"earning while doing nothing"???

They called me, Aruwana

For more than a month of staying in Davao del Norte for my On-the-Job training, I had experience things I never expected to experience before. I had been to the rebel infested mountains of Monkayo, into the jungles of Pantukan, Compostela Valley, seen the beauty of the famous Maragusan, hobnobbed with the richest and the poorest, ate with governors and mayors, shook the hands of famous political figures, joined a boodlefight with soldiers, got stranded in the cold mountain of Araibo, ComVal and fell in love with the beauty of Davao Oriental.

 I had been to the most beautiful and most remote places of Region XI, yet a memory stands out in my mind like a beacon in a dark night.

“If you have a choice, don’t go into journalism…”

A simple statement over breakfast that caught me off guard and left me confused. Hearing those words from a veteran journalist made me puzzled, but I am sure it was not meant as a joke.

To say the least, my trip to Mati, Davao Oriental is not the most exciting or the most adventurous among the many assignments I was given. I was there, with a senior reporter and five other journalists from Davao City, to attend the “Kapihan sa Kapitolyo”—a bimonthly press conference held by provinces in the region wherein serious issues are answered by government officials and concerned agencies of the government.

We stayed in Mati, the capital city of the province, for two days and one night even though the Kapihan only lasted for a few hours and Tagum City, where we were based, is only two hours away. The provincial government prepared a media tour for the group, and we eagerly and gladly accepted the offer. Who wouldn’t, if you would see the beautiful beaches of Mati, you won’t think twice.

Needless to say, we enjoyed our stay in the city with the unlimited food all charged to the provincial government and the scenic places we’ve been shown. But, the adventure is not the reason why the trip stood out in my mind, it was the priceless lessons I learned from the trip. Every time I would think of Davao Oriental, I would be reminded of its beautiful beaches, sweet breeze and the voice that keeps on repeating, “If you have a choice, don’t go into journalism…”

The people I was with are really good, especially Sir Dennis Santos—who calls me Aruwana, from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. They are accommodating enough and shares insights of their life as a journalist. For a student like me, they are intimidating with their knowledge and their experiences but they treated me like an equal, sharing their stories, their experiences, and insights and teased me that my name reminds them of a fish.

It was over breakfast on the second day that the statement that had lodged itself permanently in my mind was said. It all started when Sir Dennis asked me if being a journalist is what I really wanted to be, so I eagerly told him “yes!” From across the table, Sir Q, looked at me thoughtfully and said, “If you have a choice, don’t go into journalism…” I was puzzled, why would a veteran journalist-who has seen the best and worst side of the job would tell me that? In fact, even sir Dennis was bewildered.

Sir Q told me what my journalism instructors have always told me before; there is no money in journalism. He told me that those who are only after the money and the prestige of the job will never last. “Not everybody could become a journalist just because they want to. You have to be committed and determined enough to persevere” he said. They told me that the salary of a journalist is so small, that if you are after a luxurious life then journalism is not for you. He told me that though the job has its perks, it is a life of constant challenges.

Very well said! I learned a lot of things from the short time that I was with them than the whole time I spent inside the classroom. They gave me a challenge and a chance to evaluate what I really want to become. Am I ready to become a journalist? Do I have what it takes or am I only after the prestige and the perks of the job?

After breakfast Sir Dennis told me, “Aruwana, if you are committed to become a journalist then you have to be ready to take the challenge.”

And you bet sir, I will!

Education and the Life of Juan de la Cruz

Education, as they say, is the great equalizer.  It is an avenue where the rich and the poor, big and small become equal. The words of the wise tells us that education is our key to success; the poor man’s passport to a prosperous life.
Education has always played a significant part in the Filipino culture. It has always been inculcated in every Juan de la Cruz that education is an important tool to success. It is always believed that the higher the educational attainment, the more likely that the person would become successful. As a result, parents are willing to sacrifice everything to send a child to the best school they could afford to pay and students strive hard to attain a degree.

In recent years, the soaring cost of education has caused a lot of students to drop-out of school and work instead. As a result, what was once a right enjoyed by every Filipino has now become a privilege, wherein only those who can afford to support a college education or were lucky enough to get a scholarship could get a degree.

The government may not consider it a crisis but the sky-rocketing prices of goods and basic commodities means calamity to the poor Juan de la Cruz who depends everything on his meager income. Like a domino effect, these increases affects all sectors in the society–including the educational sector. With every increase, Juan de la Cruz allots less and less amount for education as he has to prioritize his family’s basic needs more than the schooling of his children.

As this predicament slowly eats the sanity of every Filipino, more and more students opt to stop schooling and choose to work instead. Instead of working to get a degree, these students are now working, oftentimes, in call centers or any other companies who would accept undergraduates in their company.

We cannot blame these students for opting to work because some of them were not given the option to choose otherwise; they have to help support their families especially that their household income is no longer enough to support the entire family. This is a trend that will persist as the economy continues to decline.

No matter how many times the government insists that the economy of the country is growing, it will be hard for ordinary Filipinos to believe it because they are experiencing the exact opposite of this so-called development. Juan de la Cruz is suffering and this is evident in various aspects of his life.

What is more painful is the fact that despite the increase in prices of almost everything—from rice, to fuel, to fare—wages remain the same. “Tightening the belt,” is what every Filipinos reaction to the surge of increases that suddenly made its way into their budgets. This tightening would mean cutting off any important-but-not-urgent expenses in the family budget. Oftentimes, the family would choose to sacrifice the schooling of the children, especially those in college, to minimize expenses.

Although some would argue that getting a degree is not really the basis for success, it would still be practical to have a degree. In a world where competition is fierce, your degree serves as your weapon. Yes, having the skill and the experience is a plus but having a degree is a bonus that could secure your way to the top.

The education sector is just one among the many victims of the declining economy. As prices continue to soar, the value given to education continues to diminish. Ordinary citizens, such as us, do not really have control over the economy and the policies that governs it. We can only voice our opinion, complain and hope that the people in power would hear our tiny voices and do something about it.

But is this enough? Probably not; activists has been protesting in the streets for so long now and things are still the same. What the country needs right now is cooperation between the government and the people. The Filipino people have already proved to the world that they can overcome even the hardest hurdles when they are united. This is what the country desperately needs right now, unity against poverty.

No matter how big the problem is, the Philippines and Juan de la Cruz will survive if everybody will cooperate and act as one in the fight against poverty and the root of all these problems—corruption. As citizens of this country, we have to do something now because if the economy of our country continues to decline, education—which has become a privilege to the rich—will no longer be an option to the poor.

1 message received: SMS quotations that inspires [and expires]

This is a collection of text messages from my friends.]
–“They say…

waiting is a way to test your patience…

but don’t they realize that life is short?
though patience is a virtue,
Still, TIME IS GOLD.”

*from Leslie

–“To be old and wise,
You must first be young and stupid…”
*From Cathy

–“When you feel like quitting,
ask this question,

did God stopped doing good in my life?

if not…

why give up?”
*from Leslie

–“10 ways to love people
…true and biblical…

1.listen without interrupting. (Prov. 18)
2.speak without accusing.(James 1:19)
3.give without sparing (Prov. 21:26)
4. pray without ceasing (Col. 1:9)
5. Answer without arguing (Prov. 17:1)
6. Share without pretending.(Ephesians 4:15)
7. enjoy without complaint (Philippians 2:14)
8. trust without wavering. (Corinthians 13:7)
9. forgive without punishing. (Col 3:13)
10. promise without forgetting. (Prov. 13:12)
*From Hannah

--” Don’t always say,
“there is still time”

coz there is also the concept of
“its too late.”
*from Leslie

–“God
will
never
leave
you
empty.
He will
always replace
watever
uv lost
If he asks you
2 put
somthing down
its
bcoz
He
wants u
2 pick something better…”
*From Kuya Harvey

–”its hard to let go of someone who has touched your life
but it hurts more to say gudbye to someone when he was never urs yet changed your life the most…”
*from Rizalala

–”there are times that we experience the downfall of our lives.

Seeing how cruel the people
and demented the people
around us can be.

But that shouldn’t stop us from realizing that
evry passing minute s
is another chance to turn our lives around

Life always has a better flipside
and its never 2 late to toss the coin again…”
*from Cathy

–”if your friend is too frank
that what he/she says
hurts you,

don’t get mad…

Coz donkey once told shrek:
“Only true friends can be cruelly honest”
*from Leslie

–”The sand taught me 1 thing:
you can’t hold too many things no matter what you do to make them stay
and no matter how much they want to stay, the wind will always blow them away.
So learn to let go and choose carefully which you want to stay
because like the sand, only those which are at the center of your palm will last…”
*from Leslie

–”The person you love the most
has the capacity to make you the happiest
person in the world
and may give you everything…


including the worst
heartache you can never imagine…”
*from Leslie

--”Did you know that the darkest time of the day is the minute
before the sunrise? So when you feel that you are at the
darkest moment of your life
remember that sunrise is just a minute away…”
*from Rodgie

--” As much as you want to plan your life, it has a way of surprising you
with unexpected things that will make you happier than you originally planned..’
*from Cathy

--”Sometimes you have to let your feeling flow for someone,

to burn the crazy feelings you have with your stupid past…”
*from Leslie

–”Unexpressed feelings will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways…
-Sigmund Freud”

*from Marvin

–”life is never about the people who act true in front of you
It is always about the people who remain true behind your back”
*From Leslie

–“We always ask
if there is still hope left
or if there is still time.

but
we never realize that
HOPE
leaves when we doubt it
and
TIME
only runs out
the moment we give up”
* From Ritchelle Mae

–”sometimes we search so much for the right choices.
For the right paths to walk through. For the right time,
for the person and for the right reason…

only to find out…


nsa left pala…Badtrip!”
*from Kuya Harvey

–”If you are humble,
nothing will touch you
neither praise nor disgrace
because you know what and who you are.
Remember that HUMILITY is the only virtue
the devil cannot imitate”
*from Kuya Harvey

–”Life is like posing for pictures.
We pose the way we want to be seen by others
but stolen shots are better
they capture who we really are”
*from Kuya Harvey

–” we cry when our hearts
couldn’t hide the pain anymore…
that’s not a weakness.
It actually heals the wound
that laughter can’t cure.”
* from Tito Daniel

–”Thoughts to live by:
we are not supposed to be perfect. If we are, they will not make
pencils with erasers.”
*from Bryan

It’s nice to be back…

First of all, I would like to thank all those who viewed, commented and left messages on this blog even if I was not able to update this for so long now. Thank you so much…

 Yes, I am now officially back! After a year of hibernation I came back to ressurect this blog.

I don’t most of you who visits here but i do hope my posts helps you in whatever way it can…

To those who requested for more ilonggo-cebuano words…I will do my best to produce another batch of it. When I first posted it here, I never thought it would become a favorite…[hahahahha] I was bored and have nothing to do with my life at that moment and I know I wasn’t making any sense at all…but hey! It worked!

To dane: I will try posting about radio broadcasting here, however, I have a different blog which deals solely with all-things journalism. In the upper right corner of my page you can find there the “BLOGS” link, try clicking it and you will find a link there which will direct you to my other blog “The Publisher”…I will do my best to post your request there…

Thanks again guys and galz!!!!