Inauguration of new Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) District Headquarters in Western Visayas

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade led the inauguration of the new Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) District Headquarters in the Western Visayas today, 08 November 2021, to strengthen the presence of the country’s maritime force in the region.
Secretary Tugade expressed his gratitude to former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar and Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda for the funding, conceptualization and construction of the new PCG district headquarters located in Barrio Obrero, Lapuz, Iloilo City.

“Nagpapasalamat ako sa DPWH, pagkat itong building ito ay naitayo sa pamamagitan ng pondo nila under their convergence program. Maraming salamat po sa tulong niyo sa Philippine Coast Guard. To Congresswoman Jam, it was through her efforts, her prodding and every presentation na pinagtagpo ang pangangailangan ng PCG, kaya natupad itong building na ito,” Secretary Tugade said during the inauguration of the new PCG district headquarters. Also in attendance during the ceremony were Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, PCG Commandant Vice Admiral Leopoldo Laroya and Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda.

Secretary Tugade said the new PCG regional headquarters in the Western Visayas aims to strengthen and support the PCG workforce in carrying out its mission of safeguarding life and property, marine environment protection, and in conducting humanitarian missions and disaster response and management operations.

Secretary Tugade also revealed that the PCG will organize the Philippine Shore Auxiliary volunteers, who will augment the PCG workforce and man the country’s coastal states.

“Kailangan pangalagaan ‘yung coastal. Hindi lang pinapangalagaan ‘yung hanapbuhay ng fisherfolk, hindi lang nito sinisiguro na mapipigilan ‘yung illegal transport of drugs, hindi lang pinapangalagaan ‘yung safety and security ng bansa sa mga coastal towns,” Secretary Tugade said, adding that when he took over the helm of the DOTr, the PCG personnel only had 6,400 members.

“The Philippine Coast Guard has flown high. We started with merely 6,400 people. Now we are going to 21,000 members. I expect more. I want the PCG to have more members that’s why I want to have auxiliaries,” he said.

Secretary Tugade also instructed Philippine Ports Authority (PAA) General Manager Jay Santiago to construct a pier at the PCG district headquarters to optimize its use.

For her part, Rep. Baronda expressed her gratitude for the PCG for assisting Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in ferrying them back home to Iloilo.

“Thank you to the Philippine Coast Guard kasi kayo ang unang tumulong sa amin na masagip ang ating mga OFW at mga LSI pauwi ng City of Iloilo,” Rep Baronda said.

Teen talks about “twindemic” in Benilde online art exhibit

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A science high school graduate warns of a “double pandemic” in a short infotainment video from a new digital art exhibition of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Center for Campus Art (CCA).

“To Differ, Digitally 2: Love and Dissent in the Time of Pandemic” explores the digital landscape as a platform to communicate constructive protest based on love and empathy. The show spotlights photographs, graphic design, and illustrations, 2D and 3D models and rigs, animation and live action films, texts, audio, applications, and software. This is the second time CCA, under Architect Gerry Torres, collaborated with the New Media Cluster faculty headed by Associate Dean Maria Sharon Mapa Arriola.

Among the TDD2 projects is “Double Pandemic, Deadly Combination,” where a teenager (Elizah Bacani) talks about the danger of trans fatty acids or trans fats, especially in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project, which attempts to describe trans fats in simple terms through the visual medium, was originally written by filmmaker and content producer Seymour Sanchez under the “(Un)Covering Trans Fats Media Training and Fellowship Program Cycle 3” by Probe Media Foundation, Inc. and ImagineLaw.

Sanchez’s personal experience, along with his knowledge of the connection between trans fats and cardiovascular disease, inspired the idea. “My father-in-law died last May due to sepsis after getting the virus. He also had heart problems, which forms a deadly combination with COVID-19. I got a severe case of COVID last August and fortunately survived the ordeal despite my comorbidities,” he revealed.

“As a kidney transplant recipient, I am immunocompromised. My condition is a known comorbidity of COVID, which makes me more susceptible to severe symptoms of the disease,” Sanchez explained.

Aside from persons with weakened immune systems, older people and those with underlying medical conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes are also more likely to develop critical COVID.

“We can actually avoid the presence of trans fats in our country. Although greatly reduced, they have yet to be eliminated completely in our food supply. Laws should be enacted to declare that these fats are no longer generally recognized as safe. A deadline must be set for them to be banned,” he added.

Curator Karen Ocampo-Flores explained that TDD2 is “not only a fresh opportunity to deliver messages of social commentary through the digital medium; it is also a timely response to conditions wrought by the present scourge of the COVID-19 virus.”

Apart from “Double Pandemic, Deadly Combination,” Sanchez also wrote and directed “Maria Leonor,” an open letter to Vice President Leni Gerona Robredo – one of the most, if not the most, trolled public officials in the country – after she announced that she is running for president in the coming election.

“Seymour Sanchez presents through the language of documentary video, his own arguments and inquiry into politics and public health,” Flores described the works in the art exhibit found at CCA’s new website (www.benildecampusart.com).

Joining Sanchez at TDD2 is his fellow film educator and writer Jag Garcia (“I, Labyrinth”), animator Benjie Marasigan (“Hall of Heroes”), photographer Jay Javier (“Red Tagged!”), motion graphics artist and designer Yolec Homecillo (“Mga ‘Di Nakikita ng Mata”), multimedia designer Hannah Sison (“Portal”), 3D artist Volty Garcia (working with Sison in “Voltanna”), graphic designers Dino Brucelas (“Ang Bangkay na Marikit sa Panahon ng Pandemic”) and Rafael Liao (“Just Snap!”), visual communicator Vanessa Puente, graphic designer and writer Katrina Juane, visual artist Emily Mones, and writer-designers Ericka Garalde and Brian Bringas (working together with Brucelas in “Sino Ba Kausap Mo?”), event consultant Mito Tubilleja (“Mary and the Machine”), writer and content developer Penny Angeles-Tan (“Lynyrd Paras”), and multidisciplinary artist Teta Tulay (“Veerus”).

For more information about the exhibit and other projects, visit CCA’s social media pages on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BenildeCampusArt), Twitter (https://twitter.com/csbcampusart), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/benilde.campusart/) and its YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/BenildeCampusArt).

Top Advice for Happy Relationships with Your Spous

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Here's one hard truth we all have to face as adults: rom-coms and Disney movies lied to us. There's no such thing as a perfect relationship that's free from squabbles or petty fights. 

One minute you're looking up Asian brides on a dating website and stumbling upon the love of your life. The next minute, you're both yelling at each other in the kitchen over a sink full of unwashed dishes. 

Inasmuch as we all want a fairytale romance that ends in a firm happily-ever-after, real life relationships don't exactly work that way. There will be days when your happily-ever-after feels like an angrily-ever-after. The worst part? Love isn't enough to pull you through on those days. 

So what can you do? Well, if you're looking to build a quiet and happy relationship with your spouse, here are some tips that can get you through the bad days:

Acknowledge your feelings

Sometimes, you may start an argument with your spouse because of an underlying emotion or situation that you haven't acknowledged yet. For instance, you may think that you're upset with your husband because he left a wet towel lying on the bed again. However, in reality, you may actually be hurt because he never appreciates the work you put in around the house. 

If you don't acknowledge this feeling and its primary cause, resentment will continue to build up and before you know it, you're laying into your partner for "breathing too loudly." 

So what do you do? The next time you have an argument or disagreement with your spouse, take a few minutes to self-reflect. Ask yourself questions that will help you identify how you truly feel, such as: why am I really angry right now? What do I actually need? 

When you identify how you truly feel, you become able to communicate better and iron out issues with your spouse. 

Listen to each other

We get it: you’ve had a really long day and you’ll give anything to be able to lay down on some crisp, clean sheets and fall asleep. Unfortunately, your spouse chooses that very moment to start talking about how bad their day was and how annoying the new coworker is. What do you do? Do you ignore them and just hit the sack, or should you take a few minutes to listen to whatever it is they have to say? 

Of course, this is a no-brainer. If you're looking to build a happy and peaceful relationship with your spouse, you should be willing to listen to them even when it's inconvenient for you. 

However, this doesn't just apply to pillow talk alone. During arguments, regardless of how "right" you feel you are, don't talk over your partner. You should give them the opportunity to express their feelings and listen to them constructively. 

Use the compliment sandwich 

"My partner is always criticizing me. It's like I never do anything right!" 

We've all heard this line before. From couples therapy to divorce courts, this scenario always plays out when a marriage is headed for the rocks. 

Here's the thing: it's completely okay to point out your partner's flaws or shortcomings. However, you have to do it constructively so as not to hurt their feelings. 

That's why we've come up with the compliment sandwich. It's just like a regular sandwich but with compliments acting as bread slices and criticism as peanut butter or jelly. It involves complimenting your partner first, pointing out their shortcomings, and then wrapping it up with another compliment. 

For instance, if your partner constantly spills water and makes a mess in the kitchen while doing the dishes, you could say something like:

"Babe, thank you so much for doing the dishes tonight. You've been really helpful, but could you try mopping up after? The spilled water always makes a mess that I'll have to deal with in the morning. Other than that, you're the best!" 

See? In just a few sentences, you've managed to point out what's irking you without making your partner feel terrible. It's definitely better than saying something like:

"Why do you always have to spill water on the floor? I have to clean all of this in the morning and it's so annoying. Can't you just mop up after?" 

While these two sentences are conveying the same message, the former will guarantee better, happier results while the latter will only lead to a sulking partner who feels unappreciated. 

Don't bottle things up

Your partner stepped out for a couple of drinks with some friends. You're mad at them for bailing out on a cozy night in, and it's perfectly understandable. However, when they try to reach out to you, you keep giving one-word answers so that they could figure out you're angry and then apologize. 

Unfortunately, this is no way to communicate and is a sure recipe for disaster. Your partner may be many things, but we can bet they aren't mind readers. If they can't read your mind and you don't communicate, they certainly won't understand why you're unhappy or how to make you happy. 

Studies have shown that there is a strong link between communication and satisfaction in marriages. Thus, when ugly scenarios pop up, try as much as possible to help your partner see things from your point of view instead of bottling your emotions up or giving them the silent treatment. 

Date your spouse 

Everyone says that marriage loses its lustre after the first few years. Once the kids start coming, you'll find yourselves focusing on your new responsibilities and bills. Before you know it, the spark you once had with your partner is long gone. 

However, it doesn't always have to be this way. Whether you've been married for over a decade or not, you can still enjoy the honeymoon phase with your spouse and keep the spark alive. 

Wondering how to do this? It's simple. Schedule weekly date nights where you and your partner can dress up, go to a fancy restaurant, and have a quiet candle-lit dinner. 

You could also go to see a movie together or schedule a simple ice-cream date. Regardless of your personal preferences, there are tons of opportunities to have a nice, romantic date with your partner. 

Find something to appreciate about your partner everyday 

As a married couple, it's easy to lose sight of what attracted you to your partner in the first place. Over time, the long, luscious hair you once fell in love with might turn into a perpetual messy bun. The charming smile that once made your heart flutter could be replaced by stress lines and a scowling demeanor. 

However, instead of focusing on these changes, it's important to identify one or more positive things about your partner every day and appreciate them for being as they are. It could be something as simple as them bringing you coffee or holding your hand as you both walk down the street. 

Just tell them how much you appreciate their tiny acts of kindness and service. This can go a long way in encouraging them and keeping your marriage happy. 

Apologize and accept apologies in return

During an argument, emotions tend to run high and vicious words may slip out, no matter how hard we try to rein them in. However, even after tempers may have cooled down, it's important to ensure that you apologize sincerely to your partner. If you struggle with pride and you find it hard to apologize verbally, you can start by writing them a heartfelt note that expresses how sorry you are. 

Over time, learn how to swallow your pride (no matter how lumpy it may feel) and offer a sincere verbal apology. Don't try to put the blame on your partner by saying things like:

"I'm sorry if you felt offended by what I said". 

Ifs or buts have no place in a sincere apology. Apologies like these are often insincere and are a trademark of gaslighters. Instead, take full responsibility and apologize without trying to share the blame. 

In the same vein, when your partner offers a sincere apology, don't hold their offenses over their heads by reminding them every week of what they did. Accept the apology in good faith and move on. 

Give each other personal space

Here's the thing: as a married couple, you're probably in each other's faces 24/7, except for the hours when you're both at work. Even though your partner truly loves you and will fight off a thousand gremlins for you, they probably need a little personal space every now and then. 

On some days, they may want to go out for a few drinks with some friends or have some alone time with their phone. Respect their basic need for space and let them enjoy a little personal time.

It may seem strange, but it definitely doesn't change how they feel about you and it certainly doesn't mean that your marriage is headed for the rocks. Rather, this wll help you both spend time enjoying the things you love separately and when they get home, you both can reconvene and talk about how your day went. 

In the same vein, try to get in a little "you" time occasionally. Get a new haircut, hang out with your friends, or even go see a movie alone. Remember: when you do the things you love, you'll be much happier, and that happiness will seep into your relationship. 

Final Thoughts 

Keeping your marriage happy and peaceful is harder than the movies make it seem. However, the little consistent things can really go a long way in helping you enjoy marital bliss with your spouse. With these tips outlined above, you can strengthen your marriage and make it a fun adventure that anyone would admire. 

Here's to a happy, quiet, and peaceful marriage! 

Author's Bio 

Kelly Richardson is an exceptional writer and dating coach at BroomStickWed. Over time, she has helped several men and women find love online without falling prey to scammers or online predators.