On Monday, I shall cast my very first vote. Yes, this year is the first time I’m exercising my right to suffrage. 10 years delayed from when my first time should have been.
It’s only four days away, yet I am undecided as to who to vote for.
When people ask me about it, I say that Noynoy seems to be who I’m defaulting to. Yet that just doesn’t feel right. He does seem to be credible, I do not doubt his integrity and his genuine interest in leading the Filipino people. But I am not fully convinced that he has what it takes to take us from where we are to where we want to be. I just don’t see that he has the credentials to merit the ultimate promotion.
But who does?
I’m leaning towards Gibo, though Gordon is another popular choice in my circle. The boyfriend is voting for Gordon. Grandpa’s for Gibo. My parents are for Noynoy.
Choosing the next president is a huge responsibility. I may have only one vote, but I’m going to make it count.
Nakakaloka. This nation has gone through so much, we’ve been raped and abused time and again. It’s come to a point where change in government doesn’t really mean change. Yes, it’s a transition of power, but it’s just from one villain to the next. It is high time we build up this country, heal its wounds and will it to rise up from the ruins. But it is no easy task. It isn’t like signing up for credit cards for bad credit at all. I mean you can’t fix a problem by just patching ’em up with quick fixes. You can’t solve your credit issues by dipping yourself in even more credit. You know what I mean? We can’t say that we’ve had enough of a corrupt government, only to send other corrupt officials to power.
Whoever wins though, I hope that Pinoys remain as political as they seem to be now.
The campaign season goes even crazier as the candidates in the local lever officially start their campaign. On the news, I just heard that there are nine (or was it seven?) people vying for the Mayoralty post in Quezon City. Nine candidates! How do you get a majority vote with so many options? I guess it’s not a shocker, we have almost as many options to choose from for the Presidential post.
I wonder who will be in celebratory mood, and gather friends and supporters to smoke victory cigars? Celebrations are almost always associated with smoking cigars right, whether branded or discount cigars. I’m just wondering when the tradition started, or where.
Anyway, back to campaigns and elections. Right now I’m hearing Sarah Geronimo sing for the VP candidate that she is endorsing. Ugh is all I can say. I wonder who it is that the Comelec says has already used up the designated airtime for political ads? It’s probably Villar although Binay’s ads has been out for some time too. Hmm…
I’d like to share a statement released by our Council of Bishops regarding the Morong 43. I think my mom drafted this 🙂
Freedom for the 43 Health Workers
A month ago, some 300 elements of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police forcibly took into custody forty-three health workers from the rest house of Dr. Melecia Velmonte, a renowned and respected infectious disease specialist, a consultant at the Philippine General Hospital and a professor emeritus at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. For a few days, they were denied visits of relatives and friends until after the intervention of the Commission on Human Rights. It is our understanding that the group was at the resort attending a health skills training sponsored by the Council for Health and Development (CHD), a non-government organization. Most of the participants were members of the CHD and of the Community Medicine Development Foundation (Commed), also a non-government organization. Amongst those arrested, we are specifically concerned over the conditions of Dr. Alex Montes, a member of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines and a former coordinator of their health ministries, and of Ms. Angela Dolorico, an Episcopalian who hails from Sagada, Mountain Province where most of our congregations are.
While the legality of their arrest is now being questioned in court, the 43 health workers have alleged that they have been abused physically and mentally and their basic rights deprived of them. We are aware that the Commission on Human Rights has intervened and has scheduled a hearing on these allegations on March 18th. We are also aware, however, of how the poor and the marginalized have long suffered from the lack of accessible health care services. It is non-government organizations that have filled-in this gap and who have engaged in the training of community health workers who work directly with communities in providing health education and care in far-flung communities or even in urban poor communities.
Health care and healing, which is the main concern of those in any form of medical practice, is a service that Jesus Christ Himself performed. It was, in a sense, a constant part of his teaching and preaching. In most cases, when we speak of miracles, it is usually in reference to an incident or occasion where healing is performed on one who had been regarded to be inflicted with an incurable disease. In fact, healing is one of the first services that the Episcopal Church established when it started its mission in the Philippines.
But the church’s concern goes beyond the healing of the sick and of those in discomfort. Jeremiah 33:6 says “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”(NIV) Indeed, here are the 43 health workers now themselves in a situation that requires healing – the healing of a nation that continues to allow the desecration of the rights of its people.
It is for this reason what we appeal to the authorities for the immediate release of these health workers. There is no place for injustice in any society, especially when such injustice is inflicted on those who seek to serve the least of our brethren.
For the Council of Bishops
Episcopal Church in the Philippines
I finally made a donation to the Haiti Fund, through Hope For Haiti Now, the organization that launched the star-studded telethon to raise funds.
I figured that since I was already enjoying the videos of the performances from the telethon, I might as well make the donation through them. You can also checkout their YouTube channel if you want to see amazing performances and short features.
If you haven’t donated to the Haiti Fund yet, well what are you waiting for? Every small contribution counts!
My PC woes haven’t been resolved so I have to be offline for a longer time. Sigh. On the upside, I did (finally) get to finish Inkheart while Alfred worked on the PC.
Today on the news, we tuned in just in time to hear about the bodies of two Pilipino aid workers recovered from the rubble of the UN offices in Haiti. Let us all offer our prayers for the repose of their souls, and for strength for their families in their time of bereavement…
I have not yet been able to make a donation. I initially wanted to donate through the Episcopal Relief and Development website, as suggested by my mother. After all, it made sense to donate through the Church. But as I was trying it out, the website won’t accept non-US addresses, or perhaps I just haven’t found a way to do so. If you live in the US, do checkout the ERD website and learn how you can donate through them.
At work, I happened to have pulled up Bing.Com and needed to run a search on something, when right there at the bottom of the page I saw this link:
Clicking on How you can help Haiti has brought me to two different pages so far, one is this, and here’s the other. Both pages give you a list of charities where you can donate. Microsoft isn’t accepting donations, but they have already made their pledge of support for the recovery efforts and rebuilding of life in Haiti. They have also committed to matching the donations made by their US employees to their choice of charities (upto $12,000 per employee). I think corporate giants should take a clue from this…
There is no hurry in making a donation. I bet even just blogging about the various channels through which people can help is already a good move. The people of Haiti will need our help for many many months to come.
Save the Children also has this donation page up for their own Haiti fund. I have worked with Save the Children (their UK-Philippines office specifically) and I trust in this charity. Like ER-D, they are already there on the ground so you can be assured that your donations will make it to the intended recipients.
The above links will direct you to many other donation pages, such as UNICEF’s and the Red Cross, go through their lists and find the charity that your heart is comfortable working with.
For digital scrapbookers, here’s an additional incentive to make a donation. The Daily Digi has a freebie for those who will email them that they have made a contribution to a charity of their own choice. Now I don’t see that they’re asking for any proof of donation, but I hope that no one will abuse this. It’s a wonderful idea though.
Here’s a blogger who is running a contest on blog and tied it in with making donations for Haiti via UNICEF. Scoot over to Cornyman’s Money-Blog where each comment he would match with 10 cents in donation to UNICEF.
Here’s yet another blogger who would donate $1 to God’s Littlest Angels, an orphanage in Haiti, for every blogger or reader who comments about what they have done to donate for the relief efforts. Check out Cents Saved.
Eco Mama also runs a similar comments challenge over at her blog. This is specifically for those who have no means to donate, you simply have to leave a comment on her specific Mercy Corps Haiti Earthquake Relief post and she will match a dollar for each comment and make the donation through Mercy Corps.
So no matter how much you part with, it will count towards helping out the people of Haiti. Recently, my country was devastated by two typhoons and we relied on the world community for aid. Neighbors didn’t fail each other, and strangers were transformed into angels. For others, there is still much help needed. There are families still living in evacuation areas almost three months after the disaster. We know all too well that it will be the same for Haiti.
