PH to observe, learn from Thailand's experience in reopening country to foreign tourists

Phra Nang Beach, Krabi, Thailand (Sumit Chinchane/ Unsplash)

by Ellson Quismorio, Manila Bulletin

The Philippine government will try to learn from its neighbor Thailand as the latter opens up to fully vaccinated foreign tourists for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic last year.

“Tinitingnan din po natin ang magiging karanasan ng Thailand dahil isa siya sa pinakauna na nagbukas ng turismo (We will look at the experience of Thailand because it is among the first to reopen its tourism industry)?” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual press conference Friday, Nov. 5.

Roque noted that the economy of Philippines, like Thailand, is dependent on its revenues from tourism, which took a big hit the world over due to the emergence of the deadly COVID-19 early last year.

“Kaya lang mas dependent talaga sila sa tourism ‘no kung ikukumpara sa atin (But compared to us, they’re really more dependent on their tourism),” he said.

Still, stakes are high for Philippine tourism to get back on its feet as soon as possible, especially with the local hosting of the World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit in March 2022.

Asked by a reporter if the Philippine government plans to reopen to international tourists in time for next year’s event, Roque replied: “Tama po kayo, pupuwedeng mangyari iyan ‘no. Pero kaya nga po, kinakailangan ma-achieve natin ang population protection by December (Yes you’re correct, that could happen. But that’s why we need to achieve population protection by December).”

The nationwide vaccination rate against COVID-19 stands at around 37 percent (full vaccination).

Over in the National Capital Region (NCR), nearly 89 percent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated. This high rate of vaccination along with the plummeting daily new cases have allow the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to de-escalate the region’s status from alert level 3 to alert level 2.

“So in due time po. We will open tourism in due time ‘no. At ngayon nga po na alert level 2 (And now that we’re under alert level 2), that’s very encouraging,” Roque said.

Be most generous without feeling entitled

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          THIS is what Christ is telling us and is doing so with his

own example. Being God, he emptied himself to become man and to bear

all the sins of men by dying on the cross, all for the purpose of

saving mankind. (cfr. Phil 2,7)

          He reiterated this point when he lamented about the

domineering sense of entitlement of some of the leading Jews of his

time while praising the poor widow who put all that she had into the

temple treasury. (cfr. Mk 12,38-44)

          While it’s true that we obviously are entitled to our

rights, we should not feel entitled to privileges and favors that are

above our rights and needs. If they come and we cannot avoid them,

then let’s be thankful.

          But let’s be reminded that these privileges, favors and

blessings are meant for us to strengthen our desire to serve and not

to be served. But as it is, we should try to avoid them, since they

tend only to spoil and corrupt us.

          We have to be most wary when we happen to enjoy some

privileged positions or status in life because we tend to think that

we deserve more entitlements. And not only would we expect them. We

may even demand them for us.

          We should banish this temptation as soon as it makes its

appearance felt in us. On the contrary, we should follow the example

of Christ who, in spite of who he was, just wanted to serve.

          Remember what Christ said once: “Be careful not to practice

your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do,

you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Mt 6,1)

          We need to acquire the mentality of a servant which is

actually the mentality of Christ himself. Let us readjust our human

standards to conform to what is actually proper to us as taught and

lived by Christ. We usually look down on the status of servants. This

has to change! We should be convinced that by becoming a servant we

would be making ourselves like Christ. Let’s say NO to entitlements.

          In the meantime, let’s learn the precious lesson Christ

wants to impart to us in that episode where he praised the poor widow

who gave two small coins to the temple treasury more than the rich

ones who put a lot of money.

          The lesson to learn is that generosity is not a matter of

how much we give but rather of total detachment from the things of

this world so that our heart can only be for God. We therefore have to

be wary of our strong, if often subtle, attachment to the things of

this world such that our heart would at best be a divided heart, which

is actually an impossibility.

          That’s because in our relation with God, there is no middle

ground. It is either we are with him completely or not at all. We have

to overcome that strong tendency to think that we can be partly with

God and partly with our own selves, even if we can say that we are

giving God 99% of what we have and keep only 1% for us.

          We have to give all. In fact, with God we have to give our

very own selves, and not only things, not only some possessions.

Remember Christ telling us that we have to love God with “all your

heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Mt 22,37)

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

What is it like to live near The Hundred Islands, Pangasinan?

Bisaya

, https://barokandtakya.com/

Ah, a delightfully serene place. You can hear the call of the howler monkeys from the top of any one of those hundred tiny islands from my bamboo bridge with no interruption from all, but your soft footfall stirs the leaves and rustling trees. The water is always so clean, especially after it's been rained on, or perhaps after a gentle morning haze has recently risen to meet you there. Taste it if you like! Bubbling freshness made available to all without cost should be expensive indeed! Truly this must be paradise... But alas, I fear not enough for some it could be challenging to coexist alongside its neighboring islands which each feel entitled share in this bounty; Yet should that strife reflect upon you?

I dare say not! One can easily ignore the inconvenience of others from a comfortable distance, but so long as you accept everyone and show kindness in return, you will never be disappointed. My recommendation: Learn to swim! As there is no shortage of food nor means to happiness here. And nothing could ever go wrong with that attitude!

Oh, I do apologize. Dear reader, it appears I must depart. The call of the sea is ever so strong on this refreshing day! Perhaps see you again some other time! Adieu.

What is the best thing you can do in the Philippines?

David Tomlinson

The best thing about the Philippines is the people. Do whatever you can do to meet, talk, drink, eat with Filipinos. Even if you don’t speak Tagalog or Cebuano or any of the other Philippines languages, many times they will speak or at least understand English. The further you get out into the provinces, the more important it is to have someone who understands both to help translate.

The people are resilient, funny, usually kind to us poor foreigners. That is if you make an effort to treat them like people. Get out and eat and drink with people, dance and sing karaokke… don’t hang out with only your fellow countrymen, make an effort. I’ve been to more funerals, weddings, christenings, and birthdays in the last 10 years than in the first 50 in the States. Gatherings of friends and family are a very important part of social life here.

Oh, and, as long as you are living in a tropical paradise, with over 7000 islands and beaches, enjoy swimming, scuba, snorkeling, eating seafood, drinking cheap beer. Go to some of the clubs and music venues and enjoy the local music. Get out and golf at the dozen golf courses within 100 km of central Manila. And the dozens more in Cebu, Davao and elsewhere. Go up into the mountain provinces and enjoy the forests, cool air, different food and the coffee that’s grown there.

Marry a Filipina, grow a family, build a house on a hill overlooking the sea. Enjoy life.

The dishonest steward and the world’s unavoidable evils

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          ONCE again the parable of the dishonest steward (cfr. Lk

16,1-8) presents to us some intriguing questions and issues that we

have to try to resolve and reconcile with our Christian faith and

morals.

          We can ask if God, who must have been personified in some

way by the rich man in the parable, is just ok with some cheating,

with being dishonest, with being calculating as leverage for one’s

personal gain and interest.

          Remember that the conclusion of the parable was that the

master praised his dishonest steward for his ‘cleverness,’ saying that

the “people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own

kind than are the people of light.” (Lk 16,8)

          I suppose what the parable is trying to tell and teach us is

that Christ is being realistic with our situation in this world. We

try to put everything in our life right, clean and moral. But no

matter what we do, we would always be hounded by evil and by all kinds

of dirt, physical, moral, spiritual.

          This parable seems to tell us that we should just learn how

to live with this condition and do our best to come out ok in the eyes

of God in the end. What may be considered as aggravating circumstance

in human justice may be regarded as a saving grace in God’s eyes.

          We may have to handle dirt in our life and deal with

situations that are fraught with moral irregularities, but as long as

we do not compromise what is essential, which is love that comes from

God as shown by Christ who became like sin without committing sin

(cfr. 2 Cor 5,21), then things will just turn out ok.

          We have to learn to distinguish between what is a tolerable

cooperation in evil and an intolerable one. With the former, we should

feel the obligation to do whatever we can to clean up what is evil in

a given situation, system or structure.

          So, we have to be ready to properly live this unavoidable

condition of our life here where evil and its increasingly powerful

structures are sprouting around like mushrooms.

          Some of these immoral structures are already large and

well-entrenched in our culture and systems like the old acacia trees

that we still see around. They really pose as a tremendous challenge

to anyone who wishes to be consistent with his Christian life.

          For sure, the attitude to take toward this unavoidable

reality is not to escape from this muddled world. We would be like

fish out of water that way. Yes, we might be able to flee from the

mud, but then we would die instantly if we are taken out of our proper

place.

          Neither should our attitude be of just indiscriminately

accepting what comes or what is around. We are supposed to be the lord

and master of this world in the name of God whose best creature and

children we are. And so, we just have to do some discerning, some

purifying and some struggling. It cannot be helped.

          Christ himself said, “Behold I send you as sheep in the

midst of wolves. Be therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves.”

(Mt 10,16) It’s quite a combination to attain. But if we have faith in

God and follow what is taught us, we can make it. Truth is we have

been provided with more than enough to be able to reach this ideal.

What is the meaning of “po” in the Philippines?

 

By Dayang C Marikit

In modern times, "Po" is an honorific commonly used on statements directed towards elderly people or your work superiors… this is to make the statements sound more "pleasant" and "respectful".

Ex:

• Sa'an ka nanggaling? - Casual
• Sa'an po kayo nanggaling? - Respectful

Both of the statements above translate to the same exact thing, (Where have you been?), however it is "socially frowned upon" to use the first statement when conversing with elderly people or your work superiors.

---

So what does "Po" mean?

• "Po" is a contracted version of "Po'on", and "Po'on" is also a contracted version of "Pangino'on".

All three of these terms mean the same thing, they all translate to "Lord".

• Back in ancient times these terms were used as honorifics when speaking to the royals and nobles who were seen as "divine" or "semi-divine", however in modern times, the terms "Po'on" and "Pangino'on" are exclusively used on deities, while "Po" became a honorific, specifically used when conversing with elderly people and work superiors.

This is just one example of how Filipinos show our respect to people who we think deserve our respect.

The lost sheep and the lost coin

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          THE parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin (cfr. Lk

15,1-10) remind us that instead of distancing ourselves from those who

are in error or even who are in some conflict with ourselves, or with

whom we have serious differences, we should rather give them some

special attention, concern and care. That is what Christ wants to

impart in us through these parables, and we should just try our best

to learn and live it with God’s grace.

          Like Christ, we should have the same love for everybody,

irrespective of how they are with us. They can even be our enemies.

Thus, Christ himself told us very clearly that we should love our

enemies. (cfr. 5,44) This is the kind of love that is the very essence

of God and that is also meant for us. It has a universal scope even if

it never compromises the truth. It can prefer to suffer and die for

the truth.

          On our part, we just have to learn to adapt our mind and

heart to this kind of love that God through Christ in the Holy Spirit

is actually sharing with us. We have to develop a certain compassion

for the lost sheep and know how, like Christ, we can fraternize with

those in error spiritually and morally, or at least with those wrapped

up with all sorts of weaknesses.

          If we are truly Christian, we should have a true and abiding

compassion toward everyone, especially the poor and the needy. But we

have to understand that compassion should have a universal coverage.

It should not be limited to the sentimental aspects of things, nor to

relieving the economic and material needs of people alone. It lets us

enter and get involved in the life drama of the others.

          It should cover the whole range of human needs in their

proper order of importance, foremost of which is our need for God. We

have to learn to distinguish between the pressing and precious needs

of man, and to cope with the tension that sometimes arises in our

effort to put these two kinds of needs together.

          The material needs of man may be pressing and urgent, but

these should not detract us from giving priority attention to the

precious spiritual needs of man to relate himself with God and others

in true love, irrespective of whether he is rich or poor, a prince or

a pauper.

          It’s true that looking after the pressing material needs of

people can already be an overwhelming task. This should not be

attended to on an ad hoc basis only, giving dole-outs and temporary

relief. This has to be given stable and effective solutions, like

creating jobs, enabling poor people to find work through education and

continuing training, especially considering that the world economy is

rapidly evolving, etc.

          But over and above this concern is the care of the more

important necessity of man—his spiritual life, his relation with God

that should be developed according to God’s love and concern for

everyone, and thus, his relation with everybody else. Christ himself

gave more importance to forgiving sins than to curing the paralytic.

(cfr Mk 2,1-12)

          We have to learn how to fraternize with everyone, especially

replicating Christ’s attitude towards sinners, who actually are all of

us—of course, in varying degrees. We have to give special attention to

the lost sheep and to the lost coin. We have to open all possible

avenues to be in touch with all sinners.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

TIME TO DECIDE

What is the right time to decide what to do in the future?

I think there is no right time to decide, because in your childhood you want to become something, as you grow your field of interest changes. Most importantly your wish doesn't remain the same life time, at every stage of life it will differ. When you explore many fields your interest will keep on changing. Whenever you decide what you want to become at that point only start preparing for that and that is the right time you can say. Off course, there is a limitation for this. If you are a hard worker it will take a long time, but if you are a smart worker you can finish the same task in optimal time.

Anytime actually, you can decide now, right now what you want to do in future, but the wish to follow up that decision is up to you.

Life changing decisions come from the most humbling moments in life, like when you are taking a dip or having a bath. 

If you mean matters such as education or decisions that may or may not shape your future, then I should say anytime that is well beforehand and can be easily planned.

You can go through much of life deliberately avoiding hard decisions. But sometimes you have no choice: the situation forces you to make a decision. Consider an example from the sport of mountain climbing.

Sooner or later, every mountain climber faces a dreaded section of slick granite that offers no ledges or cracks to grasp. When you climb such a wall, you can abandon the climb. Or, you can risk a move like "the pendulum". The pendulum works the way it sounds: as high above you as you can reach, you fasten a loop with a metal nut and slide the rope through the loop. Then you climb down a few feet, dangle on the rope's end, and try to swing across the sheer section. It takes nerve!

The author of Hebrews wrote to people who faced just a climactic, can't-turn-back decision. It involved not a mountain climb, but their entire future.

My motto is always: Whatever makes you feel bad, leave it. Whatever makes you smile, keep it. Have fun living it too. Follow your passion.

DTI launches first OTOP Hub in Davao de Oro

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Davao de Oro launched its first One-Town One Product (OTOP) Hub at Jorge Town, Montevista during the celebration of the 2021 Online Bulawan Festival on October 28, 2021.

DTI Provincial Director Atty. Lucky Siegfred M. Balleque in his opening statement explained the importance of OTOP Hub as a reliable mechanism in assisting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) in promoting their products with global standards.

 

"Mao kini ang atoang solution sa mga MSME nga mahatagan sila ug lugar diin ilang mabaligya

ang ilahang produkto at the same time ma showcase usab natu kung unsa ka quality ug competitive ang mga produkto sa taga Davao de Oro", Balleque said.

 

The hub serves as a one-stop retail store where market-ready OTOP products such as arts, crafts, wearables, home styles, food, and beauty and wellness products are made available to both local buyers and tourists.

All of the items displayed were attributed to the richness of the province's natural resources as the direct source of raw materials of the products.

 

The agency also provides intervention programs to MSMEs through various training sessions and seminars that would enhance the design, quality, production, and marketability of each product.

 

The highlight of the event was the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between DTI Davao de Oro and Jorge Town on the establishment and operations of OTOP Hub.

 

Present during the event were DTI Regional Smed Division Chief Marie Anne J. How, Jorge Town CEO Maria Teresa D. Zamora, DTI-DdO Division Chief Patrick Kim B. Evangelio, Provincial Women Development Council Chairperson Sholai Lim, and officials from the provincial and municipal office.

 (Rheafe Hortizano - Provincial Information Office, Photos by DTI DdO)

Detachment in the life of a disciple

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          TO be sure, a certain detachment from the things of this

world and even from people is required of us if we want to be a true

and effective disciple of Christ. He himself said it quite clearly:

“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and

children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my

disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me

cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14,26-17)

          We obviously have to understand these words properly. We are

men and women with material and emotional needs. We cannot let go of

our loved ones if we want to retain our humanity, and of course, of

our Christianity. But we have to realize that meeting these human

needs should be animated by the proper spirit of love that Christ is

showing and giving us. It should not displace such spirit.

          Again, let’s be reassured of what Christ promised us if we

observe the proper priorities in our life. “But seek ye first the

kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be

added unto you." (Mt 6,33) And, “Everyone who has left houses or

brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields

for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit

eternal life.” (Mt 19,29)

          We need to have a certain detachment from persons and things

to be able to give our heart entirely to God, and with him, we

actually have everything else we need. As St. Teresa of Avila put it

graphically, with God we have enough—“solo Dios basta.”

          So the detachment our Lord is asking of us actually does not

mean that we hate our life, our parents and others, and the things of

this world. Rather it is a detachment that asks of us to have

rectitude of intention, that everything that we do be for the glory of

God.

          To be a disciple of Christ, we have to give everything of

ourselves to him and to the tasks such discipleship entails. This will

allow the very power of Christ to work on us. So instead of hindering

our apostolic work, that detachment that Christ requires of his

disciples would only enhance that work.

          Detachment does not remove our involvement and engagement in

our human, earthly and temporal affairs. It simply puts them in the

right context and the right direction. It frees us from unnecessary

baggage. It improves our vision and understanding of things, and

predisposes our heart to the real love which can only be a sharing in

God’s love.

          We should not be afraid to go through the required

sacrifices and self-denial that this proper sense of detachment would

involve, since these can only lead us to the joy and peace meant for

us. We need to do better than have a shallow and narrow view of our

earthly life, giving knee-jerk reactions to things.

          We need to give due attention to this duty of rectifying and

purifying our intention, filling it with love, and expressing it with

generosity and heroism even. We should do away with any ulterior

motive we would be tempted to have. Our problem is precisely our

tendency to take this duty for granted, and so we open ourselves to

the subtle forces of pride, greed, lust, envy, anger, gluttony, sloth,

etc. Christian detachment protects and liberates us from these

dangers.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com