ESSAY. Explain the following questions.

(10 points each)

1. How can nationalism and patriotism help our political institution?

- In order to take decisions, countries need political institutions to take decisions on

the welfare of the people and are often required to help the government take the right

decisions. The Philippines, our country, lacks patriotism, largely due to the spread of Filipino

values, culture, and the confluence of historical bad governance. As we all know, patriotism

is a devotion to one's own country for no other reason than to be a citizen of that country,

and one who is patriotic would be able to make any sacrifice for his own country. It is the

absolute realization of the love of the country, which is nationalism. In other words, to be

patriotic is to be nationalistic. Conversely, one cannot be patriotic without being nationalist.

Therefore, if only our political institutions have these two qualities, they will truly be the

representatives of our country, who will make the right decisions for the people and those

who stand and fight selfishly for us Filipinos, who not only wants what is good for us, but

what is best for us. Always remember, that as long as our political leaders are blind, as long

as we refuse to learn, as long as we refuse to change, and as long as we remain

weak, nationalism and patriotism will only be words in the dictionary.

2. With all the richness and vastness of our natural and human resources, why do

most Filipinos consider going abroad? Also do you agree with this notion, OFW: "Ang

Bagong Bayani? Why?

- I can remember scrolling through my Facebook account and saw a picture about

how small farmers provide us something to eat, but they're the ones who struggle to have

one. Which I think, our government has ignored, or worse than that, exploited our farmers in

order to favor the powerful vested interests of the country. That to me is one of the reasons

why the Filipinos consider going abroad. Because even though we are so rich with natural

and human resources, it cannot be any help to us because of the inequality. Because the

only ones who are really making profit are those only with power and control. I know that
Filipinos always want the best for their families, and because of the inequality that is going

on in our country, they are only considering going abroad for career growth and opportunity.

That is why I agree about the notion “OFW: Ang Bagong Bayani” because despite the hard

work and loneliness they will experience when being away from their families, they still

chose to consider going abroad to provide their family with everything they need. Because,

right now, from what is going on in our country I can see no hope at all, if we only prioritize

only those with power.

3. What could be the possible reasons why after so many decades of fighting poverty,

the world is yet to reality hold its ground and move away from the problem of

poverty?

- As for me the possible reasons why after so many decades of fighting poverty, the

world is yet to reality hold its ground and move away from the problem of poverty is because

the Philippine’s economic growth only favors the elite families who have power. Moreover,

income inequality also remains a significant barrier for holistic development of Filipino

society and quality of life, keeping the Philippines poor. In addition, corruption and

incompetence plague the Philippine’s government, that does relatively little to reduce

poverty, and deal with population growth, which also cause poverty. Aside from social,

economic and political issues, environmental factors also contributes towards making our

country poor and although our country’s unique cultural and historical background has made

it difficult for us to counter poverty, I think that good governance and meaningful support from

them may still allow our country to turn these liabilities into assets.

4. If you're given a chance to explore the universe and find a habitable new planet,

what plans do you have in mind so as not to repeat the mistakes of before?

- If I’m given a chance to explore the universe and find a habitable planet, I have only

one plan. It is to, thoroughly find the best of the best leaders we could have, the ones who

are both patriotic and nationalistic. Because, I believe that having a good leader is one step
to having a better country and then everything will follow. With this, I believe that we won’t be

able to repeat the mistakes of before. We could have a better world—a world with no

corruption, no more poor, no more inequalities, no hate and just love—love for the country,

love for the people, and love for the world.

5. Describe your learning experience/s in this subject understanding culture, society

and politics.

- It was such a great experience to study the subject “Understanding, Culture,

Society and Politics” because it taught me a lot of things, and also made me realize how

important things are, including our culture. When I first took this subject, I honestly don’t

have any interest to it because I think it’s just all about politics and all. However, I was wrong

because there was more to it. My subject teacher made it more enjoyable to study this

subject, she let us play games, which is about our lessons, which I think, is so entertaining

and I really enjoyed it and at the same time we also learned from it. Because of that, I

developed my understanding when it comes to our country’s culture, society and politics.

With this, I personally think that children nowadays deserve the saying, “Kabatan and

Pag-asa ng Bayan” because studying this subject will enlighten the minds of the children of

what is truly happening in our country.