In 1970, the economies of the Philippines and Thailand looked like identical twins. Almost five decades later, we all know how different the two economies have become. Let me recount and update the story, which I first wrote about in this column 13 years ago.
From reading world news I sense occurring not only a rapid technological change but also a major sociological change. Occurring, in great part, because of the internet - Twitter, Facebook, etc.
It was a day of courage and resilience for Isabel, a 14-year old child who could not endure the pain and hurt and fear of sexual abuse by her grandfather any longer. Despite threats against her and her sister, she told her classmate what was happening in the house of their grandfather. The classmate bravely told her mother and that mother knew what she had to do. She had attended a Preda Foundation child abuse preventive and reporting seminar and she sent a text message about the abuse to the Preda hotline.
We may have a relatively young work force, but the average age of farmers in the Philippines is 57. All over the world, farmers are similarly aging. In Japan, the average farmer is much older at 67, while for Kenya it is 60, the United States 58, and China 55.
You may have missed it in the Philippines or wherever you may be in the diaspora, but the best images of the solar eclipse in the US was online, of course. And my favorite shot was that of the moon over the sun, leaving a distinct orange lining.
The Catholic Church- and that means not only the leadership but the People of God who believe in Jesus of Nazareth and his teaching on the sacredness of life, mercy, compassion and understanding - are challenged in this day by the war on drugs. God’s people in the Church needs to take a stand with and reach out to those in need of healing, care and help.
Among the “distracting” items that the new law on distracted driving has banned from the driver’s line of sight are rosaries dangling from the rearview mirror.
When you come to think of it, Mary Jane Veloso, who is still - as this is being written - held captive in an Indonesian jail even as she faces execution on drugs charges, has received better treatment at the hands of her captors than thousands of Filipinos suspected of being either drug pushers or users.
It was by doing the right thing and alerting the police that a person with knowledge and commitment to defending children’s rights saved a 13-year-old child from possible rape and sexual abuse. The concerned person saw a 69-year-old foreign male bring a small child into a motel in Cagayan De Oro City last week.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is thriving on controversy at the moment because those with whom he picks his fights are more controversial than he is. His chief recent targets have been the United States, whose century of colonial rule over the Philippines was marked by blood and violence, and the United Nations, where the US and other superpowers hold sway. Duterte, democratically elected on June 30, has lashed out at them both, and his people love it.
Read more: In Duterte, superpowers confront a new kind of leader