''Flirty'', ''Bitchy'', ''Slut'', ''Whore'', ''Hoe'' In modern culture, if a woman is having sex with multiple partners she is called a slut but in our world today, sexual experience is not criteria to be called by that way. This word has a lot of meanings that come with a variety of negative connotations. The term is used to degrade and belittle women for apparently expressing their sexuality, by the way they dress, dance, move or even talk. There is a word for it, slut-shaming. Do people really need to judge a woman for being just real to themselves and to the world? Is it really their fault that there are a lot of people who have malicious minds? Slut shaming is closely related to issues of victim blaming and rape culture, which promotes a strong beliefs against woman that women’s sexual liberalism is to be blame for their experiences of sexual assault and violence. By degrading a woman for expressing her sexuality whether she is wearing a decent clothes, talking like an angel, or walking like a Miss Universe means that any action, how big or small, can be criticized as negative. Whenever people slut shames a woman, it strengthens the message that women have no control of their own bodies and sexuality. People should stop being insensitive about this issue. People prefers to isolate and alienate these women who only wish to express themselves. Let’s open our eyes and minds. We need to respect everyone whatever their status maybe. Just because these women practice unconventional and non-traditional actions that are indifferent, this does not mean they do not deserve everyone’s respect. We need to remember that something unorthodox does not mean the deficiency of one’s dignity
by: Elizabeth
Isa sa mga problema na kinakaharap ng ating mga kababayang Pilipino ngayon ay ang kahirapan. Problema kung saan marami ang mga pamilyang nagdurusa at walang magandang buhay. Bakit nga ba may kahirapan? Ano nga ba ang mga sanhi nito? May pag-asa pa ba na malutas ang ganitong klaseng problema? Paano?
Isa rin ang paglago ng populasyon sa Pilipinas ang sanhi ng kahirapan. Isang problemang hindi mahanap-hanap ng solusyon. Kadalasan, kung sino pa ang mahihirap,sila pa ang nagpapalago ng ating populasyon. Dahil dito,mas lumaki rin ang mga taong walang mahanap na trabaho at hindi nakakatanggap ng sapat na benepisyo mula sa gobyerno Ito ay marahil sanhi ng kahirapan sa bansa at kawalan ng trabaho para sa mga tao. Mas mahirap sa gobyerno na kontrolin ang mga mamamayan ngayon. Bukod doon, ilan din sa epekto nito ay ang kakulangan sa pagkain at trabaho. Mas tataas ang porsiyento ng mga taong walang trabaho kung masyadong maraming tao. Hindi kayang tulungan lahat ng mga nangangailangan. Dahil dito, mas marami ang mga taong nakatira na lamang sa lansangan dahil sa kakulangan at kapus sa pera na siya ring sanhi kung bakit maraming bata ang hindi nagkakaroon ng sapat na edukasyon.
Dahil na rin sa kahirapan, kadalasang napagkakaitan ang mga mahihirap ng oportunidad para makapag-aral. Karapatan nga raw ang edukasyon pero sa bansa nating ito, mas pinipili parin ng ibang mga bata na tumulong sa kanilang mga magulang upang may makain sila araw-araw. At dahil dito ,mas nahihirapan silang makahanap ng maayos na trabaho dahil wala silang sapat na esukasyon upang makapagtrabaho sa malalaking kompanya. Dahil sa kakulangan ng edukasyon at matinding pangangailangan sa buhay.
Edukasyon, siyam na letra pero puno ng problema. Napag-iiwanan na ang Pilipinas pagdating sa usapin sa edukasyon, bukod tangi na ang ating bansa ang nahuhuli sa larangan ng edukasyon. Ito ay lumang isyu na ngunit hanggang ngayon ay patuloy na nauungkat dahil walang solusyon na maisip ang ating pamahalaan, ang tanong sinusulusyunan ba nila o dedma lang dahil mas piangtutuunan nila ng pansin ang ibang bagay.
Dahil sa kalidad ng edukasyon sa Pilipinas patuloy ang pag-alis ng karamihan sa mga guro upang humanap ng trabaho sa ibang bansa. Mga guro na dapat ay silang nagtuturo sa mga mag-aaral dito sa atin, ngunit masisisi ba natin sila kung ang tanging gusto lang nila ay maibalik ang importansya na dapat ay nakukuha nila dito sa sarili nilang bansa? Gustuhin man nila o hindi wala silang magagawa sapagkat ang tanging nais nila ay makakuha ng tamang sahod na angkop sa kanilang natapos.
Ang kakulangan sa sahod ang isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit sila umaalis at naghahanap ng oportunidad sa karatig bansa. Dahil dito patuloy ang krisis ng bawat paaralan. Isa pang dahilan kung bakit mababa ang kalidad ng edukasyon dito sa Pilipinas ay ang kakulangan sa mga kagamitan sa silid aralan, kakulangan sa silya, lamesa, libro at mga gamit na dapat ay tinatamasa ng bawat mag-aaral. Paano matatawag na Paaralan kung walang silid-aralan? Maraming katanungan ngunit walang kasagutan.
Nakakalungkot isipin na hindi pinagtutuunan ng pansin ng pamahaaln ang ganitong klase ng problema na sa halip na iangat ito ay patuloy lang na bumababa. Nasaan ang pondo na dapat ay nilalaan sa edukasyon? Saan nga ba ito napupunta? Sa mga paaralan nga ba o sa malaki nilang bulsa? Kayo na ang humusga.
by: Pamela
Which marriage do you think is better, love or arranged?
Things have given us choices, people are fortunate enough to be able to have their own decisions in their life unlike most of the women in the Middle East who doesn't really have the control with their own lives. It's a part of the Islam's tradition as they don't believe in the concept of dating and with some religion, arranged marriages are to form a trade alliance or any economic relations they might gain with other families.
Truly this type of marriage debunks the concept of love the bible and the church had said. Marriage should be treated as a sacred promise between a man and a woman and not this ceremony and contract we had made in order to fulfill each economic ends. Some parents who used this traditional fixed marriage removes their child's right to feel what is love and how it feels for a person to be loved.
FMU Statistics says that arranged marriage isn't that as unfortunate as how we think it is and only 6% of the population have failed this type of marriage. It is very low compared to the high rate of the sucessful fixed marriage-but have we ever think of that 6% divorced couples who might have been in an abusive relationship with each other and their families? Have we ever think of the torture to let your parents control their lives even if they don't want? When would this people have the voice to speak up of their experiences. When will they have the freedom to take part with their own lives? Why aren't we looking at the whole part of the situation? I'm afraid one day, because of the competitions among everyone of us, we would end up having to connect our ties with someone only for the sake of money and not love.
by: Syd
They always say vote wisely but that’s not happening right now. Filipinos decided to be blind, to act like coin toy machines. They will not use their brain to vote unless you throw a coin in the slot. Every Election Day corrupted politicians starts to hunt marionettes voters. P500 to P3000 it happens during election campaign they call it (mga inabutan o binili ng boto). Vote buying is a serious problem that we have right now but in my opinion the usual “vote buying” voters are the poor people (well not all of them) but we can’t be blind, we see it sometimes and we see the rich being thirsty all over again. The problem is rich people doesn’t care about the country they only want the best for their businesses and the poor people won’t stop complaining about poverty but they have the power to choose!
To elect a responsible leader (hindi dahil siya ay mabait o pogi) if the people will stick to that mindset the Philippines will never develop. We will always be included on the third world country list. I have a dream that someday Philippines will be one of the powerful countries again, this time with great and responsible leaders and hoping that corruption will end soon. Poverty will lessen,that the Filipino people will have access and equality for the Filipinos. More privileges and opportunities. It is sad to think that some of our neighbouring countries like Singapore is much more developed than us (Singapore is just 3x as the size of Metro Manila) which means it is easier for us to start the area, upgrade all public transportation instead of filling up pockets, develop our economy and roads to avoid or to lessen the traffic problem. Preserve our natural resources and all from a clean street to a unpolluted beach. Strengthen our Philippine peso and make the Philippine passport one of the most powerful passport. All of that is POSSIBLE with the help of law abiding Filipino citizens with the responsible and bright leaders of the country and of course the wise voters.
Today, our generation is more aware to the issues that the country is facing I just hope that as future leaders/candidates we must know the right and wrong of our actions and the responsibilities that we hold, to remove the corruption problem and make Philippines the best for the Filipinos. Remember we have the power to choose so please vote wisely not just for you but for the sake of your beloved country Philippines.
By Migelle
Photo source: @iamkarendavila IG
My principles and beliefs in politics are no secret to the people around me. Same goes with how I handle talks (if not arguments) with regards to anything that happen in the political activity that is currently happening in the Philippines. Although, there was one event where I kept my mouth shut and I regretted staying quiet about it ever since. It was the whole issued between Karen Davila and Manny Pacquiao.
For the benefit of the doubt that some of you may not know what it is I'm talking about, it is the recent interview Manny Pacquiao had with Karen Davila. In that certain interview, the issue of whether aspiring senators should have a college degree is brought up. Manny Pacquiao said he was in favor of this reform in terms of the requirements for everyone who aspires to be part of the Senate. We all know the rags-to-riches story of Manny Pacquiao and this includes his education attainment. It is no brainer that Karen Davila will point out that if ever the reform is passed, he will be one of the people affected because he himself does not have a degree though it was revealed that Pacquiao is currently enrolled in a unnamed University in Manila. The frank statements and questions of Karen Davila were then bashed by a lot of Filipinos and this is where I get upset if not annoyed.
To say that Karen Davila should get off her high horse and be considerate of Manny Pacquiao's past situation strips off her obligation as a reporter. The reason why she was pushing Manny Pacquiao's non-existent degree was to show the contradiction of his statements. Moreover, if one who sees the interviews handled by Karen Davila, she really is straight to the point and concise in her statements. The interview was meant to bring information to the people. I do not get the hate on Karen Davila. I do not get the sentiments of "si Pacquiao walang Degree pero mas mukhang may pinag-aralan pang makitungo at makipag-usap s tao hindi mapanghusga, si Karen may degree pero….. Ewan ang ugali kyo na humusga…” – FB user Ghie SJ. Manny Pacquiao's statement was meant to be cleared out and Karen Davila's pushy self has been nothing but helpful in the interview. It is so disappointing to see all over my timeline both on Facebook and Twitter that some of my peers see this incident in bad light. What's more disappointing is that some of these people are the ones who complain about the incompetencies of our government. The reason these incompetencies exist in the first place is because people support this type of thinking. It is frustrating to see them drag Karen Davila down and call her inhumane while also demanding for professional ability in our Senators. How can that happen if you tolerate and cultivate a type of comprehension that mistakes constructive criticism with hate speech?
If one really believes in improving our government, one should know the significance of educational background in being a lawmaker. This has been a keypoint that needs to be ammended in terms of the qualifications for someone who wants to run for a seat in the senate. Ultimately, people should focus more on what lies beyond the call-out culture of today. It is not about being bastos or disrespectful but being honest and firm with the shortcomings of others and the willingness to help them correct it. Karen Davila was never disrespectful and Manny Pacquiao was never disrespected. The real disrespect came from the people in the media who not only badmouthed a innocent victim but also damaged our country's chance in finding the most qualified and competent people deserving to be part of the Senate.
by: Ashley
Media covers an enormous number of people all over the world which makes it a powerful influence to people that certainly must contain all the factual information.
But conflicts occurs due to the fact that people, specifically to those who runs for a seat in politics are manipulating what to picture on medias which makes it unfair for others candidacy.
For one scenario where you have a place in the government and yet you are planning to move on a higher position and run for candidacy. Of course you will resign on your previous one and never to use that as an asset of running. But for some instances like that, they tend to use their power as an advantage for themselves, use medias to be well known of their previous projects, their accomplishments specifically with the use of media televisions. Disseminating information that makes them to be more appealing than others.
Running for candidacy in all aspect is an obligation. You should be and nothing but to be transparent and open to people and never to fool them with the use of medias. For the reason that you have to gain their trust and that your fate is in their hands. Being pretentious cannot help you risen. Instead it would be a big fall for your achievements sooner or later. In contrast it would be much better to show your true colors and genuine to people so in that way, it would be better to be pictured in such medias by showing what you have really contributed.
by: Lee
photo by: Lee
model: Sophia (Lee's sister)
The clouds represents the male domination inside the political world, while Lee's sister and wings represents women who wants to voice out equality and diversity, also to those women who are going to join the political world and change its standards towards women.
The month of March celebrates the International Women's Month, where every year we celebrate the success of women who fought for themselves, who gave their own contributions to the society, women who were abused, harassed and also empowering all different types of women. But one question is what prevents women from participating in politics?
We all remember the history of women decades ago, where women are staying inside their homes and they weren't able to have a full learning experience. While men were able to work, to stand up and voice out what they want in this world. Education was one of the most important causes of the problem that prevents them from being heard in government. The society lets women to have less entitlement of education than men, that is why when a woman runs for a position in the government her confidence lessens and she is not given the chance to voice out and be heard by their people. The imbalance of gender ratio in political participation is one indicator of gender inequality in society, other countries are insisting women to let themselves be involved in politics.
As much as possible we have to empower women in order for us to have a balanced ratio inside the political arena. We have to stand up for those women who are running for a position in the government. If women were entitled the same right to education as men, they will gain a higher self-esteem and be able to be heard by their people and even the world.
by: Francis
‘Epal’ and ‘Palpak’ or Epalpak are politicians who place their names or political colors in government projects to ensure that ‘they’ made it. This is one of the most common ‘discrete’ propaganda that is severely happening in today’s society. Instead of crediting the government or the governing body who made such projects, politicians place their faces and names in tarpaulins, relief goods, housing projects, basketball courts, government vehicles or state college’s honorary medals to garner attention and manipulate the people.
They failed as a politician because they have made their popularity rating their first priority instead of crediting the government for the projects. It is unethical and purely serves the sole interest of the politician only. It is dark and depressing to see that the people’s money are used for another person’s own interest. All of the government vehicles such as ambulances or fire trucks with politicians names and faces on it are not from their pockets but from the people. Relief goods and relief programs are also not from the pockets of the politicians who has their name on it but from the millions of citizens’ taxes and donations. State colleges honorary medals with a politician’s face and name on it serves as an embarrassment and disrespect to the scholars of the country. Additionally, these scholars who have been educated by the government does not belong to the government but to the people. That is why they are called scholars of the country and not scholars of the government.
It is irritating to see the faces and names of the politicians in government projects. It is as if they own the projects, vehicles, goods that Filipinos paid for. All of our money should not be spent to benefit only one person but for all the people.
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