NotAllMen

In May, the issue of misogyny rippled through the internet after the recent shooting at UCSB. A gunman, crippled with loneliness, killed six and injured thirteen people in Santa Barbara, California. In a series of videos, the gunman, Elliot Rodger, unleashed a tirade of self-deprecation and misogyny, wondering why women weren't attracted to him. This latest shooting has revealed the frighteningly hidden levels of misogyny buried in Americans. Rodger has gained sympathy points all over the country as if being rejection is enough justification to for him to start a “war on women.”

In Rodger’s last video, he spoke about his loneliness. “I’m 22 years old and I’m still a virgin…. It’s not fair. You girls have never been attracted to me. I don’t know why you girls aren’t attracted to me, but I will punish you all for it. It’s an injustice, a crime…. I’m the perfect guy and yet you throw yourselves at these obnoxious men instead of me, the supreme gentleman.”

His words are so saturated with self-obsessed narcissism and insanity, but men everywhere found solace in Rodger’s misogynistic explications, which in turn started the Twitter hashtag, #NotAllMen. People would use the hashtag to separate themselves from Rodger’s action, saying that not all men are misogynistic psychopaths, so it’s wrong to assume all men are like that. It was a fair point, but it was ignoring a significant portion of the population that is misogynistic, that do blame women for their loneliness. Not only does it undercut the idea of feminism by creating this impression that feminists are dedicated to the annihilation of men, but it gives men an excuse to shy away from the glaring problems that people like Rodger pose to the fight for gender equality.

#notallmen practice violence against women but #YesAllWomen live with the threat of male violence. Every. Single. Day. All over the world.

— Soraya Chemaly (@schemaly) May 24, 2014

The hashtag, #YesAllWomen, took Twitter by storm. Women everywhere shared their experiences dealing with misogyny. They tweeted about the constant hyperawareness of their actions in order to protect themselves, such as having pepper spray in hand as you walk to your car in a parking deck. There were tweets criticizing the patriarchal dismissal of women saying no, such as having to say that you have a boyfriend in order to stop a man from hitting on you.

Because when we say "no", we have to consider the repercussions of that. In every context. #yesallwomen

— Christa Desir (@ChristaDesir) May 24, 2014

A significant aspect of Rodger’s ignorance that speaks wonders about his twisted mindset is his view of women as one whole being. “You girls,” he repeatedly says, as if all the girls in the world conspired to give him a lifetime of loneliness. Perceiving women as all the same people with the same thoughts and same personalities will impact the way you interact with them. Rodger’s perception of love as the be-all-end-all is that a woman’s only purpose in life is to be attached to a man. The objectification of women puts that part of the population on a pedestal and if they fail to reach it, misogyny worsens.

"UNFAIR! NOT ALL MEN!" Imagine a bowl of M&Ms. 10% of them are poisoned. Go ahead. Eat a handful. Not all M&Ms are poison. #YesAllWomen

— Martin Wagner (@wagnerfilm) May 26, 2014

It’s true that not all men are like Rodger. No one with a functioning mind would think that a psychopath speaks for men all over the world. Not all men are alike. But at the same time, we need to start assuming the same for women.

Photo Credit: Anita Finlay

NextDayBetter Presents TFC Speaker Salon in San Francisco - August 9

EAT + THINK + DRINK

Ready San Francisco? Inspiration will be flowing through your thoughts and your taste buds at the TFC Speaker Salon this Saturday, August 9^th.

NextDayBetter, a culture platform for Pilipino-flavored ideas, is teaming up with The Filipino Channel (TFC), ABS-CBN Balitang America, and Pistahan Parade and Festival to bring you these incredible change agents:

Celina Agaton | Google USAID ICCM Fellow On sharing her tech-driven approach to rebuilding communities post- Typhoon Yolanda.

Lourdes Tiglao | US Air Force Veteran On showcasing Team Rubicon’s approach to unlocking the potential in a new generation of veterans.

Jo Ann Kyle | ABS-CBN Foundation Managing Director On the story of the Foundation’s forward-thinking approach to building better communities and inspiring a nation.

And of course, Chef Tim Luym of Attic Restaurant and Frozen Kuhsterd is taking culinary control of the reception to bring out the sweeter side of Pilipino cuisine.

Are you hungry yet?

TFC Speaker Salon August 9, 2014 @ 2PM – 5PM Children’s Creativity Museum 221 4^th Street, San Francisco, California 94103

Seats are going fast, so learn more and RSVP today!

Your Move to an EPYC Finale: the third and last of this year's collaboration of Fil-Am youth conferences

It's been three months since the Filipino Youth Leadership Program (FYLPro) Summit, a month and a half since UniPro's own summit and we're now less than three weeks away from the third and final piece in the Your Move summit series: the Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration (EPYC) leadership institute that will take place in August 7 at San Diego's Town and Country Hotel.

The "Your Move" summit series itself is an initiative that links up leadership conferences under a single theme that aims to unify Fil-Am organizations across the country, a challenge that groups have long envisioned. Three months since the first summit, the collaboration between conferences has spanned over 5,000 miles, been hosted in locations of large Pilipino populations, and has allowed hundreds of next generation leaders to futher gain importantant tools, networking opportunities, and empowerment, all of which will be of value as they themselves will use such resources to engage their local Fil-Am communities.

Indeed, EPYC continues what it's partner summits have provided for Fil-Ams in Hawaii and the East Coast but with one unique aspect: it will be the lead-in event for the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Empowerment Conference. Based from personal experiences, I can see this as an important and beneficial component for a young Fil-Am: the aforementioned knowledge and tools that would be learned in EPYC can then be applied immediately in the next day as attendees mingle and continue to learn with veteran Fil-Am leaders.

Connections with those older than us who are attending the larger NaFFA Conference is important and the knowledge that they share will help in our own experiences. Here, we see the amazing things that collaborating and engaging can lead to. EPYC aims to help us transition from from a college to community organizer, providing us with the framework fitting for us as we make the transition and reminding us that we as millenial Fil-Ams are not alone, both within and outside our generational barriers.

Lastly, it's an event that gives us an important reminder: stay involved. For many, involvement with Fil-Am groups drops after graduating with a pleathora of reasons to go with it (career obligations, convenience, burn-out, dedicating time for other concerns, etc.) Unfortunately what goes with such disconnect is potential skills, manpower, and nascent passion that community groups need in order to continue their mission in serving the Fil-Am population. As what an older attendee told me in an anime convention: "the only time I would've brought this [convention] for our group was when I was young and stupid...not when I'm old and wise." Indeed, imagine what can happen when we haven't been leveled by years of trial and error and choose to dare...and imagine how much it can bring for Pilipinos here in the US and in the Philippines.

And we will see those who dared: keynote speakers, attendees, fellow Fil-Ams who went against the status quo and gunned to bring their visions, their dreams to the realm of reality. These individuals made their move and are now more than willing to share insight from their successes at EPYC and the Empowerment Conference. From then, it's your turn...Your Move.

Top photo image credit: official EPYC website

Public School in the Philippines: Rule and Renewal

For better or worse, American colonial rule has left several legacies in the Philippines, from governmental structure to popular culture. The Pilipino public education system is no exception.

When the United States took control over the Philippines in 1898, one of their first tasks was to implement an Americanized public school system that would educate the Pilipino people and enlighten them about the American way. By 1901, the United States sent over 600 teachers dubbed as “Thomasites.” On the one hand, the shift towards an Americanized public system led to drastically improved literacy rates throughout the Philippines, free primary education for all, and the founding of the University of the Philippines, the nation’s first public university.

On the other hand, controlling the entire country’s education system was another means of maintaining imperial authority over Pilipinos, using the classroom to quell nationalistic ideas and impose Western values. As English became the official language of the Philippines, it also became the primary language of instruction for students over their native tongue. According to psychologist Kevin Nadal, the legacy of the Thomasites continues even today as “most Philippine educational systems have adopted American curricula, although it may not necessarily be culturally appropriate.” The extent of indoctrination that the United States has imposed over the years has stricken many Pilipinos with a colonial mentality through which they learn to value Western ideals over native ones.

In many ways, the purpose for establishing a public education system in the Philippines is similar to the origin of public schools in the United States. The father of American public schools, Horace Mann, believed that “public schools should be means of social control through the teaching of Christian based morals.” This factory-model that the American public school system was founded upon is now being highly contested by education reformers in the United States who argue that the standardization of student learning stifles the creativity and critical thinking skills that are necessary to be competitive in today’s global economy.

As American education reformers are diverging away from the old standardizing model of education, the Philippines is following suit. In 2001, the Philippines adopted a reform program on school-based management, an approach that decentralizes the public education system and empowers local school officials to charge their own curriculum design and administration. School-based management has been shown to “yield various positive results such as improved academic performance of students [and] increased participation of parents and the community.”

In 2002, the Makabayan curriculum was introduced to improve critical and creative thinking development and promote Pilipino values. Makabayan is described as “a learning area that serves as a practice environment for holistic learning to develop a healthy personal and national self-identity” and includes subjects such as social studies, music, health education, and values education.

So what might this mean for the upcoming generations of young educated Pilipinos? We can hope that these reform efforts will develop proud citizens who value the strengths of their culture and confidently skilled students who will help propel the Philippines into a world player. Of course, when it comes to the complex issue of education there are still loads of problems waiting for solutions, from resources to poverty and accessibility. Perhaps this is at least one step in the right direction.

Photo Credit: philippines1900.tumblr.com

Taking advantage of the low cost airline revolution in the Philippines

Within this past decade we've witnessed a revolution when it comes to air travel in the Philippines. Spearheaded by Cebu Pacific's expansion and transformation to a low-cost carrier (LCC) model similar to AirAsia and Ryanair, we've seen more competition and more affordable fares to destinations within the Philippines and across the region. Air travel became accessible to more Pilipinos whom for years prior have been locked out due to the pricing and the monopoly that Philippine Airlines held until the 1990s. According to Airports Council International, Ninoy Aquino International Airport served just shy of 13 million passengers in 2003; fast forward to 2012 and that number has more than doubled to almost 32 million!

And just as the skies became more accessible for more Pilipinos, it also means we balikbayans are able to see more of what the Philippines and the rest of Asia has to offer while we’re back! Thanks to Cebu Pacific and other LCCs that have proliferated across Asia, I’ve been able to visit almost all ASEAN nations (Brunei and Laos being my holdouts) without destroying my George Costanza wallet. When timed correctly, I’ve been able to pay around $100 roundtrip for tickets to Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Sounds pretty neat considering at best I could get at home with that same hundred bucks is just a hop to Vegas! And I've seen folks bagged cheaper ones! With the eventual ASEAN open skies and bilateral agreements with nations like Japan opening up more flights, the possibilities grow even further!

To make the most of what these LCCs have to offer, you really have to plan ahead: whenever Cebu Pacific has its legendary Piso fares, they’re usually for travel dates that are months in advance. And while the base fare may be just a Piso or two, additional costs such as a “web admin fee”, fuel surcharges, airport fees (for certain flights), and taxes aren’t incorporated but even then it still works out as a great deal.

For example, Cebu Pacific's P1 is to Juan sale has special fares such as a 1 Piso base fare combined the taxes and fees as well as extras like a seat assignment and a twenty kilogram (forty four pounds) prepaid luggage allowance ends up being about fifty US dollars. Not bad! However be warned: making changes to itineraries may end up being more expensive than the fare you originally paid for; the key is to have generous amounts of flexibility if you want to make this worthwhile!

As for the fare sales themselves, it can be a challenge trying to catch them considering the time difference between here and the Philippines. You can sign up for the mailing lists that airlines may offer which will alert you of any upcoming sales. Alternatively, liking the Facebook pages of these LCCs should help in keeping your eyes peeled for any upcoming sales while you get your social networking fix (as well as exposing yourself to Cebu Pacific's corny puns...I still have "You say Dubai, I say hello" still stuck in my head.)

Patience is also a virtue as the websites of these airlines might load at a snail's pace due to the influx of bargain hunters taking advantage of these sales. And speaking of websites, note that LCCs don't typically list their fares in major travel engines such as Orbitz or Expedia so you'll have to lurk between each airline's own pages to do more price shopping.

I'm sure a part of you is asking: how do these airlines profit from these fares? In essence, they don't. Revenue management at LCCs set aside only a certain amount of seats that are available for promo fares while balancing the inventory for the more expensive but widely available "year-round fares." However throwing in the possibility of ancillary fees (seat assignment, checked bags, insurance, etc.), the aforementioned change fee, the occasional no-show traveler, etc. the airline closes in on the break-even gap on those seats dedicated for promo fares.

There's so much to see both within the Philippines and in neighboring countries. The next time you make that long-haul trek to visit family, do take time to see what else the region has to offer! Thankfully the rise of these LCCs have made it even more possible!

Photo Credit: Cebu Pacific