Skinless

INGREDIENTS:

1 kilo Ground pork (with fat)

2 heads garlic (minced)

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika (optional)

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon atsuete

Simple ideas.

While reading up on a new bill authored by Cong. Leila de Lima, there was something striking about the bills she’s been pushing for in the 20th Congress.

See, for years, most Filipinos have associated her with human rights, justice reform, political persecution, or her long detention. But when you actually look at the policies she has championed over the years, something worth noting emerges.

Cong Leila de Lima may be one of the few politicians whose legislative work can be summarized this way: Help the poor, protect the middle class, make corruption impossible to pull off, and force the ultra-rich to contribute more.

That’s actually a pretty interesting combination.

Let’s start with marginalized Filipinos. Many people don’t realize this, but Leila de Lima was one of the principal authors of the law that institutionalized the 4Ps program.

Love it or hate it, 4Ps became one of the largest anti-poverty programs in Philippine history that has successfully helped over 677,000 marginalized Pinoys become self-sufficient.

Fast forward now that Cong Leila is in Congress as Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Representative. In the current Congress, she has increasingly focused on another group that often gets overlooked: The middle class.

And truth is, the middle class may be the most politically neglected group in the country. They’re not rich, but not poor enough to qualify for most government assistance. Yet they’re the ones paying income taxes every payday.

They’re the ones paying VAT every time they buy groceries. They’re paying for tuition, rent, mortgages, electricity, fuel, internet, insurance, and practically everything else.

They’re the people keeping the economy running. Yet many feel like they’re on a treadmill. Working harder, paying more, but barely getting ahead.

That’s why one of Cong Leila’a more interesting proposals is House Bill 9172, which adopts Senator Bam Aquino’s proposal in the Senate to increase the income tax exemption ceiling from ₱250,000 to ₱480,000 annually.

This bill basically asks, “What if workers simply got to keep more of the money they already earned?” Basically, more take-home pay. So if 4Ps helped the marginalized through conditional cash transfers, this new tax exemption bill will mean less money being taken out of the middle class paycheck.

Now for the ultra-rich. Cong Leila has filled House Bill 9274 or the Ultra-Wealth Tax. This is probably her most controversial, if not most ambitious proposal.

The idea is straightforward. Imagine s teacher earning ₱30,000 a month, she pays taxes. An office worker earning ₱40,000 pays taxes. A nurse pays taxes. A small business owner pays taxes.

So Cong Leila is asking, “Should someone worth billions of pesos contribute more, too?” Cong Leila believes that answer should be yes.

See, imagine ten people carrying a very heavy table. Nine of them are carrying most of the weight. The tenth person is the strongest and wealthiest person in the group but is barely touching the table. The wealth tax is basically saying, “Maybe the strongest person should carry a little more.”

The proposal would impose an annual tax on the ultra-rich based on their net worth and use the proceeds for healthcare, education, housing, livelihood programs, and local government services.

You can disagree with the proposal and also debate whether it will work. But the intent is clear. Reduce the burden on ordinary earners while asking more from those who have the greatest ability to contribute. That sounds fair.

Now from reduced taxes for the middle class and asking more from the ultra-wealthy, Cong Leila wants to make it close to impossible to plunder the taxes that people pay.

Enter the Illicit Enrichment Bill. This one might actually be the most important anti-corruption measure she’s pushing.

So think of a mayor earning around ₱210,000 a month. A few years later, the Mayor somehow now owns multiple mansions, luxury cars, beach properties, and hundreds of millions in assets.

The obvious question becomes, “Where did all that money come from?” The Illicit Enrichment Bill makes it easier to investigate and prosecute public officials whose wealth is wildly disproportionate to their legitimate income.

In simple terms, if your lifestyle looks like a billionaire’s but your salary says otherwise, the government should be asking questions. A lot of questions. And if you can’t explain it, there should be serious consequences.

Now add Cong Leila’a anti-dynasty proposals and other anti-corruption measures, and a larger picture starts forming. If you zoom out, Cong Leila’s political philosophy seems solidly consistent.

Help the poor climb up, give the middle class room to breathe, make the ultra-rich contribute more, and make it harder for corrupt politicians to get rich at everyone else’s expense.

That’s actually a fairly unusual combination in Philippine politics. Because most politicians focus on only one of those groups. Cong Leila’s legislative record increasingly looks like an attempt to address all three.

And perhaps that’s why looking at her solely through the lens of a comebacking politician fighting for justice and human rights misses a big part of the story.

Because when you look at the bills themselves, a recurring question keeps appearing. Why is it that ordinary Filipinos are expected to pay their fair share every single day, while some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in society often seem to contribute the least or get away with the most?

Maybe that’s the thread connecting all these proposals. Protect the vulnerable. Give the middle class breathing room. Demand more from those who can afford it. Punish those who abuse public trust.

Simple ideas. But ideas that could fundamentally change who the system actually works for.

📷 Leila de Lima

06022026 tue nakadumi

Php12+12+30 pamasahe.

Office ganda + pogi

Nena bayad ilaw. Termination letter.

Php30 pamasahe pogi

Php550 palengke

Usapang thyroid

NALILITO KA BA SA RESULT NG THYROID BLOOD TEST MO?

Isipin mo ang thyroid at pituitary gland na parang seesaw. Kapag mababa ang thyroid hormones (FT4 at FT3), tataas ang TSH bilang senyales na mas pagtrabahuhin ang thyroid. Kapag sobra naman ang thyroid hormones, bababa ang TSH dahil hindi na kailangan ng dagdag na stimulation.

Sa pangkalahatan:

✔️ Mababang FT4/FT3 + Mataas na TSH = Hypothyroidism

✔️ Mataas na FT4/FT3 + Mababang TSH = Hyperthyroidism

Mahalagang tandaan na hindi sapat ang isang laboratory result lamang. Dapat itong suriin kasama ng iyong sintomas, medical history, at iba pang tests. Kumonsulta sa iyong doktor para sa tamang interpretasyon at gamutan.

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