Stand on Sabah vs The Sultanate of Sulu

Recently, another chaos regarding the country's property possession has been brought to Filipino's attention. With China on the front load, can Philippines administer another claim regarding Sabah?

How did it start? Through the articles i have read, i learned that Sabah was given to the Sultan of Sulu by the Sultan of Brunei as a prize for helping him from his enemies. It was leased from then on. However, Malaysia is claiming that money is not for rental but as a payment for buying Sabah (For transcript: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Borneo_dispute).


It would be a shoot for the moon for the Sultanate of Sulu to get the legal ownership of Sabah in a peaceful way without a help from the government. Usually, allegations/distress between countries are being settled in an International Court through United Nations (Like China-Philippines maritime territorial dispute which is currently brought up to an international arbitration tribunal in UN). We all know that Malaysia and Philippines are both members of the United Nations. Sultanate of Sulu will have several challenges in getting Sabah back. First, Sultan has been abolished in our constitution. Philippines does not legally recognize the system. Sultanate system is only protected and preserved for cultural heritage and education whatfor. Having said that, who would file a claim in the International Court of Justice? Since Sultan is not legally recognize internationally, they can not file a claim on their own. Second, in 1963 election, people of Sabah voted to be part of Malaysia. Changes won't be easy to instil on Sabahans mind. 

I guess this calls for war. Are we prepared enough?

In the event that Sabah would be part of the Philippines, it sure would contribute to the country's levitating economy. It has been broadcasted how rich Sabah is with oil and gas. It is also boasting a pristine culture and heritage that would be great for tourism.

Wherever this chaos may lead us, I hope that lives will be protected and peace will remain.



***for editing -raa116

A year had gone fast..

It has been a year. On this very same day, December 24 (2011, around 4 AM), Nanay had a heart attack. And yes, it was almost Christmas. She had a battle with Arrhythmia for about 2 years. Though, it wasn't determined as arrhythmia until that December 24th incident. Arrhythmia is the irregular beating of the heart. It could be too fast, like palpitations, or too slow.

First attack was mid-June of 2010.  Back then, what happened was she fainted and after a good 50 seconds she woke up. She was rushed to the hospital because this is the first time it happened. We are not used to her getting sick. She has always been working, working everywhere. She spent 3 or 4 days in the hospital. It was the first time i saw her weak. Several apparatus were connected to her body. I remember the first night in the hospital, i never took my eyes from the electrocardiogram to make sure that the heart rate is stable or at least her heart was beating. In the hospital, several tests were done, again and again. We never got any specific or considerable result. Doctors would explain the cause of the incident but they weren't able to prove it through lab results. 2D echo were normal, heart not enlarged, blood test were all okay as well.

Due to this, i never thought that it was a serious case, thinking it was due to stress and lack of sleep. My thinking changed when it happened again. From time to time she will faint and will have hard time breathing. We went to another hospital to have her check and do another Lab Test. We had her TSH, T3, and T4 tested (Test concerning thyroid glands). Results were all normal. The doctor suggested a Holter Test but we weren't able to do this because the attack was very sporadic. (Holter Test is a 24-48 hour of

Continuously heart beat monitoring). She was taking Maintenance Medicine though (Cordarone, and the like).

It was almost normal to us that she will faint and will regain her consciousness after few minutes. It

got worse after a year. About June of 2011, she fainted again and that attack resulted to a mild stroke. She was confined in another hospital (this was the third hospital already). There she had her permanent cardio and neuro doctors that we were seeing for check-up. Several tests were done to her again; Xray, Blood test, CT Scan. To no avail, still we got normal range results. Up until this point, we weren't able to determine the exact illness. Her neurologist advised us that it could be epilepsy because it has somehow, have the same symptoms. He explained that what was happening was there will be blood clot in the brain. Due to this, it was blocking the oxygen that caused her to faint. After few second the blood will melt then she'll regain consciousness. Neurologist also requested for MRI, but the said test was not available in our place.  After 5 days, i can’t remember the exact number of days, she went home.

Due to this, there were several important family matters or gatherings that she missed; the wedding of ate Liz, travels, and Mimi's first ever school day. There had always been a fear in her that she won’t wake up from sleep. And it so happened.

December 24 of last year, she didn't wake up. In the hospital, we got 0 BP, a flat line. She was revived and was in state of coma for 24 days. Normal people will have a GCS (Glasglow Coma Scale) of 15 (able to walk, talk, do normal things). She was at down level 5. She was confined in ICU cause of her condition. The following days, her progress will be up and down. GCS will go up to 7 then will be at 5 again, she always has fever, her oxygenation will be reduced to 50% then up again, she had shallow breathing, and all the small things that you can think of. The biggest accomplishment we got was that she opened her eyes. Her eyes were opened but no contact. She could hear though. We communicate to her through her blinking. We would usually talk to her, and she'll blink twice if yes, once if no. Often times, a tear would fall. Nurses would say that it is normal for her eyes to get wet but we consider it that she's crying. The cardiologist did Tracheostomy (January 2) to reduce the chance of her getting infections from the anti-bodies. A lot of tests were done over and over at the same time. There were days that she showed a good sign of hope; increased sensorium, lower dopamine usage. However, there were even more days that she was non-responsive and her vitals are fluctuating.

We spent the holidays in the ICU. Christmas, New year, Three kings.. It ended January 16^th of 2012. Around 12:30 AM of January 16^th, we had another flat line. She suddenly stopped breathing like she was so tired already. Then I turned 24 years old on that same time.

We knew from Day 1 that we had the least hope that you can expect. Doctors were very honest about her condition. It was a choice of life and death. But we didn't give up because family does not give up on each other. We continued the medication and get all the hope that we can get. Whatever results, we will get out of that hospital with a thought on our mind that we did everything we can.

On the night of 24^th, I gave up everything I can give. I pleaded to the Lord to take away all that he can take. But he didn’t.

If I’m going to relive the moment on that disheartening incident, I would not change a thing. I am very thankful to those people who stayed by our family during those unfavourable times.

To the doctors of the hospital who had been very aggressive with the treatment, who patiently explained what was happening and was very honest from day1, the ICU nurses who was very thoughtful and warm,  who became a family during the trying times, who took good care of Nanay and taught me on how to use the apparatuses, THANK YOU.

I would like to say thank you to those people who went to the hospital. To all the family friends and neighbours, who even cried more than I did, to my Shepherdine friends, Officemates who travel all the way to the South to visit me, THANK YOU.

Thank you to Nanay’s friends who helped and support us financially. OLAANs and college friends, Thank you. I won’t be able to name all of you but I hope you know who you guys are. Maraming Salamat po. Walang pagsidlan ang aming taos pusong pasasalamat sa lahat ng tulong at suporta nyo.

To my family, thanks for sticking around. And to you, for always being with me. Salamat.

I don’t know how I would be able to get through it without those people who’ve helped me and push me through. They provided moral support for me to be strong. Also, thank you for helping me pay way more than half a million bill. May God give it back to you a thousand folds.

Writing this wasn’t easy; it was like reliving that night. I just wanted to share to you people how short life is. It may be as short as a day spent with someone or as short as a dream that you won’t wake up anymore. Like what I said on the funeral, all we have to do is MAC; MOURN – cause we lost someone that meant the world to us, ACCEPT – cause we can’t do anything about it and that nothing is permanent, CELEBRATE – cause she doesn’t have to bear with the pain anymore and she is at peace. Nevertheless, life has to go on.

Roma Lenn Altez Almendras

12.24.2012

(Entry may be edited sometime soon when I get the strength and chance to write about it again.)

RA 10175 - Cybercrime Law

It was discussed in forums and a lot of Netizens are violently reacting on the said Act. Upon scanning through the Republic Act  10175, I had some insights that was stated below.

Some of the Chapter II Punishable Acts of Republic Act 10175 was indicated in broad manner wherein it can be misunderstood by some Netizens. You know, people sometimes need examples given.

It is very well known that some are using Social Media Sites like Facebook to promote their products by tagging friends or other users. In Chapter II Section 4 of the said Act, it was stated that seek to advertise, sell, or offer for sale products and services are prohibited unless of course there is an affirmative consent from the recipient. So it means we have to ask permission first before we tag people. In case you don’t want to ask permission you can still tag them but be sure to make it sound as an administrative announcement to avoid committing a crime.

For Libel, on which most people are concerned about, I think this will depend on the understanding and the underlying principle of the person stating and receiving the accusations/information. RA No. 3815 The Revised Penal Code of the Philippines states the definition and conditions of Libel. Since RA 10175 (Libel) was made through RA 3815, the identification of the crime should still be based on that.

Libel may impede or correlate with Freedom of expression. The Article III Bill of Rights Section 4 states “No law should be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people, peaceably to assemble, and petition the government for redress of grievances”. Define Freedom of Expression? If I would say that “NAME is a BITCH!! WHORE!!” I am expressing my thoughts, my expression. That can be labelled though as Libel cause it may be an imputation to dishonour or contempt that someone. Libel has been a law since forever. It was long written so people should not worry about it just now.

Other Articles seem appropriate for the Cybercrime Law to be enforced. Cybersex, Cyber-squatting, Cyber-security.. And the like. There has been a law about abuse; this RA 10175 just made is specific that it was done online (through the internet).

It was also stated that 50 million pesos should be appropriated for this Act. Seriously? And that's every year. Why so much? I personally think that 50 million can feed a lot of children than spend it with people's uneducated actions on cyber space.

Controlling? Yes, it is controlling. It is going against the traditional way on how people act online (Tag and Comment all you want). Bothering? Yes, it is. I’m bothered though that of all the crime and economical needs of this country, why do we have to dwell on such negligible issue? Why? Again, as I have said on my previous article (RH Bill - http://paromazoo.blogspot.com/2011/05/05082011-1127-am-cst-rh-bill.html), the number one problem is still corruption followed by the poorly implemented constitution and truncated trifling penalties.

Since this Act will be implemented, it should also have a proper dissemination to the public so that people would understand the sole purpose of the said Act and not to just jump into conclusions that it is the end of Facebook. It may be a calling that we, all of us, should act properly offline and online.

Bottom-line is, RESPECT. Act Educated.

This is how I understand it. If it shouldn’t be this way, let me know.

Have an opinion? Tell me then create your own page.

You Are Blessed, Appreciate!

I was ranting about how tired I am during my work hours then I saw a man looking for a job.

I never stopped complaining how tiring it is every time I have to walk to my office then I saw man with no legs.

I always choose good food to eat then I saw a beggar without anything on his plate.

I always complain how hard life is without realizing how blessed I am.

I am lucky to have a job that sustain my and my family’s need.

I am fortunate to be able to walk and set foot on different places that I want to explore.

I am well-off to eat delicious food anytime I want.

Simply, I am blessed to have a life. It wasn’t just me, you too!

Stop complaining and look on things on a greater perspective, that makes the difference. :)

It's a rainy Sunday night. I got nothing to do so I made this video. =))

Places

Where I wanna live

~BAGUIO~

I wanna spend my time to a place like BAGUIO. The weather is excellent. Oftentimes, it's cold even at day time. I love it. No need for air conditioning. The food is cheap and healthy cause most of the time vegetable is available, not just that, vegetables are also cheaper compared here in the Metro. Flowers and strawberries are heaven. Aside from the weather and food, I wanna live in Baguio cause the life is simple. Staying there once in a while, I always feel comfortable. I don't know what's with Baguio but it just makes me feel at home.

Where I want to explore

~BATANES~I was fascinated by the beauty of Batanes. The place is perfect for such exploration. Batanes is not known to be the top tourist destination, and maybe that is why its serenity was preserved. It is a great place to know oneself, to meditate, meet nice people and try a humble way of living. You can either walk around the urban or run freely on its nestled green highlands or dive into its crystal water. A place wherein you'll hear the untold stories of folks. Rediscover yourself and discover heaven.

Life is so beautiful, it's not meant to be described. It has to be experienced.

05.08.2011 * 11.27 AM CST * RH Bill

The Controversial: The RH Bill. The bill is controversial because a lot of citizens are concern about it. Government officials, political and private sectors, religious institutions, professionals, experts, youth, everyone has their own bombast regarding the matter, criticizing, opposing, and supporting it. Personally, I am a Pro RH Bill. (I'm sorry Father, for I have sinned.) I think it's for the country. Not thinking about extinction. LOL. We won't be extinct. It's not a law not to have child but rather a law not to have a child more than what you can uphold. Though it is a fact that the government is not a charitable institution to give it's people all their wants and needs, they should be responsible to have a better economy and country for it's taxpayers to relish. The RH Bill was proposed with intention to have a better economy by reducing poverty through education and availability of family planning resources. The RH Bill is simply an easy and a free access to family planning and educating not just the youth but more on the grown-up poor people the importance of taking responsibility with their actions which in this case is having a child. I don't see anything wrong with being practical these days. I understand the point of those people who are opposing the said Bill. They want to instill on Filipinos' mind that we should become naturally responsible. Having natural control over reproduction without any contraceptives involve. In late 80's or 70's that would be possible. But in this generation, wherein most are impulsive in making decisions for pleasure, that is close to impossible. People tend to do it first then think of the consequences after. I agree to what they say that family planning services can be improved even without a law but the absence of the law makes it easier to block the program. Over the years, family planning has been an on going program but nothing has changed yet or not a big thing has changed. This RH Bill is really a big help in the uncontrollably arising population and longstanding poverty. I'm not saying that this is the only solution to have a better economy because of course the number one problem is still corruption followed by the poorly implemented constitution and truncated trifling penalties! So, pass the RH Bill.

Thank you!

I spoke with an old man over the phone. It was over 40-minute call and it's worth it even my AHT got worse. He taught me a lot of things regarding life and settling down. It was really nice talking to him. He asked me if i was a graduate, I politely said yes. He was amazed that we Filipinos can graduate from college before the age of 22. He asked my major and when i told him what my major was he said I should go there and I'll make tons of money. He compared Filipino, American, and European culture. He said that the young generation in their country is in a hurry for success. Right after college graduation, they'd think that they'll be the boss of the company. He is so amazed how hard working we Filipinos are. That we are willing to start from the bottom position till we get to the top. I think it's how they were raised. Maybe, just maybe, in their place, not everyone or not a lot of people are required or given the privilege to study college. Here in the PH, your parents will do everything just to get you in a nice University and finish a degree. Here are other things that he taught me:

• Never buy a brand new car. (because its value will depreciate 30% once you drive it the first time)
• Invest on lands. (because its value keeps on rising years after years)
• Buy lands in the country where your families are. (parents, siblings, relatives..to be with them)
• Choose to be in a peaceful place when settling down. (with trees,grass, away from the city life where you spent most of your career life)
• Learn how to save even if you are on the peak of your career. (because you never know how long you will stay there)

What a small talk! These were just some. His last statement was "If you're just nearby, I'll take you to dinner" He is like a father who's longing for a child. Hope to talk to you again, sir.