Super Typhoon Odette's path of destruction leaves thousands homeless

-

By Menelito Mansueto Jr., co-editor 


SuperTyphoon Odette, with winds reaching 270 kph, left a tremendous damage to the various provinces and regions of the Visayas and Northern Mindanao last December 16, 2021. The catastrophe has not only brought damage to properties and great suffering to thousands of victims, it also resulted to severe emotional, mental, and psychological stress as families now deal with death of loved ones and traumatic loss. Power and communication lines have been toppled and major cities hit by the typhoon are without water. 

We enjoin all Filipinos as well as our foreign friends, to help in relief efforts. The people of Bohol, in particular, have been known to welcome tourists with their contagious smiles. But now they ask and plead for your kind-heartedness. Practically, many areas in Bohol have been damaged by the typhoon, especially Ubay, Alicia, and Loboc. What previously was an image of green vegetation in Bilar and Loboc town's Man-made Forest, and the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, has been replaced by a miserable portrait of destruction.

During natural calamities in the past, the Boholanos have remained grateful to the Lord Almighty, jubilating after overcoming the wrath of nature. Boholanos, like most Filipinos, are steadfast and resilient. As a people, we are affectionate and caring in many ways. However, the present challenge is enormous and the struggle requires a concerted effort from both the government and the private sector. 

The Social Ethics Society (SES) is extending a helping hand by organizing a donation drive and relief operations for the victims of the typhoon through its members who are residents in the affected areas. The SES has been vocal for years about the effects of climate change to the poor. Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc has echoed the demand for climate justice and a little sensitivity from others in the light of what has happened. 

In solidarity with the thousands of victims of Super Typhoon Odette, the SES is sending donations to the hard-hit areas. It is also accepting cash donations that it will send via charities on the ground. Donations can be sent to Dr. Rogelio Bayod, VP of the SES. He is leading the fund drive. Dr. Bayod's bank details are as follows: Land Bank of the Philippines, Account Name: Rogelio Bayod; Account Number: 0336194636.

Popular posts from this blog

Gazing into the Abyss of Political Decay

-
Image
By Prof. Menelito Mansueto (MSU-IIT)  There's a circus in town but we need to know who the real clowns are. The desecration of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is a manifestation of the way power politics operates in this country. The recent attacks on VP Sara Duterte is not very different from the old style of character assassinations. But it is KOJC Pastor Apollo Quiboloy who has become the proxy in the war between the House of Marcos and the House of Duterte. Now is the season of politics.  The storyline goes to show that once again Philippine democracy is the loser. Instead of spending on infrastructure such as the Mindanao railway or the Cebu - Bohol Bridge, billions of funds in the form of ayuda are used for politicking. We are wasting public resources on bad political habits and practices. The government is functioning like an organized crime syndicate where stealing public money has become rampant. But the story extends further.  What is appalling is that those who que...
Read more

What does it mean to be a Scholar?

-
Image
  By Menelito Mansueto, MA MSU-IIT  One of the heated issues in academia today is the ranking of scholars based on citations. It's only in the Philippines that getting cited is a source of scorn for some. So, let's look at the facts. Being cited means that other scholars are reading your work. It doesn't mean though that your paper has no value if it's not cited. A paper has several academic purposes. In the area of scholarship, however, if one claims to be an expert on a topic or a philosopher, it's important to consider the impact of your work among your peers, here and abroad. Internationally, top scholars have thousands of citations, which makes them influential in the field. In the Philippines, especially for Philosophy, it's quite an achievement to be recognized by your peers. We can mention two names, Jeremiah Joaquin and FPA Demeterio, both from DLSU. JJ has 594 citations while Demeterio has 395 citations. JJ's work is on analytic philosophy while De...
Read more

Filipino Philosophy or A Filipino's Philosophy: Clarificatory Notes

-
Image
By Dr. Noel S. Pariñas Yes, the title is an exclusive disjunction, but it can be reformulated as a conjunctive statement as well. Obviously, the first disjunct is different from the second disjunct. Since the disjunctive statement is not tautological, the alternatives cannot replace each other. When the disjuncts are used synonymously and interchangeably, a philosophical problem would necessarily arise. Such a philosophical problem will give birth to debates and conflicting views without a definite path towards the possibility of resolution except when the context is made clear. There are philosophies in the Philippines; there are Filipinos doing philosophy; there are Filipino philosophers; there are Filipino philosophical writings; and every Filipino embraces an existentially personal philosophy. All these things mentioned are not materially equivalent to Filipino philosophy. Neither the above-mentioned can be logical grounds to justify the existence of the so-called Filipino philosop...
Read more