Textual Analysis

The President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo State of the Nation Address was a very ideal perspective of our country. When you listened to it, you will have a positive picture of the Philippine situation. It was an excellent report of what her dreams and aspirations as president of the republic. But whether it is religiously implemented and materialized, I don’t see and even know the whole reality.
I’m happy for her present concern, “to govern with wisdom, compassion, vision and patriotism, to alleviate poverty and envision a rich and progressive country within 20 years. I’ll pray for it!
As I listened to her priorities and achievements, I couldn’t imagine the Philippines as it is now. We are rich! Full of investments! Working for justice and peace…!
On Safety Net and Education …. Good news! But sad to see and say that our educational system is still very poor. I am very much aware of what is the situation of the public school in our locality. “1:1 ration for the books”? In fact, I encountered a public teacher who mentioned that her pupils have no books, there are books but old and not suited for the new curriculum of the DepEd.
In our poor place where there are many interested youth desiring to continue their studies but can’t afford to, where are the slots for government scholarships?
I am grateful for the news about the teachers, the concern and desire to improve their training. It is needed!
I believe that the quality education is a product of quality of educators. I hope this will be a true priority!


“We must weed out corruption and build a strong system of justice that the people can trust” I am convinced with this… it is indeed what we need, and we must work on.
In her conclusion, you can see a president who is for the people and for the country’s welfare. A president who dreams and vision for a brighter future… May she live what she preached…and work for it humbly and sincerely. GOD Bless her!

On Education for Sustainability....

There is truth about our societal crisis that we are experiencing globally. The rapid increase on world population and the ecological/ environmental crisis such as pollution of air and water, accumulation of wastes, destruction of forests, erosion of soils, depletion of fisheries, and damage to the stratospheric ozone layer threaten the survival of humans and thousands of other living species. It is also pointed out that “we are a society living off its natural capital, not its income.” Yes! It is because we are abusing and misusing our natural resources. In fact, we are the one to be blamed of what is happening to our mother earth.
“All present and future humans can be healthy, have their basic needs met, have fair and equitable access to the earth’s resources, have decent quality of life and preserve the biologically diverse ecosystems on which we all depend.” This is supposed to be the ideal. GOD who is the source of everything has given us the access to everything and desires an abundant life to each one of His creatures… a life to the full. We are called to share justly His blessings to us. When GOD created the world, HE saw it VERY GOOD! He wants us to enjoy the beauty of His creations. But what is our response? It’s sad to say that we are not responsible enough of what He has bestowed on us. Instead, we are “on collision course” with the natural environment. Human activities inflict harsh and often irreversible damage on the environment and on critical resources.
Indeed, we need a new human perspective, to move society on a sustainable path as declared in the Rio conference in 1992. And the necessary step in the transition to a sustainable path is to shift from problem-solving to creating. It’s good news that many schools around the world are making important strides toward necessary changes in Education. How true is it to the Philippines? That I don’t see vividly. In some areas maybe, but we are moving slow. Reports stated that there is some excellent leadership by professional organizations making sustainable development a high priority. There are also some institute who develops the capability of faculty from all disciplines to integrate environmental and sustainability concerns into their teaching. I would agree that the Institutions of higher education bear a profound moral responsibility to increase society’s ability to create a just and sustainable future.

The crisis of the environment, according to David Orr, is symptomatic of a prior crisis of mind, perception and heart. He argues that this crisis” is not so much a problem in education but a problem of education.” It is I suppose a matter of prioritizing areas of concern. We are not exempted with this reality. In fact, we are among the most affected of this societal crisis. The recent devastation or calamity could assure us with that reality. So it is an awakening call to all of us, to cooperate and contribute in the advancement of Education for sustainability movement.


-Sr. Francia