THE NEW PECKING ORDER IN EDUCATION

I went to a university in Cavite today to accompany a cousin in getting entrance exam results. In the queue leading to the enrollment fees counters, I saw at least two Koreans (from what I've overheard in their conversations, yes they are Koreans), one is a teenage boy and his mom, the other a teenage girl with a her mom and a Filipina interpreter. Seeing them forced flashbacks into four months ago last year, when I was still teaching at an international school in Manila. Two-thirds of the school is composed of foreign nationals, half of which are Koreans.

That flashback soon moved fast-forward to last week when I was in a prestigious college in Manila known for its specialization in technological education. On a poster on the wall of the security office, the repackaged goals of the college are spelled out in acrostics. One of the new goals is to attract foreign students in the school.

No doubt, these schools are a few of the best in this country. They have the best programs in the fields of disciplines they are offering, coupled with good educational infrastructure and technology, as well as a formidable academe of brains and talent. These are but a few testaments to how good the quality of education is in the country. Or at least in the private sector.

WHO SHOULD BE THE PRIORITY IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM? THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT?

I am beginning to worry though what will be left for ordinary Filipinos. Yes, we have the best brains in education here in the Philippines but who are they serving? They are serving a foreign clientele. Before I use to worry of the exodus of Filipino teachers to work abroad and teach a foreign clientele. Now, its the other way around. It's the clientele who is arriving here to reap our fresh, tender, and quality education.

Think of mangoes. Before mangoes are being exported to be eaten by foreign mouths. Now, as mangoes ripe attached to its tree, foreign invaders attack and eat it before it's picked. This is the new pecking order in education in the 21st century.

And so, even though these brains have yet drain abroad, they are already being drained here in our own land, leaving none to a young generation of Filipinos hungry for knowledge, skills and values their motherland should be giving them.

I pity these teachers. How could they allow their fruits to be devoured by foreigners first? I am aghast at these private schools. How could they condone such practice? I hope they realize we are at the losing end here. I am disgusted by our immigration officials for allowing this influx of foreigners to go on without much of a screening. I am disgusted at our government for prioritizing servitude to invaders instead of service to fellow Filipinos.

I am not the only disgusted by this. I am sure, out there, there are more. But they are not just disgusted; they could be even worse. Who knows? One day, these disgruntled, disenfranchised youths could be going inside these schools, going on a killing spree of these foreign invaders. I pray and hope we don't get to that worst-case scenario.

And so before worse comes to worst, I sure hope the country's educational planners could give time to rethink the direction of the educational development of schools in the country, both public and private. Our goals should be directed inwards, not outwards; towards our own development and not of others. I hope there would be a control as well in the traffic of foreigners going to our country. The less of them we have here, the more we can focus on strengthening ourselves.

IMPLICATIONS

In the last five days, from April 27 to May 1, we've been experiencing a massive information overload. All over the Internet and on TV, even in our mobile phones and tablet devices, we are being fed with too much information on the biggest current events of our time -- the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the beatification of Pope John Paul II, and more recently, the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

I'm sure you are all fed up like me. In this Information Age, we Filipinos are asking, how do these events relate to our lives. Are there any implications? Allow me to help you connect what these all means to us.

THE ROYAL WEDDING

The biggest headache from this weeks headlines came from the Royal Wedding. Everywhere on TV, news channels are bragging about their sole coverage rights to the event, or about scoops they got from people who were able to get close to the royal couple. On Friday, the day of the wedding itself, over 4 million Filipino households tuned in to the Royal Wedding. To think were not even British, how is this possible? How come an event that has too little significance in our lives could get so much attention?

The reasons vary depending on which social class a viewer comes from. For the elite or middle class, the obvious reasons for watching the event is to keep up with pop culture and the culture of extravagance. It is an opportunity for them to catch new fashion trends, manners and etiquette, to maintain carrying that elite or middle class demeanor. But what about for the poor Filipino masses?

Well, its is an opportunity to take flights of fantasy -- to experience for 5 hours what its like to be in the position these royals hold. It also reflects their own aspirations for a better life in the future -- aspirations that are better achieved through hard work than 5 hours of watching coverage. But for the poor people who are already breaking backs just to work their way out of poverty, watching the royal wedding on TV is simply one way of looking for relief from daily sacrifice and labor.

In the end, the common denominator that binds all social classes in watching the Royal Wedding is our value for true romance. We could all agree at some point that the romance of Will and Kate is something that we all dream of -- passionate, persistent, shining and shimmering -- this is the kind of romance which 4 million Filipinos still dream of. No wonder why.

THE BEATIFICATION OF POPE JOHN PAUL II

Filipinos love personality cults. In fact, we've made an industry out of it -- Jose Rizal, Ferdinand Marcos, Ruben Ecleo Sr., Felix Manalo, Fernando Poe Jr. and many more. Since time immemorial, Filipinos have been in search of people to look up to, people who will serve as their leader and role model. These idols, as I would like to call them, serves a guiding compass in our own actions, aspirations, even morality.

The late Pope John Paul II is not spared for our penchant for idols. Perhaps he even wanted to become one. It was indeed his mission in life to be a role model of good Christian living to everyone. But Filipinos tend to go overboard with its veneration of people, that even the most irrelevant of things, when made part of that person's life, can become an instant relic and source of inspiration. Thus, a table napkin in a Chinese restaurant will definitely draw in hundreds of parishioners wanting to have their own piece of papal experience.

The way I see it, Filipinos have little self-esteem and more for other people. Hence, our penchant for idols. We tend to see more good in others than good in ourselves that in the end, we tend to ignore the possibility that we can be our own role model. However, once our idols have failed us, instead of looking inward, we move on to another person to idolize.

Pope John Paul II wanted to people to follow his example, not worship him, the same way Jesus Christ did. His beatification only sends a message to us all that like him, we can all live blessed lives, not just in Heaven, but here on Earth.

THE DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN

The death of Osama bin Laden is "a victory of morals" as Maria Ressa said. And I agree.

It is not a victory for the War on Terror, the war is far from over. President Obama is right in saying that "justice has been done for the innocent victims of 9/11", but its not justice served to all victims of terrorism. Osama bin Laden has successfully created a franchise out of terrorism and hatred and exported it worldwide, that soon everyone is feeling its brutal backlash and reeling from its effects. Filipinos can say that we are not in any way affected, but it cuts right in the heart of our values. After all, we have our own terrorists to take care of.

The direction of the War on Terror must turn from that of destruction to forgiveness and reconstruction. We must all forgive Osama bin Laden for what he has done to us and close this chapter of the war. People should all turn their sights on countering Bin Laden's franchise of terrorism and hatred by creating their own franchise based on love and compassion -- love for self, for fellow people, for country and God (whichever God we believe in, as well as values of tolerance, respect, mutual trust, understanding and many more.

The War on Terror both here at home and abroad can score a final victory, not by firing more shots in the head, but by embracing the hearts of these angry men and women with love.