METROPOST WILLIAM E. ABLONG EYE OPENER wea_129@yahoo.com D


But knowing these lawmakers to be fighters in their own right, I know they will continue to take on the cudgels, no matter how many “bombshells” they will get. They will be shaken alright, but not stirred. Devil’s advocate no more? Considering that the new committee heads are all allied with the Mayor, what will happen to the issues on the P12- million COVID meals budget during the ECQ months? The disturbing escalation in the number of coronavirus cases in the City?


The proposed Masonic obelisk at Quezon Park which, after violent reactions, and the decisive verdict of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, is rumored to be moved to the Boulevard? How about the plan to build an evacuation center on a 10,000-square meter donated


oes the title ring a bell? Shaken, not stirred is, of course, the catchword of Ian Fleming’s fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond describing how his martini cocktail must be prepared. In this article though, I won’t be talking about James Bond or martini preparations but about the recent shake-up at City Hall. Upon reading the MetroPost’s interview of Dumaguete Vice-Mayor Alan Gel Cordova (Q&A, Jan. 17), all I could do was sigh and feel compassion for those “dispossessed” from their committees.


lot in barangay Batinguel? And the privatization of the Dumaguete City Water District?


Will all of these now take the back seat? I hope not. Despite being uprooted


from their positions, these independent-minded local legislators can still grill, and go over with a tooth comb every detail of any proposal, deliberate, dispute, and vote for or against any issue during the open sessions.


“Amen” all the time.


I don’t think everything is lost. And for that, we should be thankful.


When asked for the reason


of the shakedown, Vice-Mayor Cordova said in the interview that he believes the aim was to eventually suppress the right of anyone in the Council to express ideas on matters of public interest, especially those conflicting with the Mayor’s ideas and plans. And it only makes sense.


Administration Councilor, “The reason for the reorganization is obvious. The purpose and goal of the committees should be in line with the goal and objectives of the Executive.” Being in line means that one


According to one


to engage in deliberations or inquiry does not necessarily mean one would intentionally not agree with the idea in the end. It just means there are still things that sincerely need to be clarified for purposes of transparency. Another Administration Councilor also defended the surprise reorganizing by saying that it merely aimed to expedite and accelerate the plans and programs of the Executive “because we only have a year and three months” left.


Shaken, not stirred


they want to beat the end of their terms in the complete implementation of their projects. That is a noble goal. Or could they be running out of time in consolidating their forces so their political futures are guaranteed? I now recall what one


Opposition Councilor said about the Majority who can claim no end their reasons for the surprise reorganization: “But I don’t know how many will believe you.”


shouldn’t even question nor cross-examine on the intents and purposes and costing. It means, the Committees in the City Council should just always agree, no questions asked. Just say


JG UMBAC THE WAY IT IS bjplug@gmail.com B


abies born prematurely are more apt to suffer health complications at birth and later in life. They are likely to have developmental problems compared to those born after full pregnancy periods. I feel for those kids but hardly no one can be blamed for premature births as they are often caused by natural maladies in the mothers, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, among a few. They could also be caused by multiple pregnancies. Women who give birth prematurely couldn’t be made to bear the blame for it.


Still, if there was anything, we could do to prevent it, full term pregnancies are preferred to ensure that babies are healthy at birth with no complications and without psychological ill-effects on the mother.


skinny on this whole thing: full term is best while pre-term is bad—for most things. There are a few situations when cutting it short would be best. It would behoove parents


to cut short their child’s relationship with a known drug addict before the child becomes an addict as well. For anyone of us, it would


be best to stop a bad practice before it gets us in trouble. However, when we cook, full term would be best. If it takes food to cook fully at 450° for 30 minutes, we wouldn’t want to cut that short and eat food that’s not quite cooked. We wouldn’t want to take our children out of school before they could finish, would we? Or jump off a bus before it has come to a full stop? Or stop medication before the illness is abated? No, we wouldn’t, in those cases.


Bear with me—we’re still Here’s the


on track here. In the beginning, man’s villages were simply a gathering of huts and there were no roads or streets, only footpaths, worn into the dirt by constantly being walked on. Those who had wheeled carts used them as well. They got rutted rather quickly and, pretty soon, man began to think of ways to solve that problem because the rutted footpaths were not really comfortable and safe anymore. They had to somehow pave those footpaths to make them more durable and safer. There was no concrete then, so they used cobblestones. They made for a bumpy and noisy ride in a horse-drawn cart, but they lasted, and they solved the mud problem after a heavy rainfall, and the dust in the dry season. Laying down the


cobblestones took a lot of effort and time, but the people were patient and gave the pavers time to finish so their work would be of some quality. Many European cities


little carts—we have huge trucks that are even too big for our streets. So, we build with concrete.


Premature delivery


still have cobblestone-paved streets. They are some of the most beautiful streets you could ever hope to see, some as old as 700 years. Today, we have concrete to build things and to pave roads with. We no longer have to collect cobblestones from riverbeds. Concrete is used in almost everything that we build, and has truly become an indispensable ingredient in construction. If we didn’t use concrete to build our streets and highways, how long do you think compacted dirt would keep on a highway?


safe to use, considering that today, we no longer use those


And would it really be


In Dumaguete, most notable of all concrete projects are the bridges near the BIR, and the one at the back of Foundation University. The routes going through those bridges were closed for over a year, leading the public to think that once finished, those routes would be safer and more convenient than ever before—a job of some quality. The closures have caused enough consternation among businesses and the public at large because the long circuitous routes around them have put a huge damper on the conduct of their affairs. So, there’s been quite a clamor for the City to solve the problems causing the delays.


cure even after the form is finished, but it’s been over a year!


In the case of bridges, there’s the matter of approach ramps—they need to be just as durable as the bridges that they connect to, for them to be safe for people to use. Think of it as one set—a concrete bridge and its approaches. It has to be a set or the whole effort is for naught. I hope that makes sense to you.


concrete needs to It is a fact that


regularly hear of expats in bars, coffee shops, and restaurants around Dumaguete bitterly complaining, among other issues, about the high level of dishonesty and corruption in Philippine public life. There’s no doubt it exists here with the outcome being the enrichment of those in power at the expense of the ordinary citizen.


I


If given the opportunity to engage in conversation, I’d ask my fellow expats, “What’s your point, gentlemen? Corruption is everywhere, including in your countries and mine! Also, how does corruption here directly impact you?” I’d remind them it’s unwise for people living in glass


houses to throw stones. All independent, non-partisan evidence confirms that political corruption and graft are prevalent fixtures of Western political life. In many countries, corruption is an unrequested, long-term legacy from departed colonial powers. Another reason is simply the greed of human nature that, when given the opportunity to flourish, does precisely that as effectively as the C19 virus. Ireland, the country I


So if it has to be a set, then a bridge cannot be opened for use by the motoring public if the approaches are not finished because they just wouldn’t be safe and comfortable, not to mention that it won’t help with its durability at all. This is yet another example of the disadvantages of premature delivery. The bridge at the BIR was recently prematurely opened


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honestly believe the Admin Councilors stripped their colleagues in the Opposition of their chairmanships and memberships to “fasttrack projects, and to improve legislation”?


mine. Your guess is as good as Indeed. Who would


Fine, so they believe they are running out of time.


It seems As far as I have experienced,


f you’re a parent of school- age children in this era of social distancing rules, biosecurity practices, and audiovisual contact limited to the screen of an electronic device, anxiety will not only be confined to health issues. You also worry about how your kids will get the kind of education they deserve or should have in order to succeed in life.


I


Your children of this generation has now been referred to as the pandemials or children of the pandemic. But as parents who seek only the best for our children, we will need to adapt to this generation where most interactions are limited to the use of technology. But how?


GEMMA MINDA ISO PATHWAYS legis616821@gmail.com


content allowing children to learn about science, history, literature, geography, and other interesting topics in an entertaining manner that will not bore your short-attention- span child. Another that we can use


is augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). For example, we have the Google VR which allows our kid to travel around the world and explore the planet and some of its iconic natural attributes through virtual reality experience.


One is the use of microlearning. We know from experience that the attention span of a child is very short, hence, when explaining things to our child, we need to make our concepts condensed and visual so as not to lose their first few minutes. Microlearning entails the designing of lessons squeezed into tiny, easy-to- understand materials. Using this method, we need to split each topic into segments/modules, using a lot of visual material, like videos, exercises, tests and interactive audio. There are platforms that make use of microlearning such as Doulingo and Academia Play. The former app facilitates the learning of languages for free while the latter offers video


3D coloring application that allows children (and adults) to bring their drawings to life. And of course my favorite, Google Arts & Culture that offers shared experiences for anyone at whatever age to engross ourselves in art and culture. By employing virtual reality, we can visit and discover museums, ogle at arts works of famous historical artists, play with art filters and much more.


(that I use even with my grown- up children) is storytelling. This technique creates emotional connections between us parents/storytellers and our young learners.


Another favorite of mine Then there is Quiver, a


the stories, they don’t get sidetracked by very long texts or unattractive modulation. The stories of course need to be supplemented with wit and charm for the kids to enjoy and learn.


educational gamification which shouldn’t be left out when we are helping our children learn the basics including the more advanced facts of life.


Of course, we have The pandemials


psychology practitioners have emphasized, games enhance the learning of children. Gamification is all about providing a positive and fun experience during


ins truction. The young learners break through the mechanics of a game and move forward as they learn and surmount obstacles. A good example is Papumba, an app where children from two to seven years old can learn social abilities, ideas, numbers, letters and allows them to obtain vital knowledge, while playing and having fun. Children learn best when


As education experts and


JANUARY 24 - JANUARY 30, 2021 OPINION 9


The aim of storytelling is for our kids to be interested, focused, stirred, and engaged to the material at hand. With


MICHAEL O’RIORDAN


OUTSIDE LOOKING IN


Prime Minister) was in power for three terms from 1979 to 1992. Despite earning a modest salary, he somehow owned an island off the south-west coast of Ireland, thoroughbred race horses, had substantial business interests, and a huge estate in county Dublin valued in the millions. Everybody knew the funds came from questionable sources, but it was only after he had retired from public life, and a lengthy tribunal investigation costing millions that the truth was finally revealed. He had been financed all his political life by wealthy individuals, primarily builders, in return for “favors.” A much-requested one was the Prime Minister quietly


come from, was colonized by England for 800 years, and remains partially colonized. Corruption exists there in politics as it does to varying extents in all Western countries. But unlike the Philippines, the process in the Western world is significantly more subtle.


Charles Hughey, a former brilliant but much-flawed Taoiseach (leader of the tribe/


For example in Ireland,


arranging the re-zoning of land previously deemed for non-commercial use. It had been originally purchased by his cronies for almost nothing. And he wasn’t alone in his dealings. Many other politicians from both of the main parties in Ireland also enthusiastically benefited from accommodating similar activities, and amassing fortunes in the process. How many of the major players went to jail for their crimes? None! The convenient method the elite use internationally to deal with inconvenient problems was the short-term imprisonment of some low-level officials. They were released when the public, not renowned for their long-term memories, had lost interest, and were instead focused on the next scandal that inevitably happened. Not only did the senior politicians involved receive no punishment, they were given


they have fun. More so with the pandemials. Thus, we parents as educators must adapt our methods to these trends for us to be more effective and successful. It is not easy to capture the attention of young explorers, most especially the attention of the pandemials. Thus, we need to take advantage of the new technological platforms. They will make our task much easier and more fun.


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an admiring nudge and wink from the public, accompanied by unspoken respect for the lads being successful in life. The prevailing attitude was fair play to them! Seriously. In rural areas in the 21st


century, it’s still commonplace for politicians to substantially benefit themselves while their electorate are aware of their nefarious activities. “Ah, sure what does it matter if he earns a few extra euros? Didn’t he get the road built that we badly needed and nobody else before him got it done?” “It took him only a week to get the phone installed in my home after I’d been waiting over nine months.” “And didn’t he get those 75 factory jobs that could have gone elsewhere


Dishonest, fraudulent conduct


without him sticking up for his people?” Ironically, there’s a perverse form of logic attached to their reasoning.


conversation to 2020. Google “golfgate in Ireland”.


September 2020 when the entire country was in lockdown due to the C19 pandemic, there was an outing that involved a round of golf followed by a gala dinner. Major figures in Irish society, interestingly all male, attended the event. Their excuses used to theorize compliance with restrictions were so ludicrous I’ll treat them with the contempt they deserve, and won’t insult you by repeating them here. Fortunately, the fallout was powerful. An incensed public demanded blood. And they got it.


The heads of several major politicians were delivered to them on an oversized platter. They include a stalwart of Irish


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Let’s now bring the In


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