First lady breaks bread with woman ambassadors

By Catherine S. Valente and Kristina Maralit, Manila Times

(UPDATE) First lady Liza Araneta-Marcos recently bonded with resident woman ambassadors by hosting a luncheon for them in Malacañang.

DAMES OF DIPLOMACY First lady Louise ‘Liza’ Araneta-Marcos poses with resident lady ambassadors inthe Philippines in Malacañang on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. Mrs. Araneta-Marcos hosted a luncheon to thank the envoys for supporting theadministration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. SCREENSHOT FROM RTVM VIDEO

Those who attended the gathering last Wednesday were Ambassador Mary Kay Loss Carlson of the United States, Ambassador Bartinah Ntombizodwa Radebe-Netshitenzhe of South Africa, Ambassador Betty Palaso of Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Bita Rasoulian of Austria, Ambassador Shobini Kaushala Gunasekera of Sri Lanka and Ambassador Folakemi Ibidunni Akinleye of Nigeria.

Also present were Ambassador Annika Gunilla Thunborg of Sweden, Ambassador Grete Sillasen of Denmark, Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel of Germany, Ambassador Michèle Jeannine Andrèe Boccoz of France, Charge d'Affaires Monica Theodora Geertruida van Daalen of The Netherlands and Charge d'Affaires Lhuana Pamella Lopez Amorim of Panama.

"Thank you for supporting my husband's administration. I hope we get to do this more often," the wife of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in her brief speech as shown in a video posted by Radio Television Malacañang online.

In response, Carlson said the first lady plays just as an important role as the President.

"I really appreciate the atmosphere here of women supporting other women and their important roles. And that's why we are so honored to be here for your (Araneta-Marcos) official engagement. As a very important woman in this country, and frankly, in this region, it's a very challenging position to take on, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to be here," the US ambassador added.

Prior to sharing a sumptuous meal at the Rizal Dining Hall where the visitors were also treated to a brief cultural show, the first lady gave them a walking tour of the Palace where she also shared tidbits of its colorful history.

Meet Miss Philippines-Earth's Top 20 for 2022

All 20 candidates will vie for the Miss Earth-Philippines 2022 crown tonight in Coron, Palawan. PHOTOS BY RENE H. DILAN

By Arlo Custodio, Manila Times

FROM 41 Miss Philippines-Earth (MPE) 2022 official candidates introduced in May, the final Top 20 who will compete on coronation night were presented to the media on July 28.

Held with Okada Manila's The Fountain for a backdrop — the wonder that is touted as the world's largest multicolor dancing fountain — the candidates proceeded to compete in the swimsuit preliminaries at this meet and greet. At each one's turn on the runway, the girls likewise presented their respective environmental advocacies in keeping with pageant tradition and theme.

The day's emerging standouts were Mandaluyong's Jennifer De Asis, who won the Gold for her presentation, and Santa Ignacia, Tarlac's Jenny Ramp and Manila's Justiene Ortega, who were awarded Silver and Bronze, respectively.

Completing the Top 20 are Merhyl Kit Paraluman representing Alabel, Sarangani Province; Trisha Van Eldik, Balagtas, Bulacan; Nice Lampad, Bayugan City, Agusan; Jayra Aliyah Olvinada, Cadiz City; Kiara Liane Wellington, Cebu City; Rache Santos, Dipolog City; Chrisdalyn Yvonne Abrenica, Dubai, UAE Filipino Community; Jimema Tempra, Jasaan, Misamis Oriental; Bea Cecilio, Las Piñas City; Eryka Vina Tan, Legazpi City; Trina Martinez, Makati City; Micaela Legarda, Muntinlupa City; Jazmine Calma, Pateros; Lourdez De Leon, Quezon City; Jarizz Borcela, Sagay City; Jasmine Paguio, Toronto, Canada Filipino Community; and Angel Santos, Trece Martires City.

The finals and grand coronation of MPE 2022 will unfold tonight, August 6 in Coron, Palawan. The pageant will have a next-day telecast on August 7 on A2Z Channel 11 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

The international Miss Earth 2022 competition is once again set in the Philippines towards the end of the year, with organizers already announcing Vietnam as the host country for 2023. Fittingly Miss Earth 2018 Nguyen Phoung Khanh of Vietnam has already agreed to be the event emcee.

Seasoned actress Cherie Gil passes away

By Iza Iglesias  and Aric John Sy Cua, Manila Times

AWARD-winning veteran actress Cherie Gil passed away on Friday. She was 59.

Her talent manager Annabelle Rama posted the news on social media, saying, "Cherie Gil just passed away at 5 p.m. today please pray for her."

A few hours later, Gil's nephew actor Sid Lucero confirmed it through a couple of Instagram posts.

Sharing a photo of her aunt, he wrote, "I love you;) big hug:) #bugluv" Followed by a video of crying emoji he drew from his phone.

The reason for her passing, however, has yet to be disclosed as of press time.

It was in February this year when she was reported to have moved out of the Philippines and started a new life in New York to be with her kids.

Explaining in her Mega magazine cover wherein she revealed a shaved head bald look "as a symbol of rebirth," the actress grew tired of herself and "felt angry and unhappy" at the same time.

"I got rid of all the clothes I had that symbolized a past life. I'm completely finding myself and coming to terms with who I really am. It's just great to have this opportunity and to be alive to start over. It's like a rebirth of sorts," she told Mega.

"I just had to make sure that first and foremost, my mental, emotional, spiritual states were getting the priority. I was getting tired of myself. And I was just so angry and unhappy, so I sold everything and packed up," she added.

Evangeline Rose Gil Eigenmann in real life, Gil is known in the entertainment industry as the Philippines' "La Primera Contravida" for her versatility in acting, especially with portraying villain roles.

Through her 50-year career, Gil won a number of awards, including from Famas. She was a recipient of the Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honor) award by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and a Hall of Famer at the Metro Manila Film Festival in the "Best Supporting Actress" category.

In 2015, Gil won the highly coveted "Best Actress" trophy at the Asean International Film Awards. The same year, she also won "Best Lead Actress in a Foreign Language Film" at the 2015 Madrid International Film Festival. In 2019, she won her first Gawad Urian Award in the category "Best Supporting Actress" for her portrayal in "Citizen Jake."

Gil came from a family of actors. She is the daughter of showbiz luminaries, the late Eddie Mesa and Rosemarie Gil. Her brothers are Michael de Mesa and the late Mark Gil.

JUST A LOAN

Sweet words are easy to say; nice things are easy to buy; but good people are different to find. Life ends, when you stop dreaming; hope ends, when you stop believing; friendship stops, when you stop sharing. A good friend of mine sent me this quotation. I commented back: So very true and very well said!

Our life is borrowed - from God. No rental charges are collected from us. Many of us have forgotten this and live life to the fullest. Our life is equal to a book from a library that lends one. But how insatiable and unbearable are we in disdainful acting towards life and therefore to ourselves? Remember: life is just a loan!

My life is on loan, like money borrowed from a bank. God is the lender, and He retains the right to call in the loan any time. Though I am responsible for taking care of it, I do not own this life; it is borrowed. Why should I fear its loss or the loss of anything else in this world when I must surrender it all anyway?

Life seems to be nothing, just being ready to riddle one with bullets. Life seems to be nothing, just being broken through indifference and unreliable and immoral behavior. Life seems to be nothing for those people who don't understand cries from the heart of other people around them - cries for their hearts and families, for justice and for many other things.

Life with all its ups and downs, is just a loan, but for many of our fellow creatures it just seems to be nonsense to be littered like a dump. And, if people try to survive, especially during these days, and if they just experienced (once more!) indifference, arrogance, ignorance or cheating by whomever - they will give up! 

I can assure you that every one of us can at first help in prayers and in reading the bible. "Proverbs" is the probably most down-to-earth book in the bible. Its teachings prepare you for daily life, the street and the market place. The book offers warm pieces of advice you get; practical guidance for making your way on earth. Proverbs covers any kinds of questions you might have right now. Anybody can relate to the generalities of Proverbs, because this book simply tells how life works most of the time.

While writing this piece, I observed that more and more people struggle through life: tired, hopeless, experiencing their rock-bottoms, believing in fallacious "people" around them. I also observed a lot of people living a thief life, as if it has been giving them without limitation.

"Let's enjoy every single loophole in law!" What a sad and fatal attraction!

PSEi rallies on positive earnings reports

By Ed Paolo Salting, Manila Times

THE Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) went up again on Wednesday by 67.78 points to close at 6,430.08.

Philstocks Financial Inc. research associate Claire Alviar and Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said good earnings reports from the index members boosted market sentiment.

"Gains from the heavyweight companies, particularly the 3.38-percent income bump of SM Investments Corp., helped lift the PSEi," Alviar said.

Ricafort added that the market also took into account Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla's signal that inflation may have peaked in July 2022 and factored in the policy rate hike of 25 to 50 basis points on Aug. 18, 2022.

Alviar pointed out that since the market has breached its 6,400-resistance level, it will test the sustainability of that benchmark in the coming days. If the market breaks 6,400, the next indicator is 6,600.

In the United States, Regina Capital Development Corp. Managing Director Luis Limlingan said that investors turned away from US markets as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to Taiwan added to the already tense US-China relations. Stocks also fell further after three Federal Reserve presidents hinted that further rate hikes would be necessary to combat high inflation.

For local catalysts, investors await the release of the PH CPI (Philippine consumer price index) on Friday and continue to be guided by release of additional earnings reports.

Oil prices are on the upward trajectory again. Limlingan said that oil futures edged up ahead of a meeting of OPEC+ producers this week that may not lead to a boost in crude supply amid concerns a possible global recession could limit energy demand. Brent futures rose 51 cents to settle at $100.54 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 53 cents to $94.42 per barrel.

Market volume was up, with a net value turnover of P6.09 billion, the highest since July 8's P6.27 billion.

Suffering as proof of true love

By Fr. Roy Cimagala*

WE have to be clear about the truth of our faith. If we truly have love, the love that comes from God and not just our own idea of love, we should be willing to suffer and die for our beloved who in the end is none other than God, and because of God, is also everybody else.

This truth of our faith can be gleaned from that gospel episode where Christ asked his disciples who he was. (cfr. Mt 16,13-23) A variety of answers were given by them, until Peter himself gave the right one. “You are Christ, the son of the living God.” To this answer of Peter, Christ was so happy that he exclaimed: 

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” Then Christ proceeded to tell Peter about the founding of the Church, giving him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, such that whatever Peter would bind on earth will also be bound in heaven, and whatever he loses on earth will be lost also in heaven.

But the more intriguing part of this gospel episode is that after this very dramatic exchanges between Christ and Peter, Christ proceeded to talk about his impending passion and death.

This part of the gospel narrative somehow tells us that for us to be with Christ, some suffering would be involved. Said in another way, suffering is a clear proof that we are with Christ and that we are truly in the dynamic of real love.

Thus, we all need to be reminded that all our suffering has a positive and favorable aspect. It’s not all entirely bad and negative, though in itself it will always be bad. But if viewed and lived through our Christian faith, there is something in it that can give us a greater good. We may refer to this advantageous aspect of suffering as the happy Good News or Gospel of Suffering.

We have to remind ourselves though that we are not actually meant to suffer. Our original as well as our ideal definitive state in heaven excludes suffering. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were in the state of original justice, where everything was in order and in harmony. No pain and suffering touched them, until they fell into sin.

And as the Book of Revelation would put it, in our definitive state of life in heaven “He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (21,4)

In this life, we have to expect and be prepared for the unavoidable pain and suffering. And this means that whether we are guilty or not of our pains and suffering, all we have to do is to go immediately to Christ who shows us how to handle our pains and suffering and who is ready to forgive us if ever we are deserving of suffering due to sin.

It’s true that God is always offended by our sin, and will somehow show his anger and disappointment to us. But let’s never forget that with him, anger would only be for a moment, while his mercy is forever. (cfr. Ps 30,5)

We should be quick to unite our suffering with that Christ on the cross, and thus convert our suffering as the very proof of real love!

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

„Bis die Rente wieder reicht“: Senioren arbeiten mit über 70 in der Drogerie

Von: Patricia Huber, Merkur

Vielen Rentnern reicht das Geld zum Leben nicht mehr. So auch bei Wolfgang und Hannelore, die laut einem Bericht trotz Ruhestand in der Drogerie arbeiten.

Hamburg – Das Renteneintrittsalter steigt Jahrgang für Jahrgang auf aktuell bis zu 67 Jahre. Erst kürzlich hat sich der Präsident des Arbeitgeberverbandes Gesamtmetall, Stefan Wolf, für die Rente mit 70 ausgesprochen. Doch bereits jetzt arbeiten etliche Rentner trotz ihres hohen Alters weiter.

Arbeiten trotz Rente: Wenn das Geld nicht mehr reicht

Die Zahl der berufstätigen Rentner stieg in den vergangenen Jahren immer weiter. 2021 waren 1,05 Millionen Beschäftigte 67 Jahre oder älter, wie tagesschau.de berichtet. Auch der 72-jährige Wolfgang K. und die 78-jährige Hannelore H. arbeiten trotz ihres Alters noch. Vier Tage die Woche räumen sie je zwei Stunden in einer Drogerie in Hamburg Regale ein, wie die Hamburger Morgenpost berichtet.

Dafür erhalten Hannelore und Wolfgang jeweils 450 Euro. Würden sie mehr verdienen, würde ihnen die Rente gekürzt werden. Eigentlich haben die beiden den Job angenommen, um der Langeweile vorzubeugen. Mittlerweile ist er jedoch auch notwendig, um über die Runden zu kommen. Wolfgang erhält derzeit 1100 und Hannelore 1300 Euro Rente. „Früher hat das zum Leben gereicht und das Gehalt war ein schöner Bonus“, erklärt Wolfgang der Hamburger Morgenpost. Doch mit der hohen Inflation hat sich die Situation der Rentner verändert. „Seitdem die Preise steigen, bin ich darauf angewiesen.“

Wie das Statistische Bundesamt mitteilte, waren die Verbraucherpreise im Juli 2022 um 7,5 Prozent höher als noch im Vorjahresmonat. Besonders bei Nahrungsmitteln (14,8 Prozent teurer) und Energie (35,7 Prozent teurer) sind die Preise in die Höhe geschossen.

Hannelore und Wolfgang haben immerhin Spaß am Job. Er hilft ihnen dabei, fit zu bleiben – und zusätzlich den notwendigen Lebensunterhalt zur Rente hinzuzuverdienen. Aber wie lange soll das noch so weitergehen? „Na, solange es körperlich möglich ist! Bloß kein Müßiggang“, sagt Hannelore der Hamburger Morgenpost. Wolfgang fügt hinzu: „Bis die Rente wieder zum Leben reicht.“ (ph)

PLGU DdO to strengthen the implementation of Universal Health Care Law

The Provincial Government of Davao de Oro through the Provincial Health Office recently conducted an orientation about Universal Health Care (UHC) Law to the Local Chief Executives (LCEs) of the 11 municipalities held at Prosperity Hall, Nabunturan DdO on July 29, 2022, to see to it that the constituents receive the best health care possible that is equitable for all. 

The UHC act, also known as R.A. 11223, was signed into law by Former President Rodrigo Duterte last February 20, 2019. One of the goals of this legislation was to make PhilHealth membership mandatory for all Filipinos which assures that everyone has the access to quality and affordable healthcare they require wherever or whenever they need it. During the orientation, Governor Dorothy Gonzaga emphasized the importance of implementing the reforms that are embodied in the law, which would bring positive changes in the health care system in every municipality. She points out that LCEs must realize those reforms to ensure that every individual is protected from health risks, ensure equitable access to high-quality, low-cost healthcare as well as save them from financial risks. She also encouraged all the LCEs to further improve the Rural Health Units (RHUs) or Health Centers (HCs) of the respective municipalities by getting accredited with PhilHealth and Department of Health (DOH) so that it could be an avenue for the constituents, especially the less fortunate individuals, indigenous peoples, and vulnerable populations, to easily claim such benefits when emergencies arise. 

In a statement of Christopher Molina, the Local Health Insurance Head of PhilHealth Nabunturan, says that through the PhilHealth Point of Service under the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP), the patients identified as financially incapable by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction will get health subsidies from the national government. This indicates that they are also protected by the No Balance Billing Policy, which states that disadvantaged or indigent patients are not permitted to be charged any further fees beyond the package rates. "Sa mga dili kabayad, naa ta mga social worker kada provincial hospital nga mag-assess kung Indigent or disadvantage. As long as mupasa siya sa social worker nga 'incapacity' gyud sya ug dili kabayad, automatic covered sya sa PhilHealth. Walay obligasyon ang LGUs sa pagbayad kay ang mu-cover sa mga pasyente kay ang national government na through point of service," Molina said. 

Governor Gonzaga added that the Mandanas Ruling opens the door for Local Government Units (LGUs) to provide better service delivery to its constituents and through the collaborative efforts of LGUs in realizing the reforms and visions of the UHC law, the constituents will receive the best health care services in the province. (Jaynus Fernandez - Information Office, Photos by Jonie Cadiz)

My life in the Philippines is really awesome and wonderful

 

Even Christ needed to pray

By Fr. Roy Cimagala*

“JESUS made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone.” (Mt 14,22-23)

As can be clearly seen in this gospel passage, even Christ had need to pray. As God, we can say that he had no need to pray. As a man, of course, he had to. But Christ is one divine person. When he prayed, we have to understand that he prayed both as God and man.

This consideration can only mean that prayer is an essential and indispensable element in God and man who has been created in God’s image and likeness. We need to realize that prayer is an essential and indispensable element in our life. Without prayer, we would actually violate our humanity.

We need to understand that we need prayer more than we need air or water or food. Prayer is what connects us and likens us to God. Prayer is what makes our life a life with God as it should be. We should, therefore, cultivate a life of prayer, making prayer like an instinct, such that whatever we are doing, whatever situation we may be in, we should be praying.

To be sure, prayer can be done anytime, anywhere. Praying is not simply a matter of reciting some vocal prayers or participating in liturgical prayers. It is not only a matter of meditating on some truths of our faith. All of these are very important, of course, and highly recommended. They are the basics to learn if we wish to develop a working life of prayer.

The ultimate prayer is when our very consciousness always has God in Christ through the Holy Spirit as its core. This may be described as contemplative prayer which will have its definitive state in heaven when we see God face to face and when our identification with him becomes perfect. This is when we will have a beautiful vision.

We have to understand that it’s when we pray, that is, when we truly pray and not just going through the motions of praying, that we would be engaging ourselves with the most important person in our life, God himself. He is absolutely our everything, without whom nothing and no one has any importance.

It’s when we pray that we manage to relate who we are, what we have, what we do, etc. to our ultimate end which, to be sure, is not something only natural but is also supernatural. Nothing therefore can rival the importance of prayer. In other words, prayer is irreplaceable, unsubstitutable, indispensable. It’s never optional, though it has to be done freely if we want our prayer to be real prayer.

The absolutely important thing that makes prayer real prayer is when we manage to give all our mind and heart to God in whatever thing we do or in whatever situation we may find ourselves in. That’s why St. Paul once said, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thes 5,17) That’s simply because our whole life has to be a prayer, since it is meant to be in constant and intimate relationship with God.

So, even our work and all our earthly concerns can be made into prayer as long as we have the proper motive and frame of mind. 

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com