Sunday, December 1, 2019

What I Love About December


What excites you about Christmas? Is it about family gatherings? Endless year-end parties? Gifts? Or is it about the highly anticipated coming of the New Year?

At some point, we have all experienced the Christmas mania that December brings. This is the time to mark on a calendar the most important event of sharing good times with the most important people. 

Some may have been planning themed Christmas parties, while others are looking forward to a holiday shopping spree; for gift-giving or buying a gift for oneself.

That's a fun-filled activity for the commercial side of the festivity. Perhaps the most expensive season, but one of the most memorable for whatever reason. 


This Soulful Sunday, the 1st of December, is about welcoming a merry and joyous season of love and peace. A heartfelt season to hug and kiss. 

I will spend the Holiday season in my hometown with my family. This is the best place to contemplate the year that was or year-end, breathing out of what is unwanted and what is to be renewed. 


This Soulful Sunday, the 1st day of December, brings calm wind and drizzle, setting the mood for the coming days before Christmas. The wind blows gently with a natural melody; the trees are swaying; the birds are chirping; the people are singing Christmas in our hearts is coming. 

© 2019 Del Cusay

Sunday, November 24, 2019

A Moment of Contemplation


Have you ever been to a place where you frowned the first time you saw it? Have you thought such a place is far from development and almost impossible to transform? to make it wonderful and habitable?

At times we may be like that. We see places and things as too much underdeveloped and tagged as ugly until someone transforms them into beautiful sanctuaries.

In December 2013, I was invited to beach camping on the Island of Guimaras. From the drop-off point along the road, we hiked for almost 30 minutes, and I never thought of walking on a narrow and hilly road while carrying my backpack and some camping stuff in one hand. That hiking gave me the impression that the place would be better due to the bad road experience.

However, to my surprise, when we got near and overlooked the sea, I was mesmerized by the beautiful and relaxing view from afar. I was wrong to give a negative first impression, and I have learned that a beautiful day is waiting on a road full of suffering,' and this is a good life lesson worth remembering.

That was one of many times I judged a place that turned out to be a fantastic and great experience.


In my hometown, my parents have made a little sanctuary. A place for a retreat and to contemplate life and what lies ahead. At first, it was like a wilderness, but later it was developed to be a sanctuary for rest, relaxation, and potential livelihood.

While swaying through a hammock, I enjoyed the environment's serenity and the chirping birds' natural music. The gentle wind makes the trees sway, giving off 'Prana,' a vital life force.


As I contemplate, I couldn't be more grateful for a beautiful life and for the blessings that come. It was just a fantasy, but now a living reality. I used to dream of having our retreat sanctuary; full of flowers and trees and doing meditation and spiritual work.

Now, we have our little farmhouse where we can spend a weekend getaway or a Soulful Sunday -- from not a faraway place from home.


This little sanctuary, a peaceful haven, is about a 10-minute drive away from home, from the town center. It is in a highland village with a beautiful natural landscape and a unique view of the mountains.

Soulful Sunday would be the most uplifting activity I will ever have. It's a time of a blissful moment with the Divine and higher consciousness. It's a time of higher connections and renewal of being. This time, not in a sea or a beach, but in a highlands full of love and serenity. 

© 2019 Del Cusay


Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Tulfo Justice and Why That Should Bother Us

Image: https://pinastify.com/raffy-tulfo-in-action-grade-2-teacher-melita-limjuco-might-face-child-abuse-case/

When people's advice is "Ipa-Tulfo mo" or someone utters "Ipapa-Tulfo Kita," that would mean instant justice or the 'Tulfo Justice' people think they deserve.

That would be the case for many Filipinos who would bypass due process to seek the help of an instant justice on-air; a radio show trial by publicity hosted by an influential Anchorman who has been a household name for helping thousands of oppressed Filipinos deprived of social justice and human rights.

The recent judgment of a radio show, 'Raffy Tulfo in Action,' which has gone viral and gained online outrage from Netizens, is one of the opposing sides of seeking instant justice on this popular TV show.

That episode of Tulfo's show may have gone far and caused damage to the accused's reputation through false justice with the absence of judicial process on his call to action or outright judgment.

The teacher who was judged by Tulfo and favored the parents' call for the revocation of her license is a one-sided truth, but not hearing the teacher's side is the unheard version of the truth, resulting in false judgment and false justice.

The parents who sought 'Tulfo Justice' may just be one of the thousands of Filipino who believes that the Tulfo is the modern-day 'Sumbungan ng Bayan' or the 'Barangay-on-Air' and that they feel they are genuinely heard and served justice on an instant and free of cost.

Whatever happened to our Philippine justice system? The mediation and conciliation process in the Barangay or even a simple filing of a formal complaint through a Government Agency? How about filing a lawsuit to bring justice in a judicial court? Well, that could be a thing of the past. But how come?

In today's time, people may have been tired and hopeless of a 'Justice delayed is a justice denied' system, a justice system that is costly and causes too much stress. What could have been more effective for some is to be favored by their Idol for whatever issue they may have against someone. That 'Instant justice' mentality is enough to make them feel a winner for the justice served them right.

However, the public humiliation the accused have suffered may not be erased on a digital footprint. It stays online even until both parties have reconciled through a mediation process. In the said case, the parents and the teacher have reconciled through the Department of Education Supervisor. The issue between parties may have ended peacefully, but the humiliation and shame may stay forever.

Why all of these should bother us anyway? Because people are now demanding a speedy trial. People want to be heard and favored for their complaints. And people are looking at Tulfo as the face of the Philippine Justice System not the police complaint desk, the Barangay justice system, or even the higher judicial court justice system.

Will that make our Philippine justice system obsolete? Well, one thing we can learn about the 'Tulfo Justice' is that it can shame the Philippine justice system when millions of Filipino people are already shouting out for 'Tulfo' when they seek the 'Justice and Human rights that they deserve.

However, just like the loopholes in our Philippine justice system, the "Tulfo Justice" must practice fairness and stay away from biases, unfair judgment, and treatment, for nothing lasts forever in a corrupted system.

The Philippine Judicial System may be losing appeal and trust, but one thing is certain the 'Justice-on-Air' will continue to be the voice of the poor, the abused, and the hopeless. And if one day, we are on this case one day, we might find the 'Tulfo Justice' to have saved and truly helped us in our desperate times and needs.

© 2019 Del Cusay