It seems that those of us who had been hoping and thinking that the COVID virus was on its way out must be realizing now that that is still far from happening. This is because of the latest variant to pop up, known as the Delta variant which could be as serious, or more than the earlier variants of this inexplicable disease. All we can think about now is of the possibility that an effective cure for it can be discovered before it claims more victims worldwide.
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But it is not only the COVID that seems to be reigning over the health conditions of the world. In the United States, in Florida, a condominium collapsed and 99 people were reported to be missing. Last I heard, three had been confirmed dead, but 99 were still missing. There was some hope that not all of those 99 were dead, and the possibility that some of them could have been out of the condo when it collapsed, was still being considered and hoped for. Whoever constructed that condominium must be shaking in their boots now, or must have fled the country already.
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It was very decent of President Duterte to declare 10 days of official mourning for the late Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino (III) who died in his sleep last week. PNoy, as he was known, not only to family and friends, but even to the Filipinos, was a credit to his honorable parents, both of whom served their country with wholehearted dedications and honesty. He was the only son among the children of the martyr, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino whose death in that fateful murderous incident at the Manila International Airport led to its naming after him.
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No killer was ever convicted for his murder, but I think only a few Filipinos do not doubt in their hearts who the mastermind(s) was or were. His funeral was fully covered by television, and we who had the privilege of watching, could not help thinking that the young “PNoy”, although he reportedly died in his sleep, was as much a hero to the Filipinos as his parents had been. The most touching scenes were those of people who may not even have known the Aquinos personally, tying yellow and black ribbons on their house gates and vehicles to show their sympathy and respect for the illustrious family.
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This has been a very sad and depressing period for our family, too. Only last week, we lost a such loved and loving sister-in-law Celia, whose husband was her virtual childhood sweetheart . I don’t deny that my brother had been very mischievous and always got in trouble with us, his sisters and brothers, but they loved each other very much and secretly got married with the late Bishop Antonio Fortich officiating. I think members of her family were not on speaking terms with the Monsignor for quite a time, but they surmounted all the difficulties of the early years if their married life. If theirs was not a perfect example of a true and undying love, I don’t know what is!
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I remember clearly an incident when she went to our house crying because she said she and Enzo (Cesar to his classmates and friends) had quarreled. Knowing Enzo, my sister Perla and I started getting mad at him and calling him names and what do you know! After our talk with her, she went to our mother who was her constant adviser, crying because we had been saying bad things about Enzo! My sister and I were aghast, because we thought we were on her side, and yet we turned out to be the villains! Anyway, I guess they really understood each other, having been virtually childhood sweethearts from their elementary grades, despite the fact that in La Consolacion College where all of us studied, the boys were in a different building from the girls!
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I guess I have concentrated too much on personal matters, and I hope my readers will forgive me. But there is saying that “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth (in my case, the pen) speaketh”. I hope, though, that our friends and relatives will continue to pray for the souls of the departed couple and rejoin them in a reunion in His kingdom. That is all we are asking for, as we know their reunion must have been a joyful one that, again, could be turbulent now and then!
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In the meantime, let us all pray for the conquest of the latest variant of COVID menace known as the “Delta” that has been reported to plague several parts of the world, too. Let us plead with the Lord, through His Blessed Mother to intercede for us with His Heavenly Father to be spared from its viciousness, and to remove its virus from our country and the entire world and give us back our peaceful and healthful existence. AMEN.*
