Preaching the gospel to the whole world

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

THE feast of St. Mark, the Evangelist, on April 25, reminds us that we have the duty to preach the Good News about Christ to the whole world. Christ said it very clearly: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk 16,15-16)

And that mandate was accompanied by some privileges and benefits: “In my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk 16,17-18)

We should take this mandate from Christ seriously and do whatever we can to carry it out. We have to realize that preaching the living Word of God is a task entrusted to his apostles and shared by all of us in different ways. The clergy, of course, takes a leading role in this affair, but this task is incumbent on everyone. It’s a serious business that involves our whole being, and not just our talents and powers.

First, we need to examine our understanding and attitude toward God’s word, especially the Gospel. This basic understanding would depend on what we do with the Gospel and how we handle it.

Do we really know the true nature of the Gospel? Or do we take it as just one more book, perhaps with certain importance, but definitely not as the living word of God, in spite of its human dimensions?

The Gospel is actually the proclamation of Christ as the Emmanuel, that is, God with us. This is an on-going affair that did not stop with the death of Christ. Christ lives with us up to now, and continues to do things with us.

All these affirmations are captured in the last lines of the Gospel of St. Matthew where our Lord said:

“Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them…. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” (28,19-20)

Our Catechism tells us that “We must continue to accomplish in ourselves the stages of Jesus’ life and his mysteries and often to beg him to perfect and realize them in us and in his whole Church” (521)

Obviously, to carry out this mission, we need to know our Lord and his teachings. We have to go to him and read the Gospel. Reading and meditating on it should be a regular practice for us, a habit meant to keep us in touch with him.

Thus, every time we read the Gospel, we have to understand by our faith that we are engaging with our Lord in an actual and living way. We are listening to him, and somehow seeing him. We can use our imagination to make ourselves as one more character in any scene depicted by the Gospel.

For this, we need to look for the appropriate time and place. We have to be wary of our tendency to be dominated by a lifestyle of activism and pragmatism that would blunt our need for recollection and immersion in the life of Christ.

The drama of Christ’s life here on earth has to continue in our own life. Thus, we need to continually conform our mind and heart to the Gospel, an affair that demands everything from us.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Actress, pageant veterans among 40 official candidates of Binibining Pilipinas 2022

 Part of the 40 official candidates of Binibining Pilipinas 2022 presented at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao, Quezon City on Friday, April 22. Actress Nicole ‘Hipon Girl’ Budol is candidate No. 67.

by Robert Requintina, Manila Bulletin

An actress, models, and pageant veterans were among the 40 official candidates of Binibining Pilipinas 2022 who were presented at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao, Quezon City on Friday, April 22.

Actress Nicole “Hipon Girl” Budol, and models and pageant veterans Francesca Taruc, Roberta Tamondong, Cyrille Payumo, Diana Mackey, Gabrielle Basiano, Jasmine Omay, etc. were among the hopefuls who will vie for the prestigious Binibining Pilipinas crowns.

This year’s 40 official candidates:

ANNA VALENCIA

LAKRINIANNE DE MESA

CHELSEA FERNANDEZ

CHRISTINE JULIANE OPIAZA

CYRILLE D. PAYUMO

DIANA MACKEY

DIANA PINTO

EIFFEL ROSALITA

ELDA LOUISE AZNAR

ESEL MAE P. PABILARAN

ETHEL ABELLANOSA

FATIMA KATE BISAN

GABRIELLE BASIANO

GRACIA ELIZABETH MENDOZA

GRACIELLA LEHMAN

GWENDOLINE MELIZ F. SORIANO

IMAN FRANCHESCA M. CRISTALINA

PATRCIA MALALUAN

JANE DARREN GENOBISA

JANINE NAVARRO

JASHMIN DIMACULANGAN

JASMINE OMAY

JERIZA B. UY

JESSICA ROSE MCEWEN

JOANNA DAY

JOANNA RICCI ALAJAR

KAREN LAURRIE MENDOZA

KRIZZIA LYNN O. MORENO

LESLIE B. AVILAMA

FRANCESCA TARUC

MARIELLA V. ESGUERRA

MARY JUSTINNE PUNSALANG

NATASHA ELLEMA JUNG

NICOLE BORROMEO

NICOLE BUDOL

NYCA MAE O. BERNARDO

PATRICIA GO

ROBERTA TAMONDONG

STACEY DANIELLA B. GABRIEL

YLLANA MARIE S. ADUANA

One of the official activities of the Binibining Pilipinas 2022 is the Santacruzan which will be held on Saturday, May 14. Other activities will be announced soon.

Europe lashed by extreme weather as climate crisis grows

PARIS, France – Europe endured record extreme weather in 2021, from the hottest day and the warmest summer to deadly wildfires and flooding, the European Union’s climate monitoring service reported Friday.

While Earth’s surface was nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels last year, Europe saw an average increase of more than two degrees, a threshold beyond which dangerous extreme weather events become more likely and intense, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said.

The warmest summer on record featured a heatwave along the Mediterranean rim lasting weeks and the hottest day ever registered in Europe, a blistering 48.8C (120 degrees Fahrenheit) in Italy’s Sicily.

In Greece, high temperatures fuelled deadly wildfires described by the prime minister as the country’s “greatest ecological disaster in decades”.

Forests and homes across more than 8,000 square kilometres (3,000 square miles) were burned to the ground.

A slow-moving, low-pressure system over Germany, meanwhile, broke the record in mid-July for the most rain dumped in a single day.

The downpour was nourished by another unprecedented weather extreme, surface water temperatures over part of the Baltic Sea more than 5C above average.

Flooding in Germany and Belgium caused by the heavy rain — made far more likely by climate change, according to peer-reviewed studies — killed scores and caused billions of euros in damage.

As the climate continues to warm, flooding on this scale will become more frequent, the EU climate monitor has warned.

“2021 was a year of extremes including the hottest summer in Europe, heatwaves in the Mediterranean, flooding and wind droughts in western Europe,” C3S director Carlo Buontempo said in a statement.

“This shows that the understanding of weather and climate extremes is becoming increasingly relevant for key sectors of society.”

– ‘Running out of time’ –

The annual report, in its fifth edition, also detailed weather extremes in the Arctic, which has warmed 3C above the 19th-century benchmark — nearly three times the global average.

Carbon emissions from Arctic wildfires, mostly in eastern Siberia, topped 16 million tonnes of CO2, roughly equivalent to the total annual carbon pollution of Bolivia.

Greenland’s ice sheet — which along with the West Antarctic ice sheet has become the main driver of sea level rise — shed some 400 billion tonnes in mass in 2021.

The pace at which the world’s ice sheets are disintegrating has accelerated more than three-fold in the last 30 years.

“Scientific experts like the IPCC have warned us we are running out of time to limit global warming to 1.5C,” said Mauro Facchini, head of Earth observation at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, referring to the UN’s science advisory panel.

“This report stresses the urgent necessity to act as climate-related extreme events are already occurring.”

Philippinen: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise (Teilreisewarnung)

Das Auswärtige Amt gibt bekannt:

 

Letzte Änderung:

Aktuelles – Wahlen

Natur und Klima (Tropenstürme und Überschwemmungen)


Lagen können sich schnell verändern und entwickeln. Insbesondere die COVID-19-Bestimmungen unterliegen laufenden Änderungen.
Wir empfehlen Ihnen:

- Verfolgen Sie Nachrichten und Wetterberichte.
- Achten Sie auf einen ausreichenden Reisekrankenversicherungsschutz. https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/reise-gesundheit/-/350944
- Abonnieren Sie unseren Newsletter https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/newsroom/newsletter/bestellen-node oder nutzen Sie unsere App „Sicher Reisen". https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/app-sicher-reisen/350382
- Folgen Sie uns auf Twitter: AA_SicherReisen https://twitter.com/AA_SicherReisen
- Registrieren Sie sich in unserer Krisenvorsorgeliste. https://krisenvorsorgeliste.diplo.de
- Erkundigen Sie sich vorab bei den Behörden/Botschaften Ihres Reiselandes https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/vertretungen-anderer-staaten zu den aktuell geltenden, verbindlichen Einreisebestimmungen sowie bei Flug- und Bahngesellschaften nach den geltenden Beförderungsbestimmungen.
- Beachten Sie unseren Haftungsausschluss https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/haftungsausschluss/2500954 und den Hinweis zu Inhalten anderweitiger Anbieter. https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/inhalte-anderweitiger-anbieter/2500956

Aktuelles


Wahlen

In den Philippinen werden am 9. Mai 2022 Präsidentschaftswahlen abgehalten. Artikel 10 des philippinischen "Omnibus Election Codes" verbietet Ausländern sämtliche Beteiligung am bzw. Einmischung in den Wahlkampf. Erfahrungsgemäß kann es im Zusammenhang mit dem Wahlkampf und am Wahltag an sogenannten Hotspots auch zu gewalttätigen Auseinandersetzungen kommen.

• Bleiben Sie Wahlkampfveranstaltungen prinzipiell fern und vermeiden Sie Handlungen und Äußerungen, die als Wahlwerbung für oder gegen eine(n) bestimmte(n) Kandidaten/in verstanden werden können. Dies umfasst auch Äußerungen in sozialen Medien.

• Informieren Sie sich am Wahltag zur Situation an Ihrem Aufenthaltsort über die lokalen Medien und folgen Sie den Anweisungen lokaler Sicherheitskräfte.

COVID-19

Angesichts der weltweiten COVID-19-Pandemie bestehen weiterhin Risiken bei internationalen Reisen, insbesondere für Personen ohne vollständigen Impfschutz. Hierzu mehr unter COVID-19. https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/reise-gesundheit/gesundheit-fachinformationen/reisemedizinische-hinweise/Coronavirus/-/2309820

Einreise

Bestimmungen zur Einreise ändern sich mit der Pandemielage häufig. Bitte informieren Sie sich zusätzlich auf der Webseite der Regierung der Philippinen https://www.doh.gov.ph/.

Die Einreise für vollständig geimpfte Ausländer ist für touristische Aufenthalte und Geschäftsreisen bis zu 30 Tagen möglich, wenn sie unter Executive Order No. 408 (s. 1960) https://dfa.gov.ph/list-of-countries-for-21-day-visa fallen und hierdurch von der Visumspflicht befreit. Reisende müssen einen negativen PCR-Test nicht älter als 48 Stunden oder negativen Antigentest mit englischsprachigem Zertifikat (kein Selbsttest) nicht älter als 24 Stunden vor Abflug vorlegen.

Reisende müssen außerdem bei Einreise im Besitz eines noch sechs Monate gültigen Reisepasses sein und einen Flugschein über einen Rück- oder Weiterflug und eine in den Philippinen anerkannte Reisekrankenversicherung mit Mindestdeckungsschutz in Höhe von 35.000 USD für den vorgesehenen Aufenthaltszeitraum vorlegen können. Hiervon ausgenommen sind ausländische Ehepartner und Kinder philippinischer Staatsangehöriger sowie ehemalige philippinische Staatsangehörige mit „Balikbayan Privileg“ und deren mitreisende ausländische Ehepartner und Kinder. Die Staatenliste kann auf der Webseite der philippinischen Botschaft in Berlin http://philippine-embassy.de/visas/ abgerufen werden. Deutschland gehört derzeit zu diesen Ländern. Ausländische Kinder unter 12 Jahren müssen nicht voll geimpft sein und auch keinen Nachweis über ihren Impfstatus vorlegen, wenn sie ihre vollständig geimpften Eltern begleiten.

Die Einreise für vollständig geimpfte Inhaber von Langzeitvisa ist unter den genannten Bedingungen ebenfalls möglich, ein „Entry Exemption Document (EED)“ ist nicht mehr erforderlich.
Nicht vollständig geimpften ausländischen Reisenden oder Reisenden mit fehlendem anerkannten Impfnachweis wird die Einreise verweigert.
Als vollständig geimpft gilt, wer einen Impfnachweis über eine in den Philippinen erfolgte vollständige Impfung oder einen von den Philippinen anerkannten ausländischen Impfnachweis vorlegt. Deutsche Impfnachweise in Form des gelben WHO-Impfbuches oder das Digitale COVID-Zertifikat der EU werden anerkannt. Kreuzimpfungen werden akzeptiert, eine einfache Impfung nach einem durchgemachten Infekt ist hingegen nicht ausreichend.
Nach Einreise ist keine Quarantäne aber Selbstbeobachtung auf Symptome für sieben Tage erforderlich. Bei Auftreten von Symptomen ist die Kontaktaufnahme mit den lokalen Gesundheitsbehörden verpflichtend.

Nähere Informationen können bei der philippinischen Botschaft http://philippine-embassy.de/ erfragt werden.

Reisende müssen sich vor Einreise über das Portal „One Health Pass" https://www.onehealthpass.com.ph/e-HDC/ registrieren. Der Nachweis in Form eines QR-Codes ist den Fluggesellschaften am Check-in vorzulegen.

Informationen zu eventuellen Erfordernissen für Flugreisen erteilen die einzelnen Fluggesellschaften.

Ausreise und Transit

Die Ausreise ist Ausländern, die sich im Land aufhalten, jederzeit erlaubt. Manche Fluggesellschaften verlangen für den Reiseantritt in den Philippinen einen negativen PCR- oder Antigentest oder einen Impfnachweis. 

Duque: 2nd booster dose only for immunocompromised persons

By THIRD ANNE PERALTA-MALONZO, SunStar Manila

HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III said he only approved the administration of second coronavirus disease (Covid-19) booster dose to immunocompromised individuals.

In a Laging Handa public briefing, Duque said this includes individuals who underwent organ transplant; cancer, dialysis and HIV patients; and those with primary immunodeficiencies.

He said the implementing rules and regulations for the administration of second booster dose to these individuals is already being finalized and the implementation is seen next week.

"Sa ngayon, ang aking inaprubahan batay sa rekomendasyon ng Health Technology Assessment Council ay ‘yung second booster dose para lamang sa mga immunocompromised na mga pasyente," said Duque.

(For now, what I have approved based on the recommendation of the Health Technology Assessment Council is the second booster dose only for the immunocompromised patients.)

"Yung para sa A1 or healthcare workers at doon naman din para sa senior citizens, pag-aaralan at susuriin pa ng ating Health Technology Assessment Council," he added.

(The one for healthcare workers and senior citizens will still be under study by the Health Technology Assessment Council.)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved last week the administration of a second Covid-19 booster dose for the vulnerable sector, such as senior citizens, healthcare workers and immunocompromised persons at least four months after their first booster dose.

The Department of Health urged the vaccinated individuals to get booster doses to get better protection against Covid-19, especially against severe and critical infection.

A total of 66,854,770 individuals in the country have been fully vaccinated, while 12,641,887 have received booster shots. (SunStar Philippines)

Sun about to enter ‘Solar Maximum’ phase; large sunspot groups seen – PAGASA

Sunspot group (Image courtesy of PAGASA)

by Charie Mae F. Abarca, Manila Bulletin

The state weather bureau on Thursday, April 21, released images of the Sun showing three large sunspot groups.

“Sunspots are areas on the Sun’s surface that are relatively cooler and appear dark[er] than its surroundings,” said PAGASA.

The patches, according to the state weather bureau, are “roughly the size” of Earth or about 20 up to 40 times larger than a typical sunspot.

Meanwhile, PAGASA likewise explained that the recent increase in solar activities is expected as the Sun is entering a new phase.

“The Sun is entering the Solar Maximum phase of its current solar cycle where there will be an expected increase in solar activities [such as] frequent solar flares, increased number of sunspots and the like,” said PAGASA.

“Do not look at the Sun directly without a special filter to protect your eyes,” the state weather bureau warned.

Magat Dam spilling operations halted

(National Irrigation Administration / File Photo)

by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz, Manila Bulletin

Authorities have stopped Magat Dam’s spilling operations on Wednesday, April 20, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its termination of flood precaution advisory.

PAGASA said that the Magat Dam in Isabela has closed its gate at around 9 a.m. Wednesday.

In its latest monitoring, Magat Dam’s water level was at 190.01 meters, which is 3 meters below its 193.0-meter spilling level.

The dam conducted discharge operations on April 14 amid rains from the northeasterly surface wind flow.

In the past 24 hours, PAGASA recorded less than 1.0 millimeter of rainfall over the Magat watershed.

Meanwhile, it projected less than 5 millimeters of rainfall in the next 24 hours.

“With this development and unless significant rain occurs, this is the final dam situationer for this period. Flood forecasting and warning system for dam operation for Magat Dam is now terminated,” PAGASA’s advisory read.

PAGASA said the entire country can expect hot and humid weather with isolated rain showers because of the easterlies, or the warm winds from the Pacific Ocean, in the next few days.

PH reignites travel in Asia-Pacific region — WTTC

by Aaron Recuenco, Manila Buletin

The Philippines has been playing a key role in reigniting travel and tourism in the Asia-Pacific region, a top official of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) said on Thursday, April 21.

The assessment was backed by data from the WTTC’s Economic Impact Report (EIR) which showed that the Philippines earned $41billion from travel and tourism and supported 7.8 million jobs in 2021.

Julia Simpson, WTTC president and chief executive officer, said that based on their EIR, the Philippines was the fourth fastest in terms of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth rate for travel and tourism last year.

 

She said the improvement in travel and tourism sector since the global plunge in 2020 is an indication of recovery.

“Now, recovery is in our sights. It is not uniform, it is faltering, but it is recovery. Here in Asia-Pacific the reopening is just beginning. I congratulate the Philippines, a nation that has shown determination and courage to reignite travel,” said Simpson in her speech during the second day of the Global Summit Philippines.

The meeting was attended by more than 1,000 delegates from across the global travel and tourism sector, including CEOs, business leaders, government ministers, travel experts and the international media.

In 2019, the travel and tourism sector contributed $9.6 trillion to the global economy.

But when the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world in 2020, Simpson said a massive 50 percent loss was recorded and 62 million jobs were affected.

In the Philippines, the travel and tourism sector contributed 22.5 percent of the country’s GDP, or $92.6 billion, before the pandemic. It plunged to 80.7 percent decrease in 2020.

But everything changes as the world began to recover last year, according to Simpson.

“Peace be with you”

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

AFTER the two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus recognized Christ at the breaking of bread, they hastily went back to Jerusalem to report what they experienced to the apostles and the others with them. 

You can just imagine how these people felt when suddenly Christ appeared to them and greeted them, “Peace be with you!” (cfr. Lk 24,35-48) As the gospel narrates, they were startled and terrified at that greeting, and thought they were seeing a ghost.

That reaction of the apostles was, of course, very understandable. They were witnessing something that purely went beyond the human and natural ways. It is something that we should always expect in our life. There will always be things, being spiritual and supernatural, that will leave us somehow startled and terrified also.

But let’s always remember that Christ always offers peace. So, at the end of the day, when we would be able to take a hold of our all-too-human reactions to supernatural realities, we should be at peace, a peace that Christ himself gives us.

Of course, with that Christ-given peace comes joy also. The two always go together. They cannot be separated, although their expressions may not tally with the worldly standards of joy and peace.

The joy and peace that come from God are always a fruit of a continuing spiritual battle to keep God’s love burning in us. It’s a joy and peace that is compatible with the cross. It is not afraid of suffering which also has an important role to play in our life and in the redemption of mankind.

It’s a joy and peace that comes as a consequence of faith and a growing identification with Christ who bore all the sins of men and the evils of this world and conquered them with his resurrection. In short, it’s a joy and peace that expresses a guaranteed victory even if at the moment we are still fighting and suffering. It’s an all-weather kind of joy and peace.

We need to examine ourselves to see if we have such joy and peace. It is actually offered to us for free. We just have to find a way of having and keeping it.

And one important way of doing so is to learn to pray, since prayer is our basic way of connecting with God that hopefully would lead us to a growing identification with him as we are meant to be. Remember that we are God’s image and likeness. With God’s grace we are supposed to do our part, free beings as we are, in realizing this divine plan for us.

Learning to pray would obviously need some plan. We have to go by stages. First, would be to learn the vocal prayers, which are already very important as they are inspired prayers given to us if not by Christ himself like the Our Father then by many holy men and women down the ages. 

As such, these prayers are very enlightening and would teach us what to say, how to say it, and the kind of attitude or disposition we ought to have. Going through them slowly, trying to figure out what they mean, would certainly help us connect with God.

Then we should just spend some moments everyday doing nothing other than meditating on God’s word as found in the gospel, and on the life and teachings of Christ as reflected in the lives and writings of the saints. This is how we can always have the peace and joy of God and with God!

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Help boost the Philippine economy by supporting domestic tourism

by Manila Bulletin

After the two-year ordeal brought about by the pandemic, Filipinos are once again traveling as seen in airports that are full of passengers, roads that are full of vehicles, and restaurants that are full of customers. Last week, hotels and resorts enjoyed high occupancy rates, something they haven’t experienced for a long time. 

Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) President Arthur Lopez said that feedback from their members was very “encouraging.”  “The high demand is a welcome development for the accommodation sector, which has been severely impacted by the pandemic in the last two years. The return to pre-pandemic levels will take a while but at least we are seeing stronger demand across different traveler segments,” Lopez said.

As the summer season rolls in, Filipino families are now taking advantage of the ease of travel, which only requires visitors to present proof of vaccination. The rise in the number of domestic tourists also complements the rise in foreign tourist arrivals in the country, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT). The agency said that as of April 7, 2022, arrivals reached a high of 202,700. 

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat expressed “satisfaction with the latest figures, noting such to be a welcome development following the sustained reopening of borders and loosening of travel restrictions.” “The sustained influx of tourists in the Philippines is a good measure of the industry’s success in its preparations to welcome foreign tourists in the new normal. Our high vaccination rate among tourism workers and reportedly low cases around the country have helped restore the confidence of travelers to visit the Philippines during the summer season,” Puyat said.

The continued growth, she stressed, shall aid stakeholders as well as the economy in recovering from the effects caused by the pandemic. 

As the number of Filipinos traveling to countries with more relaxed restrictions such as Singapore, Thailand, or Malaysia increases, there is a clamor for more support for local tourism. It is not enough to only visit popular destinations such as Boracay, Baguio, Cebu, Palawan, or Davao as the country has more than enough attractions for any preference or taste. For history, there is Bulacan or Quezon; for watersports, try Aurora or La Union; for nature, explore Romblon or Marinduque; for extreme adventure, drop by Bukidnon or Agusan. The list is endless. 

This is probably the best time to rediscover these places as your family will not only have a good time, but also help the hospitality workers in that town or city — the guides, the handicraft makers, the resort workers, the waiters, the drivers, to the small businesses that are keeping the area alive and authentic.  

Amid the bright news hangs a cloud of uneasiness. The world is not yet “out of the woods” and we are still officially in a pandemic.  This calls for vigilance in light of the Alert Level 1 classification in almost all provinces and the NCR.   The PHOA, for one, still encourages its members to strictly implement health and safety protocols. There is also a call from the government for Filipinos to take booster shots amid low compliance.  

We all have to remember this — what we do now will have an impact in the long run; so if there is less adherence to health protocols today, there may be more infections come the month of May.  And this, again, is the last thing that our recovering tourism industry needs.