Ours is an educational system that had been subjected to experiments in the quest for one that would fit our learners. The present system is a result of various influences, mostly from foreign nations that held our country for long years. Spanish colonization had greatly influenced our education that was carried by religious women and men who established schools in various parts of the archipelago.

Over three centuries of education under the Spaniards was ingrained in our culture and practices. Social norms were rooted on what foreign invaders taught our people in the early ages of our nation. The influence truly obliterated the culture, practices and social norms of our ancestors who were in occupation of our archipelago long before foreigners came to conquer our nation and people.

Changes in the educational system were introduced by American invaders who took the reign of power from Spain. The formal educational system was patterned after the American education model. It also introduced its own culture and practices that were totally different. It placed Filipinos into its mould and redirected the national thinking towards its direction, away from the Spanish influence and far from the local culture and practices of our people. There too was the influence of Japan which took over the country before its defeat in the second world war.

All the foreign educational systems miserably failed to consider the Filipino as the learner being subjected to fit into its mould. This is why our education remains a changing system subject to continuing experimentation. What is unfortunate is the fact that the unending experiments use learners as its object of study. The waste of human resources used in such experiments that go wrong has repercussions too tough to undo. The learners’ mind had been indoctrinated with knowledge that would later be found inapt or totally wrong.

In the mainstream of public discourse is the proposal to rid learners from homework. The practice had been ingrained over the years and various sectors raise opinions that are often diametrically opposed. The practice of requiring learners to take some school work home is being justified as an effective way of instilling discipline. The position in favor homework as part of the educational curriculum is being pushed in accord to such discipline argument. On the other hand, those against homework see the practice as mere good riddance for teachers to unload their tasks for students to work on.

This writer sees homework as a burden to the learner and the parents that are sought for help to do the assigned task. It creates an unjust situation for learners whose parents are not capable to extend help. On a practical point, it deprives the learner the time to enjoy on other learning experience outside the classroom as they bring school work to still work at home.
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Maynilad Water Services Inc. (MWSI), which owns the Metro Manila’s West Zone concession, has introduced a new algae control equipment in Laguna Lake. The MWSI’s 3 new units of ultrasonic algae control equipment installed units at its Putatan Water Treatment Plant (PWTF), helps monitor algal blooms and checks algal proliferation that affect the water quality in the Lake.

The 3 unit equipment costing P9 million, are designed to eliminate algal growth within a 500-meter radius and provide real-time data on the quality parameters of the raw water that could indicate presence of algae population. It, also, helps identify species of algae growing in the Lake. The latest equipment brings to 6 units already installed around the PWTF – helps address possible raw water problems in the Lake caused by algal concentrations.

The Lake’s water production from treatment plant is greatly affected by excessive water bloom causing water supply interruptions – aggravated by damaged sludge removal equipment, coupled with rise in turbidity levels of the raw water.

According to Maynilad, “The rise in turbidity levels of the raw water from Laguna Lake reduced the combined production of Putatan I and 2 to 240 million liters per day (MLD), affecting the supply to 170,000 concessioners.

MY COMMENT:
Filipino water consumers, especially in the West Zone of Metro Manila have something to appreciate and thank scientists/engineers for developing the new algae control equipment – maintain raw water quality, prevent siltation and damage to water treatment process, reduce water turbidity resulting in poor quality of water reaching households.
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“It was the fusion of great sports, nice venue, able officials, and fair officiating, it was one great season for the whole basketball players in real life and those who play best in their dreams. “

The venue was at par with International Standards. The Officials played their role to the hilt, and we saw a coming of age and achieved potential for Sports right there at our yard.
The Eastern Visayas Collegiate Athletic Association commonly and popularly known as EVCAA Season 2 was a successful event that showcased the talents and skills of the collegiate athletes from different universities and colleges in Eastern Visayas.

The season started on September 9, 2023, and ended on November 12, 2023, with the finals game between Samar State University (SSU) and Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) at the Tacloban City Astrodome. SSU emerged as the champion after defeating SLSU by 87-79 in a thrilling match.

Supported by House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, organized by the Commission on Higher Education Region 8 under the able leadership of Director Maximo Aljibe and with able reinforcement from TINGOG Party List Representatives Hon. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Rep. Jude Avorque Acidre, the event was a very successful undertaking,
Personally, it had become a weekend warrior thing and proved to be the most entertaining thing for people who do the 5-day grind and find that the weekend has something great to offer.

It was the fusion of great sports, nice venue, able officials, and fair officiating, it was one great season for the whole basketball players in real life and those who play best in their dreams.

EVCAA Season 2, proved that we can. We can be great players; we can create the best team and we can offer goodwill to all.

THAT’S how we should serve. Without conditions, without saying enough, without feeling entitled, without strings attached. With such attitude toward serving, we channel the very way Christ served us and continues to do so up to now and until the end of time.

We are reminded of this truth of our faith in that part of the gospel where Christ told his apostles: “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’?” (Lk 17,7-8)

That gospel episode concluded with Christ practically telling his apostles that whatever service they—and we—do should be considered as something always expected of us. These are his words: “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

We should strengthen our attitude of wanting to serve without expecting any reward and without putting any condition. This was what Christ himself has shown us when he went to the extent of washing the feet of his apostles, and most especially, when he offered his life on the cross to pay for all our sins. Thus, by serving that way, we become like Christ as we should.

Serving is the language of love. It is love in action and not just in intention and words. We have to take advantage of every opportunity to serve God and others. In fact, we have to look always for such opportunities and not wait for them to come to us.
If we truly love God and everybody else, with a love that is nothing less than a participation of the love God has for us and as commanded by Christ to us, then we will never say enough in our serving.

Even if such attitude would already seem to be going beyond common sense, our reason and other human and worldly standards that we usually use to measure our love, we should still go on giving ourselves by serving, never saying enough. We should just give and give, even if we seem to consume ourselves till death.

This is, of course, an overwhelming prospect, but that is what true love is. It is some kind of madness that knows no limits. It is given without measure, without cost, without any calculation.

We are not doing God and the others any favor when we serve them. That is what is expected of us. To serve and not to be served was the attitude Christ had, and it should be the same attitude we ought to have.

Loving and serving cannot and should not be quantified in terms of cost and reward. It is above all these considerations. It’s a purely spiritual operation that should not be spoiled by giving it some material and temporal value. It’s where we can approximate, keep and build up that dignity of being the image and likeness of God and adopted children of his. It’s how we become God-like as we ought.

The nice thing about this kind of attitude toward serving is that we would actually gain and receive more from God the more we serve and give ourselves to him and to the others.