2010: A Year to Forget?

Miss Universe 2010 4th runner up Maria Venus Raj and the Philippine Azkals

2010.

It's amazing how a word which is spelled by only four digits would hold a lot of events that changed human society, especially for the Philippines. A lot has happened in our country these past twelve months which really challenged and tested our resolve as a nation. I could say these events have united us on certain occasions and have also divided us. But nevertheless, whatever these events have done to us, the only common and most important thing that these events did were to change our consciousness of things around us.

To Err or Not to Err?

You have read from my first post about the errors found in the newly redesigned Philippine banknotes and of the plethora of criticisms it garnered. After posting that article I scouted Facebook once gain, particularly the GMA News profile page for more comments on the issue and I was stunned at the massive turnout. But it is more than just the turnout because what makes it more stunning is the variety of perspectives that the commentators presented.

I tried classifying these comments based on their similarities in perspectives. I might not be accurate about this since this just how I observed it.

The Language of the Redesigned Philippine Currency

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has released the new design of Philippine currency which will be in circulation this December 2010. While it receive a lot of acclaim for its colorful and fresh designs, it also garnered some bit of criticism. These include errors in the geographical location of some of the tourist spots presented and inaccuracies in the portrayal of some of the animals and places featured within.

One of the criticisms I read in the many discussions about it in Facebook came from my best friend who just happens to be a big fan of Filipino discourse and literature. He questioned the inconsistent use of Filipino in the bills. If you will look at the designs of the bills below, you can clearly see the code switching -- Filipino in naming the denomination but English in identifying the various people, places, events and animals presented.