Wasn’t that a wonderful gesture on the part of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, to donate that RT-PCR Machine to Bacolod City? It is indeed heartwarming to note that our mayors care for each other and are open to help when they have the means to do so. I am sure it is not only because Mayor Bing is the president of the Mayors League of the Philippines, but also because of their friendship and warm relationship. Mayor Sara is herself a seasoned mayor, having led her city to new heights during her leadership.
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I am sure the turnover and presentation of the RT-PCR machine will be a big and sentimental event for Bacolod City. Of course the President himself is aware of this, and if he could have the time to be present at the turnover, what a blessed day it will be. But it is understandable if he could not, considering the prevailing virus still floating in the air and respects nobody’s rank or financial position. Anyway, Bacoleños are all grateful for this gift that will surely make a difference in our approach to this pandemic. Thank you, Mayor Sara! May God bless you and your family!
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One of the most welcome news I learned yesterday was the return of Cano and Nita Tan, and obviously their family, to Bacolod after so many years of keeping away. It is not yet known – or maybe not yet revealed – what had caused them to go away, but I hope and pray that they will always be safe in our city that they have contributed so much, too. Welcome home, Cano, Nita and family – Bacolod has not been the same without your contributions to its political and business successes. Let us celebrate your homecoming when better and safer times come!
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I can’t stop worrying over the reports that some fake vaccines are suspected to have come into the market. I hope our National Bureau of Investigation, as well as our police and other agencies manage to catch their producers and promoters, charge them immediately, and the courts mete them swift justice for their wicked deed. If their charges are proven to be true, this is one time when I can say that an exception to the death sentence that had been declared no longer allowed in this country, be granted.
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Meanwhile, something that is bothering media practitioners in the country until now is the case of the television network, ABS-CBN, that was suspended from operating during this administration, and has apparently not been forgiven, despite the fact that a whole year has passed since it was imposed. In this time of a pandemic, we need all the information we can get about the virus, the developments in the studies for its treatment, and the most effective discoveries against it. The suspension already marked a full year recently, and it has not been granted a reprieve. Was that a “life sentence” then?
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I do not know them personally, but I felt bad upon hearing that Bill and Melinda Gates, the talented couple creditted for a lot of developments in communication, are divorcing. What a talented and brilliant couple they are, and what great contributions they have made in the field of communication. I had the opportunity to meet Bill Gates during a presidential visit of then President Fidel V. Ramos to the U.S. and he seemed to be a humble fellow, and quite impressed with meeting a president. I had the honor of being introduced to him by FVR, but until now, I could kick myself for not remembering to have a picture taken with him although I had a camera with me all the time!
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What is this “Ayuda Bill” being proposed by a member of a Congress? Its provisions include the granting of P2,000 for every Filipino! Does the author want to impoverish our country? His proposal apparently includes everyone and guess who are likely to get the bulk of it. I don’t think this will be a popular bill in Congress, but who knows? We are having elections in 2022, aren’t we? Not that I don’t want to receive P2,000, but our country will need every peso in its coffers to revive our economy. I guess such officials only want to have their names remembered, but I hope they get forgotten.
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I heard that there is now a ban on travel from India to our country. I sympathize with those who had been living in the Philippines before and cannot return, but our government has to be careful and protective over us residents since India is among the worst hit by this COVID. So I hope our Indian community will be understanding if their kin who had left the country before COVID cannot return yet. Every country must protect its own, you know. Let’s all pray that liberation from it will come soon.*
