echoknowmix

The past three Covid years proved a test of time and humanity.   It wavered some faith and it challenged human strength of mind and body. As a solo parent, I have taught my only child toughness of character in the midst of adversities. Though it pains to see her hurting and in difficulty, I have to endure that feeling so she will grow decisive and forbearing.   At barely an age of 11, she lost a father she dearly adored.   At 12, she had to leave to study away from me.   Six years later, she went farther to pursue a college degree.   For 10 years, she has learned to live alone, manage finances, care for herself and juggle time to meet academic and co-curricular activities as well as spare time for personal enjoyment.   Notwithstanding the rigors of the schools she went into, Philippine Science High School – Western Visayas Campus for her secondary education and Ateneo de Manila University for her college degree, she consistently held a slot in the Honor...

Twenty-two years ago, two parallel lines on the pregnancy test kit brought the greatest excitement in my life.  A week ago, two parallel lines on a test kit brought shivers to my senses.  The fear of Covid set in momentarily.  However, I did not let fear overwhelm me because doing so would prevent me from thinking rationally.  I was transformed back to a prayerful state because I am always confident that the power of prayer counts a lot. However, prayer should be attenuated with positivity and toughness of mind. Of course, I do not discount the possibility of the severity of the disease but knowing that I am fully vaccinated and boosted, I will not suffer much.  I monitored my body temperature which has been on the rise for three days and I  closely monitored my oxygen saturation.  I had also steam inhalation to soothe my stuffy nose and had a regular gargle and took  more water and juices, managed to eat well, and I got more sleep. I also had my ...

       How can the sociological perspective help you make sense of Marcos Jr’s win?      And how can it equip you to respond as a development practitioner?      The Marcos victory hinges on a single, simple lie: that the Marcoses are not as bad as  people think they are. It would take decades before the lie became enough to propel a Marcos  back into the presidency, and as such, the family has done whatever it can to return to  Malacañang. Using the money that they had unrightfully plundered from the Filipino people,  they have put all of their resources into bending the truth to their will. If they could convince  enough people that their lies were the real truth and that the objective truth of history did not  exist, then they would have all the power before it would be formally handed to them.      For Weber, who believed in intersubjectivity and the power of an idea expanding through ...

  AFTER EVERY ELECTION, A NEW HISTORY BEGINS. The election time has left a lot of PROMISES to be FULLFILLED.   It has left a lot of ISSUES to be CLARIFIED.   It has left a lot of WORK to be DONE.   Will we Filipinos share the same PASSION and CONVICTION that our favored candidates have exuded during the campaign period?   Will we also DIVE with them in the POOL OF PROBLEMS that they are tasked to solve or remedy for us? There is POWER in the PEOPLE.   We live in a democracy where we create a government OF the people, BY the people and FOR the people.   As such, we, as a people PUT leaders to POWER.   Therefore, a government leader is a SERVANT of the people and NOT a MASTER of the people.   We owe NO ALLEGIANCE to our leaders; we owe them the RESPECT for their service. We have every RIGHT to demand GOOD GOVERNANCE from people whom we have OPTED to lead.   We also have the RESPONSIBILITY of sharing the BURDEN of BAD GOVE...

  Hi, good day, I am Dorothy Andrada from Section VV for Philo12. Of the seven thesis statements that I could have chosen for my finals, I chose this:            💡      Hope is the patient seeking of the light that cannot be seen nor experienced in                                     moments of darkness. It is not optimism, vitalism, stoicism, and gnosticism                                            because it entails the constant decision to hope  and the temptation to constantly                               lose hope. Let’s discuss this bit by bit, starting from the end. The temptation to cons...

In the prime of their life, they had been active servant-leaders.  Their journey in the mission was momentarily  intruded by the virus.  The Covid pandemic forced them to stay in the confines of their homes, but definitely their commitment to serve still remained strong. From an invitation from their parish priests to attend the Orientation on the Synod on Synodality ,  they ended their hibernation. In the recently concluded Orientation for Parish Coordinators for the Synod on Synodality,   I was awed at the presence of a number of senior servant-leaders.  Coming from different parishes and mission stations in the Archdiocese of Capiz in the Eastern Vicariates, it was an inspiration to see them go out of their homes and brave the threat of Covid and turn a blind eye at the gloomy skies  just to participate in the Orientation. The smiles on their faces, their active participation and the energy were invigorating.  Cognizant that “cultura digital” w...

  On October 10, 2021, Pope Francis formally opened the “Synod on Synodality” with a Mass at the Vatican, and on October 17, 2021, all over the world, the Diocesan Phase also began with an Opening Mass.    Perhaps, for an ordinary layperson, it may seem another Church event, but, as news ensued, one will come to know that it is more than an event because it is a call to reflect and voice opinions on the communion and participation within and among the People of God in fulfilling the mission of the Church. From the very local church to all the churches in the world, the opinions and voices on relevant issues have to be synthesized in the form of an Instrumentum Laboris for deliberation in the 16 th Ordinary Synod of Bishops in Rome in October, 2023. Pope Francis emphasizes, however, that this Synod on Synodality is more than just a process; it is an experience of a church working as one whole living body towards fulfilling the mission. As an ordinary lay person, my noti...