Oblation set ‘ablaze’ for 2015 holidays UP Diliman kicked off this year’s Christmas season by adorning the iconic Oblation with blaze-inspired design by visual artist Toym Imao. The fiery decoration was meant to be a visual metaphor of the UP community’s role as the guiding light towards free thought, action and service. According to Imao, the design itself was inspired by the lighthouses that guide ships to their destinations. “And at the personal level, the university is a place where you keep finding yourself returning to. If you are to do something, it will revolve around its traditions on what it means to be a graduate of UP,” said Imao.
DBM proposes P2.2 B UP budget cut ARRA F RANC I A UP IS LOOMING TOWARDS A P2.246 billion budget cut in 2016, the biggest slash in the university’s annual budget in six years. From this year’s P 13.143 billion, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allotted P 10.897 billion for UP’s eight constituent units and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in the proposed 2016 National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted to the House of Representatives last July 28. The lower house is set to conduct initial deliberations on the NEP on August 10, where legislators may suggest changes to the DBM-proposed budget. The NEP will then undergo two more readings before approval and will be sent to the upper chamber of Congress. Once in the Senate, the NEP will undergo the same round of procedures before being consolidated into one bill by the bicameral conference committee, consisting of representatives from both chambers of Congress. The final bill will then be transmitted to the president who will sign it into law. The largest bulk of the 2016 budget will cover personnel services (PS), or compensation for faculty and employees with P 7.032 billion. Operating expenses worth P 2.789 billion have been filed under maintenance and other expenses (MOOE), while the remaining P 1.44 billion has been allotted to capital outlay (CO), or funds for the construction of new infrastructures. Funds for PS and MOOE include P 12.7 million for scholarships, the construction and rehabilitation of various buildings such as a Regional Research Center in UP Visayas worth P 180 million, and P250 million for the modernization fiber optic cables in different units, which will strengthen communication lines in the UP system in line with UP President Alfredo Pascual’s eUP project. The budget cut stems primarily from the removal of CO funds for PGH, which received P 3.1 billion this year for the improvement of its facilities and hospital equipment. Academic units will likewise have a decrease of around P310 million for CO. Despite the removal of CO for PGH, a total increase of around P 1.2 billion was added to PS and MOOE.
The DBM-proposed budget does not include funds for the rehabilitation of the UP Diliman (UPD) Alumni Center which was razed by fire on July 1. On the other hand, no appropriations were given for additional dormitories amidst the issue on lack of student housing, wherein around 300 freshmen with no dorm slots were forced to camp out Kalayaan Residence Hall on August 5. In a dialogue between UPD Chancellor Michael Tan and Vice Chancellor for Student Activities Neil Martial Santillan on August 6, Tan said that he will push for the inclusion of funds for the construction of at least five dormitories in UPD that will accommodate around 500 students each. Amidst the possibility of a budget cut, UP will be getting the biggest slice of funds among the country’s 112 state colleges and universities worth P 43.65 billion, a minimal increase from 2015’s P 43.3 billion. Should the proposed 2016 national budget of P 3.002 trillion be approved, the country will have twice the country’s purse had in 2010, or the first year President Benigno Simeon Aquino III took office. This also shows a 15.2 percent increase from the 2015 budget of P2.6 trillion. An appropriation of P 1.08 trillion or 36.8 percent of the budget will go to social services such
as education and health care. Around P 800 billion is allotted for the construction of roads and infrastructure to boost the economy while the portion used to pay off international debts will comprise of 14 percent, or P 42 billion, the lowest allocation for debt payment in a decade. The Department of Education is set to have one of the biggest allocations among the government agencies with P 410 billion. Despite the budget increase, however, P 430.4 billion was filed under Special Purpose Funds (SPFs), a 75.2 percent leap from this year’s P 245.7 billion allocation. SPFs have no specific usage but can be used with the administration’s discretion. “Flipping through the pages of the 2016 national expenditure program, one can readily see traces of pork barrel. It’s practically everywhere,” said Kabataan
party-list Representative Terry Ridon. From this year’s P 13.143 billion, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allotted P 10.897 billion for UP’s eight constituent units and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in the proposed 2016 National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted to the House of Representatives last July 28. The lower house is set to conduct initial deliberations on the NEP on August 10, where legislators may suggest changes to the DBM-proposed budget. The NEP will then undergo two more readings before approval and will be sent to the upper chamber of Congress. ≠
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diliman FOLIO
USC holds fact-finding on frat violence incident ROB IN BU S TAM AN T E THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES Diliman (UPD) University Student Council (USC) held a fact-finding meeting on Wednesday (June 24) with the representatives of two fraternities involved in the June 18 attacks inside the campus. The incident left at least two students hospitalized and five others arrested. The injured were identified as members of the Alpha Sigma fraternity, while the assailants were identified as members of Upsilon Sigma Phi. A spot report released by Station 9 of the Quezon City Police District said five more unidentified assailants are still at large. During the meeting, Marcelino Arias Jr., lawyer of victim Jesus Vitangcol called for USC Chairperson and Upsilon member John Paulo Delas Nieves to resign from his position and name the five other suspects in the attacks. “The parents [of Vitangcol] ask that the attackers be named and own up to
whatever accusations are hurled against them,” Arias said. Meanwhile, the council voted 15-14 to suspend Delas Nieves from council duties for one month . Lack of evidence Several parties in attendance expressed their disappointment at the lack of information presented during the meeting. The Upsilon member present at the meeting refused to confirm that the apprehended were members of the fraternity, citing “supervening circumstances” that prevented him from disclosing information. According to a report by campus paper Philippine Collegian, Vitangcol’s parents left the meeting early due to Upsilon’s unwillingness to disclose information. “Like what the Upsilon did during the attack, they hid their faces. Now they are hiding facts,” said Arias. ≠
Members of the University Student Council meet to
COURSE OF ACTION discuss the action steps on the frat-related incidents last Jiru Rada June at the USC office in Vinzons Hall, July 3.
Project SARAI to increase resilience against climate change KENNET H GUT LAY
Veteran Photojournalist Dennis Sabangan dies at 41 ROBIN B U S TAM AN T E Veteran photojournalist Dennis Sabangan, chief photographer of the Frankfurt-based European PressPhoto Agency (EPA), died Monday morning (June 29) due to cardiac arrest at the age of 41. Sabangan was reportedly driving along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City when he suffered a heart attack. He was rushed to the nearest hospital but was declared dead on arrival at 10:35 a.m.
diliman FOLIO The Unofficial Newsletter of UP Diliman
A founding member of the Philippine Center for Photojournalism, Sabangan previously worked for major local broadsheets such as The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Times, and Today. Sabangan also worked as a stringer for Getty Images, Reflex News, KCS Presse, and SIPA Press. He had been a photojournalism lecturer at the UP College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) since 2009. ≠
A University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) professor on agriculture discussed the university’s new techniques in mitigating losses in food production during disasters at the 11th Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) MultiHazards Symposium at the Microtel TechnoHub function hall, October 16. Felino Lansigan, professor of Agricultural and Environmental Statistics, said the Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines Project (Project SARAI) aims to improve food security in the country in the face of climate change. He said that climate change threatens agriculture through increase in temperature, more intense weather effects and erratic rainfall patterns in the country. Project SARAI was started by Maria Victoria Espaldon from the UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management along with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in 2013. “We come up with information on crop forecast…and estimate crop yield because that’s a very important decision we have to make,” Lansigan said. He further said that information provided by the project may be used by other decision-making agencies and offices like the Task Force on Food Security headed by Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. However, another special unit, the El Niño Task Force, said P19.2 billion
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • Jon Robin Bustamante ASSOCIATE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • Jiru Rada MANAGING EDITOR • Rogelio Tubije II
is needed to address the impact of the drought and flooding on farmlands and crops. The amount covers food security, water shortage, power shortage and other negative effects of the weather phenomenon. The task force also said that P7.5 billion will be released this year. “This is, however, still an indicative figure as it still has to get the approval of the president,” Balisacan said, who is also secretary of Socio-economic planning. “The task force still does not have the report of the Department of Energy.” The task force is set to meet the president within the week. Furthermore, the National Food Authority (NFA) said that the Philippines needed to import 1.5 million metric tons of rice in the first half of 2016 to address the effects of El Niño on rice output. The El Niño task force further said the amount of rice needed is to ensure stable rice price levels. The latest advisory of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the prediction models for El Niño indicate a “strong continuation of conditions” until the end of the year, adding that it may last until June next year. The PAGASA also warns that it may surpass conditions observed during the 1997-98 El Niño. ≠
CONTRIBUTORS • Arra Francia • Kenneth Gutlay Karen Macalalad • Daniel Braza • Victor Limon PUBLISHER • Prof. Terry Congjuico
NEWS 3
december 2015
Art students decry cheap labor for UAAP stint A RRA F RAN C I A A NUMBER OF STUDENTS FROM the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) College of Fine Arts (CFA) decried the alleged unjust payment for their services in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) opening ceremony on September 5 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The UP Diliman administration commissioned a total of 108 CFA students to work on the props used for the opening ceremony of the league’s 78th season. The students were given a total budget of P786.38 thousand for the project, P413.8 thousand of which was allotted for the procurement of materials and the remaining P372.5 thousand as payment for labor. However, in the original budget proposed by CFA Dean Leonord Rosete, the students estimated a total of P1.05 million to complete the project. The price was brought down by 40 percent after Vice Chancellor for Administration
“Malabo din kasi talaga yung kontrata na binigay sa amin…nung una ay magkahiwalay yung presyo na nakalagay for materials and labor, tapos nung sunod na meeting ay pinagsama na sila,” said Danielle Madrid, a third year Visual Communication major who was part of the project. Meanwhile, UPD Chancellor Michael Tan denied that payment for the students was not enough, citing that the administration followed the budget breakdown for the project, in a statement released on November 6. The students estimated a total of P1.05 million to complete the project. The UP Dance Ensemble poses for the final act of the The price was brought down by 40 HOSTING DUTIES UAAP Season 78 opening ceremony on September 5 at percent after Vice Chancellor for Kenneth Gutlay the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Administration Virginia Yap said it exceeded what the office can provide. Virginia Yap said it exceeded what the price from the payment to the students Madrid said they have been to make ends meet. The budget for labor following up talks with the UAAP office can provide. In a meeting last August 17, Rosete, Yap, was then cut by almost half, or P372.5 administration and they will continue and the UAAP administration represented thousand, while the budget for materials to demand that they be given the by Anril Tiatco, agreed to take down the was decreased by around P7, 000. payment they originally proposed. ≠
QC fire dept finds safety hazards in UP buildings JIR U NIKKO RADA FOLLOWING THE RECENT destruction of the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association (CASAA) Food Center and the UPAA Bowling and Recreation Center due to separate occasions of fire, preliminary inspection by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) of the buildings in the university on July showed an alarming number of fire safety hazards. A gas tank leak from the CASAA concessionaire Chef Grille caused the fire that gutted the establishment around 10 a.m. on June 13. The owner and cook suffered multiple second-degree and firstdegree burns in the arms and facial areas. Two weeks later, the entire bowling center and parts of UP Hostel’s canteen were also engulfed in flames caused by an electrical short circuit located near the
barracks of the pinsetters at around 11:30 p.m. of June 30. Four employees of the bowling center managed to get out the building safely while a volunteer fireman was injured. According to Senior Inspector Andres Dauz Jr., Commander of the Quezon City Fire District (QCFD) Station 4, almost all old structures in UP particularly the student dormitories have dilapidated fire exit ladders, busted emergency lights and lack evacuation plans. Reports from the BFP showed that most UP dorms were not able to conduct fire drills in recent years. Proper fire safety management requires dorms to conduct fire drills twice a year to ensure that the residents know what to do in case of fires. The Intelligence and Investigation Section of the QCFD reported that the
UP administration refused to take part in conducting fire safety inspections of its buildings in the past. It was only just a few months ago when the admin became ‘very cooperative’ with their office as described by the BFP. In the assessment of the campus’ disaster preparedness by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA) last October 2014, only 80 out of the 140 buildings in the university responded. Results show that 62 buildings have fire extinguishers although some units are already expired. While the number of buildings with proper evacuation plan reached 41, only 19 buildings have disaster drill experience The University Student Council (USC) in addition, will be working together with the
colleges and dorms to launch an information campaign for a better disaster risk reduction management program in the university. According to Environmental Concerns Committee Head Sam Estrella, the USC also plans to conduct earthquake and fire drills in coordination with the government and the administration. In a dialogue between the CASAA concessionaires and the UP admin at the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy on August 11, the Business Concessions Office (BCO) has failed to provide plans for the rebuilding of the canteen. On the other hand, UPAA Bowling Center Manager Elna Divino also said that there are no plans yet to rebuild the recreational establishment. ≠
Firemen from the Quezon City Fire Department try to extiguish the flames that engulfed the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni
TWO IN A MONTH Association (CASAA) Food Center (L) and the UP Alumni Association Bowling Center (R) on June 13 and July 30, respectively. Six Jiru Rada months later, the administration has yet to release its plans for the reconstruction of the destroyed establishments.
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ith their gunners not hitting their marks from threepoint range, the UP Fighting Maroons fell prey to the Adamson Soaring Falcons in a heated caging match, 68-73, in the first round of the University Athletic Associations of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Basketball Tournament, October 4, at the Mall of Asia Arena. Andres Desiderio scored 26 points and put up 6 boards, and Pio Longa had 9 points on 50% 3-point shooting to lead the Maroons in scoring, while Adamson rookie Jerome Garcia also had 26 points on 53% shooting, 19 of which was in the first half, and together with Joseph Nalos and Frederick Tungcab who combined for 28 points, spearheaded the Falcons to their victory. Pape Sarr of AdU put up 8 points and a monstrous 15 rebounds, in which 7 were offensive rebounds. The Falcons took early command in the 1st Quarter as they capitalized on the already warming up Jerome Garcia, as they outscored UP, 1421. However, the Maroons were not to be outdone, as Desiderio made an offensive show on his midrange shooting, and Andrew Harris made a defensive play against an attempt at an easy hoop. Turnovers killed UP in the 2nd Quarter, as the Falcons swept them off, taking a 19 point lead, 28-47. Despite being outscored, UP gained some momentum on a highlight dunk by big man Cheick Kone off a feed and a steal by Diego Dario. However, Maroon Forward Jerson Prado twisted his right knee after getting a rebound against AdU’s Sarr. Prado, who already had 4 points and 9 boards, had to be carried off by stretcher and was rushed to the nearest hospital. UP got its head up in the 3rd, and cut the 19 point lead to 11 points, as Desiderio and Jaboneta started to heat up, and made most of the 18 points scored by UP. AdU’s Margallo received a technical for allegedly pointing an accusing finger at an official. The Falcons kept their lead, 57-46. UP resurged itself in the fourth, and even managed to get a shortlived, 1-point lead, after a 13-2 run to tie the game at 59, mainly due to the technical fouls on AdU players and coach. Desiderio was on fire making his shots, as UP scrambled with a race against time and an AdU lead. However, the early foul trouble UP had early in the quarter came to haunt them, as AdU went for free shots off fouls. The game ended 73-68, in favor of Adamson. Looking at statistics, UP had a higher shooting percentage, was able to capitalize more on 2nd chance points, and was rebounding better. So we can therefore deduce that UP was operating better offensively and rebound-wise. However, one of the
AdU trounces UP Maroons on 4-game losing streak
things they could have been better off with was Jerome Garcia getting hot from beyond the arc, giving them the early advantage in the first half. Another is foul trouble, one of the problems the Maroons have had this season. In this game, the Maroons were 7/14 from the free throw line, while the Falcons were 20/33. The gap in the number of attempts make all the difference. This is the final match of the Maroons in the first round, which brings their record down to 2-5, while Adamson grabbed their first win in the first round.
DA N I EL BRA ZA
2015 UAAP Cheerdance Results SILVER UST - 651.5 pts.
GOLD NU - 668 pts.
BRONZE UP - 610.5 pts.