Maniolas

The Catholic Church in Cebu over the weekend called for more action for the poor as a tribute to a priest who disappeared nearly 30 years ago. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said Fr. Rudy Romano was serving the poor when he was abducted by suspected military men on July 11, 1985. “Fr. Rudy Romano took to heart the challenge posed by many of the Church’s social encyclicals, namely, to take the side of the poor while denouncing injustice and social inequality. Following in the footsteps of our Lord, Fr. Rudy also bore his own cross until the end when he offered his life to follow Jesus,” Palma said in a statement posted Monday on the news site of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. Palma, a former president of the CBCP, said Romano’s “life witness, his living out his vocation as a pastor and his legacy of deep commitment to Gospel values are gifts he offers to us until today even if he is no longer with us.” “As a Church of the Poor, on this 29th anniversary of the disappearance of Fr. Rudy and his Golden Jubilee of Priestly Ordination, let us honor the Holy Father’s exhortation that we ‘share our lives with others and generously give of ourselves. (EG, 274),’” he added. Palma lamented that almost three decades after Romano’s disappearance, poverty and corruption along with social and ecological problems remain. He said corruption had contributed to the persistence of poverty affecting many people, while a relatively high Gross Read More …

Loading the player… • Flawless liftoff follows a failed previous attempt  • Spacecraft to study movement of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere  VANDENBERG (AFB), California – After the failure of their first attempt to launch an orbiting carbon observation laboratory, NASA scientists led by project manager Dr. Ralph Basilio were ecstatic at the flawless launch of their second attempt on July 1. “I am happy to report that from the initial health check perspective of the observatory, that we do have indeed a healthy observatory,” said Filiipino American astrophysicist Basilio, the project manager of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The OCO-2 spacecraft is NASA’s first science satellite meant to study where carbon dioxide is moving into and out of the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Since it is dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, the spacecraft “is of “critical importance to the scientists who are trying to understand the impact of humans on global change,” said Betsy Edwards, program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington during the pre-launch news conference, according to Reuters. “Roughly half of the carbon is re-absorbed by forests and the ocean, a process that is not well understood,” the report added. “Understanding the details of those processes will give us some insight into the future and what’s likely to happen over the next decades, even if we continue to consume more and more fossil fuels and emit more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” atmospheric scientist Read More …

Dr. Mariedel Leviste. AJPRESS PHOTO LOS ANGELES, California –The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, July 2 confirmed Filipino American dermatologist and community leader Dr. Mariedel Leviste to the LA Commission on Community & Family Services. Leviste was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, further boosting Filipino American representation in city government. George Villanueva was earlier named to the city planning commssion. The Commission on Community & Family Services acts in an advisory capacity to the City of Los Angeles on policy and issues on the needs, concerns and interests of children, youth and their families. Its mission is to create pathways out of poverty into self-sufficiency for residents of low-income communities through the integration of programs and services that help indigent families. After her confirmation in City Council Chambers, Leviste headed straight for the City Clerk’s office, where Deputy City Clerk Eric Villanueva administered her oath of office. Various Filipino community leaders event attended the event. Leviste is married to Filipino lawyer Roman P. Mosqueda, who is also a community leader in his own right. Leviste used to run her private dermatology practice in Beverly Hills and Sherman Oaks. Now, she is the president and CEO of National Healthcare Accountable Care Organization, Pacificare Medical, Biodermik, Inc. and Telemedicine USA, Inc. Leviste told Asian Journal that she and Mayor Garcetti go way back, to the days when he was still councilmember for District 13. Garcetti, she said, had previously nominated her for a different city commission, but that initiative didn’t pan Read More …

By Christine O. Avendaño |Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:42 am | Monday, July 7th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines–Australia has donated an additional P120 million toward the development of communities devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda last year, bringing to more than P3 billion that country’s aid to the Philippines following the disaster. The Australian Embassy in Manila said Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop had announced the new assistance which would be coursed through the Resilience and Preparedness towards Inclusive Development (Rapid) program being implemented by the Philippine government along with the Climate Change Commission, the United Nations Development Program and the Australian government. Rapid was launched on July 3 by officials led by Australian Foreign Affairs and Trade Deputy Secretary Ewen McDonald, who was in the Philippines last week. Early warning “The program will help improve land use planning, building codes, risk assessments and the establishment of early warning systems in Yolanda-affected areas,” the Australian Embassy said in a statement. Along with the new assistance, Australia is sending six civilian corps specialists to join two Australian specialists in the country since December and help in the ongoing massive recovery and rebuilding effort. Recovery The embassy said Australia had provided an initial P1.6 billion (A$41 million) in direct assistance immediately after the disaster struck, followed by P1.4 billion (A$36 million) in other forms of aid for the recovery and rehabilitation effort, totaling P3 billion prior to the latest donation. Australia has been helping over half a million stricken Filipinos rebuild their lives Read More …