Quake grabs nat’l attention

After hogging the headlines for quite a while, the Chief Justice Renato Corona impeachment trial seems to have finally given way to the 6.9 quake that hit Negros Oriental Monday.

Until yesterday, the Philvocs counted more than 1,200 aftershocks. That still has to go up, since the readjustment of the crustal line seems to be going on as usually happens when an upheaval triggers a series of adjustments of the land mass.

The most important thing is that President Benigno Aquino III flew down to Oriental Negros yesterday – his 52th birth anniversary. And he gave out a check to the Oriental Province to help tide them over the damage to properties and public works.

I also learned yesterday that Vice President Binay had also gone down to the province opposite our Occidental to look into the possible sites for the relocation of the displaced residents, especially of Tayasan and Guihulngan.

These were mostly those hit by landslides.

And the death toll kept mounting.

Well, there is not much we can do for them except to contribute our share to them in terms of food, money and medicines as well as the essential family items. And, perhaps, if we can, construction materials for homes.

Five choppers from the Southern Mindanao command were dispatched to Oriental Negros yesterday. So also with PN boats to help in the relief operations.

DSWD and other agencies have also pitched in with other relief materials. So did the DOH. Although it is a fact that bringing them into the hinterlands, especially of Tayasan, Guihulngan, Jimalalud, and other nearby areas had been hampered by ruined roads and fallen bridges.

The more important development yesterday was the dispatch to Oriental Negros of water purifying equipment that could convert even sea water into potable liquid.

So, for the next few days, we may find ourselves daily monitoring the Oriental tragedy. Thank God that we were spared the same debacle.

***

Most of us seemed unaware that the Church has been concentrating more on the Nuptial Theology first popularized as such by the late Blessed John Paul II. This is a call to family ministry agenda for the humanity.

Actually, that nuptial theology has long been practiced among members of a small group in the Church – the neocotechumanate. In short, this does not only involved living the faith by adherence to the vow to remain one for the other with God at the center between husband and wife. But it also entails what we call as entire family praying together every Sunday the psalms and the gospel reading as well as the free exchange of ideas by the family. The children, themselves, are involved.

Actually this is also the way by which the Jews have maintained themselves firm in their over centuries. The faith is handed from one generation to the other. And the principle focus is to convert first one’s family members who in their turn, transmit the faith to other by their examples of their lives.

Pope Benedict XVI has also expanded it by sending out families on mission in Asia. This means that entire families uproot themselves and go into “pagan” areas to spread the gospel. No, not by reaching but simply living examples of Christianity through their lives.

Several families from the Philippines had been set out to other nearby countries thru this mission and gentles. And there they are quietly doing their share in sharing Christ with the rest by just living their lives and showing how a Christian should live the life of a believer.

Actually this was originaly implemented by the late Blessed John Paul II during the later years of his life and her personally blessed the families sent off to mostly Europe and countries and it was just expanded later by Pope Benedict XVI.

***

I supposed that a lot of us expect a major aftermatch of the declared repatriation of the remains of Rep. Ignacio Arroyo from London to the Philippines. The way lawyer Lorna Kapunan reported, Grace Ibuna had managed to pass herself off as the nearest relative of Iggy and even as his wife at the London Mortuary. It was only later that the Philippine Embassy had reportedly convinced the London court that Aleli is the real wife of Arroyo, since the annulment of their marriage had not been approved by the courts.

But, although Juan Miguel Arroyo had told us the terse message from Bianca, Arroyo’s eldest daughter, that she was coming home either today or tomorrow with the body of Iggy, we can’t frankly predict when that will happen.

So, everything remains on hold.

Our kababayans in London must be squirming now if the scandal has been taken up by London tabloids. That must be an embarrassing fodder for the scandal sheets of the United Kingdom and embarrassing for Pinoy expats there.

***

Our best wishes and prayers for the success of Pnoy on his 52dn birthday. We hope he will finally find the time to get married, although that is not the aim of President who seems willing to remain a bachelor until the end of his term.

Caveat. Just don’t follow the examples of former US President Bill Clinton and now, exposed finally after prolonged silence, the dalliances of the late US President John F. Kennedy.*

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