Monthly Archives: June 2010
DepEd suspends teaching sex education in schools
June 25, 2010
PASIG CITY — Education Secretary Mona Valisno has suspended the teaching of sex education in public schools.
She clarified that it was not in reaction to a class suit by the Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP) before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (QC-RTC) seeking to stop the department from teaching sex education in schools. Continue reading
Bangit retires, Ochoa named acting AFP chief
June 25, 2010 CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City— President Arroyo approved on Monday the early retirement of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit and immediately designated AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Nestor Ochoa as acting AFP chief.
Bangit officially retires on June 22, one year ahead of his retirement. Continue reading
Chapter 31. Long Live the Revolution!
June 25, 2010 By Carmelita Cochingco Ballesteros.
Dear Readers,
More than a century ago today, Valeriano Hernandez y Peña wrote the novel Mag-inang Mahirap. Being the Father of the Tagalog novel, he is a very important writer in Philippine literature. I believe that his novel Mag-inang Mahirap is an essential piece of historical fiction. Thus, every Filipino and everyone with Filipino roots should get to read Mag-inang Mahirap. I am translating it for the benefit of those who cannot read old Tagalog.
Carmelita C. Ballesteros
The two escapees had arrived at Putol na Sapa. They would have walked on and would have taken advantage of the cool afternoon had they not remembered the appointed time when they were supposed to meet Limbas. Because they had no weapons, they were apprehensive of the soldiers who would surely pursue them. Continue reading
Kasunod na Misyon ng Taumbayan: Pag-odit sa Rehimeng Arroyo
June 25, 2010
Naging matagumpay sa pangkalahatan ang pagdaraos ng halalan-heneral (general election) sa Pilipinas na sangkot ang posisyon magmula sa pangulo at bisepangulo pababa hanggang sa mga konsehal ng bawat yunit ng gobyernong lokal. Naipamalas ng mga Filipino ang pagsulong ng kamulatan sa proseso ng demokrasya sa marubdob na paglahok dito bilang mga botante sa halalan at bilang mga boluntaryo sa bilangan ng mga boto. Ang halalan na dating binabansagang “sirkus” ay naging isang seryosong aktibidad sa bansa.
Palaging may dalawang malaking kunsekuwensiya ang pagwawakas ng halalan. Una, may mga halal na lider na magwawakas ang termino sa isang tiyak na posisyon sa alinmang dalawang dahilan: pagkabigong mahalal muli o limitasyon ng batas sa haba ng panahon na maookupa nila ang posisyon. Sa mababang kapulungan ng kongreso, hanggang tatlong termino lang o kabuuang siyam na taon. Sa senado, dalawang terminong may tig-anim na taon. Sa pangulo, isang terminong may anim na taon. Continue reading
JOBS! JOBS! JOBS! Thriving the Great Recession
June 25, 2010
“I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, illclad, and ill-nourished.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
THE GREAT RECESSION
This Recession ‘is like a huge s*** sandwich, everybody has to take a bite’ (Source: movie Full Metal Jacket). Last week we discussed the evils of cigarette smoking and how the incoming presidential administration should legislate against it. This week we’ll give you some ideas on how to thrive not merely survive these economic hard times. Continue reading
Token Minority
June 25, 2010 By Nelia Dingcong Bernabe
The phrase, “Token Minority,” fascinates me. I don’t really know why but it simply does. Maybe because it has a nice ring to it, I don’t know. But for some odd reason, it just does.
Being Filipino American in any social situation does not bother me. Unless blatantly singled out as a non-White person, I live my life every day not even thinking about the color of my skin. That takes too much work if you ask me.
For now, curiosity got the better of me so I did some research on the phrase and came up with the word, tokenism. The noun means the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce. Continue reading
Public Trust and the Federal Government. Behind the anger and mistrust
by Don Azarias
June 25, 2010
A survey from the Pew Research Cen ter showed public confidence in the federal government at one of the lowest points in a half-century. Nearly 80 percent of Americans say they have little faith that the massive federal bureaucracy can solve the nation’s ills. Unless I calculated it incorrectly, 80 percent means that 4 out of 5 Americans don’t trust the federal government at all. And, from the political standpoint, when you talk of an 80 percent plurality you might, as well, translate that into 100 percent.
The recently-released poll illustrates the threatening political situation facing President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party as they struggle to maintain their comfortable congressional majorities in this fall’s elections. Traditionally, the party in power tends to lose more seats in Congress during midterm elections. And with the American voters showing a raging discontent against Democratic incumbents, a lot of those Democrats may soon be out of work. Continue reading
The Plight of Philippine Politics
June 18, 2010
Less than a week remains before the inauguration of a new Philippine President transpires. Speculations abound in different spheres of electronic information. Blogs, list serves, e-zines, twitter and Facebook all converge in different voices with various hues of factual data, peppered with unfounded gossip.
On one side are those who crave for a clean slate, demanding the heads of rotten leaders, those who grafted like weeds through corrupt currency. On the other side are those who believe that new economic policies should be installed in order to attract foreign investors, hopefully to alleviate the miserable conditions of poverty. Meanwhile, across different oceans are overseas Filipino workers with rosaries on one hand, a cell phone in another, counting their blessings as they send their earnings transformed into remittances on their way to Philippine consumption. Continue reading
Fall of the ‘Emperor’
by Perry Diaz
June 25, 2010
After vowing that he would rather be fired than quit as Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Gen. Delfin Bangit changed his mind and decided to retire last June 22, 2010, a year before he reaches his mandatory retirement age.
A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy’s Class of 1978, Bangit started his military career as a lieutenant assigned to a platoon that fought the Moro National Liberation Front in Lanao del Sur. Continue reading
Hoisting the Philippines from its Sinkhole. Aquino’s Herculean Task Begins
June 25, 2010
“Being world class doesn’t mean going international and showing our best out there. Being world-class is passion and commitment to our profession. Being world-class is giving our best to our country and our people. For teachers, being world-class starts right inside the classroom.” 1 — Dr. Josette Biyo
Poised to help and lend support to the newly elected Philippine President, Benigno Simeon Aquino III, the almost 170 Filipino Americans originally belonging to US Pinoys 4 Noy- Mar led by Attty. Loida Nicolas Lewis, chartered a plane to attend their President’s inauguration on June 30. Moved by the initial success of their efforts to elect the president they hope can and will do what is best for their beloved country of birth, the group continued on its proactive mission to get involved in this new administration. Continue reading