Reality Bites: October 2006

Acupuncture vs. Dengue

Fear of dengue now hounds many homes all over the country, and even some other countries.

In the Philippines, there have been reports of 13,468 dengue cases with 167 dead from January to August this year alone. The Department of Health (DoH) named some barangays (villages) in Metro Manila where the cases of dengue are high: Caloocan, Malabon, Manila, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasig, Quezon City, Valenzuela and Taguig.

The best protection against dengue, which is a clean environment, has yet to be realized. Meanwhile, some wear long-sleeved shirts to protect themselves.Others apply insect-repellant lotion on the skin. It wears off quickly, however, and it would not take long for insects to feast again on the skin.

If one could not maintain the surroundings free of mosquitoes, if the insect-repellant lotion could not ensure that no mosquito could transfer its virus to one’s body – what, then, should be done?

ACUPUNCTURE!!! (read whole article)

Justice for IFI Bishop Ramento

Iglesia Filipina Independiente bishops, priests, and other militants
in a symbolic funeral march for slain Bp. Alberto Ramento, Taft, Manila, Oct. 12

Blocked by the police in Lawton, Manila

A poster showing the brutal killing of Bp. Ramento on Oct. 2

Living on wheels

Caught by the camera in one of the more prosperous parts of Quezon City is this family, literally living on wheels. They have apparently made this dumping ground of used tires their “home,” as the improvised cart containing what look like their belongings indicates. The tires on which they have placed the piece of plywood they rest upon serve as their only protection from the heat or cold that would emanate from the pavement, depending on the time of the day. All over Metro Manila, considered the country’s most prosperous region, are multitudes of families in circumstances similar to those faced by this mother and her three children – bitter indictments of a society where poverty can sink to such low levels amid abundant wealth.

Bulatlat Photo of the Week

MMDA's young nemesis

ATEEEE! A surprise morning raid by MMDA chair Bayani Fernando's police sends a young vendor to his feet as he calls for help from his sister. The siblings' tray of cigarettes and other items is later confiscated and crushed to pieces by Fernando's men as the new MMDA chief continues with his drive to rid Metro Manila's sidewalks of vendors and other obstructions.

Bulatlat Photo of the Week

Business as usual

Floods or no floods, ordinary Filipino folk eke out a living to make ends meet. A small flea market in San Fernando City, Pampanga, a two-hour bus ride north of Manila, finds these vendors selling fruits and tinapa (smoked fish) on a street inundated by a 15-minute downpour. There was no storm the day this photo was taken, and the city’s streets were perfectly dry before the rain fell. San Fernando residents say that even brief rainshowers can spawn a flood like this in their city because of its bad drainage system, and because the rivers are silted due to lahar (volcanic mudflow) from Mount Pinatubo in nearby Zambales province.

Bulatlat Photo of the Week