Altruism of Gratitude

Under Act No.1870, the Governor General authorized that “[w]ithin the powers and limitations herein specified, to establish in the City of Manila, or at the point he may deem most convenient, a University which shall be known by the designation of University of the Philippines, the same being organized as a corporation under that name.” When our academia was instituted during the early decades of the American regime, the intent was to train a core of Filipino professionals for colonial bureaucracy. At the moment, it is something else. The name UP has been compromised for personal gains, not for an altruistic toil in our administrative system.

The institution has today flourished into a university system with seven constituent universities located in twelve campuses around the country. Last April 29, 2008, it had been proclaimed as the national university. From this purpose in Act No. 1870, “to provide advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences, the arts, and to give professional and technical training,” it now shines under the 2007 UP Charter limelight with purposes of “the search for truth and knowledge as well as the development of future leaders.”

The university has undoubtedly accomplished its mission regarding the advanced inventiveness of its educational qualification instructions in literature, philosophy, sciences, and arts, and the provision of professional and technical training to its students. But the rationale of the search for truth and knowledge and development of future leaders is another matter of consideration. It did not take long to realize that the increasing UP alumni had less and less preference to public service as their career destinations. Some private companies like Unilever and Procter and Gamble have been aliased UP Republic. With their continuing symposia, leadership trainings, and most importantly job openings for our students, it not unlikely that after conducting classes in rooms sponsored by these companies, we go directly to their offices and acquire relatively good cash after graduation. On the other hand, momentary BPO employments considered stepping stone jobs, are eating up a great number of potentials who could have reversed the political scenario of the Philippines. There are a good number of alumni who have made it to high-ranking seats in the Congress or Malacañang or Supreme Court; however, a good number has as well been allegedly involved in grand-scale corruptions and other crimes. Hence, it is on our shoulders that the elders had planted the hope of seeing efficient and honest and decent leaders in the years to come by.

They have told us to give back. They have told us to give back to the community, to the university, and to the country that have nurtured us. They have told us to give back without holding back. As scholars of the nation, we have an additional responsibility of strengthening the hallmark of gratitude to the government and the people who religiously pay their levies.

According to the National Expenditure Program for 2009 in President Arroyo’s speech to the House of Representatives, the allocated budget for the education sector this year is 189.1B Php. The budget for 112 state universities and colleges (SUCs) is only P22.57 billion ($482.06 million). Almost one-third of this will go to the University of the Philippines (UP) system. Its population of more than 50, 000 will get P6.7 billion ($143.1 million), the biggest budget among SUCs. The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), the largest university in terms of student population will only receive P663.64 million ($14.17 million). It has six campuses, two branches and ten extension campuses serving more than 52,000 students. The Philippine Normal University (PNU), the country’s center for teacher education with its four campuses, will only get P282.32 million ($6.03 million).

That the government is subsidizing a great part of our education, we cannot deny. And to pay them back through public service is a customary imbursement. But any Filipino who is sacrificing a portion of his salary can lay the same claim to us. With or without the tuition hike and all, he continues to do so to help put us through school. His taxes and million others’ taxes have invested in us and enabled us to gain the label of an iskolar ng bayan.

Nobody said that the only way to give back to the nation is to work in government offices and produce communal service. We can be in the academe and infuse what knowledge we have acquired, to aid in the development of a specialization. Research and scientific investigations are the end-destinations of the theses and dissertations we were required to make in college.

But we can be someone else as well. One who could see the flaws of the general public while enjoying fruits of a hard labor. We can be a chemist in a gargantuan pharmacy and discover a new drug. We can be a big-time host of a business process outsourcing firm and spearhead technological advances for third-world countries. We can be filthy rich and a CEO and attract foreign investors to the Philippines. In any case, we can work in any private company and still think about our society.

The Philippine Diaspora has paralyzed our circumstances. Indisputably, we cannot be blamed if we refuse measly pesos when we could be paid the more-than-enough value of our worth overseas. Going to the other side of the fence for greener pastures is not an antonym of giving back. As long as we add to the labor force which drives the economy of this country, we are not less of a nationalist. The problem is not the type of job we opt after graduation but the substantial amount of productivity we render to the country with whatever salary we are earning. Having a job is good. But keeping it is better. Mediocre performance is not just a mar to the premiere university who nested us for years but a slap on the faces of whoever financed our education until we put on our sablays and receive our diplomas.

Multi-tasking – that is what they teach us and what they teach us well in this university. In whatever job we have, we live up to the expectations and ideals of our alma mater. We ought to give our 110% best effort. But we must remain critical and perceptive of the issues around us. Whether we will be richer or poorer after graduation; helping out slum dogs in Manila or picking fruits in Milan, the University of the Philippines expects no less from us. Wherever we are and no matter what we do, in our simplest means, give back.

WHAT ABOUT THEM

Information Technology has made possible trade without barriers and tremendous economic expansions. But isn’t globalization also the main reason why rich countries have become richer and poor countries gone poorer?

You can check your Facebook account even in the wee hours of the morning. But what about those who have not even seen a computer? You can submit a three-page report on World War II in less than an hour with Wikipedia. But what about those whose only sources of information are tattered pages of a book found in the only shelf of their undersized library? You can hear news of Microsoft resolving the problem of how to dispose all those heaps of cash. But what about those homeless children who do not even wear decent clothes on their backs? You can enjoy the benefits of globalization. But what about them?

Take your country for example. Multinational companies use third world countries like the Philippines for their upstream operations. Production sites in Laguna or Davao or Tarlac manufacture their products because labor here is a hundredfold cheaper. Then the finished products are shipped to another company and then to another and another until you see them in retail stores with price tags unimaginable to those factory workers in the Philippines who worked their behinds off for them. You can see AyalaLand stretched out outside UP or Convergys billboards advertising for easy money or IBM hiring another set of IT team. But you can’t see how the rest of the country is clueless of the wonders of the web and left behind not only in terms of real disposable incomes but also in new developments and paradigm shifts. Yes we are struggling to cope with the rising tigers of Asia, where once we were even on top of them. We are seeking for the best investors that could see potential in our resources – to be able to show the world that we could be as industrialized as anyone of them. But can we really do it by leaving behind those who are not apt to learn new technologies and join the flow of innovation?

A nation is most progressive not because of a million computers, but because of a million citizens literate to use them.

business is not life

They say anything can happen in business. With the new trends in IT that pop up like mushrooms ubiquitously, it is, as they say, impossible to think impossible. When we started discussing how business projects could be evaluated, it seems as simple as inputting whatever necessary data you have to have, press some buttons, and then voila! Now you can easily see where the problem lies and more importantly, how to solve it. Whether you use a very, very, very small level of significance to minimize statistical error or you repackage the whole production and service, it makes you fall on your back and quite loosen up because there is an guarantee that at the end of the day, whatever program you use will improve your system somehow.
Why is there is no such thing as a project evaluation for real life scenarios? That it is feasible to get to the bottom of a mistake because there is a ready program to solve it.
Why is there no such thing as a life evaluation to always keep you on track and make you avoid irregularities? That it is determinable when to continue or pause or eventually stop. I don’t believe that life is business. Neither the other way around. Only in one can you use six sigma or TQM or other evaluation measures. In real life, you won’t know if your messing up already until everything crumbles in front of your very eyes.

An Arena of Pinocchios: Assessing Electoral Ads and Media Influence

“Philosophy is the science of wonder”- A.N. Whitehead. True indeed, because in philosophy we are made to think, to question our thought, and to be critical.

It is without doubt that at present, the most pressing issue that we Filipinos should be concerned about is the upcoming election, as it would be one of the most defining in our country’s history. With 10 aspirants vying for the presidency alone, the voters are truly in for a mind-boggling process. Objective reasoning must be employed in choosing a candidate to meet the purpose of the election- which is to select the right person for the job. Of course, many factors should be considered, i.e. political background, morality, wealth, etc. These factors are combined in a single package; a carefully designed description of the politician, which is normally channeled by means of advertisements.

            When we refer to the truth, usually our first notion is that it is something that cannot be contested; an absolute, generally accepted statement. But what if we are presented with the idea that truth is not definite? That it varies from every culture, from every person? That it can be created, altered, and still made to appear to be true? Thus, we will begin to understand that truth is not infallible and certain. What may be true to us is false to another. And the capability to fabricate truth is directly proportional to wealth and power.

This is what  ost of our radical professors point out. How politicians use truth to lie. Honestly, it is quite confusing; a sentence that contradicts the individual meaning of its parts. However, when he gave examples, it started to make sense. According to him, the political ads presented us with 3 things that they want us to perceive as the truth. First, the poor are noble. Second, those who help the poor are noble as well. And third, we can end poverty. Clearly, poverty is the common denominator. It is not wrong that they deliver these messages. What is unacceptable is that they presented only these. As what the quote, “a little knowledge is dangerous” says, these may bring false belief and hope to the people; considering that a majority of our population tend to easily accept a  proposition without first contemplating. Most of us have not even noticed the failure of their ads to show the more important things. If the poor are noble, then why is it that no one said the truth that our country is in poverty? Why is it that the cause of this poverty not mentioned? And why is it that no one has a clear, tangible plan to end this poverty? It is because all of them know that in some way but in varying degrees, each of them is responsible. Poverty has many causes. But in our country, the main culprit is corruption; and they are afraid to be grilled on such subject because no one would be able to deny. Think, on the senatorial level for example. Why would they run for the senate and spend millions of pesos, if not a billion, for a meager salary of 35,000 pesos a month, when a bank manager earns more than that? What they are doing, instead of informing, they push ignorance. We are being impressed with the polished truth, of which, the raw material should have been way substantial.

A detailed look at their advertisements would further support the fact of their cunningness; how they reveal just the tip of the iceberg. First, there is Erap portraying the image pang-masa and that he is same as the poor. Many were actually being fooled by this; not thinking that all his life he hasn’t even had a minute of deprivation. Second, Villar, who brags about his rags to riches story. Yes, I don’t question his epic rise from poverty. But to say that he is where he is now without being unfair to anyone, or has not committed any unethical acts? Shame on him, and to those who believe his words. Third, Dick Gordon, who claims that he, is always there after catastrophes. Shouldn’t we ask him instead, what did he do to prevent those from happening? Fourth is Noynoy, who promises that he would not steal. Let us assume that he would truly keep his word. But then what is the use of him being honest, if he does not have the will to convict those who are not? He should realize that the president is not just the one with unlimited access to the national treasury. Then, there is Bayani Fernando and Binay. Both of them commit to their goal of doing to the whole country, what they did in Metro Manila and Makati respectively. The plan is good, seeing the improvement of these places under their administration. The problem, however, is how will they do it? Metro Manila, especially in Makati, is where the big businesses are. Meaning large taxes are paid to the local government, and thus more money for infrastructures and benefits. While, in a number of provinces, the only source of income is in agriculture. Lastly, there is Gibo Teodoro, and Bro. Eddie Villanueva. The former emphasizing his being a pilot and said that we will fly with him; to where, I have no idea. Then the latter, proclaiming that he is change. Again, no details, as to how it would be done.

It should be what we see is what we get. But with their propaganda? It is what we don’t see is what we get. It seems as if the goal of advertisement now is to modify the truth. It is infuriating to think how they intentionally blur the facts. We are paraded lots of so called truth during campaign. Then these truths vanish after election, the creators of which are expecting that we would forget.  It just shows what these politicians think of the Filipino voters: foolish and unaware.  We should ask ourselves then, are we really what they think we are? Are we idiots? Or are we simply apathetic?

            They say that the responsibility for democracy to work lies on its constituents. Thus, we shouldn’t just be oblivious to what is happening. Nothing will happen if we, the voters, wouldn’t demand for the truth and stand by it. During one forum about 2010 elections that I had attended, a student asked that given all the facts that both the candidates and Comelec has lost their credibility to engage in a clean election, then what will happen to the country. What the moderator answered struck me. He said, “The election process is not the ultimate method for change. If we only depend on it, then nothing would happen”. What we should do instead, amidst all the lies that cloud our judgment, is find our own truth and assert it.

WHAT HAPPENED TO FACEBOOK?

When Mark Zuckerberg invented Facebook, I don't think he ever had pillows on his mind while typing in the codes of the site. I have nothing against it. Now, I have to think twice to agree on that. Whenever I sign in, all I see is a freaking page flooded with leopard pillows or love pillows or pancake pillows or tootsie pillows (whatever they are!). I just don't see the self-fulfillment that these people are experiencing whenever they get to throw back pillows at each other -- virtually. Come on, it's a  waste of time and space for your profile page. Thinking of it, pillow throwing isn't just the one thing annoying at facebook. People go crazy on games about animals and farms and cooking and waiting tables and joining a sorority or whatever. I have a friend who, during the typhoon days in Manila, was worrying about the plants that she would not be able to harvest because the internet connection was out. I have this other friend who constantly talks about ninja saga all day long and how far he has gotten on the game. And another one who even broke up with her boyfriend because somebody else has bought him as a pet in Friends for Sale.
I created my account during the summer of 2008 when my cousin went home from the States. Basically, I just signed up for it because she asked me to and it took me quite some time to get around facebook because none of my friends are using it (the Friendster frenzy was still on that time). Then when almost everybody started talking about it, I also began checking it regularly. Before, it was just a simple exchange of posts on each other's wall. No ridiculous invites from Mafias. No requests to send a heart back. No appeals to deliver a package to someone whose name I haven't even heard of. Now, the goal to keep in touch with friends is defeated. More often than not, people open their facebook pages to: first, check if somebody sent a friend request; second, play and level up; third, stalk someone; the rest, play again and level up.
I don't call this "hard feelings" or "being KJ." I call this "my god, kung anu-ano na lang meron sa facebook." I don't ask you to share my sentiments because aside from the awful games and applications, everything else in facebook I enjoy. Now tell me, don't I deserve the right to ask "What happened to Facebook?" =)

 

i reward my most heartfelt gratitude to my very first follower ever since this blog has started.

many thanks inigo!!