Crazy Hostage Situation in Quirino Grand Stand

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=605631&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Failed Individual or Failed System

The recent hostage take over involving Ex-Chief Inspector Rolando Mendoza is difficult to stomach. However, his motives are not surprising. My heart goes out to all of the families who lost loved ones in the incident because no one should have to face something as traumatic as a hostage take over when going on vacation.

Mendoza’s actions, though horrible, cannot be viewed as an isolated event but must be seen within a wider social context. Essentially, we should examine the police force that fuelled Mendoza’s anger, the decision to terminate his position, the legal process, and any chances of impartiality.
In retrospect, Mendoza was seen as a decorated policeman who succeeded in his job. His identity and pride were based on his career as a policeman. If his peers and the system he dedicated his life to cheated him, his actions are indicative of his frustration and thus worthy of further investigation. After all, an individual, when backed against a corner with no way out is capable of almost anything: murder, theft, suicide, homicide, etc.

The Philippines is well known for its non-existent due process laws. Many citizens aren’t able to seek redress or have a legitimate hearing over their case if they have no financial means, limited legal support, little connections. If Mendoza wanted a fair trial regarding his crimes, did he get one? And if he indeed got a trial, who handed the decision to terminate his position? His peers/superiors or a neutral panel? These are all questions that need to be examined because it can help determine if Mendoza is, indeed, a failed individual or a product of a failed system.
I am no way justifying his actions because I know it is definitely wrong. However, I have seen how feelings of frustration, stress, unfairness, and helplessness can push any individual to their breaking point. Mendoza’s actions, though sad, is small in a wider spectrum of individual violence. For example, in April 2007 Seung-Hui Cho held hostage and eventually killed 32 individuals in the Virginia Tech massacre. When police found his manifesto, they found comments relating to his frustrations and extreme dislike for the wealthy and privileged. In April 1999, two students held a hostage and killed 15 people in Columbine High School, in Colorado. When police found their website, they found writings that expressed anger and resentment levelled against the bullying of their peers.

Mendoza’s actions may not be as similar or severe as the Virginia Tech or Columbine incidents. However, the same resentment and helpless feelings existed. Mendoza used violence to be heard because he said he was not given a fair hearing when he was kicked out of the force. Before we further accuse and misjudge, I want to see the reports of his hearing. I want to see the accusations levelled against him and the people who handed it to him. For alleged drug handling, such issues should be held in a court room, with due process, and an impartial judge. Where those privileges given to a man accused? Unless those things are delivered for the public to see, it will not be fair to judge him without FIRST analysing the legal and police system that first got him on that bus.

Check out my recent Op-Ed (Op-Ed #2) on Comprehensive Sex Education in the Philippines.

Sorry, I got really excited when I saw the headlines.

Check it out on Philstar.com

Informed Decisions

The Philippines has turned over a new leaf and is finally taking progressive strides towards providing young people access to sex education in its school system.

Bravo!

Finally, law makers are taking action towards educating teenagers about sex, reproductive health, relationships, and their bodies. 2010 is truly a landmark year that marks a very important time for Filipino youth across the country.

Finally, many conservative voices have been stifled by the persistence of teachers, political groups, and health advocates to provide young people with comprehensive sex education. For a country that has been overcome with conservative direction for many years, reading the headlines “Sex Education Granted in Public Schools” is truly monumental.

However, as the school system emerges into these new social changes, a few things should be considered before the implementation of the pilot program. First, is to shed assumption that parents are incapable of educating their children about sex. Though the school has taken it upon themselves to teach young people the sciences of their bodies and how illness can spread, parents should not shed the responsibility of being a part of their child’s sex education. The Philippines Department of Education (DepEd) should consider this as an important factor as they begin to formulate their sex education curriculum for their schools. Instead of encouraging students to participate in sex education merely in class, the pilot program should also work in conjunction with some form of parent involvement. This will educate the student as well as their parent in how to answer questions and determine what issue matters the most to them. If teenagers feel comfortable talking about what they learned in their sex education classes to their parents, then parents can have a better chance of mitigating future risks to their child’s health and well being (e.g. unintended pregnancies, sex before marriage, sexually transmitted illness).
Second, as DepEd begins to train teachers in conducting these pilot classes, one important lesson that should be emphasized is the fine line between opinion and fact. Teaching young people about sex education is a very sensitive subject and can easily perpetuate the bias of those teaching the subject. For example, I had a teacher in my sex education class say, “Having sex at a young age is bad for you because of x, y, and z reasons.” Rather than teaching in a way that forces students to adopt such a point of view, my teacher should have framed her lesson in a way that allowed us to think for ourselves. For example, the question my teacher could have posed to the class could have been, “Based on current statistics, more and more people are having sex at a younger age, why do you think that is so?” My classmates’ answers could have varied between “media, pressures from friends and boyfriends, pop culture, etc.” From there my class could have had a more in depth discussion about the issues and pressures we were facing, without being personally judged for our questions.

As the new school year begins, the anticipated change in the public school curriculum is a turning point in DepEd, one that the Philippines should be proud of. Finally, important measures are being taken to help young people make informed decisions about their relationships, health, and choices.

Election Fever

So it was recently announced that President Noynoy Aquino is, for sure, the President of the Philippines. After nearly 2 months of counting, re-counting, answering questions, arguing with Smartech (the company who supplied the Philippines with the ballot counting machines), and fending off people who claimed the election was rigged, which they simply dismissed after all the media hype, the Philippines announced its new leader and proclaimed the success of progressive democracy through automated elections.

Estrada also finally conceded his loss after persisting that irregularities existed in the voting system and demanding a recount and investigation into the situation. He was just a few votes away from winning the election. This was surprising considering he was an ousted leader and YET the masses still favored him over Villar (who spent millions on campaigning and TV advertisements). During Estrada's brief term, he proved to be a legitimate leader. He was a pro-poor leader and he brought a semblance of peace amongst communist rebel groups and Muslim extremist in Mindanao. However, his gambling vices got him into trouble, which ultimately led to his impeachment.

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President's track record so far:

On Anti-Tobacco Day, President Aquino refused to discontinue smoking (even for a day).

On Philippines Independence Day -- he refused to attend a national parade in his country's honor because he had already made plans to attend a christening.

I mean, these aren't really bad things that should be blown out of proportion because non-president people would do the same. However, the media has been showing him in a semi-bad light for his past two actions. Hopefully, in the coming months his policies would speak for themselves and prove worthy of praise.

It's Election Day!!

(This was written before election day..sorry I forgot to hit the publish button hehe)

Finally, after 6 years, the Philippines is once again facing election day! On Monday, thousands of Filipinos will go to their local polls to vote.

More than 17,000 political posts will be filled in the coming weeks.

We could see a new President or we could see a new Prime Minister grace the halls of Malacanang Palace (If Arroyo gets her way between now and election day on Monday).

Military and Police have begun to take their positions at various road check points. The SM has announced their alcohol ban for the week. The automated poll's memory cards are being configured due to glitches (bad omen?). The Ampatuan clan, down south, are STILL hell bent on winning their political seats. Villar's jingles and commercials of him playing with poor children are playing by the hour. The "itlog" song (catchy jingle to teach people how to fill in egg shaped bubbles on the ballots)is playing at all 7-11 stores. GMA is using all of her personal friends, and possibly servants, to fill as many political posts as she can before she's out of office (according to rumors (e.g. The Inquirer) her personal manicurist recently got assigned a government position). Flyers are hanging all over public walls, buses, and electricity wires. Estrada is eagerly awaiting his return to the presidency. Lastly, people are still debating over who to vote for: the poor guys turned rich or the supposed honest-rich guy that belongs to a well known family of politicians. Noynoy still looks like he's riding off of his mother's and sister's fame and Villar is using every known celebrity to endorse his name.

Election fever is high. Though not in a way I was expecting it to be.

The Philippines is the most "stable" democracy in Asia. It is, after all, the product of U.S. occupation. Aside from the usual extra-judicial and media killings here and there, the Philippines actually mirrors most of the United States' election/governing process.  I was expecting more hype in this year's election, especially taking into account everyone's discontent with GMA. However, that expectation became shortlived.

Instead of platform issues, I hear catchy jingles. Instead of excited voters, I see disillusioned negativity.

To add to the irony, MYX and MTV Asia (two youth oriented television shows) held their voting campaigns (similar to Rock the Vote) just last month. Which is completely irrelevant because the Comelec had ended voter registration way back early January. Their message should have started at least a year in advance to encourage young people to register to vote...not a month before elections.

On May 10, the Philippines will have a new President and a new government. I guess the process of getting there doesn't really matter..as long as it gets there.

Migration Crazyness

I recently started volunteering with an Philippines based NGO called Migrante International as a policy researcher. Their work on a grassroots level to influence the Philippines’ foreign policies on Migration. Two news clips came up recently regarding Filipino citizens on death row overseas and Filipino citizens who are still stranded in deportation centers. I’m happy to see that Migrante International was cited in the media as the leaders in the movement. 

Even though the media portrays Migrante International as strong and popularly supported NGO, the truth is quite the opposite. In fact, when I met with the E.D. of Migrante International and visited their office, I was surprised at their humble work place. Essentially, they work in very non-formal conditions. Most of their workers are volunteers, mostly previous overseas workers who had experienced some form of employment and deportation difficulties. Their office was not situated in the rich business districts of Makati or Taguig, instead they operated in a house located in the heart of Metro Manila, where sari-sari stores and jeepneys thrived in and along the streets. Computers were limited and instead of a proper cooling system fans were blasting to chase the heat away.

I asked Ms. RIna, Migrante’s E.D., how the organization sustains itself financially and she said that most of the money they receive comes from selling t-shirts and paraphernalia related to the cause of their NGO. They do not qualify for international or government funding simply because they are already blacklisted by the government as a “communist group.” This is due to their overly critical stance of the government’s migration foreign policies. Not to mention, they are also very capable of organizing mass rallies and protests for migrant rights.

In the end, I can understand why their overly critical position of the government and strong grassroots advocacy can be a considered a national threat. Since export migration is one of the biggest industries in the Philippines, having someone threaten that economic force can be disarming for future economic policies. 

Regardless of the lack of support, Migrante has sustained itself and has been fighting for migrant rights overseas, even to the point of advocating to bring the dead bodies of Filipino workers back to the Philippines before Christmas so their families can properly bury their loved ones.

I think they are a perfect example of how passion overcomes adversity. Even though they have no money to adequately pay for their staff, they still prosper because they are driven by their passion for justice and the desire to continually challenge a system that has already been proven too difficult to change.