What's On & Expat - Philippines

 MAY 20-MAY 26, 2007

Eyes on the... from page 1

these by means of audio, visual or audio-visual recordings, subject to certain prohibitions. After the elections, they can observe the counting of votes by the Boards of Election Inspectors and canvassing of results of votes conducted by the municipality, city, provincial, district and regional Boards of Canvassers; and the canvassing proceedings of the Commission acting as the National Board of Canvassers for Senators.

The Comelec prohibits all observers from aiding any candidate or political party directly or indirectly; taking part or influencing in any manner the election; contributing or make any expenditure in connection with any election campaign or partisan political activity; mingling and talking with the voters inside the polling place. The resolution had previously barred observers from entering the polling precints, but it was later amended to allow them access into voting centers. Observers who violate any of the provisions shall be punishable with one to six years of imprisonment and deportation. After the period of observation, the Comelec will then evaluate the reports submitted by the international observers, and determine whether or not to apply their recommendations during the next elections. A recent SWS survey indicates that the presence of observers, whether foreign or local, contributes to increased confidence in the election process among Filipinos.

What’s On & Expat was afforded the rare opportunity to be able to sit-in on the briefing sessions of a team of international observers who were not accredited by the Comelec. This particular international observer’s mission was initiated by Bishop Elmer Bolocon of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines, Dr. Edelina Dela Paz of the University of the Philippines, and Trixie Concepcion of the party list group AGHAM and included observers from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Indonesia, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, the United States and Venezuela. The observers were given a comprehensive and critical overview of the history and political environment in the country and also briefed as to their restrictions and responsibilities.

They were then given the opportunity to share their views on the election situation with What’s On & Expat (see Inquiring Photographer, page 16). After their orientation, the observers were then deployed to various election hotspots around Metro Manila and other regions, areas in provinces with a high probability of electoral fraud and violence. Since the election period began in January, more than a hundred people have been killed in election-related incidents.Another election watchdog group, the Asia Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) deployed 21 foreign observers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia to the provinces of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Shariff Kabuntuan in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao where they monitored over 500 precincts.

After the eight day observation period, the group came up with several points of proposed election reforms, namely: implementation and law enforcement, impunity for election offenses must be addressed; law on campaign finance should be enforced, overspending must be discouraged, and the source of funding should be clear; in order to

Murray Hertz

is out of the country.
His column will resume soon.

cut down the cost of campaigning, senators could be elected by region rather than nationwide; provision of 1987 Constitution against political dynasties should be implemented by law to limit the number of politicians from same family or political clan; Comelec must be more professional and disqualify those who misuse their power; local election should be separated from the national polls to make the process more simple and transparent; and the law on electoral modernization should be implemented for counting to prepare for coming elections. They also encouraged making the lists of registered voters freely available on the internet, at an early enough time for voters to know where their precinct is, and to allow cross-checking with the lists posted in precincts. They also called for a comprehensive long-term information and civic education program on the election process and the rights and duties of citizens in a democracy to be developed by the Comelec in cooperation with civil society.

An Encounter with the Observers

Foreign representatives from the International Observers Mission (IOM) made their planned stopovers along the coastal towns of the Bondoc Peninsula region in Quezon province during Election Day.

Identified as an election hotspot since the late 1960s, Quezon’s peninsular region was among the destinations that were decided on by the IOM to monitor.

During their scheduled pit stop in General Luna, Quezon, a remote coastal town right in the middle of the peninsula, What’s On & Expat caught a singular opportunity to conduct a brief interview with an IOM representative conducting “observation” activities in the area.

Belgian national Johann Fobeleds headed the foreign observers group from the IOM who all took their time in asking election-related questions from willing persons present at the polling centers.

When ask by What’s On & Expat on how they (the foreign observers) find the election process conducted here and what they have observed so far, Fobeleds replied that his group’s main task is just to “observe” how the electoral process are being done at the different towns of the peninsula.

“What we are trying to accomplish here is to ask questions from the people who are participating in this election process and try to find out if there are any irregularities,” Fobeleds explained.

The interview with the Belgian national was short-lived after government authorities escorting the foreign observers’ group decided to cut-short their observation and proceed to their next destination, which was the town of Catanauan, Quezon.

Local Eye for the Foreign Guy
By Lex Ledesma

An apple a day…

The other day my friend required some medical tests done and they found out there was something wrong with her liver. Nothing major (thank God!) but her doctor advised her to lay-off taking too many meds and vitamins. Many Filipino doctors have instinctively merged what they learned at med school with what was taught at home, mostly stuff their Moms used to prepare. The ever popular quote says, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Our pill popping generation can learn a thing or two from this old-fashioned wisdom.

Pinoy herbal treatments have been down handed from generation to generation. Like most folk traditions these have been developed by trial and error. Some of these are partly scientific while others are, for lack of a better term, mostly superstitious.

The local cure for loose bowel movement is bananas. For one reason or another the smaller variant called the senorita works like a charm every time. On a side note, a cure that people swear works on all stomach ailments is Yakult. A more traditional treatment for loose bowel movement is drinking the water where guava leaves have been boiled. It’s believed that the astringency of the leaves halts the disease. In the provinces, women who just gave birth are advised to bathe in guava water. The antibiotic properties of guava keep infections away. Guava is viewed as sort of a wonder drug which can help reduce toothaches, bad breath and maintain healthy gums. Since the bark and leaves are rich in flavonoids, it’s a very effective anti-bacterial agent. Just chew on the actual leaf to ease your toothache or avoid gingivitis. Of course you need to wash them first.

Hmmm… now I know why and what the oldies in the provinces are constantly chewing!

What about the opposite of loose bowel movement? Constipation = papaya. I remember my nanny would rub papaya skin over her hands after eating it in order to keep her hands soft.

One really interesting tidbit I learned from Pinoy soldiers who got amoebiasis (parasitic infections caused by drinking dirty water) after serving in the jungles of Mindanao. According to them, boiling avocado leaves and drinking this tea gets rid of the parasites permanently.

For high blood pressure it’s also good to chew garlic… just don’t chew too much as it could cause your blood pressure to crash.

Ginger also helps ease sore throat and cough. Just boil it fresh and drink the water or better yet buy the ones that are sold in the market. It’s usually available in most grocery stores. Called “Salabat,” Pinoy singers swear by its efficacy.

Let’s not forget the ampalaya. Also known as bitter melon or bitter gourd, Filipinos believe that it’s good for treating anemia and diabetes. If you can’t stand the bitterness just soak it in salt water for a half hour. It tastes really good after that.

I am sure a whole book can be written on natural remedies. Most of these were born out of pure necessity. Without the money required to purchase Western medicine our people had to make do with the natural resources around them.

What we call our common man is Juan dela Cruz. Hopefully you can remember some of these tricks should you someday get stuck on a desert island. Armed with this local knowledge you can call yourself Juan dela Crusoe. (Corny Filipino joke!)