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Reviews: Cinemalaya Shorts B
‘GOLDEN BELLS’ Kurt Soberano’s Golden Bells is the only entry with superior technical craft. However, it severely alienates the audience by picking a subject matter that not everyone can relate to. Sure, it carries universal themes of familial relationships, hopes, desires and sacrifice, but Golden Bells fails to connect emotionally. It’s a monotonous story about a Filipino-Chinese family running a garments business, with one of the sons as its central character. It is through the son’s lens that we learn his perspective of the family patriarch. Too bottled up in its own world on a very surface level, it is largely unrelatable and feels more like a commercial ad for a business rather than a piece of cinema. (1 out of 5 stars). ‘TONG ADLAW NGA NAG-SNOW SA PINAS’ Joshua Caesar Medroso’s monochromatic Tong Adlaw nga Nag-snow sa Pinas starts off quite well. Set in a remote and impoverished coastal town, two young boys, Makong and Renren, are playing, pretending that it’s snowing by making fake snowflakes out of styrofoam boxes. The styro-snow looks great in black-and -white and Medroso manages to evoke nostalgic imagery of a pre-Internet childhood. But underneath the innocent play lies a violent subtext: child abuse cushioned by a melodramatic portrait of compassion and friendship. The short abruptly ends, and it feels as if Medroso’s other video clips got mistakenly deleted and he has no choice but to finally put the end credits and submit his film. (1 out of 5 stars) [caption id="attachment_170059" align="aligncenter" width="656"] Ang Kining Binalaybay Kag Ambahanon ko para sa Imo[/caption] ‘ANG KINING BINALAYBAY KAG AMBAHANON KO PARA SA IMO’ Kent John Desamparado’s family drama is heartbreaking and appeals to the special bond between a grandfather and a granddaughter. It follows a poor, ailing fisherman, who, no longer able to take care of his young granddaughter, painfully decides to give her away to other relatives. The filmmaker takes the viewer along on their journey to inevitable doom. Desamparado manages to capture the nuances of a very loving relationship between the grandpa and the little girl. It breaks the heart, and also becomes a light commentary on the realities of poverty. However, it’s still rough around the edges and the finale is too weak. (2.5 out of 5 stars). ‘MAKOKO SA BAYBAY’ This is so forgettable I honestly could not recall the details of the short. I could vaguely recall a very strong sunset color palette, sea monsters and mothers and little kids longing for their mothers. If something like this vanishes from your mind soon after you’ve left the cinema, then you get my point. (0 out of 5 stars). [caption id="attachment_170060" align="aligncenter" width="600"] ‘Maudi Nga Arapaap’[/caption] ‘MAUDI NGA ARAPAAP’ Daniel Magayon’s psychological horror short is funnier than scary, amusing rather than disturbing. It follows a graveyard-shift female nurse with experiences of traumatic child abuse by her mother, who has recently died. The scenes of a child being abused by the very person that should nurture her is heartbreaking. But the occasional appearance of a demon-like creature related to a plant is funny and fails to evoke sinister vibes. Magayon, however, still manages to send a clear message about the fragile relationship between a mother and daughter, as well as the long-term effects of child abuse. The literal monster element is wholly unessential, offering nothing sinister or metaphorical, ultimately causing the short’s downfall. (2 out of 5 stars) The post Reviews: Cinemalaya Shorts B appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cinemalaya Shorts B
‘GOLDEN BELLS’ Kurt Soberano’s Golden Bells is the only entry with superior technical craft. However, it severely alienates the audience by picking a subject matter that not everyone can relate to. Sure, it carries universal themes of familial relationships, hopes, desires and sacrifice, but Golden Bells fails to connect emotionally. It’s a monotonous story about a Filipino-Chinese family running a garments business, with one of the sons as its central character. It is through the son’s lens that we learn his perspective of the family patriarch. Too bottled up in its own world on a very surface level, it is largely unrelatable and feels more like a commercial ad for a business rather than a piece of cinema. (1 out of 5 stars). ‘TONG ADLAW NGA NAG-SNOW SA PINAS’ Joshua Caesar Medroso’s monochromatic Tong Adlaw nga Nag-snow sa Pinas starts off quite well. Set in a remote and impoverished coastal town, two young boys, Makong and Renren, are playing, pretending that it’s snowing by making fake snowflakes out of styrofoam boxes. The styro-snow looks great in black-and -white and Medroso manages to evoke nostalgic imagery of a post-Internet childhood. But underneath the innocent play lies a violent subtext: child abuse cushioned by a melodramatic portrait of compassion and friendship. The short abruptly ends, and it feels as if Medroso’s other video clips got mistakenly deleted and he has no choice but to finally put the end credits and submit his film. (1 out of 5 stars) [caption id="attachment_170059" align="aligncenter" width="656"] Ang Kining Binalaybay Kag Ambahanon ko para sa Imo[/caption] ‘ANG KINING BINALAYBAY KAG AMBAHANON KO PARA SA IMO’ Kent John Desamparado’s family drama is heartbreaking and appeals to the special bond between a grandfather and a granddaughter. It follows a poor, ailing fisherman, who, no longer able to take care of his young granddaughter, painfully decides to give her away to other relatives. The filmmaker takes the viewer along on their journey to inevitable doom. Desamparado manages to capture the nuances of a very loving relationship between the grandpa and the little girl. It breaks the heart, and also becomes a light commentary on the realities of poverty. However, it’s still rough around the edges and the finale is too weak. (2.5 out of 5 stars). ‘MAKOKO SA BAYBAY’ This is so forgettable I honestly could not recall the details of the short. I could vaguely recall a very strong sunset color palette, sea monsters and mothers and little kids longing for their mothers. If something like this vanishes from your mind soon after you’ve left the cinema, then you get my point. (0 out of 5 stars). [caption id="attachment_170060" align="aligncenter" width="600"] ‘Maudi Nga Arapaap’[/caption] ‘MAUDI NGA ARAPAAP’ Daniel Magayon’s psychological horror short is funnier than scary, amusing rather than disturbing. It follows a graveyard-shift female nurse with experiences of traumatic child abuse by her mother, who has recently died. The scenes of a child being abused by the very person that should nurture her is heartbreaking. But the occasional appearance of a demon-like creature related to a plant is funny and fails to evoke sinister vibes. Magayon, however, still manages to send a clear message about the fragile relationship between a mother and daughter, as well as the long-term effects of child abuse. The literal monster element is wholly unessential, offering nothing sinister or metaphorical, ultimately causing the short’s downfall. (2 out of 5 stars) The post Cinemalaya Shorts B appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Kuya Bong appeals for Covid-19 allowance release
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go has called upon the Department of Health and the Department of Budget and Management to expedite the release of Covid-19 allowances for healthcare workers who have been at the forefront of the battle against the ongoing pandemic and other health threats. Recognizing the dedication and sacrifices of healthcare workers, Senator Go, chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said in an interview after his visit to Quezon City on Monday the urgent need to provide them with their well-deserved benefits in accordance with the law. Go also underscored that even if the State of Public Health Emergency due to Covid-19 is eventually lifted, the government must ensure that allowances due to healthcare workers are provided to them since the budget has been allocated in this year’s appropriations. To recall, former President Rodrigo Duterte announced on 8 March 2020, a state of public health emergency in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. The declaration requires mandatory reporting, quarantine measures and disease control prevention efforts. According to DoH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expressed his intention to lift the state of public health emergency related to Covid-19. Herbosa said they are awaiting a formal order regarding this decision. GM If the declaration is revoked, it will also mean the discontinuation of the special allowance provided to healthcare workers who are taking care of Covid-19 patients. Go, for his part, expressed reservations on the lifting of the state of public emergency since the threat of Covid-19 still exists. He, however, stated that he leaves it to the health officials and experts to determine the best way forward towards pandemic recovery. Meanwhile, Go maintained his plans to champion another round of salary increase for government workers. With a deep understanding of the invaluable contributions made by public servants across various sectors, the lawmaker believes it is imperative to continuously improve their working conditions and ensure fair compensation. The post Kuya Bong appeals for Covid-19 allowance release appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
$1.5 bn pledged to curb Sudan’s slide into ‘death and destruction’: UN
Donors at a UN conference on Monday pledged close to $1.5 billion to combat the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and help its neighbours host refugees fleeing the fighting. Sudan is descending into death and destruction at an unprecedented speed, UN chief Antonio Guterres said as he urged donors to step in and curb the unfolding catastrophe. The conference comes midway through a three-day ceasefire which appeared to have brought calm to the capital Khartoum, after the failure of earlier truces to ensure secure aid corridors. "Today, donors have announced close to $1.5 billion for the humanitarian response to Sudan and the region," the UN's humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said, closing the hybrid pledging conference hosted in Geneva. "This crisis will require sustained financial support and I hope that we can all keep Sudan at the top of our priorities." UN refugees chief Filippo Grandi added: "It is very important that now these contributions be clearly allocated and disbursed as quickly as possible because we're really short of funds in this particular emergency." More than two months into the fighting, the United Nations is worried that the crisis could spill over and destabilise neighbouring African states. "The scale and speed of Sudan's descent into death and destruction is unprecedented," UN Secretary-General Guterres told the conference. "Without strong international support, Sudan could quickly become a locus of lawlessness, radiating insecurity across the region." Since April 15, the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, after the two fell out in a power struggle. The death toll has topped 2,000, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project said. Hundreds of kilometres west of Khartoum, up to 1,100 have been killed in the West Darfur state capital El Geneina alone, according to the US State Department, blaming "primarily" the RSF. "The situation in Darfur and Khartoum is catastrophic," Guterres said. A record 25 million people -- more than half of Sudan's population -- are in need of aid, according to the UN. Roughly 2.5 million people have been uprooted across Sudan by the war, which has forced around 550,000 to seek refuge in neighbouring countries, according to UN figures. Around $3 billion needed While Griffiths highlighted donors' generosity, the amount pledged Monday was less than half of what humanitarians have said is needed this year to respond to the dire needs. The UN has two appeals for tackling the crisis -- the humanitarian response within Sudan, which needs $2.6 billion this year, and the regional refugee response, which needs $470 million. Both were less than 17 per cent funded going into Monday's conference. Qatar's prime minister told the conference there was "no military solution" to the conflict, as he pledged $50 million. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani urged the warring parties to "put the aspirations of the Sudanese people in the forefront". Germany doubled its existing donation to 200 million euros ($218 million), while the European Union pledged 190 million euros in humanitarian and development assistance. Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said the conflict risks a humanitarian crisis that could spill over the borders. He said the security and stability of Sudan "is our own stability and security". Relative calm in Khartoum UN human rights chief Volker Turk called the Sudan crisis a "powder keg" and a "reckless, senseless conflict taking place in a context of total impunity", with "utter indifference for human life and dignity" at its heart. The temporary ceasefire was a chance to end the "sea of suffering", he told the UN Human Rights Council. Several Khartoum residents told AFP they heard no air strikes, artillery or another fighting on Monday, a rare respite for the war-weary, suffering shortages of medical care, electricity, water and other essentials. The UN, African Union and East African regional bloc IGAD, in a joint statement ahead of the donors' meeting, expressed particular concern about "the rapidly deteriorating situation in Darfur". They said the conflict had "taken on an ethnic dimension, resulting in targeted attacks based on people's identities and subsequent displacement of communities". With their 72-hour ceasefire both the RSF and army "agreed to allow the unimpeded movement and delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout the country", US and Saudi mediators said on Saturday. The post $1.5 bn pledged to curb Sudan’s slide into ‘death and destruction’: UN appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Acquiescence results in loss of confidence
If an anomaly was committed in a company, can the supervisor who knew about it even though she did not participate in it be punished for indifference? Can this cost her job? After all, she did not commit the act himself. Let us see how the Supreme Court decided the fate of Ruby del Rosario in Ruby del Rosario v. CW Marketing & Development Corp. et al. (GR 211105 promulgated on 20 February 2019). Ruby was the sales supervisor of CW Marketing at its Home Depot, Balintawak branch. As such, she was assigned a computer connected to a printer/scanner. She alone was taught by CW’s IT department how to operate the machine. In October 2010, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp. reported to CW Marketing that it had received falsified pay slips and identification cards from CW employees applying to HSBC for credit cards. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the bogus documents were printed out of Ruby’s computer using the scanner/printer assigned to her. She was sent a notice to explain. She admitted to knowing the falsified documents submitted by her subordinates but denied participation in it. She said they had merely used her computer. After the administrative hearing, Ruby was terminated for violation of the Employee Handbook. She immediately filed for illegal termination with the National Labor Relations Commission or NLRC. In his decision, the Labor Arbiter found CW Marketing guilty of illegally terminating Ruby. He opined that CW Marketing failed to prove that Ruby committed the falsification of the documents. On appeal, the NLRC reversed the Labor Arbiter. It found that CW Marketing properly terminated Ruby for loss of trust and confidence. When the matter was brought to the Court of Appeals, said court sustained the valid termination on the ground cited by the NLRC. Thus, Ruby had no recourse but to go to the Supreme Court. The High Court ruled: “We are hard-pressed to reverse the NLRC’s and the CA’s uniform factual findings that as sales supervisor, Del Rosario held a fiduciary position. The NLRC’s finding was supported by substantial evidence, or such evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion. We have previously ruled that in the case of supervisors or personnel occupying positions of responsibility, loss of trust justifies termination. Loss of confidence as a just cause for termination of employment is premised on the fact that an employee concerned holds a position of trust and confidence. “Specifically in this instance, Del Rosario was entrusted with the custody, handling, or care and protection of the employer’s property. In fact, she was assigned the lone computer at the Home Depot branch, which was connected to the printer/scanner, and as a result, she was the only user taught by the company’s IT personnel how to operate the machine. “In this case, Del Rosario herself unwittingly provided proof of her infractions. At the outset and repeatedly thereafter, Del Rosario admitted to the assignment to her of the main computer connected to a shared network and a printer/scanner which became her accountability. She then admitted knowledge and awareness of others’ usage of her computer; the edited and falsified documents authored by her subordinates through the same computer; and even their submission of these falsified documents to HSBC in connection with their credit card applications. “Del Rosario attempted to extricate herself from liability by insisting that she never falsified any of the questioned documents and only her subordinates who used her computer effected the falsification thereof. Unfortunately for Del Rosario, the charge against her is not the criminal act of falsification but the totality of her acts as supervisor, including her negligence and want of care for company property entrusted to her. “Clearly, while the actions of Del Rosario do not point to her direct participation in the fraudulent scheme, which negatively bore on CW Marketing’s reputation and credit standing with banks, in general, and HSBC, in particular, her actions evinced that she knew fully well that some of her subordinates were falsifying documents using company property. “From this point on, Del Rosario deliberately kept silent over her subordinates’ actions resulting in damage to CW Marketing. Moreover, her awareness of the identities of the culprits and her insistence that she did not herself falsify the documents demonstrate her sheer apathy to CW Marketing not worthy of her position as sales supervisor.” The facts and citation are from the case above cited. The post Acquiescence results in loss of confidence appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Revisiting successional rights of the adoptee
Historically, common law succession was based on blood relationships. When the adoption of children was eventually permitted and recognized by statutes, foreign jurisdictions, the progenitor of our adoption laws, traditionally leaned towards consanguinity as the foundation of inheritance laws. This legal viewpoint engendered the stranger-to-the-adoption doctrine based on the theory that the personal relationship created between the adoptive parents and the child did not automatically create the same legal status between the child and the relatives of the adoptive parents. The doctrine shaped the presumption that the adoptee is excluded from a class gift of a donor other than the adopter (Gerald L. Greene & Michael J. Schmitt, Note, The Dilemma of Adoptees in the Class Gift Structure-The Kentucky Approach). While the modern trend in adoption eventually created in foreign jurisdictions exceptions to the stranger-to-the-adoption doctrine, Philippine laws and jurisprudence straggled. R.A. 11642 or the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act could be the great leap forward in our adoption laws; or is it? Section 43 of R.A. 11642 or the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act states that in testate and intestate succession, the adopters and the adoptee shall have reciprocal rights of succession without distinction from legitimate filiations. Remarkably, it is a clear-cut reiteration of Section 18 of the old Domestic Adoption Law (R.A. 8552), but if we follow existing jurisprudence, it would seem that the limited intestate successional right of the adoptee persists. For example, in the case of Sayson vs. Court of Appeals (G.R. 89224-25, 23 January 1992) the Supreme Court, applying the rule of exclusivity, held that the while the adopted child shall be deemed to be a legitimate child and has the same right, it does not include the right of representation because the relationship created by the adoption is between only the adopting parents and the adopted child, and does not extend to the blood relatives of either party. What markedly differentiates our current rule on adoption, however, when compared to the legal milieu upon which the cited jurisprudence was rendered is Section Section 41 of the new Adoption Law. The law expanded the legitimate filiation between the adopter and the adoptee to the adopter’s parents, legitimate siblings, and legitimate descendants. Looking closely at the raison d’ etre of the Sayson decision, the adopted child was denied the right of representation because of the archaic rule that the “relationship created by the adoption is between only the adopting parents and the adopted child and does not extend to the blood relatives of either party.” With the inclusion of Section 41 in R.A. 11642 extending the legitimate filiation created between the adopter and the adoptee to the adopter’s parents, legitimate siblings, and legitimate descendants, the right of the adopted child in intestate succession should accordingly be improved in his/her favor, and in the words of the law, “without distinction from legitimate filiation.” What seems to stand in the way, though, is the qualifying term “reciprocal” in the right of succession between the adopter and the adoptee. Ordinarily understood, reciprocal means mutual or requited. It suggests that the adoptee can inherit from the adopter, and vice versa. But should it also mean exclusive, as to exclude the right of the adoptee to inherit from the adopter’s parents, legitimate siblings, and legitimate descendants, especially when the law itself already explicitly extended the legitimate filiation to these adoptive relatives? Exclusivity connotes limitation and restriction but it is not synonymous with reciprocity, and therefore, they should not be used interchangeably. Following this reasoning, and complementing Section 41 of the new adoption law, the adopted child should now be permitted to inherit ab intestato from the adopter’s parents, legitimate siblings, and legitimate descendants. The post Revisiting successional rights of the adoptee appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Stench of death engulfs Sudan hospitals, but leaving is mortal danger
Ibrahim Mohamed turned in his hospital bed to find the patient next to him had died, but fighting that had erupted in Sudan's capital hours earlier meant the body could not be moved. Battles since 15 April between the forces of two rival generals have turned Khartoum into a war zone, shuttering hospitals and preventing health professionals from providing care. By the time Mohamed, a 25-year-old leukemia patient, was finally evacuated from the Khartoum Teaching Hospital on Tuesday, the body was still there. "Because of the intense fighting, the person could not be moved and buried," Mohamed's father, Mohamed Ibrahim, 62, told AFP. Attiya Abdullah, general secretary of the Sudanese doctors' union, said the same was happening in other hospitals. "Decomposing dead bodies are kept in wards" for lack of anywhere else to put them, he told AFP. With explosions, heavy gunfire and air strikes that have killed hundreds in the capital and in other parts of the country, "morgues are packed and the streets are littered with bodies," Abdullah said. According to him, urban warfare between forces loyal to Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the commander of the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has triggered a "complete and total collapse of the healthcare system". As Ibrahim waited with his son in the hospital ward under ceaseless blasts, "the stench filled the room", the father said, made worse by power outages in the baking heat. "We could either stay in the pungent room, or go outside and be met with gunfire." At around 1:00 pm on Tuesday, after three days with no food, water or electricity, the father and son finally left, but not to safety. "The hospital was being shelled," Ibrahim recounted. According to the doctors' union, 13 hospitals nationwide have been shelled and 19 others evacuated since fighting began. At least eight people have died in attacks on health facilities, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). "The RSF and the army were fighting right outside the hospital," Ibrahim said, adding that some of those evacuating were hit by gunfire themselves. When the bombs start falling near hospital premises, doctors face a grim choice. "We find ourselves forced to let patients leave," Abdullah said. "If they stay, they would be killed." Ibrahim managed to shield his sick son from the crossfire, but "had to go on foot" through the streets, dashing from one safe point to another. It took them five hours to get home "safely, but my son's health has deteriorated since", the father said. With nearly three-quarters of hospitals shuttered and "operational hospitals only providing emergency services", according to Abdullah, there was nowhere else Mohamed could go. "I just want all of this to stop so I can take my son to be treated," his father said. According to Abdullah, even hospitals that have remained open, receiving mostly gunshot wounds, "are at risk of closure at any time". "They don't have enough surgical equipment, not enough fuel to run generators, not enough ambulances or blood." The WHO said 413 people had been killed and 3,551 wounded in the fighting across Sudan, but the actual death toll is thought to be far higher, with doctors and humanitarian staff unable to reach those in need. "Some hospitals have had the same team working" for eight days straight, Abdullah told AFP. "Some have only one surgeon. All are extremely exhausted." Medics have made daily appeals for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian access to move through, transport the wounded and bury the dead. But brief lulls in the fighting in Khartoum have repeatedly given way to the crackle of gunfire, cutting through the momentary silence, and no truce has taken hold. As civilians rallied on social media to find any sources of medication for chronically ill relatives, UNICEF has warned power cuts and fuel shortages were putting at risk the cold storage of more than $40 million worth of vaccines and insulin. On Friday, as a third ceasefire collapsed, the doctors' union shared advice on Facebook on how to handle, shroud and bury decomposing bodies. The post Stench of death engulfs Sudan hospitals, but leaving is mortal danger appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US Justice Department taking abortion pill fight to Supreme Court
The US Justice Department said Thursday that it will go to the Supreme Court to appeal restrictions imposed on a widely-used abortion pill in the latest round of a fierce battle over reproductive rights. The decision by President Joe Biden's administration came just hours after an appeals court rejected moves to ban mifepristone outright, but imposed a series of measures restricting access to the pill. As the Justice Department prepared an emergency filing with the nation's highest court, the White House slammed a Florida bill that would ban abortion in the third most populous state after six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the bill passed on Thursday by the Republican-controlled legislature in Florida was "extreme and dangerous" and "flies in the face of fundamental freedoms." More than a dozen US states have passed laws severely restricting abortion since the conservative-dominated Supreme Court last year overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that had enshrined the constitutional right to abortion for half a century. Mifepristone, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000 and accounts for more than half the abortions in the United States, has become the centerpiece of the country's latest clash over women's reproductive freedom. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department will seek "emergency relief from the Supreme Court to defend the FDA's scientific judgment and protect Americans' access to safe and effective reproductive care." Speaking to reporters during Biden's visit to Dublin, Ireland, Jean-Pierre said "we believe that the law is on our side, and we will prevail." Late Wednesday, the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals said mifepristone, also known as RU 486, should remain available pending a full hearing of the case, but limited access to the first seven weeks of pregnancy, down from 10. The appeals court also said in-person visits would be necessary to obtain the pill -- a requirement lifted in recent years -- and blocked the medication from being sent by mail. The 2-1 ruling by the conservative-majority appeals court in New Orleans, Louisiana, came after a US District Court judge in Texas overturned the FDA's two-decades-old approval of the drug last Friday. 'Furious' The appeals court said anti-abortion opponents had waited too long to challenge the drug's approval by the FDA but gave them a victory of sorts by imposing restrictions on its use, a move denounced by groups seeking to maintain access to abortion. "We are furious that yet another court would choose to jeopardize the health and futures of the millions of people who rely on mifepristone for abortion care," said Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson. Jennifer Dalven, director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, said "unless the Supreme Court steps in, this decision will prevent many people from getting abortion care and force them to remain pregnant against their will." The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony described the appeals court ruling by two judges appointed by former Republican president Donald Trump as a "win." "The court recognized that the abortion pill is dangerous and rolled back Biden's reckless mail-order abortion scheme," said Susan B. Anthony state policy director Katie Daniel. Mifepristone is one component of a two-drug regimen that can be used in the United States through the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. It has a long safety record, and the FDA estimates 5.6 million Americans have used it to terminate pregnancies since it was approved. 'Unborn human' Last week's ruling by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, also a Trump appointee, seeking to impose a nationwide ban on mifepristone came in response to a suit by a coalition of anti-abortion groups. The judge, in his decision, adopted language used by abortion opponents, saying the drug was used to "kill the unborn human." Kacsmaryk said the two-drug regimen that includes mifepristone had resulted in "thousands of adverse events suffered by women and girls," including intense bleeding and psychological trauma. But the FDA, researchers, and the drugmaker say decades of experience have proven the medication to be safe and effective when used as indicated. The Biden administration and leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies also argued that Kacsmaryk's ruling risked undermining the entire drug approval authority of the FDA. "If this decision stands, no medication -- from chemotherapy drugs to asthma medicine, to blood pressure pills, to insulin -- would be safe from attacks," said Vice President Kamala Harris. Polls repeatedly show a clear majority of Americans support continued access to safe abortion, even as conservative groups push to limit access to the procedure -- or ban it outright. The post US Justice Department taking abortion pill fight to Supreme Court appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Chito Miranda appeals for financial help for Parokya ni Edgar bandmate with lymphoma
Chito Miranda reached out to the public and asked for help for his Parokya ni Edgar bandmate Gab Chee Kee, who has been diagnosed with lymphoma (cancer affecting the lymphatic system) and is currently in the intensive care unit due to complications. The Parokya ni Edgar frontman disclosed Chee Kee’s condition through an Instagram post […] The post Chito Miranda appeals for financial help for Parokya ni Edgar bandmate with lymphoma appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
[STANDPOINT] Duterte Administration: Solve the Life-threatening Situation of Hospital Workers
As hospitals are overwhelmed, so are frontline health workers who take care of patients. SHAPE-UP Defeat Covid-19 urges the Duterte administration to immediately solve the life-threatening situation of hospital workers and appeals to hospital directors to report the real situation and be one with the hospital workers......»»
Babies have rights
#ASKGOYO Atty. Gregorio Larrazabal Quoted below is the statement of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines: “The tragic death of 3-month-old Baby River highlights the need to do MORE, BETTER, FASTER in the justice sector quoted below is the statement of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines: “Baby River was born at the Fabella Medical Center on July 1, 2020. Her mother, urban poor organizer Reina Mae Nasino, 23 years old, is a detainee at the Manila City Jail Female Dormitory who was arrested on November 5, 2019 at the Tondo office of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. The police raids that resulted in the arrests of over 60 activists in Metro Manila and Bacolod were by virtue of various warrants issued by the RTC Branch 89 in Quezon City. Reina Mae and two others were charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives, a non-bailable offense. “Despite questions raised against the validity of the raids and arrests as well as petitions for the release of Reina Mae on health and humanitarian grounds or for continued breast-feeding, the frail and underweight Baby River was separated from her mother barely a month after birth. “The case went through RTC Manila Branch 20, the Supreme Court, back to RTC Branch 20, then RTC branch 42 and RTC Branch 37, and the Court of Appeals, until Baby River died on Oct. 12, 2020. “Manila RTC Branch 47 finally allowed Reina Mae furlough – this time to visit her dead daughter. Despite many fully armed BJMP escorts, police and military personnel monitoring and accompanying Reina Mae, she remained hand-cuffed while at the wake. “The heartbreaking and brief life-story of Baby River compel us to raise these questions: “1. Why can’t our justice system safeguard the needs and rights of an innocent child to breastfeeding and a better chance to survive? “2. Why don’t our jails have adequate facilities to address the needs and rights of children and women detainees duly recognized by domestic and international law? “3. Why does it take so long to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights? “4. Isn’t there double standard when “bigger” detainees are allowed similar or even greater privileges? “5. Can we not have justice with compassion? “Let our concern, dismay, or rage and the tears that we may shed for Baby River Nasino fuel our collective determination and action to improve our justice system. Let not our innocent children fall under the cracks. Babies have rights and we have duties to nurture them. Let our humanity rise above our personal comforts or the privileges of power.” DOMINGO EGON CAYOSA National President & Chairman of the Board of Governors *** We can talk about the law legal processes, and I’m sure many will. But at the crux of all this should be:“What is it to be human?” Have we sunk so low that we’ve lost our humanity? Have we forgotten what it is that separates us from animals? Have we been numb to peoples’ suffering and death? Have we been stripped of our sense of morality and compassion that we have lost our appreciation of what is right and wrong? People have discussed the trampled rights of the mother of the infant. But what about the rights of the baby? Stripping the legalese of the tragedy, we have to ask: What about the basic needs of the baby, as emphasized by the statement of the IBP? There is no justification to being deprived of the love and care his mother, and the warmth of her embrace. The soothing voice to say she’s going to get better, and she’s loved… Have we regressed to a point that we’ve been stripped of our empathy? More than the legality of this. After the furor will have died down, and it surely will, I think we have to ask ourselves, “Where are we now?” How low have we sunk and how to we get back up and regain some sense of decency? My heart broke when I saw pictures of Reina Mae Nasino covered in PPE, in handcuffs, unable to even hug her dead baby one last time. I still cannot understand the inhumanity towards not only the mother, but the baby, who had done no one wrong, yet was treated with so much hate, disrespect, contempt, and derision for her to be born in this world, yet stripped and deprived of human love and affection. I can never hate anyone that much to treat him or her so badly. I think we need to dig deep within ourselves and search our soul. To find the humanity which has clearly been missing. We need to find our moral compass, before we all lose our soul and drown in the abyss. Stay Safe. Pray for Baby River. Pray for OUR country......»»
Rights groups slam MMDA spox for ‘drama serye’ remark on detained activist
Human rights groups slammed Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Spokesperson Celine Pialago following her “drama serye” remarks at detained activist Reina Mae Nasino who recently buried her three-month-old daughter River. Kapatid, a support group for families and friends of political prisoners, said those who downgrade what happened to the political prisoner are only trying to “cover the government’s gross violation of human rights.” “The story of Reina Mae Nasino and her 3-month-old child who died last week is not ‘drama-serye.’ It is a real story that exposed the countless injustices committed by the government,” it said in a statement released on Sunday. “MMDA Chair Danny Lim, a former political prisoner himself, should have long shown the door to his spokesperson. It should be obvious by now that sensitivity cannot be taught nor proper manners and right conduct if one is empty-headed,” it added. Meanwhile, National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) President Edre Olalia was more restrained, saying they would “do the same thing if she was in Ina’s position and circumstance. “To start with, we will never ever wish this horrible tragedy and injustice to visit the Asec, her mother, her daughters, her sisters and her aunts,” he said in a Facebook post. Despite having nothing to do with traffic, Pialago felt the need to “use her voice as a Filipino” to share her two cents on Nasino’s case. “Hindi lahat ng inang nakakulong ay nakapunta sa libing ng kanyang anak. Kaya yung mga sumisimpatya kay Reina Mae Nasino, pag aralan niyo mabuti ang dahilan bakit siya nakulong at kilalanin niyong mabuti kung sino siya sa lipunan (Not all jailed mothers get to visit their children’s funeral. So all of those who sympathize with Reina Mae Nasino, study well why she was imprisoned and know who she is and what her role is in society),” she said in a Facebook post on Sunday morning. “Masyado ninyong ginagawang pang drama serye sa hapon ang paghihinagpis niya. Tigilan niyo (You are trying to make her grief like an afternoon drama serye. Stop it)!” she added. Nasino was five months pregnant with River when she was arrested in November 2019 for allegedly being found with firearms and explosives at the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Manila Office in Tondo, Manila. Her lawyers have insisted that the pieces of evidence were planted and that the charges filed against her are trumped-up. She gave birth to River on July 1 at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Medical Hospital on July 1. She and her baby were returned to the Manila City Jail 48 hours later. Before this, she filed a motion before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) to allow her to breastfeed her daughter for a year at the hospital or a prison nursery. But Manila RTC Branch 20 Judge Marivic Balisi-Umali denied this, saying that the jail has “very limited resources” for the care of her child. Nasino was also among 22 elderly and medically-compromised detainees who filed a motion for their compassionate release amid the pandemic on April 8 before the Supreme Court. But months later, the High Court ruled that the trial courts will be the ones to decide on their temporary release. On August 13, the activist-mother was ordered to turn her child over to her relatives. River was admitted at the Philippine General Hospital for fever and diarrhea on September 24. She was placed in the intensive care unit on October 9 where she died a few hours later. A few hours before her daughter died, Nasino filed a very urgent motion for furlough so she can be with her child in her dying moments. On October 13, Manila RTC Branch 47 Judge Paulino Gallegos granted her three full days from October 14 to 16 to be by her daughter’s side during the wake and burial. But the next day, he cut Nasino’ furlough down to only six hours from 1 to 4 p.m. on October 14 and 16 after receiving opposition from the Manila City Jail. The Manila City Jail cited lack of personnel, health concerns, and a guideline stating that detainees can only be at their loved ones’ burial and wake for a maximum of three hours. For both the wake and the funeral, Nasino was clad in a full set of personal protective equipment, handcuffed, and flanked by numerous uniformed personnel. Tensions rose during the wake after her escorts tried to pull her away twice before her time was up, eventually escorting her out with 20 minutes to spare before 4 p.m. On October 16, Marites Asis, Nasino’s mother, had to kneel and beg in front of the police to allow them to hold funeral at 11:30 a.m. The cops wanted to delay it until 1 p.m. Police also sped off with River’s hearse to the Manila North Cemetery, leaving her family behind and thwarting activists’ plan to conduct a caravan around the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals before burying her at the cemetery. Nasino’s counsels at NUPL earlier said that they will file charges against those involved in the activist’s treatment during her daughter’s wake and burial. .....»»
Squirrel involved in power outage provided shelter and care by More Power
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Pokwang tinawag na laos, rumesbak: Jusko! Saan galing mga animal na ‘to?
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House leaves Quiboloy’s fate to Senate
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JK Labajo pauses concert to take care of 2-month-old baby from crowd
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Miyerkules Santo half-day ra
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From the Newsrooms: March 17 to 23, 2024
By: CMFR StaffPosted on: March 25, 2024, 8:00 amUpdated on: March 25, 2024, 1:00 am THIS WEEK, "From the Newsrooms" looks at the media coverage of two events. On March 20, a hearing in the House on the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) revealed that Chinese nationals were included in the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA). On March 21, Arnolfo Teves, the alleged mastermind of the Pamplona.....»»
'India, Russia have taken extra care to look after each other s interests': EAM Jaishankar
Singapore, March 25 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday stressed that Russia is a country with which India has always had a positive relationship. While addressing the members of the Indian Community in Singapore, Jaishankar said that both countries have taken extra care to look after each other's interests. "I will ask myself...Has Russia helped us or harmed us?...Are there gains to be made from Russ.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, March 25
JAKARTA -- One was killed and nine others, including children, went missing after a landslide struck a village in the Indonesian province of West Java on Sunday, a local official said Monday. The disaster took place in Cibenda village in West Bandung regency on Sunday after torrential rain reportedly poured over the area for around two hours. (Indonesia-Landslide) - - - - SYDNEY -- Local media repo.....»»