Never a dull moment

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THAT is what happens when everything we do begins and ends with God. We no longer labor by ourselves but allow him to work through us. Then it is less our strength than his grace that shapes every thought, every word, and every deed.

With him, nothing remains impossible. Even life's darkest moments can be woven into something beautiful and life-giving. Love becomes our constant motive, because love is who God is and the very way he acts.

That is why we should never allow our bond with God to weaken amid the busyness of life. Every task, every responsibility, every ordinary moment can become a meeting place with him. Working piety is not an option but a vital necessity.

Of course, we carry our frailties wherever we go. We stumble, grow weary, and sometimes collapse beneath the weight of worries and disappointments. Yet faith assures us that God can transform every burden into a hidden blessing.

He wastes nothing—not even our failures. What appears to be a setback can become the seed of grace. Every cross, accepted with him, quietly blossoms into new life and deeper holiness, preparing our hearts for a joy the world cannot give.

The secret is simple yet inexhaustible: remain in love. Not merely with human affection or sheer determination, but with the very love that flows from God's own heart. Only that love never runs dry.

Our willpower alone has limits, and even the strongest sense of duty can grow tired. But when divine love becomes the fire within us, we continue the journey. Even when the body weakens, the soul keeps moving forward.

Let Christ remain always before our eyes and within our hearts. Contemplate him most especially as he stretches out his arms upon the Cross, revealing the fullest measure of love. There we learn how to love without counting the cost.

For this reason, we need a living spiritual life. Prayer, the sacraments, spiritual reading, and continuing formation are not mere devotions. They are the breath that keeps Christ alive and active within us.

We should also learn the beautiful art of constant conversation with him. Let it become natural, intimate, and full of purpose. May our hearts seek him with the same spontaneity by which flowers turn toward the sun.

That dialogue should awaken our faith, strengthen our hope, and set charity ablaze. These divine gifts must inspire our intellect and will. They should also illuminate our memory, imagination, feelings, passions, and every human power.

When faith quietly guides every human faculty, even the smallest duties become offerings of love. The ordinary is gradually transformed into something holy. Our daily work then becomes a silent hymn rising to God.

We should be careful not to let these faculties draw life merely from earthly sources. Still less should they revolve around ourselves and our own interests. Their deepest energy must always come from God.

Whenever we feel empty, restless, or exhausted, it is often because we have drifted from Christ. He himself invites the weary to come to him for rest. His presence restores what fatigue and anxiety have quietly stolen.

Let us never ignore that loving invitation. Let us return to him again and again, drawing fresh strength from his heart. Then we can begin anew, renewed in spirit and eager to fill the world with goodness.

Indeed, a life lived with Christ never loses its wonder. Every ordinary day becomes touched by eternity. And every moment, however hidden, becomes another chance to love as he loves.

Viva Hot Babes to also hold reunion concert

Kristofer Purnell - Philstar.com

Members of the Viva Hot Babes are featured in the girl group's reunion concert poster

Viva Artists Agency via Instagram

SAN JUAN, La Union — From "Spaghetti" to "Kikay."

After months of speculation, another iconic girl group the Viva Hot Babes are reuniting for a special concert.  

VAA Live Inc., the event production company of the Viva Group of Companies, announced on social media that the P-pop would stage a show on October 23 at Quezon City's New Frontier Theater.

"Labas mga Kikay! Nagbabalik sila in one iconic reunion concert," said the company of the "Bulaklak: Viva Hot Babe Reunion Concert," referencing two of the group's real songs.

Past members Maui Taylor, Katya Santos, Andrea Del Rosario, Gwen Garci, Sheree, Jaycee Parker, Ella V. and Jennifer Lee are all expected to perform as indicated in a released poster, and several guests teased.

Tickets for the show to be directed by GB Sampedro will be available beginning August 29 via the Ticketnet website or VAA Live's hotlines.

The prices per section are as follows:

• Balcony - P1,500
• Loge - P2,800
• Orchestra - P4,000
• VIP - P5,200
• SVIP - P6,800   

The Balcony and Loge sections are inclusive of a one-month voucher subscription to Viva's streaming platform VMX, while the rest include a three-month voucher subscription and soundcheck early access.

VIP ticketholders will also have a "hi-bye" session with the group. SVIP ticketholders, meanwhile, will get a photo opportunity with the participating members.

The Viva Hot Babes debuted back in 2003 and became a pioneering novelty P-pop act in the early aughts, drawing comparisons with the Sexbomb Girls, who recently had a successful string of reunion shows locally and globally.

Former members also include Jen Rosendahl, Myles Hernandez, Kristine Jaca, Hazel Cabrera, Asia Agcaoili, and Anna Leah Javier. 

Apart from "Kikay" and "Bulaklak," the Viva Hot Babes are also known for their songs "Basketbol," "Batuta ng Pulis," "Cola-Cola Body" and "Pag-ibig Ang Kailangan."

 

50 areas under state of calamity

 

50 areas under state of calamity; 'Habagat' to continue affecting Luzon, western Visayas over next 5 days

A total of 50 areas were already placed under a state of calamity due to the combined effects of "habagat" and tropical cyclones "Luis" and "Maymay," including 24 areas each in Central Luzon and Calabarzon, and two in Ilocos Region. The death toll also rose to 23, with 17 others injured and three still missing. The disaster has affected 4.9 million people across 10 regions. Read more

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon or “habagat” is expected to continue affecting Luzon and parts of Visayas over the next five days, bringing moderate to heavy rains to several areas, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Sunday, Aug. 16. Read more

Third date added to Regine Velasquez's 'FINALE' concert series amid overwhelming demand

 

By Neil Ramos

Published Aug 16, 2026 05:57 pm

More fans will get a chance to see Regine Velasquez celebrate 40 years in the music industry after a third date was added to her “FINALE” concert this October.

The additional show will be held October 19 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Tickets for the new date will go on sale on August 30, 6 p.m. through SM Tickets outlets and the official SM Tickets website.  

The third show comes after an overwhelming response to the first two concert dates.

Note the second “FINALE” show sold out in just nine minutes. 

Meanwhile, tickets for the October 17 show were gone within 45 minutes.

The strong demand prompted the addition of the October 19 performance. 

“FINALE” will feature Paolo Valenciano as stage director and Raul Mitra as musical director.

The concert is part of a celebration of Velasquez’s 40-year career.

Her upcoming documentary, “SONGBIRD,” will also give fans a closer look at her life, career and preparations for the milestone concert.

It is scheduled for release next year.

Fuel discount could reach up to P17/L in some gas stations, LTFRB says

By Aaron Recuenco

Published Aug 16, 2026 03:37 pm

LTFRB chairman Vigor D. Mendoza II talks with a gas station employee during the first day of the nationwide implementation of the P12 per liter fuel discount on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 for passenger jeepneys and UV Express. (photo: LTFRB)

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) vowed to expedite the payment process to participating gas stations as the national government started the implementation of the P12 per liter fuel discount on Saturday, Aug. 15.

LTFRB chairman Vigor D. Mendoza II said he also instructed all the agency’s regional offices to continuously monitor and submit reports of the status of the fuel discount program in their areas of responsibility.

“The instruction is for all of us in the LTFRB to be responsive in immediately addressing whatever concerns that may come in the implementation,” said Mendoza.

Part of it, he said, is the LTFRB’s prompt action on all the documentary requirements for the immediate payment to the participating gas stations across the country,“ We are now preparing the credit memos so we can pay gas stations without delay.”

President Marcos earlier extended and increased the fuel subsidy discount—from P10 to P12 per liter covering jeepneys and UV Express, two of the most patronized public utility vehicles (PUVs) in the country.

During his visit to gas stations in Metro Manila on Saturday, Mendoza said jeepney drivers also informed him that they also get additional discounts in some gasoline stations through loyal customer promotion.

This is on top of the government’s fuel subsidy program.

Mendoza said the maximum discount per liter in the loyal customer program is as high as P5 per liter—which means that jeepney and UV Express operators could get as high as P17 per liter discount.

Currently, the price range of gas stations that were visited is between P81 to P89 per liter and with the discount and the loyal customer promo, he said the discount will drop to P64 to P72 per liter.

Over 143,000 jeepney and UV Express units were already listed in the fuel discount program in over 5,000 gas stations across the country.

Based on the guideline, jeepney and UV Express operators could avail of a maximum of 150 liters discounted petroleum products every week, or a savings of around P1,800 every week.

All the drivers would do is to give the license plate before gassing up and the discount is automatically deducted.

30 AND ON FIRE

Actress Chie Filomeno marked her 30th birthday with a series of stunning and sultry photos.

Instagram/Chie Filomeno

| via SunStar Cebu

Why is English grammar so different from other Germanic languages?

 

SepiaGlyphs

 

Old English originally had three grammatical genders and complex noun cases, just like modern German. It lost them because England was conquered—twice.

If you look at a manuscript from before these invasions, you will likely not recognize it as English at all.

The first folio of the Beowulf manuscript, written in the West Saxon dialect of Old English. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The shift away from this complex Germanic structure started with the Vikings. In the 9th and 10th centuries, Norsemen settled across northern and eastern England in an area known as the Danelaw. Old Norse and Old English were closely related Germanic languages. Their core vocabularies were similar enough that a Norse settler and an Anglo-Saxon farmer could recognize the roots of each other's words, but their grammatical endings—the suffixes that indicated gender and case—were entirely different. To make trade and daily life possible, speakers of both languages began dropping these confusing endings. This contact smoothed away the complex inflectional system, leaving a simplified grammar that relied on word order rather than suffixes to convey meaning.

The second wave came in 1066 with the Norman Conquest. William the Conqueror replaced the English ruling class with French-speaking Norman nobles. For the next 300 years, French and Latin were the languages of government, law, and the church. English was relegated to the peasantry.

Because English was no longer the language of the educated elite, it stopped being formally taught and lost its standardized written form. Unmoored from the conservative influence of scribes and scholars, the spoken language evolved rapidly. The remaining grammatical genders vanished entirely. To compensate for the loss of noun cases, English locked into a strict Subject-Verb-Object word order and began relying heavily on prepositions like "to," "for," and "by."

By the time English reclaimed its status as the national language in the 14th century, it had transformed from a synthetic language that built meaning through word endings into an analytic one that built meaning through word order. It also absorbed about 10,000 French words in the process, leaving modern English with a Germanic foundation, a massive Romance vocabulary, and a grammar that operates like neither.

When was the last time you felt truly seen or genuinely acknowledged for the work you do?

Ivy Jane Guanzon

When I entered the workplace, I already understood that roles are not always fixed. Tasks can shift, responsibilities can expand, and flexibility is part of the system. I accepted early on that effort does not always translate directly into recognition, and that many things I do behind the scenes are often taken for granted when outcomes are presented.

Still, understanding this reality did not fully prepare me for how easily my meaningful contributions can be overlooked. There were instances when I invested time, effort, and careful attention into tasks, only to later find that the credit was attributed to someone else. These moments were not necessarily loud or confrontational, but they were quietly disappointing.

I am one of those employees who works primarily in the background, handling documents, refining details, organizing outputs, and ensuring that everything is properly completed before submission. I am comfortable working independently or as part of a team, and I take pride in producing work that is thorough, structured, and reliable.

However, I am not always the one who presents or verbally reports these outputs, which sometimes contributes to my work being less visible.

Over time, I began to understand a personal distinction: I do not necessarily seek recognition for its own sake. Instead, I value acknowledgment of effort, the simple recognition that my work has been done with care, discipline, and consistency.

I have come to recognize my ability to handle demanding workloads. At times, tasks require completion within very short deadlines, sometimes within hours or overnight. While these situations can be challenging, I manage them with composure and structure. I do not see this as something extraordinary, but rather as part of the expectations of the role and a reflection of developed endurance and focus.

I am grateful to my boss, whose trust in my capabilities has strengthened my confidence. Being given responsibility and being trusted with important tasks reinforces my sense of purpose and encourages me to maintain consistent performance, even under pressure.

At the same time, I find myself thinking about how opportunities for growth are distributed in the workplace. Training sessions, seminars, and similar development opportunities are important, but they are not always allocated in ways that fully reflect actual need or contribution. Ideally, these opportunities should be given not only based on visibility, titles, or formal presentations, but also on who will most benefit from them in terms of improving their work and strengthening their capacity.

There are often layers of work that are not immediately visible in formal reports or presentations. Some employees may appear quieter, less vocal, or less present in reporting spaces, but this does not necessarily reflect the extent of their actual contribution. In many cases, much of the work happens before a document is even finalized or presented.

This is why I believe employee performance should be assessed more holistically. Evaluations should not rely solely on written outputs, credentials, or presentation skills, but should also consider consistency, reliability, adaptability, and actual performance in day-to-day responsibilities. Real competence is often demonstrated in how tasks are handled over time, especially under pressure or limited time.

It also becomes more complex when comparisons arise in the workplace. Being compared to others without full understanding of the scope and depth of each person’s responsibilities can feel limiting.

Despite these experiences, I continue to approach my work with professionalism. Deadlines can be demanding, and workloads can sometimes feel compressed into very short timeframes. However, I consistently strive to deliver outputs that are organized, accurate, and thoughtfully completed. I focus on maintaining quality rather than being overwhelmed by pressure.

Even in instances where my contributions are not properly credited, I have learned not to turn every situation into a conflict. I choose restraint over confrontation because I value stability and professionalism in the workplace. Still, I cannot deny that it is difficult at times to see my work acknowledged elsewhere without proper attribution.

What I am ultimately asking for is not special treatment, but fairness; the kind of fairness that recognizes effort in a balanced and honest way. Recognition should not depend solely on visibility, credentials, or formal presentations, especially when there are equally important contributions happening behind the scenes.

Every workplace has individuals who consistently give their best without seeking attention. They work quietly, steadily, and reliably. These individuals deserve to be seen not only for what they present, but for what they sustain, support, and complete every day.