Mutya Philippines

Ang Sistema ni Propesor Tuko ni Al Santos

The Philippines is continuously struggling for survival. It’s sad to say that in our country, corruption is rampant, crimes are uncontrolled, population increases every year, and poverty incessantly pulls down not just the nation but also the Filipino people. Indeed, our country is faced with a lot of problems and issues that affect the lives of many Filipinos. Furthermore, one of the most controversial quandaries is the poor quality of education, which is also the root of all issues in the society. Filipinos not just blame the government for this but they also blame fellow Filipinos thus, submerging our country in deep mud. Truth be told, Filipinos always find faults in others but they don’t see their own. A thought to ponder; change must start with oneself. Just like what Leo Tolstoy once said, “everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself”.
The play, Mutya, has many similarities with the authoritarian Marcos regime. Many references were made to the societal flaws that were present in the 1980s. An example would be how the Professor Tuko’s teaching system was not proving to be effective on the students and students clamored for change. The students realized that what Professor Tuko taught them was unchanging and irrelevant to their modern society and that the lessons being taught to them were exactly the same as the ones that were taught to their older siblings. This unchanging routine made the students think low of the system just like during the latter years of Marcos’ rule. He also took money from the student’s parents, supposedly for the school, but was used for his own purposes. This can be related to the corruption that was present during the Marcos era. The students saw these flaws and insisted for a change in the system and Professor Tuko responded with the declaration of Martial Law. The people who dared speak (i.e. Kiko) were silenced and any form of defiance was met with severe punishment, even death (i.e. Professor Tuko using a big stock to punish the students and mistakenly thinking he killed them). Afraid of being ousted, Professor Tuko’s call for Martial Law only made the students fight harder. However, the restrictions he imposed ultimately caused the students’ uprising that led to his downfall.

More than the explicit similarities between the Marcos’ regime and the play, it also centralizes in the deteriorating state of the Philippine educational system. Professor Tuko was an example of a teacher who could not make ends meet with just one job and, therefore, has to find another job to sustain him. With such a state, we cannot expect a teacher who will be fully effective to the students and they end up with not learning properly. Also, the lack of attention that he gives his students is a major problem because the students are being molded to become mediocre.

The play is still highly relevant to present conditions because our educational systems are still in a deteriorating state. Many of the problems shown in the play, such as the teacher’s need for an extra job to support himself, his lack of materials to teach, and the lack of time to update his lesson plans are still a problem in today’s educational system. These are problems that need to be noticed. In the larger scale, the play doesn’t exactly connect anymore with the current times since we are not in the state of Martial Law, although it can still be said to relevant because, as said before, corruption is still rampant in out governments and many politicians still abuse the power they hold.

The play directly shows to the viewers that a change in the educational system of the country is undeniably needed. The country needs to take care of the teachers because they are the one teaching the future leaders of our country. These teachers must be given a high priority for they are essential in the upbringing of these students. The students also play an important part to the change that is needed. Being the future of their family and country, they need to realize the importance of the education that they are being given. They must be trained to be inquisitive, to ask questions, to grow. At the same time, the play urges the government to listen to the people, not have the people listen to the government. The government must taet into the consideration what is best for the future of the country. They need to invest in the educational system because these children are the future leaders of the country. They must realize that they work for the people, not the other way around. It is impossible to have a perfect nation, living in peace and harmony, where everyone’s voice is heard and taken in to consideration. But, it is very possible to lessen and limit the problem our nation and government has been experiencing. Corruption in our country will never end because there will always be leaders who will take advantage of their power and claim as much resources they can. No matter what we do, there will still be those who steal the money that is allotted for the Filipino, especially the needy. This is why the poor becomes poorer, and thus the same for our educational system. We cannot do much about these anymore, until we, the students of today, try to step up and fight for what we think is just for us, and for the teachers as well. They were all victims of a government and a society that does not give enough consideration to other’s situation. Just like in the play, when the students tricked Professor Tuko and made him believe that he killed them. The turning point of the story was when their teacher realized that never listening to the voices of his students was his biggest mistake. We hope that this goes the same for our government system. We hope that the next time students ask for a change, the government will at least try to listen. Of course it’s not that simple to make decisions and give whatever teachers and students ask, but we’re hoping that at least their problems may be addressed faster than before.