RJ shares stage with rising artists on 80th birthday

 

The Philippine Star 

May 31, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s rock n’ roll pioneer and icon, Ramon “RJ” Jacinto, is turning 80 on June 3.

The businessman-musician will mark the occasion with a special birthday show in his Bistro RJ at Dusit Thani Hotel, Makati. It features young rising stars in the music industry, who will pay tribute to classic artists.

Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé will be interpreted by 33-year-old Milo Ibrado; Elvis Presley interpreted by 29-year-old young Elvis sensation Bam Angping; Dean Martin interpreted by 18-year-old David Young; Pavarotti and Josh Groban interpreted by 17-year-old Nathan Randal; Karen Carpenter interpreted by 21-year-old Aquila Packing; and Amy Winehouse interpreted by 28-year-old popular influencer Mix Fenix.

RJ will have a duet with each one of the young performers and will do a dance set after the show.

RJ Bistro, the home of rock n’ roll, is going on its 40th year and is the longest-lasting music lounge, featuring live music catering to three generations of rock n’ roll lovers.

In his 65-year journey as a musician, record producer and broadcaster, his pioneering radio station DZRJ’s mission is to discover or give exposure to rising stars. Many became icons of our music industry such as Sampaguita, Juan dela Cruz band, Apo Hiking Society, Florante, Andrew E, Father and Sons and many other rock bands.

DZRJ was founded in his backyard in 1963 with a bunch of third-year college Ateneo de Manila classmates. It revolutionized music by being the first to feature the latest US hits giving first exposure to the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Beachboys and many others.

DZRJ also received two Presidential Awards: the first for being the voice of freedom during 1986 People’s Power Revolution and the other for Edsa 2.

RJ has also made huge contributions by establishing RJ handcrafted guitars in 1988 which is now a leading supplier of guitars for local customers as well as the only Philippine guitar maker that exported to Japan and other parts of the world.

As is its practice through the years, RJ Guitar Center with 10 branches will hold its legendary birthday sale on May 31 and June 1. All items are discounted in all the stores as well as online, Shopee, Lazada, Tiktok with increasing discounts every few hours climaxing in a 50-percent discount on every item in the store from 9 p.m. to mall closing.

For reservations to RJ’s 80th birthday special show, call 0906-2211524 or go to Facebook.com/rj bistro.

I am speechless

 

People use speechless in these cases to show how stunned or moved they were, even though they were probably still capable of speech. "I'm speechless" often really means "I'm shocked!"

If you are speechless, you are temporarily unable to speak, usually because something has shocked you. 

Is speechless positive or negative? Oftentimes, "speechless" has a negative connotation, because of its connection to anger, jealousy, etc. For example, "My mom was speechless when she heard me cuss out my grandmother." In such a sentence, "tongue-tied" wouldn't be appropriate.

Anyway,  sometimes there is no sense in crying, but we feel paralyzed. A good friend of mine told me that a couple of days ago. Words cannot describe it and words fail me, but I wouldn't be a writer, if I couldn't express the right words at the right moment.

After the long talk with my friend, I must confess that, many times, I also felt speechless and paralyzed.

Look at this: follow ups seem to become the new national character. Indifferent people in our surroundings let us feel like that every day. Indifference seems to become one of the varagies in today's new society.

We try to get an appointment, but the other side seems to be very busy - every day of the week! Of course, we don't want to encroach on other people's time. Let's try again tomorrow! How do you feel, if you observe certain employees, who should be in service of the people, instead of reading a magazine, doing private telephone calls, doing (important!) text messages and getting down-right cheeky, if we started uncounted follow ups. Then, suddenly, we have to learn that "the boss is out of town" or so... . GRABE!

Yes, I might fall out of favor with some readers with today's column, but guys, what's the difference between being busy, making a good deal of money out of something and just being indifferent or "not in the mood" to entertain people.

I can tell you frankly: Many people feel paralyzed and experience a terrible loss of power of movement or sensation while dealing with uselessness, if indifference, arrogance and ignorance determine the different situations in our daily life.

If the promise has been given to help or support someone, it shouldn't be broken by endless excuses and terrible stalling tactics. A "YES" is a "YES" and a "NO" should be a "NO" and not "MAYBE", if a promise can't be held understandable and comprehensive.

I don't like to let somebody wait for an answer or during an appointment. I try to look after it or take care of it. If I have been informed that somebody tried to contact me, but missed me, I really do everything to find him or her. What's bad about it? Sorry, I really don't like being late or "remaining silent"... .

How many good ideas and highly appreciated business deals had gone with the wind because of uncomprehending, unsympathetic and unappreciated everyday deals between fellow creatures? Can you get the hang of it?

Yes, sometimes I also feel uncomfortable while observing lost chances. Remember; we don't get anything for nothing in the whole word - sure! But first, we should learn how to keep promises, to help each other, to be honest and to be one of the leaders of national stabilization and consolidation.

relax in the Philippines

 

The priest as agent of unity

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THIS is the ideal condition for clerics to be in, when controversial issues, especially in the area of politics, are involved. Though they can have their own views and opinions, they should see to it that instead of insisting on their own views and even on their beliefs, they should listen to all parties and try, in a charitable way, to sort things out. Everyone always has a valid point to make even if at the end they can be wrong.

Let’s remember that no error or anything evil can stand on its own. It always has to stand on something true and good that may not be fully appreciated or understood. Everyone should be made to realize that no one has the monopoly of what is true and good. We should try our best not to project ourselves as having that monopoly. Otherwise, we would only cause division among ourselves.

Let’s hope that we can persuade our politicians to go slow on their views and positions regarding certain issues. They should always be open to having courteous dialogues with the different parties involved.

Only God has that monopoly since he is the author of all that is real. And if we study how he handles that monopoly, as shown to us by Christ, who is the fullness of God’s revelation to us, we would know that while he was clear about what is right and wrong, what is good and evil, he was open to all kinds of views and beliefs even as he made clarifications and corrections, sometimes quite strongly, but in the end always with mercy. 

We have to be wary of our tendency to have some kind of exclusivism or monopolistic mentality, which is part of our wounded human condition. This is due mainly to our tendency to use merely human or worldly standards, instead of the sense of unity that comes from God and is what is truly proper to us, children of God as we are.

We also tend to stereotype people, to box them in, practically straitjacketing a person as if that person cannot change for the better. We seldom give others second chances. We end up being stricter than God who always blends his strictness with mercy.

Priests should promote the culture of respectful dialogue in the world of politics. That is truly how they can humanize and Christianize politics, rather than allowing it to go to the dogs where all sorts of uncharitable and unfair means are used just to hold on to some political power.

Here a lot of prudence and discretion are needed. It’s indeed a tall order that should not be used as an excuse to completely be indifferent to the goings-on in the political world. And priests should realize that this is part of their pastoral duty toward the faithful.

It’s about time to apply the brakes on the free-fall toward utter chaos that our politics in general, here and abroad, is clearly heading for. We should avoid at all costs any temptation of bullying just to make our point.

Truth is, politics has to be humanized and Christianized through charity. It just cannot be left alone, fully at the mercy of our passions, brute force and worldly elements. It too can and should be a way to our sanctification. 

Politics ought to be pursued always in charity. It cannot be any other way, since charity is the mother of all virtues and good values. If we want justice, truth and fairness, charity has them all. If we want competence, order, discipline, etc., again charity has them. If we want objectivity, charity has it. Charity covers all our needs.

'Habagat' is back; rainy season may be declared soon — PAGASA

 

By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

Published May 30, 2025 05:59 pm

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has confirmed the return of the southwest monsoon, locally known as “habagat,” as of Friday, May 30.

The weather bureau said this development may lead to the official start of the rainy season within the next two weeks.

“Recent weather analysis over the past several days has shown the persistence of low-level southwesterly winds over the western section of Luzon and the frontal system over extreme Northern Luzon. With the weakening of the easterlies, these developments indicate the beginning of the southwest monsoon (habagat) in the Philippines—one of the precursors of the onset of the rainy season,” PAGASA said in a statement.

The start of the rainy season is declared when the southwest monsoon becomes the dominant wind pattern and at least 25 mm of rain is recorded for five consecutive days in at least seven monitoring stations in western Luzon.

The agency added that as the habagat becomes more dominant, occasional to frequent rains and thunderstorms are expected, especially over the western parts of the country.

It also noted that while the rainy season may be declared soon, periods of “monsoon breaks” or temporary pauses in rainfall activity may still occur.

Residents are urged to stay vigilant as increased rainfall and thunderstorms are expected in the coming weeks.

Why Spirituality Matters in the Digital Age

 

A modern society is defined as a social structure characterized by a market-based economy, a democratic political system, and autonomous knowledge-producing institutions that develop empirical-analytical sciences.

However one looks at this range of dates, a considerable tension between any historical description of a rupture and conceptual understandings of modernity comes immediately to the fore.

The conceptual imagery of a ‘modern society’ characterized by a market-based economy, a democratic polity, and autonomous knowledge-producing institutions developing empirical-analytical sciences sits in an uneasy relation to these historical dates.

Were one to insist that the full set of those institutions needs to exist before a society can be called modern, social modernity would be limited to a relatively small part of the globe during only a part of the twentieth century.

This tension between conceptuality and historicity was resolved by introducing an evolutionary logic in societal development.

Based on the assumption of a societally effective voluntarism of human action, realms of social life were considered to have gradually separated from one another according to social functions.

Religion, politics, the economy, and the arts all emerged as separate spheres in a series of historical breaks—known as the scientific, industrial, democratic revolutions, etc.—that follows a logic of differentiation.

Money is one of the most essential in today’s world.

Money allows us to meet our basic needs: buy food, shelter, and pay for health care.

Meeting these needs is essential, and if we don’t have enough money to do so, our individual happiness and the well-being of the community as a whole will be severely affected.

Why are values important in today’s world?

Our values inform our thoughts, words, and actions.

Every individual and every organization is involved in making hundreds of decisions every day.

The decisions we make are a reflection of our values and beliefs, and they are always directed towards a specific purpose.

Values are the fundamental beliefs that govern our lives.

They inspire how we act and speak.

They guide our decisions about everything from career to personal growth.

They embody the person we want to be, influencing how we treat others and how we interact with the world.

What is the most important thing in the world?

Health—without health, there is nothing worth it.

Physical and mental health go hand in hand; if we don’t give importance to our physical health, it will have consequences for our mental health and vice versa.

Human life is the means to get rid of the cycle of birth and death, old age and travel.

Devotion and liberation are possible in this life.

Only in the human body can a person reach God by knowing His form.

We have forgotten the purpose for which life was given.

It’s important to prioritize making space for quiet, for real connection, and for reflection—both psychological and spiritual—in order to feel more grounded in ourselves and more open to a deeper, richer experience of life beyond the screen.