CBCP asks parishes to sing 9 songs at mass as papal visit nears

Organizers of Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines have been requested parishes to have nine songs — one of them reflecting the plight of victims of recent calamities the Pope will break bread with — sung during mass.

"We request that the songs be sung in your parish Masses, the Gloria in the remaining Sundays in Ordinary Time, Simbang Gabi and the Christmas season," organizers said on social media and online.

Notable in the list of songs is "Laudate Dominum" by Fr. Manuel Fransisco, SJ. The song contains lyrics that refer to devastation, disease and great loss, and how people find refuge in God.

Aside from "Laudate Dominum", the organizers included the following songs:


Alay sa Diyos
Aleluya, Credo
Glory to God
Penitential Rite
Santo
Si Kristo
Tinapay ng Buhay

Pope Francis is due to visit the Philippines from Jan. 15 to 19.

His itinerary includes events in Manila and Leyte. Leyte is among the areas devastated by super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which left more than 6,300 dead last year.

200 priests from outside the Philippines invited to say Mass with pope in Manila

Some 200 priests from outside the Philippines will be given the chance to concelebrate the Mass with Pope Francis in Manila on January 18.

Fr Rufino Sescon Jr, head of the steering committee for the papal visit, said the 200 slots will be given to priests from dioceses outside the Philippines.

Priests in the Philippines only need to coordinate with their respective dioceses to be able to concelebrate with the pope during the Mass in Luneta Park.

"This is a grace-filled occasion in our priestly life and ministry to break bread with our Holy Father," Sescon said.

"May this experience inspire us further to become merciful and compassionate shepherds. May we become priests rich in mercy and compassion," he added.

The Philippine government, meanwhile, has already started organizing medical teams for the pope's visit next month.

The Health Department said at least 25 medical teams composed of a minimum of four doctors, nurses, and ambulance personnel will be on standby in Manila and the province of Leyte.

Govt rushing infrastructure projects before 2016

   The country is trying to address the infrastructure backlog amid a steady economic growth.

During the Philippine Economic Briefing held on Tuesday (September 30), government leaders said they were working on closing the gap amid mounting problems on port congestion, traffic jams, inefficient mass transit, and dwindling power supply.

Among those who attended the briefing were Secretary Ramon Jimenez of the Deparment of Tourism, Secretary Rogelio Singson of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Secretary Arsenio Balisacan of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA),Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya of the Transportation and Communications (DOTC) , and Governo Amando Tetangco Jr. of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)

For his part, Jimenez said: "In a situation where resources are tight, where growth, in fact, is new, you will find yourself very frequently – and I assure you're going to see more of it – you're going to see yourself going through periods of very tight capacity, before you actually see expansion."

Abaya announced that the DOTC will bid out projects in the coming months that will provide long-term relief for commuters – among them:

• the rehabilitation of six provincial airports, as well as improvements at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and Clark International Airport.
• the expansioin of LRT Lines 1 and 2
• the developoment of the bus rapid transit system in Cebu City, Manila, and the Ortigas Center in Pasig
• the developoment of the Integrated Luzon Railway Project, which will connect Cagayan Valley and Sorsogon in the Bicol Region

Abaya tagged the last as "a truly inclusive project" because it would allow farmers and fisherfolk from the extreme ends of Luzon to send their goods to market and make them competitive.

According Singson, the DPWH also aims to complete the pavement of national roads - spanning a total of 3,000  kilometers - by 2016.

Asked for a reaction, analyst Astro del Castillo, managing director of First Grade Finance Inc., said the government must fast-track these projects if it wants economic growth to continue even after President Benigno Aquino III steps down in 2016.

"We would rather hope that the government really focus on the economic agenda rather than on politics," Del Castillo said.

Both the government and the private sector admit, though, that not everything could be done in the homestretch.

At the end of the day, the reforms should be able to withstand leadership changes to ensure that economic gains will be sustained in the long-term. - 9News Online from a report by Kristine de Guzman

Tutuban-Calamba train marks start of grand plans for PNR

LORRIE de Borja used to endure a two-hour commute from Laguna to Manila, where she runs purchasing errands for her catering business. So when the new Tutuban-Calamba train service opened yesterday, the Philippine National Railways (PNR) found a ready customer in the 55-year-old Calamba resident.

“As a caterer I need to go to Divisoria every day to buy ingredients,” Ms. de Borja said in Filipino. Her former routine involved three transfers, which she can now leave behind with the introduction of a train line that brings her directly to Tutuban, within walking distance of her suppliers.

She even finds the ride comfortable, at least by the standards of Metro Manila’s other troubled commuter-train lines. “It’s a pleasant ride compared with the MRT (Metro Rail Transit),” she said.

The state-owned railway expects the 56-kilometer Calamba service to add an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 passengers to its current ridership of 70,000, a drop in the bucket as far as people-moving goes, but a godsend to those who happen to need a reliable ride into the city center from the capital’s bustling southern periphery.

“I can save about an hour a day so it’s a great help,” Ms. de Borja said. “I hope the government will continue providing services like these.”

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya, who helped inaugurate the Calamba line yesterday, promised commuters that his department will continue to implement projects that will hasten the rehabilitation of the PNR.

Among the projects planned are the rehabilitation, development and extension of the north and south lines of the PNR as well as the revival of the 422-kilometer Bicol Express train service.

“In 2015, we’ll be rehabilitating and overhauling three train coaches that are 25 years old. We are also rehabilitating nine pieces of rolling stock from Korea, which are relatively new, 7-8 years old,” Mr. Abaya said.

He added that the department is also targeting the revival of the Bicol Express train service, which was suspended two years ago after a train derailed in Sariaya, Quezon.

“We’re looking at restoring the train services to Legazpi, Albay in the next few months after a successful trial run last August,” he added.

The department, according to Mr. Abaya, is looking at bidding out the overall rehabilitation of the PNR under the government’s flagship Public-Private Partnership infrastructure program.

“The PNR rehabilitation will cover the entire North and South lines, including branch lines of Tarlac-San Jose in the north, and Calamba-Batangas in the south,” Mr. Abaya said, noting that a team is currently assessing the viability of a northern line to Cagayan. --Chrisee Jalyssa V. Dela Paz

Chinese experts to improve PH railways

Amid mounting complaints and concerns ranging from long queues and train accidents, Chinese experts were dispatched to the Philippines to help local experts improve the railway system.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) chief representative Noriaki Niwa said experts from the Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism have already met with Philippine officials to discuss and map out points of improvements for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Philippine National Railways (PNR). “This mission is part of the JICA’s ongoing cooperation to help improve the Philippine’s public transport system,” he said. “The experiences of China in railway operations will be useful to the Philippines,” he added.

China is known to be among the best in the operation of the railway system in the world while the Philippine government is currently at the receiving end of criticisms for what is perceived to be a lousy operation of the mass transport system in the country.

A number of railway deaths and injuries have been noted in the case of the PNR while the MRT also figured in various technical problems, one of them resulted in one of the coaches overshooting the railway track and eventually ramming the barrier at the Pasay Rotunda.

Currently, Niwa revealed that Japan is financing the capacity enhancements of LRT Lines 1 and 2. Part of the discussion, he revealed, is the conduct of feasibility study for the North-South Commuter Project.

Initially, one of the recommendations from the Chinese experts are those categorized as ‘soft’ that include easy-to-use manuals, accident-prevention and training; and ‘hard’, improvement of traks and rolling stocks. “The mission emphasized the importance of developing a system that will analyze accidents like what Chinese transport safety institutions currently use,” he said.

It was recalled that a much-improved and efficient railway network is one of the focal points of the roadmap study of the Chinese government which was recently approved by the President. The roadmap lists down strategies and priorities that can be implemented by the Philippine government to decongest traffic, ensure seamless mobility, improve living standards, lessen air pollution and lessen transport cost burden for High-income groups in Mega Manila by 2030.