Teaching Economics Only in Fourth Year During K+10 Was Just Plain Absurd

I could remember one of my memories was having a teacher like the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago in high school. She was a pretty strict and brilliant woman like the late senator. Some say she was unreasonable but I wouldn't say that. She was temperamental but she made sense (most of the time) when she was angry. She did flunk me in the first grading but offered to help me as well. Though, I was thinking that economics in high school was rather hard to understand. When I look back--I had a brilliant teacher but the education system was dumb. Maybe, it was for the best that she left the Philippines with my science and math teacher. I ended up thinking it's too bad I wasn't able to communicate with her during my commerce days.

I could think about how learning economics at the University of San Carlos-Main Campus was fun. I think about microeconomics, macroeconomics, and economics during my graduate school days. I think about how the struggle with economics, later on, wasn't so bad compared to high school. Maybe, because I learned better study habits since I never experienced having back subjects. Sure, I had some barely passing grades (my first two accounting subjects) but I didn't get that with my economics. I did have basic economics during my Associate in Computer Science days for one semester. I felt that economics was truly a fascinating subject only during commerce.

I ended up reflecting back on how it's absurd to teach economics only at fourth-year high school in K+10. Economics should be gradually learned in both middle school and high school. That's why I'm for K+12. Economics needs to be gradually introduced and not just a one-shot deal for an entire year. Economic literacy is something that was barely taught. I confess that I even once thought of going to a coffee shop as an "arrogant gesture" without knowing why coffee shops sell higher. If premium ingredients are used, if salaries are high, if the cost of utilities is high then shouldn't customers pay for both the good food and the ambiance? It's like how I paid PHP 250.00 for my Monte Cristo sandwich set in Jolly Bubble because it's a cafe that operates for long hours. If coffee shops don't charge high then they can expect to go bankrupt from using premium ingredients and having a nice ambiance. Some restaurants have service charges to have net profits to keep it going.

Economics is something that shouldn't be waited until college before you know its application. It's something that should be taught as soon as possible and not just during the graduating year. I feel so stupid I only learned how economics is part of life in college but not in high school. Math formulas related to economics run all our transactions. A year of economics before college doesn't even cut it. Somebody may get a high grade in economics during that time. However, I'd like to ask if there was any actual learning really even there? Economics is part of life so why teach it shoddily? Even a brilliant economics teacher is wasted if that's the case.

If economics were taught in both middle school and high school--I could expect students to learn more about it before college. Economics isn't that easy in the long run since it requires plenty of analysis. Microeconomics and macroeconomics are two different but related subjects that are better studied separately. You need to learn the micro before you go to the macro. I think students will learn how economics is part of life better when it's taught in middle school and high school than just being taught in the graduating year.

Davide vs. Mahathir: Which Lolo Should Filipinos Take Economic Advice From?

The real issue isn't that something is old or new. Instead, if something old or new still works, or doesn't work! Many modern laws are built on some ancient principles, while adjusting to the current times! The Constitution of Japan is actually older than the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. However, it's more effective for the reasons that (1) their constitution is silent when it comes to regulating economic activities (ex., protectionist measures), and (2) it's a parliamentary system. Honestly, it's a pretty straightforward constitution compared to ours! As Mahatir Mohamad turned 100 today, I would like to raise up Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr. once again. The problem isn't Davide's age but his unwillingness to embrace change when needed (read here ). This time, it's time to bring up a contrast between wise old people and unwise old people. A young person can be right where the old person is wrong. A young person can be wiser because he or she lea...

Overspending as a Narcotic of the Filipino Masses

Harvard Health Publishing It's almost time for the New Year, right? However, there's the problem that so many Filipinos just refuse to do any financial New Year's resolutions . It's a continued series of broken New Year's resolutions year after year , such as not doing anything about one's financial and economic literacy . Then again, can Filipinos learn financial literacy when the school environment is too theoretical ? As I observe the same cycle in the Philippines, from January to December, it has always been a financial mess for many Filipinos. The problem starts with mishandling money, such as how paychecks are often handled by people . There's always some joy in spending, whether we want to admit it or not We can't deny that if we bought what we want (especially with one's own money), there's some feeling of satisfaction . For example, a person who stops begging from their parents and starts buying what they want, with their money , can ...

Confusing Foreign Direct Investment for Foreign Imperialism for the Bajillionth Time

I guess those fools of the Philippine Anti-Fascist League (and many of its deluded supporters) either refuse to get it or are blatantly lying. Almost every rally held by what many believe are CPP-NPA legal fronts also confuses foreign investors for foreign invasion or even foreign imperialism . Once again, do I need to say that 100% FDI ownership is all about the shares and not land ownership ? What makes it even more hypocritical is that they are actually recording these things on imported media . They're sharing their anti-FDI rants using imported devices, imported platforms, and imported social media (read here ). When I do ask them on Facebook, they say how can they take them seriously and that they're "simply forced to participate in capitalism". Did anybody (especially those they call "evil capitalists") force them to buy the expensive Apple equipment when they could've settled for Xiaomi or Huawei? A simple research on the dictionary will tell us...

Filipino First Policy Linked with Crab Mentality

Having sea crab yesterday or just eating crab, I always think of that old commercial in the 1990s. It was called, "Iwasan ang crab mentality." or "Avoid crab mentality." This makes me recall a scene when I was a child. I saw a pail full of mud crabs (called alimango in Filipino) and if one crab got out, the others pulled it down. The TV commercial showed how if the crabs got together, they could all escape their grizzly fate of becoming eaten for human consumption. Chefs are just lucky crabs pull each other down. However, it also shows that the crabs would rather all be cooked together than let that crab escape. Unfortunately, crab mentality is one of the biggest problems in the Philippines. It's not all that unique among Filipinos. However, it doesn't Filipinos should ever take comfort in engaging in a crab mentality, just because other people do it . Here's an interesting excerpt from Inquirer by Jerry Peres de Tagle PhD: Studies in human behavior ...

Would You Patronize Substandard Products and Services in the Name of "Filipino First Policy"?

I was looking at the clip by BBC News (above) and found myself disgusted. Is this the price of the so-called "nationalism" brought in by the "Filipino First Policy". The documentary above fills me with disgust about two things--wasting food and eating pagpag. Pagpag refers to discarded food that's cooked all over again for the poor. It's just so disgusting how it happens yet it happens. The food has been discarded, it must be rotten, it's not fit for consumption, and cooking won't make it safe to eat. It's pretty much like human waste has to be discarded properly because they're pathogens. What is therefore the Filipino First Policy? Carlos P. Garcia had stated the following from The Official Gazette regarding the Filipino First Policy on January 25, 1960: THE “FILPINO FIRST” POLICY The ”Filipino First” policy of this administration received a resounding popular indorsement in the last election. Politically we became independent since 19...

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