Are you a world historical buff?
Of course you know that Rome built an empire conquering the world.
You heard of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the Nazi General. Much admired both by friends and foes alike.
Even our current SunStar Bacolod editor-in-chief, Erwin Nicavera, is named after Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
The Covid-19 pandemic has inevitably interrupted Equitas’ ability to run its activities normally, and due to this, the International Human Rights Training Program (IHRTP) had not taken place in June 2020 as previously planned.
The 41st edition of the IHRTP has been postponed to June 2021 and will be held at John Abbott College in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, near Montreal, Canada, from June 6 to 25, 2021.
Equitas came to this difficult decision after considering various scenarios, keeping in mind the different constraints and realities associated not only to the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also the logistical implications of holding an event such as the IHRTP in this context.
Given the situation, the results of the selection process that took place over the last few months for the 2020 IHRTP will now apply to the 2021 IHRTP. This means that there will be no call for applications this coming October, as the selection is already complete.
Russian-Ukraine War
You might say that Russia and Ukraine are literally and figuratively on the other side of the world from the Philippines.
But not exactly. When gasoline prices keep on rising almost weekly. Although mainly a rice eating culture, Filipinos learned to love wheat breads affecting our food security.
In Negros Occidental, the province is bracing for a world food crisis expected by experts to happen later this year.
Negros Occidental Eugenio Jose Lacson said that it is something "that we should address."
"We have preliminary talks about it. I've already sounded off the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist on their recommendations," Lacson said.
The governor committed to "do our best to avoid a food shortage. This is not only in Negros Occidental but worldwide. These are difficult times that we are about to face and we are already facing," he pointed out.
Lacson also said that Negros cannot totally say it is 100 percent self-sufficient in terms of food production. For the food staple rice, for instance, he said, if the National Food Authority cannot fulfill the consumption of Negros Occidental "it is the private sector that provides the supply."
"There are always food products that enter the province whether it's meat or chicken. We should be careful where these products are coming from, said Lacson.
Polítical pundits say elections are won by what Juan de la Cruz feels is food on the table and whether children and parents can go to school or commute to work.
I asked Roman if I could feature the Russian-Ukraine War for SunStar Bacolod and he agreed that it is a fact of life.
Recently, NATO allies meeting in Brussels unveiled plans to also jointly beef up Europe’s air defenses with patriot and other missile systems.
“We are living in threatening, dangerous times,” said German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht at a signing ceremony where Germany and more than a dozen of European NATO members committed to jointly procuring weapons for a “European Sky Shield” to better protect their territory.
Moscow renewed warnings that more military aid for Kyiv made members of the US-led military alliance “a direct party to the conflict,” and said admitting Ukraine to the alliance would trigger a global conflict.
“Kyiv (Kiev) is well aware that such a step would mean a guaranteed escalation to a World War Three,” deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Alexander Venediktov, told the Russian state TASS news agency.*