A great reason to rejoice

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

YES, indeed, we have great reason to rejoice as we celebrate the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It’s on this day that we are somehow assured that God and man share the same life and nature! That God can become man and that a woman can be the mother of God simply prove that.

With the Virgin’s birth, we are given a preview of the greatest work on earth—the salvation of mankind—accomplished by the Son of God made man and with the full cooperation of a woman, the Blessed Virgin. Mary paved the way for the salvation of mankind by giving birth to the Redeemer who would ultimately conquer sin and death through his sacrifice.

The Virgin Mary is the “new Eve” who with her full obedience of faith to God’s will “cured” the disobedience of the original Eve. She is the best example for all of us in terms of how we have to trust in God and follow his will.

While only Christ is the mediator of salvation, Mary somehow is the closest person who cooperated in human redemption. She continues to play this role with her ever-powerful intercession, presenting our needs and prayers to God. She is regarded as our spiritual mother, guiding and protecting us and the Church.

She is truly a mother to us too, ever solicitous of our needs and most interested in our own salvation. This she does with her invincible fidelity to the will and ways of God, showing us also how to be faithful even if there are things that we do not understand or are contradictory to our liking.

She faithfully mirrors the life and mission of Christ. She is the ideal model of a true disciple of Christ. She followed Christ with thoughtfulness, reflection, obedience and faith, and now inspires us to follow Christ also with similar devotion and dedication.

We should not hesitate to go to her, asking for her intercession, whenever we are faced with challenges and trials that are difficult or even impossible to tackle and resolve. Like her, we may be subjected also to the most painful of suffering, but let’s never forget that there is glorification assured as long as we are faithful to Christ through Mary.

With Mary, we are brought closer to Christ. As one saint would put it, she is the “shortest, safest and surest way to Christ.” She is the one who knows Christ best and how to deal with him properly. She certainly helps us to understand Christ’s teachings and to live them out in our daily lives.

With her, too, precisely because of her full identification with the will of God, we would find ourselves drawn with love to everybody else. She would put our love and concern for the others in synch with Christ’s love for all of us.

It, indeed, is highly recommendable that we develop a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin. We would have nothing to lose. On the contrary, we would have everything to gain. With her we can face all kinds of conditions in life and yet manage to have faith, hope and charity burning in our hearts.

To be sure, with her we can manage to become more patient, kind and forgiving, contributing to stronger and more loving relationships with those around us. Let us be truly Marian to be truly Christian!

Nepo babies, Philippine culture and money values

 

  The term “nepo babies” has been all over social media lately. Short for “nepotism babies,” it describes children who rise to positions of power or influence largely because of their family name. The current rage against them in the country is not just because of their undue access to opportunities and luxuries but because the source of all these is blatant corruption that ransacks public coffers, hijacking the delivery of basic services to the Filipino people, majority of whom wallow in poverty, drowning in floods despite the billions of public funds regularly spent on flood control projects!

FQ (Financial Quotient) - Rose Fres Fausto - Philstar.com

September 5, 2025 | 7:00am

Unpacking the psyche of nepo babies

Imagine yourself being born into wealth and political power. Opportunities and luxuries come to you almost by default. This may breed an entitlement mindset—the assumption that everything that you’re enjoying are your birthright. You post your luxury buys and vacations and you get hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of likes and followers. And because your parents shield you from ordinary struggles and the true source of your family wealth, they may have skipped teaching you important FQ lessons such as budgeting your allowance, delaying gratification by not buying that toy right away but saving up for it yourself, and other life lessons. 

Pause for a moment to feel how it is to be in their shoes. You see your parents giving dole outs to their constituents and probably you equate that for generosity and service and you say, “I have the best daddy in the world! He gives me what I want and also helps the people.” And so, you post and post and you begin to feel happy and accomplished about something.

So, are the nepo babies blameless? Of course not! The above narrative can only give them an excuse in their early years when their pre-frontal cortex (the rational part of the brain) is not yet fully-developed. But most of them are now at least 25 years old. I consider this the age where blaming your parents expires. They also do not have any excuse to be stupid because they are sent to the best schools money can buy. They know how to add and subtract, and if they know how to research on the best restaurants, vacation and shopping places, they should know how to figure out more basic things like, “Can my parents afford all that we have given their legitimate earnings?” 

Just a note on this. It is difficult for a child to reconcile how her doting parents can be crooks. I know someone who literally vomited when she finally realized how her daddy had been funding their lifestyle.

What now?

I like to use the saying, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” when describing how parental efforts can be judged. I balance this off with “Twenty-five years old is the expiry date of blaming your parents and childhood for your life’s failures.” so parents don’t unnecessarily carry parental guilt forever. With the nepo babies now in the limelight, maybe we can also say:

“Ang nakatagong kalokohan ng magulang ay nahuhuli sa social media posts ng anak!”

And this is one of the blessings of social media. Their children are the ones providing the “resibo!” Let’s continue to talk about them, some have called for public shaming so that we put an end to normalizing their behavior. 

But this is so much more than policing nepo babies. It goes deeper into the Philippine culture and structures. It calls for the end of political dynasties, feudal relationships, padrino system that promotes the vicious cycle of poverty and mendicancy.

My general disposition in life is optimism. Easier on some days and harder on some, but I know that I’m always better off with hope than without. I want to be hopeful in our fight against corruption in our country so we can all have that Philippines we deserve. 

How about you, are you hopeful that this outcry against nepo babies will start the ball rolling in our fight against corruption? But here’s the catch: Can we really get rid of corruption now when our leader himself was a nepo baby? 

If you watch the senate proceedings questioning Discaya, DPWH, etc., you see that the ones questioning them in rough and pa-sindak manner don’t necessarily have the moral authority to do so. One was convicted with bribery in the Napoles pork barrel scam, another one was involved in the anomalous multi-billion procurement contracts with Pharmally. Argh!

But as I just said, we are better off with hope than without. So, if we want a Philippines that breaks free from the cycle of nepotism and corruption, we cannot not do anything. We can start with what we can control—our home—how we raise our children, how we steward our blessings how we demand accountability and how we vote. 

Take note, even if you are not a politician earning dirty money or a contractor in cahoots with corrupt government officials, but just an honest citizen working hard, you can still end up raising a nepo baby. How? Remember, nepo baby means a child who rises to positions of power or influence largely because of family name. So, make sure that you don’t skip raising them with high FQ, imparting in them your positive values about money, work, and life in general. There are nepo babies not just in politics but in showbiz (the sons and daughters of showbiz royalties get the first breaks) and also in business (definitely children of company owners or even top executives are considered for good positions). If you’re a parent, you would definitely want your children to enjoy that opportunity available to them because of your own hard work. But once they get one foot in the door, they should be on their own. They should work as hard, if not harder, to deserve that privilege.

Here’s my question for you. For parents, what values are you passing down to your children? For citizens without children, what values are you living out right now and passing on to the people within your circle of influence? Are they values that make not just your family but our entire nation stronger? Are they values that help us get rid of the systemic and brazen corruption in our country?

Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?

By Manila Bulletin

Published Sep 5, 2025 12:05 am

REFLECTIONS TODAY

Fasting is an important spiritual discipline observed by the Jews and shared by people of other faith or beliefs. It is done to express sorrow for sins, to implore God’s intervention during times of public calamity, and, for many in Israel, to hasten the coming of the Messiah.

On a personal level, fasting helps one to curb one’s physical and material appetite so as to sharpen one’s awareness and desire for spiritual realities. The scribes and the Pharisees practice fasting conscientiously. So do the followers of John the Baptist.

Jesus’ disciples, who drink and eat freely, scandalize these groups. Jesus replies by speaking about a wedding feast and the bridegroom. Jesus obliquely refers to himself as the bridegroom who has come to inaugurate the wedding feast. Fasting has to be set aside during the grand feast of salvation.

Jesus opens the eyes of the blind, forgives sinners, heals the sick, and proclaims the Good News to the poor. He uses the images of wine and a new piece of cloth to illustrate the newness of the wedding he has come to inaugurate. This union between God and his creatures would require a new mind and a new heart, and will not thrive in an old conventional way of thinking and doing things that resists God’s spirit. Fasting may be done only when Jesus undergoes his passion, in solidarity with him, the suffering Savior.

Gospel • Luke 5:33-39

The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.” Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”

And he also told them a parable. “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’ ”

Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2025,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

Giorgio Armani, master of Italian style and global fashion icon, dies at 91

 

Giorgio Armani (center) poses with models at the end of his women's 2019 spring-summer collection. (Photo from AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

By Associated Press

Published Sep 4, 2025 09:48 pm

Giorgio Armani, the Italian designer who turned the concept of understated elegance into a multibillion-dollar fashion empire, has died, his fashion house confirmed. He was 91.

Armani died at home, the fashion house said. Armani, one of the most recognizable names and faces in the global fashion industry, missed Milan Fashion Week in June 2025 for the first time during the previews of spring-summer 2026 menswear to recover from an undisclosed condition. He was planning a major event to celebrate 50 years of his signature Giorgio Armani fashion house during Milan Fashion Week this month.

Starting with an unlined jacket, a simple pair of pants, and an urban palette, Armani put Italian ready-to-wear style on the international fashion map in the late 1970s, creating an instantly recognizable relaxed silhouette that has propelled the fashion house for half a century.

From the executive office to the Hollywood screen, Armani dressed the rich and famous in classic tailored styles, fashioned in super-soft fabrics and muted tones. His handsome black tie outfits and glittering evening gowns often stole the show on award season red carpets.

At the time of his death, Armani had put together an empire worth over $10 billion, which along with clothing included accessories, home furnishings, perfumes, cosmetics, books, flowers, and even chocolates, ranking him in the world's top 200 billionaires, according to Forbes.

The designer also owned several bars, clubs, restaurants and his own basketball team EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, better known as Olympia Milano. Armani opened more than than 20 restaurants from Milan to Tokyo since 1998, and two hotels, one in Dubai in 2009 and another in Milan, in 2010.

Armani himself was the foundation of his style

Armani style began with Giorgio Armani himself, from the penetrating blue eyes framed in a permanent tan and early-age shock of silver hair, to the trademark jeans and t-shirt work clothes and the minimalist decoration of his private homes.

Armani's fashion vision was that of easygoing elegance where attention to detail made the difference.

"I design for real people. There is no virtue whatsoever in creating clothes and accessories that are not practical," he liked to say when asked to identify his clientele.

In conversation, the designer's disarming smile and exquisitely mild manners belied the tough businessman underneath, who was able to turn creative talent into a fashion empire worth over $10 billion. Never a merger nor a sale, Re Giorgio (King George) as the Italians call him, was always his own boss.

Born July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, a small town south of Milan, Armani dreamed of becoming a doctor before a part-time job as a window decorator in a Milan department store opened his eyes to the world of fashion.

In 1975, Armani and his partner Sergio Galeotti sold their Volkswagen for $10,000 to start up their own menswear ready-to-wear label. Womenswear followed a year later.

The symbol of his new style was the liningless sports jacket, which was launched in the late 1970s and became an instant success from Hollywood to Wall Street. The designer paired the jacket with a simple t-shirt, an item of clothing he termed "the alpha and omega of the fashion alphabet."

The Armani suit soon became a must in the closet of the well-heeled man. And for women, the introduction of the pantsuit in the executive workroom was all but revolutionary. Dubbed the "power suit" with its shoulder-padded jacket and man-tailored trousers, it became the trademark of the rising class of businesswomen in the 1980s.

Over the years Armani would soften the look with delicate detailing, luxurious fabrics, and brighter shades for his basic beige and gray palette. His insistence on pants and jackets led some critics to label his fashion "androgynous."

Armani hits Hollywood

The 1980 film classic "American Gigolo" launched both Armani and actor Richard Gere on their Hollywood careers. Dressed in Armani, Gere became America's new favorite heartthrob, and "Geeorgeeo" as they called him, the glam set's most popular designer.

The Hollywood connection earned him wardrobe film credits in over 200 films, and in 2003 a place on Rodeo Drive's "Walk of Fame."

Oscar night always sparkled, with smart suiting for the men, and glittering gowns for the ladies. The 2009 Best Actor winner Sean Penn picked up his statue in a black-on-black Armani outfit, while best actress nominee Anne Hathaway walked the red carpet in a shimmering white strapless evening gown from Armani's latest Prive couture collection.

Other longtime devotees included Jodie Foster, George Clooney, Sofia Loren, and Brad Pitt. David and Victoria Beckham were the "face" of his 2009 underwear ad campaign.

So significant was the impact of Armani style, not only on how people dressed but how they approached fashion, that in 2000 New York's Guggenheim museum presented a retrospective of Armani's first 25 years in fashion.

"I love things that age well, things that don't date and become living examples of the absolute best," Armani said of his efforts.

Armani has gone well beyond fashion

Today, the Armani empire has an army of more than 9,000 employees, with women comprising half of the executive suite, along with seven industrial hubs and over 600 stores worldwide, according to figures released in 2023. Along with clothes and accessories, the company produces perfumes, cosmetics, and home furnishings, as well as selling its own candy, flowers, and even books. The designer opened his fifth multi-brand store on New York's fashionable Fifth Avenue in February 2009.

In the realm of fashion hobbies, Armani owned several bars, restaurants, and clubs, as well as the basketball team. Recreation time was spent in getaways in Broni in the countryside near Milan, the isle of Pantelleria off Sicily and St. Tropez on the French Riviera. Each home bore the trademark of Armani design: bare walls, important pieces, few knickknacks.

Like many of his colleagues, Armani tried to give back some of the fame and fortune he amassed during the heyday of the "moda Milanese" which put Italian ready-to-wear at the center of the world's fashion map at the turn of the millennium. Personally involved in several charity organizations devoted to children and a staunch supporter of the battle against AIDS, in 2002 Armani was named a U.N. goodwill ambassador for refugees.

Galeotti died in 1985. Armani had no children but was very close to his niece Roberta, daughter of his late brother Sergio. She abandoned a budding film career to become his director of public relations, and often represented her uncle, who wasn't much of a party-goer, at social events. In later years she was a key go-between with the celebrity world.

In 2006, she orchestrated the top-billed wedding of actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in a medieval castle outside Rome, while Uncle Giorgio designed the attire for both bride and groom.

Armani had indicated that as he considered succession he was looking toward his longtime head of menswear Leo Dell'Orco and his niece Silvana Armani, who fills the same role for womenswear.

Any plans for the 2026 long weekends?

 Any plans for the 2026 long weekends?

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MPO ROCKS! When rock anthems meet the symphony

By Manila Bulletin Entertainment

Published Sep 4, 2025 12:01 pm

Following the sold-out success of their 25th anniversary concert, the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) returns to the Samsung Performing Arts Theater with “MPO ROCKS!” this Nov. 29.

This first-of-its-kind symphonic rock concert will feature the internationally acclaimed Philippine Madrigal Singers and guest artists, including powerhouse diva Bituin Escalante and Queen cover band lead singer Mig Ayesa.

Prepare to get headbangin’ to their orchestral renditions of rock classics and modern hits from Queen, Coldplay, and My Chemical Romance, to iconic OPM hits by the Eraserheads. 

Leading this year’s concert is MPO founder Maestro Rodel Colmenar. A long-time lover of classic rock hits from his time playing in his high school rock band, Maestro Rodel admits that a rock orchestra concept has been on his mind for decades.

“During my time with the orchestra, I often wondered how rock music would sound when combined with orchestral arrangements,” says Colmenar. “I want the audience to experience a different side of the symphony orchestra and see what makes the MPO stand out from other groups.”

More than just a spectacular night of music, MPO ROCKS! continues the orchestra’s advocacy, with part of the proceeds benefiting the PARC Foundation’s PARC Aralan program, which supports underprivileged scholars in honing their musical talents.

MPO Rocks! is the perfect opportunity to dust off your band tees and let loose for a night. It’s a night you wouldn’t want to miss! 

***

Ticket information

Tickets for MPO Rocks! are on sale now via Ticketworld. Ticket prices start at ₱2,500. View the full seating and price chart here. For more information and event updates, follow Manila Philharmonic Orchestra on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

About the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra

Founded in 1998, the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra has grown to become one of the leading orchestras in the Philippines. The MPO is dedicated to enriching the cultural landscape of the country by presenting a diverse repertoire of classical and contemporary music. Backed by finest talents who are passionate about sharing their gift of music with the community.

FDA scraps senior citizen purchase booklet for medicine, device discounts

By Jel Santos

Published Sep 4, 2025 06:42 pm     

(MB PHOTO)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has formally removed the purchase booklet from the list of requirements for senior citizens to avail of the mandated 20 percent discount and 12 percent value-added tax (VAT) exemption on medicines and medical devices.

In FDA Circular No. 2025-005, issued on Thursday, Sept. 4, the agency said the change is in line with the Department of Health’s (DOH) Administrative Order No. 2024-0017 entitled, “Purchase Booklets No Longer Required for the 20% Senior Citizens’ Discount on Medicines, in Compliance with Republic Act No. 9994.”

Republic Act 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, grants seniors a 20 percent discount and VAT exemption on medicines and devices.

The FDA clarified that while previous DOH orders had required the presentation of a purchase booklet for every transaction, the law itself did not mandate it.

“To streamline the requirements and remove undue regulatory burden to the availing Senior Citizens, the DOH has omitted the purchase booklet from the checklist of requirements,” the circular stated.

Under the guidelines, seniors or their representatives only need to present valid identification to avail of the discount.

Acceptable IDs include a Senior Citizens’ ID issued by the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA), a Philippine passport, or other government-issued IDs showing citizenship and proof of age such as a driver’s license, voter’s ID, SSS/GSIS ID, PRC card, or postal ID.

For prescription medicines and devices, a doctor’s prescription is still required. It must contain the senior citizen’s name, age, sex, and address; the date; generic name of the medicine; dosage form and strength; quantity; and the prescribing physician’s name, signature, address, and license number.

“All establishments shall grant a 20% Senior Citizen discount and a 12% VAT exemption on the purchase of medicines and medical devices, upon presentation of requirements reflected in Section VI of this Circular,” the FDA reminded.