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Short Video Reflection about Contemporary Issues and Importance of Awareness of the current events and issues of our country today

Attached is the link for the video

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BC_SibQqulxwLgokDU9lo8KkWs7hmLSe?usp=sharing

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FINAL EXAMINATION

The right to life, the right to pursuit of happiness, the right to live your life free of discrimination, the right to be free from prejuidice on the basis of race, gender, national origin, color, age or sex, and the right to liberty and freedom. Everyone and I mean, every single one regardless of their race, gender, sex, or age, is entitled to all rights and freedoms. A violation of any of these human rights is a direct slap to every single person who have ever worked their lives on protecting these rights. I am Joaquin Velasquez, a humanitarian advocate from the Philippines, speaking on behalf of those whose human rights have not only been violated, but have made fun of and disrespected. 

I am fully aware that we all have a lot going on right now from the black lives matter protests, to the stop asian hate movement. The cacophony of the voices that are wanting to be heard, the voices that are fighting for equal rights, the gunshots, the screams, the uproars, the tears, the thunder, the anger, the fear, and the unity of people is what drives me to fight more for those whose rights are being violated. However, I have come here on behalf of my countrymen. I have every reason to believe that gender equality ceases to exist in our country because of gender discrimination, towards women in particular, therefore violating the rights of every women. 

According to the Global Gender Gap Report this 2021, the Philippines has been placed 17th out of 156 countries with the least gap between men and women but it does not mean that women do not suffer from discrimination, violence, and exploitation. In the year 2020, from March to May alone, there were 602 reported cases of violence against women. Things have barely been moving and I believe more and more men continue this distasteful and discriminatory behavior towards women. How the country leader acts towards this issue plays a huge role in what makes men think it is alright to treat women this way. If you knew that the president would be practicing things that are ineffable and disgusting, wouldn’t it give you somewhat of a reassurance that doing these might also be okay? Regardless, we all know that it isn’t okay and never in my lifetime will I allow it to be okay. 

March was also known as the Women’s month and our president released a message, in lieu of the month-long celebration for women, and said, “inclusive actions have been taken by our government to create an environment where women’s rights are respected”. The president himself has practiced the complete opposite of what he said in his statements. The past years, the president has made sexist remarks and his spokesperson  said that the president’s only way of coping with disasters is through sexist jokes. If that is not enough reason for men to think what they are doing is alright because the president is also doing it, there’s more. The president has 2 wives and 2 girlfriends, he said that he regrets getting older because he gets to spend less time with his girlfriends. The president also admitted last 2018 that he sexually assaulted a maid when he was a teenager. Moreover, recently on his birthday, he tried to touch his house helper’s private parts. The most infuriating thing that he has done is when he said that the role of being a president is not for women. 

The case of gender discrimination, violence, and exploitation in the Philippines is very severe. This issue is something we shouldn’t be facetious about but we can clearly see that it is something the leader of our country keeps doing. The rights of thousands of women are violated regardless of how bad they are treated. Violation of one’s right has no boundaries. A violation is a violation and I do not in any way condone any kind of violation. If we just stand by and let the rights of these women continue to be taken away from them, then the promise of human rights to each and every individual will never be fulfilled. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10aGm_d3zeKOiTaMw4N76zERlTgCi7plb/view?usp=sharing

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NEWSLETTER

https://www.canva.com/design/DAEZGyd8OY4/U4-ROH55CHrxxe61vDfkGQ/view?utm_content=DAEZGyd8OY4&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton

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ARTICLE III BILL OF RIGHTS

G.R. 145566

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES vs. DINDO “BEBOT” MOJELLO

Facts of the case

In the case of People vs. Dindo “Bebot” Mojello, the RTC or Regional Trial Court found the appellant, Dindo “Bebot” Mojello, was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of rape with homicide, and sentencing him to the supreme penalty of death. On December 15, 1996, at 11pm, Dindo “Bebot” Mojello forcefully had sexual intercourse with 12 year-old Lenlen Rayco, who has mental deficiency, against her will and consent, then proceeded to kill her. An arraignment was held on July 24, 1997 and charged him with the crime of rape with homicide. In response to the arraignment, appellant Dindo “Bebot” Mojello entered a plea of not guilty. On January 21, 1999, the trial court found Dindo “Bebot Mojello guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of rape with homicide. He was arrested while attempting to board a motor launch. Dindo “Bebot” Mojello then admitted that he was the one who committed the cruel deed. Atty. Isaias Giduquio assisted Dindo “Bebot” Mojello during his custodial interrogation. The confession was witnessed by the Barangay Captains and later testified that the content of the document was read to the appellant who later signed it voluntarily. 

Issues

If the evidence gathered that was obtained violated the constitutional rights of the defendant; therefore, making the extrajudicial confession inadmissible in evidence. 

Ruling of the Supreme Court

The confession strictly complied with the constitutional requirements under Article III, Sec 12, par. 1, therefore the extrajudicial confession was deemed admissible in evidence. Appellent Dindo “Bebot” Mojello was found guilty of the crime of statutory rape and sentenced to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua. He also had to pay the heirs of the victim 50,000 pesos as civil indemnity and 50,000 pesos as moral damages. 

G.R. 81561

PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES vs. ANDRE MARTI

Facts of the case

In the case of People vs. Andre Marti, the Special Criminal Court of Manila convicted accused-appellant of Violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act.  On August 14, 1987, the appellant, Andre Marti, and his common-law wife, Shirley Reyes, went to the booth of the Manila Packing and Export Forwarders, carrying 4 packages. Marti informed Anita Reyes, the person who attended  to them, that he was sending the packages to a friend in Zurich, Switzerland. Anita Reyes did not inspect the packages as Marti assured that the packages contained books, cigars, and gloves only. Before delivery of Marti’s box, Mr. Job Reyes and husband of Anita, followed standard procedures and opened the boxes for final inspection. They pulled out a cellophane wrapper from one of the gloves which contained dried marijuana leaves. An information was filed against Andre Marti for violation of RA 6425, also known as the Dangerous Drugs Act. After the trial, he was convicted but he appealed.

Issue

Marti’s constitutional rights were allegedly violated against unreasonable search and seizure and privacy of communication; therefore, the evidence should be held inadmissible.

Ruling of the Supreme Court

Evidence was discovered and obtained by a private person, acting in a private capacity and without the intervention and participation of State authorities. The court ruled in the negative, the rights guaranteed by the Constitution cannot be used against the State. The judgement of conviction finding appellant guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime charged is certified. 

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POLITICAL DYNASTY - AMPATUAN

CHAPTER 1 

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Politics in the Philippines have been quite a contentious and fragile topic for the past decades. Politics have led to numerous outcomes such as disunity, distrust, dissension, dispute, and even violence. These are some of the factors that have contributed to how society in the Philippines acts in the present which commonly affects the atmosphere the people work and dwell in, the socio-economic status of Filipinos, and most importantly, the well-being of individuals. One example of a hot topic in the past is regarding the feud between late former president Ferdinand Marcos and the Aquino family. This topic is a topic that a number of people would call controversial due to the mixed views and feelings people have in regards to the topic. A riveting concept the two families have in common is that they are both political dynasties in the Philippines. Some people and politicians would consider political dynasties as a root cause of issues that arise such as poverty, bias, impunity, and even quarrels between political dynasties that may get in the way of making rational decisions and lead to neglection of appointed duties. A case in point which proves that political dynasties are nothing but problems was the largest massacre that the Ampatuan dynasty committed. 

The Ampatuan massacre, or popularly known as the Maguindanao massacre, is a carnage which was a ploy made by the Ampatuan family to gain the upper hand against their rivals. This unfortunate event that the Ampatuan dynasty planned was recorded as the single deadliest event for journalists in history. Being a journalist is a reputable job as one is tasked with the obligation to inform the public with the news, however, the Ampatuan family has dented the country’s reputation of being a safe space for journalists as 32 were killed in the massacre. The Maguindanao massacre alone may show that the Philippines is not an utterly safe place not only for journalists but in general. The Ampatuan family has contributed greatly to putting the Philippines in a position where press freedom is attacked, impunity is exercised, and power is corrupted. The Ampatuan dynasty jeopardized the credibility of the nation as a fun and safe place to spend time with your family.

CHAPTER 2

SUMMARY

Background

The Ampatuan family is considered the largest political dynasty present in our country with over 51 members. A few prime members of this family are considered to be the most politically involved and have had the most transgressions. The late Andal Ampatuan Sr. was a patriarch of the Ampatuan clan and was also a main suspect of one of the largest massacres in the Philippines, the Maguindanao massacre. Before the case was resolved, Ampatuan died after falling into a coma caused by a heart attack. Andal Ampatuan has 4 sons, namely, Andal Ampatuan Jr, Sajid Ampatuan, Zaldy Ampatuan, Anwar Ampatuan Sr.

Andal Ampatuan Jr. was the 8th child of Andal Ampatuan Sr. and Bai Laila Uy-Ampatuan. He was known as the mastermind of the Maguindanao massacre and was convicted of 57 counts of murder alongside his brother, Zaldy Ampatuan. He is currently located at the New Bilibid Prison where he is sentenced to a maximum of 40 years without parole. 

Sajid Ampatuan was among the accused of plotting the massacre. He claims that he had already cut ties with his family and said that he assisted his wife who was filing her candidacy at the time of the massacre. He was not present during the promulgation of judgement and was given 5 days to reason out his absence. Due to this instance, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with graft charges and lost his chance to appeal since the rule of court states that absence during the promulgation is not justified.

Zaldy Ampatuan was a governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) however he was expelled from office due to his participation in the massacre. It was said that he planned the Maguindanao massacre alongside his brother, Andal Ampatuan Jr. However, all charges against him were dropped, citing lack of evidence. This was until Justice Secretary, Alberto Agra, restored the murder charges against Ampatuan due to new findings.

Anwar Ampatuan Sr. is the brother of Andal Ampatuan Jr. He was part of the mastermind group and was also convicted with 57 counts of murder. Unlike Anwar Sajid and Anwar Jr. who were identified as first-class convicts or those who had plotted and fired at the victims, Anwar Sr. fell under the second class of suspects or those who had prior knowledge of the crime but were not at the crime scene.

Political History

The Patriarch of the Ampatuan clan, Andal Ampatuan Sr. was already a vice mayor in charge of Maganoy when President Marcos appointed him as mayor. Maganoy is now Shariff Aguack. However, in 1986, due to the People Power Revolution, President Marcos was departed, and Corazon Aquino came into power. As she came into power, she replaced every locally elected official with officers-in-charge. Ampatuan Sr. was also replaced by another Ampatuan, Datu Modi who served for two years in that capacity.

In 1988, after the 1988 local election, he served as mayor for 10 years as he had been winning three consecutive local elections 1988, 1992, and 1995. In his 10th year as mayor in 1998, he was elected as governor and started to accelerate his Clan activities. His family occupied almost all the political costs in the area, the family tried to widen the range of the power, and even, eighteen of the mayors in Maguindanao were once members of the Ampatuan clan.

In 2001, his clan solidified its hold on power by keeping a close friendship with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The reason for this is because Arroyo assumed the presidency after EDSA People Power II. And His choice was excellent. The family was appraised by the “Popular support” and openly supports Arroyo. In 2004, during the 2004 presidential elections, Arroyo came into power succeeding the previous president Joseph Estrada and dominated the polls in Shariff Aguack and most of Maguindanao. 

And lastly, in 2006, Arroyo issued Executive Order 546, allowing local officials and the police to deputize local militia to aid in the fight against insurgents. This greatly contributed to the establishment of power in the Ampatuan Clan. The Executive Order was issued shortly after an assassination attempt on Andal Ampatuan Sr. and the end of the Clan's history and relationships was dreadful. 

Issues they were associated with

It is no secret that fear is often instilled to control people. The Ampatuan clan, despite being popular and influential, they were feared. Numerous journalists would say, “They own the people'' or “The word of the Ampatuans was the law. The lives of the people living in Maguindanao would lie in the hands of the Ampatuan family as they had a private army consisting of 2000-5000 armed men composed of government-supported militia, local police, and military personnel. An instance when this private army was put into use was on the 23rd of November back in 2009. This instance was the Maguindanao massacre which would be the biggest issue of this political dynasty. 

Maguindanao mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. was challenged by Buluan vice mayor Esmael Mangudadatu as he was going to file his certificate of candidacy (COC). Vice mayor Esmael received death threats from his rivals so he thought that inviting journalists to his filing of COC would lessen the chances of ambushes. Esmael invited 37 journalists with him to file his COC. Along with the 37 journalists, there were also reporters, lawyers, aides and his family. As 58 of them were on their way to the Elections provincial office, they were kidnapped and murdered. Some were even raped before they were killed. There were at least 198 suspects including Andal Ampatuan Jr., Andal Ampatuan Sr. and several other members of the Ampatuan clan who were charged with 57 counts of murder. However, this was not the only issue the family had. They have a history of killing people way before the Massacre.

Back in 2005, 25 armed men in the military uniform killed the wife and child of Mando Tambungalan. He had identified that the suspects were hired killers on the Ampatuan payroll since he had been targeted by the Ampatuans for running for vice mayor of  Datu Piang in 2001. In 2006, the Ampatuans planted a bomb which exploded near the Shariff Aguak market, killing five people, including Ed Mangansakan who was a known weapons supplier for the Ampatuans. Another instance of their wrongdoings was when motorcycle-riding gunmen, linked to the Ampatuan clan, shot and killed Judge Sahara Silongan while he was driving his family home. A relative of the judge believes he was killed for failing to issue an illegal warrant of arrest demanded by the Ampatuans. As well as in 2008, a cousin of Ampatuan, Jr., and his armed men allegedly shot and killed eight members of the Lumenda and Aleb families. One gunman told the Human Rights Watch that he and the others were ordered to shoot the family because the Ampatuans doubted their loyalty.

CHAPTER III

REFLECTION

Abad, Anton Angelo T.

  My thoughts about the Ampatuan clan is that I'm surprised to see that they haven’t all been imprisoned and even some of them are still not arrested. I was shocked to read that they are responsible for the massacre and that they only did it because they didn’t want to get arrested. I think that people should learn more about these clans and start to plan a way to prevent them from gaining too much power. Because just like the Ampatuan clan they have so much power that they have their own private army and were able to delay there inevitable arrest for 51 murder.

Golamco, Janise Kate A.

The Philippines suffers from widespread corruption. From embezzlement, nepotism or police brutality, the common denominator to these actions is greed. Political dynasties such as the Ampatuan family are a huge factor to further influence these acts. Yet, people continue to tolerate their wrongdoings by doing nothing to prevent them. Because of fear, people have been silenced by their own timidity. Because of their own selfish desire, civilians were caught in the crossfire resulting in one of the largest politically involved massacres. The innocent lives lost cannot compare to merely a few years of imprisonment.

As students continue to grow and learn, it is vital that people know of the things that harm their society and strive for change. Influential families, such as the Ampatuans, use their power at their own disposal and further contributes to socio-economic inequality. It is why knowledge is greatly needed in order to stop corruption. By learning about the vulnerabilities and impacts of misconduct citizens are given a chance to end impunity once and for all. 

Lee, Noah

After exploring the largest political dynasty in the Philippines, there are a number of things left on my mind. It has been 19 years since the gruesome mass murder took place and threatened the Philippines. But I would appreciate that still now, we are studying this and learning about that happening and being reminded to be wiser in how to live as people in this country. We have to know what is currently happening, and what is harming or damaging the order of our country. It is our duty to argue for justice in our society and politics and to heritage it to our next generations. To achieve our duty, we all have to have a bright notion about the corruption of power that someone longs for enough to commit mass murder. 

However, the most damning aspect of the report for me was the support of the Ampatuans by the state, the police and the military, allowing them to consolidate their power. I strongly oppose the idea of making use of the public power for the private benefit of chosen families. It is said that there is no person above the law but I feel irritated about the fact that there is a person who takes advantage of the laws. Until we can generate real justice, we should keep our eyes on our country.

Velasquez, Joaquin Gabriel D.

Having the power to be able to do everything we want is something that if not all, most people dream of. The power to be exempted from the law, the power to generate money, the power to rule the world, or the power to make this all come true. To be able to obtain that amount of power is like living everyone’s dreams, but no, it makes us corrupt. Corruption of power is one of the deadliest aspects that can not only destroy an individual but also a whole nation. Corruption has been present in the Philippines for decades already, it has never left the country and I think it does not plan on leaving anytime soon. Corruption has many factors, it can be through pocketing money, abusement of power, and even the act of impunity. Impunity is as dangerous as corruption as it serves as an immunity pass to those with power. There have been several occurrences in which both impunity and corruption have been present, working hand in hand. A famous case is in the presence of political dynasties. Political dynasties have been believed to be the root cause of far-reaching problems in the Philippines. 

The Ampatuan dynasty or family is one of many political dynasties present in the Philippines. The Ampatuan family is known for planning the biggest massacre which ended up killing around 57 people. Several suspects have been charged with 57 counts of murder. However, due to impunity, a large number of suspects are still at large. In respect to this, I do not condone the presence of political dynasties in our country. As a part of the youth, it is important that we are aware of when corruption and its likes are present, lurking around us. I may not have the power to be able to do everything I want but I have the power that not everyone has the ability to do, speaking up and using my voice to amplify the voice of those who are silenced by the effects of the wrongdoings of these political dynasties. Raising one’s voice does not necessarily mean joining rallies but spreading awareness regarding the wide-ranging effects of the influential families sitting in power. Not speaking up and allowing corrupted families in power to continue and degrade the country’s socio-economic status will make us all accomplices to the destruction of our nation as a whole for failing to protect it. 

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

Conclusion

The Ampatuans remain a powerful and dangerous force with which to be reckoned. For years, the department of justice and the military has been trying to get the Ampatuan family to pay for their actions yet they haven’t achieved full justice. A police officer once asked, “what do we do? This is an influential family.” The Ampatuan family is a powerful family with many connections making it hard for people to stand up against them. The trial of the Ampatuan massacre is a case that has far-reaching implications not only on press freedom in the Philippines but also on one of the biggest threats to the country’s democracy, impunity.

With impunity present in our country, killings and other illegal doings happen all around with no one to be held accountable. Thousands have been killed with impunity in the Philippines’ illegal war on drugs alone, how many more innocent people have died from other activities and remain greatly suppressed, away from where the world can see. In these cases, it is imperative that we equip ourselves with the proper knowledge and be a voice to those who are voiceless.

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Never ending contractualization

In a growing country with a growing population as well, job opportunities are created but the number of unemployed people tend to outweigh the number of job opportunities thus causing a huge unemployment problem here in the Philippines. Moreover, a number of labor issues arise which contribute to a big percentage of unemployment in the country, one of which is contractualization. Contractualization occurs when people are desperate for money, commonly driven by the need of jobs to support their needs or to have a higher budget to spend on other things. Contractual workers are often blinded by desperation and hunger for money and are drained of energy.

In the Philippines, a common practice that companies do is hiring workers which are based on a contract that expires in 5 months. This practice is often known as the “5-5-5” arrangement. It is when a company or employer hires directly or from an agency, with a contract that puts them under probationary conditions for 5 months, then when the contract is exterminated, the employee is fired then rehired with the same contract. Although, according to Articles 106 to 109 of the Labor Code, labor-only contracts are deemed illegal but somehow, companies still managed to find legal loopholes and have continued to abuse them. Based on the statistics of DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment), thousands of workers have been regularized ever since the declaration of contractualization being illegal. In addition, there are more laws protecting workers from contractualization like the regularization law. The regularization law states that companies have to hire contractual workers after their 6 months probationary period, if not, they have to stop renewing their contracts. Contractualization has drastically benefited numerous companies and thousands of lives but there are still people who continue to suffer from it. 

Contractualization happens due to the fact that the country’s unemployment rate is high and there are millions of people who have yet to find jobs. Companies take advantage of this situation and hire workers which will temporarily work for them at a much cheaper price since they would not have to pay for other expenses like Phil Health, SSS, 13th month pay, unpaid leaves, and so on. The danger of this is, when people are hungry for money, they are willing to work or do anything even if the contract, deal, or working conditions are bad to the point where they are deprived of energy and liberty. Companies tend to abuse contractualization as there are thousands of people who are desperate to find a job. It is obvious that contractualization has its own downsides. The first downside is that since contracts can be terminated at any time, it does not ensure a secure job for the contractual employees meaning the unemployment rate may still increase because of this. Due to the high unemployment rate, the economy slows down. Another downside is, due to low salaries and unenjoyable benefits, contractual workers lack motivation to work or to even go to work. With the lack of motivation, contractual workers would often become unproductive thus the company becomes unproductive as well. 

Contractualization is a serious matter that should be dealt with as soon as possible especially in this time of pandemic when our economy is slowly falling. Government branches that should be dealing with this matter are the executive branch and legislative branch. President Duterte campaigned to end endo contractualization and has tasked the secretary of labor and employment to resolve this matter. The only way to end endo is by signing an executive order which was suggested by labor and anti-poverty organizations. Before the president had the opportunity to sign it, numerous problems arose therefore leaving contractualization unattended. In addition, the congress can also put an end to contractualization but they have yet to do so. Nevertheless, contractualization is far from being abolished in the Philippines as it is allowed in constitution under the labor code. 

As mentioned, contractualization is not gonna end soon which means the right thing for companies to do is not abuse their powers. Instead of focusing on employees, they should focus on the improvement of their products or services. Hiring workers on a contractual basis should be avoided as it results in an unmotivated workforce that may lower productivity and lessen the quality of service or product. In the end of the day, the employees are what makes up a company and giving them the benefits they deserve is the morally right thing to do. 

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Is COVID really the virus?

The Philippines which was once a joyful and hopeful country, celebrating and partying with friends and families, now, all replaced with anger, misery, apprehension, disconnection, and violence. The connection and unity between families, peers, and the countrymen of the Philippines continue to degrade and deteriorate day by day. The pandemic has been misinterpreted and mishandled by the Duterte Administration, the administration that misled its people, negatively impacting millions of lives. COVID cases continue to constantly rise when it is supposed to decrease, following the current plan of this administration. When the first few COVID cases arose in the country, the first instinct of the current administration was to impose lockdown, hoping that it would lessen the spread of the virus. As we all know, the imposition of lockdown was not the solution as people still went out of their homes. In lieu of fulfilling and answering the calls of its countrymen for mass testing, the Duterte Administration thought that it is best for the military to handle the situation. President Rodrigo Duterte put three ex-generals, with little knowledge on viruses and pandemics, in charge of battling the virus. In addition to that, President Duterte also placed a number of retired military personnel in position. Despite the lockdown and mobilization of the military, the cases still continued to rise. While numerous controversies occurred around the country, the Duterte administration focused on other agendas unrelated to the pandemic such as rehabilitating Manila bay, shutting down of media networks, convicting CEOs of news companies, creating task forces for corruption, and the infamous signing of the anti-terror bill. The anti-terror bill further suppressed the voices of the Filipino people calling for mass testing, help, and change, as they were labeled terrorists thus violating basic human rights. The anti-terror bill also enabled the military to make warrantless arrests because they were empowered. 

The Duterte Administration failed to manage and handle the cases in the Philippines. The cases have continued to rise and as of January 8, 2021, the cases are roughly half a million already. The Duterte administration and other parts of the government hold several meetings to brief the country with the updates, advancements and breakthroughs here in the Philippines and yet the President manages to find time to make rape jokes and remarks on women. It is infuriating to think that this administration manages to find so much time to focus on other things when there are thousands of people suffering and thousands of people dead from the coronavirus. The thousands of people that have died are from the virus only, not including the other deaths caused by other reasons such as the succeeding cyclones last 2020 which the Duterte administration also failed to handle. How the administration chose to respond to this crisis is despicable, it has burdened the country with trillions in debt. This pandemic shows the citizens of the country how incompetent this administration is, especially when it comes to leading the country in a world facing a global crisis. After all the uncertainties, arguments, understanding, and confusion the world saw, experienced and witnessed first hand, a food for thought for the people is, is COVID really the virus?

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The virus that destroyed the unity of the Filipinos

December is the time of the year where people would worry about giving gifts and doing their last minute shopping in Divisoria or such places. However, this year giving gifts is not the only thing we are worried about but also the fear of getting infected by the coronavirus. The Philippines is now part of the top 20 countries with the highest number of COVID cases despite being the country with the longest lockdown in the world. We have taken precautionary measures and follow safety protocols, nevertheless we continue to get thousands of cases everyday. Without any proper management or support from the authority, the virus will not be the only thing killing us.

 COVID has been wreaking havoc in the Philippines for about 10 months now; taking the lives of thousands, destroying the economy, and creating distrust and disunity among the Filipino people. The first ever COVID case recorded here in the Philippines was back in January 30, 2020, and the first death was recorded on February 1, 2020. President Duterte created a task force to fight off the virus and implemented a travel ban on January 31 from Hubei, China, and which was later extended to mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau on February 2. It was on March 8 when President Duterte declared the Philippines as a State of Public Health Emergency. COVID cases began to rise around the world and due to the rapid rising of cases, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. The palace released the guidelines that should be followed such as social distancing on March 14. The following day was the beginning of the lockdown filled with uncertainty, which no one expected would last up to 10 months. On April 17, President Duterte enacted the penalties for violating lockdown guidelines. Due to the military approach of the government to defeating the virus, protests around the Philippines happened. Numerous Filipinos were held in captivity for taking part in the peaceful protests which angered the Filipino people more and resulted in even more protests. August 2 was the day the cases in the Philippines reached the 100, 000 mark. In a span of 24 days or roughly 4 weeks, the Philippines gained another 100, 000 cases. The sudden spike in COVID cases shows that the way our authorities were handling the pandemic was not effective. GCQ’s, EGCQ’s, and MGCQ’s have been implemented throughout the 10 months and yet, up to date, the COVID cases in the Philippines are still rising. 

The roughly year-long lockdown definitely took a toll on the mental health of Filipinos, but good thing the government thought of rehabilitating Manila Bay to restore our sanity. As of December 8, COVID took the lives of 8, 768 people, which is devastating. The number of cases and deaths overwhelmed everyone and resulted in some being traumatized especially the survivors. Hundreds of thousands if not millions of Filipinos are suffering from starvation due to high unemployment. Some Filipinos do not have jobs due to the lockdown which prohibits them from going to work. No work means that they won't have money to support their families. High unemployment will also result in our economy to collapse. In addition to that, the Philippines is in debt of a large amount of money. Due to the negative effects of the virus to our economy and the health of the Filipinos, it has angered a lot of Filipinos because all these reflect back to the government. 

The administration borrowed millions of pesos from the world bank and various banks to help with the handling of the ongoing pandemic. The government introduced programs and laws such as the Bayanihan to heal as one act. The act allows the President to make the necessary actions to control the pandemic. The act also aids many Filipinos with cash aids to around 18 million low-income families. The frontliners also get an increased salary on top of their regular salaries. All necessary guidelines and actions are taken from this law. The government also bought thousands of protective equipment to shield the health works from obtaining the virus. Travel bans were also instituted to reduce the spread of the virus from countries. Quarantine and isolation facilities were also built to contain and treat the infected ones. The Filipinos also have a role and duty to fulfill which is to follow the guidelines and as much as possible, stay at home. 

The government is currently taking the necessary action to further develop how we are dealing with the virus in the country. Recently, President Duterte realized the importance of mass testing after months of people suggesting it. The government is finding cheaper ways to test a lot of the Filipinos. The government has also started to find funds and is eyeing 73.2 billion pesos for the vaccine to COVID.  As days pass, more and more people are getting tested. The government needs to focus on managing the pandemic and worry about other projects once the virus is contained. 

As we all know, the Philippines is a third world country and the more our economy declines, the more Filipinos will suffer. Containing the pandemic should be the priority of the government. This can be achieved if the government would listen to the voices of the Filipino people and give what they have been asking for such as mass testing. The government is focusing on reviving the economy and the Filipinos are vital to the revival of the economy. If the government puts their full attention solely on the economy, there will be no economy to revive if by the end of this pandemic there will be no more Filipinos left.

[joaqqquiin]

ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴅɪsᴀsᴛᴇʀ ᴘʟᴀɴ

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YDsImjLKhrFq7Q0zA4e9KhpLVl1KQhrY/view?usp=sharing

[joaqqquiin]

Mining amid typhoons: Large-scale mining and typhoon vulnerability in the Philippines

The Philippines is an archipelago which contains about 7,641 islands. The Philippines is a country wherein there is an abundance of natural resources and minerals but poverty is prominent. The farmers, indigenous people, fisherman, and people groups living near natural resources heavily rely on them. These people are only relying on these resources and if it disappears, thousands of lives will be put at stake. A large portion of the natural resources and minerals there are in the Philippines remain largely untapped and unexplored. In addition to that, the economy of the Philippines is slowly developing and in hopes of boosting the development, the government has come up with a solution which is large scale mining. Large scale mining poses a threat to the people who solely depend on their livelihood, despite the fact that it will boost the development in the country, it will negatively impact the lives of millions of Filipinos.

Large scale mining is basically mining but in large amounts or quantity. The Philippines is attempting to rely on large scale mining to boost economic development in the country. However, large scale mining has not been doing so well in the Philippines. There have been spillages containing toxic materials occurring all over the Philippines and is harming the environment. As shown in the article, On October 31, 2005, a cyanide contaminated waste mine spilled in the Albay Gulf. There were also other spillages that occurred in the same year the cyanide spillage happened. The people living in the rural areas’ livelihood heavily depended on the natural resources but due to these spillages, it harms both the people and the biodiversity in these areas. In response to these happenings, tailings dams could be built to withstand typhoons but it is quite expensive so companies incharge would not spend a huge amount of money just to reinforce dams. The government still believed that the chances of these spills are low and that large scale mining would benefit the economy of the country more. 

The reason for all these spills are typhoons. Typhoons may destroy pumps or overload the dams containing tailings. The effects that climate change brings are inevitable and harmful. Whenever the atmosphere gets warmer, there are more chances of typhoons to form. The vulnerability of the Philippines to typhoons is very high since the Philippines is situated in a place where there are plenty of typhoons. The reason for this is due to the temperature in the Philippines, since it is located in a tropical area more typhoons will form there. 

The Philippines is one of the countries rich in natural resources such as minerals. Since the Philippines is rich in minerals, the government thought of a way to develop the economy even more through large scale mining. Large scale mining would no doubt develop the economy but it poses a risk on millions of lives. Tailings dams are built to store the excess materials of minerals that are mined. These excess materials are highly toxic and harmful to the environment. These dams sometimes spill due to typhoons and cause a disaster. A disaster, according to the article, is when a significant number of vulnerable people experience a hazard and suffer severe damage and/or disruption of their livelihood system in such a way that recovery is unlikely without external aid. The impacts and effects of these spills are very detrimental to the environment. The rural population that depend on the natural resources are forced to leave and their lives are put at stake since they do not have any back-up plans for their livelihood. They are forced to stop school, migrate places, and find new jobs. Large scale mining actually makes the poor poorer due to the fact that their lives are greatly affected by mining. 

Mining in the Philippines is important to the economy because of the fact that mining is largely untapped in the Philippines. Mining will further develop the economy of the Philippines and further utilize the natural resources that are abundant in the Philippines. However, the government promotes aggressive large scale mining which may have harmful effects to the environment especially those locations that are prone to typhoons. This may be balanced by equally doing large scale mining and small scale mining operations in areas and locations least affected by typhoons like some areas in Mindanao to ensure the safety of the environment while developing the economy even more. Although there will still be negative impacts on the environment, it may still be lessened compared to the promotion of an aggressive large scale mining operation. Lives of those affected by the negative effects of mining should always be put into consideration before making decisions. 

[joaqqquiin]

Legacy of The Past, Promise of The Future Reflection Paper

In the Philippines, many Filipinos are treated unfairly due to the unjust and corrupt system we have. Many of those Filipinos who are treated inequitably are farmers and landowners. How these farmers are treated negatively impact their lives but due to the need of income, they persevere. It is the duty of us Filipinos to help out the people who make and grow the food we eat, thus, this issue must be addressed. Farmers remain as low land agricultural workers and have low income. Legislators won’t allow agrarian reform because they are selfish and do not want the agricultural workers to take their land. Land reform was prominent back then, it was when land was distributed in small amounts and usually benefited the rich people more than the low land farmers.  This issue has been ongoing for years but it was famous during the 1980s, specifically, 1986. CARP, also known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program was established  to distribute land to agricultural workers and hopefully solve land problems and rural poverty. However, this was not the case, there were loopholes in the law made. The congress had the power to decide how much land the landowner will keep and this can be abused. In addition to that, tenants and agricultural workers had to work for a certain number of years in order to receive a portion of the land. The flaws in the law defeated the purpose of CARP since it did not help solve land problems and rural poverty. In opposition to what the farmers are fighting for which is just simply to own the land they till, the government focused on making the Philippines a fully industrialized country. In order to achieve the goal of the government, they had to build centers on rural areas meaning converting agricultural land to nonagricultural use land. The reason for this conversion is because agricultural land is covered by the provisions of CARL thus, it cannot be used for building of industrial centers. The goal of the government firmly contradicted the farmers since some of the land will be used for local industrial centers. Strategy that the government used is agri-industrialization which is the building of centers away from the national capital to promote forward-backward linkages. The government wanted fast track industrialization because the Philippines was falling behind in economic growth. 

The issue is an ongoing problem until now and has progressed through the years. It all started with the CARP which allowed the farmers to get land however it had some loopholes. The idea of industrialization then occurred, land was converted into non-agricultural use. The conversion of land to nonagricultural use was implemented to build industrial centers and hopefully attract private sector investments in hopes of helping our economy grow. However, conversion of land had some consequences. It made thousands of farmers lose their jobs and built a wall between the rich and poor. The gap between rich and poor grew and grew, this is also called the Matthew effect. This was evident in the Calabarzon project since most of the people remained poor. They were forced to take jobs even though they were paid less than the minimum wage. Over 100,000 hectares of land were converted to industrial and commercial use. This land could have been used for agricultural uses and helped our farmers.  Although, the loss of jobs and poor working conditions are not new to industrialization. In almost all countries or places where industrialization is implemented, the majority of the people lose their jobs. If people do not lose their jobs, it is still a challenge for them since the wage is low. Since many farmers will lose their jobs, they will move into urban areas in hopes of finding a new job. When the majority of the farmers move to urban areas, it will double in size thus overcrowding the city. More people will be homeless and live in the slums. This may have future consequences like causing health problems since the living conditions in the city will be dirty and unhealthy. It may also pose a threat to our economy since the unemployment rate will increase. There will also be scarcity in land, the land that will be used for industrial purposes could have been used for inhabiting or proper housing projects for the farmers and other homeless people. In addition to that, our food supply will also be affected since there will be less agricultural land to plant crops. This can also pose a threat on peace and order. Although there is no peace as of now due to our current situation with the fascist government, the loss of jobs and land may cause an insurgence by the farmers. Farmers will fight for their right to own a land. This issue is connected to the environment, social hierarchy, economy, and politics. This issue will cause harm to our environment in many ways. It will affect the air quality since there will be more air pollution due to all the smoke produced. The movement, import and export of goods will require mobile transportation thus leading to more pollution. In addition, the centers will use up more of the Philippines’ resources. This will also cause harm to the bodies of water. Toxic material from the vehicles and industrial buildings might leak into bodies of water that we Filipinos use. Water was also wasted since irrigated fields were converted into lands which were for industrial and commercial purposes. On top of that, there is also land degradation. Land degradation will always come hand in hand when it comes to industrializing land. Harmful and other unnecessary chemicals and material will mix with the soil and possibly spread to agricultural land. This may affect the growth of crops and harm the food we eat. Additionally, it would be destroying the habitats of the creatures that are abundant there which are mostly carabaws, goats, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Ecosystems are destroyed just for industrial buildings and such infrastructures. As mentioned earlier, this issue will create barriers between the rich and poor, thus affecting the social hierarchy. The people who lost their jobs or farmers will suffer from depression and other health issues which are very unhealthy. They will also suffer low income and will result in a change in lifestyle, they will have to reduce their food consumption and possibly sell most of their belongings.  Loss of jobs will result in a failure in the economy. There will be less workers thus there will be a higher unemployment rate. High unemployment rate means that the economy is very inefficient. The unemployed people will be incapable of buying more products thus will result in lower outcomes in the economy.  Having a high unemployment rate is a serious economic problem and will result in a failure in the economy and will further push the Philippines into a recession. The government will be the one making all the decisions for this issue so the lives of the farmers will be in their hands. The government must allot proper funding and time for this project if they are going to focus on it in order to lessen possible future concerns such as the eminent unemployment. This issue is part of much bigger problems. One of which is unemployment. This particular land issue contributes to the current problem of the Philippines. As of 2018, there is a 5.4% unemployment rate in the agricultural sector. This percentage is still huge when compared to the Philippine population. The rate of unemployment will continue to increase if the land issue is not solved since more and more agricultural workers will lose their jobs.  Another problem that this land issue is part of is the poverty in the Philippines. Agricultural workers tend to be poor and live in poverty. Agricultural workers are poor because of not making enough money. They have the right amount of money to sustain their livelihood and barely provide basic necessities for themselves. Now, the industrialization of land will force the majority of the agricultural workers to leave their land and property thus contributing to the poverty rate. One serious issue the land industrialization is part of is global warming. In order to achieve the industrialization Ramos envisions, trees would have to be cut so that the necessary infrastructure could be built for the project. These trees are very important to the environment as it filters the oxygen we breath and absorbs carbon dioxide. Increased carbon dioxide can cause the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse effect can pose a great threat to the environment and humans. Climate change, which is caused by the greenhouse effect, can cause respiratory problems, extreme weather conditions, food supply disruptions, and increased wildfire cases. The removal of trees are also part of minor yet dangerous issues such as floods and degrading the quality of land. Typhoons and storms are nothing new to the Philippines since it is very common here so floods always occur. Trees are very essential when it comes to preventing floods since the trees absorb the water. Trees also provide support to the land and help it keep intact. Removal of trees and building on these pieces of lands will make it prone to such natural calamities like landslides. The structures which are built on this land may be easily destroyed when there are earthquakes. This land issue continues to be a problem because the government keeps focusing their attention on other problems which can wait such as the Manila Bay Rehabilitation. This is still an issue because the agricultural workers, which were forced to leave their life in their rural areas, are yet to receive their land from the CARP. Regional agricultural workers have attempted to oppose the government yet their actions caused some of their  lives. 

This land industrialization project has good intentions of boosting the economy of the Philippines. The Philippines is a third world country and has three social classes: the rich, the middle class, and the poor. As part of the middle class, I have no idea what the poor or farmers go through. I know it is hard to imagine how badly they live with the lack of support from the government. But one thing I know is there are corrupt and selfish officials who are afraid to sacrifice their own land to help some Filipino farmers. We live in a country where there is no proper justice system. What we have is an unfair and corrupt system where the rich are excused and the poor suffer. Learning about this just shows how unfairly Filipino farmers are treated. Land is taken away from farmers in order to build centers to achieve the goal of fully industrializing the country. Industrialization is good however the government must weigh the costs of it. Just because a small percentage of the population will lose their jobs, it does not mean that we are supposed to push through with this project. Fully industrializing the country will only benefit the government officials and rich people and not the farmers and poor people, it is a selfish and biased project. Fully industrializing the country will only mean that agrarian reform will be revoked. There should be a good balance between promoting and reimplementing CARL but with improved provisions and industrializing abandoned and useless land rather than converting agricultural land to commercial and industrial land. When these two are balanced equally, everyone would benefit from it. This problem must be addressed as soon as possible to help the farmers. Agricultural farmers have already tried to ask for help from the government yet they did not do much about it so it resulted in an opposition from the farmers which caused them some of their lives. As Filipinos, we must take matters into our own hands and speak up for the farmers who are silenced and oppressed. No change will happen unless no one does anything about it. 

This issue might have been prevented if the government had backup plans for the people who will lose their homes and jobs. As mentioned earlier, it would have been better if the goal was not to fully industrialize the country but maintain a good balance between reimplementing the CARP and converting a fair amount of unused nonagricultural land to industrialized land. In doing so, all social classes would be able to benefit from it, especially the low land farmers. Proper support from the government should also be given to the farmers in order for them to expand their farm and gain more income from it thus they can live a sustainable life. Having a fair number of industrialized land will still maintain the economy and possibly boost it since more people are working. If more people are working, it means then less people will be unemployed and so people would be able to live a sustainable life and provide both needs and wants resulting in a higher outcome and stabilize our economy. 

Despite a legacy of agrarian reforms, Filipinos still faced land problems. These land problems have been here for decades and as long as we turn a blind eye to those suffering under its oppression, we will never achieve solving rural poverty and equal and right distribution of land. The only thing keeping the farmers alive are their jobs which is farming on land and we won’t even give them that. The goal of the CARP which is to tackle land problems and rural poverty has never been fulfilled due to the land industrialization taking away most of the land, the conversion of agricultural land to nonagricultural land for industrial use. There are laws, programs, and activities made to help and aid in these situations.  There is the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law that promised to give the lands that the farmers till to them. Programs in hopes of destroying the barrier between the rich and the poor by providing help to the needy. All these with one goal of solving rural poverty and providing a sustainable life to those who work hard just to support their families even with low income. Some may claim that agricultural workers are living sustainably in rural areas but tell that to the workers who were forced to flee their  homes and property due to the industrial land conversion. Agricultural workers like farmers, fishermen, and millions of other people like them who are downgraded to a subclass of human existence in our country. There is no alternative to equality and justice in this issue. Do we really want to live in a country wherein land is more important than livelihood, and money is more important than humanity. Agrarian reform was ratified at around 1935, it has been about 85 years since then. Let us finally give justice to those farmers who lost their land, livelihood, and lives. 

[joaqqquiin]

Journal Entry #1

The society we live in today has drastically changed compared to the previous generations. I know that change is inevitable, we all can change in good or bad ways, but the society we have come to know and live in has changed in a bad way. The majority of the people in today’s society are very gullible when it comes to news and opinions, people would often just read headlines or a bit of the article and believe it already. People have also stopped respecting other’s opinions due to lack of open-mindedness because they do not want their ideas to be challenged. Another is the cancel culture, cancel culture is when you “cancel” someone for doing something wrong. I do not support or like cancel culture because I believe that people can still change and develop their ways in thinking and doing things. Admit it, the people in this society are more prone to stress because of the amount of problems we deal with. These are just some of the things that make me see our society as bad. 

As a student, I can raise awareness through the use of social media platforms. Social media is now commonly used and one of the popular awareness raising platforms. Social media is also the only viable way of spreading awareness since there is the Covid-19 pandemic which is hindering us from making any other ways to raise awareness. I can make articles, posters, or even infographics regarding certain social issues and upload it online. 

If you have any concerns regarding my posts or if you wanna talk, please do message me on instagram, I am open to new ideas. @Joaqqquiin

[joaqqquiin]

ABOUT MYSELF :)

Hellooooo! My name is Joaquin Gabriel David Velasquez but you can call me Joaquin. I am 16 years old and I was born on August 30, 2004. A not so interesting fact about me is my height, I am 6′2. I like to eat food, I like to sleep, and I like to sing but sadly singing does not like me back. Oh, and I like to dance for fun when I have nothing else interesting to do. I like to travel, I have been to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, and Taiwan. I also like to binge watch TV shows and movies, I can watch one whole season in one day. My hobbies are watching movies and shows like Riverdale, Walking Dead, Unfriended, and etc. I also play mobile games like Pubg, Codm, Hide Online, Among us, and sometimes Roblox with my friends.