Marcos skips 36th Cordillera Day due to bad weather

 

BY ARGYLL CYRUS GEDUCOS

Jul 15, 2023 09:18 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Garafil said the decision was made upon the advice of the Presidential Security Group (PSG).

• The program, however, will push through.

• The entire CAR was placed under Signal No. 1 on July 14.

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The rains brought by Tropical Depression "Dodong" prompted President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to call off his attendance at the 36th Cordillera Day celebration in Luna, Apayao, Malacañang reported.

Photo from DOST-PAGASA (Facebook)

In a statement, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the decision was made upon the advice of the Presidential Security Group (PSG).

"Due to inclement weather, the PSG has advised to cancel the President's visit to Apayao today (July 15, 2023)," Garafil said in a text message to Palace reporters.

The program, however, will push through.

The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) comprises six provinces: Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and the Mountain Province.

In a press briefing on Friday, July 14, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that all provinces under CAR were under Signal No. 1.

In an advisory early Saturday, PAGASA said the center of Tropical Depression Dodong was estimated at 260 kilometers west of Sinait, Ilocos Sur, with maximum sustained winds of 55 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 70 km/h.

Dodong was said to be moving westward at 20 km/h, while the southwest monsoon would continue to bring rains to Central and Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

PAGASA advised people living near the mountain slopes and in the low-lying areas of the rivers of the CAR to be "alert for possible flashfloods and landslides."

Big-time hike in oil prices due next week

BY MYRNA M. VELASCO

Jul 15, 2023 09:25 AM

  

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Big-time oil price hike across products await motorists next week, based on advisories by oil companies.

Based on the calculation of the industry players, the price of gasoline will rise by as much as P1.90 to P2.30 per liter; while diesel prices will also climb by P1.95 to P2.35 per liter.

For kerosene, which is an indispensable commodity for many households especially in the rural areas as well as key industries like aviation, its price will increase by P1.70 to P2.00 per liter.

Oil firms will implement the price adjustments on Tuesday, July 18, based on the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS), a price index for traded fuel commodities in the region.

The big jump in prices next week is partly traced to the fresh round of rally in the spot prices of fuel commodities on a global scale, with international benchmark Brent crude breaking above $81 per barrel as of Friday, July 14, trading.

According to global experts, the uptick in prices had been mainly traced to the production cuts of Saudi Arabia extending into August; as well as the export curtailments being enforced by Russia.

Market watchers indicated that "backwardation" appeared to have been the prevailing sentiment in the market last week, entailing that spot prices had been higher than the prices of fuel commodities traded in the futures market.

While there was reported buildup in the inventory of the United States, industry experts noted that such development had been largely unnoticed in last week’s commodities’ trading.

This early, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) already laid down forecasts that demand growth next year will likely top 2.25 million barrels per day, triggering additional pressure on global oil prices.

Compounding the geopolitical factors had been production stoppage in one of the oil fields of Libya, one of the member-producers of OPEC, and that was due to a kidnapping incident involving a former government official.

Caring for Filipino nurses

 BY SENATOR FRANCIS TOLENTINO

  

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This might be a bold claim, but there is great reason to believe that Filipino nurses are the most sought-after health care professionals in the world. In many European countries, in the United States, Middle East, Japan, Australia, and several other countries worldwide, Filipino nurses are most loved by both patients and employers not only because of their proficiency in the English language, their competencies and their work ethic, but more so for the Filipino brand of nursing service which, more often than not, extends the “extra mile” in compassionately caring for their patients, especially those already in their twilight chapters.

Recognized for their contribution to the United Kingdom’s response to the coronavirus, Filipino nurses Charito Romano and Minnie Klepacz were awarded the British Empire Medal in 2021. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II even wrote in a message to then President Rodrigo Duterte her commendation on the services of Filipino nurses in UK, saying: “They bring exceptional care and comfort to their patients. I wanted to express my sincerest gratitude for their work, especially in response to the coronavirus.” Elsewhere in the world, Filipino nurses continue to shine, giving not only the basic health care which patients need, but sharing as well a part of themselves to offer compassion, comfort and care.

There are actually 951,905 registered Filipino nurses, according to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). Out of this number, only 509,297 or 53.55 percent are in actual practice. Added to this, an estimated 19,000 Filipino nurses migrate every year to other countries which offer more substantial pay and incentive  packages as well as opportunities for permanent residency for them and their families. Who wouldn’t be lured by the chance of living better lives in better countries? The exodus of Filipino medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, continue to threaten the Philippine health care system. Unless the Department of Health can offer commensurable options, then we can only watch helplessly as our doctors and nurses flee.

I think it is utterly unfair for Filipino nurses choosing to work abroad to be labelled ungrateful or unpatriotic. If comparable opportunities can only be made available for them here, I am sure they would not decide to leave home. With costs of living rising disproportionately with work pay and incentives, we cannot blame the likes of Filipino nurses seeking broader and brighter horizons. The current shortage of nurses is at a high of about 106,000. While legislation to advance the welfare and interest of our health care professionals are well underway, their flight continues. Recognizing the valuable contribution of Filipino nurses in sustaining the Philippine health care system may not be enough. Until these professionals can clearly see a brighter ray of hope for them in their home country, they will continue to sacrifice being away from their families if that will mean better opportunities to give their loved ones better lives.

Angat Dam needs 4 to 5 typhoons to reach spilling level --- PAGASA

BY MANILA BULLETIN

Jul 14, 2023 03:45 PM

  

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The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Friday, July 14, said that the Angat Dam needed four to five typhoons to reach the spilling level. 

Angat Dam in Bulacan. (Photo credit to www.napocor.gov.ph)

"Kailangan pa rin ng at least 1350 millimeters of rainfall or apat hanggang limang bagyo na dadaan sa watershed ng Angat dam (At least 1350 mm of rainfall or four to five typhoons should pass to fill the watershed of Angat Dam),"  said PAGASA Weather Specialist Richard Orendain said. 

"So ganun po kalaki ang pangangailangan ng Angat Dam sa ngayon (That is the amount of water which Angat needs for now)," Orendain said, noting that this volume of water is needed to reach a spilling level of 210 meters. 

30-35 mm to reach the minimum operating level 

"Ang kailangan kasi natin sa Angat to reach 180 meters or yung minimum operating level or above is nasa 30 to 35 mm na lang (What we need in Angat, is to achieve 180 meters or the minimum operating level or above is 30 to 35 mm)," Orendain said. 

However, he stressed that in order to reach the safe level of the dam, Angat still needs to achieve 185 -190 meters.

Other dam updates

In its latest bulletin, PAGASA said that Angat Dam decreased by one cm (178.3 m to 178.2 m), Ipo Dam increased by 59 cm (98.56 m to 99.15 m), La Mesa Dam elevated by 10 cm (78.41 m to 78.51 m), and Binga Dam which decreased with 79 cm (568.70 m to 567.91 m).

These dam updates were gathered at 6 a.m., thus, the water from the rainfall onward is not included in the latest measurement. (Sonny Daanoy) 

Our basic identity as apostles

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

WHEN Christ chose his 12 apostles, (cfr. Mt 10,1-7) we have to realize that if we want to be true believers and followers of Christ, we too should feel called to be apostles of his. We too should feel the need to continue helping him in his work of human redemption all throughout time.

While this divine call for us to be his apostles will take time and effort to be effective in us, we on our part should try our best to realize that we are all given that call and that we have to correspond to it as early as possible.

That’s because if we are truly Christians, we should be involved in Christ’s mission here on earth. Christ’s mission and concerns should also be ours. We have to realize that Christ treats us the way he treats himself precisely because we are patterned after him.

That’s also why we have been endowed with intelligence and will which, together always with God’s grace, would enable us to know and love others the way Christ loves us. And in this regard, we know that Christ’s love goes all the way to offering his life for us. That’s how we should love one another. That’s how we as apostles of his should be willing to love everybody, including our enemies.

We have to realize that we just don’t do apostolate as if it is just one more task to be done on some parts of the day. We are first of all apostles, and our apostolic concern should be constant and abiding, even while we are asleep or doing all kinds of tasks during the day. We have to learn how to convert everything in our life as an occasion and material for doing apostolate.

To be an apostle is an integral and even essential part of our identity and dignity. Even on the basis of our being human persons, we cannot help but be apostles because we are supposed to be constantly concerned and responsible for everyone. We are all related by the mere fact that we are human beings with intelligence and will, enabled and mandated to know and love each other.

That fundamental reason is even reinforced when we consider that we are creatures of God, made in his image and likeness. The Trinitarian life of God, which is a life of total communion among the three persons and which we are supposed to reflect in our own lives, urges us to always sharpen our concern and love for one another.

Still more, if we are to consider that we believe in Christ and are followers of his, then we will realize that we ought to have the same desire Christ had, which is the salvation of all mankind. This should be the primary motive we ought to have in our relation with others. We should be most interested in their salvation and spiritual well-being. All other human and temporal motives only play a secondary and instrumental role.

Thus, our life can’t simply be a life in pursuit of personal sanctity without doing apostolate. These two go together inseparably, mutually affecting each other to put us in the right track in our life. We do apostolate as we breathe.

We need to keep that apostolic zeal burning, fueling it with prayers, sacrifices, apostolic plans and initiatives that should bank on some traditional means as well as the new things like the new technologies that can do a lot to foster our apostolic activities.