What educators can learn from Mamasapano massacre

As a patriotic and nationalistic Filipino, what do you think about this video?
from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTNNwP-Iobc

How about this?



from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5XlPdJr-2w

"arrogance" "doublespeak" "lack of leadership"

"should take responsibility" "fiasco"

These are harsh words, in fact, disgusting as well as insulting, for a nation who put their hope and thrust in a president who proved to be a weakling. For a man whose parents are heroes but instead takes after a sister who blemished the family's reputation, who would be proud to have Pnoy as a leader and father of a nation? If a student would honestly tell what he/she thinks about the ambiguity of Pnoy's stand, how should a Filipino educator respond?

The Mamasapano issue is a very good material and now is an ideal teachable moment for almost all subject areas to infuse values and morality. For a "highly respectable person" he should not have acted like a young brat when he berated some members of the clergy in front of the Holy Father. When he attended a ribbon cutting ceremony instead of grieving for the Fallen 44, I asked myself if Pnoy simply lacks sensitivity or he lacks common sense; maybe he lacks both. For a student to ask a teacher, "Bakit po sinasabing walang delikadesa si Pnoy at si Purisima?" it means we adults must have done something right in forming the young. As for what our president and his friends are doing, we still need to ask, what kind of education has the Catholic schools and the Filipino society have done to create such monsters?

A leader must know where his loyalty lies, in his friends whom he trusted? from whom he owes his success or to what is right and true? For teachers who needed to reprimand students, it is easy to use school policies as bases of our arguments. However, we sometimes find ourselves too emotional because some students remind us of our own personal issues. In the process of redeeming our self esteem, we forget that our duty is to help the young rectify their mistakes and renew their self-worth. Instead, we lose our dignity by allowing us to compromise our principle  and unconsciously lose our dignity. Let us remember that every white lie that we allow our students to make or any laxity for discipline that we tend to dismiss, puts our students at risk of losing their soul to the devil. For educators, most especially those who hold administrative position, keeping our integrity and upholding the truth becomes more difficult. In any organization, relationships tend to become political at some degree. Even the president highlighted his personal relationship and his "utang na loob" and "pinagsagmahan" when Purisima resigned as PNP director.


from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6GvGLnMhxA

The Mamasapano incident only shows us that when a leader rules with dishonesty and inconsistency; when persons in charge refuse to take full responsibility or protects on the basis of personal reasons; when the ambiance has become too toxic because of so much deception, and when the standards become compromised, an organization is headed for doom. If we know that our colleague is already committing a disgrace, should we keep mum about it or should we make our own sacrifice for the sake of what is right and true? Would you be like Pnoy or would you lose a friend to save your own dignity? As role models, educators must always uphold truth and justice.  In the enterprise we find ourselves - that is, EDUCATION, how difficult it is to encourage every stakeholder to follow the same level of professional ethics. However, regardless of the social changes or social mores, Christian values remain steadfast and we should never forget that when we deal with moral values, we must keep in mind that we are like stewards of the future. Whatever our students become in the future, me must have taken part in their journey.

There are protocols in the workplace simply because they keep things in order and to provide a system for transparency. As a Catholic educator and as a true Christian, each of us has the responsibility to choose between truths and uphold what is good and just for all. I have never read a Catholic reference that says "we have the liberty to choose between good and evil" for true freedom applies only when we are discerning between two truths. As a teacher, and molder of future leaders, what is the message of the Fallen 44 to you?