SOUNDING BOARD is an outlet for opinions on good and crazy things going on at home (wherever I may be). All are welcome. You are not expected to bring anything except your common sense & sense of humor.
'If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get one million miles to the gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.'
-Robert X. Cringely (from geek wisdom)
SOUNDING BOARD
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
_____________________________________________
8 days before Christmas
Time flies.
I remember during the first few days of December last year, I was struggling to recover from cough and flu from having been exposed again to Manila's polluted environment after being away from the country for almost one and a half years. It is not very difficult to get used to a country so clean and orderly: where you can take long walks along the major roads without getting suffocated from carbon monoxide; where you can walk alone at night (even after midnight) without any apprehension that someone might poke a knife at you and take all your valuables; where you can stand before a pedestrian lane and expect motorists to make a full stop and wait until you have fully crossed; where people fall in line automatically in bus stops; where you can comfortably use your mobile phone outside without fear that some moron might snatch it from you; where you can relax and feel comfortable riding public buses; where MRT stations are so well-ventilated; where MRT is so convenient to take; where you can call a cab through your phone and expect it to be there in 5 minutes; where parliamentary debates are so intellectually stimulating; and where efficiency is a norm in public service. The list could go on and on. I just needed a week to adjust. After all, I have spent nearly 20+ years of my life here in Manila.
It was also in December last year when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced that she will not be running for the Presidency in the 2004 national elections. I was one of the first to raise an eyebrow on this feigned retreat strategy. It turned out I was right all along. She is now running for President. Whatever the results of the forthcoming elections, I doubt if the country will progress significantly in the next 10 years or so. With the kind of interest group politics we have where one group cancels another, where elections are mere popularity contests, where critical mass is but a handful of people, it may even take more than 10 years.
SOUNDING BOARD
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
_____________________________________________
16-day campaign to eliminate violence against women
The Philippines joins the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25 November 2003) by having a 16-day Campaign to Eliminate Violence Against Women from 25 November to 10 December 2003.
Average monthly expense of around Php 9,000 per client is incurred at the Women's Crisis Center (WCC) Shelter. This includes food and transportation subsidy, medical assistance, therapies, utilities and other personal needs like tioletries, towels, slippers, etc.
The Government of the Philippines spends an estimate of six billion pesos to treat violence against women (VAW) survivors per year. it includes medical, psychollogical and crisis intervention alone (NCRFW-UNFPA, The Economic Cost of Violence Against Women, 1998).
(a) 64% were inflicted inside the home;
(b) 65% were accomplished by hand/fist and feet;
(c) almost 40% happened from 6PM-12MN;
(d) 16% occurred during Sundays;
(e) almost 50% were inflicted by husbands, relatives, live-in partners and fathers; &
(f) almost all perpetretors were males.
The UK government is also ensuring that sufficient policy and enforcement mechanisms are in place as its parliament considers the passage of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims bill. If the law is passed, it will cover gay couples and unmarried heterosexuals, as well as people who have never lived with their partners. Courts can order suspected offenders to keep away from their partners (sort of like giving a yellow card) but the government is trying to make such orders easier to enforce.
The main objective of this 16-day campaign is to lobby for the passage of the bills on Anti-Domestic Violence and Anti-Abuse of Women in Intimate Relationships. However, with the election fever inflicting both houses of Congress, even more than 16 days of drumbeating may not be enough. And in a country such as the Philippines where majority of politicians are elected based on sheer popularity, where most candicates can change from one political party to another, one doubts whether there is hope over the horizon for this bill.
posted by Allan at 9:18 AM (GMT+8)
permalink (URL of this post) ::
(0) comments
::
main page
