Because it comes only once in a millenium...

Eto na ang tamang time to pay tribute to the best batch the world has ever and will ever see - BATCH 2007! (planned to post this on the actual 07/07/07 day but due to unforeseen circumstances duh di ko nagawa haha)

This "topic" is one of the most difficult to organize because of the sheer volume of the memories, lessons, victories and defeats I had in Pisay. I've been meaning to write a tribute for the past few months but there was something keeping me from doing it. More than laziness, it's like once you pay tribute to something, the experience is over and you're just looking at it in retrospect. But I realized no, this is just the beginning, because the Pisay 07 experience will last a lifetime.

So let me start with Emerald, my first year section. I found my lifelong barkada here and for that I am really thankful. I didn't really have a lot of REAL friends before but when I came to Emerald, people had this very welcoming atmosphere and we had so much in common. Kung wala ang Eme, siguro di ako makakasurvive ng Pisay. Maraming nangyari nun internally na siguro di ko pinapansin pero ngayon narealize ko na hindi lang puro gimik ang natutunan ko sa Eme. Most of the best experiences I've had in the past four years I've shared with these guys. Nandito ang best friends ko, ang soulmate ko lahat. At dito ko nasimulang marealize na marami pang bagay na mas mahalaga sa academics - like friendships. And for all of that and more, maraming maraming salamat.

Kung sa Emerald ko nahanap ang lifelong friends ko, sa Champaca ko nameet most of the best people makikilala ko ever in my life. Kumpleto sa Champaca more than the nerds kumpleto talaga. May leaders, may athletes, may math wizards, may science geeks, may mga loveteams, may ... basta lahat ng facets ng batch natin nasama sa Champaca. At the best part is kahit na gaano kadiverse ang section na toh, united pa rin at talagang nattranslate into quantitative victories. Sa Champaca ko nakita ang full potential kapag lahat ng tao sa batch nagtutulong-tulong to achieve a goal. Sa Champaca ang most active egroup ko haha. Sa Champaca one moment naguusap kayo tungkol sa Geom, the next Magic cards na. Grabe talaga. Best section ever pa rin ang Champaca. Champaca Forever talaga :D

Di tulad sa Champaca na collective as a section ang usually na pagtingin, sa Beryllium, dapat pala individuals ang tinitignan. Nung una parang di ko nagustuhan ang Be kasi di ako sanay. Nasanay ako sa Champaca, masyado. Pero buti na lang sa middle of the year mas naenjoy ko na ang Be. Mas marami akong nakilala sa Batch natin at mas nakita ko ang mga tao not as mere classmates but as individual friends - ung hindi lang friends dahil magclassmate lang kayo o magkagroup kayo. Pero talagang kaibigan. Dito ko nakilala ang mga taong di ko akalaing magiging kaibigan ko pala. Surprises ang nakuha ko sa Be at lahat yun pleasant at astig.

Sa Graviton, haha nasanay na rin ako sa Be. Mas ginusto kong personal ang level ng pakikipagkilala over section. At sa panahon ding ito mas naging focused ako sa buong batch over sa section lang. Kung sa Be andami kong nakilala na di ko akalaing makikilala ko, sa Grav mas dumoble pa yun. Sa Graviton talaga mas halo-halo lahat, lahat ng pedeng characteristic na maipangdedescribe mo sa batch natin, mahahanap mo sa Graviton. astig ang Grav dahil sa mga taong kasama nun. at minsan nagsisisi ako kasi parang kulang pa yung panahon na nagugol ko sa Grav.

Ang isa sa mga pinakamalaking bahagi ng buhay ko sa Pisay ay ang Batch Council. Sobrang dami kong natutunan sa tatlong taon ko dito, hindi kakasya sa blog siguro kung ililista ko (figuratively haha). Pero what it made me sure of was my passion for service through organized leadership. Lahat naman sa batch natin leaders in their own way at palagay ko lang dito ko nahanap ung niche. That passion was there long before Pisay but it consumed me all the more nung nasa Pisay na. I believe God started that fire in me at I thank Him kasi through the confidence of my batchmates, hindi namatay yung fire na yun.

Salamat din sa AstroSoc. More than the overnight stargazings at fun races and stuff, ang saya saya to be serving a really really big group (bigger than the batch). Ang cool kasi noong bata pa lang ako dream ko nang maging astronomer at kahit papaano I got a chance to get closer to that dream through AstroSoc.

Salamat sa Journ. Kasi marami akong natutunan (na hindi related sa Journ) haha na magagamit ko sa buhay ko. Grabe. I met the best people in Journ, people na di ko inexpect na magiging kaibigan ko at natrain ako to REALLY cram haha, stay up late, and a lot more. haha. Ito ang isa sa mga funnest experiences ko sa Pisay at talagang hindi ko pa rin pinagsisisihan na nagJourn ako sa kabila ng lahat ng hirap at pagod.

Salamat sa SCA at sa YFC kasi isa kayo sa naging tulay para mas makilala ko pa si God. Ang ironic pero kahit nasa secular school ako, nahanap ko si God sa Pisay through all the experiences and all the people I've met and everything that has happened in my life in the past four years. SCA at YFC helped me grow more in the faith at appreciate more ang pagiging isang Catholic at Christian. Marami rin akong nahanap ditong mga kaibigan na sure na forever ko magiging kaibigan kasi ang nagbobond sa amin ay ang pagmamahal ni God. Ang cool talaga ni God kasi nilagay Niya ako sa isang secular school para mas maappreciate ko pa lalo ang ginagawa Niya para sa akin.

Salamat sa mga nakakasama ko sa mga contests at iba pang activities. Noon iniisip ko, grabe ang gagagaling ng mga batchmates ko asa pa akong mapanglalaban ako. Pero galing ni God kasi kahit papaano He pushed me to strive for excellence at well yun natupad naman ang pangarap kong dalin ang pangalan ng Pisay sa mga competitions. I had my share of defeats and victories but everything was part of God's plan at lahat ng yun nagcontribute to make me the person I am today.

At finally super thank you sa buong BATCH 2007 kasi ang astig astig talaga. But the biggest thank you goes to GOD kasi Siya ang nagplano na malagay tayo sa iisang batch. Sabi ng ibang tao fishing ako, sabi ng iba humble pero kung may maipagmamalaki ako, yun ay ang fact na 07 ako. Ibang klase kasi sa 07. United not only by our experiences but our love of God. Ang bait ng lahat ng tao sa batch, matalino lahat, magaling lahat. Sabi ng ibang tao idealistic daw ako masyado to the point na naive na. Pero dahil yun sa batch na toh kasi pinakita nito sa akin na posible pala na lahat ng tao magwowork for a common and noble goal. Blessing talaga na lahat tayo gumraduate at feeling ko plan na yun talaga ni God para ipakita sa mundo how great His plan is nung pinagsama-sama Niya tayo. Grabe talaga. grabe. grabe. grabe. Our batch is what should give others hope for our nation. Kasi tayo na yung inaantay nila. I really believe our batch will make a difference in this world at it's only a matter of time before it happens. Kaya sana walang limutan, kasi marami pa tayong gagawin. Tong four years na toh simula pa lang yan. Marami pang parating.

Sabi nila 07/07/07 ang araw natin, araw ng 07. pero I say lahat ng araw, araw natin. 07/07/07 comes only once a millenium, a fleeting moment in the eternity of time. Pero palagay ko all of us sa batch 2007 are destined to leave a lasting mark of greatness in this world.

BATCH 2007 mahal ko kayong lahat. :D

The People-based Theory

I've always wondered why the Philippine Science High School, despite being a government institution, retains its reputation as the premier high school of the country.

Government institutions - hospitals, schools, police and fire stations included - have always been seen as inefficient and sometimes even ineffective in delivering the services expected of them. There are many reasons cited to explain this very dismal evaluation of government services. Lack of funding, corruption and incompetence are some of the most often cited. But why does it seem that Pisay has acquired an immunity to this contagious inefficiency spreading in the government?

I've often observed that there is an excess of freedom and discretion in Pisay. Its structure is basically having a person in-charge and everything under him is under his discretion. Apparently, there are so few rules in Pisay that a fine line now exists between guidelines and actual rules (the former being recommendations only) as pointed out by a member of the faculty (ayaw ko na ireveal haha). As another teacher has observed, most of the rules we have in Pisay are responses to actual events and not products of foresight (as I think they should be).

This unstructured structure, no matter how messy it looks, seems to be the magic that makes Pisay the way it is. One way of viewing it is lack of governing rules. The other more positive perception is a people-based structure. The people that run the system are the most important parts. There is immense trust accorded to the people that make it work.

One fine example to prove how people-based Pisay is is Ms. Serrano. I considered her a pillar of the system, someone who would spend her best and last years serving the institution. She's been in Pisay so long, she had acquired the experience necessary to respond to new challenges facing the school. Her move to leave Pisay was a depressing surprise. I will no longer delve into the reasons why she left, but I must say that the most of the really few solid regulations Pisay has are ineffective in the perspective of doing good for the community. During our graduation practices, some of the teachers would comment "si Ma'am Serrano may alam nito e". I believe she left Pisay without effectively sharing the wisdom she acquired from her years of service to her successors. Opinion ko lang naman yun :D

One bad experience I had with this people-based phenomenon was during our short and yet strenuous stint as the members of the Student Alliance Electoral Board. Ma'am Samala had just left for New Zealand and there was no one left in Pisay who knew the nitty-gritty of running an election. We had two veteran SA officers but because none of the things that happened in this election happened during their SA years, we had no idea how it is supposed to be handled. Of course, the SA has its Election Code and Constitution. To our dismay, it did very little to help us resolve the issues. The SA has been in violation of its own code and constitution for almost half a decade already and haha it was during our watch that Pisay uncovered its defects. It seems the SA has always relied on the unwritten traditions followed by the previous administration and had not bothered to look into the paperwork. The SA was people-based and it somehow compromised one of the functions of the system. At the end of the experience, we had to make the Election Code less discretionary and more rigid (as it should really be).

It seems Pisay being people-based arises from the lack of solid rules to govern aspects of the Pisay community. It is the natural and spontaneous response of individuals who are where they are because of their ability to adapt and ingenuity.

This underlines that the people is what makes Pisay great - the heterogeneous mix of faculty, staff, administration, alumni, parents and students. The science curriculum, the intense academic load, the better-than-the-usual government facilities, the amazing activities, the intimidating name of Philippine Science High School - all simply provide the framework by which this mix of people work and interact for the good of themselves, the people around them and society in general. This system echoes the invisible hand theory of Adam Smith. The lack of rules allow people's actions to shape almost exclusively the course of the community. It is this freedom that enables growth and development at the personal and community levels. This acts as a catalyst for the students to become scientists - to acquire the necessary skills of critical thinking, individual confidence and competence, inquisitiveness and ingenuity. These are the most important lessons Pisay imparts on its students and the funny thing about it is it comes partly from being a people-based system.

The people-based system also ensures that this tradition of excellence lives on. Only the best and the brightest and the most courageous breed of students, teachers, staff and parents are attracted to be part of the system. It's a cycle that will always go in favor of Pisay.

However, it is still necessary to safeguard what little rigidity there is in the structure because these have set the ground rules for the continued evolution of Pisay. Simple rules on haircut and ID go a long way in subconsciously instilling discipline in a very fluid environment like Pisay. The community must remain conscious of when a people-based system is beneficial to it our not. Absolute power corrupts absolutely as they say and people are so prone to corruption. There must always be a balance. Fortunately, in Pisay, it seems it has found its balance.

This theory may also explain why the University of the Philippines remains the top university of the country despite being a state university. The relative autonomy UP has with respect to other state universities may account for this. It is note-worthy that the PSHS has an obvious affinity with UP with a big percentage of its graduates coming into the university and the UP President being part of the PSHS Board of Trustees.

Looking at a more macroscopic view, the people-based system seems to be more of a curse than a blessing for the government. I find it odd however that there is no lack of laws and rules to govern the country and yet the people-based system persists. I guess it's in the ethos of the people already to view the government by the people who lead them not by the institutions themselves. I'm not sure of my terms but I think the politics in the country is too patriarchal and messianic as well (Ma'am Doplon has a wonderful article on this: http://crazyadventure.wordpress.com/2007/05/30/messiah-politics). Our leaders have packaged our national institutions as extensions of themselves. That is why the MRT is not a project of the DOTC but the president and low-cost housing Mike Defensor and not the NHA. And this is also why criticizing the president as a person using the office for her personal gain is tantamount to destabilization of the entire government.

The people-based system is another reason why the Philippines is not ready for the parliamentary system. In that form of government, the leader of the nation can change overnight. The institutions must first be reformed to make them independent and self-sustaining that they do not need a prime minister or president to make them run properly.

The premise in Pisay is that good people run the system. In the national scene however, it seems the bad eggs are far more influential than the good ones. They have taken the people-based system and twisted it to their advantage. There is simply too much discretion in the national positions and this has been used often for the benefit of the leaders and not the people.

Being a democracy, I guess, has partly turned us into a people-based society. I really like democracy because a true one empowers the people. I believe we are in a true democracy and that we are simply getting what we deserve.

In conclusion, the real fuel that keeps the flame of Pisay burning is that people that run it. In the national perspective, as Sir Martin has said, it is the people that build a nation. The destiny of our nation is really in all our hands.

The Struggle

Wahoo. I just finished working on the organization list for the whole batch. Grabe. I never imagined typing this much would be hard! VERY VERY HARD! Harder than studying for an Econ Test!

I am fully aware that this is part of my job as documentation committee member for the yearbook and I do not really regret being a member of that committee but I tried to analyze what brought me to this very difficult situation of having to cram (yes, cramming for a deadline I set myself in the middle of the summer vacation!) whereas I could have easily divided the work the past few weeks where all I did was sleep and read and play (Holy Week not included :p)

I realized it would be more beneficial for me if I looked back beyond the past weeks of summer and focus on the whole 4-year Pisay experience. I know that Pisay has changed me a lot but I haven't really given thought to what exactly it has changed in me. This will take a long time to finish but it's an endeavor worth taking. I need to know myself well before I enter the confusing realities of college life.

So far, I have admitted to myself that I've become someone who works well under pressure to someone who works ONLY under pressure; that I've turned from someone who plans and sticks to that plan to someone who is flexible with its implementation or sometimes outright reactionary; that I've changed from being a great preparation person who makes sure nothing will go wrong to being a great on-the-spot problem solver. Extreme changes don't you think?

Back in grade school, cramming was not even part of my vocabulary. The teacher gives us a project one day, I finish it the next day with a perfect score and a lot of bonus points. But when we were exposed to the battery of homeworks, long tests and projects with greater levels of difficulty, time was transformed from being a luxury to a scarce commodity. I could still try to submit early but only at the expense of losing time for some other requirement. I feel relieved that I somehow struck the balance the whole four-years since I submitted every work on time (except the Science Scholar!). I couldn't have done so if cramming was still not part of my tools. Time management and prioritization really didn't suffice when time was just insufficient and everything was on the same level. The tactic was to be reactionary - getting ahead was just too costly. I study only what is necessary and indulge my intellectual curiousity when nothing is at stake any more.

The constant weight of academic and extra-curricular life in Pisay trained me how to deal with stress - not to fear it but use it as a weapon. I've always been proud of the fact that I work better under pressure. Sometimes, I deliberately constrict time allotment for a project so that it would end up better in the end (and would actually be more fulfilling)- which usually happens. The problem is I got so used to it, sometimes, unconsciously, I seek that pressure to motivate me to work. For example, there's a lab report due on a Monday and it's just a Friday. The grade-school me would react by working on the lab report on a Friday and hope that I finish it early so it won't consume my whole weekend (which sometimes happens). The high-school me would do the opposite. Relax and unwind Friday night to Saturday afternoon, preview the work ahead Saturday night and actually work on it Sunday. Without the pressure of "wow, one day na lang pala", I wouldn't push myself to work.

Before I came to Pisay, I would take every step to make sure everything is ready for an activity (this usually applies with my extra-curricular stuff like the school paper or student council). But because of the scarcity of time in Pisay, elaborate preparation turned from necessity to luxury. And near the end of my stay in Pisay, I find myself struggling to push myself to invest more time in preparing. The good side is combined with my propensity to work better under pressure, any problem encountered was just easier to solve. Fortunately, this has never happened but I'm sure there will come a moment where there is a problem that's just impossible to addrees except if I had prepared for it.

So, my struggle now is to be able to control these new "abilities". Sure, these gave me an edge in Pisay but will it be a liability in the next stages of my life? I feel that this summer I must learn to establish a switch so that I could revert from one attitude to the other.

I also believe that setting-up that conscious switch ability would be important if I will survive the totally different environment of college life. I am confident God will guide me closely in this next stage and I trust He will help me fix this problem.

Amazing what typing for almost a week can make you realize.

ILC entry next na talaga. hahaha.