Issues of the day

Willing Willie & Child Abuse

I was a kid in a time when the world realized how important it was to protect children. In 1990, the UN and its member states ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. That year was also the beginning of my being a child rights advocate. UNCRC is already 20 years old, I wish I could proudly say that I’d been a CRC advocate for the same number of years, but I could not. Sadly, when I left NGO work about 6 years ago, much of my advocacy stopped too. I don’t even remember the facts anymore.

Of course I hadn’t intended it to be that way. If anything, I thought that allowing myself the freedom to live a different life would afford me more free time and resources to be involved in other child-focused advocacies. I was wrong.

I’d like to think that I still carry it in me, that in some way I am still an advocate for children’s rights. The recent issue of Willing Willie and the accusations of Child Abuse thrown against them has reawakened that spirit.

The issue has gone the rounds of social media sites for over a week. I have reserved my comment though my blood boils every time I read or hear about it. For awhile, I resisted viewing the video of the 6-year-old – being contented with the description of how he was in tears as he danced for the crowd. I could already see him in my mind, and I could hear Willie’s voice prodding him on and adding more drama to what already was a very sad scene.

I refuse to post the Youtube video of the kid on my blog, I will not even tweet you a link to it.

Call me OA (over-acting), but I sincerely believe that leaving that video online for all to see is just the same as telling the boy to keep on dancing his sexy macho dance. It’s no different from what Willie, the production team, the network, and even the audience, did to the little boy. We take a stand against child pornography right? Saying that mere possession and viewing illicit content is a violation of the child’s rights. Well I say the same about the boy’s video.

But I did watch it. I saw the 1-minute video that was shared on Twitter. It was enough for me to form an opinion. I do not wish to see it again, and I do not think others need to watch it.

* The boy was crying as soon as he started dancing. Whether he was crying out of fear of Bonel Balingit (a towering giant who happened to be at the show that day), or out of humiliation for what he was being asked to do – he should not have been made to continue, much less repeat the dance. He could have cried out of stage fright and not because he was ashamed, nonetheless, he should have been asked to stop. Does he really have to dance? All he needs to do is answer a question correctly in order to win a prize. Yes, he might have joined up and said that his talent was dancing, but if he changed his mind and was suddenly all too shy to do it in front of millions of people – then he shouldn’t have had to continue.

* Last night, the boy and his family appeared on the show. I refused to tune in and watch. Whether the family intends to file a complaint against the show is irrelevant. Protecting the child’s rights is a State duty. Violation of children’s rights, Child abuse, is a crime. Just because the parents don’t know better doesn’t right a wrong.

* I do not understand WW’s and TV5’s apology.  Neither do I accept it. There was no admission of wrongdoing. In fact, they have been trying to salvage the host and the show’s reputation. The timing of the awarding for their 7 millionaires and its feature in Paparazzi last weekend is very suspicious. TV5, and all other networks, should come up with very clear guidelines on children and minors appearing in their shows – whether as actors or show contestants.

Maybe we’re barking at the wrong tree. Willie has done other things that were met with public outrage and he has gone away with it. He earns 80,000USD a day doing Willing Willie (source: Cristy Fermin, Paparazzi 3/27/11). No doubt he feels that he is untouchable. Writing to TV5’s president is probably not going to work either – after all, Willie is currently the most bankable star in their roster. Would they risk losing him the way ABSCBN did by attempting to discipline him? I don’t think so.

But the advertisers should be different. It is their money funding the show. They should demand more from its hosts and from the network.

Coupon Crazy!

Signing up for this coupon/discount sites has got me coupon and bargain crazy!

Today, I am drawn to two deals from two different sites (there’s more but I narrowed it down to just these two). Click on the photo to view the deals.

This 36% off for a Flip MinoHD is only up for the next five hours. Since I saw the Flip Mino on TV a few years back, I’ve wanted to get one. I’ve even contemplated ordering off Amazon. Now that it’s here and at a discounted price, I am so tempted to get it. The BDO deferred payment makes it an even sweeter deal.

So I’ve never been to a spa. Ace Water Spa doesn’t quite the same, I know. 🙂 So this 62% off deal for The Getaway Spa is another tempting treat. This deal will run for a couple more days so there’s no rush, I can’t think about it more. If I really want it, I’ll purchase the coupons tomorrow.

The Flip MinoHD deal though will be over in under 5 hours. Pressure! Hahahaha.

I’m not sure if I love these sites anymore. Although there are savings in their deals, I think I end up spending more for stuff I would have normally done without! Know what I mean? 🙂

What I do love from these two sites though, Groupon and CashCashPinoy, is that they offer an easy way for Pinoys to donate to the Japan Quake/Tsunami fund. The default donation is a hundred pesos, and customers may choose to donate more (just add quantity). What’s even better is that both Groupon and CashCashPinoy pledge to top up those donation and match it buck for buck. So if you send two hundred pesos, they add two hundred of their own pesos into the pot too. Awesome! Check them out!

Help Japan via Groupon or Help Japan via CashCashPinoy! Proceeds will be turned over to the Philippine National Red Cross.

How to Help – Japan Quake Relief

An 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck Japan and rocked the world on Friday, the 11th of March. It has been no secret that Japan knows earthquakes, they have technology and infrastructure to respond to the many quakes they have each year. But this, by far, has to be the worst.

Though Japan no doubt has better disaster preparedness mechanisms than any other country, a tragedy of this magnitude cannot be easy. They surely need everyone’s help. Their government and their people have always sent aid to the Philippines when we needed it. Now, they’re the one in need.

Checkout these pages in The Huffington Post and CNN Impact to find out how you can send help.

I haven’t sent any donation yet, but when I do, I’ll do it via Save the Children. I trust the organization and have faith that however small my donation will be, it will be put to good use. Both sites I have linked to gives you options so you may send help via an international organization that you can trust. But you are not confined to these online options for helping out. Check at your local church for any donation drives they might have – or your Church might have an aid organization that you can send money to.

If you’re strapped for cash and actually need aid yourself (kidding ;)), just go ahead and help spread the word. Post information on your blogs, Facebook wall or Twitter page. Help direct people’s attention from the disaster to the much-needed relief, rescue, and recovery efforts.

We all have a part in this.

Even Lady Gaga is rallying her fans to support Japan relief efforts. Click photo to get this wristband for your donation.

UPDATE:

Discount site Groupon/BeEconomic is matching donations sent through their site. Donate a hundred pesos and they will match that. All proceeds will be given to The Philippine National Red Cross.

I am currently going through the forms to donate what I could and I’m counting on BeEconomic to be true to their word and match whatever I can give.

They’ve made it so easy to donate – the next step is up to you.

EDSA 25 Years Later

25 years ago, democracy won over a dictatorship. We Pinoys have always been proud of that – People Power started in this great country of ours.

Though we got rid of one great evil, we are still in the clutches of another –  corruption. It really is what’s keeping us from realizing our full potential. Our country has so much to offer. I believe that each province can sustain its own if only all its affairs are in order and priorities are set straight – and the national government could channel additional resources to the poorest provinces so they can generate more income and keep their people home.

So I hope PNoy succeeds in his quest to cleanup all branches of government.

In the meantime, I also hope that more and more Filipinos take up the challenge of being the torch-bearer for the EDSA spirit.  We must all remember that it was the people who made EDSA significant. It wasn’t Cory, or FVR or JPE, and not even Cardinal Sin. They were the movers, yes. But ultimately, it was the people who made things happen. It is that spirit of nationalism and love for country that needs to be rekindled.

EDSA has so many unsung heroes. Years before EDSA happened, young men and women have been working in the background fighting for everyone’s rights. Back when it wasn’t cool to rage against the dictator, they were doing it. When it wasn’t the ‘in’ thing yet to raise hell against the system, they were there. I truly believe that, if it weren’t for the seeds they sowed, the Filipino people would not have been ripe for the picking and People Power would not have happened.

We need them today. Perhaps not all their methods then will work now. But the principle is what I’m talking about. We need those who are truly prepared to serve the people. We need social entrepreneurs who will trust the poor enough to give them jobs. The countryside needs teachers and development workers who can teach them about sustainable development.

But I guess it’s a little too much to ask for that. Not everyone is willing to give up creature comforts for a life of servanthood. I can’t even really do that.

But that’s just it isn’t it? We don’t have to give up too much to relive the EDSA spirit. Each of us just needs to make a stand. A pact that we won’t settle for less, that we will not tolerate corruption in government, that we will not participate in anything that promotes it. Promise you won’t do “lagay” when a traffic cop catches you beating the red light. Don’t pay for a fixer when you have to fall in line for your license. Buy Philippine-Made products. Support locals! Travel within the country just as much as you travel abroad (or more). When you are given an opportunity to empower more people – take it!

Go ahead, let’s continue with our mediocre private lives. Sit in coffee shops and talk about which diet pills actually work, or when the next shopping spree’s going to be. There is nothing wrong with that. But let’s also accommodate the little changes that will help make this country the land that EDSA ’86 made us realize it could be.

News Worthy

This week the news was full of stories about the ongoing Congressional inquiry on the plea bargain that the Ombudsman was considering (or had already approved, depending on who you’re listening to) for suspected plunderer General Garcia, and the subsequent testimony of Col. Rabusa exposing the extent of corruption in the military. Within days of the expose that was aired on national TV (and heard over the radio), former AFP Chief of Staff General Angelo Reyes took his own life. Reyes allegedly received no less than 50 million pesos as a going-away gift when he retired from the service. Two other former chiefs of staff were implicated in the anomalies. The amount itself isn’t the question, but the means as to how such amounts were accumulated and allocated by a government military institution. The same institution that claims to not have enough funds to fully equip its soldiers who are in the front lines in the war against terrorism.

But the news that saddened me more in the past week was the death of someone far less popular than the fallen general. In his life, he was an inspiration for his parents and to many strangers who have learned of his story.  I think his untimely passing deserved a lot more airtime and media mileage than what was so freely given to someone else. Jon Angelo, the baby whose childhood was snatched away by an illness that kept him tethered to a breathing machine, has passed away.

I have mentioned Jon Angelo, and the Breathe Hope bracelets that his parents lovingly make and sell to raise funds to support his medical costs, several times in this blog, on my FB wall and even in personal conversations. When he passed on, I was completely surprised. His funeral was help very near my home yet I could not bring myself to pay him a visit. I did not see him while he was alive, and I didn’t see him as he was laid to rest. Yet in my heart, I held him there. I will forever cherish my Breathe Hope bracelets, Jon.

Going back to the investigation into corruption practices in the military, that’s what news organizations should focus on – not Reyes or his family in particular. It’s about time they cleanup the military and other government offices, not just of those practicing and promoting the culture of graft and corruption, but take away the processes that make us prone to it. Like putting a cap on the retirement benefits that officials get and ensuring that ALL soldiers get them. Why they didn’t shop online for retirement gifts red envelope is a good place to start. Haha 🙂

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