A Slice of the Jinxed Apple

Paving the way to the Promised Land: Silverio Compound Demolition

Ipinangako ni Noynoy na dadalhin niya tayo sa tuwid na daan. Mali lang ni Juan dela Cruz, hindi niya tinanong kung papano. I-dedemolish pala ang daan para sa mga nakakataas na uri. Kawawang Juan, naisahan. Tsk.

As of the moment, there are reports from netizens that 3 people are dead and 36 others are injured in the bloody demolition of Silverio Compound this morning, April 23, 2012. It is demoralizing to read the news and watch the news feeds, more so seeing pictures of victims of the violent demolition that had just happened.

One of the victims of this bloodshed. There are unconfirmed reports that it appears that he has a gunshot wound at the back of the head.

As a human rights activist, a Filipino, and a blogger, I condemn the bloody and extremely violent Silverio Compound demolition. I am not picking on any side, and in this blog entry, I would like to stress out some of my thoughts.

Both the policemen and residents are victims; victims of a very lousy local government. Had the Parañaque government completely and intensively informed the Silverio Compound residents of their plans and laid out all their cards on the table (IF and ONLY IF Mayor Bernabe is telling the truth that SMDC has no plans to acquired the land for future condominium development), a bloodshed wouldn’t have happened. Yes, I know that in an ideal world residents would have cooperated, but in reality a forceful demolition like this one shouldn’t have happened.

Policemen and other members of the force, on the other hand, are also victims of the residents’ fury. They acted impulsively and started shooting like madmen. The shooting spree and all the battering of the policemen are not called for, it is overkill. They should have expected resistance from the people who practically grew up in the area. The people living in the compound can literally give their lives for the land, and that’s exactly what they did. They, PNP, came in unprepared for battle, such an expected move.

With everything that has happened, two challenges are place on top of PNoy’s desk: How to bring justice to the victims of this bloodshed and how to address this situation properly. By victims, I mean not just the people who died and are injured, but the residents who lost their livelihood and will eventually lose their homes. I just hope that this time, Noynoy Aquino will present concrete plans and step up to this challenge. I hope that he develop the “balls” to lead this country properly and with a real direction.

The Jinxed Apple on twitter here —-> Jinxed Apple

Paving the way to the Promised Land: Silverio Compound Demolition

Ipinangako ni Noynoy na dadalhin niya tayo sa tuwid na daan. Mali lang ni Juan dela Cruz, hindi niya tinanong kung papano. I-dedemolish pala ang daan para sa mga nakakataas na uri. Kawawang Juan, naisahan. Tsk.

As of the moment, there are reports from netizens that 3 people are dead and 36 others are injured in the bloody demolition of Silverio Compound this morning, April 23, 2012. It is demoralizing to read the news and watch the news feeds, more so seeing pictures of victims of the violent demolition that had just happened.

One of the victims of this bloodshed. There are unconfirmed reports that it appears that he has a gunshot wound at the back of the head.

As a human rights activist, a Filipino, and a blogger, I condemn the bloody and extremely violent Silverio Compound demolition. I am not picking on any side, and in this blog entry, I would like to stress out some of my thoughts.

Both the policemen and residents are victims; victims of a very lousy local government. Had the Parañaque government completely and intensively informed the Silverio Compound residents of their plans and laid out all their cards on the table (IF and ONLY IF Mayor Bernabe is telling the truth that SMDC has no plans to acquired the land for future condominium development), a bloodshed wouldn’t have happened. Yes, I know that in an ideal world residents would have cooperated, but in reality a forceful demolition like this one shouldn’t have happened.

Policemen and other members of the force, on the other hand, are also victims of the residents’ fury. They acted impulsively and started shooting like madmen. The shooting spree and all the battering of the policemen are not called for, it is overkill. They should have expected resistance from the people who practically grew up in the area. The people living in the compound can literally give their lives for the land, and that’s exactly what they did. They, PNP, came in unprepared for battle, such an expected move.

With everything that has happened, two challenges are place on top of PNoy’s desk: How to bring justice to the victims of this bloodshed and how to address this situation properly. By victims, I mean not just the people who died and are injured, but the residents who lost their livelihood and will eventually lose their homes. I just hope that this time, Noynoy Aquino will present concrete plans and step up to this challenge. I hope that he develop the “balls” to lead this country properly and with a real direction.

The Jinxed Apple on twitter here —-> Jinxed Apple

Nora Aunor, Reproductive Health Bill, and a Glass of Cosmopolitan

HBO’s Sex and the City is my all-time favourite TV series. I dreamed of being one of the girls, successful and empowered. I am doing my best to at least be at par with them in my own way. I envision others to be as successful as they are, both in career and personal life.

These days, it is still hard to compete with men. I belong to a man-dominated industry, and believe me; it is hard to get big breaks for women like me. Sadly, our society is never different. Women are still shelved thinking that we only have our ovaries to contribute to the society.

It breaks my heart to see that one of the bills that could really uphold women’s right is still stalled in the four corners of the plenary hall of the House of Representatives. Yes, I am talking about the Reproductive Health Bill. A bill that aims to educate women on choices, and make those available and accessible for the poor and marginalized sector deserves utmost importance than a bill seeking to penalize those who spit on public places, or a bill that seeks to include Nora Aunor in the country’s list of National Artists.

Do not get me wrong, Nora Aunor indeed deserves a spot on that list. She is, after all, the superstar. With the movies she made, the awards and other citations she had, she is one strong name out there. But, all I’m wondering is, there are a lot of pending bills in the HOR that needs immediate attention. These bills are part of PNoy’s priority bills, but I can’t see where it is going.

Pinoys waited (and is still waiting) for this bill for sixteen long years. One way or another, we have to take this bill seriously. If only our congressmen would stop and for heaven’s sake do something right, this is one of the bills that should be passed.

As I sip the last drop of my cosmopolitan in my usual spot in a bar in Tomas Morato, I can’t help to wonder. When would I see the Filipino women be at par with the level of success and freedom that these ladies from Sex and the City achieved?

And oh, Nora Aunor as a national artist? I need to get myself another glass. Waiter!

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Top 10 Wishes for my Birthday

My birthday would be a nearly a month away from now, and it is the perfect time to wish for things to happen. I am nearing thirty, so please, help me out. Here’s my list:

1. I wish that Manny Pacquiao would stop seeking any position in the government. (This can also be translated as “Sana hindi na maging uto-uto si Manny Pacquiao”)

2. I wish that the Hacienda Luisita Lands be equally and rightfully distributed to the farmers who gave their lives in tilling that soil. For real.

3. Maging transgender para makasali sa Miss Universe 2013.

4. Mapagana ang Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

5. Mapabilang sa Forbes List of Billionaires.

6. For Noynoy Aquino to at least have the balls to run this country properly.

7. Mapanatag na ang Panatag Shoal.

8. Maka-date si DJ Pat ng Magic 89.9 o si Gino ng RX 93.1. (Di ako choosy)

9. Justice for Hacienda Luisita and Maguindanao Massacre victims.

10. A brand-new Samsung Galaxy Note.

I am accepting donations as early as now. Please send me a message over at iamdesperate@birthday.com.

Gusto mo pang makipag-kulitan, mag-twitteran tayo sa twitter.

A Pinay’s Standpoint: The Reproductive Health Bill

Sanctity and Dignity of Life

On my way to my usual spot at a coffee shop in a mall in Quezon City, I came across a young mother of three begging on the streets. She was clad in dirty clothes, carrying an infant on one arm and holding two kids on the other. I can tell that the children are spaced in no more than two years, and the oldest perhaps not older than six years old. Since the traffic was horrible, I was able to follow where they go to rest. The have a carton laid on the street, seeking shelter from the roof of the northbound entrance of MRT Ortigas Station. My heart sank. Then I remembered my twitter adversary, telling me that the Catholic Church upholds the sanctity and dignity of life. In the case of the poor woman and her children, how on earth did the Catholic Church uphold the sanctity and dignity of their lives? Had she been educated of proper child spacing and sex education, I doubt that she’ll end up like this, miserable and begging for loose change of people. If the Pro-life people claim that the Reproductive Health Bill is a religious issue, then they should even join rallies to promote it. In fighting against the RH Bill, they deprive this poor woman a dignified life and imply that it’s okay to bear so many children even if you cannot provide for them. In my opinion, that is genuine hypocrisy. I am not anti-life, I am Pro-quality of life.

Overpopulation

One of my twitter adversaries, a staunch pro-lifer, laid out a very interesting computation of the ratio of land versus the population of the Philippines, it goes like this:

Land Area of the Philippines in square kilometers: 300,000

Land Area in square meters: 300,000,000,000

Total Population: 95,000,000 (estimated)

Ratio of area per person: 3,100 square meter per person

Conclusion: The area is relatively high per person, hence no overpopulation.

Data used for the presentation above is real, no doubt about that. But the manner of analyzing it is so misleading. Looking straight at the presentation, you can see that he may be correct. The ratio of area vs. the population is overwhelming. That is true if there are no costly villages and subdivisions, business offices, establishments, etc. and will be true if he can prove to me that he can live in the middle of EDSA, because that space is counted on his assumption. Kids, this computation and analysis can be and will only be true if all of the covered area of the Philippines is suitable for living. This man failed to exclude the major establishment, roads, and other infrastructures that consume more than half of our entire area in computing the ratio of area per person. This is one argument that nobody bothered to rebut, because it has no substance. It only goes to show how the pro-lifers present their data, shallow.

Maternal Deaths and Unwanted Pregnancies

Claims on the number of maternal deaths and its causes change day by day. The pro-lifers claim that the number dropped dramatically from 11 to 4 per year, thus no need for the RH Bill. In my honest opinion, those numbers, may it be 4, 5, 6, 11 or 45, are still considered deaths associated with improper child spacing, lack of competence of medical personnel handling birthing, etcetera.

I am completely dismayed by the lack of sympathy of those “pro-life” and “moral” people to those who died due to such. For me, it’s more like disregard them because they’re already dead. Where is the regard for human life there? Again, another classic case of hypocrisy.

I can only discuss a few arguments about the bill for these are the ones that I believe are worth discussing. Others like citing Misoprostol (Cytotec) to be part of the essential medicines stipulated in Section 10 of the RH Bill is outright funny because it is a common knowledge that selling those here is Illegal. Another is that the RH Bill is promoting abortion when in fact; common sense dictates us that abortion is, again, illegal under our laws. Etcetera, etcetera.

The Reproductive Health Bill is giving us access to the things that are considered taboo in our society. It gives us freedom to choose on how we plan to manage our resources and value the dignity of human life. That, for me, is the real essence of being a pro-life.

But then again, its just my two cents.