Digesting the Newspaper

I am newspaper freak. I enjoy reading the headlines in bold, the articles written in Times New Roman script, holding the crisp texture of a freshly printed broadsheet, and the feeling of having in your hands the events that happened a day ago. 

I probably got the habit of newspaper reading during high school back in O.B. Montessori Center (OBMCI). We would have our daily dose of The Philippine Star delivered to our tables before the first subject starts. While waiting for our teacher, my classmates and I would scan through the pages, spreading them widely with our arms stretched as our eyes wander through articles we barely understand. Back then, when I was still ignorant to the incorrigible truth about the world, I would flip through the news pages until I find the page where the horoscope of the day and the “Believe it or Not” is. The horoscope was my news and “Believe it or Not” is my feature.

As a requirement for our highs school Revitalized Homeroom Guidance Program (RHGP) subject, of which scope I find vague, we were required to cut from the Opinions page the columns, “By the Way” by the late Maximo V. Soliven (MVS), “A Point of Awareness” by UNESCO Secretary General Preciosa S. Soliven (PSS) which comes out every Thursdays, and "As A Matter of Fact" by Sarah Soliven-De Guzman, the daughter of the first two mentioned. 

After we cut the said columns from the opinion page of the newspaper, we compile them in a separate O.B. Montessori notebook labeled as “MVS/ SSDG columns” in the front and “PSS Columns” at the back. Yes, our high school only allows a particular brand of merchandise. We have OBMCI Notebooks, OBMCI Quiz notebooks, OBMCI Spelling pads, OBMCI Pencils, OBMCI Clipboard, OBMCI Calligraphy paper (which is no different from the usual pad paper except for having an OBMCI logo and three holes at the side for easy filing in our OBMCI binder), OBMCI Graphing pad paper, etc. Good thing we didn’t have the OBMCI bags back then before I graduated. But the thing is, we lived and breathed the merchandise of our school. 

Going back, we paste the articles in the left side of a page. Yes, paste is more preferred over glue since glue runs quickly and has higher changes of sticking two separate pages together – a lesson learned through experience. On the other side of the page, we write our brief reaction, often composed of 2 to 3 sentences, regarding the article. If I feel extra generous with my talent of writing, I would fill the entire blank side of the page with a reaction as long as the column itself, or maybe even longer, extending the usual 2 to 3 sentences to 2 to 3 pages. How’s that for a brief reaction?

If I were still studying in O.B. Montessori right now, I would ask my teacher on why the columns of those three mentioned above are the ones to be cut and pasted in our notebook while there are just as interesting columns like those of Anna Marie Pamintuan, Jose Sison, and Cito Beltran. Probably their answer would be: Because the Solivens own our school.

This leads me to an interesting observation. Is it just my casual observation or are there really few people who read the newspaper these days? I hardly see the newsstands empty up in the afternoon, or someone carrying newspaper around for them to digest and understand, or even just a person stopping by the newsstands is already quite a hard find. 

I’ve always believed that an informed citizen could be a productive one. As Dr. Allan de Guzman, a research professor from UST said to us in a research consultation, “Knowledge is important because of two things: it guides the decision making process and allows the people to plan.” This made me ponder on the reason why we keep on putting incompetent people to public office then rally to the streets proclaiming they should be ousted when everything seems to be messed up. It is because we never really bothered to know what happened to the past, making us unable to plan ahead, turning the course of the country’s events into a vicious cycle that would just repeat over and over. Now, if we would just read the newspaper, know what is currently happening and the issues that it entails, probably we could keep these things from happening again and focus on the new issues that are yet to be solved.

Please do your country a favor and read.

Dear Tita P.

Dear Tita P,

Kamusta ka na? Matagal na tayong di nagkita ah, hindi narin kasi pinapapasok kaming mga alumni na napaglipasan na ng panahol sa school mo, pero oks lang, at least natatanaw parin namin kahit papano ang campus mong parang naging city jail lately. Minsan napapaisip nga ako kung kailangan pa naming mag emote ala “Etoo akoooo basing basa sa ulaaann, walang masi singulggaaan..” para lang papasukin kami. Ayos lang din, at least alam namin na sa security purposes napupunta ang tuition fee namin dati.

Uyy... I’ve heard ah, bongga na daw ang school ngayon, may spy cam na daw para mahuli ang mga nagpi-PDA. Ayus yan ah, next time gawin mo nang ala PBB yan. Tapos ung mga nagpi-PDA ang mga housemates. Tapos lagyan mo ng option na Vote to Save at Vote to Evict. Pag naevict ka, syempre PEG na ang PD grade nila. Saya nun!

Kamusta naman pala ang klima dyan? Dito umuulan ulan na. Wag ka masyado maglalalabas ah, baka abutin ka ng ulan at ginawin. Ay mali, hindi ka naman pala giginawin kasi laging bonggacious ang mga suot mo, lalu na pag graduation at President’s day. Grabe kaya ang fashion sense mo! Minsan nga ikinukumpara kita kay Lady Gaga eh, kaso syempre mas tame naman yung suot mo kahit papano. (BTW, napanood mo nab a ung Alejandro music video nya?) Pero grabe ka rin, kasi I can still remember nung President’s day na tila piniprito na kami ng araw, napakasaya mo pa magspeech nun porket na lilim ka at habang binasa mo ng napakarahan ang speech mo. Pero ang pinakamalupit sa lahat ay ang iyong pagiging bilingual pag naspeech ka, ung parang sasabihin mo: “Good afternoon to our dear parents… teachers…. and guests.” Tapos uulitin mo pa ito ng “Magandang hapon sa mga magulang…mga guro…at mga panauhin”. Minsan try mo rin mag Korean translation kasi dumadami na kasi ang lahing ito sa school mo. Over!

Naalala ko pa nung gumradweyt ako ng hayskul. Feel na feel ko yung presensya mo nun habang kasama ko din ang aking mga batchmates kahit recorded lang mula sa isa pang graduasyon ang speech mo samin. Filing nga naming naglalaro kami ng Ouija board eh, parang ispiritu ka lang kasi na nagsasalita nun.hehe 

Nga pala, miss ko na ung iba’t ibang mga Montessori ways. Aminin ko lang nung primary pa kami, minsan naiirita ako dun kasi andame pang steps eh uupo ka lang naman (arte much?), plus badtrip pa kasi napapagalitan pa kami sa Grade 2 teacher ko pag maingay kami tumayo sa upuan, kaya ulit nanaman kami uupo nun kahit kakatayo lang namin, kaya tuloy lagi kami nahuhuli pag snack break eh, lagi pa kami nauubusan ng burger.

Naalala ko pa nung nasa high school naman ako, may project sa TLE na hindi ko talaga makuha ang point. Actually, sikat na sikat ito sa school mo sa pangalang “Scrapbook” na kung saan binibigyan mo rin kami ng istandardized na font, pictures, at content. Di ko talaga magets ang point na kung bakit kailangan parepareho kami ng laman ng scrapbook. Ano kame, factory ng TLE scrapbooks? Grabeeehhh…

Pero infairness, marami talaga akong natutunan sa school mo ah. Keep the good work!

Nagmamahal,

R.

P.S. Lagi kong pinagmamalaki sa mga classmate ko ngayong college ung column mo tuwing Thursday. Syempre bongga nanaman ung picture mo nun with the cap and you ever infectious smile.