CLAIM OF FACT 1:

New scientific research released last month warns of an increasingly

ominous future for the environment. People may think that warning is

more of the usual, but something in the report should concern Filipinos

in particular: In about three decades, the Philippines could find many of

its coastal areas, including those surrounding Manila Bay, underwater

due to the effects of climate change.

The research, produced by science organization Climate Central and

published in the open-access journal Nature Communications, said

150 million people — three times more than was previously estimated

— could potentially be displaced by 2050, or up to 300 million by the

end of the century if climate change is not mitigated. The number of

people affected, it further warned, could rise to 480 million by 2100.

CLAIM OF FACT 2:

The unexpected financial crash of 2008, the persistence of

the slowdown that occurred in its wake, the failure of conventional

monetary and fiscal policies to revive economies, and the cracks in

global trade that we are witnessing now have all given rise to a

widespread disquiet about conventional economics. As David Graeber

wrote in a recent review of Robert Skidelsky’s new book “Money and

Government: The Past and Future of Economics”: “There is a growing

feeling… that the discipline of economics is no longer fit for purpose.

CLAIM OF FACT 3:

Women resign mainly for family-related reasons. Three-fourths (72

percent) of the women that had resigned cited family reasons, such as

getting married, having a child, having illness or death in the family, or

having to change residence. But only one-fourth (24 percent) of the

men that resigned gave such reasons.

Complaints about low pay and/or low work benefits were reasons cited

by one-fourth of those that resigned their jobs, equally for women (24

percent) and for men (27 percent).

Other reasons that men cited for leaving their jobs were overly long
working hours (21 percent) and hazardous working conditions (23

percent). These account for the remaining half of men’s resignations.

CLAIM OF VALUE 1:

Perhaps Mr. Duterte and his allies did imagine the Games to be a

showcase of “best and brightest.” “Hosting the SEA Games will show

the world how far the Philippines has come, especially during the

Duterte administration,” boasted Bong Go just a few months ago.

CLAIM OF VALUE 2:

My decision to be a volunteer physician to senior citizens was

accompanied by the acceptance of my limitations as a healer. I’m sure

even summa cum laude graduates of the most prestigious medical

schools will agree that when death sounds its call, not even the

strongest medicines and high-tech clinical gadgets around can stop it.

Doctors can’t play God.

CLAIM OF VALUE 3:

Which somehow made me realize that if I were to give up on my

dream, I would be giving up the chance to help alleviate the pain and

suffering of many of my fellow citizens. I am not Superman, of course,

but every single day that I enter the hospital and see people in

wheelchairs with face masks on makes me feel that every doctor can

be a superhero in their own right — if they choose to be one.

CLAIM OF POLICY 1:

In a social media post, lawyer and radio broadcaster Mel Sta. Maria

clarified that the child abuse law, or Republic Act No. 7610, applies

only “when there is a clear intention to debase, degrade or demean the

intrinsic worth and dignity of a child as a human being.” Under the

Family Code, teachers are also expressly given Special Parental

Authority, Sta. Maria added.

“I’m only human, I’m not perfect,” Tulfo said in defense. He should

apply the same yardstick to the people he subjects to his grandiosely

self-appointed role as judge, jury and executioner.

CLAIM OF POLICY 2:

Whatever one thinks of the Trump administration, the United States is

not wrong to highlight the potential danger posed by Huawei and

Chinese technology providers generally. US allegations against Chinese

companies such as Huawei and ZTE should open Europeans’ eyes to

the threat of weaponized network technologies. Looking ahead, it

would not be unreasonable for the United States to offer its support to

European companies such as Ericsson or Nokia, which serve as

counterweights to Huawei in Europe and elsewhere.

CLAIM OF POLICY 3:

With regard to the constitution-writing process itself, the proceedings

of the drafting body, whether it is a Constituent Assembly or a

Constitutional Convention, must be open to the public. The media must

have full access to records and papers related to the drafting process.

The key point here is that there should be complete and absolute

transparency from day one.

The women that cited low compensation or benefits were only 2

percent. Those that resigned because the work was bad for their health

were only 4 percent.

The “joblessness” of women is only what appears in the market

economy; women have constant work responsibility at home.