How Intelligent and Mature are the Newly Registered Filipino Youth Voters on May 2010 Election?

Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura? Nagpasko ka na ba sa gitna ng kalsada? These are the questions posed by a presidential candidate of the upcoming May 2010 elections. Although almost incredible, he actually would want us to believe that he indeed swam in a sea of garbage or spent Christmas in the street. Thus, in his youth, he belongs to the poorest of the poor.

Many candidates, past and present, used poverty, in one way or another, just to win the hearts of the masses. They call themselves tunay na mahirap. Even if fake, they repeated it in mass media over and over again, to the point of convincing not only the masses but also themselves, that they were indeed poor and thus deserves to be voted by the impoverished majority.

In a country plunged into abysmal poverty because of government mismanagement by its past leaders, identification with the poorest of the poor remained to be an all-time favorite mode of courting the votes of the majority. It did well for former President Joseph Estrada. Under the Erap Para sa Mahihirap slogan, he was propelled to presidency, which later on proved to be too much for him to handle. And now he’s back hoping to reclaim the power for the poor who is now singing a different tune.

The youth, rich and poor alike, asks: What is it about being poor and being impoverished that makes the candidates think they can actually use this fact to manipulate us? What is it about power that makes them hungry for it, or scramble for it? What is it about the presidency that attracts hundreds of aspirants including those who were deemed nuisance?

The youth of this generation is idealistic. Learned in the history of this country, they had seen it all. Empowered, they know what they wanted and thus make learned and careful choices. Matured, they had a vision of a good society and are working to attain it.

I am the youth. And I am aware that my people have come to a point of despair. I know the face of hopelessness, of hunger and of depravity because I am one its victims. Like the other members of the youth who are learned in the history and current events of this country, I had seen it all. I know the value of the single vote placed in my hands by the very essence of this democracy.

Being one of the newly registered voters, it is my first time to exercise my right to vote. I am still deciding to whom will I trust my precious vote. Right now I am still passive but vigilantly observing those who are seeking elections for government positions.

Politicians promised prosperity. From President Emilio Aguinaldo to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, all promised comfortable lives for the citizens of the Philippines. And so did the countless and faceless minor politicians below them. But where is prosperity? From administration to administration, we saw the failure to create conditions that will allow the Filipinos to improve their lives economically. Only the politicians and their children and few lucky citizens became affluent. And worst, they paraded their comforts and advantages before the eyes of the impoverished many. And where does this place us? The Philippines now ranked as the most corrupt government on earth. Thanks to all the unthinking Filipinos for electing “selfless” and “honest” leaders in the administration.

The youth know that our country is in permanent crisis: that the government treasury is empty; that unemployment has trebled; that prices of essential commodities and services remained unstable; that the availability of rice remained uncertain; that we have ceased to value order as a social virtue; that laws are successfully circumvented; that more and more Filipinos are getting hungry and jobless everyday and that more and more Filipinos die without seeing a doctor.

We know these because we are intelligent. We are mature and we know the consequences of our actions. We know that “one does not need to have cancer to analyze its symptoms.” We are trained. Young as we are, we are organized into Sangguniang Kabataan, which has a national federation. We even participated in making laws for our local governments. Newly-registered, notwithstanding, we know who to vote for and who not to vote for.

We know that we need informed leaders who have a clear vision of what this country should be. A leader who possess keen economic and managerial skills; a leader who looks ahead; a leader who keeps himself informed because he will strategize solutions as circumstances unveil; a leader who cares for the environment; and a leader who is God-fearing, law-abiding and genuine in his dreams of helping his countrymen rich and poor alike.

We, the youth, must help uphold the dignity of our country. We must evaluate each and every candidate for us to determine who really deserves to lead our country towards economic progress and stability.

It has been said that each generation writes it own history. Our forebears have written theirs. Young people, we must write ours!

Equality and Quality of Tertiary Education: A Gift to the Mabalaqueños

Filipinos have deep regard for education and most Filipino parents dream of seeing their children finishing college. The joy of the parents seeing their children getting a College diploma is simply indescribable for besides the prestige, the diploma is viewed as a tool of emancipation from abject poverty.  A diploma on one’s hand goes along with a hope of a better future. As such, many families give their all just to send their children to reputable colleges and universities. Filipinos, indeed, have internalized the ideal of a democratic society where the attainment of good education is a key towards individual and family success.

However, as a rule, families with incomes below poverty line could hardly afford to educate their children beyond the primary education. Middle-class parents have to make tremendous sacrifices in order to provide for their children’s secondary education. And as the academic ladder moves up, the chances of poor families gaining quality higher education degrees become remote.

Some students earned collegiate degrees via scholarships and grants. Others have to work hard to support themselves through. But the sad fact of life remains, that though some students, through remarkable intelligence, finished College via scholarships, not everybody can be accommodated in public or private bursaries. While many students, by sheer diligence and hard work, made it through College as working students, not all can be as lucky. Thus, Tertiary Education is very elusive to many Filipino families.

In the Municipality of Mabalacat, a significant number of families failed to send their children to college because of the high costs of commercialized education. Thus, the Municipality, through the efforts and wisdom of Mayor Marino P. Morales and the Sangguniang Bayan (now presided by Vice Mayor Noel Castro), established Mabalacat College, to give the low and average-income families access to affordable, accessible and high standard collegiate education.

The facade of Mabalacat College. 

Mabalacat College is a gift. It is a gift of hope for families who believed that education can emancipate them from the bondage of poverty. It is a gift of second chance for students who already gave up their dreams of finishing college because of its prohibitive cost. The total matriculation fees in the College do not exceed PhP. 5,000.00 per semester while the cost of quality higher education today ranges from PhP 30,000.00 to PhP 50,000.00 per semester.   

The mushrooming of the local colleges around the country translates to the expansion of access to education among our poor countrymen. But this does not always mean access to quality education. Many local colleges were branded as “diploma mills” because of their very low standards and low performance ratings in government examinations. The prevailing societal outlook is that local colleges deliver poor education. Thus, quality is a major concern.

Mabalacat College addressed the issue of quality ever since its inception. Then as it is now, it aims to become the leading institution in the region in all fields of discipline it offers. As such, it hires only the best and the brightest members of the faculty and staff. Monitoring system of faculty, staff and student performances are in place to assure that quality standards are met. Educational researches are conducted and innovative modes of instructions implemented in order to maximize students learning. Industry-linkages are established to make the instruction responsive to industry needs. The Mabalaqueños are then assured of a quality and desirable brand of education.

Mabalacat College will continue to live up with its mission of providing experiential, innovative and values-enriched learning to prepare the poor but deserving Mabalaqueños in the world of work. The College’s raison d’ etre is to provide every Mabalaqueño family a hope of prosperity. The College, indeed, is an equalizer, not only of educational opportunities, but also of economic, social and political fortunes.

Impressions of Seoul

Great Cities do not become great by accident. Great Cities are great because they are determined to be so. Seoul braved the high seas, lost sight of the shore, drifted to uncertainties, stormed by criticisms, yet remained steadfast, persistent and successful. Now she earned her rightful place – a World City. Seoul is now a world center for Global Advertising, Banking and Accountancy Service. Soon, she’ll be more. She has a direct and tangible effect on international affairs especially in politics, economy, technology, arts, architecture and even fashion. Seoul is a prime city admired even by her sister world cities for her competent leaders, advanced civilization and ambitious projects.

The first time I visited Seoul was in December of 1999. The city appeared to me as a very aggressive city. She successfully made a name in the world economy through the export of cars, petrochemicals and electronic products. Her fast-paced progress left all other Asian cities open-mouthed with envy. Seoul became the instigator of the Asian Economic Miracle, where other tiger economies followed suit in a phenomenon described as the “Miracle of the Hangang.”

But unlike other Asian capitals, Seoul’s fortitude is not temporal. Her resilience was highlighted when Asia became a victim of the 1997 Financial Crisis. Seoul showed the world how good domestic management, patriotism and discipline helped her survived the said crisis almost unscathed. Until now, other capital cities were not able to recover.

With a good crisis management strategy and a performing economy, Seoul became a model for hopeful cities around the globe. She taught them lessons they should have learned a long time ago: to dream big, to work hard and be disciplined to attain this dream, to be creative when resources get scarce, and when this dream becomes a reality, to be responsible for its incidents.

Seoul has this penchant for dreaming of the impossible. But judging from what she already achieved, nothing seemed impossible for her. Seoul’s government is determined to make her the center of international economic activities for the benefit her constituents. A quick perusal on some of her projects allows us to have a glimpse on Seoul’s sky-scraping ambitions, restive imagination and boundless creativity.

In general, Seoul’s projects are designed to make her citizens healthier and happier. And her government doesn’t seem to mind the costs. The $243 million - Seoul Forest Project in Ttukseom area, for instance, is a leisure park designed to promote the well being of the Seoulites. The park provides some breathing space for busy city dwellers – where they can relax with their families, enjoy its recreational facilities or simply breathe fresh air. The Seoulites themselves helped built the park by planting 48,000 trees. It is also the home of 423,000 species of flora and fauna.

The $22 billion - New Town Development Project at Gangbuk aimed at spurring development and easing the disparity of standards of living between Seoul local areas. Upon its completion in 2012, the project envisions a pleasing residential environment, with carefully planned living spaces and educational institutions while maintaining its regional characteristics, history and culture. The ultimate goal is to raise the standard of living in Gangbuk.

Seoulites’ creativity and imagination is highlighted with the establishment of the Digital Media City (DMC) - a breathtaking project of grand proportions. I raise my hat in salute of Seoul, the center of new economy in Asia! Such aspiration is beyond what other tailing Asian cities can imagine much less realize. The DMC project, launched in 2002 with a projected completion date of 2010, is a world-class complex bringing together world digital media industries specifically broadcasting, films, games, music, e-learning and the like in one setting - Sangamdong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. This project is a powerhouse of world creativity nurtured in Seoul.

Speaking before London businessmen, the then Mayor Goh Kun enticed potential participants to the DMC project with ardor and persistence. While he acknowledged the existence of similar ventures like Ireland’s Digital Park and Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor, he emphasized the uniqueness of the DMC. He stressed that DMC will be supported by vibrant Research and Development Centers which will continuously create new products and trends and thus stimulate a steady market.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s support and guaranty for this project is overwhelming. Seoul’s offer is so comprehensive that even specific needs of every investor are meticulously attended to, from business permits processing to financial assistance for priority investments. In addition, the present Mayor Oh Se-hoon vowed to expand the housing, educational and medical service facilities for foreign investors and employees living in Seoul. Last year, the city inaugurated the Yongsan Foreign School, Asia’s best international school to cater the educational needs of foreign residents doing business in Seoul and their families.

But more than any of Seoul’s state-of-the-art facilities are its technologically prepared citizens. Seoul is the home of ten million future-ready people. She has a large educated and IT-savvy workforce to back all her projects up. Seoulites are also passionately honing their English communication skills to be globally competitive.

And more importantly, Seoul taught the world a lesson: being a World City comes with a responsibility – that of being concerned for our environment. This is shown in its priority projects and expenditures. All of Seoul’s elected mayors view environmental conservation as an important feature of the city’s long-term development goals. The present Mayor Oh Se-hoon envisions ‘an environmentally friendly city where nature is in harmony with people.’ He dreamed of a city with a clean air and green environment and a citizenry of healthy long lives.

The restoration of the Cheonggyecheon River is a grand illustration of what Seoul can do and how she prioritized environmental restoration, history and cultural heritage. For centuries, this freshwater stream freely and openly flows through Seoul area and was a mute witness to the simplicity of life of the older Korean generations. In old photographs and prints, one may see women washing clothes and children bathing in its pristine waters. However, over four decades ago, this river was paved over in an aggressive stance to catch up with the fast-phasing economic development. After the being covered, infrastructures flourished around the area. Expressways, major roads, buildings and commercial establishments grew all over. The Seoul Metropolitan Government, in unparalleled efforts and enormous costs, has to rip down all these improvements to revive the river. Before its restoration, the present generation may not even know that Cheonggyecheon River continuously flows beneath a two-story expressway!

Now the river is back in its former grandeur and with it, the renaissance of Seoul’s history and culture. This restoration project, albeit very expensive, provides a breathing space for a rather congested capital. It also revives Korean interests of their own heritage. It caught world admiration, for one can read about it in almost all major newspapers in the world. To scholars and students, it is an architectural feat. Tourists and locals admired its splendor and spoke of it almost poetically - especially at night, when the lights bring out the drama of what nature and art can offer to a weary urban heart. At present, ten million people have come down the river and wade in its waters, the way Germans adored Rhine River.

In conquering big dreams, creativity, persistence and responsibility, no other Asian city comes close to Seoul. For indeed being World City is not only about economic prosperity, industrialization or being a key political and economic player in the global village, it is about how a city takes good care of her constituents, how she conserves her ecosystem and how she preserves for posterity her cultural heritage as she pursues her goals to become a political, economic and social world superpower. Go Seoul!

The Spirit of Korean Beauty

     Just where lies the spirit of Korean beauty? Is it in its early misty mornings? In its busy and spirited cities like Seoul? Or in the spiritual peace and serenity of its countryside, like that of Kyungju, where every street ends up with a pagoda?

     Is it in its history? In the charm of its people? In its homebody women? In its youth oozing with interest to gain higher education? Or among the graceful lines of its deep blue mountains?

     The spirit of Korean beauty is still a mystery. Many came to seek it, and many failed. Yun Kyung Real, an old Korean artist said that he came to Kyungju, to find it. Yun was from North Korea and his family is still there.

     To many old Korean artists, the secret of Korean beauty may rest on the lines held by its arts. The lines that draw pictures of Korea and its people. The lines of simplicity and charm which are common to all things Korean.

     "It is a question of line," so said Son Ujo, a Korean art scholar. "Korean lines (so to speak) are graceful curves," Son continued. "I can never imitate that line," added Dr. Chung Yang Mo, then, the director of the National Museum in Kyongju.

     The Korean line can be be observed in the softness of a woman in her hanbok. It is the very line we breathtakingly see among the bluish green waves of the misty mountains around the Korean Peninsula. An imitation of this line may be seen in the charming and simple roofs of the Korean temples and typical Korean houses. The glowing of the candle lights during the Feast of the Lanterns on Buddha's birthday also reflects this astonishing line. And yes, this is the very same line we'll hear in the kunyak music that speaks the Asian soul.

     This is also the line we see in an old Korean farmer's back bowed by years of toil and hard work, or that of his forehead, an indication of his wisdom. Can it be the same line formed by blood on the face of student Lee Han Yol during the June 9, 1987 anti-government rally at Seoul's Yonsei University? Or that formed by sweat on the faces of South Korean soldiers working under subhuman conditions as prisoners of war in North Korea's northern mining areas?

     Just how do this line look? Dr. Chung attempted to draw it on the air with his chopsticks. He drew a somewhat barely pregnant bulge that mimicked the shape of the Emille bell, a big 23-ton bell cast into one piece in 770 A.D. It now hangs outside the National Museum in Kyongju.

     Was the Emille bell beautiful? Yes, it was uniquely beautiful. The Japanese used to admire Korean-cast bronze temple bells especially during the Silla dynasty. But this Emille bell, had a more fascinating myth than beauty.

     It was said that the metals of this bell, after so many cast attempts, refused to mix. The emperor who commanded the casting of the bell, beginning to be impatient, gave an ultimatum. He ordered that the officer who was commissioned to mold the bell would be beheaded if the bell can not be molded after a set deadline. This worried Kongai, the daughter of the commissioned officer. Kongai, however, had heard that the metals needed the blood of a virgin in order to mix.

     On the final day, the last attempts to cast the bell seemed futile. And before the eyes of many villagers, and before her father could utter a word, the little girl Kongai threw herself into the boiling cauldron of metal, as a sacrifice so that the two metals will mix. Upon the spill of the virgin's blood, the metals mixed and the bell was molded, just in time, before her father was scheduled to be beheaded.

     It is of no wonder that each tolling of the Emille bell was interpreted by the villagers as a plaintive cry of a child calling fro her mother, Emille means "Mama."

     Physically, the Emille bell's surface was rough. I tried to explore its roughness. As I place my fingers on its surface, I closed my eyes to feel every gash on its pitted surface. They said, 'Koreans are like the Emille bell, rough and scarred on the outside, smooth and tough on the inside.' But the cold surface of the bell, which I felt under my palm made me start thinking. Are the Korean hearts cold too? Cold enough to put aside the idea of reunification of the two hostile northern and southern entities?

     No. Not this time. President Kim Dae Jung, with his brilliant "sunshine policy," planned to "warm" Seoul's relations with Pyongyang. And North Korea is trying to open her doors to the world. In fact, in July of this year, Chung Ju Yung, founder of South Korea's Hyundai Group, led a herd of cattle across the Dimilitarized Zone (DMZ). There was even a plan to begin allowing South Korean tour groups into Keumkang Mountain Region.

     So that, reunification is not a far-fetched dream. Now, Yun Kyung Real, could begin to hope that one day, he will be reunited with his family. He had never seen them since the last civil war. Surely, this dream is not only his, but is actually the dream of many. Needless to say, that these are also the aspirations of the Korean ancestors - that is to see their sons and daughters united and face the world together with the strength of character and toughness with which Koreans were always known.

     Speaking of reunification like this, it calls to mind how the Silla dynasty had defeated neighboring Kingdoms: Paekche to the West, Kogoryo to the North in 668 AD. And how it repelled invasion from the Tang dynasty to preserve Korean unity. Legends even had it that emperors sometimes turned themselves into dragons to protect the integrity of Korea. The Silla dynasty had indeed unified Korea.

     But the modern Korean society seldom reflects on these past lessons. Today, Koreans are business-minded, intense, visceral, impatient, fractious and raucous. They want to be ahead of the others. They won't settle to become the second best. They always wanted to be the best. Their stature commands - "I'm in a hurry, get out of my way!" In short, there's no room for dilly-dally, all should work hard for progress. And to the Koreans, time is gold.

     Have the Koreans started to adopt the American line? A strict, unyielding and sharp rod, which is well represented by the obelisk at Washington. Isn't it that the cruel and unbending line on the 38th parallel was placed by the Americans and the Russians? It is, therefore, a foreign line. A cruel line that separated members of families. A line that divides the nation into two hostile states. The line ironically called the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which was guarded by armies of both sides who are armed to the tooth.

     No. The Koreans haven't adopted the American line. The Korean line is a line with emotions. Remember President Park Chung Hee when he strove hard to stabilize the South Korean economy? Building the country from the grave poverty, President Park had to beg for funds to import materials and equiptment to uplift his country's battered economy. In 1960's, he hesitantly bartered his Korean nurses and miners to get a $40 million loan from Germany. And visiting his scruffy miners in Germany in 1964, he was moved to tears, that he wasn't able to finish his lines. The German president, who was standing next to President Park, passed his handkerchief to him.

     So that the line at the 38th parallel is a line without emotions, a cruel one, designed by foreigners to advance their own selfish interests. That line is a foreign line. not an inherent line in the Korean system. That is why consciously or unconsciously, Koreans wanted to scrap it off the map. And this wanting can be seen in the eyes of every Korean. They all wanted reunification.

     "You can't turn your back on your family," echoes the words of Mr. Yun, who still have his sister in the North. Incidentally, Mr. Yun lives in Kyungju, where Korea became one state hundreds of years ago.

     But like the Emille bell, the preliminary casts to mix the metal seemed to be futile. The North and the South, though brothers, remained to be in constant doubt of each other's moves. They still look at each other with suspicion.

     Does the situation needs another Kongai in order to unite and be one? The youth had sacrificed enough, haven't they? They have already fulfilled their duties throughout this history of wars and aggression. They have already done their part as the 'conscience of the nation.' It is always pleasing to know that even in Korea, the Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal's words: La juventud, bella ezperanza en la patria mia! (The youth, fair hope of my fatherland!) still hold water.

     But beyond all these, I personally believe that there are two Koreas. Not the North and the South of course. The first one is the Korea that we see in magazines, brochures, and encyclopedias - the one that is divided by that foreign line at the 38th parallel.

     The second Korea is holy - more difficult to define for it exists only in the realm of spirit. In that Korea, there is unity, harmony, simplicity and excellence. Maybe, it is in that Korea, we will find the Spirit of Korean beauty!