I am Rae, a member of Rural Women Advocates (RUWA), Amihan Women's pool of volunteers. We push for a genuine agrarian reform and fight against the exploitation and discrimination of peasant women. I have met former Anakpawis Representative Ariel Casilao several times. He always attends our activities, and is always willing to listen and share encouraging statements during our programs. I also know the relief volunteers of Sagip Kanayunan who were detained along with Former Rep Casilao. They are selfless young individuals who have been packing relief goods since the start of the enhanced community quarantine; they have been organizing fundraising drives for farmers and doing research work for and about the situation of our agricultural workers. (READ: Ex-Anakpawis congressman Casilao, relief volunteers post bail)

Leaders like Ariel Casilao and volunteers like Sagip Kanayunan activists helped me understand the world a little better. As an arts teacher, I have often felt helpless and detached from the real world. We train our students and critique their work according to learning standards set by arts educators. While the rest of the world suffers, the school calendar continues, and national competitions continue to be the basis for school and teacher achievements. There’s always a huge gap between our instructional materials and realities outside the classroom. I used to blindly follow the curriculum set by teachers and educators before me.

I became a better teacher because of Amihan and other peasant organizations where Ariel Casilao and the rest of the volunteers are part of. They do not teach “anti-government propaganda;” they organize seminars, workshops, and discussions about issues that not a lot of institutions dare think about. Who cares about the Rice Liberalization Law? The name alone is easy to dismiss. It sounds harmless because rice is something we take for granted. Because it’s something we consume every day, it’s so easy to not think about rice, especially its producers and the long process of rice production.

But Anakpawis and the rest of the peasant organizations campaign against similar policies because first and foremost, they know how this greatly affects farmers. They know that even before the Rice Liberalization Law, farmers have been buried in debt, have been suffering from the backward system of farming and from the hacienda system, and have been earning slave-like wages.

They do fact-finding missions, even risking their lives to extend help to militarized farming communities to research and gather data straight from the farmers, from the ground. This is how we learn about the situation of farmers during the lockdown. This is the reason why, despite the IATF’s food resiliency protocol that allows farming and fishing activities to continue, we learn that farmers are actually not allowed to harvest and maintain their crops. This is how we learn about specific communities in Cavite, Isabela, Cagayan, and Norzagaray where relief is scarce, even non-existent. Should we not publish works that reveal this reality? We need free mass testing and regular socio-economic relief to survive the pandemic and the lockdown. This is the reality. Not mere “anti-government propaganda.”

Because of organizations under Anakpawis, teachers like me get to learn from farmers. I am able to hear their stories, learn the process of farming, learn critical details about state policies and its effect, understand how I can help beyond just donating. Often, English teachers and Math teachers never get the chance to learn about the meticulous process of farming because it simply is not “relevant” to our classes. But I learn how our lives are connected, how my life depended on our rice producers, our agricultural workers because they offer their lives to provide the food that we eat at the school canteen, restaurants, and teacher conferences, and the baon we prepare for our kids. I learn about the history of our farmers, the history of oppression, understand the system that robs them of the chance to live decent lives. Finally, I learn about the peasant killings and join mobilization to seek justice for their brutal deaths. Is that not a fair and logical human reaction?

I am happy that Ariel Casilao and Sagip Kanayunan 6 have been released. I, however, together with my fellow Rural Women Advocates condemn the fascist response of Norzagaray police against the relief mission. The volunteers were wrongfully detained and unjustly accused of trump-up charges. They had to gather bail money which could have been used to procure more vegetables and goods from farmers in Benguet to produce more relief packs. Providing relief is not a crime. We shall all demand for socio-economic relief for our farmers and stop redtagging Sagip Kanayunan, Anakpawis, Pinoy Weekly and peasant advocates. – Rappler.com

Our economic model is cracking under the weight of so many wrongs. It has been more than a month since the Philippine government implemented an enhanced community quarantine in the National Capital Region, which is home to 13 million people. Other areas of the Philippines followed with general and community quarantine issuances, which are now also in place in Visayas and in Mindanao. As the lockdown continues, food reserves, basic necessities, niceties, and people’s patience are also being depleted. Arguably, however, it can be said these were depleted for millions of Filipinos even way before the declaration of the pandemic. (READ: IN CHARTS: Rich Philippine regions get richer, poor ones barely improve)

While quarantine measures imposed by governments around the world are seen as a way to contain the spread of the virus, it also begs the question: are there better, more humane ways to implement these measures while also reducing secondary hazards for those who have the least ability to cope with impacts of the crisis? After all, no one is safe unless all of us are safe.

It is clear that beating COVID-19 means that we have to reach the poorest and most vulnerable communities first. The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 Agenda commits United Nations Member States, including the Philippines, to ensure that no one will be left behind. Pandemics like COVID-19 have a way of making this commitment even more relevant. In the Philippines, we are now seeing how the sudden and massive displacement of livelihoods is a humanitarian emergency that would necessitate expanded humanitarian aid and additional support to tide them over and reinforce their dignity. 

I had a chat with Duoi Ampilan, a former colleague who was a frontline responder during Oxfam’s Ebola response in Liberia and Sierra Leone. He shared his experiences on how the imposition of "total lockdown" was not possible, and can even pose more dangers, because there was no parallel assistance and social safety nets to keep food on people’s tables and financial security to weather the worst of the emergency.

The Ebola crisis also showed the need to continue to maintain separate mechanisms to address gender-based violence in our communities even if we are responding to COVID-19. This means keeping hotlines and gender desks open and having the referral system clearly understood in communities. A gender lens must be incorporated in all plans and strategies to make sure we reach those who are most at risk or underserved. In the Philippines, there are potential increases of gender-based violence and child abuse especially in areas where homes are congested. Now with wage earners being impacted the most by the economic slowdown, we need to think about how this lack of space and lack of food and resources will impact the mental, physical, and psychological health of the family. 

Considering how COVID-19 will affect almost all aspects of our social and economic life, the ASEAN Chair’s statement in February calling for a cohesive and responsive ASEAN to successfully curb the spread of the disease rings true. In the ASEAN Special Summit on COVID-19 held last week, leaders emphasized a “whole-of-ASEAN community approach” and called on member states to help each other. Unless we put communities at the front and center of any proposed response, the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 could push more people into poverty, including the middle class, unless urgent and collective action is taken. (READ: What the Philippine economy could be like after the coronavirus)

Collective action is not reserved only for government actors. It also means including the voices of different groups, such as community volunteers, local businesses, and affected populations themselves since they are on the front lines of responding to this emergency. Supporting and funding local humanitarian leadership is needed to augment government efforts in public health promotion. Now is the time to get direct funding to local organizations and to ensure they have the proper compensation and insurance to carry out the work. International and national agencies should not be transferring risk to local organizations and volunteers. Insights from partners, especially on knowledge on local contexts, culture, and behavior will be invaluable in these times. They should be the main decisionmakers, to be supported by international actors only when the need arises. 

There is an ongoing narrative that the COVID-19 crisis presents the reset button that we did not realize we needed. Let us challenge this statement. Even prior the COVID-19 crisis, the Philippines has already been beset by persistent high levels of inequality and extreme poverty. These were exacerbated by various factors, which include the country’s disproportionate vulnerability to hazards and disasters; gender-based violence and challenges to women’s economic empowerment; and pockets of armed conflict and fragility that threaten stability and development. This is exactly why we need more than a reset button. If we go back to the way we were, we will end up exactly in the same situation which created and fueled this pandemic to begin with. (READ: [OPINION] Waiting for things to go back to normal isn’t going to work)

Now is the time to collectively push for a vision of a fair and sustainable human economy. This vision will be the strong counter-narrative against those who would want the current system, which perpetuates extreme inequalities, the same even after the COVID-19 crisis. We all truly need more than a reset button. – Rappler.com

Janice Ian Manlutac is the global Local Humanitarian Leadership Advisor for Oxfam and has been working in communities with large-scale fast-onset disaster contexts in rural, urban, and conflict areas in the Asia Pacific, including the Philippines.

Oxfam is an international confederation of 19 humanitarian and development organizations working together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries.

Since the enhanced community quarantine was imposed in Metro Manila on March 15, Social Enterprise Development Partnerships, Incorporated (SEDPI) has conducted weekly rapid community assessment research with its members. SEDPI is a group of social enterprises that provides capacity building and social investments to development organizations and directly to microenterprises (MEs).

Most of SEDPI's ME members, about 9 in 10, are women with an average age of 42. These women are typically into vending, farming, fishing, dressmaking, selling food, and livestock backyard raising. The rapid community assessment aims to determine the economic impact of the coronavirus on our members.

Impact of COVID-19 on MEs and informal sector

All microenterprises were negatively affected due to COVID-19. Immediately after the quarantine was announced, 34% of microenterprises stopped their livelihood. After two weeks, this spiked to 51%, then slightly recovered to 41% after a month of lockdown.

Majority of microenterprises (59%) reported that their livelihood weakened. Of these MEs, 59% and 31% reported significant and severe weakening of livelihoods, resepectively. (READ: 'Sariling diskarte': The heavy impact of lockdown on micro, small businesses)

Only 2 of the 5,775 respondents were persons being monitored for possible infection. This may be a positive sign that the quarantine is effective in containing the spread of the virus.

Access to government assistance

Only 1 in 10 microenterprises were able to receive cash assistance, while 60% received relief goods from the government, as of April 14. Most of them received P3,000 to P4,000 cash assistance through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Relief goods received were composed of rice, canned goods, and soap, enough to last only for 1 to 2 days. Most of the respondents (82%) expressed that the P5,000 cash assistance will not be enough to cover their daily needs in the next two months.

Hasten government cash assistance and relief

The government needs to hasten release of cash assistance and relief goods to microenterprises and the informal sector. These will alleviate their burden and enable them to survive the quarantine.

Prohibit interest accrual on MSEs' loans

Interest accrual for loans of micro and small enterprises during the quarantine period should be prohibited. On April 3, the Ateneo-SEDPI Microfinance Capacity Building program released a position paper regarding this. The continued charging of interest during the quarantine is socially unjust since it is an additional burden on micro and small enterprises at a time when they can barely survive.

Mass testing

Prioritize mass testing for suspected and probable COVID-19 cases from low-income groups, especially in urban centers, where spaces are cramped and transmission is faster.

Cash assistance to restart livelihoods through MFIs

Most of the respondents (77%) need cash assistance to restart their livelihood after the quarantine. Many of them (35%) would still need relief goods, especially food, immediately after the quarantine and a few (12%) need work to have source of income.

Government should provide cash assistance to restart livelihoods, coursed through microfinance institutions (MFIs) to eliminate the dole-out mentality. The cash assistance should be given as 0% loans. MFIs are well positioned to provide this intervention since they would need to support the rebooting of the livelihoods of their client base.

Bail out MFIs

Repayment rates in MFIs are expected to hit as low as 20% given the magnitude of MEs negatively affected, which would lead to liquidity problems. The government should intervene and infuse capital in the form of equity to MFIs to fund the proposed cash assistance intended to restart microenterprise livelihoods.

Existing debt obligations of MFIs to commercial banks and especially to government financial institutions could be converted to equity to ease pressure in debt repayments. MFIs will eventually pay this equity back to the government, perhaps even at a premium, once they recover from the crisis.

Pay-for-work programs

Development organizations and the government should provide pay-for-work programs to spur the local economy. This will create temporary employment and give purchasing power that will augment efforts to restart livelihoods.

0% SSS and Pag-IBIG calamity loans

Social Security System (SSS) and Pag-IBIG members are allowed to borrow calamity loans against their personal contributions with interest rates of 10% and 5.95%. It is highly recommended to bring the interest on calamity loans down to 0%, since these are drawn from personal contributions of members anyway.

Ease in access to identity documents

Access to government basic services starts with identity. Processes should be streamlined for low-income groups to get government identification documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, and licenses.

Greater financial inclusion

Ensure bank accounts are opened for all low-income families so that they can easily access cash transfers and cash relief in times of disaster. This will ensure that funds truly land in their pockets, and could potentially reduce corruption and patronage politics.

Universal disaster insurance

The Philippines needs universal disaster insurance that prioritizes coverage of low-income groups, since the Philippines ranks high in the World Risk Index. The scheme will provide funds to affected low-income communities to cope and rebuild. Having disaster insurance will eliminate the need for them to beg for government assistance from politicians.

Tap vast network of MFIs

MFIs are rooted well in communities and have vast networks that penetrate even the most remote areas. This makes them suitable for information dissemination as well as for distribution of government assistance that could complement barangay-level legwork.

Bottom-up approach

We may already be seeing the positive effects of the quarantine in terms of containing COVID-19. However, its negative economic impact, especially on microenterprises, is undeniable.

These recommendations to support microenterprises during and after the quarantine are practical and can easily be implemented. These will channel resources to microenterprises and help them recover faster from the negative effects of the coronavirus. (READ: Need help protecting your business during the pandemic? Project Lifeline is here) – Rappler.com

Vince Rapisura is a faculty member of the Ateneo de Manila University and is also the founder of SEDPI Group of Social Enterprises. Follow him on Facebook and YouTube, or visit his website here.

The following is Part 1 in a two-part series on the state of a community in Camarin, Caloocan City during the coronavirus crisis.

You can read Part 2 here.

“I am a pakialamera,” says Ate Malou, a senior citizen and grandmother of 8.“I walk around the neighborhood chatting with neighbors, getting to know them better so I can understand them and their lives. With this lockdown, all we can do is discuss the community situation on our cellphones, disseminate information through group texts, listen to one another’s grievances, help the barangay carry out its programs, and look for solutions to our problems.”

Having established herself as a focal point for local issues and concerns, Ate Malou, as she is called, is ready to help the many among the Camarin Balikatan Community Association’s 450 families who discuss their problems, needs, and other concerns with her. It helps that she is also a Barangay 178 sitio leader.

As of April 22, two deaths out of 5 confirmed cases have been reported there officially. The community had dealt with more deaths during tokhang, she remarks. At least with this pandemic, the victims have a fighting chance to live. Although two deaths look small, it may just be the start of what lies ahead for the community. People are being prepared to know and carry out the protocols for COVID-19. That means when a resident is identified as a Person Under Investigation (PUI), the barangay is informed. Officials in turn report the case to health officers in the city. The health officers will call and decide if they should take the PUI to a hospital for testing. If the PUI has a family, the barangay officials guard their house. No one can leave or enter but the family is given food. The barangay also offers protection, cordoning itself off from outsiders to regulate the flow of people. Volunteers are assigned to keep watch. (READ: [FIRST PERSON] Beyond health: The virus' impact on the people of Del Pan Bridge)

For now, what is preoccupying people’s minds is not really the virus but that all of a sudden, the means of support for their families was suddenly knocked out from under their feet. Losing jobs and income almost overnight left them to face tremendous difficulties without any solid plans to rely on. Fearing for their health and with the economy at a standstill, being kept from going out to buy or look for food compounds the problem. Despite these troubles, “leaders like us in people’s organizations are practicing the bayanihan spirit. We help one another work with the government and try to keep our hopes up in the face of an uncertain future. We are doing our part, and call on benefactors to continue helping, donating, and providing assistance so that fellow Filipinos like us survive this crisis.”

In Brgy. 178 Camarin, people are divided as to whether the government’s actions to address the health crisis are enough for everyone. The issue is not so much which government actions are correct or not, but rather what is the community’s best strategy for survival. Should they choose to rely on government completely, turn to private companies, or find their own means of addressing the current situation and uplifting the community spirit? While verified information on the crisis needs to come from the mayor, Ate Malou cannot help but do the usual informal chikahan (chatting) and kwentuhan (experience sharing) through friendly calls among neighbors or via cellphone. Though not approved by COVID-19 measures, this social practice ensures that community members know about the PUIs in their barangays as well as learn about any deaths even if not from COVID-19. She also informs them of the kinds of assistance they are to receive, and what they need to do to get benefits. In effect, her conversations and walks around the community as a sitio leader and secretary of Balikatan become an informal check and balance of what the government has been doing, and whether or not people have been receiving targeted benefits.

So far, as of April 21, only two waves of food packs have come, the first from the Barangay and the second from City Hall. Yet other barangays have had up to 4 waves of food packs, to the community’s dismay. In her chikahan forays, Ate Malou learned that when people receive different types and amounts of goods, some cannot help but compare and complain if they feel discriminated against. On the contrary, others deliberately express their generosity in choosing not to avail of donated food so it can be allocated to their needier neighbors. (READ: [ANALYSIS] Releasing names of SAC beneficiaries can bolster accountability)

The Caloocan City Mayor’s information on Facebook shows that not every barangay is given the same package. Ate Malou comments, “People here can be hotheaded; they love to compare. If a city is richer, of course what it gives its residents will be different from what a poorer city gives! They don’t understand or accept that. Priorities must be set for those who really need it.  Still there are people who resent that, especially if they believe they are among the most in need but were not helped. People always tend to think that way – they already have but want more.” 

Clearly, the most immediate concerns are economic. 90% of the community members have lost their jobs. These include work in both the informal sector and company jobs. Some who have kept their positions are those in the delivery and health sectors. Construction workers, who make up a majority of the male workers, fear they no longer have contracts. For some, their companies continue to send them rice.

Implementing laws and programs for the poor announced by President Duterte on the radio and TV to address job and income loss emerge as the most pressing issue. Anticipating from the beginning of the lockdown the need for financial assistance, Ate Malou and her Balikatan members drew up a list of those who had lost their jobs and expected government cash assistance. “I hoped what Duterte was saying is all true. So, I decided to be proactive by finding out more about it and verifying if it will prove true or not. All we can do for now is wait.” 

A week after they heard about the cash assistance through the DSWD and LGU, the barangay enlisted the help of presidents of local associations and people’s organizations to distribute the application forms. Balikatan received only 100 Social Amelioration Cards for its 450 family members in Sitio Uno. Balikatan is only one organization within Sitio Uno of Brgy 178. Malou's association decided to follow the clusters their NGO partner, Urban Poor Associates, had earlier established to organize their community. (READ: [OPINION] Learning from Kagawad Jonjon Elago)

Their constituents were divided into 9 geographical clusters. Each set would receive at least 10 forms and would have to determine its distribution strategy for the forms in a fair manner to those who needed them the most. Only those with forms can receive the cash assistance. Within clusters, several families and neighbors reached an agreement to share one form and divide up the proceeds. Families given priority assistance are those whose members have no work. Typically, these are families whose breadwinners have lost income in the informal sector, like labanderas (laundrywomen), house help, manicurists, sidewalk vendors, drivers, conductors, and construction workers. Distribution logistics prove most challenging because of the population density. – Rappler.com

Marilou Aquino is a housewife and community leader. She was Business Manager of Camarin Balikatan Community Association Inc. for 11 years before becoming its Secretary in 2011. In 2004 the Caloocan Mayor appointed her a Sitio Uno leader of Brgy 178.

Regina Bautista is pursuing a PhD in Anthropology at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. She is a lecturer in ballet and dance studies, and is Managing Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Choreographers Series.  

Bautista was introduced to and interviewed Aquino through Urban Poor Associates as part of the Engaged Anthropology class of Prof. Mary Racelis. Aquino verified and approved the write-up prepared by Bautista. The authors would also like to acknowledge Prof. Racelis’ guidance and feedback throughout the writing of this article. 

The following is Part 2 in a two-part series on the state of a community in Camarin, Caloocan City during the coronavirus crisis.

You can read Part 1 here.

PO secretary and barangay sitio leader Malou Aquino comments, “To be fair to the government, you can’t expect them to do it all right away. It’s impossible to manage everything at the same time. People who help also need to rest.  Fortunately, the relief goods have been coming in. We are thankful to the mayor because people have received them. The barangay organized packages for 26,000 families, had to repack and distribute them in each sitio, with certain ones needing to be prioritized. It’s hard work. Contractual workers hired by city hall provided most of the labor.”

To ensure proper distribution, the city also asked leaders like Ate Malou to mobilize her sitio members to check which families had been given, and to report which families were overlooked.  

Effective ways of carrying out the promises of the government are necessary. Instructions and communication channels should be clear so as not to create confusion. Programs that are announced officially should be the same once “bumaba” (come down to the community). “If what the government is saying is not fulfilled here, people blame that on the barangay or city hall, accusing them of corruption and getting ‘kick-backs.'” What generates further anxiety stems from demands for more food and the long lines at the barangay hall to obtain outside travel permits.

Amid these pressing concerns, people need to be patient, hopeful, and informed, asserts Ate Malou. It is hard to take care of people. They keep asking, “Has anything been brought for us? Is there money already? Do we have DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) allocations? I tell them to wait, as maybe it will come to us. People have bad tempers though if they are hungry. In the meantime, we need to have our own ways of fulfilling our needs. We can’t just wait and do nothing. Instead of playing the blame game and questioning motives, I tell them, 'Everyone’s main concern should be to think about how to feed those who can no longer buy food.' Throughout the entire economic ordeal, people can’t be selfish. For me, it’s not only about myself. I tell them to look also at those around them; there are people who are poorer than they are. They should not complain but show patience, perseverance, and compassion. We cannot just think about ourselves, but have to think beyond to others.”

With the recent enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), residents are questioning whether there will be enough food for the weeks to come. Those employed in companies had already budgeted their last sweldo (salary) before the lockdown. Will their trust in the government and private sector responses last long enough for them to survive, or will they be left to their own devices? It is the uncertainty that worries them.

Ate Malou hopes that she can bring in other programs for children to keep them at home. "Otherwise, what can they do there? They want to leave the house instead of learning. We want parents to gather their children and give them lessons or activities to occupy their minds, like art  projects indoors.” She and her family do that with her grandchildren. Admittedly, she observes, it goes against social distancing at home but it keeps children busy.

Ate Malou concludes, “In our place we are doing what we can to coordinate with the government. We are ready, organized, and empowered. We trust that the government will do its best to fulfill its duties so we can survive.” 

The interviewer reflects 

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the staggering disparity of realities Filipinos face. This is evident in social class differences configured by an economy that prioritizes profit for a few over quality of life of all. Amid this unequal divide, people have expressed divisive sentiments over the government’s actions to address the health crisis and contingent economic recession. 

Ate Malou’s stories told to me from March 22 to April 21 illustrate how, at the level of the barangay, leaders are making deliberate choices for the good of those in need, and are willing to do the work necessary to surmount the crisis. Strong women leaders like her also encourage patience and the importance of moral issues like priority to the more disadvantaged among them to the extent of self-sacrifice. Considering the pre-existing life-threatening conditions that have subjected poorer communities to a precarious way of life long before COVID-19 happened, they are doing what they can collectively to help everyone.

Balikatan’s active women contribute greatly to mutual help and solidarity. They make a point of monitoring government programs in their community to ensure proper and fair implementation. The importance of local groups organizing themselves as part of the barangay’s civil society component comes to the fore.

While leaders walking around the community may endanger their health, it seems like the looseness of physical distancing for local leaders at least can be quite beneficial to their social situation. As a group in Brgy 178 who learned the lessons of issue-based community organizing from UPA, their NGO partner, Balikatan retained previously established clusters which figured out how the Social Amelioration Program money could be allocated fairly among them. This consensus strategy thereby avoided the usual complaints of favoritism and unfairness. Since the proximity-based groups serve as the first touch-point to each household, neighborhood clusters can to form their own workable practices of solidarity, and exercise their chosen strategies for agency and survival to make sure everyone’s needs are met. Barangay governance benefits from partnering with these community organizations with their active women leaders and members. – Rappler.com

Marilou Aquino is a housewife and community leader. She was Business Manager of Camarin Balikatan Community Association Inc. for 11 years before becoming its Secretary in 2011. In 2004 the Caloocan Mayor appointed her a Sitio Uno leader of Brgy 178.

Regina Bautista is pursuing a PhD in Anthropology at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. She is a lecturer in ballet and dance studies, and is Managing Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Choreographers Series.  

Bautista was introduced to and interviewed Aquino through Urban Poor Associates as part of the Engaged Anthropology class of Prof. Mary Racelis. Aquino verified and approved the write-up prepared by Bautista. The authors would also like to acknowledge Prof. Racelis’ guidance and feedback throughout the writing of this article. 

MANILA, Philippines– Jzev Villanueva, a proud Iskolar ng Bayan, failed in his first attempt at the Bar exam. 

Undeterred, he forged on and prepared for the 2019 Bar.

On April 29, Julius Voltaire Saljay Villanueva was on the list of 2,103 examinees who passed the country's toughest licensure exam.

Villanueva is no stranger to failure – and redemption. As he won his latest hard-earned victory, he recalled the many times second chances had brought him to where he is today. 

“I never learned a skill at first try. I never picked up a concept at first reading. I did not possess the ‘natural talent’ that most of my peers in high school, college, and law school have,” he said.

“But I became good at one thing: getting back up and marching on,” Villanueva added.

Tireless attitude

Villanueva displayed his capacity for perseverance early on, when he was in high school. When his grades didn't meet the cut-off needed to enter the Bulacan State University-Laboratory High School, he sent a letter to the administration seeking reconsideration for admission. He was later put on the wait-list, and got to study there until he graduated in 2008. 

When Villanueva failed the University of the Philippines College Admission Test in 2007, he enrolled at the Bulacan State University until his grades allowed him to transfer to the University of the Philippines Mindanao. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication arts at UP Mindanao in 2013.

Hoping to continue his studies in UP as he pursued his dream of becoming a lawyer, Villanueva took the UP Law Aptitude Exam twice before he managed to worm his way into the list of applicants for interview. 

He didn't make the list of interview passers. Believing his UP journey had come to an end, Villanueva opted to study at the Ateneo Law School instead.

UP Law, finally

It was during his midterms exam in constitutional law at Ateneo Law when Jzev suddenly received a message from UP Law’s Office of the College Secretary that he made it to the second list of interview passers.

Jzev immediately enrolled at UP Law and began his first semester as a freshman again – this time in the institution he believed truly shaped the way he thinks. Luckily, the UP System had just shifted its academic year and moved the start of classes to August.

“At first attempt, I never made it outright in those lists of passers or of ‘qualified’ applicants. There was always a need to be waitlisted, interviewed, to write an explanation on why I should get the remaining slot, to submit transcripts, or to come back for a second interview, among others, in order to dispel any doubts about my qualification,” Villanueva recalled.

Even when he had to try over and over again, Jzev emphasized how his experiences taught him to persevere and find ways to move forward despite the challenges. (READ: Now a CPA lawyer, Bar 3rd placer wants to stay as auditor for the people)

Jzev encouraged aspiring lawyers and failed Bar takers to never stop striving for their goals.

“Persevere with all your might and make use of whatever luck there is in your stars, until such time that the universe is led to no other choice but to make your will happen. Make it happen,” he said. 

The passing rate for the 2019 Bar Examinations is 27.36%, equivalent to 2,103 examinees who passed out of the 7,685 takers. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – It was a heartwarming moment for Filipinos as a photo of newborn baby Kobe, who survived COVID-19, surfaced online. 

Baby Kobe was discharged at the National Children’s Hospital in Quezon City on Tuesday, April 28 after 11 days of confinement. He was received by his father, Ronnel Manjares, a construction worker in Muntinlupa City. 

According to Kobe’s aunt Rosalyn Manjares, he was rushed to the hospital 3 days after mother Tricia gave birth to him, because he was suffering from a high fever. 

Rosalyn told Rappler that Tricia had no choice but to give birth at home because hospitals in Alabang had declined them due to COVID-19. 

“Noong iaanak po, dinala sa hospital kaso tinanggihan po ng mga ospital sa Alabang, kasi nga po dahil may COVID-19. Inuwi na lang po ang mag-ina tapos sa bahay na lang po siya nanganak,” Rosalyn said.

(When the mother was about to give birth, hospitals in Alabang declined them because of COVID-19. So, they just went home and the mother gave birth to him there.)

Rappler was only able to speak to Rosalyn as Ronnel doesn't have a mobile phone and is currently staying at Ospital ng Muntinlupa with his wife and son for a 14-day quarantine, after which the family will be allowed to go home to Laurel, Batangas, where Rosalyn lives. 

Rosalyn told Rappler that although the hospital bills of Kobe have been shouldered by PhilHealth, what the couple worries about now is how to get by, as Ronnel doesn’t have a job due to the lockdown. 

“Wala talaga, kasi si Ronnel naman ay walang trabaho ngayon dahil tigil ang construction. Wala rin trabaho si Tricia,” Rosalyn said. 

(They have nothing right now, since Ronnel doesn't have work because construction has been suspended. Tricia doesn't have a job either.)

Those willing to help baby Kobe and his family may contact Rosalyn at 0907-565-9016.

“Dito rin po sila tutuloy sa bahay paglabas nila ng quarantine. Wala po kasing valid ID si Ronnel kaya ako na ang napakisuyuan,” Rosalyn said. 

(They will stay here with me after their quarantine. Ronnel doesn't have any valid IDs, which is why donations will be coursed through me.) – Rappler.com

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape of learning all over the world, leaving educational institutions grappling with the question of what it means to educate students during this time, especially when many teachers and students are struggling with the large scale negative impact of the pandemic on their daily lives and wellbeing.

In the face of such suffering, it is only natural to want for our pain to be taken away. Perhaps this is why some universities have decided to mass promote their students. In the University of the Philippines where I teach, the idea of mass promotion as “compassionate” education in this time of COVID-19 has occupied the discourse of the past few weeks. (READ: Netizens debate mass promotion of students amid coronavirus pandemic)

As a mental health professional, I feel that it’s my responsibility to express my concerns on the matter especially since arguments for mass promotion have hinged on a potentially dangerous idea — that supporting our students’ mental health and well-being is predicated primarily on avoidance of pain. For me, this kind of educational policy could compromise long-run gains in mental health and well-being for its unfortunate beneficiaries. 

The pandemic is a global disaster, and we are only at the beginning of a process that brings with it destabilization. Naturally, the immediate calls are for practical and psychological “rescue.” Emotions and tensions run high, and people become liable to making forecasting errors at the beginning of this process. It is normal for people to feel consumed, overwhelmed in their confusion, anger, fear, loss of control. For many, this could lead to a pessimistic view of the future and their own ability to live through tough times. (READ: [OPINION] Futures on the line: Why learning through screens won't work in the PH)

Mass promotion as a strategy reflects a forecasting error and a pessimistic view of our ability to survive, and thrive, in crisis. It assumes that our sense of destabilization will not recede and that we do not have the capacity to make the best out of an admittedly bad situation. It assumes that our situations will either not change or that they can only change for the worse. It communicates an implicit message to our students that, even if given time, they will never find pockets of hope and security, will never carve opportunities to maintain a minimum sense of continuity in their lives and mastery in their endeavors.

Studies on mental health and well-being show that those of us who are able to tolerate distress are better positioned to achieve long-term gains in mental health and wellbeing. This trade-off, of short-term pain for long-term gain, means that we cannot shortcut the process because to do so would be to rob ourselves of the opportunity to learn how to manage our negative emotions, view ourselves with kindness especially when we are not at our “best,” get to know who we are when we are not performing our public personae, and find out what is truly important to us. 

Clarifying what we value doesn’t happen when times are kind and we have it easy. Instead, it is during crisis, when we suffer, that we are given opportunity to discover what is truly important. This time of pandemic is ripe for us to ask ourselves, what is the real value of receiving an education? (READ: Ateneo shortens semester, students to get refund)

For me, it is instilling in students a compassionate curiosity about their own experiences including and especially painful ones that could refine and enrich them. The capacity and willingness to accept, even embrace, and create meaning from harsh experience, is a gift that will serve them well no matter where they end up. It is especially critical for future mental health professionals whose own well-being could have a huge impact on the wellbeing of clients they will be working with. Now more than ever, we need mental health professionals who are competent, compassionate, and courageous in the face of others’ pain. How, then, can we expect our students to sit with others who suffer if we are the first to let them avoid facing, and working through, their own suffering? – Rappler.com

Divine Love A. Salvador, PhD, RPsy is a licensed psychologist and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Department of Psychology in UP Diliman. She is a Clinical Supervisor at UP Diliman Psychosocial Services (UPD PsycServ), which offers free telepsychotherapy service to the public during this time of pandemic. 

BATANGAS, Philippines– Despite the Luzon lockdown, the Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas (LPU-B) community sought ways to provide support to frontliners and affected Filipinos during the coronavirus outbreak.

Sharing is caring

To help hasten the process of COVID-19 testing, LPU-B will lend its own real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) equipment, genomics and proteomics laboratory, as well as its technical expertise to the Department of Health (DOH).

These resources will help enable the setup of a molecular laboratory in DOH’s designated testing location.The DOH had especially requested the use of the PCR machine, so it can set up a COVID-19 testing facility at the Batangas Medical Center.

“As of the moment we are waiting for communication from them. We are ready anytime as we already coordinated with our supplier to help us safely transfer the equipment,” Dr Cecilia Pring, Vice President for Academics and Research of LPU-B, said in an interview with Phoenix, the university’s official student publication.

Two faculty and staff members of LPU-B’s College of Allied Medical Professionals (CAMP) will be part of the team in the COVID-19 testing facility – CAMP Consulting Dean and pathologist Dr Annie Valdez, and CAMP laboratory administrator Oliver Dumaoal.

Supporting the heroes

Aside from offering its equipment and resources, LPU-B has also given lunch meals to Philippine National Police and Bureau of Fire Protection personnel stationed in checkpoints throughout Batangas province, under its Feed the Heroes Project.

Frontliners were also given sets of personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of infection from the virus. (READ: LIST: How to help healthcare workers, frontliners during coronavirus pandemic)

This institutional project was spearheaded by the LPU-B Community Extension office.

The university also provided food packs to students stranded in their respective dormitories, as well as basic living assistance to employees affected by the lockdown.

LPU-B’s Counseling and Testing Center also launched online mental health support services for students and employees. (READ: LIST: Groups providing free online counseling during the pandemic)

“The inspiration of the management to engage in these activities is the opportunity to help during this difficult time and be part of the solution so that we can win this battle together,” Pring said.

Healing power of art

LPU-B students, faculty, and staff didn’t let the lockdown restrictions stop them from supporting frontliners battling the coronavirus. (READ: Volunteer your skills during the lockdown through these initiatives)

Flambeau, the official student publication of LPU-B High School, initiated "Letters to the Frontliners," an art drive wherein high school Lyceans are encouraged to send postcards or letters of appreciation to medical and military frontliners.

Some students also sent get well soon cards to coronavirus patients.

The letters project was inspired by the COVID Letters initiative led by Research Institute for Tropical Medicine’s Dr Nicole Perreras, who urged Filipinos to boost the morale of patients and medical frontliners in the institution through letters and postcards of appreciation.

Hoping to do the same, Flambeau posted letters submitted by students in their official Facebook page and encouraged people to send their support.

“We hope that through our project, we were able to put smiles on the faces of the patients and frontliners, so that they can have a mindset that [they] will get through this battle soon,” said Flambeau editor-in-chief Dana Alejandrei Cueto.

Leading a tribute for frontliners and Filipinos, LPU-B High School’s theater guild performed Rachel Platten’s Fight Song, as well as a spoken word piece written by its pool of writers.

LPU Stagers President Julia Castillote said the piece hopes to highlight the need to show gratitude to frontliners and give hope to fellow Filipinos in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.

“We had this thought that if we can't leave the house to help frontliners or donate, we still have the means to help in the form of art. We know that [frontliners] need emotional support and that is something we can provide as artists,” Castillote said in a mix of Filipino and English in the interview with Phoenix.

Wanting to help in his own way, LPU-B grade 10 student Emman Ramos wrote a song titled “Muling Pagbangon” to inspire Filipinos to stay strong during the crisis.

“Naaawa ako sa mga pamilyang namamatayan dahil sa virus na ito, at napahanga naman sa kagitingang ipinamamalas ng mga frontliners na handang ibuwis ang buhay nila para sa mga mamamayan, at iyon ang nagsilbing inspirasyon ko sa pagkatha ng kantang ito,” Ramos said.

(I felt sad for the families who lost loved ones because of this virus. I was also amazed by the courage of our frontliners, as they prepared to sacrifice their lives for the people. They serve as my inspiration in writing this song.)

Faculty members and staff from various departments of LPU-B made their own tribute to frontliners as well, as they performed the popular OPM Christian song “Lead Me Lord.”– Rappler.com

Jhon Cedrick Suarez is a Mover from Batangas City and probationary staff writer at Phoenix, the official student publication of Lyceum of the Philippines University - Batangas. He is also a first-year BS Accountancy student from the said university.

MANILA, Philippines– As the coronavirus disease continues to spread across the country, the University of the Philippines (UP) has risen to the challenge of lending its expertise and resources to stem the new virus.

With 8 constituent universities across the archipelago, several UP campuses have led initiatives to help reduce the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in their communities.

UP Diliman’s Palma Hall opened its doors to become an isolation area for suspected and probable coronavirus cases in the area.

Standing tall as the university’s largest classroom building complex, Palma Hall has long been a staging ground and center for UP Diliman’s social engagement.

The first floor lobby and classrooms will be isolation area. The classrooms on the second and third floors might be used for that purpose as well.

Fifty beds have been set up in the building – two in each classroom with plastic screens separating the bed areas.

Meanwhile, the UP Asian Institute of Tourism (AIT) offered its space as a COVID-19 testing center in Quezon City.

The testing center at AIT, which is equipped with swab booths, targets 50 tests per day. The specimens are forwarded for processing to the Lung Center of the Philippines and St Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City.

Quick response to COVID-19

After Chinese scientists released the whole genome sequence of the virus to the public, several scientists at the National Institutes of Health of UP Manila were quick to develop a testing kit as early as February.

Priced at P1,320, the kit is said to be 6 times cheaper than its foreign counterpart, which costs around P8,500. The kit provides results in two hours. (READ: #SalamatUP: Netizens laud U.P. scientists for developing coronavirus testing kits)

Despite the early innovation, the testing kit was only allowed for mass use starting April 4.

Taking on the challenge, the UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH) heeded the Department of Health's request to be a coronavirus referral hospital in the Philippines, while still juggling other patients.

PGH, according to its website, is considered as the biggest modern government tertiary hospital in the Philippines, servicing more than 600,000 patients every year and catering especially to poor Filipinos. It remains as the only national referral center for tertiary care.

Science for the people 

To help address the outbreak, UP Diliman has been utilizing the wonders of science to serve the people. Its College of Science has lent its qPCR machines for COVID-19 testing and 3D printers for personal protective equipment (PPE) production. 

It also deployed members from the Institute of Biology and the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology to join frontliners who can perform COVID-19 tests. 

Laboratories in the college have also donated supplies to public hospitals. A model for disease transmission is also in the works to propose the best next move to the national government. 

Meanwhile, a team of UP chemists produced alcohol sanitizers following the World Health Organization’s formulation to provide added protection for UP Diliman constituents, dormers, and UP PGH.

“All these efforts are being done because our standing mandate as UP scientists is to make science serve the people,” CS Associate Dean Lillian Rodriguez told the UP Media and Public Relations Office.

Extending a helping hand 

Seeking to further improve access to information, UP-PGH launched its Bayanihan Na! COVID-19 Operations Center on March 30 to answer queries related to COVID-19. 

In close partnership with the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), the hotline 155-200 is open to the public 24/7. This aims to provide assistance as well as mitigate the influx of patients in hospitals by being able to consult with professionals faster.

At the same time, UPD Psychosocial Services (PsycServ) program with the UPD Department of Psychology is offering free telepsychotherapy services to frontliners and individuals in a bid to help those affected by the outbreak.

PsycServ operates only from Monday to Friday, from 9 am to  5 pm, and can be accessed through http://bit.ly/PsycServPH. 

The UP College of Law, for its part, sought ways to offer its services during the outbreak through free legal assistance. Those who find themselves becoming victims of discrimination may reach out for help through https://law.upd.edu.ph/uplawhelps/ and uplawhelps@up.edu.ph.

The line is operational only from 8 am to 12 pm, and 1 pm to 5 pm from Monday to Friday. 

Using arts and literature in service of the people 

Aside from work in medicine and the sciences, UP also contributes to the fight against COVID-19 through the arts and humanities as well. 

On April 7, the Department of Speech and Communication and Theatre Arts (DSCTA) of the College of Arts and Letters’ (CAL) Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (DUP)  streamed 3  of its plays on its Youtube page for free. 

Meanwhile, Professor Eilene Antoinette G. Narvaez of UP’s Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas has translated terminologies related to COVID-19 to Filipino to make the information accessible to more people.

A similar effort was launched by the UP College of Education, which created a dictionary for children to understand common COVID-19 terms found in the news. The dictionary is in English and Filipino, and can be found here. – Rappler.com

Giana Danielle Larrauri is a Mover from Taytay Rizal and the Editor-in-Chief of SINAG, the official student publication of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines-Diliman. She is a 4th year BA Philosophy student.

This Friday may be the most significant Labor Day that humanity will commemorate in recent history. Labor Day this year bears witness to workers on the front lines leading the global fight against the existential crisis that is the coronavirus pandemic. 

More than 3 million people across the globe have been afflicted by the dreaded COVID-19 disease. Health care systems of various countries have been overloaded by the surge of patients. More than half of the world has been put under lockdown by governments desperately scrambling to contain the virus’ spread. In the Philippines, we are facing the worst unemployment and income loss slump our nation has ever experienced in history. 

But workers are holding the line. Across the many battlefronts where the war against COVID-19 is being waged, it is the various workers who are risking their lives to deliver the basic needs and services for the sick, hungry, and vulnerable. (READ: Over 1 million Filipino workers displaced due to coronavirus)

From the front line to the back line

On the front line, we have health workers who continue to take care of patients, administer tests, and research for cures and other innovative interventions despite facing transportation challenges, suffering shortages in personal protective equipment, and facing the highest infection rates in the entire West-Pacific region.

On the back line, we have service workers delivering essential goods and services to entire communities staying at home. Despite being exposed daily to the risk of contracting the disease, they continue to serve in stores, public markets, banks, delivery systems, and other skeletal public services. (READ: Groups slam 'grossly anti-poor' measures for labor during Metro Manila lockdown)

Let us not forget the small farmers, farm workers, and fisherfolk who are all working to make sure there is a sufficient supply of agricultural produce to help communities overcome hunger and malnutrition. They are doing so while suffering the lack of aid themselves.

Environment, an emerging battleground

We also want to bring attention to the workers who fight COVID-19 in the emerging battleground that is the environment. Garbage collectors and other sanitation workers are making sure potentially infectious waste are gathered, treated, and disposed properly even as they lack protective equipment and sufficient hazard compensation.

With no government mass disinfection measures for municipal waste where healthcare waste has been indiscriminately mixed, sanitation workers are exposed to 44,000 tons of waste generated daily that is now likely COVID-19 contagion as well. 

There are also our forest rangers and other environmental defenders, fighting to keep at bay present and future emerging infectious diseases, 70% of which have originated from wildlife, by keeping them dormant and diluted in intact forest ecosystems. Their work is crucial not only to combat these zoonotic diseases, but also to preserve the watershed forests that ensure adequate water for public sanitation.

Unfortunately, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) itself has admitted that the ideal ratio of its employed forest rangers to protected area coverage is 1 is to 700 hectares, but the current workforce constitutes a far cry of 1 is to 7,021 hectares. Government forest rangers, much like other workers, are also inadequately paid and compensated for the hazards of their work.

Real-world action

More than sentiments and words, Filipino workers need PPEs, adequate food nutrition, social amelioration, job security, and guaranteed services such as transportation and housing. They need real, concrete action. We think the best way to stand with workers is to join them in relentlessly holding accountable government, the primary duty bearer in guaranteeing the welfare of workers in these times of crisis.

Let us not tire in demanding the Duterte administration to speed up its Social Amelioration Program, which has yet to reach 10 million worker and informal earner households still in need. Likewise, only 3.6% of the 9.7 million producers affected by the quarantines have received financial assistance. The impacts are so drastic that workers and farmers will likely require sustained assistance long after the quarantines have been lifted. (READ: [OPINION] New normal? Better normal!)

Let us urge the Department of Health to employ more health professionals and to improve their provision of safety assistance and sufficient compensation to all COVID-19 responders. Let us do the same to DENR – to equip sanitation workers better, to hire more forest rangers and environmental enforcers, and to give them living wages.

For now, let us take to social media – the broadest unity of trade unions are waving the #RedLaborDay2020 banner this Labor Day on Twitter and Facebook. In the coming weeks, let us prepare to join workers from hospitals to farms and down to forests, for real-world action as the community quarantine measures gradually eases. – Rappler.com

Leon Dulce is the national coordinator of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE). Kalikasan PNE is a convening organization of the Citizens’ Urgent Response to End COVID-19 (CURE COVID), a national people’s initiative of various communities and sectors in response to the pandemic crisis and its impacts on their health and livelihood. 

This pandemic-induced lockdown has revealed so much about our sense of humanity, our values and principles, and how we see others in a time of great distress. This May 1 we will commemorate Labor Day, supposedly to recognize and honor all the working people of the world. But are we really doing justice to this day? 

A lot of people are always ready to point out how this time of tragedy has also become a great opportunity to show the nobility of the human soul, of how the Filipino spirit of bayanihan lives on. Ironically, as history teaches us, human nobility blossoms in the midst of human tragedy.

An image: construction workers of a high-rise building in Ortigas, left behind by their management, begging food from motorists and anyone who passes by. 

People are easily swayed by the emotionally-charged rhetoric of calling our frontline workers "heroes." Such romanticism should be unmasked for its emptiness, a form of tokenism aggravated by the rhetoric of resiliency. If most of our frontline workers did really have a choice, why would they choose to work outside and risk getting infected? (READ: [OPINION] The out-of-touch, elitist gaps in our lockdown)

We regard them as essential workers. For those who’ve watched Schindler’s List, you’ll know for sure that to be regarded as “essential” has an odd and sinister ring to it. But how do we really “honor” essential frontline workers?

According to the National Development Authority (NEDA), a Filipino family of 5 needs a combined monthly income of P42,000 from at least two working adults to live decently away from poverty. 

A lot of our frontline workers are daily minimum wage earners: supermarket cashiers, drivers, janitors, and housekeeping personnel, working on a no-work-no-pay basis. Look closely and see that theirs is not a heroic situation but a hostage-taking situation. We have martyrs, not heroes, trapped within a system that prefers profit over people.

Activists and progressive labor groups continue to assert that the daily minimum wage should be at P750 for a Filipino family to live decently, which should be P15,000 a month or P30,000 combined from two working adults. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) pegs the daily minimum wage at P537, that’s roughly P10,000 monthly or almost P20,000 from two working adults. From this amount subtract statutory deductions, bill payments for rent, water, electricity, food, transportation, medicines, among other expenses. 

Meanwhile, Mocha Uson, Purveyor of Fake News, has a government position which has more or less than P150,000 monthly salary sourced from the hard-earned taxes of the Filipino people, and without any merit to show for her role other than her avid fanaticism for President Rodrigo Duterte while leading hordes of DDS trolls. 

In ECQ, workers might have additional “hazard pay” or “allowance” but that would not go beyond a few hundred pesos, count that against the risk of getting hospitalized due to infection or accident, plus inflation and the high prices of goods and services. P10,000 doesn’t really go a long way these days. We have a harrowing saying in Filipino, “Wag lang ma-ospital,” which tells a lot how so many people are but one or two hospital bills away from succumbing to dire poverty or death. 

Now let’s go to our medical frontliners. We hail our nurses, doctors, medical technicians, hospital staff and other medical personnel as heroes. And yet the national health agency of the land, the Department of Health (DOH), in its “call for volunteers,” values their expertise at a mere P500 allowance per day. Besides food and accommodation, the only benefits they get are insurances for when they either get infected with the COVID-19 or die because of it. Not to mention the severe lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) they have to endure. (READ: [OPINYON | Wikapedia] Paano natin inaalagaan ang ‘wounded healers’ ng COVID-19?)

Indeed, everybody suffers, great and small, rich and poor alike from the scourge of this sickness. Death and the plague have taken their toll from all classes of society. Indeed, we all suffer, but we do not suffer equally. (READ: [OPINION] From hospitals to farms and forests: Stand with our frontline workers)

The misery of the rich is not the same as the anguish of the poor. The very wealthy suffer from boredom and forced isolation, they problematize where to invest their money next or how to keep their businesses afloat. 

The middle class have very different sentiments, given its different segments: some of them endure comfortably inside their rent-to-own houses in subdivisions, working at home, Netflix-and-chilling, some are cooped up in their rented apartments and rooms, while some are now at risk of succumbing to debt, hunger, and joblessness. 

At worst are the poor, the marginalized, informal settlers, and the homeless who must fend for themselves and who try in great difficulty to secure their rightful aid from the government. 

Heroes are made, forced and forged by terrible injustice and dehumanizing situations. Perhaps it is time to create a new reality that does not make heroes out of people. Perhaps we do not really need heroes; perhaps what we need are simply people who are deeply committed to what is humanly good, right, and just, who have the courage to pursue them and demand them from others, especially from those with wealth and power. – Rappler.com

Dom Balmes is a communications professional in the BPO industry and a struggling writer.

As the world prepares to welcome this year’s Labor Day in the midst of a global pandemic, workers continue to assert their rights, fight inequality, and propose alternatives to the challenges faced by millions today. 

What is otherwise an important day for labor marked by massive parades, marches, and mobilizations will instead be celebrated inside homes, locked down communities, and online spaces. 

This year’s Labor Day celebration is a demonstration of the working class’ undying resolve to assert its collective power in response to a crisis that has endangered the lives of many. 

Death by hunger or by pandemic: The precarity of the international working class 

As COVID-19 continues to grip countries around the globe, numerous governments have resorted to draconian measures, risking human rights violations for the sake of containing the pandemic. For some countries, authoritarian leaders have consolidated more power under the guise of centralizing efforts to combat the spread of the virus. In the process, global economic activity had been severely affected with restrictions on movement, trade, production, and the flow of goods and services. 

Concretely, this has spelt disaster for working people across the world. In the United States, where the health care of many workers is tied directly to their employment, the massive job loss caused by the pandemic means that millions will lose access to health services at this moment of extreme risk. 

Meanwhile, in much of the Global South, existing issues such as low wages, precarious employment, and the lack of social goods and services have exacerbated COVID-19’s impact on the lives of millions. Hunger and poverty are just as likely to kill as many or even more than the virus. As one Filipino taxi driver remarked at the onset of the enhanced community quarantine, “mahirap pag mahirap” (it is hard when you are poor). 

Historicizing the crisis: How the unfettered pursuit of profit lead to the present pandemic 

Any discussion of the pandemic’s tragic human toll is incomplete without taking into account the broad political and economic developments that led to the current crisis. 

The previous decades defined by the dismantling of the Western welfare state, the systematic defunding and privatization of public goods and services by most governments, as well as the structuring of the world economy according to the interests of finance capital have left societies vulnerable against the present pandemic (needless to say, existing inequalities mean that some suffer more than others). (READ: [OPINION] From hospitals to farms and forests: Stand with our frontline workers)

All of these were made possible by the political defeat of working class power. This very class, through an organized labor movement, was responsible for the many concessions and victories that guaranteed stable jobs, dignified labor, living wages, accessible and publicly-funded healthcare, education, and other services in the years immediately after the Second World War. 

Dismantling these took place through decades of struggle that saw the destruction of working class communities in the face of economic restructuring in the West and new forms of exploitation for workers in countries where capitalist production had migrated. 

The political and economic decisions of these past decades shaped the governments and institutions that are now responsible for the global response to COVID-19. As we are seeing today, this normal has been thoroughly exposed by the present crisis. 

(Re)building labor’s organized and popular power: Towards a more egalitarian future

Viewed from this broader historical perspective, it is clear that a return to the normal – defined by the primacy of profit over the common good – is untenable, lest we risk further crises down the road.  

Like before, organized labor also has the potential to play a decisive role in changing the situation. But, for this to happen, it must rebuild itself. Moving forward, the labor movement must look beyond simply shoring up the traditional mechanisms of trade unionism and worker’s representation, epitomized by the practice of “social dialogue” between labor, capital, and government. 

Relying mainly on processes of social dialogue is politically dangerous in a context where organized labor is weak and business interests are hell-bent on the total destruction of worker’s collective power. In addition, governments today are often sympathetic or beholden to these interests, risking further compromise and frustrating efforts for meaningful reform. (READ: [OPINION] The unbearable emptiness of being called heroes in this pandemic)

Overcoming the current threats to working people thus requires the building of “social power.” This is understood as the development of the organized, popular, and collective power of millions of individuals through which the labor movement could win important reforms in the immediate term. This is also fundamental for any attempt at reimagining the current social order on a global scale. 

Crucial to this goal is the linking of working people’s struggles with other movements for social transformation. One key strategy that the trade union movement can adopt is the model of social movement unionism (SMU). At its core, SMU is the recognition that working people’s struggles do not end in the workplace. Often, worker’s concerns are intertwined with broader issues of race, gender, identity, and the environment. Faced with this, it is necessary for unions to participate in the broader political, cultural, and ideological field. 

Opportunities for going beyond traditional trade union questions abound. For example, labor has forwarded major proposals such as just transition for climate ambition and energy democracy in order to facilitate the transition away from carbon-based economies while respecting the dignity and agency of workers. 

Meanwhile, the campaign for expanded maternity leave in the country demonstrates the possibility for engagement with feminist movements and organizations on issues of gender equality. 

Celebrating Labor Day today demands that we articulate labor’s interests beyond the scope of traditional trade unionism. What we need is a unionism that understands the call for woker’s power as a stand against all forms of oppression. Only then do we stand a chance at transforming the present structures that have made the current pandemic the most recent human tragedy that could have been avoided under a just and humane social order. – Rappler.com

Benjamin Miguel Alvero is the campaign officer of the labor center Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO). He is also a member of Akbayan Youth. 

MANILA, Philippines – A first for Philippine history, several groups across the country held online protests for the Labor Day celebration on Friday, May 1 to call the government to support its citizens during the coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown guidelines in place have prevented activists from congregating on the streets, which prompted groups to think of creative ways to protest on social media—through illustrations, video conferences, and hashtags.

Activists stood with the everyday worker, highlighting their vital role in society and calling for their protection.

“We call upon the community to stand behind our workers, to show even greater support for our frontliners working to eradicate the threat that is COVID-19,” Alay Sining Fine Arts said in a statement.

This Labor Day, we call upon the community to stand behind our workers, to show even greater support for our frontliners working to eradicate the threat that is COVID-19.#AyudaHindiBala#SerbisyoHindiMartialLaw#MassTestingHindiMassKilling#MayoUno2020

Full statement in thread pic.twitter.com/iLIoZY7Jz2

— Alay Sining Fine Arts (@AlaySiningEpey) April 29, 2020

“For so long, they have worked tirelessly without getting the credit they deserve…. For our workers, this was the norm. Now, as the rest of the world struggles to keep up with the reality of COVID-19, we cannot go back to the way things were.”

“Our workers have proven to be the backbone of our society—we must always make their voices heard, and we must always listen.”

Groups also used the hashtag #AyudaHindiBala to condemn the administration’s militarist approach to the coronavirus crisis.

This follows a number of instances where authorities used force against quarantine violators, notably when Quezon City authorities mauled and dragged a fish vendor who did not have a face mask and quarantine pass, and when police killed former soldier Winston Ragos.

Ang Alay Sining FA ay nakikilahok sa laban ng mga manggagawa ngayong Mayo Uno. Mariing kinukundina namin ang pabaya, pahirap, at pasistang si Duterte kasama ang kanyang mga kroning pulis at militar. #MayoUno2020#AyudaHindiBala#SerbisyoHindiMartialLaw#MassTestingHindiKillingpic.twitter.com/YupDv9VjUv

— Alay Sining Fine Arts (@AlaySiningEpey) May 1, 2020

Many activists also drew themselves holding online placards, urging authorities to give Filipino workers proper aid during the crisis.

“When our workers call for assistance, they should never be met with threats of violence made by the government for speaking up,” Twitter user @mehreel_ said.

When our workers call for assistance, they should never be met with threats of violence made by the government for speaking up.#MayoUno2020#RedLaborDayProtest#AyudaHindiBala#SerbisyoHindiMartialLawpic.twitter.com/pLS1wqszbf

— meryl ang || #OUSTDUTERTE (@mehreel_) May 1, 2020

“I stand with workers to call for proper aid during this crisis from a government that chooses to kill instead of support them,” wrote Twitter user @susciPepe.

as an artist i stand with workers to call for proper aid during this crisis from a government that chooses to kill instead of support them.#MayoUno2020#RedLaborDayProtest#AyudaHindiBala#SerbisyoHindiMartialLaw#MassTestingHindiKillingpic.twitter.com/LjI0ivg3wP

— peppatitis (@susciPepe) May 1, 2020

“Ngayong Mayo Uno, makiisa tayo sa laban ng ating mga manggagawa sa panunupil ng administrasyon na dinaranas nila araw-araw,” Twitter user @jetmanjvr said.

(This May 1, we stand with our workers who are oppressed by the administration every day.)

Ngayong Mayo Uno, makiisa tayo sa laban ng ating mga manggagawa sa panunupil ng administrasyon na dinaranas nila araw-araw, kasama ang ating mga panawagan!

Uring Manggagawa, hukbong mapagpalaya! #MayoUno2020#RedLaborDayProtest#AyudaHindiBala#SerbisyoHindiMartialLawpic.twitter.com/RMonIOYV7T

— jethro #OustDuterte (@jetmanjvr) May 1, 2020

Other Filipinos called for wage hikes and better working conditions, as several Filipinos’ livelihoods were hit by the pandemic. The Department of Labor and Employment stated on Thursday, April 30 that more than two million Filipinos have either lost their jobs or are under a “No Work, No Pay” scheme.

URING MANGGAGAWA,
HUKBONG MAGPAPALAYA#RedLaborDay2020#MayoUno2020pic.twitter.com/3Lpf1OKxI8

— Jeyem #NoStudentLeftBehind (@Germie10Dido) May 1, 2020

DAHIL MAYO UNO NGAYON,
NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE IPAGLABAN!!! P750.00 PUSH NA YAN!!! #MayoUno2020!!! #RedLaborDay2020!!!

[ps. sona 2018 pa po itong photo na ito] pic.twitter.com/rrseUSQAhG

— levi (ᗒᗩᗕ) #MayoUno2020 (@luhlevei) May 1, 2020

VIRTUAL PROTEST MUNA!#RedLaborDay2020#MassTestingHindiKilling#SerbisyoHindiMartialLawpic.twitter.com/CLegaz0kjx

— VALUE IS CREATED BY LABOR (@SIGNOF19ALKALI) May 1, 2020

View this post on Instagram

Happy #MayoUno and happy 18th birthday to my sister, @erikanismm, who always braves the streets to revolt for the masses. Pagpupugay sa mga manggagawang Pilipino!

A post shared by Soap (@thepilosophiart) on Apr 30, 2020 at 10:59pm PDT

Siklab PH and Anakbayan Retiro created GIFs to honor the everyday worker and frontliner.

Pagpupugay sa ating mga manggagawa! Kayo ang susi sa kalugod-lugod na pamumuhay namin bawat araw.

Pindutin ang at bigyan ng isang maikling mensahe ang sinumang manggagawang inyong mapipili! #MayoUno2020#RedLaborDay2020#SerbisyoHindiMartialLawpic.twitter.com/Tjyn1Q5Meo

— SIKLAB PH (@siklabataan) May 1, 2020

Makiisa tayo sa mga manggagawa sa ating bansa! I-screenshot ang GIF at magpahayag ng mensahe para sa mapipiling manggagawa!#AyudaHindiBala#SerbisyoHindiMartialLaw#RedLaborDay2020#MayoUno2020pic.twitter.com/MvVMAswizP

— Anakbayan Retiro (@ABRetiro) May 1, 2020

Other groups held online rallies through video conferences. Kilusang Mayo Uno held a noise barrage and burned an online effigy through a Zoom call that was livestreamed on Facebook.

Nagkaisa Labor Coalition along with Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa held an online rally for labor, women, and youth groups. Senator Risa Hontiveros and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno were also present at the online rally.

– Rappler.com

While demolishing the COVID-19 curve, our health workers are precariously riding another one just behind it. It is the alarm bell curve of psychological trauma. And that line is long and deep with no end in sight.

The experience of over 1,200 nurses and physicians in 34 hospitals across China is a visceral warning. In a study published in the JAMA Network Open, symptoms of depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and distress were common, especially among those in direct care of patients with the virus.

It’s too early to tell if we can say the same about our own frontliners. Mental health data here in the country is not yet a mosaic of evidence. But it’s likely that something ominous is going on. Our health workers are saluted as heroes, but alas they are no gods.

Life-and-death decisions, sleep deprivation, hunger, demoralization, family separation, inescapable pain, unpredictable loss, wishing to give up followed by furious guilt – to liken this to battlefield medicine is tempting. To compare our health workers to soldiers seems like a microscopically meaningful action, some sort of project to signal our fixation on status.

Not that our health workers are less deserving of a ticker-tape parade. If anything, their low pay, limited work benefits, and grossly inadequate supplies – long before the virus hit our shores – feed into our failure to imagine more sympathetically their predicament. We do not value them as much as we say we do. (READ: Frontliners: ER doctor deals with grief, death in the coronavirus pandemic)

Most of us have never fought in combat nor lived through war. Yet we evoke the trenches with righteousness absent of any battlefield memory. The comparison paints a bayanihan story but seems more like a prolonged slow let-down. Our operational and tactical support do not offer a glimmer of light that will ultimately sustain their mental well-being long after the COVID-19 curve flattens.

The Mental Health Act is advertised as community mental health (CMH) but, by design, retains the service paradigm. It’s a vision of the world that sees clinical services, whether in the local barangay or the tertiary hospital, as the sole and fully legitimate way of helping people with mental health problems. (READ: In their own words: Frontliners on their fears, hopes during the pandemic)

Health workers should call hotlines or contact one of the many thriving online or mobile counselors. Their symptoms need to be reduced and managed. This is the service paradigm to a tee, but community mental health is something else entirely.

I wonder if in this pandemic health workers participate in the decisions that directly affect their mental well-being. In CMH, they are not passive recipients of hotline numbers from directives of technical working groups. The frontliners themselves get to decide if the hotlines are even the way to go. How do they envision the health care system prioritizing their mental wellbeing? Have we asked them into the room where those weighty choices are made? (READ: Braving a pandemic: Frontliners battle fear to confront the novel coronavirus)

Academics and professionals claim a whole-of-society approach, but in reality it’s much closer to a select-few-of-society strategy.

And what about peer support? Are hospitals and task forces creating enabling conditions so that health workers can get emotional help, tips, and socializing from each other? Those who are going through the same horror are the real source of tangible support against the burdens of their psychological trauma, not the so-called experts and their professionally delivered treatments.

Talking out our problems has powerful benefits. There’s no doubt that if our health workers make the call to the hotlines, it will be the start of their healing.

Where we fall short is why our idea of mental health is only when things go wrong. What are we doing so that they don’t have to make that call at all?

The mental health law, of course, is for all of us, but around the decision-making table were mostly experts. This pandemic is a test of whether that power grab fulfills the promise for their fellow frontliners. – Rappler.com

Dr Ronald Del Castillo is professor of psychology, public health, and social policy at the University of the Philippines Manila. The views here are his own. 

The maritime industry is not spared by the vicious coronavirus pandemic. Lethargic trade forced shipping companies to reduce operations, while news on cruise ships as environments conducive to infection, of states denying their entry, and lockdown on major cities had tourists postpone, if not cancel, cruise trips. According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), economic recovery after a year is still uncertain, as it is contingent on the containment of COVID-19 outbreak and effectiveness of policy responses. 

That leaves 1.6 million seafarers around the world sailing in the seas of uncertainty, nearly 25% of whom are seafarers from the Philippines. The unsung heroes of global trade and cruising sectors – the 400,000 Filipino seafarers – have been contributing 5 to 6 billion US dollars of remittances in the Philippines annually. (READ: How gay seafarer Dyosa Makinista proved she's 'queen of the seas')

Those who are sent home have no other choice but to wait for the tides to turn. The repatriation of thousands of seafarers started in early April, thanks to the government offices and recruitment agencies which facilitated their return. 

Yet this is a different homecoming. They have to go through pre-departure mandatory tests and other protocols. Some complained of the lack of coordination as they were asked to stay in uncomfortable areas before they were billeted in hotels for another 14-day self-quarantine procedure. After the quarantine period, they will have to wait for the “mercy voyage” or flights arranged by the government for them to reach their respective home provinces. As if displacement never ends, there are also some who received derogatory notes from their neighbors saying that they were not welcome in the area, while other barangay personnel had even refused the entry of repatriates as residents fear that they are carriers of the virus. (READ: [OPINION] Extraordinary occupational hazards: PH migrants during the pandemic)

Now that the world braces for a recession, what comes next for our seafarers? How will they face the new normal? And what is the new normal? 

Empty seafarer’s market

The seafarer’s market located in one corner of Manila’s Rizal Park is totally empty. On a normal day before the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the grounds used to attract hundreds of recruiters and thousands of hopeful seafarers from all maritime ranks. The place was a vibrant marketplace of recruiters promoting their companies and job hunters searching for the most attractive job offer. Until the ban on physical distancing is lifted, the seafarer’s market will remain closed, and restoring its pre-crisis vibrancy is not assured.

For the cargo ships that remain in operation, their periodic crew changes falling due means recruitment needs to continue. To meet this need despite the sudden change in environment, seafaring recruitment agencies have to go back to the drawing board. 

My dad, a former ship captain who currently works in the recruitment business, faces tremendous challenges in navigating the new recruitment set-up. Since he can no longer drive to his office in Ortigas, he has been using online platforms to contact applicants. I witnessed his frustrations as seafarers fail to submit requirements. One can imagine the possible scenarios. Perhaps they don’t own a computer, can’t access the internet, or are not used to technology, in health distress, or have no way of getting essential documents. Online testing is also done with so much distress as examinees are stunned with virtual set-ups. Nonetheless, he acknowledges that this is the beginning of the new normal. 

Deployment is another problem. Some seafarers who were able to leave the country remain stuck in the destination city, waiting for the delayed ship to arrive. As reported by Bloomberg early this month, several shipping hubs in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai have suspended crew transfers. This means that manning agencies and ship companies need to locate other ports where crews can embark. Seafarers waiting in these hubs need to transfer to another city or country for a chance to go onboard. Worse, if the ship changes its course due to state lockdown or other border issues, these seafarers will have to return to the country and be subjected to the 14-day quarantine. The painful process causes nothing but anxiety, frustration, and stress, not to mention its hard-hitting financial implications.

Navigating fears

Filipino seafarers have faced various crises even before the outbreak of COVID-19. Early this year, two Filipinos were among the 8 hostages who survived traumatic captivity after their ship MV Happy Lady was attacked by Nigerean pirates. It was a harrowing experience to endure tormenting conditions for 19 days, with thoughts of their families as the only motivation to stay strong and fight for their lives. The two Filipinos survived, but the threat of piracy remains a safety concern even during the pandemic period. (READ: Filipino seafarer dies as Togo pirates release Greek ship – company)

Aside from piracy, Filipino seafarers also found themselves besieged in the middle of political tension between the United States and the Middle East. The last quarter of 2019 saw geopolitical tensions that took a toll on the maritime community. As the US blamed Iran for supporting terrorists, it refused to grant US visas to crews involved in the transport of “Iranian oil.” When the US launched a drone strike that killed Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and partner agencies have prepared for possible repatriation and other measures.

Ultimately, another phase of geopolitical détente prevailed, and a different form of global war has commenced. This pandemic has attacked not only the health of seafarers but also their dignity and well-being. The International Labor Organization (ILO) and other international institutions have called on their member states to treat seafarers as ‘key workers,’ fearing that donors and suppliers in several parts of the world be prohibited from delivering medical supplies, fuel, water, and provisions to ships amid fear that crews inside the ship are infected with COVID-19. 

The infection cases on cruise ships – MV Diamond Princess which was docked at Yokohama Port and MV Grand Princess in San Francisco – have sent a stern warning to the seafaring community that the virus can swiftly spread onboard. Nonetheless, these cases also highlighted the sacrifices of crew members who painstakingly served the passengers and sick crews before and during the two-week quarantine period. We can only hope that the fate of these unfortunate vessels will change the face of the cruising industry in the post-pandemic world not just in preparing for a possible contagion like this, but also by way of improving the working conditions of seafarers. 

Where’s the ship captain?

Like other OFWs, our seafarers have entrusted their livelihood to the protection of the company that they work for and ultimately, the state. Thousands of them are still scheduled to leave the country amid the pandemic, shrugging off the threats of the virus, and embracing unrealistic optimism that the danger is about to end. As for the lucky ones who are currently staying with their families, the imminent threat is employment uncertainty as previous shipping demands plunge, and manning agencies downsize the recruitment volume. 

The Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers which is supposed to protect our maritime heroes should have been crucial in this situation. Arguably, the present condition of the seafarers calls for institutional safeguards and protection that could have been provided by the law. If approved, the law seeks to promote seafarers’ rights, responsibilities of ship owners and manning agencies, and social security protection and welfare.  Unfortunately, the bill is yet to be debated in the legislature. 

In the meantime, seafarers may rely on available government support albeit with some constraints.  The OFW Reintegration Program which offers various forms of training, counseling, networking support, and loans may not be conducive to a post-pandemic setting. Such reintegration services should be further reviewed to strategically cater to the needs of displaced OFWs, with less bureaucratic hurdles and stringent processes for the applicants. 

Fortunately, the government has provided financial support through the Bayanihan To Heal As One Act which mandated the distribution of $200 to displaced OFWs, including seafarers. But this amount can only provide temporary relief during the period of ECQ. What will happen after the lockdown, and how can these seafarers survive when the maritime industries are down? Clearly, this pandemic has uncovered the disempowerment of Filipino seafarers who, despite their local and global contributions, are struggling at the mercy of the neoliberal forces, defenseless when crisis approaches.

The OFWs in general, and seafarers in particular, need the effective steering power of state policies. Due to the declining shipping activities, some of the best sailors would need to stay inland and look for other opportunities. The current administration that initially promised to create local opportunities so that these “New Heroes” will return to their homeland and stay with their families someday now faces an even worse environment for that promise to be fulfilled. 

For sure, hundreds of thousands of Filipino seafarers will have the opportunity to return to their livelihood after the pandemic. But between now and then, rough seas have to be crossed. When they finally get to the other shore, we can only hope that our seafarers are equipped not only with globally acclaimed skills, but also with institutional protection for their safety, dignity, respectable labor conditions, and freedom tseafo return to the embrace of the family they sacrifice for. – Rappler.com

Ron Bridget Vilog, PhD is an Associate Professor at the International Studies Department of De La Salle University, Manila.

Bookmark to watch the interview at 2 pm

MANILA, Philippines – On Wednesday, April 29, The Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service (TOWNS) Foundation sent its 100,000th personal protective equipment (PPE) to a hospital in Cebu. In just 5 weeks, the foundation was able to raise P60 million to purchase PPE sets for COVID-19 frontliners in hospitals all over the country. 

In this interview, Rappler's Maria Ressa and the women at the center of the effort and ANCx's Ces Drilon – all TOWNS awardees – talk about what, how, and why they initiated this effort. The idea to fundraise for PPE sets began with psychiatrist Dr June Lopez, who was moved to action when close friends in the medical profession became critically ill and eventually died of COVID-19.

She then reached out to Dr Medi Saniel, former head of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and current chair of the UP Medical Foundation, which has partnered with TOWNS for this initiative. They were eventually joined by other TOWNS women – public school teacher Sabrina Ongkiko, in charge of purchasing; and gallerist & art dealer Isa Lorenzo, in charge of logistics. 

“We are a motley group of feisty – sometimes crazy – women of substance,” said Lopez. “Very busy women, but if we decide to do something, really, you cannot stop us." The P60 million raised from both individual and corporate donations is being used to purchase and distribute PPE sets to hospitals all over the Philippines.

According to Lorenzo, 900 hospitals have registered on their database. Out of the 450 public hospitals that signed up, the foundation has donated equipment to 347. 

A breakthrough in their distribution operations came when fellow TOWNS awardee Philippine Navy Commander Marissa Martinez tapped her institution to help ship the PPE wherever they are needed.“It takes much more than a village – it's a village and everyone [we] know,” Lorenzo said of their work.

When asked why they continue to do what they do, despite setbacks and obstacles, the women agreed that it gives purpose and meaning to their lives at this very challenging historical moment. 

“We have to find some meaning in what’s going on, and find something meaningful to do,” said Lopez. “So we are not counting the days, not worrying if we will catch the virus or not. We need to find a task-oriented attitude towards all this.”

Watch the rest of the interview here. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Anton Luis Avila wanted to make his community proud.

As results of the 2019 Bar exam were released on the Supreme Court website on April 29, Avila was  anxiously refreshing the page when his family barged into his room, screaming in delight over his hard-earned feat. (READ: 2019 Bar passing rate: 27.36%, higher than 2018)

Out of the 2,103 passers, Avila ranked 8th place in one of the toughest licensure examinations in the country.

The Saint Louis University (SLU) graduate ended his alma mater's 32-year wait to return to the roster of topnotch law schools.

Avila, who graduated with a degree in BS Applied Mathematics at the Ateneo de Manila University, was born and raised in Baguio City. Pursuing law was his way of giving back to his beloved hometown. (READ: Bar 2019: Provincial schools again emerge on top)

Surprisingly, the law profession was not his childhood dream. It was only some 6 years ago when he decided to become a lawyer. This was when he witnessed his father, Edgar, work on a labor case.

Edgar, a councilor and former dean of the SLU School of Law, inspired his son to also help their community through legal assistance.

“I saw how a lawyer can help a person no other profession can. That inspired me to pursue a fulfilling profession dedicated to public service as it caught me at a time when I found myself lacking purpose,” Avila said.

He said he wanted to help advance the pursuit of justice in the place where he grew up in, rather than leave and work abroad.

“That’s why I decided to study law here, so that I could contribute to the administration of justice here in Baguio City on the ground level as a private practitioner of law,” said Avila. “That means doing the nitty gritty of legal work, from actually talking to persons regarding their rights and perceived violations to fighting for their cause in court.” 

Avila also hoped that could teach again, but now as a law professor. He considered teaching as one of his "most rewarding experiences."

He had taught mathematics for some time at SLU, and had a keen interest in music. In his college years, Avila was part of the Ateneo Glee Club. He later studied music at the University of the Philippines College of Music for a year. Their family also owned a music store named Musar.

No expectations

Despite being a consistent dean’s lister, Avila did not expect to be in the top 10 of the 2019 Bar. (READ: Bar 2019 topnotcher is jeepney driver's daughter with a heart for public service)

“I was preparing myself for the worst. Not that I didn’t prepare for the Bar; I did. I know everyone – just as I did – gave their best shot," he said.

"I am filled with gratitude simply by the fact that I passed the Bar. Topping the Bar is just icing on the cake,” Avila added.

He also shared that he prepared for the Bar just as how any law student would: by reading a lot. He emphasized that there is no substitute for hard work but that there were also things beyond one's control in the Bar exam.

“Your health on the day of the exam, who the examiners are, their style of writing, the mood of the examiners when checking your notebook – those things you can’t control. You lift it up to the Lord,” he said.

The topnotcher also said that “the study of law is a daily battle against self-doubt.”

“Everything will work against you. You will get called to recite cases you didn’t read, professors will assign you readings which you will not finish, you will try to finish exams that are impossibly long, among a million other things you have to deal with in law school,” he added. 

His advice to law students? “Enjoy the struggle or at least, appreciate it. Those challenges will give you a brave heart and nerves of steel to face the bar examinations and ultimately, the practice of law."

He added: "At the end of it all, you will see a light shining through the darkness. I know I did.” – Rappler.com

Diwa Donato is a Rappler mover and political science graduate from Saint Louis University, Baguio City. More at @diwadonato on Twitter.

MANILA, Philippines – Groups slammed and called for the immediate release of 4 relief volunteers and 14 beneficiaries arrested at Barangay Central, Quezon City for allegedly violating quarantine protocols.

The arrest came after they distributed face shields, prepared food at a community kitchen, and then held a protest on Labor Day, Friday, May 1. (READ: 18 relief volunteers, beneficiaries arrested in Quezon City) 

In a statement, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) condemned the arrest, citing how the government targets the youth and community leaders helping the marginalized people.

“The extension of government-mandated lockdowns only serves as an opportunity for the state to attack, criminalize, and target progressive groups and anyone who dares to amplify their legitimate demands and question Duterte’s response to the health crisis which is nothing but empty imperiousness resulting to increasing rate of positive cases and massive shortage of food and sustenance for the masses,” CEGP said. 

Among those arrested were University of the Philippines Diliman students Joshua Marcial, Jandeil Roperos, and Jim Bagano, along with CEGP member Anton Narciso III who led the activities according to their lawyer Maria Sol Taule. 

Taule said the cops told her that her clients did not carry quarantine passes, but she argued that no law explicitly penalized the failure to bring the passes outside their homes.

"We call for the immediate release of Anton Narciso and other volunteers and residents who did not commit any crime, but only conducted relief operations to serve the most neglected in our society, the urban poor," CEGP added.

The Philippine Collegianalso released a statement urging the government to take its hands off its journalists. One of its feature writers, Jim Bagano joined the relief effort as a volunteer.

“Bagano decided to volunteer in an impoverished community that he wished to write an article about for the paper. In no way did we, at the editorial board, chastise his involvement in such advocacy on the ground,” the Philippine Collegian said.

For them, the mass arrests are far from trivial that neither the volunteers nor the vulnerable sectors they are serving are to blame especially when the authorities fall short in providing much-needed assistance in this time of a health crisis. 

“We thus support the calls for the immediate release of the youth volunteers and residents, and for an end to what appears to be politically motivated attacks on truth-tellers and activists behind the smokescreen of draconian lockdown measures,” it added.

This was also the sentiment of UP Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo who said that the arrest is a pressing concern that must be urgently dealt with. 

In his message to The Philippine Collegian, Nemenzo said that, “The UP Diliman community is deeply concerned with this turn of events during the enhanced community quarantine.”

He also mentioned that the university officials will provide the needed assistance for the students to be released. 

“We stand by our students and their right to engage in peaceful activities and the legitimate exercise of their freedom of expression and right to petition the government for their grievances,”Nemenzo said. 

Mass arrests were also reported in other areas. On Friday morning, 10 feeding program volunteers were also arrested in Marikina City for taking out a placard calling the government for help. Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro has since ordered their release, saying cops "overreacted." 

Human rights group Karapatan pointed out that instead of addressing mass poverty and hunger on Labor Day, the administration unleashes mass arrests and fascism. (READ: Ex-Anakpawis congressman Casilao, relief volunteers detained in Bulacan)

“Instead of responding to the socioeconomic needs of the people, these mass arrests will only worsen the plight of the poor. ‘Yung tumutulong, ikinukulong. ‘Yung mga opisyal na lumalabag sa batas, binibigyan ng special treatment (Those who are helping are getting jailed. Officials who are violating the law are given special treatment),” Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said. – Rappler.com