Anything under the Sun
Discipline–not condom
The Reproductive Health Bill had sparked debates raising this issue: Is it really good for the people?
To start with, let us first accept that God created man. Without Him, man is nothing. Thus, we must be very grateful to Him. Above all, we must love Him as Our Father.
How can we love God? Of course, by obeying His commands. One of these is: “Go out and multiply.” This is manifested when He said to patriarch Abraham: “I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky.” Later, He echoed this to Jacob, Abraham’s grandchild: “I will make your descendants as many as the grains of and at the shore.”
God is wise. He knows that this earth cannot hold these many people at one time. So, as a solution, He designed a Divine Plan of population control. What is this solution? It is not very far from us. He placed it in the woman herself by providing a “safe peirod” and a “danger period” in her menstrual cycle. During the “safe period,” no conception takes place. During the “danger period,” it does.
This is what the Catholic Church is adopting and calling it Natural Family Planning which is in accordance with the will of God–unlike the use of condom and other contraceptives which is the will of man.
To us mortals, following our own appears easier. Just use the condom and our problem is solved. But following God’s will appears difficult as it needs personal discipline to abstain from sex. But is abstaining from sex for a few days during the “danger period” really difficult?
Granting this is really difficult, Jesus warned: “Enter thru the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter thru it.”
Hence, instead of distributing condoms, why don’t the Department of Health teach discipline? For discipline, not condom is the solution.
EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑA
What is El Niño and La Niña?
El Niño is a climate phenomenon characterized by long periods of hot dry season. It starts in Peru (South America) with a rapid warming of the sea surface. This warm water is slowly brought by the north equatorial current across the Pacific Ocean and to the Philippines. It brings flood, drought and famine. It is called El Niño (Child Jesus) because it usually starts around Christmas time.
In the West Visayas, the El Niño prone areas are Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros, Occidental and Aklan–all with “high vulnerability.” But Antique has “low vulnerability.” Usually, it starts on late November up to early June.
On the other hand, La Niña is the opposite of El Niño. La Niña is described by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration as “a cooler than normal sea surface temperature (SST) in Eastern Pacific covering the coasts of Peru and warmer than SST over the Western Pacific including the Philippines.”
This persistent warmer-than-normal SST around the Philippines may bring more rains in many parts of the country.
The difference between El Niño and La Niña is this: El Niño creates a dry climate (low rainfall) during rainy season. On the other hand, La Niña creates a wet climate (heavy rainfall) during dry season.
Thus, El Niño may cause drought while La Niña may cause heavy rains which may result in disastrous floods and landslides.
Hence, both are weather aberrations in the country.*
