Narito ang pito sa mga dahilan kung bakit sa palagay ko’y dapat nating suportahan at iboto si Leni Robredo bilang presidente sa darating na halalan:
Una, walang siyang bahid ng korupsyon o anumang anomalya. Sa kanyang panunungkulan bilang kongresista at bise presidente, walang maibibintang sa kanya, maliban sa kung ano-anong fake news.
Sa katunayan, maski ang mabusising COA, pinakamataas na marka ang ibinibigay są kanya.
Pangalwa, matagal na siyang nagsisilbi sa taong bayan bilang abogado para sa mga nasa laylayan, kahit noong hindi pa siya sumasabak sa pulitika.
Malinaw na hindi siya pakitang tao. At ang mga natulungan niya dati pa - gaya ng mga magsasaka ng Sumilao - ay tumitestigo dito,
Pangatlo, siya’y maasahan sa panahon ng sakuna at krisis, mapa-COVID man o bagyo, lindol, baha, o erupsyon ng bulkan. Hindi natin itatanong kung #NasaanAngPangulo kung siya ang nakaupo dahil napatunayan na niyang handa siyang tumugon at makiramay sa panahon ng pangangailangan.
Pang-apat, matapang at maparaan si Leni Robredo. Handa siyang humarap sa batikos at pag-uusig. Imbes na pumatol sa mga pangungutya, tinanggap nya ang hamon na mamuno sa ICAD, at nakaparaming nagawa ng Office of the Vice President sa kabila ng kawalan ng suporta.
Panglima, 'di gaya ng ibang mga pulitikong laki sa layaw at manhid sa mga karanasan ng ordinaryong Pilipino, sanay si Leni na mabuhay at makipamuhay sa iba’t ibang antas ng ating lipunan. Babad sya sa mga komunidad; napakinggan at naranasan niya ang marami są ating mga suliranin.
Pang-anim, kaya ni Leni Robredo na pangatawanan ang ating bansa ng may dignidad na karapat-dapat sa isang presidente. Mahusay siyang makipag-usap, makipag-debate, magpaliwanag, at makinig.
Higit sa lahat, maasahan natin na ipagtatanggol niya ang soberanya ng ating bansa.
Panghuli, gaya ng nakikita natin sa kampanya, nailalabas nya ang kabutihan at kagalingan ng bawat Pilipino; nahihikayat nya ang pagiging bukas ng iba’t ibang panig sa pagtutulungan, pagkakaisa, at pag-asa.
Para sa kanya, ang pagkakaisa ay hindi isinasalita, kundi isinasagawa.
Dahil dito, iboboto ko si Leni Robredo nang may buong kumpyansa at pananalig. Hindi ako sang-ayon sa lahat ng kanyang plataporma. Pero may tiwala ako na kung siya ang ating presidente, may kalayaan tayong magsalita at magreklamo; makakaasa tayong mapakinggan at matugonan.
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Here are seven reasons why I am voting for Leni Robredo; seven reasons that I share with people whenever I try to convince others to vote for her as well:
Leni Robredo has an unblemished track record that is very rare for a politician who has held national office. There has not been a single serious allegation of crime or misconduct that can be linked to her.
In Duterte’s words: “Not a whiff of corruption".
Leni Robredo has a long-standing commitment to public service that predates her political career. She can never be accused of being “pakitang tao” because - as the Sumilao farmers attest to - she has been doing the same good work at a time when nobody was looking.
Those who insist that mining is good for the Philippines should learn from environmental anthropology and read all the scholarship on how so-called "responsible mining" has affected communities and ecosystems all over the country. Here's a reading list to start with:
This article demonstates how large-scale mining adds to the country's typhoon vulnerability, in many ways anticipating Odette and other recent storms:
This article adds that mining likewise renders the country more vulnerable to droughts, adding that environmental impact assessments are often insufficient to account for long-term consequences:
Some of my graduate students are embarking on their master’s thesis this semester, and I would like to share the advice I have given them in these "four questions you should ask yourself when choosing a thesis topic"
(A thread)
1. Are you interested in the topic? This is most important - more than pursuing a "hot issue". Maybe at first you think you can work on any topic, but when the going gets tough, and when the writing becomes tedious, it's your interest that will keep you going.
2. Is the topic interesting? Scientific significance aside, an interesting thesis will make it more likely for you to have an enthusiastic adviser, more feedback - and better cooperation - from colleagues - not to mention higher chances of your being able to publish out of it.
Some years back, I was walking in the banks of the River Danube in Budapest when I saw these bronze shoes.
Getting curious, I approached them and saw a plaque that reads: "To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross Miltiamen In 1944-1945." (1/5)
It turns out that on that very spot, Jews were ordered to take their shoes off, and then they were shot "so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away”.
The shoes serve as a haunting memorial to this day of the horrors of an otherwise-forgotten time. (2/5)
As I walked away from the shoes, I realized how such a simple work of creativity can leave a lasting impression.
The shoes do not just remind people of a past horror; they get people into thinking about how we can prevent another similar horror from ever happening again. (3/5)
What is wrong with the government’s response to COVID-19? Why is the pandemic still out of control? Beyond specific policies, I think the entire paradigm is problematic.
Here's a thread that breaks down this faulty paradigm:
1. The gov’t’s paradigm continues to place the burden and blame on the people. They are quick to impose requirements on individuals (e.g. face shields, quarantine passes, curfews), but slow to pursue steps that require gov’t itself to act (e.g. contact tracing, mass testing)
2. Politics, not science, continues to dictate policy. There is no better example than the embrace of rapid antibody tests that look good in the eyes of the public despite the evidence-based dangers of its use. Another example is the absurd, equally-dangerous motorcycle barrier.
This new lockdown is NOT what the healthcare workers were asking for. In fact, it was the exact opposite of what they demanded and recommended.
(A thread)
HCWs prefaced their demands by saying that “we are waging a losing battle against COVID-19 and we need to draw up a consolidated, definitive plan of action”.
Duterte repeated his promise of a vaccine but offered no clear plan to rescue the struggling healthcare system.
HCWs reported that they are experiencing fear, fatigue, and poor working conditions.
Duterte's response is to threaten HCWs, castigate them for airing grievances ("Do not demean the gov't"), dare them to stage a revolution, and set them up as objects of blame.