Page 6 - THEGOLDENLAND 2019-2020
P. 6

he  appeal  to  reinstate  what they call it they are already on  that  targets  to  decrease  crimes
             Capital   punishment  the  death  row.  Most  historical  rec- through  catching  drug  pushers  and
             known as the Death Pen- ords and practices indicate that the  rehabilitating  of  drug  users.  Behind
             alty in the country hurled  death penalty is a part of the justice  the  beautiful  objective  of  the  pro-
             from the brutal killing of  system  even  in  the  earliest  civiliza- gram  lies  an  impeccable  fact.  The
             a  16-year  old  girl  from  tions. However, even with death pen- alleged drug lords are linked to well-
    T -Lapu City. The case  alty the crimes in total has not been  off  people  and  worst  to  those  who                                         isrespect continues to roam in
             Lapu
    became  controversial  and  roused  decreasing. Merely because when a  have  positions  in  the  government.                                   every  place  in  different  forms
    sympathy  from  the  peo-                                              Those  who  have  power                                       D
                                                                                                                                                   not until it turns into a crime.
    ple  thus—  stirring  the                                              are  not  arrested  even                                                Early  this  year,  albeit  some
    discussion  of  death  pen-                                            investigated.   While                                                   tinge  of  confusion  and  doubt
    alty.                                                                  some poor drug pushers                                                  like  what  Gabriela  Women's
          On July 4, Senator                                               or  users  who  are  still                                              Party called the president as a
    Ronald  “Bato”  Dela  Rosa                                             pondered  as  “persons                                        “single  most  brazen  violator  of  the  law’s
    made  public  about  his                                               of interest” were said to                                     intent", the law has been officially signed.
    filing of a bill reimposing                                            fight in act so the police                                          Implementing  rules  and  regulations
    death  penalty.  The  bill  is                                         were forced to fire them                                      of Republic Act No. 11313, also known as
    for those who have com-                                                dead. Yet, even without                                       the Safe Spaces Act or the “Bawal Bastos”
    mitted  heinous  crimes                                                the death penalty being                                       law  penalizes  catcalling,  wolf
    involving drug traffickers;                                            imposed,  there  is  al-                                      misogynistic  and  homophobic  slurs,  un-
    Dela  Rosa  made  it  clear                                            ready  death  penalty  in                                     wanted  sexual  ad-
    that it is not “anti-poor”.   person  submits  to  a  crime  he  action.                                                             vances,  and  other
          Still, anti-poor or not, will the  doesn’t  think  nor  care  about  being   An eye for an eye, a tooth for                    forms  of  sexual  har-
    reiteration  of  the  death  penalty  be  caught  anymore.  It  just  shows  how  a  tooth.  This  belief  encourages  a             assment  in  public
    the answer to the country’s rampant  death  penalty  is  not  deterrent  to  culture of violence.                                    places,  workplaces,
    crimes and drug importations?    crimes.                          Come  to  think  of  it,  death                                    schools, as well as in
         First,  let’s  take  a  look  in  the   So  what’s  changed  if  it  be  penalty  itself  is  ironic.  It  speaks  to           online  spaces.  This
    history  where  capital  punishment  is  imposed now?        punish  people  who  have  committed                                    new  law  spells  a
    applied. Criminals who have commit-  The poor people without mon- heinous crimes through death. Then                                 significant difference
    ted  capital  offenses  such  as  parri- ey for legal defense are the  first to  so,  the  people  who  executed  the                from  the  first  Anti-
    cide, murder, rape, are sentenced to  feel the wrath of the justice system.  convicts be killed too? Well, the prin-                 Harassment  Act  (RA
    death  waiting  to  be  executed  or  as  Say for instance, the Oplan Tokhang  ciple is sarcastic!                                   7877)  of  1995  it  is
                                                                                                                                         closely  related  to
                                                                                                                                         wherein  previously,
                                                                                                                                         only persons in authority could be charged
                                                                                                                                         as  offenders  limited  to  specific  public  do-
                                                                                                                                         mains to where the act was committed.
                      I             sanctuary   Scar-  the landmark ruling recognized the   templation of the Philippine govern-         could now be anyone too. This law includes
                                                                                                                                               Now that sexual harassment seems
                                                                                                                                         to  happen  almost  anywhere,  offenders
                           t  has  been  years  since  the
                                                           In  July  2016,  however,
                           dispute  over  the  marine-
                                                                                          Tension rises, so is the con-
                                                                                                                                         the  host  of  acts  often  regarded  today  as
                                                     sovereign  rights  of  the  Philippines
                           wealthy
                                                                                                                                         'usual' such as but not limited to catcalling
                           borough  Shoal  parked  be-
                                                     over the area, measured 200 nauti-
                                                                                    ment with the necessary measures
                                                                                                                                         and  wolf-whistling,  considered  as  gender
                                                     cal miles in the country’s Exclusive
                                                                                    to  defend  the  country’s  claim  and
                           tween countries China and the
                                                                                                                                         based street and public spaces sexual har-
                           Philippines.  Recent  events,
                           however,  despite  Philippines
                                                     other  hand,  stood  its  ground,  and
                                                                                    templation, however, must be inten-
                                                                                                                                         uninvited sexual actions or remarks against
                      winning  arbitral  ruling  on  said  wa-  Economic Zone (EEZ). China, on the   authority  over  Panatag.  This  con-  assment committed through unwanted and
                                                                                    sified that it shall not take too long,
                                                     insisted  on  its  authority  and  take-
                                                                                                                                         any  person,  regardless  of  the  motive.  Not
                      ters, China is seen at large, proving   over of the disputed area.    because  we  never  know  tomorrow,          excluding  cyberspaces  where  most  of  us
                      to  be  more  authoritative  in  the  re-  Well, why would they not?    or the next day, who knows, what’s         have  direct  access  to,  portray  a  venue  of
                      gion, intimidating Filipino fishermen   Apparently,  China  has  fixat-  there in Scarborough left for us?         threats  intimidating  and  harassing  victims’
                      from carrying-out their marine expe-  ed its eyes on the area, and planned   Now  is  the  time  to  say           online.  In  these  platforms  allowing  sexist
                      ditions on the area.           out well their next move – they built   enough  of  this  oppressive  maneu-        remarks,  cyberstalking,  incessant  messag-
                            The  feud  was                                                 ver  of  China  in  the  Scar-                ing, and impersonating identities of victims
                      first marked in a contro-                                            borough  Shoal,  for    it  is                also require security and protection the law
                      versial standoff in 2012,                                            under  the  Philippines’  au-
                      when  Philippine  Navy                                               thority  after  all.  The  Philip-
                      surveillance  plane  no-                                             pines, its’ government, must
                      ticed  eight  Chinese  ma-                                           spawn the long-lost courage
                      rine vessels set in Scar-                                            to stand up against the des-
                      borough  Shoal  (also                                                olation  brought  about  by
                      known   as   Panatag                                                 China’s   insubordination
                      Shoal).  The  Philippine                                             with the rulings. This can be
                      Navy  then  sent  men  to                                            done  through  filing  corre-
                      survey  the  area,  and                                              sponding  protests  against
                      upon  inspecting  the                                                China, and whatever it takes
                      catch  of  the  Chinese                                              to do so, as it is not only the
                      vessels,  they  claimed  that  they   artificial islands in the said waters,   entitlement  which  we  are  fighting    o  this  genera-  not  to  burden  students.
                      found out illegally harvested marine   and  even  strengthened  their  seclu-  for,  but  as  well  the  rights  of  the   tion,  they  say,   The K
                      resources such as giant clams.   sion by shooing out Filipino fisher-  Filipinos and their living.                      all  is  simple   much  so  that  our  perfor-
                            In  an  attempt  to  arrest  the   men  from  their  fishing  grounds.   Now, is a time for us to man             now. Nothing is   mance assessment system
                      Chinese  fishermen,  they  were   With  this,  Defense  Secretary  Delfin   our boundaries and tighten the grip,        unattainable   ensures  its  implementa-
                      blocked  by  Chinese  maritime  sur-  N.  Lorenzana  expressed  himself   to refine the life of our fishermen.          under  the  sun   tion,. However, on the con-
                      veillance  ships.  Philippines  some-  amid the continuous predicament in   As  the  saying  goes,  “What      T  just  a  few         trary,  students  are  clearly
                                                                                                                                              in
                      how lost Scarborough Shoal to Chi-  Scarborough  Schoal,  referring  to   you allow is what will continue.”    clicks of fingers. The tech-  burdened  with  the  over-
                      na due to this incident.       China’s actions as “bullying.”                                                  nology made life easier for   whelming amount of these
                                                                                                                                     students  than  ever  before,   homeworks  being  loaded
                                                                                                                                     yet complaints can still be   into their bags.
                                                                                                                                     heard  around  them.  For
                                                                                                                                     some,  almost  everything   tion  for  Teachers  that
                                                                                                                                     seems  simple.  But  for   homework  in  turn  hones
                                                                                                                                     those who lack the means   the capacity of students to
                                                                                                                                     to  attain  the  educational   be  responsible  and  devel-
                                                                                                                                     needs, everything is almost   op  independent  problem
                                                                                                                                     like  crawling  a  muddy  hill   solving skills. But to some-
                                                                                                                                     just  to  reach  the  learning   one  who  isn't  fortunate
            he  May  2019  election   him.                       self, but for the country.                                          demands  of  the  21st  cen-  enough  to  have  resources
            results  showed  how        It’s  heartbreaking  to  live  in   Seeking  a  government  posi-                            tury.                   in life, sometimes solving a
            majority  of  our  fellow-  these times knowing that there is a   tion  must  require  a  high  level  of                      I remember, a moth-  problem  will  mean  getting
            men  thinks.  They  elect-  need  to  educate  the  electorate   competence  and  moral  compass,                        er  once  told  me
            ed leaders infamous for   about the importance of check and   not  garnered  on  endorsement  and                        about the agony of
            electoral  frauds,  en-  balance.  That  the  legislative  and   the  length  of  time  for  commercial                  her  daughter  thriv-
   T ement  power  and            judiciary shall not be dictated upon   ads.  Public  office  is  dedicated  for                    ing  for  school  re-
            dors
   most  especially  popularity.  Thus,   by the executive.      the public. What the public deserves                                quirements.   Her
   Philippine politics are inevitably left   Countrymen, is this what we   must  be  given  to  them.  Nothing                       daughter    was
   with  two things  -  instability  and  in-  want  to  lead  us  towards  on  our   less, but more.                                spending  her  mon-
   competence.                    dreaming  progress?  Shouldn't  we   Article  XI,  Section  1  of  the                             ey, which was sup-
        Not  a  single  Otso  Diretso   voice  out  support  for  those  who   1987  Constitution  states  that                      posed to buy lunch,
   candidate made it to the  magic 12   have good heart to serve than those   “Public office is a public trust.” How                 forcing  her  to  go
   based  on  the  final,  official  results.   who just won by mere Padrino sys-  can  we  expect  accountability  and              after  school  to  the
   Aquino and Mar Roxas                                                       great  progress  if                                    internet  café  to  do
   landed  on  the  14th                                                      the  persons  we                                       her   homework,
   and 16th spot, respec-                                                     elect  into  office                                    which    requires
   tively.                                                                    does  not  qualify  to                                 computer and internet use.   into another issue. Despite
        President  Ro-                                                        be one?                                                That  is  due  to  their   difficulties  to  cope  with,
   drigo  Duterte,  even                                                      If  the  Philippines                                   school's  lack  of  learning   determination  helps  them
   during  his  campaign,                                                     goes  lower  than                                      materials  and  equipment.   grasp  their  bright  future
   has  gone  public  with                                                    this,  politicians  are                                And they're one of the less   and pull the rope. But who
   his  immense  support                                                      never to be blamed.                                    fortunate,   not   having   knows  that  throwing  such
   with his lineup.                                                           It’s  us  –  for  not                                  enough  to  survive  on,  and   desperate  move  could  un-
        "Pagnatalo                                                            taking  any  actions                                   can't  afford  a  phone  or   consciously   pull   them
   itong  mga  kandidato                                                      for  those  who  are                                   laptop and internet access   down?
   ko,  babalikan  ko  kayo",  he  jokingly   tem  and  popularity  hiding  behind   uninformed, and those  who are se-              that  might  have  been  a
   tells the audience.            the good sheep they always wear?   lectively informed.                                             great  help  to  close  the   like me who has nothing to
        Unfortunately,  his  endorse-   Election  is  never  a  simple   Fiipinos who have a heart to                                gaps for her daughter.   inherit from my parents but
   ment  and  bias  worked,  and  even   game, where you just choose which   serve  never  need  a  lift  of  a  fist  to                  Alliance  of  Con-  these  genes  and  the  edu-
   those  who  knows  nothing  how  the   one is better for you alone. Deciding   win. It’s a lift of the head, with eyes            cerned  Teachers  (ACT)   cation  they  promised,  it's
   Senate works or the Congress won,   which one to elect is a shared desti-  wide open, and a brain to think.                       National Chairman Joselyn   either  I'm  going  to  'hit'  or
   just because they lift their fists with   ny.  One  must  choose,  not  for  one-                                                 Martinez  stressed  that   'miss' this chance in life if
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11