The problem with most news organizations in the Philippines (and probably everywhere) is that they are owned by corporations and as such, they are constrained by commercial considerations in their operations and time slots.

This year being an election year, news organizations will play a big role in the way people will vote. Afterall, the news is the people’s primary source of information with regards to candidates and platforms. It is therefore important that news organizations present what the voters need. It is their duty, if you ask me.

Unfortunately, most of them are governed by the avarice of profits, hence they are constrained by ratings and ads.

Take for example ABS-CBN‘s Forum 2007. It aims to expose senatorial candidates and their ideas to the voting public. However, it is shown on ANC, which is on cable TV, thus the number of people who can watch is limited. It is shown on Channel 2, but at 4AM, who’s going to watch it?

GMA7, on the other hand, has The Philippine Agenda. Instead of dealing with candidates, the show instead focuses on issues that affects the country. It is shown on Channel 7 on Sundays, 7PM. By limiting the show on issues, the producers hope ” to raise viewers’ level of concern and awareness on the country’s recurring problems so that, in turn, they can make sound choices come election day”. What the people need to know is where do candidates stand on these issues. I’m afraid the GMA show will not address the question at all.

ABS-CBN is unwilling to sacrifice its primetime slots because it is trying to catch up with GMA7, while GMA7 has decided to present something half-useful. The TV news organizations somehow fail to fulfill their functions as conduits of needed information. I hope radio, online, and print media fare better. But among these, TV is the most potent, and yet most impotent.

Aquilino Pimentel III was hardpressed in defending himself with the political dynasty issue being raised by certain quarters. The same issue was raised at last week’s Forum 2007.

The Constitution calls for the Congress to pass a law banning political dynasties. As Article II, Section 26 states:

The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.

My position on this issue is here.

His position is that as long as there is no law, political dynasty is not an issue. Cute.

Aside from motherhood statements (don’t they all give statements like that), his answer to a certain query jives with my position on EDSA II. When asked about EDSA II, he said that the logical conclusion would have been for Estrada to resign. He also took potshots at the constructive resignation doctrine, which for me is an unsound and indefensible one. It is a mistake that history will have to judge. Soon.

At the very least, he held himself better than Joker Arroyo and Zosimo Paredes.

I am considering Ang Kapatiran candidates. But I am disappointed with Zosimo Paredes’ performance at the ANC show. He was as if rambling, and at one point, his answer was way off from the panelist’s question.

He stated their platform and principles, and I can’t help but shake my head, because what he had said was no different from what GO and TU are stating – pure motherhood statements. Though he had stated concrete plans, I am not sure how that would be feasible.

For example, he said that if elected, he and the other Ang Kapatiran candidates will support Charter change, and he had stated a specific section that he wants to remove (Article II, Section 3):

Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory.

He said that the clause “The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State.” is the reason why there are military adventurists who committed coups/mutinies. Hmm, say that again? As if removing that clause would eradicate military adventurism. Besides, the Constitution is clear: the goal of the AFP is to secure the sovereignty and territory of the Philippines.

I still have to hear the other two Ang Kapatiran candidates to speak. I hope they would fare better.

Saturday afternoon I saw the replay of the week’s episode of Forum 2007. The episode featured senatorial candidates Joker Arroyo, Zosimo Paredes, and Aquilino Pimentel III. Panelists were Maria Ressa, Alexander Lacson, and Andres Bautista (I hope I got the two gentlemen’s names right).

I was not able to watch the show in its entirety, but I got to see the second half, where the panelists asked the candidates a question plus a followup.

I pity Joker Arroyo. Here is a great man reduced to the absurdities of his reasoning, which is pathetic and sad.

When a panelist asked why he joined Team Unity, he said that the opposition was against the Constitution because it did not condemn the supposed coup last year, that the opposition’s only aim is to impeach Gloria Arroyo. Yet he joined the administration slate, whose titular head is Gloria Arroyo, whose administration violated the Constitution several times. I can only shake my head.

Then when asked why he did not go the way that Francis Pangilinan went, he said that in times of crises, you must take a stand, there’s no room for being neutral. At least we know where Senator Arroyo stands, no? BTW, nice cheap shot, Mr. Arroyo. I wonder what Pangilinan will say about this.

And lastly, Joker Arroyo knows he made an unpopular and illogical decision, and he has to defend it again and again and again. His decision is indefensible and he knows it. He knows that the reason he gave for joing TU is a lie. As Mark Twain had said “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.” Well, you get the idea.

Patricia Evangelista’s column yesterday reveals Joker’s true colors. Poor man.

And, as Willy Prilles had said,

But as apologists for the administration and the military establishment are wont to say, we are but a reflection of our times. Only that they are inside their glass house, and we are not. And so we need not take refuge in that last argument of the indefensible.

Joker Arroyo’s glass house will have to be broken.

As I was about to start writing again about education, there are two education-related topics at ABS-CBN News.

Boo Chanco wants CHED to be re-integrated with DepEd. For all the details that he had stated, they do not support his conclusion. It all boils down to leadership, not on structure. You want substandard schools shut down? It can be done even without CHED-DepEd integration. The problem is that CHED is basically hostaged by the political leadership. Add lack of political will to mix, and you have an impotent CHED.

The short term solution is to remove the chair of CHED, Carlito Puno. After all, all the problems stated by Chanco are problems of investigation and/or execution. If he can’t do the job, replace him.

Medium term solution is to strengthen the commission by making it independent and immune from political intervention.

Long term solution is to have a single, coherent (redundant, I know), rational policy on education that addresses not only the “now” but also the “tomorrow”. If it means re-integrating CHED with DepEd, or making DepEd secretary concurrent CHED Chair, or having an education czar/commission, so be it.

***

Then, Jarius Bondoc shares two stories coming from two teachers, giving testimonies to the fact that corruption exists in schools. I just want to add that those things happen in private schools, too. Commissions and the like are seemingly irresistable additions to a teacher’s paycheck.

It really is hard to maintain integrity when you are a teacher. As a former teacher in a tech/voc school with a salary that cannot even feed and house myself, the temptation of the fast buck at the expense of the students were aplenty. But I retained my sense of honor. Yet, as they say, honor will not feed your family. Again, we are back to the root of corruption – hard times. I don’t know why this government can’t seem to understand that. Telling the people to spend less on luxury is a futile effort – those who are hungry gets hungry because they cannot afford to eat, much less spend on luxury. Arroyo’s comment is at best a cruel cheap shot at the people that she believes elected her.

***

Based on the recent National Career Assessment Examinations, 700K graduating high school students are unfit to enter college. I have itemized the relevant results based on the news report:

* Most of the students scored high on the technical-vocation and entrepreneurial categories.
* Only a small percentage of the examinees are qualified to fill executive and managerial positions.
* 22,267 students who belong to families with annual incomes below P150,000, the current poverty threshold, are among the highest performers in the GSA, with Very High to Excellent scores (98-99+ percentile ranks)
* 33,444 poor students also received very high scores in the technical-vocational category.

We Pinoys are enamored on the college diploma as the saving grace of the family. In a point, this is true. After all, the high-paying jobs require at least a college diploma (though some low-paying jobs require college diploma, too). If the NCAE compels students on what track to take, many families will be heartbroken. Browse/peruse job ads online and on the newspapers, and find a job that (1) pays at least Php10,000 and (2) requires at least two years in college or a tech/voc diploma.

That would lead you to call center jobs. Again, a problem – those jobs require a good proficiency in English. And I doubt if in measuring scores in the tech/voc categories of the NCAE they included English. That is another problem.

Also, even if a student is qualified for college, he and his family might not afford it. If a family earns Php150,000 a year, rule out the best private schools (unless he can get a scholarship, and those things are limited, if not rare). Rule out student loans. Personally, letting a student finish college deep in debt is dishonorable. UP charges how much per unit? Do they still count the number of appliances to determine if a student is poor? TUP is fast catching up with UP’s tuition. PUP remains the cheapest, but it can only accommodate that much number of students.

Based on the data:

* Strengthen the tech/voc education (which is another subject worthy of a separate blog post)
* Make English a major subject
* Make sure tech/voc graduates can find employment (job generation)
* Make tech/voc education affordable
* If feasible, establish college preparatory schools
* Adopt a ladderized tertiary education with full subject credits
* Enforce strict standards for tech/voc schools

These are mish-mash of short-to-long term ideas. Please feel free to add yours.