Ambiguity

My hand groped down my pocket for my mobile phone, and it was not there. Argh! I probably left it at home again- memory gap.
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I was on my way to my evening class, I left early that afternoon to avoid rush hour. At about 4:30 pm I’m near Taft Avenue station already. I got off the bus immediately, as soon as it stopped near the station, I’m hoping at that time, it’s not jam-packed again in MRT. Well going up the overhead MRT, the queue is just like “snake road” that leads to heaven. When you get there, you’ll be exposed with a view of people like they’re in cans of sardines (without tomato sauce) in every train. I happened to ride the last coach and I squeezed in and stood at the back hugging my backpack. But every time the sliding doors open passengers start gushing in and only a few is going out, as a result, we’re literally a canned sardines sharing not of tomato sauce but “sweat” sauce.
Usually, I’m testy about being haggard, when I’m pinned in that kind of scenario, I’ll get in the train fresh, I’ll get off the train, wasted. But at that particular point, I had a paradigm shift, my perspective changed, instead of being irritated or annoyed I felt calm and enjoyed the moment being among the ordinary people, wad masses in that coach. Why?
In the news the night before, unabated crude oil price hikes caused the inevitable fare hike and public transport groups are even clamoring for more, the commuting public diverts to railway transports as means of transportation. I felt that I have no right to demand for comfort, if we all in that situation are trying to compress ourselves just all to fit in the couch.
Now we would understand. Just like hapless Filipino students who can’t afford matriculation in private schools because of annual Tuition increase fall back to already heavily crowded public schools whether they like it or yes…or on the other hand, they will opt to drop out. Just like the case of University of the Philippines, the supposedly state college for the Filipino youth especially the financially deprived but deserving, ironically raised 300 percent in matriculation fee, now only 30 percent enrolled among those who took the UPCAT. What does this mean?
In another news, Philippines was said to be likely become a society of skinny people, more likely as the masses struggle daily just to have a square meal a day, because of the high prices of basic commodities, low purchasing power of peso and the rice shortage.
While compressed inside the carriage, I started to contemplate. Coming near in just few weeks, GMA will address the public in her SONA. I wondered what she would say. Will she still exalt with her pronouncements “Ramdam na ramdan na ang kaunlaran”, like what her banners and public ads in radio and TV all over Metro Manila are screaming. And upon uttering those words will the angels sing in heaven, will bands play endlessly or will the people hallucinating in hunger or high in dope will all chorus? “yeah rayt!”
I don’t like to blame Gloria again, nor to point a finger to anyone, I’m tired of doing that, and the problem our country is facing rooted since time immemorial and a lot of leaders have passed her doing nothing as well. (But of course, we can’t deny the plunging trust rate of GMA that commensurate to her performance or legitimacy) But her leadership should be pivotal to our country’s development just like all the opportunities that all our country’s leader s had to elevate our country from extreme poverty.
And in the next two years, we will hear those presidential aspirants again, giving their eloquent speeches, using their best communicator styles to claim the throne of the palace nearby the Ilog Pasig. When will they’re jingle, their body language, their agenda, their style reinforce what they say? Will we still let them delude us, to let them hold our future, to sack us in this wretched plight? (That is, if we will have a 2010 election and if we still have a credible electoral system)

After 30 minutes of travel, I reached Santolan-Annapolis Station, I got off the train, breathe deeply and went ahead. I went up the the ninth floor going to our classroom but when I got there, the door was locked. Wondering why, I went to the school office. I happened to see Sir Paul and asked him, “May klase po ba kami ngayon?” He answered, “wala kayo klase ngayon, ‘di kaba tinext?” smilingly I answered. “naiwan ko po kasi cell phone ko…hehe. Salamat po”.

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“If you tremble indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine”- che guevarra

A New Hope

It was the first day of class, the subject—Community Development, but supposedly it should be Development Environment of Communication (anyhow, I liked the subject). The class should start at five thirty in a small in room in the College of Social Welfare and Community Development but we waited for some time for about another thirty minutes for our other classmates to come.

While waiting I was wondering what my professor looks like, how old is he, what’s his teaching style or what would be my first impression of him? I’ve heard he’s a distinguished professor of this prominent university.

After a few minutes, he then entered the room carrying a folded old white cloth banner that he immediately spread and hung on the board. We started gazing our eyes on the blanket like banner that is embracing the wall and it seemed that it was used a hundred times already because of the faded prints on it.

He then sat at the table on the center of the aisle and started his lesson. I started to do “thin slicing” as well, I thought he would be just a typical old professor that would cradle us to boredom and sleep. Apologies, I was wrong. His hair was silver gray that was a mark of wisdom and experience, the hoarseness of his voice when he is shouting loud resonate his vivacity in teaching, and his face was marked with white patches that I think was caused by leucoderma, and I believe he was a prolific professor and his room is a fertile ground for seeds that need abundant soil and minds that need intellectual nourishment.

To start his lesson and for us to easily understand the course, he began recounting a parable. By storytelling he was able to let us understand the significance and appreciate the essence of the course.

Basically, community development is about empowering people in communities, and as he said community development is Christianity in action.

As he preached his word about community development, and the way he was telling his stories, it was so vivid, that the classroom transformed into a theater arena, we became an audience and participants as well. He brought us to the remote communities, of the abandoned and deprived, until he let us feel the piteous situations of our poor communities. While he was sharing his stories, he was integrating it with the course.

The subject should be about development, but in reality I didn’t see any development or at least a small improvement in the plight of our people who are living in the slums, our deprived farmers who are still clamoring for their land, and fishermen who are left to fish in an ungenerous sea or the Filipino masses who are trying to survive in a times like these when the prices of basic commodity, oil and basic services, inflation rate are soaring high, corruption, crime and social injustice festers.

We can only laugh with his jokes that he is pitching each in every time but once the smoke of euphoria cleared out, we can only shake our heads that in reality instead our situation progress it retrogress. Eventually, at eight thirty, he ended his story, but before we leave his lashing words created deep marks in our hearts with the challenges that we as community developers or development communicators have to face and a system to change. But despite all the problems and issues, it seems that there is always hope, and from hope we can start to change the stereotype culture, the stagnant plight of our country.

Before he ended, he said who among us wants to tell the same old story that will make our hearts heavy? He’s giving the same lecture for decades already, but he said he has to because nothing has been changed yet. But despite what it seems to be insurmountable problems of our country, he said there is hope, and from that hope we can start to make our future bright. And he said, his hope lies in the glittering eyes of his students, that among them will arise another lionhearted “Ka Lito” who will continue the mission empower our people and in order to empower must serve, in order to serve must be one of those he is serving.