Akbayan Youth: Execution, Not the Solution to Crime

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A youth group criticized the possible reintroduction of death penalty in the Philippines, says executions will only continue the cycle of violence in the country.

"How can we start the healing process if we continue the cycle of violence? Death penalty by hanging promotes retribution instead of rehabilitation, revenge rather than justice. The country still recovering from the divisiveness of the previous national election will only bleed further with such a controversial proposition”, said Paeng David, National Chairperson of Akbayan Youth.

David further pointed out that death penalty is not the solution to criminality and drug addiction, and will only serve to target the poor and vulnerable.

“Execution is not the solution. Amnesty International reports even show that two thirds of all countries have turned their backs against the barbaric practice, and more are expected to also abolish it. Other reports show no marked difference between crime rate in states that have death penalty and those who have no such policy," emphasized David

"Apart from being ineffective, death penalty is also anti-poor. In a justice system like ours, only the rich can afford good legal representation and the poor are left to be condemned to death,” continued David.

The group forwarded that instead of bringing back the death penalty, the government should focus on reforming the justice system and promoting rehabilitative criminal justice in the country.

"A critical step to curbing criminality is to make sure our justice system works and that it provides fair judgment, regardless of who and how rich the person to be made to account is. Unless we ensure that trials are not rigged to favor the rich, the chances of executing the innocent will be great," added David.

“Moreover, those who stray away from the law should never be stripped of their humanity. The young people who take drugs deserve to be given health and rehabilitative services to get them away from the influence of drugs. We extremely hope the new adminsitration would reconsider, and instead of employing vindictive justice, choose to promote rehabilitative justice and give back to our youth their chance at a good life,” said David.

Finally, the youth group called for all Filipinos to rally together against public executions.

The fight against death penalty is a fight for our humanity. Different our votes might have been during elections, but together we must unite against such efforts to curb our humanity," concluded David.

Miss Philippines Earth 2016 Media Presentation Videos

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Here are some of the videos taken during the media presentation of Miss Philippines Earth 2016 Candidates held at the Diamond Hotel in Manila on May 16, 2016.

The Philippines is so proud to have the Miss Philippines Earth 2015, Angelia Gabrena Ong, as the winner of the Miss Earth 2015, succeeding the Philippines' Jamie Herrell, Miss Earth 2014.

The 15th Miss Earth pageant, was held on 5 December 2015 at Marx Halle in Vienna, Austria.
The noble theme of the Miss Philippines Earth pageant is for the promotion of environmental awareness by focusing on the Climate Change campaign thru the 5R’s: Re-think, Reduce, Re-use, Recycle and Respect.

Later at one of the videos, we see the candidates pose by the Diamond hotel poolside with the banners indicating the said theme.

Every beauty pageant is a feat for all photographers who want to capture the beauty of every candidate through their lens. Every year, there are numerous women who join beauty pageants as among their stepping stones to get noticed by prospective talent scouts, organizations, companies, and specific brands, who would like to work with beautiful and talented female ambassadors. I believe the Miss Philippines Earth beauty pageant is also a noteworthy cause as it promotes the love, care and preservation for the Earth.

Below are the videos during the media presentation:

Bring the Wonder of Science to People Everywhere

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Globe Telecom and The Mind Museum (TMM) have joined hands to bring the wonder of science to teachers, students, and anyone interested in learning through a mobile app which gives users access to over 250 museum exhibits anytime and anywhere via their tablets or smartphones.

The TMM app deals with a wide array of topics and questions especially relevant to teachers and students who do not have the time, means, or opportunity to visit The Mind Museum. It is the first educational museum app in the country and promises a rich multimedia experience to anyone who downloads it.

“With the TMM app, we can now truly say that science is everywhere. While being in the museum completes your fun learning experience, having the app brings you closer, like no other technology can, to what animates The Mind Museum inside and out. With this app, kids of all ages, especially students and teachers, will now taste wonder at their fingertips. We can’t thank Globe enough for partnering with us on this and for having “wonder-making” as part of their mission,” said The Mind Museum curator, Maria Isabel Garcia.

“We are glad to partner with The Mind Museum on this app to give everyone a chance to access relevant and engaging educational content using their mobile device. This is in line with Globe Telecom’s commitment to provide Filipinos with 21st century learning and education through Information and Communications Technology with the end goal of creating a digital nation for a #WonderfulPH,” said Fernando Esguerra, Director for Globe Citizenship.