The Blood Of A True Filipino

As the years have passed, Filipinos have made their name on many aspects whether it is sports, music, religion, contests, arts and others. Filipinos are also known for the many good values that they show like humility and hospitality. These positive things that a Filipino is described to makes me proud to be one.

I see myself as a Filipino who is studying hard in order to serve his country well in the future. At home, I see myself as a Filipino when I say “po” and “opo” to my parents and relatives. At school, I see myself as a Filipino when I help my needy classmates and friends. On the streets, I see myself as a Filipino when I obey the laws of the road and when I give alms to beggars. In the church, I see myself as a Filipino when I join in celebrating all the traditions and practices. All my experiences help me build my character. Because of this, I believe that nobody can do these practices, values, and traditions better than a true-blooded Filipino.

In general, I see all Filipinos as people with full of love and concern for the country. Filipinos show love to everyone simply by keeping a big smile no matter what happens during the day. They never let problems overshadow the joy and laughter the day gives them. Whether they are rich or poor, sick or normal, the love remains unconditional.

With regards to the problems that the country is facing right now, I truly believe that there is still hope waiting to gush forth regardless of the persistent problems that are plaguing the country. I believe that the next generation of leaders would surely raise up the honor and glory of our country. Also, poverty would be lessened and corruption would be stopped.

I feel proud to be a Filipino. What makes me proud to be one is that I am able to have the time of my life and enjoy every minute God gives me. During my 17 years of existence, I had many happy moments both personally and socially. On the other hand, I had many sad moments too. Nonetheless, I still feel proud to be one because these problems helped me become the person that I am right now.

As a Lasallian achiever for God and country, I can contribute to nation building by being an example to the society in terms of believing in God, following the law and being the best that I can be in my future profession. Also, I must always remember to be humble and content with what I have because these are precious blessing from God.

One way to inspire and touch the lives of Filipinos is by doing extraordinary duties and avoiding sin. In high school, when I was studying in Don Bosco, I learned many quotes of St. John Bosco. Two of which are the most famous ones. The first one is that we must do our ordinary duties extraordinarily well and the other is that we can run, jump, shout and play but not sin. Following his teachings can help inspire and touch lives of Filipinos and to have a better future.

Endorsing Bad Grammar

Don’t you find some advertisements very irritating? Anywhere we go, we see advertisements. If we go outside our house, we see them on billboards, projection screens, public transportation vehicles, and even on walls. If we are inside our homes, we are drained with tons of advertisements on the internet and on television. But the question is, what makes an advertisement so irritating? Is it the product? Is it the model? Is it the motto? In my opinion, the most irritating part of an advertisement are the grammatical errors; both English and Tagalog.

Let’s think of it this way: It takes several months for an advertisement to be launched. How come advertisers weren’t able to revise the grammatical errors? Based from what has been stated, we can arrive with two reasons: either it is intentional or unintentional.

If these grammatical errors were intentionally expressed, the advertisers probably wanted it to sound more hilarious. Take for example the Old Spice Commercial shown by the link above. In the commercial, the narrator said, “For hair and/or body, or both.” It is wrong because it is very redundant. For a company like Old Spice, they wouldn’t let this ruin their reputation. Which is why in my opinion, they intentionally did it to give humor to the audience.

On the other hand, if it was shown unintentionally, then nobody from the advertising agency realized that it was an error. As an example, let’s look at this ad made by The History Channel. The ad says, “The pilgrims are worth a lot more then a turkey dinner.” They used then instead of than. If it was just a typographical error, then they should hire a proofreader to check.

These are just 2 of the many advertisements in the world that have bad grammar. Realizing the fact that they still make mistakes in their own native language could be very annoying on our part as Filipinos. But ironically speaking, even we have this kind of problem.

Behind these “advertizing failures” that we are seeing, we observe the grammar deficiency of Filipinos nowadays. Filipinos find it difficult to express themselves in pure English and in pure Tagalog. The unfortunate thing about it is that the youth, who are over-exposed to these type of media, would become worse.

Here in the Philippines, we see more than a handful of cases that observe wrong grammar each day. Sometimes, it is better to use Tagalog instead of wrong English. According to the picture on the right, it says, “Beware of fallen objects.” The statement is wrong because they used “fallen” instead of “falling.”

Sometimes, the grammar isn’t the problem. In this case, most of the words in the ad are misspelled. Probably, the reason why these words are spelled like that is because they pronounce it that way. If a person sees this and realizes the error, that person would feel irritated and yet sad about it.

There are many ways in which we could help. As citizens of our country, we can help by correcting these simple mistakes. It is important for us to know these mistakes because we would all end up doing the same mistakes when we grow up if we don’t observe. In terms of the government, these events would serve as their guide to know what our country’s stance when it comes to education.

As a conclusion, as irritating as it may sound or see, we must all remember that this gives a bad image both to the people and to the country. Together with the government, we can help change the world by simply fixing these minor problems.

Ending Wang-Wang Is Change

The culture of “Wang-wang” symbolized the corruption that the Filipinos had been living for years; No corrupt leaders leads to great results for the people and for the country.

Last July 25, 2011, Pres. Benigno Aquino III made his State of the Nations Address about the great improvements that had happened for the country and about his new plans for the upcoming year.

At the start of his speech, he clearly affirmed that the stopping of the abuse in the use of “Wang-Wang” is a symbol of the Philippines’ fight against unrighteous way of leading. Living in a country wherein corruption is evident is a country that will not progress. Because of this, he demonstrated the major improvements that had happened in the country during his first year in office.

One of the biggest improvements that have happened was the number of companies that participated in the exploration and strengthening of oil and gas resources. The president proudly showed the increase of interested companies this year compared to last 2006. From 35 companies, it bursted out to 140 companies. In addition, he endorsed that a new contract was signed for a power plant to be constructed which would give us a more cheaper and reliable source of energy. As a result, the availability and reliability for people to have quality energy is very much more possible. Based from what I have observed, there were less chances of brownouts during storms this year compared to the previous years. Furthermore, It is noticeable that there are some places before that do not have electricity. But today, they enjoy and maximize its incredible use.

Another improvement that was identified by his administration is their move in terms of Agricultural matters. This year, they certainly did a good job decreasing the over-importing of rice from an estimate of 1.3 million to 660,000 metric tons. Moreover, they definitely irrigated an additional 11,611 hectares of fields which lead to the 15.6 percent increase of the country’s rice production. On this occasion, we have observed that foundations and groups were able to help people in need of food donations, such as rice. In fact, their vision of ending over-importation and of planting, harvesting, and purchasing rice here in the Philippines is eventually near. He believed that the secret to attaining this is through good governance.

In relation to good governance, he addressed the life situation of an ordinary PO1 policeman living in Metro Manila years ago. According to the president, they only receive an average salary of 13,000 pesos. Considering all of the expenses and bills that they need to prioritize, it pretty much matches their salary. In order to fix this problem, Pres. Aquino made the possibility of awarding 4,000 policemen “Certificates of Entitlement to Lot Allocation”. These fortunate policemen were given a housing promise in February by the administration. Based from what I have observed, I believe that it is important that the protectors of our country should have these benefits for their loyalty not only to the country, but also to the people. Considering all the sacrifices they make, it is clear to say that being a policeman is a very serious job indeed.

In brief, we can say that during the first year of President Aquino’s term, the Philippines is evidently improving in all aspects of fulfillment to the pledge of the administration to the nation. He definitely emphasized that good governance is the secret to a brighter future in which he claims that this is what they will continue to change in our government. His philosophy and style in leading and serving the country meets the needs of our country. Little by little, he tries his best to fix every problem the country faces. If this would continue all-throughout his term, the life here in the Philippines would be well.

References:

Aquino III, B. (July 25, 2011). Pnoy’s State Of The Nations Address 2011 (English). In GMA News Online. Retrieved July 30, 2011.              From http://www.gmanews.tv/story/227350/pnoys-state-of-the-nation-address-2011-english.

Galvez, J. (July 25, 2011). State Of The Nations Address 2011 [Photograph]. Retrieved July 30, 2011.  From    http://www.gmanews.tv/webpics/nation/pnoy_sona2011.jpg.

A Trip into the Life of Marc Francis Say

Marc Francis Quidato Say

Marc Francis Quidato Say was born inManilaon February 26, 1994. He was raised by his parents namely Francisca Q. Say and Marcreo C. Say. Together with him are his 3 siblings; he being the eldest. Two of them are boys and the other one is a girl. Residing in a simple house inSan JuanCity, Metro Manila, their family lived a simple lifestyle. They buy only the things that they need but seldom get what they want.

 

He spent his pre-nursery years in Morning Glory school then transferred toJubileeChristianAcademyfor his primary and secondary education. During high school, he acquires plenty of good experiences. Some of them include learning to play the guitar when he was in 2nd year and then playing in the high school band during their Graduation Ball. He went out and watched movies with close friends and even had a close relationship with a classmate. He learned to deal with the problems of high school life both curricular and personal. These are just some of the experiences that molded Marc into the good person that he is.

 

Like everyone else, he has likes and dislikes. Marc likes people who are of good influence to others. He prefers people who manifest Christ-like attitudes and people who are cheerful. He would go with people who are understanding and easy to approach. However, Marc dislikes people who are irresponsible, lazy, impatient, arrogant and judgmental.

 

Marc is a well-rounded person. Aside from his studies he also has hobbies to fill-in his free time. His hobbies include playing badminton and the guitar, watching television, surfing the internet, and learning martial arts. During his spare time he loves reading Manga Comics, listening to music and chatting with his friends.

 

Today, being a college student studying in De La Salle University, he continues to try his best to accomplish his goals. As a BS ECE student, his goal is to be able to graduate and finish the course without delays and failing marks. Also, in terms of social status, his goal is to find real friends who will help him and remain his friends forever. He wants friends who will not influence him in a negative way but rather one who will help him in his over-all improvement. After graduating from college, his goal is to find a good job and be able to balance his time between work and family. Even when he reaches the peak of his career, Marc wants to raise his family much like the way his parents raised them. He believes that through living a simple life one has more time to be of service to God and to others.

The Quest to Save Humanity

Joseph Thomas Noriega Photography

“Humanity can be termed as a topic which describes the abilities, lifestyles and characterstics of human beings in whole.” (The Human, 2006). This so called “human beings in whole” is contradicting to our status today. Nowadays, people are grouped from the people living in wealth to the people living in poverty. In order for us to save humanity, we must prioritize these less fortunate people living in poverty. We must help change their lives by finding ways to help them survive.

All of us, whether wealthy or poor, have the same necessities. As humans, we need food, shelter, security, health, water, and air. But unfortunately, these necessities of ours are rapidly and increasingly under threat. (Bartolini, 2010)

As for the people living in poverty, they seldom get these necessities. Poor people strive hard to get food and water. They don’t have a permanent home to live-in during unstable weather conditions and to protect themselves. They are exposed to all the pollutions in the environment which will result to acquiring all kinds of diseases.

There are many causes why Humanity is in Trial. According to Anup Shah: “Almost half of the world live on less than $2.50 a day or approximately 105 pesos. 1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).” Overpopulation is also one of the causes.

To tell you the truth,  I feel lucky at the same time sad about what is happening to humanity today. I feel lucky because I believe that all of the necessities that a person needs are well-addressed by my parents. On the other hand, I feel sad because of the fact that many people are having a hard time having these things.

How can we save Humanity? All of us in our own simple ways can help in the quest for saving humanity. In terms of the environment, we must simply contribute in keeping it clean. Always remember: a clean environment means less risk of becoming sick. At home, I make sure that there no wastes or garbage are in our front yard. In this way, we are assured that there are less chances of us getting sick. Save the Earth, Save Humanity. In terms of helping the poor, we must give them money to help them buy food or if possible, give them food instead. I do these things every time I commute my way to school. I feel pitiful for them most especially the younger children for they have no chance of having a good life.

Also, in order for humanity to be saved, we must have excellent leaders who will do something about this arising problem of our world. Leaders who will prioritize these less fortunate people in having a good life. I suggest that they must recruit more volunteers that will help the poor in abandoned areas. They need help in terms of health needs, accommodation and food.

If these needs would be greatly herd and be acted upon, Humanity will be saved!

Source:

Bartolini, F. (2010). Saving Humanity. In Slideshare: Present Yourself. Retrieved July 16, 2011, from http://www.slideshare.net/heatmoth/saving-humanity.

Noriega, J. (Photographer). (2011). Humanity on Trial
[Photography]. Philippines: Joseph Thomas Noriega Photography.

From Save Humanity’s Blogspot. (August 5, 2006). Check Out Humanity Alive. In Save Humanity’s Blogspot. Retrieved July 16, 2011, from http://savehumanity.wordpress.com/.

Shah, A. (2011). Causes Of Poverty. In Global Issues: Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All. Retrieved July 16, 2011, from http://www.globalissues.org/issue/2/causes-of-poverty.

From Understand Humanity Blogspot: The Human. (June 29, 2006). What Is Humanity?. In Understand Humanity Blogspot. Retrieved July 16, 2011, from http://understand-humanity.blogspot.com/2006/06/what-is-humanity.html.

Fight Environmental Issues!

There are many issues in terms of the environment that our world is facing right now. Biodiversity, Global Warming and Climate change to name a few. As living citizens, we must do our best to contribute and give remedy to this extemely dangerous issue. There are many ways in which we can help.  First, in our home, we must conserve energy and reduce toxicity. Using appliances only when needed would greatly conserve energy. Second is through recycling. Recycling helps our environment become more cleaner and safer. As we exercise our creative minds, we could create and innovate a certain object that we recycle. Lastly, we can help by going green. We all know that during heavy rains, we see flood everywhere. Through planting trees and plants, we remedy flooding and help the environment.

Reference:

Ecoble. (March 12, 2008). 10 Creative Ways To Recycle Ordinary Objects. In Ecoble, Stuff for the Green Consumer, Reader and Thinker. Retrieved July 9,  2011.  From http://ecoble.com/2008/03/12/10-unusually-creative-ways-to-recycle-ordinary-objects/.

Seol. (n.d.) 100 Ways to Save The Environment. In Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life. Retrieved July 9, 2011. From http://www.seql.org/100ways.cfm.

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