Philippines
Summary
The Filipinos were literate even before they were colonized by Spain, the United States of America, and Japan. They may no longer be physically colonized but the ballooning economic debt, for which they may not have fully benefited, curtails their freedom. More than 32 percent of the population lives below poverty level as of 1997. Their innate desire for knowledge has been reinforced by the hope that good education can provide upward economic mobility. Steps for the realization of this hope has been codified into the constitution of the Philippines, which categorically states that the highest budgetary priority shall be given to education.
Faced with a lack of employment opportunities in their home country, at least 4.5 million of the well-educated labor force have sought and found work in other countries. They have sent their earnings back to their families and relatives in the Philippines. Overseas remittances in 1997 had amounted to US$4.5 billion. This amount, however, does not rebound for the benefit of education or the people of the country. Debt servicing in the form of interest payments for the same year amounted in excess of US$4.5 billion, which comprised the majority of the annual budget, at 40 percent. However, the ingrained resilience of the Filipinos has produced a population with 95 percent literacy despite adverse times. The over-populated country has turned the manpower section of the population into its biggest export and income-earner. The Filipinos may yet learn lessons from their economic bondage and realize that education can provide not only upward economic mobility but also economic empowerment.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Acuña, Jasmin E., et al., eds. The Language Issue in Education. Manila: Congress of the Republic of the Philippines, 1994.
Casal, Fr. Gabriel, Eusebio Dizon, Wilfredo Ronquillo, and Cecilio Salcedo, eds. The Earliest Filipinos. Hong Kong: Asia Publishing Company Ltd., 1998.
Cenoz, Jason, and Fred Genesee, eds. Beyond Bilingualism: Multilingualism and Multilingual Education. Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters Ltd., 1998.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The World Fact-book 2000. Directorate of Intelligence, 1 January 2000. Available from http://www.cia.gov/.
Chua, Yvonne T. Robbed: An Investigation of Corruption in Philippine Education.Quezon City: Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, 1999.
Clemente, Alejandro W. Philippine Education in the 21st Century. Quezon City: 1996.
Coloma, Sonny. "Vector: Enhancing: Competitiveness Through Investments in Education." BusinessWorld (Philippines), 16 June 2000. Available from http://www.bworld.com.ph/.
Cortes, Josefina R. Explorations in the Theory and Practice of Philippine Education, 1965-1993. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1993.
Dolan, Ronald E., ed. Philippines: A Country Study. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1993.
Dy, Manuel B. Values in Philippine Culture and Education. Washington DC: Council for Research in Values & Philosophy, 1994.
Goodno, James B. The Philippines: Land of Broken Promises. London: Zed Book, 1991.
Gonzalez, FSC, Andrew. "The Future of Philippine Education: Trends, Issues and Challenges." Paper presented at the First Salesian Educator's Congress, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, 25 April 2000.
Patanne, E.P. The Philippines in the 6th to the 16th Centuries. San Juan, Manila: LSA Press, 1996.
Republic of the Philippines. Commission on Higher Education, 5 March 2001. Available from http://www.info.com.
Roces, Alfredo, and Grace Roces. Culture Shock! Philippines. Portland, OR: Graphic Arts Center, 1994.
Steinberg, David Joel. The Philippines: A Singular and a Plural Place. Boulder, Westview Press, 1990.
Sullivan, Margaret. The Philippines: Pacific Crossroads. New York, Dillon Press, 1993.
Sutaria, Minda C. et al., eds. Philippine Education: Visions and Perspectives. Metro Manila: National Book Store, 1989.
Swinerton, Nelson E. Philippine Higher Education: Toward the Twenty-First Century. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1991.
Task Force on Higher Education. The Philippine Higher Education in the 21st Century: Strategies for Excellence and Equity. Manila: The Task Force, 1995.
Zanini, Gianni. Philippines: From Crisis to Opportunity. Washington, DC: The World Bank, 1999.
—Juanita Villena-Alvarez and Victoria Villena
Additional topics
Education - Free Encyclopedia Search EngineGlobal Education ReferencePhilippines - History Background, Constitutional Legal Foundations, Educational System—an Overview, Preprimary Primary Education