ACCUSED by his political foes of collaborating with the enemy, President Jose P. Laurel Sr., appeared before the People’s Court on September 2, 1946, and made a stirring defense:

THROUGH all these nineteen and a half (19 ½) years that my articles under this column have been coming out in this newspaper, I have written many personal testimonies of people from different walks of life demonstrating God’s unlimited grace, compassion, love, and mercy. Reminding all of us that our Lord God is in control of everything in this universe. Then, now, and in the future.

EXCERPTS from an essay by Nikki Rivera Gomez (he runs Infos, Inc., an editorial consultancy in Davao City) in his book "Coffee and Dreams on a Late Afternoon," printed by the UP Press.

THE latest data from the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed that 15.5 percent of Filipino families have reported experiencing hunger at least once during the last few months.

A BOOK – familiar to many CEOs, politicians, military officers, and even coffee shop strategists – entitled, "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene, has reemerged in a handy, concise edition which could be helpful to Filipino leaders, including corporate planners, educators, and entrepreneurs, at this critical time. I know of many retired colleagues and former coworkers who regularly used or applied lessons from this landmark work which draws from the earlier teachings of Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, Jomini, and Napoleon, among other great strategists, on the Art of War. "Greene’s Laws," obviously, apply to all forms of competition – whether it is in politics, economics, diplomacy, sports, communications, marketing, or just simple job-hunting.

ALBERT Nolan, OP, an excellent Dominican theologian who has immersed himself in the problems of his own society once asked: "As Christians, should we take sides, or should we remain neutral amidst the conflicts in which we find ourselves?" In the Philippine context, the Bishops, the clergy, and the religious feel the urgency of answering this question. Lay people look to them for guidance, and they seem to be sending mixed signals.

CALIFORNIA, USA – In the year 1888, a man who invented dynamite had become very rich by selling guns and ammunition for killing people. One morning, he awoke to read his own death notice in the newspaper.

IT was nine years ago, when the Annual National Council of the YMCA of the Philippines was scheduled to be held at its Convention Center along Arroceros, Manila, at 9:00 a.m., when the officers and about 200 delegates to the convention began to arrive only an hour later and so the conference was opened only at about 10:30 a.m. As then President of this movement, I was tasked to deliver my state of the movement address.

"No thank you. Kneel until my knee-caps fester,

ASEAN economies, whether developed or developing, rich or poor, cannot escape globalization. Neither can we turn back the tide of globalization. Key education stakeholders must therefore address the challenges and imperatives of ASEAN higher education in the era of globalization, asserting among others, that educational and intellectual pursuits can no longer remain within the boundaries of one particular nation or culture; that such pursuits must be subjected to a broader, wider context and would therefore require an ASEAN imprimatur. Contextual factors and issues within the ambit of globalization vis-à-vis international cooperation and world peace must be discussed; changes in higher education, identified, followed by action-planning and program implementation, carefully avoiding over analysis that usually leads to paralysis. Key policy issues that must be addressed on the ASEAN level concerning higher education are, as follows: 1) evaluating the opportunities or potential unintended consequences of a regional accreditation of degree programs or curricula; 2) assessing the advantages or disadvantages of a regionbased professional regulatory body; and 3) maximizing the synergy of talents thru instruction and research collaboration in the ASEAN to meet the challenges of the knowledge economy, the phenomenon of international migration, and interdependencies of nations.

JESUS said to His disciples, "The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But He said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour."