Femme Power

Archive for the ‘Social Issues’ Category

You must have heard about the singing duo Rihanna and Chris Brown.  News about their ugly fight which resulted in Rihanna’s being beaten black and blue circulated like wild fire around the globe, taking the case into the courts of public opinion.

In an article posted in OneIndia, “Singer Chris was in court last week accused of punching Rihanna, biting her ear and choking her until she almost passed out. Yet the Umbrella star has refused to speak to police about the horrific injuries she suffered on the night of the Grammy Awards last month.”

But barely three weeks after the assault, the singing stars were reported to have reconciled.  Both were spotted together in one of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ homes on Miami Beach’s Star ­Island.

The reported patching up spawned numerous criticisms, frustrations and dismay including that from Oprah Winfrey.  Oprah was quoted by the New York Daily News as saying, “If a man hits you once, he will hit you again. He will hit you again.”

Rihanna remains mum about the issue.

photo courtesy of TMZ

Domestic violence, according to Wikipedia, “occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate another. “  It added that “it can take many forms, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional, economic, and psychological abuse^.”

It’s a cycle of violence that a lot of victims get trapped into so the act is (more often than not) repeated.

The strange thing about domestic violence is that a lot of victims don’t file a lawsuit against their offender and if they do, they usually recant, refuse to testify, or worst of all some victims even justify their abuser’s act.

I believe all the Rihannas in the world must listen to Oprah when she said, “Heal yourself first and also, love doesn’t hurt.”

Wake up.   Nobody deserves to be abused.

If I’m proud of Davao’s beaches, I’m also proud of Marikina’s river.   Look what the local government has accomplished in cleaning it up!

It may not be spotless but it sure looks way better than most rivers in urban places where floating garbage are aplenty.

When we decided to move here in Manila, Marikina was our top-of-mind because of its cleanliness.

Marikina is known for being strict on proper garbage segregation and disposal.   Discipline is the key.

It definitely changed my presumption of Metro Manila which was all dirty, extremely polluted wherever you go.   Turned out, there’s a city here where urban living isn’t much of a headache in terms of sanitation.

Marikina riverbank is a favorite place for locals to meet up and chat, rent a videoke or a bike nearby, or have a picnic with friends and family.

Some folks also gather here for their morning exercise rituals.   And you can’t get hungry, several grill stations are ready to serve you with lots of food choices at very affordable prices.   I just love eating seafood here!

There’s a foot bridge connecting the Riverbank Center area to where SM Marikina is, so mall-hopping is just a few strides away.

I just finished watching the late night news.   Somehow, it alarmed me to see signs of  what everyone has been dreading to happen for the past months.   The global economic turmoil has started creeping into the country.

I don’t wanna say it’s a bleak economy right in front of us because it terrifies me.   But more and more people everyday are being displaced from jobs here and abroad.

Here in the Philippines alone,  Filipino workers who lost their jobs have already reached 15,000.   Intel, for one,  is reported to close down their assembly test facility in Cavite City due to the decline of market demands in electronics.

Though the government is assuring that there are enough jobs that are up and coming, one can’t help but wonder where these jobs are.

And granting these jobs are available right in front of our faces, would our skills match with the requirements of the jobs?   Employers especially in the BPO and Call Center industries have long revealed that they have many positions left unfilled for so long due to jobs-skills mismatch.

It would be tremendous if the government would be MORE aggressive in identifying the job demands here and abroad and be MORE aggressive in information dissemination - like saturating the Barangay levels.   Given this, it would help a lot if MORE people will and can take advantage of TESDA’s programs that will equip them with the skills to match the hottest jobs available.

It would also be a big boost if entrepreneurship among Filipinos is strongly encouraged and supported by the government, banking and business sectors.

Malacañang has repeatedly announced that the Philippine economy is robust and can withstand the ill effects of the global financial crisis.

But should we choose to wait and see?

To me, this is not a sole responsibility of the government.   As JFK once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.”

What can we do?

If US Pres. Barack Obama were Superman,

We better not be his kryptonite.

CHANGE.

YES, THE WHOLE WORLD CAN.

It was a day of hope, unity and jubilation.   Notwithstanding the freezing temperature, a   massive crowd of two million gathered in Washington’s National Mall to witness and celebrate the inauguration of the first black President in American history.   Barack Hussein Obama has finally taken oath.

“We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord,” said Obama, 47, in his historic inaugural speech being the 44th president of the world’s most powerful nation.

“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many.  They will not be met easily, or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.”   The former Illinois senator inherited enormous challenges from the Bush administration - the worst US economy since the Great Depression and two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, among others.

Obama also enumerated the pressing concerns that his administration will address including the rising cost of health care, unemployment, terrorism, environmental issues and the staggering economy.

But in the midst of high hopes around the globe, news feeds say that share prices in Wall Street and some Asian Markets plunged on Obama’s first day of office.   Analysts say that investors may be wary of Obama’s lack of concrete plans in combatting the present economic downturn.

Expectations are high on the first African-American President of the the crisis-stricken US.   As the US economy sinks deep into recession, Pres. Obama called for a “new era of responsibility”

“Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to mark hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.”

Various leaders from around the world has expressed support over the new US leadership, including French Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy who said he is eager to work with Obama in “changing the world.”

How long will the Obama heat last and to what extent of goodwill will it lead the US and the rest of the world?

The whole world is watching.    The whole world is hopeful.

In the midst of a global financial crisis, one can never be so sure what lies ahead.    While jobs and other income sources around the world may be available to many of us now, it is best to arm ourselves with savings that would keep us afloat when we retire.

But in the spate of rising costs of living anywhere in the world, setting aside money for retirement is getting tougher than ever.

Addressing this concern, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives recently unveiled a comprehensive plan for retirement security that will empower America’s middle class families to have guaranteed savings after long years of toil.

Pelosi, the first woman in American history to become a Democratic Leader in the House of representatives, revealed Amerisave will expand and improve existing retirement accounts, ensure pension fairness and build retirement security for nearly 100 million Americans.   It will expand opportunities to save by establishing tax credits to employers who offer such a savings plan so small businesses will have resources to set up their employees’ retirement accounts.   It also encourages employers to automatically enroll their employees to the plan.

Furthermore, important reforms will be made to protect individuals from unfair dumping of pension plans due to bankruptcy.

The road ahead is quite uphill not only for the Americans but for everyone around us.   We all need guaranteed retirement savings that are secure enough not to go up in smoke by the time we need them.

As important as the will to save today is a plan for a retirement security that’s as smart, well-meaning and safe as possible.

A colored photo in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Sept 14 caught my attention. Not only that, it pierced my heart. It was a picture of a mother and her child literally swimming through neck-deep garbage on Manila Bay. Reason? They were scouring for recyclables to sell.

The photo captured the mom passing on to her child (who, by the way, looked not over 7 years old) a plastic yellow scoop typically used in infant formula milk preparations. The child, while flinging one arm over their “salbabida,” (rubber tube lifesaver) was holding a clear plastic bag where they collected their precious finds. His other arm was for reaching what her mother would hand over to him. A plastic scoop.

For the unfathomable dangers of drowning and the gravity of exposure to germs and the diseases that come with them, braving to slog through the sea of garbage is shocking.

What could make anyone do that? Hunger. Poverty.

Obviously, they had very little options – either swim through the garbage-filled seawater and risk drowning and getting sick or, the harder part, die from hunger.

I don’t know how to end this blog but there’s one thing I’m sure of – with all the squabbling and mud slinging in our Executive and Legislative departments, what our country truly needs are open eyes and warm hearts and our mouths full of trash shut.

(Kudos to Ryan Lim of PDI. Your photo speaks a thousand words.)