By Joel B. Belinan
The closing events of 2022 show that indeed Covid-19 is maybe now a thing of the past or just a bad dream but its memories are here to stay. What with a messy global economy it left and many people having lost their loved ones. China where it all started, according to reports, is registering covid-19 infections by the tens of thousands daily. Yet it is planning to remove all quarantine restrictions relative to this pandemic. In the US, the government is also planning the same thing which only shows that the covid-flu has now been reduced to an ordinary one.
But what thrilled me is the fact that some of the biggest news events at the close of 2022 are coming from sports with the Qatar 2022 World Cup going to Argentina after edging France in the finals. Yes, it’s soccer (football) which is still the most popular sport on the planet no matter how the Americans and even Filipinos love basketball. Nearer to home, the World Alliance of Kickboxing Organization (WAKO) Asia just successfully conducted its Asian Championship Tournament in Bangkok in the second week of December with our kickboxers from the famed Team Lakay getting a fair share of the medal tally.
Our famous 8th division World Champion and former Senator Manny Pacquiao returned to the ring and beat DK Yoo a Korean Martial Artist in an exhibition match on December 17. On the same date, our Ifugao and Cordillera pride Carl Jammes Martin won the Pan-Pacific Bantamweight division crown from a Thai boxer at the CCDC stadium in La Trinidad Benguet. These are developing in me a positive outlook for the New Year 2023.
I just, however, would like to emphasize one point here that such big crowd events are also a big sign that, indeed, we are almost there. Meaning the whole world is almost about to consider the Covid-19 pandemic as just a part of history. And the usual global problems mostly created by humans are back in the limelight. This week our temperature in Baguio City went down to 12 degrees Celsius and maybe 6 to 4 degrees lower in nearby Sto Tomas and maybe as low as 6 degrees at Sayangan, Atok , specifically at the Highest Point of the Philippine Highway System. And maybe 2 degrees lower at the Mt. Pulag summit.
In the Southern parts of the country, thousands of families either spent their Christmas revelry in their houses or in evacuation centers due to floods caused by strong rains. It’s a sad thing considering that typhoons and strong rains were unknown in many parts of Mindanao some three or four decades ago.
In many parts of the United States, snowstorms were raging forcing thousands of airline flights to be cancelled for safety reasons. Why am I emphasizing these? The world is reminding us that Climate Change problems are here whether humans like it or not. We have to find ways to solve these problems or will become worse and worse.
Talking about the human-created crises, the Russian-Ukraine war is still a mainstay of the world news on all news platforms and while there were talks about possible negotiations, in reality it’s nowhere in sight. Meaning it’s just a part of the psywar tactics of the main protagonists. Relative to war, it is the biggest business of this so-called human civilization. I saw an article saying that North Korea made the most number of nuclear missile tests this year. Yes, the country that is currently the most secluded regime on the planet, and reports have it that its people have been suffering of hunger for years. Still it can afford so many missile tests. One can just imagine how much resources devoted to such kind of military exercise. It’s really hard to understand the human brain.
In the home front, the new government has yet to show a direction on how to lead this country of 110 million people against the ongoing economic crisis (although many of our leaders are in denial). The only semblance of action is the pending Maharlika Investment Fund that was espoused by the President’s son in the House of Representatives. While the intent is maybe good, it is expected to encounter rough sailing in the Senate knowing how slowly the grind of legislation works there, not to mention the political colors coming into play. Never mind that the legislative proposal was allegedly the brainchild of PBBM. What he has been showing these past six months is not one to indicate a strong President.
The President can easily disprove such negative perception and show us that there is something to be hopeful about during the next five and a half years of his stay in power. He made history of getting the biggest votes (31 million plus votes) ever in a presidential race in this country and it would be nice not to disappoint them like the way he has been opening his mouth over the Gen. Bantag case.
Remember President Fidel Ramos in the 1992 presidential race just got 5.3 million votes thus was considered the minority president who inherited the country in an economic crisis. A strong will, steady mind, and extraordinary diplomatic ability to seek cooperation among all sectors of the government and private sectors gradually brought the country on the right track. Hence for me, I am not giving up yet and am looking forward to the New Year 2023. **
