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Philippine Daily Inquirer By: Niña P. Calleja, January 29th, 2016 07:09 AM Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou. AP FILE PHOTO The Philippines on Thursday asked Taiwan to avoid actions that will spark tension in the region after Taiwan’s President Ma Ying­jeou flew to a contested island in the South China Sea. “We remind all parties concerned of our shared responsibility to refrain from actions that can increase tension in the South China Sea,” Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Charles Jose said in a text message. Jose gave the statement when asked for his reaction to the visit of Taiwan’s president to Taiping island, also known as Itu Aba. Itu Aba is regarded by Manila as within the West Philippine Sea, which also includes the Luzon Sea and the sea around Scarborough Shoal. Ma left the Taiwan capital of Taipei early Thursday aboard an Air Force C­130 cargo plane bound for Itu Aba. The United States earlier criticized the action of Ma. US Department of State spokesperson Mark Toner said Washington was disappointed by Ma’s plan to travel to the Taiping as it could exacerbate tensions in the South China Sea. Latest Breast best for babies, mothers, economy—study 90% of teachers now PCOS-­certified Prosecutors manufactured documents, says Napoles lawyer Smuggling raps filed vs 2 Binondo firms Recommended Disclaimer: Comments do not represent the views of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments which are inconsistent with our editorial standards. FULL DISCLAIMER For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.

By: Lito B. Zulueta, January 29th, 2016 03:52 AM THUMBS UP Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle speaks before 15,000 delegates on the fourth day of the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu City. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ CEBU CITY, Philippines—Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle criticized corrupt politicians, saying they were part of the “throwaway culture” condemned by Pope Francis. Speaking on the fifth day of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) being held here, Tagle said materialism and individualism had skewed moral and social values, and there was a need to foster the “culture of giving and sharing.” “Politicians, will you throw away people’s taxes for your parties and shopping or guard them as gifts for social services?” the prelate said. While urging dialogue with “traditional and emerging cultures,” Tagle warned against dealing with people whose values were contrary to Christianity. “We should avoid cultures with widespread acceptance but are incompatible with Christian values,” he said. Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas admitted that members of the clergy might have committed moral lapses like politicians. Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, asked for forgiveness for the Catholic clergy whose questionable acts might have alienated them from the faithful.   ‘Forgive us’ “Our parishioners, forgive us, your lost shepherds, and beg God to show us His mercy,” Villegas told 15,000 IEC delegates from 71 countries during the penitential service, a ritual that prepares Catholics before confession, at the IEC Pavilion. “May the shepherd and the flock be merciful with each other,” Read More …

Chinkee Tan You know you have done everything you can and exerted all your effort yet your boss doesn’t seem to notice. It even feels like you need to do more. Or perhaps you have taken it upon yourself to do everything at home, even if you are already exhausted from work, yet you don’t even hear a “Thank You” from anyone. Perhaps each one of us has experienced being unappreciated by those whom we expect to would do it. And when we are not appreciated, we feel like all that we have done and do are wasted/amounts to nothing. A simple “Thanks” can definitely erase any exhaustion, so if this does not exist, then the physical and emotional heaviness doubles. The first thing we need to do when we are looking or yearning for appreciation from other people is to… REDIRECT OUR FOCUS When we have become too focused on what we can RECEIVE, disappointment is not far behind. This is because we do not control how other people think, thus we cannot INFLUENCE their decision to be according to what we want. We can only CONTROL our SELF. So, if you are headed toward the path of looking for appreciation, my advice is not to go there. Find a detour and focus on what you can do about it. Now, as soon as our focus is corrected, what we can do is to… ASSESS PEOPLE’S PERSONALITY Don’t be quick to judge and conclude that your boss is ungrateful Read More …

Chinkee Tan “GOD, just heal me from this terrible disease, and I will serve you.” “GOD, I have done everything there is to do. You are my last resort. Please help me!” “GOD, please help! I promise that if you do this for me, I will change. I will be a better person.” Have you ever bargained with God? We may not want to admit it, but for most times we only remember God when we are at a “dead end”, when we have no choice. We tend to treat the Lord like a fire extinguisher. We call on Him only in times of emergency, when we are in dire need. When things are okay with us, we don’t even acknowledge His presence. Why is God often the LAST OPTION instead of being the FIRST OPTION? Why should we make Him our FIRST OPTION? HE IS AN ALL-KNOWING GOD There is nothing that God doesn’t know. He knows each and every situation that we are going through, our struggles, our thoughts. We cannot hide anything from Him. He knows you from head to toe. He said that even before we were formed in our mother’s womb, He already knows us. So if there is one person who truly knows how to help us, that is God. HE IS A POWERFUL GOD There is nothing that God cannot do. What is impossible for man is always possible with God. Imagine, the very creator of heaven and earth is the very one Read More …

Chinkee Tan Are you annoyed at people who don’t know how to follow simple rules? …cutting in line …beating the red light …throwing their trash anywhere. One of the things we find difficult to follow is the rule of law. Sometimes we see these RULES not as something to be strictly followed, but as SUGGESTIONS or OPTIONS. When in fact, these rules exist to bring about unity and discipline to a community. Just as when you follow these rules, you won’t likely get into fights and squabbles. We know we should be following them, but why does it seem like it takes so much effort for some to do so? NO LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE ‘Why should I follow the rules when the ones who are expected to follow it or even those who actually make them don’t even do it!” Examples could be when we see people in public transports suddenly spitting out the window or throwing their candy wrapper out the window; or motorists without helmets; or idling in the workplace when it is time to work and you are even embarrassed to call him out from playing Clash of Clans or Solitaire. It can be frustrating especially if the one who is on the forefront of breaking the rules is the person in authority. They feel like they are an EXEMPTION to the rule. Well, we just need to accept that the rule applies to ALL. But this is my call to TEAM POSITIVE that follows my blog: Read More …