When corruption works, even the smallest or the “holiest” strand of society becomes murky.
Today, the term “corruption” has become a “staple food” on the tables of every Filipino. My 12 year-old sister knows it, my 60-year old father despises it, Kay’s 95 year-old grandfather is sick and tired of it.
True enough, corruption has become one of the cancer cells of every society that pulls it down to its slow and painful demise.
I had my primary and secondary school at the Philippine Christian University in Dasmariñas Cavite (a private school) and I should say that my older sister and I had firm educational foundations. We were able to get a college degree and be employed afterwards, because the culture of educational excellence was imbibed in us.
During our time, PCU was one of the most revered schools in Cavite. Aside from the fact that it holds the Christian virtues FAITH, CHARACTER, SERVICE as its philosophical foundations, PCU was one of the premier science schools in Cavite (or was it?). I should say that even if I “know” what corruption is, I was not so acquainted about it simply because we did not have a corrupt school setting that time—or should I say, I was not aware of the issues back then?
Later, when I moved to Manila to take up my undergraduate course in Philippine Normal University, I was aghast on how corruption works in a state university such as PNU. Rooms and chairs are vandalized, windows and doors are broken, comfort rooms do not give any comfort, some professors do not teach, books in the library are either broken or obsolete and the list brings you to middle earth.
I realized how corrupt Philippines is, and it saddens me. If educational institutions are being infiltrated by a culture of corruption, what future will younger generations see?
But what hurt me the most was the news I read early this morning.
PCU students renew protest action vs president
This was the title of a news article in the Philippine Daily Inqurer, and it struck me hard; it made me weak.
What happened to my alma mater? How come issues like this arise in a “Christian” school? Of course, the issues are still allegations, and Dr. Suarez is innocent until proven guilty. But the mere fact that a corruption issue surfaces in a Christian school makes one drop his/her head and shrug his/her shoulders in dismay.
If Christian schools—such as PCU, which holds FAITH, CHARACTER, and SERVICE as its trademark—gives up to the lure of corruption, then the future of the country becomes grim. Corruption has quickly turned into a “symbiote” similar to what has eaten Spiderman up, acutely and unconsciously being a part of one’s system, one’s culture.
I pray that the issue be resolved as soon as possible.
PCU students renew protest action vs president
By Allison Lopez
Inquirer
Last updated 01:48am (Mla time) 05/05/2007
MANILA, Philippines – Around 200 faculty members, staff and students of the Philippine Christian University (PCU) staged an overnight protest yesterday against their president’s supposed inaction on issues of alleged corruption and mismanagement.
Ellen Naluz, a grade-school guidance counselor and the group’s designated spokesperson, told the Inquirer that they would hold the “community action” until PCU president, Rev. Dr. Oscar de Suarez, decides to answer the accusations point-by-point.
“He has not shown himself to us and neither has the board of trustees,” she said, adding that the group was also calling for Suarez’s removal.
Naluz said some slept on the school’s cement grounds while others squeezed inside the Union Theological Seminary (UTS) room using chairs and tables as beds. Others, including those from the Dasmariñas, Cavite campus, who were not allowed inside, sat on chairs outside the gates.
Naluz emphasized that their “community action” was “not a labor strike” as teachers still held summer classes.
“We have no banners, we don’t use megaphones. We just pray while waiting for their response,” she said. The group held its first community action last Oct. 19-20. Suarez countered with an illegal strike charge against the group.
Naluz revealed that the school community had become “so demoralized” because of the alleged graft issues, which were compounded by the recent one-year suspension from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
“He just kept quiet. Even the ones responsible for what the NCAA found have not been sanctioned,” she said.
Among the unresolved matters which the group brought to the Manila Regional Trial Court were a P32M bank loan purportedly transferred to Terra Nova Trading Corporation owned by Suarez’s wife Marlene; an P82M payment from National Power Corporation to the school for an expropriated property, half of which “went to the broker;” and a P2.5M budget for an educational grant budget that “did not materialize.”
Suarez had claimed the P32M loan was “authorized” by the board as an investment, in an October 2006 interview with the Inquirer.
“When Pastor Suarez first sat as president in 2000, the cash balance was P260M; in 2004, it was down to P76M. We haven’t checked the audit for 2005-2006, but who knows it might be negative already,” said Naluz, who said she feared an impending school shutdown.
Enrollment, she added, had been on the decline—the Taft and Dasma campuses have about 5,000 students each, when years ago, Naluz said it reached more than 10,000.
The Inquirer tried to speak twice with Dr. Greg de Lara, vice president for academic affairs, but school guards said he was “in a meeting.” Suarez was not in his office.
“He won’t show up until we’re here. We’re open to dialogue, but from what we’ve learned, he’s telling us ‘see you in court’ again,” Naluz said.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Kakabanas na 'kakasa ka ba...'
The poorly imitated quiz show “Kakasa Ka Ba sa Grade 5” had its second airing last Saturday. And true enough, it has once again irked most my fellow educators and friends who have watched it—novice teachers like me.
The title itself is vexing aside from far-fetched. I’m not so good in translating, since we did not have a very strong foundation in the theories and practice of language translation. But even a non-linguist or non-language major would automatically notice the irrelevance of “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” to that of the present Filipinized version. Well, at least, it’s in the interrogative.
But the title is not a very big deal for me. Anyway, I thought, they also did some modifications in the quiz show format—there’s no Sibika at Kultura and M.A.P.E. in the original one, to site some. What alarmed me the most are the questions posed in this quiz show—or at least those questions asked for the English subject.
For a quiz show, hosted by (in)famous singer-comedian and aired at a primetime in one of the network giants in the Philippines, this surely has a very big impact to the Filipino people—most specifically to the Filipino kids.
At first, I admired the idea of adapting the quiz show. At last, there’s something fruitful that our kids can watch; something educational, something not ‘showbiz’, something not violent. But I was alarmed when I saw the questions posted. I was disappointed when I observed contestants playing stupid—or are they stupid at all? I hope not.
I was alarmed because last Saturday (October 27, 2007) they asked a Grade 2 English question which goes like:
“What is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to indicate its position in a sentence?”
Their answer to this question is preposition. I admit, I got confused at first—and confused up to this day. I think the writers/researchers or whoever is writing the questions underestimated test construction. The question is misleading, because so far as I know, prepositions show relationships such as direction, time, location, or ownership. To define preposition as such is rather narrow and shallow.
Kay told me that maybe it’s because it’s a “Grade 2 English” question. While she has a point, I’m still not convinced. I’ve watched some episodes of the original quiz show and the way they construct questions prove that they have researched and consulted subject matter experts. Kay told me that more likely, this quiz show has researchers and consultants, or they may have gotten questions from the Dep. Ed…. Now that poses a greater threat. If they have consulted Dep. Ed. Textbooks, then the issue of erroneous textbooks has resurrected—right after All Saint’s Day.
Last November 3, they asked another questionable question:
Which among the following is not an action word?
A. flying
B. riding
C. sleeping
D. none of the above
Their answer is “D. None of the above” which gives us the idea that all of the first options are indeed action words. Well, it seems correct, all of them ends in –ing anyway. And our elementary teacher taught us that it’s in the present progressive tense.
I’m not so good in grammar, but as I ponder on the question, I remembered one of the lessons we had in one of our grammar subjects back in college and I think the question is quite misleading—and confusing.
The question asks for the “not action word.” I rearranged the question and asked: “Is sleeping an action?”—I think it’s similar to “Is standing and action?” There’s a very technical explanation for this—I’m not sure but maybe this topic is related to Copula Verbs.
But I don’t intend to lecture. There’ll be a very long exchange of arguments. Instead, I’d like you to judge: “Is sleeping an action?”
At the end of the day, I’d like to call the attention of the writers, researchers, et. al. of quiz shows—and would be quiz shows. Please study your questions carefully. For me, more than just that fact that you give away money, you also give away information; and wrong information is a DAMAGE TO MANKIND.
The title itself is vexing aside from far-fetched. I’m not so good in translating, since we did not have a very strong foundation in the theories and practice of language translation. But even a non-linguist or non-language major would automatically notice the irrelevance of “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” to that of the present Filipinized version. Well, at least, it’s in the interrogative.
But the title is not a very big deal for me. Anyway, I thought, they also did some modifications in the quiz show format—there’s no Sibika at Kultura and M.A.P.E. in the original one, to site some. What alarmed me the most are the questions posed in this quiz show—or at least those questions asked for the English subject.
For a quiz show, hosted by (in)famous singer-comedian and aired at a primetime in one of the network giants in the Philippines, this surely has a very big impact to the Filipino people—most specifically to the Filipino kids.
At first, I admired the idea of adapting the quiz show. At last, there’s something fruitful that our kids can watch; something educational, something not ‘showbiz’, something not violent. But I was alarmed when I saw the questions posted. I was disappointed when I observed contestants playing stupid—or are they stupid at all? I hope not.
I was alarmed because last Saturday (October 27, 2007) they asked a Grade 2 English question which goes like:
“What is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to indicate its position in a sentence?”
Their answer to this question is preposition. I admit, I got confused at first—and confused up to this day. I think the writers/researchers or whoever is writing the questions underestimated test construction. The question is misleading, because so far as I know, prepositions show relationships such as direction, time, location, or ownership. To define preposition as such is rather narrow and shallow.
Kay told me that maybe it’s because it’s a “Grade 2 English” question. While she has a point, I’m still not convinced. I’ve watched some episodes of the original quiz show and the way they construct questions prove that they have researched and consulted subject matter experts. Kay told me that more likely, this quiz show has researchers and consultants, or they may have gotten questions from the Dep. Ed…. Now that poses a greater threat. If they have consulted Dep. Ed. Textbooks, then the issue of erroneous textbooks has resurrected—right after All Saint’s Day.
Last November 3, they asked another questionable question:
Which among the following is not an action word?
A. flying
B. riding
C. sleeping
D. none of the above
Their answer is “D. None of the above” which gives us the idea that all of the first options are indeed action words. Well, it seems correct, all of them ends in –ing anyway. And our elementary teacher taught us that it’s in the present progressive tense.
I’m not so good in grammar, but as I ponder on the question, I remembered one of the lessons we had in one of our grammar subjects back in college and I think the question is quite misleading—and confusing.
The question asks for the “not action word.” I rearranged the question and asked: “Is sleeping an action?”—I think it’s similar to “Is standing and action?” There’s a very technical explanation for this—I’m not sure but maybe this topic is related to Copula Verbs.
But I don’t intend to lecture. There’ll be a very long exchange of arguments. Instead, I’d like you to judge: “Is sleeping an action?”
At the end of the day, I’d like to call the attention of the writers, researchers, et. al. of quiz shows—and would be quiz shows. Please study your questions carefully. For me, more than just that fact that you give away money, you also give away information; and wrong information is a DAMAGE TO MANKIND.
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