EDUCATION: KEY TO SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
by Atty. Jord Valenton
There used to be three (3) construction workers assigned at the 34th floor of a building at Rockwell and everyday they would take their lunch together. Let us hide them under the names Jose, Kiko and Lito. Well, what they usually did before taking their lunch was to joke around.
One time, Jose, the most comic among the three, asked. How do you call a “chair” in tagalog. The other two (2 ) found that question easy and uttered that it is “salompuit”… If a chair is “salompuit”, Jose further asked, what about a “wheelchair”? The two (2) had no answer to that, and Jose said that / the Tagalog term for wheelchair is…..“salumpo”.
Jose was quick to raise another question. He asked, what is the other/ tagalong term for an “old man”. Not getting any answer from the two, Jose volunteered, that the tagalog term is … “s a l o m p a s”…
Then Jose also asked the tagalong terms for underwear. Of course, you already know them/ so let me just skip that part of the conversation.
Anyhow ,it was Kiko who next raised a question although related to food as he was too hungry already. He asked , what is the tagalog term for “vinegar”?. Jose and Lito had nothing to respond to that and Kiko said that if it is “Salumpo” for a wheelchair and “salompas” for an old person, Vinegar is “salum.. pia”.
Hearing about food made them realize the grumblings of their stomach. Each of the workers then opened their lunch boxes, only to be disappointed, however, about their food.
Lito turned serious and lamented that he has been taking “tuyo” every day for so many years already, and if tomorrow, he would still have “tuyo”, he would be jumping from the 34th floor. Kiko and Jose promised the same thing upon seeing “bagoong” and “ eggs, in their respective lunch boxes.
The next day, Jose, Kiko and Lito unfortunately again found “tuyo”, “bagoong”, and “eggs” in their lunch boxes. So one after another, they jumped to their death.
During the wake of the three, their wives were talking to each other in between sobs. The wife of Kiko said, “Hindi ko MAINTINDIHAN yang si Kiko , kung ayaw nya ng bagoong e dapat sinabi nya.. nang pinagluto KO sya ng iba”. The wife of Jose told substantially the same thing “Hindi ko MAINTINDIHAN yang si Jose, kung ayaw nya ng itlog, e dapat sinabi nya.. nang pinagluto KO rin sya ng iba”
The wife of Lito was crying so hard after hearing the wife of Kiko, and much harder after hearing the wife of Jose, The wives of Jose and Kiko tried to pacify the wife of Lito. After so many minutes, the wife of Lito finally gained composure and shared that, “ “Mas hindi ko MAINTINDIHAN IYANG si Lito. Kung ayaw nya pala ng tuyo….e bakit hindi S Y A nagluto ng iba… Tutal, S Y A naman ang nagluluto sa bahay namin at nagpreprepara ng baon nya”.
Sister _______isters and teachers , young brothers and sisters graduates of St. Paul’s, dear parents. Ladies and gentlemen. Good afternoon.
I cracked that joke, firstly because of the parallelism, the relationship, that a JOKE has to LIFE itself, and I have to take it from a Filipino singer and songwriter, Mr. Gary Granada. He said that. “Ang buhay parang joke… Kapag hind ka natawa ….hindi mo naintindihan”.
The value of pag-intindi, or karunungan, or kaalaman, was likewise underscored in the joke just narrated. If only the wives UNDERSTOOD their men, a different thing would have occurred. They could have averted the death of their husbands.
This is the same thing about our life, our society, if some things be not understood or taken to heart first and foremost, then there would be no transformation, and we are to face our own deaths. We could only act, if we understand. We could only act rightly, if we have understood and discerned deeply. The need for such understanding about our life, about our society has never been as compelling as today.
The controversial ZTE Deal gives us a glimpse of how bad things are assuming without admitting the allegations of the witnesses, especially as to that part that the kickback offered TO JUST ONE of the characters of the deal is Php 200 Million.
Every house built by Gawad Kalinga for the less fortunate costs 70k to 80k. But let us just peg it at Php 100,000. If that be the case, then there would have been two million poor families with new homes. A priest - friend mentioned of the countless times that he had to bless babies who had died due to diarrhea or malaria, and who had to be put in coffins, but not the way we know them. They were put in coffins, made of shoe boxes. How many coffins would have been bought for 200 million pesos and given to such babies to provide them some dignity which neither they nor their parents had in their lifetime. I have always been haunted by that picture in a Magazine some years back, where there is a naked and sick child, all bones and skin, trying to crawl his way to a food camp to get some bread, But he would not be able to get there. That was also the understanding of the VULTURE standing right beside him just waiting for him to drop dead and motionless, and it will make a meal out of him. The photographer, by the way, who took that picture later on killed himself due to depression caused to him by such situation.
These are the pictures that we have at hand. These are shocking ones, and unless we do something, more revolting ones would follow.
We call the beggars, taong grasa, or parasites, or scum. We avoid them. We are ashamed of them. In fact, there were times that our country would sponsor meetings for foreign dignitaries, and our government would put large boards along the bridges just to cover the shanties that line up the rivers. We call them by such negative terms , but how do we call ourselves who have not done anything or have not done enough for them?
I taught college philosopy when I was 19. I have been teaching Law for people much senior to me. In my practice, I prepare and implement plans and strategies likewise for clients more advanced in age. In other words, I have been dealing with more mature people. Thus, When I was asked to talk to you graduates, I had my apprehensions. My first question was, what would I say to you. Perhaps, I would have to talk to you about kung fu kids, naruto, or my big love or latest ringtones and electronic games. . But I prevented myself from doing so, for I do not want to underestimate your capacity to understand, to care, and act, and put to heart that, “ WALANG MAGMAMAHAL SA PILIPINAS KUNG HINDI ANG PILIPINO”.
Dear young brothers and sisters, you just do not know how much power you have in your hands to change things. God has given you the wares, and has educated you in this prestigious institution. But let this education, as well as the further education you are to take, be not the end of it. You have been educated, so that you can also educate others. You have been transformed from Saul to St. Paul, so that you can also transform others You have been healed, so that you can likewise heal others. As said in the book Purpose Driven Life, “With you around, God has new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, and new hearts to love others with”. You have become what you are now so that you can be a part of God’s plan of social transformation.
May I just mention to you that youth is not an excuse nor a liability. In fact, in the most critical times of Philippine history, the Filipino youth have always been at the forefront.
At the age of 26, Dr. Jose Rizal had already written the Noli Me tangere. At the age of 29, Anders Bonifacio founded the Katipunan. Aguinaldo was 28 when he became the President of the Philippines.
The immense power and talent of the youth could even be seen nowadays at different fields. Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Kevin Garnett were drafted to the NBA at the age of 19. Talk of Golf which used to be known as a game for the old, and you will have Tiger Woods who won a Grandslam at a very young age and is now with his 64th victory, set to break all records as to number of wins. Listed by Forbes magazine as one of the world’s billionaires is a 23 year old who made Facebook on the internet
It will, nonetheless, take some time for you to ripen to maturity and be ready for bigger things. Take your pace. Do not rush up on things. There are instant coffee and instant mami, but no INSTANT MATURITY. You have been through with the elementary stage. But there are other stages you still ought to patiently take.
There would always be discouragements and hurdles to overcome, for life is not a walk in the park. But as they always say, whatever does not kill you, makes you a lot stronger. It is at this point that I would like to make a revelation about my stay here at St. Paul’s. While I truly appreciate the lessons I learned at this venerable institution, I could not help but remember the times that I was one who could be called an outstanding student. It is not “outstanding” though as you ordinarily know it. I was outstanding for not just once but thrice did my adviser angrily require me to stand outside our classroom for being so full of energy and for running around and teasing other classmates.
I have for so long a time carried that slight hurt. But I would like to say that I have fully forgiven her and moved on. And I thank her for she must have motivated me to strive harder, as I refused to believe that I was meant to stand outside. Take unsavory events as challenges and opportunities for growth and to bring to light the stuff that you truly are made of. Just recently we had Manny Pacquiao beating Juan Marquez. But he did not do it without taking hard blows from Marquez. He, however, just had to hit harder and faster ones. And so should you do. Do not give up on life. And life will not give up on you.
At Promenade Greenhills, there are certain days that someone plays the grand piano. Of course, there are so many others who could play the piano and perhaps more beautifully. But what makes him so remarkable, is that he could play that well, despite the fact that he is blind. He could have conveniently used his disability as an excuse. But he did not. Right beside him is an ad that says to the effect that ,he might have lost his sight, but not his vision. There was no excuse to make it good. Neither should there be any excuse for you not to succeed.
However, while I have talked about profound ideas, I am not telling you to take life so seriously. There is a time for everything. There is a time to cry , in the same way that there is a time to laugh. There is a time to work, and there is a time to rest. Get into sports, it will teach you teamwork. Get into the arts, they will keep you in touch with your soul. Love and be loved, and see the beauty of persons. To end, I would have to quote no less than Bugs Bunny, he said “ why do we have to take life so seriously, when anyhow, nobody, as in nobody, has gotten out of it, alive?”.
This has been Jord Valenton.
A Paulinian. Its nice to be back.
Thank you.
There used to be three (3) construction workers assigned at the 34th floor of a building at Rockwell and everyday they would take their lunch together. Let us hide them under the names Jose, Kiko and Lito. Well, what they usually did before taking their lunch was to joke around.
One time, Jose, the most comic among the three, asked. How do you call a “chair” in tagalog. The other two (2 ) found that question easy and uttered that it is “salompuit”… If a chair is “salompuit”, Jose further asked, what about a “wheelchair”? The two (2) had no answer to that, and Jose said that / the Tagalog term for wheelchair is…..“salumpo”.
Jose was quick to raise another question. He asked, what is the other/ tagalong term for an “old man”. Not getting any answer from the two, Jose volunteered, that the tagalog term is … “s a l o m p a s”…
Then Jose also asked the tagalong terms for underwear. Of course, you already know them/ so let me just skip that part of the conversation.
Anyhow ,it was Kiko who next raised a question although related to food as he was too hungry already. He asked , what is the tagalog term for “vinegar”?. Jose and Lito had nothing to respond to that and Kiko said that if it is “Salumpo” for a wheelchair and “salompas” for an old person, Vinegar is “salum.. pia”.
Hearing about food made them realize the grumblings of their stomach. Each of the workers then opened their lunch boxes, only to be disappointed, however, about their food.
Lito turned serious and lamented that he has been taking “tuyo” every day for so many years already, and if tomorrow, he would still have “tuyo”, he would be jumping from the 34th floor. Kiko and Jose promised the same thing upon seeing “bagoong” and “ eggs, in their respective lunch boxes.
The next day, Jose, Kiko and Lito unfortunately again found “tuyo”, “bagoong”, and “eggs” in their lunch boxes. So one after another, they jumped to their death.
During the wake of the three, their wives were talking to each other in between sobs. The wife of Kiko said, “Hindi ko MAINTINDIHAN yang si Kiko , kung ayaw nya ng bagoong e dapat sinabi nya.. nang pinagluto KO sya ng iba”. The wife of Jose told substantially the same thing “Hindi ko MAINTINDIHAN yang si Jose, kung ayaw nya ng itlog, e dapat sinabi nya.. nang pinagluto KO rin sya ng iba”
The wife of Lito was crying so hard after hearing the wife of Kiko, and much harder after hearing the wife of Jose, The wives of Jose and Kiko tried to pacify the wife of Lito. After so many minutes, the wife of Lito finally gained composure and shared that, “ “Mas hindi ko MAINTINDIHAN IYANG si Lito. Kung ayaw nya pala ng tuyo….e bakit hindi S Y A nagluto ng iba… Tutal, S Y A naman ang nagluluto sa bahay namin at nagpreprepara ng baon nya”.
Sister _______isters and teachers , young brothers and sisters graduates of St. Paul’s, dear parents. Ladies and gentlemen. Good afternoon.
I cracked that joke, firstly because of the parallelism, the relationship, that a JOKE has to LIFE itself, and I have to take it from a Filipino singer and songwriter, Mr. Gary Granada. He said that. “Ang buhay parang joke… Kapag hind ka natawa ….hindi mo naintindihan”.
The value of pag-intindi, or karunungan, or kaalaman, was likewise underscored in the joke just narrated. If only the wives UNDERSTOOD their men, a different thing would have occurred. They could have averted the death of their husbands.
This is the same thing about our life, our society, if some things be not understood or taken to heart first and foremost, then there would be no transformation, and we are to face our own deaths. We could only act, if we understand. We could only act rightly, if we have understood and discerned deeply. The need for such understanding about our life, about our society has never been as compelling as today.
The controversial ZTE Deal gives us a glimpse of how bad things are assuming without admitting the allegations of the witnesses, especially as to that part that the kickback offered TO JUST ONE of the characters of the deal is Php 200 Million.
Every house built by Gawad Kalinga for the less fortunate costs 70k to 80k. But let us just peg it at Php 100,000. If that be the case, then there would have been two million poor families with new homes. A priest - friend mentioned of the countless times that he had to bless babies who had died due to diarrhea or malaria, and who had to be put in coffins, but not the way we know them. They were put in coffins, made of shoe boxes. How many coffins would have been bought for 200 million pesos and given to such babies to provide them some dignity which neither they nor their parents had in their lifetime. I have always been haunted by that picture in a Magazine some years back, where there is a naked and sick child, all bones and skin, trying to crawl his way to a food camp to get some bread, But he would not be able to get there. That was also the understanding of the VULTURE standing right beside him just waiting for him to drop dead and motionless, and it will make a meal out of him. The photographer, by the way, who took that picture later on killed himself due to depression caused to him by such situation.
These are the pictures that we have at hand. These are shocking ones, and unless we do something, more revolting ones would follow.
We call the beggars, taong grasa, or parasites, or scum. We avoid them. We are ashamed of them. In fact, there were times that our country would sponsor meetings for foreign dignitaries, and our government would put large boards along the bridges just to cover the shanties that line up the rivers. We call them by such negative terms , but how do we call ourselves who have not done anything or have not done enough for them?
I taught college philosopy when I was 19. I have been teaching Law for people much senior to me. In my practice, I prepare and implement plans and strategies likewise for clients more advanced in age. In other words, I have been dealing with more mature people. Thus, When I was asked to talk to you graduates, I had my apprehensions. My first question was, what would I say to you. Perhaps, I would have to talk to you about kung fu kids, naruto, or my big love or latest ringtones and electronic games. . But I prevented myself from doing so, for I do not want to underestimate your capacity to understand, to care, and act, and put to heart that, “ WALANG MAGMAMAHAL SA PILIPINAS KUNG HINDI ANG PILIPINO”.
Dear young brothers and sisters, you just do not know how much power you have in your hands to change things. God has given you the wares, and has educated you in this prestigious institution. But let this education, as well as the further education you are to take, be not the end of it. You have been educated, so that you can also educate others. You have been transformed from Saul to St. Paul, so that you can also transform others You have been healed, so that you can likewise heal others. As said in the book Purpose Driven Life, “With you around, God has new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, and new hearts to love others with”. You have become what you are now so that you can be a part of God’s plan of social transformation.
May I just mention to you that youth is not an excuse nor a liability. In fact, in the most critical times of Philippine history, the Filipino youth have always been at the forefront.
At the age of 26, Dr. Jose Rizal had already written the Noli Me tangere. At the age of 29, Anders Bonifacio founded the Katipunan. Aguinaldo was 28 when he became the President of the Philippines.
The immense power and talent of the youth could even be seen nowadays at different fields. Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Kevin Garnett were drafted to the NBA at the age of 19. Talk of Golf which used to be known as a game for the old, and you will have Tiger Woods who won a Grandslam at a very young age and is now with his 64th victory, set to break all records as to number of wins. Listed by Forbes magazine as one of the world’s billionaires is a 23 year old who made Facebook on the internet
It will, nonetheless, take some time for you to ripen to maturity and be ready for bigger things. Take your pace. Do not rush up on things. There are instant coffee and instant mami, but no INSTANT MATURITY. You have been through with the elementary stage. But there are other stages you still ought to patiently take.
There would always be discouragements and hurdles to overcome, for life is not a walk in the park. But as they always say, whatever does not kill you, makes you a lot stronger. It is at this point that I would like to make a revelation about my stay here at St. Paul’s. While I truly appreciate the lessons I learned at this venerable institution, I could not help but remember the times that I was one who could be called an outstanding student. It is not “outstanding” though as you ordinarily know it. I was outstanding for not just once but thrice did my adviser angrily require me to stand outside our classroom for being so full of energy and for running around and teasing other classmates.
I have for so long a time carried that slight hurt. But I would like to say that I have fully forgiven her and moved on. And I thank her for she must have motivated me to strive harder, as I refused to believe that I was meant to stand outside. Take unsavory events as challenges and opportunities for growth and to bring to light the stuff that you truly are made of. Just recently we had Manny Pacquiao beating Juan Marquez. But he did not do it without taking hard blows from Marquez. He, however, just had to hit harder and faster ones. And so should you do. Do not give up on life. And life will not give up on you.
At Promenade Greenhills, there are certain days that someone plays the grand piano. Of course, there are so many others who could play the piano and perhaps more beautifully. But what makes him so remarkable, is that he could play that well, despite the fact that he is blind. He could have conveniently used his disability as an excuse. But he did not. Right beside him is an ad that says to the effect that ,he might have lost his sight, but not his vision. There was no excuse to make it good. Neither should there be any excuse for you not to succeed.
However, while I have talked about profound ideas, I am not telling you to take life so seriously. There is a time for everything. There is a time to cry , in the same way that there is a time to laugh. There is a time to work, and there is a time to rest. Get into sports, it will teach you teamwork. Get into the arts, they will keep you in touch with your soul. Love and be loved, and see the beauty of persons. To end, I would have to quote no less than Bugs Bunny, he said “ why do we have to take life so seriously, when anyhow, nobody, as in nobody, has gotten out of it, alive?”.
This has been Jord Valenton.
A Paulinian. Its nice to be back.
Thank you.
posted by magnuslex @ 10:22 PM
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