The Sunday Times


SUNDAY The Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty I


N the year 2000, the United Nations set eight goals to reduce by half the number of people living in dire poverty worldwide. The achievements and failures in the past 10 years were reviewed a few weeks ago by world leaders meeting in the UN headquarters in New York. The setting of the goals were


welcomed by development workers and all people working to reduce world hunger and poverty as a great step forward when the governments of the developed and rich nations in the 1990’s had forgotten the billion people that were starving and 2 billion barely surviving on $2 a day. That was a time when globalization spread and too many people believed the dictum: “to get rich is glorious” and “greed is good,” “love yourself and forget the rest.”


They forgot the most impor-


tant values of all—equality, justice and freedom from hunger and the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, “love your neighbor as yourself” and “act towards others as you would want them to behave towards you.” Well, that forgetfulness and the pursuit of selfishness have led the world to the brink of economic disaster. World hunger, child mortality, HIV-AIDS were spreading and something had to be done. The millennium goals were the outcome of vigorous lobbying and social action by people of conscience concerned about world poverty, hunger and illiteracy. While there have been spectacular achievements in several developing countries such as Ghana, where hunger has been cut by 75 percent and child malnutrition has been halved, likewise in Ethiopia where famines were regular


water has jumped also and the goal set to halve the number of people without water will be met. Many more achievements can be found in the reports submitted to the UN.


FR. SHAY CULLEN


devastating catastrophes, the reports show only 40 percent of the people go hungry from a high of 71 percent in 1990.The Philippines has made little progress in meeting the goals and government statistics are questioned as to veracity. In Vietnam, there have been spectacular changes as the poverty rate dropped hugely and child mortality and malnutrition is down. Millions more children in Africa are going to school now and child mortality has dropped signifi- cantly. The availability of clean


While the dreams of many are being met basic and simple needs as they are, they are basic human rights anyway; but it’s too early to dance for joy. The hopes and dreams of billions are still waiting to be realized. They just await the chance and opportunity to get out of poverty by getting a job and being paid a living wage for working hard for 12 hours a day at backbreaking labor for example. True development will come when the internal inequality and exploitation, corruption and bad government within the developing countries them- selves are greatly reduced. These terrible social inequalities, the poverty of the urban poor, the


Making difference in the life of students


Keynote Address during the 21st Annual Convention of Philippine Educators Association for Criminol- ogy Education (PEACE) at Grand Men Seng Hotel Ballroom, Davao City on September 17 to 18, 2010.


I would like to extend my warm- est greetings to the officials, or- ganizers and participants of this 21st Annual Convention of the Philippine Educators Association for Criminology Education (PEACE). Your consolidated ef- forts will surely bring forth im- proved outlook on the country’s Criminology education program not only to the participants herein but also to the academe and other stakeholders of PEACE in general. We at CHED believe that this year’s theme, “The Criminology Education Program, Its Role on the Philippine Criminal Justice System” truly shows the sincerity of the organization in its quest for the continuing en- hancement of the Criminology program towards quality Crimi- nal Justice Education. Allow me to digress a bit and share what I’ve seen in one of the video presentation I’ve watched. It’s about a young boy watching everything that the fa- ther says and does to the point the boy so full of enthusiasm almost always want to imitate everything his father does. He’s so full of expectations. To situate this, I may say that the dad personifies all teachers re- gardless of the course and the young boy personifies all the young students God has placed in your hands.


I


As teacher and educators, we are to accomplish and perform many tasks and roles. Teaching is a way of life. Teaching is an act of faith in the promise of the future. Teacher is the single most impor- tant factor in education. Teaching is more than a job. It’s a way to reach people at a stage when their minds and opinions are still be- ing formed. It’s a method of shar- ing a subject that fires imagina- tion and creativity. And it’s a way of passing knowledge and devel- oping skills, helping to ensure that the next generation will be better educated, more caring and more committed. As the mother of all professions, we have a her- culean task to accomplish. Now let me go back to your


theme, as we all know, the Phil- ippine Criminal Justice System is composed of five important Pil- lars namely: Community; Law En- forcement or the Police; Prosecution; Judiciary or the Courts; and, Cor- rections. Under this system, it is said that Law Enforcement is the first point of contact with the Community and when the police operatives arrest a suspect for a crime, the Law Enforcement pil- lar sets in motion the criminal justice process that involves in- vestigation, prosecution, court hearing and sentencing, and in- carceration and rehabilitation of offenders/convicts.


In correlating the role of Criminology in the system, it is believed that one must consider that the very essence of Criminal Justice is the preservation and pro- tection of social order in a free society. From this viewpoint, it would appear that the centerpiece of Philippine Crimi- nal Justice System is the Com- munity. Meanwhile, in the pres- ervation and protection of social order in the community, the pri- mary focus would definitely be the prevention and/or suppression of crime. Since Criminology deals


N behalf of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED),


FELIZARDO Y. FRANCISCO


with the study of crime, it is un- deniable that this field of study plays a very important role in the criminal justice processes. Worth mentioning are the following express definitions of Criminol- ogy from international luminar- ies and Criminologists. According to Edwin Suther- land and Donald Cressey, “Crimi- nology is a body of knowledge regard- ing crime as a social phenomenon. It includes within its scope the proc- esses of making laws, of breaking laws, and of reacting toward the breaking of laws.” “Criminology is the under- standing of the involvement of individuals in delinquent and criminal behavior and under- standing the operation of the criminal justice system. Crimi- nology also includes the rela- tion of crime and deviance to law and social values, patterns of criminal careers, organized crime and white collar crime, including the history and trends in punishment. —Walter C. Reckless, American Criminology (New York: Appleton Century-Crofts, 1973)


“Criminology is the study of criminal behavior and the justice system. It is the study of law, bro- ken law, and the lawbreaker. The understanding of these phenom- ena requires an understanding of all the social behavioral sciences, the natural sciences, the ethical system and controls embodied in law and religion. Criminology is the meeting place of all the disci- plines that focus on the emo- tional and mental health of the individual and the smooth func- tioning of society.” —Vernon V. Fox, Introduction to Criminology (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1976 Finally, as defined in the legal dictionary, Criminology is “the scientific study of the causation, cor- rection, and prevention of crime. As a subdivision of the larger field of sociology, criminology draws on psy- chology, economics, anthropology, psychiatry, biology, statistics and other disciplines to explain the causes and prevention of criminal behavior. Subdivisions of criminology include penology, the study of prisons and prison systems; biocriminology, the study of the biological basis of crimi- nal behavior; feminist criminology, the study of women and crime; and criminalistics, the study of crime detection, which is related to the field of Forensic Science. — http://legal dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ Criminology


Based on the foregoing defi- nitions and taking into consid- eration how the criminal justice system operates starting from the prevention and suppression of crime in the community which is among the primary mandate of the Law Enforcement pillar (the Police), all the way to the arrest of suspected criminals/of- fenders, the conduct of investi- gation and analysis of such criminals/offenders, and up to their rehabilitation and transfor- mation into a renewed individu- als and acceptable members of the society, it is very definite that a Criminologist, among other experts in other fields of study


in criminal justice, is very vital for the system. Likewise, the said definitions outline the expertise that could be expected from a Criminology graduate that would definitely be needed by our criminal justice system. We know that the Criminology education program has existed in the country for more than 50 years now, while according to the late Dr. Teodulo Natividad, then Commissioner of the National Police Commission (Napolcom), the roots of development of this field of study could be traced back to the year 1916 at the University of California at Berkeley, USA. In the Philip- pines, its inception dates back to the year 1954 when the Philip- pine College of Criminology in Santa Cruz, Manila, was author- ized by the government to open the first BS Criminology pro- gram in the country.


Based on the numbers, one


may say that the development of criminology in the Philippines could be tremendous. From a single higher education institu- tion (HEI), the present number of institutions offering the said program has increased to 317 based on the CHED-MIS record. Despite of this development, however, are questions in the minds of some of our criminal justice practitioners, the aca- deme and the general public as whole, such as:


1. In the face of the present breakdown of law and order, when the right to life and liberty and the possession of property are easily violated (e.g. the recent incident of the Manila bus hostage- taking, robbery cases, hold-up, etc.), which in effect shows the lack of effective crime intervention and prevention mechanisms, and are often times attributed as a failure of the criminal justice system as a whole, we may ask, what kind of criminology education did we provide our former criminology students who are now joining services being rendered by the different pillars e.g. the police, corrections etc.?


2. Does our curriculum con- tain the correct specifications as cited in the above-men- tioned definitions for the study of Criminology? 3. At some point, does our law impede the development of the Philippine Criminology educa- tion program and its curriculum? 4. Did we also realize that criminology should be more of research and that a strong foun- dation in this area would be very vital in dealing with dif- ferent subject matters of this field of study? In fact, it should be noted that at present, there is still very little research that have been conducted by only a few of the 317 HEIs offering Criminology program in the country. Yet, the focus of such research is mostly on the per- formance, status and/or condi- tions of the police, to mention a few. This could be the reason why at present, most of the re- search outputs of our Criminol- ogy HEIs were only published in their own in-house journals and why we still have no refereed journals in criminology. 5. Have we also realized that


“no body is a monopoly of knowledge” and that it would be very difficult for a Crimi- nologist to posses all the fields of expertise needed by our Criminal Justice System? 6. What about the breakdown


of our values? Pervasive graft and corruption, crime waves; destruc- tion of the potential of our peo-


ple to build a self-reliant and pro- ductive natural economy, destruc- tion of our environment, etc. By any standards, these are prob- lems that should alarm us. Even foreigners are astonished at the continuous regression of Philip- pine society, at how Filipinos have become so confused and disabled that we cannot even solve simple problems like traf- fic jams and garbage collection. And so what’s next?


My dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, perhaps these would be the questions that should be tackled by the organization in examining the role of Criminol- ogy education program on the Philippine Criminal Justice Sys- tem in this gathering.


In so doing, we should care- fully consider that with the con- tinuous flow and generation of knowledge in the various fields of education, the rapidly changing and developing society, and the advent of globalization, new ex- pectations and demands in higher education that entail in- novative intervention and re- forms arise. Because of these, higher education, locally and in- ternationally has evolved and entered an unprecedented and significant change. There is epi- demic among us Filipinos “be- ing apathetic” (take an open stand between good and evil, be- ing actively involved in good governance or in looking after the welfare of others, or to do or pursue what is right even if it hurts or is inconvenient. Who would have the audacity to stand as a witness to a heinous crime parable of the good Samaritan. Who has the resolve?)


While change as it is might be uncomfortable to some, we at CHED hopes that since the PEACE is generally composed of Criminology educators and prac- titioners, this organization to- gether with other criminology associations like the Professional Criminologist Association of the Philippines (PCAP), would be the partners of the Commission in facilitating the implementa- tion of innovative interventions and reforms for the continuing enhancement of the Criminology program towards quality Crimi- nal Justice Education.


The impetus to develop human capabilities in addressing soci- ety’s expectations is very signifi- cant; thus, we hope that this can be sustained through a common understanding and idea of Crimi- nology through collaboration with the PEACE and other Crimi- nology associations. Each of us has a role to play. We may be part of different networks and sectors; but yet, we are all educators shar- ing an important goal—guiding the students to become more re- sponsible and productive citi- zens, thus, facilitating change for the country’s development. I per- sonally believe that the truest measure of an educator’s success depends on the number of young lives he has touched and influ- ence who in turn become respon- sible citizens of this world. 50 years from now, it won’t matter where you lived and what kind of car you drove; it won’t matter what kind of clothes you wore, or how many trophies you won and how much money you’ve made. But the world will definitely be a better place because you’ve made a differ- ence in the life of your students. Maraming salamat po at manumbalik nawa ang ating pagiging maka-Diyos, makatao at makabansa!


dirfyf@yahoo.com


HAT could PNoy say? On the matter of respon- sible family planning, Presi- dent Benigno Aquino 3rd told Filipino communities all over the world in a satellite televi- sion interview, that the Philippine government is obligated to inform everybody of the responsibilities of their choices (on birth control methods). At the end of the day, government might provide assistance to those who are without means if they want to employ a particular method. What did you expect a secular leader answering a secular question in a secular situation to say? While the late President Corazon Aquino Cojuangco, mother of the President, was uncompromis- ing about artificial contracep- tive methods to limit birth, today it is a standing govern- ment policy to allow couples freedom of choice in their family planning methods. “I believe the couple will be in the best possible position to determine what is best for the family, how to space [the births], what methods they can rely on and so forth.” Under the circumstances, the President cannot be expected to say that only certain methods of contracep- tion will get government support. As President of the Filipino people who are fast- getting to be ambivalent on the matter of birth limitation, he cannot but stand by actual government policy. In a follow-up to the story


W


BENJAMIN G. DEFENSOR


of the Philippines’ Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, said the Church “would rather focus directly on the people to give them the needed values formation so that whatever the government does, their moral values and thinking will remain intact. “So whatever the govern- ment will do in the near or far future, our faithful will have a well-formed conscience.” So don’t look to politicians who are more focused on votes rather than on moral values. We think that this should be the aggressive stance of the Church, as the secular sector of society cannot be depended upon to oversee the moral development of the people. There are arguments against birth control itself, that is no longer the bugaboo that it was feared to be in the middle of the last century. After more than a half century of a contraceptive mentality, there are many nations successful in their drive be to limit births that are trying to reverse what has now turned out to be a wrong-headed decision in their part.


saying he will support couples in their choice of family planning methods, his statement appears to have been toned down. The story said that Catholic lay groups have threatened protest action after the President “signified he might support Filipino couples who want to limit the number of their children by suing contraceptives.” In an effort to dampen what could be a serious brush fire, Malacañang spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the President was willing to meet with Church leaders. “The president is ready to explain to the clergy his position on family planning,” he said. “If they want to ask for a dialogue with the President, we’re open to that. This is what we have been waiting for since the campaign. If they want to hear our explanation, we’re more than willing to do so.” While Auxiliary Bishop Francisco de Leon viewed the President’s statement as a “passive stance,” Fr. Melvin Castro, executive director of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference


But the major problem facing the Church in the Philippines today, is the Reproductive Health (RH) bill and Church circles fear that the position taken by Mr. Aquino may encourage the passage of the bill. So far, the has failed to pass primarily because of intense opposition from the Church House Bill 96, the first of


several RH bills filed in the 15th Congress and whose principal author is House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, guarantees “the right to make free and informed decisions” and promotes “without bias all modern natural and artificial methods of family planning that are medically safe.”


This is where the battle should be joined. For if the RH bill becomes a law, President Aquino will be bound to implement it, whatever his personal position is, whether the provisions of the law agree with or go against the moral position of the Church. That is his duty.


opinion@manilatimes.net Global view


indigenous people and the social evils that exploit the poor have to be seriously addressed. Criminal activities like traffick- ing of persons is largely ignored in several developing countries or even aided and abetted by corrupt police or government officials. Corruption and bloated government payrolls of ineffective employees doing nothing all day besides looking in desktop mirrors or wall mounted televisions set are setting back progress and causing untold suffering and harm, especially to children. The dream of 13-year-old Maria, who was taken from her poverty-stricken rural village, sold to brothel in Manila and raped and made pregnant by a sex tourist, was that her baby, John Paul, who was saved from forced abortion, would have a happier childhood than she had. When rescued by Preda social


workers and now safe, she told the therapist, “My hope is for John Paul, my baby. I hope that life will be happier and more beautiful for him and he would not be poor like me.” Maria speaks for almost an estimated million children in Asia that are sexually-abused and government lets it happen. The real goals of the millen- nium such as social justice and 50 percent reduction in poverty will not be achieved when there is government inaction, corruption and incompetence prevails. In the Philippines, there is great hope that the new administration of President Aquino will turn this around. All people of good will need to act in a just and right way to end corruption and see justice done especially for abused children.


preda@info.com.ph Birth control


O c tober 3, 2010


A 5


opinion


EDUCATION MATTERS


REFLECTIONS


ONE MAN’S MEAT


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