Left or Right?

The Brain Test

My Result: Left-brained

Most left-brained people like you feel at ease in situations requiring verbal ability, attention to detail, and linear, analytical ability. Whether you know it or not, you are a much stronger written communicator than many, able to get your ideas across better than others.


It's also likely that you are methodical and efficient at many things that you do. You could also be good at math, particularly algebra, which is based on very strict rules that make sense to your logical mind.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=brainogt&c=50652

Levels of Influence

I thought about writing this idea a couple of days ago during a meeting in the KKP conference room. The old people were connecting the dots in how to organize a city wide bike ride to raise environmental awareness. Our exchange of ideas got me thinking. We could create a whole science out of this stuff; the stuff of advocacies, social awareness, and people mobilization. Out of the seemingly abstract idea of advocating issues, I attempted to clump it together into concrete steps and levels in the hope of creating a sound system of raising awareness of issues we could all apply.

(Assumption: we are passionately concerned about the issue we advocate and our intentions are clean! Duh! )

The Self (Level 1)

a. Talk about it – This is the most basic and simple. The issues we raise should begin in our mouths. We talk about it to other people over food or during class.

b. Start a blog – Using the internet is powerful. Write a post about it if you already have a blog or create a special blog citing your opinions and suggestions about the issue.

c. Start a chain message – using SMS is another powerful tool. Create catchy short messages about the issue and send it to your friends and encourage them to also forward the message. You could also insert your blog for reference.

d. Create a pin – You could enhance the advocacy by being the walking reminder of it. Create pins that are catchy, colourful and provocative which leads people who see it to question.

Inner Circle (Level 2)

a. Gather a small group of people – Levelling it up to a group or a club amplifies it even more. If you have a solid circle of friends, try to share it to them and encourage them to participate. This could also include creating an advocacy team who helps you give out fliers or primer sheets or better yet start your very own student organization.

b. Network to other institutions – Strategize and link up. Spot potential partners and create a network that informs and mobilizes. They could give you resources (logistics, funds, skills) that you need to keep the momentum.

c. Advertise – Making an attractive advocacy board and situating it to strategic places or giving info sheets to people can further raise awareness. This comes in handy during peak hours of the day.

Outer Circle (Level 3)

a. Organize events – If the group has reached a level of maturity and is capable of expanding, organizing an event is one good way. An example of it is organizing a concert or a seminar perhaps. This would serve as the highest form of getting your point across because it involves a great number of people. Events could amplify the ripple effect you’ve started.

b. Do follow up activities (e.g. signature campaigns) – keeping the momentum is challenging but doing follow up activities such as forums or signature campaigns can keep it moving.

Depending on the nature of the issue, our efforts, for it to be fruitful should be forwarded to the people in authority because the end game is theirs. Our mission in raising awareness is to poke the leaders and the people to listen and somehow disturb them and move them inside to act for the better.

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT THIS COUNTRY TO BE.

Petition for a Freedom of Access to Information Law

Team RP Petition for a Freedom of Access to Information Law

“Secrecy breeds irregularity, fraud, and crime. It allows chicanery, graft, and corruption… A democracy based on ignorance, on misinformation, on conjectures, on suspicion is doomed to fail. The more enlightenment the people have, the more guarantee there is for their success in their collective enterprises, and in the fulfillment of their social aspirations and purposes.” — Justice Gregorio Perfecto

From the de Venecia-Lozada expose, the Hello Garci scandal, and the Spratlys mind-boggler to the North and South Rail questions, events of the recent past clearly highlight how very little we know about the workings of our government, how much difficulty is involved in getting truth to come out and how, albeit fundamental in any republican and democratic state that the government is accountable to the public, we Filipinos are in reality denied direct access to our government institutions and our public servants. As a country that prides itself with democracy, it strikes us with a disquieting reality that we Filipinos have no real access to information to empower us to properly and actively participate in governance.

We in TEAM RP believe that in order for there to be a responsible citizenry that can actively and meaningfully craft the future of the country, there is a need to give teeth to the policy of full public disclosure and the right of the people to be informed as contained in the fundamental law of the land.

Moreover, we are aware that if people, especially those who have been bypassed by development, are unaware of laws and procedures for availing themselves of their entitlements or of mechanisms they can use to remedy their plight, then they will always remain poor.

Let us call on our lawmakers to make top priority the passage of a Philippine Access to Information Law which, subject to reasonable and clearly outlined conditions, ensures unfettered access of the people to information of public concern, including government transactions involving public interest.

We urge our lawmakers, let us not delay this any further.

If you support our petition and call for the passage of a Philippine Access to Information Law, you can join and help us in any of the following ways:

a.) Sign our petition online by emailing “I Support the Campaign for a Philippine Access to Information Law” together with your complete name and contact information to team.rp.pail@gmail.com

b.) Forward our statement to your friends and post it in your website, blog, friendster, multiply or facebook account for all your friends to read.

c.) Volunteer for our campaign and help us get more Filipinos to sign our petition. If you want to volunteer and help, you can email Karen Naranjo at k_ren_naranjo@yahoo.com or you can send her a text message at 0918-9183685. We will send you copies of our petition so you can also help gather signatures in your school, office or organization.

———————–

By signing this petition, you will be helping us achieve our goal of AT LEAST 10,000 SIGNATURES that we will bring to legislators as a “pressure point.” Your signature, together with many others, can signal to media that THIS IS AN ISSUE WORTH TALKING ABOUT. When media hounds our government officials for their take on this issue, THEN THE BALL CAN START ROLLING. People can start taking stands, a comprehensive bill can be drafted. ALL WITH THE HELP OF YOUR SIGNATURE.

Thank you in advance for your support. Please pass this on to friends so that they, too, will know how their ONE SIGNATURE can help change the course of things in this country.

Let us do our duty because it is our duty

- Emmanuel Kant

Summer is time for fun and reflection void of any academic works yet I find myself working on two advocacies which are non-academic but require a large amount of rigorous thinking in this supposedly fun point in time. This only shows that duty chooses no time. My mission is my mission. One is on the environment and the other is on truth, accountability and transparency. Two seemingly unrelated issues yet they affect us therefore we should respond to it.

The Firefly Brigade is a non-stock, non-profit, and SEC – registered citizen’s volunteer action group which works for clean air and a habitable, people-friendly environments in our cities. This group plans to have a simultaneous nation wide awareness campaign about clean environment through a bike parade in major cities all over the country. To attract even more attention, this event also includes a costume competition where bikers are encouraged to wear creative costumes that best reflect their concern for the urban environment. The city as one of the major cities will participate in the nation wide bike ride and the KKP-SIP of XU is being tapped as a strategic partner in its realization. The event will be on April 20, 2007 and the CDO version will be called “Sikad Kalikasan”. Different groups in the city have already been gathered such as the Oro Bikers, SM Mall, Pueblo de Oro, and others. The ball is now beginning to roll and we can accelerate it by doing our part. We could participate in this event by joining the bike ride itself, donating funds, and telling a friend about it. For more information just text me on 0906-212-4886 or visit their website on http://www.fireflybrigade.org/

The Team RP is a youth-led initiative to advocate and proactively work towards the fight for Truth, Accountability and Reform in our government. It is led by college students and young professionals who want to see genuine reform in our country especially in our government leaders today. This I got from an online chat with Eli Convocar of the Ateneo de Manila. It’s a duty we all should commit if we want our country back on its moral footing. They are planning to collect 10,000 signatures supporting their campaign for complete access to public information and submit it to Congress as it opens on April 23, 2008. I will basically handle the signature campaign here in Xavier University. You could help by singing the manifesto. Just go to http://teamrp.multiply.com/ for more information , email them at team.rp.official@gmail.com or contact me on the same number above. I’ll roam around campus starting next week circulating the signature sheets.

This hype of issue advocacy missions can me managed effectively and efficiently by forming a taxonomy of influence which I will ponder upon in the following days.

NOW, DO YOUR PART!

Mission Vision, Amazing!

teachers thinking

Participating in the making a vision-mission for the School of Business and Management is no easy task. It requires both thinking and foresight. Even though the day was draining, my fascination overtook my drained state due to the way Dr. Mark Labuntog creatively managed the whole exercise. Starting from the contemporary prayer entitled “Love Changes Everything”, he managed to link the song to our personal values and then to a vision we see ourselves committed to and finally a vision we could share and collectively actualize as a school. Amazing! This was basically the flow of the whole exercise. It was really dynamic. Ideas were challenged and exchanged, words were chiseled, words were explained to its core, and the beauty of it appeared when all of our personal experiences and insights fell into place to produce a collection of words that we confidently declare as our mission vision. Yet the mission-vision is still half-made. We have to meet again tomorrow to further strengthen the mission-vision. What I’ve learned so far is this; Mission-Vision making is never easy. It deals with different frequencies of different people with different experiences. Diversity carves a good mission vision. We somehow entered into a battery of views and beliefs and hopefully would come out with a near-perfect carved mission vision we all be inspired to commit.

Vision

The School of Business and Management envisions to the center of excellent business and management education in Mindanao forming ethical graduates with a global perspective who are competent and self-driven to take on leadership positions in commerce, industry, and government.

Mission:

The School of Business and Management is committed to nation building through excellent business education forming leaders who are competent and self-driven effectively and ethically managing wealth for the common good and alleviating poverty through social entrepreneurship.

A thought about Magis

The Magis Awards 2008 Ceremony got me thinking.

Ah!!! The “M” word that my teachers keep on saying since nursery! What is Magis by the way? Aside from being the Latin translation of more, what is magis? I’m no Jesuit but growing with them for the past decade + 4 years may help.

Magis is not a standard. It is not a benchmark that students compete to achieve. In my way of looking at it, magis is an ability. It is an ability to see and extract the greatest possible potential of every moment. When I mean see, I touch on ones foresight in looking at situations, people and things. Magis is seeing more that what is obvious. It is seeing the potentiality of things and people. When I mean extract, it is also the ability to translate those potentialities into actual accomplishments. Another word to chisel is accomplishment. Accomplishment now a days are equated to glorious moments of victory. But in the context of magis it is as simple as winning a smile from a new friend, making orphans laugh, giving bible sessions to school children and sharing what you’ve learn to a scholar. This is what I see magis is. It is making the best of what you have; Making the best of every situation, of every moment. Further more, Magis is a process. It is dynamic. It does not stop when you extract the potential, it goes beyond that. It then grows into a personal disposition. It then translates into a personal sense of openness and willingness to grow and mature through those experiences. Lastly, to balance the equation, Magis is something to share. Seeing, extracting, growing and maturing will deteriorate if it is not being shared. Magis then as the yardstick of our actions is about receiving and giving. Receiving what is present and giving more than what is expected.

It is not hard to fight for what is right

I participated in my first “social oriented action thingy”. I mean, this I the first time I’ve marched and joined a rally. It was very peaceful and subtle. There was no sign of aggressive testosterone in the crowd.

With my KKP family and an entire barrio of people from Davao and Bukidnon, we marched from the Provincial Capitol to the Court of Appeals. Our message was to implement the Anti-aerial Spraying Ordinance in Davao City. I do not want to touch on legal jargon here but to make the story clear, I need to touch on the simplest way I can. The city government of Davao has already passed an ordinance banning aerial spraying 2 years ago (I think) but a group of corporations filled a motion to suspend the ordinance. So now, it is under scrutiny in the Court of Appeals in Cagayan de Oro. That is the simple reason why people from the south moved up here just to get their point across.

You may ask why students of Xavier would even get involved in an issue far away. The answer is simple. The issues being fought for in the legal battle are universal and ethical. It is our obligation to fight for it because it is right and true; it applies and affects every man. The basic contentions are profit and people. This case is a clear manifestation of how corporate greed can immorally compromise the general welfare of the people. People are getting sick and some already died because of this toxic rain. We can’t just let this clear and present injustice prevail.

On that moment, we may be seen by others as deviants causing traffic in a hopeless cause but I will say this to them: If it is for the common good, for what is right then I am proud to be a deviant! It is not hard to fight for what is right.

To help, just visit the KKP-SIP office in the Aggies Bldg. ground floor, you could raise awareness by writing about it in your own blogs.

IT’S ALL OVER; SEMESTER ENDS

My last exam is over. With the submission of my answer sheet comes the official end of my academic obligation for this semester. A great feeling of relief and outer freedom came over when I realized that all is over. I can now shove my books and have all the time in the world doing everything I need aside studying. I do not want to recap the exam; I just hope to capture the significant happenings of this day in depth and precision.

• The Block A and B outing in Lopez Beach Resort was fun and relaxing. The breeze of the sea blew away the heavy feeling of academics. Now, we just have to worry ourselves on what to do with our summer. We spent 7 hours bonding, walking on the beach, playing cards, making sand art, eating, and just enjoying each others’ company. A rainbow even appeared around mid afternoon.
• By 6:00 pm, Maki and I changed disposition. From an outing, we joined the KKP Volunteers’ tribute program for the seniors. It was very romantic, creative, and emotional. The stc lobby was transformed into a candle lighted hall. For me, the meaning of the whole event was articulated by the words said by Sir Pimentel during his “inspirational message”.
• The things you have done or the grades you’ve earned are not really that important. What is important are the things, the ideas, and the skills you have learned that will grow with you as you go out into the world. The very hallmark of the KKP Volunteer Formation Program is the raw social-oriented experience they provide and the training on how to process the whole experience.
• Therefore, it is the ability to process that raw experience and the ability to see oneself as a whole person in any given situation (demanding, draining, horrific events etc.) that highly counts. This is the stuff of leadership. The ability to process and extract insights, see oneself as a whole in any situation and convert all those personal insights (self-mastery, foresight) into actions of service are the key elements of heroic leadership, true atenean leadership. The interplay of these elements need tremendous amounts of energy and this could be provided for by our faith.
• Sir Ermin opened up a whole idea on the movement of our leadership this coming year. It is ideal for the CSG to expand its activities outside of the university, It should not be enclosed or insulated rather it should target the involvement of the greater community outside. That ought to be our role. Aside from governing in a daily basis, we should conceive and implement programs with a series of projects that are long term, multi-faceted, and wider in impact. Programs that deploy students outside the campus such as organizing an inter-high school quiz bee (good for XU marketing), voting registration drive, building homes, reducing in-campus trash through a community drive, election awareness and so much more.
• This was also opened up about the need to review the Awards and Recognition Committee's procedure in choosing a class valedictorian. The 50-50 policy of school performance and speech are quite misleading. The 50% allocated for the quality of the speech ought to be reduced to either 40 or 35 % because it does not reflect the true ability of the person to process his Xavier experience but only the talent of his/her articulation. The bulk should be given to his school performance (school involvements, academic performance) because the things he did in his 4 years in Xavier rather than what she/he said at that moment of deliberation is more heavy, substantive and real. This should be tackled by the Directorate by 1^st quarter and open this concern to the Academic Council.

EFFICIENT GENEROSITY

On our first triumvirate meeting in the lobby of the Old Library, multiple concerns surfaced but this in particular caught us - the red tape of the extra-curricular funding. This is by far the top concern we could address. Ever since, the extra-co orgs do not have a single stop funding process. They have to “machine gun” sponsorship letters to so many offices costing time, money and effort. For us to effectively stimulate student activities, we need to cut the funding red tape.

For this summer, we aim to collect data regarding this matter. With the joint efforts of the SacDev Coordinator, we hope to create a sound funding system design that we could confidently recommend to the Office of Student Affairs. The basic ideas for this mission is to give extra-curricular a “starting capital” for their operational needs, create a single Extra-Curricular funding managed by SacDev (appropriate a portion of the PTA fund directly to SacDev control), and a monitoring and transparency system for the extra-curricular orgs' liquidations.

God bless our thoughts, heart and actions!

“Ay! Sound Table diay!”

I just had my first taste of what my mission in school is all about.

My block mates were gathering in “Timberland” reviewing their notes, preparing for the next exam. A few of my high school batch mates were sitting beside us. We greeted, talked and updated each other. While talking about school life, Alon who was an active member of XU high’s music club mentioned his desire to unify all bands in Xavier U. I immediately interrupted by saying the word “Sound box!” (A student org of bands which was suspended 3 years ago if I’m not mistaken, the org was mentioned by Mae in one of our casual talks which captured my interest). He sarcastically corrected me that it was “Sound table”. The sudden twist of name made me laugh. After that momentary laugh break, the talk made me excited because this was one org I’m hoping to revive but can’t find the exact people to share the efforts and now I’m talking to one! The ball started to roll. I already mentioned the possibility of reviving it to Sir Ivan, the Student Activities Development Coordinator a week earlier and he is willing to review its recognition papers. It seems like the pieces of the puzzle for Sound Table are falling into place. I now have the people, the next move is to have the ideas, then gather the students again to consult on a new concept paper and then follow it up with technical support. In the entire technical labyrinth we are set to enter for us to accomplish this aim, it is where I found campus democracy at its best. It is gathering ordinary students who, if given an opportunity to get involved can do extraordinary things like create and organization. This is grassroots involvement in action - The humble beginnings of an org.

IT WILL DECIDE EVERYTHING

They say when you do not write your ambitions, it remains a dream. Writing them makes them a goal. Let us evoke the law of attraction and try if in some years time, these will be come a reality. They are not few nor plenty but hopefully they are much. To really say that I am living my life to the fullest is the same as dedicating most of my time and effort to service for others (especially the voiceless, powerless, and those who can’t think for themselves) through the community development programs I work with.

• Make a Non-profit organization which focuses on barangay/family development in the rural communities
• Be an alternative CPA - Lawyer
• Write a book about the vocation of leadership
• Be a professor in Xavier University or Ateneo School of Government specializing in people empowerment

I just don’t have any idea why this field (socio-political development work) captures so much of my imagination. The simple thought of doing it energizes me instantly. The job which is much of a vocation for me wakes me up every morning and peacefully tucks me in every night. It tells me what to read, what to be involved in, what to write, to think, to do. This is what I love. This is what I deeply love doing, and it will decide everything.

In the end of our days, it is not the achievements that are remembered but it is the character and love you shared to those who remember you. The memories and love you’ve shared make you immortal in the lives you touched.

ALMOST OVER

Half of the exam subjects are over and I'm looking forward for the last big fight for this semester! It’s quite remote if other people would agree to me but I somehow like exams week. Aside from the sleepless nights and the hermit lifestyle I employ myself I really love the smell of exams. The exam week is somehow a free zone if you think about it. You get to show up only an hour in school per day in most cases. You also have a very legitimate excuse not to engage in any of your extra-affairs and you have all the time in the world to sit, read, eat and write. It’s like a brief breath of fresh air, a big void in our daily haggard routines. But what is most exciting about the week is the moment when it is all over. There is this great unquotable feeling of relief and freedom. Ok, I think is quite a fantasy already. Bottom line, the culmination of this exam week is not just the grades we receive a month after but the great feeling of finally breaking from the bondage of academic demands at the very moment we pass the exam paper of that last subject.

I took advantage of technology this month by upgrading all my "apostolic" gadgets (laptop, cell phone, and PDA) for greater efficiency. I just love using this term: Apostolic efficiency. It was coined by the Jesuits as their reason for possessing great material wealth. The wealth they posses as an order is used to enhance the apostolic activities for the community. In my case, I lobbied this expensive upgrade in preparation for next semester’s big mission. I just like to see these gadgets in picture. It reminds me to see things as only two-dimensional objects. for order

to communicate

doing the rest

Ad Majore Dei Gloriam

The Ultimate Synergy

It is near stupid when one fails to understand that thoughts written on paper hold an immense influence in how a society perceive an event. In our community, student publications in particular bare this powerful responsibility in providing unbiased, clear, and as much as possible precise facts. These facts are so crucial because it is where the readers base their perception on issues. Written thoughts also significantly contribute in how a situation would unfold and how it is preserved in history. In a community where the students’ capacity to think independently varies greatly, one who holds the pen bares that immense responsibility to creatively craft his thoughts that even the humblest mind could clearly understand. Ironically, understanding must be followed by questioning for one written thought to play itself to the fullest – making student think critically. But the common denominator in this creative process is to never deviate from the truth. All opinions, reactions and interpretations should spring from the truth and this is where the challenge lies. The truth is solid yet it can be coated or misinterpreted. In this case, it is where the “crusaders” charge. It is their mandate and most especially their moral obligation to protect, promote and extend the truth. Yet I personally believe that it is a shared obligation by all but most especially to the key positions of influence. Articulating truth is just part of the whole creative process, translating truth into actions is another. What I foresee in the coming months is an intimate partnership with organizations critical for the preservation and promotion of truth. Looking in our own backyard, the community of Xavier is not spared from the plague of deceits and corruption. This present evil provides all of us fertile ground to be critical and most especially animate our school motto. Now outside, the unravelling of the web of lies in our government is a wake up noise for all of us. It calls us to serve the truth going back to ourselves, our homes and especially our schools where our ideals take root. Therefore, let us be vigilant and critical of ourselves and our community. Articulate the truth, promote it in any means possible such as writing a blog or painting a picture and tie up with organizations and influence others to also seek and be critical. I think this is what we ought to do as student leaders. We need to synergize our energies and strengths towards a common goal. The Truth!