There is an increasing focus on disaster preparedness in the Philippines, although this is happening at different levels. The general public is learning how to use the available technologies for monitoring hazards and to understand the language used. Many communities are also focused on evacuation strategies and on identifying safe centres that can be used in the event of a disaster.
The album produced by the Jesuit Music Ministry (JMM) for the Philippine Papal Visit made it to the top 10 of the Original Pinoy Music (OPM) charts in January. This is the first time a JMM album has reached the top 10. “Mercy and Compassion: Songs for Pope Francis” landed in the second spot of the OPM list and in the third spot of the Overall best-selling albums for the fourth week of January.
A copy of the album was presented to Pope Francis when he met with Jesuits in the Philippines on January 16.
Anticipation was high as the Philippines awaited Pope Francis’ visit to the country from January 15 to 19, 2015. For weeks before the Pope’s arrival, national media discussed the importance of the papal visit and a 1,000-member choir practised new hymns specially composed for the closing mass by Fr Manoling Francisco SJ.
Some 40 Jesuits met with Pope Francis at the Nunciature in Manila during his Philippines visit. All were ecstatic at the invitation. I was privileged to be among them.
From the beginning, the meeting was very much that of brother Jesuits coming together. Provincial Tony Moreno SJ opened the meeting saying that Francis had been met by 40 elephants in Sri Lanka and here in Manila he was met by 40 Jesuits. To which Francis replied, “The elephants were more colourfully dressed.”
The Jesuit-run University of San Francisco has been running an alternative study abroad program based in Metro Manila, the Philippines. Casa Bayanihan is a semester-long program rooted in the Jesuit tradition, conceived initially for undergraduates in Jesuit universities in the United States.
Although Typhoon Hagupit – known as Ruby in the Philippines – is reported to have taken only a handful of lives, for thousands of people in the country, it was still a sort of repeat of Typhoon Haiyan, which had torn through the Philippines in November 2013, leaving more than 7,000 dead or missing. “It’s déjà vu, but not the same as last year with Haiyan,” a Tacloban resident Mariano Tan Jr told the BBC.
When the Philippine’s newest freeport was established seven years ago in Casiguran, Aurora province, a large-scale protest among the affected residents and various groups erupted. The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport (APECO) aimed to transform more than 12,000 hectares of Casiguran land into a commercial, industrial, agro-industrial, and tourist hub to usher development throughout the province.
Today’s problems need different strategies and Jesuits must apply new skills and techniques in order to respond more effectively. Beyond simply business skill however, there is a need for greater imagination to solve the challenges of today. In the same way business as usual needs to change, social ministries and apostolates must also go beyond the usual.
What is the role of Jesuit universities in social justice? This was a question that participants at the recent meeting of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Asia Pacific (AJCU-AP) were asked to consider.
Have you ever seen or walked into a fancy handbag boutique selling the likes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Dolce and Gabbana? Even if we have never walked into one, we all know that these bags are pricey, high class, and beyond the reach of most people. What about bags branded “Rag2Riches”? You can find them in major shopping malls in the Philippines and in Anthropologie shops in Singapore, Malaysia and many countries in Europe.