Opinion

They say that everything is political but we all hoped that it would not be so in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed thousands in our country and affected hundreds of thousands more.Yet, every day we read stories of how this administration, both national and local, have embroiled politics in dealing with the pandemic from meting sanctions or lack thereof to those who violate the minimum health standards imposed.If you are a who’s who, you either get a slap on the wrist or even excused from violating the laws. But woe to a nobody and either you get picked up, penalized or shamed, depending on your ranking in society.You have Gen. Debolt Sinas who famously became the Mananita King and was rewarded the top post in the Philippine National Police. I do wond...

I still see lots of comments about the vaccines being rushed – reasonable and valid comments - so I really hope you read the whole article and share it with people who are still skeptical about the speed of vaccine development for COVID-19. Development for most of the vaccines we currently have took several years to several decades. Here’s a summary of the vaccines we have and when each respective vaccine became available. I summarized this during the early months of the pandemic to give people a sense of how fast (or slow) the different vaccines for different pathogens were developed considering the different "era" these germs were discovered (different levels of science and technology). The keyword I have been repeating is different. We are also in a different situat...

In today’s gospel, Jesus inaugurates his ministry of preaching and calls his first disciples. He begins his ministry where John the Baptist ends his mission. John had earlier announced the kingdom of God and prepared the people for its coming through the baptism of repentance.Now Jesus proclaims, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.”Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God continues John’s proclamation. And like John, he preaches the kingdom in the context of repentance.However, the preaching of Jesus far surpasses that of John because Jesus is the fulfilment of all that John had preached.In Jesus, John’s announcement of the coming of “one mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop...

I’m getting a lot of questions about the new variants of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the virus causing COVID-19, and thought I’d summarize what we know so far and what we can do about it. While viruses and bacteria undergo mutations all the time, many of them do not affect how infectious the virus is or the course of illness. SARS-CoV-2, like other coronaviruses, is generally slow to mutate thanks to built-in error-correcting proteins that fix most mistakes in replication. It generally accumulates one or two mutations per month. However, the number of mutations in the important “spike protein” that plays a key role in infection and is the target for most COVID-19 vaccines, as well as the association with a rapid rise of cases in these locations, has raised concerns.In rec...

We have to learn how to see God everywhere. This, of course, will require some assiduous training and discipline, but we have our whole life to achieve it, and to be sure, whatever effort and sacrifice would be involved would be all worthwhile.We need to see God everywhere because that is the ideal condition for us to be in. We are all creatures of God. God as our creator will always be in his creatures because not only is he the giver of our existence but also the maintainer of it. He can never be absent from his creatures, otherwise the latter would simply disappear to nothing.Thus, we can say that God is actually everywhere. He is around us and also inside us, at our very core. Remember what Psalm 138 says: “Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your p...

A study released January 6 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that the risk of anaphylaxis - a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction - from the vaccine is extremely low. This is not your typical itching. Anaphylaxis symptoms include wheezing, difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat and tongue, sometimes accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Yes, this can happen but very rarely. Based on data from people who have received the first of the two recommended doses, only about 1 in every 90,000 people, on average, will experience this adverse reaction. For a better perspective on how are this is - in the United States, the odds of one dying from choking on food is around 1 in 2,696. Also in th...

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light… for a child is born to us, upon his shoulder dominion rests.”The first reading speaks of a people subjected to a wretched condition, graphically described by Isaiah in the four images of darkness, hunger, slavery, and war.The scene suddenly changes when a child enters into the picture. Darkness turns into light; the time of harvest and rejoicing arrives; the rod of the taskmaster is smashed; and every blood-soaked boot and cloak is burned in the fire. All this happens because a child is given them, who is named… Prince of Peace.What an appropriate reading and context for our celebration of the feast of the Sto. Niño. We too are a people oppressed by darkness, poverty, bondage and violence, desperately seeking ligh...

A study released January 6 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that the risk of anaphylaxis - a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction - from the vaccine is extremely low. This is not your typical itching. Anaphylaxis symptoms include wheezing, difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat and tongue, sometimes accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Yes, this can happen but very rarely. Based on data from people who have received the first of the two recommended doses, only about 1 in every 90,000 people, on average, will experience this adverse reaction. For a better perspective on how are this is - in the United States, the odds of one dying from choking on food is around 1 in 2,696. Also in th...

Today’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord reminds us of our own baptism. Since most of us were baptized as infants, we generally take this sacrament for granted. This is unfortunate because our baptism is the most important thing that ever happened in our life.Whenever I teach the catechism on baptism to children (and adults, as well), I use the story of the Lord’s baptism. I start by questioning why Jesus asked to be baptized, when he has no sin. Even John, the Baptist, refused to give in to his request at first. Jesus wanted to be baptized in order to show us what baptism is and what it does. What happened to Jesus at his baptism also happened to us at ours. What happened in the River Jordan?Three things: heaven opened, the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove, and a voice w...

I know a few things about vaccines. For over 10 years now, I have been working on different vaccines for different diseases. I am a life-long student of vaccinology. Vaccinology is an extremely exciting field of microbiology, immunology, and infectious diseases covering vaccine development as well as the use of vaccines and their effects on public health and animal health. I have been vaccinated with all the vaccines available except the vaccines for Ebola and COVID-19. Why not? Because it is not available for me in the country where I live at the moment. I have been getting my flu vaccine every year for the past 10 years now – that is why I know that the vaccines available are good for me; because I take them myself. If I am going to DR Congo or countries that had Ebola ...