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.
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