The Sharp Date Night for the Single

Wazzup Pilipinas!

February is the love month. Celebrated worldwide through different traditions, practices, and events, February gives lovers and romantics the opportunity to splurge and bond with their partners. For the unattached, it is the season they can either remain indifferent or, ironically, be involved as much as possible.

Especially evident in contemporary Filipino culture, the unattached, or the “single”, willingly participate and hype-up Valentine’s Day with social media antics and comic reliefs. But these single men and women, despite their self-mockery, are also proof that even in solitude, there is still a way to spend February 14 enjoyably—if only one is equipped with confidence, independence, and a solid home entertainment system.

No single person should have a reason to feel alone or sad this Valentine’s Day as Sharp Philippines, with a range of models from its audio and visual category, offers more than just the flowers or the chocolates.

Sharp includes in its roster the 4K Powered by Android TV filled with varying entertainment and viewing options that cater to whichever mood you are in. With apps like Netflix, YouTube, Google Cast, and Google Play, you can browse, play, and download non-stop and from the comforts of your home. Be in the company of your favorite TV series or films and a freshly popped bowl of popcorn as you simply enjoy the night away.

Lowering Age of Criminal Responsibility is a Death Sentence to Children

Wazzup Pilipinas!
*Statement of Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros delivered on the #ChildrenNotCriminals National Press Conference, February 16, 2017, Sulo Riviera Hotel, Quezon City

"Lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 9 is a death sentence to our children. By treating children in conflict with the law as hardened criminals, they could either end up dead in the hands of extrajudicial killers or the state.

They will become targets of vigilante death squads, which have already killed thousands of Filipinos or land on death row if a lowered age of criminal liability is combined with the death penalty law. Either way, they could end up dead. The government will condemn our children to a dark and sinister future with no second chance at rehabilitation.

"Of course some lawmakers, mainly those from the House of Representatives, will argue that they have no intention to create “death row kids” and that their proposal to reimpose the death penalty excludes minors. However, in the Senate, a simple review of the proposed death penalty laws reveals that none of the proposed measures have a provision exempting below 18 year olds from capital punishment. Even if they argue that children in conflict with the law are protected from death penalty under the Juvenile Justice Law, the passage of both the death penalty law and a much lowered age of criminal liability could supersede the Juvenile Justice Law. Assuming without conceding that it is a remote possibility, why would we even risk such a scenario and place our children in such a dire situation in the first place?

"If the government is really sincere in addressing the problem of children in conflict with the law, then the better alternative is to strengthen and fully implement the existing Juvenile Justice Law. It is more sustainable, humane and cost-effective.

"It’s time for the Duterte government to stop its fixation with regressive law enforcement measures and obsession with death.

"We must offer hope not death. Our children must not be delivered into the hands of extrajudicial killers or its judicial counterpart, the deadly combination of a lowered age of criminal liability and death penalty. If we are to pursue real justice, we have to understand its truest sense offers not just punishment but accountability, and a chance for reparations and rehabilitation.

Emotions Run High in the Compelling Medical Drama Chicago Med this February on Sony Channel

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Chicago Med, the compelling medical drama from executive producer Dick Wolf who also gave us Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., airs this February on Sony Channel.

Set in the emergency department of the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, the city’s new state-of-the-art trauma center, this latest installment of the famed Chicago franchise revolves around the courageous team of doctors, nurses, and staff members who work together as they handle the most severe trauma cases every day to save patients’ lives.

Under the leadership of tough-talking hospital administrator Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson), psychiatry department chief Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt) and his newfound team of Chicago heroes - first-year attending physician Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss), pediatrician Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto), trauma surgery fellow Dr. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell), chief resident Dr. Ethan Choi (Brian Tee), psychiatry resident Dr. Sarah Reese (Rachel DiPillo), and nurse April Sexton (Yaya DaCosta) – put aside their petty differences and focus on their strengths to build relationships as they overcome the busy and chaotic environment that marks their day-to-day routines at the emergency department.

For viewers who can’t get enough of formulaic hospital dramas, Chicago Med is the answer as the series offers a fresh perspective on the heroic acts of modern-day saviors who are willing to sacrifice anything to save others.

Chicago Med airs weeknights at 9:45pm.

Sony Channel is available on Sky Cable Channel 35, Destiny Cable Channel 62, Cignal Channel 120, and Cablelink Channel 39.