Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Why Doesn’t Evil Get Punished?
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Psalm 91:8, KJV
Question: Why does the guilty one seem to get away with wrongdoing? Ever ask yourself that? There are times when it appears that the real winner is the liar, the cheat, the scoundrel—at least at the onset. Take, for example, the woman who asks the penetrating question about the betrayal of her husband. She writes, “Why isn’t he suffering, why is he getting away without any pain. He sinned, he caused the pain and yet I’m the one walking through the fire, and I’m the one carrying around the scars from the burns.”
Long ago the psalmist affirmed: “Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked” (Psalm 91:8, KJV). What appears to be their reward is short-lived.
David was also troubled by the issue of the bad guy seeming to win. In Psalm 37 he talks at length about the wicked. Fourteen times he alludes to them in one way or another—how they take advantage of the poor, how they seem to amass wealth, and how they appear to get ahead of the person with integrity and honor. Yet, says David, their gain is short-lived. They die and face judgment while the righteous not only lie down at night with a clear conscience but will have peace and inherit the land. “Better the little that the righteous have,” he says, “than the wealth of many wicked” (Psalm 37:16).
Does the individual who does wrong get away with no apparent pain or guilt–say, for example, the man who walks out on his wife and children for a younger woman—”What I’ve always wanted!” he boasts, rejecting the tears and pleas of his wife and children not to leave? Sometimes—at least so it appears. Short term gains with long term consequences, however, eventually crumble and decay.
OK, then, why does God allow sinful men to take advantage of their families? Why doesn’t He stop them from doing this? That’s the old question of why does God allow evil in the world?
Why didn’t God keep Adam and Eve from taking the forbidden fruit? The simple but not completely satisfying answer is because He made us in His image, giving us a will to choose right or wrong, and thus making our love for Him and our choices for right and good meaningful.
God gave you a choice: do right or do wrong. Choose good or evil. But He taught us that with every choice come consequences, and though at the end of the day, the gavel may not be slammed down on evil, there comes the eventual judgment of God when the dead, both small and great, stand before Him and are judged according to their deeds.
Pain and heartache take your mind from the whole and focuses it only on your immediate loss, much like a toothache that hurts but isn’t as serious as if you had chest pains signaling a heart attack.
Forgiving the person who has wronged you takes you beyond that pain and helps you find healing. To forgive isn’t saying, “What you did is OK,” rather it is saying, “I put the wrong you have done in God’s hands. He can deal with you. I’m getting on with my life.” And when you do that, whether or not the person who wronged you is getting off without punishment, it pales. And He is far more capable of meting out judgement than we are. Remember, God will have His payday someday.
Resource reading: Psalm 37
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/why-doesnt-evil-get-punished/
Lolo sa Iloilo natagpuang patay, pinagbabaril sa loob ng bahay
AJUY, Iloilo — Patay na nang matagpuan ang isang lalaki sa loob ng kanyang bahay sa Barangay Badiangan sa bayan na ito noong Martes ng hapon.
Nakilala ang biktima na si Hendry Debaja, 62.
Sa imbestigasyon ng Ajuy police, nakita na lamang ng kapitbahay ang biktima na nakahandusay sa sahig at wala ng buhay.
May mga nakitang tama ng baril sa ulo at leeg ng biktima matapos suriin ng Scene of Crime Operatives (SOCO).
Narekober din sa lugar ang 2 basyo ng bala na pinaniniwalaang nanggaling sa 9mm caliber pistol.
Patuloy pa ang pagtukoy ng awtoridad sa salarin at motibo sa krimen.
—Ulat ni Rolen Escaniel
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/31/21/lolo-sa-iloilo-natagpuang-patay-pinagbabaril-sa-loob-ng-bahay
2 suspek sa pagpatay ng guro sa Oriental Mindoro arestado
Arestado ang 2 lalaki na sinasabing responsable sa pagpatay sa isang 29 anyos na guro sa Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro gabi ng Martes.
Ayon kay Lt. Col. Timoteo Esperitu, hepe ng Calapan police, nahuli sa follow-up operation sa Barangay Lumangbayan sa bayan ng Baco ang 2 suspek na may edad 30 at 33 anyos.
Narekober sa mga suspek ang isang kalibre .45 na baril, rifle, mga bala at motorsiklo.
Ayon kay Esperitu, nakilala ng ina ng biktimang si Mark Linniel Balita ang mga suspek dahil nakababa ang mga face mask nila nang barilin ang biktima.
Tumangging magbigay ng pahayag ang mga suspek kaya hindi pa rin matukoy ang motibo sa pagpatay kay Balita, na guro sa Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology.
Bago mag-alas-7 ng gabi noong Martes, tinambangan ng riding-in-tandem ang kotseng sinasakyan nina Balita.
Dead on the spot ang guro habang nakaligtas ang kaniyang ina at kapatid.
Ang biktima ay pinsan din ng radio anchor at negosyanteng si Carl Balita.
-- Ulat ni Dennis Datu, ABS-CBN News
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/31/21/2-suspek-sa-pagpatay-ng-guro-sa-oriental-mindoro-arestado
Cagayan town logs 1st COVID-19 case after a year without infection
(UPDATE) Santa Praxedes town in Cagayan recorded its first COVID-19 case after avoiding an infection for a year.
The town's health unit said in its Facebook page that an overseas Filipino worker who arrived from Saudi Arabia tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, after undergoing a swab test on Saturday, March 27.
The female migrant worker reportedly tested negative for the virus in Manila so she was allowed to go home to Santa Praxedes. According to the rural health unit, she was exposed to the COVID-19 infected van driver.
She also had co-passengers in the van, but they went home to the towns of Abulug and Claveria.
The Santa Praxedes local government said no other resident in the town was exposed to the OFW since she was immediately sent to an isolation unit.
She is asymptomatic, the rural health unit said, and has been transferred to the DOH Community Isolation Unit in Tuguegarao City.
Santa Praxedes officials said they would be implementing strict quarantine protocols in the following days to avoid further COVID-19 transmission. — Report from Harris Julio
Gov. Hernandez: Laguna hospitals ‘getting full’ as COVID-19 cases surge
Hospitals in Laguna are "getting full" due to rising COVID-19 cases, the provincial governor said Wednesday.
Laguna is included in the NCR Plus bubble, along with Metro Manila, Cavite, and Bulacan, which was placed under enhanced community quarantine until Easter Sunday.
"Medyo napupuno na po ang mga ospital natin. We have 9 provincial hospitals at continuous po ang monitoring dahil marami po talagang pasyente ang pumapasok," Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
(Our hospitals are getting full. We have 9 provincial hospitals that we continuously monitor because there are many patients coming in.)
Some 2.7 million low-income families in the province will receive assistance from government for the weeklong strict lockdown, he added.
"Wala pa pong eksaktong petsa. Kailangan matanggap muna ng LGUs (local government units) ang pera. Ang local government handa iimplement agad yan," Hernandez said.
(There's no exact date yet. LGUs just need to receive the money. They are ready to hand them out immediately.)
"Bukod sa assistance na matatagap sa national government . . . Meron pa naman po tayong pondo na pwedeng i-suspend, pondo sa ibang programa ilipat sa mas urgent na bagay."
(Besides assistance from national government, we have funds we can suspend and transfer to more urgent measures.)
Hospitals in Metro Manila are projected to reach full capacity by the first week of April if government fails to slow down COVID-19 transmission.
Patients will then be referred to hospitals outside the capital region, officials earlier said.
Ika-500 anibersaryo ng unang Easter Mass sa Pilipinas, ipagdiriwang
Inanyayahan ng Archdiocese of Manila ang lahat ng Katoliko na ipagdiwamg ngayong Miyerkoles ang ika-500 anibersaryo ng unang Easter Mass sa Pilipinas.
Ang selebrasyon ng isa sa mga mahalagang parte ng kasaysayan ng bansa ay pwedeng panoorin sa pamamagitan ng pagdalo sa online mass live sa Limasawa sa Southern Leyte.
Alas-10 ng umaga ang misa at inaasahan na pupunta ang Apostolic Nuncio o ang representative ng Santo Papa sa Pilipinas.
Todo paghahanda na ang ginagawa ng Diocese of Maasin para sa selebrasyon. Ang pilgrim image ng Santo Niño de Cebu ay dumating na sa lungsod ng Maasin at dadalhin ito sa Limasawa Island para sa misa. Magkakaroon din ng fluvial procession mula sa mainland ng Southern Leyte papunta sa isla.
Naging kontrobersyal ang pagpili sa Limasawa bilang lugar kung saan naganap ang unang Easter Mass sa Pilipinas. Pero matapos ang ilang taong research, aprubado ng gobyerno at ng Simbahan na noong March 31, 1521, nangyari ang misa sa Limasawa.
Bahagi ito ng Quincentennal Commemorations sa Pilipinas at ng 500 taon ng Kristiyanismo sa bansa.--Ulat ni Jekki Pascual, ABS-CBN News
Pulis na nagpaputok ng baril dahil sa 'sama ng loob', arestado sa Isabela
Arestado ang isang pulis matapos itong ireklamo ng pagpapaputok ng baril sa Barangay Labinab, Cauayan City, Isabela nitong Lunes ng gabi.
Kinilala ang naaresto na si Police Master Sergeant Ambrocio Albano, 34, na residente rin sa nasabing lugar at kasapi ngayon ng Luna Police Station.
Ayon sa Cauayan City Police, nakatanggap sila ng sumbong mula sa isang concerned citizen tungkol sa narinig nilang magkakasunod na putok ng baril.
Agad rumesponde ang mga pulis sa lugar na nagresulta sa pagkakadakip sa suspek.
Narekober sa pag-iingat niya ang kalibre 9mm service firearm na inisyu sa kaniya ng pamahalaan.
Nakuha rin sa pinangyarihan ng insidente ang pitong basyo ng bala.
Wala naman napaulat na nasaktan o nasugtan sa pangyayari.
Ayon sa Cauayan City Police, inamin ng suspek ang kaniyang ginawa na naging paraan lang umano niya para maglabas ng sama ng loob matapos silang magkaroon ng pagtatalo ng kaniyang ama.
Posibleng maharap sa kasong administratibo ang naarestong pulis na napag-alamang galing ng National Capital Region at isang taon pa lamang na nadestino sa Luna Police Station.
- ulat ni Harris Julio
Locsin, 3 other ASEAN foreign ministers to visit China, says China’s foreign ministry
The Philippines' chief diplomat and 3 other Southeast Asian foreign ministers will be visiting China from March 31 to April 2, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Locsin's trip comes amid the continuing presence of Chinese vessels at the Julian Felipe Reef in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying, during her regular press conference on Tuesday, said Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Locsin will be visiting China at the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Locsin has yet to confirm the development.
Hua said the visit is expected to strengthen the ties between China and the member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN relations.
The Philippines has protested the presence of around 200 Chinese vessels at the Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun Reef) since March 7, and demanded that China withdraw them.
Retired Philippine Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio warned it could lead to occupation and building of a naval base on the reef as China did on Mischief Reef in 1995.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila denied allegations the vessels are part of Beijing's militia, describing them as fishing vessels taking shelter due to “rough sea conditions.” It also insisted that the reef is part of their territory.
The United States, Japan, Australia, Canada and United Kingdom have expressed their concern over the Chinese incursion in the West Philippine Sea.
China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea, of which the West Philippine Sea is a part, had been invalidated by a United Nations-backed arbitration court in 2016.
China has been criticized for aggressively asserting its claims in the marine resources- and energy-rich waterways, and militarizing features there.
China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei all claim parts of the South China Sea.
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Guidelines To Grow A Deeper Relationship With God
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” John 7:37
In a Judean wilderness, David cried out, “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). At the time, David was being hunted by Saul, who felt that he was a threat to his kingdom, and at times David became weary in body, wondering if he would ever find peace. No doubt he wondered if he would ever be able to go back home to Bethlehem and sleep without concern for his safety.
Yet David did not say that he longed for the comforts of home and a taste of his mother’s cooking. No, he cries out that his soul is thirsty for the Almighty in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Question: Do you have times in your life when you grow weary of the battle and your soul cries out to God? You long to know Him in a deeper and more intimate way, stripping away the layers of misunderstanding and perhaps fear which has kept you at a comfortable distance? David said that his body, his innermost being, longed for God–something intense and deeply personal.
Have you ever considered the possibility that it was God who placed that yearning, that deep longing in your heart so that He Himself could fill it? God not only created the thirst but knew that He was the only thing which could satisfy the deep longing within.
How does God satisfy that longing within your heart? Or what should we do to know Him more intimately and personally? Have you discovered when you are really thirsty, sugary products just don’t satisfy? You don’t want coke or syrupy juices which are half sugar. What you want is water—crystal clear, pure, and cool. Nothing satisfies like a refreshing drink of water on a hot day.
Guideline #1: If you want to satisfy the deep longing in your heart for God, get rid of the sugary substitutes—the claptrap of religion, the trappings of ceremony, and the tinsel of pseudo-spiritual experiences. Paul spoke of the washing of water by the Word. He was talking of the purity of the Word which lets you know and experience God as He is.
Guideline #2: To know God intimately, get off media and strive to insulate yourself from the noise that keeps you from hearing His voice. There’s a place in the Rocky Mountains which I will probably never see again, but it will never escape my memory. It’s almost at timberline where oxygen deprivation stunts the growth of trees, and above that altitude, about all you find is granite rocks and a few stunted shrubs. From a rocky outcrop which I dubbed “pulpit rock” there is a majestic view of stunning scenery. I’ll never forget several afternoons when I sat there with an open Bible and thought of God and His working in my life. We need those quiet times, those personal intimate times without telephones, little children’s voices, and the din and noise of traffic.
Guideline #3: To experience God in a real way, tell Him of the deep longing in your heart to know Him and to feel His might and power. In another Psalm David cried, “I reach out for you. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain” (Psalm 143:6, Living Bible). Rather graphic, right? “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink'” (John 7:37). Only God could say that.
Be sure that the thirst in your soul for God is there because He wants to satisfy that and nothing else will ever do.
Resource reading: Psalm 63.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/guidelines-to-grow-a-deeper-relationship-with-god/
Erap's health improving after hospitalization due to COVID-19: Jinggoy
Former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada’s medical condition has improved 2 days since he was confined after contracting COVID-19, his eldest son former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, said Tuesday.
The former president’s oxygenation level improved to 95-98 percent, from Sunday evening’s 85 percent, the younger Estrada told ABS-CBN News in a virtual interview.
"Right now he's (Estrada) is improving... Nag-Facetime kami kanina, he’s very lucid… Gusto na niyang umuwi at okay na raw siya," Jinggoy said.
Despite some improvement, the former senator said it is still too early to say that his father "is already off the hook" since doctors still need to further observe the Estrada patriarch's condition in the next 3 to 4 days.
"Doctors have been updating me of his medical condition… Napakarami pang mga test na kailangan pang gawin," he said.
(He still has to undergo a lot of tests.)
"Ako’y nananawagan sa ating mga kababayan. Kami po ay isama ninyo sa dasal... Sana po malagpasan po nya ito," he said.
(I'm appealing to the public. Please include us in your prayers. I hope he can get through this.)
The former Manila mayor may have contracted COVID-19 from some of the people who visited their house, he said.
"Hindi naman lumalabas ang dad ko eh. Lagi lang siyang nasa bahay. Ang suspetsa ko, 'yung mga visitor na pumupunta sa bahay," Jinggoy said.
(My dad never goes out. He is just at home. I suspect that it came from one of those who visited him at home.)
"Siguro one of them was positive… Alam mo naman ang dad ko, he’s very fond of entertaining people. Sanay siyang marami siyang kausap," he said.
(Maybe one of them was positive... You know my dad, he's very fond of entertaining people. He's used to talking to a lot of people.)
The Estrada family - Jinggoy, his mom former Sen. Loi Ejercito, his wife Precy, his siblings Jackie and Jude, and their children - are in quarantine since they were all exposed to the former president.
So far, none of the family members are displaying any symptoms of COVID-19, Jinggoy said.
"My mom is doing fine. She had this nasty fall last year before the start of the pandemic and she fractured her left arm kaya lang hanggang ngayon hindi pa sya nakaka-recover sa kanyang fracture," he said.
(My mom is doing fine. She had this nasty fall last year before the start of the pandemic and she fractured her left arm but until now she hasn't recovered from that fracture.)
"But siyempre kailangan din nating ingatan dahil na-expose din sya sa dad ko dahil kasama siya sa kwarto kasama 'yung mga nurse," he said.
(We also have to take care of her because she was also exposed to my dad because she and some nurses were with him in a room.)
Estrada's eldest son urged other relatives to "give respect" to their family when it comes to providing updates about the medical condition of the former president.
He made gave the comment a day after his half-brother, former Sen. JV Ejercito, tweeted about a supposed phone conversation with one sibling that "didn’t turn out well."
The call was supposedly made after Ejercito granted a media interview about their father's health.
Estrada said it was not him who called up Ejercito, but maintains his call for their other relatives to give them that utmost respect.
"Sa amin nag-a-update 'yung mga doctor atsaka constant communication naman kami ng dad ko," he said.
(It is us who receives the updates from doctors and we are in constant communication with our dad.)
"Respeto na lang sana sa amin… Wala naman akong away sa mga kapatid. I get along with all of them. Sana naman pagdating sa ganitong sitwasyon, respeto na lang sana," he said.
(I hope they give us some respect... I don't have any feuds with my siblings. I get along with all of them. But when it comes to these situations, I hope they just respect us.)
Jinggoy, Jackie and Jude are Estrada's children with former first lady Loi Ejercito, while JV is Erap's son with former actress-turned-politician Guia Gomez.
The former president also has 2 children with former actress Peachy Osorio namely Joel Eduardo and Teresita.
His children with another actress, Laarni Enriquez, are Jerika, Juan Emilio and Jacob, while Jason and Joma Ejercito were sons from 2 other women.
Palace extends 'get well' wishes to ex-President Estrada
Malacañang on Tuesday extended well wishes to former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada after he tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque expressed hope that Estrada would immediately recover from the virus.
“We wish former President Erap Estrada to please get well soon. Alamat po kayo dito sa Pilipinas (You are a legend in the Philippines),” he said in a Palace press briefing.
He said he was looking forward to see Estrada back in public life when he gets better.
“We want to see you healthy and we want you to take part in the public life of the country for a very long period of time,” he added.
On Monday, former Senator Jinggoy Estrada announced that his father had contracted Covid-19.
The younger Estrada said his father was rushed to the hospital March 28 due to body weakness. He is now in stable condition.
According to Estrada’s other son, former Senator JV Ejercito, there was no space available at the time, so his father was forced to spend the night in the emergency room.
“Please pray for my father who has tested positive for Covid-19 and was rushed to the hospital. Please pray for all those who are likewise fighting this virus,” Ejercito said.
Estrada’s other son celebrity, Jake Ejercito, also announced the news over Twitter and sought prayers for their father.
“Our dad, former president Joseph Estrada, tested positive for Covid-19. He’s now confined in a hospital and is in stable condition. Please pray for his recovery and the recovery of everyone affected by the virus,” Jake said.
Estrada was president from 1998 to 2001 and was ousted after a series of protests on EDSA held from January 16 to 20, 2001 amid his trial for plunder charges.
He also served as mayor of the city of Manila from 2013 to 2019.
The country is currently grappling with a spike in Covid-19 cases, particularly in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal and Cavite, which have been placed under the most strict quarantine classification until April. 4.
As of Monday, the country has recorded 731,894 confirmed Covid-19 cases of which 603,213 are recoveries with 13,186 recorded deaths.
The country has also set a new record for single-day increases in Covid-19 cases with 10,016 new infections on Monday.
Monday, March 29, 2021
The Only Way To Change Selfishness
Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:42
Someone handed the following to me written by an anonymous hand. It’s labeled, “The Toddler’s Creed.” It reads, “If I want it, it’s mine. If I give it to you and change my mind later, it’s mine. If I can take it away from you, it’s mine. If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine. If it’s mine, it will never belong to anyone else, no matter what. If we are building something together, all the toys they are mine. If it looks just like mine, it’s mine.” Any parent who has ever tried to mediate between siblings, both of whom are shouting, “It’s mine!” has to smile.
“It’s mine!” Not only kids say that. The same refrain can be heard in the halls of the U.N. General Assembly, in courts where people battle each other for possession of an inheritance, as well as on sandlots where children play.
That same underlying attitude of selfishness – “I want it; it’s mine!” – is the greatest foe of happiness in life and marriages. A reporter once asked me what I felt was the greatest problem in marriage, and I answered, “selfishness,” she didn’t seem greatly impressed. The answer she wanted, I think, was something like, “Infidelity!” giving adultery a vicious blast, loudly thumping the table with my fist for good effect. Or she would have liked my saying something like, “The biggest problem in marriage today is a lack of communication,” or sexual adjustment, or whatever. No matter what the symptom is which you may describe, the bottom line is just the same as in the Toddler’s Creed—selfishness: “I want my needs satisfied first!”
A lot of folks are charter members of the AMYF Club, having enrolled as toddlers, though the stakes get higher as we grow older. Sorry, you haven’t heard of the AMYF Club, right? It’s an acrostic for “After Me, You’re First!” But never satisfying our selfish thirst, you never get your turn, so I’m always first.
There is but one thing that changes selfishness to generosity. No, not the threat of, “If you don’t stop doing that, I’m going to take my toys and go home!” That doesn’t work. The only chemical strong enough to erode the forces of selfishness is the grace of God. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” wrote Paul (2 Corinthians 5:17). The grace of God changes dispositions. But I have to add, it always isn’t a one-shot, immediate “from-grabbing-to-giving” sort of thing. It is an ongoing work of grace which the Bible calls sanctification, as God keeps chipping off the rough edges, reminding us of our brashness, our rudeness, and our selfishness.
Overcoming the gravitational pull of our old selfish natures isn’t overcome by doing a single act of generosity, over which you pompously crow. It’s a lifestyle which is marked by humility, an understanding of who you really are, and the desire to let God love people through you.
Paul wrote about his young friend and understudy, Timothy of Lystra, in Asia Minor, saying, “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:20,21).
There is hope, friend. A bumper sticker reads, “Practice random acts of kindness!” Though I’m not exactly sure just what that means, I think it’s moving in the right direction!
Resource reading: Philippians 2:1-11
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/the-only-way-to-change-selfishness/
DTI appeals to limit ECQ duration to 1 week only
The Department of Trade and Industry has appealed that the one-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) stay within the March 29-April 4 period, stressing more companies and workers are in dire need to get back to their livelihood and business amid high unemployment in the country.
DTI Undersecretary Ireneo Vizmonte said this when asked if employers and businesses can still afford a one week closure or minimal operation at the Laging Handa Public briefing.
Vizmonte said the DTI hopes that the National Capital Region or NCR Plus bubble ECQ (Metro Manila and neighboring provinces Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan) be limited to the Holy Week period only as he stressed that there are lots Filipinos with no work even during the general community quarantine (GCQ), a more relaxed quarantine status. The ECQ is the most stringent quarantine or lockdown.
Because of the high unemployment in the country, Vizmonte said that DTI has appealed to limit the ECQ period to one week only to enable workers and businesses to get back to their businesses and livelihood and workers earn income again.
Unlike the GCQ status, more establishments cannot open their operations during the ECQ period thus affecting more workers. Only essential activities are allowed to operate under the ECQ.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development is preparing some relief provisions to affected constituents while the micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are offered interest free and collateral-free loans of up to P100,000 through the CARES Program of the SB Corp., the micro financing arm of the government.
In terms of food supply, Vizmonte said that DTI has made sure that the Inter Agency Task Force allows unhampered 100 percent operations of food suppliers and food manufacturers/processors to ensure that the shelves at grocery stores and supermarkets are filled up.
Producers of essential products, particularly hygiene, and daily needs and pharma, construction and those in export industries are allowed 100 percent capacity.
Also allowed to operate are essential activities like water refilling supplies, food commissaries, eateries but limited to delivery services, public and private financial providers that provide social amelioration channels, IT-business process management firms, and export-oriented firms.
Media establishments are allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity. Also allowed to operate with skeletal workforce are dental and optometry clinics, veterinary, bank transfers pawnshops, armored vehicles, and credit cooperatives and many more.
The capital markets, banks, health insurance providers, energy and power firms, telcos, and Internet service providers, cable and TV, airline, aircraft maintenance, funeral and embalming services, religious services (priests, rabbis and pastors), printing establishments allowed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, security personnel, repair maintenance of machineries, and real estate activities limited to leasing only.
https://mb.com.ph/2021/03/29/dti-appeals-to-limit-ecq-duration-to-1-week-only/
Gov't thinks of people's 'total health' amid calls to extend ECQ
By Azer Parrocha
The “total health” of the nation will be the top consideration in deciding whether to extend the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or reverted back to general community quarantine (GCQ) placed in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces beyond April 4, Malacañang said on Monday.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the proposal to extend the week-long ECQ is still under discussion among members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
He said there would need to be a delicate balance act between curbing the spike in Covid-19 cases and preventing more Filipinos from going hungry and losing jobs.
“Maselan po talaga iyong decision making, hindi naman po pupuwede na sa pagnanais natin na mapabagal talaga ang Covid-19, mas marami naman ang mamatay dahil sa kagutuman at iba pang mga dahilan bukod po sa Covid-19. Total health po ang ating target (It will be a delicate decision-making process because we can’t just aim to slow down the spread of Covid-19 when others die of hunger and other non-Covid-19 diseases. The nation’s total health is our target),” he said in a Palace press briefing.
The national government’s ability to provide cash aid, he said, will also be among the considerations on deciding whether to extend the week-long ECQ.
Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said the government is eyeing the distribution of one-time cash aid to around 22.9 million beneficiaries in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.
The potential beneficiaries account for 80 percent of the low-income households in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces placed under ECQ.
“Titingnan din po natin siyempre iyong kakayahan na magbigay pa nang malawakang assistance kasi napakadami pong bibigyan ng assistance (Of course we also need to see our ability to provide large-scale assistance because there would be a lot of people that would be given assistance),” Roque said.
In an interview over ANC’s Headstart, Roque said the national government reimposed the ECQ as a “last resort” to curb the spike in Covid-19 cases and reduce the strain on the country’s healthcare system.
“We resort to ECQ as an absolute last resort where it appears inevitable that the hospitals will be overwhelmed,” he said.
However, Roque admitted that a week-long ECQ will not be enough to continuously bring Covid-19 cases down.
“Hindi masyado natin mapabababa rin ang numero ng mga kaso maski pa tayo po’y mag-extend ng ECQ. Kaya binabalanse po natin ngayon iyan, kinukonsidera natin iyong total health ng ating mga kababayan, iyong cost-benefit analysis in terms of iyong mga karagdagang Pilipinong magugutom at mamamatay sa iba pang mga dahilan bukod po sa Covid-19 (We won’t be able to bring down our numbers even we extend out ECQ. That’s why we are trying to strike a balance, we are considering the total health of the nation, the cost-benefit analysis in terms of more Filipinos dying of hunger and other non-Covid-19 diseases),” he said.
Citing government data, Roque said the week-long ECQ is expected to keep Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila at 500,000 to 600,000 by April 18.
Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila are currently over 300,000.
(Updated) The government will revert to the general community quarantine status for Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna
Duterte to announce April 5-30 quarantine classifications later Monday
President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to announce later Monday new quarantine classifications meant to arrest a surge in COVID-19 infections until the end of April, Malacañang said.
Duterte will meet the inter-agency task force leading the country's pandemic response and address the public later Monday, said Palace spokesman Harry Roque.
"Inaasahan po natin na sa Talk to the People, masasapinal na iyong quarantine classification simula April 5 hanggang katapusan ng April, at saka iyong issue po ng assistance ng gobyerno,"
(We expect that during the Talk to the People, the quarantine classifications from April 5 until the end of the month will be finalized, as well as the assistance from government.)
Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal are under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the strictest of 4 lockdown levels from March 29 to April 4.
Government aims for the public's "total health" in deciding lockdown, Roque said in a press briefing.
"Maselan po talaga 'yang decision-making. Hindi naman po pupuwede na sa pagnanais nating mapabagal ang COVID-19, mas marami naman ang mamatay dahil sa kagutuman at iba pang dahilan bukod sa COVID-19," he said.
(The decision-making for that is sensitive. We cannot let our desire to slow the spread of COVID-19 to lead to deaths because of hunger and reasons apart from COVID-19.)
ECQ bans non-essential movement, mass gatherings, and dining in restaurants. It also reduces businesses that can operate at full capacity.
COVID-19 cases in the Philippines in the past two weeks are "2 times higher than what we were reporting three to four weeks ago," said the health department's Epidemiology Bureau chief Dr. Alethea De Guzman.
While the week-long ECQ could slightly reduce infections, she said, "Posible pong tumaas na naman ang dami ng kaso natin pagkatapos na ma-lift ng ECQ… Isa sa mga nirerekomenda nating eksperto, baka kinakailangan i-extend."
(The number of our cases could increase against once ECQ is lifted. One recommendation of our experts is that we might need to extend this.)
De Guzman said she cannot disclose specific figures yet.
The Philippines is battling a renewed surge in infections, including those of the new and more transmissible variants, prompting the government to tighten existing curbs in the capital and nearby provinces.
Coronavirus cases and deaths in the Philippines totaled 721,892 and 13,170, the second highest in Southeast Asia, with infections reported in the past nine days accounting for a tenth of the total.
Lockdowns have taken a huge toll on the Philippine economy, which contracted by a record 9.5 percent last year.
Roque earlier said the government timed the reimposition of ECQ during the week ahead of Easter - so the impact on the economy will be less severe as many businesses will be closed anyway during Holy Week celebrations.
Public transport will be allowed to operate on a limited capacity, and movement of essential goods can continue unimpeded, he said.
— With a report from Reuters