‘Not gonna happen

Photo by Elton Lugay

By Elton Lugay

When you read this piece, it means Armageddon was a bust, and the Oakland radio evangelist needs to do a better job of planning his next apocalyptic bash. For now the Bucket List has to wait.

Most Filipinos I spoke to were of two minds. They were skeptical of the Reverend Harold Camping’s prediction that on May 21 the world will blow up and most of mankind will be obliterated, but they also said prayer was on their minds.

DCG Millie

“I will pray to God as I look forward to seeing Him in heaven,” Deputy Consul General Millie Sta. Maria Thomeczek of the Consulate in New York said.

Filipinos are a predominantly Catholic people. Many go to Sunday mass, and those who don’t at least believe in going to church on special milestones like Christmas, Easter and on their birthdays. They believe in the power of prayer to seek forgiveness, or ask for divine intercession with requests like finding a job or getting lucky at the lottery. They make the sign of the cross as they pass by a church, and some keep a rosary — or any item symbolic of Catholicism — in their car or their purse. Reaction to the faith is mixed, but deep inside most Filipinos, including the lapsed Catholics, have this unshakeable belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

Socialite Aurora Aquino said the much touted annihilation of humanity on Judgment Day is “all a mind game.”

“If we all think the world will end, it will. Pray to God for His mercy!”

“I’ll make sure to ask forgiveness to those I’ve hurt and then just let the world end while enjoying the next life with my hubby,” said Anne Himaya-Wiker, an entrepreneur from Temecula, Southern California, when asked what she planned in preparation for the end of days.

Some of my friends did not take my question seriously. And still, their responses resonated with religious overtones.

John Paquerra, a hairstylist, quoted from the Bible: “Repent and accept Jesus as my Lord and savior,” but followed up with an LOL.

Zeni Pineda, a Born-Again Christian, calls Camping “crazy.” No one knows, she said, the exact time the world would come to an end. She recited Mark 13 verse 32 that says: “No one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in Heaven, not the son but only the Father.”

“Pray,” said Edwina Aniag of Daly City, California, even if, she cautioned, the prediction is not true. “Only God knows. It will not happen as long as you have great faith in Him,” she said.

Others were disdainful of the prediction

Reporter Don Tagala of The Filipino Channel, whose birthday falls on May 21 wrote on his Facebook wall: “Hey Apocalypse! I’m so sad you didn’t make it to my birthday… but my guests were all happy you didn’t make it today.”

Kirby slept through Judgment Day.

Twelve-year-old singer Kirby Asunto of New Jersey was steadfast in her belief that nothing was going to happen. “I slept throughout the day.”

But sometimes, even the most ridiculous question triggers a surprisingly heartfelt comment. Mia Fernandez of the Filipino American Human Services Inc. in New Jersey said she would spend the last days “making my mother laugh and telling her how much I love her.”

Queens resident Elton Lugay is a reporter, publicist and community events organizer.



3 Comments

  1. Noli Cabantug wrote:

    Most spiritual leaders I heard always say that no one can predict the exact time and date. Time setting is always falsehood, they say…

  2. Bella P. Burgos wrote:

    Ladies and Gentlemen:

    I just want to know who publishes this online magazine. I think you are doing a fantastic job. Would you consider publishing a print version?

    Thank you in advance for your reply.

  3. John Baguio wrote:

    Rapture predictor Harold Camping suffers stroke http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/13/national/main20070762.shtml

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