Perseid Meteor Shower 2025 
Best Viewing Tips:
Don’t forget to make a wish on a shooting star!
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By Fr. Roy Cimagala
Chaplain
Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)
Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
DEFINITELY, it is not in being adorned with sorts of medals and public recognition, showered with all kinds of honors and privileges. It’s rather in being simple and humble, in having a heart completely emptied of its ego and filled with love and compassion for everyone, even to the extent of offering one’s life for the others out of love, the way Christ offered his life for all of us.
We are reminded of this truth of our faith in that gospel episode where the disciple asked Christ, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” (Mt 18,1) To this, Christ simply called a child over, and placing him in their midst, said: “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 18,2-4)
There you have the clear description of who can be considered truly great and how we can be so. It is to be like a child, simple and humble, the qualities that would enable us to be like Christ himself, able to capture and assume the very spirit of God in whose image and likeness we are.
We have to acknowledge the intimate and mutual relation between simplicity and humility, on the one hand, and greatness on the other hand. When one is great in his earthly stature and dignity, he knows he has to serve more and to give more, to be truly great. True greatness is never shown in pride and vanity. It is proved and verified in humility and simplicity.
Christ is the epitome of true greatness. And he showed it by going through this process of self-emptying that St. Paul once described in this way—that Christ “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil 2,6-8)
This mutual relation between humility and greatness is expressed when we manage to value others, whoever and however they are, above ourselves and when we look after their interest instead of our own. (cfr. Phil 2,3-4)
In other words, our greatness is when we are fully driven with love. That’s when we would not have any dull moments since we would always be thinking of others, of how to help them. We would even be most willing to make sacrifices for them. We would have our whole life dedicated to serving God and others.
This is what we clearly see in the life of Christ. Let’s call to mind that stunning example of his when he shocked his apostles when he started and insisted to wash their feet at the Last Supper.
For us to have this humility and greatness in our life, we need to be always with Christ. We need to be in constant conversation with him, referring everything to him, asking him for the answers to our questions, clarifications to the many issues we have to grapple with in life, strength for our weaknesses and temptations, contrition and conversion after our falls, etc.
Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (69, CDU) und seine schwarz-rote Regierung können zu ihrem 100-Tage-Bestehen mit den Umfragewerten nicht zufrieden sein
Berlin – Enttäuschende Zahlen für Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz und die Union. Zum 100-Tage-Bestehen der schwarz-roten Koalition dümpelt die CDU/CSU weiter bei gerade mal 27 Prozent.
Damit liegt sie sogar schlechter als bei der Bundestagswahl im Februar, als sie noch 28,6 Prozent der Stimmen erreichte. Der Union dicht auf den Fersen ist die AfD, die aktuell bei 25 Prozent liegt und Platz zwei verteidigt. Bitter für den Regierungschef: Selbst für eine Neuauflage seiner schwarz-roten Regierung würde es unter diesen Bedingungen nicht reichen.
Denn Koalitionen benötigen 44 Prozent für parlamentarische Mehrheiten. Schwarz-Rot erreicht wegen der weiterhin eklatanten Schwäche der SPD (unverändert bei kümmerlichen 15 Prozent) zusammen nur 42 Prozent. Also hat das Bündnis, das einst „Große Koalition“ genannt wurde, bei den Deutschen schon 100 Tage nach seiner Neuauflage keinen ausreichenden Rückhalt mehr.
Der Anteil der Unzufriedenen (60 Prozent) mit Bundeskanzler Merz und der schwarz-roten Bundesregierung ist nach 100 Tagen im Amt doppelt so hoch wie der Anteil der Zufriedenen (27 Prozent).
13 Prozent der Wählerstimmen gehen an Parteien, die an der Fünf-Prozent-Hürde scheitern. Allerdings gibt es zwei Parteien mit Entwicklungspotenzial. So gewinnt die FDP im aktuellen Sonntagstrend einen Prozentpunkt hinzu und kommt mit vier Prozent der Fünf-Prozent-Hürde nah. Totgesagte leben eben manchmal länger. Auch die Wagenknecht-Partei BSW, die den Einzug in den Bundestag im Februar knapp verpasst hatte, kann sich Hoffnungen auf ein Comeback machen. Sie rangiert wie die Liberalen bei vier Prozent.
Sollten Union und SPD einen weiteren Partner für eine Mehrheit benötigen, müssten sie abwarten, ob eine von diesen beiden Parteien den Sprung in den Bundestag schafft. Ansonsten blieben ihnen die Grünen, die wie in der Vorwoche bei 11 Prozent landen, oder die Linkspartei, die einen Prozentpunkt verliert und auf 9 Prozent fällt.
INSA-Chef Hermann Binkert sagt: „Mit jeweils vier Prozent haben das BSW und die FDP die Fünf-Prozent-Hürde fest im Blick. Beide Parteien sollte man noch nicht abschreiben.“
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By Fr. Roy Cimagala
Chaplain
Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)
Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
THIS is the ideal condition for us to be in. Given the way we are, as willed by God himself, our Creator and Father, we need to be always with him all the time even as we go through our earthly and temporal affairs. To acquire the art and skill for this is definitely a very important, if not an indispensable, requirement of our life. More than that, to have the very spirit of God is the bottom line of our life here on earth.
This does not mean that we have to stay away from the things of the world. Rather, we have to learn to love the world without being worldly, trapped in its ways without leading us to God.
The secret for this is to see to it that our mind and heart are always with God. We should not allow ourselves to be fully taken by the charms and deceiving allurements of the world. A certain sense of vigilance and detachment is needed so that we avoid ignoring God as we engage in our worldly affairs.
But yes, we need to love the world and the things in it the way God loves them. After all, God created them and all he created is good. We just have to understand the true nature and purpose of the world. It has been created for us to be tested whether what God wants us to be—that is, to be his image and likeness, children of his, sharers of his life and nature—is also what we want ourselves to be.
We have to be wary when we get swallowed up by our earthly and temporal affairs, making them the main objective in our life rather than a mere occasion and means for us to achieve our real goal as defined for us by our Creator. The world is supposed to be only a pathway to heaven where we truly belong. The proper attitude we should have toward the world is to love it without becoming worldly.
That is the challenge! So, the question to ask is: How does God love it so we can also love it the way he does? We just cannot rely on our ideas and ways of loving the world, because without God, that loving would be suspicious at best.
Let’s remember that as Creator, God has given everything in the world its proper nature and laws whose purpose is nothing other than to give glory to himself. We on our part can only use and develop the world properly when we respect the God-given nature and laws of everything that is in it. More than that, we should try to discern how each thing in the world becomes a living part of the abiding providence of God over all of us.
We have to be wary of our tendency to ignore the designs of God in the world and to simply pursue our own personal interests, leading us to fall into self-indulgence. Rather, what we should try to do is act as a Christian leaven that infuses the Christian spirit in all our worldly and temporal affairs.
This duty to be a leaven for the world is actually very doable, because what is needed first of all is the intention to do so. We may not be doing something with big public significance or some external manifestation, but with the little ordinary things that we do everyday and done with faith and love for God and for others, we can already effectively leaven the world.
Alas Women take center stage once against when they compete in Leg 2 of the 5th SEA Women’s V.League in Vietnam.
By Mark Rey Montejo
Published Aug 7, 2025 01:40 pm
Alas Pilipinas aims for redemption when it tries to pull off an upset against fancied host Vietnam on the opening day of the 5th SEA Women’s V.League Leg 2 at the Ninh Bình Gymnasium Friday, Aug. 8.
Coming from a four-day break from their third straight bronze-medal win in the first leg, the Nationals are ready to aim for a better finish as well as to strike back at the Vietnamese in their 7 p.m. clash.
Regional powerhouse Thailand raises the curtain when it squares off with Indonesia at 4 p.m.
Armed with an inspired lineup composed of young and experienced hitters, the Nationals seek to end their losing streak to Vietnam, which they last defeated in the 2019 edition of the regional tiff.
But since then, Vietnam has regained its bearings, even essaying a 25-13, 25-21, 23-25, 25-9 victory over the Jorge de Brito-mentored squad in their recent meeting in Leg 1.
Angel Canino, who was named one of the Best Outside Hitters in the first leg, is expected to lead the Nationals anew with veterans Jia De Guzman, Dawn Catindig, Maddie Madayag, Dell Palomata, Vanie Gandler, and Eya Laure.
Also leading their way are Alyssa Solomon, Bella Belen, Fifi Sharma, Thea Gagate, Leila Cruz, Justine Nazareno, and Mars Alba, as well as collegiate stars Shai Nitura and Cla Loresco.
Vietnam, meanwhile, banks on seasoned spiker Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, who has been a thorn in the PH side in various international competitions, along with Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen.
The Filipinas are coming off a bronze-medal finish in the four-team first leg with a 1-2 win-loss record -- its lone triumph coming at the expense of Indonesia.
FINIX, a dynamic ensemble of seven exceptionally gifted young Filipino girls, is poised to make a dazzling entrance into the vibrant music scene.
By Robert Requintina
Published Aug 8, 2025 09:08 am
With their unique talents and captivating energy, they are ready to share their voices and stories, promising an exhilarating musical journey that will enchant fans and listeners alike.
The Philippines is brimming with talent, but it lacks the necessary infrastructure to support it. GKD Records aims to fill this gap.
With the introduction of its pre-debut act, FINIX, the independent label is making a bold statement: Philippine pop culture deserves a place on the global stage.
Instead of chasing trends, GKD Records is committed to building sustainable systems that emphasize longevity, equity, and cultural pride.
“We didn’t build GKD Records to play the game. We built it to redesign the board,” said Josh Stephany, CEO and Founder of GKD Records. “Our job is to make sure artists don’t just survive, they lead. And FINIX is the living testament of that belief in motion.”
A group forged by vision, not by accident
FINIX is a group consisting of Aki, Rikka, Zia, R-Lo, Tris, Cole, and Minhea. The formation of this group stemmed from a thorough, values-driven process. The members were chosen through various audition stages, including "Finding FINIX," a survival-style audition program aimed at identifying not only talent but also purpose.
Over a span of two years, the selected members underwent extensive training in multiple areas, including vocal performance, choreography, stage presence, language immersion, and mental conditioning. This training was modeled after both K-pop and American systems, all while being rooted in Filipino sensibility.
The goal was never replication. It was elevated.
“What impressed us wasn’t just their skill. It was their clarity,” said Stephany. “They knew who they were, and why it mattered. We didn’t shape that. We protected it.”
During this pre-debut phase, anticipation for FINIX has surged both online and offline. They have a growing fanbase, significant chart placements, and in-depth discussions about their message and representation.
FINIX’s first pre-debut offering, the “Thirsty” EP, serves as both a musical introduction and a mission statement. This four-track project highlights their diverse sound, ranging from the upbeat synth-pop of "Thirsty" to the cinematic drama of "Sumugal Sa Akin," and the confident swagger of "Click Click Boom." The EP concludes with "Rise Again," a powerful anthem about resilience that reflects the group’s phoenix-inspired name and spirit.
The impact has been immediate: over 1.7 million streams across platforms,
ranked Top 10 on Spotify and Top 6 on YouTube among P-Pop groups, and charted on four iTunes rankings, including two #1s.
Beyond the numbers, Thirsty reveals what FINIX stands for: boldness, vulnerability, and a refusal to dilute identity to be seen.
GKD’s vision goes beyond mere performance and production. In collaboration with the fan engagement platform Hey Roomie, the label is creating a digital space that allows fans to become part of the movement.
This includes exclusive interactions, early content releases, polls, and live chats. For artists like FINIX, this platform provides a way to gauge their audience's real-time reactions and test new ideas before sharing them with a broader audience.
“Hey Roomie extends our mission,” said Stephany. “It’s not just about releasing music. It’s about reimagining the systems and communities that support it.”
The start of something built to last
For GKD, FINIX is not just a group; it is a signal. A signal that the Philippines doesn't need to wait for global recognition. It needs to continue building systems that reflect its power, creativity, and pride.
“This isn’t a launch. It’s a look at what’s coming,” said Aki, FINIX’s leader. “We’re still in training, still growing, still dreaming. But we know what we carry, and we know where we’re going.”
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Trailing behind Southeast Asian region’s best performer, Vietnam with an eight-percent growth, the Philippine economy expanded by 5.5 percent in the second quarter of 2025, one percentage point (ppt) slower than the 6.5 percent recorded in the same period last year. Read more |
#KadayawanFestival2025: Nagpabiling mahal ang presyo sa Durian sa Ramon Magsaysay, Davao City dungan sa selebrasyon Kadayawan Festival.
