METROPOST DOMINIQUE GERALD M. CIMAFRANCA


VILLAGE IDIOT SAVANT


villageidiotsavant@hotmail.com


has, for me at least, remain largely unchanged. Outside of the house, it’s one of the rare times I can go maskless. I have to be grateful that, in this regard, I’m luckier than most. For one thing, I live in a small gated community where the occupancy rate isn’t very high. There aren’t too many people to encounter on the road, and if there are, we can give each other wide berths even while we nod our good mornings. For another, our village


I


rules are somewhat lax. Because of our size, we’ve managed to operate by some common understanding of the new hygiene. Compare this, say, to my mother-in- law’s subdivision, which is a bit more strict and mandates


n this long year of the pandemic, early morning walks are a pleasure that


mask-wearing at all times outside the house.


panic first set in, I think we’ve come to an understanding of how it works and correspondingly how to live with it. It doesn’t carry very far outdoors, so it’s possible to relax a little. Outside our village, though, I would wear


a mask even if outdoors, if only as a matter of etiquette and as a precaution against my own absent-mindedness.


Coming to a year since virus


concerns, yes, but we mostly took it in stride.


Morning walks


We have had two infections in our subdivision that I know of, both over the Christmas season. One was an entire family, and the other was only one out of their household. Unlike the reaction it would have garnered last year, it didn’t result in widespread panic. Some whispered


JG UMBAC THE WAY IT IS bjplug@gmail.com T


ransparent bags are the trend now. Some of them are really attractive, and there are enough styles to choose from to complement just about any outfit.


have really heard the word too many times.


bags used? If used like any other bag, they would reveal personal items that you wouldn’t otherwise want people to readily see. Some would suggest the use


But how are transparent


of a small purse to put intimate items in, before they are placed inside the transparent bag. Some women may prefer to carry with them extra lingerie, especially when spending the night with a friend, and those items, if seen, could be too revealing, and might as well be a loud announcement of where they’ll be going.


interesting, but only as novelty items, attractive for their uniqueness, and as a topic of conversation. T he


other day, I wanted to


I find transparent bags


to see the day when the words “transparency” and “transparent” would no longer be mentioned on radio and TV when government is the topic. For the people, those words are aspirations; for politicians, a cheap promise; for all, an unrealized goal. How much longer should


we wait before they become forgotten words in the Philippine political context? There might vaguely be a time, or maybe never.


is difficult to determine if someone is being transparent or not. This could be an especially gray area if we added a government office in the mix. But the issue with transparency, or the lack of it, in government is really easy to see.


Take for instance if a


buy one because I thought it’d be funny to intentionally carry it around with a piece of underwear and a lumpia inside, or maybe a few boiled eggs, something that could lighten the mood even for just a second. It would surely turn heads. I still might buy that bag.


That’s about as far as I would give transparent bags my attention. They’re just a curiosity item, nothing more. However, talking about


things transparent could be an important and serious business. The word hasn’t escaped the attention of the most apolitical of us.


person wanted a driver’s license. He would simply go to the Land Transportation Office to apply for one. As long as the person meets all the requirements, from taking a driving class and earning a certificate, to getting a health certificate, and after shelling out an exorbitant amount of money, why, he’d get his license in no time. Sounds simple? Well, yeah, if you do not pay too much attention.


A few days ago, I was talking to a woman who people say talks only about her plants. From way out in the left field, she said she’s been hearing the word “transparent” on radio and television more often than she cares. She didn’t elaborate more but that stuck with me because it was totally out of character for her to say that—for an avid urban gardener to say. She could have loosed her tongue about her seedlings, but she chose that.


She must have really been listening to news involving government officials, for where else do the words “transparent” and “transparency” take on such importance but in conversations about the government? After she said that, she went right back to her topic on plants. Boy, she must


required driving school. There’s one close to the LTO office, and that’s the only one whose training certificate they accept. Before anything else, it’ll


First, let’s talk about the For some, maybe it We’d be hard-pressed


will set you back another P7,000. Upon completion of the Driving Lesson, then you may pay for the Practical Driving Course, and therefore, get your certificate. In al l ,


this before you can even go apply for the license itself: Seminar + Practical Driving Course (whatever restriction you apply for) + Driving Lesson (if you fail the practicals). You could spend close to P20,000 for that license or up to P22,000 if you went for restriction code 3. What are the chances, do you think, they would fail a student for the Driving Lesson fee?


it looks l ike The fleecing of motorists


If you think these prices are too steep, you’re simply out of luck because you can’t shop around for a cheaper course. This training center has a monopoly for now, it seems to me. The LTO says


it’s the only accredited driving


Dumaguete. Hard to believe they won’t even accept a government-recognized TESDA certificate. I believe this situation is a major contributing factor why there are so many unlicensed drivers in Dumaguete City. When it costs less to acquire a motorcycle than to get a driver’s license, do you really think unlicensed drivers, struggling to make ends meet, would be encouraged to get one? This LTO-accredited


school in


cost a new driver P4,500 to attend a 15-hour Seminar for Theoretical Driving Course.


driving school does not even have a driving course or circuit where they can train new drivers, and show them the mechanics of driving.


After that seminar, you’ll be going to the Practical Driving Course where you will actually be graded on your driving skills. The PDC is actually for the certificate which will cost you P6,500 for a motorcycle (restriction code 1); P8,500.00 for a car (restriction code 2); and P10,500.00 for a truck (restriction code 3). In the unfortunate event that you fail, you won’t have to pay for the certificate yet, pending your attendance of what they call a Driving Lesson (non- LTO transaction) which


of their seminars nor their practical course, but judging from my conversation with one of their instructors, there wouldn’t be much to learn there.


I haven’t been to one


It helped with my anxiety that I had some backstory on the vector of the virus. The one person probably caught it at a dinner at her boss’s house; the family likely caught it from several get-togethers over the holidays. Indoor mass gatherings, basically. The neighbors have since recovered after some time in a quarantine facility, so that’s another reassurance. The first batch of vaccines have already arrived in the city, but seeing as how they’re reserved for frontliners -- rightly so! -- it looks like this is how we’re going to carry on for the foreseeable future. Small precautions, reasonable risks, live without the constant worry, and take what pleasures we can. Like morning walks.


MARCH 14 -MARCH 20, 2021 OPINION 5 MARISSA NGAN-DAMES


FOOD FOR THOUGHT


MAKATI CITY -- People often say the “dark side of the moon” when referring to the lunar face we can’t see from earth. In short, the dark side of the moon is the half not illuminated by the sun, and that dark patch is constantly creeping around the world, just as it happens on Earth. It was not until 1968 that the


far side was first seen directly by human eyes, on the Apollo 8 mission and astronaut Jim Lovell recounts what it was like to experience this piece of history: “We entered lunar orbit on the dark side, and the Moon, nowhere to be seen. As we continued to orbit, shards of sunlight started to illuminate the peaks of craters just 60 miles below. Finally, the far side was bathed in sunlight and we stared


in silence as the ancient far side craters slowly passed underneath. I was observing alive that part of the Moon that had been hidden from man for millions of years.” Similarly, there is a dark


side to humanity where we see only see glimpses of light. That dark insidious side is violence against women also known as intimate partner abuse. The World Health Organization has reported that domestic violence, particularly against women, had escalated during the pandemic.


tends to increase in any emergency, including epidemics. Stress, disruption of social and protective networks, increased economic hardship and decreased access to services can exacerbate the risk of women suffering violence.”


“Violence against women


Philippine scenario A study commissioned by the UN Fund for Population Activities approximates that intimate partner violence will increase by 16 percent in the country. By the end of the year, there will be an estimated 839,000 women who are married or who has been married at least once in their lives who would experience Gender-Based Violence during this pandemic. It is our moral responsibility to elevate the plight and needs of GBV survivors even as we talk about the perils and risks of COVID19. We have growing evidence however that we may be failing individuals most at risk of GBV during this pandemic.


UNFPA’s State of World


Population Report revealed that across the globe, from 2020 to 2030, there could be an additional 13 million girls under 18 who would marry, resulting from the disruption of programs and services, and economic challenges brought by COVID-19. When parents from low-income families are unable to find jobs, the deepening poverty bought by the pandemic can push families to consider marrying off their daughters in the hopes of a better life for their children. We also know that perpetrators and human traffickers are taking advantage of the economic hardships of families.


In the Philippines, where 73 million Filipinos, or some 67 percent of the population, use social media, the internet is a platform for cyber-criminals


MICAH STEFAN DAGAERAG


HONEST ENGAGEMENTS


micahdagaerag@outlook.com H


ongoing “drug war”, seeks to amend Republic 9165, our main law against prohibited drugs. The bill has recently been approved in the House of Representatives, and now awaits deliberation in the Senate, which currently consists of a slight pro- administration majority. A cursory survey of the political landscape would indicate that it is likely this will eventually pass into law. Hence, we must prepare. Forewarned is forearmed, the old saying goes. HB 7814 adds a considerable number of significant presumptions to


ouse Bil l 7814, a measure meant to aid the President’s


be made into law. For now, we will focus on just two that may seem the most familiar: 1) If the authorities happen


really and overcome the legal presumption.


In such cases, your most likely defenses available will only be either a denial or an alibi. Unfortunately, in Philippine jurisprudence, these two defenses are well- known to be the weakest and least credible, since they are also the easiest to concoct. And if you are unable to mount a strong enough legal defense (which usually requires massive litigation costs), you will reasonably be imprisoned based solely on legal presumptions.


result in defamation on the part of the complainant. If a journalist, then,


Under normal circumstances, a denial or an alibi could survive if the prosecution was unable


to find hidden drugs in places you own or control, you will automatically be presumed guilty of the crime of illegal possession of prohibited drugs. 2)


And with the lack of a driving course, their certificate couldn’t be worth much more than the paper it’s printed on. The result? Their certified drivers couldn’t be much better than those who haven’t been through this “driving academy”.


What is not transparent TO PAGE 10


be physically present, for whatever reason, in an area where a certain amount of prohibited drugs meant for distribution was discovered by the authorities, you will be automatically presumed guilty of the crime of drug pushing. In practical terms, someone could just maliciously hide or plant drugs in your home, your office, or even your vehicle, without your knowledge or consent, and you will be automatically deemed guilty of breaking the law. Plus, to add insult to injury, it is now your burden and responsibility to prove just how innocent you


If you happen to


to meet the threshold of proving the offense “without reasonable doubt”. But here the prosecution just needs to prove the facts that trigger the legal presumption (that is, for example, that drugs were found near you) rather than the facts that make up the crime itself (that you actually had the knowledge and the intent to possess illegal drugs). Legal presumptions have always existed in criminal law, but these have been limited only to specific parts or elements of crimes, not to entire crimes itself. In the crime of libel, for example, there are five elements that must be proven for you to be adjudged guilty of the crime. One of those elements is malice. However, since malice is a mental state and cannot be easily proven empirically or physically, a legal presumption is provided by law of malice if the published material should


writes an article about a politician which results in a bad reputation on the part of the politician, malice is presumed on the part of the journalist, and so the journalist has to prove his or her good faith to overcome the legal presumption of malice. But notice in this example: the legal presumption is that of malice, not libel; it is to an element of the crime, not the crime itself. What HB 7814 does is the equivalent of journalists automatically being assumed guilty of libel itself anytime there is defamation as a result of their expository


How you could go to jail for no reason soon


work. Under the bill, if any of the many presumptions therein should apply to you, the police and the prosecution do not need to prove the actual existence of the crime anymore in order to send you to jail for several long years of your life. This is a blatant attack on


marissa.dames@dtcpromos.com.ph


preying on women and young people.” The internet has set the stage for the sexual exploitation of women and children behind closed doors and in front of a webcam. Online sexual harassment continues to rise especially among young women and girls.


It is common for society to sling around or tolerate rape jokes, rape threats, and other sexist remarks that negatively impact women and girls. It is important to note that gender-based online sexual harassment* is punishable by law, under RA 11313, or the Safe Spaces Act.


Many victims are rendered invisible and many times their plights are ignored and their pleas for help and assistance


Shining the light on violence against women


are denied. The Commission on Human Rights has received reports that requests for rescue and assistance from GBV survivors were allegedly dismissed by local duty- bearers.


policy issuances requiring and mandating the continuity of GBV services – medical management of rape, mental health and psycho-social services, legal services, safety planning and case management, safety or security services, and/ or residential shelter.


known as “Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act of 2004”, was signed into law more than a decade ago but the plight of and fight for the rights of


TO PAGE 10 Republic Act 9262, also This despite a series of


each one’s right under the 1987 Constitution to be presumed innocent proven guilty. While no one will argue this as a perfect principle in criminal justice, it is the best that we have, that an innocent person punished undeservedly is a greater evil than a guilty person being able to elude judgment. And lest you think this fate to be too distant to befall upon you, this fantasy offers cold comfort. For if we continue to allow a system and an environment that institutionalizes injustices upon the innocent, such can happen to any one of us. It will only be a matter of time.


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