Saturday, July 31, 2021
Friday, July 30, 2021
Start Learning What Life Is All About
In Him [speaking of Christ] was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:4-5
The French writer, Guy de Maupassant, was one of the world’s greatest writers of short stories. At the same time, he was one of the world’s most sad and tragic figures. As a celebrity and writer, he had it all, yet in reality, what he had didn’t satisfy. Within a decade, he rose from obscurity to fame as his stories were published in newspapers and journals around the world. His name became a household word. With fame came the trappings of success: a yacht in the Mediterranean, a large house on the Norman Coast, and his luxurious flat in Paris. One biographer put it, “Critics praised him; men admired him; and women worshiped him.”
With all of that, surely de Maupassant could have found happiness, but like the vapor that dissipates with the sun, happiness eluded him. At the height of a successful career, he went insane, some believe as the result of venereal disease. On New Year’s Day, 1892, he tried to take his life by cutting his throat with a letter opener. Taken to a private asylum on the Riviera, after 18 months of physical and mental disintegration, he died, at the ripe old age of 42.
De Maupassant’s life reminds me of a sad refrain from a popular song, the words of which reflect the emptiness of life which confronts so many. The words go, “Is that all there is? Is that all there is? If that’s all there is my friend, then let’s keep dancing. Let’s break out the booze and have a ball, If that’s all there is.”
Have you ever come to a point of desperation in your life? Possibly it wasn’t the result of a major crisis; rather it may have been the weariness and the boredom of an existence without much meaning, and gradually a silent despair began to grip your life where the silent scream of your heart was, “Is that all there is?”
The promotion which was so meaningful to you a few years ago came your way, and now that you have it, you are weary with the added effort. The new car and the house along with the overseas vacation are nice, but you still sit at home alone and ask, “Is that all there is?”
Keeping busy helps avoid the question, but, nonetheless, it’s still there. The searching question, bottom line, is this: “What is life all about, anyway?” Is there more to life than what you see? Is there a purpose which tells you something of why you are here and what lies beyond your last breath?
Two hundred years before de Maupassant, another Frenchman, Blaise Pascal, wrote of a God‑shaped vacuum in the heart of every person which can be filled only through a relationship with the divine. Augustine put it like this: “Thou has made us for thyself, O God, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee!”
Do you find yourself asking, “Is that all there is?” at the end of your week when you press your head to the pillow at night and stare up into a dark and lonely hole over your life? There is more, friend. Missing in de Maupassant’s life was the God‑dimension which is vitally necessary to give purpose to existence and an understanding of being.
The bridge between our despair and loneliness and the reality which eludes so many is a person‑‑His name is Jesus Christ. Of Him John wrote, “In Him [speaking of Christ] was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” (John 1:4-5).
There is more, friend. Much, much more. Don’t be shortchanged.
Resource reading: John 1:1-14
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/start-learning-what-life-is-all-about/
Thursday, July 29, 2021
What Does Jesus Have To Do With Christianity?
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
“Do I have to believe in Jesus to be a Christian?” asked a young man whose Russian Jewish background had never exposed him to the Gospel. Having been raised in a home in the former Soviet Union where God was seldom if ever discussed, he had heard about Jesus but didn’t really know how He would fit into Christianity. He wanted to know. How would you answer that question? There are millions of people whose backgrounds are nominally Christian who still don’t understand the relationship between Jesus Christ and Christianity.
“Are you a Christian?” I once asked a man. He thought for a moment and then replied, “Well, I suppose so since I’m not a Muslim or a Jew.” For millions of people around the world, the term broadly defines ethnic and, to a degree, religious roots. We think of countries such as the Philippines in Asia, the United States in the Americas and North Ireland in Europe as “Christian” nations. But painting nations with such a broad, sweeping brush is a generalization which allows a lot of space between the brush marks.
Let’s go back to the question of the young man who wanted to know, “What does Jesus Christ have to do with Christianity?” Would it be more valid to turn the question around and ask, “What does Christianity have to do with Jesus Christ?”
Do you happen to remember the first use of the term, “Christian” or “Christians?” In Jesus’ day, those who followed Him were never identified as Christians. Disciples? Yes, they would have acknowledged that. Peter, Andrew, James and John would have been quite proud to be identified as disciples of Jesus. All great leaders had followers who were known as disciples. But ethnically, they were Jews and proud of their heritage.
It was about 15 years after the church was established before disciples were called Christians, and when that happened, the term was one of derision and scorn. Luke tells us about it, saying that when Barnabas found Saul—later known as the Apostle Paul, “he brought him to Antioch. So, for a whole year,” writes Luke, “Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people.” Then he adds, “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:26).
One of the major reasons why the term Christianity should never be used as a term defining a religion is that Christianity really involves a relationship, not simply a lifestyle or a system of beliefs. The creed of the early church stressed who Jesus was and what He did—not what people must say or believe to belong to a church.
One of the earliest statements of belief held by the infant church was Paul’s brief creed found in his first letter to the Corinthians. He put it like this: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
When the young man asked, “Do I have to believe in Jesus to be a Christian?” and he got the answer, “Yes. That’s what it is all about.” He responded, “I’m not yet ready,” but he got involved in a Bible study and began to read the New Testament, something he had never done seriously before.
A few weeks later, he was ready, and confessed Jesus Christ as His personal Savior. Today, he not only has joined a church which he attends regularly, but he participates actively in sharing His faith with others.
The acid proof of discipleship, taught Jesus, does not involve your belief system—it involves your relationship with Christ, then with others.
Resource reading: John 15:5-17.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/what-does-jesus-have-to-do-with-christianity-2/
Carlo Katigbak Says Ex-ABS-CBN Stars Welcome to Return
ABS-CBN Corp. president Carlo Katigbak said Thursday former Kapamilya talents who left after the company was denied a new franchise last year are welcome to return if they so wish.
The Lopez-led media company understands that some talents needed to look elsewhere for work since ABS-CBN had been off the air for a year, Katigbak said, in response to a question during its annual stockholder’s meeting.
Since last year, top talents like Cathy Yang, Ted Failon, Bea Alonzo and Johnny Manahan have transferred to the competition.
“Our goal is to make ABS-CBN the home of the country’s best creative and journalistic talent,” he said.
Asked about ABS-CBN’s business model and five-year-plan post franchise loss, Katigbak said the company would focus on storytelling and content creation.
ABS-CBN on May 5, 2020 went off the air upon orders from the National Telecommunications Commission as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the country. The company's franchise expired the day before.
The shutdown--condemned by global media watchdogs--was viewed as a fulfillment of President Rodrigo Duterte's threat to the network: "I will see to it that you are out." Malacañang however has repeatedly distanced the President from the Kapamilya network's franchise woes.
The House of Representatives in July of the same year refused to grant the network a new franchise which resulted in pay cuts, layoffs, and the closure of several departments such as ABS-CBN Sports in the middle of a pandemic. At least two rounds of layoffs were pursued following the shutdown.
ABS-CBN has since become more aggressive in the digital space. Workers who stayed with the company were asked for voluntary pay cuts to help the network stay afloat after it incurred a crippling P13.5-billion net loss in 2020.
Early this year, House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco shattered hopes of a possible ABS-CBN comeback, saying calls to grant the network a new franchise will have to wait until the election of the next Congress in 2022.
https://www.reportr.world/news/abs-cbn-carlo-katigbak-ex-kapamilya-welcome-to-return-a4671-20210729
Sakto | TeleRadyo (29 July 2021)
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Five Elements of Repentance
I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Corinthians 7:9-10
“To deny sin is bad news, indeed,” wrote John Alexander. Continuing, he said, “The only good news is sin itself. Sin is the best news there is, the best news that there could be in our predicament. Because with sin, there’s a way out. There’s the possibility of repentance. You can’t repent of confusion or psychological flaws inflicted by your parents—you’re stuck with them. But you can repent of sin. Sin and repentance are the only grounds for hope and joy, the grounds for reconciled, joyful relationships.”[i]
Did you notice the phrase, “There’s the possibility of repentance”? “Just a minute,” you may be thinking, “what does repentance have to do with forgiveness? I thought that when God forgave me, He just wiped the slate clean and that was all there was to this business.” Scores of people consider forgiveness to be a kind of “I’m OK; you’re OK, too” sort of business with God, whereby we acknowledge our failure and God forgives us. Is that an oversimplification?
First, let’s define our terms. The Greek word for repentance means “a change of mind,” and the word is used throughout the Bible in relationship to the transaction of genuine forgiveness and restoration. For example, John the Baptist preached a simple Gospel. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near,” he cried. And Jesus proclaimed the same theme. Following the 40 days of temptation, Jesus began His public ministry. “From that time on,” says Matthew, one of his biographers, “Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near'” (Matthew 4:17). The disciples of Jesus proclaimed the same thing, “They went out and preached that people should repent,” says Mark 6:12.
On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood and boldly cried, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).
Throughout the letters of Paul, the same theme continues. In fact, when Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he stressed there are two kinds of sorrow over wrongdoing: that kind that comes because you get caught, an embarrassment which causes you to lose face, and authentic repentance which is a deep sorrow for wrongdoing which leads to change.
OK, we acknowledge that this element of repentance seems to be missing from our thinking today. It’s been replaced with a kind of forgiveness which makes us feel good about ourselves, the kind that makes us acknowledge wrongdoing but with no real sorrow attached to it. But here’s my question. Is this kind of forgiveness genuine? Or put another way, can there be real forgiveness without repentance?
Not if you believe what the Bible says.
Biblical repentance, contended John Woodbridge, includes five concepts:
1. A change of mind or thinking.
2. A deep sorrow for wrongdoing, the kind that David had following his affair with Bathsheba.
3. The confession of sin.
4. A forsaking of wrongdoing which involves a clean break with what you know to be wrong, and
5. A turning to God, who alone offers pardon and strength to do right.
A wayward son wanting to come back home wrote his father and said, “Dad, if you and Mom can forgive me, please tie a small white flag to the fence out front of the house, and I’ll know it’s OK to come back. But if there is no white flag, I’ll not come in.” To his surprise the lad saw not a white flag, but a white bed sheet flying in the breeze.
Of one thing you can be certain. God is far more willing to extend forgiveness for your wrongdoing than you are to turn from your sin.
Resource reading: 1 John 2:12-25.
[i] John Alexander in The Other Side, as quoted by Christianity Today, February 9, 1998.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/five-elements-of-repentance/
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Discover The Link Between Sin And A Savior
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
“If our greatest need had been information,” read a Christmas card I received, “God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was for forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.”
When an angel appeared to Joseph, who was then engaged to be married to Mary, the message was, “And she [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Today, though, it is the link between our sin and a Savior which has grown hazy and obscure.
Focusing on our greatest need, though, is the problem, because this forces us to admit that there is a need, and we would generally rather crawl on our hands and knees to Calcutta or roll in a bed of ground glass than to admit our human failure or wrong doing—yes, to admit our personal sin.
When Paul wrote to the Romans, he categorically said, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). His word all is completely inclusive. None is excluded. Today, however, you don’t hear much of that three-letter word, sin. The attitude of the world is nobody’s perfect. So don’t worry. Be happy!”
Sin is the problem, and a Savior is the solution. Even those who refuse to call it what it is know what the problem is, but rather than accept the solution, they prefer to deny that the problem exists. Is this rational? It is about as rational as refusing to believe your doctor when he says you have cancer, or refusing to take your automobile into the shop when you have been notified by the manufacturer that it is defective, or ignoring the road signs which tell you the highway ahead is washed out and you must detour.
The worst kind of ignorance and rebellion is the refusal to recognize there is a solution to your problem and an answer to your need. Paul, the theologian of the New Testament, came to grips with this whole issue of man’s need and God’s solution. Almost all of his letters addressed this issue prominently. Writing to the Corinthians, he said, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). For a moment, ponder what Paul is saying: God—the creator of our universe, the one who breathed life into Adam—sent His Son into our world, and He paid the penalty for our sin that we might be accepted as righteous before God the Father.
A few years ago, I visited an inmate in prison who, in a fit of rage, had killed another man. Trying to explain how Christ, who knew no sin, paid the penalty of our sin so that we might have life, I just couldn’t get through. Finally, I put it like this: “Look, if I were willing to exchange clothes with you and take your place here in prison, and you put on my clothes and walked out the door as a free man, would you do it?” The light came on. A smile crossed his face as he said, “Sure, I would. A person would be a fool not to do that.” “Yes,” I responded, adding, “That is exactly what Christ did for you when He died.” But the consequences of ignoring what Jesus Christ did are even greater than refusing to let someone else take your place on death row. Think about it.
Resource reading: Isaiah 53:2-6.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/discover-the-link-between-sin-and-a-savior/
Monday, July 26, 2021
This Is The Good News About Sin
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
There is a three-letter word that spells the difference between happiness and misery, between freedom and bondage, and between heaven and hell. A generation or two ago, this word was commonly used in our speech, especially by the clergy. We used this word to describe wrongdoing and human failure. Then, as some words are prone to do, it gradually began to be replaced by synonyms which were more gentle and kind. That old three-letter word is sin, and in spite of the fact that most people prefer not to think of themselves as being tainted by this word, sin is good news! “And how can that be?” you might be thinking. It’s simple: There is a solution to the problem of sin, an antidote which neutralizes its effect; and that is good news.
The existence of sin is demonstrated three ways: First, by history. Then by the human conscience, and certainly by Scripture. Historian Harold Lindsell wrote, “As long as man has been on earth, wars, tumults, disease, and death have been rampant. All creation bears unmistakably the marks of evil. The pages of history are blackened by its effects.” Some 5,000 years of history display a constant repetition of human failure.
But the effects of history go beyond what takes place on a national basis to what takes place on a personal basis. We are told today that there is a difference between public and private morality—something which no generation has ever believed before; nonetheless, the mentality which wants to believe this is but a reflection of the thinking that it is unfair to hold others accountable for what we, ourselves, are not willing to abide by.
Your conscience is only as good as its understanding of right and wrong. When a person doesn’t know what a straight line is, it is difficult for him to understand why a crooked line is different. But, nonetheless, the consciences of almost all men and women, at some time or another, nag at them, saying, “What you did is wrong!” And when that wrongdoing violates others and God, it is sin—unvarnished and plain.
The Bible says that men and women are sinners by choice and by nature as well. “All have sinned” is the dictum of Paul to the Romans. We sin because of our human compulsion towards selfishness and wrongdoing as well as by our personal choices which, at times, we know are wrong—yet we prefer that to doing what we know to be right.
Suppose you went to your doctor because you had a lump on your thyroid and it just wouldn’t go away, and he ran some tests and then asked you to sit down as he said, “There’s nothing to worry about. Our tests show that you have a lymphoma, but this is perfectly natural. You have a beautiful smile and a wonderful personality. Think positively of yourself and realize you are much better off than most people.” If you heard what I’ve just told you, you would be fuming with anger. You’d probably break your fingers punching the buttons on your phone as you called your attorney.
But if your doctor says, “You have a problem here, but there is a solution, which is surgery followed by radiation. The answer isn’t terribly pleasant, but we can assure you that you are going to be OK” –then you have hope. The Good News about sin is not that you have failed but that God has an answer, a solution to wrongdoing, and that solution is in what Jesus Christ did in paying the price of your failure. And that’s good news.
Resource reading: Romans 6:1-14.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/this-is-the-good-news-about-sin/
'More benefits, legal assistance': Duterte seeks more perks for uniformed services
President Rodrigo Duterte is once again pushing for better benefits for police and military personnel as he asked Congress during his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) Monday to pass laws augmenting their perks.
"I am asking Congress to pass a unified system of separation, retirement, and pension of military and uniformed personnel to maintain government fiscal flexibility and provide adequate benefits and remuneration to men and women in uniform," Duterte said.
Aside from that, the President likewise said Congress must pass a law that would institutionalize the provision of free legal services to police and military officers facing work-related cases.
"It is also high time for us to pass a law that would provide free legal assistance to AFP and PNP officers, enlisted personnel to help them from charges arising from incidents related to the performance of official duty," he said.
Duterte had repeatedly promised to "protect" police officers and soldiers at the forefront of his bloody war on drugs amid mounting international criticism.
The President admitted he made it a "priority" to boost the morale and beef up the "ill-equipped" security forces.
"Our armed forces were ill-equipped to deal with internal and external threats while the police force was overwhelmed by criminality and the drug trade... This is why I made it a priority to strengthen the institutions."
In 2018, police officers, soldiers and other uniformed personnel started receiving higher salaries after Duterte approved a joint resolution by Congress modifying their base pay schedule.
"Indeed I am proud of the accomplishments of our troops in securing our nation against all threats to our democratic institutions," Duterte said.
Duterte has been accused of favoring police and military personnel, with some of them appointed to several cabinet positions post-retirement.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/26/21/duterte-sona-2021-military-police-added-benefits
#IbalikAngABSCBN top trending topic during Duterte's final SONA
AN hour before President Rodrigo Duterte's final State of the Nation Address (Sona), the hashtag #IbalikAngABSCBN crept to the top trending spot on Twitter Philippines, displacing #Sona2021,, which dropped to third place. At exactly 3 p.m., #IbalikAngABSCBN had 23,600 tweets, while #Sona2021 had 13,400.
It was only minutes before the President's speech that #Sona2021 regained the No. 1 spot.
As of posting time-about an hour into the President's speech-ABS-CBN's hashtag registered 45,400 tweets and counting, with #Sona2021 going up from 27,800.
Tweets carrying #IbalikAngABSCBN were mostly posted by journalists and fan clubs of ABS-CBN stars. A good number were from supporters of young actors Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano-also known as the "DonBel" love team of iWantTFC's successful romantic comedy series "He's into Her"-echoing their idols' sentiments from 2020, at the height of the network's doomed franchise renewal. It can be recalled that both Pangilinan and Mariano had been very vocal in their support for their home network, posting photos of themselves carrying the #LabanKapamilya hashtag in 2020.
The DonBelle Official fan club (@DonBelleOFC) tweeted, "Everyone's childhood will not be complete without watching your shows, from entertainment, dramas up to news, all you provide is nothing but high class. One thing to be proud of. #IbalikAngABSCBN".
Mariano's official fans' club, Bellelievers Official (@BellelieversOFC) likewise tweeted, "Let our voices be heard. Let's bring ABS CBN back on air! Bellelievers supports ABS CBN. Belle's home is our home, too. #IbalikAngABSCBN".
CrizJo Official (@CrizJoOFC), fans of Criza Taa and Joao Constancia, who are also part of DonBel's series, meanwhile tweeted "ABS-CBN is not only a network, it is a family. Let our voices be heard. #IbalikAngABSCBN".
A fan of fast rising Pinoy Pop boyband BGYO @justmoiandBGYO further joined in the tweets, posting, "ABS-CBN deserves the support of all of us because at the time they lost their franchise, many lost their jobs, many also left the company, but despite of everything happen they did not stop helping all Filipinos -- #IbalikAngABSCBN".
Meanwhile, it was ABS-CBN newsman Anjo Bagaoisan (@Anjo_Bagaoisan) whose post was retweeted the most. It read, "A face of #SONA2021: Fewer sources of reliable information for millions, thousands of families' dreams jeopardized by media closures & the law wielded to cripple the press. Today, we say #Tumindig & still cry #DefendPressFreedom #IbalikAngABSCBN," beneath a protest artwork credited to Ivan Despi.
Other ABS-CBN News staffers who used the hashtag were Deputy Editor Tarra Quismundo (@TarraQuismundo) who wrote, "As President Duterte delivers his final SONA before Congress, may we never forget those who dealt death to the ABS-CBN franchise bid... #IbalikAngABSCBN," along with a photo of the 70 lawmakers who rejected the franchise bid.
Rounding up the tweets was that of Kapamilya Online World (@KOWAlerts), which boldly read, "Break us a thousand times, will bounce back a million times stronger!"
It was in July 2020 when Congress refused to renew ABS-CBN'S privilege to air on free TV following kilometric hearings at the House of Representatives which grilled the network's executives on violating labor and taxation laws among others. It is widely believed that the President's grudge on the Lopez-owned media conglomerate-which failed to air his paid political ads during the 2016 campaign-led legislators to vote against a renewal.
#IbalikAngABSCBN no. 1 trending topic bago ang talumpati ni Pangulong Duterte
Josiah Antonio, ABS-CBN News
Nanguna sa mga trending topic sa social media ang #IbalikAngABSCBN ilang oras bago ang huling State of the Nation Address (SONA) ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ngayong Lunes.
Number 1 pa rin sa Philippine trends nitong 5:30 pm ang naturang hashtag sa Twitter na karaniwang kaakibat ng mga usapin hinggil sa panunumbalik ng network sa ere.
Ilan sa mga naging tweets ng mga netizens ang mga naging epekto ng pagkawala ng ABS-CBN sa ere at hiling ng publiko na bigyan na muli ng prangkisa ang network.
Narito ang ilan sa mga mga tweets ng mga netizens kasama ang #IbalikAngABSCBN:
LOOK: #IbalikAngABSCBN trends ahead of President Duterte's last #SONA2021. pic.twitter.com/QJpjUt7wlQ
— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) July 26, 2021
SONA-retrench ako last year... at nakabalik.
— Jon Montesa ❤💚💙 (@iMelAljon) July 26, 2021
SONA-shutdown ang ABS-CBN, ating ibabalik.
Makialam. Magparehistro. Bumoto.#IbalikAngABSCBN #SONA2021
*Photo taken last year* pic.twitter.com/CAQu6AqGBi
Let our voices be heard. Let's bring ABS CBN back on air! Bellelievers supports ABS CBN. Belle's home is our home, too. #IbalikAngABSCBN
— BELLELIEVERS OFFICIAL ✨ (@bellelieversofc) July 26, 2021
Ayon sa National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, mas naging lantaran ang tunggalian sa batas sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni Duterte kabilang na rito ang usapin ng prangkisa ng ABS-CBN.
“The use of lawfare against the media has never been more blatant. Under the cover of legal processes, the Duterte administration has unleashed the biggest assaults on press freedom with the denial of the ABS-CBN franchise, continuing charges against Rappler, and made-up criminal cases against several community journalists,” anila.
Milyun-milyong Pilipino ang nawalan ng access sa impormasyon lalo na sa mga malalayong lugar sa gitna ng COVID-19 pandemic matapos mawala sa ere ng network noong Mayo 5, 2020 kasunod ng cease and desist order mula sa National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
Noong Hulyo 10, 2020 hindi naipasa sa House of Representatives ang aplikasyon ng network para sa renewal ng prangkisa nito at libo-libong mga empleyado nito ang nawalan ng trabaho.
Sa huling SONA ng pangulo, nagkasa ng kilos protesta ang iba't ibang sektor bitbit ang panawagang siya na ang huling Duterte na uupo sa Malacañang.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/26/21/ibalik-ang-abscbn-trends-twitter-sona-2021-rodrigo-duterte
WATCH: Morissette sings national anthem at Duterte’s final SONA
Kapamilya singer Morissette performed on Monday the Philippine national anthem at the final State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Morissette, known for her “birit” numbers and “whistle” register, sang “Lupang Hinirang” in its standard version.
Morissette was accompanied by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Herminigildo Ranera.
The “Akin Ka Na Lang” hitmaker’s official participation the 6th SONA drew mixed reactions over the weekend, with some fans mentioning the broadcast shutdown of Morissette’s home network ABS-CBN under the Duterte administration.
Others pointed out that singing the national anthem is a matter of patriotism, and does not necessarily reflect political inclinations.
Morissette, who is dubbed “Asia’s Phoenix,” rose to popularity in 2013 as a finalist of ABS-CBN’s “The Voice of the Philippines.” She is currently seen in the Kapamilya variety show “ASAP Natin ‘To” on Sundays.
M. Night Shyamalan horror flick 'Old' tops North America box office
LOS ANGELES - New M. Night Shyamalan horror-thriller "Old" aged to perfection at the top of the North American box office in its debut weekend, taking in an estimated $16.5 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.
The movie, about a family that becomes trapped on a beach where they begin to age precipitously, stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Vicky Krieps, and beat out the weekend's second-highest money-maker "Snake Eyes" by more than $3 million.
Paramount's latest G.I. Joe installment, also in its debut weekend, took in an estimated $13.4 million, recounting the origin story of its titular character Snake Eyes' involvement with the famed squad.
In third place was Disney superhero flick "Black Widow" starring Scarlett Johansson, which earned an estimated $11.6 million.
Last week's top earner, the Warner Bros. live action/animated "Space Jam: A New Legacy," fell to fourth with $9.6 million.
The movie sees NBA superstar LeBron James teaming up with Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters in a high-stakes basketball game against a rogue artificial-intelligence entity threatening his son.
And in fifth was Universal's "F9: The Fast Saga," at $4.6 million, bringing the five-week domestic total of the Vin Diesel/John Cena action thriller to more than $160 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
"Escape Room: Tournament of Champions" ($3.4 million)
"Boss Baby: Family Business" ($2.7 million)
"The Forever Purge" ($2.3 million)
"A Quiet Place: Part II" ($1.3 million)
"Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" ($830,000)
How many Duterte SONA priority bills have been passed into law?
As the clock ticks on the final 11 months of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, his allies in Congress can only boast of passing 15 out the 47 priority measures he enumerated in his past 5 State of the Nation Addresses (SONA).
A review of legislative records from the House of Representatives and the Senate by the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group showed that of the 47 priority measures Duterte mentioned in annual reports to the nation from 2016 to 2020, 22 were brought up before the 17th Congress from 2016 to 2019.
Of these, 13 were in 2016, 5 in 2017 and 4 in 2018. Meanwhile, 25 were raised before the incumbent 18th Congress, which began in 2019 and will end alongside the President’s term in 2022. Of the 25, 12 were mentioned in the 2019 SONA while 13 were mentioned in last year’s SONA.
The President signed all 15 priority measures which became law: 6 during the 17th Congress and 9 during the 18th Congress.
These include the following measures:
- Extension of the validity of the driver's license and passport
- Comprehensive reforms in income and corporate taxation
- The Universal Health Care Act
- The Bangsamoro law
- The rice tariffication law
- The Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act
- The law raising sin taxes
- The law raising salaries of government workers
- The Bayanihan emergency laws on COVID-19 response
One measure, the Security of Tenure bill, identified as a priority in the 2018 SONA to end labor-only contracting or “endo,” was however vetoed, with the President saying that the “sweeping expansion of the definition of labor-only contracting” in the proposed measure “destroys the delicate balance” between the “conflicting interests of labor and management.”
The vast majority however, remain unfinished business in various stages of legislation.
A total of 32 priority measures are still pending, according to the Legislative Information Systems of the two chambers.
Below are their respective status as of June 30, 2021:
For Bicameral Conference Committee deliberations
The House already agreed on the Conference Committee Report on the proposal to modernize the Bureau of Fire Protection. However, the Senate did not ratify this report.
Approved on Third Reading by the House of Representatives
The House transmitted 9 bills to the Senate. However, 8 Senate counterpart bills are still pending in the Committee, while 1 is up for second reading as of June 30.
Approved on Second Reading by the House of Representatives
The House approved on second reading the bill that will create a National Disease Prevention and Management Authority. However, its counterpart bill is still pending at the committee level in the Senate.
Pending at the Committee Level
Seventeen bills were tagged as pending at the committee level in the House. Of their Senate counterpart bills, 1 is pending second reading and 14 are pending at the committee level.
Another proposal, Resolution of Both Houses No. 2 calling for a Constituent Assembly to amend the 1987 Constitution, is pending at the committee level in the Senate.
Several bills proposing various amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act are also pending at the committee level in the Senate.
Tagged as “Business for the day” or Unfinished Business (Period of Sponsorship)” in the House
Two bills were tagged as “Business for the day,” while two other bills were tagged as “Unfinished Business (Period of Sponsorship).” Their Senate counterparts were all tagged “Pending in the Committee.”
Congressional leaders, meanwhile, stand by their track record of meeting the President’s legislative wish list.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said: “I cannot say excellent because there are other measures that have not passed, but considering the number of controversial measures we were able to pass, I think I could say it was very good.”
Sotto however recalls that when lawmakers started working on the President’s priorities in 2016, the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) listed more measures than the President’s SONA commitments.
“If you want me to give you a background, when we started the Congress in 2016 the PLLO listed 55 priority bills of the president, including charter change," he said.
Lawmakers had their own agenda: 39 priorities from the 2 chambers. Both sides then had to find common ground to begin their work, among other things.
“We put it together, the proposal of the president through the PLLO, then the priority measures of the congressmen and the senators, we identified 28 common legislative agenda. It doesn’t preclude us from passing any of the other bills, the pet bills, other agenda of the senators but the common legislative agenda was 28, it included the priorities of the president and the priorities of Congress,” Sotto said.
“For the 18th Congress, 17th Congress 'yun eh that means from 2016 to 2019. Then from 2019 to the present, a total 30 priority measures. Now out of this 28, 13 were enacted into law, one was vetoed, the coco levy fund was vetoed, but 13 out of 38. Looking back at the other congresses that I was in is, quite good," the Senate leader said.
The 13 measures Sotto was referring to are the following:
- The Unified National Identification System
- The National Mental Health Act
- The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Act
- Law on the utilization of the coconut levy fund
- Tax reform for acceleration and inclusion
- The Balik Scientist Program
- The Philippine Qualifications Framework
- Amendments to the Agricultural Tariffication Act
- The Free Irrigation Service Act
- Social Security Act Amendments
- The Free Higher Education Act
- The Ease of Doing Business Act
- The Universal Health Care Act
Sotto’s office said that for the 18th Congress, the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) came up with 30 priority measures, of which 5 have become law.
These are: the 2021 National Budget, the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer Act, Amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the coco levy fund, and the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE).
Over at the House of Representatives, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, who took over the chamber's helm in October 2020, also defended the House’s track record.
“Almost all the legislative measures that were mentioned by the President during his SONA, we've actually passed and now we're just waiting for the Senate to finish their part in trying to pass those measures and after that, we'll just to wait for the other legislative measures that will be mentioned by the President because he only has a year to go so we'll try to work on that and we'll try to finish that,” he said.
He added that Congress has been "very productive... even during or before pandemic time."
"I guess if I can remember it correctly, we're talking about free irrigation, free tuition in SUCs [State Universities and Colleges], and other laws that were passed and even during the pandemic, when the pandemic hit, we also passed a couple of laws that actually would help in trying to save our nation from the effects of the pandemic," he said.
But Dr. Francisco Magno, a political science professor from the De La Salle University, doesn’t seem impressed.
“If we are to rate the performance,I would say it is only 50% passed. It's 50% because they have accomplished only 50% of the list of bills that have been prioritized,” he said.
He noted some "substantial achievements," including the passage of the Bangsamoro organic law, the Ease of Doing Business law, the Universal Health Care Act, and the law providing free tertiary education.
Magno, however, pointed out that tax reform is only partially done.
“They were able to accomplish half of the package because they were able to pass the package 1 and package 2 with respect to the sin taxes but they haven't passed the 2 remaining packages of the tax reform, and we all understand that tax reform measures [are] very important to the program of the administration because it is pursuing accelerated infrastructure program,” he said.
He also cited crucial bills that lawmakers have not passed under the Duterte administration.
These include laws creating separate departments for overseas Filipinos, disaster resilience and water, and a measure on national land use. He said Duterte has repeatedly mentioned these bills in his earlier SONAs.
Magno attributed the backlog partly to internal intramurals among lawmakers, which he said prevented them from spending more time forging a consensus on policies.
Among presidents, Duterte, so far, has had the most number of House Speakers—Pantaleon Alvarez from 2016-2018, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from 2018-2019, Alan Peter Cayetano from 2019 to 2020, and the incumbent Lord Allan Velasco, who is expected to step down alongside him in 2022.
Arroyo rose to the helm with the ouster of Alvarez. So did Velasco, with the ouster of Cayetano.
“These took a lot of time, these jockeying for positions. This indeed was critical in preventing Congress in achieving their goals. At the same time, the existence of very divisive politics prevented the mobilization of consensus with respect to the need really to push for reforms that are needed. Remember, that it is really crucial to be able to get as much political support, especially if you are undertaking very important reforms,” Magno said.
The professor also pointed out that time was also spent on executive priorities that would really be challenging for Congress to pass, such as the revival of the death penalty.
“I understand that in the Senate there is difficulty in getting support so, of course, the senators have their own reasons and their own value systems. But with respect to the House of Representatives, we have to take note of the fact that it is a coalition of supporters for the administration," he said.
"They do some from different perspectives. For example, there is a faction that is identified with former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and the abolition of the death penalty was in fact during her administration. We have a good bloc of Congress representatives who will not support the reimposition of the death penalty.”
Sotto confirmed that there are certain measures that would be challenging for them to approve in the remaining months of the administration, including bills on the death penalty revival, national land use, and pension reform for uniformed personnel.
The only way they will become law is if the President takes a more direct hand, he said.
“Well, 'pag talagang finastbreak, 'pag finastbreak may... kahit papaano may pag-asa 'yan especially if the President will talk to those who are against it," Sotto said.
On the other hand, there are bills that stand a very good chance of making the cut.
Velasco pointed out: “Ang parang naging utang na lang natin diyan would be the retail trade, the public service act, the foreign direct investments, 'yung mga 'yun na lang, then I guess we've already fulfilled 'yung mga kinakailangan ipasa na hiningi sa atin ni Pangulo.”
Sotto seconded this, saying: “The Retail Trade Liberalization law, it's very important for the economy. It's in the bicam so papasa 'yun. the Public Services Act is on 2nd reading in the Senate, pasado sa House, most probably by August papasa namin 'yun. And then the amendments to the Foreign Investments Act, that's another malamang pumasa."
"Meron din pending kami approval on 3rd reading so papasa ito, which is the [bill on] rural agricultural and fisheries development. 'Yun 'yung naka-pending pero malamang pumasa, in all probabilities it will be passed."
The Senate chief said other bills that could still make it are the Passive Income Tax and Financial Intermediary Tax Act or PIFITA, the GUIDE or the Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery Act, the tax on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, the bill creating the Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos and the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines, The Rural Agricultural and Fisheries Development Financing System Act, and the Valuation Reform Act.
But Magno is skeptical about this, citing the onset of the 2022 election season.
"Our legislators are also thinking of their own election plans either for re-election purposes or for pursuing other electoral posts. At the same time, we are still in a pandemic, it restricts movement of people, it restricts the usual processes that are needed in order to mobilize people in pulling through the needed support for this important legislation," he said.
Sunday, July 25, 2021
Saturday, July 24, 2021
HOUSE LISTS PRIORITY MEASURES WHEN SESSION RESUMES
Alongside the legislative agenda President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will outline in his final State of the Nation Address (SONA), the House of Representatives will prioritize the passage of five bills earlier identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) when it resumes session next week.
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said the five are the proposed Philippine Virology Institute Act, Center for Disease Control Act, Amendments to the Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016, Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act, and National Housing Development Act.
“We will work toward the approval of these bills once we resume session and we will also take into account the priority measures President Duterte will mention in his sixth and final SONA,” Velasco said. “We will do our best to help the President fulfill all his promises to the Filipino people.”
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress seeks to establish the Philippine Virology Institute as the premier research and development institution in the field of virology, encompassing all areas in viruses and viral diseases in humans, plants and animals.
It also wants to create the Philippine Center for Disease Control that will serve as the country’s principal health protection agency tasked to prevent, protect and manage the spread of diseases and other health threats originating domestically and internationally.
The proposed Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act seeks to modernize, professionalize and improve the compensation of officials and personnel of the Bureau of Immigration, while the proposed National Housing Development Act aims to significantly reduce the country’s housing backlog through continuous funding support for socialized housing.
In his 2020 SONA, President Duterte asked Congress to amend the Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016, which requires Filipino professionals to take additional formal and non-formal learning before they can renew their licenses and identification cards.
Velasco said the House did a good job in passing Duterte’s priority bills in his SONA last year, some of which became laws such as the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentive for Enterprises (CREATE) Act, Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act, Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act, and Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2.
“We in the House have actually passed a lot of the priority bills of the President, some of which are under deliberation in the Senate,” Velasco said.
The Speaker said he’s looking forward to the approval by the Senate of the proposed Internet Transactions Act and the creation of the Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos, both of which were already passed by the House.
The proposed Internet Transactions Act would ensure an effective regulation of commercial activities through the internet in the promotion of consumer and intellectual property rights, data privacy, fair advertising and competition.
“We need the Internet Transactions Act mainly because of all the online transactions that are happening right now, and it would actually lead to the protection of consumers and the buying public online,” Velasco pointed out.
The House chief said he fully supports the creation of a department dedicated to protecting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers, who have been hailed as “modern-day heroes” for keeping the Philippine economy afloat through their remittances. #
Friday, July 23, 2021
Thursday, July 22, 2021
What Does It Mean To Be God’s Child?
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17
Question: What drives your life? “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go,” says the message on a car bumper sticker. But is debt really the drive shaft of your existence? What are the ingredients of a life worth living? I’m not a philosopher, but when you live long enough and analyze the mistakes of people you form some opinions. You see some live into their 90s who are bright and cheerful, and you see others, a third their age, grow bitter and cynical and begin to wither and die. We don’t always bury them, but their brains are short-circuited. They are the living dead who exist but are living for nothing. Theirs is the despair which Solomon talked about when he said, “I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living who are still alive” (Ecclesiastes 4:2).
The ingredients of a life worth living: 1. Someone to love. 2. Something to do, and 3. Something to hope for. Loving someone helps meet one of your deep emotional needs. Something to do gives you a sense of purpose, a reason for existing, a cause which goes far beyond spending eight or ten hours a day at a job. It meets a basic need in our lives. And something to hope for gives you a connection with tomorrow which helps you over the rough spots of today.
“OK,” you may be thinking, “I agree with those three premises, but how do I get there from where I am?” A starting point is to back off from the turmoil of the routine. Sometimes we are so close to things that some space helps us begin to see things in perspective. Much of what consumes our time and energy will count for little, if anything, tomorrow. Life takes on the existence of a squirrel trapped in a cage who treads a wheel which consumes his energy but takes him nowhere.
Missing in the lives of so many is a third dimension, a God dimension which brings the desire to reach out in love, even loving those who are not very lovable, a reason for existing and a purpose for doing something well. Then a link to God brings the confident assurance that there is more to life than just the immediate. There is a tomorrow, and God becomes the hope of the future.
The ship drifts when there is no anchor. The traveler without a compass wanders aimlessly, and the pilot who can’t find the airport quickly finds himself in distress. That’s where the link with the Almighty makes a powerful difference.
God so loved the world that He gave His Son, and as that Son touches your life, you will discover a freedom to love which has been stifled or stunted by pain, by rejection, and by disappointment. There is one who loves you, who will never push you aside. His name is Jesus, and when you learn how great is His love for you and respond to it, you will begin to learn to love again.
Knowing that you are God’s child, not an accident or a mistake, but a person made in His image, gives you an identity. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him,” says Paul in Colossians 3:17.
David spoke of the hope of tomorrow as he confessed, “…I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Then he gave some advice we need today. “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:13-14). Again, I say wait!
Resource reading: Psalm 27:1-14.
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/what-does-it-mean-to-be-gods-child/
'Walang whistle': Morissette aawit ng 'Lupang Hinirang' sa huling SONA ni Duterte
Isang simple pero makahulugang produksiyon ang hinahanda ng mga organizer para sa huling State of the Nation Address (SONA) ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa Lunes.
Ayon kay Kat de Castro, na co-chairperson of the SONA working committee kasama si Martin Andanar, magiging payak lang ang produksiyon tampok ang stage design ng katutubong disenyo ng Mindanao.
Ipapalabas din ang dokumentaryong "Ang Pangulo" bago magtalumpati ang Presidente.
Tulad noong SONA 2019, tutugtog muli ang Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) ng mga paboritong kanta ni Duterte.
Dala ng health protocols, prerecorded ang lahat ng musika ng PPO, ayon kay Demic Pabalan, executive director ng RTVM.
Itatampok nila ang "What A Wonderful World," "Yesterday When I Was Young," "Dust In The Wind" at "McArthur’s Park."
Bukod pa ito sa "Pagbabago" ni Freddie Aguilar at "Ikaw" ni George Canseco na kakantahin ng PPO singer na si Leigh Jocson.
Si Morissette Amon ang napiling kumanta ng national anthem live.
Tradisyunal ang rendisyon nito, ayon sa mga organizer, at walang "whistle" o birit na estilo ng singer.
Ang beteranong RTVM director na si Danny Abad ang magdidirek ngayon ng SONA.
—Ulat ni Mario Dumaual, ABS-CBN News
Velasco leaves fate of ABS-CBN franchise to next Congress
House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco is leaving to the 19th Congress the fate of broadcast network ABS-CBN after his chamber rejected its franchise renewal last year.
"I believe sa susunod na Kongreso na po talaga matatalakay iyan (that will be tackled in the next Congress)," Velasco told CNN Philippines' The Source in a taped interview on Thursday.
Velasco said the 18th Congress "already decided on the issue" and will prioritize many key measures when it resumes session on July 26.
ABS-CBN first went dark on May 5, 2020 after it received a cease-and-desist order from the National Telecommunications Commission. The Lopez-owned company failed to get back on air after the House Committee on Legislative Franchises thumbed down its bid for a fresh 25-year license for its broadcast operations with an overwhelming 70-11 vote.
Only GMA and TV5 remains on the air.
Velasco, an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, said in February that the House is "bent on finishing the remaining priority measures" of the administration to ensure that the President "fulfills his campaign promise" to the public. In that same month, Duterte said in his televised address he will forbid ABS-CBN from resuming operations unless the Lopezes settle their allegedly unpaid taxes.
ABS-CBN has repeatedly denied the accusations and maintained it has no outstanding tax liability. The Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Securities and Exchange Commission said last year the network has been compliant with regulations, contrary to allegations lodged against the company.
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/7/22/Velasco-ABS-CBN-franchise-next-Congress.html
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
This Is Why Happiness Matters
But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11
“Happy? Grouchy? Could Be Your Genes,” says the topic of a article featuring the research of psychologists at the University of Illinois. Said Daniel Goldman, formerly from the New York Times, “Studies of happiness in several countries have found that money makes little difference to perceptions of happiness, except among the very poor. Nor do education, marriage and a family, or any of the many other variables that researchers have sought to correlate with contentment. Each facilitator may make a person a little happier, but it has a minor impact, compared with the individual’s characteristic sense of well-being.”
In the study which a husband-and-wife team of psychologists did, research determined that about half of your ability to be happy comes from heredity; the other half from environment. The study included identical twins, some of whom were raised together and some who were raised apart from each other, yet, according to Edward and Carol Diener, there was little difference in the well-being of the twins.
Neurologists, whose specialty is the brain, have located a spot in the brain where pleasure or happiness is registered. They have also found that unhappiness seems to be registered in the pre-frontal lobes of the brain. Individuals with depression seem to have more activity on the right frontal lobe of the brain. Where do we go from here?
Most people laud the progress that has been made in better understanding our brains, and especially the relationship of our emotions to our brains. Perhaps better understanding will eventually result in being better able to help unhappy people. Yet everyone is born with a certain genetic disposition. Happy babies are usually the product of happy parents, but the issue which totally consumes me is this: Can unhappy people be transformed into happy people who have something to live for, something worthwhile to do, and something to look forward to? Those are three of the ingredients which make life worth living.
There is a factor which secular research usually doesn’t recognize, and that is the God factor, the change which comes to those who do an about- face and begin to live for something and for someone. Take, for example, the late Malcolm Muggeridge, the sharp-tongued editor of Punch. He was described as a cynic, a skeptic, a liberal, and a brilliant man of letters.
In World War 2, involved in British intelligence, Muggeridge was stationed in Mozambique. He was depressed and decided to end his life. His plan was to start swimming in the ocean and not come back. But something happened–something which began to change his life. A bright light appeared before him. He didn’t understand it. He only knew that God was there, and God wasn’t ready to see him end it all. Then this cynical, sharp-tongued, never-quite-happy fellow met Mother Teresa. He never spoke of it as a conversion, but that’s what happened. His life got turned around. He became a Christian and wrote about the regret that he had in not making his discovery years before.
You were born with a certain disposition, and the transformation of conversion will not change you into a different personality type, but will radically change your outlook on life. Muggeridge is but one of millions who can say, “When I found God, He changed my life, and I wouldn’t go back for all the gold in all the world.” The researchers are right: Winning the lottery, seeing your dream come true, reaching your goal is a momentary lift, but the “God factor” changes it forever.
Resource reading: Ecclesiastes 2:1-11
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/this-is-why-happiness-matters/
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
4 Steps to Finding God
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:13
How do you find God? Now, here’s a second question. If you have a child who gets lost, what do you do? You look for that child. Right? Neighbors and friends mobilize until that child is found. But are the two issues of finding God and finding a lost child the same?
Has God gotten lost and needs to be found? Or, rather, is it that we have gotten lost and need to be found by Him? The prophet Isaiah wrote, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).
Paul indicted the world and said, “There is…no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).
God isn’t lost; we are! We are the ones who by our choices and our actions have wandered far from a loving Father. We are the ones who need to come home. OK, we admit that we need to find God. But how do we do it?
Frankly, the issue isn’t as difficult as many think it is. The fact is, most people aren’t looking very hard. Too often we search for Him about like a thief looks for a policeman. Yet there are times when people are diligent in their search for God; they are just looking on the wrong place. Religion has been described as man’s search for God. It’s a reflection of our hearts and natures which cry out for union with our Creator and Maker. It’s the inevitable outcome of looking at life realistically and saying, “There must be more to life and death than just earning a living, growing old, and then dying.”
Long ago, Jeremiah as God’s spokesman wrote, “This is what the LORD says…’I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart'” (Jeremiah 29:10-13). Those words which were spoken to God’s children in exile also apply to the person who wants to find God today.
The Bible clearly tells you how you can find God. Here it is:
Step #1: Look for God in the right place. The Bible tells you clearly how you can connect with God. Start by reading the third chapter of John in the New Testament.
Step #2: Acknowledge the fact that you have lost your way. This is probably the most difficult part, because we hate to admit that we are lost. This was the whole point in God’s sending His Son. Jesus said that He had come “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). He also described Himself as the Good Shepherd Who “lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). The Gospel is that a loving God sent His Son to find us and bring us back into fellowship with the Father.
Step #3: Ask God to accept you as you are and receive you as His child. Remember the words of Jeremiah, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”? (Jeremiah 29:13). God said if you would seek Him, He would be found. In other words, He will find and save you.
Step #4: Take it by faith. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). You can find God, and when you do, you will never again be lost. It’s just that simple. Take His hand and walk with Him and He’ll show you the way back.
Resource reading: John 3:1-21
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/4-steps-to-finding-god/
Why ‘Ang Probinsyano’ keeps getting extended, according to Shaina Magdayao
Shaina Magdayao was originally set to star in “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” for only two months, but has since stayed on for over a year, during which the iconic series hurdled both the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and ABS-CBN’s franchise denial.
Magdayao debuted in the primetime drama in February 2020, as Police Major Roxanne Opeña, who was assigned to team up with Coco Martin’s Cardo and Task Force Agila for a mission.
Once at odds with Cardo, Roxanne has since proven a loyal ally, standing by Agila, now tagged as fugitives, as they fight to reclaim the Palace from a terror group.
“My character is still alive, the show is still alive. We’ve been extended and extended and extended,” Magdayao told ABS-CBN News.
“It’s all because of the support of our Kapamilya, and our Kapatid, at ‘yung mga nanonood online. Who would have thought, that in the middle of the pandemic, magiging very successful pa ang ‘Probinsyano.’ I’m very, very grateful,” she said.
The series, which had been the consistent No. 1 TV show in the Philippines since its 2015 debut, migrated fully to digital in July 2020, after a congressional panel voted to reject the ABS-CBN’s bid for a fresh broadcast franchise.
It would keep GMA and TV5 as the sole free-to-air channels of the country.
Cardo would go on to mark numerous milestones in terms of concurrent viewership online — or those watching its live stream at the same time — from some 50,000 for its digital debut, to over 150,000 on YouTube alone in June 2021.
“Maski kami nagulat,” Magdayao said of the program’s recent record-breaking streak on Kapamilya Online Live.
Aside from the free livestreaming service of ABS-CBN on YouTube and Facebook, “Ang Probinsyano” is accessible via Kapamilya Channel, A2Z Channel 11, TV5, CineMo, iWant TFC, TFC, WeTV, and iflix.
That “Ang Probinsyano” has been extended numerous times, and is approaching its sixth year on air in September, are not only a testament to its enduring popularity — but also the “culture” behind the cameras that has allowed to program to push on despite crises.
“I’m part of a good culture. Our show was the very first show to resume working. We were called the frontliners pa nga noong una,” Magdayao said of the new-normal restrictions of filming amid the prevailing pandemic.
“‘Yung drive namin was, if hindi kami mag-so-show up, paano ‘yung mga katrabaho namin magkakaroon ng trabaho? Our crew, our staff? Right now, it’s more than just being an actress. It’s more than just having a show. It’s actually functioning as a unit. We function as a family,” she explained.
Fittingly, the series’ constant themes of family and faith, Magdayao pointed out, have been reflected in the team’s own journey of grappling with both the pandemic and ABS-CBN’s transition.
“Until now, I guess that’s why nai-extend nang nai-extend, because that’s our drive now. That’s our motivation now, more than ever. It’s not self-serving, kumbaga. Team effort siya talaga,” she said.
Magdayao also credited the leaders of ABS-CBN, specifically mentioning president and CEO Carlo Katigbak and broadcast head Cory Vidanes, for being “courageous” despite uncertainties.
“Sila talaga ‘yung perfect example of survivors who thrive. They just don’t survive, they’re thriving. When you look up to them and observe kung ano ang ginagawa nila, they are not doing this for themselves. They’re actually doing this for the network and for the employees,” she said.
Admittedly, Magdayao, who has been a Kapamilya for over 25 years, only recently understood the deeper meaning of the term, after the events of the past year.
“It’s family, more than ever,” she said, when asked what ABS-CBN means to her now. “The term Kapamilya never really set in until the last year.”
“It’s true, whenever you face challenges, whenever your faith is tested, that’s when you see who your true Kapamilya are.”
Monday, July 19, 2021
GMA-7 Rainbow Network makes a comeback
GMA-7 Rainbow Network returned on June 30, 2022 coinciding with ABS-CBN Channel 2's reopening after the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. The broadcasting network operates every Monday to Friday from 4:55 a.m. to 3:35 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 5 am to 3 a.m. It transitioned to 16:9 high definition format, along with the opening billboards of network and blocktime-produced shows.
Here is the complete programming schedule:
Monday to Friday (Metro Manila)
5:30 pm - Partners: Mel & Jay
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