Next press secretary sees herself as a 'problem solver'

By Kristina Maralit, Manila Times

PRESS secretary-designate Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles will lean on her years of experience as a lawyer in performing her job as the incoming administration's chief communicator.

Describing herself as a "problem solver," the next chief of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) said one of her priorities will be plugging the holes in the PCOO and its attached agencies.

"As a lawyer, when you handle a case, you solve the problem that a client has. Coming into the PCOO, what I want to do is help and that help comes in the form of solving certain problems," Cruz-Angeles told The Manila Times.

Her main job still is helping the president. "That is the main reason I'm here," she said.

"I'm also in charge of several attached agencies that come with their own unique challenges. I'd like to solve those challenges. I'm not saying that I'm going to succeed, but I like the idea of being able to come in and say, 'OK, let me do this for you. Ayusin natin 'yan (Let's fix that). That's my idea of public service," she said.

Cruz-Angeles had said she has started reviewing the existing projects of the agency as well as those in the pipeline to determine which will continue, and which will be shelved for the meantime.

Among the projects is the upgrading of the state-owned network PTV-4 and IBC-13 to give the government a wider reach in conveying its programs and achievements. To do this, the PCOO must first secure the needed funding, one problem the lawyer-turned-vlogger hopes to solve.

Still, Cruz-Angeles remains confident she and the rest of the Marcos administration's communications team will have few problems in making the public take notice and digest messages they will convey.

Because President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is "very personable," Cruz-Angeles sees "no issues" in communicating with the public.

Why the president-elect will be his ownspokesman on certain issues and questions

"Like he's very popular on social media, so we would like to hear and see him more on radio, other platforms. It's [about] bringing the presidency and his unique brand of leadership to where it is seen and appreciated. I want it to be more consistent, and now that he's going to be the leader of the entire country, he will now be directly talking to people and I'd like them to see how he is," she said.

Cruz-Angeles said Marcos "doesn't need to be interpreted, he's clear." The only thing she needs to do is find out Marcos' message. "I just want it to be like, 'OK, sir, I'll take this, and I will bring it to the people, more people.'"

She gave assurances that under a Marcos leadership, the rights of media workers will be protected and press freedom respected.

"There's never been an issue about dissent. The president-elect doesn't even answer his critics. You're free to talk. We're not changing anything. Whatever freedoms we have now will always be our freedom. Our Constitution guarantees that," she said.

Whatever happens, trust God always

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

“WHY are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. (Mt 8,26)

These words of Christ, addressed to his apostles who were terrified when their boat was buffeted by big waves, should remind us that we should always go and trust God, especially in our difficult moments. He takes care of everything, even if his ways may not be in accord with what we want. His way of resolving our problems will always be what is best for us.

We have to realize firmly that nothing happens in our life without the knowledge and permission of God. And if he allows certain difficulties, calamities, predicaments to come to us, it is simply to give a trial and a chance to prepare ourselves for the end of our life. He always knows how to derive good from evil.

So, let us never be afraid of anything. We should just learn how to react spiritually and supernaturally, avoiding being trapped in our merely earthly estimation of things. Only then, can we see God’s ever-wise and merciful designs for us in every predicament we can find ourselves in. God’s providence never fails.

With all the things that we have to contend with in this life, we certainly need to have a healthy sense of trust in God’s loving and wise providence, abandoning ourselves in his will and ways that often are mysterious to us and can appear to be contrary to what we would like to have.

A healthy spirit of abandonment in God’s hands is necessary even as we exhaust all possible human means to achieve our goals or simply to tackle all the challenges, trials and predicaments of our life. We should never forget this truth of our faith.

Let us quote some words of Christ that form the basis for this belief:

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Mt 6,26-34)

We need to engrave these words in our heart so that whatever difficulty we encounter in our life, we will know how to react. Very often, we tend to face things simply on our own, relying only on our own powers that no matter how impressive can only do so much.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Covid positivity rates climb – OCTA

THE number of Covid-19-positive tests in the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila and eight other areas has exceeded the threshold set by the World Health Organization. File Photo

By Franco Jose C. Baroña, Manila Times

OCTA Research fellow Guido David said the positivity rate in the NCR climbed to 5.9 percent on June 25 from 3.9 percent on June 18.

The WHO recommends a rate of 5 percent or lower to ensure that the coronavirus is under control.

The positivity rate refers to the percentage of people who were positive for Covid-19 among the total individuals that were tested for the virus.

Other areas with rates above the WHO threshold are Batangas (from 1.2 percent to 5.6 percent), Cagayan (from 1.9 percent to 5.8 percent), Cavite (from 3.6 percent to 6 percent), Iloilo (from 4.4 percent to 5.7 percent), Laguna (from 3.1 percent to 7.5 percent), Pampanga (from 3.3 percent to 5.9 percent) and South Cotabato (from 6.3 percent to 7.4 percent).

Rizal province recorded the highest rate, jumping from 6.3 percent on June 18 to 11.9 percent on June 25.

Amid the rising Covid-19 cases, Dr. Anthony "Tony" Leachon said the government should seriously consider administering second booster shots to economic frontliners and people with comorbidities.

For now, Leachon said, the priority must be to ramp up the first booster shots to the general public.

"I think, the first approach is to ramp up the first booster and consider also the expansion of the second booster or the fourth shot not only to the health care workers, senior citizens or immunocompromised individuals, but start and align with the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines to start it above 50 years old," the former special adviser to the National Task Force Against Covid-19 said.

"For the A3 (people with comorbidities) and economic frontliners, maybe we should also open it up, considering some of the vaccines will expire," he added.

The CDC recommends two booster shots for adults ages 50 and above as well as people ages 12 and older who are moderately and severely immunocompromised.

In the Philippines, the second booster is only available to 18-year-olds and above, workers in essential health services, senior citizens, immunocompromised individuals ages 18 years and above with an immunodeficiency state, HIV, active cancer or malignancy, transplant recipients, undergoing steroid treatment, patients with poor prognosis or bedridden patients, and other conditions of immunodeficiency as certified by a physician.

Leachon noted that catching a mild Covid-19 from someone infected with an Omicron subvariant could still have severe effects.

Covid positivity rates in NCR, 8 areas surpass WHO threshold

"This can actually also lead to long Covid-19 or post-Covid-19 patients, and that would affect the productivity of our economic frontliners. We should not increase the cases since it would affect not just hospitalization and death rate, but it will affect our quality of life and productivity of our economic frontliners," he said.

Vaccine Expert Panel Chairman Dr. Nina Gloriani favors second booster shots for those with comorbidities and economic frontliners, as well as a review of the definition of the term "immunocompromised" to cover people with other comorbidities.

Gloriani said only the Department of Health (DoH) can make the final decision, but the agency is still waiting for more data from the WHO.

Expand second booster shot rollout – Concepcion

The DoH has declared that the majority of the country's population is still not eligible for a second booster because there is insufficient evidence that it will be beneficial to the general public.