MikeLigalig.com

A former homeless man paying it forward

Police officers completing the pizza delivery for the delivery man who was involved in an accident

looking forward to it.  labi na kun ang one side abli, pareha sa ubang mga buses sa bohol.

28. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. ~Wayne Gretzky

Many people consider Wayne Gretzky the greatest hockey player ever. He made up for his small size with his intelligence and strategy on the ice.


29. If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough. ~Oprah Winfrey

There’s hardly a household that doesn’t know Oprah from her talk show, book club, and magazine! Considering the fact that she has been ranked the richest African-American of the 20th century, many people are surprised that she was born into extreme poverty.




30. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. ~Lao Tzu

Lao-Tzu never opened a formal school in his lifetime, but his wisdom touched people so deeply that students came to him anyway. Today, he’s one of the most revered figures in Chinese culture.


31. Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be. ~Grandma Moses

Grandma Moses began painting at the age of 78. Though she got a late start, the 1,500 canvases she created during her life are now considered staples of folk art.

http://www.wizzed.com/

25. Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all. ~Dale Carnegie

Being born into poverty on a struggling farm was merely motivation for the author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”


26. Fortune sides with him who dares. ~Virgil

The author of the “Aeneid” knew something about heroism. His wisdom has guided Western culture for thousands of years!


27. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. ~Steve Jobs

The personal computing industry was never the same after Steve Jobs founded Apple. Even after his death, his legacy of beautiful, easily usable computing technology lives on.

22. Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear â€" not absence of fear. ~Mark Twain

Most people know Mark Twain as a humorist and author, but he also started several businesses, most of which failed. That never stopped him from trying again.


23. If you genuinely want something, don’t wait for it â€" teach yourself to be impatient. ~Gurbaksh Chahal

By age 25, entrepreneur Gurbaksh Chahal was worth $340 million dollars!


24. You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them. ~Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is roundly hailed as the greatest basketball player of all time. During his 15 seasons with the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards, he received five Most Valuable Player awards, ourteen NBA All-Star game appearances, and three All-Star Game MVP awards, to name a few.

19. Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out. ~John Wooden

People call John Wooden “the wizard of Westwood” because of his many triumphs. Wooden would probably say that there’s no magic to success â€" just hard work and a positive attitude.


20. Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone. ~Pablo Picasso

His artistic style struck people as bizarre and strange, but Picasso had a vision. He pursued it so tenaciously that he ended up becoming a true giant of 20th century painting!


21. I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. ~Thomas A. Edison

According to legend, Thomas Edison’s teachers thought he was stupid and his bosses thought he was lazy. Nevertheless, everyone thought quite well of him after he had invented the incandescent light bulb.

16. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. ~Dalai Lama

A reincarnated sage and teacher, the Dalai Lama devotes his life to sharing his wisdom with others.


17. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. ~Henry David Thoreau

As American society became more mechanized, Thoreau singlemindedly sought peace, quiet, and nature. The poetry he wrote as a result of his lifestyle is still taught in schools today.


18. Don’t count the days, make the days count. ~Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali was known to “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” in the boxing ring. Despite his success as a heavyweight champion, it was his advocation of racial equality and religious freedom that won the hearts of his many fans!

13. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. ~Zig Ziglar

Distinguishing himself from among his eleven siblings was quite a trick, but Zig Ziglar did â€" and rose to become vice president of the Automotive Performance Company!


14. Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. ~Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein knew something about value. Our entire understanding of modern physics is possible because of his groundbreaking equation: e=mc2!




15. Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. ~Winston Churchill

During World War II, the Nazis expected to take Great Britain easily by bombing London. They hadn’t counted on Winston Churchill! Thanks to his stubbornness and ability to inspire the British people, London never fell.

10. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. ~Henry Ford

Wise words from the inventor of the assembly line! Henry Ford’s automobiles were some of the first made for the public. They were so successful that classic model T Fords still run today.


11. The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. ~Ayn Rand

Though English was her second language, Ayn Rand wrote two huge novels, “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged,” to tell the world about her philosophies of individualism and hard work.


12. The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson was a poet and lecturer whose belief in the power of individual creativity help spark a religious and philosophical revolution during the 19th century.

7. You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~Gandhi

In the midst of an angry, reactionary world, Gandhi stood out as a calm, peaceful man. His nonviolent activism allowed India to achieve its independence from Great Britain without resorting to civil war.


8. Tough times never last, but tough people do.” ~Dr. Robert Schuller

Pastor Robert Schuller’s belief in “meeting needs before touting creeds” has reached the hearts of millions of his listeners.


9. Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail. ~Charles Kettering

We can credit Charles Kettering’s work ethic and determination for the electrical starting motor and air conditioning.

4. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. ~Tony Robbins

Famous motivational speaker Tony Robbins was born into an abusive home. At 17, he left home to change his life and ended up changing the lives of millions of other people, too!


5. The mind is everything. What you think you become. ~Buddha

The founder of Buddhism advocated balance and insight in all things. Millions of practitioners still follow his teachings today.


6. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. ~Martin Luther King Jr.

Neither jail nor death threats could stop Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from righting the injustice of the racially segregated American South. Though he gave his life for his beliefs, his cause triumphed and his legacy is still celebrated in the U.S.

1. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched â€" they must be felt with the heart. ~Helen Keller

Though she was blind and deaf, Helen Keller became an influential force for social consciousness and a motivational speaker during her lifetime.


2. The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. ~Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi never let defeat rattle him when he was a head coach in the NFL. He lost games, but never a season!


3. Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. ~Charles Swindoll

A severe stutter did nothing to deter this prominent pastor from speaking his truth.

31 Of the Most Inspirational Quotes Of All Time


Successful people know that the greatest difficulty in life often leads to the greatest reward. When the going gets tough, a few words of wisdom from those who made it can be the motivating factor that you need to carry on and accomplish remarkable things. Let these 31 quotes inspire you to achieve the impossible today!

At 4:00 PM today, Tropical Storm "AMANG" {MEKKHALA} was estimated based on all available data at 60 km north northeast of Borongan City, Eastern Samar (12.1°N, 125.6°E), with maximum sustained winds of 100 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 130 kph. It is forecast to move northwest at 19 kph. Northeast Monsoon affecting Northern Luzon.

Forecast:

Bicol Region and the provinces of Samar, Southern Quezon including Polilio Island and Biliran Island will be stormy with rough to very rough seas. Metro Manila, CALABARZON and the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Extreme Northern Cebu including Bantayan and Camotes island, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Quirino and Isabela will have rains with gusty winds with moderate to rough seas. The rest of Visayas and Mindanao and the province of Palawan will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rains. Thunderstorms are likely to occur over these areas. The rest of Luzon will have cloudy skies with light rains.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast to northwest will prevail over the rest of the archipelago with moderate to rough seas.

http://pagasa.dost.gov.ph/

Cardinal Bergoglio was neither in the pope watchers’ roster of “papabile,” nor was he in any kingmaker’s list. But his measured speech that day had stunned everyone in the congregation, and for the first time the cardinals thought they caught a glimpse of the Holy Spirit at work in this man’s palpable charisma and holiness.

What made the future pope’s narrative different was the way he connected the problems facing the Church to the task of evangelization. Austen Ivereigh, author of the wonderful book “The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope,” describes it thus: “Bergoglio had given the cardinals a way forward: a reform that ran deeper than just ridding the Curia of corruption or improving governance, one that would recall the Church to its purpose and the source of its life.”

No one knew this more profoundly than Pope Benedict XVI himself, who had just taken the bold and unprecedented step of resigning from the papacy to give way to a more energetic leadership. He might have had Bergoglio in mind, but the ball was now in the hands of the cardinals.

As in any institution, it is never easy for those at the center of power to voluntarily yield to new blood. They do everything to control the transition so as to preserve their privileges while projecting the illusion of change. The Vatican was no different. Those who followed its affairs knew who were the kingmakers at every conclave, and what interests they represented.

In terse but elegant language, Jorge Mario Bergoglio offered an unusual narrative of the Church’s place in our time. “Reference has been made to evangelization…. This is the Church’s reason for being…. The Church is called to come out from itself and to go to the peripheries, not just the geographical but also the existential peripheries: those of the mystery of sin, of suffering, of injustice, of ignorance and lack of religion, those of thought and those of every kind of misery.”

The congregation fell into a deep silence, not expecting such compelling eloquence to proceed from words uttered with disarming simplicity. Then the thought struck them: An exhausted Eurocentric Church was hardly in a position “to go to the peripheries.” It had enormous problems of its own, not the least of which was a dysfunctional central administration hobbled by all kinds of bureaucratic ailments, corruption, incompetence, and leaks in its record-keeping and communication systems.

and a column to boot...

Public Lives
   
The pope of the peripheries

Randy David
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Thursday, January 15th, 2015

“Peripheries” means “outskirts” or “margins,” and it appears quite often in Pope Francis’ distinctively Latin American vocabulary. It stood out, for instance, in the brief intervention he made at the preconclave congregation in which the assembled cardinals discussed the situation of the Church and its urgent tasks. To appreciate how Francis uses the term is to understand who he is, what kind of Church he envisions, and why he has come to the Philippines at this time.

The cardinal from Argentina spoke from scanty notes, taking up less time than the five minutes he was allotted. Because this was a closed-door consultation, there is no official documentation of its proceedings. But what the cardinal from Argentina had to say moved a brother cardinal from Cuba so much that the latter begged him to write it down so he could post it in the website of his diocese. That is the original source of the excerpts we quote here.

SLEEPING IT OFF The weary, little “Swiss Guards” take a break outside the Manila Cathedral while Pope Francis officiates at a Mass at the Roman Catholic basilica at Plaza de Roma in Intramuros. NIÃ'O JESUS ORBETA

But he has also said, “How I would like a poor Church, and for the poor.” That poses a challenge to the Filipino Catholic clergy, which has always been rather close to those who wield earthly powers in our country, a sad legacy from its historic role in the early years of colonial conquest. He challenges the clergy’s more traditional lay followers, who may find temple worship as a substitute or excuse for real-life engagement with those who need their help.

And he beckons both the activist and the disillusioned Filipino Catholic back to the fold, and offers the blessings of his high office, the imprimatur of the Vatican no less, to those who feel Christ’s spirit in the proverbial Smokey Mountain.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/

Then there is the transformative church that lives the spiritual life in social action. A generation of seminarians, priests, nuns and lay activists have chosen to live in the slums and in the countryside. They find their apostolate in concrete projects to empower and liberate the poor. And if somewhere along the line they step on the toes of the rich and powerful, they have willingly placed themselves in harm’s way if that is what it took to fulfill God’s will on earth. These activists live their faith outside the temples of worship, and see the face of God in the face of the ordinary Filipino. Like Francis of Assisi, they believe: “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.”

The papal visit poses a dilemma: In Pope Francis, these two churches converge.

The Pope is the embodiment of the institutional church. He stands at the apex of the entire power structure of the “one holy, Catholic and apostolic Church.” He appoints the cardinals and bishops who will guide the flock. He commands the allegiance of his faithful, and tells them what it means to be Catholic in the 21st century.

There is the institutional church, full of pomp and pageantry, dominated by well-defined hierarchies that reign over pelf and glory. There the faithful piously live their faith through prayer and ritual.

It’s even worse when ritual is localized and we end up with that overpowering show of devotion exactly a week ago at the annual procession for the Black Nazarene of Quiapo. So overpowering that two people lost their lives. The first was a 44-year-old man, an “official escort” of the icon’s carriage, who had a heart attack and whose limp body couldn’t be brought to the waiting ambulance because no believer would yield precious ground. The second was an 18-year-old boy, whose leg was caught in the rope surrounding the carriage and was trampled upon by the surging crowd. His battered body was marked by footprints on his T-shirt which bore the words “Children of the Lord Jesus of Nazareth.” A friend recalled his last words: “Ama, Ikaw na po ang bahala sa akin” (Father, I leave my fate to You)â€"which familiarly echoes one of Jesus’ traditional “Seven Last Words” at Calvary. Surely such devotion flows straight from the heart, but it is certainly bewildering.

That in a nation where more and more mothers die during childbirth, the clergy has zealously opposed the Reproductive Health Law that broadens access to contraceptives? This, despite evidence that family planning helps poor couples cope with poverty and actually lowers abortion rates? That a misguided priest has publicly praised fecundity as God’s gift to Filipinos because it produces more Filipinos to be sent abroad as domestic servants, ill-treated, underpaid, and sexually abused?

Conscienticized Filipino Catholics have long agonized over the self-contradictions of their chosen faith, but it should perplex them even more than it is conceivable, even calmly accepted, that in the Philippines one can be Catholic and not have a conscience.

They must understand that they actually swear by two churches.

Editorial   

Tale of 2 churches

Philippine Daily Inquirer
Friday, January 16th, 2015

Not just celebration but introspection. That is what Pope Francis’ visit should bring about for Filipinos, Christian and non-Christian alike, Catholic or Protestant, church-going proselytizers or radical propagandists.

For instance, what does it say that Asia’s largest Roman Catholic country is likewise one of its most corrupt? That in a country where 80 percent of whose 100 million people are Roman Catholic, the gap between rich and poor is so appalling that Louis Vuitton and Hermes shops, and Jaguar and Lamborghini dealers, coexist with children begging on street corners, homeless families living under bridges, and slum-dwellers feeding off food remnants in the garbage?

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

http://www.rappler.com/

Breadwinner

In the Filipino Catholic family, the father remains the primary breadwinner, but almost half of the respondents said the family’s average income amounts to only P10,000 a month.

One in 5 indicated that the matriarch is the family breadwinner, while one in 10 said “others" support the family financially.

In terms of family income, 2 in 5 respondents said monthly income ranges from P20,000 to P50,000. A little over 20% said the family income ranges from P10,000 to P19,999.

A matter of serious concern is the level of education attained by most Filipino youth. Almost 40% of the youth respondents said they have “some high school education,” with only 19% saying they have finished college. Almost 30% said they had “some college education” while only 9% said they finished high school. â€" Rappler.com



http://www.rappler.com/
some images from various online sources

Living arrangements

In terms of living arrangements, a similar percentage of youth (68.8%) said they lived with their parents. For those with broken families, more than 12% said they lived with their mother, while only 4% said they lived with their father. Another 3% said they live with their grandparents.

“Given these findings, it is safe to assume that the respondents 1) enjoy being raised and guided by their married father and mother, and 2) benefit from the relative stability they need in order to grow and mature as individuals.”

As for those with separated parents or with one of the parents already deceased, the researchers expressed concern over their plight. “Given the importance and central role that intact families play on the [lives of] children and youth, we can only wonder what impact separation and single parenting have on their integral well-being. Are they suffering in silence or living their lives in quiet desperation? Or have they accepted this sad factor of life and in the process have become more resilient and more persistent in facing its many challenges?”

Broken family

Keeping the marriage vow is another matter.

About 7 in 10 respondents indicated that their family is still intact, meaning their fathers and mothers are living together. On the other hand, almost 1 in 10 said parents “are not living together,” while a total of 13% said they are orphaned, with either their father or mother already deceased.

Still, researchers say the figures reflect a positive status of the Filipino Catholic family. “Notwithstanding, and in the wake of the alarming increase in broken families here and abroad, it is good to know that many of the respondents are living with both parents who were generally married in Catholic rites."

Marital status

Apart from their religiosity, influences and religious practices, a total of 2,110 youth respondents were asked about their current family situation. The findings confirm the growing Church concern about the breakdown of the Filipino family.

In terms of marital status, almost 4 in 5 of the respondents said their parents are married in Catholic rites, while more than 1 in 10 said their parents were married in civil rites.

About 5.8% said their parents are not married, while only 2% said their parents were wed in Christian rites.

The figures validate other survey results which indicate an increasing number of Filipino couples resorting to live-in arrangements or getting married in civil rites.

Addressing current family issues and concerns have been a hallmark of the Holy Father’s papacy. In October last year, he convened an Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to discuss “pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization.”

In the Philippines, the Church has identified 3 major challenges besetting the Filipino family: "poverty, overseas Filipino workers and persons with disability.”

Demographically, what’s the current composition of the Filipino Catholic family?

Based on a nationwide youth survey commissioned by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, it is far from ideal.

The Filipino family the Pope will meet

Rappler
Aries Rufo
16 January 2015

AT A GLANCE

*8 in 10 Filipino Catholic parents are married in Catholic rites
*1 in 10 are married in civil rites
*7 in 19 youths say their family is intact
*13% of Filipino Catholic families consist of single parents

MANILA, Philippines â€" What kind of Filipino Catholic family will Pope Francis encounter when he meets them during his 5-day visit to the Philippines?

One of the highlights of the papal visit is a meeting with Filipino families Friday, January 16, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

no prob, wards.  regards sa imong kapikas sa kinabuhi.

Thousands of the faithful push to see Pope Francis as he arrives at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Manila, Philippines, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. Pope Francis is on a five-day apostolic visit in this predominantly Catholic nation in Asia. © AP Photo/Wally Santana

Pope Francis, left, and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III stand as their respective national anthems are played during a welcoming ceremony Friday, Jan. 16, 2015 at the Presidential Palace grounds in Manila, Philippines. Francis arrived Thursday for an apostolic visit in this predominantly Catholic nation in Asia. © AP Photo/Bullit Marquez

Pope Francis, center, is welcomed by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, left, as he arrives for the welcoming ceremony Friday, Jan. 16, 2015 at the Presidential Palace grounds in Manila, Philippines. Pope Francis is on a five-day apostolic visit in this predominantly Catholic nation in Asia. © AP Photo/Bullit Marquez

Pope Francis waves to the faithful from his Popemobile as his motorcade leaves the Presidential Palace for the Manila Cathedral Friday, Jan. 16, 2015 in Manila, Philippines. Pope Francis called on Filipinos to reject the corruption that has plagued this Asian nation for decades and urged them to instead work to end the "scandalous" poverty and social injustices that afflicts its people, encouraging the government to continue the first significant crackdown on high-level corruption since the fall of the Marcos regime three decades ago. © AP Photo/Bullit Marquez

Quote from: Lollapalooza on January 16, 2015, 03:50:03 PM
January 14, 2015, 6:48PM an IED (Improvised Explosive Devise) exploded infront of my aunt's house in Pikit, North Cotabato.. All were safe, thank you LORD!!! but the trauma, cannot be explained... nabungol pa hangtud karon akong pinsan sa kakusog sa explosion kay medyo duol ra siya.. ang kaning gipang file nga sugnod nga kahoy ang naka save sa ilang life kay maoy nisagang sa mga concrete nails (with poison) ...yeeppp concrete nails soaked in poison ang sulod sa IED... Sa karon, naa na sila dire sa Digos nag stay temporarily...

oh, my.  let's hope the perpetrators are caught soon.  thanks be to god for the safety of your relatives.

Quote from: Lollapalooza on December 02, 2014, 11:15:12 AM
Thank you Lord for adding another year into my life... I am thankful for all the blessings nga imong gihatag sa ako... sa maayong lawas ug pangutok.. I always bear in my mind that it is not what I have in my life but who I have in my life that counts.. Salamat sa akong pamilya, friends (bestfriendssssssss) ug sa imong gihatag nako nga hubby-to-be... Happy kaayo ko... LIVE LIFE... LOVE LIFE.... THANK YOU KAAYO LORD!!!^___^

birthday nimo last december 2, loll?  sorry i read this just now.  BELATED!  stay happy and optimistic.  remain grrreattt!

hehe, sister nako ang nakadawat ug tuko.  duol mig kalibunan, mao nga nakakita intawon tong iring layaw, who we've fed regularly (otherwise, our own cats are indoor cats, di gyod makagawas) ug snake.  safe kuno to nga snake.  luoy baya kay niginhawa pa gamay, mao nga nag-100 meter dash kog palayo.

Pope Francis embraces Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle after arriving at the Villamor Air Base on January 15, 2015. Photo by Giuseppe CacaceAFP

Pope Francis (L) and President Benigno Aquino III (2nd L) during the arrival ceremony for the pontiff at the Villamor Airbase in Manila, Philippines, January 15, 2015. Rappler photo

Pope Francis hugs Mark Angelo Balbero, 10, who welcomed him at the arrival ceremony at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City, January 15, 2015. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III looks on. Rappler photo

PHILIPPINE GREETING. Pope Francis waves next to Philippine President Benigno Aquino III during his arrival at the airport in Manila, Philippines, 15 January 2015. Photo by Dennis M. Sabangan/EPA

Pope Francis waves as he disembarks from his plane after arriving at a military airbase in Manila on January 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/Ted Aljibe)

‘OVERWHELMING WELCOME.’ Pope Francis tries to catch his cap on his arrival at the airport in Manila, Philippines, 15 January 2015. Photo by Dennis M. Sabangan/EPA

The papal plane taxis to the tarmac of the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City, January 15, 2015. Rappler photo

Pope Francis arrives in the Philippines
15 January 2015


Pope Francis peeks out of the window of the Sri Lankan Airlines plane, January 15, 2015. Rappler photo

Pope Francis blesses a child as he arrives in Madhu, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015. Pope Francis traveled to the jungles of war-torn northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday to show solidarity with the victims of the country's 25-year civil war and urge forgiveness and reconciliation "for all the evil which this land has known." (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Love for Jesus

This love for Jesus made Peter a shepherd with the mission of feeding and tending the sheep of Jesus. We will see Pope Francis' love for Jesus in his pastoral charity towards us.

Finally, Pope Francis comes to us as one like us, or in his own words "as a regular human being," a sinner who has experienced God's mercy. His simple words and gestures will make Jesus and the Church more accessible to Filipinos.

We await the Successor of Peter: a brother, a father and a friend. The Filipino people are filled with joy.



http://edition.cnn.com/
images from various online sources

Mercy and compassion

Pope Francis will bring the mercy and compassion of Jesus to the tired, weary and those who find life burdensome. They await the assurance that Jesus remains the shepherd who has compassion for the hungry crowds.

We await the renewed challenge for the ordained and religious to embody the love, patience and healing of the Jesus as they bring the good news to the poor.

We await the call of the Pope to the shapers of government, culture and the economy to return to love as the supreme law that must shape their policies and programs. We await the Holy Father to encourage all efforts to forge peace, especially in parts of Mindanao and to promote good will among peoples of different religions.

We eagerly await in Pope Francis the love that Peter once professed to Jesus who asked him, "Simon, Son of John, do you love me more than these?" (John 21:15)

Hearing the message

But we must listen to Pope Francis. It is not enough that we see him, come close to him or even touch him.

We have been begging the Filipino people to listen to the Gospel of Jesus that would reach us through the Holy Father. The apostolic visit will make a difference to the Philippine Church and society only if we listen and act on what we have heard.

Secondly, Pope Francis comes after a series of natural and human-caused disasters that the Filipino people experienced in 2013 and 2014: earthquakes, typhoons (the strongest of which was Haiyan) and armed conflicts.

But let us not forget the daily disaster of poverty and inequality as seen in children and families living on the streets, homeless people, human trafficking, unemployment and underemployment, forced migration, prostitution, illegal drugs, corruption, missing persons and environmental degradation.

Year of the Laity

First, Pope Francis comes after the celebration of the Year of the Laity in the Philippines, which was observed in 2014.

We await the impetus and encouragement that the Successor of Peter would give to our lay faithful in deepening their personal encounter with Jesus, and in bringing the Gospel of Jesus to all aspects of life -- conscience, family, culture, politics, finance, science, arts, sports, migration, labor, ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue, and social communications.

We await the Pope's word to the ordained and consecrated men and women on how to foster communion with the lay faithful. We await the Pope to send us again as missionaries wherever we are, especially in Asia.

We eagerly await Pope Francis to strengthen us as Jesus once told Peter, "I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail, and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:32)

Preparing the nation

In one conversation I had with Pope Francis he expressed a wish, "I am not supposed to be the focus of the apostolic trip to the Philippines. Jesus should be the focus."

I have tried my best to communicate this expectation of the Holy Father to the Filipino nation and to those involved in the preparation for the visit. His sentiment should be our sentiment too.

His Christ-centered understanding of his pilgrimage should provide us with the pivotal point of the many events that would occur.

The theme of the apostolic visit -- "mercy and compassion" -- should be qualified as the mercy and compassion of Jesus manifested in the Gospels. In the light of this desire of the Pope I would like to emphasize a few expectations of the visit.

Cardinal Tagle: Pope Francis says Philippines visit 'not about him'

By Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Special to CNN
January 15, 2015

Cardinal Tagle is the Archbishop of Manila. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.



Manila, Philippines (CNN) This week Pope Francis will set foot on Philippine soil. His pastoral visit is the fourth time our country will be graced by the presence of the Successor of Peter.

In 1970 Blessed Pope Paul VI included the Philippines in his apostolic pilgrimage to Asia and Oceania. Saint Pope John Paul II came to the Philippines twice -- in 1981 and in 1995 for the World Youth Day. Twenty years later, we welcome Pope Francis.

Every papal visit is unique, bearing the influence of the unique personalities of the popes and the changing circumstances in the country, the Church and the world.

welcome to the club of the kind mike ortega ligalig had joined, wardz.  my felicitations!

aw, syalan ba.  pa-shy-shy pa gyod si lover boy.  manumangil pag saging... ngano man diay kun diretsohon na lang nga mora diay siyag nawong ug unggoy?

mobalhin ba sad kaha ang sulod sa imong tinae, nga angayan nimong lukdohon?  you know, tsindying gips, as in ang kuyamad moadto sa tinae, ang bulawan sulod sa tinae imong lukdohon...

be it beyond (or beneath) our standards, yes, pet cats show their appreciation and gratitude to their humans by offering their prize catch, which may be a mouse, bird, or small snake.  i've been a recipient of all three, much to my horror.   

Quote from: islander on January 15, 2015, 02:32:21 AM
     Also making the Philippines an attractive investment destination is the relatively small number of labor disputes there compared with neighboring countries. Lilia de Lima, director general of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, which supervises industrial parks, repeatedly emphasizes this point during seminars for foreign investors.

     According to an employee motivation survey conducted in 2012 by the Osaka-based International Economy & Work Research Institute, which covered local hires at Japanese companies operating in the Philippines, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore, Filipino workers topped the list in terms of upbeat responses across most categories, including job satisfaction.

     Analyzing the survey results, the research institute said, "Filipino people can enjoy their work because they have a sunny national character and communicate well with their employers."

and pa gyod.

Economy at risk?

The slow pace of wage growth is a plus for manufacturers, but there are concerns that it could hamper economic growth.

     The Philippine economy is growing faster than most in Asia. But unlike other countries in the region, its prime driver is consumer spending supported by massive overseas remittances.

     Unless the Philippines' population growth slows, it may remain a unique economy where rapid economic expansion is accompanied by persistently low wages.

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     Japanese companies were slower to set up operations in the Philippines than in other countries in the region. But they are keen now that the investment climate there has become favorable for foreign manufacturers. In addition to the relatively low wage levels, the political and security conditions have stabilized under President Benigno Aquino, who took office in 2010.

     Further boosting the Philippines' attractiveness is the widespread use of English, one of the country's official languages. This makes it easier for foreign employers to communicate with local workers.

     The political and other conditions in the Philippines are "not bad compared with other Southeast Asian countries," a Seiko Epson official said. "The Philippines is a promising country from a medium- and long-term perspective."

Rush to Southeast Asia

Japanese manufacturers began expanding into China at an accelerated pace in the 1990s to take advantage of cheaper labor. But as wages there increased, many of those companies began adopting a "China plus one" strategy of shifting some production to third countries. Southeast Asia has emerged as a popular destination for those businesses.

     Wage levels in Southeast Asia have also started moving higher recently, with minimum monthly wages in Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia surging by 20-30% annually.

     Also making the Philippines an attractive investment destination is the relatively small number of labor disputes there compared with neighboring countries. Lilia de Lima, director general of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, which supervises industrial parks, repeatedly emphasizes this point during seminars for foreign investors.

     According to an employee motivation survey conducted in 2012 by the Osaka-based International Economy & Work Research Institute, which covered local hires at Japanese companies operating in the Philippines, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore, Filipino workers topped the list in terms of upbeat responses across most categories, including job satisfaction.

     Analyzing the survey results, the research institute said, "Filipino people can enjoy their work because they have a sunny national character and communicate well with their employers."

Inflation-resistant economy

The Philippines, whose population reached 100 million in 2014, has an abundant labor force but faces a shortage of employment opportunities. Including the underemployed, nearly 30% of the country's labor force is now seeking jobs.

     In terms of macroeconomics, there is a structural reason keeping a lid on inflation: The economy constantly receives large amounts of remittances from its citizens working abroad. Some 10 million Filipino workers around the world send nearly $20 billion in foreign currencies to their home country annually.

     Filipino recipients of that money convert it into pesos, generating constant, strong demand for the local currency. That is one of the main reasons the peso remains firm, holding down inflationary pressure on imports.

Low-cost appeal

Wage levels in Metro Manila are not much different than those in urban areas in neighboring Indonesia and Thailand. But in suburban Manila, home to many industrial parks, pay tends to be less than 400 pesos ($9) per day and is growing only several percentage points annually.

     There are several reasons why wages in the Philippines are not rising as fast as those in neighboring countries. One is that it has the youngest population among major ASEAN states, with an average age of 23.

     New production facilities are to be built on about 100,000 sq. meters of land, more than doubling the area of the factory site, to meet growing demand for the plant's core high-capacity ink tank printers in emerging and other markets. The company also plans to boost the number of employees at the factory to 20,000 from the current 12,500.

     Yamaichi Electronics, a second-tier Japanese manufacturer of connector parts, also announced in December it had acquired land and a plant adjacent to its factory in an industrial park in Laguna Province, also near Manila.

     The company will spend 320 million yen to double the capacity of the Laguna facility, including the newly acquired plant, to produce sockets, connector products and other items.

     In November, German software giant SAP invested 3 million euros ($3.58 million) to open its third office in the Philippines in Ortigas, while David Brown Gear Systems, a U.K. maker of industrial gearboxes, opened a new facility in Subic Bay.

Why Asia's higher-wage wave hasn't reached Philippines

MINORU SATAKE, Nikkei staff writer
January 8, 2015


Workers at a call center in Manila talk with customers from the U.S. The Philippines has one of the youngest populations in Southeast Asia, helping keep wages there relatively low. (Getty Images)

MANILA -- Labor costs are rising in Southeast Asia, where growth-driven inflation is fueling calls for higher wages.

     One exception to this trend is the Philippines. Despite the country's robust growth, wages there remain stubbornly low. Mainly for that reason, many multinational companies are boosting capacity on the archipelago.

     Seiko Epson, a major Japanese maker of printers and other precision equipment, said in December it will invest about 12.3 billion yen ($102 million) to expand its inkjet printer and projector factory in an industrial park in Batangas Province, near Manila.