Hidilyn bags 3 golds in World Championships

 

ANOTHER RECORD Hidilyn Diaz shows grace as she lifts for gold and possibly a ticket to the next Olympics in this screen grab from the International Weightlifting Federation.

By Waylon Galvez, Manila Times

December 9, 2022 600

(UPDATE) HIDILYN Diaz-Naranjo won three gold medals to rule the 55-kilogram category of the World Championships of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in Bogota, Colombia on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).

The 31-year-old Zamboanga City native had a total lift of 207 kilograms.

ANOTHER RECORD Hidilyn Diaz shows grace as she lifts for gold and possibly a ticket to the next Olympics in this screen grab from the International Weightlifting Federation. 

The Athlete of the Year of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) also lifted 93 kilos in the snatch and 114 kilos in the clean and jerk for her two other golds.

Rosalba Morales of Colombia won the silver and Ana Gabriela Lopez of Mexico the bronze.

The Tokyo Olympics champion tried for 117 and 121 kg but registered no lift in both attempts.

The golds were the first for Diaz-Naranjo at the World Championships, and came a year after she handed the Philippines its first Olympic gold medal.

She previously won golds in the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Games, Asian Championship, the Asian Indoor and Mixed Martial Arts Games, and the World Cup.

The World Championships also served as a qualifying event for Diaz-Naranjo who hopes to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Morales had a total lift of 199 kg and took silver in clean and jerk, while Lopez had a total lift of 198 kg and bagged silver in snatch.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Jose Emmanuel "Noli" Eala congratulated Diaz.

"Hidilyn has proven once again that the fire in her heart to be second to none in her field continues to burn and remains the benchmark by which every weightlifter and Filipino athlete must measure themselves against," Eala said in a statement.

"The PSC will forever be proud of Hidilyn as the epitome of a great champion and will always provide support in her continuing quest to bring honor to our country. Mabuhay!" he said.

Filipino weightlifters Elreen Ando, Vanessa Sarno, Kristel Macrohon and Dave Lloyd Pacaldo are also expected to vie for medals at the World Championships and slots for the 2024 Olympics.

LPA to enter PH, may escalate into tropical depression – Pagasa

By Arlie O. Calalo, Manila Times

THE state-run weather agency said on Thursday that a low pressure area (LPA) still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) may develop into a tropical depression once it enters the country and would be named "Rosal".

Weather specialist Benison Estareja of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) told The Manila Times that the LPA was last spotted some 1, 265 kilometers east of Mindanao (outside PAR).

He said its trough or extension is affecting the eastern sections of Visayas and Mindanao where cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms may prevail over the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the shear line or the point where the warm and cold air converge is bringing rains over Northern Luzon particularly in Cagayan, Apayao and Ilocos Norte, Pagasa said.

Quoting Pagasa's latest forecast, Estareja said the LPA will likely enter within the day (Thursday) and will move towards Eastern Visayas and Bicol Region.

"It has a moderate chance to become a tropical cyclone," said Estareja although he declined to say if this would further escalate into a tropical storm in the coming days.

In case the LPA will develop into a storm, it will have a domestic name of "Rosal", the 18th cyclone this year and the first this month, the Pagasa forecaster said.

Over Metro Manila and the rest of the country, the weather bureau said generally fair weather is likely over the next 24 hours although partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms may be experienced in late afternoon and night time due to the localized thunderstorms.

Developing a deep sense of religion

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

THE liturgical season of Advent can be a good occasion for us to develop and strengthen our sense of religion, our life of piety, and our intimacy with God. We have to remember that as human beings, we often are trapped in our human and natural world and quite indifferent to the spiritual dimension of our life, let alone the supernatural goal our life is meant to pursue. Let’s do something about this predicament.

Let us hope that as we prepare for Christmas during this Advent season with our customary excitement for the holidays, we do not neglect the religious significance of Advent, and enkindle an intense desire to have a living encounter with Christ who is God who became man to be with us and to show us the way of how we ought to be, since he is the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity.

We cannot deny that there’s vast religious indifference and even hostility against religion today. A complex structure of rationalizations now supports religious indifference and hostility to religion. It seems that the threads of naturalism, skepticism, agnosticism, atheism, relativism, etc., have become more sophisticated, snuffing whatever religious ember that may still remain in a person or in society.

 

Nowadays, reason and empirical findings are considered the ultimate measure of things, and are made to dispute the claims of faith, steadily removing its attractiveness to the people. With this approach, piety is slowly eroded until it becomes practically dead.

  

With this trend, it is held that if things could not be fully understood and explained, if they could not be directly verified, if they are not socially, economically or politically practical, then they should be rejected. They are deemed senseless.

It’s as simple, or rather, as simplistic, as that. Such an attitude sorely misses the point that truths of faith, being spiritual and supernatural, require more than human reason to be believed. It’s a tyranny to force everyone to work only within the framework of reason and understanding alone, beyond which things simply cannot be true.

      

It sorely misses the point that we precisely need the gift of faith, because we are men of belief, more than of reason. Faith always respects reason, and always works through it, but is beyond it. It cannot be fully grasped by reason, much less by our senses. It has a longer spread, a wider scope, a deeper reach, a firmer grip on reality.

It is our faith that will tell us that we need not only to be with Christ, but also to be like Christ. And the season of Advent is a good time to develop a burning desire for this purpose. 

We need to be reminded that we have to develop an abiding and burning desire for Christ to fulfill the real purpose of our life which is precisely for us to be “another Christ.” We should be clear about this ultimate purpose of ours so we can have the proper sense of direction and focus in our life, and the corresponding urge to fulfill it.

Our problem is that we often take our life’s real and ultimate purpose for granted, preferring to sway and dance according to the music played simply by worldly conditions. We prefer to be guided by our senses and emotions, or by our reasoning alone as expressed in our man-made different ideologies, philosophies, sciences and technologies, etc. 

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

What Mary’s Immaculate Conception reminds us of

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

THE Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary reminds us of a most basic and heartwarming truth about ourselves. It reminds us that like Mary, we are actually meant to be sinless. That was the original design of God for man, as experienced by our first parents, Adam and Eve, until it was damaged by their fall as well as ours.

This solemnity also reminds us of the ultimate design God has for us in our definitive state of life in heaven after going through the redemptive work of Christ and meriting its effects. Thus, in the eucharistic preface of this solemnity, we are made to say:

“You (God) allowed no stain of Adam's sin to touch the Virgin Mary. Full of grace, she was to be a worthy mother of Your Son, Your sign of favour to the Church at its beginning, and the promise of its perfection as the bride of Christ, radiant in beauty.”

Of course, in our earthly life, we do not enjoy such status yet. We all sin, no matter what we do! And yet, in spite of that fact of life, we just have to do our part, always with God’s grace, to rid ourselves of sin until we attain that state of sinlessness, of purity of heart, as is proper of our dignity as children of God, image and likeness of his, sharers of his divine life and nature.

This Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary should make us feel urged to persevere in our struggle to attain that state of sinlessness, which is another way of saying that we are meant to pursue our total identification with Christ, the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity. 

It is not supposed to make us feel privileged and entitled. Quite the contrary. It is supposed to demand everything from us, so that we can merit the effects of Christ’s redemptive work.

This is what sanctification is all about, the lifelong process of seeking holiness which can only be carried out if we channel the very love of God, as shown, taught and shared to us by Christ, in our life.

That love has its own brand of sweetness. It offers us a sense of peace, of the kind that the world cannot give and that only God can give (cfr. Jn 14,27) But it definitely would demand from us a lot of effort and sacrifice. Given our human condition here on earth, it is a love that would require us to wage a lifelong struggle against our weaknesses, temptations and sin.

We should be relentless in this struggle. We should try our best to be with God always, rectifying ourselves as quickly and as often as necessary whenever we stray from him, which is actually quite often in this life.

We need to do everything to be with God. Our mind and heart should be fully and constantly engaged with him. We always have a reason to do so—at least, we can thank him for what we are having at the moment: health, food, air, work, etc.

What can help us in this is the effort to get involved in the lives of the others, helping them in any way we can, because that would be a clear way of being and of serving God.

This is the way toward the ideal of becoming immaculate like our Mother Mary, as God wants us to be.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

WE LOVE TO COMPLAIN!

Complaining is essentially a form of delusion that helps us feel good about ourselves in the short term. It works in two ways. First, by putting down everything and almost everyone around us, we may gain a sense of superiority. And second, since we tend to believe more strongly in our fantasies than reality, when reality strikes in the form of a delayed train or an imperfect partner, we complain in an attempt to protect our fantasies (and our unwillingness to take responsibility for our choices) and feel better.

However, the negative effects of complaining far outweigh the immediate gain of an inflated sense of self. As research shows, relentless complaining wreaks havoc on our health and well-being by physiologically changing our brain and amping up the stress hormone, cortisol, which is related to high blood pressure and stress.

With complaining, we get the short-term reward of feeling superior to those around us. Cocooned in our bubble of denial, complaining allows us to rely on our evolutionary bias to seek out and destroy what we perceive as a threat. (This can also manifest as hiding from or fearing threat.) In other words, it’s easy to complain! On the contrary, it takes practice to notice and appreciate the good stuff in life, as Dr. Rick Hanson explains in his excellent read, Hardwiring Happiness. It also takes effort to fully accept reality and take responsibility for our lives.

Many times, we don't have reasons at all to do so - but, we love to complain. We bring many assertions to bear: first, in the past we have been thriftier and economical, more religious and devout, more patriotic, industrious, more hard-working, keen and obedient. And, second, above everything and all: in the past we had more idealists. Third, nowadays we have (mostly?) material things in mind - what a disgrace. 

I just quoted Vox Populi... .

A "materialist" has indeed become a swear word. I don't mean with "material" the accumulated data out of which a writer creates a work of literary, historical, or scientific value. A materialist is being easily described as someone with an attitude, who ignores spiritual values, compared with an idealist, who has the tendency to seek the highest spiritual perfection.

Idealism means the doctrine that appearance is purely the perception, the idea of subjects, and that the world is to be regarded as consisting of mind. The coquetry of higher philosophy makes it difficult to bear the ups and downs in our daily life.

Sure, we all know that "our last earthly dress has no pockets  any more". Striving for earthly and terrestrial possession, property and estate might be the hit-man of idealism. That's how we have been taught. "Wine, women and song", having the unpleasant feeling of fullness, egoism and bragging as well as showing-off - are these the materialist's real attitudes?

Is the idealist, many times not being able to stand on earth with both feet, the only one who occupies himself with religion and virtuousness - so to speak, with celestial and heavenly things? Is that really so? Can we make such a distinction? 

Sure, it's easy to do so: it's manageable and comfortable. But well, why is the enjoyment of having a tasty meal BAD, and listening to a recital composed by Johann Sebastian Bach BETTER? Why should art be better than roasted pork and a bottle of wine? Value judgments and moral concepts... .

Owning a house and lot and care are - of course - earthly properties, as well as bank saving accounts, profitable insurances, and invest advantageously in stocks. Is a terrible underpaid nurse or a book author an idealist, because he or she doesn't work for the filthy lure but for higher values? Has Jesus been an idealist, because He re-nunciated and died without terrestrial possession? Has Jesus been a materialist, because He fed thousands of people on the breadline? Are we idealists, if we bequeath nothing to our families and might die without a single centavo, because earthly things are bad?

World Bank hikes PH growth forecast

By Eireene Jairee Gomez

December 7, 2022 50

THE World Bank on Tuesday raised its 2022 Philippine growth forecast, citing a better-than-expected expansion over the first nine months of the year.

The Washington-based multilateral now expects the country to grow by 7.2 percent, up from 6.5 percent previously, after gross domestic product expanded by just over 7.7 percent as of the end of September.

"[S]trong domestic demand resulted in impressive growth in the Philippines, bringing renewed opportunities for income generation and improvements in the labor market outcomes," World Bank Country Director Ndiamé Diop said in a media briefing.

   

The expansion, however, was forecast to cool to 5.7 percent next year as high inflation and high interest rates are expected to temper household spending and investments.

"The bad news is that the high domestic inflation is threatening household consumption. The rising interest rates could temper investments and slow global growth could depress the export of demand sensitive products such as electronics going forward," Diop said.

"With all of that, economic growth in the Philippines is therefore expected to slow down next year."

Ralph van Doorn, World Bank senior economist, said the immediate challenge for the government was that of addressing inflation, which climbed to a 14-year high of 8.0 percent in November.

"Addressing inflationary pressure means deploying both monetary and non-monetary measures, for example, including free or importation lower tariffs to local areas to help augment domestic supplies as needed, support agricultural production for essential services, seeds, fertilizers and also to use... rate hikes to address second-round effects," he said.

Diop urged the government to boost initiatives aimed at sustaining investments, particularly in health and education, given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Certainly, the pandemic has already met with a worsening of child malnutrition and stunting as well as learning losses in the country," he said.

"So, the focus should be on programs that will impact people and improve their future productivity, earnings and capabilities, and capacity for innovation."

Finding ways to improve productivity in health and agriculture is also essential to reducing poverty and food insecurity, and to achieve the government's target of a single-digit poverty rate by 2023-2028, Diop added.

"It not just reduces poverty and food insecurity directly among farmers. It also reduces poverty and food insecurity in urban areas," he said.

"And finally, it enhances the competitiveness of all industries... makes food more affordable and it increases the purchasing power and well-being of everyone."

Consumers advised to conduct ‘price canvassing’ to find affordable ‘Noche Buena’ items amid price increase

Published December 7, 2022, 8:35 AM

by Franck Dick Rosete

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Misamis Oriental has a piece of advice for consumers buying food items for their ‘Noche Buena.’

The DTI said it would be better if the consumers would do a sort of ‘price canvassing’ before buying the food items in the supermarkets and grocery stores that fit the budget. 

A personnel from the Cagayan de Oro City Price Coordinating Council (CDO-CPCC) conducts a price monitoring and Fair Trade Law (FTL) enforcement of Noche Buena products sold in the various supermarkets within the city on December 20, 2021. (Photo courtesy of CDO-CPCC)

Almer Masillones, provincial director of DTI Misamis Oriental, said during a media forum on Tuesday, Dec. 6, that there is a price increase on Noche Buena products nationwide based on the National Price Guide issued by the DTI central office.

“We check our budget and we should make a list of the products that we want to purchase based on our budget; and we canvass the price,” Masillones said.

“The product price may vary depending on the area, especially that we emphasize that these Noche Buena products are not basic necessities and prime commodities,” she added.

According to the DTI, there are only 12 considered Noche Buena items based on the national price guide this year, which is composed of 223 stock keeping units (SKUs)-different varieties and sizes.

The 12 considered Noche Buena products are ham, fruit cocktail, cheese, keso de bola, mayonnaise, sandwich spread, pasta, elbow macaroni, salad macaroni, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce and cream.

Masillones did not specify the exact price increase in every product. However, she said out of the 223 SKUs, 193 have increased from one to 10 percent.

“The increase is due to the usual factors and especially, the imported and even the local raw materials that are necessary in the production,” she added.

The provincial director, however, reminded the public that the prices issued by the agency are just reference and not mandatory, as the Noche Buena products are not considered basic necessities and prime commodities.

“And we are also unable to pursue formal charge in case in violation of the guide as they are not part of the basic necessities and prime commodities as enumerated under the Price Act,” stressed Masillones.

If the manufacturers provide a suggested retail price (SRP) on their Noche Buena products, they just have to notify the DTI at least one month before the effectiveness of the price, she added. 

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The said agency already distributed the price guides to all supermarkets and grocery stores across the province of Misamis Oriental, more so in Cagayan de Oro City which is the business center in the region.

Blvck Ace drops holiday song ‘Pasko Na Naman’

Published December 7, 2022, 9:43 AM

by Robert Requintina

Blvck Ace (Facebook)

New P-pop girl group Blvck Ace recorded a holiday track entitled “Pasko Na Naman” which premiered during a media conference held at BLVCK Creatives Studio in Quezon City recently.

The bouncy and feel-good Christmas tune is the group’s second single following their debut song “Pasahero.”

Engr. Grace Cristobal, talent manager of the group, said that Blvck Ace was formed through a series of auditions. The group is composed of Anasity, Ely, Jea, Rhen and Twinkle. 

These five girls have honed their musical talents through TV commercials, joining personality/talent competitions and attending personal workshops and camps. Also, the management trained them intensely in singing, dancing and acting for several months to be fully prepared to join the growing P-Pop group craze in the music industry. Until now, they are still being supervised closely so that they can continuously improve and develop their skills and talents.

Cristobal said that the group’s name Blvck Ace (Black Ace) comes from two words, first is “Black” which is the name of their talent management agency, Blvck Entertainment. The second word is “Ace” derived from the name of their manager, Engr. Grace Cristobal.

Engr. Grace Cristobal

Coincidentally, both words also have significant meaning. “Black” stands for power and “Ace” is the highest playing card. Combining these two words can connote to “high and powerful.” Blvck Ace is determined to be “high and powerful” in continuing to empower and promote OPM using the platforms that they now have. They are also referred to as the “alas” of Blvck Entertainment because they are the first P-Pop girl group formed by the agency.

Blvck Ace describes their music to be “positive,” giving good vibes to all those who listen to it. They want their music to be relatable to all. “Pasahero,” the group’s first single, is a tribute to our reliable taxi, jeepney, motorcycle and transport service drivers who are dedicated to bring us safely to our destination. 

In a deeper sense, the “driver” in the song can be attributed to a friend and the “pasahero” can be anyone who needs help in his or her own “journey” of challenges. A line from the chorus of the song goes “Ikaw ang aking pasahero. Ako ang s’yang magmamaneho. At ako ang ‘yong superhero. Na taga payo mo sa t’wing akala mo tinatalikuran ka na ng mundo.”

“Pasahero” is produced by Blvck Music, the music label of Blvck Entertainment, and is out on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon, Deezer, Medianet, Boomplay, You Tube Music and other music streaming platforms. Follow Blvck Ace on their social media accounts: Facebook Blvck Ace, Twitter @blvckaceph, Instagram @blvckaceofficial, Youtube Blvck Ace and on Tiktok @blvckaceofficial.

Blvck Entertainment is a new talent management company owned by entrepreneurs and power couple, Engineers Louie and Grace Cristobal (0939-9278032). They are determined to further increase their pool of talents and help deserving “unsigned” artists to fulfill their dreams. They are also into music, live events, concert, film and various content production. The company started operating last June. Now the agency is gaining momentum as it prepares for bigger and exciting projects in 2023.

‘Kadiwa sa Pasko’ outlets support gov’t efforts to control high inflation

Published December 7, 2022, 12:05 AM

by Manila Bulletin

Editorial

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has stepped up his campaign to ensure stability of food prices by leading the Department of Agriculture’s program of establishing Kadiwa stores nationwide. He pointed out that Kadiwa outlets will continue to offer basic goods at lower prices beyond the Christmas season, and declared that this effort will be sustained until markets can finally match food prices at the Kadiwa outlets.

Fourteen outlets – 11 in Metro Manila and in Tacloban City, Davao de Oro and Koronadal City in South Cotabato – were opened the other week. As reported by the Philippine News Agency: “At least 28 more Kadiwa stores will be opened next week as the government intensifies efforts to provide farmers and fisherfolk additional profits, and local consumers quality yet cheap basic commodities this holiday season.” 

Stemming the inflationary tide is the government’s primary concern especially that the country’s inflation rate remains elevated at 8.0 percent in November from 7.7 percent in October.

Most key consumer products registered faster inflation in November, particularly for food and non-alcoholic beverages, which accelerated to 10 percent from 9.4 percent in the previous month.

Prices of vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses jumped 25.8 percent, the highest since January 1999’s 5.6 percent. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the substantial uptick was a result of lower production brought about by the onslaught of typhoons and higher cost of inputs. Similarly, sugar production was still reeling from the damage caused by recent typhoons, Balisacan added.

As reported by the PSA, inflation for food at the national level increased from 7.7 percent in September to 9.8 percent in October compared to 4.0 percent in October 2021. As the overall rate hovers into the double-digit zone, the inflation rate for specific food items has indeed become worrisome. 

Noteworthy is the relatively low inflation rate for rice at 2.5 percent. Recall that President Marcos has set his sights on a ₱20 per kilo price level for the Filipinos’ staple food. In contrast, corn price inflation is at a very high rate of 27.4 percent. Cagayan Valley, the leading corn producer in the country, has not yet fully recovered from the severe damage inflicted by Typhoon Ulysses (Vamco) in late 2020 affecting 34,800 hectares of agriculture and aquatic area, resulting in losses estimated at more than ₱1 billion worth of rice, corn and other high-value crops submerged in flood and mud.

The 34.4 percent inflation in prices of sugar, confectionery and desserts is also concerning. Recall, too, that the need to augment local sugar supply was one of the first issues tackled by President Marcos after he took office last June.

Indeed, keeping food prices stable is a top-priority government concern. Enabling Filipinos to buy staple food items at reasonable and affordable prices is a most timely gift to them for this Christmas season.

Senate bill filed to lower age of senior citizens

By Javier Joe Ismael

December 6, 2022 420

SEN. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. has filed a bill seeking to lower the qualifying age to be legally considered as a senior citizen in the country, from 60 years old down to 56.

Revilla said that the bill is part of his agenda in championing social justice legislation that would benefit many Filipinos, especially "the least, the lost and the last."

The lawmaker added that Filipinos in this age group have been working for the benefit of their families.

"They are the ones who have contributed to the improvement of our economy. Their contribution could not be quantified," Revilla said as he highlighted the invaluable contribution of the elderly.

Senate Bill (SB) 1573 aims to amend Republic Act (RA) 7432 that defines a senior citizen as any resident citizen of the Philippines at least sixty (60) years old.

When enacted, all Filipino resident citizens at least 56 years old shall be considered as a senior citizen, thereby being entitled to the benefits that are due to be granted to them.

According to the data provided by the Department of Health in December 2022, 7.33 percent of Covid-19 cases among Filipino senior citizens resulted in death as compared to 0.76 percent mortality among those aged 18 to 59 years old.