Friday, February 26, 2021
Mabuhay town vice mayor shot dead in Zamboanga Sibugay
The vice mayor of Mabuhay town, Zamboanga Sibugay was killed while two others were wounded in a shooting Friday afternoon near the municipal hall.
Police said Vice-Mayor Restituto Calonge, Engr. Edgar Pampanga and Hdj. Abduhari Gapor were having conversation in Poblacion at 3 p.m., when they were attacked by an armed assailant.
The gunman fired multiple shots using a .45 caliber pistol, killing Calonge on the spot.
Pampanga and Gapor were severely injured and rushed to hospital.
Police said the suspect fled on a motorcycle.
An investigation is ongoing. With a report from Leizle Lacastesantos.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/26/21/mabuhay-town-vice-mayor-shot-dead-in-zamboanga-sibugay
Sakto | Teleradyo (26 February 2021)
Diocesan radio station clears House second reading
THE House of Representatives approved on Wednesday the franchise renewal of Franciscan Broadcasting Corp. on second reading.
On Wednesday’s plenary session, lawmakers approved on second reading House Bill 8741 or an act that will renew the franchise of the Negros-based diocesan radio station for another 25 years. The measure was authored by Negros Oriental Second District Rep. Manuel T. Sagarbarria and Palawan First District Rep. Franz E. Castro.
The bill aims to continue the public service of the company, known for its radio station name DYWC 801 AM kilohertz (khz), by offering its mass-based radio programs for evangelization and news purposes in Negros Oriental.
If legislated, the bill will allow the franchise “to construct, install, operate, and maintain for commercial purposes and in the public interest, radio broadcasting stations where frequencies and channels are still available for radio broadcasting.”
Mr. Sagarbarria called for the bill’s immediate approval, adding that the radio station will continue to cater to the marginalized in far-flung areas of Negros while bringing social awareness to communities.
“DYWC 801 AM khz will continuously improve and develop its radio station through meaningful broadcasting while upholding its mission of DYWC, ‘Do your work for Christ’,” he said in the plenary session. — Gillian M. Cortez
https://www.bworldonline.com/diocesan-radio-station-clears-house-second-reading/
‘Time to split Maguindanao ‘
SEN. Francis Tolentino on Wednesday pushed for the partition of Maguindanao into Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, saying that this will help boost social and economic development and promote political stability in the region.
In his sponsorship speech of House Bill (HB) 6413, Tolentino said that while the province is blessed with rich and abundant natural resources, it faces political and economic barriers.
The chairman of the local government committee stressed that the time is ripe to partition Maguindanao to pave the way for better delivery of basic services such as public health care, education and transportation to the most remote villages.
Under the partition plan, 11 municipalities will make up the province of Maguindanao del Norte and the remaining 25 towns will be part of Maguindanao del Sur.
Municipalities to be included under Maguindanao del Norte are Barira, Buldon, Kabuntalan, Matanog, Parang, Sultan Kudarat, Upi, Sultan Mastura, Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, Northern Kabuntalan and Datu Odin Sinuat which will serve as its capital.
Meanwhile, Maguindanao del Sur will be composed of the municipalities of Ampatuan, 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, Shariff Saydona Mustapha and Buluan, which will be the capital.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/02/25/news/top-stories/time-to-split-maguindanao/845047/
Thursday, February 25, 2021
Where to Find the Courage You Need
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8‑9
When it comes to courage, you cannot chart it. You cannot put it on a line graph. You cannot measure its specific density. When it is displayed, a person is a hero, and when it is missing, a person is called a coward.
Eddie Rickenbacker was a man who knew something of courage. In World War I, he was responsible for downing 26 planes. Rickenbacker said, “Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared.”
Someone defined courage saying, “Courage is fear that has prayed.” Certainly, courage involves action. One of our heroes of medicine is Dr. Werner Forssmann. In 1929, Forssmann, age 25, was a medical student. He was tantalized by the fact that it was impossible to treat certain heart conditions, because in those days, doctors knew practically nothing about the inside of the human heart. People constantly died, condemned to their deaths, because doctors knew so little about the heart.
Forssmann had an idea. He thought his idea might be the answer, so he went to his professors and shared his proposal with them. They were horrified, and expressly forbade his experiment. He was convinced, however, that he was right, and he had the courage to become his own guinea pig. He cut a vein and worked a tiny rubber tube up his arm to his shoulder, and then down to his heart. Then, he walked into the X‑ray room and X‑rayed himself, to be sure the tube had arrived in his heart.
That bold act was the beginning of cardiac catheterization‑‑a technique that has enabled surgeons to X‑ray the heart, measure vessels in the heart and correct defects. Forssmann demonstrated that courage involves action.
In the realm of the spiritual, just as certainly, courage is action. Look at Abraham, who left Ur of the Chaldees with only the promise that God would lead him. Courage is what Elijah had when he stormed into the presence of the king and said, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1).
Courage is what Daniel had when he went into his home, threw back the windows, and prayed three times a day, even though the king had passed a law forbidding prayer. Courage is what Jonah had when he walked into Nineveh, a city of perhaps half a million people, and announced that God would destroy the city in 40 days.
Whether it is medicine, history, or Scripture, people who have accomplished something have been individuals who were courageous, who acted in the face of danger and accomplished what they did not even dare to think.
If ever an hour has come when courage was needed, that hour is upon us. Men and women today must find courage to speak their convictions, to stand for that what is right, to abide by principles, rather than expediency. I must say, however, that individuals who are courageous often pay a price for their courage. It would be a fool who says that courage does not cost, but real courage does not consider the cost. It considers only the rightness of the action that must be taken.
Where do you get courage? Is there a prescription for it? Paul said, “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31). Paul, like any man who stands courageously for a cause, was troubled, yet he could say, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8‑9). Paul could, and so can you, as you thank God and take courage.
Scripture reading: Acts 26
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/where-to-find-the-courage-you-need/
Pagdiriwang ng EDSA Revolution 35th anniversary mas naging simple
(UPDATE) – Dati-rati ay maraming nakikilahok sa anibersaryo ng 1986 People Power Revolution.
Pero sa paglipas ng mga taon at ngayon, dahil na rin sa pandemya, payak ang pagdiriwang sa paggunita ng EDSA Revolution, na nagpalaya sa mga Pilipino sa ilang dekada ng diktadura ni dating Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos.
Wala rin ang mga kilalang personalidad sa likod ng makasaysayang pangyayari sa seremonyang idinaos nitong Huwebes sa EDSA People Power Monument sa Quezon City.
Pero naroon si Antonio Mendoza, na nanggaling pa sa Binangonan, Rizal.
"Para pong nilimot na nila ang ating tagumpay na tayo’y makalaya sa pagkakagapos noon pong panahon po ng mga Marcos," ani Mendoza.
Wala rin ang tradisyunal na salubong sa EDSA.
Nag-alay na lang ng bulaklak ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno sa People Power Monument, sabay ng pagkanta ng mga awiting sumikat noon.
Ayon kay EDSA People Power Commission Chairman Rene Escalante, isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit mas naging payak ang pagdiriwang ngayon taon ay ang pandemya.
"Alam natin na restricted pa ang social gatherings, at isaalang-alang natin na ang mga key players ng EDSA ay may edad na at ipinagbabawal nang lumabas," ani Escalante.
Para naman kay dating Pangulong Fidel Ramos, isang haligi ng EDSA, hamon ngayon sa lahat na panatilihin ang pagiging makabayan at ipagpatuloy ang diwa ng People Power Revolution.
Hindi pa tapos ang rebolusyon at marami pang dapat gawin hanggang sa tuluyang matamasa ng bawat Pinoy ang tunay na kalayaan, ani Ramos.
Sa mensahe naman ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, sinabi niyang nawa'y magsilbing paalala ang EDSA sa pagtatanggol at pagpo-protekta ng demokrasya at karapatan ng bawat Pilipino.
Sumentro naman ang mensahe ni Vice President Leni Robredo sa pagkakaisa sa gitna ng umiiral na pandemya.
Cultural event ng mga kabataan
Samantala, nagtipon-tipon naman ang mga grupo ng mga kabataan sa University of the Philippines-Diliman para sa isang cultural event kasabay ng pagdiriwang ng anibersaryo ng People Power Revolution.
Nag-alay ang mga kabataan ng mga kanta, tula at talumpati.
Ayon kay Precy Dagooc, spokesperson ng Youth for Nationalism and Democracy, pagsasabuhay nila ito sa student activism at malayang pag-iisip, na isa sa mga itinuro sa kabatan ng EDSA Revolution.
Aminado si Dagooc, hindi lahat ng kabataan sa bagong henerasyon ay nauunawaan ang diwa ng EDSA People Power kaya nagsisikap ang kanilang grupo na maipaliwanag ito.
"Challenge din po talaga kung paano natin ipapahatid ang katotohanan sa mga kabataan sa mga panahon ngayon na ang social media ay nandiyan na rin ang access sa information pero nand'yan na rin ang access sa misinformation," aniya.
Magsasagawa rin ang grupo ng online cultural event.
– May ulat nina Johnson Manabat at Arra Perez, ABS-CBN News
Wearing of face shields in Palawan plebiscite voluntary: Comelec
By Ferdinand Patinio
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is only encouraging voters in the March 13 plebiscite for the proposed division of Palawan province to wear face shields.
Juan Gonzales, election officer of Kalayaan, Palawan, said Thursday they do not want to disenfranchise people in the province particularly those in the far-flung areas of the province.
“They are so many, let us say they are in the farthest islands. We know that Palawan is divided by islands. There is no supply of face shield in their areas, which might be the reason for them not to participate or the people from the mountains, or our native brothers, who cannot afford to buy rice. This is also for their equal rights,” Gonzales said in a virtual press conference.
He said they encourage those who can afford to buy face shields to wear one for the safety of other voters.
He, however, said the wearing of face mask is mandatory for all voters.
“The wearing of face mask is mandatory whether they are poor or rich. Before entering the polling precinct or inside voting centers they have to wear their face masks on,” he added.
“Let me reiterate that the wearing of face shield is not a requirement but the voters are encouraged to wear one for your own health security,” Gonzales said.
Pursuant to Republic Act 11259, Palawan will be holding a plebiscite next month to determine whether or not it would be divided into three separate provinces -- Palawan Oriental, Palawan del Norte, and Palawan del Sur.
[Infographics] 16 Indonesian E-commerce Companies That Have Died Since the 2000s
The Indonesian e-commerce industry looks very prospective, but not all players in it have managed to reap the benefits.
The handicraft e-marketplace platform called Qlapa finally closed its operating services after being active for almost 4 years in the country's e-commerce industry. Qlapa is not the first to come out of this internet-based trading industry. In fact, there are many companies that have passed in the realm of Indonesian e-commerce. Using recorded data from the Wayback Machine, the iPrice team summarizes e-commerce companies since the 2000s that have existed but have collapsed.
MULTIPLY
In the 2008-2010 period, Multiply was able to become a very popular social media network in Indonesia. With the intense user activity, Multiply tries to apply the e-commerce business strategy on its website. Moreover, Naspers, which is Multiply's main investor, wants to develop the e-commerce industry in Indonesia.
A marketplace platform called Multiply Commerce was released in 2011. To show its commitment to e-commerce development, Multiply also moved its office from Florida, U.S.A. to Jakarta, Indonesia. Unfortunately, the change in business strategy to become a marketplace platform did not bring any significant benefits.
One of the reasons is because Multiply is unable to respond to the problems that arise among users in the transition from the social networking business model to e-commerce. Until then Naspers stopped all investment in Multiply and switched to Tokobagus. Multiply inevitably closed its operations on May 31, 2013.
On June 10, 2014, it has filed for corporate rehabilitation to seek protection from its creditors. The company filed the petition for rehabilitation before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC). At that time, the website's social networking portion had a network of 18 million users. Liquidity problems, however, affected earnings. Sales declined from its peak of P20 billion in 2013 to just about P1 billion in July 2020.
It had suffered from a drop in new orders amid a slump in the E-commerce and social networking sector. Multiply also reportedly laid off some 12,000 workers on February 28, 2014.
Long overdue: Dividing Maguindanao into 2 provinces to spur development, Tolentino says
Administration Senator Francis Tolentino has insisted that time is already ripe to partition Maguindanao and pave the way for better delivery of basic services such as public health care, education, and transportation to the most remote villages.
In his sponsorship speech for a consolidated measure—Senate Bill Nos. 1274, 1714, and 1824 respectively—which all seek to partition Maguindanao into two separate provinces under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Tolentino said dividing the province will help boost social and economic development, as well as promote political stability.
The consolidated measures aim to divide Maguindanao into Northern Maguindanao and Southern Maguindanao.
Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government, stressed that although the province is blessed with rich and abundant natural resources—including the Liguasan Marsh—it faces political and economic barriers.
Under the proposed partition plan, 11 municipalities will compose the province of Northern Maguindanao, while the remaining 25 towns will be part of Southern Maguindanao.
Municipalities to be included under Northern Maguindanao would be Barira, Buldon, Datu Blah Sinsuat, Kabuntalan, Matanog, Northern Kabuntalan, Parang, North Upi, Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura, and Datu Odin Sinsuat, which will serve as its capital.
Meanwhile, Southern Maguindanao will be composed of the towns of Ampatuan, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Datu Hoffer 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, South Upi, while the seat of power will be at Buluan.
The legislative measure for the partition of Maguindanao, according to Tolentino, is the embodiment of the Maguindanaoans’ vision and aspirations to create new provincial governments which will promote their welfare and enhance their socio-economic condition.
He added that diving Maguindanao will not only help boost the income and economic growth in the region but also allow the local leaders to focus more on the needs of their constituents. (CMC)
Comelec drops mandatory use of face shield in Palawan poll
Participants in the upcoming plebiscite in Palawan next month will no longer be required to wear face shields in voting precincts.
The Commission on Election (Comelec) made decision to prevent possible disfranchisement in the plebiscite scheduled on March 13, 2021.
“This is just a new order so that marginalized sectors and vulnerable sectors, who might be deprived to vote [because of the face shield requirement]. We know some of them live in islands or mountain, where they have no access [to face shields],” Kalayaan Election Officer Juan Gonzales said in an online news briefing on Thursday.
He, however, urged Palawan voters, who will be able to buy face shields to wear the protective gear during the exercise to help further minimize the spread of Covid infection.
The election official also stressed that the wearing of facemasks will be mandatory for all voters before they could enter polling precincts or voting centers.
Comelec will also be strictly implementing social distancing measures in voting precincts by limiting the number of voters in the said venue to just five at any given time.
The conduct of the plebiscite will determine the possible ratification of Republic Act (RA) No. 11259, or An Act Dividing the Province of Palawan Into Three (3) Provinces, Namely: Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur.
Over 490,000 voters are expected to participate in the event, where Comelec is expected to test its new protocols for the conduct of the 2022 National and Local election protocols amid the pandemic.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/02/25/comelec-drops-mandatory-use-of-face-shield-in-palawan-poll/
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
What’s Blinding You from Seeing Jesus in Your Life?
If any one chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. John 7:17
There was something about the stranger who walked with those two men, which fascinated them. The location was a dusty road that led from Jerusalem to Emmaus. It happened almost 2000 years ago. Jesus of Nazareth had taught the multitudes for three years. He had done some fantastic things. He had healed the lame and the blind. He had taken a little boy’s lunch and then fed a multitude of more than 5,000 men, to say nothing of the number of women and children.
At first, everyone was skeptical. After all, the day of miracles had ceased, so when Jesus first began His work, people watched for the trick. Perhaps the blind man was not really blind, or it was just a big act. But as the skeptics watched, they became convinced, not only by what they saw, but by what they heard, as well. Jesus of Nazareth spoke as no other man had ever spoken. He said things no other would dare to say, and He did it with perfect authority. He made claims such as, “I came from God and now am here” (John 8:42). Again, He said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). All of those things together caused thousands of men and women to claim Him as the Messiah‑‑the long awaited deliverer.
The two men who walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus that day, long ago, were talking about all of the events that caused them to believe Jesus was the Savior. “Things were going so well,” they said. “Yes, we thought it had been He who would deliver Israel.” But on that Passover, public sentiment, fickle public opinion, turned, and they crucified this Jesus of Nazareth. That is when it all ended for those two. When Christ died, they were through, and with bitter remorse and confusion, they decided to call it quits.
As they walked and discussed these things, a stranger appeared to them and they poured out their hearts. They told how two women had gone to the grave and it was empty, but this they could not believe. The interesting twist to this story begins when Luke (who records the event) says, “As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:15,16). But as they walked and talked, the stranger began to explain what had happened in terms they could understand. They invited Him to dinner and suddenly the mystery was over.
Luke says, “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (Luke 24:30-31). It was the resurrected Christ who walked with them, and they knew Him not.
That was two thousand years ago, yet it is still true today. Sometimes it is the impact of 21st century materialism that blinds our eyes and keeps us from recognizing the resurrected Savior. Sometimes it is the aura of “intellectualism” that keeps us in the dark. Sometimes we are so preoccupied with ourselves that we never discover the resurrected Christ. A story so old, yet new every day.
How about your life? Have you discovered that Christ will reveal Himself to you and that He will walk with you through life? It may be that your eyes have been blinded by unbelief and that you have never discovered who He is and what He promises to you. Jesus challenged, “If any one chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17). “Prove it to your satisfaction,” invites the Savior. Start reading with the Gospel of John and, I can assure you, you will see who He really is.
Scripture reading: Luke 24
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/whats-blinding-you-from-seeing-jesus-in-your-life/