Firefighters battling the conflagration finally announced a fire-out situation days after the blaze started on the night

of March 16 at the Ever Gotesco Grand Central Mall. Mopping up operations, however, had to go on even after the announcement. No definite data so far has been gathered as to the source of the fire while initial reports pointed to the ceiling of one store as the portion where it originated.

A Fire Story
Finding Pathways through the Community is a book by N. Madera Aguilar released both in print and electronic forms. As an e-book from NRCS Bookshop, it is ready for browsing or procurement by those interested through the Web. The same may be viewed upon and unloaded from the authors displayed documents on Scribd. A reader need only to click on http://www.scribd.com/nrcsbookshop for such purpose. In Chapter Eight of the book, the author restates the significant objectives of a group of Roman Catholic workers in faith who comprise the community Ang Dios Gugma (God is Love). One such episode is hereunder reproduced: Fire razed several hundred houses in Iloilo City on the fourth Sunday of January 2012, the 22nd day of the month, as residents were culminating the celebration of the Dinagyang, which literally means revelry and is a festival held in honor of the Holy Child Jesus. Many of the residents had taken to the streets and were winding up with the affair as fire struck when dusk hovered. Electrical problem, as there was a short circuit reported, is said to be the cause of the fire which had to be contained. Others did not discount the possibility that arson was committed. Disaster response teams immediately became busy coping up with the tragic incident as the fire spread through four villages of the city. Tay Ramon is one of the healers in the Community and he has been with ADG for quite a time. His house is situated in one of the villages being engulfed by the conflagration. When he first heard about the breakout of the flames, he didnt mind. He noticed that the fire was still too far from his residence and was confident that the firefighters would contain it before it could go too far. Moreover, he prayed and asked the Lord that his house be spared. Later, panic became more pronounced as people began to tremble and scurry, some of whom carried their belongings to safer grounds. Tay Ramons

Month of March Calls for Fire Consciousness

Fire extinguishers are visible in all strategic areas of buildings in the city as fire consciousness grows among residents, especially during the month of March which is celebrated every year as fire prevention month.

Metro Manila, PHLA four-day fire which struck a big mall in Caloocan City, Metropolitan Manila, Philippines finally ended on March 20, 2012.

grandchild called from the ground to inform him that fire was getting near. He got down the house, gathered two of his relatives and the three of them went back to pray. When the fire was only two houses away, it veered and changed direction, gutting the houses sideways instead of proceeding directly to where they were located. Such change of fire route left Tay Ramons house intact. He saw the Lords intervention as the flames took a different route. As he has always relied upon: For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. (Matthew 18:20) When Brother Edwin took notice that fire had broken out in the city and after being told which particular area was affected, he immediately nursed the fear that Tay Ramon and his family may have to be given refuge somewhere. This is so, since Tay Ramons dwelling is made of light materials, an easy prey to the flames. During the prayer meeting held on Thursday, January 26, 2012, in the Sta. Teresita Parish gymnasium, De Leon St., Iloilo City at 6:00 oclock in the evening, attended by members of the ADG Community, the Head Servant said: It may have been a slip of thinking on my part to consider accommodating Tay Ramon and his family in the compound where ADG holds office when all the while the Lord is there ever ready to help him, Brother Edwin confessed in public. Im seeking forgiveness for this lapse. Brother Edwin went on to make a reference to the following He is the Lord our God; his judgements are in all the earth. He is mindful of his covenant for ever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations. (Psalm 105:7-8) In relation thereto, we likewise should not forget the words of consolation from the Lord which He bequeathed through the Holy Scripture: Do not fear do not let your hands grow weak I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. (Zephaniah 3:16 & 18)

A Water Story
The following is another episode from Chapter 8 of the book Finding Pathways through the Community: Sendong could have been just an ordinary guy, as the name would suggest its usage by countless Filipino men in the countryside, but it isnt the case as events occurring on the third weekend of December, 2011 with a fallout so unimaginably distressing have shown. The foregoing quoted name has become a mark for catastrophe, calamity and disaster. As a contrived name for a weather disturbance that did not evoke fear when first spotted several kilometers away from a location east of the Philippines, it metamorphosed into a raging horseman that would eventually cause enormous devastation in the gentle area of northern Mindanao Island, notably the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. It wrought untold miseries and losses in lives and property. It affected, too, portions in the province of Negros Oriental, particularly Dumaguete City, situated in the Central Visayan Region. Casualties from the tropical storm had surpassed the 1,000 count as recovery efforts were being exerted at the early stage and could be mounting as more bodies were recovered from the mud and the sea, with some of those missing remaining as such we do not know until when. Almost 15,000 houses were destroyed while several school buildings, edifices, agriculture and infrastructure were damaged. Days before the storm struck, it was already flashed on TV. When I gazed at its trajectory, as it was being plotted on the screen, it appeared to be heading toward Panay Island and would hit Iloilo City. Oh, Lord, take that away, I mumbled and prayed, recalling to mind the calamitous visit of Frank in June, 2008, leaving more than 150 persons dead, some boats sinking and more than 700 missing. It placed several towns and cities under water and caused the capsizing of a big ship carrying close to a thousand passengers and crew members off Sibuyan Island in the province of Romblon. On the day that the 2011 yearend howler was slated to hit land, there was a slight rain noted in our place. Little did I know that a deluge was taking place somewhere, in the neighboring southern island of Mindanao and parts of Central Visayas, shocking people who had not experienced such a calamity for decades, even half a century perhaps. When the 2

eventuality was announced on TV, I could only shake my head in disbelief. In the ensuing days, while help in material form was being sought for as needed and everything was being done for the same to be extended, spiritual and moral guidance was necessary to go with the efforts in rebuilding lives and praying for those which were lost. In one of the Aguinaldo masses we attended as novena in honor of the Lord Jesus whose birth was being anticipated on the ninth day from the first day of the liturgy, a priest during his homily asked: Wheres God in the face of all these calamities? Then he proceeded to provide the answer: When we resolve to offer prayers to the victims, when we exert efforts to conduct rescue operations, when we share our resources with them by way of donations either in cash or in kind or when we extend our sympathy to themGod is in us. Brother Fred, during the first New Life Seminar conducted for the year 2012, reminded those in attendance that God did not will the occurrence of such a calamity. It is the handiwork of the devil and it is incumbent upon man to invoke faith, prayers and good deeds to counteract the same. Truth is our armour. As Sister Lynns own reminder mentioned in the same seminar, Jesus became human to save us and He died to defeat the devils power. Thus: Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

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Culture/Health

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Book Excerpt: On Breastfeeding and Breastmilk Substitutes: the Legal Aspect

Breastmilk is the best food since it contains essential nutrients completely suitable for the infant's needs. It is also nature's first immunization, enabling the infant to fight potential serious infection. It contains growth factors that enhance the maturation of an infant's organ systems. (Sec. 2, RA 7600 as amended by RA 10028) Breastfeeding has distinct advantages which benefit the infant and the mother, including the hospital and the country that adopt its practice. It is the first preventive health measure that can be given to the child at birth. It also enhances mother-infant relationship. Furthermore, the practice of breastfeeding could save the country valuable foreign exchange that may otherwise be used for milk importation. (Id.) Towards this end, the State shall promote and encourage breastfeeding and provide the specific measures that would present opportunities for mothers to continue expressing their milk and/or breastfeeding their infant or young child. (Id.) The best nourishment for an infant is mother's milk. There is nothing greater than for a mother to nurture her beloved child straight from her bosom. The ideal is, of course, for each and every Filipino child to enjoy the unequaled benefits of breastmilk. (Pharmaceutical and Health Care Assn. of the Phil. vs. Health Secretary Francisco Duque, III, et al., G.R. No. 173034, October 9, 2007) Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion REPUBLIC ACT No. 10028, signed into law on March 16, 2010 by then President Gloria MacapagalArroyo and known as Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009," expanded the promotion of breastfeeding by amending Republic Act No. 7600, otherwise known as An Act to Provide Incentives to all Government and Private Health Institutions with Rooming-in and Breastfeeding Practices and for Other Purposes. 3

Declaration of Policy The State adopts rooming-in as a national policy to encourage, protect and support the practice of breastfeeding. It shall create an environment where basic physical, emotional, and psychological needs of mothers and infants are fulfilled through the practice of rooming-in and breastfeeding. The State shall likewise protect working women by providing safe and healthful working conditions, taking into account their maternal functions, and such facilities and opportunities that will enhance their welfare and enable them to realize their full potential in the service of the nation. This is consistent with international treaties and conventions to which the Philippines is a signatory such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which emphasizes provision of necessary supporting social services to enable parents to combine family obligations with work responsibilities; the Beijing Platform for Action and Strategic Objective, which promotes harmonization of work and family responsibilities for women and men; and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognizes a child's inherent right to life and the State's obligations to ensure the child's survival and development. Definition of Terms For purposes of the Act, the following definitions are adopted: a) Age of gestation - the length of time the fetus is inside the mother's womb. b) Bottlefeeding - the method of feeding an infant using a bottle with artificial nipples, the contents of which can be any type of fluid. c) Breastfeeding - the method of feeding an infant directly from the human breast. d) Breastmilk - the human milk from a mother. e) Breastmilk substitute - any food being marketed or otherwise represented as partial or total replacement of breastmilk whether or not suitable for that purpose. f) Donor milk - the human milk from a nonbiological mother. g) Expressed breastmilk - the human milk which has been extracted from the breast by hand or by breast pump. It can be fed to an infant using a dropper, a nasogastric tube, a cup and spoon, or a bottle.

h) Expressing milk - the act of extracting human milk from the breast by hand or by pump into a container. i) Formula feeding - the feeding of a newborn with infant formula usually by bottle feeding. It is also called artificial feeding. j) Health institutions - are hospitals, health infirmaries, health centers, lying-in centers, or puericulture centers with obstetrical and pediatric services. k) Health personnel - are professionals and workers who manage and/or administer the entire operations of health institutions and/or who are involved in providing maternal and child health services. l) Health workers - all persons who are engaged in health and health-related work, and all persons employed in all hospitals, sanitaria, health infirmaries, health centers, rural health units, barangay health stations, clinics and other healthrelated establishments, whether government or private, and shall include medical, allied health professional, administrative and support personnel employed regardless of their employment status. m) Infant - a child within zero (0) to twelve (12) months of age. n) Infant formula - the breastmilk substitute formulated industrially in accordance with applicable Codex Alimentarius standards, to satisfy the normal nutritional requirements of infants up to six (6) months of age, and adopted to their physiological characteristics. o) Lactation management - the general care of a mother-infant nursing couple during the mother's prenatal, immediate postpartum and postnatal periods. It deals with educating and providing knowledge and information to pregnant and lactating mothers on the advantages of breastfeeding, the risks associated with breastmilk substitutes and milk products not suitable as breastmilk substitutes such as, but not limited to, condensed milk and evaporated milk, the monitoring of breastfeeding mothers by health workers and breastfeeding peer counselors for service patients to ensure compliance with the Department of Health, World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on the implementation of breastfeeding policies, the physiology of lactation, the establishment and maintenance of lactation, the proper care of the breasts and nipples, and such other 4

matters that would contribute to successful breastfeeding. p) Lactation stations - private, clean, sanitary, and well-ventilated rooms or areas in the workplace or public places where nursing mothers can wash up, breastfeed or express their milk comfortably and store this afterward. q) Low birth weight infant - a newborn weighing less than two thousand five hundred (2,500) grams at birth. r) Nursing employee - any female worker, regardless of employment status, who is breastfeeding her infant and/or young child. s) Mother's milk - the breastmilk from the newborn's own mother. t) Non-health facilities, establishment or institution - public places and working places, as defined in subparagraphs (u) and (y), respectively. u) Public place - enclosed or confined areas such as schools, public transportation terminals, shopping malls, and the like. v) Rooming-in - the practice of placing the newborn in the same room as the mother right after delivery up to discharge to facilitate mother-infant bonding and to initiate breastfeeding. The infant may either share the mother's bed or be placed in a crib beside the mother. w) Seriously ill mothers - are those who are: with severe infections; in shock, in severe cardiac or respiratory distress; or dying; or those with other conditions that may be determined by the attending physician as serious. x) Wet-nursing - the feeding of a newborn from another mother's breast when his/her own mother cannot breastfeed. y) Workplace - work premises, whether private enterprises or government agencies, including their subdivisions, instrumentalities and governmentowned and -controlled corporations. z) Young child - a child from the age of twelve (12) months and one (1) day up to thirty-six (36) moths. (Sec. 3, RA 7600 as amended) Applicability The provisions in this Chapter shall apply to all private enterprises as well as government agencies, including their subdivisions and instrumentalities, and government-owned and -controlled corporations. Upon application to, and determination by, the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment for the private sector, and the 5

Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission for the public sector, all health and non-health facilities, establishments and institutions may be exempted for a renewable period of two (2) years from Section 6 of this Act where the establishment of lactation stations is not feasible or necessary due to the peculiar circumstances of the workplace or public place taking into consideration, among others, number of women employees, physical size of the establishment, and the average number of women who visit. All health and non-health facilities, establishments or institutions which are exempted in complying with the provisions of this Act but nevertheless opted to comply are entitled to the benefits herein stated: Provided, That they give their employees the privilege of using the same. (Sec. 4, RA 7600 as amended) Facilities for Breastmilk Collection and Storage The health institution adopting rooming-in and breastfeeding shall provide equipment, facilities, and supplies for breastmilk collection, storage and utilization, the standards of which shall be defined by the Department of Health. Health institutions are likewise encouraged to set up milk banks for storage of breastmilk donated by mothers and which have undergone pasteurization. The stored breastmilk will primarily be given to children in the neonatal intensive care unit whose own mothers are seriously ill. (Sec. 10, RA 7600 as amended) Establishment of Lactation Stations It is hereby mandated that all health and nonhealth facilities, establishments or institutions shall establish lactation stations. The lactation stations shall be adequately provided with the necessary equipment and facilities, such as: lavatory for handwashing, unless there is an easily-accessible lavatory nearby; refrigeration or appropriate cooling facilities for storing expressed breastmilk; electrical outlets for breast pumps; a small table; comfortable seats; and other items, the standards of which shall be defined by the Department of Health. The lactation station shall not be located in the toilet. In addition, all health and non-health facilities, establishments or institutions shall take strict measures to prevent any direct or indirect form of promotion, marketing, and/or sales of infant formula and/or breastmilk substitutes within the lactation

stations, or in any event or circumstances which may be conducive to the same. Apart from the said minimum requirements, all health and non-health facilities, establishments or institutions may provide other suitable facilities or services within the lactation station, all of which, upon due substantiation, shall be considered eligible for purposes of Section 14 of this Act. (Sec. 11 as added by RA 10028 amending RA 7600) Lactation Periods Nursing employees shall granted break intervals in addition to the regular time-off for meals to breastfeed or express milk. These intervals, which shall include the time it takes an employee to get to and from the workplace lactation station, shall be counted as compensable hours worked. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) may adjust the same: Provided, That such intervals shall not be less than a total of forty (40) minutes for every eight (8)-hour working period. (Sec. 12 as added by RA 10028 amending RA 7600) Continuing Education, Re-education and Training The Department of Health with the assistance of other government agencies, professional and nongovernmental organizations shall conduct continuing information, education, re-education, and training programs for physicians, nurses, midwives, nutritionist-dietitians, community health workers and traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and other health worker on current and updated lactation management. Information materials shall be given to all health workers involved in maternal and infant care health institutions. (Sec. 13 as added by RA 10028) During the prenatal, perinatal and postnatal consultations and/or confinements of the mothers or pregnant women in a health institution and the health worker to immediately and continuously teach, train and support the women on current and updated lactation management and infant care, through participatory strategies such as organization of mothers' clubs and breastfeeding support groups and to distribute written information materials on such matters free of charge. The Department of Health is hereby mandated to develop and provide breastfeeding programs for working mothers whose employees are encouraged to avail of it as part of their human resource development programs. 6

To equip women of reproductive age with accurate information on maternal nutrition and proper nourishment in preparation for successful and sustainable breastfeeding, the Department of Health is likewise mandated to produce and make available relevant information and programs which should be disseminated to all city, municipal and barangay health centers. Employers are also highly encouraged to develop breastfeeding or lactation support programs which main functions are to assess the needs of lactating employees with adequate information regarding lactation management in the form of brochures, pamphlets and other educational materials. (Sec. 14 as added by RA 10028) Integration of Breastfeeding Education To encourage and promote breastfeeding, the Department of Education, the Commission on higher Education. And the Technical Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority shall integrate in the relevant subjects in the elementary, high school and college levels, especially in the medical and education, the importance, benefits, methods or techniques of breastfeeding, and change of societal attitudes towards breastfeeding. (Sec. 15, as added by RA 10028) Breastfeeding Awareness Month To raise awareness on the importance of and to further promote breastfeeding, the month of August in each and every year throughout the Philippines shall be known as "Breastfeeding Awareness Month." (Sec. 16 as added by RA 10028) Public Education and Awareness Program To ensure the meaningful observance of breastfeeding month as herein declared, a comprehensive national public education and awareness program shall be undertaken in order to achieve the following objectives: a) To protect, promote and support breastfeeding in the Philippines as the normal, natural and preferred method of feeding infants and young children; b) To guarantee the rightful place of breastfeeding in society as a time honored tradition and nurturing value as well as a

national health policy that must be enforced; c) To provide information about the benefits and superiority of breastfeeding and the high risks and costs of bottlefeeding; d) To generate awareness on, and full enforcement of, national and international laws, codes, policies and programs on the promotion and protection of safe and adequate nutrition for infants and young children by promoting and protecting breastfeeding and regulating the marketing of certain foods and feeding bottles, teats and pacifiers; and e) To instill recognition and support and ensure access to comprehensive, current and culturally appropriate lactation care and services for all women, children and families, including support for breastfeeding mothers in the work force. The Department of Health shall lead in the implementation of the comprehensive national public education and awareness program on breastfeeding through a collaborative interagency and multisectoral effort at all levels. (Sec. 17 as added by RA 10028) Department of Health Certification Any health and non-health facility, establishment or institution satisfying the requirements of Sections 6 and 7 herein relative to a proper lactation station may apply with the local Department of Health office for a 'working mother-baby friendly' certification. The Department of Health shall promulgate guidelines to determine eligibility for such certification, which shall include an annual Department of Health inspection to confirm the continued compliance with its standards. The Department of Health shall maintain a list of 'mother-baby-friendly' establishments, which it shall make available to the public. (Sec. 18 as added by RA 10028) Incentives The expenses incurred by a private health and non-health facility, establishment or institution, in complying with the provisions of this Act, shall be deductible expenses for income tax purposes up to twice the actual amount incurred: Provided, That the deduction shall apply for the taxable period when the 7

expenses were incurred: Provided, further, That all health and non-health facilities, establishments and institutions shall comply with the provisions of this Act within six (6) months after its approval: Provided, finally, That such facilities, establishments or institutions shall secure a "Working Mother-Baby-Friendly Certificate" from the Department of Health to be filed with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, before they can avail of the incentive. Government facilities, establishments or institutions shall receive an additional appropriation equivalent to the savings they may derive as a result of complying with the provisions of this Act. The additional appropriation shall be included in their budget for the next fiscal year. (Sec. 19 as added by RA 10028) Implementing Agency and Sanctions The Department of Health shall be principally responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this Act. (Sec. 20 as added) Any private non-health facility, establishment and institution which unjustifiably refuses or fails to comply with Sections 6 and 7 of this Act shall be imposed a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (Php50,000.00) but not more than Two hundred thousand pesos (Php200,000.00) on the first offense. On the second offense, a fine of not less than Two hundred thousand pesos (Php200,000.00) but not more than Five hundred thousand pesos (Php500,000.00). On the third offense, a fine of not less than Five hundred thousand pesos (Php500,000.00) but not more than One million pesos (Php1,000,000.00) and the cancellation or revocation of the business permits or licenses to operate. In all cases, the fine imposed should take into consideration, among others, number of women employees, physical size of the establishment, and the average number of women who visit. In addition, the Secretary of Health is hereby empowered to impose sanctions on health institution for the violation of this Act and the rules issued thereunder. Such sanctions may be in the form of reprimand or censure and in case of repeated willful violations, suspension of the permit to operate of the erring health institution. Heads, officials and employees of government health and non-health facilities, establishments and

institutions who violate this Act shall further be subject to the following administrative penalties: First offense - Reprimand; Second offense - Suspension for one (1) to thirty (30) days; and Third offense - Dismissal. This shall be without prejudice to other liabilities applicable under civil service law and rules. (Sec. 21 as added) Breastmilk Substitutes The best nourishment for an infant is mother's milk. There is nothing greater than for a mother to nurture her beloved child straight from her bosom. The ideal is, of course, for each and every Filipino child to enjoy the unequaled benefits of breastmilk. (Pharmaceutical and Health Care Assn. of the Phil. vs. Health Secretary Francisco Duque, III, et al., G.R. No. 173034, October 9, 2007) Petitioners in G.R. No. 173034 (supra), lodged a petition for certiorari under Rule 65 of the Rules of Court with the Supreme Court seeking to nullify Administrative Order (A.O.) No. 20060012 entitled, Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of Executive Order No. 51, Otherwise Known as The Milk Code, Relevant International Agreements, Penalizing Violations Thereof, and for Other Purposes (RIRR) claiming that the RIRR is not valid as it contains provisions that are not constitutional and go beyond the law it is supposed to implement. The main issue raised in the petition was whether respondents, who are officers of the DOH, acted without or in excess of jurisdiction, or with grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction, and in violation of the provisions of the Constitution in promulgating the RIRR. In a ruling rendered thereon whereby the petition was found partly imbued with merit, the Supreme Court said: Executive Order No. 51 (Milk Code) was issued by President Corazon Aquino on October 28, 1986 by virtue of the legislative powers granted to the president under the Freedom Constitution. One of the preambular clauses of the Milk Code states that the law seeks to give effect to Article 11of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (ICMBS), a code adopted by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 1981. From 1982 to 2006, the WHA adopted several Resolutions to the effect that breastfeeding should be 8

supported, promoted and protected, hence, it should be ensured that nutrition and health claims are not permitted for breastmilk substitutes. In 1990, the Philippines ratified the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 24 of said instrument provides that State Parties should take appropriate measures to diminish infant and child mortality, and ensure that all segments of society, specially parents and children, are informed of the advantages of breastfeeding.

NRCS Journal is a digital relay medium for online content distribution of works from NRCS Bookshop imbued with a mission of information dissemination through selective output of significant matters of concern to the appropriate recipients, both in entertainment and informative categories. It is based in Iloilo City, Philippines. Nrcsbookshop, an online content provider, displays through this site current issues and authors shares, feeds, tweets, as well as blogs, on such diverse topics as ebooks, Pinoy OFWs, cyber/tech reads, entertainment, PHL lifestyle/cultural agenda and legal concerns. NRCS should be understood as new and reconstituted content selection., The author, N. Madera Aguilar, previously taught Remedial Law at Aklan College, Kalibo, Aklan, Philippines from 2003 to 2007 and has been engaged in the advocacy of law in the Philippines. His works include several titles in non-fiction and some in fiction and poetry. He has been engaged in vernacular writing in his country since he was a teenager. He is at present engaged in the translation of his literary works into the English language. He assures his readers, however, of his earnest efforts in seeing to it that nothing is missed in the course of the translation. The author may be reached at this e-mail address nrcsbookshop@ymail.com. He may be visited at the following Web sites: *http://nrcsbookshop.webs.com

Lent Season Gives Us Time to Reflect

commencement of fasting, and in so doing, we are being guided by what we have been taught according to the words which the Holy Scripture discloses to us: "But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:17-18) A reading of the Holy Bible will teach us that for a third time, Jesus had foretold His death and resurrection. Thus: Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again. But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. (Luke 18:31-34) A Prayer The following prayer, included in the first chapter of the book Finding Pathways through the Community, prayed daily as the one holding it was told, was found in the sepulchre of the Lord Jesus Christ in the year 1607. Having been published, it is worthwhile to read the prayer again this season O Lord Almighty You suffered death at the cross for our sins. O Holy Cross of Jesus, be my true light. O Holy Cross of Jesus, fill my soul with good thoughts. O Holy Cross, help me in my salvation. O Holy Cross, safely guard me against unholy thoughts and worldly dangers, that I may worship the Holy Cross of Jesus of Nazareth; crucified, have pity on me. O Holy Cross of Jesus, be my hope. O Holy Cross, have mercy on me, forever and ever. Amen. In honor of the precious blood of Jesus and His fearful death and resurrection, and His glorification which leads to everlasting life. Amen. As true as Jesus was born at Christmas and crucified on Good Friday As true as Joseph, and Nicodemus, took Jesus down from the cross As true as Jesus ascended to heaven, may He preserve me from my enemies, visible and invisible, forever and ever. Amen. O Lord Almighty, unto Your hands, I give my hand, soul and body. O Lord Jesus, grant me strength to bear the cross as Yourself. Teach me to bear with humility all the ills; that the Virgin may fill me with Holy Spirit. Preserve my soul and lead it to life everlasting. Amen. 9

The season of Lent is being observed in commemoration of the sacrifice and offering of the Lord Jesus Christ of His own life for the salvation of mankind.

Iloilo City, PHLThe faithfuls this side of the globe are in the thick of the preparation for the coming Holy Week as the Lords passion is being commemorated to underscore mankinds redemption through His final sacrifice.
On Ash Wednesday, which is February 22 of this year, the season of Lent began. It marked the

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New Mark Alley

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New Mark Alley is this journals forerunner and has been retained as a page in this issue to highlight the photos and words released through the NRCS social networking sites.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:12)

A Psalter: I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. (Psalm 81:16). More inspirational reading in: Finding Pathways through the Community A book available on www.amazon.com/dp/B0064A8S7M

"Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the temple towards the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. (Ezekiel 47:1)

Pleasant Words Restated: And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today? (Deut. 4:8) For more of the inspiration, please visit http://www.adgiloilo.com

Lent is a season for us to ponder on the excesses we have committed and the inadequacies we left unfulfilled. 10

Legal Articles

The Writ of Amparo

The petition for a writ of amparo is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or threatened with violation by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or of a private individual or entity. The writ shall cover extralegal killings and enforced disappearances or threats thereof. (Sec. 1, Rule on Writ of Amparo) Nature of It is a protective remedy against violations or threats of violation against the rights to life, liberty and security. It embodies, as a remedy, the courts directive to police agencies to undertake specified courses of action to address the disappearance of an individual xxx. It does not determine guilt nor pinpoint criminal culpability for the disappearance; rather, it determines responsibility, or at least accountability, for the enforced disappearance for purposes of imposing the appropriate remedies to address the disappearance. Responsibility refers to the extent the actors have been established by substantial evidence to have participated in whatever way, by action or omission, in an enforced disappearance, as a measure of the remedies this Court shall craft, among them, the directive to file the appropriate criminal and civil cases against the responsible parties in the proper courts. Accountability, on the other hand, refers to the measure of remedies that should be addressed to those who exhibited involvement in the enforced 11

disappearance without bringing the level of their complicity to the level of responsibility defined above; or who are imputed with knowledge relating to the enforced disappearance and who carry the burden of disclosure; or those who carry, but have failed to discharge, the burden of extraordinary diligence in the investigation of the enforced disappearance. (Razon vs. Tagitis, G.R. No. 182498, Dec. 3, 2009) In Razon, the Supreme Court further said: In all these cases, the issuance of the Writ of Amparo is justified by our primary goal of addressing the disappearance, so that the life of the victim is preserved and his liberty and security are restored. We highlight this nature of a Writ of Amparo case at the outset to stress that the unique situations that call for the issuance of the writ, as well as the considerations and measures necessary to address these situations, may not at all be the same as the standard measures and procedures in ordinary court actions and proceedings. In this sense, the Rule on the Writ ofAmparo (Amparo Rule) issued by this Court is unique. The Amparo Rule should be read, too, as a work in progress, as its directions and finer points remain to evolve through time and jurisprudence and through the substantive laws that Congress may promulgate.

The Writ of Habeas Data

The writ of habeas data provides a judicial remedy to protect a persons right to control information regarding oneself, particularly in instances where such information is being collected through unlawful means in order to achieve unlawful

ends. As an independent and summary remedy to protect the right to privacy especially the right to informational privacy the proceedings for the issuance of the writ of habeas data does not entail any finding of criminal, civil or administrative culpability. If the allegations in the petition are proven through substantial evidence, then the Court may (a) grant access to the database or information; (b) enjoin the act complained of; or (c) in case the database or information contains erroneous data or information, order its deletion, destruction or rectification. (Rodriguez vs. Macapagal-Arroyo, et al., G.R. Nos. 191805 & 193160, Nov.15, 2011) Writ of Habeas Data, When Untenable In Roxas vs. Macapagal-Arroyo, et al., (G.R. No. 189155, Sept. 7, 2010), the Supreme Court said The writ of habeas data was conceptualized as a judicial remedy enforcing the right to privacy, most especially the right to informational privacy of individuals. The writ operates to protect a persons right to control information regarding himself, particularly in the instances where such information is being collected through unlawful means in order to achieve unlawful ends. Needless to state, an indispensable requirement before the privilege of the writ may be extended is the showing, at least by substantial evidence, of an actual or threatened violation of the right to privacy in life, liberty or security of the victim. This, in the case at bench, the petitioner failed to do. The main problem behind the ruling of the Court of Appeals is that there is actually no evidence on record that shows that any of the public respondents had violated or threatened the right to privacy of the petitioner. The act ascribed by the Court of Appeals to the public respondents that would have violated or threatened the right to privacy of the petitioner. xxx Verily, until such time that any of the public respondents were found to be actually responsible for the abduction and torture of the petitioner, any inference regarding the existence of reports being kept in violation of the petitioners right to privacy becomes farfetched, and premature. For these reasons, this Court must, at least in the meantime, strike down the grant of the privilege of the writ of habeas data.
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NRCS Journal is an electronic newsmagazine distributed online by NRCS Bookshop imbued with a mission of information dissemination through selective relay of significant matters of concern to the appropriate recipients, both in entertainment and informative categories. Based in Iloilo City, Philippines.

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