Representative Dan Flynn is in his ninth term representing House District 2 in the Texas House of Representatives. During his time at the Texas Capitol, Representative Flynn has established a strong conservative reputation by standing for limited government, fiscal responsibility, and family values.
Students of the College Education Behind Bars, the sole educational institution in the country located inside the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in MA Davao City Jail . It was after all the first time they were pitted against each other in a basketball tournament that tested their skill in playing the favorite sport of Filipinos. Atty. Susan Cariaga, vice president of the Social Entrepreneurship Technology and Business Institute (SETBI), said this event is part of the mission of the school to develop not only the academic proficiency of students but to encourage them to be active in sports despite the inherent limitations inside jail, to keep their body and mind fit. With most of the students facing drug charges, Atty. Cariaga said this could also be part of their rehabilitation. She said that these students deserve and should be given another chance. Earlier that day, Nov. 23, the students, all 53 of them coming from BS in Communication Technology, BS in Agri Business, Grade 11 and Grade 12, were treated to a soothing massage by therapists of Vaya Wellness, a treatment facility that uses Pulsated Electro Magnetic Field (PEMF) as their massage protocol.Rajan Sujanani, founder of Vaya Wellness, in an interview with the media on Nov. 22, Friday, said that these students need to feel that they are not shunned because of a mistake they have done in the past and that they still have the chance to reverse their fate.“And you can see how we can transform them into more healthy people,” he said, as he invited the media to witness the event.“They need to feel good about themselves despite where they are now. We provide some kind of relief from the stress and tension hey are presently undergoing,”Sujanani said. Continue reading
The last couple of years we have witnessed lots of negatives news about the Philippines; it was news not only here but abroad as well. From the war on drugs, corruption, poverty, typhoons, the Marawi war with fundamental Muslims, the South China Sea dispute with China, a dengue outbreak, and now polio coming back to the Philippines after twenty years, it is quite hard to figure out what is good news especially when the country struggles with image problems. These are some of the general impressions of the world about the Philippines that, while unpleasant, are undeniable true. However, despite the many negative comments that quite often overshadow, positive things are happening, and lots of things to be proud of emerge in the Philippines. The Filipinos are renowned all over the world for remarkable qualities, often downplayed or overlooked, but which nonetheless bring pride to the country. I have observed one of the best traits and distinct assets of Filipinos is that they display a sincerely heartfelt, nurturing spirit and caring touch in the way they interact with those close to them including others outside their kin circle.
The Kurds have an old famous proverb saying, “We have no friends but the mountains.” Now more than ever it has proven true. Trump’s withdrawal from Syria is the same as his predecessors’ treatment of using the ethnic minority as a geopolitical pawn. President Trump’s giving the green light to Turkey to cross the Syrian border and to crush the Kurds without U.S resistance did more than any single act has ever done to destroy America’s role in the Middle East and to isolate America from the rest of the world. By his decision to withdraw Americans from Syria, President Trump has done irreparable damage to America’s standing in the world. Consequently, the Kurds fear that the US withdrawal leaves them vulnerable, particularly to attack from Turkey. Turkey considers several Kurdish groups, including the People’s Protection Units, also known as the YPG, to be terrorist organizations. The YPG is the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is the main US partner on the ground in the battle against ISIS and the ally that has controlled a large swath of northern Syria for the past several years. The Kurds are an ethnic group of about forty-million people centered at the intersection of Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. Kurds are Muslims yet are being oppressed by Muslim countries. Many Kurds naturally want their own state, but, of course, neither Turkey, Syria, Iran, nor Iraq want that happen. Continue reading
Two weeks ago, I invited Dr. Rachele Jan Lobino-Enojada to be our resource speaker at the Minority Care International weekly study forum on the topic of “ Suicide Among the Youth.” There were around fifty students, all young college students, all eager for the exchange of thought and emotions that took place. Some of the students shared that classmates had committed suicide. After Dr. Lobino finished her talk, we conversed on topics that interested the young people with the question arising, “Why do people kill themselves?” What I observed during the conversation is that students need to see authentic life and a new way to live life.Sadly, the answers I heard were about petty and confined aspects of life. Because a guy broke up with my friend or she broke up with him, the individual commited suicide. She is fat so that is why people bully her and make her want to end her life. He felt that he is not loved so he killed himself. Even the reason that because her parents did not get her a new gadget, she contemplated commit suicide. The student is gay or lesbian and the family did not agree with this life style, so he or she was depressed and wanted to die. The new generation peaks at life through the small window of their prison cell, thinking that they understand all that is life. When I ask students, “What does life mean to you?”, they looked at me as if there was a slide of bacon coming out of my nostrils. Most of this generation’s minds have become dull with the distractions of modern life, they feel uncomfortable reaching inward that far and bringing out that much of themselves, or they do not feel curious about life anymore. Life for this new generation has to be all about fun; if life is not fun, then it is not worth living, whatever fun means to them. If they post their picture online and do not get any “likes” or less “likes” than they anticipated, that makes them depressed. If they send ten text messages to different friends and get less responses, they conclude that no one likes them. Such a life is very self centric and ego driven. Continue reading
Pornography addiction is something people will joke about but is ultimately a behavior that can seriously damage more important functions and responsibilities in our life. With a porn addiction, the behavior of a person is considered compulsive in that the addict spends lots of time watching porn instead of interacting with others or completing important work. The addictive behavior would persist even if it harms a person’s career, relationships, or state of well-being. Pornography has been around for centuries; however, the widespread availability of porn means the problem touches more people than ever before. Soft-core porn is everywhere we look—in movies, magazines, emails, billboards, TV programming, and even on posters at bus stops. And it is in the media. In our world both men and women dress to attract attention and to elicit romantic or erotic feelings in others. We are all bombarded with porn everyday. It is the atmosphere we live in. I had a student come to me to ask for help because he had been struggling with porn and self-sexual arousal since he was a teenager. He told me he had tried all the right things, accountability, exercise, even cold showers, memorizing Bible verses, and church involvement, but he still struggled with porn. The question is when do people know they are addicted to porn? Porn addiction happens when a person’s sexual behavior is dominating or interfering with his or her life, Continue reading
Social Entrepreneurship Technology and Business Institute (SETBI), University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) hold the 2nd International Conference on Inmates’ Transformative Education for Successful Re-entry on August 14-15, 2019 at the Social Hall of the USeP Obrero campus in Davao City.Centered on the theme “ Rethinking Rehabilitation: Community in Unity, Obstacles and Realities”, the conference gathered representatives from the five pillars of the Criminal Justice System, non-government organizations (NGOs), community leaders, academic leaders, criminal justice practitioners, and students.Researchers from different parts of the country and abroad as well personalities from the Bureau of corrections, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology , Dangerous Drug board, Philippines Drug Enforcement agency , City Anti –drug Abuse Council , selected USep faculty , students and other guests present their papers on the importance of education in the future development of the Criminal Justice System.
The tow days event, which highlights the role of transformative education in reducing recidivism, serve as an avenue for the researchers to share their experiences and findings of studies on prison-based education and other related topics such as drug addiction and rehabilitation. Continue reading
April 6, 2019
Dr. Minda Rodriguez, an ophthalmologist,Dr Magdalena Sta. Ana, MCI President Dr. Aland Mizell, and Attorney Susan Cariaga donated eye care service to Buhangin District, Brangay Mandug, Davao City, on April 6, 2019 along with a team of MCISA college students organized through Minority Care International Student Association. MCI distributed more than 250 new eyeglasses. MCI extends its thanks to Dr. Rodriguez, Attorney Cariaga,Dr Magdalena Sta. Ana, and MCI scholars for their amazing work. MCI’s goal for this ongoing project is to provide eyeglasses to improve vision and to give free eye check-ups to economically struggling communities. Last year MCI distributed more than 400 eyeglasses and gave eye check-ups for more than 1500 people, all of whom were adults. MCI alumni who are registered nurses gave free blood pressure screening for the community. Many of the people who received the free eye check-ups and eyeglasses are very happy because they can now see clearly as they read. The eye care clinic is an outreach project for students to practice compassionate servanthood, one that draws a variety of disadvantaged people to receive eye exams and free eyeglasses. This was a meaningful project for our students who enjoyed serving to fulfill this community need. Thank you, MCI.
A debate team of six inmates from the senior high school at the College Education Behind Bars program in the Davao City Jail defeated a team of six Thompson Christian School senior high students. The debate took place on April 12, 2019, at the SETBI‘s College Education Behind Bars facility. The host debaters beat a Thompson Christian School team that had won first place for their debate skills. The Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL)’s debating skills can help boost their confidence and change perceptions on both sides, people inside and people outside of the jail. The Social Entrepreneurship, Technology, & Business Institute (SETBI) organized the debate . A panel of three professionals judged the event while local media, guards, staff, fellow PDL students, and student mentors who had trained them. watched. As a formal process of exchanging ideas about a topic, debating can provide an excellent way to build self-confidence and express disagreement or anger in a socially acceptable way and even teach more civic values than one could have anticipated. Many of the PDLs know the consequences of poor thinking and bad choices. The debate guided PDL students to think clearly and rationally before responding. Most of us do not value the freedom we have, but Thompson Christian School students glimpsed into the life of the incarcerated, perhaps a deterrent for possible unwise future decisions.
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The United States, some European countries, Australia, and a few South American countries recognized Venezuelan self-declared leader Juan Guaidó, the current president of the National Assembly, as interim President of Venezuela while the UN urged dialogue in Venezuela to avoid another Syria, making President Maduro more isolated. Russia, China, Cuba, Mexico, and Turkey, however, showed solidarity with Maduro. Thus, Venezuela has two Presidents, one, chosen by the people, albeit under claims of election fraud, and the other one chosen by other countries. No doubt Venezuela has a big economic crisis; that is why so many people left and continue to leave the country. The economic crisis in Venezuela started with Hugo Chávez, who nationalized the oil and relied too much on high oil revenue to undergird his administration, which kept him in power. But the oil prices dropped, and the country’s problems continue. No doubt Venezuela’s elections were controversial. But, the current situation in Venezuela, calling for early elections, means calling for a civil war in the country. So many countries’ elections were problematic, including the United States with several of President Trump’s aides being indicted for foreign meddling in the Presidential election. In 2017, the Kurds went to the polls in September 2017 to answer a simple question about whether they wished to remain part of Iraq or to create their own state. “Yes” votes for independence overwhelmingly prevailed at 93 percent. Despite the Kurds being the only minority that did not have its own state, the international community did not support President Barzani. Yet, the United States and Western countries will recognize an individual as a legitimate president just because he has declared himself president without being elected. Continue reading
