Tag Archives: case

E.O. No. 26 Nationwide Smoking Ban: Should I File A Legal Case Or Not?

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So the neighbor once again smoked. It’s 2:21 am to be exact, and I’m still wide awake because I’m finishing the laundry. I believe this is how my allergic rhinitis worsened. They smoke in the wee hours of the morning when all our windows are open, and we’re fast asleep.

And this is even worse. We get to inhale the cigarette smoke without us knowing, and you can imagine how much of that smoke they puffed got inside our lungs. This is the disadvantage in communities like this where only a wall separates you from your neighbor – you hear and smell pretty much everything.

I am angry. Right now. I want to go outside and just shout at them and wake up the whole neighborhood. But something inside me told me it’s wrong. Instead, I thought it best to file a formal complaint against them at the admin’s office. Here are some parts of my complaint:

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EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 26: NATIONWIDE SMOKING BAN

I am filing this complaint at the administration’s office first thing in the morning. While I would like to choose being kind, I cannot allow their irresponsibility to cause irreversible effects on our health. For one, they are not the ones who will pay for my medical fees when I get hospitalized because my health is already compromised due to second-hand smoke.

I am posting this here just in case anything bad would happen to me and my husband after filing the complaint i. e. harassments, threats, etc. , then they will be the first persons to be investigated upon by the authorities. I believe this is what God meant by correcting the bad behavior the right way and never using my wrath to commit another sin.

I will leave it to God and the law of our country to give justice and correct what is wrong. I am doing this not just for me and my husband, but for the other neighbors as well in this floor.

I know what I am doing is what God wanted me to do a long time ago. And I am confident that this is the right thing to do guided by these Bible verses:

“Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” – Isaiah 1:17

“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” – Leviticus 19:15

Our neighbor, if you are reading this, I wrote this to give you a second chance and hoping we can settle this peacefully:

I tried to understand them as a person – flawed and yet someone who also needs God’s love and grace like me. Napapa-smile din ako kapag naririnig kong nagkukulitan ang mga bata sa terrace. They remind me noong kabataan ko at kung paano kami magkulitan na magkakapatid. Kahit maiingay, they somehow bring life to the eerie silence dito sa community paminsan. One of them sings beautifully, too.

What I hate is ‘yung act ng pag-smoke. Because ang epekto sa aming health ni Brian ay irreversible. I am also concerned about their kids at sa kanila din. They can actually smoke because my designated smoking area sa aming community although it’s one block away from our building.

I always pray na they will be able to overcome the addiction not just for us, their neighbors, but for their own sake. And yet kung hindi talaga kaya, okay lang sa akin na sa condo sila mag-smoke as long as isara nila ang pintuan at bintana nila ng maayos so no smoke could escape palabas na pwede naming malanghap.

The windows and terrace door ng mga units were all designed to completely seal any air from coming in or going out so they can still smoke if they really can’t control the urge. As long as huwag sa terrace. And yet I pray that they would quit altogether alang-alang sa mga anak or kamaganak nila lalo na ngayong panahon ng COVID 19.

I may not know their reasons for smoking and their need to smoke, and yet I know they have struggles, too, at baka ito lang din ang alam nilang way para ma-relieve sila. That is why I cover them with prayers always. Dahil ‘yun lang ang tanging paraan na alam ko na makakatulong ako sa kanila.

 

Sincerely praying for our neighbor’s cooperation,

 

Bleeding Love: Why Women?

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This post is related to my previous post about my Facebook status update on concubinage and adultery. I posted it last March 19 and a month after it is still being shared on the newsfeed.

If I will be given the luxury of time to conduct academic research on the topic, I would gladly do so. But unfortunately, time is gold for me right now. In fact, I will be discussing my observations briefly in this article.

When I posted the status update, I must say it was more of a Spirit’s leading rather than a testimonial because my husband and I never went through the same predicament as the people who shared their experiences in the status comments. And looking at the comments, the statistics came up with 22 females and 1 male who have been victims of concubinage and adultery.

One question came up: Why women?

I cannot make an assumption or generalization that infidelity is an issue committed only by most men based on the results of that one single Facebook post. There are a lot of factors that come into play such as the idea that maybe women are more vocal about it than men. Or maybe men can move on easily than women.

Another question: Should you meddle with other people’s affairs?

There is a huge difference between meddling and providing information for someone’s benefit. I believe I have been successful with the latter and yet there is one thing that I believe is actually the exact reason why I was prompted to post it.

There are so many hearts that are bleeding because of love in what supposed to be holy matrimony – God sees it. The 22 women who have commented and those who have sent me private messages are in need of healing.

And no, I believe this is not the kind of healing where you get to hear their stories, suggest the legal actions they can undertake, and then expect them to get on with their lives. I am feeling there is something deeper than that – the kind of healing that only One person can provide.

Third question: Who will be the instrument towards that healing?

I am 33 years old with only 4 years of experience when it comes to being married. I am neither a professional counselor who went through proper training. And yet I am seeing a harvest, a huge number of it and I think the church can provide the support that these women need i.e. spiritual mentors backed by decades of experience in a marriage – a Godly one.

More specifically, mentors who are married women. A spiritual group, perhaps, where women who went through and are going through the aftermaths of infidelity will feel safe, assured, and last but not the least, loved. A group where they won’t feel left out because they’re no longer with their husbands and yet help them find themselves again through the loving grace of God.

As A Seed of Hope, An Instrument of Change

We are all being used by God every single day in school, at work, at home, and in our community as an instrument to lead people towards Christ and salvation. Just like the metaphor used in the Bible about a Christian and faith. Before a seed becomes a plant, it will go through several phases in several mediums before it will start to blossom or bear fruit. And yet God is the one who will keep it alive.

I felt like I haven’t done much of my part when I shared what are the legal actions to take in cases of concubinage or adultery. I feel that it has to be something deeper and something more than that. It is now my prayer to God to instruct me on how to lead these people towards salvation and eventually experience spiritual and inner healing without being obtrusive about faith. An opportunity where they will be the ones to seek Jesus as their Savior.

But for now, I believe we all need to be ready when the seed is due for planting. Any growing seed will need the TLC of a Gardener who will water and nourish it until it has grown its roots and been firmly planted on the ground. So no matter how harsh the elements around it are, it will and it will survive. 🙂

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” – Matthew 4:19

“…Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20

Always a mentee with God as the coach,

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P.S.

This post reminded me of a photo I took several weeks back. I needed to place all my herb plants inside our room (a la greenhouse vegetable farming) because the winds are just too strong in our balcony. My plants were having a hard time growing new leaves so here I am, the gardener, “nursing them back to good health.” 😉