Learning to fly

2004-04-02T08:21:00.001-08:00

Modernising DECS
Source: Alejandro W. Clemente. Philippine Education into the 21st Century. Valerio Publishing House. Quezon City. 1996.

Any organization, to survive, must constantly upgrade. To become lean and mean, it must periodically review and adjust its objectives, means, and resources at hand such as technology, physical facilities, funds and people.
We can look at DECS as a service with the student as teh final product. Anyone with a basic business sense that provides this service does not need studies of the World Bank or comparative figures of education expenditure as a percentage of GNP to know what is wrong with DECS. In simple English, there are just not enough resources to provide basic education for all.

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The pressure of population increase on teh school system will hardly change through the years as one in every three Filipinos is 15 years and below.
The same problem holds true for quality education. The quality and quantity of resources at hand are also not adequate to provide quality education. The teaching profession has yet to attract the best students. The saying that the best students go to sciences, engineering and law and the ordinary ones go to education still holds true.

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Moreover, many teachers are not qualified to teach the subject assigned to them. Majority of those teaching math and science are not majors in these subjects. In Region 8, the ratio of computer to students is 1 per 70,000 students while that for video is 1 per 350,000. Laboratories are found only in 2,000 out of 350,000 elementary schools, and 1,250 out of 5,000 high schools. Libraries, which cost P300,000 each, can hardly be found in schools.
We know the problems. We have an idea of what could be the solutions. Given the resource constraints and considering that the current DECS leadership has only three years by which to set the tone, DECS is focusing on the following thrusts for modernization in 10 years.

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1. upgrading academic programmes
2. decentralization of decision-making
3. improving administrative system
4. improving fund generation
5. retooling of huma n resources.

Modern technology will be the anchor for modernizing in these five years. The “hardware” of technology such as machineries and equipment, and teh “software” of technology such processes, standardisation and organization will be put to full use to convert DECS into a fast, fair, firm and transparent organization.

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A. Academic Programmes

Given the rapid changes in the world, many of the innovations will be in curriculum development. We will have to introduce more of multi-media for learning such as TV’s, videos and computers. The colourful animation, interesting sound bites and visuals make for more interesting learning. Sine Eskwela, a science programme aired by ABS-CBN shows that the curiosity and retention of students have been significantly enhanced. Computers have been proven to accelerate learning in math, science and language. There is a need to strengthen our courses in these subjects as well as technology. This is inescapable as they are the building blocks for competition in the global market.
We also have to expose our students to production even at an early age. While measuring up to the curriculum of “Rolls Royce countries” is a blast to the future, doing hands-on production is a return to the past.

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Exposure to production is needed ofr the following reasons. First, it is not enough to develop the head and the heart but also the hand. So, there has to be some hands-on exercise. Second, our graduate would feel more comfortable venturing into production if they have been exposed earlier to commercial production. A recently organized DECS Task Force on Agriculture Education confirms this. As the battlefield moves away from military theatres to the corporate boardrooms and factory floorshops, a Philippine manpower with early exposure to hands-on production would also have greater chance to compete in the world market.
Values education should also be improved. We have been focusing on values for harmoniours living - belief in God, country, family and fellow human beings. We have to add a few more. We should start emphasising system’s thinking, that we are parts, that we belong to the whole, and each one of us has a role to play. We must inculcate team-work, to be conscous about paying taxes, traffic and following rules, to properly dispose garbage and to know that we are part of the Filipino nation and the world.

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We also need to think more about the environment.
The promotion of youth organizations, making schools a classroom inside a garden through the planting of trees - all these are part of values formation.
The environment of teaching should also improve. From one teacher per 56 student, we could target reducing the ratio to one teacher per 35 students.
Schools should also be equipped with libraries, science laboratories, TV’s, videos and computers. Ifwe were to introduce only 4 computers per school to our 400,000 public schools for computer literacy, we would need 160,000 computer costing P6.4 billion.

2004-04-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

B. Decentralization

DECS is decentralizing to put decision-making in the frontline, namely, the school. But before one can arrive there, DECS has to decetralize in stages putting decision-making on operations to the region, then to the division office, and finally to the school.
DECS is now at the stage of decentrazing to the region.
Not only will this involve a change of bureaucratic culture but schools have to be equipped with administrative support. It is hard, for example, to speak of Principal empowerment when a school does not even have a finance officer to handle finances.

C. Improving Delivery Support System

Too much has been said about re-engineering education. At DECS, this simply boils down to going back to the basics.

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1. Qualifying Performance

Every unit and individual in DECS must quantity performance. Let us start with teachers. Peripheral matters such as graduate degrees, seminars and participation in tree planting tend to get included in evaluating their performance. A more practical way is to use the students as the sole basis of performance of teachers. A placement test at the start of the year establishes the starting point of the student, and by the end of the year, an examination shows where he ended. If 80% is the target of adequate performance for the students, a teacher that falls short of this target would be sent to remedial training while the teacher that keeps surpassing it would be rewarded. The teacher becomes the basis for rating the Principal, the Principal for the S

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2. Accountability

Once performance is quantified, then it is easier to make the person or unit accountable to the targets. Personality plays between superior and subordinate, and daily supervision become less of a factor in producing performance.

3. Backing Accountability with Resources

Authority and accountability would not rebound to anything unless supported by the appropriate resources. If each unit were to be a cost of profit centre, that unit must know what resources are available to pursue its targets.

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4. Standardization of Units, Processes and Goods

Even when equipment and transport support seems standard, some units just happen to have more resources than their counterparts. Knowing the standards unit at every level not only helps in budgeting but also in organizing human resources development.

2004-04-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

5. Technology Sourcing and Promotion

By technology, we refer to both ‘hardware,” such as machineries, and “software” such as processes and management techniques.
It is not just a question of finding answere and achieving quality but also finding savings through technology application. If being cost-efficient and cos-effective through technology results in savings of 10% of operating expenses and capital outlay as a result of technology sourcing and promotion, that savings amount to more than P1 billion a year.

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6. Benchmarking

To improve, DECS must constantly benckmark its financial, human and physical resources. It it takes 10 day, 10 copies and 10 signatures to process a document in 1995, can this be reduced to 5 days, 5 copies and 5 signatures by 1996? If the cost of janitorial service is P10 per square meter, can this be reduced to P9? If the average cost of pencil is P5, can this be reduced to P4?

2004-04-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

D. Extra-Budgeting Financing

No matter how we look at it, government funds will never be enough. Part of the modernization of DECS’ financing is to look for other ways of financing education. DECS is promoting the Adopt a School Programme which seeks donations in fund, cash and services from the private sector to augment the budget. It is also encouraging schools to start going into cooperatives and make use of their frontage and empty lots for commercial purposes to raise more funds. Local governments are being encouraged to take a greater and more active hand in financing schools.

2004-04-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

Conclusion: People make the Difference

We can put in the latest technologies and management techniques but if the people do not put in the minimum performance and the appropriate behaviour to support changes then the modernization process in DECS will fail.
As it is, resources are and will continue to be inadequate. If we continueon the same path, what is best in the past can never be better. Hence, the need for change.

2004-04-02T08:03:00.000-08:00

To effect change, we need to unfreeze the mind-set of DECS. Hence, the need for a vigorous human resource development. With close to 500,000 staff, DECS should think of putting up an executive academy that can rival DAP. The investment is worth it because if we can solve the human resource development of DECS, we are solving the training of practically almost half of the government.
Like inventors and entreprenuers, we need to turn disadvantages into opportunities.
Organizations do not change overnight. Not all this questions and answers can be accounted for. But a star has to be made. We must plant the seed to get hte most out of every peso that more can be delivered for the education and future of our children.

2004-04-02T07:57:00.000-08:00

Stop! hanggang dito na lang.. hehe.. here's the source of the other one: Serafin V.C. Guingona. Issues in Philippine Education. PHI DELTA KAPPA (Manila Philippines Chapter). 1982.

2004-04-02T05:32:00.000-08:00
The Philippine Education in the 1980’s: Current Issues

Vocatiional Education

During the early decades of this century, elementary schools, as well as some high schools, included in their curricula such industrial arts subjects as gardening and carpentry. Somehow these requirements tapered off. Industrial arts took a minor position in the scheme of things and there came to be established purely academic schools.

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This situation, however, did not last. Public critism pushed vocational education to the fore and led to the establishment of more vocational schools and the introduction of the “2-2 plan” curriculum in so-called general high schools.

In view of these developments, the issue has ceased to be inclusion or non-inclusion of vocational education in the curricula of general elementary and high school. It is now limited to the degree of magnitude of vocational instruction alongside the general education and preparatory functions of these schools.

2004-04-02T05:30:00.002-08:00
Return to Basics

“Schools graduate ‘no read, no write’ students,” so said a nationally famous columnist sometime in 1974. While this is obviously an exaggeration, still it reflects to some degree the impression among parents, the general public and of some mentors in the schools themselves.

Many claim that a number of factors caused the situatiion, viz: the implementation of the Education Act of 1940, which abolished the seventh grade in the elementary schools, the recent war, employment of unqualified teachers and too many subjects representing certain vested disciplinary interests.

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All these have probably led to the desire to return to the basics. It is an issue enough as to whether to return to the basics or not but it will be a sub-issue, if the decision is in favor of the basics, what to consider as “basics.”

Trimestral Calendar

During this period, some newspaper carried the news item that the National Board of Education had approved the trimestral calendar to replace the semestral and that it will be tried out in selected elementary and secondary schools.

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Obviously, the anticipated good points of the new comprise the weak points of the old and vice-versa. The trimestral will be fast-paced, placing the students on their toes throughout the trimestral. It will enable the students to complete more subjects during the academic year. It will increase the use of school facilities and resources. And it will afford time to teachers to attend seminars and conferences without disturbing their teaching functions.

On the other hand, it is claimed that the period for comprehending ideas under the new program will be shorter and the students may not develop sufficiently the ability to think. And since it is new, it may be plagued with administrative problem.

2004-04-02T05:29:00.001-08:00
Government Control of Private Education

One issue which sits almost perennially on the minds of private education authorities is government control of private education. This government control is embodied in a series of legislative acts after the establishment of the Philippine Commission and in the two constitutions that the country has had since the Commonwealth regime.

Some allege that the purpose of the control can be attained without or with much less control that there is at present. They say that some measure, like accreditation can help make schools responsible. As in societies and individuals, educational institutions are expected to demonstrate that they deserve their academic freedom.

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Government Subsidy to Private Education

Education is a function of the state. It is one of the services expected of the state in view of the taxes paid by the people. Also, it is one way to preserve the state.

The history of the Philippines - and probably that of other nations - has shown that, from the financial viewpoint at least, the government cannot satisfy the growing needs of education in the country. It is partly for this reason that every year, for instance, thousands of pupils and students studyin private schools. In other words, private schools on their own have been helping the state in performing its educational function.

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On the other hand, it is a fact that private schools are experiencing hard times these days. Presidential decrees have greatly increased,as dictated by economic conditions, the salaries and living allowances of workers. Added to this is the double figure inflation now obtaining in the country which has made the prices of suppliers and equipment needed by schools quite prohibitive.

It is true that there have been some manifestations of government assistance. The grant of P10M to FAPE, as provided for in the national budget, will eventually benefit private institutions. The soft loans received by selected engineering schools could be considered a form of this aid. Nonetheless, a direct, regular, substancial subsidy would be a measurethat will ease up the difficulties of schools and help them raise their standards of instructions.

2004-04-02T05:28:00.000-08:00
The Mother-tounges or Vernaculars

Under the Bilingual Education Policy, the local vernaculars no longer have official status as languages of education are Pilipino and English. However, the local vernacular or mother-tongue may be used as and auxiliary language of instruction.

Based on classroom observations and reports from the field, especially in the rural areasn the local vernaculars continue to be used as languages of instruction especially during the first year of schooling and beyond.

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A major problem during this initial period of instruction is that no materials are availble in the vernacular. Even during the period from 1957 to 1974, when the vernaculras (the eight major ones) had official status as media of communication, few efforts were made to produce materials in the vernaculars.

Given present policy and the lack of funds for printing, the only alternative would be for the teachers to produce their own materials and to use charts and Manila-paper sheets for these materials in the vernaculars and to include these charts and reading displays on large sheets of paper as part of their equipment and devices.

2004-04-02T05:26:00.000-08:00
Current Trends in Higher Education

Following through political and economic developments in the Philippines from 1972, a new thrust was indicated for higher education: that of achieving national development objectives through: 1) a strengthening of the capabilities of higher institutions of learning to educate and train the mix of human resources needed by national economic and manpower demands; 2) providing greater democratization of access to higher education; and 3) instituting quality and excellence in tertiary level institutions to develop high level professions and assure a continued supply of leadership and scholarship essential to a society in rapid transition.

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The current trend in enrollment favoring engineering and technological courses and the reduced number in the humanities and social science courses are indicators of the positive response most colleges and universities have made to the felt needs of a changing Philippine society. Universities which had traditionally been identified with the training of elites for university teaching and research and for the professions have gradually instituted, through new programs and courses, provisions for the training of skilled technicians and for access to the kind of knowledge and expertise that the contemporary social milieu requires and national manpower demands dictate.
In order to achieve equity, several sectors in the educational system have received substantial support through educational loans and other forms of assistance. Such support is aimed at bringing about improvement in the quality of formal and non-formal education and the technological delivery system.

2004-04-02T05:24:00.000-08:00
The Proposed Education Act of 1980

There are 75 sections in the latest - August 1981 - engrossed edition of the proposed Education Act of 1980, otherwise known as Parliamentary Bill No. 524.

Part I. General Provisions

Democratization - This is provided for in section 3.3 par. 2 as follows: . . . The State shall therefore promote and maintain equality of access to education as well as the enjoyment of the benefits of education by all its citizens.

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Part II. The Educational Community

Supervision and Regulation - This part defines the rights as well as the duties and obligations of persons directly or indirectly included in teh educational community - parents, students, academic staff, non-teaching personnel and school administrators. It also provides for the rights of schools.

Academic freedom of institutions of higher learning delimits the supervisory and regulatory powers of the State. Section 13 (2) of the Act gives the “right for institutions ofhigher learning to determineon academic grounds who shall be admitted to study, who may teach, and what shall be the subjects of the study and research.”

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Part III. The Education System

Conversion/Conveyance of Net Assets - Sec. 15, par. 2 states that the net assets of a stock corporation “if for any reason its corporate existence as an educational institution ceases and is not renewed” may be conveyed and transferred to any non-profit educational institution or to the State.

Part IV. The Ministry of Education and Culture

Integration - Sec. 55 provides that “. . . the supervision and regulation of educational institutions are hereby vested in the Ministry of Education and Culture, without prejudice to the provisions of the charter of any State college or university.” The quoted provision draws attention to the policy of integration enunciated in Article XV, Sec 8 (1) of the Constitution and reiterated in Part I, Sec. 3 of the proposed Act. Discounting the complete merger of educational institutions through nationalization of schools, there are three proposed approaches to the policy of integration.

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“Japanese colonial administration is based on the policy of assimilation,” Masao Matsuoka summed up Japanese policy in conquered territories. “In other words, since Japan became a colonial empire in the modern sense of the word, she was endeavored to Japanize her colonies.” While cases were treated individually, the Japanization of her colonies followed a definite pattern. A very interesting phase of Japanization was the application of the Japanese Constitutional Law in conquered areas. Since the Japanese Constitutional Law was promulgated for the benefit of Japan, the people of a conquered territory lost their individuality.

Due to the higher mental education level of the Filipinos perhaps, much subtler methods were used compared to other colonies. The Japanese Constitutional Law did not have to be appied all of a sudden. The country did not have to be incorporated into the Empire at once. The Filipinos had to be mentally prepared for it.

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All libraries, headed by the National Library. were thoroughly searched for verboten materials. Books uncomplimentary to Japan, however honest and truthful, were thrown into the bonfire. Pictures of Roosevelt, Churchill, Quezon and other Allied leaders were torn from books or thrown into the garbage pile. The scutiny did not exempt private libraries. Mere possession of anti-Japanese materials, even if unknowingly, was a highly concondemnable act. Books and magazine stalls were gone through with the patience of Job and each item for sale bore the censor’s mark.

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Throughout the war, the propaganda corps performed invaluable yoeman service to the Army. It concocted all the venom casuisty and lies with which Filipinos were poisoned in various dressings. Japanese racial and cultural superiority was its main theme, maligning of American and British influence its variant. It endulged the country with pictures of Japanese soldiers fraternizing with Filipino civilians, of high government officials hobnobbing with Japanese big shots and other poses showing the purported cordiality between Filipinos and Japanese. It feature “benevolent” acts of the Japanese, however trivial or untrue and headlined monetary and other “gifts” from the Army to the Philippine government. Testimonials aplenty it also turned out of the acts of generosity.

Propaganda was carried to the lecture and class rooms. Specila lecturers were imported form Japan. Conferences and banquets in which Japanese culture and race was the raison d’etre were frequent. Japanese patronization of local cultural undertakings was active as well as n

2004-03-30T06:03:00.000-08:00
Contests galore were held. There were contests in novel, essay, song and slogan writing, as well as in painting and architecture. Handsome prices were dangled before the public. Only those with pro-Japanese themes, of course, won prizes. A contest for the Song for the Creation of the New Philippines was made much noise of. The first rendition of hte winning song was a gala affair, with highest Filipino and Japanese officials present.

Interest in Nippongo (Japanese language) and Katakana (simplified Japanese script) was encouraged. Knowledge of these two became a prerequisite in civil service examinations. Nippongo was taught in all classes, whatever the course. Nippongo schools sprang up like mushrooms.

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A training institute operated as a para-military unit. Typical of one such was the GETI (Government Employees’ Training Institute) created, among others, to: “rejuvenate the employees spiritually, morally and physically,” and to develop the spirit of whole-hearted cooperation with the Administration in its program of reconstructing the New Philippines and to make it a worthy member of the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere.”

To all appearances, the Institute was a purely Flipino affair, but it was not so. The curriculum bristled with propaganda courses. Most of the lecturers on Japanese affairs and the Pacific war were Japanese. A Japanese “observer” was present everyday.

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The food was terrible. Insufficient meals were given. The inadequate food was supposed to be an exercise of frugal living.

Military routine was observed with absolute strictness. A graduation requirement was the ability to sing perfectly to the pause the “Kimigayo” Japanese anthem, and “Aikoku March” and “Kokumin Singun Ka,” patriotic songs. For inavertently substituting a local word, which did not mean well, for a Japanese term a trainee was kicked out of school and office on graduation day.

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Books were searched with magnifying lenses. Whole sections, chapters or pages were eliminated. Pictures or undesired paragraphs were pasted upon.

For the sons of the prominent, a New Life Camp was organized, together with Japanese children. For long periods the Filipino and Japanese children were thrown into each other’s company to develop “friendly relationships.”

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The Cultural Institute at Tagaytay was a more ambitious attempt. Selected college graduates were taken for training for future leadership. The Tagaytay graduates became the spearhead of Japanese propaganda, and all were given lucrative as well as important positions.
Scholarships to Japan were created. Ambitious Constabularymen and sons of prominent officials composed the scholars. Before leaving, they went through a rigid course of reorientation.

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PROBLEMS:

The great gap between the rich and the poor is very much apparent in the Philippines. Government statistics show that 5% of the nation’s population enjoyed almost a third of its wealth while only 40% had just a tenth in 1975. In 1977, the income of the wealthiest 10 percent of Filipinos was 20 to 25 time the poorest.
Poverty is also widespread in the country. Socio-economic indicators show that more than 50% of all Filipinos are below the poverty line. Most families in 1971 upto 1975 were not able to satisfy their food needs, did not have the resources to meet the basic requirements of life and on average subsist only on Php 25 or below a day. This poverty trend was revealed to be worsening each year as comparative studies of economists show.
There are numerous problems that caused these great struggles in our country. One of which is foreign control of the Philippine economy. American, Japanese and Western European global corporations are either dominant or prominent in many key commercial or industry line. From manufacturing of motor vehicles, rubber, pharmaceuticals; banking; finance; production of electrical machinery, appliances and chemicals; upto the simplest consumer goods for everyday use such as soap, paper and paper products; and food and beverage manufacturing, foreign products are always the most popular brands. This clearly shows how much Filipino consumers depend on foreign products, particularly the products of foreign giants.
Another problem our country faces is the debt trap brought about by the unjust policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Under the Investment Incentive Act, the Export Incentive Act and the Foreign Business Regulations Law, full foreign ownership is permissible in pioneer industries in the Philippines. Certain rights and privileges are also given to foreign investors including interest payments, guarantees against expropriation and requisition; protection from and action against foreign dumping; exemption from all taxes except income tax and post operative tariff protection.
The Philippines has also been borrowing larger and larger amounts from the IMF for the infrastructure projects to attract foreign investors and so far, the country’s debt has reached the sum of $8.375 billion as of March 1979. The relief that IMF gives is only partial and temporary. In fact, the IMF only consigns the under developed nations to a system of slavery and never gives them the necessary credit to allow them to set up basic industries of their own. This further enslaves their economies to foreign creditors. And since the Philippines is a chronic debtor, she has not been able to resist the pressure of the American-dominated IMF to devalue her currency. The only corporations that benefit from this are the foreign controlled corporations. They pay less for primary products from underdeveloped countries since their currency buys more than before while the devalued currency of underdeveloped countries such as the Philippines buys less.
What goes hand and hand with the devaluation of peso is the continuous decrease of the real incomes of working people. Among ten countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the Philippines has the lowest wage structure. In 1979, the Wage Commission declared that the minimum wage should be Php 19.78. But this however is still not enough to maintain a family of six at the poverty threshold in Metro Manila in 1978 which needed Php 26.18.
The Philippine economy policy is presently implemented by an elite group called the “technocrats.” These individuals have invaded the policy and implementing arms of both government and private institutions. Since these men were trained in the U.S., their predisposition and American orientations assures that in making decisions for this country, they will not stray very far from the American point of View. They constitute a new weapon in the neocolonial armory which guarantees the control of both the material wealth of the country and the consciousness of its people which will in turn further enslave the Philippine economy to foreign giant enterprises.
Unemployment is also a problem in this country. Foreign corporations do not contribute to employment as well. They only hire a mere one percent of the whole employment figures shown by the study conducted by Central Bank, Board of Investment and the National Economic and Development Authority in 1970. Worse, key positions are reserved for foreign technicians and managers. An example of this is Japan’s Kawasaki steel mill which promises to employ Filipinos as Japan’s economic aid to the country provided that the factory will be constructed in Mindanao. Not only that this promise was not granted, 110 household were also evicted and many sea creatures died because of pollution. This mill also brought about a new level of dependence where in instead of economic development that will benefit the country, there results a distorted development not responsive to the people’s needs but profitable to the global enterprises.
There are indications that although translational corporations transfer much technology to the Philippines it is in terms of mere geographic only for these technology remains in the hands of their representatives in the Philippines. And because of minimal access, Filipinos are denied the opportunity to add to their stock of industrial knowledge and skills. This serves as a hindrance to full industialization of the country.
Foreign investments also a myth regarding industrialization. The policy to attract external sources of capital to was thought to spur growth in home-grown industries. However studies have shown that global corporations doing business in the Philippines make use of the money in local banks to finance their activities in the country. While they do not have actual control over these private banks, their equity places them in an advantageous position in securing loans for themselves and their foreign clients at an expense of Filipino businessmen.
Due to the fact that foreign investors take out more dollars than they bring in to the country through repatriation of profits, the result is the dollar drain. A study by the University of the Philippines Law Center shows that in 1946-47 for every dollar invested directly by American corporations in the Philippines the net profit was $ 3.45. In effect, U.S firms “decapitalize” the country by $ 398 million through the whole 30-year period. This loss of dollar will continue as long as the primary commodities from the poor nations remain low and unstable while those manufactured goods from the developed market economies appreciate in value, and for so long as dollar hungry countries are forced to borrow more and more and thereby get deeper and deeper into the debt trap. This is the kind of unequal trade the Philippines is currently experiencing.
It is believed that tourism will be a big dollar earner and will help ease the balance of payment problem. This is a mendicant attitude for it entailed the expenditure of badly needed funds for the improvements of some part of the country for the enjoyment of the foreigners rather than spending these funds to serve the people’s basic needs.
Export of manpower is another indication that the Philippines is hungry for foreign exchange. The large amount of Filipino workers abroad constitute a sizeable skills outflow. this brain drain is a painful reality because what is invested in the training of skilled manpower is not recovered within the country. Worse, most of the benefit accrue to other lands where the highly trained Filipino choose to practise their professions. Like tourism, export of manpower begs the fundamental question of imperialism. In fact, what is presented as a solution actually adds to the problem of neocolonial exploitation.
Until now, the Philippines has not hindered the call to real self-reliance and is still depending on external assistance despite the strings attached to the latter. Foreign projects that serve as aids to underdeveloped countries such as the Philippines are actually tied to certain goods or services which must be used or brought from the aid-giving country. Money which is given or loaned as aid is released on condition that the providing country’s goods and services are utilized, giving the latter a sure profit from the start and guaranteeing that aid is not used against it. Therefore, rather that helping the Third World countries to develop, they are just getting themselves more profitable.

NATIONALIST ALTERNATIVE:

In combating the challenges brought about by the continuing foreign dependence of the Philippine economy, the people should be mobilized to the concept of nationalism as an alternative and motive force to achieve economic emancipation.
Nationalism an an ideology of liberation must have two basic characters: it must be mass nationalism and anti-imperialism. In order to achieve total eradication of neocolonial influence, the masses and their democratic participation are needed. No anti-imperialist movement can be successful without their support. This can be attained only if nationalism ceases to be merely for the middle classes and becomes a truly mass-based ideology.
Mass nationalism should manifest itself in the all-important economic field as an over-all struggle for the national surplus, an effort to insure that the fruit of the labors of the citizens goes to the national fund to be accumulated for public investment and to provide the necessary services for the people instead of being siphoned off to other countries. The primary accent, therefore, is on the national aspect because the resolution of the main contradiction - that between the Filipino people and imperialism - is the prerequisite for the resolution of all other contradictions in Philippine society.
Nationalism is the only force that can bind all elements against imperialism. Given the domination by foreign corporations of important sectors of the economy, much of this wealth produced by labor goes into foreign pockets. Petty commodity producers are being absorbed or displaced and indigenous capitalists must accept foreign partners or ultimately face the same fate as that of the small businessmen. Therefore, it is only under the nationalism banner that the Filipino businessmen and the Filipino worker can come together in both unity and struggle, each playing a meaningful role.
The middle class also has a vital role to play. Those who belong to this class stratum are both beneficiaries and victims of imperial control. Although most of them are converts to the Western way of life, international crisis is affecting them more and more and their economic position is steadily deteriorating. Many of them have actual knowledge of and experience with the way the neocolonial system works. If they can be made to see the connection between imperialism and their economic problems, they, too, may become involved in the nationalist movement. The ambiguity of their position will in the long run be resolved only within the alliance with other nationalist forces under whose influence they will undergo a reorientation outlook.
Unity among the different economic classes of Philippine society is necessary because the formation of any nationalist, anti-imperialist movement would have to involve a determination of the composition of the leading groups and their allies. Unity in diversity can only be achieved through constant dialogue among the various social strata having different experiences and ideological positions. In this case, the struggle against imperialism becomes a struggle for a new type of democracy wherein the masses have effective participation in directing the economic, social and political life of the nation. Such a democracy will open the possibility for profound transformation of economic and social structures as well as for a decisive change in the power relations among the different sectors of society. This new type of democracy plays a vital role in the struggle against imperialism for the demands for certain reforms and criticisms of existing policies will exert pressure to weaken imperialist hold.
After the development of a new democracy, it is time to challenge both the administration and the opposition to adopt the nationalist alternative as a central goal and to implement a nationalist strategy. The general objective must be an economy controlled by Filipinos and any proposal or policy that runs counter to it should stigmatize its advocates as anti-nationalism. This time, the starting point should be the people. It must be recognized that basic to any decision to complete national liberation is the adoption of policies that will ensure a socially just distribution of the national product and the mobilization of the national surplus to increase productive capacity primarily for the satisfaction of the basic needs of the population.
Moreover, nationalist austerity should become a status symbol. Emphasis must be shifted from artificial and distorted private consumption to social consumption. This means harnessing productive factors such as agriculture and industry for the needs of the majority. Conscious direction of economic and social development is necessary to effect the transfer of resources from wasteful consumption to productive investment.
Finally, the government must strengthen the state sector of the economy and give inducements to national capitalists instead of discouraging them and driving most of them into partnership with the transnationals. In the spirit of self reliance, indigenous technology should be fully encouraged and employed in agriculture and industry. The country’s natural resources, the national patrimony, should be protected from imperialist plunder. The rights of the Filipinos workers must be insured so that they will be able to fight exploitation by foreign corporations in whose interests their wages were frozen and the strike ban was enforced.
As long as imperialism reigns supreme in the country, the Filipino will remain people in bondage. Filipinos can only regain their honour and achieve prosperity as a people if they collectively embrace the nationalist alternative, their only salvation from the scourge of poverty and underdevelopment.

2004-02-12T02:42:00.000-08:00
copy nyo na lang to:

margin: 0.13" right, bottom, left.. please, start your letter below the letter "S" of "coast", para may uniformity.. :) sana magkasya.. yung sa akin 11 yung font size..

2004-01-28T21:39:00.000-08:00
hay.. im here in our computer lab..
walang kamatayang naghihintay sa kung sinoman siya na maglelecture samin about FLASH..
i'm not sure if he's late or i'm just early (which i highly doubt)..
don't really know what time it's suppose to start or end..
basta nagpunta lang ako..
for all i know, baka hindi pa nga ito yung class..
oh well..
this is the subject i chose for L.E.A.P. (lasallian chuva-chenez..)
gusto ko sana streetdancing kaso shyness ako..
pwede rin namang french class, spanish class, or mandarin class kaso no slots left na..
trip ko rin sana indi-film kasi si ryan agoncillo speaker kaso di ko trip yung time..
kaya eto na lang, basic macromedia flash ek ek..
by the way, this is like an alternative class..
i'm not in the mood to explain the whole thing..
basta kelangan talagang attend-an..

***

i'm bored..
isn't it obvious?
maybe later i'd feel better..
we'll go swimming at the sports complex..
i even have new swimsuit..
two piece sya actually..
o da ba daring?
ipinagmamalaki ko lang ang aking malaking tiyan..

***

crush ko na si jeremy sumpter (peter pan)
kahit di ko pa napapanood..
ang cool ng site nila..
excited na kong mapanood..
sana naman mapanood namin nila kai..
medyo sawi kami parati sa mga movies eh..
kill bill.. last samurai.. tale of two sisters..
lahat di namin napanood kasi alanganin yung time..
bad trip..

***

i have a new tshirt bra..
(o da ba pati yun chinika pa)
it's by calvin klein..
we went to glorietta yesterday..
i was planning to buy a bra..
pero yung cheap lang..
i was willing to settle for bench but kai talked me into buying calvin klein..
una nga dapat marx and spencers eh..
kaso sale sa calvin klein..
so dun na lang..
medyo may kamahalan pero worth it..
di naman daw madaling ma-wear out..
so araw araw ko na lang siyang isusuot..
hehe..

2003-12-21T04:16:00.000-08:00
i've been here in gapo for over a week now. our christmas vacation started off early cause all of my exams crammed into one lousy day. except for relsone which we, i mean THEY, had last monday. i was already home by that time so needless to say, i didn't take the test. i didn't really intend to take the finals cause it's just rels. i mean, i'm sure i won't fail or anything. he said it himself, our prof, noone WILL fail his class. we only had 3 test during the whole course for crying out loud. i don't really know where he based our grades. well, actually i do. he based it on looks, that disgusting bastard. anyway, i don't want to talk about that. it's just a messed up subject if you ask me. and as i said, i didn't get a failing grade. though i didn't take his finals, he still gave me a grade just enough to pass. it's unfair really. i can't stress enough how messed up his teaching methods are, if he has teaching methods, that is. but trust me, it's unfair. i can get a higher grade if i wanted to, he's not really dead serious about stuff like that. as i said, he's a bastard, the most fucked up teacher there is. but i was in no mood to negotiate so i left it that way. i think my blockmates were both shocked and almost impressed cause i took it so well. i've been like this ever since, i never cared about grades as long as i passed. i think that should be one of my new year's resolution. to be even a bit grade conscious.

***

i went back to manila two days ago to get my course cards and as i expected i didn't make it to the dean's list. i didn't feel bad or anything cause i don't really exert much effort on my studies. see, the problem with me is, i start things off pretty well. but after a while i get tired and slack off. if only midterm grades qualify a student to be a dean’s lister, then i would have made it on the list hands down. but too bad for me they don’t.. so huhu.. poor me.. i always mess things up during the 2nd half of the term, so chances are i may never EVER be on the dean’s list.. what a wonderful realization right before christmas.. *sigh*

2003-12-04T01:27:00.000-08:00
much to my dismay, the template that i started creating last time is missing. i'm not really sure if i just forgot to save it or some bastard erased it from the hard drive but i can't find it anywhere in this stupid network. oh well, it's gone anyway. no need to cry over spilled milk. i think i'll just make another one. if the reporters for today don't mind me hacking away with frontpage while they're doing their thing.

god, i can still recall when it was us who were to present a report. i remember like it was yesterday. [actually , it was only last week.] it was all messed up. we don't have a written report. we don't have hand outs. the laptop that contains our presentation was sent to paranaque because of some "technical difficulties". [it ran out of batteries and the owner forgot to bring the charger. very smart.] we wasted a lot of time because of the delayed arrival of the laptop and our merciless professor who was determined to fail each and everyone of us in his subject was ready to bite our heads off.

i stayed calm during the whole time while all of my groupmates were worrying as hell. what can i say, i've been through worse scenarious when i was in high school so those last minute drawbacks don't have so much effect on me anymore. i was really fine and calm as hell up until it was my turn to report. [the laptop had arrived by that time, thank god.] i shook like a madman. i really did. i don't know why, but i did. i was not really nervous that time, i just shook. but i shook very bad. one of my blockmates, jen, even thought i was crying. can you believe that? i've done about a million reports in my life and not once did i shake. i think i'm losing my touch. if iever had one...

2003-12-02T21:41:00.000-08:00
i tagged along with some of my blockmates to our computer lab, thinking that i would finally fix my new template and quit reading "catcher in the rye" for a while [it's depressing me]. to my surprise my blog was miraculously fixed. dunno how, but it was. that spoiled everything. i hate it when i've set my mind to do something and when i'm about to do it, i find out that it's done already or something like that. sort of anticlimactic in a way.

anyway, i think i'll just create a new template. just so to kill time. my current layout is depressing me anyway. everything's depressing me. don't know why. it just does.

2003-11-25T09:40:00.000-08:00
we played around with my camera and adobe illustrator yesterday..
here's what we came up with..

meet erika.. the camera whore.

here's tara.. her chin, that is..

and this is me.. with my untrimmed eyebrows..

i was feeling "artistic" that time..
as you can see, tara and i are "camera shy" that's why no full shots of our faces were taken..
on the other hand, erika knows that she's photogenic.. that's why she's taking advantage of it..

2003-11-23T06:29:00.000-08:00
just got back from gapo.
tired.
have a test in accounting tomorrow.
haven't studied yet.
i'm drench in sweat.
have i mentioned there's no elecricity here right now?
good thing i have a laptop...
which is slowly running out of batteries..
only one minute left..
noooooohhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

2003-11-17T07:57:00.000-08:00
with erika and ana right now..
in an unknown computer shop right in front of st. scholastica.
nagfe-friendster.
it's 11:30.
di ako addict, napasama lang sa kanila.

***

ginawan ako ni avi ng testi.
ang sweet.
na-touch ako.
gusto kong umiyak kaso daming tao eh..
later na lang pag-uwi namin ni erika.
sa min daw sya tulog eh.

***

finally, natuloy na rin ang pag-gy-gym ko.
it was my first time kanina.
hectic.
sakit ng binti ko.
15 mins. ako sa kung anumang equipment yun.
tapos umwi na ko.

***

discovered these through an email..
if i were a cyborg my name would be..
S.H.E.: Soldier Hardwired for Exploration
swangit.

my matrix name is..
cleo
corny.

my elvish name is..
Galadriël Arnatuilë
this would be great if i can pronounce it..

my chinese name is..
Bei Xian hang
how could this be? i'm not even chinese..

2003-11-14T03:33:00.000-08:00
at natapos din..

2003-11-09T22:19:00.000-08:00
new template. whoohoo! it's about time..

it's not quite ready yet. i'll fix it on our class on thursday where there are computers with front page installed. i used to do this stuff without help from any software (or, as we say, "mano-mano"). but since there's front page, better take advantage of it right? i swear to god, technology is making me more and more lazy.

***

for the record, this is in no way a betrayal to my dear La Salle. i am not "sometimes blue." if i may borrow the words of my good friend erika, "as long as the grass is green, i am loyal to 'em."

but i know that it can never be always green. fall will come and everything will turn brown. and only then that like an eagle, i will fly... but will always long for spring.

***

don't mind me.. somethin's up with me today.

***

have to go. gotta get ready. i'm going out with friends. thanks to davide, classes are suspended. LONG LIVE DAVIDE!

whehe..

toodles!

2003-10-22T05:26:00.000-07:00
belated HAMBERDEY kay HONEY!!!!!!! hope you had a wonderful birthday.. :) miss you terribly.. sorry di kita na-greet on time, kaka-load ko lang eh.. uwi na kami ni erika pwamis..

***

i've been feeling really out of it lately.
i've been crying my eyes out everytime i go to bed.
i am an insomniac so i don't get to doze off right away.
that's why all these things start to flood my brain and the tears just stream down whenever they want.
it sucks.
but it's okay, i guess.
i'm used to all these emotional outbursts.
-naney, the birthday girl.

i find comfort in knowing that i'm not the only one. i hope you do too.

pero secret lang natin to ha.. (secret daw pro pinublish naman sa blog).. basta un..

baboo!

2003-10-19T06:07:00.000-07:00
i can't get over black eyed peas' new song "shut up". and i love the video too. ang astig nung girl dun. ang astig pa ng get up niya.. it looks like she's just wearing a sports bra or something underneath and she just wrapped around a piece of cloth to cover the rest of her upper body, ang galing.. kapag gumanda katawan ko ganun na lang susuotin ko palagi.. o di ba tipid? tela lang.. hehe.. she was wearing my dream pants too.. pants nga bang maituturing yun? yung bitin na mukang lukot lukot? basta yun..

may isa pa syang outfit. prang formal sa unang tingin, sort of a business attire. but the blazer was open, and underneath was, tada, a bra! a black bra. again, ang astig. hindi sluty. and damn, she has great abs. i could kill for abs like that. buti na lang love ko sya so i'm not gonna kill her. hehe..

***

dumami na friends ko sa friendster! yey! i was only aiming for 10, pra at least 2 digit number, just so not to look pathetic. now i have 15! woohoo! my new goal now is to have a "next" button on my friends list. kahit 1 or 2 lang yung nasa next page. hehe.. i'm taking one small step at a time..

***

i saw the ncaa-uaap all-star game this afternoon. damn, ang galing ni yeo. until cardona starts playing again, i'm a yeo fan. or possibly, even when cardona's back, i will still be. ang galing nya kasi talaga eh.

ok, i just thought of something. why is mac cardona not playing, really? is it still because of his injury? the announcer said so during this afternoon's game. but i see him practice (because of our pe class, remember, i'm not a stalker) and he looks fine to me. nag-e-exhibition pa nga ang loka. (but then again, baka nagpapa-cute lang sakin yun.. hihi.. wish!) but really, there's nothing wrong with his ankle. have you seen him walk? he's fine. so why is he not playing? is it because of..... i'm not gonna say it here. this blog is for my business alone, not his. i don't wanna get into trouble, (though the chance is slim since very few people read my blog). and the reason is not really that big of a deal. so wag na kayong maloka sa kaiisip jan. besides, it's just my own little theory.

***

the damn tagboard won't function, my messages won't post. so i'm just gonna write all my shout outs here.

chai, unting pang-iinggit pa at mag-su-suicide na ko. sobrang miss ko na ang gapo at kayong lahat. i can't come home this weekend since may ro nga. so i was hoping that i can go home on the up coming holidays but it turned out that all saints and all souls day are on the weekend. and i don't think they're gonna suspend the classes next friday just because it's halloween. so parang ganun din. prang hindi holiday break, weekend lang talaga siya. but that's ok cause at least i don't have ro on sat. so maybe i can go home next friday since my classes end at 3:30. maybe.. parang ang hectic umuwi kasi for sure traffic. katamad. kapagod. isang araw lang pahinga tapos byahe ulit. (ang gulo ko) pero sige, for you guys i'll try. hihi.. ang sweet ko! whehehehehe...

lil_sh0b3_gurl, thanks for the info. if there's more, i'm all ears. :) i also read in a magazine that his girlfriend is named daisy something.. can't remember. that's why his number is 17 daw, because it's her birthday. hay, i dunno.. what's up with this guy?

well anyway, this entry is running long so i gotta go now.. have to hunt karen ople..

2003-10-16T01:40:00.000-07:00
tada! eto na si yeo..

thank you sa greenarcher.net
dinekwat ko lang sa kanila to eh.. hehe..

2003-10-15T18:30:00.000-07:00
leche! bakit ba ang aga kong nagising?? 1120 pa klase ko eh!!! wala tuloy magawa.. hmpf!

***

at dahil sa kawalan ng magawa, ako ngayon ay nagba-blog na lang at nagfe-friendster. magaling. napaka productive.

i'm a pathetic friendsterrrr.. rian? friendsterer? friendstoid? whatever you wanna call it. basta pathetic ako. i only have 7 friends. S-E-V-E-N! that's the number just a bit higher than 6. 3 notch lower than 10, the smallest 2-digit number. so why don't i invite friends to make my little friendster community grow, you say? my response to that is.. katamad eh..

***

hay.. bakit napaka-boring ng buhay?? napipilitan tuloy akong maki-jamming na lang kay heart evangelista at sa kanyang kantang "one". and i, i wanna spend my whole life with you.. habang naaaninagan si juddha paolo na nagaayos ng kotse sa ilalim ng ulan. kapag minamalas nga naman. tsk. tsk. HIRAP NG WALANG CABLE!

i want to change the channel. i do. i really do. but to do that, i must move my muscles to make three steps to get to the remote control. i'm too lazy to move.. waaaaahhhhh....

***

maligo na kaya ako?

930 pa lang.. hindi naman ako 2 oras maligo.. 1 oras lang ok na.. 1120 pa klase ko.. anong gagawin ko after? tska i'm too lazy to move nga eh.. badtrip.

***

ay, o nga pala.. JULIE, may reunion ba kayo sa sembreak NYO?? dahil sa nauna na sembreak namin, pwede bang gawin nyo na lang sunday yung reunion kung meron man.. sunday lang ako pwede kasi may lecheng rotc ako kapag saturday. at alam ko, being the good friend that you are, ia-advice mo sakin na mag-absent na lang. but sorry to say dear friend, di na ko pwedeng mag-absent dahil nasa bingit na ako ng kamatayan. malapit na akong ma-drop. 2 beses lang pwedeng mag-absent at nagamit ko na ang lahat ng iyon. to think 4 meetings pa lang, meaning may 10 pa, meaning kahit masagasaan ako sa harapan ng la salle, kelangan ko pa ring mag-ro. badtrip.

***

hmmm... ummm... uuuhhhh.. shit. naubusan na ko ng sasabihin. dami pang time. hi tara! nadownload ko na ung endless love. hehe.. gudluck sa finals.

***

hmmm... ano pa ba??? alam ko na! upload ko na yung pic ni yeo hehe.. pra masayahan naman kayong mga yeo fanatic jan.. hihi! wait nyo lang..

shit! westlife! lintik na mix! oras na para patayin ang tv.. this is a sign, kelangan ko na daw maligo..

til next time..

magandang kapalaran! :)

2003-10-06T01:52:00.000-07:00
wello! i'm so glad everything's fine now.. bati bati na tayo ulit! woohoo! wag nang ulitin yun ha.. wag sayangin ang friendship over nothing. at maawa sa mga taong hindi nakaka-relate.. avi, chai, honey & ber.. miss ko na kayo! huhu..

birthday na ni ber sa sat!!!! yihee.. 17 na rin ang loka.. ang tatanda nyo na!!!!!! kami na lang nila tara at erika ang natitirang mga sweet16 (yuck!)..

ber, klangan mo ng magparamdam.. since oct 11 ang bday mo at oct 11 din ang victory party ng uaap, treat mo na lang kami dun at solve na kami.. HiHi! (badtrip pa rin ako at di ako nakapuntang octoberfest, talk of the town yun ngayon.. may nagbarilan daw???) anyways, open bar naman yung V party diba? (buti naman, hindi kung sino sinong SKWATER ang makakapasok gaya ng octfest) so ber, kaw na lang bahala sa entrance.. whehe.. at sa transpo..

speaking of uaap, kahit hindi dlsu nanalo, ok lang. at least hindi ateneo ang champion (sorry tara). green over blue pa rin. hehe.. angkinin ang victory ng feu!!! weehee!

pero ika nga ni tara, sa university level lang yun.. but on the personal level, mas gugustuhin ko ng manalo ang ateneo.. kasi at least kapag dlsu vs admu, kahit rival schools, may respect pa rin sa isa't isa (with the exception of that "wild" guy) at kahit pagdating sa school bashing, hindi rin naman ganun kalala kasi well educated ang mga tao.. buti pa sila.. karamihan kasi ng mga taga feu prang walang pinag-aralan at mukang SKWATER! oops! sorry.. i object to my own statement. i ask the jury to erase that from the records. *poof* ayan, wala na.. the world is round again.

2003-10-02T01:33:00.000-07:00
what happened last tuesday was the final straw. i can't believe i'm being attacked by someone i don't even know. i've stayed silent long enough. i'm gonna fight back.

don't you understand what "drop it" means? it means shut up and leave us alone. my friend was only defending me cause that's what friends do. but i guess you don't know that cause you obviously have no friends. leave her alone. this is between you and me. and how did you know her blog anyway?

if you really want to say something, say it to my face. don't be such a coward.

and to YOU, i thought you were our friend. how can you do this to us. we've known each other since we were eggs in our mothers' wombs. i never thought you were a blabbermouth. i guess i really don't know you

2003-09-18T01:26:00.000-07:00
computer class na naman, meaning time to update my blog.. for free!!!

***

sobrang saya ng pe class namin yesterday.
bakit?
kasi lumipat kami ng room.
o ngayon?
sa 10th floor na kami.
so?
ibig sabihin abot kamay namin ang mga archers habang nagpapractice sila.. whehehehe..

feast for the eyes ng mga girls kahapon. sobrang gwapo nila macmac cardona at yeo. sweaty pa sila nun. hihi! sobrang inspired tuloy kaming lahat magsayaw. pe dance kasi kami this term.

eto lang ang observation ko. sa tv mas gwapo si yeo, pero sa personal.. gosh! wala syang panama kay papa macmac! sa tv kasi parang maitim sya pero sa personal, mestizo pala ang loka! saya!

halos lahat ng girls sa amin sya ang type pero yung isa, iba..

me: maka-cardona ka ba?
blockmate: hindi, yeo ako..
me: ah ok, akin na lang si mac.. hehe..
blockmate:mas gusto ko si yeo, di kagandahan ang girlfriend, may pag-asa pa..

o nga naman.

teka, ibig bang sabihin si mac may gf na? at ibig bang sabihin ni blockmate maganda gf nya? hindi nga? as in? truly? totoo ba? ha? ha? ha?

oh well.. aalamin ko na lang bukas.. toodles!:)

2003-09-11T01:52:00.000-07:00
COMP1LM (computer) class namin right now. wish ko lang may matutunan ako sa pinaggagagawa kong to di ba. wish ko lang nakikinig ako. wish ko lang talaga. oh well..

***

kwento ko mga nangyari sa visit namin sa school. regional ha..

galing maglaro ni marco.. marco nga ba pangalan nya??
ang pula ni mitch..
ang gwapo ni tooooooooooot..
nagkita-kita kaming lahat, mga alumni na kami! nax!
nakaka-miss sila..
may bagong saltang kano..
hindi siya gwapo..
ang lalandi ng mga first years..

continue ko maya.. baka mahalata na ko ng prof ko..

2003-09-05T06:48:00.000-07:00
it's been quite a while huh?! i'm really not that busy, actually i have all the time in world but laziness got the best of me yet again. for those who care, here's an update..

aug 27-29. finals week. i was in gapo the weekend before so needless to say, i didn't study. noone can really do anything here (yes, im back home. sembreak. excuse me, TERM break.) but sleep all day or go out with and hang with friends til god knows when. but it's all good cause despite all that i didn't flunk any tests. in fact...

sept 2. i went back to manila to get my course card. surprisingly enough, i almost made it to the dean's list. almost. that is such a painful word. im only 0.35 points short. imagine that! after all my absences, cuts and tardiness i still managed to come close. i'm not running for honors or anything, i never had (that's why im surprise), but knowing it's possible, especially for someone like me, is kind of inspiring. so next time i know what to do -- go to class. AND BE ON TIME!

***

yesterday i went to my old school. it's kind of sad that im referring to it as "old" now. oh well, things change. but oviously not for regional science high school. though it's newly painted (they waited for us to get out of there before fixing up the damn place!) and there are a lot of fresh blood (freshies), its still pretty the same. i just wish we were all there again. we're going back tomorrow.

***

i envy people with night lives. mine vanished since... hmm.. now i'm not quite sure i ever had one.. damn you erika!

***

a public service announcement. please stop sending me chain letters. i appreciate the fact that you guys remember me during your troubled times and turn to me when your sendees hasn't reach the mininum number the letter says yet. but frankly, i've had enough. i get scared too so i have no choice but to do what the letter says. and honestly, it's quite tiring since i receive like a million chain letters a day. so please stop the madness. thank you.

p.s. it's a public service announcement kasi SASAKTAN KO ANG TAONG MAGSESEND PA SA KIN NON!!! so kung ayaw nyong masaktan.. you know what to do.

2003-06-27T19:17:00.000-07:00
it seems as if block 17 (our block) is promoting a new fashion trend - the im-too-clumsy-i-have-a-heavily-bandaged-broken-leg look. or maybe we’re just developing a fond for the 70’s dance craze, the twist. whatever it is, we’re sure a jinx caused it, for not only was my cellphone snatched, causing my life to turn 180, and g3’s knee cap dislocated, i also tripped at the william hall causing my angle to twist, then ache, then swell.. luckily, it was just a course education, meaning, very few people were around to witness, thank god! or else i would have transferred to another school regardless if it’s not as glamorous as la salle. dlsu is really not for me, im sure of it.

for the record, my most embarrassing moment so far, was not due to mere stupidity, i did saw the the huge bright sign “STEP”, hanging on the wall. but as i was about to make a step, a few block mates of mine were hurrying and i think some of them accidentally hit me, throwing me off balance. i can’t remember exactly everything cause it all happened so fast. but im not blaming anyone, it was an accident. nevertheless, i have a feeling they all think of miguel as the jinx cause he was with me when my phone was snatched, he was near me when i tripped, and when they had carefully sat me down, miguel carelessly hit my poor broken foot with his. so then when our trusty block president asked him to assist me to the school clinic, they all shouted “wag na si miguel!” tsk! tsk! poor guy...

as for my ankle, it’s feeling much better now, though i still have to wear a bandage around my foot to keep it from moving around. my aunt was supposed to take me to makati med to get it examined but i think it’s quite unnecessary so we didn’t go.

well anyway, i think this entry is too long. i guess this is all for now. 'til next post.

2003-06-17T03:01:00.000-07:00
WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK:
1. some sim cards bring bad luck if used with other cellphones.
2. your friends can curse much much worse than full grown witches if you were robbed by some f**king greedy old guy. they can give eminem a run for his money. it's contagious too!
3. your friends can curse even worse if you were mistreated and betrayed by another friend of yours.
4. some bestfriends only cost 17000 pesos. buy one take one pa if you're lucky. (may free na konsintidorang bading na kuya)
5. mahirap makipag-away sa matatabang bakla.
6. your classmates who you've met just 3 weeks ago can be much more considerate than your bestfriend who you've known for 3 years.
7. mahirap maging mayaman.
8. sa pera talaga masusukat ang lahat, pati pagkakaibigan.
9. the "damsel-in-distress" act works pretty well. my cute na guy na kusang loob na na mag-o-offer sa yo ng cellphone na pwede mong ipangtawag sa isa pang cute na guy na pwede mong pagbuhusan ng sama ng loob. hehe.. (free of charge yun syempre!)
10. no matter what you say to them, no matter how loud your voice is when you argue with them, no matter how late you come home at night, and in short, kahit gaano ka ka-sutil, parents are always willing to stand up for their beloved daughter kapag may nangaapi na sa kanya. thank you for that. i love you both.

FOR THE PERSON WHO THOUGHT ME ALL THIS, I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND MY SINCERE AND UTMOST GRATITUDE. IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU, I WOULD HAVE NEVER KNOWN WHO MY REAL FRIENDS ARE, HOW MUCH MY PARENTS LOVE ME AND HOW MANY PEOPLE TRULY CARES FOR ME. YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE.

(ayan, hindi na lang sa acknowledgement ng research paper namin makikita ang pangalan mo, pati sa blog ko pinapasalamatan kita, for all the world to see. sana ma-satisfy na kita.)

2003-05-31T02:30:00.000-07:00
hay... im back!!! na-miss ko ang gapo! i've never missed home this much. a lot have change, to think i've only been gone for a week! anyways, i think i'm not gonna enjoy my stay here. di ko man lang nakikita mga tropapeeps ko. dami pa dapat gawin para sa school sa monday. dami pang problema. hay.. ang buhay nga naman..

nakita ko nga pala sila pia, yvette, nicole, salve, julie, chris veronica and merobhe kanina.. ganon pa rin sila kasaya gaya ng dati.. it was nice seeing them again..

2003-05-28T06:21:00.000-07:00
finally, i am able to get online. well, believe it or not, i'm actually doing my assignment right now. yes! you heard it right folks! i am doing my assignments! i have officially graduated from the regional science high school! i do homeworks now and you have la salle to thank for it! hehe.. ok, overly dramatic. enough about boring assignments. i dont want to talk about college either, masyadong hectic. some other time na lang. lets just get to the more serious and important stuff.

these past few days had been.. well, to put it lightly, depressing. the weather's bad, it's boring like hell here, i'm most of the time alone, i my friends, i miss home, and worst of all i'm losing a friend. he's not dying or anything ha! he just decided na kelangan na nyang umalis sa tropa. [the reason should be left unsaid.. actually i don't know it myself, the whole deal at least] of course i was hurt. kaya nga instead na intindihin ko na lang sya, inaway ko pa. pero i had time to calm myself down and think it over. siguro i'll just try to be supportive na lang. besides, he seemed very apologetic when he said those words. so i guess i'll text him later and apologize myself. [di ko din matiis si gago..] later.. kapag bumaba na pride ko..

k, later!

2003-05-22T02:53:00.000-07:00

your fuck.

What swear word are you?
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2003-05-11T03:42:00.000-07:00

Your ideal mate is Bobby Drake. With his innocent
sweetness and his boyish good looks, how can
any girl go wrong? He's the type of guy to
supply you with all the TLC that you can
handle, and he'll always be there for you when
you need moral support, or just a shoulder to
cry on. Though he is still young, he lacks the
experiences of life, and can be naive.

Who Is Your Ideal X-Men 2 Mate? (ladies only)
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yey!

2003-05-11T03:12:00.000-07:00

You're Chester Bennington, of Linkin Park. You
like your tattoos and a few piercings, and you
rock out the mini-hawk like no other. You look
hot in glasses, and your voice is like cream.
You're even good solo. Way to go, hottie.

What lead singer are you?
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2003-05-10T01:34:00.000-07:00
we're all getting together for my going away party at cnb today. should be fun. only it's not really a going away "party", it's more like a going-away "get-together" (if there is such a thing). then later tonight we're going to see a concert featuring barbie's cradle, moonstar88 and lots more. they're all big name bands so it should be a lot of fun. best of all, its free! can't miss that! that reminds me.. i gotta get ready for tonight.
later!

2003-05-09T23:20:00.000-07:00
testing muna..