God’s providence and our little contribution

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

“HE said to them, ‘There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.’ But they said to him, ‘Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.’ Then he said, ‘Bring them here to me,’ and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.” (Mt 14,16-19)

And so the story goes that led to the great astonishment of Christ’s disciples when at the end, in spite of what little the disciples contributed in the feeding of the people, there was a great amount of excess of the bread—12 baskets full—that was given to the crowd that followed Christ.

This gospel episode simply shows us that God always provides for our needs, no matter how helpless we may be in certain situations in our life. We should just trust in God’s almighty providence even as we do our part in resolving whatever problems and predicaments we can find ourselves in.

In this regard, Christ himself reassures us with these words: “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?” (Mt 6,26)

And he continues: “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 [c]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?” (Mt 6,28-30)

Yes, with a little help from us, the full wonder of God’s grace and providence would be revealed to us. This was articulated by Christ himself during the multiplication of the bread.

It is very moving to realize that what God is asking of us is actually very little in comparison to what he will be giving and doing for us. Another gospel episode that highlights this point is that of the miraculous catch of fish. (cfr. Lk 5,1-11)

Christ asked Peter to go to the deep and lower the nets for a catch. Peter at first was hesitant because he was fishing the previous night and caught nothing. But to Peter’s credit, he just obeyed Christ. And lo and behold, Peter caught such a large quantity of fish that he had to ask help to bring the enormous catch of fish to the shore.

It is indeed very reassuring that this is actually what happens in our relationship with God. All that we need to do are just the little duties we have, and God’s grace will come to us in abundance.

We simply have to do things in good faith, in obedience to God’s will, though sometimes God’s will would require extraordinary effort and sacrifice. But then again, whatever investment we have to give, even if in our own estimation it is already quite sizable, is nothing compared to what God will give us in return.

Corresponding to God’s will in our own small way is the highest yielding investment we can make. Let us remember that God can never be outdone in generosity. Christ himself said: “Whoever has (referring to one’s faith and trust in God) will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Mt 13,12)

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Mixed oil price adjustments next week

by Myrna M. Velasco, Manila Bulletin

For the fifth time in a series of cost adjustments in the past two months, the pockets of consumers will be eased partly with the anticipated rollback in diesel and kerosene prices next week, but motorists using gasoline are not as lucky because the cost of this commodity will go up.

Industry players estimated that the price of diesel will be reduced by P0.45 to P0.65 per liter; and kerosene prices will be slashed by P0.50 to P0.70 per liter, while gasoline prices will climb by P0.55 to P0.75 per liter for RON92 products; and P0.65 to P0.85 per liter for RON95 gasoline commodities.

Oil firms will implement the calculated price adjustments on Tuesday, Aug. 2, as part of their routine when it comes to cost movements in the deregulated downstream oil industry.

The pricing adjustment reference is anchored on the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS), and they also factor in foreign exchange (forex) rate fluctuations as well as market premiums, biofuel costs and other charges.

An added price relief in consumer-budgets will be the projected price reductions for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to the tune of more than P2.00 per kilogram; which is the preferred cooking fuel in Filipino households.

LPG prices are adjusted based on the cost swings of international contract prices (CP) that are benchmarked on Saudi Aramco, the pricing reference for Asian markets.

Prior to the next round of oil price swings at the pumps, a monitoring report of the Department of Energy (DOE) showed that domestic oil prices still incurred net increases of P32.95 per liter for diesel; P28.05 per liter for kerosene; and P18.90 per liter for gasoline products.

The general price trend in the world market last week had been cost downtrend, but as of Friday (July 29) trading, international benchmark Brent crude significantly climbed back to $110 per barrel; while Dubai crude jumped to $102 per barrel anew – manifesting then that price hikes may reign at the pumps again in the weeks ahead.

Filipino consumers are still left without choice given the heavy reliance of the country on importation in meeting its oil needs – and the only assurance coming from the government would be grant of targeted subsidy to the marginalized sectors – such as the transport and agriculture sectors – if surging prices will dominate pricing trends again.

The Marcos administration is still figuring out its policy when it comes to volatile oil pricing. There is no definitive commitment yet from the new leadership at the DOE if proposed measures, like fuel cost unbundling, will be strongly supported by Energy Secretary Raphael Perpetuo M. Lotilla.

There have been proposals for the country to seriously study the setting up of strategic petroleum reserve (SPR), but the only policy pronouncement from the Marcos administration for now is to whet the appetite of investors in oil and gas exploration so this could usher in long-desired energy security for the country.

Davao City to outsource durian

By Richy Nalagon

The government of Davao City, through the City Agriculturist's Office (Cagro), said it will deliver its commitment to have an abundant supply of durian during the Kadayawan season by outsourcing the "smelly but inviting" fruit from neighboring regions.

The unusual weather patterns caused by climate change have affected the cyclic production of durian in the city, resulting in a supply deficit.

Typically, the annual volume of durian that Davao City produces can reach over 12,000 metric tons (MT).

Davao City recorded 15,485 MT of durian in 2019, over 17,000 MT in 2020 and 12,930 MT in 2021. However, only over 3,000 MT of durian were harvested for the first half of this year.

During the I-Speak media forum on Thursday, Cagro head Edgardo Haspe said that because of the unusual weather patterns felt in the city's highlands early this year, a significant number of durian trees did not bear fruit in time for the Kadayawan season.

He said in order to respond to the high demand for the fruit during Kadayawan season, the Cagro is currently in talks with durian consolidators from other regions to import durian into the city.

"We are now discussing with the Durian Industry Council Association of Davao City, if, based on their monitoring, there is available supply from neighboring provinces and regions, just like North Cotabato, Kidapawan, Makilala, to supply the need for durian during that period," Haspe said.

Although there is still durian left to be harvested from the city's highlands, this will still not be enough to supply the market and the estimated 50,000 tourists who are expected to come during the Kadayawan season.

"As we have observed based on our monitoring, naa pa'y nabilin na portion in Toril, Sibulan, Catigan, portions of Marilog and Baguio, Calinan. Siguro dili na ni kaabot og 5,000 tons (As we have observed based on our monitoring, there are still some left in some parts of Toril, portions of Marilog and Baguio, Calinan. Maybe that will no longer reach 5,000 tons)," Haspe added.

Although Haspe admitted that this Kadayawan season's durian harvest in the city is proving to be underwhelming, he said the industry remains lucrative.

He added that more and more farmers are engaged in durian production due to its favorable prices in the global market.

In 2019, the total land area for durian farming in Davao City was recorded at 3,222 hectares.

This had since increased to 3,389 hectares in 2021. Haspe said the city's durian processors have also been increasing in number.

"Our durian processors here in the city are increasing.

There is one in Calinan, here in Tibungco; they come to our office to ask where they can find supply," Haspe said.

On top of this, Davao City is also eyeing building a direct link to the Chinese market.

The Cagro head said that the city's durian usually has to go through consolidators in other countries, such as Thailand, before ending up in mainland China.

He said exporting directly to China will increase the profit margin of Davao City's durian farmers as well as the city's visibility in the global market.