December 29, 2006 · Posted in: i Report Features
Young and restless
WHEN even the young have trouble being optimistic, you just know the going just ain’t good.
Lea Sicat, a 20-something grade-school teacher who wrote the latest piece in i Report‘s current series on political predictions for 2010, says she just can’t shake a feeling of uncertainty. Born and bred in Dumaguete City, where she is still based, Sicat says, among other things, that “it’s really frightening to see many of the best and the brightest leaving our shores, and it makes me think this would later create a big obstacle to our country’s progress. We can always hope that they would return someday and share with us whatever they learned overseas. But 2010 may be too early for that to happen.”
Sicat, however, says she is nevertheless bent on following in the footsteps of her parents, both educators who not only managed to put up their own school, but also apparently helped out however they could in their community. And so Sicat says, “As a grade-school teacher, I want to instill not only academic skills among my pupils but values as well. It takes more effort but knowing that I made a difference in the life of even one student makes it all worth the work. Survival is not the name of this ‘game.’ Service is.”
In the end she says she is not about to give up. And neither, she says, are many other young Filipinos like her. “Don’t,” she says, “count us out just yet.”
Read her essay at pcij.org.
2 Responses to Young and restless
jay seneca
January 6th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Lea Sicat said, “it’s really frightening to see many of the best and the brightest leaving our shores, and it makes me think this would later create a big obstacle to our country’s progress. We can always hope that they would return someday and share with us whatever they learned overseas. But 2010 may be too early for that to happen.”
A good point but seemingly naïve. It’s much worst than what is happening now when some of the best and the brightest do not leave but stay to plunder our country. The dilemma is some of the corrupt best and brightest also make temporary homes of other countries getting citizenship for their children. They become the future problem of the world. Not only of the Philippines, these corrupt and rich politicians. The solution is to bring these politicians to justice and put them behind bars.
For the misfits who are honest and law abiding, they really have no choice if they would like to avoid being part of the culture of violence and culture of corruption started by Martial law and nurtured by Presidents Marcos, Aquino, Ramos, Estrada and
blatantly fostered by Arroyo. The next president after Arroyo if there is any other than an Arroyo could be much worst. To survive in the Philippines now, the poor must be to live like sheep kicked and whipped to pasture by a corrupt and criminal elite.
jay seneca
January 6th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
Ms. Lea Sicat should see beyond what she sees with her eyes, hears with her ears. Around her even if she grew up in a province away from metro capitals of corruption and violence, she will realize from childhood immoral activities of her kababayans. Take her school, the Police precinct and headquarters, small and big business. The jeepney and tricycle system in her barangay.
If indeed her parents, were able to establish a school, the case will be exceptional if bribes did not changed hands to facilitate regional and department approval. At least this is the common perception if not suspicion of people about citizens transacting business with government offices. Her childhood if not shielded by caring parents will be replete with such observations.