Bangkok Thailand: I just returned from Chulalongkorn’s field station on the Gulf of Thailand. This is my first good look at the Thai capital. Colleagues from Chula and Thammasat tell me that the recession hit Thailand bad. They say that the city isn’t crawling with Westerners unlike in the past. They took me to the Emerald Buddha and I noticed that most of the tourists were Thai. Thais don’t pay to see the sights unlike farangs or foreigners do. The guard at the gate thought I was Thai, this despite me wearing a red shirt with the word PHILIPPINES on it!
And speaking of red, red is the color of ousted PM Thaksin’s party. Maybe they thought I was a Thaksin supporter!
Bangkok is much more orderly than Manila. In fact I think this is where Bayani got his inspiration. There are fences, bike lanes and Bayani pink and blue taxis. Everything reminds me of BF, but there isn’t any BF tarp. The only tarps here are the ones showing His Majesty the King! Bangkok is like one mega-Marikina City in terms of order.
In the evening, professors from Chula, Thammasat and Mahidol took me to dinner. All these colleagues are alums of the University of the Philippines.
They told me UP is going backward. Why? They say that their universities are aggressively promoting ENGLISH as a language of instruction, with English programs in graduate school and increasingly in upper undergraduate courses. No wonder that I noticed many English textbooks being sold in Chula’s bookstore. The books are sold much cheaper in Manila. A calculus text sells for 1300 baht and the same sells for 4500 pesos in Manila. Considering that the baht is almost at parity with the peso, this should make Pinoys think.
UP on the other hand is promoting Filipino/Tagalog and not doing enough to intellectualize the language. The Thais have intellectualized Thai but realized that ENGLISH will make them competitive. And these English taught programs seem to have succeeded. Why?
Yesterday I gave a lecture at Chula in English and many undergrads attended. The undergrads were able to discuss with me in good English! There isn’t any nationalist angst among these Thais when they use English in learning the disciplines.
Many of the Thai students speak good English. Although they speak it with a Thai accent and not the RP of their English educated PM, Abhisit. One students was a big Pacquiao fan. In this regard he is with Abhisit.
Also I noticed that Chula and Thammasat’s buildings are better maintained that the buildings we have in Diliman. I wonder then can we really say “UP and galing mo?” Ang galing mo saan?
Anyway the Thais have their own political dilemmas. The ruling elite hasn’t fully dealt with the challenge posed by Thaksin. But it seems the country is moving forward despite the economic recession.
That Thailand has left the Philippines biting the dust is more than a cliche. Thailand, the Philippines and the rest of ASEAN have been hit by the recession and have similar problems. Each country responds in its own way. Is the Pinoy response adequate? As for the UP, my Thai colleagues and I are hopeful that our alma mater can effectively use the opportunities presented by its new charter.
Popularity: 1% [?]
I have copied & pasted this article and emailed for Putsie to read because it is about UP!
Blackshama:
Ren*ato will be laughing like crazy when he reads this blog of yours.
That’s what he has been saying all along – ang pilipinas tumatanda ng paurong!
True, I agree. But it is much better when the criticism comes from our closest friends in ASEAN, the Thais.
I am for Bayani Fernando unfortunately I think the Masa can not appreciate him lalo na mga tao sa probinsya are not aware of what he has done for Metro Manila.
for purposes of discussion, BF did a good thing.
so what, Cebu’s Governor Osmeña has done a terrific job with Cebu – earlier than Marikina.
Cebu’s residents speak Cebuano – does it make Cebu less an “international city” than Marikina? I don’t think so.
If the DE group was THAT discerning, eh di dapat pinili na nila si Gov Osmeña.
rah rah rah seez-bom-ba can only go so far.
your vision is good. your track record is good.
but people need sardinas, wowowee, tanduay, donation to beauty pageant, donation to miss gay, donation to misis philippines – good luck!
Vote for my Ass. What a way to earn a living! Blog Articles
for sale.
Sorry but your pushing of Bayni Fernando does not even excite
me a little bit. The Fellow cannot even explain himself on the
ANC Debate. He has yet to explain his Kleptomaniac tendencies
towards Public Funds.
However, he has a lot of CASH to pay for people to promote his
candidacy. I am not that sucker to believe any of his Media
minions.
Too bad that I couldn’t get the Filipino Channel in my pension house room in Chula.
Bayani did say that we have to produce local, buy local and export…do they not ring a bell.
He also said that he will follow the Catholic church and will push for funding for natural family pallaning method.He was a sacristan as a kid in Marikina so he is faithful to his church.
He also said that party system should be strengthen because its the foundation of the democracy, and that, just like Germany, political exercise should be finance by the government.
He did say that the laws should be properly implemented.
He also said a lot of brilliant ideas in a very short sentences.
I knew it..you like blabber mouth politicians like Zubiri and loren…
Let me share you a shocking comment I read but was erase later:
“Bayani is the “champion of public good”. Binigyan nya ng tubig ang mga residente ng Vitas Tondo. Pinausog nya ang mga vendors sa pink line para may madaanan ang mga bata at masa at thesame time para pwede pa ring magtinda sila. Binigyan nya ng murang lodging houses ang mga promdi sa may port area. inayos nya amg mga squatters sa Recto.Bingyan nya ng ihian ang mga jeepney drivers.Inayos nya daloy ng traffic sa katipunan. at marami pang iba.
Si chiz..salita lang ng salita.
Result: mas mataas sa survey si Chiz.
This country is dominated by the talkers…puro drawing..walang gawa.
Kasali ka ba dun? ”
Please read the editorial of Winnie Monsod about people like you…you will get a government which you deserve.
Why not place Advertisements on the Blog. Blog Articles, well writen
and properly posted. Fee Affordable. Credit Cards accepted. Guaranteed Satisfaction, or Money Back. Why go on creep in the
Blog Site and promote Candidates?
People are not that suckers and stupid like you think, to believe
your articles for candidates. I bet you did not write it for just a song. Did you?
Here is one blogger who can help you get customers for your business.
http://bongaustero.blogspot.com/2009/06/quaint.html
blackshama,
Nice to hear of Thailand if it were made prototype for Marikina City.
Indeed, BF may have derived inspiration from it for his “pink utopia”. At least, there is a great chance to be like Thailand if BF indeed makes it as president.
Second, since you made mention of Thais encourage to speak English and use this as an international language to be competitive, again, Marikina City encourages its people to “speak English”. Perhaps, it is attuned to its ‘international city’ status achieved under BF.
Hyden,
If you care to read the blogs that make mention of BF, they are so to inform primarily and to endorse, if that be right to say, as a matter of course.
I would have been happy, even proud, if I am indeed BF’s PR guy. This should be the last time to be clear on that dimwit accusation. But thanks for showing, however viciously, that you don’t touch on issues but rather on personalities.
Hate me? No problem. It will soon eat on you, anyway.
Another paid Tsu-Tsu and Paid Promoter of that Public Fund
Kleptomaniac Bayani Fernando.
Application ‘pending’.
Paris speaks French, does it make Paris any less of an “international city”?
Berlin speaks German, does it make Berlin any less of an “international city”?
Beijing speaks Chinese, does it make Beijing any less of an “international city”?
ano ba yan. kape muna men. :lol:
Beijing people are trying hard to learn and speak English!
We can learn a foreign language but it doesn’t mean we have to discard Pilipino!
You know bong that is not the context it has been said.
To refresh, it is about UP going backward, if and when, it does not encourage English as a medium of instruction.
That is just the point. In any event, it does not make UP less of an ‘international university’. Hirit ulit pare – pero kape muna.
The foundation for effective use of English as second language is drawn from the primary and secondary levels and in day to day practice… reading…reading… reading…
I remember an aspiring Agency writer, a new graduate from the Ateneo, describing a particular coffee brand in a draft article as “having AROUSING aroma.”
That floored me and the paper went straight to the waste basket.
We are Pilipino speaking Filipinos. Kahit baluktot and English.
It is okay…I write Taglish…
whats wrong with arousing aroma? the alliteration?
ah the sexual innuendo?
i googled coffee arousing aroma – and see for yourselves :)
Don’t forget that in those days many, many, many…. many many years ago, “arousing” was contrary to the mores of the only Christian nation of Asia.
yan nga eh, ang labo mong magsalita eh.
kaya pwede mong bali baliktarin yung posisyon mo just using one sentence kasi pabago bago yung context mo as against your sentence – talamak ang equivocation mo – nag uusap ang mga tao ng mansanas papasok ka ng saging, nag-uusap ng singkamas ginawa mong kamatis. magsalita ka ng matuwid at matino.
tingnan mo nga naman – sa pagkahabahaba ng pinagsasabi mo – kung dineretso mo ng sabi na “In any event, it does not make UP less of an ‘international university’” TAPOS. yang english mo kasi parang Old Testament.
It is okay. If you dont like my Blog Post. Dont read it. You
are not forced to read it. if you agree okay. If not, okay also.
We are free society. Unless Gloria Arroyo will take away our
freedoms thru CHA CHA.
i don’t understand the UP going backward…
is UP aggressively promoting filipino language instruction?
University of Philippines international ranking has gone down, hasn’t it?
I don’t even know which specific field of study where Pinas will be represented in the top-100 international schools (while Singapore, China, India do make it).
It goes up and down, usually within the 350-400 range.
ah, so this “backward” thing is about the ranking? not about english policy.. ok.
Yes Bong, I understand that context.
However, in precise news copywriting singularity of message is a cornerstone principle. Ergo there is little wiggle room for double meanings.If there is a accompanying graphic storyboard the game, the nuance, can be conveyed.
Also, Purely literary compositions are different.
if the person was writing news, why was the person writing about coffee?
T’was supposed to be a straight publication-ready news release.
Thanks to the Internet + globalization phenomena English has become a more competitive necessity.
As much as I’m all for the intellectualization and development and use of the Filipino language if it’s done in the name of nostalgic nationalism (as my impression is of UP’s Filipino program) I would posit that it’s all for naught.
Pilipino ako. Writing Taglish…any problem?
Jon,
A vital aspect is how the Filipino youth are losing their edge in writing correct English and also becoming incompetent in Pilipino from both as academic standpoint and in employable skills competency.
Colloquial conversation is different and would I feel be entirely permissible in the blogosphere, I submit humbly.
You may note one problem even in translation, and it is manifested even in the daily newscasts – English idioms are translated literally rather than contextually.
The result is double whammo: our young writing in SMS and pidgin English/Pilipino.
Correct. I have dissuaded my nieces and nephews from using shortened version of English words that arose (not aroused) from the text messaging phenomenon when e-mailing me. To gain mastery of a language, one needs repeated usage of its building blocks so that you create that necessary mental memory. A second language would be even be useful(Chinese or bring back Spanish) when added to the curriculum. Daily news are in Pilipino (I recently got TFC) and I am wishing an English version of news would be sin the menu.
Rosa,
ABS-CBN serves its news both in full English and colloquial (not even formal) Filipino — only in different channels. ANC is the full english channel, as opposed to TFC which probably only serves the colloquial Filipino news programs TV Patrol and Bandila.
Ding,
Unfortunate indeed. As someone who has experienced writing in formal written Filipino I would say that it’s even more difficult to write in the native tongue — thus very, very few are truly competent in it both in verbal and written form.
One thing that could help children develop the use of either language (and I’ve been trying to teach my daughter — but I’ve been failing so far) is to encourage them to speak complete sentences in only one language, e.g., if you start your sentence in English, finish it in English, and if you start your sentence in Filipino, finish it in Filipino. No Taglish. Language skills for both will actually improve at the same time.
Thanks Jon, I found ANC and they send live feeds. It was lumped with the tele-radyos on the next window.
In the 60s/70s, the Thais studied agriculture in UPLB.. The Thais return to their homeland and spread the knowledge after finishing their studies.
Fast forward to 2009, I head for the Asian grocery stores, nearly all the shelves are filled with canned .fruits and vegetables – Jackfruit, Lychees, Mung beans, Buko juice, etc – all made in Thailand!
Not as much as a squeak from a product that’s made in the Philippines.
i wonder, but i suspect that agri production in the philippines is much more difficult that in thailand. we experience regular typhoons (and take their full strength). the arable land area is similar, but suspect contiguous land length is also quite important.
Not to mention insurgencies that disrupt agricultural operations.
We have yet to invent typhoon-proof crops, that’s for sure.
Maybe it is a marketing issue because Filipino grocery stores, which are sprouting like mushrooms here in Calgary, are stocked with bottled and canned fruits and vegetables from PI. The big chains usually sell the Del Monte brand from Phil. Another thought that come to my mind is quality and also pricing. Are Phil. products more expensive than our neighbours’? I remember about 10 years ago, a lot of apparels sold here were Phil. made but now they are sourced from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
do the packages scream philippines?
the thai brands, its probably clear that they are thai (thai language on it)
its marketed as “asian food”, probably in asian stores.
pinoy ag products are probably not marketed as pinoy or as asian.
is this the case in calgary?
check out this site – http://www.pinoygrocery.com/cannedgoods.html
look for the canned vegetables
GabbyD,
Unfortunately we don’t have packaging written in alibata, do we? :P
@jon
no, it could be more obvious that its from the philippines, or the fact that its a philippine product is a selling point.
the only example of that i’ve seen are dried mangos. for these products, they make it VERY CLEAR that its from the philippines.
I was checking out the Hollywood/Ft Lauderdale/Pembroke Pines, FL a couple of years ago.
I came across a label that read – SWEET PHILIPPINE MANGOES. I was so glad to see, a Philippine product. I looked at the fine print – it read, Grown in Mexico :lol:
I came across a canned lansones, canned rambutan, canned mangosteen – I was so glad to see the fruits because there’s a lot of those in Davao City. Maano man lang to be reminded of home while eating. When I looked at the fine print – Made in Thailand.
I looked for buko juice, to rememember the young buko juice that our employees at the family-owned eco-beach resort in Talomo would serve. Dang, I looked at the fine print – made in Taiwan, made in Mexico, made in Thailand.
So, I called a batchmate of mine who I know was in a food conglomerate in the PI. Told him there’s a market out here, the Thais are making a killing, our coconut farmers are given a raw deal by the middle men. There’s something here that can improve their lives.
He told me “nauna na kasi sila we can’t compete anymore?”, and I said and you didn’t even try at all? I blurted – “that’s so effin retarded”.
no they expressly say made in the Phil.
Jon it is our own UPLB-based IRRI which has actually GMO’ed flood/typhoon resistant rice varieties.
In recent months, in fact, it has been shipping out such strains to that Doomsday Vault deep in the Arctic if I remember right.
Hi Mr. Gagelonia,
Read your article about Mar Roxas. Well-written indeed:
http://midfield.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/is-mar-roxas-starting-to-surge-towards-2010/
Are you inclined to vote him? How’s Carlo Ople and Team Roxas online? Are you part of the team? How do I volunteer too? I’m leaning towards Binay, Gordon or BF but Mar may be a good back up option.
Thanks for the compliment. But with the polls quite 11 months away my mind is not really made up yet. my list is down to 4. Carlo Ople is with his own IT firm and the Blas F. Ople Policy Center
Ding,
Hmmm… I do recall hearing about that, but only last year.
How long before this strain hits the market in significant bulk, on a price farmers can afford?
I’ll try to touch base with PCAARD and IRRI bro.
Aside from those who posted their support here for Bayani Fernando, who are the other supporting for 2010? Anyone for Binay or Dick Gordon? What about Mar or Manny?
Hi Mr. Gagelonia,
Read your article about Mar Roxas. Well-written indeed:
http://midfield.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/is-mar-roxas-starting-to-surge-towards-2010/
Are you inclined to vote him? How’s Carlo Ople and Team Roxas online? Are you part of the team? How do I volunteer too? I’m leaning towards Binay, Gordon or BF but Mar may be a good back up option.
See my reply above, Sir.