28 minute read
BEHIND THE TRENCHES, UP CLOSE ON THE FRONTLINE
by ALEA JEN VILLAHERMOSA
“We worry for our own health
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Back in the days before this unseen villain attacked, everyone was just listlessly buzzing through their hours going straight to classes or filling up absences. Some were stringing out their time on a job for overtime pay while others hit the computer shop as part of the daily grind. Others were content with getting drunk over chitchat, chips, and drinks with friends on a Friday night - not-soextraordinary routines for another normal day until a worldwide pandemic hit the country and
and that of our family’s safety, we grieve when we have patients who die, and we are hurt when we are discriminated because of our line of work,” Dr. Anady outlines her emotional and psychological stress
changed the course of everyone’s lives.
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread like wildfire, infecting 18 million people and counting worldwide with no known cure and a vaccine still in the works.
In the Philippines, the Department of Health has already recorded more than 100,000 confirmed cases, as of press time, alarming everyone in the country, especially the people who are risking their lives daily under the oath to save others – the medical frontliners. These are the people greatly exposed to the risk of pathogens as entailed in their profession to address everyone’s health needs and fulfil their oath.
and concerns aside from physical fatigue brought by spending 24 to 30 hours on hospital duty. Every day is a struggle for a frontliner. Battling an unseen enemy in uncertain circumstances is already an obstacle itself. Top that with the need to take extra precaution in everything they do in order to protect themselves ON UNIFORMS AND THE COURAGE TO DO Donned with a laboratory coat over scrubs, a fitted face mask, a face shield, a pair of surgical gloves, and covered shoes, these comprise the usual get-up of medical professionals as they pave through their days in hospitals and other medical facilities attending to their patients; layer upon layer of protection and this is without a threat of a pandemic. How much professionals were already stringent in observing the donning and doffing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) yet as a pandemic that still troubles scientists to this day knocks closely by, PPEs continue to minimize the risk of frontliners being infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and other pathogens. The wearing of layered PPE is no walk at the park as what the 27-year-old, second-year pediatric resident doctor testifies and a swabbing trainer for COVID-19 specimens at St. Luke’s Medical Center - Global City shares her struggle of wearing her N95 respirator. Ma. “Iya” Concepcion Osano, RMT, diagnosed with asthma, chooses to save lives despite spending most of her 16-18 hours per day in the hospital wearing PPE. Iya says that it is even harder to breathe when she moves and talks with her mask on. “... Plus, I have to wear my [PPE] body suit and their loved ones adds to the burdens they encounter. Being a medical frontliner entails sacrifice – sacrificing your time to just attend to your patients even on twilight hours and how a simple hug or a cup of coffee with someone dear can be a risk itself. For Dr. Anady, Iya, and other frontliners, this means physically distancing themselves from their families - no hugging, kissing, and the lesser conversations, the better. more when COVID-19, a virus transmitted from respiratory droplets, took its course? In a time not-solong-ago, medical to, especially during the summer. Outside the hospital, under the scorching heat of the sun, Dr. Anady Eleccion of Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital - Bacolod says that being in a twofold suit with her level 3 to 4 PPE is straining. “With the increased layers of protection, of course, so it gets hotter and I struggle to breathe even more,” she adds. But for Iya, serving in the medical community is her calling. Though being a health professional, especially at this time, is a challenge and half of her wants to take a leave off work due to exhaustion, she couldn’t do it ON HEROES THAT SKIP THE CAPE BUT DON APRONS Our medical frontliners aren’t the only ones serving the people in a pandemic. Journalists, staff of food manufacturers and food and package couriers, store employees, drivers, armed forces, and garbage there is also an increased level because she is mostly committed collectors are some of the many of discomfort, especially when to helping her colleagues frontliners who toil day in, day PACK FOR A LIVING. Nanay Vilma Villahermosa packs her bread products that are ready for delivery. it is used for a prolonged time,” she shares. Dr. Anady also attests overcome this pandemic. out in serving the community. A 56-year-old food manufacturer photo by Alea Jen Villahermosa. that even with just a few hospital ON PROTECTIVE GEAR OUTSIDE in San Enrique, Negros Occidental, rounds of seeing her patients in VULNERABILITY shares her package of hard work an isolation tent, she is soaked in Protective gears don’t wrapped in her 15-year-old her sweat and feels dehydrated. cover vulnerability. bakery, being among the few Even though Dr. Anady expresses One might not easily see the businesses allowed to operate her discomfort on wearing PPE, hardships our medical frontliners in the municipality during the she is determined to help and to have to go through every single Enhanced Community Quarantine serve for another day, “As long day as they don on masks and (ECQ) from March to April.as my body is able, I will go.” the bravery to continue taking Nanay Wilma Villahermosa, Similarly, a 26-year-old care of others despite having the owner of the bakery, says that medical technologist stationed bottled-up emotions and at the Microbiology section being victims of discrimination continued on page 12
NATION’S CALL. Ma. Concepcion Osano,
RMT swabs a patient in full PPE.photo Tolentine Star is the official student publication of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletoscourtesy of Ma. Concepcion Osano,RMT.
EXCHANGE A GOOD, SAVE A KABABAYAN
by CRISHA ARROYO
Taking another nail on the coffin, livelihood problems pile up on the alreadypresent heap of issues brought by threats to democracy and the rising positive COVID-19 cases as Filipinos try to gasp for a breather.
“Up for barter. Trade for anything.”
Déjà vu? Not quite. This is not a 2nd-century barter activity on the Silk Road when people traded gold, silver, and fabric with neighboring lands like China, Java, Borneo, Thailand, and other settlements; this is in Bacolod City, the City of Smiles, where the modern bartering system takes its course.
REVIVING THE CULTURE
The barter system which was introduced by ancient Mesopotamia, adapted by the Phoenicians, developed by the Babylonians, practiced in different parts of the world, and handed down through several generations is now being revived on a local scale through a virtual Facebook community known as the Bacolod Barter Community (BBC) that began on May 8 and continues up to this day. As the threat of a pandemic continuously looms, multiple Filipinos remain jobless with limited essential reserves due to the existing quarantine protocols nationwide, such as the implementation of home quarantine passes and stayat-home protocols during the Enhanced Community Quarantine. Former City Councilor Atty. Jocelle Batapa Sigue got to her thinking chair brainstorming solutions on how Bacolodnons can access goods without going through long lines in grocery stores during limited hours. Atty. Sigue took to Facebook and created an online group, the BBC, where people can exchange goods without using money. In the article she wrote on ANCX about the trading system, the page was designed for women to exchange cosmetics and personal items but later on accepted male members after she initially invited her friends who started inviting others, including men.
On May 8, Atty. Sigue first bartered her new liquid eyeliner for pineapple, squash, and vegetables. With BBC currently having more than 195,000 members, Bacolodnons have been bartering just about anything from housewares to fruits for sacks of rice or canned goods like how 20-year-old Psyche Dela Luna went through her old stuff, from her pre-loved shoes and jeans including her brother’s old clothes, in exchange for a tray of eggs. Bacolodnons easily clicked with the online barter system and embraced it as a part of the new normal. With it, the spirit of giving has been knocking on several hearts in the City of Smiles.
KINDNESS OUTSHINES ALL HATE
Reviving the idea of a barter system through Facebook does not only bridge people who want to trade for their necessities but also becomes a platform for spreading kindness and positivity. Over time, the BBC has become a community not only for bartering but for charity; some users decline the option to barter their item for another item and instead give it for free to those who need it. In a BBC post by netizen Leah Fernandez, she shared a picture of her father, Leonilo, with his banana produce wanting to barter for coffee. With that, several Bacolodnons rushed to the comment section offering not only coffee packs but other groceries as well despite the barter deal having been closed.
Overwhelmed with the kindness of the community, Fernandez posted a picture of her Tatay receiving goods from multiple ka-barters while also stating that they shared some of the items Tatay Leonilo received to those in need.
Indian Mangoes in exchange for type A positive blood from willing donors for her mother who’s undergoing dialysis sets up Meriam Monte’s barter story. Her post on May 26 received a lot of user replies online who agreed on the exchange. These acts played a big part in her mother’s recovery and in alleviating their financial struggles.
Currently, the post itself reached around 3,0000 likes and almost 600 comments from users who offered help and prayers to the family.
“One of the reasons that helped my mother in recovering was when she saw that many people were willing to help and were encouraging her to get well,” Monte expressed her gratitude on the BBC page last June 5.
Another story that touched netizens’ hearts and was featured on SunStar Bacolod was when Dr. Jessica Atas, an optometrist, bartered a new electric fan to saplings of Averrhoa bilimbi locally known as Iba with 62-year old Aurora Dela Torre of Barangay Estefania.
In an interview with Dr. Atas, 28, she shared that she saw the post of Nanay Aurora’s daughter on
BAYANIHAN SPIRIT.
Dr. Jessica Atas exchanges a new electric fan to Nanay Aurora Dela Tore’s Iba saplings. photo courtesy of SunstarBacolod.
the BBC Facebook page who was offering their used and defective electric fan in exchange for rice. Many people have reached out to Nanay Aurora who gave their family sacks of rice and food products already so she decided to give the family a new electric fan to replace the old one.
BAYANIHAN DEAL
Opening new opportunities while inculcating the innate Filipino bayanihan spirit hand in hand with redefining the traditional barter system as part of the new normal shape the vision of Atty. Sigue’s BBC.
Large orchid plants for a sack of rice? A refrigerator for a COVID-19 testing center for a Red Cross pin? A bowl of aratiles for branded cologne? One whole lechon in exchange for just about anything?
“Just when the country’s economy faces a potential collapse, Bacolodnons started to show the world that money is not everything,” Atty. Sigue said. Bartering does not necessarily mean the bartered items should be equal in value, but at the heart of the BBC is for fellow Bacolodnons to help each other through a crisis, regardless of price. On the other hand, Department
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editorial
- cartoon by RHEYMAR CHUA
TOLENTINESTAR
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF UNIVERSITY OF NEGROS OCCIDENTAL - RECOLETOS Since 1947
EDITORIAL BOARD
Romchelle Chris Danielle Waminal Editor-in-Chief
Cristopher Villaruel Associate Editor
Jusalanne Matulac Managing Editor
WRITERS Crisha Arroyo Leslie Marie Banaban Carla Joane Robles Krisha Marie Semellano Alea Jen Villahermosa
CARTOONISTS Rheymar Chua Joshua Garita Renee Suala Carl Andro Vallejera
PHOTOJOURNALISTS Joelle Mariel Paderog Raeverly Elena Ramirez
Kaye Eunice Lamera,RSW Human Resource Consultant Alyssa Marie Arceño Technical Consultant
Embarking on the trail for the (COVID-19 funds) grail
“Nasaan na ang kaban ng bayan?” and similar questions arise as Filipinos turn to social media seeking, pleading for answers for a seemingly impossible quest, not for the holy grail, but an answer as to where the billions of pesos for the country’s COVID-19 response specifically went to.
Since the onslaught of COVID-19 in the Philippines, the economy has now entered into a recession with prices of products and services ballooning and the people’s pockets wearing thin amidst a series of community quarantines. Five months have already passed since the country declared a lockdown and five months of waiting for a sure sign that the government is doing better in their response towards the pandemic. Newsbreak: They’re not.
As reported by the Bureau of Treasury, the Philippines’ debt has soared past the P9-trillion mark in June as President Rodrigo Duterte took out billions’ worth of loans to assist Filipinos with a pandemic at large. However, despite the skyrocketing debt of the country as part of the COVID-19 response, positive cases continue to spike and have already breached 140,000 cases. With the restrictions imposed on public utility vehicles, the wearing of face shields, and putting up barriers between drivers and backriders of a motorcycle, it seems that despite the tons of money the administration has due to their loans, no concrete, rational results can be felt by the people and the financial burden of staying safe is solely put on the shoulders of the ordinary citizen.
As advocates for fairness and transparency, Tolentine Star demands for the national government to bare a breakdown of funds outlining its delegation for the COVID-19 response for the people’s sake. With the documented inconsistencies in the COVID-19 data presented by the Department of Health, the PhilHealth probes, extrajudicial killings, and human rights issues surrounding the Duterte Administration over a few years, Filipinos are left in a daze. We strongly urge our government officials to properly allocate the use of the country’s funds to help better the living situations of the people, especially that of the marginalized, and to use the budget for an inclusive medical and scientific approach to the pandemic, not on military tactics.
Tolentine Star adds to the voice of the masses calling for good governance, especially amidst the pandemic when the administration should be at the forefront of looking out for its citizens.
The Philippines has the longest and strictest quarantine in Southeast Asia but, despite that, the same bewilderment that haunted the Filipinos in March haunts us today as uncertainties in health, education, and work present themselves. At the end of the day, what the people need is a concrete plan to the pandemic, and as proven by countries who successfully became COVID-19 free, we don’t need to wage war with our fellow Filipinos to find our holy grail and devise solutions for this health crisis.
11 No easy cure for the pandemic of apathy
DAYLIGHT SAVER
Romchelle Chris Danielle Waminal editor -in-chief
rwaminal@gmail.com
Vindicate the guilty, incriminate the innocent. It has been more than a decade since former President Ferdinand Marcos and crimenabbing politician and former President Joseph Estrada imposed the death penalty in the country. Doing a full 180-degree swing, President Rodrigo Duterte, during his State of the Nation Address on July 27, said that he wants the swift passage of the law reviving the death penalty by lethal injection for drug-related crimes. In a time where the innocent verdict can be easily bought by the powerful who want to escape the consequences of their crimes, those unable to defend themselves and can’t afford adequate legal service can be falsely accused and executed. How do we maintain the fairness of putting one’s life in a death Would you find it bliss or misery to put on mute a bothersome colleague or family member that wouldn’t stop pestering you about what you should or shouldn’t do in real life just as you can on social media? Say nothing more because there’s a phrase in the Filipino language that, more or less, equates to that. No one knows the etymology of the infamous “‘Eh, ‘di wow.” Suddenly, it just ballooned over the internet, often used by celebrities, and managed to make its way into daily conversations; some bordering on friendly to toxic exchanges. Here’s the problem though, “‘Eh, ‘di wow.” is often used as a catchphrase to show that the person does not care about what another said ergo flashing a signal that ought to say to the other party to stop talking. With an education system that’s supposedly geared on professionalism, raising critical thinkers, and nurturing row? As Fr. Silivino Borres, president of the Coalition against the Death Penalty, said, “Death row is a home for the poor”. My decision to disagree with the reimplementation of the death sentence does not make me a leftist or someone who is against the government’s policies. Rather, I disagree because I believe that there will be people - innocent and impoverished, as well as their families, who will suffer from the grave consequences of the death penalty. The current administration’s war on drugs has killed around 27,000 people according to statistics and estimates by domestic human rights groups. Research by the Human Rights Watch and media outlets noted that people killed due to extrajudicial killings were part of that number and that a culture that takes pride in breeding intellectual children decorated with medals and all sorts of awards, how this smartshaming mindset managed to be tolerated comes as a shocker. Imagine getting emotional and passionate about a topic while sharing your thoughts on it then somebody replies with a perk of an eyebrow “’ Eh, ‘di wow.” or “‘Eh, ‘di ikaw na.” condescendingly because what you said didn’t fit the kind of reply they were expecting. To some, they’ll let it slide not risking being branded a killjoy with the afterthought that it’s just part of Filipino slang and there’s no real harm done. However, it can be also a manifestation of a persisting issue in our society that we have grown so accustomed to; thinking this day-to-day interaction is merely just for gags. The problem of apathy does not only manifest in phrases like these. Rather, apathy is the vigilante-style killings were enacted by the police or those linked with authorities. Kian Delos Santos, a 17-yearold high school student, who was shot dead for being involved in a drug operation encounter in 2017 is one story to be remembered that has yet to meet its conclusion. Imagine the horror of bullets raining down and taking an innocent life as part of “collateral damage”. The justice system can’t bring back a life that has been lost; this is not a child’s play that a mere “I’m sorry” can make everything alright at the end. This was a person’s life at stake. The administration has not implemented a fair justice system in the execution of the drug war amidst the skyrocketing numbers of extrajudicial killings found everywhere. It manifests in apoliticism, by merely sitting idly by when met with injustice, or by refusing to engage in intellectual dialogue because, as others fondly say, “Wala ka namang kinalaman diyan.” It is an age-old problem of the human psyche that managed to creep into the family tree and rooted itself down several generations and, contrary to what most believe, should not be taken lightly. Filipinos have grown accustomed to it as a most convenient trait growing up in an environment with a colonial mentality, a society that suggests complacency is rewarded, and a people conditioned that the responsibility of thinking what is and what is not good for the country should be best left to those in seats of power. How the government responds to the pandemic-stricken
continued on page 13
In between injustice and the justice system
Filipinos is evident of the deeply-
WINGED EYELINER
Jusalanne Matulac managing editor jusa.matulac@gmail.com
from page 6
Behind the Trenches...
some people might have thought that she made a lot of money since her business sales went up due to lack of competition during ECQ, however, she shares that it was because of the effort put through to sustain the needs of everyone in the vicinity.
“We exchanged all our time for that [bakery]. [We did] overtime [work] - our bakers, my husband and I, and our staff have to [work] overtime,” Nanay Wilma explains.
Although her words don’t reflect how tired she actually is, weary eyes and thin lines across her face do the talking. “After the pandemic, I feared back then that, if I didn’t produce much, there would be a shortage in the products and not everyone can have something cheap to fill their stomachs with,” she recollects. Nanay Wilma then glances at the calendar on her cream-painted wall as she reminisces the ECQ days.
Indeed, a cheap price of one peso per bread can tide over the hunger one can feel in a day, especially when fazed by having little to no source of income in a time of lockdowns and social distancing leaving only a handful of silver coins inside ragged pockets rather than a coveted single blue paper bill.
Behind the layered uniform in wards and clinics, the faces hidden behind the face shields and masks by the cash registers, the employee working the clock to bring food to the table - to our modern heroes who don’t wear capes, they may have served the nation differently but they will echo the same story. That, when they look back to this catastrophe brought by the unknown and when hugs and kisses were a pleasure they were deprived of, the physical burden of working their backs off wrapped in PPE, and being with friends and family was a disaster waiting to happen, they can look back with a satisfied grin as they utter the words we long to hear, “We survived.”
Hindi lahat ay para sa lahat
ADOBE CRASH
Cristopher Villaruel Associate Editor
cristophervillaruel06@gmail.com
Pasukan na naman subalit hindi ito magiging katulad ng ating nakasanayan. Magiging silid-aralan ang ating mga tahanan. Magiging gabay sa pag-aaral ang ating mga magulang. Subalit, magiging mayabong ba ang ating matututunan at magiging epektibo ba ang bagong pamamaraan ng pag-aaral? Tila tuloy na talaga ang pagbubukas ng klase ngayong Agosto kasunod ng pahayag ni Kagawaran ng Edukasyon o DepEd Sec. Leonor Briones na patuloy ang edukasyon sa kahit anong uri at paraan ng pag-aaral. Ito’y taliwas sa hiling ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na huwag munang buksan ang klase, habang wala pang bakuna laban sa COVID-19. Datapwa’t, pinal at tuloy na tuloy na ang plano ng Kagawaran ng Edukasyon. Kung sabagay, mayroon naman daw iba’ t ibang paraan ng pag-aaral tulad ng online, offline, modular learning, at iba pa. Ayon nga sa karamihin parte nga ito ng tinatawag nating new normal sa aspeto ng edukasyon. Pero handa nga ba tayo para dito? Para sa lahat ba ito? Base sa plano ng Kagawaran, ang balak nila ay ituloy ang pagbubukas ng klase kahit na walang pormal at konkretong plano ang gobyerno upang mapababa ang tumataas na kaso ng COVID-19 sa bansa. Patuloy pa rin ang pagbibingibingihan sa sigaw ng masa ng mass testing at sapat na ayuda para sa mamamayan ang kasalukuyang administrasyon sa kalagitnaan ng pandemya. Sadyang magiging dagdag pasanin pa ba ang online class sa mga magulang at kabataan sa gayon hirap na hirap na sila sa hinaharap na krisis sa ngayon? Ayon sa ulat ng Rappler, humigit-kumulang anim na milyong mag-aaral sa elementarya at hayskul ang hindi nakapag-enrol dulot ng pandemya sa pambubliko at pribadong paaralan. Sabihin na nating may iba’t ibang paraan at uri ng pagtuturo na iniaalok ang Kagawaran na pwedeng ipatupad ng mga paaralan para sa mga mag-aaral ayon sa kanilang pangagailangan. Subalit, sadyang hindi ito makatarungan sa mga taong mahihirap at walang panustos na kahit pangunahing pangangilangan. Hindi lahat ay mayroong koneksyon sa Internet. Kahit may mga mag-aaral na may kakayahang mag online class, hindi garantisadong mabilis ang koneksyon at makakaya ng estudyanteng tuparin ang lahat ng mga kinakailangan sa klase. Gayunpaman, isa ang bansa natin sa may pinakamahinang koneksyon sa Internet sa buong Asya-Pasifiko ayon sa datos mula sa Akamai Technologies’ Global State of the Internet Report. Masisiguro ba na maituturo ng mabuti ang mga leksyon sa mga mag-aaral na kung tutuusin nga ay hirap na hirap ang ibang estudyanteng sundin ang mga aralin sa loob ng silid-aralan,.Paano kaya kapag sa online class na?
Hindi lahat ay may kakayahang ituro ang mga aralin. Taliwas sa pahayag na mayroong ibang pagpipilian para sa mga magaaral tulad ng modular learning na parang magiging silid aralan ang iyong tahanan bilang mga guro ang mga magulang, ito’y isang pasanin rin sa karamihan.
Hindi lahat ay gustong magpatuloy sa pag-aaral ngayong taon dahil sa panganib na hatid ng pandemya subalit karamihan sa mga mag-aaral ay sadyang pikit-mata na lang magpursigi sa pag-aaral sa kadahilanang ayaw nilang mapag-iwanan ng panahon.
Hindi lahat ng guro ay handa para sa panibagong pamamaraan ng edukasyon. Hindi lahat ng guro ay kabisado ang bagong teknolohiya upang maibigay ang sapat na kalaaman para sa kanilang mag-aaral. Ayon sa DepEd, humigit kumulang 40 porsyento ng mga guro sa buong bansa ang nagkaroon ng pagsasanay para sa online teaching. Ang tanong naman ni Senador Francis Tolentino, “Kung ready na po ang 40 percent, paano naman po ang 60 percent?”
Hindi pa ba sapat ang hinaing ng masa para magkaroon ng agarang aksyon sa paghihirap na makakasalubong sa ating mga guro, mga magulang, at mag-aaral? Sadyang luma na ang pagkakakilanlan ng pagiging matatag nating mga Pilipino kung gayon kulang at hindi sapat ang suportang ibinibigay ng gobyerno. Sana’y magawan ng paraan ng mga nasa posisyon nang maging pantay at abotkamay din ng mga ordinaryong Pilipino ang edukasyon.
Kailaman, hindi naging pribilehiyo ang edukasyon; ito’y ating karapatan.
Karapatan ng lahat, hindi lamang ng iilan.
No easy cure for the...
rooted sense of disconnectedness our culture seemed to have cultivated over the years. In his Mar. 30 address, President Rodrigo Duterte drew criticism through his statement saying that those who died serving in the frontline during this pandemic are “lucky” to have died in service of the Filipino people.
This merely romanticizes the plight of our medical frontliners and does not attend to their concerns for better compensation and benefits as they toil day in, day out in medical facilities. To add to salt to the wound, mass testing, a demilitarized approach to the health crisis, the longpending justice awaiting highprofile quarantine violators, the controversy surrounding PhilHealth funds, and a concrete action plan for education in the new normal are among the long list of concerns raised by the
In between injustice...
in the country. With a flawed and selective justice system like ours, further proven by the lapses and human rights issues surrounding the drug war, the death penalty is another burden that the ordinary citizen has to bear.
Drug war or the death penalty; it’s never a valid option to recklessly brand people as criminals and kill them without due process of law and thus should not be lauded as an accomplishment when authorities fail to administer fairness and truth in their operations. I believe that the death penalty is inhumane and is out of the religious context, with the Philippines being a Christian country where its citizens should embrace life as something very valuable.
I would never go against my opinion if I would be asked about it over again, even if someone would put me in the situation of having me or a family member being a victim of it. I
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masses that remain unanswered. Just as our leaders have seemingly put the people’s voices on mute does not mean we should follow that same line of thinking. Our freedom of speech and freedom of expression enable us to shun apathy and be voices of reason, of progressive change. Get down your high horses and ivory towers and learn to listen – listen to ideas, to intellectual discourse, to the pulse of the masses. Enough with the “ang dami mo namang nalalaman” mentality and the tendency to ostracize critical thought and gravitate toward fanaticism. The people who use their platform to speak against injustice and use it for advocacy or to spur action for the common good is not “madaldal” or “mayabang”, they are merely
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doing what it entails to be a feel like it is like putting oneself on two sides of the same coin where you can be the victim of a crime and seek justice or be the victim of the flawed justice system and seek truthful justice. Before giving thoughts on reviving the death sentence, I propose that the government should reform and reinforce the fairness and justice entailed in the Criminal Justice System to pave the way for a system where everyone is judged accordingly and justice is swift and impartial, not tools for power-play. I don’t think the death penalty will be as effective in carrying out its purpose if the justice system in the Philippines doesn’t work as a competent system yet. Amidst a pandemic, a strong outcry of citizens pleading for help to survive every day in the middle of lockdowns and employee lay-offs can be heard. People want the government to provide an efficient response and concrete plan to the everFilipino - helping their fellow citizens by exposing injustice, by making this country a bit safer and more livable for everyone.
Just as there is a vaccine in the works to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no allotted silver bullet to the pandemic of a rotten social system. There is no vaccine to corruption and superiority complex from those who promise to serve the people, not their egos. December may or may not come with a vaccine wrapped in special paper and fancy trimmings but going back to normal is out of the question. I’d go as far as to say we should not revert to normal. Because if our definition of normal was being chained to a mindset of apathy, blind obedience, and complacency, then I won’t settle for it; we should not settle for it.
increasing COVID-19 cases in the country along with the cries of the hungry and impoverished who are taking the most impact due to the threat of the virus and an economic recession.
Instead of reviving the law pushing for the death penalty, let us revive the country - we, more than ever, need a government that is willing to prioritize its people. We are all victims of the consequences brought by the pandemic. Adding up to the number of deaths – guilty or innocent of a crime- won’t do any good for the country when the majority of people need a solution for a clamoring stomach, a livelihood to survive the uncertainties of the times, and the assurance that they are well taken care of in a health crisis.
Life for life when a time like this counts a thousand deaths due to the pandemic, the least this country needs is another name etched on death row.
from page 7
Exchange a good...
of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said during the Laging Handa press conference on July 14 that bartering is against the law. He mentioned that it was his first time to hear about this scheme that’s currently practiced by several cities across the country.
“Kailangan [mag] regular transactions tayo diyan at dapat may taxes na binabayaran. [It needs to be in regular transactions and there should be a tax to be paid],” he added. However, the DTI top official clarified that exchange of goods for personal transactions, and not as a form of business, is allowed.
In a statement, Atty. Sigue expressed her appreciation when DTI provided clarification on the matter emphasizing that bartering is an ancient tradition and a recognized contract under the civil code. “Our communities collectively promote a new currency – kindness. Kindness should remain exempted from taxation,” she said.
The Digital Age has greatly boosted humanitarian advocacies today, allowing individuals to create more inclusive communities that empower the people and the BBC is no different. “The pandemic has no borders. The coronavirus has claimed millions of lives around the world. But kindness, too, has no borders. Let us #SpreadtheKindness to save millions of lives,” Atty. Sigue added.
Bacolodnons can find another reason to smile despite the difficult time the pandemic brought. Just as a smile is contagious, several cities in the Philippines established their barter communities inspired by the Bacolod-led BBC. Through initiatives like the online bartering community, Filipinos continue to prove to express warmth, optimism, and selflessness toward their fellowmen, even in a time of crisis. To this, we say, padayon!
