Narrow Streets of the Metros

Have you ever wonder why most of the streets in cities are narrow? So narrow that we find it out very difficult managing our way when we drive, plus the ambulant vendors and the piles of trash adding to our burden.

We often blame our local government and other government agencies about this issue.  But, is it the real problem? Are they the one who’s responsible for it? Well, somehow.

Before we jump to conclusions, let’s try to visit our past, our history.

It was 1569 when the Viceroyalty of the New Spain successfully annexed its power and jurisdiction to the archipelago that lies east of Indochina. They called it “Las Islas Filipinas”. The Western Kings, as well as the Friars, controlled its inhabitants (Indios) for 320 years.

So what’s the catch? Well, for 3 centuries, they’ve controlled everything in the archipelago especially the economy. They monopolized our products that hinder economic growth. They built roads and bridges in the cities and other urban municipalities, not for cars to pass but for the Carruajes and Calesa/ Caritela. Our streets were not designed for cars.

Why didn't Spain brought cars here? Simple reason, they don’t want the colony’s economy to grow. For them to continuously worshiped and looked up by the Indios. They just want us poor.
We were engaged for hundreds of years by the Westerners, and now we’re free. Free do things for the betterment of our country. We now have a Sovereign Government that’s here to help us to make that happen.

Narrow roads? Don’t blame the government.

Leave science to the scientists

When I was browsing my news feed on Facebook, I found an article about 2016 Republican presidential candidate (in US) Rick Santorum reacting about the encyclical letter on the environment that (will be) released on June 15 by the Pope. It is about the Catholic Church’s strongest statement to date on the moral issues associated with climate change. Many environmentalist got excited except for one, I think.

In one of its talk he says to the Pope "leave science to the scientists", in thinking that the church has gotten it wrong, in some cases, on science. Santorum told radio host Dom Giordano. “We probably are better off leaving science to the scientists, and focusing on what we’re really good at, which is theology and morality.” -ThinkProgress, 2015

The the memes went out and gone viral about this topic noting that the Pope is a scientist with a Master Degree in Chemistry. But this claim is not true.

He may not be a Master's Degree holder in Chemistry, he still graduated with a título (similar to diploma) in chemistry when he was 19... Pope Francis certainly respects the scientific method, and careful measurement ranks high in his list of values.
So don't ever under estimate the people who works and serve in church when they talk about science... because they might be credible than we are...

New system; is this the key to a quality education?

by Samantxa Cedro and Patrick Familara

Many students were alarmed when the said K-to-12 curriculum is going to be implemented for the sake of near future and nation’s development of quality education. This may make sense and this may be our turning-point; the key to the success we aim, but unfortunately, there are still questions left unanswered. These questions run through our minds and mouth – “Aren’t they just making it harder?” Majority of those who are affected by the implementation speak that question, even some parents disagree with this. Though, like most things- there are the pros and cons, advantages, disadvantages and of course, the Yin-Yang Principle; “There is a good in every bad and bad in every good.”

The 2010 discussion paper of Department of Education (Deped) states that they aspire each students to achieve mastery of core competencies and academic skills – claiming that the new curriculum is not only about placing additional 2 years but it is also about the two folds that has begun to be the main focus of this program: 1. Curriculum Enhancement 2. Transition Management. Now, it is well-proven that this program is being put in place due to the desire of imitating the foreign-standard-education from other countries. Alack, leaving us the questions: Is Philippines k-12 ready? Can they handle the first graduates of this curriculum well? Or will they screw up? Not only that - Most parents ran about the additional expenses that will be spent on it, adding that they have such little knowledge about the unfamiliar cycle of twelve.

Speaking of the unfamiliar cycle, Private and public management began to re-new their assessment framework while some had issues with it and some did not. These assessments are made to keep track of the progress and improvement of the child, to see if they have learned anything. How was it like, back then – anyway? Grades used to be based on the scores an individual get from the periodical exams, pre-tests, and quizzes, but now everything has changed. KPUP found its way to the program and made a drastic impact to the youth’s academic- education. Knowledge, Process, Understanding, Performance? Things were much simpler yet easier when it was all depended off the examinations (25%) but some things need to change. This kind of change might be a benefit of the others while the opposite goes for the rest.

KPUP, No More!

Just like John F. Kennedy (JFK) says, “Change is a law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”

Everybody were shocked especially the teachers who were just learning to love the newly implemented grading system for the K-12 curriculum, the KPUP (Knowledge, Process/Skills, Understanding, Product / Performance) when the Department of Education (DepEd) released an order last April 1, 2015 known as DepEd Order No. 8 series of 2015.

DO No. 8 s2015 – brings back the numerical rating scale to grade the students and the new grading system in all DepEd and Non-DepEd schools in the country (Philippines).  According to the DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro, the K to 12 Basic Education Program uses a “standards-and competency-based grading system” which are “indicated in the curriculum guides.” He added, all grades “will be based on weighted raw scores of the learners’ summative assessments” which will focus on three components including Written Work (WW), Performance Task (PT), and Quarterly Assessment (QA).

Starting this School Year 2015-2016, all schools in the country must use the new WW,PT,QA system as the basis for grading with “the average of the Quarterly Grades (QG) produces the final grade”.
Below is an example of the grading system  and the computation of grades / formula that was released by the DepEd.

Read more about the Classroom Assessment at deped.gov.ph/orders/do-8-s-2015

My College Life: In a Nutshell

Throwback when I was in high school, I really don’t know what course I will take in college. First I thought I like to work in an office as a business person or to work as a kitchen person. Then, there was a time where I was in third year that I got inspired by my teacher in English who passed away few months ago, who teaches us more than the lesson she prepared for us. She tough us good values, how to make decisions, and the possible risk of it and accept the consequences of every decision we've made. She said “I don’t care if you will not remember the lessons we have discussed, but make sure that the values you've learned from me should manifest to your future. If not, I’ll rise from my grave and haunt you”.


That moments leads to my mind that I like to be a teacher, I want to be what she was. So I took Bachelor of Secondary Education – Social Studies.
My first year as an education student wasn't good, its boring, maybe we don’t have major or professional subjects yet that focuses in teaching profession. But all changed when the next school years when we started to have professional subject accompanied by field studies. That was the time I enjoy and become excited to finish schooling and to become a real licensed teacher. We have studied theories, teaching strategies and more about teaching profession. We have attended seminars and conventions that enrich our knowledge that could help us in the near future.
Practice Teaching

Before, I thought I already know everything I need for my future profession, but I was wrong. The theories and things that I have learned from the past years of my studies is very idealistic far beyond the reality of teaching experience. I have learned all lot from my mentor / coordinating teacher, well to her co-teachers and to my friends around me. By observations, I learned many things. I have dissected things that I need to do and I need to avoid. My mentor thought me how to deal in extreme situations and how to separate personal emotions from work. Teachers should maintain its distance and limitation from the students in order to be respected by them. 

Before, I thought I already know everything I need for my future profession, but I was wrong. The theories and things that I have learned from the past years of my studies is very idealistic far beyond the reality of teaching experience. I have learned all lot from my mentor / coordinating teacher, well to her co-teachers and to my friends around me. By observations, I learned many things. I have dissected things that I need to do and I need to avoid. My mentor thought me how to deal in extreme situations and how to separate personal emotions from work. Teachers should maintain its distance and limitation from the students in order to be respected by them. 

At first, I was very nervous and afraid. It is because of my condition. The first things that comes on my mind was how will survive this,    how will I respond on the sarcasms of my students, how will I gain respect from them. That was the hardest time of my life as a student teacher. Time passes by, I learned how to get rid of that thoughts. I learned how to deal with it, How to illuminate the negative vibes that cross on my mind about myself, I learned so many things.

Underdevelopment in the Philippines

by B.P. Familara (2013)

We live in a country that is struggling to rise from the ashes of poverty. A country that was exploited by the whites for the last four hundred years and undergone a series of wars. We were educated far beyond what is needed for development. Spaniards tough us to be afraid of the friars, memorize prayers, and live with the gospels of the saints. Americans, indeed help us to uplift the kind of life we have today. They introduced public education system that was patterned to them. They make sure that the Filipinos are educated according to their will. The downside of this is that, they miseducate us. They let us forget who we are and forcibly change our customs.

Americans flooded our country by their products and spare no one in making their local business to grow. We became a country of buyers wherein we buy more that we produce. Our economy used to be very dependent to the economy of America, but this path slowly fades nowadays.

On the past centuries, the pillars of economy and socio-political have collapsed that makes the gap between rich and poor wider. The rich becomes richer while the poor becomes poorer.  If we illustrate, we could draw a triangle divided into three. The upper is the rich  /BILL PATRICK FAMILAR (c) /people, the middle is the working class, and the bottoms are the urban and rural poor. The unequal distribution of wealth in our country affects great to the development of our economy. The amount of assets that our economy produces is not enough to follow the level of sophistication of the technology that is being used by the mainstream. The result of this is that our locally made product cannot compete to the world market due to the durability and price differences, imported good often cheaper than homegrown / locally produced goods, that often resulting to bankruptcy of local businesses.

This event creates a vicious circle or what other may say, poverty trap. We study hard, but when we graduate there are lesser opportunities on the field that can be found in our country. It is for the reason that we have a mismatch labor force in our society. We produce more scholastic graduates like accountants, engineers, nurses, and ITs but what our country really needs are the skilled labor force that can easily fit in to the needs of in the country and overseas.

History and Underdevelopment

 By B.P. Familara (2013)

After World War 2, most of the countries in Asia, America and European countries were destroyed. Far East Asia and the Pacific territories were greatly affected as the bombing persist decades long. Major cities were bombed like Hiroshima, Pearl Harbor and Manila. Korea and Vietnam were in great tension when the spread of communism spreads and civil wars broke in. This was the darkest time in eastern and south eastern part of Asia.

Before the war, there were only few countries developed faster in terms of economy; Japan who leads in Asian industrialization, China who leads in wide range trade across Asia, Europe and Americas and Philippines that has a strong tight to its central government, the United States.

Philippines used to be one of the most powerful countries in Asia next to Japan. Korea was stocked on a very traditional country as well as Vietnam and Thailand. After the mass destruction of the main cities and the collapsed of the economic foundation resulted by the aftermath of the war, each countries had a hard time to re-establish it. Series of trials of different economic ideals and theories were tried. Some, closed its doors to the world and some let it opened so many foreign direct investments would come to aid the large scarce of the resource, the funds.

During Marcos time, The Philippines was one of the leading countries that can cope up and re-established its economic foundations. With the help of his wife, got very strong ties to the Arab countries that main product is oil. He successfully invited many foreign investors and the economy float.

Fifty years have passed; this was altered when series of unhealthy government and weak governance took over the country. The Philippines was left behind from its neighboring country. China, South Korea and Japan are now the largest manufacturers of electronic devices that is being used around the world. Thailand and Vietnam surpasses Philippines in terms of Economic advancement which are still stocked on agricultural economy.

There are many factors to consider why this event happened. First, the culture, does the history of the country affects the attitudes of the people? My answer is yes. It is because for almost 400 years, the Philippines were under many colonizers like Spain, Britain, Japan and America. We were taught to be workers and the idealism of pwede na yan were e inculcated to our mind that hinders perseverance in terms of development.

PH’s Economic Development History

by Bill Patrick Familara (2013)

Long before the arrival of the Spaniards in the Philippine archipelago, the natives have already a socio-political and economic system. Tribes are trading to each other and the foreign relations have been established as free trade is already being done with the neighboring kingdoms and empires like China, Indochina and people from Malay Archipelago. This is in the form of a barter system. In Barter system, people do not use notes and/ or currency to exchange goods and services. What they do is exchanging a good that has the same value to other. For example, I will trade my carabao to you in exchange of 15 sacks of rice. This kind of economic system have been used until the late 1600 when the Kingdom of Spain finally took control on the Philippine Archipelago but limited to the Kingdom of Sulu that was reigned until 1962.
When the Kingdom of Spain successfully took over the archipelago, they established an economic system that brought progress and growth to the colony’s economy. The Manila- Acapulco Galleon Trade opened new opportunities to the Indios to acquire new knowledge and skills. This Galleon trade last until 1815 when the Mexican War of Independence put a permanent stop to the galleon trade route. This marked the first time trade truly became global, wherein Asian goods /BILL PATRICK FAMILARA (c)/ were sold to Latin America. It's the first instance in human history when all trade-routes across the planet interlinked, arguably making Manila the world's first Global City and the Manila Galleon route the prototype for global trade.

During the time of the galleon trade, Manila was exclusively trading its goods to Acapulco and limited to the rest of the world. When the Kingdom of Spain was defeated by the British Kingdom, Manila opens its trade to the world market. Thus, the exchange of goods and services expands to the rest of the world. That we could see Manila as the only progressive city in Las Islas Filipinas for the reason that the existence of Hacienda system is being observed and the monopoly of a certain product like Tobacco, Corn and Sugar cane are the only products being produced in the large part of the Filipina Archipelago. This kind of system hinders to the economic development of the provinces.

After the Treaty of Paris, The Republica de Filipinas fall under the control of the United States and successfully established new and modern economic system, adapting what is being used in European and American countries. United States flooded the Filipino Market by their products. They redressed the Philippines from a medieval like society into Americanized one. They introduced more diverse and free trade but limited to the United States market.

After World War 2, The Philippines finally got its independence to the United States. But this time, the capital city was fully devastated by the war. The economy of the newly recognized country had collapsed. And the role of the government is to re-established to fundamental pillars of the economy.
In Marcos time, The Philippines was considered as one of the most progressive country in terms of economy next to Japan. The Bagong Lipunan trend was introduced and said “Ang Pilipinas ay Muling Dadakila”. He established strong foreign economic relations to the far eastern or West Asian countries. Thus, strong foreign direct investments were put in the country’s economy. Series of building new infrastructures like bridges, roads, convention centers, trains helped allot especially on the issue of unemployment when thousands of Filipinos were employed that time.

After what they so-called successful peaceful revolution, Cory Aquino was proclaimed as the new president of the republic. On her time, the economy of the country was freeze. Series of insurgences occurred that resulted to the collapsed of the basic economic foundations of the country. That time, the whole archipelago undergone on a dark age like period.

Nowadays, after the former president Gloria Macapagal Aroyo successfully rebuild and re-established the fundamentals of the Philippine economy. The current presedent is in easy term on facilitating and keeping this track into a good way.

(sorry for grammatical errors)

The Kasambahay Law

This info-graphic material is prepared by Rose-An Jessica Dioquino  and designed by Analyn Perez for GMA News and cited from the Official Gazette (www.gov.ph)

Our Love of Democracy

We celebrate 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution every year to commemorate our recovery of democracy from the Martial Law imposed by the late President Marcos in the 21th day of September 1972. We often reminisce how our countrymen gather together in EDSA to protest and to remove dictator from the office. Every year local TV channels are airing a documentary programs that tells the success of the what we so-called peaceful revolution. Almost 41 years ago today, the spirit of democratic ideals and our love for democracy is still life a wild-fire that burning our heart. They say it was a successful political reformation and rehabilitation, but is it? Yes, the succeeding administration changes all officials but it doesn’t last long. Today, same old names can be seen our government and those who was rid during the Cory Administration successfully back into action.

The 1986 EDSA PPR is not really a successful paradigm shift, but the Martial Law is. When Marcos announced to the public the Proclamation No. 1081, the whole Philippine Archipelago was under Martial Law. Few weeks later, the new draft of the constitution that contains almost everything that the late president wanted including the right to legislate for the duration of the emergency, that emergency lasted long enough to become the New Society. The newly implemented constitution was amended to enable the president to continue issuing presidential decrees that intended to reform the Philippine Society. It was known as the “Bagong Lipunan” movement that aimed to modernize the Philippines.

The Catholic Church and the US Government is silent during that time. That was the church way of disclaiming any participation and association to its members that joins in growing number of protesters. The US government seems to be in favor to the Martial Law due to its silence.

It was during the Martial Law, series of major changes in our foreign policies was implemented. Greater liberalization of foreign investments was made and implemented that would let foreign investors to establish their business inside the country easily. After the expiration of Laurel-Langley agreement, the supreme court ordered the turn-over of American nationals own lands to the Filipinos as part of the reforming the Philippine society.

In short, Martial Law was born in a society that was thought to be resistant to authoritarianism. Martial Law made a great impact to us that strengthen our love of democracy. We may be a victim of the abuses that have been done during that what we called dark years of our country, but it serves as a bridge to have a true meaning of paradigm shift, that was not really happened after EDSA revolution, that was simply disregarded as we became paranoid to protect our democracy.

We always think that authoritarianism was bad and abusive but we forgetting the simple truth that democracy may not be felt by the majority of the people living in poverty line as it in favors to the well-off citizens and the few elites who ran the economy.

Martial Law is now part of history, as well as what we so-called Peaceful Revolution” the 1986 People Power.  Both have a great contribution to our history but were the People Power really succeeds to get its primary goals in resetting our Political System? 

Irrational in Politics

Media is one of the biggest factors why there are many irrational in our politics. In decades, media people always talked about Imelda Marcos, how she dressed, and how elegant she was during the time of the Marcos Era and the late president Cory Aquino especially when the 1st EDSA Revolution celebration is near. Documentaries about the Marcoses and the Aquinos often aired on televisions. We can see the influence of the two in our society there are what we called Imeldific and the color of Yellow that symbolizes unity, courage and democracy. These two people have what we called “Appeal or Charm” which we could not deny that they give great contribution and influence to the people.

Our politics, nowadays, is exhausted of charismatic leaders. We have presidents, senators down to the lowest government position that loved by the people. Erap Estrada for example, an actor, college drop-out was elected as the president of our country and should have won again in the 2010 presidential election if Cory Aquino did not died that resulted to the candidacy of her son Noynoy Aquino. We already known Erap, how he run the government and how he handles issues in our country. Despite of this, still 9,487,837 (according to 2010 election results) people wanted Erap be back in the office. It only means that Erap magic is not dead, magic in the sense that his charismatic appeal to the people is still strong.

As an educated person we don’t only consider the charismatic side of any political candidate. We often demand public debates and political platforms for every candidate in order to ensure that we can choose the right person that we will elect. But we should put in our mind that almost people living in poverty line is much bigger than us. They don’t care about the credentials and the political capability of the person to lead but they usually look into a good looking, charming and already known people they also tend to choose people based on a certain characteristics that respond to their own unrecognized desires. That is the reason why there are many politicians in the country came from the showbiz industry like Erap, and the Revilla clan. The candidates used this charm to win the seat of the office.

In politics, it is not enough to be bright or intelligent, it is also important to have the right faces, faces in terms of personal appeal to others. It is also the reason why the candidates often get celebrities to campaign them for the election, they using the charm or the appeal of the artist to gain popularity. We can’t take away irrational in politics, but we can get along with it and learn how to deal with it so we can still choose a good leader that will serve to their fellowmen seriously and wholehearted.

Why We Elect Bad Leaders

We always get mad and some do a rally whenever a government official both local and national commits mistakes. Their lack of good governance is the first thing we pinpoint every time we complain. The question is who are the one responsible why that official is in the office? Why we keep electing bad leaders? We are the one who elected them to be our leader. It is because our attention easily shifts easily. We easily forget what bad things they have done to our society. We just elect them without considering his/her political maturity and credentials as well as their moral background. We elect leaders who are popular and come from a prominent family and not who is right and credible to be on those positions. We elect people who come from the world of show business, an actor, singer comedian or whatever it is that does not have a background in leading.

Every election period, we encounter the same people running for the same seat. We encounter same surnames on the posters that are posted on the streets. The most popular is the political gimmicks of the politicians that wanted to gather sure votes on the Election Day.

Poverty and lack of education is the key of every politician’s success. They do everything in order pleased people. Many are engaging in vote buying and false promises that the ordinary poor will bite on the ploy.
We can see, our politics is celebrity-oriented, from the from barangay captain to the president. In Bacoor, one family is almost controlling the city. They are from the most prominent family in the country and a family of celebrities. They already build a dynasty, a political dynasty that must be destroyed. I am not against to them, but on the mere fact that their family is almost controlling our city is not good to hear. The mayor did many good things especially on the development of our municipality especially during the process of being a city during his term and I commend him on that.

I believe that there are many aspiring leaders in our society that was not given any chances to lead. Every election is just the battle of the power and popularity. We forget to set criteria in selecting a new leader, a leader that will surely do his responsibility for the betterment of our country and to be committed to give quality service.

This election, let’s try to think seriously and decide who is the right people to put in the position.

It's About Charter Change

Charter change commonly known as cha-cha is an issue that can be traced back since 1998 during the last few months of Pres. Ramos in office.  This is not an issue of amendment of the constitution and what the law in the country allows but the morality behind the real motives why the president wanted to have this cha-cha.

According to the people who are against cha-cha, it is just a move of the outgoing president to prolong their power just like what Marcos did especially when he tried to have a permanent dictatorship over the country.  And according to the church leaders during the time of Ramos that it is just a part of the ploy to keep him in office when his term expires.

The political perspective argues that the constitutions must express the will of the people. As a democratic country, the people have the right to amend the constitution in accordance to the law. By this the amendment of the constitution should be for the benefit of all and not for a specific person.

The question is what is the rationale of the government to decide to amend the constitution? Yes, there are many social issues that our country is facing right now. Charter change may be helpful in solving this issue but the truth lays on the good governance of f our leaders. San Marino, a country inside Italy has the oldest constitution still in effect until now, dated back 1600. Their constitution is very old but why they did not even tried to change it? The reason might be they have a good leaders and law abiding citizens. They just upgrading and adding some provisions to their constitution but the total revision of it as a whole is not been put in their mind.

They say that cha-cha is needed by the Filipinos, is it? It is no matter what constitution we have if the leaders of our country don’t even respect it and protect it, it is nothing. The main idea is that we Filipino must protect value and follow our constitution as well our country with all our heart and our entire straight that good given to us.

Remoralizing the Goverment

The graft or corruption didn’t exist before. Public officers are expected to get money and enrich their wealth from the taxes of the people and do not give the needs of his followers. It was not illegal. There was no graft in the conventional society that was ruled by customs. We can review our history that there are no public officers that was put into jail because he uses the money of the people for their personal stuffs. But it is always immoral.

In modern times, way back at the start of heating of the fire of nationalism, democracy and other ideology, morality took over legality. Most immoral acts (depends on the culture) was illegalized. That was the time when graft became illegal.

In the Philippines, many issues regarding with the dishonesty of the public official to their fellowmen can be read and hear in the public media. Series of exposé has been published in the news papers and been aired on TV and radio. One of the hit news about this is the cases of our former presidents namely, the late Ferdinand Marcos, Erap Estrada, and Congw. Glora Aroyo. Though Erap case is different, I may say that it also degrades the dignity of us, Filipino as a Nation. Marcos and Aroyo, both are excellent presidents of our country tried to rebuild our nation. They both have brilliant programs that supposedly   lift our state from the ashes of poverty, but it all went wrong. Funds that were lend from the other countries and other international funding organizations were misused and suspiciously lost. Overpricing of materials and ghost projects have been reported and exposed to the people. Though these presidents somehow does not involved in such issues, the mere fact that it happens under their administration, as the head of state, it reflects how they are serving the country.

Due to this issue, the government is very serious fighting this kind of corruption in all public offices. Laws was passed the “REPUBLIC ACT No. 3019 also known as ANTI-GRAFT AND CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT of 1960”  that will punish and imprison all public officials that will commit such action. Two former presidents were put in jail after the court proved that they’ve stolen money from the government’s funds.

According to the report of ABS-CBNnews.com in 2009, The Philippines ranked 139th among 180 countries included in the index, up from its previous 141st ranking in 2008. The nation scored 2.4 in the TI index, compared to 2.3 in 2008, which ranked it equal to Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Baltic state of Belarus.

The current administration is very serious in cleansing the government and uplifting the country’s dignity that is almost 10 feet off the ground due to corruption. People became conscious to the action of their leaders, and the people themselves are the one who do the report whenever they saw or know any anomalies in the government.

It is the time for us to reshape our future. We should change ourselves for the betterment of the succeeding generation.