Philippine economy grows 8.3% in Q1, beating expectations

People cross a street to shop in the Divisoria district of Manila on November 30, 2021. AFP / Ted Aljibe

By Ramon Royandoyan - Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine economy managed to post a stellar growth in the first quarter, smashing expectations despite the Omicron onslaught at the start of the year.

Gross domestic product, the sum of all products and services created in an economy, grew 8.3% year-on-year in the first three months of the year, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported Thursday.

The latest reading exceeded analysts’ expectations. A BusinessWorld poll of 17 economists yielded a GDP growth median estimate of 6.7% for the period.

Quarter-on-quarter, GDP grew 1.9%. National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said real GDP in the first quarter exceeded the comparable period in 2019, or before the pandemic hit.

If anything, the faster-than-expected growth last quarter might prompt the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to start hiking rates soon. Governor Benjamin Diokno last month said the BSP might consider lifting rates in June if the economy, which has grown dependent on cheap money amid the pandemic, is strong enough to sustain its recovery.

But Alex Holmes, Asia economist at London-based Capital Economics, said there's a chance that "the strength of the recovery will begin to wane soon" amid an elevated inflation that could cripple consumer spending anew. The BSP's looming tightening to fight price spikes would also weigh on growth.

"The recovery will have gained momentum in recent months after the Omicron wave faded and restrictions were almost all removed. But while day-to-day disruption from COVID-19 is largely in the rear-view mirror, new headwinds are building," Holmes said in an e-mailed commentary.

"A jump in prices is eating into consumers’ real purchasing power, with inflation hitting 4.9% y/y last month. Meanwhile the central bank is set to begin tightening policy," he added.

This is a developing story.

LPA, ITCZ to bring rains over most of Mindanao – PAGASA

by Charie Mae F. Abarca, Manila Bulletin

Residents of Caraga, Davao Region, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and SOCCSKSARGEN may experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in the next 24 hours due to the low pressure area (LPA) and the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), said the state weather bureau on Thursday, May 12.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that the LPA was last spotted 490 kilometers (km) east of Davao City. It is embedded along the ITCZ affecting Mindanao.

“Ayon sa ating latest analysis ay mababa ‘yung tiyansa nito na maging bagyo ngunit continuous monitoring pa rin tayo. Ngayong araw ay nakikita po natin na magdudulot ang LPA at ITCZ na ito ng mga pag-ulan sa malaking bahagi ng Mindanao (Based on our latest analysis, this weather disturbance remains less likely to develop into a tropical cyclone, however we will be monitoring it continuously. Today, this LPA and ITCZ may bring rains in most parts of Mindanao),” said PAGASA weather specialist Grace Castañeda in a public weather forecast.

Meanwhile, generally fair weather with a slight chance of isolated rains may prevail in most of Luzon, including Metro Manila.

Due to the expected prevalence of hot and humid weather, residents were advised to avoid direct exposure to sunlight in order to prevent heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke.

No gale warning is issued over the country’s seaboards. Fisherfolk and seafarers are free to sail, added Castañeda.

What are misconceptions about lechon?

Lechon is a dish that originates from the Philippines. The word "lechon" actually refers to the roasted suckling pig itself and not the plate as a whole. Lechon is typically served with a dipping sauce made from vinegar, garlic, and chili peppers. Lechon is often done at special occasions such as weddings and parties.

There are a few misconceptions about lechon. First, some people believe that lechon must be roasted over an open flame to be authentic. However, lechon[1] can also be baked in an oven or even steamed. Second, some people believe that lechon is always served with rice. While rice is a common accompaniment, it is not required. Lechon[2] can be enjoyed on its own or with a side of vegetables. Finally, some people believe that only certain pig parts can be used for lechon. In reality, any pig part can be used, although the belly and loin are most commonly used. Lechon is a delicious and versatile dish that everyone can enjoy.

Footnotes

[1] The World's Best Lechon Baboy

[2] 11 Filipino Dishes: Pinoy Handaan Menu

Why it’s difficult to believe in Christ

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

“HOW long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” (Jn 10,24)

Perhaps we too can ask the same question. In spite of what we already know about Christ, we may still be harboring doubts as to whether Christ is really the one he presents himself to be.

I believe the simple answer is that to believe in Christ requires the grace of God. If we just rely on our human faculties, like our intelligence and common sense, we would actually not go very far. At a certain point, we would start to entertain doubts about who Christ really is.

And that is also simply because Christ, while truly a man, is first of all divine. He is a supernatural being. In fact, he is the Supreme Being who has no beginning and no end. While we can know him through his words and deeds as recorded in the gospel, he will always remain a mystery still to us. He overwhelms our capacity to know him.

With him, what we have to do is to believe first before we can start to understand him more deeply. With him, we need to have faith first before the operations of our intelligence and our other faculties do their thing. 

Thus, both St. Augustine and St. Anselm enunciated the proper way to understand and believe in Christ. “Credo ut intellegam” (I believe that I might understand) was what they were saying. They made an appeal to follow first our faith before we start to use our intelligence. Or better said, we have to make our reasoning be inspired by our faith first.

We therefore have to see to it that we develop an operative faith. Our faith should not remain only in the theoretical, intellectual level. It has to be a functioning one, giving shape and direction in our thoughts and intentions, our words and deeds. In fact, it should shape our whole life. 

The ideal is that we feel it immediately. Indeed, it should be like an instinct such that whatever we think, say or do, or whenever we have to react to something, it is our faith that should guide us.

We have to understand that it is our faith that gives us the global picture of things, since it is God’s gift to us, a gratuitous sharing of what God knows about himself and about the whole of creation. It is meant for our own good, for us to live out our true dignity as children of God.

It is a kind of knowledge that will lead us to our eternal life. It will make us relate everything in our earthly life, both the good and the bad, to this ultimate goal in life which is to be in heaven with God, a state that is supernatural. But it is a divine gift that we need to take care of. It is like a seed that has to grow until it becomes a big tree and bears fruit.

For this, we really need to have a living contact with Christ who is the fullness of God’s revelation to us. He is the substance, the content and the spirit of our faith. So, the first thing that we have to do is to look for him always whatever we may be thinking, saying or doing. Never mind if we do not understand him fully. We should just follow him!

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

May 9 declared as special non-working holiday

A volunteer feeds a sample ballot to the vote-counting machine or VCM during a trial run for the May 9, 2022 elections at San Nicolas in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

The STAR / Victor Martin

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte declared May 9, election day, as a special non-working holiday for the conduct of the national and local elections, Malacañang announced Tuesday.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea signed Proclamation 1357, which stated the need to declare May 9 as a special non-working holiday “to enable the people to properly exercise their right to vote, subject to the public health measures of the national government.”

The Commission on Elections earlier asked Duterte to declare May 9 as a special non-working holiday to ensure full participation in this year’s high stakes polls.

There are around 65.7 million locally registered voters and 1.69 million overseas voters.

Pre-election surveys show Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of a former dictator, is on track to win the elections. — with report from News5/Maricel Halili 

𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 “𝐁𝐮𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐”

In celebration of Filipino Food Month or “Buwan ng Kalutong Pilipino 2022”, the Provincial Government of Davao de Oro through the Provincial Administrator’s Office- Tourism Division, in partnership with the food business establishments of Davao de Oro, successfully took part in the 3-day celebration exhibit which showcase and promote the province’s rich diverse flavors and food products at Abreeza Mall, Davao City on April 27-30, 2022.

Harping on this year’s theme “Pagkaing Pilipino, Susi sa Pag-unlad at Pagbabago”, different provinces in Davao Region including Davao de Oro with the support of food business establishments such as Davao Lechon King, Elisabeth Pastries of Laak, Kakanins of Maco, Lyurot of Mainit, KapeNegra Maragusan Highland, Byais, kalamansi and other pasalubong products of Jorgetown, Axl Dave Bibingka and kakanins, Braytside Pastries and MAMPCO Chocolates were present and highlight their iconic, best and inviting unique local dishes that shows the culinary history and cultural heritage of the province.

Moreover, PAO-Tourism Head Ma’am Christine Dompor extends her appreciation and thanks to the buyers, food business establishments, DoT personnel, and Tourism office staff for their support in the success of the participated event. 

The said event was successfully launched by the Department of Tourism (DOT)-Davao Region, in partnership with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA).  This celebration is in line with the goal of appreciating, preserving, promoting, and ensuring that the diverse Filipino culinary traditions and cuisines should be transmitted and treasured to our future generations, which later support various industries, farmers, and agri-communities of the provinces. (JF, PAO IPRD DdO, Photos from DdO Tourism Office)

THAT'S A BAD IDEA !

Very often - sometimes too often! - the thought is back! If we wake up in the morning (or even many times in the middle of the night), the thought is back. Sometimes, the thought will not let us sleep. The "act of thinking", the "reflection", the "opinion" or the "serious consideration", no matter how we describe it - our memory and conscience is always with us as a permanent companion.

We brood over unsettled problems. Sometimes, we bear unfair treatments, arrogance, ignorance, incompetent know-it-all-betters, and unbearable oddballs, who inexorable love to make our life a hell while living themselves a disorderly life.

We would not like to be distracted, but we're toying with some good ideas how we could throw overboard all that "human garbage". What will come next is a matter of conjecture.

Of course, I've got my ideas, but I'm not a mind reader. Too many trains of thought make us thoughtless and absent-minded -  especially in difficult and important daily life situations.

Does waiting and/or sleeping solve our problems? Or is it just again in time? Our life's central idea should not be that while waiting, time solves all our problems. Thoughts should intensify, condense and deepen plans followed by actions.

It's good and helpful to carry thoughts in us all the time. Incomprehensible, or better unfinished and un-matured thoughts, no matter whether positive or negative, should be slept on, before tiredness outstrips us with supersonic speed.

Sometimes, we feel that our thoughts and ideas can't be fulfilled with life. Where the heart is willing, it will find a thousand ways; but where the heart is weak, it will find a thousand excuses. If doubts begin to take roots, we should rouse from pink-tinted idealism or wear down and annihilate nightmares and erase and wipe out such thoughts and ideas.

If our thoughts are good and have the chance to be fulfilled in action, especially if "the other side" is prepared and willing to step on to such a bridge of life, we might get support and words of encouragement.

And, if not? No action? Iyan ay hindi isang masamang ideya.

Maybe it is God's will to keep and protect us from a careless, rash, disadvantageous and uneasy action. Every new day gives us new inexhaustible possibilities to survive, to bear trials and to start a new beginning. We overlook and fail to notice many chances to lie through our sluggishness and laziness while thinking and dreaming of unequaled and unfulfilled ideas.

To be authentically Christian

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THIS should be our constant concern. And to pursue it, we should try our best to be truly “alter Christus.” We have to identify ourselves with Christ in everything—in spirit, in thoughts, intentions and desires, in words and deeds. In other words, we have to develop a certain unity of life with Christ as the principle, end and guide of our life.

Let us remember what Christ said so clearly. He is the vine, we are the branches. We can only have life, let alone consistency and fruitfulness in our life, if we are united to him. Outside of him, we can only expect death, inconsistency and sterility.

Yes, only in and with Christ can we have the real principle of unity and fruitfulness in our life. We would be fooling ourselves if we fail to recognize this basic truth about ourselves.

This, of course, is a truth of faith, and not so much of science. And that’s where the problem lies. There is a crisis of faith in the world, especially involving those who rely more on their human abilities than on belief in Christ.

It’s a phenomenon that can call to mind two contrasting dramatic stories in the Bible. One is the story of the Tower of Babel, and the other is the story of Pentecost.

In the episode of the Tower of Babel, those who survived the flood have multiplied and have gotten so intoxicated by their powers and good fortune that they now want to reach heaven by their own efforts alone, by building a tower.

God intervenes, as he always does in our life, and confounds them by making them speak different languages so that they would not understand each other anymore. The project ends in total failure, and new troubles emerge for the people.

The story of Pentecost offers a counterpoint. We have different people speaking different languages. But since they believe, they are filled with the Holy Spirit. This is how they get to understand each other.

 

They are not made into a uniformed mass. The differences are respected and even fostered. And yet there is unity among them, with a certain focus or attention that is a result of such unity.

We have to reiterate the truth that we need Christ who is our “way, truth and life” with God to have a solid, genuine unity of life and an unwavering focus even in the midst of so many things in our life.

We just have to learn how to strengthen our relation with Christ, overcoming our natural awkwardness and difficulties, knowing how to pray, studying and assimilating the doctrine, availing of the sacraments, rectifying our intention, developing the virtues, observing proper priorities, etc.

We need to be more aware of our duty to establish, build up and strengthen the unity in our life. We only have one life, made up of many parts, aspects, stages and levels, and subject to all sorts of conditions, big and small, favorable and unfavorable, etc. The challenge is how to put all these things together in harmony.

Strengthening that unity of our life insures us that we would be on the right track toward the goal proper to us, that we would be effective in what we are doing, and healthy and resistant to anything that can weaken us or lead us astray. With Christ, we can achieve that.

What is the importance of knowing the nature of Philippine mythology and folklore?

 

Everything FILIPINO!

Answered by 

Bisaya

 

Philippine mythology and folklore play an essential role in the country's history and culture.

 By understanding the nature of these stories, we can better appreciate the unique traditions of the Philippines.

Mythology can provide insight into how our ancestors viewed the world around them. It can also help us to understand their beliefs and values. Folklore, on the other hand, is often used to teach moral lessons or to entertain. Regardless of their purpose, these stories help to give us a glimpse into the rich tapestry of Philippine life. 

In a rapidly changing world, it is more important than ever to hold onto our traditions. By studying Philippine mythology[1] and folklore, we can keep alive the spirit of our nation.

Footnotes

[1] 11 Scariest Filipino Mythical Creatures to Look Out For

From Earth to Universe: Celeste Cortesi is new crossover queen

 Celeste Cortesi was crowned as new Miss Earth Philippines in 2018 (left) and as new Miss Universe Philippines 2022 (right)

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte - Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — Celeste Cortesi was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2022 at the close of glitzy rites in the Mall of Asia Arena today.

The representative of Pasay City bested 31 other hopefuls to wear the newly crafted "La Mer en Majeste" crown. Celeste was also adjudged Miss Photogenic and Best in Swimsuit earlier in the evening.

Her court is composed of:

Michelle Marquez Dee, Miss Universe Philippines Tourism 2022 and Best in Evening Gown;

Pauline Amelinckx, Miss Universe Philippines Charity;

Annabelle MacDonnell, 1st runner-up;

and Katrina Llegado, 2nd runner-up.

Ghenesis Latugat (Baguio), Vanessa Ann Caro (Iloilo Province), Lou Dominique Piczon (Cebu Province), Julia Calleja Saubier (Albay, Best in National Costume), and Chantal Elise Legaspi Schmidt (Cebu City) completed the Top 10 finalists.

The other lucky ladies who made the first cut were Gillian Katherine De Mesa (Nueva Vizcaya, winner of the online poll), Jona Sweet (Aklan), Angelica Lopez (Palawan), Jewel Alexandra Palacat (Ilocos Sur, voted Miss Friendship), Sonja Jeyn Tanyag (Laguna), and Dorothy Gemillan (Iloilo City).

This year's selection committee included Atty. Francis Papica, Atty. Margarita Gutierrez, Arch. Richelle Louise Singson-Michael, Engr. Sam Versoza, Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2006 Lia Andrea Ramos, Dr. Jennifer Olay, Dr. Joshua Sorrentino, and reigning Miss Universe Haarnaz Sandhu.

The evening's commentators at the Kumu lounge were Bb. Pilipinas International 2014 Bianca Guidotti, Carla Lizardo, and last year's Miss Universe Philippines semifinalist Roussane Marie Bernie.

Cortesi is not the first crossover queen to win another national title. Carlene Aguilar, the first Miss Earth Philippines national winner in 2001 joined the Binibining Pilipinas in 2005, aiming to win the national Universe title but ended up with the national World crown instead. Cortesi, therefore, holds the distinction of being the first national Earth warrior to win the national Universe title.

Hosted by Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere,vand Miss Universe 2017 Demi Leigh nel-Peters Tebow, the three-hour long extravaganza was beamed to a global audience through the iWantTFC, ABS-CBN Entertainment, and TFC channels on YouTube. Those who missed the final show may catch the television broadcast on May 1, 9 am, on the GMA network.