Children are dying and our lawmakers continue to make petty laws

Last week social media was on fire because of two lawmakers who proposed “no homework” bills at the House of Representatives. Yes, the proposed bills were misunderstood but at the same time when you think about it, why be so petty. Parents should have the option to choose the schools they want their children to be enrolled at. There are schools that do not give any homework at all and those that do. School heads and teachers are educated enough to know what is right and wrong.

 Aren’t we in a democratic country? Why create petty laws that dictate on the right to have a good education. It is the role of the Department of Education to guide schools and redirect the programs. If our lawmen continue to work this way, our country will truly hit rock bottom.

Why not first address the issue on class suspensions? The mayors clearly are lost and little do they know that student achievement skills will deteriorate overtime if they continue to cancel classes like the way they do. Imagine suspending classes when the skies are very clear? Susmariosep!

By the way, even if Quezon City Congressman Alfred Vargas apologized for his mistake when his proposed bill on “no homework” included penalizing teachers P50,000 and imprisonment, this was still foul, nasty and wicked. Many teachers have difficulty forgiving the man. This shows his true colors and innermost thoughts about teachers. How can he have possibly made that announcement and called it a mistake after? It was only in the aftermath, realizing the effect that could have brought down his popularity that made him take back his word. My heart breaks because he is a leader who can help improve our country but doesn’t seem to have any empathy toward the work of teachers who are underpaid and the most selfless people in the world. He should be ashamed of himself! If he and the other congressmen and senators continue on this line of thinking, we will lose our teachers who are getting scarce nowadays.

You would think lawmakers can try to prioritize the urgent needs of our country. Why can’t they create laws that can give better health care plans. Laws on the use of cellphones in schools. Laws that can protect the children and prevent the elderly from begging in the streets. Laws that can strengthen the conditions of people in jail and help them reform. Laws that can save drug addicts. And what about the most serious problem we face today, the fatal dengue outbreak? 

A recent report of the DOH- Epidemiology Bureau showed that cases of dengue is escalating quickly and now more than 200,000. It cited that from January 1 to August 3, there were 188,562 cases. There were also 807 deaths recorded. During the same period last year, there were 93,149 dengue cases making it twice the number of what we had last year. By the way, we can’t blame this outbreak anymore to Dengvaxia alone. The strain caused by this mosquito is deadlier now than it ever was.

The Department of Health just declared a national dengue epidemic last August 6. DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said, “It is important that a national epidemic be declared in these areas to identify where a localized response is needed, and to enable the local government units to use their Quick Response Fund to address the epidemic situation.” But his pronouncements and warnings are not enough. We need lawmakers to strengthen the laws to stop this epidemic. Laws that will address the intensive cleaning of the environment, the breeding places of such mosquitoes. Laws that will address immediate medical attention to the children who are dying every day. Laws that will impose preventive measures. The problem is that our lawmakers are stuck with the issue of dengvaxia. Sanamagan!

Sorry but the program initiated by the DOH conducting the Sabayang 4-O’clock Habit para Deng-Get Out and the 4S strategy program: search and destroy mosquito breeding places; self-protective measures like wearing long sleeves and use of insect repellent; seek early consultation on the first signs and symptoms of the disease; say yes to fogging if there is an impending outbreak – are not intensive and radical enough to stop the dangerous outbreak.

Lastly, while we laud the work done by our newly-elected officials to clean the streets of illegal vendors and illegal parking, they must also give more attention to the cleaning up of their communities – esteros, market places, garbage dump sites – the favorite breeding grounds of mosquitoes causing dengue. The campaign for clean communities must be as equally intensive. Let’s see if the mayors will seriously “think clean” this time around.

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The disastrous fire that continues to rage in the Amazon rainforest spells doom for the environment not only in Brazil but the world. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Amazon is twice the size of India and is the largest remaining tropical rainforest in the world. It is home to at least 10% of the world’s biodiversity. As we very well know, environmental organizations have pointed out illegal logging, illegal mining and the clearing of land for farmers and cattle ranches as causes of these fires.

The Amazon often called, the “lungs of the world,” is said to contain 90 to 140 billion metric tons of carbon. It produces 20% of the world’s oxygen and helps regulate the temperature of planet earth. So, if those trees and other plants are destroyed, there wouldn’t be enough carbon to produce much oxygen. But now the fires are killing people. Both children and adults in nearby areas cannot breathe anymore. They are suffocating to death all because of the greed of a few men.

Reports say that when Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took power this year, he opened the Amazon rainforest to industry and rolled back environmental and indigenous protections. This bold move resulted in ranchers, loggers, and miners destroying the world’s largest forest and repository of carbon dioxide.

 The New York Times reported in July, “deforestation of the Amazon is spiking as Bolsonaro’s government pulls back on enforcement measures like fines, warnings and the seizure or destruction of illegal equipment in protected areas.” As a matter of fact, there are allegations that Bolsonaro even fired the head scientist at the National Institute for Space Research over the satellite photos that showed the huge increase in fires. How’s that for a leader who is supposed to protect and conserve the environment? Doesn’t this sound familiar?

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change wrote in a report last year that forests like the Amazon are key to limiting future warming. The Brazil crisis is not new to us. We also have our fair share of environmental problems, all because of greed, avarice and lack of political will of our leaders.

The fire in the Amazon should be a wake-up call to governments all over the world including ours. They must immediately act on such pressing issues instead of the petty ones.