Opinion

Aside from the coronavirus itself, the epidemic of misinformation is one of the reasons why we are still in this pandemic. The overabundance of false, misleading, and potentially harmful misinformation has made it more difficult for everyone to identify verified facts and advice from trusted sources, such as the Department of Health (DOH) or the World Health Organization (WHO). On a personal level, misinformation about health and scientific topics - for example, unwarranted and exaggerated fears regarding vaccinations or complete trust in alternative medicine - can do a lot of harm and can even be deadly.  On a societal level, persistent misinformation regarding political issues can slowly unravel the fabric of society and create considerable harm. On a global scale, ...

The billing is but alphabetical and nothing else since both are considered of equal footing. Both have been in the news yesterday, December 20, talking about a common thing – the COVID-19 vaccine that is met with both sighs of joy and apprehension by the whole world. But if course or curse if you want it, the national administration raised the bar in incompetency again after it failed to immediately secure the much needed vaccine. First, you have former Rep. Albee Benitez, who is now a consultant on economic affairs in the province, announcing that he has been negotiating for Negros Occidental to be among the first in the country to secure the COVID-19 vaccines for its constituency by the first quarter of next year. Albee who celebrated his 54th birthday last Sunday made th...

As we come to the end of Advent, we see the final unfolding of God’s plan of salvation through history replete with surprises at every turn. Today’s readings tell of God’s promise to David and its fulfillment in Jesus, the Son of David. In the first reading, we find King David finally settled in Jerusalem and at peace with all his enemies. After building his own palace, he planned to build a house also for the Ark of the Covenant. God however told him that he was not to build his house, but his son Solomon. Instead, God revealed that he would establish a house for David. God told David through Nathan: “I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdo...

Despite the holidays, I cannot help committing five of the seven deadly sins in Roman Catholic beliefs. These were pride, gluttony, lust, sloth – all in a lesser degree – and envy in a much higher degree. I happened to receive a link to witness the 164th birth anniversary celebration of Ilonggo hero, Graciano Lopez Jaena by the City of Iloilo Thursday, December 17. As a descendant of the national hero, the Iloilo city government asked me for a message that was included in their virtual celebration and so it gave me a semblance of pride that the organizers reached out to us here in Negros. But that pride was well-placed and long overdue as I’ve personally had little interest in working for the legacy of Graciano Lopez Jaena until our father died and the responsibility was left ...

If we truly are Christians, if we really would like to be another Christ as we ought to be, then we have to see to it that we develop and actually have an unsatisfiable hunger and an unquenchable thirst for souls, for all souls, irrespective of who and how they are. This was how Christ was and how he continues to be. He came to the world with the intention of saving all men, not just some, but all. That’s why even if he was rejected by many and eventually crucified, he offered forgiveness to everyone, especially those who crucified him. Before that, he already told his disciples that they should love even their enemies. Yes, it’s true that he scolded and corrected some people, spoke some harsh words especially to those who were constantly finding fault in him, but that’s preci...

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last column. Whenever work beckons, I would often unfollow news so I won’t get distracted. Thus it was a bit surprising to see the news that Negros Occidental Gov. Bong Lacson is keen on transferring the seat of the province to Talisay City which was initially announced by former Rep. Albee Benitez who is the province’s consultant on economic affairs. Of course, I saw Albee’s announcement first and I naturally thought nothing of it because he is from the third district and might just be too keen on seeing his district capitalize on the possible new growth area outside of Bacolod. But I thought, the governor might have other ideas and will put historical and sentimental reasons on top of why we should retain the Capitol as the seat of gov...

When it comes to infectious diseases, like COVID-19, not sharing is caring. When it comes to misinformation, especially about COVID-19, not sharing is also caring.  As the world responds to the pandemic, we are facing the challenge of an overabundance of information. Unfortunately, many of this information may be false, misleading, and potentially harmful. False information spreads widely and most of the time faster than accurate information, making it more difficult for everyone to identify verified facts and advice from trusted sources, such as your local health authority or the World Health Organization (WHO). We can blame bots and trolls for these problems but in reality, it’s our own fault for sharing. Research has confirmed that lies spread faster than tru...

Today, John the Baptist is once again presented to us, this time by the gospel of John, as one sent by God “to testify to the light.” This light is Christ who, “stands among you whom you do not recognize.” In these days of Advent, we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christmas. But we know that Christ had already come two thousand years ago. And while we also prepare for his second coming at the end of time, we know that we may not live to see it. So, what is the point of our advent preparation? The point is precisely what the gospel is telling us today. As John the Baptist came to testify to the light, we too are called to testify to the presence Christ, who is already among us. Is he not Emmanuel (God with us)? And did he not promise to be with us until the end of time? He...

It’s an art that is most worthwhile to learn and to have. Whenever there are drastic changes in life, like what we are having now when our movements are significantly restricted, we should know how not only to survive but also to prosper. Impossible? Well, that really would depend on how we see things in general. If we are the pessimistic and negative type of fellow, then we would readily give up when new and more difficult challenges come our way. The impossibility of survival is already a foregone conclusion, and prospering is definitely out of the question. But if due to our great faith and trust in God and the objective awareness of our own capabilities, we would just be game about our life, irrespective of how it turns, then we know that we not only can survive but also c...

When it comes to infectious diseases, like COVID-19, not sharing is caring. If you have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, or think you might have been infected, it is important to stay home and self-isolate even if you have minor symptoms such as cough or mild fever, until you recover. Other symptoms that are less common and may affect some patients include loss of taste or smell, aches and pains, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion, red eyes, diarrhea, or a skin rash. As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from other people (and even pets) in your home. Do not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people in your home. Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can r...

The spirit of Advent is supposed to remind us that we have to be focused on our ultimate end while cruising in the shifting conditions of our earthly life. We are supposed to keep our eyes, mind and heart on our final destination which is to be with God in heaven, from whom we came and to whom we belong in a most intimate way. Let’s remember that we are meant to be God’s image and likeness, and to share in his very own divine life for all eternity. For this, we have been given Christ, the son of God who became man to be our “way, truth and life.” Yes, we need to follow Christ. In fact, we are supposed to identify ourselves with him to such an extent that we become, individually and collectively, “alter Christus,” another Christ. Christ, of course, has already come, and did ...

We need to develop a certain yearning for Christ, a longing, an urge, a passionate desire, since this is a basic necessity for us, given the fact that Christ is everything to us. He is our savior. He is the pattern of our humanity. We achieve the fullness of our humanity when we fully identify ourselves with him, which is something that can take place only with God’s grace, but also with our all-out effort. This yearning for Christ has been expressed in many ways in the Bible. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God,” says a psalm. (42,1-2) In the Old Testament, the people had practically been trained too long for the coming of the promised Redeemer and to make the necessary preparation. (cfr. Is 40,1-...

Though there is such a close relationship between the person and his acts, we should try our best just the same to distinguish between the two. True, how the person is somehow determine how he acts. And how a person acts reveals the kind of person he is. We can even say that the acts of a person help make a person be how he is. This was articulated by that Scholastic axiom, “agere sequitur esse” (acting follows being). And yet we need to distinguish between the two. That is simply because a person is more than the sum of all his acts. He is not totally identified by his acts. There is something in him that transcends the kind of acts he makes. And that is simply because no matter how a person acts, whether good or bad, he is, first of all, a child of God, an object of God’s lo...

“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid…” How consoling these words are to us especially today. The long-lingering pandemic, the recent calamities, the economic instability, the ever-increasing deaths (COVID related and otherwise), the frustrating political situation… have caused untold suffering, fear, and anxiety to us personally and as a people. We can only welcome these words of comfort with hope and gratitude. These words were originally addressed by God to Israel as they were returning from their Babylonian captivity. God would deliver his people from bondage with power and “like a shepherd, he [would] gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gen...

That’s our life here on earth. God is still forming us to be what he wants us to be—his image and likeness, his adopted children meant to share in his very own life. Our creation is not yet finished. It’s still a work in progress. Considering how God is and how we are, his creation of us in eternity has to enter into the dynamic of time and space. This is a truth of faith that should be clear in our minds so that we can do our part properly in God’s creation of us. In short, we can say that God is still training us as well as testing us because even if he is the one who solely creates us, he wants us to correspond properly to his designs for us. That’s because we are not merely inert creatures or living creatures like the plants and animals that are incapable of knowingly and ...