8 Issues We Should Really Stop Saying TL;DR to
Mar 2, 2016 • Abu Poblete
4. Mental health
According to the World Health Organization, the Philippines had the highest incidence of depression in South East Asia in 2011. In recent years, the country’s suicide rates have increased by 2,558 cases in 2012, as recorded by the Philippine Statistics Authority. It was also reported by the Philippine Health Information System on Mental Health (PHIS-MH) that 2,562 Pinoys who seek help suffer from Schizophrenia, which makes it the top mental disorder in the country. These numbers show that not only are the mental and psychological services available inadequate, but that depression is something Pinoys have a hard time understanding or even acknowledging.
Out of the total health budget last 2013, only 5% was given to the operation and maintenance of mental hospitals. The country still doesn’t have a mental health law that promotes mental health and promulgates a national mental health policy. A mental health law would not only enhance services and protection of those who need then, but would also establish a Philippine Mental Health Council. Despite Senator Loren Legarda bringing it up recently through the Mental Health Act of 2014, it has yet to be passed.
3. The Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)
via opapp.gov.ph
It has been 27 years since the establishment of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and it’s about time for our kababayans in Mindanao get the change and freedom they need. Our countrymen in Mindanao seek a more prosperous, peaceful and independent political entity that will give them the power to control their taxation, availment and creation of funds and wealth and utilization of revenues, as well as control over the development and exploitation of its territory’s natural resources.
The BBL hasn’t been passed since it was submitted to Congress by PNoy in 2014. Even after the Congress and the Senate’s own versions of the BBL, the 16th Congress has failed to enact the bill, and its fate solely depends on PNoy’s successor.
This failure to enact the bill “is a perfect recipe for radicalization. It is a disaster that extremists can easily exploit,” Lanao Del Sur Rep. Pangalian Balindong said. Balindong also stressed the fact that majority of those in Congress chose to skip the sessions on the BBL with the 10 Moro solons who have been painstakingly fighting for the cause of the Bangsamoro. “Today … we take away the hopes of millions of people in the Bangsamoro. By the sheer tyranny of the majority, we have foreclosed all possible peaceful, legal and constitutional avenues for peace,” Balindong said.
2. Crimes against indigenous peoples
via mindanews.com
Your might have seen the hashtags #PrayForLumads and #StopLumadKillings from last year, when the attacks against our Lumad brothers and sisters in Mindanao started. Cases of displacement, arson, rape, and brutal killings by paramilitary groups have halted the peaceful lives of the Lumads.
Claims that the military was behind all these attacks by the paramilitary groups have cropped up since then–claims that the military has quickly denied, although no probes have been conducted to investigate the accusation.
The mountains the Lumads call home are rich in gold, nickel and copper, a wealth that is regarded by the military as the main reason why paramilitary groups are ready to kill for them.
This is an ongoing battle, and if the indigenous people of our own country are starting to be chased away from their ancestral lands, this is an issue that is not only a challenge our nationalism but is also a humanitarian crisis on our own soil.
1. Climate Justice
As seen in last year’s Paris Climate Conference, over 190 countries acknowledge that the climate change struggle is real. Now it’s time to start talking about climate justice, aka getting the people most affected by it out of an imminent rut.
Just this January, the fourth worst blizzard to ever hit the Northeast US decided to bring with it up to three feet of snow, inflicting thousands of car crashes and disabled vehicles, as well as high tide levels, beach erosion, nine feet of floodwater and even the #SnowChallenge trend.
Even our southeast neighbors Thailand and Taiwan felt the full effect of climate change as their temperatures suddenly dropped to freezing, a cold which left dozens dead. Even biodiversity changes like the abnormal migration of thousands of blacktip sharks is a clear sign that global warming is real.
The Paris Agreement has opened the eyes of many countries, and a lot of them have acknowledged and addressed their role in saving the planet.
PNoy pledged his loyalty to the Paris Agreement, and the opening of the largest solar farm in the country is a good sign of the PH’s contribution to climate justice.
However, nothing will really be saved if we don’t start doing something about it in the littlest ways we can. Citizens can do their part by buying local and in-season products, which puts less pressure on the cost of production and exporting (which will then lessen fossil fuel waste). You can also re-evaluate the brands you’re loyal to and support those with products and practices that prioritize the environment. When travelling, organizing your friends into a carpool will ultimately be beneficial for all parties. There are a million and one little ways to help, and the Paris Conference should be the first step in moving all of us into action.
While we can choose to ignore the other issues on this list, climate justice is the one issue that won’t allow you to no matter how many puppy GIFs you scroll through. No one is exempt from climate change, so be wary of people who still deny it.
What are other issues we should really start getting involved in? Sound off in the Comments Section!
