4 Opinion
OCTOBER 29, 2015
Editorial
Scrutinize candidates THE PRESIDENCY is no easy job, but there sure was no shortage of aspirants wanting to take it just the same. After the five-day period set by the Commission on Election (Comelec), a total of 130 people filed their certificates of candidacy (COC) for president, the highest number in Philippine election history, easily beating 2010’s 99 candidates. They included a man who described himself as an “intergalactic space ambassador,” another who goes by the name “Archangel Lucifer,” and a few others who said they were running because they had been told by the heavens to do so. Their presence provided comic relief in what was supposed to be a serious undertaking at the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila. (Don’t forget that we’re going to choose our next leaders soon and the last thing we need is a bunch of jokers making a mockery of our elections.) It is easy to see that the perennial presence of so-called nuisance candidates in the national elections may be a microcosm of how Filipinos could be so puffed-up about their self-worth that they could entertain delusions that they would be qualified for top leadership. The Omnibus Election Code defines “nuisance” candidates as those who make a mockery out of the election system, seek to confuse voters through similarity of names between candidates, and those who have no good faith in running for office. It is interesting how many people want to be the president of a country that is still far from being developed. Obviously, many of them are not aware of the huge responsibilities that they may inherit from the previous administration. Most of these presidential hopefuls do not even have the slightest idea about how big of duty they will have to take if they will win in the election. It does not suffice that one knows how to read and write, nor does having a noble and genuine advocacy, in order to make a good leader. One must at least have the knowledge and experience about our political system and the problems that our country is currently facing. Leaders are not born, they are made—through proper education and experience. Of course, the Comelec is expected to trim down the list and eliminate nuisance candidates. By the time the commission is done, we’ll probably be left with four to six “serious” presidential candidates. The joke—or to some extent, freak show—that was the filing of COCs actually mirrored a larger travesty that is, the way we generally elect our leaders. We talk about maturing as a democracy Editorial PAGE 10
FOUNDED JAN. 16, 1928 LORD BIEN G. LELAY Editor in Chief ANGELI MAE S. CANTILLANA Managing Editor ARIANNE F. MEREZ Associate Editor DAYANARA T. CUDAL News Editor DANIELLE ANN F. GABRIEL Assistant News Editor MARY GILLAN FRANCES G. ROPERO Special Reports Editor ERIKA MARIZ S. CUNANAN Features Editor ALILIANA MARGARETTE T. UYAO Literary Editor MARIA KOREENA M. ESLAVA Patnugot ng Filipino MARIE DANIELLE L. MACALINO Witness Editor DARYL ANGELO P. BAYBADO Acting Circle Editor RHENN ANTHONY S. TAGUIAM Online Editor ROBERTO A. VERGARA, JR. Assistant Online Editor AVA MARIANGELA C. VICTORIA Art Director BASILIO H. SEPE Photography Editor News Kathryn Jedi V. Baylon, Clarence I. Hormachuelos, Alhex Adrea M. Peralta, Jerome P. Villanueva Sports Carlo A. Casingcasing, Delfin Ray M. Dioquino, John Chester P. Fajardo, Philip Martin L. Matel, Randell Angelo B. Ritumalta Special Reports Paul Xavier Jaehwa C. Bernardo, Monica M. Hernandez Features Mary Grace C. Esmaya, Maria Corazon A. Inay, Vianca A. Ocampo Literary Zenmond G. Duque II, Cedric Allen P. Sta. Cruz Filipino Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas, Bernadette A. Paminutan Witness Krystel Nicole A. Sevilla, Lea Mat P. Vicencio Science and Technology Mia Rosienna P. Mallari, Kimberly Joy V. Naparan, Julius Roman M. Tolop Circle Amierielle Anne A. Bulan, Ma. Czarina A. Fernandez, Ethan James M. Siat Art Kirsten M. Jamilla, Freya D.L.R. Torres, Iain Rafel N. Tyapon Photography Alvin Joseph Kasiban, Amparo Klarin J. Mangoroban, Miah Terrenz Provido
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Adding insult to injury PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has expressed “disappointment” over reports that some college students had asked the filmmakers of the celebrated historical movie, “Heneral Luna,” why Apolinario Mabini is shown sitting in the entire movie, disclosing their ignorance of Philippine history since the “Brains of the Revolution” was a paralytic. But the gross ignorance of history is merely the tip of the iceberg for the highly inefficient and ineffective Philippine education system. In all other areas of education, especially sciences and mathematics, and even English language instruction and culture and the humanities, the Filipino student practically wears the dunce cap. The education sector, despite historically being given the largest share of the national budget, remains a very problematic sector, one that somehow reflects the failures of the Philippine nation.
The Philippine government should not expect to produce the best kind of students if it does so little to improve the quality of education. For next year, the proposed general appropriations act (GAA) will once again give the sector the biggest allocation—P367.1 billion—from the P2.6trillion overall budget, largely to implement controversial K to 12 program. Despite the big budget and the bright promise held out by education officials for the K to 12, many are pessimistic that the Department of Education (DepEd) won’t be able to foster quality education. As if realizing that his observation on the ignorance of Filipino students about
Mabini and Philippine history would be taken against his government and its failure to foster quality education, Aquino pointed out K to 12 had yet to be fully implemented. In his defense, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the lapse in history knowledge as disclosed in the Mabini incident should not reflect on the whole education system. He pleaded to check with curriculum supervisors and teachers if Philippine national heroes were being taught in classrooms. It is bad enough that some students reach college without a
clear understanding and appreciation of Philippine history; but it is worse when they had to rely on a movie to do the teaching. Not that “Heneral Luna” is a bad movie. It is a good movie, perhaps a great one. But the fact that it nearly got booted out of theaters because its earnings weren’t enough for commercially minded cineplexes that had been pampered by stupid Hollywood movies featuring Batman, Spiderman and socalled superheroes wearing belts on the underwear, should indicate the poor cultural education and taste of Filipinos, education and taste acquired through 10 years of instruction from the graft-prone, incompetent and ultimately bankrupt system fostered across the generations by the DepEd. Now that two more years have been added to the bankrupt system, can we expect relief and alleviation? So it is unfair that students are shouldering all Headstrong PAGE 10
Millennials on Martial Law IT’S SURPRISING, to say the least, that as we mark the declaration of Martial Law every Sept. 21, voices expressing approval for the darkest period in our history grow even louder. It’s shocking that many of these voices belong to “Generations Y and Z,” and they go so far as to say Martial Law should be imposed again in the country. The Generation Y, the so-called “millennials,” or those born between the ‘80s and the ‘90s, and the Generation Z or those born in the early 2000s, are the technologically advanced generation—accounting for 87 percent of Facebook users and 37 percent of Twitter users, according to the Pew Research Center. These generations take for granted what they currently have—the freedom of expression, assembly, and of the press—precisely the freedoms taken away by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos during Martial Law. If those in Generations Y and Z who are pro-Martial Law have not only been posting Facebook statuses about the Marcos regime but
Generations who have not experienced Martial Law are the ones who find it very convenient to say that it would be good for the country, that it would be a good form of ‘discipline.’ have also been reading about it, they would have known better than to engage in revisionist history. The statistics on human rights violations are staggering: 3,257 extrajudicial killings, 35,000 people tortured, and 70,000 incarcerated, according to research by Alfred McCoy, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin. Also, that the Martial Law proclamation, while dated Sept. 21, 1972, was announced by Marcos over national television on Sept. 23. On that same day, seven television stations and seven major newspapers were shut down, while four senators and approximately 8,000
individuals were arrested. The generations who have not experienced Martial Law are the ones who find it very convenient to say that it would be good for the country, that it would be a good form of “discipline.” However, it was discipline out of fear: fear of being detained or of “disappearing” for an uncertain amount of time, or worse never to return. If Martial Law is again imposed, Facebook, Twitter and other social media would probably be banned, and Generations Y and Z would probably not survive being unable to post their selfies and all their complaints about the government, the traffic, their
professors, or their love lives. There’d be a curfew, which means no late-night partying. Generations Y and Z grew up in the age of Google and e-books, but cannot even bother to research and verify facts before posting their opinions. “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it,” said Spanish philosopher and novelist George Santayana, and this speaks a lot about what is to come when the misinformed millennials take over. If there is one similarity about the character of Joven (youth in Spanish) in the historical biopic “Heneral Luna,” and the present-day youth, it is that we have not lost our eyesight and our ability to express ourselves. We have the democracy, and the freedom of speech that comes with it, which our national heroes and forefathers have fought for with their blood and sweat. We are now more capable than ever to read and learn about our country’s history, the only thing that will save us from repeating our previous mistakes.