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Never a dull moment

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THAT is what happens when everything we do begins and ends with God. We no longer labor by ourselves but allow him to work through us. Then it is less our strength than his grace that shapes every thought, every word, and every deed.

With him, nothing remains impossible. Even life’s darkest moments can be woven into something beautiful and life-giving. Love becomes our constant motive, because love is who God is and the very way he acts.

That is why we should never allow our bond with God to weaken amid the busyness of life. Every task, every responsibility, every ordinary moment can become a meeting place with him. Working piety is not an option but a vital necessity.

Of course, we carry our frailties wherever we go. We stumble, grow weary, and sometimes collapse beneath the weight of worries and disappointments. Yet faith assures us that God can transform every burden into a hidden blessing.

He wastes nothing—not even our failures. What appears to be a setback can become the seed of grace. Every cross, accepted with him, quietly blossoms into new life and deeper holiness, preparing our hearts for a joy the world cannot give.

The secret is simple yet inexhaustible: remain in love. Not merely with human affection or sheer determination, but with the very love that flows from God’s own heart. Only that love never runs dry.

Our willpower alone has limits, and even the strongest sense of duty can grow tired. But when divine love becomes the fire within us, we continue the journey. Even when the body weakens, the soul keeps moving forward.

Let Christ remain always before our eyes and within our hearts. Contemplate him most especially as he stretches out his arms upon the Cross, revealing the fullest measure of love. There we learn how to love without counting the cost.

For this reason, we need a living spiritual life. Prayer, the sacraments, spiritual reading, and continuing formation are not mere devotions. They are the breath that keeps Christ alive and active within us.

We should also learn the beautiful art of constant conversation with him. Let it become natural, intimate, and full of purpose. May our hearts seek him with the same spontaneity by which flowers turn toward the sun.

That dialogue should awaken our faith, strengthen our hope, and set charity ablaze. These divine gifts must inspire our intellect and will. They should also illuminate our memory, imagination, feelings, passions, and every human power.

When faith quietly guides every human faculty, even the smallest duties become offerings of love. The ordinary is gradually transformed into something holy. Our daily work then becomes a silent hymn rising to God.

We should be careful not to let these faculties draw life merely from earthly sources. Still less should they revolve around ourselves and our own interests. Their deepest energy must always come from God.

Whenever we feel empty, restless, or exhausted, it is often because we have drifted from Christ. He himself invites the weary to come to him for rest. His presence restores what fatigue and anxiety have quietly stolen.

Let us never ignore that loving invitation. Let us return to him again and again, drawing fresh strength from his heart. Then we can begin anew, renewed in spirit and eager to fill the world with goodness.

Indeed, a life lived with Christ never loses its wonder. Every ordinary day becomes touched by eternity. And every moment, however hidden, becomes another chance to love as he loves.

Jellyfish in Mars?

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Chris Melore wrote about it in the Daily mail . There was this photo from the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) that shows a Jellyfish -like organism or structure on the left side of a Mars Image. An unearthed NASA image of Mars has captured a strange object in the distance, which some have suggested was a jellyfish-like being or mechanical device.

NASA’s Curiosity rover, which has been investigating whether Mars could have supported microbial life for the last 14 years, snapped the image on August 20, 2023 at around 6.27pm ET.

So what does this prove? it has not prove much, but it nurtures that even in a hostile environment like Mars, life or any form of similar entity, microbial or even structures which can be attributed to a life or a being making such structure is possible.

The NASA had not ascertain the jellyfish like structure or being as true but it had already established the presence of river-delta and other similar geographic phenomena which supports life.

To this writer, I would assume that, there may be life in planets not named Earth. Why, simply because we humans cannot possibly discount the fact that tere are lives out there not just similar to ours.

It maybe that the lives are more advanced or primitive compared to humankind, but to assume that there is NO possibility, is to assume that we are the only life teeming planet and that the rest is uninhabited.

The Universe in its unfathomable vastness carry a bigger secret than our small and seemingly microscopic brain size and consciousness that are incapable of having fact-based conclusion in terms of life or presence of lives in the cosmos.

We need to accept the fact that we are simply, a speck on a planet, which is just a dot in space . Carl Sagan once said ,“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives… The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena…

U.S. funds new community reporting center to combat illegal fishing

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U.S. and Philippine officials tour the new Community Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Reporting Center(US Embassy)
U.S. and Philippine officials tour the new Community Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Reporting Center(US Embassy)

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY– The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, through the Fish Right Project, launched the Community Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Reporting Center in partnership with the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development. The new facility strengthens Philippine-led efforts to combat IUU fishing—a shared economic and security threat for both the United States and the Philippines.

Building on the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development’s existing coordination mechanisms with local and national agencies, Fish Right will integrate American technologies, such as Starlink and data visualization software EarthRanger, to strengthen connectivity, improve the collection and organization of community reports, and support timely information-sharing with Philippine authorities.

The Center will serve as a community hub for receiving and organizing real-time reports from fishermen on suspected IUU fishing, unusual vessel activity, and other illegal maritime activities. With support from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the National Maritime Center, and the Provincial Government of Palawan, these reports will be forwarded to appropriate Philippine government agencies for validation, follow-up action, and feedback to local fishing communities.

“Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is both an economic and a national security challenge. It depletes fish stocks, disrupts supply chains, distorts markets, threatens food security, and places responsible fishers and legitimate businesses at a disadvantage,” said U.S. Embassy Officer Taylor Fincher. “Addressing illegal fishing and related maritime concerns is an important area of cooperation between the United States and the Philippines.”

“By providing fisherfolk with a safe and accessible way to report suspected illegal fishing and other unlawful maritime activities, this Community IUU Fishing Reporting Center empowers coastal communities to become active partners in protecting our fisheries,” said Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Fisheries Drusila Esther Bayate.

The launch of the Community IUU Fishing Reporting Center coincides with the 80th anniversary of U.S.-Philippines diplomatic relations and the 75th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines, underscoring the two nations’ enduring partnership in upholding international law, promoting lawful activity at sea, and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The Fish Right Project supports Philippine-led efforts to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the Philippine exclusive economic zone bordering the South China Sea. It strengthens community reporting by connecting fishers’ observations with Philippine government systems, supports marine scientific research to inform decision-making, and promotes better market access for safe, legal, and sustainably sourced seafood. (PR)

Leyte board seeks faster refunds, action on rising power charges

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TACLOBAN CITY — The Leyte provincial board is urging energy regulators and other government agencies to act swiftly on rising electricity costs, particularly congestion-related charges that have added to the monthly power bills of consumers in the province.
First District Board Member Wilson Uy authored a resolution calling on the Regional Development Council (RDC) in Eastern Visayas and national energy agencies to address the impact of line loss and congestion costs (LLCC) on electricity consumers.

The resolution specifically urges the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), Department of Energy (DOE), and Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) to expedite the release of net settlement surplus allocation (NSSA) flow-back refunds to consumers.

It also calls for reforms in the country’s electricity pricing mechanisms to prevent consumers from bearing additional costs arising from transmission grid constraints and congestion.

The measure noted that persistent congestion in the transmission network has contributed to higher LLCC, which are passed on to households and businesses through their electricity bills.

Uy said the provincial government should push for measures that would reduce unnecessary charges and ensure a fairer and more efficient electricity market.
The resolution comes as concerns over LLCC and other transmission-related charges continue to grow in Eastern Visayas, where high electricity rates have placed additional financial pressure on households and businesses.

Uy said the measure reflects the provincial government’s commitment to protecting consumers in Leyte’s First District and the rest of the province while advocating for policies that could bring down electricity costs and improve the efficiency of the country’s power system.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Residents’ tip leads to recovery of NPA war materiel in Samar

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TACLOBAN CITY — Information provided by residents led to the recovery of two caches of war materiel believed to have been concealed by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Barangay Salvacion, Jiabong, Samar, the military said.

Personnel of the 3rd Infantry Battalion recovered the materiel following information relayed by residents through the battalion’s Modified Community Support Program (MCSP).
According to the Army, individuals believed to be members of the Yakal Platoon of the Sub-Regional Committee (SRC) Browser had attempted to seek support and resources from residents in the area.

The residents reportedly refused to assist the group and instead informed the MCSP team, prompting soldiers to verify the information and conduct a recovery operation.
The operation led to the discovery of a cache of war materiel allegedly concealed for future activities by communist terrorist groups (CTGs).

Several days later, another resident voluntarily provided information about the location of a second cache reportedly intended for use in violent activities by the armed group.
Authorities immediately acted on the information, resulting in the recovery of the additional materiel, according to the Army.

The 3rd IB said the successive recoveries demonstrated the importance of community cooperation and vigilance in preventing armed groups from using civilians and local resources to sustain their operations.

The battalion also stressed that maintaining peace and security requires the participation of both security forces and local communities.

It said it would continue its security and community engagement efforts in coordination with residents to prevent violence and protect communities from armed groups.
The recovered items were placed under government custody.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

Higher electricity costs, rising rice prices push Eastern Visayas inflation higher in July

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TACLOBAN CITY– Higher electricity costs contributed to the sharp acceleration of inflation in Eastern Visayas in July, with the region’s headline inflation rate rising to 8.3 percent from 7.0 percent in June, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The 1.3-percentage-point increase marked a reversal from the slowdown recorded in the previous month, when regional inflation eased from 8.2 percent in May to 7.0 percent in June.

In the PSA-8 July 2026 report, the uptrend in the overall inflation in the region was primarily brought about by the higher inflation rate in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels at 9.6 percent during the month from 5.4 percent in June 2026.

The increase came as households faced higher electricity bills following a rise in generation charges.

“A sharp increase in power charges driven by record Line Loss and Congestion Charges (LLCC) and higher prices at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market contributed to the acceleration of inflation in Eastern Visayas in July,” says PSA-8 chief statistical specialist Mae Almonte.

The region’s 11 electric cooperatives were earlier billed a combined P1.187 billion in the latest WESM-related charges, with P573.53 million, or nearly 48 percent, attributed to LLCC. This was more than double the P276.5 million recorded in June.

Electric cooperatives said the unprecedented LLCC was largely due to transmission constraints and power losses in the grid.

Higher charges came alongside increased WESM prices as several power plants temporarily shut down, supply in the Visayas grid tightened, and electricity demand remained high. These conditions resulted in several yellow and red alerts, pushing up prices in the spot market.

Another main driver to the upward trend of the regional inflation is the higher inflation rate in the heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages, which increased to 7.7 percent in July 2026 from 6.7 percent in the previous month.

Higher prices of rice, fish and other essential food items pushed food inflation higher in Eastern Visayas in July 2026, with rice emerging as the main contributor to the region’s food price increase.

The regional food inflation rate accelerated during the month, largely due to the faster increase in rice prices. Rice inflation rose to 20.4 percent in July, up from 16.7 percent in June 2026.

Fish and other seafood also recorded a higher inflation rate at 8.2 percent, compared with 6.9 percent in the previous month, further contributing to the uptrend in regional food inflation.

The regional inflation rate remains significantly above the government’s target range of 2 to 4 percent. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has earlier projected that inflation in Eastern Visayas could remain above target through 2027, underscoring the need for continued monitoring of price pressures.

For consumers, the higher inflation rate means that prices continue to rise, although the extent varies across commodities. The latest figures reinforce the importance of managing household expenses as families cope with higher costs for essential goods and services.

The July inflation data also underscores the need for measures to stabilize electricity costs and strengthen the region’s energy supply as authorities work to protect consumers from further cost-of-living pressures.

(AHLETTE C. REYES, PIA-LEYTE)

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