Education

June marks the start of classes again. The streets that were emptied in the summer are now busy early in the morning, with young children in their crisp white uniforms scurrying to school. On my daily commute, I often see families of four or more squeezed together on one motorcycle slowly making their way to school. I see mothers holding their children's hand as they cross the street and trying to steer clear of speeding public transportation. I see siblings gently (and some not so gently) pulling along still-groggy younger siblings.

All these young people, putting their belief in an educational system that is sorely lacking. And it's just the start of the day. They haven't even gotten inside their too cramped and hot classroom.

Because of the state of our country's education, success stories are even more precious. Just the other day, I read an online article that talked about a young boy who lived on the streets but managed, through his determination to learn and through the kindness of others, to earn a scholarship grant to Germany. His home life was turbulent. He slept in the streets and sold flowers to earn a living. He had every disadvantage and yet he did not give up.

I wish I could meet this boy. I wish my students could meet him. In fact, if I could, I would ask him to speak all over the country so that others would value education as much as he does. I think of the privileged few of this country, the ones whose parents send them off to school in air-conditioned cars, whose main problem is that the internet is too slow, whose first question after a lecture is, "Can I get a copy of your presentation slides?" How easy they have it. How petty some of their problems become when put next to the problem of figuring out where the next meal is coming from.

And yet, I do not blame our children. It is our fault as adults, after all, if we raise them feeling apathetic and isolated from the realities of others. Education is not just about facts and figures, it's also about teaching others to care, to become involved and to appreciate what they have. The gap between the rich and the poor, between those who have and those who have not, between those who know and those who don't, will keep getting wider until we teach our children that there is such a gap and it is our collective responsibility to bridge it.

This coming Thursday marks our country's 116th Independence Day. Our country's victory will and should be commemorated. But we also ought to remember that some battles are still far from over.

Philippine Flag made of Chocolate

A giant Philippine flag made of chocolates is unveiled today at 4 p.m. at the Northwing Atrium in SM City Cebu.

 The chocolate Philippine flag, measuring 12ft-by-20ft, is in line with the Independence Day celebration. It is a project of SM City Cebu together with Ralfe Gourmet's The Chocolate Chamber. Last year, a giant Philippine flag was also unveiled at the same venue, created by Ralfe Gourmet using 10,000 assorted tablea chocolates. The 10,000 variety of chocolates included chocolate pralines with whole cacao nib, alfajores, tablea rice crispies, chocolate sticks, and tablea singles.

This year, Ralfe Gourmet's new creation - The Chocolate Chamber, still under Raquel Choa, now considered the country's chocolate ambassadress, takes the lead in making the giant chocolate Philippine flag. The chocolate display also features chocolate blocks showing the evolution of the Philippine flag.

The chocolate Philippine flag display runs until June 12, Independence Day.