What it's like staying in the Philippines for a week?

 

Bisaya

https://barokandtakya.com

It's so easy to get lost in the beauty of this country. You can't help but be astounded by how blended and different these people are, their culture, beliefs, tales of daily life. The kindness. The openness to welcome you into their lives with the recognition that your presence there will make theirs richer for it; no better way to find yourself than not only exploring the landscapes that paint themselves across kilometers and years at a time but to meet the inhabitants that call them home every day like they're doing us all a favor by existing. It's unusual because there isn't much difference between rural life here and urban life - people flow freely between both; neighborhoods morph quickly from one central hub into another without formal recognition of the change. Within a kilometer of being outside your resort, you're likely to be fishing under makeshift docks with local children, slurping on soft coconuts that have fallen from the palms overhead (with their adorable accompanying "hacks" to open them), sitting in someone's backyard or front porch sharing noodles and fruit juice or a packed lunch. You start to understand the value of a handshake in a country where it's prevalent for strangers passing on the street to stop, chat and exchange numbers for catching up later over dinner or coffee.

The food is one of the most incredible things to come home with you from this trip - every meal feels like an adventure into something you've never had before, like an argument with yourself over whether or not you'll be able to try it all. It feels like family here because there's so much flavor packed inside everything they cook, every meal made to order exactly how you want it. They love their fried things, their salty things, but I always find myself leaving satisfied and yet somehow still wanting more because it's just that good.

After spending a week in the Philippines, I can tell you that it's no wonder, so many tourists come to this country. The culture is vibrant, with beautiful natural scenery all around. There are some challenges here, too, of course- but they're worth overcoming if your goal is happiness or enjoying life more fully. If you ever get the chance to visit this place yourself, don't pass up on it!

What is the Philippines like?

By Geraldine Lorente

I travel to explore, most of the times to work. What keeps me sane is dancing.

I’ll instead show you what my country is like:

Blessed with more than 7000 islands, we do have some nice beaches making it a popular tourist destination.

Cebu:

Surigao:

We eat often, typically 5 times a day (snacks in between lunch and dinner), with rice as our staple food. Palette is more on the sweet side (who would put sugar in spaghetti, right?). However, we do have a lot of cuisines available (american, japanese, indian, italian, you name it!)

Cost of living is generally low. 1 USD can buy you a lunch at your nearest canteen, meal from a fast food would be around 3 USD, 10 USD when dining at a restaurant.

My 10 USD dinner as seen below. Our serving size is typically smaller as compared to western countries.

Religion is predominantly Roman Catholic, you can see a lot of churches everywhere. This was influenced by the Spaniards who conquered us for 300 years. Generally speaking, the country is still conservative and traditional.

(image c/o google)

Politics is often an interesting discussion because of current president, Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. There are also war on religion somtimes especially on the southern island of the country, Mindanao.

People are generally friendly and optimistic. Here is a picture I took last week when we had a typhoon, streets were flooded and yet these people are still smiling!

We have beautiful tan skin but most of us want to have whiter complexion. Glutathione and papaya soaps everywhere!

Family ties is strong so it is still common to have an extended family living in one roof.

There is such thing called “filipino time”. If the appointment time is at 12noon most of us will be there by 1230 or 1pm.

Traffic is bad, drivers are creative especially those who are driving jeepneys and motorcycles. The train and bus system is not that good as well,l. There is no regular schedule of trips as opposed to other countries, no defined stops as well for public transportation.

(image c/o google)

Most of us can speak english, which contributes to the growth of the shared services industry in our country.

Overall, a good mix of crazy yet awesome country!

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IATF green-lights limited face-to-face classes in colleges, universities under ALS

by Ellson Quismorio, Manila Bulletin

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has approved resolution no. 148-G, which adopts the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) proposed phased implementation of limited face-to-face classes for all programs under the Alert Levels System (ALS) for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response.

This was announced in a statement by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Wednesday, Nov. 17, saying that the approval was handed down by IATF the previous day.

“Based under the guidelines on the nationwide implementation of [ALS] for COVID-19 response, limited face-to-face classes are now allowed under alert levels 1, 2 and 3, subject to certain conditions, such as (1) 50 percent indoor venue capacity, (2) no opposition from the local government unit (LGU) concerned, and (3) participation of fully vaccinated teaching and non-teaching personnel and students only,” the statement read.

“Under the said proposal, the CHED is mandated to execute the phased implementation program to ensure the safe reopening of higher education campuses,” Nograles, who was recently named acting presidential spokesperson, also stated.

The phase 1 implementation period shall be from December 2021 onwards. During this phase, all higher education institutions (HEIs) in areas under alert level 2 may apply for limited face-to-face classes, Nograles said.

Meanwhile, the phase 2 implementation period shall be from January 2022 onwards. In this phase, all HEIs in areas under alert level 3 may apply for limited face-to-face classes.

The phased implementation of face-to-face classes in HEIs shall be done consistent with Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2021-001, or the guidelines on the gradual reopening of campuses of higher education institutions (HEIs) for limited face-to-face classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, issued by CHED and the Department of Health (DOH).

This circular serves as a guide for HEIs that intend to hold limited face-to-face classes and are willing to assume the responsibilities for the reopening of their campuses based on the following: (1) their capability to comply with health and safety protocols, (2) to retrofit their facilities, and (3) to get the support of their stakeholders.

“The IATF would like to reiterate that the phased implementation of limited face-to-face classes in HEIs should be done alongside the continued implementation of proactive measures and restrictions that have been put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and have contributed to the steady decline in COVID-19 cases in the country. These include the vaccination of all eligible individuals, the wearing of masks, social distancing, and hand-washing,” Nograles said.

“As we slowly and cautiously open our college classrooms, we urge all stakeholders involved to work together to ensure the safety of our students so that they may be able to return to their schools secure in the knowledge that every effort has been made to safeguard their health,” the Cabinet Secretary added.

On anger and preaching

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          WE cannot deny that there are moments when we find ourselves

angry, or even when we need to be angry. We just have to learn how to

handle this emotion that in itself is neither good or bad. It depends

on how we do it.

          In this regard, it might be good to take a look again at

that occasion when Christ got angry with those who turned the temple

area into a marketplace. (cfr. Lk 19,45-48) We can also take this

occasion to realize how we, especially priests, ought to preach so

that like Christ in this gospel episode, we can attract people to our

words.

          As noted in that occasion, people were hanging to Christ’s

words such that those who wanted to put Christ to death could not

carry out their plan.

          Yes, anger is one of our God-given emotions, locked into our

nature as persons. It has its legitimate use. But precisely because of

our precarious human condition here on earth, we have to be wary of

it. In fact, anger is also considered one of the capital sins, along

with pride, envy, greed, lust, gluttony, sloth, that can beget many

other sins.

          If ever we have to be angry, let’s try our best to be angry

in the spirit of Christ who showed anger over the self-righteous

Pharisees and scribes, and over those who turned the temple area into

a market place. Christ’s anger is what is called righteous anger, one

that is done always in charity and in the truth, and not just due to

opinions and biases. It’s an anger that is meant to correct, purify,

heal.

          Besides, Christ’s anger is only momentary. It does not last

long. As a psalm would put it, “his anger lasts only a moment, but his

favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing

comes in the morning.” (30,5) He is slow to anger, and quick to

forgive.

          We really have to learn how to hold our horses, especially

when we feel provoked or incited. We have to lengthen our patience,

our capacity to suffer. We have to broaden our mind so we can we can

quickly and easily capture the more important things in a given issue

rather than react immediately to things that are only incidental to

that issue.

          With respect to preaching, we have to understand that it is

a task entrusted to his apostles and shared by all of us in different

ways. The clergy take a leading role in this affair. It’s a serious

business that involves our whole being, and not just our talents and

powers.

          Obviously, to carry out this mission, we need to know our

Lord and his teachings. We have to go to him and read the Gospel.

Reading and meditating on it should be a regular practice for us, a

habit meant to keep us in touch with him.

          Thus, every time we read the Gospel, we have to understand

by our faith that we are engaging with our Lord in an actual and

living way. We are listening to him, and somehow seeing him. We can

use our imagination to make ourselves as one more character in any

scene depicted by the Gospel.

          For this, we need to look for the appropriate time and

place. We have to be wary of our tendency to be dominated by a

lifestyle of activism and pragmatism that would blunt our need for

recollection and immersion in the life of Christ.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com