This week of Bystandering started last weekend with media reports regarding the setting up of statues of Saint Pedro Calungsod and Blessed Pope John Paul II at Cebu’s Asiatown-IT Park.
This was taken up in a discussion between Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and the management of Cebu Holdings, Inc on its 25th anniversary this year, and in anticipation of the International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Cebu City in January 2016.
Archishop Palma also announced this week that Vatican officials have already approved the request to enthrone a mosaic of St. Pedro Calungsod inside St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The mosaic is expected to be finished in October, a year after the second Filipino saint was canonized.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis is expected to soon go to Brazil to join young people there for the Church’s World Youth Day.
Speaking of youth, we also learn that twenty youths from the Netherlands and Belgium arrived in Cebu last July 10th. They are participating in the second run of the three-week Multi-City Youth Xchange (CYX) program, to explore and immerse with Cebu’s locals and different institutions. The program, previously handled by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (Rafi), is now being run by the Young Heroes for Cebu (YHC), under the supervision and guidance of Rafi.
On youthful achievers, congratulations to Dena Desabille of Mandawe, a University of the Philippines Manila nursing graduate who made it among the top 6 of the 2013 Nursing Licensure examinees. Now taking up Medicine at the Cebu Institute of Medicine. She plans on specializing in Cardiology or Community Medicine. She is both idealistic as well as realistic in looking forward to serving in the barrios.
One relatively new career attracting the youth, particulary new graduates, is the burgeoning call center industry. In this connection, the Associated Labor Unions, the country’s biggest labor federation, is eyeing organizing call center agents. There are now about 300,000 people employed in the Business Outsourcing industries nationwide. The number of people employed is expected to even double by 2016.
In this connection, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago is proposing a magna carta for call center agents, now that many BPOs are reported to be literally “sweat shops” involving tiring, off-hour night shifts for workers.
Meanwhile in our government, it is heartening to know that Congress neophytes are now undergoing a crash course together with a mock session, to familiarize themselves and professionalize them in congressional proceedings. About time.
While on our relations with our Bangsamoro brothers in the south, there is now the welcoming “light at the end of the tunnel” with the wealth-sharing deal they signed last Saturday in Kuala Lumpur, appropriating automatic appropriations for the Bangsamoro.
On the other hand, highly disturbing in our country, particularly in our own Cebu, is the alarming rise in human trafficking, particularly of the young, by those expected to be in charge of their safety and welfare; the coming to light of an incredible multi-million, even billion-peso scam allegedly involving the Napoles couple, as well as pork barrel availments personally by politicians, resulting to an inquiry and publication of the salary income of legislators; all these among many others, which continue to crowd into the daily news headlines.
Add to these the frequency of fires, especially in crowded informal settlements. And natural, environmental disasters resulting to floodings in cities and landslides in rural areas, not only in Cebu, but also in Luzon which is now in the path of current typhoons.
And now, for a positive report on our “Women’s Kapihan” at 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. over dyLA July 13th last week on the vital topic of Nutrition in the current 39th Nutrition Month celebration. Guests of our Cebu Women’s Network panelists were Director Asuncion Maderazo-Anden (Personal note here: her father, Dr. Maderazo, was my children’s former pediatrician, and her father-in-law, the late Angel Anden, respected top news man and editor in Cebu, my favorite professor at the University of San Carlos in Cebu. Small world!) Regional Director of the Department of Health – Center for Health Development, Central Visayas; and Letlet Mission, DPA Nutrition Program Coordinator, National Nutrition Council in Central Visayas. Theme of the celebration was, “Hunger and Malnutrition: Let us end it together.”
Regarding poverty which is one of the causes of hunger in the country, discussed were child-feeding projects contributed by Rotary International and the Nutrition Center of the Philippines, as well as by NGOs. The Department of Trade and Industry as well as the Department of Social Welfare and Development also provide hunger intervention measures. While micro-financing helps needy farm workers.
We can help reduce hunger and malnutrition by establishing or campaigning for home, community and school vegetable gardens and other food-raising projects. Cook and eat just enough food to avoid food shortage, among other activities. And let us be informed, practice and spread good nutrition. All these in a very animated and informative discussion!
Yesterday, we held our general membership meeting of Zonta Club of Cebu I, details of which will hold on next week’s Bystandering
Until then, as always, may God continue to bless us, one and all!