Avoid ham, bacon, sausages, salamis to avoid “double dead” meat

“DOUBLE DEAD” MEAT IN HAM, BACON, SAUSAGES AND SALAMIS MUST BE AVOIDED: The best argument against eating processed meats such as ham, bacon, sausages, salamis, and others of the same kind not only during the Christmas season but all year round is found in the one ton of “double dead” meat seized from the Balintawak Market in Quezon City Wednesday morning.

What the meat’s seizure showed was that, there will always be unscrupulous men and women among us who, in their desire to earn money, will not stop at anything, including selling meat from already dead animals which is sure to compromise the health and safety of consumers nationwide.

Previous experiences will also tell us that there are also heartless companies in our midst which have no qualms about using “double dead” meat to manufacture hams, bacon, sausages, salamis and others of the same kind, and then offer them at low, low prices.

So, why take the risk? To avoid health complications arising from these products, we must avoid eating them. That is the only way to assure our families, relatives and friends of a healthy and sickness-free Christmas 2009, and even the whole year round.

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CATHOLIC BISHOPS MUST ASK THEIR FLOCK TO RESORT TO REGULAR PRAYERS AND BIBLE STUDY: Cubao, Quezon City Roman Catholic Bishop Honesto Ongtioco must be congratulated for leading an “Oratio Imperata” (Obligatory Prayer) among the faithful last Sunday to seek divine intervention against Typhoon Ramil’s onslaught.

The prayer appears to have been heard by the heavens and by God, because the typhoon, earlier touted to become a super typhoon once it entered the Philippine area of responsibility, had greatly weakened Wednesday morning and may no longer be as dangerous as it was first reported to be.

But on top of this apparent success with the “Oratio Imperata”, what must be done now by Ongtioco and his fellow bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines is to make praying and Bible study a regular part of the daily life of Filipinos here and around the world.

These two directions must be pursued by them with a full realization that the weather disturbances, natural calamities and the hardships and difficulties afflicting the country now have a Biblical dimension, and could therefore be dealt with only through what the Bible itself says.

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IT’S OFFICIAL, ERAP IN THE RUNNING IN 2010: So, it is now official. Former President Estrada is running in the May 2010 elections.

And, as you are reading this, the “nomination convention” of the United Opposition, the political coalition that will field him and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay as 2010 presidential and vice presidential candidates, will have already “anointed them” in ceremonies announced to be held in Tondo, Manila Wednesday.

The two were also expected to have announced the opposition’s senatorial line-up, which, as of press time, included nine names: Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, Rep. Teddy “Boy” Locsin, lawyer Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, Joey De Venecia, and Grace Poe.

Former Senator Ernesto Maceda, who is now the campaign manager of Estrada’s ticket, told me last Tuesday that there will be additions to that list, who will all have been presented in Tondo.

The opposition expects Estrada’s ratings in surveys to shoot up, now that he has finally declared his candidacy, Maceda added.

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CROWNING OF JESUS WITH THORNS: The Third Sorrowful Mystery of the Holy Rosary of Roman Catholic Christians talks about the crowning of Jesus with thorns, and the account of this event is found in Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, John 19:2 of the Bible. There is no account of it in the Gospel of Luke.

According to these passages, Pilate had tried to release Jesus who, by then, was presented to Him after He was arrested, but the crowd instead asked for the release of another man, Barabbas, the convicted murderer, and insisted that Jesus be crucified.

Jesus was subsequently flogged, on orders of Pilate, and later was brought to the Praetorium in the company of many soldiers. The soldiers stripped Jesus of His clothes and put a scarlet robe on Him.

Then they twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on His head. Putting a staff in His hand, the soldiers then knelt in front of Him and mocked Him, saying “Hail, king of the Jews.”

After they mocked Him, they took off His robe and put on His own clothes on Him. The soldiers then led away to crucify Him, thus fulfilling His prophecies about His suffering in the hands of the Jews before His crucifixion.

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BATAS RADIO: Please listen to BATAS INTERNET RADIO, an Internet radio station under www.batasmauricio.com and www.eradioportal.com. Log on to either of these two sites, click BATAS RADIO and you can stay tuned for 20 hours a day, from 4 in the morning to 12 midnight, Mondays to Fridays, enjoying the latest news, credible commentaries, free legal and problem counseling from the point of view of the Bible.


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