Friday, March 6, 2009

ABS-CBN Mum about MMK Blusa Inconsistencies | UPLB Demands to Set the Records Straight

The Charo Santos-Concio-hosted Maalalala Mo Kaya (MMK) episode about a UPLB summa cum laude played by Angel Locsin is causing an uproar on the Internet. This issue was first brought to light by The Professional Heckler, who wrote to PEP with regards to the distorted facts in the said MMK episode. This time, UP Los Banos itself joined in the clamor as it issued a statement regarding the "wrong impression" the MMK "Blusa" episode bestowed upon its viewers. The prestigious institution is now demanding that it is only right for ABS-CBN to "set the records straight" and lay bare the truth that Nemie is NOT a UPLB summa cum laude. You can read the UPLB's Official Statement here.

Angel Locsin MMK Blusa UPLB summa cum laude


This MMK episode entitled "Blusa" alleged that a certain UPLB summa cum laude in BS Agribusiness Management named Nemie (Angel Locsin) found it hard to land a job that she ended up working as a club dancer. Later on, she lost her mind because Nemie became so frustrated about the series of unfortunate events that happened in her life. You can click here to know more about this MMK episode.

UPLB has made a rigorous research in its history since 1909 and found out that out of the 27 summa cum laude graduates, no one fit the description of Nemie. Here are the list of UPLB's summa cum laudes in all of its history:
  1. 1946 BS Agriculture - Obdulia Fronda
  2. 1947 BS Agriculture
  3. 1975 BS Agriculture - Cielito Habito
  4. 1976 BS Biology
  5. 1978 BS Applied Mathematics
  6. 1979 BS Biology
  7. 1982 BS Biology
  8. 1987 BS Biology
  9. 1987 BS Biology
  10. 1988 BS Applied Mathematics
  11. 1992 BS Biology
  12. 1992 BS Biology
  13. 1993 BS Applied Mathematics
  14. 1993 BS Biology
  15. 1995 BS Economics
  16. 1996 BS Biology
  17. 1996 BS Economics
  18. 1998 BS Economics
  19. 2000 BS Agribusiness Management
  20. 2002 BS Applied Mathematics
  21. 2004 BS Biology
  22. 2005 BS Chemistry
  23. 2005 BS Economics
  24. 2006 BS Chemistry
  25. 2006 BS Applied Physics
  26. 2007 BS Biology
  27. 2007 BS Economics


As anyone can clearly see, only one summa cum laude graduated with a BS Agribusiness Management degree in UPLB. That was in year 2000. It is impossible for THAT former student to be the one who was the basis of Nemie's character, since the MMK episode showed the real Nemie is already old (about 45 to 50 years old), while this Agribusiness summa cum laude is estimated to be just around 28 to 29 years old.

In the UPLB statement, the institution reiterated that:

Whether or not the subject was a UPLB graduate, we deeply sympathize with her and her family. However, in the interest of maintaining its reputation as a truthful storyteller, the MMK should have a mechanism to validate claims by letter senders especially those that require a stretch of imagination as to be believed.


The issue here is not about the improbability of a UP summa cum laude to end up as a club dancer because she cannot find a more decent job, but it is the premise of distorting the fact that she's a UPLB summa cum laude when she is not. There's no amount of dramatic/creative license can justify that because whether she is summa cum laude or not, her academic status is immaterial to the progression of Nemie's character. 

Declaring Nemie as a UPLB summa cum laude when she's not would only tarnish the reputation of an esteemed university. What impression would it give to its students and future students? That a UPLB Agribusiness/Agriculture summa cum laude cannot even get a decent job, so better yet they shift to Nursing? That UPLB is not offering job recommendations for their top graduates? The list goes on and these are the ramifications of misrepresenting one basic fact that she's NOT a summa cum laude. 

In the light of all these brouhaha, ABS-CBN seems to play deaf amidst this issue.  Tell me, whatever happened to the "Panig sa Katotohanan, Panig sa Bayan" mantra that they are proudly wielding in their news promo plugs? Tita Charo, charot lang pala lahat yon?! Kalurkey!


12 comments:

  1. THE MMK FEB. 28/09 BY ANGEL LOCSIN IS TALK OF THE TOWN. DIFFERENT REACTIONS BUT WITH MORAL LESSONS

    ReplyDelete
  2. i am a up diliman graduate. i am not a cum laude graduate, let alone a summa cum laude graduate. but it is highly unlikely that a up summa cum laude graduate would not be able to find a job. if youre a summa cum laude graduate, the up itself will invite you to pursue graduate studies as a scholar. if you are not keen on an academic career, the country's top corporations will woo you to join their companies because your brilliance will be an asset to the company. if youre a summa cum laude graduate, you are expected not only to be brilliant but also resourceful. kahit clerk sa govnt hindi siya nakahanap ng trabaho? lahat ng graduates na cum laude, magna cum laude at summa cum laude are given an automatic civil service eligibility kaya eligible silang magtrabaho sa government kahit hindi kumuha ng civil servce exam like career service professional exam.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yung nag-summa cum laude nung year 2000 (BS Agribusiness Management) batchmate ko yun; and she is definitely not the character in MMK portrayed as Nemie. Before her graduation, she had already many job offerings. One of the companies was Pure Foods Corporation in which the General Manager personally visited their home to ask her to be his Executive Secretary. And she did accept it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. duh.. sinulat nyo lng ba ito para makapanira?? i mean kahit d totoo na summa cum laude ang girl na yun ang point is.. sinisiraan nyo lg ang ABS,.

    ReplyDelete
  5. To Anonymous March 8, 2009 12:44 AM

    Di kaya the other way around? Sinulat namin ito dahil siniraan ng ABS-CBN ang reputasyon ng isang unibersidad? Yun yung point!

    ReplyDelete
  6. To Anonymous..

    eh gago ka pala eh. kaming mga taga UPLB na nga ang agrabyado dito!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ano next move ng ABS-CBN? They should set the record straight. They did apologize pero for oversight lang dahil hindi daw nila chineck ang facts. Clearly, the story is not based on facts. Is there a letter sender talaga o kwento-kwento lang ito ng writing and research pool nila. Dapat i-disclose nila "Any depiction to any person or event in real life is purely coincidence. ..." at wag UPLB gawin nilang example.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ibig sabihin kwentong kutsero lang.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Baka naman kwentong barbero lang yan.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Eh kung yung mga balita sa ABS-cbn di kapanipaniwala eh....sa drama pa kaya! Ang totoo lang na pinapalabas nila eh si super inggo!

    ReplyDelete
  11. watdaF! i know a student from uplb hndi siya laude but even before siya makagraduate may nakuha na siyang job offering. is this for real? oh my, my future school sira na. shameshame.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I also watched that episode. It's unfair to UP...kung saan mang branch....kasi na-drag ang name ng school e. I was even commenting na bakit di sya makahanap ng job e cum laude sya....parang weird naman pakinggan. Tapos nag club dancer na lang. E kung pumasok na lang sya as waitress, diba? Parang may twist sa story...ABS should also check that before nila ipalabas o gawan ng script.

    ReplyDelete

Blog Widget by LinkWithin