Travelogue 2016: Our Field Trip to the Republic of Singapore (Q&A)

The UST Chemical Engineering Class of 2016 Educational Tour

Crossroads: Unfold Impending Chemical Engineering Grounds in Singapore

Travelogue 2016

Author's Note: The following post was submitted by the author to the University of Santo Tomas Chemical Engineering Department in line with the requirements of a particular subject course covering field trips and seminars.

Prologue

On 5 April 2016, members of the University of Santo Tomas - Chemical Engineering (ChE) Batch 2016 embarked on an international field trip to the Republic of Singapore, the first in ChE history.

This international field trip was in line with the requirements of the course ChE 524 – Field Trips and Seminars, the latter being a course offered to all 5th year graduating students of the chemical engineering program.

The field trip, which ended on 10 April, was supervised by six members of the faculty, including the department chair.

In what way did the field trip help further your understanding of professional and ethical responsibility?

Upon our landing at Changi Airport in Singapore, I already felt a change in atmosphere. Many people whom I assume to be Singaporeans appeared to be very orderly even while walking. Also, they fall in line (queue) in an orderly fashion. They are very disciplined, especially about time management. Comparing this with Filipino stereotypical work ethics, I believe that merely comparing their work ethics with ours contributed greatly in understanding professional and ethical responsibilities, the latter being a goal of the chemical engineering program. We must use this observation as a lesson and apply it to our work ethics.

Our professional responsibility was also tested during the plant tours since we had to strictly follow the set timeline in our itinerary. Also, I have personally observed that long restroom breaks, slow walking pace of my batchmates have raised eyebrows among the ethnically Chinese Singaporeans working in some of the factories we visited. The naturally carefree Filipino work ethic may not always compatible with Singaporean counterparts. 

Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) was also a test of our communication skills. I can say that their rail transit system is around fifty times more efficient than the Philippines’ ailing railway systems. Even the awesomeness of the relatively spacious and efficient Philippine LRT-2 which I [used to] ride to school is diminished when compared to this.

In what way did the tour improve your ability for effective written, visual, and oral communication?

Since we were in a foreign country, our oral communications skills were put to the test as our Taglish, or Filipino proficiency were obviously of little or no use among most Singaporeans. The most challenging for me was understanding Singaporean-accented English, since although they’re using grammatically correct English, the accent makes it harder for us to hear and immediately understand them properly. Visual communication skills were also highly appreciated since Singaporean public transportation has a knack for using icons alongside quadrilingual word signs.

Two members of ChE Batch 2016 reading the information board at a bus stop.

This tour emphasized the importance of an engineer’s ability to communicate, for what is the use of an amazing idea if one cannot share it to the world’s development? Thus, I believe that awareness on globalization should be used as a reason to improve our language skills, especially with English and Filipino. (I separated the two languages since I have observed than in Metro Manila, the colloquial lingua franca even among academicians is actually Taglish, or heavily code-switched Filipino.)

The author at Newater.

Concluding Statements

The theme of the field trip also suits well with this objective, as it reminds us that learning is not limited to the four corners of the classroom. Not only that, many things are learned from experience, not from academic classes.

Overall, I can consider the trip to be an enlightening and one-of-a-kind experience. I have learned many things in this five-day trip. After seeing the development of the city without jeopardizing the environment because of their sustainable development skills, I could not help but compare it with our homeland the Philippines. The next challenge is to see and try to emulate the good aspects of their professional work ethics and apply it to our work ethics. Also we could or should try ("try" because ideally it is possible) to help develop the Philippines into a country that has a high human development index like Singapore. 

Short Post on the LTFRB and Uber Issue

To quote an internet commentator: "Uber continued accepting applicants even if there were instructions from LTFRB to put on hold all applications for Uber and Grab franchising. Grab on the other hand complied. That's why Uber was suspended for a month"

This is why I was kinda neutral on this issue. You see, I'm not against Uber per se, but did anybody notice that it exceeded its supposed goal in reducing traffic while providing safe mode of transport to their patrons. Instead of having cars share their rides, it has become a glorified millennial-driven "taxi" service (for upper-middle class people) with...well better service than most taxis. Having too much private Uber cars plying around Manila will aggravate traffic (though the blame should not lie on them). 

Short Status Post #1 Series 2017

Note: I will be posting random "thoughts for the day" posts from now on. This is similar to what I do on Facebook but with a more public scope.
--

I don't know, but I never ever really liked jeans (denim pants). I find them heavy and uncomfortable (unless I'm a worker or in the field). I always prefer classy slacks, and other pants.

Verse from the Bible Quoted by Philippine Banknotes

This may be old “news” for some, but it was only last month (March 2017) that I realized that our own monetary bills quoted the bible.

Older banknotes wherein the quote is not present

Although I’ve been keen to examine the new generation Philippine banknotes, it was only last month when I realized that the phrase “Pinagpala ang bayan na ang Diyos ay ang Panginoon” (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord) was actually a quotation from the Bible, specifically that of Psalms 33:12.

             Psalm 33:12 (King James Version)

¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Awit 33:12 (Ang Biblia 1905)

¹² Mapalad ang bansa na ang Dios ay ang Panginoon; ang bayan na kaniyang pinili sa ganang kaniyang sariling mana.

Before realizing this, I thought the quote was just some random religious quip that was added by a zealous member of the numismatic committee that designed the banknotes, or probably an People Power/EDSA-related quote, the same way 2 Chronicles 7:14 became commonly associated with it.

I do not have doubts that indeed this verse is true, but in the Philippine setting as a whole, I believe it is not applicable. Is God really the god of the Philippines? Many here are proud that we’re the only Christian country in Southeast Asia (forgetting our tiny Portuguese-speaking neighbor East Timor), but corruption is prevalent in this country, sad to say. Idolatry, let the reader understand, is also rampant.

Isaiah 29:13 (Revised Standard Version)

And the Lord said:

“Because this people draw near with their mouth

    and honor me with their lips,

    while their hearts are far from me,

and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote;

Atheists, especially the radical anti-theists, also lost their minds and were highly indignant after finding this verse inscribed in their banknotes. Some do have valid viewpoints against putting a Bible quotation in the banknotes. One of them goes like this: If one can add a Bible quote in legal tender, might as well add a verse from the Quran or from the Book of Mormon.

The Filipino Freethinkers group even went as far as to call for the removal of the said quote, according to their statement:

The quotation from the Christian Old Testament and its placing on legal tender is a manifest violation of the Constitution and the right to religious freedom of the country’s citizens as it forces even non-Christians to participate in the distribution of explicitly Judeo-Christian material. As a body that represents all of its citizens, Christian or not, the Philippine government must be a secular one; it cannot champion the religious beliefs of any particular faith. – Filipino Freethinkers Statement (2010) [Link: http://filipinofreethinkers.org/2010/12/20/statement-regarding-new-peso-bills/]

These groups would quote the 1987 Philippine Constitution's Bill of Rights which, according to them, are “wantonly violated by the [addition of the biblical quote]”.

1987 Philippine Constitution

Article III, Section 5. No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.

I personally don’t see any big deal about it. A similar thing happened in the United States in 2011, where an atheist group called Freedom from Religion Foundation tried to sue the U.S. Treasury Department over the “In God We Trust” motto printed on dollar bills; they lost.

Even if a verse from the Quran or from the Avesta (of Zoroastrians) was added to the banknotes, it will not and will never be a form of proselytism as long as the quote is not explicitly a proselytizing one. As long as moral values are promoted, will you eschew the use of banknotes because of mere words that do not affect its legal tender value? Quoting Section 5 of the Philippine constitution is useless since it prohibits the making of a law. A piece of banknote is not a law! It is not even a religious text that can proselytize, let alone something to be read and analyzed by its users (except the numismatics).

If you claim god does not exist, mere words or mentions of god should not in any way affect or oppress you. End of story.

On Being an Only Child

I was born an only child. Not because my parents did not want plenty of kids, but because on some “limiting” factors they never told me directly. Initially happy with being an only child, I then learned how lonely it is without a sibling. My cousins, who were much older than me, served as my playmates, but they were not always available since they were already in high school during that time.

I would usually say “Ayoko ng kapatid. Masaya naman ako.” during at time. Things changed when my mother would bring a playmate, the daughter of her friend, to our house and we would play “shop”. (We pretend to have a shop and we “buy and sell” our “goods” – mostly our toys. My mother would relate how I would very sad when my playmate was about to leave.

Me (wearing red shirt). My much-older cousin (in gray shirt) at the back.

Growing up without playmates of the same age, my social skills development, I believe, was affected the most. Although I had some playmates in elementary school, someone to lean on, someone that can keep my secrets is someone I never had in my childhood. It was around late high school when I noticed that I am most attracted to petite girls with innocent-looking faces (cute, girly and little), although I never considered courting an important thing before (probably because I was satisfied when I could pinch their faces with impunity).

Now I want to have someone who fits the perfect little sister image I have. Ayoko ng kapatid na lalaki, gusto ko magkaroon ng kapatid na babae. Someone to talk to and have fun with is what I want. I used to be left alone at home most of the time, that’s why I’m used to a quiet environment and is probably what honed my creative writing skills. (When I took an informal psychological test, my creative imagination was said to be one of my most powerful skills.) Although I used to be a shy person, I’m outgoing too much that sometimes I’m clingy to people. I never run out of stories to tell as long as the person who’s with me resonates with my interests. Of course, sometimes I crave for positive attention, thus my exaggerated gestures sometimes.

To be honest, there was a time when I felt superior in thought since, having no one to talk to, I would read about socio-political issues surrounding the world. It was exposure to pro-environmental shows that shaped my environmentalism. It also gave me the thing I want to do with my life. Then I realize, there are also many more people promoting environmental principles, so I’ve decided that I want to join them someday, even in the littlest of ways. (Greenpeace is popular, but I’m pro-GMO which is in contrast to their staunch opposition to GMO.)

Being an only child also has a few, unnoticeable benefits. I have some secrets not even my parents or relatives know. Being alone at home can also allow me to do some things I cannot do fully in public. A few already know, since I already gave them little clues. But the deepest of them all? One can find out by reading a password-protected MS Word document file in one of the folders of my Google Drive.

(Regrading my search for a little sister, read “On the Kuya-Zone” for more information.)

Answer to “Open Letter to Filipinos: ‘Conservative Ako’ Is an Insult to Self”

The original article (in italics and highlighted) will be heavily copy-and-pasted quoted along with my comments and reactions.

Ladies and gents, “conservative ako” (“I’m a conservative”) isn’t a self-compliment. Au contraire, branding yourself a “conservative” is an insult to self. Let me tell you why.

What is conservatism?

Conservatism isn’t about the amount of fabric that we wear (or don’t wear) to cover ourselves nor is merely the other end of the continuum that gauges our attitudes toward sex and sexuality.

Huh? Okay then. Clarifying that the conservatism he will discuss will not revolve solely on sex. Carry on.

In its broadest sense, conservatism—whether social, political or economic—is an ideology that promotes the preservation of traditional values, which signifies a resistance to change. Conservatism is the “maintenance of status quo” and refusal to accept change. Refusing change conveys, in most cases, the rejection of progressive science and education, and focusing on and succumbing to, in the context of Philippine history and tradition, the interpretation of the Christian Bible and our caciquist culture (which is practically the essence of our infamous patronage politics) rather than accepting modern discoveries that may gainsay traditional beliefs.

It is quite surprising he looped everything wrong about Philippine society as something conservatives want to maintain. It is quite appalling that the author would loop and interlock all these problems as if they were a singular phenomenon. Philippine societal problems are commonly rooted in lack of unity – the kaniya-kaniya attitude, not on conservatism. It can be agreed upon that conservatism does cause some of the problems, but it is not because we’re really conservative, but because many Filipinos are not intellectualists and even smart-shamers. (In fact, we are the most Westernized nation in Southeast Asian, something I am both angry and happy for. Where’s the “resistance and preservation of traditional values”?)

Conservatism is the refusal to grow up and deal with the world in informed terms.

Many pro-refugee American Liberals are also accused of being too idealistic, as they tend to gloss over the possibility of terrorists sneaking with legitimate economic migrants (refugees).

Conservatism is giving in to the reign of social stratification and inequality. If you’re female and you see yourself as a conservative, then you’re anti-female because traditional Christian values are anti-female.

One thing I agree with progressives (that’s why I’m left-leaning when it comes to economics) is that conservatives do want to maintain gross inequality, something that should be changed in the Filipino setting. As yes, surely Biblical principles are indeed anti-female and pro-abuse (sarcastic sentence), as exemplified in these examples:

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. (1 Peter 3:7 [NIV]) 

There cannot be Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is no male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28 [MKJV], emphasis mine)

Look how sexist and demeaning of women this Bible verse is (sarcasm):

A kindhearted woman gains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth. (Proverbs 11:16 [NIV])

And of course, even the Roman Catholic Church theoretically aims to protect the dignity of women:

Also noteworthy is a new understanding of the dignity of woman and her place in society, of the value of conjugal love in marriage and the relationship of conjugal acts to this love. (Humanae Vitae, Chapter 2 [1968])

The entirety of the Mulieris Dignitatem apostolic letter covers topics on protecting the dignity of women.

His original text, again, blames conservatism in general as the root cause of HIV prevalence:

Conservatism is why the Philippines is among the only nine countries in the world with increasing number of HIV cases and why women from all over the country die every day due to complications ofillegal abortion.

Hypocritical conservative policies not rooted in actual reality is the cause, not conservatism per se. Because if we were truly conservative, then why would pre-marital sex rates surge up? Liberated millennials polluted influenced by western liberal ideals cannot be considered conservative. (Duh.) Putting aside semantics, I will disclose that I am a staunch supporter of the Reproductive Health Law (R.A. 10354). I am, however, against the “over-sexualization” of mainstream media and internet, which sometimes treats women as mere tools of masculine pleasure.

Conservatism is why you spend a significant amount of your valuable time wedged in EDSA every day due to heavy traffic or why riding the MRT during rush hour is practically a suicidal act.

Wait, what? I get what he was fighting for progressive ideals especially with regards to social inequality and gender inequality but how is this connected? Corruption fueled by Filipino mediocrity and complacency caused the transportation woes, not our pseudo-conservative stances.

Conservatism is why despite our huge reservoir of talent and ingenuity, our arts and culture continue to wither and our genius artists are either starving or have perished in obscurity.

Filipinos are not really culture-centric, hence our zoning priorities for cultural centers are mostly overshadowed by malls and commercial centers.

Conservatism is why your Internet connection won’t let you respond to your crush’s Twitter DMs because it moves at a glacial pace or why our service providers have accomplished nothing but serve us shitty yet expensive products and services.

Possibly true. Conservatism is broad. The real reason why our duopoly in telecommunications is due to constitutional economic protectionism which in turn fuels the oligarchy running our cacique democracy. I will cite this 2013 article from Priscilla Tacujan, Ph.D. of the Philippine Star:

Despite the improvement in the Philippine investment climate, the Philippine Constitution (1987) still has an antiquated article that supports laws restricting foreign ownership of property to 40 percent (Article XII), with minor adjustments and deviations by subsequent legislation. Removing the clause, and improving access and protections of foreign-owned business, would lead to a quantum leap in FDI and Philippine economic growth. Small changes to legislation are not enough. The Constitution needs to be changed in order to fully welcome foreign investors to the Philippines.

Article Source: Protectionist clauses in the Philippine Constitution restrict the flow of foreign directinvestment 

My last response will be with regards to this paragraph he placed in his conclusion:

Conservatism breeds intolerance. Conservatism is mental slavery. Conservatism isn’t just the refusal of progress. It’s the refusal to use your brain.

Don’t get me started how intolerant liberals can be too. Since Filipino society rarely touches on left-vs-right, conservative-vs-liberal topics, I cannot gauge whether or not conservatives (in the Philippines, of course) are the most intolerant bunch. In the United States, however, there are numerous articles and testimonials portraying the intolerance of liberals – ironically the champions of equal rights.

Conclusion

Although the article raises valid points regarding conservative impediments to “progress” (a relative phenomenon), the article assumes too much and/or overgeneralizes at the same time. Conservatism is a broad spectrum of beliefs and no two conservatives may share the same opinions on all societal issues. To blame conservatism as the cause of such issues like the MRT/Traffic problems and internet speeds seem incongruous to what most right-wing conservatives fight for. Like, connecting such issues as passing the buck on conservatism is a bit off. Maybe the author may be referring to complacency and mediocrity, not conservatism. Nonetheless, condescendingly and haughtily portraying conservatives as regressive folks who impede progress will not diminish their influence, but will only strengthen and attract more of their kind. Kindy why Trump won, eh? 

A Comment on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (2015 Article)

The following text was adapted from Eugenio of Namayan’s speech delivered to the members of the “Royal Assembly of Senators” of Namayan – a political simulation entity with roughly fifty members concentrated in the Philippines. It is outdated.

To the readers of this text,

I salute you for taking the time to read this short piece. I wrote this short blogpost because I have been concerned recently about the security situation in our country as various insurgencies have escalated in many parts of our country, our fatherland. Long-running communist and Moro insurgencies continue to grapple the security situation of our homeland.

First of all, I would like to say that I am not in any way against the recognition of the plight of the Bangsamoro people. I am indeed sympathetic to those who have been oppressed by brutal and discriminatory regimes. My sympathy to the plight of numerous indigenous groups was sparked after I (as an autodidact) diligently studied the brief history of the pre-Hispanic Philippine kingdoms, sultanates, and states, which effectively made me aware about the sociocultural and religious diversity of the Philippines. I believe this cultural diversity is seemingly threatened by aggressive westernization and cultural assimilation. In short, colonization and the traditions and religion the colonizers brought separated us ethnic Malays. In the south, the culture of the Malays was preserved for three hundred years because Moro and Lumad peoples in Western Mindanao never allowed themselves to be fully subjugated by the colonizers. The Moro people valiantly defended their sovereignty and the stewardship of their homeland. Sadly, the national government only addressed their grievances after bloodshed. The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), however, failed to live up to its expectations and is still a grim reminder of the nation’s problems. This autonomous region is still plagued with corruption, ignorance, social injustice, private armed groups, terrorism, and political monopoly. These internal problems should be resolved before tinkering around with an upgraded autonomous entity, and I think the current administration is doing its part to do so.

I hereby declare my conditional support to the Bangsamoro Basic Law. I believe it has the potential to bring lasting peace in Mindanao but it should only be passed once the Muslim rebels and mujahedeen show good faith by having their arms decommissioned. This should be overseen directly not only by the Philippine government, which is mistrusted by the Moro rebels, but also by the International Monitoring Team preferably flanked by numerous journalists both local and foreign. Honestly, however, I would rather see the Philippines transform from a unitary state into a federal state just like Malaysia complete with a symbolic monarchy. This is evident in my ongoing literary work, which depicts the rise of an egalitarian Greater Malay Confederation lead by a symbolic Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Unfortunately, effects of colonization would still have a bearing on this theoretical plan. How? Well, majority of the Filipinos claim to be Christian (I’ve seen a lot of nominal nearly faithless Christians who only became Christian because they were “born in it”.) Being Christian is incompatible to the notion of “Masuk Melayu” (entering the “Malay world”) in which one must first become a Muslim before being fully Malay, a condition also stipulated in the 2010 Federal Constitution of Malaysia (Liow, 2010). This apparently has been imbedded in the minds of Malaysians. Like my Malaysian acquaintance who said “I always [hear] and read that a person must be Muslim, fluent in the Malay language and follows Malay customs [before he is considered a Malay].”  To be honest, I feel sad about Masuk Melayu’s religious requirements, since it borders on discrimination based on religion. After the aggressive polities of the United Malays National Organization Party in Malaysia, a country where approximately 60 percent of the population is Muslim, it is common to conflate religious identitya with ethnicity and citizenship (Liow, 2010). Leaving Islam is also considered taboo and the apostate doing so will lose his membership in the “Malay race” (Mueller, 2014). I have heard from my Malaysian acquaintance (and this can be supported with adequate research) that non-Muslims minority groups in Malaysia are sometimes discriminated. The dream of a Greater Malay Confederation is therefore reduced to a mere hypothetical situation.

The reason why I included Malayisation in this discussion is because of the perceived goal of many our Filipino Muslim fellowmen. Some of them feel more religiously and culturally affiliated with Malaysia rather than predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines. Is there a possibility of compromise to water down potential religious conflicts and to simmer down warmongers? I believe so.

I believe secularism, done in a balanced manner, is the best method to preserve religious equality. Right now, the Philippines is far from being secular, since the separation of church and state is still not widely respected. Although I recognize the fact that religion can unite or severely divide, there should be measures taken to safeguard the peaceful coexistence of different belief systems without excessive government meddling. Religious freedom will be useless if it is only allowed when its beliefs fit the current government policies (Trigg, 2012). In the Philippines, government sectors are still Roman Catholic-dominated. The powerful church, if it wants to have a place in government affairs should first pay taxes, a feat they can easily do using the hordes of donations they receive. I am pushing for secularism mainly because I saw the diversity of beliefs in our country and I saw how they are somehow overshadowed by government-sponsored Roman Catholic religious events. I truly believe secularism will pave the way for religious (and non-religious) equality in our homeland. The government shall be neutral but respectful to the traditions of religious and irreligious people alike, as long as it does not border on radical or extremist beliefs. (One man’s freedom should not encroach upon another man’s freedom.)

Lastly, both sides should not let their emotions cloud their reason, let knowledge erase their prejudice. Peace-loving Muslims should also work hard to stop the radicalization of their brothers by evil terrorist groups. I am continuing to hope that the Bangsamoro Basic Law will pave the way for long lasting peace in our united Philippines. Let’s continue to hope for the best for our country. Good day to all!

References:

Liow, J. (2010, February 10). No God But God. Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/65961/joseph-chinyong-liow/no-god-but-god

Mueller, D. (2014). Islam, Politics and Youth in Malaysia: The Pop-Islamist Reinvention of PAS(pp. 11-12). Routledge.

Trigg, R. (2012). Equality, Freedom, and Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Buendia, R. (2004). The GRP‑MILF Peace Talks: Quo Vadis? Southeast Asian Affairs 2004, 205-221.