(Dominic) I assume these boys don’t go to school. When you ask the kids on the streets of Baguio why they don’t go to school, the kids almost invariably tell you that they don’t like school. But of course the kids like school at this age; the kids are too embarrassed to tell anyone that their parents can’t afford to send them to school. Since most don’t speak English, it is hard to know what is going on with their lives except for what you see.

Even though the public school system is “free,” the supplies, uniforms and lunches are not free. There are other charges the families have to cope with, as well. From what I hear from the locals and confirmed by knowledgeable people at the Red Lion ( expats hangout), there is a lot of misallocation of resources going on. The situation reminds me of the movie, Casablanca.

“Shocked, shocked; there’s gambling going on at a gambling establishment.” — Captain Louis Renault

The public school system doesn’t teach children proper English, anyway. Many of the children and adults in the city don’t speak English well. How will these kids compete in the global market of the 21st century?