LIBERDADE A Doctor in Disguise

BY MARION GRACE C. ARIAS

What actually makes someone eligible to be appointed to a position? Is it their reputation, fame, or wealth? Everything is namable. When choosing their candidates, each person uses a unique set of eyes. But why must it be someone who is unfit or unworthy?

Everyone’s attention and opinions have been divided by the recent news of the appointment of former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Camilo Cascolan as the new secretary of the Department insisting that their roles are only in the four sides of the classroom are already signs that they are disconnected. Teachers are not only teachers in the classroom – every second of their lives, they are also teachers. Their paperworks are the great evidence that their job doesn’t end in the classroom. If putting border lines between teachers, their job and their personal life has been the goal of the office, why does the department is not doing their tasks to lessen the loads of the teachers, then? Why did this order become such priority than the biggest battle of the teachers in the department? They have been calling out the office to help them relieve the jampacked paperworks, and yet, they are still at it. Furthermore, the fact that the spokesperson said that having a personal relationship with the student is not natural, if you’re really in the field, you know that this is statement is off. Teachers, whether they like it or not, need to intervene with the personal life of the students. Example, when a student has been absent for so long, there should be an intervention from teachers by asking the students personally or even going to their house –the home visitation. In fact, this has been part of the culture of the department, specifically the DepEd Order 145, series of 2009, where all teachers should conduct home visitation of all their students in their classes – in other words: Project REACH. sides since, for the medical professional, it can often cause career misalignment with the degree they choose for their tertiary education in addition to being alone in a new setting.

All these arguments are speaking one thing: it really takes one to be one. No one could ever relate to the demands of teachers other than teachers as well. They have been sitting non-education-related key officials in the department. This is resulting to negligence of the battle cry of these educators inside the classroom. If an official just experienced being a teacher inside the classroom, you know where to focus – you will know better. However, it seems that the picture right now is not what we expected. With these kinds of demands to teachers, their job is not tough than the expected. The “role model” image of a teacher is overly used and even used it against them – to chain themselves to be the torch bearer of a good image that the official themselves cannot carry.

Now, another reiteration of policy happened, and teachers now have tighter roles. While we are fighting against these abusers, does removing the outside-school-hour duties of the teacher can make a big impact on the case? Does it really help us to catch these evils and we can create a safer place to the students? Well, if we are going to base it with the present data, sexual abuse also happens inside the school – in fact, it could happen anywhere. How about those instances?

May we be constantly reminded that while we remove the communication of the make will significantly affect not just one person but many people and their families. teacher to the student outside the school, we are also removing the chances of the teachers to holistically help the students. If you are just a teacher, you know that the dilemma of the students itself is already personal. I can’t imagine myself sharing my problem in our group chat just because I cannot have personal communication with my teacher who happens to be the person who understands me the most. of Health (DOH). Meanwhile, as a Biology student myself and a future medical professional, I stand against this insolence.

Right now, we are focusing too much on DepEd Order 49’s gray area. However, we should consistently call to these officials to solve existing problems of the teachers themselves that could really help the learning of the students – conducive classroom, enough school materials, teachers’ salary, and the fight for #LigtasNaBalikEskwela for everyone. May the portion of their energy would be used to attain the aforementioned.

May the day come that the teachers would just enjoy the passion that they have accepted to do. May the future policies of the department benefit the teachers more than putting them in a situation where they should sacrifice in order to comply.

In the Philippines, one must dedicate about 20 years of their life to becoming a licensed physician. This isn’t comparable to the experiences of a former PNP chief, especially given that he has no training in medicine or health.

As a result, medical professionals don’t make enough money to support their families and their way of life. They may travel abroad for work or suffer from brain drain as a result of this. I regard this as a disadvantage for both

The issue of cronyism also enters the picture; if you look at Marcos’ cabinet secretaries, you’ll notice that the majority, if not all of them, lack the information they were supposed to receive as soon as they were nominated for their positions. Who will you select, for instance, when you’re picking someone to represent your class in a competition? Isn’t it true that you’ll pick someone who is knowledgeable and skilled in that field?

Why can’t we use it in its most complicated forms since that is what we do in its most basic? Where every choice we

This is also the cause of the Philippines’ less progressive health system compared to other nations.

These are clearly demonstrated by the COVID-19 vaccinations, which we continue to import from other nations despite having the technology to do so. Imagine if the Philippines were able to produce their own vaccinations. Not only would this improve our economy, but it would also help Filipino pharmaceutical firms succeed.

Another illustration would be the lack of adequate and cutting-edge medical equipment in the majority of public hospitals. This makes it necessary for families to relocate to private hospitals or hospitals in foreign nations, which are significantly more expensive than what the majority of Filipino families, particularly those living in poverty, can afford.

Is it really worthwhile to nominate an ex-PNP chief as the new DOH secretary, given all the repercussions listed above? Or is it only a component of the second Marcos-era corruption wave in our nation?