November 16 - 30, 2017
OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
Rey Fortaleza - Publisher
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Commerce and Christmas
Breaking
Point
Halloween,
stores stock up
their shelves with
greens and reds, and on the
radio, a station already plays
Christmas songs. The time
for preparation that Advent
was purposefully laid out for
has now become an excuse
to start shopping and start
worrying about what latest
toy or gadget would make the
best Christmas present ever.
Stores are stocking up
for items, fifty percent of
which will not be sold, and
the rest put back into storage
space for next year, if they are
still trendy. This year’s Black
Friday and Cyber Monday
sales were down because
people have now switched to
purchasing online, so more
items on the shelves weren’t
sold at all.
What
makes
the
whole season all the more
commercialized
and
materialistic is that Christmas
songs that are meant to
celebrate the birth of Jesus
Christ is being used in
advertisements as a song that
waits for Santa Claus. One
recent commercial uses the
song, “Do You Hear What I
By Rosette Correa
The
word
“advent”
comes from the
Latin
adventus, meaning to arrive
or to come. It is a translation
of the Greek word parousia.
Scholars believe that during
the 4th and 5th centuries in
Spain and Gaul, Advent was a
season of preparation for the
baptism of new Christians at
the January feast of Epiphany,
the celebration of God’s
incarnation represented by
the visit of the Magi to the
baby Jesus (Matthew 2:1), his
baptism in the Jordan River
by John the Baptist (John
1:29), and his first miracle at
Cana (John 2:1).
During this season of
preparation, Christians would
spend 40 days in penance,
prayer, and fasting to prepare
for this celebration; originally,
there was little connection
between
Advent
and
Christmas.
Today,
Advent
is
overshadowed by Christmas
itself, but not the Christmas
that Christians should know
and celebrate. It is a Christmas
created and marketed by
businesses. As early as post
Bulong
Pulungan
By Deedee Siytangco
Reprinted from Manila Bulletin
ANGEL THOUGHTS
“I have closed the door
on doubt, I will go by what
light I can find, and hold up
my hand and reach them
out…”
–Irene Pettit McKeehan
The ASEAN is over and
done with. Until the next
ASEAN in Singapore, the
business now is consolidating
agreements and making
sure commitments are met.
Congratulations
to
this
administration for a summit
well done.
We are glad nothing
untoward marred the staging
of the country of this all-
important
international
meeting of leaders. Sure,
there were the usual militant
rallies and the accusations
of “over kill” in the dispersals
by the PNP. But, all in all, the
PNP performed well. Saludo
Hear?” about the
child Jesus’ birth,
a song where the
characters wait for
the fat man in red.
Sadly, society
has become one
that
does
not
adhere to truths,
and it has lost its
respect for certain
religious traditions
and celebrations
meant to be a
sacred one. If one
thinks about it,
no one has ever
commercialized
H a n n u k a h ,
Kwanzaa
or
Ramadan, although
commercialism
is slowly creeping
into Diwali and Vaisakhi in
supermarkets and produce
stores. Christmas has become
so commercialized that it has
already lost its meaning.
Advent is the biggest
casualty of the madness. In
stores everywhere, you would
see Advent calendars with
Disney, Barbie, Lego and
other commercial designs
aimed to sell to children, each
window filled with candies
or chocolates. We are not
only exposing children to the
desire to want to buy more
by counting down the days
of shopping, but we are also
exposing them to serious
illnesses like high cholesterol
and diabetes.
Some
may
think
these ideas may be too
far-fetched, but the whole
point of advertising and
commercialism is that no one
should notice it upfront. The
whole business of advertising
is wrapped around the idea
that you have to sell to
the subconscious, not the
conscious. For the last fifty
years or so, it’s been working
really well.
So, what do we do to
truly celebrate Advent? What
is it really calling us to do?
To wait patiently, in
silence, in great expectation,
and in prayer.
ASEAN ends on high note, plastic
retainers now in vogue
kami!
President Duterte was
well-behaved throughout the
three-day summit so let’s
not nit-pick on his attire or
whatever else. His partner
Honeylet was elegant and
seemed the perfect “first lady”
to her man. Not surprisingly,
the summit’s “rock star” was
Canada’s Justin Trudeau
who was the only one brave
enough to mention “human
rights concerns.” Trudeau
said Duterte was “receptive”
but later our president blew
his temper and said the
reference to the drug menace
was “an insult, personal, and
official!” Oh, well.
Still ever polite and
cordial the Canadian PM
also promised that the trash
shipment from a private
company sent to this country
two years ago (a month after
he was elected Prime Minister)
would be solved soon and
that the two countries’ ties
were strong.
Justin as everyone knows
by now, stopped by a Jollibee
outlet in Tondo for a take-
out one-piece ChickenJoy
and a chat with customers
there after dropping by an
NGO supported by Canada
for children and mothers. He
was mobbed by enthusiastic
Filipinos all the way as he
carried babies and conversed
with PWDs on the new E-Jeep
for them.
He inspected an E-Jeep,
courtesy of the DOTr and
one that would be used for
handicapped riders outside
the Peninsula Hotel where
he stayed. The E-Jeep will
hopefully replace the 15-
year olds and older jeeps and
help reduce carbon dioxide
emissions and help solve some
of the Metro Manila traffic
problems. The administration
has allocated almost a billion
pesos for this project, so DOTr
undersecretary Tim Orbos
(who is also currently general
manager of MMDA second to
the DOTr) told us.
While there is opposition
from transport groups Tim
hopes the interest and
welfare of the riding public
wins out. He is confident of
the outcome of the project as
President Duterte’s marching
order to the DOTr headed
by Secretary Art Tugade is
“Move, Move, Move!” DOTr
official intend to do just that,
Orbos reassured us.
We are watching this
project! We hope you succeed
Sec Art! And yes, throw
the book at arrogant Isabel
Lopez for violating security
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
guidelines!
* * *
Good news for lovers
of wine and great food. The
17th Grand Wine Experience
is on this Friday at the Mariott
Hotel ballroom. This year the
theme is “Degustacion” so
expect the wines to be really
special and the buffets great!
There will be over 500
wines and spirits to be sipped
and savored promised the
organizers, The Philippine
Wine merchants and Ralph’s
Wines and Spirits. This is
the biggest of its kind of
exhibition and tasting in
all of Asia. Kingston Sian,
president and CEO of Resorts
World said during the launch
at Marriott’s CRU steakhouse
that they were only too happy
to be the venue and host the
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