Pope Francis sends good wishes to BBM

By Franco Jose C. Baroña, Manila Times

POPE Francis extended his congratulations to Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for his upcoming inauguration as the 17th President of the Philippines.

"I send my congratulations and cordial wishes to your excellency as you begin your mandate as the president of the republic," Pope Francis said in his message shared by the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Charles Brown.

The pope said he is praying for Marcos as he takes over the mantle of leadership of more than 100 million Filipinos.

"In assuring you of my prayers that you will be sustained in wisdom and strength, I invoke the Almighty God's blessings of peace and prosperity upon the nation," the pope added.

Marcos will be formally sworn in as president on June 30 after being elected by the majority of Filipinos in the May 2022 elections.

His inauguration will be held at the National Museum of the Philippines at 12 p.m. He will be sworn in by Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.

Archbishop Brown earlier revealed the positive conversation he had with Marcos when he made a courtesy call on June 10. Their discussion centered on strengthening the relationship between the church and government.

The Vatican representative in the Philippines said Marcos expressed his willingness to cooperate with the church.

"We had a very productive, encouraging and positive discussion. The president-elect has assured me of his desire to collaborate and cooperate closely with the church and the Holy See," Archbishop Brown added.

Pope Francis conveys 'solidarity' with 'Agaton' victims

The Catholic Church in the Philippines already assured continued engagement with the incoming government for the benefit of Filipinos.

According to Caritas Philippines national director, Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, they will work with the new administration on programs that will address the rights and dignity of the people as well as promote truth and honest governance.

Toni Gonzaga to sing national anthem in BBM's inauguration

 MARCOS SUPPORTER Actress-host Toni Gonzaga (second from left) will sing the National Anthem at the inauguration of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the National Museum. With Gonzaga in this photo are Marcos, Vice President Sara Duterte and husband and director Paul Soriano. INSTAGRAM PHOTO/CELESTINEGONZAGA

By Iza Iglesias

(UPDATE) ACTRESS-HOST Toni Gonzaga will sing the Philippine national anthem in the inauguration of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. or BBM on June 30, 2022 at the National Museum in Manila.

The news was confirmed on Tuesday by Franz Imperial, a member of the preparation committee.

Gonzaga was among the prominent personalities who campaigned for the UniTeam led by Marcos and running mate and Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio.

She has joined and performed in the tandem's nationwide campaign rallies while her husband, award-winning director Paul Soriano, directed the political advertisements of Marcos.

The president-elect, who happens to be their wedding godfather, earlier applauded Gonzaga and Soriano despite being criticized by netizens on social media platforms.

"We should congratulate them for the fine work that they did. In front of me is Miss Toni Gonzaga. Sabi ko nga kanina na siya ang nag-start ng kampanya na ito. Noong pumutok 'yung interview sa akin at kriniticize siya, ang tapang-tapang nito. I didn't expect that this elegant lady would be able to withstand these criticisms (As I had said, she started the campaign, When her interview with me came out, and she was criticized for it, she stood her ground, she was brave)," Marcos said, referring to Gonzaga's one-on-one YouTube interview with him, in a Facebook video shared by director Darryl Yap on May 15.

"Sinundan pa ni Paul (Paul followed suit), who did our ads. Sa aking palagay (In my opinion), nobody can contest at malayung-malayo (the ads and they were exceptional). Ginagaya nga, eh (They were being imitated). 'Di ba 'yung isa o dalawang ads natin ginagaya (Isn't it that one or two of our ads were being copied)? They were that good, and we kept the momentum going and the message alive," he added.

Movie and TV actress Cris Villonco will sing the inauguration song titled "Pilipinas Kong Mahal" with the Young Voices of the Philippines choir.

Meanwhile, National Commission for Culture and the Arts head Nick Lizaso confirmed that the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, pianist Cecille Licad, and singers Robert Seña and Isay Alvarez have been tapped to perform at the reception dinner in Malacañang.

Next press secretary sees herself as a 'problem solver'

By Kristina Maralit, Manila Times

PRESS secretary-designate Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles will lean on her years of experience as a lawyer in performing her job as the incoming administration's chief communicator.

Describing herself as a "problem solver," the next chief of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) said one of her priorities will be plugging the holes in the PCOO and its attached agencies.

"As a lawyer, when you handle a case, you solve the problem that a client has. Coming into the PCOO, what I want to do is help and that help comes in the form of solving certain problems," Cruz-Angeles told The Manila Times.

Her main job still is helping the president. "That is the main reason I'm here," she said.

"I'm also in charge of several attached agencies that come with their own unique challenges. I'd like to solve those challenges. I'm not saying that I'm going to succeed, but I like the idea of being able to come in and say, 'OK, let me do this for you. Ayusin natin 'yan (Let's fix that). That's my idea of public service," she said.

Cruz-Angeles had said she has started reviewing the existing projects of the agency as well as those in the pipeline to determine which will continue, and which will be shelved for the meantime.

Among the projects is the upgrading of the state-owned network PTV-4 and IBC-13 to give the government a wider reach in conveying its programs and achievements. To do this, the PCOO must first secure the needed funding, one problem the lawyer-turned-vlogger hopes to solve.

Still, Cruz-Angeles remains confident she and the rest of the Marcos administration's communications team will have few problems in making the public take notice and digest messages they will convey.

Because President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is "very personable," Cruz-Angeles sees "no issues" in communicating with the public.

Why the president-elect will be his ownspokesman on certain issues and questions

"Like he's very popular on social media, so we would like to hear and see him more on radio, other platforms. It's [about] bringing the presidency and his unique brand of leadership to where it is seen and appreciated. I want it to be more consistent, and now that he's going to be the leader of the entire country, he will now be directly talking to people and I'd like them to see how he is," she said.

Cruz-Angeles said Marcos "doesn't need to be interpreted, he's clear." The only thing she needs to do is find out Marcos' message. "I just want it to be like, 'OK, sir, I'll take this, and I will bring it to the people, more people.'"

She gave assurances that under a Marcos leadership, the rights of media workers will be protected and press freedom respected.

"There's never been an issue about dissent. The president-elect doesn't even answer his critics. You're free to talk. We're not changing anything. Whatever freedoms we have now will always be our freedom. Our Constitution guarantees that," she said.

Whatever happens, trust God always

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

“WHY are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. (Mt 8,26)

These words of Christ, addressed to his apostles who were terrified when their boat was buffeted by big waves, should remind us that we should always go and trust God, especially in our difficult moments. He takes care of everything, even if his ways may not be in accord with what we want. His way of resolving our problems will always be what is best for us.

We have to realize firmly that nothing happens in our life without the knowledge and permission of God. And if he allows certain difficulties, calamities, predicaments to come to us, it is simply to give a trial and a chance to prepare ourselves for the end of our life. He always knows how to derive good from evil.

So, let us never be afraid of anything. We should just learn how to react spiritually and supernaturally, avoiding being trapped in our merely earthly estimation of things. Only then, can we see God’s ever-wise and merciful designs for us in every predicament we can find ourselves in. God’s providence never fails.

With all the things that we have to contend with in this life, we certainly need to have a healthy sense of trust in God’s loving and wise providence, abandoning ourselves in his will and ways that often are mysterious to us and can appear to be contrary to what we would like to have.

A healthy spirit of abandonment in God’s hands is necessary even as we exhaust all possible human means to achieve our goals or simply to tackle all the challenges, trials and predicaments of our life. We should never forget this truth of our faith.

Let us quote some words of Christ that form the basis for this belief:

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Mt 6,26-34)

We need to engrave these words in our heart so that whatever difficulty we encounter in our life, we will know how to react. Very often, we tend to face things simply on our own, relying only on our own powers that no matter how impressive can only do so much.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Covid positivity rates climb – OCTA

THE number of Covid-19-positive tests in the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila and eight other areas has exceeded the threshold set by the World Health Organization. File Photo

By Franco Jose C. Baroña, Manila Times

OCTA Research fellow Guido David said the positivity rate in the NCR climbed to 5.9 percent on June 25 from 3.9 percent on June 18.

The WHO recommends a rate of 5 percent or lower to ensure that the coronavirus is under control.

The positivity rate refers to the percentage of people who were positive for Covid-19 among the total individuals that were tested for the virus.

Other areas with rates above the WHO threshold are Batangas (from 1.2 percent to 5.6 percent), Cagayan (from 1.9 percent to 5.8 percent), Cavite (from 3.6 percent to 6 percent), Iloilo (from 4.4 percent to 5.7 percent), Laguna (from 3.1 percent to 7.5 percent), Pampanga (from 3.3 percent to 5.9 percent) and South Cotabato (from 6.3 percent to 7.4 percent).

Rizal province recorded the highest rate, jumping from 6.3 percent on June 18 to 11.9 percent on June 25.

Amid the rising Covid-19 cases, Dr. Anthony "Tony" Leachon said the government should seriously consider administering second booster shots to economic frontliners and people with comorbidities.

For now, Leachon said, the priority must be to ramp up the first booster shots to the general public.

"I think, the first approach is to ramp up the first booster and consider also the expansion of the second booster or the fourth shot not only to the health care workers, senior citizens or immunocompromised individuals, but start and align with the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines to start it above 50 years old," the former special adviser to the National Task Force Against Covid-19 said.

"For the A3 (people with comorbidities) and economic frontliners, maybe we should also open it up, considering some of the vaccines will expire," he added.

The CDC recommends two booster shots for adults ages 50 and above as well as people ages 12 and older who are moderately and severely immunocompromised.

In the Philippines, the second booster is only available to 18-year-olds and above, workers in essential health services, senior citizens, immunocompromised individuals ages 18 years and above with an immunodeficiency state, HIV, active cancer or malignancy, transplant recipients, undergoing steroid treatment, patients with poor prognosis or bedridden patients, and other conditions of immunodeficiency as certified by a physician.

Leachon noted that catching a mild Covid-19 from someone infected with an Omicron subvariant could still have severe effects.

Covid positivity rates in NCR, 8 areas surpass WHO threshold

"This can actually also lead to long Covid-19 or post-Covid-19 patients, and that would affect the productivity of our economic frontliners. We should not increase the cases since it would affect not just hospitalization and death rate, but it will affect our quality of life and productivity of our economic frontliners," he said.

Vaccine Expert Panel Chairman Dr. Nina Gloriani favors second booster shots for those with comorbidities and economic frontliners, as well as a review of the definition of the term "immunocompromised" to cover people with other comorbidities.

Gloriani said only the Department of Health (DoH) can make the final decision, but the agency is still waiting for more data from the WHO.

Expand second booster shot rollout – Concepcion

The DoH has declared that the majority of the country's population is still not eligible for a second booster because there is insufficient evidence that it will be beneficial to the general public.

Experts help create Covid-19 road map

 Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria “Joey” Concepcion 3rd. File Photo

By Kristina Maralit, Manila Times

PRESIDENTIAL Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd and a group of experts have analyzed the continued wearing of masks, hospitalization as a gauge for determining alert levels, and vaccination policies in assembling a road map for the country's post-Covid pandemic recovery.

Concepcion, who was joined by the Advisory Council of Experts (ACE) — composed of some of the country's foremost authorities on medicine, public health, economics, and research and data analytics — said the aim was to come up with guidelines for the private sector regarding matters of public health and the economy. "The country is faced with urgent problems on the economic front, but the fact is, Covid is still very much around," he said. "We need to find ways so that we save our livelihoods without unnecessarily losing our hard-won victories against the virus." The Philippines has recorded 3,700,000 Covid cases since the pandemic started in 2020. About 60,500 deaths have been attributed to the disease.

The ACE panelists said that while face coverings have been proven to reduce transmission, opinions clashed on whether it is time for the country to relax the mask mandate, especially in outdoor settings.

"It was recommended that the most prudent way forward is to keep wearing face masks for now," Concepcion said, stressing that the country has managed to keep critical indicators low because Filipinos have generally accepted the wearing of masks.

OCTA Research fellow Prof. Ranjit Rye said the group's survey last April showed that the majority of Filipinos will still choose to wear masks even after the end of the pandemic has been declared since "there is no demand for unmasking." Points were raised about the societal and economic costs of continued mask wearing, including questions about its effect on children and how it sends mixed signals on the end of the pandemic.

It was agreed, however, that the issue over mask wearing will be reviewed as the situation changes.

There is also the consensus that the government must at some point shift the responsibility of vaccinating the population to pharmaceutical companies, and that there should be a deadline to make the shift, preferably within the first 100 days of the Marcos administration.

The experts also agreed that hospitalization rates be made the primary criteria for setting alert levels. The metric was considered more accurate than the number of infections, and it also factors in how mobility restrictions affect the economy.

"We've seen over the past two years how important it is to have experts from all fields guiding us through the pandemic. Experts have credibility with our citizens and they give advice based on science and data," Concepcion said.

The panel of ACE experts include National Task Force Against Covid-19 special adviser Dr. Teddy Herbosa, Covid-19 Technical Working Group chairperson Dr. Nina Gloriani, Vaccine Expert Panel member Dr. Rontgene Solante, UP Manila Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology director Dr. Edsel Salvaña, Philippine College of Physicians president Dr. Maricar Limpin, health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon, OCTA Research fellows Dr. Michael Tee, Prof. Ranjit Rye, Dr. Guido David and Fr. Nic Austriaco, economist Romy Bernardo and Go Negosyo lead adviser Josephine Romero.

"It has been more than two years since our lives and livelihoods have been disrupted by this pandemic. I think it is now time to set a clear path for how the country must transition into a state of normalcy," Concepcion said.

The right to disconnect

A LIFE WITHOUT CELL PHONE? I remember the time, when one of my first Japanese friends kept on complaining, why I didn't operate a cellphone. Believe me, during that time, sometime in 2000 or 2001, I was even typing my articles on an old typewriter from Germany.

My Japanese friend then bought me a computer - and a cellphone! Some other friends congratulated me: "Welcome back to the world!" 

Sometimes, I observed (business-)people operating with two or even more cellphones at the same time. I asked them: "How did you survive doing business before without these units?" Believe me or not. The answers have been mostly: I really don't know!

Doing business nowadays without a cellphone? Even a very private life? I can't imagine it anymore. Philippines' cellphone companies really provide us with the widest distribution and the broadest coverage to very affordable charges or even for free. I really enjoy, for example, the unlimited call experience - just to mention one.

Two handsets or even three. Ok lang, as long as it keeps my business running. 

Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker explained it very well: for the average working person, there’s no greater feeling than powering down your computer and kissing goodbye to your avalanche of work emails for the day. If we’re lucky enough to disconnect from the job on evenings and weekends, we’re overjoyed to leave work emails and the stress that comes with it in the office.

But experts say we’re increasingly failing to do so, instead bringing the burden home with us and fielding emails during our free time. Unsurprisingly, this routine has some serious consequences.

Now, it is a reflex, like checking my Facebook or Twitter timeline. Yes, it's indeed so - but never 24/7.

Working abnormal or long hours has long been linked with depression, anxiety and even coronary heart disease. Crucially, the importance of weekend recovery has also been correlated with weekly job performance and personal initiative. While further research revealed psychological detachment during off-work time, reduced emotional exhaustion caused by high job demands and helped people stay engaged.

So, if we know all this, it begs the question: why are we still letting work invade our precious weekends? 

According to Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology at Manchester Business School and president of the CIPD, the recent trend even spills into the way we access our work communications and projects.

Today, says Cooper, work emails are just a tap of a smartphone away. “You don’t carry your laptop around when you’re out to dinner, but you do carry your mobile phone,” he says. “The smartphone changed everything.”

The right to disconnect is a proposed human right regarding the ability of people to disconnect from work and primarily not to engage in work-related electronic communications such as e-mails or messages during non-work hours. The modern working environment has been drastically changed by new communication and information technologies. The boundary between work life and home life has shrunk with the introduction of digital tools into employment. While digital tools bring flexibility and freedom to employees they also can create an absence of limits, leading to excessive interference in the private lives of employees

If we don’t switch off from work we don’t recover from work. We should get the right to be disconnected. At night or during weekends.

Reaching the academic top means fixing school problems from the ground up

by Manila Bulletin

President-elect Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. recently made a comment, reminiscing the “glory days” of the Philippines when it comes to academics. With the still ongoing pandemic ravaging the country’s—the world’s, in fact—academic systems, such a call for improving the academic standing of Filipino learners is a welcome one.

In recent years, much has been said about the state of education in the country, with issues such as public school textbooks riddled with errors as well as international and regional academic rankings that place the Philippines in positions that leave much for improvement.

This does not, however, take away from the fact that there are individuals and institutions that perform quite well academically, recognized for achievements in various fields. These are testament to, perhaps, the inherent intellectual prowess of the Filipino. But, as the saying goes (and loosely translating it), talent is bested by effort—and adding to this, effort is more effective if the environment and the situation is more ideal.

Hence, the need for improving the academic situation of the country. It is an almost perennial pursuit, one that any well-meaning government should pursue with the sincerest of efforts and the most liberal of budgets. That there remains a more than palpable distinction between schools run privately and those managed by the government is one such situation that needs to be remedied. Public education, after all, should not seem like an academic disadvantage for a lack of a better option because it truly isn’t. How many of the country’s top minds today have a public education background? To say that there is a lot would be an understatement.

Still, this does not take away from the fact that there are many public schools that sorely lack modern or updated equipment.

There are public schools that do not have enough classrooms to cater to the number of learners enrolled. There are public schools where teachers lack the basic materials necessary for a smoother delivery of lectures. Perhaps it is time to de-romanticize the sad fact that Manila paper is still being used by many teachers—neither is this an example of being “ma-diskarte” (innovate).

In a strange sense, the learning-from-home setup (and now the hybrid one) was a welcome respite from the realities of public school education, realities that should not have been so in the first place. But now that restrictions are easing up and education is slowly returning to the way things were, albeit with face masks and isopropyl alcohols as souvenirs, the Department of Education must sooner than later face and change these sad realities.

In order for Filipino learners to reach the proverbial academic top, there is a need to improve education from the ground up.

Philippine Quality of Life

 

Tourists rescue sea turtle off Aurora

By Leander C. Domingo, Manila Times

Tourists and paraglider pilots from Nueva Vizcaya province helped find a mother sea turtle on its way home to the ocean after laying its eggs offshore in the coastal town of  Dinalungan in Aurora province.

PHOTO BY AMBAGUIO MUNICIPAL TOURISM OFFICE IN NUEVA VIZCAYA

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya: A mother sea turtle has been successfully returned to the Pacific Ocean after it was rescued in Barangay Ditawini, Dinalungan in Aurora province by local tourists from the upland town of Ambaguio in this province.

Nuepe Manuel Jr., municipal tourism officer of Ambaguio town, said they were at a resort in Dinalungan town in Aurora with some paraglider pilots from Nueva Vizcaya when they saw a turtle that had just laid eggs under a tree.

Manuel said he did not immediately post the photos and videos they took on social media until Tuesday, June 21, after some residents in the area became interested in the eggs when they heard that they helped the turtle return to the sea.

Other than Manuel's group, only the caretaker of the resort knows the place where the turtle laid its eggs.

Manuel's group spotted the turtle and immediately worked to help the reptile find its way to the sea for fear that the residents might see it.

"This mother turtle just laid eggs on the shore, and we immediately guided and even pushed her way back to the ocean to prevent it from being captured by locals," Manuel said.

He said residents who learned about this expressed dismay at failing to catch the turtle because they believe that eating turtle meat and eggs can cure some diseases.

Although the caretaker of the resort promised that he would keep an eye on the turtle eggs, the guests were still worried about the condition of the eggs.

"In the landlocked province of Nueva Vizcaya, we are hundreds of kilometers away from the ocean but we are aware that the turtle is considered endangered and we know that our government is doing so much effort to help save endangered species," he said.

Endangered species such as turtles are protected under Republic Act 9147, better known as the "Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act."

The law provides that anyone found to be involved in the capture, assault, killing, sale, or purchase of endangered species will be subject to appropriate penalties such as imprisonment.

"We were excited and even told about the turtle to an elderly woman selling halo-halo and learned that the locals truly hunt turtles whose meat the woman said tastes like beef," Manuel said.

He said he lied when he was asked where the turtle laid its eggs, especially when he heard that its meat and eggs are also hunted for human consumption and believed to have medicinal value.

"We were happy to have seen through this mother turtle's tough journey back home to the ocean after laying eggs on the shore. We believe we prevented it from being captured by poachers who could have easily taken it," Manuel said.

He said is hoping that nobody finds the eggs until they hatch and that all the hatchlings eventually find their way home to the ocean alive, like their mother.