The Canberra Reporter CanRep8pgAUG2017 final | Page 2

2 | THE CANBERRA REPORTER August 2017 WE SAY, YOU SAY EDITORIAL Consul-General Anne one hard act to follow A T the end of this month of August 2017, the 17th Philippine Consul-General in Sydney completes her six-year tour of duty and leaves for a mandatory two-year posting at the Office of Foreign Affairs in Manila before re-as- signment. Anne Jalando-on Louis, addressed fondly by Filipino expatriates and Filipino-Australians across Australia as “Con-Gen Anne”, will be a hard act to follow in terms of engaging with the Filipino community. We have been through a line of Consuls-Gener- al over four decades, and we can only describe Anne as arguably the most approachable of them all. Very few members of the Filipino community, perhaps even many Australian officials who had had dealings with Con-Gen Anne, would argue with that. From where we stood, she became a darling of the press. It was always so easy ask Can-Gen Anne a question, no matter how trivial or controversial. Not that she had all the answers to every ques- tion; but she would always accommodate the press with an answer. At least that had been our experience with Con-Gen Anne all these past six years. That alone spoke volumes about a person of her standing as an approachable diplomat in the service of the Philippine Government. When the Filipino press in Sydney gave Con- Gen Anne a send-off party at the Consulate Gen- eral’s Bulwagang Rizal in April, members per- formed a comedy skit and broke into song that said it all for the press. The song went…“Bye-Bye Annie”. And we didn’t even know then that ‘Annie’ was her childhood name. n PERSPECTIVE JESSICA ADELAN-LANGFORD Ideology has no place in govt agenda JUST recently, several Government backbenchers were threatening to cross the floor over the Government’s same-sex marriage policy. As discussed last month, the Government went to the election last year promising that the public would get a direct vote as to whether Australia would legalise same-sex marriage. Over the past week, these backbenchers pushed for the Government to have a conscience vote on the issue. Yesterday, it was decided that the Government policy would not change. Aside from equality, what is also at the core of the same-sex marriage debate is the concept of freedom. Libertarians believe that one should have the right to self-determination without the interference of government. Another example: euthanasia. The libertarian would argue that a person has the right to decide when their life should end and that legislation should allow such freedom. A conservative, would argue that life is sacred and that legislation should be enacted to protect the sanctity of life. Once again, we have another rights debate. Should a person’s right to self-determination trump the rights of those who try to preserve life? Of course, all of these issues are controversial for a reason. There is no simple answer. However, the take-away point is that as a society we should be discussing these issues openly and freely. Ideology has its place in text books. It should not, however, dominate a government’s policy agenda. n A libertarian would argue that people of the same-sex should have the right to marry who they choose and that it is not up to the government to regulate relationships. Some Members of Parliament are libertarian ideologues. They believe in personal freedom being paramount. What is interesting, is how this libertarian ideology applies to other topical issues. Take for example, abortion. A libertarian would argue that a woman should have the freedom to do what she wants with her body. Conversely, a conservative would argue that the unborn child has just as much right to live. What we have here is a rights debate. Whose rights are more important? The rights of the mother or the rights of the unborn child? CAUGHT ON CAMERA A random street survey across the ACT on the question: What is your view on the dispute in the South China Sea between the Philippines and China over the Spratleys Islands and the Scarborough Shoal? - Jaime K Pimentel, editor SA ATING WIKA Ulat ni ARNEL BASAS Swerteng pamumuhay MARAMING kwento tungkol sa pakikipagsapalaran ng ating mga kababayan sa ibayong da- gat. Minsan masaya at ang iba naman ay puno ng drama. Kung maihahambing natin ang Australia sa mga bansa sa gitnang silangan, marami ang magsasabi na ma-swerte tayo. Paano nga ba timbangin ang swerte? Makikita ba ito sa magarbong pamumuhay, magarang kotse at naglalakihang bahay? Hindi pa rin maalis na maghus- ga ng kapwa-Pilipino sa pama- magitan ng estado sa buhay. Ang malimit na itanong ng ating mga pakialamerong kaba- bayan kahit sa unang pagkikita pa lamang ay “Nakabili ka na ba ng bahay?” Nakakainis at nakakatuwa din LETTERS TO THE EDITOR dahil parang gusto mong mag- sumikap. Huwag lang mangyari na may bahay ka nga pero hindi namn nagagamit ang lahat ng kwarto dahil hirap maglinis. O kaya sa sala na lamang natutulog, hindi na maka-akyat dahil sa sobrang pagod mula sa kaliwa’t-kanang trabaho maka- bayad lamang sa utang. Ma-swerte pa rin ang Canberra dahil ayon sa pinakabagong ulat, ang ACT ang pumapan- galawa sa Northern Territory na may mababang bilang ng walang trabaho. Sa bilang ng 3.5 porsyento, maraming nakakapaghanap- buhay at nakikitang trabaho. Kung saan inilalaan ang kini- kita, yun na marahil ang swerte sa buhay. n Readers are invited to write in about their views and opinions on subjects of public interest. The editor reserves the right to publish letters on any grounds. Readers must comply with a code of ethics that requires fairness, truthfulness, accuracy and an absence of malice and discrimination. Please email letters to [email protected] ALBERTO SELORIO Sydney (visitor) China’s continued overtures to Scarborough Shoal is a com- plete defiance of The Hague Convention’s declaration that the Shoal is part of Philippine territory. Like most Filipinos, I strongly object to China’s incursions into Philippine sovereignty. However, we have very lim- ited options. n ROWENA ESPIRITU Garran JOSIE DURHAM Gordon According to the The Hague Convention, the law says that’s the Philippines’ land, China needs to stop what they are doing, their claim through his- toric rights and other sovereign rights or jurisdiction because that is the Philippines’ land. China is a big military country and they are more powerful than the Philippines, but both countries can negotiate in a friendly and diplomatic man- ner. n When the verdict was de- clared that we won over the South China Sea Disputes at the Permanent Court of Arbi- tration of the United Nations in the The Hague Convention, The Netherlands, it happened during President Noynoy Aquino’s administration. I wonder why that administra- tion didn’t do anything about it? n PUBLISHER THE CANBERRA REPORTER (ABN 44149329419) Editor-in-Chief JAIME K PIMENTEL Editors MARILIE BOMEDIANO / News & Features ARNALDO DE LEON / Motoring Advertising ROY RAMIREZ / Manager JOSIE MUSA / Representative Cartoonist MIGUEL CASTRO Columnists JESSICA ADELAN-LANGFORD ARNEL BASAS Legal Counsel LINDA GERONIMO SANTOS Photojournalists MARILIE BOMEDIANO GERRY MUSA Correspondents CECILIA FLORES ARNEL BASAS Deputy SALLY BARBER Subeditor VIOLI CALVERT Printer New Age Printing, Rydalmere NSW Waiver: Opinions expressed by writers do not necessarily belong to the publisher.