Opinion

Early this morning I received a message from Fr. Fred Guadalupe, our missionary in Solomon Islands, asking if I had a homily to share for New Year’s Day.He regularly follows my Sunday homilies on Facebook, and he must have missed the one for Christmas. I actually did not intend to post any homily for Christmas or the New Year. When I learned of his expectation, I immediately got to my computer and jotted some raw ideas and scattered thoughts on the feast of Mary, Mother of God, to send to him for whatever use he may have of them. So, here they are.Yesterday, Carla Gomez, a journalist from Digicast Negros, texted me and asked about my wishes for the New Year. Impulsively, I wrote, “health and safety for all, end of pandemic and killings in Negros.” As I was about to send the te...

The national government presented earlier the so-called vaccination road map which prioritizes health workers in the list of those to be vaccinated followed by senior citizens, the indigent people then the police and the military.This roadmap was presented to the president early last month by NIATF and vaccine czar, Gen. Carlito Galvez and was approved with a little variant in terms of order with 4Ps beneficiaries among the first and a blanket assurance that all Filipinos will be inoculated.Yet, a month later, lo and behold, the president himself put the word out that cabinet members and the military were already vaccinated with a vaccine that has yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Authority (FDA).‘Pasaway’ is the least you can call the president who disregarded all p...

The year 2020 is ending soon. There’s still a lot that we do not know about COVID-19 but we know quite a lot more than we did 11 months ago.This coronavirus reminded us, like nothing since the 1918 flu pandemic, of how vulnerable we can all be when our immune systems are confronted by a new virus. What have we learned about COVID-19 so far?1. COVID-19 is considerably more dangerous to well-defined segments of the population - those older than 50 and people with existing chronic conditions - but young people can also be infected. Young people without chronic conditions may still have disease severe enough for hospitalization.2. We are sure that masks can greatly reduce the amount of virus that people expel into the air while speaking, and masks protect people who are weari...

That heartwarming story of Mary immediately going to see her cousin Elizabeth once she knew the cousin was already with child, teaches us a very precious lesson about the beauty of serving and avoiding any trace of entitlement and privilege despite a great blessing and honor given to her. (cfr. Lk 1,39-45)In that gospel episode, it is mentioned that Mary went “in haste.” She just learned that she was going to be the mother of the Son of God, the highest dignity any human person could have, but that knowledge did not go into her head. Instead, she rushed to visit her cousin to help her in her difficult condition since Elizabeth was already old and it would be her first time to bear a child.It is an example worth emulating by everyone, for it is clear what is proper for us. A tr...

On this Sunday following Christmas, the Church joyfully celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family, and most fittingly so.After all, is not Christmas the most significant and memorable celebration of our family life and relationship, as manifested in our reunions and gatherings for festive meals, and in our exchange of greetings and gifts? In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, Christmas is the feast of the family par excellence.In fact, Christmas is all about family. There is Christmas because there is family. Christmas is about God who wants to be part of the human family by becoming a member of the family of Joseph and Mary. And this is all because he wants us, humans, also to be part of his own family, the Trinity.We are reminded of this tremendous exchange and crisscross bet...

That's when we just have to abandon ourselves in the hands of God, in his most wise, powerful, and merciful providence. He never abandons us and he will always have the last word no matter how things turn out in the world.Let’s go back to those reassuring words of Christ when things in our life precisely get beyond our control.It’s in the gospel of St. Matthew where Christ said: “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature”“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin. And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed...

Huwag lahatin!That was the cry of uniformed policemen, their families, and the head of DILG, Sec. Eduardo Año about the horrific double murder of Sonya Gregorio 52, and her son, Frank Anthony, 25, perpetrated by a police officer in Tarlac last Sunday.The murderer, yes he is a murderer, is identified as police officer Jonel Nuezca who was goaded on by his 12-year old daughter to show everyone how we must be afraid, very afraid of a man in uniform. And indeed, the monster’s ego expanded and without flinching, shot both victims in close range and finished them off with a couple more shots as they lay dying.Huwag lahatin!This was the cry of the PNP that the sin of one is not the sin of all as the outrage against uniformed policemen grew upon seeing the video of the gruesom...

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, we...

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 that...

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 kingdom ...