Pedestrian Observer GB

Pass the RH BIll or eat ourselves to extinction?

While Philippine politicians of different persuasions indulge in a never ending debate whether to pass or junk the RH Bill LA Times came up with a very scary article on global population explosion.

It is understandable that people of different beliefs and persuasion will stood pat on what they deem to be right. In the end what counts is whether said stand helps the nation move forward towards a better society or one that was made even worse by their deluded decisions.

Prominent in the video section was that of retired archbishop Cruz a once active anti-Jueteng crusader who seems to have changed his priorities into the anti-RH Bill stance coming up with his pro-life version of population is the nation's wealth argument. Perhaps the good archbishop is overly optimistic, nothing wrong with that if what we need is to feel good but one must be grounded on the actual conditions and realities of the population explosion if we want humanity to survive in this ever changing world. Really scary, this is like saying if ever we get a buck for every child born out of the baby factories in the Manila alone we will all probably be wallowing in millions of pesos. I have no clue what drugs Mr. Cruz is taking right now but can he not see clearly that we are having problem of stunted malnourished children due to poverty and ignorance?

How can we treat our faster than rabbit like population explosion as our wealth when we see in the video a mother who wishes and prays to god that in case her children get sick and dying, to take them quickly and spare them the sufferings because she can't afford medical care? She can't even afford to regularly food food on their table what ore with hospitalization or simple medical needs?

Can we really be so foolishly optimistic in looking at the population is wealth half glass outlook when we have quite a number of children whose growth are stunted and malnourished? How can our population be our wealth when we know all along that malnutrition also affects children's brain development? True we sometimes need to have a brighter outlook amidst the squalor but one has to draw the line when it borders on delusion or plain lies.

We seem to be so fixated at denying realities that when the recent storm hit Manila hard it came with a sea load of trash dumped at the exclusive Manila Yacht Club turning it into mother nature's alternate dump site and surrounding areas. The sight as disgusting as it was is so surreal that took 500 people to clean and they can't even keep up with the enormous volume. A nasty reminder from mother earth nature not to use our open seas as our enormous dump site and was it because quite a huge sector of our population are not serviced by the city for their trash disposal? Signs that we are so overpopulated that we can't manage our trash disposal eventually polluting our surroundings even our seas?

Can we just stop the lies and call a spade a spade instead of virtual deception in the guise of optimism? As I watch the disgusting video coverage of the storm the onion skinned media willfully or was it naivete on their part when they encourage and contribute to the lies and deception? They know that they are lying when they call a mangangalkal (scavenger) to a mangangalakal (trader) which no matter or on what angle you look at it a scavenger is a scavenger. If we see scavengers getting excited at the disgusting tonloads of trash maybe it is about time we seriously consider passing the RH Bill and not be a burden to not just our own society but the world as well. Oh, in case the optimist still see population is wealth they may want to take a serious look at the exponential population explosion that will hit us like raging waves brought about by the storm and along with it mountains of trash.

Beyond 7 Billion, the worlds population and growing, until we figure out how to balance the exponential growth of the population against a dwindling natural resources we may end up eating ourselves to extinction.

On the surface if we look at China it appears that the myth that population is wealth seems to be valid. While having a large population seems to help them it is not exactly utopian and their extremely huge population definitely affected the whole world in the fuel price hike unheard of before China became a consumer nation. Imagine if they did not embarked on a one-child policy would they have prospered or if they did can you imagine how past we can we deplete the world's fossil fuels? What about food production and our forest, the mineral resources, water, and electricity? Will we have enough to sustain our existence or are we heading towards self extinction?

95.5M Pinoys, 18.4% in poverty, with a median age of 22.2, and a fertility rate of 3.27%, guess how many babies are we expecting soon?

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2012 SONA (State of the Nation Address)

The much anticipated SONA (State of the Nation Address) of President Benigno Aquino III marking his third year in office as the nation's leader has been delivered and I would say quite disappointing for some people. Ok, don't get me wrong now. I read the Filipino and English version and seriously I am impressed at the improvements and inroads complete with figures considering the past nine (9) years of plunder and endemic corruption we have been subjected to by the Arroyos.

So, how will it be disappointing to some people when he actually produced some major improvements considered quite a feat in a nation where corruption seems to be the norm? Well, there is the narcissist impeached and convicted Renato Corona who three (3) days earlier thought that the world revolves around him will be subjected to the president's relentless attacks on his person as part of his SONA spits errr speech. Here's a snippet of Inquirer Visayas Ador Mayol's report:

Corona told reporters here on Wednesday that he was informed by his friends in Malacañang that criticisms against him were part of the President’s annual address to the country.

“Actually, this is nothing new,” Corona said, noting that he has been getting constant attacks from the President even after the Senate voted to remove him from office on May 29. “There is nothing that I can do if he wants to do that.”

The closest reference to Renato Corona with his name not even mentioned was in reference to the lowly court interpreter Delsa Flores sacked for not declaring her market stall in her SALN. If there's anything that Renato Corona ought to be thankful for is that Delsa Flores is not as bitter anymore knowing even a Chief Justice can get fired for failing to accurately disclose what they are worth. If there is any reference at all to Renato Corona, he was just part of the bigger picture, that of the state of mind of the president's detractors of mostly sour losers, hehehe, to quote:

With every step on the straight and righteous path, we plant the seeds of change. But there are still some who are committed to uprooting our work. Even as I speak, there are those who have gathered in a room, whispering to each other, dissecting each word I utter, looking for any pretext to attack me with tomorrow. These are also the ones who say, “Let go of the past. Unite. Forgive and forget so we can move forward as a people.”

I find this unacceptable. Shall we simply forgive and forget the ten years that were taken from us? Do we simply forgive and forget the farmers who piled up massive debts because of a government that insisted on importing rice, while we could have reinvested in them and their farmlands instead? Shall we forgive and forget the family of the police officer who died while trying to defend himself against guns with nothing but a nightstick?

Shall we forgive and forget the orphans of the 57 victims of the massacre in Maguindanao? Will their loved ones be brought back to life by forgiving and forgetting? Do we forgive and forget everything that was ever done to us, to sink us into a rotten state? Do we forgive and forget to return to the former status quo? My response: Forgiveness is possible; forgetting is not. If offenders go unpunished, society’s future suffering is guaranteed.

True unity and reconciliation can only emanate from genuine justice. Justice is the plunder case leveled against our former president; justice that she receives her day in court and can defend herself against the accusations leveled against her. Justice is what we witnessed on the 29th of May. On that day, we proved that justice can prevail, even when confronted with an opponent in a position of power. On that day, a woman named Delsa Flores, in Panabo, Davao del Norte, said “It is actually possible: a single law governing both a simple court reporter like me, and the Chief Justice.” It is possible for the scales to be set right, and for even the rich and powerful to be held accountable.

This is why, to the next Chief Justice, much will be demanded of you by our people. We have proven the impossible possible; now, our task is reform towards true justice that continues even after our administration. There are still many flaws in the system, and repairing these will not be easy. I am aware of the weight of your mandate. But this is what our people tasked us to do; this is the duty we have sworn to do; and this what we must do.

Our objectives are simple: If you are innocent, you will appear in court with confidence, because you will be found not guilty. But if you are guilty, you will be made to pay for your sins, no matter who you are.

What really strikes me was Corona's attitude or is he really delusional just like Arroyo? Anyway he says he forgives those including officials in Malacañang who had worked to take him out of the Supreme Court. Forgive meaning one was persecuted because if those were the exact words coming from a convicted murderer upon sentencing, I don't think the judge and the police will treat it lightly and consider it as a serious threat, isn't it?

But then again if Corona was referring to those fools at Lolong's errrr I meant Batasan Pambansa lower and upper house representatives where a self-congratulatory mural celebrating the victory of the prosecutors in his conviction, then yes he may want to forgive them for their juvenile display of EPALness.

What I find odd is the fashion statement being strutted around the halls of Lolong's Crocodile Farm este Batasan Pambansa as if it was a Hollyweird event sans the red carpet. While there are marked improvements in governance how can people dressed to kill errrr dressed so elegantly when there are still quite a number of people that are barely surviving brought about by poverty? Such elegant display is uncalled for and only shows that the elites of our society especially of the Trapo kind are insensitive, but then again we already know that so what's the point of bringing them back to earth? LOL.

So when the likes of Corona says move on or moving on I prefer President Benigno Aquino III's conditional moving on, as in justice should prevail above all unless we want to revert back to the same injustice of the old corruption days.

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