Beware of Pharisaical legalism

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

WHAT is Pharisaical legalism? At bottom, it’s the understanding of law that is based only on our human ways, ignoring the ultimate basis of law who is God as revealed fully in Christ. As such, it tends to be rigid, to be quick to judge and to claim it has the last word in any issue or question.

We are reminded of this danger in that episode where Christ was confronted by some Pharisees because his disciples were picking heads of grain while passing through a field on a sabbath. (cfr. Mk 2,23-28) Christ had to correct them about how the sabbath law should be taken.

We certainly should always be guided by laws. We should just see to it that our human laws are properly based and oriented. And given our limitations, not to mention our errors and sins, our human laws should also give due allowance for this unavoidable fact of life.

Truth is our laws should reflect the law and order as designed by God the Creator for the whole world and for man, specifically. They should respect and in fact reinforce what God has given as the law of nature and the moral law that governs our human acts.

But, alas, we wonder whether these things about natural law and moral law are given due consideration these days. What we can notice is a steady drift toward what is called as legal positivism.

Legal positivism is when our legal and juridical systems are simply based on perceptual experiences and people’s consensus while systematically shutting out any input from faith and divine revelation that tells us that God is in fact the very foundation, inspiration and perfection of our human laws.

In other words, without any reference to God’s law, our human law cannot help but be out on a limb. For all the brilliance, wisdom and success a Godless human law can have and accomplish, it can only go so far. It cannot go the distance required by our human dignity. Sooner or later, it will fail and fall into forms of injustice, many of them so subtle that injustice can be committed under cover of our human law.

A clear example of this latter case is the law on abortion. It is a lot worse than the so-called extrajudicial killing. Abortion is clear murder of the most defenceless members of our human society—the infant while inside the mother’s womb.

Of course, rationalizations can come aplenty. It’s not yet a baby, they say. It’s just a bundle of tissues. It does not have life on its own. But no one can contest the fact that that so-called clump of tissues has the DNA of the parents, and that it cannot but be a living baby if it is allowed to develop to its full course and no problems and complications come along the way.

The Bible has many passages that the unborn is already a child, a person, chosen by God, etc. The Book of Jeremiah, for example, says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (1,5)

And to be more blunt about it, precisely Christ before he was born was already the Son of God who became man to redeem us! Could Mary and Joseph have thought of aborting the unborn Christ because they thought he was just a bunch of tissues while still in the womb?

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Germany to drop mask mandate in trains and buses from February 2

by Agence-France-Presse

BERLIN, Germany – Germany will end the requirement to wear face masks on long-distance trains and buses from February 2 as the coronavirus pandemic loosened its grip on the country, authorities announced Friday.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach made the announcement after consultations with ministers from Germany’s 16 federal states, saying “the infection situation has stabilised.”

Lauterbach, however, encouraged people to continue wearing masks voluntarily “on the basis of personal responsibility, “adding “the virus should not be trivialised” and warning of potential longer-term impacts. 

Several factors contributed to the policy change, Lauterbach said, including a higher level of immunity in the public and a reduced chance of new mutations, which meant a winter resurgence of the virus was unlikely.

The situation is “tense but manageable” in hospitals, Lauterbach added.

The requirement, which has been in place since the early stages of the pandemic, had been scheduled to expire on April 7 but will now end sooner.

A number of German states had already relaxed mask rules in regional public transport, but rules on the country’s long-distance train and bus network remain the central government’s responsibility. 

Germany was one of the few remaining countries in Europe to keep a mask requirement, with many having scrapped rules or downgraded them to recommendations in 2022.

Alongside Germany, Spain is the only other large European country to maintain mask rules on long-distance trains and public transport, with the Spanish government announcing in October that these will remain in place until at least March 2023.

Belo helps Pia Wurtzbach prepare for her wedding day this year

by Manila Bulletin Entertainment

Discovering the skin-nourishing elixir that allows her and a million other ladies to show off their skin at its barest and healthiest, Pia Wurtzbach’s partnership with Belo Exosomes, the most advanced skin solutions in the market today, signals her meticulous preparation for her impending wedding day with fiancé Jeremy Jauncey.

The couple got engaged in May last year and are looking at a wedding to happen this year, 2023.

The Belo Exosomes treatment uses the revolutionary ASCE+ cell-signaling system that plays the role of skin-saving messengers that deliver information and instructions to regenerate cells, making it a breakthrough in anti-aging technology. It is first brought to the country by the Belo Medical Group. 

Available in all Belo clinics, Belo Exosomes is a topical or injected treatment that may be done as an add-on to a basic Belo facial or incorporated into RF micro-needling treatment for faster skin replenishment and regeneration.

The effective nutrients our skin knows and loves are the following: fibroblasts that secrete collagen, immune cells that improve skin healing and regeneration, hyaluronic acid for hydration, glutathione for skin brightening, and other vitamins, minerals, peptides and growth factors that transform the skin. The result is exponentially youthful and vibrant skin, as famously sported by Pia Wurtzbach herself. 

“I’m confident facing the world in my natural self and in my own skin,” Pia shares. Veering from the curated, glamorous world of beauty pageants, Pia has come to reveal the raw parts of herself—from meaningful experiences with her family, personal time with her fiancé, to off-duty barefaced moments while traveling or working out. Indeed, being comfortable with your own skin is an X-factor in itself, and it’s because of this outstanding trait that Belo handpicked Pia Wurtzbach to be the face of its newest skin solution, Belo Exosomes.

The Belo and Pia Wurtzbach relationship is a collaboration that was always bound to happen—after all, why wouldn’t the Philippines’ premier beauty authority and one of the premier beauty queens of the country come together? Being ‘confidently beautiful’ plays on both of these beauty behemoths’ strengths, and with Belo Exosomes, now everyone can have skin they’re confident in.  

Belo Exosomes is a progressive skin solution that continuously improves skin without the need for surgery or invasive procedures, helping the skin look visibly younger and healthier instantly and over time. This is what makes Pia Wurtzbach the perfect face for the product.

As she prepares for married life, Pia has again found ways to transform herself with Belo Exosomes. And in her words, Pia reflects on her Belo Exosomes ambassadorship by tying it back to her recent athletic success finishing with a medal at the renowned New York City Marathon last November 2022.

She ends, “Belo Exosomes is like training for a marathon—it gets better and better the more you do it.”

So, expect a glowingly beautiful Pia when the big day finally arrives!

Feast of Saint Arnold Janssen on Jan. 15

Published January 13, 2023, 9:54 AM

by Christina Hermoso, MB

Devotees will celebrate on Sunday, Jan. 15, the feast day of Saint Arnold Janssen, the revered founder of the Society of the Divine Word, marking his 114th death anniversary.

St. Arnold Janssen (Facebook)

Commemorative masses will be offered at the St. Arnold Janssen Shrine in Cainta, Rizal, and at the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Arnold Janssen in Cebu and in parishes dedicated to his honor and memory. 

Novena masses will be held from Jan. 6 to 14.

Saint Arnold was the founder of the missionary congregations Society of the Divine Word (1875), the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, also known as the blue sisters because of the color of their habit (1889), and the Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration, also known as the pink sisters (1896).

The well-venerated saint worked for the unity of Christians, developed the apostolate of the press, and pioneered sending women to foreign missions. A man of prayer, he began his ministry as a teacher and was known as a great devotee of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Born in 1837 in Goch, Germany, he has ordained priest in 1861. He died in 1909 and was canonized by Saint John Paul II on Oct. 5, 2003. 

Today, there are more than 6,000 Divine Word missionaries working in at least 63 countries all over the world including the Philippines

 

Marcos is only ASEAN leader to attend WEF in Davos

by Argyll Cyrus Geducos, MB

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will be the only leader from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) who will attend the 2023 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, next week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (Malacañang photo)

DFA Undersecretary Carlos Sorreta said this ahead of the President’s trip to Switzerland from Jan. 15 to 20, 2023. 

In a pre-departure briefing in Malacañang, Sorreta said Marcos is also one of the two leaders from Asia to attend the forum, noting this would be an excellent opportunity to tell world leaders how ASEAN can play a role in the global economy.

“The President will be the only leader from ASEAN to be in Davos, and he will be only one of two leaders from Asia,” he said on Thursday, Jan. 12.

“He would be in a wonderful position to represent not only our country but how our own region, ASEAN and the East Asia Region, can be the engine of growth for the world economy,” he added.

The theme for this year’s WEF is “The Cooperation in a Fragmented World.” According to Sorreta, President Marcos wants to present Asia as an essential factor in “bringing together the fragmented parts of the world.”

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“What we present to a fragmented world, because of our great economic potential, is a promise of progress and prosperity,” he said.

“If the causes of the fragmentation can be addressed, we can promise that once peace is achieved, there will be progress and prosperity. So that is what we offer the world as an incentive for the causes of fragmentation– meaning, without me getting into specifics, conflicts to be resolved,” he added.

What to discuss?

According to Palace Press Briefer Daphne Oseña-Paez, the WEF will allow the Philippines to explore new investment, trade, and infrastructure systems amid the economic downturn.

She said the WEF is also an opportunity for President Marcos to push the country’s priorities on food and energy, security, digitalization, climate action, attracting investments and promoting beneficial trade, addressing inequality, and providing accessible social services. 

The forum is likewise a chance for the Philippines to partner with other countries, businesses, civil society, and other stakeholders and to collaborate with the WEF on their initiatives.

Aside from the WEF, Marcos will also meet with business leaders and the members of the Filipino community. However, due to the tight schedule, he may not have a bilateral meeting with any world leader.

The World Economic Forum is the premier forum for world and business leaders to get together, interact, and come up with ideas and plans to address challenges and opportunities facing the global economy.

 

The need for continuing adaptation

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

WHEN Christ said, “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse,” (Mk 2,21) we are somehow reminded that in our life there is always need for continuing adaptation due to the changing situations, circumstances and conditions we are bound to encounter.

He reiterated this point when he said, “Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.” (Mk 2,22)

We cannot overemphasize this need to adapt. And we just have to learn how to deal with it, considering that it will demand of us a lot of sacrifices. Perhaps that’s one reason Christ told us that if we want to follow him, we need to deny ourselves and carry the cross. (cfr. Mt 16,24) 

This aspect of an authentic Christian life should be taught as early as possible to everyone. While it’s true that each one is somehow defined by his own peculiar personality, temperament and character, we need to realize that as persons we are meant to relate with each other and, thus, need to learn to properly adapt with everyone and with everything.

But given the temper of the times that somehow foster self-indulgence, there’s a strong trend for people to become self-absorbed and isolated in spite of the apparent stream of communication due to our new technologies.

Yes, there can be an appearance of vibrant social intercommunication among ourselves, but it cannot be denied that strong and divisive biases and prejudices are also being developed.

Obviously, while we need to have some kind of inventory of how each one of us is, going through our strengths and weaknesses, we have to realize that the art of continuing adaptation can ultimately be achieved if we identify ourselves more and more with Christ, the master of adaptation.

Imagine how he adapted himself to us! As God, he became a man just to identify himself with us. In his preaching, he used human and natural devices to impart spiritual and supernatural lessons. To reach out to sinners, he made himself like sin without committing sin. Ultimately, he forgives us of all our sins by offering his life on the cross.

Definitely, we cannot simply rely on our human means to adapt, even if we have to make full use of them. Not even some comprehensive philosophies or ideologies, heavily propped by the sophisticated modern sciences and technologies, can hack it.

Their ways and means can only go so far. They cannot last long. They cannot bear doing the same things over and over again everyday, because they cannot see further than what is on hand at the moment, or even what is simply of worldly value. They are highly perishable items, with a very short prescription period and brief effectiveness.

It’s the grace of God that does it. It’s when we are driven with love for God and for others that we can manage to escape the grip of routine and drudgery that can easily come to us if we happen to be doing the same things everyday. And for most of us, we happen to be doing the same things everyday. It’s God’s grace and love that can transcend the limitations of any earthly interest.

This is the ultimate adaptation—that’s when we poise ourselves to take a leap to the supernatural order of God who wants us to share his life and nature, divinizing ourselves as we ought since we are God’s image and likeness!

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

Super-resistant mosquitoes in Asia pose growing threat: study

 

This handout photo taken on July 14, 2018 and received on January 6, 2023 courtesy of Shinji Kasai, the director of the Department of Medical Entomology at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo, shows an Aedes aegypti mosquito at their laboratory. Mosquitoes that transmit dengue and other viruses have evolved growing resistance to insecticides in parts of Asia, and novel ways to control them are desperately needed, new research warns. By examining mosquitoes from several Asian countries, and Ghana, Japanese scientist Shinji Kasai found a series of mutations allows the Aedes aegypti mosquito to survive pyrethroid-based chemicals like the popular permethrin.

SHINJI KASAI / Courtesy of Shinji Kasai / AFP

Agence France-Presse

TOKYO, Japan — Mosquitoes that transmit dengue and other viruses have evolved growing resistance to insecticides in parts of Asia, and novel ways to control them are desperately needed, new research warns.

Health authorities commonly fog mosquito-infested areas with clouds of insecticide, and resistance has long been a concern, but the scale of the problem was not well understood.

Japanese scientist Shinji Kasai and his team examined mosquitos from several countries in Asia as well as Ghana and found a series of mutations had made some virtually impervious to popular pyrethroid-based chemicals like permethrin.

"In Cambodia, more than 90 percent of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have the combination of mutations that results in an extremely high level of resistance," Kasai told AFP.

He found some mosquito strains had 1,000-fold resistance, compared to the 100-fold seen previously.

That meant insecticide levels that would normally kill almost 100 percent of mosquitoes in a sample killed only around seven percent of the insects.

Even a dose 10 times stronger killed just 30 percent of the super-resistant mosquitoes.

"The resistance level that we found in mosquitos in Cambodia and Vietnam is totally different," said Kasai, director of the Department of Medical Entomology at Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases.

Dengue can cause hemorrhagic fever and infects an estimated 100 to 400 million people a year, although over 80 percent of cases are mild or asymptomatic, according to the World Health Organization.

Several dengue vaccines have been developed, and researchers have also used a bacteria that sterilises mosquitoes to tackle the virus.

But neither option is yet close to eradicating dengue, and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carry other diseases, including zika and yellow fever.

New formulas needed 

Resistance was also detected in another type of mosquito, Aedes albopictus, though at lower levels -- possibly because it tends to feed outdoors, often on animals, and may be exposed to insecticides less than its human-loving Aedes aegypti counterparts.

The research found several genetic changes were linked with resistance, including two that occur close to the part of mosquitoes targeted by pyrethroid and several other insecticides.

Resistance levels differed, with mosquitos from Ghana as well as parts of Indonesia and Taiwan still relatively susceptible to existing chemicals, particularly at higher doses.

But the research shows "commonly employed strategies may no longer be effective," said Cameron Webb, an associate professor and mosquito researcher at NSW Health Pathology and the University of Sydney.

"There is growing evidence that there may not be a place for current insecticide formulations in controlling populations of key mosquito pests," Webb told AFP.

He said new chemicals are needed, but authorities and researchers also need to think of other ways to protect communities, including vaccines.

"We have to think about rotating insecticides... that have different target sites," added Kasai, whose research was published last month in the journal Science Advances.

"The problem is that we don't have so many different kinds that we can use."

Other options include more efforts to remove breeding sites.

When and where the mutations for resistance emerged is still a mystery, but Kasai is now expanding the research elsewhere in Asia and examining more recent samples from Cambodia and Vietnam to see if anything has changed from the 2016-2019 study period.

"We are worried that the mosquitoes with the mutations that we found in this study will spread to the rest of the world in the near future," he said.

"Before that, we have to think of a solution."

CBCP expresses support for Pope Francis’ prayer for educational emergency

Published January 12, 2023, 10:05 AM

by Christina Hermoso

La Union Bishop Daniel Presto, vice chairman of the CBCP-ECCCE (CBCP ONLINE)

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education (CBCP-ECCCE) has expressed support to the Holy Father’s prayer intention for educational emergency.

La Union Bishop Daniel Presto, vice chairman of the CBCP-ECCCE, said Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the first month of the year highlights the importance of an educated population. 

“The prayer intention of Pope Francis for Jan. 2023 is part of the global impact on education launched by the Holy Father. The global impact on education is a movement that seeks to counter the growing educational emergency around the world. This might have been a result of division or the inability of the youth and women to attend formal schooling,” Bishop Presto said over Radio Veritas.

“The global impact on education teaches the youth the importance of education as well as unity and cooperation in attaining the objective of the advocacy,” he added.

The Church leader cited the need for peace and order to prevail in countries experiencing violence to

“Let us also preserve and protect our common home from the exploitation of resources. Pope Francis is calling for unity and for the youth in schools to value the importance of solidarity and cooperation,” the prelate said.

2,000 evacuate as strong rains batter Zamboanga City

by Manila Bulletin 

ONLY the rooftop of a house in Barangay Tumaga in Zamboanga City can be seen after rising water level from a river caused severe flooding in the area. (Photo via Liza Jocson)

ZAMBOANGA CITY – More than 2,000 residents were forced to evacuate to safer grounds as strong rains battered this city on Wednesday, Jan. 11.

PAGASA hoisted a Yellow Warning Alert as strong rains brought about by a low-pressure area led to rising water levels in rivers and flooding in city streets.

The State weather bureau raised the alert status to orange due to incessant rains in the early afternoon.

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As of 12 noon, 2,540 individuals from 13 barangays have evacuated to evacuation centers or makeshift areas. The number is expected to rise as more people flee.

Assessment is still being conducted by the City Social Welfare and Development Office.

Mayor John Dalipe has ordered the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) and barangay disaster teams to respond to emergency situations.

As of 10 a.m., water level at the Pasonanca diversionary dam has reached the critical level of 77.6 meters. Normal level is at 74.20 meters.

Several infrastructure projects were affected by the severe weather condition.

Barangay officials in Labuan have temporarily closed the Labuan Bridge due to structural damage caused by heavy rains and floods. The bridge is passable to motorists but is closed to heavy vehicles. 

A portion of the road in Barangay Capisan collapsed due to strong rains.

The Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Zamcelco) switched off power in more than 100 areas as it responds to places with severe flooding.

Flood, landslide warnings persist as rains continue to batter S. Luzon, VisMin

Published January 12, 2023, 7:58 AM

by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

(SATELLITE IMAGE / PAGASA WEBSITE)

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warned against flooding in low-lying areas and landslides in mountainous areas due to the prevalence of three rain-inducing weather systems—the low pressure area (LPA), shear line, and northeast monsoon

The LPA was last spotted 380 kilometers east of Surigao City, Surigao del Norte at around 3 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12. 

Although the LPA has a slim chance of developing into a tropical depression in 24 hours, PAGASA said the combined effect of the LPA and shear line—a weather system brought about by the convergence of cold and warm air masses—may cause scattered to widespread rains and thunderstorms over Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Negros Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, and Dinagat Islands.

Those in these areas were warned against floods or landslides during moderate to intense rains.

Cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms may also affect Bicol Region, Romblon, and the rest of Visayas and Mindanao.

Flash floods or landslides during moderate to heavy rains are also possible in these areas.

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Furthermore, PAGASA said the northeast monsoon, locally called “amihan,” may bring cloudy and rainy weather in the Cagayan Valley, Aurora, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, and Palawan.

The rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, may experience partly cloudy to cloudy weather with light amihan rains.

Rainy weekend ahead

PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja said the LPA and shear line may continue to dampen parts of the country until the weekend.

By Friday, PAGASA expects the LPA to bring rains over a large portion of Visayas and Mindanao as the weather disturbance remains almost stationary near Caraga and Eastern Visayas.

Estareja said that rains will be more concentrated in Southern Luzon and Visayas as the LPA approaches these areas by weekend. 

Meanwhile, cloudy skies and light to moderate rains due to the shear line may prevail over Metro Manila by Friday.

“Over the weekend, expect more rains due to the close approach of the LPA. The trough or extension of the LPA, along with the shear line, may cause flooding in large parts of Metro Manila and nearby areas in Central Luzon and Calabarzon,” Estareja warned.