Why are Smartphones bad for our health?

Written by Abbygaile San Rafael

Generation Z is the most technologically exposed generation, as many teenagers have their smartphones with them 24/7, may it be for online learning or personal diversion. Of course, it is helpful for anybody, for we can use our smartphones in almost anything; study, work, payment, reservations, and many more. However, smartphones might be dangerous for someone's health if abused.  
 
If we think about it, even though smartphones are, as we can say, "essential," we still cannot say that it is 100% safe. Smartphones are like illegal drugs; it is addicting. Moreover, by getting addicted, many people develop specific behavior or accumulate disorders, whether physical, mental, or social.
 
Smartphones can be a source of illness due to germs that occur due to constant handling. According to WebMD, the first dirtiest thing a person touches every day is a smartphone, which is up to ten times more polluted than a toilet seat because it goes with a person everywhere, including the restroom. These bacteria can cause both diarrhea and stomach pain. In addition, it may survive for hours on a heated surface, such as our phone.
 
Daniel T. DeBaun of Defender Shield stated that the first adverse effect of smartphones is Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Radiation exposure. According to him, every piece of electronic equipment, including our wireless smartphone, emits EMF radiation continuously when powered. Smartphones operate on frequencies ranging from 450 to 2000 MHz, with 800-900 MHz being the most popular. These frequencies will eventually be increased to 300 GHz with 5G, spanning a far more comprehensive frequency range. Therefore, the quantity of power consumed by a phone is dependent on what it is doing. Furthermore, it is alarming that the amount of EMF released by smartphones has been connected to many health problems like insomnia, infertility, digestive issues, and cancer.
 
Furthermore, increased screen use has also raised mental health disorders among youth. Since 2008, there has been a strong correlation between mobile devices and mental disorders. According to research, people's mental health is being harmed by social media, internet addiction, and the detrimental effects of EMF radiation. Every year, one out of every five adults suffer a mental disease. Suicide rates are also rising, particularly among young people and adolescents. In 2012, more than half of millennials owned a smartphone. That same year, psychological well-being suffered a setback. Researches also discovered a well-established link between screen use and mental health. First, the anxiety comes with not having a phone or a working phone. Moreover, second, people's dependency on phones for everything: remembering phone numbers, asking Google questions, providing GPS directions, tracking workouts, and many more.
 
On the other hand, with many adverse effects, there are also a lot of positive. According to the statistics among a broad group of university students in Bangladesh, nearly all university students utilize smartphones for academic purposes. They showed a good attitude regarding the educational use of smartphones on average and across the board. However, there were some variances in gender, age, place of origin, and duration of smartphone use. These differences were mainly related to the fact that most students in this study had never used a smartphone before.
 
Smartphones are dangerous; even with their positive benefits, it still depends on how they use their smartphones. The only way to avoid its harmful effects is to have discipline. All excess is bad.
 
In conclusion, it is not wrong to use smartphones, but we must learn to discipline ourselves to take care of our health.

Sweet Valentine's Day!

Written by Jazreel Teruel

Bbbaked ph is an online pastry shop started in June 2020. Angela Balba, a 23-year-old Tourism graduate from Siena College of Taytay, owns this online shop created during the surge of the COVID 19 pandemic. At first, baking was just her hobby. But she then decided to sell her creations when some of her relatives who tried her products told her that she could build a business based on her interest. And Angela also realized that it might be her way to success, for she could make a profit while enjoying what she was doing.
 
Bbbaked ph’s bestselling product is the cream puffs. It is a profiterole filled with a French choux cake ball with a commonly sweet and damp filling of whipped cream, custard, good baked cream, or ice cream. The puffs might be embellished or left plain or decorated with chocolate sauce, caramel, or the cleaning of powdered sugar. Her recipe or version of cream puffs is perfect for your tastes buds because it is not that sweet yet not tasteless. You can taste the ideal amount of sweetness in it.
 
They also have other desserts like cookies, banana loaves, muffins, and wine bars perfect for any occasion. Their products are excellent for the people who love sweets in their everyday lives or those also known as “sweet-tooth” people. Their products are also affordable and worth buying for. They also give freebies to those who will purchase worth 500 pesos and up. You will not regret purchasing some goods from Bbbaked ph. After all, their quality of service is excellent because they respond immediately to their customers’ concerns and inquiries. You will also feel special with how they accommodate and respond to your concerns. What are you still waiting for? Go ahead and beep their page on Facebook or Instagram now! Have a sweet Valentine’s Day with Bbbaked ph.

END CANDIDATE SUBSTITUTION NOW!

Written by Mark Wilson Vale

With the drama-like situations, every Filipinos faced this pandemic; some of our candidates in the upcoming 2022 National elections also made their version in politics. Like previous elections, the substitution of candidates has been the drama of some prominent politicians in filing their candidacy. And this upcoming election, we have witnessed this drama on the national scene again.
 
Candidate substitution has been legal in our country, as stated in Section 77 of Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, also known as the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines. Under this law signed in 1995, the substitution of candidates is allowed only in cases of death, withdrawal, or disqualification of the original candidate. However, some aspiring candidates abused this practice for their interest every election. Hence, Congress and the senate should unite to amend this law so we do not witness this drama again in the next national election in 2028.
 
In the 2016 national elections, President Rodrigo Duterte was one example of a candidate substitution. Duterte first stated that he would not run for president. However, he later withdrew his candidacy for reelection as Davao City mayor. Instead, he joined the presidential race as a last-minute substitute for Martin Diño, who was the standard-bearer of the PDP-Laban party at the time.
 
Moreover, the Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte did the same tactics. Contrary to her claim that she would not run for national position, on Saturday, November 13, 2021, Mayor Sara filed her candidacy for vice president, replacing Lakas-CMD's candidate in the 2022 elections. She explains that her sudden change of mind is her way to meet her supporters halfway. Like father, like daughter, isn't it?
 
Despite the political dramas, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is one of the senators who believed the COMELEC should ban this political mockery. On October 25, 2021, Gatchalian pushed a bill to ban substitution when a candidate withdraws. The bill seeks to revise Section 77 of the Omnibus Election Code, allowing accredited political parties to substitute their candidates in cases of death, disqualification, or withdrawal. He even stated that the substitution of voluntarily withdrawn candidates had abused the system over the years. It even goes against the intent of the law to uphold orderly and transparent elections. He also said the practice had made a "mockery" of candidacy filing.
On the contrary, COMELEC spokesman James Jimenez emphasized that substitution for voluntary withdrawals "is still a necessary remedy, particularly for political parties." He said it brings "no damage" to the electoral system. However, he acknowledged a need for regulation and admitted that it's about time for lawmakers to add some rules to it, perhaps for the improvement.
 
The mockery is already in your eyes, so don't let politicians fool you anymore. Senator Gatchalian's bill is a great start to end this drama. However, it would be better if the bill would also consider strict evaluation of candidates while filing the certificate of candidacy (COC). First, the COMELEC should ban candidates from withdrawing their COCs, so that the political parties have no chance to replace someone on the candidacy. If they are unsure of their decisions, then they should think first. Second, COMELEC should also prohibit the acceptance of placeholders who only came out of nowhere. Most of the time, these placeholders are only nuisance candidates paid by the political parties to secure a place for their original bet. In this way, they cannot replace their candidates unless the candidate dies or the COMELEC disqualifies them. Moreover, these regulations would indeed remind every aspiring candidate to take the position they want seriously.
 
In conclusion, these political strategies only show the politician's disrespectfulness to the sanctity of the election process. An election is sacred; therefore, they should take it with the utmost respect. Thus, enacting a law banning candidate substitution for withdrawn candidates is what our country needs right now.

Genuinely empowered with a heart

Written by Kris Hannah Conche

A broadcast journalist develops and delivers news to the public through television and radio. They are the face and voice of a news story and someone who researches, investigates, and presents information with authentic sources. They have also empowered individuals in one country and extended help to those needy. Here in the Philippines, one of the famous broadcast journalists with a heart is Kara Patria Constantino David-Cancio, popularly known as Kara David.
 
Becoming an award-winning personality is not an easy task for her. Kara shared her journey with GMANetwork.com, starting her life from bottom to top. She cited that her success is not an easy journey to begin. At first, Kara dreams of becoming a history teacher. However, realizing that her heart was not for the course, she shifted to Mass Communication at the University of the Philippines, where she graduated as Cum Laude. Kara then applied to GMA as a writer. However, she was hired as Production Assistant Researcher for, during that time, the news is delivered through the English language, which is not her forte.
 
Later on, she met John Manalastas of the "News," who trained her to become a proficient writer because of her humility and friendliness. And later on, Kara's effort yielded as she became a writer for GMA's public affairs programs "Brigada Siete" and "Emergency." Moreover, in one of her interviews in "Tunay na Buhay" with Pia Arcanghel last January 29, 2020, she stated that Jessica Soho is the one who promoted her as a writer. And that is when her life as a journalist started.
 
“So, matagal ako naging writer bago ako nakapag-on-cam. And I realized na ang saya-saya ko lang, kasi ’yung trabaho ko is what I love to do: writing,” she said.
 
Kara also stated that her experience was surreal after all her hardships. However, it helped her become one of the well-established broadcast journalists that everyone idolized. Her first break as an on-cam reporter came during the APEC Summit when there was a shortage of reporters, and they required someone to conduct man-on-the-street (MOS) interviews. She became a reporter for many shows like "Brigada Siete" (1995) and "I-Witness" (2001) before becoming a news anchor for "News to Go" in 2011 and host for TV programs "Power House" (2013), "Pinas Sarap" (2017), and "Brigada" (2019).
 
In her documentaries, she said that simplicity is the key. Writing your documentaries straightforwardly, with no gimmicks, is enough to create an impactful effect on the audience. Kara applied these principles to her remarkable and impactful documentaries in "I-Witness," such as; "Bitay," "Selda Inosente," "Buto't Balat," and "Ambulansiyang de Paa."
 
Furthermore, being a journalist pushed her to give back to the community, for her work continues after they feature their subjects.  In one of her documentaries about malnutrition in Bicol entitled "Buto't balat," she joined the "Extra Challenge," a reality TV show from GMA 7 to help the community. Luckily, she won the 1 million peso-grand prize and used it to organize a feeding program in Bicol. However, the three featured children (Angela, Jeremy, and Julie Ann) died before Kara returned to Bicol. This season made her feel like a failure and useless as a journalist. So, she planned to resign, but with the encouragement of her staff in I-Witness, she later withdrew her resignation and continued her work.
 
Finally, her generosity in social work led her founded "Project Malasakit," a foundation that helps families featured in her documentaries. She said that she did not want her job to end, leaving the people involved in her documentaries without her assistance or help. Kara also believed that she was only an instrument to help people, using her documentaries to show the neglected people of our society.
 
“Isa akong mikropono sa mga taong walang boses o mahina ang boses. Isa akong tulay sa mga taong hindi naaabot ng kalsada. Isa akong salamin sa mga taong hindi nakikita ng gobyerno. ’Yun lang naman ang ginagawa ko,” Kara added.
 
With her utmost dedication and passion for her profession, Kara is living proof that any one of us can leave a mark in any people we meet. Indeed, Kara is genuinely an empowered woman with a heart.

5 Netflix Recommendations

Written by Cybil Villadiego

1. THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY
Chaos over here and chaos over there. But don't be afraid! The Umbrella Academy's superheroes are here to save the day. Watch as the chaotic yet amazing family of superhuman children, who are now adults, try to avert the impending apocalypse and figure out what caused it to happen. This show is fantastic and has many twists that will leave you at the edge of your seat.
 
2. TRESE
Calling out all anime fans out there. This animated series is based on Budjette Tan's Filipino comic series. The plot revolves around supernatural creatures from Philippine folklore who blend with humankind. Alexandra Trese, together with the twins Crispin and Basilio, embarks on a mission to rid the human world of these creatures to maintain peace. I'm incredibly proud of this series that we can call our own. Trese is a must-see for everyone who likes spooky shows.
 
3. ALICE IN BORDERLAND
Want to watch another series with more intense games because you can't get enough of the squid game? Alice in Borderland, on the other hand, will undoubtedly gratify you. Adapted to Haro Aso's Japanese manga series, the plot follows Arisu, an obsessed gamer who finds himself in Tokyo after everyone there unexpectedly vanishes. He and his friends must participate in deadly and violent games to survive. Prepare your box of tissues because you might shed a couple of tears while watching this series.
 
4. STRANGER THINGS
Will Byers' mother Joyce conducts an investigation with the help of local authorities when her son mysteriously vanishes. Will's friends joined the search after hearing what had happened to him. Unfortunately, in their search for their friend, they came face to face with terrible supernatural beings. This science fiction series is full of exciting sequences that will make you feel like you're on a roller coaster. This show is fantastic in so many ways, especially for those who enjoy 80s references will make you feel nostalgic.
 
5. GIRL FROM NOWHERE
“Sawadika!, Nanno na kha”. Nanno, a mysterious transfer student, introduces herself to her classmates in a school setting. Unfortunately, her friends had no idea that her genuine aim was to test the depths of evil within her classmates. This Thai series concentrates upon revenge as Nanno exposes her classmates' illicit activities to the public as a kind of punishment, which frequently leads to their demise. Do you see Nanno as a hero or a villain? To find out, go to Netflix and watch this series!