Wikang Filipino sa Saliksik at Beauty Pageants

Kaalinsabay ng pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa sa bawat paaralan sa bansa ay pumipili din ng Lakan at Lakambini ng Wika. Ang puntong layon sana ng buong buwan na pagdiriwang taun-taon ay upang mapaigting pa ang paggamit ng wikang Filipino para lubos na maipaunawa sa nakararami na wala nang mas hihigit pa sa sariling wika kung ito ay gagamitin sa matuwid at mabisang pagpapahayag o komunikasyon, lalo na sa saliksik, na siyang pokus ng tema ngayong 2018.

Subalit sa labis na pagka-humaling ng mga Pinoy sa mga patimpalak-pagandahan, sa pa-bonggahan ng mga kasuotan ng mga kalahok dahil sa magneto ng masmidya, lumalabnaw ang marka nito sa layon ng pagdiriwang na dapat ay hulmado sa ating kultura at wika. Sa palagay ko, mas marami pang adik sa beauty contest na mga kabataan kaysa sa droga. Bakit nga ba hindi, kahit sa observance ng Science Fair, Valentine’s Day, Nutrition Month ay may beauty pageant at kung saan-saan pa, simula Day Care hanggang sa kolehiyo.

Palibhasa nga parang naka-pagkit na sa kalendaryo ng Kagawaran ng Edukasyon (DepEd) ang mga patimpalak paggandahan (o pa-pogian), hindi gaanong nabibigyan ng timbang at wala ang interes ng maraming mag-aaral sa iba pang larangan o aktibidad pang-akademiko tulad ng Pagkukwento ng Likhang Pabula, Pagtatalumpati, Pagsasabuhay ng mga Karakter sa Maikling Kwento at Pagbuo ng Awit, at iba pa.

Sa kanilang Kapasyahan Blg. 18-24, pinagtibay ng Kalupunan ng mga Komisyoner ng KWF na ang tema ng Buwan ng Wika para sa ngayong  2018 ay "Filipino: Wika ng Saliksik." Sa pagitan ng beauty contest at research, walang dudang mas intresado ang maraming estudyante (at ilang guro) sa una kaysa sa huli. Kahit sabihin pa na sa pagpili ng Lakan at Binibini ng Wika ay sinasala sa mga pamatayang ganito: Pilipinong Anyo, Kaakmaan ng Kilos at Gawi, Tindig at Tikas, Pagdadala ng Kasuotan at Pagdadala ng Sarili.

Laksang mga batang babae (at may mga “pusong babae”) ang ginaganyak ng kanilang mga magulang na sumali sa mga patimpalak-pagandahan kaysa sa magsulat, manaliksik, sabihin na natin halimbawa, ng mga kuntil-butil ng kasaysayan ng kanyang pamayanan. Siyanga pala, kapuri-puri ang isinasagawang hakbangin na pinangungunahan ng lokal na historyador na si G. Rudy A. Candelario na muling bisitahin, rebisahin at isulat ang may 20 taon na niyang naipalimbag na Kasaysayan ng Kanlurang Mindoro at mga Bayan.

Sa palagay ko nga, darating ang panahon na wala nang mananaliksik na kabataan at mas kukupas pa ang mga letra sa pahina ng libro kaysa sa kolorete sa mukha ng lipunan. Sa lipunang ito na mas pinahahalagahan ang pagpapaganda kaysa sa pagbabasa (mas mabili ngayon ang mga beauty products kaysa mga aklat).   

Pansinin natin na ang patimpalak-pagandahan sa bansa ay tagos-tagusan sa lipunan. Wala itong kinikilalang uri. Kasama ang LGBTcommunities, mga senior citizen, mga estudyante mula Day Care hanggang Grade 12, at iba pa. Kahit ang mga OFW ay nagsasagawa ng kani-kanilang mga sariling patimpalak sa ibayong dagat. May mga buting layon din marahil ang pagsali sa mga beauty contest, dahil kung wala, hindi bababad ang kamalayang Pinoy larangang ito. May mga magandang bunga na walang duda ang mga komersiyalisadong beauty contests sa portamoneda ng masa pero lalo na sa kaha-de-yero ng kapitalista. Pero ang punto ko lang, sa layong diwa ng Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa, lalo na sa tema ngayong taon, mas dapat na higit nating palawakin ang ating pag-iisip at pagsusuri at paglapat ng interpretasyon sa mga kaisipan sa paggamit ng wika sa pagpapayaman ng kaisipan tungo sa pangkalahatang layon ng bawat saliksik.

Marapat na gawing salalayan ang wika sa pagpapalawak ng karanasan, pagkalap ng mahahalagang datos, pagbabasa, pag-galugad sa mga kaugnay na literatura. Kung ang saliksik ay naglilinang ng tiwala sa sarili ng mananaliksik, may mas katiwa-tiwala pa ba sa kanya at sa kanyang kinakapanayam kaysa sa kanilang sariling wika?

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(Photo: KWF)

Occidental Mindoro: Water World, Almost

Due to recent incessant rain which results to flooding in various municipalities of Occidental Mindoro, the necessity of addressing the problem in a long-term basis is very much needed. Interventions regarding environmental and water resources engineering can also be employed.

On its 94^th Regular Session, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan evaluated the damage to properties and agriculture brought about by these flooding. The Provincial Engineering Office pegged the total damages on provincial road and bridges in the amount of P42,240,000.00. In that particular outing, agricultural damages is estimated at P398,364,963 Million broken down as follows: Rice P223,000.744.00, Corn P18,044,200.00, High Value Crops P17,275,819.00, Fisheries P122,000,000.00. The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist issued a report that the most damaged towns are Sablayan, Magsaysay, Sta. Cruz, Rizal, San Jose and Abra de Ilog.

Overall, the country’s total forest cover went down by 4.59% from 2003 to 2010. MIMAROPA had the biggest drop among all regions. And in the region, the whole Mindoro Island has the highest decrease in forest cover. Oriental Mindoro has 61.03% decreases and in Occidental Mindoro, the number is 53.62%. Aside from logging, both legal and illegal, according to authorities the problem is also attributable to charcoal-making and kaingin (swidden farming). The Mangyans are truly engaged in such an economic activity but not all kaingin are destructive, as far as I know. The problem is that majority of our indigenous peoples espoused the practice of the low-landers throwing the ethnic or cultural ways of doing it. Kaingin farming, also known as shifting cultivation or rotational farming, is a type of accepted sustainable agroforestry system. It is a customary livelihood common across indigenous communities in Asia. In fact, the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) explained that shifting cultivation among ethnic groups is not a major cause of deforestation in countries across the region.

But also consider this: only in May this year, the Manila Standard reported that the DENR-MIMAROPA has approved the cutting of 10,9045 trees standing inside the gigantic Amnay Watershed listed by the department itself as a “critical watershed area.” As we people of Mindoro know, Amnay River is one of Mindoro’s prime rivers that provides irrigation to Sablayan’s five top rice-producing barangays, namely, Claudio Salgado, Lagnas, Elvita, Pag-asa and Victoria, which are all flood-prone barangays. Said communities are most hit in the recent flooding brought about by TS Josie in said municipality. Six persons died in the incidents of flooding in the province. TS Josie causes us P400M damage in agriculture sector, according to reports.

The provincial government and the rest of the municipal LGUs did all they can in the area of relief by way of responding in rescue and other measures in their respective areas of jurisdiction. They all exerted efforts in helping the evacuees, launching relief and rescue operations and medical missions and distributing goods to evacuees and victims.  They also requested other forms of subsidies and assistance for the farmers and fisherfolk from the DA. But we lack the forward-looking plans on flood mitigation and we focus more on reactionary measures rather than pro-active ones.  

If you are living the urban centers of the province, it is easy to blame our poorly designed, clogged or lack of drainage system. But I think drainage or land cover cannot be blamed alone. Generally, the problem must be traced to geography. We all know that most populated parts of municipalities of Occidental Mindoro are positioned in an area next to a river that is swamped when water rises. A land so fertile and suitable for agriculture but when transformed, converted or re-used to residential or commercial areas, it became prone to floods. In areas situated near creeks and rivers, even the most well-maintained and well-constructed drainage system would be hopeless during heavy rains and high tides when rivers overflow. As of this posting, there are still incidents of flash floods in some downtown of the province.

The LGUs have no other choice but to strictly enforce 10-20 meter easements along rivers and lakes, and 3.5 meter easements along creeks and esteros. Retrofitting government facilities against flood waters must incorporate our short-term goal. Massive reforestation of the catch basins and watersheds must also be started and sustained.

In general, spillways and floodways must be built in flood-prone areas of every target municipality. A certain lake or low-lying area will act as initial floodwater container and another one nearby as secondary container. When major rivers reach critical levels, its excess water is diverted to the designated initial floodwater container to the secondary container to protect the barangays near the rivers.

One may immediately design a construction or master plan project similar to this. Since this is a long-term target, we need not less than 15-25 years to finish or at least gain or see initial outcome of this. I heard that the World Bank, through the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery Trust Fund could help us formulate or fund, say, a 25-year Occidental Mindoro Flood Management Master Plan. Malay natin.

I am not an engineer and is in no way an expert in urban and rural planning but these are just product of my little readings on flood control measures by governments here and elsewhere. I believe with sufficient fund and resources from the national government and outside funding with the will and dedication on the part of the implementors, this is very possible.

It is now high time to think beyond the canals, drainages and gabions. As a short-time goal, we need to construct road dikes along our flood-prone rivers and relocate settlers to higher areas if necessary so it is but proper to establish relocation areas if there is a need for relocation. But it’s time to turn to a more lasting solution or mitigation. Along with long-term plans on urban development, it is now time to start (re)thinking of a province-wide flood control mechanisms to effectively contain and channel floodwaters in certain parts of municipalities of the province. The provincial government can now initially conduct a study on such a grand project I am discussing above. We have experts to give flesh and bone on this I am sure.

Visionary leadership, good planning and design and good governance would surely ensure our success against this impending “Water World” situation….

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Photo: news.abs-cbn.com

References:

http://manilastandard.net/lgu/luzon/267194/mangyans-protest-10k-trees-cut-in-watershed.html

https://www.rappler.com/science-nature/environment/105742-mangyan-mindoro-forests

http://opinion.inquirer.net/106142/solve-flooding-problem