Remembering the 49th anniversary of Martial Law in the Philippines: We all have powerful stories to tell

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

I wish I could speak to people without any prejudice. If I see a wealthy man, I would make certain assumptions, if I meet someone with a degree from a prestigious university, I would make certain assumptions, if I see a man with a big penis, I would make certain assumptions.

But that's the challenge. We have the social responsibility to be careful and responsible enough to.weigh things appropriately, and leave it up to the experts the more tedious and sensitive tasks if we want to.maintain respecting social injustices by understanding our history and why it is important to be aware of it's rippling effect on many especially those who are directly affected.

In remembering the 49th anniversary of Martial Law in the Philippines. Take time to remember why historical awareness is important not only nuancing our understanding, but also in reckoning justice.

It is true that everyone has stories to tell. But in a broken world, stories aren’t equal. Stories of oppressors seek to protect themselves while the other has nothing left but pain/loss. The former emboldens evil. The latter inspires good. To ignore this truth is to hold the whip & lash the oppressed.

The testimonies from experiences of the ones that are oppressed during martial law are the ones that should’ve been heard and publicized by these HUGE INFLUENTIAL PLATFORMS 

You cannot present manure in public and expect people to say it is fragrant and beautiful.

Toni Gonzaga's statement about interviewing people with powerful stories only applies to those with power, wealth and fame. It’s discriminative to ordinary people victims of  human rights abuses. What she did, just amplified historical revisionism and caused further injustice to the victims.

“No matter how bad the person is…every single person has a powerful stories to tell.” Then, she should’ve asked Bongbong, what drove his father to kill and oppressed many Filipinos during his regime. Now, that’s a powerful story to tell.

Or Toni should’ve asked Bongbong, how can they sleep at night knowing that their father was a ruthless dictator and their family stole billions of pesos from the Filipino people. That’s another powerful story to tell. Don’t be a coward, Toni.

To be clear— what Toni has done was to rub salt to the pain and suffering of Marcos’ victims AND THE WHOLE COUNTRY all over again. As if they’ve not suffered enough and as if they got any justice from the Marcoses!

We all know how the Marcos family tried to bury the truth for the past years. Kahit na sabihin ni Toni that she’s neutral, for Bongbong this is another opportunity for him to clean his family’s image.

So will Toni Gonzaga interview Martial Law victims? they also have stories to tell…very powerful stories.

Too bad the tortured to death and the desaparesidos couldn't tell their stories now. Their voices were silenced by Marcos

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor" - Desmond Tutu

“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but by the silence over that by good people”~ Martin Luther King

Why is it that whenever Duterte talks about Gordon it seems he is talking about himself?

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

President Rodrigo Duterte has lambasted Senator Richard Gordon anew, this time saying he would go after the lawmaker and reduce him to his "original size."

Funny enough that Duterte threatened to imprison the generals he accused of cuddling drug smugglers. Filipinos still have to see them in jail. Now he is threatening the senators who are investigating his minions for corruption. Filipinos should think hard about this man they called their president.

Baliktad mr president, si Gordon ang dapat magsabi nyan sa iyo. Unang una kang dapat patalsikin for your ineptitude. Tulog ng tulog sa trabaho. Iniuna pa ang ibang lahi. Bulag at bingi ka ba na hindi mo alam ang ginagawa ng mga kaalyado mo? 

The bully opens his filthy mouth again! No credibility! We have a sick captain maneuvering our sinking ship. God bless the Philippines!

Come on please enough with the threats and cussing. Focus your energy to saving this country from pandemic. If they want to investigate let them be and if you are innocent then that will surface without your intervention. You are still in power then use it for the betterment of all. 

Attacking the person to skirt the real issue at-hand.  Please THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATE Pharmally - a P600T-only company and its incorporators. 

And the Senate job is to correct the President and his staff if they think that there are anomalies going on! Let them do their job and do yours.

The Tyrant & Despot is showing his true character. He is shamelessly protecting his greedy friends & going after those who are exposing the corruption that they are flaunting with impunity!!!

When you can't answer with facts, resort to this kind of tactics. Lasing na naman si tatay. OMG! Mr President? He is again very unbecoming as head of the state.

Standing to your fraternity/syndicate motto?! Lex talionis is Latin for Law of Retaliation. This concept is derived from the Mosaic law "an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth," which is a variation of the original concept promulgated under the Code of Hammurabi. The secondary name, Sodalitas Ducum Futurorum is Latin for Solidarity of Future Leaders. Not for the people of the Philippines.

Lasing na naman sa kapangyarihan? Pahinga ka na po! Huwag mo na pakialaman ang investigation. Sabi nga, kung walang tinatago, hayaan ang scrutiny. Unless meron nga talagang nangyaring pagtatakip at ang enabler ng lahat ng pangungurakot ay malapit na matukoy.

Mr. President, why don't you try it first to Roque who berated the medical professionals? Hindi ba mas lumalaki ang ulo niyan? 

Clean your own backyard, dude!

Luma na yan tol' wala na bang iba? Yung medyo bago. Puro ka pasaring eh, tumatalbog sayo mga paratang mo. Hintayin mo muna matapos investigation bago ka bumanat. Cool ka lang napag hahalata ka eh! Mukhang hahatulan ka na ng taong bayan. Wala ng epekto yung pananakot mo, nagiging korney na.

Kapag ganito ng ganito ang Presidente natin every week, huwag na tayo umasa na mapapabilis na masolusyunan ang problema natin sa pandemic. Iba kasi inaatupag nya eh. Puro na lang pang aaway ginagawa. Imbes tuloy na makita kung ano plano nya para labanan ang pandemic (ewan ko kung may plano nga ba?) eh puro lang pang aaway ang content ng sinasabi nya. Aksaya sa oras, kuryente at airtime. Walang kwentang Pangulo.

Yung mga hindi kayang ipakita yung mga SALN na government official, for sure, yun yung mga magnanakaw.. Agree ka ba tatay digs? 

Nagsalita ano. Sino ulit takot sa ICC? Sino ulit ayaw maglabas ng SALN? Sino ulit ayaw magpa imbestiga ng anomalya sa DOH? Sino ang pabago bago ng isip? Diba ikaw? Patawa ka! Why is it that whenever he talks about Gordon it seems he is talking about himself?

Napapadalas ang paglabas ngayon ah. Halatang guilty sa pangungurakot ito! Huwag mong ibintang sa iba gawain mo! 

Unbecoming of a President - What a trashy mouth - acting like a kid - if you are not quilty, why the big fuss?

Ipakita mo muna SALN mo at bank waiver. Paano ka maglilinis kung ikaw mismo napakarumi? Ginagago mo lang mga TABOGO na naniniwala sa iyo.

This has become an all-out war. Sen Gordon should take the challenge head on and exposed Duterte for what he is. That is, a corrupt and abusive politician. Help ICC prosecute Duterte for his crimes against our people. Specifically, crime against humanity.

In a nation where people are getting sick and dying, where people are losing their jobs, our children their mental health. We deserve better leaders. Register and vote for 2022.

Protection and safeguarding of free-flowing rivers needed as global study finds threats to freshwater ecosystems

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

WWF-Philippines is calling for the increased protection of river ecosystems in the country following a new global study that found that over 260,000 kilometers of free-flowing rivers are at risk of being disrupted; equivalent to going around the Earth’s equator 6.5 times.

“Rivers have a very special place in Philippine history and culture. Early settlers travelling by sea founded the city of Manila on the delta of the Pasig River. The Philippines was also once called the ‘Republika ng Katagalugan’ which is based on the term ‘taga-ilog’ or ‘from the river’,” Paolo Pagaduan, WWF-Philippines’ Forests for Water Program Manager said.

“Most Filipinos probably only see the surface value of rivers. But if you look deeper, you will see an endless flow of benefits for us and nature,” Pagaduan said following the publication of the study in the Global Sustainability journal.

Practically every land in the Philippines is part of a watershed and 142 have been declared as critical watersheds by DENR. According to Pagaduan, some rivers in these watersheds no longer flow freely due to human activity. The study led by Michele Thieme, WWF-US Deputy Director Freshwater, cites dams and reservoirs as the leading causes of disruptions in rivers around the world – and the subsequent loss of the diverse range of benefits that healthy rivers provide for the surrounding environment and communities.

“When viewed from high above, rivers look like blood vessels in our body. That’s what they are for the planet. They distribute nutrients and resources across large areas allowing plants, animals, and humans to flourish,” he said. “Like rivers, we don’t want our blood vessels to be blocked”.

According to the study, connected and healthy rivers deliver diverse benefits that are often overlooked: freshwater fish stocks that enhance food security for hundreds of millions of people, delivery of sediments that nourish agriculture and keep deltas above rising seas, and floodplains that help mitigate the impact of floods and support a wealth of biodiversity.

“Rivers are powerful agents for keeping nature and communities healthy and resilient, especially in a warming world, yet their ability to support life is threatened by hydropower dams in many parts of the world. The best policy solutions will be those that balance renewable energy needs with the many benefits of thriving freshwater ecosystems,” Thieme said.

The researchers compiled science-based policy solutions to meet climate targets and energy goals, while also safeguarding free-flowing rivers and their benefits to people and nature. The study outlines specific examples where governments have successfully implemented these strategies, including:

● Avoiding fragmenting rivers by instating formal protections of rivers or by exploring alternative development options, such as non-hydropower renewable energy, like solar and wind. Early, system-wide planning is the best solution to meet development needs and keeps rivers and the benefits that they provide connected and flowing.

● Minimizing the impacts of dams on rivers by siting dams in locations with fewer impacts on people and nature. Technologies such as environmental flows can also help minimize dam impacts by allowing water to move through dams in a manner that mimics natural flows.

● Restoring rivers through dam removal, an increasingly popular option in the US and Europe due to the high costs of dam maintenance and its proven ability to bring life back to rivers and help restore them to health.

● Offsetting the negative impacts of dams. If one river is severed by a dam, there may be options to protect another river to ensure that similar values are maintained in the region.

"Nature is not just the land and the sea. Often neglected in the conversation are rivers that play vital roles in sustaining life. Let us ensure that we have free-flowing rivers on the agenda," Pagaduan said.