TACLOBAN CITY — The Tingog party-list, led by Reps. Yedda Romualdez and Jude Acidre, reaffirmed its commitment to public service during the congressional recess by launching initiatives in economic aid, healthcare, education, and disaster response, in close collaboration with House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The party-list’s flagship Tingog Centers expanded with four new locations in Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan, bringing the total to 145 centers nationwide. These centers connect residents to essential services, including healthcare, legal aid, and livelihood programs.
Tingog Partylist supported the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) in seven locations, benefiting around 14,550 individuals, with additional aid to 4,511 beneficiaries in Pasig and San Juan.
Healthcare was prioritized through the “Kalusugan Karavan,” which provided services to over 5,626 individuals in various communities.
Education remained a focus, with assistance distributed in Zambales and Pangasinan. The Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) supported fisherfolk affected by the West Philippine Sea situation. In response to Typhoons Julian and Kristine, financial aid and relief packs reached 117,360 beneficiaries across 33 districts, including Northern Luzon and Calabarzon.
Tingog also launched “Tingog ng Kagandahan,” a mobile salon reaching 1,600 individuals, and “Tingog ng Tanghalan,” an inter-barangay singing contest fostering community spirit. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Tacloban City District Engineering Office (TCDEO) completes the rehabilitation of the drainage system along Rizal Avenida Extension Road on July 21, 2024.
Funded through the 2024 General Appropriations Act with a contract amount of P1.2-million, the project involved replacing the existing 0.6-diameter reinforced concrete pipe culvert with a 1.25-meter by 1.25-meter reinforced concrete box culvert. This upgraded drainage system spans 44 lineal meters along the said national road.
The upgrade addresses the issues of clogging and flooding, especially during the rainy season. Flooding often caused road obstructions, posing risks to both motorists and nearby communities. With the expanded capacity of the new culvert, rainwater can now flow more efficiently, reducing the likelihood of water buildup and preventing floods from occurring.
District Engineer Rebecca G. Yuse underscored the importance of the project in preventing clogging and enhancing the area’s flood prevention measures.
“This rehabilitation project was essential to improve the drainage system in this area. By expanding the capacity of the culvert, we will be able to prevent clogging, allowing water to flow more efficiently. This, in turn, will help mitigate flooding and protect public safety,” said DE Yuse.
In just a span of three months this year, state health insurer PhilHealth has implemented two successive increases in its benefit package for hemodialysis from P4,000 in July to P6,350/session this October, making the total financial package to almost a million pesos per patient per year.
Through PhilHealth Circular No. 2024-0023 which immediately took effect on October 7, members and their qualified dependents with chronic kidney disease stage 5 (CKD5) can now avail of the adjusted package for hemodialysis from any of the accredited dialysis facilities near them.
“This is clear proof that PhilHealth is not only listening to our members. We make good on our promise to take concrete steps to ensure that our benefit packages respond adequately to the needs of patients which is a core objective of the Universal Health Care Law”, said Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr., PhilHealth’s President and CEO.
The PhilHealth chief pointed out that despite the increase in PhilHealth reimbursement rate of P4,000 per session last July 1, they have received reports of patients still paying significant amounts for their dialysis sessions.
“Our aim is to ensure that patients will no longer have co-payment when availing of the minimum set of services for dialysis. Ito ay para lubos na maramdaman ng mga kababayan natin ang kanilang PhilHealth benefit”, explained Ledesma, duly recognizing the PhilHealth Board’s swift action on their proposal: “Sa pamumuno ni Health Sec. Ted Herbosa, mabilis naaprubahan ang pagtaas sa P6,350 per session na walang dagdag-bayad sa mga pasyente.”
The Chief also cited the cooperation of nephrologists and participating dialysis centers in making the no co-payment arrangement possible.
With the increase to P6,350 per session, a CKD5 patient is now entitled to a maximum of P990,600 in financial protection per year, from the previous P624,000/year at P4,000/session.
The said Circular also clearly specified the essential services required and should be provided to CKD5 patients. This includes anti-coagulation medications and drugs and medicines for the management of anemia, various laboratory tests, supplies such as dialyzers, hemodialysis solutions, and a dialysis kit per session. It also includes administrative fees for the use of dialysis machines, facility fee, utilities, and staff time. All these services should be accessible at all times in all accredited public and private hemodialysis facilities.
Meanwhile, patients who will require additional and premium services beyond the minimum standard of care specified in the said Circular shall be subject to co-payment. A cap of P450 for professional fees is also set should patients require additional services such as telemedicine and/or immediate interventions to manage complications arising during session. The state health insurer has made it a requirement for the dialysis facility to fully explain any co-payment, if any.
This life-saving service has given new hope to dialysis patients like Roseanne Lappay of Tabacalera, Pateros who welcomed this recent development at PhilHealth. “Magandang balita para sa aming mga dialysis patient ang pagtaas ng dialysis package na handog ng PhilHealth.”
For his part, Ledesma assures all PhilHealth members here and even those overseas, “Kapag ipinangako namin, ginagawa po namin sa PhilHealth. Kaya ang panawagan ko sa lahat ng Pilipino, huwag na po kayong matakot sa pagpapagamot dahil sagot kayo ng PhilHealth!” (PR)
Debt of gratitude holds a revered place in Filipino culture, representing loyalty and honor among family and community. However, wise politicians have weaponized this value, exploiting the poor’s gratitude for personal gain by offering assistance as bait for votes. This misuse of generosity stunts the empowerment of the masses, as it replaces genuine support with an endless cycle of dependency.
In many communities, politicians capitalize on “utang na loob” to secure their positions. They distribute financial aid, groceries, and other material assistance to needy families who, in turn, feel morally bound to repay these favors at the ballot box. The short-term relief offered keeps families afloat temporarily but does nothing to address their underlying hardships, making them easy targets for this political trap. This superficial charity sustains poverty rather than alleviates it, creating a population that remains powerless and beholden to leaders who should, ideally, be advocating for their independence.
Such manipulative practices mirror the old saying about giving a fish versus teaching to fish. Rather than establishing programs that would allow people to sustain themselves—such as skill training, livelihood programs, or even educational scholarships—these politicians keep voters reliant on handouts. This strategy not only impedes economic progress but stifles the community’s sense of self-worth. When one depends on a politician for essentials, self-empowerment is out of reach, leaving generations conditioned to survive on seasonal “aid” rather than learning how to secure their own futures.
Moreover, this cycle of dependence detracts from democracy itself. If people feel they owe their votes to those who provide short-lived relief, they are less likely to hold these politicians accountable for their long-term actions. This cycle of indebtedness erodes democratic choice, as voters become passive recipients of favors rather than active participants in a healthy political system. In such a setup, leadership no longer prioritizes public welfare but instead cultivates control over a population rendered too grateful to demand better services and real opportunities for growth.
The best way forward is to empower communities with sustainable support that nurtures independence, not dependency. Politicians should be pressured to implement programs aimed at economic self-sufficiency, enabling people to make choices free from the chains of “utang na loob.” When public leaders are held accountable for fostering genuine growth rather than distributing temporary relief, citizens will have the means to thrive on their own and, ideally, the discernment to vote for leaders who respect their dignity and independence.
Ignorance is often deemed a flaw, a gap we’re meant to fill. But in a world overflowing with information, I wonder if there’s more to ignorance than just a void waiting to be occupied. Could it hold a peculiar wisdom? There is an odd kind of clarity in accepting what we don’t know, a release from the pressure to feign understanding or to constantly chase every detail. Taking a stand for ignorance doesn’t mean glorifying stupidity; it’s about respecting the spaces of mystery that keep us humble and sometimes even safer.
I think of how eager we can be to “know it all”—the latest news, the latest theories, the juiciest gossip. But we don’t realize how carrying every bit of knowledge is like wearing armor made of bricks; it might protect us, but it will eventually drag us down. Take my friend, who recently insisted on reading every article about climate doom. By the end, she was like a plant wilting under too much sun. It’s not that she didn’t care about the planet before; it’s that she was drowning in awareness, and somehow, all that knowledge just immobilized her. There was something wise about how her father, who’d lived through tougher, simpler times, managed his ignorance. He just kept planting trees. “What if it’s all for nothing?” she once asked him. He laughed and said he didn’t have the time to worry about it. Ironically, the fewer “facts” he knew, the more he was moved to act.
Ignorance also keeps us open to wonder, to mystery. When I was a child, I could sit for hours by the river, watching water bugs skitter across the surface, content with the vague mystery of how they stayed afloat. Now that I know all about surface tension, something is lost; I can still watch, but the feeling is different. That unknowing wasn’t just ignorance—it was enchantment. It made the world big and me small but in an oddly comforting way. Maybe that’s why we invent mysteries: not to fool ourselves, but to keep our sense of awe alive.
Sometimes, ignorance is even a shield. I know a few people who dodge every bit of bad news, and, for a while, I found it irresponsible. But during the pandemic, I caught myself envying their resilience. Where I was sinking under daily doomscrolling, they were blissfully moving along, holding onto routines and relationships. They knew the basics, and followed the rules, but avoided the granular statistics. They weren’t ignorant of the virus; they just chose not to deep-dive into its every horror. And because of that, they stayed functional and grounded. It made me question if “keeping up” was always worth the mental tax it levied.
Ignorance isn’t just about lacking knowledge, though; it can mean choosing not to overanalyze. Think of the old folk back home. A grandfather’s wisdom wasn’t from books but from life, pure and simple. When the roads flooded, he didn’t need to know the specifics of climate patterns or infrastructure failure. All he cared about was how high the water rose last time and where he’d be safest moving the family. Was that ignorance? Maybe, but it was also smart in a way books can’t teach. In his world, the fewer opinions he had to juggle, the clearer his sense of the world became.
In love, too, ignorance can be strangely wise. I used to probe and question in relationships, wanting to know everything about my partner’s past, their innermost thoughts. But after a while, I noticed how these questions chipped away at the easy closeness we had. It’s not that I wanted lies, but a bit of unknowing kept things light and playful. We don’t need to inspect every corner of a person’s soul to love them deeply. Some things are better left in shadow, giving love room to breathe, to exist in a space of acceptance rather than interrogation.
Then there’s the fun side of ignorance. Ever watched a movie without watching a single trailer? I did that many times, and it was thrilling! I had no expectations to manage, no spoilers lurking at the back of my mind. I laughed at jokes that others saw coming and gasped at scenes they’d already dissected online. Ignorance gifted me a fresh experience, one unfiltered by preconceptions. This was a rare freedom—to enjoy something for what it was, not for what I thought it would be.
What are we to do with this tricky balance between knowledge and ignorance? I say, let’s keep a little ignorance alive. Not out of laziness, but as a form of modesty, of patience, a way to remind ourselves that the world is not fully knowable. We don’t need to understand every inch of it to live meaningfully. We can act without needing to know every outcome, love without needing to scrutinize every detail, and marvel at mysteries that science may never explain. In these unknowns, we might just find a softer, gentler wisdom that knows when to stop seeking, so we can simply let life be.
THIS is the ideal condition for us. Our greatest and strongest passion should be to live our definitive eternal state of life with God in heaven, where we actually come from and where we should be at the end. It’s the definitive home for all of us.
We should avoid getting entangled and entrapped in our earthly and temporal affairs as dramatized in that parable narrated by Christ about a man who gave a great dinner but whose invited guests failed to come for all sorts of earthly reasons. (cfr. Lk 14,15-24)
Yes, even as we immerse ourselves in our earthly affairs, we should never lose sight of the ultimate purpose and goal of our life. Rather, we should make use of our earthly affairs as the very means, instruments and occasions to lead us to our definitive state of life in heaven.
We have to be wary of the danger of being trapped in the world of the senses, of the material and purely natural things. In fact, these days, there are many people who I consider are trapped in the world of the senses, ruled mainly by their instincts and emotions, and easily vulnerable to the mere impulses of the flesh and the usually improperly grounded worldly values and ways.
I don’t refer much to those who are already emotionally or mentally disturbed and even sick. I refer more to the so-called normal people, who can manage to behave well in a civil way when in the open, but cannot regulate their wild instincts and emotions when they are hidden and solitary.
Their imagination can run amuck. The direction of their thoughts and feelings can really go berserk. And since these are mainly hidden, then they usually go unchecked and are allowed to fester.
We should be more aware of the need for us to develop and sharpen our passion and hunger for heaven. Let’s follow what Christ clearly said: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6,19-21)
And St. Paul echoes the same sentiment. “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Col 3,2) We should do everything to avoid getting entangled with our earthly and temporal affairs.
It’s not that these worldly concerns of ours are not important. They are very important! But only as means, not as ends. They are nothing, and they can be very harmful to us, if they are not related to our true and ultimate end.
We have to find ways to relate everything to God, to the supernatural character of our final destination in heaven. Whether we like it or not, this is how the cookie crumbles for us, given our nature that is not only material but also eminently spiritual.
We don’t have to die first before we can already have a feel of heaven, if not practically touch it. By doing our ordinary daily work, whether big or small, in public or hidden at home, and doing it with real love for God and for others, we can already achieve this ideal that is proper to us.
For this to take place, we of course have to work with working faith and piety, since without them, we will not be aware that working with love for God and others can already connect us with our final home in heaven. It’s love that is fueled by faith and piety that does the trick, so to speak.
