philippine agenda: unanswered and hopeless agenda...
hunger
Crime
Jobs
Housing
Corruption
Health
Education
the country's lack of health services.
a town where people die without ever seeing a doctor and a seemingly simple disease like scabies becomes fatal for children. The nearest health center is four hours away by foot and only has a handful of paracetamol in stock.
a provincial hospital so ill-equipped that patients have to bring their own banigs and lie in the corridors for days unattended.
the final days of a tuberculosis patient and the clinic that runs out of medicine just as she takes her last breath.
--> In the Philippines, hunger is a reality many face each day. An estimated 3.4 million Filipinos have experienced having no food on the table for many different reasons. And as the population grows, the incidence of malnutrition and hunger also increases. Zamboanga del Norte and in Masbate, two of the poorest areas in the country.
A college diploma is seen as a ticket to a better life but each day, thousands of graduates flock to business districts hoping to land good-paying jobs, only to come home disappointed. More than three million Filipinos remain jobless. With employment opportunities looking bleak, millions of Filipinos work abroad to secure a better future for their families.
Sol, a former factory-worker in Manila, left for Hong Kong to become a domestic helper. Vicky Morales meets Sol and finds that even there, good fortune has not smiled on her. The Philippine Agenda team also meets a group of Filipino woman workers abused by their employers. As the May 14 elections draw near, overseas Filipino workers gather at a Hong Kong plaza to cry for justice and seek protection from the government. Even on foreign soil, Filipinos search for security in the workplace.
Back in the Philippines, it’s almost painfully the same old story: Workers protest for higher wages and better employment benefits as they have done for many years. But there is one place in Metro Manila where employees have taken their cause to a new level. In front of a bus company in Novaliches stands what is called the "longest picket line", which striking workers maintained for more than twelve years.
Francisco Salvo, one of the striking workers, tells the story of their long drawn-out battle with management. In between fighting for his cause in the picket line, Francisco scurries to different call center companies, hoping to become an agent. But will fate favor the long-embattled Francisco? Or will he once again, find himself in a seemingly endless struggle for fair and honorable work?
A roof over one's head, a decent home. This is the dream of more than four million homeless Filipinos. And this is our Agenda this week: Housing.
Enter the homes of Filipinos living under the bridge, along the railways and sidewalks, and witness how they live. Philippine Agenda finds that most of these "informal settlers" have come from the provinces, with the hope of having a better life in the city. The result of this migration is a tremendous increase in the number of homeless Filipinos in the cities.
The government's response was to create housing projects and relocation sites. This solution, however, has had its own predicaments. For instance, the Cabuyao housing project in Laguna has no clean water, no electricity and the place is located near a dumpsite. To top it off, the site is very far from the city, making it inconvenient for residents to find any form of livelihood.
From the government 's point of view, of course, the shortcomings aren't all their fault. They also blame the people who lack discipline, such as those who sell the rights of land awarded to them and those who work with syndicates that fake some documents to sell land.
What is the long term plan of the govt to address the complex problems of housing? How can the candidates help?
perhaps the biggest problem facing the country: corruption. Philippine Agenda finds several anomalous projects in different parts of the country.
In Cebu, Mike Enriquez and his team investigate the alleged overpricing of lampposts, where it is said that street lamps originally cost P25,000 were bought for more than P200,000.
In Enrile, Cagayan, concerned citizens question a number of allegedly misappropriated projects such as a non-operational water systems project, and the unfinished paving of the town’s market parking space.
The system of corrupt practices is so embedded in our culture that one need not step outside of one’s home to see its influence. Philippine Agenda traces the corruption trail – from individuals to families and to barangays – and finds it has many shapes and forms. The team discovers that corruption pervades the smallest government agencies and the largest figures of the State.
In a poverty-stricken country, it is estimated that around P100M is lost to corruption daily. Despite the presence of so many anti-corruption laws, few cases of graft and corruption are ever resolved.
one town in Maguindanao whose residents have never seen a doctor. Thus, simple sickness like scabies becomes fatal for children. The nearest health center is four hours away by foot. And even if they decide to go there, they will only get paracetamols and vitamins good for ten people!
The program also witnessed the last few days of one TB patient, Lydia Marcos. Before her last breath, she mustered the strength to gripe about her empty stomach and her problems about the high prices of medicines. Until the end, she was not able to buy the medicines that was supposed to save her life.
the miserable situation of some hospitals, specifically in Bacolod and Metro Manila. patients have to bring their own cushions or mats and lie down on the cold floor because hospital beds and rooms are already full.
an eye opener on the deteriorationg health condition and health system in the country. What is the bottom of these problems and what answers should we expect from incumbent and incoming government officials?
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