DdO commemorates feast day of St. Camillus de Lellis

 

Davao de Oro --- The Provincial Government of Davao de Oro through the Provincial Health Office (PHO), offered a holy mass led by Rev. Fr. Arnulfo C. Tiplaca on July 14, 2022, as a commemoration of Saint Camillus (San Camilo) de Lellis, the universal patron of hospitals, nurses, doctors, and the sick.

St. Camillus was known for his violent temper, reckless behaviour, and habitual gambling. When he was wounded during the military engagement, the injury never fully healed during his lifetime, and it altered the course of his entire life.  

But where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. He confessed and offered his life to the Almighty. He died in Rome on July 14, 1614 and was proclaimed as patron of hospitals and the sick. He also declared as protector of all nuns who care for the sick.

This year’s celebration with the theme “Hope and Healing: An Old Faith in a New Normal Life”, aims at strengthening faith and ask St. Camillus and Our Lady of Good Health to intercede for all the sick, all the frontliners, and all who are experiencing trouble during this global crisis.

Dr. Antonio P. Ybiernas Jr., PG Department Head, said in a statement that everyone has a chance to become like St. Camillus, despite his vices, he changed the course of his life and devoted himself to rendered service, ministering to the sick and dying, and helping other people, especially those who are in need. 

Program proper followed after the mass, where employees of PHO showcased their talents in a festive dance competition critiqued by Executive Assistant Edward B. Macapili and Claire Joy R. Gonzaga from the Office of the Governor. The festivity was capped with a shared lunch full of grace. (R. Hortizano, Photos by PHO-DdO)

Are we taking God’s word seriously?

By Fr. Roy Cimagala*

WE are reminded of that question in the parable of the sower and the seed. (cfr. Mt 9,1-13) Yes, in that parable we are encouraged also to do a lot of sowing of God’s word, a responsibility that is incumbent on all of us. But we would not be a good and generous sower of God’s word if we don’t take God’s word seriously. We have to be a rich soil on which the seed of God’s word can flower a hundredfold.

Aside from the usual problems we have in this regard, like being lazy to study God’s word, treating God’s word in a routine and superficial manner, etc., we now have to contend with the danger of making our other man-made words coming from our philosophies, ideologies, sciences and technologies take precedence over God’s word or even replacing God’s word completely.

We have to protect ourselves from the thought that our man-made word is better, is more effective, or is more practical than God’s word. Nothing can be farther than the truth than that thought, but many of us actually succumb to it.

We need to understand that God’s word gives us the ultimate spiritual knowledge we need to return to God, from whom we came and to whom we go and spend our life in eternity. This character of God’s word is described in the following words in the Letter to the Hebrews:

“For the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two-edged sword, and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (4,12)

Its purely eternal, spiritual, sacred and transcendent nature is now subjected to the conditions of time, culture, history, etc., in view of how we are. But we should not forget that it is primarily purely eternal, spiritual, sacred and transcendent, which with our spiritual powers plus God’s grace we can manage to abstract from its temporal, material, mundane and prosaic condition.

Let’s remember that God became man. With his incarnation, the divine word assumes the nature of a human word. And just as God became man to bring man back to God, his divine word became the human word to bring and reconcile us with God.

Since God’s word is God himself and God is everything to us, we have to understand that it contains everything for our needs, especially our ultimate need to be with God. All things true, good and beautiful are contained in the word of God.

Thus, insofar as our philosophies, ideologies, sciences, arts and technologies contain truths, goodness and beauty, no matter how technical they are, we have to conclude that they also come from God’s word and belong there also. 

Anyone who does not acknowledge this truth about the human sources of our knowledge can be considered ungrateful and presumptuous. We need to overcome the dichotomy that detaches our sciences, arts and technologies from God’s word.

Our sciences, arts and technologies can only articulate the more mundane aspects of the Word of God. They should lead us to God. They should make us achieve a more intimate relationship with God, with everybody else and everything else in the whole universe.

We should make God’s word the primary and constant source of our knowledge! Everything else has to be animated by it.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Fast-track national ID distribution to hasten delivery of services, benefits

by Manila Bulletin

Even while recovering from a second Covid-19 infection, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. met via teleconference with Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, who is also National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General, to order the faster distribution of national ID cards for use by all Filipinos by 2023. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), NEDA’s attached agency, is tasked to lead in implementing the national ID system that is mandated in Republic Act No. 11055, the Philippine Identification System Act.

According to the Philippine Postal Authority’s latest report, it has already delivered around 14 million ID cards. Although the law mandating the issuance of national ID cards was passed in 2018, it was not until last year that fixed and mobile registration centers were put up by the PSA. Alternating episodes of quarantine and lockdown also hampered registration of ID applicants. Despite these, the PSA has reported that around 50 million Filipinos — or close to half of the country’s population — have already been registered for the national ID by end 2021.

Toward the end of his term, President Rodrigo Duterte expressed impatience over apparent delays in the issuance of the national ID. A waiting period of six months to one year has been noted. As pointed out by Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, the national ID is a “trusted card used for the speedy distribution of cash aid, fuel vouchers, health benefits, and other basic services” needed by Filipinos to help tide them over the difficulties arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a recent Commission on Audit (COA) report, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas needs to catch up with the schedule of producing national ID cards for around 116 million Filipinos within a four-year period. With the easing of mobility restrictions, it is reasonable to expect a rapid ramping up of ID card production and distribution.

The law that created the Philippine Identification System or the PhilSys for all citizens and residents of the Republic, aimed “to promote seamless delivery of service; to improve the efficiency, transparency, and targeted delivery of public and social services; to enhance administrative governance; to reduce corruption and bureaucratic red tape, to avert fraudulent transactions and misrepresentation; to strengthen financial inclusion; and to promote ease of doing business.” In order to achieve all of these objectives, “a resilient digital system shall be deployed to secure the data collected and to ensure that the people’s right to privacy, confidentiality and other basic rights are at all times upheld and protected.”

Indeed, the issuance of national ID cards is a comprehensive program that requires utmost competence and efficiency on the part of government agencies that are tasked to ensure its effective implementation. Considering that more than four years have passed since the law was enacted, citizens and residents have every right to expect that the distribution of national ID cards will be fast-tracked so they could reap the benefits from its use.

Pinoys reduce spending, increase savings – study

By Mayvelin U. Caraballo, Manila Times

IN light of the anticipated slowdown of the economy, Filipinos have reduced their consumption and boosted their emergency savings, a research released on Tuesday by a global information and insights company, TransUnion, showed.

After a strong start to the year, the firm said respondents to its latest "Consumer Pulse Study" expect the Philippine economy to slow down and stop growing quarter on quarter.

"This is highly attributed to the election season affecting spending and investment of both the government and private sectors. Additionally, the local inflation rate increased to 5.4 percent in May due to the continuous global oil price hikes," it said.

Majority or 56 percent of the 1,005 respondents surveyed by TransUnion between May 26 and June 7 this year indicated they had saved more money for emergencies.

In addition, 43 percent of the respondents said they reduced their discretionary expenditure, such as going out to eat, while only 22 percent said they raised it.

Among generations, the company said, Gen X (those born from 1965-1979) and Baby Boomers (born 1944-1964) reported making the most cuts, at 49 and 47 percent, respectively.

Furthermore, it added, "the majority of Filipino consumers were looking to maintain this trend; 61 percent expected large purchase spending to decrease or stay the same."

The category with the highest reported spending rise, however, was bills and loans, where 48 percent of respondents see spending more over the same time period.

On the respondents' ability to pay bills, TransUnion said 46 percent said they could not pay at least one of their existing loans or payments in full.

Nearly half or 46 percent of the respondents plan to utilize money from savings to continue paying bills and loans for those who said they would be unable to pay at least one bill or debt.

Among all generations, Gen Z respondents reported favoring this strategy the most, with 49 percent doing so.

"Most Filipinos (96 percent) believe in the importance of having access to credit and lending products to achieve financial goals," the firm said.

Forty-three percent of respondents overall say they have adequate access to credit and loan options.

Study: Gen Zs need greater finance access

According to the study, Baby Boomers held the majority with 55 percent of the vote, followed by Millennials (born 1980-1994) and Gen Z with 44 and 41 percent, respectively.

Over half or 55 percent of all respondents, TransUnion said, intended to seek new credit or refinance existing credit during the next 12 months.

In a statement, Pia Arellano, president and chief executive officer of TransUnion Philippines, said while credit can stimulate economic growth, many consumers feel excluded or are denied credit because lenders are unable to assess their credit risk with sufficient accuracy.

The study found that 54 percent of customers thought their credit scores would rise if companies used data not present in a typical credit report, she added.

In order to give more Filipinos access to credit during these difficult times, Arellano pointed out, "this use of alternative data in credit scoring and decisions can significantly increase levels of financial inclusion across the country."

SB19 brings fresh twist to this year’s Bb. Pilipinas theme song

by Robert Requintina, Manila Bulletin

With the ever changing times, music has also evolved in different forms to cater to the taste of the modern generation. Today, original pinoy music or OPM has produced diverse sounds, yielding a new type of tune, Pinoy Pop or PPOP for short.

Consistent to its cause of shining a light on the beauty and diversity of Filipino culture, Binibining Pilipinas recognizes how impactful music can be, and has endeavored to banner Pinoy talent in any way that it can. That is why for this year, the prestigious pageant’s official theme song was given the PPOP revamp with the help of the country’s latest music pride – SB19.

SB19’s modern pop rendition of the classic Bb. Pilipinas theme song entitled “Win Your Heart” encapsulates the spirit of the pageant. With its beat and lyrics, it proudly communicates the uniqueness of the Filipina – one who exudes beauty, intelligence, grace and strength.

“Bb. Pilipinas has always been on a mission to empower Filipinos across the international stage, and one of our great qualities as a Filipino is our talent in creating art, such as music. We recognize the importance of featuring our local talents, such as SB19, that is why we hope that with this collaboration, we can show the world that not only are Filipinos intelligent, passionate, and driven, we are also immensely talented,” Irene Jose, Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. trustee said.

SB19 will serenade the Bb. Pilipinas stage as the main performers of the pageant’s Grand Coronation Night. But, SB19 isn’t be the only PPOP act to take part in the slew of Bb. Pilipinas activities. Other rising PPOP groups such as DIONE, First.One, 4th Impact, and ALAMAT   made their presence felt with their energetic performances at the Talent Competition, Press Presentation, and the glamorous Fashion Show. 

To watch the Lyric video of ‘Win Your Heart,’ please click this link: https://youtu.be/ofeFrctMJeM. The official music video of the said theme song will also be uploaded on the Bb. Pilipinas YouTube page soon, so stay tuned!

BOI promotes business opportunities for investors, to hold SIPP roadshows nationwide

Aimed at promoting investment opportunities, build connection with the country’s investors, would-be investors, and concerned stakeholders, and make more investments happen in the Philippines, the Board of Investments (BOI), the country’s lead industry development and investments promotion agency (IPA), is conducting its series of roadshows nationwide on the salient features and highlights of the Strategic Investments Priority Plan (SIPP).  

Through the BOI’s Domestic Investments Promotion Service (DIPS) and its Extension Offices, the roadshows will initially be conducted in three key cities: Cebu on July 19, Cagayan de Oro on July 26, and Davao on July 28.  More roadshows are set to be scheduled next month. 

The SIPP, a plan prepared by the BOI in coordination and consultation with the IPAs, the Fiscal Incentives and Review Board (FIRB), other government agencies administering tax incentives, and the private sector, lists the priority industries, sectors, and business projects that may qualify for investment incentives under Republic Act No. 11534 or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act. 

The SIPP includes the scope and coverage of the priority activities and the industry tier categorization which influences the period of availment for incentives.  The higher the industry Tier categorization the longer the period of incentives availment. 

Apart from primarily providing information about the priority sectors/industries and investment opportunities under SIPP, the roadshow is also BOI’s in-person public platform to guide investors on how to apply investment projects with the BOI to avail incentives and likewise provide consultation/advisory services for those who want to understand and avail the other services of the BOI. 

The BOI SIPP roadshow is a one-day event with two parts. For the morning session, investments opportunities under the SIPP and the incentives available for qualified projects will be discussed. The afternoon session meanwhile will be for one-on-one consultations with the BOI resource persons on potential projects for registration and other investments concerns.  

The roadshow targets firms with previous projects registered with BOI as well as firms who are planning to expand their operations in the regions, regional business chambers, regional industry associations and organizations, academe, financial institutions, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) regional and provincial offices, regional National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), and other regional government offices.   

The SIPP serves as a catalyst to shore up various industries and yield more diversified, complex, and sophisticated products and services in the Philippines.  The SIPP plays a significant role in the country’s goal of bouncing back from the economic ramifications brought about by the persisting global health crisis. The Plan also sustains the momentum towards the country’s economic recovery, as it will generate and recover jobs as well as competitively provide for the Filipinos’ basic needs. 

For more information on the SIPP, visit the BOI website: Strategic Investment Priority Plan | Board of Investments (boi.gov.ph) 

Heatwave: Ferocious European heat heads north

By Malu Cursino

BBC News

Firefighters work to contain a tactical fire in Louchats, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region of southwestern France, July 17

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Fires in the south of France have ravaged more than 15,000 hectares (37,066 acres) of forests since 12 July

Western Europe faces more sweltering temperatures on Tuesday as a ferocious heatwave heads north.

In France and the UK extreme heat warnings were issued while northern Spain recorded temperatures of 43C (109F) on Monday.

Wildfires in France, Portugal, Spain and Greece have forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

The UK is expected to see its hottest day ever and experts say parts of France face a "heat apocalypse".

Several parts of France saw their hottest-ever days with the western city of Nantes recording 42C, the national weather office said.

Wildfires in recent days have forced more than 30,000 people to flee, with emergency shelters set up for evacuees.

Gironde, a popular tourist region in the southwest, has been hit particularly badly, with firefighters battling to control blazes which have destroyed over 15,000 hectares (37,066 acres) of land since last Tuesday.

"The idea that comes into my head is, it's a monster," Jean-Luc Gleyze, the president of the Gironde region said of the fires.

"It's a monster like an octopus, and it's growing and growing and growing in the front, in the back, on both sides. Because of the temperature, because of the wind, because of the lack of water in the air... it's a monster and it's very difficult to fight against it."

The UK had one of its hottest days on record on Monday, with a high of 38.1C recorded in Suffolk, in eastern England. Forecasters say Tuesday could see a top of 40C, which would be the highest temperature ever recorded in the country.

There were severe travel disruptions with trains cancelled and flights at London's Luton Airport suspended when part of the runway buckled under the searing heat.

On Monday, the Netherlands recorded its hottest day of the year so far. In the south-western town of Westdorpe, temperatures reached 33.6C.

And it is expected to be hotter on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to top 39C in southern and central regions of the Netherlands.

Forecasters say the heatwave is heading north, with Belgium, Germany and Italy expected to see temperatures around 40C in the coming days.

In Spain and Portugal, more than 1,000 deaths have been attributed to the heat in recent days.

Temperatures in Portugal hit 47C on Thursday - a record for July. Most of the country has been placed under high fire danger by the national meteorological office IPMA.

Local media reports that 300 people from the northern Murça municipality have been evacuated due to the fire danger - authorities are anxious to avoid a repeat of 2017, when 66 people were killed in wildfires.

In Spain, at least twenty fires are burning out of control. A passenger filmed the moment the train he was travelling on came to a temporary halt - as fires raged on both sides of the carriage near the northern border with Portugal.

Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

Students not required to wear uniforms - Sara

A girl tries on a school uniform at a stall in Commonwealth Market in this photo taken on July 13, 2022. PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE

By Kaithreen Cruz, Manila Times

PUBLIC school students will not be required to wear school uniforms, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio said on Monday.

She pointed out that it is not a strict requirement for public school students to wear uniforms even before the pandemic to avoid incurring additional costs.

"All the more that it will not be required this school year given the increasing prices and economic losses due to the pandemic," Duterte-Carpio said.

School Year 2022-2023 will open on August 22, with DepEd giving schools flexibility to utilize distance learning modalities, blended learning, or full face-to-face classes until October 31.

The Education department, through DepEd Order No. 34 s. 2022, mandated all public and private schools nationwide to hold five days of in-person learning starting November 2.

Philippines: Highest Risk for climate-changed disasters

PROTECTION – An elderly woman finds ample protection from the sun and rain under an umbrella as she barely fits herself on a stool while sleeping on the sidewalk in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Monday, July 18, 2022. (Ali Vicoy)
 

Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said the Philippines, as one of the countries at highest risk for climate-related disasters, was determined to be a world leader in the fight against the crisis. And part of this role would be its initiative to transition from coal to clean energy.

ECB goes on offensive as inflation pressure up

LEADING BANK This July 7, 2022 file photo shows the headquarters of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. XINHUA PHOTO

By Agence France-Presse

FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank (ECB) will raise its interest rates on Thursday for the first time in over a decade, but the bank is already under pressure to do more amid record inflation.

The ECB has for months been preparing the end of the era of cheap money that supported the economy through a series of crises in recent years.

To try and counteract a steep rise in prices, the bank has said it intends to raise its interest rates by a quarter point, the first such move since 2011.

The ECB already stopped its bond-buying stimulus program at the beginning of July, as it laid the groundwork for the rise.

The liftoff in rates comes in response to an unprecedented surge in prices, driven higher by supply chain bottlenecks and rising energy costs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Inflation in the eurozone sat at 8.6 percent in June, the highest ever recorded for the currency club and well above the ECB's 2-percent target.

The Frankfurt-based institution continues playing catch up with its peers, like the Federal Reserve, which started hiking earlier and more aggressively.

The ECB deposit rate has been negative for the past eight years, with the key rate currently at -0.5 percent.

The punitive interest rate, which effectively charges banks to park their money with the ECB overnight, was designed to encourage more lending, more economic activity and higher inflation rates.

Rate hike won't cut energy prices – ECB

Stubbornly low for years, prices are now soaring as a result of scrambled supply chains from the coronavirus pandemic and the burst in the price of food and energy caused by the war in Ukraine.

The inflation surge caught central banks, not least the ECB, off guard.

Now the central bank is aiming to lift interest rates out of negative territory by the end of September as part of a "gradual but sustained" series of hikes, according to ECB President Christine Lagarde.

In hindsight, the "cautious normalization process the ECB started at the end of last year has simply been too slow and too late," said Carsten Brzeski, head of macro at ING.

ECB to end stimulus in prelude to rate hikes

With each new data release causing new consternation, the central bank's cautious quarter-point step could lead to a feeling of "disappointment," he added.

Some ECB policymakers may push for faster action, but "it will be a balancing act between the ECB's credibility as being predictable and its credibility as a determined inflation fighter," the ING officer said.

The ECB was faced with an "impossible equation to solve," said Frederik Ducrozet, head of macroeconomic research at Pictet Wealth Management.

'Taming inflation amid war harder'

Central bankers, he added, were determined to squash inflation while "the euro area economy is on the brink of recession," circumstances under which they would normally hesitate to raise interest rates.

The outlook for the economy was clouded by the war in Ukraine with eurozone members bracing for a winter in which energy could be scarce and planning to ration supplies if Russia halts gas deliveries to the continent.

Add a weak euro against the dollar, which touched parity recently for the first time in nearly 20 years, and a political crisis in Italy and the monetary calculations became even harder, Ducrozet said.

The withdrawal of a key party from former ECB chief and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's governing coalition has unnerved investors, sending borrowing costs up again.

The quickly rising strain in bond markets had already prompted the ECB to respond in mid-June by speeding up the design of an instrument to fight "fragmentation" in the eurozone.

The new tool was "critical" to avoid "excessive divergence" in the borrowing costs faced by different countries and make sure monetary policy moves were felt evenly across the eurozone, ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said in early July.

But the idea has been met with skepticism by some governing council members.

Any crisis tool should only be used in "exceptional circumstances" and under strict conditions, warned Joachim Nagel, head of the traditionally conservative German Bundesbank.