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MABUHAY PRRD!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The English Language...love it....really interesting‏

I thought this might be UP (remember this word at the end) your alley THIS IS GREAT... took a lot of work to put together!!!

You think English is easy???

Read to the end . . . a new twist!

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.


5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.


7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove
dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.


11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.


19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language!

There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England or French Fries in France ..
Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that
writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If
teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a
slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people,
not computers and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why when the stars are out they are visible but when the lights are out they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' ?


You lovers of the English language might enjoy this...

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP'.


It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?

We call
UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

And this
UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed
UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP! When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When is doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so........it is time to shut UP!

Oh . . . one more thing:

What is the first thing you do in the morning & the last thing you do at night? U-P!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEWLY APPOINTED OFFICERS!!!

Memorandum No. 063, series of 2010-2012

TO : ALL REGIONAL AND DEPUTY REGIONAL COMMANDERS

AREA AND DEPUTY AREA COMMANDERS

CHAPTER COMMANDERS AND

PRESIDENTS OF COUNTERPART ORGANIZATIONS

SUBJECT : APPOINTMENTS

Pursuant to and by virtue of the authority vested in him by the Order of the Knights of Rizal, after a careful evaluation of their qualifications, performance, and leadership potential and with the concurrence of the Supreme Council, the Supreme Commander hereby appoints the following.

I. CANADA AREA COUNCIL

Regional Commander: Sir George B. Poblete, KGOR

Deputy Regional Commander : Sir Tomas G. Virey, Jr., KGOR

AREAS:

Central Canada Area

Area Commander: Sir Eduardo Prillo, KGOR

Deputy Area Commander: Sir Tobias Enverga, KCR

Eastern Canada

Area Commander: Sir Hermie Lou Hernandez, KGOR

Deputy Area Commander: Sir Saulo Garganta, KCR

Western Canada

Area Commander: Sir Rev. Neil Parado, KGOR

Deputy Area Commander: Sir Tomas Colina, KGOR

II. EUROPE AREA COUNCIL

Regional Commander: Sir Antonio Guansing, KGOR

Deputy Regional Commander: Sir Bernard Pot, KCR

AREAS:

Czech Republic

    Area Commander: Sir Noubikko Ulanday, KCR

    Deputy Area Commander Sir Stepan Klokocha, KCR

    Germany

    Area Commander: Sir Manfred Schnell, KGOR

    Deputy Area Commander Sir Romeo Garcia, KCR

Spain

Area Commander: Sir Exequiel Sabarillo, KCR

Deputy Area Commander: Sir Jesus Centenera, KCR

    United Kingdom and Ireland:

    Area Commander _________________________

    Deputy Area Commander: _________________________

    Belgium

    Area Commander: Sir Dominiek Seagaert, KGOR

    Deputy Area Commander : Sir Edmund Rojas, KCR

    France

    Area Commander: Sir Jessie Sharif Umali, KCR

Deputy Area Commander: Sir Leovigildo Mojica, KCR

III. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AREA COUNCIL

Regional Commander: Sir Hildebrando “Eddie” Limon, KGOR

Deputy Regional Commander: Sir Tomas Rodriguez, KGOR

AREAS:

Eastern USA – 1

Area Commander: Sir Lito Gajilan, KGOR

Eastern USA – I1

Area Commander: Sir Rudy Mariano, KGOR

Eastern USA – III

Area Commander: Sir Hoover Yap, KGOR

Central USA

Area Commander: Sir Bonifacio Cenir, KGOR

Western USA

Area Commander: Sir Antonio Berango, KGOR

IV. MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA AREA COUNCIL

Regional Commander: Sir Alberto Layag, KGOR

Deputy Regional Commander: Sir Zane Thirlwall, KCR

AREAS:

Saudi Arabia

Area Commander: Sir Freddie Base, KCR

Deputy Area Commander: Sir Joey Velasquez, KCR

    Bahrain and Gulf States

    Area Commander: Sir Delfin Lumberio, KCR

    Deputy Area Commander: Sir Lito Doblado, KCR

V. AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND OCEANIA AREA COUNCIL

Regional Commander: Sir Ricardo de Vera, KCR

Deputy Regional Commander: Sir Angel Rana, KCR

AREAS:

Eastern Australia

Area Commander: Sir Maximiliano Lopez, KCR

Western Australia

Area Commander: Sir Nestor Jongko, KCR

VI. ASIA AND ASEAN AREA COUNCIL

Regional Commander: Sir Konno Masatoshi, KCR

AREAS:

Area Commander: Sir Gelacio Silva, KCR

The appointees who fail to perform their duties and responsibilities with the highest degree of efficiency and effectiveness may be terminated after one year, or sooner, from their receipt of notice of their appointments.

An Area Commander without any Deputy appointed hereunder shall, in consultation with the newly-appointed Regional Commander for the concerned region and within thirty (30) days after receipt of this Memorandum, submit to the Supreme Council and the Supreme Commander, for their consideration, a list of at least three (3) nominees for said position of Deputy Area Commander. Any other position without a designated appointee in this Memorandum shall, after any such further consultations and/or requirements as the Supreme Commander may deem proper and appropriate, be filled by the Supreme Commander with the concurrence of the Supreme Council.

Appointments made hereunder shall take effect immediately upon issuance of this Memorandum except for the USA Region where the relevant appointments shall take effect on September 6, 2010. The appointees shall immediately notify the Supreme Council of their assumption of office.

The Administrative Officer shall immediately notify the appointees of their appointments, and furnish with copies the Supreme Trustees and Officers and the Members of the Council of Elders.

Issued this 24th day of August 2010 at the International Headquarters, Knights of Rizal Building, Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila.


(ORIGINAL SIGNED)

          SIR PABLO S. TRILLANA III, KGCR

        Supreme Commander



ATTESTED BY:

(ORIGINAL SIGNED)

SIR SAMUEL S. SAMUELA, KGOR

Supreme Pursuivant


Who Are You Chito Collantes?

This letter refers to your famous brother knight who is subject of being talked about as the real regional commander of Canada since 2006.

Is this the same, CHITO M. COLLANTES of Toronto, Canada, who is known to be an IMPERTINENT ARROGANT? to the extent of BULLYING OTHERS? FORGING THE SIGNATURE OF HIS UNCLE? - definately and clearly showing disgusting behaviour and disrespect to others.

As far as it is known, on the basis of the informations that have been received in Canada, it's sad to say that CHITO M. COLLANTES's "libel suit""confederacy to defame". These were filed against him by the Board of Directors of the 'Filipino Centre Toronto' headed by Board Chairman Victoria Santiago and President Rosalinda Javier.

A certain Mr. Adolfo Tigley also said that Mr. CHITO M. COLLANTES allegedly absconded the funds of an association in Calgary, Alberta where he once served as treasurer. A catholic priest in Toronto likewise complained allegedly about unsavory behaviour the way CHITO M. COLLANTES conduct his business.

There are still other unpleasant complaints about CHITO which would downgrade his credibility in Canada in such a way that would put into question his promotion as a Knight Grand Officer of Rizal (KGOR) of aside from putting shame to the honorable organization - Order of the Knights of Rizal. Well, this is similar to the case of Sir Paras, KGOR whose mentor/idol is Sir Quiambao, KGCR.

In the Philippines, as the records clearly show, there are two (2) pending criminal cases: 1) Criminal Case No. 7112 - RTC 29, La Union, for ILLEGAL RECRUITMENT; 2) Criminal Case No. 14260-04 RTC, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, for ILLEGAL RECRUITMENT and still pending before NBI Manila two (2) other criminal cases: for Estafa and Large Scale Recruitment.

It's not a delight in putting someone in the bad light but the records are clear and by reason thereof there people who are very unmfortable credibility is quite low aside from being questionable. For a fact, he used to have two (2) pending cases against him: one (1) and another for and now regretted having been associated with CHITO.


NON OMNIS MORIAR

retired canadian

Monday, August 30, 2010

Hello Noynoy

Illustration by Dave San Pedro

At 9:30 AM on June 10, 2010, after he was proclaimed President-elect by Congress, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III received a telephone call from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who had just left Shanghai, China on her way back to Manila. The conversation goes:

Gloria: Hello, Noynoy. This is Ate Glo calling.

Noynoy: Ate Glo… who?

Gloria: This is President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. But just call me Ate Glo.

Noynoy: Oh, hello! Madame President… err.. Ate Glo… umm. What a pleasant surprise that you called.

Gloria: Well, I want to be the first to congratulate you on your proclamation as President-elect. You deserve the honor…

Noynoy: Thank you for your kind words, Ate Glo. But I just want to let you know that you’re not the first who called. President Barack Obama called 30 minutes ago. He was the first to congratulate me.

Gloria: Well, I’m glad then that I’m the second to call…

Noynoy: The second was Chinese President Hu Jintao. He told me that you wanted to see him in Shanghai to talk about improving China-Philippine relations. But he said he refused to meet with you because you’re now a lame pekeng duck. He he he… The third was Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan. We had a productive talk. And the fourth was the Portuguese Prime Minister.

Gloria: Portuguese? Hmm… Anyway, I’m on a plane heading back to Manila. I would like to invite you to my private island resort for a tête-à-tête to… umm… talk about our common interests.

Noynoy: I don’t think we have anything in common… other than smoking.

Gloria: I don’t smoke, Noynoy.

Noynoy: Well, in that case, there’s nothing to talk about then. Barack and I hit it off when we talked about our smoking habits. He he he… He invited me to a smoking and beer summit at the White House garden next month.

Gloria: Very good! Seriously, I must see you about something, Noynoy.

Noynoy: What is it, Ate Glo?

Gloria: I’m concerned about all this talk that you’re going to prosecute me for plunder. That’s a very serious allegation. However, I have a proposal to make.

Noynoy: Proposal? What is it that you want to propose, Mrs. Arroyo?

Gloria: Well, I’m willing to return 75% of all my wealth in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

Noynoy: That’s interesting! Actually, that also happened to my mom when she was president. The deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos made a deathbed proposal through Vice President Doy Laurel that he was willing to return 90% of the Marcos loot in exchange for immunity of his family from prosecution. Now, why is it that you’re only offering 75% of your loot?

Gloria: The percentage doesn’t matter, my friend. You see, the 75% I’m willing to return would be 10 times bigger than the 90% Marcos was willing to return!

Noynoy: Oh Lord, it’s true then! You’re the most corrupt president in the history of the Philippines!!! Kurakot!

Gloria: Hold it, hold it! Don’t get excited, my friend. I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.

Noynoy: Oh? And what’s that, godmother?

Gloria: I’ll give you half of the other 25%. That’s 12.5% of the total loot! And I’ll sweeten the pot, too. I have copies of the 175 Yamashita treasure maps. I’m talking about gold, silver, and precious stones valued in tens of trillions in US dollars! That’s a lot of moolah, pal. Let’s have a joint venture and split 50/50 what we recover. It’s going to be fun! What says you, partner?

Noynoy: My mom refused Marcos’ offer and I’ll do the same. I won’t take your offer. You’ll be prosecuted for plunder! And one of my top priorities would be to recover your loot! As for the Yamashita loot, the Japanese Prime Minister and I already agreed that our governments will collaborate in searching for the treasures. Our governments will split what’s recovered.

Gloria: Ha ha ha… In that case I’m not going back to the Philippines. Hoy, Mike! (talking to her husband) Tell the pilot to change course. We’re going to Portugal, right now! Did you hear that, Noynoy boy? We’re going to Portugal where there is no extradition treaty with the Philippines. Adios, kiddo! Ha ha ha…

Noynoy: Not so fast, Ate Glo! Didn’t I tell you that the fourth person who called me was the Portuguese Prime Minister? Well, I lied. Actually, I was the one who called him.

Gloria: You called him? Why???

Noynoy: Well, I called him about your secret plan to go to Portugal to avoid prosecution here. I requested him to deny you entry into Portugal. He agreed. You are now a persona non grata in Portugal. You have nowhere else to go. Come on home now and face the music. It’s going to be sweet and sassy. Hasta la vista, baby.

Gloria: Walang hiya!


Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.
We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.
So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'
This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment.
As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.
Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so ...
Love the people who treat you right.
Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Have a blessed, garbage free day.

Reciprocity and The Concept of Filipino “Utang na Loob ”

Because of the interdependent society of the Philippines, interpersonal relations revolve, to a large extent, around the granting and receiving of favors. Reciprocity has developed in order to keep interpersonal relationships “smooth.”

What I mean by reciprocity is that every service received, whether solicited or not, demands a return determined by the relative status of the parties involved. To Filipinos, reciprocity could be two things:

1. Contractual- whereby two or more persons enter into a contract regarding the performance of something. This could be either a written or an oral contract. What matters is that the parties have agreed and the amount and form of performance are established beforehand. Both parties know what is expected of him and what he may expect of other. For example, upon completion of the work, a handyman is paid the agreed amount and the reciprocal relationship is terminated. There is a very little or no sentiment or emotion involved in this kind of relationship.

2. “Utang-na-loob”- Gratitude is highly valued in the Philippine society. A Filipino should at all times be aware of his obligation to those from whom he receives favors and should repay them in an acceptable manner. “Utang na loob” invariably stems from a service rendered which is impossible of quantification even though a material gift may be involved. Here, one of the parties does not expect to be paid back. The degree of debt of gratitude depends to a large extent on the favor received. For instance, if a nearly dying patient was cured by a doctor and survives the family of that patient will forever be indebted to the doctor. “Utang na loob ” in this instance is unquantifiable as there is nothing more important to a person than his life and that of his family. A child is indebted to his parents for his life and is considered ungrateful, ” walang utang na loob” (ungrateful) if he fails to care for them in their old age. We have a Filipino saying ” Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan, hindi makararating as paroroonan (He who does not look back to the place he has been to will not get to where he is going).”

A Filipino who is a recipient of a favor shows his gratitude by returning the favor “with interest” to be sure that he does not remain in the other person’s debt and he would feel “shamed” “napapahiya” if this token of gratitude is not received. To refuse a token of gratitude would make one feel that his gift is not good enough or interprets it as a sign that the other party wants to end their relationship. For example, when a person was helped by someone secure a public office, the recipient will naturally feel grateful and try to find a way to repay the former for his help. So when this person comes to him for a for by virtue of that office, he is expected to grant this new favor an much more in order for him not to remain indebted to the former. If he is able to help him back, say, secure a government contract, “utang na loob ” is deemed offset. If the person in office refuses, the other person will feel very offended and takes it as a cue to end their relationship.

However, debts of gratitude, big or small, cannot really be paid at all, as shown in another Tagalog saying: ” Ang utang na loob, napakaliit man, utang at utang din kahit mabayaran. Sa pakitang loob at tapat na damay ay walang sukat maitimbang (A favor, no matter how small, is a debt we must never forget since no money can ever fully repay it).”

A person who continues to ask for favors cannot presume that the other party doesn’t want to ask him future favors. If he does, he is deemed as “walang pakiramdam” (literally translated means “no feeling” i.e., callous) or “makapal ang mukha ” (”thick faced’,’ i.e., shameless).

The Filipino cannot run his office as impersonally as the Westerner. In many offices, one usually gets the impression that when he gets his papers processed, for example, a favor has been done for him. It is not unusual, therefore, for people who have received such “favors” to feel that they should offer a “reward’.’ These rewards may take the form of, say, fruits and vegetables, eggs, a sack of rice, etc. and are given at a “decent” time, i.e., not too soon after the favor has been received. Giving money as a payment for a favors however, is usually considered insulting. Where a Westerner would simply write a “thank you” note for a favor received and consider his ”debt” paid, the Filipino does not write such a note but considers himself indebted and waits for a chance to return the favor.

To illustrate the difference between “utang na loob ” and another Filipino trait “pakikisama”, the latter is more like the “I owe you one” scenes in Hollywood movies which presupposes repayment of a debt on request. “Utang na loob” is more intricate and far-reaching because one is expected to repay the favour with interest, and the fact that one’s obligation is not readily quantified creates an escalating cycle of “utang na loob”, weaving a highly complex fabric of interdependence.

In the circle of Filipino relationships every Filipino is deemed to have “utang na loob” to someone, while others have “utang na loob” to him. In effect, “utang na loob” binds a group together.

A foreigner is best warned before entering in this web of reciprocal obligations, as even Filipinos are careful about getting themselves in someone’s debt. On the other hand, it is important to understand the concept of “utang no loob” because a lack of awareness thereof can cause serious errors of judgment. For example, a businessman will find that an employee who is less skilled at work and does not appear as conscientious, but who has connections in government positions and among business clients may still be considered a very good asset because he obviously has built up a bank of “utang na loob” which he can call upon when needed.

The political system, from barrio level to national machinery functions blissfully, largely on “utang na loob”, despite contradictions from the principles and tenets of the Western political model established in the Philippines. The Western model expects the political system to be determined by ‘issues’, but “utang na loob” has a stronger pull. Filipino politicians utilize political patronage in exchange for votes at election time, thus introducing the Filipinoutang na loob” element into a Western political system. The contradiction between the basic Filipino dynamics of power involving such aspects as “utang na loob” and the theory of democratic elections from the West makes up volatile and footloose political system of the Philippines.

Many historians and political analysts claim that the Filipino leaders had been placed in a disadvantageous position in negotiations between the United States and the Philippines after World War II because Filipino leaders acted under a sense of “utang na loob” for the American ‘liberation’ of the Philippines from Japan. Thus, the onerous US parity rights inserted in the Philippine constitution and the re-establishment of US military bases were disproportionate concessions given out of a feeling of obligation to repay “utang na loob” .

Therefore, one must be aware that in some diluted form or even intact in some tiny corner, “utang na loob” as well as “hiya” and “amor-propio” are could ambush an unwary person. Smooth interpersonal relations with heavy doses of euphemisms and “pakikisama” always come into play.

Source: http://www.western-asian.com/utang-na-loob


Sunday, August 29, 2010

Monument in Israel honors Filipinos

For saving 1,200 Jews from Holocaust

MANILA, Philippines—Before Schindler’s List, there was another document—the Philippine visa—that saved hundreds of Jews from the gas chambers and mass graves of the Holocaust.

In 1939, two years before World War II reached the Pacific, the Commonwealth government under President Manuel L. Quezon allotted 10,000 visas and safe haven to Jews fleeing Nazi Europe. Some 1,200 Jews made it to Manila before the city itself fell to Japanese invaders.

Before sunset on June 21, 70 years later, the first ever monument honoring Quezon and the Filipino nation for this “open door policy” was inaugurated on Israeli soil.

The monument—a geometric, seven-meter-high sculpture titled “Open Doors”—was designed by Filipino artist Junyee (Luis Lee Jr.).

At the program held at the 65-hectare Holocaust Memorial Park in Rishon LeZion, Israel’s fourth largest city south of Tel Aviv, the mere mention of “Taft Avenue” by one of the speakers brought Ralph Preiss to the verge of tears.

Preiss, a father of four now in his 70s, later explained that Taft Avenue was where a synagogue-run soup kitchen provided the first hot meals he had as a refugee. He was eight when he arrived from Rosenberg, Germany, with his parents at the port of Manila on March 23, 1939.

“If I stayed in Germany I would have been killed,” Preiss, a retired engineer living in Connecticut in the United States, told the Inquirer in an interview.

“My cousin who lived in Berlin and whose father was a lawyer went to Paris [instead]. The Paris police handed them over to the Nazis, and they were sent to Auschwitz and got killed,” he recalled, adding:

“I’m very grateful to the Philippines for opening the doors and letting us in.”

‘Salamat sa inyo!’

At the program with an audience of around 300, Max Weissler, glib as a jeepney driver plying the streets of Quiapo, barked onstage: “Thank you! Salamat sa inyo lahat, lahat nandito! Nakapunta kayo lahat! Salamat sa inyo!”

“Unfortunately,” Weissler noted, “very little is known about this great deed of President Quezon and the Filipino people during the Holocaust. Very little is known about this among us Israelis, the Jews around the world, and even in the Philippines.”

Weissler was 11 when he and his German family settled in Pasay City. To eke out a living, his mother baked cakes that his father sold.

They all survived the war, and Weissler went on to fight another by joining the US Army in the Korean War.

“We came to Manila with practically nothing and always found help one way or another from the Filipinos,” Weissler said. “They have an open heart, and this is why we have this monument.”

3 triangles

Junyee won a competition held by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in February 2007 for the monument project.

He bagged a P300,000 cash prize for his design, which bested seven other entries, including one submitted by a National Artist, according to the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Rendered mainly in steel and set on a base of marble tiles shipped from Romblon, the monument depicts three doors of ascending heights (three, five and seven meters).

Viewed from above, Junyee’s work joins together “three triangles”—one representing the triangle of the Philippine flag, and the others signifying the two triangles that form the Star of David in the Israeli flag.

Etched on the marble floor are three sets of “footprints” approaching the doors. The prints are said to be those of Weissler, fellow Jewish refugee George Loewenstein, and Doryliz Goffer, a young Filipino-Israeli born in the Philippines and a granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor.

Modena’s mission

In November 2005, speaking before the Rotary Club of Jerusalem, then Philippine Ambassador to Israel Antonio Modena launched a “campaign for the remembrance of the Philippines’ humanitarian support for the Jews,” according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

That campaign merely proposed that a marker for the Philippines be placed on the Holocaust Memorial Park’s “Boulevard of the Righteous Among the Nations,” which features a row of red granite blocks with the names of countries and number of persons in each country who saved Jews.

But the response from then Rishon LeZion Mayor Meir Nitzan “surprised” the Philippine mission: Not just a slab of granite but a monument with its own prominent spot in the park was to be built to thank the Philippines and its people.

Technical and financial difficulties delayed the completion of the monument for two years; Modena and Nitzan originally set the inauguration in 2007 to mark the golden anniversary of Philippine-Israeli relations.

Modena died of lung cancer in February 2007. His name is first on the dedication plaque unveiled at the “Open Doors” monument on June 21.

Modena’s campaign was said to have been inspired by the 2003 book “Escape to Manila: From Nazi Tyranny to Japanese Terror” by Frank Ephraim.

The 246-page eyewitness account gathers the voices of 36 refugees, who described in detail their arduous journeys to Manila, the lives they tried to build, and their fresh ordeals under Japanese rule.

Born in Berlin, Ephraim was eight when he fled to Manila with his parents in 1939. After the war he immigrated to the United States, began a career in naval architecture and later worked with the US Department of Transportation.

Ephraim died in August 2006. “He was very attached to the Philippines and was very anxious to go back there. We were supposed to go, and then he got lung cancer and that was the end of it. It was just too bad,” said his American widow Ruth, another special guest at the inaugural.

Filipino pride

Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano, who attended the inaugural on the invitation of the Israeli government, shared passages from the book which, he said, “made me proud to be a Filipino.”

Quoting Ephraim, Durano read: “Filipinos were a tolerant people who never interfered or took any action against the Jews. [Their temple] on Taft Avenue was very visible and Jews attended services and congregated in front of the temple without the slightest disturbance.

“There was never a ghetto in Manila, and Jews lived in close proximity with Filipinos, and all sides introduced neighbors to each other’s cuisine, music, culture and history.”

According to Durano, the “Open Doors” monument “celebrates the most powerful force on earth, second only to God’s will, and that is the human will.”

“It was just amazing, the will of these Jewish families who escaped to Manila. Some had to go through Siberia, some had to take boats for weeks and months,” he said.

But also, Durano said, the monument “celebrates the Filipino heart ... a heart that touches others with compassion, a heart that makes one a blessing to the world.”

GOD'S PHARMACY

 

And God Said to Adam...


God
said, 'Adam, I
Want you to do
Something for
Me.'


Adam
said, 'Gladly,
Lord, what do You
Want me to do?'


God
said, 'Go down
Into that
valley.'


Adam said, 'What's
a Valley?'


God explained it to

Him.
Then God said,
'Cross the
river.'


Adam said, 'What's a
River?'


God explained that
To him, and then said,
'Go over to the
hill....'


Adam said, 'What is a
Hill?'


So, God explained to
Adam what a hill was.
He told Adam, 'On
The
other side of the
Hill you will find a
Cave.'


Adam said, 'What's a
Cave?'


After God explained,
He
said, 'In the cave
You will find a woman.'


Adam said, 'What's a
Woman?'


So God explained
That to him, too.
Then, God said, 'I
Want you
to
Reproduce.'


Adam said, 'How do
I do
that?'


God first said (under
His breath), 'Geez.....'


And then,
just like Everything else, God Explained that to
Adam, as
well.


So, Adam goes down
Into
the valley,

Across the river, and
Over the hill,
into the
Cave, and finds the
Woman.

Then, in
about five Minutes, he was back.

God,
His patience
Wearing thin, said
Angrily, 'What is
it
Now?'


And Adam said....



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(YOU'RE GOING TO
LOVE
THIS!!!!!!)


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'What's a
headache?'