Ernesto - Baconga - Neri

FAITH AND SCIENCE

republikaneri — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 04:59:41 +0000

It was Labor Day when I first encountered the meat of the long time debate between faith and science specifically drawn from the question between creationism and evolution in a seminar in Max’ Restaurant. Together with Ven and Ate Petals, we explored the provocative ideas of creation science and evolution. Basically, the whole seminar was bias to the creation science so it forced me to explore the other side of the fence to have a wider picture. In my net search, Creation Science is a concept that incorporates science in the creation of the universe as stated in the Bible (e.g. six days creation, Adam and Eve, Noah’s flood) while Evolution grounds its claim to a random and accidental creation of the universe and life.

In my reflection, I think the line of contention is the literal interpretation of the Bible, not in the science itself. The absolute truth of the Bible is it is the Word of God and I believe in that. It is made by God through His creative inspiration to mortal imperfect human writers. Now, even though it has a litany of contradictions, it still holds true to its purpose of revelation and inspiration to His creation. Then this surfaces the problem of literal interpretations. Literally interpreting the Bible word-by-word without considering the context on which it was written and the inspiration it hopes to bring about is blind.

This brings me to a sort of reconciliation within myself about evolution and creation science. A literal interpretation of the Bible may offer a quick answer, but I think God wants us to explore farther and investigate deeper the complexity and greatness of this creation. I don’t posses any PhD in evolutionary science yet anybody understands that life should have started somewhere. Understanding that “somewhere” needs a tool of reason. For me, science is the tool given by God to understand the physical origin of humanity. It reinforces our faith with reason. Ideas derived from the world and of faith comes from one God. The discovery of the cosmos, life forms and other natural mechanisms enriches our knowledge about creation which invites us to admire more the creativity and greatness of our Creator. At the end of the day, the domain of natural science such as knowing the age and way the universe was created can’t fully secure the place of man in the universe. The most fundamental quest we (as the most valued of His creation) should endeavor is discovering the meaning of such origin. I guess the answer lies beyond science.

In the midst of Work, pause and think

republikaneri — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 04:58:57 +0000

For the past weeks, I have spent all my afternoons and early evenings in the school. I was mapping out strategies, tying enactments, monitoring the affairs of the day, and just having a good time. Together with other CSG officers, we are setting the stage for this incoming school year. And then it came to me. I began to contemplate why on Earth are we investing so much time, brain power, and energy for this job. We are not even paid to do so yet we do it. I think it is high time to pause for a moment and evaluate why we are doing this in the present context. It all started with a decision to pursue the mission in CSG yet it wonders me what sustains that day to day decision to commit to such mission? Ambition is not enough, credibility at stake is not enough, the future benefits are not enough, prestige is not enough because if all of these things fuel the drive, then it is unstable because this is one aspect of life which is temporary, uncertain, and always in flux. It could also be poisonous because you start to treat the mission as a means to an end, not an end in itself. Our passion must be rooted somewhere stable, something everlasting, something constant and something more than our egos. That is the absolute source of our lives -God, expressed through our spirituality and faith. Realigning our intentions with this truth is difficult yet when it is aligned, it will unleash an insurmountable amount of energy, a sort of divine inspiration that will forever change how you see and act in the world. You begin to seek meaning even to the simplest thing, even in suffering and by doing so become grateful of all the graces received and become sensitive of our thoughts and actions. We begin to do our duty because it is our duty (an end in itself), not because it is expected of us. As a sort of seed, Faith needs to be reinforced by prayer and by reading his word in the Bible, in the skies, in the stories of people, in the histories of our lives. Finding purpose and meaning is fundamental in a life fully lived, and a mission fully accomplished.

LIVING THE ATENEO WAY

republikaneri — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 04:57:10 +0000

The word Ateneo comes from the Spanish and Italian form of word Athenaeum which is used to describe educational institutions in Rome around 135 A.D. The word is also rooted from the word Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the patron goodness of the capital city of classical Greek antiquity – Athens. Connecting the relationship of the words is quite easy; “Ateneo” is about learning. However, Ateneo has become more than a development of terms pertaining to learning today. In its walk through history, Ateneo and its adjective form “Atenean” has become a word used to describe a way of doing things, a process of thinking, and a manner of living very distinct, very rich that it is changing the world. Sounds intriguing? Here are the values explained in a simple manner which we could explore, understand, apply, and sharpen in our daily lives so we deserve to be called a “True Blooded Atenean”.

Indifference – Don’t be mistaken to translate this to apathy. Indifference in the Ignatian context means a conscious detachment from things and people that could cloud our judgement and poison our inner freedom. Being mindful of our feelings and our relationship with things and people will help us check if we still have a true vision free from any inordinate attachment (e.g. fame, grades, power, things, money, gf, and bf).

Juan failed in the English placement exam even though he studied hard. He was so attached to always being on top that he began to despise those who beat him academically. He became bitter and angry towards his classmates and teachers.

Magis – Latin word for “more”, Magis is the very yardstick of our actions. Magis is not an absolute standard of measurement but a choice for what is better, what yields the greater good, what is more loving. Magis is also the openness to growth we set ourselves and coupled with our commitment to share that growth to others.

Juan and Pedro were leaders of different groups for a social development project in RS 20. Juan decided to organize a huge symposium talking about poverty and development. Great speakers were invited. Pedro on the other hand organized his small group to have a medical mission in the Landfill area with a handful of grocery bags and medical supplies. Pedro’s group got the highest score.

Non Multa Sed Multum – this means not many, but much. Simply put it, quality over quantity. This Ignatian value means relishing the inner meaning and deeper truths behind concepts, ideas, involvements, subjects, and other factors of our realities and not settling to the superficially obvious.

Pedro involves himself 4 different sports. He is quite well-known for his flexibility yet he never got the higher spot of the teams he is in. Juan knows he has something good to offer in the basketball team. He has only one sport and soon became their MVP.

Contemplative in Action – this is quite uneasy to practice in this very fast paced world of XU. This means finding God in all things. It is being aware of the interconnectedness of all things to the source of meaning and life. It is also pondering the movement of God in your life every moment and finding where He is leading you.

Juan was always in the rush. He would transfer classrooms as if he was playing basket-basket. He never walked slowly. After arriving to one point, he is tired and drained. Pedro on the other hand would sometimes look at the patterns of the sky, looks on the different faces passing by, and feels the touch of the breeze as he walks on commerce road. When arrived at his destination. He is so full of meaning, energy and gratitude.

Cura Personalis – “Concern for the Individual person” is oftentimes associated with student-teacher relationships. However, this value is so much lived out in the everyday dealings of us to other students. Personal care means an unwavering desire to help others grow, uncover their potentials and help them realize that they are more than who they think they are. It also means being caring to others.

Juan was so busy surfing Youtube in the aggie bridge watching the climax of a humours video clip. Moments after, a lady slipped releasing a fountain of books and paper into the air and around the floor. Juan immediately shoved his laptop to help the lady fix her things.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam – All for the Greater Glory of God! This is the very motto of our Atenean lifestyle. Of all the things we do, we use, we develop are all geared towards giving Greater Glory to God. Having this as the forefront of our feelings, thoughts and actions serves the very purpose why we are created in the first place.

Pedro is in the dead heat of a finals exam. As received his test paper, he prayed silently in his chair and wrote on top of the answer sheet: “AM+DG”. He wants to be reminded always that all his answers and all his efforts of studying are offered to God for his Greater Glory. He got an A.

The Ateneo is more than a brand. It is a lifestyle of excellence, faith, love, and justice.

It is being men and women for and with others.

republikaneri — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:10:00 +0000

The end doesn’t justify the means.

Academic desperation can lead others to take extreme measures such as cheating in the final exam of a major subject! This is what happened in my final exams. It is alarming, if not abominable. It was a very disgusting scene. When the proctor exists, a student tilted his calculator with answers in it so others will see, others whispered, others even went to the extreme of standing up, walking, and giving crib notes. The nerve! They have the face and the will to do so! I may sound like one of the Pharisees self-righteously condemning the wrongs of others. But my only aim is to highlight a malignant cancer in our classrooms that we take part and in doing so disturb ourselves to be more mindful of our actions. Let us be pragmatic. Cheating happens, yet we do it with in our defined parameters, within the “tolerable level” of society but still it is wrong. In this story, what happened was off the chart, it was choosing the higher evil. My outburst was triggered by the person who stood up, walked, and gave crib notes! For crying out loud it was the finals of a major subject. It is like defecating the altar! It is a direct insult to the integrity of the final exam. It is a clear disrespect of yourself and the person who you are cheating. It is clearly wrong and they know it. In the other hand, I admire those who never turned their heads and never opened their mouths. Even though some of them got low final marks, they are still very victorious in the eyes of God. They overcame the greatest temptation in that moment while others succumb to its instant gleaming glory. Those who cheated were victorious in the eyes of their grades, yet inside I doubt that they feel the fullness.

What I can only do is to disturb people.

Let us learn from this and start anew.

republikaneri — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:45:00 +0000

The 15^th Agenda

“The challenge now is to bridge our vision with our experience, and to realize that vital link with sound policies and mechanisms.”

After scanning the archives of the past Directorates, I slowly digested the meat of the mission at hand and true enough, it helped me form a precise and clear vision what the 15^TH Directorate is capable of doing and what it ought to accomplish in 10 months of it in power. It is more than luck that we are in the helm when Xavier University hits its Diamond Year; it is really a blessing and at the same time a disturber. We are blessed because we are in the hype of things. The momentum is being laid before us by all players in the community because of the excitement of being 75. It is a disturber because we are then called to be more than what is expected of us. We are called to break from the past in a much higher trajectory and face the new chapter of our school’s history. It is then good to note that there is no place for complacency and satisfaction, there is only room for brightness, strength and precision. Our Student leadership should stem from these characteristic of a diamond. The challenge now is to bridge the vision with experience and animate the link with sound policy and mechanisms.

Note: I feel secure when I jot down all my thoughts especially during the “visioning” stage.

Brightness

“A Directorate who constantly works to innovate and explore new ideas and policies, who improves but do not compromise tradition and as much as possible, extract the brightest possible potential of every mission at hand.”

Manifestations:

Substance over from legislation

Policies prioritize according to need

Invest in “Think Tank” student circles in policy making producing creative solutions

Strength

“A Directorate whose strength comes from its capacity to compassionately listen to the concerns of the students, and its ability to magnify and facilitate those concerns truthfully to the proper authorities”

Manifestations:

Leaders of the Roundtable talks / Leveling

One-on-one consultation with presidents and orgs

Vigilant probing on issues we could address, grassroots consultation mechanism

Precision

“A Directorate who is fully conscious of its mission, who precisely knows what it needs to improve, uphold and protect, whose vision doesn’t fall short on students’ concerns but also gives focus on concerns of the nation.”

Manifestations:

We know what is needed ( campus and national socio-political updater)

We know where we stand (consensus building on decisions)

We know how to do it (skills training in collaboration with SacDev)

GOD BLESS OUR WILL, OUR THOUGHTS, OUR ACTIONS

republikaneri — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:21:00 +0000

AMAZING GRACE

I’m finally back from a 10 day online hiatus. I just came from one of the most valuable experiences in my life – Immersion in Sumilao, Bukidon! This is also my first time to write a post in an internet café because my line at home got “bugged” for 14 days already so I’ll take this online moment to the fullest.

The immersion experience has totally renewed my views of life, society, and God. I don’t know how to articulate that feeling but I just hope to express it as clearly as possible. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to document the whole experience becasue of the distraction it carries that might cloud us from truly living with the farmers. So I’ll just use short sentences, thoughts from the immersion, thoughts in a nutshell. I don’t have the environment to deeply reflect what I need write so this is the deepest thing I could extract inside this noisy cafe.

Give until it hurts no more. Giving especially for the poor is hard yet if you always share and share and share, it will start to become part of your person. It is a long process yet when that day comes, that it is already part of you then you have truly loved.

Justice is the act of faith. This is one definition of justice by a classmate. I think this is correct. Justice is made when our moral values, conscience, or faith embraces what we do as a person and as a people. Breaking the link between our faith from our actions is very destructive.

Live simply so that others may simply live. In the immortal words of Fr. Arrupe, living simply will lead you to ground yourself to the essentials of life. Having a solid grasp of what is fundamental, what is basic, what is simple will give you the greater freedom to love. Love, that is unconditional love is what makes life simple.

What is making a difference? One is by simply extending that possibility to that person. Extending the possibility is a phrase so powerful for me. This was said by Mr. Tangara. Making a difference comes in many shapes and sizes. Some are grand, some almost invisible. Extending a possibility is quite abstract but the idea for me somehow crystallizes what I ought to do to the poor. Extending possibilities mean giving hope, giving assistance, giving them a chance to dream for themselves with no hesitations. In a place where dreaming of having a college degree is reserved for those who are well off, giving a simple series of tutorials, giving a simple encouragement extends the possibility to them. This then has become a battle between what is possible and what we want to believe as impossible. Believe that all is possible and act to extend that to the people who has seem lost the possibility to hope.

Atenean leaders are animated by the Ignatian values of immersing oneself, serving and labouring in the world in order to transform it. That is why pragmatic idealism is one politically correct way to categorize our way of doing things. We are grounded on reality and we base our actions in the context reality. By doing so, we engage reality with real solutions. E.g. fighting for NO tuition fee increase abandons the real concept of inflation, therefore what we can do is to make sure the increase is justified.

To act justly, to love tenderly, to walk humbly with your God

Left or Right?

republikaneri — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:55:00 +0000

The Brain Test

My Result: Left-brained

Most left-brained people like you feel at ease in situations requiring verbal ability, attention to detail, and linear, analytical ability. Whether you know it or not, you are a much stronger written communicator than many, able to get your ideas across better than others.

It’s also likely that you are methodical and efficient at many things that you do. You could also be good at math, particularly algebra, which is based on very strict rules that make sense to your logical mind.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=brainogt&c=50652

republikaneri — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:56:00 +0000

Levels of Influence

I thought about writing this idea a couple of days ago during a meeting in the KKP conference room. The old people were connecting the dots in how to organize a city wide bike ride to raise environmental awareness. Our exchange of ideas got me thinking. We could create a whole science out of this stuff; the stuff of advocacies, social awareness, and people mobilization. Out of the seemingly abstract idea of advocating issues, I attempted to clump it together into concrete steps and levels in the hope of creating a sound system of raising awareness of issues we could all apply.

(Assumption: we are passionately concerned about the issue we advocate and our intentions are clean! Duh! )

The Self (Level 1)

a. Talk about it – This is the most basic and simple. The issues we raise should begin in our mouths. We talk about it to other people over food or during class.

b. Start a blog – Using the internet is powerful. Write a post about it if you already have a blog or create a special blog citing your opinions and suggestions about the issue.

c. Start a chain message – using SMS is another powerful tool. Create catchy short messages about the issue and send it to your friends and encourage them to also forward the message. You could also insert your blog for reference.

d. Create a pin – You could enhance the advocacy by being the walking reminder of it. Create pins that are catchy, colourful and provocative which leads people who see it to question.

Inner Circle (Level 2)

a. Gather a small group of people – Levelling it up to a group or a club amplifies it even more. If you have a solid circle of friends, try to share it to them and encourage them to participate. This could also include creating an advocacy team who helps you give out fliers or primer sheets or better yet start your very own student organization.

b. Network to other institutions – Strategize and link up. Spot potential partners and create a network that informs and mobilizes. They could give you resources (logistics, funds, skills) that you need to keep the momentum.

c. Advertise – Making an attractive advocacy board and situating it to strategic places or giving info sheets to people can further raise awareness. This comes in handy during peak hours of the day.

Outer Circle (Level 3)

a. Organize events – If the group has reached a level of maturity and is capable of expanding, organizing an event is one good way. An example of it is organizing a concert or a seminar perhaps. This would serve as the highest form of getting your point across because it involves a great number of people. Events could amplify the ripple effect you’ve started.

b. Do follow up activities (e.g. signature campaigns) – keeping the momentum is challenging but doing follow up activities such as forums or signature campaigns can keep it moving.

Depending on the nature of the issue, our efforts, for it to be fruitful should be forwarded to the people in authority because the end game is theirs. Our mission in raising awareness is to poke the leaders and the people to listen and somehow disturb them and move them inside to act for the better.

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT THIS COUNTRY TO BE.

republikaneri — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:58:00 +0000

Petition for a Freedom of Access to Information Law

Team RP Petition for a Freedom of Access to Information Law

“Secrecy breeds irregularity, fraud, and crime. It allows chicanery, graft, and corruption… A democracy based on ignorance, on misinformation, on conjectures, on suspicion is doomed to fail. The more enlightenment the people have, the more guarantee there is for their success in their collective enterprises, and in the fulfillment of their social aspirations and purposes.” — Justice Gregorio Perfecto

From the de Venecia-Lozada expose, the Hello Garci scandal, and the Spratlys mind-boggler to the North and South Rail questions, events of the recent past clearly highlight how very little we know about the workings of our government, how much difficulty is involved in getting truth to come out and how, albeit fundamental in any republican and democratic state that the government is accountable to the public, we Filipinos are in reality denied direct access to our government institutions and our public servants. As a country that prides itself with democracy, it strikes us with a disquieting reality that we Filipinos have no real access to information to empower us to properly and actively participate in governance.

We in TEAM RP believe that in order for there to be a responsible citizenry that can actively and meaningfully craft the future of the country, there is a need to give teeth to the policy of full public disclosure and the right of the people to be informed as contained in the fundamental law of the land.

Moreover, we are aware that if people, especially those who have been bypassed by development, are unaware of laws and procedures for availing themselves of their entitlements or of mechanisms they can use to remedy their plight, then they will always remain poor.

Let us call on our lawmakers to make top priority the passage of a Philippine Access to Information Law which, subject to reasonable and clearly outlined conditions, ensures unfettered access of the people to information of public concern, including government transactions involving public interest.

We urge our lawmakers, let us not delay this any further.

If you support our petition and call for the passage of a Philippine Access to Information Law, you can join and help us in any of the following ways:

a.) Sign our petition online by emailing “I Support the Campaign for a Philippine Access to Information Law” together with your complete name and contact information to team.rp.pail@gmail.com

b.) Forward our statement to your friends and post it in your website, blog, friendster, multiply or facebook account for all your friends to read.

c.) Volunteer for our campaign and help us get more Filipinos to sign our petition. If you want to volunteer and help, you can email Karen Naranjo at k_ren_naranjo@yahoo.com or you can send her a text message at 0918-9183685. We will send you copies of our petition so you can also help gather signatures in your school, office or organization.

———————–

By signing this petition, you will be helping us achieve our goal of AT LEAST 10,000 SIGNATURES that we will bring to legislators as a “pressure point.” Your signature, together with many others, can signal to media that THIS IS AN ISSUE WORTH TALKING ABOUT. When media hounds our government officials for their take on this issue, THEN THE BALL CAN START ROLLING. People can start taking stands, a comprehensive bill can be drafted. ALL WITH THE HELP OF YOUR SIGNATURE.

Thank you in advance for your support. Please pass this on to friends so that they, too, will know how their ONE SIGNATURE can help change the course of things in this country.

republikaneri — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:17:00 +0000

Let us do our duty because it is our duty

– Emmanuel Kant

Summer is time for fun and reflection void of any academic works yet I find myself working on two advocacies which are non-academic but require a large amount of rigorous thinking in this supposedly fun point in time. This only shows that duty chooses no time. My mission is my mission. One is on the environment and the other is on truth, accountability and transparency. Two seemingly unrelated issues yet they affect us therefore we should respond to it.

The Firefly Brigade is a non-stock, non-profit, and SEC – registered citizen’s volunteer action group which works for clean air and a habitable, people-friendly environments in our cities. This group plans to have a simultaneous nation wide awareness campaign about clean environment through a bike parade in major cities all over the country. To attract even more attention, this event also includes a costume competition where bikers are encouraged to wear creative costumes that best reflect their concern for the urban environment. The city as one of the major cities will participate in the nation wide bike ride and the KKP-SIP of XU is being tapped as a strategic partner in its realization. The event will be on April 20, 2007 and the CDO version will be called “Sikad Kalikasan”. Different groups in the city have already been gathered such as the Oro Bikers, SM Mall, Pueblo de Oro, and others. The ball is now beginning to roll and we can accelerate it by doing our part. We could participate in this event by joining the bike ride itself, donating funds, and telling a friend about it. For more information just text me on 0906-212-4886 or visit their website on http://www.fireflybrigade.org/

The Team RP is a youth-led initiative to advocate and proactively work towards the fight for Truth, Accountability and Reform in our government. It is led by college students and young professionals who want to see genuine reform in our country especially in our government leaders today. This I got from an online chat with Eli Convocar of the Ateneo de Manila. It’s a duty we all should commit if we want our country back on its moral footing. They are planning to collect 10,000 signatures supporting their campaign for complete access to public information and submit it to Congress as it opens on April 23, 2008. I will basically handle the signature campaign here in Xavier University. You could help by singing the manifesto. Just go to http://teamrp.multiply.com/ for more information , email them at team.rp.official@gmail.com or contact me on the same number above. I’ll roam around campus starting next week circulating the signature sheets.

This hype of issue advocacy missions can me managed effectively and efficiently by forming a taxonomy of influence which I will ponder upon in the following days.

NOW, DO YOUR PART!