Christian detachment and the digital world

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

WHAT a very good deal Christ is giving us! When Peter told him, “We have given up everything and followed you,” Christ immediately reassured him—and us—“Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers…” (Mk 10,28-30)

It’s good that we keep these words very much in mind so that we can protect ourselves from our strong tendency to get attached to the things of this world, making them irresistible instruments for self-indulgence instead of being powerful instruments of love for God and for everybody else.

In today’s digital world where we are provided with tremendous facilities and advantages, let’s see to it that everytime we use them, we have the proper intention. And that is none other than to love and glorify God and to help and serve the others. We need to have the relevant practices that would help us keep that proper intention.

The advances and progress in our sciences and technologies should challenge us to develop the attitudes and practices proper of a person who needs to be in constant relation with others, let alone, of a child of God who needs to always be with God.

We cannot deny that nowadays we are seeing a lot of people sinking in their self-indulgence, completely deceived by the pleasures these powerful facilities and technologies give them, not knowing that these pleasures have no other purpose than to trap them in their own world and bubble, and to cause cases of obsessions and addictions, etc.

We need to have a massive campaign to educate everyone on how to properly use these new technologies. This has to start in the families where the little children should be taught how to use them. It’s not to prevent them from using these tools, but rather to instill in them the proper attitude and practices.

Everyone should be taught that these new technologies should be used primarily and constantly to give glory to God and to help others. The pleasures, fulfillment and satisfaction we can derive from these tools should be the effect, first of all, of such love for God and for others. Otherwise, these pleasures can only turn into sweet poison for us.

Definitely, a considerable amount of sacrifice and self-denial would be involved here. But if things are also taught properly, everyone should be made to see that whatever sacrifice and self-denial would be involved would only lead to a certain joy that is most proper to us. The teaching method should be such that it is always done in a positive, constructive and attractive way, instead of in a negative, off-putting way.

This is a big challenge since many young people nowadays are easily turned off whenever some sacrifice would be involved. Thus, a lot of patience and creativity in teaching is a must. And more than just giving classes and modules, to carry out this duty of teaching people about the proper use of the new technologies undeniably requires accompaniment.

We have to know how to deal with the danger of self-indulgence, self-absorption and self-centeredness that these new technologies can cause. Christian detachment has to be taught and lived properly.

Kidapawan tourism office defends concrete slabs on Mount Apo trail

 BY KEITH BACONGCO

  

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DAVAO CITY – The Kidapawan City Tourism Office has defended the installation of concrete slabs on the existing damaged trail of Mount Apo, particularly that linking Lake Venado and the summit, after netizens criticized the city government’s effort to restore it for the safety of climbers.

Tourism officer Gillan Ray Lonzaga blamed the degradation of the trail to the influx of climbers as well as heavy rains.

“Aside from being damaged due to heavy rains, the trails have also widened to about three meters because of the influx of climbers going down to the Kidapawan side of Mount Apo,” she disclosed over the phone.

A CLIMBER navigates the muddy trail in Mount Apo. (Kidapawan Tourism Office)

The country's highest peak sits between the boundary of Davao del Sur and North Cotabato.

Recently, pictures and videos of concrete slabs on the trail of Mount Apo made rounds on social media.  Some netizens slammed the city government, saying that the concrete steps, which are less than a meter long, are not the solution to the problem.

For some seasoned mountaineers, the solution is to let the mountain rest and let the trail recover by itself.

But the Kidapawan tourism officer said that since opening a new trail is not an option, the city government had no other means but to repair the existing damaged trail.

She disclosed that the installation of concrete steps have yet to be completed in five different portions of the trail. “In total, there are only about a hundred meters of trail that needs to be restored.”

The longest portion of the restored trail is about 30 meters only, Lonzaga added.

Environment advocate and former executive director of Mount Apo Foundation Inc. (IMAFI) Ermelo Libre commended the project as it could help ensure the safety of climbers.

However, Libre said that environmental and cultural architecture must be incorporated in project construction to reflect the spirit of the natural surrounding environment.  “And as an expression of the cultural tradition and aspirations of the indigenous community that was there before us.”

“Why not use natural materials like logs? Or anything that’s natural should be considered so that it will not destroy its natural beauty,” Libre, a lawyer and a known advocate for the conservation of Mount Apo Natural Park, told Manila Bulletin over the phone.

Lonzaga said that while logs may look good on the trail, its longevity must be considered given the conditions in the mountain.

She belied reports that the project did not undergo consultation among the indigenous peoples living in the foothills of the country’s highest peak. “The city government has informed the Lumad leaders in the areas because we understand that Mount Apo is a sacred place for them. They even held a ritual prior to the start of the project.”

Mount Apo is one of the most popular climbing destinations not just in the region but also in the country.

For years, the influx of mountaineers during the climbing season had eventually damaged the trail, particularly the lone path that links Lake Venado and the summit.

Lonzaga appealed to her fellow tourism officers in Davao del Sur towns to help them regulate the climbers going down to the Kidapawan side of the mountain.

She disclosed that the carrying capacity of the Kidapawan trail is only 50 climbers at a time and 30 from each trail in towns of Santa Cruz, Bansalan, and Digos City in Davao del Sur.

“When these climbers would go down to Kidapawan trail, this would exceed the carrying capacity on our side. We are hoping that the other LGUs would help us in regulating the climbers.” 

DoT Medical Tourism program partner with global leader

The Department of Tourism (DoT) is positioning the country as an emerging medical and wellness tourism destination in Asia with the recent tie-up with a global leader in the medical and wellness industry.

Witnessing signing ceremony were (from left) DoT Assistant Secretary Verna Covar-Buensuceso, Office of Product and Market Development (OPMD) Director Paulo Benito Tugbang, Agora Group Philippine Representative Angel Bognot and Eugenio Jose Ramos, MD, MBA, president and COO of The Medical City.

Witnessing signing ceremony were (from left) DoT Assistant Secretary Verna Covar-Buensuceso, Office of Product and Market Development (OPMD) Director Paulo Benito Tugbang, Agora Group Philippine Representative Angel Bognot and Eugenio Jose Ramos, MD, MBA, president and COO of The Medical City.

DoT formally inked an agreement with Dubai-based Agora Group, the "pioneer and leader in providing business solutions and productivity in the health and wellness tourism,""o be a partner for the prestigious and high-level gathering of tourism stakeholders and medical professionals at the First International Health and Wellness Tourism Congress (IHWTC) 2023. The event is slated for June 8 to 9 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The agreement was formalized by Secretary Cristina Garcia- Frasco and Agora co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hadi Malaeb, at one of the country's leading medical facilities, The Medical City in Pasig.

In its initial presentation to the DoT, Agora Group Dubai estimated the global health and wellness tourism to be worth $45.5 to $72 billion, with 14 to 16 million cross border patients and an average spend of $3,800 to $6,000 per visit.

Guiding PH companies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050

BY MANILA BULLETIN

  

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Every business has a responsibility in climate change mitigation. Carbon neutrality, acquiring an equilibrium between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, is deemed as a beneficial approach. In the Philippines, Energy Development Corporation (EDC) strives to ensure that it absorbs more carbon than its entire operation emits. This is attributable to its renewable geothermal operations coupled with its forest management program.

Still, being a pure renewable energy company that maintains vast watersheds, while something to be proud of, is not enough to reverse our worsening climate – it cannot be done alone. This prompted EDC to convene businesses and form an alliance. The Net Zero Carbon Alliance (NZCA) is the first private sector-led initiative toward attaining net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or carbon neutrality by 2050.

Now in its second year, the NZCA continues to encourage local enterprises to commit to become carbon neutral and adhere to its strategy that is largely based on the proven approach of EDC – (1) avoiding and reducing emissions and (2) offsetting those that can no longer be reduced.

NZCA guides its partners in their journey toward carbon neutrality, which includes suggesting various strategies to lower their carbon emission such as shifting to renewable energy. 

“Avoiding and reducing emissions can happen when businesses shift to renewable energy sources. To support this, other energy efficiency and conservation measures may be implemented; the idea is to reduce the overall reliance on fossil fuels. Simple organizational lifestyle and operational changes like food waste reduction, telecommuting have great impact,” explains Allan V. Barcena, Executive Director of NZCA. He is concurrently EDC’s assistant vice president and head of Corporate Relations and Communications.

For processes where reduction of emissions is no longer feasible, offsetting is seen as the solution. “Businesses can look into carbon sequestration, which is basically capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. This can be done through forest protection, conservation, and restoration.”

NZCA abides by its conceptual framework which involves the cycle of commitment, measurement, planning, action, tracking, and validation.

The Net Zero Carbon Alliance held their first quarter assembly on March 8, 2023, where they highlighted the importance of their collaborative efforts in combating the ongoing challenge of climate change. Through their joint work, the NZCA and its partners are striving toward a sustainable and regenerative future, with a focus on achieving carbon neutrality for all.

“The first step after making a commitment to carbon neutrality is to assess their readiness and ability, as well as the extent of their commitment to go through net zero emissions. Then they should have the quantitative data of their greenhouse emissions, carbon footprint. Knowing these will allow them to measure how much emission they need to reduce.”

In the planning stage, NZCA partners could identify and plan the solutions based on the two main strategies – avoidance/reduction and offsetting. “Businesses will identify how much emission should be avoided, how can these be avoided, and if avoidance and reduction would be impossible, how could they offset.”

As they implement their avoidance/reduction and offsetting strategies, they should also be able to track their progress. “To know if the actions in place are working, businesses should be able to measure its actual emissions and compare the results based on their target. While internal assessments are helpful, validation from independent/third-party validators can aid in the authenticity of the implementation.”

With more companies abiding by this framework, NZCA hopes to achieve carbon neutrality for the country by 2050. “The Philippine government has committed to the Paris Climate Change Agreement to reduce emissions by as much as 75% by 2030. And with more local enterprises working towards carbon neutrality through NZCA, we hope to contribute to this commitment.”

The pioneering partners of NCZA include Arthaland, First Balfour, Drink, Silliman University in Dumaguete, Knowles Electronics, and Unilever. Seven more companies have joined the alliance: Cemex, Converge ICT Solutions Inc., Ecolab, INAEC Aviation Corporation, Menarco Development Corporation, SGV & CO., and The Linden Suites.