Holy Week is the only time of the year when Pinoys commemorate the execution of Jesus, his torture and agony, and His nailing on the cross.

It is also the time for prayers, confession of sins ... and some deep introspection and reflection on how one spends their lives.

If Jesus carried the cross and was crowned with thorns, Holy Week is also the time for Christians to do some acts of penance; some do simple penitence, some excessive, and some bizarre.

Simple acts of penance include acts of contrition like confession of sins, where absolution is given after praying the rosary, 3 Hail Marys, and the Our Father.

Some do the Stations of the Cross or do Visita Iglesia, where one visits 7 churches as part of their penance.

I saw several people in Quiapo who kneel-walk their way to the altar before the critical and judgmental eyes of the public.

I also saw Pinoys who do voluntary self-punishment, inflicting pain on themselves as an outward expression of repentance for having done wrong.

In Pampanga, particularly during Holy Week, penitents perform various rituals involving self-inflicted pain as part of penance. These include flagellation (self-whipping), carrying crosses, and even being nailed to a cross

On our side, we did a simple penance. We thought walking a 3-kilometer procession under sweltering heat was an act of self-flogging by itself.

Others may think that what we did was NO SWEAT, but I beg to differ. The whole exercise was ALL-SWEAT in the real sense of the word.

I saw many seniors participating, and looking at their faces, I can sense they are trying to resist the temptation of stopping by 7-Eleven and buying the much-needed thirst-quencher.

Some diabetics experienced hypoglycemia. But they persevere and do not succumb to the calls of the flesh.

This is Holy Week after all ... our simple way of self-flogging and self-harm is our simple way of doing our penance. It is our simple way of mortifying the flesh and expressing remorse for the sins we committed. Nobody can frown and dictate what options are acceptable ways of atonement.

This is the time para sa konting pagtitiis at penetensiya. Kung nakaya nang lahat ... ang pawis, ang init ... ang kalam ng sikmura ... ang pagkauhaw ... dapat kayanin rin natin.

Di ba lahat ng yan ay kinaya din ni Jesus mai-ahon lang tayo sa kasalanan?

Itim ... How Timely

The latest Pinoy Big Brother tandem of evictees ... UNITEAM becomes UN-ITIM.

Black is the color of the day. Ginagawa ba nila ito para sumabay sa somber mood ng Semana Santa? Whatever their motives are ... people find it stupefying kung bakit nila kailangan ipag-luksa ang kandidatura ni Manang Imee sa Senado at ginawang pang Holy Week ang presentation.

Hindi tuloy maiwasan paghambingin ang ginawa ng mga tao noong sa panahon ni Kristo.They are in for the kill. Ipinako na nga nila si Kristo sa Krus, pinainom pa nila ng vinegar mixed with gall. 

Peter denied him 3 times despite his willingness to die for Him ... that's very symbolic as Aimee tries to besmirch the administration by painting the town black, giving the semblance na parang walang redeeming value na ang pamunuan ng brother niya.

Hindi niya ba alam na mas akma ang description at mga pinagsasabi nila sa mga nangyayari noon sa term ni PRRD na puno ng karahasan at patayan maisulong lang ang kanilang war on drugs?

Some loyalists frown at how she treated his brother. In exchange for the votes coming from the DDS block ... willing pala si Manang Inday ibenta ang kanyang prinsipyo ma-relect lang siya. Shades of Judas Iscariot agreeing to hand over Jesus in exchange for thirty pieces of silver.

Nagbihis itim pa sila, "how can they be so audacious, and how can they stomach acting sanctimonious and holier than thou? Hindi ba nila tinitingnan ang mga sarili nila bago magbigay ng konklusyon at opinion?

Meme For Lenten Season

Pogo or Quail eggs and Harry R. are the new meme to hit the internet. 

They are not captioned, so the owners of the meme are leaving it up to the "madlang netizens" to gather their thoughts and FILL IN THE BLANKS and frame their own conclusions.  

The whole image, however, in itself is already pregnant with all possible insinuations and imputations.

What do you think are the reasons why the owner placed quail eggs vis-à-vis the former spokesman Hariruki?

If you have humorous and funny captions ... please share them with us. 

It's the Lenten season ... and quail eggs (or pogo) had their limited exposure. 

On Sunday, Easter eggs will take center stage.

What's In A Name?

Busy ang lahat sa kanilang mga facebook pages habang  on air ang TV Patrol ... when biglang nangungulit ang anak ng isang kaibigan: "Papa si Mr. Philippines o!"

Lumingon ang lahat sa TV screen ... pero isang middle age na police ang nakita namin sa balita. Everybody was looking at his face unmindful kung ano ang nakasulat sa ilalim. "Anak hindi Mr. Philippines yan. Ang isang Mr. Philippines dapat nakabarong or nagpi-flex ng muscles at (no offense kay Mr. Guapulis) ... dapat bata pa."

Pilit pa rin sa pangungulit ang bata: "Hindi mo kasi binabasa Papa eh. Basahin mo PHILIPP INES".

Wow Philipp Ines pala ang pangalan ni Sir. Sa unang tingin ... sa mga nakakabasa nandoon ang pagtataka what on earth possessed his parents at ganyan ang naging pangalan ng anak nila? What could be the reasons behind why Philipp's parents chose his name ... the revelation would be interesting.

Ako medyo may idea so I volunteered the psychology behind his name. Philipp Ines is"

1. A unique name - any enterprising parent would jump to settle for that name without batting an eyelash. Very catchy and eyeball-popping.

2. Any patriotic and Philippine-loving parent (with the surname INES) would love to use Philipp as their son's name. It is a match made in heaven ... a perfect fit ... it would be foolish to ignore the obvious.

If Major Philipp Ines sees this post ... we want to hear the story behind the story.

The OFW Creed

Everybody is moving heaven and earth to go out and work in another COUNTRY. Kahit alam nilang mahirap at malungkot

handa silang magsugal.

They want to earn money badly ... para maiahon ang pamilya sa hirap. Ang mga salitang ito ay bago sila umalis ng Pinas. Kalaunan ay nagbago ang ihip ng hangin at nagbago na rin ang kanilang pananaw.

Dahil sa lungkot at naho-homesick ... kumakayod sila para maka-ipon ... so they can take a vacation back to their beloved Philippines.

(Ano ba yan ... UMALIS ... tapos gustong BUMALIK?) Umalis para kumita ng pera ... pero wala namang naipon. Dahil na-homesick kahit walang naipon ... bumalik.

Pagdating sa Pilipinas ... nakita niya ulit ang hirap at ang dating mga dagok sa buhay bago siya magdesisyon mangibang bansa. Aba nakonsensiya ang mokong .... at nagkukumahog ulit umalis.

Ano ba talaga ... tol?

WHO ARE WE TO JUDGE? - Homily by Fr. Dave Concepcion on April 6, 2025

The Irony of Hariruki's Sarcasm

Notice the exchange of rhetoric between Richard Heydarian and Harry Roque?

Ironically, Harry Roque kept on repeating himself like a broken record. The gory sights and sounds of the previous administration are ear-splitting to murder victims, their families, and innocent bystanders, and one wonders what kind of a person Hariruki is when he is continuously spawning narratives that add more salt to injuries.

Good for him. Whatever MISFORTUNE the rest of humanity experienced 5 years ago ... it was all SPICE and ALL THINGS NICE in his end. It was a never-ending MANNA FROM HEAVEN to the then spokesperson. 

Does that include (the madlang people ask) the attractive and the tempting POGO gratuities and subsidies (others called it POGO bounties and freebies)?

With the reversal of events after the DU30 term ... was that the reason why he sneaked out of the country unnoticed ... without a trace...  at nagtatago siya sa kanyang self-made na mga multo? Were his past POGO skeletons haunting him in his sleep ... and in the Netherlands, making his asylum application a daunting challenge?

Ang hindi ko maiintiyendihan sa kanya ... kung nagtatago siya ... bakit hindi na lang totohanin ang kanyang larong hide and seek? Magtago ngayon ... pagkatapos bukas lilitaw ulit dahil may nabasa siyang mga updates sa youtube at sa mga balita na hindi niya basta mapabayaan.  The temptation to answer back intrigues and issues is physically embedded and was programmed in his system ... nagkakasakit siya kung hindi siya makasagot. 

The threat na hulihin siya ng Interpol is real ... bakit lagi na lang binubulaga niya ang mga tao sa kanyang mga unsolicited comments (like the image above) at ang tapang tapang niya sumagot sa mga issue katulad ng kay Anson Que (na wala namang kumukuha sa opinion niya). He is there all over the place pontificating, eulogizing and moralizing the virtues of DU30 term? Para siyang nananadya na parang batang naglalaro ng "catch me if you can!"

In psychology ... one can deduce ... he looked like he is there WASHING HIS HANDS (napasama na nga sa mga masamang gawain kinukumbinsi pa niya ang mga tao na tama ang mga ginagawa nila. And it was not only the people he was trying to reassure... sa bawat sermon niya ... he was trying his best to convince himself. Kung ano man yon ... siya lang ang naka-alam.

Washing one's hands symbolize various things, including purification, repentance, and shedding responsibility. It signifies his desire to be clean and be free from impurities (both literal and symbolic.)

The act of washing hands can be a visual representation of one seeking forgiveness and wanting a fresh start. In some contexts, washing hands also symbolizes a desire to be free of guilt or a way to physically express a feeling of being cleaned from something.

We remember the classic example of an idiom, "washing one's hands of". That originated from the biblical story of Pontius Pilate, who washed his hands to express his innocence in Jesus' crucifixion. This idiom signifies Pilate's refusal to accept responsibility or involvement in a sticky situation.

Ngayong Holy Week ... was this Hariruki "act of contrition"?  It might be his way of spiritual cleansing and renewal. Or lumalala lang talaga ang kanyang fast decaying moral values and twisted sense of right and wrong?

Mabuti na lang nandiyan si Richard Heydarian trying to maneuver his narratives (some almost bordering on sedition). Plus his warped beliefs ... distorerted and fundamentally flawed.