The province of Batangas has reasons to be happy for receiving funding assistance in their fight to eradicate the African Swine Flu Virus (AFSF) by using the locally developed rapid diagnostic kits to detect the virus affecting the swine industry. The assistance came from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in the form of fund given to the Batangas Provincial government to help their livestock raisers to get access to the diagnostic kits.

The collaborative project was entered into by Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas and DOST 4-A Regional Director Dr. Emelita Bagsit.

The diagnostic kit, developed by the Central Luzon State University CLSU), is a nano-gold biosensor test kit, specifically “a test-kit with nucleic acid-based assay that combines LAMP and nanotechnology where gold nanoparticles are used to aggregate with amplified DNA genetic materials after amplification to visualize the reaction after 30 minutes.” The test can be done on samples collected from live animal such as blood, feces, and saliva or oral liquids and from inanimate objects such as raw meat and other tissues, surface swab and water.

Likewise, DOST provided assistance to the town of Santo Tomas-based private sector-led research and development center, purposely to develop a vaccine against the ASFV.

MY COMMENT:

Considering that the DOST funding is for a science-based ASFV diagnostic/test kit and has impact on the economic recovery efforts of the country, I strongly suggest that the DOST assistance be extended to the other regions affected by the virus.
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WHAT is to be self-righteous? It’s when we base our idea of what is right and wrong, good and bad on our own estimation of things with hardly any reference to God. Or there might be some references to God, as usually the case, but in the end, it is our own ideas that would prevail. In other words, when we make ourselves our own law.

We are reminded of this danger in that gospel episode where Christ asked some Pharisees if it was lawful to cure a man with a withered hand on a sabbath. (cfr. Mk 3,1-6) What should have been an easy, common-sensical answer to make turned the Pharisees mad, even thinking of how to eliminate Christ. Their position typifies the rigidity of a self-righteous mind.

The common phenomenon of self-righteousness can be considered as the irony of ironies. That’s because one can earnestly pursue the path of holiness, of what is good and right, and yet ends up the opposite of what he wants. He can practically have the trappings of goodness and holiness and yet misses the real root of righteousness who is God. It can be so self-deceiving that one becomes fully convinced he is righteous.

The main problem with self-righteousness is when one’s search for holiness does not go all the way. His relation with God, his understanding of God’s will and ways only goes to a certain extent. Usually it stops at that point where he feels he already knows everything. In other words, he makes himself the ultimate judge of things, discarding the many other things of God’s will and ways that may still be hidden in mysteries.

This was well personified by the Pharisees, scribes and other elders during the time of Christ. They preferred to stick to their own ideas of goodness and holiness, their own laws and traditions, and went all the way not only to be suspicious of Christ, always finding fault in him, but also to finally crucify him.

This danger of self-righteousness usually affects people who are considered intelligent, gifted, talented. They often regard themselves, either in an open way or in a hidden way, superior to others.

If one is truly righteous with a righteousness that is a participation of the righteousness of God, then he should include in his idea of goodness and holiness the essential virtues of humility, compassion and mercy. He always defers to the ultimate judgment of God. Whatever judgment he makes is always open to God’s judgment.

He should have the love that God manifested in Christ, the God made man to offer us the way, truth and the real life meant for us. And that love includes love of one’s enemies. It’s a love that can go all the way to offer one’s life not only for his friends but also for his enemies. This is the real test of a truly righteous person.

Yes, it’s true that Christ said that that there can be no greater love than when a man lays down his life for his friends. (cfr. Jn 15,13) But St. Paul said that “God proves his love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5,8).

In other words, even if we consider ourselves enemies of God because of our sins, God continues to love us. For God, we are all his friends, his beloved, no matter what the circumstances are. We have to reflect this kind of righteousness of God!

If there are those who do not love us in return, that’s their problem, not ours.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee of the previous and the present Congress had been successful in ferreting the truth on billions worth of scandals.

The Pharmally in the heat of the Pandemic saw an obvious overpriced billions worth of procurement.

It saw a company with a capitalization of 600 thousand garnered an award of billions worth of project.

The long and winding hearings kept us glued to our seats and the people knew the truth.
But to this day, not much of punishment nor redemption came.

Today, we saw again the recommendation of yet another Blue Ribbon Committee on the DepEd Laptop scandal.

We have learned to expect nothing from it.

In the Pharmally shenanigans, we saw an Administration willing to defend the wrongdoers.
This time, we expect similar machinations with a twist. Perhaps, all these will be buried in the collective short memory of our people.

These are billions worth of overpriced transactions and we expect no punishment, this is our trend.This is our reality. And this is Sad.

Bloggers would do everything they can just to produce content that attracts viewers, even if it harms people in the process and causes relationships to fall apart. Such content is posted usually on Facebook for viewers to feast on, gathering varied reactions.

In certain countries of Latin America where kissing in public is perhaps a normal sight, there are these bloggers who are drawing large viewership. The blogger would have someone or a group of guys with him, then they go around offering money usually to strolling couples in exchange for kisses with his companion/s.

Sometimes, bidding is done. If the couple being enticed rejects the offer right away, they look for some more else. If they notice that the couple is merely hesitant, the blogger keeps increasing the amount until it becomes too tempting to decline. In this case, the girl is usually the one who gives in, even helping the blogger convince her man.

Why? It’s easy money for her, so to speak! She simply joins a passionate, kissing action with a man, and there it is—a huge amount to get. It doesn’t even take a minute, just seconds, usually.

But it’s not that easy on the part of her lover, boyfriend, or husband. Jealousy creeps in. It’s indeed not a good sight for him; it hurts! And most of the time, the man loses control of himself as an onlooker—he intervenes, acting like a referee in a boxing or wrestling match. If the kissing tandem already melts into a tender, loving embrace, with the man’s hands now exploring the woman’s body, her lover frantically tries to stop the scene.

This results in a commotion—the lover trying to pull them apart, but the tandem still insisting to continue, as if they are not yet contented and done, as though they enjoy the action. This, to many, is a funny scene. It’s like playing with the lover’s emotions while he is overwhelmed with jealousy, love, and hatred. This lover, who can’t stand what he sees, is seemingly putting off a flame that has just erupted.

The result, of course, is a heated argument between the original couple that escalates into an explosive quarrel. The man usually storms away in anger, rejecting the lady’s attempts to appease him. Never do these couples leave harmoniously; they normally end up in a disaster. There are cases when the man wildly leaves by himself, and the girl, rejected in her efforts at reconciliation, simply goes away with her kissing buddy, holding hands with him. What a pity. What a way to destroy love relationships.

And who earns the most? It’s the blogger, of course, who can eventually monetize large viewership. Now you might ask me why I am watching these episodes. Well, I do so for me to be able to write about it and expose it. I simply don’t like the idea of putting two lovers at war, knowing that it hurts, from experience.