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.

Something to remember 6

God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
the courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Something to remember 5

Seek not to focus on rationalizing God and applying reason to Him. It is impossible not because God is fundamentally irrational (quite the opposite) but rather, our ability to understand and rationalize has its limits. We cannot place the infinity of God in the finite confines of our perception.

Seek rather a more personal understanding of God. Narrow the search and look for what is important. Love, hope and believe in Him. It's all that matters.

Happiness

It's funny how I proved to myself partially the last paragraph of my previous post. Happiness is founded on and not separate from meaning. Our trip to Subic from May 24-27 was both meaningful and full of happiness in the superlative degree.

For pictures, check out my multiply: http://robroque.multiply.com

More than all the extraordinary things we did during the whole trip, it was I guess the company that made all the difference. I doubt it that if I was given a free European tour for myself only, I'd have nearly a quarter of the fun I got out of this trip. I spent most of my summer at home but now that it's about to end, I realize I've been blessed with meaningful and fun trips - Naga for ILC, Laguna with the family and Subic with my friends.

It turned out meaningful for me because it was a chance to rekindle old friendships that Pisay has inevitably pushed a bit down the priority list. But perhaps the most peculiar thing I got from the trip was that it was a learning experience for me. It taught me so many things in so many different aspects of my life. I prayed at the start of the trip that it'd get something lasting out of it. God is so great, I got more than I asked for.

On the more mundane aspects of life, I got to learn new card games like speed, egyptian and 100 and even got to develop our very own game, acceleration (3-deck speed with 6 players). I also was exposed to new and exciting group games like mafia and killers. I finally got to watch Rent and the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and the Return of the King.

I experienced a lot of new stuff like riding in a banana boat, playing frisbee on the beach, exploring Ed's vast resort and go-karting after a downpour (I'll try not to do this again - clothes get so drenched and dirty). For the first time, I rode on a car driven by someone almost my age (and now I'm excited to start driving as well). It was also the first time that I rode a car that had flat tires twice (at Pisay and near the Shell gasoline station near SM). It was really a blessing that the tires were damaged at that exact moment in that exact place. I don't like to imagine what could have happened if the tires burst in the middle of our trip across NLEX with the car running at 100 km/h.

I was reminded of how blessed I was to be with these people and generally in Pisay for the past four years. I wouldn't have found people like them - intellectuals who talk about science, politics, religion and other important topics over a meal - who I am comfortable to be with. Pisay has allowed my personality to blossom and develop and not be hindered by shame or shyness because I was in a place where I really truly belonged. It saddens me a bit that we're all about to part ways physically but I still hope that the friendships we've sown and tended to will survive the tests of distance and time.

I got a lot more realizations and lessons. Some of them were related to teaching in Pisay and some life questions I rarely ask myself; others were about living in a whole new environment and being possessive of friends; some regarding the beliefs in other faiths, exorcisms and wandering spirits.

It's amazing that although physically, all I brought home were pictures and sea shells, I feel I came home with a lot of ideas, new knowledge and different paradigms by which I could view the world.

It's also a welcome respite to finally be talking about things we don't usually talk about because we had more "important" and pressing matters to attend to. This summer comes only every after a step in the educational ladder. This transition from high school to college allows us to focus no longer on the academics of the past high school or look to much into the future dynamics of college life. Perhaps this freedom from the burden of academic requirements allowed us to be more open about the aspects of our lives we rarely share to other people. This freedom allowed us to focus on the really more important things.

Hahaha. I even brought home three "homeworks" that I will think about and research on. One is about the people-based theory that Sir Mardan and I developed in our conversation. I will be talking more about this in my next post. The two others were from my conversations with Pito. I will not delve into the second but of the third, I realized that sometimes I have only a vague idea of why things are in our faith. I do them sincerely and believe in them as acts of faith but I'm surprised that I don't know by heart the theological explanations regarding them despite the inquisitive and critical thinking training we received in Pisay. It reminded me of the importance of seeking God in everything - in the spiritual, physical and even the mental realms of life.

The joy I got out of the trip was beyond the momentary ecstasy of riding a banana boat at high speeds or trying out the slide or playing an intense acceleration game. It was beyond the immediate satisfaction of travelling to new places and experiencing new things. It was founded on meaning - on the fact that I brought home so much of the things that change very little and that I was with friends I will be with till I can't recognize anyone anymore and with my God.

Fragile

Watching movies like "28 Weeks Later" or “Spiderman-3” and even series like “Heroes” and “Smallville” reminds me of how fragile human civilization is. The achievements we've done, the mistakes we've committed, the order we've set, all are insignificant in the universal order of things. We are truly but a speck in the infinity of space at a moment in eternal time.

In all those movies, change is indeed constant. Change has defined history and has made it interesting and exciting.

The dawn of men came when the dominant reptiles were wiped out by a single meteor (or fine, maybe not) or by a global winter or something. Hahaha. Point is they were dragged to extinction and the funny thing is we didn’t have to do anything about it.

Tyrants easily changed the course of their nations’ history as much as they changed the world’s. Qin Shihuangdi forged the Chinese Empire. Caesar laid the foundations for the Roman Empire. Xerxes, the Pharaohs, Alexander, Napoleon, and even Hitler all shaped history by instituting change. They used war, conquest and ambition as tools for history to remember them. They immortalized themselves by making sure the changes they made remained.

Other changes involved entire civilizations that impacted the history of the world. South America might be different today if the Aztec, Incan and Mayan civilizations were not destroyed. The collapse of the Roman Empire that had stood for centuries ushered in a new era in history. The fall of the fascist German state and the Russian communist system defined the world as it is today.

When you study history, it’s always defined by the changes that occurred. World War I, World War II, 9/11 – these are the most familiar turning points of history.

There are, of course, the changes that mattered not only in this world but beyond as well. A single bite of an apple brought eternal damnation. A single yet ultimate act of love brought eternal salvation.

From what is shown in the movies, human beings seem to value normality so much that it’s worth dying for. Of course, there are instances when humanity is (hopefully) united in change such as in the fights against AIDS or poverty. But there are battles that we unite against it. In “28 Weeks Later”, the US military fought to control the spread of the Rage virus. In “Spiderman-3”, Spiderman fought the symbiotic alien life form from taking over him. In “Heroes”, they fought to keep a bomb that would change the world from exploding. In “Smallville”, Clark fought to save himself from the scrutiny of the world he is also saving.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fighting for normalcy, for keeping things the way they are. The problem emerges when we fight for it for the wrong reasons. They say energy companies discretely fight green technologies to retain their monopolies. They say the old rich of this country fight to keep their monopolies of the agricultural lands and of political influence.

Striving and living for success in the standards of the world is futile simply because these standards are artificial. Society today measures success in grades, diplomas, wealth and influence. They are but temporary social constructs. Success in life must not be based on a fragile society’s standards. We’ve managed to build a world for ourselves and we’ve lived in it for so long that we think we can work to keep ourselves in it.

We should therefore strive for success that will never wane and be forgotten, achievements that change cannot tamper with.

The greatest battles are indeed fought within because these are the battles that truly matter. In these conflicts are decided why we are doing anything that we want to do. Is it merely for ourselves, or for the worldly society, or the eternal God that we should be doing it for?

To rephrase my earlier premise, change is constant only in this world. So we must strive for riches that are beyond this world, success in the realm of eternity. And we’ve already been told how to do it and arrangements have been made for us to do it (that’s what the single ultimate act of love did for us). It’s only a matter of if we will do it, if we will defeat the temptations of the world to keep us in its grips.

Contrary to what Linderman said, true happiness is founded on meaning. True happiness is eternal and not subject to change. A meaningless happiness founded on the now will change in the next moment. But happiness built on an eternity of meaning will last even if a bomb goes off and ends the world.

Something to remember 4

Teach me to listen, Holy Spirit,
for Your voice -
in busyness and in boredom,
in certainty and in doubt,
in noise and in silence.
Teach me, Lord, to listen. Amen.

- John Veitri, S.J.

Something to remember 3

God is just so great.

For every disappointment I receive, I get a new blessing in return. It's really more than I deserve, but because God gives them to me, I guess it's really part of His wonderful plan for me.

And because my life is just so full of blessings already, all that He needs to do is remind me of how blessed I really am and of the blessings I may have taken for granted.

It's sad sometimes that I find personal joy in the misery of others because sometimes, it is how my reminders from Him arrive. I would not dare claim I understand why but perhaps its because I can do my share in helping those people, even if I really have no idea what they're going through. Sometimes, comforting words and reassurances go a long way. Prayers go even longer.

God gives us all that we need, and sometimes what we want. If what we want is to allow God's will to happen, then there is no question that we'll get what we want.