PROLOGUE

Nowadays, facts and evidence are not just a pure manifestation of real ideology and

events. It is now incorporated with flowering style, so the purpose of informing the reader

would become more efficient. This type of writing is the future of the journalistic flame

—the creative nonfiction.

Gutkind in 1987 stated that creative nonfiction is a type of 21 st century genre that makes

use of literary techniques and styles to tell real-life and factual narratives or events. It is a

chameleon that blends the factual nature of nonfiction with the flowering expression of

fiction to create compelling stories and articles.

Furthermore, creative nonfiction is deeply rooted in ancient storytelling, but it was only

in the 20th and 21st centuries that it gained popularity. It became popular due to

technological advancements wherein news and articles are being posted on the internet,

such as blogs, posts, and others.

The objective of this genre is to deliver a new flavor of storytelling without sacrificing

the accuracy of data and information.

In this chapter, the author had written three (3) examples of creative nonfiction. The

examples tackle the real-life and social issues that occur in our country. This will allow

the readers to engage and to update themselves as to what is happening on the national

stage. To top it all, creative nonfiction has been effectively equipped with thought-

provoking, bold, and brave pen power.

TIS, April 5, 2024: Two Chinese Coast Guards water-cannon Unaizah May 4 (UM4), a

wooden resupply boat of the Philippines, near Second Thomas Shoal on March 23, 2024.

This is already the second merciless attack made by China, but the Philippines still has no

concrete plans to address it. How much damage are we going to sustain before we act on

this territorial dispute?

Bloody wounds of Filipino crews boarding UM4 are a testament that China puts our

country’s freedom at alarming risk. “China’s latest acts of dangerous maneuvers against a

legitimate resupply mission caused severe damage to properties and physical harm to

Filipinos," said the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTFWP) after the

incident.

Furthermore, on July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court on Arbitration in the Hauge

announced that China has no legal claims on WPS. Additionally, the United Nations

Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) ordered China to immediately stop aquatic

activities inside the Philippines' territory. This makes China’s occupation and attacks on

the Second Thomas Shoal near the WPS illegal and unreasonable.

Moreover, President Bong Bong Marcos released a Facebook statement on this issue on

March 28, 2024. “The Philippines is set to implement a response and countermeasure

package in the face of illegal and dangerous attacks by China in the West Philippine

Sea," said PBBM in his post. While it is true that the President took the initiative to meet
with the National Security and Defense Leaders, his statement failed to provide the

‘quick protection’ our Filipino Coast Guards need.

Editorially, China is already stepping out of the line. They have no right to invade our

oceans, and much more to hurt our Filipino Coast Guards. Incidents such as the UM4

attack are an indication to our Republic to start protecting our territories. Now is the time

to raise our flag and eliminate those Chinese crocodiles lurking in our waters.

If the Philippines remained silent on its sovereign penetration, UM4 destruction might

just be the start of more explosive conflicts. The government should implement strategies

to protect our country by strengthening foreign alliances and designating more military

outposts to barricade WPS. This will integrate resilience and allow fast protection when

China dares to attack once more. Such tactics must then be done safely and peacefully to

settle conflicts without igniting disastrous war. #

2. Can modules beat this heat?

SONHS, April 3, 2024: The Department of Education (DepEd) authorized school heads

to suspend face-to-face classes and implement modular learning in their schools due to

extreme heat. Quezon, Caloocan, Navotas, and more cities in the Philippines have already

shifted to Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM), or modular learning. However, these cases

could have been avoided if DepEd had been willing enough to solve them.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services

Administration (PAGASA), the heat index will hit a scorching 48 degrees Celsius lasting
until May 2024. Because of this, a student in Zamboanga City suffered from fainting and

nose bleeding due to high temperatures. Such reports alarmed DepEd to allow schools to

practice modular learning again. But modules are only temporary and do not serve as a

long-term solution to this infernal weather.

DepEd’s ability to address extreme heat while providing education through printed

modules is in serious doubt. The truth is, it’s not heat that bothers the students in schools,

but rather the sardine-like situation they are currently in. If we put it in fair sight, extreme

heat in a tropical country is normal, but an overcrowded educational system is not.

Based on the report of The Asia Foundation, 4 million, or 18% of the entire student

populace in the Philippines, are forced to study in overcrowded public schools.

Overcrowding made their classrooms less student-friendly and more of a sardine factory.

Worsened by this heat index, students's eyebrows might not be the only thing that’s

burning.

Furthermore, according to the research by Balchin et . al. in 2016, overcrowded

classrooms limit air ventilation, which increases classroom temperature by up to 10%. He

also discovered that overcrowding amidst hot weather poses physical and mental health

risks to students, including fainting and severe nose bleeding. This proves that

overcrowding is the root of students' dilemmas when they experience literal "sunkiss.”.

On the contrary, some people believe that modular learning is efficient in solving the

issue. However, although it indeed allows students to chill in their homes, its negative

impacts on their learning are more igniting than fire. The Philippines ranked 77th out of
81 countries globally in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) for 15-

year-old learners in 2022. Academic gaps caused by modular learning during the

pandemic are the reason behind this provoking result.

Editorially, DepEd should start addressing extreme heat by solving overcrowding in

schools. If DEP is just willing to lessen the overcrowding in schools, hot weather won’t

be a hindrance to learning. For now, shifting back to modular is a smart move, but

settling for it is a terrible idea. A modular system should not be used repeatedly to aid

every educational crisis because our students deserve more. Indeed, they deserve better

than just being grilled alive.

To top it all, DEP has to start making real solutions to address extreme heat in schools.

They can do it by solving overcrowding by building more classrooms in schools,

especially those that have excessive enrollment rates. Also, they must bring back the old

June to March school calendar to avoid schooldays during hot seasons in April and May.

This way, DepEd will be able to beat the “init” without compromising students’s need for

quality education.

3. Do we have to cha-cha?

While the country is busy facing its never-ending problems, the issue of cha-cha in the

economy has become on and off. Although its term has been the news content for quite a

long time, we—the Filipinos—still have no clear understanding of its concept. These
pending national problems and lack of information only testify that there is no need for us

to cha-cha.

Cha-cha, or Charter Change, refers to the political and legal process needed to amend the

37-year-old Philippine Constitution. Several political figures dared to execute it using the

three modes of amendment, namely Con-Ass, Con-Con, and IP. These three terms

confused the people, driving them to not care about it, which is something we must never

allow.

The Con-Ass (Constituent Assembly) allows the Congress, composed of Senators,

Congressmen, and Congresswomen, to propose a change in the constitution. This process

is not widely accepted because its members are all politicians, meaning the people's voice

is mute. Also, it is feared that Con-ass might be just a matter of "cooking show.”.

Meanwhile, Con-Con (Constitutional Assembly) allows delegates from different

community sectors, such as farming, medicine, education, and others, to propose

constitutional change. Although Con-Con allows people to put something on the table, its

expensive cost and duration make it almost impossible to do.

Given that both Con-ass and Con-con are reg-flags, the government resorts to their last

card, the PI, or People’s Initiative. Article 17, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution

provides, “Amendments to this constitution may likewise be directly proposed by the

people through a petition of at least 12% of the total registered voters in the country, with

3% per district. PI gave butterflies to politicians, for all they have to do is convince and

lure the people to sign, something they are really good at.
Currently, PI is being used by the Congress to propose a change in the constitution. They

claimed that the 40% limit of foreign ownership provided by the constitution must be

changed to allow economic reform. This will open the gates of higher foreign direct

investments in the country’s sectors of advertising, education, and public utilities.

However, does changing the constitution provide significant improvements to our

economy?

Factually, Dr. Villardo Villegas, one of the 1987 constitution framers, rejected the

conduct of cha-cha in economic reform. He stated that there is no need to change the

constitution at this point, as it only redirects the government away from more pressing

issues such as poverty. “Right now, we should focus on the scandal of the 21%

population living in dehumanizing poverty rather than charter change," he said on a

senate hearing on February 19, 2024.

Editorially, there is no need for us to cha-cha just to improve our economy. The Congress

must focus on following the economist’s suggestions to achieve economic reform rather

than beating around the bush in changing the constitution. Neither do we have to let Con-

con, Con-ass, or PI conduct it without proper and clear process, as even a tiny change in

the constitution could impact the way our lives work.

The 1987 Constitution is alive. It is the mother and basis of all the laws that give us rights

and liberty. Hence, whatever the reason for its amendment, it should be done with extra

care according to due process of law. Nevertheless, the government must also ensure that

any imposed cha-cha will benefit the citizens more and will never favor the personal

agenda of political crocodiles.