Member's Corner

Search Posts

Member's Corner

EDILBERTO DE JESUS

[OPINION] Extraordinary tasks in ordinary time

January 24, 2021

Bishop Baron offers a different perspective in scanning the global scene. In the opening days of 2021, the new normal the world was hoping for did not appear much different from the calamities and crises of 2020. There was still a pandemic of fake news, crimes and insurrection, ethnic and gender discrimination and violence, and, despite vaccines, a resurgent COVID-19. Despite this, the Bishop offers hope. By the Cross, Christ has already demonstrated God's power over the Devil and has given us the means to assert His victory. But the faithful must still muster the will to do battle. It begins, as the Bishop warns, by recognizing the collective responsibility to undertake the not-ordinary task in ordinary time of discerning and resisting the demons dwelling among us. By their signs, they shall be detected as those who promote lies, disunity, violence, and death.

ETTA ROSALES

[OPINYON] Ang mga unibersidad ay bukas sa lahat, liban sa karahasan

January 21, 2021

Schools are places of learning. They are not places that force the future choices of students. This same principle holds true today. The military's armed conflict with a non-state actor does not give them the license to set upon UP or PUP and use university premises in carrying out its warfare. It does not give the military permission to overstep its function and take on a role that it is not meant to do. Neither does it give them the right to terminate a long-standing agreement that is meant to protect the university and those within it from harm, whatever the pretext. If it wants to triumph over the armed communists, it must show to the people that it is far better than its enemy.

LUISITO MONTALBO

[OPINION] Reframing the discourse on extending BARMM's transition

January 20, 2021

The Rapid Midterm Review on the Bangsamoro Transition Period released by the Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) in October 2020 created a flurry of heated discussions on social media, thanks to the report's top recommendation to extend the period of transition for another 3 years. Some fear that the issue has become divisive, especially among Bangsamoro peace advocates. It is therefore important to carve a space where, instead of having a "zero-sum" debate between those who are for or against the extension, both sides reframe the discussion to focus on the purpose of the extension and whom it is for.

MILWIDA M. GUEVARA

FROM BOTH SIDES NOW: Defeat is first step to victory

January 20, 2021

It may have been a hundred years ago, but the memory of losing in a high school election remains vivid in my memory. It was painful and heart wrenching. Rejection is a big blow to one�s sense of self. It is so difficult to accept defeat especially when one has done her/his best. Our wish is for the world to stop so we can get off.

CIELITO F. HABITO

NO FREE LUNCH: Economic crystal balling

January 19, 2021

I've heard it said that we must discount government economic managers' economic growth projections by up to 2 percentage points, because their positions oblige them to be publicly optimistic "cheerleaders." If one is to go by the official government GDP growth projection for 2021 of 6.5 to 7.5 percent, the more realistic outlook would then be 4.5 to 5.5 percent. But as I explain below, even that may be a significant overestimate.

JC PUNONGBAYAN, LUIS ABAD, ZY-ZA SUZARA

[ANALYSIS] In 2021 budget, Duterte funds dubious infra projects, not vaccines

January 15, 2021

While the 2021 budget has been hyped as a pandemic budget, there are plenty of signs it really isn�t. Aside from the fact that this year's budget is just 10% larger than the 2020 budget, lawmakers have poured too much money into projects - notably infrastructure projects - that aren�t necessarily meant to mitigate the pandemic. Heck, the health budget (of all things) tremendously shrank this year. Too little money has also been allotted for the vaccines - pivotal as they are to the country's quick recovery.

MILWIDA M. GUEVARA

FROM BOTH SIDES NOW: The power of (mis) information

January 13, 2021

Our Economics Professor at CRC, Dr. Bernardo Villegas introduced us to the power of "Hidden Persuaders" by Vance Packard. By playing on our hidden fears and dreams, advertisers are able to influence our preferences. They manipulate and rely on subliminal suggestions to drive us to patronize a product or a service. Beauty products are presented as key to eye bag prevention and delay of the ageing process. They are heavily patronized by women who would like to stay youthful forever. Lotions and cr�mes are presented as magic potions that can turn Filipinas into light skinned "mestizas." Hidden Persuaders affirm consumers' worth by presenting their products as the right choice for the discriminating ones.

CIELITO F. HABITO

NO FREE LUNCH: Defeatist mindsets

January 12, 2021

It is pessimism - the tendency to focus on the negatives and to find fault or weakness in every situation - that could well be our worst enemy as individuals, and as a nation. Over the years, I've made the general observation that we Filipinos may have ingrained in us a dysfunctional mindset that instinctively finds reasons why things won�t (or shouldn't) work, rather than adopt a positive attitude of finding ways to make them work. It could well trace to our history, our education, and/or our politics, but with it, we put needless obstacles on our way to achievement. I've wondered if this is why our country has perennially found itself lagging in many things, be it economic performance, social and human development, cultural and political maturity, and overall nation-building. Let me tell some stories to illustrate.

MARY RACELIS

[OPINION] A roof for baby: Panunuluyan hopes for 2021

January 07, 2021

The urban poor have long struggled for a place in the city where their families have a chance at a better life. That place has necessarily been near their in-city sources of livelihood. Metro Manila could not survive without the services of thousands of male security guards, messengers, tricycle, jeepney and family drivers, waiters, barbers, auto mechanics, computer repair technicians, and more. The city's economy would similarly flounder without the support of thousands of women serving as sari-sari store and sidewalk vendors, contractual saleswomen, domestic helpers, laundresses, beauty parlor attendants, and home manufacturers of uniforms, masks, cheap jewelry, paper bags, packaged goods, and more. The dominant informal economy therefore continues to subsidize our better-off urban residents, comfortable with the uncertain employment and low remuneration levels they expect the urban poor to accept while serving them. Rights to decent housing for thousands of Filipino baby Jesuses, although affirmed in international legal instruments and the Philippine Constitution, are conveniently set aside.

MILWIDA M. GUEVARA

FROM BOTH SIDES NOW: Freedom from mediocrity

January 06, 2021

The merry-month of December started with sad news. Filipino students ranked lowest in an international assessment for mathematics and science for grade 4 in 58 countries. Countries like Pakistan, Morocco, and South Africa ranked higher. The study noted that only 1% of grade 4 students are able to apply conceptual understanding to solve problems in math.