IT’S the Advent Season again, the proximate preparation for the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. It also starts another liturgical year when we are made to go through the different stages of the life of Christ and of the whole economy of salvation that is designed by God.
With this Advent Season, we are somehow reminded of the need for vigilance and focus that is based on the real and ultimate purpose of our life here on earth. Of course, we are reminded also to be clear about the over-all picture of our life here with the view of avoiding getting trapped in our temporal affairs while ignoring the spiritual and supernatural goal of our life.
Thus, in the gospel of the First Sunday of Advent, Christ told his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” (Mk 13,33) We should take these words of Christ seriously and sharpen our vigilance skills and proper focus in life, being truly professional in managing our earthly sojourn.
This, in fact, is the most serious business we have in this life. We should see to it that everything that we do and can happen to us in this life should be referred to the ultimate purpose of our life.
And given the fact that the world is fast changing, coming up with new challenges and issues, we have to upgrade our vigilance skills. Remember Christ telling his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life…Be vigilant at all times.” (Lk 21,34.36)
Times are constantly changing. Although we are told that nothing is new under the sun, still we cannot deny that there will always be new developments that will require us to upgrade our skills in handling them, knowing how to take advantage of the benefits they give and to avoid the dangers they also pose.
Truth is the many developments today, while giving us a lot of advantages and conveniences, can also easily lead us to bad things. They can foster complacency, self-indulgence, vanity, pride, greed, envy, discord, etc. They can turn us into materialistic monsters, totally insensitive to the spiritual and supernatural realities of our life and to God himself.
We should never underestimate the tricks and snares of the devil, the false allurements of the world, and the dynamic of our weakened and wounded flesh. These enemies of our soul will constantly make new guises to mislead and tempt us. To upgrade our vigilance skills is not a matter of paranoia. It is to be realistic. It is to be effectively prudent.
We should not be naïve to think that with our current skills at spiritual and moral vigilance, we are already okay. We have to sharpen our sense of purpose in life, seeing to it that its general goal is being consistently lived and reinforced in the many subsidiary purposes we have during the year, month, week, day, and even hour.
With how things are now, we cannot simply rely on a generic sense of purpose. We have to learn how to be vigilant in all circumstances and situations in life, especially when we are tired, troubled, or when we are thrilled and excited.
This should be done without getting nervous or unduly tense. Yes, there should be alertness always, as is proper to any watchful person, but it should be an alertness that is compatible with naturalness, one that goes together with peace and joy, knowing that in the end, God is always in control of everything.
CLEMELLE L. MONTALLANA,DM, CESE
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR III
CLEMELLE L. MONTALLANA,DM, CESE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR III
The river flow to the delta , not only within the rapids but towards other ways where it nourishes life nonetheless.
We are the unusual water ways, we are flowing towards uncharted path, to irrigate the hungry land..
We are the Local Community Colleges.
In the recently concluded Global Academic Leadership program run by erudite and of ASIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, more than a hundred LUCs Presidents and Directors finished an almost year long program.
We were so happy of the opportunity but more than that, we were elated to be recognized.
In the opening statement of the speech of my good friend Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig P resident Regie Maningas says, thank you CHED for recognizing us, the LUCs in the Higher Education Ecosystem.
To me that was not just a speech, it was a big exhale and sigh of relief.
We, 124 Local Colleges and Universities all over the country had that collective sigh of relief. We were not only given a fitting scholarship it was a validation of how important we are in the education of the next generation of citizens and leaders of this country.
With the worthy acknowledgement of LUC s role in the education universe, we cant help but look within our shoulders and see fellow LUC prime movers get teary-eyed, they recall the struggles and the structure mostly skewed against them and now stabilizing.
That moment, we felt the relevance and significance of local community colleges, shine a little brighter.
Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan signed an agreement on Nov. 24 with Zuellig Foundation and several government agencies to help address the teenage pregnancy problem besetting the province. (SAMAR INFORMATION OFFICE)
Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan signed an agreement on Nov. 24 with Zuellig Foundation and several government agencies to help address the teenage pregnancy problem besetting the province. (SAMAR INFORMATION OFFICE)
TACLOBAN CITY – The provincial government of Samar together with its partner agencies entered a memorandum of agreement which aims to address the problem of teenage pregnancy in the province.
The memorandum of understanding signed on Nov.24, the signatories said, signifies their collective commitment and united effort to address the pressing issue to ensure that the youth of Samar has opportunities to education, and the resources they need to make an informed decision.
Aside from Tan, the agreement was signed by Dr. Anthony Faraon, Zuellig Foundation deputy executive director and representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Commission on Population and Development, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Education, Department of Health.
The program is part of the implementation of the Joint Program on Accelerating the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy in Samar, a project funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KIOCA), United Nations Population Fund, United Nations International Children’s Emergency, and World Health Organization.
KOICA and the UN are implementing a four-year partnership program in Samar and Southern Leyte to support the Philippine government in reducing the rate of adolescent pregnancy in the country.
Based on the 2020 civil registration and vital statistics report, Samar reported 961 births among adolescent mothers second to Southern Leyte.
In the 2021 Field Health Service Information System, the province has also reported a low utilization rate on modern contraceptives among women ages 19 and younger.
“This problem is so big that it cannot be solved by one agency. The best way to address this is by collective approach,” Gov. Tan said.
“We need to acknowledge and own the problem, and share it to know if what agencies have the capacity to help,” the governor added.
Dr. Faraon said that they are committed to helping the provincial government of Samar in implementing interventions to address the problem which he described as a “social emergency.”
“This signing is a testament that if we collectively work together on the reduction of adolescent birth rate we would actually able to meet our overall objective,” he said.
“The commitment showcased by Gov. Tan and the collaborative efforts of stakeholders exemplify a proactive approach to address and mitigate the impact of teenage pregnancies on the community’s health. Samar is now on a path towards positive change, thanks to these decisive actions,” Dr. Faraon added.
Prior to the signing of the agreement, Gov. Tan and together with Dr. Faraon went to Barangay Mercedes in Catbalogan City and visited an adolescent mother to personally investigate and see firsthand the complexities of health inequities linked to teenage pregnancies. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has covered at least 13,705 hectares of farmlands in Eastern Visayas during the first two years of implementation of the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT).
These titles have been received by 4,372 agrarian reform beneficiaries tilling the lands included in the department’s target for individual titling, DAR 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Robert Anthony Yu said in a press briefing Wednesday(Nov.29).
“We started this project in mid-2021 and it was delayed due to (the) pandemic. There are also other considerations, such as the absorptive capacity of other agencies. We are now moving forward at a rapid phase since the Land Registration Authority is already equipped and some survey-related issues have been resolved with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” Yu told reporters.
Under SPLIT, the DAR is eyeing to validate and distribute 206,221 hectares of farmlands that were earlier awarded to farmers’ groups through collective certificate of land ownership awards (CCLOA).
Parcelization is a process of subdividing and determining the exact meters and bounds of the areas covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
It also involves the awarding of lots to agrarian reform beneficiaries in a CCLOA, determination of common use areas, portions with common service facilities, and establishment of areas capable of being alienated and disposed of by the government.
“This project will strengthen the ownership of our agrarian reform beneficiaries and the way they make their land productive. This will also help local government units settle issues related to real property tax payment,” Yu added.
Having individual land titles will also allow farmers to access bank financial services.
The SPLIT project is funded by the World Bank with a total project cost of P24.62 billion, comprising 78 percent loan proceeds amounting to P19.24 billion and 22 percent Philippine government counterpart amounting to P5.38 billion.
In Eastern Visayas alone, the funding requirement is more than P1 billion.
The DAR project is done in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Land Registration Authority, Registry of Deeds, Land Bank of the Philippines, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, and Department of the Interior and Local Government.(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)
The construction of a flood control project in Tunga, Leyte is now underway. The P54.59 million worth project is being undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways in Leyte’s second district engineering office.
(DPWH-L2DEO)
The construction of a flood control project in Tunga, Leyte is now underway. The P54.59 million worth project is being undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways in Leyte’s second district engineering office. (DPWH-L2DEO)
TACLOBAN CITY– To ensure the protection of residents in Tunga, Leyte, during the rainy season, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Leyte 2nd District Engineering Office (L2DEO) is building a flood control structure and drainage system along the Naliwatan River Basin located in Barangay San Vicente in the said town.
According to District Engineer Leo Edward Oppura, during severe rains, the water level in the river channel tends to rise.
The ravaging water flow from the upper stream scours the riverbanks, causing them to erode. Thus, building flood control structures will safeguard the riverbanks by reducing the scour process, he said.
“Additionally, the flood control structure will serve as a defense along the river and assure the continuation of communities’ economic and social activities,” Oppura added.
The P54.95 million project is sourced from the department’s flood management program under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA) involving the construction of 946 linear meters of revetment wall at 3 meters tall from the normal water level.
Upon completion, these flood mitigation structures will ensure safety against possible flooding in Brgy. San Vicente and its nearby communities, as well as their properties and sources of living. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
TACLOBAN CITY-Investigator from Police Station 3 of Tacloban City Police Office (TCPO) formally filed robbery with homicide charges against two cousins and an accomplice friend for robbery and homicide at the City Prosecutor’s Office involving a public school teacher assigned in this city.
Charged were Mark Justine Conde, 23 and his cousin Yasser Ivan Yu, 18, and Darwin Versoza,18. All are residents of Barangay 68 Anibong of this city.
They were tagged as the primary suspects in the killing of Bernabe Basiano, legal age, a senior high teacher at the Antonio Balmes National High School who resided at Saint Francis Village here.
The police said that the two cousins were apprehended by the local police at about 3:45 pm Sunday (Nov.26) in Barangay 68 Anibong after a witness told police of witnessing what they did to their victim.
Their accomplice was also arrested an hour after the two cousins were arrested.
Police Captain Noeme Jordan, information officer of the Tacloban city police, in an interview, said that the victim was said to be missing two days before his cadaver was discovered in a vacant house in Knightsridge Village, Barangay 98, Camansihay last Saturday (Nov. 25).
Capt. Jordan said that robbery/hold-up was the motive of the suspects to their victim but this resulted in a complex crime after the suspects stabbed and slashed the throat of the suspect resulting in his instantaneous death.
She added that after the crime was committed the suspects dumped the cadaver of the victim to the uninhabited house.
The police said the victim lost his gold ring, money, cellular phone, and gold necklace. (ROBERT DEJON)
Advent, vigilance, focus
IT’S the Advent Season again, the proximate preparation for the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. It also starts another liturgical year when we are made to go through the different stages of the life of Christ and of the whole economy of salvation that is designed by God.
With this Advent Season, we are somehow reminded of the need for vigilance and focus that is based on the real and ultimate purpose of our life here on earth. Of course, we are reminded also to be clear about the over-all picture of our life here with the view of avoiding getting trapped in our temporal affairs while ignoring the spiritual and supernatural goal of our life.
Thus, in the gospel of the First Sunday of Advent, Christ told his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” (Mk 13,33) We should take these words of Christ seriously and sharpen our vigilance skills and proper focus in life, being truly professional in managing our earthly sojourn.
This, in fact, is the most serious business we have in this life. We should see to it that everything that we do and can happen to us in this life should be referred to the ultimate purpose of our life.
And given the fact that the world is fast changing, coming up with new challenges and issues, we have to upgrade our vigilance skills. Remember Christ telling his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life…Be vigilant at all times.” (Lk 21,34.36)
Times are constantly changing. Although we are told that nothing is new under the sun, still we cannot deny that there will always be new developments that will require us to upgrade our skills in handling them, knowing how to take advantage of the benefits they give and to avoid the dangers they also pose.
Truth is the many developments today, while giving us a lot of advantages and conveniences, can also easily lead us to bad things. They can foster complacency, self-indulgence, vanity, pride, greed, envy, discord, etc. They can turn us into materialistic monsters, totally insensitive to the spiritual and supernatural realities of our life and to God himself.
We should never underestimate the tricks and snares of the devil, the false allurements of the world, and the dynamic of our weakened and wounded flesh. These enemies of our soul will constantly make new guises to mislead and tempt us. To upgrade our vigilance skills is not a matter of paranoia. It is to be realistic. It is to be effectively prudent.
We should not be naïve to think that with our current skills at spiritual and moral vigilance, we are already okay. We have to sharpen our sense of purpose in life, seeing to it that its general goal is being consistently lived and reinforced in the many subsidiary purposes we have during the year, month, week, day, and even hour.
With how things are now, we cannot simply rely on a generic sense of purpose. We have to learn how to be vigilant in all circumstances and situations in life, especially when we are tired, troubled, or when we are thrilled and excited.
This should be done without getting nervous or unduly tense. Yes, there should be alertness always, as is proper to any watchful person, but it should be an alertness that is compatible with naturalness, one that goes together with peace and joy, knowing that in the end, God is always in control of everything.