IS A PICTURE ALWAYS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER?

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

- Henry David Thoreau

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Mabuhay!

If I may say it, perspective is everything!

What we see is what we believe is true and actual, but the biggest mistake we’re all guilty of is presuming others see things in the same way we do.

I’m told this little quiz is making the rounds in the internet and that it was really given to 6-year- olds. The amazing thing about it is that children can actually “get” this while most adults can’t. Children, do have a natural curiosity that allows them to play with things from a variety of perspectives, which really gives them the advantage over us grownups whose curiosity gene seems to diminish with age.

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

And we also tend to look for the most complicated ways of psych through issues. The answer, in this case, is simple: Turn the picture upside down.

Indeed, an FYI lesson for us: Never let the world destroy your natural curiosity. The answer could be right in front of your nose.

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

On the other hand, seeing the “bigger picture” is a slang term used to describe widening your perspective to get a clearer view of what really matters and what doesn’t. Because seeing the bigger picture is all about perspective. It’s subjective by nature and less of an exact science. Never-the-less, there are scientific principles that can boost your ability to see the bigger picture, so to speak.

In order to fully see the ‘bigger picture’ it’s vital to take onto account as many perspectives as possible in order to get a deeper understanding from all sides of the truth.

Increasing your ability to see the ‘Bigger Picture’ increases self-awareness, can give you more control over your life, more restraint over your emotions, actions, behaviors and with increased awareness comes a sense of calmness which reduces daily anxiety.

Certainly, it gets us all to understanding what it means to see the bigger picture in life.

So, let’s dive in.

There is no doubt about it that Americans are continually reinventing themselves, whether they are inspired by infomercials, makeovers or talk shows or ads for the latest line of clothes.

Whether we consider ourselves “fashion victims” or “trendsetters,” each of us creates and expresses identities through physical appearance and clothing. As jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman says, “I’m attracted to a look that’s a combination of hot and cool, that’s casual and elegant at the same time, something that’s subdued and understated but also intense.”

Filipino-Americans – our fellow “kababayans” – are no different when capturing something essential about such a prevailing cultural sensibility.

What does your appearance say about you? What is your personal style? How do you create an identity for yourself?

Whenever I have to deal with interviewers or photographers, I find myself wondering the same thing. Do they know who I am? Do they know what my life and works are truly about?

I imagine any editor-in-chief who sends them out, the one who tells them, “A Filipino-American, he writes about his Navy life, the historical district of Sta. Ana in old Manila and OPM records. See if you can get him to do something interesting.”

It’s that word “interesting”

Excellence Award.

Jesse T. Reyes Filipino Potpourri

shots? When you finally settle on one photograph, what reasons would you give for your choice? What larger decision have you made about your self-image or your personal identity?

Most of us really don’t reflect so deeply on these matters and probably wouldn’t fully articulate the reasons behind our appointment of one particular photo over the rest (“I think this one just looks best” might be our answer if pressed).

Yet the way we finally decide on a certain yearbook photograph offers some important insights into the complicated relationship between what we sometimes call our “real” or “true” self-versus an artificial or fabricated image.

interviews or photography, prose or poetry, performance or publicity –the medium we use plays a key role in shaping the message we send. For the most part, we look at pictures of people in the same way we look at everything else that surrounds us and we therefore forget that the photographs are images and not the actual people they chemically or digitally depict.

Would this self-portrait still represent you?

ofTrade and Industry (DTI) and Go Negosyo.

This year’s summit carries the theme, "Upgrade, Upskill, and Upsize MSMEs," highlighting the importance of empowering MSMEs by elevating their capabilities, enhancing their skills, and expanding their operations to thrive in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

In his speech delivered during last year’s National MSME Summit, Marcos said revitalizing the sector is one of the administration's top priorities.

PBBM cites need to keep PH ‘an asset’ in global maritime industry President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday urged the new graduates of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) to help his administration retain the Philippines’ good standing in the global maritime industry.

During the PMMA's 200th commencement exercises, Marcos hailed the graduates of the institution's “Madasiklan” Class of 2023 for doing a “good job” and expressed hope that they would continue demonstrating commitment, dedication, and integrity as they embark on a new journey.

“Because as you take on your respective roles, whichever career path you may pursue, I encourage you to continue to do everything with the same amount of patience and resilience that you have shown during the time you had here in PMMA,” he said in a speech delivered at the Grandstand of the PMMA Complex in San Narciso, Zambales.

“As you do so, help the Philippines maintain its name as a global figure in the maritime industry and an asset to the entire world.”

The Madasiklan Class, which stands for “MAgiting na may DAngal at SImbolo ng Kawal ng karagatAN,” is composed of 224 graduating midshipmen.

M/1CL Allan Jay Jumamoy, who hails from Tagbilaran City, Bohol, graduated as class valedictorian. He received the Presidential Saber from Marcos and the Academic

Marcos expressed optimism that the graduates would bear in mind the skills, training, and values that the PMMA had instilled in them, as they prepare for their future duties as officers and engineers of the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Coast Guard, or the merchant marine industry.

“This feat represents all that you have brought to the table so that we may fulfill the goals that you have set for your lives. This success also represents all the good these investments will bring in the future. Expect breakthroughs for yourselves, for your families, and also for our country,” he told the 224 PMMA graduates.

“Let that thought and let the opportunity to make a change in our society propel you to excel further and to become the leaders that you were trained and meant to be.”

Marcos also thanked the private shipping industry for its support for the PMMA, saying it is vital in elevating the Philippines’ capabilities as a maritime nation.

“The government welcomes the private sector’s support in promoting quality maritime education and training that allow this industry to be more innovative, resilient, and adaptive to the everchanging world,” he said.

To further improve the maritime sector, Marcos directed the concerned government agencies to work with the PMMA to ensure that maritime education is “more responsive to the needs of the nation.” that makes me nervous. They all seem to have it in their eyes. Say something provocative. Do something different, something Filipino.

The PMMA serves as the pioneer marine institution in the country and is considered one of the nation’s oldest institutions with a history dating back to 1820. It offers merchant marine-related degree courses, as well as short-term training and re-training of marine officers and rating seafarers.

During the Seafarers Summit at Conrad Hotel in Pasay City on June 26, Marcos emphasized the need for the maritime industry to adopt new technologies and secure emerging opportunities for Filipino seafarers.

The Philippines remains the top provider of seafarers for both officers and ratings, across all departments, aboard merchant cargo vessels, according to a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 2021 study.

What is it you imagine that to be? I want to ask. And always, “What do you think I am?”

Taking my cue from my generation’s John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s 1967 hit song “Penny Lane,” in which “the pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray/and though she feels as if she’s in a play/she is anyway.”

We sometimes lose our conventional distinctions between image and identity, art and deception, reality and role-playing, high culture and mass media.

A case in point – any high school senior who’s had a yearbook picture

An estimated 489,852 Filipino seafarers were deployed in 2022, constituting about 25 percent of the world's mariners.

Filipino seafarers remitted USD6.54 billion in 2021 from USD6.353 billion in 2020, or an increase of 3 percent. (MNS)

Present poverty alleviation plans, Caritas PH urges PBBM

The humanitarian and advocacy arm of the Catholic Church has expressed hope that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. would present poverty alleviation programs during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24.

Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, president of Caritas Philippines, said the people would want to know the plans of the government to improve the Filipinos' quality of life.

"We want to hear the President address the economic situation faced by the people," Bagaforo said in an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas on Thursday.

The Catholic prelate noted that the majority of Filipinos are facing economic woes due to the high cost of living.

"We are on the inflation stage and many of our countrymen are having difficulties in providing the basic needs for their families," added Bagaforo.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) earlier said headline inflation further slowed to 5.4 percent in June from 6.1 percent in May, the lowest rate recorded since 4.9 percent in April 2022.

On July 16, the PHP40 minimum wage hike in the National Capital Region took effect, bringing the daily minimum wage in the region from PHP570 to PHP610 for the non-agriculture sector and from PHP533 to PHP573 for the agriculture sector, service and retail establishments employing 15 or less workers and manufacturing establishments regularly employing less than 10 workers.

On Monday, Marcos said he would discuss the programs and projects he mentioned in his previous address, show those that have been accomplished, and the things that still need to be done in his second SONA to be held at the Batasang Pambansa.

The President said he will deliver a "very simple" performance report to the Filipinos. (MNS) taken has encountered a common dilemma. The photographer or studio presents you with perhaps a dozen proofs, only one of which you are expected to select for the record.

How do you choose? Do you select the photograph that makes you look most attractive even if it’s not a good likeness? Do you choose the ones that most resembles you, not really caring about that pimple next to your nose? Or do you prefer a picture that looks slightly unusual, one that makes you seem different from the way you imagine yourself to appear – maybe one that makes you look like someone else? And if you turn to friends and relatives for help in making the selection, what do you do when five different people prefer five unlike

Not only do these tangled connections play a large role in our daily lives – we may, for example, see ourselves as constantly struggling to express an authentic personality instead of comfortably playing an ordinary role – but they also exert an enormous significance in the world of art and literature, where authors and self-artists selfconsciously explore the ways, we fashion our image and identity.

The results of these creative exploration can then fold back into our actual lives – so to speak –whether we are aware of the art or not – and may stimulate new modes of self-perception. In other words, we may come to see our struggle to establish a genuine self as another “role” we simply are playing.

To whatever extent we portray ourselves and others – whether in

Again…just imagine a high school yearbook in which every senior photo was the result of a staged self-portrait – how and understood your individual classmates? How would these photos compare to the conventional pictures with their “cheesy” smiles?

As it were, I still worry about what people think. That is why I have so much trouble standing still for the camera’s lens or choosing what to wear before walking across a stage or sometimes even biting my lips before answering the questions put to me.

Who I think I should be and who I am are still not quite the same, though, I try to behave as if that is not so. I show up wherever I can with my father’s grin – strong and stubborn at times, a smile that, to anyone who knows me, clearly said, “No one is ever going to get a picture of me like that.”

“Stand over there, Son,” Pa (my father) used to say, “so I can get the Rizal Monument behind you.”

What did you expect?

Ha-ha-ha-ha!!

"In order to consider petitioner's evidence as sufficient to prove the allegations of its expanded complaint, the court has to perform many leaps of logic, engage in presumptions, and create inferences based on other inferences in order to bridge the gaps in the evidence adduced. In the face of such gaps, petitioner's allegations in its expanded complaint are reduced to mere speculations, insinuations and conjectures. Thus, while it is truly disappointing that nothing has come of this case despite the lapse of 36 years spent in litigation, the Court agrees with the Sandiganbayan that petitioner's evidence is insufficient to support the allegations of its expanded complaint by a preponderance of evidence. Accordingly, the Sandiganbayan was correct in dismissing the expanded complaint for reconveyance, accounting, restitution and damages against all the respondents," the SC said.

PBBM vows not to stop until every Filipino has access to quality healthcare

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led on Monday the briefing and site inspection of the Clark MultiSpecialty Medical Center (CMSMC) in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga where he vowed to pursue accessible quality healthcare services to every Filipino. The HFEP also aims to widen access to quality healthcare services, especially for those in the underserved communities.

“Rest assured this administration is determined to bring quality healthcare services closer to Filipino people. We will establish more primary healthcare facilities and specialty centers nationwide,” President Marcos said.

The chief executive said that he will be reporting to the nation on the progress that has been made in establishing and opening new healthcare centers around the country.

“But that is the product of our relentless push for Universal Healthcare and we will not stop until every Filipino can say they have good access to quality healthcare. I cannot endure the sight of seeing a fellow Filipino suffers only because of the lack of facilities in our health system,” he added. The CMSMC is envisioned to be a world-class medical facility equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that will provide specialized care in four medical disciplines: pediatric, renal, cardiovascular, and oncology.

It will be constructed in a 5.7-hectare property along Prince Balagtas Avenue in Clark Freeport Zone that will be opened not only for patients from the provinces of Pampanga and the rest of Central Luzon but also from the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions and even Metro Manila.

President Marcos also vowed to establish rural healthcare units and barangay health centers as he also supported the idea of strengthening the ‘Botika de Barangay’ program.

“All of these things we are putting together so that at least when it comes to the fundamental healthcare for our countrymen then that we can say is readily available to them… starting from the barangay health workers who play an important part in this system to the RHUs to the provincial hospitals to the tertiarycare level hospitals and to grand multi-specialty medical center such as here in Clark,” he noted.

The President emphasized that healthcare is an important part of his administration due to the lessons learned during the onslaught of the pandemic, which affected people regardless of their social status.

“that is why it is a fundamental part of the services that this government will bring to our people. It is not a privilege to have healthcare. It is a right and that is how we will approach this problem and that is how we will continue to make our healthcare system better for all Filipinos in whatever capacity that we are able to do.

The chief executive also thanked the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) for leading the project in coordination with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

President Marcos also extended his gratitude to the Department of Health (DOH), the provincial government of Pampanga, and other stakeholders for the construction of the CMSMC.

“Make sure that we continue to collaborate with one another, between agencies, keep an open line amongst each other, and ensure the timely completion of this extremely important project,” he added.

The President also urged everyone to be part of the solution and put forward innovative alternatives that can uplift the lives of the Filipino people.

“So let us do our best and make sure that our work redounds to the benefit of Filipinos,” he added.

There are 45 licensed hospitals in the province of Pampanga including 28 Level 1 hospitals; 14 Level 2 hospitals including the OFW Hospital; and, three Level 3 hospitals. (MNS)

DepEd all set for LearnCon PH 2023

A wide set of opportunities await education stakeholders joining the Learners' Convergence (LearnCon) PH 2023 of the Department of Education (DepEd) which will be held simultaneously with the 2023 Palarong Pambansa from July 29 to Aug. 3 in Marikina City.

DepEd on Monday said the conference will gather select high school learners and youth leaders, among others, from the 228 schools division offices (SDOs) of 17 regions in the country.

According to the DepEd's Bureau of Learner Support Services, the event will give participants the opportunity to "learn not only from the key speakers and activities, but also by engaging with one another, especially understanding different cultures across regions."

"The LearnCon PH 2023 was developed in response to the DepEd thrust to reassess, realign, and refocus its learner-related initiatives to be more responsive to the needs of the learner," the LearnCon PH 2023 General Administrative Guidelines read.

During the event, DepEd will communicate to the participants its policy and program priorities and revitalize learners’ participation in achieving quality and inclusive education by spearheading conversations about pressing and relevant issues for the learners as emerging youth leaders.

The LearnCon PH 2023 is also expected to provide learners from across SDOs and regions a faceto-face dialogue and to share and collaborate ideas, insights, lessons learned and best practices in learners’ involvement in public and civic affairs. (MNS)