IATF allows rapid antigen test as entry requirement

MANILA. A foreign passenger wearing a protective mask as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus pushes his cart as he arrives at Manila's International Airport in the Philippines on Thursday, February 10, 2022. (AP)

By: THIRD ANNE PERALTA-MALONZO, SunStar Philippines

ARRIVING international travelers can now present as a travel requirement a result of a rapid antigen test conducted by a healthcare professional, said acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar Wednesday, April 6, 2022.

He said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases has approved it, and the test may be done in a healthcare facility, laboratory, clinic, pharmacy, or other similar establishments from the country of origin of the traveler 24 hours before departure.

Previously, the IATF only approved laboratory-based antigen test results from arriving foreign passengers.

On February 10, for the first time since the start of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic in 2020, the National Government allowed the entry of tourists from non-visa countries.

The acceptance of travelers from visa-required countries started on April 1.

The National Government also lifted the mandatory isolation protocols for arriving passengers.

Among the conditions are foreign travelers should be fully vaccinated, except for children, while they are also required to present a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test result taken 48 hours prior to their trip, or a negative antigen result taken 24 hours before departure.

They are also only required to self-monitor within seven days upon their arrival and report to the local government unit of their destination if they manifest any symptom of Covid-19.

Andanar said the IATF also approved the acceptance and recognition of the national Covid-19 vaccination certificates of Bangladesh, Mexico, Panama and Slovak Republic, for purposes of arrival, quarantine protocols, as well as for inter zonal/intrazonal movement.

The IATF directed the Bureau of Quarantine, the Department of Transportation – One-Stop-Shop and the Bureau of Immigration to recognize only the proofs of vaccination thus approved by the IATF. (SunStar Philippines)

Do we really believe in Christ?

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

IT’S a question that we have to ask ourselves, since there are many indications that even those who profess to believe in Christ do so more out of formality. They do not really know him, much less, love him, because if they do, they would be burning with desire to follow him and to bring him to others.

In the gospel, many of the leading Jews during Christ’s time were always skeptical of him. They even went to the extent of doing him harm, and eventually of putting him to death. (cfr. Jn 10,31-42) Some of the people, of course, believed in him, due to the miracles and the splendid preaching he did. Truly, Christ was and continues to be a sign of contradiction.

We have to understand that with Christ, it is not enough to know him. We also have to love him. With Christ, to know him truly is to love him also. In fact, we cannot say we really know him unless we love him too, that is, we become like him. 

With him, these two spiritual operations of ours merge into a unity, although they have different directions. In knowing, the object known is in the knower. It has an inward movement. The knower possesses the known object. 

In loving, the lover is in the beloved. It has an outward movement. It is the beloved that possesses the lover. The lover gets identified with the beloved. The lover becomes what he loves.

In knowing, the knower abstracts things from his object of interest and keeps them to himself. In loving, the lover gives himself to the beloved. In a sense, the lover loses himself and identifies himself with the beloved.

Of course, there are many things that we know but which we do not have to love, or even that we should not love. We can know a lot of evils, but we should never love them. If anything at all, our knowledge of them is just for the sake of prudence.

But whatever good we know, we should also love, otherwise we would fall into some anomaly of inconsistency. Whatever is good, we should not be content with knowing it only. We should love it. Let’s remember what St. Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthians in this regard:

“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.” (8,1-2)

And we can add that if one is known by God, he somehow already knows everything that he ought to know since God, who possesses him because he loves God, knows everything. In other words, he shares the knowledge of God.

Since Christ is for us the highest good we can have, we should both know and love him to the max. We should not just know him and not love him, nor should we just love him without knowing him—or at least, trying to know him the best way that we can, since being God, Christ has aspects that are a mystery to us, that is, beyond our capacity to know him fully.

We can know Christ by studying the gospels and the Church’s teachings about him. But in order to love him, we should put this knowledge of God into practice, converting it into our life itself, to such an extent that we become “another Christ.”

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

ABS-CBN, GMA Network sign historic deal

(Top row from left) Gilberto R. Duavit Jr., Felipe S. Yalong, Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes, Jose Mari R. Abacan. (Bottom row from left) ABS-CBN’s Mark Lopez, Carlo L. Katigbak, Cory V. Vidanes, Ricardo B. Tan Jr., and Olivia Lamasan

by Stephanie Bernardino, Manila Bulletin

GMA Network hosted a historic contract signing with ABS-CBN to license some of Star Cinema’s most popular and well-loved movies.

The news was confirmed by the two media giants via simultaneous reports on “TV Patrol” and “24 Oras” on April 5.

Present during the virtual event were GMA Network President and Chief Operating Officer Gilberto R. Duavit Jr.; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Felipe S. Yalong; GMA Network Films, Inc. President and Programming Consultant to the Chairman and CEO Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes; First Vice President for Program Management Department Jose Mari R. Abacan; Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications Angel Javier-Cruz; Assistant Vice President For Program Management Department Mitzi Garcia; and Assistant Vice President for Corporate Communications Jojo Aquio.

In attendance from ABS-CBN were Chairman Mark Lopez; President and Chief Executive Officer Carlo L. Katigbak; Chief Operating Officer for Broadcast Cory V. Vidanes; Group Chief Financial Officer Ricardo B. Tan, Jr.; Managing Director of ABS-CBN Films Productions Olivia Lamasan; Head of International Sales and Distribution Pia B. Laurel; Vice President of Corporate Communications Kane Errol C. Choa; PR Director Christelle Belmonte; and PR Manager Tonichi Tataro.

“Every storyteller’s dream is to have as many people as possible experience their creations. And now, because of the kindness of our friends at GMA, we have the special opportunity to bring our Kapamilya stories to a new audience. We hope the Kapuso find joy and inspiration in viewing our Star Cinema movies, and we also look forward to a new era of friendship and cooperation within our small industry,” said Katigbak.

Duavit said: “Because the significance of our partnership today ushers in the possibility of a far broader set of conversations, potential partnership, and cooperation that will have the benefit not only neutrally to GMA and ABS-CBN but as importantly, if not, perhaps, more importantly to the benefit of the public we both serve, the Filipino viewer. Looking forward since we have, as they say, broken the ice. There’s great optimism that these conversations will continue or start and continue, and we look forward to the possibility of this type of opportunity again, moving forward.”

Some of the notable movies that will air on GMA-7 include “Alone/Together,” “How to Be Yours,” “Till My Heartaches End,” “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank,” “Ang Cute ng Ina Mo!,” “It Takes a Man and a Woman,” “Just The Way You Are,” “Fantastica,” “Can We Still Be Friends?,” “Finally Found Someone,” “No Other Woman,” “Won’t Last A Day Without You,” “Must Be…Love,” “The Panti Sisters,” “Isa Pa With Feelings,” “James & Pat & Dave,” “Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay,” “Feng Shui,” “Suddenly It’s Magic,” and “I Love You, Hater.”

Prior, GMA teased about the historic collaboration.

“Ang mga pelikulang napapanuod sa GMA, madadagdagan. Dahil ang dating impossible, mangyayari. Abangan ngayong Abril,” said the voice-over, while the logos of GMA Pictures, Regal Entertainment, Viva Films, and OctoArts Films were being flashed on screen. “The START of new age of television,” this text also appeared,  emphasizing the word “STAR.”

This is not the first time that GMA and ABS-CBN have joined forces.

In 2020, Kapamilya star Kathryn Bernardo worked with Kapuso actor Alden Richards on the highest-grossing Filipino film “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina and produced by Star Cinema.

𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 “𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄" 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲

Amidst increasing incidents of abuses and exploitation in the online world, the provincial government of Davao de Oro called for immediate prevention and response activities to safeguard the people on the internet by providing an environment conducive to the free and healthy flow of information.

The online world brought a negative impact on the lives of people where fake news, identity theft or scams, cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, and harassment are rampant on any social media platform. With this, the PLGU-Davao de Oro per Executive Order No. 0043.2021 “An order creating the Safe Space Online initiative” creates advocacy for the people to promote the responsible use of social media and provide an online space that is in accordance with allowed community policy rules and regulations. 

This advocacy is inspired by R.A 11313 also known as the “Safe Space Act” which would help each individual to be responsible for the safety use of the internet especially on filtering information and what should we take in. 

Moreover,  this serves as a network of support targeted against the vulnerable such as women and other sexual minorities, indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, the elderly, and others, so that they will be guided with the right information, combat foul, discriminatory, and malicious language and feel that they are far from any physical and emotional abuses. 

Furthermore, this assures that teachers, parents, students, the youth, and the entire public have access to the free content online along with the Prevention, Protection, and Empowerment principles.  “Digital Parenting” is also provided so that parents and teachers give proper guidance, support, and control over what the child sees or does on the internet or social media. Also, the importance of “Data Privacy” is highlighted so that each individual will be responsible for controlling his or her personal information over where it is used on the internet. 

On April 1, 2022, the “Safe Space Online Advocacy” (SSO) in Davao De Oro was officially launched via Zoom and Serbisyo Oro Mismo (SOM) neteleradyo. During the launching, some of the attendees are DepEd teachers and students represented by Dr. Hilda Opeña, Education Program Supervisor in English-DepEd DDO Division, State Colleges and Universities students, Municipal Women Council Presidents in DDO headed by  Sholai Lim, Chairperson-Provincial Women Development Council, Michael L. Uy, Information Center Manager-PIA Davao de Oro, Kim Khael Calabio, Supreme Students Government Provincial President, and Atty. Niel John Villarico, PG Department Head-Provincial Legal Office. 

Guest Speaker Renee Boy Binondo, Regional Coordinator-Council for the Welfare of Children Region XI gave his insight on the use of social media platforms. “We recognized that one out of three internet users are under 18 years old but also we would like to associate with this that more women are using this internet gadget and in perspective also, unsang klaseng pag gamit sa mga kababainhan ug kabataan ug kalalakihan sa pag access aning internet, then rapidly increasing internet penetration. Estimated that over 120 million na mga kabataan naga adtu nagyud online especially that explains our two years lockdown pandemic ug distance learning offered by the Department of Education. Then, the digital world provides critical opportunities to learn, connect, and play, but also amplifies and creates risk. I’ve heard gyud na maayu ang digital world, maayu ang mga instruments but also dunay disadvantages if we don’t put mechanisms and systems that would protect the people” Binondo said.

Hence, this advocacy was created by the task group led by Fe F. Maestre, PAO-Information Division Supervisor, with its members Joyzel R.  Odi, PAO-Information Technology, and Communication Development Office, Josephine M. Frasco, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer, Atty. Niel John R. Villarico, Provincial Legal Officer, Zenith Maceda, PGO-Women Development Program , Edu C. Macabatas , PGO-Bayanihan para sa Karunungan (BPSK) , Allin Joy M. Camile and  Arianne Dacalos from Provincial Governor’s Office. (Jaynus Fernandez PAO-IPRD)

When the truth would really set us free

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

WE need to be clear about this. The truth that would really set us free is when we identify ourselves with Christ who, while teaching what is good and evil, eventually bore all the sins of men for our salvation. More than just proclaiming the truth in terms of what is right and wrong, he offered mercy to all, including those who crucified him. That is the ultimate truth.

All this truth of our faith that relates truth to Christ is encapsulated in Christ’s words: “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

To be sure, truth is not only a matter of facts and data, much less, the possibility and the fear that something that is speculative would happen in the future. The truth that would really set us free is when like Christ, we are willing to suffer even as we proclaim always with charity what is right and wrong, what is good and evil. 

In this life, to be in the truth and enjoy authentic freedom, we have to expect suffering. The idea of truth and freedom that excludes suffering here on earth is neither the truth and the freedom that Christ revealed to us.

We need to understand this truth of our faith well, because nowadays it is very easy to be confused about where to find freedom and how freedom should be. That’s because all sorts of ideas promoted by all kinds of ideologies and spread by powerful groups have been flooding the world.

Nowadays, freedom is mainly understood as the power to do whatever a person or a group would like to do. It is purely a subjective freedom, based only on one’s conception of it or on the consensus of a certain group.

There is also the erroneous idea that freedom is anything that gives one some pleasure, some convenience, some advantage, etc. Again it is an idea of freedom that is self-oriented, not other-oriented which is how it should be, since freedom is a matter of loving, and loving is self-giving, not self-serving.

Because of these confusing if not erroneous ideas, the sacrifices involved in loving the way Christ has loved us—Christ who is the standard of love and freedom—turn off many people who cannot accept the freedom offered to us by Christ. After all, Christ himself said that if we want to follow him, we have to deny ourselves and carry the cross. (cfr. Mt 16,24)  

We need to promote the real freedom that is offered to us by Christ. We have to preach about it, in season and out of season, and explain it thoroughly, using arguments that are adapted to the different mentalities and cultures of the people.

Our problem in this regard is usually that of being ineffective in our preaching because we use complex or subtle arguments, examples, etc., that are above people’s head. This is not to mention the fact that many times people find inconsistency in what we preach and in what we do. We do not walk the talk.

If only we manage to convince people, using both human and supernatural means, that we can actually get in contact with Christ who is always alive and is in touch with us, then we can see this authentic freedom lived out all over the place.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Entry of poultry products strictly monitored in Davao City amid bird flu outbreak

by Antonio Colina, Manila Bulletin

DAVAO CITY — The City Government of Davao City has intensified efforts to monitor the entry of poultry products following the outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) H5N1 in some provinces of Luzon and Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, an official said.

Dr. Cerelyn Pinili, head of the City Veterinary Office, said that the security personnel here have been directed to screen the poultry products upon entry at checkpoints to check if these are not transported from areas with reported bird flu outbreaks.

She said the city has put up more veterinary checkpoints in Lasang, Calinan, Marilog, and Sirawan in Toril.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) confirmed an outbreak of bird flu in the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Laguna, and Camarines Sur and reported confirmed cases in Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Tarlac, and Benguet.

 

According to DA, the “possible sources of infection and spread of the virus in those areas are the presence of migratory or resident wild birds, late or non-reporting of suspect cases (sick/dying birds), and illegal movement of infected birds from H5N1 infected areas as per disease investigation conducted by veterinary authorities.”

Pinili said the transport of live birds coming from these areas has been banned in pursuance of DA’s Memorandum Circular No. 6 Series of 2022 released on Tuesday, which prescribes the “Guidelines on the movement of domestic and captured wild birds and poultry products and by-products during the avian influenza outbreak.”

According to the DA, the policy regulates the movement of ducks, quails, chicken, and other poultry commodities in affected areas, particularly those coming from within the one-kilometer (km) quarantine area.

She assured local consumers that the city remains free from bird flu.

“Based on our monitoring, we have no reported case yet. We have obtained several samples from our forms and results tested negative,” she said.

But Pinili encouraged the poultry raisers to immediately report to authorities any reported deaths of poultry caused by flu to contain the spread of infection.

She said the local government’s surveillance has been focused on Talomo and Tugbok Districts where the city’s big commercial poultry farms are situated.

 

In a press release issued by the City Government of Davao, Pinili said that the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) reported an outbreak of bird flu last March 10 in nearby Tacurong in Soccsksargen wherein 1,000 ducks had been culled.

Oil firms announce rollbacks for 2nd time this year

Angelica Y. Yang - Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — Consumers can expect lower fuel prices this week amid hopes of resolving fighting prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other developments affecting the global oil market, where the Philippines mainly gets its supply from.

This marks the second time this year that fuel prices went down. 

On Monday, two oil firms announced price rollbacks in their fuel products. In an advisory, Seaoil Philippines announced a price reduction for gas by P2.30 per liter, diesel by P1.85 per liter and kerosene at P1.65 per liter, effective Tuesday. 

Another oil company Cleanfuel announced similar adjustments for its diesel and gas products. 

"One reason for the rollback is the positive feedback that the negotiator reported on the possible resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict," Rodela Romero, assistant secretary of the Department of Energy's Oil Industry Management Bureau told Philstar.com in an online exchange on Monday. 

She explained that sentiments and speculations trigger oil price adjustments. 

Romero noted three more reasons for the fuel price decrease this week. These are:

A US move to consider releasing a total of 180 million barrels of oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the next six months by May.

 The lockdown in Shanghai in China amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Russia's announcement to scale down its military operations in Ukraine.

Gas, diesel and kerosene prices in the Philippines have been increasing since the start of the year due to tight supply, which was partly worsened by the invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this year, the Philippine government announced that it will double its fuel subsidies to P6.1 billion for affected groups such as the transportation and agricultural sectors in a bid to help them cushion the impacts of the oil price hikes. 

Based on data collected from the announcements of oil firms since the start of the year, the price adjustments of oil products are as follows: P16 per liter for gasoline, P26 per liter for diesel and P24.1 per liter for kerosene. 

Over 176,000 foreign tourist arrivals in PH since February

MANILA. Tourists from Germany carry their bags as they arrive at Manila's International Airport, Philippines on Thursday, February 10, 2022. (AP)

By: THIRD ANNE PERALTA-MALONZO, SunSTAR

OVER 176,000 tourists from abroad arrived in the Philippines after it opened its borders to foreign travelers amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said on Monday, April 4, 2022.

Puyat said from February 10 to April 2, there were a total of 176,857 tourist arrivals from both non-visa and visa-required countries.

She said majority of the tourists were from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and South Korea.

On February 10, the National Government allowed the entry of tourists from non-visa countries in the country, while the acceptance of travelers from visa-required countries started on April 1.

This aims to boost the recovery of the country’s tourism sector, which has been in drought due to strict border controls brought about by the Covid-19 crisis.

Foreign travelers should be fully vaccinated except for children while they are also required to present a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test result taken 48 hours prior to their trip, or a negative laboratory-based antigen result taken 24 hours before departure.

Puyat said they are elated by the continuous arrival of foreign tourists, as well as domestic travelers going on a trip amid the easing of quarantine restrictions in the country.

She said almost all of the resorts and hotels in tourist destinations nationwide were already fully booked for the upcoming Holy Week vacation.

Puyat reminded the public, however, to strictly adhere to minimum health protocols while having fun during their vacation to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

She urged individuals to get fully vaccinated and get their booster doses before going on a vacation to ensure their protection against severe and critical illness brought about by the virus.

The Department of Health recorded on Sunday, April 3, 690 additional Covid-19 cases, bringing the total tally to 3,679,629.

So far, over 65 million individuals have been fully vaccinated in the country, while more than 64 million have received the first dose a

Is rice dangerous for a kidney stone patient?

 

Lucia Garcia

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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”.

Rice is the staple food for more than half of the world's population, including countless people with kidney stones, but they still eat rice every day.

Rice is an extremely nutrient-rich food, and rice has nothing to do with kidney stones.

Kidney stones are preventable and treatable, and the easiest way to prevent and treat kidney stones is to eat the right foods.

Studies have shown that approximately 70% to 80% of stones are calcium oxalate stones.

The accumulation of oxalic acid in the body is the main factor leading to kidney stones.

In addition, excessive intake of high-sugar, high-protein and high-purine foods is also linked to kidney stones.

Kidney stone patients should eat less foods high in oxalic acid, such as spinach, beans, carrots, mushrooms, amaranth, coriander, celery, grapes, oranges, strawberries and so on.

It is recommended that patients with kidney stones often eat some black fungus. Black fungus contains alkaloids and various minerals, which can produce a strong chemical reaction to kidney stones, dissolve the stones, shrink them and excrete them from the body.

Patients with kidney stones also are advised to drink plenty of water. Studies have shown that a 50% increase in urine output can reduce the incidence of kidney stones by 85%.

Why is God so merciful?

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

THE simple answer is that because he loves us. His love does not alter even if we go against him. He will do everything to bring us back to him. He will offer forgiveness. He will bear with us the consequences of our sins. And yes, he not only is willing to be like us in everything except sin, but also to die for our sins.

This mercy of God is shown in a graphic way in that story of the woman caught in adultery. (Jn 8,1-11) That woman, all covered with shame, did not even explicitly say she was sorry, but Christ did not condemn her. He just told her to sin no more.

We have to realize that mercy is the ultimate expression of love, and God is love. Love is the very essence of his being which, as we all know, is an eternal being, that is, no beginning and no end. Love can never be measured. It has the character of infinity, no borders, no limits, no walls.

And since we are supposed to be his image and likeness, then we have to realize also that we have to love and be merciful the way God loves and is merciful to everyone. “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful,” Christ said. (Lk 6,36) Indeed, how God is should also be how we ought to be. It’s a tremendous goal we have to pursue, but God has actually given us everything so we can reach that goal, in spite of our limitations.

We should just learn how to be forgiving and understanding of others. For this, we should be willing to make sacrifices for others, since to have this God-like attitude of mercy, we cannot help but, like Christ, be willing to suffer for the others. And this is not being unfair with our own selves, inflicting severe injustice on our own selves. We have to realize that given the fact that we are all brothers and sisters, and children of God, object of the constant love of God, mercy becomes the fullness of justice.

If Christ can offer forgiveness to those who crucified him—and there can be no worse evil than killing Christ who is God—why do we find it hard to offer forgiveness to others?

It is presumed that all of us sin one way or another. That’s why St. John said: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 Jn 1,8) I am sure that our personal experience can bear that out easily.

No matter how saintly we try ourselves to be, sin always manages to come in because of our wounded humanity and the many temptations within and around us. As St. John said, we have to contend with three main enemies: our own wounded flesh, the devil and the world corrupted by sin.

The awareness of this truth is not meant to depress us but rather to keep us humble and always feeling in need of God. We should be wary when we would just depend solely on our own resources to tackle this predicament. We need God!

The awareness of this truth should also help us to develop the attitude to forgive one another as quickly as possible, since that is the only way we can be forgiven. When we find it hard to forgive others, it is a clear sign that we are full of ourselves, are self-righteous, proud and vain. It is a clear sign that we are not yet with Christ.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com