"CUPID" IS ABOUT LOVE: EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

ReniMV Valenzuela

Not all earthquakes are acts of God. Some are triggered by man's abuse

of nature and environment, and of his gift of liberty and free will.

What better way for the world to think about love this month of

February than to think of multiple thousands of victims of the 7.8

magnitude earthquake that has just hit Turkey and Syria and ruminate

over their great losses, griefs and agonies at this moment. What if it

happened to us, in our country?

May we all be moved in compassion to pray intense prayers and plead

Heaven that those who still breathe under the rubbles of buildings,

houses and structures that crumbled down would be rescued alive

(miraculously), and that those whose loved ones were among the many

thousands of fatalities would be comforted and find strength in the

midst of the tragedy. Thousands more dead bodies are believed still

trapped and yet to be taken out from the equally numerous buildings

that collapsed.

Dozens of countries had their respective rescue teams immediately

flown to help in the search and retrieval operations and to alleviate

the plight of the injured and badly affected by the beastly temblor.

Such is love in action and such, as the song says, is "what makes the

world go round." Colossians 3:12-14

No person or nation is too poor to be unable to help others in times

of great need. It is refreshing that our government sent help to

Turkey without second thoughts and later (a day after) decided to do

the same for Syria as both nations were jolted by the massive temblor,

notwithstanding our own nation being battered and bombarded left and

right by problems/issues like never before - from onion, inflation,

corruption to China invasion. Proverbs 11:25.

Do we often/usually do this as a nation? Nope. What is common is our

country being a recipient of kindness/charity/generosity and various

types of help and assistance from other governments when natural

calamities and catastrophes hit our land.

President Bongbong Marcos was prompt in his decision/offer to help

(beyond reciprocal) as he appeared genuine, having a heart for the

victims of the massive earthquake that resulted in several thousands

of confirmed deaths, and the figure climbs each day which may top up

to over 40,000 fatalities in the days to come.

BBM is showing some signs that he's different from most of his

predecessors in this aspect and in some other areas that he can be

lauded, notably his seemingly openness/receptiveness to criticisms

and/or public outcry, vis-a-vis his policies, programs and actions.

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth

unto counsel is wise." - Proverbs 12:15 

Having the victims of the earthquake in our hearts (and those of wars

and government atrocities) could make this year's Valentine's Day the

most meaningful and most joyous - for, after all, mythology's Cupid is

an ancient Roman god of love. And the one and only true God of the

Bible is a God of love (undefiled and unselfish). The occasion is

about love, not pleasure,.

"But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." - 1 John 4:8

renivalenzuelaletters@yahoo.com

DOH: Celebrate Valentine’s Day safely, inexpensively

Vendors selling heart-shaped balloons wait for customers on Valentine's Day at a flower market in Manila

Mayen Jaymalin - The Philippine Star 

MANILA, Philippines — Amid rising inflation, the Department of Health (DOH) advised Filipinos to celebrate Valentine’s Day safely and inexpensively.

According to the DOH, lovers as well as families can still observe Valentine’s Day without spending too much money.

The DOH said couples can go on a date in a park.

“Aside from being free, going to green spaces helps your mental health,” the DOH posted in Filipino on social media.

The agency stressed that a healthy mind is key to a healthy relationship.

Couples, DOH said, can also spend quality time together watching movies at home, and learn new skills together like cooking healthy food or new sports so they could both stay fit and healthy.

To stay protected against COVID-19, the DOH also encouraged couples to go to vaccination sites and get their booster shots together.

Oil firms again to cut pump prices

By  Francis Earl Cueto

February 13, 2023 110

Oil companies are set to implement another big-time price rollback on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.

In separate advisories, Pilipinas Shell and Seaoil said that they will cut their diesel prices by P2.20 per liter and kerosene by P2.50.

However, the price of gasoline will remain the same.

The price adjustments will take effect at 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

Last week, oil firms slashed the cost of gasoline by P2.10 per liter, diesel by P3 and kerosene by P2.30 per liter.

'Basted': 50% of Pinoys who confessed love for a friend left unrequited, according to SWS

James Relativo - Philstar.com  z

MANILA, Philippines — While more than half of Filipinos are "very happy" with their current love life, others are not so lucky when it came to matters of the heart, according to the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

This is according to a Fourth Quarter 2022 SWS survey released four days before Valentine's last Friday, with three out of 10 (30%) Pinoys reportedly confessing their love for a friend. 

Most of those who chose to confess their feelings to friends were noticeably males: 

• males (40%)
• females (25%)

"Among those who confessed love for a friend, half (50%) experienced unrequited love," according to the survey firm.

On a lighter note, many Filipinos are still admittedly optimistic with their love lives, with 57% saying they are "very happy" with their current relationships:

• very happy (57%)
• could be happier (25%)
• have no love life (17%)

"SWS employs its own staff for questionnaire design, sampling, fieldwork, data processing, and analysis and dose not outsource any of its survey operations," said the group.

The survey was done last December 10-14 using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide, with a sampling error margin of +-2.8%. 

Last 2009, SWS found out that around 71% of Filipinos value recieving love over giving it.

In 2010, around 51% of respondents said that they would prefer someone rich but ugly while 46% said they would choose someone good-looking but poor.

A 2019 study, on the other hand, said that around four out of five Filipinos are more attracted to brains than body. 

Fewer Pinoys taking up nursing

Mayen Jaymalin - The Philippine Star 

February 13, 2023 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the huge demand for healthcare workers (HCWs) abroad, the local recruitment industry yesterday reported a downtrend in the number of Filipinos opting for a nursing degree.

Recruitment leader Lito Soriano observed that fewer Filipino youth are now enrolling in nursing schools because of the prevailing cap in the deployment of HCWs abroad.

Soriano, who owns an agency deploying health workers to Saudi Arabia, said there has been a decline in the number of nurses applying to work since the pandemic as a result of the deployment cap.

“We have been posting on social media job vacancies offering good salaries and numerous benefits for registered nurses, but we have few applicants,” Soriano disclosed.

According to Soriano, there are few applicants because the country is also producing fewer nursing graduates.

Soriano said young Filipinos are discouraged from taking up nursing because of the belief that the deployment cap limits their chances of working abroad.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the government set an annual deployment cap of 7,500 for HCWs to ensure a sufficient supply of nurses in the country.

Citing data from the Professional Regulation Commission, Soriano said a total of 48,686 nursing graduates passed the licensure examination from 2016 to 2022.

The figure he said is insufficient to fill the huge demand for HCWs in the United States, United Kingdom and other European countries.

To curb the downtrend, Soriano urged the government to raise or totally lift the deployment cap.

Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople previously reported that the government is currently studying the possibility of raising the deployment cap for HCWs.

The way the Bisaya were

Published February 13, 2023, 12:05 AM

by Jaime Laya

WALA LANG

Looks

The Bisaya were called “pintados” for good reason. The author of the Boxer Codex’ chapter 5 admires their tattoos, “…done in the manner of illuminations, painting all parts of the body, such as the chest, stomach, legs, arms, shoulders, hands, and muscles …” Some had tattoos on their butts too. There were experts who worked with iron or brass rods heated on a fire. Women wore tattoos on their arms and hands.

PAINTED CULTURE Bisayan pintados
(Tattooed couple)

Men wore elaborately colored g-strings that were dos brazas (about 11 feet) in length and ¾ brazas (about four feet) wide. Heads were covered with cloth with strips of gold worn like turbans.

Women wore double-layer skirts of stiped silk and collar-less blouses with sleeves that were either full-length or elbow-length. Blouses were loose and women would go around with bare midriff. High-status women kept blouse and skirt in place with gold fasteners and chains. Gold and ivory were valued for jewelry.

Both men and women kept their hair long and oiled and tied in a knot. Both sexes also wore several pairs of earrings, having more than one hole in their earlobes. Earrings called panica were doughnut-shaped while earrings shaped like roses were called pomaras. Women wore numerous bracelets of gold and ivory and both men and women wore gold and fiber rings on their legs, below their knees.

PAINTED CULTURE Gold-embellished Bisayan noble couple

Governance

Villages were independent, with each having its own datu. There was constant warfare among them, over land, crops, real or perceived wrongs. Recall how Spanish conquistadors sometimes played one group against another to overcome resistance.

Datus and revered elders were respected, but in general, the aggrieved exacted reparation promptly and directly (“an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”). In cases where both sides call it quits, peace is sealed with a blood compact wherein blood is drawn from the arms of the contending parties and both drink of it mixed with a special beverage.

Social structure

A datu could declare anyone he pleases as his slave. Parents sometimes sold children and siblings sold siblings to slavery in times of need or to settle some obligation.

The Spanish observer described a system of slavery, based on the type and length of service that a datu or a slave-owner could demand of the so-called slave. The description is vague and I read it as having three categories.

PAINTED CULTURE a page from the Boxer Codex describing and illustrating a penis ring.

The first seems to be like slavery in the US South pre-Civil War. Slaves lived in or by the house of the master and were assigned to do household service (for women and children) or field work for able-bodied males. 

The second category consisted of people who lived with their families elsewhere but who were obliged to do assigned work for say a certain number of days a week.

The third category included people who were basically free but who were called upon to join in battle or other non-recurring work.

Character

The Spanish did not admire the men. “In general, they are great idlers and enemies of work. They spend most of the year loitering and drinking…They have neither orchards nor vegetable gardens, nor fruit trees to cultivate because all their fruits are wild, sour, and bad tasting. Only the bananas are good.”

They are described as drinking and carousing when not busy caring for roosters and going to cockfights. The narrator added alcoholic beverages were made from coconut, palm, nipa, and rice. Trying to draw the locals away from old habits, the newcomers taught them checkers (dama) and chess.

Jose Rizal disagreed, saying that our ancestors became lazy when they realized that whatever they produced would go to the Spaniards anyway.

Occupations

Among the Bisaya were excellent carpenters and furniture makers, shipbuilders, blacksmiths, and goldsmiths.

With all the fighting among clans and villages, there was demand for weaponry. The Codex mentions daggers with wooden scabbards, lances, wooden shields, poison arrows, blowguns, helmets, breastplates, and armor made of the skin of certain fish, buffalos, or elephants that were then hunted in Jolo.

Shipbuilding was highly developed. Large ones, called barangay, were wind- and/or oar-powered ships that could hold 50 to 100 people and transport 500 to 600 fanegas of grain, each fanega measuring about two cubic feet.

The Boxer narrator was not impressed with architecture, although he did note that the Bisaya used bamboo trunks as thick as a man’s thigh and seven or eight yards long. He was not impressed with the cuisine, either, turning up his nose at the smelly dried fish (tuyô no doubt) that the natives liked and at the plain taste of the chicken, pork, and buffalo meat that were staples.

Family life

A suitor (and his family) had to give an agreed sum to the bride and her family. After marriage, the wife usually took over family resources. Wives were industrious, constantly engaged in spinning and weaving and working in fields. They preferred to have only one or two children and abortion was taken casually.

A husband could divorce his wife and marry someone else without difficulty but the discarded wife keeps whatever came from the husband and his family. Virginity was not an issue when wedding bells ring but pregnancy outside of wedlock marked a woman for life. At the same time, a cuckolded husband could kill the adulterers.

The funeral of a Datu was elaborate. He was laid in a coffin in a wake that lasted more than two months. Slaves were killed in the same manner that the deceased died.  If the chief died by drowning, slaves were drowned. Ditto when the cause was stabbing, a fall down a cliff, whatever. When the chief died from sickness, slaves were either drowned or buried alive.

The scandalized and/or mesmerized conquistador-author wrote a lengthy account of the “biggest and most bestial vice … invented by the devil,” namely a “wheel or ring with rounded spurs…made of lead, brass, and in some cases gold,” which is worn like a ring on the “miembro del hombre.” Sorry I can’t figure out the fine details, but it’s fastened and held in place by a pin—it must be painful. Anyway, “thus they have access with the women, with whom they remain joined for a day or a night …”

Notes: (a) This article is based on Luis Donoso et. al., transcribers, translators, and editors, Boxer Codex (Quezon City: Vibal Foundation, Inc., 2016), chapter 5; and (b) Penis rings (the “devil’s invention”) is also known as sagra or sakra and is/was fairly common in Southeast Asia, notably in Borneo, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

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53 Filipino families find shelter in Turkiye capital after 7.8-magnitude quake

by Betheena Unite, MB

More than 50 Filipino families were evacuated to shelter in Ankara, Turkiye following the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake.

Filipino evacuees in Ankara, Turkiye (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Embassy in Turkiye) 

Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said 53 Filipinos, including their husbands and children are currently taking shelter in the Turkiye capital, while 25 Filipinos have already received relief goods as of Saturday afternoon, Feb. 11.

“They (Philippine Embassy in Turkiye) will try to give additional data on the number of Filipinos met, called, texted, emailed plus increases in number of evacuees and Filipinos given relief goods in due course,” Daza said.

She added that “the shelter referred to is a dormitory arranged by the Embassy for its evacuees.”

In a statement on Sunday, the Philippine Embassy in Ankara said “the number of Filipino families sheltered in Ankara” while kind-hearted Filipinos continue to share their own resources and time to augment the Embassy efforts amid the disaster.

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It also reiterated the Embassy will continue to accommodate evacuees.

“We acknowledge that several intrepid Filipinos were able to escape danger on their own accord, through sheer will and the kindness of their Turkish friends and family. We reiterate that the doors of the Embassy shelter are open for them,” the embassy said.

It also disclosed that a Filipino and her children remain missing and “feared to be still under rubble” in Hatay City. This, according to the embassy, was confirmed by her husband and her sister-in-law.

The embassy has sought assistance from search and rescue teams to find her and her children.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Humanitarian Contingent, through the direction of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, were assigned to conduct structure assessment on collapsed buildings and establish a satellite field hospital to cater to patients and injured personnel.

A team from the embassy also continues to be present in Mersin, less than 100 kilometers (km) to Adana and roughly 250 kms to Hatay, in order to respond to the needs of Filipinos there. 

The embassy can be reached via telephone and WhatsApp (+905345772344), via email at ankara.pe@dfa.gov.ph, and Facebook at www.facebook.com/PHinTurkey.

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On February the fourteenth

by Alex M. Eduque

IT’S THE SMALL THINGS

This coming Tuesday is Valentine’s Day. Traditionally, we celebrate Feb. 14th – or as hallmark and Hollywood culture supposedly dictate – with a significant other. This is perhaps why Valentine’s Day has also given rise to the notion of Single Awareness Day when really, it need not be the case. Of course, as a high school student, the girls who received grams and roses were always the “cool girls,” and Feb. 14th was yet another excuse to highlight that invisible crown they sported. It was not until I got to college in the most cosmopolitan city of New York when my eyes were opened to the reality – Valentine’s Day celebrates all sorts of love and relationships. Not only the types we knew and were accustomed to, but even the most mundane – if one can even dare label a relationship as such. From friendship, to romantic love; sisterly love, parental love, the list goes on – my opinion of Valentine’s Day since transformed to becoming one that is yet another excuse to make those special ones in your life feel loved. After all, love wins. It always has, and always will.

For many, the path towards finding true love – regardless of the type – is not a linear one. After all, it would not be as exciting if it were. It is more of an adventure of trial and error. For many, it takes a lot of heartbreaks and earthshaking moments that question reality before finding the one. But in the end, it is how we transform this pain that we have lived through and endured into bettering ourselves as individuals that matters. The trials and hardships we go through shape us. Pain, in no way, is pleasant or pretty, but if we choose to turn it into growth, then it can become one of the most beautiful experiences and life-changing lessons we will ever know. 

And then there is the strong bond of friendship which ultimately, is cemented by love. In our lives, just like finding “the one,” we also go through a lot of betrayals until we find our tribe – our people who will stick it through with us, and by us, through hell and high water, come what may. In this day and age, friends like that are not easy to find, and I have learned that you will know once you have found them. And when you do, hold on to them, and never let them go. These are the friends who will be tone deaf to the rest of the world on instances when they may go against you, and will unquestionably blindly fight for you even when you are not around. These are the friends that give you the happiness and contentment that numbers will not. The ones that remind you that as we grow older, though our circles may grow smaller, the ones that remain are the keepers – the truest of gems that add only sparkle to our lives. The diamonds, whose love will just grow stronger through the test of heat, time and pressure.

Of course, there will always be familial love – the kind that should be, and is forever. These are the people who know you at times perhaps more than you know yourself. Who have seen you through all your phases and changes, yet accept you regardless of how you look in the morning. These are the people you can be most openly yourself around, yet, can also sometimes be the ones you tend to mind the least. If there is something I have discovered in the recent years, it is that we must give utmost importance to those who will stand in front of a bus for us in any situation, and these people, you will most likely find first (and in some cases only) within your family.

So as Valentine’s Day rolls around this year, do not think twice about those who you love. Show them, tell them, and let it be known. There is no better time than now.

Governor welcomes bill expanding power utility firm to 8 additional areas in Davao del Norte

by Antonio Colina IV, MB

DAVAO CITY – The filing of House Bill 6740 seeking to expand the franchise area of Aboitiz-owned Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) to eight additional areas is a necessary piece of legislation.

No less than Davao del Norte governor Edwin Jubahib issued the statement, saying this new effort to file the bill in Congress would lead to a more sustainable and productive environment, drive economic growth and development in the province.

He said residents in the province continue to suffer from perennial problems of power supply and exorbitant power rates. 

“HB 6740, if enacted into law, is a major milestone for the province of Davao del Norte as the expansion of the energy services provided by Davao Light will bring about a positive change to the lives of our constituents, providing them with reliable and efficient power supply,” he said.

The bill, authored by Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Partylist representative Margarita Ignacia B. Nograles, was filed in January or just six months after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vetoed HB 10554, which sought to amend Republic Act 11515, extending for another 25 years the franchise granted to DLPC.

HB 10554 would have placed Tagum City, Island Garden City of Samal, and the municipalities of Asuncion, Kapalong, New Corella, San Isidro, and Talaingod under the franchise area of DLPC.

These areas are being serviced by the North Davao Electric Cooperative Inc. (NORDECO), which has an existing franchise for the mainland until 2028 and Samal until 2033.

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In her explanatory note, Nograles said HB 6740 seeks to expand the franchise of DLPC by including those same areas mentioned in the vetoed bill, and the municipality of Maco in the Davao de Oro in the jurisdiction of DLPC.

DLPC currently services Davao City, Panabo City, and the municipalities of Carmen, Dujali and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte.

“Over the years, NORDECO has suffered from losses and conflicting factions within the cooperative which have led to inadequate infrastructure, piling debts to service providers including power suppliers, cancelled power supply contracts, excessive systems losses, and failure to energize parts of its franchise area even up to this time,” she said.

She said NORDECO failed to address the problems and improve services within its franchise, resulting in ‘frequent power outages, thereby impeding economic development.’

“The local officials acted on their constituents’ expressed desire to be liberated from NORDECO’s long-standing poor and unreliable electric service,” she said.

Nograles believed that expanding the DLPC’s franchise ‘will redound to the greater good of the residents’ and ensure a ‘stable and reliable supply, and, ultimately, economic progress.’ 

Jubahib added that expansion of the energy services provided by DLPC will address the power supply problem of the province.

Marcos, in his veto message, cited some constitutional and legal challenges that led him to reject HB 10554.

He said that the bill would run counter to the provisions of Section 27 of Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), mandating that ‘all existing franchises shall be allowed to their full term.’

He said that the resulting repeal of NORDECO’s franchise over expanded franchise area is violative of the non-impairment clause under Section 10 of Article III of the 1987 Constitution.