Philippines to implement family planning law ...

... in blow to church

The announcement marked a victory over the influential Catholic church

Published: 15:59 November 16, 2017

AFP

 

MANILA A long-awaited Philippine family planning law to provide free hormonal contraceptives is finally going ahead, health officials said Thursday, ending a two-year impasse in which the Supreme Court demanded proof that they did not cause abortions.

The announcement marked a victory over the influential Catholic church which counts most of the Philippine population as followers and opposes all forms of artificial contraception.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said 51 types of contraceptive pills, coils and injectables could now be distributed to the public after the Food and Drug Administration certified they did not cause abortions, defeating a petition filed by a Catholic group.

“It is now all systems go for us in the Department of Health to implement the (Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health) law,” Duque told reporters.

For years, the Church has waged a bruising battle against government efforts to promote birth control despite the country’s widespread poverty and ballooning population.

The reproductive health law granting access to contraceptives was passed in 2012 despite strong Church opposition. However abortion remains illegal.

A religious group filed a case with the Supreme Court charging that many of the government-issued contraceptives were abortifacients and therefore banned.

This prompted the court to issue in 2015 a restraining order on the 51 contraceptives pending a finding by the FDA.

Government stocks of the contraceptives, acquired before this court order, are now being delivered to health offices and development groups to ensure they can be distributed before they expire, Duque said.

President Rodrigo Duterte, a fierce critic of the Catholic church who was elected last year, has promised to deliver the free contraceptives to women as part of his reproductive health push.

Despite Church lobbying to cut funding for contraceptives, Duque said the government had budgeted 4.2 billion pesos ($82 million) for implementation of the law this year.

The head of the government’s Population Commission, Juan Antonio Perez, said the two years that the court order was in place had likely resulted in 500,000 unplanned pregnancies.

Perez said that the Philippines had 20 million women of reproductive age, six million of whom were already using contraceptives.

Perez added a million more were expected to start using contraceptives each year now that the ban had been lifted.

Manila Subway Project Moves Forward

... as Japan, Philippines exchange notes

Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte look at each other before the 20th ASEAN-Japan Summit in Manila, November 13 2017. Ezra Acayan, Reuters, Pool

MANILA – (UPDATE) The Philippines and Japan on Monday exchanged notes on Japanese assistance for infrastructure, including Metro Manila's first subway.

President Rodrigo Duterte and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe witnessed the signing of the diplomatic notes on the sidelines of their bilateral meeting in Manila late Monday. 

A loan agreement is expected to be signed in January after the exchange of notes, according to a timeline of of the subway from the Department of Transportation.

The Japanese government will provide 104.53 billion yen (P46 billion) for the first phase of the project, which is expected to transport approximately 500,000 passengers per day by 2027.

The subway will run from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig City and may be extended to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The exchange of notes also covered a 9.4-billion yen (P4 billion) loan for the "Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway" from Plaridel, Bulacan to Manila and a 2.5-billion (P1 billion) yen grant to rebuild war-tor Marawi City.

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said these 3 projects were part of Tokyo’s financial support to the Philippines worth 1 trillion yen over the next 5 years.

In response to the Alessandra de Rossi - starrer '12'

By: Giselle Sanchez, Manila Bulletin

Last Wednesday, the movie “12” starring Alessandra de Rossi and Ivan Padilla came out in cinemas. It was written by the de Rossi herself with movie trailer gone viral. In the movie, the award-winning actress stated 12 reasons couples separate.

Alessandra de Rossi

Today I will focus on the opposite of that because not all couples are doomed for breakup. Since I recently celebrated my 17th wedding anniversary with my husband Emil Buencamino, let me give you 12 pieces of advice for couples to stay in love.

1. May forever kung masipag ka. The saying “walang forever” only applies to couples who are not willing to work on their marriage. When there is a problem, do not allow it to simmer. Talk about it before you go to bed. If the problem cannot be resolved overnight, work on it. Do not sweep it under the carpet.

2. Make time for each other. The word busy only happens when you allow it. Setting time for each other is still a choice.

3.  Laugh with each other, even if it is the corniest joke, laugh. The effort your partner makes to make you happy is enough.

4. Cry with each other. Make your partner your best friend, a shoulder to cry on. Someone you can open up to. Do not choose another person of the opposite sex to be your best friend. Choose your partner.

THE AUTHOR with husband Emil Buencamino

5. Dream with each other. It helps when your partner knows the desires of your heart and the status of where you are right now in your ambitions and goals. If the dream is far from being reached, your partner can give encouragement.

6. Always set a sexy time at least once a week. Ladies do not be embarrassed to plan your sexy time with your husbands. Do this before someone else plans a sexy time with your husband.

7. Love yourself. You cannot love others if you cannot love yourself. Take care of yourself. Exercise. Have a haircut. Dress up. Take a bath.

8. Physical contact is very important. Without physical contact, you will just end up as best friends and not lovers anymore.

9. Pride is the root of all evil. The reason you cannot forgive is because you love yourself too much. If you really love your partner and are willing to work on your marriage, you will have to learn to let go, let God, move forward.

10. Talk to each other. Communication is very important. Tell stories, books you’ve read, people you met. Without communication, you might as well just be strangers. And do it personally. Texts and e-mails are okay but a face to face conversation beats all bonding moments.

11.  Go on vacation with each other. Date each other to different places. Another place, another atmosphere helps build love and memories.

12. Pray with each other. God should be your third party. God can help unlock the healing of a hurting heart, a hard habit to break, an annoying attitude, a dying relationship. The only key is faith.

90 percent of vehicles tested in Davao City ...

... fail emission tests

By Yas D. Ocampo, Manila Bulletin

DISMAL RESULTS – Personnel from the Davao City Environment and Natural Resources Office conduct an emission test on a government vehicle in Davao City. About 90 percent of those tested failed the tests. (Keith Bacongco)

Davao City – About 90 percent of vehicles tested for emission by the Environmental Management Bureau ((EMB) did not pass standards in this city, as set by the Clean Air Act, according to officials.

Speaking at the bimonthly Connect Health and Wellness Forum at SM Lanang Premier, EMB engineer Melvin Dapitanon said that the results of their November 7 joint roadside emission assessment showed that most of the vehicles tested did not pass the emission tests.

These included around 30 government vehicles.

“Sa roadside inspection of the PUJs, most of the diesel engine failed with the emission standard of the Clean Air Act,” Dapitanon said.

The joint emission testing activity tested around 80 vehicles from PUJs, government vehicles, and passenger buses.

Only one of the 20 buses from the Bachelor Express did not pass the test, as most of their fleet were already Euro 4 compliant, he noted.

The bus tests were conducted last November 9 at the Bachelor motorpool in Ma-a.

Only 10 percent of the tested vehicles were PUJs, with the rest being private and government vehicles.

During the testing, the vehicles were merely tagged and required to come back for testing the following week.

Penalties for failing to mee emission standards begin at P1,000 for violators, according to Dapitanon.

The local ordinance, meanwhile, requires vehicles that do not pass emission standards to be brought to the motorpool of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) within 72 hours.

As early as 2015, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had already released standards that regulated the emission of mobile sources of air pollution.

The guidelines were made available via DENR administrative order 2015-04.

By 2018, new vehicles will be required to be subjected to Euro 4 standards, which mean lower emissions, less aromatics, and better combustion performance for vehicles.

Roller coaster life

SAT, NOVEMBER 11, 2017 BY THE MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR LEAVE A COMMENT

IN MY OPINIONKlaus Doring

Yes, nowadays, for many of us life is indeed an emotional roller coaster. All over the world. Political instability, wars, terror attacks, climate change with extreme natural disasters, questionable global economical situations, illnesses or diseases.

A day starts with traffic jam and continues with terrible conditions at the workplace. The crab mentality seems to become nothing unusual now. In any case: everyone for himself. Each one by himself/herself/itself alone is quite nice, but together we have a problem. So what! It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

Well, sweet words might be easy to say; nice things are easy to buy; but good people are different to find. Life ends, when you stop dreaming; hope ends, when you stop believing; friendship stops, when you stop sharing. A good friend of mine sent me this quotation. I commented back: So very true and very well said!

Our life is borrowed – from God. No rental charges are collected from us. Many of us have forgotten this and live life at his fullest. Our life is equal to a book from a library that lends one. But how insatiable and unbearable are we in disdainful acting towards life and therefore to ourselves?

Life seems to be nothing, just being ready to riddle one with bullets. Life seems to be nothing, just being broken through the indifference and unreliable and immoral behavior. Life seems to be nothing for those people who don’t understand cries from the heart of other people around them – cries for their hearts and families, for justice and for many other things.

Life with all its ups and downs, is just a loan, but for many of our fellow creatures it just seems to be nonsense to be littered like dump. And, if people try to survive, especially during these days, and if they just experienced (once more!) indifference, arrogance, ignorance or cheating by whomever – they will give up!

I can assure you that every one of us can at first help in prayers and, in reading the bible. “Proverbs” is the probably most down-to-earth book in the bible. Its teachings prepare you for the daily life, the street and the market place, but not for the schoolroom. The book offers warm pieces of advice you get; practical guidance for making your way on earth. Proverbs covers any kinds of questions you might have right now. Anybody can relate to the generalities of Proverbs, because this book simply tells how life works most of the time.

While writing this piece, I observed that more and more people struggle through life: tired, hopeless, experiencing their rock-bottoms, believing in fallacious “people” around them. I also observed a lot of people living a thief life, as if it has been giving them without limitation.

Is our world order in danger?

Peace and Order

Comval Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy together with the members of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) Compostela Valley Province conducts A Study and learning mission in the establishment and operation of the Halfway House of Davao Oriental, a novel project which served as a temporary shelter for rebel returnees  on November 9, 2017 at Lanes Kitaanan, Mati City, Davao Oriental. (Photo by: M. Lasaca, PS Comval)