EDITORIAL

Good behavior and the murderous mayor

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:16 AM August 24, 2019

What constitutes “good behavior” in prison? Does it include going around in skirts despite being a male,
apparently a sign of reform (or penitence) on the part of the prisoner? Is it the inability (or refusal) to
give the survivors of the victims even part of the court-mandated damages despite the passage of two
decades? Or is it the willingness to allow government to seize (or set aside for safekeeping) the convict’s
assets?

These questions need to be asked, because there’s a public outcry against the planned early release of
convicted rapist-murderer former Calauan, Laguna mayor Antonio Sanchez—a plan the Duterte
administration itself announced. Sanchez is supposed to be serving a whopping 280-year term or seven
life terms of up to 40 years each. True, Sanchez has served 25 years, but as all the vitriol and pained cries
elicited by the news indicate, not enough time has passed to take the sting off the memory of what he
and his henchmen had done to college students Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra explained that Sanchez’s pending release is based on the
retroactive application of Republic Act No. 10592, “increasing the time allowances for good conduct
among prisoners, in effect reducing their jail sentences.” The law was meant to encourage good
behavior among prisoners, Guevarra said, while also decongesting the truly horrible state of our
jampacked jails.

But does this administration have to start with one of the most notorious convicts in Philippine judicial
history?

Besides, “good behavior” hardly applies to Sanchez. He may have taken to wearing skirts, which Sen.
Bato dela Rosa, he of the convoluted logic, suggests is a sign of atonement inside prison. But a surprise
raid once netted an air-conditioning unit and flat screen TV inside Sanchez’s cell. These are items not
usually found, indeed forbidden, in the quarters of prisoners in the national penitentiary. An even worse
violation was the discovery in Sanchez’s quarters of one kilo of “shabu” worth P1.5 million, concealed
inside, of all places, a statue of the Virgin Mary. Then New Bilibid Prison Director General Oscar Calderon
said they suspected the former mayor of selling the drug to his fellow prisoners. Is that exemplary
behavior?

Adding insult to injury have been the defenses offered by Duterte officials for the murderous mayor.
Dela Rosa, main enforcer of the war on drugs in his time as national police chief, has pleaded for a
“second chance” for Sanchez, conveniently forgetting that the police gave no chances at all to the
thousands of drug suspects—including children—killed as part of Oplan Tokhang.

It seems the law on early commutation is being applied not with impartiality or objective assessment,
but with favoritism and ulterior motives. What about, for instance, Sanchez’s coaccused? Are they, too,
stepping out of the NBP scot-free? There are also speculations that drug lords who testified against the
imprisoned Sen. Leila de Lima are set to enjoy an early release. Indeed, the willingness to cut short
Sanchez’s extremely long sentence flies in the face of the Duterte administration’s staunch
determination to keep De Lima behind bars—even as the case against her looks flimsier by the day.

An even deeper mystery is the news that earlier this year, Sanchez’s application for executive clemency
was summarily rejected because of, said Parole and Pardons Administration head Manuel Co, the
“gravity of the crimes he committed.” Is the application of RA 10592 then a politically expedient way of
arranging Sanchez’s early release? At whose behest? As many were quick to point out, Sanchez’s lawyer
during the trial was none other than Salvador Panelo, now the presidential spokesperson. (He has
denied involvement and says the government “can’t do anything” about the commutation law.)

In 1995, 16 months after the arrest of Sanchez and his henchmen, many sighed with relief at their
conviction, since it seemed to be proof that wealth and influence would not protect anyone from justice
being served. Many applauded the harsh sentences imposed on the accused, which may have been
Judge Harriet Demetriou’s way of ensuring that they would rot in jail for a crime that, as she put it, was
“a plot seemingly hatched in hell.”

Who hatched this new plot hiding behind the skirt of the law? And what purpose does releasing the
murderous mayor now serve?
Let the LGBTQ ‘live their truth’

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:12 AM August 17, 2019

“We just want to use the bathroom” is how Ice Seguerra, a transgender celebrity, boils down the issue
of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) rights, in his comments pertaining to the ordeal
that Gretchen Diez went through recently.

Diez, a transgender woman, tried to enter the ladies’ room of a mall last Tuesday but was prevented
from doing so by a woman restroom attendant. When she argued with the woman and demanded to
know on what grounds she was being barred, Diez was brought to the mall’s security office where, in
the words of a supporter on Facebook, she was “pushed, slapped and handcuffed.” Diez was then
marched in full view of the public and transported to the Camp Karingal police station, facing charges of
unjust vexation.

It would seem, though, that all’s well that ends well, with Diez eventually freed from detention and the
attendant writing a note of apology. Diez’s legal team, however, is said to be still mulling charges against
the mall management.

But the case then took on a life of its own, with public officials jumping into the roiled waters of LGBTQ
rights and the debate over the pending Sogie (sexual orientation and gender identity and expression)
Equality Bill.

The Sogie bill, also known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill, is intended by its champions “to prevent
various economic and public accommodation-related acts of discrimination against people based on
their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.” The bill has undergone many iterations since it
was first filed in 2000 (19 years ago!); the closest it got to being enacted was in the last Congress when
the House passed it on third reading in 2017, before it was shot down by the Senate. Champions in the
present Congress, though, are still working to get it passed, and the case of Gretchen Diez has certainly
pushed it back to the spotlight.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who sponsored the Sogie bill in the last Congress, has refiled the same legislation,
explaining that the Diez case proves how “LGBTQ persons face harassment and discrimination every
day.”
Seguerra, speaking to reporters, testified how he, a local celebrity and the former chair of the National
Youth Commission (NYC), has had to think twice whenever he needed to use a public restroom,
especially abroad and especially if there were other Filipinos who would recognize him. It had gotten so
bad, he shared, that whenever he traveled as NYC chair, he would simply avoid drinking liquids the
whole day.

The incident between Diez and the restroom attendant comes at an ironic time in the history of Filipino
public awareness and acceptance of LGBTQ rights. The confrontation came after Pride Month was
observed last June, with parades in many places around the country. The most prominent of these was
Metro Manila Pride, celebrated in Marikina, the longest-running public observance of gay pride and the
struggle for full gender equality in Southeast Asia. Suddenly, it seemed, rainbow-themed pedestrian
lanes were all over the metropolitan area—including one, ironically enough, just outside Farmers Plaza
where Diez was forbidden from using the restroom of her choice.

This is the stark reality facing the Gretchens and Ices of the world. No matter how much public
demonstrations of support are galvanized, petty, ignorant and egregious acts like banning a transgender
from using the “wrong” restroom will still take place—unless the Quezon City government, for instance,
seriously implements the very ordinance it has passed prohibiting such acts of discrimination in the city
(thankfully, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has chastised the mall for its action and thrown her
support behind Diez). Nor will they fully ease the fears and unease that LGBTQ members feel in public
whenever they “live their truth,” as Hontiveros put it, while others refuse to acknowledge, or will even
challenge or punish, this truth.

But the Sogie law, if it ever comes to pass, will be a powerful tool to educate the public and generations
to come about what it means to be human, to be imbued with inherent rights and dignity, and to
respect those same rights irrespective of sexual identity or gender orientation, or even the way one
chooses to dress. Members of Congress need to use this moment to think hard about the need to make
the country a safer, more inclusive place for ALL Filipino citizens (including, they should be reminded,
LGBTQ sons and daughters, siblings and other loved ones in their own families). “We just want to use
the bathroom” is, above all, an issue of basic human rights.
Edsa made worse

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:30 AM August 11, 2019

The pictures were horrendous, heartrending and infuriating: thousands of commuters stranded on
streets, unable to find buses to ferry them to work or school; on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa), a
long line of buses unmoving and hemmed in on their designated yellow lane, while the lanes for private
vehicles were nearly empty; and on the streets and stations leading to the MRT, many more miserable
commuters stewing as they waited for scarce train rides.

The daily nightmare on Edsa was made even worse last week with the confusion inflicted by the
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) yellow lane policy, the aggravation of a
provincial bus ban that went ahead despite a court order, and heavy rains.

But forget the weather for now — that’s an inescapable element at this time of year. The real culprit
was the yellow lane scheme, which, while ostensibly a measure meant to impose discipline and order
among bus drivers, was called out by many commuters for being antipoor.

They have a point. The scheme to segregate buses to only two lanes of Edsa (even provincial buses that
are allowed on the third lane were reportedly directed by MMDA enforcers to the yellow lane), while
three other lanes were dedicated to private car owners and other motorists, resulted in the now-viral
picture of city buses crammed with angry passengers stuck on two narrow lanes, while the rest of Edsa
was a virtual “express lane” where private vehicles could breeze through. And with Edsa clogged, the
side streets connected to the major thoroughfare were likewise jammed.

Given the wide gulf in carrying capacity between private cars (5 passengers at most) and public buses
(60 at full capacity), one would think the MMDA’s thrust would be to move more people — and not cars
— along, and that means ensuring that public transport vehicles, such as buses that are able to ferry
greater numbers of people, are able to do their job.

Much has been made of how undisciplined bus drivers regularly cause traffic havoc on Edsa; that, too, is
a valid concern. But driver discipline is a separate issue from the sheer ability to move more people en
masse from one point of the metro to the other.
The MMDA’s move last week did make Edsa more convenient for private vehicles, but at an
unconscionable expense — thousands more of ordinary workers and employees who ended up late for
work, or were forced to take unpaid leave, or had to get off at unceremonious points of their route to
trudge to work. Antipoor? Yes, it was.

At least one politician seems to get the crucial big picture. “Traffic in Pasig and Metro Manila will
continue to worsen no matter what traffic policies we have, UNLESS we lessen the demand for cars,”
said Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto in an online post. “This means a greater focus on moving people rather
than private vehicles. This means incorporating more non-car modes of transportation in our long-term
plans.”

Perhaps the likes of Sotto, along with transport experts and urban planners with fresher minds and
more innovative ideas to bring to the table, should be asked to attend the Senate investigation on the
Edsa gridlock that Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Senate public services committee, said she will hold on
Tuesday.

“Matinding kalbaryo (great suffering),” was how Poe lamented the incident.

The damage is bigger than the daily personal hell commuters are forced to go through. If traffic in Metro
Manila — which contributes a third to the country’s economy — does not improve, economic losses
could reach as much as P5.4 billion daily, the Japan International Cooperation Agency has earlier
warned. (The metropolis has a population of 12.9 million, but this swells to 15 million during daytime.)

Transport economist Jedd Ugay, cofounder of Alt Mobility PH, proposes that the government review the
revenue-focused bus franchise system and improve public transport to make it not only a more pleasant
experience for commuters, but to also encourage private vehicle owners to leave their cars at home. In
Singapore, for instance, the government has imposed a prohibitive car ownership policy to encourage
use of public transport. But this is only possible because of an efficient public transport system, which
the Philippines still sorely lacks.

Restricting the space for ordinary commuters while easing up on lanes for private vehicles will only
“entice more people to shift from public transportation and go to private vehicles instead of the other
way around,” said Ugay.

Unfortunately, for average daily-wage Filipino commuters, that is not an option. And so they begin their
hours brutalized on Edsa, and end it much the same way. Just another day in the capital of the
Philippines.
‘Endo’-ed promise

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:07 AM July 30, 2019

Bewildered, crestfallen, dismayed — these were the reactions to news that President Duterte has
vetoed the security of tenure, or “anti-endo” bill.

The labor sector, which had fought for decades against the system of labor-only contracting that leaves
workers in an endless endo, or end-of-contract cycle, has good reason to feel betrayed and sold out.

After all, the simple, direct promise made by the mayor from Davao City during his presidential
campaign — “The moment I assume office, I will order contractualization to stop” — was what made
him a hero of the working class and arguably notched him the presidency.

In August 2016, candidate Rodrigo Duterte even coupled his promise with a threat against business
owners engaged in the practice: “I’m telling this to you. You choose — stop contractualization or I kill
you!”

On Labor Day of 2017, almost a year in office and with labor groups becoming restive, Mr. Duterte said
he would issue an executive order to expedite the change he wanted.

“I stand firm in my conviction to stop endo,” he assured workers’ groups, whom he also encouraged to
submit inputs for the draft executive order.

But the second State of the Nation Address (Sona) of July 2017 passed with nary a word about the
promise, and by April 2018, the winds appeared to be shifting in Malacañang; Cabinet members started
saying a total ban on contractualization didn’t seem feasible.

Mr. Duterte did sign on Labor Day of 2018, two years into his office, Executive Order No. 51. Labor
groups, however, were quick to slam the EO, saying it was not the draft they had submitted, and that it
had become an “EO for employers.”
Malacañang then said Congress should instead pass a security of tenure bill to cure defects and
loopholes in current laws. In his third Sona in 2018, Mr. Duterte not only formally asked Congress to
“pass legislation ending the practice of contractualization once and for all,” he also certified Senate Bill
No. 1826 as an urgent administration priority measure.

To their credit, both the Senate and the House dutifully buckled down to work. After nearly eight
months, the Senate passed the measure on May 22, 2019, and the House swiftly adopted the version.

The enrolled SB 1826 and House Bill No. 6908 were then sent to the President for his signature on June
27 this year, and the long-awaited promise looked headed for fruition.

But, strangely, days passed without the President signing the measure; if not signed within 30 days, the
measure would have automatically lapsed into law — still a preferable outcome to nothing.

Mr. Duterte, however, would send the labor sector reeling in disbelief and outrage when, a few days
before the July 27 mark, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo announced that the President had
vetoed the anti-endo bill — only to withdraw his statement an hour later, saying the President was “still
studying the pros and cons,” and reconfirming the development only a day later. Spell disarray, and in
the nation’s highest office at that.

Mr. Duterte’s veto message said the “sweeping expansion of the definition of labor-only contracting
destroys the delicate balance and will place capital and management at an impossibly difficult
predicament with adverse consequences to the Filipino workers in the long term”—an assessment that,
according to Federation of Free Workers vice president Julius Cainglet, sounded lifted straight from a
joint statement of employers lobbying for a veto.

The senators who had complied with the President’s urgent push for the bill were left red-faced. “The
Cabinet should get their act together,” said Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri. “It makes no sense to
me why Malacañang would declare it a priority measure then, just to veto it after its approval … I am
totally bewildered on this development.”

The nation is, too — if only because, if there were concerns from big business and the President’s
economic team about the impact of the law as it was being written, why were these seemingly not
communicated to the lawmakers adequately, enough to have led to a better-crafted measure and
spared everyone three years of time, effort and expectations flushed down the drain?
As Sen. Joel Villanueva rightly pointed out: “We wonder why it’s only now that Neda (National Economic
and Development Authority) is raising these alleged concerns when the proper time to do so was as
early as three years ago when discussions on the bill started.”

Nowhere is the President’s disorganized, slapdash, by-the-seat-of-his-pants style of governance more

obvious, or more pernicious, than in the endo fiasco — yet another key campaign promise Mr. Duterte
has broken, and one lamentably done at the expense of the hopes of long-despairing Filipino workers.
Limited diagnosis of our traffic problem

BY THE MANILA TIMES

AUGUST 18, 2019

It is disappointing and unsettling to hear MMDA’s proposals to address traffic congestion, which bears
an economic cost of about P3.5 billion a day. We say disappointing because the proposals sound limited
in scope, focusing mainly on reducing the number of vehicles on roads. We added unsettling because
the proposals sound shallow and unimaginative, suggesting that a solution may not come soon. Without
an effective remedy, the estimated cost of this problem may balloon to P5.4 billion a day by 2035,
according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

First, having too many cars is only part of the problem. Recently, the proposal being tested is aimed at
reducing the number of buses that ply EDSA, the main thoroughfare that cuts across the metropolis. The
idea has been slammed for being anti-poor, which may be a fair point. Buses and other means of public
transport typically cater to poorer commuters. Those who can afford to enjoy the comfort of riding in
their own private vehicles.

We agree that in the short-term, the authorities need to find solutions to reduce the volume of traffic.
And, as we have mentioned in this space earlier, the MMDA’s idea deserves thorough study by the
Senate. If we do buy into that concept, then the approach to lessen the number of vehicles on the roads
should probably target private vehicles, not buses. There are more than 247,000 private cars that use
EDSA daily, compared to some 12,000 buses. A bus may have a larger footprint than even an SUV, but it
carries far more passengers.

Of course, favoring buses over private cars is not without disadvantages worth taking note of. From the
way they drive, bus drivers obviously know little about driving rules and courtesies, a deficiency
generally attributed to a lack of discipline that exacerbates congestion. Also, car owners should not be
faulted for using their vehicles, since the public transport system is underdeveloped, inconvenient and
often times unreliable.

Other options

Second, programs to address traffic congestion should be comprehensive, much broader than anything
mentioned in public so far. Before the authorities lock in on buses or consider extreme measures like
granting emergency powers to the President, they should explore all possibilities and get creative.
On the positive side, the government has made a few right moves such as deciding to transfer some
government offices to Clark in Pampanga. Developing business and government hubs outside Metro
Manila will surely help.

The Build, Build, Build program would also be helpful, and we hope that the government could
accelerate its implementation.

Besides what the government is already doing, we urge the authorities to build even more railway lines.
We should move large cargo containers via rail, rather than by lorries. The authorities should also look at
the ports in

Batangas and Subic to determine what is keeping them from becoming viable alternatives to Manila.

Our transportation planners should revisit the idea of harnessing the Pasig River and other rivers for
transport. We can even study how to use Laguna de Bay to ferry people and goods to and from the
metropolitan area and the provinces of Rizal and Laguna.

Furthermore, the authorities should revisit the number-coding system, which has been in place since the
mid-1990s. It seems ineffective. We suspect that scheme has contributed to an increase in the number
of vehicles over the decades, many of which have no proper parking areas. It may be helpful to see how
Pasig City is coping after its new mayor suspended the coding system there.

Of course, we should not forget about improving education or public awareness about traffic rules and
other motoring issues. Before drivers can obey traffic signs, they should first learn how to read them.
Pedestrians need to learn as well, particularly where to cross streets or get on and off public transport.

Granted, any alternative idea needs careful study. Our point is that the public discourse on traffic
congestion should be broader in scope and creative. If our focus remains narrow, then our diagnosis of
the problem may be off, and any proposed solution may turn out to be ineffective or even make matters
worse.
Managing Metro Manila traffic

BY THE MANILA TIMES

AUGUST 16, 2019

THE Senate inquiry into the provincial bus ban in Metro Manila would be more productive and useful if it
desists from confusing 1) the work of policymaking or lawmaking, which is principally a function of the
legislature, with 2) the work of setting administrative rules and regulations, which is principally a
function of the executive branch and its agencies.

While finding fault with the decision of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to
implement a provincial bus ban along EDSA, Sen. Mary Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate public
services committee, lectured MMDA executives that “the bus ban is not a substitute for rational,
consulted and evidence-based policymaking.”

Policymaking? This is quite a mouthful. Since when did managing the traffic in the metropolis become a
matter for national policymaking? Why is the Senate poking its nose into matters that have to do with
solutions and measures to improve traffic flow?

Is the Senate public services committee envisioning a law to manage the traffic in our national capital, or
specifically EDSA?

Secondly, the Senate inquiry would be more productive if it inquires into the ownership of the various
provincial bus companies that enter or operate in Metro Manila.

It has been known for some time by the public that many of these companies are owned or partly
owned by lawmakers, senators and representatives both.

With lawmakers owning these bus companies, it has been difficult for the MMDA to regulate their
operations in the metropolis. This was partly the reason why it took such a long time for metro
authorities to finally expel the buses from their terminals along EDSA.
It is possible that the current plan to control the entry of provincial buses into Metro Manila will be
stymied in the Senate or the House by the interference of lawmakers who are transport entrepreneurs.

We think Senator Poe and her colleagues in the public services committee should not stop themselves
from asking inquisitively about the ownership of the bus companies, regardless of who they are. This is a
list that deserves to be made.

Exposure of the names to public scrutiny and study will be constructive. The question is, Will Senator
Poe ask the question during the Senate inquiry? Is she curious at all?

There is a real possibility that transport entrepreneurs in Congress will seek to block or enfeeble the
provincial bus ban. This will clearly be inimical to the public interest.

We believe the provincial bus ban scheme of the MMDA deserves a fair and thorough public hearing by
the Senate. It should be studied and discussed by experts in public forums in the media.

The nation has yearned vainly for decades for an effective response to the constantly worsening traffic
in the nation’s capital region.

Many measures have been tried, but they all failed to do the job as the urban population kept
expanding and business grew by leaps and bounds.

Now the complete banning of provincial buses from EDSA is being proposed by the MMDA.

Will this scheme succeed?

Is it fair to the bus companies and thousands of their workers and the riding public? All should be heard
on the issue.

It is eminently worthy to find the answers to these questions.

The final test for the bus ban will be its effectiveness.

If the ban is found to be workable and potentially effective, the MMDA should be free to go to town to
implement it.

The public will approve. The Senate should give it its blessing.
Until certified, PH should be on guard against Dengvaxia

BY THE MANILA TIMES

AUGUST 09, 2019

OUR dengue and Dengvaxia nightmare is not yet over. The dreaded virus has returned in the form of an
epidemic.

The Senate inquiry that consumed the public’s attention for two years did not arrive at any firm
conclusions. And now here we are again, confronted by the dengue virus. After billions of pesos
consumed by the Dengvaxia scam, the nation is still no wiser or more confident in dealing with dengue
fever.

Last Tuesday, the Department of Health (DoH) led by Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd declared a national
dengue epidemic because of the soaring number of cases caused by the dengue virus, which at this
point has claimed 622 lives.

The Health department has recorded 146,062 cases of dengue from January to July this year. This is 98
percent higher than the cases listed in the same period last year.

The incidence of the fever cuts across the entire archipelago, from Luzon to the Visayas, and to
Mindanao.

The secretary said: “It is important a national epidemic be declared to identify where a localized
response is needed and to enable the local government units (LGUS) to use the Quick Response Fund to
address the epidemic.”

The Health department on Tuesday also launched a search-and-destroy campaign to prevent the spread
of the mosquito that carries the virus.
Starting last Tuesday, the DoH, together with other government agencies, the LGUS, schools and offices,
and communities started conducting the 4 o’clock habit, focusing on mosquito breeding places and
destroying them.

These moves are necessary because the government does not have the medicine to contain the virus. As
Secretary Duque said: “We don’t have medicine, we don’t have vaccinations that can prevent the spread
of dengue, and we only hope that the measures we have adopted will decrease the number of cases we
have recorded.”

The dengue alert deserves full public support. Public awareness of the epidemic should be followed by
civic action to help our health authorities control the spread of dengue.

Amid the wide public alert, former Health secretary Janette Garin, who achieved national notoriety
because of her suspected role in the still unresolved Dengvaxia scandal, has boldly come out in the open
and declared that the dengue outbreak could have been prevented had the government not
discontinued the Dengvaxia vaccination program. Garin has yet to be cleared of involvement in the
scandal that saw the irregular use of public funds to purchase the still untried Dengvaxia and its use in
the controversial mass vaccination of more than 800,000 schoolchildren that may have resulted in at
least a dozen deaths.

The Palace is correct not to dismiss Ms Garin’s call outright. The extremity of the situation arises from
the fact that there is no proven vaccine yet against dengue fever. At this time. Dengvaxia is probably the
only dengue vaccine that has been developed.

The matter, said Malacañang, should be discussed thoroughly and extensively.

There is a wide difference of opinion among health experts about the efficacy of Dengvaxia. Some are
approving of Dengvaxia. But many also oppose its adoption now. There is still no international approval
of Dengvaxia.

Garin and others who were implicated in the Dengvaxia scam are opportunistically using the current
emergency as a means to whitewash their accountability. They are urging Secretary Duque and the DoH
to allow the use of Dengvaxia, and resume the dengue vaccination campaign.
The huge problem, Ms Garin, is that the government has already tried once to use Dengvaxia, at great
cost to the public treasury and at greater cost to the lives of children.

To date, international health authorities will not say that Dengvaxia is safe to use and effective against
dengue. Until this certification, our government will be wise to be on guard against Dengvaxia.

This is why the Senate inquiry into the Dengvaxia scam needed closure. After so much talking and
publicity, the inquiry produced nothing.

The national government, through the National Bureau of Investigation and our health authorities,
should be the one investigating the efficacy of Dengvaxia. This is not for politicians to undertake.

Meanwhile, it would be prudent to abide by the measures the Health department has launched to arrest
the spread of dengue. Without a proven vaccine, the word of our Health department is still our most
reliable guide in a public health epidemic.
Making the right decision on POGOs

Updated August 28, 2019, 1:52 PM

POGO – it stands for Philippine Gaming Offshore Operations. It has been in the news lately, with Sen.
Joel Villanueva delivering a privileged speech in the Senate last June voicing concern over so many
foreign workers brought in by POGO operators. He was concerned, he said, with loss of jobs to
foreigners at a time when the Philippines needs all the jobs it can generate for Filipino workers.

The controversy went up another notch when Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana warned against
the danger of POGOs being set up near Philippine military installations, like the Philippine National
Police’s Camp Crame and the Armed Forces’ Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, the Philippine Army’s
camp in Taguig, Rizal, and the Philippine Air Force’s Villamor Air Base in Pasay. The many Chinese
workers in these POGOs could be used to spy on the military bases for China, Secretary Lorenzana said.
Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua deplored the statement. It would be like saying Overseas Filipino
Workers now in China might spy on that country’s bases, he said. Secretary Lorenzana denounced this
comment as “preposterous,” saying OFWS are there simply to work.

In the wake of this sharp exchange, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor)
decided to suspend its acceptance of any new POGO applications. China Foreign Ministry spokesman
Geng Shuang 0said China appreciated” this decision, but “we hope the Philippines will go further and
ban all online gambling.”

All the while, China has been against online gambling operations in the Philippines and elsewhere in
the world catering to Chinese gamblers. Gambling, including online gambling, is illegal in China. It is
allowed only in the Special Autonomous Region of Macau, which has retained some of its old
privileges under the Portuguese, much like Hong Kong, which has kept some of its rights and practices
under the British after these two regions were returned to China in 1999 and 1997, respectively.

After the China Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed hope that the Philippines would ban all online
gambling, Secretary Lorenzana said he would raise the issue to his cabinet cluster.

Online gambling operators paid P579 million in taxes in 2018 and P789 million in the first half of 2019,
with another P9 billion still to be paid. This is how much the Philippine government has earned in taxes
from the POGOs now in the country. Pagcor said licensing fees and royalties from POGOs are likely to
hit P8 billion before the end of the year.

The Philippine real estate industry weighed in with the information that POGOs in the country now
lease some 1.1 million square meters of office floor space – up from 200,000 square meters at the start
in 2016. Of this total, 65 percent are leased by Chinese POGOs and the rest by other nationalities. If
yhe Chinese POGOs are closed down, an industry official said, it will be bad for the industry, but not so
bad because the POGOs paid advance deposits of one to two years and their Philippine landlords will
have much time to look for other tenants.

Against this is the complaint that the POGOs have brought in some 10,000 foreign workers needed to
deal with the non-English-speaking Chinese gamblers; and the fear of some officials that these workers
may spy for China.

It is all up to us to make the right decision.

Putting out the fire

posted August 29, 2019 at 12:00 am

Governors of nine Brazilian states most affected by the record number of fires in the Amazon rainforest
have urged their president, Jair Bolsonaro, to accept the $22 million being offered by the seven most
advanced economies of the world.

The pledge was made during the G7 summit held in Biarritz, France over the weekend.

But Bolsonaro says he will not accept the help unless the president of one member of the G7—France’s
Emmanuel Macron—apologizes for what Bolsonaro says are insult’s to Brazilian sovereignty.

Macron has indicated that the fate of the Amazon would be the fate of everybody. Bolsonaro says the
French president was treating Brazil as if it were a colony or no man’s land.
There have been 83,000 fires between January 1 and August 27 this year, estimates Brazil’s space
agency, as reported by the BBC. The number represents a staggering 77 percent—some estimates peg it
to as high as 85 percent—increase from the fires in the same period last year.

BBC analysts also found that this year saw a sharp drop in fines handed out for environmental violations.
While fires are common especially during the dry season, which is only beginning in Brazil, there are
accusations the President is greatly encouraging illegal logging and mining. Deforestation by farmers,
who use slash-and-burn means to set up their farms, is also blamed for the record fires.

The G7’s aid, which will primarily pay for more firefighting planes, will be available immediately.
Individual countries, organizations and high-profile individuals have also pledged help.

That the Amazon is burning on an unprecedented scale is in itself a tragedy. It has been called the lungs
of the globe, and rightly so. It helps mitigate the climate change by trapping carbon dioxide which will
otherwise go to the atmosphere and warm the globe. It provides much-needed oxygen and hosts a
wealth of species. So yes, it is Brazil’s, but there are no territorial bounds for the good it does the rest of
us.

The spat between Macron and Bolsonaro compounds this tragedy and shows us how misplaced pride
can slow down, even sabotage, efforts to contain the burning. In this situation, every hour, every day is
precious. Politicians’ egos—whether they claim to be proud nationalists or magnanimous donors and
do-gooders—will never be quite so big as the huge and far-reaching challenge that the Amazon fires
bring. The emergency is bigger and more profound than all of them, combined.
No rush to judgment

posted August 28, 2019 at 12:00 am

The unfortunate case of the transgender woman who was harassed by a janitor then detained by police
in Quezon City earlier this month when she tried to use the female comfort room at a mall has sparked a
debate on a bill that seeks to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

The transgender woman, Gretchen Diez, 28, was barred by a female janitor from using the women's
comfort room at the Farmers Plaza. When she protested, the janitor dragged her to the mall’s security
office and started shouting at her when Diez tried to capture her experience on her phone.

Diez recounts the janitor told her she wanted to slap her in the face because she was gay.

Police later handcuffed Diez and brought her to the Quezon City Police District Station 7, where she
awaited the filing of a complaint by the janitor. But at about 11:30 p.m., the police released Diez after
the janitor dropped the case and even sent her a letter of apology.
In the wake of Diez’s ordeal, public attention became focused on the Sexual Orientation and Gender
Identity and Expression (SOGIE) equality bill, which seeks to protect members of the lesbian, gay, bi-
sexual and transgender (LGBT) community from all forms discrimination, including giving them the right
to use the restroom of their choice.

Politicians soon jumped on the politically correct SOGIE bandwagon, seeking to curry favor with the
LGBT community.

One opinion writer, citing hate crime statistics from the United States, said it was perfectly acceptable
for gays to opt to use the women’s restroom for fear of being assaulted in the men’s room.

“So for those... women who feel uncomfortable by the presence of trans women in women's public
toilets, I am sorry to inform you that the safety and security of trans women are more important than
your comfort,” she wrote.

How presumptuous.

When the rights of one group are deemed less important than the rights of another, is that not simply
another form of discrimination?

If we are to allow gays and lesbians to use whichever restroom they wish, would we do the same for the
bisexual among us? Logic suggests we should, but prudence might say otherwise.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III got it right when he said the choice of which restroom to use is really a
biological question. How a person is equipped should determine where he or she goes to get relief.

Moreover, he said, the claim among some transgender women that they are vulnerable to assault in
men’s restrooms is unfounded.

He also correctly points out that in the pursuit of LGBT rights, we need to give women’s rights due
consideration and protection.

It is easy to get caught up in the suffering that Diez so unjustly experienced, and to want to be politically
correct, but this one well-publicized case shouldn’t blind us to the implications of an ill-considered law.
Environmental cancer

posted August 25, 2019 at 12:00 am

The frame of raging fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest is a stirring scene. This has prompted scientists to
warn that the fires could thrust a death-dealing blast to the worldwide fight against climate change.

Brazil’s space research center, the National Institute for Space Research, known by the wordplay INPE,
has recorded more than 74,000 fires so far this year, more than half in the Amazon region —an 84
percent increase in the comparative period in 2018, the highest number since records began in 2013.

The Amazon, often referred to as the planet’s lungs for producing 20 percent of the oxygen in the
Earth’s atmosphere, is considered important in the fight against global warming due to its ability to
absorb carbon from the air.

Brazil, the largest country in both South America and Latin America with 8.5 million square kilometers
and over 208 million people, is the world’s fifth largest country by area and the fifth most populous.
It has the biggest share of the 670 million hectares of forest—60 percent—and is home to more species
than anywhere in the world.

Images and videos on social media, seen here in the Philippines, have shown monstrous pinions of
smoke darting out from the greenery and winds-whipped lines of fire leaving blackened waste below.

The smoke has gone as far as Sao Paulo, 2,736 kilometers away. Images from the city, which honors the
Apostle, Saint Paul of Tarsus, showing the skyline in pitch darkness in mid afternoon, the sun eclipsed by
smoke and ash.

Whether the fires seen worldwide are wildfires or those directly related to deforestation, we stand
behind environmentalists who are in full throttle in their campaign to save the Amazon.

The Amsterdam-headquartered Greenpeace, which is operational in 55 countries, has warned the Brazil
government against slithering to what it called a “threat to the climate equilibrium.” The Gland,
Switzerland-based World Wildlife Fund itself has also warned that if the Amazon burns to that legend of
no return, the rainforest could become a dry grassland, no longer livable by majority of its wildlife.

“If this happens, instead of being a source of oxygen, it could start emitting carbon—the major driver of
climate change,” according to WWF. This would raise the probability of what might well be an
environmental lung cancer.
The buzz on Acosta

posted August 22, 2019 at 12:00 am

The chief of the Public Attorney’s Office, Persida Acosta, says she is not a mosquito that brings the
dreaded dengue, so she must not be blamed for the epidemic.

The statement would be hilarious if it didn’t have a profound impact on the health of millions of Filipinos
now threatened by the disease.

The Aquino administration entered into a P3.5-billion deal with the manufacturer, Sanofi, which later on
said recipients of the vaccine could still be at risk if they have not had a previous exposure to dengue.
But now a doctors’ group has issued a statement calling for the lifting of the ban on Dengvaxia amid the
soaring number of dengue cases.

Another doctors’ group has rejected the use of the vaccine as a way to deal with the current epidemic.
Because it’s the rainy season, and the number of dengue cases-—and resulting deaths-—have been
unprecedented, accusations and counter-accusations involving Acosta, her agency, the Department of
Health and those facing charges in the Dengvaxia scare take on an even greater significance.

Earlier this month, a group of unnamed lawyers from the PAO asked the Office of the Ombudsman to
look into Acosta’s move to purchase of office supplies and obtain extra funds, supposedly for the
Dengvaxia cases. Other lawyers in the agency have expressed support for Acosta, though, who claims
the letter is “fake news” meant to taint her good name. Also tagged in the complaint is Erwin Erfe, her
so-called forensics expert.

Acosta and Erfe are also accused of pursuing patients who have supposedly gotten sick because of the
vaccine.

In her zeal, Acosta has been accused of fanning a scare among parents who have since refused to have
their children vaccinated against other diseases. Several months ago, there was a spike in measles cases
attributed to much lower vaccination rates among children.

Hysterics, fear-mongering and sound bytes do little to assuage people’s doubts or empower them to
seek the right information to protect their families. There are numerous other ways to prevent the
disease even as we wait for a definitive, science-based decision on how safe the vaccine is. Heaping
blame on others and forcing outcomes just to build an argument will not prevent dengue—any disease,
for that matter—from claiming children’s lives.

Agencies of the government must not take positions against each other because they have the same
mandate—serve the people—under whatever administration.

Finally, while all tasks are important, some are more urgent than others. The cases have been filed and
will be given due course. These days, it is crucial to beef up the information drive for prevention, and
provide adequate support for treatment of patients who are already sick.
Bulakan airport

posted August 16, 2019 at 12:00 am

The government must encourage the construction of a new modern airport to replace the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport that has long outlived its usefulness.

Increased domestic and foreign flights have recently overwhelmed Naia, given its limited space and
runways, resulting in air traffic congestion and delays in the arrival and departure of planes. Plans to
upgrade Naia may not suffice to meet the increasing number of both local foreign air passengers. Such
upgrade can only be an interim solution and does not offer a viable, long-term answer to airport
congestion.

The proposal of conglomerate San Miguel Corp. to construct a new airport in Bulakan, Bulacan province
appears to address the physical limitations of Naia. The Department of Transportation just issued the
notice of award to San Miguel, which has proposed to build the P734-billion Bulacan International
Airport project just north of Metro Manila.
The department, in giving the go-signal to San Miguel, noted that the new airport would help decongest
Naia, while providing the traveling public a world-class facility and connectivity options. The new airport,
as promised by the proponent, will be a modern facility that will hopefully transform the sleepy town of
Bulacan into a bustling metropolis and a new gateway to Metro Manila and northern Luzon provinces.

San Miguel has tapped the services of global firms Groupe ADPi, Meinhardt Group and Jacobs
Engineering to design and build the New Manila International Airport. All three companies were
involved in building world-class airports, including Changi Airport in Singapore, Atlanta Airport in the US
and Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.

The new airport can be a catalyst to the development of more infrastructure projects in Central Luzon.
The NMIA, for one, will include the construction of an 8.4-kilometer tollway that will connect it to North
Luzon Expressway in Marilao, Bulacan.

Moreover, with a design capacity of 100-million passengers annually and airside facilities with a
configuration of four parallel runways, the airport is expected to boost the tourism potential of the
coastal town and neighboring municipalities.

The new airport, in sum, will create new economic activities in the Bulacan stretch of Manila Bay, and
greatly decongest Metro Manila.
Weak economic growth

posted August 09, 2019 at 12:00 am

The Philippine economy as expected grew more slowly in the second quarter of the year, weighed down
by the delay in the approval of the 2019 budget, an anemic agricultural sector due mainly to El Niño, and
the ban on construction activities during the mid-term elections,

The economy just expanded by 5.5 percent in the April-to-June period from 5.6 percent in the previous
quarter. The weak expansion puts tremendous pressure on the government to stimulate the economy in
order to achieve the 6-percent to 7-percent growth target this year.

The government faces a tall order in getting the economy back on track. Economic Planning Secretary
Ernesto Pernia has conceded that the Philippine economy must expand by an average of at least 6.4
percent in the second half to reach the low-end of the full-year growth target. The country's economic
managers and the governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas know the drill. They will have to stimulate
or pump-prime the economy to achieve the growth objective.
The Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral just reduced the borrowing rate by 25 basis points to 4.25
percent amid low inflation and the sluggish economic growth. The move aims to spur borrowing by
companies through lower interest rates to fund their expansion. The rate cut, along with an expected
infusion of liquidity into the financial system within the year, will lower the cost of funds and serves as
an incentive to hire more workers through expansion.

The government will also have to step up spending, especially on infrastructure projects, in order to
catch up on the backlog during the first five months of the year. Public construction, according to
government data, dropped 27 percent in the second quarter and offset the growth of private
construction. President Rodrigo Duterte was able to sign the P3.7-trillion national budget for 2019 only
in April after a couple of months of impasse between the two houses of Congress.

The outlook on the global economy, meanwhile, is not upbeat amid the trade tension between the US
and China. But the local economy is holding on. Household spending remains strong and it's just a
matter of pushing the right buttons to spur the economy.
‘Dignified commuting’

posted August 06, 2019 at 12:00 am

A senator, working with a transport advocacy group, filed a bill called the Magna Carta of Dignified
Commuting last month. What the bill fundamentally says is that mobility with dignity is basic human
right.

A commuter is one who travels from one point to another using a combination of transport modes other
than private vehicles.

The bill identifies the basic rights of commuters:

• The right to adequate transportation services means that waiting time at bus stops should be limited
to 10 minutes and that transport stops should be within 300 meters from each other.
• The right to road safety means the state shall promote safe driving behavior of public transport
drivers.

• The right to mobility infrastructure says there must be walking and biking paths.

• The right to clean air is self-explanatory, as is the right to participation in the decision-making process
for transport and mobility issues.

Mobility experts Zaxx Abraham and Mirick Paala, writing for CNN Philippines, say that today, "clearly,
the priority is moving private vehicles."

Abraham and Paala, founding members of AltMobility PH, the advocacy group that worked with Senator
Francis Pangilinan, said: “To be clear: The Magna Carta for Dignified Commuting' is not saying that cars
are the enemy. What we are pushing for is the idea of Philippine cities that have the options for its
people to walk, bike, ride their public transportation of choice.”

Anybody who has ever taken public transportation in Metro Manila, especially those who have to do it
every day and have no other options to go around, know all too well that commuting does a good job of
stripping one of dignity.

People try hard enough to earn a living and deal with employers who trample on their basic rights of,
say, fair and timely compensation. They have to figure out how to make ends meet for their families,
given the rising costs of basic goods and services.

As if these were not preoccupations grave enough to sap the energy out of the most honest earnest
worker, he or she has to face, coming and going, every day, the curse of taking public transport. If it
rains, the curse is amplified many times over.

In the end, they get to their destinations just a little less whole, just a little less free.

There is no argument with the fact that commuters have rights, that they deserve better, and that the
ultimate responsibility lies with their government: planners and implementors.

The bill is long overdue. The problem is that even if it hurdles the legislative mill, its words, while good
on paper, will likely not be good for anything else. This is because efforts to improve public
transportation as a whole, and each component individually, have been sporadic and unsustainable.

Without foresight, good planning and even better execution, “dignified commuting” in Metro Manila
will continue to be an oxymoron.
Rising risk

posted July 21, 2019 at 12:00 am

We add our voice to the rising call for local government units, public and private health workers,
particularly those from the provincial down to the barangay levels to report all public health threats and
emergencies, particularly at this point dengue, to the Department of Health.

Before the weekend, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has registered a
rising dengue total death toll at 202 in some regions.

In the Eastern Visayas region, death toll from the dengue fever—sometimes rising to 40.5 degrees C—
has risen to 21 by latest count this week alone, with 5,577 others hospitalized from January 1 to July 16,
which is twice the number in the comparative period in 2018.
A silver lining has appeared, with the recent declaration of dengue outbreak in Iloilo by the Department
of Health, with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) giving assurances to the public
that confinements due to dengue are compensable.

PhilHealth’s president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales has underscored that the corporation
“correspondingly insures its eligible patients with dengue (with or without warning) and severe dengue
at P10,000 and P16,000.”

These benefits are available at Level 1, 2, and 3 hospitals while non-severe dengue could be treated in
primary care facilities.

Farther south, in Zamboanga Sibugay, Gov. Wilter Yap Palma has ordered mayors of the 16 LGUs to
conduct synchronized fogging as the entire province is placed in a state of calamity due to the rising
cases of dengue—2,908 cases with 10 deaths as at mid-July.

But what really is dengue and what bacterium causes it? Dengue fever is caused by any one of four
types of dengue viruses spread by mosquitoes that thrive in and near human lodgings. A person can
either have symptoms of dengue fever or may have no symptoms.

After about one week, the mosquito can transmit the virus while biting a healthy person —no such
thing, say medical experts, as dengue being spread from person to person .

It is only appropriate that we are aware of the warning signs of dengue infections: severe abdominal
pain; persistent vomiting; bleeding gums; vomiting blood; rapid breathing; as well as fatigue and
restlessness.
Editorial: The other side of depression

October 13, 2017

IT’S sad that people only become interested about certain issue when it already involves celebrities or
their families.

Just recently, people, particularly netizens, talked about the suicide of an actress's brother. The alleged
cause of which is depression.

And only then that people search the reason of depression and how it can be prevented or treated.

Some people who, due to ignorance on the subject matter, conclude that only cowards commit suicide,
disregarding the fact about the real issue on depression.

In psychiatry.org, the website of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), depression is defined as a
major depressive disorder, a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how one feels,
the way one thinks and how one acts.

It adds that depression is different from sadness as the latter involves precedent incident that causes
the feeling of sadness, like a loss of a loved one, a breakup of a relationship, losing a job, among others.
It also says that sadness is present and natural in grieving process.

What differs sadness from depression is that in depression, interest or mood is decreased in constant
manner, unlike when one is just feeling sad when his interest or mood comes in waves; meaning the
feeling of lack of interest or not in the mood is not all the time present.

When sad, one's self-esteem is still present, unlike in depression when one constantly feels
unworthiness and self-loathing.

However, it also adds, that losing a loved one, losing a job or being a victim of physical abuse could
result to depression.
Other factors that can contribute to depression, it adds, are biochemistry, involving chemicals in our
brains, genetics (it could run in families), personality (those who have lower self-esteem or are generally
pessimistic have higher risk for depression) and environmental factor.

However, it also adds that depression can affect anyone, even to those people who you think is least
likely to be afflicted with it.

The good news, however, is that depression is highly treatable.

All of these facts only suggest that concern and attentiveness is the key to prevention of losing someone
due to depression.

Saving a life that may be lost due to depression involves everyone's concern. When you observe any one
in your midst who is showing symptoms of depression, take him or her to a proper health professional.

And if you think you are the one who is fighting bouts of depression, then seek health professional help,
immediately.

By being concerned and attentive, you don't know the life you save might be your loved one's or even
your own.
Editorial: Responding to depression

June 11, 2018

THE death by suicide of Kate Spade, followed by Anthony Bourdain, within the same week brought into
focus issues of mental health and our society’s readiness to help those struggling with depression,
anxiety, and other consequences of modern stress.

To the public, both Spade and Bourdain epitomized accomplishments and success. Their unexpected
passing away has been subjected to scrutiny and speculation, which, for the public welfare, must be
directed to understanding, reaching out, and assisting persons made vulnerable by mental health issues.

Depression and its consequences was the focus on April 7, 2017, observed as World Health Day and the
founding anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to an article uploaded on “MIMS Today,” the website of the pharmaceutical reference guide
Monthly Index of Medical Specialties, depression is a mental disorder that affects all people, with WHO
studies establishing that all experience depression at “some point in their life.”

Associated with “sadness, loss of interest, feelings of guilt, low self-worth, disturbed sleep, (lost)
appetite, tiredness, and poor concentration,” depression can be “long-lasting or recurrent.”

As the “second leading contributor to ill health,” depression “may lead to suicide that may eventually
end to death,” the Department of Health (DOH) said in a statement quoted by the “MIMS Today” article.

Some misconceptions prevail, such as the perception that the young are the most vulnerable to
depression.

While the WHO estimates that “suicide associated with depression is the second leading cause of death
among people aged 15-29,” some studies show that there is an emerging trend of depression affecting
the Filipino elderly.

Of 2,500 cases of suicide monitored in 2012, 2,000 cases were male and the rest, female, according to
the DOH’s National Center for Mental Health.
The figures monitoring depression and self-harm or suicide may even be underreported due to
ignorance and stigma. The danger is highest when people fail to recognize and respond to the symptoms
of depression, which can worsen to self-harm or suicide, pointed out psychiatrist Dr. Reynaldo Lesaca, a
National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) consultant quoted in the same “MIMS Today” article.

While younger people are more vulnerable to bullying and its online version through social media, older
people also have to cope with social expectations that presume they are more mature to handle stress,
which prevents them from reaching out and seeking help.

“Anthony Bourdain was almost inconceivably high-functioning; the gap between public triumph and
private despair is treacherous,” wrote “The New Yorker” writer Andrew Solomon in a June 9 article
published online.

“The pattern of highly accomplished and successful people committing suicide is transfixing. It assures
the rest of us that a life of accolades is not all that it’s cracked up to be and that achieving more will not
make us happier. At the same time, it reveals the fact that no one is safe....”

Recognising the vulnerability of a relative may not even be enough. Michael attempted suicide twice by
slashing his wrists; his family detected these attempts in time and saved him on those two occasions. On
the third try, when he hanged himself in his room at home, he was successful.

How can Filipinos be prepared to respond to others’ depression and suicide when the country’s
resources for meeting mental crises are inadequate?

There is one psychiatrist estimated for every 250,000 in the population, which should ideally be one
psychiatrist for every 50,000, according to the DOH. There are 12 mental health facilities nationwide,
which can accommodate 200-300 patients, according to “MIMS Today.”

While there is a phone-based hotline HOPELINE available 24/7, more mental health programs should
reach communities and families that must intervene in time to help someone escape depression and its
consequences.