Death Penalty Against Drug Traffickers Will NOt end the Drug Problem

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A senator opposed to the reimposition of the death penalty said that capital punishment will not solve the country’s drug problem.

Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros said that countries which imposed the death penalty even on high-level drug traffickers did not curb illegal drug trafficking. The Senator cited the example of Iran where the authorities have admitted the death penalty doesn't work, even after executing thousands of drug traffickers.

“According to the report by the Amnesty International, thousands of people have been executed for drug offenses since 1959 in Iran. In 2015, Iran had 829 executions, 571 for drug-related offenses. However, the Iranian government itself admitted that the death penalty has failed to reduce drug trafficking in the country,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros also cited the experiences of Hong Kong and Singapore which have identical murder rates, despite the former abolishing the death pen in 1993 and the latter mandatorily imposing the death pen for murder & other crimes.

Hontiveros said that the death penalty is a dangerous shortcut. She also said that it is irreversible and irreparable.

The Senator asserted that what is needed are reforms in the country's justice system and a rules-based and modern drug law enforcement strategy targeting big-time drug syndicates. She said that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) must take the lead, with the Philippine National Police (PNP) taking a coordinative role in the conduct of anti-drug operations.

“The government must bring the campaign versus the drug lords and not to the poor. Side by side with a public health approach to the drug problem, our drug law enforcement strategy must shift focus to organized drug syndicates. We must focus on crimes associated with big drug operations, such as money laundering and extortion. We must also strengthen border control in international airports and seaports, and heighten operations against cross-country narco trafficking,” Hontiveros explained.

On Monday, Hontiveros filed Senate Bill No. 1313 otherwise known as “the Barangay Health and Rehabilitation Strategy Act of 2017” to replace the government’s corrupt and abusive anti-drug campaign with an “alternative health and law enforcement strategy” to address the country’s drug problem.

Globe to Equip 1,000 Private School Teachers with Digital Literacy Skills

Wazzup Pilipinas!

As the world goes digital, education has gone beyond books, pen and paper, and even beyond the classroom. Both teachers and students now face the challenge of integrating technology in their lessons and making it an effective tool for learning anytime, anywhere.

The changing landscape has prompted Globe Telecom, a strong advocate of education and digital learning, to come out with PRISM, a professional development program designed to help Filipino educators from private high schools, particularly those teaching the new Media and Information Literacy (MIL) subject in Senior High School, to become proficient in technology-enabled instruction and content development.

One thousand private school teachers from all over the country are set to participate in a three-week digital literacy program sponsored by Globe, which includes a two-day immersive boot camp, blended project-based learning, and personalized coaching. There will be one boot camp each in Metro Manila, Naga City, Pampanga, Cebu City, and Cagayan de Oro City, running from January to June this year.

A key component of the blended learning component is the teachers’ access to Brightspace Integrated Learning Platform. The teachers will be enrolled online to undergo distance learning for three weeks where they will have access to the global Brightspace Community, multimedia resources to guide them through the learning process, and a seamless platform to collaborate with learning coaches and teachers in real time. While they may be far apart during this time, the technology is there to ensure that learning and close collaboration continuously happen.

Roots Music Festival 2017: A Night of Music and the Arts at UP Fair

Wazzup Pilipinas!

This Feb 18, the UP Economics Society and the UP Underground Music Community bring you the fifth instalment of the Roots Music Festival! Catch Parokya ni Edgar, Franco, gloc-9, Ang Bandang Shirley, and more of the best local acts in a night of music and the arts on February 18, UP Fair Saturday at the UP Diliman Sunken Garden.

Along with this year’s advocacy of promoting Philippine culture and the arts, Roots also gives opportunities to the beneficiaries of the UP Economics Society Scholarship Fund, of which all the event's proceeds will go.

Roots is presented by the UP Economics Society, UP Underground Music Community, Uber,
and SM Accessories

Together with: Back Alley Barbershop, Crescendo, Anytime Fitness

In cooperation with:

Jump Yard, Manang’s Chicken, Maroon FM, One Music PH, Wazzup Pilipinas, Philippine Concerts, UST Tomasian Cable, Blog-PH.com, Rakista Radio, DZUP, Monster RX 93.1, Clavel Magazine, ClickTheCity.com, Inquirer To Be You, Revival, Indie Manila, Manila Concert Scene, Radio Republic, Greater Good Philippines, The Neighborhood, MYX PH, Banda Pilipinas, UP Optics

Also brought to you by Kratos, UCC, Pinoyboxdelivery.com, Quiznos

Special Thanks to Timezone, EGG, Barenaked, The Men's Room, Whytstone, Orange Segment, Secosana

Our Partner Organizations: UP Statistical Society, UP Geology Majors Society, UST Musikat, UP Sikat, UP Variates, UP Circle of Entrepreneurs, UP Weightlifting Club, UP Saulog Sugbo, UP Club Ecotour, UP CRAdLe, UP Tourism Management Society, UP CURSOR

Get your tickets at: http://tiny.cc/Roots2017Tickets

For more details on tickets and lineup, follow our social media accounts

Facebook: facebook.com/upfair.roots
Twitter: twitter.com/upfair_ROOTS

Roots Music Festival
UP Fair Saturday
UP Sunken Garden
February 18, 2017