Category: General

MANILA: The Vatican has approved the opening of an inquiry into the cause for sainthood of Filipino lay catechist Laureana Franco, known as ‘Ka Luring’.

Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara said the Vatican has granted the ‘nihil obstat’ to the cause for beatification and canonization of Franco to her humble community in Hagonoy, Taguig, according to a report by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news website on Wednesday night.

The protocol was handed to the Pasig prelate by Papal Nuncio to Manila Archbishop Charles Brown, and his secretary, Msgr. Giuseppe Trentadue.

It was signed by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints in response to Vergara’s request for a nihil obstat in March.

At the same time, the Catholic prelate asked the faithful to pray as they journey to the next step of the process.

‘May I ask for your unceasing prayers as we do the next steps required by the dicastery,’ Vergara said.

Franco, who died after battling cancer in 2011,
had served as a volunteer catechist beginning in the late 1960s.

Franco was known to the late Manila archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, who gave her the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award on behalf of Pope St. John Paul II in 1990.

The nihil obstat, which means ‘nothing obstructs’ or ‘nothing stands in the way,’ allows the diocese to proceed with an inquiry into Franco’s heroic virtues, one of the first steps that could lead to beatification and eventual sainthood.

Vergara opened Franco’s cause in February 2024 and urged the laity to provide any ‘helpful information” on the matter.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Some 53,000 members of the vulnerable sector in Manila are set to get their monthly allowances under the social amelioration program (SAP) of the city government this month.

In a statement Thursday, Mayor Honey Lacuna said the city’s Department of Social Welfare will be distributing monthly allowances to certain sectors identified under the SAP.

The beneficiaries include 35,235 persons with disability (PWDs), 14,069 solo parents and 3,820 minors with disablity (MWDs), which were added to the city’s official list.

The city would release some PHP157 million for the grant of the assistance, Lacuna said.

Each beneficiary will be receiving PHP3,000 cash, from January to June 2024 at PHP500 per month.

Lacuna called on the recipients to use the money wisely and not spend them on vices.

While the amount may not be that big, she said it is given to the recipients as a way of showing them that the local government would want to help them cope with rising cost of living.

Recipients may visit the Manila De
partment of Social Welfare’s Facebook page or inquire from their barangays on how they could claim their benefits.

Taguig teachers, non-teaching staff get free annual physical exam

Meanwhile, the Taguig City government on Thursday announced the grant of free annual physical examinations (APE) for around 5,000 teaching and non-teaching personnel in all public elementary and high schools in the city.

The free medical examinations will be from July 1 to 31, Mayor Lani Cayetano said in a statement.

She said the project also aims to promote preventive healthcare and the early detection of potential health issues early.

The annual physical examination covers a comprehensive range of health assessments, including:

– Physical examination

– Vital signs monitoring

– Chest X-ray

– Complete blood count (CBC)

– Dental assessment

– Visual acuity check

– Clinical breast exam

– Pap smear

– All necessary diagnostic tests for early detection and treatment of any illnesses

One of the beneficiaries, junior high sc
hool teacher Romel Sua from Taguig Integrated School shared the importance of these examinations for educators’ health and well-being.

“The APE is a big help to us educators as it allows us to check our health and to make sure that we are always physically fit this coming school year,” Sua said.

Meanwhile, Lyka Mae Cruz, a school nurse from General Ricardo G. Papa Sr. Memorial High School, thanked the local government for its proactive approach in providing this APE.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: University of Santo Tomas kept its quarterfinal bid alive with a 25-17, 25-18, 28-30, 25-14 victory over debuting Team Soccsksargen in Pool B of the 2024 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Thursday.

Marga Altea delivered 11 attacks, five blocks and an ace for the UAAP Season 86 runner-up Lady Tigresses, who absorbed a 16-25, 26-28, 25-17, 25-17, 16-18, loss to the University of Batangas Lady Brahmans last Wednesday.

Abigail Sinson contributed 13 points, including an ace that gave UST a commanding 21-12 lead in the fourth set, while Kaizah Huyno added 11 points, four at the service line.

‘Madami pa po kaming dapat na i-improve lalo na po ‘yung communication namin. As bago na team, super hirap sa amin lahat kasi coming from different schools and regions, lima lang kaming core ng UST GVT (girls volleyball team) kaya super hirap na i-pull lahat kami together. Pero nagagawan naman po namin ng paraan and sana magtuluy-tuloy ang ganito (We still have a lot to
improve on, especially our communication. As a new team, it’s super hard for all of us because coming from different schools and regions, we only have five core members of the UST GVT so it’s super hard to pull us all together. But we were able to find a way and I hope this will continue),” said Altea after the match.

Janelle Maignos finished with 16 points, Tresha Parong had seven, while Shendy Acebo chipped in six points for Team Soccsksargen, a selection from Southern Mindanao.

Meanwhile, University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) defeated Lyceum of the Philippines University, 25-19, 17-25, 25-23, 25-19, in Pool C.

Ressel Pedroza scored 15 points for the Lady Panthers, who bowed to the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws, 13-25, 15-25, 17-25.

USPF, reigning Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) champion, will advance to the quarterfinals if FEU wins over Lyceum on Friday.

The tournament format calls for all teams playing in a single round-robin group stage where the top two teams
in each pool will advance to the crossover knockout quarterfinals. The semifinals will also be played in a do-or-die affair.

The gold medal and the bronze medal matches are both best-of-three series. In case the title showdown ends in two games, and the battle for third is tied after Game 2, the bronze medal winner will be decided via FIVB tiebreak.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO CITY: The local government here is preparing to introduce another festival as another platform for preserving Ilonggo culture and heritage through dances.

The “Saot Ilonggo: Iloilo Traditional Folk Dance Festival” will be formally launched on Friday, said Festival Director Ramil Huyatid.

It will be the youngest festival of Iloilo City, joining the Dinagyang Festival, Iloilo Guimaras Paraw Regatta Festival, Chinese New Year, and the Iloilo Bike Festival, which is happening on the last week of this month.

‘Our purpose is to create our own research folk dance. There are a lot that can be the subject of research. Every district of our city has a story worthy of research,’ Huyatid said in an interview on Thursday.

Among the possible topics for research dance are the Feast of Candelaria and the all-male saints in Jaro district, the Sta. Ana Church and its all-female saints in Molo, the Chinese invasion also in the district of Molo, the historical Calle Real, street folks, and a lot more, he said.

The bo
ok by national artist for dance Francisca Reyes Aquino and other folk dance authorities identified Paseo de Iloilo, La Jota San Joaquiña, Bucasoy, and Kuratza as among the dances from Iloilo, but they came from the municipalities and none in Iloilo City.

Saot Ilonggo will form part of the activities for the Charter Day celebration every August.

During its initial presentation next month, there will be a small competition to introduce the festival.

After the launching on Friday, he said they will gather stakeholders to prepare for the biggest staging in 2025.

‘We will be gathering enthusiasts in one venue. We will make this one of the biggest festivals in the city,’ he added.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) held a get-together on July 11 to celebrate the 234th anniversary of the National Day of France (July 14, 1790 – 2024).

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee wrapped up its 35th session in Hanoi on July 11 after one and a half days of sitting, fulfilling its set agenda. Closing the session, NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man said the committee considered and approved three resolutions on the organisational structure of military procuracy agencies; and two others on supplements to the regular State budget expenditure estimates for 2024 of the ministries of national defence and public security, and adjustments to the mid-term public investment plans funded by the central budget in the 2021-2025 period of ministries, central agencies and localities.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

TEHRAN: Meta has announced a decision to remove posts containing the word ‘Zionist’ on Facebook and Instagram.

The giant social media company made the decision on the pretext of fighting hate speech.

The term ‘Zionist’ is not a proper word to refer to Jews or Israelis, according to a statement issued by Meta.

Meanwhile, human rights experts believe that Meta’s measure is an effort to support the Israeli regime and keep the voice of the protestors of the regime’s crimes silent.

In February, the Researcher and Advisor on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights at Amnesty Tech Alia Al Ghussain had said that Meta’s ‘blanket ban on the criticism of ‘Zionism’ or ‘Zionists’ would be a disproportionate and arbitrary restriction on free expression and would lead to the stifling of Palestinian, Jewish and other voices trying to call attention to atrocity crimes committed by Israeli forces in Gaza.’

Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, over 38,000, mostly women and children have been killed in the e
nclave.

Source: Philippines News Agency

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man applauded the State Audit of Vietnam (SAV) for its efforts and contributions to national development over the last three decades, at a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the agency held in Hanoi on July 11.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith chaired an official welcome ceremony for visiting President To Lam in Vientiane on July 11. After the ceremony, the Lao and Vietnamese Presidents held talks.

Source: Vietnam News Agency