14 december 2009. VOLUme 41. NUmber 14. 12 PAGeS

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Field Notes: Filipinisasyon ng mga paaralang Tsinoy

Climate change video brings alumni to Copenhagen conference

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AKI lecture on poverty features former UN director

2401 (twen´te fôr´,o, wun) is a landmark number along Taft Avenue. It is the location ID of De La Salle University, home to outstanding faculty and students, and birthplace of luminaries in business, public service, education, the arts, and science. And 2401 is the name of the official newsletter of DLSU, featuring developments and stories of interest about the University.

DLSU team topS economicS qUiz competitionSee page 3

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Thessaloninans 1:2-3) They are a letter which Christ dictates to you, which you write each day in their hearts, not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God. (MTR 3:2) It is with much gratitude that we look to the young people, whose lives have brought us together. The stories of their fragile dreams have inspired the best in us even as we empower them to write the story of their own lives. May the Christ-child, today born in a manger, lead you to that place in your hearts where the hopes of all young people are held and loved.

Fraternally, Br. Edmundo Fernandez FSCVisitorDe La Salle Brothers, Philippines

Br. Vic Franco FSCAuxiliary VisitorDe La Salle Brothers, Philippines

A Christmas Message to the Lasallian Community

The trio bested 22 teams sent by economics student organizations of various colleges and universities in the Philippines. The second and third place honors went to the teams from the University of the Philippines School of Economics. The winners took home trophies, medals, cash prizes, and scholarships in PSE’s trading

classes.College of Business and Economics Dean Dr. Myrna Austria

expressed delight over the team’s victory: “It is heartening to see students get involved in economics and capital market, which are outside the school set up. We support the organizers of this meet in their goal to heighten the interest in these subjects.”

The competition was jointly organized by the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), Junior Philippine Economics Society (JPES), and Philippine Council of Economics Students (PhilCES) to test the knowledge of participants in the field of economics and capital markets. Among the subjects covered in the quiz were current events, development economics, econometrics, economic history, and international economics.

The JPES is a confederation of Economics organizations from various universities and colleges in the Philippines. It is the junior arm of the Philippine Economic Society (PES) and serves as a liaison between professional economists and economics students.

PhilCES is an intercollegiate organization of economics majors in the country.

DLSU team topS economicS qUiz competition

DLSU Applied Economics and Management of Financial Institution majors Rosana Maria Luisa Vazquez, Francis David Roque, and Zebedee Mejia won the grand prize in the first PSE-JPES-PhilCES National Economics and Capital Markets Quiz Competition held last December 4 at the Philippine Stock Exchange Trading Hall in Ortigas.

The grand prize trophy

The contest encouraged individuals to send videos with their views, opinions, and questions about climate change. Garilao and Orioste’s video was the only entry from the Southeast Asian region. The winners were determined by public internet voting.

As part of their prize, Garilao and Orioste were sent to Copenhagen , Denmark last December 7 to join world leaders in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, dubbed as the biggest climate convention after the Kyoto Protocol.

Their winning video will also be aired during the CNN/You tube Debates on December 15.

In their video entry We Raise Our Voice, You Take the Lead, the duo appealed to Youtube viewers to consider the effects of climate change. They proposed solutions like a clear environmental management system, green technologies, and a campaign for green education. The video supplied scenes from a flood-submerged Manila brought about by the onslaught of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

cLimate change viDeo bringS aLUmni to copenhagen conference

The video entry of DLSU alumni Paul Darwynn Garilao (MEE ‘06) and Alfonso Orioste, Jr. (POM ‘07) bested 500 others from around the world in the COP15 Raise Your Voice, an environmental video contest sponsored by CNN, Youtube, and the Danish government.

Time management tip:

To easily find items from your stacks of books, papers, and other files, keep only the things that you need. Inventory your things at least twice a year, and get rid of those that you have not used in the last 12 months.

Lasallians on the DOT (Definitely on Time) is a De La Salle University campaign to strengthen a culture of punctuality and honesty. The program is being undertaken in response to a memorandum issued in September 2008 by the Commission on Higher Education, which urges higher education institutions in the country to support its Project W.A.T.C.H. (We Advocate Time Consciousness and Honesty).

De Mesa’s presentation in a plenary session was based on the paper he submitted for the Congress whose theme was “Media for a Culture of Peace: Children’s Rights, Tomorrow’s Promise.”

The Congress highlighted current issues and developments in social communications, particularly those revolving around children.

Different resource persons from Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America, as well as the

Pacific dealt with topics like “Human Rights, Children’s Rights,”

“Growing Up in a Digital World,” “Media

for Social

Transformation”, “Religion and Media,” and “Spirituality in Asian Cinema.”

Signis World is the world Catholic Association for Communication. This year’s Congress, which included the prestigious annual media awards, was attended by about 600 lay, religious, and clerical participants coming from different parts of the world. It was graced by the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio to Thailand, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand, the bishop of the Diocese of Chiang Mai, and the governor of Chiang Mai.

De Mesa is also a member of the Bangkok-based Asian Communication Network, an ecumenical and interfaith network of communicators.

WorLD congreSS featUreS taLk on theoLogY of commUnication bY UniverSitY feLLoW

University Fellow Dr. José de Mesa gave a talk on “The Word That is Jesus: A Theology of Communication” to the participants of the Signis World Congress 2009 held last October 17-21 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Batay sa aking karanasan bilang isang guro ng Filipino, napapansin kong mataas ang talaan ng mga mag-aaral na Tsinoy na naka-enrol sa iba’t ibang kurso. Sa isang usapan namin ni Dr. Fanny A. Garcia, sinabi niya na dagdag pa ako sa populasyon ng mga Tsinoy sa La Salle. Akin tuloy napagmunian ang mga Tsinoy na paaralan, at ang kanilang filipinisasyon.

Halina’t balikan muna natin ang kasaysayan ng relasyong Pilipino at Tsino. Unang-una ay malalim na ang relasyon ng dalawang lahing ito. Sa katunayan bago pa man tayo sakupin ng mga Kastila ay nagpapalitan na sila ng mga kasangkapan o mga palamuti kagaya ng perlas, ginto, telang silk, at iba pa. Bukod pa rito, maraming mga mangangalakal na Tsino na nag-asawa ng Pilipina. Ayon kay Dr. Sonia M. Zaide, noong sinakop ni Miguel Lopez de Legaspi ang Maynila, nagulat ang huli dahil may halos 150 pamilyang Tsino, Muslim, at Pilipino na naninirahan sa nasabing lugar at pinamumunuan ng isang datu.

Noon pa man, tapat ang mga Tsino sa patuturo ng kanilang sariling wika sa kanilang mga anak. Maganda naman ang kanilang layunin, subalit para sa akin, ang

mga Tsinoy na ipinanganak at lumaki na sa Pilipinas ay naturuan din sana ng kaukulang katapatan dito sa bayang kanilang kinalakihan.

Ayon kay Charles McCarthy na isang research director sa Pagkakaisa ng Maynila, nagpatuloy ang ganitong uri ng edukasyon para sa mga Tsinoy hanggang dekada ‘60. Dagdag pa ni McCarthy, kumuha ang mga paaralang Tsinoy ng mga guro mula sa Tsina upang magturo ng wikang Tsino sa Pilipinas. Dagdag pa niya, kahit hindi marunong magturo ng wikang Tsino ay pinagtuturo pa rin sila. Naging bunga tuloy nito ang hindi mabisang pagkatuto ng mga batang Tsinoy. Sabi pa ni McCarthy “The Chinese schools at the start were educating their students for mature life not in the Philippines but in Chinese society.”

Dagdag pa ni Teresita Ang-See, unang pangulo at nagtatag ng Kaisa para sa Kaunlaran Inc., isang organisasyon ng Chinese Filipinos na nagsusulong ng integrasyon ng mga etnikong Tsino sa lipunang Pilipino, “What the Philippine government failed to realize at that point was that majority of the local Chinese were already native born, they grew up in the Philippines,

Ang filipinisasyon ng mga paaralang Tsinoy Ni Vincent Lester G. Tan

FIELD NOTES. What is going on in the world? We ask our faculty members to make sense of what we need to know, understand, and reflect upon. They agree to share insights and observations about their respective fields or special interests. Field Notes serves as a window to different worlds where we all belong.

were educated in Philippines Schools, had no first hand experience of China, and had known no other country except the Philippines.”

Noong 1973, sa pamamagitang ng Presidential Decree o P.D. 176 ay nagkaroon na ng implementasyon ng filipinisasyon ng mga paaralang Tsinoy. Dito na nagsimulang

umawit ng Lupang Hinirang at ipinapasaulo na ang Panatang Makabayan sa mga Tsinoy. Ang pagkanta ng pambansang awit ng Tsina ay tuluyan ng inihinto ng mga paaralang Tsinoy na nagsimula ng maging filipinisado.

Sa filipinisasyon ng mga paaralang Tsinoy, nagkakaroon ang paaralan ng dalawang departamento. Ito ay Departmento ng Ingles at Departamento ng Tsino. Mula umaga hanggang tanghali, ang mga mag-aaral ay nag-aaral ng Ingles, Filipino, Matematika, Agham, Technology and Livelihood Education, Physical Education, at Araling Panlipunan. Sa hapon, pag-aaralan naman nila ang wikang Tsino, Matematika na ang gamit na wika ay Tsino, at ang napakahabang kasaysayan ng Tsina. Bago ako naging guro at nakapag-aral sa bansang Hapon ng Nihongo ay naranasan ko ang mga ito. Sa aking pag-aaral noon sa paaralang Tsinoy, naranasan kong mag-aral ng sampung subjects sa isang taon, mabigat kumpara sa paaralang Pilipino na hanggang anim o pito lang na subjects ang pinag-aaralan. Naranasan ko ring magkaroon ng dobleng Math subjects; mag-aaral ka na ng Math sa umaga ay mag-aaral ka rin ng Math sa hapon.

Ukol naman sa pag-aaral ng wikang Tsino, nahirapan rin ang mga Tsinoy sa pag-aaral ng nasabing wika, partikular ng Mandarin, dahil hindi naman nila ito ginagamit sa labas

ng paaralan. Karamihan din, Fukkien na isang diyalektong Tsino ang siyang gamit sa pakikipag-usap sa kanilang mga magulang. Fukkien din ang madalas ginagamit ng mga Tsinoy sa pakikipag-usap sa kapwa Tsinoy lalo pa’t kung negosyo ang pinag-uusapan. Ayon nga kay Teresita Ang-See, sa halip na Mandarin ang kabisaduhin ng mga batang Tsinoy, mas mabuting sa Fukkien na lang sila magpakadalubhasa dahil mas ginagamit ang diyalektong ito sa lipunang Tsinoy. Samakatuwid, ito ay lingua franca ng mga Tsinoy.

Noong araw, isa pang suliranin ng mga estudyanteng Tsinoy ay ang di nila pagkakaroon ng karapatang kumuha ng licensure examination dahil sa kanilang citizenship. Kaya tuloy ang mga Tsinoy na kumuha ng kursong inhinyero, accountancy, education, at iba pang kursong nangangailangan ng licensure examination ay nagnenegosyo na lang sa halip na gamitin ang kanilang natutuhan sa mga lokal na kolehiyo.

Dumating ang grasyang ibinigay ni dating Pangulong Marcos sa mga Tsinoy sa pamamagitan ng Letter of Instruction 270 na kung saan ang mga Tsinoy ay maaari nang maging mamamayang Pilipino. Ayon kay See doble talim ang L.O.I. 270 na ito dahil ginamit din ito ni Marcos upang magkaroon siya ng alyansa sa Tsina na isang bansang komunista. Gayun pa man, maraming Tsinoy ang nakinabang sa L.O.I. 270 dahil ito ang nagbigay-daan sa mga Tsinoy na kumuha ng licensure examination upang sila’y maging propesyonal at makapagmay-ari ng negosyo sa Pilipinas.

Sa pangkalahatan, malaking tulong ang pagsasafilipinisasyon ng mga paaralang Tsinoy. Sana nga lamang ay maisulong ang pakikipagkapit-bisig ng mga Tsinoy sa Pilipino upang tuluyang makamit natin ang pag-unlad ng Pilipinas.

Ang filipinisasyon ng mga paaralang Tsinoy

Si Vincent Lester Tan ay miembro ng pakuldad ng Departamento ng Filipino ng Pamantasang De La Salle.

Award-winning writer and clinical psychologist Dr. Ma. Luisa Carandang shared her paper on how children heal through play therapy at the Yuchengco Hall last November 5.

“The Magic of Play: Children Heal Through Play Therapy” was a lecture organized by the Psychology Department to educate the academic community on the benefits of letting children engage in what was defined as “spontaneous and active processes in which thinking, feeling, and doing can flourish.”

Carandang, who has authored several psychology books, highlighted how play is the time and space for children to simply be, describing it as a cure for vulnerability and depression. She explained that “children need to play because they long for the time and space to think, to let their minds wander around a

problem, to explore different possibilities, to relax enough to let surprising thoughts occur, and to be creative.”

The speaker underscored how play offers children the satisfying feeling of freedom and autonomy. She also stated that play is essential to a child’s total development, as it empowers children and aids them in coping with whatever trials they may face early on in their lives. The lecturer gave her audience numerous examples of how children of all ages used play as a means to endure their personal crises and gain back their self-confidence.

Carandang emphasized that play as a form of release also helps children achieve a sense of

power and a feeling of competence, both of which help them transcend and come to terms with life’s events.

Clinical psychologist talks on the magic of play

internationaL StUDentS’ cULtUraL night heLD

Attending the event were CeLL students belonging to different nationalities, foreign graduate and undergraduate students from some academic

departments, and officers of the United International Students Organization (UNISTO)—the organization of international undergraduate students of DLSU. University administrators, faculty, and staff members joined them in the event.

The event’s highlights included cultural songs and dances performed by students from Bangladesh, Thailand, Korea, Turkey, China Japan, Iran, and Paraguay. It was also a night of recognition of CeLL tutors’ services and dedication to their job, four of them having served the Center for 17-19 years.

CeLL Director Dr. Leonisa A. Mojica and CED Vice Dean Dr. Rochelle Irene Lucas delivered the opening and closing remarks, respectively. Toktam Madani from Iran and Jose Martin Descarga Elizalde from Spain hosted the event. Overall coordinators for both the morning and evening events were Lot Raymundo and Edeliza Fallorina.

The Center for Language Learning (CeLL) held the International Students’ Cultural Night at Enrique Razon Sports Complex last November 19, in celebration of its 20th anniversary.

After months of conducting focus group discussions and data gathering, the Caucus on Ensuring the Trustworthiness of the Automated Election System (AES) for the May 2010 Elections presented its study findings to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) last November 13 at the Fajardo-Gonzalez Auditorium of the Br. Andrew Gonzalez Hall.

The Caucus was initiated by the College of Computer Studies (CCS), the Committee on National Issues and Concerns (CoNIC), and the Philippine Computing Society (PCS).

President and Chancellor Br. Armin Luistro FSC delivered a message about democracy, trust in the new system, and how the Caucus aims to give an objective, academic, and scholarly perspective on the issues concerning the AES.

Speakers from various institutions explained the important technical concerns that need to be addressed further by government agencies involved in the election itself. CCS faculty member Mavic Pineda discussed the topic, “Possible Human Interface Design and Alternatives,” PCS

President Professor Nelson Celis delved on “The

Mitigating Risk in the AES

Implementation, while ePLDT Systems Engineer Sam Chua talked about “System Security Options using VeriSign platform.”

COMELEC Director and Spokesperson James Jimenez responded to the issues discussed such as the ballot design, language to be used, and the system security. He said that they are trying to consider all the suggestions and recommendations of various sectors, and that they are, in fact, currently looking at making Taglish as the medium of instruction.

To assert the support on the initiatives and advocacy of the Caucus, representatives from the CCS, CoNIC, PCS, the Lasallian Justice and Peace Commission, the Student Council, and the Association of Schools of Public Administration in the Philippines, Inc., signed a covenant which states that as a non-partisan organization, they commit to preserve the electoral process, and ensure the eff icient use of information and communications technology resources.

Currently, Caucus spokesperson Sherwin Ona and his fellow CCS faculty member Allan Borra are also in coordination with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), and the UP Alumni Association, regarding the formation of the AES Watch.

The AES Watch is initially seen as a broad based coalition of concerned organizations for the AES.

StUDY on aUtomateD eLection SYStem preSenteD to comeLec

The Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI) of the College of Business and Economics hosted a lecture titled “Price Shocks and Subsidy Reforms” which is the second of its Lecture Series on Poverty Research last November 19.

aki LectUre on povertY featUreS former Un Director

Dr. Nanak Kakwani, Visiting Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies and former Director of the International Poverty Centre of the United Nations Development Programme, was the featured speaker.

Kakwani has also served as a consultant to World Bank and the Asian Development Bank and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development. He was likewise a former senior fellow at the World Institute for Development Economics Research based in Helsinki, Finland. He taught economics at the School of Economics in University of New South Wales in Australia from 1970 to 2000 and had been a visiting professor at several universities including Delhi School of Economics, University of Canterbury, Queen’s University, and Wayne State University.

He is currently a steering committee member of the Poverty and Economic Policy (PEP) Network under which the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) is a subprogram. The CBMS-Philippines Project is being implemented by AKI.

During the lecture, Kakwani presented the findings of his study, which was based on Jordan data. He showed that customs duties and the general sales tax (GST) or the value added tax (VAT), which provide much needed revenue to governments, are regressive and hurt the poor proportionally more than the non-poor.

To protect the poor from paying more taxes, governments should provide exemptions from customs duty and GST and VAT on items of consumption which are consumed proportionally more by the poor. In response to the international increase in prices of fuel and food, many governments are undertaking tax and subsidy reforms from the viewpoint of mitigating their adverse impacts on the poor.

The lecture also provided a methodology which can help governments to make reforms in their taxation and subsidy systems. Kakwani’s lecture, as well as other research, is posted on the AKI website, at http://aki.dlsu.edu.ph.

new dlsu merchandise

With the theme “La Salle is green,” the 2010 DLSU Planner features inspiring environmental initiatives by the various sectors in the University.

The planner is available at the DLSU Bookstore and is sold at P400 only.

Last November 19, the Philosophy Department presented “The Final Victory” by Haim Hecht at the Fajardo-Gonzalez Auditorium to open the 10th Israeli Film Fest at DLSU. This event was held in celebration of World Philosophy Day 2009, themed “Philosophy in Dialogue with Other Cultures.”

iSraeLi fiLm feSt openS in DLSU With DocUmentarY

In the documentary film, the main character Felix Zandman begins his life in a small village in Poland. As a young child, he watches while most of his family are captured and killed by Nazis. Thanks to the kindness and courage of his maid, he escapes the Nazis by hiding in her basement for 17 months. The film moves from the harrowing time he spent hidden and hungry during World War II to the time he has become a world renowned scientist and an entrepreneur after the war.

Today, Dr. Zandman is the chairman

and CEO of Vishay Intertechnology Inc, which he founded in 1962, and is now a leading global manufacturer of passive electronic components and semiconductor components.

Zandman’s awards include the Order of Merit for Research and Invention (France), Distinguished Contribution Award from the American Society for Stress Analysis, Franklin Institute Medal for Science, Best Strategic Investor Award from the Israel Manufacturers Association, and Legion of Honor

awarded by the President of France.He was also honored recently

with NEDA’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Executive Conference in Chicago. The award is presented to people who have made “singular and unparalleled contributions to the development and success of the electronics industry and electronic distribution, throughout a lifetime of exceptional personal achievement.”

is published bi-weekly by the Marketing Communication Office (AH-21/F, intercom 144). Editorial deadline is 3 p.m. Tuesdays. Contributions should include the name, office and signature of the sender. Materials may be edited for clarity or space.

Johannes Leo Badillo (badilloj@dlsu.edu.ph), Operations Director; Anne Alina (anne.alina@dlsu.edu.ph), Editor; Ma. Ruby Carlos, AARichela dela Cruz, Magsy Magbanua, Mark Pitoc, Ameurfina Koc, Marco Mañalac, Writers; Peter Varona, Art Director; Ricky Binoya, Ave Gaile Peraz, Luis De Vera, Graphic Artists; Virginia Umacob-Gases, Secretary; Raymond Menor, Office Assistant. 2401 may be accessed online through the URL: http://www.dlsu.edu.ph

A group of students from DLSU College of Computer Studies won the grand prize in the Outstanding Student Creative Research (Sibol Award) during the Department of Science and Technology’s 2009 National Invention Contest held last November 16-20 at the Philippine Trade Training Center.

ccS theSiS groUp WinS in 2009 DoSt nationaL invention conteSt

The group, composed of Airi Bianca Beltran, Cathlyn Marie Montano, and Rachel Joyce Oaña, under the supervision of their coach, Rigan Ap-Apid, won the first place for their research titled “Greenstick Fracture Detection and Diagnosis Using Image Processing and Analysis.”

Greenstick fractures are one of the most common kinds of fracture occurring among children and if left undiagnosed, may lead to deformity and permanent disability. Greenstick fractures take place when the bone/s in the forearm crack but does not completely break, thus having an incomplete fracture. This problem led the proponents to develop a system that performs image processing and analysis to detect a fracture in scanned X-rays.

The system presents plentiful tools and features to enhance scanned X-ray images that are not available in simple manual X-ray reading. The system presents a feature that automatically sets the values of these tools for immediate detection results but at the same time offers the user the ability to control these image settings to manually enhance the

X-ray image. The system also generates a formal

X-ray report on the findings which is automatically saved by the system and offers a printing option. Additionally, the system creates an archive of all X-ray record cases inputted to the system to be available for viewing or editing in the future. All the information is saved in a database and accessed by the system during X-ray case viewing.

Another feature of the system is the creation of a statistical record of the occurrence of Greenstick Fracture based on patient age and fracture location.This helps in getting an overview of the frequent ages and locations where Greenstick fracture occurs.

The system, which aims to help medical practitioners in detecting and analyzing X-ray images, also seeks to pave way for the development of more technology-aiding tools in the field of medicine.

Prior to winning

the Sibol Award, the group won in the invention contest organized by the Department of Science and Technology-Technology Application and Promotion Institute held last October.

Another DLSU team—composed of Bianca Pamela Alcera, Ed Oswald Go, Czarina Meg Gonzales, and Briane Paul Samson, with their adviser Nathalie Rose Lim—garnered the third place for their research “filex: Creation of a Filipino Lexicon with Thematic Roles of Verb Argument” in the same competition. Both were entries under the Student Creative Research Category.