When the Americans took over after the Treaty or rather, Treachery of Paris, it was American propaganda that they would take care of their little brown brothers, the Filipinos under the ideals of a democratic federation but that was not the truth. The Americans saw the great natural resources potential of the archipelago and therefore hid their real motives behind a benevolent assimilation propaganda under President William Mc Kinley. Even the last of the nationalists, General Macario Sakay who could not be captured by the Americans was duped by American propaganda in the promise of real participation in legislation, and finally in governance. He was deceived, arrested and hanged using another propaganda ploy so that the world will not question the American atrocity. He was pictured as a robber who meant only to rob the people of their carabaos and food under the Brigandage Act.
In the Japanese East-Asian Co-prosperity Sphere during the Japanese occupation, Filipino nationalists Generals Emilio Aguinaldo and Artemio “El Vibora” Ricarte were turned into collaborators by both foreign belligerents using them as propaganda materials. But there was war at that time and the Filipinos were not free.
But Filipinos are now free. They can implement now the true principle of starting the learner where he really is. But the problem is that even after we gained our independence, our colonial mentality persisted and propaganda remained in the educational system. The different Secretaries who took care of the Department tried their very best, I’m sure, to improve the quality of education
but their advisers usually get the better of them and try to employ propaganda so that they will at least be remembered for having done something.
But having done something must not just be the goal of anyone serving the government and the people. To better serve the people who are at the receiving end of all government services, truth must be the standard for every act and not just lip service or propaganda. For whatever propaganda is made, the truth can still be discerned. It is by their fruits, indeed, that a tree can be known. And yet, for several times already, the fig tree, as in the parable, did not produce any fruit and displeased the Lord.
There had been so many tell-tale signs, let mention. During the PRODED (it was probably ominous for a program not for the living) and the culture of mass promotion became vogue, lawmakers simply took into consideration how much it was costing the government for each student studying basic education and to avoid perceiving them as fiscal losses instituted unworthy promotions. As proof of this, years later, the BRIDGE program was implemented to relocate where the students’ achievement was really but it was snuffed short for it would produce negative propaganda as some asshole thought. USEC Fe Hidalgo told the truth to her President and suffered for it. And now, the old blunder is much alive and kicking. We are passing students who are not supposed to pass and certifying their graduation as competent. Teachers who do not have the conscience to fabricate a lie are threatened with more tasks if they do not pass their students or worst are labeled to be non-team players or worst, even insubordinates. In other words, we are intimidating the moral teachers and are spoiling our future citizens not to be serious with their studies because they will pass anyway.
Hence, the indolence of the Filipinos which Jose Rizal didn’t like won’t go away. The Bahala na attitude of fatalism would bring us Filipinos designed for servitude and disrespect of foreign employers. Now, I won’t mind if Plaridel will border on the heretic making parodies of common prayers or Lopez Jaena was alleged to have boasted that some Indios have the capabilities of flying (he must be referring to the aswang, in jest) for they were fighting a propaganda war as we were not yet free. But how do we rationalize our propaganda scheme of saying that our graduates are alright when they are not? And what do international tests show about our level of achievement. And worst, why do we spend so much on achievement tests when we do not do anything about the results and why must students review for a test that is supposed to indicate what they have already learned? Are we stupid, or what?
