In PH, After The Successful “People Power Revolution” Of February 1986, We Need A “Science Power Revolution”!

A million people walking the long stretch of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) that February week in 1986 which ended with the flight of the entire Ferdinand Marcos (FM) family out of the Philippines and terminated the Marcos dictatorship – we may need that EDSA March again, but this time to drive out poverty and inequality in these islands and terminate the dictatorship of Chemical Agriculture (CA).

Are you listening?

This time, we need a Science Power Revolution! (SPR). For what? To solve the problem of Farmer Poverty and at the same time to combat Climate Change! So, I was only a participant in the People Power Revolution of EDSA; this time, I am the instigator for and rabble rouser of an anti-poverty movement.

And the weapons for this modern science revolution have been circulating around the world since time immemorial – they are collectively called “Regenerative Agriculture” (RA). (image from brynmawr.edu)

The 13 RA weapons are:

(1) Cover Cropping, (2) Crop Rotation, (3) Farm Crops + Tree Crops (Agroforestry), (4) Green Manuring, (5) Intercropping, (6) Multiple Cropping, (7) No-Till Farming, (8) Organic Fertilization, (9) Ratooning, (10) Rotational Grazing, (11) “Three Sisters” Planting, (12) Trap Cropping, and (13) Trash Mulching.

These RA practices are perfect for poor farmers and poor soils! Their advantages are as follows:

1.    They do not require expensive fertilizers. No fertilizer is necessary for 12 of the practices. But if the farmer wishes, S/He can apply organic fertilizers that which S/He can prepare personally.

2.    None of the practices is complicated. A demo of all the methods in one location can be recorded in electronic media for everyone, available via the Internet anytime of day or night anywhere in the Philippines.

3.    Capital for farming is not a problem – given the simplicity of the farming techniques espoused and materials used.

4.    An electronic library of the steps for each practice, including anticipated results, and answers to anticipated questions, can be constructed and made available anywhere in the Philippines – free!

No, there is no such library in the world, electronic or otherwise – and no book either. None yet. (I writer may be encouraged to author that book myself – I just need a little funding.)

How will the Science Power Revolution solve the problem of poverty? Basic economics:

Each and everyone of the RA practices requires Minimal Inputs and generates Maximal Outputs. The farmer is a winner.

Note – The common characteristics of the RA practices listed above are as follows:

1.    No chemical fertilizers necessary, absolutely! No chemical pesticides required either. Therefore, no greenhouse gases generated. And therefore, zero contribution of farming to Climate Change.

2.    Many of the farm practices in the above list are already familiar to old farmers, so that unfamiliarity should not be a hindrance to adoption. Also,

3.    the Department of Agriculture can promote the RA practices indirectly via farmer cooperatives and Municipal Agriculturists in location.

The 13 RA practices can then turn into Weapons of War against both Farmer Poverty and Climate Change!@517

“Change From The Ground Up” By Cielito F Habito; “Change From Top To Bottom” By Frank A Hilario

I’m reading very early this morning, Tuesday, 25 Feb 2025, the Philippine Daily Inquirer column of former NEDA Chief Cielito F Habito, and I can’t help but smile at the title, “Change From The Ground Up” because, as an inveterate wit, I immediately thought the other way around: “Change From The Top To The Bottom”! Two ways are better than one – from which to choose? (image from clipart-library.com)

I quote from Mr Habito:

“In my somewhat pessimistic piece last week, I concluded that the only way out of the self-destruction path bad politicians have led us into is for our elite and middle class to act to help shape a better future for all, as we can’t expect our elected leaders to do it.”

Lift us all up? No Sir! Not even our best elected leaders can do it, if left alone! (And the lower class?)

By saying “Change From The Top To The Bottom,” I mean select and/or elect at least one leader who knows the breadth of leadership from left to right and from top to bottom. Above all, one who has charisma and is known to be a visionary.

The only Philippine leader whom I know who has achieved all that – and succeeded in an international scale – is William Dar. He was Director General (DG) of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) based in India. He proved to be a highly successful DG that he was selected DG for 3 times, each term 5 years, from 1999 to 2013, until he had to retire because of age.

Under Dar, ICRISAT rose from dead last to first among the 15 members of the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

What Mr Dar did was this: He came out with the slogan:
“Science with a human face”
that was so people-friendly and yet challenging every single worker of ICRISAT, from top to bottom.

Another way of putting that is that ICRISAT became, first, itself friendly with the staff who became friendly with those they were serving – the people, the people from top to bottom.

As a non/slogan, “Science with a human face” was by definition and insinuation friendly with the people. The people of ICRISAT themselves knew they were working for the outside people in the semi-arid tropics who did not possess ideal lives.

“Science with a human face” I interpreted as meaning “science being brought down from the unfriendly laboratory to the ordinary lives of farmers wherever they were, to help improve their lives.

Jitendra Sinha (26 Feb 2023, “Science With A Human Face: The Untold Story,” LinkedIn) says:

“Dr William Dar and his team of Scientists defied approaches of the past, and started refocusing the efforts on research that would actually benefit farmers. (FAH’s emphasis) As mentioned by him “... we needed to do agricultural research for development, not research for research’s sake. Not science for Science sake”. The Slogan: “Science with a Human Face.” Mr Dar first showed us that!@517

“Ille Emperium” From “The Art Of Paul Hilario” – It Should Change The Art & Political Scenes Of The Philippines Forever!

What you read in the title, I would like to tell you now that that may be possible.

As “Ille Emperium,” the solo art exhibit of my painter son Paul Hilario now showing at the Sining Makiling Gallery at the campus of UP Los Baños, nears closing day this coming Friday, 28 February, today, Sunday, 23 February, it strikes me that the whole exhibit is best purchased by an individual fellow, institution or group – so that the whole exhibit, intact, can be shown anytime.

What’s the point?

Initially, I wrote about it: “Andres Bonifacio & Jose Rizal? On Abililty & Disability, Nanay Ampy and Tatay Frank A Hilario, Paintings By Son Paul Benjamin” (06 Feb 2025, The Editor In Chief, blogspot.com). There are clear lessons in graft and corruption if the art pieces are seen as a whole and not separately in different places and times should some pieces be purchased by art lovers here and abroad. (Yes, Paul Hilario has sold and is selling his art pieces in Europe and in the United States.)

It struck my mind that instead of selling the art pieces one by one, this particular art exhibit would be much better bought in its entirety by one individual, family, group or institution to keep the art pieces together and the story intact – and inspire generations of Filipinos to love their country as they rise above petty politics, sexual proclivities, massive corruption, and Vision-less leadership in all aspects of nationhood!

Given the new owner, the next exhibit could be either physical or digital (photographs taken and viewable via personal computer), that is, portable, so that from time to time, the whole exhibit could be displayed in any or each of the capitals of the major provinces of the Philippines from Luzon, to the Visayas, to Mindanao – to drive home the point that politics must be played for the benefit of the people and not to enrich the politicians at the expense of the people! I am particularly hoping that a politician/non-politician leader would emerge with a Vision.

Visions Management says, “The field of controlled chaos is our playground” (visionsmgmt.com). Yes, Your Vision is your weapon to control your chaos!

Once purchased by an individual or group, after digitalization, the entire collection could be displayed at one location anytime to silently but surely educate visitors out of their own sins and unsocial proclivities.

This artistic exhibit could then become The Travelling Exposé Of Current Philippine Politics, to educate the people out of their faith in False Prophets! (There are so many of them today.)

The one art piece I love the most is that which features peace-loving Jose Rizal holding a bolo talking to warmongering Andres Bonifacio (the Philippines’ 2 national heroes, both Tagalogs, noted especially by me, an Ilocano).

This Friday is your last chance to visit and look at each of the challenging art pieces by my son Paul Hilario at the UPLB art gallery. Enjoy! At least, be enriched visually.@517

 

How To Educate The Filipino Youth For The Future – Budget Is Important, But Quality Of Education Is Importanter!

How to “Equip The Filipino Youth For The Future,” is the main message of UE President Zosimo M Battad; he bemoans PH Education and demands: “Equip The Filipino Youth For The Future” – 22 February 2025, Philippines Daily Express).

I am reading Mr Battad’s Inquirer column as a college teacher – Civil Service eligible 1964, graduate 1965 – yes, the exam came first and it quite indicated that I would graduate with dignity! And since I never stopped learning as an indefatigable blogger – the Internet is quite a school – I feel I am qualified to comment on Mr Battad’s Inquirer’s 22 February 2025 column, “Equip The Filipino Youth For The Future” (Inquirer.net).

Our Philippine “education is in crisis,” Mr Battad states categorically. How does he know? “Filipino students have been scoring lower than their overseas peers in standardized tests on math, reading, and comprehension.” Sad to hear that!

Original: “PH Government Spending For Education”? Improved by me: “Government Spending For Quality Education.” Quality is Most Important.

UE President Zosimo M Battad states categorically (“Equip The Filipino Youth For The Future,” 22 Feb 2025, Philippine Daily Inquirer, inquirer.net):

“Education in the country is in crisis: Filipino students have been scoring lower than their overseas peers in standardized tests on math, reading, and comprehension.”

“The Constitution explicitly states that education must be given the highest allocation. This year, budgets for military and police academies and nontraditional schools were counted in the overall education budget, making it appear that the bare minimum requirement has been met.”

“Per the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, government spending per student has decreased to P19,943 in 2021 from P22,979 in 2017, making ours one of the lowest spending rates per student globally.”

“The crisis is multifaceted and far-reaching.” I would think so. “Funding is key.”

I say, “Also, type of education is important – are they teaching the students to think or not?” In fact, I teacher think this is the most important of all: Are schools teaching the students to think or not? My answer: Probably not!

I explain: There are 2 types of thinking: Creative thinking and critical thinking. In creative thinking, the teacher tries to teach students how to come up with ideas that may be new or untried. In critical thinking, the students are taught only to consider what is already there and judge it according to the best of their thinking, or what they know.

I say: “To equip students for the future, we must teach them both creative thinking and critical thinking – that is quality education!” (sg.images.search.yahoo.com)

Let me put it this way:

Critical thinking is jumping to conclusion.
Creative thinking is jumping to confusion!

We need both kinds of thinking; we need to teach both kinds of thinking.

I think we should begin to teach creative thinking to our newspaper columnists – all they know is critical thinking! Same is true with the opponents of BBM. Same is true with BBM and his cohorts.

To build our future together, everyone needs creative thinking!@517

Why Do I Write Mostly For The 3 Million Filipino Farmers And Their Families?

"Online Farmers’ Markets” – that will be the day! Right now, a million or so farmers are on line for a 5-6, you know, you borrow five and you pay back six in a couple of months, no questions asked! An online farmers market is a dream! (image  from PhilStar, philstar.com)

i’m a blogger. “Filipino Writers” writes about “Three Topics You Can Write About” (18 Feb 2025, Facebook): (1) Climate Change, (2) Conflict, and (3) The Global And The Hyperlocal. Thank you for those tips, ladies & gentlemen, but I, I always write depending on my mood! (Well, I’m mostly always on the mood.)

if you talk about those millions of Filipino farmers, I’m always on the mood to listen – and then write.

We go back to Filipino Writers who writes on “three topics that you can write about”:

“Are you at a loss on which topics that you can utilize in your writing?

“Here's three of them…

“1. Climate change: Many publications both in the Philippines and in the world want strong works that focus on climate change (and climate action).

“It can be ... an entire novel or something that's in a different/experimental format altogether.”

“2. Conflict: … You can write a dramatic novel between two lovers separated by war. You can write about the fictional exploits of special operations operators, secret agents, and the common citizen…”

“3. The global and the hyperlocal: … It can be a love story between a Filipino man and a Dutch woman..., the struggle of a Filipino making it into the world stage…, or the intrigues of Filipino diplomats who try to secure Philippine interests abroad…”

“Obviously, (all) this is not the be-all and end-all for writing: Always write what your heart wants…”

I love that – “Always write what your heart wants.” Truth to tell, I do that all the time!

Most of all, I want to write about the 3 million or so Filipino farmers who are poor. As an agriculturist (UPLB 1965), I see little reason for their poverty outside technology!

And that hyper-enemy is? Chemical Agriculture! (CA). Just look at what our farmers are applying on their crops – chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides. These CA concoctions generate greenhouse gases (GHGs); in turn, the GHGs generate Climate Change!

Under Regenerative Agriculture (RA), I know 13 ways farmers can work out their lands and profit from it much – and the climate will profit much more because there are no GHGs formed by their farming:

(1) Cover Cropping, (2) Crop Rotation, (3) Farm Crops + Tree Crops (Agroforestry), (4) Green Manuring, (5) Intercropping, (6) Multiple Cropping, (7) No-Till Farming, (8) Organic Fertilization, (9) Ratooning, (10) Rotational Grazing, (11) “Three Sisters” Planting, (12) Trap Cropping, and (13) Trash Mulching.

How do farmers profit from any of these 13 methods? The cost of farming under RA is way, way below the PH10,000/ha under CA. Since there are no GHGs formed, I surmised that if the whole world suddenly practiced RA, Climate Change will be gone in 7 years!@517

Why Is UP Diliman Not #1 Among World Universities In The Webometrics Jan 2025 List!!? And My Alma Mater UP Los Baños Not #2!?

I am a UP Los Baños alumnus (1965), and I am only slightly happy over the news: “UP Diliman Tops PH Universities In Webometrics List” – but not among the top worldwide. From Neil Jayson Servallos (PhilStar, philstar.com):

The University of the Philippines in Diliman regained the top spot among Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) in the January 2025 Webometrics Ranking of World Universities…

Is that good news for UP Diliman? Nah! “Globally, UP Diliman ranked 938th out of nearly 32,000 HEIs in the list.” What about my alma mater UP Los Baños? Not mentioned – hu hu hu!

Mr Servallos again:

“The bi-annual world site rankings are published by the Cybermetrics Lab of the Spanish National Research Council… It tracks HEIs through the volume of content on their website, the visibility of these content and the impact of the published materials based on how much these are linked to other research materials online.”

Above, note UP's Oblation statue covered with a cloth that does not belong to the statue itself – it so happens that the question of Webometrics covers all 8 component universities of the UP System!

“Globally, UP Diliman ranked 938th out of nearly 32,000 HEIs in the list.” How proud can you be of that?!

“The Ranking Web is not a ranking of university websites, but a ranking of universities themselves.”

“The primary objective of the Ranking Web is to promote open access to the knowledge generated by universities.”

So! I see that by virtue of the presence of the Internet, there has been a dynamic added role of universities: “promote open access to the knowledge generated by universities.”

And how does a university do that? “The best strategy for improving a university’s rank is to increase the quantity and quality of its web content, which significantly enhances the transfer of scientific and cultural knowledge to society.”

Now, from 40 years of experience in editing technical reports, This Editor In Chief knows that for higher global ranking, to improve a university’s web content, it needs to produce higher-quality scientific and cultural knowledge. Which calls for producing higher-quality technical reports out of its own research results. Which calls for higher-quality technical journals.

About “higher-quality technical journals” – I have had personal experience. When I was already 78 years old, I became The Editor In Chief of the Philippine Journal of Crop Science (PJCS) in 2003 when it was already 3 years late in its issues. What happened? I made the PJCS up-to-date in 3 years – that means I worked doubletime – and brought the journal to the coveted international level of ISI (now “Web Of Science”) the next year. Impossible but true!

The lesson here from Webometrics from me is this:

For a university to rank high worldwide and serve millions more people via its researches, it must produce high-quality research reports in high-quality journals. Where are the high-quality editors when you need them most? This old editor can teach them a trick or two!@517

If We Believe That Artificial Intelligence (AI) Is God-Given, We Are Actually Committing Intellectual Suicide!

As editor in science of long-standing – some 40 years, in Agriculture and Agriculture-related sciences and fields, as well as in the art of  Creative Thinking – I know 2 things: (1) when critical thinking is called for and (2) when creative thinking is the demand of the hour. Like: Writing a research paper to submit to a technical journal needs critical thinking, while writing an article or series of articles to submit to a popular magazine or newspaper needs creative thinking initially.

Unfortunately, Hashem Al-Ghaili’s Facebook post on 08 Feb 2025, “Experts Warn AI Is Literally Destroying Our Ability To Think” is too negative:

If you constantly use AI in almost every single task, you are compromising your critical thinking skills and cognitive capabilities, according to a recent study.

The research involved 666 participants and revealed a significant negative correlation between AI tool usage and critical thinking performance, highlighting the dangers of cognitive offloading. (image from Facebook article)

Who is Al-Ghaili? Wikipedia says of him (en.wikipedia.org):

Hashem Al-Ghaili (born 11 Aug 1990) is a Yemeni molecular biologist, science communicator, and director. He is best known for his eponymous Facebook page, which he created in 2008. There, he publishes infographics and short-form videos about scientific news and research. As of October 2022, the page had secured more than 32 million followers.

Wow! But all that doesn’t intimidate me – I still disagree!

Mr Al-Ghaili says, “Cognitive offloading is characterized by the tendency to rely on technological tools to reduce mental effort.” Simply said, “If you can find something to copy to submit for your homework or add to your thesis or support your paper, an AI product is very tempting!”

Right. But I beg to differ with Mr Al-Ghaili – AI is not destroying our ability to think but simply relegating it to the background. And yes, Mr Al-Ghaili does not distinguish between Creative Thinking and Critical Thinking. To simplify: Creative thinking is mostly for the writers, and critical thinking is mostly for the scientists.

I creative thinker would not submit myself to the uncreative slavery of AI!

Which points to this: While AI proliferates and cannot now be avoided by the likes of Mr Al-Ghaili, we creative-minded people must keep on practicing creative thinking – despite the temptations of AI.

Still from Mr Al-Ghaili:

The repeated delegation of mental tasks to artificial intelligence leads to a decline in independent information evaluation and reflective problem-solving skills…

This can involve tools like calculators, smartphones, or even AI assistants. While offloading can improve efficiency and free up mental space for other tasks, over-reliance on it may hinder the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Excessive reliance on (AI) may lead to a decline in critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and even creativity. To mitigate these risks, it's crucial to practice "cognitive hygiene." This involves consciously choosing when to engage AI and when to rely on your own cognitive processes.

Me:

“My BS Agriculture UPLB was all critical thinking. Creative thinking is God-given; artificial intelligence is man-made – we need both!”@517

PH Media Columnists – Where Is Your Vision And Mission

PH Media Columnists – if you are our modern intellectuals trying to teach us, at least learn not only to speak the truth but to situate it in a larger context of development, not simply contempt! Much better if you learn to demand that these government agencies display for the public their Vision and Mission for their departments.

Today, what the columnists are doing is simply Truth Journalism. Truth Journalism is to satisfy only your ego and readers, not the welfare of the vast majority of the people that the government department is trying to serve! Truth Journalism fails even the Rotary 4-Way Test!

I say: If a government agency is not pursuing a publicly stated Vision and Mission, then it is not serving the public the best way it can!

The Vision is what you want to see in the near future; the Mission is how you are trying to achieve such Vision.

Let us take the example of rice – since the abrupt assumption of PH President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr as Secretary of Agriculture, and up to now, bringing down the price of rice is not DA Vision and Mission!

I must blame the DA, whoever is the titular head, for that huge overlook, in which the media people can concentrate on coming out with their comments, and stop being personal. This modus operandi of journalists has been going on since time immemorial, and there has not been any Nobel Peace Prize winner for (1) a government agency who knows and pursues its Vision and Mission without fail, or (2) a media columnist or reporter who consistently follows up an agency’s success or failure with its Vision and Mission.

What kind of intellectuals are they, if ever?

Today, Tuesday, 04 Feb 2025, I am looking at the Facebook post of 28 Aug 2024 by “English Literature” titled “Responsibility Of Intellectuals.”  And the nearest thing I can think of are the modern media columnists who come out regularly with their opinions that most of us take as “bread & butter” – we eat heartily!

Their journalism is known as “Truth Journalism” that, if you have doubts about its importance today, please be reminded that the CEO of Rappler, who is Maria Ressa, won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

Suddenly, coming across the above post, I realize that in this digital age, by reason of insistence and persistence, our columnists in all the modern media serve as modern intellectuals!

Noam Chomsky says, “The responsibility of intellectuals is to speak the truth and expose lies.” With that perspective, I look at the more popular Philippine journalists as intellectuals who constantly wish to speak the truth and expose lies, especially from government.

Unfortunately! I can see that none of the PH Government Department Heads speak in terms of Vision and Mission that power their programs for their agencies, because they have none!

Now then, following what Chomsky says, above: “The intellectuals have so far failed to speak the truth and expose lies to the public, except in unrelated truths and un/limited lies!@517

Andres Bonifacio & Jose Rizal? On “Abililty & Disability,” Nanay Ampy and Tatay Frank A Hilario, Paintings By Son Paul Benjamin

Yesterday, 05 Feb 2025, was the opening of Paul Hilario’s one-man exhibit “Ille Imperium” (“The Supreme Power”) comprising of 15 art pieces, each one composed to make the viewer laugh and/or cry. Each one is original. The paintings are in modern art form: Impressionism – the details are much less important than the message.

If I had the money, I would buy the whole set and have it installed in one exclusive room. The paintings in the collection are all original and the exhibit title “Ille Imperium” is provocative: “The Emperor” (my translation).

I urge you to view each painting at a time and reflect on the message. The title “Ille Imperium” is the beginning of the overall message – which is about Graft and Corruption reigning in Philippine society today: “What are we going to do about graft & corruption?” No, there are no names mentioned in any of the paintings – the overall message is to reflect on the nation “Philippines” and inhabitants called “Filipinos.”

On the painting above shows (photo by Jeff Escobin): Warmonger Andres Bonifacio talking to Pacifist Jose Rizal. It’s an intriguing dialogue, no words need said here. We can see Rizal holding a bolo, with seriousness in his eyes – he must be talking to Bonifacio out of the Katipunan Revolution. Historically, I know that Rizal did not approve ot the Katipunan Revolution (of 1896). Rizal was for the Philippines to become an island part of the Spanish kingdom, and benefit from the same laws that Spaniards were benefitting at that time.

Paul is our son. We are seniors now; Ampy is 80 and I am 85 – do we want a Philippine Revolution to get rid of Graft & Corruption? Absolutely not! I speak for myself – I want the Ille Imperium of science to reign supreme over these islands.

I am a UP Los graduate of 1965, BSA major in Ag Edu, teacher. That was 62 years ago! But if you think I’m old-fashioned, let me tell you maybe I am, but I have been into digital writing, editing, and desktop publishing – all self-taught – at least in the last 34 years. I am a blogger, and this is going to be one of the 40,000 articles I have blogged since I began WordPress.com (where is it now?). Today you can find me in Blogspot.Com, where I began blogging in 2007 or 18 years ago. Thank God, I am still up and about and much enjoying my blogging!

Unfortunately, my favorite Internet search site and topic, “Leadership in Agriculture,” can mostly report for me, as Paul Hilario’s “Ille Imperium” does, the reign of personal interests.

But I am not dismayed, not losing hope for my country! I am thinking of “Ille Imperium” for scientific farming, especially “Regenerative Agriculture’ (RA)! I continue to fight for regenerative farming because I know that all those 13 methods in my RA list are for the benefit of Big & Small Farmers – Ille Imperium for the Filipino Farmers!@517

Reinventing “UP College Of Mass Communication” – Now, Where Is It Going? Asking As A Friend!

Right now, I’m intellectually looking back at my alma mater, UP Los Baños (UPLB), where I graduated with a BSA major in Ag Ed in 1965 (weighted average 2.65 if I remember right). In that same year, I placed close second in the Pangasinan (Entrance) Teachers Exam with 90.6% – a Diliman lady got 90.5%. (Actually, they are statistically the same.)

UP – Cristina Chi says on Thursday, 30 Jan 2025, the UP Diliman Board of Regents approved the renaming of the “UP College of Mass Communication” (CMC) into the “UP College of Media and Communication” (PhilStar, philstar.com).

Inspired, here’s me looking at “digital media for instruction” and “mixed learners” – CMC Dean Fernando Paragas, Sir, to begin the re-education of CMC people, and for them to enjoy it while they sweat it out, why not teach your staff Harvard professor Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI)? They will then discover their own individual geniuses!

The MI list is this: 1. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (“Body Smart”), 2. Creative Intelligence (“Thinking Smart”), added by FAH, 3. Existential Intelligence (“Life Smart”), 4. Interpersonal Intelligence (“People Smart”), 5. Intrapersonal Intelligence (“Self Smart”), 6. Mathematical-Logical Intelligence (“Number/Reasoning Smart”), 7. Musical Intelligence (“Music Smart”), 8. Naturalist Intelligence (“Nature Smart”), 9. Spatial Intelligence (“Image Smart”), and 10. Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence (“Word Smart”).

Suddenly, with MI, media & communication becomes lively & lovely occupations for UP instructors!

What nerve have I to say all of the above? Let me introduce myself: Frank A Hilario is historically the one and only “Outstanding Alumnus For Creative Writing” of the entire UP System, from Aparri to Jolo, from the founding of the UP System in 1908 till now, 2025. No, not “Distinguished Alumnus…” it’s “Outstanding Alumnus…” you have to distinguish!

Madecor President Elpidio L Rosario was President of the UPLB Alumni Association when that happened in 2011. By that time, I had blogged thousands of articles and ICRISAT had published 2 books from my articles. Ask former ICRISAT Director General William Dar if you want to check. I was then a Writer From Home (WFH) writing about an institution thousands of kilometers away! How was that physically and/or mentally possible? The Internet came to the Philippines in 1991. Internet. Thank God for the Internet!

Note: I have been a self-taught creative writer, since Innocents Day, 1985. I have blogged at least 40,000 essays since 1991 (WordPress.com–Blogger.com), and I am happy to continue until today, 34 years later!

And yes, I am a self-taught digital editor and desktop publisher. How did I do that? Being a teacher (UP Los Baños 1965), no other background, I taught myself all the digital knowledge I have right now! The ilocanos like me will do anything if you tell them it’s impossible!

Yes – if the CMC asked for professional help at 84, I am ready anytime! Nota bene: All self-taught, if I could go digital at 40 years of age, 1985, I am challenging the CMC to go digital at 60 years! Age doesn’t matter as gray matter doesn’t age!@517