Back in school

Whenever I reflect on life in Dumaguete, I realize that I do many things thing over and over again. It's not unlike a mouse running in a wheel. Don't get me wrong. Many exciting things do happen in Dumaguete. Like the mouse in a wheel, I can run fast or I can run slow. But I'm still inside the wheel. I'm not complaining, but I just get to think about new and different ways of doing things. That would mean finding a way out of the wheel.

And when I think of finding a way out of the wheel, I remember my uncle, who, as a nine-year-old boy, was tending their family garden in their hometown in Leyte. His most exciting challenge was to run after the self-supporting pigs of their neighbors, which would wander into their garden.

One day, my Uncle decided to find a way "out of the wheel" so he did something different -- he devised a new way to keep the pigs out of their garden patch. He remembered a story of a fisherman who bragged that he made a concoction out of pulverized berries of a "kasla" tree and camote mash, which always gave him a good fish catch as the fish just floated afterwards. So he did what that fisherman did, and fed the formula to the pigs, not knowing that the pigs would die of poisoning two days later. To say that the pig owners got so angry is an understatement. In fact, my grandparents were afraid for my Uncle's safety that they sent him to the poblacion, where for lack of chores, he was sent to school under the American system.

That opened up many opportunities for him and, in the process, he was able to improve his life.

If my Uncle -- and later, my father (who followed his footsteps in pursuing an education) -- didn't think differently and find a way out of the wheel, we probably would have been a family of garden-tenders to this day. For that, I and my siblings and our offsprings are truly grateful.

The lesson I learned from that story is that you must learn and do things that are important, instead of letting urgent matters drag you down to living life in the wheel. Matters that are urgent may not be important, especially when viewed from a larger perspective.

I have started many things I consider important. I enrolled in law about 20 years ago and much later, for a master's degree in Public Administration. Yet, I never got around to finishing any of the two degrees. So, after years of procrastination, I finally decided to do something worthwhile and finish my master's. I'm back in school!

Upon returning to school last November, I learned that I only had to finish three subjects to qualify me for graduation in March. I also learned that attending classes while working full time could also be a difficult balancing act. I had to absent myself for two meetings in December and again, for two meetings in January because of our ASEAN Summit coverage so I had to bring some of my books with me.

When I got to our hotel room in Cebu, my colleagues shared with me a copy of the latest FHM magazine (some people consider it a Filipino edition of Playboy). I took a look at the cover, glanced at the inside pages and gave it back to them, saying, "No thanks. I'm reading something more interesting at the moment." Then I pulled out my "more interesting" book -- "Readings: Ethics in Public Office"! We all had a good laugh over that.

The next day, I realized my roommates had been telling the rest of our colleagues that I was planning to run for public office. They were teasing me that I may have to leave our television network one day to assume the role of an elected public servant.

No offense to those who are running for public office, but I told my colleagues that the lure of seeking a three-year term is not too inviting. I think that three years is too short for an elective term. Aside from the personal expense of every candidate, the government spends P40 billion for each election. That's P40 billion every three years!

I guess other than being an elected public servant, I can do more for my community by being the journalist that I am. I may get sidetracked by urgent matters here and there from time to time, but at least, I can find some time to do something I consider important. Being back in school is one good example.*

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