Marianette Amper, 12

Taken from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/:

12-year-old girl commits suicide in Davao

Poverty apparently drove a 12-year-old girl to commit suicide in Davao City, ABS-CBN Regional Network Group reported.

Marianette Amper, hanged herself with the use of a nylon cord around 3 p.m. on November 2 inside their residence at Barangay Ma-a.

Amper’s younger brother Reynald was the first to witness the incident.

"Nakita ko pa siya na nanginginig. May hinahawakan siyang relo. Puputulin ko sana ang lubid pero di ko kaya..tumakbo na lang ako palabas ng bahay para humingi ng tulong.."

Amper died while being rushed to the Davao Medical Center, reports said.

A diary retrieved from the victim’s room indicated that the girl was deeply affected with their extreme poverty and her parents’ arguments.

In an entry on October 6, the girl wrote on her diary that she had been absent in school for almost a month for lack of transportation fare.

She also told one of her classmates that her mother scolded her when she insisted on working for a noodle factory to help sustain the family.

Amper’s parents have no permanent work and are reportedly earning P200 a week or P40 a day.

Meanwhile, Davao City Councilor Leo Avila said Amper’s suicide was a symbol of extreme poverty and appealed to the government to address the problem.

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My heart bleeds for the loss of a poor sould whose only wish was to be able to get to school everyday so that she could study and finish her education. How many more Marianette Ampers out there should commit suicide for the government to realize that poverty has risen to an alerting level?

Marianette just made a perfect timing to bring about the real general picture of the current socio-political and economic situation, and also illustrating the widening gap between the rich and the poor. While Governonrs, Congressmen and other stakeholders relish the luxuries and gains of an overpriced project, or squander the cash gifts that were delivered in paper bags, people like Marianette Amper suffer in extreme poverty and despair.

In Marianette's incident, not only did we see a direct hit on the current administration's neglect for the poor and the grassroots, but it also made and indirect hit on the people's apathy for the poor. The bishops were correct when they said that all of us were to blame on Marianette's death. The incident also shows that society nowadays is more alienating than before, leading to a series of suicides, most recently of Marianette's. I learned from my Psychology class that suicide is a product not of poverty, anger, or despair, but largely a product of loneliness and alienation. Should she have had someone to lean on during her most dire times, suicide could have been prevented. This time, she found no one else to turn to, thus leading to the events that transpired on that fateful All Soul's Day afternoon. She almost found hope in writing to GMA's Wish ko Lang, but probably she thought that if she had no money to go to school, how then could she afford mail delivery?

If this really were a wake-up call, I hope somebody significant wakes up...

Executive Clemency

The past month has exploded not just some diesel and methane gas (or so they say) in Glorietta, but a series of issues that overlapped each other. The most recent of which is the unprecedented (but very much expected) executive clemency (a.k.a. presidential pardon) of former President Joseph Estrada. Thanks to this, the public was once again veered away from the controversies that the administration has been avoiding to answer, in one reason or another.

With the most recent pardon of former President Estrada, we'll see a lot of changes and development in the coming months, namely:

1. Silence of Erap from issues regarding the current Presidency ("never bite the hand that feeds you")
2. Political accomodations from the Erap camp (read: COMELEC).
3. Former Mayor Atienza and incumbent Mayor Lim shall now join forces (?!)
4. Clarifications about ZTE and cash gift shall no longwer be necessary
5. We'll forever be made to believe that the Glorietta incident was merely an accident, and never a bombing

These and a lot more are in store for us in the coming months. We'll see an even more exciting political situation. In the end of all these "hullabaloo thing" (per Gov. Vilma Santos), the victims are the people who originally believed in what they were fighting for. Now, the recent developments made them more confused; definitely not united, as what the administration tells us of the purpose for the pardon.

Let's just hope the administration knows what it's doing. Time is running out.

"Siyempre papasalamatan ko po iyung ating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa kanyang pagbibigay sa akin ng executive clemency. Kung hindi niya ako binigyan ng executive clemency ay hindi niyo ako kaharap ngayong gabi. Kaya pasalamatan po nating siya, palakpakan po natin." -- Former President Joseph Estrada, in his address to the people of San Juan.

Glorietta, October 19, 2007

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Revisiting Wanbol University

Maraming salamat kay Jay Taruc para sa napakasayang palatuntunang I-Witness noong Lunes, Oktubre 8, 2007. Itinampok niya ang sitcom na talaga nga namang malaki ang naiambag sa kosepto ng katatawanan sa industriya ng telebisyon: Ang Iskul Bukol!!!

Panalo talaga sina Tito at Joey Escalera, at si Victorio Ungasis, na ginampanan ng wala nang iba kundi sina Tito, Vic at Joey. Kasama ang ilang mga cast na sina Tonette Macho, Bibeth Orteza, Mely Tagasa, Direk Bert de Leon, Producer Boy Gatuz at ilan pang mga hiningan ng panayam, mulilng binuhay ni Jay Taruc ang makulay na palatuntunan na uminog sa paaralang Wanbol University. Malamang naman ay walang lalaban sa akin kung sinabi kong sila ang isa sa mga nag-"revolutionize" ng situational comedy sa Pilipinas, kaalinsabay ng John en Marsha.

Isa pa, malaki ang naging epekto ng palabas na ito sa tunay na buhay ng mga paaralan sa Pilipinas. Sa aking sariling karanasan, nagkaroon ng panahon na ang pang-asar naming mga bata sa maitim na mama sa mga kanto ay "Mang Temi." Maging ang mga katagang "putok" at "topak" na madalas nating gamitin ay impluwensya pala ng palabas na ito. Astig. :)

Para lang hindi ko makalimutan, isusulat ko dito ang mga binigay na trivia ni Jay Taruc sa I-Witness (harinawa'y maalala ko lahat):

1. Ang Lapis sa logo ng Iskul Bukol ay may numero 13 sa halip na 1, o 2 sa kadahilanang sa Channel 13 nila ipinapalabas ang programa.

2. Ang unang pangalan ni Ms. Tapia ay Liwayway.

3. Ang mga salitang "putok" at "topak" ay unang nabigkas sa sitcom na ito.

4. Ang Escalera na ginamit na apelyido nina Tito at Joey ay hango sa paborito nilang pampalipas oras sa tuwing taping: Mahjong.

5. Debut sitcom ni Vic Sotto ang Iskul Bukol. Siya ay 22 taong gulang, habang si Tito ay 29, at si Joey ay 31.

6. Nakuha nina Tito at Joey Escalera ang konsepto ng pagsuot ng letrang T at J na initials ng pangalan nila sa komiks na Archie. Madalas din nila itong suot dahil tamad din silang maglaba.

Siguro trivia din ang mga ito pero hindi binanggit bilang trivia sa episode ng I-witness:

1. Si Dely Atay-Atayan ang gumanap na nanay ni Vic Ungasis.

2. Lumabas rin sa sitcom na ito ang mga batikang mang-aawit at artistang sina Joey Albert, Helen Gamboa, at Sharon Cuneta.

Maasabi ko talagang isa akong masugid na tagahanga ng TVJ. :)

"Eskuwela kuwela to, dito'y enjoyable. Konting aral lang, konting bulakbol. Dito nang lahat madaldal at bulol, dito na nga. Iskul Bukol."

Cheers, UAAP Season 70!

UE made history yesterday after losing to La Salle Green Archers in the UAAP Men's basketball championships at the Araneta Coliseum. After achieving a rare 14-0 sweep of the eliminations, they succumbed to the upbeat Archers, who struggled early in the league to get the Finals. Well at least, UE made history as the first team to sweep the eliminations and didn't win the championship.

Also, La Salle made the record of winning the championship after a one-year suspension. Last year, La Salle was suspended for "accidentally" fielding in ineligible players in the league. As a result, they were stripped off their 2005 championship, suspended for a year, and a dented image. But this time, they seemed to have put all the bad things behind and came back with a big, deafening roar, to beat the Warriors, 2-0 in their best of three championship series. Congrats, La Salle!

Until Season 71... Hopefully UP gets a win in our centennial year.

Season 70 Senior Men's Basketball Highlights:

Most Valuable Player - Jervy Cruz, UST
PSBank Maaasahan Player of the Year - Jervy Cruz, UST

Mythical Five:
Guards:
Chris Tiu - ADMU
JVee Casio - DLSU

Forwards:
Rico Maerhoffer - DLSU
Mark Borboran - UE

Center:
Jervy Cruz - UST

Rookie of the Year:
JR Cawaling - FEU

KFC Assist Delivery Player of the Year: Japs Cuan - UST

SMART Defensive Player of the Year: Edwin Asoro - NU
Defensive

Racial Slur

Shame on the writers of the ABC show "Desperate Housewives" on their latest insult on Filipino medical practitioners. This just shows that these writers know nothing about world affairs and current trends so they just needed to blurt out racial slurs like what has been said by Teri Hatcher in the series' season-opener.

Let me just state some facts about the medical industry in the country:

a. It was reported that US will demand more or less 600,000 Filipino medial practitioners in the next 13 years.

b. The Department of Tourism is busy with commercializing Medical Tourism since foreigners come here for surgery, treatment and other medical reasons.

c. Medical schools like UP, UST and UERM have a growing number of "exchange" and foreign students from other countries because they believe that Philippine medical education is cheaper, more reliable and more trusted.

These and a lot more support the fact the Filipino medical practitioners are one of the most competitive in the world, and they do not deserve the slur given by Hatcher and the ABC writers.

Americans should be more responsible with the way they say, do, or write about. They have the top schools in the world, the best companies, the best leaders. With much power and knowledge, much is expected. They blew up this time.

I bleed for the Filipino medical practitioners around the world who suffer the comfort of being with their families, being in their hometown, just to work hard and serve foreigners to the best of their abilities.

We deserve much more respect.


Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

Issues, issues

Just recently, our country has faced the two biggest controversies and issues that the current administration has faced, namely: a) President Estrada's conviction of Plunder over the Sandiganbayan; and b) the National Broadband Network (NBN) - ZTE Corporation scandal. Both issues have a common theme: graft and corruption. The former, a recently-concluded issue which has proven beyond reasonable doubt that indeed, President Estrada committed plunderous acts, biggest of which are the Jose Velarde accounts and the GSIS and SSS kickbacks. The latter is a plunder case in the making. The only question is who to charge.

However, despite these remarkable developments in our country's political climate, our markets have remained resilient and economy is still on the go. Peso is recovering, the stocks are recovering, investors, still coming in.

This somehow reflects the fact that the Philippine populace has been numb and jaded with the current system and is no longer interested in political bickering, mudslinging, debating, and blame-throwing. The Philippine people just want a better way of life, steadfast developments, and poverty alleviation and these issues no longer serve these wants and needs. Thus, less social impact.

Whatever the opposition is brewing next with regard to the ZTE scandal could just be another futile attempt to overthrow the administration they abhor since FPJ's loss to the 2004 elections. To the common people, politicians now look the same. Thanks so much to the fence-sitters and double-crossers.

Hopefully the crooks behind the scandal will be punished soon, just like how the Estrada Plunder case has been vindicated. Alongside this, I hope the populace would be more aware, alert, but resilient to political developments mostly dictated by power hungry politicians and opportunists.

Lights Out

This place used to be one of the liveliest places in the Metro. People come here not just enjoy the Manila Bay breeze, but also to dine, unwind, booze out, cuddle, jog, and to sum it all up, enjoy. Now, all that's left are the overpriced colorful lampposts and the lovers who could not afford a more "private" place.

Hello Pappy (?!) scandal

I may really be a Joey de Leon fan, but in this feud between the warring networks regarding the alleged Wilyonaryo scandal over ABS-CBN's Wowowee that rocked the noon-time show scene over the past week, I would have to side with him. Clearly, what Willie Revillame has done (all that crying, rebutting and putting shame on Joey de Leon) was a ploy to "unkill" the show.

As Filipinos we may already know that the only way to soften a heart of the public is to appeal to his/her emotions. Filipinos very much love the "api" (underdog) and would take the side of the person/ group in distress. That explains why the likes of Judy Ann Santos, Nora Aunor, or Julie Vega rose to stardom. Or why them telenovelas with "kawawa" lead stars skyrocket the Mega Manila TV ratings. Willie Revillame obviously was advised by ABS-CBN to appear in the show, cry, apologize, act as if he was the one persecuted, and hit on the other network. now, here's another person in distress in a "reality" variety show. Starring: Willie Revillame as himself. This formula has long been a very good controversy-killer. A very good skirter of issues. A very good persuasion technique. This time, Willie's acting skills made the tables turn. Now, he is the one in distress. Now, the issues have been covered up. The masses now have someone to support. The kaawa-awa at inaaping si Willie Revillame. Wowowee's ratings were saved. Bravo.

Another trick in the book that was released by ABS-CBN to save their own asses is to blow up the issue by giving Willie enough air time. And if they said that ABS-CBN did not plan the whole scenario, why were the cameras panning on the people crying in the audience? It just is confusing as it is...

Joey could just be simply focusing on issues pressed against Willie. He was not just hitting the guy personally. Well, if he wants to be really personal, he could have hit other aspects on Willie's life that are much more personal (e.g. domestic violence charges, etc.) than this one. As what other rivals would do, he could just be capitalizing on the fact that the show was caught cheating (allegedly). Perfect opportunity to boost credibility of Eat bulaga since they have no track record of "Cheating." That's just the way it is.

If there's one positive thing that arose from this scandal, it's that some people have been jaded by the incident. They will now think that game and variety shows are rigged anyway, so why waste time and money to wait in a studio and take a chance. Hopefully Filipinos would think it this way and not just look for other game show avenues to take their chances on. Sigh...

"Explain before you complain." These were the words uttered by Joey de Leon in response to Willie's words on him. I couldn't agree more.

Wet Spell

So much for the dry spell of July. The water has returned. Back are the days of wet socks, España River, suspended classes, opportunist taxi drivers and catchy nicknames in alphabetical order. The heaven's truly favor Filipinos. They did not let Juan de la Cruz's untilled lands to dry up.

Now, the dams have been refilled, the farmslands have been showered, the umbrellas given companies in Christmas have been used... Thanks for the rainy days. Hopefully not too much though.

I just don't understand the fact that after an extended summer vacation, authorities have not even bothered to look at the drainage systems and see if they are cleaned up and free from garbage. Well, we can't blame them... It's election time.