Cebu for pilgrims

Easter Sunday was special in many towns in Cebu province because many came up with  dramatic presentations about  the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I remember that the town of Naga used to lead these Easter Sunday “sugat” presentations among the different towns. People from the city would go to watch the Sugat. Today  other towns have very good Sugat presentations like Minglanilla,  and others promote  Cebu in what we now call religious tourism.

Presentations use not just statues of Jesus and Mary but real persons, especially children as flying angels. I think  local governments  should support the Easter Sunday presentations because they promote tourism and benefit  the province and city of Cebu.

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I agree with lawyer Paul Oaminal that to stop  illegal drug use  among  public utility vehicle drivers, we should scrap  mandatory drug testing and encourage random drug tests instead.

Mandatory drug testing for renewal of licenses and   motor vehicle registration is  more of a money-making scheme by the government.  It doesn’t really  discourage illegal drug use.  It just makes PUV drivers prepare ahead  to ensure negative test results in their urine samples. In random drug testing,  drivers don’t have a chance to rig the results.

Just imagine: We have drivers who underwent mandatory drug testing but are  still caught using illegal drugs during a surprise test.

Those who flunk the test should be penalized by revoking their driver’s license and sending them to jail for endangering the lives of passengers.

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I saw in the news the throng of people coming home from vacations during the Holy Week. Many of them said they were on vacation for family bonding.

Sometimes I can’t follow this  logic.  Holy Week is a time for prayers and meditation about the suffering and crucifixion of our Lord yet many take off for a long holiday for fun and relaxation, which is contrary to the essence of the Holy Week.

I hope  that  while on vacation they don’t  forget the component of prayer. It’s also important to participate in church activities like retreats, recollections or Holy Thursday’s ceremony of Washing of the Feet and the Easter Mass.

And please don’t forget to pray the Holy Rosary and the Stations of the Cross. Today with so many distractions,  it is fitting that parents inculcate in children the value of prayer rather than leave them alone to decide what is good for them.  This is why many children today refuse to join  when they’re invited to a family prayer session.

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The political group of Vice President Jejomar Binay is forming an alliance with that of former President Erap in preparation for the 2016 presidential election.

I think this is the right time to form coalitions or alliances  in preparation for Binay’s quest for the presidency.

Binay is up against  the Liberal Party’s Mar Roxas for the presidency.   Many believe that  Roxas is not a strong opponent and that  another candidate will surface at the right time and beat the vice president in the race to Malacañang.