"Congress is like a classroom run wild! Kulang na lang magbatuhan diyan kung walang nagpapadisiplina. You see walkouts in Congress!" (Photo by RONALD S. LIM)

Teaching and politics. can these two actually mix?

For teacher Neric Acosta, the essence of teaching and politics should be inseparable. And in his quest for a Senate seat, he brings with him an admirable cause – to make politics the noble profession that it can be, just like teaching.

A staunch advocate of teachers’ rights and a believer in education as a great equalizer, Neric co-founded the Northern Bukidnon Community College, which primarily caters to indigenous students and scholars. He taught as professor and academic consultant in Xavier University, the University of the Philippines Diliman and the Bukidnon State College from 1992 to 1998. He is currently an associate professor at the Asian Institute of Management (AIAIM) and the Ateneo de Manila University.

His passion for education has earned for him various scholarships. After completing his BA in Political Science from the University of the Philippines, he went on to complete an MA in Public Affairs (International Relations and Political Studies concentration) at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Political Science at the University of Hawaii. In 2004, Neric was named the first Filipino World Fellow of Yale University.

An accidental politician, Neric was the youngest provincial board member at 27 years old, and served as Bukidnon Representative from 1998 to 2007. “I’m really not a politician in the strict definition of the term. I’m not good at horse trading, at wheeling-dealing. I’m a policy wonk,” he says.

Neric says many discouraged him to run in these polls, but his views are so set, powered by his idealism and his belief in the innate goodness of the human being. “What is forgivable is to have tried and failed. What is unforgivable is to not have tried at all,’’ he quips.

In his heart, Neric is hoping for that leader who will finally lead the country out of the poverty of imagination.

“That leader should address our national sense of who we are. We have lost the power to imagine a different kind of future. Instead we have a consciousness  largely of ‘bahala na lang.’ What is far more important is imagination,’’ he says. “Create the spaces where people are free to be engaged. Places where they can be inspired so they can give their all. That to me is the fundamental task of the leader.’’

STUDENTS AND CAMPUSES BULLETIN (SCB): You’re already a teacher, a profession that holds so much power because you can mold young people to become the best people that they can be. Why would you want to become a senator, or a politician for that matter?
NERIC OLAIVAR ACOSTA (NOA): I will first refer to your framing. It’s implied in that question that politics is so dirty, whereas teaching is noble, lifting and inspiring.

My answer simply is we should disabuse ourselves of that contrast, that politics necessarily falls under the column of nasty, uninspired, transactional.

Teaching has to revamp our very understanding and more importantly our practice. Teaching is more than just being a source of information. It is about formation, not just information. And teaching, as politics should be, is about transformation.

So to me, the essence of teaching and politics should be inseparable. Politics is about informing, issues, engaging people, sectors, interests. It’s about forming. Hinuhubog natin ang isang lipunan. Politics is really about giving people like your students the opportunity for their issues to be discussed, discovered and flourished. Let’s make politics the noble profession and the noble field that it could really be, just like we associate teaching and educating.

SCB: But what is your default?
NOA: I write, I teach, I am an academic. That is really my default. I’m really not a politician in the strict definition of the term. I’m not good at horse trading, at wheeling-dealing. I’m a policy wonk. I’m an environmentalist, I teach environmental management. Ang default ko talaga is the life of the mind. Love na love ko ‘yun. My default is policy teaching, so that’s where I get hope.

SCB: Let’s say you are elected, are you optimistic that what you are saying will happen, because the present system prevents the transformation of politics from happening?
NOA: Why else do we have elections? Democracy is about seeking regress and renewal in periodic fashion. Binabalikan mo kung anong mali, kung ano ang kulang, kung ano pang puwedeng magawa. Kung nagkamali tayo sa pagpili, sa pagpasya ng ating mga lider, puwede nating balikan, we vote them out of office. There’s always a chance.

Because you’re saying ‘Wala na ring mangyayari, wala na rin ‘yang bawi’ And I reject that. It goes against the very reason why we have elections, which is to seek a new beginning, that’s why we have term limits. Imperfect as the system is, we must return in the basic element of why it is there in the first place, and you can continue to believe that there is an ideal world we can work towards. Merong hangarin, may kakaibang kinabukasan na maari nating abutin. Pulitika ang larangan kung saan mo puwedeng baguhin ang sistema ng lipunan. It comes from the basic word policea, the public, the arena of the general good. That’s why we have politics. So I refuse to accept and I truly believe that hope springs eternal. Politics is a hopeful profession, believe it or not. (laughs)

BELIEVING IN CHANGE
SCB: How do you retain that level of optimism considering that a lot of Filipinos feel otherwise about politics?
NOA: I’m not happy as a lark everyday and I do get frustrated by the many things that’s happening. Noynoy (Aquino) and I, for instance, endorsed the impeachments and we paid a price for it. I just have to mention this as a specific example to answer your question. Tinanggalan kami ng pork barrel sa aming distrito.

Kinasuhan pa kami at kung anu-anong harassment. Ako sa Ombudsman, siya sa Hacienda Luisita. Si Garci pinatakbo ng Malacañang sa distrito ko sa Bukidnon, and your question is where do I get my optimism? It’s easy for me to say, wala tayong laban nito, ang gumagawa pa ng mabuti, ‘yun pa ang pinaparusahan, na hindi ka marunong makisama.

But how do I retain my optimism? It helps that I teach, I research. It helps that I’m married to a Literature professor.

It helps that I look at our work in politics as not just about the position, but about what it means to influence for the greater good. When I was being harassed,  I kept to teaching and painting. I spent time with my family. That’s how you gain equanimity.

This might sound philosophical but there’s a larger universe of goodness and goodwill in the hearts of ordinary Filipinos. I think it not only comes from being a teacher, it comes from being a development worker for many years. I come from a family of self-made people. My father was an outstanding Filipino scientist of 2004. My mother was a former congresswoman. Both have PhDs. So it comes from a support system.

In the end, gawin mo lang ‘yung tama at maging tapat sa tao. Bahala na ang Panginoon sa atin.

SCB: So amid all these, you still believe in the goodness of man?
NOA: Yes, there’s a fundamental goodness in every human being. I believe in that excellence of spirit. Rizal believed in that, Noynoy believed in that.

In the end, life is about believing in something far larger than yourself, and it’s not in a religious sense per se, it’s just doing what you believe is right and sticking with it – and being prepared for consequences.

SCB: What is your definition of politics?
NOA: I always tell my students that if you can collapse what the political economy is about, it’s this question: “Who gets to say or do what, when, and how?” Sinong nagsasabi na mas malaki ang sa kaniya? Sino ang gumagagawa na nilalakihan niya ang share niya. That’s politics. Dapat ang taong bayan ang magsabi na hindi kayo puwedeng magnakaw ng ganyan o magsinungaling ng ganyan. That’s my definition of politics.

CONGRESS OR CLASSROOM?
SCB: Why the Senate?
NOA: I always say that there’s legislation to be done still, especially on the global challenges on the environment, my advocacy.

But also because the Senate is about oversight, and as principal author of many of these landmark laws, we need clear oversight, because enforcement has been so direly lacking.

The Senate is also the national platform
and the national venue which a senator, a teacher, a leader, can use to propagate a rethinking, a new consciousness
for the country, especially for the youth. Kung kaya mong isipin, kaya nating
gawin. It’s consciousness raising, and when you’re a Senator ang dami mong magagawa along those lines.

SCB: You were away from the political scene for some time….
NOA: I did run for governor of Bukidnon, and it was tough because you were facing
the Garcis and the trapos. We were in the opposition and we had nothing. Naging malupit ang sitwasyon, pero tuloy lang.

I consider these past two, three years as also a chance not just to settle down a bit, but take a back step, stock up. I did more environmental work with the AIM and built its educational management over the last year. I talked to student councils because of the Liberal Party Youth Program.

SCB: Why do politicians kill for pork barrel?
NOA: It’s the side of human nature. Kung iyon ang nagiging driver ng isang Congressman
o isang pinuno, ang hirap eh. Tinutulak mo ay interes na mas marami kang makuha, at necessarily nagiging cutthroat ang competition. You lose sight of why you’re in Congress in the first place. It’s the House of Representatives, not the House of Representa-thieves. You don’t look at your work in Congress as fighting over slices of a pie. Kung ‘yun ang role mo, tapos na. Nakalimutan mo na na nandun ka para mag-isip ka, makipag-debate ka, mag-ambag ka, para ’yung pie na iyon ng ekonomiya, ng demokrasiya, ng pakikisalimuha bilang kapwa Pilipino, ay lumaki.

I think that’s what been happening the past years. It’s been about what’s in it for me and what I can get out of this. Naging mas malalim ang kultura ng patronage at transaction politics na nakita natin, kaya nakompromiso at nasira pa ang ibang institusyon natin.

SCB: What did you do with your pork barrel?
NOA: As Congressman, I tried very hard to do work on the communities. I incorporated
Grameen banking (or banking for the poor) and microfinance, pero kinasuhan ako! But what they don’t understand is that the way I use pork barrel is unconventional. Why build basketball courts and waiting sheds and roads? Not that I’m saying they’re not important, pero kung ang taong naglalakad doon ay gutom at wala ‘yung capacity? Kaya dun ko binuhos sa education, Grameen banking, health, social infrastructure.

You pay a price when you try and go against the grain. Puwede naman akong magtayo ng basketball court and waiting shed. Nandun pa ‘yung pera. But what I did was set up a community college, the first in our province that was dedicated primarily for lumads. At dun ka nila iipitin, kasi wala ‘yun sa guidelines, kasi it’s thinking out of the box. That is also why I am running for the Senate, because this country needs a lot of thinking out of the box. Ang daming dapat palitan.

SCB: Where is it more stressful - in Congress or in the classroom?
NOA: (laughs) Congress is like a classroom run wild! It’s far easier and comforting in a classroom setting because you are able to assure yourself that it’s going to be within an hour. You are able to discipline and structure a lecture or discussion.

Congress? Kulang na lang magbatuhan diyan kung walang nagpapadisiplina dahil may maingay diyan. You see walkouts in Congress!

By far, politics and Congress is more stressful (laughs). In a very highly competitive environment like a deliberative body like Congress, which is interest-driven, mahirap ‘yun. Away ‘yun necessarily. Stressful!

Mas ideal pa ang classroom setting, kasi nabibigyan mo sila ng pagkakataon sumagot, mag-exam, magtanong. Kapag hindi makasagot, i-grade. Sige nga, i-grade mo ‘yung Congressman na hindi good manners and right conduct (laughs).

TEACHER NERIC
SCB: Are you a frustrated lawyer since you never got to finish law?
NOA: I went to law school for a year, and then I got a scholarship for a PhD in the US. I never went back to law school. I didn’t like being shouted at in UP. I just had a fundamental aversion for the very undemocratic nature of that kind of teaching. I thought that was not educating. Paano ka matuto, takot ka? Sinisigawan ka, napre-pressure ka. Siguro matututo kang mag-memorize…

SCB: You are happier with a Phd than an LlB…
NOA: Going for a PhD in an academic setting where you do your research, ikaw ang magbasa, magsulat, gagawa ng isang teoriya, to me that was far more educating, it was fun. It was better off than a strict setting na babasahin mo lahat ng kaso sa Supreme Court tapos tomorrow exam tayo lahat. It may be good training in the field of law and courts and cases and judicial bangayan, but it wasn’t for me. I’m happy I pursued a PhD. It developed my independence and critical thinking. That has suited me far better to be the policy maker that I became.

SCB: What is your teaching style?
NOA: Parang tennis. I serve them a ball, it’s up to them to hit it back the way they want to hit it back. I hit it back again and we have a repartee, we have an exchange. I don’t believe in straight out lectures, and that’s why AIM suits me well.

In the Ateneo School of Government, there’s a lot that I do with reflection papers so students can get in touch with their thoughts.

SCB: Do you give high grades?
NOA: If I had my way, I wouldn’t want to grade. To me grading is an artifice. It gives the sense that one is better than the other. Of course we have to measure, but that’s another story.

My point is that you learn as much as you put into it. I encourage as best as I can, but if a student does not maximize what I believe is in him or her, that’s his or her loss. But I will do as much as I can para lumabas ang ganoong potential. To me, classroom ang buhay eh. I am happiest in a classroom, it’s what your class and what your students can make of it.

SCB: What makes a good teacher?
NOA: A good teacher is a source of information. Why be a teacher when you know far less than who you’re teaching.

A teacher is a source of knowledge. There is competence. And a leader has to be that. If you want to be a Congressman, be prepared to legislate on behalf of the country. If you’re running for the Senate, please know what the Senate is about. It is the highest policy-making body in the country.

A teacher is formational. He not only teaches in terms of information and instruction, he helps shape a way of looking at the world. He provides a window with which we view reality. The best teacher is one who has transformed individuals to be the best citizens and the best people that they can be.

SCB: What to you are the rewards of teaching?
NOA: The biggest reward is the student who comes back and says “You have changed my life. You helped me achieve things differently. You have been a part of that journey as well.”

SCB: Has there been a teacher that did that for you?
NOA: I have a few in my lifetime. I had a couple of teachers from elementary who believed in helping you, helping you against the bullies in the schoolyard. That remains with me.

Sister Eucharista, an American in a mission school, who saw through our mistakes but also that we had potential, and in the ‘70s that was rare. This was a unique nun who looked at you and saw that you were good at certain things. Early on, she already understood Multiple Intelligences.

But in college, and all through graduate school, the best professors I had were those whom you could talk to as equals. I think that left a lasting influence on my teaching philosophy. We are equals,  I just have a headstart. It doesn’t mean that I am in any way superior to you. Some of my best professors from college and graduate school, I’m still in touch with.

SCB: What could your students be probably be saying about you?
NOA: Puwera yabang, if student evaluations are anything to go by, my students don’t say so much “I learned…,” they say that they read more and that they look forward to issues that they can be critical about because I taught them how to do it by themselves. That gives me satisfaction.

A teacher should be a friend, just as a leader should be a friend. I detest trappings, leaders who think that being in a position is about having trappings of power. I know of one Senator who doesn’t like it if anyone else is with him in an elevator. Or Congressmen who think they can throw their weight around. That’s just bullying and insecurity. Leaders should be so proud that they’ve been entrusted with that gift to be able to represent a larger constituency or national interest. My God, if you don’t stand in awe or gratitude before that, there is something inherently missing in your life. It’s about that.

SCB: How was your academic experience in Yale?
NOA: It was probably the singular most rewarding compressed period of my life, because I was there for 16 to 18 weeks. My PhD is from the University of Hawaii. But in Yale, I was chosen as the first Filipino world fellow in 2004 because of the work I did with the Clean Air Act, Water Act.

When I was chosen of several hundred applicants and became one of only six that year from around the world, it was just manna from heaven, it was really a taste of what it is when you feel you have reached somehow your highest potential, because they gave us everything we needed, support, housing. They allowed me to bring my family and even helped my child who was third grade to school there even for half-a-year.

Sky’s the limit. We interacted with whoever expert professor we want to interact with, research with, have a forum, be it in or beyond Yale. And you know how Yale is, it produced everyone from Hillary Clinton to a Jovito Salonga.

In Yale almost everyday, nakalutang ka. Not only because of the beautiful campus, it was a pulsating energy of knowledge, of inspiration. We’ve met with the  editors of The New York Times, Washington Post. We had one-on-one discussions and dinners and round tables with everyone, ‘yung mga taong nababasa mo lang sa Time Magazine, CNN, BBC. It was like one-on-one coffee where you talk about not just globalization, but also about Shakespeare, digital media. The program brings in the best young leaders all over the world, from different fields like politics, arts, media and have a classroom where you cross-pollinate ideas and experiences. Fantastic!

We already have a presidential candidate from Uganda and then from Kosovo. ‘Yung mga ganun, naging ministers and also accomplished artists. Galing!

To be one of them, up to this day, that’s why when you asked me if I’m afraid of losing, hindi ako nagpapa-cute, honestly for all that I’ve been blessed with, I really can’t complain.

I’m running for the Senate and if I do get picked, or when we get there, Yale, Clean Air Act, the local, the national, the global, Council of Liberals, being a teacher, all of these, will be the contribution I give to the country. There’s a lot to give, there’s a lot to learn.

SCB: What did you learn about yourself outside the academe?
NOA: I truly learned that the best leaders are those who are driven by imagination.

That’s what will change the world. That’s the higher selves we all are capable of reaching. That’s what I learned and that’s what I carry with me. That’s why I’m optimistic because if you extinguish that, you submit to desperation. And I don’t think we should ever yield to desperation. That’s really where I’m at now.

A JOURNENEY SO BLESSED
SCB: What are the challenges the new leadership will be facing?
NOA: Let me divide it into two frames. Ang challenges na specific, policy-based. That’s easy to fix and we will focus on that kung palarin tayo. That is the Liberal agenda.

But you also need to meet another challenge. What ails this country is not so much material poverty. Hindi ko sinasabi na hindi importante ang poverty reduction, ang mga socio-economic na mga programa, we can talk about those to death. Pero mas mahalaga na ang leader ngayon addresses the poverty of imagination in this country. Our national sense of who we are has fallen short. We have lost the power to imagine a different kind of future. Instead we have a consciousness largely of “bahala na lang.’’ What is far more important is imagination.

The next leader should really be a teacher-leader, a leader who is able to bring things together and make everything greater.

SCB: How do you actually materialize that?
NOA: By example. That’s why Cory stands as a stark contrast. For all of her policy and administrative shortcomings as a President, my answer to that is the exemplification of Cory Aquino as a leader, not as a manager, but as an administrator.

You have to lead by example. That’s why you are a leader; people will have to look up to you. Why will people look up to you if you have negative net approval ratings?

You may have the best laid out policies and programs galore. You may have all of the best technocrats around you, but people don’t believe in you and trust in you. What are you a leader for?

More than competence, people are looking for integrity. So show that, because people will have the power to imagine again a different kind of Philippines, a different kind of future, because they will see that our President will lead by example. It will drive a new way of imagining a different future.

SCB: Are you afraid of losing?
NOA: No. I know it’s a tough challenge. It’s daunting in some respects. If you think it’s all about re-electionists and incumbents, and you start thinking huwag na lang, then you defeat something in you. We are all born with potential. We just have to latch on our wagons to higher stars.

I always say that if Barack Obama believed that since he was 40 points behind Hillary Clinton a year before the elections, and that being an African-American he stood no chance of winning, he would not be here now. If it’s really not yet the time, then it’s not yet the time. But you have to begin somewhere, and you have to begin to dare.

What is forgivable is to have tried and failed. What is unforgivable is to not have tried at all. Some friends sat me down before I filed and said, hey man, wake up, you’re really crazy, this is a national campaign.

Wala kang P100 million, maghintay ka na lang. Pero sabi ko sa kanila, tatakbo tayo dahil katuwang tayo nina Noy, lahat kami, sa isang malinaw na mensahe. At kung naniniwala tayo na tayo ang naaangkop na messenger sa mensaheng iyon, bakit hindi?

SCB: How would you describe this journey for you, now that you are nearing the end of the campaign?
NOA: I’ve always held this view, and I think it has been reinforced and given life and embodiment by the sorties we’ve been in, especially when Noynoy is around. I have stories galore to tell, and I am looking forward to the day when I can tell my grandchildren what a blessed journey this already has been.

Whatever comes out of this, and God forbid failure of elections, emergency rule, I personally can say that this has been a blessed journey and I am so fortunate to be part of this. From Pasig City to Iloilo, from Davao to Bukidnon, across Pampanga, and upwards to Pangasinan, people express their hope, saying isa lang po ang aming hinihiling, maging matino kayo para naman makaahon naman kami. That’s unheard of in the conventional thinking of politics.

This is People Power masquerading as an election. And that’s what we believe. And that’s why I am so privileged, honestly, to be part of this whole movement of change.