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PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY April 16 - 30, 2016
City to begin enforcement for
Medical Marijuana-Related
Businesses
Beginning this weekend, City
inspectors will start enforcement
action on any medical marijuanarelated use (MMRU) that is in a
non-compliant location and continues to operate without a business licence. Enforcement action
will include ticketing as well as appropriate legal action.
In October 2015, 140 preliminary development permit applications for marijuana-related
businesses were refused because
they were not in permitted zones
or did not meet distancing regulations. Stores already open at the
time of refusal have been allowed
to operate for six months while
they search for new sites. However, these stores must now close as
of April 29, 2016.
There are currently seven
MMRUs who have been issued development permits under the new
regulations adopted in June 2015,
and another 13 applications are
under review.
Once a development permit is
approved, the application moves
to the final stage of City approval:
obtaining a business licence. The
City is currently processing three
business licence applications and
expects to issue the first licence
soon.
Locations of issued permits
and licences are shown on a map
at
vancouver.ca/medical-marijuana-business.
Choose bets who will protect life and respect rights
and dignity of womanhood
The time to take a united
stand against all forms of
violence and respect the
rights and dignity of women
has come. It is time to end the
violence and treating women
as objects and playthings and,
the Christian Discipleship
Formation Center (CDFC)
asks each of the 54 million
Filipino voters who will cast
their votes on May 9, 2016
to take a stand, people of
every faith tradition including
Catholics, Christians, and
Muslims
including
the
agnostics or atheists to unite
and vote for candidates with a
clear program of governance
that ensures the protection of
life and respect for the dignity
of womanhood.
This was announced
by Ed M. Malay, executive
director of CDFC and vice
president for Mindanao of
the Sangguniang Laiko ng
Pilipinas, who said that there
is now a need to elect national
leaders who have included in
their governance platforms
that they have presented to
the people since the campaign
started a program that will
honor the sanctity of life and
espouse respect for the rights
and protection of the dignity
of women.
No amount of rationale
can ever justify the use of
violence to end lawlessness
and or repair an imperfect
peace and order situation,
said Malay, adding that peace
can be achieved by simply
engaging everyone to respect
the sanctity of life because we
must all remember that every
person is an image-bearer
of God and of equal value in
His si ght and that person’s
primary duty is to the Creator
and, not the state.
Malay said that the
CDFC reviewed the proposed
platforms of governance that
each of the five presidential
candidates have presented
and found the one presented
by Vice President Jejomar
Binay as consistent with the
culture and traditions that
are being promoted by the
Church in general.
The CDFC in particular
cited Binay’s proposal to
adopt a national policy that
will put a premium on human
life and its inviolability that is
anchored on the fundamental
principle to protect, love and
serve life and his commitment
to be guided by his personal
proclamation that human life
is a precious gift from God;
that each person who receives
this gift has responsibilities
toward God, self, and others;
and that society, through its
laws and social institutions,
must protect and nurture
human life at every stage of
its existence.
In this regard, Malay
said that the CDFC and
all its affiliate oganizations
have decided to endorse
the presidential bid of Vice
President Binay and that
the CDFP chapters in the
cities of Laoag, Cauayan,
Baguio, Dagupan, Lipa,
Lucena, Naga, Ormoc, Cebu,
Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de
Oro, Malaybalay, Pagadian,
Oroquieta, Ipil, Zamboanga
and Davao have all been
mobilized
to
coordinate
with its various linkages at
the pastoral level in every
Archdiocese and Dioceses
to support the candidacy of
Binay who is the only one of
the five presidential aspirants
with a clear cut program that
outlines his respect, defense
and protection of life and
women.
Malay
also
cited
“Mulieris Dignitatem” an
Apostolic Letter written by St.
John Paul II that recognizes
the contributions of women
who work, stressing that
they are present and active
in every area of life – social,
economic, cultural, artistic
and political as the Saint gives
credence to the indispensable
contribution of women to the
growth of a culture and thus
women should be aided to
overcome the obstacles which
in so many parts of the world
still keep women from being
fully integrated into social,
political, economic life.
Binay believes that his
pro-life program flow from
ordinary reason and from
our faith’s constant witness
that “life must be protected
with the utmost care from the
moment of conception.” The
CDFC subscribes to Binay’s
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
promise to protect the dignity
of human life of which the
Church is concerned about
and it joins Binay in the latter’s
strong opposition to abortion
and conraception, the direct
killing of an innocent human
being, which is gravely
immoral (The Gospel of Life,
no. 57) because its victims
are the most vulnerable and
defenseless members of the
human family.
It is Binay’s position
that capital punishment is
not the antidote to crime.
Combinations
of
value
formation and authentic
economic
development
that will benefit the poor are
better alternative to create a
peaceful environment than
the institution of capital
punishment. “Our witness to
respect for life shines most
brightly when we demand
respect for each and every
human life, including the
lives of those who fail to
show that respect for others”
(Living the Gospel of Life, no.
22). (Christian Discipleship
Formation Center,Ed M. Malay
@ 09209602293)