“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth
his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”- Revelation 16-15

The recent incident when a smaller Philippine Ship nearly collided with a bigger Chinese Vessel should be a cause of concern to all Filipinos. This moment, in spite of the records of incursions from Chinese vessels numbering to hundreds in UNCLOS defined Philippine Exclusive Economic Zones and the hundreds of protests from Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, the official statement of the Chines Authorities cites provocative actions in the Philippine side.

We also see the previous Chinese Military Drills using live shells and the Balikatan which is still on going . These and the heightened alert in Taiwan and the on-going Invasion of Russia at Ukraine plus the fact that BRICS, made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, with a contribution reaching 31.5 % of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 against 30.7% for the G7, the BRICS are considered the current major emerging power.(africannews.com), the BRICS is the de facto economic way forward on the alliance that tries to overthrow United States as the main Financial Player, a possible post war scenario.

Having all these symptoms, we must take the obvious, any of these Powers (China, US, Russia, Taiwan and BRICS) can take one event as the trigger of a long and protracted war that may come like a thief in the night.

In the event that one flash point comes like the possible collision which was thankfully averted, we may find ourselves in a thick of protracted war. The said war can lead to the demise of thousands and no amount of political affiliation nor social media posting however ,clever can stop the debacle.

War may come like a thief in the night and we may be caught unaware and helpless.
The EDCA and Mutual Defense Treaty can be invoked but it may also be th e reason we are stakeholder to a possible war that we do not need.

I am not certain of the way forward, but War is something that we cannot survive from.

ON the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker which is celebrated on May 1, we are reminded of this often-ignored dignity of our work, all kinds of work, big or small, as long as it is not sinful work. It is a matter that needs a lot of airing out and clarification, especially these days when a lot of confusion and error hound this very important aspect of our life.

Work is a gift of God for us. It is part of our human nature. It’s not a punishment due to our human limitations, let alone, our sins. As we learn from the Book of Job, “A man is born to labour, and a bird to flight.” (5,7) In fact, a man who refuses to work for no good reason would undermine his humanity.

Work is what we need for our human development, both personal and social. But more than that, given our dignity as image and likeness of God, children of his, sharers of his divine life and nature, our work is actually a participation in the ongoing providence and governance of God over all his creation.

In effect, our work, no matter how ordinary and small it is, is where we have our usual encounter with God. It’s where the drama of whether we are with God or not, whether we give glory to him or not, whether we truly love him or we simply are loving and indulging on ourselves, takes place.

Our work is meant to foster our dignity as persons and children of God. It’s never an enslaving element in our life. It is what would truly humanize and Christianize us. Wherever we are, we should see to it that everyone has the proper understanding of work and always has work to do.

Whether one is at home doing the usual household chores or immersed in the different levels of the world of business or the farms, schools, etc., he should know the true nature and purpose of work and act accordingly.

That way, whatever one’s work is, he is certain that he is affirming and developing his human and Christian dignity while working. A certain sense of joy and fulfillment would fill his heart.

For those who have people working for them, they have to make sure that their workers are happy with their work. Business leaders, for example, should give due attention to their workers and make due investments for the proper human and Christian development of their workers. In this, they should not be passive, but should take the initiative to know their workers’ condition and see how they can be developed.

It is usually in the world of business that a lot of violations and abuses are committed in the area of work. Businessmen should not worry only about profits and market shares. They should actively look into the over-all welfare of their workers who, with their inferior position in the organization, are usually prone to be taken advantage of.

Other than simply interested in the technical aspects of work, businessmen should see to it that their workers are properly motivated and remunerated. The relation and interaction between bosses and workers should be abiding, close and warm. Without compromising the professional aspect, the relation should be family-like. Everyone should deal with everybody else as persons and not just as some kind of automatons.

The promises to alleviate the plight of the working class is a regular annual circus among politicians. Even without the asking, politicians are always ready with their narratives of pro-labor stance that is promising to the ears upon those who hear. In the long battle between workers and management, laws appear to be on the side of those who have less in life. There are voluminous laws that provide protection workers while requiring employers to observe labor standards for the welfare of workers. There too are laws that are aimed to maintain human relations and peace in the workplace.

Unfortunately, laws are often observed in the breach than in compliance. Workers remain hapless as employers continue to violate the rights of workers, mainly those that require a standard wage for a decent living of the workers’ family. Wages are subject to negotiation on the bargaining table and employers often have the upper hand. The high cost of living on the part of the workers is always outweighed by the high cost of business operations that could cause closure and drag the workers into joblessness.

Of all the factors affecting business, it is always the cost of labor that is easily identified as the one that could cause perdition. It is simple to calculate the cost of labor as against the other factors such as fuel, electricity and water where one has to compute its effect on the total production and business operation. In the clash between labor and management, labor is always at the mercy as capitalists obtain the strong backing and support of policymakers and implementers of labor laws, rules and regulations.

The public remain at the sidelines as mere expectant spectators while mainstream labor groups hold rallies and demonstrations to fight for workers’ rights. People in the sidelines watch how their fellow workers are dispersed, peacefully but in most cases, violently, by government forces tasked to maintain the peace. The scene of labor leaders and cause-oriented groups expressing their lamentations on the plight of the working man, are loud enough to be heard on the streets and carried by media outlets. But the wails and cries seem too weak to reach the ears of policymakers and those tasked to implement labor laws.

In some cases, employers are too clever to runaround labor laws, ably assisted by those in power to implement the laws. It truly is mindboggling how employers are able to escape legal requirements if not by the help of shenanigans in the bureaucracy. Take for instance the underreporting of the number of employees just to evade the requirement for wage and salary standard as the business is made to appear on paper as a small enterprise. There too is the evasion of tax payments as the business is deemed small.

The social injustice suffered by the working class does not only happen in regular businesses such as manufacturing, trade, commerce and service. The situation also affects farmworkers and those in the blue collar jobs such as laborers in copra, rice and construction warehouses. The same conditions are prevalent among workers in the fourth estate. In the face of these perennial labor problems, government is ready to give answers that is . . . repeat again.
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