Unplanned Pregnancies and Maternal Deaths Rise in the Philippines
By Bianca, Krishna, Ysa | July 29th, 2021
The Philippines, home to a population of over 110 million people as of 2021, is the seventh most populated country in Asia, and the second one in the ASEAN region (O’Neill, 2020). According to Worldometer, the growth of the country’s population increased by around 1 million from 2020 to 2021, and although statistics from Worldometer show that the percentage of growth decreased from 2.18% in the 2000s to 1.35% in 2020, the Philippines may still experience exponential growth in its population due to the numerous unplanned pregnancies occurring among its citizens.
Continue Readingtearing down the wall. the lives of the disabled.
By Kirzten, Kei | July 24th, 2021
If Humpty Dumpty was made to fall, why was Humpty Dumpty made in the first place? If Humpty Dumpty knew that they would fall, would they have sat on the wall? Imagine if you were Humpty Dumpty, sitting on a wall that continues to grow, so much so that a fall from the wall would be a fatal blow? Imagine another person being able to climb the wall with such ease, while you’re left behind like a shadow cast in the dark. Imagine if the words you scream never left your throat as you watch others leave nothing but a shadow of doubt on you. This is their plight.
Continue ReadingChild Labor: Hidden, Not Erased
By Clem, Nuggets | July 15th, 2021
Ask any individual to paint a vivid picture of what one’s lifetime must resemble, and immediately, three stages will emerge into the conversation: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Ask them to paint a clearer one, and the images created turn into innumerable possibilities based on each individual’s different definition of purpose. Imagine an infant within the arms of her mother. Surrounded by the comforting embrace, both physical and emotional, an entire life is in the hands of the person who sees a bright future for the little baby she holds. The little kid then grows up in a household filled with the love and support that every child should be open to in a complete family, a safe space for play, and a nurturing environment to learn. However, this painting of a little child is a luxury, a privilege that is beyond reach for others. Beside such a painting is the nightmare reality of how our capitalistic world has ruined lives at such an early stage in life. Instead of a classroom filled with a splendid atmosphere, many young lives are now set in toxic factories where authoritative power enforces immoral practices upon innocent children. It is devastating; however, it is reality.
Continue ReadingReading the Room: Compassion in the Field of Journalism
By Mei | July 8th, 2021
[Trigger Warning: Mentions of violence and suicide] Imagine this: you discover that your 14 year-old son is dead. His body has just been found floating in a creek with 31 stab wounds, after having been missing for nearly a month. You are distraught. However, just two days after his body is recovered, people come flocking to the funeral parlor where your son is resting, microphones in hand—shoving them into your face. And here comes the punch line: they ask, “Why do you think your son was killed?”
Continue ReadingPrisoners’ Plague: COVID-19 Virus Meets Persons Deprived of Liberty
By Len Ruel, Sampaguitang Dilaw | July 1st, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly affected various systems and sectors of society globally. From the education system that fails to show compassion to students of varying grade levels, social institutions that fail to promote any physical form of interaction and socialization, to even the government system that cannot implement a cost-effective and efficient pandemic response, no one is an exception to the wrath of the virus. Even so, the degree of vulnerability differs from a person to another. A rich family does not experience the virus the same way a family relying on donations and charity works do. The same principle applies for the free citizens and the people behind bars. Truth be told, one of the most overlooked sectors of society today that still faces the plague are the persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
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