by Marciano "m-16" A. Paroy Jr.
Time and time again, we stress the importance of awards. Not only because they do recognize the vehemence and commitment of the awardees but because they shall serve as inspiration to those who may want to be bestowed with similar accolades in the future.
When a citation is given to an individual, an organization or an institution, one of the first things that we always ask was whether the achievement was gained for the mere sake of winning that award. Of course, awardees would automatically retort that they were simply performing what is expected of them – and that, in so doing, they merited such glowing recognition by a certain award-giving body.
Now there is nothing wrong with that.
Take the case of LGU-Tabuk.
Through the years, Mayor Camilo Lammawin Jr. has always shown predisposition towards the peace process – knowing fully well that an administration with a firm hold on peace issues would have an easier time in implementing its programs and projects. For those who spent time observing his moves, they would have perceived the vehemence with which he pursued the peace vision for Tabuk, which continues to evolve, ethnic-diversity-wise. Add in the unbroken service of the Mayor in his seat, and we have been assured of the continuity of his vision – otherwise, some other mayor would have simply nipped his agenda in the bud and set his eyes on something else.
The current fruits are collectively a hard-earned consequence of such leadership competence. Naming Ernesto Baac Sr. and Pastor Alex Gunaban as important fixtures and chief voices of all negotiating elders in the Matagoan Bodong Consultative Council, the Mayor chose well.
But that characterizes the Mayor’s political career: he chooses well – what battles to wage, what programs and projects to prioritize, what people to put in posts that would benefit from their expertise and competence, what persuasion approach to apply when he perceives naysayers, and so many other displays of his ability to choose well.
And because of such savoir-faire, he keeps scoring big. He keeps winning.
Congratulations to the LGU-Tabuk and the MBCC for being among the winners in the Galing Pook Awards 2009.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Filrose Peralta Foundation: a long Journey begins with a Small step
by Marciano "m-16" A. Paroy Jr.
Imagine this: a child goes to school day in day out by hiking a winding rocky road sandwiched by sloping green farmlands. Our parents or grandparents perhaps in the 1940’s? Remember that constant reminder which most of us have grown up with? But no. This is not a condition from decades before. Try Tabuk 2009.
For those among us who have cloistered our children, nieces and nephews so that they can receive that cliché-sounding quality education, it will come as a surprise to know that such a circumstance still exists.
Going to school barefoot… just the image of that conjures other thoughts of basic needs that some parents in the rural areas cannot still provide. At least, we give them credit for their determination to send their children to school which – by anyone’s parenting standards – is deserving of approval. A step ahead, so-to-speak.
Anybody can quote the aphorism about beginning a voyage with that one small step – and using it to serve figurative purposes, that is what exactly took place last week in Pacak, Agbannawag.
Mario Peralta, member of the Board that runs the Filrose Peralta Foundation – presently based in California – visited Tabuk to fulfill a promise of providing slippers to schoolchildren that comprise the three-room primary school of Pacak, Agbannawag.
The distribution activity, held last December 11 at the Pacak school grounds, was an offshoot of the Foundation’s commitment to extend assistance to the needy farmers of the rural areas – specifically the provision of seed money for the farming ventures of residents.
“Although farmers are the inital recipients of our assistance in Pacak, we have thought of looking into other ways by which we could help the residents in this sitio of Agbannawag,” Mr. Peralta said. “and since education is right in the core of our assistance programs, we identified the children of our farmers as worthwhile beneficiaries too.”
Ms. Linda Kissob, the regular teacher in said school, was enthusiastic about the Foundation’s looking into their pupils’ needs, as she said “It is not always that we get attention from well-meaning groups, and as you can gauge by the lack of facilities – most notably our lack of electrical power source – we have to make do with what is available.”
The school, which also houses a pre-school level, is under the auspices of Agbannawag Elementary School, employs two other teachers: Lourdes Allib and Maricel Loyod-Dalacnas – both with casual status. These three teachers share the daily tasks of instilling education and values in the pupil’s receptive minds. Add to that the burden of being weighed down by the sorry state of their learning environment – and, presto, we have a team which is as tired physically as psychologically by the end of the day.
In fairness, we have learned that our elected political leaders do give their share of helping out, including the Department of Education-Kalinga Division – as well as other civic-spirited citizens and groups. And now, Filrose Peralta Foundation, with its agenda-free stance, is a welcome addition to the band.
When People who succeed Give back
by Marciano "m-16" A. Paroy Jr.
Success stories evoke only two reactions: genuine admiration or absurd envy. The former is felt by those who are truly appreciative of inspiring experiences undergone by fellow human beings – thus pushing them to emulate the feats and actions of those who succeeded, hoping that they too would end up reaping similar attainment. The latter reaction, however, is expressed by those who feel that the achievement of other people is something which was unrightfully deprived from them – never considering that such success was reached through hard and honest work. And since they cannot possibly duplicate such feat – simply because they do not want to – they scoff at the otherwise object of their admiration.
Not fair at all, for those who arrived at their present status through determination to rise above what they were originally dealt with, earlier in life. But let us not talk about people who can only see the negative side of things (to the extent of creating negative sides when they are simply non-existent). These are people who only see black and grey, while others see red.
Instead, let us shift attention to people who were given a prod into the right direction and, realizing that they were indeed being pushed into the right path, never stopped pursuing that road.
For instance, the children of Filemon and Rosario Peralta – whose Filrose Foundation has been the subject of this column some issues back. As I was going through the raw data that would serve as background material for that first article I did about the foundation, I was struck by this one detail about the siblings: there are twelve of them. One dozen. One hell of a brood to raise, certainly – add to that that they all had to be fed well, clothed appropriately, taught manners on a daily basis, and sent to school. It must have been a real challenge – to send them to college, one after the other.
Think: if they were evenly spaced, Filemon and Rosario would be attending a graduation ceremony in March, then accompanying a freshman entrant the following June; but meanwhile, there would be someone else in mid-college. Back home, a number of them had to be guided and inspired well, so that their elementary and high school grades would stay within the standards set earlier. This is quality time. Compared to parents these days (normally with two to four children) who whine about finding it hard to squeeze-in that much-needed element of bonding and “monitoring” stance, Filemon and Rosario sure knew the ins and outs of effective parenting: always with 12 as the common denominator.
And what success-driven siblings had been produced by such parenting! The list is impressive, if one visits the Filrose website and read the summary of the children’s current whereabouts. Given our culture’s propensity to give heavier evaluation points to the first child (whom we always see as the pace-setter, the leader of the pack, the premier showcase – so to speak), I learned that Ludivico is working in San Jose, California. Then, from that reference point, it’s a register of impressive précis down to the last child – Rosafe. She’s about two years older than I, thus I’ve had the chance to move in the same circles as she did. I would always remember her veiled in black, eyes blazing as she menacingly cried out “Woman, do you know who you are?” during an awesome performance of the declamation piece titled The Long Vigil – under the training of Madam Gertrude Lastimoza.
The last time I saw Rosafe was when she got married – in style. I was still accepting make-up jobs then, and along with Jerry Ladrido (of Jerry and Jinky’s Salon, Poblacion West), Dong Bustamante (of Pine’s Salon, Bulanao) and Jessie Marallag (who is now in Italy), we were ferried to the big city – and up the Shangri-la Plaza – where we did the beauty and grooming treatment for Rosafe and husband Roland’s entourage.
I was baffled at that time – why Rosafe opted to hire Tabuk-based beauticians and bring them over to Manila for a task that would have been more conveniently carried out – had she decided to hire Manila-based experts. Wedding coordinator Letty June Lugtu-Bides of Caleb’s provided me the simple answer later when I finally voiced out my curiosity: “It was Rosafe’s choice that Tabuk-based beauticians should be hired. Tabuk will forever be in her heart, and she does hold a high regard for the expertise of beauticians here.”
From the sidelines (from the preparations the day before and up to the reception at the Plaza), I observed how Rosafe moved with precision – but with grace. She had needs but they did not come out as demands when uttered; more like non-verbally reminding you that this or that detail is supposed to be part of her deal with you – and so, because she did it all with refinement, we were more than happy to oblige. A trait which is somewhat reversed by her sister Rosalia – more known in Tabuk circles as simply Sally – but not to the point of being brash or ill-mannered. Sally, gauging from the instances I brushed elbows with her in different instances, is the outspoken member of the family. Perhaps, if there would be a “galawgaw” in the brood, she will be it. The Maricel Soriano in the family, minus the tactless and ear-shattering “palahaw.” Usto met ketdi, since Sally and husband John are key players in this town’s communications industry. But take note, given her degree in civil engineering, she still wanted to earn a diploma in Nursing, and was one of the pioneering enrollees at St. Tonis here. A passing whim which she soon gave up when she simply cut the waiting period and flew to California where she now works.
I once asked her the motivations behind her enrollment at St. Tonis – along with my batch mates Melanie, Lea and Pinky – and she laughed out the words “Awan lang.” Sallyng-sally.
I remember that a few days after Rosafe’s posh wedding in Manila, the golden wedding anniversary of Filemon and Rosario took place right here in Tabuk – and this time, it was Sally who was moving this way and that way, for the proceedings – the rough side, that is. With wedding planner Letty June on her side, equally matching her commander-in-chief mode, barking orders. Then when everybody else had gone to the church, trailing behind the Spanish-themed calesa conveyance in which the golden couple rode, Sally suddenly realized she was still un-made up. She then turned to us and politely asked “Papintasen dak met ah please.” As if she needed that much touch-up. Jerry did her hair and make-up – in a jiffy. And quick as a lightning, she was soon zipped up in her gown and before she bolted for the door, she made a quick stopover at the kitchen where she yelled “Pakanen yo dagitoy make-up artists wen?” Then rushed to the church where she resumed her role with Letty June.
One other member of the family whom I’ve had the chance to meet is Mario. I was still a freshman at SLU in Baguio City then – and was an occupant of the same apartment that I shared with Connielyn Badi and Annalyn Pullis (UB students then). Mario, Sally and John (Sally’s husband) dropped by one time (they were all Manila-based then) and while there, Mario and John started mapping out the nerve center of Tabuk (Poblacion Centro, Pob. West, Casigayan, Laya, up to Bulanao). They were planning to wire these places and come up with the first-ever cable network of the community. It did materialize. From that initial planning stage, we now have the Northern Star Cable Network – which has grown big enough to take in other partners.
Mario recently visited Tabuk for the distribution of tsinelas to the pupils of Pacak primary school (located some distance from its mother school – the Agbannawag Elementary School) and, with my triggered predisposition towards the rural communities, I went along with our photographer Elizabeth Busacay in response to the invitation of Filrose Peralta’s representative Annalyn Pullis. The Pacak activity is part of the Foundation’s on-going aspiration to extend a helping hand to the less fortunate. Pacak farmers have earlier benefited from the Foundation’s distribution of crops seeds – as well as the provision of funding for initial inputs prior to the current cropping season – so the delivery of free slippers to schoolchildren was sort of a sidelight to the bigger endeavor already being pursued there.
The farm lands are indeed robust with the crops planted – but what made my day was the lit-up faces of the schoolchildren when the slippers were handed out to them. It’s like actually seeing what our parents used to remind us about – you know, walking to school, barefoot. Only, the situation is taking place at the present time.
As I gleaned from my conversations with Mario, one of the Foundation’s flagship programs is education and to further realize their educational vision, members of the family have decided to put up their first school for children – mostly catering to children of the Foundation’s beneficiaries (Details of that endeavor shall be featured once it has materialized).
As for the other members of the family, I have not had any opportunity to really come into any face-to-face encounter with them. However, following the publication of this article’s predecessor (Filrose Foundation: A Different Blend of Business and Benevolence; Nov. 9, 2009 issue), I received a number of e-mails from them – reiterating their family’s desire to simply reach out to those who have the spirit to do something out of the help being extended by the Foundation.
Following the Pacak activity, I finally got to talk online with the eldest offspring – Ludivico, along with the youngest, Rosafe. To verbally hear them express their commitment held me in awe. Here is a family – thousands of miles away, living secure and comfortable lives – but whose mind and heart are also aimed at a community known as Tabuk. I can prattle on and on about what they are trying to accomplish but my words shall never fully capture the magnitude of their concern. For while it is true that they are starting out small, the direction ahead paints a bigger picture – and while it is true that the support may not be so big yet when quantified, the more important thing is that, at the end of the day, we see in practice the Chinese proverb of teaching a man how to fish and we feed him for a lifetime.
And then cap it all with not expecting monetary gains in return. And as it is a rare occurrence these days, we remain impressed.
Success stories evoke only two reactions: genuine admiration or absurd envy. The former is felt by those who are truly appreciative of inspiring experiences undergone by fellow human beings – thus pushing them to emulate the feats and actions of those who succeeded, hoping that they too would end up reaping similar attainment. The latter reaction, however, is expressed by those who feel that the achievement of other people is something which was unrightfully deprived from them – never considering that such success was reached through hard and honest work. And since they cannot possibly duplicate such feat – simply because they do not want to – they scoff at the otherwise object of their admiration.
Not fair at all, for those who arrived at their present status through determination to rise above what they were originally dealt with, earlier in life. But let us not talk about people who can only see the negative side of things (to the extent of creating negative sides when they are simply non-existent). These are people who only see black and grey, while others see red.
Instead, let us shift attention to people who were given a prod into the right direction and, realizing that they were indeed being pushed into the right path, never stopped pursuing that road.
For instance, the children of Filemon and Rosario Peralta – whose Filrose Foundation has been the subject of this column some issues back. As I was going through the raw data that would serve as background material for that first article I did about the foundation, I was struck by this one detail about the siblings: there are twelve of them. One dozen. One hell of a brood to raise, certainly – add to that that they all had to be fed well, clothed appropriately, taught manners on a daily basis, and sent to school. It must have been a real challenge – to send them to college, one after the other.
Think: if they were evenly spaced, Filemon and Rosario would be attending a graduation ceremony in March, then accompanying a freshman entrant the following June; but meanwhile, there would be someone else in mid-college. Back home, a number of them had to be guided and inspired well, so that their elementary and high school grades would stay within the standards set earlier. This is quality time. Compared to parents these days (normally with two to four children) who whine about finding it hard to squeeze-in that much-needed element of bonding and “monitoring” stance, Filemon and Rosario sure knew the ins and outs of effective parenting: always with 12 as the common denominator.
And what success-driven siblings had been produced by such parenting! The list is impressive, if one visits the Filrose website and read the summary of the children’s current whereabouts. Given our culture’s propensity to give heavier evaluation points to the first child (whom we always see as the pace-setter, the leader of the pack, the premier showcase – so to speak), I learned that Ludivico is working in San Jose, California. Then, from that reference point, it’s a register of impressive précis down to the last child – Rosafe. She’s about two years older than I, thus I’ve had the chance to move in the same circles as she did. I would always remember her veiled in black, eyes blazing as she menacingly cried out “Woman, do you know who you are?” during an awesome performance of the declamation piece titled The Long Vigil – under the training of Madam Gertrude Lastimoza.
The last time I saw Rosafe was when she got married – in style. I was still accepting make-up jobs then, and along with Jerry Ladrido (of Jerry and Jinky’s Salon, Poblacion West), Dong Bustamante (of Pine’s Salon, Bulanao) and Jessie Marallag (who is now in Italy), we were ferried to the big city – and up the Shangri-la Plaza – where we did the beauty and grooming treatment for Rosafe and husband Roland’s entourage.
I was baffled at that time – why Rosafe opted to hire Tabuk-based beauticians and bring them over to Manila for a task that would have been more conveniently carried out – had she decided to hire Manila-based experts. Wedding coordinator Letty June Lugtu-Bides of Caleb’s provided me the simple answer later when I finally voiced out my curiosity: “It was Rosafe’s choice that Tabuk-based beauticians should be hired. Tabuk will forever be in her heart, and she does hold a high regard for the expertise of beauticians here.”
From the sidelines (from the preparations the day before and up to the reception at the Plaza), I observed how Rosafe moved with precision – but with grace. She had needs but they did not come out as demands when uttered; more like non-verbally reminding you that this or that detail is supposed to be part of her deal with you – and so, because she did it all with refinement, we were more than happy to oblige. A trait which is somewhat reversed by her sister Rosalia – more known in Tabuk circles as simply Sally – but not to the point of being brash or ill-mannered. Sally, gauging from the instances I brushed elbows with her in different instances, is the outspoken member of the family. Perhaps, if there would be a “galawgaw” in the brood, she will be it. The Maricel Soriano in the family, minus the tactless and ear-shattering “palahaw.” Usto met ketdi, since Sally and husband John are key players in this town’s communications industry. But take note, given her degree in civil engineering, she still wanted to earn a diploma in Nursing, and was one of the pioneering enrollees at St. Tonis here. A passing whim which she soon gave up when she simply cut the waiting period and flew to California where she now works.
I once asked her the motivations behind her enrollment at St. Tonis – along with my batch mates Melanie, Lea and Pinky – and she laughed out the words “Awan lang.” Sallyng-sally.
I remember that a few days after Rosafe’s posh wedding in Manila, the golden wedding anniversary of Filemon and Rosario took place right here in Tabuk – and this time, it was Sally who was moving this way and that way, for the proceedings – the rough side, that is. With wedding planner Letty June on her side, equally matching her commander-in-chief mode, barking orders. Then when everybody else had gone to the church, trailing behind the Spanish-themed calesa conveyance in which the golden couple rode, Sally suddenly realized she was still un-made up. She then turned to us and politely asked “Papintasen dak met ah please.” As if she needed that much touch-up. Jerry did her hair and make-up – in a jiffy. And quick as a lightning, she was soon zipped up in her gown and before she bolted for the door, she made a quick stopover at the kitchen where she yelled “Pakanen yo dagitoy make-up artists wen?” Then rushed to the church where she resumed her role with Letty June.
One other member of the family whom I’ve had the chance to meet is Mario. I was still a freshman at SLU in Baguio City then – and was an occupant of the same apartment that I shared with Connielyn Badi and Annalyn Pullis (UB students then). Mario, Sally and John (Sally’s husband) dropped by one time (they were all Manila-based then) and while there, Mario and John started mapping out the nerve center of Tabuk (Poblacion Centro, Pob. West, Casigayan, Laya, up to Bulanao). They were planning to wire these places and come up with the first-ever cable network of the community. It did materialize. From that initial planning stage, we now have the Northern Star Cable Network – which has grown big enough to take in other partners.
Mario recently visited Tabuk for the distribution of tsinelas to the pupils of Pacak primary school (located some distance from its mother school – the Agbannawag Elementary School) and, with my triggered predisposition towards the rural communities, I went along with our photographer Elizabeth Busacay in response to the invitation of Filrose Peralta’s representative Annalyn Pullis. The Pacak activity is part of the Foundation’s on-going aspiration to extend a helping hand to the less fortunate. Pacak farmers have earlier benefited from the Foundation’s distribution of crops seeds – as well as the provision of funding for initial inputs prior to the current cropping season – so the delivery of free slippers to schoolchildren was sort of a sidelight to the bigger endeavor already being pursued there.
The farm lands are indeed robust with the crops planted – but what made my day was the lit-up faces of the schoolchildren when the slippers were handed out to them. It’s like actually seeing what our parents used to remind us about – you know, walking to school, barefoot. Only, the situation is taking place at the present time.
As I gleaned from my conversations with Mario, one of the Foundation’s flagship programs is education and to further realize their educational vision, members of the family have decided to put up their first school for children – mostly catering to children of the Foundation’s beneficiaries (Details of that endeavor shall be featured once it has materialized).
As for the other members of the family, I have not had any opportunity to really come into any face-to-face encounter with them. However, following the publication of this article’s predecessor (Filrose Foundation: A Different Blend of Business and Benevolence; Nov. 9, 2009 issue), I received a number of e-mails from them – reiterating their family’s desire to simply reach out to those who have the spirit to do something out of the help being extended by the Foundation.
Following the Pacak activity, I finally got to talk online with the eldest offspring – Ludivico, along with the youngest, Rosafe. To verbally hear them express their commitment held me in awe. Here is a family – thousands of miles away, living secure and comfortable lives – but whose mind and heart are also aimed at a community known as Tabuk. I can prattle on and on about what they are trying to accomplish but my words shall never fully capture the magnitude of their concern. For while it is true that they are starting out small, the direction ahead paints a bigger picture – and while it is true that the support may not be so big yet when quantified, the more important thing is that, at the end of the day, we see in practice the Chinese proverb of teaching a man how to fish and we feed him for a lifetime.
And then cap it all with not expecting monetary gains in return. And as it is a rare occurrence these days, we remain impressed.
Salaknib, MSA, FRD and other sections of Guru Press
by Marciano "m-16" A. Paroy Jr.
For starters, I’m back from the brink. I almost felt like my self-imposed hibernation would really last long. But I guess I was able to rescue the humble writer within before I started entertaining the idea that I could not move beyond paragraph 1. For those among us who love to play with words – who love pairing words until we come up with phrases, clauses, fragments that will make up a sentence that exactly capture what we have in mind – there is no such thing as literary demise. We might have that block now and then – but it really would not last long. There is simply too much happiness and heartache to be retold – and shutting up would only worsen things as they already are.
*****
There. So much for an excuse. All of 125 words.
*****
When I came up with the word “Salaknib” and started to use it as the name of the section devoted to AFP-PNP-BFP concerns (it is usually found in page 2 or 3), my colleague Gary (Damian) asked what it meant. Recognizing that he has practically no Ilocano blood, I said it meant protection, defense, guard, safety. For its being used as a section tag here at Guru, well, being informed is one way of being protected. To know is to be moved to the confines of safety.
Salaknib is sustained by information officers from AFP, PNP and BFP. The writers change – as perhaps their immediate superior would suddenly give the writing tasks to someone else – but at least they do write. It is surprising to note that we have within AFP and PNP ranks some genuine writers.
Which reminds me of Lt. Jay Alambra (may he rest in peace). I had the opportunity to work with him when local media were gathered and requested by Governor Floydelia Diasen to fill in the pages of the official provincial paper Kalinga Advocate. Lt. Alambra was one consummate writer – not only because he tended to write lengthily but because he fearlessly expressed his views about issues he chose to write about, which were, understandably, about insurgency problems. Had he not succumbed to the snare of leukemia, I am sure he would still be churning out words from his lexical factory.
Now, of course, we do have Cpt. Adonis Bañez, the current PIO of 501st Infantry Brigade to write from the AFP side. I just hope his output is regularly maintained.
The provincial command of PNP-Kalinga used to have a productive press man in the person of police officer Loren Moron. This was under the watch of then Provincial Director Emock, who can be credited for his media savvy while he was here in the province. In fact, one of the areas he stressed was Media Relations – recognizing it as a vital tool in advancing the vision-mission of the prime law enforcement agency. In his first few days in office, he called for an upgrading seminar and Media Relations was one of the lectures that were delivered.
Impressive, isn’t it? Of course, when the potent force of our work is given value by those who need to reach out to a large and diverse audience, we automatically reciprocate by giving media mileage to them.
Congressman Manuel S. Agyao, Governor Floydelia R. Diasen, Mayor Camilo T. Lammawin Jr., Vice Mayor Rainier D. Sarol, Mayor Allen Jesse Mangaoang, and other political leaders all recognize this – including those who have set their eyes on the May 2010 elections.
When I came up with the MSA section, I simply followed the lead of Mayor Lammawin with his City of Tabuk Lives tag – which has the same acronym as his CTL initials. So I came up with Man of Service and Action – to follow the Congressman’s MSA initials. I notice that the Congressman’s tarpaulin materials also bear our Man of Service and Action tag. No problem there. He really lives up to the tag.
As for the Governor, when the info-dissemination team of the provincial capitol made a move to keep Tabuk’s only private print medium (this paper) updated regularly with vital news material that should reach readers, I also followed her example. The Governor’s planning team coined Forward Rural Development (FRD) last January and started using it during this year’s Kalinga Founding Anniversary and Ullalim Festival. Inspired by that model, I patterned our FRD section here at Guru to fit media and communication terms – thus, the Forecast-Respond-Disseminate (FRD) section was born.
*****
There are regular sections, though, that readers may miss seeing now and then. First in the list is the rather unabash-toned column of Dr. Edgar Naganag – Futures and Options. I recently had a drink with him and I voiced that Guru Press misses his articles and that the paper would definitely benefit from his views. Unlike other political analysts we have around, Sir Edgar is not attached or identified with political names – at least not yet.
We also do not read anymore Gary Damian’s entries into his Gadly Ruminations – his column which used to be filled with his intense writings. Same true with Native Thoughts by Regie Wacas, Pioneers by Giovanni Asbucan and the pioneering columns of Jun Albano and Daniel Cagan – Tungtungan and What If, respectively. When they shall decide to re-enter the pages of this paper, Guru Press shall have a grand day.
Thank God we still have Aparri Councilor Reginald Tamayo with his Thoughts from Aparri, and Mr. Santos Acoba with his What’s Your Side?
*****
Morally and spiritually tinged articles have always been one of the staple outputs that can be read in Guru – which is why we give special spaces to Edison Macusi’s Take the Land and Rency Roaquin’s Mark my Word. Of course, from time to time, we get to read the thoughts of Bishop Renato Abibico who, I think, puts several months as a gap between his articles. Whenever he writes though, the article is a worthwhile read.
*****
Next week, we are giving birth to yet another initiative of a leader to reach out to our readers – by way of a regularly maintained section. Do watch out for it.
For starters, I’m back from the brink. I almost felt like my self-imposed hibernation would really last long. But I guess I was able to rescue the humble writer within before I started entertaining the idea that I could not move beyond paragraph 1. For those among us who love to play with words – who love pairing words until we come up with phrases, clauses, fragments that will make up a sentence that exactly capture what we have in mind – there is no such thing as literary demise. We might have that block now and then – but it really would not last long. There is simply too much happiness and heartache to be retold – and shutting up would only worsen things as they already are.
*****
There. So much for an excuse. All of 125 words.
*****
When I came up with the word “Salaknib” and started to use it as the name of the section devoted to AFP-PNP-BFP concerns (it is usually found in page 2 or 3), my colleague Gary (Damian) asked what it meant. Recognizing that he has practically no Ilocano blood, I said it meant protection, defense, guard, safety. For its being used as a section tag here at Guru, well, being informed is one way of being protected. To know is to be moved to the confines of safety.
Salaknib is sustained by information officers from AFP, PNP and BFP. The writers change – as perhaps their immediate superior would suddenly give the writing tasks to someone else – but at least they do write. It is surprising to note that we have within AFP and PNP ranks some genuine writers.
Which reminds me of Lt. Jay Alambra (may he rest in peace). I had the opportunity to work with him when local media were gathered and requested by Governor Floydelia Diasen to fill in the pages of the official provincial paper Kalinga Advocate. Lt. Alambra was one consummate writer – not only because he tended to write lengthily but because he fearlessly expressed his views about issues he chose to write about, which were, understandably, about insurgency problems. Had he not succumbed to the snare of leukemia, I am sure he would still be churning out words from his lexical factory.
Now, of course, we do have Cpt. Adonis Bañez, the current PIO of 501st Infantry Brigade to write from the AFP side. I just hope his output is regularly maintained.
The provincial command of PNP-Kalinga used to have a productive press man in the person of police officer Loren Moron. This was under the watch of then Provincial Director Emock, who can be credited for his media savvy while he was here in the province. In fact, one of the areas he stressed was Media Relations – recognizing it as a vital tool in advancing the vision-mission of the prime law enforcement agency. In his first few days in office, he called for an upgrading seminar and Media Relations was one of the lectures that were delivered.
Impressive, isn’t it? Of course, when the potent force of our work is given value by those who need to reach out to a large and diverse audience, we automatically reciprocate by giving media mileage to them.
Congressman Manuel S. Agyao, Governor Floydelia R. Diasen, Mayor Camilo T. Lammawin Jr., Vice Mayor Rainier D. Sarol, Mayor Allen Jesse Mangaoang, and other political leaders all recognize this – including those who have set their eyes on the May 2010 elections.
When I came up with the MSA section, I simply followed the lead of Mayor Lammawin with his City of Tabuk Lives tag – which has the same acronym as his CTL initials. So I came up with Man of Service and Action – to follow the Congressman’s MSA initials. I notice that the Congressman’s tarpaulin materials also bear our Man of Service and Action tag. No problem there. He really lives up to the tag.
As for the Governor, when the info-dissemination team of the provincial capitol made a move to keep Tabuk’s only private print medium (this paper) updated regularly with vital news material that should reach readers, I also followed her example. The Governor’s planning team coined Forward Rural Development (FRD) last January and started using it during this year’s Kalinga Founding Anniversary and Ullalim Festival. Inspired by that model, I patterned our FRD section here at Guru to fit media and communication terms – thus, the Forecast-Respond-Disseminate (FRD) section was born.
*****
There are regular sections, though, that readers may miss seeing now and then. First in the list is the rather unabash-toned column of Dr. Edgar Naganag – Futures and Options. I recently had a drink with him and I voiced that Guru Press misses his articles and that the paper would definitely benefit from his views. Unlike other political analysts we have around, Sir Edgar is not attached or identified with political names – at least not yet.
We also do not read anymore Gary Damian’s entries into his Gadly Ruminations – his column which used to be filled with his intense writings. Same true with Native Thoughts by Regie Wacas, Pioneers by Giovanni Asbucan and the pioneering columns of Jun Albano and Daniel Cagan – Tungtungan and What If, respectively. When they shall decide to re-enter the pages of this paper, Guru Press shall have a grand day.
Thank God we still have Aparri Councilor Reginald Tamayo with his Thoughts from Aparri, and Mr. Santos Acoba with his What’s Your Side?
*****
Morally and spiritually tinged articles have always been one of the staple outputs that can be read in Guru – which is why we give special spaces to Edison Macusi’s Take the Land and Rency Roaquin’s Mark my Word. Of course, from time to time, we get to read the thoughts of Bishop Renato Abibico who, I think, puts several months as a gap between his articles. Whenever he writes though, the article is a worthwhile read.
*****
Next week, we are giving birth to yet another initiative of a leader to reach out to our readers – by way of a regularly maintained section. Do watch out for it.
FILROSE: a different blend of Business and Benevolence
by Marciano "m-16" A. Paroy Jr.
He wakes up at around 4 in the morning, goes to the kitchen where his wife would already be seated before the earthen stove on which a pot of water is about to boil, then sits himself at one of those benches whose one leg is already on the brink of giving way. As if on cue, his wife dips a plastic cup into the boiling water and gently brings it on the table. He reaches out for it as his wife takes out the containers for sugar and coffee. No creamer this time. This last one has not been a good week – thus prompting them to forego of some little pleasures which they can only afford from time to time.
His wife makes herself a cup of coffee too, and as they both face each other in that cold and dimly lit kitchen, they need not put into words what lies within their heads. Their eyes meet and the lifeless stare that emanate from them speak volumes already: here’s to another day of suffering and sacrifice. Here’s to another waking hour filled with a dying hope that by the end of the day, things shall have turned out for the better.
Thus goes the daily routine of Manong Benito and Manang Tina. The same is true with the family of Atong and Mabboy Wacas, also of Pacak. And perhaps it might relax them to know that millions of other people within this archipelago is undergoing exactly the same thing. But they have reached that stage where they simply do not care any longer care. Every single day is filled with the worry of having to put food on the table that giving a damn about fellow less fortunate ones would even be considered an unnecessary waste of time, a past time hobby for those who have more.
This is reality in Pacak, a sitio of barangay Agbannawag, and similar other barangays in Tabuk. A small community populated by farmers whose subsistence is determined by how bountiful or how poor the past cropping had been, Pacak is one of those small territories trying to extract wealth from the soil – in a back-breaking manner. Few people are aware of their plight – and for those who are even aware, they become helpless as they can only do so much.
Enter Filrose Foundation. Sounds new, doesn’t it? Instantly, it may be perceived by anyone as one of those foundations that litter the civic-spirited domain – specifically those posing as pro-poor just so they could generate funds which they would then allocate to meet the needs of the clients they have identified to serve, but, in the process, also dipping their fingers into such funds.
This is where Filrose begs to differ. Its official website shouts out that it is “a non-profit, non-political family organization serving the Filipinos, with a special focus to the residents of our hometown, Tabuk, Kalinga. Our social financing, educational programs, community outreach programs and youth initiatives are designed to help those in need. We do not require that you belong to any particular religious affiliation or ethnicity, nor do we require that you financially support our organization in any way. We do ask that you return one good deed with another and perform an act of kindness. This way, the cycle of compassion and goodwill continues indefinitely.”
This gives a picture of a family who struck gold and now wants to give back to the community within which they rose – simply out of their initiative to prosper. In fact, the Filrose ingredients to success are the time-tested combination of “Perseverance, Industriousness Humility, Ambition Respect Responsibility Self-Sacrifice” as the website proclaims.
But who exactly are the people behind Filrose?
Of course, everybody (at least in business and academic circles) remembers the Peralta family – that well-to-do brood produced by Filemon (may his soul rest in peace) and Rosario Peralta whose beginnings were not what we might exactly tag as wealthy, but eventually rose to prominence in the Tabuk society by way of their commitment to attaining their economic goals. Being among those parents who believe in the power of education, Filemon and Rose saw to it that each child should receive high-caliber formal training. And they did – complete with diplomas and training certificates from notable institutions.
It is this education that would further propel their family’s assets. Some of them chose to establish businesses here in the Philippines while others chose to land jobs in the other side of the globe. Now leading lives that can be rightfully assessed as being within the confines of contentment and comfort, Filemon and Rosario can look back at their tracks and be proud at the result of such journey.
The establishment of the foundation, therefore, is their way of sharing whatever they could within the scope of their financial capability – targeting small scale entrepreneurs and farmers whose goals are set on progress.
“In addition, the foundation has also an educational program that gives scholarship grants to students who are gifted but whose family may be financially crippled as to further education,” thus explained Annalyn Pullis, an employee of the Peralta group of businesses and who also helps out at the Foundation.
To see how far the Foundation has expanded its client base, I tagged along with Ms Pullis and this paper’s photographer, Elizabeth Busacay, during a recent seedling distribution to needy farming families in Pacak, Agbannawag. It was there where I envisioned that should the Foundation continue to grow and extend its services to needy but diligently working people, we may have within Tabuk its first-ever homegrown foundation which is result-oriented.
That would not be hard to attain – as the Peralta children all have a nose for business, management and planning, as can be attested by the degrees they have earned and the current work that they do. Throw in the element of humanitarianism and we have a winning formula where both sides – the source and the receiver – end up as winners.
Three friends in the beauty care industry, Jerry Ladrido, Jinky Safangan and Marlon Carbonel, are beneficiaries of the capital enhancement program of Filrose and they all confirm that the little interest levied upon their borrowed funds are so considerate that they have ceased borrowing from their usual five-six lenders. Parlor work requires stocks of the best hair treatment products – and even if these are expensive, our parlor owners all want to buy them by the bulk. Having borrowed from Filrose, these three friends of mine have replenished the contents of their glass cabinets.
Another client, Evangeline “Bunch” Torres (now married to Jonathan Mission), said that Filrose gives other money lenders a tough competition. This means though that the Foundation has to have a ready reserve of resources, or at least be ever-ready to link itself to other well-meaning organizations whose programs may likewise find beneficiaries in Tabuk.
Last time I tagged along with Ms.Pullis was when she did her rounds at the Tabuk Public Market. One market vendor expressed that she hopes to keep borrowing from Filrose – as long as the need arises and as long as the Foundation keeps its current rates. That, of course, would require her to maintain a good standing in the eyes of Filrose – something which the Foundation emphasizes, according to Ms. Pullis. Of course, in the business world, destroying your own reputation as to money-handling matters would result to a tarnished image. And when that happens, Filrose might simply withdraw its support.
That, however, is painting a bleak picture for prospective clients – for Filrose is still on the buildup stage, but given its present rate of growth, the list of recipients may soon become longer. With its future plans which include a Kids’ Center and the “Adopt-a-Farmer” Program (something I will have to look forward to, as rural development issues strike close to my area of prioritized issues), that expanded list is not hard to arrive at.
And I hope that before it happens, Manong Benito and Manang Tina would already be conversing about what to do with last cropping season’s profits – as they sip from their mugs of coffee, now laced with creamer.
(More about Filrose later. Check out its website at http://www.filroseperaltafoundation.org)
He wakes up at around 4 in the morning, goes to the kitchen where his wife would already be seated before the earthen stove on which a pot of water is about to boil, then sits himself at one of those benches whose one leg is already on the brink of giving way. As if on cue, his wife dips a plastic cup into the boiling water and gently brings it on the table. He reaches out for it as his wife takes out the containers for sugar and coffee. No creamer this time. This last one has not been a good week – thus prompting them to forego of some little pleasures which they can only afford from time to time.
His wife makes herself a cup of coffee too, and as they both face each other in that cold and dimly lit kitchen, they need not put into words what lies within their heads. Their eyes meet and the lifeless stare that emanate from them speak volumes already: here’s to another day of suffering and sacrifice. Here’s to another waking hour filled with a dying hope that by the end of the day, things shall have turned out for the better.
Thus goes the daily routine of Manong Benito and Manang Tina. The same is true with the family of Atong and Mabboy Wacas, also of Pacak. And perhaps it might relax them to know that millions of other people within this archipelago is undergoing exactly the same thing. But they have reached that stage where they simply do not care any longer care. Every single day is filled with the worry of having to put food on the table that giving a damn about fellow less fortunate ones would even be considered an unnecessary waste of time, a past time hobby for those who have more.
This is reality in Pacak, a sitio of barangay Agbannawag, and similar other barangays in Tabuk. A small community populated by farmers whose subsistence is determined by how bountiful or how poor the past cropping had been, Pacak is one of those small territories trying to extract wealth from the soil – in a back-breaking manner. Few people are aware of their plight – and for those who are even aware, they become helpless as they can only do so much.
Enter Filrose Foundation. Sounds new, doesn’t it? Instantly, it may be perceived by anyone as one of those foundations that litter the civic-spirited domain – specifically those posing as pro-poor just so they could generate funds which they would then allocate to meet the needs of the clients they have identified to serve, but, in the process, also dipping their fingers into such funds.
This is where Filrose begs to differ. Its official website shouts out that it is “a non-profit, non-political family organization serving the Filipinos, with a special focus to the residents of our hometown, Tabuk, Kalinga. Our social financing, educational programs, community outreach programs and youth initiatives are designed to help those in need. We do not require that you belong to any particular religious affiliation or ethnicity, nor do we require that you financially support our organization in any way. We do ask that you return one good deed with another and perform an act of kindness. This way, the cycle of compassion and goodwill continues indefinitely.”
This gives a picture of a family who struck gold and now wants to give back to the community within which they rose – simply out of their initiative to prosper. In fact, the Filrose ingredients to success are the time-tested combination of “Perseverance, Industriousness Humility, Ambition Respect Responsibility Self-Sacrifice” as the website proclaims.
But who exactly are the people behind Filrose?
Of course, everybody (at least in business and academic circles) remembers the Peralta family – that well-to-do brood produced by Filemon (may his soul rest in peace) and Rosario Peralta whose beginnings were not what we might exactly tag as wealthy, but eventually rose to prominence in the Tabuk society by way of their commitment to attaining their economic goals. Being among those parents who believe in the power of education, Filemon and Rose saw to it that each child should receive high-caliber formal training. And they did – complete with diplomas and training certificates from notable institutions.
It is this education that would further propel their family’s assets. Some of them chose to establish businesses here in the Philippines while others chose to land jobs in the other side of the globe. Now leading lives that can be rightfully assessed as being within the confines of contentment and comfort, Filemon and Rosario can look back at their tracks and be proud at the result of such journey.
The establishment of the foundation, therefore, is their way of sharing whatever they could within the scope of their financial capability – targeting small scale entrepreneurs and farmers whose goals are set on progress.
“In addition, the foundation has also an educational program that gives scholarship grants to students who are gifted but whose family may be financially crippled as to further education,” thus explained Annalyn Pullis, an employee of the Peralta group of businesses and who also helps out at the Foundation.
To see how far the Foundation has expanded its client base, I tagged along with Ms Pullis and this paper’s photographer, Elizabeth Busacay, during a recent seedling distribution to needy farming families in Pacak, Agbannawag. It was there where I envisioned that should the Foundation continue to grow and extend its services to needy but diligently working people, we may have within Tabuk its first-ever homegrown foundation which is result-oriented.
That would not be hard to attain – as the Peralta children all have a nose for business, management and planning, as can be attested by the degrees they have earned and the current work that they do. Throw in the element of humanitarianism and we have a winning formula where both sides – the source and the receiver – end up as winners.
Three friends in the beauty care industry, Jerry Ladrido, Jinky Safangan and Marlon Carbonel, are beneficiaries of the capital enhancement program of Filrose and they all confirm that the little interest levied upon their borrowed funds are so considerate that they have ceased borrowing from their usual five-six lenders. Parlor work requires stocks of the best hair treatment products – and even if these are expensive, our parlor owners all want to buy them by the bulk. Having borrowed from Filrose, these three friends of mine have replenished the contents of their glass cabinets.
Another client, Evangeline “Bunch” Torres (now married to Jonathan Mission), said that Filrose gives other money lenders a tough competition. This means though that the Foundation has to have a ready reserve of resources, or at least be ever-ready to link itself to other well-meaning organizations whose programs may likewise find beneficiaries in Tabuk.
Last time I tagged along with Ms.Pullis was when she did her rounds at the Tabuk Public Market. One market vendor expressed that she hopes to keep borrowing from Filrose – as long as the need arises and as long as the Foundation keeps its current rates. That, of course, would require her to maintain a good standing in the eyes of Filrose – something which the Foundation emphasizes, according to Ms. Pullis. Of course, in the business world, destroying your own reputation as to money-handling matters would result to a tarnished image. And when that happens, Filrose might simply withdraw its support.
That, however, is painting a bleak picture for prospective clients – for Filrose is still on the buildup stage, but given its present rate of growth, the list of recipients may soon become longer. With its future plans which include a Kids’ Center and the “Adopt-a-Farmer” Program (something I will have to look forward to, as rural development issues strike close to my area of prioritized issues), that expanded list is not hard to arrive at.
And I hope that before it happens, Manong Benito and Manang Tina would already be conversing about what to do with last cropping season’s profits – as they sip from their mugs of coffee, now laced with creamer.
(More about Filrose later. Check out its website at http://www.filroseperaltafoundation.org)
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Can a perfect Exam be Constructed?
by Marciano "m-16" A. Paroy Jr.
I recently attended a seminar on Language Testing at the College of Teacher Education of the Mariano Marcos State University-Laoag Campus. The training activity was an opportunity for the participating teachers to be upgraded as to their ability to construct examination items – with the ultimate goal of coming up with a perfect test to be administered to students.
I beg to differ. No examination – as one whole package – can cover all the skills that a student has learned inside the classroom. Learning is a multi-faceted process and the teaching that was made by the instructor to induce such learning is even more complex, thus making it difficult to come up with one examination which will ideally encompass all that was taught inside the classroom. Considering that an examination for a subject usually lasts an hour, then that would be wishful thinking.
An exam, however, may attempt to cover as much lessons as it possibly could and extract them from the examinee through a series of creatively designed portions in the exam paper – but not all. Again.
Usually, a teacher first gives a multiple choice test, then supply tests (filling-in the blanks, identification, enumeration, etc.) and ends it all with two or three essay questions. That instrument alone is a close-to-perfect tool already to look into the level of learning that a student has amassed before sending him to the next semester – well, assuming that the items were carefully planned-out so as to be worthy of their status as college students.
The trainers – who were PhD students asked to come up with a seminar as their final requirement in one of their courses at MMSU Graduate School – did not, at least, send out the notion that a perfect examination can truly be constructed. Otherwise they would have faced a barrage of contradictory views from most of us in the audience.
Near the end of the seminar, participants – as always – were encouraged to ask questions. Several hands flew up, mostly from the 4th year BSEd and BEEd students of MMSU who were also asked to attend.
The first two questions went out fine, and indeed they were gray areas that needed to be clarified for them. But when the succeeding questions were aired out, my right eyebrow automatically raised itself. Why not, the students were asking questions whose answers were fully covered during the lecture sessions. The lecturers were polite and patient enough to give full responses – perhaps realizing that the questions were coming from students.
However, student or not, a participant should have fully been attentive during the course of the seminar. It is irritating to listen to questions whose answers can be found in earlier pronouncements. So when I was singled out to give my impressions at the end of the seminar, I pointed out that it is surprising to note that the students who will become future teachers were throwing questions regarding some areas that were earlier discussed. This implies that the concerned participants attended the activity with the pre-conceived notion that the lecturers would be unable to cover this or that certain area – and that the accompanying question would be asked at the next available opportunity.
More importantly, this implies that the students who asked the questions were not listening at all – just waiting for the chance to ask their questions.
On the part of the lecturers, I gave my appraisal that they made a great attempt at coming up with carefully selected topics – and ended up with a competent presentation. Still, I reminded the students that the lectures were sort of prescriptive in nature – they are not rules that one has to strictly live by, because when they shall be joining the teaching profession, they will soon find out that the task of constructing an examination is a case-to-case basis, backed up by their own individual teaching experiences.
*****
It is enrollment season once again. I hope our students at the Kalinga-Apayao State College shall go back inside the classroom with a refreshed energy and commitment this second semester.
*****
We have incoming part-time instructors as well. Welcome to the KASC family.
I recently attended a seminar on Language Testing at the College of Teacher Education of the Mariano Marcos State University-Laoag Campus. The training activity was an opportunity for the participating teachers to be upgraded as to their ability to construct examination items – with the ultimate goal of coming up with a perfect test to be administered to students.
I beg to differ. No examination – as one whole package – can cover all the skills that a student has learned inside the classroom. Learning is a multi-faceted process and the teaching that was made by the instructor to induce such learning is even more complex, thus making it difficult to come up with one examination which will ideally encompass all that was taught inside the classroom. Considering that an examination for a subject usually lasts an hour, then that would be wishful thinking.
An exam, however, may attempt to cover as much lessons as it possibly could and extract them from the examinee through a series of creatively designed portions in the exam paper – but not all. Again.
Usually, a teacher first gives a multiple choice test, then supply tests (filling-in the blanks, identification, enumeration, etc.) and ends it all with two or three essay questions. That instrument alone is a close-to-perfect tool already to look into the level of learning that a student has amassed before sending him to the next semester – well, assuming that the items were carefully planned-out so as to be worthy of their status as college students.
The trainers – who were PhD students asked to come up with a seminar as their final requirement in one of their courses at MMSU Graduate School – did not, at least, send out the notion that a perfect examination can truly be constructed. Otherwise they would have faced a barrage of contradictory views from most of us in the audience.
Near the end of the seminar, participants – as always – were encouraged to ask questions. Several hands flew up, mostly from the 4th year BSEd and BEEd students of MMSU who were also asked to attend.
The first two questions went out fine, and indeed they were gray areas that needed to be clarified for them. But when the succeeding questions were aired out, my right eyebrow automatically raised itself. Why not, the students were asking questions whose answers were fully covered during the lecture sessions. The lecturers were polite and patient enough to give full responses – perhaps realizing that the questions were coming from students.
However, student or not, a participant should have fully been attentive during the course of the seminar. It is irritating to listen to questions whose answers can be found in earlier pronouncements. So when I was singled out to give my impressions at the end of the seminar, I pointed out that it is surprising to note that the students who will become future teachers were throwing questions regarding some areas that were earlier discussed. This implies that the concerned participants attended the activity with the pre-conceived notion that the lecturers would be unable to cover this or that certain area – and that the accompanying question would be asked at the next available opportunity.
More importantly, this implies that the students who asked the questions were not listening at all – just waiting for the chance to ask their questions.
On the part of the lecturers, I gave my appraisal that they made a great attempt at coming up with carefully selected topics – and ended up with a competent presentation. Still, I reminded the students that the lectures were sort of prescriptive in nature – they are not rules that one has to strictly live by, because when they shall be joining the teaching profession, they will soon find out that the task of constructing an examination is a case-to-case basis, backed up by their own individual teaching experiences.
*****
It is enrollment season once again. I hope our students at the Kalinga-Apayao State College shall go back inside the classroom with a refreshed energy and commitment this second semester.
*****
We have incoming part-time instructors as well. Welcome to the KASC family.
In the midst of a Storm: Respond, Rescue and Reflect
by Marciano "m-16" A. Paroy Jr.
The recent onslaught of a series of typhoons – including that unbelievable U-turn made by Pepeng – has devastated many of our fellow Filipinos. The images alone that we saw (and continue to see) on our TV screens, computer monitors and on the pages of national dailies are enough to unsettle us and make us think about the effortlessness of Mother Nature to wreck havoc on our lives whenever she wants to.
Life is fragile. That, at least, has been hammered into our judgment again. We strive out into the world and make a lifetime attempt at proving that we can be much more, that we can do much more, not caring to pause for awhile and contemplate about the very fabric of our existence. And so when we find ourselves thrown into a tragedy, we take it a s a jolt that tosses us out of balance – with the sudden protest summed up in a one-syllable word: Why?
There is a reason to everything, we have always told ourselves that. Sort of a mantra that we keep repeating as if it already explains why a certain misfortune took place. For the “devoted,” God has willed it to be so. For the hard line scientist, these catastrophes are a manifestation of the geo-physical upheaval that the earth is continuously undergoing. For the mathematician, these recent phenomena reflect the possibility that earthly life may be snuffed out by such events, and that the calculable odds are great that the ratio between our eventual demise and our survival is narrow, somewhere like 5:1
But people are not numbers. The victims are part of a family with its own story about eking out a living, about how the damaged house was built, about how they have chosen to migrate to a certain place. These are names, not numbers – and behind each name is a story. For the older victims, a story of successes and failures – and how they have managed to stay afloat above such failures. For the children – a story that shall never be lived out, that shall never be written.
Most of us cried. I can say that, without a single speck of a doubt. But we are resilient. Time and time again, we Filipinos have exhibited a different brand of resistance to sad events. We keep falling, yet we keep rising. We keep crying, yet the next day we will be laughing at our very own selves. We keep stumbling, yet others will always go out of their way to give us a hand.
In Tabuk alone, people responded. When downstream Chico River could no longer contain within its river bed the rising water level, residents of Cabaruan, Tabuk and Sucbot, Pinukpuk had to flee their barangays and seek shelter in the hastily prepared evacuation stations at the Laya East Elementary School, Tabuk National High School and Magsaysay Elementary School.
We have heard about accounts of how these unfortunate evacuees were given an immediate help by well-meaning civic groups, community leaders, government officials and other individuals. Like a wellspring of reserved relief and comfort, these people came in droves – proving that we are indeed our brothers’ keepers.
Looking at the images submitted by our ace lensman Elizabeth Busacay, I cannot help but feel the miserable situation that has befallen the residents. It is not that easy to turn your back on your home and take refuge somewhere – with the distressing thought that your house may not be what it was like (or where it used to stand) when you get back once it has been declared that weather conditions had become stable.
We are impressed at the quick outpour of assistance – food (bread, rice, meat, vegetables), clothing and sheets for warmth, materials and utensils for cooking, milk for the children, and even cash from those who did not have the time to rush to the stores that were luckily open.
Just being around, in fact, is a source of great comfort for the evacuees already. It sends out the message that you do have compassion and that you yourself are sad about the situation.
But then one dose not go there to grieve or to curse against the cataclysm. One has to show strength and to be in command of the situation – for if everyone else breaks down, then it would be a roomful of pathetic mourners.
This column then rings out the applauding bells for those who rushed to the evacuation sites – for we have heard that they had all exercised this show of strength even as they expressed their sympathy.
You shall all be remembered by those whom you rescued. In their own little ways in the future – even without your expectations for anything in return – people shall know how to give back.
The recent onslaught of a series of typhoons – including that unbelievable U-turn made by Pepeng – has devastated many of our fellow Filipinos. The images alone that we saw (and continue to see) on our TV screens, computer monitors and on the pages of national dailies are enough to unsettle us and make us think about the effortlessness of Mother Nature to wreck havoc on our lives whenever she wants to.
Life is fragile. That, at least, has been hammered into our judgment again. We strive out into the world and make a lifetime attempt at proving that we can be much more, that we can do much more, not caring to pause for awhile and contemplate about the very fabric of our existence. And so when we find ourselves thrown into a tragedy, we take it a s a jolt that tosses us out of balance – with the sudden protest summed up in a one-syllable word: Why?
There is a reason to everything, we have always told ourselves that. Sort of a mantra that we keep repeating as if it already explains why a certain misfortune took place. For the “devoted,” God has willed it to be so. For the hard line scientist, these catastrophes are a manifestation of the geo-physical upheaval that the earth is continuously undergoing. For the mathematician, these recent phenomena reflect the possibility that earthly life may be snuffed out by such events, and that the calculable odds are great that the ratio between our eventual demise and our survival is narrow, somewhere like 5:1
But people are not numbers. The victims are part of a family with its own story about eking out a living, about how the damaged house was built, about how they have chosen to migrate to a certain place. These are names, not numbers – and behind each name is a story. For the older victims, a story of successes and failures – and how they have managed to stay afloat above such failures. For the children – a story that shall never be lived out, that shall never be written.
Most of us cried. I can say that, without a single speck of a doubt. But we are resilient. Time and time again, we Filipinos have exhibited a different brand of resistance to sad events. We keep falling, yet we keep rising. We keep crying, yet the next day we will be laughing at our very own selves. We keep stumbling, yet others will always go out of their way to give us a hand.
In Tabuk alone, people responded. When downstream Chico River could no longer contain within its river bed the rising water level, residents of Cabaruan, Tabuk and Sucbot, Pinukpuk had to flee their barangays and seek shelter in the hastily prepared evacuation stations at the Laya East Elementary School, Tabuk National High School and Magsaysay Elementary School.
We have heard about accounts of how these unfortunate evacuees were given an immediate help by well-meaning civic groups, community leaders, government officials and other individuals. Like a wellspring of reserved relief and comfort, these people came in droves – proving that we are indeed our brothers’ keepers.
Looking at the images submitted by our ace lensman Elizabeth Busacay, I cannot help but feel the miserable situation that has befallen the residents. It is not that easy to turn your back on your home and take refuge somewhere – with the distressing thought that your house may not be what it was like (or where it used to stand) when you get back once it has been declared that weather conditions had become stable.
We are impressed at the quick outpour of assistance – food (bread, rice, meat, vegetables), clothing and sheets for warmth, materials and utensils for cooking, milk for the children, and even cash from those who did not have the time to rush to the stores that were luckily open.
Just being around, in fact, is a source of great comfort for the evacuees already. It sends out the message that you do have compassion and that you yourself are sad about the situation.
But then one dose not go there to grieve or to curse against the cataclysm. One has to show strength and to be in command of the situation – for if everyone else breaks down, then it would be a roomful of pathetic mourners.
This column then rings out the applauding bells for those who rushed to the evacuation sites – for we have heard that they had all exercised this show of strength even as they expressed their sympathy.
You shall all be remembered by those whom you rescued. In their own little ways in the future – even without your expectations for anything in return – people shall know how to give back.
NTD High Schools: a Collective force this side of Tabuk
by Marciano "m-16" A. Paroy Jr.
With the intent of selecting players that could best represent the Northern Tabuk District this coming City Meet, St. Theresita’s School-Tabuk, Tabuk Institute and Tabuk National High School linked arms and resources to hold what they termed as Triangular Meet 2009 – with the theme “A Sound Mind and a Sound Body.”
A search for Mr. and Ms NTD 2009 commenced the three-day activity, with Xyla Bayudang and Kurdell Johansen Paroy grabbing the top honors, aside from besting their fellow contestants in other special awards. Mr. Paroy was adjudged Best in Ethnic Attire, Best in Sportswear and Best in Talent, while Ms. Bayudang was named as the Best in Ethnic Attire.
Earl Madalang of Tabuk Institute landed as 1st runner-up while John Gavino of STS settled for 2nd runner-up. Vissia Fara Calizar of STS grabbed the 1st runner-up for the female category, aside from being adjudged as Best in Sportswear and Best in Talent. Jolly Maruz Martinez – an active chief girl scout with a noteworthy project in Casigayan – placed as 2nd runner-up for the girls.
As enunciated by show host Grace Mabate-Assayco during one of her eloquent spiels as she handled the pageant, “the beauty contest will serve as a teaser for more intense competitions to be fought and won for the whole duration of the sports event” – sort of a starter for students to be inspired so that they would eventually gear up their competitive muscles and plunge into the real meat of the athletic event: the drive for gold, so to speak, in all events.
The contestants themselves are athletes in various events – which was why they easily displayed sportsmanship up to the last minute when they finally left the stage. It was a refreshing sight – to see students clasping hands even if some ranking scheme has already made a distinction among them.
In the world of sports, ranking does matter. That is imperative. One has to reach the top spot and hopefully retain occupancy for some time – to be acknowledged as Number One. But still, beneath all the buzz fastened on being Number One, athletes are athletes: they play for the mere love of the game.
I hope such display of sportsmanlike character shall be exhibited all through out the activity.
*****
I commend the host of the show, Grace Mabate-Assayco, one of the new additions into the teaching corps of TNHS. Even with some forgivable lapses which can only be summed up as minor errors in the field of hosting, she managed to single-handedly run the show from the podium.
Standing in front for several hours, with only a copy of the program to serve as guide, is taxing – physically and mentally, since you know you have to maintain both a composure (which is physically manifested) and a quick-thinking ability to jump from one segment to another. The stress builds up, yet MCs know that they are not allowed to frown for even a fraction of a second. So, in the matter of Ms. Assayco fumbling some of her lines – these are, again, forgivable slips.
Overall, I give the MC two thumbs up (and I learned that she’s not even an English major, but from the Info Technology department). Welcome to the world of hosting, Grace (Ma’am Lorraine, Sir Bani and Mr. Guiyab now have a company for the rotation of hosting tasks). I hope to see more of her in other occasions – not only in TNHS, but in other community functions as well.
*****
Eyeing the chairs reserved for faculty members of the three participating schools, I saw one glaring non-appearance: those of other teachers from Tabuk Institute. Well, Mr. Joseph Belinan was around, even serving as one of the tabulators, along with the charming Jasmin Sumail, but his fellows are practically non-existent.
During student competitions, I have always valued the presence of advisers, coaches, other teachers, and if possible, school heads and administrators. No need discussing further the effect of their presence which can magically lift up the morale and confidence of the students. We can have a lengthy discourse about the incalculable push that such presence brings.
Their absence, however, can only give the students these four words: They do not care.
*****
Perhaps they were not allowed to leave the school premises. In which case, haan dan nga basol piman.
*****
In this column’s own little way, let us shed spotlight on those who did their part for the show. Along with the teachers we have earlier mentioned, may we also commend Josephina Ba-i who chaired the event, with support from Ruby Belgica, Vivian Domingo, Jasmin Sumail, Joseph Belinan and Don-Don Malana (of STS).
TNHS easily beats the attendance of teachers from all three schools, of course. Still, on hand to boost the morale of STS students were Melanie Pan-oy, Nancy Madarang, and Gemma Carbonel – who stayed the whole time with the STS contestants at the backstage. There. Kasdiay ti kailangan dagiti ubbing tayo.
*****
Mrs. Martina Bayudang, mother of Xyla, was a nervous wreck backstage. But that is understandable for a mother. I find it both amusing and impressive, actually. It is not always that one’s child can go onstage and shout out the surname that he or she is carrying in behalf of his or her parents. So when parents go overzealously enthusiastic during such competitions, it’s perfectly understandable.
*****
I guess a closing evaluation is in order.
With the intent of selecting players that could best represent the Northern Tabuk District this coming City Meet, St. Theresita’s School-Tabuk, Tabuk Institute and Tabuk National High School linked arms and resources to hold what they termed as Triangular Meet 2009 – with the theme “A Sound Mind and a Sound Body.”
A search for Mr. and Ms NTD 2009 commenced the three-day activity, with Xyla Bayudang and Kurdell Johansen Paroy grabbing the top honors, aside from besting their fellow contestants in other special awards. Mr. Paroy was adjudged Best in Ethnic Attire, Best in Sportswear and Best in Talent, while Ms. Bayudang was named as the Best in Ethnic Attire.
Earl Madalang of Tabuk Institute landed as 1st runner-up while John Gavino of STS settled for 2nd runner-up. Vissia Fara Calizar of STS grabbed the 1st runner-up for the female category, aside from being adjudged as Best in Sportswear and Best in Talent. Jolly Maruz Martinez – an active chief girl scout with a noteworthy project in Casigayan – placed as 2nd runner-up for the girls.
As enunciated by show host Grace Mabate-Assayco during one of her eloquent spiels as she handled the pageant, “the beauty contest will serve as a teaser for more intense competitions to be fought and won for the whole duration of the sports event” – sort of a starter for students to be inspired so that they would eventually gear up their competitive muscles and plunge into the real meat of the athletic event: the drive for gold, so to speak, in all events.
The contestants themselves are athletes in various events – which was why they easily displayed sportsmanship up to the last minute when they finally left the stage. It was a refreshing sight – to see students clasping hands even if some ranking scheme has already made a distinction among them.
In the world of sports, ranking does matter. That is imperative. One has to reach the top spot and hopefully retain occupancy for some time – to be acknowledged as Number One. But still, beneath all the buzz fastened on being Number One, athletes are athletes: they play for the mere love of the game.
I hope such display of sportsmanlike character shall be exhibited all through out the activity.
*****
I commend the host of the show, Grace Mabate-Assayco, one of the new additions into the teaching corps of TNHS. Even with some forgivable lapses which can only be summed up as minor errors in the field of hosting, she managed to single-handedly run the show from the podium.
Standing in front for several hours, with only a copy of the program to serve as guide, is taxing – physically and mentally, since you know you have to maintain both a composure (which is physically manifested) and a quick-thinking ability to jump from one segment to another. The stress builds up, yet MCs know that they are not allowed to frown for even a fraction of a second. So, in the matter of Ms. Assayco fumbling some of her lines – these are, again, forgivable slips.
Overall, I give the MC two thumbs up (and I learned that she’s not even an English major, but from the Info Technology department). Welcome to the world of hosting, Grace (Ma’am Lorraine, Sir Bani and Mr. Guiyab now have a company for the rotation of hosting tasks). I hope to see more of her in other occasions – not only in TNHS, but in other community functions as well.
*****
Eyeing the chairs reserved for faculty members of the three participating schools, I saw one glaring non-appearance: those of other teachers from Tabuk Institute. Well, Mr. Joseph Belinan was around, even serving as one of the tabulators, along with the charming Jasmin Sumail, but his fellows are practically non-existent.
During student competitions, I have always valued the presence of advisers, coaches, other teachers, and if possible, school heads and administrators. No need discussing further the effect of their presence which can magically lift up the morale and confidence of the students. We can have a lengthy discourse about the incalculable push that such presence brings.
Their absence, however, can only give the students these four words: They do not care.
*****
Perhaps they were not allowed to leave the school premises. In which case, haan dan nga basol piman.
*****
In this column’s own little way, let us shed spotlight on those who did their part for the show. Along with the teachers we have earlier mentioned, may we also commend Josephina Ba-i who chaired the event, with support from Ruby Belgica, Vivian Domingo, Jasmin Sumail, Joseph Belinan and Don-Don Malana (of STS).
TNHS easily beats the attendance of teachers from all three schools, of course. Still, on hand to boost the morale of STS students were Melanie Pan-oy, Nancy Madarang, and Gemma Carbonel – who stayed the whole time with the STS contestants at the backstage. There. Kasdiay ti kailangan dagiti ubbing tayo.
*****
Mrs. Martina Bayudang, mother of Xyla, was a nervous wreck backstage. But that is understandable for a mother. I find it both amusing and impressive, actually. It is not always that one’s child can go onstage and shout out the surname that he or she is carrying in behalf of his or her parents. So when parents go overzealously enthusiastic during such competitions, it’s perfectly understandable.
*****
I guess a closing evaluation is in order.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
One cannot be in an Organization and refuse to be a Team Player
by Marciano Paroy Jr.
That’s a complete statement there – minus the period.
This observation has recently been bugging me – and I remember a student of mine whom I once advised to convene her fellows within a group that they were planning to put up at KASC. There was a directive from the Director of Students Services and Admission (DSSA) – Dr. Adoracion Taguba – that newly organized groups must submit their constitution and by-laws prior to their being accredited by her office (in the past, organizations were simply formed, with the list of members submitted to her office). A good directive, considering that some organizations and clubs are non-performing.
So I instructed the student to call for a meeting and set as one of the agenda the formulation of the group’s CBL – the composition of those who shall hammer out the provisions to be contained within the CBL, the subsequent presentation to the whole body, the eventual ratification, and the holding of election of officers.
Much to my surprise, the student – after just a day – came to see me and dropped the CBL on my table, with a self-satisfied air. I asked how her group could have made such an output in record time. She said, again with that smugness that reminded me of both Didi and Dexter (of the TV show “Dexter’s Laboratory”), “I did it alone.”
I nearly fell off my chair. A convolution of emotions almost knocked me out: crestfallen, perplexed, disappointed, amused, slightly angered, and some other feelings I could not put a name to. I then pulled the student aside and gave her a lecture on proper behavior and decorum that must be observed if one is to be a part of an organization.
Power-playing. That is what my student applied. She took it upon herself to single-handedly formulate the CBL without recognizing the fact that there are other thinkers within their proposed organization. Even assuming that she was the most intellectually gifted among her peers, it was still wrong for her to presuppose that what she had in mind will be approved anyway by the larger group. Even if the output would, in due course, be given the necessary votes by her fellows, it is completely unethical to put others in the sideline and work alone – then later show them the finished product.
Let us assume that the finished product is perfect in itself. There is nothing wrong with it, right? It cuts time that would otherwise be spent on a lot of jabs and freewheeling discussion. But these are incidents that can be avoided. That is why we have the terms discussion, argument, debate, and dialogue – all designed to summon the best thoughts out of the mental recesses of other people involved. If such opportunity of sitting down as a group is disregarded, then the rule of consensus is ignored – and remember that consensus is a highly priced commodity in an organization.
The student’s action, furthermore, speaks a lot about her. First, she exposed her authoritative stance and her lack of belief on her peers. Second, she already gave a preview of what she might be capable of doing once she will be given the reigns to lead her group.
Nevertheless, the proposed CBL was presented to the prospective members of the organization. During the meeting, there was an immediate backlash. All hell broke loose. From my corner in the room, I sat engrossed at the ability of students to verbally and noisily express themselves – an automatic phenomenon that is displayed by students whenever they perceive that their rights are sidestepped. And believe me, we have so many incidents of this sort at KASC.
The student who had the nerve to railroad the entire procedure to her advantage found herself at the receiving end of a hostile verbal assault. Her intent was questioned, her personality was thrashed, and her product was claimed to be filled with holes – though I saw not a single hole. This went on for the rest of the hour, until it became evident to me that we were driving nowhere – all because one person thought she had the best interest of the organization at heart and single-handedly come up with an output that would totally be credited back to her. All because of her thirst for prestige – but appreciation or approval from other people is not earned that way.
Wrong move.
End of story? The organization was never formed.
That’s a complete statement there – minus the period.
This observation has recently been bugging me – and I remember a student of mine whom I once advised to convene her fellows within a group that they were planning to put up at KASC. There was a directive from the Director of Students Services and Admission (DSSA) – Dr. Adoracion Taguba – that newly organized groups must submit their constitution and by-laws prior to their being accredited by her office (in the past, organizations were simply formed, with the list of members submitted to her office). A good directive, considering that some organizations and clubs are non-performing.
So I instructed the student to call for a meeting and set as one of the agenda the formulation of the group’s CBL – the composition of those who shall hammer out the provisions to be contained within the CBL, the subsequent presentation to the whole body, the eventual ratification, and the holding of election of officers.
Much to my surprise, the student – after just a day – came to see me and dropped the CBL on my table, with a self-satisfied air. I asked how her group could have made such an output in record time. She said, again with that smugness that reminded me of both Didi and Dexter (of the TV show “Dexter’s Laboratory”), “I did it alone.”
I nearly fell off my chair. A convolution of emotions almost knocked me out: crestfallen, perplexed, disappointed, amused, slightly angered, and some other feelings I could not put a name to. I then pulled the student aside and gave her a lecture on proper behavior and decorum that must be observed if one is to be a part of an organization.
Power-playing. That is what my student applied. She took it upon herself to single-handedly formulate the CBL without recognizing the fact that there are other thinkers within their proposed organization. Even assuming that she was the most intellectually gifted among her peers, it was still wrong for her to presuppose that what she had in mind will be approved anyway by the larger group. Even if the output would, in due course, be given the necessary votes by her fellows, it is completely unethical to put others in the sideline and work alone – then later show them the finished product.
Let us assume that the finished product is perfect in itself. There is nothing wrong with it, right? It cuts time that would otherwise be spent on a lot of jabs and freewheeling discussion. But these are incidents that can be avoided. That is why we have the terms discussion, argument, debate, and dialogue – all designed to summon the best thoughts out of the mental recesses of other people involved. If such opportunity of sitting down as a group is disregarded, then the rule of consensus is ignored – and remember that consensus is a highly priced commodity in an organization.
The student’s action, furthermore, speaks a lot about her. First, she exposed her authoritative stance and her lack of belief on her peers. Second, she already gave a preview of what she might be capable of doing once she will be given the reigns to lead her group.
Nevertheless, the proposed CBL was presented to the prospective members of the organization. During the meeting, there was an immediate backlash. All hell broke loose. From my corner in the room, I sat engrossed at the ability of students to verbally and noisily express themselves – an automatic phenomenon that is displayed by students whenever they perceive that their rights are sidestepped. And believe me, we have so many incidents of this sort at KASC.
The student who had the nerve to railroad the entire procedure to her advantage found herself at the receiving end of a hostile verbal assault. Her intent was questioned, her personality was thrashed, and her product was claimed to be filled with holes – though I saw not a single hole. This went on for the rest of the hour, until it became evident to me that we were driving nowhere – all because one person thought she had the best interest of the organization at heart and single-handedly come up with an output that would totally be credited back to her. All because of her thirst for prestige – but appreciation or approval from other people is not earned that way.
Wrong move.
End of story? The organization was never formed.
After the Mayor’s State of the City Address, how shall we Address him Next?
by Marciano Paroy Jr.
Going over the pronouncements of Mayor Lammawin during his State of the City Address at the Pastoral Center, I clap my hands and give Mayor Lammawin the two-tumbsup sign.
We do give credit where it is due. Not only because it is the fair thing to do – but more so because it would somehow express how impressed we are with his commitment to attain tangible change within the time parameter he has avowed to attain such. Also, placing his leadership achievement under the spotlight would inspire those who have set their eyes to scale the same ladder he has successfully ascended.
Normally, we would like to assume that his successor would stay within safe grounds and be guided with what is already in place by the time he or she takes over the reigns. Or take the more drastic move and put his or her own planning-execution wheels into motion – probably taking a different direction, or at least prioritizing a different area.
There is nothing bad with such prospects, especially so if the common good is being served, which is our yardstick in assessing the efficiency and competence of those who occupy executive posts in governance.
This early, I am talking about 2010 and what might happen after the elections next year because of the Mayor’s SOCA. He has summarized what has been attained by the city government under his watch – and so naturally, we look forward and ask the crucial question: what happens after he steps down from the apex of Tabuk politics and move on to whatever he might be contemplating at present?
We do need to ask that question. As a genuine Tabukeño, I – like everyone else in the community – have a stake in the future of this place. The natural course of thoughts for us would be to say that we like the course of things as they are now – but we have to realize that there would really be a different occupant at the Mayor’s chair next year, and so asking the question “What happens next?” is a cause of concern for all of us.
*****
Thumbing through our local history, Mayor Lammawin’s rise in Tabuk politics is almost like “a given” – one of those phenomena we refer to as “it’s meant to be.” Having shown his charisma, first as a councilor, then winning more and more believers and supporters when he sat as Vice Mayor – he has, so to speak, charted a political career that can only be described as “nowhere to go but up.”
By the time he was sitting at the Mayor’s Office, he has already a well-entrenched place in the hearts of Tabukeños. Though his original companions at the Council have moved on to other areas, and though the composition of that same council changed a number of times by the time he was wielding executory powers, he has held on – a trooper, if we are to liken him to a performer.
Back to the question – “what happens next?” Or shall we reword it more blatantly?
“Who shall sit next?”
Going over the pronouncements of Mayor Lammawin during his State of the City Address at the Pastoral Center, I clap my hands and give Mayor Lammawin the two-tumbsup sign.
We do give credit where it is due. Not only because it is the fair thing to do – but more so because it would somehow express how impressed we are with his commitment to attain tangible change within the time parameter he has avowed to attain such. Also, placing his leadership achievement under the spotlight would inspire those who have set their eyes to scale the same ladder he has successfully ascended.
Normally, we would like to assume that his successor would stay within safe grounds and be guided with what is already in place by the time he or she takes over the reigns. Or take the more drastic move and put his or her own planning-execution wheels into motion – probably taking a different direction, or at least prioritizing a different area.
There is nothing bad with such prospects, especially so if the common good is being served, which is our yardstick in assessing the efficiency and competence of those who occupy executive posts in governance.
This early, I am talking about 2010 and what might happen after the elections next year because of the Mayor’s SOCA. He has summarized what has been attained by the city government under his watch – and so naturally, we look forward and ask the crucial question: what happens after he steps down from the apex of Tabuk politics and move on to whatever he might be contemplating at present?
We do need to ask that question. As a genuine Tabukeño, I – like everyone else in the community – have a stake in the future of this place. The natural course of thoughts for us would be to say that we like the course of things as they are now – but we have to realize that there would really be a different occupant at the Mayor’s chair next year, and so asking the question “What happens next?” is a cause of concern for all of us.
*****
Thumbing through our local history, Mayor Lammawin’s rise in Tabuk politics is almost like “a given” – one of those phenomena we refer to as “it’s meant to be.” Having shown his charisma, first as a councilor, then winning more and more believers and supporters when he sat as Vice Mayor – he has, so to speak, charted a political career that can only be described as “nowhere to go but up.”
By the time he was sitting at the Mayor’s Office, he has already a well-entrenched place in the hearts of Tabukeños. Though his original companions at the Council have moved on to other areas, and though the composition of that same council changed a number of times by the time he was wielding executory powers, he has held on – a trooper, if we are to liken him to a performer.
Back to the question – “what happens next?” Or shall we reword it more blatantly?
“Who shall sit next?”
A film that grabs and strangles your Emotions
by Marciano Paroy Jr.
Recently, I got hold of a DVD copy of the modern classic “Schindler’s List” – that masterpiece directed by Stephen Spielberg which hit theaters in 1993, and ran away with most of the awards in almost all major award-giving bodies in film the following year, especially the Academy Awards or Oscars in the USA.
When I watched it inside the movie theater back in 1993, while a college student in UE, I remember feeling that it was a painful film to watch – and I found out when I watched it all over again that the film has not lost its ability to disturb a viewer. The film grabs you by the throat so that any feeling of being aghast is contained – and you hold on to that feeling up to the very last scene.
Indeed, sitting through the long feature film is an agonizing experience. One has to be ready for the influx of mixed emotions, chief of which – if one values human life – is one’s loathing of anyone who takes it upon himself to degrade other human beings, to relegate them to lower forms of creations, to snuff out their lives with just a trivial pull at the trigger.
“Schindler’s List,” though most would consider it as Spielberg’s almost vengeful take on the Nazi’s experimentation with what they call “The Final Solution” regarding “the Jew problem,” is also a plain recounting of what the surviving Jews went through during World War II. In plain black and white – thus giving the viewer the sense of honesty and purity of intent on the part of the film-makers – “Schindler’s List never lets us forget that something as horrible as mass extermination of a nation can really be possible, and that a well-carried-out plan can attain its objectives, even in such large-scale terms. Then through it all, one never lets go of the question “How can such a thing happen?” and so the movie never lets us forget the horrors inflicted upon the Jewish people.
Sitting through the film anew, I felt glad that I never lost the ability to care, to value human life, to love humanity – and, conversely, to detest those who play God. So I cried my heart out. Again.
*****
“Schindler’s List” is not your normal choice of a weekend movie to insert through your DVD player slot. First, as I have noted earlier, it was shot in black and white (with only that interesting fleeting scene of a Jewish girl trying to escape – wearing a red coat). Second, it is very long. Third, if your chief intent in watching a film is to laugh, then “Schindler’s List” is not at all for you.
Recently, I got hold of a DVD copy of the modern classic “Schindler’s List” – that masterpiece directed by Stephen Spielberg which hit theaters in 1993, and ran away with most of the awards in almost all major award-giving bodies in film the following year, especially the Academy Awards or Oscars in the USA.
When I watched it inside the movie theater back in 1993, while a college student in UE, I remember feeling that it was a painful film to watch – and I found out when I watched it all over again that the film has not lost its ability to disturb a viewer. The film grabs you by the throat so that any feeling of being aghast is contained – and you hold on to that feeling up to the very last scene.
Indeed, sitting through the long feature film is an agonizing experience. One has to be ready for the influx of mixed emotions, chief of which – if one values human life – is one’s loathing of anyone who takes it upon himself to degrade other human beings, to relegate them to lower forms of creations, to snuff out their lives with just a trivial pull at the trigger.
“Schindler’s List,” though most would consider it as Spielberg’s almost vengeful take on the Nazi’s experimentation with what they call “The Final Solution” regarding “the Jew problem,” is also a plain recounting of what the surviving Jews went through during World War II. In plain black and white – thus giving the viewer the sense of honesty and purity of intent on the part of the film-makers – “Schindler’s List never lets us forget that something as horrible as mass extermination of a nation can really be possible, and that a well-carried-out plan can attain its objectives, even in such large-scale terms. Then through it all, one never lets go of the question “How can such a thing happen?” and so the movie never lets us forget the horrors inflicted upon the Jewish people.
Sitting through the film anew, I felt glad that I never lost the ability to care, to value human life, to love humanity – and, conversely, to detest those who play God. So I cried my heart out. Again.
*****
“Schindler’s List” is not your normal choice of a weekend movie to insert through your DVD player slot. First, as I have noted earlier, it was shot in black and white (with only that interesting fleeting scene of a Jewish girl trying to escape – wearing a red coat). Second, it is very long. Third, if your chief intent in watching a film is to laugh, then “Schindler’s List” is not at all for you.
Edison Macusi: a new addition to the Guru writing family
by Marciano Paroy Jr.
Starting this issue, we are pleased to splash across the op-ed pages the outputs of Edison Macusi, carrier of that surname which, to people who knew, has always been identified with the Communication Arts (his father, Sir Desiderio Macusi – prior to his current post at the judiciary – was a former instructor at KASC where he handled courses on creative writing and speech). This younger progeny has been schooled in Biology at UPLB – where, as his website says, he found his spiritual calling. He has been a Christ disciple ever since and even went further by publishing books that continue to earn acclaim in the realm of evangelism.
His website takethelandministries.org shouts out that after graduation, he held jobs as instructor and then as a research assistant at several government offices. He recently received his Master’s degree on International Studies in Aquatic Tropical Ecology (ISATEC) from the University of Bremen in Germany. Quite impressive, huh!
I lifted the following from his website: “He believes in the full restoration of the five-fold ministries of the church, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the apostolic mandate to make all nations disciples of Christ. His main goal in life is to plant, establish and equip local churches so that they would be salt and light in their towns and cities amidst conflict and distress. He wrote Freedom from Religious Bondage, Unmasking Evolution, Restorer's of the breach and The surpassing Peace of God that seek to restore the focus of the church to its rightful place, Jesus, the Bishop and Apostle of our faith.”
All of these at a very young age.
There is hope… Indeed, there is hope.
Starting this issue, we are pleased to splash across the op-ed pages the outputs of Edison Macusi, carrier of that surname which, to people who knew, has always been identified with the Communication Arts (his father, Sir Desiderio Macusi – prior to his current post at the judiciary – was a former instructor at KASC where he handled courses on creative writing and speech). This younger progeny has been schooled in Biology at UPLB – where, as his website says, he found his spiritual calling. He has been a Christ disciple ever since and even went further by publishing books that continue to earn acclaim in the realm of evangelism.
His website takethelandministries.org shouts out that after graduation, he held jobs as instructor and then as a research assistant at several government offices. He recently received his Master’s degree on International Studies in Aquatic Tropical Ecology (ISATEC) from the University of Bremen in Germany. Quite impressive, huh!
I lifted the following from his website: “He believes in the full restoration of the five-fold ministries of the church, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the apostolic mandate to make all nations disciples of Christ. His main goal in life is to plant, establish and equip local churches so that they would be salt and light in their towns and cities amidst conflict and distress. He wrote Freedom from Religious Bondage, Unmasking Evolution, Restorer's of the breach and The surpassing Peace of God that seek to restore the focus of the church to its rightful place, Jesus, the Bishop and Apostle of our faith.”
All of these at a very young age.
There is hope… Indeed, there is hope.
After the storm comes… Justification
by Marciano A. Paroy Jr.
Some friends and readers were rather surprised by my feature on Capt. Dante Langkit last week. (Example: Sir Peter Balocnit of PIA said “Maysa page ti inted mo kin Capt. Dante ah…”) No need repeating their exact questions they voiced out, but they all border on my throwing support to a political aspirant. That was not the intent of the article, though. It simply presented the current situation that Capt. Langkit is subjected to – while drawing background material from foregoing circumstances.
The plight he is presently going through is a genuine source of concern – especially so that he is a constituent of this province. I’m even surprised to know that, when I asked around, many people are somewhat left in the dark as to Capt. Langkit’s case. I myself had to fill-in the vague areas in my knowledge about the case when, following his brief visit to Kalinga last May, he called for local media practitioners and bared the possible direction that he might take regarding next year’s election.
Take note of the speculative “possible direction” which means nothing is really final yet, even considering that he has clearly pronounced his intention of serving the people of this province. We all just have to lie in wait for that definitive “final decision.”
But before then, his story is one subject that is worth exploring – and I believe the feature on him last issue was presented bare of slants that tipped towards his side. We can write lengthily about a certain person or issue and yet still manage to distance ourselves from the possibility of being tagged. As a writer, I fiercely stand by that ability earned and continuously honed by us in the writing profession. Conversely, we can take a certain person and draw spotlight to him and make him appear as though he were, say, a Godsend. That is being done. Always. Which is why we have speech writers, PR people, media personnel (from both private and government-owned media outfits) discreetly working for political leaders – and I have nothing against that practice, so long as a line is clearly drawn between what is journalistically acceptable and what can be blatantly labeled as being under the clutch of the person cast under the spotlight.
Now, the issue story of Capt. Dante Langkit is one genuine topic that needs to be brought to the consciousness of our reading public – especially so that he is setting his eyes on 2010. That desire alone should merit his being given a certain media mileage to lighten up the gray areas: who is he? What has he done? What is he doing? What does he have in mind?... and many other questions.
The human angle of the story is that Capt. Dante Langkit is languishing in detention. He is a prisoner, as plain as that. It is that situation that immediately evokes sympathetic emotions – whether or not we totally identify with the principles that he and his group live by. Considering the impressive career that he has somehow built for his personal portfolio, we see a young potential whose leadership aspirations were nipped in the bud. Not allowed to shine, not given the opportunity to prove his mettle. So we can only stand by the sidelines and say “Sayang.”
And yet again, we are not here to judge the correctness or incongruity of his actions. We all do not have the ethical vein to accomplish that. What motivations drove him to take the direction he took, what intent backed his decisions, what inspiration fired him up – these are matters we can only gaze at, but cannot lay a hand on.
The moment he called and asked whether I had time for a conversation, it has never slipped my mind that the person I was talking to is someone who is confined within the walls of his detention unit. Restricted. Not free. I then decided to write last week’s feature about him – but even that piece took a long time to be completed, since one has to be detached as much as possible. I believe I did just that.
Whatever final decision the young army officer would take this November, I wish him all the best. And he may rest assured that, should he push through with his vision, this paper will also devote space for him – side by side with other political contenders. They’re all newsworthy. An enlightened voting populace is a wise populace. And the more options we have, the more we’ll be able to exercise the right to choose – and the busier we shall all be at the news industry.
Some friends and readers were rather surprised by my feature on Capt. Dante Langkit last week. (Example: Sir Peter Balocnit of PIA said “Maysa page ti inted mo kin Capt. Dante ah…”) No need repeating their exact questions they voiced out, but they all border on my throwing support to a political aspirant. That was not the intent of the article, though. It simply presented the current situation that Capt. Langkit is subjected to – while drawing background material from foregoing circumstances.
The plight he is presently going through is a genuine source of concern – especially so that he is a constituent of this province. I’m even surprised to know that, when I asked around, many people are somewhat left in the dark as to Capt. Langkit’s case. I myself had to fill-in the vague areas in my knowledge about the case when, following his brief visit to Kalinga last May, he called for local media practitioners and bared the possible direction that he might take regarding next year’s election.
Take note of the speculative “possible direction” which means nothing is really final yet, even considering that he has clearly pronounced his intention of serving the people of this province. We all just have to lie in wait for that definitive “final decision.”
But before then, his story is one subject that is worth exploring – and I believe the feature on him last issue was presented bare of slants that tipped towards his side. We can write lengthily about a certain person or issue and yet still manage to distance ourselves from the possibility of being tagged. As a writer, I fiercely stand by that ability earned and continuously honed by us in the writing profession. Conversely, we can take a certain person and draw spotlight to him and make him appear as though he were, say, a Godsend. That is being done. Always. Which is why we have speech writers, PR people, media personnel (from both private and government-owned media outfits) discreetly working for political leaders – and I have nothing against that practice, so long as a line is clearly drawn between what is journalistically acceptable and what can be blatantly labeled as being under the clutch of the person cast under the spotlight.
Now, the issue story of Capt. Dante Langkit is one genuine topic that needs to be brought to the consciousness of our reading public – especially so that he is setting his eyes on 2010. That desire alone should merit his being given a certain media mileage to lighten up the gray areas: who is he? What has he done? What is he doing? What does he have in mind?... and many other questions.
The human angle of the story is that Capt. Dante Langkit is languishing in detention. He is a prisoner, as plain as that. It is that situation that immediately evokes sympathetic emotions – whether or not we totally identify with the principles that he and his group live by. Considering the impressive career that he has somehow built for his personal portfolio, we see a young potential whose leadership aspirations were nipped in the bud. Not allowed to shine, not given the opportunity to prove his mettle. So we can only stand by the sidelines and say “Sayang.”
And yet again, we are not here to judge the correctness or incongruity of his actions. We all do not have the ethical vein to accomplish that. What motivations drove him to take the direction he took, what intent backed his decisions, what inspiration fired him up – these are matters we can only gaze at, but cannot lay a hand on.
The moment he called and asked whether I had time for a conversation, it has never slipped my mind that the person I was talking to is someone who is confined within the walls of his detention unit. Restricted. Not free. I then decided to write last week’s feature about him – but even that piece took a long time to be completed, since one has to be detached as much as possible. I believe I did just that.
Whatever final decision the young army officer would take this November, I wish him all the best. And he may rest assured that, should he push through with his vision, this paper will also devote space for him – side by side with other political contenders. They’re all newsworthy. An enlightened voting populace is a wise populace. And the more options we have, the more we’ll be able to exercise the right to choose – and the busier we shall all be at the news industry.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
A Quartet of disparities: Imelda, Cory, Miriam and Gloria
A Quartet of disparities: Imelda, Cory, Miriam and Gloria
by Marciano A. Paroy Jr.
In my list, there are only four women in Philippine politics who, upon their dramatic entry, were able to collectively fascinate us and held our attention wrapped by the newsworthiness of all their actions – for so long, that we almost feel like we have known them forever: Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, Mirriam Defensor-Santiago and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Just saying their names aloud conjures images of refinement, bearing, elegance, wisdom, panache, style, and all those grand adjectives (and they are among the few whose maiden names we always like to put right there in the middle).
The four women had all been media darlings during their peak – with the exception of PGMA who, much to the consternation of a sizeable percentage in the society, still clings to that peak, in a manner of speaking.
Among the four, former First Lady Imelda wins hands down for having mastered the skill in sweetly controlling the media to her advantage during her days. She succeeded in getting the media to paint the image she had always wanted to project. If Princess Diana’s hold over the press could be attributed to her perceived coyness and reserved demeanor, Imelda took the opposite direction and beaconed for each camera bulb to flash before her face. If Princess Diana would look away or simply look down and stare at her oversized toes as cameras heat up the atmosphere around her, Mrs. Marcos would confront the situation and stare straight into the camera lens.
And smile, with confidence, knowing that she would look great in photographs taken from whatever angle, and under whatever lighting.
She was a great beauty. I give her that. In fact, she remains to be the most glamorous and most enthralling female occupant that ever slept at the Malacañang Palace.
*****
But if Imelda was the stunning cover of the magazine or the look-at-me oversized front page photo on a tabloid, then former President Cory Aquino would be its editorial – the core, the meat, all mind, heart and soul.
Breezing-in with no experience in politics and public administration, Tita Cory endeared herself to media practitioners, both here and abroad. She landed the Time Cover of its January 5, 1987 issue when it named her as the Woman of the Year (for1986) – her fourth cover actually; she landed the cover thrice the previous year. You could not get any higher than that in proving that you have bagged the approval of the news and public affairs industry – in its print medium, that is. She made quite an impression on the American press that Katherine Graham, publisher of the venerable Washington Post – upon listening to President Aquino eloquently address her American audience at the White House – wondered whether an American could have written her speech.
The perennial media sin of Cory, however, was her being honest, ready to bare how she felt, holding nothing back – traits that seasoned media-savvy politicians have perfected through the years. She would say one thing, and mean it – and the press would rush to their keyboards with not the slightest shade of doubt.
And so when President Aquino announced, during her last SONA in 1991, that she would soon be Citizen Cory the following year – everyone believed her.
*****
Try this: Say the name Miriam and think of one-word descriptions that accurately befit her. One, two, three – go!
“Miriam.”
A lull follows. There is a long pause. The sheet becomes blank. For what are you supposed to say? Come up with the wrong choice of words and you may find yourself at the receiving end of her heavily worded (and accented) invectives. But that is the Miriam trademark which we have all bowed down to at first, then became an irreverent source of amusement, and later embraced as an innate part of the whole package that is overweighed with pure wisdom, nothing else.
That is how she has always been presented by the Philippine media. But certainly, she must have a soft spot somewhere that she fails to guard at times, too – and when tragic moments in fact occurred in her life, the press did not go to great lengths to portray a woman in grief. It is simply just not her at all. To even hint at weakness is incongruent to the long-held impression that we have of the lady senator.
*****
Earlier, I have said that all four women had been media darlings during their peak. PGMA is in power now but she is not exactly a media darling these days. But there was a time when she was somehow well-loved by the news industry. Coming from affluent backgrounds, with a former Philippine President for a father, her rise in the world of politics was a given. But even so, she did prove her worth as a valuable addition to the male-dominated Senate.
Not really a great beauty, but what she lacked in physique, she more than made up in the brains department – and coupled it with a media-friendly stance. This was all in the early days of her career. Eventually, she outsmarted and prevailed over many people who easily overshadowed her physically.
There is division in the Philippine media with regards to the simple PGMA question: is she good or is she bad? But while we cannot deny that she has pronouncements and decisions that isolate and earn the ire of media practitioners, she does have, conversely, many winning points too.
*****
As a run-through, Imelda is the woman who was tagged as “the other President” in the shadows; Cory was the woman who did become President; Miriam is the woman who almost became President; and PGMA is the woman who – err, in the words of Susan Roces – “stole the Presidency.”
Former First Lady Imelda had a falling-out with the media when she was labeled as a thief; President Cory – aside from that trivial “hiding under” issue – was only badly appraised for her bad hairdo and weak interest in fashion (she did improve later); Senator Miriam has not yet done anything major that would totally antagonize media practitioners, but she does make press people scratch their heads – like when she said “I lied. Hahahaha!” (in fact, it pushed press people to get her talking all the more, wishing she might lapse into one such moment again); as for PGMA, she has yet to be judged after her stint at the Palace.
There goes the Great Four – and, indeed, they are great women. At the very moment when Imelda became First Lady to President Ferdinand Marcos, the Philippine government has since been imprinted with the touch of a woman.
This active role in governance won’t end with Pangulong Gloria, that’s for sure. Without doubt, they are all qualified – academic preparations, leadership and management experience, a ready reserve of support, etc. Name a criterion, a lady politician will most likely meet it.
Just listing down the names of these women on-the-rise would, again, conjure images of refinement, bearing, elegance, wisdom, panache, style, and all those grand adjectives.
Ugh! Give me Aling Dionisia anytime.
by Marciano A. Paroy Jr.
In my list, there are only four women in Philippine politics who, upon their dramatic entry, were able to collectively fascinate us and held our attention wrapped by the newsworthiness of all their actions – for so long, that we almost feel like we have known them forever: Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, Mirriam Defensor-Santiago and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Just saying their names aloud conjures images of refinement, bearing, elegance, wisdom, panache, style, and all those grand adjectives (and they are among the few whose maiden names we always like to put right there in the middle).
The four women had all been media darlings during their peak – with the exception of PGMA who, much to the consternation of a sizeable percentage in the society, still clings to that peak, in a manner of speaking.
Among the four, former First Lady Imelda wins hands down for having mastered the skill in sweetly controlling the media to her advantage during her days. She succeeded in getting the media to paint the image she had always wanted to project. If Princess Diana’s hold over the press could be attributed to her perceived coyness and reserved demeanor, Imelda took the opposite direction and beaconed for each camera bulb to flash before her face. If Princess Diana would look away or simply look down and stare at her oversized toes as cameras heat up the atmosphere around her, Mrs. Marcos would confront the situation and stare straight into the camera lens.
And smile, with confidence, knowing that she would look great in photographs taken from whatever angle, and under whatever lighting.
She was a great beauty. I give her that. In fact, she remains to be the most glamorous and most enthralling female occupant that ever slept at the Malacañang Palace.
*****
But if Imelda was the stunning cover of the magazine or the look-at-me oversized front page photo on a tabloid, then former President Cory Aquino would be its editorial – the core, the meat, all mind, heart and soul.
Breezing-in with no experience in politics and public administration, Tita Cory endeared herself to media practitioners, both here and abroad. She landed the Time Cover of its January 5, 1987 issue when it named her as the Woman of the Year (for1986) – her fourth cover actually; she landed the cover thrice the previous year. You could not get any higher than that in proving that you have bagged the approval of the news and public affairs industry – in its print medium, that is. She made quite an impression on the American press that Katherine Graham, publisher of the venerable Washington Post – upon listening to President Aquino eloquently address her American audience at the White House – wondered whether an American could have written her speech.
The perennial media sin of Cory, however, was her being honest, ready to bare how she felt, holding nothing back – traits that seasoned media-savvy politicians have perfected through the years. She would say one thing, and mean it – and the press would rush to their keyboards with not the slightest shade of doubt.
And so when President Aquino announced, during her last SONA in 1991, that she would soon be Citizen Cory the following year – everyone believed her.
*****
Try this: Say the name Miriam and think of one-word descriptions that accurately befit her. One, two, three – go!
“Miriam.”
A lull follows. There is a long pause. The sheet becomes blank. For what are you supposed to say? Come up with the wrong choice of words and you may find yourself at the receiving end of her heavily worded (and accented) invectives. But that is the Miriam trademark which we have all bowed down to at first, then became an irreverent source of amusement, and later embraced as an innate part of the whole package that is overweighed with pure wisdom, nothing else.
That is how she has always been presented by the Philippine media. But certainly, she must have a soft spot somewhere that she fails to guard at times, too – and when tragic moments in fact occurred in her life, the press did not go to great lengths to portray a woman in grief. It is simply just not her at all. To even hint at weakness is incongruent to the long-held impression that we have of the lady senator.
*****
Earlier, I have said that all four women had been media darlings during their peak. PGMA is in power now but she is not exactly a media darling these days. But there was a time when she was somehow well-loved by the news industry. Coming from affluent backgrounds, with a former Philippine President for a father, her rise in the world of politics was a given. But even so, she did prove her worth as a valuable addition to the male-dominated Senate.
Not really a great beauty, but what she lacked in physique, she more than made up in the brains department – and coupled it with a media-friendly stance. This was all in the early days of her career. Eventually, she outsmarted and prevailed over many people who easily overshadowed her physically.
There is division in the Philippine media with regards to the simple PGMA question: is she good or is she bad? But while we cannot deny that she has pronouncements and decisions that isolate and earn the ire of media practitioners, she does have, conversely, many winning points too.
*****
As a run-through, Imelda is the woman who was tagged as “the other President” in the shadows; Cory was the woman who did become President; Miriam is the woman who almost became President; and PGMA is the woman who – err, in the words of Susan Roces – “stole the Presidency.”
Former First Lady Imelda had a falling-out with the media when she was labeled as a thief; President Cory – aside from that trivial “hiding under” issue – was only badly appraised for her bad hairdo and weak interest in fashion (she did improve later); Senator Miriam has not yet done anything major that would totally antagonize media practitioners, but she does make press people scratch their heads – like when she said “I lied. Hahahaha!” (in fact, it pushed press people to get her talking all the more, wishing she might lapse into one such moment again); as for PGMA, she has yet to be judged after her stint at the Palace.
There goes the Great Four – and, indeed, they are great women. At the very moment when Imelda became First Lady to President Ferdinand Marcos, the Philippine government has since been imprinted with the touch of a woman.
This active role in governance won’t end with Pangulong Gloria, that’s for sure. Without doubt, they are all qualified – academic preparations, leadership and management experience, a ready reserve of support, etc. Name a criterion, a lady politician will most likely meet it.
Just listing down the names of these women on-the-rise would, again, conjure images of refinement, bearing, elegance, wisdom, panache, style, and all those grand adjectives.
Ugh! Give me Aling Dionisia anytime.
Capt Dante Langkit: his Future in Politics and his Continuing Dilemma
by Marciano A. Paroy Jr.
Affirming the Magdalo Para sa Pagbabago’s call for genuine reforms in the government – which were all manifested in a series of foiled attempts to demand for President Arroyo’s stepping down from power – Capt. Dante Langkit sustains and intensifies the drumroll for attention to the cause and, more specifically, to his now-widely publicized intent to represent the Kalinga people in Congress.
Not an easy feat to accomplish, considering that he is still being detained at Camp Crame, along with fellow officers implicated in the alleged February 2006 coup plot against the country’s Chief Executive. This constraint had already prevented him from seeking the congressional seat of Kalinga way back in 2007 – as he refused to turn state witness in exchange for his freedom, which would have enabled him to campaign for the post he was eyeing then.
His refusal to seize the above-mentioned offer cost him the opportunity to launch his candidacy in Kalinga. As it can now be recalled, it was his brother Engr. Danzel Langkit, Pinukpuk’s Municipal Administrator, who soldiered on with the aspiration, in effect reflecting a similar vision of “helping our provincemates” – as he told Victor Reyes of Malaya in February 2007, when names of probable Kalinga congressional aspirants were already doing the rounds back here.
In retrospect, the candidacy secured for Engr. Danzel Langkit around 13% of the total votes cast in Kalinga in May 2007, which positioned him in 4th place, after – in descending order – winning Congressman Manuel Agyao (cornering 29% of the votes), close rival James Bejarin (27%), Atty. Macario Duguiang (23%), while former Vice-Governor Joseph Delson landed in 5th place (8%).
“Not bad for a political novice,” Dr. Edgar Naganag, an analyst from the Political Science and Public Administration departments of the Kalinga-Apayao State College, noted. “It caused a considerable dent, thus reducing votes that would have been amassed by the other candidates. Had Engr. Langkit’s candidacy been non-existent, there could have possibly been a different turn of events.”
It is that performance of the Langkit name at the polls in 2007 which seems to serve as the present springboard from which the Langkit brothers and their supporters hope to pick up. This time however, it is Captain Langkit who considers throwing his hat into the political ring, as originally intended.
Same Face, Same Post
“This early, I am re-establishing my wish to be of service to the Kalinga people,” Captain Langkit said in a phone interview with Guru Press. “It is my belief that I can do much more for the lives of my provincemates through a leadership role that could equip me with influence to advance for meaningful change in Kalinga.”
To clearly signify his intent, the army officer sought and obtained permission to come home to Kalinga last May and ascertain his name in the roster of voting residents of Taga, Pinukpuk. Then before being escorted back to the big city, he had a brief talk with members of the local media on the last day of his three-day leave.
It was then that he announced to members of the local media his goal of winning a seat in the Congress – either as the elected representative of the lone district of this province, or as an occupant of a congressional seat by way of the party list system, if Samahang Magdalo merits accreditation as a genuine party list organization.
This poses quite a problem. First, assuming that Samahang Magdalo will finally be accredited as a party list organization, it still has to win the prescribed percentage of the electorate in order for it to win a seat (or even seats) in the Congress. Second, Captain Langkit has to really triumph over other nominees within SM who are being considered to stand and speak for the group. And yet still, before both of these can be achieved, Samahang Magdalo has to be firmly lodged in the consciousness of the voting public.
Here enters the rigorous awareness-creation activities of the group, currently scattered in the different regions. To clearly draw the lines, Samahang Magdalo is a distinct organization under the controlling sphere of the more popularly known, though ill-famed, Magdalo.
Samahang Magdalo as an offshoot of Magdalo
It is now common knowledge that the original Magdalo has been conceived by a group of officers and men of the AFP as a movement calling for sweeping reforms in government. However, that description delimits their membership only to AFP people who may think alike.
Perhaps recognizing that an expanded membership base which embraces civilians would create a higher degree of sympathy towards their cause, Magdalo came up with Samahang Magdalo, welcoming interested members from all walks of life. With former Marine Captain Gary Alejano as its national president, SM has been unrelenting in recruiting members. In the Cordillera, for instance, Coordinator-at-Large Robert Ocampo has been conducting membership expansion activities round-the-clock – as brandished in the official SM website. Also, in addition to this traditional hard-sell which is carried out via face-to-face enticement of would-be members, SM has been recruiting members online.
Much like an exclusive family corporation which has gone public, SM is capturing the attention of the people. Part of its appeal seems to stem from the fact that never before has there been a similar organization in which civilians can rub elbows with members of the armed forces with a deviating stand on government issues. The actual membership tally, however, remains undisclosed, and it is inaccurate to use as a gauge the steady number of visitors to the official SM website, which is interestingly matched up by a number of un-official sites and blogs – no doubt created and maintained by friends and sympathizers, all designed to recruit members.
These developments point to the apparent direction which the group seems to be taking: crafting the organization as a political arm.
To this, Lt. Gen. Victor Ibrado told Malaya (in its April 27, 2009 issue) that the formation of a political party by the Magdalo leaders is a welcome idea. “This is a democratic country. Everybody can exercise his political rights.”
Samahang Magdalo in Kalinga
Asked how the recruitment is doing in Kalinga, Engr. Danzel Langkit says “We are still at the stage of creating awareness about the group and part of our plan is to step up the campaign so that we can attract people from as many diverse backgrounds as possible.”
Obviously, this poses financial difficulty for the existing members of the group in Kalinga, if they are to launch and sustain a province-wide recruitment scheme. But Engr. Langkit is quick to interject that “We may have limited resources at present but we do what we can. Our sincerity in reaching out to the people and infusing into them the pro-God, pro-country and pro-people Magdalo principle will eventually win them over to our side.”
Captain Langkit further admits that “Changing the mindset of people does not take place overnight, that’s why we aim to start building people’s confidence about our principles – from below. As an illustration, in Kalinga, people have this notion that one cannot run for a political office without tons of money. We need to correct that. Aiming for a public office needs only to be backed, first and foremost, by a genuine yearning to serve the common good.”
Capt. Dante Langkit: his Turn
The 2007 election year brought Engr. Danzel Langkit to the awareness of the Kalinga voting public – more importantly the residents of Tabuk who were intrigued by the sudden entry of this young Municipal Administrator from Pinukpuk, thus adding another notch to their uncertainty. Voters responded fairly well, although – whether or not the Langkit camp would admit it – their campaign efforts paled in comparison to the highly organized and efficiently managed efforts of the opponents, especially those of the Agyao and Bejarin camps.
Nelda Bulawit, a volunteer for Engr. Danzel in 2007, recollects “I think we did well, given the limited resources that we had then. I especially like the thought that we were volunteers rallying behind a person that we believed in.”
It is this support that Captain Dante hopes to build up on, sort of picking up where his twin brother left off. But what does he have to offer?
“I have always believed in people’s capacity to see through the façade of so-called leaders,” Capatain Langkit emphasizes. “I know that, at the end of the day, our commitment to the general welfare will outweigh the posturing of some politicians. It is this commitment of mine which I wish the people of Kalinga to see – and I hope they would give me the opportunity to put it into action. That is why I am looking at the 2010 elections.”
All things considered, the major drawback, naturally, is his current status as a detained prisoner – a situation which must be resolved the soonest time possible if he is indeed bent on fielding his name into the congressional race.
The Captain Speaks…
The interview with Capt. Dante Langkit produced a wealth of material that gave background and substance to the article written above – which became even thicker with the extensive bulk of available data from various sources. There are a number of responses made by Capt. Langkit that were not spliced into the feature – and we print them below word-for-word:
Marciano Paroy Jr: Your participation in the 2010 elections as a candidate have started doing the rounds here in Kalinga, fueled by your supporters – led by your brother. So… is it final?
Dante Dasayon Langkit: Yes, my mind’s seriously made up about my plan to run. Kalinga has lagged behind other provinces, yet we keep making the same decisions over and over. We need to introduce a fresh alternative for the people of the province. I sincerely and humbly believe that I can be that alternative.
MPJ: Considering your age, and coming from a province where major decisions made by the younger ones are brought to community leaders for what we may call in the Cordillera as a blessing… have you or your group made such a move?
DDL: This is a serious endeavor. As such, we did take the consensus of the elders. Also, this early, we are conducting sectoral consultations prior to the filing of my candidacy this November. I recognize the importance of obtaining the nod from a considerable fraction of the voting populace, as well as other people of authority and influence. Fortunately, the responses we have been receiving are favorable. The only issue being raised which causes a little setback is the availability of ample financial backing to sustain all the campaign and election needs. I do not have millions – but that matter is already being worked out by some benefactors and donors already.
MPJ: But these supporters, benefactors and donors can not also carry out all the actual campaign activities. So this time, what are the chances that u will be able to come home and do the campaign yourself?
DDL: Justice is still elusive – hence the difficulty in assuming that we shall be free by the campaign period, though we continue to hope for the best. Nonetheless, many volunteers are increasingly coming in – with Danzel seeking them out. Much as I want to be physically around during that period and meet our dear kakailian, volunteerism will offset my absence.
MPJ: That goes without saying that you shall still be in detention during that time…
DDL: There is a possibility that we may still be in detention during the campaign, and we are preparing for that. The volunteers have contingency plans to address that situation. As I always say, we are hoping for the best. But as to being in detention after election? No, our case is political, so after the Arroyo administration, we shall be out of jail. Definitely.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Did you Know that two of the Nursing board exam passers from Saint Tonis are…
…my friends? Now, I call them my fellow artifacts from the 1980’s. Melanie Balbino and Lea Ganongan, the two passers I’m referring to, can again content themselves with the thought that they have added yet another feather in their caps which, figuratively may be sagging already on the sides since there are too many feathers that they have amassed year-in, year-out in whatever areas they have chosen to be expert at.
Along with Flerida Almora and Roger Abbacan, they have just made history for Saint Tonis, our province’s pioneering school of nursing, by passing the PRC licensure exams. Needles to say, their feat will most likely break the adamant attitude of parents with regards to choosing Saint Tonis as the nursing school of their choice.
This impressive performance gives Saint Tonis a 100% passing rate – which can be determined by setting the number of passers as numerator above the number of examinees.
We now see a dramatic rise in enrollment next year – or even this second sem. Enough reason for Mrs. Presentacion Bartolo to be in good mood these days.
*****
I have always thought Melanie and Lea would pass the exams though. I should know, we were classmates and friends from elementary up to 4th year high school – and still remain to be friends, of course.
I have always asked them their true intent in pursuing BSNursing, but I never got their real answers. Maybe it is their need for self-actualization; maybe it is their sincere search for more knowledge (ouch, I don’t buy that since both of them are voracious readers); maybe they want to go abroad (hmmm… medyo nasirig kun sa); maybe they want to become Barangay Health Workers and feel the real spirit of public service; maybe they had become tired of staring at their old college diplomas, and felt that it’s time to add another.
Yes. Melanie Balbino is a licensed chemical engineer, a title which – with due respect to the nursing profession – far outweighs her latest label. She earned the degree from St. Louis University in Baguio City, the same school where Lea Ganongan completed her bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Lea’s degree understandably pulled her to the academe where she tried her hands on teaching amid her dalliance with the further study of law.
While Lea was teaching in the academe, Engr. Balbino entertained the idea that she is a businesswoman – and so she put up her own shop which drew people with all sorts of need for computer-related matters. Voila, she prospered! The Chemical Engineer, it turned out, has a silent degree in Commerce – much like Letty June Lugtu-Bides who, after earning her degree in Medical Technology, decided that lab gown is not her thing. Bridal and evening gown gayam ti paglaingan na.
And so Melanie and Lea spent most of their after-college years here in good old Tabuk when they could have been earning millions elsewhere. Maybe this can be explained by our being members of the generation which has been full of existential angst in the 1990s – thus freezing our go-getting tendency.
Then Saint Tonis opened its school of nursing, and my friends woke up one day with that burning desire which must be satisfied at all costs. There must have been a lull, until one of them tried the waters and said “Agenroll tayo?”
And the rest, as the cliché goes, is history. In the pages of Saint Tonis College, that is.
Congratulations again to our four passers! As for the other graduates who opted not to take the June exams, you have our best wishes!
*****
The following article is supposed to fill this column this week, as my closing salvo for the Guru month-long anniversary this July, but I had to quickly relegate it under the foregoing piece, before I lose such thoughts…. Here goes:
It was in the 6th grade when I entertained the thought of becoming a writer in the future. As I sat dreamy-eyed and listened to Ms. Gertrude Lastimoza transport us from that Section Eagle classroom to faraway lands through stories that she spiritedly read aloud, I started to believe that I, too, would one day write stories that would have as great an impact on young minds as Ms. Lastimoza’s selections had on me. I entertained the idea that writers are of a different breed, and that I had what it takes to join their club.
I thought I would be weaving tales of heroism, stories of friendship, of love, of people accomplishing wonderful things, and depiction of good that triumphs over evil. Stories that reflect the world as I knew it then – bright, colorful, breezy, with clouds fleeting across grassy hills where children run after rabbits.
Time flew and those stories were never written. I got older, went to college, landed a job at the government sector, got strapped to it for life, and I lost the dream. But that’s how it is during childhood. We weave dreams. We stuff our heads with out-of-this world fantasies. We cast a future that does not have a single element of pain, suffering, heartache.
When young, we have the tendency to bloat our egos, to entertain the thought that we are the best among our peers and that such excellence would bring us someday to that exact spot which we have set our eyes on.
Then as we grow older, chunks and chunks of reality creep in. We gradually realize that we really know nothing… that, individually, we are nothing. An inconsequential dot in this immeasurable universe. A small block, which when discarded, won’t affect the whole structure, since there are millions who can always take any vacated space. And who might even do a better job in filling that space previously occupied.
Now these are negatively tinged thoughts. Black and dreary, when I should be painting this column with bright and vivid thoughts, in honor of this paper’s 5th year anniversary.
Where was I?
Ah… I was saying that I got older. Oh yes, there are moments when The Muse remembers to amble by and attempt to awaken that dormant desire to write “that story”. Words rush out of the lexical factory somewhere in the mind, and an effort to put them down on paper is made – but after awhile, this gushing-out of words breaks off. And I find myself marooned at the 2nd sentence of the 3rd paragraph.
Perhaps I was never really cut out to be a story teller. I filled my head with too many ideas – and I blindly believed them. Now it’s time to drop the thought, to discard the fantasy.
*****
So I became a reader instead. I realized that if I cannot join the world of such illustrious literary names, at least I can loiter into their territories by consuming the contents of their heads which have miraculously spilled onto the pages of books. From time to time, I find myself thinking “Damn, why haven’t I thought of this plot?” or “I was formulating exactly the same premise last month! This Carl Sagan stole my ideas!”
Of course, when such thought occurs, an imaginary cane bashes me in the head, and I suddenly drop the book so that I may regain my bearing, and set my feet back on the ground.
Daydreaming never hurt anyone, though. Besides, I am sort of a writer – uray kaskasanu met ah. I laboriously gather my thoughts together every week, face my laptop, position my fingers on the keyboard, stare at the screen as the fingers seem to have a mind of their own and start accomplishing a piece which soon finds itself plastered in a box named Perspectives on page 4 of a community newspaper known as Guru. An output that remains un-read when the paper finally hits the stands and got delivered to subscribers. I have this gnawing feeling that all other sections are digested by readers – but page 4… well, readers leaf through it, look at that smirking face in the column head, read the title, roll their eyes and move to page 5. But before reading the contents of page 5, a reader may glance at my title again and whisper “Adu la amin.”
A-hah, agurayka… One day, I believe, I would run into someone and as she recognizes me, she (let’s stick with “she” this time okay? Makabannug ti “he or she” nga ikabkabil just so we could cover both genders) – yes, she would say “Hey, you’re Mr. Paroy right? You’re the college instructor who also writes for Guru. I also read your column, you know.”
With a lingering doubt in me, I question her “You actually read it? Which topic have you liked so far?”
“Ha…? Well, that one about…about… Diay kua ngay…” Perhaps she would look for a way out around her. “Anya ngamin didiayen…mmmm, kua…”
I shall not torture her, of course. I may have walked away by the time she opens her eyes and stopped conjuring fabrications that would never turn up.
Then I may hear her shouting behind me “Diay panggep ti biag!”
Yeah, yeah…Life.
Mr. & Ms. STEP (of TNHS): A Critique
by Marciano A. Paroy Jr.
I watched the Search for Mr. and Ms. STEP last week at the Tabuk gymanisum – which was one of the activities held by the Tabuk National High School as part of its observance of the Nutrition month. I was there primarily because my nephew was a contestant.
First things first. The pageant was, so far, the best choreographed show ever staged by TNHS since that contest years back when Mrs. Elizabeth Alipda chaired the STEP affair – and this column commends the organizers (led by Mrs. Elizabeth Gueverra, Mrs. Josephina Ba-i, and Mrs. Evelyn Ganotice) and the choreographer (Marlon Carbonel) for such a delightful show last week. Also, it gave me a chance to listen to Mrs. Pacita Litorco speak again.
The composition of candidates was obviously selected well by the different year-levels. Everything could have gone on smoothly – but then there were glaring drawbacks that are not at all acceptable in a beauty pageant.
ONE: The absence of a tabulator. In any pageant, the judging is acceptably subjective – and no attempt on objectivity is ever attained. It is subjective because the judges would always be influenced by their taste, preferences and past experiences. Take the attires, for instance. A beauty pageant is always a fashion show in itself. So, once a candidate parades down the ramp clothed in an outfit that somewhat mirrors the taste of a particular judge, then the outfit scores high in the rating sheet of that judge. Which is why we have statements like “Ah, sabali gamin ti taste jay judge” when a certain winning outfit fails to win an award. This again points to the importance of picking judges that have a background on beauty and fashion. That goes without saying that a person who dresses himself or herself sloppily should not even be considered to be a member of the judging panel. I am speaking here in general terms since the judges last week, in fairness, are known to dress neatly and appropriately.
Back to the absence of a tabulator. The presence of a tabulator would ensure that the scoring sheets would be passed on straight from the judges’ table. The tabulator would then just show the final tally to the panel after the computation. For the panel to know the result. Now, if judges themselves would sit as tabulators, the subjectivity mentioned above would further be played out. Each judge in any contest has a favorite. That’s a fact – and they are entitled to that. No one can take that away from them. But when judges sit as tabulators at the same time, this presents the problem of knowing right away that a favorite candidate did not win for, let’s say, a certain minor award. This would then give an opportunity for a judge to key-in some last minute changes in the scoring sheets. And then re-tabulate, until the desired outcome is attained.
Of course, I am not alleging that such a thing happened at the TNHS affair last week, since I believe in the uprightness of the judges. I am just pointing out this lapse of not naming a tabulator – considering that it only involves simple mathematics. This will thwart the tendency of the audience to speculate. It was a glaring irregularity which the organizers should avoid next time.
TWO: Since TNHS activities easily become crowd-drawers eagerly watched by the general public, the beauty pageant could have benefitted from the expertise of people in the community who, I am sure, would have responded positively to a request for judging duties.
No need to elucidate on the fact that the presence of outsiders will assure neutrality. This is what we always do in my school, the Kalinga-Apayao State College. We always tap the expertise of people from other agencies and from the beauty and fashion industry. In fact, we always borrow teachers from TNHS to compose the jury. Yearly favorites include Vivian Domingo, Maribel Bravo, Feliciano Felix and Ruby Belgica for the performing arts; Lorraine Tubban and Giovanni Asbucan for speech and writing competitions. And, true enough, they would always pick out the best.
The idea here is that we cannot be experts in all fields. The lazy practice of “Sika lattan ti agjudge” should be scoffed at. Tabuk is a goldmine of experts who would oblige to a simple request. No need for tokens. Provincial Tourism Officer Grace Kidang, for example, would not say no since she is always on the lookout for upcoming Miss Kalinga potentials anyway – and this is TNHS, long-acknowledged as the alma mater of most beauty queens: Sandra Rebancos, Kyna Bayangan, Maritess Annogui, Claire Amano, Pinky Baccud, Kimberly Doclan, Loraville Diocares, Shiela Dalsen, Shiela Romero, Liezel Sakai, Rina Quinsaat, Yoshi Sakai, Melissa Barcellano, Donna Peralta, Charisma Compas, Jocelyn Moldero, Catherine Delgado, Melanie Bautista, Ernalyn Carbonel, Lala Balais (I hope I haven’t missed a name or two, lest I would be reminded again by Marlon, who has a mental record of these matters).
Again, any school that holds a competition cannot completely assure that in-house judges can totally detach themselves from the proceedings and become impartial. So to avoid the possibility of doubts being raised, a teacher who was told “Sika lattan ti agjudge” should not answer “Sure. Wen ah.” It’s a deviation from appropriateness.
THREE: Judges should be all eyes and ears to everything that transpires on the ramp. Not a single detail must escape their attention: the mismatching colors, the ill-fitting heels, the heavy makeup, the awkward projection, etc. This should be sustained up to the Question and Answer Portion which is the most crucial part of the pageant, as it would make or unmake a candidate. Each word uttered, the enunciation, and the confidence in the delivery of the answers are key points that must be used as the yardstick by the judges. Bottom line: the judges must listen.
However, during the TNHS pageant, as the first two contestants (male and female) were being casually interviewed by the hosts, up to the delivery of their answers to the actual questions, the judges were still frantically conferring among themselves (about what, I have no idea, since they were supposed to have ready copies of the judging sheets).
From our side of the gym, we were staring at the judges as they moved this way and that way, talking spiritedly. Not one of them looked up at the stage and listened to the first two candidates as they were answering. Yet you could later see them putting in their ratings. The numerical ratings they put into the scoring sheets, of course, are their sole prerogative – and we do not question that. However, what numerical value would judges give a candidate during the Question and Answer Portion when they never listened in the first place? We all saw how busy they still were. They were trying to resolve something (maybe the scoring sheets were missing, maybe they were revising the criteria. Whatever) – hence their inattention to the first two candidates. It was during the third candidate’s turn and onwards that the judges finally settled themselves and listened attentively to the rest of the candidates.
The hosts, who can delay every proceeding during a show, could have helped out by stalling the casual and actual interview until they could see that the judges were ready. But then the hosts were also totally dependent on the program – the rule of the day is just to proceed and proceed (and, in fairness, Mrs. Sirikit B. Odan and Mrs. Eva L. Tubiera did a fine hosting job). This brings us back to the judges. A little signal from them could have given out the message that they were not yet ready to rate the final interview.
But no such move was made, and so the delivery of answers by the first two candidates just drifted by. And so Mrs. Rachel Sarol, mother of the first candidate, was visibly bewildered in her corner.
Let me stress one thing (in my capacity as a humble connoisseur in the beauty and fashion industry of this town): the giving of answer is a very personal attempt on the part of a candidate to establish a connection with the judges. It is the candidate’s last bid to convince the judges that he or she has what it takes to win. That is why, in all pageants, the candidates would shun out everything else during Q and A. The crowd seemingly disappears, and the candidate just focuses on the judges as he or she gives the answer. It’s like saying “This is me. This is what I have to say, so listen to me, and as you listen, I hope I impress you enough.”
All pageant judges recognize this – thus, they also sit still, maintain eye contact with the candidates, even smiling at them, nodding now and then, prodding them. It’s their way of saying “Go on, you’re on the right track. I’m listening.” This move relaxes the candidates and gives further confidence – knowing that the people at the judging tables are paying attention to their thoughts, however shallow the thoughts may be.
Unfortunately, this was not at all observed during the turn of the first two candidates at the search in TNHS.
Maka concentrate ka pay ngarud nga mangdingngeg ti kunkuna diay adda diay stage nu dika met agtatalna? Funny, datayo pay met nga teachers ti agkara baga iti “You there! Sit still! Face front and listen attentively!”
*****
Now, here’s something that throws it all out of balance. A colleague in the local media, wanting to know the results even before the actual announcement, casually approached one of the judges and asked “Sino ngay ti Mr. STEP?” The judge answered “As usual, obvious ba?”
That would be hard to answer, since you would have to assume that you know whom the judge is referring to. Now that’s a real hitch. First, the statement presupposes that there is already a winner even before the contest began. How can there be an obvious winner when the the audience is even divided into four factions? Second, it bares the partiality of the judge towards the candidate that the judge was referring to. Third, it further cements my foregoing argument that in-house personnel should not be given judging tasks.
*****
My nephew, Kurdell, garnered 1st runner-up. And up to this day, I am impressed by his display of competitive spirit, yet not forgetting that it’s also for fun, an experience that he would one day look back to with a smile. Initially, he did not want to participate, and I did not even insist that he should when he gave his first refusal. But later, he finally gave in – so I don’t know what convincing powers were applied by his adviser, Mam Betty Olatic.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not insisting that my nephew should have won. That’s water under the bridge already. In fact, my first advice for him after the pageant was “Move on from here. It was a nice experience on conquering stage fright and developing sportsmanship.”
I have nothing against Shaquille Diasen, who was crowned as Mr. STEP. In fact, I also singled him out from the set of contestants. I recognized that he was a very strong contender and as soon as the show began, I knew it would be a fight between my nephew and Mr. Diasen – and it would be fine with me if Mr. Diasen would win. I even noted that he’s a talented rocker, complete with a live band – one thing that never fails to impresse. Being a 4th year student, he is already ripening into a young man, whereas my 2nd year nephew is still a “totoy” so-to-speak. He even exhibited good manners when he took time to approach my nephew later and shook hands. I do wish him well for the regional level of the Search for Mr. and Ms. STEP. I just hope his aunts Anne and Geraldine would hire a designer this time for his outfits.
Ms STEP Eileen Pelicer was a delight to behold as well. She exudes the persona of being delicate, fresh and sweet – winning elements in pageants. The Pelicer family must be beaming with pride now (Eileen is the sister of a very special “friend” Eleuterio Jr.) Along with Khastria Sarol (with her sophisticated and classy deportment), they would one day walk down the ramp for either Ms Tabuk or Ms Kalinga, and end up as beauty queens. If they want to.
So there. I am not critical of the winners. As a teacher, I always push students to go ahead and seize each moment to shine. What riled me were the things I enumerated and discussed earlier – and I pointed them out with the hope that such lapses would be avoided in the future - not only by T NHS but by other schools as well, since mahilig tayo met ti contests. That is my intent.
I know that I might stir some emotions with this outpour. I had second thoughts about going ahead with this article, considering that I am a TNHS product (and I say that with pride), and I still regard my former teachers highly. Mrs. Editha Baddongon, to cite an example, was my 3rd year adviser who made chemistry fun to learn, and whose teachings became very useful when I mistakenly pursued (and later discontinued) BS Medical Technology.
But then I have always believed in asserting ourselves, especially if I also know what I am blabbering about. Joon Ascaño, Marlon Carbonel, Jerry Ladrido and I are yearly involved in Ms Tabuk and Ms Kalinga (as designers, choreographers and committee members). That, therefore, equips us with the right to say nga ammu mi met ah ti kunkuna mi when it comes to beauty pageant matters. We can say that without batting an eyelash.
Lastly, as both an educator and a community watchdog – being a member of the Kalinga Media Organization and as the editor-in-chief of this paper since March 2008 – there are events in the educational world that must also be highlighted and harmlessly discussed in the open (like this contest), especially if they would contribute to the multi-aspect development of our learners. Some may appraise my topic this week as trivial, but no. There are no trivial issues where young learners are concerned. An elementary teacher, for instance, who would just glare at a Grade 1 pupil and say “Nagkuneng ka metten! Awan inammum!” may scar that pupil for life. Or a teacher who has an ax to grind against the family of a certain student and decides to be vindictive by way of poor grades and scare tactics may push the student further into his or her cocoon. These are but some of the things that must be closely watched by the community – which any school is accountable to. But that is not our subject this week, so we’ll tackle it later.
Which reminds me: students (I would like to single out Ms Claribel Dupali) from both the secondary and tertiary levels have been sending me emails and text messages, asking for their little space in this paper since we do have the Teachers’ Views corner. I promised them that I shall find space for it one of these days. Actually, I already have a name for it: e3 (read as “e to the third power”). It would be an opportunity for our young thinkers to Express, Expose and Evaluate anything that affects them (whether positively or negatively) while in the process of knowledge acquisition – including issues they may not have the courage to tell their parents. There are already enough materials in my possession and it is both enlightening and surprising to have a peek into the minds of our young learners.
Enough. More of these next time.
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