Removal Exam Coverage.

The topics to be covered for the removal exam is the same as the topics covered in the last exam.

This is true for both Soc. Sci. 2 and Pol. Sci. 180.

The type of exam is also going to be the same.

Removal Exam Schedule

 

Students who incurred a grade of 4.0 (both for Pol. Sci. 180 and Soc. Sci. 2):

 

Removal Exam Schedule: November 4, 2011 Friday 1:30 pm.

Soc. Sci. Faculty Room.

Secure your removal permit and bring a blue book.

 

Social Science 2 Discussion Comments and Removal Announcement

All comments have been noted. Due to slow network connection, however, individual feedback will no longer be provided.

Those who incurred a grade of 4.0, removals will be scheduled in the enrollment week. Further details will be posted soon.

Deadline for Sc. Sci. 2 Comments

Commenting on posted articles for Social Science 2 will be until Sunday, October  15, 2011 only.

List of students who have successfully completed all requirements for 180 final paper

Those who did not appear in the list are dues to either one of more of the following deficiencies;

1. incomplete outlines

2. only one soft copy, either word or pdf format only

3. soft copy did not make it to the due time

4. late hard copy

5. unnamed submission

Check the list by downloading the file below.

List of Students who completed all requirements for 180 final paper

Soc. Sci. 2 Article for Discussion C-The Philippine Supreme Court

This is a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer Online. The original article can be accessed here.

———————————————————-

Supreme Court under fire over recall

High court ‘teetering on the abyss of incredulity’

By Cathy Yamsuan, Marlon Ramos, Philip C. Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer

12:22 am | Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

Brickbats fell on the Supreme Court Tuesday from its two coequal branches, after the high tribunal recalled a supposedly final decision on a plea by letter writer Estelito Mendoza.

Fearing a reversal of fortune, the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (Fasap) urged the court to explain the “compelling reason” behind the recall on October 4 of its ruling reinstating 1,400 of its members after a 13-year legal battle against Philippine Airlines (PAL).

The court’s spokesperson, Midas Marquez, said on Monday the ruling should have been handled by the Special Third Division instead of the Second Division, a technicality which he said was pointed out in a letter by Mendoza, PAL’s blue chip lawyer.

“I think the Supreme Court owes us an apology for this shameful act,” Fasap spokesperson Dennis Ortiz said during a protest action outside the tribunal by scores of employees wearing black armbands who were sacked by PAL after a strike in 1998.

“What compelling reason justified the Supreme Court recall?” Fasap said in a statement, pointing out that the Constitution provides that “no decision shall be rendered by any court without expressing therein clearly and distinctly the facts and the law on which it is based.”

Annabelle Lesaca, one of the dismissed employees, said she could not help but think that PAL owner Lucio Tan had “already bought the entire Philippines.”

The Supreme Court must be sure not to make the same mistake again if ever this time the technicality was overlooked,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told reporters. He described the ruling as “something out of the ordinary.”

Internal rules violated

Senator Miriam Santiago, a former Quezon City judge, called the reversal “extremely unfortunate,” pointing out that the tribunal apparently violated its own internal rules.

In an ambush interview, Santiago warned the court was “teetering on the abyss of incredulity” for acting in favor of PAL after receiving a “mere” letter from Mendoza.

“According to the internal rules of the SC, no second motion can be filed without prior permission from the Court. First, one has to file a motion pleading with the Court to allow the filing of a second motion. Only then can one file a second motion for reconsideration. Was there an order by the SC allowing the second motion? It was not even a motion but a mere letter,” she noted.

The court’s internal rules, Santiago said, dictate that there shall be no second motion “except when the original decision is legally erroneous, patently unjust or will probably result in irreparable damage or injury.”

“I am angry because I fear citizens would turn (their) back against the bulwark of civil liberty.  It would be impossible to regain it once it loses it this instant,” she fumed.

 

Flip-flopping

Senator Franklin Drilon said the recall of the decision was not surprising because the court had also “flip-flopped” in decisions giving 16 towns the status of cities.

“There was already an entry of judgment yet the court also reconsidered and had a new decision. I am no longer surprised at the rate it is flip-flopping,” said Drilon, a former justice secretary.

Senator Francis Pangilinan warned that the reversal could result in a serious backlash against the tribunal.

“The ruling is a cause for serious concern.  Regardless of the parties involved and the arguments given, the public perception it creates casts doubt on the image and reputation of the SC as a court of last resort and a bulwark of democracy,” he explained.

“How can the public know for certain that a case will be decided with finality when its decisions can so quickly be recalled? The uncertainty it brings is a cause for concern especially for countless of petitioners who have pending cases before the highest court of the land,” Pangilinan said.

Court of injustice

Anakpawis Representative Rafael Mariano said this latest court decision was “highly condemnable.”

He said it showed a pattern of successive antifarmer and antiworker decisions favoring business tycoons like Lucio Tan, Eduardo, “Danding” Cojuangco and the Cojuangco-Aquinos.

Mariano noted that the decision on the PAL cases followed the loss of workers in the coconut levy case and the Hacienda Luisita agrarian dispute.

“What happened to (the saying that) ‘those who have less in life should have more in law?’” Mariano asked.

He said the high tribunal was fast becoming the “high court of injustice” with the series of antipeople rulings it had issued on high profile cases of national concern.

“In the hierarchy of employees’ rights, the right to security of tenure is high, if not the highest. The paramount value of that right is recognized and guaranteed under the 1987 Constitution. The other complementary rights are meaningless to an unemployed worker,” he stressed.

Nothing to explain

Sought for comment, Marquez said: “I’ve explained everything there is to explain regarding the issue at this time. I don’t see the necessity to react to that anymore.”

Lucio Tan and his companies have been getting favorable decisions in its legal battles.

Last month, the Court of Appeals allowed PAL to proceed with its P730-million damage suit against its former pilots who staged a labor strike that crippled the flag carrier’s operations in June 1998.

On September 29, the National Labor Relations Commission junked the unfair labor practice case filed by the flag carrier’s ground crew union in connection with the airline’s alleged refusal to start negotiation for a new collective bargaining agreement early this year.

Last week, the appellate court awarded P68 million to Tan’s Asia Brewery Inc. regarding the damage suit it had filed against rival San Miguel Corp.

The appeals court also granted PAL’s petition questioning the excise tax levied by the Bureau on Internal Revenue on its imported jet fuel.

On the other hand, the Supreme Court approved the P491-million tax refund claim of Fortune Tobacco Corp., also a member of Lucio Tan Group of Companies.

With reports from Norman Bordadora, Cynthia D. Balana and Tina G. Santos

—————————————

Questions for discussion

A. Examine the action of the Philippine Supreme Court in relation to the role of the judiciary according to Locke.

See if, based on the action of the court criticized in the article,  the inconveniences in the state of nature that is supposed to be solved still remain. For example, does it interpret the law in a way that uncertainties experienced by the people in the state of nature are resolved?

B. You may also comment on the article from the perspective of Karl Marx.

What does the action of the court say about the relationships of large businesses, the law and the workers in the society?

 

 

Soc. Sci. 2 Exam comments.

Note that many of the mistakes here are avoidable, like not following instructions. Make sure you do not repeat the same mistakes for the next exam.

 -answer the questions, to not give me a summary of the philosophers ideas that are neither needed nor relevant to what is being asked.

 

-the instruction explicitly required the use of a contemporary example to illustrate your points, a lot did not provide this.

-claims, opinions should be something that is grounded on evidence,

-the instruction did not ask you to say if you agree or disagree, you must only explain. You can express your agreement or disagreement to the statements, but only after you have clearly explained what they mean.

-Justice, both from the perspective of Plato and Aristotle are properties of the society and not just of the individual

-On the church of Augustine and religion of Aquinas, you can note the difference based on the historical context of their ideas, or their characterizations of church/religion in terms of their purpose in the society, their relationship with man, their relationship with the state

-there are a couple who were unable to distinguish the ideas of Augustine from the ideas of Aquinas. 

-do not just repeat what I discussed in class or what the philosophers said, answer the question

-many failed to account for the definition of the terms before using into using them to explain and provide examples

Soc. Sci. 2 Reaction paper comments

1. Introduction should be about the topic noted for reaction, Machiavelli’s ideas and the pointers required as indicated in the assignment instruction, not just about the film. Many of your introductions were very obviously lifted from popular film review websites.

 

2. The question of violence is not just about violence per se but also its purpose, why it was used and if it was able to achieve this purpose successfully.

 

Also note that Machiavelli consider both the use of violence and law as important tools for the leader, but the use of these means should be based on what the circumstances demand. In other words, it is a big misinterpretation to say that a Machiavellian leader is necessarily a violent leader, or one who would use violence as a way of dealing with almost any problem he is confronting.

 

3. Regarding your sources.

 

Our assigned reading listed in the course outline would have been more than sufficient for your to understand Machiavelli and answer what was being asked for the reaction paper. Most of you, however, only read secondary materials, in other words other peoples’ interpretation. Spark notes is a popular source for students who cannot understand the text or those who are too lazy to exert more efforts to read and understand original text.

 

4. There is no need to emphasize the obvious and retell the details of the film in your reaction paper, especially if it is not relevant to the points you are making.

 

5. A number of students failed to distinguish virtu and virtue

 

180 paper submission.

Stage Three. After the presentation a final paper will be submitted. The paper should follow the following instructions;

1. only 8 to 10 pages.

2. must use not less than 15 sources, with 13 books and journal sources and only two online sources.

3 be submitted on or before the due date.

4. follow the APSA style guide.

Due date October 13, 2011 Thursday (Soft and Hard Copy)

• PDF and Word File
• Name 180 paper
• All Hard Copy outlines.
• There will be no deduction for late papers because they will no longer be accepted.
• All requirements for the paper must be in on or before 5 pm. The soft copy is to be sent to my address as indicated in the course outline, the hard copy is to be submitted on top of m desk, soc sci faculty office.

 

KALAHI CIDS Job Openings.

The KALAHI-CIDSS is a poverty reduction project of the Government of the
Philippines, implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD), with financing assistance from the World Bank, a grant from Millennium
Challenge Corporation (MCC) and Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF).

These projects will improve welfare in rural and urban areas by targeting
communities where poverty incidence is greater than the national average with
small-scale, community driven development projects. The KC project provides
infrastructure and services associated with community-selected and managed
“sub-projects,” strengthened community participation in development and
governance activities at the village and municipal level, and improved
responsiveness of local government to community needs.

The DSWD Field Office VI-Regional Project Management Office
need the following for KALAHI-CIDSS expansion and scaling-up in Region VI:

• Social Work, Community Development and graduates of Social Sciences
• Licensed Civil Engineers
• Financial Analyst (graduates of Accountancy, Commerce and other Business and
Finance related courses

Interested applicants must submit their a) Letter of Application b) Curriculum
Vitae on or before Friday, November 4, 2011.

Letters of application should be addressed to:

Dr. Minda B. Brigoli
Regional Director
DSWD Field Office VI
Molo, Iloilo City

For inquires contact (033) 336-1291 or email kc_me_regionvi@yahoo.com
or visit our website at www.kalahi.dswd.gov.ph