Habang isinusulat ko ito, kasalukuyan kong pinapanood ang isang mahalagang dokyu na ginawa ni Howie Severino para sa I-Witness. Hindi ako madalas manuod nito, bagamat maganda ang tema at pagkakagawa sa simpleng dahilan na madaling araw na ito naipapalabas (at 7:00 am ang aking klase sa PNU). Pero sa pagkakataong ito, hindi ko pwedeng palampasin ang dokyung ito.
Sinimulan ang dokyu sa mga iba’t-ibang paskil na makikita sa buong Metro Manila. Sa totoo lang, eto talaga ang rason ko kung bakit ko inabangan ang dokyung ito; pareho kase kame ng trip: ang magpiktyur ng mga pasala-sala, nakakatawa (pero nakakaalarmang) mga paskil sa kung saan-saan. Yun pala, ang sentro ng dokyu ay patungkol sa pangkabuuang prublema ng ating bansa; hindi lang ang mga paskil…kundi ang mismong sistema ng edukasyon na nagturo sa mga gumawa ng mga karatulang ito.
Napapanahon ang dokyu dahil sentro ng diskusyon ang Bilingual policy na matagal nang ipinatutupad sa bansa. Tama si Dr. Jovy Peregrino ng U.P., baket nga ba sa tinagal-tagal ng pag-gamit nito, e wala naman tayong nabuong English-speaking community? Simple lang ang dahilan: hindi kase yun ang wika naten.
Mas lalo pa akong naka-relate sa dokyu dahil kamakailan lamang e eto ang paksa namen ng aking mga English majors sa Foundations of ESL/EFL course: Bilingualism. Doon, napagusapan namen sa klase ang mga teoryang nakapaloob sa mga Bilingual Education policy na nilikha at minungkahi sa iba’t-ibang bansa. Ilan sa mga estudyante ko ang nagtanong kung bakit sa ibang bansa parang ayos naman ang naging resulta, e kung baket sa atin ay parang walang magandang epekto—bulok na nga sa Ingles, sabit pa pati sa Math at Science.
Sa patuloy kong pagsasaliksik, pag-aaral, at ngayon nga’y panonood, marami akong napagtanto hinggil sa mga kadahilanan ng pagbaba ng kalidad ng edukasyon sa ating bansa. Hindi lamang ito dahil sa Bilingual Education policy. May mas malalim pang mga kadahilanan, at narito ang ilan lamang sa kanila:
1. Malnutrisyon- Subukan mong magtrabaho ng walang laman ang t’yan; hindi ba’t mahirap? Hindi ba’t papalpak ka? Ganun din ang nangyayari sa mga batang Pilipino, hindi makapag-isip ng ayos dahil naglalaban sa kanyang sistema ang tanong ni Mam at ang pagkalam ng simura.
2. Walang tulong mula sa magulang- Noon pa man, lagi ko nang sinasabing ang pamilya ay may malaking parte sa pagkatuto ng bata. Magaling man ang guro, ang paaralan, at maging ang bata, kung wala naman itong dadatnang makakausap at tutulong sa kanya pag-uwi nya, malaki pa rin ang posibilidad na bumaba ang kanyang kaalaman at kagustuhang magpatuloy sa pag-aaral.
3. Kawalang-pakealam- Sa dami ng tinanong ni Howie patungkol sa mga maling karatula at paskil, iisa ang karaniwang sagot: “E pareho lang yun!” Marami sa atin ang niyakap na lamang ang kamangmangan. Para sa kanila, tuloy pa rin naman ang buhay kahit na “Bawal umehi detu” ang nakapaskil sa harap ng bahay nila.
4. Walang alam na mga guro- Pinaka-nakakaalarma na marahil ang katotohanang marami sa ating mga guro ay walang alam (at lalo na siguro kung walang planong makialam). Naalala ko pa, ang laging sermon sa’men ni Dr. Sunga noon “Don’t do further damage to mankind!” Totoo nga naman, kapag mali ang naisaling kaalaman ng guro sa mag-aaral, habang buhay nya itong dadalhin…at habang buhay din syang magiging mali—at ayon, magiging magulo na nga ang mundo, gaya ng gulo ng mga paskil na nagkalat sa Metro.
Ilan lamang ito sa napakaraming salik sa pagbagsak n gating Edukasyon. Hindi bat talagang nakakalungkot at nakakatakot na ang dating nangunguna sa Asya, ngayon ay kulelat na? Na ang dating nagtuturo sa mga kapitbahay na bansa, ngayon ay nanglilimos na lamang?
Huwag na natin asahang aangat pa ang ekonomiya ng bansa at ang estado ng pamumuhay ng bawat Pilipino, kung mismong edukasyon natin, hindi natin maalis-alis sa lusak na pinaglulubugan nito.
English major ako, English majors ang karamihan sa mga estudyante ko, at English ang subject na tinuturo ko. Pero naniniwala akong hinding-hindi natin dapat ipagwalang-bahala ang pag-aaral ng sarili nating wika dahil ito ay sumasalamin sa ating kultura, sa ating pag-iisip, at sa ating sarili.
Tandaan: HINDI kailanman basehan ng “katalinuhan” ang “kagalingan” sa Ingles.
Kung sisimulan nating ituro ang mga leksyon sa wikang naiintindihan ng mga bata, mas magiging epektibo ang kanilang pag-iisip. Gayon din, mas magiging maganda ang tingin nila sa paaralan; hindi na nila iisiping ito ay isang “sumpa” na iniatang sa kanilang balikat; bagkus, iisipin nilang isa itong “laro” na dapat gawin ng madalas upang mas lalo pang maging mahusay.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
May araw din kayong mga GAGO!* (may dagdag ang title na'to..baket ba e blog ko to)
Kahit naunahan ako ni Jeng sa Pagpost nito...di ako papayag na di lamanin ng blog at notes ko ang isang historical na artikulo! Idol tlaga kita Ka Conrado... ;-) ikaw ang nagsindi ng apoy sa aking panulat...pakis nga! mwaah!! tsup tsup!
Matt
Theres The Rub
May araw din kayo
By Conrado de Quiros
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:04:00 08/17/2009
Tatagalugin ko na nang makuha n’yo. Kahit na lingwaheng kanto lang ang alam kong Tagalog.
Tutal Buwan ng Wika naman ang Agosto. Baka sakali ’yung paboritong wika ni Balagtas ay makatulong sa pag-unawa n’yo dahil mukhang ’yung paboritong wika ni Shakespeare ay lampas sa IQ n’yo. Kung sa bagay, ang pinakamahirap gisingin ay ’yung nagtutulug-tulugan. Ang pinakamahirap padinggin ay ’yung nagbibingi-bingihan. Ang pinakamahirap paintindihin ay ’yung nagmamaangmaangan. Bueno, mahirap din paintindihin ’yung likas na tanga. Pero bahala na.
Sabi mo, Cerge Remonde, alangan naman pakanin ng hotdog ang amo mo. Bakit alangan? Hindi naman vegetarian ’yon. At public service nga ’yon, makakatulong dagdagan ng cholesterol at salitre ang dugong dumadaloy papuntang puso n’ya. Kung meron man s’yang dugo, kung meron man s’yang puso.
Bakit alangan? Malamang di ka nagbabasa ng balita, o di lang talaga nagbabasa, kung hindi ay nalaman mo ’yung ginawa ni Barack Obama at Joe Biden nitong nakaraang Mayo. Galing silang White House patungong Virginia nang magtakam sila pareho ng hamburger. Pina detour nila ang motorcade at tumuloy sa unang hamburgerang nakita nila. Ito ang Ray’s Hell Burger, isang maliit at independienteng hamburger joint.
Tumungo ang dalawa sa counter at sila mismo ang nag-order, hindi mga aides. Nagbayad sila ng cash na galing sa sariling bulsa at kagaya ng ibang customers ay pumila para sa turno nila.
Ito ay presidente at bise presidente ng pinakamakapangyarihang bansa sa buong mundo. Kung sa bagay, ’yung amo n’yo ay hindi naman talaga presidente. Di lang makita ang pagkakaiba ni Garci kay God kaya nasabing “God put me here.” Pekeng presidente, pekeng asal presidente.
Sabi mo, Anthony Golez, maliit lang ang P1 million dinner kumpara sa bilyon-bilyong pisong dinala ng amo mo sa bansa.
Ay kayo lang naman ang nagsasabing may inambag ang amo n’yo na bilyong-bilyong piso sa kaban ng bayan. Ni anino noon wala kaming nakita. Ang nakita lang namin ay yung bilyon-bilyong piso—o borjer, ayon nga sa inyong dating kakosa na si Benjamin Abalos—na inaswang ng amo n’yo sa kaban ng bayan. Executive privilege daw ang hindi n’ya sagutin ito. Kailan pa naging pribilehiyo ng isang opisyal ang di managot sa taumbayan? Kailan pa naging pribilehiyo ng isang opisyal ang magnakaw?
Maliit lang pala ang P1 million, ay bakit hindi n’yo na lang ibigay sa nagugutom? O doon sa mga sundalo sa Mindanao? Tama si Archbishop Oscar Cruz. Isipin n’yo kung gaano karaming botas man lang ang mabibili ng P1 million at karagdagang P750,000 na nilamon ng amo n’yo at mga taga bitbit ng kanyang maleta sa isa pang restawran sa New York.
Maliit lang pala ang P1 million (at P750,000), bakit hindi n’yo na lang ibigay doon sa pamilya ng mga sundalong namatay sa Mindanao? Magkano ’yung gusto n’yong ibigay sa bawat isa? P20,000? Sa halagang iyan 50 sundalo na ang maaabuluyan n’yo sa $20,000. Pasalu-saludo pa ’yang amo n’yo sa mga namatay na kala mo ay talagang may malasakit. Bumenta na ’yang dramang ’yan. At pasabi-sabi pa ng “Annihilate the Abus!” Di ba noon pa n’ya ’yan pinangako? Mahilig lang talagang mangako ’yang amo n’yo.
Bukod pa d’yan, saan ba nanggaling ’yung limpak-limpak na salapi ng mga kongresista na pinansisindi nila ng tabako? Di ba sa amin din? Tanong n’yo muna kung ayos lang na i-blowout namin ng wine at caviar ang amo n’yo habang kami ay nagdidildil ng asin—’yung magaspang na klase ha, ’di yung iodized. Ang tindi n’yo, mga p’re.
At ikaw naman, Romulo Macalintal, tapang ng apog mo. Maiisip mo tuloy na sundin na lang ang mungkahi ni Dick the Butcher sa “Henry VI” ni Shakespeare: “First thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” Pa ethics-ethics ka pa, pasalamat ka di nasunog ang bibig mo sa pagbigkas ng katagang ’yon.
Marami mang sugapa rin sa aming mga taga media, di naman kasing sugapa n’yo. At di naman kami sineswelduhan ng taumbayan. Wala naman kaming problemang sumakay sa PAL at kailangan pang bumili ng P1.2 billion jet. Anong sabi n’yo, kailangan ng amo n’yo sa pabyahe-byahe? E sino naman ang may sabing magbabyahe s’ya? Ngayon pang paalis na s’ya—malinaw na ayaw n’yang umalis. Bakit hindi na lang s’ya bumili ng Matchbox na eroplano? Kasya naman s’ya ro’n.
Lalo kayong nagpupumiglas, lalo lang kayong lumulubog sa kumunoy. Di n’yo malulusutan ang bulilyasong ginawa n’yo. Para n’yo na ring inagaw ang isinusubong kanin ng isang batang nagugutom. Tama si Obama at Biden: Sa panahon ng recession, kung saan nakalugmok ang mga Amerikano sa hirap, dapat makiramay ang mga pinuno sa taumbayan, di nagpapakapariwara. Sa panahon ng kagutuman, na matagal nang kalagayan ng Pinoy, at lalo pang tumindi sa paghagupit ng Typhoon Gloria, dapat siguro uminom na lang kayo ng insecticide. Gawin n’yo ’yan at mapapawi kaagad ang kagutuman ng bayan.
Sa bandang huli, buti na rin lang at ginawa n’yo ’yung magpasasa sa P1 million dinner habang lupaypay ang bayan sa kagutuman—di lang sa kawalan ng pagkain kundi sa iba pang bagay—at pagdadalamhati sa yumaong Ina ng Bayan. Binigyan n’yo ng mukha ang katakawan. Katakawang walang kabusugan. Mukhang di nakita ng masa sa usaping NBN, mukhang di nakikita ng masa sa usaping SAL. Mukhang nakita lang ng masa dito sa ginawa n’yong ito. Sa pagpapabondat sa New York habang naghihinagpis ang bayan.
At buti na rin lang mayroon tayong sariling wika. Di sapat ang Inggles para iparamdam sa inyo ang suklam na nararamdaman namin sa inyo. Di sapat ang Inggles para ipakita sa inyo ang pagkamuhi na nararamdaman namin sa inyo. Di maarok ng Inggles ang lalim ng poot na nararamdaman namin sa inyo.
Isinusuka na kayo ng taumbayan, mahirap man sumuka ang gutom.
May araw din kayo.
Matt
Theres The Rub
May araw din kayo
By Conrado de Quiros
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:04:00 08/17/2009
Tatagalugin ko na nang makuha n’yo. Kahit na lingwaheng kanto lang ang alam kong Tagalog.
Tutal Buwan ng Wika naman ang Agosto. Baka sakali ’yung paboritong wika ni Balagtas ay makatulong sa pag-unawa n’yo dahil mukhang ’yung paboritong wika ni Shakespeare ay lampas sa IQ n’yo. Kung sa bagay, ang pinakamahirap gisingin ay ’yung nagtutulug-tulugan. Ang pinakamahirap padinggin ay ’yung nagbibingi-bingihan. Ang pinakamahirap paintindihin ay ’yung nagmamaangmaangan. Bueno, mahirap din paintindihin ’yung likas na tanga. Pero bahala na.
Sabi mo, Cerge Remonde, alangan naman pakanin ng hotdog ang amo mo. Bakit alangan? Hindi naman vegetarian ’yon. At public service nga ’yon, makakatulong dagdagan ng cholesterol at salitre ang dugong dumadaloy papuntang puso n’ya. Kung meron man s’yang dugo, kung meron man s’yang puso.
Bakit alangan? Malamang di ka nagbabasa ng balita, o di lang talaga nagbabasa, kung hindi ay nalaman mo ’yung ginawa ni Barack Obama at Joe Biden nitong nakaraang Mayo. Galing silang White House patungong Virginia nang magtakam sila pareho ng hamburger. Pina detour nila ang motorcade at tumuloy sa unang hamburgerang nakita nila. Ito ang Ray’s Hell Burger, isang maliit at independienteng hamburger joint.
Tumungo ang dalawa sa counter at sila mismo ang nag-order, hindi mga aides. Nagbayad sila ng cash na galing sa sariling bulsa at kagaya ng ibang customers ay pumila para sa turno nila.
Ito ay presidente at bise presidente ng pinakamakapangyarihang bansa sa buong mundo. Kung sa bagay, ’yung amo n’yo ay hindi naman talaga presidente. Di lang makita ang pagkakaiba ni Garci kay God kaya nasabing “God put me here.” Pekeng presidente, pekeng asal presidente.
Sabi mo, Anthony Golez, maliit lang ang P1 million dinner kumpara sa bilyon-bilyong pisong dinala ng amo mo sa bansa.
Ay kayo lang naman ang nagsasabing may inambag ang amo n’yo na bilyong-bilyong piso sa kaban ng bayan. Ni anino noon wala kaming nakita. Ang nakita lang namin ay yung bilyon-bilyong piso—o borjer, ayon nga sa inyong dating kakosa na si Benjamin Abalos—na inaswang ng amo n’yo sa kaban ng bayan. Executive privilege daw ang hindi n’ya sagutin ito. Kailan pa naging pribilehiyo ng isang opisyal ang di managot sa taumbayan? Kailan pa naging pribilehiyo ng isang opisyal ang magnakaw?
Maliit lang pala ang P1 million, ay bakit hindi n’yo na lang ibigay sa nagugutom? O doon sa mga sundalo sa Mindanao? Tama si Archbishop Oscar Cruz. Isipin n’yo kung gaano karaming botas man lang ang mabibili ng P1 million at karagdagang P750,000 na nilamon ng amo n’yo at mga taga bitbit ng kanyang maleta sa isa pang restawran sa New York.
Maliit lang pala ang P1 million (at P750,000), bakit hindi n’yo na lang ibigay doon sa pamilya ng mga sundalong namatay sa Mindanao? Magkano ’yung gusto n’yong ibigay sa bawat isa? P20,000? Sa halagang iyan 50 sundalo na ang maaabuluyan n’yo sa $20,000. Pasalu-saludo pa ’yang amo n’yo sa mga namatay na kala mo ay talagang may malasakit. Bumenta na ’yang dramang ’yan. At pasabi-sabi pa ng “Annihilate the Abus!” Di ba noon pa n’ya ’yan pinangako? Mahilig lang talagang mangako ’yang amo n’yo.
Bukod pa d’yan, saan ba nanggaling ’yung limpak-limpak na salapi ng mga kongresista na pinansisindi nila ng tabako? Di ba sa amin din? Tanong n’yo muna kung ayos lang na i-blowout namin ng wine at caviar ang amo n’yo habang kami ay nagdidildil ng asin—’yung magaspang na klase ha, ’di yung iodized. Ang tindi n’yo, mga p’re.
At ikaw naman, Romulo Macalintal, tapang ng apog mo. Maiisip mo tuloy na sundin na lang ang mungkahi ni Dick the Butcher sa “Henry VI” ni Shakespeare: “First thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” Pa ethics-ethics ka pa, pasalamat ka di nasunog ang bibig mo sa pagbigkas ng katagang ’yon.
Marami mang sugapa rin sa aming mga taga media, di naman kasing sugapa n’yo. At di naman kami sineswelduhan ng taumbayan. Wala naman kaming problemang sumakay sa PAL at kailangan pang bumili ng P1.2 billion jet. Anong sabi n’yo, kailangan ng amo n’yo sa pabyahe-byahe? E sino naman ang may sabing magbabyahe s’ya? Ngayon pang paalis na s’ya—malinaw na ayaw n’yang umalis. Bakit hindi na lang s’ya bumili ng Matchbox na eroplano? Kasya naman s’ya ro’n.
Lalo kayong nagpupumiglas, lalo lang kayong lumulubog sa kumunoy. Di n’yo malulusutan ang bulilyasong ginawa n’yo. Para n’yo na ring inagaw ang isinusubong kanin ng isang batang nagugutom. Tama si Obama at Biden: Sa panahon ng recession, kung saan nakalugmok ang mga Amerikano sa hirap, dapat makiramay ang mga pinuno sa taumbayan, di nagpapakapariwara. Sa panahon ng kagutuman, na matagal nang kalagayan ng Pinoy, at lalo pang tumindi sa paghagupit ng Typhoon Gloria, dapat siguro uminom na lang kayo ng insecticide. Gawin n’yo ’yan at mapapawi kaagad ang kagutuman ng bayan.
Sa bandang huli, buti na rin lang at ginawa n’yo ’yung magpasasa sa P1 million dinner habang lupaypay ang bayan sa kagutuman—di lang sa kawalan ng pagkain kundi sa iba pang bagay—at pagdadalamhati sa yumaong Ina ng Bayan. Binigyan n’yo ng mukha ang katakawan. Katakawang walang kabusugan. Mukhang di nakita ng masa sa usaping NBN, mukhang di nakikita ng masa sa usaping SAL. Mukhang nakita lang ng masa dito sa ginawa n’yong ito. Sa pagpapabondat sa New York habang naghihinagpis ang bayan.
At buti na rin lang mayroon tayong sariling wika. Di sapat ang Inggles para iparamdam sa inyo ang suklam na nararamdaman namin sa inyo. Di sapat ang Inggles para ipakita sa inyo ang pagkamuhi na nararamdaman namin sa inyo. Di maarok ng Inggles ang lalim ng poot na nararamdaman namin sa inyo.
Isinusuka na kayo ng taumbayan, mahirap man sumuka ang gutom.
May araw din kayo.
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Politics of Awards
Awards are born with controversies.
In 2006, months before (and during) our graduation, protests were launched by PNUans (particularly those from the Torch publications) because the Graciano Lopez-Jaena Award for Journalism was not given to Mark Bercando (the Editor-in-Chief back then). The students believed that Bercando deserved the award, but for some “political” reasons, the administration of PNU was able to see technicalities which turned the table against the leader of the student publication.
In 2005, Mohamed El-Baradei, the Egyptian Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, received the Nobel Peace Prize in conjunction with protests and uprisings around the world because of his alleged leniency towards Iranian nuclear development program.
Recently, Cecille Guidote-Alvarez and Carlo J. Caparas are facing questions and protests after receiving the National Artist Award for this year. Protesters argue that Caparas does not deserve the award and that Guidote-Alvarez is disqualified for the award because she happens to be the executive director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
I have nothing against Caparas and Guidote, and I don’t like F. Sionil Jose that much as well. But I must say that there are questions the Malacañang is compelled to answer. What are the standards for being conferred with the highest award for the arts? When can we consider that an art form has reached the level of being “nationally acclaimed”? When the masses embraced it? Or when its underlying philosophies and presentations embodied the heart and soul of the country?
To some extent, these two artists may be deserving, but probably, the time isn’t ripe yet for them. The more they brag about it, the more disrespect would they gain from people. (This has been the reason for GMA’s unpopularity—scandals and issues came after the other.)
I pity Caparas and Guidote-Alvarez for clinging to their awards as much as their boss clings to her illegally-acquired seat in Malacañang.
***
Awards are given to honor people who have done something exemplary, something noble, something . Honorable and deserving people don’t beg for awards because in the first place, the conferring of awards are all for show. At the end of the day, it will be the people who will truly judge the person that should be given with utmost respect—we have witnessed this when Ninoy and Tita Cory died.
In 2006, months before (and during) our graduation, protests were launched by PNUans (particularly those from the Torch publications) because the Graciano Lopez-Jaena Award for Journalism was not given to Mark Bercando (the Editor-in-Chief back then). The students believed that Bercando deserved the award, but for some “political” reasons, the administration of PNU was able to see technicalities which turned the table against the leader of the student publication.
In 2005, Mohamed El-Baradei, the Egyptian Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, received the Nobel Peace Prize in conjunction with protests and uprisings around the world because of his alleged leniency towards Iranian nuclear development program.
Recently, Cecille Guidote-Alvarez and Carlo J. Caparas are facing questions and protests after receiving the National Artist Award for this year. Protesters argue that Caparas does not deserve the award and that Guidote-Alvarez is disqualified for the award because she happens to be the executive director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
I have nothing against Caparas and Guidote, and I don’t like F. Sionil Jose that much as well. But I must say that there are questions the Malacañang is compelled to answer. What are the standards for being conferred with the highest award for the arts? When can we consider that an art form has reached the level of being “nationally acclaimed”? When the masses embraced it? Or when its underlying philosophies and presentations embodied the heart and soul of the country?
To some extent, these two artists may be deserving, but probably, the time isn’t ripe yet for them. The more they brag about it, the more disrespect would they gain from people. (This has been the reason for GMA’s unpopularity—scandals and issues came after the other.)
I pity Caparas and Guidote-Alvarez for clinging to their awards as much as their boss clings to her illegally-acquired seat in Malacañang.
***
Awards are given to honor people who have done something exemplary, something noble, something . Honorable and deserving people don’t beg for awards because in the first place, the conferring of awards are all for show. At the end of the day, it will be the people who will truly judge the person that should be given with utmost respect—we have witnessed this when Ninoy and Tita Cory died.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Leaving a Legacy
The plight of Celso de los Angeles—the founder and “mastermind” of the Legacy group of companies—is a lesson that GMA and the rest of the scoundrels of this government (and we) should take very seriously. Having diagnosed with cancer, he is now under hospital arrest because of multiple estafa (or should we say, “multitude” estafa). His life story tells everyone that there’s no perfect crime.
Dostoevsky has shown this to us many years ago when he wrote Crime and Punishment. It almost appeared that Raskolnikov committed a perfect crime because the police failed to pin him down. However, at the end of the novel, his own conscience brought him to his own Punishment—which somehow led him to a more peaceful life.
The Bible gave more a chilling account when God cursed Cain for killing Abel. (Cain thought that he can hide from God.) But what most of us didn’t read is the continuation of Cain’s life story. After being banished from the Garden of Eden, Cain actually strived hard to change, making his sons accept blessings from God. (Genesis 4)
But de los Angeles is a totally different man. I’m not so sure if he has the conscience of Raskolnikov or the perseverance of Cain. But one thing’s for sure: whatever is happening to him now is part of the punishments from the crimes that he has committed to the plan holders of the Legacy group.
Each one of us will eventually be punished with the sins we commit everyday. There’s no such thing as big or small sin. Yeah. God is god, and he’s just (unlike us); how each one of us would wish that GMA’s soul be burned in hell 77 x 77 times (or more). But GMA’s sins are not that different from the petty sins that we do.
At the end of the day, the question lies on how we will act like Raskolnikov and Cain: to accept our mistakes, repent our sins, and strive hard to change our attitude.
I’m not writing this because I’ve done the task. I’m writing this because I’m struggling to achieve it.
Dostoevsky has shown this to us many years ago when he wrote Crime and Punishment. It almost appeared that Raskolnikov committed a perfect crime because the police failed to pin him down. However, at the end of the novel, his own conscience brought him to his own Punishment—which somehow led him to a more peaceful life.
The Bible gave more a chilling account when God cursed Cain for killing Abel. (Cain thought that he can hide from God.) But what most of us didn’t read is the continuation of Cain’s life story. After being banished from the Garden of Eden, Cain actually strived hard to change, making his sons accept blessings from God. (Genesis 4)
But de los Angeles is a totally different man. I’m not so sure if he has the conscience of Raskolnikov or the perseverance of Cain. But one thing’s for sure: whatever is happening to him now is part of the punishments from the crimes that he has committed to the plan holders of the Legacy group.
Each one of us will eventually be punished with the sins we commit everyday. There’s no such thing as big or small sin. Yeah. God is god, and he’s just (unlike us); how each one of us would wish that GMA’s soul be burned in hell 77 x 77 times (or more). But GMA’s sins are not that different from the petty sins that we do.
At the end of the day, the question lies on how we will act like Raskolnikov and Cain: to accept our mistakes, repent our sins, and strive hard to change our attitude.
I’m not writing this because I’ve done the task. I’m writing this because I’m struggling to achieve it.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The Girl (?) Who Cried Wolf
When GMA said sorry about the ‘Hello Garci’ scandal, some gullible Filipinos believed her (although most did not). When she denied her involvement in the NBN-ZTE scandal, fewer were convinced—which became lesser when her photos in Shenzhen, China together with the first gentleman and NBN-ZTE executives leaked.
Recently, a very familiar wolf cry resounded in the air when GMA asked the congress to allocate 19 Billion pesos for anti-flu vaccines. With all the problems that shake the government, added with the 2010 election frenzy, aren’t we supposed to be doubtful?
Questions immediately popped out of my head when I learned about this. Firstly, do we really have swine flu? If so, is it really that deadly or dangerous? I just thought that such an amount is too much for vaccines. Many remote areas in the country don’t even have enough supply of paracetamol and decongestants. Why not use the funds to improve medical services or equipment in rural areas across the country?
Secondly, how sure are we that the fund would really go to the health sector? I can’t help but be reminded of Joc-joc’s Fertilizer Fund scam. Will the doctors and nurses (and patients) suffer the same fate as that of the farmers? Will the fund go somewhere else?
Lastly, how sure are we that the fund would really be used for vaccines? Even if it goes to the health department, would all those be used to buy the anti-flu vaccines? Or will it again be used by the administration allies to campaign for the upcoming elections? Or will it be used by ConAss(holes) to lobby charter change, perhaps?
19 Billion is a staggering amount for vaccines—a staggering amount sucked out of the blood and sweat of the Filipino people. If this amount will be injected to the wrong pockets, then we should do as what the villagers did: ignore the girl—or should I say hag?—who cries out loud…until she gets eaten by the real wolf.
Recently, a very familiar wolf cry resounded in the air when GMA asked the congress to allocate 19 Billion pesos for anti-flu vaccines. With all the problems that shake the government, added with the 2010 election frenzy, aren’t we supposed to be doubtful?
Questions immediately popped out of my head when I learned about this. Firstly, do we really have swine flu? If so, is it really that deadly or dangerous? I just thought that such an amount is too much for vaccines. Many remote areas in the country don’t even have enough supply of paracetamol and decongestants. Why not use the funds to improve medical services or equipment in rural areas across the country?
Secondly, how sure are we that the fund would really go to the health sector? I can’t help but be reminded of Joc-joc’s Fertilizer Fund scam. Will the doctors and nurses (and patients) suffer the same fate as that of the farmers? Will the fund go somewhere else?
Lastly, how sure are we that the fund would really be used for vaccines? Even if it goes to the health department, would all those be used to buy the anti-flu vaccines? Or will it again be used by the administration allies to campaign for the upcoming elections? Or will it be used by ConAss(holes) to lobby charter change, perhaps?
19 Billion is a staggering amount for vaccines—a staggering amount sucked out of the blood and sweat of the Filipino people. If this amount will be injected to the wrong pockets, then we should do as what the villagers did: ignore the girl—or should I say hag?—who cries out loud…until she gets eaten by the real wolf.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
A (H1N1) = A Hysteric Nation
I was in the middle of a lecture last June 3, 2009 when Bro. Armin’s (DLSU president) memo regarding the 10-day quarantine circulated. My initial reactions were a combination of disappointment and distress. Disappointed because class suspension means make up classes; distressed because DLSU’s decision would breed paranoia. I’ve told my friends and family to wait for the domino effect…
And there it goes. The Filipinos are now in a state of mass hysteria. Schools and offices are suspending operations; more and more are wearing masks. I find these moves futile and counter-productive. Futile because no matter how much disinfectant these schools and offices apply around their campus and buildings, the virus is still out there—invisible, inevitable. Counter-productive because it slows down everything—from simple lessons and activities to national economy.
I’m not a doctor, but in my level of analysis, I just think that the Filipinos are making false moves in treating this epidemic. So what if there are viruses in the air? If I’m not mistaken, they co-exist with us in this planet. Well, just like what I said to my students after reading the memo: “If we die today, we die today.” Moreover, current reports tell us that the virus isn’t so deadly. In fact, Dengue and Malaria are scarier than A (H1N1) (but we’ve never heard a school that suspended its classes because of them).
I blame everything to the media (and partly to the Department of Health) for planting the seeds of paranoia into the minds of the Filipinos. We receive reports about more people being infected by the virus, but we rarely hear (or read) updates regarding those patients who have recovered! We heard cases of patients being quarantined, but now we hear them say there’s nothing to be afraid of, and that we can be cured even at our homes. Absurd. Pathetic.
Let’s stop the paranoia. Take our vitamins. Strengthen our immune system. If we still get sick, then let’s pray for recovery.
And there it goes. The Filipinos are now in a state of mass hysteria. Schools and offices are suspending operations; more and more are wearing masks. I find these moves futile and counter-productive. Futile because no matter how much disinfectant these schools and offices apply around their campus and buildings, the virus is still out there—invisible, inevitable. Counter-productive because it slows down everything—from simple lessons and activities to national economy.
I’m not a doctor, but in my level of analysis, I just think that the Filipinos are making false moves in treating this epidemic. So what if there are viruses in the air? If I’m not mistaken, they co-exist with us in this planet. Well, just like what I said to my students after reading the memo: “If we die today, we die today.” Moreover, current reports tell us that the virus isn’t so deadly. In fact, Dengue and Malaria are scarier than A (H1N1) (but we’ve never heard a school that suspended its classes because of them).
I blame everything to the media (and partly to the Department of Health) for planting the seeds of paranoia into the minds of the Filipinos. We receive reports about more people being infected by the virus, but we rarely hear (or read) updates regarding those patients who have recovered! We heard cases of patients being quarantined, but now we hear them say there’s nothing to be afraid of, and that we can be cured even at our homes. Absurd. Pathetic.
Let’s stop the paranoia. Take our vitamins. Strengthen our immune system. If we still get sick, then let’s pray for recovery.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Reading and Leading
I never loved reading until I became an English major. Well, frankly speaking, I didn’t actually “love” reading back then, I was just “pressured” by the fact that during our free time, my classmates would sit anywhere and read their novels (nope, not just the required ones).
When Dr. Venancio Mendiola “hired” me to become his student assistant, I became enlightened on the power and joy of reading. He always tells me that if I want to go to different places and learn their culture, I have to read books. My first “reading assignment” was to finish reading Carlos Bulosan’s “America is in the Heart” and D.H. Lawrence’s “Sons and Lovers”. “You’re not an English major unless you’ve read this and that!” is what Dr. Mendiola says all the time whenever you answer “No” to his question, “Have you read ____?” Later on, I realized that I’m NOT an English major (‘cause I haven’t finished reading all the books that he gave and assigned to me).
I didn’t become super smart after learning how to love reading. But I must say that it really helped me a lot in preparing myself for my profession as teacher and in becoming a better person. Lately, I lost track of how I learned to love reading, and I was anxious to know how to encourage my students to love reading. It’s just not part of the “Filipino culture”. But the good news is, culture is created by people, so we can make reading a part of the Filipino Culture.
However, sad realities pull the campaign for reading down. One of them is the book tax, and the other is the erroneous textbooks that are distributed among public schools nationwide.
It is just sad to realize that a lot of people become aloof with reading because of its high cost. My younger sister is just lucky that my Ate bought her the Twilight saga, because if she would just save from her allowance, it would take her years to buy them all. I’m saying this because I never experienced buying literature in big bookstores (i.e. National Bookstore, Powerbooks, Fully Booked, etc.) All of my books were dug from Booksale.
How in the world do you expect people to buy a book when they don’t even have food to eat? How in the world do you expect our country to progress if the “passports” to learning are merely displayed in bookstores?
The government argues that books like “Twilight” are not under the category of “educational” so they must be taxed (around 1%-5%). But the question is, how do they categorize “educational”? I think this is one of the misinterpretations of the government about books (and learning). Not everything is learned through overt presentation of facts and information. Some facts and realities in the world are learned covertly by “experiencing” them through literature and other art forms.
For example, textbooks would teach you how to love the nature, the parents, the classmates, etc. But afterwards, it would tell you to use the correct rules of subject-verb agreement, which makes you forget the lesson on “love” because the quiz is going to be about subject-verb agreement!
On the other hand, literature opens the minds of the readers to delve deeper and search for life’s meaning.
This has been the perennial problem of our country’s education. We have been too textbook-based, making our people shallow in analysis, poor in comprehension, and weak in decision-making.
Speaking of textbooks, how do you suppose will our students learn if textbooks are flooded with errors (not just typographical, mind you) but with “facts, concepts, logic, grammar and usage”? (PDI, Editorial, 6/9/09)
***
I always tell my friends that education is really the answer to all of our country’s problems. Give the people quality education and everything else will follow. Peace will follow (because educated people know how to respect different cultures; my friendship with Sir Ali proved this); Economic Advancement will follow (because people will learn how to get and maintain a good job or business); Poverty and Overpopulation will be lessened (because people will realize how important family planning is) et cetera… et cetera.
Our leaders are readers, and the readers today will be the leaders tomorrow. Ergo, if no one reads today, no one leads tomorrow.
When Dr. Venancio Mendiola “hired” me to become his student assistant, I became enlightened on the power and joy of reading. He always tells me that if I want to go to different places and learn their culture, I have to read books. My first “reading assignment” was to finish reading Carlos Bulosan’s “America is in the Heart” and D.H. Lawrence’s “Sons and Lovers”. “You’re not an English major unless you’ve read this and that!” is what Dr. Mendiola says all the time whenever you answer “No” to his question, “Have you read ____?” Later on, I realized that I’m NOT an English major (‘cause I haven’t finished reading all the books that he gave and assigned to me).
I didn’t become super smart after learning how to love reading. But I must say that it really helped me a lot in preparing myself for my profession as teacher and in becoming a better person. Lately, I lost track of how I learned to love reading, and I was anxious to know how to encourage my students to love reading. It’s just not part of the “Filipino culture”. But the good news is, culture is created by people, so we can make reading a part of the Filipino Culture.
However, sad realities pull the campaign for reading down. One of them is the book tax, and the other is the erroneous textbooks that are distributed among public schools nationwide.
It is just sad to realize that a lot of people become aloof with reading because of its high cost. My younger sister is just lucky that my Ate bought her the Twilight saga, because if she would just save from her allowance, it would take her years to buy them all. I’m saying this because I never experienced buying literature in big bookstores (i.e. National Bookstore, Powerbooks, Fully Booked, etc.) All of my books were dug from Booksale.
How in the world do you expect people to buy a book when they don’t even have food to eat? How in the world do you expect our country to progress if the “passports” to learning are merely displayed in bookstores?
The government argues that books like “Twilight” are not under the category of “educational” so they must be taxed (around 1%-5%). But the question is, how do they categorize “educational”? I think this is one of the misinterpretations of the government about books (and learning). Not everything is learned through overt presentation of facts and information. Some facts and realities in the world are learned covertly by “experiencing” them through literature and other art forms.
For example, textbooks would teach you how to love the nature, the parents, the classmates, etc. But afterwards, it would tell you to use the correct rules of subject-verb agreement, which makes you forget the lesson on “love” because the quiz is going to be about subject-verb agreement!
On the other hand, literature opens the minds of the readers to delve deeper and search for life’s meaning.
This has been the perennial problem of our country’s education. We have been too textbook-based, making our people shallow in analysis, poor in comprehension, and weak in decision-making.
Speaking of textbooks, how do you suppose will our students learn if textbooks are flooded with errors (not just typographical, mind you) but with “facts, concepts, logic, grammar and usage”? (PDI, Editorial, 6/9/09)
***
I always tell my friends that education is really the answer to all of our country’s problems. Give the people quality education and everything else will follow. Peace will follow (because educated people know how to respect different cultures; my friendship with Sir Ali proved this); Economic Advancement will follow (because people will learn how to get and maintain a good job or business); Poverty and Overpopulation will be lessened (because people will realize how important family planning is) et cetera… et cetera.
Our leaders are readers, and the readers today will be the leaders tomorrow. Ergo, if no one reads today, no one leads tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)