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POVERTY

Poverty is everybody's problem.  Everybody in a sense that boy or girl, young or old, even rich or poor, that is one of their problems. Almost all of the Filipinos are experiencing poverty and it's so sad that the innocent children are the one who affected too much.

At their very young age, they are taught how to earn for a living, just for their own selves and for their family as well.

As a student i learned to appreciate the little things that my parents provided for me just lik when we have food, they always say to us that, "don't waste your food because they are children out there who haven't eaten yet. Be thankful everyday because you can eat three times a day."

My parents always telling me that the only way to overcome poverty is 'education'. They always reminding me and my siblings to study hard so that we don't experience that kind of life because it's so hard and sad. They always teach us to be 'generous'. They want us to finish our study so that we can get a great job in the future so we are able to provide fo family needs and for other people who need help. So, I study hard to become a successful so i can help other people.

We can change not only ourselves, but also the whole world if we can beat poverty.  Dream big and believe in your own self, and it's up to us on how to develop it.   After all, success will come on your way.

#dream big #we can beat poverty #education is important #better world

FLASH FICTION

I stepped outside into a gorgeous summer day. The sun made everything look bright and cheerful. It would have been an ideal day for a picnic—if I still had a special someone to picnic with.

Nobody would have suspected the thunderstorm going on inside my heart. Lightnings illuminated hidden emotions briefly, followed by a clasp of crushed hopes. Droplets of internal tears poured down, washing off what remained of my romantic dreams.

I sat at the bus stop with a book, reading the same paragraph for the fifth time and trying to look indifferent to my internal weather patterns. Sunglasses masked my puffy eyes and returned the reflection of a nearby flower. I will never love again. Love is just an illusion leading nowhere.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts, I didn't notice the man taking a seat beside me.

"Excuse me, Miss, but I couldn't help noticing that you're reading O. Henry. He's my favorite author."

His deep voice startled me. His friendly smile warmed up my damp heart and blew away some of the storm clouds.

"He's my favorite as well." I tried to return his smile.

We spent the next fifteen minutes talking about literature and its influence in today's culture. The bus came and went. We pretended not to notice.

"By the way, my name is Mark." As his warm hand shook mine, an electric current coursed through me.

"Do you care to join me for lunch?" he added, ignoring my blushing cheeks. "Let's start all over again, shall we? I'm sorry about this morning."

A rainbow appeared, leading the way to a heart of gold. I followed it.

COMEDY DRAMA

"What the heck! Look what you did to my dress? You are so idiotlt! Where's your manager, I will talk to him.

"Manager immediately? You don't want to talk to me ma'am?"

"Ha! You even have the guts to laugh at me! You are so annoying"

Then the manager came. "Hi what's going on here? What's this mess?" He scanned the dress of the lady.

Oh! Are you the manager? Your waitress is so idiot, look what she did to my dress, it so dirty. You know this is so expensive.

"Is it true? You did that to her?" He look at Klare. "Sir, i didn't mean to do that. Is it my fault that she does not looking where she go?"

"Look your waitress is so aaghh!! annoying me so much!" Then she made a face.

"I'm apologizing in behalf of her ma'am, shes just new her so that she's still learning. I'm so sorry ma'am."

"Okay! because I'm late with my meeting, I will forgive her but make sure that this will not happen again." Then she's ready to leave the coffee shop.

"Yes ma'am, I'm so sorry again."

He asked Klare to sit. "Klare next time ba careful with your action so that it does not gonna happen again."

"Yes Sir! Sorry Sir! I will do better next time."

"Okay good. That lady is so loud and her dress os not that good hmmp!"

"Hahaha! It's true sir it was so cheap fashion."

"Okay stop haha go back to work."

HAIKU

SUNSETS

As another day fades

After thousands of sunsets

You give me wonders

TANAGA

SUNSETS

I have always loved sunsets

The way the sun makes love with

The horizon giving birth

To a warm and golden sky

ACROSTIC

Father you are

Always there for me

In my weakness and darkness days you were

There for me, You

Help me

CRAFT ESSAY

Within weeks of his inauguration as president of the Philippines in June 2016, Rodrigo R. Duterte became the most internationally known Filipino leader since Ferdinand Marcos, the country’s infamous dictator, and Corazon Aquino, the iconic housewife-turned-president who championed the restoration of democracy in 1986. A great deal of media attention has been paid to Duterte’s murderous war on drugs as well as to his often crass and controversial statements. His embrace of China and his visceral disdain for the United States has garnered additional attention in foreign policy circles, and he frequently is included in media reports and scholarly articles on the rise of populism globally.

Although the attention to Duterte and his brutal drug war is warranted, much less attention has been paid to his administration’s broader policy agenda, its approach to politics and governance, and its broader impact on democratic institutions and norms. As a candidate, Duterte promised that he would produce real and rapid improvements in the lives of Filipinos, particularly by aggressively addressing crime and corruption. Two and a half years into his presidency, it is both warranted and possible to assess what has and has not changed under Duterte. The picture is a mixed one, with elements of change, continuity, and regression.

The Duterte government’s track record regarding human rights and democracy is undoubtedly disturbing. It has run roughshod over human rights, its political opponents, and the country’s democratic institutions. The combination of the Philippines’ powerful presidency and the malleability of most of its political institutions is resulting in significant democratic backsliding. But to focus only on Duterte fails to appreciate two other important elements: the extent to which this degradation has happened through nominally legal means, and the limited pushback to date by groups and institutions opposed to strongman rule. This working paper takes an in-depth look at the complex dynamics contributing to democratic backsliding in the Philippines.