Last June 30, 2021, President Duterte signed Republic Act (R.A.) No. 11569, extending the estate tax amnesty (RA 11213) by another two years till June 14, 2023. The news was received with a collective sigh of relief. Many who had been working on their amnesty application but were affected by the pandemic were given a new opportunity to do so.
The original deadline based on the Tax Amnesty Act (RA 11213) was June 14, 2021 but the pandemic resulted in a low turnout of people availing of the amnesty. Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, noted that out of the targeted PhP 6 billion in taxes from the amnesty program, only about PhP 1.362 billion was collected.
This past election has drained me – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As I looked at the lineup of the 12 new senators, I felt a deep sadness creep over me. For months, my prayers at Mass had always been for the country. I would even pray for a change of heart of the President. I tried to carry hope in my heart that this election, we could start a change for the better by electing competent and independent public servants.
My hopes for the future have been dashed to the ground, broken into hundreds of pieces. I do not even know how I can pick them all up and put them back together.
Are women safe taking transport network vehicles (TNVs) in the Philippines?
I thought so. In my extended family, we are overwhelmingly female — sisters, cousins, nieces. It has been more convenient for most of us to take a TNV around the metro. I also know of some female friends who gave up their cars in favor of TNVs. My kids took Uber until they closed shop. We had no issues then with Uber. These days, with Uber gone, they have no other option but to use Grab. The newer TNV companies, while an option, are not as established as Grab which has a wider network of vehicles. I was confident they were all safe taking this mode of transport.
It had to take an incident with my daughter a few weeks before Christmas, involving a Grab car, for me to sit up, pay attention, and ask the hard question. Just how safe are women passengers in TNVs?
DEPRESSION. So many suffer from it these days and yet, many times, it goes unrecognized and unchecked. And even when it is discovered, both the patient and the family tend to hide it because of the social stigma that it still carries. The Mental Health Act has already passed, allowing the funding of programs geared towards supporting mental health awareness. But we still have a long way to go. Meanwhile, there is need for a go-to place where depression sufferers can go to ask for help.
Based on data from the DOH and the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 300 million people are experiencing depression, up by more than 18% from 2005 to 2015. In the Philippines alone, an estimated 3.3 million Filipinos are suffering from depression. Only 1 out of 3 who suffer from depression will seek the help of a specialist and one third will not even be aware of their condition. Also, the most vulnerable sector is the youth, with ages ranging from 15 to 29 years old.
Today, women all over the world are honored during International Women’s Day. Yet from where I now sit, I look at our Philippine situation and realize that the uphill struggle for parity and respect is far from over. In fact, it has deteriorated, thanks to the misogynistic comments of some of the leaders in government.
As a long-time advocate of, and resource speaker on, digital citizenship, I welcomed the recent collaboration of Globe Telecom, Facebook, and the Department of Education (DepEd) to continue bringing awareness of responsible digital citizenship to public and private schools nationwide, for both teachers and students.
(L-R) Globe Senior Vice President Nikko Acosta, DQ representative Galvin Ngo, Globe President & CEO Ernest Cu, Facebook Head of Community Affairs in Asia Pacific Clair Deevy and DepEd Undersecretary Tonisito Umali
Why is digital citizenship even more important now
As of end-2017, there are now over 60 million internet users. That is 60% of the populace! 52.2 million of the 60 million, roughly half of the entire Philippine population, is mobile, spending over 3 hours on it daily. A Philippine National Police (PNP) report also showed that half of internet users are 17 years old and below.
An international think-tank formed in association with the World Economic Forum, the DQ Institute, revealed in its inaugural 2018 DQ Global Impact Report that 56% of kids aged 8-12 years old worldwide who are online, are exposed to cyber risks. A study of the Philippine internet situation in that report shows that 73% of Filipino children are exposed to cyber risks, the second highest in a study among 29 countries.
