Remembering the Ironman

Finding the house of Roberto "Ironman" Coloma was the easy part. The first person we asked as soon as we got to Slaughterhouse Barangay gave precise directions. Ron, Geoff, and myself walked down to a Y in the road and at the meager dwelling where he used to live, his mother met us.

Mrs. Coloma is in her 80s but she is still sharp and sprightly. We, on behalf of our batch mates, offered our deep condolences and the token amount that we collected (Php19,000) and expressed that we have not forgotten about him. She narrated Roberto's last days. This was the hard part.

He came home one day from work complaining of a bad head ache. When he took off his hat, his mother noticed that his hair was all clumped and stuck to his head. After a couple of days without any improvement they brought him to the hospital where a CT scan - which Mrs Coloma showed to us - revealed a big tumor in his brain. About a week later, he passed away.

He did not leave much on this earth. His mother and sister are his closest relatives in Baguio. His own family - a wife and three children - all perished in a ferry accident over ten years ago. They were on their way back to Baguio from a trip to Davao where Roberto used to work in a mining firm. He took it very hard and has not been the same since.

The doctor who diagnosed him said that Roberto must have known about his symptoms for a while but probably chose to keep them to himself, not wanting to be a burden to his mother and sister.

Or maybe he decided his terminal condition was the quickest way to be with his loved ones again.

Haiyan's Test

I am a meteorologist at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. My job is to do satellite reconnaissance,  atmospheric analyses and, if warranted,  issue warnings and advisories on tropical cyclones (TC) that develop over oceans that extend from the east coast of Africa to the west coast of the Americas. This vast area includes the Western Pacific where most of the world's TCs form. This is the basin that the record-setting super typhoon (STY) Haiyan formed, tracked, and wreaked havoc across the Visayan Islands in the Philippines before exiting into the South China Sea.

Five days before Haiyan made landfall, when it was still an unnamed tropical depression in the vicinity of the Marshall Islands, the JTWC forecast already indicated that it was going straight towards the Philippine island of Samar and that it was going to be a very strong typhoon with minimum sustained central wind speeds of 120 knots (222 kph). How did we know this?

The track forecast was fairly easy because the steering mechanism for Haiyan was straightforward - a strong subtropical ridge (STR) was anchored to the north and across Japan, preventing Haiyan from making any significant northward motion. Additionally, all the available numeric model track guidance was in tight agreement. Even at this early stage of the cyclone's lifespan, we were highly confident with our track forecast and we never wavered from that point on. This confidence was consistently declared in our prognostic discussions that accompanied our 6-hourly forecasts.

Unlike with the forecast track, the numeric forecast intensity guidance that was available during the early stages of Haiyan did not indicate significant intensification. However, following careful analysis, we decided against computer model guidance and went for rapid intensification (RI), at least 20 knots higher. There were four key factors that we considered for this:

- Haiyan formed further east than normal, giving it more time and space to intensify.
- A strong poleward outflow caused by the STR was expected to persist throughout its lifespan. A secondary radial outflow (venting mechanism) was also expected to form as the cyclone gained momentum. A dual venting mechanism is essential for RI.
- Haiyan was expected to track across an area with low vertical wind shear.
- Sea surface temperatures in the Western Pacific and the Philippine Sea where Haiyan was forecast to track are perennially warm.

Three days before landfall, when Haiyan was about to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility, Pagasa began monitoring it and named it Yolanda. JTWC further raised its forecast intensity and indicated STY category (minimum of 127 knots/235 kph)  before landfall. The Philippine Inquirer caught on this forecast and used it to alert the targeted areas.

The Japan Meteorological Agency, the weather agency designated by the World Meteorological Organization with primary responsibility for tropical cyclone warnings in the Western Pacific, has also been issuing their bulletins from the onset with forecast tracks that were very similar to those of JTWC.

These three weather agencies provided warning products that predicted the arrival and intensity of Haiyan with a very high degree of accuracy and with plenty of lead time. The question is, how did government agencies and officials use this information to prepare their people?

From online newspaper accounts, it seems that most of them tried their best. Some were successful in averting significant casualties but others, unfortunately, not so much. Two mayors, for example, were in stark contrast. The mayor of Tulang Diyot island ordered all his 1,000 constituents to evacuate after assessing how bad the typhoon will be. As a result, although his island was virtually flattened by Haiyan, no one died.

On the other hand, in Tacloban where it appears to have the most number of casualty, the mayor claims to have alerted and prepared his people well but many, including his own people, refute that. Plus, it doesn't bode well to find out that, based on his own admission, he was inspecting his beach resort hotel just before the TC made landfall and, as a result, he and his family were caught in the storm surge and almost lost their lives.

This proves that proper risk management and disaster preparedness do save lives. Haiyan tested Filipino leaders on these skills. Whether they passed the test or not is a matter of perspective. However, the death toll is an indisputable barometer of how well each leader fared.

Do Filipinos, from a governor down to the head of a household, have the necessary tools to assess the risks associated with the approach of a typhoon? I am sure everyone who stood to be affected by Haiyan went through a mental checklist and came up with a course of action. These courses of action were varied, i.e., stay put, evacuate, move to higher grounds, board up windows, stock up on basic supplies, etc. Can these tools be improved? I believe so.

Dead or Asleep?

Dead or Asleep?

Richard Ballucanag

In this paper, passages in the New Testament of the bible where Jesus Christ raised people from the dead, are explored. The issue is whether or not Jesus actually brought these people back to life or if He just woke them up from their sleep. Theories on what happens to Christians after death are also offered.

First, two important terms must be defined: death and sleep.  Dr. Graham (1987) describes clinical death as “when the heart stops beating, blood pressure is unreadable, and the body temperature drops.” Dictionary.com defines sleep as “a natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body, in which the eyes usually close and consciousness is completely or partially lost, so that there is a decrease in bodily movement and responsiveness to external stimuli.”

The first biblical account of Jesus raising a person from the dead was when He went to the house of synagogue ruler Jairus, whose daughter was at the point of death; the mourners met Him outside the house and He told them, “The child is not dead, but is sleeping.” (Mark 5:21-43; Matthew 9:18-26; Luke 8:40-56).  Was Jesus was speaking metaphorically or literally?  Was He using the word sleep as a euphemism to describe death?

To shed light to this dilemma, Roark (2002) examined the two Greek verbs used for sleep in the New Testament.  The first, koimaomai, occurs eighteen times in the New Testament, and in fifteen of these occurrences, it is used as a metaphor for the verb “to die.”  But the word for sleep used in the text describing Jairus’s daughter’s death, kathuedo, is different.  Kathuedo occurs twenty-two times, and all refer to the literal meaning of sleep except in the story of Jairus’s daughter where it is used for dying when Jesus said, “She is not dead but sleeps.” (Roark, 2002). That all three evangelists, Mark, Matthew, and Luke, intentionally used this form of the word makes one wonder if the girl was in fact sleeping.  But all three gospels make clear that she was dead.

In Mark’s account, Jairus came up to Jesus and pleaded earnestly, “My little daughter is dying.  Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” (Mark 5:23)  While Jesus was on his way with Jairus to heal his sick child, some men came from the house of Jairus and said to him, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher anymore?” (Mark 5:35)  Matthew, on the other hand, states that the child was dead from the start when Jairus approached Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died…” (Matthew 9:18)  Luke has essentially the same account as Mark.

When Jesus said, “She is not dead but sleeps…” it appears He was saying something about death as He viewed it.  This was not diagnosis; it was prognosis.  In His view, death is not final; it is temporary.  There is an awakening.  He was treating the certainty of her restoration as a fact already accomplished.  Jesus, was using the language in the same way He did in the story of Lazarus.

When word came to Jesus that Lazarus, referred to as “the one He loved,” was dead, He told His disciples that He must go awaken him.  The disciples thought that He meant Lazarus was simply asleep, so Jesus then had to clearly state, “Lazarus is dead.” (John 11:1-16)  John is the only evangelist who chronicled the event of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  The only other mention of Lazarus in the New Testament is in a parable in Luke 16:19-31 that portrays Lazarus in heaven or in the “bosom of Abraham.”  It does not have a narration of Lazarus rising from the dead.
         
One might question why the first three evangelists do not have any account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  One theory proposed by Hamilton (2003) is that the first three gospels were written while Lazarus was still alive. We have no evidence as to when Lazarus might have died (the second and final time), but this view suggests that the first three evangelists were sensitive to the safety of the “one whom Jesus loved,” thus they do not publicize the restoration of Lazarus to life and the hostile reaction from the Jews. This view is of course plausible if one holds that John’s Gospel was written after Lazarus died.

John hinted at the significance of this event – the last of seven “signs” before Jesus was suppose to die and rise from His own death, the final and great sign.  That this was the catalyst that triggered Jesus’ persecution and inevitable crucifixion.  He pointed out in his gospel that after Lazarus was raised from the dead, the chief priests and the Pharisees, after hearing of this, called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.  In this meeting they voiced out their fear of Jesus and His undermining of their authority.  And so they plotted to kill Him. (John 11:45-53)
         
Therefore, to describe death as sleep is to say to the believer that death is not final, that it is temporary, that we will all be raised from the dead.
         
Later on, after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, it is noted that the apostles used the same euphemism for death.  Paul’s use of sleep is concentrated in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and in 1 Corinthians 15 and only for the death of a believer.  Paul, in his letters, especially made the connection with the resurrection or second coming of Christ.  He said that if people believed that Jesus died and rose, God will also bring with Him through Jesus those who have fallen asleep.  In Corinthians Paul said that if Christ was not raised, then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
         
But what happens after one “sleeps”?  Many, using the term “soul sleeping,” assert that the believer who has died experiences a kind of unconscious existence while awaiting the resurrection.  What about the non-believer?  Swindoll (1986) claims that the New Testament is not silent about the destiny of the non-believer and goes on to quote a verse from Matt 25:41, “… into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.”  Some Christians believe that the body decays while the soul “sleeps” until Christ comes.  Is this what Jesus meant? What really happens when a Christian dies?  What kind of existence does he have until the second coming of Christ?  The New Testament gives no complete answer, and thus various theories have surfaced.

These can fall under four basic interpretations:

First, some think that when they die, they die body and soul and remain dead, non-existent until the resurrection.  However, John clearly contradicts this: “He who lives and believes in me shall never die.”   (John 11:26)

Second, others think that believers receive a temporary, intermediate perhaps spiritual body at death, awaiting their resurrection at Parousia. This is similar to the doctrine of purgatory where the soul goes to a place where it is purged of sin before admission into heaven.

Third, there are those who hold to the concept of soul-sleeping; that when Christ returns, there will be a resurrection and, at last, a body.

Finally, many hold to the idea that in the interim, believers go immediately into the presence of Jesus and without this earthly body have a conscious, spiritual existence with Him.

Based on the New Testament, what do we know about the interim between death and the return of Christ?  Seven things are clear:

First, we will be with Jesus. (Phil 1:23-24; 2 Cor 5:8; 1 Thess 4:14)  For Paul this was the primary and essential truth about life after death.

Second, we will be in paradise. (Luke 23:43)

Third, we will be conscious. (1 Thess 5:10)  The parable of Lazarus and the rich man cited above also implies conscious existence.

Fourth, believers’ conscious presence with Jesus in paradise will be immediate.  “Today you will be with me in paradise” was Jesus’ word to the thief on the cross. (Luke 23:43)

Fifth, this presence with Christ will be gain. (Phil 1:21)  Whatever value there may be in Paul’s remaining with his churches for service, he knew that nothing could compare with being with Christ.

Sixth, believers will be at rest. (Rev 14:13)  And here the metaphor of sleep again takes on meaning.  Sleep is indeed rest from labor, and sleep is followed by waking.  The one who sleeps will be raised.

Seventh and most important, that interim period remains a mystery.  It is in a realm no one has experienced, beyond space and time, outside earthbound understanding.  So, Christ and His believers speak of it in faith, and in metaphors – like sleep.

References

Dictionary.com.  (2003) “Sleep.” http://dictionary.reference.com
Dr. Graham, B. (1987). Facing Death and the Life After. Word Books Publisher: Waco, TX
Hamilton Jr., J.M. (2003). Did Jesus really Raise Lazarus from the Dead?.
http://www.bible.org/docs/soapbox/st-essay/lazarus.htm
The New International Version (NIV) Study Bible (1995). Zondervan Publishing House: Grand
Rapids, MI
Roark, M.C. “Biblical Illustrator" (Spring 2002). LifeWay Christian Resources:
Nashville, TN
Swindoll, C. R.(1986). "Growing Deep in the Christian Life". Multnomah Press: Portland, OR

Ramblings from a father to his son who's moving... again, after he and his girlfriend came back to live with his parents for a while....

Dear Ricky,

Just wanted to give you some tested advices as you move on to San Diego and re-start a new chapter in your life. I know this prospect is exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time; but, I have no doubt that you and Jenn, given your talents, attitudes, and love for each other, will do just fine. Please take these advices as a golf professional player would take it from his coach: the coach is no better at the game but he has knowledge, experience, vantage point, or just plain nosy. Anyway, I digress, so on to the advices:

1. The key to a happy home is a happy wife, or a happy girlfriend.  Remember the story of the eight-cow bride and its powerful lesson, or the line from the Ben Stiller movie, "Happy wife, happy life!"

2. Face your problems, projects, chores, and challenges asap. Procrastination only prolongs your agony. It also makes you cram and when that happens, you're prone to mistakes and shoddy work. I know, I've been there many times. Tackling those tasks early on creates room for adjustments and fine-polishing that make you hot-shit. It also avoids ripple effects, escalations, and FUBARs. My story on the crooked coconut trees would fit nicely here. I know you and your siblings love that story.

3. You are not the chef of your house. That distinction belongs to the woman of the house. Don't ever claim to be it or act like it or you are forever doomed. You are the sous chef and the buss boy. Embrace those roles and perform them diligently and very well. A clean kitchen is a reflection of a good sous chef and it makes the chef happy, which is what you want. Refer to advice #1.

4. Answer and return phone calls, text messages, and emails. When you don't, people think they're insignificant and they start feeling bad, sad, angry, vindictive, suicidal. You don't want others to do that to you so don't do it to them. Isn't it ironic that people demand unlimited service from their cell phone providers but hardly use them?

5. Play golf as much as you can. It's the best way to decompress and there's no other sport that imitates life and provides as many life lessons as much as golf. "Play it as it lies" is one.  "Wash your balls often" is another. Besides, you, who got him interested in the game, haven't beaten your old man in a long time. You need all the practice you can get, sonny boy.

6. Always strive to be a good listener. To be a good listener, one must open his mind, prepare to listen, and put away or tune out the distractions like gadgets, noises, internal thoughts, or a hairy mole on the speaker's philtrum. Don't stray away from what the speaker is saying, like what you're doing right now being fixated on the hairy mole and asking yourself "What the F is a philtrum?" Avoid butting in and oneupmanship. To be a good listener requires practice.  We all need to be good listeners, they're becoming scarce.

g. And last but not least - know what love is and live by it. Saint Paul - you know, the guy who toured the countries around the Med, attracted large groupies, got incarcerated, and wrote letters to his peeps - has the best definition of love:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud, it is not rude. It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs; love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres."

I'm a godparent...again!

"What does it mean to be a Catholic godparent?" My friend who is also my wife's cousin, Jack, aka Paul Cortes, the Deputy Consul at the Philippine Embassy here in Honolulu, asked me if I could share my thoughts in a "testimony" during lunch after his son's baptism this coming Saturday where I will be one of the (more than two-dozen) godparents. When he emailed me with his request two days ago, I asked my wife, "Why me? Anyone among the lot of godparents is more articulate than I am. Maybe Paul knows my history of being a dead-beat godfather and he wants me to brush up on my role as a godfather so I won't screw up with his son.." My wife said, "Whatever. But don't even think about turning down my cousin's request, no?" So I responded to the email right away with "Of course, Jack."

I'm a godfather to three kids, now four, with Paul's son, Liam Kaleo.  One of them just recently enlisted in the US Air Force partly due to my advice, being a former Air Force man myself.  I confess, I have not been the ideal godfather to these kids. Yes, I gave them Christmas and birthday money invariably over the years; but, for the most part, I wasn't really there for them. Maybe because my family and I moved a lot while we were in the Air Force making it difficult to keep in touch. But that's not really an excuse. As somebody pointed out last Monday night during the baptism class, with today's advances in information technology - Skype, Facetime, Facebook, email, chat, twitter, Instagram, text messaging, etc. -  it's so easy to communicate with someone no matter where they are in the world.

But I think the real reason we lose track of the people that matter to us, including our godchildren, is our inability to prioritize. We all get caught up with other stuff. The religious adviser during last Monday's baptism class called them “false gods-” our work, our hobbies, our vices, our toys, our social groups, especially those in the social networks like Facebook. My hobby, which is borderline a vice, is golf.  When I'm in the golf course, I'm in my own world, oblivious to everything and everyone. My wife sarcastically calls herself a golf widow whenever I'm away on a golf tournament.

Overcoming these personal distractions or "false gods" is hard enough. Then there's the part of being Catholic. Not only being Catholic but being a Filipino Catholic. We are very traditional. This reminds me of a story told by my Pinoy parish priest at St. John's: A Filipino man went to his priest to ask him to baptize his newborn baby. The priest said, "Paalala lang hijo, malaking bagay ang binyag. Pinaghahandaan ito." (Just a reminder, my son, baptism is a big deal. You have to be well prepared.) He is alluding of course to the religious indoctrinations before baptism. To which the man replied, "Alam ko po, padre. Marami po akong handa - may pansit, dinuguan, kaldereta, at may lechon pa." (I know, father. I prepared a lot - pansit, dinuguan, caldereta, and even lechon.) The priest said, "Naku, hindi lang yan, yung spiritual din."  (That's not all I meant, the spiritual aspect also.)  "Ready din ako, diyan, Father. Mayron akong Johnny Walker, Chivas, beer, at Fundador."  (I'm also ready, Father. I have Johnny Walker, Chivas, beer, and Fundador.)

We Catholics have so many traditions and rules that challenge, confuse, and amuse us. Some even leave the Church in frustration; oftentimes because they do not understand these rules and traditions. Can the Church do a better job in educating the laity? Of course, but that's becoming more challenging nowadays given the dwindling number of the clergy. But I think what's more pragmatic is that we, the laity, we as godparents, learn more about our faith. My wife and I have had the wonderful opportunities to participate and lead in weekend retreats and go on a pilgrimage to Rome where we were humbled, enlightened, and blessed by these experiences.  Learning more about our faith is one thing; walking in faith is another. Practice what we preach because in the long run, it is not what we say that matter but how we actually live our lives that will have a meaningful impact on other people.

So, what does it mean to be a Catholic godparent? With Liam, I think, he's going to be a low-maintenance godson. I know that Paul and Yasmin have the experience, the talent, and resources to bring him up well as a god-fearing child. One only has to look at their two older boys - Justin and Andre, two fine young men, to know that they are good at this child-rearing stuff. They probably will not be needing much help in guiding and educating their third boy about the Catholic faith. But just in case, I want them to know, wherever they may be on the planet, I'm only a phone call or an email away (sorry, no Facebook account:) and that I'm able and willing to step in if they want me to. In the mean time, being a ninong will be business as usual, engage in traditions that are deeply rooted in our culture and religion. So, pareng Paul, Mareng Yasmin, I'm warning you now, there will be times when I will make you look bad when I will be spoiling your child with cash after he makes mano to Ninong Rick.