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Monday, April 02, 2007

Graduation Ceremony

I was asked by my sister-in-law to attend the grade 6 graduation ceremony in a public school in Lucban, Quezon. Since the child is my godchild and his father in Australia, I agreed to accompany the boy. The graduation ceremony is supposed to start 1:00 PM and as an eternal early bird me, we where there before 1 PM.
We sit beside the covered court and my godchild was ordered by her teacher to get 2 plastic at the back. Upon checking, it's a sandwich and a juice for merienda. The graduating students were not required to walk formally toward their seats. To my horror, the principal announced that the graduation program is not yet available and it will be a magic if it will arrive by 4:00PM. The program was started by an opening prayer where nobody cares and followed by the awarding of honors. Then the mayor, vice mayor and their entire party arrived of which the program was stopped by the principal to announce the arrival of the local politicians. Then the vice-mayor suddenly delivered his remarks in the masquerade of advising the students but in reality a campaign speech. The program was continued but after 20 minutes, the candidate for congressman and board members showed up totally disrupting the graduation ceremony. To make the entrance of the congressman impressive, he brought with him a fiberglass basketball frame complete with his name. I shook my head when I saw this blatant disregard of the sanctity of a graduation ceremony. The board member and the congressman ate 1 hour speaking in front of the hapless audience. I almost choked when the principal announced that the Mayor will also speak afterwards.
This is the mirror of how this politicians treat all of us. They have no respect of our time and of our feelings. The teachers,pity them, they are willing pawns of these leeches.
The graduation ceremony stretches to 8 hours. The longest grade 6 graduation ceremony I attended. My frat brother Tim said that I should trust the system. But Tim, the system of election needs to be overhauled or change first. If election caters only the moneyed and the dynasty it is a complete failure. We need to cleanse the system, but how that's the problem this country faced since its inception.

ALC

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Brother, France etc.

My youngest brother Ricky decided to settle with finality to France. His Cathay flight will bring him to the massive Charles De Gaulle airport on April 4. My mother, the usual crybaby, keep on worrying that her bunso will be forever away. I can not blame her, she might not see him anymore since she's already 68.
Temporarily I will be the surrogate father of my brother's 2 children. This is the sad reality of the Filipino diaspora. The rate of family break-up caused by immigration and/or overseas employment keeps on rising. How can I convince my brother to stay?. He got a dream that the Philippines can not provide.
The campaign advertisement of a senator claiming "pangarap kong tuparin ang mga pangarap mo" smacks of deception and unethical cum misleading statement. Only a fool will fall on this nonsense.
My brother's dream is to provide a good future for his family and no amount of political gimmicry can assure him that the solution is at hand.
The pain of separation in exchange of the mighty euro is not easy for my brother to decide on. To soften the impact of his absence, I assure him that I will take care of his children.
Yeah, it's painful to see him go but I am also thankful on the opportunity he will be having.
Yeah, I am a brother's keeper.

ALC