The after party

This is the Standard's editorial today, Tuesday, June 29. I post it here even as I acknowledge that it's the paper's property, not mine anymore, because it sums up exactly how I feel about this new page in our nation's history. Good luck to us all.

**

It’s “all systems go” for tomorrow’s inauguration, organizers say. The Police is on heightened alert and security measures are in place not only for the two officials who will be sworn into office but for the foreign dignitaries and the general public who would witness the event.

Reports have it that close to P10 million has been spent on the inauguration—and that does not yet include the reception that will be held at Malacañang. The decrepit Quirino Grandstand has been renovated. Manila traffic has been re-routed. A street party at the other end of town will be held later in the day. It’s a happy occasion, says the Yellow crowd—the unpopular Mrs. Arroyo would be out of the Palace and their man will finally be President.

Let’s not get carried away. It should be a happy day for all Filipinos—even those who did not vote for Benigno Aquino III. That our democracy is vibrant, no matter who the beneficiary is, is cause for celebration. The automated elections worked despite everybody’s reservations and despite claims of irregularities, none of which have been proven. Results were counted and transmitted fast. The new President enjoys a 14-million-vote mandate and nobody is saying he cheated his way to victory.

Nobody begrudges the incoming administration the festive mood with which it chooses to come to power. Mr. Aquino’s journey, while short—beginning less than a year ago with the death of his mother —has not been easy. He has had to compete with more qualified adversaries. Defend his track record which many say is lackluster. Prove that he is his own man, not a stooge of his party mates or his relatives. Justify his nicotine habit. Come up with a brilliant marketing pitch to compensate for his perceived inadequacies.

He succeeded on this last one Mr. Aquino portrayed himself an honest man who would not dare besmirch the legacy of his sainted parents. He vowed to stamp out graft and corruption, which he claims is the root of poverty.

There is one another thing to celebrate tomorrow. At midday, Aquino will have to stop making promises. He will have to buckle down to work. It must be clear to Aquino that despite the country’s ills, he was not elected to be a hero. He simply needs to be an able —and enabling—chief executive. He will take his place in history not by the revelry that greeted his inauguration but by whether or not he makes the most out of his six years in office.

Early comments

I opened a long-dormant folder in my old email account and was amused at some of the reactions to my column sent to me by people from all over.

I was mostly writing personal essays in those days. I was not blogging then. Now I confine my personal musings to this blog site and write about various topics in my newspaper column. It looks like it's harder work, having to go out and interview people or attend this forum or that, even study topics I am not familiar with. But it's really so much easier. Now I don't obsess about whether my newspaper column -- for which I get paid modestly -- becomes an avenue for my rants.

Let me now share some of the comments. Maybe I'll write something personal in my column for a change, one of these days.

**

January 7, 2007
On "The price of 'no'"

Hi, Adelle,

Coming from a youthful voice, I sincerely hope your article enlightens the millions of decision makers comes May.
Since the birth of the Republic, several generations pledged to make the country better but year after year we see
the same pattern, that not only our beloved Philippines going to the dogs but has long since been doggone. People
yearn to eradicate graft and corruption yet when a corrupt government official is about to be suspended, the masses,
whether paid or not, muster at the capitol or the city hall and still show their unfailing support. To what? CORRUPTION?

Keep your focus and may you become one of those torchbearers for the future ages to come.. Good luck.

Sincerely,

Ave Gramata
Yokosuka, Japan
**

January 19, 2007

It is my pleasure to know that, through your kind of persevering vigilance , there is yet a glimmer of HOPE for the motherland .
Keep up the good work and God bless...
Sincerely,
Ave Gramata

**

January 26, 2007
On "Card-carrying friends"

I guess after this article, it's the last time your friend will be offering you a ride. I commend you for bringing out this important matter that causes so much of what's bad in Philippine society.

**

Feb.6, 2007
Subject: Your No. 1 Fan

On "Love gone sour"

Hi Adele! I read your very first column when you came out in the Standard and I must admit that that I enjoy the manner in which you write. I have made it a point to read your column in a manner similar to the way a groupie for the "Rolling Stones" would follow the 'Stones". It doesn't really matter what topic you write about, what I have come to enjoy is your writing style and the vocabulary you use.

The real reason I contact you is because I would want to get in touch with Arnulfo Lopez. You made mention of him in your column "Chasing Happy - Love Gone Sour". I would appreciate it very much if you could provide me with his contact details.

Thank you.
Kurt T. Verano

**
Adelle,

Thanks for forwarding the contact details of Dr. Lopez, and just to make clear its not for me personally (as I am single) but rather for my boss who has been going through the "love going sour" stage. I appreciate the prompt response and rest assured I will always watch out for your column...and your pretty picture.

Thanks a bunch.

Kurt

p.s. Just call me Kurt if in case you correspond with me for one reason or another...

**

Dear Adelle,

I read your column today and felt like an utter fool. It had not actually crossed my mind that you were married and had children. It just didn't look it from the picture in your column. Because of this earth shaking revelation may I extend my sincerest apologies for any comments or remarks I may have made in my previous emails. I really had no intention of being rude nor impolite to you as a wife or a mother. I wish you all the best and will remain an avid fan of your column. It is my opinion that old farts like me should keep unnecessary remarks to myself. I hope that you may accept this apology. If I may add I don't believe that the country is at a loss because you didn't finish law school, on the other hand I believe we have gained a journalist who is worth much more reading than an Emil Jurado or the like. Best regards.

Kurt
**

Feb 9, 2007
On "The law school dropout"

That was an interesting read. I had a similar situation in medical school.
Snorkle Doodle

**

Feb 9, 2007
On "The law school dropout"

Hi Adelle!

I am Mapi Martinez from TransCo. An officemate asked me to read your article in Manila Standard Today because he remembered me when he read your column. I am also a law school dropout. I only finished my first year in UP Law (AY 2005-2006) then I was denied admission to second year because I didn't meet the required QPI. I was also in the evening section and I probably met some of your blockmates. =)

I enjoyed reading your column! Brings back memories of law school. =) But I don't know if I can still study law in another university because the tuition is more expensive already. And I'm still seeking the Lord's guidance, if it's really meant for me. =)

Anyway, I wish you the best in everything. I hope you and your family are always in good health. God bless!

**

Feb 10, 2007
On "The law school dropout"

Hi Adelle.

First of all let me tell you that I enjoy reading your column when I get a chance.
I am currently living in LA CA and surf the net when I can and read the Manila Standard (my dad's choice for new) and Manila Bulletin too.

Looking at your photo next to your article, I think that you should continue to go to school and finish the law degree you started, even just for self gratification. You can never be too old I guess to pursue your dream or your "happyness". You look so young, I am very sure you will blend in with the crowd. Reading your article brought me back to my own college days (no cell phones), but had a professor just like yours.

Anyway, keep on writing and always pursue your dreams. Take care.

Jodi Adriano

**

Feb 10, 2007
On "The law school dropout"

Ms Adelle

My name is Abraham Mina. I like your article, it
resonates with me. It seems you were writing about
me. The only comfort for me is that I know I can
finish if I want to, as Im sure you are too.

Thanks,

Abe

Abraham Mina


**

Feb 11, 2007

I read your column (Manila Standard) and quite impressed with you.
I suggest that you continue to pursue to become a lawyer. We need people like you...who'll make a difference!!!
Thx and take care.

Robin River

**

Dear Adelle,



I’m impressed with your positive attitude. And your character shines brightly. I believe that you’ll succeed more than you can ever imagine.



Being a journalist may actually be your calling. . . and a blessing. Please continue writing inspirational articles.



Best regards,



Michael G. Rayel

**

March 10, 2007
On "Breathing through a tube"

Hi Adelle,



Nice article! My family plans to visit Palawan in a few years and with your vivid description of the island, I can hardly wait.



Best regards,



Mike

**

September 30, 2007

Just to say that I enjoy reading your articles.

Thank you.

Cecilio

**

Oct. 6, 2007
On "Passionate wives"

dear adele ,

so nice article you wrote. it was so nice and touching. i read your paper regularly and very fond of your high class journalism.
once again my heartiest thanks to you for the article you produced !


Dr Imtiaz Hossain
oslo , norway

**

Oct 20, 2007
On "Banking is a public trust"

Hi Adelle,
I think you did a good job in exposing issues about the banking industry,
particularly this one in Tagaytay City. I lived in Tagaytay City for about
10 years, and left for the US 15 years ago. I am still trying to make
myself current with what is going on in my hometown.

Exposing anomalous activities by banks and telling them what they need to
do and being vocal about the whole thing, requires a lot of courage, and I
applaude you on that. I think what we need in our country is a lot of
people like you who are willing to risk anything to straighten things out.
Oversight - and what that means should be the main player in our society,
whitleblowers and the like.

There's a lot more things to be done...but I think you're doing a great job
one column at a time.

Gaddie
Seattle, Washington

**

Oct 20, 2007
On "Banking is a public trust"

Hi Adelle,

Having worked for a bank, I specially like your
article today. It would have been fun if you have
named the bank but considering our libel and banking
laws, your prudence is appropriate.

PBCom? The Madrigals?

Being connected with the publications business before,
I usually ask journalists who I meet what Magazine
they prefer, Time or Newsweek? and why? would you care
to share your opinion?

I used to distribute these titles before.

Cheers,

Ronald Mariano

**

on the same piece

Adelle,

You are very right, focus on banks stealing the money of their depositors, and eating up their hard earned funds. We have very sad experiences with Land Bank of the Philippines in General Santos City, with Rizal Banking Corporation also in General Santos City and a string of Rural Banks that folded up taking with them our hard earned deposits.

Unfortunately the Banko Sentral ng Phipippinas is the head of this money Mafia.

Please do more researches on the charges, penalties, fees, etc. that are really instruments of legal thivery. Many Muslims do not trust banks anymore so they keep their cash in safe places. So too with the old fasion Ilocanos, Even small businesses no longer trust banks as their minimum deposits are too high for small and medium enterprises.

Banks give you an umbrella when the weather is fair and business is good, and gets back the umbrella when it rains and the need for ready funds is most needed.

Reynard

**

Dec 23, 2007
On "Kind is cool"

John Moncure wrote:

Dear Adelle,



I read your charming note about the “Random Acts of Kindness” campaign at your children’s school. Apparently, the Montessori Academy of Valenzuela. The International Montessori Council publishes and distributes worldwide a quarterly journal for Montessori leaders, and I thought an article describing the program would be interesting to our readers. Would you be willing to persuade an official at the school to draft an article for us? If she is unsure of her writing skills, as many gifted Montessori educators are, perhaps you could “ghost” write it with her—I think your article in the Manila Standard Today was very well written and could easily serve as the basis for an article for us. One or two pages in MS Word will do, and photos would be wonderful. All our articles are peer-reviewed.



Sincerely,



John

John Moncure, Ph.D.

Editor, Montessori Leadership

Upper East Side 1-3-1802

Beijing 100016 China

13717905998


**

Dec 2007
On "The initiator"

hi adelle,

accidentally went through your column this afternoon...the one featuring mr. binuya...
you may not know me but one time heard about you during my high school years...
i'm not sure if you were one of the contemporaries of antonette aguilar or faye antolin from laco...

i strongly agree with everything you say about mr. binuya...
he was my mentor way back in high school, been with him in rsspc's and nspc's...
well, it so happened i did not pursue journalism...i'm into engineering...

anyways, just help extend my warmest hello to mr. binuya...
truly a motivator by heart...

Emma

**

Jan 2008
On "The good year"

I enjoyed reading your story.

Oh, yes, you're pretty. Did your grandmother
tell you that?

Your fan,
Manny Caballero
New Jersey

**

Jan 21, 2008
On "The sly wolf"

dear ms tulagan: mabuhay ho kayo!
thank you for the edifying article on a gripping subject.
it is with such interest i read about mr cuervo battling lupus.
my heart goes out to him as he continues to hope.

i'm sure he knows all about sle inside and out.
i thought, however, who knows if there's something to be gleaned from the bottom line health article on the subject. such is reproduced below.
may i ask you to forward it to him?
thank you once again for all your efforts.
cheers! GOD bless us all---Gloria Ong

**

Feb 5, 2008

Ms. Tulagan

I'm one of your avid readers of your piece at MST here in Equatorial Guinea ( through the internet ), in West Africa.

More power.

Regards,
Ruben Martinez

**

March 3, 2008

good evening ms adelle,

hi, i'm dag bawagan, almost middle aged employee who work at night on weekdays and a slave, driver, family man on weekends, hahaha.

anyway, i'm a fond reader of your paper on line. i make sure that before i leave for home at 3am, i read manila standard and philstar. i just read your column today (march 3) entitled relevance. i totally agree with your views, you were right about it...it's all about respect and i truly admire your paper for being RELEVANT on the current issues bugging our country at the moment.

keep up the work and may GOD bless you and your family.

sincerely,

dag b. bawagan

**

March 2008

Dear Ms. Tulagan,



I just want to thank you for providing insightful articles which are, for me, light to the stomach and soul. I like reading your articles. Fact is, I look forward to it!



I am an OCW based in Doha, Qatar. Reading all the heavy stuff does gets into our system sometimes. Yes, we have to be updated with current issues which affect us all, but your articles provide a good balance. It's like looking out your window to view a field of flowers or a forest after viewing heavy political stuff from your TV.



Well, I'm just grateful you're there. You're my kind of Filipino! Mabuhay po kayo! God bless you and your family always.



Regards,



Ramon Valera

**

June 30, 2008
On "Reading dead people"

Hi! and god Bless!.

I read your column and it was nice you covered blogs of dead people. It was likable. We also have our blog, by our late father, Former MST Sports Editor Roberto "Bert" cuevas, it's quite in its infancy before we full blown finish it with all the memoriam, photos, composition of the late.

Truly, Blog are not also for the living. Unsung humble people can make their monument in cyberspace with not much embellishments but are only recollection, rebuttal and memories...
http://www.bertcuevaswritingitchisaliveandwell.blogspot.com, you can visit this Ma'am.

Goodluck and Mabuhay Manila Standard Today..


Michael C.B

**

Oct 8, 2008
Hello,



I was bemused by the following paragraph in your column today:



“. . . .Sarah Palin is folksy and pretty and looks like she could engage ordinary Americans in conversation about their day-to-day struggles. But she has a lot of baggage of her own?”



What baggage?



You didn’t mention the baggages of the other party. I bet that Obama who voted mostly “present” in his 262 day in the Senate has more.



Obama launched his political career in the living room of unrepentant terrorist/anarchist couple. And his vice-president bet, the head of the senate’s judicial committee doesn’t even know what provision of the constitution govern the office of the U.S. senate and the vice-president. So, how could you trust those bozos?



Most of Obama’s supporter could not name a single Obama's significant accomplishment in his entire life. Can you?



Best regards,
Gil Torres

**

Oct 20, 2008
On "Teenagers and the RH bill"

Dear Ms. Tulagan,
After reading your column, I am convinced that you have not read the bill that you are supporting. You end your piece about freedom to act according to our personal beliefs. Do you know that if the RH Bill is passed, parents who go against state run sex education can be jailed? Employers who do not provide their employees contraceptives and surgical procedures that violate their Catholic beliefs can go to jail. Parents whose minor daughter was raped and who refuse to allow the state to care for her without parental guidance can be jailed. Doctors who refuse to give contraceptives to minors can be jailed. Any opposition you have to the bill like if you assert your belief that life begins at conception and not at implantation, can land you in jail. Foreigners who talk against the bill can be jailed and then deported without due process. Is this the freedom this bill is espousing? I suggest that you please be very careful in what you write about. You influence public opinion, that is a very grave responsibility. Please do your homework.
You asked teenagers to write an essay. I ask you now, should we as parents accept or reject the bill according to what our teen-agers think? Are we not suppose to guide them at this young age because they are still very inexperienced and may not know all the nuances of their actions and opinions? Should they be the one guiding us or the other way around? You are right, the bill is targeting this age group. To give this age group the knowledge, the right to have sex and contraception without their parents guidance is very dangerous.
In page A3, Lagman is quoted as saying that access to modern contraceptives lower abortion rates. One only has to look at the abortion rates in the United States to see how wrong this assumption is. Abortion rates there are high in teenage and preteen categories! They are even high among married women!! Check it out! Not only that, check out their rate of AIDs and other STDs. Compare this with the rates in the Philippines. The US has had 30 years of sex education. Look at how their teenagers are. Do you want that for our kids?
I agree that many families need help to plan their families but I do not agree that sex education, liberalization, the propagation of contraceptives etc. is the answer.
Grace Chua


**

Dear Ms. Adelle,

I just read your article this evening and would like to react.

You mentioned in your article that "The reproductive heath bill promises, and merely, to make people aware of the options available to them."

Well, following your line of argument, then why not include abortion as one of the options.

The reason being, is because you believe that abortion is a morally wrong option because it is murder.

That is the same reason why the Church is against the reproductive health bill - for the simple reason that resorting to artificial means of birth control is considered by them to be a morally wrong option.

Eventually in the long run, many years after the reproductive health bill is approved, the nation will also one day make abortion a morally correct option.

Isn't that what happened to the U.S.A. and some other countries who had promoted artificial means of birth control?

God bless!

Bobby Tordesillas
Quezon City

**

Now there is talk that even if the bill hurdles Congress, the President would veto it anyway so she can remain in the good graces of the Catholic Church. I really and truly hope this is just talk. Filipinos are too downtrodden already; we can use some empowerment. And choice is always power—when we are free to act according to our personal beliefs." Source:http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=adelleTulagan_oct20_2008

I agree with you when you said that "choice is always power - when we are fee to act according to our personal beliefs." And this is why I, like many others, oppose the RH Bill because it doesnt give us (by us i men we who oppose it) any choice but to be subjected into doing what we consider as immoral.

The privacy of spouses, the right to found our family based on our religious conviction, to decide what the ideal size of family for us, etc are few of the many rights we would like to remain to have and would not wish to surrender over into the hands of the state. I understand that there may be people wou would prefer to do so, well, in that case by all means but let us who opposes it retain our rights to do so. Right now, the Bill as it is is just unacceptable, unconsitutional and unjust.

Regards,

Reynor

reynor@katoliko.org

http://katoliko.org

**

Oct 28, 2008
On "The real Philippines"

Dear Adelle,

I must state your item about the " The Real Philippines is to the point this what i have noted when riding on the local Jeepneys.

Keep up the good reporting!



Taffy Evans

**

November 10, 2008
On "Reflections of a groupie"

Dear Ms, Tulagan,

I enjoyed this article. Perhaps you share some common feelings with the mother of the teenage writer hired by ROlling Stones in the movie "Almost Famous." Too bad I forgot the name of the writer who became a director/screenwriter.

Please keep on churning out good articles.

Best

Atty Ronald Mariano

**

Now I remember the name -Cameron Crowe, director of Jerry McGuire.

Hope your kid will be successful in what he will do.

Cheers.

Ronald Mariano

In search of success stories

published 28 June 2010, Manila Standard Today

The administration that will begin in the middle of this week will have five years to go before 2015—the year of reckoning in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The goals were set in 2000 by 189 countries, including the Philippines, at a United Nations summit.

The goals: 1) end extreme poverty and hunger; 2) achieve universal primary education; 3) promote gender equality and empower women; 4) reduce child mortality; 5) improve maternal health; 6) combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; 7) ensure environmental sustainability and 8) develop a global partnership for development.

According to the UN, the Philippines has made “considerable progress” in some of the goals, particularly Goals 4, 6 and 7. Infant and under-5 mortality rates, as well as malaria morbidity rates, have been steadily decreasing. Safe drinking water has become available to 87.9 percent of Filipinos while 85.9 percent of the population now has access to sanitary toilet facilities, according to the Family Income and Expenditure Survey.

But more needs to be done. The UN’s 2009-2010 Asia-Pacific Regional Report says the Philippines remains off-track in more than 40 percent of 21 indicators (see www.undp.org.ph for a detailed presentation). Almost a third of Filipinos still live on less than $1 a day and 5.2 million of children are out of school. Eleven mothers die every day from pregnancy-related causes. The incidence of HIV has increased five-fold from just from 2007 to 2009.

Indeed the country needs to work double time to achieve targets in the eradication of poverty, the achievement of universal primary education and the improvement of maternal health.

***

The common mistake, however, is believing that the government is solely responsible for the achievement of the goals. Nothing could be further from the truth.

A 2008 publication of the United Millennium Campaign features four success stories in working towards the attainment of these goals. The campaign says that while the government (supply side) covers policy formulation, resource allocation and program implementation, private and non-profit sectors, civil society groups and citizens themselves form the demand side of the equation.

Only when both groups have social accountability,with each acknowledging its part and becoming involved, can there be some measure of success.

The four success stories are those of the Special Congressional Committee on MDGs, Social Watch Philippines, the Philippine Business for Social Progress, and the local government of Pasay City.

The congressional committee sought to increase legislators’ awareness of the millennium targets among legislators and monitored the progress of MDG-related bills in the legislative mill.

Social Watch Philippines, a network of citizens’ organizations, noted that the government-prepared MDG accomplishment reports tend to highlight, well, accomplishments. It came up with the Quality of Life Index which presented information not otherwise revealed in aggregate macro-economic data. It organized local and national forums for building awareness of the millennium goals. It also sought to include citizens’ organizations in preparing budgets by proposing the Alternative Budget Index. As a result, the 2007 budget for education was increased by P5.5 billion while the 2008 budget for social services.

The Philippine Business for Social Progress, on the other hand, tried to introduce the concept of social investment to its member-corporations, encouraging them to align their corporate social responsibility activities with meeting the goals. It also tapped the private sector’s help to bridge the gaps in MDG financing.

Finally, there is the city government of Pasay, hounded by problems of urban poverty and solid waste management, which sought to bring the MDGs to each household by introducing the concept of Family MDGs—simple, easy-to-understand basic targets that each family can aspire to. For example, “We have jobs.”; “All our children go to school.”; “All our children are healthy.”; “We keep our home and surroundings clean.”

To complement the family MDGs, the city government came up with a community-based monitoring system that assesses the families in terms of the survival (food and nutrition, sanitation), security (shelter, peace and order) and enabling (income, employment, education). By bringing the otherwise nebulous and multi-syllabic concept of the millennium development goals to families at the level of day-to-day operations, productive engagement is encouraged.

***

Other tales of success are welcome. This year, the Millennium Campaign office is again in search of stories of initiatives which have made a tangible impact on the MDGs. In identifying what these initiative are and how they have worked, there is a better chance that they can be scaled up or replicated in other areas to affect more people. Hence, progress will be made in the goals, not just in some, and not just in the more progressive cities and municipalities but all over the country.

Millennium Campaign Communications Associate Rhea Alba is optimistic that more cases will be received this time around as the self-imposed deadline looms and as more and more people become aware of these basic goals. Aside from replication, the idea is to minimize disparity among regions within a country and among different countries. The achievement of the goals, after all, is a universal effort.

The chosen case studies, not only from the Philippines but from the region, will then be compiled into a publication to be distributed in global and regional civil society events including the United Nations MDG Review Summit in September. It is said that the Philippine president will be attending this summit.

Deadline for the submission of case studies is on July 9. Visit the Web sites www.asiapacific.endpoverty2015.org and ph.one.un.org/standup. for details of the search.

adellechua@gmail.com

My Day In Court

No less than Chief Justice Reynato Puno inaugurated my city's new "Bulwagan ng Katarungan." With him are the mayor and some other Valenzuela officials.


Sure, I went to UP Law – but I didn't quite make it to second year. As it is I remain completely ignorant of what actually goes on inside a courtroom. Well,until Thursday morning.

It was my first time to be in a courtroom where actual proceedings were taking place. I had my pre-trial conference. I had filed my case more than a year ago and was getting frustrated at the sorry pace of the aboveboard, “non-facilitated” justice system. I was only too happy to show up at the family court, which had, by the way,moved into the old but renovated premises of the old city hall.

I was early and in high spirits. I was pleased to note that the Valenzuela RTC, offices and courtrooms alike, were in a much better place. The old structure which used to stand right next to SM Valenzuela is a sorry, decrepit building with rickety floors and ugly furniture. That was where I got married more than 16 years ago. In stark contrast, the new location had a great air-conditioning system, clean and well-lit halls, and walls painted white –if they weren't in glass. Talk about an immaculate,transparent aura.

I felt heartened, thinking that court employees and judges themselves must be predisposed to do a better job nowadays. I wonder how many cases were unjustly decided or carelessly handled just because somebody was having a bad day in the old, ugly courthouse.

My lawyer finally arrived and informed me we were second on the agenda. So that's what they meant when they said PUBLIC hearing. No wonder many other people were sitting on the benches in front of Branch 172. I had been observing them and I thought it was easy to tell who were court employees (they were in uniforms and sported IDs), lawyers (males in gusot mayaman and females in noisy high heels you would hear them coming even before you saw them. Both groups carried thick case files with one hand and texted frantically with the other) and parties to a case (observant of others even as they were nervous about their own cases).

The actual proceedings were uneventful. The only trouble I had was that I was too busy observing the judge, assessing from her face and demeanor whether she was fair enough to grant me what I was praying for, freedom, and without undue hassle. When she asked my lawyer whether the petitioner was present, the latter turned to look at me. I...smiled sweetly and waved. I know. A smile and a wave? What in hell was I thinking? Fortunately after a second I realized what I should be doing so I stood up and said “Here, Your Honor.”

As the judge moved on to other cases, a court employee approached me and asked me to sign a piece of paper bearing an assortment of dates. I counted seven dates from September to March – those were when my next hearings would be! I felt relieved knowing I would not have to guess when I would next be called or how much longer I still had to wait.

Most of all I felt good thinking that by this time next year, granting the hearings will push through as scheduled, all of this will be over, and I can really, truly move on.

Yummy revivals

If you go to SM Valenzuela through the South entrance, you'll almost certainly find a long line leading to a nondescript kiosk at the side of the elevator. The mania is about Scramble Mania, which offers the scramble we all loved but somehow dreaded to enjoy when we were kids, because they were usually peddled on the streets, much like the fishballs and the sorbetes. How many times were we warned about the vendors using less than sanitary water or too-cheap powdered milk, or sweating into their mixture, or relieving themselves at some alley and forgetting to wash their hands before scooping up the pink shake?

Now Scramble Mania offers the treat in three cup sizes (7, 10, and 17 pesos), dusts it off with milk and laces it with chocolate and strawberry syrup. You want extras? Two more pesos for a small teaspoon of rice krispies, and four pesos for marshmallows, candy sprinkles or choco sprinkles. Needless to say, it tastes great. I've braved the queue a couple of times with Sophie and Elmo. Somehow they find the pink mustache cute on their usually harried mom.

And then just today I was pleased to note that the branded Mamang Taho at my stop has opened for business. I have always liked warm taho, with lots of arnibal and sago, but nowadays the magtataho rarely comes by. Maybe they've grown old and no new guys would like to replace them. Then again, there's always the issue of sanitation. How is the soya processed? And, heavens, have the vendors even heard of hand sanitizers?

Now Mamang Taho offers the treat in two forms: hot and cold. They call the cold ones Soya Smoothies. The 12-oz cup costs P25 and the 16-oz cup costs P30. You can choose from various flavors, or you can have the traditional one. They use black tapioca pearls in lieu of the usual sago.

This afternoon I bought one on they way to work, deciding on a smoothie since I would be sweating it out in the jeep. I planned on consuming half on the ride and saving the other half for my office dinner (I had baon -- Josh cooked linguine in sausage pesto for lunch). Wouldn't you know it, I finished the entire cup even before I reached Monumento!

Pistachio sans rival or blueberry panna cotta will always be great desserts. But scramble and taho, which remind me of my childhood besides, aren't so bad either.

Mercury falling

published 21 June 2010, Manila Standard Today

In Asia, the Philippines leads the phase out of mercury-containing healthcare devices – at least in policy.

Faye Ferrer talks about the day she went to an outlet of the largest and most popular drug store in the country to find out whether the staff would sell her a mercury-based thermometer. Administrative Order 21 of the Department of Health, issued in July 2008, calls for the phase out of all mercury-containing devices by September this year.

Ferrer was not an ordinary customer. She is program officer for mercury in healthcare for Healthcare Without Harm-Southeast Asia. Much to her surprise, the sales person told her that yes, such thermometers were available over the counter. “Have you heard about the order from the DOH banning these?” Ferrer asked. “Sure, we know about that,” the sales person said. “pero inuubos pa naming ang stock (but first we are selling off our stock).” Ferrer was appalled. She did not know whether the stock clear-out was a company policy, a store policy, or a judgment call by that person.

Mercury is toxic, as most of us know. “It may be fatal if inhaled and harmful if absorbed through the skin,” says the World Health Organization. Among the adverse health effects are tremors, impaired vision and hearing, paralysis, insomnia, emotional instability, defects in fetal development and developmental delays during childhood. Indeed exposure to mercury, depending on severity, affects the nervous, digestive, respiratory and immune systems, among others.

I last wrote about the phase-out efforts in February, just right after Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral, who had assumed her post the previous month, made a verbal commitment to civil society to intensify the government campaign against the healthcare industry’s use of devices containing the toxic chemical and to coordinate with the Department of Trade and Industry with regard to banning thermometers and sphygmomanometers.

But in the few remaining days of a Cabral-led Health Department, implementation of the AO invites questions. While the 70 or so DOH-controlled hospitals all over the country claim they are already mercury-free, there is disagreement in the matter of storage. The hospitals want the devices out of their premises in time for the reckoning day in September, and seem to turn to the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to identify where these phased-out devices should be stored (you can’t destroy mercury, you can only store it safely, at best). Owing to the dangers posed by the chemical, storage becomes a sensitive, political and controversial issue. The decision must be a product of consultation and deliberation – and the order provides for a few years’ holding period in the hospitals themselves, anyway, Ferrer says.

Local government-controlled medical centers and rural health clinics, on the other hand, face a different challenge. Healthcare Without Harm’s regional conferences revealed that these health centers, especially in far-flung areas, are not even aware of the September deadline. An unfortunate few are not even aware of the dangers posed by the devices, should they break. There are also problems regarding funding for alternatives – digital, non-mercury based thermometers and sphygmomanometers which would substitute phased-out devices certainly don’t come cheap. Ferrer says her group may soon touch base with local government executives, specifically through the League of Cities and League of Municipalities, to get them to act within their respective spheres. She is also looking forward to working with the next administration. Jaime Galvez Tan, who many say will be the next Health Secretary, is esteemed in civil society circles, Ferrer says.

Healthcare Without Harm put together a green Covenant before last month’s elections and tried to get as many signatures from candidates and incumbent officials as possible. Cabral signed, as did some presidential candidates, but not Senator Noynoy Aquino, who left the signing business to Florencio Abad, his campaign manager. The Aquino camp, however, sent a letter expressing the then-candidate’s support for the principles of the covenant. The next weeks and months will show whether Aquino, in sending that letter, was sincere or was simply going through the motions.

**

Ferrer has just arrived from Stockholm, Sweden, where she, along with representatives of around 150 other countries, attended the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Prepare a Global Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury. In that meeting, the WHO and HCWH presented a progress report on the global initiative for a mercury-free healthcare industry. The participating countries affirmed their commitment to phase out all mercury containing devices in health care by 2017. For now, the focus is on building citizens’ awareness on the hazards posed by the chemical.

Some organizations at the conference resorted to ingenious ways to make the delegates appreciate the urgency of the mercury problem. One group took hair samples from delegates and scanned them for mercury levels. The tolerable level is right about 0.1 mg, according to Ferrer, and everybody was surprised when a delegate was found to have 20,000 mg of mercury in his body. Indeed, nobody can be totally safe, even the knowledgeable ones. How much worse can things go for people who have no idea of the dangers altogether?

In Asia, the Philippines is a trailblazer – at least in policy, because of the administrative order and the September 2010 deadline. Taiwan has banned thermometers, as has Delhi. A pilot phase-out program is ongoing in 12 hospitals in Thailand and two big ones in China.

Talks for long-term storage will be a pivotal issue in succeeding conferences, Ferrer adds. The organizers also hope to influence other industries (outside of healthcare) that expose the public to mercury, even in very small amounts. Dental amalgams, for example, contain mercury, as do some types of batteries, and compact fluorescent lights.

These days, Ferrer has been dealing with yet another chain of drug stores . Watsons, together with Omron (distributor of digital healthcare devices), has inked a partnership with Healthcare Without Harm to come up with public service announcements on the hazards posed by mercury-based thermometers and sphygmomanometers, as well as on button-cell batteries and CFLs. Videos and posters will tell the public what to do in case of a mercury spill in the home, where old mercury thermometers given by some hospital or purchased at some drug store, are usually found. Show business personalities Albert Martinez and Juddah Paolo have shot their spiels; on the afternoon of my interview with Ferrer, I chanced upon Survivor contestant Shaun Rodriguez studying his script.

The posters will be put up and the videos played in Watsons outlets all over the country. Chances are, when somebody asks for mercury thermometers from this chain, he or she won’t be given one. He or she will get a healthy dose of information instead.

Another Strong Woman

I had to stop on page 99. The jeep had reached the junction where I was supposed to alight.

Despite the inconvenience of lugging a hard-bound, 512-page book along –no,it did not fit into my bag organizer or even my bag – I could not resist the temptation of bringing my current flame with me to work. I am reading again, and I feel so alive. I can transcend the most uncomfortable commuting conditions. This time I'm reading Madam Secretary, the memoirs of former US State Secretary Madeleine Albright written with her former speechwriter, Bill Woodward.

I like reading biographies, or autobiographies, of remarkable people. The last three such books I read were on the lives of American government figures. Swept up in the 2008 election fever, I read Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father. Then last year I wrote Woman in Charge, an unauthorized biography of Hillary Clinton written by Bob Woodward of Watergate fame. (Will it count if I say I thoroughly enjoyed watching W, the Oliver Stone film on the life of George W Bush? I also have Charlie Wilson's war – the documentary, not the Tom Hanks starrer.)

Anyway I have taken note of Obama's descriptive prowess, though sometimes I wonder if he might have embellished, even if a bit. I have been wowed by the strength of Clinton's character. After all, how many women who have given it their all, yet lost, be so secure as to accept a position directly reporting to her erstwhile adversary? Woodward was factual,journalistic,objective. Yet Hillary's steely resolve comes through and you know it is she, not the author, you're beholding.

And now here is Mrs. Albright, Czech-born and tough-looking. I must admit I did not know anything about the former Madeleine Korbell from Prague except that, well, she was a woman and hers was a household name in international relations. I still don't know how well she did her job and how the rest of the world regarded her...but I'll get to that eventually.

For now I am glad I had to stop on page 99....because I needed to get home and I needed to soak in it all. I was in the chapter where Madeleine was describing the breakdown of her marriage to journalist Joe Albright, her feelings at being alone, the groundedness that her daughters provided her during those trying times.

Albright is alternately funny, authoritative, emotional, but she is always, always honest. You'd think she would be uneasy talking about such non-foreign policy matters as her assimilation into America, her parents' idiosyncracies and their great love for the family, her “inherent seriousness” her overriding guilt at choosing to do something meaningful with her life rather than stay home watching over her daughters. (She was of that era).

She talks about that winter day in 1982 when Joe told her he was leaving her for a younger, prettier reporter, his indecisive and ambivalent behavior in the months that followed, her vain hopes he would change his mind, and that way he let the fate of his marriage hinge on whether or not he won the Pulitzer Prize. You'd think somebody as smart and as principled as Madeleine (at that time she just finished her first White House stint, working with the office of the National Security Adviser. She had a PhD and spoke several languages.) would not permit herself to be treated so shabbily. And yet she was not spared from all these.
How human, how real.

I know we always have to consider the motivations of people writing about their lives. Obama wanted to be president, and succeeded. Woodward maybe sought to paint his version of Hillary by pointing out inconsistencies between his research and Hillary's autobiography. And Madeleine...maybe she wanted to cap the legacy she's giving the world.

In the next few days I am about to find out how this woman performed as the chief diplomat of the United States the entire two terms of the Bill Clinton presidency. But that's the public realm. There is a bonus, the personal side, that is unfurling. Because, hey, if someone so intelligent, accomplished, well-read, well-traveled, influential and respected can feel this weak and uncertain about herself, then we are not much different at all. What's stopping the rest of us now from giving it our all?

In her preface, Mrs. Albright says the book is “a personal account, not a history of the Clinton administration's foreign policy.” If I go by the first 99 pages, it looks like she succeeds.

“Lives are necessarily untidy and uneven, but there is a certain symmetry to the tale of my own,” she continues. How compelling. I find myself particularly drawn to this sentence. I look forward to reading the rest of the book, as I carve the rest of my untidy, uneven life that would hopefully fall into place, in symmetry, as if in a dream.

Summer lessons

Part 1
(written end-May 2010)

I always know summer is over when I've got a pile of school books to cover. This year, the pile coincides with the first signs of rain. I am thankful for both.

The heat, for one, was oppressive, unbearable. How many times did we read about a day being the hottest on record? Last Wednesday, May 26, temperatures reached 38.5 degrees Celsius, a technical fever. This year is said to be the hottest year of the decade. The next morning, the sky dimmed and then came a drizzle. The downpour came Friday. It did not make commuting any easier, but it was a heavenly relief. I have actually prayed for the nights to get cooler. My prayers have been answered.

But the books are there. Thankfully I finished wrapping them over the weekend. Now I only have the notebooks to tackle – they aren't in yet from the supplier (my kids' school does not allow notebooks bought from outside). I have two weeks to do it, and considering that I've been plastic-wrapping books and notebooks for 23 years (I've been doing mine since I was in the fifth grade, and my oldest Bea started school the year after I graduated from college, so there was never really a break), I can say I can do it with my eyes closed.

Bea will be a college freshman. Josh will be a junior. Sophie will be a fifth grader and Elmo will be in second grade. I will be...

...just a little bit wiser.

The best memories of my family this summer came in the form of little things. Certainly no grand purchases or expensive vacations. No,we spent the summer here, at home, and I always went to work in the afternoon.

But I am thankful. For example, and I did not think this would ever happen, the “small kids” Sophie and Elmo seem to want to stay here more. Josh and Sophie, who at one point hated each other, now get along. We discovered Glee – we watched the full first season on DVD during the Holy Week and eagerly awaited Season Two on ETC. We have been following it every Wednesday. It's an occasion to gather in the living room. We have a relatively reliable helper, Cathy, who looks like a keeper. Life is so much easier.

We also acquired a pet, Hammy, although he is really Elmo's and although I'm not especially fond of animals. It's nice he can see himself taking charge of another living thing.

Sophie became more confident, attending voice lessons and mustering enough guts to audition as an endorser of a skin whitening product for teens. Elmo began his piano lessons and he seems adept at it. Have to follow through. Josh attended a short culinary course. Bea won a scholarship at a state university-- PUP. The kids were able to get themselves some gadgets of their own, via the generosity of both grandfathers. The big kids now both have (real) ipods, and cellphones that actually function. Sophie withdrew from her savings and went on a Divisoria shopping spree and got herself an MP3 player that looks like an ipod nano. I got them individual closets and individual study tables, with their own shelves. I hope they will be inspired to study harder and look after their things.

As for myself, I joined the Palancas, signed up three new columnists for my newspaper, and am a step closer to becoming a published author. I haven't missed a column since September and I think I've been writing stuff people actually take seriously. I also still can't shake off this feeling that one day I will just stumble into something big and my life will never be the same again. I have become more active in Facebook, chronicling milestones big and small, and I have kept my few but long-standing friendships. I've become more confident, more assertive, more cognizant of what I do and don't deserve.

Part Two
(written June 15)

It's quite nearly the first time in two month the house has been this quiet. I am loving it.

The children went back to school today. Bea left at 530 in the morning for her 730 class in PUP. She texted me an hour ago to say the teacher was not there but she's doing the rounds of the 53 boys and girls in her philosophy block. The quintessential extrovert, my daughter. I would have sat in a corner self-consciously, feeling like a five year old on her first day of school. In the meantime, Josh, Sophie and Elmo are in their respective classes in the montessori school just across the street. But they're not on regular schedule yet so they are all bound to come home for lunch. I'd planned on cooking spaghetti but then again we just might decide to have lunch outside. It's payday,anyway, and I have to go to the bank to settle some bills. My back also cries for a massage.

That I feel so relieved at these few hours of solitude (my helper Cathy is here but she's moving about, doing her chores) speaks volumes about the down sides of this summer. I noticed that, because of the happy days we shared and the company we kept almost constantly (I can bring kids to the office any day), they have, especially the younger ones, become clingy. Whenever I have to slip out on some days for meetings,or just to meet up with a friend, I have to explain myself away and dissuade them from coming along. Sometimes they beg me not to go to the office-- I only once let them have their way. Late last month, this clinginess caused our lone “summer episode” -- shouting and crying and fighting between Josh on one hand and the small kids on the other,with me growing exasperated and losing my cool. I think the neighbors heard.

I get worried,sometimes. Have they become, especially the younger ones, too emotionally attached and dependent? How would they fare if suddenly I am yanked out of their lives? Am I not preparing them enough to live well on their own, make good choices, find happiness, on their own?

Don't get me wrong, I adore my kids and am thankful at our closeness. But I do need some time alone to keep my sanity. It's like going up for air. I feel that I am at my wit's end if I am completely surrounded all the time. Again, I don't crave going out at night or anything similar. I just need to be quiet, to read a book, watch a film or my favorite programs. And then I'll be fine. I'm ready and eager to be supermom again.

The only solution is to seek this precious time when everybody else is asleep. That's not easy, though. Most nights I am mentally drained from my work at the paper (even though I only work, on average, four hours a day, it's an intense four hours) and physically exhausted from my commute. I sit on a jeep or cram myself into a coachful of strangers on a train, and I worry about getting mugged or stalked all the time. Then when I get home I realize I missed the kids and I'm Mom of the Year again. By the time they fall asleep, I most probably am,too. And in the times I manage to have the energy and go to the living room,there' s a cockroach flying around. That, to me, is non-negotiable.

Another casualty is my writing. Oh, I get by with the stuff I have to produce for the Standard. I'm talking about the writing I don't have to do -- the honest, painful things that do come out in this blog.

Aside from these crop other “issues.” Sometimes the kids fight over the little things, too. Where the vent of the air conditioner is pointed. Noises and too-loud music and laughter when others simply want to sleep. Sticking to financial budgets. “Advances” in allowances and utter failure to save.

Dealing with Bea's having a boyfriend, too, is a constant challenge for me. She and E have been together more than eight months now. She has fought hard for their relationship and I am still dealing with it, nightmares, deja vu and all. Sometimes she toes the line but sometimes other tendencies rear their ugly heads. Josh, too, occasionally stays out late rehearsing with his band (he has a more “mature” group now, two members have already released a CD) or hanging around with his friends. I try not to be didactic. At least they are open to me on what they do, but sometimes I wonder whether the openness invites licentiousness.

And just now Elmo came home, buzzing with excitement at his new classmates and his new things. He is now in second grade. I asked him to make a decision about Friday. He could either keep his playdate with his buddy, Miguel, who lives a few houses away, or he could break it and go to the mall with me and Sophie to watch Toy Story 3. He chose the former and seemed happy with his choice.

It's a good day. I've been worrying myself sick whether I'm pampering my kids too much or too little. I'm thankful for school, their teachers and friends, their little responsibilities. They remind me, ever so gently, that everything does not fall on my shoulders. and hey, tonight, I could even see a film on DVD and crack some pistachios. Little joys, indeed.

Compartments

I think one of the greatest inventions of all time is ..the bag organizer.

I've always been teased by my friends about being on “big bag” mode all the time. The phrase dates back to grade school days when our teachers would advise us to either bring a big bag, which means all textbooks, all notebooks, recess and lunch, or a small bag, which contains a pen, a diary and maybe a light snack. In my case, the big-bag label stuck, even after many years. Sometimes I meet my friends for lunch or dinner and they point out that, judging from my tendency to spill something on my blouse, my fondness for popcorn and the compulsion to sprinkle baby powder on the nape of my neck, I haven't changed much. I still walk around with a bulky bag. Of course,I say,it's my life-support system there. And now that I've grown up to be a professional writer, I also lug my laptop (a cutesy, though) along.

Most of the time when my phone rings,or I need coins,or when I need to find my wet wipes, I dive into my bag and rummage. A silly sight, hilarious even. I know my bringing a lot of things says a lot about my personality – maybe even insecurity, at tackling the world. Cut me some slack, I'm a work in progress.

But now I have my bag organizer, my big bag organizer to be exact. It has done wonders. Now I feel I have all the things I need yet manage to fit everything into a flat bag. And I don't have to dive anymore – I know exactly where everything is. The beauty of the bag organizer is that it maximizes space and has firm dividers between sections. For somebody who changes bags depending on my mood or the color of my shoes, it helps to just yank the organizer out of yesterday's bag and put it into today's – without touching the established compartments inside.

I can close my eyes anytime and tell you where every single thing is. My organizer has four main quadrants, and pockets behind each one.

Quadrant 1: Valuables. Long brown wallet,brown coin purse with separators for tens-and-fives and for the ones-and-twenty-fives. On the pocket: My cell phone, my keys, my MP3 player, my flash drive.

Quadrant 2: Enablers: my chocolate bar-looking pencil case (containing Dong-A Gel pens in blue, black, red and violet as well as a sharpened #2 Mongol pencil), my Moleskine-look-alike planner, my little brown book for domestic notes, another little brown notebook for interviews. On the pocket, my stapler, which is essential to my budgeting exercise.

Quadrant 3: Prettifiers. Cheek tint, lipstick, foundation, milk bath, baby powder, perfume which I rarely spritz on but which I always bring,anyway, small bottle of ethyl alcohol, mouthwash. On the pocket is a hand mirror, also shaped like a chocolate bar.

Quadrant 4: Practicals: foldable ultra-small umbrella, sunglasses, abaniko, my big comb, cellphone charger. On the pocket:extra ponytails, a flat, round container of Vicks (for colds) and Katinko (for back or headache) and two pieces each of Medicol Advanced and Kremil S.

My point? Just sharing, I guess. Then again, now I know it's possible to carry one's life support system space-efficiently, compactly, and yes, even stylishly.

Teens talk about sex

Our children should not be left in the dark to feel their way around.

Catholic bishops have expressed their desire to talk with President-elect Benigno Aquino III on the proposed module for sex education for public school students from the fifth grade to fourth year high school. The Education Department has earlier announced its intention to start its sex education program, on a pilot-test basis, in 79 high schools and 80 elementary schools in the country. The school year begins tomorrow. The priests are banking on Aquino to step in as soon as he becomes president and stop the pilot testing.

According to the Deped, the sex education module will be integrated into existing subjects already under the curriculum. And it won't strictly be about the sexual act, either.

Under science, the module will focus on parts of the body, the onset of puberty and the reproductive cycle. Under Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan, behavior between and among peers of different genders will be discussed. In health classes,the focus will be on personal hygiene and reproductive health.

In Heograpiya, Kasaysayan at Sibika, religious and cultural norms will be talked about. In math, the students will deal with statistics – on teenage pregnancy, maternal mortality, sexually transmitted infections and pre-marital sex.

Children will also be told which part of their bodies should not be touched by anyone and how to respond if somebody – a stranger or a family member --behaved otherwise.

The concepts as well as the level of discussion will be, needless to say, age-appropriate. Education Secretary Mona Valisno says they engaged psychologists in the preparation of the modules. Teachers who will handle these reinforced subjects have also undergone training, on, we surmise, the delivery of these basic but sensitive issues.

Unfortunately, the nuances are lost in the term “sex education,” which some religious leaders say would only promote promiscuity and licentiousness among young people. We can dwell on the nomenclature and think up other terms to make the module more palatable and acceptable to the church. We can call it life education, reproductive health, or any other cleverly-coined phrase, and take forever deciding whether or not to go ahead. In the meantime, the dangers that lurk remain.

**

Five high school students graciously agreed, despite the “ilang” factor (a phrase coined by one of them), to answer my questions about sex which I sent them through Facebook. Fifteen-year-old Clai Litiatco, a senior, says that sex education is “another topic that would make the whole class giggle.” “It gives me funny feelings,” adds junior Jay de Guzman, 14, while his classmate Josh Tulagan, 14, says “it's really awkward.” Karlo Go, 14 and in third year, believes it “depends on who I am talking to.”

Evidently the first thing to hurdle, even before we get down to the basics, is the great discomfort in talking about sex. Filipinos are not exactly known for our candidness in such matters. Generally, we are mum about the whole sex thing, believing it's a private affair. But what if the private matter becomes a public concern because it touches on a social issue? Teenage pregnancy. Premature parenthood. Abortion. Physical risks to mothers. Poverty. Disease. Keeping mum will then be a form of allowing evil to happen.

Sure, sex education is primarily the province of parents. “My parents tell me they want me to be informed of what I may go through in the future. They do it so I know the consequences of such actions, and to keep me out of trouble. They say they don't want me to ruin my life because of stupid choices,” says 16-year-old May Delos Santos, another junior. In fact, she's ok with limiting the discussions to her family “because I trust my family more than anyone. They only want what's best for me and they wouldn't do anything that will harm me.”

Jay's dad is a pastor and also talks to him about sex. “He warns me and tells me about the diseases.”

But, really, how many parents are like May's or Jay's? Not much. Most parents know they have to do it but fail to connect (the input is thus not taken seriously), refuse to communicate because it grosses them, or their kids, out (or both), or worse, don't even know what to say and that they should talk at all.

Schools provide the next best thing. Classroom discussions bring objectivity and universality into the issue. For the parents who do talk to their kids, sex education at school complements their efforts. The talks in school take care of the nitty-gritty; parents can then dwell on the more profound or practical aspects of sex education.

If neither home nor classroom enlightenment takes place, we would be leaving too much to chance. Sex is everywhere – movies, television, the internet, magazines. Unfortunately, they highlight the beguiling part – passion, romance, the invincibility of youth – but dim all the consequences that make sex so complicated. “STD, pregnancy, depression, emotional pain,” lists May.

But more than kids needing to know that each act has short-term and long-term effects, they also want to know. Surprise, surprise, they want to learn from their teachers and parents, too.

May from the progressive family says she would like to hear more from her parents because “expanding my knowledge will actually lessen the chance of my actually doing these things.”

Clai blames her older sister's pregnancy at the age of 19 to the lack of openness in her family, although she admits she would find it more educational if her teachers did the talking. “It's important for teens to know the positive and mostly negative effects that sex would bring,” she adds.

On the other hand, Karlo is emphatic about wanting to discuss sex. “Definitely! Most of the time!” Then he backpedals. “I want to...but I'm shy.” Karlo, like Jay, is a born-again Christian. He believes that his pastor, himself married and thus should be in the know, can provide him guidance, as well.

“We have to know when to do it,” says Josh. “[Sex education] teaches children to control how they feel,” adds Jay.

Oh, but here's the catch. These five teenagers all go to private schools and are relatively better off than millions of other kids their age. Imagine the greater need for these children who are exposed to sex the hard way – from abuse, from their own parents who keep having children when they could ill afford to, from just about anybody on the streets. They must at least know they deserve better, have choices, and could take control of their own bodies – and destinies.

Let's think of another name if some of us feel “sex education” creates the impression that kids will be taught the kama sutra. But let us not stop there. Fixating on labels is perhaps the grossest thing we could do because it makes us miss the point. Kids to be informed in a guided manner and they would not resent the help. They should not be left in the dark to, well, feel their way around.

“Sex is not just a game where in you can easily push the restart button,” Karlo sums it up nicely as he compares the issue to the Xbox games he and his friends enjoyed all summer. It figures. Even consoles have manuals, so why don't we allow parents and/ or, in their incompetence, schools to enable kids to make informed choices? There's much dignity in taking control of your destiny, after all.

Surely we would like to see our children executing the right commands instead of later on languishing in regret and defeat, wishing they knew better.


adellechua@gmail.com

Prospects for reproductive health

The stakes are higher and the odds greater for the controversial bill in the next Congress.

Ramon San Pascual, executive director of the Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development Foundation, is not surprised that the House of Representatives adjourned Friday without tackling any legislative business, least of all the Freedom of Information Act. He believes the House leadership acted in a similar fashion in killing the reproductive health bill in October last year.

“You can't take Speaker [Prospero] Nograles' word,” San Pascual says. He should know. The just-adjourned 14th Congress was the closest advocates ever came to passing the controversial Reproductive Health and Population Development Act. They had been pushing it for several Congresses already. At the House of Representatives, it reached second reading. There were plenary debates. Had the matter been put to a vote, it would have garnered enough support to be enacted. But Nograles never made good on his promise to put the issue to a vote late last year. The bill was, well, killed.

Nonetheless, San Pascual is upbeat. Despite the reproductive health bill's failure to get enacted, it emerged as a central development issue during the 14th Congress. “What happened was not an indication of the readiness of politicians but the ripening of RH as a public policy. There was sustained public awareness of it, because of media's help and also because of unrelenting attacks by the Church.” Now that a new administration – and a new Congress -- is preparing to hold office, San Pascual thinks he and his team have reason to be hopeful.

He believes the incoming president, Senator Benigno Aquino III, appreciates the issue, especially since he has many times talked about “responsible parenthood.” The senator, whose late mother was known for her devout Catholicism, has been perceived as “waffling” on reproductive health. He has not made any categorical statements clarifying his position. “But he has uttered the most consistent and most honest comments on the matter,” San Pascual insists. Aquino has denied being an author or even a supporter of the reproductive health bill – not in previous Congresses, when he was at the House, not in the 14th when he was in the Senate. And that's because it's true. He has deliberately refrained from commenting on RH, saying he would rather focus on graft and corruption and on human rights.

These statements have more integrity than those from other candidates who say they are for the bill one second and take back their support the next, San Pascual says.

But don't reproductive health advocates need a firmer commitment from Aquino now that he is no longer just a candidate? After all, a president does not have the luxury of choosing which issues to focus on, swamped as he is with a host of equally pressing concerns. San Pascual believes,however, that Aquino can best show his intentions by his appointments. Retaining Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral or naming Jaime Galvez Tan, himself a former health secretary – both known advocates of reproductive health – will get Aquino's point across.

And then there is the matter of new leaders at the House, where the game gets tricky. San Pascual says that if a known RH supporter and a leader with a track record for political will like Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte becomes Speaker, the chances of the bill becoming law will shoot up exponentially.

“Nograles has shown us the kind of character the country cannot afford to have for a legislative leader: somebody who has no qualms subverting the people's will to personal interest, who says one thing and does another.” On the other hand, San Pascual feels better having somebody like Belmonte in control of the House – and the agenda of business. “He has shown us, by what he did in Quezon City, that he believes in government reproductive health programs.”

It's back to square one, indeed, for San Pascual and other advocates, since they have to re-file the bill that came so close to being enacted. There are enough willing authors this early, he says, and they intend to file it as soon as possible – maybe even make it one of the first few bills filed in the 15th Congress. On June 16 and 17, there will be a stakeholders' workshop – including representatives from business, labor, the academe, health organizations, women's groups,party list groups, among others – designed to sharpen the new bill and plot strategies for a smoother journey in the legislative mill.

Workshop participants will look at ways to enhance what used to be House Bill 5043 and take away reasonable objections raised by some parties to minimize opposition to it and thus broaden its constituency, For instance, employers have complained about the proposed penalties for companies that do not introduce the RH program to their employees.

San Pascual attributes his optimism to a host of factors. First, the emerging leadership seems to appreciate the need and the overdue passage of an RH law. Second, the public has become much too aware of the issue and its impact on families' lives. Finally, the different stakeholders have become much too impatient and much too agitated. “The issue is very much upon us and we can't run away from it anymore.”

**

Secretary Elena Bautista Horn keeps the television on inside her office nowadays, even if she has visitors. She stays tuned to a local news channel that carries the congressional canvass for the presidential and vice presidential races live. “Who knows, there may just be a proclamation already?” Only then can she and her team get down to work. The sooner the proclamation is made,the better for Horn and for everybody in the outgoing administration's transition team. That way, they could stop planning and actually start implementing transition efforts.

The transition period refers to the time the winner of the presidential race is proclaimed until his inauguration.

Horn, who in her capacity as director-general of the Presidential Management Staff, is member of the Presidential Transition Cooperation Team together with Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Education Secretary Mona Valisno, National Economic and Development Authority chief Augusto Santos and Philippine Information Agency director-general Conrado Limcauco.

Horn and company have presented a transition blueprint plan to the Cabinet. It's a situationer coupled with a list of plans and programs that they think the incoming administration should make a priority. Each line agency is also working on its functional and operational transition reports-- and working hard since these things have never been required before. It's a “seamless” transition they are planning, but all that is just good intention – until they themselves meet their counterparts in the incoming administration's team. “An informal ES to ES (meaning Mendoza and lawyer Paquito Ochoa) meeting has taken place, but other than that we are still waiting for the signal to touch base and for introductions to be made,” Horn says.

“It's why it's called transition COOPERATION,” she adds. “We are here to extend all the help we can give, and we do so sincerely. It's up to the other party to take us up on our offer or not.”

What's the best indication of a good transition? “There should not be a moment when public service stops just because the government is seeing a leadership change,”Horn says. “I refer especially to front-line agencies, which give the government a face before the people. This means that one can still obtain licenses, renew permits, etcetera. The government will still function. And I am confident because most people in government are professionals who have been at their posts for years, and they are loyal to institutions, not to persons.”

Horn concedes that it will be difficult to take out the politics in these matters, but she hopes this won't get in the way of the real work that must be done.



adellechua@gmail.com

Big Move

When I started working for the Standard in Port Area Manila, I welcomed the change in environment. I spent years holding various offices in Makati City where the lifestyle was expensive. In Port Area, near the piers, I only had to take the jeep and the LRT and there were no financial distractions (i.e., malls, restaurants) so that I was able to stick to a budget of P150 per day. I ate lunch and dinner at home.

But after three and a half years, the toxic environment took its toll. While I loved my job, I had begun to dread going to and from the office. The area and the places I had to pass to get there are picture-perfect images of desolation and desperation. Beggars? you have them in all shapes and sizes, their pitches varying from evoking pity to denying criminal activity to badgering jeepney passengers. The very real presence of thieves prevents you from texting openly. An officemate has had her wristwatch taken, another had her bag wangled away from her. I have had close brushes,myself, with suspicious-looking men. A co-passenger had her cell phone taken from her hands. I knew, despite my precautions and my near-paranoia, it could be a matter of time. See,my working hours end at 830 or 9 in the evening. Unsavory elements start emerging at that time. And Avenida Rizal is a long avenue.

People in the office have mixed reactions over the planned Big Move, which was the result of an ownership changed that had been finalized a mere two months ago. Some dread the traffic, the expensive lifestyle and the temptation shops. Some look forward to the big move. Needless to say, I belong to the latter group.

Shallow? I don't think so. There's something about operating in an environment of prosperity, or at least order and security. I want to be able to go to and from work reading a book or listening to music-- without worrying whether my seatmate is looking at me funny or seems to be observing everybody in the vehicle, calculating whether he should now make his move. I don't want to worry about drunks and sex maniacs and looneys and beggars who stomp their feet when you give them anything less than ten pesos. Hey, I've had my struggles, I've done my time, I work damn hard. I deserve to be in more pleasant surroundings. After all, I love my job.

I can use the positive aura to improve my work and earning prowess,as well

The office move poses new challenges, to be sure,and in a couple of years when I've saved enough and the kids are bigger I may even scout for an apartment in Makati. For now,the benefits appear to outweigh the costs. And so I can't wait.