March 1 - 15, 2018
OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
Reyfort Publishing & Entertainment
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Breaking
Point
By Rosette Correa
Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, the
32nd Archbishop of Manila, is well-
sought out speaker. He has been
Archbishop since December 12,
2011, and a cardinal since November
24, 2012 and also serves as President
of Caritas International, and of the
Catholic Biblical Federation, among
his many duties and speaking
engagements. He has been dubbed
many things - the next Pope (because
he missed his chance the last time,
when Pope Francis was chosen), the
Asian Pope, the Catholic Rock Star,
and so much more. The faithful in
Asia are praying that his next title will
truly be the first Asian Pope, because
he has no cultural connections to
Europe, and because the growth of
Catholicism has shifted from the West
to the East and South in the last fifty
years, and many young men from
Asia and Africa have been called to
the priesthood.
With humble beginnings in Imus,
Cavite, his childhood was surrounded
by faith, and after attending St. Andrew
Catholic School in Paranaque, he was
influenced by priest friends to attend
the Jesuit San Jose Seminary, and
Ateneo de Manila University. He was
OP- ED
By John Horgan, Premier of B.C
VICTORIA. People in B.C. work
hard every day, and they deserve a
government that works for them. But
for too long, the previous government
failed to act while people struggled
to find housing they can afford, care
for their children, and access to the
services they count on.
Budget 2018 puts people first,
invests in the services you need,
delivers on our commitment to
make life in B.C. more affordable,
and supports a strong, sustainable
economy that works for all British
Columbians. That starts with historic
investments to make child care
more affordable, and B.C.’s first
comprehensive housing plan.
B.C.’s housing market has
been so distorted by speculation that
it doesn’t work for people or B.C.’s
economy. To fix this, our government
has taken bold measures to make
housing more affordable for people.
That includes a new tax on housing
speculators, action to shut down tax
loopholes and money laundering
in our housing market, and historic
investments to increase housing
A Filipino Cardinal in Vancouver
ordained in the Diocese of Imus
on February 27, 1982 also taught
theology at San Carlos Seminary and
Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay,
Cavite.
The cardinal is a favourite of
many, because he speaks with clarity
and purpose, and the Catholic faithful
all over the world have made it a point
to come to his talks because of the
way he inspires people to change for
the better, and be better Christians. En
route to Los Angeles for the Catholic
Educators’ Conference, his visit to
Vancouver is a truly special one, as it
was not part of his original itinerary.
With the Filipino Ministry of the
Archdiocese of Vancouver organizing
the event, with the support of the
Archdiocese and Archbishop Michael
Miller, the event will be covered by
international media, especially the
Philippine media. The cardinal has
spoken to thousands who have said
that his genuineness has moved
many to tears, especially one talk at
the 2008 International Eucharistic
Congress in Quebec, Canada, when
he delivered a talk on the importance
of the Eucharist.
Like many who speak of the
truth in the Gospels,
Cardinal
Tagle
has had his share
of
controversies,
most of which are
misinterpretations
of his love for the
faithful. He has
spoken
about
love for the LGBT
community,
the
divorced
and
separated, and other
faithful in these
situations who have
not felt the love of
the Church because
of how they have
misunderstood the
teachings. Cardinal
Tagle has time and again emphasized
the need for compassion and
understanding, and at the same time
a clear emphasis on the true evils of
the Church - abortion, contraception,
euthanasia and the disregard for the
poor.
Cardinal
Tagle’s
visit
to
Vancouver is a much needed retreat
for Lent for the faithful. He will speak
on the role of the faith in families, and
what we ought to do in this confused
world for our own families. While the
Queen Elizabeth Theatre has recently
sold out for shows that simply
entertain us and feeds our shallow
need for reprieve, Cardinal Tagle’s
words will bring us back to what we
really need to hear - a clear message
of God’s unrepining, and abounding
in steadfast love, something we have
not had in quite a while.
A budget that works for you
supply.
Budget 2018 invests more
than $1.6 billion over three years to
build and maintain affordable rental
housing, increase rental assistance
for low-income seniors and working
families, help finance student housing,
and provide supportive housing for
at-risk British Columbians. That
includes helping to build 114,000
affordable rental, non-profit, co-op
and owner-purchase housing units.
We’re also investing $1 Billion
in child care and early learning over
three years, including a new affordable
child-care benefit which will provide
as many as 86,000 families across
B.C. with up to $1,250 per month in
child-care cost relief.
Our government is taking
concrete action to make your life
more affordable. On January 1st,
2018, our government cut Medical
Service Plan (MSP) premiums in half.
With budget 2018, we announced
the complete elimination of MSP
premiums effective January 1st,
2020, saving families up to $1800
per year, and individuals up to $900
per year.
Budget 2018 also invests
$105 million in the Fair Pharmacare
program to expand prescription drug
and medical supply coverage for
240,000 low-income B.C. families,
reinstates free bus passes to help
over 100,000 people receiving
disability assistance and delivers on
our commitment to make ferry fares
more affordable.
To improve the services you
count on, our government is making
significant investments in health
care, with funding of $548 million
over three years to improve care
for seniors and $150 million to help
connect those who do not have
a family doctor with team-based
primary care.
To support students and meet
the need for qualified teachers, our
government is hiring more teachers,
bringing the total to over 3,700
new hires around the province.
We’re dedicating $18 million to
services that provide outreach and
counselling support for women and
children affected by violence, and
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
making a historic investment of $50
million this fiscal year to support
the revitalization and preservation of
Indigenous languages in B.C.
And we’ll keep investing in a
strong, sustainable economy that
works for people. That includes
supporting communities hit the
hardest by the 2017 wildfire season
and investing in wildfire preparedness
to protect people, communities and
wildlife. Budget 2018 also increases
funding for B.C.’s agrifood sector to
support enhanced Buy BC, Grow BC
and Feed BC initiatives, removes of
fees for Adult Basic Education and
English Language Learning, and
increases grants to support B.C.’s
vibrant communities and creative
economy.
Our government will keep
working hard to make your life more
affordable, improve the services
you count on, and make sure B.C’s
economy works for everyone.
Budget 2018 is a budget that
works for you.
Go to budget.gov.bc.ca for
more information.