 

HAVE A BLISSFUL, BLESSED DAY EVERYONE!

Life is a Journey

 Life Is A Journey

On Being...

When nothing matters you seek a refuge
A place in the classroom of silence
While a rush like the great deluge
Will engulf you in your bare essence.
      
In the smithy of your being  
Will appear as an instantaneous flash;
In the realm of  the unbelieving
You decide to put it in a cache.

These songs or your stories deserve

To be told in poetry and in prose

So posterity can observe

The good, the bad, and how it goes.

A tribute to a modest father

And with due respect to all of them

For him, we have something to gather

And it is priceless like a gem.

A father to a large family

Has a closeness to the Master

Adheres to love, faith, and charity

And perseverance to muster.

A father to the prayer warrior

To the Zoom Bible Study group

You could address him as a pastor

But you need not really stoop.

(N.B.) This poem is gratefully dedicated to Fr. Leoncio S. Santiago, a secular priest, and Santo Tomas University alumnus, of Manila, Philippines. He is also a graduate of Medicine. He is the Spiritual Adviser of Sto Nino' de Agosto and the Society of the Beloved  Disciple, He is a chaplain, and a retired pastor. He currently conducts a virtual Zoom Bible Study Group. Obviously, he is a "father" to the Prayer Warriors. A silent prayer of health and longevity for him and to all the fathers of the world on this Father's Day.

(Greg Intas Caponong Trabanca)

 Good Shepherd Sunday (4th Sunday of Easter)

"I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep." (Gospel: John 10: 11-18)

I attended the 4th Sunday of Easter (Good Shepherd Sunday) Mass of the Holy Child Jesus parish at St. Margaret Mary Church. The readings were done by a visiting priest who did them perfectly well and Rev. Arthur Bautista did the inspiring homily about the good Shepherd.

When I arrived home, I searched for the book, The Shepherd written by Matthew Kelly, an Australian- born writer, speaker, lecturer "who had touched millions of people around the world with his disarmingly simple principles inspired in him by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ." 

"The Shepherd is a modern parable about our search for happiness.  It was about a banquet in an ancient castle, in the hills on the outskirts of London. It was an evening not of music, and speeches, and dancing but an atmosphere of listening to one of England's most celebrated Shakespearean actors to perform the famous passages from the writings of William Shakespeare. 

" Oh, I am but fortune's fool..."To be or not to be - that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles..." Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more beautiful and more temperate..." This but thy name that is my enemy: Thou art thyself... What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet;  So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, Retain thy dear perfection which he owes..." " If we shadows have offended, Think but this and all is mended, That you have but slumbered here While these visions did appear..." 

"With the closing passage from A Midsummer-Night Dream, the actor took a bow and announced that was finished. And he asked the audience of any particular favorite passage that they want to be recited? An elderly man who turned out to be a priest wanted the actor to digress from Shakespeare to recite the Twenty - Third Psalm. The actor paused and looked down as if remembering some moments in the past, willingly obliged to do it, on one condition that he would also recite it after he is done.."

 The denouement of The Shepherd was with the Twenty Third Psalm recited by the Shakespearean actor. There was a standing ovation and the prolonged clappings shattered the summer evening. It was a remarkable rendition. Then the humble priest recited with the voice he had with him as he did on his sermons. He settled on his seat. Nobody clapped. Silence enveloped the radiance of the summer night. Everybody was in awed unspoken admiration. Not even a sound of a needle when dropped could be heard, so to speak. A profound silence! Women were tear-eyed and men stared open-mouthed.

 "The Shakespearean actor was perplexed.  Then seizing the moment he said, "My friends, do you realize what you have witnessed here tonight?" " Why was the old man's recital of the Psalm so much powerful than my own? " As I see it - The difference is this, I know the Psalm, "but Father, he knows The Shepherd."                   

Happiness could not be found in this world but certainly in the realm of God.

God is our friend. Invite Him in the classroom of silence for just ten minutes a day. "He is our Divine Architect. He will design something wonderful for us. He is also our  Divine Navigator... He will plot a course for the unchartered territories. He is the good Shepherd who is willing to sacrifice his life." Listen to his strong and credible communication for us to keep us out of harm's way. He will never forsake us."                                               

"Sit with God and dream some dreams. Forget about trying to put together a Master Plan for your life... for your happiness. God will reveal a plan for you and in that plan, your deep gladness will unite with the world's deep need. Only then will you taste the holy contentment that our very beings never stop yearning for. Get to know the Shepherd. He will lead you to green pastures...  He will restore your soul...Your cup will overflow." (Matthew Kelly)

By: Greg Trabanca) 

The Paradox of Life

Blessings or Luck 

It's an enigma. Our mind has to grapple with answers. In this world, things are in paradox and must be dealt with, with a proper perspective.

Noise echoes on the pandemic! That the vaccine for covid-19 will be annual. And murmurs about it floats as it streams over the airwaves. Fear grips the hearers and the beholders especially among our Prayer group. Out of the twist of the moment, I ventured to comment (by myself silently) why the fuss about it? I have good news for you! Do you know the reason why and what we are doing virtually every 8:00 o'clock PM, seven days a week,  in the Society of the Beloved Disciple? We are praying since the advent of covid-19. That is our weapon on this pandemic.

Prayer and faith in our Lord. We must pray unceasingly. That's what the Saints were doing and they have the faith that moves mountains. Now we are between the mountains and the deep blue seas. We must have that move-mountain faith and with bended knees pray to our Holy, Mighty, Immortal God.

(By Greg In Trabanca)

Have A Heart

  Beautiful Message...

Once in a while,  our stays offer

An abundance of  unexpected

Things so much that we have to render

What our good God might have intended.

The place that McArthur landed

I came back to  finally see

The land that the explorers raided

My birthland is now called Leyte.