Children's Innocense an easy target

Nung 7yrs old palang ako and my sister was 4 that time, nagtitinda ng isda yung mom ko, so she have to leave us inside the housed locked up. I learned how to cook and to take care of my sister. Kaya lang, syempre bata, you will always find a way to play outside. Kaya naman tumatakas kami ng kapatid ko, through the kitchen wall, and yes, sinira namin ung wall hahahaha.. But to think that we are just kids and alone in the house for so many occasions, we never thought or got scared being raped or kidnapped, because that time, kids are not a target for such crime. That was 1991-1992.

When I reached 8yrs old, my mom have to leave me to my aunt so she can work as a maid somewhere. I was enrolled somewhere far from their house, so I need to travel by jeepney from school and walk about 3kilometers to my aunts house kasi di naman direct yung jeepney. I traveled alone, the whole school year. Meron lang akong 3 pesos, 2 pesos pamasahe back and forth sa school and house and 1 peso for baon. And yes, I managed to survive. Though sometimes, mali ung nasasakyan ko na jeep, so lumiliko sya sa ibang lugar instead na dun sa destination ko. I have no choice but to get off and wait for another jeep, pero since wala na akong pamasahe, hihingi nalang ako ng pasensya sa driver. But your know what, I never felt scared that time that I will be raped or kidnapped and people then are nice. Kahit yung mga drivers ng jeepney na nasakyan ko, they will just let me ride without asking me to pay.

If you are going to compare the safety of kids from Erap's time up to this date, no one at the age of 8yrs old can travel alone or be left to play outside by their parents, this is because of too much risk letting them out of your sight. Bunga ng kahirapan at droga at impluwensya ng mga lecheng malalaswang palabas ang nagtutulak sa mga taong gumawa ng masama lalo na sa kabataan. Bakit kamo? Because they are easy target, they can't think of something easily to defend themselves and they are easily frightened. Siguro mas mabuting turuan na yung mga kabataan kung pano sumigaw, pano magpumiglas, pano mangagat, pano bumayag or tumusok ng mata dahil buhay nila ang nakataya (pwera nalang sa mga sanggol, grrr kakapanginig ng laman ang mga walang hiya!). Because honestly, mas may chance pa silang mabuhay kung gagawa sila ng paraan para makatakas kasi once na nagawa na ng kriminal ang gusto nilang gawin sa kanila, wala na din silang chance pang mabuhay.
Nakakapanlumo na isipin na sobra na ang pagkahalang ng mga kriminal ngayon. Kung ayaw ng mga tao na magkaroon ng vigilante para pumatay ng mga kriminal, ipasa na dapat yang death penalty, para mapatawan sila ng kamatayan according to law.

I hope in the next few years, bumalik na sa dati ang lahat. Na ang mga bata ay sacred at hindi dapat inaabuso. Salamat at meron na tayong presidenteng mapagmahal sa bayan at may malasakit sa mga tao. Kailangan nating tulungan ang presidente para sa mga anak natin.

Kabayan, pahalagahan ang iyong boto

Pilipinas, mahal kong bayan
San na ang kalayaang nakamtan
Bakit ngayon ikay nasa bilangguan
Bilanggo ng krimen, korupsyon, at kahirapan

Ayan kababayan, parating nanaman ang halalan
Kandidatong iboboto mo, iyo na bang napag isipan
Iyong alalahin kinabukasan ng ating bayan
Maayos na sistema para ating kabataan

Pilipino bakit, bakit ka nagkaganyan
Napakadali ka nang makuha ng magagandang slogan
Gumamit lang ng artista at singer ikaw na kagad ay naligawan
Sa halagang isang libo boto mo kagad ay nabayaran

Bakit di natin subukuan sa susunod na halalan
Kandidatong iboboto natin, atin namang pag isipan
Huwag alalahanin ang mga pangakong binitiwan
Napakarami na ang napako wala pa ba kayong kasawaan

Kabayan, isang tabi mo muna ang iyong kasakiman
Ikaw lang ay natulungan sya na kagad ang susuportahan?
Hindi mo ba naisip kung san nanggaling ang kanyang kayaman?
Ikaw, ako, kaban ng bayan ang kanyang ninanakawan

Bawat isa satin ay importante sa susunod na botohan
Ngunit nakulong, naimpeach, nagnakaw na, yan pa din ba ang Iboboto sa susunod na halalan?
Pilipino, lingon lingon din naman tayo minsan sa nakaraan
Ikumpara ang kaniyang mga nagawa sa kaniyang mga kasalanan

Kaya tayong mga Pilipino sa buong mundo
Panahon nang magtulungan para sa pag babago
Kung hindi ngayon kelan pa tayo aasenso
Para sa kinabukasan, pag isipan kung sino ang iboboto.

Alma Mater that don't matter - AMA Computer College

Sa mga nagbabalak na mag-enrol sa school na ito, I am strongly discouraging you not to. There are few schools better than AMA even they are not specialising in IT. AMA will promise you discounts upon enrollment, they will offer you student loan program and they will sell out the "IT is in-demand abroad and AMA is the best in IT" spiel, but I can tell you, these are all crap. I graduated in AMA Computer College, (I am not going to mention the branch) yes. I managed to get a job abroad, yes. I am now successful in my career, yes. But guess what, none of those is because I graduated in this school. Your school doesn't matter if you have enough experience and if madiskarte ka. 

So now, san nag simula tong first rant ko sa blog na 'to? I recently decided that I want to enrol for Master's Degree thru UPOU (UP Open University). This is because I am out of the country and this is the best option I have. Then while doing the online registration, may isang portion dun regarding Academic Honor. Isa lang pumasok sa utak ko, kung ang GWA ng isang tao is 2.0 bakit may tanong regarding sa Academic Honor? Mind you, may evaluation pa syempre yan ng school. Then I realised, bakit ba wala akong Academic Honor? Alam ko na ang utak ng karamihan sating mga Pilipino, sasabihin nila, syempre hindi ka naman matalino, kung matalino ka di sana may honor ka. Ermmmmm.. As far as I can remember, I was a dean's lister, I started the application for dean's lister from second year, medyo nagsisisi lang ako bakit di ako nag apply nung 1st year, maybe because di naman yun binabanggit samin ng mga prof? Nung may makita nalang kami na naka post sa bulletin board regarding dean's listers saka lang namin nalaman na may ganun palang recognition (Oh diba, super love kami ng mga prof namin). Then after 3 consecutive trimester as a dean's lister, we are qualified to apply for scholarship. And yes, I was an academic scholar of my dear Alma Mater. I was also given 2 Leadership Awards as Vice President and President of CS and IT Organizational Nexus (I.C.O.N) in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 and yes, this branch of AMA gave birth to ICON and we are the pioneer officers. As scholars, we have to give back something to school as well, we suppose to render some certain hours of our time in exchange to our discounted tuition and lab fees. I spent most of my free time not only in ICON, but also as a Student Assistant. There I received my Best Student Assistant Award. 

Oops, medyo lumilihis na tayo sa purpose ng post na to. Mejo mahaba kaya pag pasensyahan nyo na. This is my only way to give those planning to enroll in AMA a warning, bago pa nila magawa. 

Oks, regarding Academic Honor, irregardless of my achievements mentioned above, I got disqualified to apply for Cum Laude. Yes, I asked the same question, why the hell I am not qualified? Our dear registrar that time was Ms Rose Castillo, she still in Fairview Campus doing something else. She told me that it is because in the school policy. So to summarize why I got disqualified:

1. I'm a transferee

2. I have Dropped and Undropped records in University of Caloocan City 

3. I have 5.0 in one of my subjects in Our Lady of Fatima University

Here's the copy of Policy from Student Handbook

Of course, I understand that it is the policy, so I tried to appeal. Here's the explanation on my side:

1. Looking at my transcript below as reference, except for UD, D and 5.0, my grades from these 3 schools are consistent.
2. The reason of UD and D in my first school is because I have to stop my study as my parents can't send me to school anymore and I have to work
3. The reason I have 5.0 (Food and Beverage Service Mgt) in my second school is because I already enrolled that subject but I need to drop it as I need to take it's pre-requisite first but missed the dropping schedule.
4. If you are going to look at the first term 2003-2004, I managed to take Food and Beverage Service Mgt and given a grade of 1.75

Here's the thing, they ignored my appeal because they have closed mind. This only proved that this school does not care for their students. They don't give second chances to those who deserved it.

If you have D, UD and less than 3.0 grades in your transcript record, you will never ever be given a chance to get an Academic Honor. Kahit gano pa kaganda at karami ang achievements mo they don't care! Daig pa nila ang UP, UP give students second chances.

Guess what, I might have D, UD or 5.0 in my transcript, that doesn't mean that I am academically incapacitated. It is proven and shown in my grades. AMA's policy is vague that it can't even explain or answer most of my questions.

1. Why grades other than credited ones are being considered in computation?

2. Why D, UD and 5.0 is being taken into consideration even they are not related in my BSIT course?

3. Why there's no special clause for transferees or second courser and how they can't be qualified for Academic Honor?


Now why I am discouraging you if you are planning to enroll in AMA, it is not only because their student handbook is to vague. Here are the reasons:

1. They don't care about the student's welfare, they only care about their school year's enrollment quota. Entrance exam is nothing but a process of this school, it does not matter, quota nga ang imporante diba, so kahit 0 ka pa sa entrance exam, if you really plan to enroll pasado ka.

2. Lahat ng pambobola gagawin nila sayo para lang mag enroll ka. Like it is easy to find a job abroad. Guess what, it is not! Sa ibang bansa as long as you have your ways with enough experience makakapasok ka. Newly grads don't usually given a chance abroad, but thankfully for me, before the graduation I already have a job as IT Administrator, that gave me enough experience. School will only teach you the basics, and they will only teach you once, for you to be able to use it in your chosen career you have to practice and broaden your knowledge from outside because professors will not teach you what you need to know, they have a Syllabus that they need to follow.

3. Nababayaran ang mga professor just to pass the student (not money but things like perfume or car accessories). I don't have evidence to prove this accusation because it happened during my time, but, they know who they are and they are guilty! So kung mayaman ka and you think you need to pass and graduate. Madali lang yan, sige sa AMA ka na mag enroll :P. Of course yung mga pumasang student di nila aaminin na binayaran nila ung prof and yung prof will not admit that they've been paid.

4. After graduation, they don't care about you anymore, yung mga graduates with Student Loans di nila makukuha kagad diploma nila until mabayaran yung utang nila. And the interest is really high if you missed any payments. So as I said, di ka na nila masyadong aasikasuhin unlike nung nag-e-enroll ka palang at kailangan ka nila para ma-meet ung quota nila.

5. Hardly any graduates ang work is related sa course nila. Di ko sinasabing lahat, of course yung mga magaling na talaga sa programming bago pa sila pumasok sa AMA got their dream job and like me who really want to be an IT kaya I forced my self to learn more not from school but outside. Most ng mga ka-batch mates ko kundi nag start as professor sa AMA and other schools are in call centers or their job is not even related to their course.

6. Hindi masyadong kilala ang AMA Computer College sa ibang bansa (at least here in Singapore), siguro ang AMA Computer University, pero kung IT related courses rin lang ang kukunin mo bakit kailangan mo magbayad ng mahal sa AMA kung makakakuha ka ng IT course sa ibang school na mas mura ang tuition fee. As I said, if you really want to learn, hindi mo yan sa school lahat matututunan.

7. Aim for Universities, kahit saang probinsya pa yan basta University ang pinanggalingan mo, mas malaki ang chance mo sa ibang bansa.

So to end this very long post, Alma Mater means, Nourishing/Kind Mother in Latin, but I didn't feel that AMA is like that. I might say I met a lot of good people in that school but the registrar department and HR sucks big time!!!


#AMACCSUCKS