There is this all too familiar saying that goes: “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”
And the manifestation of this adage came quite clear during the many graduation exercises conducted by public elementary and secondary schools in the whole country the past week.
In Malungon, Sarangani Province a teacher who is a cancer survivor wanted her graduating students to attend the graduation rites in toga. So, for those who told her they might just have to forego attendance because they cannot afford to buy or rent a toga, the teacher forked in her own money to buy them one.
In Davao City many schools implemented the Department of Education (DepEd) Memorandum Order to have graduation rites as simple as possible including not making it mandatory for graduates to wear toga.
However, there is no denying the truism that it is close to being obsession of parents to perpetuate the memory of the various stages of accomplishment in their children’s educational journey. Those are, starting from their graduation in their kinder years, in the elementary, secondary, and most of all in college. And there is no better way of doing this by having the moment captured in still documentation while their children graduates are wearing their toga.
In view of the compliance of schools to the DepEd order, some photography studios arranged with school administrations to cover the perceived void. They go to the school graduation rites and request for a space to set up their equipment.
Using a toga they own they take photos of individual graduates, and the graduates with their parents. And what a hit a strategy it is. We personally witnessed the success of such innovative scheme during last Wednesday’s graduation exercises at the Davao City Special Education School (SPED) elementary department. Before and immediately after the ceremony there was an “NFA buying outlet-like” line of students and parents wanting to have their photos with the graduates in toga taken.
What a sight it was that we were able to see. And to think that our own granddaughter had herself photographed in toga shortly before the start of the rites together with her parents!
Indeed if there’s a will, there’s a way.
Happy graduation day to our graduates in all levels!
After about two months of campaigning for the senatorial elections we only heard of three candidates for the Senate having gone to one of the Moro bastions in the Southern-most of the Philippines — Tawi-tawi. And they were re-electionist Koko Pimentel III, second-time aspirant Francis Tolentino, and one other from the administration-allied Hugpong ng Pagbabago.
But so far, we have yet to hear reports of senatorial aspirants stomping in the Provinces of Sulu and Basilan. Also, in our daily monitoring of news broadcasts over television and reading of almost every broadsheet that comes our way, we still have to hear or read reports of senatorial bets campaigning in the northernmost province of Batanes.
Thus, we cannot fault if people in those places entertain the idea that the central government does not consider them Filipinos and their provinces part of the Philippines.
Imagine that even at this time when candidates seeking support of every Filipino to catapult them to the positions they are aspiring to be elected, they are still hesitant to go to the provinces herein-mentioned to personally interact with the voters!
How could they possibly craft legislations that would suit the development needs of those parts of Muslim Mindanao and of that northern-most province of the country if they haven’t set even a foot of theirs thereat?
In all likelihood the candidates for the Senate as well as the Partylist aspirants for the Lower House would only be committing development programs based on assumptions. In such a situation local leaders with whom the successful senatorial and Partylist aspirants will be dealing with, will be the only source of inputs for the latter’s lawmaking responsibilities.
Knowing the lack of sincerity of local politicians in delivering their commitments to their constituents, and the usual “my-interest-first-before-others” attitude, the former’s inputs could be more of “fiction” instead of the hard truth. It could be “what suits me” instead of what is best for the people in the province.
Hence, we believe it would be to the benefit of the senatorial and Partylist aspirants’ political career if they shake off whatever fear they entertain and find time to personally campaign in the places we have mentioned here.
And in that light they can be guided accordingly when they sit down in the session halls of both houses of Congress to craft laws to support government programs and projects appropriate for the needs of every province and city in the country and not just a few favored and lucky ones.
