By Herbert Vego THIS corner has always refrained from scaring readers with daily “doses” of COVID-19 cases in the media. Panic has already harmed more people than the pandemic itself because of the misinformation that it is incurable; and that only a vaccine could save us from contamination. If it were incurable, then why
January 6, 2021
By Herbert Vego THE Christmas season traditionally ends on January 6 (come Wednesday) — the 12th day of Christmas, counting from the first day after December 25. The Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day commemorates principally the visit of the “three kings” to the child Jesus. In the gospel of Matthew, the birth of Jesus coincided with the appearance of
January 4, 2021
By Herbert Vego THE year 2020 has left us with no 20/20 vision for the incoming 2021, obviously because of the daily doses of coronavirus cases that print, broadcast and social media have bombarded us with. The news creates panic over the pandemic. But whether the pandemic is real or make-believe will remain debatable
December 30, 2020
By Herbert Vego I might have said, “Good riddance.” The year 2020 has been unfriendly to some people worldwide due to the coronavirus pandemic that some others call “plandemic” hatched by China. The Philippines’ share of misfortunes – the eruption of Ta-al volcano, earthquakes, typhoons, floods, and crimes including those committed by law enforcers
December 28, 2020
By Herbert Vego IT happened at a time when President Rodrigo Duterte was trying hard to link “uncooperative” congressmen to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The “red tag” might have been intended to connect them to anti-military and anti-police operations of the New People’s Army (NPA). The video-recorded incident that has gone
December 23, 2020
By Herbert Vego EVEN non-Christians greet one another “Merry Christmas” days ahead of December 25 – the supposed birthday of Jesus Christ. In fact, it was an American Jew, Irving Berlin, who composed one of the most popular Christmas songs, White Christmas. It was first recorded by Bing Crosby in 1942. Christmas has become
December 21, 2020
By Herbert Vego TODAY marks the 164th birth anniversary of the Ilonggo national hero Graciano Lopez Jaena, who still “lives” in Philippine history because of his work as founder and editor of the fortnightly La Solidaridad which helped trigger the armed revolution against the Spanish government in the Philippines in 1896. Graciano was born to a poor
December 18, 2020
By Herbert Vego IN a previous column, I said that while I respect the right of others to receive an anti-COVID vaccine, I also have the right to reject it based on my belief that it is unnecessary to stay healthy. No less than Dr. Anthony Leachon, former adviser of the National Task Force
December 16, 2020
By Herbert Vego FILIPINA nurse May Parsons, employed by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) for 24 years, has shared recognition with 90-year-old Margaret Keenan — the first official recipient of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. It was she who jabbed the vaccine into the left arm of the British nonagenarian. Naughty minds might
December 14, 2020
By Herbert Vego IT’S not just to save money that some people do not always follow the doctor’s prescription. I say so from personal experience. There was a time when a doctor asked me to take an anti-cholesterol drug after an x-ray had revealed an “atherosclerotic aorta.” Because the branded “statin drug” was very
December 11, 2020
By Herbert Vego THERE is still nobody on Iloilo City’s political horizon who stands ready to challenge re-electionist Mayor Jerry P. Treñas in 2022. Is he so popular that even his detractors now strive to crash into his political camp? A few days ago, while I was having coffee with friends at Hotel del
December 9, 2020
By Herbert Vego INSTEAD of scaring ourselves to death by reading nine-month statistics on the COVID-positive – as if wala nang ibang sakit na mas masakit at nakamamatay — why not go positive on immunity through better nutrition? And so let’s begin by citing two female celebrities who look younger than their age: Cory Quirino, 67, granddaughter of
December 7, 2020