15 MARCH 2019

6 NEWS
Friday, 15 March 2019
Daily Tribune
Money litters
halls of ivy
They had all the advantages but they had to cheat
From page 1
in the Philippines but it is what is actually
happening in Ivy League schools in the
United States.
Several persons were arrested and charged
for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud
in a nationwide scheme to fraudulently secure
admission for their children to top universities
through rich bribes and falsified standardized
test answers.
The scandal of parents paying to
cheat their children’s way into elite US
universities has put a harsh spotlight on
the ultra-competitive college admissions
process, in which the haves hold a massive
advantage over the have-nots.
Thirty-three wealthy parents, financiers,
lawyers and two famous actresses among
them were arrested Tuesday as part of
an operation that charged from $15,000 to
millions of dollars to help them get their
children into renowned schools.
Wide outrage
For most Americans, the corruption
in the college admission system exposed
by the indictments further shatters any
notion that hard work, good grades and
perseverance are the way to get into a
prestigious school.
“For most people outside the elite, these
institutions might as well be on the moon.
This story just reinforces that, the way in
which money buys opportunity in America,”
said Richard V. Reeves whose book “Dream
Hoarders” argues that the American upper
middle class hoards opportunities.
Prosecutors said dozens of parents
paid bribes to alter their children’s test
scores or get them into colleges like Yale,
Georgetown, Stanford and USC as athletic
recruits, fraudulently.
In court papers, the ringleader explained
the realities of getting into top colleges in
America in stark terms: There’s the front
door, which involves getting in legitimately
through academic achievements. There’s
the back door, which involves donating huge
sums of money to a university to influence
admissions decisions.
His scheme — much easier and
cheaper — was through the side door.
Side door entry
The back door was common knowledge,
and bad enough. The description of a side
door — a corrupt advantage on top of the
advantages already accorded the rich — has
set off outrage, especially for hard-working
kids trying to get in on merit.
Lalo Alcaraz’s son is a Los Angeles high
school senior who is waiting to hear back
from over a dozen schools that he’s applied
to, including some in the top tier.
“It really infuriates me right now. These
people jumped ahead in line of my kid, I
mean, literally my kid, this year,” the author
and cartoonist said.
Prosecutors said dozens of
parents paid bribes to alter
their children’s test scores or
get them into colleges like Yale,
Georgetown, Stanford and USC.
For Alcaraz, there’s also outrage at
seeing wealthy, white families try to cheat
the system, especially when many minorities
have experienced being questioned over
whether they got their spots because of
their race.
“They had all the advantages but they had
to cheat,” he said.
Tilted to wealthy
But as outraged as many Americans were
at the illegality, even within the law, the rich
have a huge, unfair advantage when it comes
to gaming the intensely stressful annual
college admissions battle.
The competition is clear in the numbers.
Just 4.6 percent of over 40,000 students
applying to Harvard University get in.
The figure is 4.3 percent at Stanford and 5.5
percent at Columbia, two other top universities.
Many who are qualified grade-wise are
rejected, intensifying the competition to
stand out.
Thirty-three wealthy parents,
financiers, lawyers and two
famous actresses among them
were arrested Tuesday.
The process favors the wealthy. They can
apply to more schools and invest heavily in
preparing for tests and essays.
“It’s an extremely stressful process,
especially for kids whose parents aren’t
the most affluent,” said Angela Perez, a
student at the highly competitive Georgetown
University in Washington.
“While I considered myself academically
strong, getting in was one thing, and paying
for it was another.”
Perez, from a working class, immigrant
Filipino family, said to maximize her chances
at both acceptance and financial aid, she
applied to 18 different universities.
Adding together the application fees, test
fees, training for the tests and other, she said,
“it was honestly quite costly.”
Donations, game changers
The richest can beat the competition by
donating to universities. ProPublica editor
Daniel Golden documented how President
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner gained
admission to Harvard University in 1998
after his father made a legal $2.5 million
donation to the school.
“There’s a limited number of spots for
those with enormous means,” said Hafeez
Lakhani, whose Lakhani Coaching company
helps prepare students.
“I understand that there is a disparity out
there and that not everyone is able to afford
the best help or any help at all,” he added.
Many parents spend their kids’ lives
planning their university career.
“In the United States, families are
obsessed with the entrance into university,”
said Sylvie Bigar, a New Yorker whose
daughter just entered the respected Smith
College in Massachusetts.
“It seems like these things are decided
almost in kindergarten, that admission to a
prestigious university leads to a prestigious
career and happiness.”
$40,000 as preparation
The process begins in earnest in tenth
grade, three years before graduating
from high school. Students prepare
for and take multiple times
the ACT and SAT entrance
examinations — the ones the
parents arrested Tuesday paid
to have fixed for their children.
There are essays to write,
interviews, tutorials, preparation
tests and for the families with access
and connections, direct lobbying.
And, notes Bigar, “at every stage
of this process, there are firms that help
families who can afford it.”
According to the Independent Educational
Consultants Association, parents pay on
average $200 an hour to consult experts on
the applications process. But that price, in
some situations, can run into the thousands
of dollars per hour.
The parents of
children who are
shepherded by Lakhani pay
on average $40,000. AFP, AP
Architect of concern Former Special Assistant to the President Christopher
Lawrence “Kuya Bong” Go got the best pat on the back from President Rodrigo Duterte
for crediting him for conceptualizing the Malasakit Center program that had helped many
Filipinos in need of government services.
Admiral Uy sails 88 ships
From page 1
Travel and trade
“As the population grows and prospers,
people would want to travel not only for
vacation but also as a necessity,” Uy said.
He said people work in one island and live
in another. Sometimes people work in Cebu
but they live in Bohol …so they use that ferry
service from Cagayan to Cebu.…
Trade is another consideration since ships
are critical in terms of moving products.
The common
complaint among
traders that it is
cheaper to ship
goods between
China and the
Philippines
than to haul cargo from Manila to Davao,
thus resulting in more imports from China
rather than goods from Mindanao in Manila
markets, can be addressed, according to Uy,
by investing in larger vessels.
Currently, however, there’s a lot of
overcapacity which is a disincentive for
investors.
“Vessels from international lines from
wherever to the Philippines are very big of at
least 5,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU)
to 20,000 TEU,” he said.
The biggest local container ship has a
capacity of 700 TEU. “So if you look at scale,
the locals really lose. They have a lower cost,
bigger, faster and more modern vessels.
“Compared to our vessel which is on a
container side, it’s so hard to buy brandnew
not because you can’t afford but it is
expensive compared to the existing market
that it does not make any economic sense,”
he said.
Overcapacity remains
“Our container industry has overcapacity.
So all the players pull down the rates, which
is good for consumers,” he said.
He added fuel cost in the country is higher
compared to its neighbors.
“It is higher because of the excise tax under
the reform package. We’ll say that our cost here
is higher than those of shipping companies
abroad plus the higher fuel cost. So it’s very
challenging,” Uy said.
Trade is another consideration
since ships are critical in terms
of moving products.
Starlight ferries has the biggest brand-new
RoRo in the country that runs the Calapan to
Batangas route which is part of the nautical
highway.
Holding firm Chelsea is investing $100
million to acquire six new sea vessels, as it
expands its fleet operations in the country
with two vessels up for delivery every one year.
Holy craft Lenten season is also a time for expressing artistic mien for a sculptor of a religious image.
From page 1
the ruling party Partido Demokratiko
Pilipino (PDP), has been in public service
since 1978 compared with Manzano who
will be a neophyte in case he wins.
Zamora was elected as representative
of San Juan-Mandaluyong in 1987 under
the new Constitution and was re-elected
in 1992 and 1995.
He became the executive secretary of
former President Joseph Estrada in 1998
but he resigned from his post during the
impeachment trial of Estrada.
Veteran, TV star duel
Long legislative history
In 2001, Zamora was re-elected in the
House and served as the minority floor
leader during former President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo’s term.
Manzano was appointed chairman
of the Optical Media Board in
2004 and resigned from the post
in 2009.
Zamora is now in the majority bloc
of the House and is a member of the
committees on Metro Manila Development
Danger in horizon A farmer checks his farm as a dry spell threatens grains harvest all over the country.
and the West Philippine Sea.
Among the measures that he worked
on during the 17th Congress were
the National Integrated Cancer
Control Act, an Act creating the
Department of Disaster Resilience,
an Act establishing the Polytechnic
University of the Philippines in San
Juan City, and an Act Prohibiting End
of Contract (ENDO) Practices.
Recently, Zamora, together with his
son former Vice Mayor Francis Zamora, led
the oathtaking of PDP in San Juan City.
They were also endorsed by reelectionist
ROMAN PROSPERO
Sen. Koko Pimentel.
ANALY LABOR
PMP bet
On the other hand, Manzano
will be running under Pwersa
ng Masang Pilipino.
His congressional bid is not his first
try in politics. Manzano was elected as
Makati City vice mayor in 1998. However,
his declaration as winner was interrupted
as his citizenship was questioned through
a protest before the Supreme Court.
The High Tribunal declared Manzano
as winner after it was proven that he was
a Filipino but born in the United States.
After that, he tried his luck on Makati
City’s highest post against former Vice
President Jejomar Binay Sr. in 2001 but
failed in his bid.
Manzano was appointed chairman
of the Optical Media Board in 2004 and
resigned from the post in 2009.
TV regular
The popular television host was a vice
presidential bet in 2010 under Lakas-
Kampi-CMD but he again lost to Binay.
Manzano ran anew for the Senate in
2016 with Sen. Grace Poe’s slate Partido
Galing at Puso and under the coalition of
former Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago
and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Again his bid was unsuccessful.
For the past few years, Manzano has
been busy with his show business career
as he became a part of television shows
such as Barangay 143, Alyas Robin Hood,
Celebrity Bluff, My Dear Heart and
Someone to Watch Over Me.
New ships
Chelsea last October inaugurated its
latest sea vessels M/T Chelsea Providence
and M/V Salve Regina at the Manila North
Harbor Port.
Chelsea plans to operate in routes traversing
Batangas to Iloilo, Batangas to Bacolod, and in
ports across Visayas and Mindanao.
The shipping firm has launched M/T
Chelsea Providence, a 183-meter long
medium-range oil tanker that can carry up
to 54 million liters of petroleum making it
the largest registered vessel in the country.
Chelsea Providenceseeks to support local
oil companies in the importation of oil products
and in ensuring a reliable supply of fuel. The
company has invested around $35 million for
the oil tanker.
M/V Salve Reginais a RoRo vessel which
will operate along the Batangas-Caticlan route.
It can accommodate more than 500
passengers and 41 vehicles. It was built by
Japanese-based shipbuilder Kegoya Dock
Co. Ltd.
“In our efforts to provide better customer
experience, safe and reliable journey, and
convenient travel, the Chelsea Group has been
investing in younger vessels and presently
brand-new ones,” Uy said.
‘Till death
do us park’
From page 1
Other MMDA enforcers in the area were
also on a ticketing spree. One of them argued
that no violators should get preferential
treatment as it would be unfair for those who
got tickets. Thus, a hearse in a funeral parlor
that was apparently obstructing a sidewalk
as it waited for a casket to be loaded was
ticketed for illegal parking.
For the occupant of the casket to be
involved in an illegal parking violation
is out of this world. But since the strict
MMDA traffic enforcer won’t compromise,
that last brush with the law up until the
trip to the final resting place puns that
traditional wedding vow of “till death do
us part” to “till death do us park.”