The Filipino Press: August 18-24, 2023

Early palay harvest to boost rice supply, stabilize prices

MANILA -- The early harvest of palay (unhusked rice) planted during the wet cropping season will give a boost to rice supply and stabilize the retail prices of the staple, Malacañang said Thursday.

In a statement, Communications

Secretary Cheloy Garafil said

A Quiet Determination…

She was a pioneer in Education.

Dr. Estela C. Matriano passed Aug. 9th, age 93.

By Joe Garbanzos (joe.garbanzos@alliant.edu)

SAN DIEGO, CA -- If first impression reveals … when you first meet Dr. Estela C. Matriano you may be struck by a quiet determination and drive to excel as a signature of her life. You can feel this radiate from her bright brown eyes and exacting manners.

When you get to know her more, you will learn that these qualities were not accidental; these qualities were acquired, from experience. Estela, as many of her friends call her, was born quiet, destined to action and consequence.

One wonders where the drive came from. One may learn from her upbringing. She tragically lost her mother (shot by a Japanese solider at the end of WWII). Estela was fourteen years old. She became an orphan, and “strong in broken places” at a young age.

Trailblazer

Estela grew up in culturally cloistered Philippines; where good stand-up women demurred and deferred to men (though they did most of the behind-the-scenes work). It was the norm then; and young Estela did not have the patience for it. Estela broke the mold. She belongs to a trail blazing class of Filipinas, a University of the Philippines alum, committed to a lifetime pursuit of academic excellence. She was fearless; unafraid to break barriers, pernicious stereotyping, and cultural biases. She chose the field of education to apply her talent, where meritocracy not money is currency; and tenure is not

the initial harvest of palay will commence in Isabela, Nueva Ecija and North Cotabato provinces by last week of August until September. Citing the report from Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio Sebastian, Garafil said the palay harvest output

is estimated at 900,000 metric tons (MT).

“Farmers in these provinces were able to plant early in May, or four months ago, earlier than when the counterparts from other riceproducing areas in terms of harvest operations started planting,” Garafil

said.

In his report, Sebastian said palay harvest, which will peak in late September to October 2023, will contribute largely to the country's production in July to December in the same year pegged at about 11.5 million metric tons (MMT).

"Barring strong typhoons in the coming months that may adversely affect Central and Northern Luzon, we are aiming to harvest up to 11.5 MMT in the second semester of the year. This would breach the 20 [MMT] total national palay production, making it a record, being

the highest in the country's history," he said.

Based on the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the national palay output from January to June 2023 rose to

always a guarantee.

Dr. Estela succeeded and reached the top of the academic food chain through hard work and merit. It helped that she had a keen sense of gauging the character of people. This extra sense helped her in the work-politics of academia and led her to help many people. Not only a trail blazer; she was a survivor.

Activist She was a relentless fighter. She fought to overcome disparities where she found them. While teaching at University of Philippines, she was a prominent activist against the old man Marcos’ dictatorship She had leave the country for her safety. Estela’s misfortunes under Marcos repression turned-out to be good fortune for students and the academic community at the City University of New York (CUNY) and University of Cincinnati where she continued teaching, after reluctantly leaving her beloved Philippines.

In equal measure, she can be a “bull dog” when needed; and a “mother bear” in nurturing others. Her life represents an example of achieving beyond assumed expectations. In academia, where many would settle

for stasis; she inspired others to go farther, achieving goals beyond their expectations.

She was constantly reminding young students to aim slightly beyond their stretch, and took pride in outcomes that open trails for others. These are the qualities that are revealed when you have the good fortune of getting to know Estela. By many measures, she was extraordinary.

The Filipino School

The Filipino School is an example of pioneering achievement. In collaboration with Tony Olaes, Carole Caparros and a talented team of Filipino educators, Estela developed a novel curriculum On Being Filipino. The Filipino School is acknowledged to be a one of a kind in the US and an example of Estela’s tireless dedication to education.

The Positively Filipino magazine reported “while some schools in the U.S. offer Filipino language as a class, The Filipino School is the first in the country to teach Filipino culture and history in addition to language”.

She shared her vision of the Filipino School "Our goal is to educate, awaken, and empower. Many Fil-Ams acknowledge the lack of awareness about their own language, culture, and history. But once they begin to fill in the missing blanks, they start to feel more self-confident and motivated to be active in the Filipino community.”

The Legacy It is in this spirit that we grieve the passing; and celebrate the life of Dr. Estela Matriano. We will miss her gentle nudges to achieve ambitious goals. We are thankful for the legacy she has left us. She will continue to live in spirit, in the heart of people she helped, in places where

SAN DIEGO, CA -- San Diego

County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced recently the partnership between the Consul General of Mexico in San Diego and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office for the Mexican Consulate to locate at the DA’s One Safe Place: The North County Family Justice Center and provide services. The partnership was solidified during the first anniversary celebration of the opening of One Safe Place in San Marcos, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

“This collaboration with the Mexican Consulate helps strengthen the bridge with the Latino community and will help enhance their trust in reporting and seeking help when victimized. We know from experience, that domestic violence and human trafficking victims are often threatened by their abusers with deportation which keeps them trapped in the cycle of violence,” said DA Stephan. “Together we can work to ensure that victims who seek services at One Safe Place, where the Mexican Consulate will now be an onsite partner, receive culturally sensitive help in their native language, that will focus on safety, justice and healing.”

Since opening last summer, One Safe Place has served 2,845 individuals, provided legal services to 781 people, and received more than 6,800 calls to their helpline. One Safe Place provides support services all under one roof to anyone who has experienced child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, hate crime, elder abuse, human trafficking,

violent loss, family violence, or other abuse or victimization. This is all in collaboration with over 90 community organizations and agencies like the Mexican Consulate.

Together, the Mexican Consulate and One Safe Place have hosted events on wellness, have promoted first generation students with college connections and provided Consulate services at One Safe Place to meet the needs of our North County community and alleviate those with transportation barriers who are unable to travel to the Consulate main office in downtown San Diego. The MOU further creates opportunities for collaboration between the Mexican Consulate and One Safe Place in outreach and prevention work, including the Consulate’s participation in the free informative community events “Cafecito Con La Comunidad” that take place the second Friday of every month at One Safe Place.

“I am here today to send a clear message to our community: Victims should not remain silent when abused just because they fear deportation,” Consul General

Carlos González Gutiérrez said.

“The Mexican Consulate in San Diego has an extensive reach into the immigrant community in the county and will continue to invite immigrants to raise their voice, as there is no reason why they must live with abuse. We truly value our partnership with One Safe Place and hope, with their help via this MOU, to expand our reach of services and empower those victimized in our community.”

The signing ceremony of the MOU coincided with the one-year anniversary celebration of the opening of One Safe Place that featured a breakfast and program with community partners, including San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones, Carlsbad Police Chief Mickey Williams, Escondido Police Chief Ed Varso, CEO of Palomar Health Diane Hansen, among others. One Safe Place: The North County Family Justice Center is located at 1050 Los Vallecitos Blvd., San Marcos, CA 92069. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays from

p.m. to

Top photo shows President Marcos leading the distribution of projects and programs and the inspection locally manufactured

at the

Luzon State University (CLSU) in the Science

of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) manufactures agricultural equipment that aid the

cultivation, harvesting and post-production projects. Top right panel photo shows rice paddies in Batad, Philippines (MNS photos)

THE PAMPERED PINAY: Homemade Snacks

By FRANCINE m AIgu E

Candied Nuts

Toss your choice of nuts in melted butter (I like mixing white

and brown sugar), egg whites, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt. Spread onto a parchment-lined

baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees F, tossing every 10-15 minutes, until a crunchy coating forms around each nut. Keep an eye on them, so they don’t burn!

Charcuterie Skewers

Using bbq sticks or toothpicks, skewer your choice of cheeses, deli meats and veggies. My fave combo includes mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes, olives, folded salami, and roasted/pickled peppers.

Sweet & Savory Popcorn

Toss popped popcorn in melted butter, warmed bacon fat, maple syrup, bacon bits and thyme.

Chocolate-Dipped Chips & Pretzels

Melt chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, dark, white…any and all will do) in the microwave, in 15-second increments, stirring after each blitz. Dip chips/pretzels, so each is half-covered in chocolate. Allow to harden on a parchmentlined baking sheet.

Pizza Bites

Thaw puff pastry and cut into 1 in. squares. Top with your fave pizza toppings (There are no rules!). Spread out on a parchmentlined, lightly greased baking sheet, and bake following package’s directions, until puffed and golden brown.

See? You’re already conquering your de-cluttering challenge like the champ you are. Proud of you!

Proud of us!

Check back every week for ways to pamper yourself and those you love. Why? The answer is simple: YOU DESERVE IT, Hardworking Kababayans....

Do you want to send a love note at The Filipino Press ? Email us at filpressads@aol.com

We love to hear from you our dear readers!

she contributed in building better communities.

A virtual memorial in honor of Dr. Estela Matriano is scheduled on Thursday, Aug. 24th at 7PM (PST). The community is invited to join. Zoom link is available from Susan Delosantos @ Filipino Press.

References: Positively Filipino. Com; Filipino Press; Carole I. Caparros

Homemade candied nuts are fun and easy to make. You can have a version of your own, just like what is pictured above photo is the finished product with bottom photo showing some of ingredients for simplified version.

PH bats for UNCLOS-based COC in South China Sea

MANILA -- The Philippine government is pushing for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea that is anchored on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.

UNCLOS, also the basis of a Hague-based arbitration award that denied Beijing's "historical rights" over the South China Sea, is regarded as the Constitution of the Oceans that defines the rights of a coastal state in the seas.

It also covers freedom of navigation, development of resources and preservation of marine environment, among others.

“A Code of Conduct which finds its moorings on UNCLOS, is part of the diplomatic solution for the management and resolution of disputes in the South China Sea,” said Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo during the highly anticipated "Dialogue on Maritime Governance in the South China Sea" co-organized by the KonradAdenauer-Stiftung Philippines (KAS-PH) and the Foreign Service Institute Philippines (FSI) in Makati.

“The Philippines advocates for an effective and substantive code of conduct that adheres to UNCLOS and takes into account the interests of all stakeholders, even extending beyond ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and China,” he added.

Manalo said Manila’s approach has always been “peace” as he underscores the UNCLOS’ significance as the “arbiter of good governance and order" in the disputed waters.

“Peace is in our approach, as embodied in the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes, which reaffirms the principles set out in the United Nations Charter that all States shall settle their disputes by peaceful means,” he said.

“Rule of law ensures equity in the global commons. Current complexions in the South China Sea underline its significance in governing this particular maritime domain,” he added.

Manalo pointed out that this approach will also be “crucial” in maintaining an open, inclusive and free Indo-Pacific region and the momentum of global economic growth.

China and ASEAN first started the COC discussions in 1999 but were only able to produce the nonbinding Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea in 2002.

Senior officials from China and member states of the ASEAN will be meeting for the next round of COC talks in Manila from Aug. 22 to 24.

During the Makati dialogue, KAS-PH Country Director Daniela Braun said the South China Sea has become a potential flashpoint prompting the need to discuss dispute management.

Braun said China’s sweeping claims of sovereignty in the sea, extensive land reclamation, and harassment of boats from the Philippines have antagonized competing claimant states.

In addition, she said tensions between China and the US are also "increasing" while the latter protects its security and economic interests in

the region.

“These dynamics show that the risk of an armed conflict is growing and a real concern,” Braun said.

PH unsure if a reso vs. China will have enough votes in UN

The Philippine government is uncertain if a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution calling out Chinese aggression and incursions in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) will gain enough support from the international community, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said Tuesday.

Manalo was responding to the query of Kabataan party-list Representative Raoul Manuel if the Senate resolution seeking a UN resolution calling out China before the UNGA is an option.

“That [Senate resolution] was pertaining to putting a UN General Assembly Resolution which is a different matter because there are a lot of considerations to make when you table a resolution in the UNGA. It is one thing to debate, one thing to discuss. We can do that, and we have been doing that, but a UNGA resolution is a slightly different matter and politicized, in our view,” Manalo said.

"It becomes very political. It is not about legal or humanitarian [issues] anymore. We cannot predict how countries will vote or support,” Manalo added.

The Foreign Affairs chief said that the unprecedented legal victory of the Philippines with the July 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which junked China’s expansive claim of the entire South China Sea, is enough legal ground to stand on and could unnecessarily be subjected to debate if the UNGA resolution calling out China’s aggression does not get the support of the majority.

The same Hague ruling upheld the Philippines' EEZ in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) which is 200 nautical miles off territorial sea and outlawed Chinese aggression in common fishing ground areas.

“A ruling is legally in place, why would a political body decide on it? That is one of the considerations in having a UNGA resolution," Manalo pointed out.

Veteran lawmaker and lawyer Edcel Lagman of Albay agreed.

"The court decision is final and executory. It has to be enforced. We have no idea how geopolitics work, how many members are for us or against us. We should not take that risk and instead have a meeting with kindred countries supporting our claims," Lagman said.

Manalo, however, clarified that the UNGA resolution is just one of the measures that the Senate resolution provides in addressing Chinese aggression within the Philippines’ EEZ.

“We have talked to the Senate on how to deal with this issue, and how to bring forth our concerns on harassment of China, including gathering support from other allies,” Manalo said.

The Senate resolution seeks to bring international attention to China’s harassment of Filipino fishermen in the Philippine EEZ and its continued violation of the Hague Ruling and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).

It also aims to utilize international fora to rally multilateral support for the enforcement of the Hague Ruling and raise awareness on the real situation in the WPS.

It pushes to engage like-minded countries in various international organizations, meetings, and other fora to call on China to respect the Hague Ruling and the UNCLOS and subject to necessity and prudence and pursuing such other diplomatic modes as the DFA may deem appropriate and necessary

“A number of countries which did not speak out before have come out with statements such as Australia, South Korea and India. That is the approach we are taking: gathering enough support from partners who share our positions and views,” Manalo said.

Marcos names ex-DFA chief Locsin as special envoy to China for special concerns President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has appointed former Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin Jr. as Special Envoy of the President to the People's Republic of China for Special Concerns.

This was announced by the Presidential Communications Office on Wednesday.

Earlier, Marcos designated Locsin as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Locsin's appointment came after the recent incident in Ayungin Shoal where the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) had performed dangerous maneuvers and illegally used water cannons against Philippine vessels that were on a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre.

A note verbale was lodged following the incident.

China has since claimed that the Philippine government had promised to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal, which Beijing calls Ren’ai Jiao.

However, Marcos denied that the Philippine government made such a promise to China. He also said he is rescinding if ever there is such an agreement.

"I'm not aware of any such arrangement or agreement that the Philippines will remove from its own territory its ship, in this case, the BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal," Marcos said in a video message last week.

The President strongly said that he is rescinding any commitment should there really be an existing agreement between the two countries on the removal of the vessel.

"And let me go further, if there does exist such an agreement, I rescind that agreement now," Marcos said.

Deliberate

Former Senator Orlando Mercado, a former secretary of national defense, said BRP Sierra Madre was deliberately run aground at the Ayungin Shoal to serve as an outpost in the West Philippine Sea.

The plan was approved by then President Joseph Estrada in the wake of the Chinese occupying the nearby Mischief Reef.

"Ang plano dun isasadsad natin

See UNCLOS on 6

DepEd launches MATATAG Curriculum to address basic education woes

MANILA -- Department of Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Z. Duterte vowed that the current K to 12 Curriculum will be decongested by the MATATAG Curriculum which was officially launched on Thursday at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City.

In her speech, Duterte cited revisions in the new basic education curriculum which include the reduction in the number of competencies, and more focus on development of foundational skills such as literacy, numeracy, and socioemotional skills to kindergarten to Grade 3 learners.

She also cited the intensified formation of learners' values and character development in adherence to the Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) and Values Education Act as well as the articulation to 21st Century Skills.

She said among the features of the MATATAG Curriculum are the peace competencies highlighting the promotion of non-violent actions, and development of conflict resolution skills.

"This curriculum will be integral in DepEd's MATATAG Agenda unveiled in January this year. DepEd's track remains to be fundamentally illuminated by the wisdom of our slogan 'MATATAG: Bansang makabata, batang makabansa', meaning DepEd's programs and reforms are intentionally tailored to produce competent, job-ready, active, responsible, and patriotic citizens," Duterte said.

"MATATAG" stands for "MAke the curriculum relevant to produce job-ready, active, and responsible citizens; TAke steps to accelerate the

HARVEST

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9.02 MMT, 3.4 percent more than the 8.7 MMT production for the same period in 2022 and in 2021.

"Riding on the momentum of a potential bumper 2023 palay harvest, we at the Department of Agriculture will continue to provide rice farmers with needed high-yielding seeds, fertilizers, biofertilizers, soil ameliorants, farm machinery, and extension support, this coming 20232024 dry season, under the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program (MRIDP)," Sebastian said.

Sebastian also added that the DA’s attached agencies will partner with the local government units (LGUs), the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), LandBank of the Philippines, the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) and the private sector for clustering farms covered by the MRIDP.

He said the partnership will be led by the DA’s regional field offices, the National Irrigation Administration; the Philippine Rice Research Institute; the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization; Agricultural Training Institute; Agricultural Credit Policy Council; and Bureau of Soils and Water Management.

The clustered farms, he said, are tilled by the Irrigators’ Associations; Farmers’ Cooperatives and Associations; Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations; and Small Water Irrigation System Associations.

“Starting the next dry season, or in November this year, the DA through the MRIDP will focus on fully irrigated clustered farms to optimize palay yield, where farmers would plant high-yielding hybrid

delivery of basic education services and provision facilities; TAke good care of learners by promoting learner well-being, inclusiveness learning, and positive learning environment; and Give support for teachers to teach better."

Duterte noted that the review of the K to 12, which was started during the time of former DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones, was an "extensive and painstaking" process that demanded the collaboration of education stakeholders.

"Pursuing these reforms has been marked by foresight and demonstrated DepEd's desire to change the learning landscape of the Philippines for the sake of the future of our learners," she said.

In her presentation, DepEd Bureau of Curriculum Development Director Jocelyn Andaya said the review, which took them two years, was able to decongest the curriculum by 70 percent.

Andaya said it includes developing and drafting of Shaping Papers and Curriculum Guides, which were validated, revised, and went through a public review before being finalized.

"After going through the revision process, we have subjected the curriculum to a public review, which I have previously mentioned, is something novel as this is the first time that a national curriculum was subjected to public scrutiny," she said.

"Shaping Papers gained 96 percent public approval rate in a survey with 4,843 respondents which includes students, teachers, public/ private school owners, government agencies, private organizations, and

rice varieties to at least one million hectares, and is expected to produce an average of seven to eight MT per hectare, for a total of 7 to 8 MMT,” Sebastian said.

On Tuesday, President Ferdinand

R. Marcos Jr. instructed the National Food Authority to focus on the local production of rice to augment the country’s supply.

Growth in Q1 rice yield due to 'convergence' efforts - NIA

The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Thursday attributed the 3 percent growth in rice production during the first half of the year to the collaborative efforts of government agencies.

NIA chief Eduardo Guillen said the right assistance given to the farmers is also the main factor in achieving the increase.

“Well, the first thing is that we are starting to deliver the right assistance to our farmers at the right time. This is the order of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. The NIA is now working closely with the Department of Agriculture (DA), so that we can deliver farm input assistance, including farm machinery, at the right time,” he said at the Laging Handa briefing.

“We hope that in the next cropping season, more people will benefit from the produce of our farmers, with the right input and receive it at the right time,” he added.

Guillen also cited the convergence efforts initiated by the President between NIA, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and DA.

“We asked the DA, because the NIA has identified areas that we can irrigate. So we said to them, give us a high-yielding variety, (hybrid crops), so that instead of, for example, our farmers' yield of only four tons, it will double, it will become eight

non-government organizations," she added.

The review, Andaya noted, was guided by the curriculum review findings, international large-scale assessments and benchmarks, as well as the MATATAG Education Agenda.

The Philippines adopted the K to 12 Program by virtue of Republic Act 10533 which aimed to enhance the Philippine Basic Education System by strengthening the curriculum and increasing the number of years of basic education from 10 years to 12 years.

Before the implementation of K to 12, the Philippines had been one of the only three remaining countries in the world, the other two being Djibouti and Angola, to have 10 years of basic education.

The phased implementation of K to 12 was adopted starting in School Year (SY) 2011-2012 and was implemented in the succeeding years, where Andaya admitted the DepEd "hit snags."

She also noted that the shifting local and global landscapes created an impact in various sectors, including education.

The review's findings, Andaya said, include congested curriculum content, misplaced prerequisite learning competencies, and cognitive demand imbalance.

The DepEd announced that the MATATAG Curriculum will be implemented in SY 2024-2025 for Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4, and 7.

In SY 2025-2026, Grades 2, 5, and 8 will be under the new curriculum with Grades 3, 6, and 9 in SY 20262027. Grade 10 learners will join them on SY 2027-2028. (MNS)

tons,” he said.

El Niño

He noted that new technologies and systems in place would help address the effects of El Niño.

“And we have a new technology or system here at NIA that is being implemented now, what we call the alternate wetting and drying system where we can save around 30 percent on our irrigation and the yield of our farmers is even better. Just the proper cooperation of the national government agencies and of course, all our stakeholders so that even if we call something El Niño, we can still address it regardless of the areas that are not irrigated,” he said.

“Just because there is less water, it doesn't mean they cannot plant. We have also identified those varieties that we can plant there like corn, we have high-value crops that we can plant,” he added.

He said the warm weather brought by El Niño would be beneficial to rice crops.

“It's sunnier when it's El Niño, which means that the rice likes it more, the sunnier, the higher your yield will be, as long as irrigation is sufficient. The target areas we identified with the DA for farm clustering, we can really irrigate them,” Guillen said.

Increase rice production

He said the government is on the right course as various national government agencies are ready to provide better services to the farmers.

“Again, just bringing farm inputs and farm machinery to the right groups of farmers is a good deal, because we can ensure that our highyielding varieties will go to irrigated ones. And when the rainy season comes, what we plant will be more inbred. So we will still maximize our production,” Guillen added. (MNS)

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. joins Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte with teachers and volunteers in prepping up Victorino Mapa High School in Barangay San Miguel, City of Manila under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Brigada Eskwela 2023. (MNS photo)

CONSIDER THIS AS IT GOES: ADVENTURES IN PRINT MEDIA

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Greetings to all!

And Happy 94th Birthday, Aling Ading!

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Ninety-four is a beautiful milestone, embrace every change, experience, challenge and moment of joy coming your way. Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you know. You are an inspiration to us all!

A couple of weeks ago, too was my high school classmate Abe’s wife Ronie’s 75th birthday anniversary. Three quarters of a century living for a townmate of mine from our historic hometown of Sta. Ana in old Manila!

In a sense, it’s a non-event, an arbitrary mark on the calendar. But I felt I owed it to these good Roble folks to stop and reflect on it a bit – what it feels like to have had this much life, to be at this age, and what a gift it has all been.

For many years, I’ve been more or less unaware of the personal passage of time…that, at a certain point, there started to be more years behind my fellow Sta. Ana townmates and friends to remember and fewer years to anticipate, more experiences in our past, presumably, fewer likely in our future.

I haven’t ever been particularly aware of my own mortality. It’s not something that seriously preoccupies me, nor at this ‘venerable’ age all my contemporaries seem to have reached.

Occasionally, I’m brought up short by reality.

The thing-in-itself that right now, as I write, that the Villamor High School Class of 1964 – people of our friend Ronie and my wife Zeny and I’s age – is dying! In fact, I now had a rather long list of “In Memoriam” former high school classmates and friends. That most of my favorite teachers at that beloved educational institution situated in Pasig Line are gone. That many people I have

known over the decades and across several continents are coping with the challenges of serious illness.

Another poignant reminder of the fleetingness of life has been the passing away since the start of the new century 23 years ago of so many great thinkers, writers, musicians, actors, scholars, scientists and public servants who shape our young minds then in the 60’s and inspired our heart and imagination.

But, in general, my contemporaries such as my good schoolmate and friend Abe and his 75th birthday celebrant wife Ronie simply go on living their days as we all always have – through all the ups ad downs of our eventful life that has had its fair share of triumphs and defeats, opportunities and setbacks, hope and disappointments, moments of fulfillment and periods of great loss.And so, as our happily “surprised” friend turn 75, I reflect on the sheer luck we all – my fellow townmates from Sta. Ana have had here in America with the lottery of life. So I reckon – I think I’ll just go back to not thinking about my age, just being who we all are, doing what we do (fulfilling our commitments, being a great neighbor and citizen, engaging in what interest us all, learning new things, dreaming and planning, enjoying physical moment, connecting with people, living a good life and being grateful for what the lottery of life has brought us all)…until the next time one of these supposedly landmark birthday occasions roll in on one of us again.

“Journey of the 4th Day”: On the 4–10 August 2023 edition of this paper, I wrote about the Cursillo Movement and just what is it. Well, last Sunday, August 6th the same Filipino Cursillo group hosted a food and bake sale at the West Patio of St. Charles Catholic Church right here in our friendly South Bay neighborhood. A sizeable crowd stopped by and enjoyed camaraderie with fellow parishioners. It was one of those “journey of the 4th day”

TURNING 75 MILESTONE: The author's high school classmate Abe helps his celebrant wife Ronie cut the cake at a birthday bash held in Bali Hai Restaurant at Shelter Island last Sunday, 30 July 2023.

Jesse T. Reyes

Filipino Potpourri

candidate, you’ve got to set yourself some limits and hold fast.

Anyway, the only people in my business worth a damn are those who haven’t written a book about anything. I would prefer to be counted with that group, so let me say right now that this isn’t an article about authoring a book.

That is, it’s not a piece about how news failed to keep its promise, leaving the global village stranded in the wings; nor is it an essay about this altogether swell human being who rose to unparalleled heights in a certain endeavor, despite being a minority, brown, self-educated from the bootstraps, so to speak - Libra or wrong. Or right.

And I know there will be a place for me in journalism as long as there are Libras, because somebody will have to write about them, somebody who believes in them, and not some grown-up. Will it make any difference if I am getting old as days go on? Has the business progressed enough to allow an aging romantic who believes in truth, justice, rock’n’roll and the FilipinoAmerican way – not necessarily in that order – to stay on the business?

Just this last weekend during another birthday celebration that my wife and I attended, I happened to hear a long-time friend asked me if I am still going to write for the “Filipino Press” now that that I am officially retired after 56 years of public service and the government?

Well, I’m glad someone asked.

Right now, and in a couple of months and a half – I will be seventy-six and that seems a good fit, although it may sound pompous. I didn’t get to almost 76 in the Navy and the public/government service – and in this endeavor - without being good at all of them – and it took getting to be seventy-six to be able to say that I am plenty good enough at what I do and I know it.

event of which my wife Zeny and I was able to happily participate in. No doubts about it, the local Cursillo group here employs a method that emphasizes the importance of a balance life of piety, continued spiritual study and action. Yes, Cursillo starts with a three-day weekend but the best is certainly yet to come!

Moving on with this kind of narrative, I wouldn’t mind writing one of those books about the good old days – how I went out into the land and committed journalism, covering the important stories, every one of them, everywhere, better than anyone – but the thing about lying is that unless you’re a political

All I mean to do here in my little column is to tell a few good stories. What kinds of memoirs and why I tell them, apart from obvious and perfectly true reasons having to do with simply my passion for writing the truth, can be explained by telling one story now, another next time around and so on until I finally run out of topics to write about.

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

What this is, I guess is a reminder to myself mine is a craft and not a calling, and most important: it’s not brain surgery. It’s not nuclear physics. It’s a story…simply adventures worth sharing around.

Isn’t that nice to know?

Through the bamboo telegraph, I’ve been told I can keep my job, as long as I don’t look seventy-six. Ha-ha-ha-ha! I must admit that it wasn’t put that clearly – it never is – but now I’ve come to appreciate the generosity I’m being shown. It’s alright if I continue getting old, as long as I don’t look ancient. Ha-haha-ha! That, you – my dear readers – understand – would indicate a poor attitude on my part. Does it count that I don’t feel old? No? I see.

It’s only a story it’s only a story it’s only a story! Somebody ought to remember, however, that statistically the bulk of the American public is growing old right along with me.

If I go, I’ll keep what I’ve learned. The same is true if I stay. The main thing I’ve fixed in my mind is that trash is rubbish, and no amount of fancy polish will make it anything else. The medium is not the message; the medium is the medium! What goes in one end comes out the other. I learned that from my high school journalism teacher Mrs. Nem Singh back in my beloved historical hometown of Sta. Ana in old Manila. It’s up to those of us who work in the business to be honest writers – and to learn our craft, to make sure that we know how to write, that we produce good stories and not dreck pieces – and that we leave little something for the readers to remember and ponder about. I learned that from experience. We at our end have to put in the best we have to offer because at the other end is a reader who deserves the best – and knows the difference. That reader is our audience, even if it’s a gallery of one, which it’s not. Is there anything left to tell, any nugget of advice to be culled from my years in “The Filipino Press”? Yes, but I had help. My immediate family and relatives, old high school classmates and friends, fellow St. Charles Catholic Church parishioners, and the FilipinoAmerican community right here in our beloved adopted hometown and “America’s Finest City” of San Diego – had to tell me.

Before this column goes to be printed, I am only Jesse Reyes, properly humble, worried that I’m carrying nothing in particular. The rest of the time I am simply Jesse Reyes, under full sail and running before the wind – almost seventy-six years out – and bound for home. And so, it goes, so to speak! Press on!! Fair winds and a following seas to all!

Covid Makes a Comeback, But New Vaccines Are Around the Corner

By Sunita Sohra/EMS

The US is experiencing a summer swell of infections, though hospitalization rates remain relatively stable. Three eminent experts conclude that Covid-19 will continue to pose a health threat over many years, as it continues its evolution. But updated vaccines are expected to mitigate the severity of infections.

Covid-19 cases are rising once again, possibly fueled by the emergence of the EG.5 variant. Hospitalization rates jumped by 12.5% nationwide in July, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This uptick comes even as the public health emergency has ended, taking with it free testing and therapeutics. And Covid fatigue has set in. People no longer wear masks in public, and a study has determined that the majority of Americans will forego new boosters, which will be available this fall.

At an Aug. 11 panel discussion organized by Ethnic Media Services, three eminent Covid experts examined the rise in cases, the new variant, and the new monovalent vaccine which will be available this fall.

Panelists included:

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, Associate Dean for Regional Campuses, University of California, San Francisco and Medical Educator, specializing in treating infectious diseases

Dr. Benjamin Neuman, Professor of Biology and Chief Virologist, Global Health Research Complex, Texas A&M University

Dr. William Schaffner, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

What are the origins of the EG.5 variant? Does it differ substantially from its predecessors?

Dr. Neuman: EG.5 is one of the variants that’s spreading the fastest right now. It is a child of a thing called XBB 1.9. Basically, it’s another version of Omicron. And everything that is circulating in the world right now has about 100 to 110 differences from the original version.

This variant is spreading because it has a lot of changes at the receptor binding site that is the target of most of the vaccines and of some of the most useful parts of the immune system.

Will the new vaccines recognize the new variant and be effective against it?

Dr. Neuman: When the target changes, you have to change your aim. It has been over a year since we have had an updated version of the vaccine. It’s coming slowly, but uptake has not been great. The total uptake in the US for the bivalent vaccine is only 17%.

The formulation of the new booster is supposed to be a monovalent against the XBB variant. From the studies that we have now, it looks like new variants like EG.5 are close enough that a vaccine against XBB seems to work against it pretty well. So I think it’s a good move, and I wish they’d hurry up to release it.

Hospitalization rates remain relatively stable despite the summer surge of infections. Do you expect that hospitalization rates are going to rise at some point?

Dr. Chin-Hong: There has been a slight uptick in hospitalizations, not a tsunami, not even a surge. The way I think about it is a swell. It’s kind of like a general wave coming. It doesn’t overwhelm you. You don’t get submerged into it, but you kind of ride it until it goes to the shore.

So if you look at California, for example, one year ago, we had about 4700 people hospitalized at one point. And right now we have about 890 people hospitalized. So in perspective, it’s nothing compared to even one year ago when it was 4700.

Why is there a slight swell of cases now?

Dr. Chin-Hong: Four reasons. There are big concerts like Taylor Swift, bringing a lot of people together. And unprecedented heat waves have driven a lot of people indoors. So it’s kind of like a winter almost, even though it’s the summer.

People’s immunity is kind of waning from the last time a lot of people got infected, which was last winter. And then — although it’s speculative at this

point — there’s the role of how EG.5 might relate to this uptick.

We’re seeing so many people get Covid in the community. But we’ve all been so exposed to Covid already, so it’s coming on inhospitable soil. More than 95% of us have had an exposure or have had a vaccine at some point. So that probably minimizes or mitigates the risk of serious disease.

Paxlovid and Remdesivir are currently the only therapeutics we have in our arsenal to battle. But they are problematic.

Dr. Schaffner: We know that if you administer Paxlovid — particularly to people at high risk — very shortly after they are infected, we can reduce their risk of developing severe disease. But Paxlovid has limitations, as any therapy does. There are drug interactions. So if you’re taking certain medications, you have to be careful about taking Paxlovid. Or you may not be able to get it if you have kidney failure.

Remdesivir we now use very quickly once the patient is admitted to the hospital. But wouldn’t it be better if we had more therapeutic agents aimed at keeping people out of the hospital? Will we soon have new therapeutics?

Studies still continue on other therapeutic agents, but I cannot tell you when they will become available. I think we’ll just have to see. But the research community continues, I think, to make some of the very best contributions to the control of Covid around the world.

Can you get long Covid from the vaccines or boosters?

Dr. Schaffner: Let us make it clear the vaccine is not associated with long Covid. There are some people who have received the vaccine who nonetheless can get Covid. We all know that that can happen. The vaccines seem to have some effect in reducing the likelihood of long Covid. But, yes, you can get Covid, and as a consequence, long Covid, even though you have been vaccinated. But the vaccines really reduce the risk of long Covid.

Minority populations and

low-income communities have always been at a higher risk for hospitalization and death from Covid. With the end of the Public Health Emergency, how can we ensure that everyone gets the tests, vaccines, and therapeutics they need to stay healthy?

Dr. Chin-Hong: Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen a lot of disparities, including and particularly amongst the African American communities, both in terms of who is dying first of all and who is being hospitalized.

But then we began to address some of the root causes, which were related to access to testing and related to probably a lot of structural racism. Of course, politics played a role, but even after the new administration, those disparities still persisted.

I think one silver lining was that vaccinations increased uptake in all communities, probably given the advocacy of a lot of grassroots organizations and community-based organizations.

So what is still free, after the Public Health Emergency ended May 11?

Vaccines are still free. There’s a bridge program that’s going to probably come into effect nationally that allows people — without demonstrating

ability to pay — to get them at least until the end of the year in California, and probably extended with a national bridge program.

And then if you have insurance or MediCal or MediCare, people are obligated to give you the vaccine for free without a copay because of the Affordable Care Act.

Final remarks?

Dr. Neuman: The moon is far away. Mars is far away. We’ve been to both of those. It seems like the end of COVID is far away right now, but I have to believe that with human ingenuity, we can get there. I think the biggest challenge was and is in people’s hearts, convincing them not to fear the new and the newly approved and to do everything in their power to stop this virus. Because it doesn’t add anything to life, it only takes it away.

Dr. Schaffner: We have to remind ourselves that although the pandemic has receded, the virus is still with us and will be for the foreseeable future. It has the capacity to make people very, very ill. As I like to say, the virus is bad, vaccines are good. Take advantage of the new updated booster vaccine that will be available this fall, starting sometime in September. That will provide the best protection for yourself. Make sure your family is protected, and contribute to the protection of your

own community.

Dr. Chin-Hong: Who would ever believe that we rallied together as a world to have so many tools to solve this crisis? It’s going to be around with us for a while: the 1918 flu influenza pandemic, there’s still vestiges still today. But the point is, we have these tools and it’s up to us to use it. And science and taking care of ourselves is not a political issue. We have to take care of all populations and make sure everybody has access and ability to get these tools.

ATTENTION READERS

Do you want to enhance your Interpersonal and Public Speaking Skills?

Join Sharp Toastmasters group in Chula Vista. Contact Regina at (619)781-6430 for more info or meeting schedule.

JOURNEY OF THE 4th DAY: The Filipino Cursillo and parishioners of Saint Charles Catholic Church here on South Bay posed for posterity as they hosted a food and bake sale at the west patio of the parish grounds last Sunday, 6 August 2023.

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intentionally but at the same time, magiging outpost 'yun. 'Yung outpost na 'yun ay mame-maintain. Ire-resupply natin, 'yung mga tao bibigyan natin ng pagkain at saka services," Mercado said.

A US maritime security expert, meanwhile, has said that 21 Chinese maritime militia ships were spotted heading towards Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Former US Air Force official and ex-Defense attaché Ray Powell said the PCG BRP Cabra found itself in the midst of a redeployment of the Chinese vessels traveling northwards to Pag-asa Island.

PBBM upbeat about stronger, closer PH-Japan ties President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday expressed optimism about the partnerships between the Philippines and Japan would be “stronger and closer” in the coming years.

This, as Marcos met with Natsuo Yamaguchi, Chief Representative of Japan’s Komeito Party, at the President’s Hall of Malacañan Palace in Manila.

“On the front of our more traditional partnerships, which is in investment and development, I think we have found many ways to continue to make our two countries closer in that regard, in terms of trade, in terms of investment despite the fact that we have already over the past decades forged a very strong relationship,” Marcos told Yamaguchi and other Komeito Party officials who paid him a courtesy call. “I can see in the next few years that we have the potential to make that partnership even stronger and even closer,” he added.

Marcos said the Komeito Party officials’ visit to the Philippines is vital in forging deeper relations between the Philippines and Japan, adding that his administration is committed to boosting the two nations’ cooperation on various areas such as trade, economy,

infrastructure and maritime industry.

He hoped that his meeting with Yamaguchi would lead to closer interaction with Japan, “not only on the government-to-government level but also on the parliamentary level and every level possible.”

“Japan and the Philippines have been so close for a very long time that we have established all of those connections, and we hope to make them stronger and deeper in the future,” Marcos said.

Stressing the need to elevate the two countries’ cooperation anchored on enhancing key discussions in defense and security in AsiaPacific, Marcos expressed his desire to establish and create more opportunities in boosting economic strength and peace between Manila and Tokyo.

“I suppose now, times have changed, and those agreements have gone beyond just trade, business, investment, and we now have to concern ourselves with issues of security and defense in our region,” he said.

Yamaguchi, meantime, hoped that the establishment of the Philippines’ first-ever Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) would help generate more investments for the country’s infrastructure development.

He also expressed optimism that the MIF will be a “transparent and independent” sovereign wealth fund.

Present during Yamaguchi’s courtesy call to Marcos were Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano, Communications Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa, and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Komeito Party.

Founded by Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai in 1964, Komeito Party has consistently worked to represent the interests of a significant segment of underrepresented citizens of Japan.

The party currently has approximately 400,000 members and forged alliance with Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party. (MNS)

Spiritual Life

The Imperatives of Love

It is a practice in my church that children attend Sunday school. The main reference and content is based on the Holy Bible. I went through Sunday school since I was a child and I remember that the first verse that I memorized and recited in class was “God is love”. Then as I grew up and started to study the bible in earnest, I found out that this is just a phrase of a longer verse which says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”(1 John 4:78).

Then another verse says, “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world, we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God, yet hate his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command:

Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 15-21).

The most popular verses about love is found in 1 Corinthians 13: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight

in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Love by its very nature should serve as the basis of all our actions. What a beautiful world it would be if we practice love the way, God sees it.

Almighty and ever-loving God, we thank you for the love that you have shown us in many ways. May we be able to follow your commandments to love you with all our hearts, with all our minds and with all our soul and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. May we be able to demonstrate our love to others by doing your Will in our lives. Amen.

Blessing on my knees

A friend had quadruple bypass surgery and his first hospital stay.

Instead of parking in the ministers' reserved area and visiting the sick, he lay in an airy hospital gown and received visitors. Later, his sweet wife listed the kindnesses extended from hospital staff, family, and friends because many rallied to "bless" this godly couple. Their helpers bowed their knees to them, not in worship but in service.

When God called Abram, one of the promises he made was to "bless" him. The primary root for "bless" means "to kneel" or "to bow the knee":

[God said to Abram,] "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:2-3).

The idea of blessing may come from several factors including that of bending the knees to give or to receive. Both elements of giving and receiving are present in God's call to Abram.

First, God bowed his knees and served Abram so Abram could accomplish God's will for his life. Eventually through Abram's lineage, God gifted the entire earth with Jesus Christ. Abram believed God's promises, used God's provisions, and bowed his knee in service to his family and foreigners.

I easily imagine Abram bowing his knee to serve God and his contemporaries. However, I have difficulty when I picture God on his knees, serving Abram, not in worship but through the keeping of his promises to bless Abram.

While the picture of God kneeling to serve might be difficult to visualize, testimonies of God's gracious service appear all through scripture. From the earliest days, God has served his creation and expressed his allout love through provisions and justice. The Creator seeded the earth and set up an atmosphere to support plant life and humans. He didn't let Cain get away with murder. For thousands of years, God has nurtured humanity, yet we as humans have continued to ignore or bite the hand that feeds

Danny Hernaez

Whom

All Blessings Flow

us. In addition, God planned a complete demonstration of his love through Jesus Christ - a demonstration of love that would impact us like nothing before or since.

Ultimately, God let us view his servant heart through his Son Jesus, and his three year ministry held countless revelations of God's truth and grace (John 1:1418). On the evening before his crucifixion, Jesus assured his disciples, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).

Earlier that night, Jesus had demonstrated God-as-servant, showing his disciples the "full extent of his love" (John 13:1). When the Master Teacher had gathered to dine with his disciples in the upper room, street grime had come along on their feet. That's when the God of Abram, "found in appearance as a man" (Philippians 2:8), got up from the meal, took off his outer garment, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After pouring water into a basin, the God of Abram knelt, and one at a time he would lift and clean 24 dirty feet. Wash and dry. Wash and dry. Wash and dry. Thomas. John. Thaddeus.

Andrew. James. Bartholomew.

Peter. Judas.

The cleansing wasn't brief: The meal stopped. It took time. Minutes and more minutes ticked by as Jesus, found in appearance as a man, made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2:6-8).

Servant God knelt. Moved from man to man, foot to foot, and physically touched each disciple.

Dipping water from a basin, scrubbing toes, toweling ankles, Jesus humbled himself one more time before he "became obedient unto death-even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:8).

When Jesus reached the

Last Sunday, we heard how Jesus admonished Peter: “You of little faith.” (Mt. 14:31). Today we hear how He said just the opposite to another: “Oh, woman, great is your faith!” (Mt. 15:28). In this encounter with the Canaanite woman, Jesus shows us how God’s redemptive plan includes all, Jews and Gentiles alike. The woman seemed undisturbed by the religious differences that have long existed between the Canaanites and the Jews. She showed no sign of timidity, but rather, only determination to see Jesus, whom she knew was the only one who could save her “tormented” daughter. Though pagan, she was nevertheless a strong believer in Our Lord. Such was her faith, that she addressed Jesus as “Lord” and “Son of David.” It seems that she may have learned these names from the Jews whom she encountered. Or, she probably may have heard Jesus speak during one of his sorties. However it happened, it is very clear that she was driven by faith. What initially transpired during her face-to-face meeting with Jesus may seem a little unusual. First, He “did not say a word.” Afterwards, He replied only in order to let the woman know that his mission was not directed to those like her, but, rather “only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” And then, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”

Jesus had no intention of insulting the woman. He simply used a very popular Jewish axiom to describe

the prevailing mentality during that time. The “children” were the Jews, God’s chosen people and the “dogs” were the pagans (including the Canaanites) because of their rough, idolatrous and immoral culture.

The woman did not react adversely to what Jesus told her. She humbly took his words, aware of what the Jews thought of her and those like her, knowing well that she had no reason to make a demand for anything. But, that humility readily showed her the golden opportunity. Acknowledging herself to be one of the "dogs,” she pointed out that “even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” That statement showed how persevering her faith was, believing that Jesus alone could save her daughter. This Canaanite woman exhibited a kind of faith that the Pharisees failed to muster. Her humility and persistence bring to our mind Jesus at Calvary, when He also endured the silence and the seeming indifference of God – “My God, why have You abandoned Me?” He endured in faith to the

end, not despairing of his Father’s goodness, no matter how bleak the situation He was in. Both Jesus and the Canaanite woman are examples of what true believers must be like - persevering and unwilling to be put off by what can even sometimes seem like God’s adversarial stance. They are trusting of his goodness upon which they have placed all their hope.

Jesus was greatly pleased by this woman, to whom he said: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” This wonderful encounter teaches us some profound lessons. First, faith never gives up. Second, redemption is for all, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy in the First Reading (Is. 56:1,6-7): “I will bring the foreigners to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman unveils this truth for us. The woman seemed undisturbed by the religious differences that have long existed between the Canaanites and the Jews. She showed no sign of timidity, but rather, only determination to see Jesus, whom she knew was the only one who could save her “tormented” daughter.

Let us pray that the example that the Canaanite woman in the gospel reading today would be a great lesson for us to imitate as we continue opening ourselves to developing a faith that is so necessary in order to accept Jesus as our Lord and Master every day in our lives. Amen

reluctant Peter, we find these words in John's story of Jesus: He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me" (John 13:6-8). Later ... the disciples comprehended. They remembered the night Jesus made himself of no reputation and took upon the form of a servantthe night he declared most of them were clean and set in motion a perpetual cleansing. They learned from God "found in appearance as a man" that protocol couldn't hinder lavish love.

When Abram received his call, Servant God eventually furnished everything Abram needed to carry out the divine path for his life. Abram believed God and his belief equaled righteousness in God's court (Genesis 15:6).

I find it easy to picture looking up into the heavens and praying to God. I can even clearly picture God at my side walking in a garden as we talk about life. However, the image blurs when I look down into the eyes of the God of Abram fashioned as a man washing my feet.

I am ready for a new portrait. I am praying that God will place in my mind and heart the knowledge of a towel-draped Savior at my feet who will equip me to blessbow my knees to others.

God knows that you can stand that trial; He would not give it to you if you could not. It is His trust in you that explains the trials of life, however bitter they may be. God knows our strength, and He measures it to the last inch; and a trial was never given to any man that was greater than that man's strength, through God, to bear it.

<(((><

Ninoy Aquino ! Nang ika’y namatay! Ang demokrasya ay nabuhay!

Nandilim ang buong sambayanan, Ang ilaw ng kalayaan at demokrasya ay nawalan, Ang mga taong bayan ay pinagsamantalaan, Ng isang rehimeng ganid sa kapangyarihan.

Pitong taon kang sa bilanguan ay nakulong, Dahil sa pagtanggi mo na ang diktatorya ay isulong, Nagtiis ka, nahiwalay sa pamilya, lumuha ang iyong asawa’t ina, Subalit patuloy mong pinanindigan ang sa panilwala mo ay tama.

Pansamantala kang binigyan ng kalayaan, Ayaw ng rehemen na mamatay ka sa kulungan,

Ginamit mo ang saglit na panahon sa ibang bansa, Ipaalala na ang pagnanais ibalik ang demokarasya ay buhay pa.

Nagpasiya kang bumalik sa sarili mong bayan, Tinutulan ang payo ng pamilya at mga kaibigan, Sa puso mo alam mo ang pangangailangan, Ang patuloy na pangabuso sa bayan ay pigilan.

Sa iyong pagbabalik ika’y nagiisa, Ang lakas ng diktatorya ay di inalintala, Ng ika’y pinaslang at ang buhay mo’y sumakabila, Sigaw ng sambayanang Pilipino, Ninoy! Hindi ka nagiisa!

Sa aming paniwala ay wala ng hihigit pa, Kapag ialay ang buhay ng isang taong walang sala,

Upang tubusin ang paghihirap ng bayang inaapi, Na dulot ng isang rehemeng marahas at walang silbi.

Regalo ng Pilipino sa buong mundo, Mapayapang paraang pagbabago, Libo-libong mga Pilipino ang nagpakabayani, Makamtan ang demokrasyang minimithi.

Aurora S. Cudal-Rivera My

Fr. Agustin T. Opalalic

Salvador S. Idos

FEMA Deputy Administrator Hooks Addresses Business Leaders in Hawaii, Urges Disaster Survivors to Register for Federal Assistance

WASHINGTON -- FEMA Deputy Administrator Erik Hooks addressed business leaders in Hawaii during a call today, providing an update on the agency’s efforts to help survivors jumpstart their recovery from the disastrous wildfires in Maui.

To date, FEMA has provided more than $2.3 million in assistance to more than 1,330 households, including more than $800,000 in initial rental assistance, Hooks said. FEMA wants all survivors to register as soon as possible so that they receive the help they need.

“We want to reach survivors as quickly as we can to get them to apply for assistance,” Hooks said during the call, sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Hooks spoke to approximately 275 people on the call, that also included members of the Hawaii Chamber

of Commerce, Maui Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

“The business community is already active in many ways in supporting the businesses and survivors affected by these wildfires,” Hooks said. “Thank you for all you are doing. Our ask of you is to continue to be involved and work with federal and state partners as part of the whole-of-community effort to provide coordinated support to survivors and to help us share information with your employees and customers who are affected.”

FEMA has more than 600 personnel on the ground on Maui who are reaching survivors where they are, and residents now have the option to apply for federal disaster assistance at a joint Disaster Recovery Center that opened today. It is located at the University of Hawaii Maui College, 310 W.

Ka’ahumanu Ave., Kahului, Hawaii. Survivors who have not yet registered can do so 24 hours a day by calling 800-621-3362, visiting www. DisasterAssistance.gov or by using the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service.

Anyone who wishes to donate to help wildfire survivors should donate responsibly. Financial contributions to recognized disaster relief organizations are the fastest, most flexible and most effective method of donating. Organizations on the ground know what items and quantities are needed, often buy in bulk with discounts and, if possible, purchase through businesses local to the disaster, which supports economic recovery. For more information on the Hawaii wildfires, visit FEMA.gov.

“There is a mistaken notion among some that to own a paper is to have a license to clobber one’s enemies and attack people we don’t like. A newspaper is an information tool to reach a large number of people at a given time. A newspaper should inform, educate, entertain and provide viewpoints that could give us the means to make intelligent decisions for ourselves and others.” — Ernie Flores Jr., founding editor and publisher

Isang scan ka na lang mula sa pag-send ng pera sa Pilipinas kung paano dapat.

Itutok lang ang camera mo sa QR code para automatic na i-download ang Remitly app. May makikita kang app na nasa Tagalog, nag-o-offer ng nakakagulat na murang fees para sa pag-send ng pera at nagno-notify sa iyo kung nasaan ang pera mo sa bawat hakbang ng proseso.