Opinion-Editorial NEWS

After two weeks of the strictest lockdown phase, the National Capital Region Plus bubble has been placed under the less restrictive Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).  Also placed under MECQ were Abra province and Santiago City in Isabela.

The acceleration of digital transformation is one of the significant beneficial developments triggered by the pandemic.  Day-to-day transactions, especially online buying and selling of food, medicines and other essential goods and services are now facilitated by digital technology.  Most importantly, the components of effective response to COVID-19 — namely, prevention, detection, isolation and tracing — are mediated and enabled by digital tools.

On April 6, 1961 or exactly 60 years ago this week, Congress passed Republic Act 3022 that was signed into law by President Carlos P. Garcia “proclaiming the ninth day of April as Bataan Day and declaring it as a legal holiday.”  The continuing observance of quarantine restrictions mutes anew this year’s observance.  Yet the events that transpired on April 9, 1942 remain etched in the national memory.

In a move that deserves public commendation, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) barred the state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) from passing on to consumers new universal charges (UC) for stranded debts (SD) and stranded contract costs (SCC).

The pervasive, long term harm brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic emerges with greater clarity more than a year after its onset.

With the promulgation last week of the implementing rules and regulations of the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act (Republic Act No. 11523), the government has delivered a solid jab into the financial muscle of banks as prime movers of business and industrial growth that has taken a nosedive in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A ray of hope shone through the thick fog of anxiety over the latest COVID upsurge: the signing into law by President Duterte of Republic Act 11534, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE). It is regarded as a “historic economic reform” that is “one of the largest in decades.”

This year’s Easter observance is muted and subdued by the sobering realities brought on by COVID-19.  An unprecedented surge has transformed the NCR+ bubble area from a hotspot into a cauldron of infection with more than 80 per cent of new cases. The trauma of the initial outbreak a year ago has hit home anew: painful isolation and confinement of the ailing and the dying;  fast-tracked cremation and burial of those who have fallen.   

‘Red tape’ is a politically correct phrase that refers to over regulation, excessive and redundant processes that delay action and make service inefficient, resulting in high cost of doing business. This is not only common in government agencies, but red tape also happens in large private corporations.

The first known use of Calvary, according to Merriam-Webster, was in 1738.  It is the modern version of Golgotha, literally “skull,” and a place outside the walls of Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified.  With COVID-19 still rampant, it is humanity’s Calvary.  While the arduous climb to the mountain of crucifixion took place within a few hours, the pandemic has gone on for more than a year.

On the night of Holy Thursday, at the Last Supper, Jesus Christ issued a commandment to His disciples, “Love one another,” then washed their feet as an act of humility and kindness. Hence, it is also called Maundy Thursday, as it is derived from the Latin word for “command.”

World Water Day, observed on March 22 of each year, seeks to create heightened awareness of the global water crisis.  Some 2.2 billion people live without access to safe water resources.  It calls attention to the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6): water and sanitation for all by 2030.

On the eve of the Holy Week observance, President Duterte placed Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the strictest quarantine status, from March 29 to April 4.  This was prompted by a surge in COVID-19 infection: the number of new cases daily is inching toward the 10,000 mark.  Four out of every five new cases are being reported in the NCR+ bubble area.

After months of eager anticipation, the faithful in the Archdiocese of Manila learned from the Vatican the appointment last March 25 of Cardinal Jose Fuerte Advincula, Jr. as their new Archbishop. It coincided with the celebration of the Annunciation, when it was announced to Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus Christ.

For the second year in a row, the faithful will witness this year’s Holy Week solemnity on TV, laptop, tablet or smart-phone screens.  They will perform vicariously the ritual waving of palaspas (palm leaves)  this Palm Sunday.

In a digitally wired world, turning off lights and gadgets for one hour appears a bit much of a sacrifice – but think again, because that “time window” could be the most important hour for us to reflect on what we can really do to save the planet we’re currently living in.

Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta retires tomorrow, March 27, after serving the Judiciary for more than 34 years as a prosecutor, a trial court judge, an associate justice and later presiding justice of the Sandiganbayan, and associate justice of the  Supreme Court and then as chief justice. He was appointed chief justice by President Duterte on Oct. 23, 2019.

Two years ago this month, Metro Manila residents experienced a water supply crisis.  President Duterte berated the two concessionaires, Manila Water and Maynilad, and issued threats on dire consequences if the problem would not be resolved.