THE SIN TAX BILL

The bill is a win-win situation for the Filipinos and the government. We are not killing the tobacco industry. We are saving lives with this bill - cutting down smoking-related deaths as well as enabling us to deliver quality service to the poorest of the poor.

We cannot just let some personal interests skew down scientific research and data. Prioritize health! 

Please reblog this post to echo the sentiments of the health workers regarding the Sin Tax Bill. The Filipinos badly need this bill.

“Sinong nagsabing problema ang pag-aalaga sa mga bata? Ang Diyos ang nag-aalaga sa mga anak ninyo. Ang mga nanay, 1% lang ang pag-aalagang ginagawa nila… ang Diyos 99% ang ginagawa. 1% LANG ANG PAG-AALAGANG GINAGAWA NINYO!”

“Alam niyo ba kung bakit nagka-Tsunami sa Japan? Kasi old na ang population nila. Ang mga bata mahal ng Diyos. Kaya dito tayo sa Pilipinas hindi naTsutsunami… pagkatapos pipigilan natin ang pagdami ng bata?!?”

Ang daming quotable quotes sa misang yun.

Minsan na nga lang ako makakarinig ng misa ganitong klase pa…

Miriam Defensor-Santiago's umffft on the RH bill

The personal/social history in the usual PE is where I usually inject my own campaign on RH bill when I talk to my patients.

Having a glimpse on their family size, educational background, social priorities and financial resources made me realize that the RH bill could help these families.

Talking and debating with taxi drivers is also a great way of spreading awareness and our views on the topic. I even managed to convert one just by sharing my personal experiences in my childhood, our perennial family problems and the kind of work I do today. ;)

Dream 60 is a project that aims to raise funds for the indigent pediatric patients of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH) through CHILD Foundation Inc. The Juan Lualhati Cojuangco Foundation Inc. (JLCFI) and friends of CHILD Foundation Inc. will make a P60 donation for every “Like” on our Facebook page from Wednesday July 13, at 8pm to Saturday, July 16, at 4 pm. Please help us help these babies by clicking “Like” button above and sharing it with your friends.

PLEASE LIKE THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE HERE

MORE OF CHILF FOUNDATION HERE

it is where I work and where i had the most fulfilling patient care experience. I encourage everyone to support our cause and “like” the fb page to help our indigent patients. Spread the word. 

PLUS the runner is Dindo MAGALLANES. hah!

pinoytumblr: “Democracy is… accessible and quality education for all. It is education as a right.” Filipina journalism student at the University of the Philippines Diliman Mikas Matsuzawa was chosen as one of 12 winners of The Democracy Photo Challenge 2010, organized by the US State Department. The photos taken by Matsuzawa and the other 11 finalists will be exhibited at the United Nations and at galleries in New York and Los Angeles. (via GMA News)
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pinoytumblr:

“Democracy is… accessible and quality education for all. It is education as a right.”

Filipina journalism student at the University of the Philippines Diliman Mikas Matsuzawa was chosen as one of 12 winners of The Democracy Photo Challenge 2010, organized by the US State Department. The photos taken by Matsuzawa and the other 11 finalists will be exhibited at the United Nations and at galleries in New York and Los Angeles. (via GMA News)

Philippine Education

All my life, I studied in public institutions (until med school! hehe!). I live in District 2, Manila - the most densely populated district (Tondo II) in NCR hence the most number of public schools per area. 

I spent my secondary education in one of Manila’s biggest and oldest public high school. We had an average of about 30 sections per year level and an average of 50 students per class. We go to school into three shifts and school starts at 6AM for the flag ceremony while all classes must be finished at 7PM.

Our class was composed of 54 students (I think) and our schedule spanned from 8AM-7PM, on some years it was 6AM-5PM. Most of the teachers were great while our books were really bad. During our time, we seldom read the DepEd (DECS) books so we heavily relied on modules and reviewers made by the teachers that we need to pay. Our class was better off since the top sections had privileges like the use of century-old microscopes, enrol on the “prestigious” elective classes, have the more brilliant teachers and got the chance to attend the prom (other sections were prohibited to attend the prom and other school gatherings).

The school is big but it gets too crowded during school hours. Most PE classes are held on the bleachers, some in the stage and some even on stairs and corridors. Science classrooms were no different than any other rooms - we had no laboratories. Most of the students go to the canteen for lunch; all of the students share two “functional comfort rooms” which I never used; and the school had an empty library most of the time where books were from circa 60’s-70’s. 

In our class, 18 got into UP (i think). Only a handful went to private universities while most of us went to other public universities (PUP, TUP and PLM). For the rest of the school, I don’t think the majority studied through college. All of my neighbors (13) who were also my batchmates are now unemployed, “happily” married” and they are the ones who routinely join Eat Bulaga/Wowowee contests for a living.

There are a lot of problems going on in our education system and some of them are not even a part of the education system itself such as overpopulation and unemployment. The next administration must look at this situation closely and examine how could we improve the education system. I know it will be difficult but its worth the risk. It is not a gamble to invest in education anyway.

This post was inspired by this article HERE.