Is It Worth The Money? (RH Bill And Population Control)

So the RH Bill gets an ok from both the House or Representatives and the Senate for its third and final reading.  Perhaps there is reason to celebrate.  The recent events showed that as a nation we are able to finally loosen the grip that the Roman Catholic Church had on us.  That we as a nation aspire a real separation of the church and state.  Moreover, this probably is a true first step to combat a perceived roadblock to our nation's fight against poverty, over-population.  After all this bill is all about population control no matter how they sugar coat it.

I put a stress on the word "perceived" when I describe over population as this remains to be a grey area for me in this whole RH Bill debate.  A blogging friend, Paul Farol offered an interesting take on over population in his blog, Pinoy-Buzz.com.

Over populated or not, will the 13 billion peso (or even 14B) funding be worth it?  How much more dent will shoving of free condoms and other contraceptives put on an already declining population growth rate?  While we're at it, how much will it contribute to poverty alleviation?   Will it stop people from the countryside from flocking key cities of the country to end up as squatters?  Just like the proponents of the bill, I dont know.

When it becomes a law, the next thing that we need to worry about is how the state intends to implement it.  Moreover, we also have to take in consideration how the Filipinos will respond to it.  The government's Conditional Cash Transfer Program is a big waste of money as there are families who would rather opt out of the program just so they can gamble.  Heck, the government cant even stop jaywalking even after the installation of countless foot bridges all over the metro.  People would rather risk their lives for convenience sake.  Having said all that, I doubt that the RH Bill will be worth it.

Now if in the following years we'll get a series of new taxes, I know who to blame!

Why The Anti RH Bill Politicians Failed

Credit goes to ProfessorMohawk.Blogspot.Com

The Reproductive Health Bill has passed second reading after it gets a slim majority 113 to 104.  I am personally against passing of the bill and I really hope that it does not see the light of day.  However, I have reasons to believe why the bill will be made into a law in no time.

The proceedings that happened yesterday showcased how the anti-RH Bill politicians failed to elevate the discussion from being just a mere crusade for Christianity.  They demonstrated how ill informed they are and how their religious belief govern the way they make laws.  We saw how Rep. Apacible offered his vote to the Lade of the Immaculate Conception and the Lady of Gaudalupe.  Rep. Garcia on the other hand reasoned that if the RH Bill is passed, the country will be the next Sodom and Gomorah.  The likes of Rep. Bagasina managed to connect the recent catastrophe brought about by Typhoon Pablo to the bill.  And who would forget Rep. Syjuco who explained his vote by reciting the Apostle's Creed.

There are more than one way to justify your opposition to the RH Bill and I think the best way is to forget the religious route.  We can definitely argue that with a population growth rate that is steadily decreasing without government intervention, we do not need to use taxpayers money to buy condoms and contraceptives.  Why would we spend on something that could only grant us negligible results?  There are a bunch of arguments against reproductive health that they can use to elevate the discussion and they have failed to use them.

I oppose the bill because I think we don't need it.  It will be a useless welfare program that is based on false promises of economic growth.  It is redundant because we have existing laws that are there to solve a problem it proposes to solve so why would a new law be any better?  The religious arguments agains RH Bill are just plain backward and misinformed!

I am just plain disappointed at how our representatives have handled this fight that has divided the nation, politically and even spiritually.

OPM: Not So Original Pinoy Music?

Local artist would vehemently berate those who dare say that OPM (Original Pilipino Music) is dead.  Unfortunately, one would have reason to believe that it is.  Last week, ASAP revealed its 24K Gold and Platinum Awardees for 2012.  A quick glance of the list of winners would tell you familiar names in the industry and their all revival albums.  Perhaps with the massive influence of Western music that consistently defines what's popular and the emerging K-Pop culture, the local industry's best bet would be to bring back songs made popular during its glory days and give it an update version belted out by our best singers.  OPM ain't so original anymore.  Ironic!

But OPM is not only about what makes money.  It is also about the artists and musicians who continue to make original music even without the prospect of making huge bucks.  OPM is a celebration of local artist who wants to make good music.  Sounds so cheesy but it doesn't make it any less true.  And one artist made me realize this.  Amidst the bigger names in the industry, a newcomer has unexpectedly made waves in the mainstream scene.

Meet Abra (Raymond Abracosa), the pint size man behind the tagalog rap hit Gayuma.  His single has topped Myx's local and overall countdowns for several weeks already.  The video also now has over 9 million views.  Before making music, he made waves in the fliptop scene  and is considered to be one of the heavy weights of rap battling in the country.

I am really not a fan of local rappers.  Most of the rap artists that we have right now are plain irritating.  So seeing Abra's video in Myx for the first time was a breath of fresh air.  His pleasant voice gave me the chance to understand his powerful lyrics.  At first I thought the premise of the song is plain funny but the catchy refrain had me listening to it a second, third, fourth time ... until I just decided to put it on loop in iTunes.  I made some more research and I found out that he also has another equally compelling single called Abrakadabra.

Abra is only one of the many aspiring artist that are make brilliant original music.  Unfortunately, they are not given the much needed air play compared to other mainstream artists.  These are artists who produce their own music, market and promote it on their own without backing of a recording label.  And everyday, the list of these kinds of artists just grows.  So with that alone, I think OPM is far from dead.  Unfortunately, business and economics cant help but use their invisible hands.

PNoy And His Double Standards

In the aftermath of super typhoon Pablo, President Aquino was quick to trumpet the success (supposedly) of NDRRMC and PAGASA in minimising the damage and casualties caused by the typhoon.  While I don't see anything wrong with that, his succeeding statements showed  blatant double standard and self righteousness.

While speaking with the League of Municipalities, he echoed that the safety of their residents is paramount.  He said that they should not use these events as opportunities for self promotion and early campaigning.

These are quite noble statements.  However, I can't help but remember seeing him on top a military truck together with his entourage that included people who are part of his senatorial ticket.  Seems like early campaigning for me.

Filipinos And Chaos

It is true that the Filipino is the Filipino's biggest enemy.  This photo proves it!



My family and I went to the cemetery this morning to visit my dad.  We decided to come after the holiday because I'm allergic to the chaos brought about by crowds.  Since we are in a private memorial park, I was expecting people to be more mindful of their actions.  I get that it can be pretty messy as it is tradition to bring food and other stuff in cemeteries during All Souls' Day, but I also expect them to clean up their mess.  This is of course despite the fact that there is a barrage of garbage bins and a loud "NO LITTERING" (with Tagalog translation) sign posted at every corner.

Realisations During Happy Hour

Late afternoons in Boracay spells "happy hour" for me and my friends.  Since I'm not much of a drinker, I drown myself with mocktails while watching people pass us by as we wait for that majestic sunset.  Normally, half of the gang are experiencing the pristine waters while the rest are just lounging around or playing games.

[caption id="attachment_124" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Who would want to throw their cig butts in this place?[/caption]

Then manong magbabalut came with what I consider one of the best dish Philippines has to offer, the Balut!  So my balut-buddy and I got up and left our chairs, went to the banks away from the beach to eat.  Such action felt quite automatic for us knowing that the island outlawed eating and smoking at the beach last year.

My friend started to puff then she asked me this, "What if they ban smoking not only at the beach but in the entire island?"  My automatic response would be, "well, considering how strictly they are implementing rules here, I guess people will just follow.  They would just get used to it."  And she agreed.

I realised shortly, that yeah, while people like myself got used to eating my food where I should, a step further shouldn't hurt.  If my friend wouldn't mind transferring to a designated area just to smoke or hold the urge if that area is already crowded, then others shouldn't mind as well.  If people in a small island like Boracay responded well to these ordinances, there might be hope for the metro-dwellers.

The scale might be different but I guess benefits would be the same for both geographies.  The beachfront is much cleaner now that tourists and locals hold shared responsibilities in maintaining the island.  I could only imagine how Manila or other cities would benefit if we can show the same discipline.  Who wouldn't want to see people use the elevated walkways instead of crossing the freeway and risk getting hit.  Or when buses stop on designated loading and unloading zones.

Yeah I know its easier said than done.  But we Filipinos are so used to stopping whenever we realise how much of a trouble an action would cause us.  And then later on use that statement to justify our inaction.

Unfortunately, we are starting to lose reasons not to act responsibly and practice discipline at all times.

Hate Versus Hate

The twitterverse made Manny Pacquiao trend worldwide yesterday due to allegations of homophobic comments in his interview with Examiner.com. A barrage of hate tweets were seen soon after his “Leviticus Quote” asking that homosexuals should be put to death.

I love the guy. He’s my boxing hero. But do I take him seriously outside the realm of boxing? Hardly. Whether or not he really mentioned those Leviticus passages, the fact remains that these are only his honest opinions based on how he interprets the Scriptures. These are neither truths nor facts. If so, should I get hurt? If he is a person who I value I just might. But he’s not part of the list of people that mattered to me. Nor is he someone who I look up to in matters of faith. To me he’s just one person who’s simply stating his opinion on a certain subject.

The problem lies when luminaries like Manny are being looked upon as prophets and we forget that what it is we saw in him in the first place. He came from a simple family who worked his way in the boxing industry with his sheer hard work and talent and made it pretty big. We all know about his alleged adulterous, womanizing attitude and his gambling vice. So why would we consider him a role model when it comes to righteousness?

It is indeed sad that to us homosexuals he seemed to be misguided. But just as he does not have the right to impose his way of thinking on us, we do not have the right to impose our way of thinking and beliefs on him. Hate versus hate is pointless.