EVALUATE: REFLECTIVE ESSAY:

A. Identify 2-3 social issues during 19th century, relate and contextualize it on the contemporary

Philippine situation.

When reading this question, I immediately recognized three 19th-century societal issues that
persist today: corruption, unskilled public officials, and inadequate instructional resources and facilities.
First, corruption is still rampant, but it is now done by Filipinos rather than the Spanish. It is extremely
disheartening because most Filipinos accepted it as a common practice, particularly in the political
sphere. For instance, I remember someone talking to each other and saying, ''as long as he
accomplished something, it is okay, even if he has a kickback on it.'' Second, unqualified public officials,
there are still a few who have positions in the government, despite their lack of knowledge and
expertise. I can say this because I have seen or heard that they were appointed to their position only
because they are famous, acquaintances, or friends of those in charge there. Even if we presume they
have the best intentions, it will never be enough to truly assist the country and its people because one
must be an expert in that particular sector. Lastly, inadequate teaching materials and classrooms,
especially in rural areas. Our government wants to create top-notch students who can compete on a
global scale but are incapable of providing learning resources that could aid students in their studies. For
example, some students do not have a book for a certain subject, or even if they have, it is usually an old
book and already damaged when given to them.