Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Maguindanao to be Split Into Two Provinces Under Proposed Law
Maguindanao province, long a hotbed of political and religious violence, will be split into two, under a bill that passed in the Senate on Monday.
The Senate Committee on Local Government approved the bill that originated from the House of Representatives. It seeks to divide the province into Northern Maguindanao and Southern Maguindanao. The head of the panel, Sen. Francis Tolentino, said a technical committee would thresh out the details.
Due to its size, Maguindanao should be split, said Sen. Bong Go, a long-time aide of President Rodrigo Duterte. It will allow authorities to focus on leadership at the municipal level, he said.
The House bill was filed by Maguindanao Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu, the widower of the Maguindanao massacre, the world's single worst political attack on journalists. Fifty-seven people were killed in the carnage on November 2009 when Mangudadatu's rivals tried to stop his wife and supporters from filing his certificate of candidacy.
At that time, Mangudadatu was challenging the Ampatuan clan, whose members were convicted of the massacre in 2019.
Mangudadatu's bill wants the Southern Maguindanao capital moved to Bulan, where he once served as vice mayor, from Shariff Aguak, citing the threat of armed groups near the area.
The incumbent governor, Mangudadatu's cousin, Bai Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu, wants the capitol to stay where it is.
In recent years, new provinces were carved out of existing ones, allowing more politicians to get elected to guberntorial or congressional posts. These include in recent years Davao Occidental, Dinagat Islands, Zamboanga Sibugay, Davao de Oro and Sarangani.
Bills that seek to divide Maguindanao backed
SENATORS on Monday voiced support to the passage of measures that seek to split Maguindanao into two provinces.
Senators Maria Josefa Imelda Marcos, Ronald dela Rosa, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Christopher Lawrence Go pushed for the approval of Senate Bill (SB) 1714 and SB 1824 authored by Senators Cynthia Villar and Francis Tolentino, respectively.
Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government, sought to divide the province into Northern Maguindanao and Southern Maguindanao.
He said the province had vast natural resources, but was one of the poorest.
The lawmaker stressed that one way to bring down the poverty level was to divide the province into two.
“With this new set-up, government officials of each new province would be able to more properly focus their efforts in assisting lesser constituents and lesser territorial jurisdiction.
The government of each province will now be able to create projects and programs that would better address the intricacies and special needs of their respective jurisdictions,” Tolentino said.
Under the bill, the province of Northern Maguindanao shall be composed of the municipalities of Barira, Buldon, Datu Blah Sinsuat, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Kabuntalan, Matanog, Northern Kabuntalan, Parang, North Upi, Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura.
The Province of Southern Maguindanao shall include the municipalities of Ampatuan, Bulua, Datu Abdulah Sangki, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Datu Hofier Ampatuan, Datu Mon-tawal, Datu Paglas, Datu Pi-ang, Datu Sa-libo, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Unsay, Gen. Salipada K. Pendatu, Guindulungan, Mamasapano, Mangudadatu, Pagalungan, Paglat, Pandag, Rajah Buayan, Sharif Aguak, Sharif Saydona Mustafa, Sultan sa Barongis, Talayan, Talitay and South Upi.
For the purpose of this section, Cotabato City shall have its own legislative district effective upon the election and qualification of its representative to be held on the second Monday of May in the year 2022. The incumbent Representatives of the present Province of Maguindanao shall continue to represent their respective legislative districts until the expiration of their term of office.
In the proposed law it stated “Any municipality that may hereafter be created within the jurisdiction of their provinces shall automatically form part of its constituent units.”
“Clearly with the size and population of Maguindanao, it’s about time that it be split, provided that it has complied with all the requisites of the Local Government Code,” Marcos said.
Go, in explaining his support to the bills, said the division of Maguindanao would not separate the people, but rather help them flourish and rise as one.
“Maguindanao is so large that it is only fitting to divide it so all the municipalities will be given enough attention. Giving voice to the voiceless is the essence of democracy,” he added.
Villar sought the approval of her bill as requested by Maguindanao Gov. Bai Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu and as a counterpart measure of House Bill 6413, the consolidated version of the bills authored by Representatives Datu Roonie Sinsuat Sr. and Esmael Mangudadatu.
Gatchalian moved that the measures seeking to divide Maguindanao be approved on the committee level subject to the creation of a technical working group that will determine the capital of the new provinces.
With reports from JAVIER JOE ISMAEL
Why You Should Hurt, When Your Brother Hurts
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
A young man described by Luke, the physician, as "a man full of God's grace and power" did great wonders and miracles among the residents of Jerusalem shortly after Christ's ascension to heaven. But the religious leaders of the day didn't like it. He was taken before the Sanhedrin. When the high priest asked him if these charges were true, Stephen proceeded to preach to the crowd, but his sermon didn't sit well with them, either. "When they heard this," says Luke, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him." Eventually, they "dragged him out of the city and began to stone him."
History identifies him as the first Christian martyr. Stephen, however, was not the first to be a victim of religious persecution. From the book of Genesis to the latest edition of your news, history chronicles religious persecution. Daniel was in the lion's den and eventually exiled to Babylon. Jeremiah was harassed and eventually thrown into a slime pit where he nearly died. The book of Hebrews, chapter 11, is a gallery of the deeds of great men and women who were persecuted for what they believed and did.
Today, more Christians than at any time in history (with the possible exception of the first century) are on the receiving end of persecution. "So, what's new? Shouldn't that be expected because there are more Christians today than ever before?" It's that mentality, that kind of indifference, which contributes to the problem confronting us today.
On the day Stephen was stoned, do you suppose that some of the Christians in the crowd thought, "This isn't any of my business. Besides, I can't do anything to change this, so I think I'll just go home." Surely what happened to Stephen shook them to the core. They knew the tide had turned and many packed and left for other places, not understanding that persecution would follow as surely as do hunger and thirst.
When you read of churches being burned, how do you respond? Do you tend to say, "That's a long ways from where I am, and besides, I've got enough to worry about myself."
"Why are you helping me?" or "Why do you care about us?" is a question I am often asked overseas when I have done something for someone or some group. "We're family," I respond, adding, "You are my brother," or "You are my sister!"
How so? If you believe the Bible, you can think nothing else. It contends that God's children are brothers and sisters, adopted into the body of Christ where there is neither race, gender, rank or social status. Please make a study of Galatians chapters 3 and 4, Romans 8, Romans 12:5 and Ephesians 4. Romans 12:5 says, "In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."
Do you hurt with Christians--brothers and sisters who are in pain somewhere else in the world—people you have never met nor probably ever will meet? Is it your business when a Christian dad somewhere in the world knows that practicing his faith will mean his son can never get a university education? Yes, I know you can't fight every injustice in the world, but when you realize that we are one body, that we have one Father, that we have one faith, then all who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ lose their ethnic identity, their gender, and their culture to become brothers and sisters, belonging to each other.
In His prayer in Gethsemane, shortly before the cross, Jesus prayed that His own—His children—might be one, even as He and the Father were one. Persecution helps forge that bond, a painful yet persuasive way of helping us to understand that what binds us together is more powerful than what separates us.
Resource reading: Acts 6:8 – 7:60
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/why-you-should-hurt-when-your-brother-hurts/
Monday, October 26, 2020
Senate panel OKs splitting Maguindanao into 2
THE Senate is on track to tackle for plenary deliberations a counterpart bill splitting Maguindanao into two provinces following initial approval of the enabling legislation by the Committee on Local Government.
The committee, chaired by Sen. Francis Tolentino, endorsed the division of Maguindanao, which has a total population of 1,173,933 as of 2015.
Justifying the split, Tolentino noted that Maguindanao “remains to be one of the poorest provinces in the country despite being blessed with rich and abundant natural resources.”
He stressed that “reforms must be done in order to remedy this predicament and one way to ensure this is by splitting the province into two.”
Enabling legislations are embodied in House counterpart bill No. 6413 authored by Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu; and Senate Bills No. 1824 and 1714 separately authored by Tolentino and Sen. Cynthia Villar, respectively, all seeking to partition Manguindanao into two separate provinces under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
As proposed, 11 towns will comprise Northern Maguindanao, with the capital based in Sultan Kudarat; while Southern Maguindanao will be composed of 25 municipalities, with Buluan as its administrative capital.
Proponents of the enabling law noted that the Department of Finance’s (DOF) Bureau of Local Government Finance greenlighted the proposed measures to divide Maguindanao into two separate provinces, noting the partition is financially compliant under Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.
Tolentino reported that Director Ma. Pamela Quizon of the Bureau of Local Government Finance affirmed that the two new provinces to be carved out of Maguindanao have met the income requirements under the Local Government Code if the proposed partition will proceed.
The senator asserted that “unlocking Maguindanao’s potential is not just vital to help the people living in the said province but to bring down poverty in the entire country.”
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/10/26/senate-panel-oks-splitting-maguindanao-into-2/
Senate committee OKs Maguindanao split
COTABATO CITY – The Senate Committee on Local Government has supported the proposal to divide Maguindanao province into two areas, a Maguindanao lawmaker said Monday.
This, as the Senate committee, chaired by Senator Francis Tolentino, approved on the same day House Bill (HB) 6413 that seeks to divide Maguindanao into Northern and Southern Maguindanao provinces pending the recommendation by the Technical Working Group (TWG) to determine the center of government in the “would-be” Southern Maguindanao.
The bill, which has hurdled its third and final reading in the House of Representatives, designates Buluan town as the provincial seat of government for the South while Datu Odin Sinsuat town will represent the North.
After the recommendation of the TWG, a Senate committee report will be submitted to the plenary, and it will be used as a basis for a bicameral meeting before the anticipated passing into law of the proposition.
HB 6413 is sponsored by Maguindanao 2nd District Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu along with Tarlac 3rd District Rep. Noel Villanueva and Maguindanao 1st District Rep. Roonie Sinsuat Sr. while Senate Bills 1714 and 1824 were filed by Sen. Cynthia Villar and Tolentino, respectively.
In his manifestation to the Senate committee, Mangudadatu urged the Senate leadership to support House Bill 6413 by adopting a substitute bill following the content and design of HB 6413 and SB Nos. 1714 and 1824 concerning SB No. 1274 filed by Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.
All three legislations similarly seek the creation of Northern and Southern Maguindanao provinces, including the naming of Buluan and Datu Odin Sinsuat as provincial seats of government, while SB 1274 filed by Revilla pursues the creation of Western Maguindanao instead.
“While we respect and appreciate Sen. Revilla for sponsoring and filing a counterpart SB towards the realization of an empowered Maguindanao, we would like to request Sen. Tolentino that our prayers and provisions illustrated in HB 6413 be adopted in a substitute bill,” Mangudadatu said in a statement Monday.
Mangudadatu said that with a smaller province, local resource management and the delivery of basic public services would be more efficient as most local government officials and employees will work and focus on programs that will best serve the interests of their constituents.
He said the division of Maguindanao aims to make public service more accessible and closer to the people.
Tolentino bats for division of Maguindanao into 2 provinces to speed up development
Senator Francis Tolentino, chairman of the Senate local government committee, today pushed for the division of Maguindanao into two provinces.
This followed a hybrid public hearing on bills creating local government units (LGUs), including his Senate Bill (SB) 1824, seeking to divide Maguindanao into two provinces, namely: Northern Maguindanao and Southern Maguindanao.
Maguindanao has been endowed with rich and abundant natural resources which that other provinces would be right to envy.
Despite the existence of this vast potential, the province ironically remains one of the poorest provinces in the country.
Tolentino said that reforms must be done in order to remedy this situation as unlocking Maguindanao’s potential is not just vital to help the people living in the province but also in bringing down poverty in the entire country.
“In order to achieve this goal, one solution would be to focus on socio-economic development activities in the province and making sure that these programs actually reach (the) majority of the people,” he pointed out.
The lawmaker said that one way to ensure this is through the enactment of SB 1824 and splitting the province into two.
“With this new set-up, government officials of each new province would be able to more properly focus their efforts in assisting lesser constituents and lesser territorial jurisdiction. The government of each province will now be able to create projects and programs that would better address the intricacies and special needs of their respective jurisdictions,” Tolentino said.
Under the bill, the Province of Northern Maguindanao shall be composed of the following municipalities: Barira, Buldon, Datu Blah Sinsuat, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Kabuntalan, Matanog, Northern Kabuntalan, Parang, North Upi, Sultan Kudarat and Sultan Mastura.
The Province of Southern Maguindanao shall include the foillowing municipalities: Ampatuan, Buluan, Datu Abdulah Sangki, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Datu Hofier Ampatuan, Datu Montawal, Datu Paglas, Datu Piang, Datu Salibo, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Unsay, Gen. Salipada K. Pendatun, Guindulungan, Mamasapano, Mangudadatu, Pagalungan, Paglat, Pandag, Rajah Buayan, Sharif Aguak, Sharif Saydona Mustafa, Sultan sa Barongis, Talayan; Talitay and South Upi.
The hearing which was attended virtually by LGU officials, also discussed other bills seeking to redistrict certain areas, create and separate barangays, and declare local holidays in ten provinces.
Bills dividing Maguindanao into two get Senate panels’ OK
Various measures seeking to split the existing province of Maguindanao into two were approved on Monday by a Senate joint panel.
Upon Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s motion, the Senate committee on local government joined with electoral reforms and people’s participation approved House Bill No. 6413 and several counterpart bills in the Senate that would divide the province into two — Northern Maguindanao and Southern Maguindanao.
Under the proposals, 24 of 36 municipalities of the province would be under the Southern Maguindanao while the remaining 11 municipalities would be covered by Northern Maguindanao.
The province of Southern Maguindanao will be composed of the following: Ampatuan, Buluan, Datu Paglas, Datu Piang, Pagalungan, Shariff Aguak, South Upi, Sultan sa Barongis, Talayan, General S. K. Pendatun, Mamasapano, Sultan Sumagka, Datu Montawal, Paglat, Guindulungan, Datu Saudi-Ampatuan, Datu Unsay, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Rajah Buayan, Pandag, Mangudadatu, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Datu Salibo and Shariff Saydona Mustapha.
The 11 municipalities under the Northern Maguindanao would be the following: Barira, Buldon, Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, Datu Odin Sinuat, Kabuntalan, Matanog, Northern Kabuntalan, Parang, Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura and Upi.
For the purpose of this section, Cotabato City shall have its own legislative district effective upon the election and qualification of its representative to be held on the second Monday of May in the year 2022. The incumbent Representatives of the present Province of Maguindanao shall continue to represent their respective legislative districts until the expiration of their term of office.
In the proposed law it stated “Any municipality that may hereafter be created within the jurisdiction of their provinces shall automatically form part of its constituent units.”
“Not all redistricting is harmful. New jurisdictions may be warranted if the population has grown big enough and that preferences for public goods have become sufficiently heterogeneous,” Maguindanao Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, one of the proponents of the measures, said in his manifestation during the hearing.
Senator Francis ‘Tol’ Tolentino, meanwhile, lamented that the existing province, despite its “rich and abundant natural resources,” remains to be “one of the poorest provinces” in the country.
As of 2015, the current undivided Maguindanao has a total population of 1,173,933.
“Reforms must be done in order to remedy this predicament and one way to ensure this is by splitting the province into two,” Tolentino, chairman of the local government committee and one of the authors of the bills in the Senate, said during the hearing.
In moving for the approval of the measures, Gatchalian noted that the bills would still be subject to discussions in the Technical Working Group (TWG), to resolve the issue of where the “capital should be.”
“Just to move the bills forward, I move to approve the said measures and transition to a TWG,” he said.
Tolentino’s press release after the hearing, however, already indicated that Buluan would be the administrative capital of Southern Maguindanao while Sultan Kudarat would be the capital of Northern Maguindanao.
Senator Imee Marcos seconded Gatchalian’s motion, while Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa abstained from voting.
A consolidated measure will then be reported to the Senate plenary for consideration.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1352528/bills-dividing-maguindanao-into-two-get-senate-panels-ok
Friday, October 23, 2020
House minority leader says ABS-CBN can reapply for franchise next year
When can ABS-CBN should re-apply for franchise renewal?
Minority leader and Abang-Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano said in a recent virtual press briefing that the television and radio giant can only file for franchise renewal in 2021, since it was only this year that the House Committee on Legislative Franchises held a series of hearings on the matter.
“Ako personally (For me personally), ABS-CBN has all the time to file its renewal one year after. Kasi (Because) under our rules, they can file it again one year after,” Paduano said.
Last July 10, the Legislative Franchises panel chaired by Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez voted 70-11-1 (yes-no-abstain) to reject ABS-CBN’s franchise application, which several House members had filed in behalf of the beleaguered network.
This is the standard practice when it comes to franchises. The Lopez-owned network’s erstwhile 25-year operating franchise expired last May 5.
However, there is also an opinion that the congressmen can re-file for the franchise renewal at any time in the current 18th Congress, since a franchise renewal bill is treated just like any other measure filed in the House.“As far as I know, there’s no prohibition on the filing or re-filing of bills that are not favorably acted upon by a committee,” a House member who requested anonymity said.
“Just like any other bill that doesn’t become a law for whatever reason – like it was vetoed, was approved by one chamber but wasn’t by the other chamber, it didn’t reach third reading, or it wasn’t acted upon by a committee – it could be filed again,” he added.
However, he noted that the timing for the re-filing isn’t as important as the practically of re-filing. “The committee that tacked your bill would basically have the same composition as before. You’re talking to the same people, so there’s no certainty of a different result,” he said.
It is rare for the Legislative Franchises panel to hear an application and reject it in the end. But then there was immense pressure from the public to hear ABS-CBN’s case, being a network popular in both its brand of programs and public service.
The recent leadership change in the House of Representatives provides an interesting dynamic to ABS-CBN’s franchise application, since Speaker Lord Allan Velasco may or may not choose to change the existing committee chairmanships. Solons would find it more sensible to re-file the franchise renewal bill if and when the Legislative Franchises panel gets revamped.
Incidentally, Velasco’s office has reportedly commenced an “evaluation” of the performance of the committee chairmen to coincide with the break in the legislative calendar. Congressmen won’t reconvene until Nov. 16.
Marinduque Rep. Velasco took over the helm from Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano last week. Cayetano served as Speaker for 15 months.
https://mb.com.ph/2020/10/23/house-minority-leader-says-abs-can-reapply-for-franchise-next-year/
When Culture Conflicts With Faith
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15
When you don't in a world that generally does, you stand out like a sore thumb! In other words, when almost everybody cheats, and you don't, you are penalized. When almost everybody lies to get ahead, and you feel compelled to tell the truth, you are at a distinct disadvantage. When almost everybody uses company time for their own personal business or pleasure and you don't, you are thought strange or even stupid.
What makes you feel compelled to tell the truth, to sleep only with your husband, to give your employer a full eight hour day, and not to use the Internet to do your shopping or kill time? Integrity, honesty, honor, and work ethics are offshoots of your personal faith. You have some old-fashioned ideas that breed a sense of responsibility, and this makes you different and often leaves you feeling isolated, lonely, and completely out-of-synch with life today. Right?
If I have described where you are, then stand tall and realize you are not alone, and that you may march to the beat of a different drummer, but your head can press your pillow at night as you say, "God, I did Your will today, and no matter how tough it was, I know I did the right thing."
Those who have stood against the trends of their day always were in a minority whether they confronted a Caesar and refused to offer a pinch of incense and say, "Caesar is Lord," or couldn't look the other way when the company was being constantly cheated by a dishonest employee.
Long ago William Shakespeare said, "To thine own self be true, and it shall follow as the day the night, thou canst not then be false to any man." But a far greater than Shakespeare stood against the trends of His day and the power structure of corruption and paid the price of being nailed to a Roman cross. Frankly, there is always a price to pay for distancing yourself from the corruption of the culture which surrounds you, whether it is an Athanasius who stood against the religious establishment of his day, or a Luther who voiced his dissent at practices which had corrupted the church, or the mother who stands before the school board and says, "My son's teacher is using language which is more fitting of a drunken sailor than a teacher of children."
One of those who walked with Jesus, John, put it like this: "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). The more corrupt our culture, the more you will stand out in contrast when you abide by your convictions, yet the more secure will be those who sleep in your home, who look to you for strength and guidance, and who will follow in your footsteps.
Deciding ahead of time which side you will come down on makes the moment of decision a lot easier. You don't have to think about it. You already know what you are doing and then do it regardless of the consequences.
Morality, honesty, and decency are not issues which you decide in measures. The man who cheats on his wife only two percent of the time is still immoral. The college student who cheats only occasionally is still dishonest. You are never only partly moral or 87 percent honest. You either decide that you are committed to doing what is right or find yourself constantly torn between your convictions which you can't abandon and pleasing your culture.
Long ago Joshua drew a line and stepped across it. He said, "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15). And when you say that, the issue is settled.
Resource reading: Joshua 24:1-33
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/when-culture-conflicts-with-faith/
Thursday, October 22, 2020
AFP just giving Liza, Catriona warning about Left: Palace
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was not red-tagging actress Liza Soberano and 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray but just giving them a warning that their advocacies might be used by the Left-leaning groups, Malacañang said on Thursday.
“Well, tingin ko naman sa statement mismo ng AFP, sinabi naman niya walang ganoon (I think based on the AFP statement, he said there is no such thing),” Roque said in a virtual Palace briefing.
Roque was referring to the statement of Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. who advised Soberano to “abdicate” her ties to Gabriela Youth.
Parlade made his advice after Soberano participated in a webinar organized by Gabriela Youth and tearfully called on fellow influencers to speak up on issues affecting women and children.
Parlade of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) also issued the same advice to Gray.
“Pinag-iingatan lang nila sila na baka mamaya magamit sila ng Left (They are just being cautioned that they may be used by the Left),” Roque said.
He said the AFP understands that Soberano and Gray were just advocating the rights of women and children.
“Pero siyempre ingat din po kasi ang talagang, iyong mga Maoists po sa Pilipinas eh talagang kung mayroong puwedeng pagsamantalahan ay pagsasamantalahan nila (Of course, we have to be cautious because those Maoists in the Philippines, they will take advantage of anyone they can exploit),” he added.
He said like Soberano and Gray, President Rodrigo Duterte is also supporting the rights of women even when he was mayor of Davao City for over two decades.
“Pero wala po kaming problema doon sa mga sinasabi nila Liza at ni Catriona dahil ang ating Presidente sinusulong din po ang karapatan ng kababaihan at malinaw po ang track record niya lalung-lalo na noong siya po ay Mayor ng Davao City (But we have no problem with what Liza and Catriona have said because our President is also advocating the rights of women and that is clear on his track record especially when he was still Mayor of Davao City),” Roque said.
How Do I Reconnect With God?
If we believe not, yet he abides faithful: he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:13, NKJV
How does a person restore a connection with God? That was the question posed by a friend of Guidelines. She struggled in even writing the letter, saying that four years ago she had written asking the same question but never mailed the letter. Now a little girl, three years of age, is asking questions about God, and all of this triggers feelings of remorse and regret.
Like so many who have drifted away from the warmth of the Father's love, this young woman sustained a loss, a big one too. Her brother was brutally murdered, and when this happened her heart cried out, "God, why did you let this happen? Where were you when my brother needed your help?"
Scores of people have been there. Yes, they know that if God undertook every time that one of His children was in need, everybody would want to line up on God's side, just to avoid the pain and disappointment of living in a broken world. I'm thinking of a cartoon that shows a crusader standing over a pagan, his sword resting on the neck of the subdued person, who, looking up says, "Tell me more about your new religion. I'm terribly interested!" Hey, that's the way it would be with the whole world, if we who are Christians always came out on top.
People who once connected with God know that the Bible is full of stories about individuals who were godly people who were mistreated and suffered without cause. Daniel was thrown to the lions. Jeremiah was cast into a slime pit and left to die. Elijah lived in exile with a price on his head. David had to hide out for seven years as Saul sought to kill him.
Down in their hearts people who blame God for what happens know that God isn't the one who caused the problem. They simply have turned and walked away because He didn't reverse the tide of evil or the wickedness which broke the tranquility and order of their lives.
Then a little child begins asking about God, or a friend lies at the point of death, or in the darkness of their souls they begin thinking about how it used to be, how at one time the joy of the Lord was real and when they prayed, the presence of God seemed so close and meaningful.
Here's the question: How do you restore the broken connection with God? Just asking the question, facing the issue, means you recognize the deep longing in your heart to connect with God.
When David realized that the affair with Bathsheba had broken his connection with God, he prayed, pouring out his heart and honestly telling God how he felt. Psalm 51 records this. That's your first step. Realize that God is far more desirous of embracing you and drawing you to Himself than you are to have Him do this.
Gently remind yourself that it was not God who moved. You did. So, come back. Paul wrote Timothy, saying, "Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, he remains faithful to us and will help us, for he cannot disown us who are part of himself, and he will always carry out his promises to us" (2 Timothy 2:13, Living Bible).
Paul is saying that God's nature is that of faithfulness. His love is unchanging, and His desire to have fellowship with you hasn't lessened in spite of your detour from His presence.
Finally, draw a line and step across it. Say, "As for the past, I leave it behind. I choose to walk with the Lord. Get back to church, and dust off your Bible and start reading it. Underline it, memorize it and realize it's God's love letter to you personally.
It's time to restore a broken connection.
Resource reading: Psalm 51:1-19
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/how-do-i-reconnect-with-god/
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
[Overhead-Broadcasting Culture] CCTV Butterfly Logo Collection
If the butterfly logo continues to be used without disputes, the style of each logo may become
MATTEO GUIDICELLI, TYSON SY, MARK BUMGARNER AND ENZO PASTOR: NEXT GENERA...
A group of military soldiers stormed the Peninsula Manila hotel in Makati to seek the ouster of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
On the morning of November 29, 2007, a group of soldiers led by Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Captain Nicanor Faeldon and Capt. Gary Alejano, along with 30 others, walked out of their hearing for the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny at the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) and went to the hotel.
The group stayed at the hotel, where, through the media, they expressed their sentiments against the Arroyo administration.
Due to the incident, the Philippine National Police (PNP) put Metro Manila under a red alert status. The guests in the hotel were also asked to vacate their rooms.
The group was given until 3 p.m. to surrender. By 4 p.m., some gunshots were heard inside the hotel as authorities entered the hotel. Tear gas was also used against those inside the Peninsula Manila.
Military trucks and tanks also arrived at the hotel by 5 p.m., as police officers started arresting the mutineers. Some members of the media were also arrested along with the soldiers.
After the arrests, then Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro justified the media arrests, saying the arresting officers did not know that they were journalists.
A curfew from 12 midnight to 5 a.m. was also implemented all over Metro Manila, Central Luzon and CALABARZON from November 29 to 30.
The police also launched a manhunt for soldiers who escaped the hotel, including Faeldon.
The Peninsula Manila became fully operational by December 3.
The three kart racers with the late race car driver Enzo Pastor are being flanked by Sen. Pia Cayetano, Rina Go, Paolo Abrera and Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino general manager Marco Protacio in Manila during the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand over the weekend of December 8 to 9, 2007.
besides next to kart racer Guidicelli, Sy, Bumgarmer and race car driver Pastor is Cebu basketball player and businessman Jeremy Ryan Huang, who was joined by CGA&P (Sen. Cayetano, Go, Abrera and Protacio) in Manila, on December 9, 2007 at Spiral Restaurant of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City.
Radio announcer Dennis Antenor, Jr. (formerly known as Dennis Guisado of YES! FM 101.1) was at the DZRH studio, while dozens of amusement-park goers outside of Star City - Amusement Park and PICC participating in the "Occupy" protests, as well the Anti-government protesters clash with police at Roxas Boulevard.
While Guidicelli, Sy, Bumgarmer, Pastor and Huang in Manila with CGA&P, Diaz, Joven dela Merced, Magsaysay, San Diego and Tayao-Cabrera, is no less than Enchong Dee and Ken Uy, are participated at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games swimming competitions in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. Uy was in lane 4 of men's 100-meter freestyle finals at past 7 p.m. on December 8 and Dee was in lane 8 of men's 100-meter butterfly finals at past 7:29 p.m. on the same day.
The pillars of GMA News and Public Affairs - Pia Arcangel, Arnold Clavio, Mike Enriquez, Angelique Lazo, Vicky Morales, Connie Sison, Jessica Soho and Mel Tiangco will anchor the sports coverage for the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand - "A Time for Heroes". This coverage will run on all platforms (TV, Radio, Mobile, Internet and YouTube) from December 6 to 15, 2007 on GMA-7 and Q channel 11.
Arcangel, Clavio, Enriquez, Lazo, Morales, Sison, Soho and Tiangco was at the GMA Broadway Centrum Westside Studios in Quezon City along with Patricia Bermudez-Hizon, Christine Jacob-Sandejas and Chino Trinidad in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand for the live special TV coverage, Dyan Castillejo, Boom Gonzales, TJ Manotoc and Mozzy Ravena of ABS-CBN News, Rico Hizon of BBC World, Christine Ong of Channel NewsAsia and Marga Ortigas of Al Jazeera are reporting live from same city for the last nine days, from December 6 to 15 of the same year.
A Few months after the 2007 Southeast Asian Games was held in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima from December 6 to December 15, 2007, the fact that Typhoon Frank had already made landfall in Samar on June 20, the Philippine Coast Guard allowed the ferry to sail for Cebu City – albeit on an alternate route to avoid the typhoon – because it was deemed large enough to withstand the sheer force of the typhoon. It was supposed to cross through Romblon in order to reach Tañon Strait, skirting the cyclone that was forecast to pass by the Bicol Region.
But, the following day, the typhoon suddenly changed course, passing through Masbate and Romblon. The ferry, which had barely reached the Jintotolo Channel between Masbate and Panay, turned back but was overwhelmed by huge waves off San Fernando town in Sibuyan Island and capsized.
Of the ship’s 862 passengers and crew, only 48 survived, while 67 were confirmed dead and 747 remain missing.
Herrera, Carlos, Ravena, Guidicelli, Sy, Bumgarmer and Pastor, along with CGA&P, because when Typhoon Frank that hit Luzon and Visayas on June 17 to 27, 2008 causing severe damage and resulted in at least 1,371 deaths and leaving 87 people missing, a month ahead of the Inquirer Lifestyle Series: Fitness.Fashion with Samsung Fashion Show on July 31, 2008 at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Peninsula Manila in Makati City.
Ferdinand “Enzo” Pastor was a popular Filipino racing champion who had unfinished dreams after a tragic act of violence in the Philippines, Thursday, June 12, 2014.
He was en-route to Clark International Speedway to store his late model cars when two motorcycle riders pulled up to the vehicle and gunned him down. He was 32. It’s a tragic loss for Philippine motorsport, losing one of their strongest advocates. Enzo is survived by his wife Dalia and children, Damien and Xander.
How Do I Reconnect With God?
If we believe not, yet he abides faithful: he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:13, NKJV
How does a person restore a connection with God? That was the question posed by a friend of Guidelines. She struggled in even writing the letter, saying that four years ago she had written asking the same question but never mailed the letter. Now a little girl, three years of age, is asking questions about God, and all of this triggers feelings of remorse and regret.
Like so many who have drifted away from the warmth of the Father's love, this young woman sustained a loss, a big one too. Her brother was brutally murdered, and when this happened her heart cried out, "God, why did you let this happen? Where were you when my brother needed your help?"
Scores of people have been there. Yes, they know that if God undertook every time that one of His children was in need, everybody would want to line up on God's side, just to avoid the pain and disappointment of living in a broken world. I'm thinking of a cartoon that shows a crusader standing over a pagan, his sword resting on the neck of the subdued person, who, looking up says, "Tell me more about your new religion. I'm terribly interested!" Hey, that's the way it would be with the whole world, if we who are Christians always came out on top.
People who once connected with God know that the Bible is full of stories about individuals who were godly people who were mistreated and suffered without cause. Daniel was thrown to the lions. Jeremiah was cast into a slime pit and left to die. Elijah lived in exile with a price on his head. David had to hide out for seven years as Saul sought to kill him.
Down in their hearts people who blame God for what happens know that God isn't the one who caused the problem. They simply have turned and walked away because He didn't reverse the tide of evil or the wickedness which broke the tranquility and order of their lives.
Then a little child begins asking about God, or a friend lies at the point of death, or in the darkness of their souls they begin thinking about how it used to be, how at one time the joy of the Lord was real and when they prayed, the presence of God seemed so close and meaningful.
Here's the question: How do you restore the broken connection with God? Just asking the question, facing the issue, means you recognize the deep longing in your heart to connect with God.
When David realized that the affair with Bathsheba had broken his connection with God, he prayed, pouring out his heart and honestly telling God how he felt. Psalm 51 records this. That's your first step. Realize that God is far more desirous of embracing you and drawing you to Himself than you are to have Him do this.
Gently remind yourself that it was not God who moved. You did. So, come back. Paul wrote Timothy, saying, "Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, he remains faithful to us and will help us, for he cannot disown us who are part of himself, and he will always carry out his promises to us" (2 Timothy 2:13, Living Bible).
Paul is saying that God's nature is that of faithfulness. His love is unchanging, and His desire to have fellowship with you hasn't lessened in spite of your detour from His presence.
Finally, draw a line and step across it. Say, "As for the past, I leave it behind. I choose to walk with the Lord. Get back to church, and dust off your Bible and start reading it. Underline it, memorize it and realize it's God's love letter to you personally.
It's time to restore a broken connection.
Resource reading: Psalm 51:1-19
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/how-do-i-reconnect-with-god/
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
China's state broadcaster CCTV would adopt new logos
