+ 1 year in College

STARTING school year 2009-2010 engineering, architecture, nursing, and accounting will be five-year college courses, the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) said on Tuesday.

Ched chairman Dr. Emmanuel Angeles said the program is part of the overall effort under the "New Philippine Education Highway" to transform the country's educational system into one that conforms to global standards. (AH/Sunnex; SunStar.com January 27, 2009)

It truly come of as a shock when students heard this news about the additional one year in college for the purpose of up scaling the state of education here in our country. This move by CHED chairman Dr. Emmanuel Angeles was immediately met with opposition by many students. Well what do we expect? the whole world is on a deep crisis and all the prices of commodities have gone up and basically all the demands of everyday life have zoomed up!Then here comes the proposal for an additional year in college. Oh Okay. But before we got so antagonistic about it why don't we try to understand the whole of it. Of course the propositon was made with us (students) in mind. Our future depends on what we make of our life now. Connection? in the context of our studies, the more time we have to study the more chances we get to have a more stable job. That's what I've grasp out of reading the news about CHED's proposal. To quote Presidential Adviser for Education Dr. Mona Valisno regarding the reason of the additional year he said:

"Despite the competent and hardworking abilities of Filipino professionals, many are not able to land good jobs or the jobs their degree requires because their credentials are based on a 10-year basic education program, which is not recognized globally,"(AH/Sunnex;Sunstar.com)

It is disturbing to know that though there many graduates being produced by the different universities in the Philippines every year, many of them still end up being jobless or better yet doing a job that doesn't apply to their courses(what a shame really, especialy those who end up as being a househelp in other countries). But I do hope that not only students should be upscaled like this, the teachers should also be trained and screened well before they teach and handle students especially now that the plus 1 year will be implemented. Well let's just see if this proposal works...

Uplifting Local Organic Farmers

"HEALTH FOOD Joke"

2000 B.C. - Here, eat this root

1000 A.D. - That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.

1850 A.D. - That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.

1940 A.D. - That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.

1985 A.D. - That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.

2000 A.D. - That antibiotic doesn't work anymore.Here, eat this root"

This is a joke published in the internet not so long ago and it suddenly popped into my mind while I was squeezing my brain for some introductions for this topic. With the passing of years, the world is slowly going back to basics. From cooking in solar- powered stoves to using herbal medicines , it is evident that the world finally realizes that technology can never replace the manual ways. One of the trends that the world is embracing is organic farming. In the Philippines, organic farming has already found its way. Although organic agriculture in the Philippines is still in its emergent or incipient phase, the discourse of organic agriculture is fast gaining ground in the country. Organic agricultural production is limited though steadily growing, reportedly between 10-20 percent annually (FAS/USDA, 2000). Organic products served as an alternative for individuals who want to have a healthy lifestyle while saving the planet.

Here in La Trinidad, several farmers are now getting themselves into organic farming. Though some still cannot leave the conventional way of farming(i.e., using pesticides), these "converts" of organic farming are determined to push through organic farming whatever the cost. But the pricing of organic products pose a great challenge to these farmers; organic products are a bit pricey when compared with the farm products out of conventional farming.


One of the pioneers of organic farming in La Trinidad is Mr. Pat Acosta.

When asked about why he chose organic farming over conventional farming , he replied:

"Nagsawa na ako sa kakakain ng lason eh. Why, do you want to eat poison? The conventional vegetables are cheap but if you sum up the cost of it to the effects on your body, mas yari ka."

Mr. Acosta is one of the pioneering farmers of Organic farming in La Trinidad. He owns and manages one of the largest organic farms, the Master's Garden which is located in Pinalyok, Puguis , La Trinidad, Benguet. He is also a pioneering member of La TOP, the organic practitioner's cooperative in which members can sell their products. At first, LaTOP -MPC(La Trinidad Organic Practitioner's Multipurpose Cooperative) caters for La Trinidad members only, but as it expanded(with members coming from different municipalities of La Trinidad and members coming from as far as Rosario, La Union), the cooperative decided to drop the acronym's meaning and instead, carried LaTOP only as their identity. "La" means "The" in Spanish, and "Top" in English as the "highest point or degree", therefore LaTOP would mean "The Top".


LaTOP continues to help uplift the lives of its members and continues to be the marketing arm of these organic farmers. LaTOP not only makes its way to be known as an organic product but also helps in promoting the local farmers of the Cordilleras and its neighboring provinces.

Miscellaneous hike!

My goodness! the miscellaneous hike is as bad as tuition fee increase itself. The world is on the brink of hysteria( actually it already is) because of this crisis thing going on; the prices of commodities are going up and all and now this---the miscellaneous of the school (UC-BCF) is going up next school year. Whoa! at least its not the tuition fee that increased right? At least We are still left with that consolation. But still one can't help but feel so bad, especially those who work to get themselves to school or to the parent's who work oh-so hard to get their kids to college. The thing is, education here in the Philippines is no longer a right; it's already becoming a privilege so to speak...(sigh)...