Two more 'legendary' nights with Engelbert

In the name of timeless tunes and romantic rhythms, Newport World Resorts reignites the love of music fans for the iconic pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck. For over 50 years, the quintessential balladeer mastered the art of wooing audiences worldwide, earning him the title "King of Romance".

turns to the country as part of his ongoing world tour, "The Legend Continues." Fans will be serenaded by his passionate performances in a two-night concert at the Newport Performing Arts Theater on September 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Romance is truly at the heart of Humperdinck's music and lasting success. He has shown a knack for picking songs with eternal themes of love and longing. Among his commercially successful singles are "Release Me," "Quando Quando Quando," "Spanish Eyes," and many more.

While his captivating vocals have charmed millions of fans, the man earned his icon status in the music industry with massive achievements through the decades. Humperdinck rose in the music scene in the 1960s alongside iconic bands The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Throughout his long career, he became a four-time Grammy nominee and released dozens of studio albums, selling over 150 million records. To this day, he consistently showcases his legacy and wins the hearts of listeners across the globe.

After wrapping up the Manila shows, Humperdinck will bring "The Legend Continues" concert to JMR Coliseum in Naga City on September 12 at 7 p.m.

Tickets to Engelbert Humperdinck at the NPAT are now available at TicketWorld and SM Tickets outlets, while inquiries for the Naga City show may be sent to 0929- 3321685.

Goring’ nears exit; another storm to enter PAR

BY ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ

  

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(PAGASA)

As super typhoon Goring (international name: Saola) heads out of the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), a severe tropical storm with the international name “Haikui” is expected to enter the PAR in the next few hours, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA last located Goring 185 kilometers west of Itbayat, Batanes.

It is moving west-northwestward at 15 kilometers per hour (kph), with maximum sustained winds of 195 kph near the center and gusts of up to 240 kph. 

Tropical cyclone wind signal number 1 remains in effect over Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, the northern portion of Apayao, and the northwestern portion of Cagayan, while wind warnings have been lifted in other areas.

Severe tropical storm approaches PAR

Meanwhile, severe tropical storm Haikui was spotted 1,465 kilometers east of extreme Northern Luzon as of 10 a.m.

It may enter the PAR Wednesday, and will be given a local name “Hanna,” PAGASA said. 

While inside the PAR, Haikui may intensify into a typhoon, but it will remain far from the Philippine landmass.

Although the current forecast scenario indicates that Haikui is less likely to have a direct effect on the country, it may enhance the southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” on Thursday or Friday, Aug. 31 or Sept. 1.

It may reach its maximum intensity on Friday, as it approaches the boundary of the PAR, PAGASA said.

Haikui may exit the PAR on Friday morning.

Enhanced ‘habagat’

“This [the enhancement of the southwest monsoon] may result in the continuation of occasional or monsoon rains over the western portions of Luzon and Visayas throughout this week,” PAGASA said, as super typhoon Goring continues to strengthen the effect of the habagat. 

PAGASA said heavy monsoon rains may persist in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and the northern portion of Palawan, including Calamian and Cuyo Islands on Thursday, Aug. 31.

Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Nueva Ecija, La Union, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, Pangasinan, and Occidental Mindoro may continue to experience heavy monsoon rains on Friday, Sept. 1.

“Under these conditions, flooding and rain-induced landslides are expected especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps and in localities that experienced considerable amounts of rainfall for the past several days,” PAGASA said.

New cyclone spotted east of Visayas

PAGASA also monitored a tropical depression 3,150 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas, or outside the PAR, on Wednesday afternoon.

It has maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center and gusts of up to 70 kph, and is moving northward at 10 kph.

This weather disturbance has no direct effect on any part of the country as of Wednesday.

What we need in these confusing times

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

CHRIST told his disciples to stay awake, that is, to be vigilant, and at the same time to be fruitful and productive, not idle and lazy. (cfr. Mt 24,42-51) It’s a call that is most relevant these days, given the very confusing times we are in.

We cannot deny that in spite of the many conveniences and amenities our new technologies offer us, we are actually thrown into an ocean of swirling elements, pushing and pulling us in every which way. To have focus is getting harder as distractions always get in the way. Many people do not know anymore what the proper priorities in life are. 

And, of course, the sad effects and consequences are all so clearly shown. Many people are burned out. Cases of mental and psychological illness are growing. Addictions are increasing as many people do not know anymore how to be a master of their own lives.

We should always be vigilant, never letting our guard down. This is simply because we have enemies to contend with all the time. We should not be naïve about this. Our enemies start with our own selves, our own weakened flesh that will always lure us to do things against God’s will and against what is truly good for us.

Then we have the world with all its sinful attractions and temptations. And, of course, the devil himself. Never discount him. He’s always around, prowling like a lion looking for someone to devour. (cfr 1 Pt 5,8)

Without getting paranoid, we have to practice certain wariness while using and enjoying the many good things we have today. They can easily turn into sweet poisons. What we should rather do is never to lose touch with God. 

Only then can we always remember the proper priorities in our life and live them. Only then can we be able to be a master of our own lives and be truly fruitful and productive.

Let us remember that in the Bible narrative of the creation of man, God told our first parents, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it,” (Gen 1,28) clearly outlining his mandate to them. It’s a mandate that continues to be repeated up to now. Christ himself said as much.

In his parable of the three servants (cfr Mr 25,14-30), a master clearly told each one to trade with the amount given to them. He was happy with the first two who gained as much as was given. But he was mad at the third one who did nothing with the amount given.

We have to realize that God has already given us everything that we need not only to survive but also to improve our lot that ultimately translates into realizing the fullness of our dignity as image and likeness of God, as children of his.

We should never forget the real purpose of our life here on earth, which is for us to forge our own identity as God’s image and likeness, children of his, meant to share in his divine life and nature while immersed in the things of this world.

We can only do that if we always have in mind our duty to follow God’s commands rather than being guided and ruled only by our own estimation of things and by our feelings, passions and the trends around us.

Goring worst to hit Iloilo City since 2008

ENSURING SAFETY Policemen and emergency responders, in this photo taken on Tuesday, help evacuate residents of Barangay Sooc in Arevalo district as floods hit a large part of Iloilo City.—PHOTO COURTESY OF ILOILO CITY CDRRMO-URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE

By: Carla Gomez, Joey Marzan - @inquirerdotnetInquirer Visayas / 05:04 AM August 31, 2023

ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines — Floodwaters about a meter high greeted residents here at the beginning of the week due to heavy rains accompanying Typhoon Goring (international name: Saola).

According to the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), 90 of 180 barangays in the city remained flooded as of Wednesday. These include 24 in Jaro district, 16 in Mandurriao district, 13 in City Proper, 10 each in La Paz and Molo districts, and five in Lapuz.

The highest flood levels reached 38 inches, or almost a meter, which were logged in the Barangay Cuartero on Monday and Camalig village on Tuesday.

The city logged a total rainfall volume of 356 millimeters from Aug. 1 to Aug. 30, with 256 mm attributed to Goring.

A total of 6,072 families (23,260 people) from 58 barangays were reported to have been affected as of 8 a.m. on Wednesday, with 16,751 people from 47 villages forced to evacuate.

In a statement, Mayor Jerry Treñas described Goring as the “most severe” to hit the city since Typhoon Frank (Fengshen) in June 2008.

“More than 12,000 [people] were at the evacuation centers as of 12 noon [on Aug. 29]. I thank the [City Social Welfare and Development Office] for making sure everyone had enough food. I also thank all Ilonggos who contributed food … for the evacuees,” he said.

Treñas on Wednesday asked representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the government weather bureau, the academic community, and experts in other fields to sit down with local governments in Iloilo province to discuss the recent flooding.

“For the first time in Iloilo City, areas which were not previously flooded experienced intense flooding. We should study the situation seriously so that we can prevent similar occurrences in the future. Projects of the DPWH in the future should be able to prevent the same to preclude damage to property and worst, loss of lives,” the mayor said.

“On our part, we need to intensify our efforts for tree planting, conversion to renewable energy, bigger drainage systems, more pumping stations, more cisterns, more rainwater harvesting facilities, and other measures,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fire Protection stationed in the southern Iloilo town of San Joaquin advised against the use of the Antique-Iloilo Mountain Road connecting to Hamtic town in Antique after a typhoon-related landslide was reported in the area on Aug. 28.

Situation in Negros

A Philippine Information Agency advisory asked travelers to use instead the Antique-Iloilo Coastal Road connecting San Joaquin to Anini-y, Antique.

In Negros Occidental, the provincial government said typhoon-related losses in agriculture, fisheries and livestock in the province and Bacolod City reached at least P115 million.

Reports from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 25,709 families (82,594 people) were affected by flooding in 10 towns and six cities in Negros Occidental as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Among the areas hit by heavy rain and floods were the cities of Bago, Himamaylan, Silay, San Carlos, Valladolid, La Carlota, Binalbagan and Talisay; and the towns of Pulupandan, San Enrique, Pontevedra, Murcia, Hinigaran, Isabela, La Castellana and EB Magalona.

Classes in 26 Negros Occidental localities and work in government offices in 14 towns and cities were suspended on Tuesday.

Joe Recalex Alingasa Jr., disaster risk reduction and management officer of San Carlos City, advised motorists using Eco Translink Highway to be on alert as their initial assessment and monitoring of the upper portion of this road showed there were signs of an active landslide or rockslide caused by high saturation of water along its steep slopes.

Two landslides were also reported in Don Salvador Benedicto town.

In Bacolod City, at least 31 villages were hit by floods, affecting 2,644 families (8,642 people). Reports said at least 6,781 residents were staying in evacuation centers.

Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1824314/goring-worst-to-hit-iloilo-city-since-2008#ixzz8Bvh1u8mB

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From kuhol to escargot

 ‘You are what you eat’ is no more true than with snails

BY SOL VANZI

  

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AT A GLANCE

• There was just enough time to wine-purge the kuhol and boil them in wine-spiked water with bay leaves and onions—a merciful death. They were drunk and felt no pain.

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One of the most expensive meal starters is escargot, French snails cooked in garlic butter and served in their shells. The snails, raised in grape farms, spend their lives munching on grape leaves, which give them a distinct flavor and tenderness. Kept alive while being fed organically grown vegetables and milk until it is time to cook them, French escargot is very pricy and rare. Away from these farms, escargot meat is sold in cans with their shells in separate packs.

During trips overseas early in our marriage, Vic kept ordering escargot whenever we dined at a European-themed restaurant, inspiring me to serve him the dish in our home. The problem was where to get French snails. I researched and learned how escargot are raised.
Months of experimentation with thousands of native kuhol finally rewarded me with snails that are indistinguishable in taste and texture from the ones raised in France. 

Over several decades, I have served escargot-style snails to hundreds of dinner guests who were delightfully surprised to learn that the snails were raised in my kitchen.

What kuhol eat

I loved eating ginataang kuhol just about anywhere until I joined my cousins gathering kuhol from the ricefields one rainy day when I was 10.
The fields were flooded, rousing the hibernating kuhol from slumber and sending them creeping and crawling all over. They climbed stubs of newly harvested rice, crossed rice paddies, clung to stalks which they left leafless. They were eating everything!

Snails voraciously gobble up all plant matter along their path, leaving black thread-like waste matter as they move on. A snail is like a tube: Food comes in, goes through its body, gets digested, and is expelled as waste. The body absorbs the flavor of whatever food it ingests. When one buys kuhol, one never knows where they come from and what they ate.

“You are what you eat” came flashing through my mind as I decided to raise my own clean kuhol, dissatisfied with Grandma’s simple system of leaving snails overnight in a covered basin with a little water. 

Observing that Lola’s snails still bore traces of mud and scum after an evening soak, I experimented. I threw out the water they were soaking in, rinsed the snails twice and poured in fresh water. Then they were fed freshly chopped kangkong leaves.

The next day, their water was clearer, although still dotted with dark threads of waste matter. I rinsed them again and sprinkled stale bread crumbs that they readily grabbed. A few hours later their waste secretions were lighter colored and no longer slimy.

I went one step further and rinsed them one more time, scattering more bread crumbs as their last overnight meal. The next morning, there was not a single speck of dirt in their pale beige secretions. Over the family lunch that day, Grandpa noted that my ginataang kuhol tasted very fresh and the gravy was without sand, soil, and foreign matter, unlike the stuff they had gotten used to. My kuhol diskarte became a family secret.

Seventy years later, the wife of my grandson served an excellent bowl of adobong kuhol at the baptism of my first great-grandchild. When guests asked where she got the clean-tasting, grit-free snails, she looked at me, smiled and said, “Secret!”

 

Deliciously drunk

Our first wedding anniversary dinner with friends at our tiny Hong Kong flat was my first chance to impress our colleagues, all foreign correspondents like Vic and I were at the time. When I found escargot plates and special snail tongs with tiny forks to match, I decided to serve French-style escargot. 
It was February 1978 and the nation was preparing to elect delegates to the first Batasang Pambansa  or National Assembly.  Ninoy Aquino, campaigning behind bars, was heading the opposition ticket. International news agencies sent crews to cover all the press conferences and anti-government rallies. I was commuting between Hong Kong and Manila weekly. On one such trip I brought to Hong Kong a box of snails all purged and ready to be cooked.
They had spent four days purging on veggies and bread and were ready for their last meal—bread soaked in wine. 

My early morning flight was perfect. There was just enough time to wine-purge the kuhol and boil them in wine-spiked water with bay leaves and onions—a merciful death. They were drunk and felt no pain. After 15 minutes, they were tender enough to be drained, removed from their shells, and tossed in a garlic-parsley-butter bath.
 

The last step was to return them to their shells, arrange the shells on the snail plates, fill the shells with more butter mixture, and bake them for five to 10 minutes or until bubbly. They were perfect with crusty bread.
 

At the end of the meal, a couple of our guests wanted to try their hands at snail farming. I gave them dozens of snails in bamboo baskets lined with lettuce leaves. It was one of the most memorable meals Vic and I hosted.

CEU music professor and his choral group recognized by Philippine Consulate in Berlin

Recognizing their remarkable performance during the 125th anniversary of Philippine Independence and Nationhood

BY MB LIFESTYLE

  

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CEU Conservatory of Music and Graduate School Professor Lester Delgado

Centro Escolar University Conservatory of Music and Graduate School Prof. Lester Delgado and the One Global Voices @ Work received a letter from the Philippine Consulate of Berlin recognizing them in their remarkable performance during the 125th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and Nationhood at the Heilig Geist Kirche in Bayernallee and Waldorf Astoria Berlin.

“Our guests and fellow Filipinos were enthralled with your rendition of patriotic songs, OPM and classical pieces. You proudly showcased the Filipino’s innate talent and artistry in music. I wish you and all the members of the chorale continued success in your professional and personal endeavors”, penned Irene Susan Natividad, ambassador, Philippine Consulate of Berlin.

Professor Delgado is also the conductor of the Centro Escolar University-Singers Makati who clinched four Gold Prizes at the 3rd Bali International Choral Competition in Indonesia back in 2014. 

Beyond his role as judge in esteemed choral contests in the Philippines, he also actively imparts his choral expertise. He has been invited to lead choral clinics in various international locations including Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and Canada.

An accomplished composer, pianist, and conductor, Professor Delgado has authored 10 books, known as the Misa Delgado Book Series, designed for the Liturgical Celebration of the Catholic Church.

For more information about CEU click here.

VP Duterte thanks House panel for P2.3-B budget approval

BY RAYMUND ANTONIO

  

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Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte expressed gratitude to the House appropriations committee for the approval of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) P2.3 billion budget for 2024.

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte (OVP photo)

“We are grateful to the members of the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives for their continued support for the programs of the Office of the Vice President,” her statement read on Wednesday, Aug. 30. 

“We are confident that OVP will be able to continue reaching, serving, and creating meaningful and sustainable changes in the lives of the Filipinos in 2023,” she added.

Duterte was present during the budget deliberations for her office’s 2024 appropriation.

The House Committee on Appropriations also on Wednesday terminated deliberations on the P2.3 billion proposed budget in less than 20 minutes after Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos moved to terminate discussions in respect of the traditional parliamentary courtesy accorded to high-ranking officials.

Though it was seconded, the Makabayan bloc objected which led to a call for a vote. The deliberations ended with 21 panel members voting to finish the discussions. 

Duterte said the budget deliberations “allowed the OVP to present the significant strides that we have made in 2022.”

Her office’s accomplishments, she stressed, were highlighted by the establishment of the 10 satellite offices and two extension offices in key areas of the country.

The OVP has satellite offices in the cities of Cebu, Tacloban, Davao, Zamboanga, Isabela, Dagupan, Cotabato City, Legazpi City, Bacolod, and Tandag in Surigao del Sur.

It also has extensions offices in Lipa, Batangas and Tondo, Manila.

Die neue Digitale Rentenübersicht: Was sie kann – und wo es noch Probleme gibt

Von: Amy Walker 

Seit Juni 2023 ist die Digitale Rentenübersicht online. Damit sollen Versicherte in Zukunft alles zu ihrer Altersvorsorge auf einen Blick sehen können. Wie kommt das Angebot bisher an?

Berlin – Wer schon sein ganzes Leben lang über die Altersvorsorge nachdenkt, der hat möglicherweise verschiedene Standbeine aufgebaut. Das ist auch gut so – darauf ist unser Rentensystem ausgerichtet. Die gesetzliche Rente ist dabei ein wichtiger Baustein, aber eben nicht der einzige. Betriebliche Altersvorsorgen, Riester-Renten, Aktien oder vermögenswirksame Leistungen – es gibt viele Möglichkeiten. Um einen besseren Überblick über das, was man während seines Arbeitslebens schon angehäuft hat, zu gewährleisten, gibt es jetzt die Digitale Rentenübersicht.

Die Digitale Rentenübersicht erfasst nur die „echte“ Altersvorsorge

Am 30. Juni ging das Portal der Deutschen Rentenversicherung online. Es ist weder verpflichtend noch kostet es etwas. Zur Anmeldung im Portal benötigt man einen digitalen Personalausweis (eID). Die eID ist bei allen Ausweisen, die nach 2017 ausgestellt wurden, automatisch enthalten – muss aber freigeschaltet werden. Dann kann man zum einen einsehen, wie hoch die gesetzliche Rente voraussichtlich ausfallen wird (so wie bei der jährlichen Renteninformation). Zum anderen aber auch, wie viel sich durch verschiedene andere Formen der Altersvorsorge angesammelt hat. 

Dazu gehören alle privat und betrieblich abgeschlossenen Renten. Das betrifft sowohl monatliche als auch einmalige Zahlungen, die man zur Altersvorsorge abgeschlossen hat. Wer also möglicherweise vergessen hat, dass er oder sie vor Jahren mal bei einem alten Arbeitgeber eine betriebliche Altersvorsorge abgeschlossen hat, würde sie in der digitalen Rentenübersicht wieder finden.

Seit Sommer 2023 wird die Digitale Rentenübersicht zunächst als zusätzlicher Service angeboten. © IMAGO/Zoonar.com/Yuri Arcurs peopleimages.com

Es werden aber nur solche Angebote erfasst, die „eindeutig der Altersvorsorge dienen oder typischerweise dafür genutzt werden“, so die Rentenversicherung. Dazu gehören zum Beispiel keine ETFs oder vermögenswirksame Leistungen oder Bausparverträge. Und auch Beamte erhalten nicht alle Informationen: Pensionen werden aktuell nicht auf dem Portal angezeigt.

Aktuell sind allerdings noch nicht alle Altersvorsorge-Produkte in dem Portal enthalten. Ab Herbst 2023 ist es aber für Anbieter Pflicht, in der digitalen Rentenübersicht registriert zu sein.

Unser kostenloser Renten-Newsletter versorgt Sie regelmäßig mit allen relevanten News zum Thema. Hier geht es zur Anmeldung.

Bisher noch recht wenige Anmeldungen

Wie kommt das Angebot also rund zwei Monate nach der Einführung an? Auf Anfrage teilt ein Sprecher der Deutschen Rentenversicherung Bund (DRV) mit, dass bisher 850.000 Personen die Webseite besucht haben. Davon haben sich bisher aber nur 80.000 registriert – ein Anteil von 9,4 Prozent.

Die relativ niedrige Quote könnte wohl daran liegen, dass das Anmeldeverfahren recht kompliziert ist. Wer seine PIN für die eID nicht mehr hat, muss ihn erst per Brief zurückschalten lassen. Außerdem braucht man seine Steuer-ID und ein Gerät, auf dem die Ausweis-App installiert werden kann. All das sind Hürden, die möglicherweise die Registrierung ausbremsen. Noch dazu kann man nach erfolgreicher Registrierung erst fünf Tage später alle Daten einsehen.