“When elephants fight, it’s the grass that gets trampled”, goes an African proverb which this near-sighted Ibaloy writer finds so apt in today’s volatile world affairs.
The elephants in this case are represented by the two current great powers: the United States of America and China. And the grass? Well, these are the poorer and less powerful nations, usually belonging to the developing countries aggrupation, like our beloved archipelago of delicious coconuts and smiling carabaos.
The proverb opines that during a conflict between or among great powers, it is usually the weaker states and its peoples that are most affected or are the ‘collateral damage’ in these battles.
History, I guess, would bear this out and even common sense. It is usually the weak who are shredded and discarded in the battle among the strong.
Owing to its ‘strategic’ location, the Philippines is being ‘courted’ (for the lack of a better word) by the United States and China. If I remember correctly, our country’s stance, as Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. stressed during interviews, is that we are a friend to all and enemy to no one.
We really do fervently hope and pray that this strategy of befriending and not antagonizing both superpowers would succeed and will spare the Philippines from being caught in a crossfire should the U.S. and China do the unthinkable – start World War III, which could possibly be the end of our existence since it would most definitely involve the use of nuclear weapons. God, save us.
Again, we fervently pray that this will never happen and that both powers (and other ‘warring’ nations, for that matter), maybe with the intervention of the United Nations, will continue to dialogue with each another and realize that peace, understanding and cooperation are the only avenues towards a win-win situation for everyone. We all belong to one race, after all, the ‘human race’.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong has ratified city council Resolution 538, s. 2022, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the sisterhood agreement between the cities of Baguio and Vaughn, Ontario Canada and expressing jubilation for the achievements reaped by both cities through mutual covenants.
The approved measure also commends the Filipino-Canadian Association of Vaughn for making possible this historical achievement to happen.
In November 1996, the international partnership was officially established between Baguio and Vaughn through Resolution 410, s. 1996, that approved the establishment of the sisterhood relationship, the resolution stated.
The partnership aims to promote social, cultural, educational, business and trade exchanges between the two cities where in the span of 25 years, delegations from both cities conducted exchange visits and cultural exchanges.
In 2009, a delegation from Vaughn visited Baguio to participate in the celebration of its centennial celebration and inauguration of the Vaughn sister city marker at the Botanical Garden.
Ordinance 42, s. 2008, or the Sisterhood and Twinning Ordinance of the City of Baguio, commits to establish and forge sister city alliances with domestic and international cities of similar qualities through independent and mutual desires.
Meanwhile, Omicron remains to be the dominant Covid-19 variant of concern in the Summer Capital causing 70 percent of infections according to a local health official.
This was revealed by City Health Services Office deputy head, Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes during the regular management committee meeting on Nov. 22.
She said the Delta variant causes 17 percent of Covid-19 infections; Alpha, nine percent; and Beta variant infecting four percent of the local population, so far.
May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ continue to bless and keep us all safe.
