Republic Act 11313, otherwise known as the “Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act” and colloquially referred to as the “Bawal Bastos Law” was finally signed into law by PRRD this year. Earlier, it was feared that the President who has been accused of being a misogynist would not sign the proposed measure. In a number of occasions, the President created controversy with his sexist remarks and unwarranted slurs about women. PRRD, however, proved the doubters wrong by signing the bill into law.
In fairness to PRRD, he appointed more women in his Cabinet than his predecessors soon after his inauguration, to wit: Robredo in HUDCC, Briones in Education, Teo in Tourism, Lopez in Natural Resources, Ubial in Health and Taguiwalo in DSWD. If naming women in the President’s Cabinet is the yardstick, PRRD supports women by entrusting to them sensitive positions in our government. The Bawal Bastos Law whose principal author is Sen. Risa Hontiveros “seeks to prevent gender-based sexual harassment in streets, public places, online workplaces, and educational and training institutions.” Among the prohibited acts covered by the law include cursing, wolf-whistling, catcalling, leering, sexist slurs, relentless requests for one’s personal details and other similar acts. Also pending in the current Congress is the “Sexual Orientation and Identity Expression Equality Bill, which is designed to protect people against discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. There are three versions of Sogie Bill filed separately by Senators Risa Hontiveros, Imee Marcos and Kiko Pangilinan in the 18th Congress. Several congressmen have refiled the bill in the Lower House. Unfortunately, other countries lack relevant legislations to protect people against discrimination and sexual harrassment. In Japan, for instance, sexual harassment victims who are mostly women, take the law in their own hands. Groping and touching of Japanese women’s bodies are common occurrence inside the packed commuter trains in Japan. According to studies, at least 50 percent of female commuters had been victims of groping and molestations. To fight off molesters, a female student hung a sign on her school bag which reads: “Groping is a crime.” Since then, groping had stopped so that many women had adopted the practice. Even the Tokyo Police had created an app that when activated displays a running screen message inside the train that reads: “There’s a molester. Please help.” Senator Hontiveros was right: “[T]he Bawal Bastos Law will push a new and positive culture among Filipinos to replace the culture of vulgarity and violence on our streets.”
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The recent passage of an American aircraft carrier through the strategically sensitive West Philippine Sea and the ensuing usual China’s belligerent protest and overreaction to the incident have once more sparked concerns among observers of geopolitics in our region. How much of such provocation would eventually led to a serious confrontation is anybody’s guess. China warned that the US should stop flexing its muscles in the South China Sea to avoid further escalating tension in the region. China is no longer the pushover easily cowed by the US firepower. Under his watch, Xi Jinping has relentlessly pursued the Chinese dream of making China a strong and rejuvenated nation. Steeped in history’s lessons, Xi does not want a repeat of the century of humiliation where European colonial powers and neighboring Japan pillaged a defenseless China. How powerful really is the Chinese military now? While we were napping, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is now the world’s second most powerful military force, after the US. Not too long ago, BBC News has published a report comparing China’s military might against that of the US. The US has a total military personnel of 2.14 million while China has 2.69 million. The US 2019 defense budget is $726 billion against China’s $217 billion. The US is still far ahead of China in terms of military spending and investment in military technology. The US enjoys air superiority over China with its 15,683 air assets compared to China’s 4,029. However, China has been consistent in increasing its budget year after year, making it the fastest modernizing military superpower while US’s spending has slowed down in recent years. This year, its number of warships hit 300, 13 more than the US Navy. It has 73 submarines compared to 72 of the US. During the past couple of years, China has commissioned more combat ships than the US. If this trend continues, its growing naval power may tip the balance against the US. However, US vessels are much larger, which include 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. By total ship tonnage, it actually outweighs the Chinese Navy by a big margin—roughly 3 million tons greater than China’s. The Center for Strategic and International Studies has reported that Chinese Navy has more ships than Germany, Spain, India and UK combined. It has just commissioned its second aircraft carrier to complement its growing naval and airpower. China believes that he who rules the waves rules the world.