According to the United Nations Population Fund, the Philippines will remain poor unless we address our population growth. Following this argument, the church’s stronghold in influencing the state is stopping reproductive health issues to be addressed by the government. The church is against condoms, pills and a multitude of family planning methods (except for the “natural” process) and most moves to curb population have been harshly criticized by the church. So, with these arguments, is it alright to surmise that Christianity is keeping the Philippines poor?
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Richard Paddock of the LA Times offers a different perspective on the “Philippines’ most successful export: its workers.”

The Philippines has both benefited from cash remittances from OFWs. On the other hand, the exodus of doctors, the lack of teachers and the long term effects of migrant workers is a stop gap solution and undermines the level of poverty and hardship that many Filipinos left behind undergo.

What is your opinion on the matter? How do laws and government policies on Immigration affect countries that rely on this export?

Read More:
LA Times: The Overseas Class

It’ s been pretty weird in the past how many days. The state of emergency has been declared and now I have been receiving messages about possible threats of rallies and stuff on the streets.

This is difficult because of the amount of negative media coverage we have been given these days.

Part of me doesn’t want to go home anymore – just sleep over in the office so I won’t have trouble on the way home. But then again, I’d rather be home when something happens.

It’s the general feeling of dread spreading out and it’s making the people paranoid all the more.

As much as this is an amazing human drama, ripe with fantastic photographic elements, I’m not getting paid by MetroBlogger (or any other media!!) to risk life and limb for a great shot! So you’ll have to settle with the sole photo I took on the way back home to watch things unfold on CNN and ANC (which has now switched to all Tagalog, all the time- so I’m out of luck! ) Hope everybody got where they needed to go safely tonight!

I recall my sister mentioning last night that she couldn’t feel the Christmas cheer. Sure there are so many bazaars, fairs, activities and all that but she couldn’t feel Christmas-y if you know what I mean. It must be the depressing news that is all over the country :(

The surveys point out that the Filipinos are disappointed in the president and that is something sad. With all the controversy around her, the president still goes on with the things that she has to do including the ASEAN summit. The Garci thing is still on going and some of us are dreading the increase in the Meralco charges. Maybe there are also people who are doubting if they will get a Christmas bonus because some businesses have suffered in the past year.

Despite all that, I do believe that we could still have that Christmas cheer. Well, it’s not just supposed to be seasonal anyway. If we keep on hoping for the best and maintaining a positive outlook while going on with our lives, things are possible.

Today marks yet another transport strike. This time it is more like held in certain parts of the metro and this morning, I saw on the news that they were in Rotonda.

*sigh*

I can’t help but feel like wanting to go on strike as well because of the EVAT and the oil deregulation law that really doesn’t help the general public. No matter how many times there would be a rollback on oil prices, it seems as though the increase just eats up our fare all the more. And with the EVAT and all that, what else will happen to us now?

I recall talking with a friend on the phone yesterday that we both felt that it’s alright to pay taxes – as long as we all do so and as long as the taxes get used properly and not going into some policians’ pockets.

Congress went on a sleep over yesterday at the Batasan Complex where they voted on whether they should throw out the impeachment complaint against president Arroyo. The 23 hour marathon started 4pm the day before and voting began at 3am today. The vote was completed around 3pm and session ended 158 to 51 (6 congressmen abstained) in favor of the president escaping impeachment.

Now if they can only do the same for the hundreds of pending bills in the chamber…

News Sources:

ABS-CBN News

INQ7.NET

Now I’m not much of a political blogger, but I just want to sound this out.

So I was in campus today and they had these sheets posted on boards, asking for opinions on the GMA and Garci fiasco. I stood there, reading the statements scrawled across the sheets. There were a few that made sense, but the ones that really stood out were the ones written in bold, scrawling letters, saying,

“OUST GMA!”

But really. Step back and think hard about this. If the people revolt, pull another EDSA Revolution (the nth one, how many have we had again?) and successfully force GMA to step down or be impeached, who will replace her?

Noli de Castro.

Please, please, please, not that idiot.

FINALLY breaking her silence, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has admitted it is her voice on allegedly wiretapped recordings that that her opponents believe show she rigged the 2004 elections.

In a statement aired live over radio and television, she also apologized for calling a Commission on Election official in the period immediately following the polls.

“I’m sorry,” she said, adding that she also regretted “taking so long to speak before you on this matter.”

read more: Arroyo apologizes but denies election fraud

AN IMPEACHMENT complaint has been filed against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the House of Representatives, urging the legislature to oust her from office for alleged voter fraud during the 2004 elections.

Arroyo must be removed for “betrayal of public trust arising from the ‘Gloriagate’ tapes,” lawyer Oliver Lozano told local radio after lodging the complaint at the Office of the Secretary General, according to a separate report on GMA Network’s “Flash Report.”

“No politician is behind me,” Lozano said. “I do it for a cause.”

read more: Impeachment case filed vs Arroyo at House of Representatives

People are taking to the streets once again, I heard. A new president, anyone?

My sister and I were walking to the FX terminal when she asked me, “Ate, do you believe in conspiracy theories?” I just shrugged and said, “Well, they are theories. Thus, there’s no proof.” So anyhow, with the country’s current situation, one can’t help but think of whatever kinds of theories to explain things. I have had a cab driver talk to me about conspiracy theory last Saturday (on the way to Megastrip). The traffic was terrible and he was just thinking aloud while listening to AM radio announcers give updates about the recent controversy on the tapes. And just this morning, my sister posed the question: “Why was Tarongoy released just now?” (News item here.)
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