hihi DS feels

Hi! smile emoticon

I know that there has been so much hate for the administration all over the country right now because of the recent events. However, I think that present administration should not be judged on this alone. Pia, Vince and I have attended the Metrobank Foundation Professional Chair for Public Service and Governance Lecture a while ago and had the opportunity to listen to Hon. Corazon Soliman as she shared to us some of the government's effort to address poverty. Thank you to DS, we actually understood what her presentation was all about. Her lecture was wittily entitled "Will the Poor Always Be With Us?". It is interesting to note that the government is using the entitlements approach to address development. I was happy to hear that she actually saw poverty just as Amartya Sen did: poverty as a result of the deprivation of basic capabilities rather than merely the lowness of income. Although much of the government's programs (i.e conditional cash transfers) can be criticized as unsustainable, it is quite remarkable to note that these programs actually work. By work, I mean motivating the citizens to achieve what they wish to become. Seeing that the government actually cared about them gave the beneficiaries hope for a better future. Among the government's efforts to address poverty are pushing for microenterprise development and employment facilitation. I can say that I agree with her when she said, "A strong democracy can be achieved through active citizenry and responsive government."

I actually want to write more about my feels regarding DS but goodness, I have been just too lazy to write. One thing you can actually be sure of, I am happy with my program. Despite the stress and academic disappointments, I still look forward to attending my classes (most of the time, at least). Indeed, I am so blessed to enjoy all these opportunities to learn.