The Ilocos Times

Using satellite technology for flood control and land use planning is certainly a good practice in science-driven governance. But let us be clear—it is not the only tool we need for these urgent problems. Sometimes, I wonder whether our government is too enamored with “new” technology when in fact there are already existing data sets available, even without satellites. I am very sure that PHIVOLCS, NAMRIA, MMDA, DENR, and the now-quiet UP Project NOAH already have valuable maps, surveys, and models in their files. Add to that, LGUs are supposed to maintain their own land use plans using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These systems are not futuristic—they are here and should be working. So, why aren’t we making better use of them? Having said that, let me also recognize the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) for working with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA). Their idea is to use satellites to detect land use violations that cause flooding in Me...

THAT’S because of our undeniable tendency to enclose ourselves in our own world, practically unwelcoming and even hostile to God who actually gives us the proper spirit of our humanity as his image and likeness. We have to find ways of how we can live out this basic necessity of ours. There’s certainly a need for tremendous effort. But we should not forget that the first thing we need to do is to humbly ask for God’s mercy and grace. We need to be humble, first of all, which is an effect at least of what is called as God’s actual grace, before we can successfully proceed with the effort to empty ourselves in order to be properly filled with God’s spirit. Christ himself told us that this should be the law that should rule our life. “He that shall lose his life for me, shall find it.” “Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel, shall save it.” “He that hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life eternal.” The same idea, the same truth and ideal, is reiterated...

By Noralyn O. Dudt “Hallelujah hallelujah" chorus emanates from all quarters across the globe:   in cathedrals, churches, concert halls, shopping malls, school plays during this Christmas season. And HE shall live forever and ever… Hallelujah. Composed in 1741, The MESSIAH" by George Frideric Handel is still being played today and remains a favorite of many.   One wonders whether Handel saw the "Messiah" as his ticket to immortality. Handel wrote numerous oratorios but his most famous one was the "Messiah." The words were taken from the Bible and unless one is familiar with Scriptures, one would think this oratorio had no plot at first glance. However, the subject title is the plot—the prophecies about the Messiah: his life, death, resurrection, ascension,   and his eternal reign. An oratorio is different from an opera in two ways. It isn't acted out, with scenery and costumes, like an opera. The word "oratorio" comes from the Latin ...