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For the past 20 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
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THERE IS one issue concerning the English-or-Filipino language debate that needs to be raised and clarified. And it is this: Should proficiency in English be a gauge of one’s intelligence?
In the Philippines, the widely-held belief is that to be smart and intelligent, one has be a proficient English speaker. As a people, we are so hung up in perfect English that we tend to laugh at or ridicule people who cannot speak the King’s English. We deride the “broken English” spoken by many of our kababayans as “Carabao English”.
It is not surprising therefore that when Filipino children failed in the recent math and science tests given by the Department of Education, one congressman from Cebu blamed it on their poor grasp of English.
“To begin with, math and science manuals and most other books for that matter are in English, so learning becomes extremely difficult if the student has deficient English,” said Deputy Majority Leader Eduardo Gullas.
What the lawmaker failed to say, however, is the fact that math and science proficiency is not dependent on one’s grasp of the English language.
The Third International math and science Survey (TIMMS), a prestigious group of researchers and academicians coming from all parts of the world, revealed that the United States, obviously an English speaking country, miserably placed 17th in science and 28th in mathematics.
Singapore, South Korea, Czech Republic, Japan, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Hungary, Austria and Belgium -- countries whose people are not English speakers and who use their native tongues as medium of instruction -- are in the top rung.
Filipino students, said to be the best English speakers in Asia, were at the tail-end, TIMMS said.
Where did we ever get the notion then that only those who speak English well are considered bright?
It smacks of our colonial mentality, the long-held belief that everything associated with our colonizers (be it Spanish or Americans) is better than anything indigenous. It betrays our elitist tendencies, our desire to be identified with our former colonial masters.
There is nothing wrong in aspiring to become proficient in English. But please, let us disabuse our minds that it is the only gauge of one’s intelligence.
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Demystifying the Iron Curtain
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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – When I arrived here the other week, I was told that the “White Nights” were over. The occurrence of a wonderful nature phenomenon in this city ended July 2. It would have been an experience to see a day without night, light without darkness.
St. Petersburg is only six degrees away from the Northern polar circle. There are no nights in summer as the polar day rules; hence, the term “White Nights.” In contrast, during winter, the city is referred to as “White Days;” most of the time it is blanketed with snow. White nights, white days: I thought that could be a good tag line for an advertisement.
Since high school, I’ve been fascinated by Russia’s history, economy, culture, and sheer size. I’ve also been intrigued by its political philosophy especially its class transformation from aristocracy to a proletariat-led society. I’ve often wondered about the biases of my history and political science teachers on why it was called the Iron Curtain. I found that mystifying and aimed to visit Russia someday.
When the opportunity came up at work, it was a chance I could not resist. After all, work I thought could be combined with a side trip to some places in this country. My first choice was Moscow but following the G8 President’s Summit Meeting, which was held here in mid-July, I was convinced this was the place to go.
Now you can say what a big event – such as the touted meeting of presidents of major countries – can do to your travels. The news and the promotion that the event generated influenced my decision.
Finally, I told myself, I’d be able to visit the place I wanted to see besides the other world’s superpowers as well as Rome and Greece, the so-called cradles of civilization.
Russia, as I have previously learned in my earlier studies is now quite different from what I know about it today. However, one thing may have not changed: It is still the biggest country in the world; covering an area of more than 17 million square kilometers, of which 13 percent is developed and 51 percent is virgin territory.
According to statistics, its current population is placed at 144 million. St. Petersburg, which is in Russia’s Northwest Federal Region and the second largest city after Moscow, has a population of 4.6 million. It was founded by Peter the Great, a nobleman with the vision of leaving a legacy as a great tsar but with the heart of a simple man, who transformed the city to what it is known today.
St. Petersburg’s population pale in comparison to New York City’s 12 million. But it is this smallness that makes it beautiful and alluring. It is a city filled with rich cultural and political history told in books and in many of its museums.
There are more than 200 of these museums – from massive ones – the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, and the Ethnographic Museum – to quite small ones, each of which is nevertheless fascinating in its own way.
Due to time constraints, I only went to see the Hermitage, which is the repository of more than three million works of art; 15,000 paintings; 12,000 sculptures; 600,000 drawings; one-million coins and medals and many others. These treasures are housed in five connected buildings. Just imagine: if you stood in front of each of these pieces for one minute, it would take you nearly five years to leave the place. That’s how impressive it is!
Coming out of the Pulkovo-2 International Airport on an early afternoon, I found myself in a taxi on my way to Nevsky Prospekt, the main street which lies between the Square of Alexander Nevsky and the Palace Square. It is said that Nevsky Prospekt is not only the main street of the city but also one of the most beautiful streets in the world.
As I gazed through the window of the taxicab, at once I began to appreciate the grandiosity of the city dotted by trees and colorful flowers on wide open spaces. It looks like the whole place is a wide open park which humbles Central Park in Manhattan. You can’t experience or compare that feeling with New York City as you leave Kennedy Airport or with New Jersey’s Newark Liberty Airport.
Closer to Nevsky are old buildings whose architecture reminds me of Rome. In fact, St. Isaac’s Church resembles that of St. Peter’s Basilica. I hurriedly dropped off my luggage at the hotel and strolled along the main street.
But unlike Rome or Amsterdam when I visited them, I didn’t see a Filipino wandering in the streets of St. Petersburg like myself amazed at its vibrancy and aura.
Despite its rich history, architecture and culture, the city was ignored; it wasn’t as clean, safe and interesting as it was now, some folks at the hotel told me. Perhaps, they said, this change was due to President Vladimir Putin’s connection to the city.
According to them, the president took up his law studies in one of the universities here. With his support, they see changes and development happening. This sentiment is quite true as it is similar to other countries where allegiance of most politicians is to their own birth place or that of their parents.
In my mind, I recall Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo naming the airport in Angeles City after his father, the late President Diosdado Macapagal. Or that of the late President Ferdinand Marcos’ full support to his hometown in Ilocos Norte where a huge amount of money was poured in to develop the province during his time.
I enjoyed both the bus and boat tours which allowed me to know more of the history, purpose and the relevance of the streets and squares, buildings, rivers, channels, and bridges, which Peter the Great envisioned for St. Petersburg.
He wanted this city to look like Amsterdam, his favorite city. He wanted multiple channels to cross the territory of the city in different directions. Since he was fond of aquatic environment and ships; he didn’t approve horse transport and considered that all traffic and other logistics should be realized on the waters.
Nowadays the territory of the city is crossed by 65 rivers and channels but only the Neva-River is the main waterway. Neva-River is the youngest river in Europe. The guide said it was formed thousands of years ago as a channel between the Baltic Sea and the Ladoga. It divides the city into the northern and the southern parts.
It has more bridges than any other city in the world. There are over 300 bridges in the central part of the city and over 500 on the whole territory of the city. Every bridge, big or small, which I saw as the boat traversed the Neva-River, has its original decoration. According to the guide, it is always hard to say which one is more beautiful.
Vast expanses, scale and beauty characterize the view of St. Petersburg. It was built with plan from the first days. Nowadays, it is said that two-and-a-half thousand of houses are monuments, which are included in the list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The great number of such guarded monuments can be only seen in Venice.
But my own curiosity about Russia, in general, remained unanswered. Perhaps, these visits to some of the historical sites and cultural places, although in St. Petersburg alone, did give me enough impression about the country itself. However, I still wonder if a visit to one place that has so much history reflected in its treasures was enough to draw a conclusion about the country.
I thought that it’s a great country if St. Petersburg were considered the only measure of greatness. But when I asked Ginadi and his wife, Olga, my newfound friends if they found Russia better now than from what it was then, I may have been misled by my own impression.
Ginadi replied with a question: “What do you consider as important? Is it money, clothes, work, relationships, friends or your country?” Stunned perhaps by which I consider his impulse but certain of what I believe in, I said without hesitation: “Freedom.”
Ginadi reacted with a smile, his voice firm as if responding to his own question, he said: “My country. Now it is more difficult to live as everybody competes to survive; it is difficult to find work despite having an education; relationships are hard to sustain because of stress; and friends are difficult to find these days because everyone is busy earning money for himself. The old days are better.”
I was silent and loss at words trying to understand what he said. I thought my interest in demystifying the once referred to as the Iron Curtain Russia trapped me more. Was change or reform good enough for people who once clamored for it? What has gone wrong?
Impressions alone don’t count; demystifying the Iron Curtain remains.
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Stopping the bullet, not the press
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CHICAGO, Illinois -- What ails the Philippine journalism profession?
Why are so many Filipino journalists getting killed and yet the killers have roamed free?
These two questions will become the focus of attention when the National Press Club of the Philippines in the United States will revisit the matter in less than a year.
A community Interaction called Kapehan sa Chicago (Coffee Talk in Chicago) co-sponsored by the NPC-Phil. U.S.A. and the National Federation of Filipino American Associations Illinois chapter is going to take place between 9 a.m. and 12 noon Saturday, Sept. 23, at Cosmopolitan Church at 1112 N. 9th Street, Melrose Park, IL (Tel. 708-865-0046). This is going to be a preview of the “mini press convention” at NaFFAA’s 4th Global Convention between Sept. 28 and Oct. 1 in Honolulu, Hawaii a week later.
The Kapehan may not be able to discover the magic bullet right there and then that would put to a stop the bullet that has silenced forever several dozens of Filipino journalists during the last 20 years after Philippine martial law was disbanded.
But it will just contribute in a small way to make the matter become a subject of national, if not international, conversation piece.
Filipinos are generally fast learners, meaning they are usually up to speed in what is happening around them. If there is a new fad, they are usually not far behind.
In fact, sometimes, they are even ahead of the competition. For instance, they are the world’s biggest users of text messages, something the United States appears to be 20 years behind.
Government run like hell!
So, why can’t they adopt, if not elect, an efficient government officialdom, which can run the government like heaven, not hell! It beats me.
The Philippine government of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is creating layer upon layer of bureaucracy that will go to the bottom of the killings of newsmen. But alas, they have not yet nailed down the mastermind of the killing of the newsmen.
It might have been able to arrest one suspect in the 60-something murders. But it has never been able to ferret out information that could lead to the “big boss.”
I remember when Demy Dingcong was slain in Cagayan de Oro City in the early 80s, the alleged mastermind timed the murder when he was out of the country to escape suspicion. The provincial governor told the people, “how can I have a hand in the murder when I was in the United States?” He forgot the possibility that he could always place an overseas phone call to order the extra-judicial execution.
When my friend Tim Olivarez disappeared in Makati, police collared the alleged mastermind. But failed to catch the henchmen, mostly law enforcers, who protected his smuggling operation. These wayward law enforcers naturally should have been investigated for carrying out the murder. But because it happened under martial law, it was very hard to investigate the law enforcers because one of them was related to Marcos.
AAJA & CJA prexies
At the Kapehan, we have the confirmed attendance of Mr. Allen Rafalson, the president of the Chicago Journalists Association, and Crain’s Chicago’s business reporter Ms. Lorene Yue, president of the Asian American Journalists Association Chicago chapter.
We will also invite US Sen. Barack Obama, member of the US Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep. Henry Hyde, the chairman of the International Relations Committee, or their representatives.
As you know, US Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, opened an investigation last spring into reports that part of the US government assistance to the Philippine government is being diverted to intimidate newsmen and political activists.
We will hear from Senator Obama or his representative how far has the investigation progressed. We hope the Senate can put pressure on President Bush to demand an audit from Mrs. Arroyo on how the US assistance is being spent.
Of course, we will also try to hear from a representative of the Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc., a grassroots nonprofit organization based at the Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, which helped solve the car-bombing murder of Arizona Republic investigative reporter Don Bolles in 1976 -- the only American journalist killed on U.S. soil.
(lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)
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A RECENT New York Times report on illegal parking tickets may jog memories for those who squirmed when Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada landed on Transparency International’s list of the world’s Top 10 most corrupt leaders.
“Diplomats from countries that rank high on Transparency International corruption index pile up huge numbers of unpaid (parking) tickets,” the Times reported in its op-ed page last Aug 13. But “diplomats from countries that rank low on the index barely get any.”
On Transparency International’s 2004 list, Marcos’ $5 billion to $10 billion trailed the topnotcher, Indonesia’s Suharto. Wedged into slot No. 9 was Estrada, with $78 million to $80 million. He lagged behind Nicaragua’s Arnoldo Aleman who had $100 million.
Diplomatic immunity enables many to shred tickets, David Brooks wrote. Yet, “not a single parking violation by a Swedish diplomat was recorded” over a five-year period. “Nor were there any by diplomats from Denmark, Japan, Israel, Norway or Canada.”
In contrast, Kuwait picked up an average of 246 parking violations. “Diplomats from Egypt, Chad, Sudan, Mozambique, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Syria committed huge numbers of violations.”
“Don’t you know me?” a congressman from north Cebu once snarled at the traffic officer he slapped for flagging his car. Violence was his chosen form of immunity from a traffic ticket. His district is now snarled in Girl Scout funds ending in personal accounts, ghost foundations to Joc-Joc fertilizers.
Some jeepney drivers outdo ambassadors. The security cop for Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s wife owned a jeepney whose driver racked up 350 traffic violations. Did his job vest de-facto immunity? The mayor fired him.
Most traffic fatalities here are children between 1 and 4 years old, the Asian Development Bank reported in its study of Asean road safety. “Some aspects of Filipino culture. often go against strict law implementation, self-discipline and courtesy. These cultural factors infect many agencies and the behavior of drivers and pedestrians.”
But run a red light in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and cops will pull you over pronto. Nuts who careen through Metro Manila, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro City, etc., turn law-abiding inside Subic.
Cultural norms swirl below parking tickets. Citing “The Culture of Nations” study by Raymond Fisman and Edward Miguel, the Times writer adds: “If you’re Swedish and you have a chance to pull up in front of a fire hydrant, you still don’t.. You’re Swedish. That’s who you are.”
Ordinances here penalize peeing in public. Would a London bobby “unload” in public? “I saw a Lapu-Lapu city cop pee against a post in uniformed glory,” I groused to a brilliant forester from India. “We have them back home,” he said.
An Ateneo Human Rights Center survey of 128 law enforcers focused on those linked to murder and homicide. Trying a military office or public official is an uphill battle, the survey found.
“Delays of investigation and prosecution are directly proportional to the rank the accused holds. Victims or witnesses are often reluctant to volunteer information. The cause is interlocking fear of reprisal, financial fixing, distrust of the judicial system.” Some fret that such investigations fizzle out.
“Most respondents agreed there’s basis for the fear of reprisal. The theory of our legal system is equal justice for all. That is as far as it goes,” Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ, noted. “The powerful can always seek shelter in impunity.”
Look at how Transparency International’s local alumni fare. Monday’s rites recalling former senator Benigno Aquino’s assassination show the masterminds benefited from the “culture of impunity.” See that too in today’s extra-judicial killings.
The core of our values is the right to God-given life. “All lives are mine,” says the Book of Ezekiel. Life is not for Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan and soldiers to take, on orders of the state, activists insist. Neither is it for insurgents to snuff out lives for “failure to pay ‘revolutionary tax’ or ‘blood-debts against the people,” as Catholic bishops warn. The mayors of Davao and Cebu encourage vigilante murders to “ensure peace and order” by watering down the Fifth Commandment into a suggestion.
In his book “The Central Liberal Truth,” former foreign aid worker Lawrence Harrison argues that culture shapes behavior and differences mostly explain why some develop faster than others. Some cultures check graft; others turn a blind eye to it. Fatalism is encouraged by some and individualism by others.
Ireland, China and Latin America show cultural transformations can’t be imposed. Such transformation is led by people who accept responsibility for their own culture’s problems -- and selectively reinterpret their own traditions to trigger modernization.
Sustained investments in education, especially in improving female literacy, usually precede transformations. (Thailand spends six times per pupil than we do for our students.) Chile was highly literate in the 19th century.
By 1905, 9 out of 10 Japanese children were in school -- and went on to graduate. In contrast, 33 out of every 100 who enrolled here in Grade I at the turn of the century dropped out before reaching Grade 6. And 2006 ADB indicators show this worrying trough has deepened even further.
“These investments (in education) laid the groundwork for takeoffs that were decades away,” Harrison writes. Indeed, complex cultural change is measured in centuries, not in short election cycles.
E-mail: juan_mercado@paci-fic.net.ph
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Roof turning into a sieve
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UNLESS cover-ups cease to be a national policy and transparency becomes the norm, surprises will continue to pop up to upset the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The most recent are the two Comelec officials, who are now under the protection of the pro-impeachment camp after revealing their roles in manufacturing false returns to make Arroyo win in the 2004 presidential elections.
Then over the weekend, another unexpected expose was detonated in the House of Representatives. Rep. Allan Peter Cayetano of Taguig said one of the seven boxes of evidence the pro-impeachment lawmakers wanted to present to the lower House over the weekend included documents showing the presidential couple allegedly owned a $500 million “secret” bank account in a bank in Germany.
In the last few months, there must have been half a dozen exposes alleging corruptions linking GMA and members of her family, not to mention officials close to them. The image that comes to mind is a roof that develops a leak everytime a scandal breaks out. Just out of the several boxes of evidence the opposition hauled to Congress, not to mention other sources, the roof could virtually turn into a sieve.
Not only was the request of the pro-impeachment congressmen to present the contents of the boxes of evidence to the justice committee turned down, the lone impeachment complaint out of seven that was given due course was killed by the tyranny of numbers as expected.
The rejected impeachment case against GMA will be submitted to the plenary session of the House within a few hours. We are not waiting for the outcome. We won’t bother. We will predict. It will be killed in plenary.
But there’s something we won’t forecast. The military, after the defeat of the impeachment case in the justice committee, is again very restive. Even a few bishops feel something in the air. But what the heck. We have gotten used to this feeling we have begun to take things for granted.
Maybe the static in the air is due to the noise of the celebration coming from gatherings of the pro-GMA solons for their latest victory, counting the thick envelopes handed to them after the voting.
Wait a minute. That sounds like moaning. The relatives of the victims of the undeclared martial law, estrajudicial killings? Of the missing militants and alleged communists and journalists? Of the unrepatriated overseas Filipino workers in Lebanon? Of the hungry and sickly evacuees from Mayon?
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