LOSING OUR FAITH?

A friend of mine started talking with me and mentioned the good old days. Yes, those were the days my friend! Well, we all know: times have changed. More natural disasters, more wars, more people all over the world who are losing their faith. 

Faith, like love, is an element that bonds together relationships. And we lose faith like we lose love — for many reasons. Loss comes from misunderstandings, personality conflicts, tragic circumstances, ill treatment and our own ignorance, to name a few.

Some may lose faith because they disagree with religious teachings on current issues, or because the doctrine lacks strong evidence, doesn't make sense to them anymore, or because it simply does not add up. Others may become disillusioned following personal trauma; unanswered prayers; the existence of natural disasters, diseases and evil; the conflicts caused by religions; or the questionable morality of religious leaders and religious people.

Others say they dislike organized religion and want to make their own decisions rather than listening to somebody else. Still others become distracted by materialism, or find that they're too busy to participate.

People who walk away from religion usually say, “I shall be just fine. Please do not worry about me.”

To be or not to be. Sein oder nicht sein. Shakespeare. To say it clearly: without faith, we're really nothing.

Faith is belief; believe in us, in our works, talents and our personalities. We should also believe in our parents - or much better, in our whole family including the black sheep, which can be found everywhere. We should believe in our friends, even though it seems to become very difficult many times.

Please remember, my dear readers: without faith will we reach the rock bottom. Don't say, it's a likely story.

The German poet Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1815) has mentioned in his drama "Maria Stuart": "Even the word might be dead, but faith keeps it alive!" Chapter I of Second Thessalonians gives encouragement to all Christians, who were undergoing persecution for or because of their faith. Yes, faith is really not everybody's thing, or "not everyone has faith".

"If I have faith, that can move mountains" (First Corinthians 13,2).

Faith is a tantamount to convincing and conviction. Richard Wagner (German classical composer and poet, 1813-1883) found the following lyric: "Blessed are those people, who know how to live their life in humility and faith."

So, let's even continue believing in our governments or the institution church. Faith means also a belief specially in a revealed religion. Faith is trust or reliance. Faith is indeed a pledged word. Yes, I know.

Faithful love is loyal, reliable, exact and honorable love. Faithful love means even to love your enemy.

Allow me to close this column with a Chinese proverb: "People without faith in themselves cannot or will never survive!" - Worth to think about it!

𝐏𝐋𝐆𝐔 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐯’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥

In the current times, it's innovative governance that takes the lead. The need of the people has never been constant in relation to the ever-changing time, and government services should cope with the demands of the public. 

To level up government service, the provincial government of Davao de Oro headed by Governor Tyron Uy implemented a reorganization based on the Provincial Ordinance No. 86-2021 approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the province through Vice Governor Maricar Zamora, Senior Board Member Arturo Uy, and other provincial officials. 

On February 7, 2022, a total of 927 employees took their oath of office at the provincial capitol, 447 of which are casual employees and now made permanent as a result of the reorganization. The implementation of the administrative reform precedes efficient public service and provides security of tenure for the backbone behind the province’s triumphs---its workforce. 

The reorganization also strengthens existing government programs and services of Davao de Oro as some provincial offices were now separated as lone departments thereby expanding its scope and duties.

Among the offices that were upgraded is the Provincial Information and Communications Technology Office (PICTO) which spearheads the creation of various e-government programs utilized for an efficient workflow such as the Funds Utilization Management System (FUMS), Document Tracking System, Household Profiling Needs Assessment System (HPNA), and the Feedback Management System. PICTO also created much-needed online services accessible for all dabawenyos in the course of the pandemic such as the Call DdOC, 1DdO Helpline System, ShopLokal, and DdO iPortal which garnered awards and recognitions.

The internal audit workforce, formerly a division was also upgraded as the Provincial Internal Audit Office (PIAO) and continues its responsibility in auditing the operations, and activities of the provincial offices in adherence to laws, rules, and regulations. PIAO also received an award from the Department of Interior and Local Government Unit (DILG) in recognition of its establishment of a functional and resourced internal audit division and execution of an audit plan consistent with the guidelines issued by the Department of Budget and Management, and the Civil Service Commission.

The administrative reforms made by the provincial government with full support from the Provincial Human Resource Management and Development Office (PHRMDO) magnify the strength of the province’s 4Ps Plus program in its continued service for the welfare of DdO’s greatest treasure---its people. (JA, PAO-IPRD, photos by J. Cadiz)

Our work reflects who we really are

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

CHRIST was performing so many amazing miracles that the people could not help but exclaim: “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mk 7,37) Eventually through these miracles, among many other things, people were convinced that Christ indeed was the promised redeemer, the Son of God who became man.

Again, if we are to be like Christ as we ought, since Christ is the pattern of our humanity, then we somehow should show that the way we work should reflect that we are children of God in Christ. Our work should not only show the kind and the amount of talents and human powers we have. It should show that we are like Christ. To a certain extent, we can share the praise accorded to Christ that “he has done all things well.”

But first of all, we need to have a proper understanding of the true value of work in our life. As it is, the common understanding of work needs to be clarified and redeemed, because it has strayed from the proper path it is supposed to tread. We need to put it back to where it belongs in our life.

In the first place, our work is part of our human nature. As such, we are meant to work. Work is not a punishment or merely a heavy activity that we should try to avoid. Escaping work is definitely against our humanity.

And so, we need to correct the attitude, regrettably rampant these days, that considers work as something that has to be avoided as much as possible, or that regards it as an unavoidable evil that simply has to be tolerated. 

Our work, in fact, perfects us, since it actualizes the potencies that we have. It is what brings us toward our proper development and fulfillment, individually and socially. It enables us to achieve what God has meant for us—that we be his image and likeness.

In the second place, our work, even if humanly speaking is deemed insignificant, will always be part of the abiding providence of God over all his creation. It is what relates us to God and to others, what enables us to attain the ultimate goal of our life—full communion with God and with others. 

We need to understand then that our work is a vital part of God’s abiding providence over all his creation, especially over us. Since God’s providence now involves itself in the salvation of man, after we have alienated ourselves from him through sin, both the original and personal, we have to understand that our work ought to be involved too in our own salvation

It therefore has an eminently redemptive character. It just cannot be stuck with purely worldly objectives, no matter how valuable, recommendable and legitimate these worldly objectives are. It just cannot be pursued simply following personal or worldly purposes.

This is where we have to feel the duty to redeem our work from its merely worldly context. It just cannot be wasted on brilliant technicalities, or on some advantageous, profitable and most tempting and irresistible earthly motives and worldly pursuits.

We have to be more aware of the ultimate value and purpose of our work, no matter how small and humanly insignificant it may look. We need to sanctify it, offering it to God and doing our best in carrying it out, and always trying to see how our work at the moment plays in the overall plan of divine providence.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

PH reopens borders to foreign visitors, shows the world how

by Manila Bulletin

The Philippines has shown the international community it can be decisive and brave enough to lead in the reopening of borders, even as bigger and more prepared economies chose to continue shutting down theirs.

But the reopening is not without safeguards, the government calibrates this move, initially allowing only the entry of fully vaccinated tourists from 157 visa-free countries.

This move augurs well for the devastated tourism industry, the hardest hit in the country. Tourism was just starting to flourish in the country and foreign tourists were just discovering our unique features when the pandemic hit and put the Philippines in a constant balancing act between health and livelihood.

The government has also ramped up vaccination drives. In fact, the tourism industry boasted of high vaccination rate of its frontliners.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) reported that as of the first week this month, 92.51 percent or 317,892 out of 349,534 tourism workers have received their COVID-19 jabs.

Tourism destinations with 100 percent vaccination rate among its tourism workers include: Baguio City; Aurora; Palawan towns Coron, El Nido and San Vicente; Puerto Princesa City, and Camiguin island. The DOT offices are also facilitating the roll-out of booster shots for eligible tourism workers.

On a regional basis, the National Capital Region (NCR) registered the highest coverage for tourism workers with 99.91 percent vaccination rate.

In addition, the number of infections in the country has been on a declining trend. Projections showed, COVID-19 cases could further go down to a very manageable level 1,000 to 2,000 cases by the end of this month and less than 500 in the NCR by Valentine’s Day. Remember, we came from an alarming rate of over 30,000 daily cases in the first month this year.

Indeed, the number looks good.

The private sector has also thrown its full support for the government decision despite admitting that it takes a lot of effort to get their engines running again after almost two years of dormancy. Already, some sectors in the industry are shooting for government financing lifeline.

During the pandemic, most hotels had been tapped as quarantine facilities for long staying guests, OFWs, and BPO workers. With the lifting of quarantine restrictions, hotels are gearing to shift to their primary business operations and cater to leisure tourists.

Although tourism players do not expect immediate return of foreign tourists in at least the next two months, they, too, declared their readiness to welcome visitors. But, definitely, tourists are sure to come back within the year.

Tourism facilities, including events venues, are cooperating by not raising their rates. All they want is to bring the volume back to the pre-COVID level in 2019, revenues can wait.

What is important is to build the confidence that we can reopen safely by strictly enforcing health and safety protocols because the virus is here to stay. We have to live with the virus.

By being able to build the confidence means continued reopening that should translate to more jobs and more revenues.

When God would test our faith

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

REMEMBER that gospel episode where a Greek woman begged Christ to drive the demon out of her daughter? (cfr. Mk 7,24-30) That is one clear instance when God can test us to see if we really have faith in him or not. There’s always that possibility that when our initial petition is not granted, we would immediately get turned off and give God a cold shoulder. We have to be wary of this possibility.

As it turned out, when Christ at first told the woman not to bother him since he was not sent to people like her, using a rather derogatory expression of not giving the bread intended for the children to the dogs, the woman still insisted by saying, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” At this, Christ relented and granted the woman the favor she was requesting.

Yes, God can test our faith, and he wants our faith to get even stronger when we are faced with impossible predicaments in our life. We should not miss the chance to make our faith grow even more.

When we are hounded by some persistent defects, weakness, temptations and sin, we should never lose sight of the fact, a happy truth of our faith, that there is always hope for us. St. Paul has reassured us that where sin has abounded, God’s grace has abounded even more. (cfr. Rom 5,20) 

God never tires of forgiving us and of giving us more grace to make us grow spiritually, that is, to grow more in love for God and others. What we can do with the reality of the persistence of evil is to take advantage of it to get closer to God and others. 

Yes, we may be always hounded by evil, temptations and sin, but let’s learn the art of converting them into occasions to go to God more closely. And that’s when, with God, we can manage to derive good from evil.

On our part, we just have to be humble enough to accept this fact of life, and more, to go to God to ask for forgiveness and help every time we feel the sting of evil in all its forms. It is pure pride when we refuse to acknowledge this fact of life, and more so, when we refuse to go to God for forgiveness and help.

We cannot deny that evil, temptations and sin will always hound us. But let’s always remember Christ’s reassuring words to us: “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16,33)

God never loses battles, even if in our human standards, things may look like a loss or a defeat. But the victory of God in the end is supernatural that goes way beyond our human and natural standards.

And so on our part, if we are made to suffer not only for a while but rather for a long while or even up to our own death, we should not worry, because if our faith is strong, if we continue to stick with God, the final victory is assured.

While God can give us the immediate relief or solution to our problems, it can happen that he grants us the favor after a long while, or even after our death. We should see to it that we continue to be with him by letting our faith grow even as we go through all the trials and sufferings in life.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Toni Gonzaga-Soriano unfollows Instagram friends

 Toni Gonzaga’s Instagram profile as of Feb. 9, 2022

by Stephanie Bernardino, Manila Bulletin

Actress-singer Toni Gonzaga has unfollowed her celebrity friends on Instagram.

As of Feb. 9. Toni is only following 22 accounts on IG, including her husband Paul Soriano, son Severiano Elliott, sister Alex Gonzaga, and mom Pinty Gonzaga. Others are the official accounts of her businesses.

After 16 years, Toni bid goodbye to her reality show “Pinoy Big Brother” hours after she hosted the proclamation rally of presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos and running mate Sara Duterte. The “PBB” management also released its statement.

Prior to Toni’s confirmation, Kapamilya reporter MJ Felipe already broke the news.

MJ wrote on Twitter: “THIS JUST IN: According to a reliable source, Toni Gonzaga will no longer host Pinoy Big Brother. No formal resignation but source said Toni has voluntarily endorsed the main hosting job to Bianca Gonzalez.”

“Pinoy Big Brother,” more popularly known by its abbreviated title “PBB,” is the Philippine version of the “Big Brother” reality game show franchise. The show first aired in 2005 and Toni was among the original hosts alongside Willie Revillame and Mariel Rodriguez.

Some believe Toni’s departure from the show has something to do with her appearance as host of BBM-Sara proclamation rally held at the Philippine Arena, Tuesday. Several ABS-CBN executives have expressed disappointment on Toni.

On the other hand, Toni’s hosting stint UniTeam’s proclamation rally ignited viral memes.

PH ready to welcome foreign tourists – Puyat

Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat speaks during the virtual recognition of Women Champions of Sustainability hosted by The Conrad Manila on August 16, 2021. (Screengrab from Conrad Manila’s YouTube video)

by Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat, Manila Bulletin

Government and the tourism private sectors declared the Philippines is ready to accept fully vaccinated foreign tourists from 157 visa-free countries starting Thursday, Feb. 10, even as hotel owners are asking for financial assistance to restart operations.

“We are as ready as we can be,” said Tourism Secretary BernadetteE Romulo-Puyat said at the Kapihan Sa Manila Bay virtual forum along with other key tourism stakeholders on Wednesday.

“These are exciting times for Philippine tourism. We have been ready since 2020; with the significant dwindling of new COVID cases, the Department of Tourism (DOT) can now push forward with our plans and programs for the full recovery of the Philippine Tourism industry. Those among you who follow developments in the travel and tourism sector know that tomorrow, February 10, we will begin the next chapter in the road to recovery,” said Romulo-Puyat

Benito “Bong” Bengzon, former DOT Undersecretary and executive director of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association, welcomed the country’s reopening, stressing this would provide them a lifeline after experiencing heavy financial losses almost two years into the pandemic.

However, Bengzon emphasized that the next 6 to 12 months would be difficult for the hotel owners as they restart and reopen operations. Thus, he raised the need for “financial assistance to tie us over the next 12 months.”

Bengzon said that many of their member hotels are reporting single-digit occupancy and are banking only on quarantine guests.

In the same forum, Jojo Clemente, president of Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP), said he does not expect foreign tourist arrivals immediately or in the next two months although he believes that tourists are coming back within the year.

“We have done our best to anticipate all kinds of situations as we reopen,” he said.

But just like Bengzon, Clemente emphasized that reopening operations after almost two years of almost dormant activity “takes a lot of effort to get it running.”

With that, he said, they are also coming up with various scenarios.

“But we are confident we are on the right path to see the light,” he said.

 

For his part, Walid Wafik SM Hotels and Convention Center (SMHCC) Senior Vice President and General Manager, also declared their readiness to accept foreign tourist arrivals and are looking forward to welcome domestic tourists and bookings at their convention centers.

Wafik, however, stressed the need to always observe and enforce health and safety protocols for the meeting, incentives, conferences & exhibition (MICE) sector. He urged “not to let our guards down, our safety protocols will be in place.”

He said that MICE organizers are beginning to block dates for their annual events, signaling the reopening of this sector.

Wafik said that SMHCC will not raise rates even if the past two years had been very painful for them as they incurred revenue loss and half of their staff gone.

He stressed that that raising prices is the last thing they would do in this time. What is important, he said, is to bring back confidence of the domestic market so the industry can bounce back to the pre-pandemic level.

The priority for SMHCC, he said, is “to go back to the 2019 volume wise, revenue will come later.”

But in terms of readiness, Wafik said that their nine hotels and 7 convention centers are ready to move forward.

“We have accepted losses and dealt with manpower and staffing to keep everybody onboard and engaged,” he added.

 

Meantime, Puyat-Romulo said that quarantine hotels operate at 67 percent capacity. She said that hotels and tourist accommodation facilities are expected to enjoy higher capacities of as much as 80 percent under Alert Level 2.

According to the DOT- National Capital Region (DOT-NCR), there is a 68 percent or 37,348 occupied rooms in Quarantine facilities consisting of 418 hotels operating with 55,150 rooms, as of February 7. These hotels cater to the unvaccinated travelers completing their quarantine period, long staying guests, OFWs ready for departure, and BPO employees.

As much as 76 quarantine hotels have submitted a Letter of Intent to shift to regular hotels and cater to leisure tourists.

“I am excited about the prospects of a healthy rebound in tourism for a good number of reasons: the high vaccination rate among our tourism workers, the public health safeguards and guidelines that have been put in place and the number of new tourism circuits that have been developed,” she said.

As of February 4, the DOT said that 92. 51 percent or 317, 892 out of 349, 534 tourism workers have received their COVID-19 jabs.

Tourism destinations with 100 percent vaccination rate among its tourism workers include: Baguio City; Aurora; Palawan towns Coron, El Nido and San Vicente ; Puerto Princesa City, and Camiguin island. The DOT offices are also facilitating the roll-out of booster shots for eligible tourism workers.

On a regional basis, the NCR registered the highest coverage for tourism workers with 99.91 percent.

4 Mindanao regions ‘high risk’ for Covid-19

By: THIRD ANNE PERALTA-MALONZO, SunStar

FOUR regions in Mindanao remain under “high risk” for coronavirus disease (Covid-19), while the country as a whole stayed under moderate risk, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday, February 8, 2022.

In his report during President Rodrigo Duterte’s Talk to the People Address Monday evening, February 7, Duque said they are continuously monitoring the Covid-19 situation in Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region and Soccsksargen due to the continuous increase of infections.

He said the National Capital Region (NCR), Cordillera Administrative Region, Western and Central Visayas, Calabarzon, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon were at moderate risk classification, while Eastern Visayas, Bicol, Mimaropa and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are under low risk.

Duque said the country’s positivity rate is currently at 22.2 percent from 50 percent during the peak of Omicron-driven surge in the middle of January.

From February 1 to 7, the national average daily reported cases declined to 8,138 or 52 percent as compared to the 16,896 from the previous week.

The two-week growth rate is at negative 61 percent, while the average daily attack rate is at 11.36 per 100,000 population.

“Ibig sabihin nito ay talagang bumagal na ang kalat ng Covid-19 (This means that the transmission has slowed down),” Duque said.

The country’s healthcare utilization rate (HCUR) was further downgraded to low risk from moderate risk in the previous week, with bed utilization at 37.29 percent and intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy at 40.90 percent.

Duque said the HCUR in Davao Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Caraga and Western Visayas remain at moderate risk.

He said the ICU utilization in Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Caraga, Western Visayas and Cagayan Valley is under close monitoring.

Stricter and holier than God?

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

YES, we have to be wary of our tendency to be stricter and holier than God himself. This happened among many of the Pharisees in the gospel who made laws, and interpreted and applied these laws according to their own understanding, without referring them to God. (cfr. Mk 7,1-13)

Of course, in their case, some excuse can be made since they could not believe that Christ was the God who became man precisely to show us “the way, the truth and the life” proper for us.

As a consequence, they became rigid in the application of their laws which, by the way, cannot fully capture what is truly good and proper for us, since we are governed not only by human laws but also by a supernatural law.

Remember Christ asking the Pharisees about the sabbath law: “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? To save life, or to destroy?” (Mk 3,4) In another instance, Christ was asked why his disciples did not follow the tradition of the elders…” (cfr. Mk 7,5)

To which Christ responded by saying, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” (Mk 7,6-8)

We have to be wary of this danger which we may call as the new pharisaism that is manifested in many ways—like the tendency to legalism and formalism, developing a legal system that is animated by what is called legal positivism, etc.

There is also what is called as the pharisaical conscience where grave sins are minimized while matters of little importance are magnified. Such conscience tends to be very judgmental and leads one to assume a “holier-than-thou” attitude. Even in the area of psychology, this tendency is shown in what is called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) where rigidity reigns supreme.

Pharisaism drips with sanctimoniousness and self-righteousness, a funny caricature of authentic holiness. It is an ugly bag of all violations of charity, often disguised as defense of justice and human rights. 

It is a collection of false reasons and rationalizations not based on faith, hope and charity. It’s more interested in pursuing one’s self-interest than in a genuine concern for the common good, and much less, in giving glory to God. It thrives in an environment of gossips, rumor-mongering and mob rule.

We have to be most wary of the dangers of pharisaism that can come to us anytime and in very subtle ways. When in our pursuit for truth, justice and beauty, we become judgmental and rigid, less patient, understanding and merciful towards others, we can be sure we are falling into the hands of a new pharisaism.

When in our legitimate pursuit for greater knowledge, power and fame, we do not make the corresponding conversions of heart and are unwilling to suffer for others, this new pharisaism is setting in.

Now that we are in an election campaign season, these manifestations of pharisaism come aplenty. Candidates and their followers are often pictured in black-and-white. They are portrayed either as saints and angels who cannot do any evil, or the devil personified who cannot do any good at all. There is so much mudslinging and bashing, creating a very toxic environment among us.

We need to have God always in our mind and heart to avoid this common danger of pharisaism.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

A step closer to a better Sitio Tagbawi

Monkayo, Davao de Oro---Education has always been a priority of Governor Tyron Uy’s leadership in Davao de Oro, and for the next few days, another one (1) unit, two (2) classroom buildings will rise in the far-flung Sitio Tagbawi, in Brgy. Rizal, Monkayo.

Schools in highly urbanized areas are typical institutions, but for people in far-flung communities, it's an opening for more opportunities. The eradication of insurgency also brought major changes in the hinterlands, and for Sitio Tagbawi, it will be a game-changer.

Situated in higher grounds, four tribes reside in Tagbawi and its neighboring communities; the Mangguwangan, Dibabawon, Manobo, and Mandaya tribes.

In the year 2017, Sitio Tagbawi withdraws from supporting the communist group and was one of the pilot communities to benefit from the Oplan Pagbabago Program of the provincial government of Davao de Oro. Now that the presence of communists were totally banished from their area, development began to spur. 

Schoolchildren will no longer traverse kilometers as the learning institution will be brought closer to them. Two (2) more sitios; Little Depot, and Upper Pasian will also benefit from the project; a product of  PLGU-Davao de Oro’s culture of ‘bayanihan’ through “Bayanihan Sa Paaralan Program”, wherein volunteers from the Department of Education, 25th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, employees of the provincial government and other private partners go hand-in-hand for its completion.

A total of eighty (80) students are currently enrolled in the school, all from the three sitios with more or less three-hundred (300) households.

More projects are underway for Tagbawi. Sooner, a solar dryer and a water system project will be utilized by local farmers in the area, and transportation of local produce will be of comfort after the completion of a farm-to-market road. The provincial government initially targets to accomplish and turn over the school building with complete facilities on March 4, 2022. (JA, PAO-IPRD, photos by J. Cadiz)