Parañaque Science High School: Heritage of the People

Dr. Magno, now retired, is the former Schools Division Superintendent (1998-2003) and former Schools Division Assistant Superintendent (1996-1997) whose jurisdiction covers the City of Parañaque.

Mrs. Sioson, now retired, is the genuine founding Principal of Parañaque Science High School (1990-2001).

Our unified motto prepared two days before the July 4, 2011 City Council committee hearing: “We, as educators, are the trustees of the heritage of the people.” It is based on a book on Education that Dr. Magno showed me and Mrs. Sioson. During the committee hearing, both Dr. Magno and Mrs. Sioson placed emphasis on this motto.

My role: attentive listener, keen observer, and a careful car driver for the two retired officials.

Mrs. Sioson: To use 2009 as the founding year of Parañaque Science High School is a mockery of our educational system.

Dr. Magno: To use 2009 as the founding year of Parañaque Science High School places educators in a comical situation if the difference between existence and independence could not be distinguished.

My role: carefully listened, observed, and noted that during the proceeding, no councilor moved to strike any part of the statements made by the two resource speakers. Therefore, their statements are now official public records.

Councilor Eric Baes has the making of a future National Historical Institute Commissioner when he proposed during the first hearing to invite Mrs. Sioson and Dr. Magno to shed light on the true nature and history of Parañaque Science High School. He clearly knows the basics on how to search for historical truth. Councilor Baes has been instrumental in fighting corruption within our educational system by previously cleansing the not so clean list of our local government scholars.

My role: voluntarily assisted the City Council in searching for the two retired officials… and found them both immediately on the same day the first hearing was conducted, i.e. June 21, 2011.

[Councilor Benjo Bernabe: No photo during second hearing]

Councilor Benjo Bernabe was not present during the second hearing, but was there during the first hearing. As a young councilor, he demonstrated impartiality during the hearing. Councilor Bernabe likewise seemed to have adopted an originalist approach to textual interpretive norms when he carefully read aloud a paragraph in Ordinance No. 94-31 proving Parañaque Science High School is a separate school or different from Parañaque National High School when it was originally created – except for the limitation of a physically separate campus.

Councilor Beng Amurao simply listened during the first hearing, but broke her silence during the second hearing and behaved like a true mother of the city by proposing and saying that the matter can be amicably settled. She demonstrated that the City Council, besides being a law-making body, can take the extra mile and serve as arbiter of conflicts between two parties.

Councilor Eric Olivarez is not a member of the two committees involved, but he made himself available to attend and participate in the hearing. He even quoted Niño Sandil when he asserted that the “lifeblood” of Parañaque Science High School is the City Council and/or Ordinance No. 94-31. At that very moment, when I did not expect him to be there, Councilor Olivarez demonstrated he can also be the “voice” of the Parañaque Science High School alumni. Later, after the hearing, I realized he should be… because it was his father who signed and approved Ordinance No. 94-31. A new ordinance/resolution may be proposed by him in regard to appropriate policies and guidelines for school logos – and such policy is basically one of my expectations when I approached the City Council.

Councilor Edwin Benzon served as the Presiding Officer during the two committee hearings. He is the Chairman of the Committee on Education. Councilor Benzon’s display of leadership skills is phenomenal. He made sure that the City Council is always there to listen to the people or to the constituents. Subsequently, after listening to all sides and logical assessment of what have been said, he proved that through the City Council, the people of Parañaque City can have access to reason, indeed.

In the final analysis of the facts/statements presented, it was Councilor Benzon who stated that if the 2009 school logo will be continuously upheld instead of the 1990 school logo, the history of and due credit for Mrs. Rosa V. Sioson as founding Principal of Parañaque Science High School will also be gone in addition to that of the alumni. If only I had the opportunity, I would have added that the history of his very own father, former Councilor Fidelino Benzon, as one of the founding fathers of our alma mater will also be gone because his father is one of the signatories of Ordinance No. 94-31.

When I was in high school, I personally owe a lot to his father, Councilor Fidelino Benzon, and to his mother who were both instrumental in making me the very first “male” Youth Citizen Awardee of the Soroptimist International of Parañaque (SIP) which is a women’s organization. Today, through their son’s leadership skills, the Benzon’s has again been instrumental in making me fulfill my mission for Parañaque Science High School.

My mission is to restore the original 1990 Parañaque Science High School logo. My alma mater is like a tree. The students are the branches and leaves that must go up to make our tree more colorful and brighter, while the alumni are the roots that must go down to tightly hold the soil that make our Parscian tree stand tall and proud. As one of the roots, I unhesitatingly went down a little deeper into the soil just to ensure I will fulfill my mission.

The next mission: To ensure that educators will be fully committed to serve as trustees of the heritage of the people; and to initiate the needed steps to reward Parañaque Science High School TEACHERS based on merit and competence.

***

11 July 2011

MR. PABLITO S. VIBAL

Principal

Parañaque Science High School

Dear Mr. Vibal,

This refers to the Parañaque Science High School logo issue.

Both of us have been adversaries on this particular issue from the moment your good office dismantled the original 1990 school logo and started using the 2009 school logo. I personally treated your administrative action as an attack on the Parañaque Science High School alumni. As one of the pioneering alumni who belong to the 2nd Batch/Class of 1995, I personally retaliated through posting a blog or article online about your administrative action.

My article/blog contained my explanations on why I utterly reject your good office’s decision to change the founding year and school logo of our alma mater. It also included harsh/offensive words towards your good office. As a result, it caused a stir among the alumni community and the issue just exploded like a bomb.

In this view, I would like to express my apology for all the troubles I have caused your good office.

I could offer no excuse other than I am simply a troublemaker instead of a great communicator. When administratively mistreated, I have a history of being brutally frank and tactless in defense of myself and others. In fact, my troublemaking skills have even previously reached the city of Baltimore. And so when a school principal’s office located in the city of Parañaque did something administratively hurtful to me and my fellow alumni, it was very easy for me to cause another trouble given my background.

However, I recently realized being a troublemaker is unhealthy. Instead of solving a problem diplomatically and tactfully, it creates further problems. When I tried so hard to emulate U.S. President Ronald Reagan who gave himself a nickname called “great communicator”, I found myself as an opposite of him who gave myself a nickname called “troublemaker”. God-willing, I pray that the trouble I have caused your good office will be the last one in my lifetime.

Now, both of us attended the 4 July 2011 hearing set by the Committee on Education and the Committee on External Affairs of the City Council of Parañaque wherein two resource speakers have been invited to shed light on the true nature of Parañaque Science High School as an academic institution. The resource speakers are: Mrs. Rosa V. Sioson (Founding Principal of Parañaque Science High School) and Dr. Rolando M. Magno (Former Asst. Schools Division Superintendent from 1996 to 1997 and Former Schools Division Superintendent from 1998 to 2003).

It has now been officially and emphatically added into the records of the City Council of Parañaque that the true founding year of Parañaque Science High School is the year 1990. In particular, our alma mater was formally conceived on 15 March 1990 when the special committee – which included the Principal of Manila Science High School at that time as well as former Parañaque City Mayor Walfrido N. Ferrer – gathered for the first time to officially discuss the establishment of a science high school in our city.

When asked on what the official position of the two retired officials, it has been officially placed on record that Mrs. Sioson strongly defended the year 1990 and opined that to use 2009 as the founding year of our alma mater is a mockery of our educational system. Similarly, Dr. Magno unwaveringly supported the year 1990 and opined that to use 2009 places educators into a comical situation if the difference between existence and independence could not be distinguished. Most importantly, both Mrs. Sioson and Dr. Magno reminded that one of the roles of educators in our country is to serve as “trustees of the heritage of the people” and, in the circumstances, the heritage of the people of Parañaque City. Both their statements were officially tape-recorded and nothing was stricken out.

It was also very clear in the recorded proceedings that after listening to the statements of Mrs. Sioson and Dr. Magno, the committee members present were all convinced that the original 1990 school logo should be restored. In effect, the position of your good office together with that of the current Schools Division Assistant Superintendent and Schools Division Superintendent to uphold 2009 should be dismissed.

Therefore, in view of the above, I now humbly appeal to your good office to abide by the wishes of the two committees accordingly and let us start anew. As a former educator myself, let us listen to both Mrs. Sioson and Dr. Magno and ensure we both do our part as “trustees of the heritage of the people”.

In the next few weeks or perhaps even a month or two – after I have consulted my fellow alumni – I will submit to your good office a transition plan that will only involve the school logo. Rest assured that we, as alumni, know our limits and will not dare to interfere with the daily operation of our alma mater. As a preview, however, the transition plan will basically include:

1. Restoring the 1990 school logo in all letterheads.

2. Restoring the 1990 school logo in all envelopes.

3. Restoring the 1990 school logo in the school billboards.

4. Restoring the 1990 school logo in all student uniforms.

5. Restoring the 1990 school logo in all official documents and/or all school materials that require it (e.g. diploma).

6. Creation of a school flag bearing the 1990 school logo to be used during graduation and other official functions that may require it.

7. Creation of a school seal bearing the 1990 school logo to be displayed at the main/central wall of the school building.

8. Creation of a school-road sign bearing the 1990 school logo to make it easier for the people to find the location of the school and recognize it.

9. Diploma Replacement Opportunity Program (DROP) for those alumni who would like to ask for an official diploma replacement so it will bear the 1990 school logo or eliminate any indication – if there is – that our school was just founded in 2009.

10. Recycling Program for all blank paper documents (e.g. envelope and letterheads) that bear the 2009 school logo.

The above transition plan obviously requires funding and may not be totally completed within one academic year; but I do not wish your good office to worry about it. The above undertaking will be an alumni project and we will raise funds for each and every item involving the 1990 school logo.

In the interim, if your good office could start dismantling the use of the 2009 school logo in any official communications or endeavors using existing school funds, we will appreciate it; but if funds are limited, you may simply decide to wait for us and take no action. But once the Parañaque Science High School alumni are ready to deliver or execute our transition plan, we humbly request your good office’s cooperation as we totally replenish all school supplies involving our alma mater’s school logo. We may retain one electronically stored copy of the 2009 school logo only for historical purposes.

Moreover, the fact that the alumni of Parañaque Science High School fought so hard to restore the original 1990 school logo and triumphantly won not by emotions but by logical reasoning, I earnestly hope that your good office would not mind giving us a freehand in developing a School Logo Policy and/or Guidelines that must be strictly followed by you, your successors, and all stakeholders of our alma mater.

Again, please forgive me for whatever offensive words I have previously written towards your good office; and I assure you that the greater pain that your good office had caused to the alumni of Parañaque Science High School will also be forgiven by my fellow alumni.

Most importantly, let us now leave behind our conflict and start ensuring our full commitment to serve as “trustees of the heritage of the people”, especially the people of the City of Parañaque. As educators, protecting and preserving the heritage of the people will be our “Contract With The Parañaquenos”, in particular, and our “Contract With The Filipinos”, in general.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

NIÑO P. SANDIL

Alumnus

Parañaque Science High School

2nd Batch/Class of 1995