Showing posts with label filipino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label filipino. Show all posts
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Monday, September 12, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Filipino Brands... Chilling
Filipino brands can be quite chilling...
This one's for an ice cream stall in Market Market, Taguig City.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Yellow
I am not embarrassed to tell you that I believe in miracles.
- CORAZON C. AQUINO
Have we forgotten?
… that we were once the masters of democracy?
… that in 1986, long before anyone had even heard of Barack Obama, there was a more pronounced and dynamic miracle here in our very own islands?
… that we were the envy of the world for our singular display of peace, reconciliation and true power?
Back in the day when power was yielded by the vicious, it was unthinkable that a housewife with no political ambition could topple down a twenty-year-old empire. The proud few fell under the furious voice of the humble in glorious unison.
“No more”, they said.
“Not in my country”, they said even louder.
To avoid falling into the trap of romanticizing the past too much, understand that it was no secret that Tita Cory had her share of failures and frustrations. As her administration was cursed by violent coups, natural disasters, and economic ruin, she had an army of critics that watched her every move. This forced her team to be dynamic in both composition and strategy. In the end, she never really settled in. There was no calm -- no settling of the dust from the aftershock of Marcosian and natural devastation. She sat at the edge of her seat during her entire service.
President Aquino was not your typical idealized hero. She was not one who rose from the masses to become a champion of the people. She was never in war, or tortured, or humiliated. She was part of the elite Cojuangco family that had much in life. She had everything she ever needed, including a US education, a secure family and a fount of inexhaustible finances.
She could easily have sat back to watch the wicked and the greedy devour each other while keeping her family safe, not losing a single night’s rest. But she chose a difficult life. She chose to jump into the fray and serve her God and her people.
It was her great personal sacrifice that won for us a sustained increase in national hope. It was this -- her resolve to abandon the quiet life that she craved in exchange for a life lived for everyone else -- that made the Filipino people feel even human again.
The years when she was in the Palace were not the most productive years for the Philippines… they were not the happiest years… they weren’t even the most peaceful years…
… but they were certainly the most hopeful years.
And we lost this because we have forgotten that it's not what you have or what you've been through that defines you as a true leader… It’s how much you’re willing to give up.
That is the story of Corazon C. Aquino.
And it is a story we must constantly revisit and learn from.
Because certain great sacrifices have to be made in the months to come… and we shall see who will finally step up to take the challenge head-on.
Rest in peace, Madame President.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Happiest People on Earth
Published in Cebu Gold Star Daily
It doesn’t take a professional therapist to know that humor is one of the finest coping mechanisms that the human animal has ever had the good fortune of learning.
Filipinos, more than any other people in my limited experience, have the greatest wealth of humor and its appreciation at their disposal (at par with the Latin Americans, probably). When we dislike what we see around us, our primary reflex is to ridicule it with comments, posters, skits, funny text messages, blogs, YouTube videos, Twitter statuses, and even TV commercials.
Humor is a cool way of telling the truth without being too emotionally transfixed in its ugliness. As a modest people, this is our chosen method of communication, allowing us to avoid the risk of judgment or rejection. We joke about things we casually and instinctively cannot talk about, especially the big four: money, sex, politics, and religion. It makes life easier to take in and our ideas easier to let out.
Knowing who and how we are today, it’s not hard to imagine the Katipuneros of olden times bursting into laughter after one of their members let out a non-so-quiet fart during one of their solemn strategic meetings.
It’s not difficult to think about Dr. Rizal laughing at the funny accents of his fellow Illustrados in Europe while giving their fiery speeches during one of their many dinner parties.
It is not far-fetched to picture Lapu-Lapu's warriors pointing and laughing hysterically at the flamboyantly dressed Spanish soldiers as they landed on the shores of Mactan Island, just before their deadly skirmish.
Humor makes us a malleable people that will not snap with the harsh daily pressures. It doesn’t mean we take nothing seriously – only that our understanding and acceptance of the things we see, hear and experience is cautious and cushioned by a filter of laughter.
We have never had a superior army against a foreign power. So our foreparents scampered away like vermin only to strike again at the next opportune time. A humorless lot cannot pull that off and sustain it for many months at a time.
We never had the wealth of our neighbors, and so we are forced to find riches in our imagination. Without humor, many of us would have jumped off our many cliffs or hung ourselves under our many trees.
We are fortunate in our ability to detach from the material world and appreciate the best in any situation. We are strong in our ability to sidestep danger and dodge pain. We are wise in our ability to search for the truth without emotionally overheating. This is how we survive.
Because of all these, in spite of all the frustrations, and regardless of all the insecurities, we are still one of the happiest people on Earth.
Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.
- BILL COSBY
It doesn’t take a professional therapist to know that humor is one of the finest coping mechanisms that the human animal has ever had the good fortune of learning.
Filipinos, more than any other people in my limited experience, have the greatest wealth of humor and its appreciation at their disposal (at par with the Latin Americans, probably). When we dislike what we see around us, our primary reflex is to ridicule it with comments, posters, skits, funny text messages, blogs, YouTube videos, Twitter statuses, and even TV commercials.
Humor is a cool way of telling the truth without being too emotionally transfixed in its ugliness. As a modest people, this is our chosen method of communication, allowing us to avoid the risk of judgment or rejection. We joke about things we casually and instinctively cannot talk about, especially the big four: money, sex, politics, and religion. It makes life easier to take in and our ideas easier to let out.
Knowing who and how we are today, it’s not hard to imagine the Katipuneros of olden times bursting into laughter after one of their members let out a non-so-quiet fart during one of their solemn strategic meetings.
It’s not difficult to think about Dr. Rizal laughing at the funny accents of his fellow Illustrados in Europe while giving their fiery speeches during one of their many dinner parties.
It is not far-fetched to picture Lapu-Lapu's warriors pointing and laughing hysterically at the flamboyantly dressed Spanish soldiers as they landed on the shores of Mactan Island, just before their deadly skirmish.
Humor makes us a malleable people that will not snap with the harsh daily pressures. It doesn’t mean we take nothing seriously – only that our understanding and acceptance of the things we see, hear and experience is cautious and cushioned by a filter of laughter.
We have never had a superior army against a foreign power. So our foreparents scampered away like vermin only to strike again at the next opportune time. A humorless lot cannot pull that off and sustain it for many months at a time.
We never had the wealth of our neighbors, and so we are forced to find riches in our imagination. Without humor, many of us would have jumped off our many cliffs or hung ourselves under our many trees.
We are fortunate in our ability to detach from the material world and appreciate the best in any situation. We are strong in our ability to sidestep danger and dodge pain. We are wise in our ability to search for the truth without emotionally overheating. This is how we survive.
Because of all these, in spite of all the frustrations, and regardless of all the insecurities, we are still one of the happiest people on Earth.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Speak English
Published in Cebu Gold Star Daily
I remember during my grade school days when I would run up a wide ramp to get to the second floor classrooms. As you reach the wall facing the ramps, you would see a sign in bright bold red letters against a white background saying, SPEAK ENGLISH. Back then, that was the entire school’s expectation. Back then, that was the law. One who violates this command would get a screeching reprimand or be fined twenty-five centavos to be tossed into the class fund. Like having a school-wide swear jar, this was the educational attitude we had during the 80’s and 90’s (and perhaps even up to this day). As if speaking your native tongue was actually identical to cussing.
I admit, I am a proud Cebuano. But it occurred to me that when it comes to my native tongue, I have the vocabulary and grammar skills of a first grader. Here are three instances that prove this point:
It is because of this realization that I am working hand-in-hand with legislators and teachers to pass a new law -- one, which promotes multi-lingual education. It encourages the use of multiple languages, especially the native tongue of the locality, for teaching. It also provides for mandatory formal education on the native tongue. This is above and beyond the subjects already taught for English and Filipino.
I know what many of you are thinking – “Will this not make English proficiency suffer?” U.P. Diliman linguistics professor, Dr. Ricardo Nolasco says “No”. In his book, 21 Reasons Why Filipino Children Learn Better While Using Their Mother Tongue, he reveals that studies in many countries have shown that students who learn using their native language outperform those who learn using a secondary language. First language learning allows children to develop solid foundations for literacy and paves the way for learning multiple languages.
Like many people who are products of the Filipino private school system, English is my first language. It is the language in which I am most proficient. It is the language I use to count and the language in which I think. This is a fortunate (or unfortunate) reality for me and for many of my friends. But the majority of children who do not have this initial exposure to English adapt the native tongue as their first language. It may be Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Chavacano, Ilokano, Kapampangan or the many other languages of these islands. This burdens them with a tremendous disadvantage in the learning process and teachers get such a headache just trying to get them to learn while using English as the exclusive medium of instruction.
This is one of the reasons why many Filipinos remain illiterate -- why the dropout and repeat rates rise. These children are not stupid. They just were not given the same opportunities on a level playing field. They lack confidence because they cannot articulate their ideas in the way expected of them. In effect, their grades suffer and their self-esteem plummets -- all because they were brought into a learning system that forces them to become something other than their natural selves.
Education should be liberating. It ought to come naturally. Forcing children to learn what is alien to them in the onset will trigger a long-lasting aversion to learning. This is not to disregard the importance of learning English. In fact, it should be taught with greater intensity and depth. Learning English is our gateway to the rest of the world – but this should not be done at the cost of abandoning the rich wisdom and knowledge of our foreparents.
Local languages face extinction even as they are passed down by oral tradition. Few people know how to use our native languages correctly and use it well. What little we know now is a bastardized version of its former glorious self. Isn’t high time we reclaim our past and solidify our understanding of our cultural identities.
Many fear that this will cause division. On the contrary, it will encourage interaction and multi-literacy. It will send a message to the rest of the islands that the national government values their cultures and uniqueness. It fosters unity in diversity because of mutual tolerance. To deny that we are multi-cultural people is plainly delusional. We must embrace this diversity by celebrating it in our schools.
The more children learn their own languages, the more poets, novelists, screenwriters, actors, songwriters and artists we will have in a very wide range of languages. It will enrich and develop our culture. Music and art will flourish and it will shepherd in a Filipino renaissance never before seen in history. I look forward to this period in our future.
Panahon na para mag-bag-o ang ato-ang panan-aw sa kalibutan. Panahon na para ibalik ang ato-ang kultura ug kaalam.
I remember during my grade school days when I would run up a wide ramp to get to the second floor classrooms. As you reach the wall facing the ramps, you would see a sign in bright bold red letters against a white background saying, SPEAK ENGLISH. Back then, that was the entire school’s expectation. Back then, that was the law. One who violates this command would get a screeching reprimand or be fined twenty-five centavos to be tossed into the class fund. Like having a school-wide swear jar, this was the educational attitude we had during the 80’s and 90’s (and perhaps even up to this day). As if speaking your native tongue was actually identical to cussing.
I admit, I am a proud Cebuano. But it occurred to me that when it comes to my native tongue, I have the vocabulary and grammar skills of a first grader. Here are three instances that prove this point:
- I attempted to write two songs in Cebuano and was successful only after consulting three of my friends about the lyrics.
- I went to Davao last December to conduct a paralegal seminar for six indigenous Mindanao tribes and I had to give all my lectures in straight Cebuano. I had such a difficult time that I was corrected many times by the participants and had to substitute many words unbeknownst to me with their English equivalents. It turned out to be a successful seminar, but it gave me the feeling that I was a foreigner among my peers.
- Yesterday, my boss asked me to translate a six-page script into Cebuano and it took me the greater part of two hours to finish my task.
It is because of this realization that I am working hand-in-hand with legislators and teachers to pass a new law -- one, which promotes multi-lingual education. It encourages the use of multiple languages, especially the native tongue of the locality, for teaching. It also provides for mandatory formal education on the native tongue. This is above and beyond the subjects already taught for English and Filipino.
I know what many of you are thinking – “Will this not make English proficiency suffer?” U.P. Diliman linguistics professor, Dr. Ricardo Nolasco says “No”. In his book, 21 Reasons Why Filipino Children Learn Better While Using Their Mother Tongue, he reveals that studies in many countries have shown that students who learn using their native language outperform those who learn using a secondary language. First language learning allows children to develop solid foundations for literacy and paves the way for learning multiple languages.
Like many people who are products of the Filipino private school system, English is my first language. It is the language in which I am most proficient. It is the language I use to count and the language in which I think. This is a fortunate (or unfortunate) reality for me and for many of my friends. But the majority of children who do not have this initial exposure to English adapt the native tongue as their first language. It may be Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Chavacano, Ilokano, Kapampangan or the many other languages of these islands. This burdens them with a tremendous disadvantage in the learning process and teachers get such a headache just trying to get them to learn while using English as the exclusive medium of instruction.
This is one of the reasons why many Filipinos remain illiterate -- why the dropout and repeat rates rise. These children are not stupid. They just were not given the same opportunities on a level playing field. They lack confidence because they cannot articulate their ideas in the way expected of them. In effect, their grades suffer and their self-esteem plummets -- all because they were brought into a learning system that forces them to become something other than their natural selves.
Education should be liberating. It ought to come naturally. Forcing children to learn what is alien to them in the onset will trigger a long-lasting aversion to learning. This is not to disregard the importance of learning English. In fact, it should be taught with greater intensity and depth. Learning English is our gateway to the rest of the world – but this should not be done at the cost of abandoning the rich wisdom and knowledge of our foreparents.
Local languages face extinction even as they are passed down by oral tradition. Few people know how to use our native languages correctly and use it well. What little we know now is a bastardized version of its former glorious self. Isn’t high time we reclaim our past and solidify our understanding of our cultural identities.
Many fear that this will cause division. On the contrary, it will encourage interaction and multi-literacy. It will send a message to the rest of the islands that the national government values their cultures and uniqueness. It fosters unity in diversity because of mutual tolerance. To deny that we are multi-cultural people is plainly delusional. We must embrace this diversity by celebrating it in our schools.
The more children learn their own languages, the more poets, novelists, screenwriters, actors, songwriters and artists we will have in a very wide range of languages. It will enrich and develop our culture. Music and art will flourish and it will shepherd in a Filipino renaissance never before seen in history. I look forward to this period in our future.
Panahon na para mag-bag-o ang ato-ang panan-aw sa kalibutan. Panahon na para ibalik ang ato-ang kultura ug kaalam.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Survival of the Filipino Dream
Originally published in ThePalladium December 2007 (Vol. 4, Issue 3), released on December 17, 2007. This article was written for my column Legal Personality.
It was in grade school where I was first taught of this phenomenon called ‘Brain Drain’ in my Civics and Culture class. At first, I was just amused that social terminology could rhyme like that, but as my teacher started to explain what it was and how it was a national evil, I felt the seeds of dissent start to grow inside me, staying my tongue as my mind yelled, “So what?” If people can find their creative destinies away from their country of birth, why stop them? I didn’t know it then, but I was already advocating human self-determination to myself.
Coined by the Royal Society of London in the 1950’s, ‘Brain Drain,’ also known as ‘Human Capital Flight’ is the widespread emigration of highly-skilled, highly-educated or highly talented people to other countries or territories because their own is unwilling or unable to sustain their wants and needs. This is caused by war, famine, poverty, disease, lack of opportunity or any other reason that would impel an intelligent person to seek refuge elsewhere.
Brain drain has been happening everywhere in the world from the very beginning of human existence. When we hear of migration, we remember the Ice Age, the Exodus from Egypt, the European Slave Trade, the India-Pakistan Exchange, and here, close to our hearts, the flight of the Filipino people to every possible habitable place in the globe. These people were compelled to leave by a force that was much greater than themselves. In the Ice Age, it was probably because of the lack of mammoth meat or the search for less ice-age-like climates. During the Exodus, it was the promise of a prophet to lead them to a land of milk and honey that pushed them forward. The Africans came to Europe to fuel its economy because they pretty much had no choice at the end of a musket’s barrel. In India and Pakistan, people have moved around because of religious intolerance and violence between the Hindus and the Muslims of that region. And for the Philippines, well, there are as many reasons for leaving as there are people.
People will always want a better life for themselves and their families. This is human nature and it stems from our instinct to survive. Some people however go through the motions of everyday life with one meal a day and voice out no complaint. These people seem to have resigned themselves to accepting their lot and life and justify it with superstitious ideas of bad luck and misfortune. Their human spirit is broken by a long, long series or combination of social evils that often begin with poor governance. Not only do we have bad living conditions, we don’t have them at all. All we really have are conditions for survival. There is very little room for growth in this country.
On the other hand, we have these highly educated, highly-trained and highly-skilled people who realize all these terrible social ills and the sooner they realize it, the sooner they make that visit to the immigration office. Filipinos who dream big often long to leave the insular and barrio-tic way of thinking and focus on greater things like “making the world a better place” or “becoming the very best in his/her field of work”. They find that their work goes unnoticed, unappreciated and unsupported by their own communities. When this goes on consistently for too long (which is the general rule), the Filipino dreamer will have no choice but to seek for greener pastures. No matter how good, intelligent and hard-working you are, you can only be as good as the opportunities that life gives you. Is it wrong for one to live his/her only life to the very best of his/her capabilities? Is it selfish to leave the country imposed upon you by birth, to seek a country you actually choose because the people there appreciate you and allow you to grow? I think not.
In any case, it will always be our hopeful vision that the millions of Filipinos living and working abroad will look back to the islands and draw out their inherent compassion to support and encourage those who have stopped dreaming. Perhaps when conditions improve, many more people will come back and set up shop here, allowing a strong middle-class to grow. For now, our middle class is overseas. We have to accept the fact that we just cannot give what we don’t have. Wealth is not generated by kindness alone but by the sweat of men and women who are justly compensated. In a sense, our collective destiny as a Filipino people will depend upon our success as individuals, whether here or abroad.
I just don’t want to see any more Filipinos coming back for the wrong reasons, the worst being the elitist view that “Mas masarap ang buhay sa Pilipinas dahil meron kang mga katulong dun.”
What about THEIR dreams?
We have a long way to go and many attitudes to change.
A prophet has no honor in his own country.
- JESUS CHRIST from John 4:44
It was in grade school where I was first taught of this phenomenon called ‘Brain Drain’ in my Civics and Culture class. At first, I was just amused that social terminology could rhyme like that, but as my teacher started to explain what it was and how it was a national evil, I felt the seeds of dissent start to grow inside me, staying my tongue as my mind yelled, “So what?” If people can find their creative destinies away from their country of birth, why stop them? I didn’t know it then, but I was already advocating human self-determination to myself.
Coined by the Royal Society of London in the 1950’s, ‘Brain Drain,’ also known as ‘Human Capital Flight’ is the widespread emigration of highly-skilled, highly-educated or highly talented people to other countries or territories because their own is unwilling or unable to sustain their wants and needs. This is caused by war, famine, poverty, disease, lack of opportunity or any other reason that would impel an intelligent person to seek refuge elsewhere.
Brain drain has been happening everywhere in the world from the very beginning of human existence. When we hear of migration, we remember the Ice Age, the Exodus from Egypt, the European Slave Trade, the India-Pakistan Exchange, and here, close to our hearts, the flight of the Filipino people to every possible habitable place in the globe. These people were compelled to leave by a force that was much greater than themselves. In the Ice Age, it was probably because of the lack of mammoth meat or the search for less ice-age-like climates. During the Exodus, it was the promise of a prophet to lead them to a land of milk and honey that pushed them forward. The Africans came to Europe to fuel its economy because they pretty much had no choice at the end of a musket’s barrel. In India and Pakistan, people have moved around because of religious intolerance and violence between the Hindus and the Muslims of that region. And for the Philippines, well, there are as many reasons for leaving as there are people.
People will always want a better life for themselves and their families. This is human nature and it stems from our instinct to survive. Some people however go through the motions of everyday life with one meal a day and voice out no complaint. These people seem to have resigned themselves to accepting their lot and life and justify it with superstitious ideas of bad luck and misfortune. Their human spirit is broken by a long, long series or combination of social evils that often begin with poor governance. Not only do we have bad living conditions, we don’t have them at all. All we really have are conditions for survival. There is very little room for growth in this country.
On the other hand, we have these highly educated, highly-trained and highly-skilled people who realize all these terrible social ills and the sooner they realize it, the sooner they make that visit to the immigration office. Filipinos who dream big often long to leave the insular and barrio-tic way of thinking and focus on greater things like “making the world a better place” or “becoming the very best in his/her field of work”. They find that their work goes unnoticed, unappreciated and unsupported by their own communities. When this goes on consistently for too long (which is the general rule), the Filipino dreamer will have no choice but to seek for greener pastures. No matter how good, intelligent and hard-working you are, you can only be as good as the opportunities that life gives you. Is it wrong for one to live his/her only life to the very best of his/her capabilities? Is it selfish to leave the country imposed upon you by birth, to seek a country you actually choose because the people there appreciate you and allow you to grow? I think not.
In any case, it will always be our hopeful vision that the millions of Filipinos living and working abroad will look back to the islands and draw out their inherent compassion to support and encourage those who have stopped dreaming. Perhaps when conditions improve, many more people will come back and set up shop here, allowing a strong middle-class to grow. For now, our middle class is overseas. We have to accept the fact that we just cannot give what we don’t have. Wealth is not generated by kindness alone but by the sweat of men and women who are justly compensated. In a sense, our collective destiny as a Filipino people will depend upon our success as individuals, whether here or abroad.
I just don’t want to see any more Filipinos coming back for the wrong reasons, the worst being the elitist view that “Mas masarap ang buhay sa Pilipinas dahil meron kang mga katulong dun.”
What about THEIR dreams?
We have a long way to go and many attitudes to change.
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