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Panels stolen from Cebu church surface in National Museum; Cebuanos want them back
Panels allegedly stolen in the 1980s from the heritage church of Boljoon resurfaced after they were donated by Unionbank CEO Edwin Bautista to the National Museum.....»»
Giving It All Away, And Getting It All Back Again
Journey into Generosity At the core of any meaningful life and legacy has to be a vision for generosity and an understanding of what it means to be a blessing to others. The value of giving to church, to mission, and to people must first be modeled, and then taught so that the next generation […].....»»
59 OFWs seek Lebanon exit
At least 59 Filipinos in Lebanon have expressed a desire to be repatriated amid the escalating tension between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon said Monday. Hezbollah is another Islamist militant group that controls the southern part of Lebanon. It has launched rockets into the northern part of Israel, which has fired back. “On Sunday morning, when we held our meeting with Filipino community leaders, we received 59 applications,” Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Raymond Balatbat said in a television interview. This developed as the Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, placed Lebanon under Alert Level 3, or voluntary repatriation. According to the DFA, there are an estimated 17,500 Filipinos in Lebanon, 67 of them residing on its southern border. Balatbat said only three of the 67 Filipinos on the southern border have asked to be repatriated. Since the surprise attack by the Palestinian Sunni-Islamic extremist group Hamas on Israel on 7 October, which left 1,400 Israelis dead, scores of foreigners have also been killed, including four Filipinos. Meanwhile, a total of 24 overseas Filipino workers, comprising the third batch of repatriates from Israel, arrived Monday afternoon at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. The repatriates — 21 women and three men — came from Israel via Abu Dhabi on board Etihad Airways flight EY424. Migrant Workers Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac assured all the repatriates of support from the government to ease their displacement and facilitate their reintegration. Two Filipinos shared on Monday their traumatizing experience during the attack of Hamas in Israel. Tersita Malapo, 35, of Baao, Camarines Sur, a caregiver for eight years, said she and other Filipinos were about to go to church when they heard a siren. “On Saturday morning, we were about to go to church in Jerusalem because we go to church every day off. Suddenly, we heard a siren. After a while, there was news that rockets were being launched from Palestine. We were so shocked,” Malapo said. She said that because of the bombings a loud noise like the banging of a door made her nervous. “That feeling that you always hear something, your feeling of nervousness is increasing. When a door slams, you think something has exploded. In Israel, there is an explosion anytime of the day. It explodes even without a siren. When there’s a bombing, our house and bomb shelter vibrates,” she said. Gerald Caniban, 35, of Iloilo City, a caregiver for five years, said he was asleep when he heard the sirens. “It was an overwhelming experience. I was in Tel Aviv that morning. I was sleeping with my girlfriend when we heard the alert on my phone. It was Saturday, our day-off. After a few minutes, we heard sirens all over Tel Aviv,” Caniban said. He said he did not have peace of mind and described the situation as a terrible nightmare. The post 59 OFWs seek Lebanon exit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Jerusalem’s holy sites deserted on second Friday of war
Fatima lives a few kilometers from Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque but had to cross four checkpoints to get there for Friday prayers with the esplanade largely deserted since war erupted between Israel and Hamas. Normally packed for Friday prayers, there were only a few thousand worshippers present at the compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, which is the third holiest site in Islam but is also the most sacred place for Jews. The compound has been largely deserted since October 7 when Hamas militants from Gaza stormed across the border beginning an attack that has killed at least 1,400 people in Israel, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death on the first day, Israeli officials say. Israel has struck back at Gaza with a relentless bombing campaign which has killed more than 4,100 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the enclave's Hamas-run health ministry. "Since it started, I haven't been back to the Old City nor to Al-Aqsa," says Fatima, a 37-year-old Palestinian who, like many others, did not want to give her family name for fear of reprisals as war rages between Israel and Hamas. Large numbers of Israeli security forces could be seen checking ID papers and turning away men under 50 from the Old City esplanade which is located in east Jerusalem, a majority Palestinian area seized by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed in a move never recognized by the international community. Unable to reach the compound, hundreds could be seen praying on the pavements, while elsewhere, Israeli police fired skunk water and tear gas to disperse others who were trying to enter the Old City, AFP correspondents said. Elsewhere in the Old City, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was deserted, with a lone Greek Orthodox priest praying alone at the normally crowded site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. And at the Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray, the vast esplanade which is normally packed in the hours before the Jewish sabbath begins at sundown, is also empty. It was early on a sabbath morning two weeks ago that Palestinian militants began their bloody attack, the most deadly ever to hit the Jewish state since it was founded in 1948. In the Muslim Quarter, most shops were shuttered, with Hassan Omar, 72, one of the only shopkeepers to open up, laying out prayer rugs and embroidered children's dresses alongside colorful scarves. "Since the war started, things have been very difficult. I come every day and pray, I go to Al-Aqsa then see if there any customers and if there aren't, I leave," he told AFP, expressing sorrow for the deaths of all civilians on both sides. "It's like during Covid, there's no-one." For Old City traders who depend on tourism, the war has spelt financial ruin, says fellow shopkeeper Mohammed Natsheh. "The whole economy has collapsed." The post Jerusalem’s holy sites deserted on second Friday of war appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
200 UK troops beef up Kosovo peacekeepers
The United Kingdom is reinforcing North Atlantic Treaty Organization peacekeepers in Kosovo with 200 troops who will join 400 UK soldiers already in the Balkan country as part of the NATO-led Kosovo Force. UK’s ministry of defense said Sunday the deployment was in response to the request of NATO as tension rises between Kosovo and Serbia which reportedly massed troops and military equipment in the border of its former province. The deployment ups the British Army contingent to KFOR to 600. KFOR’s mandate is to maintain a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all people of Kosovo. NATO also called for calm on Sunday and demanded that Belgrade and Pristina resume dialogue as soon as possible as “the only way to achieve lasting peace,” Dylan White, NATO spokesperson, said. There is a resurgence of tension in the region following the violent attack by dozens of suspected Serbian gunmen on Kosovo Police that killed one officer on 24 September. Kosovo police engaged the gunmen who took refuge in an Orthodox church, killing three and arresting others. On Friday, the United States said it detected troop buildup along the Serbia’s southern border with Kosovo and asked Belgrade to withdraw the forces. Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic announced Saturday he had ordered troops to be pulled back but the Kosovan government said the withdrawal was partial, The Guardian reported. Serbia refuses to recognize the independence of its former southern province, which has an Albanian majority, a decade after a deadly war between Kosovo independence guerrillas and Serbian forces, which ended after a NATO bombing campaign. WITH AFP The post 200 UK troops beef up Kosovo peacekeepers appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Valenzuela kicks off 400th founding jubilee
The City of Valenzuela kicked off its three-month-long celebration of its 400th founding anniversary with a tree of hope lighting ceremony at the Valenzuela City People’s Park last 30 September 2023. The event was attended by Mayor Wes Gatchalian, special guests Jose Mari Chan, Patrick Quiroz, Itchyworms and hundreds of Valenzuelanos. The Tree of Hope lighting ceremony is a yearly tradition in the city, but this year it was especially significant as it marked the beginning of the 400th founding anniversary celebration. The tree of hope is decorated with lights and ornaments that symbolize the city’s history, culture, and progress. It is a reminder of the city’s resilience and its bright future. Gatchalian said that the 400th founding anniversary celebration is a time to reflect on the city’s past and to look forward to its future. “We are proud of our rich history and our many accomplishments. We are also excited to see what the future holds for Valenzuela,” said the mayor. The tree of hope lighting ceremony was just the beginning of a series of events that will be held throughout the city in celebration of its 400th founding anniversary. The day of the commemoration is 12 November following Pueblo de Polo’s founding date, 12 November 1623. Back-to-back celebration awaits the city with Polo Fiesta and Casa de Polo inauguration as two of the grand slated events at #Valenzuela400 this month. Meanwhile, some of the anticipated huge events for the upcoming months are as follows: Oktoberfest, Polo Fiesta activities, Mass at San Diego de Alcala Church, Casa de Polo blessing and inauguration, Industry Summit, Gawad Dr. Pio Valenzuela Awarding, Cultural Night, Valenzuela’s coffee table book launch, a visit from delegates of Bucheon, South Korea, Food Fiesta, and a Christmas Bazaar. These activities in line were all open for the Pamilyang Valenzuelanos. The post Valenzuela kicks off 400th founding jubilee appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Valenzuela city lights ‘Tree of Hope’, celebrates 400th founding anniversary
Welcoming two momentous events in one, the City of Valenzuela commenced the “Tree of Hope” lighting ceremony at the Valenzuela City People’s Park over the weekend and was graced by special guests: Jose Mari Chan, Patrick Quiroz, and Itchyworms. Alongside, the ceremony also marked the beginning of a three-month-long celebration of the 400th Founding Anniversary of the city. The “Tree of Hope” lighting ceremony is a yearly tradition of the city, setting the Christmas spirit early for the Valenzuelanos. This traditional lighting of the 50-foot tree, along with several decors and installations, has been long-running since 2004. This year, the lighting ceremony is coupled with another historical commemoration — the kick-off celebration of the 400th founding anniversary of the City of Valenzuela. It is a modern Pinoy Christmas theme bridging the past and future, as a herald to 400 years of history and progress. Mayor WES Gatchalian were joined by SM Supermalls President Steven Tan and CDO Foodsphere Inc. Assistant Vice President Jason Ong in lighting up the Tree of Hope this year. Dedicating the Tree of Hope, the city also welcomed PWD children and teens as the primary beneficiaries for this year. Likewise, students from the city’s state universities the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela and Valenzuela Technological College or VALTECH (formerly named ValPoly) also partake in the event. The historical evening occurred at the heart of the city, the Valenzuela City People’s Park, where many of its residents gathered to witness the gleaming lights from the display. Mayor Gatchalian extended his warm greetings and emphasized the meaning of the Tree of Hope. “Sa ating ‘Tree of Hope’ Lighting ngayong gabi, nawa ito ay hindi lamang maging simbolo ng pag-asa, kung hindi rin magsilbing paalala, na ang liwanag na gumabay sa ating sa nakalipas na apat na raang (400) taon, ay siya ring liwanag na gagabay sa ating hinaharap (For our ‘Tree of Hope’ Lighting tonight, may this event not be a symbol of hope, but also serve as a reminder that the light that has guided over the past 400 years, will be the light that shall guide us in the future)." Joining the event were Vice Mayor Lorie Natividad-Borja, Mayoress Tiffany Gatchalian, City Councilors Ricarr Enriquez, Gerald Galang, Niña Lopez, Sel Sabino-Sy, Mickey Pineda, Atty. Bimbo Dela Cruz, Louie Nolasco, Marlon Alejandrino, SK Federation President, Councilor Goyong Serrano, and Liga ng mga Barangay President, Councilor Jonjon Bartolome. The PWD children and teens performed a meaningful doxology to start the event right. To further make this a night to remember, the local government invited the Christmas icon, Jose Mari Chan, to sing his signature song, “Christmas in Our Hearts” while setting the Tree of Hope and the fireworks alight. A colorful and dashing fountain display provided the finishing touches to the ceremonial night. Following days after the event, multiple attractions in the city such as Valenzuela City Family Park, WES Arena, Fatima Avenue, and Polo Family Park were also set to illuminate their Christmas installations. A post-lighting concert took place at the Valenzuela City Amphitheater wherein special guests, Patrick Quiroz and the band, The Itchyworms, livened up the stadium. Valenzuelanos jammed with some of their iconic songs, concluding the monumental night on a strong note. Getting the ball rolling, the tree-lighting occasion is one of the city’s main festivities for its 400th founding anniversary tribute. The day of the commemoration is 12 November, following Pueblo de Polo’s founding date, 12 November 1623. Back-to-back celebration awaits the city with Polo Fiesta and Casa de Polo inauguration as two of the grand slated events at Valenzuela400 this month. Meanwhile, some of the anticipated huge events for the upcoming months are as follows: Oktoberfest, Polo Fiesta activities, Mass at San Diego de Alcala Church, Casa de Polo blessing and inauguration, Industry Summit, Gawad Dr. Pio Valenzuela Awarding, Cultural Night, Valenzuela’s coffee table book launch, a visit from delegates of Bucheon, South Korea, Food Fiesta, and a Christmas Bazaar. These activities in line were all open for the Pamilyang Valenzuelanos. For the past 400 years, the City of Valenzuela sought several developments and innovations — and it has never stopped evolving. From an agricultural provincial town of Polo to a highly urbanized, industrial, and liveable city, this notable transition led Valenzuela to be recognized as one of the progressive cities in the country. The post Valenzuela city lights ‘Tree of Hope’, celebrates 400th founding anniversary appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Valenzuela City kicks off joint Christmas and 400th-anniversary celebration
Welcoming two momentous events in one, the City of Valenzuela held its annual “Tree of Hope” lighting ceremony at the Valenzuela City People’s Park on 30 September, an event graced by special guests Jose Mari Chan, Patrick Quiroz and Itchyworms. The ceremony also marked the beginning of the three-month-long celebration of the 400th founding anniversary of the city. The “Tree of Hope” lighting ceremony, a city tradition since2004, sees the lighting of a 50-foot Christmas tree and the installation of holiday decor to set the Christmas spirit early for Valenzuelanos. This year, the lighting ceremony is coupled with another historical commemoration — the kick-off celebration of the 400th founding anniversary of the City of Valenzuela. It is a modern Pinoy Christmas theme bridging the past and future. Mayor Wes Gatchalian was joined bythe CDO Foodsphere and SM Supermalls in lighting up the Tree of Hope this year. The city also welcomed PWD children as the primary beneficiaries of the event, along with students from PLV and VALPOLY. Singers from PLV performed Christmas carols, while the local government invited Christmas icon Jose Mari Chan to sing his signature song, “Christmas in Our Hearts”, while the Tree of Hope was lit amid fireworks. A colorful and dashing fountain display provided the finishing touches to the occasion. Multiple attractions in the city such as Valenzuela City Family Park, WES Arena, Fatima Avenue and Polo Family Park are also set to turn on their Christmas installations in the coming days. A post-lighting concert took place at the Valenzuela City Amphitheater where guests Patrick Quiroz and The Itchyworms livened up the crowd. The city's 400th founding anniversary celebration happens on 12 November, following Pueblo de Polo’s founding date of 12 November 1623. Back-to-back celebrations awaits the city with the Polo Fiesta and Casa de Polo inaugurations as two of the grand events slated for #Valenzuela400 this month. Other huge events unfolding in the following months include the Oktoberfest, Polo Fiesta activities, Mass at San Diego de Alcala Church, Casa de Polo blessing and inauguration, Industry Summit, Gawad Dr. Pio Valenzuela Awarding, Cultural Night, Valenzuela’s coffee-table book launch, a visit from delegates of Bucheon, South Korea, Food Fiesta, and a Christmas Bazaar. Over the past 400 years, the City of Valenzuela has never stopped evolving. From an agricultural provincial town of Polo, it has become a highly urbanized, industrial and livable city, recognized as one of the progressive urban centers in the country. Thus, reaching four centuries of growth and progress is a milestone worth celebrating for all Valenzuelanos, and an inspiration to continuously commemorate and honor the rich history that established the city. The post Valenzuela City kicks off joint Christmas and 400th-anniversary celebration appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Kosovo cops kill 3 ambushers, arrest 5 others
A standoff between Kosovo police and some 30 gunmen who ambushed an officer at a village monastery on Sunday has ended with the death of three ambushers and arrest of five other suspects. Xhelal Svecla, Kosovo’s minister of internal affairs, said police engaged the gunmen in a firefight near the village of Banjska where an officer on patrol was shot dead and his companion was wounded early Sunday. One of the gunmen holed up inside a monastery and four civilian suspects found carrying radio equipment and weapons outside the complex were arrested after the firefight lasting for hours. Svecla said police had made several arrests during the clearance operation and seized a lot of weapons and equipment. However, it remained unclear if all the gunmen had been apprehended during the sweep. The Serbian Orthodox Church also confirmed that gunmen had stormed the monastery in Banjska, where pilgrims from the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad were staying. Pictures released by Kosovo authorities showed several heavily armed gunmen wearing uniforms, barricading themselves in at the monastery. “We can see armed people in uniforms... they are firing on us and we are firing back,” Kosovo police official Veton Elshani told Agence France-Presse by phone from Banjska. The ambush and ensuing firefight marks one of the gravest escalations in Kosovo for years, following months of mounting tensions and stalling talks between the government in Pristina and Serbia. Kosovo police closed the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings between Serbia and Kosovo following the incident. Act of terrorism Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the ambush an act of terrorism and pinned the blame on the Serbian government. “Organized crime with political, financial and logistical support from officials in Belgrade is attacking our country,” Kurti wrote on social media. WITH AFP The post Kosovo cops kill 3 ambushers, arrest 5 others appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Appeal to Pope Francis: Restore the Mediatrix
Devotees are appealing to Pope Francis to restore the Mediatrix because there is evidence that the 1951 Pope Pius XII decree, which declared the Mediatrix apparitions not “of supernatural origin,” has been proven invalid, including all subsequent Church decrees to suppress the Mediatrix devotion in the last 70 years. The Vatican allows Mediatrix devotion (prayers, novenas) but bans any Church activity in reference to the apparition. The 1951 Pius XII decree is invalid because it is not found in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, a requirement for a decree to be binding, according to Canon Law. The decree is considered “non-existent” even though the Holy Office (the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith back in 1951) issued a similar decree, which was not binding. Only the Pope can issue such an official decree, according to Canon Law. On 11 December 2015, Gerhard Cardinal Muller, as head; and Archbishop Luis Ladaria, SJ, as the secretary of the CDF, the Vatican office in charge of investigating Marian apparitions, issued Protocol 226/1949 which hinted at the non-existence of the Pius XII decree. Archbishops of Lipa Mariano Gaviola and Ramon Arguelles, during their respective tenures, separately asked the CDF for the documents on the status of the 1951 disapproval of the Lipa apparitions. After the CDF failed to give this, Gaviola permitted public veneration of the original image of the Mediatrix, and Arguelles issued a decree lifting the ban on Mediatrix veneration, which they could do under Canon Law, and which resulted in the erroneous CDF Protocol 226/1949, quoted below. “11. Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, in a letter dated 7 October 2009, requested permission to examine the archives of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, regarding the phenomenon at Lipa. Shortly thereafter, on 12 November 2009, Archbishop Arguelles issued a decree by which he ordered that ‘all bans written or unwritten intended to curtail or diminish the devotion to Mary Mediatrix of all Grace be lifted’ and ‘ that a new commission be formed to review the documents on the alleged apparitions of 1948 as well as to compile additional documents from the period up to the present.’” “12. After examining its archives, and discovering the error in Archbishop Ramon Arguelles’s assumption that the matter of the phenomenon of Lipa was still open to discussion, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in a letter dated 20 March 2010, responded to Archbishop Arguelles, informing him that the decision communicated by the Episcopal Commission in 1951 was, in fact, a decision approved by the Holy Father and, therefore, the matter no longer rested under the authority of the Archbishop.” Under Canon Law, Arguelles and Gaviola, as bishops of the Lipa diocese, had the right to be provided a copy of the Holy Office-Pius XII decree, if it existed at all. When it was not given, under Canon Law, Arguelles and Gaviola had the right to lift the ban on Mediatrix devotion. The CDF claim that the matter was no longer “open to discussion” is false and is a contravention of Canon Law, which states that, in the absence of a Vatican decree, local bishops had a right to act on their own authority. The CDF, in Protocol 226/1949, wrongly blamed Gaviola and Arguelles for violating Vatican protocol.Both the Holy Office of 1951 and the CDF of 2015 committed the “sin” of not reporting that the Pius XII decree was not registered in the Acta. Muller and Ladaria , who have retired from the CDF, should be investigated by Pope Francis. No one in the entire Church knew that the Pius XII decree was non-existent for seven decades up to this very day, except for a few who did not come out in fear of Vatican repercussions. The CDF claim that the “Episcopal Commission in 1951 was in fact a decision approved by the Holy Father” is completely baseless. The Episcopal Commission issued its decision on 11 April 1951, while the Holy Office-Pius XII issued its decision two weeks before on 28-29 March. How could the Holy Office issue a decision on a still non-existent future Episcopal Commission decision? Mediatrix devotees are appealing to Pope Francis to retract Protocol 226/1949, restore the images of Bishops Gaviola and Arguelles, and stop the suppression of the Philippine clergy and the Marian devotees, in the name of the Virgin Mary whom we all love. We welcome any reply from Rome on this matter. eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com The post Appeal to Pope Francis: Restore the Mediatrix appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pope rallies Frenchmen amid debate on meddling
In Marseille, a French Mediterranean city, where Pope Francis has entered an acrimonious European debate on allowing refugees, tens of thousands of people are anticipated to witness the pontiff celebrate mass and process through the streets. Nearly 60,000 people are expected to fill the Velodrome stadium in France’s second-largest city, and up to 100,000 people may line the Avenue du Prado for his “popemobile” tour prior to the Mass. The chairman of an undocumented immigrant group in Marseille, Francky Domingo, expressed his hope that the pope’s visit would “give us back a little hope” and “calm the political tensions.” A “cosmopolitan, multicultural, multireligious” hub, the Mediterranean port “faces enormous difficulties, drug trafficking that claims human lives every day, and the problem of housing,” Domingo continued. In an effort to reverse the deteriorating trend, President Emmanuel Macron has pledged billions of dollars to rebuild the city’s infrastructure after over 40 people were killed in shootings there this year. However, not everybody has praised the Pope’s visit. Left-leaning MPs have criticized Macron’s attendance at Mass on Saturday as a violation of official secularism. Francis has come under fire from right-wingers for “interfering” in domestic politics. Upon his arrival on Friday, the pope fervently urged Europe to accept migrants rather than give in to “fanaticism of indifference” and “paralysis of fear.” The recent wave of large arrivals on the Italian island of Lampedusa has heated up the conversation on immigration. Gerald Darmanin, the French Interior Minister who welcomed the pope upon his arrival, has sworn not to accept a single one. The iconic Notre Dame de la Garde church in Marseille, where sailors have historically prayed for protection and model ships offered in gratitude hang from the roof, was Francis’ first stop when visiting the city. The pontiff urged that “people who are at risk of drowning when abandoned on the waves must be rescued” at a monument that looked out over city rooftops and the glistening Mediterranean. The pope hailed humanitarian organizations for saving migrants in peril at sea and denounced attempts to stop their behavior as “gestures of hate” in unprepared words he added at the conclusion of his speech. With AFP The post Pope rallies Frenchmen amid debate on meddling appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Keeping it together
It’s no longer unusual, nowadays, for a family to have one or both parents working in another country, or for grown children to relocate abroad for work or start their own family. Single parenting is also quite common, right along there with blended families and LGBTQ unions with kids. Yet even when families are together in one place — one home, compound, neighborhood or city — it takes a lot to stay “together,” literally and figuratively. Perhaps sensing the threats to what is recognized as society’s basic foundation, our government in 1992 decided to declare the last week of September as Family Week, as mandated by Proclamation 60 signed by then President Fidel V. Ramos. Ramos wanted the week to emphasize the importance of the family as “the foundation of the nation” and “as a basic autonomous social institution,” as well as recognize “the sanctity of family life,” as stated in the Constitution of the Philippines. The world may transform in many ways, but the need for family will never change. “No matter how much life changes and the concept of family evolves, it may continue to benefit human health and wellness by offering a sense of belonging and support,” it aptly states in an article on Better Help, which also enumerates the factors affecting family life as “advancements in technology, changing cultural norms, new priorities and advanced forms of communication fueled by the internet.” The sense of belonging one gains from being part of a family — whether it is in a traditional setup, adoptive or “chosen,” a new kind of family defined in these modern times — has a profound impact on one’s well-being. With government providing the impetus for today’s families to connect or reconnect during the annual Family Week, it is up to each one of us to take steps to keep ours together in these fast-paced, nomadic, dysfunctional times. In the local setting, we already see so many signs of the changing dynamics among families. We could wade through studies to figure out all the issues affecting our core foundation, but we believe one may truly gain more understanding by examining our own experiences. Here, we share the views of people in our sphere, in answer to our query: What do you consider as the biggest challenge for your family in these trying times? Gigie Arcilla, Editor-in-chief Dealing with young adult children presents the challenge of establishing boundaries as they seek independence and transition into adulthood. Striking a balance between support and autonomy, as well as providing guidance while allowing room for growth, can be difficult, especially for a single parent. [caption id="attachment_187927" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] STEPHANIE Mayo (fifth, clockwise) with her family. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF Stephanie Mayo[/caption] Stephanie Mayo, Film critic and writer I have senior-citizen parents, and my siblings and I are now at the age when our health naturally starts to decline. Even if someone has health insurance, no one can deny how debilitating and expensive getting sick is. Without health, quality of life is decreased. You also cannot work (no work, no pay for freelancers such as myself) if you are sick. Gratefully, none of us in the family are currently seriously ill. It’s just that given that these trying times are also marked by corruption, medical gaslighting, new diseases and viruses and climate change, health problems have become even more threatening. [caption id="attachment_187926" align="aligncenter" width="993"] PAULINE Songco (fifth from left) and dad Arnold, mom Dhen, grandmother Linda and sister Patricia. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF Pauline Songco[/caption] Pauline Songco, Editor and writer I would say our biggest challenge is finding time to be together. I am always never at home. If I am, I would just be there for a few hours to sleep. I would get up, then go to work again. I find myself having less and less free time than before. My sister is busy with work, and so is my father. My mom is left alone at home with my cats. But, she goes to the gym to occupy herself and to see her friends. Yet, I’m thankful for what we have right now for these are the same things that we used to pray for before. [caption id="attachment_187924" align="aligncenter" width="641"] PAULINE Pascual (first from left) and dad Roy, mom Jocelyn and sister Prizcia. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF Pauline Pascual[/caption] Pauline Joyce Pascual, Lifestyle writer Our family became even closer during the pandemic, and now that things are almost back to normal, it is the family bonding that we used to that we find the most challenging. My sister is studying and getting ready for her time at college while my parents are back in business and I am now working outside of our province. I miss the good old days even though we still saw each other every week. [caption id="attachment_187925" align="aligncenter" width="638"] RAPHAEL, Rachael, Joylen and Ruben Ramos. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF Raphael Ramos[/caption] Raphael Ramos, STEM student at De La Salle Araneta The desire to act in spite of the potential consequences for everyone else. The family members’ immaturity leads to a more serious issue and may stunt each person’s development. [caption id="attachment_187922" align="aligncenter" width="2246"] GEL, Dino, Tei and Maui Datu. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF Dino Datu[/caption] Dino Datu, Chef, journalist and entrepreneur The biggest challenge in families today is creating quality family time. Everyone is so busy and there are so many distractions. While working and school work are necessities, we need to create time to just sit together for regular meals and chat without our electronic devices. Even on rare occasions that everyone is together, dining out, for example, people look at their phones every few seconds. That’s what I think is a big difference between today’s families and those from a few decades back. We often see “perfect” families on social media. Sadly, it seems like that’s the only place it exists. Teresa Laurente, Business Consultant For me, it has to be family, healthcare, children’s education and social media effect on young people. Pamela Palacio, Statistician III, Provincial Government of Bataan Disrespect to God and parents. Negative effect of social media. [caption id="attachment_187920" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] YVETTE Chua-Carrion (fourth from left) beside her husband, businessman Melon. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESYOF Yvette Chua-Carrion[/caption] Yvette Chua-Carrion, Educator and breakthrough life coach In these financially trying times — the budget for groceries, how to have savings for emergencies (which we hope won’t happen), and high gas prices. [caption id="attachment_187919" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] (FROM left) Riley, husband Noel, Tiffany and Ashley. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF Tiffany Cuna[/caption] Tiffany Sison Cuna, Former beauty queen turned entrepreneur Disciplining and inculcating values in our children knowing how the Internet plays a vital role in their lives — it could either influence them positively or negatively. [caption id="attachment_187923" align="aligncenter" width="1170"] JIA Bote and dad Milton. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF Jia Bote[/caption] Jia Bote, Student at the University of Santo Tomas With my father working away from home, the biggest challenge is having more time together as a family. When I was younger, I thought I had all the time in the world to spend time with my family. However, as I grow older, my responsibilities increase, and I have less free time than I used to. I remember spending the peak of the pandemic away from our father, and we could only talk through the phone for months. It was challenging for me not to see my father physically, especially when I go through difficult moments because I believe that we need more of our parents’ wisdom and guidance as we grow older. With the pandemic and the natural course of life, it feels like I have less time and opportunity to be with my father who is also growing old day by day. [caption id="attachment_187921" align="aligncenter" width="1242"] ALEX and Jet Capina (fourth and fifth from left) with their children. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY of Jet Capina[/caption] Jet Capina, retired bank vice president Our challenge is how to make the family complete on weekends. My children have their own gimmicks. Before every Sunday we were together attending church service but after the pandemic each of them esp Paolo is out of the house to be with his gf. I don’t think it’s good to write about it. Our challenge is how to make the family complete on weekends. My children are all good and well behaved but having grown up, the elder ones now and then have their own gimmicks. I am happy that my husband, who often plays golf, is with me always. The post Keeping it together appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pope urges Europe against treating migrants as invaders
Pope Francis on Saturday urged European governments to welcome migrants instead of viewing them as invaders, striding into a hugely sensitive political debate again inflamed by mass arrivals. "Those who risk their lives at sea do not invade, they look for welcome," Francis said in a speech closing a conference of bishops and young people from around the Mediterranean in the French port city of Marseille. Migration is "a reality of our times, a process that involves three continents around the Mediterranean and that must be governed with wise foresight, including a European response," the pontiff added. Francis' 35-minute speech drew a standing ovation from his audience, but his position on migration was unlikely to please French President Emmanuel Macron and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who were both present and planned tougher measures to control arrivals. The pope's forceful interventions come as the migration debate has been stoked by mass arrivals on the Italian island of Lampedusa last week. Speaking at a monument to people lost at sea on his arrival in Marseille on Friday, the pontiff had insisted that "people who are at risk of drowning when abandoned on the waves must be rescued". He thanked aid groups for rescuing migrants in danger at sea, condemning efforts to prevent their work as "gestures of hate". Tens of thousands expected Tens of thousands of people are expected to watch Francis as he travels through the streets of Marseille later Saturday before celebrating mass for almost 60,000 people in the city's famed Velodrome stadium. Up to 100,000 are expected to line the Avenue du Prado for his "popemobile" tour and many roads are decked out with the white-and-yellow colors of the Vatican. Francky Domingo, a Beninese man who heads a group of undocumented migrants in Marseille, said he hoped the pontiff's visit would "give us back a little hope" and "calm the political tensions". The Mediterranean port is a "cosmopolitan, multicultural, multireligious" hub but "faces huge difficulties, drug trafficking that costs human lives every day (and) the problem of housing", Domingo added. Around 40 people have been killed in shootings in Marseille this year, and Macron has promised billions of euros to upgrade city infrastructure in a bid to stop the downward spiral. Not everyone has welcomed the Pope's visit. Some politicians on the left have criticized Macron's decision to attend Saturday's mass as an infringement of state secularism. Others on the right have attacked Francis for "interfering" in domestic politics. The pontiff did nothing Saturday to dodge such allegations, appearing to weigh in on two of Macron's projects -- assisted dying and inscribing the right to abortion in the constitution. Old people risk being "pushed aside, under the false pretenses of a supposedly dignified and 'sweet' death that is more 'salty' than the waters of the sea," Francis warned. He also spoke of "unborn children, rejected in the name of a false right to progress, which is instead a retreat into the selfish needs of the individual". Religious heritage Francis' messages may have less resonance given Catholicism's long decline in France. Fewer than a third of people still say they are Catholic and only a fraction of those regularly attend mass. The country's religious heritage nevertheless still has enormous weight, with Macron showing off progress in restoring the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris to Britain's King Charles III this week. He has also announced tax breaks for contributions to a fund to renovate church buildings in villages too small to take on the repairs themselves. The post Pope urges Europe against treating migrants as invaders appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Leftists weave yarns, scams
The desperation of left-wing groups to remain relevant has pushed them to resort to “elaborate hoaxes and fraudulent money-making schemes,” the National Security Council said on Saturday. NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said the attempts to defraud came in the guise of manufactured claims against government security agencies. Earlier, the Philippine National Police reported that two young women involved in an anti-reclamation campaign in Manila Bay were missing, and this was linked to their advocacy. Malaya said Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro had surrendered to the Philippine Army’s 70th Infantry Battalion in Doña Remedios Trinidad town in Bulacan on 12 September, contrary to leftist groups’ allegation that government security forces had abducted the two. “They had actually bolted their organization and sought the help of the authorities for their safe return home,” he said. Fake fundraising Malaya accused the leftist groups of soliciting funds from the public and making it appear that the security forces were irrelevant in protecting the general safety. “They collect money through GCash with the intent of using this to discredit and put the government in a bad light. They want the international community to believe that this country is a failed state,” Malaya said. “The Karapatan-led offensive included a shameless fundraising drive to collect money from the public purportedly to help locate the two young girls. It turned out, however, that the two had bolted their underground organization and went under the care of a friend,” he said. Karapatan is a militant group purportedly advocating for the protection of human rights. Malaya slammed Karapatan’s massive disinformation campaign, “Surface Jonila and Jed Network,” saying, “This was made out of manufactured threads of storylines using the Internet that even the media, the viewing public, and the government became victims of the elaborate deception.” Karapatan was among the first groups to sound the alarm after the two anti-reclamation activists went missing. With help from the Department of Justice, the NSC and PNP’s Cybercrime Group have started to build a case against the scammers from the leftist groups. “We will certainly investigate their possible liabilities in relation to the Revised Penal Code, anti-cybercrime law, and other special laws. We’re working now with the Department of Justice on the possible filing of charges against them,” Malaya said. Not an abduction Meanwhile, Police Capt. Carlito Buco of the Bataan Provincial Police Office said Tamano and Castro were in a safe house with their parents. Citing the police’s final investigation report, Buco said Tamano and Castro were not “abducted” and could not be declared “missing persons.” “The two young girls were staying at a Methodist church in Orion town as far back as 1 September and had been planning to leave their organization,” he said. The post Leftists weave yarns, scams appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Franco’s Spain: a long and haunting dictatorship
What was one of Europe's longest-running dictatorships comes under scrutiny on Friday as a victim of alleged torture by the forces of General Francisco Franco testifies for the first time in a Spanish court. AFP looks back at the dictator's repressive 36-year legacy, which continues to divide Spain nearly half a century after his death in 1975. Civil War Franco rose to power during the Spanish Civil War, which began in 1936 when he led a coup against the country's left-wing Republican government. A three-year battle for control of Spain ensued, pitting Franco's Nationalist rebels, backed by fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, against the Soviet-backed Republicans. The Nationalists won the conflict, which ended in 1939 with hundreds of thousands of dead. Among the killing sites was the Basque town of Guernica, which was bombed by German war planes -- an atrocity immortalised in a haunting painting of the same name by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. In his book "The Spanish Holocaust", historian Paul Preston estimated that 200,000 people died in combat during the conflict, and another 200,000 were murdered or executed -- 150,000 at the hands of the Nationalists. Atrocities were also committed by the Republican side. After WWII broke out, Franco held talks with Hitler on joining the Axis Powers but ultimately decided against direct military involvement. Executions and stolen babies Franco ruled for another three decades with the backing of the military and the Catholic Church. During his first five years in power, he executed tens of thousands of Republican prisoners and dumped their bodies in mass graves. Spain's prison population shot up, and half a million people fled the country as their property was seized. Newborns were snatched from opponents and poor families to be passed on to couples unable to have children, many of them close to Franco's regime. Campaigners estimate there were thousands of "stolen babies" over the decades. Reckoning with the past After Franco's death on November 20, 1975, King Juan Carlos succeeded him as head of state and led the transition from dictatorship to democracy. The authorities opted for a "pact of forgetting" over the dictatorship's crimes, to avoid a spiral of score-settling between Franco supporters and opponents. For decades, all attempts to bring Franco-era officials to justice were blocked. A major shift took place under Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has driven efforts to commemorate those who died or suffered violence or repression during the civil war and dictatorship. One of his most controversial moves was to remove Franco's remains from a vast hillside mausoleum north of Madrid that drew a steady stream of right-wing sympathizers and move them to a more discreet family tomb. Right-wing parties have accused Sanchez of needlessly dredging up the past and vowed to reverse a new law that commits the state to searching for victims of the dictatorship buried in unmarked graves. The post Franco’s Spain: a long and haunting dictatorship appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Menchu Katigbak: The splendid life of a society swan
Hers is a story anyone would love to tell and retell, or hear and hear again. Chances are, as in the book of Menchu, so many things are left unsaid because if these were all said, a single book would not be enough. Carmencita “Menchu” Katigbak’s story is one of love, passion, hurts and disappointments, social triumphs and power in its subtle workings, but mostly the good life and the people who live it and make it happen. She is a woman of the world in the sense of one who has lived in, explored and enjoyed New York, Bangkok, Lausanne, Paris and, her current love, Singapore. Of course, her turf is in Manila with a Capital S and Capital P (as in Power), and Lipa the hometown of her roots. [caption id="attachment_180060" align="aligncenter" width="958"] MENCHU with best friend Susie and her daughter Marivic.[/caption] At a time when the term “socialite” can come cheap, trite or even undeserved, Menchu gives the appellation dignity, respect and the awe it once inspired. Her social credentials are, of course, impeccable. For starters, she attended the Chateau Mont-Choisi, a Swiss finishing school for debutantes and pre-debs belonging to royalty and the world’s upper crust. A socialite today, in loose modern parlance, is perceived as being frivolous, one who attends parties because these men and women are party animals, or party people, as one columnist has named her weekly jottings about the social events of the day. The enjoyment of life is what defines this breed and set, and yet, while Menchu, too, knows how to enjoy, and enjoy life with gusto, there is more to her and that differentiates her from the herd. No, she does not top her charmed life with an icing of well-publicized good deeds and philanthropic beneficence, even if she actually shares her bounty with those in need. Menchu is of a different mold. She is a society swan in the manner of Truman Capote’s chums — Babe Paley, Gloria Guinness, Lee Radziwill. In our part of the world, think Chona, think Minnie, think Chito. She may well be cast in the same crème de la creme mold, glamorous denizens of the inner circles of society, at the same time, ladies who have transcended the vagaries of time. Just recently, Menchu was referred to by a diplomat friend as a global influencer, a 21st-century appellation that only a few are accorded. This one is applied to one who was once a señorita, colegiala and, yes, society girl, again in the tradition of Chona, Baby, Nelly, Chito and Ising. ‘The Katigbaks talk only to the Kalaws’ They don’t need family names, each as important as the other and of the same significance in society. Still, it’s one thing to say that she is Baby Fores, and another if she is Baby Arenas. There were two Vickys, one of national import and memory being the lovely teenager who stood as her father’s First Lady in the early 1950s, and there was the Madrigal matron, Vicky nee Abad Santos, who was low-key and the daughter of the World War II patriot, Jose Abad Santos, who refused to pledge allegiance to the flag of the enemies. Menchu shares first name distinction with Menchu delas Alas Concepcion, also of Batangueña parentage, being the daughter of banker and finance guy and public servant Don Antonio de las Alas. Both aristocrats from Batangas, the two Menchus share many distinctions beauty for one, pedigree, for the other—but that’s as far as I would say, the aforementioned traits being obvious. But to drive his point, Joe Guevarra, the humorous and well-placed columnist known for his tongue-in-cheek pronouncements, once said of the olden times, when the genealogical boundaries were well-defined, “In Lipa, the Katigbaks talk only to the Kalaws, and the Kalaws talk only to the Katigbaks.” [caption id="attachment_180057" align="aligncenter" width="998"] DINNER in Pili with Fernando and Zobel, Tessie Sy-Coson, Guilly Luchangco, Federico ‘Piki’ Lopez | photograph courtesy of MENCHU KATIGBAK[/caption] This self-confessed social climber, as his 8-to-5-and-beyond job would require him to be, admits to not having met (okay, having been introduced to…) the ebullient society hostess, traveler, culinary maven and friend-to-the-powerful Menchu Katigbak. Everything that I am writing here, I learned from the lady’s biography, Menchu, authored by lifestyle journalism icon Thelma Sioson San Juan, the two being decades-old friends. Menchu, one finds out toward the end of the book, is the inspiration for her granddaughter Isabelle’s first tome, Abu, the Sad Princess. I look back on the pages I have read, the memories of Menchu’s lifetime so far, in all its seven glorious and electrifying decades, and I dare say, the description is most apt and is true as well in real life as Menchu today is “living happily ever after” having come to terms with the many issues that confronted her at various times, but more importantly, she is today a fulfilled mother and grandmother and a believer in Jesus Christ. But that is getting ahead of the story. ‘White Matter’ by Lao Lianben Jaime Ponce de Leon, dear Jaime, the man of the hour of Philippine arts for as long as Juan Luna’s missing masterpiece, remains ensconced at the Ayala Museum – gaining for the discoverer more than a foothold in our cultural history – asked me if I was interested in writing about the socially formidable Menchu Katigbak, and I readily said yes, having seen her photographs in the select and more discriminating society pages and columns. I thought to myself it would be an opportunity to meet the lady face to face and add her to my glossary of so-called newfound friends, but that was not meant to be. I was, oh, I was treated to the next best thing – a copy of Menchu which, to someone who aspires to be a bibliophile, is all that matters in the world, except that I am first a social climber. And since I have not been allowed an audience, I take solace in the book and, as my honeyed revenge, will tell you what I feel about the lady who, I understand, could be frank and outspoken. Abrasive is too strong a word, and unfair for I am not sure if I will ever meet her in my lifetime, but I am told the lady will never mince words, that’s probably why she has legions of true friends who probably can give as much as take, or so I am imagining. [caption id="attachment_180055" align="aligncenter" width="1475"] Lunch in the kitchen in Pili with Patty Araneta (left) and Monet Recio-Schem.[/caption] A painting that Menchu has kept all these years, “White Matter” by Lao Lianben, signed and dated 1997, has been featured as one of the rare pieces to be auctioned in Leon Gallery’s forthcoming magnificent September auction, with the starting bid of P2,600,000. So, there, if you’re wondering what Jaime, who moves around the best circles, has got to do with this enigmatic swan. ‘We are not rich’ But let’s stick to what the book says. While she intersperses in her narrative personal encounters with her subject, TSJ, for the most part, devotes the pages of this book to Menchu alone, and with our cosmopolitan lady, the many friends in the upper echelons whose lives she has touched and who have touched hers in turn. Menchu, once she was ready to be told, heard it straight from her mother, “Tandaan mo, baka akala mo mayaman tayo. Hindi tayo mayaman. Kung napadala ka namin sa Switzerland at si Tita at si Tony napadala naming sa America, kasi nagpawis ako ng dugo (Remember, you may think we are rich, we are not rich. If we sent you to Switzerland and Tita and Tony to America, it was because I sweated blood). If you think you’re going to inherit something from us, banish the thought. So if you don’t study well, bahala ka sa sarili mo (you’re on your own).” The perfect words for the Asuncionista (Assumptionista) who much preferred to bake food for the gods, brownies and upside-down cakes and do naughty things like hiding the bell used to signal the start and end of class periods. Her mother, the former Charing Roxas Dimayuga, who attended Assumption Convent, dealt in buying, developing and selling homes in the gated Makati villages. She also developed horizontal and vertical commercial spaces as well as imported retazos from abroad. [caption id="attachment_180056" align="aligncenter" width="696"] Wearing the Van Cleef earrings purchased before their public launch.[/caption] Her father, Enrique Luz Katigbak, on the other hand, was a top certified public accountant, an alumnus of the Northwestern University and a director on the boards of Monte de Piedad and Philtrust banks. Of his connections, none is more eminent than his friendship with His Eminence, Rufino Cardinal Santos, archbishop of Manila and the first Filipino Cardinal of the Catholic Church. It was not a happenstance that Menchu received the sacrament of confirmation from the Cardinal himself right in the Katigbak home, the first ever that was held in a private home if any other followed at all. Like most children, Menchu recalls in the book how she detested being “slapped” by the pious prelate. If she was any pleased about her family’s closeness to the holy man, it was that the Assumption sisters did not expel her for her not-too-infrequent infractions because they went to her father if they needed something from the Cardinal. Dona Aurora Recto for a ‘guardian’ Hers was a lonely childhood since her older siblings were away. They were the triple seven, which alluded to their being born seven years apart, with Menchu as the youngest. On certain days, her parents, both busy, would deposit her in the home of the statesman Claro M. Recto where she would play with his favorite granddaughter, Techie, who had all these toys, Menchu could not help realizing her parents did not buy her a toy. She played with her jackstones while Techie had a closetful of toys, including a toy “cash register.” Techie was so generous she was giving this fancy plaything to her, but Menchu refused knowing her mother would not approve. What she remembers best of that time was the sight of Dona Aurora, the first beautiful woman she beheld in her young mind and eyes, and from her, she learned her first lessons in etiquette, because the family ate with a full complement of silverware and flatware. (To be continued) The post Menchu Katigbak: The splendid life of a society swan appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Oh, Napoli!
NAPLES, Italy — This is a city you won’t expect to be in Europe... especially in Italy. Many tourists shy away from this gritty area of the country situated on the Gulf of Naples simply because it does not boast of Rome’s romantic allure. Instead, wandering around Naples — especially in the Quartieri Spagnoli (Spanish Quarters) — would make you wonder if you’re really in Europe or in some not-so-picturesque section of Manila or Jakarta. [caption id="attachment_178845" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Naples’ Quartieri Spagnoli or Spanish Quarters.[/caption] A colleague who went ahead of me for a few weeks didn’t enjoy the visit so much. “Tondo vibes,” she warned me, laughing, referring to that depressed and dirty part of Manila. Still, it didn’t deter me from going, knowing that there are treasures hidden somewhere and my gut telling me Naples is simply misunderstood. Besides, I used the city as my base for exploring Pompeii, which is just a short train ride away. Well, she was right about saying that Naples is, you know, not your usual Italian city oozing with pomp and pageantry. To feel the pulse of the city, I stayed at the Spanish Quarters, an 800,000-square meter-neighborhood that had a reputation for being a bad area to find yourself in regardless of the time of day. Having grown up in Manila and going to places even hardcore individuals try to avoid, what I saw here didn’t compare to the squalor back in my homeland. It looked like Forbes Park compared to what I have seen in the Philippines and Indonesia. So, I stayed up a bit late, drank quite a number of tasty Italian beers and walked around the “bad neighborhood.” In the morning and in the evening, I took a walk and dined and shopped. There were no troublemakers to be concerned about and my daily strolls took me to the city’s jaw-dropping sites and majestic churches. For three days, Naples brought a smile to my face. Tondo vibes? Nah. While the Eternal City is head and shoulders above in terms of well-known attractions and must-see spots, it does not mean travelers have all the reason not to experience what it has to offer. Finest pizzas Oftentimes tagged as the jump-off point to the ancient ruins of Pompeii, a mere 24 kilometers by rail, Naples is a haven for food lovers. It was here that pizza was invented while being watched over by the once-violent Mount Vesuvius in the backdrop. But don’t get me wrong. If you think that you have tasted the finest pizza in the world by sampling the bestsellers being peddled by premium fast-food outlets, then you should be more than willing to try the original pizza that is being sold here. [caption id="attachment_178847" align="aligncenter" width="1536"] Pizza Margherita cooked the old-fashioned way.[/caption] It’s not the usual thin and crispy crust you often wolf down whenever somebody’s celebrating his or her birthday at the office. It’s more than that. [caption id="attachment_178846" align="aligncenter" width="1536"] Napoli staples. Pizza Napoletana, a cold brew and your favorite cola.[/caption] The pizza being baked here — known as Pizza Napoletana — is of a different kind and usually has two flavors: Margherita and Marinara. And they’re almost identical. Margherita has pomodoro, fior di latte, olio, basilico (tomato, fior di latte cheese, oil and basil) and Marinara has pomodoro, origano, aglio, olio (tomato, oregano, garlic, oil). After devouring one huge serving of the €5 Margherita at the renowned L’ Antica Pizzeria da Michele, where Julia Roberts dined and shot Eat, Pray, Love, I took a walk once again and ran into the Bulso di Pulcinella (Bust of Pulcinella). [caption id="attachment_178843" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Julia Roberts took a bite of the renowned Pizza Napoletana during the filming of ‘Eat, Pray, Love.’[/caption] According to legend, one has to rub the statue’s nose for good luck and that’s exactly what I did. [caption id="attachment_178848" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Rub his nose for good luck. | PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF AUDREY GIONGCO[/caption] Medieval structures If you love old — and ancient churches —there’s a lot within this lovely area. At almost every corner, there’s a medieval church that is very Instagrammable. But what stood out was the one I visited one balmy morning when residents were either still soundly asleep or just about getting ready to start another day. The Chiesa del Gesu Nuovo (New Jesus) completed in the late-1700s, is undoubtedly the city’s most beautiful church despite its sober facade. [caption id="attachment_178849" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] The main altar of Gesu Nuovo, said to be Naples’ most beautiful church.[/caption] Aside from the Gesu Nuovo, worth visiting as well are the Naples Cathedral (Cattidrale di San Gennaro), Basilica di Santa Chiara and the Girolamini. Definitely, by the time you are done, you will be famished. Head to the nearest pizzeria and get the Margherita and pair it with a small bottle of cola zero zuccheri or the ubiquitous Nastro Azzurro in the green bottle. Salute! Would I make a return trip? You bet! The post Oh, Napoli! appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Distant dream no longer
Imagine standing beneath the awe-inspiring frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, gazing up at Michelangelo’s divine masterpieces, and feeling the pulse of history, art and culture all around you. Now imagine doing all of this without ever leaving the Philippines, without spending a fortune on a trip to Rome. It’s not a dream. It’s a reality brought to life by ATIN Global Inc. in partnership with Globe. Through the magic of meticulous research and exacting reproductions, you can finally have the opportunity to experience “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” right at Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Pasig City until 30 September. This globally successful multi-sensory exhibit is more than a mere display of art. It’s a tangible journey to the Renaissance era, a virtual teleportation to the Vatican City. It’s an experience that transcends mere viewing, inviting you into Michelangelo’s world without the need for a passport. The exhibition greets audiences with ambient Renaissance music, the subtle scents of patchouli, sandalwood, and frankincense and even offers a curated Caffe Michelangelo for a unique dining experience. It’s a complete sensory delight that transports you back in time. “We brought this exhibit to the Philippines to make world-class art more accessible to Filipinos. We know how close Filipinos’ hearts are to imagery related to the Catholic Church, and we hope to give them the Sistine Chapel experience right here at home,” said Sabrina Co, founder and creative director of ATIN Global Inc. The exhibition is also about giving back. A portion of the proceeds earned from every ticket sale will benefit The Hapag Movement, a Globe-led initiative that brings together partners and mobilization partners, such as Ayala Foundation, Caritas Philippines, Tzu Chi Philippines, World Vision and Scholars of Sustenance Philippines, to fight involuntary hunger. Your ticket to the Sistine Chapel is also a ticket to making a difference. The post Distant dream no longer appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pope arrives in Mongolia to back tiny Catholic presence on China’s doorstep
Pope Francis arrived in Mongolia on Friday, beginning the first papal visit to the vast Asian nation landlocked between China and Russia. The 86-year-old pontiff's trip through Monday to the Buddhist-majority nation is a gesture of support for the tiny community of Catholics numbering about 1,400. The Argentine pontiff left Rome at 1640 GMT Thursday bound for the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, arriving Friday morning local time following a nine-hour journey. He was greeted by a line of Mongolian honor guards in traditional blue, red, and yellow attire and foreign minister Batmunkh Battsetseg. Aboard the papal plane soon after take-off, Francis described the vast, sparsely populated country of Mongolia as one that "can be understood with the senses." Asked by a journalist whether he found diplomacy difficult, the pope answered: "Yes, you don't know how difficult it is. "Sometimes you need a sense of humor." The nine-hour flight passed over Chinese airspace and the pontiff, following custom, sent a telegram to President Xi Jinping, bearing "greetings of good wishes" to him and the Chinese people. "Assuring you of my prayers for the well-being of the nation, I invoke upon all of you the divine blessings of unity and peace," he wrote. The voyage -- Francis' second to the region in a year after a September trip to Kazakhstan -- is geopolitically strategic. It is seen as encouraging Mongolia's fragile democracy and potentially helping the Church make inroads with the country's more powerful neighbors. "This is a clear effort of the Holy See to take care of Central Asia and not abandon it to Russia or China," Michel Chambon, a scholar of Catholicism in Asia, told AFP. The visit -- Francis' 43rd voyage in his decade as head of the Catholic Church -- is also crucial in keeping the door open for improved Vatican ties with Beijing and Moscow, which have yet to offer the Pope an invitation. "It's a way to not give up, to remind them 'I'm here!'" Chambon said. "It's a way not to just stay in Rome and wait for things to happen but to jump in." Stamina test The trip will be a stamina test for the pope, who continues to travel widely despite undergoing a hernia operation in June and pain in his knee that has forced him to use a wheelchair. After a day of rest, the pontiff's itinerary on Saturday includes a welcome ceremony, meetings with President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene, and a first address to authorities, diplomats, and members of civil society. He will meet the Catholic community -- which includes just 25 priests and 33 nuns, only two of them Mongolian -- later Saturday in Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. Its circular nave resembles a "ger", the Mongolian nomads' traditional tent dwelling. The Jesuit pope addresses an interreligious meeting Sunday, where the rector of Ulaanbaatar's Russian Orthodox Church is expected to be present with a delegation, and later presides over a mass inside a newly built ice hockey arena. Pilgrims from nearby countries are expected at the mass, the Vatican said, including from Russia, China, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan. Not taking sides Once part of the empire of Genghis Khan, Mongolia is dependent on Russia for energy imports and on China for the export of its raw materials, primarily coal. But while toeing a neutral line with its powerful neighbors, it has engaged in a "third neighbor" policy, strengthening relations with other nations, including the United States, Japan, and South Korea, for balance. That makes Mongolia potentially helpful for Vatican relations with both Beijing and Moscow. The Holy See last year renewed a deal on the thorny issue of bishop appointments with China, and Francis has sought to broker an end to the war in Ukraine with Russia. Francis may use his trip to the former Soviet satellite state, a democracy since just 1992, to hammer home democratic principles. A major coal industry corruption scandal provoked street protests in December, eroding public trust amid a weak economy, high inflation, and major gaps between rich and poor. Chambon, a fellow at Singapore's Asia Research Institute, said Francis may take a page from last year's Kazakhstan visit, during which he warned authorities they have a responsibility to govern well. "The pope is not taking sides but is really putting politicians in front of their responsibilities," Chambon said. "'Who are we serving, are we honest, are we caring for the poor and marginalized, are we taking care of the entire nation in its religious and ethnic diversity?' "He plays the games but he asks the hard questions." Francis, who plans in October to publish an update to his seminal 2015 "Laudato Si'" a global call to action for the environment, will also likely bring attention to the impact of climate change on Mongolia's ecosystems. Together with mining and overgrazing, rising temperatures and their effects are fuelling desertification across swathes of the country. Severe cold, flooding and drought have killed off herds on the vast grasslands, forcing nomads who make up one-third of the population to migrate to Ulaanbaatar, now surrounded by shantytowns inhabited by displaced herders. The post Pope arrives in Mongolia to back tiny Catholic presence on China’s doorstep appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Artefino: Empowering Women Artisans in the Countryside
All it took to start the trailblazing Artefino were five ladies of passion and commitment, three of whom, joined us in a special episode of PairFect, the online show of the DAILY TRIBUNE. [gallery columns="4" size="full" ids="176285,176284,176283,176282"] These ladies are achievers in their own right and have been at the forefront of causes that have continuously benefited the society. Mita Rufino has been the top honcho of the Filipino Heritage Festival which has been going on for 20 years. Maritess Pineda was president of the number one Zonta chapter in this part of the country and region, Zonta Club of Makati and Environs. For the longest time, she was engaged in the export business and was active with the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, the export promotion arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry. Cedie Vargas heads the Lopez Group Foundation and is the executive director of the Lopez Museum and Library. [caption id="attachment_176287" align="aligncenter" width="789"] Fiesta throw blankets. | Photograph Courtesy of Ig/abel Philippines[/caption] Our interview article with the three ladies, which we started yesterday, continues in this issue. Here follows our interesting exchange. DAILY TRIBUNE (DT): Tell us about your personal passions outside of Artefino. What else keeps you occupied. Mita: I’m with the Filipino Heritage Festival. We work with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. We have our programs and events throughout the Philippines. Our main objective is to bring awareness of our cultural heritage to the whole country if we can. One of our major projects is the Youth Forum participated in by around 60 young students. Last May, we had it in Negros Occidental and we had six cities that joined in. We are trying to make them aware about the different heritage and all forms of cultural heritage, tangible or intangible, in their own areas. We get reports now from them and we discuss how we are going to help them out. This is something which I feel is going to be quite interesting for the youth. We will be 20 years old next year. We’re hoping to go to Ilocos. We would also like to work with Artefino because Artefino is part of our heritage. For next year, another project will focus on our local trees, indigenous hardwood and local. We’re working with the Metropolitan Museum for that one. And, of course, I am active in church and with the Zonta. My time is really full from morning to evening. Sometimes I just ask myself, “Wow, what will I do now? I have to report this, I have to report that.” That’s what’s keeping me quite busy. Maritess: I think what has helped me a lot in doing my share in Artefino is the fact that I was 20 years with CITEM. In the beginning when we were starting in my export business, I would ask the support of CITEM. It gave me a very good perspective of how it is to come up with fairs like this. We used to do it here and abroad. I was 20 years in export and I was part of the board of CITEM for quite a number of years. I was among the pioneers during the time of Mina Gabor, who was the one who trained me. She was the one who trained me how to give a talk to 3,000 women and producers from Bacolod. I refused at first but they said, “No, you will just talk to a few people in a small room.” So, I agree but, at the CCP, I found out there were 3,000 women. Sabi ko doon sa asawa ko, “You stay at the back. Then you will be the only one I will look at and no one else.” I really picked up a lot of things from Mina. She really made our handicraft industry very strong. And because of that, I was able to bring that know-how into this fair. Other than that, I’m very active in the arts. I have been a collector since 1972. That’s my passion. Also, being the granddaughter of Amang Rodriguez, serving the community is really part of my DNA. It is really second nature for us, we in the Artefino, to do anything we could to empower women and their communities so that they could be self-sufficient by putting up their own social enterprises. Something that would inspire their children to follow suit and not leave their parents’ and grandparents’ crafts for another profession or livelihood. Cedie: I think the best way to describe me is just like an arts and culture advocate. And that sort of ties everything that I do whether it’s in the media or the Lopez group foundation including the Lopez Museum and Library and other foundations outside of the Lopez Group. But what excites me is when I can tie all these together into a few projects. One of the bigger advocacies of the Lopez Group is environmentalism. Whether you’re saving the marine reefs or mangroves or saving the trees. They intertwine and it’s exciting when you are able to create a project that will marry all your different advocacies. You know, you have passion, you have commitment in what you are doing. DT: Tell us about your family lives. Are you mothers? Are you grandmothers? Are you single? Mita: I am single now. I just lost my husband two and a half years ago. I have four kids. Three girls, two of them in London, and one boy. My daughter, Maritoni, is a ballerina and she teaches ballet. My son, Chino, anchors a sport show and he promotes motorcycles. Maritess: I have four children. One is abroad working in hotels. And three of them are here. I already have three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Now that they’re all grown up. I have time for all these things. I’m free to do what I want. Cedie: I’m a mother. I’m a grandmother. I have four children and four grandchildren. By the end of the year, I will have six grandchildren. I think what I’m trying to define now is my role as a grandmother. I involve my children and even my grandchildren in this advocacy that I have. Whatever it is that I strongly believe in, I try to expose them to that. Two of my children are with the Lopez group. DT: Can you tell us about someone, a craftswoman, you have empowered? Maritess: We can tell you that we started our first grantee, Sarah Juan, for our Artefino Foundation. Mita: We helped this one designer because she is really good. Cedie: And enterprising. Mita: She works with the community in Davao. Mita: She was our first beneficiary. They were able to come up with a line-up of jackets that were beaded and that sold very well in Artefino. She has two stores now — one in Rockwell and the other in Greenbelt. Cedie: A lot of our brand partners have amazing stories. That’s what interested us in them. That’s why we put up Artefino and the Artefino Foundation because of their amazing stories. DT: It turned out there are a lot of creative Filipinos. Cedie: Yeah. They just need that extra push. Yeah. DT: This year, who will Artefino benefit? Maritess: Well, like we have Anya Lim. She’s from Cebu. Actually, we visited the place. We visited the area, her community and we saw how the ladies, mostly elders, work and help one another. Mita: That particular lady, said to me, “Ma’am, now I can buy a TV because I have already sent my apos to school. Now it’s for me naman to have a television.” Cedie: They are trying to teach us how to weave. We tried. It’s so hard. Mita: It’s a great workout, though. Maritess: Kailangan ng great coordination, eh. Kamay at paa. Mita: You have to move with the rhythm of the loom. Maritess: It was very nice talking with them because they were really telling us their whole stories. Cedie: They were sharing as mothers. They invited us to go back. Maritess: Kasi they were able to send their children and grandchildren to school. So, malaking bagay, 'di ba? Now that the children know that they could earn on weaving, they are willing to learn the trade. Mita: What we’re hearing in different places is that even the men, when they come home in the evening, help out also. Cedie: You know, the men have actually strong hands. The weaves are tighter. DT: What makes this edition of Artefino special? Mita: We are into reused, recycled and repurposed products. Actually, the original person who did all these years ago was Patis Tesoro. She was the epitome of all this without calling it repurpose or recycle. Basta she would pick up any kind of material. Puwedeng kurtina, puwedeng mantel. She would put it together, buburdahan niya. And because of that, we decided to feature her here as the Ms. Patis Tesoro. DT: Thank you very much. It has been our pleasure. We are happy that you have helped a lot of women and at the same time are paying tribute to trailblazing women like Patis Tesoro. With you, ladies, there is indeed hope for our countrymen, especially our creative industry workers in the mountains and seashores of our country. 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