Sunday, November 22, 2020
Tarlac gov't disputes DOH report of 211 new COVID-19 cases in province on Saturday
The Tarlac government said Sunday that the report about 211 newly confirmed coronavirus infections in the province announced by the Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday is inaccurate.
In a Facebook post, the provincial government said there were only 19 cases officially reported in the province, and that this has been relayed to the DOH.
"The DoH central office is now in the process of correcting their post which caused unnecessary panic and inconvenience to Tarlaqueños," the local government.
The DOH, however, has yet to respond despite being asked about it by the media.
The Tarlac provincial government assured that it only reports, through the Provincial Information Office, "what is official and do not withhold any information regarding this deadly pandemic."
One virus patient was added to the list as of 10 a.m. Sunday, it added.
Two patients, both male aged 55 and 58, died on Nov. 13 and Nov. 20, respectively, the local government said.
Last month, a survey showed that Filipinos were divided on the accuracy of government's data on COVID-19 patients, with 39 percent of 1,249 responders saying they believe the country's COVID-19 tally was overreported.
Some 31 percent said it was underreported and 23 percent said it was "probably right."
The Philippines as of Saturday reported 416,852 cases of COVID-19, with 375,548 recoveries, 8,080 fatalities, and 33,224 active infections.
On Sunday, the cumulative total climbed to 418,818, of which, 24,209 or 5.8 percent are active infections. The death toll was up by 43 to 8,123, while total recoveries soared to 386,486.
Eastern Samar town bettor wins P20.4-M Lotto 6/42 jackpot
By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Sunday announced that a lone bettor from Guiuan, Eastern Samar won the jackpot in Saturday night's lotto game.
In an advisory, PCSO general manager Royina Garma said the winner bagged the PHP20,398,839.60 jackpot prize in the regular lotto 6/42 draw.
The winning combination was 13-42-03-31-02-22.
Some 25 bettors who guessed five correct numbers won second prize and will receive PHP25,000 each.
The 6/42 regular lotto is drawn every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
To claim his/her check, the bettor must go to PCSO's main office in Mandaluyong City and present the winning ticket and two ID cards.
Garma urged the public to patronize PCSO games to generate more funds which will be used to assist more Filipinos.
The PCSO serves as the principal government agency for raising and providing funds for health programs, medical assistance and services, and charities of national character.
One of its key programs is the Medical Access Program, which is designed to augment the medical needs of Filipinos nationwide, particularly hospital confinement, chemotherapy, dialysis, and post-transplant medicines.
The program is funded by revenues from PCSO games nationwide.
Pray (The Mysteries of the Holy Rosary)
- Ang Puso Ko'y Nagpupuri (Magnificat) - Himig Heswita (2:42)
- The Joyful Mysteries - Aquino Sisters (Led By: Viel Aquino-Dee) (21:25)
- Stella Maris - Bukas Palad (3:25)
- The Sorrowful Mysteries - Aquino Sisters (Led By: Ballsy Aquino-Cruz) (21:31)
- Mariang Ina Ko - Bukas Palad (4:11)
- The Glorious Mysteries - Aquino Sisters (Led By: Pinky Aquino-Abellada) (21:55)
- Awit sa Ina ng Santo Rosario - Carol Banawa (3:57)
- The Luminous Mysteries - Aquino Sisters (Led By: Kris Aquino-Yap) (21:22)
- Salve Regina - Fatima Soriano (2:37)
How to Pray the Rosary
- Say the Creed.
- Say the Our Father.
- Say three Hail Mary's.
- Say the Glory be to the Father.
- Announce the Mystery, then say the Our Father.
- Say ten Hail Mary's while meditating on the Mystery.
- Say the Glory be.
- Say the Fatima Decade Prayer.
After the last decade say the Hail Holy Queen, the versicle and the concluding prayer.
Make the sign of the cross to conclude the devotion.
Prayers of the Holy Rosary
The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name: Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen
Glory Be To The Father
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Your Mercy.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, Hail our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
V. Pray for us, O Holy Mary, Mother of God
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
V. Let us pray.
R. O God whose only begotten Son has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, Grant that we beseech you while meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord Amen.
PTV-4 Sked (2020)
every 1st Friday of the month
4 am – Quiapo TV Mass
5 am – ASEAN Documentaries
6 am – Bagong Pilipinas
8 am – Bitag Live
9 am – DOSTv: Science Of the People
10 am – PTV Business
11 am – PCSO Lottery Draw (2D, 3D and STL)
11:15 am – Serbisyo Muna
12 nn –
1 pm – Sentro Balita
2 pm – Drama
2:30 pm – Drama
3 pm – Unlad Pilipinas with Ceasar Soriano
4 pm – PCSO Lottery Draw (2D, 3D and STL)
4:15 pm – The Beauties of Nature / All About Rice
4:30 pm – The World of Mathematics / Make My Play / Numbers and Figures
5 pm – 10 Minutes of Science (temporary: Ronda Pilipinas TV)
5:30 pm – PTV Sports (temporary at 5:45 pm: Ronda Pilipinas TV)
6 pm – PTV News
6:30 pm – Drama
7 pm – Drama
7:30 pm – Weekly Shows
9:30 pm - PCSO Lottery Draw
10 pm - PTV News Tonight
11 pm -
Monday: The Working President
Tuesday: Pulsong Masa
Wednesday: Paco Park Presents
Thursday: Concert at the Park
Friday: Patrol 117
12 mn - The Medyo Late Night Show with Jojo A.
12:30 am - Oras ng Himala
1:30 to 2 am - PNA Newsroom
Saturday
6 am – Oras ng Himala
7 am – Soldier of Christ
8 am – Yan Ang Marino
8:30 am – Jesus the Healer
9:30 am – Mag-Agri Tayo
10:30 am – Kain Na!
11 am – PCSO Lottery Draw (EZ2 & Suertres)
11:15 am – Asenso Pinoy
12 nn – Concert at the Park
1 pm – Dagundong
2 pm –
3 pm – Amazing Human Powers / Presidential Coverage / NHK Documentaries
4 pm – PCSO Lottery Draw (EZ2 & Suertres)
4:15 pm – Traditional Japanese Sports
temporary
4:15 pm – Ronda Pilipinas TV
4:30 pm – Traditional Japanese Culture
5 pm – Magandang Gabi Pilipinas with Ceasar Soriano
6 pm – Final Drive
6:30 pm – Auto Review
7 pm – Saturday Primetime Special
9 pm – PCSO Lottery Draw
9:30 pm – Images of Japan
10:30 pm to 12:30 am – Jesus Miracle Crusade
Sunday
5:30 am – Upon this Rock
7:30 am – The Word Exposed
8:30 am – Talikha Kum Healing Mass
9:30 am – Family Rosary Crusade
10 am – Signs and Wonders
10:30 am – Pinoy Talk
11 am – PCSO Lottery Draw (EZ2 & Suertres)
11:15 am – Amerika Atbp.
12 nn – Tulay: Bridging People, Business and Government for Unity, Peace and Prosperity
12:30 pm – Sacred Monuments Of Asia
1 pm – In This Corner
2 pm – Motoring Today
3 pm – Music Link
4 pm – PCSO Lottery Draw (EZ2 & Suertres)
4:15 pm – Sining Gising
temporary
4:15 pm – Ronda Pilipinas TV
4:30 pm – Sining Gising
5 pm – Isyu One-on-One with Ceasar Soriano
6 pm – Cartoon Hour
7 pm - Kaagaw sa Pangarap
7:30 pm - Rayantha Leigh: My Life, My Music
8 pm – Relaks Lang (Keempee de Leon and Raymart Santiago)
9 pm – PCSO Lottery Draw
9:30 pm – An Evening with Raoul
10:30 pm – Primetime Specials
12:30 am to 1:30 am – Oras ng Himala
Saturday, November 21, 2020
ABS-CBN’s Hope for A New Franchise renewed as House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco’s Pro-ABS-CBN Allies Assume Key House Positions
The question of whether or not ABS-CBN still has a chance of getting a new 25-year franchise from the current Congress seems to be getting a clearer answer.
As prominent solons, who were vocal in their opposition to renewing ABS-CBN’s broadcast license, get ousted from their positions one by one, those who have previously supported ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal and are now occupying key seats in the lower chamber.
They are now undoubtedly in better position to push yet another bill intended to grant ABS-CBN a new franchise.
The ouster of the previous House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano can be seen as a turning point for things to get better, as far as ABS-CBN’s having another shot at franchise renewal, is concerned. If the most recent developments in House leadership could mean something for the embattled media giant, it is probably in its favor, as those who previously led the campaign to deny its free TV operation, no longer hold enough power to influence any decision the committee on legislative franchises would make, should ABS-CBN pursue another application.
Early in October, Valenzuela Rep. Eric Martinez and AAMBIS-OWA Partylist Rep. Sharon Garin were both stripped off their chairmanship posts in the house. Both Martinez and Garin participated as members of the 80-member panel who decided for ABS-CBN’s franchise application and voted ‘yes’ to deny ABS-CBN a fresh 25-year franchise on July 10.
Vocal ABS-CBN defenders Lito Atienza and Rufus Rodriguez have also been recently promoted as deputy speakers of the Lower House, replacing Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, who were loyal allies to ousted House Speaker Cayetano.
Fernandez and Castro both voted against renewing ABS-CBN’s franchise. Another Cayetano ally, Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu, also received the same fate as Castro and Fernandez, but it is important to note that Camille Villar, who was also among who killed ABS-CBN’s franchise, took his vacated post.
These developments, however, may mean nothing, should House Speaker Velasco lead the Lower Chamber the same way Cayetano did, which he refuted in an interview, vowing never to be Duterte’s mere rubberstamp, as the previous leadership has been accused of. He also assured the public that careful deliberations and stern scrutiny will be carried out for every bill filed.
If any of these is true, a fresh franchise application could only give ABS-CBN a favorable result, and may likely pre-empt the ongoing People’s Initiative, which primarily intends to bypass Congress’ and the President’s rights to grant or deny a bill into becoming a law. The current PIRMA Kapamilya campaign intends to give ABS-CBN a new franchise without asking the approval of both the Lower Chamber and the Office of the President.
One of Velasco’s closest friends and staunch allies, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Salvador Leachon, is also among those who filed House Bill 5608 which sought for ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal, in September 2019.
It is important to underscore that these talks are resurfacing in the wake of the recent calamities that struck the country, exposing some of the most dangerous consequences that ABS-CBN’s shutdown has caused. It can be recalled that in the absence of ABS-CBN’s expansive Regional Network Group in calamity-stricken provinces, communication between affected areas and response groups was poor and ineffective.
While the government continues to deny the communication gap that ABS-CBN’s absence has left, many vulnerable far-flung communities, whose almost sole source of news and information has been ABS-CBN, were seemingly left in the dark, during the onslaught of the recent typhoons.
Friday, November 20, 2020
What God Thinks About Tolerance
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? 1 Corinthians 4:7
Question: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the greatest, how tolerant are you? "Tolerant of what?" you might ask, thinking of politics, religion, sports, or intelligence. Most of us think of ourselves as being quite tolerant, and certainly if we are in the minority, we demand tolerance and respect as a kind of sacred right.
But the deeper issue evokes another question: Should we be tolerant at all? "Whoa!" you may be thinking, wondering if today's commentary is a plea for greater tolerance or a bigoted voice for intolerance.
OK, before you decide, think for a moment of the impact of what Wendell Willkie wrote a generation ago. He said, "No man has a right… to treat any other man tolerantly, for tolerance is the assumption of superiority." That phrase, "the assumption of superiority" is the key to the whole issue. He is saying that when you are tolerant of others, you think of yourselves as being superior to them, yet in what you think of as the largeness of your spirit you won't condemn them. He says that tolerance means you look down on them. Is he right?
When every person is on equal footing, nobody looks down on anybody else. Under Communism, there was a saying that all people are equal, but some are "more equal" than others, meaning that party officials had the best food, the best drink, the best housing and the best cars--yet everyone was equal.
If God considers us to be equal (and He does), then shouldn't God's children adopt the attitude of their Father and put prejudice aside once and for all? True, yet the world as it is and the way it should be are pretty far apart. The reality is that we as Christians are often as guilty of prejudice and intolerance as anyone else. Baptists look down on Pentecostals, and Presbyterians know they are superior to both, while Episcopalians tower above the whole spectrum of other groups yet are viewed by Catholics as slightly lower than they.
What causes this attitude? In one word it is pride, something that ought not to be part of the thinking of any believer. "For who makes you different from anyone else?" asked Paul when he wrote to the Corinthians, condemning them for their willful pride. He then asked, "What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (1 Corinthians 4:7).
Prejudices are the outward manifestation of an inward condition of the heart which is called pride. And if there is one negative mental attitude which God uniformly condemns; it is pride. Warren Wiersbe wrote, "In his pride, Moses lost his temper and was kept out of the Promised Land (Numbers 20:1-13). Pride kept Joshua from seeking God's will at Ai, and he lost the battle (Joshua 7). King Nebuchadnezzar's pride turned him into an animal (Daniel 4), and Peter's pride led to his denial of Christ (Luke 22:31-34)."
While the price tag attached to pride is a costly one, there is good news! Should you take time to make a study of the sixty-two references to pride found in the Bible, you will learn that men and women can repent of their pride, and with repentance comes humility of heart and spirit which God honors.
A closing thought: Do you remember I asked you to evaluate your tolerance at the beginning of this commentary? Remember? When you have God's perspective, tolerance is unnecessary because you view your fellows as equals on the same level, looking to Him for forgiveness and help. It's perspective that makes the difference.
Resource reading: 1 Corinthians 4:5-7
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/what-god-thinks-about-tolerance/
Thursday, November 19, 2020
What Do You Believe About Hell?
And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. Matthew 18:9
There is something about believing in hell which is repugnant to the modern mind. Heaven? Sure! That's consistent with the picture of a loving God, one who cares far too much about us to turn anyone away from His door. Yes, we can abide the thought that God may punish His errant children as we human parents have to do--at least for a bit; but the idea of fire and brimstone, smoke, and torment reminds us more of the graphic imagery of Dante's The Divine Comedy than of John 3:16.
Even some of Christianity's most outspoken advocates have signed in on the page of disbelief in a literal hell. Clark Pinnock, the late theology professor at McMaster Divinity School in Hamilton, Ontario, asks, "How can Christians possibly project a deity of such cruelty and vindictiveness" as to inflict "everlasting torture upon his creatures, however sinful they may have been?"
Even heavyweights such as John R.W. Stott and the Anglican Philip Hughes add their voices to the "love-us-too-much-to-do-that" group. If there is one thing for sure, it is that there is no real consensus among people today as to what hell really is. Views about hell fall into four major categories. Listen carefully and see where you find yourself. It's quite probable you have never given much thought to the whole issue.
Group #1 view hell as a present state of difficulty--not in the hereafter, but in the present. In other words, we inflict hell upon ourselves. For the hundreds of thousands of men and women who were victims of the nuclear destruction that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, hell was rained upon them when those first nuclear bombs exploded at 617 yards above them, causing a yellow mushroom cloud that rose to an altitude of 10,000 feet, blocking out the sun to the death and dying below.
And of course, the 14 million who died in the concentration camps of the Holocaust didn't think about hell as being later. For them, it was the present. And those who suffer unbearably, whether it is physical, emotional, or whatever, know something of the anguish of being separated from health and wholeness.
Group #2 view hell as being total annihilation. They think that when you die, you just die, and that's it. You cease to exist. John Woodbridge describes this, saying, "Some hold that God is far too gracious to condemn the souls of men to a place of everlasting punishment. Instead, He blots them out forever. Man ceases to exist in any form, material or spiritual. He is utterly annihilated." And that would take care of the issue. Period.
Group #3 believe that hell means you will spend eternity separated from God with no chance of being in His presence. The 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church signs in on this page, saying that "the chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God." And there's one more view.
Group #4 believe that hell is a literal place of torment and anguish, which also means you are separated from God where there is no second chance, no hope of heaven--something which Jesus Christ came to save us from. Knowing that there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun, they contend, is a moral barrier which gives men and women a reason to turn their backs on sin and wrong-doing and live with the hope of heaven at the end of life's road.
So, where do you find yourself? But more important, why do you believe what you do? Haven't thought much about it? It's time to do some straight thinking and know what you believe and why you believe it. Instead of taking my word for it, why not take your Bible and find out very clearly what it says. Then, decide. That's the only sure way to know.
Resource reading: Matthew 18:1-9
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/what-do-you-believe-about-hell/
Bangsamoro Parliament seeks extension of transition period until 2025
The Bangsamoro Parliament says 'the 3-year transition period is simply not enough to accomplish' the targets of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority
The interim Bangsamoro Parliament has passed a resolution urging Congress to extend the transition period of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to June 2025 “to afford the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) sufficient period to fulfill its mandate.”
In passing Resolution No. 332, the Bangsamoro Parliament said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they did not have enough time to carry out the effective implementation of the transition, to include programs, projects, and services.
The transition will end on June 30, 2022.
“While the BTA has taken significant strides in its service as the interim government in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, the sheer weight of its mandate and the amount of work that it entails, coupled with shortfalls in resources and placed in the context of continued security threats , and further complicated by the effects of a lingering pandemic, the 3-year transition period is simply not enough to accomplish its targets," the resolution said.
Member of Parliament Nabil Tan, former chairperson of the peace implementing panel under the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), asked if the reason for the extension is that the political and normalization provisions in the peace agreement have yet to be fully implemented.
It was more on the normalization aspect of the peace agreement, said Jose Lorena, one of the principal authors of the resolution. According to him, the normalization is a caveat for the political participation of the people.
Lorena said that if the normalization trust fund can be set up, “perhaps it can also help in the fast tracking of the formulation of the rehabilitation program under the Section 1 of the Article 14 [of RA 11054].”
He recalled a recent interview of BARMM Chief Minister Murad Ibrahim who said that those covered by the first phase of decommissioning have yet to receive fully the socioeconomic packages promised them as part of the decommissioning process.
“If the we want to fast track the normalization, we should be able to see that government has put forward the necessary funds for the rehabilitation,” said Lorena.
Mohagher Iqbal, a member of the Bangsamoro parliament and chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace implementing panel, said that the move is not a self-serving exercise, but it is “for our people.”
“Just imagine, 17 long years of negotiation, can we implement what has been in the law for just 3 years? he asked.
Iqbal said that it is part of their assertion that they have to complete what they started in the peace process.
Resolution No. 332, also cited resolutions passed by the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Tawi-Tawi Chapter, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Tawi-Tawi, and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Mindanao, in support of the extension of the transition phase.
A week after Typhoon Ulysses
Residents wade through thick mud in Kasiglahan Village, Barangay San Jose, Rodriguez, Rizal on November 18, a week after Typhoon Ulysses struck. Typhoon Ulysses dumped 356mm amount of rainfall, as recorded from the PAGASA Tanay station, which brought massive flooding in Kasiglahan Village that stranded thousands of residents last November 12.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/multimedia/photo/11/19/20/a-week-after-typhoon-ulysses
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
5 Steps To Growing In Grace
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 2 Peter 3:17-18
When Peter came to the end of writing the second book which bears his name, he gave some very practical advice. He ended by saying, "Be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men…" and "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Notice the two words: guard and grow. That was the practical advice of a fisherman who knew that he had to defend his fishing grounds, but he couldn't spend all of his time keeping others out of what he felt belonged to him. He had to fish. He had to grow.
Some people spend so much time guarding things, they never have time to grow anything. They are the holy defenders of the faith, denouncing anyone and everyone who disagrees with them.
No, Peter was not suggesting that you constantly view everyone with suspicion. He said, "Keep up your guard so that you won't fall away from your secure position," and then added--perhaps as a balance, "Grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Have you ever noticed that you don't tell a child, "Look, in the next twelve months, I want you to grow five inches and gain 15 pounds. Now GROW." You may set quotas for salespeople and goals for the next year, but your children don't respond to your growth goals. Why? Growth is the result of several factors: proper nutrition, exercise, enough sleep; and then, certainly without their consciously thinking about it, growth takes place.
How do you grow in grace as Peter suggested—no, commanded? Spiritual growth is often the result of adverse situations--no less than real pain which you face, usually situations that you would never choose to go through. Sometimes it's an illness, or a business failure; sometimes it is period of financial or personal turmoil: a spouse dies, your best friend abandons you. You either taste of the sufficiency of God or you wither and die.
How do you know that you are growing in grace, as opposed to just getting on with your life? Growth in grace is reflected in the following:
- You accept circumstances, understanding that God can bring order out of chaos. No, it doesn't mean you like them, but you refuse to give in to despair, asking God to intervene. It's the attitude of Paul, who wrote to the Corinthians saying he forgave "in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes" (2 Corinthians 2:11).
- You are growing in grace when you come to understand that God is sufficient to meet you. You will never test the resources and grace of God apart from hitting bottom. "My grace is sufficient for you," God told Paul. If you listen carefully, you will hear the same echo in your life.
- You are growing in grace when you cultivate a voice of praise instead of complaining about the circumstances. This is what Paul meant when he wrote, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
- You are growing in grace when you have a desire to do the will of God, no matter what others do. The problem is that at times our will is in conflict with what we know God wills. We want revenge; God says forgive. We remember; God says forget. When you say, "God, I put this in your hands; you deal with it," you are growing in God's grace.
Finally, growth in grace is characterized by a willingness to wait on the Lord, knowing that His timetable is different from yours.
Resource reading: 2 Peter 3:14-18
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/5-steps-to-growing-in-grace/
Duterte declares Luzon state of calamity after Ulysses deluge
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday night placed Luzon island, home to about half of the country's 108 million people, under a state of calamity due to a series of cyclones, the latest of which triggered the worst flooding in years and left dozens dead.
A state of calamity will allow local officials to tap emergency funds and impose a price freeze on basic goods.
"Last night I think I signed the proclamation," Duterte said.
The President made the declaration days after he flew to Cagayan Valley region, where weather disturbances and a dam's huge release of water affected thousands of families, some of whom fled to rooftops to escape 2-story high floods.
The disaster council earlier recommended a state of calamity in Luzon after Ulysses, the fifth storm to hit the Philippines since October, killed at least 73 people.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/17/20/duterte-declares-luzon-state-of-calamity-after-ulysses-deluge
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
PCOO extends sympathy to Cebu solon’s family
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Tuesday offered sympathy to the family of former Deputy Speaker and Cebu City First District Rep. Raul del Mar who passed away Monday evening.
Del Mar, who served as congressman of Cebu City’s north district for nine terms since 1987, died in a hospital in Manila. He was 79.
House of Representatives Secretary-General Jocelia Bighani-Sipin confirmed del Mar’s death.
“We pray for the eternal repose of his soul, and for his family and loved ones to find strength in this time of grief,” Andanar said in a statement.
Andanar said del Mar’s commitment to his work will be remembered by the constituents he served during his tenure, particularly the underprivileged.
He also hailed del Mar for helping the growth and development of his district on matters of infrastructure, social services, and poverty alleviation.
Andanar also cited the late lawmaker for his legislative work on media concerns.
Del Mar was the principal author of Republic Act No. 11122 of 2018 which declares September 21 of each year as a working holiday in the cities and province of Cebu in celebration of the Cebu Press Freedom Day.
“Being the son of a journalist and a manager of a local newspaper, his dedication to promote and improve a free yet responsible journalism and media landscape is truly worth noting, which led to people hailing him as ‘Kampeon sa Medya,’” he said.
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, in a separate statement, expressed his deepest condolences and sympathies to the family of the former Deputy Speaker.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his constituencies in the first district of Cebu City, whom he had served well despite his health condition,” Velasco said.
Velasco noted that del Mar has proven his passion and commitment to public service by attending virtual plenary sessions and public hearings of the House while in hospital to fulfill his duties and mandate as a lawmaker.
“Never a day in his job was he absent. His contributions to Congress and the nation cannot be overstated,” he said.
What Does It Mean To Take Up My Cross?
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
It is no sin to be a Christian, for sure. But I have to confess, at times it is mighty inconvenient. It interferes with what you want to do. Your conscience condemns you and refuses to let you do what you would probably have done, had you not met Him who said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).
When Jesus called people, He interrupted their goals, their plans, their life works and their consciences as well. The more they know Him, the more they came to understand that following Jesus was not a part-time vocation but an absolute, all-encompassing commitment. And that is why on more than one occasion, some turned away and ceased to follow him.
Why couldn't Christ have rallied the troops around something more attractive than a Roman gallows where losers ended up and all hope was destroyed? Could His teachings not have been more esoteric? More talk about love and life and less about death and dying? God apparently thought not, because He gave His son, and from the cloths which became baby blankets to Golgotha where Jesus was crucified, the cross loomed on the horizon.
"And," said Jesus, "if you are to follow me, you, too must take up your cross." There is one difference, however, between what Jesus did and what He expects us to do. It's all found in the one word which Luke included. It is the word daily, which shifts the location from a hill outside of Jerusalem to the front room of my house where I live. It becomes planted in the office where less-than-nice people annoy me, where I am forced to decide if something is unethical or immoral, or just "good business."
Instead of one heroic "go for it" commitment, it becomes an ongoing series of decisions and judgments which changes my lifestyle. John Henry Newman had this in mind when he wrote, "To take up the cross of Christ is no great action done once for all; it consists in the continual practice of small duties which are distasteful to us." (Newman as quoted by Elisabeth Elliot.
In a very real and practical sense, taking your cross means you are no longer in control or at liberty to decide some issues. Your morality is at stake, the way you do business is an issue, your language, your politics, your leisure, your money, your time all become cross-related issues. Yes, taking your cross and following Jesus can be quite confining.
A man whom I have admired, A. W. Tozer, in his book Of God and Men, wrote, "The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny; he lost control when he picked up his cross. That cross immediately became to him an all-absorbing interest, an overwhelming interference."
There is one more thought which I must leave with you. Biographies have always been of interest to me. I think it's come from the desire to try to learn what qualities are found in the lives of godly people which I can incorporate in my life, thus making me more effective for God.
But here's my point. Never--whether it is in the memoirs of the great heroes of the faith or of little-known figures of history who were devout and committed--have I found anyone who came to the end and said, "I regret that I crossed the great continental divide of faith, or drew a line in the sand and stepped across it as I took up my cross and followed Jesus."
But I have met thousands of men and women all over the world, including saints in China and Russia who paid dearly for taking up that cross, who have said, "I'd do it again, and walk every step of the way all over again." That has to say something.
Resource reading: Mark 15:1-47
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/what-does-it-mean-to-take-up-my-cross/
Internet connectivity issue interrupts crucial Senate budget debates
(UPDATE) - The Senate on Tuesday abruptly suspended budget debates in plenary due to internet connectivity issues as most of its members are participating through online video conferencing.
The livestream of the Senate budget debates was cut around 2:30 p.m., shortly after internet provider Converge announced a nationwide outage.
"There was a sudden power surge in some areas. Nadamay ang internet (The internet connection was affected)," Senate President Vicente Sotto III told ABS-CBN News in a text message.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology "immediately troubleshot our connections," he said.
In a Facebook post, Converge apologized to its subscribers, admitting that it was "experiencing issues" in its data center. It was unclear whether they were related to recent storms which damaged power and communication infrastructure.
"Our technical team is already working to resolve the issue at the soonest possible time," Converge's post read.
Prior to Converge's November 17 nationwide outage, senators have already been complaining about connectivity issues in the chamber after several hearings had to be suspended.
'Comedy of errors': Hearing on PH web status suspended over poor internet connection
In March, the Senate began allowing its members to participate in hearings and plenary sessions remotely to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The Senate's session resumed at 2:52 p.m.
'Converge' trends on Twitter
Amid the outage, the word ‘Converge’ trended on Twitter Tuesday as some of its customers across the country experienced internet connection problems.
‘Converge’ reached the second spot among Philippine trends following the announcement of the service outage due to a ‘power issue.’
Third year management accounting student Karl Dailisan told ABS-CBN News that this scenario is not new for him as he usually experiences internet connection problems with the internet service provider.
“So far, it's okay. It's fast, I'll give them that. However, there are times when the connection will be lost without notice. The real struggle is, it's very hard to contact their customer support,” the Converge user of more than a year told ABS-CBN News.
“And when you finally get a hold of their customer support, it has a long queue because of the numerous complaints,” added the University of Santo Tomas student doing distance learning in Cainta, Rizal.
Working from home, social media specialist Angelo De Vera, 21, said many Filipinos rely on their internet service providers heavily amid the pandemic.
“[Napapadalas] talaga 'yung pagsira niya and now na mas maraming taong nagwo-work from home at nago-online class talagang mas marami ang nakaka-experience nung effects ng walang net sa bahay, hence we tweet and post online,” he said.
(Frequently, there are internet connection problems and more are now working from home or doing online classes and a lot of people are experiencing the effects of not having internet connection at home, hence we tweet and post online.) — with a report from Josiah Antonio, ABS-CBN News