miniZibaldone

Simple take by two Latin Americans about politics and the importance of dialogue and identity. Different context, the same reality Dialogue with the world around us (Pope Francis)   We do well to recall the words of the Second Vatican Council: “The joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well” ( Gaudium et Spes , 1). Here we find the basis for our dialogue with the contemporary world. Responding to the existential issues of people today, especially the young, listening to the language they speak, can lead to a fruitful change , which must take place with the help of the Gospel, the magisterium, and the Church’s social doctrine. The scenarios and the areopagi involved are quite varied. For example, a single city can contain various collective imaginations which create “different cities”. If we remain within the parameters of o...

Philippine Star  "A foothold for ISIS?" Relatives and friends mourned the soldiers who died from gunfire and improvised explosive devices set off by the Abu Sayyaf in clashes that started Saturday morning  in Basilan. The Armed Forces of the Philippines yesterday reported killing 13 more bandits, but the AFP’s own death toll of 18 is among the highest ever in its  decades-old battle with the terrorist group.  Among the enemy casualties was Ubalda Hapilon, identified as a son of top terrorist Isnilon Hapilon, who has a $5-million prize on his head. An intriguing casualty  was Mohammad Khattab, described by military intelligence as a Moroccan instructor in producing IEDs and a preacher of Islamic jihad.   [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  "Suspension as political weapon" THAT the Office of the President would order the suspension of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama isn't totally unexpected. The Aquino administration has been accused of  using the suspensi...

Philippine Star  "Unleashing potential" Cebu continues to boom, but like Metro Manila, it is seeing its growth momentum slowed down by one particular inadequacy: infrastructure.  Arriving here on Saturday for the second of three presidential debates, it took me about an hour to reach the hotel adjacent to the University of the Philippines- Cebu from Mactan International Airport. It was before 4 p.m., not yet rush hour, but traffic was already crawling – a normal pace these days, according to the van  driver.  Several top Cebu-based businessmen have told me that they need more roads, more flyovers connecting the airport to various points, and better mass transportation  including light rail and commuter trains to ease the worsening traffic. Maybe Ceboom can do this quicker than Metro Manila, without the usual accompanying corruption  scandal or flip-flopping from one department secretary to the next.  Cebu is in fact suffering from Metro Manila’s weak...

Philippine Star  "Preparedness" No amount of preparation could have saved northeastern Japan from the triple whammy of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. Japan, used to powerful earthquakes  and tsunamis and aware of the risks of nuclear power, is ahead of many countries in terms of disaster management. Yet no one expected the magnitude of the disaster  that struck on March 11, 2011. The quake and tsunami left nearly 16,000 people dead and over 2,500 still missing. Property damage and economic losses have been  placed at hundreds of billions of dollars.  Apart from an occasion to mourn the dead and missing, the annual commemoration of the event has become a reminder to the world of the urgency of disaster  preparedness. The Philippines, like Japan, lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire and is prone to powerful earthquakes.   [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  "Salonga and the best" FORMER senator Jovito Salonga had long faded from the political ...

Philippine Star   Journalists often find themselves caught in the crossfire. The nation’s worst case of election-related violence saw 32 media workers being mowed down together with 26 relatives and supporters of a local candidate in Maguindanao who dared challenge the political stranglehold of the region’s ruling clan. [...]  From 1992 until last year, the Committee to Protect Journalists counts 55 Filipino journalists murdered in attacks confirmed to be work-related. The CPJ counts another 53 murders in which the motives have not been established.   [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  Members of the Global Network of Magellan's Cities (GNMC) are in Cebu for a workshop that maps out projects and plans for the 500th anniversary celebration of the Magellan expedition's circumnavigation. The three-year celebration will start in 2019 and end in 2022. Cebu is an important part of the celebration primarily because of the Battle of Mactan.  [full text]

Philippine Star  about hygiene and health in the Philippines It is one of the best indicators, a lawmaker said, that economic growth has not trickled down to the poor: over seven million Filipinos defecate in the open while 570,000 others use open-pit latrines, buckets and other “unimproved sanitation facilities.”  This is according to a report prepared by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund, released last year, which lawmakers are citing to push for improvements in the nation’s water and sanitation facilities.   [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  on sexuality and the young and a law Also known as the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, or Republic Act (RA) 10354, the RH Law “guarantees universal access to different kinds of contraception, fertility control, sexual education and maternal care,” according to the Sun. Star Cebu report.  Despite the law, access to RH information remains a minefield. Many parties...

Inquirer   on  Asia-Pacific economic growth After a successful summit in Manila, leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) headed home with the region facing prospects of slowing economic growth.[...] Alan Bollard, executive director of the Apec Secretariat, observed that economies across the Asia-Pacific continued to grow but now found themselves in a “holding pattern of lower growth in the absence of high trade volumes.” [...] The blame goes to the declining contribution of trade to the region’s economic growth—quite ironic because the Apec was formed with the vision to make a free-trade area of the Asia-Pacific. [full page] Sun.Star Cebu   about gambling One of the spins used by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to soften the opposition by some sectors to the introduction of the three-number combination lottery “Swertres” years ago was that it would kill the illegal numbers game called by Cebuanos as masiao. Years after Swertres ...