PARENTAL WISDOM

PARENTAL WISDOM

by: Joyce Denise Ortiz-Aragon

1. Si Inay, tinuruan niya ako HOW TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE:

“Kung kayong dalawa ay magpapatayan, doon kayo sa labas! Mga leche kayo, kalilinis ko lang ng bahay.”

2. Natuto ako ng RELIGION kay Itay:

“Kapag yang mantsa di natanggal sa carpet, magdasal ka na!”

3. Kay Inay ako natuto ng LOGIC:

“Kaya ganyan, dahil sinabi ko.”

4. At kay Inay pa rin ako natuto ng MORE LOGIC:

“Pag ikaw nalaglag diyan sa bubong, ako lang mag-isa ang manonood ng sine.”

5. Si Inay din ang nagturo sa akin kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng IRONY:

“Sige ngumalngal ka pa at bibigyan talaga kita ng iiyakan mo!”

6. Si Inay ang nagpaliwanag sa akin kung ano ang CONTORTIONISM:

“Tingnan mo nga yang dumi sa likod ng leeg mo, tingnan mo!!!”

7. Si Itay ang nagpaliwanag sa akin kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng  STAMINA:

“Wag kang tatayo diyan hangga’t di mo nauubos lahat ng pagkain mo!”

8. At! si Inay ang nagturo sa amin kung ano ang WEATHER:

“Lintek talaga kayo, ano ba itong kuwarto nyong magkapatid, parang dinaanan ng bagyo!”

9. Ganito ang paliwanag sa akin ni Inay tungkol sa CIRCLE OF LIFE:

“Walanghiya kang bata ka, iniluwal kita sa mundong ito, maari rin kitang alisin sa mundong ito.”

10. Kay Itay ako natuto kung ano ang BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION:

“Tumigil ka nga diyan! Huwag kang umarte na parang Nanay mo!”

11. Si Inay naman ang nagturo kung anong ibig sabihin ng GENETICS:

“Nagmana ka nga talaga sa ama mong walanghiya!”

12. Si Inay naman ang nagpaliwanag sa amin kung a nong ibig sabihin ng ENVY:

“Maraming mga batang ulila sa magulang.  Di ba kayo nagpapasalamat at mayroon kayong magulang na tulad namin?”

13. Si Itay naman ang nagturo sa akin ng ANTICIPATION:

“Sige kang bata ka, hintayin mong makarating tayo sa bahay!”

14. At si Itay pa rin ang nagturo kay Kuya kung anong ibig sabihin ng TRYING OUT NEW FLAVORS:

“Salbahe ka talaga ano? Pagdating natin sa bahay, makakatikim ka sa akin!”

15. Si Inay naman ang nagturo sa akin kung ano ang HUMOR:

“Kapag naputol yang mga paa mo ng pinaglalaruan mong lawnmower, wag na wag kang tatakbo sa akin at lulumpuhin kita!”

16. At ang pinakamahalaga sa lahat, natutunan ko kina Inay at Itay kung ano ang JUSTICE:

“Balang araw magkakaroon ka rin ng anak…tiyak magiging katulad mo at magiging sakit din sa ulo!”

Educators' Night 2009

EDUCATORS' NIGHT 2009

(Speech delivered during the Educators' Night 2009 - Catarman Town Fiesta)

Tonight I am very much privileged to be given an opportunity to once again greet our tireless educators in this occasion solely dedicated to honor you and your profession.  I feel grateful too for the feeling of being one of you in this profession not only because I have spent these past few years teaching medical courses in the Colegio de San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila of Catarman but also of  being a son of teachers.  My father, a DepEd Regional Director, Dir. Celedonio L. Layon, Jr. and my mother, Juanita L. Figueroa, an Assistant Schools Division Superintendent, did not only raise us on the sweats of their brows as teachers but more importantly imbued on us the values for which teachers live—commitment and dedication to ones profession, integrity and social sensitivity to be always attuned with the pulse of the community, and sharing ones fortunes and extending helping hands to all.  The profession of teaching has taught me that it is not enough to do the expected but to do more than the limits of one’s capability.  These are the good values I learned from my parents and to the teachers who have left indelible marks in my life.

These could have been the reasons why I digress in the practice of a profession where I spent several years of my young life to finish and to master.   I started to love teaching and found joy and fulfillment of the things I have done.  It is a rare happiness that I always feel whenever a student start to find his ways in the maze of the difficult medical disciplines.  It is always a profound relief that the once rough and seemingly happy-go-lucky students have been transformed to enviable gems due to the efforts I have expended as a teacher.  I am sure you must have moments of euphoria, just like I did, whenever you see an understanding glint in the eyes of a learner where formerly all you could see where clouds of  doubt, ignorance, and fear.   I know the deep pleasure you feel for the littlest success and learning acquired by your pupils because of the little push you have given them.  As teachers, you built strong foundations premised on right values, proper work ethics, community and social sensitivities that they could use for a much better tomorrow.

The experience, the pleasure, the values and the opportunities for greater service opened my eyes to venture into other fields.  I tried to dabble in politics to make myself relevant to my belief to be of greater service and to give full meaning to the lessons I learned from my parents and to be able to reach out to a much greater constituents.  Teaching has taught me the realities outside the classroom.  Teaching has opened my eyes of the social malaise that has debilitated our communities and made the playing field not even especially among the marginalized and underprivileged.  It made me look into myself—the purpose of my life and the thing I am capable to do to change the situation.  I felt I could do something, insignificant it may be, to dissipate the condition by dedicating myself to the pursuit of the education ideals we teachers hold dear.

From the time you have given me the privilege to serve you and other constituents as Provincial Board Member was the time I started to fully understand the need of our communities, our schools and our teachers.   A day never passes without a teacher, a barangay official or a parent knocking at the door of our poor home bringing some concerns about their school and the schooling of their children.  In addition to school problems a lot of our underprivileged constituents brought even personal and family problems like illness in the family, food for their table, problems in their work, seeking jobs and the like.  I am just fortunate that I have siblings that feel the way I feel about these constituents—this is a strong influence of my teacher-parents.  My two sisters, Dr. Christine Layon-Estanislao, an OB-Gyne, and Dr. Catherine Layon-Miral, an Internist and Diabetologist and my elder brother, Dr. Gilbert Layon, a surgeon, together with their spouses, Dr. Joseph Estanislao, the present head of the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital, Dr. Reuben Miral, a radiologist and Dr. Ann Marnie Tancio-Layon, a dentist give their time and special attention and service to those who come for medical service to assist me in this venture.  

My stint in the Provincial Board gives me great pleasure for the opportunity to serve our schoolchildren, our schools and our teachers.  I hope our partnership of service to the young Catarmananon continues so that not one among our young boys and girls will mature without the benefit of education and the pleasure of your caring hands in bringing the best from each of them.

Thank you for taking the lead in the full development of Catarman through these children.  Thank you for having experienced what it is to be a teacher. It is indeed a rare honor to be one of you.  Thank you in behalf of our good governor, Gov. Raul Daza, who could not make it tonight.  Thank you and good evening.

Educators' Night 2007

EDUCATORS’ NIGHT 2007

(Speech delivered during the Educator’s Night 2007 - Catarman Town Fiesta Celebration)

 Tonight I am tasked to fill the shoes of an institution, an icon of Northern Samar.

This is a task that I take with awe and trepidation for I feel so insignificant to even approximate the stature, the experience, the expertise and the wisdom of this man. Thus, I am apprehensive that I may not be equal to the task. At the same time, I am very glad to have been given opportunity of representing our Governor, Governor Raul A. Daza in this gathering of significant workers in the field of education. Kung baga this is a time for me to feel how it is to be a governor of our province even only for a short instance (Siguro practice ko na ine sa tidaraon na mga panahon. Matuman kunta.)

 Before proceeding with my task, I would like to express my thanks and deep gratitude to the people of Catarman, more specifically to the teachers and other officials of the four school districts of this municipality, to the trust and confidence you have given me to represent you and the education concerns in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Thank you for this rare gift of confidence that leads to the chance for me to be of service to our fellow Nortehanons.

Earlier on, at the organizational stage of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan when chairmanships of committees were dished out, I lobbied that, among others, I should chair the Committee on Education. It was not only borne by the fact that nanalaytay sa aking mga ugat ang dugong titser, my grandparents and my parents, Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Juanita F. Layon and Regional Director Celedonio L. Layon, Jr., are dyed-to-the-wool teachers but also my desire to make difference in the educational scene of our province.

As a chair of this Committee, I have come to grip with some realities about education in our province and in our country. The other day, The Philippine Daily Inquirer reiterated the fact that problems of education identified 15 years ago persist today. The crisis in education has not been resolved through the years. The quality of education is still declining. The elementary and secondary schools are failing to teach the competencies that the average citizen needs to become responsible, productive and self-fulfilling. The colleges and technical/vocational schools are not producing the manpower that the country needs to develop the economy. The problem is exacerbated by the perennial problem of lack of teachers, textbooks, classrooms and other vital facilities.

The condition manifests itself in the result of instruction. At the national level, our country has always been at the lowest quartile in the two Trends in math and Science Instruction given in the past years. The mean performance score in the National Achievement Tests is between 46 to 53 points through the years. The latest test on reading for grade III shows that barely 42% of our pupils can read independently. The performance of Northern Samar is equally dismal. We thought that the high performance of Lope de Vega National High School, that topped the NAT four years ago, will be sustained. The results of the Philippine informal Reading Inventory emphasized the deterioration of our schools when our province got the lowest rank among the 178 or so school divisions in the country.

Everything, however, is not yet lost. In the midst of the ocean of mediocrity we can still see islands of excellence in some of our schools in the different sectors of our province. The achievement of Lope de Vega National High School told us that we can perform beyond the limitation of our resources. It performed much better than most well endowed schools through the sheer tenacity and dedication of teachers. We can learn from them. We can still change the tide of mediocrity and reach the shore of excellence. All we have to do is to extend our helping hands to make this possible in every school in the province.

Cognizant of this reality your humble representation, together with the support of Gov. Raul A. Daza and Supt. Thelma C. Quitalig, is organizing a summit among the stakeholders of education in the nearest future. This Education Summit is the avenue for the stakeholders to analyze the educational situation in the province and plan for the strategic steps each one of us will take to change the tide and achieve the best for our learners and our province. The Committee on Education and the Provincial School Board will take its success as their responsibility. We take the results of this Summit as essential elements for our action s to improve the educational situation of our schools. However, all these plans will only take off and succeed if all of us will do our share in the efforts of building our schools.

On the occasion of the celebration of the annual Educators’ Night we commit ourselves to the tasks ahead. There should be no letup in our efforts until we achieve our goals in raising the performance of our schools so that once again we will be n the vanguard of national achievers among the schools divisions in the country. The Committee on Education of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and the Provincial School Board will proactively support all your efforts to make these goals a reality. Sana kayo rin ay gagawa ng nararapat gawin. With you there and we working together there could be no reason for us to fail with us together we can soar high and reach the height of achievement.

Then, I can confidently say that I have come up to your expectations. Then, I can be happy with the thought that I have contributed to the renaissance of our educational sector. Probably I can take off from here to other endeavors.

Thank you and enjoy the night.

PWD

[Sponsorship Speech for my proposed resolution requesting the Office of the Governor, Province of Northern Samar, to establish Office of Persons with Disability Affairs (OPDA) and appropriating funds thereof, 2 September 2011]

Mr. Chairman, my distinguished colleagues:

People with disabilities are often negatively stereotyped and marginalized by the rest of society. They are isolated and often made to feel that their participation in activities, programs or public life is not welcome.

Persons with disabilities are human beings, it is self-evident that disability is a welfare issue of persons with disabilities as well as the compliance with the accessibility and participation in community affairs, and it is in the recognition of that intrinsic humanity that we can reach outcomes that would result in the full implementation and protection of their well-being. 

Persons with disabilities are entitled to exercise their civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights on an equal basis with others. Disability summarizes a great number of different functional limitations occurring in population in our province. They may not be aware of the options available to them and, if they suffer from psychiatric disabilities, they may not understand or may not be able to make a decision even when their rights are explained to them.  They may also be used in criminal activities without being aware of it. In some cases, they may be dependent on family members or be housed in an institution and they may not know whom they should get in touch with or how and when their rights are violated.

Worthy to note, Mr. Chairman, is Republic Act No. 7277, otherwise known “AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE REHABILITATION, SELF-DEVELOPMENT AND SELF-RELIANCE OF DISABLED PERSONS AND THEIR INTEGRATION INTO THE MAINSTREAM OF SOCIETY AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. ”  Chapter IV, Section 21, Paragraph (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) of said act, the State shall ensure that marginalized persons are provided with the necessary auxiliary services that will restore their social functioning and participation in community affairs. The promotion of the general welfare of every inhabitant including the marginalized disabled persons as embodied in Section 16 of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991. Also, Article II, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution,  the  State values the dignity of every human persons and guarantees full respect for human rights.

In must also pointed out that it is necessary to prioritize the concerns of people with disabilities to facilitate there needs and to access participation in community affairs.

Mr. Chairman, my honorable colleagues of this eminent body, in view of the foregoing, to put safeguard and full support to the well-being of every persons with disabilities, I urge this Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the people to support the immediate passage of (this) resolution, granting the Office of the Governor, Province of Northern Samar, to establish Office of Persons with Disability Affairs (OPDA) and Appropriating Funds Thereof.  The passage of the resolution under consideration is a big step towards achieving this goal of eliminating or minimizing the ill effect of poverty for the PWDs.

The development of Persons with Disabilities contributes to the promotion of gender quality. And the establishment of the Office of Persons with Disability Affairs and appropriating funds thereof should be one of the priority components in poverty reduction programs of our province.

Thank you.

My Three-Year Journey

My Three-Year Journey

(Inaugural speech delivered during the Inaugural Session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Province of Northern Samar, July 6, 2007)

Today, I am privileged to join the members of this august body, the honorable lady and gentlemen of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of our beloved province. I take pleasure in taking steps with them in this three-year journey of service towards the amelioration of the lot of the Nortehanons and the acceleration of the multi-sectoral development of Northern Samar. As a neophyte member of this Council, I have an ambivalent feeling of what the days ahead have in store for me. I look at it with apprehension but with determination to master the requirement of the job. I therefore take the rhythm of this journey with approbation and elation for the rare opportunity it offers me to make a difference in the lives of our constituents.

The days ahead are the most propitious time for us to reexamine the conditions of the Nortehanons. We shall take a second look at the recent past to learn the lessons it had to offer. As we look back, we shall recognize both our achievements and our failures hoping that they would contribute to a better understanding of the situation and condition of our province and consequently lead to a more efficient crafting of more effective reform initiatives. We shall look into what we have done and failed to do even as we shall delve deeper into the reason or reasons why such conditions exist.

The road ahead points the way for us to render ideals and practices obsolescent by transforming them into their opposites through achieving and rejecting their promises. We will usher in the onset of new perceptions and novel actions making new ideals possible. Our sense of reality is too keen to be violated by moribund ideals, too forward-looking to be too long satisfied with the comforting arrangements of the present, and thus we must move from the known to the unknown, for there lies the more humane future, for there lays the idealistic core of our mandate. We must move from the realm of dreams through the valley of the practical and useful. Yes, but how we arrive there is our decision, our challenge and our responsibility. And in the going and in the arriving our task is to tirelessly transform the past and create and re-create the future. We shall endeavor to reshape Northern Samar to the forms of our vision.

It would be a vision that readily responds to the anguish of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta who said that many people are hungry not for lack of food, they are hungry for lack of human love. Many people are thirsty not for lack of water, they are thirsty for lack of human compassion. Many people are unclad not for lack of clothes but for lack of human dignity. We are in the maelstrom of the social condition of our people but the way is open for us only if we will be compassionate in the crafting of the product of our efforts. Compassion and understanding, coupled with definite actions, will make possible a better Nortehanon. Thus, for us we will do this not because of duty but because our people expect them from this august body.

We cannot reach the goal we set ourselves to achieve without the support of all Nortehanons. Thus, we dedicate this day not only for expressing our thanks and honor the members of this body but also a day marked for a new beginning for a much better and more ardent partnership for a good cause, that we have imagined and could now be in the realm of reality.

Let us, therefore, join hands in the noble mission of improving the life of the Nortehanons through more effective and responsive legislation we will craft. We shall bridge the realm of the things possible and let the idea of impossibility exists only in the mind. Let us therefore join hands since together we can make a difference, and together we can forge a new beginning. Let us make the lilting song of John Lennon our anthem in our three-year journey. Like him, “let us imagine that there are no possessions… No need for greed or hunger. Let us imagine all the people sharing the entire world. Imagine all the people living in peace. You may say I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one. I hope someday you will join us, and we will live as one.”

Thank you.

To Deter Human Trafficking in the Barangay

 Sponsorship Speech for my proposed ordinance requiring the mandatory registration of all forms of recruitment and placement activities conducted in a barangay, providing penalties for violation thereof, and for other purposes, 8 August 2011)

Mr. Chairman, my distinguished colleagues:

More and more people are becoming aware of the horrors of human trafficking. Yet the crime persists. In our country, laws to stop human trafficking are still not adhered to and implementation remains inadequate.

Few criminals are convicted and the majority of victims never receive help. The true extent of this crime is unknown. That in itself is a problem that deserves further attention. The criminal nature of the phenomenon, the lack of legislation, benign neglect in some quarters and denial in others make information collection a challenge.

Along with this, serious attention in our province must intensify efforts to disseminate awareness against illegal recruitment and human trafficking in our barangays, especially in far-flung areas, where these syndicates usually look for would-be-victims.

It is imperative to have a serious examination on the recruitment and placement activities conveniently done at the barangay level and to provide for a stringent requirement in the conduct thereof in order to curtail this social epidemic, being an insult to rule of law and a violation of the fundamental rights of the individual.

Distinguished colleagues, behind these are stories of individuals, whose freedom of choice is impaired by desperation or helplessness, thus rendering them vulnerable to exploitation. Victims are subjected to forced labor, domestic servitude and forced marriage, organ removal and sale, sex trade, and exploitation of children.

Worthy to note, Mr. Chairman, my honorable colleagues of this eminent body, Section 16 Paragraph (j) of  Republic Act No. 9208, "Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003," provides that “(l)ocal government units (LGUs) shall monitor and document cases of trafficking in persons in their areas of jurisdiction, effect the cancellation of licenses of establishments which violate the provisions of this Act and ensure effective prosecution of such cases.” The general welfare clause, which empowers the local government units to enact and implement measures for the general well-being of the inhabitant as embodied in Section 16 of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as theLocal Government Code of 1991. Also, Article II, Section 18 (of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines), the State affirms labor as a primary social economic force. It shall protect the rights of workers and promote their welfare.

We have a moral duty and a legal obligation to fight human trafficking.  It is time to unite and to act. Our challenge now is to harmonize our policies, build capacities of every barangay that is within the jurisdiction of the Province of Northern Samar, and strengthen enforcement and prosecution. It is vital that our strengthened anti-trafficking measure promote complementation in the roles of various barangay.

Mr. Chairman, I respectfully call on each one of my distinguished colleagues to vote for the immediate passage of this (proposed) ordinance requiring the mandatory registration of all forms of recruitment and placement activities conducted in a barangay, providing funds for its initial operations and for other purposes.

Penalties will also need to be implemented to ensure that we exact the appropriate punishment, taking into consideration the gravity of offenses.

The ordinance will improve coordination between province and barangays that work to fight the problem of threat of violence, exploitation and trafficking of innocent persons and to ensure their recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration into the mainstream of society.

Thank you and good morning!