Stopping The Taylor Swift-Ready Entertainment Complex Won't Save the Philippines' Education System

The Philippines missed out on Taylor Swift's worldwide tour in 2024. That is due wholly to the fact that Singapore contracted with Taylor Swift to hold concerts in Southeast Asia exclusively in Singapore. However, the Philippines hopes to attract Taylor Swift with a brand new entertainment complex.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/12/philippines-is-taylor-swift-ready-by-2028-ciac-exec-says

The Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) is now on the process of receiving proposals for the construction of an entertainment and event center that may encourage pop icon Taylor Swift to consider Philippines in her next round of world tour. 

“By 2028, we will be Taylor Swift-ready,” said CIAC president and chief executive officer Arrey A. Perez during the Build Better More Infrastructure Forum at the New Clark City in Tarlac on Friday, July 12.

In planning on Taylor Swift for the construction of its entertainment and even center, Perez explained that the intention is to showcase the flagship projects that will transform the Civil Aviation Complex into an Airport City.

Perez revealed that at least three investors have already shown interest in building the entertainment and event center— a Singaporean company, a US company and local firm— with some of the investors planning to join forces in building the facility. 

The beauty of the planned entertainment and event center that they are planning to build, according to Perez, is that it would just be a walking distance from the Clark International Airport.

“You will not see that in other countries. Just imagine that after the plane lands, you will just walk—no traffic hassle— to the concert of Taylor Swift,” said Perez.

But that's if, and only, if they would be able to convince Taylor Swift to hold a concert in the Philippines as Perez himself said that Singapore has already bought the exclusivity of her concerts in Southeast Asia.

The Philippines was not included in the recent Eras Tour of Taylor Swift that prompted Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey  Salceda to complain and later asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to question the Singapore's exclusivity contract. 

The CIAC head, however, is optimistic: “We will court her because we are aware of the restrictions. But I hope that by that time we build our complex, and we are ready to host her, she would agree because the Philippines has been a music-loving country.”

Perez said the plan on an entertainment and event center started in November last year and by next year if they would receive the proposal before the end of 2024, they are expecting the signing of the contract with the private company that would be chosen to build the facility.

“Give us six to nine months to process the proposal and signing of contract definitely happens next year,’ said Perez.

“And the construction immediately starts by 2025, then you have two to three years to build this entertainment complex,” he added.

Perez said the plan is for the entertainment and event center to have 25,000 to 35,000 capacity since it is the ideal seating capacity based on their study.

Isn't it great that a whole new entertainment complex is being built with one entertainer in mind? The Alliance of Concerned Teachers says "no." They think the money would be better spent on education.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/21/group-criticizes-government-for-prioritizing-taylor-swift-ready-stadium-over-education-needs

Calling it a “gross misplacement” of priorities amidst the country's worsening education crisis, a group of education workers on Sunday, July 21, strongly criticized the government's plan to build a Taylor Swift-ready stadium at Clark Airport.

“As we approach Brigada Eskwela next week, it's appalling to see the government prioritizing a concert venue over the urgent needs of our education system," said Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Chairperson Vladimer Quetua in a statement.

"This decision clearly demonstrates how out of touch our leaders are with the realities faced by millions of Filipino students and teachers,” he added.

Quetua emphasized the stark contrast between the proposed stadium project and the severe shortages plaguing the education sector.

The country’s basic education system, Quetua said, is “facing a staggering shortage” of 165,000 classrooms and over 100,000 teachers.

“Add to that the persistent backlogs in learning materials for the coming school year,” Quetua said. “These are the real issues that demand immediate attention and resources from our government," he added.

Quetua also questioned the wisdom of investing in infrastructure that primarily caters to entertainment when basic educational needs remain unmet.

"How can we justify building a stadium for international pop stars when our own children are crammed into dilapidated classrooms if they're lucky enough to have classrooms at all?” he asked. “This project may benefit a few, but it's certainly not addressing the needs of the majority of our people, especially our students,” he added.

ACT then called on the government to “reassess its priorities and redirect funds” towards addressing the critical shortages in education.

"Instead of dreaming about Taylor Swift concerts, our government should be losing sleep over how to provide quality education to every Filipino child,” Quetua said.

“We demand that they cancel this misguided project and channel those resources into building classrooms, hiring teachers, and producing learning materials. That's the kind of 'infrastructure' our nation truly needs,” he added.

Bluntly stated money will NOT save the Philippine education system. While it is important to have classrooms and books if the teachers are not of high calibre then the education will be no good. Take the instance of this newly minted teacher. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/22/failure-not-an-option-five-time-antipolenyo-let-taker-finally-becomes-licensed-teacher

A 40-year-old mother from Antipolo City did not just become famous because of a now viral TikTok video. 

She also became a true testament to hard work and perseverance after finally achieving her dream of becoming a licensed teacher despite taking the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) for five times.

Theresa Abibas, a resident of Barangay Mayamot, captured the hearts of netizens after being featured in a TikTok video where she was seen crying with joy after passing the March 2024 LET while riding a public utility jeepney (PUJ).

"According to Theresa, this is her fifth time taking the board exam after first taking it in 2005. She tried to take the exam again together with her sibling the following year but unfortunately, she had once again failed it while her sibling passed," Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares said Monday, July 22.

Abibas said that it took her another three years to once again try to take the LET. However, she also failed on her third attempt.

"Despite failing to pass the board exam on her first three tries, Theresa did not failed in giving her family a comfortable and happy life by focusing on her work to provide for her children," Ynares said.

After 13 years of putting her dream on hold, Abibas' dream of passing the LET was once again reignited after her younger sibling passed the exam. This inspired her to once again take the board exam for the fourth time.

However, luck was still not on her side as she got a 74.4 percent rating, just shy of .6 percent for her to pass. This prompted her to enroll in the city government's review center to help her prepare for the March 2024 LET.

"Because of her financial constraints, we helped Theresa through our Review Assistance Program for board exam takers to pay for her review center fee," Ynares said, adding that in May of this year, Abibas finally passed the board exam.

Abibas is now working as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher.

The mayor said Abibas expressed her wish to finish her masteral studies while also preparing herself and her documents for applying to the city's public schools.

"If ever she will continue her master's or PHD, the city government has financial assistance and scholarship programs available for those who wish to enter graduate school," he noted.

"We are so proud of you Theresa. Thank you for teaching us the beauty of determination, perseverance, and patience. Your story proves that if we keep trying, we will eventually succeed," the local chief said.

It took Theresa Abibas 5 times over 14 years to finally pass the Licensure Examination for Teachers. While her final score is not noted her fourth score was 74.4% just .6 points shy of passing. More than likely her passing score is not much better.

And the government of Antipolo City not only paid her exam fee but the local Barangay Chief congratulated her for "teaching us the beauty of determination, perseverance, and patience." He goes on to say, "Your story proves that if we keep trying, we will eventually succeed." 

No kidding if someone keeps at it they will likely meet their goals. But this is not a sporting event. This is a woman who will now be tasked with teaching children. It is a shame that she will be allowed to do so because her failure at the exam has showed she is unqualified. The DepEd needs to put a limit to the number of tries to weed out people like her. 

Could it be the reason she failed four times is because she obtained a poor education from a teacher who also took multiple attempts before passing the LET? Perhaps. One teacher took FOURTEEN ATTEMPTS before she BARELY PASSED with a score of 76.80%.

While building an entertainment complex just to attract Taylor Swift is unbelievably daft so is thinking tossing money at the DepEd will solve a single thing. It is past time for the DepEd to prevent test takers who fail the LET multiple times only to end up barely passing from becoming teachers. The majority of passers in 2022 were repeaters. 

It is further announced that of the 8,737 elementary teacher passers, 2,678 are first timers and 6,059 are repeaters. For the secondary teachers, 4,652 passers are first timers and 7,422 are repeaters.

https://www.prc.gov.ph/article/january-2022-results-licensure-examination-teachers-released-thirty-30-working-days/5508

But that won't happen. The DepEd won't act and the ACT won't speak up. Idiots who can barely pass the LET after multiple times will continue to be praised as paragons of perseverance. Filipino students will continue to be dumbed down as they are taught by those idiots. It is time to end this vicious circle of stupidity. 

Two Studies Show the Philippines' Education System Stinks

On June 21, 2021 the World Bank released a report assessing the state of education in the Philippines. Overall the report was bleak and concluded that 80% of Filipino students in grades 4-9  did not meet basic skills levels for their grade. Naturally the Department of Education was furious saying that the report shamed the nation by using old data to paint an inaccurate picture and that the World Bank broke protocol by not notifying the DepEd before the report was released. An apology was demanded and the World Bank acquiesced.

President Duterte welcomed the apology.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1458818/duterte-welcomes-world-banks-apology-expects-more-accurate-report

President Rodrigo Duterte has welcomed the World Bank’s apology over the early publication of its assessment on the sorry state of Philippine education, expressing hope the financial institution would soon publish a “more accurate” report.

“I would not want to begrudge the World Bank. These international bodies working on the problems of the world should be very careful about their statistics. It is not good to commit a wrong internationally. But we welcome their apology,” Duterte said in his taped weekly briefing that aired Monday night.

The president said the Department of Education (DepEd) would do what it could to correct misconceptions about Filipino students’ performance.

“I commend [DepEd] Secretary Leonor Briones for calling out the World Bank on this issue. I hope a more accurate report based on the latest data will be made,” Duterte said.

It's not clear how much more accurate a report can be made than one which was made from the latest data. In fact the World Bank did not apologize over the data they used but over the technicality of not informing the DepEd before it was released.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/statement/2021/07/08/world-bank-philippines-on-education-report-july-8-2021

We deeply regret that the report on education was inadvertently published earlier than scheduled and before the Department of Education had enough chance to provide inputs. This was an oversight on our part, and we conveyed our personal apologies in our communication with the government. Recognizing the inadvertent release of the report, we have taken steps to temporarily remove it from the website. We are aware of the Department’s various efforts and programs to address the challenge of education quality. We agree with the Department that the issue of quality has a long historical context, and support its demonstrated commitment to resolve it decisively. We have reached out to Secretary Briones on this matter and look forward to continuing our dialogue with the Department of Education on the opportunities and challenges in the education sector.

There is nothing in this apology "deeply regretting" the statistics used to compile the report or the report's conclusions. Since the report has now been scrubbed from the internet we can only rely on what others have written about it.

The World Bank report, dated June 21, is available on the World Bank Philippines web page, both in its 86-page complete form and in a user-friendly, presentation format. The report clearly states, in the first two paragraphs of its introduction, what its basis and objective is: It is a synthesis of results from the most recent (2018 and 2019) rounds of three international education assessments in which the Philippines has participated. These are the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which the Philippines took part in for the first time in 2018; the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss) in 2019, which the Philippines hasn't participated in since 2003; and the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) in 2019, which was the first and so far, only time that assessment has been conducted. Far from being "old data," the data specified by the report is the newest data available, and its synthesis of the results of those three assessments "represent the pre-Covid baseline," the report explains.

The picture it paints of the state of Philippine education is shockingly dark. Overall, about 80 percent of Filipino students in Grades 4 through 9 "are unable to meet learning standards expected for their grade."

This is not the opinion of the World Bank researchers but the unalloyed scores of the three assessments. In reading, 90 percent of Grade 5 students in the SEA-PLM and 81 percent of Grade 9 students in the PISA were "below minimum proficiency." In mathematics, the "below minimum proficiency" levels were 81 percent for Grade 4 students in the Timss, 83 percent for Grade 5 students in the SEA-PLM, and 81 percent for Grade 9 students in the PISA. In science, 87 percent of Grade 4 students in the Timss assessment were below the minimum standard, as were 78 percent of Grade 9 students in the PISA.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/08/opinion/columns/briones-is-an-embarrassment/1806126

DepEd Secretary Briones complianed that the data from 2019 was old and therefore outdated but the World Bank says it is the latest available information. Briones completely misrepresents the World Bank when she writes:

The use of 2019 old PISA data was admitted by the Senior Economist of the World Bank in a note to an Undersecretary of Education, thus: “Please know that the full report contents are derived from published PISA scores and I hope this can be useful in your response to those asking questions, these are not new findings but data that have been previously published when PISA was published.” 

The World Bank admits to one error: the release of old data based on 2019 PISA scores to the public without informing DepEd. Thus, DepEd and the Philippine government were subjected to public censure and criticism. Even if done inadvertently, the World Bank has inflicted harm on DepEd and the government.

https://www.deped.gov.ph/2021/07/05/world-bank-uses-old-data-in-report-on-education-in-the-philippines-new-initiatives-and-up-to-date-data-not-included/

The use of this data was not an error nor did the World Bank admit it was such but rather they only admitted they erred in not informing the DepEd of the report before its publication. Perhaps Briones should apologize to the World Bank for her blatant mischaracterization of both the report and the apology. She also laments that the World Bank neglected the historical context of education in the Philippines.

The report also lacked historical context. The quality of education, at all levels, is a product of a long historical process. The World Bank itself is a party to this historical evolution, being a lender for major reform programs, such as the USD100 million Program for Decentralized Educational Development (PRODED) from 1981 to 1986, the USD113 million Third Elementary Education Project (TEEDP) from 1997 to 2006, the USD200 million National Program Support for Basic Education (NPSBE) from 2006 to 2011, and more recently, the USD300 million Learning Equity and Accountability Program Support (LEAPS) from 2014 to 2018. Giving a snapshot of the current situation without its historical context can easily give the impression that it is the present administration that is to blame, and not mentioning current initiatives can further give the impression that we are not doing anything about it.

If we must look at the broad picture as viewed across time rather than particular measurements to gain a proper assessment of the Philippines' education system then the question we must ask is, "Why hasn't Philippine education improved over time?" Where has all that money gone? What does the Philippines have to show for it? According to the most recent assessment tests, nothing. And it is not just the World Bank that is reporting that fact.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1457973/wb-apologizes-for-ph-education-report-adbi-echoes-findings

Acquiescing to the demand of two senior members of President Duterte’s Cabinet, the World Bank (WB) has publicly apologized for the publication of its report highlighting the sorry state of Philippine education.

But the Washington-based multilateral lender did not retract its findings that indicated “a crisis in education” and that are based on the latest global assessments in which the Philippines took part before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, a report of the Tokyo-based think tank Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) also lamented the “low” amount of learning—especially in mathematics when taught in local dialects—in the Philippines, despite gains from the K-12 basic education program since 2012, which narrowed the reading skills gap between students in rich and poor households.

ADBI said that “considering the Philippines’ status as a low-middle-income country, improving the quality of the education system must remain a matter of national priority.”

ADBI cited the same problems in the Philippines’ education sector.

It based its working paper titled “Foundational Mathematics and Reading Skills of Filipino Students Over a Generation” on the results of the Functional Literacy, Education, Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), a national household survey that the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) had been conducting nationwide every five years since 1998.

The FLEMMS microdata collected by the PSA in 2003, 2013 and 2019 and that were used by the ADBI paper showed that “the share of students with foundational skills increases between grades, indicating that schooling improves learning,” specifically referring to math and reading skills.

“However, we find that a substantial share of Grade 10 students still do not have foundational mathematics or reading skills. This shows that like many countries, the amount of learning produced for each year of schooling in the Philippines is very low,” ADBI said.

It said the FLEMMS-based math learning profile showed a decline of 5 percentage points in 2019 from 2013 levels. “Among Grade 10 students, 93 percent of students in the 2013 cohort answered the mathematics questions correctly. In 2019, the share was 88 percent,” ADBI noted.

It said the decline “corroborated the TIMSS results.” But “different from TIMSS, … we determined that the decline between 2013 and 2019 was four times as severe compared to the decline between 2003 and 2013,” ADBI said, referring to the math results.

This paper from the Asian Development Bank Institute was based on the PSA's own data which it has been collecting every five years since 1998. The results show that "the amount of learning produced for each year of schooling in the Philippines is very low." This paper appears to have been scrubbed from the web but a web cache shows the abstract which is as follows:

Children around the world largely rely on the formal educational system to teach them foundational mathematics and reading skills. The inability of an educational system to do so may indicate it has structural constraints. In this paper, we take advantage of three rounds of a nationally representative household survey on education and functional literacy implemented by the Philippine Statistics Authority to examine mastery of foundational mathematics and reading skills among students in grades 4–10 students. The three rounds enable us to examine trends in these skills from the turn of the millennium to 2019. We find that a significant proportion of higher-grade students have not yet mastered these foundational skills. We also find that the difference in foundational skills between grade 10 and grade 4 students is small. Based on a comparison between cohorts, we find that foundational mathematics skills continued to decline between the 2003 and 2019 cohorts. Foundational reading skills, however, trended up between 2013 and 2019 after stagnating between 2003 and 2013. The latter is suggestive evidence that major educational reforms implemented by the Philippine government since 2012 may have successfully improved reading skills but not mathematics skills. Overall, the Philippine basic education system, building on its success in increasing access to education for virtually all children, still has ample room to significantly improve its effectiveness.

Math skills have decreased while reading skills have slightly increased. But overall there is ample room for improvement. After all, there is not much difference between the foundational skills of a 10th grader and a 4th grader. 

This paper takes into account the historical context of which Briones says is necessary to understand the Philippine education system. Over two decades the Philippines has not seen much improvement in the education system. Filipino students remain behind their peers. One has to ask why. Why, after all the programs implemented and money spent on improving the education system, do Filipinos lag behind the rest of the world? That is not a question I am going to answer but it is a problem the DepEd must solve. Otherwise the DepEd will only continue to inflict harm on Filipino children by giving them a worthless education. Too bad the government prefers to huff and puff in a vain effort to save face before the international community. Everyone can see the egg on this country's face.

The Royal Institution Singapore Is A Scam

The Royal Institution Singapore is a scam...of sorts. It's not a diploma mill but it sure looks like one. At its core RIS is really a networking organization disguised in the most outrageous and gaudy fashion imaginable as a Royal Institution. The RIS came to my attention after reading in the news that Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia had been conferred with three honorary degrees from the RIS.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091550

Mayor Evelio Leonardia on Tuesday said he is inspired by the honorary titles conferred to him by Royal Institution (RI) of Singapore in rites held on Monday. 

“This award will be a source of inspiration for me and will be our standard by now, and we hope that we will be guided with this henceforth,” the mayor said. 

Leonardia was the top honoree among the 45 professionals, who were bestowed various titles during the Royal Institution’s 29th International Conference and Conferment Ceremony, led by founding chairman FDr. Prof. Dr. ATS Ang and chancellor FDr. Prof. Dr. Samuel Salvador in the L’ Fisher Hotel here. 

“I am so happy that I am now part of this institution,” he said. 

Leonardia was granted the title “Doctor Fellow” in recognition of his “meritorious professional experience and academic achievements,” and is hereby authorized to use the designation “FDr.” before his name. 

He also received the title “Honorary Fellow” in recognition of his “exemplary achievements, distinguished expertise, remarkable services, and contributions to society as a brilliant lawyer, outstanding legislator, illustrious public administrator, and transformational leader.” 

He was bestowed as well the title “Doctor Fellow of Royal Institute of Public Administrators” of Singapore for “having successfully fulfilled the requirements for membership” and in recognition of his “meritorious professional experiences and academic achievements” and is hereby authorized to use the designation of “DFRIPAr” after his name. 

Royal Institution is a global professional, multidisciplinary, membership and accrediting institution that serves as a premier platform for smarter and more effective and efficient international networking and collaboration. 

Previously, the Royal Institution had also honored former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Senator Richard Gordon, former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, former Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, and renowned urban planner Arch. Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr.

According to their own website the mission of the Royal Institution Singapore is

To recognise the contribution, experience, academic and professional achievements, qualifications, talents and skills of all those who deserve recognition and who want to be distinguished and to continuously provide opportunities to enhance skills, competitive advantages, academic, professional and entrepreneurial status and profiles of RI members.

And their vision is

To be a world class global multidisciplinary professional membership and accrediting institution to level the playing field by recognising people and organisations who deserve to be recognised and be the premier platform for smarter and more effective global networking, connecting education, businesses, commerce, industries and facilitating collaboration, innovation and perpetual learning for more opportunities, benefits, privileges, excellence, global recognition and status.

https://www.ri2020.com/about-us/overview

That is a lot of mumbo-jumbo. Let's cut to the chase. The RIS is not a school. They do not confer degrees. There are no classes or professors. School's out forever! Instead you join as a member and pay them to confer an honorary degree upon you depending on your background. But it's not as simple as that either. Much like Skull and Bones you have to be tapped. Except you can also tap yourself by sending in an application.  Here is the membership flowchart:

https://www.ri2020.com/individual-membership/membership-process

On the membership application you have to choose your preferred Royal Institute.  You can choose from such wildly disparate classes as Royal Institute of Event Management, Royal Institute of Appraisers, Royal Institute of Doctorates, Royal Institute of Body Care, and Royal Institute of Air Conditioning and Heating Engineers. The list is very long so surely you will find a place for yourself.

Now that you have been accepted for membership you need to pay your fee which is based on the Professional Title for which you have qualified.

https://www.ri2020.com/individual-membership/membership-fees

All the qualifications for the titles listed above can be found here. Along with the membership title you also have to choose the appropriate robe and accoutrements. Each title has a different style of robe.

https://www.ri2020.com/individual-membership/ri-robe

And that's it. Nothing to it. You pay your money. You get your robe and your title and if you want to stay a member you pay the annual fee. It's hogwash, malarky, poppycock! You are paying big bucks to wear a fancy robe, get a silly title, and network with other people. Networking is the most important thing RIS offers. Nobody cares about the frivolous titles the RIS bestows upon people. Just take a look at these clowns.

No, not those clowns. These clowns!

What is the point of what they are doing? They are not graduating from a school. They are not receiving a degree. They are parading around in colorful robes and patting themselves on the back.  Even former President Gloria Arroyo is a member of RIS.

https://www.ri2020.com/about-us/governing-council/patrons

GMA actually does have a PhD in economics which is why the economy was so robust during her term as President. Everything after the BA is an alphabet soup related solely to the RIS. HonFRI means Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institution. Honestly no one cares. Royal Institution Singapore sounds very much like The Royal Institution which is a much hallowed scientific society in Britain and has been around since 1799.  The RIS is a pay for play show and has only been around since 2003.

Another thing RIS does is have monthly international conferences. Most of these seem to be located in the Philippines.

https://www.ri2020.com/upcoming-events

It's a money making scheme. They have to have conferences to accept new member's fees and confer upon them silly titles which mean nothing in the real world. Why do Filipinos eat up this tripe like it's the greatest thing in the world? I think the Augustinian friar Gaspar de San Augustin can shed some light on the matter.

49. They are very vain, and they spend their money never more willingly than in functions of vanity; for they consider themselves highly; and wish to be esteemed without doing anything worthy of esteem. The men especially, even though they do not have anything to eat, must not for that reason fail to have a shirt and a hat, and to dress in style. They give banquets very frequently, for very slight causes; and everything resolves itself into eating, drinking, and great noise. Their vanity is the only thing that causes them to lessen their laziness, in order to get the wherewithal to keep up this esteem, and applause from their compatriots. 

http://www.philippinehistory.net/views/1720sanagustinb.htm

You would think a man who used to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines wouldn't fall for this nonsense but you'd be wrong.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/129339/honorary-titles-conferred-former-cj-davide-lawyer-go

“I have had received 14 honorary doctoral degrees, mostly doctor of laws honoris causa, but they were conferred on me months or years apart from each other during my tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,” Davide said in his acceptance speech. 

“I thank the Royal Institution for placing me in the honored ranks of its many awardees,” he said. 

Davide was conferred Honorary Fellow and Doctor Fellow of RIS, and Doctor Fellow of the Royal Institute of Lawyers, Singapore. 

“This is the first time in my life that on the same occasion, I got conferred with three awards,” the 20th chief justice said.

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide thanks the RIS for placing him in the honored ranks of its many awardees. Is he saying that tongue in cheek? Notice that he mentions his other honorary degrees are "honoris causa" which means they are real honest to goodness honorary degrees granted by legitimate universities. 

An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, a dissertation, and the passing of comprehensive examinations. It is also known by the Latin phrases honoris causa ("for the sake of the honour") or ad honorem ("to the honour"). 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorary_degree

This means that RIS does not bestow honorary degrees upon anyone! They only confer titles of rank within their organization. And you must pay a fee for those meaningless and worthless titles.

President Duterte sent the RIS a congratulatory letter last year in celebration of their 15th Global Conference.

https://www.facebook.com/ri2020/photos/a.2434303239980725/2434304059980643/?type=3&theater

Manny Pacquiao, DND Sec Lorenzana, Senate President Sotto, Sen. Lacson, and a few other politicians also sent congratulatory letters. Are they all members of this group?

The Royal Institution of Singapore is pretty ridiculous. The fees, the titles, the regalia....it's all so comical.  But if you think it can't get any more insane, well hold onto your chair.

https://www.apolloquiboloy.com/news/pastor-apollo-crowned-patron-by-royal-institution-singapore/

Reverend Executive Pastor Doctor Fellow Apollo C. Quiboloy was conferred Patron status in a Special Global Convocation and Investiture Ceremony and Crowning by the Royal Institution Singapore (RI), September 3, 2019. 

RI Singapore is a prestigious international accrediting body that recognizes exemplary professional, social and civic achievements by individuals around the world. 

The special event was held at the KJC Hall, Jose Maria College Compound, in Davao City, Philippines, with the theme “Global Citizenship as a Platform for Universal Peace.”
To witness the special investiture ceremony, gracing the event was 14th President of the Republic of the Philippines, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, and 4th Conferred Patron of RI Singapore, Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. 

During the event, Pastor Apollo’s 11 Honorary Doctoral Fellow titles were recognized in the fields of Education, Environment, Human Resource, Humanities International Relations, Management, Mass Communication, Philanthropy, Social Work, and one special citation as Ambassador for Peace. 

The title of Patron is the highest appointed titles that Royal Institution Singapore can confer to any person. It is awarded to individuals who possess, among others, exceptional ethical leadership skills, is at the epitome of success in their field, and thus worthy of emulation by humanity. Awardees must also be concerned with the quality of life of the masses, and must support programs for the protection and the preservation of nature and the environment, all of which Pastor Apollo checks all boxes and more. 

Anyone who takes the Royal Institution Singapore seriously is a grade A idiot.

What Good is a Filipino College Education? Part 2

In a previous look at the benefits of a Filipino college education I showed all the great jobs one can get with a diploma in the Philippines such as gas station attendant and Dunkin' Donuts delivery truck driver. Now it is time to look past those wonderful jobs. It's time to look outside the country because that sheepskin certifying you have a bona fide Filipino college education is a magic ticket out of this joint.

If you study hard and ace all the exams to earn a degree in any sort of hospitality course the door is open for you to work as a waiter in Dubai.  Serving rich Arabs in a hot desert country thousands of miles away from your family and friends, what's not to like? According to the this source the average  monthlysalary for a waiter in Dubai is approximately 1,500 AED which is equivalent to 20,700 Pesos. 

If you want to know what being a waiter in Dubai entails you can read a job description here. It sure isn't a walk in the park. But if you studied for a degree in hospitality then learning the ins-and-outs of a restaurant is not so far out of your league. Be thankful you didn't end up like Randy De Ocampo.

In his report, Dicang cited the case of one Randy de Ocampo who had requested POLO assistance about his situation. 

Ocampo complained that on June 30, 2012, he sent a copy of his passport via e-mail to a friend in Kuwait and after just three days, or on July 4, 2012, he received his commercial visa by courier under the sponsorship of Al-Wazan United Company for Trading and Contracting. On July 27, 2012, De Ocampo arrived in Kuwait on a one-month commercial visa. 

Dicang said De Ocampo did not report to his sponsor because he could not make up his mind about working with the company as a masseur under its branch Philippine Spa. 

“He said he realized that this was not the kind of employment he wanted for himself, he being a forestry graduate from the University of the Philippines. Soon, we received a report that De Ocampo’s visa had expired,” Dicang said.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/52930/filipinos-warned-against-working-in-kuwait-on-commercial-visas

What a crisis of conscience for Randy! Should he waste his degree in forestry to work at a salon in Kuwait? But it was too late as he was already in country before he decided he did not want to work as a masseur. How did he end up in the position of choosing to become a masseur in Kuwait anyway? Must be one heck of a story.

On the other hand you could get a job in the field you studied like Gulliver Banares.

Gulliver Banares, 35, took the 14th place prize and flew in the day before from Selangor, Malaysia where he works with BGMC Corp. Gulliver, who earned a Mechanical Engineering degree at Adamson, has been an OFW for six years and comes home twice a year for a maximum of 10 days each vacation. He and wife Esmeralda have two daughters, 16 and 11. It was perfect timing that Gulliver was in town for a home leave.

https://www.philstar.com/sports/2019/12/24/1979470/worth-all-hard-work

Gulliver has been an OFW for six years and only comes home to see his family 20 days each year.  That means in six years he has only seen his family 120 out of 2,190 days. It is true that a man has to do what he has to do to take care of his family but spending only 20 days a year with them is rather awful. That is hardly any time to spend with one's family. Dad is basically an absentee father. He better be careful he has not been made a cuckold.

Finally let's not forget the nurses. A nursing degree will open doors that would otherwise remain sealed shut for eternity.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1088631

"They need 30,000 nurses, hospital workers, medical workers. That's a big number," Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III in an interview Wednesday. 

He, however, clarified that the 30,000 job offers are not solely for Filipino health workers. 

"They want us Filipinos. In their order of preference, number one is the Philippines," the DOLE chief said.

30,000 foreign workers is bad for Germany but great for Filipinos who are the German's first round draft pick. This is no place to lament the fall of Germany and the rest of Europe. Why not take every advantage you can if someone is willing to give it to you? But how easy can it be to be a Filipino in Germany? Many Filipinos do not speak English as good as they claim. Nose bleeding, anyone? Navigating German accented English, not mention actually learning German, will be an extra task on top of all the regular nursing duties.

But I hear it's worth it. From what I am told most freshly graduated nurses work a year-long internship with no pay! That is slave labor. No wonder there is a shortage of nurses in the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1072188

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is planning to decrease the deployment of nurses to other countries, Secretary Silvestre Bello said on Wednesday. 

Bello said they are looking at the possibility of lessening the number of medical professionals, including nurses, being sent overseas. 

"All the while, I thought there is an oversupply of nurses. But I just learned that those graduating with nursing degrees and have passed the Board only train for two years and will go (abroad)," he added. 

Bello said the government should do something by increasing the salaries of nurses for them to stay in the country. 

"In order for them to not want to work abroad and just stay here, we should also consider increasing their salaries. And the President appears amenable to giving them that," he said.

Having been to several hospitals I can guarantee it's not only the pay that is pushing nurses to seek work abroad.  It is also the horrendously unsanitary working conditions.

If you are a college student remember just slug on through it. Don't give up. Get your sheepskin and get out of here!

What Good Is A Filipino College Education?

What good is a Filipino college education? It's plenty good. In fact without a college education you are going to be hard up finding a job in the Philippines. Lawyer, doctor, nurse, architect, teacher, you simply cannot land a job if you have not sloughed your way through a proper four year course. Don't believe me? Take a look at these Now Hiring posters. Each job requires a college education.

You want to pump gas for a living? Then you need to be college educated.

Time to make the donuts!  But only with at least 2nd year college. High school graduate can be considered but you better have a pleasing personality and look cute in that uniform.

A cashier or a salesclerk at Kmart! This would be the bootleg Kmart and not a genuine Philippine branch of this American tradition. This picture is a little old. I wonder if they ever found 12 female college graduates between 18-25 years old and at least 5ft tall to hire as cashiers and salesclerks. What do you think?

A visual merchandiser.

Time to deliver the donuts! But only if you have at least 2nd year college.

The market is obviously flooded with tourism graduates so why not put that degree to use and be a Lady Sales Assistant/Cashier at the local vet! Men need not apply.

Finally you can be a Robinson's Supermarket Associate. They have many available job opportunities. However if you just want to be a cashier you only need a 2 year associate degree instead of a 4 year course What a relief, eh? Receiver/Receiving Clerk still requires four years of study. Can't have stupid and uneducated people running the backroom.

So you see having a college education is very important in the Philippines. Everyone you see working at a job has a four or two year degree. Filipino employers demand intelligent and hardworking employees. That is why this country runs so smoothly. You really can't be employed without possessing a 4 year degree. I mean you can but then you'd be like a freelance pedicurist looking for toes to pick clean at the park. Or a washerwoman looking for laundry to scrub. Is that the kind of life you want to live? Stay in school!

The Average Pinoy IQ

There is nothing more rancorous and despicable than partisan politics. Especially so in the Philippines. Philippine social media is a wasteland of invective and vitriol where every one you disagree with is some species of "-tard." One of the most prominent and influential Tweeters in the Philippines is RJ Nieto aka ThinkingPinoy.  It should be no surprise to anyone that his blog made it to Wikipedia's list of Fake News Sites in the Philippines.

Just a Regular (average) Pinoy according to his Twitter bio.

The big news recently is Supreme Court Justice Sereno and the release of her psychiatric evaluation. This evaluation also includes her IQ score.

Tria also took note of Sereno's IQ of around 109, which she considered to be "average." 

The psychologist added that Sereno's IQ was relatively low compared to those of the other chief justice candidates. 

Tria said that an applicant with an average IQ should not really be considered for a high position "because it requires more responsibility, decision-making."

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/644871/expert-won-t-recommend-sereno-for-cj-post-for-having-grade-of-4-in-psychological-exam/story/

RJ latched onto this salacious bit of info to mock Justice Sereno.

Are ThinkingPinoy and Dr. Tria right? Is 109 an average, painfully average, IQ? 

Of course not!

https://iq-research.info/en/page/average-iq-by-country

If Sereno really does have an IQ of 109 then hers is above the average of the highest worldwide average which is 108 and it is miles above the average Filipino IQ which is 86. And if the other candidates had IQs so high that they made Sereno's 109 appear relatively low.....well it's possible but then who would ever believe there are so many geniuses clamouring to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines?

http://jbc.judiciary.gov.ph/announcements/2012/announcement_07092012.pdf

These statistics suggest that either Dr. Tria is a liar or there is a very small contingent of 21 geniuses in this country and Leila De Lima is among them! It could be very true since God gave Pinoys the brains.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/146729/duterte-us-un-eu-not-brighter-than-me-ill-shame-them

“We are a small nation. Maybe God gave you the money, but we have the brains,” he said.

If Pinoys have the brains then why do they have the lowest IQ in the ASEAN?

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/science/361729/do-pinoys-really-have-the-lowest-iqs-in-the-asean/story/

Is IQ measurement accurate? Are Pinoys really dumb as rocks? Do we need an IQ test to figure that out? If you tell Pinoys they have the lowest IQ in the ASEAN they will respond that IQ isn't scientific or it's racist or it's just arbitrary.  But then there are extradordinary deviations within the population and its all OH YEAH PINOYS ARE SO SMART!!!!

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/news/610201/pinay-with-iq-higher-than-einstein-s-rejected-from-uk-school/story/

It's best to take all these extremely deviant IQ scores of children with a grain of salt. There are deviations within every population, some above and others below the mean. But there is nothing wrong with average. Even painfully average.