Juliana Consorio – ���Ĵ�ý Thu, 06 Mar 2025 14:02:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 SETON NOTES TENacity: Excellence Emanating /seton-notes-tenacity-excellence-emanating/ Wed, 06 Jul 2022 06:31:29 +0000 /?p=7693

SETON NOTES TENacity: Excellence Emanating

]]> Paper Straws and Capitalistic Ploys /paper-straws-and-capitalistic-ploys/ Thu, 16 Jun 2022 03:15:14 +0000 /?p=7469
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Colleen Consorio

Author & Artist

Paper Straws and Capitalistic Ploys

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Climate change awareness is no stranger to us—lessons in history class as grade schoolers, outputs in capstone projects, and the recent uproar last April 7 caused by the arrest of protesting scientists seeking an immediate response to the crisis; you’d have to be living under a boulder to be unaware of the massive and irreversible effects of mankind’s industrial innovations on the environment.



There is no denying that an accumulation of our individual carbon footprint deals a great blow on the speed of global warming. Our individual comfort with easy transportation and food is inversely proportional to the earth’s well-being—this is why people have been encouraged to embrace a green and sustainable lifestyle of bamboo toothbrushes, vegan meals, and honeycomb packaging. These movements mean well, but the genuine climate change awareness comes with the acknowledgement that no amount of individual effort from your day-to-day consumers will greatly dent the goal of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.



As with any systemic issue, eliminating the environmental issue we face is dependent on a plethora of matters—matters that cannot be changed overnight. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has mentioned that rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are needed in the next 3-5 years. Big fossil fuel industries are the main contributors, but are yet to take accountability due to the seat of power they hold in a capitalistic system that is known for cutting any corner to maximize profit. The development of lower-class countries are dependent on affordable means of production to develop their economy while upper income countries, albeit now sharing less of the percentage for global emissions, own the power to invest in sustainable means of production—especially after defining the foundation of development as emissions-galore for countries around the world.



Despite this irrefutable fact, the responsibility is once again placed on the day-to-day consumer’s shoulders by big corporations. At first glance, it may seem that they are helping the sense of urgency regarding the crisis at hand, but further observation only comes to show that business is business and that profit is still their main finish line. Ploys such as greenwashing still induce consumerism and never promote a truly eco-friendly lifestyle. For example, ecobags need to be used at least 104 times to make an impact on the environment despite statistics showing that they are only used 52 times on average, additionally with the dangers of microplastics from these bags being worn out in the future due to its nature of using plastic-based fibers like nylon. Restaurants and on-the-go food manufacturers switching to paper utensils and containers reduce the recyclability of the materials after their single use either way. More often than not, these paper utensils are also coated with wax finishes that remain harmful for the environment once disposed of. There is an endless amount of deliberation that comes with concluding a truly environmentally-friendly action due to plenty of different factors such as its means of manufacturing, delivery, usage, and disposal. There is truly no ethical consumption under capitalism.



Ultimately, the so-called fight for climate change is anti-poor. In the end, the two extremes found in the hierarchy of social class show that people are either brought to great prosperity or extreme poverty. Those who have no choice with regards to their consumption of cheap meals made from unethical food plants and usage of single-use bathing essential sachets due to living with day-to-day pay have no means to uphold an expensive and sustainable lifestyle for the sake of being eco-friendly. However, they are still the target of the call for action despite wealth and luxuries being an indicator of a higher carbon footprint. These people are merely getting by and trying to achieve a comfortable lifestyle at most, unable to afford thinking about their carbon emissions yet will remain the biggest victims of drastic changes in climate due to the lack of opportunity to have a proper living environment to begin with. Once we are met with an “uninhabitable planet,” is it truly unlivable for those who can afford to live on a different one?



Mere knowledge and advocacy for the reformation of a currently comfortable system can be a bit abstract compared to small personal actions such as deleting unnecessary emails, reducing water and electricity consumption, or transitioning to reusable essential items—and that’s okay. Acknowledgement is not a way to hamper individual efforts since it is still in everyone’s best interest to do your part in minimizing waste with the use of metal straws as long as there is mindful and considerate consumption, for unified action cannot be done so easily. Rather than no action at all, any efforts to minimize the environmental wounds we face are much needed.



It’s become common agreement that earth is our damsel in distress, yet most of her knights go into battle without knowing the true enemy. There is truly no straightforward way to eliminate the possibility of rapid climate change since the current system favors the easy way out. It’s time to quickly establish systems such as circular economies and bring environmentalists and scientists into power for research, development, and implementation of affordable low-carbon technology across the globe instead of shunning their ideas in exchange for business’ tendency to put ignorance and bliss forward in the current moment. It’s time to know what you are truly taking a stand for before it’s too late.




REFERENCES



Kalmus, P. (2022, April 7). Climate scientists are desperate: We’re crying, begging and getting arrested. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/06/climate-scientists-are-desperate-were-crying-begging-and-getting-arrested



Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. (2020, June 21). Who Is Responsible For Climate Change? – Who Needs To Fix It? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipVxxxqwBQw



Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. (2021, September 22). Can YOU Fix Climate Change? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiw6_JakZFc



Limos, M. A. (2019, August 15). Metal straws vs. plastic: Their impact on the environment. Esquiremag.ph. https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/lifestyle/are-metal-straws-bad-for-the-environment-a00293-20190815



McFall-Johnsen, M. (2022, April 4). The world can turn around the climate crisis this decade, UN report confirms, but governments need to step up. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-crisis-could-turn-around-this-decade-ipcc-report-2022-4



Osborne, M. (2022, April 13). Scientists stage worldwide climate change protests after IPCC report. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-stage-worldwide-climate-protests-after-ipcc-report-180979913/?fbclid=IwAR1vkhirTIBXkPB7Wv2wUTdKh7nw_c55ABQHTEqxrOg1EzAz6hAgj4qcG6w

]]> Press Freedom /press-freedom/ Tue, 03 May 2022 10:00:58 +0000 /?p=7214
Picture of Juliana Naval

Juliana Naval

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Picture of Ireland Laguio

Ireland Laguio

Artist

Press Freedom

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“No one has ever been censored in the Philippines,” Harry Roque stated as he addressed the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Maria Ressa last 2021. He declared that the Nobel Prize is “not a slap” to the government and described Ressa as a convicted felon.



Ironically, the Philippines ranked 7th as the world’s most dangerous place for journalists. The government utilizes Ressa’s award as proof that press censorship and repression are not present in the country. However, Ressa is facing terms of nearly 100 years in prison as a result of eight criminal charges against her due to the politically motivated response to her website’s criticism of President Duterte and his administration’s drug war that resulted in thousands of extrajudicial deaths. Although the Philippines is a democratic country, persecution and suppression of journalists jeopardize press freedom and the right of the public to access reliable news and information.



Red-tagging and accusing journalists and news media organizations as terrorists, fake news peddlers, and communist sympathizers are just one of the numerous attempts against them to silence the truth. It was recorded in 2021 that an estimated number of 293 journalists were imprisoned around the world as a result of their job. In one of the few countries where libel is a criminal violation, journalists in the Philippines confront a flurry of libel cases on a regular basis. Adding fuel to the fire, news websites such as ABS-CBN News, CNN, Rappler, and Vera Files have been subjected to cyberattacks as a result of their open criticism of the administration.



As if putting them behind bars was not enough, forgotten names and stories of truths, too, are incarcerated and buried six feet under the ground. At least 190 journalists have been killed in the Philippines since 1986, with 21 of them killed during the current administration. The President goes around referring to journalists as individuals who are “not exempt from assassination.” It is not a simple joke, but also a glimpse of how authoritarians view the lives of journalists as something dispensable.



Although the current administration is about to end, journalists are facing yet another set of challenges due to election-related incidents. They are deprived of the rights and opportunities to provide sufficient information about current events due to the rash of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks on news websites during presidential interviews, and online hostility is also directed at news organizations and reporters for their coverage of the candidates. Additionally, after labeling them as “biased,” some reporters are banned from campaign events with candidates refusing to attend media-hosted debates. These continuous attacks and deprivation against the media lessened the public’s access to information, leaving them with no choice but to feed on insufficient news and misinformation from unreliable sources.



We live in a world where journalism is viewed as a product that should satisfy what the people want instead of what they need, while journalists are treated as dispensable objects when they lose the favor of entitled and self-serving leaders pretending as owners of the money-making business called the Philippines. These influential individuals cover the mouths of journalists with threats, physical abuse, and murder to succeed in taking away their opportunity to speak about the truth. They are creating a world with fictional stories through twisting facts to make a fool out of their countrymen who believe that they are compassionate, competent, and efficient leaders — while milking Filipinos who tolerate their lies.



On the other hand, we keep on electing politicians who make terrible decisions to take advantage of the country, and criticizing them about it means voluntarily pointing a gun at the center of our head. Instead of reading and watching factual information from reliable news websites, some of us opt to close our eyes to swallow lies and disinformation peddled on TikTok and YouTube. As a result, we tolerate abuse against journalists because of our ignorance and apathy towards various societal issues that do not affect us personally.



The right to freedom of expression and information is the core of a democratic country. Attacks against the press who report about corruption, killings, and injustice equate to assaulting Filipinos; instead of empowering them to make the right decisions that will bring about a positive social change, they become victims of the perpetrator’s deception and lies. It is essential for us to understand that the silence of a journalist puts everyone at risk because their stories become part of our history that should never be forgotten nor repeated.



If you are pro-Philippines, facts and criticism should not be viewed as hostility but a call for accountability. A sacrifice of a journalist is salvation for thousands of lives. Never forget that the cost of your personal freedom and safety was the lives of the people who stood up and fought against injustice throughout history. It is about time for you to stand, fight, and build a better and safer world free from suppression and annihilation of journalists for telling the truth.





REFERENCES:



Beltran, M. (2021, May 19). How a young journalist was detained in the Philippines throughout the pandemic. The News Lens International Edition – Bilingual News & Voices from Taiwan. https://international.thenewslens.com/article/151190



CBC. (2020, June 15). Facing possible jail time totalling 100 years, journalist Maria Ressa says she won’t stop fighting for justice | CBC radio. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-june-18-2020-1.5616058/facing-possible-jail-time-totalling-100-years-journalist-maria-ressa-says-she-won-t-stop-fighting-for-justice-1.5617289



CPJ. (2022, February 1). Three Philippine media outlets face latest in a string of cyberattacks. Committee to Protect Journalists. https://cpj.org/2022/02/three-philippine-media-outlets-string-of-cyberattacks/



Gutierrez, J., & Stevenson, A. (2020, June 14). Maria Ressa, crusading journalist, is convicted in Philippines libel case. The New York Times – Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/14/business/maria-ressa-verdict-philippines-rappler.html



Kabagani, L. (2021, October 11). Maria Ressa’s Nobel Peace Prize ‘not a slap’ on PH gov’t: Palace. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1156258



Mateo, J. (2021, December 10). Just a moment… PhilStar Global. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/12/10/2146917/imprisoned-journalists-break-global-record-293



Roa, A., Subingsubing, K., & Ramos, M. S. (2022, April 27). TikTok as poll battlefield: Lies spreading unchecked. INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1588389/tiktok-as-poll-battlefield-lies-spreading-unchecked



Salazar, C. (2022, March 15). Press freedom alarm over treatment of Philippine media in 2022 elections. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. https://pcij.org/article/7921/press-freedom-alarm-treatment-philippine-media-elections



Smith, T. (2021, October 8). Maria Ressa: Nobel prize-winner risks life and liberty to hold Philippines government to account. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/maria-ressa-nobel-prize-winner-risks-life-and-liberty-to-hold-philippines-government-to-account-169564

]]> SETON NOTES 2020-2021 /seton-notes-2020-2021/ Fri, 10 Dec 2021 12:24:36 +0000 /?p=6022

SETON NOTES 2020-2021

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