It’s getting to be a nice meme among our blogs. First, I receive a note from Felize Mendoza who informed me about this little project of theirs – a group of Pisay kids with a project called “Pisay Meets World.” A very nice project and I’d like to congratulate “Sir” Martin for that.
I know that many of us in the blogosphere bear high hopes for these young men and women for our future. I’d just like to pimp kikyou_oneesama‘s take on the matter. She’s a PSHS alumna herself. You can view her post here. It’s more or less a personal take on her experiences and observations as a student and as an educator.
I do know (or am acquainted to) a few Pisay alumni. Some of them are outstanding beings, like kikyou_oneesama. Some are, sad to say, pseudo-intellectual brats who have wasted precious taxpayers’ money (those who fall under the “Mayabang. Maangas. Iresponsable. Nagmamarunong“).
Reality has shown us thatiskolar ng bayan has now become nothing but a title. Will our future grads become just bearers of the title or live up to that name? I think this country has had enough of Pisay grads and UP grads who have mooched and leeched the country’s resources (which either escaped misappropriation and corruption or were denied to our starving countrymen) and eventually forgot social responsibility. Those who choose to prostitute great minds to multinationals and foreign corporations for that fatter paycheck. Those who create no effort at all to give something back to the people who sponsored their education.
I don’t want to disillusion but reality will sooner or later. Watcha gonna do? I won’t be one to smother the hopes and dreams and grand ideas of the young kids involved with the Pisay Meets World project. I do admire and envy their idealism. But lets consider this a challenge to them. It’s a commitment waiting to be either broken or kept.
Haha! Salamat sa pimpage. ^_~
Naalala ko tuloy yung taong gumawa ng gulo sa anime community. *shudders*
“…I think this country has had enough of Pisay grads and UP grads who have mooched and leeched the country’s resources (which either escaped misappropriation and corruption or were denied to our starving countrymen) who forget social responsibility. Those who choose to prostitute great minds to multinationals and foreign corporations for that fatter paycheck. Those who create no effort at all to give something back to the people who sponsored their education….”
here’s the thing. the ‘Iskolars ng Bayan’ have NOT abandoned the country. we pay the right taxes. we vote wisely. a lot of UP College of Medicine graduates work under the Doctors to the Barrios programs, giving vital medical care to the far-flung provinces. a lot of UP College of Nursing graduates work in PGH and other government hospitals instead of migrating to the US. i know this for a fact for i know these people – i see them there. is that not being socially responsible?
what more would you ask, all of us work for the government? it’s nice to be idealistic and all to the idea but the thing is, it’s hard to do so when you have to be realistic – there are families to feed, to clothe, to put thru school. that’s the sad reality of life. and with the measly pay government employees get, how much tax can you gather from it?
what do you want us to give back to the people?
– fork over money, and make more mendicants? we pay the right taxes, which by the way increase whenever we get that oh-so-fatter paycheck from the much-vilified multinational companies, in the hope that the taxes we pay find its way to the really needy. is that not giving back to the country? we find better jobs then pay higher taxes. those of us who migrate get better-paying jobs, give back hard-earned foreign currency to their families, which in turn gives them more buying power and helps money flow better. i can’t think of any other way of doing your part without creating more mendicants.
– services? do we not serve the people whenever we engage and initiate in socially-relevant activities, like blood drives, outreach programs and all that? do we not serve the people when we innovate thru technology so that certain vital services can cover more people (read: telemedicine)?
do not dare to speak badly of the ‘Iskolar of Bayan’ who chose the fatter paycheck. and i have to ask – what have YOU given back to the country, other than the ones i’ve mentioned? your profile says you’re a graduate of UP Diliman.
@head->next Why so touchy? I’m not speaking badly of everyone who chose a fatter paycheck. I’ve got lots of friends who are working for the fatter paychecks. I don’t blame them. Got families to support. Enhancing themselves.
And I have one particular friend to whom I’m indebted since he helped us with my mom’s hospitalization. And it’s all because he’s got money to spare because of a very fat paycheck.
If you’ve given something back then I believe, there’s no reason to be touchy with the subject. You don’t belong to the group I’m criticizing. In fact if you’re one of those who help, I applaud your initiatives. But I’ve seen a fair share of Pisay and UP grads who had taken the opportunity to be Iskolars ng Bayan for granted.
Bilib ako sa mga UP grads na nandito pa din at tumutulong. Very noble. I know it’s a real pain to see your paycheck with tax deductions and some politician whizzes you by in his Land Cruiser with police escorts. And deep inside you know who contributes to the society.
Hey I prostituted my mind a few times. I chose a fatter paycheck once but I always seemed to had that nagging feeling of guilt. So that’s why I said “Screw this job.” I upped and left. I’m now slated to teach with UP this coming sem. My way of giving something back to the community. 😀
It’s a great thing what young educators like Sir Martin did with his classes. I plan to emulate his example given the chance.
Why would those “greedy” persons want to go to Pisay anyway? Don’t they see the HARSHNESS of even surviving second year? Yeah, they could get some money, whilst not giving a dime (okay, a few hundreds, but that’s it), but it’s only what? Two thousand pesos a month, at most? It’s just incentive, not a fat paycheck!
If they think once they get to Pisay — or any other Science high school for that matter — they can brag about it and say “Look at me! I’m smart AND rich!” then they’re wrong. They’re just wasting their time with just a few thousand pesos for four years, then nothing for the future.
But, my (and maybe even your) argument poses a problem: I’m a second year in Pisay, and I, along with some classmates, made a project in Sir Martin’s Pisay Meets World; I can be considered a scholar who is having a harsh time “making a difference.” But I didn’t take the Scholarship for granted. I want to make a difference, but it’s hard. Am I considered one of those “false scholars”? Should I back down to the calling of Pisay, so that others worthy can take it?
Let’s qualify that. Don’t you know that a Pisay education gives one much leverage not only for college but also for careers. A Pisay diploma gives one a definite advantage in those terms. If one’s greedy then perhaps that greed can also extend to things that could help self-gain.
It’s not one’s fault to be born rich and be gifted with brains to match. In fact that even offers one to focus on studying and doing research in the efforts to contribute something to the society. It’s just a matter of maximizing the opportunities, to make sure that the money the State spends on you.
Great ideals, Jom. Hold on to them! 😀
BTW, perhaps half of our population may not even have the chance to get that “few hundred” in a month.
@alex: why so touchy? because you sound like a hypocrite. a know-it-all holier-than-thou hypocrite who happened to make a sweeping generality on (recent) Pisay and UP graduates
“…Reality has shown us that being an iskolar ng bayan has now become nothing but a title [sic] I think this country has had enough of Pisay grads and UP grads who have mooched and leeched the country’s resources [sic] who forget social responsibility. Those who choose to prostitute great minds to multinationals and foreign corporations for that fatter paycheck. Those who create no effort at all to give something back to the people who sponsored their education…”
^ if that ain’t a shotgun statement, i don’t know what it is.
and i have to clarify – our parents pay the right taxes. we passed UPCAT. we graduated. maybe delayed, but we graduated. i wonder how one who passed UPCAT and has parents who pay the right taxes be considered as someone who leeched the country’s resources. we qualified right? you can say we UP students were just getting our fair share of the government budget. call that statement elitist if you want.
kudos if you’re going to teach in UP.
hey, i know this is your blog – make all the snarky statements you want. just be prepared to be snarked back.
@head->next. “because you sound like a hypocrite. a know-it-all holier-than-thou hypocrite who happened to make a sweeping generality on (recent) Pisay and UP graduates” -> I don’t just sound like a hypocrite. My ideologies often conflict. Something like I love Gramsci and Jameson but am a slave to the capitalist machinery. Tsk. I think whoever claims not to be a hypocrite is definitely a hypocrite. See the irony? It stings. So most people just shut up, but I don’t. Hehe. So snarky (what’s the etymology of this slang?) comments are most welcome!
I’m just curious why you are touchy. Check the other (rather sorely misplaced though, I rarely edit this blog) qualifier – socially irresponsible. If you aren’t then good for you. If you think you’re rightfully a UP student/graduate then so be it. Ferdie Marcos was a UP alum, and look at his social responsibility. You, I and the nearly 90 million Filipinos are still paying for it. (Hey! That’s it! We’re all socially responsible! Wee.)
So let’s see if I got you right, You’re just cashing in on the thousands, (if you’re rich, millions) of taxes your parents have paid for the last X number of years. You’re smart and passed the UPCAT so you’ve rightfully studied in UP. Fair enough.
“Iskolar ng Bayan” – with the tuition fee increase? I don’t know if the “iskolar part” will still be apt. So it would seem that the new UP students will be more rightfully in UP because of the higher tuition fee. This scares me, because that somehow “empowers” the students to take studying for granted (IMHO, more kids are growing up to be brats nowadays).
And on generalizations . Bloggers make them, especially with these kinds of soapbox-y posts.
Let’s all just try our best to be responsible then.
Hey, Alex. Nice thread. I can see you’re holding the fort. 🙂 Have fun teaching in UP! If you want to compare notes in the future, you know where to contact me. 🙂
Hehe. That’s the way it is with this blog. My brash and hard-hitting (sometimes tasteless) commentary gets me into trouble. Hehehe. 😀 Ui, thanks. <a href="http://kikyou-oneesama.livejournal.com"Tina and I find you methods really inspiring. Keep up the great work, Sir!:D
Alex you do sound like a know-it-all hypocrite. you actually sound like what you described “Mayabang. Maangas. Iresponsable. Nagmamarunong“ . I don’t know you, nor do i know anyone here. Just want to wan you that as you criticize others and defend your criticisms you are actually ending up like one of them.
Hi Gina,
Well that’s the thing. I’ve always had that position. I have no problems sounding like a hypocrite since that’s the nature of commentaries and criticism. It’s pretty much like a “He who has no sin, cast the first stone.” A lot of people love to hurl stones.