Maurice Jitty

In the Philippines, we just can't afford to be sick. With the current economic turmoil that we are currently experiencing today, wastage of our hard-earned cash is inexcusable. Our life savings can be gone in a split second when we're facing health problems. In fact, this mantra has been exploited by a vitamin supplement company before with their advertising campaign Bawal Magkasakit (You should not be sick.) According to the 8th National Nutrition Survey results released in July 2014, 1 in every 10 Filipinos has Chronic Energy Deficiency (CED). CED us having low stored energy due to lack of intake of proper nutrients. On the other hand, it also revealed that 3 out of 10 Filipinos are obese or overweight. What's worse is that 1 in every 4 pregnant mothers is nutritionally-at-risk. These include young mothers; expectant mothers from rural areas; mothers in their first trimester; and mothers in poor communities. This means that a lot of Filipinos are at risk when

I have never been a fan of saving. All throughout my life, my Mom is always there for me to provide all my needs. In fact, most of the people that I know consider me as a compulsive buyer. I just want to have everything that I want in an instant. The sad reality is that is not how the world works. Though I had a lot of part-time gigs and sidelines prior to my graduation, my finances are more or less sustained by my parents. With just one phone call, they could always send me some money through money courier services. I never had any financial before. But when graduation happened, everything started to change. The first company that I some with was a state university located a few meters from my home in the province. It offered some measly pay that I believe is not enough for my then workload. Because I was a fresh graduate, I had no choice but to understand the situation. I accepted my fate wholeheartedly and continued my work as a teacher. It may not have paid me that much, but

Since it's my birthday week this week, maybe it is time for me to share some part of me to you, my dear readers! I will be sharing some 22 facts about me. Prepare to be bored? Amazed? I do not know. You decide. This is the listicle that you did not ask. Lol. 1. I was born prematurely. My Mom was supposed to have her labor in May 1996, but I came early. I was born on March 28, 1996, at precisely 3:15 AM. 2. About the previous fact, I was also incubated for weeks because I was bitten by a rat because I looked like raw meat when I was young. I was also so little. I was like an 8 oz Coca-cola bottle. 3. My name (Jitty) was derived from a news anchor from a random country. That was my Mom said. I did not even bother to double-check. Lol. 4. I had kindergarten twice. In the first take of kindergarten (which took place in the city), I was 3rd place in class. I was able to take Grade 1 subjects for some few months. When my Mom decided to transfer our home again, I ret

As an educator, I always make it to a point to make my students see the realities of life. In fact, I always integrate current events to my lessons to make sure that my students are active in the societal discourse. This is the reason why I ever let them research information that could help in our discussion. About this, information has become a daily staple of the modern Filipino. This is what social networking sites offer to us. It gives us information to what is happening to our neighbors, their pets, their careers, and stuff that we do not bother to care. It has brought us closer as people. The world has become smaller, they say. Communication has also become easier. The internet has removed our borders. We can easily contact our distant relative through FB messenger. We can always call our client through Skype. We can even instantly send a funny GIF to our friend who lives miles away from us. Information can easily be acquired. And that starts a problem. I believe we

With the advent of technology today, I cannot help but wonder what will happen to me if these technologies did not exist. Whether it may be mobile devices or the internet, it has made our lives easier, faster, and more convenient. We can easily communicate with our loved ones no matter where they are located in the globe. We can now do errands quicker and cheaper. In the general sense, technology has given us more free time than our ancestors. The time that they used in handwriting their letters, we can spend it to more worthwhile activities as we did not devote most of our time on this tedious task thanks to computer's word processing software. We can now quickly look for information on the internet in just a snap of a finger. Unlike our grandparents, they need to stay in the library for hours just to watch for the information that they need. To state the obvious, we are just so goddamn lucky. As a teacher, I really thank the invention of computers and the internet.

I have spent so much time in my life watching shows that the television giant ABS-CBN has been producing. Whether it may be teleseryes or news programs, this TV network has influenced my life to the extent that I could not imagine. It played a vital role in molding the person that I am right now. It pushed me beyond my boundaries as I convinced myself to take a communication course to follow the steps of Atom Araullo and Karen Davila. Now that I am currently serving my community as an educator, I realized how television networks influence our mindsets. I am just so glad that my colleague invited me, together with my school's student journalists, to attend the 12th edition of Pinoy Media Congress. It gathers communication students, educators, and practitioners all around the country as ABS-CBN and the Philippine Association of Communication Educators has prepared some talks that discuss the current status of media and its practice today. As a communication graduate, I am

(Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are mine alone and it does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the company that I am connected with.) Despite the emergence of the new media today, we can never deny the importance of mainstream media in the molding our minds. The so-called trimedia, which consists of print, radio, and television, acts as a primary source of information for us long before Facebook had given birth to Newsfeed. On a personal note, I really wanted to become a radio personality. I always imagined myself before talking to a microphone and sharing my opinions to the public. In fact, I want to become an influencer through this medium. Despite the change of career, my love for this medium has not dwindled. I still listen to radio every morning just to get my daily dose of news bites to fuel my day-to-day activities. As a teacher, it helps me create sound judgment to issues that matter in our society. One of my most favorite