Devotees told to brace for 'different' 2021 grand massive miracle crusade

 Devotees must prepare for a different way of celebrating the feast next year even as preparations for it are underway, a Quiapo Church official said on Thursday.

“At present, we priests are talking on what we shall propose and we in the procession committee are also holding meetings on what shall we ask the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) on following the protocol. But we are also set on the possibility of holding the Luneta event, as well as the other things that we usually do during the event,” said Fr. Douglas Badong, parochial vicar of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, in a radio interview.

Badong is hoping that devotees will be open to the changes in the January 16-18, 2021 celebration, amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic

“There will be big changes in January 16-18. We are hoping that devotees are open to these changes. It will only happen during this pandemic and we need their cooperation to be able to still celebrate the feast of the Santo Nino,” he said.

He added that they already sent letters to Manila City Hall and IATF as part of their preparations for the religious event early next year.

“We really need to practice or at least the people will get used to, on what we want to implement, physical distancing while they go to church,” he added.

The possibility of doing away with the traditional activities for the annual observance looms due to the health crisis. This includes the traslacion or the procession from the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta to the Quiapo Church which is the highlight of the feast.

Among the religious activities being held at Luneta venue are the vigil with the Pope and a midnight Mass.

The procession of Black Nazarene replicas is also being held around the vicinity of the minor basilica days before the feast.

Under quarantine guidelines, religious activities are allowed at 10 percent capacity in areas under general community quarantine and 50 percent capacity under modified GCQ.

Various activities that are part of religious festivities in the country have since been called off to prevent further spread of Covid-19.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1117260

LIVE: TV Patrol livestream | October 1, 2020 Full Episode

Samsung 13.3" Galaxy Book Flex Multi-Touch 2-in-1 Laptop (Royal Blue)

 

Samsung 15.6" 64GB Chromebook 4+

No More Pain, Only Love - Kape't Pandasal kasama si Fr Kali Llamado

As we begin the second ‘ber’ month today

 Today is the start of the last quarter of the year. Government economists and business managers generally expect improved figures in these final three months, making up for any losses in the middle of the year, so that the year-end figures stand out, reflecting progress in the national economy or in the business enterprise.

To most Filipinos, however, today is better known as the start of the second “ber” month. Filipinos cherish the Christmas season so much that they celebrate it longer than other people, starting in September when we start hearing “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit” on radio and other Filipino songs heralding the holiday season. Some streets in Metro Manila already have the traditional Christmas “parol.”

There is still one other important holiday before the spirit of the season takes hold – Undas, when Filipinos traditionally troop to cemeteries all over the land to light candles and say prayers at the graves of departed loved ones. That would be at the start of the third “ber” month – on November 1, All Saints’ Day.

This year, however, after Manila closed all its cemeteries from October 29 to November 4, other towns and cities have followed suit. The COVID-19 pandemic is still with us and it is best to avoid crowds. Thus people will have to carry on with the Undas tradition spread out in the two months of October and November, before or after the banned week.

This is indeed a holiday season like no other. Everything is muted. Many offices, restaurants, and factories remain closed or have partly opened, but only up to 50 percent of capacity, under the rules of the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila. In any case, most people remain uncertain about going to public places like malls.

We were not able to observe Holy Week last March as we used to. Graduating students were not able to experience receiving their diplomas in April. The month of May passed without the usual fiestas and Santacruzans. Independence Day on June 12 came and went with hardly anyone noticing. July, August, September used to be busy months for going around the country. And now, it is October and the pall of gloom that has hung over the country for the last seven months continues.

But, as the saying goes, hope springs eternal in the human breast. And so we look forward to these coming days of October, November, and December. We hope to see soon the giant Christmas trees in front of malls and hear the music of Christmas in churches, schools, and music halls. Our hopes remain that the pandemic will soon run its course, that when the first day of the fourth “ber” month – December – comes, we will all feel free to step out of our homes and feel the wonder of Christmas after all these months.

https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/30/as-we-begin-the-second-ber-month-today/

Here Is What Is Better Than Believing In Yourself

 I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there" and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.   Matthew 17:20- 21

What keeps the world running?  Is it the Internet, markets or governments that print money as needed?  It's definitely not politicians!  No, the reality is that these all threaten to bring the world to its knees.   In one word, it is faith!  You have faith that another nation will keep its alliances and treaties, faith in your coworkers and faith in your husband or wife that he or she will live up to the promises you made to each other.

Faith is not wishful thinking or hoping.  It is simply taking someone, anyone, at his word and then acting on it.  Some have suggested that there are many kinds of faith, but when you stop and think about it, there's only one kind of faith:  the kind that makes you trust something enough to act on it.

Faith operates on many levels.  You have faith in your car—that it will start when you turn the key or push a button and take you where you want.  You have faith in the financial system when you swipe your credit card at the market.  When you sit down at the end of the day, you have faith that your favorite video service will stream a show of your choice your way.

When it comes to the spiritual realm, it takes the same kind of faith to live day by day, not a different kind.  Faith in the realm of the spiritual is taking God at His Word, and then acting on it.  It is accepting at face value what He tells you about yourself, about His love for you, about your relationships with people, and about your future destiny.  Some people believe that they must have a huge amount of faith in God in order for Him to do anything for them.  But, they know they do not have great faith.  This isn't true, though.  Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20-21).

Have you ever seen a mustard seed?  It is small, a fraction of the size of the little fingernail on the hand of a baby.  It is not great faith you need half as much as small faith in a great God.  A very tiny mustard seed grows into a plant so tall that it towers overhead.  When we think of people of great faith, we often think of Abraham, David and Moses in the Old Testament; Peter and Paul in the New.  But look carefully at their lives and you will discover that Moses was a murderer; David, an adulterer; Abraham, a deceiver.  Paul was an accomplice to murder— the murder of Stephen, and Peter denied his Lord.

No, we have to realize that they were as human as you and I are.  They sinned, but yet God used them.  It was not that they had such great faith; it was that they discovered how great a God rules our world.  Actually, they had small faith in a great God.

When you stop and think about it, faith is no better than the object of your faith.  Put your faith in yourself, and you are in for a disappointment.  Put your faith in others and you may be let down but put your faith in God and His promises and you will never be disappointed.  God has the power to keep His Word; to meet your need; to answer your prayer.  He promises the kind of peace that no psychiatrist can prescribe.  He offers forgiveness and cleansing through our trust in Him.

Faith is your response to God's Word.  It is acting like you believe what He said is true.  What is the need that confronts you right now?  Whatever it is, there is a solution.  God can give you the guidance you need.  Faith is your part.  Leave the rest to Him.

Resource reading: Romans 10:14-17

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/here-is-what-is-better-than-believing-in-yourself/

The World Tonight | ANC (30 September 2020)

How Overconfidence Can Hurt You

 Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?  No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has the power over the day of his death...  Ecclesiastes 8:7-8

Overconfidence can be your most deadly enemy!  So learned a young man who once stood guard on the walls of ancient Pergamos when an enemy force laid siege to the city.  What you don't know is that the wall of the ancient city was almost impregnable.  I use the word almost because nothing is absolutely impenetrable.

For months enemy forces laid siege to the city and gave it their best hits, but they could neither scale the wall nor tunnel through it.  They watched and waited.  Standing duty, however, was a young soldier who dropped his expensive helmet over the side.  He looked carefully assuming that no one was watching. Then he slipped over the side of the wall, retrieved his helmet, and finished his watch.

An enemy soldier, however, saw the lad as he used the secret handholds and made his way down the face of the wall to get his helmet.  It was the break-through the enemy had been hoping for.  Excitedly he told his officers what he had seen, and then under the darkness of night, the enemy force came up the wall, surprised the guards, and overthrew the city.

"But I didn't think anyone was watching," you may think.  That's what Prince Charles once told the press when his picture, taken in the buff as he changed out of his swimsuit, appeared on the front page of newspapers.

The only way you can be absolutely certain that nobody is watching is to do nothing that you wouldn't want the enemy to see.  Overconfidence--whether it is in business, in warfare, in love, or in your spiritual life--is the prelude to disaster.

Can we learn from the disasters and failures of others?  Apparently, Paul thought we could.  When he wrote to the Corinthians, he made a point of describing Israel's failure.  Then he said, "Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did" (1 Corinthians 10:6).  He continued this line of thinking, saying, "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.  So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall.  No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.   And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Corinthians 10:11-13).

That's good news, friend!  I not only can learn from the mistakes of others; I can also find God's strength to overcome my human weakness.  Did you catch that phrase, "God is faithful"?  And what does that mean in relationship to your life?

Nothing is more dangerous than presumption.  Nothing is more fatal than to assume you can handle anything, that you are impervious to the forces which cause others to collapse, that you are strong enough you need no help.

The most successful men and women are always those who have learned their own weaknesses and have been able to lean upon others who had strengths they did not possess.  But most important of all, they learned to lean upon the strong arm of the Almighty, who knows neither weariness nor difficulty.

"I can't do it, but God can!"  Have you come to understand that great truth?  Read the Psalms and notice the phrases, "The Lord is my strength" and "The Lord is my helper" or "My high tower or fortress."

He is strongest who most understands how weak he really is and knows where his strength really comes from.  Think about it.

Resource reading: Ecclesiastes 8:1-8

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/how-overconfidence-can-hurt-you/

Velasco to replace Cayetano as House Speaker on October 14: source

 Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco will take over as Speaker of the House of Representatives on Oct. 14, according to a source from the Velasco camp.

Velasco and incumbent House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano met with President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday night to put an end on the Speakership issue.

Under an earlier term-sharing agreement for the speakership last year, Cayetano leads the House for the first 15 months of the 18th Congress, while Velasco will assume leadership for the last 21 months.

That term sharing agreement was brokered by Duterte.

The son of retired Supreme Court Associate Justice and now Marinduque Gov. Presbitero Velasco, Lord Allan served as provincial administrator before becoming a lawmaker. His mother and sister also were legislators in previous congresses. He has close ties to San Miguel Corporation CEO Ramon Ang who served as mentor to the baptism of his youngest daughter.

The President's son, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, earlier denied he would call for a change in House leadership as congressmen approached him over their district's allocations under next year's national spending plan.

In a budget hearing earlier this month, Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. confronted officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways about rumors he heard that Taguig City and Camarines Sur (CamSur) were getting the largest slice of their budget pie for next year.

The two districts of Taguig are ran by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayatano and his wife Lani, while one of CamSur's districts is represented by LRay Villafuerte, a close ally of Cayetano. Villafurte's son, Migz, is also governor of CamSur.

Villafuerte called Teves a "rumormonger" for raising concerns based on "hearsay" and linked his accusation with an alleged plot concerning the House Speakership, adding that he saw nothing wrong if his and Cayetano's districts get a larger infrastructure budget.

ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap, the House budget panel chair, said he also saw nothing anomalous if Taguig would get allegedly over P11 billion worth of projects from the DPWH.

In 2018, Duterte’s younger sister, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte was widely credited for the ouster of then Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and his replacement by former President and then Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The leadership change affected the enactment of the 2019 budget which was delayed by 4 months over lawmakers' wrangling. - with a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/29/20/velasco-to-replace-cayetano-as-house-speaker-on-october-14-source

God Is As Close As Your Need

 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Psalm 19:1

Anyone who has ever looked at the stars on a dark night has, at times, been awe-struck by their vastness and the greatness of space, yet only twelve men in history have been privileged to stand on the moon and look back towards the blue planet, as Earth has been described.  Standing on the surface of the moon, the Earth is some 229,000 plus miles away, and, according to Jim Irwin, one of those 12 who saw it from that perspective, the Earth appears to be the size of a walnut.

It takes a second and a half for light to reach us from the moon.  And accordingly, astronomers refer to heavenly bodies as being light-years away.  A light year is the distance light travels in 365 days at the speed of 186,282 miles per second.

Our closest star, Alpha Centauri, is 26,000,000,000 miles away.  It's five times the size of the sun, and it takes 4.5 years for light to reach us from even the closest star.

Very quickly the vastness of God's creation begins to challenge our comprehension.  It's just too great to fathom.  How can the human mind handle all of this when we are accustomed to measuring distance in terms of miles or kilometers away from our home?

Imagine the thickness of a single sheet of paper and conceptualize that sheet of paper as representing the distance from the Earth to the sun, 93 million miles away.  The distance to Alpha Centauri, the closest star, would be represented by the thickness of a stack of paper 71 feet high, or the height of a 7-storey building.  The diameter of our galaxy alone would be a pile of paper 310 miles high.  Again, that's based on the fact that the thickness of a single sheet of 20# paper would represent the distance between the Earth and the sun.

On several occasions, Jim Irwin, one of the U.S. astronauts, was our guest at Guidelines.  Before I did a television interview with Jim, we had lunch with several friends at a nearby restaurant.  While he was away from the table making a phone call, I told the waitress serving us who he was.  About the time Jim went to the moon in 1972 she was a little girl in pigtails, and when Jim came back to the table, the waitress keep peering out of the corner of her eye, scrutinizing this man as someone from outer space.

But honestly, having experienced what Colonel James Irwin experienced separated him from the masses of humanity who stand on Earth and look up to the moon and the stars.  One thing that impressed me about Jim is that his perspective of Earth as well as space and God was different from most people's.  He'd been there!  He saw it from a different perspective, and for him life would never be the same.

Robert Louis Stevenson, the poet, put it so beautifully when he wrote, "The stars shine over the mountains,/ The stars shine over the sea,/ The stars look up to the mighty God./  The stars look down on me./ The stars shall last for a million years,/ A million years and a day,/ But God and I will live and love/ When the stars have passed away."1

God is not "out there" somewhere.  He is as close as your need, and He will reveal something of that personal care for you as you trust Him.  He's the God who cares, as well as God, the Creator--which you can discover for yourself. Resource reading: Psalm 19:1-14

1 Robert Louis Stevenson, quoted in My Heart Sings (ed. Joan Winmill Brown) as quoted by Christianity Today, May 14, 1990, p. 32.

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/god-is-as-close-as-your-need/

The World Tonight | ANC (28 September 2020)

LIVE: TV Patrol livestream | September 28, 2020 Full Episode

Go appeals to gov’t to ensure disaster preparedness, enough evacuation centers in times of disaster

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go appealed to the government to ensure that safe and properly equipped evacuation centers are made available in communities nationwide, particularly in areas that are prone to natural disasters.

Go said these sites should be properly designed to avoid the transmission of diseases given the ongoing health crisis.

“Dapat masigurado natin na ang mga pasilidad na ito ay COVID-19-ready at disaster resilient. Aksyunan na natin ito. Huwag natin hintayin na mangyari ang ating kinakatakutan na sabay-sabay ang kalamidad at pagtaas ng COVID-19 cases. Dapat laging handa tayo,” he said. (We must ensure that these facilities are COVID-19 ready and disaster resilient. We should act on this now. We should not wait for the occurrence of calamities and the rise of COVID-19 cases. We should be on the alert.)

“Huwag nating pahirapan pa ang mga kababayan nating naghihirap na dulot ng mga krisis at sakuna. Magmalasakit tayo sa kanilang kalagayan at alagaan natin sila sa panahong walang-wala na sila upang makabangon sila muli,” he added. (We should not allow our countrymen to continue suffering from the effects of the crisis and calamities. We should show that we care about their fate and help them rise from the crisis.)

Go, who filed Senate Bill 1228, the “Mandatory Evacuation Center Act,” also urged authorities to set guidelines and health protocols that will minimize the likelihood of spreading COVID-19 in evacuation centers.

The bill aims to establish safe, permanent, and dedicated evacuation centers in every city, province, and municipality in the country. It must also be fully-equipped to provide immediate aid to calamity and disaster victims, including fire victims. 

“With the typhoon season, it is expected that many communities that might be hit by typhoons will be needing evacuation centers, yet with the COVID-19 outbreak that continues to threaten the lives of Filipinos, we need to scale up our efforts to keep them safe from harm and from health hazards,” he said.

Every year, around 20 tropical cyclones visit the Philippines with at least five of them being destructive. 

Stronger typhoons require either preemptive or mandatory evacuation of people, often ending up cramped in schools and gymnasiums.

The Philippines is also along the Pacific Ring of Fire, causing around 100 felt earthquakes every year.  The recent series of strong and destructive earthquakes that primarily hit North Cotabato and Davao del Sur provinces late last year also resulted in massive displacement of people.

The senator from Davao also recommended that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and other relevant agencies must coordinate with local government units and their local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers, health offices, and the National Task Force on COVID-19 to craft evacuation plans that take into consideration the health hazards posed by the ongoing pandemic. 

Go said that evacuation centers should also be equipped with the necessary medical and personal protective equipment, such as masks, which will be provided for free to evacuees to protect them in their temporary shelters.

Meanwhile, Go also pushed for measures to ensure that isolation facilities of local government units (LGUs) are both COVID-19-ready and disaster-resilient. He recently filed SB 1259, the “Mandatory Quarantine Facilities Act of 2020,” which mandates the establishment of quarantine facilities in every region in the country easily accessible to a Department of Health hospital and strategically located to ensure the safety of the community. This ensures quicker government response to pandemics such as COVID-19 and other contagious diseases.

The Senator also filed SB 205, the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) Act in July last year.

The bill seeks to create an empowered, highly specialized, and responsive DDR with clear unity of command and primarily responsible in ensuring safe, adaptive, and disaster-resilient communities.  

“We should acknowledge the fact that the government as a whole can do more to prepare contingency measures for disasters. This includes educating the public when it comes to disaster preparedness, especially communities that are most affected by the pandemic, or near a volcano, or frequently hit by typhoons and earthquakes,” he added.

As the country continues to battle COVID-19, Go, who also sits as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, reiterated his appeal to the people to continue cooperating with the government by simply following the health protocols such as the wearing of face mask and shield, observing social distancing, frequent hand washing, and avoiding non-essential travels.  

https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/28/go-appeals-to-govt-to-ensure-disaster-preparedness-enough-evacuation-centers-in-times-of-disaster/

Metro Channel Schedule (September 26, 2020)

6 am - Good Morning Hong Kong

9 am - Happy Old Buddies
9:10 am - Revel in Retirement
9:40 am - Touched by Comics
10:15 am - Animal Babies: Mini Album
10:35 am - If I were an animal…
10:45 am - Zoids Wild
11:15 am - Chibi Maruko-chan
11:50 am - TV Easy
12 nn - Taiwan Built in a Day
12:30 pm - Young And Restless
1 pm - Saksi
1:15 pm - Foodie 2 Shoes
2:20 pm - Sidewalk Scientist
3:20 pm - Nano Abode
3:55 pm - JSG Video Corner
4 pm - Beyblade Burst
4:15 pm - Stone Age: The Legendary Pet
4:30 pm - Kids, Think Big
5 pm - Magic Cube
5:30 pm - Doraemon
6 pm - Aerial China
6:30 pm - TV Patrol
7 pm - News Magazine
7:30 pm -
7:35 pm - Scoop
8 pm - America's Funniest Home Videos
8:30 pm - America's Got Talent
9:25 pm - 101 Easy Japanese
9:30 pm - Innovation GPS
10 pm - News Report
10:30 pm - Weekend Blockbuster:Night at the Museum Secret of the Tomb
12:10 am - Sports A New Horizon
12:40 am - News Roundup
1 am - Weather Report and Earth Live
1:05 am - Entertainment Tonight
1:35 am - Jade Solid Gold
2:05 am - Racing To Win
3:25 am - China 24
4:15 am - Market Overview
5 to 6 am - Fireplace

Why Should I Observe The Sabbath?

You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. Exodus 20:9-10

Are you constantly busy? Did you know that God mandates rest for his people? It is a matter of physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Especially in times of global and economic crises, we crave stability. Many of us must move mountains to make ends meet. Any time not spent working can feel like falling a step behind. Perhaps you are scheduled to work more than 5 days a week and have to work during "off hours" to complete our tasks. Even younger people, like millennials, are in a constant state of burnout, resulting in chronic health issues. Occasional vacations no longer reset our energy. Breaking the cycle of constant busyness and crushing workloads requires a difficult lifestyle shift.

One of the first things God created in Genesis was a plan for rest. In the beginning, after crafting thunder clouds, parakeets, mangoes, and us, God recognized that he'd done good work. He "blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when He rested from all his work of creation" (Genesis 2:3). In Biblical language, that day is called a sabbath. The word "sabbath" comes from the Hebrew "shabat," meaning rest. God calls sabbath holy, and holy means "sacred to God." Rest is sacred.

Rest was an integral part of creation from the beginning. However, during the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt, their masters did not permit a day of rest and the tradition of the sabbath was lost. After their deliverance from Egypt, God gave 10 commandments to his people, reminding them of the day he had created for them to rest. The 4th commandment is to remember to observe the day of rest, because it is sacred (Exodus 20:8).

When God was reminding the Israelites to observe periodic rest He said, "the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant" (Exodus 31:16-17). A perpetual covenant means that this practice was not set aside with the coming of Christ (who brought the new covenant) or by the ending of the imperfect first covenant (Hebrews 8). In other words, the sabbath remains a holy bond between God and us today, even after other ancient laws were changed.

Losing sight of rest is a byproduct of slavery. Work is good (and holy!) but too much work is slavery. Escaping from the slavery of too much work is a process and requires diligent planning. However, observing the sabbath does not need to be rigid and full of the many rules about how to rest in ancient times.

What does it mean that our sabbath should be "dedicated to God?" Hebrews tells Christ-followers not to give "up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another," (Hebrews 10:24,25) but a sabbath practice is about your personal time with God. You need restful time of reflection on God and His Word and you need corporate worship, but they are not one and the same.

You and I can begin a Sabbath practice by writing DAY OFF on our calendars every week. When scheduling the rest of your tasks, you will be reminded not to touch that day of rest. When possible, make whichever day you choose be consistent and include quiet, which is the state in which we can best hear God's voice.

To protect your day of rest, begin to create boundaries: "I am not available to schedule a meeting on Sunday, what about Monday?" Begin to set an expectation that you will not be checking your work email or take calls on your day off. To our flesh, resting may feel like laziness but rest helps us to heal and grow and honors our God who rescues us from slavery.

Resource reading: Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:8-11

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/why-should-i-observe-the-sabbath/

Mr. Gian Berino

Gian Berino is a actor, blogger, dancer, model and influencer in the Philippines.

LIVE: TV Patrol livestream | September 25, 2020 Full Episode

Alagaan Ang Iyong Kaugnayan sa Diyos - Kape't Pandasal kasama si Rissa S...

Kalibo, Malay hope census result could help in cityhood bid

THE towns of Malay and the capital of Kalibo in Aklan province are hoping that the result of the ongoing census would qualify them for cityhood.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) earlier announced that it is conducting census, which started in September. Census in the Philippines is usually conducted every five years.

Kalibo Mayor Emerson Lachica said he hopes that the result of the census would yield 150,000 residents for the town to be qualified as a city as required by law.

"We hope and pray that it could be realized," he said.

In 2015 census, Kalibo only yield some 83,000 residents.

Earlier, Malay Mayor Floribar Bautista said he had formed a technical team to study how prepared Malay is for its cityhood bid.

Malay in 2015 registered more than 50,000 residents despite the then bustling tourism industry in Boracay Island. (Jun N. Aguirre/SunStar Philippines)

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1871374/ILOILO/Local-News/Kalibo-Malay-hope-census-result-could-help-in-cityhood-bid

3 Steps To Finding A New Direction

This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."  But you said, "We will not walk in it." Jeremiah 6:16

Jeremiah the prophet was a man who needs to be rediscovered today.  The circumstances surrounding his life and world have so many parallels to life today.  And how so?  Well, for one thing, instability had gripped the world.  Jeremiah's beloved nation was about to be chewed up by the powerful tiger of Babylon.  Social structures were failing.  Families were being torn apart, and truth and morality had been sacrificed in the process.  The priesthood had become politicized and suffered a bad case of moral laryngitis.  No wonder Jeremiah seemed out of sync with his day, an old prophet who castigated the moral and spiritual decline.  No wonder he was publicly scorned and privately castigated.

There is a text in the book which bears his name which needs to be emblazoned on the conscience of every parent who fears the future and finds it difficult to convince his child that God expects something different, something more of His children, than that which satisfies the world.

God spoke to Jeremiah and said, "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the old paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it" (Jeremiah 6:16).  There were three parts to this directive: First, go back to the crossroads, back to the place where you took the wrong path, and look.  God is saying, "You've been down the wrong road.  You've learned that it didn't bring you the peace or contentment you thought it would give you.  Now stand there—mentally speaking—and take a look down the narrow road, the one that seemed to be less exciting, and realize it was here you went wrong.

Let's stop for a moment.  Is it ever too late in life to acknowledge that you went wrong?  You may think so, but in reality, it isn't.  A thief on the cross, seeing his life ebb way minute by minute, came to that place and cried out, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom."  He went back to the crossroads and took the right path.  Before you go back to the crossroads—that fork in the road where you went wrong—you've got to stop what you are doing and mentally look back.  Often, we think, "It's too late for me."  Not so, friend.  Coming to the end of the year is a time for reflection and to go back if you missed the right path.

Step number two in the process is this: "Ask for the old paths where the good way is."  In reality, prayer is asking.  It is saying, "God, I went wrong.  You know that, and now I admit it.  I don't want the future to be a rerun of the past.  Forgive me and show me the right way to go."   Israel had missed God, and in spite of their waywardness, God promised to help them if they would but come back to Him.  He said, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do no know" (Jeremiah 33:3).   God will do the same for you as well.

Step number three in this process of finding new direction is this: When you have found the good way, "walk in it."  This is a matter of simple obedience, of putting your feet in a straight line in the direction you know God would have you to travel.  And with that simple step of obedience comes a great promise.  God says, "And you will find rest for your souls."

"More than anything else," said a famous entertainer, "I would like to find peace for my soul before I die."  The good news is that you can find it, God's way.

But God did not force them to return.  He invited them.  Sadly, Israel rejected God's invitation and did not return and never found the peace for their soul they could have had.  Going back to the fork in the road requires courage and humility, but it is the only way to life.  It was then; it still is.

Resource reading: Jeremiah 6:1-30

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/3-steps-to-finding-a-new-direction/

The World Tonight | ANC (24 September 2020)

LIVE: TV Patrol livestream | September 24, 2020 Full Episode

Comelec exploring possibility of holding 2022 elections for 2-3 days

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking into the possibility of conducting the 2022 national elections for two to three days to regulate the number of voters going to polling precincts in the event that the COVID-19 pandemic still remains by then.

During the House deliberations on the agency’s proposed 2021 budget, Comelec Executive Director Bartolome Sinocruz Jr. said they are considering holding a two-day voting schedule just like what it planned to do for the Palawan plebiscite that was originally scheduled last May.

“We’re looking at that to implement that sa 2022 elections. ‘Yung date ng election is scheduled by the Constitution. So the plan is to hold elections sa May, and then perhaps another two days kung kailangan to continue the elections,” he said.

“Parang in-extend lang natin ‘yung voting hours. But that’s still being studied by our law department,” he added.

Comelec is also considering allowing the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) online and by schedule per position, as well as limiting voters to up to five persons per polling precinct and setting up a voter’s assistance desk in every voting center to facilitate the people entering the polling areas.

The filing of COCs is scheduled around the last quarter of 2021.

“A certain number of days will be allotted for municipal or city councilors. A certain number of days will be allotted for mayor and vice mayors. Same thing will happen in the provincial election supervisor level. Per type of candidate, there will be allotted days,” Sinocruz explained.

“We will do away in part the personal filing of certificates of candidacy. There is no prohibition in the law for online filing,” he added.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1339864/comelec-exploring-possibility-of-holding-2022-elections-for-2-3-days

Do Not Forget to Thank God for your Recovery - Kape't Pandasal kasama si...

A Father’s Presence Is Powerful

And so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men."  Luke 5:10

"Where is Zebedee?" asked George Stormont in Pointers.  He continued, "I've been looking for him for nearly fifty years.  The New Testament is haunted by his name.  You read of his sons, his wife, his hired servants, his fishing; but you never meet him."

To understand Stormont's question and the issue, you need to know that Zebedee, of whom the writers of the New Testament speak, had two sons, James and John, two young men who were prominent in the ministry of Jesus.  They came from a fishing village in Northern Galilee, Bethsaida—the ruins of which can still be seen today when a guide points them out from the tourist boat that takes visitors from Tiberias to Capernaum.

James and John were tending their father's nets when Jesus walked by and challenged, "Follow me!"  Along with Peter and Andrew, these four made the Galilee contingent of men who became disciples, walking away from their nets to follow Jesus.

We read of Zebedee's wife, the mother of James and John, who—as mothers are prone to do in looking after the welfare of their sons—asked Jesus if her two boys couldn't be on Jesus' left and right.  Yes, somewhat self-serving.

But what about the dad—Zebedee?  He's never mentioned!  Was he dead?  Probably not. Stormont answers his own question, "But where is Zebedee?"  He says, "Busy…busy…busy minding his boats and mending his nets.  He "wasn't a mean man," says Stormont.  "He did not keep his wife or his boys from following Jesus.  He [just] did not follow Jesus himself."

There are a lot of Zebedees today: the missing dads who aren't there for their kids, who are gone when their offspring take their first steps and hit their first baseball or toss their first basketball through the hoop.  They aren't there when a child comes home from school with the "my family" story written in scribbled penmanship, not mentioning a dad.   But that's not their greatest failure.  Like Zebedee, consumed with climbing the ladder of success, they don't follow Jesus.  They sometimes intend to, but never do it.

One of the greatest social tragedies of our day is the missing father.  Having made a baby, he's off chasing his dream or another woman, failing to be there for his child.   A dad's involvement with his child not only helps that child excel academically, but also helps him understand who he is, what it means to be male or female, how we relate to our heavenly Father.  Though it isn't impossible, it is challenging to teach boys how to be men—godly caring men in particular—without a role model who is there, who leads the way spiritually.

The sad fact is that the number of kids growing up in a home where there has never been a dad is almost as great as those living in two-parent homes. Yes, I always think twice before I ask that question, "Where is Zebedee?  Where is your child's father?"  I know that for most single moms, more than anything else, they wish a dad were there—for them as well as for the child.  But men need to be challenged, and in some cases reproved, not simply for their sakes but for their offspring's.

Question:  Are you a Zebedee?  Take a look and see how many days this past six months were spent with your son or daughter.  How many weekends were you out of town, or golfing, or doing something apart from the family?

Where was Zebedee?  Busy.  Too busy.  Occupied.  Absent.   The cost of what he missed could never be balanced by a few more fish, a few more coins in his purse, or a larger business.  Some things are just not worth it.

Resource reading: Psalm 78:5-8

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/a-fathers-presence-is-powerful/

Discovery Channel's "Ultimate Olympics" (2007) on TV5.

TV5 Philippines: The Olympic Network presents: Discovery Channel's "Ultimate Olympics" is set to air Ultimate Olympics, a one-hour, four-part series just in time for the two-year countdown for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games.

The series will be aired every Sunday at 9 pm.

Ultimate Olympics aims to take a look at the "innovation, endeavor and commitment" that China and her athletes are pouring into hosting and participating in the sporting event.

Two episodes to be aired on exact dates, September 21 and 28, October 4 and 12 at 11PM:

About the Show

Ultimate Olympics is a documentary series produced for The Discovery Channel which chronicles Beijing's transformation into the ultimate Olympic city ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games in that city.

The series re-aired in the Philippines on TV5. There are three hour-long episodes in the series.

Synopsis

The spirit of competition and the mounting excitement surrounding the 2008 Olympic Games is galvanizing everyone involved in elite sport the world over, and electrifying the host city of Beijing.

As the world watches and all of China mobilises for Beijing 2008, Discovery Channel investigates what goes on behind the scenes and exactly how the nation of more than one billion people is gearing up for the 2008 Olympics, in Ultimate Olympics.

Across three episodes, the series chronicles Beijing’s transformation into the ultimate Olympic city.

Beijing’s mission is to set the stage for an Olympics that would be hi-tech, green and distinctively Chinese. This is China’s chance to seize the world stage. With the country in the world’s spotlight, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Can the people of Beijing clinch this “gold”?

As Beijing prepares itself for the 2008 Olympic Games, take a look behind the scenes to discover what it takes to create a setting worthy of such an historic event.

• ULTIMATE OLYMPICS: Go Beijing
• ULTIMATE OLYMPICS: Hi-Tech Games

Overview: Beijing set itself the challenge of becoming the ultimate Olympic city: hi-tech, green and distinctively Chinese.  Will the people of Beijing manage their dreams?

• ULTIMATE OLYMPICS: Rivals (aired July 21, 2008)
• ULTIMATE OLYMPICS: The Final Countdown (aired July 21, 2008)

This two-hour special builds on and ends the Ultimate Olympics series, picking up on some characters to update their stories as the Games come to an end.

Included in the focus of the show: the specially chosen volunteers who carry the Olympic medals to the podium, the designers and engineers who built Beijing's newest icons, namely the new China's National Stadium and the National Aquatics Centre, the Watercube.

Awards:

• 2008 Asian Television Awards - Best Editing: Ultimate Olympics - Go Beijing (Discovery Asia Inc.)

For details, visit:
www.tv5.com.ph
www.facebook.com/TV5Manila

Solons want Cayetano to stay as Speaker

Lawmakers from different political parties on Wednesday expressed their support for Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to keep his post as top leader of the House of Representatives throughout the 18th Congress despite an existing term-sharing agreement with Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.

Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta said the "gentleman's agreement" between Cayetano and Velasco that was forged in 2019 did not predict the "onslaught of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic that is still ravaging the country to this day."

Marcoleta noted that a change in leadership would prove to be difficult in the face of this health crisis.

"Covid-19 taught us that the 'gentleman's agreement' is not the test of leadership in the House of Representatives; it is the way how we gallantly resolve the problems it brought about. This is the consequence of leadership," Marcoleta said.

"May kasabihan po tayo na mahirap magpalit ng kapitan sa gitna ng umaalimpuyong bagyo (There is a saying that it is difficult to change captains in the middle of a turbulent storm). I know that in another time, the star of my friend (Velasco), will still shine the brightest. After all, he has the youth and vitality on his side," he added.

Marcoleta said in the last six months, the support for Speaker Cayetano was vital to enact the crucial pieces of legislation that will "secure our survival as a people" in this Covid-19 situation.

"Even under the Covid threat and via Zoom, Congress disposed and discussed critical issues that confronted the nation, including ABS-CBN, Meralco, PhilHealth and now, the 2021 Budget," he said. "The arena is where all the gladiators are, fighting for the people's cause, not in the gallery comfortably watching the turn of events. No guts, no glory--so they say."

In a manifestation during Wednesday's plenary session, Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice of the Liberal Party said the term-sharing agreement should be postponed amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We are all aware of it. However, in the interest of this House and the interest of the Filipino people who are in dire need of our prompt actions in confronting the pandemic, I think this agreement should make way for the tested leadership of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano," Erice said.

Erice highlighted that Cayetano's leadership skills are indispensable during these trying times as he urged his colleagues to unite for the incumbent Speaker.

"Congressman Velasco’s aspirations can wait. He is young, brilliant and only in his second term. In God’s time, he will shine, but not for now,” he added.

National Unity Party (NUP) President and Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said his party will continue to support Cayetano in the remaining months of the 18th Congress.

"Ang aming samahan, ang National Unity Party, ang kauna-unahang partido ang nag-endorso at nagsabi na aming sinusuportahan ang kandidatura ni Alan Peter Cayetano bilang ating Speaker (Our group, the National Unity Party, is the first party ever to endorse and support the candidacy of Alan Peter Cayetano as Speaker)," Barzaga said.

"Kaya sa nalalabing 21 buwan... muli na naman naming susuportahan ang liderato ni Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano (In the remaining 21 months...again we express our support to the leadership of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano)," he added.

Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor pointed out that Congress' high ratings can be credited to the leadership of Cayetano.

"Tayo po sa majority ay sumuporta kay Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. At nakita naman po natin ang pagpapatakbo sa liderato, hindi lang po para sa ating indibidwal na interes bilang kinatawan ng bawat distrito pero sa koletibong interes ng ating Kongreso (We, in the majority, have supported Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. And we saw how he let not just for the individual interests of representatives, but also for the collective interest of this Congress)," Defensor said.

Lawmakers from all seven districts of Cavite (Reps. Barzaga, Abraham Tolentino, Jesus Remulla, Strike Revilla, Alex Advincula, Luis Ferrer IV, and Francis Abaya) have signed a manifesto of support for Cayetano.

The lawmakers highlighted that Cayetano's leadership and multi-partisan approach in solving issues and discharging the legislative mandate have enabled Congress to be a "valuable partner" of President Rodrigo Duterte in nation-building.

"Speaker Cayetano has been a dependable ally of this administration, garnering a high approval rating of 62 percent. He led this Congress to become one of the most productive yet," they said.

"He also personally led and shepherd the swift passage of the Bayanihan Act in support of the government's efforts to address the effects of the Covid pandemic," they added.

The lawmakers said Cayetano's "competence, dedication, and leadership" would be indispensable as Congress works side by side with President Duterte to pursue socio-economic and political reforms.

"For these reasons, we reiterate our trust, confidence, and support of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, to complete his full term as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 18th Congress," they added.

The ongoing House leadership row was allegedly triggered by the disagreements among congressmen over inequitable budget allocations for their respective districts under the proposed PHP4.5-trillion national budget for 2021.

Velasco finally broke his silence amid the alleged coup threat against Cayetano, saying "my silence does not mean I am disinterested nor I have turned my back on the covenant."

Velasco also responded to the claim of the Cayetano camp that supports for the incumbent Speaker has been strong due to his outstanding leadership.

“When both parties finally honor the agreement, I will show my colleagues the kind of leadership I espouse. Thereafter, at the end of my term, my peers can then be the judge of my loyal service to God, to the President, and ultimately, to the Filipino people,” Velasco said.

Under the term-sharing deal brokered by Duterte, Cayetano would serve as the House Speaker for the first 15 months or until October 2020, while Velasco would take over and assume the position for the remaining 21 months or until the 18th Congress ends in 2022.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1116424

Will You Choose A Simpler Life?

 You have always protected him and his home and his property from all harm. You have prospered everything he does--look how rich he is! No wonder he "worships" you!  But just take away his wealth, and you'll see him curse you to your face!"  (Job 1:10-11, Living Bible)

How much do you really need?  If everything you own was suddenly wiped out by a fire or a devastating storm, would you thank God that your life was spared, or curse because of the loss?

I asked myself that question one day when a friend and I noticed that smoke was coming out the window of a house.  For a moment we sat there, not believing what we saw.  Then we realized that the house was on fire.  I ran to a phone and called the fire department, but it was too late.  An oil stove had exploded and showered the fuel throughout the house.  By the time we called the fire department and ran to the house, the entire home was one blazing inferno.  There was no loss of life, but outside the flaming home stood a father and mother and a little girl about six years old.  The parents were almost beside themselves with grief.  How do you console someone in an hour like that?

The young father cried out, "My God‑‑ all is lost!"  The little girl put her hand on her daddy's as her mother held her tightly in her arms and said, "Daddy, you got mommy and me..."  If that should happen to you, would you feel like giving up?  Or would you realize that with no loss of life or limb, what really counts is not what you have but rather what you are?

A Christian friend who did lose everything he owned in a fire, and could speak from experience, talks freely about the lessons God taught him through this; and the biggest one was the tragedy of building our lives around what we have.  No one enjoys living in poverty.  I have traveled too much in the world to ever buy that nonsense often wafted about today that the people who live in poverty are not bothered by what they don't have, since they have never known what some of the things are that you have in your home.  Nonsense!  They hurt when their baby is sick, and there is no agency to provide medicine when there is no money.  They hurt when the cold of winter presses through the cardboard of a squatter's shack‑‑a makeshift dwelling of discarded pieces of trash.

In recent years the affluence of some has become a sharper and more noticeable contrast to the poverty of others.  How much do you really need?  That, of course, is a question that has no pat answer, but it has readily become apparent that no one is so affluent that he can afford to disregard the needs of others today.  Evangelist Leighton Ford believes that the simple life which pleases God today is one that gets its priorities straightened out.  "We are going to have to lead simpler lives in the future," says Ford.  No question about that.  The question is, "Will it be because we are forced to, or because we choose to?"

Every sincere man or woman must come to grips with the responsibility that we have to God in areas of our stewardship.  "Just what is 'stewardship'?" you might ask.  That is an old English word that originally meant the supervision of another's wealth or possessions.  Literally, a steward was a "house warden."  He was the person to whom the master had entrusted his possessions, and the steward was directly responsible to the owner.  If you can begin to think of your possessions as a stewardship, lent to you by God, who someday will demand an accounting, you will begin to think of material goods and possessions in a different light.

With the changing world scene today, it has become apparent that everyone will have to change some of the ways we have done things; but the big question is, "Will it be because we are forced to, or because we choose to?"

Resource reading: Job 1:1-22

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/will-you-choose-a-simpler-life/

Here Is The Secret To Spiritual Renewal

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:2

Evident in almost every facet of life is a fundamental problem: We have not learned the secret of renewal, and pollution is the inevitable result, morally, spiritually, and physically.   A leading scientist said that almost everything the human hand touches becomes polluted.  The Sea of Galilee in Israel is a typical example.  Marine life in Galilee, the largest body of fresh water in Israel, is in danger of serious harm, even possible extinction, so some believe.

If you look on a Bible atlas you will find a small dot on the map, north of Galilee, called "the waters of Merom."  Years ago, it was a swamp, and engineers drained the swamp, fertilized the area and turned it into productive land.  Now, decades later the fertilizers have drained into the Jordan and threaten to destroy all marine life in Galilee.  The balance of nature has been upset.

This is not another thrust at ecology.  The environment is only an illustration of what has happened universally.  We see the problem, but I have a solution.  It is not original, but I think it is inspired.  The answer is RENEWAL.  Even the seasons themselves teach us the lesson of renewal.  Centuries ago the Psalmist recognized that renewal is God's program when he said, "…You [God] renew the face of the earth" (Psalm 104:30, KJV).  In almost every facet of life renewal is necessary, your spiritual life included.

Almost everywhere I go I meet Christian drop‑outs.  Their story goes like this.  "There was a time when I went to church, but then something happened..."   There are a lot of variations including, "There was a time when I taught a Sunday School class," or "served on a committee," but then something happened that contributed to becoming a spiritual drop‑out.

Hold steady for a minute.  You may be thinking, "No.  That person did not have any faith to begin with."  You may be right, but I am not convinced.  At times working for God can be a trap.  People get so wrapped up in church work that they neglect their spiritual lives, and their spiritual energies are exhausted.

What you are is more important than what you do.  Once Dr. Wilbur Chapman went to his friend, F. B. Meyer, and complained of lacking spiritual energy.  His friend, Meyer, said to Chapman, "Try exhaling twice without inhaling."  Thinking that this was some kind of new exercise, Chapman tried desperately to exhale to the fullest twice without inhaling.  That is impossible and is also one reason why Christians become fatigued.

Allow me to share with you three guidelines for spiritual renewal.  They are tested and tried.  They are the secret of renewal.  Guideline #1:  Get into the Word, the Bible, and pray every day.  Isaiah said, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…" (Isaiah 40:31, KJV).  That is God's promise of spiritual renewal.  To the Romans Paul wrote, "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…" (Romans 12:2, KJV).

Guideline #2:  Practice the presence of God in your life.  Jesus said, "…Lo, I am with you always…" (Matthew 28:20, KJV) and again, "…I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5, KJV).  Begin each day with the realization that God is by your side and will never leave you nor forsake you.  Try pressing your hand into the hand of God and ask Him to let you sense His presence.

Guideline #3:  Renew your spiritual life by confessing any known sin in your life. Learn a lesson of renewal from the coal miner who goes into the earth each day.  In the morning he is clean, but by evening he is darkened from head to toe by coal dust—with one exception.  His eyes glisten because the tear ducts have washed them clean. May God teach us the importance of spiritual renewal!

Resource reading: Job 42:1-17

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/here-is-the-secret-to-spiritual-renewal/