Category Archives: Social issues

Allow Only Fully Vaccinated in Malls, Restaurants, and Others Establishments in NCR After ECQ

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With the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, where the transmission rate has exceeded the average countrywide rate of COVID-19 infections, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said that it is time for both the government and the private sector to consider implementing stronger measures in the National Capital Region (NCR) to effectively mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the region.

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion

“We are pushing for establishments in NCR, such as malls, restaurants, and others, to allow only fully vaccinated individuals so we can create safer bubbles. For example, dining areas with fully vaccinated restaurant crew serving fully vaccinated dine-in customers. This is of course upon having enough fully vaccinated residents in a certain city in Metro Manila,” Concepcion said.

He cited data from the Philippine General Hospital which found 187 individuals out of the total of 265 COVID-19 patients admitted as of August 15 were unvaccinated. The San Lazaro Hospital, meanwhile, reported that 82 percent of the total severe and critical cases of COVID-19 were also unvaccinated individuals.

“Implementing stronger measures during the ECQ in NCR, even if it is extended, will preserve the benefits of the lockdown. It will prevent us from compromising what we have already achieved so far, and what we can achieve in the future. We’ll finally reap the benefits of our sacrifices,” he said.

Concepcion added that the Philippines must benchmark against similar measures in other countries. In Jakarta, malls reopened at 25 percent capacity, but only to fully vaccinated individuals. Singapore, which has vaccinated 75 percent of its population, is allowing the fully vaccinated to resume activities that require the removal of masks and even gather in groups of no more than five people.

“We have seen in France under President Macron’s leadership that restricting the mobility of unvaccinated individuals is not only effective in preventing the spread of the virus, but also in encouraging people to get vaccinated,” he said.

Concepcion said that limiting the mobility of unvaccinated individuals, especially in Metro Manila, is not impossible given the aggressive inoculation rollouts already in effect during the ECQ.

“It will not be imposed unreasonably. That’s why there is a milestone in terms of the percentage of vaccinated individuals. We are aware that we need to vaccinate more people before we drastically do this. That is why we are aggressively rolling out our vaccination program in the country especially here in NCR even during the current lockdown,” Concepcion said.

“In the end, these measures will also encourage people to do their civic duty and take the vaccines. There may be more variants to come, but we have to realize that vaccination is the only key. The private sector wants to see an end to these lockdowns. A ‘close open’ type of economy is something we cannot afford to have.”

Why Do I Need Anger Management Classes?

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We’ve all got problems with anger from time to time. Your kids spilled a gallon of juice on the carpet. Your spouse returned home from work two hours late and forgot to pick up dinner, which led to a fight. Anger is a normal, healthy part of human relationships – but what happens when you get angry too often at small things? Anger can spiral out of control, and using anger to deal with a situation only makes it easier to explode the next time something bugs you a little bit. If you’ve been asked (or court-ordered) to complete an anger management course, you might be feeling wary of spending time in such a place. However, the skills you learn can greatly benefit your life. Read on to discover what to expect in this type of course:

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

You’ll Learn New Skills

Depending on your offense, you might be sentenced to anger management in a group context or within individual therapy sessions. Your therapy might also be combined with other programs like Alcoholics Anonymous or a john school diversion program. Working with the right therapist in a personalized program can help get your life back on track.

You’re Not Alone

You might be feeling overwhelming emotions – not just anger – as you begin your group therapy or treatment program. Know that you are not by yourself in this: many people seek therapy for stress, anger, and depression that can lead to intense outbursts. There is even a diagnosis called IED (intermittent explosive disorder) for those with severe but treatable anger issues. 

Take heart in the fact that when you emerge from this program, you will have gained skills, confidence, and the training to keep your cool in a heated moment. As long as you practice your newfound skills, you’re well on your way to making better choices on a daily basis.

Racial divide seemingly remaining steady

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Though the country has advanced exponentially in the fight against discrimination against some groups of people, there is still work to be done in other areas. Thanks to recent events that have made headline news, the LGBT community has begun to open eyes to some of the struggles they face. While the journey for this group is far from over, advancements have been made in curbing the tide of negative attention they have received in recent years.

Unfortunately, the racial divide in this country has remained present, or even grown in recent months. Since the Civil Rights Act was begun in 1964, black Americans have had the same rights as Americans of other races. Those basic rights have been maintained and even increased over the years. For a time, it seemed that, at least among a majority of Americans, the separation between the races was starting to shrink. However, recent events that have made the news have brought information to light that shows that belief is not necessarily the case. In fact, the tide has seemingly shifted, in some ways, to allow for increased discrimination amongst people who are actually not black.

Protests, police shootings, and horrible events in schools over the past several months have seemed to highlight Caucasian people, including police officers, victimizing black people. These videos have streamed onto social networking websites and into the media, and have been played over and over again. Sometimes the stories are partially true, and have been edited to an extreme degree, and others they are completely correct and show hardships that should no longer be occurring. In all cases, though, they only serve to widen the gap between races that everyone thought was beginning to come closer to ending only a few years ago.

The backlash against white people, especially police officers, has become so intense that more and more people are afraid to speak out about their personal opinions for fear of being labeled “racist.” Anyone who wants to learn more about this fact can easily find a number of websites filled with information online. Regardless of where you stand on this issue, the only fact that remains clear is that it will take a great deal of work on both sides of the coin in order for the huge space separating the races in this country to truly be closed in a peaceful manner.

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net