YOUTH SOCIAL AUDIT PROJECT

You will investigate one local issue among 8. You are tasked to analyze the issue, know what the government is doing or not doing regarding this concern and score the performance of your local government.

This project aims to highlight the importance of being critical and discerning citizens. It also aims to foster creative thinking in solving community problems. This also aims to bring our local government into account on how young citizens see its performance.

Format:

1. Cover Page (Write the following)

Youth Social Audit Project

“Write your area of concern”

New Constitution

Name of members

Section

Name of instructor

2. Introduction (at least one paragraph)

3. What is the Present Situation of your area of concern in Cagayan de Oro City? Explain exhaustively and cite facts and figures. (At least two paragraphs)

4. Issue Analysis: What do you think are the causes/reasons why we have the present situation? Explain and cite facts, historical events, or former decisions of government.

5. What are the Existing Local Government Interventions?

• What are the present Programs or policies of the local government that addresses the situation? (At least two paragraphs)

6. Recommendations:

• As a member of the youth population, what can you concretely do to help improve the situation? What youthful Programs do you suggest?

(At least 2 paragraphs)

• As a citizen, what do you specifically recommend to the local government? Provide specific suggestions and plan of action with a short term, medium term, and long term time perspective. Please elaborate and explain you recommendation

(At least 3 paragraphs)

Example:

	Short term	Medium term	Long term
Enhance peace and order of the city	Increasing intelligence fund to 20%	Increase barangay police visibility	Creation of a city command center

Explanation….

7. Over-all grade (Choose one grade: F, D, B-, B, A-, A)
   1. Why that grade? (At least 2 paragraphs)

8. Documentation (provide pictures of your interviews or investigations)

Sources: Sunstar News/ Gold Star Daily News / Cagayan de Oro Info Network Page / Interview with officials

DEADLINE: ON OCTOBER 7, 2015. EARLY SUBMISSION WILL HAVE EXTRA POINTS

Submit: Short Bond paper, 1 inch all sides, Cambria font size 12, 1.5 spacing.

Areas of Concern ( 1 per group)

1. Local Public Secondary Education

2. Social services and Safety nets for the poor

3. Peace and order Situation

4. Disaster Preparedness and Management

5. Solid Waste Management Program

6. Socialized Housing and Relocation Sites

7. Agriculture and food security

8. Traffic and Public Transportation Infrastructure

Teaching Judicial Power to College Students

• Start with a recap of the 3 branches of government and their functions

• Recall as well the game we used to start our semester, the trading game. Imagine that if you have some grievances against a trader or a trader deceived you or stole your goods, what is your recourse? Will just simple get it from him? In our daily life, how would be settle disputes if conciliation or arbitration proved futile?

• This question will lead them to see the role of the judiciary in the daily life of the nation. We then move to the constitutional text:

Section 1. The judicial power shall be vested in one Supreme Court and in such lower courts as may be established by law.

Judicial power includes (so not limited to this)  the duty of the courts of justice to settle actual controversies involving rights, which are legally demandable and enforceable, and to determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch or instrumentality of the Government.

• We then talk about the exclusive power of the Legislature to create courts and then the hierarchy of courts in the Philippines. The definition can be better explained by these questions: 1. Can the Supreme Court kill a bill? (No, because of separation of powers) 2. Can the Supreme Court kill a law (Yes because of checks and balances and Judicial Review)?   
• For practical knowledge, we also include a brief discussion on the Barangay Conciliation System where students might have seen this process in their communities. It is important to highlight what kind of actions need not go to the barangay. This knowledge is important for them to at least know their remedies.

• For their case application, these are the questions given to the working groups:

1.     President X, a lawyer, has a former classmate in law school named Y. Y was an intelligent and independent judge of the Regional Trial Court. One afternoon, they met in a coffeeshop near Malacanang. Y shared to the President that we wanted to become a Justice of the Court of Appeals. When the appointment day came, the name of Y is not among the list approved by the Judicial and Bar Council. Can the President still appoint him as justice of the Court of Appeals? P 134

2.     In Criminal Cases, the place of trial or venue shall be in the place where the crime happened. In the Maguindanao Massacre, the trial was not held in Maguindanao. It was moved to Quezon City by order of the Supreme Court. Can this be done? P 146

3.     The Supreme Court issued a new Rule called the “the Rule on the Issuance of a Writ of Kalikasan”. It is a remedy where any person can file in court in order to stop a construction of a building that would gravely threaten the environment in the area. Congressman X challenged this Rule by saying that the Supreme Court has no power to make such Rule because it requires a law, not just a “rule” made by the Supreme Court. Decide. P 146

4.     You have paid all necessary fees and submitted all necessary documents in order for you to get a title of your new land in the newest Subdivision in Cagayan de Oro. However after weeks, the Registry of Deeds did not issue your title even though everything is accomplished. What kind of remedy will you use? (Certiorari? Prohibition? Mandamus? Quo Wrranto? Hebeas Corpus?) Why? P 144-145

5.     You are the Solicitor General or the official lawyer of the Republic. There are reports that reveal some corporations are operating in fake franchise. The President wants to dissolve these fake corporations. What remedy will you use? (Certiorari? Prohibition? Mandamus? Quo Wrranto? Hebeas Corpus?)

6.     You are the Mayor of Makati. A plunder is case was filed against you in the Office of the Ombudsman. After the investigation conducted by the Ombudsman, she has found out that there is probable cause to issue a suspension order against you that will last for 6 months. You deeply believe that the Ombudsman is biased against you and that the case was mere fabrication to harass you politically. You do not want the suspension to push through, what remedy will you file? (Certiorari? Prohibition? Mandamus? Quo Wrranto? Hebeas Corpus?) P 144-145

7.     You are a lawyer. Your friend, a mother, just had a big fight with his husband. They separated and filed for legal separation in court. The court awarded the custody of the child to the mother. The father has visitation rights once every Saturday. One day, the father asked the mother if he could accompany the child in watching a new Disney movie in Centrio. The father did not return the child anymore. What is your remedy? (Certiorari? Prohibition? Mandamus? Quo Wrranto? Hebeas Corpus?) P 144-145

There is another set of cases where students will decide if they have to proceed to the Barangay for conciliation. This is given along the cases on Judicial Power

• I will sue MUST because they withholding my diploma. Will I need to go to the barangay?

• I have a land in Malaybalay Bukidnon and I am a resident of Barangay 7, Cagayan de Oro City. I just heard from my relatives that some people are occupying my land in Malaybalay without my consent. I want to file an action for ejectment. Will I need to go to the barangay?

• Person X is a friend who lives in Bulua. I live in Iponan. Person X has loaned money from me last month worth 10,000. Until now, he is not paying me. I want to enforce the loan in the small claims court in the hall of justice. Will I need to go to the barangay?

• Your brother was arrested by armed police personnel and you did not see him ever since. You are so desperate and you want to find your brother. You want to file a writ of Habeas Corpus, do I have to go to the barangay?

• I am a worker in SM. I was not paid for 2 months now! I want my salary! Will I need to go to the barangay where SM is located?

• Person X made utang to me worth 500,000. He is my neighbor actually. But then I want this to be settled once and for all. I want to file a case for collection of utang in the court plus an additional remedy called “attachment of property” so that If ever he has no cash, the “Attached” property can be sold and the money gained from the sale will be given to me. Do I need to go to the barangay?

• Person X was caught stealing your cellphone red handed. He was arrested by the local Police. He was detained in the Police Station. Do you need to go to the barangay and meet in him in order for you to file criminal charges against him?

As supplemental material, We also discussed about a remedy called Small Claims. This is a practical knowledge for students who wonder what remedy is available for simple collection of money.

Game of Thrones Challenge: Presidential Powers

Hi CE1H Class. Your task is simple. You have to improve your nation as set by the information below. You have to use AT LEAST four Presidential Powers. You will report this on Wednesday next week. Please have an impressive and detailed report.

Here is a sample picture so improve on it

• Name of Country: Country of the North (Group 4) 

Population:	90,000,000
Tax Revenues:	6 Trillion Pesos
Income per capita per month:	Php 418,000
Poverty Incidents:	3%
Life Expectancy:	85 years old
Crime rate: (% of chance you be victim of crime)	12%
Literacy rate: (% of population )	95%
Child Mortality rate:	.02%
Gini Coefficient: (zero = more equal, 1 = more unequal)	0.60
Competitive ranking	1st
Corruption perception index:	7th least corrupt

Country North is a highly industrialized country, and a major international aid donor. However, its society is becoming highly unequal where only a very small population holds more than half of the wealth. It has powerful military that can also police other nations.

 

Use at least 4 Presidential Powers to improve your nation. Chapter XI p 120. In a white cartolina. Divide the cartolina into two. Draw in the left side how your capital city looks like in the present and in the opposite side, draw how your capital city would look like after you have implemented your programs. Be creative. Color it so it is presentable.

• Name of Country: Country of the Mountain and the Vale (Group 2)

Population:	70,000,000
Tax Revenues:	4 Trillion Pesos
Income per capita per month:	Php 315,000
Poverty Incidents:	10%
Life Expectancy:	80 years old
Crime rate: (% of chance you be victim of crime)	25%
Literacy rate: (% of population )	85%
Child Mortality rate:	4 %
Gini Coefficient: (zero = more equal, 1 = more unequal)	0.65
Competitive ranking	2nd
Corruption perception index:	6th

Country of the Mountain and the Vale is a newly highly industrialized country. It however has been reckless in its environmental stewardship. Other countries point to this country as the contributor of climate change. Though they have excellent health care programs, they still are massive in pollution.

Use at least 4 Presidential Powers to improve your nation. Chapter XI p 120. In a white cartolina. Divide the cartolina into two. Draw in the left side how your capital city looks like in the present and in the opposite side, draw how your capital city would look like after you have implemented your programs. Be creative. Color it so it is presentable.

• Name of Country: Country of the Isles and Rivers (Group 3)

Population:	70,000,000
Tax Revenues:	2 Trillion Pesos
Income per capita per month:	Php 250,000
Poverty Incidents:	15%
Life Expectancy:	75 years old
Crime rate: (% of chance you be victim of crime)	35%
Literacy rate: (% of population )	80%
Child Mortality rate:	10 %
Gini Coefficient: (zero = more equal, 1 = more unequal)	0.45
Competitive ranking	3rd
Corruption perception index:	5th

Country of the Isles and Rivers is an upper-middle income country about to break into the exclusive newly industrialized club of nations. However, its government has been aggressive in building military presence and reclaiming islands in the sea near Country of the Rock. Many nations are weary of its military growth.

Use at least 4 Presidential Powers to improve your nation. Chapter XI p 120. In a white cartolina. Divide the cartolina into two. Draw in the left side how your capital city looks like in the present and in the opposite side, draw how your capital city would look like after you have implemented your programs. Be creative. Color it so it is presentable.

• Name of Country: Country of the Rock (Group 1)

Population:	70,000,000
Tax Revenues:	900 Billion Pesos
Income per capita per month:	Php 100,000
Poverty Incidents:	20%
Life Expectancy:	69 years old
Crime rate: (% of chance you be victim of crime)	35%
Literacy rate: (% of population )	75%
Child Mortality rate:	20 %
Gini Coefficient: (zero = more equal, 1 = more unequal)	0.45
Competitive ranking	4th
Corruption perception index:	4th

Country of the Rock is a middle-income country that still struggles with higher crime rates and a 20% poverty incident. The nation is still establishing reforms in the structure to sustain economic growth. However, there present tension with Country of the Isles and Rivers are causing some investors to be scared.

Use at least 4 Presidential Powers to improve your nation. Chapter XI p 120. In a white cartolina. Divide the cartolina into two. Draw in the left side how your capital city looks like in the present and in the opposite side, draw how your capital city would look like after you have implemented your programs. Be creative. Color it so it is presentable.

• Name of Country: Country of Stormlands (Group 5) 

Population:	50,000,000
Tax Revenues:	500 Billion Pesos
Income per capita per month:	Php 50,000
Poverty Incidents:	26%
Life Expectancy:	63 years old
Crime rate: (% of chance you be victim of crime)	45%
Literacy rate: (% of population )	70%
Child Mortality rate:	20 %
Gini Coefficient: (zero = more equal, 1 = more unequal)	0.55
Competitive ranking	5th
Corruption perception index:	3rd

Country of Stormlands has just gained Independence. It is starting to build its presence in the international community. However, only Country of the Drone, Country of the Reach and Country of the Rock recognize it as a state. It has yet to create a competent council of advisers. It wants to build a very competent bureaucracy.

Use at least 4 Presidential Powers to improve your nation. Chapter XI p 120. In a white cartolina. Divide the cartolina into two. Draw in the left side how your capital city looks like in the present and in the opposite side, draw how your capital city would look like after you have implemented your programs. Be creative. Color it so it is presentable.

• Name of Country: Country of the Reach (Group 6) 

Population:	70,000,000
Tax Revenues:	200 Billion Pesos
Income per capita per month:	Php 30,000
Poverty Incidents:	33%
Life Expectancy:	55 years old
Crime rate: (% of chance you be victim of crime)	50%
Literacy rate: (% of population )	55%
Child Mortality rate:	35 %
Gini Coefficient: (zero = more equal, 1 = more unequal)	0.67
Competitive ranking	6th
Corruption perception index:	2nd

Country of the Reach is a lower income country. It has limited resources and the government is contemplating borrowing money from the World Bank.

Recently, the nation has been under a corruption scandal among its highest department officials. The people are so angry that some military reports are saying that a revolutionary army is forming.

News reports also show that the corruption is so rampant in the bureaus and debarments and the people are calling for the president to exercise his powers.

 

Use at least 4 Presidential Powers to improve your nation. Chapter XI p 120. In a white cartolina. Divide the cartolina into two. Draw in the left side how your capital city looks like in the present and in the opposite side, draw how your capital city would look like after you have implemented your programs. Be creative. Color it so it is presentable.

• Name of Country: Country of the Drone (Not assigned)

Population:	70,000,000
Tax Revenues:	100 Billion Pesos
Income per capita per month:	Php 7,000
Poverty Incidents:	45%
Life Expectancy:	50 years old
Crime rate: (% of chance you be victim of crime)	60%
Literacy rate: (% of population )	40%
Child Mortality rate:	50 %
Gini Coefficient: (zero = more equal, 1 = more unequal)	0.55
Competitive ranking	7th
Corruption perception index:	1st

Country of the Drone is lower income country with an ongoing internal rebellion of its minority population in the east. The Capital city is far from the war zone but reports show that the rebels are advancing. The government does not have enough resources to maintain an army. The rebels demand greater autonomy and amnesty if the war will be finished.

Use at least 4 Presidential Powers to improve your nation. Chapter XI p 120. In a white cartolina. Divide the cartolina into two. Draw in the left side how your capital city looks like in the present and in the opposite side, draw how your capital city would look like after you have implemented your programs. Be creative. Color it so it is presentable.

For your personal consumption, here are the exercise questions:

1. Person X was born in Cagayan de Oro City with a Filipino mother and an American father on June 12, 1970. He went to the United States when he was 15 years old. What he did there was simply to finish his college degree as a student visa holder. Person X’s total stay in the United States was 20 years. He went home after that 20 years. He wants to run for President in the 2016 elections. He comes to your group to ask advice. Can Person X run for the Presidency? Yes or No. Please cite your legal argument. What are the qualifications of to run for the Presidency?

 

 

2. Given that Person X won the Presidency, can he run for a second term? What if Person X won the Vice-Presidency then Person Y won the Presidency in the 2016 elections. In 2018, President Y resigned after a corruption scandal. So Vice-President X became president. Can he run for the Presidency in 2022?

3. The President as the chief executive has the power to propose the budget and execute the law. In the 2016 budget, the President proposed a budget of 2 Billion for the purchase of F-14 Jet fighters to help us build a credible defense against China. Congress only approved 1 Billion. The President decided that since the budget has been decreased, it would be impractical to buy cheaper jet fighters. So he decided not to pursue the purchase of the jet fighters even if there is already a 1 Billion Pesos allocation. Can he do that?

4. The President joined a house party with the family of the Senate President. The President was so drunk during that party that he lost his ability to walk straight. During the after party, he lost his temper and pushed a waiter and the waiter fell from the 3^rd The waiter died 3 days after. The family of the waiter wants to file criminal charges against the President. The family came to you, what is your advice? In the reverse, if the President was the one who was injured, can the President file criminal charges against the waiter?

5. The President was a former professor of the Ateneo in its economics program. During his presidency, he wants to teach economics to foreign diplomats in the Ateneo. This program was organized by the Ateneo de Manila University for its Masteral in Public Administration. Can the President do that? He also appointed his half-brother as Secretary of Justice, can he do that? He also is a share holder of a mining company who is asking for a franchise in Congress, can he do that?

6. President and the Vice-President (elected in 2016) wanted to go the Hong Kong Disneyland to relax since their job was so stressful. Also, they want to meet OFWs in Hong Kong. On the way to Hong Kong (lost in June 14, 2017), their airplane crashed and never found. Who will become President? Is he a permanent president or merely an acting president? Should a SNAP election be conducted? What If only the Vice- President died because the President was amble to use his built jetpack, who can become Vice-President?

7. 2 years into his term, President X began to act very strangely. He would often times talk to himself. He would also eat weird things around Malacanang such as insects and raw leaves. The Cabinet members are alarmed. They believe he is possessed by some kind of spirit from the big balite tree in Malacanang. They have lost confidence in the ability of the President to lead the nation. What can the Cabinet members do in this situation? If the cabinet succeeded in their action, he is later confined in a mental hospital, are the cabinet members obliged to report the state of health of the person X to the nation? Who should not be denied access to Person X in this scenario?

Bitayin ang Kurap: Teaching Basic Institutional Corruption to College Students

Topic: Institutional Corruption

Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes.

In our Rizal class, I had the occasion to link one of the major ideas of the Noli Me Tangere to a contemporary social ill – corruption.

Rizal lamented about Spanish abuses and corruption more than a hundred years ago. If he would be alive today, I could not imagine how his face would look like upon seeing all this unraveling corruption stories day after day in the news.

This might be an exaggerated claim but it seems that he may have died for nothing or, ok, something.I figured that it would be important for the class to at least possess a conceptual tool to understand corruption and think of ways of mitigating it.

This, I believe, is important since I am sure these students will hold positions of influence in various capacities soon. Having influence requires one to also understand its dark-potential.So as what Senator Palpatine (or something like this) said to young Anakin Skywalker, “For you to understand to full power of the force, you have to understand even its dark side”.

So this is in some respects that attempt to understand the anatomy of the dark side.

I made reference to the researches of corruption expert Robert Klitgarrd.

We start with 2 questions thrown to the class:

What is corruption?

Have you done acts of corruption?

Most of them answered about the idea of taking money not rightfully theirs and about selfishness and plunder heard in the news. Make a list on the board. Then reveal to them that there are two ideas that can categorize their answer namely (1) corrupt personal values such as greed and envy (2) there are structural breeders of corruption such as monopolies and dynasties.

Then proceed to the definition to link their concept:

Corruption defined:

It is the misuse of public power for private gain.

We then highlight that the topic will dwell more on the structural breeders of corruption.

To satisfy this, we will use Klitgarrd’s corruption axiom as an introduction to understanding the structural anatomy of corruption.

CORRUPTION = MONOPOLY + DISCRETION – ACCOUNTABILITY

• Monopoly means the lack of competition or that power to decide on things rests on a single person or to a very small group of persons. So to counter, there should be decentralisation, competition or privatisation of some processes.

• Discretion means making use of personal judgment. If there is no criteria or guidelines in how to decide on matters, discretion maybe abused. So to counter, there should be clear guidelines to limit discretion.

• Lack of accountability means no other power is looking at the decision maker. There is no or little audit from a superior, from a subordinate or from an organized public.

The class is again grouped according to their working team. They are tasked to develop simple policies for them to mitigate corruption scenarios given to them.

Here are the scenarios:

1.    Corporation X is into the coal plant business. They wanted to build a coal plant in a very strategic area. However, that area is a protected wild life area, which requires the approval of the environmental agency. Corporation X through its group of lobbyist gave the head of the agency in the area P 10,000,000 for the approval of the permit to build. They got their way and the coal plant was built.

2.    Mayor X has many relatives who are businessmen in his municipality. During the mayor’s first term, he contracted many of the businesses of these relatives for public projects. The mayor made a secret deal to have 10% of the projects be diverted to his campaign fund.

3.    The Customs agent of Port X has the power to decide which item within a cargo can inspected. The owners of some imported goods paid the custom agents P 100,000 so he will not inspect the goods in cargo no. 41. As a result, the owners did not pay any customs fee.

4.    The LGU called for a bidding process for the construction of a school building. 5 companies were invited to a closed door bidding process. During the bidding, the company whose owners are relatives of the mayor won the bidding.

5.    A city councilor has several campaign supporters who are seeking for a job. As a good councilor, he recommended their employment as “job-orders” in City Hall. However, for the new employees to retain their job, the councilor demands 10% from their salary for his personal campaign fund.

6.    A construction firm increased its prices for the road repair to 10% because the 5% goes to the Mayor and the other 5% goes to the city engineer. As a result, the roads were substandard and when the heavy rains came, the roads were easily destroyed.

7.    Under the rules, it is only the mayor who can decide what and from whom to buy office materials which has a total cost of less than Php 1,000,000. For a long time, the decision of the mayor has been to buy the office supply at Company X. Company X who sells office supplies happens to be the company of his brother.

The groups answered quite creatively with some mentioning “Crowdsourcing”, online publishing of bidding results, auditing, presence of CCTV cameras as well as an independent monitoring agency.

Synthesize the topic by showing pictures of how corruption can directly affect us. This is not only in terms of the lost money and opportunity but also in terms of direct damage to life. an example would be bribing a building inspector so substandard buildings will be built to save cost. Once an earthquake strikes, you know what will happen.

Corruption is an important topic that schools should talk about. it can be accommodated in the Political Science subject under the Accountability of Public Officers.

At least in an hour or so, the students acquired the conceptual tool in analyzing processes and derive interventions to mitigate corruption.

How to get a Harvard Education for Free

Have you heard about M-O-O-C-s before?

MOOC or Massive Open Online Course is a growing online service that offers structured learning on specific topics for free. It offers a myriad of courses from cooking, astronomy, engineering, law, economics, business, the Beatles, greek drama – name it.

It combines video lectures, interactive forums, online quizzes, and free materials to facilitate learning.

Since I discovered this almost 4 years ago through an awesome MOOC named Edx, I have never stopped enrolling. Enrolling is one thing though, finishing is another story. Courses usually run for more than one month so it would require commitment and sustained interest to finish all requirements. But of course, finishing the course brings a different kind of intellectual satisfaction.

It is in Edx that I got my first Harvard labeled certificate. Edx also offers courses from other Ivy League Universities. It has a pretty awesome user-friendly interface with interactive apps (depends on the course). I also got other courses on Law and Governance from http://www.iversity.com and http://www.coursera.org. 

After getting the passing grade (which differs per course), a certificate will be issued. Some MOOCs offer “premium” certificates with a fee. But I would settle with Edx’s certificate of participation since it has an authentication code as well.

Whatever course you take, the learning experience is undeniable. The best part in my experience with MOOC is interacting with other students. Some courses open a facebook group and you can exchange thoughts and practices with students around the world. This is one powerful experience.

This is a better way for you to spend time online. You meet same-minded people and most importantly, you build networks of learning. It opens up new whole worlds.

Here are my top 4 suggested MOOC websites:

1. edx.org
2. coursera.org
3. iversity.org
4. http://oyc.yale.edu/

Here are other great MOOC sites

1. Udemy Free Courses– Udemy is an example of a site allows anyone to build or take online courses.  Udemy’s site exclaims, “Our goal is to disrupt and democratize education by enabling anyone to learn from the world’s experts.”The New York Times reported that Udemy, “recently announced a new Faculty Project, in which award-winning professors from universities like Dartmouth, the University of Virginia and Northwestern offer free online courses. Its co-founder, Gagen Biyani, said the site has more than 100,000 students enrolled in its courses, including several, outside the Faculty Project, that charge fees.”
2. ITunesU Free Courses– Apple’s free app “gives students access to all the materials for courses in a single place. Right in the app, they can play video or audio lectures. Read books and view presentations.”
3. Stanford Free Courses–  From Quantum Mechanics to The Future of the Internet, Stanford offers a variety of free courses.  Stanford’s – Introduction to Artificial Intelligence was highly successful. According to org,“160000 students from 190 countries signed up to Stanford’s Introduction to AI” course, with 23000 reportedly completing.”  Check out Stanford’s Engineering Everywhere link.
4. UC Berkeley Free Courses– From General Biology to Human Emotion, Berkley offers a variety of courses.  Check out:  Berkeley Webcasts and Berkeley RSS Feeds.
5. MIT Free Courses– Check out MIT’s RSS MOOC feed.  Also see:  MIT’s Open Courseware.
6. Duke Free Courses– Duke offers a variety of courses on ITunesU.
7. Harvard Free Courses– From Computer Science to Shakespeare, students may now get a free Harvard education. “Take a class for professional development, enrichment, and degree credit. Courses run in the fall, spring, or intensive January session. No application is required.”
8. UCLA Free Courses– Check out free courses such as their writing program that offers over 220 online writing courses each year.
9. Yale Free Courses– At Open Yale, the school offers “free and open access to a selection of introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University. The aim of the project is to expand access to educational materials for all who wish to learn.”

Sources:

http://www.bdpa-detroit.org/portal/index.php?Itemid=20&catid=29:education&id=57:moocs-top-10-sites-for-free-education-with-elite-universities&option=com_content&view=article

College Guide to Legislative Power

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III delivers his 2nd State of the Nation Address (SONA) during the joint Senate and House session of Congress at the Plenary Hall, House of Representatives Complex, Constitution Hills, Quezon City Monday July 25, 2011. In the photo are Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. (Photo by: Robert Vinas/ Malacanang Photo Bureau).

Day 1: Composition of our Law Making Body

• We always go back to our historical roots in the introduction of this topic. In ancient societies, the inherent powers of the state are exercised through primitive laws or crude rules coming from the oral command of rulers. Ancient laws include Hammurabi’s Code and even the 10 Commandments. (invoke the memory of our Talipapa Game at the start of the semester)

• Law before was just a mere utterance of a king and written down for everyone to follow. It was during the Magna Carta (1215) that formal limitations to the exercise of power were put in a form of a contract. This is then the origin of constitutionalism and specifically to deliberative exercise of making laws.

• The Barons asked the King of England that they should first be consulted if new taxes are imposed. This “consultation” then evolved into an intricate system that is imbedded procedural and substantive rules in making laws.

• This tradition was implanted in the Philippines through the Americans (Who were former Englishmen). In 333 years of Spanish Occupation, the colonial power never introduced a concept close to a national law making body composed of natives nor Spanish. All laws for the colonies were made somewhere else.

• In our Constitutional set-up, legislative power is not exclusively vested in Congress. There is still a portion of the law making power vested directly in the people, which can be exercised though initiative or referendum. This is then related to the basic republican principle that sovereignty resides in the people.

Group Activity. Each group were tasked to elect 1 senator and 2 representatives. The senators and representatives are then tasked to fill out the following information in a manila paper.

1. Qualifications	5. One congressman for every?
2. Compositions	6. Party-list system
3. Prohibitions	7. Election day
4. Salaries and privileges

• After they have posted their work on the board, we shall then compare and contrast the House of Representatives and the Senate. Here are the basic highlights (some are omitted since they were just discussed as what can be seen in the textbook):

• Natural-born as a requirement as opposed to ordinary citizenship

• Age differences of the members reflect the different tasks of the houses of congress. Senate looks for more mature people since it is tasked to look issues at a national perspective. The House of Reps looks for a sufficient age to understand and lead their localities that is why being 25 years old is deemed sufficient.

• Being able to read and write as basic requirements: students always wonder why the requirements are so minimal. It can be open to abuse. We explained this by citing again our state being REPUBLICAN. It means we can run for office regardless of our stature in life and it should NOT be based on our property qualifications (which includes educational attainment).

• The composition of House of Representatives can be expanded by law to more than 250 members while in the Senate, it cannot unless there is a constitutional amendment. We can introduce here in passing the concept of the hierarchy of laws.

• Cite Current Events:

  

  Privilege from arrest? Not so if you are accused of a crime punishable by more than 6 years. Presumption of Innocence and political rights.

• We cited cases such as Meriam Santiago under the privilege of speech, the case of Congressman Jalosos who was able to win a seat in Congress even if in jail and the cases of the 3 jailed senators in relation to privilege from arrest, Cong Manny Pacquiao and his business interests in relation to the prohibitions.

• We also discussed the party-list system its purpose and its present state.

Day 2: The Steps in Making a Law

• The class starts with a recap and reviewing their previous homework where they identified 3 laws and identified what state policy it was based. The class should see what inherent power is the law based as well.
• The 2 limitations namely substantive and procedural were then discussed and the classification of powers.
• When then set our focus on the procedural limitations of power.
• The class was then divided again to their working group.
• Each group was given 4-5 cards with different parts of the law making process.
• Their task is to post in the blackboard where those parts belong. Is it in the 1^st reading, 2^nd reading, 3 reading, pre-legislation or presidential actions.

• Then discussion will proceed from their answers.
• We also discussed the difference between Bill and Law, Resolution and Law. This included a discussion on how many ways can we kill a bill or a law.

The Source: gov.ph

Day 3: The different Powers of Congress

• Class starts with a recap and then proceeds with the different Organizations within congress and its Leadership.
  • House Speaker
  • Senate President
  • Electoral Tribunal
  • Commission of appointment
• After the input, the classes are then again divided into groups and they are tasked to answer the following cases. They are to select one lawyer who will face the judge (instructor) and defend their answers.

• Congress ordered the secretary of Justice to appear before its committee in order to shed light on the happenings of the department and make a law to improve it. The Secretary of Justice objected saying that she, being an executive department head, could not be forced to appear because it is a violation of separation of powers. Decide

• Congress passed a law creating a sugar tax. According to the law, the collection of the sugar tax is given to the Sugar Corporation of Manila as subsidy. Sugar Corporation of Manila is a private company. Is the law valid?

• The President submitted his 2016 budget proposal worth 3 Trillion Pesos. Congress increased it to 3.3 Trillion Pesos. Is it valid?

• Congress passed a law giving donations directly to the Catholic Church for its schools and orphanages. Is the law valid?

• Congress passed a law taxing soft drinks. All Coca-cola products are taxed at 35% while all Pepsi products are taxed at 45%. Is the law valid? Why or why not?

• A mayor was forced to appear before a committee in Congress for a legislative investigation. He did not participate in the discussion and was so disrespectful and did not cooperate. He was ordered by the committee to be imprisoned until he cooperates. The mayor objected saying that such order is not valid because there is no warrant of arrest (only a court, not congress can issue a warrant of arrest). Decide

• The Congress declared war against China. After the war, the president declared amnesty (meaning the president has forgiven all traitors) for all Filipinos who helped China. Then after the President’s declaration of amnesty, the Congress impeached him. Are these within the scope of the legislative power?

• Each case is based on a distinct power/function/limitation of legislative power. It is then explained and elaborated.

Assignment

• Identify 3 priority Bills of Pnoy during the 2015 SONA.
• which do you support and why?

Confessions of a part-time College Instructor

Two midterm exams – that is what I am preparing for. One is for my 4^th year law school classes while the other one is for my New Constitution (Political Science) and Rizal Classes. The former, I am the student. The latter, I am the instructor.

I have been a college part-time instructor now for about a month plus – balancing a teacher-by-day, student-by-night mode. It is, in some way, a healthy rhythm when the circumstances push me to use time smartly. I forgot to mention that finally, I am obliged to wake up at 6 am for my 7:30 classes – just like high school all over.

In class, I have gone through the ceremonial getting to know you and settling process that goes along at the starting weeks. I am teaching 5 freshmen sections of a state university in the city – Mindanao University of Science and Technology. The class is a good mix – from engineering to communications and environmental studies. I can tell you I enjoy every moment of it. Sure, it is hard work preparing for class, but that deep sense of satisfaction that comes along seeing students nod when they see the connection in the lesson and in their lives, absolutely pays it all.

I guess this is the grace of being a college instructor. It provides you an opportunity to formally enter into the lives of a generation. So yes, teaching initially gives an opportunity to enter – like an open door. It is up to us what we to do with that access.

In this kind of work, I’ve realized that I do not emphasize value on how much a student can recall certain terms and requisites in the Constitution. There are of course some essential facts that they need to know by heart like the elements of a state, the inherent state powers, and the branches of government and what they do.

Above all this, what matters to me is them knowing why these things are important in the first place and through their answer, it can imprint in their mind a bigger reality of how the world works and how it ought to work.

For example, why is it that government is separated into 3 branches? Surely it would delay government action. But when they begin to compare this to earlier societies when power was concentrated to a few or a single person, it would show how destructive it could be.

I guess by seeing the “bigger picture”, students can connect the dots. And when they see the relationships between ideas and events, I believe they can build their own tools that can help them understand how power works. Coupling theories with current events and history gives us better learning outcomes. And it can somehow spur a better understanding of politics.

So what is the end goal? I guess I can say that I helped in their learning experience when they can articulate how to change the course of our national narrative. That might be too daunting considering that this is just for a sem. But it can be done even if it is just an approximation. If that can be shown in some class project or even through the change in their tone and in their framing on politics, then I can say to my self that I accomplished a mission. Let me be clear, i do not just want to parrot facts. I want to open minds.

I guess that is why I am so passionate about teaching political science. It is because this topic is not constrained with constants – such as the weight of protons or gravity in physics. Save some constant biological behavior that governs our political interactions, the rest are free to be formed. It is ours for the making.

We, as a society, can mold our destiny. The only difficult thing about teaching this topic is how time dependent it is. We have to see society’s evolution through long periods of time. Consequently, we can also expect to feel changes after long periods of time. And i do not know if our generation has the patience or interest in sowing seeds of change and letting our children and grand children reap the benefits.

Unlike building a house, building a nation is intergenerational. I rest my heart knowing that in this generation – 150 students strong – I did my best to help young people appreciate their importance in building a better and modern nation.

Teaching Suffrage and Political Orientation for College Students

Suffrage or the right to vote and to run for office is a concept best taught if we couple it with an analytic tool that could explain the behavior of voters and politicians.

That is what I realized when I saw the text in our workbook. The topic on suffrage contains only the basic need-to-know information such as the requirements of voting and types of elections such as initiative and referendum.

To provide a deeper and practical knowledge, doing a class activity on this matter can hopefully facilitate learning.

The activity has two aims:

1. For the class to have basic knowledge on the ideological differences of left and right
2. For the class to develop critical thinking and values clarification in building a political platform.

We started by dividing the class into 6 groups (well, depending on the class size). They are then given a tool to debate and fill-up. Here is the tool:

They are given in each policy area 100 pts and they are to allocate it depending on their agreed stance. They can put 0-100, 50-50 or any division they deem reflective of their values. The greater the value, the more they agree to it.

	Policy Choices	Point Allocation
Education	A. In Entry to universities, applicant’s income and ethnic background should be considered so marginalized students have higher chances of admission regardless of ability.	A.
	B. Entry to universities should be based on the applicant’s mental ability alone so that everything is fair.	B.
Economy	A. The government should increase corporate taxes to fund social services especially college education	A.
	B. The government should not increase taxes so that more investors will come in that means more jobs.	B.
Health	A. The government should continue to support the Reproductive Health Law	A.
	B. The government should not support the Reproductive Health Law since it violates our values	B.
Social Services	A. Cash benefits should be given to those who cannot find a job or those who are so poor.	A.
	B. Cash benefits should not be given because it promotes dependency or mendicancy. It will stop self-initiative.	B.
Censorship	A. Government should not heavily censor books and movies because this what is offensive to some is not offensive to all. It is freedom of expression.	A.
	B. Government should be able to censor books and movies with offensive language	B.
Minimum wage	A. The minimum wage is a great example of how the government can protect workers from being taken advantage of by businesses.	A.
	B. Businesses operate most efficiently when they determine how much their workers earn. Government should not set a minimum wage.	B.
Political Dynasties	A. Political Dynasties should be banned because they are a threat to our democracy.	A.
	B. Political Dynasties is not evil in itself. It is still the people who decide so we should not limit their options.	B.
Family Relations	A. Divorce should be provided since it affords people with no hope in their marriage to terminate relationships with minimal cost.	A.
	B. Divorce should not be provided because it is against our values and will destroy the family.	B.

20 minutes is allocated to the platform build-up activity. This is where they debate on the issues and share their personal views.

They are then tasked to create their own

1. Party name
2. Party tagline
3. Party presidential candidate

Each Presidential Candidate is then given 2 minutes to deliver a speech highlighting their policy priorities and persuade their classmates to choose their platform. There will be no actual voting after. The exercise will serve as a barometer of the class’ political attitude and valuing of the issues.

After the delivery of speeches, the facilitator then plots each group’s position relative to each other on a political spectrum. They will then see which one is more right or more left in the spectrum. They will see therefore the different values that people hold and how this greatly influence their political views.

	Left	Right
Values	Individualism, Equality, Social Justice	Economic Freedom, Personal Initiative, Traditional Values
Role of Government	Bigger role of government in economy (in terms of regulation)	Smaller role of government in economy (in terms of regulation)
Change	Faster Social Change	slower social change
Examples	Minimum wage, unionism, Conditional Cash Transfer Program, pro-choice, nationalization of key sectors, higher taxes for the rich	Pro-life, pro-capitalism, pro-private investments, privatization, lower taxes for the rich, trickle down economics,

We then synthesize by giving an input on the history and characteristics of the political spectrum and how this relates to their policy options. The closing activity is give the class a series of political statements and let them decide whether it leans more to the left, right or center.

P.S.

So far in my classes, 70% in all classes support the Reproductive health law. 60% support the minimum wage while others are evenly divided such as the passage of a divorce law. 

A College Student’s Guide to Privilege and Social Justice

Buzzfeed helped much our class today.

As we journey in Article 2 of the Constitution, the class highlighted the concept of social justice and its relation to privilege and history.

The students represent the population of a country.

Buzzfeed, in one of its articles, showed how a professor taught the concept of “privilege”. It was simple. He dragged a trashcan in front of the class. He instructed the students to write their names in a piece of paper and then crumple it into in a paper ball. The aim was to shoot their paper ball into the trashcan without standing. If they successfully shoot it, they are given addition 1,000 pts in their wealth (talipapa game). Successfully shooting means that they can move up the social ladder.

Of course, the first one to complain was the people at the back while the people in front was so happy.

That is what privilege looks like, the professor said. Privilege cannot easily be seen by the people in front because the goal is just a few inches away, while the people at the back have to struggle with their aim to even have a chance to shoot properly and hit the target.

Those in the front have the privilege. it was not their choice. it just so happens.

That is what society looks like. People at the bottom of the social pyramid has to struggle four times, five times more than those who are lucky enough to be born in the middle class where natal health services, good education, and an after school program are readily available and the well established networks of parents and friends can take care of the rest.

Yes, there were about 2 or 3 from the back who were able to successfully hit the target. They are the exception, not the general rule. They are the likes of people whose rags-to-riches story we idolize.

The point is – success stories should not be the exception; it should be the general rule.

You see, success can never be attributed to just to a person’s own hard work. It always entails a complex web of privilege. Lucky enough for those who are born to a decent middle class family for their social mobility to an upper class is statistically assured.

Being born in a certain class is not the only determining factor of life success, where you are born equally plays a vital role.

We demonstrated this point by giving a hypothetical. Let us say Person A has an IQ of 120. So as Person B. They have the same skill set and mental aptitude. The only difference is Person A is born and live in Tawi-tawi while Person B was born and live in Metro Manila. So, based in our reasonable conclusion (ceteris peribus), the most likely to move up in a different income bracket is Person B because his access to opportunities is closer.

I think that is what social justice calls us to respond. By fixing the structural injustices that has hampered social mobility and widen inequality.

In the words of Justice Azucena, Social Justice is the humanization of laws and the equalization of social and economic forces by the State so that justice in its rational and objectively secular conception may at least be approximated.

So in class, their response to this call was to “re-engineer” social arrangements. The class suggested to form a circle and relocate the trashcan at the middle of that circle. In this way, everybody had an equal chance to have a good aim at the bin. They may not be assured of hitting the target but at least all had the equal chance to aim properly. No property was taken away. The privileged was not deprived of anything. Those at the back were simply given the same equal chance to shoot.

Social justice justifies massive direct investments in the basic and poorer sectors of society. Policies manifesting this are the conditional cash transfer program, agrarian reform, social security, health insurance, scholarship grants and vocational courses. These aim to break the poverty trap of millions of poor families.

At the end, we should rethink our view about poverty. Let us not simply box it as a matter of fault – as if they deserves it. It is not premised from the suspicion that they are simply lazy. If you trace their family history, it will reveal an inter-generational source of poverty – that poverty is inherited – traceable to centuries ago. Poverty is a trap and the state should deploy its massive power to pull people out from that trap.

Source:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/nathanwpyle/this-teacher-taught-his-class-a-powerful-lesson-about-privil#.taLVmByRv

http://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/92208-billionnaires-dynasties-yayas

Talipapa Game and the Magna Carta

A student trading off his veggies

The Talipapa game was insightful. After one round of trading, the 3 wealthiest students where then given the chance to craft 2 rules. They decided to expropriate all title of land and all stores. They gave a few away to their friends. After the round, their wealth doubled while the majority dropped. Some already lost appetite in the game and others was clearly disgruntled. In the next round, I classified the class into 3 social groups (based on wealth) and each were given a chance to chose 2 representatives to represent their interest in the “royal court” of the 3 wealthiest students. After a heated discussion, the “royal court” reluctantly agreed to the compromise where they all gave away their low-point cards (fish and crops) to be distributed to the majority of “peasants” through their representatives. Some representative got a lot richer while the other maintained their wealth.

This was apparently a mini-simulation of the Manga Carta which we celebrate its 800th year. It was the first great milestone in constitutional development when for the first time, the absolute power of the sovereign was limited by the barons. That concept was implanted later on in the Philippines through Spain and USA.

Guide questions for processing:

1. Address the wealthiest students to share their thoughts
2. Also the poorest
3. Ask those who have no more incentive and no more hope to gain wealth
4. Ask about the tension when they decided the new policy
5. Ask the poorest what would be his proposal
   1. If he was in the shoes of the royal family, will his answer be the same?
6. What was their view about status and profit?
7. later on lead them to identify what are the unjust structures present
8. Identify what measures you think were just and can how the “royal court” improve it?

Guide points:

1. As we have discussed in the previous lesson, hereditary and patrimonial rule marked society in ancient times (kin, royal clan). Most ancient societies have absolute rulers who can take away anything at command.

2. As a state, what are its elements? As a state what are its inherent powers?

1. Expropriation = getting property with payment
2. Taxation = getting a proportion
3. Police power = imprison traders

3. It was during the 12^th century where the first limitation of the absolute power of the state came into contractual form – in the Magna Carta. This is the foundation of constitutionalism in western civilization.
4. It was later on implanted in the Philippines through Spain and the USA. Our study of the constitution therefore is the study of how we limit the otherwise absolute power of the state or in the case of the game – the royal court.

5. So the story of our study of the law is this: It is the story of how we limit and allocate the otherwise absolute power of the state