Our conflicting life

We are in conflict with ourselves many times during life. Our future gives cause for concern; the past hold up captured, therefore we miss the future.

The grief and sorrow asked the hope, "How are you?" The hope answered, " I am a little bit low and sad today!" The sorrow  replied sarcastic, "I hope so!"

Nobody wants  to really know what might happen after reaching the retirement age. Sure, if we can observe our neighbors and all other people in our surroundings, we really don't like to know it. If we treat ourselves with care, our real age will not be shown. I don't make any secret celebrating my 65th birthday  this year. I enjoyed. I was proud to reach this age with God's help.

I am retiree now - but I love to continue my teaching at the University of Southeastern Philippines and offer my services as German Honorary Consul for the Mindanao people.

If I look around from to time, it seems that the respectable treatment of our beloved seniors around us are disappearing into the past and are forgotten by the younger generation. Praising the elderly nowadays means to attest them impudent and imperishable youth-fullness.

I must confess, I was not much better while talking to my parents and grandparents, who reached the 92th and 93rd birthdays with the help of our Almighty God. Especially my mother was  strong,  indefatigable,  a phenomenon,  intellectual and  spiritual on top until her last breath.

Let's forget our respect, sometimes just being artificial or an affected stammering, that "our old lady" or "our old gentleman" hasn't become senile yet.

On our way to an honorable and respectful age, we should try to fulfill some of our greatest longings in life.

During the last decades I met many people around the whole globe. Unbelievable, I found out, no matter where in this world, the conflicting attitude is everywhere. "It's an absolute certainty, that's doubts are the main certainty!" stressed already the German Author, philosopher and dramatist Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956).

Please allow me, once in a while being able to say NO. Please allow me deleting inferior and defeatist feelings. Please allow me admitting, that I can't do everything during a single day. Please allow me being no longer afraid about other people and their spiteful comments about me.  

Please allow me accepting my silence. Please accept me being terrible tired from time to time. Please allow me being excused even without having an intelligent reply. Please allow me being carried by salvation and bliss.

Hopefully, we may have enough understanding people with us to accompany us during the voyage of our sometimes very conflicting life. Thoughts to guide us by. Especially today on Christmas Day.

PNP warns public on social media posts

By: Romina Cabrera (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday urged the public to be careful with social media posts that may be used by criminals this holiday season.

PNP deputy spokesperson Supt. Kim Molitas said social media users should exercise restraint when posting their whereabouts or their itineraries for the holiday season on the site as this may be used by criminals. 

“Netizens should take precautions and be aware of the consequences of anything that they post on social media in real time,” she said.

The PNP did not want to cause alarm, but urged the public to limit the information that they post online and make sure their posts are restricted to family and friends.

The PNP said there has been no increase in petty crimes even with the coming holidays. 

“Our efforts did not go to waste because we sustained the campaign against crimes even before the holidays,” Molitas said.

She said it is the first time that there has been no reported increase in the number of petty crimes before the holidays.

Molitas said the PNP hopes to continue this trend even after the holiday. 

Duterte home for the holidays

By: Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star)

DAVAO CITY

President Duterte, as he usually does, is expected to follow his tradition of spending Christmas with his family, especially with his children and grandchildren, here in Davao City.

The President has 10 grandchildren with his children – Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and sons Paolo and Sebastian – with his first wife Elizabeth Zimmerman.


Duterte also has a child, named Veronica or Kitty, with his partner Cielito Avanceña, who is also based in Davao City.

The President arrived here last night for the Christmas weekend. He is also scheduled to bring holiday cheer to government troops as well as the sick children in a hospital in Davao City.


Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said yesterday that indeed the President will spend the holidays with his family.

The President usually hosts a Christmas party for the residents at his old house in Barangay Bangkal when he was still mayor of Davao City.

But when he became President in 2016, Duterte could no longer attend the event for security reasons, although the annual gift-giving still continues.

But what the President also wants to do is make sure he has the time to visit the sick children, especially those afflicted with cancer and are confined at the Southern Philippines Medical Centre (SPMC).

“Doon mo makikita ang kanyang (There you can see his) compassion. He sheds tears every time,” Panelo said of the President’s visit to sick children.

The  President also spent Christmas here last year comforting the families of the victims who perished in the fire that gutted a mall in Davao.

Duterte stayed with the families of the victims as he was also the one who announced the predicament of the 38 call center agents who died in the fire that razed the NCCC Mall along Maa Road here on Christmas last year.