“We are not victims of aging, sickness and death. These are part of scenery, not the seer, who is immune to any form of change. This seer is the spirit, the expression of eternal being.” —Deepak Chopra

Something good came out of the Iloilo City Council before the end of 2019, the unanimous passage of Ordinance 2017-053, which allows the distribution of cash benefits for centenarians, or those who have reached the age of 100 to 80 years old. Under the new policy, of the total P80,000 cash allotment, P10,000 will awarded when a city resident turns 80 years old, a P20,000 disbursement is given out if they reach the age of 90, with the final P50,000 disbursed if they reach 100.
I laud City Councilor Irene Ong, the main proponent of the ordinance.
The amount may not be too big but the gesture will certainly invigorate the hearts of many Ilonggos who have parents and grandparents qualified to receive such cash incentives. With this really impressive ordinance, Ilonggo households with elderly members will never forget Ong, especially if the city official plans to seek higher office in the future; Ilonggos understand “utang nga kabalaslan,” or debt of gratitude.

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Many laughed when Kingdom of Jesus Christ Pastor Apollo Quiboloy claimed “he stopped” the recent earthquake in Mindanao. They also “hoped” he would stop Typhoon Tisoy and laughed once more when he “did not.”
Clearly, his allegations were hogwash yet many Filipinos believed what he was saying hook, line, and sinker. If Quiboloy were a candidate for senator, he would surely win—it’s the kind of personality Filipinos actually want nowadays.
The public does not take the defective electoral process seriously and the country continues to elect those who should be in jail, elementary school, a mental institution, or the circus. Many Filipinos are tired of serious and intelligent candidates.
Based on the kind of public officials the country has been supporting, it would not be a surprise if, in the future, most senators and congressmen begin to act, speak and think like Quiboloy (there will have more reasons to laugh).

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Does one die if they run out of sweat? With the winter season prevalent in the United States’ east coast, it is rare to sweat, even during physical activity. The whole point of sweating is to keep the body cool and it is pretty vital.
According to Popular Science, if our core temperature goes above 104°F (40°C), our body begins to overheat to the point where proteins mutate.
Human health and nutritional sciences Professor Lawrence Spriet notes: “[When this happens], membranes of the tissues lose their integrity and things leak out. The intestines can discharge bacteria into the bloodstream and the body goes into shock. By then we would probably be unconscious, possibly even in a coma. But while people do in fact die of overheating, it’s reportedly very unlike to be due to a sweat shortage.”
In addition, environmental and exercise physiologist Lawrence Armstrong pointed out, even in extreme cases, it’s impossible to sweat out all the water in our bodies.
“People don’t shrivel up until they are dead,” he said.

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Alex P. Vidal, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo./WDJ