#EndCOVIDNow

Although COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing illness, scientists are still learning how well vaccines prevent you from spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 to others, even if you are asymptomatic. Early data indicate that vaccines help prevent people who do not have symptoms from spreading COVID-19, but we will learn more as more people are vaccinated. Because of population immunity, it is difficult for the disease to spread from person to person. It even protects those who are unable to be vaccinated, such as newborns or people who are allergic to the vaccine. The proportion of people who require protection in order to achieve population immunity varies by disease.

What You Need to Know

• -COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.

• -Possible to experience side effects after vaccination. These are normal and should go away in a few days

• -It typically takes two weeks after vaccination for the body to build protection (immunity) against the virus that causes COVID-19. You are not fully vaccinated until 2 weeks after the 2nd dose of a two-dose vaccine or two weeks after a one-dose vaccine.

Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping you from getting COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine will also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccination is an important tool to bring you closer to enjoying the activities you have missed.

Valor Day

This day commemorates the greatness of Filipinos who fought in World War II. In the Philippines, it is observed on the 9th of April. The day of Valor is designated as a public holiday. Every municipality in the Philippines holds a little parade to commemorate Araw ng Kagitingan. Soldiers were compelled to travel 145 kilometers to Camp O'Donnell in San Fernando that day. It is known as the Bataan Death March due to the large number of people who died as a result of malnutrition and dehydration. Despite their helplessness and defeat, they held firm and returned to fight for the country. The purpose of Araw ng Kagitingan, or the Day of Valor, is to honor the Bataan heroes who held steadfast in the face of adversity.

Public historian Xiao Chua said that for ships to reach Manila, these would have to pass between Cavite and Bataan, where the island of Corregidor was located. He said the plan was to “frustrate” the efforts of the Japanese troops by making it hard for them to transport their supplies to Manila. As the war continued, Filipino and American soldiers defended Bataan in what was now considered one of the longest battles in Asia. According to historian Dr. Ricardo Jose, what was admirable about the soldiers in Bataan was that they were not professionals but reservists and ordinary people who trained for only six months. He said these farmers, students, office workers and “non-professional armies stood up against these veteran Japanese troops” from China who were experienced in combat. “It was something remarkable,” he said. Bataan became a symbol of hope, so it was a painful defeat for Filipinos when it fell on April 9. Through the Voice of Freedom radio broadcast, 3rd Lt. Normando Ildefonso Reyes announced Capt. Salvador Lopez’s message that Bataan had surrendered.Despite the defeat, the battle in Bataan became a historical moment not only for Filipinos, but also for the entire world. 

“We never celebrate the Fall of Bataan. We commemorate the Fall of Bataan. We remember,” said Jose.

He said the many lives lost in Bataan were a tradegy should never happen again 

Lenten Season

The three main things people focus on during Lent are prayer, fasting (abstaining from something to reduce distractions and focus more on God) and giving, or charity. Prayer during Lent focuses on our need for God’s forgiveness. It’s also about repenting (turning away from our sins) and receiving God’s mercy and love. It’s important to note that doing these things can never make us earn or deserve Jesus’ sacrifice or a relationship with God. People are flawed and will never be good enough for a perfect God. Only Jesus has the power to rescue us from ourselves.

Jesus sacrificed Himself on Good Friday to bear the punishment for all our wrongdoings and offer us forgiveness. He was raised from the dead on Easter Sunday to give us an opportunity to have a relationship with God for eternity. Spending time during Lent praying, fasting and giving can make Jesus’ sacrifice on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter even more meaningful. 

According to Bishop Barron, "Three key lessons follow from the disquieting fact of the Resurrection. First, this world is not all there is. The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead shows as definitively as possible that God is up to something greater than we had imagined. We don’t have to live as though death were our master and as though nihilism were the only coherent point of view. We can, in fact, begin to see this world as a place of gestation toward something higher, more permanent, more splendid.

Second, the tyrants know that their time is up. Remember that the cross was Rome’s way of asserting its authority. But when Jesus was raised from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit, the first Christians knew that Caesar’s days were, in point of fact, numbered. The faculty lounge interpretation of the Resurrection as a subjective event or a mere symbol is exactly what the tyrants of the world want, for it poses no real threat to them.

Third, the path of salvation has been opened to everyone. Jesus went all the way down, journeying into pain, despair, alienation, even godforsakenness. He went as far as you can go away from the Father. Why? In order to reach all those who had wandered from God. In light of the Resurrection, the first Christians came to know that, even as we run as fast as we can away from the Father, we are running into the arms of the Son."

#WomenMakeCHANGE

 

The 2021 National Women's Month Celebration is an homage, a platform, and a call to action that recognizes ordinary Juanas' outstanding contributions to society as trailblazers and change agents. This event also serves as a forum for discussing and addressing the difficulties that women continue to encounter in order to reach complete empowerment. According to the PHILIPPINE COMMISSION ON WOMEN, This observation traces its roots in different movements in the 1900s, particularly in the United States of America, particularly garment workers fighting for their economic rights and fair work hours.

In 1911, the first International Women’s Day was celebrated on 19 March participated by millions of men and women. However, a tragic incident led to the changing of this date. On 25 March, 1911, 140 working women died in a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York City. This brought to light the unfair labor practices and inhumane working conditions that women workers face and led to several rallies.
In Europe, the Socialist Women’s International Conference recommended March 8 to be the International Women’s Day not only to commemorate the women workers in the New York fire, but also to lobby issues concerning women. Since 1913, IWD has been observed annually on 8 March. In 1975, the UN formally designated this as the day of celebration of achievements of all women around the world and propel change in terms of gender equality.
In December 1977, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a UN Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions.

This year's advertising differs from previous ones in that it is placed against the backdrop of the COVID-19 epidemic, which presented both obstacles and opportunity for women. As a result, this year's commemoration emphasizes women's contributions to the fight against the epidemic, as well as gender concerns aggravated by the outbreak. It's time to look into the gender issues that arose or became more apparent during the health crisis, to highlight women who persevered in the face of adversity, and to offer information on support networks and government initiatives that address women's challenges and concerns.