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Former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan defined a developed country as: “… one that allows all its citizens to enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment”. In theory, his statement is simple enough to understand but quite complicated to put into practice. Annan wasn’t specific about which country...
So now we’re suddenly protesting the removal of a couple hundred trees from an area of land upon which an expansion of the SM Baguio mall will be built. I wonder, though: Why only now? Last I heard, the destruction of Baguio City had been going on for decades. Indeed, Filipinos have been destroying...
The health of every individual on this planet involves a balanced coexistence among four major elements in an ecosystem: water, soil, plants and animals; and the fate of human civilization depends on the use-or mis-use of these natural resources. Plant and animal life, being capable of reproduction, are classed as “renewable resources”; but soil,...
Ugh…if I see another news headline comparing the Philippines to some kind of animal, I might just get physically sick. “Asian Tiger Economy of the World”; “The dark horse of the region”. Speaking of being sick, at least one headline referred to the Philippines as the “healthy man of Asia” as opposed to the...
Recently, a renowned financial expert in the United States, Suze Orman, was in town for a series of talks about personal finance. Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) brought her over as part of their financial wellness advocacy. Naturally, one of the things she focused, and expressed concerns about, is the Filipino attitude towards...
Filipinos choose to measure progress from a Western perspective (mainly financial wealth and capital-intensive development). Thus a “successful” Filipino individual as measured by contemporary Filipino society fits the standard Hollywood mold — big house, party lifestyle, trendy clothes, shiny car, and flashy mobile devices. The trouble with Philippine society is that we embrace the...
Last year on the 18th October 2010, the Australian Department of Sustainability and Environment issued a 12-month permit to the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE (a government adult education facility) to cull up to 300 kangaroos living within its 320 hectare horse farm on Eden Park. The permit to kill these iconic animals was...
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines is reportedly now “tapping” Filipino bloggers in the “fight” versus the Reproductive Health Bill currently being “debated” in Philippine Congress. The CBCP’s official press release, indicated that its “media affairs” people had met with “several bloggers.” Though the title of the article described the purpose of the...
The holy officials of the Philippine Roman Catholic Church now step up their drive to implement a standard-speak to be used in the on-going “debate” surrounding Philippine Reproductive Health. Henceforth, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines hereby decrees that “excomminication” be considered to be a dirty word… A Catholic Church official asked advocates...
A lot of the “debate” around the issue of Reproductive Health in the Philippines revolves around the notion of the “human” life at stake during various stages of pregnancy from the time of conception. According to Fr Joaquin Bernas in his now famous Inquirer.net column, “The Constitution commands that the life of the unborn...
