LIGHTER MOMENTS

Juan de la Cruz, EdD; or Engr. Juan de la Cruz, MME. When you have a prefix, a suffix may not be placed and when you have a suffix, a prefix may not also be placed.

“As a general rule, we only write our terminal degrees. If that’s not a terminal degree, then do not place it. Unfortunately, a great number of people who possess certain terminal degrees believe wholeheartedly that they belong to a higher class—a class of people who hold greater professional, personal, and overall human value than others.

“This is high and might form of arrogance and superiority. Regrettably, it has been going for millennia.”

Outside the country, I observed not all professionals place a prefix like Atty., Dr., Engr., etc. nor suffix to their names. One can only identify them in their business cards that indicate their calling or field of expertise.

This calls to mind the story of a Brazilian friend who says there are more lawyers than any other professions in his country. He exaggerated that almost 80 percent of these lawyers earn their living as taxi drivers! The ID cards displayed in the visors of their taxi cabs do not indicate their profession as lawyers.

So, how about Atty. Juana de la Cruz, SBSS (Sobrang Believe Sa Saliri)? Or Engr. Juan Dimaculangan, KSP (Kulang Sa Pansin)?