Is Tomorrow Distracting You From Today?

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.” Luke 12:22


My friend Wayne Pederson used to sign his letters and e-mails with the words, “Focus forward!”  No more. He’s changed the complimentary close to read, “Seize Today!”  He discovered that when he was always focused forward, pushing to reach goals and objectives, he missed a lot of the view on the journey. Here’s how he describes it: “At a meeting I was checking e-mail when the leader asked me a question. I had entirely tuned out of the discussion. Busted!


“My administrative assistant was telling me something important as I thumbed through the growing pile of papers on my desk. She called me on it. “You’re not listening to me, are you? Busted!


“I was on the phone with a friend, but was typing e-mails when he was talking. He must have heard the clicking of my keyboard, because he stopped mid-sentence and asked: “You’re not doing e-mail are you?” Busted!


Then he asked, “How many times have we guys been preoccupied with our own thoughts while the dearest person in the world was telling us something very important to her world? ‘Remember, I told you that last week.'” Busted again!


As these events all began to come into focus in his personal life, Wayne came to the conclusion that he was so focused on what he wanted to see happen in the future that he was missing what was happening today.  He confessed what a lot of us should admit.  “When I go running,” he said, “instead of enjoying the fresh air, the sights and the exercise, I find myself thinking, ‘I can’t wait until this is over.'”


Waiting for a flight, he picked up a book at the airport entitled The Present, by Spencer Johnson.  Says this popular business-oriented author, “When you receive the present, you no longer spend your time dreaming about being somewhere else. You’re intent only on what’s happening at that moment. Being in the present means focusing on what is happening right now.”


And when all of this came together, Wayne began to realize that it was time to make some personal adjustments and change his focus from forward to today!  He concludes, “When I’m with my grandkids, I’m no longer thinking about that article I have to write. When I’m running…, I’m going to enjoy the view. And when I’m in a meeting, I’m not going to be checking e-mail or writing notes for my next meeting. And if you catch me doing that, look at me and say, ‘Busted!'” (Used with permission of the writer).


Wayne Pederson has lots of company, too, because a host of us are living in the netherworld of multitasking—trying to be all things to all people, never saying, “No,” striving to please everyone at the cost of our families, our equilibrium, and, certainly, our peace of mind.


“Daddy, do you know what you just said ‘Yes’ to, asked one little boy whose daddy was reading the sports section of the paper and watching a game on TV at the same time.


Smell the flowers, take time to enjoy the wonder of your children discovering something, notice the smile of your wife, and enjoy the squeeze of her hand in yours.  No wonder the Bible mentions today some 194 times while it mentions tomorrow only 81 times. God’s focus is on today. It’s the only time in your life that you can do anything about.   It’s still true: “Yesterday is a cancelled check. Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today is a gift given to us to enjoy. That’s why it’s called the present.”


Wayne Pederson is right on target: Seize Today! Jesus said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow. Today has enough problems of its own.”


Resource reading: Luke 12:13-34


https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/is-tomorrow-distracting-you-from-today/

‘No’ votes prevail in Palawan plebiscite — Comelec

 The proposed split of Palawan into three provinces has been rejected based on a plebiscite that was conducted last Saturday, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).


According to Comelec, official results showed 122,223 voted for “yes” for dividing Palawan into three, while 172,304 voted “no.”


“It is finished. Proclamation done. NO won in Palawan plebiscite,” Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said over Twitter.


The plebiscite for Republic Act No. 11259, which seeks to divide Palawan into three provinces, posted a 60.06 percent voter turnout, according to the poll body.


The Comelec earlier declared the plebiscite—the first electoral process conducted in the country since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—as a success, saying no reports of violence and disruptions were made during the voting process.


Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez on Monday formally accepted defeat in the plebiscite, as he expressed disappointment over what he claimed was a missed opportunity to improve governance in the province.


The Palawan plebiscite is expected to become a guide for the upcoming 2022 national elections, where health protocols against COVID-19 will be enforced.


https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1407805/no-votes-prevail-in-palawan-plebiscite-comelec

‘No’ votes win in Palawan plebiscite

 Palawan residents reject splitting the province into 3


It’s final: Palawan remains as one province.


The Commission on Elections’ Provincial Plebiscite Board of Canvassers proclaimed on 5:30 pm March 16 that the “no” vote won in the plebiscite that asked residents if they agreed to ratify Republic Act 11259 which splits Palawan into Palawan Del Norte, Palawan Oriental and Palawan Del Sur.


Winning in 19 out of 23 municipalities, the “no” vote garnered 172,304 against the “yes” vote with 122,223, according to a 5 pm post on Comelec's Facebook page.



LOOK: Official partial results of the #PalawanPlebiscite as of 5:00 P.M., March 16, 2021.

Posted by COMELEC on Tuesday, March 16, 2021


Grassroots-initiated One Palawan, with few resources and largely reliant on campaigning in social and traditional media to gather support, described the March 13 plebiscite here as a duel between Bible characters, David and Goliath. “And David hurls a stone from his sling and hits Goliath in the center of his forehead, Goliath falls on his face to the ground,” campaigner Cynthia del Rosario earlier wrote on a Facebook status.


In a Rappler interview, Del Rosario said: “ The big lesson for the politicians who attempted to divide Palawan into 3 is to make sure that the desire actually came from the people. They need to consult and include the people from the beginning. The desire of a few cannot win over the desire of the majority.”


One Palawan was up against the provincial government, led by Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez, a business magnate and prime proponent of RA 11259, which was a reincarnation of similar thwarted proposals by politicians, one dated as early as the 1960s. When Alvarez won in the 2016 elections, he mounted a strong push to revive the proposal and met with municipal mayors, barangay chairpersons, and local business people to gather support for the bid.


In December 2017, the provincial legislature passed a resolution in support of the move. The bill breezed through Congress, passed by the House in August 2018 and the Senate in November that same year. President Rodrigo Duterte signed the bill into law on April 13, 2019, setting into motion a rigorous online and offline debate among residents.


The coalition opposition group claimed that the law contained provisions that go against the Philippine Constitution and the Local Government Code, including amendments to the natural wealth-sharing agreement, non-consultation of the the general public, and exclusion of Puerto Princesa residents in the consultation and in the plebiscite.


On June 26, 2019, One Palawan took its case to the Supreme Court, hoping a writ of prohibition would render Republic Act 11259 null and void. But the highest court, in a decision penned by Associate Justice Andres B. Reyes Jr. on March 10, 2020, ruled in favor of the assailed law, voting 15-0. The initial plebiscite schedule was set for May 11, 2020, but it was postponed due to the pandemic lockdown and only pushed through last weekend.


“We knew that it is going to be a difficult battle for us when we lost in the Supreme Court. The proponents held all the cards…We had to face them in the plebiscite knowing that the odds were not in our favor. They know the game pretty well and we didn't. We just relied on volunteerism or 'bayanihan' since we didn't have enough funds,” said del Rosario.


“Our efforts paid off, the people of Palawan have woken up. They have started to self-organize and mobilize in their communities during the last days of the campaign period. We won thru the collective effort of the people of Palawan.”


https://www.rappler.com/nation/no-votes-win-palawan-plebiscite

Palawan rejects dividing province into three

The people of Palawan rejected dividing the province into three new entities, the official final results of the plebiscite showed Tuesday.


According to Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesperson James Jimenez, the Board of Canvassers canvassed a total of 172,304 'no' votes and 122,223 'yes' votes with only one municipality left unaccounted for.


“Canvass results from Kalayaan are not expected to arrive today, due to the unavailability of transport. Kalayaan has 281 registered voters,” Jimenez said.


Jimenez said Oppositor earlier made the motion to terminate the canvass "in view of the insurmountability of the lead enjoyed by the NO votes."


He added the Proponent later joined and did not object the motion of the Oppositor.


Twenty-two out of 23 municipalities have been canvassed with a voter turn-out of 60%.


Meanwhile, Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho Jr. extended his gratitude to the participants of the plebiscite.


“So the Provincial Board already proclaimed that the no votes got the highest, thereby rejecting the division of Palawan into three provinces. We would like to congratulate the voters for participating actively in this vote,” he said in a live briefing.


He also thanked the teachers, military and police personnel, and health professionals for their participation.


Kho said the poll body delivered on its promise to count the vote correctly as he urged the public to continue participating in the elections.


“May susunod ho tayong election, no, ‘yung pinakamalaki na sa 2022. Tulungan ninyo rin po kami. I hope media will be an active participant… para ganito rin ang magiging kalabasan. Magandang resulta ng election,” he said.


“We heard the voice of the people from Palawan,” he added.


The law, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019, will divide Palawan into three provinces: Palawan del Norte, Palawan del Sur, and Palawan Oriental.—AOL, GMA News


https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/779912/palawan-rejects-dividing-province-into-three-entities/story/

Sitwasyon ng health workers, lumubha pa umano matapos ang isang taon: AHW

 Matapos ang isang taong sakripisyo ng health workers mula nang tamaan ang bansa ng COVID-19 pandemic, para sa Alliance of Health Workers, lumubha pa ang kanilang sitwasyon ngayon.


Paliwanag sa TeleRadyo ni Robert Mendoza, AHW national president, nakakalungkot aniya dahil marami ngayon ang tinatamaan ng COVID.


Hindi pa rin daw nareresolba ang problema sa understaffing, at dumoble pa ang pangangailangan dahil marami ang nag-resign at nag-early retirement. Dahil dito, sobra-sobra pa rin ang oras na ginugugol ng mga hospital staff. 


Bukod dito, may mga benepisyo pa ring hindi umano natatanggap ang mga health workers, gaya ng meal allowance.


“Dapat tugunan ang aming pangangailangan, kagalingan upang mapaglingkuran namin nang maayos ang mga pasyente. And then, itaas sana ang aming sahod, ibigay ang mga benepisyo, dagdagan ang personnel upang malutas ang malubhang understaffing at mahabang oras (sa trabaho)," sabi ni Mendoza.


"Sa ngayon po, ganun pa rin ang kanilang time - 12 hrs, na dapat 8 hours lang. Pagod na pagod ang ating health workers po,” dagdag niya.


Sa datos ng AHW, higit 15,200 na health workers na ang tinamaan ng COVID. Ang mga namatay ay 82 na.


- TeleRadyo 16 Marso 2021


https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/03/16/21/sitwasyon-ng-health-workers-lumubha-pa-umano-matapos-ang-isang-taon-ahw

PH logs 4,437 new COVID-19 cases, 5th straight day that daily count tops 4,000

 The Philippines on Tuesday reported 4,437 more COVID-19 cases, raising the country’s cumulative total to 631,320. 


This is the 5th straight day that daily infections exceeded 4,000 after the country detected more cases of new COVID-19 variants that are reportedly more transmissible.


Active cases stood at 57,736, comprising 9.1 percent of the country's total recorded cases, the Department of Health’s (DOH) latest bulletin showed. 


Recoveries increased by 166 to 560,736. 


The health department, meanwhile, recorded 11 additional COVID-related fatalities, bringing the death toll to 12,848. 


Seven laboratories failed to submit data to the COVID-19 Data Repository System on Monday, the agency said. 


The DOH earlier in the day reiterated that health protocol breaches and the loosening of lockdowns were behind the recent spike in new COVID-19 cases. 


Researchers from the OCTA Research group projected that daily cases in the country could reach up to 11,000 if the current trend continues.


The independent research unit said the production (R) or the number of people infected by a virus patient increased to 2.03. An R value above 1 can lead to exponential growth.


The development came as the country’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout happened, with around 216,000 Filipinos, mostly medical frontliners and armed personnel, already inoculated against the disease.


https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/16/21/ph-logs-4437-new-covid-19-cases-5th-straight-day-that-daily-count-tops-4000

Kasunod ng Palawan plebiscite, Comelec tutok na sa halalan 2022

Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News


Nakatutok na ngayon ang Commission on Elections (Comelec) sa paghahanda sa general elections sa 2022 kasunod ng plebisito kaugnay sa paghahati ng Palawan, na ayon sa isang opisyal ng komisyon ay nagsilbing “laboratory” sa kung paano dapat idaos ang darating na halalan sa gitna ng patuloy na pandemya.


Ayon kay Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho Jr., na nagsilbing commissioner-in-charge sa Palawan division plebiscite, inatasan siya na pamunuan ang “new normal committee” para sa national elections sa susunod na taon.


“Ano’ng ibig sabihin no’n? ‘Yong new normal committee will be the committee that will form the guidelines on how to conduct the 2022 election under the pandemic situation,” paliwanag ni Kho ngayong Martes.



Itinuturing na matagumpay ng Comelec ang pagdaraos ng plebisito sa Palawan, kung saan pinagbotohan kung hahatiin ang probinsiya sa Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental at Palawan del Sur. Sa ngayon, lamang ang mga botong tumatanggi sa paghahati sa probinsiya. 


Nakapagpatupad kasi ng mga health protocol sa mga polling precinct gaya ng plastic sheet sa pagitan ng mga voting booth at “isolation polling place” para sa mga botante na nakuhanan ng temperaturang 37.5 degrees Celsius.


“Itong Palawan na plebisito na ito will be considered as our laboratory on how elections should be held under a pandemic situation so definitely mga ginawa natin dito will have an impact doon sa policies na gagawin natin sa 2022,” ani Kho.


Patunay rin ang voter turnout sa Palawan plebiscite sa pagtitiwala ng mga tao sa safety protocols na ipinatupad ng Comelec, ayon kay Kho.


“Probably ‘yong policies na ginawa natin dito for Palawan plebiscite also convinced people to vote so probably, it gave them confidence na ‘pag pumunta sila sa presinto, safe naman sila,” aniya.


Nasa P150 milyon ang ginastos ng provincial government para sa plebisito, base na rin sa budget na itinakda ng Comelec, ayon kay Kho.


“It may appear to be large but I understand this is a worthy experiment kasi nakita natin ang sentimyento ng tao, an exercise of democracy is an expensive one,” ani Kho.


Sa ngayon, na-canvass na ang mga boto mula sa 18 ng 23 bayan ng Palawan, kung saan nangunguna pa rin ang “no” votes na 158,501 kompara sa “yes” na 116,436.


https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/16/21/kasunod-ng-palawan-plebiscite-comelec-tutok-na-sa-halalan-2022

Comelec: Palawan plebiscite results out within the week

Results of a plebiscite that seeks to divide Palawan into 3 provinces could be announced within the week, a poll official said Tuesday.


Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez, in an interview with ANC, said the poll body had already canvassed votes cast in 18 of 23 municipalities.


"Well, we've already canvassed I think 18 out of 23 and we are scheduled to reconvene today at 2 p.m. So, I imagine that we are really close to proclamation now,” he said.


"Could be within the week, could be today," he added.


Votes rejecting the proposed split were leading, according to initial canvassing of plebiscite results as of Monday.


Jimenez estimated the voter turnout to be more than 60 percent.


"For the most part, people expected this to be a low turnout event. But again, the reality on the ground proved everyone otherwise," he said.


The poll body, meanwhile, recorded a handful of election-related incident reports that could not be considered "serious."


"For instance, there was a report of some barangay officials trying to prevent people from voting but that was resolved very quickly. But there were no significant incident reports, no violence, no disruption of the voting," Jimenez said.


The Comelec earlier declared the weekend plebiscite a success, which has been postponed for nearly a year because of the pandemic.


The plebiscite result will determine whether Palawan will be divided into Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental and Palawan del Sur.


Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez had conceded defeat in his push to see it divided into 3 new provinces.


https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/16/21/comelec-palawan-plebiscite-results-out-within-the-week

'No' votes in plebiscite for dividing Palawan leading, partial unofficial results show

Partial and unofficial results of the plebiscite for the ratification of a law dividing Palawan into three provinces showed that "no" votes are leading as the voter turnout reached 60.97%, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official said Tuesday.


As of 6 a.m., 172,345 voted against the ratification of the law dividing Palawan, while 122,343 voted for it, Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said.


“High turnout despite the pandemic and heavy rains,” she said on Twitter.


The Provincial Board of Canvassers will reconvene at 2 p.m. on Tuesday to continue the count.


The law, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019, will divide Palawan into three provinces: Palawan del Norte, Palawan del Sur and Palawan Oriental.


They will be created upon approval by the majority of the votes cast by the voters of the affected areas in a plebiscite conducted and supervised by the Comelec. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News


https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/779823/no-votes-in-plebiscite-for-dividing-palawan-leading-partial-unofficial-results-show/story/