Opinion

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...

Another variant is being mentioned in discussions about the pandemic these days. It’s called Mu (pronounced as myoo, not moo) or B.1.621, and after being identified in Colombia in January 2021, it’s now found in 39 countries across the globe.Mu has several characteristics that make it “seem likely” (not confirmed) to infect human cells more efficiently than previous versions of the coronavirus that’s why the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified this variant as a “variant of interest” — as opposed to rather a “variant of concern” — because experts are still observing it. There have been 11 noteworthy variants to date, which the WHO has named for the letters of the Greek alphabet. Mu is the 12th.Mu has eight mutations in its spike protein, many of which are also p...

The province of Negros Occidental is gifted with numerous river systems that are essential for agriculture, industrial, and domestic needs. These rivers emanate from various mountain peaks to gentle rolling slopes and large levels of plain land, which we usually refer to as watersheds.There are at least six major river systems in Negros Occidental and these are the Danao, Himoga-an, and Malogo rivers in the northern part of the province, and in the south the Bago, Binalgaban, and Ilog rivers. However, there are still numerous tributaries that contribute to the flow of water in these major rivers.While comprehensive resource valuations of these rivers are still needed, their valuable socio-economic benefits could not be understated to the overall economy of Negros Occidental. It is,...

Today’s reading indicates a turning point in Mark’s gospel. For some time now, the disciples have been faithfully following Jesus as an extraordinary preacher and a powerful healer. Although they do not yet know him fully, they have an inkling that he must be more than just a great prophet. At the calming of the storm in the lake, they are awestruck and ask each other, “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.”When Jesus asks his disciples at Caesarea Philippi who they say he is (after hearing what others say of him), Peter replies in their name, “You are the Christ (Messiah).” This is the moment of truth for the disciples, a moment of clarification about their hesitant guesses, and a moment of confirmation of their long suspicion that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. With Jesu...

The importance of Negros Occidental's coastal wetlands is gaining a further boost with the results of the recent expedition and waterbird counts in Cadiz City in the northern part of the province. The survey findings indicate that the wetlands in Cadiz may qualify for recognition as another Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in Negros Occidental.The site is specifically located along the coastal intertidal flats stretching from Talaban River to the estuaries of Sicaba River, and extending to the most part of the shoreline in Barangay Daga to Barangay Cadis Viejo in Cadiz City.The Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area, spanning from Bago City to the municipality of Ilog, was the first Ramsar Site of the province. Lisa Paguntalan, Executiv...

The rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib [pronounced BAR-i-SIGH-ti-nib] was shown to reduce mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, according to a randomized, controlled trial published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Baricitinib, an inhibitor of (Janus kinase, JAK) JAK1 and JAK2, has been appraised in artificial intelligence early on in the pandemic in February 2020 and mechanistic laboratory studies and human clinical trials, with multiple mechanisms of action identified, including anticytokine effects and inhibition of host cell viral propagation.  Potential side-effects of the drug, such as secondary infections and venous thrombosis, are related to changes in the inflammatory and coagulation cascades. However, these side-effects have been...

The recent statement of Bacolod Councilor Al Victor Espino shook me out of my depression stupor and fired me up to write again after over two months.My brother’s untimely demise took all of us by surprise and since his passing, I was not able to write a column as everything I read was about COVID-19. It was depressing as Nonoy contracted the virus just before he passed away and which I felt made his condition spiral downward so fast.So when I read Al Victor’s claim that he is in a “state of depression” for getting ousted from Mayor Bing Leonardia’s Grupo Progreso, I nearly fell off my chair and had a laughing fit. That really made my day!Kidding aside, I also wanted to write again especially since Digicast Negros withstood the odds and turned one-year old last Saturday (Sept. 4...