Problems in the news
Media
Part of The Philippine Educator
- Title
- Problems in the news
- Language
- English
- Year
- 1947
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- .PROBLEMS IN THE ·NEWS By SILVINA C. LAYA We are glad to hear from the field that news items cited, analyzed, and threshed for social implications are being used effectively by social science classes and by teacher discussion groups. Here are some more items suitaole for discussion. 1. A more rigid scrutiny will be exercised h1{ the Department of Foreign Affairs before issuing passports to Filipino citizens. This is the result of a mistake made in issuing a P hilippine passport to Chinese Maximo Go. a. Explain why this mistake may lead to more serious violations of our laws? b. Why should the Government be very careful in handling passports ? c. How may this power of issuing passports be abused ? Whaf are the consequences of abuse? d. Has this question any relation to another serious problem, the illegal entry of aliens to the Philippines? Explain. 2. Secretary of J ustice Roman Ozaeta amended Circular No. 14 " to permit the . registration of sales of urban and nonagricultural lands to aliens." Th is ruling has made possible the regi ~ tration of the property of Adamson (a Greek ci ti~e n ) and Gaston Willoquet (minister for the Republic of France) . a. Is this ruling a possible violation of the Constitution or not? Explain. b. How may this ruling affect adversely the rights of future generations of the Philippines? c. Is this ruling consistent with the . I Parity Act ? d. Should we welcome the ment of our lands by Why? developaliens? 3. President Roxas made the stand that he has no power to grant immunity from criminal prosecution to Abner, Bicol Huk chief. Abner offered to surrender to the authorities provided that he and his men be granted imml)nity from prosecution. a. Should the P resident have comprom~ed with Abner or, say, Taruc? b. Would the late President Quezon have .compromised? Cite a specific act of d ie late president which would make you believe as you do. 4. A forgery on a sales invoice caused the new million-peso Surplus P roperty Commission scandal. The National Bureau of I nvestigation stated that it could riot get state witnesses to testify against a high government official belieYed to be a party to th e fraud. a. Does this speak well of the Government? of the moral fiber and civic conscience of our people? b. What can the Government do if witnesses are afraid to testify against high government officials? c. How can schools help if not immediately at least in the long runin the solution of this problem? · d. Should the Government - take this scandal tamely? If no evidence is found. should the Government congratulate itself or should it feel ashamed of its failure to cleanse itself? 5. Twenty-eight convicts staged a jail- · f' O R MODE RN OPTICAL NEE DS- SEE KEEPSAKE OPTICA'L- 80 Escolta 41 •' '· - .. .., '- . ~ .. ·' . 42 b~eakvin the Bul'aca'n provincial jail on ·August 24. This is not the first time a j~lbreak has happeneJ. a. Does this · mean that the Government instrumentalities concerned are inefficient? ' b. If so, what steps _has the Government taken to "clean up" its backyard? - c. If not, whclt steps sho'uld it take? d. What effect has jailbreaks on society in general? 6. The U . S. Department of Commerce has published an economic survey which s tates that "prospects for large-scale ,land se't~lement projects are favorable, particularly in the potentially rich and undeveloped island of Mindanao." The survey further states that there <3:re favorable prospects for a $1,000,000,000 economic development program. a. Why is Philippine capital so timid when it comes to developing our own natural resources? p. Why have Filipinos shown little interest in settling public lands? c. What can our own government do to develop these potential sources of wealth? / d. Why are we so slow in seeing and appreciating our Nature-endowed wealth? e. How does Parity come in here? 7. The cabinet decided to hold public cont ests to select th e best textbooks for public elementary schools. The Government will purchase the copyrights for the winning textbooks. a. How feasible is the plan? b. Will this plan prove attractive to local writers? c. Will it lead to better textbooks? d. Why does the Government take so much trouble to have textbooks prepared for the elementary schools? 8. Secretary ~;diego sugg-ested to th e • Cabinet the use of charts in the elemen tary schools and to dispense with textbooks. a .. What motives prompted this recommendation? -. b. lrl what way may charts be used to advantage? c. What are the disadvantages?' d. Will this plan be really economical ~ the long run? Explain. 9: Edgar Crossman, co-chairman of the Joint Philippine-American Finance Commission, expressed his disappointment over the failure of the Philippine Government to put into effect the Commission's recommendations. "There has been much tax evasion going on among wealthy island interests," he said. a. Why is Crossman dissappointed over the failure of Congress to put into effect the recommendations of the Commission? b. Who should be blamed, the Government or the tax evaders? -Why? c. What are the immediate results of tax evasion? the remote, but nonetheless real, results? d. How may tax evasion be reduced? 10. Colonial Secretary Arthur Creech Jones declared that - Great Britain is tacing a ,-ery serious economic cris~. Britain would have to cut her imports from the U.S-A. and to increase the production of "dollar-saving products." The survival of Great Britain lies in a program of economic self-sufficiency, he says. Minister of Agriculture Tom Williams appro,-es of widespread increases in prices and subsidies to British farmers. a. What factors have brought abou.t this economic depression? b. Are economic depressions' to be expected a few years after wars? Cite instances from history. c. How will England meet this problem? How is England meeting it now? d. Why doesn't England resort to foreign loans? e. What lefson migbt the Philippines learn from the Bdtish? 1 L Jose ::\Iaria Velasco Ibarra of Ecuador \\-as onsted as president. The minister of defen se, Colonel Carlos !llancheno, engineered the "bloodless PROBLEMS IN . THE Nt:WS . 43 .-' -~~.. f ... . ;:;~, ,._re\;blu"tron"' that resulted in the o;;sting, :'_:;~. .ilid as~umed co ntrol of the government f\·:... in the name of Ecuador's armed forces. ~:-~.~- a. Are :.th7 . people justified in changJU':.. ~ ing their --Government officials? .:-- ':.. :: Justify yo~r answer. ~~-~ .... - b. Besides revolution, what other ~ . ~ ·---r:n \A .... K cmeans may the people employ to achieve reform? 12. T he U:S. government protested against "Communist rigged" elections in Hungary which deprived about 1,000, 000 H un garians of the rig_ ht to vote. ThPU .S. govern ment declared that "over!tf:<f•" ·whelming -· majority of Hungarian Cltl · ~-:if~·J--__, =?ens thus far disenfranchised are non,;):C: ·!'-- Com munists." 5,.~--. ~-:~_'i_:~-- .. a. How does this situation bode ill for . .-o • the . ·one-world idea of President ~ · ~ · Trum'an ·- :>. ~' / /)_;_-: b. Why is the U.S.A. interested in 1\u• .. , keeping the elections clean not ~~~ only in Hungary but in other na•:-.~· tions 'as· well? _<,"_/· c. How may clean elections be ach!ev:-!~·;· ed? .. ·r ,. '!--·~- \ d. Are there exist~nt dangers of . our having a · similar deprivation of qur rights to elect our own choices for ]>ublic office? E xplain. 13. The Dutch have proposed two things to the U N Security Council : for th e l iN to send troops to I ndonesia or to let the Dutch take measures to insure peace and order. Compromise efforts were made by China, Poland and AustJ·alia are deadlocked. a. Why may the Dutch Indonesian trouble b~ considered a test case for the UNO? b. Why should the Philippines be interested in it? c. Brigadier General Carlos P. Romulo opposed China's proposal to appoint a single "impartial state" to !'Upervise the Indonesian trouble. Why? 14. Russia vetoed the application of Italy and Austria for membership in the UNO. The SoYiet Union has used the ,·eto (Big Power voting priYilegc:) "18 times to block security council maJonties." Argentina, alarmed, submitted a resolution fo r the abolition of the veto privilege. ·a.· How may this Big Power l~eto pri- _ .. -:; vilige be ,. abused? .· · Ha~ Russia ~-abused this privilege? ; b. Why do the small powers want this privilege abolished? c. Why do you think Russia is against~ '·"-< the entry of Austria and Itaiy into ~he UNO? .~ -~~ d. Are her -- motives above reproach? ·, 15. The United St;tes· has· ·given ·up ·. _ hope of settling the dispute .with· R us- -~·~ sia in Korea over unification oftne coun-. ,--"' try. I s the American ideology so .. diffe- · '·< rent from that of Russia i ha( /the two - ~ never cap agree? . - ~ 16. U.S. government empl,oyees will- ' 'be given loyalty tests by the -Feder~l -~: .. < Bureau of In vetigation. , a. What may have induced the U.S. government to give · ; uch, tes.ts? Can any te$t be a fair gauge of · one's loyalty? b. What are the dangers of such tests? · In what way may such tests be used for political advantage? c. Is there a real need 'for it? Explain. 17. A third political party in the U nited States will back up fo rmer vice-president Henry Wallace. I t has been named "The l'ndependent Progresive Party of Cali fo rnia." a. W~ich. is better : a two-party or a tripartite system? · b. Would a tripartite. system be workable ·in the Philippines? l 8. RepresentatiYe Bender ·of O hio · said trat fraud and overpayment costin g the U.S. millions of dolla rs have been found in war contracts. \ a. Who sh0uld be blamed: The War Office or the contractors? Why? b. How may such anomalies be prevented? 19. The Gonrn ment has defi 'titely decided to do educational extens,on work (Continued on page 50:> .·.::.. .>