Rappler does it again and this time to Gov. Gwen Garcia

#NotoDoctorShaming

Yeah? But who was doctor shaming? I hadn't heard of this term until after. Rappler did a whole piece saying how Gov. Gwen Garcia practically shamed two doctors in Cebu for giving their opinions on steam inhalation. I've linked tot the article and saw, in my very first read through a bunch of glaring errors that would've been avoided through minimal research.

https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/264692-netizens-slam-cebu-governor-publicly-degrading-frontliners

Let's get some facts straight that Rappler just doesn't get right. Gov. Gwen Garcia never said that practicing steam inhalation (tuob) is a cure for COVID. She doesn't even say that doing it will prevent you from getting infected. The article and others before this reference this time and time again and even cite that this is not an approved treatment for COVID according to the US FDA and the WHO. Thing is, Gov. Gwen never claimed any of these things.

Tuob is a cheap treatment one can do to alleviate some symptoms and make people feel better when they have a cough, fever or sore throat. Many people have tried it and it's one of the things that can be done to boost one's immune system. All you need is a blanket, an electric kettle, some water and salt. When she started pushing this to people in the provinces, I actually found it laudable since she was providing people with useful information that doesn't kill the virus but boost the immune system of thousands.

Now back to the article. Rappler cites everything wrong with how Gwen handled the criticism brought against her. I agree that the governor could've handled it better though truth be told, everyone here knows that's how she really is as a person. What's absent in the article is the criticism that was made against Gwen and what actually made her react the way she did.

I saw what these doctors said and I can see why Gov. Gwen lost her cool. These doctors basically criticized her for something when they we practically taking the governor out of context. These doctors were practically implying that Gov. Gwen claimed tuob can be a treatment for COVID, which she never did claim.

Now, people in Cebu know Gwen. She's level headed (usually) and smart. She won't go advising people to do an alternative treatment which she thinks isn't helpful. And I think that's the key difference people miss in all of this. These doctors and Rappler say Gwen claimed that tuob is a treatment. No, people. Gwen simply said that it is helpful.

Tuob sounds like an alternative medical practice that I can see many doctors or people my age raise an eyebrow at. Our generation didn't grow up with tuob. My parents did and they say that while not a cure, it is indeed helpful. HELPFUL. To put it into perspective, drinking vitamins is not approved by anyone as a treatment for COVID. Is it helpful? Yes. Should people take vitamins? Yes!

As an end to this post, I want to point out one minor thing that is easy evidence of this Rappler writer not doing any due diligence or any research except take tweets from twitter. The writer referred to the doctor the Gwen scolded as a "he". Both doctors were women. Also, Rappler (even after losing their case against Keng) still opt not to get the parties involved. No mention of Gov. Gwen's response.

I remember reading the newspaper when I was younger. I would see statements like, "The Reporter has contacted the officer of Mr. Jonathan and has yet to get a response." Rappler doesn't do this and it's one of the main reasons I stopped relying on them for news bits. They're practically saying they're a one sided news outlet. And that's no longer news. That's political commentary, which I really think they should embrace at this point.

The Separation of Powers in the Philippines

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That's the idea behind separating the powers of the three main branches of our government - Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary. This was a lesson most Filipinos are taught in elementary and forget as soon as we start reading the news. I don't blame them though. The Legislative and the Judiciary have progressively been more subservient to the Executive for the longest time.

The reason our system has three branches is so that when one branch exhibits abuse of power, the other two are there to stop it. As such, it's good for us when the heads of the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judiciary don't always see eye to eye but all three should be willing to work with each other.

More recently however, the Executive has seen much more power than the other two branches. More specifically, we've reached a point where what President Duterte says goes. He's technically still working within the bounds of what's allowed by the executive branch but he basically has both houses on his side. He was even able to appoint the chief justice and several other justices in the Supreme Court. While technically not a dictatorship, President Duterte has in his pocket a firm grasp of the legislative and the judiciary as well as the executive.

We blame Duterte for everything that happens that's unconstitutional even when he shouldn't be taking the blame for SOME of these issues. Some things, for example, Duterte should get the blame for.  But with more nuanced issues, I think we, as the people give power to who we give power to. I mean, that's what democracy is. So when people blame Duterte for something he isn't responsible for, knowing him, he will do something about it even if it would cause him to meddle with the other branches of government.

There still exists, at least in writing, the idea of a separation of the three branches of government. Let the blame fall on the leader of the branch responsible for a particular function. Off the top of my head, the renewal of the franchise of ABS-CBN, a function of the House of Representatives, was clamored about. Wherever you stand on the issue, it should be stressed that President Duterte may have been vocal about his dislike of ABS, but it was ultimately the House that acted or did not act on the manner. Why then place the blame on Duterte for the ABS shutdown?

To the detractors of the president, for the love of God, DON'T GIVE THE GUY A REASON to claim responsibility for the acts of the Legislative. It can be said that the speaker of the house is an ally of the President. Alan Peter Cayetano should be the one responsible for the shutdown. Treat our leaders like the leaders they are and hold them responsible.

Two years ago, former Chief Justice Sereno was effectively overthrown in her own branch. The reason going around was that it was Duterte who did all the maneuverings. I don't doubt these claims. Duterte seems to be a very good political tactician. But it's the people who made it happen that should've been under the spotlight. It was the Supreme Court that effectively made the ruling. And so wherever you stand on the issue, it was the Supreme Court, the head of the Judiciary, that should've been the last stand.

The story was spun to make it look as if Duterte was pulling all the strings. It may as well have been the case. However, it could have just as easily been a case where several older SC justices simply had their own political interests in mind and saw the opportunity to overthrow the younger Chief Justice. When the blame is thrown in Duterte's direction, it detracts from those who were actually responsible - the men and women who, in their free will, decided to overturn the appointment of former Chief Justice Sereno.

To be fair, during the time, people did this issue up. It was floated back in 2018 that it was de Castro who really wanted to be Chief Justice who led the charge against Sereno. But ask anyone now why Sereno's term ended and people say Duterte is responsible. De Castro has practically gotten away without much blame on her name.

In these cases, do I think Duterte had nothing to do with it? Of course not. With the power an popularity he's gained, I don't doubt people up on the ladder want to ride on that popularity. What I'm saying is when we blame him for everything, we're practically giving him the power.

Remember, dear reader. Our politicians draw their power from the people. Not only during election day but every day afterward. Let's not give a few people too much power without any repercussions.

Tulfo, Rape and Victim-blaming

I've written about this issue before. More recently, however, Lucban PNP and Ben Tulfo came under fire for telling women not to wear sexy attire when going out. Frankie Pangilinan have fired back against Tulfo saying tone obvious thing and strawmaning Tulfo in two others. Let's get something straight.

"The way any person dresses should not be deemed as ‘opportunity’ to sexually assault them. ever."

100% true. Thing is, no one said nor was it ever implied that if someone dressed in a sexy attire, they deserved to be raped. You can advise one thing and still hold that the other is true. When rape is the issue on hand, it becomes more emotionally charged. So if you don't mind, dear reader, I will change up the scenario a little bit.

Consider that you're going downtown to make some purchases. It's common knowledge that downtown, there exist a lot of pickpockets. As a preventive measure, I bring only the cash that I'll be needing. I dress simply as not to draw anyone's attention. I don't even wear my cheap metal watch as it looks shiny and could attract a thief's attention. Whenever I do this, I'm do it for my protection.

Consider then a second scenario where I go to the same area wearing a Rolex (I don't have a Rolex), really nice shoes and look very formal. Add in some shades to add to the douchey-ness. I carry a lot of things and even pull out the latest iPhone XX or whatever. I then become a prime target for any pickpockets in the area. They might not harass me but they might take my bag or my phone.

In the second scenario, it's actually a good thing that people would tell to avoid wearing things that might attract bad people's eyes. Are they saying in any way, shape or form that stealing is wrong and that I'm to blame? No. But there are things, in our control that we can do to avoid crimes from happening to us.

The Lucban PNP's advisory isn't very well worded, I admit. But the point stands. Advising people to dress appropriately, is not victim-blaming. Victim blaming is victim blaming.

Ben Tulfo brings up the very good point that a rapist's or sex offender's desire to commit a crime will always be there. The point is, there are bad people around us and we simply don't know which one's are rapists or sex offenders. That's the scary part. Pangilinan says, "Stop teaching girls how to dress?? Teach people not to rape."

I share in her sentiment. I do. If only it were that easy. But like I said, bad people are all around us and we simply have no idea which ones are capable of rape or sexual misconduct.

Ben Tulfo isn't saying that women only get assaulted if they dress sexily. He's not even saying that the rapist is justified. He even calls him, "the beast". We can definitely say that the rapist is wrong all the time. But when online feminists push this narrative that they shouldn't take responsibility for their own safety, they're hurting the very people they want to protect. Saying that women should be more careful and that rape/sexual assault is wrong are not mutually exclusive. We can do both. And we should to do both.