11 August 4-10, 2022
OPINION Abuse rooted...
(From page 1)
Upside
some way s t o help inclu ding “ act iv e list ening and not int erru pt ing . ” “ Respect t heir au t onomy b y ask ing t hem what t hey need and how y ou can help t hem, ” she said, holding u p a directory of services published by the organization. Called “ A-List , ” t he b ook let list s family serv ice prov iders v et t ed for cu lt u ral and ling u ist ic compet ence. The 2 0 2 2 edit ion is sponsored b y t he Town of Colma. “ AU TH ENTIC” LES S ONS The students’ comments reflected awareness of the issue. One raised his family’s skepticism about going to the police for int erv ent ion, a common mindset among t hose CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO who had fled t y ranny in t heir b irt h land. Anot her lau ded IPV t raining now req u ired in t he police academy . One commended post ing of small st ick ers wit h t he IPV hot line in pu b lic rest rooms, a st ealt h t act ic t o b ridg e su rv iv ors wit h prov iders. Their professor appreciat ed t hat his st u dent s “ learned ab ou t t he u nev en power dy namics in intimate relationships that cause indebtedness (utang na loob) and the danger” of replicat ing ab u se. The fat her of t wo commended t he v ideo showing fear, v iolence and harm are learned in infancy and not lat er in life, a common assu mpt ion. “Marginalization of news reports that do not mention domestic violence in the Filipino commu nit y ” disheart ened D au s-Mag b u al. H earing t he v ariou s forms of ab u se in actual Filipino cases and Agasid’s personal testimony struck him as “authentic and real”(lessons) he hopes his students would “apply to their lives,” said the community adv ocat e, who is a first -t ime May or of D aly Cit y . His dual leadership role gives him a platform to work toward the decolonization he hopes t o achiev e for his class and b ey ond. H is elect ed post , he said, is ideal for his b rand of edu cat ion. “ I t each t he whole rang e of st u dent s from Lolos and Lolas, t o peers who want t o chang e careers, sing le parent s, work ing class people, t o first y ear colleg e st u dent s t hat g iv es me t he insig ht on what issu es affect t hem. ” H e ask s: “ What are t he hardships t hey g o t hrou g h? What do t hey wish t o see in t he commu nit ies t hey liv e, especially since a larg e maj orit y are from D aly Cit y . ” H is is a u niq u e posit ion in g ov ernance. U NIQ U E LENS ES “ B eing an Et hnic S t u dies edu cat or g iv es me t he int erdisciplinary lens t o look at hist ory , polit ics, sociolog y , ant hropolog y , and psy cholog y t o help inform my decision as a policy mak er, ” he ex plained. “ I hav e a holist ic v iew of t he past , t he g rit t o work t og et her in t he present , and an imag inat iv e v iew of t he fu t u re. ” As he t eaches, D au s-Mag b u al liv es and learns. H e and his wife Arlene are b ot h long t ime social act iv ist s, U C Riv erside alu ms, co-au t hors of Crit ical Pin@ y Parent ing and collab orat ors b ehind Pin@ y Edu cat ional Part nerships. A ment oring prog ram fou nded b y S F S U Asian American S t u dies Prof. D r. Ally son Tint iang co-Cu b ales, t hey hav e g u ided almost 3 5 0 t eachers prepare for all lev els of edu cat ion. “ I learned t hat u nderst anding ou r hist ory has power t o k now who y ou are, t he st ory of y ou r family , y ou r commu nit y , y ou r people and it b ecomes t he fu el t o t ransform and serv e ou r commu nit y t o fig ht for eq u it y and u lt imat ely for freedom, ” he assert ed. H imself a first -g enerat ion F ilipino/Canadian American, he can relat e t o his st u dent s inclu ding mix ed-race F ilipinos wit h a passion driv en b y his personal mot t o, “ No hist ory , no self. ” – Adapt ed from orig inal reprint ed wit h permission from INQ U IRER. NET. (C ont i nue d on page 25)
EDITORIAL
Fidel V. Ramos was the statesman the Philippines needed
T
he passing of former President F idel V . Ramos t his week came as a shock t o many , inclu ding his closest associat es du ring his t ime as chief ex ecu t iv e of t he Repu b lic of t he Philippines. He did live to the ripe old age of 94, but being a lifetime health buff (and av id g olfer, we mu st add) , he was in ex cellent shape u nt il t he t ime he disappeared from t he pu b lic scene a few mont hs ag o. H is cau se of deat h was list ed as complicat ions du e t o COV ID -1 9 and when t he sad news spread, countless government o cials, business leaders, retired and active military o cers, mediamen who covered him, and ordinary citizens were lavish in their tributes for the man affectionately known as Tabako.’ H e did lov e his cig ars, alt hou g h he rarely lit t hem. In deat h, F V R was rememb ered for his nu merou s accomplishment s, and he earned the tag of Steady Eddie, for his huge role in stabilizing both the political and financial st at e of t he Philippines when he assu med t he presidency . World leaders recalled t he t ime t hat he lift ed t he Philippines t o t ig er cu b economy st at u s, and he mig ht hav e b rou g ht t he cou nt ry t o fu ll dev eloped world st at u s had he b een allowed t o serv e long er. B u t ev en in ret irement he cont inu ed t o sell t he Philippines t o t he ou t side world. H e was one of t he b est salesmen t he cou nt ry cou ld hav e as he cont inu ou sly t old any foreig n inv est or who wou ld list en t hat t he land he once ru led as president for six prog ressiv e y ears was an ex cellent place t o park t heir fu nds. Tak ing ov er from t he lat e President Cory Aq u ino, F V R had t he t ou g h t ask of facing t he my riad of prob lems t he Philippines had t o face, not t he least of which was t he seriou s power crisis, an u nst ab le polit ical sy st em b at t ered b y a series of cou p at t empt s ag ainst Madame Aq u ino, and an economy t hat was g oing nowhere fast . As an eng ineer b y t raining and a milit ary man b y profession, F V R t ook t he st eps t hat few Philippine leaders had t he capacit y t o do. Along t he way , he commit t ed some errors, not t he least of which was allowing t he ret u rn of t he Marcoses who nev er willing ly ret u rned t heir st olen wealt h. B u t what ev er mist ak es he may hav e commit t ed cert ainly paled in comparison t o t he massiv e chang es – for t he b et t er, we mu st add – he was ab le t o pu sh t hrou g h, inclu ding set t ing t he st ag e for peace t alk s wit h t he Moro Nat ional Lib erat ion F ront , b reak ing down t he long -st anding b u siness monopolies, and set t ing t he ex ample as one of t he hardest work ing president s of all. S adly , his preferred candidat e t o su cceed him failed t o win, and he mu st hav e b een extremely disappointed when his successor proved to be a lazy leader of uestionable moral v alu es. Perhaps his b ig g est t rag edy was a personal one, t he passing of one of his dau g ht ers at a fairly y ou ng ag e a lit t le more t han a decade ag o. That u nb earab le pain he k ept from t he pu b lic, and soon enou g h he was b ack accept ing inv it at ions from all ov er t he g lob e, alway s speak ing well of his b elov ed Philippines. H e cont inu ed t o play g olf and crack corny j ok es, and he was as b elov ed as ev er b y his people. We cou ld g o on and on ex t olling t he g reat ness of t he man whose leg acy is already assured. So we will ust say, ob well done, sir. You’ve earned your place in history. Rest in peace, President F idel V . Ramos, a F ilipino st at esman for t he ag es.
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