Opposite Poles

Opposite Poles
Depth of Character
Submitted by voxbikol on Sun, 20/12/2009 - 11:08
Bernadette M. Gavino-Gumba
Sunday, December 20th, 2009

Philippine politics is riddled with fraud, deceit, corruption, bribery, and manipulation. Politicians have been used to capitalizing on the weakness and powerlessness of the poor, and profiting from the silence and poverty of Filipinos. The son and daughter of a dictator mustered the callousness to run for senator and governor. An ousted president has filed his candidacy in a desperate attempt to go back to Malacanang.

Opposite Poles
Back-Scratching
Submitted by voxbikol on Mon, 14/12/2009 - 03:36
Bernadette M. Gavino-Gumba
Monday, December 14th, 2009

Our government leaders have grown up and survived in a culture of scratching each other's backs. Presently led by Gloria Arroyo, this government has inherited a political culture carried down from past administrations. Except the administration of Cory Aquino, I think.

Opposite Poles
Addressing Human Rights Issues on the Ground
Submitted by voxbikol on Tue, 27/10/2009 - 12:14
Bernadette M. Gavino-Gumba
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

I learned about a new mechanism that ensures substantial and sustained involvement of civil society in addressing human rights issues in our country. In a Training Conference on Human Rights of Women in Southeast Asia sponsored by the Swedish International Development Agency, a representative from the United Nations Human Rights Council introduced this mechanism called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

Opposite Poles
A Longing
Submitted by voxbikol on Sat, 05/09/2009 - 16:36
Bernadette M. Gavino-Gumba
Saturday, September 5th, 2009

In the middle of dishonesty, fraud and cheating that plague the present national government, I long for sincerity and truthfulness. Amid extravagance and squandering by government officials from the illegitimate president and her cabinet  to the congressmen and women down to the barangay captains, I long for decency and prudence. In the midst of self-enrichment and wealth accumulation of politicians, I long for simplicity and self-sacrifice.

Opposite Poles
Extravagance Amidst Poverty
Submitted by voxbikol on Mon, 24/08/2009 - 09:12
Bernadette M. Gavino-Gumba
Monday, August 24th, 2009

Both Philippine and American media have reported about the dinner splurges of Gloria Arroyo and her entourage in the July US visit. One dinner was at Le Cirque, a posh French restaurant in Manhattan , New York , where the group had caviar, bottles of champagne and a big meal worth $20,000 or P960,000. Another one was at Bobby Van's Steakhouse in Washington D.C.

Opposite Poles
Beauty Pageants and the Peñafrancia
Submitted by voxbikol on Mon, 13/07/2009 - 19:14
Bernadette M. Gavino-Gumba
Monday, July 13th, 2009
Flaunting their bodies and flesh on stage under the glare of spotlights  in front of a crowd of strangers, is probably one of the shallowest aspirations that women could ever have. Beauty pageants, as universally accepted as they are, do nothing but insinuate that women's primary goal in life is to make themselves beautiful, sexy and attractive - with voluptuous body, large breasts and hips, small waist, long and shapely legs, smooth skin, shiny hair, white perfect teeth - so that when the day of judgement comes, they will be pronounced the most beautiful of all. Pageants promote the petty, small-minded belief that women should beat other fellow women in their physical looks, and therefore perceive fellow women not as allies for a greater cause but as competitors of their temporal youth and beauty. Women should get the attention of the judges, most of whom are men, and some women who believe the same way.
Opposite Poles
The Economics of Con-Ass
Submitted by voxbikol on Sat, 27/06/2009 - 13:25
Bernadette M. Gavino-Gumba
Saturday, June 27th, 2009

The passage of House Resolution 1109 gave the 14th Congress of the Philippines the authority to convene a constituent assembly and solely by itself amend our constitution.

Opposite Poles
Poverty and Population in Masbate
Submitted by voxbikol on Sat, 30/05/2009 - 15:13
Bernadette M. Gavino-Gumba
Saturday, May 30th, 2009

In my column this week, allow me to present some data from a study I made on the relation of poverty and population in Masbate.

Opposite Poles
Magna Carta for Women
Submitted by voxbikol on Mon, 20/04/2009 - 15:40
Bernadette M. Gavino-Gumba
Monday, April 20th, 2009

Many Filipino women may not be aware of an impending bill in the Philippine legislature entitled, "Magna Carta of Women." The first version of the bill, initially called "Magna Carta for Women," was filed during the 13th Congress with Rep. Josefina Joson as principal author. The bill was enhanced through the concerted efforts of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), the House Committee on Women, in consultation with Fr.

Opposite Poles
Tied up with America’s demise
Submitted by voxbikol on Mon, 02/03/2009 - 12:00
Bernadette M. Gavino-Gumba
Monday, March 2nd, 2009

Several years ago, the Philippine government arbitrarily signed up and consigned our economy to free unregulated trade through the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) and membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Despite protests from various sectors, our legislators gave in to the pressures of globalization. First, we were compelled by our distorted sense of loyalty and dependence on US coupled with our serious lack of patriotism.

Syndicate content
Facial Plus