MANILA, Philippines – Various groups will stage protest actions and activities to commemorate the 47th anniversary of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos’s declaration of martial law.

Marcos’s declaration of martial law on September 21, 1972, by virtue of Proclamation 1081 effectively curtailed freedom of speech and many other civil liberties through the suspension of the 1935 Constitution and the placement of all media under state control. (READ: Martial Law, the dark chapter in Philippine history) 

Youth groups will lead a multi-sectoral protest in Luneta on Friday, September 20, against the return of the late strongman’s family into politics and a looming dictatorship under President Rodrigo Duterte. 

Also participating in the Luneta protest is the newly-formed One Taft Against Fascism & Tyranny (One TAFT), an alliance against authoritarianism composed of students and youth leaders from various schools in the Taft Avenue area of Manila, such as De La Salle University, De La Salle - College of St. Benilde, St Scholastica’s College, University of the Philippines Manila, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Lyceum of the Philippines University, and Mapua University.

“It is the youth who shall suffer from the long-term effects of anti-people policies we have today. So it is necessary that we, the youth, act now,” said Raoul Manuel from the National Union of Students of the Philippines in a press briefing in Intramuros on Monday, September 16.

The multi-sectoral coalition United People’s Action (UPA) has pledged support for the youth groups, echoing opposition against the increasing number of attacks against government critics.

Staging their own mobilizations prior to the main protest action in Luneta, the UPA will decry the harassment and death of sectoral workers and human rights defenders. (READ: Powering through a crisis: Defending human rights under Duterte) 

Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines (UP) turned its logo black on Facebook as it marks its second year of Day of Remembrance. Since 2018, the UP Day of Remembrance is celebrated every September 21 to commemorate and honor the “memory of the University’s best and brightest who struggled against dictatorship and despotism.”

On the 20th, it will screen martial law-themed films, such as Liway, free of charge, on top of a forum on media, martial law, and human rights. Protest actions will also be done across different UP campuses. 

Here is a running list of protests and activities to commemorate the 47th anniversary of martial law:

Cordillera Administrative Region

In Baguio, groups such as Cordillera Movement Against Tyranny, Cordillera Youth Center, UP Baguio University Student Council, and Cordillera Human Rights Alliance will hold the martial law-anchored Cordillera Human Rights Summit. The summit features award-winning journalist Inday Espina-Varona, 2019 Gwangju Award for Human Rights recipient Joanna Patricia Carino, and University of the Cordilleras President Ray Dean Salvosa as speakers.

1 pm: Cordillera Human Rights Summit, UP Baguio

4:30 pm: Assembly point at UP Baguio parking lot

5:30 pm: Igorot Park

Metro Manila

Prior to the main protest in Luneta at 3 pm, various organizations and school-based organizations in Metro Manila will stage their own martial law commemorations that highlight sector-based calls against authoritarianism, particularly those concerning the rights of activists, laborers, farmers, women and children, teachers, students, artists, journalists, and the LGBTQ+ community.

Mass organizations, such as Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap, will hold a program in Mendiola from 12 pm to 1:30 pm. They will voice out the experience of the peasantry, laborers, and the urban poor within the context of what they see as President Duterte’s anti-poor policies and militarization efforts. 

Meanwhile, youth groups Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan , PUP Speak, Kaisa UP and Bukluran PLM will hold a program at 12 pm prior to proceeding to Luneta via Ayala Bridge. They will slam the red-tagging of activists and the encroachment of police and military forces into schools, among other contentious government policies.

A musical gig called "NEVER FORGET! NEVER AGAIN! Remembering Escalante Massacre" in Green Papaya Art Projects in Kamuning, Quezon City, will feature Aly Cabral, The Geeks, Grrl Cloud, The Buildings, and BLKD x Calix’s performances for the benefit of a campaign against the killing of farmers, civilians, and human rights activists in Negros island. The event will give emphasis on the 1985 Escalante Massacre which gunned down 20 civilians engaged in protest against the Marcos regime.

Here are other protests happening in Metro Manila before protesters head to Luneta to converge with other groups:

Ateneo de Manila University

12 pm: Assembly in front of Gate 2.5 

2 pm: Morayta

4 pm: United People’s Action at Luneta

De La Salle University

12:30 pm: Candle lighting program at LS Facade, DLSU-M

1 pm: Mass-up at the vicinity of Mcdonald’s Vito Cruz

2 pm: March to PGH
3 pm: United People’s Action at Luneta

De La Salle - College of St. Benilde (CSB)

1 pm: Local program

1:45 pm: Mass-up in front of CSB 

2 pm: March to Philippine General Hospital (PGH)

3 pm: United People’s Action at Luneta

Intramuros Schools (Lyceum of the Philippines University, Mapua, Letran)

1:30 pm: Meet-up in front of Letran

2:15 pm: Program in Plaza Salamanca

2:30 pm: Meet-up with entire Taft bloc at Plaza Salamanca

3 pm: United People’s Action at Luneta

Polytechnic University of the Philippines

10 am: Local programs

11:30 pm: Snake Rally at 6th floor

1 pm: Morayta

3 pm: United People’s Action at Luneta

St. Scholastica’s College

1 pm: Local program 

1:45 pm: Mass-up in front of De La Salle - College of St. Benilde

2 pm: March to PGH

3 pm: United People’s Action at Luneta

University of the Philippines Diliman

8 am: Teach-in discussions on Marcos Martial Law 

11:30 am: Program at Palma Hall steps

12 pm: Caravan to Morayta

1 pm: Program at Morayta

3 pm: United People’s Action at Luneta

University of the Philippines Manila

1:30 pm: Mass-up at College of Arts and Sciences Gate for CAS organizations; at "Lady Med" for the medical colleges.

2 pm: March to PGH 

3 pm: United People’s Action at Luneta

University of Santo Tomas

12 pm: Main Gate
1 pm: Morayta
3 pm: United People’s Action at Luneta

Calabarzon

Various multi-sectoral organizations will hold a martial law commemoration at the Humanities Steps at UP Los Banos at 4 pm. Coordinated by Youth Act Now Against Tyranny and Anakbayan, the program will also highlightthe effects of contentious agricultural policy, such as the Rice Tarrification Law.

Western Visayas

Youth groups under the coordination of Anakbayan will hold separate martial law commemorations in UP Visayas Miagao and UP Visayas Iloilo City. They will anchor their programs on opposition against the spate of alleged militry killings in Negros towards farmers and civilians. 

Miagao  

11:30 am: UP Visayas Miagao

Iloilo City 

1 pm: UP Visayas Iloilo City Oblation Grounds

12 pm: Western Visayas State University (WVSU) Jubilee Park 

2:30 pm: Sunburst Park

Central Visayas

In Cebu, the College College Editors Guild of the Philippines will hold a protest decrying the harassment of student publications and journalists at Fuente Osmeña Circle at 8:30 am before marching to the vicinity of Gaisano Metro Colon.

Davao

Various student organizations under Kasama sa UP will gather at the UP Mindanao Atrium at 1 pm to call for the end of martial law in the region, citing the indiscriminate bombing of Lumad communities and schools, among other alleged state-perpetrated atrocities. – Rappler.com

Jaia Yap is a Rappler intern with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He tweets at @jaiayap.

MANILA, Philippines – Here's your chance to listen to stories of people and the challenges they faced to pursue their passion projects. 

On Saturday, September 21, Rappler, with De La Salle Philippines and De La Salle University, will hold the 2019 Philippine Social Good Summit. 

With the theme "Insight for Impact," the summit hopes to challenge Filipinos to cut through the social media noise so we build communities of action that will help make the world a better place. 

At 8 am, groups and individuals will share their stories on programs and initiatives they are passionate about during the #InspireCourage program of the summit. (READ: Meet the speakers for the Social Good Summit 2019) 

During the #InspireCourage session, speakers will answer basic questions: What do they do exactly? Why are they passionate about this initiative? How does the initiative help us collectively reach our common goals? What has been the impact of that project? How can other people help?

This will be followed by a series of breakout sessions called "Huddle" that's geared towards problem-solving. The session will discuss challenges surrounding these 4 topics: 

• Transportation and Mobility
• Media and Digital Culture 
• Plastics Zero-Waste Living
• Gender Equality 

Here's the program for the #InspireCourage session: 

The 2019 Philippine Social Good Summit hopes to showcase how engaged communities that are empowered by technology can help address the most urgent problems of our time. Visit this page to know more. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines– Young Filipinos nationwide called for urgent action on the climate crisis as the global climate strike kicked off Friday, September 20. 

Running until September 27, the global climate strike urges everyone to join the youth in demanding climate justice, and put pressure on politicians and companies to set more effective measures to preserve the environment.

While most groups plan to hold climate protests, others will hold forums and summits to raise awareness in their community and push for solutions.

In the Philippines, various mobilizations have been set in place to usher in the first day of the global climate strike. (LIST: Mobilizations for 2019 Philippine climate strike)

Ateneo de Manila University students gathered at Gate 2.5 in Katipunan to assert the need for immediate climate action. 

Ateneo Environmental Science Society president Kitkat Poe pointed out that mainstreaming climate conversations through a strike is necessary to fight for and uplift communities vulnerable to climate change.

"In the context of Ateneo, it is no lie that we are in a more privileged position and so we need to use this position to fight for other sectors and to make our voices heard," she said.

"[Ateneans] might be better off in coping with the effects of climate change, but it won't be the same case for other vulnerable people. This is why we are not just fighting for ourselves, but for others, as well," Poe added.

Experts have warned that there are only 11 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change.

This climate crisis might lead to catastrophic consequences such as fisheries degradation, coastal flooding, and extreme weather events, among others.

It might also push 120 million into poverty by 2030. (READ: [OPINION] The climate emergency challenge: It's time)

"The strike for climate change is a strike for human rights," Hen Ramos of One Big Fight for Human Rights and Democracy said.

Throughout the day, various mobilizations happened in Quezon City, Ilocos Norte, and in Iloilo, among others.

Ilocos Norte kicked off this year's global climate strike by conducting a cleanup and strike. Students and faculty of Mariano Marcos State University College of Aquatic Sciences and Applied Technology managed to collect 247.5 kilos of trash, according to the Youth Strike for Climate Philippines.

In Iloilo, the University of the Philippines (UP) Visayas saw its Oblation wearing a sash of trash, and its face covered. A strike also happened at the Plaza Libertad to call for climate justice from government and offices.

Meanwhile, UP Diliman made its mark by gathering individuals from various environmental organizations to hold a strike and form a human Earth.

The Youth Strike for Climate Philippines said that one key demand unites the strikes conducted across at least 28 locations in the country: a call for the Phiippine government to declare a climate emergency.

The other demands include the immediate phaseout of coal and other fossil fuels and the transition to 100% renewable energy instead, as well as the enhancement of support for the creation of sustainable cities and communities.

Aside from the youth, environmental activists were also seen staging a rally outside the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to highlight the need to safeguard the rights of indigenous people and environmental defenders amid the climate crisis.

They also demanded justice for fallen environmental advocates such as Bienvinido "Toto" Veguilla Jr, a government forest ranger who was recently hacked to death while trying to arrest suspected illegal loggers in El Nido, Palawan.

The Philippines ranked third – just behind India and Pakistan – among countries most vulnerable to climate change, according to a 2018 survey. It is also the most dangerous country to be an environmental activist, according to the report of international nongovernmental organization Global Witness.

The simultaneous movements hope to create a network of young environmental advocates and climate activists to "bolster collaboration and collective action for the cause." – with reports from Carl Don Berwin and Dom Aumentado/Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – On Saturday, September 21, Rappler, together with the De La Salle Philippines and De La Salle University, will hold the 2019 Manila Social Good Summit. 

With the theme "Insight for Impact," the summit hopes to challenge Filipinos to cut through the social media noise to build communities of action that will help make the world a better place. 

This main event which starts at 1 pm aims to shine the light on the most urgent global concerns along with critical social issues in the country such as the climate crisis, urban congestion, and traffic. (READ: Meet the speakers and guests at the 2017 Manila Social Good Summit)

Bringing together policy makers, community leaders, advocates and industry representatives, the plenary session will feature panel discussions on making metro cities livable, building communities to fight waste crisis, and cutting through the noise in this digital age.  (READ: Citizen wish list for Metro mayors: Fix traffic, lower cost of living) 

Keynote speaker Andrew Keen, who is known for his controversial comments on the digital revolution, will also deliver a talk on "How to Fix Democracy." 

Here's the program for the 2019 Philippine Social Good Summit main plenary:

The 2019 Manila Social Good Summit, through the theme “Insight for Impact,” hopes to showcase how engaged communities empowered by technology can help address the most urgent problems of our time. Visit this page to know more. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – A sea of pink in the American capital, walking 5 kilometers for breast cancer awareness in late August. Two weekends later, another fun activity with families in a park, walking a mile or 5k, some pushing strollers with their children battling various ailments, for the benefit of children with chronic medical conditions and disabilities.

The Susan G. Komen More than Pink Walk started as Race for the Cure in 1983. To date, more than 120 cities and communities in the United States have participated in this worthwhile event, which has gathered millions of walkers and runners, in memory of loved ones who have succumbed to breast cancer, or for the continued support of those battling the disease.

In 2018, there were an estimated 600,00 deaths from breast cancer worldwide, or about one death in every 50 seconds. Komen is the most progressive grassroots organization fighting breast cancer, focusing on research, education, and support, especially those with the fewest resources. So far, they have funded $988 million in breast cancer research. 

At the DC More than Pink Walk, Team Ane had 18 “walkers” cheering on, wearing their personalized shirts, with their muse and breast cancer survivor, Dr Maria “Ane” Ona, happily walking along with her family and high school friends.

Ane, a pediatrician, was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer more than a year ago. She underwent full mastectomy and went through complete treatment. She is now in remission. Doing this Pink Walk wearing a shirt with her name, together with names of other survivors, was very special, every step very meaningful. It was the start of her journey towards complete healing. Her hair has grown, she has never felt better, and being in the company of fellow survivors has buoyed her spirits.  

Meanwhile, the Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey, which was founded in 1962 and has become the largest provider of pediatric rehabilitation services in the US, held the 13th Walk N’ Roll to raise significant funds and support the over 37,000 patients treated each year at CSH. The aim is to make a difference in the lives of patients and families facing health challenges – from chronic illnesses to complex disabilities – believing that all children should reach their full potential.

At the Johnson Park in Piscataway that Sunday, September 15, the atmosphere was festive, the day was lovely and sunny as hundreds of families came out to support Walk N’ Roll.

Team Diego, one of many teams doing the 5k, was more than happy to do the walk, in memory of 7-year-old Diego Lumauig who passed away 5 years ago from a rare genetic disorder called MELAS Syndrome. Diego was a patient at CSH, and his mom Belle volunteered there even after he passed on. Belle now works at CSH, grateful and more than happy to be giving back.

These two meaningful weekends of walking with friends and family for great causes have reminded me of what matters most. Life is fleeting, sometimes unfair, so we just have to live our best lives being grateful, kind, and loving. We pay forward our blessings, by being blessings ourselves to other people. With Team Ane and Team Diego, I felt the love among all the walkers, the volunteers, the survivors, the brave warriors, the families who have lost loved ones and continue to honor them.

Ane is my high school classmate and is she is such an inspiration – for her quiet strength, bravery, and positive energy. Diego was my nephew, named after my grandfather, a bundle of sunshine, a big Yankees fan, who fought a great fight. I am blessed to know these two – Ane the survivor, and Diego our angel in heaven. Those walks were, indeed, full of love.

How are you spending your weekend? – Rappler.com  

For more information on Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure, log on to komen.org. For more information on Children’s Specialized Hospital, log on to childrens-specialized.org. You may send donations or participate in their fundraisers through these sites.

The author is a volunteer, writer, educator, and soon-to-be Mother of the Bride. She may be reached at ginalumauig@gmail.com.

MANILA, Philippines – How can we, as a community, reduce plastic waste?

This was one of the problems posed to the speakers and the audience at the 2019 Social Good Summit: #2030Now #InsightforImpact at the De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila on on Saturday, September 21.

In one of the morning huddles, the panelists on zero waste said the plastics problem required a complex solution. “Plastic is not an environment problem, but a social and economic problem,” said Angela Chen, co-founder and CEO of education platform Eskwelabs.

The plastics problem in the country persists despite the existence of a landmark environmental law, Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. A widely-cited study on ocean plastics ranked the Philippines as the 3rd biggest plastic polluter of the oceans – next to China and Indonesia.

DLSU Professort Dr Eric Punzalan, who was part of the technical committee that crafted RA 9003, said the country has “very good laws,” but falls short in implementation.

“We need to educate ourselves, be wise, read everything we can about chemistry and the science of plastics, and then run for office,” Punzalan said.

Dr Alvin Culba of the National Academy of Science and Technology agreed, and said that the Philippines needs more scientists and technologists in Congress. 

Plastics and consumerism

“Consumerism drives a lot of problems,” Punzalan said, citing the buying habits of consumers as the driving force in the country’s plastic pollution.

At the individual level, Meah Ang See of the Buhay Zero Waste online community said everyone can start with one simple step: refusing to buy things, or the first tenet of the 5 Rs of going zero waste.

“Refuse to buy new things, because a new item is carbon footprint,” See said, adding that going zero waste shouldn’t be about metal straws or purchasing alternatives.

But more than consumers, Culaba believed that the issue stemmed from the producers. “Plastics will never go away. The problem of plastics is at the production level, not post-production,” he said.

Xin Yi Wong, sustainability manager of global clothing brand H&M Southeast Asia, said corporations acknowledge this. H&M, for its part, has taken initiatives to promote and practice sustainability, like producing garments using recycled PET bottles. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Manila's Isko Moreno and Joy Belmonte of Quezon City, the two Metro Manila mayors who participated in the 2019 Manila Social Good Summit Saturday, September 21, gave differing views on how to govern the sprawling metropolis. 

The two were part of the panel which discussed how to make metro areas livable. Also with them in the panel was urban planner Paulo Alcazaren. 

Belmonte and Moreno, the chief executives of the country's two biggest cities, were asked what they thought of the current situation that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority was chaired by a person who was not elected, and yet coordinated with the 17 elected metro mayors.

Moreno said Metro Manila should elect its governor. He however, maintained that the current government system should not be changed.

For her part, Belmonte said federalism would have made the metropolis a region with one elected governor.

In a federal form of government, Metro Manila would be a state that could decide and implement its own policies with little to no interference by the national government. (READ: Will federalism address PH woes? Pros and cons of making the shift)

But while Moreno said that the idea of electing a Metro Manila governor made sense, he did not want to change the government. Instead, he just wanted to work within the current system.

"Meron nang gobyerno (We already have a government). In fact, I'll tell you honestly... you can call it communism, you can call it capitalism, monarchy, federalism, parliamentary; immaterial of forms of government, at least may gobyerno. Kung may gobyerno tayo, let's work on it (at least there is a government. If we have a government, let's work on it)," Moreno said.

He added that Metro Manila mayors already coordinated on their own.

Even after President Rodrigo Duterte did not mention the push for federalism in his latest State of the Nation Address, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año affirmed that it was still a priority thrust of the current administration. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Making the world a better place is a team effort. How can you take part in ensuring a safer environment and a stronger society?

On Saturday, September 21, Rappler, together with the De La Salle Philippines and De La Salle University, held the 2019 Manila Social Good Summit. 

With the theme 'Insight for Impact,' the event challenged Filipinos to cut through the social media noise to build communities of action that will help make the world a better place.

This year’s event included the Huddle – a conversation that brought students, partners and interested individuals into a meaningful discourse on certain issues – that triggered the thematic messages for the discussions in the main plenary.

Here are the key themes that were discussed in the Huddle:

• Environment
• Media and democracy
• Transportation
• Gender equality

Trending topics

#InsightForImpact and #2030Now consistently became the trending topics on Twitter Philippines as netizens called for more livable cities. 

Filipinos online also chimed in as Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte discussed the possible solutions to traffic in their cities.

Traffic is the result of the lack of proper and efficient public transportation systems. That's the reason why the current administration should somewhat prioritize the existing public transportation. @rapplerdotcom#2030Now#InsightForImpact

— Ash Ketchum is now a Pokemon Master (@Mrcxism) September 21, 2019

One possible way to help decongest our roads: update public transport routes to reflect current demand!#2030Now#InsightForImpacthttps://t.co/sh3rMsnKIRpic.twitter.com/NsattVTYeo

— Gilian Uy (@GilianUy) September 21, 2019

Clearing operations will not improve traffic bc of the lack of support transport systems and connections in between modes. Pier also needs cargo rail to improve operations.

Public transport should be about moving people, not cars. #2030Now#InspireForImpact@rapplerdotcom

— Joven#SOGIEEqualityNow (@jovenjacolbia) September 21, 2019

Aside from discussions about solving traffic woes, netizens shared their thoughts on addressing the plastics problem. 

While majority of our waste are coming from the poor, I hope we stop blaming them on their incapacity to bulk-buy rather than patronize sachets. Gov’t should know how to incentivize them through discounts like for simply bringing ecobags. #InsightForImpact#2030Now

— Derek Alviola (@derekalviola) September 21, 2019

We must reduce, if not eliminate, our waste. I agree with one of the panelists that we must think about not only where we put our waste but also our consumption. Our end goal should be zero waste. #2030Now#InsightForImpact

— Paula D (@MPaulaBD) September 21, 2019

“Plastic is not the problem. It is just a symptom of overpopulation and consumption.”

Avoiding the usage of plastic based products saves the planet. Not through recycling it. @rapplerdotcom#2030Now#InsightForImpactpic.twitter.com/qEBRYzFoj2

— mica (@micaembu) September 21, 2019

World-renowned commentator on the digital revolution Andrew Keen served as the keynote speaker during the event where he discussed the contemporary crisis of democracy all over the world, and the role of technology and innovation in attempting to "fix the future."

Here are the some of the highlights of the discussion from the whole-day event:

How can we cut through the social media noise to build communities of action that will help make the world a better place? Sound off in the comments!

In case you missed it, you can watch the entire 2019 summit here. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Youth from all over the Philippines took a stand against injustices and a looming dictatorship under President Rodrigo Duterte through various protest actions on Friday, September 20, marking the 47th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law by the late ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

With the support of various groups including the United People’s Action coalition, the multi-sectoral front led by the youth highlighted their mobilization with a protest at Luneta Park in a bid to never forget the horrors of martial law.

Along with coordinated satellite mobilizations held in key regional cities across the country, protestors amplified calls to uphold national sovereignty, fight for the rights of marginalized sectors such as farmers and the urban poor, and end attacks to government critics.

The protest action called for resistance against what the multi-sectoral front said was increasing state repression under the current administration: from the red-tagging of activists and the harassment of student journalists, to the militarization of countryside communities and schools.

Youth against tyranny

Drawing the parallels between the tyranny of the Marcos’ dictatorship and the Duterte administration, various college and high school leaders from institutions such as the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University, De La Salle University, and St. Scholastica's College shared how student populations are victims to intensifying militarization efforts.

According to the youth leaders, the reimposition of mandatory ROTC in senior high school, encroachment of military forces into schools in the guise of randomized mandatory drug tests, the red-tagging of activists, and the spate of bomb scares showed the desperation of the Duterte administration in suppressing democratic dissent. 

Youth Act Now Against Tyranny’s Raoul Manuel asserted that the youth have witnessed the silencing of critics and the unabashed perpetration of injustices under the Duterte administration.

"Kami pong mga kabataan ay hindi bulag sa mga nangyayari ngayon.Nakikita po namin na ang administrasyon ni Duterte ay isang tuta ng mga banyaga. Ang administrasyon ni Duterte ay pahirap sa mga magsasaka't manggagawa...Walang pakialam sa mga karapatang pantao," said Manuel.

(The youth are not blind to what’s happening now. We see the kowtowing of the Duterte administration to foreign powers. The Duterte administration oppresses farmers and laborers... It completely disregards human rights.)

Manuel assured that especially under the current administration, the youth would stand firm in resisting any attempt to bring back authoritarian rule in the country and prevent the horrors of martial law from occurring again.

“Kami po ay nangangako na kami ay magpapatuloy ng laban. Dadalhin po namin ang responsibilidad na ito: na labanan ang isang diktadura na namamayani ngayon sa ating bayan,” he added.

(We promise that we will continue the fight. We will carry this responsibility: to fight dictatorship that’s prevailing in our nation.) 

Manuel said that, with the veterans' stories of valor and courage, the youth are enabled to meet the challenge to resist Duterte's looming dictatorship. 

The 'torch' came in the form of a folded placard that initially read "Marcos Hitler, Diktador Tuta!", a popular protest chant during the Marcos’ regime, which then opened up to read "Duterte Hitler, Diktador Tuta!", alluding to how Duterte has now become a tyrant himself that must be resisted.

Intergenerational resistance

Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno shared what he viewed as the deposed strongman's playbook to suppress democratic dissent. 

According to Diokno, the Marcos regime frequently invoked a “favorite” set of laws and decrees to silence critics. Among these was Republic Act 1700 or The Anti-Subversion Law, which was recently almost revived by Duterte’s administration.

Diokno said that President Duterte is now using the "old playbook" to quell civilian dissent to his rule.

"Walang forever sa Malacanang. Baka nakalimutan nila na our democracy and our freedom is worth fighting for. Lalong lalo na kayo, mga youth: you, are worth every drop of my blood, sweat, and tears," he added.

(There's no forever in Malacanang. Maybe they (would-be dictators) have forgotten that our democracy and our freedom are worth dying for. Especially for you, the youth: you are worth every drop of my blood, sweat, and tears.)

Meanwhile, Neri Colmenares shared the importance of recognizing those who had fought the Marcos dictatorship, particularly the thousands of students like him who were imprisoned and tortured because of their condemnation of human rights violations.

He lamented how young activists are treated as criminals as he shared his pride on how today's youth are slamming President Duterte's oppressive policies, just as the youth of his era also fought Marcos' dictatorship.

"It is but proper for the youth and students to continue the struggle," Colmenares said.

From those who remember

"Kami po ay mga super senior citizen, na kami ay buhay na noong Martial Law (We're super senior citizens, that we were alive [and resisting] during Martial Law)," said Sister Mary John Mananzan alongside Satur Ocampo and other members of an elder generation of freedom fighters that fought the Marcos dictatorship. 

Mananzan asked forgiveness from the youth, saying that Martial Law veterans should have documented more of the regime's many atrocities.

"Sana nilagay namin iyon sa mga libro, at sana ginawa nating obligatory textbook sa lahat ng eskwelahan. Kasi po, dahil hindi natin ginawa iyon, kaya nagkakaroon ng tinatawag na historical revisionism. Binabago nila ang istorya. Pinapakita po nila na ang ganda noon. Hindi po," Manzanan said.

 (We should've made it into a book, which should've been an obligatory textbook in all schools. Because we have not done that, historical revisionism persists. They (the Marcoses) are changing the story. They're showing that it was a good era. It was not.)

Since Marcos was kicked out 33 years ago, his family has steadily climbed back to the heights of Philippine politics. Many have attributed the return to power of the Marcoses' to online disinformation campaigns primarily aimed at whitewashing their late patriarch's dictatorship.

"Ngayon, kahit mayroon kaming kasalanan, mayroon din naman kaming legacy sa inyo. Dahil noon, kami ay nanindigan, lumaban, kahit may peligro sa aming buhay -- ay talaga po namang nagpursige kami na lumaban sa Martial Law. Ayun po ay ang ipinapamana namin sa inyo, kayong mga kabataan."

(Now, even if we have been lacking, we also have a legacy to you. Because before, we have risen and fought, even at the riskof of our lives. We have persevered to fight Martial Law. This is our legacy to you, the youth.)

Here are other protests across the Philippines that were done to observe the 47th anniversary of the 1972 martial law declaration:

– Rappler.com 

Jaia Yap is a Rappler intern with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He tweets at @jaiayap.

MANILA, Philippines – Thirty years after the invention of the internet, are we now living in a more democratic world?

Andrew Keen, US-based author and prominent commentator on the digital revolution, asked the audience this question during his keynote speech at the 2019 Social Good Summit: #2030Now #InsightforImpact at the De La Salle University in Manila on September 21.

When the internet was still in beta in the 1990s, Keen said digital technology showed a lot of potential to democratize society. Everybody would benefit because it’s free, and that it would create a level-playing field for everybody to enjoy. Keen was an “internet entrepreneur” during that time, or something equivalent to a startup founder in today’s terms.

But 3 decades after, Keen said the world looks like it’s entering a "new dark age." Keen cited the new “forces of disinformation” in the age of digital revolution, which have armed “neo-authoritarian” administrations all over the world. (READ: Exclusive: PH was Cambridge Analytica's 'petri dish' – whistle-blower Christopher Wylie)

“The great tragedy of the internet, the digital revolution, is for all its enlightenment potential, it’s resulting in a new dark age. It’s no coincidence this digital revolution is going hand in hand with democratic recession,” Keen said.

The irony of the digital revolution 

The creation of the World Wide Web promised that free-for-all knowledge and information will be better for the world – that it would eliminate parochialism and instead internationalize democracy. 

But Keen said it has only resulted in the opposite. Today, digital platforms have nurtured an echo chamber culture instead of cultivating different ideas, and only a handful of big tech companies profit from this free-economy model.

“The ironic consequence of the digital revolution is it’s making us more local, more parochial. The irony of the digital revolution is it has gone hand in hand with an increasing intolerance towards others,” Keen said.

Fixing democracy

By empowering people with anonymity and letting the big tech companies enjoy most of the benefits, Keen said the digital world has turned into a horrible machinery of propagandists worldwide. 

“Today we’re confronted with a real crisis of democracy,” Keen said. “This is no coincidence that this current crisis in democracy has gone hand in hand with the digitalization of society.”

Fortunately, Keen also came prepared with solutions.

In solving the contemporary problems of democracy all over the world, Keen suggests to call for big tech companies’ transparency, reinvent democracy using analog methods, and do away with anonymity.

"The biggest scarcity of the digital revolution is not data, but trust," Keen said. He explained that while the internet has allowed people to share as much as they want online, it also created a place for disinformation to prosper.

“We need to harness, control, and civilize the digital revolution,” Keen said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – In a country where commuters spend hours on the road for their travels, an efficient public transportation seems like a far-fetched dream. 

At the 2019 Manila Social Good Summit huddle on transportation, technologists, urban transport professionals, and experts raised on Saturday, September 21, the need to harness commuter data to improve mobility.

"It's very important to start with data. All decisions [and] policies should be derived from understanding their target customers. Where are your citizens going? There are very simple studies on origin and destination," Ira Cruz of AltMobility, a group of transport advocates, said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Cruz underscored the need to understand commuter patterns to inform policy decisions. (READ: ‘Let’s do actual things!’: Commuters huddle on solutions to address traffic)

"Before you are able to design cities that work for our citizens, we need to understand who are our citizens. You have to remember that people live in cities because the opportunities are there," he said.

Challenges

But technologist Phillip Cheang of commuting app Sakay.ph said that there are challenges to measuring commuter data, especially that such information is lacking – or in most instances, absent.

Cheang raised that capturing road traffic information is easier for navigation app Waze as it was able to tap into drivers' data for using the app. But for commuter patterns, it would difficult to automate it the same way that Waze does.

"How do you capture how many people pass by the street? How full a train car is? Of course, people are trying to do that. But those are the things that are very difficult to capture, even other countries haven't solved this," Cheang said.

"In Singapore for example, they capture a lot of data, and they capture way more data than our government does. But they still don't have those missing links," he added.

Gilian Uy of data science firm Thinking Machines said that there are talented Filipinos who can analyze such data, it's just that "we don't have that information yet."

She added that Waze has the Connected Cities Program that enables local governments to use traffic information on the platform, which is uploaded via cloud. All they have to do is to partner with them, she said.

Despite the availability of such data, Uy said limitation in government resources seemed to hinder partnerships like this.

Of course, when you harness data, it comes with the costs of storing it, especially when done online.

"Our government doesn't give enough money for storage costs because it's a couple hundred dollars or thousand dollars to support," she said.

Simple solutions

For Cheang, seeing real-time information on public transportation trips is the dream, but the Philippines can start with simple solutions.

Cheang said that the challenge lies at the hows of such intiatives: "As a technologist, it's tempting for me to say that, 'Yeah, throw sensors everywhere. It would be great if the buses already have GPS (global positioning system) to know real-time that it's there."

"But it would be better if in the first place, if there was a timetable; if it were rationalized," he added. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Women can only achieve genuine political and social power if they have full control over their bodies. 

This belief guides Oxfam Pilipinas when they work with women and girls in disaster-stricken and conflict-ridden areas in the Philippines, according to project officer Rina Gascon Fulo. 

It is especially central in the organization's Sexual Health and Empowerment or SHE project, which seeks to change "discriminatory social norms" by providing information and services so women and girls will learn to demand for assert their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

"In the Philippines, 9% of girls have already begun childbearing," Fulo told the audience at the 2019 Social Good Summit: #2030Now #InsightforImpact at the De La Salle University in Manila on on Saturday, September 21. 

This means 9.7 million girls aged 10 to 19 in the country will most likely be mothers by the age of 19.

Poverty and conflict make the burden worse. The picture is bleaker in Mindanao, for example, where, in 3 regions, 15% to 18% of teenagers had become mothers, based on the 2017 National Demographic Health Survey. 

"The sad reality is many of these teenagers suffer from sexual violence and rape, which often result in pregnancy," Fulo said. (READ: Too young to marry)

"In many parts of the Philippines, we find a lot of young women marrying at an early age for economic survival," Fulo added. "A lot of young teenage girls who are pregnant often have to quit school or leave school to care for their children."

The SHE project recognizes the strain that poverty, conflict, and disaster add to the already alarming problem of teenage pregnancy in the country. This is why the organization chose to focus on 6 disadvantaged areas in the Philippines for its sexual and reproductive health rights project.

Oxfam Pilipinas – with Global Affairs Canada and its local partners in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Caraga, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Northern Mindanao, and the Zamboanga Peninsula – seeks to hold information drives, reaching out to both individuals and communities. It also aims to make health service providers more gender-sensitive.

SHE project wants to correct the mindset that revolves around shame in a country that sees sex as a taboo topic.

"Even saying the words vagina or penis or clitoris or orgasm makes people very uncomfortable, and some laugh it off by using, by replacing these words with, Filipino words like talong, or birdie, or flower. We feel uncomfortable talking about our own bodies," Fulo said. 

This mindset, according to her, only increases the risk of teenage pregnancy, sexual violence, effectively preventing women and girls from exercising and enjoying our rights. 

"Gender inequality is a pervasive form of discrimination, and sometimes we don't even think about it because, growing up, we have all of these rules, norms, values, and beliefs of what it is to be a man and what it is to be woman," Fulo said.

She added that these are difficult to unlearn, and may cause harm to both women and men, but affect the former disproportionately. 

"We need to remove the veil of stigma and shame and instead view our bodies and our sexuality as sites of empowerment, where consent is valued, pleasure is acceptable, and sexual health and satisfaction are achieved. This is what it takes to transform our bodies from a site of shame to a site of power. This is gender justice," she said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Manila's Isko Moreno and Joy Belmonte of Quezon City, the two Metro Manila mayors who participated in the 2019 Manila Social Good Summit Saturday, September 21, gave differing views on how to govern the sprawling metropolis. 

The two were part of the panel which discussed how to make metro areas livable. Also with them in the panel was urban planner Paulo Alcazaren. 

Belmonte and Moreno, the chief executives of the country's two biggest cities, were asked what they thought of the current situation that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) was chaired by a person who was not elected, and yet coordinated with the 17 elected metro mayors.

Moreno said Metro Manila should elect its governor. He, however, maintained that the current government system should not be changed.

For her part, Belmonte said federalism would have made the metropolis a region with one elected governor.

In a federal form of government, Metro Manila would be a state that could decide and implement its own policies with little to no interference by the national government. (READ: Will federalism address PH woes? Pros and cons of making the shift)

But while Moreno said that the idea of electing a Metro Manila governor made sense, he did not want to change the government. Instead, he just wanted to work within the current system.

"Meron nang gobyerno (We already have a government). In fact, I'll tell you honestly... you can call it communism, you can call it capitalism, monarchy, federalism, parliamentary; immaterial of forms of government, at least may gobyerno. Kung may gobyerno tayo, let's work on it (at least there is a government. If we have a government, let's work on it)," Moreno said.

He added that Metro Manila mayors already coordinated on their own.

Even after President Rodrigo Duterte did not mention the push for federalism in his latest State of the Nation Address, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año affirmed that it was still a priority thrust of the current administration. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Even small initiatives can create an impact on communities in need of fresh air, healthier alternatives, and sustainable practices.

This was the common experience that Winner Foundation’s Chiqui Mabanta, UPROOT’s Robi del Rosario, and Junk Not’s Wilhelmina Garcia – all working with communities – shared during the Social Good Summit on Saturday, September 21.

Protecting Manila’s last lung

Mabanta, a Manileña, was amazed that a green space such as the Arroceros Forest Park was in the middle of the city. She visited it for the first time on Earth Day in 2003. Artists went there to paint, there was a view of the Pasig River, and it was quiet. 

She came across the women of the Winner Foundation picnicking in the forest. “These were not your normal titas of Manila,” she said. They built the forest from scratch after being tasked by former mayor Alfredo Lim in 1993. They were the forest’s keepers – a deal made official by a memorandum with the mayor.

It was not long before she joined them, as she learned that part of the forest was to be uprooted for the construction of a government building during the term of Lim’s successor, Lito Atienza. The fight to protect the forest began. (READ: The protectors of Manila’s last lung)

Five years later, the advocates lost and the local government gave the go signal for the construction of the Department of Education’s Division of City Schools inside the park. Over 200 trees were killed to give way to the concrete structure.

It became difficult to enter the park on some days. That didn’t stop the advocates from coming as often as they could, even if it meant climbing the boundary wall, or taking the long way around it. Earth Day was still held every year. 

But in 2017 they were told by the local government, this time under then-mayor Joseph Estrada, to vacate the park to make way for a new gym.

Luckily, the foundation and its allies in the Save Arroceros Movement made enough noise to call attention to saving the forest. To date, over 100,000 people have signed a Change.org petition online. 

“We will plant more trees,” Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said on July 30, vowing to protect the forest. Mabanta feels that with the new local chief executive, the forest is safer than it has been in a long time.

“Despite all the challenges, I’m proud of what we achieved. Beyond the park, the real impact is showing people that it can be done, and that perseverance pays off. We may have lost a battle or two, but 25 years later, the park is still around, and it seems we’ve won the war,” she said.

Connecting farmers and consumers

UPROOT Urban Farms Founder Robi del Rosario said 80% of food in Metro Manila are imported from over 300 kilometers away, with 72 hours between harvest and delivery. As much as 70% of nutritional content is lost in this process. An additional 40% of the food are wasted due to spoilage.

Farmers have to throw away tons of their harvest because they are unable to find a market for their produce.

“For a country that is struggling to attain food security, that’s just not acceptable,” Del Rosario said.

The processed foods that make it to our tables, he said, are responsible for affecting 70% of the population with diabetes. “We’re actually killing ourselves. We don’t just have a food security issue, but a health crisis. And our problem is made even worse with climate change.”

This is where UPROOT comes in. The organization grows high-nutrient food efficiently through the use of climate-smart agriculture that allows them to grow year-round. This also makes prices stable.

Through its vegetable subscription called ANI – short for All-Natural Ingredients – UPROOT also connects farmers directly to consumers. It has helped 200 farmers this way. 

“We are asking for your help to support our local farmers and create more awareness about where our food comes from…. Our future really needs real food,” said del Rosario.

Recycling trash creatively

Junk Not Eco Creatives lives by its name, refusing to call plastics junk and working to repurpose them as functional furniture pieces. Simultaneously, they promote livelihood among the communities that produce the pieces.

Junk Not was behind the trophies and medals of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ current season, crafting them with plastic waste, scrap metal, and even bullet casings from Marawi.

The organization accepts plastic waste from corporations and individuals, and they are returned to the owners as furniture pieces.

“Nalulunod na tayo sa plastic pollution (We are drowning in plastic pollution). This is the reality,” said Junk Not founder Wilhelmina Garcia.

Garcia shared how their partner community in Taal, Batangas, dealt with plastic waste by burning it or throwing it in the lake. After teaching the community proper waste management, Garcia said they are more responsible now with their own environment.

Starting with 4 women, Junk Not now works with 80 and counting. – Rappler.com

Divide and conquer. This phrase describes an old tactic of war. Dominant groups use their weapons and authority to keep minorities segregated. A collective of minorities aware of the similarities of their experiences becomes a threat to the ruling class.  

In the past weeks, we witnessed passionate discussions on LGBTQ+ rights and farmers’ welfare. The former gained traction when LGBTQ+ activists used Gretchen Diez’s case as a way to highlight discrimination in schools, homes, and workplaces, among others. The latter became a national issue because of the dramatic decrease in the price of rice that some analysts associate with the Rice Tariffication Law. 

Heated discussions online set these two issues against each other. For many critics, the SOGIE Equality Bill should take a back seat to address farmers’ welfare. Some accused us of whining for insisting our rights amid the dire conditions faced by local farmers. These critics created a barrier between the issues of the two sectors. For them, one could not be addressed without abandoning the other. 

The clear winner

While there is no evidence of concerted efforts to pit us against farmers; the clear winner in this artificial cockfighting is the powerful, not us. In cockfights, even winning roosters remain slaves to their masters. To maintain the mentality that looks at minorities as competitors rather than allies is to blame the suffering of one on the other. 

This thinking loses sight of how powerful groups in society benefit from our misery. Instead of criticizing those who gain more from our struggles, we are made to direct our anger towards each other. Those who profit from our suppression are left out of the picture. Oppression, then, is harder to detect and cure since we leave the real oppressors untouched.

Not enough resources?

Of course, the most relevant anchor of the “prioritize narrative” is the lack of resources. We are compelled to give up some battles because we are made to believe there are not enough government resources to address both issues. Never mind the fact that the law requires 5% of the total budget for gender and development, which could be spent for SOGIE education. 

It is worth noting that, according to the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission’s (PACC) 2018 Report, the Department of Agriculture tied with other agencies at 4th place in terms of the number of verified complaints of corruption received (see PACC Bares State of Corruption in the Philippines). Although not necessarily equal to conviction, verified complaints signal the likelihood of corruption occurring in these government agencies. 

In light of these allegations, the claim that there are no funds available for both sectors becomes questionable. These complaints lead us to ask: If there are cases of corruption in agencies meant to primarily address farmer’s welfare, is the “lack of resources” assertion valid? And if, indeed, there are many avenues of corruption, how can we trust these agencies to dispense services for both the LGBTQ+ and farmers?     

The “lack of resources” argument blurs our vision. Instead of directing our call to more transparency from the ruling elites, it distracts us by focusing our conversations on what to prioritize and what other minorities to blame for our misery. We lose sight of the real culprit hiding behind and feasting over the cockfight between minorities like us.  

Complementary, not competing

Resistance is more possible when we see each other not as competitors but as complementary actors. For example, the Lesbians and Gays Support Miners (LGSM) organization of Great Britain went to South Wales to help organize labor strikes in 1984. In turn, the National Union of Miners supported the 1985 London Pride March by showing up with one of the biggest contingents (see The True Story of "Pride").  

Only when we see our division as only beneficial to those who abuse power and not to our struggles that we can escape our respective and intersecting cages. Like in the case of LGSM, it serves us to work not only for our own salvation but also for other marignalized sectors. We must direct our battles not against those who, like us, are fighting in the ring, but rather against the masters enjoying seeing us in cockfights. – Rappler.com

John Andrew G. Evangelista or Andoy, for many, is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. His research interests include LGBTQ politics, social movements, queer theories, gender, and sexuality studies.

BASILAN, Philippines – The city government of Lamitan on Monday, September 23, formally opened its “Forever Tulip Garden,” featuring "blooms" made of recycled plastic bottles.

The garden, located at Sitio Panansangan, Barangay Ubit, boasts 30,000 "tulips" of various colors.

“This innovation is dubbed as one of Lamitan’s tourist spots, as visitors have been flocking way before the garden was finished,” the city government said.

It said the project was in line with Mayor Rose Furigay’s intensified solid waste management dubbed as “Abante Lamitan, Atras Basura.” – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – Only a data version of the Chernobyl disaster can bring democracy back to the internet, said author and tech entrepreneur Andrew Keen at the 2019 Social Good Summit's (SGS) "Cutting through the noise" panel.

Keen, along with Google Asia Pacific Region News Lab Lead Irene Jay Liu and Democracy & Disinformation consortium convenor John Nery, joined the panel discussion on Saturday, September 21, at De La Salle University.

The 3 spoke before students, members of the academe, civil society groups, and more about how we can "cut through the noise" of social media to build communities and bring about change.

Earlier in the panel, the 3 spoke about a lack of trust in the digital space and how news media's paywalls have limited our access to the truth. They also discussed how social media is really not "public space" because they're owned by private companies, a conversation that Keen and Liu disagreed on.

Asked what might change the abovementioned problems with technology, Keen answered: "My sense of all this is it’s gonna take a kind of data catastrophe, the equivalent of Chernobyl to wake us up... Chernobyl essentially broke up the Soviet Union because it exposed all the corruption, all the inefficiencies, all the redundancies of the Soviet regime."

He continued, "My fear is that the world we’re living in, which is increasingly dominated by lies and resulting in a crisis of democracy...and it’s really hard to come up with fixes. So probably something terrible has to happen," he said.

Asked whether there's something people can do in the meantime, Keen answered that education is important when it comes to solving the crisis of democracy that the internet has brought about.

"And as I said, learning to listen, toleration, debate, media literacy, understanding the way in which these platforms and teaching people these platforms are not public spaces," Keen added.

"[Understanding] that these companies, whether they’re Google or Facebook, they have their own interests, they’re for-profit organizations, and if people can begin to see through these things in a responsible way...understanding that what they say and what they do are often very different. And I think that’s the way to begin. But there’s no easy fix."

Liu, who connects Google with newsrooms across the Asia Pacific, said that she has seen change in online behavior, contrary to Keen's view that things are getting worse.

Not only was there a rise in independent media, she said, but also a rise in cross-border collaborative investigative journalism. Younger people are also more likely to be aware and skeptical of what they read online.

"I think that if we listen also and we listen to understand better how this is changing, how those users and makers are evolving and how they can educate older generations, I think that we might actually see quite a lot of change in the coming years," she said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Government, industries, and individuals have to find ways to help poor Filipinos reduce their plastic waste, given the lifestyle and economic hardships that force many to use single-use plastics.

These were among the insights shared by a panel at the Social Good Summit held on Saturday, September 21, at De La Salle University. The panel – composed of an environmentalist, zero waste advocate, scientist, and corporate executive – discussed how communities could solve the waste management crisis.

Filipinos produce a lot of plastic waste. The Philippines was the 3rd largest contributor of plastics leaking into the ocean, according to a 2015 study by Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment. (READ: INFOGRPAHIC: Plastic in our seas: Why you should care)

The average Filipino likely uses 591 pieces of sachets, 174 shopping bags, and 163 plastic labo bags every year, according to a 2019 study by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).

Sari-sari store, 'tingi' lifestyle

Aside from the Philippines being an archipelago populated by over 100 million, Filipino culture and consumer habits play a role in why the country produces so much ocean waste, particularly plastic, said National Academy of Science and Technology vice president Fabian Dayrit and Melody Melo-Rijk of Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines.

These consumer habits are exemplified by the ubiquitous "sari-sari store," small stores that sell food, snacks, and hygiene products in tiny, single-use packages.

These stores are found everywhere in the Philippines, but especially in depressed areas where, for most Filipinos, things in small packages are all they can afford on a daily basis. This is the "tingi" (retail) culture, where Filipinos buy, for example, shampoos in sachets instead of big plastic bottles that can last a bit longer.

"If you're going to try to attack this use of sachets, then you have to consider these sari-sari stores because the rich go to the supermarket, the poor go to the sari-sari store.  We really can't solve the sachet issue unless we address [the fact that] it's really a socioeconomic issue," said Dayrit.

Melo-Rijk said the use of plastics is inevitable because of the convenience it affords.

"Especially in food handling and food safety issues, it is used often. But the main point here is, the plastic isn't the one walking to the ocean. Theres a reason why it got there," she said.

This is why WWF-Philippines advocates for "no plastics in nature by 2030." One way to support this campaign, said Melo-Rijk, is to refuse single-use plastics.

Refuse, redesign

One basic way for Filipinos to reduce their waste is to not buy anything that could end up as garbage. That means saying no to disposables as much as possible.

"We don't just think downstream of our disposals. We also have to think upstream of our purchases. As long as I'm buying something plastic…it will still eventually turn into a pollutant. It will still leach chemicals into the ground," said Monique Obligacion, one of the administrators of Buhay Zero Waste, a Facebook group now with some 40,000 members, dedicated to eliminating waste from their lifestyle.

The group expands the 3Rs to 5Rs, including "refuse" and "rot" to the mainstream environmental slogan. One of their advocacies is to buy items package-free and use refillables instead.

For Dayrit, the challenge is to make even poor Filipinos buy into the use of refillables and refusing single-use plastics. Wealthier Filipinos will have no problem adjusting, with package-free markets even becoming trendy among them.

But low-income Filipinos often can't afford what these markets sell or else don't have access to them. 

Solutions in industry and science

The most impactful solutions, said Dayrit, lie in the industries that make the products and the science that creates their packaging.

"We have to produce better plastics. We have to force industry to own up to their responsibility to produce better materials," he said, adding his own "R" to the 3Rs – "redesign."

Scientists should create more packaging materials that possess the benefits of plastic but with none of its harmful impacts on the environment. Companies that use harmful plastics should adopt these kinds of materials in their production line instead.

Joy Munsayac Cacal, sustainability manager of Coca-Cola Philippines, shared one way her company has taken on this responsibility.

"At Coca-Cola Philippines, all of our packaging are 100% recyclable from plastic, glass, aluminum that we use," she said.

Coca-Cola also announced a P1-billion investment to put up a facility to clean and recycle all its used PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles.

It's part of a goal to collect all their products' bottles for recycling by 2030, which Cacal said involves some 117 billion bottles.

"The objective is to collect all of that so we can say we are packaging neutral. We recycled it. We turned it into a bottle again," she said.

Dayrit hoped other companies in the beverage sector would do the same. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – One evening, while sharing a pizza, a group of friends decided to lobby for a law.

The friends talked about in the daily grind shared by many Filipinos who use private cars to avoid the unpredictable commute, or take public transportation to get to work or school.

"We had pizza at a friend's house, and we said, 'We're going to do something about this. Let's make a law'," said Ira Cruz of AltMobility at the 2019 Social Good Summit: #2030Now #InsightforImpact at De La Salle University in Manila on Saturday, September 21.

Cruz said they had no clue about making a law apart from the basics learned in school, much more, lobbying for one. But one thing was for sure: They needed to do something about the public transport situation.

At first, there were doubts. "First question that popped into our heads was, 'Why us? Will they take us seriously? What are our credentials?' Well, we're commuters. And who's the best to do it but commuters?"

For a city to function and for people to maximize opportunities within it, people must be able to get around. "Mobility should be empowering," said Cruz.

Weeks after the dinner conversation, Cruz and his group were at senators' offices. Shortly after, or on July 24, Senator Francis Pangilinan filed Senate Bill No. 775, or "The Dignity in Commuting Act."

There are now 4 pending bills aimed at improving commuting and protecting commuters: two in the Senate, and two in the House of Representatives.

The proposed measures seek to provide rights of commuters, such as the right to adequate, affordable, and alternative transport services; the right to breathe clean air during travel; the right to compensation amid public transport breakdowns; and the right to participate in the decision-making processes involving mobility and public transport.

The bill also calls for the creation of a National Office of Commuter Affairs under the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Violators, such as transport franchises, vehicle owners, or public officials, can be punished with a maximum fine of P500,000, and  suspension.

Since the bill was filed, Cruz and his associates have been invited to congressional committee hearings. Finally, commuters' voices were being heard.

With so many bills pending in Congress, Cruz remained uncertain about when the commuters' bill could be passed. What's important to him, for now, is that it was being talked about.

"Life's too short to be stuck, or worse, doing nothing. Let's talk about commuters naman," he said. (READ: 'Let's do actual things!': Commuters huddle on solutions to address traffic) – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – To make living in metropolitan areas a better experience, local chief executives need the help of urban planners.

This was Paulo Alcazaren's advice to Metro Manila mayors during the 2019 Manila Social Good Summit panel on making metro areas livable on Saturday, September 21.

Alcazaren, who has been an urban planner for 38 years, said there were only 6,000 of them in the profession.  He then invited the audience at the Yuchengco Hall of De La Salle University in Manila to consider a career in urban planning. 

"There are 16,000 architects who have world-class buildings but once you step out you get run over. So we need, and all these mayors [and] their plantillas require urban planners and landscape architects and urban designers. We need people in the planning profession to be able to help us all move to a brighter future," he said.

A Rappler survey revealed that majority of Metro Manilans wanted their mayors to prioritize traffic and transportation. During the panel, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said that he could not think of a solution to traffic, but the least he could do as mayor was to clear the streets of all types of obstructions.

Alcazaren agreed that the best mayors could do within their first 3-year term was clearing roads of obstructions, saying it was the most doable initiative and it had to be sustained. However, he said trying to solve traffic was the wrong approach.

"I do have to remind everyone that traffic is not the problem. Traffic is just the symptom of the problem of the lack of [an] integrated, comprehensive transport system in the whole metropolis... The thing is to provide Metro Manila and all of our metro areas all around the country with a comprehensive transport system and that is rail-based mass transport system. Not motorized, that's bikes and walking," he said.

Alcazaren said the priorities of national agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highways have to be tweaked towards this type of infrastructure. 

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has allotted P100.6 billion in their 2020 budget for railways, specifically for 6 major railway projects.

To add, Alcazaren also pointed out the need for pedestrian systems, such as pedestrian bridges along major thoroughfares. However, he said that the cost of these projects are too small to be prioritized by the DOTr.

"Most of the [pedestrian] projects are some P500 million. Ang tinitingnan nila dahil  (What they're looking into because of) Build, Build, Build, is [multi-billion peso projects]," he said.

The Build, Build, Build, infrastructure program, claimed to be the current administration's flagship economic project, prioritizes 75 high-impact projects. – Rappler.com