Monday, March 1, 2021
When Love Walks Out
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
Do all singles wish they were married? No, not any more than all married folks wish they were single. Some of the most frustrated, angry, and bitter individuals I have ever met are those who wanted to marry, but never did. I’m thinking in particular of some individuals who went outside of God’s plan for sexual purity, lived with someone, but ended up alone and with a broken heart.
At the same time, it is often confusing and difficult for those who have lived with a mate for years to come to grips with the loneliness and isolation they didn’t expect when they lost their mate. I’m thinking of a friend whose husband was killed in a strange set of circumstances. She wrote, “Something of me died when the one who had been a part of me for so many years was taken away.”
But by far the most hurting and confused singles are not those whose spouses were taken from them in death. Rather they are the army of those whose mates walked out on them, preferring the company of someone else. After ten, twenty, or even more years, one day, often unexpectedly, someone announced, “I want out; You’re not meeting my needs and I don’t love you anymore.” And when that happens no matter how much the one hearing these words may love the other, or how much he or she may love God, the person becomes a victim who finds himself or herself single again. They are the ones who have to live with the living dead.
Those in that number who have children, may struggle with guilt, thinking, “Surely I did something wrong to deserve this.” They wax between anger and frustration trying to be both mom and dad, which is an impossibility.
There are three basic choices which confront individuals such as this. Choice #1: Live in a world of broken pieces laced with bitterness and animosity. The single parent who would very much have liked to have a partner in raising the family at times is bound to feel sorry for himself or herself. You may struggle with God, wondering why He allowed this when you “did your part.” But the world of bitterness never provides an answer.
Choice #2: You can throw yourself into a relationship which might bring temporary companionship but is totally outside of God’s plan and can be devastating to your children. Living with somebody to whom you are not married is loaded with enough insecurities apart from the added hassle of your child’s saying, “You’re not my dad! I don’t have to do what you say.” Yes, you are the one left to deal with your children’s emotions as well as your own.
Choice #3: Reach out for God’s help and begin to build bridges and put your life together again. Listen to the words of a parent who did. She wrote, “When my husband first walked out I was absolutely scared to death and filled with hatred and bitterness, feeling sorry for myself. After blaming and cursing God for my troubles, I threw myself on His mercy and wept my heart out. When I picked myself up and stopped feeling sorry for myself, I found God to be a loving Father who not only helped me as a single parent but helped me keep my emotions and life together. I found in Christ a strength that I had never known before.” She did and so can you!
Resource Reading: Psalm 27
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/when-love-walks-out-2/
Comelec to set up special precincts for Palawan plebiscite
By Ferdinand Patinio
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said isolation polling precincts (IPPs) will be set up for the Palawan plebiscite next week.
Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho said they decided to put up special polling precincts in voting centers as a precautionary safety measure against Covid-19.
“The reason why we decided to set up the Isolation Polling Precincts is a recognition that the pandemic is still with us,” he said in a virtual press conference.
He said the poll body “deemed it necessary to set up the IPP so that we can ensure the safety of our voters”.
Kho, commissioner-in-charge to oversee the March 13 plebiscite, said those who will be directed to IPPs are voters who have Covid-19 symptoms such as those who registered a temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher.
“They won't be allowed to vote in the regular precincts physically. As long as you reach that temperature and it is possible you have symptoms of Covid, they will have to vote at the IPPs,” he said.
He appealed for understanding “so that we can have a safe and secure plebiscite”.
“All of these measures are implemented for the safety of everyone,” he added.
Asked if the refusal of the voter to vote at the IPPs, Kho said “the IPP is established not as a way or method to prohibit voters to vote. We look at this in a positive way that we implement this as a safety measure for the voters.”
“If they recorded above the temperature set, they will be asked to vote in an IPP. If their temperatures are high and they do not want to vote in an IPP, it is their option not to proceed. But we will not allow them to vote in a regular precinct. We don’t see any reason for them not to vote in an IPP,” he said.
Also allowed to vote in the IPPs are those who were not subsequently cleared by the medical personnel, and those who answered “Yes” to any of the questions contained in the Covid-19 Health Declaration Form.
On March 13, the province of Palawan will be holding a referendum that could divide the area into three namely: Palawan Oriental, Palawan del Sur, and Palawan del Norte.
'Set your fears aside,' Duterte tells Filipinos ahead of first COVID-19 vaccinations
President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday urged the public to "set aside fears" over the COVID-19 vaccination drive, which authorities are set to launch this week.
The Philippines on Sunday received its first vaccine supply, courtesy of China's donation of 600,000 shots from Beijing-based drug maker Sinovac Biotech. Health workers and military personnel are on top of the priority to get these jabs.
"To my fellow Filipinos, please set your fears aside. These vaccines are backed by science and deliberated on by our experts. Filipino experts," Duterte said in a welcome ceremony for the Sinovac jabs.
"I encourage you to get vaccinated at the soonest possible time, and be our partner in preventing the further spread of the disease," he added.
Health workers at the Philippine General Hospital and several other medical facilities will be the first to get the Sinovac shots on Monday, said Carlito Galvez Jr, chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19.
Duterte, in his speech, thanked medical frontliners "for your valuable and selfless contribution in the fight against COVID-19."
"We recognize the profound sacrifices you continue to make every single day, even at the cost of being away from your loved ones and risking your precious lives just to take care of the sick," said the President.
"As I have mentioned before, I assure you that the government will always be by your side, ready to help in any way we can."
The Philippines has negotiated vaccine supply deals with other manufacturers, seeking to secure up to 148 million doses so it can inoculate 70 million people, or two thirds of its population.
An initial shipment of 525,600 doses of the vaccine developed by Britain's AstraZeneca was expected to arrive on Monday. Supply problems will delay the shots' arrival by a week, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
— With a report from Reuters
Comelec to pilot test ‘isolation polling place’ in March 13 Palawan plebiscite
IN a bid to minimize the risk of possible infections during the forthcoming Palawan plebiscite, the Commission on Election (Comelec) will be piloting its isolation polling place (IPP) for voters suspected to be carriers of Covid-19 during the conduct of the exercise.
Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho said they came up with the measure to allow those with Covid-like symptoms such as fever to still cast their votes during the plebiscite on March 13, 2021 for the possible ratification of Republic Act (RA) No. 11259, or the Act Dividing the Province of Palawan into three provinces.
“They won’t be allowed to vote in the regular precincts. As long as you reach that temperature threshold and it is possible you have Covid-19 and its symptoms, they should vote in the IPPs,” Kho said in an online news briefing on Monday.
Glory Perez-Reyes of the Comelec’s Office of the Deputy Executive Director for Operations (DEDO) said those whose temperature exceeds 37.5 degrees or those who answered “yes” to the Covid-19 symptoms in the health declaration form will be asked to vote in the IPP.
“After evaluation, they shall be escorted to an isolation polling place, where they shall be allowed to cast their votes,” Reyes said.
Comelec authorized the use of IPPs under its Resolution No. 10687 during the Palawan plebiscite.
The said facility may be one of the classrooms in a building separate from the other buildings of the voting center or a makeshift/temporary facility, “which shall be strategically located near its entrance and the medical personnel deployed thereat.”
Comelec Health Service Division Chief Zosimo R. Sallao, Jr. said each voting center should be able to accommodate at least one IPP, which could accommodate at least 5 voters, the Plebcom (plebiscite committee), and watchers at any time, while observing the one-meter physical distancing rule.
Over 490,000 voters are expected to participate in the plebiscite, where Comelec is expected to test its pandemic-related protocols for the conduct of the 2022 National and Local elections.