ikeseneres

  DO WE NEED A MORE TRANSPARENT PROCESS IN DETERMINING THE RECOGNITION OF TRIBAL LEADERS? The short answer is yes. Transparency is not just desirable—it is essential. When the recognition of tribal leaders becomes unclear, politicized, or influenced by external interests, the very foundation of indigenous self-governance begins to crack. Under the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997, indigenous communities have the inherent right to self-governance and to determine their own leadership according to customary laws and traditions. In fact, the implementing rules clearly state that indigenous communities themselves have the sole right to confer leadership titles , while the government’s role is limited mainly to validation and documentation. This legal principle is simple: the State should recognize leaders chosen by the community, not create leaders for the community. Yet the reality on the ground is often more complicated. I continue to receive feedback from tribal elders ...

  NO CASH NO CURE: A CRUEL POLICY IN PUBLIC HOSPITALS Sometimes we hear stories about wrong practices in government institutions, and we hope they are not true. Unfortunately, many of them are. Among the most disturbing is the persistent allegation that some public hospitals still refuse to admit emergency patients unless a cash deposit is paid first. Even worse, there are reports that certain procedures are delayed until payment is secured. If these stories are accurate, they represent not just administrative failure but a moral tragedy. The irony is that the Philippines is not lacking in laws designed to prevent this injustice. Republic Act No. 10932, the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law, clearly makes it illegal for hospitals or medical practitioners to demand advance payment before providing emergency treatment or admitting patients in serious cases. Hospitals are legally required to stabilize patients first before discussing payment arrangements. The law is not symbolic; it carries r...

A CALL TO BUILD A NATIONAL SCIENCE MUSEUM I first learned to appreciate the importance of science museums when I served as a director of the Philippine Science Centrum. Since then, one question has remained in my mind: why does the Philippines still not have a truly large, government-funded National Science Museum comparable to those in major countries? Let us begin with the obvious: a national science museum is not just another building. It is a declaration that a nation values science, innovation, and the future. Today, we have excellent science institutions, many of them privately operated, such as The Mind Museum and the recently opened MindSpark facility in Parañaque, which covers about 9,000 square meters and features more than 100 interactive exhibits. These are commendable, but they are not enough. A country aspiring to technological leadership needs a flagship, government-funded institution that belongs to all Filipinos and represents the full history and future of Filipino sc...

  IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE BARANGAY HEALTH CLINICS OPEN ALL THE TIME EVERYWHERE? My answer is yes—but only under certain conditions, and only if we are willing to prioritize primary healthcare as a national investment rather than a local afterthought. Technically speaking, the Barangay Health Clinic (BHC) is the foundation of the Philippine healthcare ladder. Primary care should begin there, followed by referrals to secondary and tertiary facilities. Health planners worldwide agree that when strong primary care exists, hospital congestion decreases because many illnesses are treated early and cheaply. That alone is a compelling reason to strengthen the system. The common argument against 24/7 BHC operations is manpower shortage, especially the lack of doctors. That concern is real. The Philippines still has fewer than eight doctors per 10,000 people—below the global benchmark of about 10 per 10,000—and the shortage is worse in rural areas.  But the more interesting fact is this:...

HOW CAN WE RESPECT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S RIGHTS? Respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) is not merely a matter of issuing government titles or passing laws. It is a matter of recognizing historical justice — and understanding that many ancestral lands were already owned long before the modern State existed. In the Philippines, our legal framework is actually among the most progressive in the world. The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) and the famous Cariño Doctrine affirm the concept of “Native Title,” meaning that lands occupied since time immemorial are presumed never to have been public lands at all. The Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT), therefore, does not grant ownership; it merely recognizes an ownership that already existed. As of recent estimates, more than 220 ancestral domain titles covering over 5.4 million hectares have already been issued nationwide, benefiting more than one million Indigenous people, equivalent to roughly 16 percent of the cou...

CAN WE EVER BREAK AWAY FROM PLASTIC AT ALL? When people ask whether humanity can ever “break away” from plastic, my honest answer is simple: we probably cannot — but we certainly can stop using plastic for the wrong purposes. The real challenge is not elimination; it is intelligent substitution. Plastic is both a villain and a hero. It is a villain when it is used once and thrown away, such as grocery bags, food wrappers, and disposable packaging that lasts minutes but pollutes the environment for centuries. Yet it is a hero in medicine, aviation, electronics, and public health, where sterile, lightweight, and highly durable materials literally save lives. This is why I am proposing the creation of a joint government initiative — the Alternative Sustainable Packaging Options (ASPO) Task Force, composed of the DENR, DOST, DFA, and DTI. Instead of relying purely on regulations, the task force could function as a scientific advisory and economic diplomacy group that persuades industries t...