POTENCIAL HUMANO

Motivating Introduction

1. Make the students relive the tragic homecoming of Ninoy Aquino in August 1983. Recall how his strong desire to serve the Filipinos made him come home despite warnings against the concomitant dangers. Unfortunately, he was gunned down at the International airport.

2. Make the students realize how his death became a rallying cry for unity and survival for many Filipinos, but after five years, Cardinal Sin reminds the Filipinos how they seem to have forgotten his “dream.”

Lesson Proper

Reading and Reacting to the Homily

1. Getting to Know the Author. Inform the students of the significant role played by the author, Catholic Archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin, as he used his influence to rally for the rights of the poor. In this excerpt from his homily, he notes how the people have forgotten their important role of helping build the nation.

2. Unlocking Verbal Difficulties. Ask the students what these expressions mean:

a. Transcending our petty selves b. Authentic name

c. Cynics

d. Predominant strain e. Demoralizing f. Destabilizing g. Anarchic

h. “Basket of crabs”

i. Addressed vigorously j. Unrelentingly

k. Chronic illness l. Operative guideline m. Too calloused

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3. Comprehending the Essay. To guide the students in comprehending the essay, ask them these questions:

a. What is Ninoy’s gift? How should the Filipinos show “gratitude” for this gift?

b. What does the “truest motto of our people” mean?

c. How have we transformed the ideal?

d. What is the significance of the allusion to the three monkeys to our

“national pastime?”

e. In what way “must we criticize in order to be free?”

f. When does our criticizing degenerate into self-destruction?

g. What does Cardinal sin mean by “our national game, an anarchic free-for-all- in a ‘basket of crabs’?”

h. How does the other meaning of K.K.K. negate the moral order that must be addressed vigorously?

i. What does he mean by our need as citizens “to go into an action mode ourselves?”

j. Where should change start?

k. What qualities are reflected by the motto, “Bayan muna, bago and sarili?”

4. Reacting Critically to the Essay. Make the students think more critically of the homily message by asking these questions:

a. Of the four versions of K.K.K., which, do you think, is most applicable to our people and government today? Why?

b. In what ways is the motto, “Bayan muna, bago ang sarili” a non-operative ideal even today?

c. Would you agree with the Cardinal that the saying, “Every man for himself” is a “formula for disaster”?

d. Who is Chino Roces? Is his call for a moral order in 1988 still applicable today?

e. Why must we begin change with ourselves?

f. Given our socio-political problems today, do you think “Bayan muna, bago ang sarili” would be the best motto that we can adopt to make us transcend our selfish ways, our social and political problems?

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5. Analyzing the Essay Strategies. Call attention to the devices used by Cardinal Sin to emphasize his points. What specific effects are achieved by these:

a. Why does the homily start with an allusion to the gift of Ninoy to the Filipinos? What does he achieve by this reference?

b. Why does he bring up the four parodies of the true meaning of KKK if these were a far cry from the ideal?

c. What is the importance of his allusion to the three monkeys who see, hear, and speak no evil?

d. In the next paragraph, he quotes Ninoy, “We must criticize in order to be free…” What is the effect of this exhortation- quotation on the idea of the preceding paragraph?

e. Again, what is the significance of the pun on what KKK stands for in Par.7? Why is it juxtaposed with the allusion to Chino Roces and his call for a renewed moral order?

f. Do you agree that “our President [at that time, Cory Aquino] is bent on pursuing the battle against corruption forcefully?”

g. To make the guideline, “Bayan muna, bago ang sarili” operative, we must start with ourselves… and implement it for a year; otherwise, we would be dreaming an “impossible dream” and not “follow the star.”

What is gained from borrowing from the popular song?

Concluding Activities

Make the students realize that the message from Cardinal Sin becomes more significant if the students implement a facet of it in their contextualized activities.

1. Academic. Choose a government official, youth leader, or any popular personality who has practiced “Bayan muna, bago ang sarili.” Explain how he/she made the motto her/his guiding principle.

2. Art and Design. Prepare simple but striking posters of the motto in various major languages to be placed in the various offices of government service in the country.

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3. Tech Voc. Request a slot from the public service program of [government]

television channel to feature a weekly 30-minute presentation of a school or government office featuring a “Bayan muna, bago ang sarili” experience.

4. Sports. In the spirit of bayanihan, and “Bayan muna, bago ang sarili,” create weekly sports tournaments in your barangay. After linking up with the barangay officials and civic-spirited citizens, make the championship game fall on the barangay fiesta or Christmas celebration to drum up support/donations for uniforms, sports equipment, uniforms, and prizes.

Summary

1. Main Points - Instead of showing love of country first before our own self interests, we have made “Kanya-Kanyang Katwiran/ Kabig/Kurakot our way of life. The challenge is to use our freedom of speech to criticize and be free, instead of endless, destabilizing criticism of others; and to work together against corruption. Specifically, the challenge is to start practicing “Bayan muna, bago ang sarili” among ourselves and make it govern our deeds for one year.

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3. Strategies - The allusions to Ninoy’s “gift,” to the laudable KKK motto, to Ninoy’s quotable views on constructive criticism, and to Chino Roces’ call for a moral order emphasize Cardinal Sin’s message. The contrasts between the unifying KKK motto vs. the parodies of this; between the three monkeys and the freedom of speech and criticism advanced by Ninoy; between the propensity to corruption and the call for a renewed moral order, between the self-interests and the need for unity against corruption all underscore Cardinal Sin’s call for making “Bayan muna, bago ang sarili” an operative principle and to start now and do it for a year.

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