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The contrast of the two sons

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CLEMELLE L. MONTALLANA,DM, CESE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR III
CLEMELLE L. MONTALLANA,DM, CESE
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR III

The Private Jets, the flock of Caucasian women singers and the begging pastorals, plus the most expensive lawyers money can buy, could not stop nor delay the downfall of the man. It may never put Humpty Dumpty together again.

Jesus’ teachings are timeless and profound. His lessons are still transforming and inspiring lives. Let us examine a few of His impactful sayings:

“I am the life, the truth, and the path. “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Our actions should reflect God’s love.

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) Jesus emphasizes that He is the path to God and eternal life.
In the other hand , here is a short dossier of the man who claims that he is God’s own appointed son .

Here is what the web has to say about Pastor Apollo Carreon Quiboloy:

1. Sex Trafficking Allegations:

o FBI Investigation: In 2015, the FBI began investigating Quiboloy for human trafficking in Hawaii. The agency eventually indicted him in November 2021 for “conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, and sex trafficking of children.”

o Accusations: Quiboloy allegedly exploited women and minors within his organization, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC). These individuals were manipulated into believing that salvation was tied to their dedication to him, including sexual acts.

o Indictment Details: The indictment alleges that Quiboloy trafficked “pastorals” (privileged women who served as his personal assistants) and forced them into sexual encounters with him. Some of these women had traveled with him to the U.S.

o U.S. Treasury Sanctions: In December 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Quiboloy, freezing his U.S. assets. These sanctions are a precursor to potential legal proceedings.

2. Previous Investigations:

o Gun Parts and Cash: In 2018, authorities detained Quiboloy in Hawaii after discovering undeclared cash and gun parts inside his private jet. This incident prompted the FBI to intensify its investigation into human trafficking allegations against him.

o Dismissed Cases: In 2020, Davao prosecutors dismissed rape and human trafficking cases against Quiboloy.

3. Defiance and Denial:

o Quiboloy has consistently denied the accusations, dismissing them as politically motivated and bogus.

o His legal counsel claims that the accusations are meant to discredit him and his church.

4. Ongoing Legal Situation:

o Despite being on the FBI’s most-wanted list for sex trafficking, Quiboloy has not faced trial yet. His influence as a media and religious figure in the Philippines may delay any legal proceedings.

o The allegations against him continue to raise serious concerns about human rights abuses and exploitation within his organization.

Yesterday, the Philippine Senate was able to issue an arrest order for the continued defiance of Pastor Apollo Carreon Quiboloy in not attending the Senate Hearing as led by the Senate Committee on Children and Women as Chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros. Despite the days of the prayer rallies in support of the beleaguered persona in Quiboloy, still the tides had been steadily rising against him.

The “Appointed Son of God “ is perhaps thinking he may not be any more protected by his politician friends nor the angels of the real God.

In all, he is cut to size, looming a little bit smaller than he was, even in the most rabid supporters in his kingdom and in the halls of the Senate. Indeed, this narrative contrast the self-sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ and the self-serving appointed son of God is clear. The Private Jets, flock of Caucasian women singers and the begging pastorals, plus the most expensive lawyers money can buy, could not stop nor delay the downfall of the man. It will never put Humpty Dumpty together again.

Let us reflect on the hubris of Quiboloy and the humility of our Lord Jesus Christ as a study of contrast. Lent allows us the solitude and the chance. Lent tells us that death is sweeter than the sweet life. That power and material possessions can never give nor would it result to salvation.

Reflection

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AL ELLEMA
AL ELLEMA

One popularly transgressed law but is not wittingly considered as so is the express admonition to honor ones father and mother. Many people sin either my omitting to honor or in most cases committing dishonor to ones parents. Human frailty is a common excuse for those who unwittingly disregard respecting their parents. In the course of daily interaction, people tend to forget, albeit unintentionally, according respect to their parents.
While we keep in our consciousness our obligation to honor our parents, we tend at times to follow our own will and volition and without ill intent, fall prey transgressing the divine admonition. While there are no direct imposable sanctions for violating God’s commandment, such sin breaks our connection with God and unknowingly we fall out of His grace.

Many disputes in the family are rooted in the utter failure to observe the fourth commandment. Children asserting their freedom and independence to set the course of their lives often fall into despising the admonitions of their parents or at times choosing to go on a head-on collision course. Options for harmonizing relations and accepting compromises for common positions and directions are often abhorred.

The tendency is shut doors for alternative solutions that would eventually eliminate strains in existing close relationships among members of the family. The strains does not only occur between parents and children but among siblings as well, both being cases transgression to the same commandment. It is so because even if the rift is among siblings, it still is so in contempt of parental love and authority that ought to be honored and respected.

On a different plain, we sometimes see transgressions as motivated by ill will owing to the way parents treated their children. We have witnessed a lot of stories where children purposely fail to give honor and respect primarily because of their parents’ doing or undoing. There is that well accepted adage that requires people to give respect in order to be respected. Reciprocity is the rule the adage posits for people to be guided and to follow. It demands the giving of respect as a precondition to receiving the same respect in return.
This is why many children who feel hurt and live with ill-will, rancor and misgivings from their parents thinks not obliged to give respect and honor. But the premise is clearly misplaced because the commandment is unconditional and is expressly demanding without reciprocation. It may perhaps be unfair but we still ought to follow God’s will and trust in His infinite divine wisdom.

The commandment is boundless that in a sense it extends even when the one to be accorded the honor and respect may have joined our Maker in the great beyond. We still keep intact the respect and honor due our fathers and mothers no matter what. Such is in obedience to the commandment that demands honor for parents not because of who or what they are but simply because of their being parents. We set aside everything we think or feel wrong and allow love, honor and respect to prevail according to God’s will.
comments to alellema@yahoo.com

We are all capable of betrayal

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FR. ROY CIMAGALA
FR. ROY CIMAGALA

WHILE this is something that we should try our best to avoid, we cannot deny that in spite of our best efforts, we are still capable of betrayal, treachery and infidelity. In fact, every sin that we commit, no matter how small, is already a form of betrayal to God who has given us everything for us to be like him as he wants us to be. Everyone can be and do a Judas Iscariot anytime if we are not careful.

And so, we should not over-react when this thing happens. What we should do is to immediately return to God, asking for forgiveness and also for grace so that we can become more and more like Christ who was ever faithful to the Father in spite of the tremendous cost involved. Christ assured us that forgiveness will always be available.
The example of St. Peter is worthwhile imitating. After he realized what he did when the cock crowed the third time, as Christ predicted, he immediately wept and asked for forgiveness. May we have the same reaction whenever we fall into sin.

Judas Iscariot took time before he realized the evil he had done. He repented and wanted to make up, but he did it in a wrong way. Anyway, it is not for us to make the final judgment on him. That belongs to God alone, and we know that he is all merciful without compromising, of course, the due requirement of justice.

Let’s always remember that God has shared his life and everything that he has with us. And that’s because we are his image and likeness. Things just depend on how receptive we are to what God is sharing with us.

We should just sharpen our awareness of this truth about ourselves in our relation to God. To be sure, we would be filled with joy, peace and hope. Like Christ we would know how to handle temptations.

Yes, there will be effort and sacrifices involved, but all these would be done always in an atmosphere of confidence. We would get the sensation that we are gaining mastery over the erratic urges of our body, the many temptations from the world and the devil himself.
The secret is to channel the very mind of Christ with respect to his relation with the Father. He once said: “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father who has sent me.” (Jn 6,38) This should be the motto of our life.

Let’s never forget that more than us, it is actually God who directs and shapes our life. And for this, he has given us everything that we need for us to follow his will. We should just be wary of our strong tendency to be ruled simply by our own will.

It’s when we do the will of God in an abiding way that we can even have the very power of God. To the extent that we follow God’s will, we share in his life, nature and powers. That is why saints and some very holy people enjoy some special powers, like curing the sick, the gift of prophecy, etc.

Let’s remember that our true freedom is when we unite our will with God’s will, and our true dignity and power is when we follow God’s will. Only then can we manage to properly tackle any temptation, difficulty, challenges and trials in our life!

Farm-to-market road enhances connectivity in Isabel, Leyte

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ISABEL, Leyte-The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte 4th District Engineering Office (DEO) completes the Concreting of Brgy. San Francisco to Brgy. Bantigue Farm-to-Market Road in Isabel, Leyte. This project, totaling 920 meters in length and 5 meters in width, also included the installation of 910-meter diameter pipe culverts for effective drainage.

According to OIC-District Engineer Rosita A. Tinawin, the endeavor brings several benefits to the community. “It facilitates the smoother transportation of agricultural produce to markets, reducing travel time and costs for local farmers,” she stated. “Additionally, it improves access to essential services like healthcare and education for rural communities along the route, ultimately improving their quality of life.”

Funded through the DA-FMR 2023 program with a contract amount of P16,790,120.00, this project is a testament to the commitment of DPWH Leyte 4th DEO to advancing infrastructure development in the district. As the community reaps the benefits of enhanced connectivity and accessibility, this accomplishment paves the way for a brighter future for the people of Isabel, Leyte. (PR)

NSSDEO attends DILG’s Pagburublig: Provincial Convergence Metting for RCSP

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NSSDEO, Brgy. Burabud, Laoang, N. Samar-The Department of Public Works and Highways – Northern Samar Second District Engineering Office (DPWH-NSSDEO) attended the Pagburublig: Provincial Convergence Meeting for Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) on March 1, 2024, at the 803rd Brigade, Camp Sumuroy, Catarman, Northern Samar, initiated by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) – Northern Samar Provincial Office.

Through the implementation of E.O. No. 70 and RCSP in the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG)-affected communities, the campaign to end insurgency issues in the Province of Northern Samar and bringing the government closer to the people have been a persistent pursuit. Thus, this gathering served as a crucial step in the process of the said convergence mechanism in order to have a conversation on intervention programs to uplift geographically isolated barangays or as response to the priority needs identified by the people in the target communities.

The meeting kicked-off with a warm greeting from DILG Provincial Director Geraldine C. Maquelabit wherein she accentuated the objective of the meeting is to be an avenue for all concerned agencies to initiate and share actions that need to be taken for national initiative to reach the Nortehanon’s isolated and suppressed barangays.

During the meeting, concerned stakeholders, including the DPWH-NSSDEO through Assistant District Engineer Atty. Arthur Eric Sabong, delivered presentation of their End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) initiatives and provided updates on the progress of Programs, Projects and Activities (PPAs) implementation in the perspective of DPWH-NSSDEO. Numerous programs and interventions are seen to have a positive impact to the lives of residents of Northern Samar particularly those identified beneficiaries of RCSP.

The meeting was joined and participated in by DILG Provincial Director Geraldine C. Maquelabit, 803rd Infantry Brigade Commander BGen. Efren F. Morados, NSPPO Provincial Director PCol. Sonnie B. Omenga, and other national and provincial agency heads – a signal of a strong commitment to collaboration and coordination in formulating decisions that are significant to the delivery of services to the RCSP Barangays.

(KHYZEL M.SOSING, PIO STAFF/PR)

Military, LGU execs facilitate dialogue for families of NPA rebels

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CAMP DOWNES, ORMOC CITY – Military and local government officials in Samar on Tuesday held a Peace Forum and Dialogue to convince the remaining members of the New People’s Army (NPA) through their families to come down and avail the benefits given by the government through the Enhanced Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).

E-CLIP is a government strategy to convince active rebels to return to the fold of the law by providing financial packages and assistance.

The Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) of Samar hopes to ratify the Enhanced Friends Rescued Engagement through their Families (E-FReE Families), a program spearheaded by the Army’s 802nd Infantry (PEERLESS) Brigade in partnership with the Samar Provincial Government.

“The familial influence held by the family and relatives of the remaining active NPA members under Sub-Regional Committee Sesame plays an integral role in our aim to end the armed struggle in Samar through peaceful means,” Brigadier General Noel Vestuir explained during the talks to the families of the NPA rebels.

The E-FReE Families program optimizes the local government’s efforts to link and convince the remaining NPA members through the active participation of the rebel’s families to work for the peaceful surrender of their loved ones and take advantage of the benefits of E-CLIP.
Manneth Lagaras, head of Samar’s Social Welfare and Development Office conveyed the provincial government’s support for the said program. “It is our fervent hope that the current efforts through the engaged families shall work for the surrender of the remaining rebels who are still in the mountains so that they can enjoy the gains of a peaceful life,” Lagaras conveyed Governor Sharee Ann Tan’s message to her constituents.

The forum was also participated in by the different line government agencies which also discussed their programs that the former rebels can avail of. Among those are the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity- Region VIII (OPAPRU-8) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Eastern Visayas.

“Hand in hand with the various clusters of PTF-ELCAC Samar together with other stakeholders and partner agencies, we tirelessly aim for a socio-inclusive society that fosters peace and prosperity both for former rebels, their families, including the remaining active NPAs. Mga kasangkayan, uli na,” Vestuir ended. (PR)

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