Concern for those who have less in life

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

LET’S remember always that God has a special concern for those who have less in life, like the simple and the weak, the sick and disabled, the children and the poor. And it gives him much pain if we would scandalize them, either through our culpable neglect of them or, worse, by leading them to sin.

This truth of our faith is somehow highlighted in that gospel episode where Christ preached about the need to be like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven, the care not to despise the little children, and his intent always to look for the lost sheep, regardless of the cost and effort involved. (cfr. Mt 18,1-5.10.12-14)

Let’s take note of what Christ once said about the kingdom of heaven. He went as far as to say that it is for little children precisely because of their simplicity: “Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me. For the kingdom of heaven is for such.” (Mt 19,14)

We need to devise an interior mechanism, more spiritual than material, to keep ourselves like children even as we grow in worldly knowledge and skills, and prone to thinking that we can already live by ourselves, independently of God.

This mechanism can include anything that fosters our presence of God all throughout the day, the practice of rectifying our intention and relating everything that we do to God. We should feel the need for God always, earnest in our effort to look for him in everything that we do. 

We have to break the barrier of awkwardness and incompetence in this regard. We actually have the means. What’s missing is our will to use this mechanism.

And lest we think simplicity is naivete, and gullibility, let’s remind ourselves of what our Lord said: “Be wise as serpents and simple as doves.” (Mt 10,16) Simplicity would not be true simplicity if it does not come with cleverness and shrewdness. We just have to find ways of how we can blend these two apparently contrasting qualities together.

And if we are truly Christian, we should have true and abiding compassion toward everyone, especially the poor and the needy. But we have to understand that compassion should have universal coverage. It should not be limited to the sentimental aspects of things, nor to relieving the economic and material needs of people alone.

It should cover the whole range of human needs in their proper order of importance, foremost of which is our need for God. We have to learn to distinguish between the pressing and precious needs of man, and to cope with the tension that sometimes arises in our effort to put these two kinds of human needs together.

In this concern, we have to understand that the poor may not be the ones who are economically poor. They can be the richest, the most educated, the most famous and powerful, but who happen to be farthest from God. They can turn out, in that context, to be the poorest of the poor, the lost sheep that have strayed farthest from God.

They pose as the most difficult challenge in our duty to show compassion, to reflect in our life God’s love for all. Are we in the first place aware of this reality? Are we up to the challenge? Do we know how to tackle this problem?

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

𝐃𝐝𝐎’𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐩 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤

 

Being one of the province’s economic driver that attracts a big number of tourist visits, Davao de Oro’s tourism wellness loop bounces back from the unfavorable changes brought by the pandemic over the past two (2) years. 

Recently, the Provincial Government of Davao de Oro through the PAO-Tourism Division headed by Senior Tourism Officer Christine Dompor, visited some of the tourism destinations of the province together with the Provincial Administrator Fatima Montejo. The team conducted a site inspection to assess and measure possible interventions from the provincial government to further intensify the service quality offered by the wellness loop.

The team visited ten (10) tourism facilities on Saturday (August 6, 2022): Bilawa Hot Waterfalls in Brgy. Mainit and Pagkokorowan Gaw Bukanan in Maco, Lake Leonard (Danao) Aqua Eco Park in Brgy. New Leyte, Maco, Tambo Viewdeck+Cafe, Tagbibinta Falls, Maragusan, Maragusan Eco Solid Waste Management Park, Pyalitan Falls, Maragusan, Mt. Patong Sea of Clouds, Angel Farm and Flower Garden, and De Oro Suites in Maragusan.

In Barangay Mainit, Maco, local officials led by Brgy. Captain Michelle Lim welcomed the provincial team led by PA Montejo.  It is where the Bilawa Hot Spring is located and is one of the top earning and mostly visited Community-Based Ecotourism destinations with over 200 coop-members.  Recently, the province was able to have its  10% share of revenue for its three (3) months of operation amounting to PhP600, 000.  

These tourism destinations not only popularized Davao de Oro in the market, but it also served as a gateway for more job opportunities for the locals. Its revamp from the pandemic generated more income-generating revenues and established cooperatives with its local workforce such as farmers, fisherfolks, mountain and boat guides, and caterers.

The team also met with Mayor Angelito J. Cabalquinto of Maragusan, and discussed plans for infrastructure provisions and other necessities in some tourism sites in Maragusan.

Recently, the tourism  division of the province in partnership with the provincial health office conducted a Covid-19 vaccination drive to various tourism facilities to further secure its operations amidst the pandemic. (PAO-IPRD DdO)

PAO- Information and Public Relations Division

4th Flr, Executive Building,

Provincial Capitol Complex

Brgy Cabidianan, Nabunturan

Davao de Oro

15 Luzon provinces notch 'very high' Covid positivity rates

OUCH A child gets a jab against Covid-19 at the Baclaran Elementary School in Parañaque City on Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, as the government prepares for the opening of classes. PHOTO BY MIKE ALQUINTO

By Franco Jose C. Baroña, Manila Times

(UPDATE) FIFTEEN provinces in Luzon recorded "very high" Covid-19 positivity rates, OCTA Research reported on Monday.

The positivity rate refers to the percentage of people found positive for Covid-19 among the total individuals tested.

OCTA Research fellow Guido David said Camarines Sur had the highest jump in positivity, with 48.7 percent on August 6 from 30.3 percent on July 30.

Two other provinces recorded more than 40 percent positivity — Isabela with 47.6 percent and Tarlac with 41.9 percent.

Provinces with more than 30 percent positivity rates were Cagayan (30.5 percent), Laguna (33.2 percent), Nueva Ecija (38.4 percent) and Pampanga (35 percent).

 Provinces with more than 20 percent positivity were Albay (28.2 percent), Benguet (22 percent), Cavite (21.1 percent), La Union (29.4 percent), Pangasinan (25 percent), Quezon (25.1 percent) and Zambales (28.6 percent).

In the National Capital Region, the positivity rate rose from 15.5 percent on July 30 to 17.5 percent on August 6.

The positivity rates in three provinces dipped slightly — Bataan (from 20.8 to 13.2), Batangas (from 15.7 to 15.2) and Ilocos Norte (from 10.4 to 9.9).

The World Health Organization recommends that the proportion of Covid-19 tests coming back positive should be below 5 percent to ensure that the spread of the coronavirus is under control.David said the "prolonged" Covid-19 wave in the country could last throughout the "ber" months, or the last four months of the year.

Netherlands latest to detect 'Centaurus' subvariant

"It started here in the Philippines around June, then July, August, so we should be in our second month already," said David. "But we're not at the peak yet. It's taking longer. Right now, it's looking like it will last up to four to five months, well into the 'ber' months."

David said the lingering Covid-19 wave may be due to other variants.

Another possibility is the waning vaccine immunity, since fewer individuals were getting booster shots.

"Most of them had their vaccines last year and fewer people got their booster shots, so there is waning immunity. Our antibody levels are going down. Then, adherence to minimum public health standards is always important," David said.

Covid-19 positivity in 14 provinces 'very high'

The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) said the Omicron subvariant BA.5 is the "most predominant" sample sequenced in the country in the past month alone.

PGC Executive Director Dr. Cynthia Saloma said the majority or "anywhere above 85 percent" of sequenced Covid-19 samples have traces of the BA.5 subvariant.

"We can probably say that this current wave is really the BA.5 wave in the country," Saloma said, adding that there were only a few cases of BA.2.3 which was the dominant strain last January.

Covid positivity rate 'very high' in five provinces – OCTA

She said that with the dominance of BA.5, several cases of BA.5.2 have been detected.

In the United States and Europe, the dominant subvariant is BA.5.1.

Saloma said that there are no new cases of BA.2.75, which is more transmissible than the original Omicron variant, in the country.

As of August 5, the Department of Health (DoH) has reported 95 new BA.5 cases. Of these cases, 67 were from Davao Region, 25 from Soccsksargen, and one case each from Northern Mindanao, Caraga and the National Capital Region.

This brings the total Omicron BA.5 cases detected to 3,107.

The DoH also reported two cases of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.75 in the country last August 2. The cases were from Western Visayas.

On Monday, the DoH reported that almost 700,000 Filipinos had received their first booster shot under the government's "PinasLakas" campaign.

The DoH launched PinasLakas on July 26, with a goal of boosting 23.8 million Filipinos or 50 percent of the eligible population within the first 100 days of the Marcos administration.

"As of August 6, we have already vaccinated almost 700,000 individuals for the first booster shot, and for the senior citizen, around 43,000," DoH Officer in Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

Vergeire said the department was bringing vaccine delivery closer to communities to ramp up booster coverage.

Some of the places being used as vaccination sites are markets, places of worship, workplaces and schools, she said.

LPA spotted off Davao City

By Arlie O. Calalo, Manila Times

A low pressure area was spotted off Davao City by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

At the same time, the weather bureau is monitoring an active tropical depression outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

The LPA was last seen some 530 kilometers east of the city.

Meanwhile, the tropical depression outside PAR was 550 kms north-northwest of Kalayaan Island, Palawan and is almost stationary, Pagasa said.

It had maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 55 kph, the weather bureau said.

The LPA is affecting Caraga and Davao Region while the southwest monsoon, is affecting Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon.

The southwest monsoon also brought cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan).

The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and localized thunderstorms in the next 24 hours, Pagasa said.