"To run away from trouble is a form of cowardice and, while it is true that the suicide braves death, he does it not for some noble object but to escape some ill."
--Aristotle
By Alex P. Vidal
ILOILO Board Member Matt Palabrica suspected that the most common reasons why young people in Iloilo committed suicide were likely problems in the family, love life, school, and money.
The upsurge of suicide cases involving Iloilo youngsters has alarmed Palabrica that he made an appeal for collective action from the provincial government, school and health authorities, and the police, among other sectors.
Palabrica based his concerns on the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) report where of the 179 cases of suicide recorded from 2016 to June 2019, 35 involved young adults or those who are between nine to 21 years old.
Could it be also because of the rising Internet connectivity which, aside from the potential to transforming children’s lives for the better, also makes them vulnerable to sexual abuse, online harassment and bullying, recruitment by extremist groups, and other risks?
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A new United Nations (UN)-backed report published on October 1, 2019 cited a study by the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development which underlines the need for everyone to ensure children remain safe as they explore “the digital world”.
The study was produced by the Commission’s working group on Child Online Safety, comprising senior representatives from the UN, non-governmental organizations, law-enforcement agencies, regulators, and private companies.
The report lays out staggering statistics showing the extent and scale of the problem.
In just one year, for instance, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) found more than 105,000 websites hosting child sexual abuse material.
“It takes a village to keep children safe both online and offline. Therefore, all the stakeholders need to prioritize children, collaborate and generate collective actions to prevent and address all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation of children online,” members said in press release.
The report recommends that countries take immediate action, as no Government has developed fully effective protection systems.
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Steps that protect children online include establishing a single national authority with ultimate responsibility for child online safety, as well as ensuring robust legislation is in place, among other measures.
The report also highlights the differences in Internet access depending on where young people live. Globally, there are more than two million people under the age of 18. Around 71 per cent of youth are already online, according to UNICEF research, cited in the report.
However, millions are still waiting to log on. Currently, 60 per cent of young Africans are not online but the number of users on the continent is growing by 20 per cent a year.
“In Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America, connectivity has not yet reached all children. With the expansion of affordable broadband to these parts of the developing world, there is an urgent need to put in place measures to minimize the risks and threats to these children, while also allowing them to capitalize on all the benefits the digital world can bring to our societies,” the report said.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
Showing posts with label #IloiloProvincialBoard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #IloiloProvincialBoard. Show all posts
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Can Iloilo mayors stop incest rapes?
"I think that the enormous emphasis on violence and sex, and in particular violent sex, may not make rapists of us all, but it predisposes us to accept a kind of world in which these things happen."
--Alexander Walker
By Alex P. Vidal
I KNOW of at least four Iloilo mayors accused of committing a rape when I was covering the Iloilo Capitol beat in the early 90's.
One of them, an ex-convict from the fifth district, even ran and lost for governor.
His victim, a minor, became a lawyer.
Another one, a gambling lord in the second district and cockfighting aficionado, was abandoned by his wife not for being a gambler, but for allegedly "molesting" his own niece.
The third one was from a coastal town famous for a certain seafood in the fourth district. Of the four, this third "rapist" from the coastal town, who finished only in the elementary level and was always carrying a gun, was the worst: he allegedly raped his wife's sister, who eventually "consented" to become his lover.
To minimize the scandal, they (the mayor, his wife, and the wife's sister) lived in the same compound like a normal family.
Other members of the household pretended they knew nothing about the quirky situation.
-o0o-
The fourth was also from the second district.
His case was not a secret because the alleged rape happened prior to his reelection bid.
The victim, a minor and the mayor's own niece, was briefly interviewed by reporters before being intercepted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) personnel.
Interestingly, two weeks before the rape case exploded in the media, I visited this mayor in his house together with former Senator John Osmeña.
We monitored two other rape cases involving prominent political figures (a defeated congressional aspirant from the first district and another municipal mayor in a far-flung municipality in the fifth district).
Except for the ex-convict who spent several years in jail, the others were never prosecuted. Because of their influence and power, their cases were either "kept under wraps," or "settled" (meaning the "victims" decided not to lodge a formal complaint).
I recalled these cases when I learned that the Iloilo Provincial Board recently passed a resolution penned by Board Member June Mondejar urging Iloilo mayors to take action to curb the "alarming" number of rape cases in the province.
-o0o-
Mondejar said most of the rape cases logged by the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) last year and this year were incestuous or sexual assaults committed by somebody with close relationship to the victims such as a father, a stepfather, an uncle, or a cousin.
Mondejar wanted the mayors to initiate programs and measures to prevent all forms of sexual abuse in their respective municipalities.
Good move, but most rapists have serious psychological or mental issues that no amount of programs can scare or stop them from doing the crime. In fact, it has been proven that even the death penalty was not a deterrent to the commission of rape.
We doubt also if the mayors or their law enforcers can personally stop the rapes, which mostly happen in the darkness or night time and in secluded places.
Although this additional task will not really overburden the mayors, let's hope that no perpetrator will come from their own ranks like in the cases I just mentioned.
Latin poet Juvenal once posed this question: "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" or "Who will guard the guards?"
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
--Alexander Walker
By Alex P. Vidal
I KNOW of at least four Iloilo mayors accused of committing a rape when I was covering the Iloilo Capitol beat in the early 90's.
One of them, an ex-convict from the fifth district, even ran and lost for governor.
His victim, a minor, became a lawyer.
Another one, a gambling lord in the second district and cockfighting aficionado, was abandoned by his wife not for being a gambler, but for allegedly "molesting" his own niece.
The third one was from a coastal town famous for a certain seafood in the fourth district. Of the four, this third "rapist" from the coastal town, who finished only in the elementary level and was always carrying a gun, was the worst: he allegedly raped his wife's sister, who eventually "consented" to become his lover.
To minimize the scandal, they (the mayor, his wife, and the wife's sister) lived in the same compound like a normal family.
Other members of the household pretended they knew nothing about the quirky situation.
-o0o-
The fourth was also from the second district.
His case was not a secret because the alleged rape happened prior to his reelection bid.
The victim, a minor and the mayor's own niece, was briefly interviewed by reporters before being intercepted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) personnel.
Interestingly, two weeks before the rape case exploded in the media, I visited this mayor in his house together with former Senator John Osmeña.
We monitored two other rape cases involving prominent political figures (a defeated congressional aspirant from the first district and another municipal mayor in a far-flung municipality in the fifth district).
Except for the ex-convict who spent several years in jail, the others were never prosecuted. Because of their influence and power, their cases were either "kept under wraps," or "settled" (meaning the "victims" decided not to lodge a formal complaint).
I recalled these cases when I learned that the Iloilo Provincial Board recently passed a resolution penned by Board Member June Mondejar urging Iloilo mayors to take action to curb the "alarming" number of rape cases in the province.
-o0o-
Mondejar said most of the rape cases logged by the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) last year and this year were incestuous or sexual assaults committed by somebody with close relationship to the victims such as a father, a stepfather, an uncle, or a cousin.
Mondejar wanted the mayors to initiate programs and measures to prevent all forms of sexual abuse in their respective municipalities.
Good move, but most rapists have serious psychological or mental issues that no amount of programs can scare or stop them from doing the crime. In fact, it has been proven that even the death penalty was not a deterrent to the commission of rape.
We doubt also if the mayors or their law enforcers can personally stop the rapes, which mostly happen in the darkness or night time and in secluded places.
Although this additional task will not really overburden the mayors, let's hope that no perpetrator will come from their own ranks like in the cases I just mentioned.
Latin poet Juvenal once posed this question: "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" or "Who will guard the guards?"
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
Sunday, August 26, 2018
‘Investigate’ is a wrong choice of word
“The largest challenge that we face, from my perspective, is the ability to continue moving forward so the agency will have a single mission: that is, to provide decent, safe, and affordable housing.”
--Alphonso Jackson
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- We doubt absolutely if the National Housing Authority (NHA) will ever succumb to any resolution the Iloilo Provincial Board might pass asking the NHA to award to government employees some of the NHA’s unoccupied housing units in Barangay Cruz, Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo in the Philippines.
The Iloilo Provincial Board, in the first place, has no jurisdiction over the NHA, thus it’s a wrong choice of word to “investigate” NHA’s P4.2 billion housing project in that municipality--unless the project was tainted with anomaly.
If the project reeks with anomaly, let the Congress do the yeoman’s task of grilling the concerned agency officials in the national level “in aid of legislation.”
If the intention of the Iloilo legislature is only to ask a favor, the proper word should be “request” and not “investigate.”
Local legislative bodies don’t investigate government-owned and controlled corporations under the Office of the President mainly because they have not completed the turning over of certain projects to their intended beneficiaries.
-o0o-
NHA is classified under the Infrastructure Utilities Group and operates under the administrative supervision of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.
Board Member Domingo Oso Jr., vice chair of the committee on infrastructure, was reported to be contemplating on passing a resolution asking the NHA to give to government employees some of the 1,050 NHA housing units intended for members of the police and the military if no takers were interested to occupy them.
Oso, who is from Barotac Nuevo, was quoted in media as saying: “Until now, the area is not occupied and in my personal observation, the facilities, as required in accordance with the requirements, are not properly installed and put up by the developer.”
He added: “We are planning to pass a resolution that if there are no takers, we will give (the unit) to government employees so that it would be used rather than wasted.”
-o0o-
Rhodora Lim, NHA-6 estate supervisor, has disclosed that 743 of the housing units have been occupied and the remaining units have been reserved for soldiers now assigned in Marawi City.
Lim explained that the housing project has been purposely earmarked for members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for a unit cost of P260,000 acquired through amortization and salary deduction for 30 years.
We admire Oso’s intention, but the Iloilo Provincial Board can only request for the list of the project beneficiaries; it can’t compel the NHA to award the remaining reserved lots to any Tom, Dick, and Harry in government service except for the members of the PNP and the AFP.
--Alphonso Jackson
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- We doubt absolutely if the National Housing Authority (NHA) will ever succumb to any resolution the Iloilo Provincial Board might pass asking the NHA to award to government employees some of the NHA’s unoccupied housing units in Barangay Cruz, Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo in the Philippines.
The Iloilo Provincial Board, in the first place, has no jurisdiction over the NHA, thus it’s a wrong choice of word to “investigate” NHA’s P4.2 billion housing project in that municipality--unless the project was tainted with anomaly.
If the project reeks with anomaly, let the Congress do the yeoman’s task of grilling the concerned agency officials in the national level “in aid of legislation.”
If the intention of the Iloilo legislature is only to ask a favor, the proper word should be “request” and not “investigate.”
Local legislative bodies don’t investigate government-owned and controlled corporations under the Office of the President mainly because they have not completed the turning over of certain projects to their intended beneficiaries.
-o0o-
NHA is classified under the Infrastructure Utilities Group and operates under the administrative supervision of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.
Board Member Domingo Oso Jr., vice chair of the committee on infrastructure, was reported to be contemplating on passing a resolution asking the NHA to give to government employees some of the 1,050 NHA housing units intended for members of the police and the military if no takers were interested to occupy them.
Oso, who is from Barotac Nuevo, was quoted in media as saying: “Until now, the area is not occupied and in my personal observation, the facilities, as required in accordance with the requirements, are not properly installed and put up by the developer.”
He added: “We are planning to pass a resolution that if there are no takers, we will give (the unit) to government employees so that it would be used rather than wasted.”
-o0o-
Rhodora Lim, NHA-6 estate supervisor, has disclosed that 743 of the housing units have been occupied and the remaining units have been reserved for soldiers now assigned in Marawi City.
Lim explained that the housing project has been purposely earmarked for members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for a unit cost of P260,000 acquired through amortization and salary deduction for 30 years.
We admire Oso’s intention, but the Iloilo Provincial Board can only request for the list of the project beneficiaries; it can’t compel the NHA to award the remaining reserved lots to any Tom, Dick, and Harry in government service except for the members of the PNP and the AFP.
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