When Ondoy and Pepeng meet Pinoys

By Paul Anthony Eso
(Vol. XXVII No. 15, Editorial Cartoon)

When Ondoy and Pepeng meet Pinoys

Recently, the Filipino nation has two uninvited cruel visitors which we wished have not visited at all – Ondoy (International Name: Ketsana) and Pepeng (International Name: Parma). Both typhoons, in the span of their short visits in the Philippines, did not only make this country suffer, but also exposed how lame the Philippine government is and how superficial the commitments of Filipino leaders and leaders-to-be are.

When Ondoy visited the Philippines on the afternoon of September 26, it brought the worst rainfall to a large part of Luzon – a rainfall which was said to be equivalent to a month of rain. It killed people; it destroyed properties – Ondoy was even dubbed as the most destructive typhoon recorded in the past 40 years in the country. As reported, Ondoy caused billions of damages and killed hundreds of lives. As estimated, it will take about a year before the Filipino nation could recover from its loss.

Moreover, Ondoy did not only give depressing pictures on the span of its visit but also on its aftermath. Days after Ondoy struck, everyone was tormented to see how immensely it has affected the lives of a lot of people – muddy houses; dead people and animals found everywhere; destroyed properties and sources of livelihood; and the most depressing: hunger, homelessness, and hopeless people. Ondoy stole the hope of some Filipinos and tested the faith of others.

Due to Ondoy’s destructive visit, the Philippine government declared a ‘state of calamity’ on the affected areas. It also sought for international humanitarian assistance from the world community. The United Nations also took part by pleading to other nations to help the typhoon victims. Over a hundred relief centers opened into action, with thousands of concerned citizens immediately offering donations or volunteering their services.

Barely a week after Ondoy’s visit, while the Filipino nation is still shocked with Ondoy’s aftermath, Pepeng came in uninvited in the afternoon of October 2 bringing rains that consequently caused floods and landslides. Pepeng is maybe less forbidding than Ondoy but still, the damages it caused, particularly in agriculture, cost billions. Pepeng is maybe less harsh than Ondoy but still, it soaked a lot of Filipino homes and livelihood with flood water and killed hundreds of people.

In the past two weeks since Pepeng and Ondoy visited the Philippines, the death toll reached 699, with 462 injured and 87 missing as stated in the latest reports published in Manila Bulletin. Moreover, infrastucture and agriculture damages amounted to P15 billion with more reports expected to come.

Ondoy and Pepeng’s visits indeed made the lives of many Filipinos miserable. It made this nation submerged in floods that washed away the hopes of almost everybody. Moreover, their visits also tested the kind of government we have – unfortunately, what they revealed is a lame government of a disaster-prone nation. Their visits tested how truly committed our leaders and leaders-to-be are – and sorry to say, what they have revealed are superficial leaders who are only good in words but never in action.

The visits of Ondoy and Pepeng revealed that the Philippine government is never prepared for big calamities. At the height of the two typhoons, it was discovered that the government does not even have sufficient equipment to rescue the almost hopeless victims; to feed the hungry evacuees and to reach out even a little help to the unfortunate ones.

It is so ironic that the Philippine government can spend millions for a dinner of the Philippine president and her party, but incapable in providing the needs of the typhoon victims. It is so ironic that our leaders and our aspiring leaders can spend millions for their political ads, but at this grim point in the lives of a lot of Filipinos, most of them are not visible. It is so ironic that the Philippine government is begging help from other countries when in the past months, it has been spending lavishly on senseless causes.

Ondoy and Pepeng, when they met Pinoys, revealed what Filipinos really have. Uunfortunately, what they revealed is as saddening as their aftermath.

Chronic migraine

By Cheeno Luang
(Vol. XXVII No. 14, Editorial Cartoon)

Chronic migraine

Lack of facilities is probably one of the things that remain constant in Negros Oriental State University (NORSU). Students and teachers alike are clamoring for better facilities to enhance the university’s quality of education. This is no longer new as the demand has been going on for many years now.

As the university expands and accommodates new courses under its wing and as its population continues to increase, the need for better facilities become more apparent. However, instead of focusing on these problems and like a parent who does not know proper family planning, NORSU keeps on opening new courses unmindful of its insufficient resources. And while the parent nurtures and focuses its attention to its latest fledgling, it inadvertently shuts out the cries of its other children.

The Geology Department is just one among the many children of this university clamoring for better facilities for years now. Lack of classrooms, proper equipment, among others are just few of the things that the department has been asking for years to no avail. Fortunately, the department has generous alumni who never forget the needs of their department and willingly share what they have for their classes.

Geology is not the only department suffering from its parents’ inattention. A lot of other departments need facilities similar to those of the Geology Department, but like the latter, their pitiful cries remain unattended.

The saddest part is that, like an uneducated parent, instead of prioritizing the needs of the existing departments, the university went on and opened new courses that need even more expensive facilities than the existing ones. Like an irresponsible parent, the university spawned a new offspring whose needs would add more strain to the family’s already inadequate budget.
Time and again, the administration has been claiming insufficient funds as a reason why the needs of departments such as the Geology Department, remain unfulfilled. If the university cannot manage to provide for its existing departments, how can it possibly provide for new ones?

Classroom discussions are not enough to ensure quality education. While it is alright for some courses to rely on books and the expertise of their instructors, it cannot be denied that some courses need equipment so that its students could familiarize and apply what they learned from their teachers. This is not only to ensure that the students understand their lessons but also to ensure that our graduates don’t get shocked when they are already in the real world and encounter their profession’s tools for the first time.

Book-knowledge is different from actual experience. It would be preferable that a Mass Communication student, for example, actually knows how to handle a TV camera and edit videos than just memorize the use of a TV camera. Likewise, it is preferable that a Geology student knows how to use an actual Brunton compass than just imagine how it looks like. That is why, it is significant that the university provides the equipment needed by its departments. Proper facilities equate to better quality of education. Better quality of education equates to a more successful future.

Though it is understandable that the university aims well in opening new courses, it would have been better if they were able to solve the persistent and continuing problem on school facilities and provided proper equipment first before they opened new ones.

If the existing courses’ problems are causing headaches to the administration, for sure, the new ones will create a severe migraine because these new courses need more expensive facilities than the existing departments. It would have been wiser if the existing problems were solved first before welcoming new ones. For, is it not only prudent for a parent to ensure his financial stability first before bringing another child into this world?

The problem on the university’s facilities is a headache not only for the administration, but for the students and the instructors as well. It is a problem that remains constant despite the so-called improvements and developments in the university. It is a problem that continues to haunt the university like a ghost that refuses to be buried.

Like a headache, this problem will only stop nagging the NORSU community if the proper antidote is given. This is one headache, however, which a dose of pain reliever cannot cure. This is one headache which only the collective efforts of the whole NORSU community could heal.