Sports people must be the most optimistic in the world. Despite this horrible pandemic that has, so far, showed no signs of letting up, Tokyo, where the next Olympic games are scheduled to be held, has already installed the symbolic rings of the games in the site where they will be played. Of course the entire sports world knows that the next competitions will have Tokyo as its host. And what country will not be excited to have all the champions and would-be champions show their wares and compete in their venues?
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So let us all join the Japanese people in praying for this pandemic to go away by the time the games are scheduled. Frankly, I don’t know exactly when they are scheduled, but everybody knows that it is Tokyo. It will provide chances for athletes from all parts of the world a chance to shine and bring honors to their land. The holding of the games will surely make everyone forget the horrors of the Coronavirus “invasion”.
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Gosh, I don’t know how liberal the libel laws in the United States are, but I really felt my heart stop a beat, when I heard CNN reporter Don Lemon calling outgoing President Donald Trump a “super spreader of lies”. I am sure that is libelous in any language, but we have not heard anything from the Trump camp, so far. Maybe he will just get back at the reporter tit for tat, but really! Try calling a Pinoy official that, and the next thing on the news is a multi-million damage suit!
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Life must have been wonderful for poor Donald T while he was living in the White House. But he had his turn, and his people have rejected him, so why does he want to hang on? Even if all agencies involved have denied his claims of fraud and cheating, he insists on the elections being fraudulent. His beauteous wife, Melania, is said to be insisting on returning to their own home, which must be as luxurious as the White House, but poor Donald seems to be out of touch with reality. As for the proclaimed winner, Joe Biden, he is getting more and more admirers by his silence on the matter.
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How can we stop thinking about the COVID pandemic? All day long news sources from all over the world are reporting on it. And why does it seem as if the United States is among the worst hit? One would think that country would be the first to conquer it with all its brilliant medical people and scientists working on it. Well, I think this not something only our generation had to cope with. Remember the Plagues of Egypt so vividly described in Bible history? The Good Lord must be reminding our generation of those days. Non-believers may scoff at that, but that is something for all believers to think about.
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Sorry for sermonizing, but these are desperate days, indeed. There is hope in the production of a vaccine for the ongoing pandemic, but its efficacy is still be confirmed globally so far. Our country is supposed to be working for its acquisition, but the cost will be prohibitive, for sure. By the way, do we already have incontrovertible proof that it is successful? Could it, as some fear, worsen instead of alleviating matters? And can our country afford and our people accept it?
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I was aghast at the report that Hongkong is going through its third wave of the virus already. Hongkong? The playground of the East? Well the report said that all gyms, pools and sports centers have been ordered closed, and restaurants have deadlines for opening and closing. I guess we in our province and city are lucky to have officials who have been able to put the fear of COVID into our hearts to the point that we had no choice but to comply with restrictions. For that we should be grateful, and not grumble.
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But the best news of the week for Bacoleños, I think, is the announcement that the city will have its own hospital that will cater to its residents as well as those from the province. Indeed, our population is growing so fast that we really need more health facilities, especially one that will cater to its poorest residents. What a hopeful sign in these days of despair over the ongoing pandemic. It may not be on time to serve those stricken now, but it is a great sign of hope for the people of the city, especially the poor who cannot afford the services of private ones. Let’s hope and pray that it will be constructed and open to serve the people of Bacolod soon.*
