God and the poor

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

THE gospel reading for Monday of Holy Week, taken from the gospel of St. John 12,1-11, reminds us that we should not make God and the poor compete with each other for our attention, care and love. Our attention, care and love for them should always go together. If we love God, we should also love the poor. If we love the poor, it is presumed that we love God first.

This truth of our faith was highlighted when Judas Iscariot complained why a woman wasted precious oil on Christ when it could have been sold and the sale could have been given to the poor.

That’s when Christ told him, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” (Jn 12,7-8)

It’s interesting to note that the gospel mentioned that Judas was actually not interested in caring for the poor but that he was a thief and held the money bag of the apostles and used to steal the contributions.

That observation is very important and should be taken seriously, especially among the clergy and those involved in financial matters. It cannot be denied that money can easily corrupt anyone. We should exert special effort to be truly guarded against this temptation. 

And the only way to do that is to be truly with Christ and to have a clear and strong purity of intention every time we handle money. Money should be used to give glory to God and for the common good, giving special preference to the poor. Otherwise, we end up as an easy target to this irresistible temptation.

In this regard, we have to learn how to use money to give glory to God. It cannot be denied that many times we think that money is just a purely personal affair, and that God has nothing to do with it. We have to correct that dangerous misconception about money. We need to realize that money is a very powerful tool to achieve something good or something bad. We need to use it wisely.

Given all these considerations, I imagine that we really need to be prayerful so as to always be in God’s presence, ever mindful of his will and ways with respect to the use of money. We should learn how to be recollected while in the midst of the hustle and bustle of our daily activities and concerns. 

This, of course, will require a certain discipline. We have to train our senses and our other faculties to discern God’s presence and providence in everything. In short, we have to become real contemplatives in the middle of the world.

Thus, a certain plan has to be developed and followed, a plan consisting of a number of acts of piety that can help us to be in God’s presence and to decipher his will and ways all throughout the day and in all kinds of situations that we find ourselves in.

This can mean a daily period of prayer and meditation, recourse to the sacraments, thorough study of the doctrine of our faith, and some devotions that will keep our heart aflame all the time.

We have to learn how to relate everything to God, a process that may involve the practice of relating things to the different lawful authorities that we are subject to. These lawful authorities are God’s immediate representatives to us.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Crisis averted: 50,000 Philippine seafarers keep jobs

 

Cecille Suerte Felipe - The Philippine Star 

MANILA, Philippines — Around 50,000 Filipino sailors working on European Union-flagged ships can heave a sigh of relief after the European Commission (EC) decided to continue recognizing their safety certifications issued by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).

On its website, the EC Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) announced on Friday its decision to consider the safety certifications issued by MARINA.

Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean cited “constructive cooperation” with Philippine authorities and their “efforts to improve the system for training and certifying seafarers.”

“Today, the European Commission has decided to continue recognizing certificates for seafarers issued by the Philippines, one of the world’s largest maritime labor supply countries,” the announcement read.

MARINA administrator Hernani Fabia said the “EC’s decision is a nod to the serious efforts taken by the country since the first EMSA inspection back in 2006.” EMSA stands for European Maritime Safety Agency.

Valean maintained the Philippines provides a significant part of the European and global shipping industry’s maritime workforce, with roughly 50,000 Filipino masters and officers currently working on EU-flagged ships.

The Philippines is the largest maritime labor supplier in the world with 345,000 deployed in 2022. They remitted around $6.7 billion or around P341 billion in 2022.

“The Philippines can count on our technical support to further improve the implementation and oversight of minimum education, training and certification requirements, as well as living and working conditions,” she added.

In December 2021, following a detailed assessment of the training and certification system in place in the Philippines, the Commission announced it would withdraw its recognition of seafarer certificates issued to Filipino sailors unless serious measures for improvement were taken, including compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).

In the coming months, the Commission intends to provide the Philippines with technical assistance so it could further improve its education, training and certification system for seafarers, as discussed between EC president Ursula von der Leyen and President Marcos, on the sidelines of the EU-ASEAN summit last December.

“The European Commission conveyed its decision to continue recognizing certificates issued by the Philippines for its Filipino seafarers, particularly Filipino marine officers onboard European-registered vessels,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.

“We are deeply elated by this decision, confirming we have adequately addressed many of the findings of the European Maritime Safety Agency,” he said. MARINA is an attached agency of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

“This milestone development in the Philippine maritime industry augurs well for the future of Filipino seafarers who comprise the world’s largest maritime labor,” he said.

Bautista also assured the EC that the Philippines, through the DOTr and MARINA, will address the issues raised by the commission.

“As the EC lauded our cooperation and welcomed our efforts at improving the Philippine system of training and certifying Filipino seafarers, we commit to address the remaining areas identified by EC that require further improvement,” the transport chief said.

“Rest assured we will not waver in our efforts to raise the level of expertise of our seamen to international standards,” he added.

Crisis averted

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said that with the EC decision, a crisis has been averted.

“With this decision, a crisis of monumental proportions has just been averted as 50,000 jobs of Filipino masters and officers aboard European vessels have been saved,” said DMW Secretary Susan Ople in a statement.

“Our seafarers are among the best in the world and this decision by the EU Commission reflects that,” she said.

“The DMW vows to work even harder for the protection of the rights and welfare of our seafarers and their families.”

She also expressed the DMW’s “most sincere gratitude” to the EC for its decision to continue recognizing Filipino seafarers’ certificates.

“We look forward to the start of technical cooperation between the Philippines and EC in professionalizing and further improving the skills of Filipino seafarers,” she said.

Sen. Grace Poe said the EC decision was timely, as the country cannot afford a massive job loss amid a global economic turmoil.

“During this turbulent period of the global economy, we cannot afford job losses that will bring economic difficulties to millions of families,” Poe said.

“As Filipino seafarers remain the preferred choice in the EU region, we should embark on continuous skills training to increase the viability of our workers,” she added.

“The government and private sector should step up efforts to use the period allowed by the EU to boost training and seriously heed the issues raised by the European Maritime Safety Agency,” she pointed out. “The quality of our maritime education will ensure the safety of travelers and secure the future of many Filipino seafarers’ families.”

No letup

Despite the positive development, there should be no letup in government efforts to innovate and implement reforms in the sector, according to Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

“Our government agencies deserve praise for their efforts in bringing about this positive development for our seafarers. Thanks to the collaboration of the inter-agency task force, somehow our sailors will have peace of mind,” she said.

“Let us continue to push for industry-wide reforms. We should draw lessons from this experience, which has threatened the livelihood of our seafarers,” she pointed out.

Hontiveros said the government should take note that most of the EC’s negative findings were due to deficiencies in the education system. “We call on the Commission on Higher Education and the MARINA to continue to remedy such deficiencies,” she said.

“Ultimately, as a lawmaker, I will continue to advocate for the passage of the Magna Carta of Seafarers, which will protect and advance the rights and well-being of our seafarers.”

In separate statements, Kabayan partylist Rep. Ron Salo and OFW partylist Rep. Marissa Magsino said the EC decision has proven the competence of Filipino seafarers.

“The decision of the European Commission is a testament to the competence and efficiency of our seafarers and the quality of training and education they have received,” Salo, chairman of the House committee on overseas workers affairs, said.

He said the development “reflects the efforts of the Philippine government in ensuring compliance of the country’s maritime education and training with the standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).”

“I thank the European Commission for recognizing the value of Philippine seafarers and for their decision to continue recognizing our seafarer certificates. This decision will certainly help alleviate the worries and fears our seafarers are currently facing,” he maintained.

Magsino, for her part, called the EC decision a “victory for the Filipino seafarers.”

“Our Filipino seafarers raise high and proud the banner of our country in wherever shore they reach. Their significant contributions to the national economy, made possible by their personal sacrifices, make them our moder

🔴TRAVEL UPDATE: BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION ADVISORY - MAJOR CHANGE ON ETRAVELLING

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NAIA Terminal Shuffle Alert: What You Need Know to Avoid Inconvenience

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PH internet speed improves in February— Ookla

BY BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT

Apr 2, 2023 08:46 AM

  

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The country’s fixed broadband internet speed improves in February, according to the latest Ookla Speedtest Global Index report.

Based on the report, the country’s fixed broadband median speed improved to 90.03Mbps from the 88.13Mbps registered the month before. Average fixed broadband speed registered at 142.57Mbps.The latest download speed represents an improvement of 18.95% since the Marcos administration began in July 2022.

Mobile median speed slightly dipped as the country yielded a download speed of 24.58Mbps from 24.59Mbps the month before. Average mobile speed registered at 58.66Mbps. The latest download speed represents an improvement of 9% since the Marcos administration began in July 2022.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said that ensuring improvement of internet speed remains a priority as the country fast-tracks its digitization. NTC Commissioner Ella Blanca B. Lopez said, “We are also happy that Elon Musk’s Starlink is also now available in the country to give Filipinos in underserved and unserved areas fast and reliable internet.”

Streamlining and speeding up the issuance of LGU permits in July 2020 generated a significant increase in permits granted to telcos from July 2020 to January 2023.

Improvement on internet speed is largely attributed to this development as telcos are able to fast-track building infrastructure (cellular towers and fiber optic network) necessary in boosting services and connectivity.

 

Easterlies to trigger rains in parts of VisMin — PAGASA

BY CHARIE MAE F. ABARCA

Apr 2, 2023 11:27 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Photo courtesy of PAGASA / Himawari

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The easterlies or the warm and humid winds from the Pacific Ocean will continue to trigger rain showers and thunderstorms in parts of Visayas and Mindanao, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Sunday, April 2.

PAGASA Weather Specialist Benison Estareja, in a public weather forecast, said the weather system is particularly bringing cloudy skies with scattered rain showers in Palawan, Eastern Visayas, and Mindanao.

“Patuloy pa rin ang epekto ng easterlies at ito pa rin ang magdadala ng maulang panahon sa malaking bahagi ng Mindanao at mga kalapit na lugar (The effects of the easterlies will persist and it will continue to bring rainy weather in most parts of Mindanao and nearby areas),” said Estareja on Sunday.

A fair and humid weather condition will continue to prevail in Metro Manila and the rest of the country due to the easterlies, but Estareja stressed that the occurrence of localized thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening is not ruled out.

Based on the state weather bureau’s satellite animation, no tropical cyclone is expected to develop or enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) within the Holy Week. 

ELEVENTH HOUR — Loss and damage in the context of the climate crisis

 In countries like the Philippines, the climate crisis translates to a debt crisis, as loss and damage continue to drive up the cost of capital and debt to unsustainable levels

BY CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT PHILIPPINES

  

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In climate negotiations and beyond, “loss and damage” generally refers to the impacts of the climate crisis that transpire despite, or in the absence, of either (1) climate change adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction and management solutions, or (2) the resources of communities to access them.

Loss and damage can result from both rapid-onset climate change impacts (such as typhoons, droughts, and heatwaves), as well as slow-onset changes such as sea level rise, desertification, glacial retreat, land degradation, ocean acidification, and salinization. It pertains to both economic and non-economic losses, including permanent and irreversible losses of lives, properties, livelihoods, culture, and biodiversity, among others.

A recent report estimated that 54 of the world’s climate-vulnerable developing and least-developed countries, which are emitting around five percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions, have lost approximately US$ 525 billion in aggregate dollar terms in the past two decades (2000-2019) because of the climate crisis — about 20 percent of their collective Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Commissioned by the Vulnerable Twenty (V20), a group of finance ministers from the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), the report showed that these countries would be twice as wealthy today were it not for climate change. 

For some, these are merely economic numbers, but for us in the Global South, this means catalogs of more casualties and deaths, of more homeless and jobless people, of more families going back to poverty or falling down the poverty line after every calamity.

The Philippines has been a poster child of severe loss and damage in the past decade.

The 2021 Global Climate Risk Index has ranked the Philippines fourth among countries most affected by climate change from 2000 to 2019. 

In 2013, the world witnessed the unprecedented devastation caused by Supertyphoon Haiyan. At least 6,300 lives were lost and more than P89 billion worth of damages to public and private infrastructure and lands were recorded.

In the years before that, Tropical Storm Ketsana (2009), Parma (2009), Washi (2011), and Bopha (2012) collectively claimed over 3,000 lives in the country, affected more than 10 million Filipinos, and caused economic losses of as much as US$ 5.7 billion.

Brgy. Salangan in San Miguel, Bulacan still submerged in flood on Sept. 26, 2022 after the onslaught of Supertyphoon Noru (Karding). (Mark Balmores / Manila Bulletin File)

This vicious cycle of loss and damage is still a reality for the Philippines in recent years. 

Just late last year in September, Supertyphoon Noru affected more than 1.5 million people across the country and caused the biggest damage to our agriculture sector — estimated to be at US$ 55 million.

While extreme weather events like these are often reported in mainstream media, climate change impacts that occur without the visual drama of calamities — such as ocean acidification, changes in hydrology, and sea level rise — are slowly bleeding our economies and affecting the livelihoods of our people. They worsen already difficult conditions with our food security, and the management of agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystems. 

Given that global warming is set to increase to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels within the decade regardless of greater mitigation actions and more intensified adaptation interventions, our communities stand to bear greater loss and damage in the next few decades.

In countries like the Philippines, the climate crisis translates to a debt crisis, as loss and damage continue to drive up the cost of capital and debt to unsustainable levels.

Our government is already allocating alarmingly significant and growing proportions of our public budgets to cover rapidly growing loss and damage costs. These include the budget needed to rebuild homes, hospitals, and other infrastructure after a supertyphoon ravages the country, to provide shelter, food, and other essential supplies for those who need to be relocated during and after the storm, to distribute emergency cash transfers for communities affected by flooding, drought, and other calamities, and to move people away from inundating coastal communities.
 
Financing loss and damage diminishes our already scarce resources intended to support our critical economic and development strategies in education, public health, nutrition, energy access, and job creation.

Existing climate finance mechanisms, such as the Adaptation Fund, Green Climate Fund (GCF), Least Developed Countries Fund, and Special Climate Change Fund, are focused on climate change adaptation (building resilience against current and future climate change impacts) and mitigation actions (emissions reductions) and do not address the loss and damage finance needs of vulnerable communities.

Addressing loss and damage requires financing beyond developed nations’ current commitments to support emissions reductions and adaptation in developing countries. Failing to do so would mean facing an ever-worsening spiral of further loss and damage, which will impede much-needed investments in climate resilience and low-carbon development.

At the heart of this discourse is climate justice. There is no more blatant display of injustice than making climate-vulnerable countries foot the bill for a problem not of their own making, consequently hindering them to focus on the pursuit of low-carbon development.

This is why countries from the Global South are fighting tooth and nail for the establishment of a distinct funding mechanism that will provide protection against climate risks for as many poor and vulnerable people as possible.

Thankfully, just a few months ago, during the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), parties agreed to operationalize a loss and damage fund. This is a big win for us, but we know that it will be a long way to go.

The most contentious issue that would have to be settled before this fund is determining who pays for the funds, how much, and what will be the basis for access, reporting, and financing mechanisms.

While debating on the nitty-gritty of this fund in COP28 later this year, we need to remember that losses and damages are already happening, and they are projected to worsen in the coming years. Loss and damage finance is critical and urgent. Lives are at risk. The future of many communities is at stake.

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About the author: Kristine Galang is currently the Communications Lead of The Climate Reality Project Philippines. Before joining the branch in 2021, she worked as the speechwriter communications focal of the former vice chairperson of the Climate Change Commission. Prior to working in the climate change sphere, she worked at Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office under the Aquino administration as deputy of its media monitoring division.

Palm Sunday in The Philippines

 

Vendors prepare palm fronds in Quiapo, Manila on Saturday, April 1, 2023, for Palm Sunday, April 2. Palm Sunday starts off the Holy Week for Catholics who commemorate the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem by waving palms. It is the final week of the 40-day Lenten season that chronicles Christ's passion, death and resurrection on Easter Sunday. PHOTO BY RENE DILAN

Sexy star Angela Perez passes away

BY NEIL RAMOS

Apr 1, 2023 11:06 AM

  

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Angela Perez, former actress who gained fame in the 80s appearing in a slew of sexy films, succumbed to stroke Wednesday.

She was 55.

Her death was confirmed by her daughter Issa Lim in a social media post.

Issa wrote, “Ikaw ang pinakamahal ko sa buhay, naging spoiled ako sa yo at ikaw lang nakakaintindi sa akin kapag may mga problema ako at kung bakit wala ako sa mood, at ikaw pa yung nagtatanggol sa akin pag may umaaway sa akin at kinakampihan mo ko lagi. Lagi tayong magkakasama, hindi pa naman ako sanay na hindi kita katabi o kayakap pag wala ka at mahal na mahal kita sobra Ma. Pinakamasakit sa akin na mawalan ako ng nanay at nawala pa ang mahal ko sa buhay. Nanginginig ako sa kakaiyak ko at nalulungkot pa rin ako nang sobra hanggang ngayon. I love you so much, Ma."

Angela’s sister, Cathy Mora, herself a former actress, also expressed sadness over her passing via a post.

“I am so heartbroken. You left too soon. You know how much I love you. I am at a loss for words…Thank you so much for everything, my beautiful sister. I will never forget you. Mahal na mahal na mahal kita, Ate ko,” she wrote.

Actress Melissa Mendez posted, “It is with deep sorrow that my dearest friend Angela Perez has passed. I’m still processing it that she left us this early. My heart is broken…”

Born Rowena Mora, Angela was introduced in the1983 film "Laruan" under the now defunct Falcon Films.

It made a huge splash, allowing her to do other, more “daring” films, including "Alexandra," "Nang Maghalo ang Balat sa Tinalupan," "Take-home Girls" and "Hayop sa Sarap."

Covid vaccine-related deaths climb to 2,801

By Arlie O. Calalo, Manila Times

March 31, 2023 

A TOTAL of 2,801 Filipinos, 70 of them children, have died after they were inoculated with a Covid-19 vaccine, according to a report by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A copy of FDA's "Reports of Suspected Adverse Reaction to Covid-19 Vaccines (01 March 2021 to 28 February 2023)," was obtained by The Manila Times.

According to the document, the mean or the average age of the fatal cases was 59.14, with 56.52 percent or 1, 583 of cases more than 60 years old.

It said 765 (27.31 percent) of the cases were 40 to 59 years old, and 359 (12.82 percent) were 18 to 39 years old.

The report said 53 cases (1.89 percent) were 12 to 17 years old, and 17 (0.61 percent) were 5 to 11 years old.

The age of the remaining 24 fatalities was not identified.

The FDA said the fatalities accounted for about 0.002 percent of the total vaccine doses administered.

It also said that "the reports of fatal outcomes do not necessarily mean that the vaccine caused the events."

In a previous interview, Public Attorney's Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta and PAO Forensics Division director Dr. Erwin Erfe had insisted that there must be a screening and clearance from doctors or specifically from pediatricians before an individual, who has comorbidities, is injected with a Covid-19 vaccine.

"Vaccine-related deaths could have been avoided," they said.

Rueda-Acosta and Erfe are providing legal assistance to a group of parents who have gone to court to question the legality of the government's vaccination program for minors.

Erfe has earlier argued before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court that the thousands of Covid-related deaths in the country were seriously alarming and that the government's vaccination for minors must not push through.

"It's normal that there are adverse effects for every vaccine, but these must not be serious and there must be no deaths unlike with Covid-19 vaccines," said Erfe, who is also a lawyer.

Judge Maria Cherell de Castro-Sansaet has scheduled the presentation of evidence by the respondents — former Health secretary Francisco Duque 3rd, Health Officer in Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire and the Department of Health Public Health Services Team — to the petition questioning the legality of vaccinating minors against Covid-19 on June 6 and June 27.

The Office of the Solicitor General is the respondents' counsel.

The petitioners are led by parents Girlie Samonte of Tondo, Manila, and Joel Corpuz of Cainta, Rizal.

Rueda-Acosta said the testimonies of at least four doctors, including Erfe, and former Biliran Rep. Glenn Chong, were enough to convince the court to stop the inoculation of minors.