KNL resident falls victim to Tokhang RAT SAN JUAN
THE DRUG WAR CONTINUES TO plague UP communities. A Krus na Ligas (KNL) resident was killed by undercover policemen in a staged buy-bust operation in Barangay Pansol, less than a kilometer away from Vinzons Hall, August 22. The same officers dressed in civilian clothing already met with the victim near the College of Fine Arts (CFA) a few hours before the operation took place, a CCTV footage from the area revealed. The victim was identified as Randy Ignacio, 39, who was last seen being accompanied by the cops around 10PM on August 21 near Village A and the CFA. Randy was beaten and forced inside a police vehicle, according to several witness accounts. Found with multiple gunshot wounds and physical injuries, his body was retrieved at around 2:30AM on August 22 in Kaingin 2, Barangay Pansol. Randy left their house in KNL at around 9PM of August 21, less than an hour before he was seen walking with the police, said Sio Kim, mother of the victim, who realized her son was
SAVE OUR SCHOOLS
missing only in the morning. “Nung naghahanap kami, patay na siya,” Sio Kim mourned, recalling how Randy would always ask her to make coffee every morning. Torture victim A total of 13 policemen took part in the operation led by Police Senior Inspector Agustin Ubilas from Quezon City Police District (QCPD), according to their blotter. However, the victim’s sister suspected foul play in the buy bust operation, citing the CCTV footage and several inconsistencies in the evidences shown by the police. The cops shot Randy to death after allegedly drawing out his firearm. His body was recovered with a revolver, sachets containing substance suspected as “shabu,” a phone, and two P100 bills. The evidences do not fit because Randy left the house with only his phone in hand, said Richelle. “Bago siya umalis, humingi pa nga siya ng piso.” It was also unlikely for Randy to draw out a gun because his hands showed evidence of heavy torture, Richelle
added. “Halatang pinalo ng baril kasi durog yung kamay niya, tapos balibaliko yung mga daliri.” Randy’s face was also beaten, but none of the physical trauma were noted in the autopsy report conducted by the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory Service (PNP-CLS). No member of the police may conduct any operation inside the campus without prior notice, as stated in the 1989 UPDepartment of National Defense Accord. However, the family of the victim have noticed police officers monitoring them. Several policemen once even entered their home and demanded the CCTV footage, said Richelle. “Napansin namin mula nung lamay, paikot-ikot sila. May pabalik-balik dito na naka-civilian, malaking katawan, tapos minsan titingin dito na nakatabon ang mukha. Minsan naka-helmet na mata lang ang nakikita.” Sio Kim also noted police vehicles frequently roaming around the area, including one which parked across their property without anyone exiting the car. During the interview with the Collegian, ADRIAN KENNETH GUTLAY
a police car briefly stopped in front of the Ignacio residence. Despite the continuous surveillance, the family refused to surrender any information to the police. “Wala kaming ginawang mali sa kanila, sila ang may ginawang mali sa amin. Sila ang magingat,” said Sio Kim. Insinuating fear Meanwhile, students condemn the recent spate of killings in communities inside the campus. Randy’s death is not an isolated incident but an intended consequence of President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug policy, said Community Rights and Welfare (CRAW) Head Gabby Lucero. As of press time, at least 13 killings have been recorded in Barangay UP Campus as a result of police operations. Multiple Philippine National Police (PNP) sightings in UP Diliman were recorded by Kampuhan security heads Daniel Dellosa and Angela Bello at the International Center (IC) last August. In one incident on August 28, two policemen in uniform parked their car
in front of IC at around 10:25PM. After being confronted by Dellosa and Bello, the two off icers remained silent for several minutes and then brief ly stated that they were headed to Dagohoy near the area. However, the same police car was seen roaming around IC later that evening seven times between 11PM and 1AM. “Mas nakikita na ngayon ang matinding pasismo ng rehimeng Duterte as evidenced by the 14,000 na biktima ng Oplan Tokhang at pagpatay sa isang inosente na tulad kay Carl Arnaiz,” Lucero added. Arnaiz was a former UP student who went missing and later found dead after having been allegedly involved in a shootout. “These are the times that the students and the UP community have to unite together to expose the government that does not respect that rights of its people to live and outright oppose the government. The Duterte regime has given the people no choice but to fight against his fascist administration,” Lucero said.
FLASH NEWS
BOR approves reduction of required GE units CAMILLE LITA
A young girl paints a picture at the Sitio Sandugo for the Children’s Festival, September 16. The event is part of the first National Conference of the Save Our Schools Network. More than 200 delegates gathered to fight for the rights of children against abuses. The network has tracked more than 80 cases of attacks on Lumad community schools as well as 39 schools that were forcibly closed.
INVESTITURE OF PRESIDENT DANILO CONCEPCION ADRIAN KENNETH GUTLAY
Danilo Concepcion formally took his place as president of the entire University of the Philippines System at the Investiture ceremony held at the University Theater, September 20. Concepcion, who will be serving a six-year term, mentioned in his speech a proposal regarding a voluntary return service program for UP students in exchange for free tuition. He also mentioned the history of the university as a space for dissent and discourse which he envisions will continue today.
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UP DILIMAN IS SET TO FULLY IMPLEMENT THE PROPOSED minimum of 21 required GE units starting next academic year, according to Student Regent Shari Oliquino. This is less than half of the current 45 unit requirement and is by far the lowest in the GE program’s history. The rule was decided upon the September 7 meeting of the Board of Regents (BOR), with Oliquino being the lone opposition to the proposal. As student regent, Oliquino is the sole representative of at least 50,000 UP students to the BOR, the highest policy-making body in the whole UP System. In the new GE curriculum, a total of 21 core units and up to 24 free elective GE courses will be offered under three domains: arts and humanities; social sciences and philosophy; and mathematics, science, and technology, based on the proposed framework submitted to the UP Vice President for Academic Affairs. Despite strong opposition from both students and faculty, the GE reform proposal was adopted on March 20 during the deliberation of the Diliman University Council (UC), composed of all professors. A total of 302 UC members then voted for the reform, heavily outnumbering 31 who voted against and 44 who abstained. Meanwhile, several members of the board claimed that not implementing the GE Reform and adjusting to global standards for education will be detrimental for the university, according to Oliquino. But GE Reform is a way to produce cheap laborers for developed nations as this is among the primary goals of the internationalization framework, Oliquino said. “Ang orientation dapat ng graduates ng UP ay maglingkod sa kapwa Pilipino dahil may kakulangan tayo sa professionals [sa bansa],” she added. “UP will eventually lose its value as the university of the people if we continue to put foreign interests above our own nation’s,” she also said in a statement. Established in 1958, the GE program was launched with a regular 63 core unit load and was later reduced to 42 units in 1988. UP Diliman currently adopts the 2012 Hybrid Revitalized GE Program, which requires students to take core courses like Communication 3, Kasaysayan 1, and Filipino 40.
Lumad schools: Gov’t responsible for Grade 6 student slay RAT SAN JUAN
IT ONLY TOOK TWO SHOTS TO END a Lumad student’s dream to become a teacher. Nineteen-year old Obillo Bay-ao fought to reach Davao Regional Hospital, but succumbed to gunshots fired by a military agent last September 5. Obillo was a student of Lumad school Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center (STTICLC or Salugpongan). His death is the 47th documented political killing in the Southern Mindanao Region during the Duterte administration, according to Save Our Schools (SOS) Network, an alliance of Lumad schools and advocates for the Lumad youth’s right to education and self-determination. Headed home, Obillo was meters away from his community at Sitio Dulyan in Barangay Palma Gil, Talaingod, Davao del Norte, when he was shot by Ben Salangani, a member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU), which is a special military unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Salangani was also seen with his cousin Joven, a known member of paramilitary group Alamara. Joven was previously held responsible for killing a 15-year old grade 3 student in Sitio Laslasakan. The operations of CAFGU and Alamara are controlled by the 68th Infantry Battalion, said SOS spokesperson Rius Valle. Before getting killed, Obillo was farming together with his father and
brother, about an hour walk away from their village, said Valle. “Yung sakahan nila [Obillo], doon na ‘yun sa boundary ng Sitio Dulyan at saka Sitio Barobo. Ang Sitio Barobo ay well-known na may [military] detachment, at nandu’n din yung paramilitary group na Alamara.” The AFP uses auxiliary force CAFGU and paramilitary groups like Alamara to escape accountability, said a female student from a Lumad college. Despite hundreds of human rights abuse cases filed against over 1,000 members, CAFGU continues to be funded and in operation. “Kaya sila (AFP) nag-organisa ng mga paramilitary groups, kasi gustong palabasin ng AFP na [wala silang kinalaman sa mga pagpatay], away-tribu lang yung mga nangyayari sa komunidad ng mga Lumad, [at] hindi nila kasalanan yung pagpatay kay Obillo,” the student said. The college student and Obillo were both evacuees at the Haran Compound in Davao City back in July. Valle explained that many Lumad communities were forced to evacuate in July after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to bomb Lumad schools, inciting panic in Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and other provinces in Mindanao. Immediately following Duterte’s open pronouncement, members of Alamara threatened to burn down Salugpongan last July 26. The connection between the president’s words and the attacks on Lumad schools is clear, said Valle. “We
hold Duterte accountable for the killing of Obillo kasi may open statement siya, may open policy siya na bobombahin, aatakihin, at sisirain ‘yung mga paaralang Lumad.” Meanwhile, the community in Sitio Dulyan remains traumatized by the series of events, having just returned from evacuation a week before Obillo was murdered, said Valle. As the slain 19-year old was laid to rest in Talaingod on September 13, a funeral march protest was led by over 1,000 national minorities at Mendiola in Manila, condemning the killing, and calling for the lifting of Martial Law in Mindanao. Despite the continuing attacks, some Lumad students have been able to resume classes at a makeshift “bakwit school” inside UP Diliman as part of the annual Lakbayan, a three-week long solidarity camp against the ongoing militarization of indigenous schools and communities. Obillo’s parents have travelled to Manila to demand justice for their son. Meanwhile, Obillo’s cousin Melo Buntolan also dreams of becoming a teacher. Both of them see the need to provide and defend the Lumad youth’s right to education. “Sobrang kulang ng guro sa komunidad. Hindi madali ‘yung sakripisyo kasi sobrang layo at walang signal,” said Melo in Bisaya.
UP stands with national minorities vs state fascism JOSE MARTIN V. SINGH MORE THAN 3000 MEMBERS OF NATIONAL MINORITY GROUPS FROM ALL over the country held a solidarity camp with the UP community at the Diliman campus on September 1 to 21. Dubbed as “Kampuhan,” the camp has been a yearly event since 2015 and is part of the nationwide Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya, which seeks to address issues that trouble the national minorities, including the indigenous peoples, as well as foster solidarity between national minorities and students. The national minorities that joined the Kampuhan came from tribes within the Bangsamoro, Lumad, Igorot, and Aeta communities. This year’s Kampuhan was jointly managed by the UP All Academic Workers Union, UP Academic Employees Union, Save Our Schools Network, Sandugo Movement, Karapatan Alliance, UPD Chancellor Michael Tan, Lakbayan 2017 Volunteers, UPD University Student Council, and other individuals and support groups. “Patuloy ang laban namin, kaya maglalakbay ang pambansang minorya para patuloy na laban[an], para itigil ang Martial Law sa Mindanao, para itigil ‘yung patuloy na [pag]atake sa aming mga paaralan, sa aming mga komunidad, lalo na yung pagpatay [sa] mga katutubo. At siyempre yung patuloy na panawagan, ituloy yung peace talk[s] para mapag-usapan yung dahilan kung bakit mga limang dekada na ‘yung civil war sa bansa,” said Dulphing Ogan, secretarygeneral of Kalumaran, a Lumad tribal alliance. Reports allege that the AFP and PNP continue to assail the Lumad and Moro communities. Mining and land-grabbing firms are assisted by the said military and paramilitary groups in attacking their schools and homes, said Arjay Perez, Lumad teacher and secretary general of Association of Community Educators (ACE), a grassroots organization of teachers in IP communities. These armed groups accuse the Lumad of being New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, attacking and threatening their schools and communities, said Perez. The IPs are even being forced to fight each other within their own communities, inciting so called “tribal wars,” according to a press release by Sandugo, an organization established on October 2015 for the strengthening of the national minorities’ defense of their ancestral domain. “Ang pagpunta namin sa Kamaynilaan ay hindi para kaawaan, para maawa yung mga tao sa amin,” said Perez. “Ito po ay ekspresyon ng aming pakikibaka.” President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to bomb Lumad schools through the AFP last July, saying the schools taught communism and subversion, straying from the approved curriculum of the Department of Education. Contrary to this, Perez said their schools taught literacy and numeracy, and regular subjects such as Araling Panlipunan, Filipino, English, Science, and Math. “Our schools offer three courses: health, academic, and agriculture,” said Perez. The third course Agriculture is crucial since the Lumad’s livelihood is farming. It helps provide for the community’s daily sustenance, said Dodot, a Grade 12 Lumad student of the Southern Mindanao Region’s Community Technical College (CTC). In response to protests against militarization in Lumad communities, the President announced that he would bomb Lumad schools. Rorelyn, a Grade 10 Lumad student from Salugpongan Ta’ Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center Inc. recalled how they and their families carried bricks and cement bags to build their school. “Tinayo namin yun na kami-kami lang. Kaya hindi kami papayag na bombahin lang ni Duterte ‘yun,” Rorelyn said. “Gusto lang namin mag-aral,” she added. In 1990 the first Lumad schools in Mindanao were inaugurated and offered free education for all, said Perez. Meanwhile, Chad Booc, a volunteer teacher at ALCADEV Inc., invites the rest of the UP community to show solidarity with national minorities in the fight for just peace and their right to self-determination. “Higit pa sa pakikinig, sumama tayo sa kanilang pakikipaglaban para sa sariling pagpapasya at makatarungang kapayapaan,” said Booc.
A MERE GLIMPSE
ADRIAN KENNETH GUTLAY
Moro delegates from this year’s Lakbayan reenact the stories of their struggles during the Hugpongan held at the University Theater, September 18. The Moro people, composing 5 percent of the country’s population, face discrimination and attacks on their ancestral lands, a claim strengthened due to the location of the burial grounds of their ancestors.
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ADRIAN KENNETH GUTLAY
Student leaders condemn looming mandatory ROTC revival JOSE SINGH
Fighting Maroon Jun Manzo zooms past University of the East Red Warriors in a basketball match in the 80th Season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, 84-71, at the Araneta Coliseum, September 17. The Maroons rallied at halftime, closing a 9-point deficit from the first quarter to four points by the second. Paul Desiderio led the team with a career-high 28 points, improving UP’s scorecard to 2-1.
UP Men’s Basketball Team goes 2-1 to start season JUAN GREGORIO LINA UP’S MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM (UP MBT) started the University Athletics Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) 80th season with two wins and a loss, beginning with a statement 74-73 win against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers on September 10. The Growling Tigers led by two at the game’s dying seconds after UST’s Marvin Lee buried two at the charity stripe, but UP’s Team Captain Paul Desiderio snatched the win after nailing the game-winning trey with just a little over a second remaining. Desiderio was the Maroons’ scoring leader for the game, tallying 17 points in addition to 9 rebounds, while UST’s Lee led in overall point production at 20 points to go with 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists. Meanwhile, UP suffered its first defeat at the hands of its neighbor Ateneo Blue Eagles, during their face-off on September 13. Dubbed “The Battle of Katipunan,” the Eagles soared high and blew the Maroons out, 92-71. Ateneo led wire-to-wire, dominating in almost every statistical category, including points in the paint and rebounding, while limiting UP’s offense to just 37 percent shooting. Blue Eagle Thirdy Ravena recorded 16 points and 6 boards for the game, as opposed to Maroon’s Juan Gomez de
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Liaño putting up 16 points along with 7 rebounds and 2 steals. The Maroons bounced back on September 17, however, with a decisive 84-71 victory against the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, led by a careerhigh 28 points from Desiderio who also shot a torrid 56 per cent from the field. The outing was highlighted by a 26-point explosion from the Maroons at the third quarter, with Desiderio hoisting up 16 points—12 of which coming from four long balls. UP’s strong defense also hindered UE from getting more than 7 points for the quarter, underscored by a 14-0 run that went unanswered until the third’s final minutes. The lead ballooned to as much as 23 points with UP maintaining the momentum over the final quarter, allowing the Maroons to overcome a 20-point effort from the Red Warriors for their second win of the season. Desiderio was the game’s top-scorer, clinching 10 boards, a steal, and an assist. UE’s Clark Derige dropped 21 points in addition to 9 rebounds and 3 steals. The Fighting Maroons is off to face the De La Salle Green Archers this Saturday, September 23, at the Mall of Asia Arena. De La Salle University is the reigning men’s basketball tournament champion, winning against the Ateneo Blue Eagles in a 2-0 Finals sweep last season.
STUDENT LEADERS DENOUNCE the possible reimplementation of the mandatory Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program, as presupposed by a Senate bill signed early this year. Requiring ROTC to tertiary students will only increase harassment cases and military infiltrations in UP campuses, said Romen Samuel Wabina, chairperson of KASAMA sa UP, an alliance of student councils in the UP system. More so, UP should uphold its tradition of being at the forefront of fighting against intense militarization of communities, said Student Regent Shari Oliquino, the sole representative of the student body to the UP Board of Regents (BOR), the highest policy-making body in the whole UP System. “Hindi binabago ng [isang panukalang] batas ang main orientation ng pagkakaroon ng ROTC [program],” Oliquino said, citing Senate Bill 1322 or the Citizen Service Act (CSA) signed by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel in February 2017. The bill seeks to mobilize the youth for national defense and disaster risk reduction. If passed, UP will become the curriculum and development center for the ROTC program. There will be an autonomous unit under the Office of the UP President that will focus on citizen service training, according to the bill’s provisions. The reinstatement of mandatory ROTC would entail greater need for resources, staff, clerical support, and training grounds, but UP has always managed to comply with it, said Atty. Frederick
Farolan, member of the BOR and UP Vanguard Inc. “[Mandatory ROTC reinstatement] is the best way to strengthen the program, but we would like to see reforms in the program as well. Hindi naman perfect yung program, and UP has always proven itself to be a base for reforms of the ROTC program, which eventually gets adopted by the entire ROTC structure [and] the entire defense structure,” he said. In 2003, ROTC was made optional through the National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act, two years after University of Santo Tomas student Mark Welson Chua was killed for exposing anomalies in the program. Chua’s death sparked outrage among groups and prompted the abolition of the mandatory ROTC. “[Chua’s death] confirmed what many had known all along: that the ROTC was corrupt and fascist,” said Renato Reyes Jr., secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), one of the groups that push for the abolition of the mandatory ROTC. Likewise, Oliquino resounds the calls against reinstating the mandatory ROTC. “Instead of gearing our youth to serve the masses while upholding their genuine interests, the ROTC program instills a militaristic mindset… Hindi natin tinutukoy yung mga tao na nasa loob ng programa ngunit yung ROTC as an institution [na] tagapamandila ng pseudonationalism,” said Oliquino. Meanwhile, Farolan emphasized that other NSTP programs have
good trainings, but are lacking in the mobilization aspect, in which the ROTC is ahead and more developed. ROTC consists of Military Training Service (MTS), Law Enforcement Service (LES), and Community Welfare Service (CWS). The UP Vanguard Inc., an association of UP ROTC alumni, formed “Oplan Restore,” a private effort that calls for the strengthening of the ROTC program. One way they deem sufficient for strengthening the ROTC is the passage of the CSA. “[Oplan Restore] is restoring a Citizen Service program that would give life to the provision of the Constitution, which requires all citizens to be ready to provide personal service, whether it be military or civil service, to the state when the need arises,” said Farolan. Meanwhile, Representative Sarah Jane Elago of youth group Kabataan Partylist filed the ROTC Abolition Act last year. The bill seeks to expand the scope of the NSTP and permanently abolish the ROTC program to address the prevalent abuse and corruption cases. “Harassment cases continue to increase vehemently in various campuses of UP with the involvement of military elements and students' intelligence networks… State fascism and campus militarization continue as the existence of military elements still gain entry to campuses despite the existence of the laws that prohibit [their] intervention in schools,” said Wabina.
Federalism feared to worsen education crisis JUAN GREGORIO LINA & LAURICE SY
A STUDENT GROUP WARNS shifting to Federalism will only aggravate the existing problems in the country’s education system. Federalization will only reinforce the already colonial, commercialized, and repressive system of education in the country, said National Union of Students in the Philippines spokesperson Mark Vincent Lim, citing several provisions in the proposal which allow foreign entities to own, control, and administer educational institutions in the country. “All educational institutions shall be under the supervision of and subject to regulation by the State, [which] shall establish and maintain a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the goals of national development,” Section 12 Article XIV of the latest draft of the proposal states. Proponents of Federalism stress that authority over education will be shared between the regional and Federal government. “The Federal government will retain a Department of Education which will continue to enforce national standards in schools, but the key difference is that regional governments will have greater legroom to tailor their
schools’ curriculum to accommodate cultural diversity,” said Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson of the Partidong Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) Federalism Institute. Opposition to Federalism is mainly due to misinformation giving rise to misconceptions, according to Malaya. “[The opposition] rely on the Internet and think what they read there is what our brand of Federalism is going to be. There is no ‘one size fits all’ model of Federalism— we will make sure the shift will address concerns from all sectors,” he said. In addition to free basic education, free tuition in state universities and colleges (SUCs) will also be maintained in the transition as it is already law, Malaya added. However, Section 12 Article XIV enables the government to maintain free education for public elementary and high school alone. Private education institutions may take advantage of this by charging exorbitant tuition and school fees, while transnational or multinational companies might use the shift to secure graduates as workers in their ranks, Lim said. Meanwhile, decentralizing education supervision to the state level will mean serious oversight in a Federal government, a
change feared to prove adverse to education, according to Professor Romeo B. Ocampo, former Dean of the UP National College of Public Administration. “Education is a vital public policy and social policy which has a nationwide dimension to it. May ibang goals siya which may have to do, for example, with enhancing cultural diversity, while somehow integrating cultural facets from different regions,” he said, relaying findings in his paper “Against Federalism: Why it Will Fail and Bring Us to the Brink” which details the negative effects of and the underlying motivations for federalization. A central department in charge of coordinating education policy is necessary to ensure that national standards are maintained in schools nationwide and that the implementation of the K-12 program remains smooth, Ocampo added. The move to federalize gained newfound momentum with the election of PDPLaban President Rodrigo Duterte, who campaigned heavily on its promise. The lower house began discussing the latest draft of the bill on August 10, citing a need for revision to guarantee that the charter will sufficiently address the needs of the people. The final draft of the bill is expected to be submitted this November.
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Quarrying queries MARK VERNDICK CABADING
I REMEMBER WALKING ALONG THE beaches of Lingayen when I was in high school. I usually find myself walking alone in the desolated stretch of black sand, save for some trucks exiting an enclosed mining area. One time, I tried climbing over the concrete walls to see where the trucks usually go, but I was not tall enough to glimpse anything at the time. Since then, it has puzzled me what lies beyond the walls. I was already in college when the walls were broken down. The trucks stopped coming in, and Xypher Builders, Inc—the mining company which operated inside the wall—was even featured on national television. The trucks carried black sand illegally obtained from our beaches and we did not know it until then. I was already learning the ins and outs of mining as a metallurgical engineering student, yet that was the only time I had my first-hand encounter with the plunders of mining. That same year, more repercussions of mining were revealed to me as I met the Lumad who travelled from Mindanao to Manila for us to hear their stories—how they are displaced from their ancestral lands to give way for multinational companies, mostly under the mining industry. Prospecting and Exploitation When I first entered the university to learn more about the mining industry, I was unaware of its negative social impact. Mining industry is an irony of its own—it recognizes its own potential, yet it presents a hindrance to itself. The mining industry is full of potential given the country’s geographic location. The Philippines has one of the richest mineral deposits worldwide— fifth in rank with largest nickel deposits, fourth in copper, and third in gold. This potential attracted multinational investors which increased the demand for mining and metallurgical engineers in the country. The industry has relatively high-paying jobs that attract students to be part of the field. Even the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reports miningrelated jobs as one of the top-paying jobs of 2016.
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One of my batchmates, Juicel Taguinod, also entered the Metallurgical Engineering program with a background in mining since she came from Central Luzon where quarrying is actively done. “Tinry ko i-search online and mukhang maganda naman yung mga job offers. Actually, do'n talaga ako nahatak, yung income sa future.” Mining is an essential industry in the Philippines. The department where we came from, UP Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering (UP-DMMME), serves as the leading institution where most experts in the mining industry come from, and it plays a vital role in promoting and advancing the industry. In both mining (EM) and metallurgical engineering (MetE), most discussions are devoted to the technical basics of mining and metallurgy. Mining is a five-stage process that starts with prospecting and exploration, or the search for valuable minerals and ores. Development of mining plans comes next. Then, exploitation is done, which is defined as the actual recovery of minerals from the earth. It occurred to me—the first time I encountered mining was the first time I encountered exploitation in its connotative sense. It is no different with the daily experience of the Lumad who were displaced from their ancestral lands due to the infiltration by multinational mining companies. The undeniable exploitation of the Lumad necessitated them to take action by leaving their homes for the Lakbayan and register their dissent to be heard out. This is the same struggle that we share, one that I will always carry amidst the contradictions of the mining industry. Behind Prospecting Exploitation is highly evident especially in rural regions with rich natural resources. Think-tank IBON Foundation named a few of the biggest mining operations in the country: Taganito Mining Corp. in Surigao, Sagittarius Mines Incorporated in South Cotabato, and TVI Pacific Inc. in Zamboanga del Sur.
This is the same struggle that we share, one that I will always carry amidst the contradictions of the mining industry
The regions hosting these mining activities are one of the poorest in the country, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Caraga has the second highest poverty incidence in the country at 39.1 percent, SOCCSKSARGEN placing fourth at 37.3 percent, and Zamboanga Peninsula at 33.9 percent. One of the poor families from these areas is the family of Bebe, a Lumad teenager from SOCCSKSARGEN. We were taught under responsible mining that mining operations in ancestral lands of indigenous people (IPs) are subject to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) from the IPs, as stated in the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA). However, the FPIC is often violated by mining companies through illegal ways such as treachery and bribery. Bebe’s experience with IPRA violation was with mining company Alcantara & Sons which infiltrated their area with the help of paramilitary groups. The Alcantaras are known to control the controversial Tampakan Copper-Gold project. The Tampakan mining area, characterized by rainforest, is inhabited by around 5,000 people. Most of them belong to indigenous groups who will need rehabilitation if the project gets to be launched. The IPs expressed disagreement with the mining project which started on 1995. It has not commenced yet, but there are already three cases of extrajudicial killings in the Tampakan area related to the project. On the other hand, black sand mining operation by Xypher Builders, Inc. in Lingayen was illegal since Lingayen was declared as an eco-tourism and environmentally-critical area by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Through the complaints filed by anti-mining organization Aro Mo Ako Sambayanan to the Office of the Ombudsman, former Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. and 13 officials of mining firms were found guilty of graft. This ended the black sand mining operations in Lingayen. Beyond the Mines As I went on with my studies, I focused more on how UP shapes me to be a more
capable metallurgical engineer. As UPDMMME states in its mission, we should aim for socially-relevant and exceptional professional services in mining, metallurgical, and materials engineering. The current curriculum, however, falls short in realizing this mission. The absence of rehabilitation and environmental management classes in the mining and metallurgy program is a challenge for the department to practice what it aims. ‘Mining and Environmental Laws’ for EM students and the basic ‘Principles of Mining’ for MetE students are the only principal courses devoted for the environmental and social impacts of mining. This can be aided by subjects outside the department like the General Education (GE), but the impending GE Reform lessens this opportunity by cutting the required 45 units to 27 units for DMMME students. National industrialization should also be promoted by the department. Currently, even with existing mining operations, mining has contributed a relatively small portion to the country’s domestic income. It has contributed P30 billion to the P15.8 trillion income of the country, as of the Second Quarter 2017. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau also indicated that extracted minerals are mostly exported. In 2016, 67 percent, or P118 billion of the P176.3 billion total value of extracted minerals were exported. The country must break through the dilemma—the widespread exportation of raw materials essential for local production and the absence of developed and expansive metal processing plants in the Philippines. As a future metallurgical engineer, it does not escape me for a second that I have an obligation to serve the people. With the contradictions in the mining industry, it remains far from realizing its potential to serve the Filipino people. But as an Iskolar ng Bayan, it is imperative to persist and thrive in the struggle towards giving back to the people—those of my kababayan back in Pangasinan, the Lumad and national minorities from different localities, and those who are exploited by the system that we fight to change.
DIBUHO NI ROSETTE ABOGADO DISENYO NG PAHINA NI JEROME TAGARO
State of Terror
KILLING THE YOUNG IN DUTERTE’S WAR ON DRUGS RICHARD CALAYEG CORNELIO
KIAN HAD PRECISE HABITS. HE would rise before sunup to arrange biscuits and Zest-O outside their store. For breakfast, he would eat a pack of chips while listening to blaring rap songs, or share it with friends idling by his storefront. He was a friend to everyone, regaling them with jokes and stories exchanged through his window. Rain or shine, you could always trust Kian to open for business at the usual time. So in the morning of August 17, when the store’s window panels remained shut, his neighbors could only sigh, worried that something bad had befallen the kid. The night before, Kian Lloyd delos Santos was gunned down by cops in what the latter described as a shootout. His dead body was found face down in a fetal position, in a trash-clogged alley near his house. He was 17. The death toll has now reached 13,000. Yet it was the deaths of Kian and other youths that spurred the people to voice a resounding resistance to President Duterte’s War on Drugs. These senseless killings bear witness to the impunity of this statesanctioned slaughter, which targets mainly the poor and marginalized. Persistence of memory Kian’s death could not be more puzzling to those who knew him. Theirs are memories of a boy given to laughter, music, and hard work. For Ed*, his childhood friend, he remembered Kian most from when they jogged round Eternal Gardens, the way Kian would suddenly dance, “’yung pangdisco.” For Manny, a big brother to Kian, it was those times when the boy asked for his help to write a love song. For Marie, his neighbor, it was when they shared a boat on the way to school: how there was not a pause in their conversation that he didn’t fill with a punch line. For Lorenza delos Santos, Kian was a loving son. At the Senate hearing on August 24, she said, “Pinalaki ko po [si Kian] na may respeto sa nakakatanda sa kanya, sa taong may katungkulan.” In spite of poverty, she raised her children to be God-fearing and honest people. The third of four siblings, Kian was taught to man their store to help out with the family’s earnings while Lorenza worked as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia. Without fail, Kian would talk to Lorenza via Messenger while minding the store. At noon he would wake up his father, Saldy, to relieve himself of duty before going to school. Only going to school meant traversing city lines on a boat to cross Tullahan River.
Kian would sometimes be late and blame the traffic in the river, to his classmates’ amusement. He was a good student, said Michael Figueroa, principal of Our Lady of Lourdes Senior High School, during the probe. “[Kian] has never been involved in any drug-related incident, except for simple naughtiness, like he was caught cutting classes one time,” he said School was also fodder for stories to tell his friends from around the block. 'Kengkoy ng tropa', is how the boys of Barangay 160 describe Kian. These young men knew Kian, having grown up brothers in the riverside alleys. Kian would often take out his speaker and they would all sing along to rap songs. “Soundtrip,” his crew calls it. They would break into rap at the slightest beat and could improvise lyrics in a snap. Yet never did they expect to find themselves at their friend’s wake, rapping the lyrics, “Wala ‘kong kasalanan. Inosente lang ako.” Conflicting Narratives While the police asserts self-defense to justify Kian’s death, witnesses describe the incident as the murder of a defenseless minor. Police allege Kian fought back. They say he tried to run and shot at them. They say they had to fire back. A .45-caliber pistol, four cartridges, and two sachets of shabu were supposedly recovered from his body. The spot report places three officers on the scene, at 8:45 p.m.: PO3 Arnel Oares, PO1 Jerwin Cruz, and PO1 Jeremias Pereda. All three say that Kian was a drug runner, per the testimony of an arrested drug suspect and an intel from social media. However, one witness claims three plainclothes officers arrived at around 8 p.m. on motorcycles, armed with handguns. Kian was outside a shop near his house when the men grabbed him, slugged and slapped him, then dragged him away in a headlock. The barangay’s CCTV footage shows two men marching him from one alley to another, followed by a third man. They stopped at a cul-de-sac near a basketball court. Here, Kian was told to flee with a gun he was forcibly given. When he did, he was shot. Kian’s corpse lay curled up against a muddy corner near a pigsty. He died in a blue shirt and boxer shorts. A gun was found in his left hand, though he was right-handed. Kian later tested negative for gunpowder nitrates, further disputing the police’s defense. An autopsy by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) forensic lab also reveals that Kian sustained three entry wounds: one inside his ear, one behind his left ear, and
MGA LITRATO NI PATRICIA LOUISE POBRE DISENYO NG PAHINA NI JEROME TAGARO
one to his back, which penetrated his lungs. The report concludes he was shot at close range, indicating intentionality. The PNP, however, reports only two gunshot wounds. Yet both findings agree that the gunman was standing over Kian, who was kneeling face down. Before the shots rang out, witnesses heard the boy screaming, “Tama na po! May test pa ako bukas!” A Tale of Terror “The cold-blooded killing of [Kian] is yet another proof that shows how those in power—with guns and the capacity to distort the truth with planted evidence and a staged crime scene—completely disregard the right to life of the poor,” said human rights group Karapatan in a statement. No less than the president has encouraged the extrajudicial killings. In addition to his incendiary rhetoric, Duterte recently praised the bloodiest raid yet which happened in Bulacan. “Maganda ‘yun,” he said on
August 16, the same day Kian was killed. “Makapatay lang tayo ng mga another 32 every day, then maybe we can reduce what ails this country.” For President Duterte, what ails the country are criminals and drug dependents, who he believes are “of no use to society anymore.” He has had many Filipinos believe that killing innocent bystanders are only worth the money spared in the process of wiping them out. He has no qualms about bypassing legal instruments despite opposition from various sectors of civil society. At the President’s behest, the police are pressured into abusive practices, such as torture, falsification of evidence, and threats, to deliver results. Even more emboldened by Duterte’s vow to protect them, police officers conduct anti-drug operations and leave dead bodies in their wake. According to Human Rights Watch, a nongovernmental organization, most of the
victims of drug-related killings have been small-scale peddlers and users from the urban poor, while big-time syndicates in drug cartels remain scot-free. As the poor are victims of their living conditions, they are also preys to state abuse. “’Si Kian, ‘yung batang ‘yon walang alam, pag-aaral lang. Nagsisikap para makaahon sa kahirapan,” Saldy said after the hearing. “Isang saglit lang pinatay nila.” If things had turned out differently, Kian would have woken up on the morning of August 17 looking forward to the same things that had defined his normal day: a store to look after, a boat ride to school, a joke to crack, a story to share. Then, with three bullets, his life was ended by this fascist state. But as long as we resist to forget and continue to fight, the story of Kian continues—one that is part of the narrative of a nation that persists in memory and fights for its people. * not their real names
HUWEBES 21 SETYEMBRE 2017
7
LAT HA LAIN
Salita ay sandata SHEILA ABARRA NAKALIGPIT NANG MULI ANG MGA barong, baro at saya. Setyembre na at ang ideya ng wikang dumadaloy sa bawat Pilipino ay nagmistulang alon— humahampas lamang, saka muling babalik sa karagatan palayo sa atin. Higit pa rito ang wikang nais ipatampok ng selebrasyong Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa, ngunit hanggang ngayon, nakakahon lamang ito para sa mga Tagalog. Sa halip na makilala ng bawat Pilipinong mag-aaral ang karakter ng ating wika bilang sari-sari at punungpuno ng iba’t ibang tradisyong mula sa napakaraming kultura, nakalilikha ito ng nosyon na ang wikang Filipino ay Tagalog lamang. Ang ugat ng pagsasantabi sa mayamang kulturang Pilipino ay mababakas sa ideya ng wikang Pambansa na mayroon tayo ngayon at nananatiling himbing sa pagkakaidlip. Ang alimpungat ng mga argumento tulad ng kung Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa ba dapat o Buwan ng mga Wika ang tawag sa okasyon, ay hudyat ng paggising. Tala ng kasaysayan Binigyang kahulugan ni Prof. Bienvenido Lumbera ang wika bilang isang kaisipang mula sa bawat indibidwal na parte ng malawak na lipunan. Bitbit ng ideya ng wikang Filipino ang kahingiang malikom at mapag-ugnay ang lahat ng kaisipang ito mula sa wika. Ang kalituhan kung Filipino ba o Tagalog ang dapat itawag sa wikang ginagamit natin sa pambansang konteksto gaya ng sa mga pagdinig sa senado at kongreso, ay senyales ng hindi malinaw na pagpapakilala sa Filipino bilang wikang pambansa. Nagsimula ang “panitikan ng Pilipinas” na eksklusibo lamang sa wikang Tagalog, Ingles at Espanyol. Taong 1935 nang binuwag ito ng paglikha ng wikang Pambansa. Isa itong malaking hakbanging ginawa ni Wenceslao Vinzons, politiko at lider ng gerilya noong panahon ng Hapon, upang makawala ang bansa sa pagkakatali sa kolonyal na oryentasyon ng wika sa bansa. Nakasaad sa Konstitusyong 1987 na Filipino ang opisyal na wikang gagamitin sa instruksyon at komunikasyon. Ngunit itinatali ang wikang pambansa sa Tagalog dahil hinulma ang wikang pambansa mula rito, lalo’t nakararami ang gumagamit ng Tagalog. Sa kabila nito, ang higit na tungkulin ng Filipino ay maging tulay ng iba’t ibang kultura, pananaw at mga pagbabago. Mula noon hanggang ngayon, umuusbong ang mga bagong porma gaya
ng sosyolek o jargon ng lipunan na jejemon at bekimon, na patuloy na dumadagdag sa maraming barayti ng wika. Ang patuloy na paghingi ng bago ay natural na tendensiya sa lipunang patuloy ding nagbabago. Kung kaya mahalaga para sa isang wikang pambansa ang masusing pag-aaral at pag-unawa sa bawat pagbabago saka ang hakbanging masaklaw ito. Hati-hating pananaw Isa ang Pilipinas sa namumukodtanging mga nasyon na may iba’t ibang wika at kultura. Hindi dapat tingnang kahinaan ang pagkakaiba-iba dahil ang lahat ng wika ay may ambag sa diskursong Filipino, ayon kay Prop. April Perez ng Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas. Kailangan din daw kilalanin ang pagiging katangitangi ng bawat wikang mayroon ang mga etnolinggwistikong grupo. Nilalaman ng mga diskusyon batay sa pagkakaiba-iba ng wika at kulturang Pinoy kung Buwan ng Wika ba o Buwan ng mga Wika ang nararapat. Nabubuksan ang ganitong kaisipan dahil nararamdaman ng ibang wika ang pambubukod at pansasantabi dahil kung tutuusin, mangilan-ngilang epiko lang naman mula sa Visayas at Mindanao ang tinatalakay sa hayskul at kolehiyo. Sa panahong ganap ang pagkakahatihati, kahingian ang pagpapatampok ng mga naisasantabi sa pamamagitan ng mayamang pag-aaral sa panrehiyunal na panitikan. Sa ganitong paraan, mas magiging malawak ang pang-unawa sa iba’t ibang wika. Subalit taliwas sa layuning kilalanin at pagbuklurin ang mga kultura sa pamamagitan ng wika, lalong isinusulong ng administrasyong Duterte ang paghihiwa-hiwalay sa saliw ng itinutulak na federalismo. Bagaman may distribusyon ng kapangyarihan sa bawat lokalidad, dedepende pa rin sa kolonyal na batas ang pagpapalawak ng rehiyunal na diskurso sa bansa. Mapanganib ang rehiyunalismo na kalakip ng federalismo. Imbis na pagkaisahin, lalo lamang magiging ganap ang kompetisyon at pagkakahati-hati ng mga rehiyon na may iba’t ibang tradisyon at kultura. Sa panahong pilit tayong hinahati, ang tungkulin ng wikang Filipino ay masaklaw ang lahat ng wika sa bansa bilang isang bayan. Mahalaga ang papel ng mga institusyong pangwika sa layuning pagbuklurin ang bayan, ngunit tila hindi nagagampanan ng Komisyon sa
Wikang Filipino o KWF ang pagsasaayos ng kalagayan ng diskursong Filipino. Lunsaran at pagsulong Itinatag noong 1936 ang Surian ng Wikang Pambansa na ngayon ay mas kilala na bilang KWF. Nagpapalit lang ng pangalan at hindi nawawala ang mga institusyon ngunit hindi dama ang kanilang pakikisangkot sa iba’t ibang isyung pulitikal tulad noong diktadurang Marcos. Sa ganoong panahon mas kinakailangan ang suporta ng institusyon upang mahamig at mabuklod ang bansa laban sa rehimen. Bahagi ng KWF ngayon ang mga batikang manunulat na partisano sa kilusang lihim na sumusuporta sa diktadurang Marcos noon ayon sa mga nailimbag na aklat ng prominenteng kritikong si Tomas Agulto—bagay na nagpapakita ng tuwirang pagpapasailalim ng KWF sa dikta ng Malacañang hanggang ngayon. “Wikang Filipino: Wikang Mapagbago” ang piniling tema ng KWF para sa nagdaang Buwan ng Wika, alinsunod sa mantrang “change is coming” ng administrasyong Duterte. Sa kabila ng ginamit na tema, nananatiling tikom ang KWF sa giyera kontra-droga ng Pangulong Duterte. Walang matibay na suporta ang institusyon sa mga manunulat na tumututol sa karahasan ng rehimeng Duterte, tulad ng nailulunsad na mga tulang protesta. Hindi nagagampanan ng KWF ang kanilang tungkuling pakilusin ang mga manunulat para sa tunay na pagbabago dahil sa halip na yakapin ang orihinal na layon ng institusyon, pinangatawanan lamang nito ang pagiging kasangkapan ng estado. Wika dapat ang lunsaran sa pag-iingay tungkol sa mga isyung kinahaharap ng bansa at nagsisilbing tagapagpadaloy ng diskusyon. Sa panahong tila mahirap nang paniwalaan ang konsepto ng wikang pambansa, mas kinakailangang pagtibayin at iangkop ang tuon at tunguhin nito sa bawat panahon. Bagaman nailantad na ang napakaraming kinakailangang sinupin sa kasalukuyang porma, mga institusyon at mismong nosyon ng wikang pambansa, mahalagang nasimulan ito sa tamang layunin. Ang pagbabaling sa iisang layuning umunlad ang susi sa mabisang pagbubuklod ng lahat ng wika at kultura ng bansa.
DIBUHO NI JOHN KENNETH ZAPATA DISENYO NG PAHINA NI JEROME TAGARO
KUL TU RA
8
HUWEBES 21 SETYEMBRE 2017
Pamilihan ng Puso* ALLAN DEE
“Paano ka tatama kung hindi ka naman sumusugal?”
Guhit at Kudlit SHEILA ABARRA
NAGSIMULA KA SA IYONG PRIMARY paper na may asul at pulang guhit. Gamit ang lapis gumuhit ka ng mga tuwid, paliko, at pabilog na linya, hanggang sa makabuo ng letra. Nagpalit man ang papel sa intermediate, yellow pad, hanggang mapunta na sa mga kompyuter at selpon, iisa pa rin ang hugis at hubog ng mga letra. Nagpatuloy kang ganito ngunit nang tumatagal at marami ka nang napanood na Korean dramas, nasisimplehan ka na sa pamamaraan natin ng pagsulat. Hindi pa man malinaw ang kasaysayan ng ating paraan ng pagsulat, tatapalan na itong muli ng dayuhang konsepto—ilalagay na sa ating kurikulum ang pag-aaral ng wika at pamamaraan ng pagsulat mula Korea. Bandang hayskul na nabuksan sa ‘yo ang konsepto ng Baybayin. Alibata pa nga ang tawag dito ng ilan na napagalaman mong imbentong salita lang pala nang nasa kolehiyo ka na. Ganito kaignorante ang maraming Pilipino sa nag-iisang orihinal na pamamaraan ng pagsulat sa bansa. Mula ang Baybayin sa wikang Austronesian, at binubuo ito ng tatlong patinig at 14 katinig. Ito ang ginagamit na alpabeto ng mga pamayanang mayabong nang umiiral bago pa man dumating ang mga Kastila. Isa ang Baybayin sa mga bagay na iwinaglit ng kolonyalismo mula sa ating kultura, at hindi na ito ginagamit pa maliban sa calligraphy o bilang disenyo. Ngunit umingay ang interes na muling ibalik ang lumang paraan ng pagsusulat. Maaaring naiisip mo, sariling atin ito katulad ng Hangul ng mga Koryano— at cool ‘yon. Subalit hindi ito simpleng hakbangin, lalo na’t nasa yugto pa rin ang bansa ng pagturing sa sariling kultura bilang komoditi at sa katutubong tradisyon bilang palamuti. Tourist spot kung ituring ang lugar ng mga katutubo nang hindi binibigyanghalaga ang mga isyung kinakaharap ng mga ito. Gayundin, patuloy ang pagbenta sa mga gamit at kulturang katutubo, waring tinutumbasan ng salapi ang kulturang natatangi nilang sandata sa mga nananamantalang dayuhan at malalaking kompanya. Dahil sa hindi malalim na pagunawa sa kasaysayan ng ating kultura, nawawala sa konteksto ang kulturang tradisyunal ayon kay Prop. Felipe
Jocano Jr. Isang natural na tendensiya ang pagro-romanticize sa ating kultura dahil sa kawalan ng kakayahang suriin ito. Nakakahon sa iisang pamamaraan ng pagsulat ng Baybayin sa internet dahil hindi batid ng nakararami na umiiral pa rin ang katutubong paraan ng pagsulat mula sa Baybayin, tulad ng Hanunó’o ng Mindoro at Apurahuano ng mga Tagbanwa. Bagaman nakakalungkot ang ganitong katotohanan, maaari naman daw itong sabayan at tapatan ng tamang edukasyon, dagdag ni Prop. Jocano. Ito ang itinataas na diskurso ng mga batikan sa larangan. Bago gawing tatak ng t-shirt o tato sa balat, kailangang matutunan muna ng sinumang gagamit ang naging papel ng Baybayin sa kasaysayan. Maaaring bigyang-daan ng interes sa pagbuhay sa Baybayin ang mas malalim na pag-aaral ng panahong prekolonyal, na malaki pa ring butas sa kasaysayan, ayon sa historyador na si Resil Mojares. Taglay ng Baybayin ang mayamang kasaysayan ng mga pamayanan sa bansa na may sariling paraan ng pagbasa at pagsulat, taliwas sa pinakalat na ideya ng mga Kastila at Amerikano na mababang lahi ang mga Pilipino. At dahil marami sa mga katutubo ay maalam sa Baybayin, ginamit ito ng mga Kastila sa ilang bahagi ng dokumentong Doctrina Christiana upang ipalaganap sa mga katutubo ang aral ng Simbahang Katolika. Sa unti-unting pagpasok ng banyagang impluwensya sa maraming bahagi ng kapuluan, nalusaw din ang sarili nating kultura tulad ng Baybayin. Kaya nang gamitin ng Katipunan ang “Ka” mula sa Baybayin bilang simbolo sa bandila nito noong Himagsikang 1896, iginigiit ng rebolusyunaryong kilusan ang sarili nating pagkakakilanlan laban sa pananakop ng mga dayuhan. May bigat ang bitbit na malalim na kasaysayan ng Baybayin. Lunsaran ito sa pag-unawa sa sinaunang pamayanang Pilipino kaya ang muling pagbuhay rito ay lagi’t laging nakaangkla sa pagkakakilanlang Pilipino. Sa pagbaybay sa kasaysayang Pilipino gamit ang kulturang tradisyunal tulad ng Baybayin, unti-unting mabubuksan ang kamalayan ng bawat Pilipino sa yamang taglay ng bansa tungo sa pagsulong at paggiit sa tunay na kalayaan.
At isang nahihiyang “haha” lang ang naisagot ko nang sa wakas, niyaya mo akong makipagkita sa’yo. Hindi ko kasi alam kung ano ang dapat isagot kapag nakukulong na sa mga ganito. At sa oras na magtama ang mga mata nati’y mag-iiwasan tayo, o ‘di kaya’y matuloy sa isang pagkakataon. Wala pa man akong sagot, dalawang bagay na ang tumatakbo sa isip ko – pareho tayong dumating sa tagpuan at sa oras na magtama ang mga mata nati’y magiwasan tayo, o ‘di kaya’y matuloy sa isang matinong date, na sa tantsa ko’y malabong mangyari. Kung tutuusin, suntok sa buwan ang pag-“swipe right” ko sa’yo. Mahiyain ako at hindi sanay makihalubilo sa tao. Kaya nga ako pumasok sa masalimuot na mundo ng online dating tulad ng iniaalok ng Tinder. Ito lang kasi ang pinakamadaling paraang nakikita ko para makahanap ng pag-ibig ang mga katulad kong hindi kayang sumabak sa pakikipag-date sa totoong buhay. At kung sakaling hindi man magtagal o bigla na lang mawala, marami pang nakaabang na puwedeng pagpilian. Dahil sa birtwal na mundong ito, risk-free ang pag-ibig. Kailangan ko lamang ilako ang sarili sa limitadong impormasyon maaari kong ibigay— pangalan, edad at larawan—at sa huli ako higit na bebenta. Mga litratong walang pang-itaas, nakataas ang kilikili, lahat sa pag-asang may nais makipag-“match” sa akin, at pinalad akong isa ka roon.
Saktong-sakto ka sa tipo ko: borta, singkit ang mga mata at mabalahibo ang dibdib. Kaya noong nagka-match tayo, wala na akong pakialam sa iba pang mas gwapo at mas matikas pang nagkalat sa Tinder. Gabi-gabi sa loob ng dalawang linggo tayo magkausap. Gabi-gabi rin nating pinupunan ang pantasya natin sa isa’t isa hanggang sa hindi na lamang sapat ang palitan ng mga salita. Sabi mo, oras na para mga balat naman natin ang magkaniig. Kaya pumayag na rin ako sa kabila ng pagdadalawang-isip. Banayad ang daiti ng balat mo sa’kin, ngunit napansin kong hindi ka kasing-kinis ng inaasahan ko. Isa akong manlalakbay na paulit-ulit na binabaybay ang iyong katawan, subalit tila hindi pamilyar ang lugar na ginagalugad. Tatlong beses pang naulit ang ating pagkikita; at tatlong beses mo na ring pinakita sa’kin ang pasikot-sikot sa katawan mo. Pero hindi
ko maintindihan kung bakit lagi’t lagi pa rin akong naliligaw. Hindi ba’t ilang beses tayong nagbilangan ng sugat sa katawan, nagpakitaan ng kaluluwa? Natapos ang ikaapat at tuluyang natigil ang ilusyon. Hindi na kita nakita sa dati nating paboritong tagpuan. Walang duda, may bago ka na mula sa limampung matches at koleksyon ng mga larawan, sa limampung ipinagmamalaki mong posibilidad, sa limampung pansamantala. Tanga lang ako para isiping iba ako sa marami pang tumatangkilik. Paunti-unti, sinusubukan kong bumalik ulit sa pakikipag-date. At sa susunod na magkita tayong muli, masaya kong papatunayan sa ‘yo na ang pag-ibig ay hindi isang pamilihan, hindi ito naghahangad para sa sariling kapakinabangan. Malinaw na ngayon sa aking lahat – dito sa pamilihan ng puso, susugal at susugal tayo. Ngunit hindi para sa ganda, sa dangal ng irog, sa nasa, kung hindi para sa isang tunay na pag-ibig na yayabong lamang sa labas ng birtwal na mundong ito. *pasintabi kay Jose Corazon de Jesus
HUWEBES 21 SETYEMBRE 2017
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KUL TU RA
THE SWIFT INCREASE IN THE number of people turning up dead – lives that are reduced to mere collateral damage – manifests that the Duterte administration is really fond of killing its own people. It would not even be that surprising if Duterte really delivers on his threat to declare Martial Law nationwide. But although this is the case, it is still our duty to remain vigilant in case hell breaks loose. We should be ready to occupy the streets and bring forth the new dictator’s downfall. However, my parents are thinking otherwise. Their refusal was stern that night I had to ask permission from them to cover (read: join) the September 21 rally. Covering mobs has been my usual alibi, and perhaps they have already found out I was lying all along. I would have easily understood their rejection if they told me it was for my safety. Protest actions are almost always dangerous and never fun to join, all the more now that Martial Law looms nationwide. But their refusal to let me to the mob is ingrained in their belief: they do not think Martial Law (both of Duterte and of Marcos) is worth condemning at all. They lived their youth when Marcos was president but somehow remained unaware of all his atrocities. And while they do not necessarily claim Marcos was a brilliant president, they also do not think the regime
BREAKING THE RULES DANIEL BOONE
We should be ready to occupy the streets and bring forth the new dictator’s downfall.
was a dark time in the country’s history. Partly to blame for that mindset perhaps was the environment they grew up in. They lived away from the hotbed of killings, almost completely ignorant of the 3,200 cases of extra-judicial killings, 700 of enforced disappearances, 34,000 counts of torture, and 70,000 of illegal detention. My parents, their family, and their closest friends remained unscathed during the Martial Law years. My parents thought they were not victims, but they were completely wrong. Every Filipino living today is a Martial Law victim after all. When Marcos was president, his family looted billions of dollars from people’s taxes through kickbacks from their infrastructure projects, which were mostly funded by international financial institutions— the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Today, every Filipino taxpayer suffers in paying for the debts accounted for during the 21-year rule of the Marcoses. My parents are not excluded, but they always choose to keep mum on this, like they do in most political issues. For them, political issues are to be discussed anywhere but at home. In fact, they do not even care that thousands of lives have already been claimed since Duterte waged his war against drugs. Typical apolitical, my parents would also not bat an eye whether
or not Duterte declares Martial Law tomorrow or the next day. “Wala rin namang magbabago,” they would say. Partly, I agree. What happens now is already terrifying. However, the implementation of nationwide Martial Law will legitimize the current spate of killings by armed authorities and further perpetuate human rights abuses. I always think my parents only care about us and their immediate family members. And perhaps there are many others just like them. But my joining the protest is how I could show that I care for them too. Because with the looming declaration of Martial Law across the country, which does no less than aggravate the existing terrors down our streets, the day seems not too remote when a bullet fired by state forces hits someone close at heart. It could be my brother. It could be my parents. It could be me.
95
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
SANNY BOY AFABLE
PUNONG PATNUGOT
ALDRIN VILLEGAS
KAPATNUGOT
SHEILA ANN ABARRA
TAGAPAMAHALANG PATNUGOT
JOHN DANIEL BOONE
PATNUGOT SA BALITA
ROSETTE ABODAGO JAN ANDREI COBEY ADRIAN KENNETH GUTLAY
PATNUGOT SA GRAPIX
CAMILLE JOYCE LITA
TAGAPAMAHALA NG PINANSIYA
JOHN KENNETH ZAPATA JOHN RECZON CALAY
KAWANI
WHEN I WENT TO THE TOURIST town of Panglao in Bohol, there was a story that everyone seemed to love to tell anyone who has a minute to spare. The story was about this congressman who has visited them many times because he has heard that tourism development is displacing fisher folk communities and fencing off huge expanses of the sea. This congressman was always welcomed like a TV star whenever he arrived. People wanted to take a photo with him and kids wanted to hold his hand. By day, he would help their organization plan protest actions that would eventually succeed in preventing a land reclamation project. In the evenings, he would sleep in any of the humble houses of the fisherfolk, depending on who was willing to drink tuba with him. In one of his visits last year, the biggest resort hotel in the island finally realized who he was and offered him a room. The manager went to fetch him personally. Out of curiosity, the Congressman asked how much the room usually went for and was given five figures. The manager had to go back to his resort alone, and the Congressman had dinner with the fisherfolk, helped with washing up the dishes, and then went to bed in one of the huts that line the shore. The fisher folk call him by his nickname, Ka Pando. Ka Pando is Fernando Hicap of Anakpawis Party-list, the poorest lawmaker in the history of the House of
O PIN YON
10
Representatives. Former DAR secretary Rafael Mariano is his colleague, and today their work in Congress is continued by Ka Ayik Casilao. I know of very few other congressmen who had stories like this about them, told over and over by ordinary Filipinos who they loved and who loved them for their unrelenting service and solidarity in times of hardship. These days a lot of critics have the choicest words for Makabayan and their "unholy alliance" with the Duterte administration. And it's easy to get swayed one way or another, but personally I'd rather hear from ordinary Filipinos: fisherfolk, farmers, workers, indigenous people who know the Left has never left their side all this time, despite the comforts that their positions in government could afford them. They have gone to the places where their critics barely knew about, where poverty and oppression reign supreme. They kept their promise, despite and especially because of the extraordinary circumstances in this age of Duterte. I have heard this story about Ka Pando perhaps not less than five times, but I only ever had one question. What if Ka Pando had decided to stay at the hotel? They laughed and told me in Bisaya, "Are you crazy? He would have asked the whole village to come with him!" Until now, I marvel at that kind of enormous trust, given so willingly, confidently, and with an affection that the Left's critics could only dream about.
HUWEBES 21 SETYEMBRE 2017
AMELYN DAGA
PINANSIYA
P O S T S C R I P T: D O L J O, PA N G L A O, B O H O L PROVINCE VICTOR GREGOR LIMON
GARY GABALES
TAGAPAMAHALA SA SIRKULASYON
AMELITO JAENA OMAR OMAMALIN
SIRKULASYON
TRINIDAD GABALES GINA VILLAS
KATUWANG NA KAWANI
KASAPI UP SYSTEMWIDE ALLIANCE OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS AND WRITERS’ ORGANIZATIONS (SOLIDARIDAD)
COLLEGE EDITORS GUILD OF THE PHILIPPINES (CEGP) PAMUHATAN SILID 401 BULWAGANG VINZONS, UNIBERSIDAD NG PILIPINAS, DILIMAN, LUNGSOD QUEZON TELEFAX 981-8500 LOKAL 4522
I' d rather hear from ordinary Filipinos: fisherfolk, farmers, workers, indigenous people who know the Left has never left their side all this time.
ONLINE phkule@gmail.com www.philippinecollegian.org fb.com/philippinecollegian twitter.com/phkule instagram.com/phkule issuu.com/philippinecollegian pinterest.com/phkule
MELTING POINT
WARREN RAGASA
DOON PO SA AMIN
DOON PO SA AMIN, SA POOK SAN ANDRES, may mag-kumareng nagtsi-tsismisan. Hindi ko man marinig ang kanilang usapan, alam kong kaiba ito sa balitang madalas na laman ng bawat kumpulan. Ngayon, hindi kuwentuhan, kundi bulung-bulungan. Minsan pa sa amin, sa pook San Andres, buhay ang bawat gabi. Nakikipag-patintero at taguan ang paslit sa kalarong bungal, at sa inang kanina pa umaatungal. Alas siete ng gabi, may koro ng manininda ng balut, cotton candy, at popcorn. Alas otso, pauwi ang mga nasa kolehiyong katulad ko. Mapapaaga ang ronda ng tanod na umaabang sa taya niya sa ending. Alas nuebe, hindi magkandamayaw ang mga may tropa at jowa sa paliga ng basketball. Alas diyes, bukas pa ang ilaw ng kalahati sa magkakadikit na tahanan. Magkakantahan ang mga tambay sa tapat ng tindahan ni Aling Letty. Maririnig ang iyak ng pinatutulog na sanggol. Patuloy pa rin ang tsismisan. Alas onse, magpapalipas ng antok ang dakilang mga tambay at lasinggero ng San Andres (walang halong biro, lay minister sila sa simbahan tuwing Linggo).
Ang kuwento pa, sa pook San Andres noon, minsang nagsama-sama sa may kanto ang mga tao. Nag-ceasefire ang magkaribal, lumabas ang pinakabruskong mga tambay at asawa. Walang tsismisan. Dumating ang mga pulis at grupo ng demolisyon—at riot man ang inabot, wala ni isang yero binaklas. Makulay ang kuwento ng pook San Andres. Minsan pa. Ngunit nagkakatuwaan ang pulis ngayon doon po sa amin, sa pook San Andres. Isang taon nang walang nagkalat na balat ng balut mula sa bawat nagdaang gabi. Natokhang si manong balut, siya na tenor ng koro ng manininda. At itatanong ko pa ba ang dahilan? Adik at nanlaban. Sa pook San Andres, higit sa limang kaso na ng pamamaslang ang naitala mula nang ikasa ang giyera kontra-droga. Ang kuwento na ngayon, sa nagbagong pook San Andres, pwedeng iulat ng sinuman sa barangay ang hinihinala nitong suspek ng droga. Pulis ang siyang “bahala.” Alas sais. Dahil wala nang kumakatok na bumbay
ENDURING
tuwing umaga, pagsapit ng dilim ay may bagong panakot ang mga ina sa sutil na anak—“ibibigay kita sa pulis!” Alas siete, maririnig ang kotse at motorsiklo ng mga rumurondang pulis. Alas otso, pauwi ang mga nasa kolehiyong katulad ko. ‘Di ko na rin nakikita ang ilan sa mga tambay. Walang nang kantahan sa gilid ng kalsada. Alas nuebe, nasa loob na ng kani-kaniyang tahanan ang lahat. Nagliligpit na rin ang mga tindahan. Sana nga ay palagi lang tulog lang ang sanggol ng kapitbahay kaya wala na akong naririnig na ingay. Alas diyes sa San Andres at tulog na ang karamihan. Marunong nang umalulong ang aso kong si Watson. Doon po sa amin, alas dose ang pinakamahaba at tila hindi matatapos na sandali lalo para sa kanilang walang tarangkahan ang tahanan. Kinabukasan, doon po sa amin, mabibihag ang pook San Andres sa mga bulung-bulungan. At ngayong wala na akong ibang marinig sa pook San Andres kundi ito at ang putok ng baril at huni ng sirena, dapat na akong magsalita.
PATRICIA LOUISE POBRE
Wala na atang mas lulungkot pag maulan ang iyong kaarawan. Ngunit hindi lumbay, masiglang sinalubong ng iyong mga tagasuporta ang bagong estatwa mo sa Ilocos. Parang 'yung pamumuring natatamasa ng naglunsad ng kasalukuyang gyera kontra droga. Sisinagan pa kaya ng araw ang iyong kaarawan? Nagmamartsa papuntang Libingan ng mga Bayani, ang libu-libong, arawaraw, pinapatay at namamatay, dahil sa araw na ito. Parang 'yung martsa, papunta sa huling hantungan ng batang pinaslang nang walang sala noong isang araw. Lumuluha ang langit, at puno ng galit, ang mga dadalo sa'yong bertdey ngayong araw. Patayin mo na ang mga kandila, para sa milyun-milyong pinatay ng iyong diktadura. DIBUHO NI GUIA ABOGADO
Brittany Packnett @MsPackyetti
MARIANG MAKLINGI
OCTOBER 2015
Red Calayan
@RizalNaWalangL
@HayNakoRed
In the wake of oppression, the powerful will ask the oppressed to choose “peace.”
before: nak aral ka mabuti para yumaman ka at makaranas ng ginhawa
What they really mean is order. Peace requires justice.
now: nak aral ka mabuti para yumaman ka at makaranas ng due process
Pray for the Philippines and our leaders. Stand against injustice and a culture of impunity. #PrayForPH #PilipinasKongMahal #StopTheKillings
2:34 AM - SEP 16 2017
9:38 AM - AUG 18 2017
8:13 PM - AUG 22 2017
UP DILIMAN ACADEMIC OVAL
STATUS QUOTES
HUWEBES 21 SETYEMBRE 2017
11
O PIN YON
B AG O N G S I G WA PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
EDITORYAL
,,
Mistulang baliw ang pangulo, ngunit kalkulado ang bawat bigwas ng karahasang pinalalasap niya sa mga Pilipino
ANG
PANGULONG
NANGAKONG
magwawakas daw sa droga at krimen ang siya ngayong nauulol sa karahasan. Tila hindi pa sapat ang libu-libong mga buhay na kinitil, mga kabataan naman ngayon ang sunud-sunod na pinupuntirya ng kanyang madugong giyera. Malinaw ang lumabas sa awtopsiya: binugbog si Carl Arnaiz, 19 at dating magaaral ng UP, bago pinaulanan ng limang bala ng pulis-Caloocan. Sinasabing ang kasama niyang si Reynaldo de Guzman, 17, ay natagpuan namang patay sa Nueva Ecija, tadtad ng tatlumpung saksak. Dalawang araw bago ang pagpaslang kay Arnaiz, dinampot, kinaladkad, at tatlong beses na binaril ng pulis-Caloocan si Kian Delos Santos, 17, bago itinambak ang bangkay na parang basura. Walang bahid ng pagsisisi ang pamahalaan ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte. Sa isa pang operasyon kontra-droga kamakailan sa Lanao del Norte, tinadtad ng bala ang katawan ng isang limang-buwang gulang na sanggol at ang kaniyang inang tatlong-buwang buntis, kasama ang tatlo pang miyembro ng kanilang pamilya. Nagtatago sa tabing ng “pinsalang kolateral” ang tunay na layunin ng administrasyon sa giyera kontra-droga. Mula nang maupo si Duterte, hindi bababa sa 29 menor-de-edad na ang napatay ng Oplan Tokhang, ayon sa tala ng Children’s Rehabilitation Center. Hindi ito pinsalang kolateral. Ito sa katotohanan ang target ng giyera ni Duterte: ang balutin sa takot at karahasan ang bansa upang lalong makapaghari ang iilang makapangyarihan at mayayaman na tunay nitong pinagsisilbihan. Tuluy-tuloy at walang humpay ang mas malawak na digmaang ikinakasa ng pamahalaan laban sa mga maralita at mga kabataan. Dahil sa hindi matapos na bakbakan sa Marawi, humigit 80,000 nang mga bata ang tinatayang apektado ng walang tigil na aerial bombing ng militar, ayon sa National Council of Churches in the Philippines. Ginagawang lehitimo ng Batas Militar sa Mindanao hindi lamang ang karahasan sa Marawi, kundi pati na ang matagal nang agresyon ng militar at paramilitar sa lupain
ng mga Lumad. Sa katunayan, sa gitna ng protesta ng mga Lumad, hayagan pang nagbanta si Duterte na bobombahin ang kanilang mga paaralan. Noong ika-6 ng Setyembre, pinatay ng dalawang miyembro ng paramilitar ang kabataang Lumad na si Obillo Bay-ao, 19-taong gulang. Walang sinumang nanagot at naparusahan sa mga kaliwa’t kanang pamamaslang na ito, patunay ng matagal nang umiiral na kultura ng karahasan at kawalang pananagutan sa bansa. Mistulang baliw ang pangulo, ngunit kalkulado ang bawat bigwas ng karahasang pinalalasap niya sa mga Pilipino, at wala nang pagpapanggap ang kabulukan ng mga kasapakat niyang mga ahensya at institusyon sa gobyerno: Kongreso, Commission on Appointments, kapulisan, militar. Kung kaya walang puwang ang pagaalinlangan at pagiging kimi. Dapat tapatan ng organisadong pagkilos ng sambayanan ang opensiba ng estado laban sa ating mga karapatang pantao. Kinakailangang balikan at pagtibayin ang mga prinsipyo ng ating paglaban, ang kalidad ng mga protesta at antas ng diskurso. Lumalakas na ang mga pagkilos, at lalo pang dapat palawakin at patatagin ang nagkakaisang hanay ng mamamayan sa harap ng bantang deklarasyon ng Batas Militar sa buong bansa. Hindi na bago sa atin ang matapang na paglaban sa pasismo. Nakaukit sa kasaysayan kung paanong nag-alay ng buhay ang mga estudyante ng UP noong panahon ng diktadurang Marcos. Ngayong armas naman ng rehimeng Duterte ang nakatutok sa mga maralita at sa ating mga kabataan, hinihinging muli ng panahon ang muling pagsiklab ng ating katapangan. Sapagkat karahasan ding maituturing, kung hindi man karuwagan, ang hindi pagsama sa mahalagang labang ito ng sambayanang Pilipino. Sa hinaharap, babalikan ng mga susunod na henerasyon ang panahong ito at hahatulan ang ating naging tindig at pagkilos. Huwag nating biguin ang kasaysayan. Huwag nating biguin ang sambayanan.