Opinion

The issue of divorce is one of the thorniest controversies facing society since the time of Jesus. Today, there is a bill on divorce pending in Congress. In the gospel, the Pharisees ask Jesus whether it is lawful for a husband to divorce his wife. Their intention is actually to test Jesus and snare him into an insidious trap of either contradicting Moses, who sanctioned divorce, or opposing God, who instituted marriage.Jesus responds by saying that Moses allowed divorce as a concession because of man’s “hardness of heart.” But, he insists that “from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So, they are no longer two but one flesh.”Beyond the mali...

As of this writing, the petition to exclude Bacolod mayoralty candidate, former Cong. Albee Benitez, from the list of voters in Brgy. Mandalagan is being heard at the Hall of Justice. The case includes Bacolod Election Officer, Atty. Kathrina Cana and the members of the Election Registration Board that approved the former congressman’s transfer of voter’s registration from the 3rd district, to Bacolod.The petitioners, Hector Yula, Teodoro Abao and Jonah Abao are said to be allies of Grupo Progreso, the party of incumbent Bacolod Mayor Bing Leonardia.If this case will be booted out of court, I am sure they will find another issue or venue to file anew, not because they believe they will be victorious, but because any irritant like such, is a strategy to distract your opponent.Re...

Israeli scientists, using national surveillance data routinely collected by the Israeli Ministry of Health, estimated that without the national vaccination campaign, Israel would have had 3X the number of hospitalizations and deaths compared with what actually occurred during its latest and largest wave of COVID-19, which could have overwhelmed its healthcare system.From Dec. 20, 2020, to Apr 10, 2021, Israel launched a massive national COVID-19 vaccination campaign.Israel has a population of approximately 9·2 million people, of whom 6.5 million are aged 16 years or older. The COVID vaccine was offered to all residents of Israel, initially targeting healthcare workers, long-term care-facility residents, people who are immunocompromised, and those aged 60 years and older.Vaccina...

A few days ago, CNN reported the findings of the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service claiming that the hole in the ozone layer is now larger than the Antarctica.The report added that the ozone depletes and forms a hole over the Antarctic in the Southern Hemisphere during spring, which is from August to October. It was observed that the ozone hole is now larger than 75 percent of the records in previous years and bigger compared with the snow-covered continent it hovers. Antarctica is estimated at 14.2 million square kilometers, a measurement equivalent to the combined sizes of the United States and Mexico.The ozone is an important layer in the atmosphere that protects us from the deadly ultraviolet radiation from the sun. It also helps regulate the different c...

When Joshua asks Moses to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying because they were not present at the bestowing of the Spirit, Moses replies, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets!” Likewise, when John complains that somebody, who is an outsider, is casting out demons using Jesus’ name, the Lord responds, “Do not prevent him… for whoever is not against us is for us.”Jealousy is an ugly thing that has been with us since Cain and Abel (since Adam and Eve, actually). It diminishes us and renders us petty and bitter, “acting more like children than children.” Worse, it blinds us from seeing the goodness (God’s gift) in people, and drives us to frustrate, if not destroy that goodness.In today’s gospel, Jesus continues to educate his apostles by...

The global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is progressing at “two alarmingly different speeds”, UN agency leaders said in a statement, highlighting that less than 2 percent of adults are fully vaccinated in most low-income countries compared to over 50 percent in high-income nations.The heads of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank Group, World Health Organization (WHO) and World Trade Organization (WTO) met with the CEOs of leading vaccine manufacturing companies to discuss strategies to improve the access to COVID-19 vaccines, especially in low- and lower middle-income countries and in Africa. The task force said without urgent steps, the world will not be able to meet its 40% vaccination goal by the end of 2021, which in a statement they note is a critic...

Last Saturday, September 18, the global community observed the International Coastal Clean Up Day, and numerous groups participated in it here in the Philippines. The activities focused on conducting information campaigns on proper solid waste management and clean up drives in coastal areas.Just like in previous clean up activities, volumes of solid wastes were collected on Saturday. While many provinces, cities, and municipalities in the country have already passed ordinances banning single-use plastics, the problem of solid waste, especially non-biodegradable materials, is far from over. Several local government units are also not effectively and efficiently implementing ecological waste management.Many groups are actively campaigning for proper solid waste management. From three...

Is the impending battle royale in Bacolod getting on Mayor Bing Leonardia’s nerves? I thought he had the upper hand considering the political machinery he has in place and the confidence his allies has in his reelection for the nth time?So it was a bit startling that Mayor Bing recently lashed out at Atty. Ma. Fatima Aspan, the designated poll officer for Bacolod Comelec while its chair, Atty. Kathrina Trino-Caña is on a 14-day mandatory quarantine as part of the protocol for close exposure to a COVID-positive staff.I cannot also make heads or tails of the inconsistent statement of the mayor who, a week ago came out to encourage voters’ registration, especially among the youth, yet is now discouraging the same, alleging that most registrants are transferees from the areas covered b...

In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks of his passion, death and resurrection for the second time. Again, the apostles fail to grasp the meaning and gravity of his words. It may also be that they are reluctant, if not unwilling, to accept Jesus’ message because it contradicts and frustrates their own expectations.That is why even in their lack of understanding, they do not dare to ask Jesus, lest he reveals more plainly what they dread to hear. They would rather hold on to their traditional idea of the Messiah and hope to take their coveted place once the new kingdom is established in Jerusalem.And so, when Jesus inquires what they were discussing on the road, they guiltily remain silent for they were arguing who was the greatest among them. They were positioning themselves and jockeying ...

Group chats are abuzz with what’s going on in Bacolod and Negros Occidental in so far as the rise of COVID-19 cases is concerned.This is one topic I do not like discussing as we have lost a brother and several friends to this pandemic, the most recent of which are media colleagues, Rushmore Ubas and Jerome Galunan.But we can’t help talking about the state we are in, as each day, someone is asking for help to facilitate a family member or friend in desperate need of hospitalization as patients are being turned away in most of our medical facilities that are filled to the brim.A source told me that the city government has asked the Department of Health to provide them with oxygen concentrators and ventilators. Even the provincial government said they had to source out oxygen as t...