Wednesday, December 9, 2020
When You Become A Victim Of Evil
And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. Be he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. Revelation 12:7-9
After an arsonist burned down his church, Pastor Ted Cole picked his way through the charred rubble still smoldering from the fire and sat down at the piano. Defiantly he began playing an old hymn written more than four centuries ago by a man who knew trouble as well, Martin Luther. Cole began gently singing from memory the third verse of Luther's, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," which goes: "And tho this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,/ We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph thru us."
It is difficult to understand what warped thinking drives a person to burn down a church, a synagogue, or another person's home or business. The mere act is a symptom of a sickness, perhaps even driven by demonic powers. How else can we account for such a tragedy?
Luther wrote of the refuge of every person who is affected by hostile forces which seek to destroy his life. The first verse of his hymn--which characterized the life of this monk-turned-reformer--reads, "A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;/ Our helper He amidst the flood Of mortal ills prevailing./ For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe--His craft and/ pow'r are great, And armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal."
Question: When life torches your dreams as the arsonist did the church, what do you do? When people are confronted with tragedy, they have two choices: turn to God for strength and comfort or blame Him for the tragedy and see their lives become a discord of bitterness.
Seeing the whole picture from God's perspective makes all the difference in the world. Proverbs 21:30 says, "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD."
The last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation, written by John on the isle of Patmos, describes Satan as one who is "filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short" (Revelation 12:12).
But John does not believe that we are without defense. He writes, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" (Revelation 12:11).
So how does this apply to us as we face evil?
"The blood of the lamb" is not some mystical Christian magic with which we try to protect ourselves. It speaks of what Jesus Christ did, leaving the presence of His Father in heaven to come to our world, to give His life on a Roman cross, and to rise again the third day, forever vanquishing death and evil. It speaks of the whole plan of redemption which God because of His love has provided.
The second way that we overcome when we are under attack is through the word of our testimony. In other words, it is what you affirm and believe to be true. God's Word is clear. It doesn't deny the evil affecting your life. It says that "Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. (1 Corinthians 13:12). It also says, "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14) We can confidently affirm with Timothy, "The Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom." (2 Timothy 4:18)
Until God's time, some with warped minds will burn down churches, will assault the character of innocent people, will slander and lie, and will mistreat you with no reason or provocation. Driven by the hatred of Satan himself, they will be there, but they can be overcome through the strength of Jesus Christ and by the power of your testimony.
Resource reading: Psalm 37:1-40
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/when-you-become-a-victim-of-evil/
Immediate passage of Department of Fisheries urged
Agricultural stakeholders are urging Congress for the early passage of the creation of Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR).
At present, there are 19 proposed measures pending at the House of Representatives and three in the Senate for the DFAR creation.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar, in previous statement, said the creation of a separate Department for fisheries and aquatic resources was to institutionalize the sector's management areas using science-based methodologies.
Dar stressed the need to boost Philippine agriculture by making the sector more productive, competitive, sustainable, resilient, and inclusive.
He said the creation of a DFAR that will be independent of the DA will give more attention to and support for the sustainable development of the country's fisheries and aquatic resources.
The proposals are aligned with Dar’s eight paradigms of the "new thinking" for agriculture, which includes modernization and industrialization, among other crucial elements in sectoral transformation.
Dar said there is an urgent need to create the Department of Fisheries to arrest the progressive decline of fish catch of both municipal and commercial fishers, and to protect and rehabilitate the country's coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass and algae beds, which are essential for fish population to grow.
"We need to have the appropriate fisheries policies, management systems and institutions in place. Additional efforts to strengthen the management capabilities of LGUs (local government units), NGOs (non-government organizations), and local communities whose participation and cooperation are pivotal in natural resources management," he said.
Former Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director Asis Perez, convenor of Tugon Kabuhayan, said the need to sustain and improve the supply of Filipino’s protein requirements is enough to justify the immediate need to create a separate DFAR.
“We want to emphasize the fact that it is important to create a separate department for fisheries just from the viewpoint of our protein requirement,” Perez said in a virtual briefing on Monday.
Based on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, Perez said, it shows that the total animal protein requirement is 57 kilograms per capita per year. Of that, 37 kilograms come from fish. The requirement for other meat (such as pork and chicken) is just 20 kilograms.
Perez also said the creation of DFAR will not cost a lot on the part of the government because BFAR already has an existing structure and personnel.
“The cost will not exceed more than PHP2 billion to establish the department,” he said. "What will happen now is that DFAR will be able to create separate bureaus that will focus on capture and aquaculture, protection and enforcement, post-harvest and marketing, and international affairs. It will function like DA on the operational level. It will have regional directors."
The Philippines is considered a highly-biodiversed country being at the center of the Coral Triangle, which has now been recognized as the global center for marine biodiversity.
House ratifies 2021 national budget
The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the final version of the Duterte administration's penultimate budget worth P4.5 trillion.
In a tweet Wednesday night, the House announced that it has ratified the bicameral committee report on the 2021 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said the approval of the 2021 national budget "reflects the serious commitment of the Duterte government to defeat COVID-19 and bring the economy back on track."
"When we keep our commitments to our fellow Filipinos and continue to put their interests first, we will surely overcome the health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic," Velasco said.
The final version of the budget bill includes P20 billion allocation for COVID-19 vaccines, P2 billion for the purchase of personal protective equipment and P462 million for the Medical Health Assistance Program and P100 million for the mental health program under the Department of Health.
The top 10 recipients of the 2021 budget are the following:
- Education (DepEd, SUCs, CHED, TESDA) - P708.2 billion
- DPWH - P694.8 billion
- Health (DOH, PhilHealth, Vaccines) - P287.5 billion
- DILG - P247.5 billion
- DND - P205.5 billion
- DSWD - P176.7 billion
- DOTr - P87.4 billion
- DA - P68.6 billion
- Judiciary - P44.1 billion
- DOLE - P36.3 billion
As of writing, the Senate is still deliberating on the final version of the 2021 budget.
Once approved by both chambers of Congress, the bill can be forwarded to the president for final approval.
According to Velasco, the enrolled copy of the 2021 GAB will be sent next week to MalacaΓ±ang for the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte. — Patricia Lourdes Viray with report from Xave Gregorio
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/12/09/2062645/house-ratifies-2021-national-budget
PLDT to invest ‘much higher’ than PHP73 billion in 2021
By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
To help the Philippines and its telecommunications infrastructure reach parity with neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Thailand, a PLDT executive said on Wednesday the company is investing PHP73 billion in improving its network infrastructure and coverage, with plans to invest even more next year.
In a statement, Alfredo Panlilio, PLDT chief revenue officer, said the company and its wireless subsidiary Smart will continue to rollout out fiber, LTE, and 5G, noting that PLDT and Smart’s average download and upload speeds are higher than the country’s average.
"We continue to improve our services, and we are not standing pat. We are not yet happy. If we can be at parity with countries like Vietnam and Thailand, that is the benchmark that PLDT and Smart are aiming for. We know that we can still get better for the benefit of our customers," Panlilio said.
To elevate Smart to global standards, he said the company is aiming for minimum average broadband speeds of at least 30 megabits per second (Mbps) in Metro Manila and some other key cities by 2021 through its LTE network.
By 2025, he said they are aiming for 84 percent of the population to have an average mobile data speed of 60 Mbps.
PLDT with its wired broadband service, he said, targets an average of 20 Mbps aside from its planned migration of legacy DSL copper line subscribers to fiber and “fiber-like services.”
PLDT has rolled out close to 100,000 kilometers of fiber lines for this year alone, noting that all four broadband players in the country rolled out a total of 144,727 kilometers for this year, according to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
In total, PLDT said its fiber infrastructure now spans more than 422,000 kms and supports Smart’s 4G, 3G, and 2G networks.
“As of November, Smart has also increased the number of its LTE and 3G base stations to over 58,000, increasing the number of LTE base stations by 20 percent compared to end-2019. Smart has also rolled out additional 5G sites as it accelerates its 5G commercial services nationwide,” PLDT-Smart said.
To date, it said Smart’s mobile network covers 96 percent of the population and is present in 95 percent of cities and municipalities in the country.
'#BabalikDinAngABSCBN' trends as ABS-CBN rehires retrenched employees
An ABS-CBN employee revealed that some of the retrenched workers are now coming back to work with the Kapamilya network.
Jon Montesa, brand communications manager of the network, took to his Twitter account to announce his comeback with the network.
God's way of reminding me that he's more powerful than 70 congressmen. Unti-unti, #BabalikDinAngABSCBN.
— ππ π ππ ππ₯ππ€π ❤ππ (@iMelAljon) December 5, 2020
How it started How it's going pic.twitter.com/2XnTyG97XO
He posted a screenshot of his conversation with her mom when he was retrenched and is now coming back to work.
“God's way of reminding me that he's more powerful than 70 congressmen. Unti-unti, #BabalikDinAngABSCBN,” he wrote in the caption.
In another tweet, Jon asked for the support of the public in his first project with ABS-CBN, a movie starring Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber.
“Thank you so much sa suporta, mga Kapamilya! Since this is blowing up, I would like to ask you to please support my first project with ABS-CBN Films, Princess (Daya)Reese starring Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber. Streaming on OTT and Cable platforms on Jan. 1, 2021. Hugs!” he wrote.
No details yet are available on how many retrenched employees were rehired.
The House of Representative denied ABS-CBN's application for franchise renewal last July 10. About half of the network's 11,000 employees were reportedly let go after congressmen voted 70-11, with majority of the votes going for franchise denial.
The network, however, continued to operate digitally and now created a deal with A2Z network to be able to broadcast some of their programs on free TV.
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RHTV's coverage of the 24th Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand (Dec. 9, 2007)
ano po final score ng men's basketball natin?
Hindi mahabol-habol ang Singapore.
Go, Team Philippines! Go for gold!
ano po final score ng men's basketball natin?
mahina ang update sa website eh. 46-25 pa rin.
as long as nandyan pa ang swimming at table tennis events, mahihirapan tayo. malakas din sila sa sailing events.
mukhang nag-crash ang website nila...
"Magbabalik po ang special coverage ng 24th Southeast Asian Games dito rin sa RHTV. Dyan lamang po kayo" - Dennis Antenor, Jr.
VO: This special is brought to you by Eight O'Clock, Talk 'n' Text, San Miguel Beer, Milo, Enervon, PLDT MyDSL, Vaseline Shampoo, Growee, Lady's Choice Mayonnaise, Knorr, Nido Fortified, and Clear.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Men's 100m Butterfly
PHI lane 5 James Walsh
PHI lane 8 Ernest Dee
Sana makakuha tayo ng gold.