May 2017 -

Manila is a town of action, no matter where you are across the city, what time of day it is, there will aways be something happening. This is just a by-product of the high density living residents of Manila have grown accustomed. Manila is known to contain some of the most densely populated areas in the world; a certain part of Manila known as the Tondo district houses over 600,000 residents in that one area alone.

Unfortunately with these high-density cities have some drawbacks, especially when it comes to the field of public health. I would not classify the air quality in Metro Manila as being in the same league as some of the larger cities of China and India. But I’m sure that the consensus is that the air quality within Manila is often less than satisfactory.

This brings me to the recent hot topic of a blanket ban on smoking in public within The Philippines. Banning smoking is an issue which I both strongly agree with; though I have some mixed feelings when considering the context in which the new laws have risen.

The first issue is restricting people’s access to tobacco products, which this prohibition does not seem to address. I think that the ban should not restrict the individuals right in engaging in the act of smoking, as I feel that psychologically stable people should remain somewhat autonomous when it comes to choosing what they do to their bodies.

The issue the ban addresses is when unwilling individuals are forced into the detrimental act of breathing in cigarette smoke due to no fault of their own. I am happy for people to engage in this unhealthy habit as long as the adverse outcome is confined to the single party.

The issue the ban addresses is when unwilling individuals are forced into the detrimental act of breathing in cigarette smoke due to no fault of their own. Simply walking past a mall or office building can leave you having to breathe in clouds of tobacco smoke from staff standing outside during their breaks. I have no problems with individuals engaging in this unhealthy habit as long as the negative outcome is confined to the individual.

So when it comes to public health, the ban seems like a step in the right direction. Though I feel like the smoking ban can be seen as low-hanging fruit. Especially when it comes to the bigger issue of making improvements to the quality of air inhaled by residents of the countries larger cities such as Manila and Cebu.

I am supportive of any effort to positively impact the health of the public. But an aggressive push against cigarette smoke polluting our air should be partnered with an equal, if not more aggressive push against bigger sources of air pollution within our cities such as vehicle exhaust and heavy industry.

Is the goal based on encroaching on the liberties of tobacco users in the country or is there a much bigger end goal of improving the health of the general public by minimizing the presence of toxic particles in the air?

Eradicating cigarette smoke is a win although very minor when it comes to the goal of improving the lives of citizens of The Philippines. Hope lies in this move being a step towards more significant action in improving conditions within the countries thriving cities.

The Iglesia Ni Cristo captivated my interest the moment I caught a glimpse of their extravagant castle-like church headquarters found in Quezon City, Manila. The heavily fortified buildings often surrounded by high boundary walls and large iron gates, along with the unique, now iconic architecture radiates a feeling of mystery and secrecy.

Besides the obviously more dominant belief systems in the country such as Islam and Catholicism; It would be safe to assume that this is one of the more popular belief systems within the Philippines. Whether I was out in the provinces or traveling through metro Manila, I always seemed to come across the distinctive churches of Iglesia Ni Cristo.

When it comes to people’s beliefs, I can’t get enough. I love digging into these generally insular worlds and learning about what makes them tick. Naturally, I began asking friends about the church. I received a series of concordant responses all along the lines of, “I think that’s the church which takes 10% of your income”.

This spiked my interest as there seemed to be this meme related to Iglesia Ni Cristo, in which they maintained a level of influence over the allocation of the member’s income. I was actually raised in the Jehovahs Witness cult so this seemed to resonate with my experience with the church.

After a little research, I have found a series of external sources claiming they do require members surrender 10% of their income. This is contrasted by a series of internal sources all rejecting this persistent meme of mandatory contributions to the church.

Despite this being a persistent theme, there was no concrete information showing the INC forcing members to surrender 10% of their income to the church. Although this may seem to discredit the rumors surrounding the church, it does seem like a lot of the sources defending the church are somehow distorting the INCs method of eliciting funds from its members.

Despite my lack of first-hand experience with the church, it seems unusual that this has become a meme surrounding the church despite claims that the church is not engaging in the practice of tithing. I have a distrust of this style of organization, which has major parallels with the Jehovahs Witness and Mormon church.

I have no doubts that these organizations are generally filled with good, well meaning people, under the impression they are working towards something greater than themselves. In these types of organization, there is always an individual or group of people who insert themselves between these people and “God”. This becomes a basis for these individuals to appear as holding a kind of “divine authority”.

Despite the claims that members are not obliged to surrender 10% of their salary to church; I would not be surprised if another form of pressure existed within the church to elicit funds from the rank and file members. When the churches authorities portray themselves as delivering messages from god, controlling the lives of the members becomes a very straightforward exercise.

Due to my history, I have a deep distrust of these high control organizations. Although this is all just speculation, there is a clear visible framework which all these groups follow. If you strip these organizations down to their basic framework you can see that the Mormons, Jehovahs Witnesses, and Iglesia Ni Cristo are all basically the same.

Highly controlled information distribution, moderated by the charismatic seemingly benevolent intermediary group or individual. Create an “other” typically in the form of labeling aggressors as apostates in order to detract in credibility from their allegations. They often focus on the idea of an impending apocalypse or revelation in order to create a feeling of scarcity of time. This builds dependence on the “messenger of god” who will guide them through this time.

Although, I admit that this is all purely speculation; I think anybody considering becoming an affiliate of these groups should at least ensure they carefully weigh up the pros and cons committing to these organizations.

Monthly Archives: May 2017

Is Banning Smoking A Step Towards Banishing The Smoke?

Eradicating cigarette smoke is a win although very minor when it comes to the goal of improving the lives of citizens of The Philippines. Hope lies in this move being a step towards more significant action in improving conditions within the countries thriving cities.

Digging Into The World Of Iglesia Ni Cristo

Although, I admit that this is all purely speculation; I think anybody considering becoming an affiliate of these groups should at least ensure they carefully weigh up the pros and cons committing to these organizations.