Magnetic lifters

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo   Inquirer photo Magnetic lifters — what are they and what are they for besides being, uhm, containers for contraband? I have never seen one except in pictures recently. It shocked me that drug smugglers could really find all means to enhance their illegal activities. Nothing is spared. Magnetic lifters have been in the news lately, not because of their use in heavy industries, but...

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Saint Oscar Romero of El Salvador

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo   Last Sunday, Oct. 14, or 38 years after his assassination on March 24, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was declared a canonized saint of the Catholic Church, one of six individuals “raised to the altar” in solemn rites attended by tens of thousands in Rome. Pope Francis, who presided at the Mass along with hundreds of priests and bishops, wore the bloodied cincture or waistband of the martyred archbishop. In 2010, the United Nations proclaimed March 24 as the International...

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Memoir of depression and prayer

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo   Yesterday, Oct. 10, was World Mental Health Day. The UN Secretary General issued a message, a portion of which said: “We must leave no one behind… Healthy societies require greater integration of mental health into broader health and social care systems, under the umbrella of universal health coverage.” Here in the Philippines, we now have the Mental Health Law.   Timely for me to have interviewed Geoffrey Lilburne, the author of “Joy Interrupted: A Memoir of Depression...

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Of menstruation and breasts

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo   You’d think ACTS OFW Rep. Aniceto “John” Bertiz III has been bashed enough for his boorish behavior at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) when he belligerently refused to take off his shoes for inspection and was overbearing toward an airport security personnel. But when he attempted to apologize, he set off a bomb (apologies for using the word in an airport context) of a different nature that blew up in his face.   That was when he said his abusive behavior at the...

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