ANSWER.

[darwinforthewin]

MODERN FIXATION

          If you’re reading this, it’s too late. Your device has already taken you. It’s going to be up to you now how easy or hard it will be for you to fight the urge to stay on it. One thing is for sure, technology is inevitable. From the very moment you tried reading this, you were already enjoying the benefits of technology. You used technology to do something that you wanted. Besides, you wouldn’t even be reading this without technology. Everywhere you go, whatever you do, there is technology. Technology has already become an essential part of our everyday lives and whether you like it or not, social media is a huge part of it.

           Now, social media is vitally useful in various ways. In fact, this is what helps us survive nowadays. Looking for jobs, finding solutions, deciding on what to eat, searching for a place to live, and most especially, getting connected with the people we know. Social media satisfies the needs of humans of having the desire of being part of something big. As a result of this, social media specifically produces identity that is akin to mob mentality allowing humans to be hyper-connected and unable to spend their time with real family and friends. (Koo, 2015).

           For students like me, social media is a must. There is no way you can efficiently accomplish a group task without using social media. Students of today were raised in an increasingly media-rich environment. (Perse & Lambe, 2017). It is inevitable for them to use any form of media for communication, connection, research, and many more. However, this could lead students to the overuse of media for it will inevitably be part of their everyday needs. Social media users specifically Facebook users tend to admit their excessive normal, usual, or planned amounts of time online. (Koo, 2015) Certainly, social media users like me are unable to take control of their online activity; hence, leading them to have negative academic, professional, and social consequences.

          Since technology plays an important role to me as a student, and to me as an individual, it is without a doubt that I need it every single day. With this, I can pretty much relate myself to the portrayals of young people using social media in the documentary The Social Dilemma. Even if it is not for the purpose of education, I still spend most of my time on my phone, if not, have my phone by my side, at all times of the day. This is because certain gadgets nowadays are most effectively and conveniently used for entertainment, communication, security, and most especially, for an emergency. Despite this, I grew up and was raised with the discipline to put limitations in everything. It has been part of the house rules that when we eat or when we spend time with family, we do not use our phones unless it is of great urgency and importance.

           The documentary The Social Dilemma reveals an essential portion of what you need to know inside the digital space. You may not have known yet but technology is getting way bigger and more advanced than you could have ever imagined. Everything you see on social media, what you’re seeing now, what you’re reading, what you’re looking at – all these are just tiny fragments of what the internet actually is. The Social Dilemma presents you with the adverse effects of technology and how it can actually be used as a system of manipulation that leads people into believing something that is not true. Because of the freedom that we can access in social media, businesses and politicians tend to overexploit the platform which, in effect, they use to create false publicities and deceptive propaganda that results in an overall sense of illusion for the vulnerable users of social media. After all, social media itself is a form of business.

           With the power of technology, I believe businessmen and politicians will continue to use it in the same way they are using it now. This is because technology has no limitations. As businesses, social media platforms earn through the running of advertisements. The only way they can grow their business further is to improve their method of revenue which is what they are doing now: use of cookies and personalization of advertisements. Anyhow, businesses need people and people need businesses. What makes the market mutually efficient for both parties is through the use of social media. As was mentioned in the documentary, people are the products of social media and that is how it really works. The time you spend on social media. which is the time you spend for your personal benefit, equates to earnings for the platform. Businesses will continue to advertise, whether it is for manipulation or promotion, because from the very nature of it that is how it works; this is explained by a common economic principle that nothing really is for free.

          As for politicians, the spread of fake news and cyber propaganda is prevalent. However, I believe that it will not be as prevalent as what it is now in the future. This is because social media nowadays, especially Facebook, have developed a capability to detect news or articles that portray false news, misinformation, and any suspicious posts and activities. Facebook created Temporal Interaction EmbeddingS research (TIES) as an effort to improve its detection of fake accounts and misinformation and the enforcement regulations. This has enabled the company to eliminate more than 135 million fake accounts in April 2020. This may not have completely removed all existing fake news due to diverse engagement, but this serves as a stepping stone for Facebook and other social media platforms to build a system of rectification on the issue of information fallacies across the internet (Hutchinson, 2020). Therefore, yes, the politicians will still try to take advantage of technology in the future because they have the freedom to do so, but the movement has already begun for it to battle upon in this respect.

          In the end, it may be beneficial for us to use technologies in our everyday lives but it is still part of our responsibilities to put certain limitations to it. Additionally, it is part of our due diligence to verify the information we encounter in the digital space. When you buy a certain product in the mall, you check whether it is fake or original before purchasing. This goes the same when you encounter articles, news, or any information on social media. You always have to verify the information before buying into it. This action must always be kept in mind when you browse the internet. Failure to do so can lead to detrimental repercussions that influence you and your decisions on life matters. Businesses and politicians will always try to play tricks on us but the only way we can push back against unethical practices of using social media is through our actions ourselves. Engaging our critical thinking skills and educating people about social media literacy are our best tools to defend ourselves from modern harm.

           There are certain lines from the film that give a powerful impact. One of these lines is “If you’re not paying for the product, then you’re the product.” This statement is indeed agreeable. Like I said in the previous paragraphs, nothing is for free. Everything has an opportunity cost and trade-off which is an economic principle. Even when you say you have free lunch available at the canteen, falling in line to get it is the cost of it. This is why if you are not paying for a product, then you should already expect that something from you is taken in exchange. Another line from the film states that “There are only two industries that call their customers 'users': illegal drugs and software." To me, this can be associated with the same effect that comes with both industries: addiction. Both drugs and software impart chemicals that trigger the release of dopamine or our happy hormones from our brain. When we use drugs, our neurotransmitters from our brains detect a sense of pleasurable experience in which it changes the behavior of our brain in a way it increases the odds of us repeating the activity again and again; thus, it goes the same with our usage of the software.

           There is another line from the film that I find to be agreeing with. It was the line that says “Social media is a marketplace that trades exclusively in human futures." This is evident from the many circumstances the film presented. The one reason why social media knows exactly how to keep you engaged on the platform is that they analyze your behavior pattern. And when they know the kind of behavior you have; they move on to advance their trading scheme. They sell your personal data and give them to large companies which is why there exist personalized advertisements as you scroll through your media feed. The last line from the film that hooked me is the statement: "The very meaning of culture is manipulation." Since our culture is filled with social media and the internet, it can be deduced that everything can now be tracked and monitored. People can now easily manipulate you into liking something or into having different sets of views, may this be in business or politics. As long as social media exist, so does manipulation. Our culture has become associated with the use of technology. It now depends on how we perceive information online that guides our beliefs and that what makes us who we are.

  Personal SWOT Analysis Worksheet

          Illustrated above is my personal SWOT Analysis. I would say that the political, economic, and social factors are crucial to my growth. Because of these factors, I can determine steps that I can take to maintain my sanity and to improve on what I am lacking. The technological factors play a significant influence on the political, economic, and social factors found in both of my opportunities and strengths. This is because technology boosts everything around you, most especially in a time of a pandemic. Although I cannot go out because of COVID-19, technology allows me to stay connected with my friends and keep myself updated with the nation’s news. Because of technology, distance learning has been integrated into educational institutions to continue the delivery of education to all students like me. However, technology also contributes to factors under threats. Technological factors reduce personal interaction and increase the odds of people getting influenced by fake news considering that people, nowadays, turn to social media to obtain news. 

           With all the aforementioned circumstances, I would say that there are similarities and differences between my personal assessment and what the documentary, The Social Dilemma, says about the influence of technology on our lives. In a similar aspect, both my assessment and the documentary have presented significant improvements in daily lives with technology such as communication, research, broadcasting, data exploration, labor, and many more especially in a time of difficulty. On the contrary, both my assessment and the documentary presented adverse effects of technology specifically on our mental health and decision-making. This just goes to prove that technology is not always what it seems.   

References:

Hutchinson, A. (2020, August 26). Facebook Outlines New System for Detecting Fake Accounts and Misinformation Based on Interactions. https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-outlines-new-system-for-detecting-fake-accounts-and-misinformation/584228/.

Perse, E. M., & Lambe, J. (2017). Media effects and society. London: Routledge.

Koo, G. S. (2015). Lights and Shadows of Digital Technologies. Makati City: Church Strengthening Ministry, Inc.

[darwinforthewin]

The “Golden damAge”

          Generally, it was told to us that Marcos’ regime was the ‘Golden Age’ of the Philippine economy. During his time, the Philippines was the richest country in South East Asia. This was proven by the massive infrastructures that were built such as hotels, public roads and highways, art centers, hospitals, parks transportations, bridges, and more which provided jobs for the Filipinos. Basic commodities were also asserted to be significantly lower compared to their prices nowadays and the inflation rate was at the bottom; hence, the peso value was an all-time high. The country was peaceful and powerful when Marcos assumed presidency in the Philippines. All these beautiful and remarkable works of Marcos have inspired many Filipinos and influenced them into foolishly believing the notion of the “golden age.” In fact, this is what I had always been taught by the elementary books.

          Little did I know that these so-called “remarkable” works of Marcos have a whole different story on the other side that I never got to learn back in the days. The film, “The Kingmaker”, is an eye-opener to everyone who seeks to find the true reality about what the Marcos family had done for the country. The film portrays the different perspectives of prominent people that witnessed and experienced the rule of Ferdinand Marcos during his time as the president and its comparison to what Imelda Marcos claimed to what had happened. Moreover, the documentary covered untold stories of people behind the “remarkable” projects that Marcos claimed to had contributed to the Philippine economy. These stories were never taught to us; nevertheless, these will change what we have always known inside out.

          Since the Marcos era, it was evident that not only journalists, but also bureaucrats who are critical of the Marcos administration have been targeted with threats and blacklisting. People who attempt to go against the administration eventually were killed or arrested. Inevitably, this has resulted in hesitation over several years for both journalists and bureaucrats to disseminate the right information to the public concerning the said administration. Over the past years, we not able to obtain sufficient and grounded information about the Marcos family and this had led many Filipinos, especially the younger generations, to believe that the Marcos administration had a well-respected reputation. The Filipino journalist, Lauren Greenfield, who created the documentary certainly deserves recognition for what she has done. The documentary presented facts that may have offended some people in power. Without a doubt, it is conceivable that she gets the attention of many government officials; thus, she may become subject to conversions, threats, or even some allegations just like what normally happened to people who go against the administration. Even so, Lauren Greenfield exhibited the documentary in an objective manner covering the real situation of the country and its people amidst Marcos’ ruling in the face of the potential risks.

          The documentary is focused on stories of prominent people, most especially Imelda Marcos, and their in-depth perspectives on different incidents in the Marcos’ regime. Surprisingly, Imelda Marcos agreed to be part of the documentary. There could be reasons as to why she willingly participated in the documentary. These reasons can be associated with her desire to restore their image and reputations to make it as clean as can be. It was observable in the documentary how Imelda Marcos treasures their lost influence and power as she recalls her days as the first lady of the Philippines. Besides, the manner Imelda Marcos stated her contributions for the country is toned in a way that is pleasant to the ears, meaning everything she said leans toward righteousness so as to aim at justifying her actions for the country. She did not mention any flaw of their governance when it was obvious that many Filipinos , especially during the Martial Law which lasted for 8 years, had been badly mutilated. Without a doubt, her reasons for participating in the documentary are reasons of her own, for her image, and her influence.

          As the film progresses, Imelda Marcos continues to show good deeds and sincerity towards the poor by giving money and visiting her former projects. She mentions often her motherly way of taking care of the citizens. She says that there were no beggars across the streets of Manila and the city was peaceful back in time. She asserts the various projects she had developed which helped numerous Filipino people and the country in general. On the contrary, the people that were interviewed simultaneously said the complete opposite of Imelda’s actions for the country or one could say the dark truths behind the projects she built.

          There were indeed huge projects that were built during their time; however, all those projects were built with inadequate efficiency. During their time, the Philippines had borrowed a large amount of money from several other countries. The country was in abundance of resources and this is what made the Philippines become a rich country in South East Asia. This means that all the infrastructures were meant to be built even better with the enormous resources the country possessed. Nonetheless, the resources were not used for the purpose they were given. For instance, one Philippine governor specifically mentioned in his interview that public highways were supposedly built with 6 to 8 inches of concrete. Instead, they were built with only 2 inches of concrete. Additionally, the Safari Park project that enticed the eyes of many Filipinos is not so enticing after all. The documentary showed that the project included the expulsion of thousands of villagers from their homes as well as the negligence in sustaining the imported animals. The Marcos administration built the park but they never bothered to take care of it.

          These projects are just some of the many that contributed to our mentality of the “Golden Age.”  Meanwhile, Imelda Marcos was reportedly purchasing billions and millions of properties and assets in the United States. It was mentioned in the film that she was impulsive with the acquisition of material things. Lastly, according to Mandrilla and Punongbayan (2016), the inflation rate during the Marcos era skyrocketed heavily in comparison with the previous inflation rates. A massive number of people had, in reality, lost their jobs. We lost two decades of development, the country borrowed too much quickly and work conditions deteriorated rapidly. Taking everything into account, all infrastructures during the time of Marcos were done out of mere crumbs, meaning we had the chance to build much better infrastructures and establishments, instead we were given the fragments. Not only that, but their projects were also done discreetly at the expense of other people.

          This can only be deduced to a certain reality that alms are what was given to the country instead of pure wealth during this time. Even in the film, it was illustrated how Imelda Marcos takes care of the poor by giving 50 pesos or 1000 pesos which, in effect, makes the poor think as if she has actually a good heart. This goes the same with the situation of our country during the Marcos administration. The Marcoses may have constructed various projects and infrastructures that made the Filipinos praise them, but in reality, those projects were only fragments of what we could have had. Rather, the money went into their pockets; thus, our country has suffered from a significant debt up until now.  Throughout the film, she remained to be pitiful towards the interviewer. With stating her sufferings, difficulties, and sacrifices in the politics, while knowing the sins of the Martial Law and her administration, one could honestly say that she was talking from an appeal to pity in order for people to believe that she is a kind individual with a good soul and a sincere effort to achieve the betterment of the country.

          In the documentary, Sandro Marcos, son of Bongbong Marcos, makes an appearance alongside the campaign of his father. Similar to how Ferdinand Marcos brings his son to political ventures, Bongbong takes Sandro through his campaigns to increase Sandro’s interest and exposure in politics. This would only show the kind of strategy that the Marcoses perform to preserve their political power. Sandro’s exposure and involvement in his father’s political campaign is another way for the Marcoses to effortlessly promote their families and get the people to know them easily. The documentary portrayed how the Marcoses are starting to climb up the political ladder associated with Duterte’s support for the family. With Duterte’s administration, several government officials have been removed and replaced with pro-Marcos. Not only this, but some prominent people received charges from Duterte’s administration intending to disqualify them from their positions. Bongbong knew he had a small chance to win as the president which shifted his desire toward running for vice president instead. However, despite his electoral protest, Bongbong had lost the 2016 election. With this, Sandro’s future role in Philippine politics would only be directed to him picking up the trails of his father and continue his footsteps, all leading to preserve Marcoses' political power.

          Overall, there are three takeaways about leadership and diplomatic relations I obtained from the film. First, government officials are not always what they seem. When you are in power, there are so many things that you can do and it is close to impossible that people seated in the government are always doing the right thing. Power can be tempting, most especially when so much money is in your hands. Once people get the power they long desired, their character inevitably changes, and sometimes it becomes too late for us to realize who they really are. Just like what Imelda Marcos gave emphasis on from the documentary, perception is real and the truth is not. Let us all do our research and spread what is truly important to other people.

         Secondly, the choices one makes during elections is vital to the country and its citizens. We should always be extra careful deciding on who we give our votes for. Politicians can be very manipulative. They do not act or speak what they know would offend the people. They perform certain actions that are intended solely to get the hearts of the citizens. Sugar-coating is inevitable. Their words can play tricks on us, making us fall into the notion that they fit a government role. Nevertheless, hidden behind those words are dark agendas waiting to be seized and sometimes we do not see them because we choose not to. They know the kind of person Filipinos would love; thus, we should also know the kind of people that deserve a seat in the government.

          Lastly, I have learned about the concept of instant gratification which I recognize as part of the toxic culture of the Filipinos. According to Noynoy Aquino, Filipinos love instant gratification wherein they believe that the problems of the country, to all intents and purposes, can be solved even in a short period to provide them the instant way to experience pleasure or fulfillment. Filipinos love shortcuts and that explains why President Rodrigo Duterte has gotten into the hearts of the many. When Duterte made a guarantee to eradicate drugs within six months, Filipinos immediately fell in love with his promises and gave up their trust. We should all be aware of this toxic culture predominantly driving our voting decisions because not only does this cause the Filipinos to choose undeserving people in the government, but this also affects even the different aspects of our lives, may it be at work, family, or our relationships with other people. Let us inform one another that some problems cannot always correlate with fast solutions; thus, promising a fast solution to a problem does not give assurance. Let us learn to reject this kind of culture and start looking beyond the horizon.

          Looking back on my elementary days, I had always thought that Marcos’ regime was the most beautiful era of our country. The books had taught me to appreciate the legacies associated with Marcos' administration. Because of that, I had supported the family ever since and I even learned to admire them. But what the books never taught me is the exact opposite of what happened. It hurts me to realize that I commended the Marcos administration unknowingly considering the real impacts of their governance. I got blinded by the beautiful statements of the elementary books. What is more painful to realize is that I was not the only one who fell into deceit. Millions of people, most especially children, live inside the fiction of the Marcos administration. This is also shown in the documentary with how children reacted when asked about the Marcos era. This just goes to prove that we are still lacking the right information to teach and disseminate to other people even with the use of our childhood books. Misinformation is still prevalent and it gives rise to our wrong decisions and false mentality. Similar to my situation, when wrong facts are presented especially when we are still young and gullible, it eventually becomes the basis of our decisions and our kind of mindset as we grow. The documentary deserves to be considered as both historical and educational material for it provided us an opportunity to open our eyes to reality. This would encourage us to avoid being blinded by what is accepted by the elementary books. Ultimately, books are not everything. The documentary teaches us that we need to be open to exploring more facts and if possible, make our research to make an informed decision. Education plays an important role in our society. Those people with this privilege must educate those who are deprived of seeing reality. After all, this is our only way to help one another progress into the betterment.

Mandrilla, K., & Punongbayan, J. (2016, March 05). Marcos years marked 'golden age' of PH economy? Look at the data. Retrieved January 07, 2021, from https://www.rappler.com/voices/imho/marcos-economy-golden-age-philippines

[darwinforthewin]

The ‘ANIMO’ spirit in times of crisis

When COVID-19 landed in the Philippines, everything was forced to stop. All restaurants, parks, schools, malls, and other establishments have been closed, people stopped working, and everybody is stuck in their houses. However, it did not stop De Lasalle University from working on its progress towards achieving its goals despite unfortunate circumstances brought by the virus contagion. The institution made an immediate and flexible response to the needs of its students and became one of the first to adopt online learning and led the way for the future of education. More so, De La Salle University created further developed strategies to combat the foreseen obstacles of the pandemic. These strategies come along with not just the abbreviation but the meaning of their long-lived battle cry and spirit, the “Animo La Salle!”

 As a shift towards the new normal, De La Salle University came up with ANIMO with which each letter corresponds to a specific strategy. These strategies stand for accompaniment, niches, impact, ministry, and opening. The first strategy, accompaniment, talks about a commitment of the institution to enhancing faculty-student engagement, practical assessment, and comprehensive support for all its stakeholders. Niches emphasize the support for graduates and faculty to have augmented toolkits for pandemic proof research methods to ensure minimum destruction to pipelines and increase social engagement towards a shared future. Impact gears towards the expansion of industry networks to further professionalize advancement and provide challenge-based learning programs in the transition to digital platforms. Ministry aims for the institution to build projects that promote sustainability, resiliency, security, and evidence-based approaches to improve service amidst the pandemic. Lastly, opening focuses on DLSU’s long-term planning and developing protocols for safe study and work, planning for disaster, recovery,  mission continuity, and migration of key online services.

 These strategies serve as weapons of De La Salle University to help students and the community fight and survive the repercussions in the face of the pandemic. Each of the well-developed strategies of De La Salle University focuses on a particular aspect of the community's needs. Nevertheless, one of the strategies contributes to maintaining DLSU’s position as a top university in the Philippines. This strategy is accompaniment. One of the big factors that put DLSU in the world rankings is the quality of its curriculum or the academic reputation and employer reputation. As aforementioned, accompaniment helps the students of DLSU acquire meaningful and valuable blended curriculum by maximizing faculty-student interaction as well as providing evidence-based assessments that strengthen students’ self-learning and independence. Not only that, according to, the constant element for the school is its faculty and their contributions that made it to the world ranking. With this, accompaniment is what differentiates DLSU from other institutions and it is what will push the university’s quality of education further to the betterment.

 Impact also comes vital when it comes to establishing DLSU’s international reputation and prestige. This is for the reason that Impact enables the university to expand its network of industry partners. The bigger the network is, the more people De La Salle University is connected to; hence, the more established the name of the university becomes. More so, it is aimed towards working for a shared goal and interests with partners so, in effect, it increases the university’s social value and reputation. If De La Salle university gives importance and value to its people, so do its people care about it. The impacts of DLSU to the community also represent its legacies; therefore, they not only make the university gain prestige but they also leave a trail for other institutions or other people to follow and to continue their journey in the future.

  Despite all these, do these strategies really help an individual become a true Lasallian Business Leader? There are three broad business objectives embodied in "The Vocation of the Business Leader”: Good Goods (contribute to the common good), Good Work (dignity of human work), and Good Wealth (stewardship and just). The DLSU strategic plan promotes all these three objectives. DLSU offers a high quality of education and fosters character formation, professional development, culture, and support which satisfies the objective of contributing to the common good (Good goods). The fact that DLSU continues to expand its research and to connect with partners and industry to localize UN Sustainable Development Goals is a manifestation of human dignity in work (Good Work). The formation of BITUIN and the building of other projects to promote sustainability, resiliency, security and evidence-based approaches for the benefit of the community, students and other stakeholders is proof of just distribution of wealth; thus, satisfying the objective of stewardship and just (Good Wealth).

 Below is the SWOT analysis of De La Salle University in the face of the pandemic. De La Salle University plays its chances of around 85% of success in realizing the key strategies of the plan. As shown in the table, De La Salle University may have strengths and opportunities that it can use as leverage but it also has considerable weaknesses and threats that may hinder the institution from achieving its goals at minimum effort. Moreover, the pandemic limitations have resulted in a significant decline in the welfare and economy of the country and it is continuously causing more complications and risks for all sectors of the society. For De La Salle University to effectively execute the key strategies of its plan, the institution must be able to eliminate or improve on them. This may take a long road for DLSU but it will surely be all worth the journey in the end.

  Strengths

●         Human Resource Management (Value Chain Analysis) – Based  on the ranking criteria for top universities, DLSU rates 26.9 in employee  reputation which is relatively high compared to other Philippines  universities (QS TopUniversities, 2020).

●         Technology Development (Value Chain Analysis) – DLSU’s  constant development and publication of science and research makes the  university one of the country’s most productive research institutions  (BMPlus, 2020).  

●         Marketing and Sales (Value Chain Analysis) – DLSU  uses evidence-based approach to provide high quality of education so as to  enhance character and professional development.

●         Service (Value Chain Analysis) – All  DLSU degrees programs are designed to be modern, future-proof, and rooted in  the best tradition of Lasallian education (Times Higher Education, 2020).

●         Service (Value Chain Analysis) – DLSU’s  use of internet platforms promotes remote learning where users can access  education and be able to communicate with each other anytime and anywhere or  even at the comfort of their houses.

Weaknesses

●         Technology Development (Value Chain Analysis) – DLSU often takes time fixing  occurring technical issues over its systems (Animospace, MyLaSalle) regarding  enlistment, enrollment, payment and many more that cause some conflicts among  students.

●         Service (Value Chain Analysis) –  The administration does not quickly respond to students’ concerns over  electronic emails which dissatisfies effective faculty-student engagement and  customer service.

●         Technology Development (Value Chain Analysis) –  DLSU is still new to utilizing online learning platforms and is still in the  process of making adjustments to further enhance education for all students.

●         Human Resource  Management (Value Chain Analysis) – There are some aged professors and  faculty staff who are not inclined to using advanced technologies.

 AREAS OF  CONSIDERATION

Opportunities

●         Buyer Power (Porters)  – DLSU has its name established and renowned as a top university in the  Philippines next to UP; thus, more students are willing to pursue degree  programs in DLSU than in other universities (Top Universities, 2020).

●         Technological (Pestle)  – DLSU opens door to cross enrollees through the Lasallian Open  Online-learning Program where students from partner schools, state colleges,  and other education institutions are allowed to take DLSU courses that are  not available at their home school amidst the pandemic (GMA News Online,  2020).

●         Threat of New  Entry (Pestle) – Since the country is currently experiencing an economic  crisis plus the mobility limitations as a result of the pandemic, it becomes  more difficult to build schools as how difficult it is to reopen some.

●         Social  (Pestle) – DLSU cares about students who are having emotional stress and  cannot comply with requirements amidst the pandemic thus, they are not given  any failing grade but a deferred grade or a retake of the course.

●         Threat of  Substitutes (Porters) - When it comes to learning, especially in a  pandemic, there are hardly any alternatives or substitutes for acquiring  education aside from online learning. The shutting down of schools, and other  establishments have forced people to shift from physical classroom to  technological interactive learning platforms to ensure safety and convenience  (Contreras, 2020).

AREAS OF CONSIDERATION

Threats.

●         Competitive Rivalry (Porters) – The competition in this  industry is high in terms of providing education amidst the pandemic as most  educational institutions are already starting to adopt online learning  platforms to engage with students (Mocon-Ciriaco, 2020).

●         Social  (Porters) – As virus contagion continues to grow in the country, an  increasing number of people get physically and mentally sick which causes a  loss of focus to many students during online classes (Malindog-Uy, 2020).

●         Economical (Pestle)  – Due to the country’s lockdown, many people have lost their jobs and are  struggling to gain resources to sustain their family’s needs. Thus, many  students may be forced to stop from their school to help their families save  money and provide the necessities to survive (Torres, 2020).

●         Environmental (Pestle)  – The pandemic quarantine limitations prohibit DLSU and other universities  from performing physical learning and forces them to gear towards online  platforms (Magsambol, 2020).  

●         Technological (Pestle)  – a large percentage of students in the Philippines do not have reliable  internet connection; hence, a large number of students are not able to access  online education as efficiently and effective as can be (Philippine Daily  Inquirer, 2020).

 One of the objectives of the DLSU strategic plan focuses on being able to support and provide support to vulnerable members of the community. This is being able to form meaningful relationships among students and create a meaningful and valuable blended curriculum during these times of crisis. With this formation of culture and support environment present in DLSU, it allows us to grow into becoming good business leaders for the future. One of the RVRCOB Code of Ethics is to be able to promote a humane and enabling the work community within the organization. This correlates with growing up in a community wherein we can create meaningful relationships that support one another as it also follows by focusing on helping others beyond my interests.

  As I continue to study at De La Salle University, I am confident that I have learned a variety of lessons and values both in life and academics. There are also more things that I know am yet to discover in the university. DLSU has enabled me to gain memorable experiences with friends and classmates. Moreover, I enjoyed the challenges and opportunities provided by diverse organizations and cultures. By joining events of organizations, I was able to help raise funds for the marginalized, especially for partner public schools. DLSU has pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone and molded me into becoming a potential leader to represent the school in sharing the values and knowledge with other people. DLSU has taught me to love the people around me regardless of gender, race, culture, religion, etc. Being able to learn the culture and values of De La Salle University is what I consider to be my unique contribution to its success in achieving its objectives. Because of these experiences, I have become a potential inheritor of what DLSU taught me. As a DLSU student, I am contributing not only as a messenger, spreading all the knowledge and values but also as a catalyst for change.

  REFERENCES:

BMPlus. (2020, March 5). DLSU is most productive Philippine university in research: BMPlus. Business Mirror. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/03/05/dlsu-is-most-productive-philippine-university-in-research/.

Contreras, A. (2020, April 18). Online Learning is the future of education and DLSU is learning the way. The Manila Times. https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/04/18/opinion/columnists/topanalysis/online-learning-is-the-future-of-education-and-dlsu-is-leading-the-way/715275/

De La Salle University. (2020, September 18). Times Higher Education (THE). https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/de-la-salle-university.

De La Salle University. (2020, November 9). Top Universities. https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/de-la-salle-university/undergrad.

Magsino, D. (2020, June 17). COVID-19 shows need for Philippines to invest more in science, technology, says expert. GMA News Online. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/743072/covid-19-shows-need-for-philippines-to-invest-more-on-science-technology-says-expert/story/.

Philippine Daily Inquirer. (2020, May 1). Students worry about online learning due to slow PH internet. Philippine Inquirer. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1267743/students-worry-about-online-learning-due-to-slow-ph-internet

Magsambol, B. (2020, June 8). DepEd postpones face-to-face classes until COVID-19 vaccines is available. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/deped-postpones-face-to-face-classes-covid-19-vaccine-available

Torres, J. (2020, August 17). Millions suffer job loss in Philippines due to pandemic, survey says. Licas News.  https://www.licas.news/2020/08/17/millions-suffer-job-loss-in-philippines-due-to-pandemic-survey-says/

Malindog-Uy, A. (2020, July 19). COVID-19 Impact on Mental Health of Filipinos. The ASEAN Post.  https://theaseanpost.com/article/covid-19-impact-mental-health-filipinos

Mocon-Ciriaco, C. (2020, October 8). The impossible is possible: Covid shut down schools, but learning goes on. Business Mirror.  https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/10/08/the-impossible-is-possible-covid-shut-down-schools-but-learning-goes-on/