Category Archives: Current Affairs

Even if we don’t live in Australia, giving money is probably the best thing you can do to help.

The casualties from massive bush fire in Australia is staggering. Let me start off with the appeal of my friend who is now based in Australia. David Ryan in his Facebook post narrates how “the entire country is burning. The closest fires are about 1-2 hours from us and our fire season would have just started. The fires have burnt over 1,000 homes just in my home state of New South Wales, people are dead and some are fighting to survive, half a billion animals burned alive including 8,000 koalas. We are in the middle of the worst bushfires in Australia’s history, and the largest peacetime evacuation the country has ever seen. It has burned over 5 million hectares- about the size of the country of Costa Rica.”

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“Experts fear the devastating Australian wildfires have killed up to a BILLION animals.” Australia needs your help now.

There are two ways to help:

1. Donation – If you want to know how to help, please check these links below provided by Ryan. Make sure your donations are getting where they need to go. Find out how to avoid bushfire charity scams: https://www.accc.gov.au/update/bushfires-and-scams .

ANIMAL WELFARE:
https://www.fnpw.org.au/

RFS (NSW):
Donate- https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/volun…/support-your-local-brigade

CFA (Vic):
Donate- https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/about/supporting-cfa

Volunteer- https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/volunteer-careers/volunteers

TFS (Tas):
Donate- https://tvfba.org.au/community/tfs-support-fund/
(Supports firies and their families)

QFES (QLD):
Donate- https://givit.worldsecuresystems.com/donate-funds
(Select Queensland Fires 2019 from the drop down menu)

CFS (SA):
Donate- https://cfsfoundation.org.au/donate

Volunteer- https://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/site/volunteer.jsp

Animal Welfare Donation:

Australia-wide:
Rescue Collective- https://mkc.org.au/donations/trcqld

WWF-
https://www.wwf.org.au/get-involved/bushfire-emergency

The Bushfire Foundation- http://animalrelief.gofundraise.com.au

NSW:
RSPCA- https://www.rspcansw.org.au/bushfire-appeal/

Wires- https://www.wires.org.au/donate/emergency-fund

Tas:
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and Rescue- https://www.bonorong.com.au/donate

Koala Rescue- https://www.koalarescueqld.org/donate.html

SA:
SAVEM- https://www.savem.org.au/about-savem/donate

There are several photos of injured kangaroos and koalas being saved by Australians. It is heartbreaking to see photos of charred remains of these beautiful animals at the roadside in Batlow. I want to remember them alive and well. And we all can help.

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I remember my visits in 2011. Australia continues to work hard to make sure the Tasmanian devil does not follow the loss of the Tasmanian tiger, last seen in 1936. I have been to two animal sanctuaries in Australia but the Bonorong Wildlife sanctuary gave me the opportunity to be up close with the animals. Even if we don’t live in Australia, giving money is probably the best thing you can do. An Australian website explains that “it allows charities to help people affected by fires, or the people themselves, to have the flexibility to use the money in whatever way they need”.

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2. Continue to pressure your government that Climate Change is real. Ryan concludes his post with the need for a ” declaration of climate emergency and to take steps in climate change mitigation.” What we need is climate action. CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL.

Let’s continue to keep putting pressure on our government to act on climate change through attending protests and writing letters. The 1 Million Women movement in Australia provided a letter writing guide  which “might help you with this – you could use the Australian fires as an example, as well as examples of how climate change is affecting you where you live.”

Public outrage this past week focused on the decision of the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) on six of its students “in possession of ‘voyeuristic’ images of PSHS female students which had been uploaded and shared online without the victims’ consent.” Parents, teachers, students and concerned citizens protested against the Board of Trustees’ initial decision to allow all six students to attend the graduation ceremony, even after two school committees recommended against it. The PSHS board reversed its decision a few days later, by not allowing the six students involved in the controversy to march at the graduation rites on May 29. Three students would receive their diplomas, while three would only get certificates of completion of the six-year program.

I recall a similar indignation in 2012 when five high school students from St. Theresa’s College (STC) Cebu, were prohibited from joining their graduation rites. Five students involved in the controversy uploaded photos on Facebook showing them in bikinis and with alcohol and cigarettes. They could not take part in the baccalaureate Mass and the graduation rites that would have capped their high school lives. The school based the sanction imposed on the students on the provisions in the STC Handbook. One rule stipulates that students should not be “posing and uploading pictures on the internet that entail ample body exposure.” Having studied in STC Cebu, I am aware of how strict the school could be. The vagueness of “ample body exposure” leaves the interpretation up to whoever is looking at the pictures. This allows school authorities such a broad latitude and allows for arbitrariness, the subject of controversy. The students also said they “were deeply hurt and cried” after being scolded by the officials whom they accused of humiliating them with abusive language, calling them “easy, drunks and addicts.”

Two years later, the Supreme Court Third Division denied a petition for the issuance of a writ of habeas data filed by parents of two of the five sanctioned students. In resolving the case, high court also reminded social networking users to be cautious and aware of the risks they expose themselves to when they engage in cyberspace activities. “Information, otherwise private, voluntarily surrendered by them could be opened, read or copied by third parties who may or may not be allowed access to such,” the Supreme Court added.Advertisements

These two incidents are similar in the sense that both involved students violating the schools’ student’s code of conduct. But the PSHS issue is different since it could involve a violation of Republic Act 9995 Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 or the “Anti-Photo and Video……” if the victims file a case. My friend, Michelle Estor raised a question: “What does is it say about us as parents, as decision makers, and as a society, when young women who are judged as immoral for the clothes they wear and for their foolish decisions suffer the exact same punishment as these sexual predators, who not only betrayed the trust of friends, but who actually committed crimes and violated laws? if not for the relentless vigilance of the students, the parents, and the alumni, these predators would have been marching now in the same hall where their victims would have cowered in unjustified shame.”

The STC Cebu girls in 2012 didn’t stand a chance.

What I find disappointing is the statement of PSHS. The PSHS Board urged the media and the public “to respect the privacy and maintain the dignity of our scholars and not aggravate the issue further, which unnecessarily puts those children’s future at risk.”

Sorry, PSHS Board of Trustees, “Sexual misconduct and harassment are not private issues, they are problems that everyone faces,” Betty Romero, my other friend, called out.  For every sexual predator, a mother, father, friend, school or a community enabled, tolerated or allowed them to go unpunished. While the names of the students should remain private, what happened at PSHS needs to become part of a national conversation. This is to ensure the future and safety of all young women and men, not just PSHS students.

The Board added that, “Everyone should move forward from this incident and provide the needed support to the students and the PSHS community.” The way to move forward is continuing the conversations, no matter how difficult it is. Education and awareness on the consequences to both girls and boys in such situations must continue. My friend adds that “there is a need to keep this topic alive until things change, until victim blaming stops, until young men realize that they should never share photos of the young women who trust them.”

What should you do during a random search by policemen without a warrant? Know your rights.

 

“I can’t believe I have to sit my kids down and teach them how to protect themselves against people whose job is to protect others.”

“Who will police the police?”

These are anxious questions by mothers who are disturbed by policemen doing a bag search inside bars in the Katipunan area. Many of my friends’ kids study in the Katipunan area so I find such operations very alarming. Whether the “Oplan Bakal” operations were all done aboveboard, it is a violation of our privacy.

The question is how can our kids protect themselves?

How can parents educate their children?

Dino De Leon tells parents to “please orient your kids and check if you have an immediate contact with a lawyer.” The police are supposed to protect us but with the recent killings of kids, can the police really do its job in protecting our children? His friendly legal advice is “as a general rule, the police cannot just randomly search you without a search warrant.” So, If a police officer approaches you, check what you can do:

1. Be relaxed. Smile. Ask why you are being approached.

2. If they ask to touch you or inspect your belongings, politely decline and ask for legal basis/reason why they want to search your things or frisk you. Again, politely decline.

3. If they insist, politely and calmly demand for their names and identification. Send the names to your closest relatives ASAP if still practicable. Call your parents or closest kin ASAP and ask them to contact a lawyer as well as soon as possible.

4. Ask friends to take a video or personally record what’s happening if possible.

5. While everything is happening, as much as possible, stay with friends who can hear and/or see everything that is happening.

6. Remember the names and faces of the police officers as this may be important later on.

7. After the inspection and if your are not taken into custody, check the surroundings. Check if there’s a CCTV. Secure copies if need be. Check as well with security, if it is inside an establishment, if they were able to log-in the indentities of the police officers.

8. If you are taken into custody, demand to be able to make a call ASAP and tell those who are seeing what’s happening to call your parents/relatives/closest kin. Be vigilant and remember as much as possible where they are taking you. Do not antagonize them and remain calm.

9. Equally important, after everything, study the possibility of filing a case against the police officers afterwards if there are violations. This is crucial to put an end to these things.

10. For relatives called, immediately a) call a lawyer; b) find out where your kin has been taken; c) proceed to the location of your kin as soon as you find out where. Ask for a copy of the report of the arresting police officers and show to your lawyer ASAP. Secure the things mentioned in number 7 and the written accounts of witnesses.

This right is found in our Philippine Constitution in Article III Section 2.

Section 2. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures of whatever nature and for any purpose shall be inviolable, and no search warrant or warrant of arrest shall issue except upon probable cause to be determined personally by the judge after examination under oath or affirmation of the complainant and the witnesses he may produce, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

The government, especially the police, cannot search nor seize anything from you without a warrant subject only to some exemptions.

The advice given by a lawyer below as concurred by my husband-lawyer is useful advice in addition to that given by Dino.

All of us need to be vigilant.

Dino is right . “It’s time to take part in standing up for our rights. Let’s be courageous and collectively fight.”

 

 If you noticed, I have been tweeting a lot about ASEAN 2017 since January this year. This is my ASEAN story.

Updated: April 23 , 2017

Everyone knows the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) when it comes to travel within the region. In fact I have traveled eight ASEAN member states except for Brunei and Myanmar.  I first got to know more about ASEAN when I got an email in 2011, to attend the 1st ASEAN Social Media Strategy Meeting in Jakarta.

Being there with other social media personalities in the ASEAN region was a learning experience. The sharing meant also an exchange of ideas that can be also replicated in my sphere of influence. What did I share? There is no secret to SOCIAL MEDIA except to listen, connect, share and engage and be passionate about the topics shared. The informal meeting also inspired me to consider writing more about the ASEAN instead of just concentrating about Philippine issues. The progress in ASEAN integration and the ongoing community building efforts is something that everyone should know. I gained a lot of basic understanding of what ASEAN meant as a region of opportunities.

Then 2013 came and I was once invited to a 2nd social media exchange in Bangkok and met my fellow ASEAN social media friends and other consultants.

Participants shared their knowledge and experiences with the ASEAN Secretariat to define possible strategies for ASEAN to engage citizen more effectively through the various Social Media platforms. The most important thing was to make the ASEAN brand , a people-oriented brand. I thought it was too associated with political topics that other benefits are not known to most ASEAN Citizens.  With the help of social media, a people-oriented ASEAN  can become a reality  as long as it opens up and listen to the citizenry.  The beauty of social media lies in the opportunity for citizens to get in touch with an organization that appears abstract to most of us at the present time.

Our participation in the 2011 and 2013 social media exchange  led to the ASEAN secretariat being more active on twitter and facebook. They even tied up with the organic ASEAN Community in facebook which is now known as the ASEAN Youth Organization (AYO).  I am impressed with this ASEAN community. Today, AYO has already registered as a legal body under Indonesian Law. There are 12 AYO Networks in all ASEAN Countries, plus Japan and Australia with more than 150 committee members in total. Their project tackle Youth Empowerment such as Training, Seminars and Workshop and collaboration with other Organization or Universities to do some projects.

And it is now 2017 .

And it is the Philippines turn to be the ASEAN chair. The Philippines’ ASEAN chairmanship coincides with a historic, milestone event– the 50th anniversary of the founding of our Association. It will be an occasion for us to set the tone for the next 50 years.

I am happy to be involved with the year long activities of the ASEAN 2017 summit as Senior Consultant for ALL Media Engagement under the PCOO led Committee on Media Affairs and Strategic Communications (CMASC),  ASEAN National Organizing Council (NOC).

Together with fellow bloggers, Sonnie Santos and Juned Sonido, we attended the launch and covered the event as well. The venue even had a social media lounge together with exhibits , the history of ASEAN and the six thematic priorities of the Philippines as ASEAN Chair.

I am thrilled to be part of history as the ASEAN celebrates its 50th year.   Like the President said in his keynote address : “This is a golden opportunity for all to work for an ASEAN that has taken its firm and secure place in the community of nations: An ASEAN that has its own significant role in effecting positive change for our world.”

It is also my first time to see President Duterte now that he is the President. In his speech, it is reiterated that for an ASEAN citizen, the ASEAN community must provide opportunities for a truly better life.

This is a life that has broken the bonds of dependence and ignorance. This is a life that has given opportunities for self-improvement. This is a life that is provided by a society transformed and reformed.

ASEAN needs to make itself understandable with its messaging especially on how benefits can be derived .

I have written before that there are potential benefits in a life of a secure environment, a better living standard , better job prospects, sufficient income and stable prices, a better education to our children, effective help in case of disaster and emergencies and the freedom to travel , work and settle.

I am very excited with the work ahead, to increase and enhance the awareness for ASEAN and the core message of the ASEAN 2017 summit. Expect me to talk more about ASEAN this year.  So far, I have attended school tours and roadshows all over the Philippines.

I hope you can all join me as we both explore the benefits and challenges not only for us, Filipinos but for the ASEAN citizens as well. Use the hashtag #ASEAN2017 for our conversations on twitter, facebook or on instagram . Share your ASEAN story whether it is about travel, food, friendships, and photography or How has ASEAN helped my life and use #MyAseanStory along with the #ASEAN2017 hashtag.

Read my other articles on ASEAN:

– “This is our future” – the school children at the ASEAN School Tour

– Opportunities and challenges of women in the ASEAN

– 10 opportunities and benefits for the citizens in ASEAN

– Opportunities for your children in the ASEAN

–Sharing my social media experience at the 1st ASEAN Social Media Strategy Meeting

– The Philippines as ASEAN Chair: Six thematic priorities

– The ASEAN community 2025 vision: What is in it for me?

– ASEAN, a region of opportunities for the citizens 

Written by Edel Cayetano as originally posted on How to survive during an earthquake

This is a question that we ought to ask ourselves now more than ever, as news about a powerful earthquake that devastated Nepal broke last Saturday. Considered to be the Nepal’s deadliest disaster in more than 80 years, the 7.8-magnitude quake has already claimed more than 5,000 lives, with the grim figures likely to worsen as hopes of rescuing remaining survivors go thinner by the hour, according to CNN. To date, eight million people have been affected across the Himalayan nation, with one million children urgently in need of help.

The country has expressed its support for quake-hit Nepal. Meanwhile, we cannot deny that such a horrifying disaster can impact any country with or without warning – even the Philippines.

With that being said, here are basic survival tips that you can do before, during and after an earthquake from sources all over the web.

What to do before an earthquake

The best time to prepare for a disaster is now. Equip yourself with the necessary information that you would need in case an earthquake strikes. At home, make sure you have a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, a battery-powered radio, a flashlight and extra batteries placed in an accessible spot that everyone is aware of. You may also stash food and water for emergencies, as you may need to fend for yourself for at least three days up to a week after an earthquake.

Study first aid, learn how to turn off the gas, water and electricity, and avoid leaving heavy objects on shelves. Anchor heavy furniture, cabinets and appliances to the walls or floor. Devise a plan and know where to meet your family after an earthquake. It would also be a good idea to conduct in-home practice drills.

What to do during an earthquake: drop, cover and hold

The first thing to remember is to STAY CALM, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. If you’re indoors, stay inside. If you’re outdoors, stay outside. Do not run to another place or room during shaking, as it increases your chances of injury.

Rescuers and experts recommend drop, cover and hold on, as it gives you the best overall chance of quickly protecting yourself during an earthquake… even as the shaking causes furniture to move about rooms and the buildings might ultimately collapse.

1. Immediately DROP down onto your hands and knees before the quake knocks you down. This position protects you from falling but still allows you to move if necessary.
2. Take COVER under the shelter of a sturdy table or desk and protect your head and neck (and your entire body if possible). If no shelter is nearby, get down and stay close to an interior wall or next to low-lying furniture that won’t crush you, and cover your head and neck with your arms and hands.
3. HOLD on to your shelter (or to your head and neck) until the shaking stops. Be ready to move with your shelter if the shaking shifts around.

Remember to protect yourself wherever you are, especially from falling and flying objects. According to studies on injuries and deaths caused by earthquakes, you are much more likely to be injured from falling or flying objects than to die in a collapsed building. “Drop, cover and hold on” will protect you from most of these injuries.

There are also other things you can do to reduce your chances of being hurt, even while an earthquake is happening.

• If possible within the first few seconds before shaking intensifies, quickly move away from breakable objects and large furniture that could fall. Watch out for falling objects and cabinets with doors that could swing open.
• Look out and grab something to shield your head and face from falling debris and broken glass.
• If you are in the kitchen, quickly turn off the stove and take cover at the first sign of shaking.
• If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head with a pillow. You are less likely to get injured staying where you are, since the floor could be full of broken glass and other sharp objects.

You also need to be wary of having a false sense of safety from your past experiences in earthquakes, says the Earthquake Country Alliance. If in a past experience you didn’t do anything, or you ran outside yet you survived with no injuries, or you got under your desk and others thought you overreacted, don’t be complacent.

The Earthquake Country Alliance explains, “you likely have never experienced the kind of strong earthquake shaking that is possible in much larger earthquakes, where sudden and intense back and forth motions of several feet per second will cause the floor or the ground to jerk sideways out from under you, and every unsecured object around you could topple, fall, or become airborne, potentially causing serious injury.” This is the reason why you must instinctively and immediately protect yourself after the first jolt, and not wait to see if the shaking will get stronger.

But what if you’re outdoors? Stay in the open away from power lines or building that might fall on you. If you’re driving, move the car out of traffic and stop. Avoid parking under or on bridges and overpasses.

If you’re in a mountainous area, beware of potential landslides. Likewise, if you’re in the beach, take to a higher ground as tsunamis may hit the ground after an earthquake.

What to do after an earthquake

• Check yourself and other for injuries and apply first aid if needed.
• Check water, gas and electric lines for damage. If any are damaged, shut off the valves. Check for the smell of gas. If you smell it, open all the windows and doors, leave immediately and report it to the authorities.
• Listen to the radio for valuable information or instructions and refrain from using the phone except for emergencies.
• Stay out of damaged buildings and be careful around broken glass and debris. Wear boots or sturdy shoes to protect your feet from injury.
• Be ready for aftershocks.

 

*”Pray for Nepal” by Pictoscribe, “Students practice earthquake drill” by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, ”Earthquake damage – bridge street” by Martin Luff courtesy of Flickr. All used under CC license.