JESSE ROBREDO: PUNLAY UPANG BUMANGON SA KAMATAYAN SI LAZARUS

by

PROF. ROLANDO S. DELA CRUZ

Isang bayani ang muling isinilang sa kamalayan ng bayan. Namatay di sa sakit kundi sa mekanikal na aksidente ng isang eroplano.  Isa itong patunay na ang pagbabasbas ng kabayanihan ay di isinasagawa ng lehislatura at di lamang ng matrahedyang pag-aalay ng buhay. Sa huli, mga ordinaryong tao ang nag-aalay ng mga petal ng pagtingala mula sa tuntungan ng isang pedestal. 

Dati, pinaparangalan si Jesse Robredo ng kanyang mga kababayan sa Naga. Sumunod dito ang pagkilala ng mga institusyon na nalirip ang kanyang pagiging dyamante. Ngayon, buong bayan naman ang nagbibigay-puri: isang bayan na nangangailangan ng mas marami pang bayani. Ang pagpupugay sa kanya ay di lamang pagpapasalamat sa pagiging mabuting halimbawa ng pamumuno. Ito ay pagsasabi na mas marami pang tulad nya ang kailangan ng mga mamamayan ng bayang Pilipinas: Kulang pa, kulang pa, sabi nila. Mas marami pang tulad mo ang nais namin.

Ito ay isang uri ng pag-aalsa ng bayan na tila naiinip sa pagdating na isang tagapagligtas. Isang uri ng pambansang diskurso na sumusubok paigtingin ang mga alon sa dagat ng desperasyon. Isang uri ng pagpapahiwatig na sa katunaya’y nag-aantay ng isang tsunaming magbabago sa takbo ng isang nakababagot na kasaysayan ng  kasinungalingan, pagnanakaw at kataksilan sa bayan.

Maaring walang armas ang bayan sa tulad nitong buhos ng damdamin. Maaring walang kamalayang rebolusyonaryo ang mga ordinaryong nagtitiis sa ilalim ng araw o ulan upang silayan ang kabaong na naglalaman ng isang ideya ng pag-asa. Ngunit sa katotohanan, ang pagkakabalot sa kabaong ng isang bandila, pati na rin ang kalahating-tagdang pagwawagayway nito sa isang Palasyo tulad ng sa buong bayan, at ang pagpuprusisyon ng kanyang pagiging ordinaryong tao sa mga bakubako at balubaluktot na mga kalye ay isang uri ng edukasyon para sa bayan.

Ito ay edukasyon di lamang sa pagiging pinuno, kundi sa pag-uugali ng isang indibidwal; di lamang sa pagiging ideyalista, kundi sa pagsasakatotohanan ng mga balakin; di lamang sa pagiging makabayan, kundi sa pagiging halimbawa sa lahat na naghahangad yumakap sa kabutihan; di lamang sa pagiging isa sa mga pinakamababa ng lipunan, kundi sa pagsasabuhay din ng pamamayani ng batas; at, di lamang sa pagiging maka-Diyos, kundi sa pagiging makatao rin. Ang pagkakatutong tulad nito ang tangi, pinakamahusay, at pangmatagalang sandata ng bayan para mamayani sa tunggalian ng mga interes sa lipunan.

Ang dalamhating bumabalot sa pagkamatay ni Robredo ay uri rin ng edukasyon para sa kabataan at mga darating na henerasyon. Ito ay isang aral na di lamang dapat isinasatitik sa mga aklat kundi isinasapusong dapat tumibok sa pang-araw-araw na buhay . Ito rin ay isang aral, na tulad ng dugong umaagos sa ugat ng bawat bata, ay dapat umagos sa kamalayan – kamalayan di ng bawat idibidwal kundi sa bansa bilang isang organismong nangangailangan ng pagkain sa isip at pagkalinga sa damdamin.

Pinapahintulutan ng Diyos magkaminsan ang kamatayang tulad ng kay Robredo upang tumugon sa pangkasaysayang mga pangarap ng nakararami.  Gayunpaman, di sana kitlin makalawa ng sakit ng maikling memorya ang makinang na halimbawa niya. Maraming bayani na ang iniluklok sa mga pedestal ang nangamatay makalawa matapos muling maidlip sa bangungot ang bayang nasanay na sa pang-aabuso at pagiging alipin. Ang paulit-ulit na kamatayang ito ang requiem sa halos  limang-daang taong burol ng bayang Pilipinas.

Kung kailan magiging tulad ni Lazarus ang  bayang Pilipinas, kung kailan ito magbabalikwas upang lumaya mula sa kamatayan sa kasaysayan, ay isang panaginip na sana’y basbasan ng langit. Subalit ang pagbabasbas ay ibinibigay lamang sa mga bayang karapat-dapat kamitin ito. Dapat maging karapat-dapat ang bansa na tumindig sa daigdig ng mga buhay at tunay na malaya. Ang pagiging karapat-dapat na ito, tulad ng pagsisilang kay Robredo sa sinapupunan ng langit, ay kailangan munang isilang sa puso ng bawat mamamayang Pilipino. Kapag ang tibok ng bawat isa ay sumaliw sa tibok ng iba pa upang bumuo ng pangkalahatan, kikibot ang bawat selula, didilat ang mga mata, gagalaw ang mga daliri, muling tatakas ang pawis sa bawat paghinga, pupusyaw ang mukha, babalutin ng katuwiran ang isip. Kapag nangyari ang mga ito, babangon ang Pilipinas.

12:14 nh

26 Agosto 2012

CHIEF JUSTICE MARIA LOURDES A. SERENO: THE JOB TO MIRROR IN HER WORK THE JUSTICE OF GOD

by

PROF. ROLANDO S. DELA CRUZ

God has spoken. President Noynoy C. Aquino appointed a new Chief Justice in the person of Maria Lourdes Aranal Sereno.

Let us not be consumed by the fact that she is the first woman CJ of the land; that she is Valedictorian of her class; that she is well-educated in the Philippines and abroad; that she will serve one of the longest terms in judicial history; and that she is one of the youngest to be appointed in the highest post of the magistrate. More important than all these is that Sereno was the anti-thesis of the legal bandits whom she met when she arrived in the Supreme Court. She will continue to be that anti-thesis until the old has been relegated in the dustbin of history. The underdog is now at the apex of an institution needing a wave of fresh justice. Truth to tell, the Corona camp always ganged up on her. They did that when the majority (through Corona's henchmen) tried to suppress her dissent in the GMA Travel Abroad TRO case. But she did not relent; she did not put down her pen. She issued again another dissenting opinion that explained how the majority tried to hide the truth from the people.

CJ Sereno is no politico. She is a woman with simple needs and and simple life. But she is no ordinary fighter. She knows how a petite woman could get things done in a system dominated by bullies. She works very hard, setting an extremely high standard for her beautiful legal mind to resolve piles and piles of cases assigned her. She does not mingle with people who would try to influence her judicial decisions: no partying, no lavish shopping, no showing-off in society pages to increase her power.

She knows what power means, but just like the great George Washington, she was not interested in power per se. She is more interested in honoring God who is the source of all powers. She simply accepts power as an appendage of a greater Force. Thus, her idea of justice is one that mirrors the justice of God. No wonder, she can never be bought: not even PNOY who, obviously, respects so much the the intellect and the person of Sereno. Upon assumption to office, she immediately voted against the interest of Hacienda Luisita. She was against the majority opinion which initially favored stock options. She was for outright distribution of the land to the landless. It was only after the appeal that the majority set aside stock options, and Corona shamelessly tried to steal the credit by pandering on the poor farmers. From the very start, Sereno was a maverick in a court that lacks independence, always open to lying, always beholden to GMA, always open to clinging on to naked power without accountability.

It was a lonely life for her, away from friends as well as enemies: she devotes herself to dispensing justice without favor and without fear. She even refused to inhibit herself in a case where the accused kept on hounding SC justices through threats and senseless demands to whoever would get the case when raffled in order to inhibit themselves - just so the case would drag on and on. The previous justices who inhibited themselves simply showed cowardice. But not Sereno. She is the epitome of courage that is without any pre-conditions - plain, simple, natural courage that comes from a dignified and principled life guided daily by the words of God! Truly, the mark of a person to head the Supreme Court.

PNOY is on the right track. He knows there is so much to reform from top to bottom in the judiciary. But with CJ Sereno around, PNOY in four years can retire with peace of mind and historical awareness that the CJ he appointed will do her share of reforming our country in the area of justice. There is so much pain in the untimely death of Jesse Robredo that burns our desire for change; but the pain should today be washed away with an ardent hope that change is, indeed, possible: a possibility to give flesh to the essence of political democracy, which is genuine economic and social justice.

I see a country devastated by corrupt people. But today, I salute the Filipino people for producing a daughter capable of loving and serving this nation with truth and justice. If Jose Rizal were alive today, he will not even think of making this country a province of Spain. If he learned of Sereno's appointment, he would not have gone to Cuba to serve the Spanish soldiers. For today, he would know that heroism is so ordinary in this country. As ordinary as serving well the interest of the former Indios he knew. As ordinary as being real Filipino. And Sereno is Filipino. There is so much to be proud of in being a Filipino.

6:37 pm

24 August 2012

LEARNING FROM PAST EDUCATION REFORMS

by

PROF. ROLANDO S. DELA CRUZ

MANILA, Philippines — Any country in the midst of quagmire welcomes change. Unfortunately, not all change is for the better.

This is why it is so vital for the government, in its effort to reform Philippine education, to learn from past mistakes.

President Noynoy Aquino’s goal is crystal clear: bring Philippine education to the 21st century. He meets the problem head-on by transforming the current 10-year system (i.e., Grades 1 to 6, and 1st year to 4th year high school) to become the K-12 system with a 13-year required academic program (i.e., Kinder, Grades 1 to 12).

But what is there to learn from the past?

ABORTIVE  NCEE: ENTRENCHED LACK OF QUALITY

One such effort was the imposition in the 1970s of a college qualification through the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE). Those who did not meet the grade cut-off were forced to give up their dream to enter college and instead proceed to vocational courses.

The theory was that the colleges would produce quality graduates since those to be admitted as freshmen were well-prepared. Those unqualified to enter college, thus, were better off in the vocational fields.

Merely raising the bar, however, became useless because it did not solve the problem of quality itself that was virtually unshakable. Worse, an unintended net effect was the creation of a label that the vocational tract is a mark of failure.

The policy proved inutile as the yearly cut-off grade was lowered because more students did not meet it. Its eventual abolition only strengthened the resolve of many to obtain a four-year degree to avoid the stigma of vocational courses. This led to the establishment of commercialized colleges trying to address market demands, further intensifying the crisis of quality.

BOTCHED BILINGUAL POLICY: FAILURE TO UTILIZE LINGUISTIC RESEARCH

Another reform was the bilingual policy intended to make Filipinos proficient in both Filipino and English.

The theory was that subjects related to being a citizen like Filipino, Social Studies and the Arts could best be taught and learned in Filipino, while subjects that could make one competitive in the world of work like English, Math and Science could best be taught and learned in English.

More than three decades later, Filipino students in general are still known to be weak in all these subjects! For instance, Filipino students almost always rank very low in international education studies and surveys in their age brackets in English, Math and Science.

The bilingual policy failed to consider the simple linguistic fact borne of research that people learn best and faster in their own native tongue. A foreign language competing with a local language in the minds of young people is a sure way to raise children in schools half-baked and with severe issues regarding their cultural identity.

Ideally, teaching in various areas using two or more languages could help develop critical and creative thought since multilingual learning could facilitate rewiring of the brain. But this assumes high-standard teaching which, of course, was virtually absent in the country. In the end, bilingualism only damaged the Filipino as a student for its failure to make his mind and heart whole.

REFORM WITH EYES WIDE OPEN

Based on these failed reforms, the Philippines should learn that it pays to study well a measure, not only in terms of the theory behind it but also in terms of its practicality, prospective efficacy and potential drawbacks. To be merely intoxicated by the promise of a potential harvest leads to waste of time and resources.

In the case of the K-12, is the government doing everything it can in order to prevent foreseeable mistakes?

Has the DepEd already learned enough from earlier errors to ensure that policy makers and implementers consider glaring factors that could undermine the success of K-12?

Is the K-12 going to be a solution or a simply catalyst for new problems to evolve, just like what happened to both the NCEE and the bilingual policy?

There are ideas which really look bright, beautiful, logical, relevant, sensible and promising. However, a policy could also turn out to be producing the opposite of its intended outcome. Worse, such policies could even create new situations that might be more difficult to unlock, if not more embarrassing to live with, than the initial problems it sought to solve. The only antidote to these, then, is utmost lucid thinking no less.

An alumnus and former faculty member of UP Diliman, PROF. ROLANDO S. DELA CRUZ  is President of the Darwin International School System. He studied in Osaka University (Japan), the University of Cambridge (England) and at the University of Leiden (the Netherlands).

NOTE: THIS IS A REPOSTING OF AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE MANILA BULLETIN ON 29 MARCH 2012.

(SOURCE: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/355720/learning-from-past-education-reforms)

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/355720/learning-from-past-education-reforms

THE SHAPE-ABILITY OF POSSIBILITY AND UNCERTAINTY: OR HOW CHOICE TRANSCENDS THE LIMITS OF OUR TRAPS

[My friend Riza beautifully wrote a thought on her page that features the majestic sunset (or was it sunrise?) at Shambala. She says: “We can always wait for the sunrise and the sunset… for surely they will come. We can hope for the rain during summer… for sometimes they really pour. But how can we wait for something or someone… when we don’t know if they will come at all… We should only WAIT for something with POSSIBILITY but not for those without certainty.” Thank you Riza for enriching this world with your provoking insights.

Here, I offer an alternative (but not necessarily opposing) take that, hopefully, could form part of a bigger gamut with Riza’s challenging thought.]



I - Possibility is DEFINITELY different from uncertainty. The first is positive; the second, negative. But come to think of it, they both form part of a continuum we call life: the first is like a glass seen half-filled, the second a glass seen half-empty. The thirsty worships the liquid in the container like god, the water-filled belly loathes the liquid it feels unnecessary. The same water of life can be seen differently in another milieu: the possibility of abortion could be happiness to some; the uncertainty of abortion is surreal to others.



II - Life is both sunset and sunrise: it is not defined mainly by our resolve but by how we are positioned in the flow of things, and how we are positioned can sometimes be a trap – much like how the earth traps us. No wonder, traps can create great literature! The traps of space, the traps of distance, the traps of feelings, the traps of slavery in the mind, the traps of capitalism and all other -isms, the traps of seeming emptiness, even the traps of over-purposefulness! But imagine if the earth rotates another way, then the sunrise will actually be the sunset of our lives, and all traps are valued as necessities for genuine joy. For now we cannot fathom the opposite of what we have come to accept. But who are we to say that things could not change if and when God wills it?



III - Science hopes to understand the flow of life and un-life, and strives to influence it: at times successful, yet often a failure. But with some sparks in our being – some crazy thoughts and, perhaps, a dash of philosophizing – we get to appreciate the balance of things, we get to discover some amalgamation of meanings of existence: the negative and the positive, the sunset and the sunrise, the uncertainty and the possibility. Possibility is definitely different from uncertainty. But ONLY FOR NOW! For who am I to say that the possible is indeed possible, and the uncertain indeed uncertain? Like what Job realized before his Creator, there is so much that is beyond my measure of things.



IV - There are a few left, though, that could be a subject of my choice. Indeed it is just a limited list of things for which my choice of the things to wait can be applied, for the coming and going of things I cannot even predict with certainty. For me, I am sometimes challenged by not waiting for the sunrise or the sunset, for I easily cognize what to expect and undemanding recall can sometimes bore humans. I am challenged, though, to wait for the moon that disappears one second when it was there full the previous second, then changes colors from silver to magenta without warning or absent any shadow of fear. Sometimes I relish the impossible when it is yet to be fulfilled – like visions incomprehensible to many a sense – yet this only proves my ordinariness and predictability just like most people, for lack of contentment!



V- There is nothing right or wrong in waiting for anything. What I wait for, I do not expect all others to anticipate for the level of appreciation and abhorrence varies from person to person. And it is not my right to judge anyone what he likes if I dislike it. For in the end, it is just a choice which is that to wait for and hope for in this world and beyond – whether it is heaven or hell. And I cannot even blame the others, if they do not wait and hope for anything at all. BECAUSE that is their choice; AND that is their choice.











4 March 2011

2:25 am

THE TEACHER AS INTERVIEWEE

It was a great experience to be interviewed by one of the country’s foremost columnists, Ms. Rina Jimenez-David of the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Friday, February 4, 2011.



She was very nice, but very incisive than anything else. She was friendly, but she spoke with solid integrity. I will be a hypocrite if I do not admit that I am big a fan of the writer for decades now, who has become very well known not only because of her columns but also for her appearances on TV shows as panelist or social critic, and for her causes relating to women’s concerns and community development.



Judging from the many columns that she has written which I have read previously, I really thought that her lengthy interview of me will be featured primarily as one of her four- to five-section column. To be interviewed by her was, indeed, honor enough. That she even spoke lengthily about what Darwin International School has been doing in educating the youth, devoting her whole column today on Darwin – its goals, dreams, activities, challenges and results – honors the school, its parents, its personnel and, most especially, its students no end.



To thank Ms. Jimenez-David is in order. But the best way, perhaps, of thanking her is to continue what I love doing, and to do it even more with faith for the youth and passion for educating the nation – teaching Filipino students well, with the solution of current educational problems in mind. And I say this with one objective truth in mind: no school can accomplish its goals in a vacuum. Society, culture, institutions, policies and the whole educational system all enhance or impinge on the effectiveness of a school to contribute to the community. Surely, teaching alone is no guarantee of contributing to social development; it could even aggravate problems if educating people is not seen as a prime tool in social engineering. But engineering social development is something that is easier said than done.



It takes a penetrating writer to delve into the heart of her interviewee. An ordinary writer uses words to ask, write about her topic and make a point. But a good writer uses her heart to feel the pounding of another heart; she uses her mind to talk to society at large. Words are mere slaves of her beliefs; she is the master of her piece. A writer is not just a commentator but a human who is capable of feeling trends and reading social forces. She is a social actor of her milieu. She co-writes with the rest of the people the history of freedom and progress we all hope to attain.



The title Ms. Jimenez-David gave her piece, “The Little School That Could”, speaks precisely of what I have always believed all along: that quality education is not just about big campuses but about big hearts for the learner’s yearnings; that teaching is not about perfect teachers but near-perfect love of teachers for teaching; not just about gargantuan facilities (though, there is nothing wrong with vast facilities per se) but about grand visions for the students’ future. It is not just about the process of working hard but of raising standards and working hard to achieve these for the benefit of the students.



Teaching well is working with disparate resources like musical instruments which, nonetheless, are capable of creating a harmonious melody. I thank Ms. Jimenez-David for giving Darwin a space to sing its song of hope amidst deafening despondency plaguing our nation at this juncture of our history.









8 February 2011

11:50 pm







FRIENDS:

You may follow this link to read the piece written by Ms. Rina Jimenez-David titled “THE LITTLE SCHOOL THAT COULD”.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20110208-319077/The-little-school-that-could

DARWIN'S UP, ATENEO AND LA SALLE PASSERS!

As a teacher, one feels delighted to see his students conquer their fears and eventually achieve their goals. For many a fourth year high school student in the Philippines, graduating from school does not go without dreaming to get into the top schools of the country, including the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila and the De La Salle University.



Yearly, at least 75,000 take the UPCAT, with all hopes of getting a slot in the state university. Unfortunately, there are only a few thousand slots. Yearly, only 5 to 10% of the takers pass the examination, one of the most difficult college entrance tests in the Philippines. I am very proud to note that 11 of my 19 graduating students at Darwin International School made it to the UP system for the coming school year. This is about 60% of the total, fortunately higher than Darwin’s 50% achievement last year. My heartfelt congratulations go to the following:

1. Julie Anne Acierto

2. Dominic Gilbert Emiterio

3. Ma. Cecilia Enriquez

4. Hector Evangelista III

5. Jamee Kaye Fabros

6. Rei Pauline Hermogenes

7. Maria Divina Hernandez

8. Cynthia Marizze Mendoza

9. Mark Mico Montecillo

10. Shiela Inna Sinsuat

11. Timothy Jemuel Talusan



Wait! The good news continues! The Ateneo de Manila University already released, too, the results of the Ateneo Entrance Test (ACET). Yearly, only 25% of Darwin graduating students passed the exam, an indication of how difficult it really is. This year, however, 8 out of 19 made it! That’s 42%, almost double Darwin’s yearly result. Congratulations to the following:

1. Dominic Gilbert Emiterio

2. Jan Voltaire Enriquez

3. Jenelle Faustino

4. Rei Pauline Hermogenes

5. Maria Divina Hernandez

6. Cynthia Marizze Mendoza

7. Shiela Inna Sinsuat

8. Timothy Jemuel Talusan



But the good news does not stop there! De La Salle University has already announced the results of its college entrance exam. And guess what, 100% of Darwin’s graduating students made it! Last year, it was 92% passing rate. Now, this batch finally made true to their goal of achieving a 100% result. Congratulations to the following:

1. Julie Anne Acierto

2. Harold Balandra

3. Jade Ibhar Cuambot

4. Dominic Gilbert Emiterio

5. Jan Voltaire Enriquez

6. Ma. Cecilia Enriquez

7. Hector Evangelista III

8. Jamee Kaye Fabros

9. Jenelle Faustino

10. Rei Pauline Hermogenes

11. Maria Divina Hernandez

12. Cynthia Marizze Mendoza

13. Mark Mico Montecillo

14. Maria Cia Cirelle Panol

15. Avvie Yvone Reyes

16. Marian Suzanne Sagun

17. Shiela Inna Sinsuat

18. Shiela Loure Sinsuat

19. Timothy Jemuel Talusan



This batch of Darwin students, Batch 2011 (BATCH KABAITAN), earned the honor of having the most number of individual passers in UP and Ateneo so far, the batch that has broken the yearly 25% passing rate in Ateneo by almost doubling it to 42%, and the batch that first got a perfect 100% passing mark in the De La Salle University exam.



The above passing rates simply point that all graduating students of 2011 have been placed in the top schools of the country once more, not to mention other top schools like UST, Mapua and Sab Beda where Darwinians normally pass at 100% rating. The standards of Darwin are very high. It is very demanding, expecting a lot from students. They have to maintain a minimum of 85% every grading period. It fascinates me to realize that these students have accepted the challenge to always compete against themselves than compete with others. Realizing one’s weaknesses and strengths are keys to setting a vision for oneself. These students of mine just set their vision to be with some of the top college students of the country and be under the tutelage of the best college teachers of the land. But they could have not done what they have done without the full support of their parents who are always with them in their journey. So, my congratulations go most especially, as well, to their parents. You are some of the most fortunate parents of this country for having children with big dreams; and your children as so fortunate, too, for having loving and responsible parents like you!



Your journey, my dear students, has just begun. You should continuously thank God for all His blessings, and ask Him for endless mercy and guidance in your incredible  trek. There are more and higher mountains to scale. Have confidence in yourself that you can successfully chart you life at this dark stage of our society. It is in the young that this country depends on to illuminate somehow our history. And for as long as young people will accept the challenge to participate in changing not only one’s life but also one’s social system, there will always be hope for the Philippines. Your having passed the UPCAT, ACET and the De La Salle Entrance Exam is another beginning. There will be more uncertainties, disappointments and even doubts you need to subjugate. There will be more missions to embrace, dreams to live, bigger beginnings you need to work hard for to start, numerous challenges to surmount and endless successes to enjoy and inspire other with.



Carpe Diem! God bless all of you.







15 January 2011

3:51pm

CELEBRATING CAMBRIDGE: HAPPY TO BE A CANTABRIGIAN

This day marks a day when the world of Cambridge University and its citizens scattered all over the world celebrate the designation of the school as the world's current number one, courtesy of the 2010 QS World University Rankings.



There was a time when Cambridge was only part of a dream in the recesses of my mind. Who would have believed me in my childhood dream to study in Europe, which many had thought as nothing but a make-belief? One day it became real. One day I was just there in the middle of world-changing academic conversations - ecstatically savouring the spiritual reverberations of Newton, Darwin, Keynes, Russell, Watson, Byron, Lewis, Malthus, Babbage, and more.



My days at Cambridge were so precious and intense. It was fun, challenging, memorable time. A moment to be proud of as a Filipino in a great university. I pray that more Filipinos will walk through the ancient streets, buildings, and libraries of the world's number one school. Hopefully, each step they will make there embellishes the story of our nation in some fruitful ways.



Everything I cherish about and learned from Cambridge I offer and dedicate to my past, present and future students at Darwin International School. May the bits and pieces of Cambridge traditions that they are absorbing from Darwin bring them far - enough to reach the shores and inlands of the best lives they deserve.



If and when that happens, then being a Cantabrigian - the Cantabrigiensis Man - in its barest essence has been fulfilled once again.

 
 
 
Prof. Rolando S. Dela Cruz
9 September 2010
5:25 am



Link: CAMBRIDGE TOPS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKING
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2010090802