November 16 - 30, 2018
OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
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Breaking
Point
When Education becomes an Oblation
By Rosette Correa
The University of the
Philippines’ school theme UP Beloved,
or UP Naming Mahal, in its lyrics,
talks about loyalty to the school, and
to all, wherever one goes. Penned
by Teogenes Velez, and Nicanor
Abelardo, National Artist for Music,
and UP Conservatory of Music Alumni
and namesake, in 1917, it also speaks
of loyalty to the country, as “the hope
of the land” promises to be of service
to its countrymen wherever they may
be. Education in the pamantasan
ng bayan, even before one leaves its
grounds, is accompanied by calls
for service, an unspoken rule that
because each has received a blessing
through state education, it should be
paid forward.
Oblation in the dictionary is
defined as an “offering to the Creator”,
and what an appropriate name it is
for the iskolars ng bayan. While not
every graduate takes to heart the call
of Oble to immerse himself or herself
in service, for those who do take it
seriously, no matter where they are,
even as far as Canada, this fervour
lives on and is lived well.
I wonder if education today
ignites the same desire to serve others
as it did for many in the past. Regardless
of where a person went to school,
there was a time when education was
certainly geared towards a calling to
serve others, whatever career one
Bulong
Pulungan
By Deedee Siytangco
Reprinted from Manila Bulletin
ANGEL THOUGHTS
“When the law no longer
protects you from the corrupt, but
protects the corrupt from you – you
know your nation is doomed.”—Ayn
Rand
The Disney-themed lights
show at the Ayala triangle is a go-to
this holiday season, and best of all, it’s
free. Just be prepared to be in a huge
crowd of people, be under the stars,
and stand for hours. (Unless you bring
your own folding chairs or mats.)
The 30-minute light show
begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m.
Among those who were mesmerized
were my 11-month old grandson
Disney, his parents AJ and Ayet,
and Disney’s two yayas, Anabel and
Imelda.
I am happy that a few
buildings on Ayala Avenue have
manger displays on their awnings.
Please, let us keep the real meaning
OP-ED
chooses.
Pe r h a p s
the call was
stronger back
then, because
there
was
certainly
a
need to be
cognizant of
the
needs
in
society,
as
people
confronted
struggles and
challenges
face to face,
never on screen or on social media.
Today, social media is able to expose
the tragedies of life in many varied
and immediate ways, but because
it also exposes the shallowness of
materialism and the need to satisfy
one’s personal desires more, the
needs of others are not magnified to
be important to notice. While social
media may aid society in making
people aware of issues that certainly
need attention, it also draws away
attention to what is really important
and needs to be resolved. Education’s
role in the lives of young minds is to
make people perceptive and reflective
of situations, and acting on them.
Effective and affective education is
able to do this despite social influences
that make these issues secondary
to the superficiality of political
correctness, hallow ideologies, and
materialism that promotes greed and
selfish personal advancement.
Aristotle once said that,
“Educating the mind without educating
the heart is no education at all.” What
is the use of brilliance, if it does not
serve others? The role of education
in the lives of people is so important
that academic institutions will be the
only industry that will never go out of
business. Teachers will never lose jobs
- there will always be people going
to school, from the primary grades
to post-graduate studies. Aristotle,
however, poses a big challenge to
educators - that they should not only
educate the cognitive but the affective
as well. Today’s world needs more
of that deep, reflective thinking, as
we are faced daily with false ideas
of compassion and emotion, with
rationality put aside in favour of what
is popular, and with whatever the
media and social media dictates is
en vogue. Young people today are
being educated by technology that
knows no emotion, that even cursive
or handwriting is now called an “art
form” that once can choose not
to do. In the past, it was part of the
curriculum, because it teaches many
things affective - patience, neatness,
attention to detail, to name a few. It
also trains the brain to connect fine
motor skills to detailed thought and
critical analysis. Without the attention
to detail that “old school” practices
once taught, there is now a lack of
connection between the mind and the
heart - a necessity for people to have
true compassion, understanding,
tolerance, respect for all, and an
innate determination to serve others.
The real product of a good
education is not knowledge, but action
- an oblation. A person who earns
numerous post-graduate degrees
will fail his education and at being
human if he doesn’t use it to make
the lives of others better. The same
goes to a person who does not have
an education at all. In the end, both
would not have used their gifts well,
and that will be a tragedy. Education
needs to be used properly as a means
to make this world a better place. If it
is not, then it would be useless.
Breathe Life, Be Aware of Lung Cancer
of Christmas via the depiction
of the birth of Jesus Christ in a
manger. Even a Christmas star
which announced His birth to
the shepherd and guided the three
magi would be so welcome!
* * *
Now, did you know that lung
cancer is the most common cancer
worldwide and the most common
type of cancer diagnosed in Southeast
Asia? Here in our country, lung cancer
is the leading cause of cancer-related
deaths. It accounts for 24.3 percent
of cancer deaths in Filipino men.
November is Lung Cancer
Awareness Month, and advocates
of clean air aim to raise awareness
regarding lung cancer and provide
support to patients and their loved
ones. Bravo!
They say prevention is better
than cure—and staying informed is
part of prevention. To save more lives,
I talked to an expert in the medical field
to share some important information
on lung cancer that the public needs
to know about.
According to Dr. Diana
Edralin, country medical director
of Roche (Philippines) Inc., cancer
develops when certain cells in the
body multiply uncontrollably and
invade other vital structures and
organs. For lung cancer, there are two
main types.
Non-small cell lung cancer
(NSCLC) is far more common,
accounting for roughly 85 percent of
cases. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
is rarer, but it grows and spreads more
aggressively than NSCLC. Just like
other cancers, lung cancer has four
stages, depending on how big it has
grown and how distant it has spread
to other parts of the body. For many
patients with lung cancer, the disease Reaching for the stars with daddy AJ and
is diagnosed when it is already at an baby Disney at the Ayala lights magical
show
advanced stage, when it has already
spread or metastasized. This makes cough, shortness of breath or trouble
breathing, bloody phlegm, and
lung cancer more difficult to treat.
So early detection is key. fatigue. Lung cancer usually does not
What are the common symptoms of show symptoms until the disease is
lung cancer? These include persistent in its later stages, and CONT PAGE 9
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