Learning from reading newspapers

One rainy Friday at home with nothing to do, we decided to buy copies of the three leading newspapers in the country (The Philippine STAR, Manila Bulletin and Philippine Daily Inquirer) and read them from cover to cover. We were surprised to find out that not one of them had the same contents, the same headlines, the same color and layout. We had always thought otherwise. We then gathered some kids to participate in a game to choose their favorite newspaper stories with the promise of a free lunch.

The Philippine STAR declared there was “Not enough time to amend the constitution to extend the term of P-Noy.” The Bulletin stated that the “European Union was supporting the Philippines in the sea dispute.” The Inquirer showed “President Aquino being welcomed in Paris just like his mom Cory Aquino 25 years ago.”

The small kids wanted a coloring book and asked for crayons; the older ones asked for the sports page, lifestyle and food pages. Most were only interested in the free lunch.

We were now ready for another experiment as we headed for our school St. John’s Academy in San Juan, armed with the same newspapers. Gathering six of the high school students, we asked them to “choose a story you can develop into an opinion column in 15 minutes and no cheating,” we warned. In less than 15 minutes, they passed their papers.

 Elizabeth Cuevas chose “Mario leaves 10 dead, P144M damage to Agriculture, Infrastructure.” She said the damage left by Mario would “affect our plantations, not to mention flooding and loss of life. There is a need for constant updating of the path of Mario.” Dale Matthew Fresco Lorenzo chose “PH claims world tree-planting record” saying he was attracted by the information given that the country is now in the Guinness Book of World Records. Dale wrote “After having planted 3.2 million seedlings within the space of an hour, we have shown that even in small ways our country can excel.” Patrick Garcia selected “Filipino ISIS supporters gather anew in Marawi” strongly stating that “The ISIS decided to wage the war, their main goal being to gain support from all Muslims and become part of their revolution.”

Mariel Torres zeroed in on “Claims Board: Where the Elderly pour out their Pain” recalling that her attention was caught because of the word “pain.” She wrote, “It always fascinated me how older people can cope up with their life and how they can live without giving up.”

“Yolanda aid goes viral with lots of thanks to netizens” was chosen by Aila Arellano for the innovations brought by technology. Aila wrote, “Although the Philippines has remained resilient, the netizens have provided awareness to those far away.” Finally, the headline “Lifestyle check should cover cops-cum-gambling lords” caught the attention of Rory Anne Reyes, who voiced out her disappointment with the PNP entrusted and expected to protect the people. She wrote, “We should not be dependent on the government alone. We should do our part because after all, this is our country we are talking about.”

Our judgment — some participants have great ideas but bad grammar, others are in need of originality. One shouldn’t be a copycat. Many thanks to teacher Kathleen Faye Mudlong, adviser Adivina Maming and office assistant admin Mildred Isaga.        

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