Some people I know have been spreading email that is intended for the Philippine Congress. It is about the campaign to oppose the passage of the Philippine Reproductive Health Bill (HB5043). I read through the seven points cited in the document and then went through the sections and paragraphs of the bill that these “concerned citizens” think are detrimental to the Filipino people.

The email spam says:

We strongly oppose the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill (HB5043) for the following reasons:

1. AS EMPLOYERS, we do not want to be compelled to provide free reproductive health care services, supplies, devices and surgical procedures (including vasectomy and ligation) to our employees, and be subjected to both imprisonment and/or fines, for every time that we fail to comply. (Section 17 states that employers shall provide free delivery of reproductive health care services, supplies and devices to all workers more particularly women workers. – Definition of Reproductive Health and Rights Section 4, paragraph g, Section 21, Paragraph c and Section 22 on Penalties).

Yes, the Philippines has been manually counting election ballots all this time! But this coming 2010 national elections, the Filipinos will be introduced to the Automated Election Machine. For years, automating the election has been the topic of debates among lawmakers. There were many concerns thrown at each side, like questioning the reliability of the counting machines.

After many heated arguments, a bill was passed — Senate Bill No. 2231 (13th Congress) entitled:

Step aside Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Sen. Manuel Villar, former President Joseph Estrada, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, and any other known presidential aspirants for the May 2010 Elections. We need to know the other presidential hopefuls whose aspiration is to become famous, I mean, to become the 15th president of the Philippines.

Who among them will succeed Pres. Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo? Check out the list below, as these people have already filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs). From a masseuse, to a taxi driver, to a computer programmer — who says the highest position of the land is only for the rich and famous?

Not the Philippines — thank God! According to the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the Philippines, in fact, improved slightly, moving 2 places up from 141 last year to 139 this 2009. But still this is seen as way down below the ranks when compared to other Asia-Pacific countries. Among the 32 countries/territories in the region, the Philippines ranks 24th, with a score of 2.4 out of 10. The lower the score, the more it reflects perceptions of rampant corruption. The country is still lagging behind Singapore (no. 2 in the region), Brunei (7), Malaysia (11), Thailand (14), Vietnam (22), and Indonesia (19). Singapore is also ranked the no. 3 least corrupt country in the world.

Globally, among 180 countries surveyed, the top 10 most corrupt countries in the world based from the Corruption Perceptions Index 2009 are:

I was browsing TV channels tonight and happened to land on the KESD public channel with the Worldfocus broadcast. Worldfocus featured a short clip of the US-Philippines relationship, which they described as a love-hate relationship.

Watch the video below. This is so short a clip that I don’t think it is enough to describe how we Filipinos share friendship with the Americans.

My little brother, Jeffrey, who works in Manila, was among the thousands of people affected by the tropical storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) that hit the Philippines this weekend. After my sister (in Illinois) and I heard about the worsening situation in Manila due to flooding caused by the torrential rains, we immediately contacted our brother, but to no avail. His phone, and all his friends’ phones, were unreachable. We posted messages on Facebook hoping other friends and relatives could somehow trace our brother’s whereabouts.

Last night, we finally got a note that my brother and some others were trapped in the second floor of a two-story house. Water on the first floor was about chest-high.

My Collegian column this week.

Roosters here are known as gamecocks in the Philippines. Sundays can be celebrated in so many ways by so many common Filipinos living in faraway towns. It is the day off for most house helpers and they usually enjoy their free time at town plazas. It is the day for the faithful to go and hear mass. It is also the best day for a “sabungero” to exercise his gamecocks. For the locals, the smell of fighting cocks, the sight of tricycles parked in already crowded streets, the sound of people shouting for bets … all tells the same thing: There’s got to be a derby going on.

I am a Filipino. I was born in Argao. The place has yet to be swayed by civilization and advancement or exploitation perhaps.

In that southern part of Cebu, Philippines, houses are situated beneath green slopes, mostly concealed under a lush shade that seems to have existed long before my great-grandfathers. My own home lies up the field, a kilometer or so away from the town proper and across meadows.