Thursday, December 24, 2020
The Ten Wonders Of Christmas
His name shall be called WONDERFUL. Isaiah 9:6, KJV
Over 365 names and inscriptions are found in the Bible referring to Jesus Christ, but none is more lovely than the one found in Isaiah where the prophet said, "His name shall be called WONDERFUL" (Isaiah 9:6, KJV). As a light that sparkles on a tree, the wonder of Christ can hardly be reduced to a treatment of a few minutes, but in that length of time I can give you the ten wonders of Christmas.
First, there is the wonder of HIS BIRTH. Any birth is a wonderful event, but the birth of Christ had been foretold by the prophets for centuries. To Abraham, God revealed the nation through which Christ would come. To Jacob, He revealed that Christ would be of the tribe of Judah. To Isaiah, God mentioned a family, the line of Jesse. To Micah, God whispered the name of the city. To Daniel, God revealed the time of His birth. The events leading up to the birth of Christ were like the gears of a fine watch that had to mesh together so that when the fullness of time had come, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. What a wonder!
Second, there is the wonder of HIS CONDESCENSION. Really, to understand what this means, you have to remember what heaven was like and what Jesus left to come to our world and be tabernacled in human flesh. Had men arranged His birth, it would never have been in a stable, but the wonder of His condescension means that God touched the needs of humanity right where we are.
The third wonder of Christmas is the wonder of His CHARACTER. Though we are saved by the death of Christ, His life is yet filled with wonder. Who but Jesus could say, "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?" (John 8:46). He lifted the fallen of life. He gave His life that we might have newness of life in Christ.
The fourth wonder of Christmas is the wonder of HIS PERSON. He was human yet divine. He could grow weary, yet could say, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, KJV). He hungered, yet could take five loaves and two fish and feed a multitude. He was heaven's light for Earth's darkness and heaven's bread for man's hunger.
Then fifth, there is the wonder of HIS WORDS. He spoke with authority, demanding the attention of those who heard. He said, "You have heard that it was said...But I tell you." His words are ethically true. You will find no loopholes in what Jesus taught or said. He spoke with simplicity but with great power.
The sixth wonder of Christmas is the wonder of HIS WORKS. How can we describe them! Wherever He went, He did good. To the blind He said, "Receive your sight"; to the lame, "Rise up and walk." He stopped funeral processions and raised the dead. He made no clinical analysis; He brought in no specialists. He just spoke the Word and it happened.
The seventh wonder of Christmas is the wonder of HIS DEATH‑‑freely given, undeserved, but effecting a lasting relationship for each person with our Heavenly Father.
The eighth wonder is the wonder of HIS RESURRECTION. Pilate gave the order to seal the sepulcher. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how" was his command (Matthew 27:65). Yet the tomb is empty and Christ ever lives.
The ninth wonder of Christmas is the wonder of HIS SECOND RETURN. "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven" spoke the messengers at the Mount of Olives, "will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).
But last of all, the tenth wonder of Christmas is the wonder of HIS SAVING POWER. "He will save his people from their sins," was the message of the angel to Joseph (Matthew 1:21). This is the great wonder of Christmas: through His blood we find forgiveness and cleansing. Thank God for the wonders of Christmas!
Resource reading: Luke 1:1-38.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/the-ten-wonders-of-christmas-2/
Comelec OKs holding of plebiscite in 23 Palawan municipalities on March 13, 2021
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan– The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has approved the conduct of a plebiscite in 23 municipalities on March 13, 2021 according to the local election office.
Provincial Comelec spokesperson Jomel Ordas said that they have received the approved Resolution No. 10682 and the calendar of activities through Resolution No. 10687.
In the Resolution promulgated on December 16 by chairman Sheriff Abas, Commissioners Ma. Rowena Amelia Guanzon, Socorro Inting, Marlon Casquejo, and Antonio Kho Jr., it stated that the voter who will vote for its approval shall write the word “Yes” or “Oo” or its conceptual equivalent in the blank box after the question, or the voter will voter will vote for its rejection, the word “No” or “Hindi”.
For the purpose of the March 13, 2021 plebiscite, the official ballots which bear the date May 11, 2020 are valid and shall be used, according to the resolution.
The following question shall be provided in the official ballot:
“Pumapayag ka ba na hatiin ang probinsya ng Palawan sa tatlong probinsya na papangalanang: Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental at Palawan del Sur alinsunod sa batas republika bila ng 11259?”
The voting will start at 7 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. except when there are voters present within 30 meters of the polling place who have not yet cast their votes. The counting of votes will start at 3 p.m.
The convening of the municipal or provincial plebiscite board of canvassers (M/PBOC) shall not be later than 6 p.m.
Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police will be assigned to conduct thermal checks on all persons before entering the voting center and those with the temperature of 37.5 and above will not be allowed.
Governor Jose Chaves Alvarez recently said in a press briefing that he sees an “overwhelming” victory of 3 in 1 Palawan through the plebiscite in March, 2021, that would pave the way for the creation of the three provinces of Palawan.
He expects that the majority of Palaweños will be in favor of the creation of two additional provinces.
Comelec sets Palawan split plebiscite on March 13, 2021
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set the plebiscite to divide Palawan on March 13, 2021, allowing the local voters to decide on the provincial split into three provinces.
Provincial Comelec spokesperson Jomel Ordas on Thursday confirmed that the poll body, ruling en banc on Dec. 16, approved Resolution No. 10682, the revised rules and regulations on the conduct of the Palawan plebiscite, and the election calendar of activities through Resolution No. 10687.
Ordas said they received the en banc resolution on Wednesday, Dec. 23.
3-in-1 vs One Palawan
Winston Arzaga, provincial information officer, in a separate interview on Thursday morning welcomed the development as “the right move” to let the public decide on splitting Palawan into three provinces namely Palawan Del Norte, Palawan Del Sur, and Palawan Oriental, ratifying Republic Act (RA) 11259 signed by President Duterte on April 5, 2019.
“While on its early stages, bill pa lang, we are already doing an information education campaign (IEC) about it,” Arzaga said, denying the claims of One Palawan Movement, a civic group opposing the move, that residents were against the split.
Cynthia Sumagaysay-Del Rosario, one of the convenors of One Palawan Movement, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, said at least 60 percent of the Palawan voters did not vote for Gov. Jose Alvarez in the last elections, to contradict the provincial government’s prediction of a “landslide win” in favor of the division.
Del Rosario pointed out that the total number of registered voters in Palawan in 2019 was 523,314 but Alvarez garnered only 207, 875 votes. The combined votes of the other candidates totaled 142,954, while those who did not cast their votes for governor were 172, 485. This means, he said, that 315,439 did not vote for Alvarez or about 60 percent of the province’s voters.
Arzaga said Del Rosario’s assertion “does not deserve a comment,” pointing out that the predicted numbers of the opposition lacked merits, or went through a survey.
Alvarez earlier said they were targeting the “undecided” individuals to convince them to favor the Palawan split.
Rules and guidelines
In the resolution promulgated on Dec. 16 by Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas and Commissioners Ma. Rowena Amelia Guanzon, Socorro Inting, Marlon Casquejo, and Antonio Kho Jr., the voter shall write Yes” or “Oo” if they favor the split and “No” or “Hindi” if they are against it; or its conceptual equivalent in the blank box after the question, “Pumapayag ka ba na hatiin ang probinsya ng Palawan sa tatlong probinsya na papangalanang: Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental at Palawan del Sur alinsunod sa Batas Republika bilang 11259 (Do you agree to divide Palawan into three provinces, namely, Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental and Palawan del Sur as provided under Republic Act 11259)?”
The official ballots, which bear the date May 11, 2020, the initial schedule of the plebiscite that was reset due to the coronavirus pandemic, will remain valid and used in the March 2021 plebiscite, according to the resolution.
The voting will start at 7 a.m. and end at 3 p.m., except when there are voters present within 30 meters of the front of polling places, who have not yet cast their votes.
Counting of votes shall start from 3 p.m. onwards, with the municipal or provincial plebiscite board of canvassers convening not later than 6 p.m.
Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police will be assigned to conduct thermal checks on all persons before entering the voting centers. Those with a temperature of 37.5 degrees Celcius will not be allowed inside the polling precincts.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1375579/comelec-sets-palawan-split-plebiscite-on-march-13-2021
Is creation of a Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources a good idea?
A number of stakeholders in the fishery sector had been calling for the establishment of a Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR), separate from the Department of Agriculture (DA). Its proponents cite two main justifications. One is that under the DA, the fishery sector is not accorded proper attention as the agency has to attend to the development of numerous commodities. Two, as a result of that inadequate attention, despite being an archipelagic country with expansive coastal areas and rich aquatic resources, the development of our aquatic resources in general and the fishing communities in particular has been painfully slow.
However, the first argument rests on tenuous ground because it is not the fault of DA if the resources devoted to the fishery sector is small. DA has proposed and lobbied for a greater budget for the sector but Congress does not seem sympathetic to the idea. Depending on the sitting political administration, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) obtains an annual budget of around P3 to P5 billion. This amount is obviously not enough to cover the huge investment requirements of the fishery sector.
The second argument seems more credible, yet we hear so many complaints and observations regarding the exhaustion of our aquatic resources due to overfishing and the use of illegal fishing methods. What is needed now are the proper enforcement of conservation measures combined with the promotion of more sustainable fishing activities, such as aquaculture and mariculture, to ensure that while our aquatic resources are protected, we are capable of supplying the fish requirements of Filipino consumers.
Ostensibly, the government’s budgetary resources will be highly insufficient to meet the protection and development requirements of the fishery sector. For this reason, the private sector must be encouraged to participate in the sector’s protection and development. The government must then provide the conducive environment for private sector investments. This necessitates the formulation of the correct policy framework for fishery: one that is business-friendly (i.e., reducing business costs and bureaucratic red tape) while ensuring that the benefits of growth are shared by poor fishing communities while protecting our environment.
Reviving the proposal
Lately, the proposal to establish DFAR has been revived, with proponents citing the twin original reasons for its creation. The media reports that if established, DFAR will be provided an additional budget of P2 billion, obviously a pittance of a sum to be able to respond to the needs of the sector. And because there is no appropriate policy framework within which the proposed DFAR is to operate, it is expected that the proposal will hardly make a dent on the problem of poor fishing communities.
The tight fiscal position of the government due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic also works against the passage of the proposal. The discouragement of this proposal, which will only result in the creation of another expensive bureaucracy, could be one of the positive contributions of the Covid-19 pandemic to our political economy.
Establishing PhilCorn
Falling under the same roof is House Bill 7818 filed in Congress to establish a Philippine Corn Research Institute (PhilCorn), a commodity-based research and development institute patterned after the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), purportedly to modernize our corn sector. Once established, another layer of bureaucracy will definitely be created without any assurance that it will raise the productivity of the corn farmers or improve their socioeconomic conditions.
Commodity-based institutions in the Philippines were created in the past but they did not necessarily lead to a rise in the overall yield of those crops. In contrast, international commodity institutions were effective because they were given specific productivity targets and their funding is based on their performance. A commodity-based research institution in the country is guaranteed annual funding by the government once a law creating it is passed. However, there are no specific productivity targets imposed on it. Its creation is based on the belief that its establishment will automatically lead to productivity gains and improvement in the welfare of the tillers cultivating the crop. Unfortunately, that is a declaration of faith rather than science.
The better option is for the government to fund the research and development activities of existing commodity programs in various state universities and colleges (SUCs) with the provision that the grant is subject to raising crop productivity in the area where the SUC operates.
Happy Christmas
Under the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen less commercialization in the celebration of Christmas. This may be bad for business but it certainly is aligned with the true spirit of Christmas.
For Christians, it is a time to rejoice as it is the birth of the Messiah, an event that eventually paves the way for the sacrifice in the Cross so that mankind will be redeemed from the original sin. Besides the three “wise” men (and not kings) who bore gifts to the child Jesus, there was no occasion in the Bible wherein Jesus admonished his followers to celebrate his birthday. It was his death that Jesus exhorted his believers to remember as the event meant the salvation of mankind.
Covid-19, in a perverse manner, brought the celebration of Christmas to its real meaning. Being thankful and celebratory amid widespread poverty, as represented by Jesus born in a simple manger; happy in the embrace of our immediate family members as did Mary and Joseph with the birth of Christ surrounded by just a few shepherds; and deep satisfaction and humility despite an uncertain future as the Savior has come to our life.
Christmas in the manger was devoid of pomp and glorious celebration. Commercialization of the event is but a vulgar way by which Christmas is to be celebrated. We are not “merry” in Christmas but “happy.” The former denotes noisy and chaotic celebration. The latter, the feeling of inner joy with subdued satisfaction, as we celebrate the coming of our Savior.
Happy Christmas to all!
fdadriano88@gmail.com
Date set for Palawan plebiscite: March 13, 2021
Provincial Comelec spokesperson Jomel Ordas on Thursday confirmed to Palawan News that the poll body on December 16 approved Resolution No. 10682, the revised rules and regulations on the conduct of Palawan plebiscite, and the election calendar of activities through Resolution No. 10687.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set Palawan plebiscite on March 13, 2021, allowing the local voters in the province to decide on the provincial split into three provinces.
Provincial Comelec spokesperson Jomel Ordas on Thursday confirmed to Palawan News that the poll body on December 16 approved Resolution No. 10682, the revised rules and regulations on the conduct of Palawan plebiscite, and the election calendar of activities through Resolution No. 10687.
“Approved na ng en banc ang March 13, 2021, as the date of the plebiscite, na-receive namin kahapon,” Ordas said.
3-in-1 vs One Palawan
Winston Arzaga, provincial information officer, in a separate interview on Thursday morning welcomed the development as “the right move” to let the public decide on splitting Palawan into three provinces namely Palawan Del Norte, Palawan Del Sur, and Palawan Oriental, ratifying Republic Act (RA) 11259 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on April 5, 2019.
“While on its early stages, bill pa lang, we are already doing information education campaign (IEC) about it,” Arzaga said.
Cynthia Sumagaysay-Del Rosario, one of the convenors of One Palawan Movement, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, dismissed Capitol’s earlier prediction of a “landslide” affirmation of the division, noting that around 60 percent of Palawan voters did not vote for governor Jose Alvarez in the last elections, who is its main proponent.
“Ang total registered voters noong 2019 ay 523,314. Ang botong nakuha ni JCA [Alvarez] ay 207, 875. Ang nakuha naman ng ibang kandidato kasama si Mr. Art Ventura ay 142,954, at ang hindi bumoto sa sinumang kumandidatong gobernador ay nasa 172, 485. Pag sinuma total ang dami ng mga hindi bumoto kay JCA ay nasa 315,439. Ito ay 60 percent ng kabuuan, higit na malaki kesa sa nakuhang boto ni JCA,” read Del Rosario’s social media post.
Arzaga for his part said One Palawan’s own assertion “lacks merits.”
“Paano nila nasabi ‘yon? Nag-magic ba sila?” Arzaga said when asked to comment on how the provincial government predicts the plebiscite turnout.
Palawan Governor Jose Chaves Alvarez earlier said that they are targeting the “undecided” individuals to “convince to be favorable” on the Palawan split.
Rules and guidelines
In the resolution promulgated on December 16 by chairman Sheriff Abas, Commissioners Ma. Rowena Amelia Guanzon, Socorro Inting, Marlon Casquejo and Antonio Kho Jr., the voter who will vote for its approval shall write the word “Yes” or “Oo”; and for its rejection, the word “No” or “Hindi”, or its conceptual equivalent in the blank box after the question, “Pumapayag ka ba na hatiin ang probinsya ng Palawan sa tatlong probinsya na papangalanang: Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental at Palawan del Sur alinsunod sa batas republika bilang 11259?”
The official ballots which already bear the date May 11, 2020 as initially scheduled, remained valid and shall be used, according to the resolution.
The voting will start at 7 a.m. and end at 3 p.m., except when there are voters present within 30 meters of the front of the polling place who have not yet cast their votes.
Counting of votes shall start from 3 p.m. onwards, with the municipal or provincial plebiscite board of canvassers convening not later than 6 p.m.
Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police will be assigned to conduct a thermal check to all persons before entering the voting center and those with temperatures of 37.5 will not be allowed inside the polls.
The plebiscite is a move for the creation of three provinces namely Palawan del Sur, Palawan del Norte, and Palawan Oriental through the Republic Act 11259 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte into law on April 5, 2019.
Earlier set on May 11, 2020, the Palawan plebiscite was suspended due to the quarantine restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://palawan-news.com/date-set-for-palawan-plebiscite-march-13-2021/