A call to serve on Araw ng Kagitingan

BY MANILA BULLETIN

  

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What used to be commemorated as the Fall of Bataan is now observed as Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor to honor the heroism of Filipinos who fought and died for their country and people. This year’s celebration was moved to Monday, April 10, as part of the government’s holiday economics program to incentivize Filipinos to help promote domestic tourism.

Last month, a unique image trended on Facebook and other social media platforms: Mt. Samat Cross in Bataan silhouetted by the setting sun as seen from Manila Bay.The snapshot of this natural phenomenon underlines the significance of Filipino heroism in the fields of battle.

Before its commemoration was modified, Day of Valor used to be observed as the Fall of Bataan. On April 9, 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army forced more than 76,000 soldiers (64,000 Filipinos, and 12,000 Americans) into the infamous Death march to Capas, Tarlac. According to historical accounts: “En route, thousands died from dehydration, heat prostration, untreated wounds, and wanton execution while walking in deep dust over vehicle-broken macadam roads, and crammed into rail cars for transport to captivity.”

The Mt. Samat Shrine, also known as Dambana ng Kagitingan or Shrine of Valor, is visible from across Manila Bay, because of its main feature, a 92-meter high cross that sits atop the 555-meter mountain in Pilar, Bataan. The cross was designed by National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva. On its bottom portion is Abueva’s Nabiag na Bato (literally, broken rocks) sculpture depicting Filipino heroes’ exploits dating back to Lapu-Lapu’s resistance to Magellan’s invasion, and the numerous revolts and insurrections during the Spanish and American colonial eras, and finally, the gallant stand of Filipino soldiers and guerillas in Bataan.

During the muted observance of the Philippine Quincentennial in 2021 that was dampened by the rampant coronavirus pandemic, a theme song entitled Bagani composed by Roel Rostata and performed by Anthony Castillo with the a capella group Pinopela, was chosen as the celebration’s official theme song.

‘Bagani’ is an indigenous word that refers to the peace-keeping force of native tribal warriors who defend their community, and protect the people’s lives as well as their properties. In the song’s lyrics, the Filipinos are branded as Bagani, not to engage in wars but to inspire them to be always of service to the community and country, even in small ways. Here are key excerpts:

“Tulungan ang kapwa’t bigyang halaga. Huwag hatakin nang pababa. Huwag sanang isipin ang sarili lamang/Pakisama’t bayanihan. Bagani ating lahi…Bayaning Filipino: Sa makabagong panahon, halina’t hawakan ang aking kamay. Sabay abutin natin ang tagumpay. Patuloy lang tayo sa pagpapanday. Tiwala sa Diyos ang sandata’t gabay.”

“Help and respect others. Don’t pull them down.  Look beyond yourself. Serve in the spirit of bayanihan. We are brave and we are peace-loving. Noble and heroic is our heritage. Now let’s join hands to reach the summit. We shall forge ahead with faith in God as our strength and guide.”

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The ultimate purpose of our freedom

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

MARY Magdalene, a big-sinner-turned-saint, teaches us a great lesson about freedom. And that is for us to realize that the ultimate purpose of our freedom is to look for Christ, for God, in everything we do and have in this world. In this life, we are always confronted with a choice—whether we want to be with God and or simply to be by ourselves. We have to make the proper choice. And that’s what our freedom is all about.

As the gospel narrates, (Jn 20,11-18) Mary Magdalene, despite the heavy load of her past, went early to the tomb of Christ and when she found it empty, chose to sit there weeping. She was bent in looking for Christ who gave her the greatest liberation from her dark past. And she was richly rewarded. She became one of the first, if not the very first, to see the resurrected Christ.

Many people, of course, have their own ideas of freedom. But if we really want to know what it is, where it can be found, how it should be exercised, etc., we have nothing to do other than to look at God who is the source and end of freedom. He is the one who gives the law proper to our use of freedom.

And what can we see in God with respect to freedom? The direct answer is that God did everything for us completely free, without any special reason, without any pressure. We can say that he did all those wonderful things for us because he just wants to. In our local lingo, he did them because “trip ko lang!”

What he did and continues to do to us can only be characterized as being completely free. It was pure grace, unadulterated gratuitousness. That in the end is what freedom is all about.

He created us freely. There was no necessity on his part to create us. But he did it just the same. He endowed us with the best things, such that we became his image and likeness, adopted children of his. There was no need for him to do that to us. But again, he did it just the same.

And even if we spoiled his original design for us by falling into sin, by going against his will which can only be good for us, he did not leave us and, instead, promised to redeem us. He would have lost nothing nor gained anything if he would have just allowed us to get lost. But, no, he preferred to save us.

There was no necessity for him to send his son who became man to redeem us. But he did it—completely freely. The son, Christ, did not have to offer his life on the cross to save us. There are many other ways to do that. But he chose it freely because it was the best way to save us, respecting our human nature that needs also to be responsible for our salvation.

He is willing to assume all our sins without committing sin. He offers us boundless mercy for the taking. He did all these completely freely, completely gratuitously. He actually gains nothing, but we gain everything if we follow him in living that kind of freedom.

We need to process these considerations of freedom slowly so as to reflect them little by little in our lives. It will take time and a lot of effort to imbibe this kind of freedom which can only be the genuine one. Outside of this, our idea of freedom can never be right. It can have some aspects of freedom, but not the whole, true one.

Again, the ultimate purpose of our freedom is to be with God! Let’s not waste it on other things which are meant only to bring us to God in the end.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

P5/kilo increase in rice price seen

By Janine Alexis Miguel

April 8, 2023 

THE retail price of rice could go up by P5 a kilo in the next few weeks because of a lower import volume and high farm production costs, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has projected.

DA deputy spokesman Rex Estoperez said in a briefing Thursday he is hoping the price increase will not be as high as forecast since the government has stepped in.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has reported that a kilo of well-milled rice was selling at between 19 centavos and P2.13 higher in six trading centers toward the end of last March.

Last year, rice imports reached 3.7 million metric tons (MMT), almost 1 MMT higher than the 2.77 MMT last year, making the Philippines the world's second biggest rice importer.

But according to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), the volume of imported rice fell 16.20 percent year on year, translating to 3.6 MMT as of last March.

Estoperez is puzzled why rice inventories have dropped despite the increase in rice imports from the previous year.

"We are also wondering why, because we had imports of 3.8 million metric tons last year. What happened to those stocks?" Estoperez said.

Chief economist of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Michael Ricafort attributed the lower inventory to the rising price of the staple in the world market.

Ricafort predicts that "for the coming months, better weather conditions into the dry or summer season would help increase planting, harvests, and supplies of rice."

He also said the one-year extension of lower tariffs for rice, corn, and other agricultural products could help boost local supplies and help bring down prices.

Last month, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his campaign promise of rice sold at P20 per kilo will soon become a reality.

He said that rice was already down to P25 a kilo.

Red tide warning up in 5 coastal areas

By Janine Alexis Miguel

April 8, 2023 

SHELLFISH and acetes shrimp or "alamang" collected from the coastal areas in Bohol, Samar, Surigao del Sur and Zamboanga del Sur have tested positive for red tide toxins.

The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) released a bulletin which showed that samples gathered from Daquis and Tagbilaran City in Bohol, San Pedro Bay in Samar, Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur, and Lianga Bay in Surigao del Sur are positive for paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) and are not safe for human consumption.

Based on the BFAR's administrative order on safety and quality control standards for PSP, the maximum regulatory limit of toxins is 60 micrograms for every 100 grams of shellfish meat for both domestic and foreign markets.

According to BFAR, shellfish are particularly prone to toxin contamination as they feed by filtering microscopic food out of the water.

"Eating distressed or dead fish and other aquatic animals in areas affected by red tide is discouraged because the reason for the animal's strange behavior or death cannot be absolutely known," the fisheries bureau said.

DA-BFAR, meanwhile, noted that fishes, squids, shrimps, and crabs from the mentioned areas are safe to consume, "provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking."

The red tide phenomenon is caused by a bloom of algae that produce toxins that make shellfish dangerous to eat and make the water red.

The bureau also released a warning against buying, selling, catching, and eating of shellfish from the said areas as red tide could cause headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, tingling sensation on lips and tongue, and in extreme cases, could lead to death.

Shellfish that are unsafe to eat from red tide-affected coastal areas include clams, cockles, oyster, mussels and scallops.

Foreigners 1st Holy Week In The Philippines UNBELIEVABLE!

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In This Video Foreigners 1st Holy Week In The Philippines UNBELIEVABLE! Nothing Bigger Than This we check out Good Friday Cross of Jesus procession, in the Philippines the catholic religion is most of the population, you can imagine its a big deal, Join this channel to get access to Bonus Videos, Shout Outs and Highlighted Comments:    / @thatphilippineslife   About Us, Two years ago we made a plan we Sold Everything & Now Living In The Philippines On A Budget in 2023, we had paid our debts, sold everything and made a budget. Its been a crazy journey from Cambodia to Albania then in Boracay before moving to Iloilo City, check out why we moved to the Philippines and specifically why Iloilo City.

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Rebirth of music and culture: Manila Cathedral to host historical Easter concert

By

 Jeline Malasig 

Facade of the Manila Cathedral in this photo posted on its Facebook page on Feb. 7, 2023 (themanilacathedral/Facebook)

Catholics can experience a historical moment at the Premier Church of the Philippines as it is set to host the first youth orchestra endorsed to perform a concert on its site.

The Philippine Suzuki Youth Orchestra (PSYO) will take center stage on April 13, 6:30 p.m. inside one of Manila’s most iconic and blessed locations — the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Concepcion Manila Metropolitan Cathedral.

They will perform a special Easter concert called “Risen” on the eve of the installation of Msgr. Rolando R. dela Cruz as Manila Cathedral’s new Rector. 

The installation ceremony will be presided over by Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula. 

PSYO is a training orchestra for young string instrumentalists aged nine and above. It has a wide repertoire that includes favorite pieces from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods, as well as hits from contemporary music.

The Easter concert will bring together some of the most talented young musicians in the country to perform a selection of timeless classics and create their versions of “old” sounds, from pipe organ music to vocals and string orchestral music.

Concertmaster Theodore Julius Tan, the first-prize winner of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists Foundation in 2022, will lead them as they perform Mozart pieces and other familiar staples of the classical repertoire by Bach and Handel.

The concert will also feature special performances by PSYO’s principal musicians, the Spectrum Cello Quartet, and young vocalist Jamie Rose Ong.

Early concertgoers will additionally have the privilege to be serenaded by the orchestra’s pianists through pipe organ music as they enter the Manila Cathedral.

The upcoming concert seeks to honor dela Cruz’s vision for the premier basilica — that it would become not only a place of worship, but a center of music and culture as it brings more people into its walls with beautiful melodies and inspirational performances from world-class musicians.

“Music has always been an integral part of our faith,” he said.

“It is my vision to create a vibrant cultural atmosphere in our church where young minds can come together to appreciate music and faith,” dela Cruz added.

The upcoming Rector said that the music of the young talented musicians will take the public “on a journey of hope, renewal, and joy.”

Those interested to watch the youth orchestra perform may inquire about tickets by messaging 0906-431-1407 on Viber.

They can also read the following guidelines on this website link or scan the event QR code found at the bottom of the Facebook post of the Manila Cathedral below.

The PSYO was launched in 2011 and has evolved from a small children’s ensemble into a training string orchestra with an eclectic repertoire that includes favorite pieces from different musical periods.

Under the baton of Herrick Ortiz of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the group provides a platform for violinists, violists, and cellists as young as nine to develop musical brilliance through group instruction.

Christ’s resurrection our supreme joy

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

THAT’S right! With the resurrection of Christ, we have our greatest joy since we are now assured of our own redemption as long as we also do our part of the deal. Christ has given us everything to recover us from our self-inflicted alienation from God. The only thing that can stand in the way is when we obstinately refuse to believe this truth of our faith.

With his resurrection, Christ has finally conquered death itself and with it all the malice of sin and evil. It’s the victory that recovers our original dignity as image and likeness of God and nothing less than God’s children in Christ, the dignity we lost because of sin.

This ultimate victory even enhances that dignity, since it involves God becoming like us so that we can be like him! It’s this very sublime exchange and sharing that comprises the supreme good that can happen to us. Yes, we are meant to be one with God, sharing his very life and nature, since we are his image and likeness, children of his.

Some people have considered it a Pyrrhic victory since it involves quite a tremendous cost. It’s like saying that the resurrection of Christ has given us only a zero-sum triumph, since what we gain with it is almost the same as what we lose.

This is, of course, a very poor understanding of this truth of faith. While it’s true that this culmination of the redemptive work of Christ on us entailed nothing less than his life, it’s also true that that death has been converted into a gateway to our salvation with his resurrection. What matters is what happens in the end, with an effect that will be for always.

If we believe this truth and live it ourselves, identifying everything in our life with the life and the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, then we too can partake of this ultimate victory.

We should not forget that it will involve nothing less than the offering of our life. Before that, it obviously will entail a lot of suffering—the cross, in other words—which Christ already warned us about when he said that if we want to follow him, then we should deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him.

It would be nice if we can quit wasting time by fussing about this truth, and simply proceed to live it, acquiring the relevant attitude and skills to put it into practice. Yes, with this truth about our assured ultimate victory in Christ, we ought to have the confidence and serenity in going about the affairs of our life. Plus, a driving sense of responsibility that should push us to do things for others without counting the cost.

We just have to deepen our belief that with Christ’s resurrection, sin and death have been definitively conquered, and a new life in God is given to us. We are now a new creation, with the power of Christ to conquer sin and death and everything else that stands in the way of our becoming true children of God.

And so, we have every reason to think that we can live forever in Christ over whom death no longer has dominion. In spite of whatever, we have every reason to be happy and confident, as long as we are faithful to Christ.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

VP Sara seeks Filipinos' solidarity in Lenten message

BY BETHEENA UNITE

  

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On Good Friday, Vice President Sara Duterte expressed hopes that the Lenten season would guide Catholic faithful to set aside differences and uphold solidarity in building a just and humane society.

"These recent years, our strong faith as a nation has allowed us to display resiliency despite the global crises affecting our nation and the challenges in our personal and professional lives," Duterte said in a video message on April 7.

"Let the way of the Cross guide us in upholding solidarity, setting aside our differences to build a just and humane society, and fostering equitable governance that will ease the plight of our kababayans (fellowmen)," she added.

The Vice President said the Lenten season is a time when the "entire Christian community unites in the solemn observance of our deep faith founded on Christ’s blood-brought sacrifice at the cross."

She, therefore, enjoined the faithful to use their faith in fighting local communism, corruption, criminality, and the proliferation of illegal drugs.
Duterte also expressed hopes that the Lenten season would inspire Filipinos to unite for a peaceful and progressive Philippines.

"Sa ating pananalangin, pasasalamat at pananampalataya, nawa'y ipakita natin ang walang hanggang pag-asa ng ating pananampalatayang Kristiyano kasabay ng determinasyong mangampanya laban sa lokal na komunismo, katiwalian, kriminalidad, at ilegal na droga na nagbabanta sa ating mga demokratikong mithiin at sumisira sa buhay ng marami (I our prayers, thanksgiving and faith, may you show our endless hope in our Christian faith while we show determination in the campaign against local communism, corruption, criminality, and illegal drugs that threatens our democratic goal and the lives of many)," Duterte said.

Ako ay umaasa, na ang diwa ng Kuwaresma at muling pagkabuhay ni Hesus ay magbibigay-inspirasyon sa mga Pilipino na magsama-sama at makibahagi sa pagbuong muli ng ating bansa--isang Pilipinas na mapayapa, matatag, inklusibo at progresibo para sa ikabubuti ng bawat mamamayan (I am hoping that the spirit of Lent and the resurrection of Jesus would bring inspiration to Filipinos to unite and join in building a peaceful, strong, inclusive, and progressive Philippines for the benefit of every Filipino)," Duterte added.