Flexing of muscles: will they prove atrophied or not? Metro braces for transport strike.
And the limits of collaboration and cohabitation: Estrada ready to make up with Arroyo but will fight Cha-cha.
The news item on the presidential corruption survey (Survey: Arroyo most corrupt, Aquino cleanest of 5 prexies) is interesting, not precisely because of what the survey says, but the limits the survey reveals, in terms of the public’s frame of reference (and not Palace: Respondents too few to say Arroyo is most corrupt).
But first, in Inquirer Current, John Nery provides a closer look at the data, and makes a cautionary note in his blog, Newsstand, both about the limits of the imagination of respondents, and the risk the findings might get oppositionists salivating again:
While the question is asked against a considerably longer horizon (“sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas”), note that the options are limited to the last five presidents: Marcos, Aquino, Ramos, Estrada, and Arroyo.
Under such limits, Arroyo is a clear “winner” over Guinness-record-holder Marcos (the national numbers have the standard margin of error of plus or minus 3). Definitely not good news for Malacanang.
But before we wave copies of the latest Pulse Asia survey in the streets, remember that this very survey found that only a quarter of voting-age Filipinos were willing to take to the streets to force the resignation of a corrupt president. The limits of outrage, indeed.
I’m glad though Nery pointed out that the survey asked people to rate presidential corruption in terms of the history of the Philippines, but that respondents on the whole, limited their comparisons to Marcos and his successors. This tells us that for most Filipinos, history is only what’s occurred within living memory; and for this reason I find the survey worthless. Such a limited framework is no framework at all.
But still, politically speaking, this is quite a shocker. Worse than Marcos? Wow. As for how seriously the Palace takes it, see blog@AWBHoldings:
First reaction? The Fortress downplayed it, saying that the survey was commissioned by former senator Serge Osmeña. Since that was not enough, here’s another: the survey was unfair, baseless, and based on perception, which is not reality, says Cerge Remonde, who also blamed the “vicious” (his word) opposition. Then, the Fortress says the respondents were too few. And another factotum said that the perception was due to a media blackout on government’s action versus corruption.
Pathetic.
Anyway, the problem with the Fortress is that they are downplaying surveys that are negative in impact for the Arroyo regime. Yet, at the tail end of the 2004 campaign, the Arroyo campaign kept on harping about Arroyo edging the late Fernando Poe Jr. at surveys. Heck, when the Hello, Garci erupted, they used these surveys to prove that Arroyo won fair, square, and Garci. This line of defense is a two-edged sword, it cuts both ways.
Off hand, I think the reason FM did better than GMA is because of what I called The “vision thing” in October, 2005. Marcos could at the very least, present himself as a leader with “the vision thing” in spades:
The thing is, the “vision thing” is, in many ways, everything. Without it, the prize is less easy to keep, and the stage occupied by a shallow, and not particularly convincing, production number. The President’s critics (and supporters, too, depending on the internal factions they belong to at any particular time), have often criticized her for being unable to either grasp the vision thing, or for her tendency to keep changing it, as if it were a pair of fashionable reading glasses. Political strategy can-and should-change, depending on circumstance, but the vision thing is supposed to remain, well, clear and never blurry…
The problem is, aside from existing posters, some license plates, and walls painted prior to the elections, the Strong Republic has been junked long ago and replaced with other “vision things,” each one weaker than its immediate predecessor. There was the “10-Point Agenda,” then the “Rule of Law” and “Let’s Move On,” and — if the President’s former close associates are to be believed — the real one: the “Fear Factor.”
But how does one demonstrate, much less, articulate “Fear Factor” as a “vision thing”? Particularly in terms of where our presidents tend to be bottled up most of the time, which is in the Palace? This kind of vision only promotes a greater determination to take away the prize; it isn’t much of a vision to communicate from the pulpit. Of course, the President can invoke St. Michael the Archangel to make mighty swipes, figuratively or literally, with his fiery sword at the administration’s critics; however, the “eternal hellfire-and-damnation” kind of preaching is really the specialty of people like evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva, whom the justice secretary wants arrested. Even Catholic bishops no longer seem to indulge in that kind of beatific vision thing.
Which brings me to Sylvia Mayuga’s engrossing review of Carmen Guerrero Nakpil’s latest volume of memoirs. Mayuga provides some interesting extracts from Nakpil’s book, concerning the Marcoses and how they handled the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. At one point, as Mayuga puts it, Nakpil found herself “atypically alone” with Madame Marcos:
I asked her whether she and the President had watched Ninoy’s funeral on TV, and she said, yes, they’d done so, together, in his bedroom. And that they’d been crushed, struck dumb by the enormity of what they were seeing on the video screen. She added that they had felt overwhelmingly humiliated because they had little inkling of the public mood, and that Marcos had said, ‘So, after all these years, all our efforts, our trying and striving, it has come to this?’
…Ninoy did not die that day on that sunny Sunday afternoon in August 1983 at the Manila International Airport, for that was when he began to live forever in the hearts of his countrymen. It was Ferdinand Marcos who died that day, and he knew it.
Mayuga’s account of a conversation she had with Nakpil during the launching of the book, where she pressed Nakpil on her views concerning whodunnit as far as ordering Ninoy’s killing was concerned, is very interesting, too.
Is there a “lechon manok” phenomenon, when it comes to OFWs? Ang Kape Ni LaTtEX tackles this, in response to the story of Gilbert Roque in Kabayan OFW:
Reading the whole article, there are simply too many things that make me scratch my head: the lack of the ability to recognize opportunities presented, the lack of any real passion or concern for career other than a means to make ends meet, the treatment of overseas work per se as a career option, the acceptance of an abusive, menial, meaningless job just as long as it pays higher than – a job that could be matched financially and attained locally if only people try.
Gilbert is not alone however; how many people get jobs as call center agents, or take up nursing and caregiving, even if they are not genuinely interested in developing their careers in those fields? How many people work for the sake of working? How many people tolerate 8-5 drudgery just to be able to pay the bills?
In the end, the OFW phenomenon might actually not be driven by simple poverty. Rather, it is being fed by a huge number of mismanaged careers, masquerading as a last resort to be able to feed and clothe one’s family when there are real alternatives that people simply fail to see.
On a cultural note, and related to the debate on our OFW’s, this notice from the Israeli embassy:
You can now watch the multi-awarded film, “Paper Dolls” at Cinema 1, Greenbelt 1 on Dec. 12,13,14,15,16 &18 2007. Screening Schedule:
1:10pm
3:00pm
4:50pm
6:40pm
8:30pm“Paper Dolls” won 1st place at the Berlin Film Festival in 2006 and other honors in many international festivals including Cinemanila (2006). The film tells the plight of a group of transsexual Filipino caregivers working in Israel.
Synopsis:
“Paper Dolls” is a documentary film which explores changing patterns of global immigration and expanding notions of family through the prism of a community of Filipino transvestites who live illegally in Israel. Cast out by their families because of their sexual and gender preferences, these people work 6 days a week as live-in, 24 hour a day care givers (and in many cases as surrogate children) for elderly orthodox Jewish men, in order to earn money to send to their families in the Philippines that had rejected them. On their one free night per week, they pursue their own personal dreams as drag performers in the group they call “The Paper Dolls” in the relative freedom of cosmopolitan Tel Aviv. Despite having to deal with often harsh working conditions, threats by street criminals, fear of terrorist bombings and the constant peril of deportation, The Paper Dolls demonstrate a rare generosity of spirit, humanity and lust for life.
Award winning filmmaker Tomer Heymann enters this unusual world and by coming to know and love these subjects unearths joy, sorrow and humanity which change his life forever.
This is the other side of the phenomenon -the pursuit of opportunities our society won’t permit to some.
My Arab News column for this week is Both Sides Resorting to Old Scripts. In his column, Manuel Buencamino roasts the Spanish monarch, the President, her cabinet, and little brown Americans.
In the blogosphere, smoke takes exception to my pointing out the current standing of on line petitions.
Wow Pare points to a report on the reading habits of Filipinos:
According to the 2007 National Book Development Board (NBDB) Readership Survey, 67 percent of respondents across the country read the Bible the most, followed by romance or love novels (33 percent), cookbooks (28 percent), comic books (26 percent) and religious or inspirational works (20 percent).
Good grief.
A more detailed look is available through the National Book Development Board, which commissioned a survey in 2004:
The National Book Development Board commissioned the Social Weather Stations to conduct a survey on the reading attitudes and preferences of Filipinos. This is the most comprehensive study on book readership in the country. The survey was conducted from March 10 to 25, 2003 with 1,200 respondents composed of 300 voting-age adults from every study area: National Capital Region, Balance Luzon (areas within Luzon but outside NCR), Visayas, and Mindanao. The sample size has an error margin of +/-3% for the entire Philippines and +/-6% for every study area. Of the total respondents, 63.6% are from rural areas, while 36.4% from urban. Of the total respondents, 7.7% belong to classes ABC, 67.4% class D, and 24.8% class E.
Significant Findings of the Book Readership Survey Readership of the 7 -17 years old age group
Nationwide, 60% of the households surveyed have family members aged 7-17. Of these households, 35% have at least one member of the 7-17 age group who reads non-schoolbooks. Of the total family members aged 7-17, only 26% read non-schoolbooks, but most of those who read non-schoolbooks read at least weekly. Readership of non-schoolbooks among members aged 7-17 tends to be higher among females, classes ABC, those with a library at home, and those whose household heads have high education. The most popular non-schoolbooks read by the 7-17 age group are the Bible (22%) and romance novelettes (22%).
Readership of Filipino Adults
The good news is 94% of Filipino adults can read (simple words at least). 90% have read books at least some time in their lives. 68% have read nonschoolbooks. For those who read, 91% read to gain knowledge while 9% read for enjoyment.
Accessibility of Bookstores and Libraries
The survey reveals that many of the respondents (42%) are not aware if a library exists in their locale. 60% say that bookstores are not within walking distance from their residence, and 18% do not know if there is a bookstore in their locale. Data gathered from the National Library show that there are only 511 municipal libraries out of 1,496 municipalities, and 49 provincial libraries out of 80 provinces. Adult readership of non-schoolbooks tends to be higher among: ‘those with high levels of education, ‘those who attended private rather than public schools, ‘those from upper socio-economic levels, ‘those with higher personal monthly income, ‘those from urban rather than rural areas, ‘those younger in age, ‘those who are not married, ‘those who have libraries in their homes and offices, ‘those living nearer to bookstores and public libraries, and ‘those whose social networks (kith and kin) also like to read. While Filipino adults generally recognize the value of reading books, many (43%) can let a whole year pass without reading a single non-schoolbook. On the other hand, 15% read 2-3 non-school books, and 14% read at least 10 non-school books. Books are read more for gaining knowledge and information, and thus perhaps book reading is considered something to do when the need arises. Watching TV, movies and videotapes, listening to the radio, and going to malls seem much more fun to do. Perhaps parents, educators, publishers, and advertisers ought to do more to portray book reading as fun to do too. Filipino adults generally find books to be good gifts, and although considered costly, a book is not regarded as a luxury item but a necessity.
The survey shows that readership of non-schoolbooks is higher among Filipino adults from the the upper socio-economic classes who have reached high levels of education and attended private schools, are younger, either single or without a partner, and live in the urban areas.
oreover those who live near libraries and bookstores read more often. The Bible (38%) and romance novels (26%) are the most commonly read books by adult readers. The highest percentages of Bible-readers are from Mindanao (51%), class E (43%), females (42%), and 45 and above years old (49%). The highest percentages of romance novel readers are from Balance Luzon (27%) and Visayas (27%), class E (28%), females (37%) and 18-24 years old (46%). After the Bible and romance novels, females like to read about cooking (11%), while males read about politics (10%).
Manner of Acquiring Non-Schoolbooks
Allowing for multiple answers, the following are the means through which Filipino adults who read non-schoolbooks acquire them: borrowing from other people (52%), receiving books as gifts (40%), borrowing from libraries (24%), renting (18%), and buying (15%). Majority of respondents from all study areas and all socio-economic classes do not borrow from libraries.
Buying Non-Schoolbooks
The percentage of those who bought non-schoolbooks for personal reading in the past year increases with social class, educational attainment, and personal monthly income. 58% of Filipino adults who bought non-schoolbooks in the past year spent only a maximum of P200. 16% spent more than P1,000. Among classes ABC, 38% spent more than P 1,000.
Technorati Tags: Blogging, books, Charter Change, constitution, economy, ideas, Marcos, media, military, ninoy aquino, philippines, politics, president, society
How many people work for the sake of working? How many people tolerate 8-5 drudgery just to be able to pay the bills?
Pinoys do often seem to be ‘other-oriented’, often sacrificing personal ambitions for others — siblings, parents. The older siblings toil to give the younger siblings an education and a chance at a better future. Parents do the same for the kids and the kids for parents. At least that’s the plan. They dont seem selfish enough. Self-sacrifice is a virtue Filipinos admire, rightly or wrongly.
“According to the 2007 National Book Development Board (NBDB) Readership Survey, 67 percent of respondents across the country read the Bible the most, followed by romance or love novels (33 percent), cookbooks (28 percent), comic books (26 percent) and religious or inspirational works (20 percent).”
I suppose if we want Filipinos to read about other stuff like history and ideas and all that, the medium to do it in is komiks.
According to the 2007 National Book Development Board (NBDB) Readership Survey, 67 percent of respondents across the country read the Bible the most
Good grief.
—
I had the same reaction. Interesting how Pinoy culture has evolved.
Jeg:
unless we place inserts about other topics in the bible. hahaha
or maybe mess with those romance novels… how about something with the title, “love in a time of boundless corruption”, or “pusong na-Garci”?
“According to the 2007 National Book Development Board (NBDB) Readership Survey, 67 percent of respondents across the country read the Bible the most, followed by romance or love novels (33 percent), cookbooks (28 percent), comic books (26 percent) and religious or inspirational works (20 percent).”
My God. All of these books (maybe except cookbooks) are recipes for utter IGNORANCE!
Kaya naman pala…
67 percent seems quite high. That, plus the non-inclusion of FHM (and the like) makes the survey results questionable.
Thanks for that bit Jeg.
Now I have to rewrite my entry and blame the Bible. LOL.
cvj,
That’s just about right. The ordinary can’t afford FHM. It’s the non-inclusion of the Abante-type tabloids that makes the survey questionable. Or were the respondents too “shy” to reveal that?
cookbooks? really? i’d like a demographic of the survey respondents… i can believe the bible bit (enough people in the office carry them around), but cookbooks?
i recall from previous nbdb surveys, the average annual spending on books is 200 pesos and from talks with publishers, the fail-safe titles are really cookbooks and self-help books, puzzles, and the romance novel industry is pretty huge.
Jon, i agree, the lack of responses falling under this category is glaring unless this actually falls under “comic books”.
well, i bought a history book the last time i dropped by NBS. 😉
i wonder, if ours is primarily an oral and aural culture, would properly-priced audiobooks sell?
Booksale is still my bookstore of choice. Judging from the Booksale branches everywhere, it seems that Filipinos are spending enough on books to keep the branches in the black. I was in the Makati Cinema Square branch this lunch time and they do have a lot of interesting titles. (There were no pirated DVDs anywhere. Apparently, they got wind of an impending raid. I did see a uniformed OMB agent in the area. By the way, the reason the Senate gave for practically abolishing the Optical Media Board — by giving them zero budget for 2008 — was because they can’t seem to curb piracy. Great. To save more money and using that same logic, we can abolish the Presidential Anti Graft Commission as well. Throw in the Sandiganbayan and Ombudsman too.)
A question for lawyers: are publishers and authors entitled to royalties from sales of used books?
well enough people have a personal music player. it might be an interesting proposition sir.
I wonder what books our Senators, Congressmen, and people in Malacanang are reading.
the survey taken by Pulse Asia is quite myopic. not taking into acct that Filipinos have a very short memory, and for many of the respondents, the present admin is what would stick out the most. so yeah, GMA beat FM. but realistically? cmon! FM ruled under martial law! He destroyed our country utterly. Gloria is just on her way to do that. In my eyes, FM is still the worst president ever. Followed by GMA, Cory, and FVR last.
I’m also curious as to the age ranges of the sample group. hell, if I’m bent on manipulating the survey to show GMA to be the worst president ever, all I’d have to do is survey the post-martial law babies. or survey the 13-20 y/o. and call that perspective.
I’d like to meet whoever wrote this face to face, and ask them pointedly what the alternatives are that he is talking abt that people just fail to see.
Whoever wrote this does not realize that the OFW phenomenon is all abt looking for security. It’s not the last resort, but the first. And more than just feeding and clothing one’s family, working overseas is all about fulfilling dreams. Mismanaged careers my ass. Most people do not have the luxury to pursue careers they truly want bec reality beckons them to forsake it. And there are those who simply cannot land a job in a field of their choice. So why do people flock to call-centers, transcription and outsourcing jobs? Because these jobs are equal-opportunity jobs. They’re the easiest to get bec employers of these companies do not limit their criteria by imposing age, degree, or school requirements (eg must be graduates of Ateneo, UP, La Salle). All they require is that you possess the skills needed for the job. Which is what employers should really look for instead of all these resume bullshit.
I’m a gradute of a 5-year degree course. and yet I cannot practice my profession here bec all hospitals already have their PT staff. and if you want to work even just for “experience” you become a “volunteer.” which in some hospitals mean paying for that privilege. wtf? you cannot have a private practice bec PTs here need doctors’ referrals and permission to treat patients. so if you’re not working for a hospital, you better know some doctors who’ll willingly divert their patients to you instead of referring them to the hospital’s PT clinic.
so what are my choices? one, which most PT grads do, is become a med rep. wow! for all that medical knowledge, you become just a glorified salesman. you don’t even need what you studied to do that. next, you work as a med transcriptionist. ok, one unit of medical note taking is put to use. but what else? last, volunteer in your local PT clinic. though there is no pay, you get patients requesting home service treatment, and that’s where you earn. depending on where you work, it can be as high as 500 per session or as low as 250. plus tips and gifts your patients may give you.
the next choices are not related to your course. oh yeah, i’ve been a call center agent. i did work which an accounting graduate will be hard put to do.
and if i hear business as the “real alternative” this guy is talking abt, i’ll punch him in the face. business is not for everybody. i already know i suck as a businessman.
DevilsAdvc8,
I wrote that up. Wanna meet?
You can visit my blog too.
Devils:
maybe you could conduct a better survey and take that guy’s job.
I forgot Erap, he’s next after Cory.
yeah, Cory (for whatever virtues she may have) still governed worse than Erap. but that may only be because Erap had only 3 years to rule and wreck our country.
Jon, well. now that you’re here, no need to meet. you can answer my question directly and tell me what “real alternatives” you’re talking about. I believe you wrote that most Filipinos (including me, it would seem) fail to see the obvious you see. so enlighten me, please.
tonio, which guy?
the person who made that presidential survey.
DevilsAdvc8,
Have you read my whole blog post?
Take it into the context of Gilbert, who took up a degree in IT. For the past few years I needed route jobstreet emails to a separate folder in my yahoo mail, because of the sheer volume of job openings in IT, both for local and foreign opportunities — masyado na magulo inbox ko.
Why didn’t he pursue that?
Sayang na yung degree niya, sayang pa yung potential pay kasi mataas ang sweldo ng IT, whether it’s here or abroad. That’s my whole point, really.
Now, I want to ask some questions to you, too, like, why did you take PT? Is that the career that you really wanna take up? Is that really what you want to do with your life?
The alternative that I’m talking about? Find AND Do the thing that you REALLY want to do — and EARN from that. It doesn’t even have to be a business.
tonio, Pulse Asia took the survey. and I’m sure more than one person worked on that commission. i only stated that i’m interested in their survey data (most esp the age ranges of the sample group)
Jon, I read your entire entry in your blog. You cannot take Gilbert’s case and apply it to all OFWs in general. You cannot say that just bec Gilbert failed to see other “options,” other OFWs like him also did.
you can read my previous post. i believe i listed there all the options a PT grad like me have. you may know a job in which i can work as a PT (which i may not know), and if that is the case, I’ll include it in my list. but basing from my list, can you tell me if I’m wrong in my decision to work abroad? and tell me if that is career mismanagement, or following the career which i chose to do?
Granted that I cannot assume that all OFWs are like him, I’ll go back to a point I made: how many Filipinos mindlessly take up a degree in college that assures them of a job abroad, without considering what they really want to do?
PT, accounting, engineering, IT and today nursing, all these degrees have gone through or are going a phase wherein enrollees sore simply because it will bring one out of the country — but how many Filipinos really wanted to take them up?
Tell me, is physical therapy really your passion?
now you’re talking. following one’s dreams. that is idealistic, no?
let me see, between mindlessly following an option wherein you’ll at least be assured of a paying job vs an option wherein you are assured of high rewards only if you succeed, which would i choose?
it’s a question of values, Jon. it’s always been like that anywhere in the world. be a painter or be a company man. join a rock band or be a CEO. arts vs reality.
it’s the world we live in Jon. the system makes sure most people would be a frustrated-something.
and to answer your question, my passion is writing. that and filmmaking.
so yeah I’m a frustrated writer. but now that I’ve finished a 5-yr course, and resolved I want to follow this through, is Phils really the place where I will succeed as a PT? or would I rather work as something else?
and all those 5 yrs, my medical knowledge, wasted.
you see, from my POV, I can still write, even if I work as a PT. granted, I dnt get paid for it, but so what? it’s what i enjoy doing, and if I can do that, and still work as a PT (which in the US really pays like crazy) then can you consider that decision as mindless? it’s the best of both worlds!
i weighed my options, and i come out the winner if i choose the OFW option.
DevilsAdvc8,
Yes it is a matter of values — you’re quite right. Risk taking runs in my blood, it appears, and so my values revolve around pursuing what I want to do.
I’m in IT, I’ve loved computers since I was 10 years old, so things fell into place for me in that industry, even if I did not finish a degree in IT.
I take that from my mother; my grandmother wanted her to take nursing up so she could go abroad too, but she resisted and took up Education instead. While she thought she’d just end up as a lowly paid teacher, her relentless pursuit of improvement in her career brought her around the world, earns her a more-than-decent salary, and gave her recognition in her field, among other things.
What would have happened had she bowed down to the wishes of my grandmother? What if she had indeed become a nurse?
Perhaps my only mistake in writing what I did was in sounding as if everybody could do what my mother did, or I am doing, or many of my colleagues in IT — several from never-heard-of universities — are doing; that is, pursuing something that we really love to do.
“well, i bought a history book the last time i dropped by NBS.”
I used to hang out at Diplomat bookstore scouring the stinky recycled paperbacks and hardcovers. The effort was worth it. I got a library of George Bush rejects (It was George Bush who caused the closing down of many American public libraries that became a boon to the recycled books industry here).
Jon, your mother and you got lucky. I think whether one goes the safe route (e.g. OFW) or the high risk high reward route (e.g. pursuing your dreams) depends on ones’ degree of aversion to risk. As for “considering what they really want to do” remember how you criticized your deadbeat Uncle for being an activist? Wasn’t he also pursuing his dreams (for the country)?
Jon, yes. You assumed everyone would be willing to take the risk and follow what they really want to do. i believe i also owe you an apology if i sounded confrontational. i am just piqued when people think people like me who choose to work abroad do so “unthinkingly.” i’ve given this much thought, so i am offended when people say it’s an “unimaginative choice” or “sunod sa uso lang.”
i could work in IT, too. you know. i love computers as well. i have a natural aptitude for computer languages, and working tech gadgets. gawd, i can be a lawyer and pass the bar w/o trouble. but reality is, i ended up in this course.
yes, i can blame it on my immaturity then. my inability to go agst my mom. in hindsight, i could’ve followed what i wanted, but agn i was too shortsighted. i matured only when I was already a PT grad. but then, it would’ve been too late to rewind time. i could live with regrets, or make the most of what i have. what will you do?
devils advocate, change your name to whiner. so you didn’t get a job as a PT – tough luck. Suck it up! I graduated PT too. passed the board. couldn’t find work. so now I’m doing something else. pinili ko na mag-stay dito. and it worked.
yan naman ang hirap sa atin. pag-graduate, sobrang sama ng loob natin pag hindi tayo makatrabaho sa lnyang pinagradweytan natin. e ano naman kung hindi ka makapag ultra-sound? natutuo ka naman mag memorya ng sandamukal na impormasyon. natuto ka rin maging disiplinado. o! bakit hindi mo gamitin yun para umasenso sa ibang field?
e kung magpipilit ka talaga na hindi ka magtatrabaho unless bilang PT, e talagang liliit ang options mo. at talagang magwa-whine ka na lang palagi.
ang mga nagsa-succeed ay yung may drive to win. at yung may flexibility to accept that if one path doesn’t work, he had better find a path that does work. at yung hindi masyadong over-developed ang sense of entitlement. punta ka germany kung gusto mo i-baby ka ng gobyerno.
career mismanagement ba kamo, jon? Tama ka. Merong OFW na talagang wala ng choice; pero parami ng parami ang pumipili na mangibang bansa. HS pa lang, kukuha na ng kurso na nakatutok sa pagiging OFW. Tapos, pag nag OFW na, magrereklamo.
Jeg,
“I suppose if we want Filipinos to read about other stuff like history and ideas and all that, the medium to do it in is komiks.”
Agreed. Sadly, komiks is still not taken seriously as a legitimate form of literature and education. Snoots still pervade our society
my only (admittedly uninformed) view on comics here is that after the golden age of the 70s (growing up there were many titles on history, literature, etc. published in comics form, esp. by national bookstore), we tend to suffer from being too derivative.
places like filbar’s rake in the cash, but with foreign titles. efforts have been made to compete but the titles that came out were too derivative, and out of synch, i remember in the 90s when manga was already taking over, the local competition was aping marvel and dc comics.
i think the problem goes beyond using whatever styles happen to rule the roost, the marvel style and manga style are authentically attractive in their own rights, i can’t quite explain why i think, though our weakness is to be too slavish in the use of those styles. we also haven’t explored the potential of the graphic novel format which might offer up room for greater individuality in terms of artistic expression.
the process requires a greater collaboration and investments that are difficult to find. a couple of my pet projects for a time were to have a graphic novel version of locsin’s “the heroic confession” or his non-fiction “rizal,” and a manga-style version of mabini’s “la revolucion filipina,” but like my other obsession, a philippine historical atlas, the funding simply isn’t there.
Re: NDBD Survey
I wonder how was the questionnaire structured? Was it the mulitple choice type where Bible is number one in the list?
Who were the respondents?
Catholics are not bible-thumping people. I bet no one among the respondents have read the bible cover to cover.
I tried but the more I read, the more I develop a crisis of faith.
Reading the Psalms or a parable does not qualify under reading.
How many of the respondents are male?
Male don’t read romance or love novels. Even if they do, they won’t flaunt it. why romance novels only? There are many paperbacks and clothbound novels of espionage, adventure, spy thrillers, horror and detective stories.
Comic books- So there are young people in the respondents not unless they’re reading the comic books of Charlie Brown and Dilbert.
Then why is it only a small percentage?
Insprirational and religious books.
So number one is bible but the lowest percentage is bible-inspired books. Amazing.
The survey could have been more informative if the results showed the age brackets, the educational attainment, the profession, the gender and the economic status of the respondents.
Otherwise, it does not say anything.
What happened to the readers of Harry Potter. Why is there no percentage of readership? Was there no item in the questionnaire that distinguishes the kinds of novels read.
Are the respondents mostly female belonging in the young age brackets.
These are the types of respondents who are not ashamed to admit they are loving mushy novels. Because this is the time when reality about love has not hit them yet. So for them, love is always “and they live happily ever after type”.
Recipe book included as reading material? Wow. What I know about reading is to pass the time or to get entertained, get excited or get educated. But recipe book? My foot.
nbdb has a website:
http://www.nbdb.gov.ph/index.php?tid1=0
interesting stats (10 years out of date):
http://www.nbdb.gov.ph/index.php?tid1=2&tid2=3
more recent data (see 2004 survey on readership):
http://www.nbdb.gov.ph/index.php?tid1=4&tid2=2
ex:
One more time.
this is the explanation.
Having been connected in a city-funded university where admission process for those who pass the stringent entrance examination includes a panel interview from the different colleges/departments, I had a first person experience of knowing that many of these entering college have no idea what degree to take. So the interview was not only to determine which college these students would best fit in based on their interests, hopes and dreams for the future. The university aims to reduce attrition rate due to students’ faiure to make it to next school year because their grades did not meet the scholarship requirements.
Attrition rate in nursing was more than 50 per cent. In Engineering, even the third year students are not safe from being kicked out or referred to another college.
In other universities where I taught, freshmen enroll in whatever available GENERAL EDUCATION subjects are available. Mahirap kumuha ng subjects na magkakasunod at parehong araw. So they grab the chance of being in while the subjects are still open for enrollment. Later in the school year, they decide what course to enroll in which may be dependent on the:
a) advise of the parents/relatives
b) influence of the friends/girl friends/boy friends
c) tuition fees
I agree with Jon. It is more of lack of guidance or too much guidance (as in parents asking their children what degrees to enroll in) which cause job dissatisfaction.
I bet those who enrolled in PT were advised by their relatives abroad who thought that this was the job that would be in demand in the US.
That was in the mid 90’s.
They did not speculate that a hospital does not need more than one Physical Therapist unlike nursing where the nurse to patient ratio was mandated by the law.
Then the short term course Occupational therapy was offered in the US city and regional schools for those who wanted a career change. After six months, graduates of this vocational course were given preference in hiring instead of the five-year PT degree from the Philippines. They’re cheaper.
The hiring of PT from the Philippines was halted after a three year-hiring program which included exemption from labor certification for the applicants from abroad.
I remember back in the late 70’s, Liwayway magazine churned out Filipino comic-series with entertaining and educational story lines. I particularly liked ‘Pantomanok versus Tsindak’ (mix of superhero and science fiction story-line) and ‘Malinche’ (historical fiction set in pre-Hispanic Central America a-la Apocalypto).
The question must have been written as Bible or Koran. But of course Moslems are required to read their bible.
see it confirms my observation of the respondents who read romance novels.
But I doubt the bible reading part for this age bracket.
Magsimba nga lang hindi makatagal sa homily ng pari, magbasa pa ng makapal na bible. This is the age when people would like to impress that they are religious. Beyond this age bracket, many people would cringe touching the bible. Baka sila masunog. mwehehe
I would have included the religions orientation of the respondents.
Trillanes Fans Club Launched
http://philippinecomedian.com/2007/11/trillanes-fans-club-launched.html
“The alternative that I’m talking about? Find AND Do the thing that you REALLY want to do  and EARN from that. It doesn’t even have to be a business.”
————————-
I completely agree!
Honour- and Horror of the Head Scarf
News of her death was not an hour old when the words “honour killing” were bandied about.
Thanks to freedom, and the fair justice that comes with that, it could be years before we know the exact reason why 16-year-old Asqa Parvez had her life savagely stolen.
But we do know her father, Muhammad Parvez, 57, has been charged with her strangulation murder and her brother Waqas, 26, is charged with obstruction of justice.
Religion and culture clash and a teenager was murdered by her own father:
http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2007/12/12/4720370-sun.html
above culled from http://www.up.edu.ph/upforum.php?issue=20&i=152
couldn’t find yet 2007 readership survey online.
According to the 2007 National Book Development Board (NBDB) Readership Survey, 67 percent of respondents across the country read the Bible the most, followed by romance or love novels (33 percent), cookbooks (28 percent), comic books (26 percent) and religious or inspirational works (20 percent).
Good grief. — mlq3
Err, what’s the umbrage with the choice of reading materials? I think the Bible contains some of the best and greatest pieces of literature in the world — The Book of Job, Psalms, some of the gospels. And I’m no born-again Christian fundamentalist nut.
I guess it’s the overall picture that’s quite a disappointment with the high-brow crowd in this blog. See it’s not the fault of the masses that a Filipno readership has not emerged — there’s hardly material to read for the kids especially in public schools that go beyond the texbooks and reading is not promoted as a source enjoyment as much as it is a source of knowledge. I don’t about y’all but I enjoyed my komiks when i was a kid — heck the first time i’ve read shakespeare was in a tagalized komiks form.
opps sorry mali ang tags ko
Besides, it’s high time that Filipino literary writers write for the Filipino reader — not for the critics in the academia, not for the coveted international audience over in the West (which will naturally come if the writing is really good) and not certainly only for a certain market which people in this blog seems to a part of. Go ask Jose Dalisay whose novel Soledad’s Sister had been shortlisted for Man Asia Literay Prize, which unfortunately went to a Chinese writer.
i admire tony hidalgo, he’s a true trailblazer in publishing and among the most innovative. also, personally a very engaging man to talk to.