A.

1. The Justice System in the Philippines

It is no secret that the country is in a political divide. As promised by

the President, change had come. War on drugs caused uproar in the
country. It seems that this war is targeting the poor. There are people
brave enough to point out these facts but they always end up attacked
by the government. A fine example of this is the case of Senator Leila
Delima, who has been humiliated repeatedly by the supposed
respectable and educated people in the government.

She fought for the lives of the poor and the victim of this WAR ON
DRUGS started by the President. But it seems that anyone who criticized
the government will be brought down to his or knees. The justice system in
the Philippines is weighed depending on who will walk blindly and follow
the President. People are closing their eyes to the truths and swims in the
propaganda of lies.

Last year, an impeachment case is filed against Chief Justice

Sereno. No probable cause is found but it seems like Duterte’s allies would
not stop until she is ousted. She is known as a woman of courage. She is
not afraid to speak her mind and is not afraid to say no to the demands of
the Chief Executive Officer.

It is quite a baffling situation. Janet Napoles, a criminal known as the

pork barrel queen is being made state witness. Kerwin Espinosa, who
admitted he was a drug lord was pardoned of all drug cases. Peter Lim,
and other Chinese nationality linked as drug lords runs free. It is safe to
assume that our justice system is being unfair to the citizens of the country.

The truth is hidden amidst the wave of lies the supporters of the
President has conjured. Whoever will stand up the wrong doings of the
administration will always be under attack. In situations such as this, we
can only hope that there will be people full of courage that will fight to
make as see the truth and bring justice the way it should be.
2. The Threats to National Security

The Philippines have been making headlines around the globe;

unfortunately these headlines aren’t all well. From the moment he assumed
office, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was not afraid to speak his mind. This
includes speaking ill of the other countries except, of course, China.
According to the President, China is a friend, not a foe. But what friend
claims someone’s island and threatens you if you dare fight for it? With the
President renouncing its friendship with the United States, and indirectly, with
Europe too, leaves the country vulnerable.

Because of this exposed vulnerability, the country has danger painted

on its back. With the recent incident in Marawi City, it is clear that there are
countless terrorists living among the state. They are dangerous and ruthless. It
took five months and a number of civilians and soldiers sacrificed lives to free
Marawi again. To some this might be seen as victory, but how can one
celebrate victory when blood has been shed?

It is on the news that the intel regarding the possible attack of the
Maute group have been gathered by the AFP months before the attack, but
the government have been focused on its “WAR ON DRUGS” campaign that
it fails to see other issues that is of high importance such as national security.

It no secret that the trainings and technology our PNP and AFP possess
is not as grand as other countries such as the United States, Russia, Japan,
and China to name a few. We are in need of constant vigilance in case of
threats of war. We us losing our strong allies such as the US, can we truly trust
China to support us? Isn’t the United States army lent help during the Marawi
siege? Where was China? They are building structures in our island which
they claimed their own.

Our government is power hungry. Our justice system is bent down to

those with strong ties with the President. How secure is the country when
people are as selfish as the politician in the likes of Pantaleon Alvarez? How
can we strengthen our defenses against foreign and local threats when the
Presidents foul mouth causes the country to lose its reliable friends? With the
rumors of martial law and constitutional change, how safe would the country
be? It all points down to one thing: is the country and its citizens safe when
Durterte himself is a threat to national security?
 B.

My Battle with Mental Health

Depression might be too deep to describe the situation I am drowning in. But I
suspect as much. After relentless searching for whatever I am fighting every day,
I came up with the inevitable result: I am severely depressed. Well, that’s what
the internet says anyway. They say it requires a professional to declare that you
are seriously mentally ill, therefore, since I haven’t talk to any professional, I refer
to my problem as social anxiety. I am not saying I am anti-social. As a matter of
fact, I like being with my friends. But you will lose me in a sea of strangers.

I always embrace familiarity. I am in love with my comfort zone. A step out

of my thin red line will cause me shatter. College is what did it for me. It was as if
I stepped into a quicksand the first day of school. I struggled. I am not good in
making any friends. The culture shock from high school to college left me barely
coping up. It did not help my case when my parents decided I should take up
nursing. I am not particularly fond of hospitals and throw science in the mix, it is
my personal recipe for disaster. But I did my best. I struggled to make friends but
just as I was adjusting the lifestyle of a nursing student, my parents decided to
drop a bomb and made me shift my course.

I was dumbfounded to say the least. I was once again thrown out of my
element. Eventually, I crumpled. I was broken. I did not cope up well even
though I made new friends. Suddenly I started feeling empty. I skipped school
every now and then. I could not feel anything despite my smiles and my
laughter. I felt like my life loses its purpose. My self-esteem is down to a speck of
dust and it appears that nobody understands me.

I stopped going to school all at once. My parents, as expected, got very

angry. I couldn’t explain to them the state I am in. They saw me as a shame for
the family, knowing that our neighbors’ kids, my cousins, their friends kids started
graduated and here I was stuck in a limbo of depressing thoughts. A lot of
people judged me, they saw me as an ungrateful, spoiled brat and a snob. But
they do not know the pressure at home, in school, and in me. They do not know
that I have to pass by a store three times before I can pick up the courage to
buy something. They do not know the anxious feeling I have when I face I
difficult situation. My mind, my heart, and my life are in a fight. They say
depression is all in the mind and I agree. It is literally in the brain. The brain is an
organ, much like the eyes, the mouth, the ears and such. It can be damaged
too.

Having social anxiety and growing depression felt like falling of a cliff. But
the thing is, you never stop. You just kept falling. You feel hollow but at the same
time you have a burden. After years of being judged, I found courage in my
faith. The saying is true, when you feel defeated and hopeless, all you have to
do is kneel. One day I woke up and decided to go back to school. Well, the
constant judgement from my family and friends did their leg too. But I learned
not to do things for them. I decided to go back with an tiny amount of courage
beside me for myself. I am taking my time, I am still being judged, people are
calling me lazy and spoiled but I tell myself that life is not race. Success is not
measure by how fast you graduate, how rich you become, how many degrees
and medals you acquire. It is measured when you slept peacefully at night
knowing that you are truly content and happy.

So here I am, fighting my way through hoping I’d have an ally with fate
and create a path for a bright future ahead.

C.

1. Postponement of Barangay Election

It is my opinion that the Barangay election should proceed as it is.

Prolonging the election means further grip of power by the Barangay Captain
and his constituent which is unfair with the barangay’s previous leaders. This
might caught a riff in the political arena which may end badly. There has been
rumors that the barangay captain would just be pre-selected, hence, the
postponement. But would it be a wise decision? I think not. For whoever will get
to pick the next barangay leader will not pick fairly. That is certain. We Filipinos
are known to embrace the “palakasan” way of life. It would be unfair for the
people should its freedom be disrupt.

To proceed with the election means to preserve the sovereignty of the

state. The election should as it is. We cannot deprive the Filipino the right to
suffrage. For the President, it all came down to the issue of drugs. According to
him, he does not want the person who backed by a drug lord to governed the
local government body. It is quite humorous considering some of his backers
include Peter Lim and other Chinese personality accused of being a drug lord.

It is my hope that the election this coming May will push through not be
postponed for the third time. The power has been held too long by same
individuals. They owe the people a choice. Conflicts during elections are
normal. There is no use trying to avoid it. Everybody seems to want a grip of
power and leader. We should choose the leader who is not hungry for power
but hungry for progress not for himself, but for the barangay.

2. The Dengvaxia Case

The Dengvaxia vaccine had been causing problems across the Philippine
island. It is all over the news these past few months. It is said that the vaccine
caused the death of a number of children. Of course, with a problem as grave
as this, the public is looking for someone to blame. The case has been brought
up to the Senate for investigation. There is no clear evidence on who should
stand responsible for the case.

Maybe it was the previous administration’s fault. Maybe it was the DOH’s
fault. Maybe the person who developed that vaccine and failed to detect that
it can cause a deadly infection is the one to blame. Whoever it is, justice must
be served. Those kids are robbed of life. Their parents are only trying to protect
them from a deadly virus but caught a deadly infection instead.

I partly resent the previous administration for overlooking such important

task. Some blame the President maybe a part of me blames him too. But we
have to see the bigger picture. The former President Noynoy Aquino has a
country to look after. There are cabinet members for the job which clearly
should be responsible for the situation.

The public is still following the dengvaxia case, hopefully in the incoming
months, we will have the answer we need. There is no use in finger pointing but it
is still important that someone should take responsibility should it would be
proven that dengvaxia caused the deaths.