Nurses Designs by Saas

28/06/2025

STOP THE EXODUS: Why Filipino Nurses Are FORCED to Leave & What the Gov't MUST Fix🚨

The DOH's desperate plea for nurses to stay reveals a CRISIS they helped create. While Health Sec. Herbosa begs, "We need you," the reality is the system DRIVES our nurses away. Here's why:

🇵🇭 Working in the Philippines vs. 🇺🇳 Working Abroad:

1. 💸 POVERTY WAGES vs. LIVABLE SALARIES:
* PH: Entry-level gov't nurses earn P30,000-35,000/month (often delayed). Private hospitals pay even LESS. Barely enough for basic needs + family support.
* Abroad: Nurses earn 5-10x MORE (e.g., UK: £26k+/yr, US: $70k+/yr, Middle East: tax-free). They can save, invest, and secure their families' future.

2. 😩 CRUSHING WORKLOADS vs. SAFER STAFFING:
* PH: Severe understaffing is the norm. Nurses handle 40-60 patients SHIFT (sometimes more!) in gov't hospitals vs. the ideal 1:12 ratio. This is dangerous & burns them out.
* Abroad: Strict safe nurse-to-patient ratios (e.g., 1:4-8 in many developed countries). Manageable workloads, better patient care, less burnout.

3. 🚫 NON-EXISTENT BENEFITS vs. COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE:
* PH: Skeletal benefits. No significant hazard pay despite high risks. Minimal health insurance for themselves. No guaranteed housing/transportation allowances. Career progression? Slow & limited.
* Abroad: Hazard pay, overtime pay, health insurance, housing allowances/assistance, education stipends for dependents, clear career ladders, pension plans.

4. 🛡️ LACK OF LEGAL PROTECTION & SUPPORT:
* PH: Weak enforcement of labor laws in healthcare. Nurses face:
* Job contractualization (no security).
* Delayed salaries (sometimes months).
* Underpayment of overtime/night differentials
* Inadequate PPE and unsafe working conditions.
* No strong legal deterrent against hospital understaffing or exploitation.
* The Nurse Deployment Program (NDP) often pays BELOW minimum wage & offers temporary contracts only.
* Abroad: Strong unions, strict labor laws enforcement, whistleblower protections, clear contracts, safe working standards.

5. 💔 DISRESPECT & DEMORALIZATION:
* PH: Frontline heroes during the pandemic, now treated as expendable. Lack of government support translates to feeling **undervalued and disrespected.
* Abroad: Skills are highly valued and compensated accordingly. Professional respect is tangible.

The Result? A DEVASTATING BRAIN DRAIN. Our best and brightest leave. Patients suffer from overworked staff and understaffed wards. The system collapses further.

CONCLUSION & DEMAND:

The DOH's appeal is HYPOCRITICAL without DRASTIC SYSTEMIC REFORM. Begging nurses to sacrifice while ignoring their plight is unacceptable.

The government MUST:

1. 🚨 IMMEDIATELY HIKE NURSE SALARIES significantly (SG-15 minimum for entry-level gov't nurses is a START).
2. 📏 ENFORCE SAFE NURSE-TO-PATIENT RATIOS BY LAW.
3. 🛡️ GUARANTEE TIMELY PAY, HAZARD PAY, OVERTIME PAY & COMPREHENSIVE BENEFITS** (health, housing, education support).
4. 📜 END CONTRACTUALIZATION & PROVIDE SECURE TENURE.
5. ⚖️ STRENGTHEN LABOR PROTECTIONS & ENFORCE EXISTING LAWS punishing hospitals for exploitation/understaffing.
6. 💼 INVEST IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT & WORKING CONDITIONS.

Filipino nurses WANT to serve their country. But they deserve dignity, fair compensation, safe conditions, and respect. Until the government provides this, the exodus will continue.

24/06/2025

Blind Faith or Biblical Misread? Why the Philippines' Uncritical Support for Israel Demands a Second Look

Why does a nation as predominantly Catholic as the Philippines offer near-unwavering support for the State of Israel, even as evidence mounts of actions in Gaza labeled as war crimes by international bodies? The uncomfortable answer lies not in geopolitics alone, but in a potent mix of theological misunderstanding, manipulated biblical narratives, and a critical oversight of history – including who modern Israelis actually are."

Part 1: The Theological Contradiction - Supporting a State that Rejects Christ

"For many Filipino Christians, supporting Israel feels like a sacred duty. They point to Genesis 12:3 ('I will bless those who bless you...') and believe backing the modern Israeli state fulfills this promise. This belief, often termed Christian Zionism, is powerful.

But here's the profound contradiction:

Modern Israel is a Secular State: The vast majority of Jewish Israelis are secular or non-Orthodox. The government is not a theocracy.

They Do Not Accept Jesus: Judaism explicitly rejects the Christian belief that Jesus is the Messiah or divine. Mainstream Judaism views Christian claims about Jesus as fundamentally incompatible with Jewish theology.

The Irony is Staggering: Filipino Catholics and Evangelicals, whose core identity centers on the divinity of Jesus Christ, are offering fervent support to a nation-state whose foundational population largely views their most sacred belief as incorrect, even idolatrous.

The Zionist Leverage:

Political Zionism (the movement establishing a Jewish state) brilliantly co-opted this Christian sentiment. Leaders like David Ben-Gurion understood the power of appealing to evangelical Christians' literal reading of biblical prophecy. They framed the establishment of Israel as the fulfillment of God's promise, knowing it would generate crucial political and financial support from the West, especially from groups theologically predisposed to believe it.

The Result: Millions of devout Christians worldwide, including Filipinos, became staunch advocates for a state whose actions often violate the very ethical principles (justice, mercy, protection of the vulnerable) that Christ preached – principles those same Christians profess to hold dear. Their support stems from a belief in Biblical Israel, not the complex, often secular, political reality of the Modern State of Israel."

Part 2: Unpacking the Myth - Who Are the "People of God" in Modern Israel?

"The narrative often implies modern Israelis are the direct, biological descendants of the ancient Israelites wandering the desert with Moses. This fuels the perception that supporting Israel is literally supporting 'God's Chosen People.'

The Historical Reality is More Complex:

The Ashkenazi Majority: A significant portion of Israel's founding population, and still a large demographic, are Ashkenazi Jews. Their origins trace back to Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe (Germany, Poland, Russia, Baltic states) – not the ancient Near East.

Genetic Studies: Research (like the seminal study by Atzmon et al., American Journal of Human Genetics, 2010) confirms Ashkenazi Jews show significant genetic admixture with European populations. Their lineage includes ancestors from European regions (Nordic/Baltic influences are part of this broader European mix), alongside Middle Eastern roots. They are a distinct genetic group formed over centuries in Europe.

The Sephardic & Mizrahi Jews: Other significant Jewish groups in Israel came from Spain/Portugal (Sephardic) and the Middle East/North Africa (Mizrahi). Mizrahi Jews often have stronger, more continuous genetic links to the ancient Levant.

Conversion & Intermarriage: Jewish identity has always included converts. Over millennia, populations converting to Judaism (like the Khazars, though debated) and intermarriage further diversified the genetic pool. Modern Israeli Jews are a tapestry of lineages, with significant European ancestry for the Ashkenazi majority.

The Key Point:

The 'People of God' in the biblical sense was a theological covenant identity, not a pure, unchanging genetic lineage. The modern Israeli population is primarily the descendant of diverse Jewish diaspora communities who maintained their religious and cultural identity, often mixing with local populations where they settled for centuries, predominantly in Europe for the Ashkenazim. To equate them genetically as the exact same group as the ancient Semitic tribes is a profound historical and biological oversimplification used to bolster theological-political support.

Therefore: Supporting the modern State of Israel based solely on the belief that its Jewish citizens are the direct, unbroken, biological 'People of God' from the Bible ignores the rich, complex history of the Jewish diaspora and the actual genetic makeup of its population."

12/11/2024

The SAAS sisters: Stacey Athalia and Aiah Serene are joining their school pageant. I am hoping that you can help them by clicking the link and liking the actual pic.

Thank you so much for the support!

17/05/2024

17/05/2024

"Friday night vibes? More like Friday night survival mode! 🌟👻 "