Filipinas unveil final 23 lineup for historic FIFA Women’s World Cup debut

BY NIKOLE JAVIER

  

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AT A GLANCE

• The Philippine women’s national football team's final 23 roster led by co-captains Hali Long and Tahnai Annis has been unveiled ahead of the country’s historic 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup debut on Sunday, July 9.

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The Philippine women’s national football team's final 23 roster led by co-captains Hali Long and Tahnai Annis has been unveiled ahead of the country’s historic 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup debut on Sunday, July 9.

The Philippine national women's football team. (Photo from PFF)

The 23 players were named by coach Alen Stajcic as the Filipinas wrap up their four-week training camp in Sydney, Australia.

From 29 players, the Nationals were trimmed down to 23 who will then be tangled with higher ranked opponents in Norway (No. 12), Switzerland (No. 20) and host nation New Zealand (No. 25).

“We congratulate the 23 players who were selected for the Philippines in the FIFA Women’s World Cup and express our gratitude to the players who have committed and sacrificed to make themselves available throughout the selection process,” said Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta.

“We wish our team all the best as they head to New Zealand for the final days of their preparation, before the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” said PFF general secretary Atty. Edwin Gastanes.

“The next weeks will be the culmination of a year and a half of hard work, dedication and sacrifice by every member of our Team,” said team manager Jefferson Cheng. “This group of 23 represents the best of us, the best of the indomitable Filipino spirit, and I am excited to see them make all of us even prouder.”

The Philippines secured its first-ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup, male or female, when Sarina Bolden fired the go-ahead penalty kick in their dramatic win over Chinese Taipei in the Asian Cup in India in Jan. 2022.

Per the PFF, the team is set to fly out to New Zealand on Monday morning, July 10, to continue its final preparations for the biggest football showpiece.

The Stajcic-coached Filipinas headed to Australia last month for the hardest four weeks of their lives and will then set their base camp in Auckland once the tournament kicks off.

The acid test begins a few days earlier for the Philippines, though, as it is set to face world No. 3 Sweden in an unofficial friendly match which is meant to simulate the tall task they have ahead of them.

Goalkeepers:
Kiara Fontanilla, Kaiya Jota, Olivia McDaniel

Defenders:
Alicia Barker, Angela Beard, Reina Bonta, Malea Cesar, Jessika Cowart, Sofia Harrison, Hali Long, Dominique Randle

Midfielders:
Tahnai Annis, Ryley Bugay, Anicka Castañeda, Sara Eggesvik, Quinley Quezada, Jaclyn Sawicki

Forwards:
Sarina Bolden, Isabella Flanigan, Carleigh Frilles, Katrina Guillou, Chandler McDaniel, Meryll Serrano

Reserves:
Inna Palacios, Maya Alcantara, Isabella Pasion

Quiapo Church now a national shrine

BY MANILA BULLETIN

  

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The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has approved a petition to change the status of Quiapo Church from the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Black Nazarene to the National Shrine of the Black Nazarene.

(Photo from CBCP)

According to CBCP, the recognition of the country’s 29th national shrine was announced at its 126th plenary session in Kalibo, Aklan on July 8.

The CBCP granted Quiapo Church as the "National Shrine of the Black Nazarene" status in response to the appeal of Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula's appeal.

"For many years, the home of the centuries-old and revered image of the Black Nazarene has served as a prominent landmark for pilgrims from all corners of the country," the CBCP said in a statement on Sunday, July 9.

Since the "Traslacion" of the image from Intramuros to Quiapo in 1787, Quiapo Church has been a place of devotion for Filipinos.

Cardinal Advincula elevated the church to the status of archdiocesan shrine only on May 10.

Moreover, way back in 1987, St. John Paul II elevated the church to the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene because of how important it is in creating a public worship to Jesus Christ and its cultural effect on Filipino religious practices. (Rhowen Del Rosario)

Bong Go files bill modernizing PH Coast Guard’s capabilities ​

BY HANNAH TORREGOZA 

Jul 9, 2023 10:43 AM

  

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Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has filed a bill seeking to modernize the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and strengthen its capabilities in guarding the country’s maritime resources in light of the series of maritime incidents and emergencies in the West Philippine Sea.

                                    Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go (Senate PRIB Photo)

In filing Senate Bill No. 2112, Go said it is imperative to upgrade the PCG’s vessels, aircraft and equipment to international standards, as this will significanlty improve its response time when there are maritime incidents and emergencies. 
 
"Our coast guard serves as the frontline defense against threats like smuggling and terrorism. Additionally, they provide invaluable assistance during natural disasters and emergencies,” Go said.
 
"However, our coast guard faces several challenges that hamper their effectiveness including outdated equipment, inadequate training, and insufficient funding,” he noted.
 
“Hence, I am proposing this bill to address these issues and modernize our coast guard to better protect our country and our people,” Go said.
 
Once passed into law, it would allow the PCG to undergo a comprehensive modernization program designed to eliminate accidents at sea, expedite response times during search and rescue operations, and bolster national security efforts.
 
The bill also aims to help in the enforcement of Philippine laws in the maritime zone, minimize pollution, and improve response times for recovering and mitigating spills.
 
Go said the reported aggressive moves of the Chinese Coast Guard vessels and militia last June 30, chasing two Philippine vessels during a resupply mission, highlights the importance of modernizing the PCG.
 
He noted that the PCG ships—BRP Malabrigo and BRP Malapascua—were merely providing escort to a small boat delivering supplies to the Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre. 
 
The mission encountered a significant number of Chinese Coast Guard militia vessels, described as an "armada."
 
Part of the bill, Go said seeks to provide training and capacity-building programs for the PCG to make sure that its personnel are well-prepared for any challenges that may arise.
 
Under the bill, he said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) would be the implementing agency that will have the authority to enter into multi-year contracts subject to Congress’ and the President’s approval. 
 
"Moreover, this bill will establish a system of accountability and transparency in managing the coast guard's resources and operations. It guarantees efficient and effective use of the allocated funds for the modernization of our coast guard," Go said.
 
“The modernization of our coast guard is crucial for our national security and the safety and well-being of our citizens, particularly those whose livelihood depends on our seas and waterways. We must ensure that our PCG is fully equipped and prepared to protect our waters and our people,” he pointed out.

Are Filipinos really friendly?

Andre Matthews

Retired from supervisor of water treatment.

372 followers

Are Filipinos really friendly?

I have retired and have moved to the Philippines. This is one of the main reasons i moved there. Not to mention my wonderful wife who preferred living back in the Philippines than stay in the US.

You walk down the streets, in the shops, restaurants, malls. No matter where , you are met with friendly smiles, greetings from workers. Security guards. You feel welcomed!

Its a festive like culture. Always something going on ,Birthdays, Holidays, feast..ect. despite pockets of poverty in areas, these people love life and living!!

Just focus on doing a lot of good

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

IN the gospel, there is a part where Christ drove out the demons from a possessed man but was accused by some leading Jews of driving out demons by the prince of demons, an obviously self-contradicting reasoning. (cfr. Mt 9,32-38)

On this occasion, Christ did not waste time defending himself. He proceeded instead to go around all the towns and villages, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.

This should also be our reaction when we encounter some contradictions in our efforts to do some good. We should just proceed to do a lot more of good. Let those who misunderstand us bear their own misunderstanding. Of course, if we have some time, we may do some gentle and charitable clarification or correction. But we should not lose sight of what is most important for us to do.

In the same gospel, it is said that when Christ saw the big crowd to be given attention to, he was moved with pity because he saw them like being troubled and abandoned, like a sheep without a shepherd.

That’s when he made this appeal to his disciples to “ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest,” because as he said, “the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.”

Indeed, this is always the situation in our earthly life. It’s a big and continuing challenge. There are endless people to reach out to bring Christ to them, and those who have to do that very important task will always be few and limited.

We just have to realize that everyone of us, if we are to be consistently faithful to our Christian identity, is called to carry out this task. Thus, we have to realize more deeply that all of us actually have a vocation, since all are called to share in Christ’s mission to save all men.

We should all be concerned about this matter. We need to develop a sense of vocation, for the simple reason that everyone has a vocation. We come from God and we belong to him. He always calls us to himself and offers us a way to go to him. 

The way to go to him, peculiar to each one of us given our different situations in life and God’s specific plan for us, is the vocation God gives us. We therefore should try to discover that vocation as early as possible and correspond to it as fully as possible also.

To be sure, no one comes to existence by mere accident nor by pure chance and divine caprice. God does not create us at random. Even a person who is considered unwanted by his parents or is conceived through rape is already a person planned and loved by God from all eternity. This is a fundamental truth about ourselves that we should never take for granted.

Thus, we should try to develop this sense of vocation as early as possible. And this can mean as early as when one is still a child, already beginning to be aware of what and who he or she is. This normally should start in the family, with the parents playing a major role in this affair since they are our first teachers here on earth. 

The parents should be quick in sowing the seeds of this sense of vocation by making the child aware that he or she just did not come from them but from God. And that he or she also belongs to God. This basic truth should always be reinforced all throughout the process of bringing up and educating the child.