February 16 - 28, 2019
OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
Rey Fortaleza - Publisher
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Rosette Correa - Senior Editor
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Mon Datol, Fr. Jerry Orbos SVD, DeeDee Sytangco, Alan Samuel, Erie Maestro, Sandee M.
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Breaking
Point
By Rosette Correa
It was either Abraham Lincoln
or Mark Twain who once said that,
“It is better to remain silent and be
thought a fool, than to speak, and
remove all doubt.” I used to a have
shirt that said it, but the wisdom of
Lincoln or Twain cannot be con-
tained on the green print of a white
shirt. This piece of wisdom could not
be any timely than it is today.
The dawn of technology has
given us many advantages, and to-
day, information is available at our
fingertips - just like the website that
told me that either Lincoln or Twain
quoted the adage. The world has be-
come louder and louder with every
decade that passed, and although I
was not born or grew up in the 1950s,
I have always admired the quietude
of that time when people still had the
decency to keep their affairs out of
the public view, as it was never polite
to let everyone know what happens
in one’s bedroom. Back then, people
were content with what they had, and
while others tried to keep up with the
Joneses, some folks just wanted to
live comfortably and do what they
can for their communities.
The 1960s changed it all.
The call for the supposedly oppres-
sive and repressive previous decade
gave birth to free love, free speech,
free everything. People took to the
streets so that they could be heard,
and whether it was to rally against
an unnecessary war, or the right to
not wear a bra, people felt that in
Bulong
Pulungan
By Deedee Siytangco
The Sound of Silent Thunder
order to be heard, you
needed to be loud, and
the louder one was, the
more attention one gets.
The more attention one
gets, the more publicity
one receives, and politi-
cians, advertisers, mar-
keting people, and social
movers take notice. This
continued in the 1970s,
1980s and the 1990s.
When the new mil-
lennium came, the noise
became so loud, that
reason could no longer
be heard. Reason is si-
lent, as it is reflective
and is never explosive.
What was once thought
to be a necessary path
to arriving at a sound
solution was seen as oppressive and
counter-cultural. The loud minority
became louder, and although small
in numbers, politicians, advertisers,
marketing people and social movers
took notice and gave them the stage.
The silent majority, practicing its reti-
cence to make sense of the noise,
was thought to be weak and no lon-
ger necessary to be listened to or to
be given a chance to say anything,
as anything they would say would
be against a certain group or a cer-
tain ideology. The minority was loud
enough to drown the reason of silent
majority.
There is a current uprising of its
own with the silent majority, howev-
er. The recent elections in Burnaby
has proven this, with People’s Party
Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson getting
as much as 12% of the votes for her
party and platform, one that society
says is “exclusive” and discrimina-
tory. The People’s Party is outspoken
about its opposition to issues such
as the SOGI 123 curriculum, and
its hard-line Christian values, and is
not afraid to take it to the polls. The
result was an overwhelming sup-
port for what used to be a topic no
politician would touch with a 10-foot
pole. Through the votes the party
garnered in the election, people now
know there is a silent, reflective and
formidable group that is ready to rea-
son out and be heard, above all the
noise and confusion that the world
is currently experiencing. And that
is difficult to ignore, no matter how
silent it may be. Another person that
was silent for a while was Jody Wil-
son-Raybould, but her silence could
not be contained, and what thunders
throughout Canada after she spoke
could be the end of Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau’s government. After
all, the truth shall set one free, and
this time, PM Trudeau may just have
a chance to face the truth and would
not be able to dodge it with his smiles
and charms.
Sounding The Alarm On Measles
Reprinted from Manila Bulletin
ANGEL THOUGHTS
Love is composed of a single
soul inhabiting two bodies. —Aristo-
tle
How was your Valentine?
Mine left me 14 years ago but
his love still lingers around me, ener-
gized by my children’s hugs and kiss-
es. Their concern about their aging
mom is refreshed by my young apos’
“agape” love. So I spent my Valen-
tine’s Day happy and still in love.
Let every day be like Valentine’s
Day—full of love, giving, and caring.
How about yours?
It is really sad that so many chil-
dren are now infected with measles
in the country. Why? Mostly because
people have been unduly threatened
about vaccinations. The Dengvaxia
issue affected parents who then re-
fused to get their babies and
youngsters to be vaccinated. There
have been about 70 mortalities now
due to measles. Health secretary Dr.
Franciso Duque has expressed his
and the department’s concern on a
T.V. interview, and I don’t blame him.
He also raised the issue of re-
turning powers of the DOH from the
local government units. As he point-
ed out, some LGUs can’t afford full
health services as they should, so who
suffers? Their constituents. Two lead-
ing organizations of pediatric doctors
in the Philippines yesterday sounded
the alarm on the staggering increase
in measles cases and deaths.
The DOH has officially an-
nounced an outbreak.
The two pedia groups urged
their members around the country to
spearhead vac-
cination efforts
and awareness
activities in part-
nership with lo-
cal government
units and gov- Amanda Julia, Monchu, Miggy, and Disney
ernment health
of disease prevention through im-
practitioners.
In a joint letter to its member- munization. We should take every
doctors and the DOH, the Philip- opportunity to convince and rein-
pine Pediatric Society (PPS) and the force the message that the vaccines
Pediatric Infectious Disease Society available to prevent diseases are safe
of the Philippines (PIDSP) issued an and highly effective, and that vacci-
“urgent plea” to “immunize eligible nation remains the main intervention
children against vaccine-preventable in reducing morbidity and mortal-
diseases” because measles cases are ity against infectious diseases,” said
PIDSP president Dr. Anna Lisa T.
alarming.
“We, as healthcare providers, Ong-Lim.
In the letter, their spokesperson
have the responsibility of educating
said,
the groups
our patients about the importance
cited the latest CONT next PAGE
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