Just In – With social media networking sites becoming the primary source of news for most Filipinos, the government is thinking of assigning already overburdened teachers to check comments online.
They will not censor content but rather point out mistakes in, for instance, grammar and spelling.
As usual, @hotmanila got the story first.
Here is the breaking news:
Gov’t mulls assigning teachers to Internet commenters
Hot Manila – by Alan Robles
Posted at 06/23/2014 12:50 PM | Updated as of 06/23/2014 12:50 PM
Government announced yesterday it is considering assigning public school teachers to every Internet commenter in the Philippines.
It said it is alarmed by a trend where, apparently, Filipinos don’t bother to read online articles before reacting.
As a result, they post misinformed statements, making them, in the words of one official, “look really stupid.”
According to bogus official Darwin Dimagets, under the proposed scheme, one schoolteacher will be assigned to each online commenter to make sure that person completely reads and understands each article. The teacher will then check comments for mistakes in logic, grammar, consistency and spelling.
“We hope this will promote critical thinking, the development of inquiring minds and reasoned argument.
“And if commenters don’t pass scrutiny, the teachers are authorized to hit them on the head with a wooden ruler. Each and every time they make a mistake.”
To read the rest, please click on this link.
vernon says
Do not be surprised if one of us would find out that this has been going on already. When the PH Govt. says it’s considering something, it’s usually preemptive. In short “tapos na”. It’s a practice that prevailed during the Marcos Years and is still going on today.
The internet is pervasive. I do not believe spying on its users is a good idea. Recent events have shown has this backfires on government. Also, the government uses it, ergo, they themselves can be monitored.
As the late “Inday Badiday” would say – “careful, careful”
More power, CPMers..
Nixon says
Rules, regulations, laws! don’t everyone ever thought these constricts the minds of people?
While I do agree that Filipinos should upgrade their learning on English, or even Pilipino, people should be more tolerant when netizens posts their reactions and comments with mistakes on social media platforms. We are not native English speakers!. We are bound to commit mistakes. Most netizens are not editors. They just want to get involve. They only want to share their views even at times they don’t really have grasped the topics that was presented. And not unless, what they have shared in discussin boards lead to a different or dual meaning, we should be more generous. Correcting them directly on line of their wrong grammars, constructions of sentences and use wrong use of grammars make them “tiyope” and may not anymore engage in sharing their views. What really count is their views and thoughts, not thier wromg grammars o sentences or spelling. If it could be explicitly understood, what’s making us intolerant of them?
There are a lot of reasons why some netizens act as they do. Thinking uncritically is one of them, but I believe calling their attention to such mistakes on line will only disrupt their involvement in issues that are around us. And to those who are well versed in English and more critical, they can engage them in explaining the issues and share their takes.
Correcting grammars, spelling and sentence construction on line with a discussant is I believe, a kind of hitting below the belt. Let’s talk of issues, not who, or what kind of education the one on the other line has. Let’s share ideas, thoughts, educationally and intellectually learned experience and theories that we have acquired. Not to win like in a debate but to share ideas and thoughts. In this way, we could formulate an informed and educated opinion on issues that are ubiquitously around us.
In the mean time, manalangin tayo na ang education system in our country will improve.
raissa says
er, it’s a humor column
macspeed says
he he he cool bro…
Clearpasig says
Heard about popular app for correct phrases, grammar, and spelling. Use it!
netty says
Uh -huh, napikon agad ako ah! ;) That is right , read first before making a statement, but I have a suggestion. Why not assign unemployed teachers too, in every govt offices, esp.in those offices /branches dealing with approval of projects/disbursement of funds to act only as whisleblowers with benefits now that being one is protected by law? I just thought about this with your funny write up, ALLAN.Take it this way, kung may pulis on the site, walang magnanakaw . At least the teachers would be gainfully employed, they can be trusted and pay taxes, how is that for making them a multitask er?
vander anievas says
hahaha, humanda ang mga jejemon.
tiyak na wrong spelling, wrong na yan.
daming mase-censor niyan. hehehe…
zamera says
Yeah, nosebleed talaga sa jajajaja, xaxaxaxa…Iyong mga pwede “poh” ba na mga anik-anik, pati iyong mga words na “i” ang ending pero naging “e”, gaya ng uli=ule, hatid=hated? Haaaay!!!!
moonie says
ha, ha, ha, I can imagine teachers jumping out from monitor screens of computers and confronting errant commenters- in person. hands on hip, face scowly as thunderclouds. carrying a ruler and parrying it like a fencing sword, en garde! indio!
ay, teacher beware, dude and duddette, I excel in hand to hand combat. choose your weapon! no rulers, please, no rulers, I never did like rulers. erm, can I choose the teacher? I prefer one past 70yrs, ulyanin at come with own coffin. preferably one with complete set of teeth, got no hip replacement, no pacemaker, has working kidneys, and must have 20/20 vision. my dog is lonely needs company.
moonie says
by the way, I like rocket launchers better than rulers. bazooka? okay. panzer tank? not okay. erm, can teacher please bring a carton of beer as well? and some free tickets for one direction concert. thank you.
Joe America says
“come with own coffin” ahahahahahahaha, funniest line of the year, “working kidneys” ahahahahaha. Thanks for the uplift, I’ve been crabby all day what with the Auna obsession hereabouts. The worst case of frenzy by an offended public I’ve seen since Private Smith and Nicole. Gadzooks, I say, gadzooks. It’s probably a plot by Enrile to distract attention . . .
moonie says
enrile? I’m sharpening my knife for him, joe. skin tough as pachyderm.
zamera says
LOL! Joking aside, many of the retired teachers are very good! My KG teacher was 80 plus, and boy, we all knew how to read, write and do simple addition and subtractions by the time we graduated from her class! Yes, she was ulyanin, and we had to tell her one time that her dress is reversed. But our class of 4-6 years old was so, so quiet!
Ain’t forgotten her name, all of us in her class remembers her till now. SEVERINA – saan ka pa? ^_^
Joe America says
I can see teaching an “online ethics” class that teaches proper commenting guidelines (for example, the difference between issue and insult), principles of debate, how to research, and good structure of comments. Perhaps also “online grammar” that deals with logic and good, clear expressions. But monitoring on-line work? Lunatic and downright NSA.
I also agree with Allan that today’s media and social networking provoke hostile exchanges.
Allan says
It said it is alarmed by a trend where, apparently, Filipinos don’t bother to read online articles before reacting.
I agree with this statement. Especially in how online news sites are wording their headlines for optimal controversy.