2/24/2011

A Prayer For OFW

Dear God,


You crossed every border between divinity and

humanity to make your home with us. Bless our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters

who have travelled to foreign lands with faith in their heart leaving their

families behind as they break through the barriers of people, cultures, and languages

to escape oppression and poverty.

There are

many things going on that are beyond us even with our collective power. We come

to thee in supplication and heartfelt pleadings as we are mindful of the ordeals

of others.

We thank thee for hearing the prayers of your

people as China grant reprieve to our three OFWs and may the Chinese government

grant a lesser penalty to their case.

We pray for the thousands of OFWs who were incarcerated

and imprisoned in the Middle East, Asia and other continents, may thou please grant

them the chance to get back to their families and find a new life, justice and

freedom as they entrust their lives into thy hands. May Thou enlighten our leaders

to put the plights of distressed OFWs as a priority and withdraw from plans to

cut the DFA social service and legal assistance funds.

We

pray to Thee that our OFWs in Taiwan will soon be reprieved of taking all the

heat of the current Taiwan-Philippines rift. May the government emissary would

soon find resolution to this issue so that those more than five thousand

scheduled for deployment will now be allowed to take on their jobs, and

the nearly a hundred thousand currently employed may keep their jobs and be

able to sustain their families.


We pray that may Thou please keep our overseas

Filipinos safe in the escalating conflict in countries where democratic

renaissance in Muslim nations is unfolding from Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain

and Libya as they await the immediate repatriation efforts being taken by our

government agencies.

We pray for Thy protection

and guidance of the more than thirty thousand OFW’s in Libya. May their

families in the Philippines be freed from fear and worries of their condition

and that the OFWs safety is assured despite the worsening condition.

We

pray that may Thou save from harm our Filipino workers in war torn countries of

Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as OFWs in Nigeria, Somalia, Lebanon and Jordan,

who have taken great risks to continue their fight against poverty to support

their families in the Philippines despite of the work deployment ban imposed in

these countries.


We pray for the safety of the Filipino nurses trapped in the

rubbles during the earthquake in New Zealand, and the rest of the OFWs and

Expats around the world who are suffering from natural calamities, diseases and

injustices that they may find comfort through faith in Thee.

Hear our prayer Lord, to end the corruption that has

become the plague of our nation, to end poverty that afflicts and besets Thy

people, to end violence and war that displaces millions of our Filipinos from

their homes, which separate, divide and break families.

As we await for the signs of time when the Filipinos around

the world, the fathers and mothers brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters

may be reunited as one happy family.

We pray for Thine tender love and kind mercy, with our

faith, with our hope, with our love to thee, we pray for power greater than us

all, we pray for divine intervention.

2/19/2011

IbAt iBaNg PiNtiG Ng PuSo

Usapang puso

Di nga ba ... katatapos lang ng Araw ng mga Puso? Ang tanong ay: may puso ka ba? Palagay ko meron pa. Kung nagising kang buhay dahil tumitibok-tibok pa yun, malamang may dugo pang dumadaloy sa katawan mo. Maaaring humihinga ka pa nga, ngunit kung wala namang saysay ang buhay mo. Pero ano pa man, huwag mo namang putulin ang hininga mo nang walang laban, dahil nakatago man maganda pa din ang buhay. At kung binabangungot ka, marahil kailangan mo lang gumising at ayusin ang higaan mo sa pagtulog. Wala namang ibang usapan kundi puso. Damdamin. Pag ibig. Dahil nga siguro Valentine's Day o kaya nakatuon lahat sa ganitong senaryo. Puro kuwentuhang naman masaya o malungkot ang kinahantungan. Mga istoryang hango sa mga taong nakaranas ng kakaibang kapangyarihan dala ng pag ibig. Parang ang baduy, mala-love story na pampelikula. Lahat parang scripted. Siempre apektado ako ng buwan na ito, gaya din ninyo. Salamat sa Pebro 14 at pansamantalang nabago ang kulay ng mundo. Timplahin ang kuwento. Gawing parang kape na iba-iba ang lasa. Lagyan ng cream o gatas. Gawing matapang o katamtaman lamang. Pabilisin ang tibok ng puso. Gisingin ang diwang natutulog.

Malungkot ang kaso ng maraming OFW.
Tatlo sa sampung pamilya ng isang OFW ang nawawasak matapos magtiis na umalis ng bansa, iwanan ang mga minamahal, at magtrabaho abroad. Mahabang palaisipan. Sino ang nagkulang?
Hindi sa lahat ng panahon ikaw ay panalo. Ang laro ng puso ay isa ring sugal. Hindi lahat natatapos sa saya. Hindi na yata uso ngayon yung ending na “they live happily ever after.”
Ano man ang itaya mo, minsan hindi mo makakabig muli. Mararanasan mong mabigo. Bihira yata yung “one and only” o “una at huling pagibig.” Dahil nagbabago ang ikot ng mundo. At nag-iiba ang kulay ng paligid. Pero kung trip mong hanapin, magpakatatag ka. Darating din ang para sa iyo.
Walang katulad. Dahil masayang ma-in love. Dahil masarap magmahal. Dahil matamis mangarap na kasama kita. At kung sino ka man, ikaw ang bida sa love story ko.

read more: Philippine Online Chronicles