Yuletide 2012 in the Philippines

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Photos taken December 2012 in the Philippines.

Yuletide is a term used as a 12 day festival, or a period from December 24 to January 6.

It has been seen in a traditional manner since it originated in Northern Europe which was then absorbed by the Christians to celebrate Christ’s birth.  For years, it has been correlated with White Christmas.

I want the people from the northern part of the world to see that the Yuletide Season or Christmas Season is not just White Christmas, thus:

• It has a variety of colors like the parrots;
• It is tropical like the landscape;
• It is filled with big dreams of having a Rolls-Royce;
• It has Rolls-Royce and could be colorful but in solitude;
• It has the sparkling Christmas tree;
• It has angels everywhere and they are in gold;
• It has the Trading Post but only open for business;
• It brings out ingenuity like the colorful bottled lanterns;
• It has wine that energizes the spirit;
• It has cookies to satisfy the senses and desires;
• But more than anything else, there is the light, that enlightens us to appreciate its significance, especially in the dark night.

It would be great to know the symbols that represent Yuletide in other countries and cultures.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAVE A BLESSED YEAR AHEAD!

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Zambales 2012

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Ilocos 2012

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Cavite 2012

Being a president of an organization means being a community servant to serve the underserved communities.  During our Dental and Medical Mission in Cavite, this adorable child was staring at me, so I took a picture of her.  Such an angel.

Is the K12 program worth the Php150 billion investment?

A compilation of 7 short video clips on The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2011 for the Implementation of the K12 Program, and previous researches and articles on school bureaucracy.  The videos were made for the  Public Administration class.

The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2011 Part 1/7

Task Force for the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2011 Part 2/7

Why is there so much school bureaucracy? Part3/7

Brief History on Public Education in the Philippines Part 4/7

Is Philippine education being governed properly? Part 5/7

Why does Philippine Education Perform Poorly? Part 6/7

Finale & Reflection on the K12 Program Part 7/7

Can the K12 program lead to global competitiveness or will it just add burden to the parents and students?  Is the K12 program worth the P150 billion investment or will it be better to use it to solve the current problems in public schools and feed the people below poverty line?  What’s the use of the highly paid consultants and expensive infrastructure if students are malnourished and stressed due to work?

The problem in the country is poverty, especially in rural and depressed areas, even if the country is newly industrialized as of 2011.   People in poverty would prefer to feed their stomach first than their brain.   Schooling is just an option because they have to work at an early age to help the family.  They prefer to survive and live before they would get the luxury of going to school, because these people consider education as luxury than a necessity.  Not unless the government will provide training to the parents, and sponsorship to the children.

I think it would be better to simply retain the same number of years, redesign the curriculum and continuously train the teachers so that all the essential facts would be covered, necessary skills would be developed and healthy environment would be attained.

 

REFERENCES:

1. “Why is there so much school bureaucracy and what can we do about it?”.  New Talk.   November 2008. 6 March 2012. <http://newtalk.org/2008/11/why-is-there-so-much-school-bu.php&gt;.
2. Chua, Yvonne T.  “Robbed: An Investigation of Corruption in the Philippine Education.” 1999. 6 March 2012. <http://pcij.org/bookshop/robbed.html&gt;.
3. Department of Education. (2010, October 5). Discussion Paper on the Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program. DepEd discussion paper.
4. Luz, Juan Miguel.  “THE CHALLENGE OF GOVERNANCE IN A LARGE BUREAUCRACY (DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION): Linking governance to performance in an under -performing sector”.  PHDR ISSUE: 2008/2009 NO. 1.
5. Pressman, J. & Wildavsky, A.  “Implementation: How Great Expectations in Washington are Dashed in Oakland.”  University of California Press. 1984.
6. Tabora, Fr. Joel S.J.  “Proposed Bill Implementing K+12 as approved by key COCOPEA Committees.”  18 January 2011.  6 March 2012.  <http://taborasj.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/proposed-bill-implementing-k12-as-ap…&gt;.