It’s impossible to stop newly elected druggies

By Alex P. Vidal

“If you want to deal with an epidemic – crime or health – the smartest and most effective and cheapest way to deal with it is prevention first.”—Kamala Harris

ILOILO City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas can’t compel newly elected barangay officials to undergo a drug test since there are no laws that will prevent them from assuming their positions if they refuse the test.

If they are aware that taking the drug test will expose them to shame and embarrassment if the results are positive, no druggie village official will come forward to volunteer for the test.

Self-incrimination is the intentional or unintentional act of providing information that will suggest your involvement in a crime, or expose you to criminal prosecution.

The law provides protection to individuals from being compelled to incriminate themselves.

Also, the efforts to prod them to undergo a drug test should have been done before they filed their certificates of candidacy (COC), not after they have already taken their oath of office.

In other words, drug addicts and even drug traffickers who won in the October 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) can no longer be stopped from assuming their respective positions since they now have the mandates of the electorate.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has admitted some of the winners in the BSKE were drug users and even suspected drug traffickers based on their background investigation.

The efforts of our authorities are cure not prevention. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, so goes the popular saying.

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The appointment of Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. finally ended the speculations that the Marcos Jr. administration was trying to win former DILG secretary and 2016 defeated presidential candidate Mar Roxas by offering him the DA portfolio.

The news about President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s alleged attempt to woo Roxas on the administration’s side started to make rounds when the president and the scion of the Roxas political clan in Capiz recently met in Roxas City, Capiz where they were photographed in “sweet” moments recollecting the old days when they were studying together in New York City in the 70s.

It also sent shivers down the spine of the supporters of former Vice President Leni Robredo, Roxas’ former running mate, who lost to Mr. Marcos Jr. in the 2022 presidential election.

Many supporters of Robredo believe she was “cheated” but their suspicions remained suspicions and were never corroborated by accurate and solid pieces of evidence.

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SAVING OUR PLANET. Let’s dry ourselves organically. Let’s buy organic, unbleached cotton towels to use after our bath, and try to use the smallest towels possible for the job because they will require less laundering. We can do it! This is very possible! I have already tried this several times while staying in California more than 10 years ago.

MYTH: Taking a tiny taste of leftovers from our fridge is an easy way to determine if they’re still OK to eat.

SAVING OUR PLANET: Fiberglass folly. Some bathroom companies still use fiberglass. Let’s avoid it whenever possible as a great lot of energy is wasted during fiberglass manufacture. Simple but sensible.

REALITY: Cooked meat or poultry stored longer than four days may begin to spoil–but you may not be able to tell anything is off just by taste. And even a little nibble could make us sick. If we can’t remember when we stored it, let’s throw it out. (Source: Kitchen Mythbusters)

ECCLESIOPHOBIA is a fear of church. Ecclesiophobics can still pray at home or any place that is not necessarily surrounded by giant statues and other expensive figures normally seen inside the church.

SATANOPHOBIA is a fear of Satan.

HAMARTOPHOBIA is a fear of committing a sin.

LOVERS in Singapore are the least amorous, having sex just 96 times a year—the only nation to dip below the magic 100 mark.

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There are many ways in which a knowledge of biological science can be of great value to all of us. Some of these, according to the High Points of Biology, are as follows:

1. One learns a great deal about health and disease through the study of biology. This knowledge is important to our daily well-being.
2. Biology provides us with a knowledge of plants and animals. On trips, hikes, vacations, and in everyday activities, this information is a source of fun and interest.
3. The breeding and care of plants and animals are profitable and fascinating topics in biology.
4. Biology teaches us to understand how our own bodies work.
5. Gardening and agriculture are based on knowledge of biological principles.
6. The wise and efficient use of our natural resources can be helped through biological study of conservation.
7. Many occupations and professions require a background of biology. Among these are medicine, dentistry, veterinary work, laboratory, hospital, museum and research work, farming, nursing, and pharmacy.
8. Hobbies of all types are often developed as a result of biological work in the classroom. Insect collecting, nature photography, and microscopy are a few examples of these hobbies.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)