The BDO Unibank Inc., the Philippines largest bank today, has committed to help the country, facilitate climate resilience and promote inclusive growth, by extending financing opportunities to environment friendly infra-structure and green buildings to cut down on carbon emission.

The banks move is in response to the 2015 Paris accord (followed by similar fora climate issues), calling for the reduction of carbon footprints, specifically addressing the highly industrialized countries on earth. Lesser industrialized nations, the Philippines included, notwithstanding their low contributions to lowering carbon production, but were signatories to the accord, are obliged to contribute in implementing climate change protocols.

The same Paris accord, agreed to put a “common fund” to assist developing countries combat rise in carbon emission – funds were to come from the highly industrialized, richer countries and managed by an international body.

The Philippines is a signatory to the climate change-focused forum. Apparently, some organizations, agencies have responded to this call of saving Planet Earth. One of these laudible programs have been launched by the BDO Unibank Inc. The bank has supported the Menarco Tower developed by the Menarco Development Corporation (MDC). The Tower is not only “ green, but also heathy” – its feature includes “efficient use of water and energy through a combination of passive and active measures which includes motion sensors, energy recovery for outdoor air supply, double-glazed glass, grey-water recycling and drip irrigation for its edible garden. It can also withstand strongest typhoons and earthquakes with its solid structural integrity.”

MY COMMENT:
The reduction of carbon footprint is of universal concern, the participation/contribution to climate resiliency is Earth’s marching order for mankind to follow.
ooo000oooo
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“NOT everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 7,21)

It’s very clear that with these words of Christ we should do everything to live by God’s will and ways. Given the many distractions we have these days, we really need to exert the appropriate effort to be able to do just that.

In this regard, it is indeed advisable that we pause from time to time to check on how we are taking things in general, on how things are developing and on how our intentions are. We know quite well that things can change in the process. What may be good at the beginning can start to stray somewhere along the way.

Indeed, we may start by looking for God in the things that we do, giving him glory and conforming ourselves to his will and ways. But along the way, we can start giving in to our own desires, our own will and ways. From loving God, we can easily slide to loving self. We are very notorious in this tendency.

That’s why we really need to pause and check ourselves often. We have to see to it that we manage to keep our proper spiritual and supernatural bearing. In other words, we have to realize that whatever we do, whatever the situation is, we somehow would still be in contact with God. Somehow everything should be a form of prayer.

This will require of us to develop the skill of knowing what truly comes from God and what simply are a matter of self-indulgence. We need to be very discerning and discriminating in this regard. Not everything that presents itself before our mind comes from God. It can come from other sources—our weakened flesh or concupiscence, the world and the devil himself.

We should not be naïve and just accept things as they come. We need to check if the spirit behind anything that involves us comes from God or not. We cannot deny that there are many things that can look good but actually are dangerous to us.

In this, we have received enough warnings from Sacred Scripture. “Beloved,” St. John, for example, in his first letter tells us, “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (4,1)
There are many kinds of spirits roaming around the world, and we have to learn how to discern them. There is the spirit of God, the spirit of Christ as opposed to the antichrist. There is also the evil spirit, and the spirit of the world that is dominated by the evil one. There is also the spirit of the flesh.

For this to take place, we certainly need a kind of plan or program to keep our spiritual life alive and vibrant even as we go through the drudgery of the routine things or the excitement of new and challenging things.

But we need to discipline ourselves to follow that plan, knowing that no matter how good that plan is, if we fail to deny ourselves and carry the cross, as Christ himself told us, (cfr. Mt 16,24) we cannot keep our proper spiritual and supernatural bearing, and thus become prone to a distraction that can lead us to our destruction!

If there is something nowadays that has become so unpredictable, it is actually the weather. You can’t tell exactly how it’s going to be in a given place. Now the sun shines, now it doesn’t. Now you see the rain, now you don’t.

It’s this unpredictability that we should brace for. We should have something against any eventuality. If we go places often, then we should bring something against the rain, against the sunlight, against the cold, and many others. Failure to equip ourselves with these means suffering the consequences.

It’s for this reason, some would say, that many are getting sick nowadays. Not necessarily of COVID-19, the most common culprit, but of common colds, coughs, fever, and other illnesses that used to exist even before the virus came.

Thus, when it suddenly rains and one does not have an umbrella or a hat or anything to cover the head with, one gets soaked with rainwater, and that could cause the said ailments based on common beliefs. And so we hear of someone suffering from a headache because he got exposed to the rain; or coughing or sneezing or running a fever for similar causes.

Blame it on this weather unpredictability that people get caught unprepared, and fall ill as a result. These illnesses are very common nowadays, indeed. Teachers with plenty of students can observe this—many of their students are suffering from these symptoms, and the rest are in fact absent. But mind you, they are not blaming COVID-19 anymore or suspecting that the virus is the cause.

It’s just a sign of the season, old folks would say. Panahon yana hin panip-on, pangubo, panhiranat, ug iba pa. Again, people do not suspect the virus as the cause, even if they hear there is a spike of renewed infections in many parts of the country. Kay ano ngean, some would reason out, diri ba amo ini an mga arabaton han mga tawo hadto bisan waray pa an covid? Which is also right, di ba?

Anyway, lest we catch hold of these illnesses, let us just brace for weather unpredictability, indeed. Always bring with you an umbrella, a hat, or anything to cover your head with. The most important is that we protect our heads from getting wet. The head and our clothes, as well. Because it’s not healthy to have soaking wet clothes in the workplace.

In addition (so we can avoid common colds, coughs, fever, etc.), let’s continue to wear masks in public places. Keep your distance from other people, and avoid touching your mouth and nose unless you sanitize them first. This is to avoid sicknesses brought about not just by the unpredictable weather, but also by the prevailing virus in our midst.