JAN. 20 - JAN. 26, 2019


4 OPINION EDITORIAL


Miracles


Two major miracles happened in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental just this past week. The first miracle must have been happening for quite some time but it was


the Philippine Administration conducted


inspection at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in barangay Bajumpandan, City.


Dumaguete


shabu worth P782,900 and bundles of cash in denominations of P500, cellphones and WiFi devices, among others. Their discovery suggests that the drug


There, they discovered 115 grams of


trade is very active inside the BJMP. How is it possible for the prisoners to go about their business under the very noses of their guards? The second miracle happened at the Comelec checkpoints that were held in various parts of the province. The police recovered at least 10 firearms of different types but failed to arrest a single suspect. The reason given in each of the police reports was that the suspects saw the checkpoint from a distance and threw the gun away, made a u-turn and fled. This could be funny if it weren’t serious. If it happened only once, it may perhaps be allowed to pass as a lesson learned. But it happened not twice, not thrice, but ten times! The policeman typing the report must have had a field day laughing at the ludicrousness of it all.


called it for what it is. Chief Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, a high official at the PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame who has spent long years in the service of the people of Negros Oriental, said what happened was “unthinkable”. He was very kind. All the firearms that the police “recovered” at the checkpoints had defaced


Luckily, a ranking police officer


ownership could not anymore be traced. For this to happen in just one day in many parts of Negros Oriental can only make one shake his head in disbelief. This is not just unthinkable, it’s nothing short of a miracle.


serial numbers and their


discovered last Monday, when Drug Enforcement a surprise


METROPOST


DR. ANGEL C. ALCALA


ENVIRONMENT CONNECTION


suakcrem@yahoo.com


I am quoting below an article written by my SUAKCREM research colleague, Abner Bucol, on a very important issue of microplastic pollution, which is now recognized as a health hazard affecting humans and aquatic animals.


S


ince the 1970s, scientists have already warned of the dangers of plastic pollution, yet we are still


facing the same problem. A recent study in 2017 by Roland Geyer and co- authors estimated that 8,300 million metric tons (Mt) of “virgin plastics” have been produced to date. As of 2015, approximately 6,300 Mt of plastic waste had been generated, only around 9% of which had been recycled, 12% was incinerated, and 79% accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. If production trends and waste


management continues, an estimated 12,000 Mt of plastics will eventually end up in landfills or in natural environment.


recalled that plastic wastes are not decomposed at all but only degraded in smaller fragments called “microplastics”. There is a growing interest in terms of research on microplastics for two main reasons: 1) they can


It can be


accumulate and remain stable in the aquatic environment and 2) they can reach human food sources (e.g. seafoods) and eventually may affect human metabolism.


revealed that the so-called “microfibers” (that are slough-off from clothing by washing) and “microbeads” (from cosmetic products such as facial wash) are small enough (<500 microns) to be trapped by any water treatment facility (if there is any facility at all). These microfibers and microbeads are within the same size range as most microscopic


Moreover, as plastic wastes (especially single- used, disposable plastics) accumulate and degrade in the environment, there are other sources of microplastics that remained unmanaged. For example, recent findings


ATTY. WHELMA SITON-YAP ECON 101 whelmayap@yahoo.com


Member, Philippine Press Institute


ALEX REY V. PAL Publisher & Editor-in-Chief (On-leave) IRMA FAITH B. PAL Managing Editor


JOEL V. PAL Online News/North America Editor RICHLI D. AVES Cartoonist


2017 National Awardee: Best in Photojournalism 2017 Best in Visayas: Best in Photojournalism, Best Editorial Page, Best Edited Community Newspaper


2016 Best in Visayas: Best in Photojournalism, Best in Environment Reporting, Best Editorial Page, Best Edited Community Newspaper


2007 National Awardee: Best Editorial Page


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The MetroPost is published by the UniTown Publishing House. All rights reserved. Subject to the conditions provided by law, no article or photograph published by the MetroPost shall be reprinted or reproduced in whole or in part without its prior written consent. The views expressed in the opinion pieces are those of the Columnists, and not necessarily of the Editors and the Publisher.


H


istory records that on Sept. 20, 1519, a fleet of five galleons commanded by Portuguese Navigator Ferdinand Magellan, at the service of the king and queen of Spain, sailed from San Lucar de Barrameda to search for the Spice Islands. They did not find the spice


island, instead they landed on March 16,1521 in Limasawa, a small island south of Leyte in the central part of the Philippines. Magellan took


behind their villages burnt to the ground. As Spanish soldiers surveyed the debris of the village, a soldier found an image of the Child Jesus under a pile of ashes, unscathed inside a wooden box. An earlier authenticated entry in the Journal of Pigafetta, clerk in the Magellan expedition, explained the


possession of the 7,100- island archipelago, named it after King Philip of Spain, then moved towards Cebu, which became the base of exploration and Christianization. King Humabon and Queen Juana of Cebu embraced Christianity as well. In a fierce battle of Mactan, Magellan was killed by Lapu-lapu. Years after, the Spaniards


came back, another battle broke out, heavy artillery and huge cannons forced the natives to flee to the mountains, leaving


origin of Santo Niño: “On the day Queen Juana was baptized by Father Pedro Valderama, chaplain of that expedition, Pigaffeta himself presented her with the Image of Santo Niño.” The same Image now lies in the Basilica del Santo Niño, and is a favorite destination for millions of pilgrims each year. For four and half centuries now, the Image of Santo Niño continues to make wonders in the lives of many Filipinos. On the third Sunday of each year in Cebu, millions flock to


the streets of Cebu for a colorful festivity, honoring the Santo Niño, and placing the island and the entire Philippines under His patronage.


a bomb fell inside the Church but the image of the Santo Niño was recovered unscathed. It was one of the numerous miracles and powers attributed to the Holy Image.


are amazed by ethnic, colorful, rhythm and dance steps which is the identity of the Sinulog, done by a dance ritual - prayer, telling the story of the Filipino people’s pagan past, connecting it with their acceptance of Christianity, which originated from the adviser of Rajah Humabon. The word “Sinulog” was derived from the Cebuano adverb sulog which roughly translates to “like water current movement”.


Somehow, most onlookers During the last World War,


organisms that zooplankton often are able to ingest. Zooplanktivores such as sardines, which form part of the major source of food and income among Filipino fishermen, might consume these microplastics. What is even alarming is that in Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines, smaller planktivores such as sardines and silversides are often eaten whole (i.e. without


degutting). Some locals even consumed salted fish guts (locally known as dayok). This is of great concern because aside from containing potentially hazardous substances (e.g. bisphenol A or BPA, a hormone- mimicking polymer), microplastics can serve as carrier of other hazardous pollutants such as heavy metals.


What alarmed us is the apparent paucity of published studies being done in the Philippines about this problem. Although advocates kept on talking publicly about the general dangers of plastic pollution, Filipino scientists need to respond and work in a collaborative


Collaborative research on microplastics


selected researchers based in Dumaguete City who are at present pursuing studies on microplastics. I learned that so far undergraduate students from the two universities in Dumaguete (Negros Oriental State University led by Dr. Edwin Romano


) among TO PAGE 9 Feast of Santo Niño (Cebu)


The nature of religion in the pre-colonial Philippines was diffused, a combination of animism, indigenous religious beliefs, and mythologies such as Anito and influences from Hinduism and Buddhism. With the arrival of Islam in the 14th century, the older religions gradually disappeared, and after the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, Christianity, specifically Roman Catholicism, became the dominant religion. However, some of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines continue to practice animism today, and many of the traditions became part of Folk Catholicism. And this unique mixture of ethnic indigenous reliefs and mythologies and Catholic practices and traditions become evident in the unique


type of worship that only Cebuanos can demonstrate on the Feast of Santo Niño. With everyone greeting


everybody, Pit Señor! (short for Sangpit sa Señor!)


With most of Cebuanos identifying themselves with Cebuano origins of President Digong Roa Duterte , devotees of the Santo Niño are praying for health and “wisdom” for President “Digong”, among other intentions, as the Philippines marked the Feast of the Infant Jesus today. Pit Señor!


manner. For this reason, National Scientist A.C. Alcala organized a brief meeting last Friday (January 18th


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