HUNGRY FOR WHAT REALLY?

Values Education: Corruption in Education

Early this week I was blown away by the news that the Food for School program of the DepEd purchased a pack of noodles for Php18 last year and would be distributing improved packs next year at a staggering Php54 per pack of noodles. Whoa! There are much better instant noodles in the market and more nutritious at that. This is blatant corruption, so well in good that some Senators are now investigating this uneducated blunder. Unfortunately, the DepEd is very myopic when they came up with this program. Indeed poor health and malnutrition contribute to poor school performance. However, in Philippine education there are far more devastating reasons why students fare poorly in school and it is not primarily because of malnutrition. When the government allocated Php500 million for the program, it was all for good intentions, but unfortunately the department is one of the most corrupt in the country. I can just imagine how many pesos were wasted and stolen for a program that did not serve any purpose at all.

For learning to take place, three things are considered: the learner, the teacher and the instruction. Students arrive in school for formal education bringing with them unstructured learning only. This may include first hand experiences while growing up and exploring the surrounding and those taught by adults other than a school teacher. The importance of the teacher cannot be underestimated. The most important factor for better learning in fact is the teacher. It is nice to remember that one cannot give what one does not have. If the teacher does not know the content of the subject matter, then there will be nothing to teach. Of course, the teacher must also be well-equipped with the tools of the trade – instruction. He must have been trained and equipped with the various fundamental teaching strategies. All these three must come into a complex interplay to make learning successful and produce educated students.

The Food for School program addresses the students. A lot of school age children in the country are, sadly, malnourished. Studies conducted here and abroad have proven how adverse the effect of malnutrition is in knowledge acquisition. The poorer the health status of the learner, the poorer is his academic performance. This is the fact that pushes the DepEd to launch the program. How was the program implemented? To my knowledge, last year, the first graders were given two kilos of rice. I don’t know if all the elementary schools nationwide did something else than just distribute rice. Obviously, a couple kilos of carbohydrates cannot change the nutritional status of the child. This is thinking the first grader child alone consumed every grain of the two kilo rice which I think is impossible to happen. Most of these children have brothers and sisters too that need to be fed. The DepEd does not even know whether the rice was really cooked or was even sold to buy something else. Was there any follow up done? Was the program of distributing rice continued?

If besides the distribution of rice the department also distributed packs of instant noodles, then this is good news only, not better. According to one of the Senators investigating the anomalous noodles, each pack “contains fresh egg”. How can it contain fresh egg when it is packed? Should the label be “enriched with egg” not the former one? However, a fresh egg costs only Php5 at the most, so the good senator was surprised why each pack of instant noodles costs the government Php18 when the same costs only about Php10 in the market. For next year, the department has awarded the same project to the same bidder but this time each pack will cost Php54 already. According to some foolish DepEd officials, each pack costs more because the noodles do not need boiling anymore. The students just have to pour hot water and wallah! There is the cup of hot noodles like magic. How pathetic! First, the rice and now enriched noodles. Both are carbohydrates and Filipino children have never been lacking of carbohydrates. What they need are essential amino acids – protein, protein and protein. Well, the egg might have been the answer.

The Department of Education, however, does not see the bigger picture. The students are not primarily the problem. The problem lies on the teachers and instruction. There are just so many teachers, who are actually teaching, that are not at all competent. In order for a teacher to be competent, one must be good in both instruction and evaluation. Sadly, because most teachers do not know how to teach, they are afraid to fail students lest parents will complain. Most incompetent teachers do not know how to evaluate learning. They just pass students even if the latter are not really able to master the competences that prepare them to the next higher level. There is also the problem of overcrowding. How can a teacher teach well if he has 60 to 70 students to contend with inside a classroom that can only accommodate 45 students maximum? Another problem is the lack of textbooks. The student to textbook ratio is not one to one. How will a student study for his lessons? No wonder when they get to high school, they do not even have a trace amount of study habit? There are more pressing problems in the department and the students are not the major ones. Should the DepEd officials be eating too the fortified noodles to make them more intelligent decision makers?

BAD JOB FOR A BLOWER

Getting Even: Selective Justice

Rodolfo Lozada Jr. can surely afford to post the minimal bail bond needed in a criminal case filed against him. But Lozada’s refusal to post bail drives home one point: there are many individuals who should be behind bars or at least on trial in connection with the broadband network deal between the government and China’s ZTE Corp. So who gets a warrant of arrest first? The whistle-blower.

Lozada was arrested yesterday on orders of the Manila Regional Trial Court. The warrant stems from a perjury case filed by Michael Defensor, President Arroyo’s former chief of staff, who was implicated by Lozada in what he described as an effort to stop him from testifying before the Senate on the ZTE deal.

The fate of the other players in that incident explains Lozada’s refusal to post bail. The Malacañang official directly implicated in the effort to keep Lozada quiet, Manuel Gaite, has been promoted from deputy executive secretary to commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission, replacing an official at the heart of the Legacy Group scandal. The security escorts who “greeted” Lozada upon his arrival at the NAIA from Hong Kong have disappeared, their reported ties to the Presidential Security Group swept under the rug. Other officials mentioned by Lozada in the attempt to keep him away from the Senate are still with the government.

Beyond that incident upon his arrival, which Lozada suspected was a kidnapping attempt or worse, no one has been prosecuted in connection with the ZTE broadband scandal. Benjamin Abalos, though forced to quit shortly before the end of his tenure as chairman of the Commission on Elections, is enjoying his retirement. Leandro Mendoza, who signed the deal with ZTE executives in Boao, China in the presence of President Arroyo, still has his job. And Romulo Neri, the former director general of the National Economic and Development Authority who initially disclosed a P200-million bribe allegedly offered by Abalos, now manages billions of pesos of the private sector’s pension fund after he invoked executive privilege and learned to keep his mouth shut. Only one man is being punished in connection with a $329-million deal that the government was forced to scrap: Rodolfo Lozada Jr. Michael Defensor is well within his right to want to clear his name, but Lozada’s prosecution is rubbing salt on a festering wound. It is a good example of the selective justice that has come to be associated with this administration.

WET SUMMER, DAMP WEATHER

Nature Fights Back - The Rain

When I was still a child, we lived in a two-storey Spanish inspired house. It had a long wooden staircase that ended up in the second floor landing which also served as a receiving room. It had cabinets full of books, which I do not know where now. The receiving area conveyed visitors to the main living room which was very spacious. It was in this room where I spent most of my childhood days whenever I was not allowed to go down and meet with friends. I remembered running and jumping in the room because its sheer size allowed even all us seven cousins there. This was the ancestral house and my cousins who lived nearby always visited me to play hide and seek upstairs. There were so many rooms with a lot of nooks and crannies that swallowed us up. The second floor was every young child’s enormous playroom. On one side of the living room were windows facing the road and the sea beyond. These were Spanish windows with panes made of capiz shells. I toyed with the panes because they could be slid to and fro. Whenever my Lola saw me doing this, she always got angry. The room and the windows were very memorable for me.

During the monsoon season, which is from June to September, it always rains so hard. Because we lived by the sea, the house got to be buffeted with too much wind, seawater and sand besides the rain. What I remembered vividly well was that whenever there was bad weather then, I just stayed inside the house and played with the rain by the window panes. The rain holds special fascination to me even until now. I always love the rain. When I went to school then and it rained so hard without me bringing any rain gear at all, I just pried a big banana leaf and used it to keep me from being wet. I enjoyed being in the rain to my mother’s utter displeasure. So whenever it rains today, it brings back fun childhood memories. I don’t live in a two-storey house anymore and my sea view is already blocked with a massive two-storey Dutch house. I do not miss the wind, the sand and the sea. Although I still miss the window panes, the rain is more than enough to compensate for my childhood longing of that certain pleasure only a child knows by heart.

It’s still April and it is still summer suppose to be; however, the rain has made its presence felt a lot earlier. Could this be the end of summer? I don’t care. I love the sun but I more than love the rain. Today, I can appreciate so much the rain not only because of the happy childhood memories that come rushing in my mind but more of its practical benefits to man and the environment. Because it is summer and it is too hot, the rain is definitely a welcome respite. Any late afternoon rain that continues until the wee hours of the morning brings a restful night sleep sans the air conditioning system. The Bermuda grass and other flowering plants cannot help but turn yellow to brown during summer. They get sun burned too. They need plenty of watering, but water during this time is a precious commodity. Watering plants is not wasting water. It is not just the priority however. My hometown earns the distinction of being the “Vegetable Basket” of the region. Ours is basically an agricultural community and this is how we earn our keep. Rain and lots of rain is what we need to sustain high value crop production. Thus, rain to me today goes more than just happy childhood memories.

What brought the rain, however, a lot earlier? The weather bureau said that it’s the convergence of different weather systems that made us wetter a month earlier. Experts also have been very vocal about erratic climate change and unpredictable weather changes to be due to global warming. Global warming in return is caused basically by how much we pollute the planet. I am not complaining about the rain. Its coming though is a lot earlier and this must make all of us rethink of how responsible we are for this phenomenon. Do we still have to wait until we drown in a deluge of rain to stop destroying nature and the environment? For sure I will not be thinking of fun childhood memories by that time when I am holding on to dear life because I am drowning in my own foolishness and everyone else’s. It's a hard time ahead.

RAPING NATURE, RIPPING THE FUTURE

Of Mutant Flies, Killer Pigs & Deadly Birds

The world when it is first created is all too beautiful. Wherever man looks are evidences of its pristine beauty. The surrounding is green, and the rivers, the seas and the oceans are sparkling bodies of water. The air is clean. Because of these nature grows in abundance. Plants teeming with fruits provide man with readily available food supply. Crops flourish untamed which provide food to animals. Wherever one toils the land and explores the sea, there is food anywhere. People are healthy although diseases are never unheard of. However, sickness is always attributed to unclean spirit. It is associated with sin. Nobody can think of illnesses as caused by nature, by animal vectors and even by plants. This is because the world seems too beautiful to be responsible of such a problem. However today, man knows better than this.

We all know today that diseases are never caused by unclean spirits or of sins. Some primitive cultures, however, still holds the same belief today. That is why to this group of people diseases are always approached in mystical manner and are treated in less than medical ways. Mortality and morbidity are still high. Modern societies believe otherwise. Diseases are caused by pathogens. These can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, etc. Illnesses may also be of non-pathogenic origin. They can be dietary and traumatic too. These latter two are treated primarily with behavioral modification – change diet and be careful. Diseases of pathogenic origin pose a greater problem though. They are treated primarily using medicines that work against the identified pathogen. Being living though, these pathogens continue to mutate just as man continues his unrelenting search for longer and better life.

In man’s continued search for longevity and progress, he forgets to take good care of nature which was once so beautiful. He never realizes that it is nature that holds one of the keys to a much longer and better life. The human race forgets all and starts destroying the pristine beauty of the surroundings. People started manipulating organisms in the name of scientific pursuit. We are no longer eating foods that are fresh from the farm or from the sea. We are now eating processed foods, and worse, chemically treated stuffs that are both harmful to the body and to the environment. In the name of progress, we started cutting down trees to provide habitable lands to our rapidly growing population. This has displaced so many wild and exotic animals that once thrive peacefully among themselves, untouched by man and his so-called modern civilization. Sadly, we have changed the world, and more sadly, for the worse.

Because of rapid changes in the environment, our behavior and how we interact with our surrounding, this has changed so much the evolution of diseases. Before diseases of pathogenic origin could easily be diagnosed based on patient presentation and his signs and symptoms; today it is very different. There are diseases with overlapping signs and symptoms and there are also diseases of unknown pathogenic origin. This early part of the century sees the emergence of quite perplexing diseases and exotic pathogens seldom heard of last century. AIDS was the scare of the last century. There was only one. Today, every year there seems to be a new disease with a very long name and an equally tongue twisting pathogenic origin – Ebola reston virus causing massive internal bleeds, SARS and the bird flu caused by the avian flu virus and the most recent swine flu caused by another virus yet to be identified. These are the newer diseases of pathogenic origin which may be caused by man’s continued exploitation of his environment.

Where have all these viruses come from? Obviously, as their names tell us, they are not of human origin. Their vectors clearly are not humans first – monkeys, birds and pigs. However, why are they causing the human race now and the world so much trouble? They have mutated. They cause no harm in their original hosts. Because man is never their primary host, these viruses to man are harmful. We are not meant to be their hosts. How come they have been unleashed to the world of man? Why have they not stayed with the monkeys, the birds and the pigs? Simply, it is because man has disturbed them. We started clearing the forests and the monkeys moved closer to us. We disturbed the peace migratory birds enjoyed along their long distance sojourn for winter. We started feeding pigs with whatever science has formulated and started devouring pork grown from drastic maintenance cost cuts. In pursuit of better life, we have made our lives worse.

The moral of all these sad scenarios of people dying of diseases never heard of before is simple and straight forward. We need to bring back clean surroundings again. We have to approximate back nature as it was originally created. This is a big problem. Environmental damage and pollution have become a global concern. Countries have come to good measures on how to stop the continued destruction of Earth – the only home we ever got to live on. Each of us too has to do our own little things of further harming the environment. Recycle whatever can be recycled. Save water because supply is dwindling. Go green and hybrid. Walk instead of ride. Raw instead of fried. There are so many that we can do to help. Unless we do our share, nature will continue to strike back. I don’t want to hear next year of a canine flu virus and die as a result because my poor pet dog thinks of me as just another viral host.

NEVER A SHOOTER NOR A DRIBBLER

Cops Who Can't Shoot

Nearly 90 percent of the 125,000 members of the Philippine National Police failed a firearms proficiency test, according to the National Police Commission. That story would be laughable if it did not have dire consequences for law enforcement. Cops who can’t shoot straight lose out to crooks who can. Cops who can’t shoot straight end up shooting dead both hostage taker and the hostage. Cops who can’t hit their targets end up hitting innocent civilians instead, as in the case of the policemen who shot and killed an overseas Filipino worker on vacation in Manila together with his daughter. Father and daughter had the misfortune of getting in the way of a running gun battle between cops and a gang of suspected criminals in southern Metro Manila. Those cops, who were legitimately pursuing suspected crooks, would have been spared from an ongoing investigation and their possible expulsion from the police force if they could use their firearms properly.

The reason for the poor proficiency in marksmanship in most cases is not due to stupidity or fear of guns, but logistical problems. The starting pay of cops is barely above the minimum wage, and studies have shown that there are PNP members living below the poverty line. Cops can practice marksmanship only if they have the ammunition for it. But the PNP ammo allocation per cop is sufficient chiefly for use when needed. Those who want to improve their shooting skills can do so only if they obtain their own ammunition. And bullets – even reloads – do not come cheap.PNP members who serve as politicians’ aides or bodyguards are usually the ones who manage to practice their marksmanship regularly. As informal members of virtual private armies, their skills are on tap not for the general public but for their political patrons. Other PNP members must make do with what they have, until the government decides to invest in upgrading the skills and equipment of law enforcers.

This is very sad. The fact that any civilized society has at least a crime committed, cops are imperative for its progress. However, if the PNP cannot provide marksmanship training and adequate bullets, what can we expect of our cops? They would be inefficient in their jobs and this inefficiency goes into a bad downtrend cycle. The top guns translate this inefficiency into bad performance rating. Unfortunately, it is only after a good performance rating that one goes up the salary rating scale. Some cops live in the poverty line and when their salary is not more than enough, we can expect these men in uniform to moonlight and even do the contrary. How many cops have we heard that were involved in criminal activities? There have been a lot and I think a lot will still be coming unless the government and PNP have to think faster of the reforms to be made. How many kutong cops have we heard too? There have been so many also. Why are these cops pushed to do something opposite of what they are supposed to do?

To be fair, there are still good cops out there. They are not only good in shooting targets, they have even risked lives to respond to calls of duty. How many cops have we heard being killed or hurt while responding to these calls? Although, there have only been a few, still life has been gallantly put at stake. How many families have we heard crying because they have lost their fathers in a crossfire which is more often dubbed by human right advocates as mere rubouts not ligitimate shootouts? Why are people so noisy when alleged criminals are shoot dead and do not even give a heck when good cops are mercilessly killed by these criminals? Have we grown so tired of the corruption that besieged our own police system? Questions, questions, questions. Unfortunately, there are no clear answers around the bend yet. Ours is as bad an eye sight as those nearly 90 perecent cops who failed in the firearms proficiency test. But at least I'm a shooter, never a dribbler. Huh!

THREE PERSONS, THREE LADIES, THREE SMILES

Little Acts of Kindness Made My Day

They say it is not the big bite that hurts most. It is the smaller ones. They say also that big things come in small packages. Because of what happened today, I would add that small acts of kindness matters as much as the big ones. For several days now, I have asked people to buy me recordable DVDs, DVD+R more specifically. My father brought me DVD-R, so I was not able to use it. My DVD writer is so specific of the type of disk it burns. It only accepts DVD+RW and -RW besides +R. I asked my sister to buy for me, but the salesperson tricked her into believing that DVD+R DL would do much better than +R. I hope the salesperson was only bluffing to close a sale, not that he indeed did not know what he was talking about. Unfortunately, small shops do not know the difference and insist that all DVD writers burn every kind. I needed to transfer some large files to save me precious memories in the hard disk. I did not have any other option, but to buy the disks myself. I went then to the local department store closest to my place. It was still an hour's travel; however, I badly needed the disks.

I left at about 9:30 a.m. so I arrived quite early, at around 10:30 a.m. There were only a few people upstairs where the electronic supplies were located. Since it was still early, I ventured nearer the earthenware and decided to buy my mom ceramic soup bowls. We already had some but they were not microwaveable. I looked around and had difficulty deciding which to buy. There were too many colors and shapes besides the usual round off-white bowls. I left the display and proceeded to buy the DVD disks. I got closer to the shelf and the saleslady saw me right away. She asked me what I needed and politely started a comparison of the different recordable DVDs available. She was knowledgeable of what she was talking. She even went to the extent of recommending to me the better brands. I believed her not because she was kind enough to point them to me, but because I really knew which worked better than the others. I bought all 11 that were available of the brand I liked and she gave me the case for free. I was so happy with what she did and thanked her for the effort she extended to me.

After I paid, I went to the home furnishing section and looked for some curtains to go with what we already had in the dining area. My mom wanted brightly colored drapes with circular patterns to break the drabness of lacy whites that were already hanging there. I found some; however, I seldom open sealed products not unless a salesperson is available for permission. As I was curiously examining some of the curtains, a saleslady approached me and gamely added that she would open the sealed plastic bags for me to be able to appreciate more the length and style. I did not know that there were several ways of fastening a curtain. She offered to get some more samples, but I told her I was not very sure of the way the curtains would be fastened. I was not so familiar with the style. Instead of leaving me, she further offered to show me how it would be fixed to the curtain rod. She already knew I did not have the intention of buying anything anymore, but the effort she extended to me, again, made me so happy. I thanked her for everything and she responded with a nice smile.

I went back to the soup bowl display and after quite sometime decided on the squarish purple bowl with a grainy black finish. I was intrigued by the contemporary design. I intended to pair them with some yellow plates I saw, but I would buy the plates later next month. My mom was complaining too that we have to get a new casserole, so I bought a stainless 20cm one. As I was lining up at the cashier's, a problem ensued when the cashier inadvertently scanned another bar code for some coffee mugs of a customer ahead of me. A saleslady offered to bring my items to another cashier. She went to two but decided that we had to look for one with only a few customers in line. We found one by the sporting goods. She left without me being able to thank her for the kindness; however, she came back after a while bringing with her some papers. She said that we needed them to cushion the ceramic soup bowls against each other or else they might be broken while traveling. She was not only kind, she was also practical and prudent. I smiled simply but my heart was so overwhelmed by the kindness I got from three simple salesladies.

Today is such a happy day for me. It has brought back my confidence on people that indeed a few are still good. There are still a few good people out there. There are still kind, patient and prudent people among us. I do not want to believe that the salesladies were doing it because of customer courtesy. No. Simply they were good because they were made to grow as one and not because they were trained to be one. They showed kindness and patience with me not because I was a customer but because I was a person. I was at first quite embarrassed by the attention I got. I was dressed casually, so it should not have been my appearance. Maybe it was they way I treated and spoke to them. In all three ladies I approached each with a smile because each deserved one after hours of standing. I got one in return from each lady and I had three nice smiles to sleep tonight. I spoke in a well-modulated voice, so it might have been the voice too. More than soft spoken, I spoke of sensible things too to all three ladies. I smiled and spoke to them softly not because I expected them to do the same to me. I did both because they deserved them as much as I did. We were actually just people interacting among each other like real people should do. I was not the customer nor were the ladies the sales persons. We were simply...persons and it made me so happy to be one.

ORAL INTERCOURSE WITH TY

Conversation with My Student

I am humbled by how you admire me. Your respect posts a greater challenge to me to do much better. This is what I want you to realize though. I am just human so I have imperfections too. I hope that what you have for me is not blind admiration. I hope you will appreciate too my mistakes because for sure you will also learn from them. By now you are quite familiar with my eccentricities and peculiar mood changes. I got some not so admirable manners which I tried very hard to control. It has been in fact an exercise of patience and per-severance. I am not embarrassed when some-times I get out of control and everything just becomes haywire. Sometimes I find it good to let out pent up emotions, pains and frustrations. I hope I do not sound so banal now.

You find me, I think, as a confidant. You have no second thoughts sharing with me what you feel about people and their emotions. I am humbled by your gesture. You trust me with your inmost thoughts. Rest assured your secrets will forever be secrets with me. You confide to me maybe because I have something to share with you about what you have shared to me. This is plain and simple give and take. This is how I look at friendship, a matter of give and take. This whole idea speaks of how respectful you are. I am not trying to insinuate that I have to be respected. I know I have to earn it; therefore, I work for it. I know you are not just trying to please me. I know you are sincere with how you look up to me as good example. I am very much flattered. I do not know how to thank you. The letter and the card I gave you are not enough to show and tell you how much I appreciate your actions. You are one of the few reasons which made me persevere in teaching. I know I have not taught you how to be intelligent all alone. I know for a fact that I have taught you more how to be educated. It please me so much that in you I have not failed as a teacher. In you, I have seen my crowning glory as one pedagogue.

You have seen others fail along the way in their search for the real meaning of life. I hope they have not blamed anybody but themselves alone. We have human weaknesses because of our very nature. We are sinners. We are culpable to sin. But please let us all realize that sinning has always been an option. It has never been pushed or has been forced to us obtrusively. We were first given the chance. Shall I bite or shall I not bite the apple? I do not mean to push the issue of you becoming like the next candidate for sainthood. I am sorry. I just want you to realize that your fate has been all too well-planned already. All you have to do is to take hold and control your destiny. Bring yourself to the ultimate quest in life which is ironically…eternal life of fullness and grace.

ORAL INTERCOURSE WITH JP

Conversation with My Student

After we had the talk in Talisay, you changed and I was not quite prepared for the change. I knew before that something was not right, but after Talisay I thought you have retreated back instead of moving on. Have I put you in an embarrassing position? I hope I have not because that was not my intention. Were you sorely affected by what I told you, or did my note come in bad taste? I did both not to put you in a very compromising situation. I did both to help you. I am sorry but it was not my intention to further hurt you. After Talisay, you became more withdrawn. You became more to yourself which was very much unlike you. Have I made you sadder than before? I want to apologize because this is not what I intend to happen. I think there was something wrong with how I approached things and the situation. Maybe I came too strong and you felt both threatened and helpless.

If indeed my observations before Talisay were valid and you now want to change because you heard from me, do not ever think that mine was an imposition upon you. I never meant it to be that way. Do not drastically change yourself. You cannot do it overnight. You are today conducting yourself in a manner not quite normal for a guy your age. It is as if you have grown old suddenly. You’ve lost the fun in your life now. I don’t want it that way. I don't think we understand each other. I was not very clear to you. Do not think that we thought of you as somebody bad because you have done this or that. No! In fact you are still one of the best students I ever had!

How you have been acting lately was something new to us all. It seemed as if you were no longer the student I knew before. I appreciated your effort to shy away from alcohol and too much X-rated movies. Both will bring you nowhere. I salute and respect you on this aspect. It needs a lot of control, patience and sacrifice. I support you in this pursuit and I am very sorry now to have introduced you to Mia. I am sure though I have not introduced you to alcohol. Although I drink socially, I am not into killing myself with too much booze. It burns the liver. I find it funny, therefore, when you have the impression that I do consume alcohol a lot. No, I do not. It all depends on the crowd, as I have told you through the text message.

Have you been all in grand charade before? Maybe you are actually trying to be just the real you this time. Maybe you have not actually changed for the better because what you have been from first year to third year has been one big pretense - a sham. You did things before to please the people around you, your classmates maybe, just to be with the in crowd. If in fact this is what was before, then you are indeed a very cunning guy. You have fooled me into believing that you are one strong and cold bad boy. This speaks so much of how smart you are. Only a few people can pull successfully such a grand charade.

Do not ever think that I doubted your goodness. I have always believed that you were and still now a good person. I am choosy when it comes to people I associate with. I only go with smart, well-mannered and good-looking people. You are all three. You are more than intelligent in fact. You are to me, educated. You’ve got the manners and you look good too! You even dress better than I did when I was your age. All three things make you the "man". You are in the class of JR and CJ. Remember that you are one of the Men Entice and you will forever be remembered as one.

So then younger bro, cheer up and be happy. You have been so serious with life lately. I don't like the drastic change, although I appreciate your effort to change. It's just so sudden; I am not prepared for it. I'm sorry, but you come as fake to me because I have always known you as the JP that I knew before – hard, hot and always in heat.

SEX IS FREE, BULAD SADLY IS NOT

The Global Economic Recession Tomorrow

I don't know when the global recession started. What I am definite about is that everyone is affected up to the most lowly citizen of the world. According to Maslow, a person has several needs. The most basic of man's need is food, water, shelter and sex, although not necessarily in this order. Some people have it the other way around. Not unless one still lives in a primitive civilization, food, water and shelter are no longer free. However, if one plants vegetables and crops or grows animals and hunts the wild, food can still be freely obtained. If he is equally resourceful as he is hard working, potable water can be made available from even a murky river. Shelter can still be free if one so desires to live in simple abode. Sex has always been for free not unless one's taste borders on exotic, wild and deviant. After securing his basic needs, man now needs security. Security needs are complex interplay of mind and relationship. It is for free, but to some security comes with a high price tag. A person cannot move up the ladder of needs not unless the previous ones are satisfied. It is clear, therefore, for one to live in satisfaction one must have the capacity (i.e. money) to buy his basic needs and acquire security.

This morning I asked my mom to go to the market to buy some of our needs - food mostly. I gave her Php400 (roughly US$8). She asked if she has to buy some fish. I said no. Fish just cost so much locally. What I asked her to buy, if possible, are the following: a kilo of ground pork, some vegetables (bitter gourd and aubergine), my favorite dried fish, season fruit and fish (her choice protein source) if there would still be left of the money. I consented to her desire to buy fish. After all, she's still my mother. About 30 minutes after, she came home and right away told me there wasn't any good dried fish available. A new supply will arrive tomorrow, so I still have to take three more meals before I get to eat my favorite dried fish. Besides the dried fish, which was really a bad news, she came home with the following: a kilo of ground pork, some vegetables (bitter gourd, aubergine, squash, green onions, and potatoes), a kilo of fish, two feet of bananas and a dozen anthuriums. At first look, it may not be too bad at all. The Php400 I gave her seemed to go a long way.

There are only my mom and I to eat three square meals a day. What she brought home today from the market may last for five days or even a week. Not bad really for just US$8. What about a family of five mouths to feed? How long will Php400 last? Three days? Even a couple only. This is thinking that the family is earning something in a month's time or even in a day, which sadly most Filipino families are. Remember that my mom was still able to bring home bananas and anthuriums. She loves flowers - fresh flowers in the living room, dining room and even in the kitchen. We can still afford this luxury, but most poor families would rather buy food instead of flowers. What my mom was able to buy would have been much more several years ago when there was still no global economic crisis. They said the prices of basic commodities are dictated by how much each barrel of crude oil costs in the global market. Since there is global recession, obviously, the price of almost everything skyrocketed. When prices of basic commodities go up, this may mean tightening the budget to some, but hunger to most families. We are luckier because there are only two of us to feed plus two dogs and a lazy cat.

Man to be able to satisfy his social and esteem needs, he must satisfy first his basic and security needs. When he can barely eat two decent meals in a day, he doesn't care anymore how secure he is. He may even risks his life just to earn that precious money to buy food which his hungry stomach is grumbling for. Good judgment may elude him and he may even steal from others just to be able to buy food. In the act of stealing, he may hurt others and jeopardize his future. He forgets anymore to secure not merely his physical self but his future, his life. Assuming he does not steal but exist on a survival level, he cannot even come to think of making deep and productive relationships with people around him. He shies himself away from the crowd. He feels he does not belong, and because of this, he has a very poor self image. There are so many who are stuck in the survival level. Only a few of us really are self-reliant. No wonder there are so many Filipinos that are less competitive, less assertive and less optimistic. This has what global recession brought us. The ever increasing prices of basic commodities is just the tip of the problem. The bigger dilemma is yet to come.

When my mom left for the market this morning, I was in the middle of my exercise. I worked out at home. I have come to a better perspective about myself that I need to exercise to trim down and be healthy because I would like to believe that I have both my basic and security needs all satisfied. It would not even be presumptuous if I say that I have my social needs secured too. I am all able to think of wasting time sweating it out because I do not have to think anymore of what to eat next (except for the dried fish of course). I am physically secure at home with my ever reliable Doberman. Because of what I have done and what I am doing, I have a circle of friends I can always rely on. I am quite good with teaching and the affirmation I get speaks of this. What I am more worried though is not myself but how have others been affected by this economic downtrend. If my premise is correct, I cannot imagine how much impact will this crisis have on the younger generation of Filipinos. We have always been known to be timid, less assertive, non-competitive and pessimistic. Although education and a lot of NGOs are working hand in hand to correct not just the image but this sad reality, still I am very pessimistic of the whole thing - talking about being Filipino. When my mother this morning brought home a lot out of US$8 except my favorite bulad, I did not forget that a lot has already been fed up with the lowly and smelly dried fish.

LIQUID DREAMS AND WET MEMORIES

How Much I Have Forgotten the Sea

Being 38 has its toll on me. I felt tired and frustrated with work. I was so challenged this year with my work that I have even decided to resign and look for another. I know 38 is not that old yet, but I am roughly half way through life. Men's life expectancy is getting shorter that I think 70 is even an exaggeration. However, I am tired and frustrated with my work, because of my own fault. I cannot blame both to others. I have to modify some of my work behavior and relationship with peers and colleagues, even to my employers. When 2009 started, I promised to change. I worked on being "meaner" this time as the principal to both my teachers and my students. I also became more open with my thoughts, and sadly voiced them out as condescending opinions. I don't care. I was just tired of being the good boy, which I am not. Because I put on some weight last year, I also promise to lose some this year. It maybe a little late because I have just started this April after school closed. I'm on my first week of exercise and sensible eating. Today, I took a swim in the sea to cool down.

I live by the sea. It is just a stone's throw from the house. When I was still young and everything was pristinely beautiful, the sea was where I spend most of my day. At about 8 in the morning and whenever it was high tide, my friends and I were already in the water, paddling ourselves like hell. I learned how to swim earlier in life. Most of us did, so one could just imagine how much fun we had then. We always ate lunch in the sand and continued our beach frolic and swim until sun down. By 4 in the afternoon, we were all sun burned, not just tanned. Today I sport a sun kissed bronze skin, courtesy of my hay days at sea. Our beach fun did not just stop with swimming. Whenever there were fisherman's boats around, definitely the owner would have a hard time looking for his boat afterwards. I could row boat before and I can still do it equally as well today. These memories came rushing back to my mind as I spent an hour this morning at sea.

My purpose of swimming this morning was to cool down after exercise and help me with my sore muscles. It cannot be denied that sea water offers healing wonders too, not just fun. I do a lot of cooling down as I do warm ups whenever I exercise. I always feel less sore whenever I do both well. However, the cool sea water does more magic to my sore muscles. Today, I felt quite sore with my abdominals although I did only a few reps of sit ups yesterday. This is good news of course. Another good news is in my quads, trices, biceps and pecs. At least I am in for a good start. I think I have to do more reps for my delts. I did not feel any tightness there. My traps also were quite sore. I am happy with the way I am doing. I always believe in less pain, not the overkill. I do not bulk that much nor do I want to. I just would like to trim down and live healthy. This is why I seldom suffer too much muscle pain after working out. A nice, long dip in the sea usually cools me and relaxes my tight muscles. I could not, however, resist the temptation to do several lapses of freestyle swim this morning. The feeling was different. I just missed the sea. I haven't been to the beach for almost two years. I was so excited swimming, feeling so carefree and relaxed.

I also got to clear my mind whenever I am at the beach or in the sea swimming. When I still used to mountain bike before, I usually made the shore my last stop. If I did not decide to take a dip to cool myself, I just sat there, rest to catch my breath. While sitting, looking afar, I usually got a clearer view of everything that has happened so far in my life. I was able to reflect on the lapses I have failed to do and the good deeds I have done. It is also by the sea that I got to come up with the most rational decisions in life. There is just something with the calm of the waves and the breeze of the wind that soothes my mind. That same magic by the sea worked again to me this morning. Looking afar, not at the zenith, but the green mountains that hover over my place, I felt relieved of the days' problems. I felt an unexplained peace in my heart as I bobbed my head up and down the water line. I remembered some of the things I still have to do that have been bothering me for quite a time. I did not feel the pressure though. Instead, everything just fell in the right place and I got out of the water knowing what would be the next best thing to do to help me pass by the day.

It is downright shameful living by the sea and not able to enjoy it for almost two years. I am indeed embarrassed and I cannot feign work as an excuse. Now that I have refocused my life and have been trying to straighten out everything, I see the sea again. It was there, it is there and it will forever be there. Only that I refused to see it. I have forgotten the magic the sea brings to my life. I have been so engrossed with work and troubled with life lately, but if only I have run to the sea for some moments of peace, I would not have reached my wit's end. I forget that the sea can remind me of my happy childhood memories. It can vividly bring back to my mind long lost childhood friends who I no longer know where. The sea can bring physical healing. Whatever has pained me for a time would have been healed by the warm lapping waves of the sea against the body. My troubled mind would have been soothed by the hypnotic calm of sea ripples and gentle breeze. How foolish of me to have forgotten all these! Today is Earth Day. I think it was all the sea that beacons me back to him. I am reminded all today of the mysteries of life and how they unravel to us in as simple as the sea, and as mundane as the racing waves.

BRUTE, BRAIN AND BRAWN

Nonito Donaire & Brian Viloria

Before, intelligence was simply measured by how well one calculated his math, how articulate one spoke and how analytical one approached problems. Intelligence before was gauged by how much one acquired knowledge and skills in language, in mathematics and in science. During the early 90's there was a paradigm shift and people started adopting Gardner's multiple intelligence theory. According to Howard Gardner there are several intelligences. He proposed eight but to date there are already nine intelligences: verbal-linguistic, mathematical-logic, musical, visual-spatial, bodily kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, naturalistic and existential. The theory gained much respect because it proved to be true at all. A person is intelligent not only because he knows his math and science and can speak well the language. A person is also intelligent if he can sing extraordinarily well. He is also intelligent if he excels in any sporting event. Even a person who can rally people to move is intelligent. If he prays a lot and knows well his God, he is also considered intelligent. Intelligence is always objective, but definitely it is not limited only to math, science and language.

Sadly before, being athletic and excelling in sports are equated to poor intelligence. This is because most athletes fare poorly inside the classroom. This was then; however, to these people the classroom is outside - the basketball court, the diamond, the oval, the boxing ring or even the open sea. Unfortunately, before, athletes were never thought of intelligent. But imagining that there are only a few who excel out of so many thousands of sportsmen, definitely excellence in sports demands some form of intelligence and only intelligent athletes do excel. Gardner called this the bodily kinesthetic intelligence. In any sporting contest, for one to win, he has to strategize. A simple game of billiards requires application of physics and trigonometry. Swimming has now become a science that a swimmer must also be a scientist besides just sheer grace and brawn. Boxing cannot be won without being analytical to the last second when a pugilist has to react to his opponent's cut or jab. Quite simply today, athletes and sportsmen are held in high respect because of the unique intelligence their discipline demands.

Last Sunday, I watched two Filipino boxers fought against foreign prizefighters. Although I do not know so much the ins and outs of boxing, I still can say that both Filipino boxers are intelligent pugilists. Nonito Donaire Jr. was at his Sunday best as he electrified the hometown crowd that watched him demolish the previously undefeated Raul Martinez in just four rounds at the Araneta Coliseum. Brian Viloria won the IBF light-flyweight crown being defended by Solis for the eighth time, and proved that he is still the same fighter that won the World Boxing Council 108-lb crown in 2005. Donaire retained his International Boxing Federation crown for the third time even as he mentioned previously and later on after the fight that he’s planning to move up in weight for his next fight. Viloria was just as furious in stopping “Filipino executioner” Ulises Solis of Mexico in the 11th round, giving Filipino boxing two big reasons to celebrate like they do each time Manny Pacquiao fights. I was one with the rest of the nation celebrating both their victory. These two boxers may not be intelligent inside the classroom, but definitely they are geniuses inside the ring. However, they are not only brain and brawn. They are also models of discipline, hard work and perseverance.

Athletes cannot just excel without discipline, hard work and persever-ance. Before, these modern day gladiators were highly regarded because of these extraordinary traits. These characteristics were believed to be possessed only by elite men and women; however, athletes were not seen before as intellects. They were not intelligent in the same level as Plato, Newton and Einstein. It was only lately that they were given the honor they rightly deserved. Today, they are considered as intelligent as any Plato, Newton and Einstein. It is good to remember that the latter three great minds have never exceled in any sporting event. They may be eloquent, analytical and systematic, however, they never played well and excel in any contest of sheer strength, speed and agility. The theory proposed by Howard Gardner not only is correct, but gives the honor and respect the athletes and all sportsmen so deserved. Donaire and Viloria may not be both good in mathematics, science and language; however, this does not matter so much since they do not belong inside the classroom. They belong up inside the boxing ring. They may not have been honored in school in their student days, but today the whole nation pays tribute to these two equally intelligent brute, brain and brawn.

MAKE IT HARDER, HAVE IT LONGER...

Exercise Harder, Live Longer and be Happier

I have always been a health buff. My passion to good health started way back when I was still in high school. My motivation then was the trimmed body that went with good health. When one is trimmed, it is a lot easier for him to engage in any activity without getting too much tired and stressed out. When one is slim, he can also get into any style. He is always in fashion, so to say. When I got a bit older, in college, my motivation still and unfortunately was the trimmed body plus the muscle that started puffing. It was all fun then to exercise myself to "kill" level. I seemed not to get tired at all then. The result of my hard work and the adrenaline rush just kept on pushing me to add some more reps. Even when I started working in the hospital, I still pursued good health by exercising and eating sensibly. It was all natural, no drugs and I was so proud of the result. My good health and trimmed body then were the result of my dedication, discipline and hard work. Unfortunately, everything started to wean off.

Although I was so sincere with my exercise regimen and eating pattern then, when-ever I had problems with my work, I observed that I ate more than what was needed to maintain my basal metabolic functions and sustain me through my daily activities. I knew then that it was not correct and I had to change this bad habit. When I was still in the hospital, I did burn enormous amount of calories doing my cardio. I rode my mountain bike and did about 20km sprint everyday. I so loved the rush that came with the wind against my sweat. When I was with my bike, I forgot the worries of the day. My day just did not stop with the bike though. I also conducted aerobic sessions with the senior citizens. When they expressed that they wanted me to help them rid of arthritis and other degenerative diseases, I volunteered to be with them. I always finished my day then with a good amount of another calories burned. Everything changed though when I became a teacher and started working in school.

The pressure of work in school was just too much for me. I started lagging behind my workout and cardio and began putting on some weight. I learned to diet when before I just ate sensibly. My eating binge when depressed became worst that from as trimmed as 32 inches I bloated to 38. I could no longer do push ups when before I could manage a decent 30. I could still bench press though but my abdominals got weaker. However, whenever I was at work, I often did abdominal contractions to help me with my back problem. Because I did not workout regularly anymore, my biceps and delts were no longer as prominent as before. My asset, my quads, were as perfect than ever. I still run and do a lot of brisk walking. I have well-defined quadriceps courtesy of my several years of mountain biking. What I fear now, however, is I easily run out of breath. I get tired fast and I am today carrying too much weight. I need to trim down. I promised myself this before summer vacation started.

This morning I woke up with the renewed vigor to exercise and start losing weight. My motivation now obviously is no longer aesthetics but more of becoming productive and be of help to others. How can I be both productive and of help to others when I am sick? I also do not want to die earlier than what is expected of me should I have been healthier. I slept late last night (actually this morning, 2a.m.). I will sleep earlier tonight so I will be more refreshed and my muscles rested. Because I was starting all over again, I did so much stretching and moderate cardio before I got into full running. I did about 30 minutes of stationary jogging and shadow boxing then proceeded to sit ups. I minimized rest time in between. I only did upper body today - traps and biceps. Hopefully, tomorrow I will do lower and the delts. I still have to pick up my pace. I still have to experiment what is really best for me. Another problem that I have to address to is my binge eating when depressed and pressured. With all these things in proper perspective, I hope I'm on my way to another new self.

The task ahead of me is definitely difficult. There will obviously be rough roads. What is good with me, however, is I am always passionate with things I have started. With some behavior modifications and proper time management I know I will make it. Whenever I exercise to be healthy and trim, I always have a picture of me at the end. I often imagine how will I look like, how will I feel and how will others react about my new self. These offer a lot of motivation for me to do a lot harder as the days go on, and they create a positive vicious cycle. Because the motivation is intrinsic, I know I will sustain with what I have just started today. When before I was so motivated to be healthy, to exercise and be trimmed because of how I would look, today my mission is even greater. I do not want to be sick earlier than expected. I don't want to be debilitated and be useless. I know I still can do so many things to help myself and the community. I know there are still higher reasons for my existence. I have slowly discovered some but there are still some more. I just cannot afford to miss all these things just because I die young. The world has so many beautiful things to offer. How will I enjoy them when I am already six feet underground?

MANHANDLING: MEN IN UNIFORM

As Idiot as Anybody Can Be

Man being both rational and irrational animal is capable of emotional outburst, anger and violence. These irrational behaviors if uncontrolled can result to tragic consequences. When people started to live in groups thus giving birth to early civilizations, they felt the need for a certain group of people, maybe the fast and the burly ones, to maintain peace and order within the group. This people would also be responsible for securing the integrity of the group from outside invasion. The first policemen were thus born. Today, policemen in most civilized society are held in high regard and respect because of the inherent danger of their work and the great contribution they have in the progress of society. No society in modern time can prosper without first maintaining peace and order within. Policemen are, therefore, needed for modern civilization to thrive.

The art of policing was created because there was a great need to secure peace and order within a group. Policemen until today are seen as people society can rely on for protection. Because of this obligation, we cannot help but look up to them with much awe and admiration. Just lately, however, the world has seen a new art of policing. Instead of protect-ing the people, they have become the instrument of pain, shame and death to others. When the wife of a famous Filipino broadcaster was shoot, all the suspected housemates and the husband were plucked unceremon-iously from either at home or in the hospital by the police. During the aborted ASEAN Summit which was held in Pataya, Thailand, the police were supposed to secure the heads of state of the Southeast Asian nations. They failed miserably to utter shame of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. To date five people died after the G20 Summit in London purportedly because of police manhandling of the Summit protesters. Families were hurt, leaders were shamed and people died. Could this be the new art of policing?

When news broke that the wife of Ted Failon was shoot in the head, I was surprised, as if this things could not happen to people like them. A letter showing telltale signs of disturbed thinking was left behind. I have no doubt it was suicide, but this still has to be proven wrong. When everyone including the husband was grieving, the policemen led by their arrogant arresting officer plucked unceremoniously the husband, the sister, the house helpers and the driver of the victim. Along the course of the chaotic investigation, suspects were arrested without reading them their rights as accused. Still grieving for the loss of a sister, Pamela was arrested in the hospital for obstruction of justice. A brother was also arrested for obstructing arrest. All these were done with extraordinary use of brute force. Arrests can be done without hurting the accused. The policemen, who looked like idiots to me, had only hurting people in their minds when the arrest was made. They are now a subject of too many investigations. Well in good!

Every two years heads of state of the Southeast Asian nations meet in a forum aptly named the ASEAN Summit. They discuss problems of the region and course its future in relation with the whole world. The organization is one of the strongest among nations in the world. Sadly, this year's summit in Pataya, Thailand was aborted because of disorderly violent behavior of the protesters. Why were there protesters near the venue of the summit? According to report, the police were not able to contain the protesters. The protesters were unruly and violent; however, the police (I think) were told to adopt maximum tolerance against them. But when people become violent, shouldn't it be that violence begets violence. I am not for violence, but the police could have shown more determination and brawn to ward off the protesters before their number could have escalated into something beyond control. The new Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has no other option but to abort the summit to protect the leaders. This to his embarrassment to ASEAN and the whole world. He was left with no other option but to declare a state of emergency. This incident would not have happened if the Thai police were not as idiot as they looked on TV screen. What a shame!

Like the ASEAN, the group of 20 first world countries also meet regularly for the G20 Summit. This year London was the host and one of their main agenda was the global economic recession. Unlike the Thai police, the London counterpart did a much better job of warding off the protesters. From news reports, however, the G20 protesters were less unruly and violent. They were easily contained and the summit ended with minimal problem, as I thought. But I was wrong. To date there were five deaths related to police manhandling of the protesters. What really saddened me was the news of a family man who died because of internal bleeding. He was not a protester. Only that his path going home would have him crossing beyond the police barricade. He insisted on crossing but was shoved to the concrete pavement. Later on that day, he collapsed. They thought he died of heart attack. Post mortem examination showed he died of massive internal bleeding which could have been triggered by his fall. When an innocent family man died in the hands of the police, this should be investigated. How come people we are supposed to run to for help are now hurting us?

With all these police manhandling and lapses, are we now seeing the advent of Robocops - cops with muscle sans the brain and the heart. In early civilization, the police were to maintain peace and order. They are the people's protector. In modern times people have changed though that in some not so civil society, the police even needs the people's protection. This, however, goes against the very essence of the police and its function. What the modern world needs are policemen with brute force that is tempered down by rational decision and a kind heart. We cannot afford a weakling to police us, but we cannot also allow muscle and brawn without brain and heart to roam the street hurting the innocent people instead of protecting them. The world has to wake up now. Could it be possible that there is also a summit for policemen and the art of policing. I read that there is one, but how many of the millions of policemen attended? The Philippines sent a few delegation to Russia, but brought with them thousands of euros. Are policemen corrupt too? This is another story obviously.

THE HERO, THE DREAMER & THE FIGHTER

Three Inspiring Stories...Amazing People

A story can do a lot to a man. It can make him angry and turn violent. It can make him sad and cry. Every once in a while, though, there are stories that inspire us. These are great stories that tell of man's heroism, his fight against adversities and triumph over others. These are stories of the resilience of the human spirit, its ability to withstand the atrocities of life. With their stories should come the hope for everyone of us to stand for life. Today, anywhere one looks, there is nowhere a place not touched by the hard and cruel realities of living in modern time. On one end of the spectrum are the rich and the famous basking in the opulence of what life brings to them. We cannot blame them, because they labored hard for the comfort and status they are now enjoying. Sadly, on the other end are the miserable poor, the underprivileged who continue to wallow in poverty. It may not be their choice but they are free to step out of the grim shadows of too much squalor...anytime.

Captain Richard Phillips is any ordinary family man. He is the captain of the ship which was seajacked by the Somali pirates. As reported, he maintained his calm demeanor when the pirates went up the ship and started harassing her crew, mostly Americans. The pirates could have been clearly out-numbered, but clearer minds prevailed. They wanted these lawless people to face the consequences of their wrong decisions. But when push becomes shove, the pirates in a turn of unexpected event decided to let go of the rest of the crew when Captain Phillips voluntarily offered himself to them for ransom money. Without any hint of cowardice, the good captain offered his life in exchange for the safety of his comrades. What a noble act! He was with the Somali outlaws for a number of days, floating aimlessly in the vast ocean until the US navy seals killed his three captors. He was a hero but did not want to be acknowledged as one. He made his country proud of him, his employer and most especially, his family.

When Susan Boyle got up the stage for Britains Got Talent, a lot of people in the audience smirked. When she further on answered that she would like to be another Elaine Paige, even Simon Cowell raised his eyebrows. She was looked upon on stage as another talentless prankster. Life indeed could be so unfair...yet surprising. Susan felt her choice of song, I Have a Dream from Les Miserables, so fitting for the occasion. And then she opened her mouth and out came a voice that stunned everyone and made the audience cower in shame. I saw her performance during that round, and anyone definitely can get blown by it. Why was she laughed at at first? Unfortunately most people judge the book by its cover. Susan Boyle just does not have the look that sells album covers; however, she is not supposed to sell her looks, she is supposed to sell her voice. With her childhood passion of someday becoming a singer, this 48-year old amazingly talented woman will not allow her look to stop her from pursuing her dream.

When Oscar de la Joya announced his retirement from professional boxing, Manny Pacquiao gave the sport of pugilism its new face. The Pacman comes from a broken family survived all alone by a determined mother. He could barely finish high school and indeed was not able to pursue college education. He was poor in worldly possession but not in spirit. He knew he could be a good boxer. He liked boxing so much that he searched for that elusive opportunity that would someday gave him the break to become one of the best prizefighters in the world. His dedication, hard work and strong faith enthroned him to where he is now - the best pound per pound boxer of the world. The unknown poor boy from GenSan is now famous. He is now rich and lives with all the comforts modern living can afford. He has now the material possession but he still remains humble. He shares what he has; he becomes the people's champ. He inspires all to continue on pursuing their dreams. Landing on the Time top 100 most influential people is a feat which Manny Pacquiao so deserves.

Three seemingly different stories - different people of different nationalities. They are all in one, however, in inspiring us to keep on hoping, to keep on dreaming, to keep on fighting, for life is indeed beautiful, can still be beautiful. There are lessons we can learn from these three extraordinary people. Be brave in spirit not just in action. Captain Phillips survived because he did not allow fear to overcome him. He remained calm and focus, and emerged the hero, very much alive to tell his story and inspire us more. Let us also persevere and pursue our dreams with passion. Let us not be affected by what is outside, what is around us. What matters most to Susan is her dream and the faith that she can achieve it, not how much people rebuffed her looks and appearance on stage. Above all, humility makes us all win in life. Captain Phillips did not want to own the honor. He attributed the success to the US Navy Seals. Susan is now enjoying Internet popularity, but she still remains her humble self. Manny ranks higher than Schwarzenegger and Angelina Jolie in the Time list, but he did not make so much fuzz about it. Three ordinary people who live extraordinary lives. The beacons for souls lost in the modern world. Theirs are stories that one cannot help to retell and retell to inspire us all, to tell us all of the triumphs of the human spirit.

ORGANIZATION: A CLEARER VIEW TO A KILL

How to Accomplish Tasks Efficiently

Some say that I am obsessed with organization. I don't believe them. I am an organized person but I am not obsessed with it. Organization to me is important in accomplishing almost anything. I believe that when everything is in order, when everything is in the right place, great things are done at a reasonable time. I dig for efficiency. I dig for hard work and I believe in excellence in whatever I do. To be excellent in everything I do, organization is but imperative. This belief was challenged and affirmed today. We have teachers that are so disorganized although they are not right-brained. On the other hand, we also have teachers that are mixed - both right and left, creative and methodical. The former group obviously irritates me. The latter kind makes me believe in the power of the human spirit.

As I was preparing for school today, I received a text message from one of our parents. She relayed that according to her son’s adviser, he would be retained at the same year level next school year. This, according to the mother, was because her son had failures of more than three units. She was quite calm as I deduced from her message. I was irritated though by the adviser who I already talked with yesterday. I told her what information to relay and how to do it so everything would sound sympathetic to the child’s dilemma. This teacher is supposed to be intelligent and in control of herself. I don’t know what happen, but she just made a fool out of herself this morning.

I got so irritated because the teacher was not prudent. She lacked foresight; she was not able to see the possible repercussions of what she just said. I explicitly told her yesterday that the students would still be able to enroll in third year next school year provided he has to take summer classes of subjects he failed this year. The words I believe were easy to understand that even the mother did so. She might have panicked and lost focus because what she relayed to the parent I think were all wrong. This was what I have observed from her lately. She seemed to be out of herself. When one is out of oneself, then she is not focused; thus, she is disorganized in thoughts which will result ultimately to disorderly actions.

I helped the poor teacher rather than reprimand her. I knew better. When I met the mother sometime later, I re-explained to her what really would be the possible status of her son next academic year. She understood, and I hoped the adviser also did. I asked the latter if everything was okay, and she answered, yes. She then went out afterwards, obviously embarrassed of the whole fiasco. I sat down inside the faculty room and continued entertaining queries from our parents who were enrolling their children to first year. I reminded the other teachers that if they be through with everything, we would clean the room; however, I told them this one yesterday. They remembered because those who were already cleared of any obligation started cleaning their respective tables and cabinets.

Definitely, I just really knew who among our teachers were more organized than the others. If a teacher finished his work a lot earlier than expected of him, he must have been methodical and thorough in his approach of accomplishing tasks. Our seasoned teachers were like this. They were organized both in ways of thinking and acting. One neophyte teacher was also organized with her work. There were eight of us this afternoon cleaning and organizing back anew the faculty room. I hanged on the wall some History projects of the juniors. Two lady teachers swept the floor and another started cleaning all table tops. We placed all used materials inside individual boxes hoping some of them would be recycled for next school year. We were proud of what we accomplished this afternoon.

What happened today is a clear demonstration of how important organization is in accomplishing tasks efficiently and successfully. When one is not following a system of order in doing things, there is a greater possibility that a work will be accomplished half-baked. It is important to know, however, that organized action stems from an organized thinking. If one is confused with what really to do, then he does not also know how to do it. Another thing to consider is cooperation. Assigned tasks are accomplished easily if several people work on it in an orderly manner. Several people ease the burden of doing things; however, it is also very important to note that if these people who are cooperating with each other have disorganized thoughts, still nothing will be done. When the goal to accomplish is very clear in everyone’s mind, then each one will be working towards that goal. Organized thoughts accomplish the work.

FIGMENT OF IMAGINATION, IMAGINATION OF BIG MEN

This One's To Heat Up Summer More

I just woke up from an hour sleep. I slept at around 3 o’clock this morning. I have been programming and boozing until the wee hours of the morning. Basically my life yesterday until this morning was sex, alcohol and pizza. I am not proud of what just took place but why am I telling you all this. I like you to realize that though I am your teacher, I am as culpable to sin just like anybody else. As what I have told you, I am not proud of what happened yesterday, but ain't no saint.

Only a few know me quite well as a person. Usually people know me by what I have done and what I have been doing. You are one of the former few people. And I consider you my close acquaintance. I hate to be known as a good teacher or a doctor or a leader. At least to you, I am an ordinary easy-go-lucky guy. Rest assured though that I am more than a good friend to all my friends. I am never afraid to show my weaknesses nor do I ever display them. I work on my assets and potentials and these I turn into personal excellences.

This is the lesson I want you to learn. You got the potentials to make it good in life later on – brains, looks and manners. You work on these potentials and turn them into your own personal excellences. Be the smartest brain that you can be and the finest looking, well-mannered gentleman you can. Be true to who you are. Do not be embarrassed by your human weaknesses. Do not hide them but do not flaunt them too. Be yourself. Do not try to appear what you really are not; otherwise you will be found much wanting to be who you are not – a fake. You can be good and still be human. I am not forcing the issue of you behaving like the next candidate for sainthood. It’s not just you.

What we have been up to for the last few months, I hope you will not mistake as my pushing you into it. I am treating you as a young man now, endowed fully with the capacities to decide for your own good. If you think there is nothing wrong about programming then there is nothing wrong about it but if you feel it is wrong, then it is wrong. I believe that as long as nothing gets hurt, the action is neither good nor bad. The morality of my action and its intrinsic worth depends on my purpose of doing it. This may not be correct because the end does not always justify the means. But who cares!

Now that you’ve seen one of my human weaknesses, I hope nothing changes. I have never said that I am perfect. No! I am not. So are you but do not try to change and make yourself appear so innocent to me. I understand your needs and I don’t care about them as long as you’ll hurt nobody and this includes yourself. You are smart. You know what you are doing. I look forward to a much better barkadahan next year.

(Read beyond the lines. This is not meant like how it sounds.)

THE MOST EXPERIENCED SMILES THE SWEETEST

The Seasoned, the Experienced and the Neophyte Teachers

The busiest month for a teacher is the last month of the academic year – March. There are just so many paper works a teacher has to prepare, review and submit, obviously, for recording purposes. Before a teacher, however, prepares all these forms, there are still the final grades he has to compute. After computing the grades, he has to decide together with the rest of the school community which students are promoted and which students have to fail or worse, have to be retained. Therefore, before any teacher embarks on preparing all the official documents to be submitted, he has gone through a lot of head-breaking, nerve-wracking and heart-tearing experiences. Thus, one can only imagine how tired already a teacher is when he started tinkering on all the paper works he has to turn over before he is cleared of any other obligation for the current academic year.

This year we have quite a good number of new teachers. They are new to the school, but some of them already have teaching experiences, so I expect this latter group to prepare all the paper works with a cinch. Those who are really new to the teaching profession, I do not expect them to go over the entire process in a breeze. Well in good that there are seasoned teachers who are always on the standby to assist their neophyte colleagues in their baptism of fire. In preparing the documents, therefore, to be submitted to the regional office one can expect the seasoned teachers to finish earlier. They will be followed by the teachers who already have teaching experiences, and clearly, the neophyte teachers will finish the last. This is what I have expected to happen, but I am only partly right with my expectations.

We have only four seasoned teachers, that is they are tenured and have been with us for three years or more. Two of these seasoned teachers lived up to their names and experiences. They were finished before everyone else started working. Because the other two of the seasoned teachers had more pressing commitments, they were not able to finish earlier with their work; however, when I checked what they have done, hardly was there any error at all. Clearly, experience spells the difference. The more number of years one has been accomplishing the paper works, the more adept he becomes with his work. As the old adage goes, practice makes perfect. If only not for the more important work the other two teachers had to attend to, my expectations for the seasoned teachers would have been more correct.

What is interesting but equally disappointing are our two new teachers who have prior teaching experiences. Even if a teacher has only taught for one academic year only, he must have a grasp (even if not so good) as to how all the pertinent promotional papers are to be prepared and to be accomplished. One of these two teachers has finished already just two days ago and we re-checked her work today. Except for a minor mistake, everything that she has done was quite good; however, I am expecting her to have finished the work a lot earlier than the really new teachers. The other teacher was quite disappointing. She feigned reason that in her previous school, it was the registrar’s work to prepare all that she has supposed to have accomplished already as of today. I don’t agree with her. A teacher should be able to do what the school registrar can do. A teacher must even be able to do more than what the registrar can do. So as of today, she is not yet finished with her work, and it is already replete with mistakes. We have to help her.

Of the really new teachers (first year of teaching), one was able to finish ahead of time. She was before my student, and I knew her to be intelligent. Intelligence, though, has nothing to do with accomplishing a work which the registrar can also do. I also knew that she is hard working. This could have helped her finish her work a lot earlier. There are things, though, that she does not know or even not familiar with. What is good is she’s able to think of what she is supposed to do – ask. With much cinch and in a breeze, she finished her work. The other new teacher, as expected, finished her work later. What I do appreciate with her is that her work contains only minor mistakes. She could have finished her work, though, a lot earlier than she did if only she was able to do it last week. She was the other teacher (two were the seasoned teachers) who also has to attend a very special gathering to represent us. In all, I was very contented with how these neophyte teachers performed one of their most important tasks for the year.

When one is pressured to deliver the goods on a prescribed time, it brings the best and the worst of man. I for one can be my best when I am so much pressured. It comes with my hospital training. The seasoned teachers were able to finish their work a lot earlier because they already knew what to do and how much time and effort the work needed to be accomplished. They did not waste time, and they worked with much constancy. The new teachers with experience were not able to deliver their goods on time because they have not anticipated the load of work it entailed. They have not prepared well for the task. Both of them were cramming to finish things that were supposed to have been finished and submitted long ago. Diligence and hard work help the neophyte teachers. They may not have any idea how much effort the work entails, but they listened and observed the seasoned teachers. The best thing that made them accomplish their work a lot earlier was the humility to accept that they did not know what they were supposed to do. They asked.

When one is pressured to deliver the goods on a prescribed time, this is not the time to bring out the worst in oneself. A lot can be learned from what has just transpired inside the faculty room for the last ten days. Obviously, when working under pressure, experience counts most. The more experienced a teacher is, the easier the work becomes for him. A rational sense of how much effort the work entails also pushes one to work with much constancy towards the goal. It is also imperative that one has to be prepared before he embarks on a task. Swimming on an uncharted sea, gets one the shark. Cramming just doesn’t work at all and definitely has no place in accomplishing any task. Hard work pays and humility doubles the pay. When I left the faculty room today, some teachers were already smiling. They were the seasoned teachers. Some are still cramming. The other two left earlier than I did.

PARTY DAMPSTER ON A HOT DAY

Task-oriented vs. People-oriented Leader

I hate meetings whenever they are unplanned. Usually an unplanned meeting is a looming disaster, a waste of time and one's presence. Yesterday, everyone was busy inside the faculty room. There were a few who were checking school forms before they would be submitted for approval. I was going through some of these form too. Everyone was doing something yesterday, busy, when suddenly we were informed that the school head wanted to have a meeting with us. Most of us chorused and asked what kind of meeting would it be - emergency or year-end? In my mind, if it would be an emergency meeting, then it would be another waste of time. One female co-teacher agreed with me.

I was hoping it would be the year-end meeting. I wanted the previous school year to end, so that I could plan out things and enjoy the longer school break. I have been so tired, I badly needed this break. My hoping was all wrong because the meeting indeed was emergency. There was only one agenda, if ever it could be called one. The school head wanted us to submit the curriculum map by April 19. Of course, it was out of timing, it was forced. We really had all the intention of submitting one, but the manner of asking came out in bad taste. The motivation was all wrong. He told us that at least we have to submit the curriculum evaluation for even the last two quarters because he would not want to be reprimanded for not submitting any. The motivation was so extrinsic, most of us pitied his naivety.

A leader can be task-oriented or he can be people-oriented. Task-oriented leaders always want the work to be done notwithstanding the feelings of people he is working with. He does not care so much the people around him. What he sees is the task that should be accomplished at his own prescribed time. He considers himself above everyone else in the group. His members seldom knows what he knows - this is what he often thinks. On the other hand, a people-oriented leader nurtures relationship. His first concern is not the task but rather the people working for the completion of the work in hand. He usually blends in the group; he does not stand out. He believes that all of the people in the organization where he belongs know where they are all going. I prefer this latter kind of leadership.

Most of my colleagues believe that our school head is so task-oriented. When he said that the curriculum map should be finished before the 19th when everyone was still busy finishing other tasks that came first, he was clearly disregarding how we would have felt hearing his not so good tidings. We knew long before that he have to do the curriculum map. We need not be reminded again. I am not a moron nor my colleagues are as imbecile as I am. We know where we stand with regards to the duties and responsibilities we have to perform as educators. We cannot leave room for errors here. We must be setting good examples to our students. We are supposed to leave today for a cross island tour, and he reminded us this one too. He asked yesterday who were joining the tour that would have left today. Nobody answered, so I blurted that no one liked to join. The meeting was adjourned. Ridiculous!

This is one of the reasons why I am resigning effective next school year. Unfortunately, I am a very people-oriented kind of person. I nurture relationship; I build bridges. I can't stand people who will boss my way around, not that I am not a good follower. I just want people to respect how I feel about things because I do the same to them. I strongly believe that for an organization to work successfully in accomplishing its goals, feelings and not just job performances should be also considered. It may even be given the topmost priority. I know this year I have not been my best self. I even consider this year my worst as a teacher and instructional leader. This is my second year with my so fickle-minded boss. I was able to cope with him during his first year. I gave up this year. He's incorrigible.

Today was so hot. The air conditioning system in the faculty room was not able to affect the warm feel inside. I think it was because of the tension in the air. No, we were not arguing at all. In fact the mood was one of friendly camaraderie. In my case, I felt violated as a person and a teacher. What took place yesterday was a clear demeaning of my capacity as a teacher and of my presence as a person. I am still today nurturing a disparaging heart. My co-teachers do too. I felt like a clueless child yesterday being played upon by a beguiling adult. I was hurt that I really stood up and aired what I felt. The curriculum map done at the end of the school year for compliance alone is as useless as it should not have been done at all. It is supposed to have been done to guide us teachers for re-aligning the curriculum for the next academic year; not simply because one does not want to be reprimanded for not submitting a course evaluation. I rested my case. The day was just too hot.