Opinion

I have invited Fr. Henry Donasco, our Diocesan Liturgist, to take my column for this Sunday, which he graciously accepted. Here is his homily.THE BEST IS YET TO COMEThe old practice of veiling the crucifix and sacred images on Saturday before the 5th Sunday of Lent until the beginning of the Easter Vigil remains an option in some churches today. It can be traced from the tradition of "hunger cloth." Originally, Lent was a time when public sinners who were admitted to the Order of Penitents were banished from the Church and deprived of joining the congregation in all liturgical services.The practice of covering the front of the altar with violet cloth was therefore meant to restrain the penitents from seeing the altar. Eventually, this practice became a Lenten observance of "fa...

According to a JAMA Network Open study, the greatest COVID-19 risk factors for healthcare personnel (HCP) aren't patient contact or clinical duties but rather community exposure. The study looked into survey and serologic data from ~25,000 HCPs in the US: Atlanta, Georgia (Emory Healthcare), Baltimore, Maryland (Johns Hopkins Medicine and University of Maryland Medical System), and Chicago, Illinois (Rush University System). Researchers found that exposure to a positive community contact increased the likelihood of infection 3.5 times and high cumulative exposure increased the likelihood 1.8 times. Researchers collected volunteer samples and survey data from 24,749 HCP across four large healthcare systems and three states (Georgia, Maryland, and northeast Illinoi...

COVID-19 cases are again on the rise and though we are seeing low digit numbers here, the recent IATF resolution, adopted by the province may compromise what has been wonderfully contained because of the protocols set by the provincial government.Though our LGUs will clearly save so much from lifting the mandatory swabbing and quarantine of our arrivals, it may get more costly if we see a resurgence of cases in our midst. Especially that it has been reported that the first case of the highly contagious Brazilian variant was detected in an OFW who is from Iloilo.The new executive order makes travel within Western Visayas free of any requirement and although the provincial government will continue to provide testing at ports of entry, it will solely be on a voluntary basis.A...

“God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, so that those who believe in him might not perish, but might have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16)A favorite of everyone, this certainly is one of the most quoted verses from the Bible. It is often referred to as “the gospel in miniature,” for it captures the very essence of the gospel and of the bible, for that matter. In one line, it summarizes “the greatest story ever told” - the story of an unrequited love, spurned and betrayed, yet continues to pursue so that the beloved may be saved and live, even at the cost of the lover’s life.Francis Thompson was a bright boy who once wanted to be a priest but eventually led a miserable life when as a medical student he became addicted to opium. He ended up living in a slum and survived by sh...

Lab and animal studies have suggested that the antiparasitic drug ivermectin has activity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 but a clinical trial published recently in JAMA showed that early administration of ivermectin did not significantly shorten time to clinical improvement in 400 adults mildly ill with COVID-19.Ivermectin, a widely used drug with a favorable safety profile, is thought to act at different protein-binding sites to reduce viral replication therefore Several countries have included ivermectin in their treatment guidelines.However, a single-center, double-blind, randomized trial led by researchers from the Centro de Estudios en Infectologia Pediatrica in Cali, Colombia found ivermectin did not seem to "significantly improve" the time needed for...

There’s this saying, “What goes around, comes around.” And in the case of provincial Human Resource Management Officer, Atty. Anabelle Palic, it seems she’s now hanging by the end of the rope.I met Anabelle some years back when she was also involved in another controversy in the previous administration. I wrote a bit about it and she asked to sit down with me so she can give her side of the story.I gave her my time and she got to explain things and dispute allegations. However, I asked her for documents so I will have some basis plus I do not want to get libeled if I write her side. She never did and that was the end of the story.I remembered that days before the turnover of the provincial administration from the late Gov. Freddie Marañon to Gov. Bong Lacson, the former re...

In Jesus’ time, the temple meant everything for the Jews. It was, in fact, the center of their social, political, economic and spiritual life. The dwelling place of God, the temple was where heaven and earth met. For a people forbidden to carve representations of God, the temple was the closest image they had of him.The psalmist poignantly expresses this sentiment in his prayer: “O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting… like a dry weary land without water. So, I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory.” (Ps 63:2)Hence, it was no surprise that when Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” the Jews were deeply shaken and scandalized. In fact, Jesus’ enemies used (rather, misused) his statement to fa...

Prior infections with some seasonal human coronaviruses might protect against severe COVID-19. Coronaviruses are named for the crown-like spikes (‘corona”) on their surface. Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) were first identified in the mid-1960s. The first four coronaviruses identified that can infect people are: 229E, NL63, OC43, HKU1 – all causing the common cold. People around the world commonly get infected with 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1. Sometimes coronaviruses that infect animals can evolve and make people sick and become a new human coronavirus. Three recent examples of this are human coronaviruses SARS-CoV (the coronavirus that causes the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS), MERS-CoV (the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS), and&...

Election fever is really heating up and here in Negros Occidental, social media pages urging former 3rd District Rep. Albee Benitez to run for a senate seat come 2022 sprouted last week.There’s the “Visayas for Albee” that went online last February 25 which has now 775 followers and another “Albee Benitez – Senator 2022” which is a private page with 497 members.Since then, the #RunAlbeeRun has been shared countless of times and even Negros Occidental Gov. Bong Lacson came out in the media a couple of days ago to strongly support the call for Albee to run for the Senate.Why not? We will surely be at an advantage if we have a senator from Negros. Look at Iloilo. Their progress can be attributed to their progressive mayors, yes. But much of the development there was also beca...

Every second Sunday of Lent, the gospel reading tells the story of the Lord’s Transfiguration. This event happens six days after that deciding moment in Caesarea Philippi when Peter confesses his faith in Jesus as the Messiah, and in turn, Jesus proclaims Peter as the “Rock” on which he will build his Church.Having elicited the first explicit profession of faith in him as the Christ, Jesus tells his disciples for the first time of his passion and death.Later, on two other occasions, he would reiterate the same prediction of the tragic fate awaiting him in Jerusalem. From here on, he makes it clear to his disciples that he is not only the glorious Messiah (preacher, miracle-worker, exorcist); he is also the Suffering Servant, foretold in the scriptures.It is in this context...