Ang Kalatas Volume V February 2015 Issue | Page 11

THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 5 Number 5 | February 2015 EDITORIAL & OPINION 11 Ode to the Fallen By Danny Dingle Father, you went to Mamasapano with a mission, carrying the hopes of our nation. Instead, they carried you back in a coffin. And our wounded hopes. Brother, you brought your idealism to Mamasapano, And with it our hopes for unity and brotherhood. Instead they brought you back in a box. And a splintered bond. Son, you trained hard and traveled far to Mamasapano, bringing with you our prayer for peace. Instead, you have returned, bloodied and fallen But standing tall in the silence of our grieving hearts. Stranger, you were the unknown name who went to Mamasapano to help find peace for our weary nation. But in the treachery of some hearts and terrains, In the insensitivity of some crazed thinking, In the incompetence of your leaders, In the folly of a cynical conflict, You have fallen for us, You have taken the bullet for us, You have swept away the cobwebs for us. We are you and you are us. Salute! Respect! Glory! From a grateful nation for whom you have sacrificed your all. All is clear now. More than 200 military mourners gather at the gates of the National Police head quarters in Manila on February 1, to pay their respects by offering flowers and prayers to 44 elite police commandoes who died in Mamasapano town in the strife-torn southern island of Mindanao. People have been offering flowers and prayers at the police headquarters to show sympathy for those who died in a bloody operation to catch one of the world's most wanted. ADOBO (A Dose of Brown Opinion) Halo effect: My Pope Francis experience Dateline: Manila, 18 January 2015. He came, he saw, he conquered! And the faithful came, saw and were conquered. This is how the visit of Pope Francis can be summed up. he vicar of Christ came to be with the millions of ordinary Filipinos who turned pilgrims to see, hear, and experience his messages of integrity, honesty, family/youth, mercy and compassion. His visit brought a spiritual renewal that I hope translates to more actions of compassion. His office has asked the epals in their various colours and shades, guises and disguises, to stay away. So, if you have not seen yo- T ur favourite political or entertainment personalities, they were epals. He saw the multitudes, in their various realities and expectations, in their layers of reverence, in their constancy of hope, in their unbridled faith, in their unalloyed joy, in their collective prayers of deliverance from evil and suffering. The people at the motorcade routes and papal venues talk of a nondescript feeling of blessedness and upliftment at the sight of the pope. His mere presence was enough for his 'halo effect' to rub on those around him, this writer included. He conquered without really trying, winning over new admirers because of his downto-earth pastoral style, at the same time steeling further the faith of believers. He succeeded in imparting his messages aimed at various sectors of our society – families, youth, religious and laity, ordinary persons, the displaced and marginalised, government officials – everyone. They were themes that both cajole our consciences and spur us to act for others. As I write this column in my Notepad, the papal mass has just concluded at Rizal Park. It had been raining all afternoon, and still raining now as I walked home. But the indomitable spirit of the Filipinos was unshakeable – typhoon-proof – as social media proclaimed. Come shine or rain, their faith was on display for the world to see. To- Ang Kalatas is published every first Saturday of the month circulated in various parts of NSW. News articles, opinions, syndication and columnists do not necessarily reflect the views and opinion of the publisher and editors of Ang Kalatas and are solely theirs. All editorial and advertising materials submitted by the advertisers are subject to the paper’s advertising and editorial standards and discretion. All rights reserved. day’s audience at the papal mass was mammoth in numbers to rival those when Pope John Paul II came here. I cried during his homily in Tacloban airport; today, it was about the Santo Nino, and the child in all of us. A common theme is suffering and how Christ suffered too. We must suffer with others – compassion – to have true meaning in our lives. We should not be afraid, he said, as Christ has been there before us and is always with us. In the few events where protocol dictated the presence of government officials, the pope managed to talk about greed and corruption, which probably did not sit well with some in the audience, and drew immediate re- MILLIE MARCIAL-PHILLIPS Publisher/Managing Editor TITUS FILIO Copy Editor action. The welcome speeches at the Malacanang reception were dubbed by one commentator as between "the king of poor," and the socalled "king of pork." For the pope to mouth these words himself should be a wakeup call for those who may be guilty of this sin to rectify their sins and return their loot to the people’s treasury. I await to see who could be the first person to do so. We will see a better Phil- ippines if we put words to action. I hope the corrupt repent; idle people help in productive work for themselves and others; more corporal works of mercy are done; more lights are lit to make our country a true beacon of Christ’s light. Then and only then can the halo effect be truly able to make our personas resplendent because of our work for others in the name of Christ. May God bless us all. DANNY DINGLE holds a degree in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, where he became the The Sebastinian’s first editor-in-chief during martial law. He was a Philippine government scholar to the UP School of Economics, Diliman, and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. Editorial: [email protected] Advertising: [email protected] PO Box 18, Quakers Hill 2763 Phone: (02) 8211 0243 Mobile: 0450 073 591 Printed by: New Age Printing Pty Ltd 25 Clyde Street Rydalmere 2116