Let our Banner be unto thyself a symbol of unity, my people,
and let it fly in thy heart out of love of God and Country.
Yea, let this Banner fly in thy heart of hearts or not at all!
For if this one kind of love is absent in the absent heart of Man,
there shall our Country be found nowhere in creation.
(Old Defiant vs. Old Compliant)
Peace, I salute you.
I should like to emphasize in us again,
my brothers and sisters of the Promise,
the importance of unity over division -
especially in the midst of this brewing crisis
between our President and our Chief Justice.
Remember,
I am not writing here
about the impeachment trial
- or any external event that must also concern us -
I am writing primarily about you (about us) -
For everything that proceeds in our Republic,
proceeds from the concentrated strength of its spirit
in your soul (our souls).
As regards the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona
and the divisions it is sparking in our nation,
if you are in any way interested
in what I have to think about the matter - personally,
please refer to the running commentary
I have opened here.
However,
if you are still sincerely confused about the matter,
you may inhibit yourselves from participating in the public debate
and remain in the safety of your own areas of service.
It is never fair to have to be made to choose
between two co-equal, independent branches
of our one Republic government
in the Responsible State.
Again,
our central focus here
is to make this an exercise in unity
so do not allow your own mind and heart
to become bitterly embroiled in the politics
and the divisions that must surround this event
- without having a clear mind -
as to where your freedom and your independence truly lies.
Completely refrain from adding your own flame
to the many conflagrations that threaten to consume our Country
but rather add it to the unifying light that gives her comfort and warmth,
bolstering her strength to see us all through this long night;
this longest night...
- selah -
(I am reposting this piece from 20110402.)
Something's missing from my Philippines. Something vital.
Who knows her?
These days, everybody seems to be living for themselves alone. It seems no one remembers her.
By this, she is grieved and therefore, draws further and further away into isolation.
For the spirit of Country, my honorable compatriots, is a spirit of self-belonging. It is a self-cognizant, collective sense of self.
And the Republic is a guardian to a people orphaned by war.
Thus, if the people are divided in their hearts against each other, they are scattered.
And the people are scattered because of those distant and faded hearts; hearts that seem to no longer recognize the spirit of this Republic; hearts that have come to accept the rule of War.
Hence, the spirit of Country is diluted.
And when there is no substance left in our remembrance, when there is no peace left to abide in our belonging, when there is no truth left to empower our will of Country, we shall cease to exist as a nation.
But while our history still fills the hunger in our souls, while there is yet a common longing for better days burning in our hearts, while there is yet those who remember and believe, while there is yet even a few who are brave and true, by the grace of Almighty God, war will never have us.
Truly, my nation, this is not a very good time for the spirit of war. For this is exactly why the colors of our own Country is called Old Defiant.
We have a choice. Let it mean something:
Let us defy division, let us defy corruption, let us defy poverty, let us defy evil and prosper, my fellow Filipino compatriots - together this time.
Let us defend where we must, O my nation Philippines, and leave all else to the invulnerable, omnipotent defense of the LORD, our God, the one Sovereign of all nations.
---<--@
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! God bless us all.
The Truth