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PEOPLE PLANET

31st of December, 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Wuhan, China reported the first case of pneumonia of unknown cause. On January 10, 2020, after close monitoring and conducting laboratory tests, WHO identified the disease was caused by a novel coronavirus with similarities of symptoms to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) which hit several countries in the past, and for this, the virus was currently named 2019-nCoV. The virus gradually spread from ground zero in Wuhan, into the neighboring regions in China. Eventually, the first confirmed case of 2019-nCoV outside China was detected in Thailand on January 13, 2020. On 11th of February 2020, the 2019-nCoV was renamed COVID-19, or Coronavirus Disease 2019, to avoid confusing it with other diseases, and associating it with a specific geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people, as mandated by the WHO guidelines. Now, the COVID-19 has vastly affected millions of people, the global socio-economic performance and stability, and especially healthcare systems. Countries are implementing travel bans, community quarantines, and simultaneous lockdowns from the national regions up to the local and municipalities.

The WHO, the authority in directing and coordinating international health, is one of the Specialized Agencies of the United Nations (UN), an international organization made up of 193 Member States with an objective of tackling issues met by humanity such as human rights, sustainable development, governance, food security, and many more, and taking actions to address these problems. The UN has crafted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an interconnected blueprint composed of 17 goals aimed to achieve better and sustainable future for all. All 17 goals are interconnected and must be accomplished by year 2030. This plan might have been achievable if all other things were held constant. But with the challenges the chaotic COVID-19 has brought to the world, how does the pandemonium affect the SDGs set by UN?

Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Obtained from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/12/sustainable-development-goals-kick-off-with-start-of-new-year/

From my own assessment, I would like to think that not all goals were affected negatively, some targets may have 'unintentionally' benefited from this situation. Probably the SDGs affected detrimentally are goals that require a lot of human intervention. These pertain to hunger, good health, education, economy, infrastructure, and peace and justice. Since the pandemic, most people that do not easily have access to food have it harder now that community quarantine protocols are being implemented. Of course, the most affected here is the health and well-being goal. It simply just shows that even developed countries were not truly prepared for this global pandemic; therefore, there must really be a problem with health crisis management as of now. The economy and infrastructure activities are expected to perform at a decline, since there is limited economic movement with the exception of other industries such as the agriculture, food, and pharmaceutics, to name a few, and infrastructure activities have come to a halt with the implementation of community quarantine and total lock down. Peace and justice also becomes problematic since people are in quite a panic phase due to the on-going pandemic. Though, there are still some people who do not consider their actions carefully and put some people at risk, it was an astonishing sight to see how people of different social and economic classes extend their hands to those that truly needed help. Even some of the local governments have demonstrated exemplary actions to address the negative outcomes of the current situation.

On a global view, some onlookers of the current crisis have observed surprising changes particularly pertaining to the environment. Animals started roaming around urban areas, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions have sharply dropped to favourable levels, water bodies utilized by communities are now visited by sea and water creatures, and other possible favourable outcomes where no detrimental human activities are currently being performed. Although the correlations haven’t been thoroughly studied yet, there are fat chances that our daily lifestyles seem to be unfavourable for some living creatures and our planet itself. What we normally do to carry on with our routines might not be the same for the flora and fauna having fair shares of the planet’s resources.

Does this mean the Earth is better off without us? I guess this is partly true. The Earth could probably survive if left on its own. But since we have no choice but to stay in our home planet, what we could do is to become more responsible and proactive than ever. With this devastation that we have experienced, it should serve as an eye opener for everyone that there are far more important and relevant matters than just living for ourselves. We are the most responsible beings on this planet since we are gifted with intelligence to make our lives easier, and the world a better place.

So, what do we do now? With the experience that we have with this devastation, I believe the first matter that we should deal with is equipping ourselves to these types of global pandemic; that is, we should strengthen our healthcare systems, enhance our disaster response, and be more prepared and proactive for the worst situation. In addition, we should continue our caring for each other not just during trying times, but for every possible chance we could get. For our responsibility, the planet and other living creatures, we should be more proactive in doing our daily activities, and always being conscious of how our decisions would affect our planet and the living creatures sharing the same. All these factors should be inculcated in every person and should be practice by everyone without exceptions.

We should always remember that we are responsible and accountable for the future of everyone.

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The triple-bottom line, CSR and Corporate Citizenship

What is the first thing that comes in mind when you hear the word “business”? For me, it automatically equates to the word “money” or “profit”. Who am I to blame? We were raised to perceive that the primary goal of people venturing in business is to earn or rake money. Never have I heard anyone in my peers saying that they would want to engage in business because of other means, and I also don’t blame them for that. Unlike the upper class who already have some privileges in being financially stable (stable might be an understatement) and some ideas on how to navigate their business endeavors, most middle class earners like my peers and I can only wonder how to start a business, rather at this point, any undertakings (legal, of course) that would help us increase our financial resources and eventually attain financial freedom; never to worry again on how we earn our living. I know for many middle to low income earners, this would be their ultimate goal if they were to think about their future. Especially for people who are probably oversaturated with their work, for various reasons such as colleagues, bosses, the work itself, or just the idea of being employed forever, if you ask if they prefer business over employment, most would probably choose engaging in business in a heartbeat, disregarding the hurdles they would encounter along the way. Nevertheless, it’s amazing for us to see individuals who have become successful in their business ventures sharing their success stories in television or print, but I think seldom would the media provide enough details on the hurdles and challenges they have overcome just to maintain their business; because people love to see success stories which gives a sense of accomplishment and boost in morale.

I believe it’s important for everyone to become financially stable at some point. We all have our basic needs to be filled and supplied, and if permitted, a bit of spending for leisure is not bad. Aiming to become wealthy is not a bad thing for me, but the means of achieving it must be in a righteous manner. This is my simple view of business, until I learned about the triple bottom line, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Corporate Citizenship. These are new concepts for me since I started taking my graduate studies in MBA at DLSU. When I got a glimpse of the idea of these concepts, I shared them with my brother who at that time was thinking about a profitable business. He was baffled when I told him that there are people, owners of businesses, who continue to run their businesses and are able to provide remuneration to their employees despite losses in profit. He was being critical about it, saying who in their right mind would continue doing business if it’s losing. He does have a point, and I completely agree with him. But that is probably the next step in the evolution of the business industry: how to create a culture of business practitioners aiming to establish a business with a goal of providing positive socio-economic and environmental impact at its core.

This next big step will never be simple, let alone be easy, but it’s a good start that top business schools such as DLSU are teaching future business leaders these concepts and integrating it in their MBA curriculum. With issues on ethical, moral, legal, and environmental matters arising from different business (mal)practitioners, it is best to promote these concepts to people who are aiming to engage and establish their business, and one way to promote this is to practice it, not only for the moment when we start to establish businesses, but to integrate it in our everyday living. When the time comes for us to have our own ventures, it would be a lot easier to integrate it in our business processes. If people would see what the benefits these concepts bring, it would be easy for everyone to follow suit. By the way, my brother now believes in the long-term benefits of being socially responsible, and I do not blame him for that.

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Rent Overdue

It was always a battle between earning profit and protecting the environment. We are used to see some companies thriving and continuing their operations regardless if these have negative impacts on their surrounding environment. Although there are government interventions relative to environmental protection through regulations, there are chances that these regulations are loosely implemented, the cost of penalties is simply insignificant compared to cost of compliance, or some regulators are “selective” on which establishments should be apprehended or neglected. Loose implementation of regulations is usually rooted from lack of support from the regulatory agency (e.g. lack of human resources or funding), as well as the industry and its stakeholders, the low cost of penalties often results from ineffective research studies on repercussions of operating on a polluting manner, and selective regulations are mostly influenced by collusion of implementing officers or regulators and the industry players, often dealt through corrupted means to circumvent the law. In addition, even consumers play a huge part in implementing environmental regulations especially if the products the companies produce are convenient for them to have or to use. With all these factors at hand, how else are we supposed to live in a more environmentally friendly way? How do we establish a culture where everyone is conscious of their daily actions that might affect the surroundings and environment?

As provided in the book written by Porter and van der Linde (1999), innovation is one primary key to address environmental protection. Innovation in the sense that products are produced efficiently, since inefficient use of resources equates to pollution due to waste generation coming from excess raw materials and unutilized scraps in production. Therefore, to be more environmentally friendly, companies must think of ways on how to be more efficient in their operations. But why would companies even care in environmental protection if they can earn the same profit, or even better, without this consideration? Most would think that operating in an environmentally friendly way are just additional costs and burden to them. Is it not enough that they earn a good profit to provide salaries to their employees, eventually contributing to uplifting the socio-economic status of their surrounding community? These questions will be answered as this entry moves along.

Sometimes innovation can be forced if the interest of a community is greater than the benefits they obtain from the products and services provided by the industry. This is where the consumers, affected stakeholders, and the government come in. A great deal of support and lobbying from the consumers and stakeholders to fight against un-ecological practices of industries strengthens the need to regulate the industry. With a more stringent and robust implementation of regulations, the industry players are bound to think of ways to operate in a more ecological methods. This, in turn, hastens the innovative process of companies to address the pressing matters sought by consumers, stakeholders, and the government. This is an ideal scenario if we are to aim for a more sustainable future for all industries and their affected stakeholders.

Maybe our orientation in looking at the battle between economy and ecology is a misconception. Maybe it’s not a battle at all. More than a balance, it is should be an integrative model where industries could continue operating in a more ecological way while gaining profit from it. One can even say that companies that are sustainable in their operations are at a better edge than most of their competitors. People as consumers can now see the implications of pollutions and environmentally degrading practices of different industries, as these are evident brought about by climate change and other calamities, and they want to do something about it.

We must remember that when we talk about taking care of and protecting the environment, it is not simply because the planet and other living creatures need it, but more than anyone else, we humans need it. The more we take care of our surroundings, the more we take care and secure ourselves a better future. The government, the industry and its players, the consumers and affected stakeholders must make concerted efforts to address the impending issues brought about by pollution and environmentally degrading malpractices. We only have one planet we can live in [for now], and if we want to stay longer, we have to pay our [over]dues and respect, and we are all responsible in doing so.

Reference: Porter, M., and van der Linde, C. (1999). Green and Competitive: Ending the Stalemate. Obtained from https://hbr.org/1995/09/green-and-competitive-ending-the-stalemate

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It all starts and ends with change

This is probably a long-standing question for all people in the context of economic and social justice: “how do we end poverty?” And this question will probably cultivate succeeding series of questions: “why are they poor to begin with?”, “who should be responsible for taking care of them?”, “Isn’t it their fault that they are poor?” But, really, how do would we solve poverty?

Especially in the Capital region in our country, if one is a little more observant of their surroundings, just adjacent the skyscrapers, high-rise buildings, and condominiums are ramshackle houses made by informal settlers from wood and metal scraps they got from rummaging. This picture below perfectly illustrates what I am describing:

Image obtained from https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/philippines/pinoy-where-filipinos-endure-extreme-poverty-amidst-a-rich-land-1.1543409737693

This is the simply a swift view of the gap between the poor and the rich communities. But taking into account where the most poor in our country is situated in, you’ll be surprised that it is still not within our capital; the bigger chunk of people thriving below the poverty threshold resides in the regions of the Philippines: specifically the Bicol region and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Maybe one way of looking for answers in ending poverty is another series of questions: “what do we change?”, and “where do we start making changes?

On a personal note, this question of poverty always makes me think critically. Is it just money, resources, employment opportunities, access to proper education, healthcare, and housing conducive for living that they are lacking? Or is not an issue of what they can have access to, rather, are they being provided equal opportunities to obtain these basic human rights? Of all things mentioned, I think one of the biggest responsible entities in solving this problem is the government. Being a government employee, I hate to admit that our government is not fully utilizing the functions and corresponding funds granted upon them by the Filipino citizens, and what’s worse, the proliferating corruption is still a question at hand. Could it be that corruption plays an immense role in this long-existing problem? What if there are no corrupted activities executed behind the back (or under the table) of the Filipinos fighting for economic and social justice, would it all be the same? I am not solely pointing fingers at government corruption; this would encompass all that is involved, including private entities and fly by night organizations (take for example the PDAF scam) transacting with corrupt officials to gain money in an unethical and corrupted manner. This is a vicious cycle that is affecting the economic and social justice sphere. But can you imagine if corrupt practices are removed altogether, and there is a proper budget allocation for every sector that could address the poverty issues in our country? Imagine starting off extinguishing corruption, we could then start properly prioritizing the basic needs of people, beginning with proper housing, healthcare, and education. I believe starting off with these sectors could already make changes with the poverty situation of the poor individuals in our country. If you are well provided with a sturdy roof over your head, a healthy body, and better access to education, you’d have more opportunities for improving your current economic standing, whether through employment or engaging in business, and in return, become part of the contributing society in our country. This is a virtuous cycle that should be maintained in order to uplift the economic status of people below the poverty line. Imagine that.

It’s hard to be bound by the shackles of the rich and powerful people that make one hopeless in fighting for better living conditions for the poor people. I admire those who have the courage to stand up against these people, for I do not have the same guts to do what they can. Nevertheless, in my own little ways, I try my best to uphold my moral and ethical values in an integrative manner; not just as an employee, a student, a member of society, but an individual as a whole. It’s disheartening to feel that we can only imagine this idea of people being freed from poverty. But I am still hopeful there will always be change, even just within ourselves. The question is, when? The answer: now.

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It pays to be frugal (no pun intended)

I was always a person who is easily content. I never really aimed for anything else other than what was necessary for me. My siblings would often comment that I have never bought any clothes for myself; I was just waiting for gifts during birthdays, Christmas, or any occasion, and even expecting hand-me-downs from my older brother or my father. I also do not buy a lot of stuff or collect any items that may render me to be called a collector. I don’t have any branded apparel or things and I’m not interested in any. I also don’t splurge in expensive restaurants and would rather eat at fast food restaurants, convenience stores, or carinderia if my point is just to fill my stomach. No, I’m not a stingy person, but I am stingy for myself. I do understand why people would want expensive things or activities because it gives them a blissful feeling or a sense of accomplishment. It’s like a rewarding feeling for them whenever they buy such stuff or spend it on the things they love. But I always count myself out for such undertakings.

I don’t remember when I started being thrifty or being careful with where I spend my money. Maybe it just comes naturally depending on the person’s characteristics or values. I never knew or felt that we were struggling financially when I was young, so I don’t know if that should be factored in to what I am now, nor can I say that I got it from my parents since I barely saw how they handled their finances. I can’t also recall any instance where I had a resolve to become this thrifty.

If I properly evaluate, I believe I am saving up for something big. I am probably preparing for something which would need a lot of my finances. Whenever I think of buying stuff that I don’t really need for the moment, I would always think of my parents or relatives who would need it more than I do. Once, I wanted to take a second degree in any engineering course, and during that time, my father who was working abroad and earning enough to support my studies encouraged me to take it, since he himself is a civil engineer. I refused because I was thinking that the money that would be used for my endeavor might be allocated to more important matters. And so it happened; my father resigned to his agency because the government of Qatar, a wealthy Middle East country, is implementing an initiative called “Qatarization”, wherein the aim is to increase Qatari citizens employed in the public and private sectors. My father was to about be hit with this implementation, and before his agency was subjected to the initiative, he went on ahead and requested to quit his job.

Forward to now, I am taking an MBA at my own financial capacity. I guess after telling what’s happened, it’s really helpful to be this careful with spending money. You’ll never know when emergencies happen, that’s why you should always be prepared for it. Don’t worry, my father is now with us and is a contractor of several projects in his province in Bicol. It’s probably coincidental, but when I didn’t take my father’s offer, he resigned from his job, but I eventually earned more than I was expecting and ended up paying for school on my own, plus my father’s with us now, which is a better outcome than what used to be. I guess God really works in mysterious ways, and making me into what I am now really paid off.

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Make Change Work for Women

We often hear the phrase “this is a man’s world” from some individuals who think that this world was made particularly for males. Both sexes, men and women, do have opposing perspectives on this particular phrase. For some men, it could be a favorable aspect since things are made or done, the standards set, and customs practiced mostly in favor of the male gender. On the opposing pole, some women think that they are underprivileged and underrepresented when it comes to how the world is being run, which adds to another congruent phrase: “the world is run by men”. But why do people think as such? I don’t think a person borne into this world would automatically assume that men are superior to women. What could be influencing people to agree in such statements?

To understand how things have happened, we look at when it happened, and why it happened in the first place, in short, we look back in history. Now, I am not a history expert to provide exact occurrences, nor would I assert everything I will be mentioning here are proven facts. I would just vaguely recollect some of the readings that I have encountered with regard to this subject. As a disclaimer, the information you will be reading from this blog is to be taken only as opinions and not be cited as facts [I hardly write something without basis (not to mention I hardly write at all), so please bear with me].

From my understanding, this notion of male ascendancy was rooted from how societies were structured. Especially from the western part of the world, specifically the European countries, historical accounts demonstrated that men have been placed as superior to women in their society. They are more exposed to opportunities such as education, art, medicine, architecture, agriculture, and many other aspects, while women are expected to tend after the children and maintain the household. In a smaller scale of society, within the family, the father is placed as the head of the family, making all the decisions for the whole household, and the mother would simply follow with the decision. Adding to that, there are not many historically accounted women who have made global contributions as compared with the achievements of men. This is not to say that women have barely done anything for the world, it’s just that women were not preferred to be written after due to the discriminating behavior of the society back then.

On the contrary, I believe that the society in the pre-colonial era in our country, the Philippines, is largely different from the western setting. Women are highly regarded and respected, they are often considered as the wiser counterpart of men; oracles and deities as they call them. People of varying social classes would depend on the wisdom of women for their daily survival, and the people wholeheartedly trust them. That is until the colonization of the Philippines has started. Customs and beliefs already established were demolished and restructured into a more westernized set up, including societal structures. With the western’s influence, men’s ascendancy has proliferated in the whole society, and changed the way women were portrayed.

This widespread of western influence on social structure is demonstrated in many countries. However, with the evolution and advances in society, these norms in social structures are currently being broken down. Nowadays, women empowerment is tremendously being advocated especially in developed countries where the movement was pioneered. Women are now provided equal rights and opportunities especially in the workplace. Although there are not enough women representing the C-suite in corporations, there are various organizations and entities in which women are regarded as leaders. Women are given the same working opportunities as men, and can take the same work and task as men, as long as within their capacity.

Changing the norm is a difficult thing to accomplish, and as they say, old habits die hard. But we, as people living in a society, must change and learn how to acknowledge, accept, and utilize each other’s potential and capabilities, regardless of gender and social status. In this manner, not only we create a harmonious environment for everyone, but envisioning far ahead, a more developed and versatile society able to adapt to the changing times.

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What you see is what you [don’t] get

On a lazy afternoon with nothing particularly important to do, you were watching TV. Out of the blue, a TV ad by a popular fast food chain suddenly popped out in the screen, describing how their new burger patty is so beefy and so juicy, topped with fresh tomato, lettuce, and pickles, added with crispy bacon, ketchup and mustard spread, and capped with fluffy sesame buns, you cannot simply resist eating one. But wait, there’s more: with this scrumptious burger meal, you get a refreshing soft drink for free, all at a price you can afford! As the phone number of the fast food chain flashed before you, you suddenly felt hungry, and you quickly grabbed your phone to dial and call the number to order the burger meal. You waited hungrily but patiently. After a few minutes, the doorbell rang. You rushed to the door to get your burger meal. As you excitingly unwrap the burger held in your hand, promised to be irresistible, a glimpse of disappointment reflects in your eyes… the burger is as dry as a cardboard box, the tomato, lettuce, and pickles were unrecognizable from all the ketchup and mustard spread, the bacon assured to be crispy was burnt, and the sesame buns as flat as discs. “Maybe it still taste good”, you murmured, attempting to take your first bite. As you take your first bite, everything that is sandwiched between the flat buns slipped from it, scattering all over the burger wrapper. Filled with disappointment, you reached for your drink, took a gulp, and ended up brimming with more disappointments. The soft drink was nowhere near the original taste. You suddenly don’t feel hungry anymore, but you decided to finish the food anyway, because you don’t want to waste any.

As consumers, we assess products in different ways. Sometimes, our friends or families tell us that we should try this product because it’s good, or healthy, or nutritious, or whatever reason that may entice us into buying one. But most often, we are attracted to what we really see with our own eyes, and that is why print, television, and even the internet as media are the most effective ways to attract consumers. We as humans believe what our eyes tell us. The problem is most food advertisements are not what they seem to be when the actual products are presented. There is an art known as food photography, which uses different techniques such as proper lighting, various tricks to make a product become more appealing, Photoshop and computer graphics, and of course, a high-end camera with wide range of lenses. These food photographers are hired by advertisers to create images of food that will surely catch the consumers’ interest on their products. You can see for yourself through the sample images presented below:

Engine oil for pancake syrup. Image source: elitereaders.net/Gigabiting

Mashed potatoes as ice cream alternative. Image source: elitereaders.net/ Pixabay/ Depositphotos

But isn’t this craft misleading for the consumers, especially if their expectations of the product based on the ads do not meet with the real thing? Can this action be considered unethical?

Personally, I think advertisers must lessen their use of tricks and gimmicks just to appeal to their viewers, and food and beverage companies should present their products as it is. Consumers should get what they are expecting to have, rather than tricking their perception using gimmicks. On the other hand, these tricking methods could also backfire to them (companies) if customers started to show disinterest with their products, or worse, complain about not getting what they were expecting to have. One good example of a fast food restaurant advertising their actual product is a hamburger fast food restaurant flashing a TV ad showing how their burgers are using only organic raw materials, with proof of letting the burger quickly degrade and rot in front of the screen. Most consumers would definitely turn their heads around after seeing a burger so gross, and advertisers would find this ad ridiculous, but for the fast food restaurant to prove their claim, they broke the norm and presented the real thing. Who knows what the consumers’ response were, but at the very least, the restaurant has shown what is real about their product. Companies, not only for the food and beverage industry, should start advertising what is real and stop deceiving their clients and customers. This is one way of thinking ahead to prevent their customers from finding alternatives or getting complaints for not keeping it real with their claims.

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Olden new

Have you noticed how some products exponentially change over time? I remember when my father used to drive his 1998 model Japanese brand car. He had driven it for 5 years until it was eventually sold. I also remembered his cellphone (which looks like an ice shaver) which he got when cellphones were not very popular and affordable yet. He has been using it for a very long time until the famous Nokia cellphones were introduced to the market. Another product I remember is our game console, the Sony PlayStation (PS), which my father bought for us during its initial release. 20 years later, and our game console is still working.

Nowadays, it is very frequent that we see models of products change over time. Although for the automotive industry, it is normal to see cars remodeled every year. However, especially for the electronics and gadget industry, there is a plethora of items consumers can choose from. Each product ranging from personal computers, laptops, gaming consoles, tablets, and smartphones is manufactured by a number of companies, each type of product has varying models, and each model has different versions.

But what I found perplexing in this change is the quality of the products over time. When I hear people who experienced taking a hold of these products when it was first introduced in their generation, or people who are enthusiasts of collecting and using vintage items, they would often compare how the first generation of cars or electronic gadgets were a lot durable than the succeeding ones. As I have experienced taking our old modeled Japanese brand car for repairs, the mechanics would repeatedly make remarks that these old modeled cars are sturdier than the new ones. These old models can take a beating and can even compete with the newer generation in terms of speed and long driving. For the gadgets, as I have mentioned previously, our game console is already 22 years old and is still working! If you are a game console fanatic, especially for Sony PS models, you would probably know that the first PS was released in 1994. Six years later, PS 2 was released in 2000, then, five years later, Sony released PS Portable (PSP) in 2005, which was followed by PS 3 the following year, and three years later, PSP Go was introduced in 2009, followed by PS Vita in 2011, and PS 4 in 2013. Now, Sony will be releasing yet another version of PS, which is the PS 5, rumored to be released this 2020. Although, I wish I had all these PS consoles, but unfortunately, I cannot afford all of them. But I could still compare some since I own a few, including the original PS, the PSP, and a PS 3. Based on my experience, I would say that the original PS would really stand out in terms of durability since during my childhood days, the console really, I mean really, took a lot of beating from us. We would hit it whenever we lose a game, or it becomes difficult to play with. But it still works after all these years. Unlike the PSP I have which was given to me in 2008, in just a few years, the control buttons already started falling off. The PS 3, which we bought in 2015 is similarly frail and is having frequent wireless connection issues.

What I’m getting at is, these changing of product models are getting too frequent, but these newer models are somehow not as sturdy as the old ones, and there are a lot of complications when it comes to its operation. There may be a lot of things to factor in why this has become a trend for various products or commodities. Some may be cutting costs, finding cheaper substitutes, or ultimately wanting to gain market leverage. Take for example Apple products; they often release iPhone versions almost every year, but the changes in the phone are not quite as essential as what the users really need. In some way, these new changes would simply attract buyers to purchase the new iPhone, or in the simplest sense, people buy iPhones because it is an iPhone, regardless of what it can or cannot do. One question that comes to my mind, are the companies still producing goods that are really good, or still providing service that really serve? Or is it simply for the sake of profit?

Change is inevitable, and it is not always a bad thing. People and things can and will always change, but what should not be forgotten, especially for the businesses that started out well, is to keep in mind the reason why it was started, why it was established, especially if its foundation is to solve certain pain points for people, or the planet.

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Double Life

There’s no water again. This is my experience whenever I come home overtime from office, or going home late from graduate school. I currently (and temporarily, hopefully) reside in the 2nd floor of a residential apartment located in a relatively poor community, where I share the unit with 3 other male roommates. Every 10 pm or so, our water supply is cut due to “lack of supply” by the water service provider. Yet, I see the water in the fountain streaming upwards as I walk past by our barangay hall. This has been going on ever since the issues on Kaliwa Dam and water shortages by the water provider have erupted. Every time I go home early, I make sure to fill up our stack of one-time use plastic bottles of various volumes so that by evening, we wouldn’t worry about using water. To be honest, this is a better scenario than the first few weeks to months when the circulating water shortage has been announced. Before going to work, we wake up early in the morning, say 5 am, get our plastic bottles and collect water from the ground floor of the apartment since that is only the place where the water is substantially abundant, and then carry these plastic bottles back upstairs to our toilet so we could take a bath.

This set up is entirely different whenever I sometimes go home to the condominium of my parents and siblings. Water supply has never been a problem within the high-rise condominium community. They are residing on the 19th floor. Imagine: their water supply reaches the 19th floor or even the 30th floor of the building, yet our water supply couldn’t even reach the faucet on my second floor apartment. One can simply say that there is a huge difference between these two settings just by looking at the water supply. I am not sure if our poor community or this comfortable living high-rise condominium is being supplied by the same water service provider, but if it is, then this will be a whole different story.

What’s amusing here is that I get to experience two different kinds of living: the meager and the comfy life. Although, most of the time I go home to my apartment since it’s more accessible to my workplace, so I cannot fully admit that there is no comfortable aspect with the apartment I am staying in. Though the problem here is, why is there a difference in the service our water supplier provides, but we pay the same amount that we consume regardless? Are they being discriminatory that the upper to mid class must be prioritized more than the bottom part of the social class?

I understand that there are several issues when it comes to this type of industry. It’s not always easy for these companies to provide the right services given the different factors such as topography of the area, proximity to the water sources, and circumstances such as drought, as seasonally experienced in the country. Nevertheless, it’s still a burden especially for the marginalized communities who most need such basic necessities. On the contrary, the owners or board of directors of the water company might barely notice these problems on their end.

The imbalance of this water shortage problem is clearly evident in the opposing ends of the society: the upper and the lower class. The upper class has probably hardly been inconvenienced with the water shortage situation, and the lower class always suffers from these kinds of problems. The companies responsible for addressing these problems should look for solutions that are equitable for all of their stakeholders. As for me, since I have experienced both worlds, I can attest to the difference I am experiencing with this problem, and the best that I could do on my end is to conserve these resources. These little acts if done collectively could be an added aid for the impending problem with our natural resources.

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Voyage

I am a person with few plans for myself. I always ask people I highly depend on for major decisions I need to take. During the end of my 2nd year high school, my mother decided to transfer me to a more reputable school than where I was currently enrolled in. That school where I will be transferred to is the same school my achiever elder sister was also enrolled in. I have not given any thought about the idea of transferring, all I know is I will be transferred and I was quite excited about it. After I got in, I just did what a high school student should normally do. After high school, I was again faced with a major decision: deciding what course and from which school to take it. I always wanted to be an engineer so I could follow my father’s footsteps. I wanted so because my father has always been a great provider to his family. He worked abroad at an early age to provide us our basic needs, and, although there were times that we were not financially stable (which I elaborated in my Life Plan titled “Voyage”), I never felt that we were. He sometimes even has enough to spare for his siblings and extending it to their children. I always admired that trait of his, that’s why I wanted to take on a career where I could give my future family a good life, and still have the capacity to provide those who are in need. And so, my journey into looking for a college course from a reputable school to help me reach my goal has begun. Or so I thought.

I started going to a review center, like my sister did, to prepare me for the university entrance exams I will be taking. After the review center, I took entrance exams from reputable schools in the country. Of course, the first choices as my undergraduate studies were all engineering courses for every university I took exam on. Then the results came, and I was contended with another major decision. Here’s the dilemma: I passed all the entrance exams I took, but with two schools I did not get the course that I wanted, plus the restricted financial capacity my parents can provide for my education. I was left with deciding between the most esteemed university but with zero knowledge about the course, or to other reputable schools but offer the engineering courses I have selected. I asked my academically inclined elder sister on deciding which school to choose. She told me that the course I will be taking in the most esteemed school can still help me achieve my goal, which is to earn enough to be financially stable. Adding the fact that this particular university is a semi-public school and my parents’ limited financial capacity, I decided to take my sister’s advice. Twelve years later and here I am, taking my Master’s degree in Business Administration, but this time as advised by my boss, who is consequently my mentor at work. I guess I never really have a specific course in mind; all I wanted was to have a career that would help me be financially stable and eventually aid me in my goals.

The paths that we take and the goals we want to achieve are always greatly influenced by people who we admire or aspire to become, but the final decision will always lie upon us. As the famous writer William Ernest Henley said, and I quote, “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”

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Morality in society

When I was young, I used to love buying 1-peso snacks from the store and share it with my siblings. But the way I get the money is not as innocent as it looks like. Whenever my parents are at work, I go to their room, get a chair to step on, and reach for the coins in my father’s jeans hanging in the closet. Unknowingly, both my parents and my siblings are unaware of my thievery until my aunt told my parents what I was doing. With a gentle tone explaining why my actions were wrong, my mother reprimanded me, while carefully telling me that she would smack my palms with a 12-inch plastic ruler as a form of punishment for me not to do it again. She smacked my open palms twice. It was so painful, I burst in tears.

To be honest, I never got to tell her that I didn’t know my actions were unacceptable, and the reason why I did it. Don’t get me wrong; my mother is the best mom anyone could ever have (Yes, we all say the same thing about our mothers). She cares for us dearly, never lets us go hungry or get too tired, and she even spoils us with toys and brings us to malls or parks to have fun, like every mother does (there, I said it). I guess she was aware that I didn’t know what I was doing was right or wrong, but she never questioned if I knew it or not, or why I was doing it, she just explained to me about my actions being improper, and proceeded to execute the punishment. I didn’t justify myself as well, I just accepted my fate because she told me it was wrong. Have I explained myself, would she have listened and forgave me for my first offense?

I repeated the act, again. Of course, I was scolded and punished, again, but this time, it was more intense than before. What did I expect? Doing the same offense twice after being punished just makes you look as a hard-headed person, which will eventually require some form of punishment that will make you remember not to do it again. But why did I do it if I knew I was going to get scolded and punished, which will be painful for me? Looking back, I realized that the feeling of seeing my siblings happy whenever I give them the snacks makes me feel delighted. This feeling overweighs the feeling I had when I was scolded and punished. This setting is probably similar to the story of Robin Hood, although in no way I am the protagonist of the story. After I was punished the second time around, I never did it again. Maybe I was just a hard-headed person.

Our morals are usually molded during our early years in life. Back then, I didn’t know what I was doing was wrong, so my mother stepped in and corrected my acts. She wanted to raise her children to be morally upright; the reason why she had to punish me. Regardless of my understanding of right and wrong, and my intention of doing the act, she punished me right away so that it will instill in my mind that when I do such a violation, I deserve to be punished. I only acted the way I think was right; I was giving them something that makes them happy which I think was right. Analyzing my acts, I believe that one of my ethical values falls under the utilitarianism sphere. I usually base my actions for the benefit of many, but since I know by this time and age what is legally right and wrong (well, probably the essentials ones only), I am careful not to violate any person even if it would result to benefiting more people, just like the story above.

Today, the stakes are higher in upholding my moral standards, especially since I am working for the government, and as most of us know, the government has not demonstrated a good reputation to the masses in terms of being morally just. I do not blame the public, and I have to admit, I still observe corrupt practices within our agency and among other national government agencies. What’s disappointing about the situation is that some government officers and officials make it appear that this is the norm in the government. Apparently, everyone is doing it, nobody is going to notice or call your attention, and nobody is going to reprimand the government officers, so what’s there to fear? I remember a quote from a famous author C.S. Lewis on integrity: “Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.” One question comes into my mind: were they simply made aware of or taught that this is normal in the government setting, or they just do not mind doing it because nobody will come after them if they do such acts?

Our morals are usually molded during our early years in life, and our morals change as we mature and are influenced by society. Maybe there is a deeper problem with the situation; some individuals who are exposed to such misconducts, especially when these misconducts are portrayed as the norm without apprehension, sometimes lose their morals and integrity over matters that would be of great benefit to them. For this matter, I believe that teaching moral standards should start at home, and should be sustained and upheld within the community, up to the society as a whole. Moral and ethical standards, as relative as it may be, should be constantly taught to individuals and to communities for us to become better citizens for a more progressive nation.

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Learning to Serve, Serving to Learn

In this session, we were oriented on the service learning program of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) course, in coordination with the Center for Social Concern and Action (COSCA). Before the orientation, the class was already clustered into several groups, and the place where we will do the service learning program was discussed. We were given two choices: either in a prison community in Muntinlupa, in cooperation with the Philippine Jesuit Prison Services, Inc. which is in partnership with the Bureau of Corrections, or with a fisherfolk’ community named Samahan ng Maliliit na Mangingisda ng Sulok (SAMLOK), located in Barangay Lumaniag Proper, Lian, Batangas. For the prison community, the aim of the program is to provide the persons deprived of liberty (PDL) different forms of trainings or seminars that would aid them in various aspects such as skills development, literacy trainings, social and spiritual formation. The expected outcome of the initiative is to properly equip the PDL in becoming better individuals capable of being integrated back into society. For the fisherfolk’ community, the objective is more or less similar with that of the prison community; only this time, trainings or seminars are focused on how to improve the livelihood of the fisherfolk to avert them from practicing illegal fishing methods such as dynamite fishing. The challenging part for this community is the limited resources that might help them in uplifting their livelihood. By limited, it means the resources or raw materials needed for the project must be somewhat proximate within the community and must be sustainable for the project to continue for the years to come. Our group has concurred to choose the fisherfolk community as our service learning project.

As I have mentioned in my previous entry, I have already experienced providing service to a marginalized community during my college days. We had a required course on Literacy Training Service (LTS) wherein we volunteered as teachers for the children of a resettlement area in Brgy. Dayap, Calauan, Laguna. The first few days have given me a sense of fulfillment even though becoming a teacher, especially to children, is not what I intend to make as my profession. Just having the thought of influencing and imparting my knowledge to the next generation made me feel a bit proud of myself. Even in small ways, I know I made an impact to the children I have taught, especially the three students who have stayed with me throughout the duration of the volunteer work (read my entry Life of St. Jean Baptiste de La Salle).

For this new chapter of volunteer work, I do have a slice of involvement particularly with communities working in the agriculture sector, since I am constantly visiting dairy farms and engaging with dairy farmers and their cooperatives. We do ask their concerns especially in producing safe and quality milk and milk products. Although my task is limited to assisting them in producing safe products, I try to accommodate all of their concerns and relay it to my colleagues who are responsible for those matters. Dealing with dairy farmers and their concerns is one thing, but I haven’t the slightest idea on how to assist fisherfolk in their livelihood. That’s why it’s quite a good thing that we can be flexible in coming up with a project for them.

With all these in mind, I may be focusing too much on what needs to be done, and ignoring the fact why these people are in such situation in the first place. This leads me to the never-ending basic question of why some people are poor and in need. Can they do something about it? Can WE do something about it? Analyzing their situation from my perspective, it usually boils down to them having limited opportunities to attain a better life. Some might say that these poor people are just lazy that’s why they are living in such situations. I am not generalizing all the people in the poor sector, but I do notice that few are really going for the easy way out. They would rather live in such a state than exert more effort to achieve somehow a better life than what they are used to. Then again, who am I to blame them? Have they started living in the same situation I have been on, having the same opportunities and privileges in terms of finances, basic needs, education, job opportunities, and the list goes on, will they still end up where they are now?

I believe it’s not simply a one way track for either side; them helping themselves to be better, or us helping them to have a better life. The better option is for us to assist them in helping themselves to have better life than what they have now. It should always be a collaborative effort to make our objectives and outcomes become sustainable. We as Lasallians must be of service to the society; the poor and the marginalized, for us to become a more progressive nation. We must share our values, morals, and knowledge to those in need while maintaining our value as socially responsible individuals.

I must say, I am quite eager for our Service Learning activity. I’ll keep you posted on the activities that we have done for the community. Until then!

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Get up to move up

[Beep!] goes my alarm. It’s 5:59 in the morning. Yes, that’s how I set my alarm; a minute before an even numbered time, in this case, 6:00 am. I have three alarms set for me to wake up: 5:39, 5:49, and 5:59 in the morning. A few things why I set it in this manner: (1) Of course I set at least three alarms so that there are back up alarms in case I snooze off one, (2) it’s really pestering to look at things that are odd, especially in numbers, that’s why you’ll be puzzled why it’s not exactly set at 5:40 or 6:00, and when you’re puzzled, your brain would more likely be awake than just snoozing again the alarm, and (3), it gives me a minute to orient myself to stay awake before preparing to go to work. I go to such extents just to prepare myself going to work, but the real question is, why do I even go to work?

Generally, I think I go to work simply because I get paid, and I use that money for my basic needs and wants, and sometimes for charitable reasons. It’s simple as that. So I guess I take my work as a job. I know my job is supposed to be fulfilling since I am a public servant, but I guess you can’t simply equate public service with purposeful tasks, or motivating outcomes. It still boils down to what kind of workplace I am working for. I know what I have to do to be of service to the public, but it’s kind of confusing if the whole organization is not attuned with a common goal. I believe the gap between looking at my work as a job and looking at it as a career is the lack of motivation. I do finish my job, and I feel a bit of sense of accomplishment every time I complete one, but there is not much room for recognition and motivation in our organization, rather, accomplishments are sometimes brushed aside and people, especially the upper management, would start looking for loopholes and problems with your accomplishments. It is satisfying whenever I see clients thanking me for my assistance, but it would not hurt if the organization can do the same. Maybe, if that time comes, I can consider my work as a career. But management and culture, in general, are hard to change overnight. Probably the best thing that I can do is to keep on waking up for work for those who are in need of my service, not for me to be reciprocated with the outputs I provide.

I don’t really consider my engagement in higher education as leisure. To be honest, it still feels like working. It’s hard to juggle work and studying, plus the burden of saving up to pay for the costly tuition (I know the school allots scholarships to 20% of the total student population, but I wasn’t shortlisted for scholarship). Instead, I have a different perspective when it comes to leisure. For me, leisure is simply living the moment. Every Saturday after school, I meet my girlfriend and we go out to eat and spend some time together. Then I go home to my family, just relaxing in the living room, surfing the net through my phone, watching television, doing chores, or any other activity as long as I am with them. I guess that makes me feel like I’m away from all the stress from work and school. That is my idea of leisure. I know it’s shallow, but that’s what I personally think. It’s my way to recharge myself after week-long battles with work and school. Analyzing this, I think the gap that I should close so I can transform my leisure from amusement to utility is to remove the stresses I experience from having a number of responsibilities on my shoulders. No, I will not resign from my work nor stop going to school; rather, I should start learning how to handle the stresses of life and use my work and school to my advantage. If I see things that way, maybe then I could be at a point where I look at leisure as time for utilizing to develop myself at any field I am interested in.

I cannot probably look for a different perspective if I would be integrating my point of view on work and leisure. Therefore, integrating my work as a job and my leisure as amusement, I would say I simply fall on gratification. For now, I cannot think of other meaning for my work as a mere source of income, and leisure as my time for amusement. Maybe I am being burdened by few responsibilities that I am not sure how I will be dealing with them all at the same time. That is why I feel that things such as my job and my school are just inertly passing by, and I am just waiting for the time where I could feel a little ease on my responsibilities. Like I said, a little motivation at work could help me feel a bit satisfied with what I do, and that would drive me to work better for me to consider it a career. I know I have more potential in providing public service that what I have right now, but a little push wouldn’t hurt. On another note, given the current circumstance that I am in: enough finances to get me by with daily work and school, but not enough for me to really enjoy the fruits of my labor, I believe easing the stresses from work and the idea of expensive tuition would help me bridge the gap from considering leisure as amusement to utility. For the integration, I have to make effort on both my work and leisure so I could hurdle from gratification to achievement.

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Where do we go with what we want to be (so many w’s)

The session for the evening talks about values. In its simplest definition, values are often linked with what we believe to be true and just, what we were mold to during our early years and what we still uphold to until now, but again, the values that we have held on for so long might be changed through our years of living due to personal circumstances, social environment, or other instances that directly affects our perspectives.

One highlight during the session is the activity which required us to determine the top values we possess based on Rokeach Value Survey. The Rokeach Value Survey categorizes values as terminal and instrumental values. Terminal values are, based on its name, the values that we want us to be known for as we leave this life. For instance, when I retire from my occupation or any other endeavor, what is it that I wanted to become? What would make me say that I am truly content with what I have become? For the instrumental values, these are the values you possess for you to be able to achieve the terminal values you want. For example, to live a comfortable life, you may have the following values to achieve this terminal value: you are capable, clean, independent, responsible, and self-controlled. These instrumental values, as the word suggests, are instrumental in achieving your terminal values.

It may look easy at first, but it’s not simple to pinpoint the values I possess and what values I want to achieve in this lifetime. I struggled quite a bit in determining these terminal and instrumental values. Then again, I still managed to enumerate some. The terminal values I wanted to have, which are in decreasing order, are: a comfortable life, family security, pleasure, a sense of accomplishment, and wisdom. For me to achieve these terminal values, I believe that my instrumental values, also in decreasing order, are the following: self-controlled, forgiving, helpful, responsible, and loving. To be honest, I just want a simple life when I retire from my job, I don’t want to worry about anything, and just live the rest of my life without complications. In essence, I don’t want to be troubled in my final days. But I find it intriguing that my terminal values are somehow incongruent with my instrumental values. I understand that being self-controlled and forgiving are the values that would likely get me out of trouble; I know I am a law abiding person, and I easily forgive people because I don’t want to worry myself in determining how I would get my exact revenge, and what implications might arise from my vengeful actions. But for the other values, it pops a question in my head: If I really want a comfortable life, why would I value being a helpful, responsible, and loving person? Doesn’t that mean that I would trouble myself in extending my arms to those in need? I guess I have to really know what I want out of this life. Maybe I want to have a comfortable life, but I guess it would always disturb me if I would just be slacking for the rest of my life knowing that there are a lot of people who needs help. I do hope that these values directed to helping others would not diminish over the course of my life, and although I have always dreamed of being of use to others, I must, as early as now, concretely plan on how I would achieve these terminal values that I want to have at the end of my career life.

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Life of St. Jean Baptiste de La Salle

Who is St. Jean Baptiste de La Salle?

St. Jean Baptiste de La Salle is widely known as the Patron Saint of Christian Teachers because of his mission to provide education to the needy during his time where few people could live a luxurious life while most are living the life of peasants. Being a Patron Saint of Christian Teachers is one of his well-known names, but what really made him achieve his mission are the characteristics he possessed. The following accounts are based on a movie about the Life of St. Jean Baptiste de La Salle.

St. La Salle was a risk taker. In the movie, although he knew that his methods of teaching were unorthodox and will be opposing the traditional ways of teaching, which would later on became evident as burdensome to the point that even some aristocrats, school masters, and clergies are doubting his movement, his mind was set into helping the poor and the needy a better access to education. He even renounced his nobility, wealth, and Canonship to pursue the greater cause he envisions. Even his family sees him as someone “out of his mind” for doing a considerably unusual act. He does seem aware of the consequences of his actions, since he has been reflecting on giving up everything in exchange of serving those in need, and asked the Lord for His guidance on his mission. He knew that the Lord would not let Him suffer, for he has faith that his mission is aligned with God’s purpose.

He was an innovator. The innovative character of St. de La Salle manifested all throughout his mission. From the beginning, what he pictured is a world where children are broad-minded and knows no class distinction in treating others. Having this mission in mind and in heart, with the guidance of the Lord, he put his mission into action by looking for members as school masters, which he addressed as brothers, for his mission is for a greater cause and is attuned with God’s teachings. The traditional way of teaching children is on a one-to-one teacher to student session. This has been the employed teaching approach for decades, and has only been accessible to children of noble and wealthy origin. This was the mind-set of all schools and school masters in Europe and it was the norm at the time. St. La Salle thought of something different; he want education to be accessible not only to the children of wealthy and noble background, but also to the poor and marginalized who need it the most, employing it on a wider scope. To do this, he tasked the school master from Reims, France to identify members who would later on become his brothers, and train them to teach children various principles of different fields of which they are adept to. What is different with St. La Salle’s school setup is a single teacher gathers a flock of students and teach simultaneously; far different from the traditional methods of European schools. These made practicing school masters, wealthy classes, and even some clergies sceptical and doubtful of his methods, even thinking it as absurd to deviate from what has been done for the past centuries. Agents of change are always subject to criticism; even if their end goal is to help the mass in need. St. La Salle was no different from this situation. But his goal, his vision came to fruition with the establishment of Brothers of the Christian Schools all over the world.

A servant-leader to both God and humanity. St. La Salle has always been a servant; a servant of God even at a very young age. He then continued serving God until his last breath; carrying his mission in his mind and heart. St. La Salle was serving God with his actions and decisions, and through these acts he became the servant of the poor and the needy, as well. He served God by ultimately being a servant for the poor children. He was at the same time the leader of the Brothers of the Christian Schools who teach the poor children around Europe. It was notably apparent when the Catholic ministry in Paris tried to replace St. La Salle as the supervisor of the Brothers of the Christian Schools he established. This move by the ministry was greatly opposed by the Christian brothers to the extent that they would renounce their vows just to keep St. La Salle as their superior. St. La Salle, being a person of peace, tried to subdue his men by agreeing with the sudden change. It was obvious in that moment that St. La Salle was regarded as a leader in such a way that his disciples would go to certain lengths to be of assistance to his, and eventually, their mission as Brothers of the Christian Schools.

A reliable and life-changing mentor. A mentor not only for the poor children, not just for his brotherhood, but leading by example, St. La Salle has exhibited characteristics that changes peoples’ lives. One of his disciples, Andre, a former bandit who stole St. La Salle’s crucifix necklace and other religious items, has turned himself away from his previous ways to become a Christian brother teaching the poor children. St. La Salle never showed Andre indifference even if he was placed at a disadvantaged position. He considered Andre as a person in need, and offered him his friendship if he returns the crucifix he stole. During the course of St. La Salle’s mission, he and his brotherhood experienced hardships since they were not receiving enough sponsorship from the Church, and all their finances are slowly being depleted because of their charitable acts of feeding the underprivileged using their own funds. His brothers have altogether given up the mission since they themselves could not feed their own if they continue the charity work. Just when all hope is lost for St. La Salle’s noble mission, in the turn of fortunate events, Andre openly accepts St. La Salle’s offer of friendship by returning the stolen crucifix and becoming one of his teaching brothers. This event has sparked the beginning of the expansion of St. La Salle’s mission throughout Europe.

How I believe in St. La Salle’s mission

I know it is not humbling to state such thoughts, but even before I knew of St. La Salle, I had this idea of extending my hand to the poor and needy whenever there are possible instances. I always dreamed of teaching poor children and out-of-school youth, to maximize their potentials and to share the blessings that I have always been receiving. After graduating high school, I aimed to take National Service Training Program (NSTP) – Literacy Training Services (LTS) with focus on teaching underprivileged youths during my college days in UP Los Banos. It was my first time to teach children on a volunteer work. It was in Brgy. Dayap, Calauan, Laguna, where ABS-CBN Foundation’s Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig project resettlement sites are located.

Although the children in the area were already given access to education, the NSTP-LTS program provides additional educational assistance in the form of tutorials for children having difficulties in understanding elementary subjects, or any student who is interested in additional knowledge for that matter. During the first few sessions of the tutorials, a handful of students appeared to participate, but as time passed by and sessions have been conducted; I noticed that only few students have stayed, three to be exact. I then asked these students where their peers are; they said they were playing basketball, helping in household chores or helping with their parents’ livelihood. I guess even if you provide free access to education to poor children, it can still be hindered by different factors, especially if learning is not their priority. I then interviewed why these three are still staying despite their peers not being with them. One said that he was an honor student in his class and he must maintain his grades because he dreams of getting his family out of the situation they are currently in. Another one dreams of becoming a school teacher, that aside from learning the elementary subjects I was teaching her, she plans on learning teaching skills in the tutorial sessions. The other is just eager to learn the subject matters I was teaching. I then realized that if there are children like them out there that believe in education as their way to uplift their current state, then there is hope for the next generation. Having known this hope the children possess, it somehow is inviting to continue what St. La Salle has started.