GRADUATION SPEECH

Theme: "BUILDING THE NATION’S FUTURE LEADERS THROUGH THE K-12 BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM"

        One of the most significant episodes of students’ life is when they march through the aisle filled with joy and fulfillment as they reap the fruit of their long years of didactic toil. Indeed, the diploma that you receive is a vibrant display of your hard work and achievement.

        As you embark on another chapter of your life, never forget that life is a wonderful journey. It is a course that you set and determine by the choices you make each day. I confidently believe that with the knowledge you acquired from your Alma Mater, you have now the prepared mind, tuned skills, commendable attitude and strong spirit as chattels in dealing with the real world of work. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said and I quote, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Moreover, we are now in an era wherein a great challenge of building the future of society is posed to each and every one us. 

        I am optimistic that through this K-12 Basic Education Program, we will be able to cater literacy and life skills to our learners which could transform them into a skilled and productive workforce. As your humble public servant, it is my sublime duty to support as well as ensure the education of our youth for I appreciate the fact that progress and development of a society depend categorically on the edification of its populace. To the parents and the synergy of stakeholders, my warm felicitation for having gotten this point of producing this innovative as well as competitive breed of graduates who will soon take our place in manning the affairs of the nation. To the graduates, congratulations and may I look forward for your success. Thank you and God bless.

PICTO-NARRATIVE REPORT ON ALS PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

NARRATIVE REPORT ON ALS PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

 A. Introduction 

         Education is life itself. As long as man lives, the influence of education remains tangible in his actions and demeanor. Good and proper education is inalienable and lasting. In fact, the economic grandeur of a society depends largely on the education of its citizens. With proper education, a man is most likely going to be successful in his chosen career. He is impossible to deceive but easy to lead. He could easily cope with the drastic changes and uncertainties that the modern world offers nowadays so much withstand the crucial test of times. However, some if not many of us just do not take heed of the paramount importance of education. Some are just contented of the livelihood they have at present, which they inherited from their parents such as but not limited to fishing, farming, vending and the like. Many resorted to this kind of living without foreseeing the importance of education most especially the emergence and advent of Science and Technology. Moreover, this indifference towards education has is triggered by considerable constraints such as poverty, inaccessibility to formal schooling, lack of interest to pursue degree courses and lack of motivation, among others. As a result, the Department of Education in cooperation with the different concerned agencies implemented a high time program called EFA or Education for All in the year 2015 and beyond in which one of the major implementers of this program as partner of the formal system is the Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS). One bureau of the Department of Education with the general goal of eradicating illiteracy and catering quality and excellent basic education to out-of-school youth (OSY), out-of-school children (OSA) and out-of-school children (OSC) who are the direct beneficiaries l of the projects and programs of the BALS. To this extent, the ALS service provider of the Guiuan South district found it not only best but also imperative to conduct Accreditation and Equivalency as well as Literacy cum Livelihood Program to specific areas of the district where viable alternative mode of learning is necessary.  

B. Implementation/Activities 

  1. Advocacy and Social Mobilization 

        Prior to the implementation of the Literacy cum Livelihood program (LCL), the ALS coordinator was already aware that the Brgy. Folks were collecting, treating shells and turning them into elegant and exquisite by-products, which they called shell craft. The preceding NFE coordinators already introduced these livelihood skills, in fact there was already a cooperative organized for the production of shell by-products although it was disbanded due to poor management and lack of follow-up by the organizers. Eventually, a courtesy call to the Barangay chief executive was undertaken and made an arrangement when he can lobby in one of their sessions. Consequently, the ALS Coordinator attended one barangay monthly meeting and after he introduced the different ALS Programs, the council members positively accepted them; in fact, they allocated enough amounts for the reproduction of materials for the functional literacy test and other needed materials for the projected learners such as notebooks, papers, ball pens and plastic envelopes as portfolio. Moreover, the council also permitted the DALSC to use the Barangay Hall (whenever session is not held), the day care center and Barangay Multi-purpose hall and its facilities as learning centers while the program is going on. 

  2. Enrolment Procedure 

         Barangay Barbo is divided by purok hence; the ALS Coordinator was opted to request the Barangay Council member in-charge each purok to list down names of potential clientele particularly plain housewives who are willing to attend the Literacy cum Livelihood program. The endeavor was supervised by the Barangay Council member designated as the committee chairperson on education. After the data were gathered by the chairman on education, he asked the assistance of the Barangay Chairperson to gather the interested learners to the Barangay Plaza. The implementer chose the Barangay Plaza as venue to publicly advocate the program its scope and contents, so that, massive awareness will be ensured not only to the target learners but also to the Barangay constituents as well as stakeholders. As a result, The ALS Coordinator was able to open the Literacy cum Livelihood program. 

 3. Assessment 

        Primarily, to determine the entry level of the potential learners who are willing to enroll in the Literacy cum Livelihood Program, the facilitator conducted assessment for functional literacy. The copies of the Functional Literacy Test Materials (FLT) sponsored by the Brgy. Council, materials are officially designed to assess the entry point for the enrollees on LCL program, the facilitator administered and corrected the said test. 

  4. Actual Conduct of Classes and Trainings 

        Consequently, after the holding of assessment for the entry level of learners and after having corrected and determined where to commence, the facilitator organized the class by setting standards in which they the learners are the ones who suggested and approved. The facilitator likewise asked the learners the things they want to learn and wrote them in a piece of paper so that it formed part of the Individual Learning Agreement (ILA) that the facilitator had considered as learning sessions went on. When to hold classes to the convenience of the working learners was also agreed upon. During the actual conduct of the program, the facilitator tapped the assistance of resource persons whose expertise is the making of salable shell by-products. The learners easily learned the skills taught to them since they were already exposed to the said craft, besides they were already selling lace and curtains made from treated seashells. In the course of the program, the DALSC also encouraged his learners to attend trainings sponsored by the Local Government Unit (LGU), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST). The said trainings were centered on the utility of native materials popularly known in our mother tongue as (buri and tikog) , weaved into beautiful and fashionable bags and other by-products of these indigenous materials. This endeavor of the LGU supported by the DTI and DOST was very productive as well as successful since the learners who have painstakingly attended these trainings are now producing bags and other useful materials at par with the products of Leyte, an established manufacturer of elegant bags made of buri, tikog or pangdan.  

C. Problems Encountered  

Every program implementation is coupled with indispensable constraints, which educate the facilitator so that better strategies would be employed in the ensuing endeavor. Among the problems met during the ten (10) months implementation of the Literacy cum Livelihood program are: 

 1. Reluctance and doubt of some people regarding the benefits of the ALS programs 

2. Irregular attendance of learners in the learning sessions conducted 

 3. Lack of learners’ interest and enthusiasm 

 4. Diminishing number of attending learners 

 5. Insufficient supply of learning materials/modules

 6. Lack of financial assistance from the government 

 D. Solutions/Recommendations: 

        The following solutions and recommendations are highly recommended to address the prevailing constraints: 

 1. Intensify advocacy and social mobilization with the emphasis on bringing to public attention the manifold benefits of various programs and projects of the Alternative Learning System. 

  2. Integrate livelihood program vis-à-vis the major programs of the ALS to encourage attendance and active participation of the learners. 

 3. Adopt the system of direct instruction utilizing various kinds of learning strategies and providing learners with different activities to stir up their interest.

EXTRAVAGANCE IN THE MIDST OF POVERTY

         It is a disheartening fact that among Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines has the most excessive prevalence of poverty where an estimate of 15.3 million and counting or relatively half of the impoverished population wake up every morning without food on the table. These are the unfortunate people who are struggling for survival because their income is far beyond the typical earnings enough to afford basic rations needs. As a result, millions of Filipinos suffer from starvation which oftentimes leads to loss of a substantial number of lives. Conversely, there is a popular common place remark that ‘money is the source of all evils,’ however in the opposite side of the coin, poverty could also be considered as the root cause of tribulations. Economically-deprived individuals are oftentimes the frail target of dire syndicates who exploit them as agents to execute illegal activities. Some of these miserable folks are forced to rob money in the bank, involved in shop lifting, pickpocketing, engaged in kidnap for ransom, and betrothed in drug trafficking among others. Nonetheless, not all of them have resorted to this kind of existence, there is a bulk of ordinary people who have managed to survive a decent life and are now occupying prominent positions in the government. Some have become successful entrepreneurs and others are still struggling for a better life in clean and modest ways. Still, it cannot be denied that these poor people are essentially the easy prey of influential people who utilize the cheaply paid services of the former to advance their devilish interest.

        That is how ominous the scenario is. What is more threatening is that our government officials who are supposed to be our allies in alleviating the pervasiveness of economic problems are deskbound calm inside high-class restaurants and slumbering in magnificent mansions and five-star hotels, while millions of Filipinos are anxious about tomorrow since they are not sure if their families could survive without eating today. Lucky are those few whose wealth of the nation is held. They are the business tycoons who ran the economy of this country and the future of the Filipino populace is in their hands.

         Nowadays, we are in dire need of leaders who have the strong political will to affirmatively change the declining course of our governance. Leaders whose vision is the utmost welfare of the greatest number of people and are not only competent in rhetoric but have the unwavering devotion to a genuine public service. We optimistically wait this breed of leaders but it seems elusive to have one.

         In fact few days ago, one of the branches of the government particularly the legislative department (upper house of congress) was caught in an appalling hullabaloo when the third most powerful person of the country Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile had lavishly gave 22 senators a total of almost 30 million pesos, a bonanza that according to one senator was “unconscionable and unconstitutional.” Purportedly, the cash gift was taken from the funds allotted for the Senate post vacated by his Excellency President Benigno Aquino III when he assumed office after winning the presidential election in 2010. It was accordingly the biggest Christmas gift received by senators since Enrile became senate president way back November 2008.The said Christmas gift was allotted as “additional MOOE” or maintenance and other operating expenses.

        Despite of this luxurious reward given to senators and senate employees, it was tainted with prejudice because not everyone was given the same excessive amount of money. Four of the senators explicitly Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Alan Peter and sister Pia Cayetano got only 250,000 pesos each. Consequently, the rift between Manong Jhonny and Peter (both appellations are Christ’s believers) started after this uneven allocation of supplemental budget for MOOE. Well it’s not actually surprising to hear that two persons are in discord because of unfair distribution of treasures, even ordinary people will quarrel if they do not receive the same share of the pie. How much more if the money involved is by the millions, maybe even those who are resting in peace will be bothered to explain. Close family ties and strong relationships are sometimes ruined because of animosities initiated by injustice and unequal sharing of wealth. Obviously, this scenario is happening in the senate nowadays. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Allan Peter Cayetano are hurling personal issues that are not germane to the point of argument. These actions and demeanours are not expected of them as representative of the people they sworn to serve.

        Moreover, the real issue is not whether the four senators were deprived of the same wasteful disbursement of additional MOOE or if the allocation was unacceptable and illegal. Sanity dictates that this overgenerous spending has been a continued and most appreciated practice in the congress particularly in the upper house. These big-time senators have been pocketing huge pork barrel funds since time immemorial. It is only now that this chaos emerged and maybe it is the will of the Divine Providence to make this happen so that poor Filipinos will realize how these lucky senators conduct themselves amidst the manifold problems our country confronts nowadays. They are concerned more on the tenacious attacks of their loud and bitter critics than heeding the outcry of the pathetic victims of calamities that hit the nation hard and harsh.

        Furthermore, one of the material issues is that while these honourable members of congress are showered with blessings, the small and ordinary employees of the government who are the front-liners of basic services are deprived of receiving the usual amount of additional cash gift of ten thousand pesos which was cut short to half without a clear and rational explanation as to why it happened. The truth is that these ordinary workers are oftentimes the subject of stringent policies but because of their high morale and dedication to public service, they still exert their utmost efforts to become effective and productive employees, thus fruitfully advance the goals and objectives of their agency or department affiliation. So if this is the case and I confidently believe it is, then why are these poor workers deprived of the amenities due to them as civil servants. Why are these senators who are already economically well-off and are expected to be the mother or father of their constituents are pampered like spoiled children.

         Sadly, it seems that our political leaders are acting like the five blind men of Industan who happened to describe an elephant in many different ways. The idea that ‘it is very difficult to grasp the totality of truth’ is far applicable to our present milieu. The truth is crystal clear and it is that our country suffers from political turmoil and economic depravity. Political turmoil in the sense that some of our political leaders who are in-charge of overseeing the affairs of the people so that economic progress will be achieved are utterly immersed with their personal interest and well-being. As a result, prices of foods and other basic commodities continue to soar high. The upshot of salary increases does not trickle down to the grassroots level because of unregulated prices of prime commodities. The marks of calamities that hit our nation are awful and these could be attributed to the very poor infrastructure and laxness of the government to come up with a strategic course of action which could have lessened if not saved the volume of lives lost and preserved the properties that were blatantly destroyed.

         The reality is that, the extravagance in the senate amidst poverty, calamities and war vividly show that these current crops of leaders have nothing to offer than literary blueprint and futile grandstanding. As a matter of fact one senator had projected that in 30 years, the Philippines will be lagging behind Thailand which I believed still a poor country up till now. It’s very appalling to imagine that we will be spending the next 30 years of our life in poverty and deprivation. As Rizal puts it and I modified to address future throng of dogmatic frontrunners “where are these political leaders who will consecrate their golden hours, their illusions, and their enthusiasm to the welfare of their native land? Where are they who will generously pour out their blood to wash away so much shame, so much crime, and so much abomination? Where are you, leaders, who will embody in yourselves the vigor of life that has felt our veins, the purity of ideas that has been contaminated in our brains, the fire of enthusiasm that has been quenched in our hearts! We await you! Come, for we await you!

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