Estoker by Claudio V. Tabotabo, MA (February, 2006)

Spending long years in the academe provides me opportunities to meet people. Unfortunately, only a few I could bring to my ideals who have dedication to their academic life. I must be branded arrogant to say, but in this period of extreme materialism, only a few have the faculties of understanding. People are busy acquiring things that only fulfill the practicalities of life while a vast area for the cultivation of the personality is overlooked.

So great was my rejoicing when I found myself in a department with an atmosphere of academic development. There is a chance to read books, to write and to converse with the liberals. Liberals to clarify in this paper refers to the professors of arts and the humanities.

I said academic development because this is the department populated with academically inclined few. Among these few I wish to highlight is the head of the department who is notably an armchair traveler. He is always seen with a book on hand.

While working as office staff of the Philippine Senate, he worked hardly for his graduate studies which he eventually finished in 2001, at MLQU in the degree of MA PSYCHOLOGY. Finishing a graduate study is not the point to be discussed about. He worked in an office that is the object of everybody's illusion. Everyone dreamed to work in the senate while he himself was thinking to vacate it. His desire to be in the academe was burning and it went as he designed, leaving the Philippine Senate and entering in the academic institution.

It was at TIP Manila where his dream began to realize. He became administrator after few months of plain classroom professor. Now he himself designs syllabi, distributes teaching loads to teachers at the same time does his beloved job, to teach. So indeed he has the work of a pure academician.

But everything did not end there. His exposure to the academe made his graduate degree a small thing for him. He was still hungry for a higher degree that finally put him in a post graduate studies. He is now in the finishing part of it. Sometime this year a young Doctor of Public Administration shall be named at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

The TIP like other schools of Manila looks at the talent and enthusiasm of young blood so that today who runs the schools are young professionals. Old school masters cannot ignore the fact that the young shall outdo them. "The old shall give way to the young so that there shall be promotions." It's what the old navy said to the young Edmund Dantes in the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas.

It is the fashion of the time. But part of the fashion is the lament of the old masters on the weaknesses of the young to earthly demands. The old talk about wisdom, the young talk about fortunes. The situation of the schools of Manila exemplifies this claim.

However, the old are also aware that among this crop of technologically minded school administrators exists unnoticed a schoolmaster who can see beyond the physical dimension of a thing.

When everyone was restless for promotion, he is calm peering down at his newly acquired book, a novel. When everybody is copying, he is writing his own article for the department's paper. When everybody is prodding anger at his subordinates, he is laughing with his friends. It is the meaning of what they called serenity, the capacity to do things when everyone surrenders from doing.

There was a series of lay off of faculty members on the ground that teachers are not qualified to teach after teaching more than 10 years. Mr. Estoque devised a system that saved his faculty members. He promised the school that all the faculty members who have not finished a graduate degree and such due to end the contract, shall enroll in their respective graduate studies.

The teaching load was not enough to everyone. The department chair distributed it equally to one another, the situation that sometimes put him in danger. But he was there brave enough like the Spanish fighter stoking the advancing bull that gives him the right to be called stoker

Rosalin San Ramon Camacho by Aquilina V. Redo, MA (February, 2006)

Small but terrible. This petite but brainy woman, still young in service with us, in a pride of Technological Institute of the Philippines-Manila particularly of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department. As a consistent honor student from elementary to college, she is now ready to make a difference in the lives of the people, especially the young, as a Psychology professor. Aspiring to become the best of what she could possibly become, she finished elementary and high school in Southeastern College and finished AB Psychology in PWU-Manila-all with flying colors.

She took up education units from PCU-Manila and finished academic requirements for MA Education with Specialization in School Psychology in PNU. As LET passer and civil service eligible, she has also gained several teaching, guidance and counseling experience from St. Mary's Academy, Colegio San Agustin-Makati and AMA-Makati Campus, among others.

As a fourth child among five siblings, she considers her parents as the most influential people in her life with their example of hard work. With the Golden Rule as her guiding principle, she believes that everything happens for a reason and life is a product of our choices. Strict in self-discipline, she also firmly upholds that time in gold.

Finally, with strong faith in God, she says that safety is not the absence of danger but the presence of God. She is very much confident that nothing is impossible if you have strong faith in God. Likewise, she deems that our life is God's gift to us but what we do with our life is our gift to God.

Sporting Champions by Ronan S. Estoque, MA (February, 2006)

Similar to the win achieved by Manny Pacquiao and Brian Villoria, there was also a sporting event that was eagerly anticipated and prepared for by the TIP-Manila community. In the merry month of February, a sporting competition was held between the sports enthusiast of TIP-Arlegui and TIP P. Casal.

They say that for four straight years, TIP P. Casal has been whipping the sports enthusiast of TIP-Arlegui. Well, I do not know if that is true (about the 4 consecutive years), what I do know is that for two consecutive years such "whipping" did occur and I was a personal witness to the whipping, especially in men's basketball.

Last year, TIP-Arlegui underestimated TIP P. Casal and the price was a humiliating lost. For this year, TIP-Arlegui prepared long and hard for the annual basketball game. They even spent some cash to purchase a basketball uniform. Unfortunately, the result was still the same. They were still defeated. It is not because that the players of TIP P. Casal were taller or more talented or heaven forbids, more good looking. It was simply a case of more determination, pride and honor.

For this year, the bragging rights belong to TIP P. Casal. Next year would be another chapter to this friendly rivalry, nevertheless - the sporting competition next year promises to be more fierce and competitive. But for the meantime, let TIP P. Casal savor the joy of victory for another year. No one could promise the results of next year's games, so for this year, TIP P. Casal, enjoy the victory. For TIP-Arlegui, better luck next year!!


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You could always tell when the palace (or specifically, the president) is playing politics. Was is me or was it just a year ago that the battle against E-VAT polarized the entire republic - where people normally are against additional taxes and by sheer political force, the expanded value added tax law was finally passed and implemented by the present administration and rammed against the populace.

Now in the face of another threat (real or imagined), the present administration is again advocating the removal of withholding taxes for the minimum wage earners. If this is allowed, the revenues gained from the E-VAT will just be cancelled by this populist move.

Clearly, this is just another side of ugly politics where the long-term betterment of the republic is being sacrificed for the short-term respite of the grudging minimum wage earners and a play for their perceived support. A questionable support that is still to be established and verified (in the very first place).

If one is sacrificing a long-term goal (to raise more revenues) in lieu of the artificial purchase of a popular support then all is lost. Governance now will be based on what is popular rather than what is right. Taxes are the lifeblood of any government. If you are exempting one sector then what about the other sector? Psychologically, a sacrifice is really not that difficult if all are bearing the brunt. If one sector is exempted, then the perennial question of "why me?" is going to fester and in the long run will cause more harm than the immediate good.

We have all heard it before; these are all bitter pills for the betterment of the future. But it seems that the present administration is losing its perspective and is starting to believe the negative impact of surveys. They are wavering in their stance and believe me when I pronounce that they would be asking for more exemptions and sacrifices.

If one is really bent on being popular, why not scrap all taxes altogether? Now that is one stupid idea worth considering since they are after the "popular support". With the summer fast approaching, they are playing with fire that could easily swallow the entire forest (that is not virgin anymore).

We are heading for a brewing disaster that will implode sooner or later. This is now a failure of leadership at the highest level. More turmoil is before our road, my dear Brutus, more turmoil indeed...