A house divided
The Philippines may be one nation, but it is no secret that its political system is sorely divided. Governance of these respective areas are naturally designated to prominent individuals, a powerful political group or a family who may possess the know-how required to properly handle their jurisdictions and are chosen through direct appointment and local elections. For a very long time, local positions have been conduits of power and been given to all of the above and this method has long been seen as the optimal solution as it gives and distributes power to the appointees who can be seen as representatives of their regions. This system should work.
However, all is not well in the Philippines and we are of the opinion that these divisions though not a bad solution in themselves, do create unique problems inherent to their builds. To illustrate these problems and the gaps in this system that may cause, at best, minor hiccups in the political system, and at worst, power struggle and violence in a bid to further one’s own group; two questions emerge when wondering about the divided-yet-one system present in the Philippines; firstly, what happens when these groups, wish to keep their power? And second, what about those that oppose them? Today, we will be giving our opinion on the issue of factionalism as a political reality in our country.
Two events perfectly illustrate the issues that arise in the face of these questions. On December 22, 2018, a member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Rodel M. Batocabe, was killed after being shot at eight times at a gift-giving event for senior citizens in Albay as reported by the New York Times. On January 3, 2019, an update was given by the same news source regarding the results of the investigation into the incident. Mr. Carlwyn Baldo was arrested as the main suspect and the person who had reportedly ordered the assassination after Mr. Bacotabe had expressed a desire to run against him. Factionalism, explains this killing as the consolidation of a landed figure’s power through a pre-emptive hit on a potentially formidable opponent. Violence is but a tool in power struggles.
Another incident was the killing of Vice Mayor Charlie Yuson III of Masbate allegedly by an opposing faction, led by Sandra Cam. Sandra Cam’s son had lost to Yuson’s son during the 2019 mayoral race in Batuan, Masbate and was suspected of ordering the hit as revenge for this loss in political prestige and power as Cam’s family had been in power in Masbate for some time. These events are proofs of the presence of factionalism and also an inevitable consequence of the existence of factions and divisions in our political system. Factionalism erases the pre-conceived notions of service and duty and are instead local positions are used as positions where one can gatekeep the future of the country with arms and money. This poses a long-term problem in a country fraught with political dynasties, local violence and election fraud.
A house divided against itself, in this way, cannot stand, and even if it does, it would not stand for long. This issue is not new and it seems that our country has been desensitized to the violence. Factionalism, as a whole, is an active obstacle to honest elections and positive, long-lasting change because for as long as there are gatekeepers to the future of our country, with arms and money at their sides, will our country ever rise? It is our inescapable duty then to erase this blot on our political system.
Augustine Emmanuel Licup
Getting used of what is new
There is always this feeling of excitement with the word new. New dress? Yay! New house? Yes! New normal? It is so easy to show happiness over things that give us joy than situations that lodge a bit of confusion.
To us educators what is new becomes our stage to be more innovative and creative to help learners. The new normal in education urges both teachers and learners to temporarily leave the four walls of the classrooms and embrace the work and study from home arrangement. It empowers parents to teach their kids at home while spending quality time with them. To assist parents and learners with the new experience and setup in education, DepEd teachers ensure teacher-learner connection through KIT to monitor learner’s performance and progress.
One of the challenges encountered in the new normal is how to decrease the high number of learners with difficulty in reading. Is this new? Not really, but finding the right reading intervention to suit the new normal in education to address difficulty in reading is a challenge to each teacher. How to help non-readers read? Aside from the printed reading materials the use of outdated and latest technologies and gadgets aid teachers to reach learners in need and with reading difficulty. Intermittent internet connection, struggling and coping are normal nowadays.
Getting used with what is new is the new normal. With the new teaching and learning environment in education, where are we? We are still on the right path. Travelling alone? No. Leaders through various programs and projects are always there to assist and lead us to the right directions and help us fully understand that it is not what is new but on how we cope and survive to excel.
Maricel B. Niones
Cebu City
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