Welcome to my Youtube Channel!

Hello All! 

I've been busy lately which is why I haven't posted any new content. Anyways, I just want to invite everyone to my Youtube channel Solo Journey As a preview on what you can see, please watch the video below. Enjoy!

Republic Act 8972: Solo Parents’ Welfare Act of 2000

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR BENEFITS AND PRIVILEGES TO SOLO PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Section 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Solo Parents’ Welfare Act of 2000.“

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to promote the family as the foundation of the nation, strengthen its solidarity and ensure its total development. Towards this end, it shall develop a comprehensive program of services for solo parents and their children to be carried out by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the National Housing Authority (NHA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and other related government and nongovernment agencies.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. – Whenever used in this Act, the following terms shall mean as follows:
(a) “Solo parent” – any individual who falls under any of the following categories:
 
(1) A woman who gives birth as a result of rape and other crimes against chastity even without a final conviction of the offender: Provided, That the mother keeps and raises the child;

(2) Parent left solo or alone with the responsibility of parenthood due to death of spouse;

(3) Parent left solo or alone with the responsibility of parenthood while the spouse is detained or is serving sentence for a criminal conviction for at least one (1) year;
(4) Parent left solo or alone with the responsibility of parenthood due to physical and/or mental incapacity of spouse as certified by a public medical practitioner;

(5) Parent left solo or alone with the responsibility of parenthood due to legal separation or de facto separation from spouse for at least one (1) year, as long as he/she is entrusted with the custody of the children;

(6) Parent left solo or alone with the responsibility of parenthood due to declaration of ‘ity or annulment of marriage as decreed by a court or by a church as long as he/she is entrusted with the custody of the children;

(7) Parent left solo or alone with the responsibility of parenthood due to abandonment of spouse for at least one (1) year;

(8) Unmarried mother/father who has preferred to keep and rear her/his child/children instead of having others care for them or give them up to a welfare institution;

(9) Any other person who solely provides parental care and support to a child or children;

(10) Any family member who assumes the responsibility of head of family as a result of the death, abandonment, disappearance or prolonged absence of the parents or solo parent.

A change in the status or circumstance of the parent claiming benefits under this Act, such that he/she is no longer left alone with the responsibility of parenthood, shall terminate his/her eligibility for these benefits.
 
(b) “Children” – refer to those living with and dependent upon the solo parent for support who are unmarried, unemployed and not more than eighteen (18) years of age, or even over eighteen (18) years but are incapable of self-support because of mental and/or physical defect/disability.

(c) “Parental responsibility” – with respect to their minor children shall refer to the rights and duties of the parents as defined in Article 220 of Executive Order No. 209, as amended, otherwise known as the “Family Code of the Philippines.”

(d) “Parental leave” – shall mean leave benefits granted to a solo parent to enable him/her to perform parental duties and responsibilities where physical presence is required.

(e) “Flexible work schedule” – is the right granted to a solo parent employee to vary his/her arrival and departure time without affecting the core work hours as defined by the employer.

Section 4. Criteria for Support. – Any solo parent whose income in the place of domicile falls below the poverty threshold as set by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and subject to the assessment of the DSWD worker in the area shall be eligible for assistance: Provided, however, That any solo parent whose income is above the poverty threshold shall enjoy the benefits mentioned in Sections 6, 7 and 8 of this Act.

Section 5. Comprehensive Package of Social Development and Welfare Services. – A comprehensive package of social development and welfare services for solo parents and their families will be developed by the DSWD, DOH, DECS, CHED, TESDA, DOLE, NHA and DILG, in coordination with local government units and a nongovernmental organization with proven track record in providing services for solo parents.

The DSWD shall coordinate with concerned agencies the implementation of the comprehensive package of social development and welfare services for solo parents and their families. The package will initially include:
(a) Livelihood development services which include trainings on livelihood skills, basic business management, value orientation and the provision of seed capital or job placement.

(b) Counseling services which include individual, peer group or family counseling. This will focus on the resolution of personal relationship and role conflicts.

(c) Parent effectiveness services which include the provision and expansion of knowledge and skills of the solo parent on early childhood development, behavior management, health care, rights and duties of parents and children.

(d) Critical incidence stress debriefing which includes preventive stress management strategy designed to assist solo parents in coping with crisis situations and cases of abuse.

(e) Special projects for individuals in need of protection which include temporary shelter, counseling, legal assistance, medical care, self-concept or ego-building, crisis management and spiritual enrichment.

Section 6. Flexible Work Schedule. – The employer shall provide for a flexible working schedule for solo parents: Provided, That the same shall not affect individual and company productivity: Provided, further, That any employer may request exemption from the above requirements from the DOLE on certain meritorious grounds.

Section 7. Work Discrimination. – No employer shall discriminate against any solo parent employee with respect to terms and conditions of employment on account of his/her status.

Section 8. Parental Leave. – In addition to leave privileges under existing laws, parental leave of not more than seven (7) working days every year shall be granted to any solo parent employee who has rendered service of at least one (1) year.

Section 9. Educational Benefits. – The DECS, CHED and TESDA shall provide the following benefits and privileges:
(1) Scholarship programs for qualified solo parents and their children in institutions of basic, tertiary and technical/skills education; and

(2) Nonformal education programs appropriate for solo parents and their children.
The DECS, CHED and TESDA shall promulgate rules and regulations for the proper implementation of this program.

Section 10. Housing Benefits. – Solo parents shall be given allocation in housing projects and shall be provided with liberal terms of payment on said government low-cost housing projects in accordance with housing law provisions prioritizing applicants below the poverty line as declared by the NEDA.

Section 11. Medical Assistance. – The DOH shall develop a comprehensive health care program for solo parents and their children. The program shall be implemented by the DOH through their retained hospitals and medical centers and the local government units (LGUs) through their provincial/district/city/municipal hospitals and rural health units (RHUs).

Section 12. Additional Powers and Functions of the DSWD. — The DSWD shall perform the following additional powers and functions relative to the welfare of solo parents and their families:
(a) Conduct research necessary to: (1) develop a new body of knowledge on solo parents; (2) define executive and legislative measures needed to promote and protect the interest of solo parents and their children; and (3) assess the effectiveness of programs designed for disadvantaged solo parents and their children;

(b) Coordinate the activities of various governmental and nongovernmental organizations engaged in promoting and protecting the interests of solo parents and their children; and

(c) Monitor the implementation of the provisions of this Act and suggest mechanisms by which such provisions are effectively implemented.

Section 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – An interagency committee headed by the DSWD, in coordination with the DOH, DECS, CHED, TESDA, DOLE, NHA, and DILG is hereby established which shall formulate, within ninety (90) days upon the effectivity of this Act, the implementing rules and regulations in consultation with the local government units, nongovernment organizations and people’s organizations.

Section 14. Appropriations. – The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be included in the budget of concerned government agencies in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter.

Section 15. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, executive orders, administrative orders or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

Section 16. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, other provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.

Section 17. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspaper of general circulation.  

(Sgd.)
JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA
President of the Philippines

Approved: November 7, 2000

The Filipino Schindler: A History of The Philippines' Role in the Holocaust

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Hope all is well.

Today, I would like to delve on a part of history that is not usually taught in schools most especially here in the Philippines. I've never heard this story before in our history classes that the Philippines has been part of one of the most horrible events that happened to humanity, the Holocaust.

Most of us may have watched the movie Schindler's List which shows the life of Oscar Schindler, a German industrialist and a member of the Nazi Party who is credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories in occupied Poland and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

Oscar Schindler

However, did you know that a country in Asia has also been part of rescuing almost the same number of Jews? This was the humanitarian act of one of Philippines' presidents and how the Filipino people has 

accepted, with open arms, the persecuted Jews.

Manuel L. Quezon became the second president of the Philippines from 1935 to 1941 under the Nacionalista Party. In 1934, under the admittance of President Manuel L. Quezon and U.S. High Commissioner Paul V. McNutt, Jewish refugees escaping Nazi persecution were able to find sanctuary in the Philippines before Filipinos and Jews alike experienced the brunt of the Second World War. President Quezon pushed back against critics of his open-door immigration policy by issuing Proclamation No. 173 on August 21, 1937. He called on all Filipinos to welcome the refugees and instructed the government to assist them. This later became the basis of President Quezon’s issuance of Commonwealth Act 613, later the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940. Many Filipinos were deeply concerned by the threat the Nazi regime posed to European Jewry during the 1930s. On November 17, 1938, hundreds of Filipinos held a rally in Manila to express their moral outrage at the Nazi persecution of German and Austrian Jews, and to denounce the Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass) pogrom of November 9/10, 1938.

Manuel L. Quezon

In 2009, a monument honoring the Philippines was erected at the Holocaust Memorial Park in the Israeli city of Rishon Lezion. The monument, shaped like three open doors, thanks the Filipino people and its president for taking in Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.

Duterte ends Israel trip with visit to monument honoring PHL open door policy to Jews

On January 27th 2020, in observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, twin events were organized by the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York and the Philippine Embassy in Israel at the United Nations headquarters in New York and Balai Quezon in Tel-Aviv, respectively. “Safe Haven: Jewish Refugees in the Philippines” featured the viewing of “The Last Manila-ners”, “Quezon’s Game”, and “An Open Door: Jewish Rescue in the Philippines”, as well as personal testimonies from Holocaust survivors who found refuge in the Philippines.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., in his keynote address delivered in New York, highlighted the importance of this legacy. He said, “In this time of rising anti-Semitism, this story of my country’s Open Doors Policy shows how plain decency can triumph over raging prejudice — which seems so irresistible when all we have to counter it is the soft quality of caring. It is a great moral victory that recognizes every life saved as immeasurably valuable for containing the infinite possibilities of a single human life.”

Among the personal testimonies heard during the event were those of Holocaust survivors Ralph Preiss and Max Weissler. They are “Manila-ners” – 1,300 European Jews who fled to Manila and have come to consider the Philippines their second home. “The Last Manila-ners,” one of the documentary films shown in the event, shows the personal accounts and stories of the last living Jewish refugees who sought refuge in Manila.

This makes me proud to be a Filipino though I may not have a direct part of that amazing journey of saving hundreds of lives. In our times where people are mostly judged by the color of their skin, race, language or even educational background there is something that makes us Filipinos apart from the rest of the world.

I found this video in Youtube which documents this story (credits to the owner):

References:

https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/about/communities/ph

https://www.timesofisrael.com/little-known-philippines-wwii-rescue-of-jews-was-capped-by-us-interference/

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/666766/duterte-ends-israel-trip-with-visit-to-monument-honoring-phl-open-door-policy-to-jews/story/

https://www.cnn.com/2015/02/02/world/asia/philippines-jews-wwii/index.html

https://www.thejc.com/culture/film/filipino-president-who-saved-jews-in-the-shoah-1.496219

https://www.unhcr.org/ph/17553-jewish-refugees.html

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-night-of-broken-glass

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_L._Quezon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Schindler

Mi Familia

"With every word we utter, with every action we take, we know our kids are watching us. We as parents are their most important role models." 

                                                                                             Michelle Obama

This will be a short post. 

Let me introduce you to my family...I just love having fun and making jokes with my kids..

Kyle - Mobile Legend fan

Kesare - the painter

Simon - Minecraft builder

This is my beautiful Sofia. She was just 6 months when they took her out of my wife's womb...

And this is my lovely wife, Mia, who I miss very dearly...if only you were here

I really appreciate what Iron Man has said when he's talking to his dad in Avengers Endgame...

Always spend time with your family. Communicate with them, show your love and care and respect, so there will be no regrets when the time comes... 

You can read MY BACKSTORY to know the events that took place why I became a single parent..


Good day! 


I told you it's short 😄

Lunes na naman!! It's Monday!

Magandang Umaga!

Good Morning!

Buenas Dias!

It's a rainy Monday here in the Philippines as storm Quinta enters the country. Stay safe everyone!

There are no classes today in all levels so students you can cozy up in your beds and wrap yourselves in warm blanket. As for me, well, it's another day in the office or should I say home-office. I am working from home since the pandemic has spread across the country. There are a bit of adjustments but I am enjoying it. I have practically no worries what my kids are doing and I can complete some of the chores while waiting for a call.

Being a single parent is challenging. You need to be on top of things every single day to make sure everything will be smooth as silk. Of course that doesn't happen ALL THE TIME. If a plan didn't work out just re-calibrate...hahaha.

Oh if I'm stressed, I would look at my plants for a short relief. Let me show you some of them. We call people who are fond of different variety of plants Plantito's and Plantita's (Plant Uncles and Aunties) and I'm happen to be one of them. I have a Pandan, cactuses and fern:

 
My nephew Jonathan showed us his amazing Venus Fly Trap which I love to have too...

So I showed him the Philippine version of a fly trap...

Oh yeah!!! Ahahaha. Here, we do not wait for flies to land on plants, WE SMACK THEM DEAD. Goodbye flies hahaha.

So that's it for today. Hope you guys have a great Monday or Sunday morning or evening or afternoon depending on where you are. 

See yah!

 

My Backstory

So, here I am, writing or should I say typing my first blog. Honestly, I’m not a good writer but I’ll do my best.

I met my wife in 2002 in Pasig City, one of the known places here in the Philippines. She was attending a service while we were on duty. My partner and I were invited to their house to help her regain her confidence to continue and once again meet with other people. Months passed and slowly my feelings for her has grown. We decided to get married on May 24, 2004. There are a lot of struggles, needless to say. Our first child was born on February 25, 2005, our second in April of 2006 and our youngest in May of 2008. I started working as a call center agent to support my family. I always remember seeing my wife waving her hand while saying goodbye every night I leave for work. We were very happy. Although, I admit having a lot of shortcomings, I still strive to be the husband and father my wife and my children wants me to be.

Then came 2010…

My wife and I did not expect to have another child. It was in November 2010 when she was already on her 6 month of pregnancy. We got home from a sports event. Obviously tired of cheering her friends, she lay in bed just staring at the ceiling. I was talking to her surprised that she’s quiet. As I looked at her, I saw her face started to twitch…she was having a seizure. That was November 1, 2010.

I decided to resign from my job in Magallanes, Makati to look for a new work which is near our home. I said to myself that my wife is having difficulties with her pregnancy so I need to be home sooner that before. I got hired in one of the tech companies in Quezon City. In one of my shifts, at around 11PM, my supervisor came to me rushing, holding her phone and trying to show me her text messages. She said sorry because it was already late when she read my wife’s message. It reads,”Please tell Mel that I’m having seizures again..etkjmdvomdovwonscneiskskf “. I cannot remember exactly those jumbled letters. I left the office, took a cab and went straight home. I found her lying on the bed with her legs outstretched.

November 12, 2010…

After consulting with her doctor and recommending an MRI scan, we went to one of the hospitals in Quezon City. The staff said that the result will be available tomorrow (November 13). At home, we sat her on a white reclining chair. She asked me to give her some bread and soda. She ate excitedly and then reminded me to take care of our children. “Don’t forget to bring extra clothes and jacket for them…”, “Always look after our youngest..”. Then she went to bed to sleep. That night, while on bed, she keeps having short episodes of seizure. I decided to take her to one of the hospitals in Marikina with the help of our friends. When we arrived at the hospital, her nose is bleeding and she’s not responding to my call…my wife was in comatose.

November 13, 2010…

From Marikina we took her to another hospital in Quezon City. The doctor told me that one thing I don’t want to hear. They asked me if I want to have our baby delivered because my daughter’s heart is beginning to slow down. My mind was racing, I said if that will help our baby then take her out from the womb. Our baby was placed in a separate ICU on the ground floor of the hospital while my wife is on the second floor ICU. My little daughter did not survive and I asked my parents and my brother to bury her while I stay in the hospital. They buried her with my yellow t-shirt covering her body.

November 15, 2010, Monday…

My wife is already struggling. Her heart is starting to fail. The nurses asked me if I want to remove the life-support from her. I said no and just do whatever they can to keep her alive. They started injecting her with a drug to help her heart pump blood to her body. There are 7 injections. After administering the last dose, they started CPR on her. I watched the nurses trying to keep her alive and then she was gone.

I really missed those precious moments we have. I have regrets. I wished if I can only go back I would’ve spent more time with her and our children. There are a lot more details of this story but I decided not to include them.

The lesson I’ve learned is love your family, your wife, husband, children while they are still with you. Cherish every single moment with them. Try to be as understanding and loving as you can be, and you will have no regrets at the end.

I still miss my wife’s smile…