“Despite all the threats and challenges the country is facing there is some good news that may enlighten the people — the possible lifting of COVID-19 as a health emergency”
The Marcos administration must have realized by now that no amount of protests can stop China from bullying the Philippines at the West Philippine Sea and other disputed territories in the South China Sea.
Santa Banana, the Philippines must have filed hundreds of protests against China in its unending encroachment of the West Philippine Sea to the extent that China even has included the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone.
It is for these reasons that I believe the move in the Senate to elevate the issue of China’s unstoppable actions against the Philippines to the United Nations General Assembly will provide the chance of the issue being supported by other coastal nations .
It was the suggestion at the start of retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio who brought to fore the victory of the country at the Hague Arbitral Court against China’s “nine-dash-line” wherein China claimed almost all of the South China Sea.
Francis Tolentino, vice chairman of the Senate committee on foreign relations, believes that by bringing the issue to the members of the United Nations, the issue against China becomes an international issue.
I must emphasize the frequent bullying of the Philippines by China over the issue of the West Phillpine Sea is not the only issue the Filipinos are concerned about.
It also involves the Filipino fishermen’s right to fish in the Philippine waters.
Instead, with the frequent presence of China’s coast guard vessels in the West Philippine Sea, often harassing Filipino fishermen, the livelihood of these Filipinos more often than not has dwindled.
While the decision of UNGA may not be legally binding, it would surely bring meaningful political weight to China’s future actions.
And it’s quite true that UNGA’s action may help shape the nation’s norms and national policies of member states and guide the directions of other international bodies in the Southeast Asian nations.
It is for all these reasons that the international community may put pressure on China to stop all its bullying against the Philippines.
And, above all, this filing of the elevation of the Philippines in the issue of the South China Sea may bring the issue on the WPS to international attention.
Airline passengers’ woes
There must be an end to all the woes of airline passengers going through frequent delays and cancellations of flights.
And it looks like the airline regulator — the Civil Aeronautics Board – appears to be incapable of doing anything about it by claiming that often the reason for delayed and canceled flights are due to overbooking, all for the sake of profitability.
In fairness to Gokongwei’s Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and budget airline Air Asia are also guilty of frequent delays and cancellations.
To make matters worse for airline passengers, airlines are even now thinking of reducing flights.
But, Santa Banana, will that stop delayed flights and canceled flights? Of course not. It will be detrimental to airline passengers!
What then can be done to solve passengers’ woes?
One thing I am thinking of is for Congress to take a second look at the Airline Passengers Bill of Rights.
But then, airlines can always attribute delays and canceled flights to grounded planes or maintenance checks and lack of equipment.
And above all, to overbooking.
As a lawyer, I believe when people buy tickets from airlines, there’s a contract of the carrier involved where the carrier should guarantee that a flight must depart at the exact time of departure, and must arrive at the exact time of arrival.
Thus, when an airline fails to comply with the contract, it must pay for it.
Airlines cannot just shrug their shoulders because that is a contract.
And note how airlines are making billions of pesos every year.
I believe it’s time to end all the woes of airline passengers by taking a second look at the Airline Passengers Bill of Rights and making airlines pay for hotel fees and meals when flights are delayed or canceled.
To airline passengers, a delayed or canceled flight could mean life and death or at least loss of a job or a business contract.
Right now, airlines are only thinking of themselves and profitability.
It’s a one-sided affair. The bottom line to all these is that airlines must pay for all the delays and canceled flights!
It’s the common good above all.
Should COVID-19 health emergency be lifted
Despite the threats and challenges the country is facing there is some good news that may enlighten the people–the possible lifting of COVID-19 as a health emergency.
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa is in fact ready to recommend to President Marcos to lift the state of public health emergency, but with the alert level system retained.
The DOH chief claims with the lifting of the COVID-19 health emergency, COVID 19 will be considered just like a disease like influenza, cough, cold, etc. . But the retention of the public health alert system will still be in place.
Herbosa recommended the lifting of the health emergency system following the World Health Organization having declared COVID-19 is no longer of international concern.
Does this mean the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines?
Medically speaking, yes, it’s the end of the pandemic as an international concern, but it is not the end of COVID-19 as a disease.
This also means that people can still be infected with the disease, which requires wearing of face masks and still observing health protocols.
The DOH chief has reported the latest number of 3,500 COVID-19 cases during the past week is very encouraging.
The latest COVID-19 bulletin in fact showed 3,442 new cases logged from June 19 to 23 was very encouraging.
The DOH also recorded 37 cases in severe and critical condition from June 5 to June 15. The daily average number of new COVID-19 cases is now only 472, which is 20 percent lower than from June 12 to June 18.
Let us hope and pray the trend will continue.
Homelessness in the US
There is a growing threat in the United States — homelessness, Santa Banana!
In many US cities, particularly San Francisco, there is a rising number of homelessness where the homeless are known to have made street sidewalks like their living quarters, and do all thrift health necessities and even defecating in public.
The problem is that most of the homeless are also drug addicts or have mental issues.
According to estimates, San Francisco has about 7,000 to 8,000 homeless people.
There are also so many incidents of gangs of people looting department stores and shops, which have resulted in known department stores closing down in San Francisco, like Nordstrom.
There is also, my gulay, in the States the rising anger and hate tensions where people shout and utter profanities at fast food restaurants, long queues, in stores and almost anywhere.
Likewise, there are traffic jams, some people just get out of their cars, and start threatening people.
Streets in the United States have in fact become very dangerous for people.
I don’t know what is happening to the United States, but there is a lot of anger and hate by people.