Monday, December 28, 2020
Robi Domingo for JINS Airframe U376 (Faded Charcoal)
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| Jins Airframe U376 (Faded Charcoal) |
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| 2008 Adidas Ateneo sesquicentennial hoodie (blue/white) |
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| Philippine Flag Lapel Collar Pin |
There Is Hope For Every Day Of The Year
I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20, NKJV).
Christmas is over, at least it is for most of you. However, in some places such as in Russia, Christmas is observed in early January. But no matter when you celebrate Christmas, there comes a time when it is over; and when it is over, it is over.
You may be rather glad Christmas is over because now you can start to put your home back in order. Others of you may also be glad it is over, not because you can now eliminate the mess caused by your children or grandchildren, but because in your heart you felt the loneliness and quietness of your room as you sat by yourself and did battle with the memories of the past.
There is always a psychological letdown after any big push, and the post‑Christmas blues are part of it. It would not only be inaccurate but rather foolish if I told you that your emotions should never dip. No one rides a perfectly level plane of emotional stability, not even the principal characters of the nativity drama.
After the excitement of Jesus' birth and the visit from the shepherds, there had to be a letdown for Mary and her husband, Joseph. It is well possible that a period of time--perhaps 12 to 18 months--elapsed after Jesus' birth until the wise men came who were guided by the star. Meanwhile, life took on a daily schedule of shopping, cooking, cleaning, and washing.
There must have also been large periods of time in the life of Jesus which were neither spectacular nor exciting. Following the excitement at Bethlehem came the two-year sojourn in Egypt as Herod sought the life of the infant Jesus. As Jesus grew up, His early childhood was lived in a rather dull village called Nazareth, where Joseph had a carpenter shop. The most outstanding and, I think I could add, exciting, event in the youth of Jesus, was the trip to Jerusalem at age 12, when He became separated from His parents and amazed the learned doctors of the law. Luke passes over those years by saying simply that "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52).
There is good news no matter where you are, and no matter how you feel. The coming of Jesus Christ to our earth has an abiding importance the week after Christmas, and the week after that, and the week after that. His coming endows life with the touch of God in such a way that the common, routine, ordinary things can take on new significance. How? By accepting and believing that Jesus meant what He said. I take note of the promises He made to those who believe in Him. For example, He said, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20, NKJV), and "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5, NKJV).
This includes after Christmas. It spans my times of depression or periods of loneliness. His presence is not an emotion or a psychological elevator. It is a fact which touches the depths of my being, my emotions included. G. Campbell Morgan once read the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:20 to an old woman on her deathbed and said, "Isn't that a wonderful promise!" "Sir," replied the woman, "that isn't a promise‑‑it is a fact!"
Be encouraged, no matter where you are‑‑no matter how you feel‑‑there is one who cares for you deeply. His presence can flood your heart and lift your spirits. Never forget He promised, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20, NKJV).
Resource reading: Hebrews 13:1-25
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/there-is-hope-for-every-day-of-the-year/
Duterte signs P4.5-T 2021 national budget
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday signed into law the P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021.
The President signed the spending measure for next year in a ceremony in Malacañang attended by select members of the Senate and the House of Representatives as seen in a pre-recorded video aired over PTV.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you today happy and proud to sign the 2021 General Appropriations Act,” Duterte said in the pre-taped speech.
“This important piece of legislation attests to the importance of active and fruitful collaboration between the executive and the legislative branches of the government, especially this time when the health and welfare of the people are at stake.
Among the salient provisions of the budget is the P72.5 billion allocated for the government’s vaccination program against COVID-19.
Of this figure, P2.5 billion is lodged under the Department of Health (DOH) while the rest is under unprogrammed appropriations.
“Let me stress that one of the most important items in the 2021 budget is the allocation of P72.5 billion for the purchase of storage, transportation, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines,” Duterte noted.
“Every centavo of this budget must be spent to ensure the nation’s recovery, resilience, and sustainability. Let me, therefore, serve an assurance to the Filipino people—this coming year, we intend to recover as one nation,” Duterte added.
The education sector, which covers the Department of Education, state universities and colleges, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, accounts for the largest bulk of the budget at P708 billion.
The Department of Public Works and Highways received the second-highest allocation at P694 billion.
The health sector came third with a P287 billion allocation. This funding covers the Department of Health, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, specialty hospitals, the Philippine Institute Of Traditional And Alternative Health Care, and the Health Facilities Enhancement Program, and the COVID-19 vaccine.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1377017/duterte-signs-p4-5-t-2021-national-budget
DOH says to recommend travel restrictions from countries with new COVID-19 variant
The Department of Health will recommend extending travel restrictions to all countries which report a case of the new COVID-19 variant, Usec. Maria Rosario Vergeire said Monday.
The inter-agency task force on COVID-19 will be meeting on Monday morning to discuss measures the country will take against the new variant, which is supposedly more contagious.
"This is urgent. We all know that the decisions will be critical and should be immediate," she told ANC's Headstart when asked about the travel ban.
"We are going to recommend that we expand the restrictions in our borders to include the other countries which also have this variant identified already," she said.
Scientists from the United Kingdom identified the new variant of COVID-19, which appears to be more contagious and genetically distinct.
December 24 until December 31. All passengers who have been in transit to or from the said country within 14 days are also barred from the country, according to Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque.
Travelers from UK who arrived before Christmas Eve were also required to observe quarantine.