Alert Level 2 in NCR possible if Covid-19 cases continue to go up, says Vergeire

DOH UNDERSECRETARY MARIA ROSARIO VERGEIRE (Manila Bulletin File Photo)

by Jel Santos, Manila Bulletin

Should the Covid-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) continue to rise, the quarantine level may be raised to the more restrictive Alert Level 2.

This was according to Department of Health (DOH) spokesperson Usec. Maria Rosario S. Vergeire during a radio interview on Monday, June 13.

The NCR is currently under Alert Level 1.

“The possibility would always be there kapag nagtuloy-tuloy po ang mga kaso pero ang kailangan pong maintindihan ng ating mga kababayan ay (when the cases continue to rise but what we need to understand is) we are learning to live with the virus,” she said when asked if it is possible to place the NCR under Alert Level 2

Based on the DOH’s Covid-19 trend monitoring in the NCR, the health department observed a positive two-week growth rate from 14 out of 17 cities and municipality last week.

Vergeire said currently 13 out of the 17 NCR areas have been observed with uptick in Covid-19 cases.

The DOH spokesperson said the slight rise in cases could be attributed to the public’s mobility, the entry of more transmissible Covid-19 sub-variants (BA.4, BA.5, BA 2.12.1), and the waning immunity due to low booster update.

“All of these factors contribute dito sa ating nakikita nating (in what we see as) slight increases in the areas in the country, pero hindi pa natin masabi kung mag-tutuloy-tuloy (but we don’t know if this would continue),” she said.

Vergeire said the increases in Covid-19 cases are still insignificant as they don’t affect hospital admissions.

“Kapag tiningnan po natin ang kanilang average attack rate at mga kaso na tinatala bawat area (When we look at their average attack rate and cases logged in each area), nakikita naman ho natin na (we see that) it is still not significant because it is not affecting the admissions in the hospitals,” she stressed.

Although the rise in Covid-19 cases in the metropolis is still insignificant, Vergeire reminded the public to always observe minimum health and safety protocols, and “always be aware and precautious.”

Drastic steps pushed vs food, energy crunch

By Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino

 and Eireene Jairee Gomez

President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said over the weekend that boosting the agriculture sector would ensure food security in the country.File Photo

President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said over the weekend that boosting the agriculture sector would ensure food security in the country.File Photo

THERE is an urgent need for the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to consider drastic measures that would ease the adverse effects of a looming food and energy crises in the country brought about by global environmental and health woes and the war in Ukraine.

Albay Second District Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente "Joey" Salceda said that fighting inflation and keeping food affordable should be the immediate economic priorities of the incoming administration.

"It's the most pro-poor policy the new president can take on his first few days in office," Salceda said.

The lawmaker, who has been reelected, said "I am also recommending a package of bills..."

"Apart from funding provisions and provisions allowing the President to redirect some unused appropriations and resources, I am also proposing that we enact a package of anti-inflationary measures, such as anti-price gouging in the food and fuel sectors, price unbundling for fuel, some key tariff removals for imported farm inputs such as fertilizers and equipment, and boosting the production of domestic energy sources such as coal, until we can overcome this global price problem," Salceda said.

   

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Tuesday that headline inflation in the country increased further to 5.4 percent in May 2022 from 4.9 percent in April 2022.

Marcos said over the weekend that boosting the agriculture sector would ensure food security in the country.

Energy Undersecretary Benito Ranque said one of the viable solutions which should go hand in hand with other energy measures is the use of modular nuclear reactors for deployment to island provinces suffering weeks of darkness and economic standstill in the aftermath of strong weather disturbances.

Why Russia's war on Ukraine poses a risk to global food security

Taking cue from the use of modular or mobile nuclear power reactors in the United States and China, Ranque said that he is inclined to believe that it is perfectly safe to adopt such — but with caution and strict supervision of whoever the Philippine government secures a contract with to provide what he deemed as extremely necessary "if only to ease the impact of an energy shortage in 2023, as predicted by no less than former Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla."

When asked as to what could have triggered an imminent energy crisis, Ranque admitted that the government has failed to facilitate the establishment of sufficient power plants in anticipation of the rapidly growing number of electricity users.

"Let's be candid about this one. The government wasn't able to push for building sufficient power generating facilities for the last 20 years. During these years, the population rapidly increased, which means more people are using the same buffer supply we had back in 2002."

Citing the compact size of the modular nuclear reactors, Ranque said that these facilities could easily be transported anywhere — with high emphasis to places frequently suffering from power outages in view of extreme weather disturbances.

Expert sees no need to cut fuel taxes

Moreover, Ranque said that each modular nuclear reactor has the capacity to produce more than enough electricity to light up an entire island like Cebu, Bohol, Negros, Samar, Leyte and other island provinces, which had suffered months living without electricity because the typhoons destroyed power grids in those areas.

Sought for safety assurance, Ranque said he would prefer to forge a contract which would include two essential provisions ─ one is for the supplier of the modular nuclear reactors to administer its use and number two, for the same supplier to find a place outside the country where they would dump or process nuclear wastes.

"They have the technology in disposing or handling the nuclear waste so it is best for us to include that provision in the contract," he noted.

UN: Food crises loom

Ranque, however, stressed that while the government is dealing with the immediate energy concerns, it is still most advisable to empower small electricity cooperatives in the countryside by helping them acquire its own renewable power plants while simultaneously working on the "underground cabling," prioritizing typhoon prone areas to allow uninterrupted power supply by the distribution utilities such as electric cooperatives.

The United Nations on Tuesday warned about multiple, looming food crises on the planet, driven by climate "shocks" like drought and worsened by the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine that have sent fuel and food prices soaring.

Is it safe to eat raw garlic every day?

 

Lucia Garcia

My name is Lucia Garcia, 36 years old. I was graduated from the Pritzker School of Medicine at University of Chicago, my major is clinical medicine. I have been working at Hospitals. I am fully committed to helping people take control of their health and realize their potential as human beings. As a doctor, my motto is “Knowledge not shared is wasted”.

People in many countries have the habit of eating raw garlic.

Germans like to eat raw garlic. According to statistics, Germans eat 8,000 tons of garlic every year.

According to the World Health Organization report, the average life expectancy in Germany is as high as 81 years, which is among the best in the world.

Many experts believe that the longevity of Germans is closely related to their eating garlic.

In Germany, garlic is known as a natural anti-cancer drug, a powerful antibiotic, and the king of longevity. Germans believe that eating more garlic can lead to health and longevity.

Many studies have shown that garlic has a strong antioxidant effect, can effectively remove harmful free radicals and delay the body's aging process.

BBM eyes economic stimulus measure

PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. File Photo

By Catherine S. Valente, Manila Times

PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is looking at the national budget for 2023 to fund an economic stimulus measure that will help those severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking to reporters at his headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Monday, Marcos admitted that most of the 2022 budget has been disbursed "but not all of it has been spent, so we still have some breathing room."

He added that only a little was left of this year's budget "that's why we will have to look to the new budget, the budget for 2023, which is presently being written."

Marcos said his administration intends to allocate funds for investment-led expenditures that will bring profits to the government.

He did not elaborate, but investment expenditures are those that stimulate the economy such as infrastructure.

"We have to look at that to find sufficient funds for the things we want to do. Basically, move some public expenditure away from non-investment expenditures to more investment expenditures, again to revitalize, to retool the economy," Marcos said.

He, however, was not keen on a proposal to sell some government assets in order to generate more funds to pay for the country's growing debts.

"I'm always very wary of selling government assets. As a matter of principle, I'd rather not," Marcos said.

House leaders led by Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez are looking to pass a stimulus package dubbed "Bangon Bayan Muli" Bill under the 19th Congress, which will convene after June 30.

Romualdez, Marcos' cousin, said the measure will allow the president-elect to use resources available during the final months of 2022 to address the country's pandemic response and use leftover funds to stimulate the economy.

Albay First District Rep. Edcel Lagman, however, said the next administration may not have enough funds for another stimulus package as the government has already disbursed 90 percent of the P5-trillion national budget for this year.

"Unless the new administration can find or create fresh funds, the stimulus package monikered as 'Bayan Bangon Muli' will be mere sloganeering and simply a change in nomenclature from the original Bayanihan," Lagman said, referring to the two stimulus packages approved by President Rodrigo Duterte during the pandemic.

Two Bayanihan laws have been passed to supplement funds for the recovery and response of the government against the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the same time, Marcos said that the Philippines needs to have higher power supply to accelerate the industrialization of crucial sectors affected by the pandemic.

He discussed with South Korean Ambassador to Manila Kim Inchul the revival of the mothballed nuclear power plant built during his late father's administration.

Marcos said the South Korean envoy offered his country's help in reviving the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) in Morong, Bataan.

"Napag-usapan namin ng South Korean ambassador 'yung offer nila at 'yung nakapunta na dito na expert ng nuclear power para tingnan ang Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, para makita kung ano pa ang puwede pang gawin, kung puwede pang ituloy o kailangan na ba magtayo ng bago (We discussed with the South Korean ambassador their offer, and their nuclear power expert already visited the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, to see what else could be done, whether or not it could be revived or if a new one should be built)," the former senator told reporters.

"Binuhay namin muli ang diskusyon na 'yun (We revived that discussion). Although they have come before, we will now study their recommendation, their findings and we will see if we can still apply," he added.

Marcos noted that a power facility needs to have "at least three years of lead time" before it can be fully utilized.

"Kahit na hindi aabutan ng administrasyon ko (Even if it will not happen during my administration), we still have to start somewhere," he said.

"Isa sa pinakamalaking problema (One of the biggest problems) is the supply of power. If we are going to industrialize post-pandemic... then the power sector must be ready for that," he added.

The BNPP was the only nuclear power plant in the region during the 1980s as the Philippines was one of the first Southeast Asian countries to embark on a nuclear energy program.

However, the project was mothballed because of corruption allegations and safety concerns.

A study conducted by Russia State Atomic Energy Corp. in 2017 said the rehabilitation of BNPP will require from $3 billion to $4 billion.

The reason for our hope

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

AS we approach the end of the Easter season when we celebrate the truth of our faith that Christ is alive and has gained victory over sin and death, we are reminded of the presence and crucial role of the Holy Spirit who continues Christ’s presence and redemptive work in us till the end of time.

“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,” Christ said, “he will testify to me.” (Jn 15,26) With these words, Christ was reassuring his apostles, and us, that he would continue to be with us, despite his death, resurrection and ascension into heaven.

Later on, he warned his apostles, and us, that we should not worry even as we continue to have troubles and suffering in this world, since as long as we are with him, everything would be taken care of. 

“I have told you this so that you may not fall away,” he said. “They will expel you from the synagogues. In fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God.” (Jn 16,1-2)

Given the fact that our condition on earth is that of a pilgrim, we should be strong in this virtue of hope that would enable us to be always on the move toward our ultimate, spiritual and supernatural goal without unnecessarily getting entangled with our human and temporal affairs, let alone, our unavoidable troubles here on earth.

Hope is first of all not just a virtue that we produce, cultivate or keep ourselves. It is first of all a gift from God, given to us in abundance. It is the gift of Christ himself who, by the Holy Spirit, is made present in us through his words, his sacraments, his Church. All we have to do is to correspond to this wonderful reality as vigorously as possible.

That is why we need to be most mindful of the truths of our faith, giving time to meditate on them and to make them sink in our very consciousness. We have to be wary of our tendency to be carried away by our earthly concerns, no matter how legitimate they are. For again, as the gospel would say, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mk 8,36)

It’s important that just like in that management style called MBO (Management by objective), we have to have a clear vision of our ultimate goal and make it the strongest desire of our life, so that we avoid getting entangled unnecessarily with the ups and downs and the drama of life.

This, of course, will require some significant effort, because nowadays people are getting too hooked in their earthly, temporal affairs. Hope gives one the conviction that God has the last word, goodness has the last say. It reassures everyone that it is all worthwhile to suffer a little or a lot in life as long as one does not lose sight of his eternal goal.

Hope gives one a deep sense of peace and joy, and an abiding sense of confidence, regardless of how things play out in one’s life, since life always has more to offer than what we can expect or handle.

When we seem to be overwhelmed by trials, challenges, tasks, pressures that can come anytime, I believe the attitude to have and the reaction to make is to be calm, pray hard, and while we do all we can, we have to learn to live a certain sense of abandonment in the hands of God.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

DOT's Puyat expects more visitors as virus restrictions ease

by Waylon Galvez, Manila Bulletin

With the implementation of more relaxed health protocols to combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat is optimistic that more travelers will be encouraged to visit different tourist destinations in the country in the coming months.

Boracay, arguably the crown jewel of Philippine tourism. (Laimonas Keseriauskis/ Unsplash)

According to Puyat, the Philippines is the first country in Asia to accept fully vaccinated foreign travelers and under the guidelines, the country is no longer implementing quarantine procedures.

“We are proud to say that our entry requirements are delivered in a simple format, without the need for facility-based quarantine primarily for fully vaccinated visitors. Tourists are allowed to travel to all reopened tourist destinations in the country as long as they comply with the requirements from the local government units with jurisdiction over these areas,” Puyat said Thursday, March 3.

Under the guidelines of the Inter Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), the government has approved the entry of foreign nationals and returning Filipinos who wish to visit tourist destinations since Feb. 10.

The travelers, however, must be fully vaccinated from visa-free countries. Puyat said that tourist arrivals since then have been gradually picking up and the DOT looks forward to an uptick during the summer season starting this Holy Week break in April.

As of February 28, the number of international tourist arrivals has reached 47,715, of which 26,306 were foreign visitors and 21,409 were balikbayans or returning Filipinos from abroad.

Those travelers with full vaccines from visa-free countries listed under Executive Order 408 are no longer required to undergo quarantine as long as they are able to present a negative RT-PCR result.

In late February this year, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) called for the lifting of travel bans, stating that they do not provide added value and continue to contribute to economic and social stress.

The tourism department has been proactive in making proposals to the IATF that would balance the recovery of the sector and the restoration of jobs in the tourism sector without compromising the health and safety of the workers and visitors.

Along with the goal toward sustained recovery, Puyat has high hopes to yield stronger programs and partnerships with other tourism ministers and global leaders as the Philippines will host the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) global tourism summit in April.

“We only want what is best for the sector. This hosting of the WTTC Summit will benefit the country by showcasing what the Philippines can offer to the world,” said Puyat.

“More than the recognitions we received over the past years, our goal is to restore jobs and revenue streams for our tourism workers and stakeholders,” she added.

Our basic need for prayer

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

MORE than our need for food, water and air, we all need to pray. Prayer is the most basic necessity we have, since that is what unites us with God our Creator and Father in whose life we are supposed to share knowingly and lovingly. And the simple reason is that we have been created in God’s image and likeness. 

It may sound too much to express it in words, but how God is, is also how we ought to be. And that very image of God is given to us in Christ who is precisely God who became man to offer us “the way, the truth and the life.” When we pray, we start assuming the identity of Christ. Not only that. We start to share his power and everything in him.

This truth of our Christian faith is somehow illustrated in that gospel episode (cfr. Mk 9,14-29) where the apostles asked Christ why they could not cure the boy who was possessed with a mute spirit. The response of Christ was: “This kind can only come out through prayer.” (Mk 9,29)

We have to realize that prayer should always have priority over all other activities we have during the day. Better said, we have to learn how to convert everything into prayer so that we can say that our whole life is a prayer itself, as it should be.

And that is always possible because all we have to do is to fulfill our duties and responsibilities out of love for God and neighbor, doing them in the best way we can, for such is the way of love. And the duties and responsibilities we have are the usual tasks we do everyday.

It’s when we pray that we manage to relate who we are, what we have, what we do, etc. to our ultimate end which, to be sure, is not something only natural but is also supernatural. Nothing therefore can rival the importance of prayer. In other words, prayer is irreplaceable, unsubstitutable, indispensable. It’s never optional, though it has to be done freely if we want our prayer to be real prayer.

Of course, we also have to understand that prayer can lend itself to many different ways. There’s vocal prayer, mental prayer, contemplative prayer, liturgical prayer, ejaculatory prayer, etc. It can adapt itself to different situations and conditions. 

The absolutely important thing that makes prayer real prayer is when we manage to give all our mind and heart to God in whatever thing we do or in whatever situation we may find ourselves in.

We have to be reminded that the quality of our prayer determines in the end the quality of our life. How our prayer is will somehow shape how our life will be. And that’s simply because our prayer is the basic way of connecting with God who is the source and keeper of our life, and in fact, in whose image and likeness we have been created, and whose life we are supposed to participate.

We have to train ourselves in this area. It’s actually easy to do because being a spiritual operation, prayer can always transcend whatever limitation we can have in time and space. It can even transcend whatever conditions we are subject to—physical, emotional, psychological, temperamental as well as social, political, economic, etc. It can be done anytime, anywhere. If we would just have the mind to do it, it can actually always be done.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

DOH sees community transmission of Omicron in Metro Manila

By: Xave Gregorio - Philstar.com

Passengers present their vaccination cards to personnel upon entry at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in Tambo, Parañaque City on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. The Department of Transportation has started implementingn a "no vaccination, no ride" policy on public transportation throughout Metro Manila.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health said Saturday that there is community transmission of the highly infectious Omicron variant in Metro Manila, the epicenter of the latest surge in infections in the country that is reaching unprecedented highs.

“We are seeing community transmission of the Omicron variant here in the National Capital Region,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in Filipino over state-run People’s Television.

DOH: Philippines now at 'critical risk' for COVID-19.

Community transmission means that an infectious disease has spread extensively in a group of people, so much so that the source of the infection can no longer be traced.

“While our whole genome sequencing is lagging behind, we have already determined that there are local cases,” Vergeire said, adding that current COVID-19 trends in the country are “characteristic” of an Omicron-driven wave.

The Philippines has so far detected 43 cases of the Omicron variant, which is believed to be driving the steep increase in COVID-19 infections. Meanwhile, there are 8,497 cases of the Delta variant in the country.

While whole genome sequencing has been slow, the Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has declared that Omicron is now the dominant variant in the country, outpacing the Delta variant that previously drove a surge in cases beginning in August 2020.

From January 6 to 12, Metro Manila logged 83,649 cases — the highest ever in a week — according to preliminary data from the Department of Health.

The new wave of infections, suspected to be driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant, started out in Metro Manila and is now beginning to spread outside of the capital region, prompting the government’s pandemic task force to tighten coronavirus curbs in most of the country.

But Vergeire said that the DOH is still not seeing the peak of coronavirus cases, even after new infections hit an all-time high on Friday, when health authorities reported 37,207 new cases.

“We are still yet to see the peak which may happen at the end of the month or even later in the second week of February,” she said, adding that active cases may even double by next month.

Let’s be like St. John, the Apostle

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

ON the Feast of St. John, the Apostle and Evangelist, on December 27, let’s try to capture his youthful love for Christ that would truly help us in our spiritual life. Like him, we should be both most eager to look for Christ and yet restrained to observe what we may also consider as some legitimate earthly protocols.

Yes, let’s be forceful and eager in our love for God and yet know how to be discreet and natural about it, given our human and earthly conditions.

This was shown in that gospel episode where the apostles were told about the empty tomb of Christ, and Peter and John immediately proceeded to check on it, but it was John who arrived at the tomb first. And yet he waited for Peter, the head of the apostles, to arrive before entering into the tomb. (cfr. Jn 20,1-8)

Here we can clearly see how the youthful John is showing the vigor of his love and fidelity to Christ. It was also this kind of love and fidelity that enabled him to be the first one to recognize Christ in that episode where the risen Christ appeared in the shore where the apostles were fishing. (cfr. Jn 21,7)

When the risen Christ at the shore first asked the apostles whether they had caught some fish, they did not at first recognize him. It was John who, by his youthful love for Christ, immediately recognize him. “It is the Lord,” he said.

We have to see to it that our love for Christ is authentic and not just something that we profess but not supported by our deeds. If there is true love, there is some kind of forcefulness and eagerness to do things, even at great cost, that would be unavoidable.

It’s true that where there is love, there is also some kind of forcefulness, an abiding state of being driven despite the variations of our bodily and other earthly conditions. Where there is love, we can only echo what Christ himself said: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Lk 12,49)

Where there is love, we would be clear about what the real and ultimate purpose of our life is, we would have a good sense of direction even if we are presented with many alternative options, we would not mind the many difficulties and challenges we can encounter as we go along. In fact, we would find great meaning in them.

This is the ideal condition for all of us. Even if we are endowed only with the most phlegmatic and melancholic temperaments, something must be burning inside our heart that cannot help but burst into a flame, a flame of love, of self-giving, of serving without expecting any return, without counting the cost. If it is not yet there, then let’s enkindle it.

For this Christian instinct to develop in us, we have to learn how to look for Him in everything that we do and handle so we can find him. And finding him, we can be drawn to serve him.  This, I believe, is what loving Christ actually entails.

This should be like a healthy obsession that we have to cultivate. This obviously goes beyond our natural powers. The grace of God is needed, but we should also do our part. Let’s ask the intercession of St. John the Apostle for this intention!

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Scandals and the duty to give good example

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          IN the gospel, Christ told us clearly that scandals cannot

be avoided in this world. “Things that cause sin will inevitably

occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur,” he said. “It would

be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be

thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to

sin.” (Lk 17,1-2)

          We need to be prepared to properly handle this unavoidable

condition in our life. We should try our best not to scandalize

others. Instead, we should do all we can to give good example and

edify others. And since we cannot avoid scandals, we should learn how

to toughen ourselves so as not to be scandalized by them. Instead, we

should see how we can correct and help those who cause scandals.

          We have to be most careful about the danger of scandal, both

in its active and passive aspects, since this danger is now rampant.

In fact, we can say that the danger has become part of the world

culture, promoted not only by individuals, but also by big and

powerful institutions like the media, and in the fields of politics,

business, entertainment, sports, etc.

          For this, we truly need to have the very love that God has

for all of us. It’s a love that is not scandalized by anything. It, of

course, continues to maintain that what is wrong is wrong, what is

sinful and evil is sinful and evil. It does not compromise the truth

of things.

          But that fact should not take away one’s love for the person

who happens to be wrong not only in some matters of opinion but also

in some very serious matters, like matters of faith, hope and charity.

          It’s a love that clearly shows one is with God and is

following the new commandment Christ gave us—that we love one another

as he himself has loved us. (cfr. Jn 13,34) It’s a love that was

clearly described by St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians:

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures

all things.” (13,7)

          To avoid scandalizing others, we should focus more on giving

good example. That way, we would be most sensitive to our duty not to

scandalize others. We would be aware that we are following Christ’s

command and will, and not just pursuing our own agenda in life.

          Let us hope that we can echo sincerely in our heart what St.

Paul once said: “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.” (1 Cor 11,1)

This should be the motive and the attitude we have in desiring to give

good example to others. It is to imitate Christ, to have his mind, to

identify ourselves with his will and ways.

          Everyday, we have to come out with a concrete plan to

fulfill this duty of giving good example to others. It may just be as

little as smiling, or reacting calmly when some disappointment comes

our way, or saying something nice about somebody whose faults and

mistakes are obvious, or showing compassion to those in difficulty and

offering mercy to those who may have done us wrong, etc.

          Part of our sense of accountability at the end of the day

should be to present to God in our examination of conscience the

concrete things we have done to give good example to others.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

A GERMAN EXPAT IN THE PHILIPPINES: The Music of my Life III

A GERMAN EXPAT IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Music of my Life III

Filipino music in general was introduced to me by my wife Rossana. What does music really mean to Filipinos? It simply tells them where they've been and where they could go. It tells a story that everyone can appreciate and relate to, which is why it's a big part of every Filipino culture.

During the 1980s, Rossana was the lead dancer of the Manisan Cultural Dance Troupe. I got to know about  gong music which can be divided into two types: the flat gong commonly known as gangsà and played by the groups in the Cordillera region and the bossed gongs played among the Islam and animist groups in the southern Philippines. The kulintang ensemble is the most advanced form of ensemble music with origins in the pre-colonial epoch of Philippine history and is a living tradition in southern parts of the country.

Very quickly, it pleased me another popular medium for light classical muse -  the rondalla. Its repertoire consists mainly of native folk tunes, ballroom music as well as arrangements of classical pieces such as opera overtures. Bayani de Leon and Jerry Dadap have written more serious music for the rondalla.  Rondalla is a traditional string orchestra comprising two-string, mandolin-type instruments such as the banduria and laud; a guitar; a double bass; and often a drum for percussion. The rondalla has its origins in the Iberian rondalla tradition and is used to accompany several Hispanic-influenced song forms and dances.

Tinikling and  Cariñosa inspired me more and more. The Tinikling is a dance from Leyte which involves two individual performers hitting bamboo poles, using them to beat, tap, and slide on the ground, in coordination with one or more dancers who step over and in between poles. It is one of the more iconic Philippine dances and is similar to other Southeast Asian bamboo dances. The Cariñosa (meaning "loving" or "affectionate one") is the national dance and is part of the María Clara suite of Philippine folk dances. It is notable for the use of a fan and handkerchief in amplifying romantic gestures expressed by the couple performing the traditional courtship dance. The dance is similar to the Mexican Jarabe Tapatío, and is related to the Kuracha, Amenudo, and Kuradang dances in the Visayas and Mindanao Area.

In the first few years of my life as an expat in the Philippines, it looked like I had forgotten about my classical music from Europe. I focused more and more on Himig ng Pilipinas - the  musical performance arts in the Philippines or by Filipinos composed in various genres and styles. The compositions are often a mixture of different Asian, Spanish, Latin American, American, and indigenous influences.

Notable folk song composers include the National Artist for Music Lucio San Pedro, who composed the famous "Sa Ugoy ng Duyan" that recalls the loving touch of a mother to her child. Another composer, the National Artist for Music Antonino Buenaventura, is notable for notating folk songs and dances. Buenaventura composed the music for "Pandanggo sa Ilaw".

The leading figures of the first generation of Philippine composers were Nicanor Abelardo, Francisco Santiago, Aontonio Molina, and Juan Hernandez. 

But one composer and his works fascinated me the most:  Francisco Buencamino. He belonged to a family of musicians. He was born in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan, on November 5, 1883.  In 1930, he founded the Academy of Music of Buencamino. His musical styles were Kundimans and Sarzuela.

Francisco first learnt music from his father. At age 12, he could play the organ. At 14, he was sent to study at the Liceo de Manila. There, he took up courses in composition and harmony under Marcelo Adonay. He also took up piano-forte courses under a Spanish music teacher. He did not finish his education as he became interested in the sarswela.  Some of the sarswelas he wrote are: "Marcela" (1904), "Si Tio Celo" (1904) and "Yayang " (1905). In 1908, the popularity of the sarswela started to wane because of American repression and the entry of silent movies. Francisco Buencamino then turned to composing kundimans.  

For a time, Francisco Buencamino frequently acted on stage. He also collaborated on the plays written and produced by Aurelio Tolentino. One of his earliest compositions is "En el bello Oriente" (1909), which uses Jose Rizal's lyrics. "Ang Una Kong Pag-ibig", a popular kundiman, was inspired by his wife.  In 1938, he composed an epic poem which won a prize from the Far Eastern University during one of the annual carnivals. His "Mayon Concerto" is considered his magnum opus. Begun in 1943 and finished in 1948, "Mayon Concerto" had its full rendition in February 1950 at the graduation recital of Rosario Buencamino at the Holy Ghost College. "Ang Larawan" (1943), also one of his most acclaimed works, is a composition based on a Balitaw tune. The orchestral piece, "Pizzicato Caprice" (1948) is a version of this composition. Many of his other compositions were lost during the Japanese Occupation, when he had to evacuate his family to Novaliches, Rizal.  

I would say that the "Pizzicato Caprice" is my favorite. I was so lucky to experience it during an awesome performance with the Manila Symphony Orchestra. 

 In my opinion: outstanding groups include not only the Manila Symphony Orchestra, but also the Filipino Youth Symphony Orchestra, the U.P. Symphony Orchestra, the Manila Concert Orchestra, the  Quezon City Philharmonic Orchestra, the Artists’ Guild of the Philippines, the Philippine Choral Society, the U.P. Madrigal Singers, the U.P. Concert Chorus among others.

These are extraordinary treasures of Filipino culture which one hears and experiences far too little about these days.

(To be continued)

[Nicanor Abelador]

[Francisco Santiago]

[Juan Hernandez]

Typical Filipino (XVI) - Typisch Philippinisch (XVI): "Pakikisama" - "Paghiusa" - Die Kunst des Zusammenlebens

 

Pakikisama (or in Bisaya Paghiusa) is a typical trait of a Filipino, in its simplest sense meaning “getting along with others”. Pakikisama entails a genuine intrinsic appreciation of togetherness, which in general means  camaraderie or what sociologists call the need for people in the Philippines to maintain smooth interpersonal relations. The prevalence of pakikisama is one of the reasons that the Philippines is seen as such a friendly country.

Der philippinische Audruck beschreibt glatte zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen. Grob übersetzt bedeutet dies die Fähigkeit, miteinander auszukommen und das Gefühl von Kameradschaft und Zusammengehörigkeit zu entwickeln. Diese erstrebenswerte Fähigkeit erlernen die Filipinos schon von klein auf. Ich habe dies in mehr als 22 Jahren meines Permanentaufenthalts mit einem großen Teil der Familie meiner deutsch-philippinischen Frau auf demselben Grundstück lernen, lieben und schätzen gelernt.

The Filipino term describes smooth interpersonal relationships. Roughly translated, this means the ability to get along with one another and develop a felling of camaraderie and togetherness. Filipinos learn this desirable skill from an early age. I have learned to love and appreciate this in more than 22 years of my permanent stay with a large part of the family of my Filipino-German wife on the same property.

(To be continued: "Utang na loob" - Der Schuldenzyklus. Don't miss it out!)

How to learn a language in an hour a day ...

 

Being bilingual has vast benefits – but getting there needn’t be a lifelong slog. One hour per day? I am not sure, if this is enough.

Learning a new language is an inherently scary idea. Thousands of unfamiliar words, an entirely different grammatical structure and the high potential for embarrassment are enough to intimidate many of us. With a busy work life, finding the time to commit to a new language can be a challenge in itself.

But experts agree that it’s more than possible to make meaningful progress in just one hour a day. Not only that, the skills gained from practicing a new language can feel like superpowers in the workplace and beyond.

Research shows there is a direct correlation between bilingualism and intelligence, memory skills and higher academic achievement. As the brain more efficiently processes information, it is even able to stave off age-related cognitive decline.

Depending on your native tongue and which new language you’re learning, you can develop a diverse toolkit of both short-term and lifelong cognitive benefits. Of course, the further apart the language the tougher the challenge (think Dutch and Vietnamese), but focusing on a specific application can drastically narrow the practice time.

Whether it’s for a new job, for literary competence or for making casual conversation, you can sharpen language skills no matter your age or previous exposure.

The most difficult languages

The US Foreign Service Institute (FSI) divides languages into four tiers of difficulty for native English speakers to learn. Group 1, the easiest of the bunch, includes languages like Danish, French, Italian, Romanian, Spanish and Swedish. According to FSI research, it takes around 600 to 750 hours of practice to reach basic fluency in all Group 1 languages.

The US Foreign Service Institute divides languages into four tiers of difficulty. The easiest take around 480 hours of practice to reach basic fluency

The difficulty begins to spike as we move down the list. It takes 900 hours to achieve the same level of fluency in Group 2 languages, which include German, Malay, Swahili, Haitian Creole and Indonesian. More difficult are many languages like Bengali, Czech, Hebrew, Polish and Tagalog, which places them in in Group 3. Group 4 is comprised of some of the most challenging languages for English speakers to grasp: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Despite the daunting time frame, experts say it’s worth learning a second language for the cognitive benefits alone. Doing so naturally develops our executive functions, “the high-level ability to flexibly manipulate and utilize information, and hold information in the mind and suppress irrelevant information,” says Julie Fiez, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s department of neuroscience. “It’s called executive functions because it’s thought of as skills of a CEO: managing a bunch of people, juggling a lot of information, multitasking, prioritizing.”

Bilingual brains rely on executive functions – things like inhibitory control, working memory and cognitive flexibility – to maintain balance between two languages, according to a study from Northwestern University. Because both language systems are always active and competing, the brain’s control mechanisms are constantly strengthened.

At an hour a day's practice, a native English speaker could learn a Group 1 language in two years.

Lisa Meneghetti, a data analyst from Treviso, Italy, is a hyper polyglot, meaning she is fluent in six or more languages - in her case English, French, Swedish, Spanish, Russian and Italian. When embarking on a new language, especially one with a lower difficulty curve that requires less cognitive stamina, she says the biggest challenge is to avoid mixing words.

“It’s normal for the brain to switch and use shortcuts,” she says. “This happens more often and more easily with languages that belong to the same family…  because the similarities are great but so are the false friends!”

While it might seem counter-intuitive, combating this mental hurdle is as simple as pursuing a language with fewer similarities to the one you already know, according to Beverly Baker, a professor of language and bilingualism at the University of Ottawa.

“If you choose two that had different writing systems and very different areas - Japanese and Spanish - at the same time, you wouldn’t have that annoyance of mixing up the words,” she says.

Learning the basics of any language is a quick task. Programs like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone can guide you through a few greetings and simple phrases at lightning speed. For a more personal experience, polyglot Timothy Doner recommends reading and watching material that you already have an interest in.

“If you like cooking, buy a cookbook in a foreign language; if you like soccer, try watching a foreign game,” he says. “Even if you’re only picking up a handful of words per day - and the vast majority continue to sound like gibberish - they will be easier to recall later on.”

Learning a new language becomes much easier if you combine it with something else you enjoy – for instance, watching a football game with foreign commentary. Before you go too far, however, it’s important to consider exactly how you plan to use the language in the future.

“A busy professional might see Mandarin as important to learn because they have business contacts, or it could be a language your family spoke and you lost, or you’re in love with someone who spoke that language. Maybe you’re just interested in saying a few things to your in-laws,” Baker says. “It’s your personal motivations - the level you actually want to realistically live in the language.”

Once your intentions for the new language are defined, you can begin planning out a productive hourly schedule for daily practice

Once your intentions for the new language are defined, you can begin planning out a productive hourly schedule for daily practice that includes multiple learning methods.

Advice on how to best spend this time varies depending on which polyglot or linguistics expert you’re speaking to. But there’s one tip they all seem to stand behind: devote at least half of your hour to stepping away from the books and videos to practice with a native speaker face to face. “To go over questions and do activities, to talk together in the language, and to discuss the culture,” Baker says. “I would not skip that part, because learning about the people and culture will motivate me to keep up with the rest of my learning.”

“Adults, some of them do their language learning trying to memorize words and practice pronunciation, all in silence and to themselves. They don’t actually take the leap to try and have a conversation actually using the language,” Fiez says. “You’re not really learning another language, you’re just learning picture-sound associations.”

Language-learning programs are important, but spending time with a native speaker is the most effective method. 

Just like exercise or musical instruments, people recommend a shorter amount of practice time on a regular basis rather than larger chunks on a more sporadic basis. This is because without a consistent schedule the brain fails to engage in any deep cognitive processes, like making connections between new knowledge and your previous learning. An hour a day five days a week is therefore going to be more beneficial than a five-hour blitz once a week.

According to the FSI index, it would take 150 weeks at this pace to achieve basic fluency in a Group 1 language, or just under three years. But by following the advice from experts, narrowing down your lessons for specific applications rather than general fluency, new speakers will be able to shave off significant time towards reaching their desired level.

“Learning a second language can satisfy an immediate need but it will also help you become a more understanding and empathic person by opening the doors to a different way of thinking and feeling,” says Meneghetti. “It’s about IQ and EQ combined.”

Dedicating one hour of your day towards learning a new language can be thought of as practice in bridging gaps between people. The result is a more malleable communication skill set that brings you closer to your peers at work, home or abroad.

“You’re faced with a different worldview with someone from a different culture. You don’t rush to judgment and are more effective at resolving the clashes in the world that come up,” Baker says.

“Just learning one language, any language in any culture, helps you to develop that adaptability and flexibility when faced with other cultures, period.”

IATF approves test-before-travel for Davao

 

RALPH LAWRENCE G. LLEMIT, Manila Bulletin

THE Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the Davao City Government's request to impose a test-before-travel requirement to all passengers arriving at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Davao International Airport).

In a statement issued by the City Information Office on February 5, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat bared the approval of the request made by Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio dated February 3.

According to the City Government, Duterte-Carpio wrote to Puyat on January 22, requesting the assistance of the DOT in negotiating with the IATF for the imposition of mandatory real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing for all travelers before they arrive at the DIA.

"We wish to inform you that the IATF has approved your request," Puyat said in the letter.

Puyat also said, "The DOT is one with the City of Davao in its efforts to curb the spread of the virus. We look forward to working with you as we pursue our goal of a slow but sure recovery of the tourism industry."

The request of Davao City for guidelines on the test-before-travel requirement, without prejudice, for travel by land, sea, and air was approved during the 97th meeting of the IATF on January 28.

The City Government said the Department of the Interior and Local Government will also convene a small group and come up with a recommendation in a week's time following the approval from the IATF.

Meanwhile, the city suspended the free RT-PCR testing at the DIA on January 14 and will only resume once the Los Amigos Covid-19 Laboratory goes into full operation.

Arriving passengers with negative RT-PCR tests are prioritized in exiting the DIA after checking their health declaration forms (HDFs).

Non-Davao City flight passengers may still exit the airport even without the RT-PCR negative test as long as their LGUs will fetch them and they can present other needed documents. Neighboring local government units (LGUs) are urged to pick up their locally stranded individuals (LSIs) at the DIA.

For Davao City residents without negative RT-PCR test results to show, HDFs and other necessary documents will be checked. They must follow the requirements and will be given their health monitoring forms since they need to check-in with their BHERTS (Barangay Health Emergency Response Team). The 14-day home quarantine is mandatory. (With CIO)

HOTTEST YEAR ON RECORD

 

In addition to the pandemic, there is another topic that we often lose sight of: the climate change. Well, you can already guess: 2020 ties 2016 as the hottest year on record. 

A warm winter and autumn have made the previous year the hottest ever recorded, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service has found. The Arctic continues to warm more quickly than the planet as a whole. The last decade was the hottest on record globally.

Average global temperatures in 2020 stood at 1.25 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) higher than pre-industrial levels, according to the service. The years from 2014 to 2020 were the hottest on record with both 2020 and 2016 hitting the record for the single hottest year.

Scientists urged governments and corporations to drastically slash their emissions in order to have any chance of achieving the 2015 Paris Agreement and to avoid a catastrophic climate change crisis.

"The extraordinary climate events of 2020 and the data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service show us that we have no time to lose," said Matthias Petschke, Director for Space in the European Commission, the EU's executive arm.

The biggest jump was seen in the Arctic Ocean and the north of Siberia, where temperatures soared to an unprecedented six degrees above the former average. The report also revealed that carbon dioxide emissions continued to rise, reaching a new high of 431 parts per million by the end of the year.

Yes, nature always strikes back. The figures are particularly alarming because, unlike in 2016, they were reached without the help of the El Nino weather event which added up to two tenths of a degree to the record four years ago, according to NASA and the UK's Met Office.

The increase in temperature has brought with it other extreme climate events such as droughts, heatwaves and floods. We have seen enough of the latter in the Philippines. The new year also brought us many storms and floods, especially in Mindanao.

In 2020, the world was also hit by a record number of hurricanes in the Atlantic, to the extent that the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ran out of letters to name them. The 2020 record came despite global lockdowns which led to a dramatic 7% drop in emissions.

"Since CO2 accumulates in the atmosphere like water in a bathtub, if we turn down the tap by 7%, the CO2 level just rises a bit more slowly," Stefan Rahmstorf, head of Earth system analysis at the German Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, told AFP. "We need to shut off the tap to get a stable climate again."

Even if every country were to stick to their pledges from the Paris Agreement, global temperatures would still reach an increase of 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. A really sad outlook into the future for all of us and the following generations.

DdO strengthens info-dissemination against Covid-19

 

Davao de Oro Province--- Self-responsibility is the key in slowing down rates of Covid-19 transmission and is the most reliable way to fight this pandemic.

With the government’s effort in reminding everyone of the basic health protocols to ward-off the Covid-19 virus, people still gather in large in groups despite health warnings and may cause to elevate cases of local transmission.

To further remind and instill in the minds of every Dabawenyo, PLGU-Davao de Oro in partnership with Globe Telecommunications strengthens its anti-COVID campaign through various means. One of these is the traditional way of promotion through billboards, lamp post banner, and tarpaulins installed in places such as the center island lamp post, waiting sheds, and other strategic areas where the locals can easily get informed.

Among the materials posted were the digital innovations of the provincial government to continue serving its constituents through the use of technology such as the Serbisyo Oro Mismo, Call DdOc, One DdO Helpline System and DdO Bagsakan. Through these initiatives, Dabawenyos can access essential government services without risking lives by physically going outside to offices.

Every Dabawenyo’s self-leadership must go hand-in-hand with the government’s action. The more the people bind themselves with the rules imposed by the government the more chances they get to win against the unseen enemy. Still, it is through self-responsibility with consistent practice of proper hygiene that could save communities from the virus. (Jasteen P. Abella, Information Division, Davao de Oro)

Arm to farm: Army boosts organic farming inside the camp

Davao de Oro --- The 10th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines under the leadership of Major General Reuben S Basiao led the conversion of some areas of their 120 hectare-camp into an agricultural farm in Tuboran, Mawab, Davao de Oro.

 The military’s initiative is in partnership with the Department of Agriculture that will provide technical assistance in livestock raising, crop production, and food processing to the soldiers. It is also in support to the People’s Organization in learning organic farming like the proper procedures on organic concoctions and fertilizers as well as land preparation.

 All the army battalions of the 10th ID are mandated to establish agricultural project sites as part of the localized implementation of the President’s Executive Order 70 or Whole-of-Nation approach to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC). These community intervention programs drive towards a sustainable peace and development in the province.

 Meanwhile, they already applied to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to make the area an Agri-Farm Community Learning Center. In a recent initial meeting with the Provincial Tourism Office, an AgriFest, a drive-pick for buying fresh vegetables and livestock will also happen soon in December at the said camp. (Rheafe Hortizano - Provincial Information Office)