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Bible alone?

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AL ELLEMA
AL ELLEMA

For so long we have been harboring the wrong notion that Catholics do not use the bible. If we see people roaming around carrying bibles, we can be sure they are not Catholics. The practice is still true in this era and generation, for Catholics are not even required to own a bible. While other sects are using the bible in their activities, Catholics do not as they are just made to listen to the Word of God during Holy Masses. The faithful are not obliged to carry the Holy Bible during liturgies. Studying the Word of God is not part of the liturgy unlike other sects where bible reading is done as part of their activities.

While young Catholic kids are made to attend Catechism before receiving first communion, other sects expose their kids to the bible based on their misconstrued explanation of the faith. We adhere to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church and do not delve studying the bible on our own personal interpretation. Other sects are too assuming in making private interpretations and teaching the word of God to their followers without consulting the Church magisterium as to how bible is to be reflected on and understood.

It is precisely the wrong practice of reading the Bible and delving into private interpretations that do not conform to the teaching of the Catholic Church that was built and established by Jesus Christ that had caused the proliferation of many sects. The Church which Jesus Christ entrusted to Peter had been given the authority to teach the faith when the apostles were commanded to go and preach the good news. No one of the apostles was told to write the teachings. This is why the Holy Bible came much later as a compilation of product of the discernment of the Catholic Church. It was compiled from manuscripts that were scattered in different places and times.

Sects that make the Holy Bible the fundamental source of their faith and teaching are lost in their chosen path. The fundamental truth that these non-Catholic sects miss or just refuse to recognize is that the Catholic Church was established by Jesus Christ long before the Holy Bible was completed. This means that the Catholic Church had already been preaching the Good News immediately when the apostles received the command to preach which was too long before the Holy Bible came into being. This shows that not all teachings on the faith are contained in the Holy Bible as teaching begun even without the Holy Bible yet. This fact is supported in the last verse of the gospel of Saint John where it was mentioned that not all that was taught be Jesus Christ were written in the Holy Bible.

Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Jesus Christ according to the great theologian Saint Jerome. He it was who painstakingly gathered the various manuscripts that were included in the Holy Bible. The compilation of the sacred writings was completed with the grace and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit guiding the judgment and discernment of the Catholic Church. The Holy Bible that we now have is the product of a long and tedious process undertaken by the Catholic Church. The challenge for us Catholics is to learn our faith by knowing Jesus Christ through the Holy Bible, that Sacred Scriptures that truly belongs to us. We must be able to defend our faith against the attacks emanating from the misguided misuse of the Holy Bible by non-Catholics who make wrong interpretations in affront to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church. Divine revelation comes from three sources, church magisterium, sacred tradition and the holy bible. It is not bible alone.
comments to alellema@yahoo.com

Farmers, Agri Producers join BSP-QR Program

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Dr. Paciente Cordero
Dr. Paciente Cordero

The Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap (DPTR) of the Philippine government is on the right track with the involvement of farmers and agri producers sectors, it was announced by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). This was done formally when BSP signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA), with the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office-Cordillera Administration Region (DA-RPO-CAR) inviting farmers and other agricultural players to the Paleng-QR Ph Program recently.

Briefly, the afore said program promotes quick response (QR) technology as a convenient, safe, and efficient payment solution to build the collective financial resilience of more Filipinos and help them maximize opportunities through their inclusion in the formal financial system. This program will also benefit market vendors from the convenience and safety of using QR technology.

In particular, the MOA specifically outlines financial education programs to be conducted by the BSP with a focus on the effective use of digital payments in business, financial services for micro and small enterprises and consumer protection. Also, this expands the scope of Palenmg-QR Ph participants from Baguio City’s public market vendors, public transport drivers, and other merchants who joined the program in August (2022), to now include the region’s agricultural supply chain players.

MY COMMENT:

I find the BSP-DPTR program a broader approach with the inclusion of other players in the agriculture sector such as the farmers and the agri producers. Started in Baguio City, I pray that the program will spread all over the country for a more comprehensive implementation of the laudable program on digitalization.
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What Mary’s Assumption reminds us of

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AL ELLEMA
FR. ROY CIMAGALA

THE Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady, celebrated on August 15, definitely reminds us that our body also shares in the dignity of being image and likeness of God. This is what our Catechism teaches about the basic truth of faith about ourselves:

“The human body shares in the dignity of “the image of God”: it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit: Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity.” (CCC 364)

It’s a truth of faith worthy of being studied very well so we would know what practical consequences and implications are involved, especially with regard to our duties towards our own body—how to look at it, how to take care of it, etc.

Let’s remember that at the creation of man in Adam and Eve, there was a state of original holiness and justice, and because of that there was no malice at all in seeing them without any clothing.

That is how the Italian painter, Michelangelo, portrayed the creation of Adam in a fresco painting which forms part of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling in St. Peter’s Basilica. The same with both Adam and Eve in Eden just before the fall. They were both naked. Of course, now with the effects of sin, we cannot dare to go out naked unless something is wrong with our head.

The Solemnity of Our Lady’s Assumption definitely urges us to take care of our body in such a way that it too should give glory to God. For that to happen, we obviously have to exert a lot of effort to discipline its worldly urges with God’s grace, so that it gets totally animated by the proper spirit of God, which is a spirit of love as shown by Christ.

This means developing the virtue of chastity which needs to be grounded on a life of authentic piety, of spirituality, of an intimate and abiding relationship with God from whom all good things come. Absent this grounding, chastity can only be at best a shell, a matter of appearance only, of some form of social or political correctness devoid of real substance. Such condition only leads to cases of hypocrisy.

Let’s never forget that man is both body and soul. And because of the spirituality of our soul, we are meant to unite ourselves to God, our creator who made us to be in his image and likeness. It is God who gives us the grace so that our natural disposition toward what is good that ultimately is God, is actualized. In other words, we are meant to live not just a natural life, but a supernatural life with God.

To be blunt about it, any virtue that we ought to develop should have God as its cause and effect. It just cannot be the result of our human efforts alone. We need to ask and to correspond to God’s grace.

And the way to correspond to God’s grace has been shown to us and even given to us by Christ, the son of God who became man to redeem us, giving us “the way, the truth, and the life” that is proper to us.

A quick look at the life of Christ can tell us that we have to learn to pray, to offer sacrifices, to deny ourselves and carry the cross, to live a certain detachment from the things of the world, etc. That’s how we can develop chastity.

P135-M Tacloban bus terminal annex to be completed in 7 months

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TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will build the P135 million Abucay New Bus Terminal Annex Building in this city to provide a comfortable commuting experience.

The DPWH Tacloban city district engineering office (TCDEO) announced Monday that the project funded under the 2023 budget is expected to be completed in seven months.
“The annex building is designed to address the pressing need for improved public transportation infrastructure in the city. The multi-purpose building will feature a two-story design, accommodating up to six public utility vehicles, such as buses, at any given time,” said Margarita Bacierra, TCDEO chief of the planning and design section and project engineer, in a statement.

The facility’s infrastructure includes a generator set to ensure an uninterrupted power supply, four restrooms (two for males and two for females), and two restrooms designed for persons with disabilities.

A notable feature of the terminal annex building is the inclusion of a footbridge that directly connects to Robinsons North Tacloban, offering commuters easy access to the mall.
The building’s second floor will house a food court complete with kitchen rooms to facilitate convenient dining options for commuters.

It will also incorporate a spacious lobby, ticket booths, and lower and upper decks to streamline passenger movement. An office space will also be provided to facilitate administrative and operational functions.

“Once completed, this modern facility will provide commuters with a more comfortable and efficient transit experience, while also fostering economic activity through its proximity to commercial establishments,” Bacierra added.

The Abucay terminal in the city’s Abucay village started its operation on Aug. 15, 2006 to decongest the city’s downtown.

In the past 17 years, the site has attracted several businesses, including Robinsons Malls, which opened on Dec. 14, 2017. (PNA)

‘Team Tayo’: TM launches new anthem with SB19, The Juans as brand brings together mobile and broadband to better serve Filipinos

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Globe’s value brand, TM, has released a song that captures the Filipino team spirit, tapping the country’s P-pop kings, SB19, and rock band, The Juans, for the new Pinoy anthem.
The upbeat song, “Team Tayo,” rallies Filipinos to go for their dreams and trust that they are never alone.

The song, a follow-up collaboration for the two bands who gave Pinoy music fans “Push ang Pusuan” (2020) and “TM FunPasko” (2021), peaks in its infectious chorus that repeats “Basta’t team tayo.”

“Everyone needs a teammate on their life journey, even more so for many Filipinos for whom life can be challenging. Through this song created in collaboration with SB19 and The Juans, we hope to show every Filipino that TM is committed to be our kababayans’ teammate on both good and bad days,” said Pia Gonzalez-Colby, Globe’s Chief Marketing Officer.

The Juans vocalist Carl Guevarra spoke about the inspiration for the song.
“We wanted to write a song that would speak about the stories of an ordinary ‘Juan’ like us, not only to tell them that we understand them, but also to let them know that we want to be their teammates. It’s a song that will speak to real stories and real situations of our listeners,” he said.

He also shared how “there’s always something special that happens” whenever the band works with SB19.

“One of our heartbeats is we both want to uplift ordinary Filipinos. It’s so natural to just give back that message kasi it’s not just a slogan, it’s not just a statement, but it’s the lifestyle that we both live,” Guevarra said.

SB19 band leader Pablo Nase said creating beautiful music through collaboration is all about working together– echoing TM’s message of teamwork.

“It’s difficult being in a group since we have different creative thoughts or creative na pinanggagalingan. But it’s about maturity. And you can create something good out of it because na-cha-challenge ‘yung thoughts niyo. Of course, you can’t assume that one member knows everything or his idea or the idea of one is ‘yun na ‘yung pinakamaganda. We would collect all the ideas together for us to come up with a great piece or craft,” he said.

“Team Tayo” marks TM’s bold leap forward as it expands its services to cover both mobile and broadband, with TMBayan Fiber WiFi. This community-centric broadband service offers fast, reliable and affordable internet access closer to every Filipino family, making the promise of a connected future more accessible.

Beyond mobile and broadband connectivity, TM also offers more ways to support Filipinos as they seek to do more for their families. These include affordable promos for both mobile and broadband services, rewards as cash, and raket opportunities, among others.

“TM is committed to being Filipinos’ life partner, a brand that enables them to face life’s challenges with joy, while empowering them to make their dreams a reality,” said Issa Guevarra-Cabreira, Globe’s Chief Commercial Officer.

“TM has always been at the forefront of providing access to Filipinos— first through calls, text and data, and, more recently, through our ground-breaking TMBayan Fiber WiFi. These, together with our suite of rewards, promos and programs, are all geared towards helping our TM subscribers feel that they are part of a team, supported through good times and bad. This is what this new anthem is about.”

TM’s evolution not only redefines its offerings but underscores its commitment to be a supportive teammate to every Filipino. This transformation underscores TM’s dedication to championing the Filipino spirit– a testament to a brand that truly understands, respects, and enriches the lives of its customers. Basta sa TM, Team Tayo! (PR)

DA reiterates call for climate-proof rice farming

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TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office here has reiterated its call to rice farmers in Eastern Visayas to adapt to climate-resilient practices to solve output drop.

One of the practices that Eastern Visayas farmers should do is to plant early maturing, high-yielding and stress-tolerant rice seed varieties as excessive rain could happen and may affect pollination while typhoons may cause lodging or falling over.

“Our call to farmers is to seek fertilizer application recommendation from agricultural extension workers to avoid excessive application of fertilizer,” the DA said in a statement Friday.

Farmers were urged to get an indemnity crop insurance claim from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation before planting and using postharvest types of machinery to reduce wastage.

The DA said high exposure to the effects of climate change remains a major factor that negatively affects the region’s agricultural output and productivity.
Recurrent natural hazards make Eastern Visayas one of the most disaster-prone areas in the country.

Records showed that eight typhoons caused an estimated PHP1.50 billion in damage to agricultural products from 2017 to 2021.

The region also faces other climate disaster-related risks, including drought, landslides, soil degradation, water shortages in some areas, and increased pests and diseases.

Eastern Visayas is a predominantly farming region with 1.17 million hectares of land area dedicated to agriculture and fisheries or 54.55 percent of its total land area.

About 19 percent of the land or 219,936 hectares is for annual crops including rice.

In 2022, the region recorded 840,345 metric tons (mt) of palay (unhusked rice) harvest. Last year’s production was lower than the 864,373 mt yield in 2021. (PNA)

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