Showing posts with label educational policies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label educational policies. Show all posts

Friday, January 15, 2010

Foot-(in-the)-Mouth Disease


(Freudian and not-so-Freudian slips from the powers that be which made me raise my eyebrow a meter and a half high)



Whatever is the title of the song that starts with “It’s now time to make a change….” A song that is a kind of discussion between a father and a son, where the son goes “from the moment I could talk, I was ordered to listen…” which is very true.


There are so many things that people want to talk about but cannot. Workers want to talk about how they lost their jobs, maybe even their limbs. Mothers want to talk about how creative they are to make do P50 for a family of five. Drivers want to talk about how little net income they get to take home after the paying for the gasoline and daily boundary of the jeepney, cab or bus they’re taking out. Students want to talk about how they weren’t allowed to take the final exams beacause of an outstanding balance. People want to know why they keep on getting short end of the stick when they were assured time and again that everything is fair and just.


But they don’t get to do this sometimes, or even at all. Because are being pushed to silence by their upbringing, beliefs and often times by the state. Since 2001 almost a hundred journalists have been killed. There have been 1,118 extrajudicical killings, 204 enforced dissapearances and numerous others tortured.


The State, however, has and uses every means to perpetuate itself and the things it believes in no matter how wrong or skewed it may be. It has many image consultants, advisers and what have you whose main goal is to make the State look lovable, caring, compassionate, which it is not. It has access to the tri-media and can impose a news black out on any issue it deems too harsh to its image. And when the dam of lies could not be contained anymore, send in the spin doctors to lie about the dam of lies.


This fact made me want to compile the long list of “quotable quotes” by those from the government which could be a Freudian slip or a calculated move on their part. And so, this Friday and every Friday thereafter (I promise, I’ll try to be religious about this), I will post some of these quips that I found amusing during the week. I encourage you, dear readers, to add to this roster of fine politicism.



**********



“We keep coming back to the same principle—equal application of the law, equal application of regulations for everyone in this particular case.” (This principle seems selective of its application, if Olivar has not yet noticed.)

-Gary Olivar, Presidential Spokesperson

On the Ampatuan’s VIP treatment in jail



“I will give it (Comelec) an 8 [out of 10]. I’m very confident that there will be automated elections.” (That’s it, positive thinking, come on now.)

-Jose Melo, Comelec Chairman

On Comelec “level of readiness” even as the Commission is months behind it’s election calendar.



“We leave it up to Congress to proceed on this issue as best as they see fit in their collective wisdom as legislators.” (That is, if wisdom resides in them.)

-Gary Olivar, Presidential Spokesperson

On Congress making final Con-Con push




“Not guilty.” (And his nose grew a thousand mile-long.)

-Andal Ampatuan Jr.

On his arraignment for 41 counts of murder




“The President is not popular, but this doesn’t mean that she’s a failure.” (Hahahahahahahaha!)

-Gary Olivar, Presidential Spokesperson

On GMA’s sinking popularity



“She governs for posterity.” (Two meanings: for ALL future generations and for all of SOMEBODY’S generations, which is which?)


-Gary Olivar, Presidential Spokesperson

On GMA’s sinking popularity


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Thursday, May 21, 2009

F(r)ee Education: a reaction

We are almost in the last week of May and most are busy preparing for June's school opening. Parents are once again faced with the perennial problem of tuition fees for their schoolchildren.

I read in the Philippine Daily Inquirer that a parent wrote in and complained about fees being collected and the withholding of cards of these fees are not settled.

I would like to say something about the position Jerry Esplanada took when he wrote Assignment: DepEd Free means "no fee". He laid down the problem parents encounter every schoolyear very well. He even manage to get some DepEd insiders to recognize fee collection as an "open secret." He also quoted Antonio Tinio, from ACT, that the main problem lies in the budget allocation and educational policies of DepED.

However, Mr. Esplanada concluded that "there is nothing wrong" with fee collection as long as it is voluntary and without consequences if not paid for. this is a very passive stand regarding this issue. He should have pushed a line of reasoning along Mr. Tinio's explanation. When Mr. Esplanada wrote that violations of "no fee collection" is an open secret, there is already something deeply wrong about it. Public schools are compelled to find creative ways to augment their Maintenance, Operating ang Other Expenses (MOOE) Allocation because the buget allocated for them is hardly enough.


The budgetary allocations and educational policies of the government betray a low regard for quality education. Mr. Esplanada should have maintained that education is a right and should be adequately subsidized by the government.

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