12 SIGNS WHY FILIPINOS ARE GOD鈥橲 CHOSEN ONES
By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
04/08/2007 MANILA, Philippines
Are Filipinos God鈥檚 鈥渃hosen people鈥?
Can we believe that Filipino workers slaving
abroad, those modern-day gypsies who clean toilets in
cramped apartments, hop from one hospital room to
another tending to patients, or drill holes in the
middle of the desert, are God鈥檚 鈥渕essengers鈥?
There may be doubts but the signs are everywhere,
according to Alexander L. Lacson, lawyer and author of
the best-selling book 鈥?2 Little Things Every Filipino
Can Do to Help Our Country.
鈥漁ur history as a Christian nation is replete
with signs to prove this, he said鈥?from the Spanish
conquest that started when galleons dropped anchor in
our waters in the 16th century to the arrival of
Bible-bearing Americans 300 years later, from our rich
natural resources to the Filipino diaspora. Lacson has
listed 12 signs purportedly showing why Filipinos are
God鈥檚 chosen. He discussed these signs鈥?the subject of
a forthcoming book鈥?in a recollection talk last
Tuesday at the Church of the Holy Sacrifice in
Diliman, Quezon City.
The signs are 鈥渓ike pieces of a puzzle that, if
put together, show us a picture of ourselves鈥?who and
what we are as a people,鈥?Lacson said. These are:
(1) Explorer Ferdinand Magellan鈥檚 arrival in 1521 on
Limasawa Island, Leyte, in a flotilla of five ships
with a crew of 237, including a number of priests.
The priests were ready to spread Christianity
among the islanders, but Magellan was killed by local
warrior Lapu-Lapu鈥檚 men, forcing the Spaniards to sail
back to Spain, Lacson said. 鈥淚f our history stopped
there, it means we would never have become a Christian
nation,鈥?he said.
(2) Filipinos were claimed in the name of God. In
1565, a second Spanish colonial expedition led by
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi sailed into Cebu.
When he set out for this part of the globe with
Fray Andres de Urdaneta, Lopez de Legazpi had specific
instructions from King Philip II to convert every soul
on the island to Christianity.
鈥淲hat that means is that we were actually claimed
in the name of God in the second expedition,鈥?Lacson
said. 鈥淚f you look at this [through] the eyes of a
Christian, of a believer, [you will see that] there鈥檚
a determined plan to make us a Christian people, a
Christian nation."
NO ACCIDENT
(3) As an offshoot of the spread of Christianity in
the islands, the Philippines became the first
Christian nation in Asia.
鈥淢y question is this: Do you think it was only an
accident in history when we Filipinos became the only
Christian people in this part of the world?鈥?Lacson
said.
He pointed out that the world鈥檚 three major
religions鈥?Christianity, Islam and
Buddhism鈥?subscribed to the idea that 鈥渢here鈥檚 no
accident in life.鈥?br>
鈥淚鈥檇 like to believe that it was not an accident,
and that in fact and in deed, God had chosen these
people to be His people in this part of the world to
spread His message,鈥?Lacson said, quoting John 15:16
(鈥淵ou did not choose me, but I choose you...鈥?.
(4) The Philippines is the first nation in Asia to
have Bibles.
Although Filipinos had been converted to
Christianity, they were prohibited from reading the
Bible during the 300-year Spanish rule, according to
Lacson. But the Americans, who took over from the
Spaniards after defeating them in the Battle of Manila
Bay in December 1898 (May 1898--MLT), brought copies
of the holy book.
鈥淭he Filipinos were the first Asians to read the
Bible. I look at it as another sign from God why He
chose us a people,鈥?Lacson said.
(5) The Philippines is located in the middle of the
world, at least on the Pacific-centered map.
鈥淎 small group of tiny islands-鈥?,100
islands鈥?but it鈥檚 right there in the middle,鈥?Lacson
said. 鈥淚s it an accident in history that our
Philippines is right there in the middle? Accessible
to the north, the south, the east and the west?"
4TH RICHES
(6) The Philippines is one of the richest countries
in the world today.
鈥淚t is the fourth richest country in deposits
like gold, copper, silver and chromite, and oil.
(According to last year's business news report, the
Philippines is the Saudi Arabia of nickel, that is,
just as Saudi Arabia has the biggest oil reserves, the
Philippines has the biggest nickel deposits, the
metal in great demand in China today--and the local
nickel mining industry is in the stage of both actual
production and expansion.--MLT) Out of 193 countries,
we are No. 1 in terms of marine life biodiversity,鈥?br>
Lacson said.
He said the country was so blessed with natural
and mineral resources that if one dug a hole even atop
a mountain, water would spring forth.
(7) The story of overseas Filipino workers is
biblical.
Lacson likened the OFWs to the young Israeli
shepherd David who killed the giant Philistine warrior
Goliath with his sling, and to Joseph 鈥渢he dreamer,鈥?br>
who was sold as a slave by his envious brothers but
rose to become overseer of Egypt after accurately
interpreting the Pharaoh鈥檚 dreams about the seven
years of plenty and seven years of famine in the land.
鈥淭he Bible is full of stories of how God used the
oppressed and the weak to spread His message of love
and justice and to humble the mighty, the strong and
the powerful,鈥?he said.
Lacson related an anecdote about the late Jaime
Cardinal Sin who, while in Rome in 1999, was invited
to dinner by the president of the Italian car maker
Fiat Uno, whose children had a Filipino woman as their
nanny.
鈥淭he host told Cardinal Sin that the nanny was so
good that she turned their kids into better Catholics.
It turned out that the nanny, with the kids in tow,
would stop by a church and pray each time she went
out,鈥?Lacson said, adding that there were countless
other stories of Filipinos sharing their faith even
with people of other religions.
He cited the story of Filipino nurses praying
over a Muslim patient in the throes of death in a
state-run hospital in Saudi Arabia. 鈥淵ou know how I
see that? I see that as an act of a
messenger-鈥攕hepherding these patients, although they
may have other religions, to God,鈥?he said.
SEEDS BEARING FRUIT
The seventh sign naturally leads to the rest.
(8) OFWs鈥?nannies, domestic help, nurses and
caregivers鈥?are like ambassadors and messengers of
God.
鈥淢aybe today we don鈥檛 see it yet. But maybe in
the future, we鈥檒l see how the seeds [sown by] these
Filipinos working as domestics鈥?attending to these
kids, influencing their minds and affecting their
hearts on how to see the world and how to act鈥?will
bear fruit,鈥?Lacson said.
(9) Filipinos breathe life to the churches of the
world.
Lacson said it was not uncommon to see Filipinos
in churches anywhere on the planet, either as a priest
delivering a sermon, as faithful hearing Mass, or as
members of the choir singing in the background.
鈥淲herever they are, whether as OFWS or residents,
according to Fr. James Reuter, they breathe life to
the churches all over the world,鈥?he said.
(10) There is so much beauty in Filipinos as a people.
鈥淭oday, we have so many countrymen going abroad
as singers, dancers.... They entertain people. We have
singers on luxury ships or members of rock bands in
hotels. They bring happiness to other people; they
bring beauty,鈥?Lacson said. 鈥淚f you ask me, this is
one of the weapons that the Filipinos bring to the
world. That鈥檚 beauty,鈥?he said.
(11) Filipinos can communicate with the world 鈥渨ith
their tongue.
鈥漈he Philippines is the third-largest
English-speaking country in the world鈥?again not by
accident," Lacson said.
鈥淲e can actually communicate with the people in
the South, in America, in Africa, in Asia. OFWs,
caregivers, engineers鈥?they communicate with the
world,鈥?he said.
And it helps that there are 鈥渕any races鈥?in the
Filipino, so that it is possible to 鈥渟ee the world in
that person. The heart of the world is in him,鈥?he
added.
METICULOUSLY CHOSEN
(12) For the final sign, the name Pilipino means
鈥減iling-pili鈥?(meticulously chosen) and 鈥減inong-pino鈥?br>
(most refined).
鈥淚s it an accident that we are called Pilipinos
in our own language?鈥?Lacson said, adding:
鈥淭hese are 12 signs that convinced me that we are
the chosen people of God. He chose us to be
messengers, to be His ambassadors, to spread His
message in other parts of the world.
鈥漈he only problem is that Filipinos have been
slow in claiming and proclaiming that they are indeed
God鈥檚 chosen people, Lacson said.
鈥淚 believe that if we can claim [to be] God鈥檚
children, and proclaim it...and we teach our children
this, God will be happy with it, and He will bless us
as a people and as a nation,鈥?he said.
(NOTE: Numbering of signs supplied.) Whether we all think that we're all God鈥檚 chosen people, or not We all have a purpose in this earth; and one of it is to spread God's word.
And I believe not just us Filipino who is God鈥檚 chosen people but the rest of the people in this world.
And obviously he (the writer) doesn't realize that the names of groups of people all over the world frequently translate to "The People," "The Chosen Ones" and so on.
And I think he also forgot that not everybody believes in the same God, or believes in a God at all.
I am not a catholic and what I鈥檓 going to say next is just my opinion/observation, majority of the poorest country in this world "3rd world country" their religion is primarily Catholic, and I鈥檓 not going to elaborate that.
And I believe it was not an accident in history when we Filipinos became the only Christian people in Asia.
And we Filipino should start doing are part, we can鈥檛 just pray and not work for anything. I always believe that when someone in our family is lazy in any way he/she shouldn鈥檛 eat any meal.
I鈥檓 surprised that our country still exist with the corruption & just the laziness of the people 鈥渂ahala na鈥?attitude.
And I hope people who is listening to Lacson should not just claimed on what he is saying that just because we are God鈥檚 chosen people that everything will fall into places, We need to clean up our acts and be something and disciplined.
God is always showing favor in our people and our country, and I hope we can show it鈥檚 appreciation by helping our own selves.
But what lacson said didn鈥檛 make me excited at all; he is just another charismatic person ala Joel Osteen. thank you tonnete Report It
somewhat over reaching don't you think? ok wow!
we've always been blessed, right? but we also had our share of difficulties as filipinos.
that was how the author interpreted it, that is how he sees things for the us filipinos but it wasn't destiny that made things happen for us, it was really intended by the superior countries to fully dominate us by using Christianity or religion.
i see it this way:
history is dependent on the ruling class. whoever is in power right now are the ones who make history. how is this so? because they're the ones who has the power to write it down and use the media to publish it. they can alter and create it based on their interpretation but if we see history through the eyes of the other sectors, the case would be different. I'll read it later granny.
My eyes need some air from my contact lenses. LOL!
I'll drop my comments later. (--,)
Yikes! But oh WOW! I'm totally speechless! Oh well, I'll just have to say I'm always proud being a Filipino no matter what they say.
We are just blessed! That's why! So be it! (--,) Atty. Alex Lacson has been gifted with a very charismatic way of saying things. He somehow always have the right words for what the audience wants to hear. Thing is if you really dig to the meat of the matter, it may not totally be so lean, especially if the hearer only accepts it as a nice thing to hear and leave it as just that.
Who can argue that it is refreshing to hear that a Filipino is God's chosen one? It almost makes us forget that every person who embraces the faith through baptism is not only a chosen one but a real son of God, irregardless if he or she is Filipino or not. The above articles only reminds us of the "hidden" blessings that Filipinos somehow tend to forget. Plus the fact that it should not end in just claiming them but proclaiming them as well as God's chosen people.
How to do that? Well, his earlier bestseller, "12 Little Things every Filipino Can Do to Help our Country", may provide a window if he is just dreaming, being overly simplistic or does makes sense.
12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country
1) Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.
2) Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt.
3) Don't buy smuggled goods. Buy local. Buy Filipino.
4) When you talk to others, especially foreigners , speak positively about us and our country.
5) Respect your traffic officer, policemen and soldier.
6) Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve.
7) Support your church.
8) During elections, do your solemn duty.
9) Pay your employees well.
10) Pay your taxes.
11) Adopt a scholar or a poor child.
12) Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our country. humm I think all the countries in the world are blessed, But truly Philippines is a unique one. I think the article is just proving how unique the Philippines is. hhhmmm... interesting... but unbelievable... maybe... hhhmmm... i don't know... but I'm proud to be pinoy... jejeje... This is what YAP is all about --- friendly, intelligent and open discussions of issues and healthy exchange of ideas. We can argue/agree all day and all night long...we can learn from each other. Am so very proud of all of you!!!!! We are so blessed indeed! Amen!
鈾玊ralala鈾?/div>
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