... so I can change the Educational System.

We're fresh from monthly exams, where I found myself tutoring Gabriel in Hekasi (Heograpiya, Sibika at Kasaysayan) and teaching for the nth time, the story of the Spanish Conquest of the Philippines.  We talked about Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, how the once pagan Filipinos become Christians; of the Encomienda System, the Tributo, Bandala, Polo and the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade.

I have no bones to pick with History, really.  I think it is important that we teach our children where our country was and how we got to where we are now. But I think to teach it for 3 years (in the intermediate level -- Grades 4, 5 and 6) is redundant, a waste of time, tuition and money for textbooks.  Also, since it is the past, there is very little of it --  other than such abstract things as independence, equality and justice--that can be applied in real life, it becomes a thing to memorize rather than appreciate, a task rather than a tool.

There are so many, other things worth tackling in Social Studies. Things more relevant, applicable and current.  Topics that, have they  been taught in Grade School, would have built a good foundation for High School and later as helpful guides towards being responsible adult citizens.

Take for example the riotous demolitions that were in the news lately.  The squatters hurled glass bottles at the demolition team, while some made teary-eyed statements to the media.  Had Social Studies (or Sibika) in school tackled the basics of Human Rights (that while it is alright to fight for your rights, it is not alright to be violent), and Property Laws (that you cannot own anything without having to pay for it or without it being donated to you by the rightful owner), these ADULTS would have acted less like children and more of the responsible citizens they should be by this time.

Maybe it's just me, but I think there pervades a feeling of being the underdog, of being the biktima, of being the oppressed, which I think got drilled into our minds by the repeated exposure to the stories of the abuse we suffered under the hands of our colonizers. It is one thing to fall down, but to stay down is another.  I think we need to move on from the feeling of being kawawa and help ourselves, use the lessons of our experiences so that we do not become kawawa anymore.  Apart from focusing on our past, I think that it is more important, more crucial for our education to glean from what's happening in the present and use that to educate our students towards being more prepared for the future. 

These figures in History, they can be put in bulletin boards and read about; maybe asked in exams in at most five multiple-choice items.  These happening to us right now, they ought to be discussed, learned from and applied. Like I said, more tools, less tasks.

Dear friends, readers:

Follows is a solicitation letter for a girl needing financial help for her liver transplant.  Her father and I were former officemates in Amkor and I know him (and his family) to be good people. PLEASE HELP by doing any or all of the following:

1. Make a donation of ANY AMOUNT. (If there are a thousand of us making a P50 donation, that makes P50,000.00.. a higher donation from more people makes a bigger help.)

2. Forward the message to people you think can help or may help-- those who may want to make a donation, doctors and hospitals who can give free services, people who can help the family get some discounts or anything that would make the costs of the operation more within reach (free medicines, etc).

3. Please include the family, especially the little girl Nikka in your prayers.

As a parent myself I feel for both Gil and Dolly.  Please, please I ask you to help.

Thank you.

Anne
===================================================================

August 25, 2011

B4 L11 Executive Homes 1,
Cainta Greenpark Village,
Cainta, Rizal

Mga kaibigan,

Kami, si Gil at Dolly Silva, mag-asawa, may tatlong anak, nakatira sa Cainta, Rizal ay humihingi ng inyong tulong para sa aming bunsong anak na si NINA KRISTINA C. SILVA (Nikka), 8.7 taong gulang. Pagkapanganak kay Nikka noong December 2002, nalaman na mayrron siyang “biliary atresia”, isang sakit na kung saan nasira/hindi tumubo/nagbara ang biliary system na daluyan ng bile patungong intestine. Sa ikatlong buwan niya, inoperahan siya (kasai procedure) upang mag-connect ng bahagi ng small intestine sa kanyang liver upang maging daluyan ng bile mula sa liver patungong intestine.

Sa mga nakaraang taon inalagaan naming siya sa tulong ng gastrologist upang maging malusog ang kanyang liver. Unti-unti naging cirrhosis ang liver niya at lumaki ang kanyang spleen. May mga pamamaga na rin ng mga ugat niya sa paligid ng atay. Sa pagtagal ng mga taon, unti-unting nasisira ng bile ang kanyang liver. Sa ngayon po, bumababa na ang mga kakayahan ng kanyang liver. Ang tanging paraan ay ang LIVER TRANSPLANTATION. Ang liver transplantation po ay nagkakahalaga ng Ph 4.5M. Ang liver ay maaring manggaling sa live donor o sa brain dead na pasyente.

Nagkakaroon si Nikka ng mga testing upang sumailalim sa liver transplantation sa Medical City, Ortigas. May mga kaibigan po kaming tagalabas na kasalukuyang tumutulong sa pangangalap ng pondo para sa transplantation. May maliit na halaga na kaming naitabi para kay Nikka ngunit hindi ito sapat. Buong-kababaang loob po kaming humingi ng tulong upang malikom ang pondo para sa kanyang operasyon. Maaari po kayong maghulog ng inyong donasyon sa mga bank account numbers na 'to:

Metrobank (MBTC)
Acct Name: ITF NINA KRISTINA C. SILVA
SA # 290-3-290111448
Branch: MBTC - Felix Ave.


Banco de Oro (BDO)
Acct Name: ANGELO SILVA
SA # 4710-13230-8
Branch: St. James, Paranaque

BPI Savings Acct
Acct Name: ANGELO SILVA
SA # 4173-0453-66
Branch: Sta. Lucia Grand East Mall

Maari rin po niyo kaming tawagan sa number na to: 09173236342 (Dolly Globe); 09325693193 (Gil Sun); 02-5772636. Umaasa po kami sa tulong ninyo at ng mga kaibigan para sa buhay ng aming anak. Pagpalain po ng Diyos ang inyong kagandahang-loob.

Unless a Signal no. 2 is declared, classes aren't suspended, even if students have to wade through knee-deep waters brought by rain from an LPA. Under signal no. 2, workers need to come to work, even if they have to face a shortage of transportation and also wade through floodwaters, because, by general belief, under Signal No. 2, it is still safe to be outdoors.

That's because under the current typhoon signals issued by PAGASA, Signal No. 2 means 'winds of greater than 60 kph and up to 100 kph may be expected in at least 24 hours.. and.. in general, the winds may bring light to moderate damage to the exposed communities.' The rest of what the signals mean, here.

See, there, our current typhoon signals only account for wind speed/strength, and how soon (in hours) the typhoon/strong winds will be experienced inland.

For goodness' sake, we're a tropical country, where rain is EXPECTED even if there is no typhoon. By experience, from Ondoy and our dozens of Low Pressure Area occurences, when the packed winds are weak, rains are heavy. Isn't it about time our typhoon signals are changed or adjusted to consider also the amount of rainfall, and how that poses risks to safety and damage to property?

How about a Signal No. 1 to 2 for moderate to heavy rainfall but weak winds (like those brought about by LPAs), and Signal no. 3 to 5 to indicate moderate to strong winds, as those brought by typhoons?

I suppose our weather monitoring and reporting systems are, as all other else in government, patterned after the systems of our former colonizers. But we need to evolve and adapt to the changing times and needs! PAGASA, over everybody else, should know global climate change means typhoons and other general conditions will not be the same as decades ago. Therefore, PAGASA needs to change the way it identifies the damage and safety risks brought about by a storm, by including the hazards of heavy rainfall.

And may I say, this inability to consider the effects of rainfall has greatly jeopardized PAGASA's credibility. The general observation is that PAGASA's forecasts are always 'baliktad,' -- the opposite-- because just when they raise typhoon signals to levels when classes and work do get suspended, there are no rains, and people can actually go outdoors! Albay Governor Joey Salceda has repeatedly lambasted PAGASA for failing to warn the province of the potential damage from incoming typhoons or LPAs; yet in reality, PAGASA has issued typhoon signals or weather reports for the entire archipelago. Again, that's because the forecasts and warnings are primarily based on wind speed.

Systems aren't and shouldn't be 'one-size-fits-all.' They need to be customized and tailored towards the function they are supposed to serve. Otherwise, they are useless.

==========

I wonder, does PAGASA have the necessary equipment to predict the amount of rainfall brought by a typhoon/LPA? Baka dapat yung ipinanambili natin ng warship dito na lang ginastos. I believe we should pick battles that are big enough to matter, small enough to win. Then again, this opinion belongs to a different post altogether. =)

Every now and then I get treated to one-of-a-kind entertainment from my kids.  Here is an amusing verbal joust between Mika, my 3-year old going 10, and Jam, my 15-year old:

Round 1

June 18, Shakey's Pacita.   Jam has been teasing his sister, his way of making papansin because he finds her irresistibly cute.

JAM:  "Siopao!" (He says this to emphasize he finds her cheeks soft and round, like the steamed buns.)
MIKA: "Hindi nga!"
JAM: "Siopao!"
MIKA:  "Hindi ako Siopao! Tao ako! Ikaw ang siopao! Kakainin kita! Beh!" (All in one breath, fierce as an agitated kitten.)
JAM: Mommy, o, marunong na lumaban!

Round 2.

June 20, my bedroom. Jam takes another shot.

JAM: "Siopao!"

MIKA: "Hindi nga!"
JAM: "Siopao!"
MIKA: "Hindi nga!"
JAM: "Siopao!"
MIKA: (pause.) "Oo, siopao ako."
JAM: "Siopao ka? Hindi ka tao?"
MIKA: "Oo, siopao ako."

'Tameme si Jam. Hahaha!   2-0, Mika in the advantage!

It is so amusing how Mika is able to stand up for herself at such an early age.   Kinda reminds me of my mom...