Bankruptcy in the country

Title

Creator

Acaño, Antonio F.

Language

English

Year

1965

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

The Philippines and the Filipinos need to observe some national discipline.

Fulltext

■ The Philippines and the Filipinos need to observe some national discipline. BANKRUPTCY IN THE COUNTRY Sigus are galore of bank ruptcy in the Philippines. Whether it is a moral bank ruptcy, a political one, a so cial one, an economic or otherwise, it is bankruptcy just the same. Many respect able elements of our people seem to be jumping on the bandwagon for merry time. Let us mention known cases of levity and decadence. Smuggling is rampant and uncontrolled; dishonesty or cheating in bar and other government examinations; payment by applicants to po lice recruitment office for qualifying as majors or patrolmfen; textiles unloaded and deposited at the wharf or goods and merchandise consigned to importers disap pear at the Custom House; technical smuggling by gross ly undervaluing imports; warrant of arrest for harass ment; hush money or grease money from Chinese Immi gration Quota; blackmarket ing of donated foods and drugs from abroad; hickbacks in government con tracts for building materials or in reparation materials; bribery at City Hall; the short-lived or "ningas cogon” enthusiasm that spelled the doom of such worthwhile projects of tilapia and mush room culture projects — these are but concrete examples of our moral bankruptcy and decadence. One of the weaknesses of our people — a great many of our leaders — is the ap parent inability to distin guish our needs from our greeds. There is the chal lenge to re-orient or re-direct our educational system — the national leaders included — to the end that a new set of values be evolved. There is something wrong with our moral fiber. We are build ing unless arrested early enough a new fetish and cult, a cult of materialism and material gain at the ex pense of decency and bonos October 1965 7 mores. A name is no longer cared, and honor is no longer protected. What has become of the national backbone that has produced a galaxy of Filipino heroes of the ca liber and stature of Rizal, Mabini, del Pilar, the Lunas, Bonifacio, Quezon and Osmena? If leaders we look up to with pride and honor could not be exemplary in conduct and demeanor, by what tokens could not ex pect the rank and file to sur pass them (leaders). The common saying, "the river could not rise higher than its source" is applicable. It is time that we take stock of ourselvess. While everything is not lost al though things as they are, are depressing, the situation is not hopeless. It is about high time to initiate a program of indi vidual and national disci pline. As people we compare with other races in ability. But truth to admit, we lag behind in assessment of mo ral values. Here is where our schools and school sys tem could initiate definite and aggressive steps for im provements of our national character by starting anew and aright with the children in their fold and tutelage. — Antonio F. Ascaho. EVALUATING STUDENT COMPETENCE Colleges, like industrial enterprises, should con tinually evaluate their product — their seniors. To do so they must use techniques similar to what in dustry calls quality control. The qualities to be measured should grow, in part, directly out of the material each college has to work with, its own ob jectives and its resources for learning. Each insti tution, and the schools and departments within it, should stand educationally for more than a speci fied accumulation of course credits and the pious platitudes found in the catalogue and the speeches of the president and deans. — by John A. Perkins, Saturday Review, 9/65. 8 Panorama

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