The world is again facing a huge spike in oil prices and shortages of fertilizer and other oil-based commodities, worsening world hunger, and driving thousands more poor people toward starvation in Africa as Iran continues to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and block oil tankers. Twenty percent of the world’s total oil supply and 33 percent of global fertilizer supplies pass through the strait daily.
Diesel and gasoline prices in the Philippines — and elsewhere — increased drastically this past week by more than P10 and P3 per liter, respectively. This is because the United States continues its nonstop bombing of Iranian infrastructure and military targets. Some say the attacks constitute war crimes. In retaliation, Iran is attacking U.S. bases in the Middle East.
With oil prices skyrocketing and the current energy crisis becoming more serious, Donald Trump’s administration could lose control of the Senate and House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections. He cannot find a diplomatic way out of the war with Iran, which the United States and Israel launched on Feb. 28, and continues trying to bomb Tehran into submission. That is not going to succeed. The Islamic Republic’s 49 years of hatred and loathing for the United States will drive its people to fight to the last man. There will be no surrender.
Countries are moving to expand and harness their renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass, to produce oil-free electricity. This is the way to secure a stable electricity supply.
In the Philippines, solar energy has increased, propelled by high electricity rates and fuel price hikes. Rooftop solar capacity has nearly doubled over the past year to 1,300 megawatts. But there is still a long way to go. According to the Department of Energy, the Philippines sources its energy from coal, 40.6 percent; renewables, 32.9 percent; natural gas, 15.8 percent; and oil, 10.8 percent. Fossil fuels still produce roughly 75 percent of the country’s electricity.
The country’s transportation sector is threatened by the war with Iran and high fuel prices. Electric vehicles, or EVs, make up only 1 percent of vehicles on the road, unlike in Norway, where the figure is 90 percent. Here, EVs account for about 17 percent of new vehicle sales.
There are too few charging stations. Unless electric charging hubs are installed at every gasoline station and along our expressways, EVs will attract few customers and generate low sales.
As an occasional driver of a new Wuling EV Starlight van used to bring children to school and elsewhere, this writer can say that it is excellent in all respects other than its weak battery and nonfunctional remote door lock. It cost P1.2 million, thanks to generous donors.
However, the battery charge does not cover the advertised 300 kilometers. Road tests show that the maximum range is only 220 kilometers on a full charge, leaving Wuling open to complaints of false and misleading advertising, which would violate Republic Act 7394, or the Consumer Act of the Philippines.
If Wuling President and Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Lee and his wife, Shamcey Supsup-Lee, are the good people they are said to be, they will consider exchanging the low-performance Wuling EV sold to the Preda Foundation’s children’s home for a better Wuling van, with an additional payment of P200,000 that a donor is offering.
This better model will enable us to bring children from our shelters on home visits to the provinces and to court to testify against their abusers. Our legal office is fighting for justice with good prosecutors. Together with the children, we secure an average of 20 convictions every year before just and honest judges.
We pray and look forward to receiving this new Wuling EV model, which has an advertised range of 400 kilometers. More on this in future columns. EVs are important for the environment; we need the best. Can Wuling provide it?
Terrible damage
Preda social workers and therapists see daily the terrible damage inflicted on young victims of sexual abuse by people influenced by corrupting child abuse images on social media platforms supported by telecommunications companies, or telcos.
These firms and internet service providers, or ISPs, have still not installed state-of-the-art blocking software as required by law. The National Telecommunications Commission, or NTC, is even more powerless to control the telcos and seems compromised.
Even President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who was shocked by the horrific and notorious child abuse images on social media, is apparently powerless to make the telcos obey the law. They are a power unto themselves and seem to be above the law, making the Philippines a hub where international child abuse images can be accessed by anyone — including children — at any time and from anywhere.
We know this because sex offenders as young as 13 admitted to viewing child abuse images on the internet — which, again, ISPs and telcos allowed to spread — and said the images drove them to rape girls as young as 6. Preda’s social workers and therapists are helping the victims, while the abusers are admitting how they were influenced by easily accessible sex videos proliferating on the internet.
Several countries have passed laws banning children ages 16 and younger from accessing social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, because of harmful content found on them, including explicit images of sexual abuse and exploitation. Among these countries are Australia, France, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil.
More countries are following suit, and our Congress is debating proposed laws banning minors from social media, which telcos and the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines oppose. Several groups are also against a total ban and advocate targeted regulation, digital literacy and platform accountability. However, the true answer is to strictly implement the law and control the telcos and ISPs.
The telcos are not obeying the law and are allegedly in cahoots with the NTC. That alleged blatant corruption is the root of the problem and the reason children are being sexually abused and trafficked online and exposed to child sexual abuse images and videos.
The laws regulating the internet and mandating blocking software to stop child sexual abuse are RA 9775, or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, and RA 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act. These laws are being violated, which is why new, tougher legislation is being proposed.
There is no greater need today than such a social media ban to wake up the telcos and the government, protect our children, teach them to protect themselves from dangerous content and encourage them to use the internet only for good.
Note: Any original information, stories, or news articles posted on this site that are authored by the Preda Foundation and Father Shay Cullen may be shared, copied, or reproduced without further permission, in support of truth, freedom of expression, and the public’s right to know.
LiCAS News was granted permission to republish and adapt this article by Father Shay Cullen in the spirit of truth-telling and the pursuit of justice.
Irish missionary Father Shay Cullen, SSC, founded the Preda Foundation in Olongapo City in 1974 to promote human rights and the rights of children, especially victims of sexual abuse.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of LiCAS News.
