Group 6, Biotechnology. A cell is like a government. Dated, October 6, 2022.
Speaker 1 – Alexander Magbanua
speaker 2 – Matthew Young
XANDER: Hi, I am (name)
MATT: And I am (name)
Both: We are group 6 with our work, entitled “a cell is like a government”
MATT: First things first, we chose this specific topic because of a few reasons: 1.) a government, or society itself, is
typically self-sustaining, like a cell, meaning that it has to cover all the bases of society in order to manage a nation
effectively, and give its constituents equal and basic human rights.
XANDER: And 2.) without a government, just like an organism without cells, society would undoubtedly collapse
from its own weight. Governments and cells are one of the fundamental gears and cogs of the world, without it,
countries would collapse, and life would have no framework to build its very organisms from.
MATT: With this in mind, we can now move on to the individual parts of the cell and their counterparts in our own
government.
XANDER: Proteins. Proteins are fundamental for the function of the cell. It is manufactured in the ribosomes through
a process called protein synthesis, and is basically the end product of a cell.
MATT: In a governmental and societal perspective, we can liken proteins to laws, which are essentially the cloth that
holds societal groups together, creates social norms, bounds the people to it and, above all, helps those who are in
need and serves as an anchor of justice, in which those less privileged can hold on to.
XANDER: Next, we have the rough endoplasmic reticulum, or rough er for short. It is, in essence, the highway of the
cell; a passageway for ribosomes, which make proteins for the rest of the cell to use.
MATT: In a very coincidental way, the rough er can be considered as the house of representatives or the congress.
The house of representatives contains elected officials from each district of the country, proposing and authoring
laws for the benefit of the people, organizations, environment and the country itself. Much like the rough er housing
ribosomes, it is an integral part of law making and political power in the philippines.
MATT: Moving on, we have the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The smooth er is mainly responsible for the
production of lipids and carbohydrates, which are essential substances for the cell. Additionally, The soft ER
detoxifies exogenous substances, such as toxins and drugs and stabilizes calcium levels.
XANDER: Interestingly, we considered the senate of the philippines as its counterpart. The senate is considered as
the upper house of the legislative department. It houses senators who, while authoring laws, also oversees
committees against corruption, impunity and injustices. It checks for balances in power and holds those convicted
accountable.
XANDER: Next in line is the ribosome. Ribosomes are the main manufacturers of protein in the cell through a process
called protein synthesis. It is produced by the nucleolus and is either attached to the rough er, or freely floating in
cytosol. The product that it produces is essential to the function of the cell and its parts.
MATT: Since it is established that proteins are laws, it is only natural that ribosomes are the lawmakers who craft
laws specifically for the needs of society. Be it social welfare, help for those who are abused, raising the age of
consent, lawmakers are the writers of the laws which govern and help us. But not so fast. Lawmakers have the
responsibility of staying true to the service of the public: The daings of the masa, and the cries of the oppressed.
Laws and lawmakers should not be limited to penalizing social dysfunctions, but, instead, it shall be a rope of light
which those who are stepped on can hope to, and shall always, reach.
XANDER: After the ribosomes, we have the lysosomes. Lysosomes are, fundamentally, garbage dumps of the cell. But
in the sense that it recycles, digests and makes use of old cell parts and it isn’t merely a garbage disposal bin.
Hopefully we cleared that out. It digests substances through the use of hydrolytic enzymes and aids in digestion of
exogenous material
MATT: In a governmental perspective, the supreme court of the philippines is a perfect match. The supreme court is
the highest court in our country, able to classify lower judgements as final or unruly. It has the duty of standing true
to our rights and the rule of law. It penalizes those who are found convicted or frees those who have been
wrongfully judged. In many ways, the lysosome and it is alike, through means of correcting what is wrong and faulty.
They both help make anew of their societies' flaws, where wrong judgements can serve as a reminder, and where an
aging cell part can serve as fuel for the novel. They serve to rule the truth among those who committed wrong, and
those who have been wronged.
XANDER: Next, we have the golgi apparatus. It is the courier service of the cell. Modifying and packaging proteins for
cell parts to use. It allows the transport of these proteins to be seamless and the cell to function smoothly.
MATT: The department of justice is the perfect job for this. The doj has multiple branches that deal with impunity
and social crimes, but law enforcing is not limited to these. Law enforcement can also refer to social welfare and
help for the marginalized. Such as the dswd who creates cash aids and ayudas for the people. These law
enforcements allow laws, be it harmful or benefitting, to be felt by common citizens in the ground.
MATT: After this, we have the mitochondria. The mitochondria functions to give the cell energy,
through a process called cellular respiration. Here, energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate is produced for the
cell to use. It is also bound by a double membrane, making it an organelle. It has its own dna and is notable for being
called “the powerhouse of the cell”
XANDER: since mitochondria are responsible for energy production, the same can be said with the department of
energy. It regulates and checks the energy infrastructure of our country. Including, oils, power plants, other
renewable sources of energy and our power grid. It aids in energy production and keeps our country from running
dry.
XANDER: Next in line, we have the cell membrane. The cell membrane is considered as the boundary of the cell. It
helps hold the cell and all the cell parts in place while also allowing certain substances to pass through, and certain
substances to be blocked. It can be considered as the bouncers of the cell; allowing people in the list of guests to go
through, while blocking those who aren’t.
MATT: In the government, the bureau of customs is the perfect branch for it. The bureau actively prevents and
confiscates smuggled materials, including illegal drugs, food, invasive species of animals and such. It is the border
control of our country, checking and regulating all imported materials and allows what can be distributed inside
country grounds.
XANDER: Moving on, we have the vacuole. The vacuole serves as a storage and warehouse for the cell, containing
water, enzymes, pigments and other important substances. It is basically the database of the cell, allowing other cell
parts and organelles to use its resources and the whole cell itself uses this.
MATT: The same can be said with the department of finance's function. It, in essence, manages the country's assets,
financial resources, and budget making: Allowing fiscal policies to be implemented, assets to grow and, ultimately,
help the country in return. The DOF also aids in revenue generation and debt management. It holds all these
important resources for the government and implements strategic policies to help the economy.
XANDER: Succeeding the vacuole is the cell wall. Cell walls are basically another line of defense for the cell. It helps
protect the inner structure of the cell from external damage and extreme water loss. It gives cells its distinct rigidity.
MATT: The Department of National Defense can be considered as its counterpart. The DND acts as our defense
against foreign threats. It works with other national agencies to maintain national sovereignty and public safety. It
holds our countries less susceptible to foreign threats, much like the cell wall.
XANDER: Now, we can start to get into the most crucial and integral parts of the cell and the government: the
nucleus. The nucleus functions as the cell’s control center by allowing and facilitating the cell’s transcription and
replication. It also holds important instructions required for cellular functions, such as cell division and cellular
growth to name a few. It also holds on to the cell’s genetic material, which is crucial for cell division.
MATT: And naturally, the nucleus the President: the most pivotal and influential public servant of our nation. A
President can either be a courageous leader, or a naive and lazy craven. Either way, a President has massive
responsibilities and serves as the head of state, including: Managing and appointing their cabinet secretaries,
controlling all executive branches of the government, approving and enforcing laws written by the congress and
representing the nation in foreign countries. The nucleus and the President serves as the country’s and cell’s guide,
allowing proteins and basically all cellular processes to occur, and all executive projects to happen.
XANDER: With the nucleus out of the way, we can proceed to the nucleolus. The nucleolus’ main function is to
procure and facilitate ribosome biogenesis, which is basically the whole, tightly knit, process of the manufacturing of
ribosomes in the nucleolus. There are also traces of proteins in the nucleolus, suggesting the regulation of mitosis
and cell cycle progression done by the nucleolus. But, mainly, it is the site of ribosome subunit biogenesis in the cell.
MATT: With this, there is now extensive evidence for the comparison of the nucleolus with the people and the
voters. The voters have the capacity to completely transform our country, be it for better or for worse. Voters have
the ability to elect leaders and lawmakers that will not only govern our cities, but will predominantly create the
futures of our children. The voters have a massive responsibility of choosing carefully the lawmakers and leaders
who shall serve is with utmost respect, or those who shall serve is lousily with no perception of honor and justice. It
is so easy now, as has been suggested without reason, to distort the records of our fights against tyranny only for
power and fame. In essence, the nucleolus and the people are the same. They produce ribosomes and elect leaders.
Only that with the people, they have the responsibility of staying true to the virtues and history of the filipino. They
have the responsibility of securing our children’s futures, and our lives, too. In Justice Isagani A. Cruz’s own words:
“It can and will be won if we are able at last, after our long ordeal, to say never again to tyranny. If we can do this
with courage and conviction, then and only then, and not until then, can we truly say that the case is finished and
the book is closed.”
XANDER: Now, for the cherry on top:
MATT: It has become increasingly apparent that cells, their functions and effects are synonymous with the
responsibilities of our government. It is with great pleasure to have been able to impart all of this information to you
all. From sociology, social norms, justice, righteousness, our responsibilities to our descendants and the case of
historical distortion in our country. it has been my pleasure. I shall now end this presentation with a section from our
constitution.
”Section 5, Article 2, 1987 Constitution of the Philippines: The maintenance of peace and order, the protection of
life, liberty, and property, and promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of
the blessings of democracy.”
Thank you.