Congratulations!!!

 

Companies to implement oil price hike anew

By THIRD ANNE PERALTA-MALONZO, SunStar 

PETROLEUM companies announced on Monday, April 18, 2022, another increase in fuel prices.

Companies will implement an additional P0.45 per liter for gasoline and kerosene and P1.70 per liter for diesel.

Caltex Petroleum Corporation will implement the price adjustments at 12:01 a.m. of April 19, while Shell Philippines and Seaoil will have it effective 6 a.m.

The Cleanfuel price increase will be effective at 4:01 p.m. Tuesday, April 19.

The Philippines is experiencing a series of oil price hikes due to low supply as an effect of the ongoing invasion of Russia in Ukraine.

This has also resulted in the price increase of basic commodities.Last March, the National Government started with the distribution of fuel subsidy for the transportation and agriculture sectors, which are badly affected by the looming crisis.

To cushion the impact especially to the poor families, President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the distribution of additional P500 monthly cash aid to selected families.

The government earlier said it is coming up with a more solid and long-term response to the fuel crisis that will benefit the people, especially the poor.

The Department of Energy said that in the event that Dubai crude reaches $120 per barrel, gasoline prices may reach P78.33 per liter, while diesel may increase to up to P68.97 per liter. (SunStar Philippines)

Prayer is a powerful weapon

God always listens and often provides the specific answers and guidance we seek. Even when He chooses not to answer immediately or in the way we might have hoped, prayer itself is a way to find peace.

Prayer also energizes the heart of a believer through the power of the Spirit. Consistent prayer also releases the power of God's blessing on your life and circumstances. Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.

When tragedy strikes, it's easy to harden our hearts and cry out, "God, why did you let this happen?" Maybe then, we started praying. Before, when everything went smoothly, we would not even think a minute about praying... .

"To be a Christian without prayer, "said Martin Luther, "is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." Prayer is the only way of becoming what God wants us to be. This is the reason why Jesus spent many hours praying.

Unquestionable, our needs bring us to a place of prayer. Confronted with danger or tragedies, as I mentioned earlier, we look for God's help. Difficult times always cause the hearts of men to turn to God into prayer.

Let me ask you: How long has it been since you've brought your burdens to God? Since you asked His forgiveness for your shortcomings?

In his very interesting book "People in Prayer", Dr. John White reminds us that prayer is a divine-human interaction and it is always God who takes the initiative. White writes: "God speaks and we respond. God is always speaking. To hear his voice is not usually a mystical experience. It consists merely of a willingness to pay heed to God who lays a claim to our lives."

Yes, God always speaks. It is up to us whether we will listen and respond to Him. Many think we are the ones who initiate prayer. But prayers begin and end with God.

There was a time, I wasn't in the mood to pray any more. It seemed that God didn't listen to my prayer any more. I didn't get what I prayed for. Of course, not... ! That's not the meaning of praying to God. Will all my wishes be granted? Heaven forbid!

Sometimes, after we have prayed, God's answers may puzzle us. But as time goes by and as events unfold we see God's purpose in his answers. We might get a larger vision, what HE likes. Not what WE like... .

Think about it for a moment" How does the idea that prayer begins and ends with God affect me now? Do I have the habit of listening to God? How do I respond to Him? How do I usually pray?

Nowadays I live a wonderful life in my second and last home, the Philippines. I never regretted moving here for good. I have everything I could ask for. I can do everything I wish to do. Thank you Lord.

Happy Easter! Frohe Ostern!

 

Deception always boomerangs

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

WE have to be duly warned about this fact of life. When we deceive others, we may succeed to a certain extent to attain the purpose of such deception. But never forget that deception will always come back and will inflict greater damage on the deceiver.

A quote from St. Augustine’s Confession expresses this well: “They love truth when she shines on them; and hate her when she rebukes them. And since they are not willing to be deceived, but do wish to deceive, they love the truth when she reveals herself and hate her when she reveals them. 

“On this account, she will repay them so that those who are unwilling to be exposed by her she will indeed expose against their will, and yet will not disclose herself to them.”

St. Paul already made reference to the grave consequences of deception. “Evil men and impostors,” he said, “will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Tim 3,13)

The Book of Proverbs more or less say the same point: “His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin.” (5,22)

In the gospel reading for Monday within the octave of Easter, a sample of deception is made. (cfr. Jn 28,8-15) “They gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’” 

Because of this deception, many of these people who did it and their descendants could not accept the full truth about Christ. Deception always has a boomerang effect. It’s about time we review the crucial relationship between God and our capacity to stick to the truth or to distort it.

Nowadays, with the plethora of data and information, we have to remind ourselves constantly that truthfulness is not a matter of simply confirming these data and pieces of information to our own designs. We need to process these raw data by leavening them with the love of God and submitting them to God’s will and designs.

To put it bluntly, we can only be in the truth when we are with God. Outside of him, let’s wish ourselves sheer luck, because the most likely thing to happen is to slip from the truth. It's like chasing the wind. For all the excitement and advantages a Godless pursuit of truth gives, everything will just turn out to be vanity.

With this new phenomenon about the so-called fake news, which is actually a rehash of the old evil tactics of disinformation and misinformation, of giving partisan spins to issues, we should feel the urgent need to be united to God to be really truthful and fair in resolving our problems.

Truthfulness therefore starts with our relationship with God, and with how well we maintain that relationship. This is something we have to realize more deeply, since very often we get contented with mere human criteria for truthfulness, that are often subjective, incomplete, imperfect, and vulnerable to be maneuvered and manipulated.

When we are not with God, then we can very easily play around with the facts and data, and pass them around as truth, but serving some self-interest instead of the common good, for example. 

We justify such behaviour as a privilege of our freedom. But would that be freedom when one is plunging himself to the bondage of untruth and deception? Would that be freedom when it is exercised to violate the will of God who is the giver, the pattern and end of freedom?

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Boyet Sison, ‘TV Patrol’ segment host, passes away

by Robert Requintina, Manila Bulletin

Radio and TV veteran personality Boyet Javelona Sison passed away on Black Saturday, April 16. He was 58.

Sison had undergone surgery on April 14. Hours before his surgery, Sison went live on social media to ask for prayers from his friends and followers. “I am nervous and scared.”

On April 13, Sison wrote on Facebook that his large intestine was blocked based on CT scan.

Prior, Sison was one of the segment hosts of the revamped “TV Patrol ” in November 2021.

Sison replaced Kim Atienza in the Kapamilya news program, where he hosted “Alam N’yo Ba?”

But Sison was more popular in sports after he became the longtime former anchor of “Fastbreak” on DZMM and “Hardball” on ANC.

“With great sadness, we announce the passing of our beloved friend, Boyet Sison, who has been the voice of URCC for a long time. You will always be in our hearts and be beautifully remembered. We ask the URCC family and everyone to please include Boyet Javelona Sison and his family in your prayers,” the URCC Global wrote on Facebook.

Gretchen Ho thanked Sison for his encouraging messages, adding that she will miss him.

“I can’t believe it. Today is another reminder of how short & passing life is. You were always one of the kindest in the newsroom, Papa B, even when I was new, most especially as I was new.

“You always talked so passionately about sports, food and music. I remember you sharing stories about your weekend escapades in the Salcedo Market, and how you’d sneak in a DJ gig from time to time. I’m glad you had the chance to show more of this side of you to the world before you passed on, even if it was mostly via FB live during the pandemic.

“Thank you for all your advice, for all the encouraging messages & for inspiring us with your different passions. You always made sure people knew you cared. Rest in power, Papa B. We will miss you. Play music for us up there,” she said.

Hours before his surgery, Sison gave his friends and followers an update on his health.

Sison said the thought of undergoing a major operation made him really scared.

Pope Francis prays for victims of 'Agaton'

by Analou de Vera, Manila Bulletin

Pope Francis has conveyed his solidarity with the victims of tropical cyclone Agaton (international name: Megi) which has affected several areas in Visayas and Mindanao.

The Pope has been “informed of the recent loss of life and destruction” as a result of the onslaught of the said cyclone, said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin in a telegram on April 14.

“His Holiness Pope Francis wishes to express his solidarity with all those suffering in the wake of the storm,” said Parolin in the telegram addressed to Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles Brown.

Pope Francis also offered prayers for the victims of Agaton.

“He (Pope) also offers the assurance of prayers for the dead, injured, and displaced as well as those engaged in recovery efforts,” said Parolin.

“As a sign of his spiritual closeness, His Holiness willingly invokes upon all the Filipino people God’s blessings of strength and peace,” he added.

Train maintenance, lack of buses bring EDSA to a halt on Holy Week

Franco Luna - Philstar.com

Commuters choose to walk home after having a hard time catching a bus from EDSA Ortigas station on April 13, 2022.

The STAR / Walter Bollozos

MANILA, Philippines — More industries requiring their employees to report to the office, the pre-holiday rush to the provinces, and two rail lines suspending operations for their annual scheduled maintenance.

These factors combined to bring about the collapse of public transportation on Metro Manila's main thoroughfare just days after heavy rains exposed longstanding weaknesses in its fragile public transport system.

At the Guadalupe MRT-3 station on Wednesday night, the silence on the tracks was filled with the sounds of frustration and the gnashing of teeth.

There were children crying out of the stress of standing in line for hours. Workers cursed under their breath, and habal (motorcycle taxi) riders tried to take on as many passengers as they could. A woman called her partner to let them know she'd be coming home late. 

The line snaked all the way from the inactive MRT-3 station to the Pag-IBIG branch around the corner, twisting and turning and eventually looping just to make way for more people arriving from the office clusters in BGC.

"Ah putangina, GG," a young man who couldn't be older than 18 said as he took in the scene and laughed in disbelief. Other commuters within earshot, helpless to do anything but wait, could only laugh along.

Even the fastfood joints around the corner closed their doors. There were too many frustrated commuters coming in, the guard at the door said. 

The buses they were lining up for could only do so much, with the Metro Manila Development Authority’s marshals ensuring that seats would be filled, but aisles would be left clear of passengers.

There were few buses, too — with the sluggish rollout of service contract subsidies and the lingering effects of the oil crisis, some drivers and operators opted not to ply their routes to begin without of fear of operating at a loss.

It was the same scene of commuter hell on Holy Week everywhere else along EDSA. From Ayala to Cubao, commuters waited for hours to get home the day before a holiday and in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic. In Ayala, the lines extended all the way to Magallanes. 

In Ortigas, a monster line trailed all the way from the station to the Asian Development Bank. Users on social media even posted that the metal pedestrian fences were bent and misshapen by the sheer number of commuters jostling for their place in the line. Eventually, not even the guards could hold off the crowds. 

Some commuters gave up on what remained of public transportation and decided to walk the rest of the way. 

Earlier in the day, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board announced that it had "conducted more intensified Anti-Colorum Operations since the launch of Oplan Trip Order: Semana Santa" last week.

According to the DOTr, maintenance personnel of the Metro Rail Transit-Line 3 spent the day inspecting the line's auxiliary transformer, 12KV switchgear, and low-voltage transformer.

By 8 p.m., the lines were still surging. It was only then that the LTFRB issued a statement saying it would extend the operation hours of its free ride service along the EDSA Bus Carousel.

"A mini loop has also been held at the Ortigas station for a quick ride for the riders. In addition, skip buses and rescue buses have also been sent to stations with long queues of passengers,” it also said.

And where systems failed, the people stepped in. In the absence of help from the government and with the EDSA Carousel buses stopping services by 11 p.m., social media users also took it upon themselves to reach out to riders willing to pick up stranded commuters.

"No one should experience that - especially not after spending the whole day working...I got in touch with riders I knew and we offered to sponsor their gas to help some people get home," social media user Sarah Gomez told Philstar.com in an online exchange. 

"When I posted about the plan to sponsor riders, several people reached out to me to pitch in. So I wasn't the sole sponsor. People really wanted to help; they just didn't know how."

On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade apologized for the situation, which had seen people being forced to walk across cities for lack of rides.

"We are aware of the inconveniences caused by the closure of MRT-3 to allow for its annual preventive maintenance and the impact it has had on the lack of supply of bus services," he said. 

"While we were on top of the situation, we admit that the lack of available public utility vehicles has been a lingering problem that we strive to resolve, not just during Holy Week season. Moving forward, we will make sure that what happened yesterday shall never happen again in the succeeding days."

Philstar.com reached out to Tugade for his assessment of why the commuter situation reached this point. He has yet to respond as of this post, and a communications representative said he was busy conducting inspections.

In a phone call with Philstar.com, Primo Morillo, convener of advocacy group The Passenger Forum, questioned Tugade's focus on the MRT-3 maintenance rather than the general lack of transportation options outside of the MRT-3 and EDSA carousel. 

"People were working and it was the last weekday before a long weekend, so we know that was going to happen," he said. 

"What they need to admit is that this is a daily problem; there are only times where it is highlighted because the problem doubles or triples."

Morillo said the anti-colorum operations on the same day also did not solve anything and only disturbed the transportation system.

Colorum is the term used by the department when referring to vehicles carrying passengers without a Certificate of Public Convenience, Provisional Authority, or Special Permit from the LTFRB, or traveling on roads not covered by their documents.

Although technically illegal, these colorum vehicles fills gaps left by licensed public transportation, with some plying unserved routes. 

Private SUVs carpooling workers amid the coronavirus pandemic found themselves apprehended by cops and road authorities amid the government crackdown on colorum vehicles

"In fact, it discourages carpooling. It discourages companies from suddenly implementing shuttles for their employees who have a hard time. So it goes back to issue of the red tape in the LTFRB," Morillo said. 

While he admitted that private companies carry some responsibility for requiring on-site work on a day when public transportation was crippled, the commuter leader was quick to point out that "the government was the one who encouraged [returning to work.]"

"Many companies would [deploy shuttles for their workers] if it was only easier," he said in Filipino. "What companies want is for their employees to arrive on time."

Two train lines under maintenance on the same day

Part of the chaos was having two train lines go offline on the same day. Asked if the Light Rail Transit Authority and MRT-3 management coordinated on their scheduled maintenance, LRTA spokesperson Hernando Cabrera answered in the negative.

"No, we don’t have to coordinate, because we’ve been doing that since time immemorial," he told Philstar.com in a phone call speaking about the annual maintenance work. "We didn’t really [plan for it to be] on the same day."

"We take advantage of the Holy Week because people aren't at work and they shouldn't be outside...it's not a coordinated action, it's just the best schedule that is available for maintenance."

But what about workers who were made to go back to their offices with regular on-site work starting to open up in a number of industries? "Well, we also made our personnel go to work," he said. 

"It was announced ahead of time and we do this every year. Why is it becoming an issue now? We need this because the heavy maintenance will take days...there should be some kind of compromise."

He went on to point out that the LRT-2 and MRT-3 were "not similarly situated" with the latter having a much wider ridership. "Especially on holidays, line 2 has a low ridership."

"Any time you suspend operations, many will really be affected. But the thing is, this is the only time that we can do our heavy maintenance," he also said. 

The Passenger Forum called it "insensitive" that two rail lines suspended operations on the same day, saying the build-up of stranded commuters was inevitable given the lack of public utility vehicles on the road. 

Workers from Antipolo and Marikina have long relied on the LRT-2 for East-West mobility throughout the Metro. TPF said that the situation as a whole was worsened, but not necessarily the situation along EDSA. 

Transport and commuter groups have long said that the pre-pandemic public transportation crisis went largely unsolved over the past two years, and the symptoms are starting to show again as workers troop back to their offices. This is the same crisis from years ago, they say. 

Even after Holy Wednesday, photos of long queues at transport hubs flooded commuter group chats and social media feeds. 

"Tonight will not be forgotten by EDSA commuters who waited in queues for 3-5 hours to catch their rides and by those forced to walk home. Commuters deserve better,” Move as One Coalition convener and transport economist Robert Siy said in a tweet Wednesday night.

Learn to love the cross

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

IF there’s any message or lesson the celebration of Good Friday is imparting in us, it is that we should learn to love the cross the way Christ loved it. He knew from the beginning of his earthly life how his redemptive mission would end. But that did not deter him from carrying out the will of his Father and his own will that actually are just one, since the will of the Son is the same as the will of the Father.

In that way, loving the cross the way Christ loved it is the ultimate expression of love to which we are also called to live, since we are God’s image and likeness. That’s why Christ gave that new commandment that summarizes all the previous commandments given to us—and that is, that we love one another as Christ himself has loved us.

So little by little, let us take away the usual obstacles we have in pursuing that love for the cross. We all know that we have a natural aversion to the cross and everything that it connotes. We have to overcome that aversion by identifying ourselves more and more with Christ, activating our faith and availing ourselves of certain practices that would help us understand and love the true value of the cross as shown to us by Christ.

This will obviously involve constant prayer, having recourse to the sacraments, growing in the virtues, waging a life-long ascetical struggle, and doing certain mortifications and other practices of self-denial, etc. We have to live a certain detachment from the things of this world, to guard our senses, practicing temperance, restraint and moderation in the use of things.

We need to know the true value of the cross because the cross, through Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, is where everything in our life is resolved. Christ’s passion, death and resurrection is the culmination of Christ’s redemptive mission on earth.

Yes, Christ preached. He performed miracles. But in the end, he had to offer his life on the cross because no matter what he did, our sins are such that they simply cannot be undone and forgiven through the preaching of the truths of our faith and the tremendous effects of the miracles. Christ has to offer his life on the cross!

We might ask, if Christ is God, why did he have to go through all that suffering and death? Why not just say, “Everything is now all right, guys.” After all, for God, nothing is impossible with him. With the movement of his will, with a flick of his hand, everything would be as it should be.

I must say, it is a good question to ask. Indeed, nothing is impossible with God. He does not have to do anything spectacular to repair what was damaged. A word from him, and everything would be as he wants it to be.

Be that as it may, the fact is that Christ chose the way the Father wanted it. “Not my will, but yours be done,” Christ said. (Lk 22,42) And I imagine the reason behind this is because God respects our human nature as it is, as it has been created by him, capable of loving and hating, and also capable of being faithful and unfaithful and faithful again after some conversion, and some consequences that would follow.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Preparing for the worst and for death

 Preparing for the worst and for death

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

“AMEN, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” (Mt 26,21) With these words of Christ, let us be warned about the worst things that can come to us in life. So, with Christ, let us prepare ourselves for the worst scenario in our life and for death itself.

By preparing for the worst scenario, we would be imitating Christ himself who, in redeeming us, prepared himself for the worst. In fact, he already knew about his death and how it was going to be. “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him,” he told his disciples, “and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” (Mk 9,31)

Preparing for the worst scenario may mean that we come out with various alternative plans so that we can move on. This is always recommendable. But we have to remember that the most important way to prepare for the worst is just to be with God. It is always possible that even our alternative plans may fail. Yet what cannot fail is when we stick with God no matter what.

This point was highlighted in that episode of the sisters, Martha and Mary, welcoming Christ in their house. (cfr. Lk 10,38-42) Martha was busy doing the chores of hospitality, while Mary simply sat at the foot of Christ, listening to him. 

When Martha complained to Christ that her sister was not helping her, Christ reminded her that while what she was doing were good, there was only one thing that was necessary, and Mary, her sister, chose it, and it would not be taken away from her.

We have to be clear about this point. Yes, we will try our best, stretching ourselves to the limit, to make all our projects and endeavors succeed. Still things can turn out the opposite. Due to this possibility we make some alternative plans to move on. But still, these may fail. The last resort, and in fact, what should always be with us, should be the conviction that we are with God whatever be the outcome of our efforts.

St. Paul in his letter to the Romans assures us that as long as we are with God, everything will work out for the good. “We know that in all things,” he said, “God works for the good of those who love him…” (8,28)

And neither should we be afraid of death. And that’s because the truth about death, according to our Christian faith, is actually so beautiful that, in a manner of speaking, we should be dying for it to come. No wonder, saints like St. Francis called death Sister Death, and they heartily welcomed it even if it came through martyrdom.

For a Christian believer, death is actually the final liberation, the entrance to eternal and definitive life for us. While it came as a result of sin, its sting has been removed with the redemptive passion and death of Christ. “Where, O death, is your victory?,” exults St. Paul. “Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor 15,55)

For a Christian believer, death comes at the most appropriate time and in the most appropriate manner. Obviously, this has to be seen from the point of view of faith, because death will always appear as untimely and unwelcome by our human standards alone.