29 March 2008

Ano baaaaa?! Saan ba talaga akoooo?!?!?

Ayaaaaan!!!

I'm so happy that I can write again in my blog with no work, no school, no time limit pressuring me. So, what's up with my life? Hmmm...

I have this dilemma you see, I don't know which MS degree I should take. Enrolled nga ako sa MS Envi Sci and it has been a year when I started studying. I have completed 13 units and what's left are 11 units of coursework and my Master's thesis and my Master's seminar.

Pero putek, I want out!

Hindi ko nga alam kung bakit e. Maybe it's because of Dr. Lem's subject na 212 which is Environmental Problems and Issues. Namulat ako dun sa subject na yun: that environmental science is a study of INTERRELATIONSHIPS. So hindi ka talaga based lang on pure, hardcore science but it is mixed with social science, politics, law, philosophy, history, geography, anthropology, heck, even religion! Kasi it's about assessing man's relationship with the environment. And once you start dealing with man, especially here in the Philippines, ang daming factors to consider.

One is the great populace with stratified social classes. Marami yan, may mga poor, mga isang kahig isang tuka na pamilya, mga middle class, upper middle class (not filthy rich, but not middle class, kumbaga can afford to have more than the minimum normal luxury), and the filthy rich. You have to deal with all of those. May mga patakaran na patok sa mga poor, pero hindi patok sa ibang class. O kaya may mga patakaran naman na babagay sa mayayaman (the filthy rich) pero hindi magkiclick sa mga poor o kaya middle class. Ang hirap e. Ika nga, the poor gets poorer, the rich gets richer. Proven ko na yan (well at least for myself). Eto na lang e, sa school: pansinin niyo na yung mga matatalino, sila pa yung makakakuha ng mas matataas na grade. Sasabihin ng teacher, "okay, those who would get above 75 would have an additional 5 points." Pano yan, edi magiging 80 sila? Samantalang those who really need the grade, like the people with grades below 75, edi stuck na sila dun e mas kailangan nila? E sa economics... Kunwari mayaman ka, tapos marami ka nang pera. Syempre diba ano gagawin mo dun? Edi iiinvest mo? In return you would get more money. E yung mga wala talaga, they have nothing to start with so poor na talaga sila. They become poorer! And this goes on and on.

The politics in the Philippines is a farce. Aside from that, it is obscenely plagued with corruption, greed, demoralizing acts, and clowns prancing around the Senate. Ang pulitika dito ay parang HIV/AIDS. Isa siyang virus na hindi nagagamot. It would weaken the country and attack its system little by little, until it crashes and die. Napag-usapan namin sa klase yung mga laws and acts that were approved by the government to help protect/conserve the environment (like the clean air/water act, promotion of renewable energies, eco-tourism policies, solid waste management, pollution control, etc.) Ayos sila, magaganda. Some are really ideal and good. Talagang nung iniisip yun, e iniisip ang kapakanan ng tao at ng environment. Pero alam mo kung saan tayo nagkulang? Sa implementation and monitoring! Bakit?! Because this strategy is not thoroughly backed up by the government! Kulang pasahod sa mga taong nangangalaga, kulang benefits, there's this culture of thought na wala yan, na marami pang ganyan, at yung pag-iisip na "e bakit ko aalagaan yan o bakit ko iiimplement niyan e ang makikinabang sa project na yan pag nag-succeed e yung pulitikong me pakulo ng proyektong yan." Haaay... And this goes on and on.

Majority of the Filipinos' priority is not to take care of their surroundings but on how to put food on their table. This attitude is apparent to a big portion of the Philippine populace because a lot live below the poverty line. If you go to the coastal provinces, notice the litter on the beach, notice how the bahay kubos there throw their trash just a few steps away from their property, notice a kid when s/he opens a candy and throws the wrapper on the beach... they just don't seem to care. Actually nabobother talaga ako e. I tried to put myself in their shoes at ganito ang naisip ko: okay kunyari ako yung bata na kumain ng candy. Since nakita ko na malaki ang beach, hindi sobrang dami yung basura dun, itatapon ko na lang yung wrapper, anyway maliit lang naman yung waste na yun compared sa size nung beach tsaka, ano ba namang klaseng litter ang magagawa nun e ang liit-liit. Yan. Ang ganyang pag-iisip ang kikitil sa buhay ng marine coastal areas. Nakakalungkot. But on the other hand, masaya na rin ako because there are people who are concerned---people who love the environment.

Hindi ko na alam kung ano ang isusunod sa post na ito dahil sobrang tagal na nito sa blog ko at ngayon ko lang na-publish... kahit nga yung desire kong mag-shift nagbago na... woohoo!