Thursday, December 17, 2009

Exptemporaneous Speaking Contest is not a Beauty Contest, stupid!

I so cannot understand the Extemporaneous speech during the Intramural 2009. Here's why:

Cherie, the participant of the College of Education, just finished delivering her piece. When she was about to leave the stage, she was stopped by one of the judges and asked her another question.

"How do you define the modern man?" the judge asked. (A troglodyte asking for a definition of modern man? The nerves to ask such a question!)

Cherie herself was puzzled, so she asked back: "Am I bound to answer that?"

I don't know what happened next. But I do know that Cherie placed third although hers was the most eloquent of all the speeches.

And guess whose star shined most brightly at that time? Yes, the participant from the BSBA won despite, not because of, her speech.

***
Of course, I'm not saying that BSBA students are not capable of winning in a contest like Extemporaneous where brain is needed more than brawn.

What I don't understand is that why did the judge ask Cherie another question when she has already answered the question----in fact, the only question----that she needed to answer.

Of all the Extempo I've seen, it was the first I heard that the judge asked the speaker another question as if he were in a beauty contest.

Exptemporaneous Speaking Contest is not a Beauty Contest, stupid!

Look before you leap


The action star turned president. The nocturnal president. The poster boy of corruption. The academically challenged president.


Joseph Estrada, “Erap” to his millions of tangahanga, suffered miserably in the past. He has been scraped off his office, cutting short his six-year Presidential into two and a half. He has been jailed and convicted. But he has been pardoned since, thanks to Madame Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

After being away for so many years from the cockfight that is politics, now he’s back, vowing as he does to continue what he has started. But for lack of anything newer and better and more convincing to show to the voters why he still remains to be the best choice, Erap—-or whoever is in-charge of building him up—-has rummaged in his baul and found his most-prized possession: his many years of experience in public service.

Setting aside the question if Erap is allowed to run for any public office this coming elections, many are afraid that The Erap might win because of his still-wide masa following.

But let us look before we leap, i.e., let us look at Erap's past before we ever think of voting for him as a President---again. Read A portrait of Erap as a public servant at RP2010.com.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

A portrait of Erap as a public servant

The action star turned president. The nocturnal president. The poster boy of corruption. The academically challenged president.

Joseph Estrada, "Erap" to his millions of tangahanga, suffered miserably in the past. He has been scraped off his office, cutting short his six-year Presidential into two and a half. He has been jailed and convicted. But he has been pardoned since, thanks to Madame Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

After being away for so many years from the cockfight that is politics, now he's back, vowing as he does to continue what he has started. But for lack of anything newer and better and more convincing to show to the voters why he still remains to be the best choice, Erap----or whoever is in-charge of building him up----has rummaged in his baul and found his most-prized possession: his many years of experience in public service.

In his recent campaign ad,  Erap boasts of his 17 years as a Mayor, six years as a Senator, five years as a Vice President, and two and a half years as a President.

"Ang kailangan ay 'yong may karanasan," the campaign ad further said, implying that no better candidate deserves to be a president than Erap himself because he has an extensive legislative and executive experience.

Well, what of it?

The question here is not how long has he been in public service. The question is what has he done in those years that he's in public service.

The truth of the matter---surely this will vex his staunch supporters---is that Erap's record is far from clean. True, Erap said he did nothing wrong during his presidency. But what he says, what he does, and what he says he does are three entirely different things.

Therefore we should separate Erap's word from his action. And several cold, hard facts suggest that Erap is not what he said he is: He did something wrong during, and even before, his presidency.

In "Investigating Estrada: Millions, Mansions and Mistresses," a compilation of investigative reports by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), we get a glimpse of Erap as a public servant, which is ironic because Erap is more of a master than a servant. In this thoroughly researched and punctiliously written book, investigative journalists from PCIJ shed off the many layers of myth and secrecy that veiled Erap for years. Random passages from the book give us a portrait, however incomplete, of Erap as a public official, minus the myths:

  • "While Ramos used these [Presidential] powers within the broader framework of economic liberalization and reform (even as he helped out his friends), Erap merely wields it for his buddies within the broader framework of, well, friendship and a sense of entitlement to the privileges of public office. The resurrection of Estrada supporter Eduardo 'Danding' Cojuangco who is now once again the king of beer is certainly due in large to the latter's support for Estrada's candidacy. And certainly, Lucio Tan need no longer worry about his P26-billion tax evasion case now that his pal is president."

  • "It is obvious that Erap's grasp of the responsibilities of the presidency is primitive. At the same time, however, he shows a keen appreciation of the perks of his position. Which may be why he does not bother to answer question about his finances. He probably thinks he is above the law, and from the looks of it, he may be right. Take the JELP development in Antipolo. Although it had been warned as early as March 1999 by the Antipolo City Planning and Development Office that it had no clearance to develop the site, JELP never got around to obtaining the necessary permits. The Ombudsman's slowness in probing the discrepancies and missing entries in his statements of assets and liabilities is another indication of the impunity that the President seems to enjoy."

  • "In his statement of assets, for example, Estrada does not declare his participation in about a dozen companies in which he and his wife are major investors and board members. Neither do his asset of declarations give an idea of the magnitude of the business interests that he and his families are engaged in...In the course of several months, we obtained and examined 66 corporate records in which Estrada, his wives and his children are listed as incorporators or board members. Altogether, these  companies---31 of which were set up during Estrada's vice-presidential term and 11 since he assumed the presidency---had an authorized  capital of P893.4 million when they were registered. The President and his family members had shares of P121.5 million and paid up P5836 million of these when the companies were formed."

  • In the last three years, companies controlled by cronies of President Joseph Estrada acquired close to P1 billion worth of land and houses in some of Metro Manila's poshest and most exclusive districts...Although none of these properties are registered in Estrada's name, the President or one of his wives would later live or be seen visiting the properties, sometimes even supervising construction."


It's clear thus that Erap used his position to enrich himself. Which is anathema to his campaign slogan: "Erap Para sa Mahirap." In truth, what happened was the reverse. It's the "mahirap" that is for Erap, not the other way around.

Now, do we need a public official like Erap? You be the judge.

In education, one of the attitudes that teachers avoid the most is "mile-wide, inch-deep" teaching---that which tries to cover as many topics as possible with so little in-depth discussion, that which values quantity over quality.

In the realm of politics, Erap seems like the epitome of a "mile-wide, inch-deep" public official----one who cares more about quantity rather than quality, one who stays in public office for so long a time doing so little.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Undecipherable...

...is the theme of this year's Holy Cross' Intramural:

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Fighting martial law by way of martial law



[caption id="attachment_1463" align="alignleft" width="120" caption="Teodoro Locsin Jr."][/caption]

Below is the speech of Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr., which he delivered before the Joint Session of the Congress. Satirical and cerebral, the speech makes the case for the martial law in Maguindanao. In essence, it says that there can be no other "adequate response" to the martial law imposed by the Ampatuans but to impose, in return, "martial law by the government which is the exercise of the inherent police power to secure the public safety through the armed forces." Read the speech---it makes you think twice over whether martial law is necessary there. Here goes:

Teaching is performing

On November 7-8, 2009, we had a Theater Workshop, one of the series of seminars that Education interns for the second semester would have to go through. Mr. Norman Narciso, who has an extensive experience and training in theater, facilitated the workshop.

Mr. Narciso said that a two-day workshop is quite an ambitious endeavor because it normally takes three days to complete the workshop. Still, he did not disappoint us. So for two days, he trained us like we were real theater actors and actresses. We underwent several exercises that, we were told, would enhance ourselves and our teaching performances as well.

On the first day, we started by grouping ourselves into ten. Of course, those who already knew each other flocked together, although Mr. Narciso asked us that, if possible, we should not be with out friends. This mattered, he said, because in the exercises that would follow, it would determine how fast we could connect to people whom we are not familiar with. But his suggestion fell on deaf ears.

Human Rights Day


Today, December 10, is declared as the "Human Rights Day."

From the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: "Human Rights Day 2009 on 10 December will focus on non-discrimination. “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. These first few famous words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights established 60 years ago the basic premise of international human rights law. Yet today, the fight against discrimination remains a daily struggle for millions around the globe."

***

Nowhere is this discrimination more glaring than in the recent decision of the Commission on Election (COMELEC) to junk the petition of Ang Ladlad to be accredited as a party-list group. Not only is the decision unconstitutional, it also smacks of backwardness, in thought and in action.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

I survived Dr. Aberion's seminar

[caption id="attachment_1455" align="alignleft" width="103" caption="Dr. Bernardita Aberion"][/caption]

Of all the seminars that I’ve attended, the seminar on problem-solving strategies is perhaps the most frightening—and challenging. Why? Well, for one, it was Dr. Bernardita Aberion, former Education Program head, who facilitated it, and everyone present at that time knows who Dr. Aberion is. She’s a no-holds-barred teacher. She speaks her mind. She’s frank, the kind that can make anyone recoil in embarrassment. She’s strict. Her very presence is enough to send chills to faint-hearted students.

Indeed, she's the only speaker I've ever seen who began a seminar by scolding the participants. “I was told that you will prepare the materials,” she said, “only to find out that I will have to prepare them myself.”

When she started fuming, it seemed as though the cozy Audio-Visual Room suddenly turned warm. The din in the room disappeared, and was supplanted by an eerie silence.

Nganong gamay lang man ang gipa-photocopy?" she continued. "Nagtipid mo? When you want to learn, you have to spend.”

Sunday, December 6, 2009

The slippers and the slippery slope fallacy

On December 1, 2009, I've had a row with the security guards of our school.

"What's this," the male guard asked, referring to the white smoke cellophane in my bag.

"Slippers," I said.

Then the male guard asked for my I.D. One moment, I said, why are you confiscating my I.D.? Then I turned to the lady guard, who I think is more genial. I asked for an explanation. She obliged and said that students are no longer allowed to bring slippers inside the school campus.

Why? I asked. Because, the lady guard said, some students, once they're inside the school, wear the slippers they bring.

I was shocked. In my mind I wanted to discuss with the guard if that new regulation had undergone procedural due process before it was implemented. And I wanted to ask the guard if he could show me a written document saying that students are not allowed to bring slippers because, as far as I know, the only thing that's prohibited with regard to slippers is when you wear, not bring, them.

I was even more shocked to hear the raison d'ĆŖtre of the new regulation. I can call it for what it is: silly. It's true that some students wear the slippers they bring when they get inside the school. But it's still absurd to prevent students from bringing slippers just because they might wear them inside.

Isn't that what you call the "slippery slope fallacy"?

I'm just curious: Will they soon prohibit the bringing of ball-pens because students might use them for stabbing? Will they prohibit the bringing of papers and books because students might use them for setting the school on fire?

I wanted to say all that to the security guards, but I opted to remain silent, and gave my I.D. instead.

The curious case of the Filipinos

We Filipinos are a bunch of...never mind. We know that a catastrophe is about to break. We see the signs of its coming all over us. Yet we don't do anything about it. It is as though everything's going to be all right. We sink into deep slumber. And worse, we come back to life only when there's death.

Look at the aftermath of typhoons Ondoy and Peping.


Or better yet, look at The Maguindanao Massacre.

Are our five senses malfunctioning, so that it takes us so long a time to stop what needs to be stopped?

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Like truth, books shall set us free

[caption id="attachment_1436" align="aligncenter" width="399" caption="Photo by blog.mariyamakiling.com"][/caption]

(The essay below was adjudged as third in the Essay Writing Contest sponsored by the Learning Resource Center of our school, HCDC. Which means this essay's only worth a hundred pesos.)

Books have many purposes. There are books that entertain. There are books that teach us how to cook and plant. But books as weapons for independence? Probably a far-fetched idea. But once upon a time, in the Philippines, books were not just ornaments that adorned the library. Books, which are carriers of ideas, were once used as weapons for independence.

According to the historian Ambeth Ocampo, during the Spanish regime, the Philippines was sealed against liberal ideas. The Filipinos, who were then called indios, were not allowed to read. The Spaniards were so afraid that Filipinos might be enlightened they established a Comision de Censura. Its task was to censor all the books coming in the Philippines. This kept the Filipinos in the dark for well over three centuries.

Fortunately, we have such audacious heroes as Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, and Apolinario Mabini. All were voracious readers. All acquired liberal ideas, which later spurred them to fight for independence from the Spaniards.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Dealing with defeat my way

I went this afternoon to the Education Student Council's Office, only to be told that I placed third in the Essay Writing Competition sponsored by the Learning Resource Center of our school.

Of course, the news rather disappointed me. I'm not the pseudo-humble person who says that joining the contest is in itself enough for him. Truth to tell, I expected to place first, and I guess the five others who joined the contest did.

And what exactly did I do to, at least, cushion this recent blow on my pride?

A. Pretend that I'm doing a greater good. Perhaps the winner needs to beat a person of my stature in order to raise her morale.

B. Recall my past accomplishments, which the winner obviously didn't achieve.

C. Take note of the fact that she wasn't published in any national broadsheet. I was. She wasn't a finalist in the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards. I was.

D. Take note of another fact that when you google her name, the only result that the search engine will yield is her Friendster or Facebook account and nothing else.

The answer is E: all of the above.

(OK, thus is imitated from Jessica Zafra. I just can't help it. I couldn't find a better way to say what I want to say. My apologies.)

Friday, November 27, 2009

Ang maka-highblood nga mga application letters...

...sa mga adunay plano nga mag-teacher.

Pahibalo: Pardon to those who can't, don't understand Bisaya abd swardspeak.

Kagahapon, samtang nag-istambay ko sa Principal's Office, aksidenteng nabasahan nako ang mga daan na application letters sa mga previous applicants. Uban sa mga applicants, kaila ko.

Naay usa na ni-kuha sa akong attention. Basta babae siya. Ug iyang major kay kargado ug sayaw-sayaw. Mao lang to ang akong masulti bahin sa iyang identity.

Wala nako natingala nganong wa siya madawat. Abi ba nako ug gusto siya mutudlo sa tulunghaan na iyang gi-aplayan. Pero nganong sa latter part sa iyang letter, niingon man siya na:
I'm looking forward to be apart this institution. (Emphasis mine).

Good for her---wa siya nag-inusara. Daghan pang mga letter na kon dili char ang pagkasulat, gina sweet-talk ang recepient, nga mao ang Principal. Aduna pay nag-start sa iyang letter na murag ni-apil ug essay writing contest:
Education is performing the lives of children...May I have the opportunity to submit my application letter...

Naa puy meloera kaayo:
May I have the opportunity to apply  for a vacant teaching position in your...well-established institution.

Ug aduna puy murag nagsulat sa iyang autobiography. Gisaysay ba naman iyang mga kaagi sugod nag-graduate siya, pagtrabaho niyag 3 ka bulan sa usa ka telecommuncations company, pagtrabaho niya ug pipila ka bulan sa gawas, giunsa sa ilang grupo pag-meet sa ilang quota...yada yada yada. Kulang na lang isaysay niya kung, uh, never mind.

Ambot na lang. Wa sila kilati! Kung ako ang mag-vet, dili gyod nako dawaton kadtong mga applicants na sa letter pa lang windang na.

Tag-as ra kaayo sila ug appraisal sa ilang mga sarili. Wa may kaso ni. Kana kung tinuod pud ang ilang appraisal. Meaning: congruent ang imong ginapang-tabi sa kung unsa gyoy imong ikabugha. Naa pay niingon didto na:
I believe my knowledge, competencies, and skills can contribute to the development of the students.

Huh? Nakulbaan ko. Are you sure you want to teach students with your ghastly grammar and egregious English?

On one hand, nag-huna2x pud ko: Husto ba nga i-judge ang usa ka teacher base sa iyang application letter. Malay nimo dili lang gyod siya verbally intelligent. Di ba?

On the other hand, basic man gud na skill ang letter writing. Biskang sa elementary ginatudlo na ang pagsulat ug letters: application letter, invitation letter, letter of aplogy, letter A, B, C, D...

Ug dinhi na natapos ang akong kaligut-got sa mga maka-highblood nga mga applications letters sa mga adunay balak mag-teacher.

Disclaimer: I'm not claiming na my grammar is perfect. Pero, modesty aside, I can say na, at least, I can write passable English.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

When do we say, 'This is it'?

Of course when we have already given all there is to it in us, whether we are doing a project, or joining in a singing competition, or washing the plates, or scrubbing the floor.

Take Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson is a perfectionist performer, and his being perfectionist can be seen in the rehearsals for his "This Is It" concert, which was made into a movie instead since he could no longer stage the concert---forever. The King is dead. Vive Le Roi!

I haven't seen the movie, so pardon me if I rely on Queena Lee-Chua's accounts of the movie. (See Lessons from MJ 1 and 2)

"In the movie “This Is It,” " Lee-Chua said, "we got a glimpse of Jackson preparing for what was to have been his final tour in July. Though almost two hours, it was still an all too brief glance at what went on behind the scenes.

"We knew Jackson had talent, but the movie was an eye-opener. Talent apparently was not enough. Jackson was at the top of his game because he worked hard, extremely hard."

She said that Jackson say "This is it" only when everything is perfect already.

There is, however, something unsettling when Filipinos (well, not all, but some of us) say, "This is it," which is roughly translated to Filipino as "Tama na 'to." They say it not after giving their damndest best, but after exerting little or no effort at all. And they want to prove to the world Filipinos are world-class?

As my lolo (may he rest in peace) would say, baloney!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

In the library...

[caption id="attachment_1391" align="alignleft" width="618" caption="Reading Tent"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1394" align="alignleft" width="594" caption="High school students of HCDC are playing the "Top 10 of Everything DVD Game.""][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1395" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="The library pays tribute to Manny Pacquiao, the no. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world."][/caption]

It could have been much agreeable had the library also paid tribute to the true pound-for-pound fighter we have right now: Efren PeƱaflorida.

"B" is for Busy

What keeps me busy these past weeks---aside from trying to figure out how to stop our neighbor from making so much noise when he's inebriated---is the making of professional readings. These are reviews of articles, publications, studies, books, etc. related to the education in general and teaching profession in particular.

Our practicum supervisor asked us to make ten. To us, it's considered many, considering that it's not the only thing that we have to do. Teachers do so many things that they could be the computers turned flesh.

I cannot say I've enjoyed doing them. I have not, although the upside of it is that I was able to learn new things that I've never known before. It sounds trite. Of course, I should learn new things. Otherwise, what does it profit me if I don't learn something out of my professional readings?

But I'm glad I'm already through with my professional readings. Here's a list:

1.Rewards for students under a microscope
2. More schools, not troops
3. The children won't sit still, and that's O.K.
4. Cool school: United nations of education
5. Maintaining order and discipline in the classroom
6. Sorry I'm late
7. Element's of a learner's preferences
8. Web-age librarian's look beyond books
9. Is too much self-esteem not good for kids?
10. Behavior coaching for teens with special needs

Monday, November 23, 2009

Books shall set us free

This week is the National Book Week. This year's celebration has a theme "Kaaya-ayang Magbasa sa Kalikasang kay Ganda."

All the libraries of the Holy Cross of Davao College---Grade School Lib., High School Lib, Learning Resource Center (College Lib. e-Lib, IMC)---have prepared several activities for this week: essay writing contest, poster making contest, etc.

***



Today, I'll be joining an essay writing contest. The essay, the mechanics said, must be 150-300 words. It should revolve around the theme: "I need. I value. I love my library." An excerpt:

Books shall set us free

Books have many purposes. There are books that entertain. There are books that teach us how to cook and plant. But books as weapons for independence? Probably a far-fetched idea. But once upon a time, in the Philippines, books were not just ornaments that adorned the library. Books, which are carriers of ideas, were once used as weapons for independence.

Congratulations Efren PeƱaflorida, teacher, CNN Hero of the Year

"PeƱaflorida hasn’t just wondered," Conrado de Quiros said, "he has acted. He has acted to try to recover that lost generation, to try to bring it to find its way. What he has done indicts government more implacably than any ranting against it, exposing its crime for all to see. What he has done may seem trifling, but the greatest things often have the most trifling beginnings. He has taken the road not taken, and it has made all the difference.

"Right now, he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter we have."

***

First-aid solution to education. PeƱaflorida recognized the limit of his efforts. His "Kariton Klasroom," he said, "is only a paunang lunas." Soon it will have to say goodbye when the educational system is already all right.

***

Indicting the government. de Quiros is right: What PeƱaflorida "has done indicts government more implacably than any ranting against it." People like PeƱaflorida couldn't have emerged had the government been doing its job of providing education to all.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

What do you get when you read 'The Pelican Brief'?

I'm having sleepless nights these days. It's been two nights already. No, I wasn't crying because I was jilted by a woman. Firstly, I don't cry over a woman. Secondly, I don't have a girlfriend right now, and I don't have a plan of getting one. At least, not now.

It doesn't, however, mean I wasn't sleeping at all. It only means the hours I allot for sleep have been slashed. I normally go to sleep at eight. But lately, I reached until 10 before I dozed off.

And that's all because of John Grisham's "The Pelican Brief," which I bought at Bookshop---where else, there is a dearth of bookstores in Davao City---last Sunday when it finally opened after undergoing a month-long face lift.

I'm a slow reader unlike Truman Capote who said he could read an average of about "five books a week." He said, "the normal-length novel takes me about two hours." How fast! A 400-page novel usually takes me four days to finish, so that's 100 pages a day. Before I read mostly during the day. Seldom do I read in the evening---evenings aren't reserved for reading, in our house they're for watching May Bukas Pa and PBB.

Today, I think I'll be reading more slowly, in the night, as the day will be dedicated to more pressing and stressful matters: preparing lesson plans, making visual aids, reading on the subject that I'll be teaching (I heard I will be assigned to third year (World History) and fourth year classes (Economics), and other things that make a single teacher forever single.

Back to “The Pelican Brief.” As usual, I liked it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought it and read it in the first place. I liked it only because it involves lawyers and a law student, and I dreamed to be a lawyer.

Enough said.

Friday, November 13, 2009

On leave, sort of

I will be blogging less frequently from November until March, as I will be giving more time to doing the requirements in my internship: professional readings, learning insights, lesson plans, visual aids, etc.

Although I don't consider blogging as an extra activity, I figured that I have to be AFK (away from keyboard for the uninitiated) for a particular period of time. And that period of time has just started this November.

If you notice, I have made three posts so far. Four if you count this one. That's because over the past weeks, I have attended seminars, workshops, and orientations that, our Practicum Supervisor argued, could help us in one way or the other become a better pre-service teacher.

Dear Christmas Party Consultant...

Dear Christmas Party Consultant,

This Christmas my friends from abroad will be coming home and will be spending the Christmas in my house. One will be coming from the U.S.A.; the other from Japan; the third from Italy. The last time we had a get-together, I prepared an all-Italian menu. My friends from Japan and U.S.A., however, were infuriated. “You only prepared Italian foods,” they complained. “What about us?” Since I don’t want to repeat the same mistake, can you help me decide what to cook? Should I go Japanese this time? Or American?

—Ester Rez

Dear Ester Rez,

I advised that neither should you prepare an all-Japanese menu nor an all-American menu. If you do, you will surely find yourself in the same quagmire as before. My advice is that you should try, as people do to clothes, to mix and match. You can, for instance, prepare a hamburger filled with sushi and topped with mozzarella cheese. For the beverage, I heard the wasabe Coke-cappuccino float is enjoying the patronage of many people—most notably the top brass from the United Nations whose overarching concern is to promote…unity in diversity. I assure you that if you prepare the food this way, no one among your friends can complain anymore that you have a bias for one or the other.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

One year of writing and blogging—and beyond

(Here's the result of following Forrester's advice. I'm not sure if I pulled it off well, so you be judge.)

It all started with a deceptively simple question, this passion for writing.

“Why do you want to be a teacher?” our professor in Principles of Teaching asked us at the first meeting of the class. We were turn in the essay, she told us, by next meeting. It meant, of course, that we only had one day to write what we think was the reason why we enrolled in Education.

The question got me thinking. Indeed, what is it that compelled me to want to be a teacher? For a while I thought of many reasons. Money? Definitely not. Fame? Only few teachers became famous. Some, who lived an epic life, died unsung. Prestige? Other professions such as medicine and law are far more prestigious than teaching.

After mulling over the question, I was able to fashion out a fairly decent essay. As I was about to read it in front of my classmates, I felt anxious. Would they like it? Would I be able to deliver it without stammering? But my anxieties turned out to be worse than the result. After I read my work, my classmates applauded me. My professor thought it was inspiring. “If Arvin’s essay did not inspire you,” she said, “I don’t know what will.”

However faint that praise was, an idea struck me. If this essay were inspiring, I thought, why not send it to Youngblood, a section in the Philippine Daily Inquirer where young people can send their essays. If the essay’s good enough, it will be published. I’ve been meaning to send to Youngblood, but never did attempt to do so. Or was it because I didn’t have some sensible things to say? But now, bolstered by my professor’s comment, I’ve finally mustered the courage to try to send an essay, hoping that it would inspire others the way it inspired my classmates.

Forrester's advice

I caught up Finding Forrester at TV5 many days ago. I think it's a must-see for a novice writer and even for those who have been writing for so long a time but whose well of creativity has now dried up. For it's replete with lines on how to go about writing, and indeed living. But the one line that has stuck in my mind is that which William Forrester (Sean Connery) told to Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown):
No thinking - that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is... to write, not to think!

I don't know how many writers have tried it and came out successful. But since I'm a sucker for writing tips and wouldn't let one pass without trying it, I tried Forrester's advice. I tried to write the first draft with my heart; the second draft with my head.

The result: a 2,000 plus-word essay chronicling my first foray into writing and blogging. Then on the second draft, I cut it down to about 1,600 words.

I will publish it soon. Maybe tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

The necessity of backing off

To stoop when a bullet passes by is not cowardice. It is worse to defy it, only to fall and never to rise again. ---Pilosopo Tasio.

If you don't know Pilosopo Tasio, go read one of Rizal's novels, Noli Me Tangere.

The benefits of reading bad writing

"Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons," wrote Stephen King in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, "and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones."

Indeed, reading bad prose is sometimes better than reading a good one---it boosts your confidence and also makes you feel superior. That's what I felt when some months back I was reading the school paper of a nursing college in Davao City.

I've really made the right choice when I picked up that paper. I know now how not to write well.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The law of success according to Blas Ople

The nearest thing to a law of success is that if you are committed, you will succeed. The strength of commitment can even be quantified---in terms of the time and effort you allocate to your goals, not in sporadic burst, but in a steady state. ---Blas Ople, The Work Ethic and the Law of Success

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

My 15 minutes of fame

Ok, allow me to make one more post before I'll go.

The Free lancer

Retreat

meditation_pinkStarting today until Saturday, I'll be leaving the blogosphere to attend the annual Student Assistant Scholars Organization (SASO) retreat at the Benedictine Retreat House, Ulas, Davao City.

The objectives of this retreat are (1) "to strengthen our relationship with God and with one another, and (2) to recharge for us to become more effective in our workplace."

To me, however, there is one more objective: To catch up some sleep and live like a seƱorito even just for three days.

Anagram

When I read Dan Brown's novels, I thought that the man was so intelligent that he could fashion out anagrams. But Dan Brown is actually no genius, and everyone can do what Dan Brown did. Anagram Genius makes that possible. I tried entering it with names whose anagrams I want to see. See the results:

Arvin Antonio Villarosa Ortiz - "Razor as innovational vitriol"

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo - "I am a crap or a loyal aggro." (How genius is this Anagram Genius!)

Joseph Ejercito Estrada - "Reject hot jeopardise as." (You got it right.)

Bayani Fernando - "Annoy deaf brain."

Mikey Arroyo - "Okay! Oi! Merry."

Loren Legarda - "Old, rare angel."

Richard Gordon - "Grr! Rancid hood."

Noynoy Aquino - "Annoy IQ on you."

Mar Roxas - "Marx or as."

Update: Merceditas Gutierrez - "Cauterize direst germ." (That's too harsh.)

How to instill values among the students?

Are you a Values Education teacher? Are you a Values Education teacher whose overarching concern is to instill values among the students? Are you a Values Education teacher whose overarching concern is to instill values among the students, but is hard put to do so?

If you're all of the above, don't worry. Take heart. There are many teaching strategies you can use that could aid you in accomplishing your task. Why not use film viewing? Not only will it save your time, it will also help your students absorb values without them knowing it.

The upside of it is that films, especially animated films, teach lessons so graphically, entertainingly, beautifully that they don't appear like lessons at all. Which is what students like because, in truth, they prefer watching entertaining films to listening to a nagging teacher. Which is also what teachers like because, in truth, teachers will go hammer and tongs to avoid making lesson plans and visual aids.

As for what kind of films you will use, pick among these tried and tested ones:

  • The Lion King

  • A Bug's Life

  • Ice Age

  • Spirit

  • Mulan

  • Prince of Egypt

  • Joseph, King of Dreams


After showing each film, be sure to pose the following guide questions:

  1. Which among the scenes has caught your attention? Why?

  2. What particular dialogue you find most meaningful for you? Why?

  3. Who among the characters you like most? Why?

  4. What values/lessons can you gain from the story?

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

'The Grand Complication'

Odyssey05fThe corner behind the Circulation section of the HCDC-H.S. Library is one place that's frequented by students. Their reason, I guess, is not so much to look for some good reads as it is to hide from the watchful eyes of the librarian and the student assistants.

One dull afternoon, I went there not to scold some noisy students, but to look for a book that could while my time away.

Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities" is there as well as such literary gems as Gertrude Stein's "Lucy Church Amiably," Albert Camus' "La Peste" (The Plague), and Graham Greene's "The Captain and the Enemy."

After going over one book after another, I settled for "The Grand Complication" by Allen Kurzweil.

Is my taste so bad that I bypassed Camus or Greene or Stein for Kurzweil?

Sunday, October 18, 2009

What a semester!

The semester is over, and I can say that this semester is by far the most productive semester that I've ever had. Not that I was slumbering the previous semesters or, as the Bisaya would put it, nagpadako ra ko'g itlog. It's just that this semester alone, I've done things I never did before:

Friday, October 16, 2009

Finally...

sembreak

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Is Rene Saguisag back?

[caption id="attachment_1262" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Rene Saguisag. Photo by pcij.org"]Rene Saguisag[/caption]

I mean, is he back to writing his column in the Manila Times?

I'm a fan of Rene Saguisag. That does not mean, however, I support each and every cause that he espoused. Remember his defense of Erap?

Still, it doesn't deter me from admiring the man. He is admirable in his own right. Go read a profile of Saguisag, "Quibbling Quixote," writ by Sheila Coronel, and you will find yourself asking, why today's public officials can't be like him: poor, honest, brilliant, and principled.

Most of all, I admire the way he expressed his opinion although, as Coronel noted, his "point is often lost in the lavish gloss of his words." This way with words had served Saguisag well in the past. In another profile, author Lorna Kalaw-Tirol wrote that Saguisag realized the power of the pen when he got accepted at Harvard by writing "one simple short letter that sounded like if you don't accept meyou will be committing a terrible mistake."

Like a stalker who stalks his stalkee, I read his column every Friday. His column, by the way, is called T.G.I.F. For the uninitiated, it's short for "Thank God it's Friday." So don't ask me why, if I'm truly a Saguisagite, I read his column only on Friday. Understand?

But Saguisag had stopped writing----paused might be apt a word----after he and his wife met a road mishap, which killed his wife, Dulce.

Surprisingly, on October 11, Sunday, Saguisag came back with an op-ed piece as biting as ever. I thought that Saguisag's permanently back to writing. But an editor's note dispelled my assumption: "Rene Saguisag has promised to resume writing his regular column one of these days. But this piece is not yet it, although we have placed his photo and column logo."

Yet I have a feeling that he'll be writing regularly now. It's not a wishful thinking. If you want an evidence, read his column today, though there's still this editor's note: "Rene Saguisag promised his tocayo Rene Bas to continue writing his column as often as he can. Let’s pray we get another one for next Friday."

Yeah, let's pray we get another T.G.I.F. for next Friday.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The essence of writing is rewriting

updikeA manuscript page of John Updike's novel "Couples." From The Paris Review

Top of the world

DSC01042Philippine Academy of Sakya, Davao: I wonder what it's like to be here.

Why Life with Ria?

Life with RiaI don't know what is life like with Ria, but I'll vote for Life with Ria anyway in the 2009 PBA Blogger's Choice Special Award (Mindanao).

I've been meaning to vote for Ria in the national category, but I didn't, thinking, mistakenly I found out, that it would enhance her chance of winning the 2009 PBA Best Personal Blog, of which I am one of the finalists.

Chos! Meganon?

But seriously, now that the first PBA awarding is over and neither one of us won, I might as well give my vote rather than withhold it. After all, I have precious little to lose anymore.

But of all the finalists, why would I vote for her? I want to know, so I e-mailed her and her reply was as short as it was frank.

"You must vote for me," she said, " 'coz I deserve to win.  I share insights, stories, and experiences with my own unique point of view."

Monday, October 12, 2009

Which is which

CrossroadsI am no poet. But I don’t hate poetry at all. Though I shun the way poets obscure their message, I still like the way they weave the words to produce so beautiful a sound like only a poem can.

I’m just a tepid fan of poetry. That perhaps explains my short list of favorite poems. One such favorite of mine is “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost—partly because it’s easy to read and decipher its meaning, but mainly because it resonates with me:

People respond to incentives---or comments

Nothing inspires me more than to receive a comment from a reader. It keeps me going. As economists would put it, it's a great incentive.


The comment below I received sometime in June 2008 when my essay was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Youngblood section:


Please send my feedback to the author of the Youngblood article 'Why teach?', but I want to remain anonymous. Please tell him that teachers are the people I look up to. Teachers are very important to me because a part of who I am right now is because of them. I owe them a lot for the knowledge and wisdom i have right now. They continue to make good citizens. I hope he won't feel belittled anymore.


Whenever someone comments on my writeup, I can't help but be delighted because it means three things:



  1. Someone reads you,

  2. He/she understands you,

  3. He/she takes the trouble to write you.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

How did my blog fare at the 2009 PBA?

There are just few things you need to know how did this blog fare at the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards:

  1. The Free Lancer didn't win as the Flippish Viewer's Choice Award. RALPHGUZMAN.ORG won. But that's all right---there were 19 of us who didn't win anyway. To those who voted for my blog, campaigned for it, promoted it, thank you.

  2. The Free Lancer didn't win as the Best Personal Blog. Writing On Air---which is owned by Jim Paredes of the APO fame---won. Still, that's all right---there were 19 of us who didn't win.

  3. Isn't it nice to see your blog have that proverbial 15 minutes of fame?

'Cory is beautiful'

(The following essay was written by Mrs. Lourdes "Ma'am Gee" Gamutan, an
English and Literature professor at the Holy Cross of Davao College.)


aquino

Cory!

by Ma'am Gee

She held my hand in a warm clasp. I looked into her kind, lit-up face. While it was not yet my turn for her attention, I sized her up. Creamy skin. The kind that speaks of Chinese genes. Open, smiling face. The one that welcomes you without built-in reservation. Simple. Sans make up. In a person who hold number one authority in this land, it's a pleasant absurdity. There is no inclination to arrogance or meanness or claims to power in her aura. This is a wife of a hero. She herself a heroine to democracy in this corner of the earth.

Friday, October 9, 2009

1st Alternative Blog Awards unveiled

The Philippine Blog Awards (PBA) gives out over a dozen of awards at its annual show: Best in Personal, Best in Commentary, Best in News & Media, etc. Yet there are countless blogs that also deserve recognition. But unfortunately those blogs do not make it to the PBA simply because they do not fall under any of the PBA’s category. It’s difficult to determine whether they belong to the Personal Category, News & Media, or Gaming.

I propose, then, the following categories in the interest of giving recognition to other deserving blogs. These awards will be given at the 1st Alternative Blog Awards (ABA).

Thursday, October 8, 2009

DWG-NCCA Bisaya Fiction Contest Winners

The long wait is over. Out of the 21 who joined the first ever Davao Writers Guild-NCCA Bisaya Fiction Contest, the three winners are:

1st Prize Winner: Ug Mingiob ang Kalibotan by Raul Moldez
2nd Prize Winner: Kadula by Brian Ang
3rd Prize Winner: Mga Dalan sa Downtown by Javin Jet Tevar

(I cannot say they're the three lucky winners because it wasn't by sheer luck that they won.)

Meanwhile, the awarding ceremony is tentatively at Bagobo House Hotel, Gov. Duterte St., October 17, 5:00 PM (tentatively).

Congratulations to the winners---and to the non-winners as well.

Yes, I am one of the 21 contestants. The bad news is, I am one of the non-winners. But the good news is, I am one of the non-winners.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

A night with Cathy




[caption id="attachment_1198" align="aligncenter" width="540" caption="Tionko Ave.---one of the places in Davao City where prostitution is thriving."]Tionko Ave.---one of the places in Davao City where prostitution is thriving.[/caption]

“While nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer, nothing is more difficult than to understand him.”— Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Why not child prostitution?” my research professor asked me and my two group mates, Adam and Mark.

There was a silence. I didn’t know what to say. Adam and Mark didn’t say a word either. They just looked at me, as though they were telling me not to accept our professor’s suggestion. I knew then what they meant, so I told our professor, “We’ll think about it, Sir.”

My group mates handed over me, being the leader of our group, the decision to choose a subject for our research. Early on we decided that we would be doing a research on street children. After all, they are easy to find. They are everywhere. But our professor told us that it’s very common. “Choose something that’s least studied,” he said, “a subject that’s novel.”

When we couldn’t think of a subject aside from what we proposed before, I asked our professor what he could suggest. He suggested child prostitution. “But Sir," I protested, "it would be very difficult for us to do it."

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

'Bata sa garapon' (Child in the canister)

A spark of insight can happen anywhere, anytime. It can happen while you're in the comfort room. It can happen while you're standing in the waiting shed. Heck, it can even happen in the middle of fornication.

It happened to Paul while he was on his way to Damascus. It happened Archimedes while he's in the bath tub.

Mine was during our Cooperative Learning Strategy Seminar. Our invited resource speaker, Mr. Ritchie Sermon, gave us an activity---the second of the three activities---called "Community Circle."

Monday, October 5, 2009

Imitation (San Pedro's haute couture)




[caption id="attachment_1174" align="aligncenter" width="405" caption="San Pedro at night (Photo by Joji Alcantara)"]San Pedro at night (Photo by Joji Alcantara)[/caption]

(Below is my first ever published article in The Mindanao Times. I've been searching for the soft copy of this piece, and yesterday I finally found it. How things have changed! --- Arvin Ortiz.)

San Pedro Street offers a wide variety of amusements and attractions. You have the Rizal Park which occasionally stages cultural shows, musical concerts, and dance programs. In front of San Pedro Cathedral, you have OsmeƱa Park which is most visited by old folks not because it offers a refreshing place to relax, but because of the speech brawl and whimsical joust frequently conducted in the park, discussing diverse issues in politics, religion, and societal ills.


Meters away, you have a line of shopping malls—Unitop, Lachmi, Fabrica, etc.—with several items inside, offering latest products of high-end handbags, foot wears, and other such luxury goods as Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton with its famous “LV” monogram, Lacoste, Havaianas, Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Marithe Francois Girbaud, and the list keeps going.

Surprisingly, though, they are sold at hugely reduced prices, which made them suspect.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Thank you, Ma'am, Sir

World Teachers' DayAs my tribute to some of my memorable teachers, I wrote two essays, honoring their contribution to my upbringing. The first essay, "Ma'am G, how could I thank thee?" was published in the Learning section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The second, "Mr. Zombie," was published in The Mindanao Times.

The first essay is my tribute to Mrs. Lourdes Gamutan, my Lit 1 and English college teacher, whom we fondly called Ma'am G. The second one is my tribute to Mr. Felipe Zombilon, my 3rd year English high school teacher, who prefers to be called Mr. Zombie.

Of course, there are more teachers I would like to thank, most notably:

Ms. Lorna CastaƱares, my 2nd year English teacher. Thank you, Ma'am, for teaching me that books are to be read, not dreaded. You were the first teacher who forced me to read books. From you, I also learned that sobriquet is the other word for nickname, that a camel is also called dromedary, that a beggar can be called mendicant, and many other words. In your class, Ma'am, I experienced for the first time "The Sophies' Social" where you taught us how to sip the soup and eat the food with grace and finesse.

Mr. Romeo Rosales, my 4th year Math teacher and adviser. Thank you, Sir, for telling me that I'm good at Math even though I almost flunked it while I was in 3rd year. I know you wanted me to major in Math, but I've taken up Social Studies. Still, I haven't forgotten what you told us: That whatever we do, we must always give our best.

Mrs. Cabel, my Grade 3 adviser. Thank you, Ma'am, for accepting me in your class. I was from a private school then. Since the school did no longer accept me (I don't know why), I had to transfer to another school. My mother decided to enroll me in Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Central Elementary School. All the sections, however, were already full. Yet my mother insisited and she approached and pleaded you to accept me. You did. It's been many years, Ma'am, that we haven't seen each other. But when we do, you still remember not only my face, but also my name.

And to all my teachers---past and present, dead and alive, strict and its opposite, rich and wretched, cold and senile---thank you Ma'am, Sir.

Quality teachers = quality education

Aside from the "No Prostitution Day," today, October 5, is also the "World Teachers' Day." This year's theme is "Build the Future: Invest in Teachers Now."

I think this year's celebration is well-themed. We should really invest in the teachers. We should give as much focus to improving their lot as we do to students. For what makes schools tick is neither air-conditioned classrooms nor nice textbooks. It's the quality of teachers.

A 2007 research done by McKinsey & Company argued that the reasons why some schools perform better than the others are that these schools: (1) get the right people to become teachers, (2) develop them into effective instructors, and (3) ensure that they are able to deliver the best possible instruction for every child.

The 21st century slavery




[caption id="attachment_1148" align="aligncenter" width="405" caption="On Tionko Avenue near the Central Bank, street-level prostitution is thriving."]On Tionko Avenue near the Central Bank, street-level prostitution is thriving.[/caption]

Among the places in Mindanao, Davao City is lucky enough to have been spared from the wars that continue to ravage its neighbors. But it has not been spared from what Nicholas Kristof, a Pulitzer prize-winning columnist in The New York Times, dubbed as the 21st century slavery—prostitution.

Today, October 5, Davao City is celebrating the “No Prostitution Day.” This is the fifth time that the city is celebrating it.

Does the celebration mark the end of prostitution?

The 10 Most Annoying English Grammar Errors by Jose Carillo (A Book Review)

mage_coverIf you approach a snake-oil vendor, he will tell you, without a moment's hesitation, that something's wrong with you, and that you better take his medicine. A medical doctor, by contrast, after performing a battery of tests, not only will tell what ails you, but also explains what causes your ailment. Then he will recommend the best cure possible.

Jose Carillo, the English-usage columnist of The Manila Times, is like the latter---he does not only point out the flaw(s) in a sentence, or in a paragraph, or in an entire composition, he explains as well how come it's wrong, and prescribes an antidote to avoid committing the same mistake again.

With a clinical eye of a doctor, Carillo diagnosed the recurrent---so recurrent that the author finds them annoying---grammar errors in his second English-usage book, "The 10 Most Annoying English Grammar Errors." (The first being "English Plain and Simple: No-Nonsense To Learn Today's Global Language"---which was given by the Manila Critics Circle a National Book Award.)

Friday, October 2, 2009

'When writers speak'

I admire Paul Krugman. Which is why I read his columns in New York Times and his blog, although some of them are hardly understandable, as far as my unlettered economic mind is concerned.

I admire Krugman's eloquence and the richness and power of his prose. But when I listen to him, I wonder if he's the same Krugman who writes the columns. When he talks, he stammers. Sometimes it takes him a long time to get his message across.







Still, Krugman has my admiration. After all, "writers don’t have to be brilliant conversationalists; it’s not their job to be smart except, of course, when they write," argues Arthur Krystal in his essay, "When Writers Speak."

Thanks for Sir Jose Carillo for the pointer.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Absurd

After insinuating the last time that the CHR 's public inquiry into the vigilante-style killings in Davao City is but politically motivated, a demolition job, a political harassment, 2nd District Councilor Danny Dayanghirang has now an absurd theory why the killings continue until today.

"The number of law violators in our city has not dwindled down, in fact, it is only increasing," said Dayanghirang in his Mindanao Times Op-Ed piece, "Davao residents in the losing end," which appeared on October 01, 2009. "This could be attributed to the never-ending investigation of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on the crimes in our city. The investigation of the CHR has made publicity to our city. Although we welcome the investigation of the CHR in order to purge the city from any misconception and to clear the name of the city, the slow paced investigation has only made the crime rate in the city grow. The criminal elements have shown its ugly head again, knowing that the investigation of the CHR would weaken the efficency of our police force."

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The case for English proficiency

In the previous post, I have raised concerns why others---especially Filipinos---are scrambling to be proficient in English when other countries like China are making progress, economically, and yet their English is far from passable.

Over at Jose Carillo's English Forum, Jose Carillo, the English usage columnist in Manila Times, made the case for English proficiency:

A call to arms

Jade ValleyMy first memories of a flood are probably of when we were still living in Jade Valley, a low-lying subdivision located along the Davao River. If I remember it right, the place was visited by floods for four times over. They said the worse flood was during the fourth time when the water reached as high as the rooftop.

To me, however, it was the third time because I had experienced it myself---by the fourth flooding, we had already moved out of Jade Valley. On March 15, 2000 (Araw ng Davao!), around 2 o'clock in the morning, somebody was knocking hard on the door, telling us to evacuate as the water was rising fast. When we went out of the house, bringing nothing but the clothes we're wearing, the water was already knee high.

We safely evacuated in Juliville, another subdivision adjacent to Jade Valley. For several days, my siblings and I stayed in my grandmother's house, in Lanang, but my parents stayed in Juliville, and waited for the water to subside.

[caption id="attachment_1090" align="aligncenter" width="458" caption="An aerial view aboard a Philippine Air Force chopper shows devastation brought by Tropical Storm Ketsana in Cainta, province of Rizal , eastern Manila. (Photo courtesy of PSDMN---Private Sector Disaster Management Network)"]An aerial view aboard a Philippine Air Force chopper shows devastation brought by Tropical Storm Ketsana in Cainta, province of Rizal , eastern Manila. (Photo courtesy of PSDMN---Private Sector Disaster Management Network)[/caption]

So we were spared from the ravages of the flood. But when we came back, I heard many stories from my friends. Some recounted how hard it was to wait for rescue that they weren't sure whether it would come. Some recounted how they staved off their hunger and thirst. Others told me how they tried, if vainly, to save their furniture and belongings. Last week, those memories came flooding as I watched on TV, and saw the flooding in many parts of Luzon.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Despite, not because of, their English

abuse-plastic-bagLast Saturday, I bought Fish Liver Oil Emulsion, a food supplement manufactured by a Chinese company named Qingdao Double Whale Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. A leaflet, which contains a little explanation of the product and an instruction on dosage, came with it.

"Fish Liver Oil Emulsion, composed of fish liver oil, concentrated frash orange juice, vitamins A, D and C," the leaflet said, "can improve health and promote growth, It is agreeable in taste, good for both women and infants, and will be more effective if administered frequently."

I've spotted only two errors in this passage: one, the word "fresh" was misspelled as "frash." Two, the punctuation that came after the first sentence should be a period, not a comma.

Cooperative Learning Strategies Seminar

Mag-cooperate unta akong mga groupmates.

special topic_tarpaulin

Sunday, September 27, 2009

To hold or not to hold

When President Obama decided to release what is touted as the Torture Memos, he was faced with a dilemma: to hold or not to hold those who authorized the memos accountable.

There are those who argue that President Obama should, because it's an affront to the basic law of the land, the Constitution. On the other hand, there are those who argue that President Obama should not, because it just distracts the administration from dealing with more pressing matters, chief of which the battered economy.

On the January 11th edition of ABC’s “This Week, when asked whether he will "...appoint a special prosecutor...to independently investigate the greatest crimes of the Bush administration, including torture and warrantless wiretapping," the then President-elect Obama didn't give a black or white answer.

"We’re still evaluating how we’re going to approach the whole issue of interrogations, detentions, and so forth," he said. "And obviously we’re going to be looking at past practices and I don’t believe that anybody is above the law. On the other hand I also have a belief that we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards. And part of my job is to make sure that for example at the CIA, you’ve got extraordinarily talented people who are working very hard to keep Americans safe. I don’t want them to suddenly feel like they’ve got to spend all their time looking over their shoulders and lawyering [up]."

But Paul Krugman, the Nobel Laureate slash economist slash blogger, begged to differ.

"I’m sorry," Krugman wrote, "but if we don’t have an inquest into what happened during the Bush years — and nearly everyone has taken Mr. Obama’s remarks to mean that we won’t — this means that those who hold power are indeed above the law because they don’t face any consequences if they abuse their power."

Why I'm bringing this up?

Because now that we are about to choose, among others, our next president (sana walang umaswang sa election), one question that we might find ourselves asking is, "Will the next president hold the past administration accountable for its many abuses?"

It's too early to say if someone will, but based on the presidentiables' earlier remarks, it seems that nobody won't.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Free Lancer: A PBA Finalist

I would be lying if I would say I didn't expect that this damn blog would be a finalist for the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards. Of course, I did. And I'm sure all the finalists did.

If they didn't, would they deign to nominate their blogs in the first place?

Meanwhile, I'm happy to note that "The Free Lancer" is a 2009 PBA finalist under the Personal category.

A personal blog, the PBA said, is "a blog that covers the personal. A diary or a journal a record and treasure chest of one’s thoughts and ideas. It could be on any topic from the food eaten this morning to national issues. The important thing is that it is one’s personal take on the issue."

Though some of the finalists have been in this business of blogging for well over many years now, I feel competitive with them.

Why do I feel so?

Wala lang. I just feel it. I believe I'm saying something in this blog that nobody does. After all, there's only one blogger who goes by the name of Arvin Antonio Ortiz.

If you encountered any, please tell me. But it's improbable---only celebrities and prominent people always fall prey to identity thieves.

P.S. I would have wished that Silence Kills! was nominated and eventually got into the finals of the 2009 PBA under the Advocacy category, one of the new categories in the 2009 PBA, so that it will be given more prominence.

Thus it will gain ground.

Silence Kills! is "a loose coalition of bloggers who blog about human rights in general, and about extrajudicial killings in Davao City in particular."

But unfortunately, it didn't make the grade.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Me, going to law school?

I don't know why, but law school always fascinates me.


That 's why I read Erich Segal's novel The Class, a story of Harvard men, some of whom went to Harvard Law School.


That's why I watched from the beginning till the end the Koreanovela Love Story in Harvard. Ostensibly set in Harvard but was actually set in University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles, Love Story in Harvard is a story between a Harvard Law School student and a Harvard Medical School student.


That's why I like John Grisham's books. That's why I want to watch The Paper Chase.


That's why I read Erich Segal's novel Love Story, a story also set in Harvard and whose protagonist is also a Harvard Law School student.


That's why I bought a VCD of Love Story, the film adaptation of Segal's novel.


At some point in my life, I dreamed of becoming a lawyer. I didn't seriously think, though, about the matter. But my father said something that prompted me to give it a serious thought.


The night before last night, he told me that my uncle asked if I am willing to go to Law School because he's willing to support me.


Tell him yes, I told my father.


I know being a law student is no picnic, or walk in the park if you want. As one blogger, who had gone to law school himself, put it, "law school isn’t easy. It’s a lot of hard work and pain. A lot of sleepless nights and mental anguish. Law school is unlike anything you have ever experienced, unlike anything you could even imagine. Law school requires you to dedicate everything you have to it: your mind, your body and even your soul."


There are some questions, the same blogger said, that one should consider before going to law school:


Do you really want to be a lawyer?


Honestly, I want to be a teacher, but only because I know my parents can't afford to send me to law school.


Can you handle pressure?


I have fared in college, I think I can do the same in law school.


Can you study every day for four years (five if you count the bar)?


I think I can if my mother will exempt me from all the household chores.


Can you handle not having lots of free time (for anything)?


Today, I'm not having lots of free time because I'm a working student---and, thank God, I haven't become anti-social. I think I can do the same feat in law school?


Can you afford law school?


My uncle says he can.

Monday, September 21, 2009

QuƩ barbaridad!

(This is my response to Dominique's post. But I'm re-posting it here, with a slight revision of course, so that the world may know that laziness and idiocy are not the exclusive domains of the students.)

FYI, I'm a student assistant assigned in the Internet Laboratory housed inside the H.S. Library of Holy Cross of Davao College (HCDC). My job as an S.A. is, well, to assist Internet users---students, teachers, co-SAs.

One time, a teacher asked for my assistance. (Much as I want to name this teacher, politeness tells me otherwise. But for convenience's sake, let's call him Sir B---B meaning "bald.")

"Paki-print ko ani Vin," said Sir B, pointing to the information on the screen.

I looked at it for a while, then followed his instruction.

As I hand the printout to him, I asked, "Para sa asa diay na, Sir?"

"Para sa akong masteral," he said matter-of-factly, as though his credibility were still intact.

"Ah, I see."

When Sir B got out of the lab, I chuckled because the information he got came from answers.com.

answers.com as his source of information for his MA Degree?

QuƩ barbaridad!

I pity not the teacher, but the students who're under his care---or scare.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Forgive and forget?

Inquirer on Sec. Gilbert Teodoro's platforms and positions:
...he [Teodoro] has announced that the prosecution of officials for corruption will not be his priority, because it is the Ombudsman’s job.

Questions: What if the Ombudsman will not move, as it has shown and is showing nowadays? Will it be a forgive-and-forget situation then under Teodoro's administration?

But actually, there's no reason to worry about the tack Sec. Teodoro will take if he will be the president of this country.

Reason: I'm sure as hell Sen. Noynoy Aquino will win in 2010.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

How not to make a concerned citizen?

In college, I have taken up Social Studies (an umbrella term that includes such subjects as History, Geography, etc.) because I like it. It gives me a chance to travel back into time, know the heroes and villains of the past, and discover how similar or different the situation back then from today's. In short, I like Social Studies not because it's replete with facts, but because it offers a rich perspective. But many, including the Department of Education, do not share my enthusiasm for Social Studies, save the historians and history buffs.

Social Studies is always a fringe subject. Look around: In college, only few are specializing in it. Take Holy Cross of Davao College, where I'm studying. Out of the more than 2,000 Education students, there are only about 75 students majoring in Social Studies. In high school, students so loathe the subject that they have no qualms skipping it.

"In today's world," Dr. Serafin D. Quiason and Prof. Fe B. Mangahas wrote, "our educational planners have come out with a strange concoction in the form of a collected set of subjects called Makabayan, which is a misnomer."

"Lamentably," Dr. Quiason and Prof. Mangahas continued, "Makabayan is the antithesis of patriotism, nationalism and one's sense of national identity. Although the package is well intentioned, Makabayan presents Filipino culture and history in a hodgepodge fashion, void of the vital element of continuity in the study of our past."

It is really sad that a subject so important as History is so conveniently taken for granted. As if its relegation to the Makabayan were not enough, the government sent it further down into the abyss.

On August 25, 2009, the Department of Education (DepEd) issued Department Order No. 90 (DO 90). It is DepEd's "response to the alarming size or population of learners in a class or crowded classrooms, safety of young pupils and clamor for lesser learning loads."

Thursday, September 17, 2009

'Estudyante ni?'

Most of us who do not own cars probably spend a great deal commuting. I, for one, have been commuting since I was in Grade 3. If I were to do the math, I've been riding a PUJ for well over 12 years now.

Yet how come we know so little about something we spend most of our lives doing? For instance, do we know who is considered student and who is not? Do we know who can avail of fare discounts and who cannot?

One evening, while I was on my way home, I overheard a conversation between a man and a woman. Was I so privy that I heard them talking? Or was it because they talked so loud? Or both?

Anyway, the man, who was wearing a red shirt and has a receding hair line, had just paid his fare.

"Estudyante ni?" the driver asked.

Apparently, the man in red didn't hear the driver, so he asked the woman beside her, "Unsa daw?"

"Estudyante ba daw?" replied the woman, who wore a pink shirt and wore her hair in a pony tail.

"Titser siguro na," someone quipped when the man in red was having trouble answering the question.

"Dili nong, regular na," the man said at last.

He then turned to the woman in pink and said, "Katanduon unta ko ba." But, he added, "estudyante man pud nang second courser, di ba?"

The woman merely grinned, then said, "Pero tiguwang na man gud tanawon. Naa na pu'y trabaho."

I agree with the man that a second courser is still a student. He is not, however, entitled anymore to a fare discount that the regular students enjoyed.

I want to write like...

Gay Talese


Gay Talese

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Historical Society T-shirt

Proposed T-shirt of the Historical Society of Holy Cross of Davao College. I think those who are interested can also avail of the t-shirt, para makaless sa gastos. Just give me a ring (24K).

[caption id="attachment_926" align="aligncenter" width="459" caption="Front"]Front[/caption]




[caption id="attachment_927" align="aligncenter" width="459" caption="Back"]Back[/caption]

Come out in the open

silence kills3When I established Silence Kills, a blog dedicated to the issue on extrajudicial killings in Davao City, I thought I would be a voice in the wilderness. I thought no one would give a damn with what I say.

But when I started to receive comments from the readers (there are only few), I realized I'm not alone. I'm happy to note that there are people who share my views regarding extrajudicial killings in Davao City. Take this comment from Anonymous on my post about Mayor's Duterte challenge to CHR Chair Leila de Lima:
Even if Duterte ostentatiously relinquished his supervision over the DCPO, no policeman would dare disobey his orders – legal or otherwise. And the beauty of it is that he can actually sabotage Davao's peace and order by allowing crimes to happen so that the DavaoeƱos will blame the CHR for attacking their mayor and causing his 'resignation' as deputized Napolcom representative, resulting in criminals gaining courage to walk the streets again. Who are you kidding, Mayor?

But I'd be happier if those who speak against Duterte won't hide from the cloak of anonymity. I know it's not easy to be identified as anti-Duterte. It's like going against the tide. But this is not about who's  pro-Duterte and who's anti-Duterte.

It's about fighting for our deeply held principles: truth and justice.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Child labor?




[caption id="attachment_893" align="aligncenter" width="435" caption="Photo by Jed I. Bete"]Photo by Jed I. Bete[/caption]

Thursday, September 10, 2009

'Exile from human memory'

[caption id="attachment_885" align="alignleft" width="188" caption="Clarita Alia"]Clarita Alia[/caption]

What are the perils of indifference?

That was the question around which Elie Wiesel's speech, “The Perils Indifference,” revolves. “The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees —not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory…,” Elie Wiesel said at a Millennium series lecture held in White House and hosted by then US first couple Mr. and Mrs. Bill Clinton.

When Wiesel, a 1986 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, spoke those words, he had in mind the victims of the tragic episode in humanity's history that was the Holocaust.

But it is not too far off the mark to include Clarita Alia among those exiles from “human memory.” Call it inflated, but that is where Clarita Alia is right now: Gone from the memory of the people. Her cries remain unheeded; her demands seemed to fall on deaf ears. Over the years, Clarita Alia has been clamoring that justice be served for the death of her four children: Richard, 18; Christopher, 16; Bobby, 14; Fernando, 15—all were knifed to death. But she seemed clamoring in vain.

Already in her 50s and now a widow, she single-handedly raised her eight children by selling vegetables at Bankerohan, one of Davao City’s largest public markets. Like all mother, she dreamed of giving her children a bright future. But the environment Mayor Rodrigo Duterte created would make that dream just that: a dream.  

Birds of the same feather won't catch each other

Now this one is really De Lima’s dilemma:

In the September 6 episode of “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa,” where Mayor Rody Duterte sometimes settles scores with his enemies, Mayor Duterte urged the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to come back and investigate the resurgence of killings in the streets.

“Wala na ko mogunit sa pagkasupervisor sa DCPO [Davao City Police Office],” Duterte said. “Though my resignation was not accepted, I told them that I consider myself resigned. Sukad sa CHR inquiry, wala na ko misulod sa DCPO. Pero natingala ko ngano man padayon gihapon ang patay?”

On March 30, 2009, the CHR conducted a highly publicized public inquiry into the killings in Davao City that have gone unabated since 1998. Leila De Lima, the CHR’s feisty chairperson, squarely put the blame on Mayor Duterte’s shoulders for his failure to stop the killings, if not for his tacit support to the DDS.

To give the CHR a free hand in its inquiry, Mayor Duterte resigned as a supervisor of the DCPO on March 31, the second day of the public inquiry. His resignation, however, was rejected by DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno, saying it’s against the mandate of the law.

Now five months after the CHR started the public inquiry, it seems Mayor Duterte is laying the blame at the feet of CHR Chair Leila De Lima.

In August alone, there were 13 people killed; in September, seven. Mayor Duterte asked the CHR to explain the killings. Surely somebody else is responsible for them, and, contrary to popular belief, it certainly not him because he has already given up control over the police.

“Mangutana ko karon, ngano man padayon lang gihapon ang patay?” Mayor Duterte asked. “Is there somebody behind it? Is there somebody trying to create a chaotic condition? Is there somebody who wants to pain a picture of Davao City as killing fields?

“I leave it to the CHR to please come back to Davao City and investigate more. I’d like the human rights to come back and tell us what is this all about?”

It’s clever of him to say those words because it effectively cast the CHR in a bad light. It’s as if Mayor Duterte is saying that the commission made a wrong decision by asking him to distance himself from the police, from whose ranks the DDS gunmen allegedly come. It’s as if he’s saying that the commission should let him do his own thing because it’s the only way to deal with the city’s criminality. Otherwise, the situation just might go berserk.

Yet Mayor Duterte’s remarks have only exposed an anomaly in his administration. The City Mayor’s Office has at its disposal a P450 million budget for Peace and Order. If needed, the mayor can disburse as much as P1.2 million daily. “With this enormous sum of public funds given to…the city mayor to maintain peace and order in the community,” said Mindanao Daily Mirror columnist Bert Tesorero, “there is no reason why street killings would go unabated for almost a decade now without a single case solved by the police.”

The police cannot be accused of ineptitude, either.

I can think of only one reason why the police find it hard to stamp out the killings. According to the report of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, “You Can Die Anytime,” most members of the DDS are policemen, ex-policemen, rebel returnees, military personnel, and jobless youths who were involved “in a bit of drug pushing.”

“The DDS…,” it further noted, “is run by handlers. Such a handler is called the amo (boss). The amo is usually a policeman or ex-policeman, and in some cases, a barangay official…A local journalist, who has been investigating extrajudicial killings in Davao City for almost ten years, believed that all handlers report to the police precinct commander in their area who distributes money for “operations” and reports, in turn, to an official in the city government—‘the big boss.’”

Despite these damning revelations, police and military officers denied that they are by no means involved in the killings.

If, however, they are involved in the killings, as claimed by the Human Rights Watch, then how can we expect them to get after the criminals if the criminals themselves come from their own ranks?

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

09/09/09

To some people, the triple nine signifies luck. To Filipinos who are still coming to grips with the loss of a consummate Filipino, however, today is significant because it’s the 40th day after Cory Aquino’s death.

Also, Noynoy Aquino, Cory's only son, announced today that he would join the presidential race in 2010.

"I am accepting the responsibility to continue this nation's fight," Noynoy said. "I am accepting the challenge to lead this fight. I am running for the presidency in the coming election."

But let us revert to Cory's death. It’s but human nature that when one is about to die, one seeks atonement, no matter how venial or mortal his or her sins are. Cory did just that when she was in her deathbed.

By contrast, Mao Zedong, whose 33rd death anniversary the world over is also commemorating today, didn’t seek atonement at all. He didn’t take the trouble of asking for forgiveness. What he should ask forgiveness for? For the well over 70 million deaths he caused under his regime. Nor did he admit he had wronged.

Mao Zedong, born on December 26, 1893 into a well-to-do peasant family in Hunan Province, founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

In Mao: The Unknown Story, an 800-page tome, the authors Jung Chang and Jon Halliday made known what still consumed Mao in his last days.

“Hatred, frustration, and self-pity dominated Mao’s last days,” Chang and Halliday said.

*

Two days after I struggled to finish Albert Camus’ La Chute (The Fall), I began reading John Steinback’s The Grapes of Wrath today.

When I borrow a book, I make it a point to look at the Due Date Slip of the book and see when the book was first borrowed and the last time it was loaned out. I did the same when I borrowed The Grapes of Wrath yesterday. The first time it was borrowed was on August 8, 1997 and the last time was on September 5, 2007. In between that decade, only seven people bothered to borrow, let alone read, the book.

Does this imply something about the reading taste of Holy Crossians? I leave the matter for the librarians to debate.

I’m still on the first few pages of The Grapes of Wrath, but I’ve had a fair idea what the book is about. “Particularized in the story of the Joad family,” said its back cover, “the novel is not only a powerful dramatization of the forced migration of the “Okies” from their bank-foreclosed fields and farms; it is a dramatization as well of the plight of the dispossessed everywhere.”

Writing in The Nation in 1939, the year when the book first appeared, Louis Kronenberger said of the book:

“The Grapes of Wrath is superb tract because it exposes something terrible and true with enormous vigor. It is a superb tract, moreover, by virtue of being thoroughly animated fiction, by virtue of living scenes and living characters…”

I think I can relate to this novel because our family was once driven out of our property five years ago.