Monday, March 15, 2021
Why Hope Is Essential For Life
I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints. Psalm 52:9
The late Dr. Karl Menninger, the famed psychiatrist, was intrigued by the emotion hope. Many studies have been done relative to the importance of love and faith; but as a psychiatrist, Dr. Menninger became convinced of hope’s great importance related to survival. Hope is the enduring quality of the soul that gives strength to live and go on in the darkest of night.
Some time ago the world waited with bated breath for word that a group of miners, trapped in an eastern Pennsylvania coal mine, had survived. It seemed there was no hope for the safety of these men, though rescue operations frantically continued. Down below in the mine, the trapped men also began to wonder if there was any chance of rescue. For several days they tapped the timbers overhead, then they strained every fiber of their beings listening for a return sound that would let them know that rescue was on the way. In time the rescue team did hear the tapping. As they listened, faintly yet clearly distinct, came the question tapped in Morse code: Is there any hope?
Hope is the very lifeblood of human existence. The grim wars that our world has faced have proven without question that a person can endure almost impossible circumstances if he or she has hope. People have survived the horrors of concentration camps, the gnawing hunger of starvation, and the intense suffering of torture when they had hope they would survive.
Any hospital chaplain will tell you that hope is the secret of survival, for if a person has hope that he will live, he can endure almost any amount of suffering. A person may face an illness where the odds are against recovery, but if there is hope, the individual will fight on. Hope is often a more powerful medicine than the strongest antibiotic. It is an indescribable mainstay to the souls of people. It brings life where death seems inevitable.
Interestingly enough, this fact has been scientifically proven at the Johns Hopkins Research Center. Dr. Curt Richter, directing a psychobiological study, tells that when rats were put into a hopeless situation they gave up and died even though food and water were present. If, however, the hopeless feature was removed, the animals would fight to survive and did survive.
Dr. Charles Malik, former head of the United Nations General Assembly, has said that hope for a world in crisis depends upon the things in which we can trust. A man who faces surgery must base his hope for survival upon a trust in his surgeon. A man who faces the agonies of war responds to the love of his wife who is waiting for him. He has hope because he has her love.
The law of hope operates just as surely in the realm of the spiritual. A person who is trusting Christ as his personal Savior has an enduring hope of eternal life that will never fail. The writer of the book of Hebrews, in the New Testament, described this hope as “an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19). He said that we can find refuge and lay hold of the hope that is before us. This hope is Jesus, who has provided a way of salvation for those who look to Him.
Despair is the very opposite of hope. And that’s what happens when you see no possible solution. It is then that you give up and lose your hold on life. When you ask hope to walk with you through each crisis, you have hope for the future. Trust Him, friend, and let Him take you through your despair.
Resource reading: Hebrews 6
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/why-hope-is-essential-for-life/
With 60 percent voter turnout, Comelec says Palawan plebiscite a success
The Commission on Elections on Monday said the recent plebiscite in Palawan can be considered successful so far, even as the canvassing of votes continues.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said based on reports, voter turnout is expected at 60 percent.
"I would say mataas ang turnout. As the reports are coming in, it looks like aabot tayo ng 60 percent ng voter turnout, which is very high, considering this is a plebiscite," he told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.
The plebiscite, which was held last Saturday, was also peaceful, with the people "very accepting" of the results so far.
"This early, I would say that the public has been very accepting of the results. They've remained vigilant, certainly, but by and large, people have accepted the outcome of the plebiscite," Jimenez said.
"By these metrics, we can say the elections were successful," he added.
As of 10 a.m. Monday, poll officials have finished canvassing the votes cast in 8 municipalities. They are expecting to finish in 8 more within the day, or a total of 16 out of Palawan's 23 municipalities.
So far, "no" votes are leading in the results.
Jimenez, however, said it is still too early to announce the result of the plebiscite.
"The only time we can do that is when the lead of one side already exceeds the number of votes that have not yet been counted," he said, adding that there is only a small difference in the results in some municipalities.
With the success of the plebiscite in Palawan, Jimenez said the health protocols implemented in the province can also be implemented on a larger scale during the 2022 national elections.
"This is basically 2022 on a smaller scale," he said.
‘Part of democracy’ : Senators respect ‘no’ vote on split of Palawan
Members of the Senate said that they respect the decision of the people of Palawan on the division of the province.
Data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as of Monday, March 15, showed that “no” votes are leading against the “yes” votes in the March 13 plebiscite on the law dividing Palawan into Palawan del Norte, Palawan del Sur, and Palawan Oriental. Senate President Vicente Sotto III brought up the development during their Monday plenary session.
“Apparently the people did not agree with Congress,” he said.
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, former chairman of the Senate local government committee, admitted that the law, albeit Congress’ approval, was a “hotly-debated measure”.
“We must respect the sovereign will of the people, that’s my main point in asking for the floor. I think the drafters of our Constitution and their wisdom, recognized that these issues of division or seceding of a province or creation of a new province or a new district are such hotly-debated issues that they are submitted, aside from the votes of the delgates of the people, namely members of the Congress, there is a second vote taken. And that is that of the people themselves,” said Angara, who sponsored the law in the Senate.
“At the time, it did seem to make sense because of the, I think governability was the main issue, given that Palawan is four times the size of Cebu in terms of land area,” he recalled.
“But the bottomline is, again, the people have spoken and we must respect and honor that exercise of sovereign will of the people,” Angara reiterated.
Incumbent local government committee chairman Sen. Francis Tolentino surmised that the rejection might have been due to the lack of awareness about the law’s intent, as there were challenges in information dissemination due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“But then again we have to respect the decision of the people of Palawan rejecting the division of the province,” he said.
Senator Richard Gordon, meanwhile, advised his colleagues to “tarry a little” in approving bills on the creation of provinces and legislative districts.
He, too, admitted he was “surprised” with the turnout.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, however, said: “I don’t think we have to lose sleep over the fact that the people voted against the decision of Congress. This is how its works, this is how the system works. There are only very few instances when the direct participation of the people is called upon in the Constitution.”
“We exercise our best judgement, the people did not agree with us, that’s it. That’s how the system works. I would not really, as I said, lose sleep. This is part of the system, and we should continue with the system because it’s good for our democracy,” Drilon said.
Sotto agreed, telling his colleagues not to fret about the decision as he recalled his share of rejected proposals in previous Congresses.
“It really happens…That’s how it is,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri also said: “Eventually it is the people who will decide…That’s the beauty of the plebiscite.” The hashtag “NoTo3in1Palawan” trended on Twitter on Saturday while Palawan residents vote on the ratification of the law splitting their province into three provinces.
https://mb.com.ph/2021/03/15/part-of-democracy-senators-respect-no-vote-on-split-of-palawan/
Unofficial count: No Palawan split
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, Philippines — The province of Palawan is likely to remain intact as partial unofficial count of the votes cast on the plebiscite on Saturday showed that majority of the residents gave a resounding no to the law seeking to split the province into three.
The no vote dominated the plebiscite result, with 122,922 voting against the split and 84,402, voting yes for the division, based on partial unofficial count of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting in all 23 towns of the province.
The provincial board of canvassers (PBOC) convened at 2 p.m. on Sunday but adjourned less than an hour later after certifying election returns in only two towns, Narra and Brooke’s Point. The PBOC is set to reconvene on Monday for the final and official count.
Narra residents cast 11,816 votes against ratifying Republic Act No. 11259, the law dividing the province into Palawan Del Norte, Palawan Del Sur, and Palawan Oriental, while 6,454 were in favor. The margin was slim in Brooke’s Point, with 12,042 voting no and 11,816 voting yes.
Winners, losers
Cynthia Sumagaysay-del Rosario, lead campaigner for the One Palawan Movement, said they were ecstatic by the result because they had to fight the “Goliaths” in local politics who supported the split.
On Sunday morning, Brooke’s Point Mayor Jean Feliciano, one of the campaigners for the yes vote, conceded defeat, acknowledging they lost by about 200 votes.
Brooke’s Point was one of the towns that the yes campaign was expected to win as it had been designated to be the capital of Palawan Del Sur and the main growth area for the planned new provinces, considering its link to the potential markets of the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines East Asia Growth Area) countries.
Provincial board member Ryan Maminta, another prosplit advocate, also conceded loss, saying he “accepts, respects, and honors the decision of the majority.”
The Commission on Elections has earlier declared the electoral exercise a success, especially with its adherence to health protocols related to the coronavirus disease. INQ
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1406915/unofficial-count-no-palawan-split
Always expect the unexpected – COVID-19 is not yet over
We have already reached the one-year mark of COVID-19 in the country. Just as we enter a new year of another COVID-19 challenge, we are faced with figures that are unimaginable but quite expected.
During this one-year experience of the “new normal,” I have learned to always expect the unexpected. Every second, every minute, every hour, every day – anything can happen. We can suddenly have a worldwide lockdown or a city lockdown. We may experience hunger, sickness, death, unemployment, bankruptcy or a company shut down. How many more months or years will this pandemic take? Even countries which seem to be in control are falling. Sometimes you’re up and sometimes you’re down. It has been a really crazy ride and the only way to survive is to keep trying.
A few weeks ago, NCR local government units were already planning on easing COVID-19 restrictions. In fact, a shift from GCQ to MGCQ was deliberated on with warnings coming from the UP-OCTA research group. Since our COVID-19 cases suddenly increased last week (bringing the number of COVID-19 cases to more than 600,000 and last Friday’s highest recorded daily case of 4,578) many local government units have started releasing new COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines again. Unlike the Metro Manila mayors who released a simple and standard curfew restriction (although some may still release more), other provincial LGUs are creating more confusion by releasing way too many guidelines that seem too fired up. Can’t the League of Governors/Mayors and IATF just come up with a unified guide, just like a unified COVID QR code everybody has been asking for? Why not standardize restriction guidelines for ECQ, GCQ, and MGCQ? This way bus drivers, local commuters, public and private operators and personnel will not be confused. Abangan!
Government’s vaccine program seems to only focus on public ‘free’ vaccinations. What about the small to large private entities wanting to also procure COVID-19 vaccines? What programs are available out there? In order to achieve a successful vaccination program, the private sector should already be tapped. There are a few big companies who have announced their COVID-19 vaccine procurement. What about the rest of the private sector who can help speed up the goal of achieving some sort of “herd immunity?” Hospitals should also start offering vaccines to interested clients.
The country’s vaccination program officially began on March 1, 2021 shortly after the arrival of the first batch of vaccines from Sinovac. To ensure that the vaccines, particularly the temperature-sensitive ones, will be rolled out with minimal problems, a dry run was conducted. It must be recalled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued emergency use authorizations (EUA) to the Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines. There are still eight other vaccines on order for the program that are at varying stages of development.
By the way, according to Reuters, the Philippines has administered at least 114,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccines across the country so far. This means, assuming every person needs two doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 0.1 percent of the country’s population. In last week’s report, the Philippines averaged about 6,781 doses administered each day. At this rate, it will take a further 3,189 days to administer enough doses for another 10 percent of the population. The mass vaccination program is set to start in May 2021.
On a softer note, what lessons have we learned from our COVID-19 experience? At the World Policy Forum, Dennis Snower, president of the Global Solutions Initiative, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic lays our lives bare and forces us to appreciate our most essential needs and our highest values. It forces us to appreciate the true value of many people whose roles in society tend to be undervalued: the nurses, the hospital orderlies, the people sitting at the checkout counters in supermarkets, the delivery personnel, the many nameless strangers who suddenly offer help to the old and vulnerable.
“The pandemic has revealed a vast sea of kindness and benevolence in our communities around the world. It has led to countless acts of selfless heroism in hospitals and care homes. It has impelled many of us to use our greatest strengths to serve our greatest purposes, suddenly giving our lives new, inspiring meaning.”
He added: “…In most of our endeavors, we are interdependent. One individual cannot succeed without the cooperation of others. We cooperate at many different scales – local, regional and national. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the danger of ignoring our interdependence and the importance of global cooperation. It shows us with crystal clarity that all of humanity is in the same boat. Since the virus can be defeated somewhere only when it is defeated everywhere, it shows us the terrible folly of pretending that we can achieve security in isolation, within the borders of our nation, culture, class or religion...The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates to us that our economic, political and social systems can serve our needs and purposes only when they induce us to cooperate at the appropriate scale.”
I hope we can work toward this goal – COOPERATION!
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Duterte’s new law (under RA 11259) of breaking Palawan into three provinces is awaiting confirmation from last Saturday’s plebiscite. In the new law Palawan will be divided into: Palawan del Norte (Coron, Culion, Busuanga, Linapacan, Taytay and El Nido); Palawan del Sur (Aborlan, Narra, Quezon, Rizal, Española, Brooke’s Point, Balabac, Bataraza, Kalayaan); Palawan Oriental (Roxas, Araceli, Dumaran, Cuyo, Agutaya, Magsaysay, Cagayancillo and San Vicente).
Who is behind the split up aside from the political dynasties of Palawan? Breaking down regions, provinces and cities will weaken environmental foundations, not to mention exploitation of marine sanctuaries, illegal trade of wildlife, illegal logging and mining – making it open to both local and foreign abuse. Why do this to Palawan? We have way too many rich natural resources in the area that need to be protected. Why shake the ground when many irregularities are already happening in the West Philippine Sea area?
In every challenge that life brings us, let us continue to pray and be prepared – always expect the unexpected.
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/03/15/2084341/always-expect-unexpected-covid-19-not-yet-over
Partial, unofficial Palawan poll: More people vs split
MOST of the residents of Palawan are against splitting their province into three separate entities, the partial and unofficial count of the Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBOC) indicated.
On Sunday, the PBOC of Palawan reconvened and was able to process the Certificates of Canvass (COC) of two of the 23 municipalities, which were covered by the plebiscite last Saturday.
Based on the initial canvassing results, those in favor the ratification of Republic Act (RA) 11259 or the Act Dividing the Province of Palawan into three provinces is at 18,799 and is currently outnumbered by those who opposed it at 28,903.
The processed COCs included that from the municipality of Narra, where 6,983 people voted for the ratification, while 16,861 voted against.
For the municipality of Brooke’s Point, the result was less lopsided with 11,816 voting “yes” for RA 11259’s ratification, and 12,042 voted “no” in the plebiscite.
In her Twitter account, Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said based from the field reports she got in Palawan as 3:40 pm on Sunday, only the votes of 244,029 people were counted.
Of the partial and unofficial figure, 96,012 voted “yes” for the ratification and 148,017 voted “no.”
To note, Comelec said 490,369 voters were eligible to participate in the Palawan plebiscite.
The PBOC opted to adjourn at 2:37 pm on Sunday as it waits for additional COCs from the 21 other municipalities.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the PBOC will reconvene at 9 am on Monday to continue the canvassing of COCs.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/03/15/partial-unofficial-palawan-poll-more-people-vs-split/
‘No votes’ leading Palawan plebiscite
Votes against the division of Palawan into three provinces were leading, based on the initial canvassing of plebiscite results as of yesterday.
Based on the tally of the Certificate of Canvass (COC) obtained from the municipalities of Narra and Brooke’s Point, the “no votes” garnered a total of 28,903 while the “yes votes” had 18,799.
The Palawan Provincial Board of Canvassers (PPBOC) resumed the canvassing yesterday afternoon after adjourning the session on Saturday as there was no plebiscite returns or certificate of canvass to count at the time.
The canvassing results showed 11,816 “yes votes” and 12,042 “no votes” in Brooke’s Point.
Results from Narra showed 16,861 “no votes” and 6,983 “yes votes.”
The board will resume the canvassing at 9 a.m. today. It will meet everyday until the canvassing is completed.
Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said the partial and unofficial canvassing results showed the number of “yes votes” was only half of the “no votes.”
“After the PPBOC finishes tallying the certificates of canvass of votes from all 23 municipalities, it will proclaim the result of the plebiscite,” Comelec said.
Earlier, the poll body projected that the results of the plebiscite, which was conducted on Saturday, would be known by tomorrow.
Poll watchdog National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) said it would continue to follow the canvassing process at the municipal and provincial levels.
The plebiscite result will determine whether Palawan will be divided into Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental and Palawan del Sur.
Namfrel estimated the voter turnout between 50 percent and 70 percent.
It said the rain discouraged the residents from voting early, but as soon as the weather cleared, many arrived to cast their votes.
Only a few voters used the isolation polling places set up for those who may manifest symptoms of COVID.
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/03/15/2084309/no-votes-leading-palawan-plebiscite