Philippines: Church warns against 'holy alcohol' for COVID-19

Churchgoers in the Philippines have been urged not to fall for products advertised as being "holy" to protect themselves from COVID-19. Besides alcohol, church leaders said there's "no such thing" as a holy face mask.   

The Catholic Church in the Philippines warned against buying "holy alcohol" and other products claiming to protect against the coronavirus.

"There is no sacramental holy alcohol that we should make the sign of the cross with when we rub it to ourselves," the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said in a statement on Monday. "Moreover, it should not be sprinkled on the faithful."

They likewise warned that there is "no such things" as holy face masks, holy face shields, holy hand sanitizer and holy personal protective equipment.

"This is an irreverent marketing strategy or gimmick," the statement added.

They issued the warning after an archdiocese outside of the capital Manila flagged "fake news" reports about the church replacing holy water with "holy alcohol," news agency DPA reported.

The CBCP said that many churches emptied their holy water fonts in recent months to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but that the holy water had not been replaced with rubbing alcohol.

Churches across the predominantly Catholic country were closed for months due to the COVID-19 lockdown, although some restrictions have eased starting in June. 

Some Catholic churches reopened to worshippers over the weekend, although the number of people allowed to attend mass is limited.

In Manila where the number of COVID-19 cases is higher, only 10 people are allowed to attend a mass at a time. In other areas of the country, churches are allowed to have up to 50% of their seating capacity, DPA reported.

The country has logged 22,474 COVID-19 cases so far as well as 1,011 deaths.

(C) by DW 2020

Cebu Pacific: One flight at a time

Gradual flight restart to 20 destinations 

 

Our teams are working in an agile manner to gradually rebuild our flight network. From June 8 to 30, we plan to mount flights to 20 domestic destinations. International flights remain suspended until June 30. This is a developing situation, and we continue to work with the Inter-Agency Task Force, local government units and other government authorities. 

Flight Schedule – June 8 to 30, 2020

​​​​​Flight Schedule – June 8 to 30, 2020

As of June 6, 2020; 8:00pm​

As part of the gradual rebuilding of our domestic route network, Cebu Pacific and Cebgo plan to mount the following domestic flights to 20 destinations, from June 8 to 30, 2020: 

Route/s

Period covered

Manila-Dipolog-Manila

June 8-30

Manila-Pagadian-Manila

June 8-30

Manila-Zamboanga-Manila

June 8-30

Manila-Masbate-Manila

June 9-30

Manila-Tablas-Manila

June 10-30

Manila-Davao-Manila

June 10-30

Cebu-Clark-Cebu

June 10-30

Manila-Bacolod-Manila

June 16-30

Manila-Cotabato-Manila

June 16-30

Manila-Dumaguete-Manila

June 16-30

Manila-Iloilo-Manila

June 16-30

Manila- Boracay (Caticlan)-Manila

June 16-30

Manila-Roxas-Manila

June 16-30

Manila-Tacloban-Manila

June 16-30

Manila-Bohol-Manila

June 16-30

Manila-Coron (Busuanga)-Manila

June 16-30

Cebu-Davao-Cebu

June 16-30

        

   These routes are on top of flights that have already restarted this week:

 

Route

Manila-Naga-Manila

Manila-Cebu-Manila

Manila-Cagayan de Oro-Manila

 

Flight details as well as bookings are through the website, www.cebupacificair.com.  For added flexibility, new bookings include CEB Flexi for free. This allows passengers to rebook their flights up to two times, giving peace of mind and ease to move travel dates.  Meanwhile, for passengers with existing bookings, they may rebook to any of the above-mentioned flights through the “Manage Booking” page on the website, http://bit.ly/CEBmanageflight. 

 

This is a developing situation and we will have an agile approach to rebuilding our network schedule. It may be necessary for us to add or cancel flights at last minute given the fluidity of restrictions and directives from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), the Local Government Units (LGU) and other concerned government agencies.   

 

We will provide updates through our website and official social media accounts and endeavor to inform our passengers in a timely manner.  

 

We strongly urge passengers to check guidelines of the IATF, or with the LGU of origin and destination. Passengers may be asked to present proof of purpose of travel and other requirements upon entering the airport or at arrival at the destination.  

 

CEB has implemented new flexibility policies to give passengers peace of mind in the event their flights are cancelled. They have the following options:  

 

1.       Free rebooking      

Rebook to any other travel date within three (3) months. Change (rebooking) fees and fare difference are waived.      

 

   2.       Full Travel Fund      

Place the full cost of the ticket in a Travel Fund valid for one (1) year. Use the Travel Fund within one (1) year—either book a flight up to one (1) year ahead, or pay for add-ons (e.g. baggage allowance, seat selection, etc.)      

 

If the Travel Fund is not used within one (1) year, passengers can apply for a full refund.     

 

   3.       Full refund     

Processing of refunds will start after the Community Quarantine is lifted and regular work schedules resume. However, due to the unprecedented volume of requests for refunds, the process will take as long as three (3) to four (4) billing cycles.     

 

All Cebu Pacific passengers can manage their bookings online (http://bit.ly/CEBmanageflight) 

 

For more information, frequently asked questions may be found here:  http://bit.ly/CEBRestartFAQs 

Flexible flights so you can easily manage bookings online ...

 

New bookings now come with FREE CEB Flexi. With this free add-on, you can rebook flights up to two times, giving peace of mind and flexibility to move travel dates. Meanwhile, guests with existing bookings may rebook or use their travel funds to easily book flights through our website. 

Travel with peace of mind with our increased safety measures. 

 

The safety of our guests and teams remains our top priority. We've rolled out Contactless Flight guidelines, and additional safety measures such as daily extensive cleaning of aircraft and rapid antibody testing for frontliners and crew. These are based on global best practices, and adhere to the highest safety standards. 

We wish you and your family well. Let’s all work together, so #EveryJuanWillFlyAgain. 

On behalf of the entire Cebu Pacific family, 

Candice Iyog 

Vice President 

Marketing and Customer Experience 

Bye bye Marco Polo Hotel Davao City

Thank you so much Marco Polo Hotel MarcoPolo Davao, GenMan Colin Owen Healy, Ma'am Ariane Cabrera, Ma-am Pearl Peralta-Maclang and the whole staff. I experienced wonderful and unique moments here. Praying for meeting you all again very soon. God bless you more ☺️🙏

Davao de Oro releases Farm Inputs to Local Farmers

Davao de Oro Province---Ensuring food security amidst the global crisis, the Provincial Government of Davao de Oro releases farm inputs to local farmers for early planting on rice production.

Having a responsive and proactive approach in governance, PLGU Davao de Oro established practical agricultural solutions and actions to address the possible derangement of food supply in the province.

Branching of from the “Food Security Plan of Davao de Oro for COVID-19 Health Emergency Situation”, the QTA or “Quick Turn Around Project for Rice Production” amounting to Php 5, 934,000 is one of the strategies adopted to forfend shortage of food supply in the province.

The QTA project is an early planting using high yielding hybrid and inbred rice seeds in an area covered by the National and Communal irrigation systems. Its main objectives are to produce additional rice supply avoiding shortage for the upcoming months and sustain food security in the province.

Collaborating agencies for the project were PLGU Davao de Oro, Department of Agriculture, NIA (National Irrigation Administration), PCIC (Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation) and the Municipal Local Government Units.

Interventions includes fuel for land preparation, synthetic and Bio-N fertilizers, pesticides and rice seeds.

“Dako gyud kaayo ni ug tabang sa amua. Dili nami magproblema ug semilya ug mudugang nalang mi ug gamay. Dili nami kinahanglan mupalit ug abono ug insecticide, unya dako kaayo mi ug na-save. Mas gaan gyud karun ang pag-panguma sa mga farmers tungod sa tabang sa gobyerno.” said Gina Callos, a beneficiary of the QTA.

Target of the QTA Project is to cater 1, 000 hectares of rice fields owned by a total of 727 farmers from five out of eleven municipalities of Davao de Oro. (Jasteen Abella, ID DAVAO DE ORO)

Das Auswärtige Amt gibt bekannt

Aktuelles

Zur Eindämmung der COVID-19-Erkrankung ist derzeit bis auf weiteres Ausländern die Einreise in die Philippinen landesweit verboten; erteilte philippinische Einreise-Visa wurden für ungültig erklärt. Ausnahmen gelten ausschließlich für Flugzeugbesatzungen, für Familienangehörige (Ehegatten, Kinder) von philippinischen Staatsangehörigen sowie für Diplomaten und Angehörige internationaler Organisationen, die in den Philippinen akkreditiert sind. Diese unterliegen jedoch nach Einreise einer 14-tägigen Quarantänepflicht.

Eine Ausreise ist Ausländern, die sich im Land aufhalten, jederzeit erlaubt. Die zwischenzeitlich unterbrochenen regulären Verkehrsverbindungen zwischen den Inseln des Landes werden seit dem 3. Juni 2020  teilweise wieder aufgenommen. Die Regierung der Philippinen hat die seit Mitte März 2020 geltenden, landesweiten Quarantänemaßnahmen seit dem 1. Juni 2020 mit der „IATF resolution No. 40“ geändert. Es bestehen weiterhin umfangreiche Einschränkungen für die Versorgung und für die Bewegungsfreiheit. Es gilt eine nächtliche Ausgangssperre von 20 Uhr bis 5 Uhr.

• Wenn Sie zurzeit zu Gast in den Philippinen sind, prüfen Sie Rückreiseoptionen und nutzen Sie vorhandene Ausreisemöglichkeiten. Die Reisemöglichkeiten aus den Philippinen sind zurzeit beschränkt, jedoch werden weiterhin einige Verbindungen angeboten, die Ausländer nutzen können.

• Verfolgen Sie die lokalen Medien, und folgen Sie den Anweisungen der Behörden.

• Informieren Sie sich auf der Internetseite der Deutschen Botschaft Manila, auf Facebook und auf Instagram.

In Afrika und Asien lernen immer mehr Menschen Deutsch

Gemeinsame Pressemitteilung des Auswärtigen Amts, des Goethe-Instituts, der Deutschen Welle, des Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdiensts und der Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen

Das Interesse an der deutschen Sprache bleibt weiterhin ungebrochen: Wie die Erhebung „Deutsch als Fremdsprache weltweit“ zeigt, lernen weltweit mehr als 15,4 Millionen Menschen Deutsch. Die Instrumente zur Förderung von Deutsch als Fremdsprache zeigen nachhaltige Wirkung. Nach wie vor gibt es in Europa die meisten Deutschlernenden, aber insbesondere in Afrika und Asien gewinnt Deutsch an Bedeutung. Die Zahl der Schulen, die Deutschunterricht anbieten, ist von 95.000 im Jahr 2015 auf rund 106.000 Schulen gewachsen. Die sprachliche Qualifizierung von Fachkräften aus dem Ausland spielt in der Deutschförderung eine zunehmend wichtigere Rolle. Digitale Lernangebote erfreuen sich wachsender Beliebtheit. Die Erhebung wird alle fünf Jahre vom Auswärtigen Amt in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Goethe- Institut, der Deutschen Welle, dem DAAD und der Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen (ZfA) veröffentlicht.

In Europa lernen weiterhin die meisten Menschen Deutsch (11, 2 Millionen Deutschlernende). Dabei verzeichnen vor allem die Nachbarländer Dänemark, die Niederlande, die Tschechische Republik und in Frankreich (+18 % auf 1,185 Mio.) steigende Wachstumszahlen. Auch in Russland, das 2015 noch den größten Rückgang aufwies, wächst erneut die Zahl der Deutschlernenden um 16 % auf insgesamt 1,79 Millionen. In einigen europäischen Ländern hingegen ist ein Rückgang der Deutschlernenden zu verzeichnen: So ist Polen zwar weiterhin das Land mit den meisten Deutschlernenden weltweit (1,95 Millionen), allerdings ist die Zahl seit 2015 um 15 % gefallen. Der Abwärtstrend gilt auch für Ungarn.

Der Austritt von Großbritannien aus der EU könnte wird das dort jetzt schon abflauende Interesse an Deutsch (-25 %) vermutlich noch weiter ankurbeln.

Außerhalb Europas fällt ein außerordentlich hohes Wachstum von fast 50 % in Afrika auf. Zu den afrikanischen Ländern, in denen die Zahl der Deutschlernenden gestiegen ist, gehören Ägypten, Algerien und Côte d'Ivoire. Ein weiterer wichtiger Wachstumsmarkt der deutschen Sprache liegt in Asien, vor allem in China. In den USA ist hingegen ist ein Rückgang bei den Deutschlernenden um 15% zu vermelden.

Die Erhebung zeigt auch: Deutsch wird in erster Linie an Schulen gelernt. Während 2015 weltweit ca. 95.000 Schulen Deutschunterricht angeboten haben, sind es heute rund 106.000 Schulen. Ein erfolgreiches Instrument der weltweiten Förderung von Deutsch als Fremdsprache ist die Initiative „Schulen: Partner der Zukunft" (PASCH): Inzwischen nehmen daran etwa 2.000 Schulen mit mehr als 600.000 Schülerinnen und Schüler in über 100 Ländern teil. Die PASCH-Initiative wird in Kooperation mit der ZfA, dem Goethe-Institut, dem DAAD und dem Pädagogischen Austauschdienst der KMK durchgeführt. In den Schulen wird ein modernes Deutschlandbild vermittelt und es findet eine intensive Beschäftigung mit der deutschen Sprache und Kultur statt.

Deutsch eröffnet darüber hinaus Zukunftschancen durch Zugang zu einem der weltweit besten Hochschulsysteme und zu einem attraktiven Ausbildungs- und Arbeitsmarkt. An den Hochschulen lernen aktuell 1,27 Millionen Studierende Deutsch. Im Vergleich zu 2015 ist ein leichter Rückgang von rund 60.000 weniger Deutschlernenden zu vermerken. Mit dem Deutschen Sprachdiplom und den Abschlüssen an den Deutschen Auslandsschulen der ZfA erlangen jährlich rund 20.000 Absolventinnen und Absolventen weltweit den Zugang zum Studium in Deutschland, 45 % davon beginnen ein Studium in Deutschland. Auch das Bildungsprogramm „Studienbrücke“ des Goethe-Instituts und des DAAD fördert einen leichteren Zugang zur deutschen Hochschullandschaft.

Die sprachliche Qualifizierung von Fachkräften wird angesichts des neuen Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetzes der Bundesregierung in den nächsten Jahren eine essenzielle Aufgabe der Vermittlung von Deutschkenntnissen sein. Insgesamt ist die Zahl der Deutschlernenden in der Erwachsenenbildung von rund 433.000 im Jahr 2015 auf 374.000 gestiegen. An den Goethe-Instituten lernen insgesamt rund 309.000 Menschen Deutsch, das ist ein Zuwachs von rund 73.000 Sprachkursteilnehmerinnen und –teilnehmern im Vergleich zu 2015. Dieses Wachstum ist zurückzuführen auf die wachsende Bedeutung der sprachlichen Qualifizierung von Fachkräften.

Erstmals in der Erhebung berücksichtigt wurden digitale Lernangebote. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Online-Lernmöglichkeiten insgesamt an Bedeutung gewinnen und zukünftig noch wichtiger werden – bei der Vermittlung der deutschen Sprache wie bei der Ausbildung von Deutschlehrkräften. In der Erhebung nicht mehr berücksichtigt wurde die Zeit während der Corona-Pandemie. Die in der Studie betrachteten digitalen und mobilen Lernangebote der Mittlerorganisationen haben in der Zeit ab März 2020 erhebliche Nutzungszuwächse verzeichnet: Aktuelle Zugriffszahlen („Visits“) auf die Lernplattform des Goethe-Instituts zeigen einen bedeutenden Anstieg in der Nutzung von Online-Angeboten während weltweiter Kontaktsperren und Schließungen für Publikumsverkehr von Sprach-und Bildungseinrichtungen. Während im Mai 2019 rund 326.000 Visits zu verzeichnen waren, sind es im Mai 2020 über 1,2 Millionen Visits. Die Nutzung der Online-Deutschkurse der Deutschen Welle hat sich im gleichen Zeitraum auf 4,2 Millionen Visits verdoppelt.

Der wachsenden Nachfrage nach Deutsch an vielen Orten steht jedoch ein Mangel an Deutschlehrkräften entgegen: Die Qualifizierung von Lehrkräften genießt daher hohe Priorität in der Förderung des Auswärtigen Amts und bei den Partnern. So sorgen Aus- und Fortbildungsprogramme wie „Dhoch3“ des DAAD oder „Deutsch Lehren Lernen (DLL)“ des Goethe-Instituts für eine bessere Aus- und Weiterbildung für Lehrkräfte.

Unter Federführung des Auswärtigen Amts erfasst das „Netzwerk Deutsch“ alle fünf Jahre gemeinsam mit lokalen Arbeitsgruppen die Daten zu den Deutschlernenden weltweit. An der Datenerhebung 2020 haben das Goethe-Institut, der Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD), die Deutsche Welle und die Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen (ZfA) mitgewirkt. Das Goethe-Institut koordinierte die Datenerhebung und bereitete die Daten auf.

DDO mobile kitchen served 13K children in GK and NHA villages!

Davao de Oro--- More than 13,000 young children from the villages and resettlement sites of the province of Davao de Oro benefited from the feeding program serving fried chicken and arozz caldo through the mobile kitchen (mobile kusina).

A feeding program that promotes healthy and nutritious foods under the “Kusina ng Kalinga” (KNK) program of the province.

On June 2, 2020 a total of 200 children from the Gawad Kalinga (GK) villages in GK Li'l Baguio and GK LBC of the municipality of Maragusan, Davao de Oro benefited the free feeding program of the provincial government headed by Gov. Tyron Uy.

Mark Tenio KNK Focal person said that more than 13,000 children were already served out of 14,000 target children of the entire province to be fed through the mobile kitchen with nutritious foods especially in this time of crisis due to COVID-19.

He added that the Mobile Kusina was already operating for almost 2 months in serving free foods to the children living in the GK and NHA sites of the province.

On May 26, 2020, a total of 700 children also availed of the free feeding program at the National Housing Authority (NHA) resettlement sites in Kidawa, Laak Davao de Oro.

Tenio expressed his thanks to the program partners headed by Governor Uy and other private sectors for the donations (in kind or in cash) to be used for the duration of the program.

“Akoang kinasingkasing nga pagpasalamat sa mga volunteers gikan sa pag sugod og hangtod karun nakauban nato sa matag adlaw ang Bayanihan Para sa Karunungan (BPSK), Provincial Women's and Development Council (PWDC) headed by Maam Sholai Lim, Provincial Governors Office, NHA in charge, uniformed personnel, Youth for Peace, Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), Compsotela Valley Scholarship Program (CVSP) alumni and scholars , DYA in camanlangan, Beutyderm and Dumper party list thru Congressman Claudine Bautista og uban pa,” said Tenio.

The mobile kitchen was first piloted in Barangay Union, Monkayo on April 24, 2020 where there was a total of 1,000 young children who availed of the program.

Makawala sa kakapoy , Bisan pa sa ulan og kainit sa panahon nga makita ang mga bata nga nalipay og nabusog sa mobile kitchen sa probinsiya kauban sa mga volunteers nag padayun muserbisyo sa kabataan sa nagkadaiyang villages ug resettlements sites. Sarap maging bata ulit, bisan pa sa panghitabo sa kalibutan pero para sa ilaha parang wala lang, the KNK focal person said.

The Mobile Kitchen is one of the program of the Provincial Government that promotes spirit of volunteerism (bayanihan) were no one's left behind in Davao de Oro. (Rey Antibo, ID Davao de Oro)

35 ka mga estudyante sa CTCSM nga nakahuman sa 14-Day Quarantine nakauli na

Human sa ilang 14-Day Quarantine gitabangan sa gobyerno nga makauli sa ilang pinuy-anan ang 35 ka mga estudyante sa CTCSM, ug door to door ang gihimong paghatud kanila diha sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka panimalay.

Gisugdan ang pagpanghatud sa Mayo 30,2020 ug gisulti ni LDRRMO Ritchie Jermia nga ang probinsya mismo maoy naghatud Door to Door sa mga taga Davao City ug Panabo City. Sa mga taga-other regions ang probinsya maoy naghatud kanila ngadto sa EOC sa ilang lugar nga mao say naghatud kanila paingon sa ilang pinuy-anan.

Pick-up sa ilang EOC diha kapitolyo ang mga taga Agusan del Sur. Samtang, ang tulo nga mga taga Davao De Oro gisundo sa ilang Mun. EOC nga mao say naghatud kanila sa ilang panimalay.

Niadtong Mayo 29,2020 nahuman ang ilang 14-Day Quarantine sulod sa usa ka komportableng quarantine facility sa kapitolyo sa Nabunturan, ug kini gitapos sa usa ka fellowship dinner atol sa closing program kauban mismo si Gov. Jayvee Tyron  Uy nga nanghatag og P3,000.00 nga pabaon sa kada usa kanila aron aduna silay pocket-money panahon sa ilang pagbiyahe.

Sayo sa buntag niadtong adlawa adunay nagkadaiyang pampering services sama sa libreng gupit ug libreng nail care services nga gidalit ngadto sa kada usa kanila sa Prov'l Women Development Council (PWDC) nga una nang nanghatag kanila og lamiang mga snacks kaduha sa usa ka adlaw gikan sa pagsugod hangtud nahuman ang ilang 14-Day Quarantine sa Davao De Oro.

 (Gilbert M. Cabahug PAO-ID DDO)

Ysalina Bridge

Davao de Oro agriculture reports response on COVID-19

The Provincial Agriculturist Office (PAGRO) of the provincial government of Davao de Oro reported their initiatives and actions for food security and contingency plan in response to Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

As of May 25, 2020 report during the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force (PIATF) Virtual Meeting, they were able to allocate a total of P15Million pesos for the provision for food security on agriculture and fisheries for COVID-19 emergency situation for the rice, corn and vegetables commodities. They also allocated fuel and other assistance for the operation of the KADIWA on Wheels per cooperative for the Palengke Bound for Barangay (PBB).

PAGRO has allocated a total of 2,727 Liters of Gasoline and 6,979 Liters of Diesoline as of May 24, 2020 as fuel assistance through Kadiwa on wheels for the continuing operation of the PBB.

According to Minda Agarano, PG Head of PAGRO, "with the assistance, as of April 14 to May 15, 2020, more than Php8M estimated sales was generated by the 48 vendors from the six (6) participating municipalities namely: Compostela, Monkayo, Mawab, Maco, Pantukan and Laak servicing 83 barangays."

Meanwhile, as of May 6, 2020 a total of 1,231 rice-farmer-beneficiaries for the Rice Farmer Financial Assistance (RFFA) program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) with P5,000 each for the first batch within the 10 municipalities of the province with 940 cash cards were already distributed through the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).

For the 2nd Batch, a total of 303 slots farmer-beneficiaries were allotted with cash cards. For the 3rd batch, a total of 1,090 slots for ongoing verification from LBP and will be released thru payroll list pay out not in cash card.

On the other hand, for the rice seeds positioning 600 bags of inbred seeds were already distributed directly to IA participated in early planting (QTA) and for the High Yield Technology Adoption (HYTA) 2,897 bags hybrid seeds with varieties: M20, US88, Bigante Plus, Longping Variety and SL19 were already delivered and positioned to the bodegas of Municipal Agriculturist Office (MAGRO) of the 11 municipalities.

As of May 22, 2020, 4, 069 bags out of 19,680 bags of inbred seeds at 20kgs/bag with Varieties: Rc 222, Rc 160, Rc 216, Rc 402, and Rc 480 were partially delivered to the municipality of Compostela 2,000 bags, New Bataan 1,054 bags, Montevista 1,015 bags and the remaining seeds will continue to deliver until last week of June 2020.
(Rey Antibo, ID DDO)

A SPECIAL DEPARTMENT STORE

My column in Mindanao Daily, BusinessWeek Mindanao and Metro Cagayan Times

ONCE upon a time, I drifted back on my lifetime's way. My niece told me: that's a matter of aging. I smiled. Anyway, drifting back to old memories is not bad. That's sometimes really helpful.

During my journey back, I suddenly  saw a nameplate: Heavenly Department Store. I came closer. The door opened itself wider and wider. A swarm of angels gathered together. One of them presented a shopping basket to me. "Enjoy your shopping, but do it carefully!" Everything what a Christian needs, could be bought in this department store. If one couldn't carry everything home, one could be back next day, get the last bit and buy even more.

At first, I bought PATIENCE, the quality of enduring with calmness. LOVE, the human affection, was in the same shelve. A little bit deeper, I found SYMPATHY, the sharing of emotion, interest, and desire, and COMPREHENSION, the capacity of the mind to perceive and understand together with APPRECIATION, the setting of a valued one.

I added packages of WISDOM, the knowledge and the capacity to make use of it and additional bags of FAITH, the belief especially in a revealed religion. I relaxed a couple of minutes and then, I looked for STRENGTH, the important power or vigor and bravery and fearlessness. They should help me to continue my forward to future. I thought myself, that I shouldn't forget MERCY, the leniency shown to a guilty person, and REDEMPTION, the deliverance from sin.

My basket was already stuffed and I started looking for the cashier. One the way there, I found the PRAYER. I needed it to avoid running dead straight into a sin. An angel advised me also never to forget PEACE AND JOY, hymn of praise and chant.

Now it was really time to pay all those things. But the angel smiled and told me, "Take everything with you, where ever you may go." I asked, "What do I owe you?" The angel answered, "Nothing, somebody paid already your bills long time ago. His name was Jesus!"

I found this fabulous and wonderful fantastic story in my published documents from September 1988, during my time in Abra while writing a column for the mission oriented TINIG NG BAYAN - a magazine for Filipinos abroad. This here is a revised version, because my opinion is, that, no matter, where we are living on this globe especially noawdays in 2020, we should try to project this timeless legend on to our very personal daily life. You'll find out, that it helps to survive in our life struggles. It's important to realize that we must be able to administer wise our valuable treasure of vital life energy, instead of fritter away with it such as knick-knacks.

My dear readers: stay safe  - as always... .