Philippine Collegian Issue 18

Opisyal na lingguhang pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas - Dilman Tomo 90, Blg. 18 Nobyembre 29, 2012 BALITA Miyerkules 27 Hunyo 2012

Features

Shifting to high gear

OPINYON Huwebes 29 Nobyembre 2012

The wheels have been set in motion.

The Aquino administration had every reason to celebrate last week when members of the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed on third and final reading House Bill (HB) No. 6643 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2012.

HB 6643 lays down the legal foundations to reform the country’s basic education system for the K to 12 (K-12) program, which introduces mandatory kindergarten education and adds two more years to the country’s 10-year basic education cycle.

The K-12 bill’s railroaded passage in the Lower House comes as no surprise, with the Congress leadership dominated by the ruling Liberal party that readily submits itself to the president’s whims.

Questions of budgetary support, logistical and virtual unpreparedness, and the government’s current incapacity to handle the likely surge of students, all fell on deaf ears, with solons voting 198-8 in favor of the K-12 bill. Never mind that even Davao Rep. Thelma Almario – a staunch supporter of the Department of Education’s programs and projects – joined the ranks of those who opposed the K-12 bill.

Once Senate passes its own version of the said bill, there is no stopping Pres. Benigno Aquino III from completing his grand maneuver to transmogrify the education system in the Philippines.

Aquino’s unusual determination to pass the K-12 bill – a resolve clearly absent in key legislations such as bills on Freedom of Information or Reproductive Health – stems from international pressure from foreign financial institutions including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, which have been calling for the government to revamp the country’s education system to better suit the global jobs market.

In fact, K-12 is the latest addition to the list of widescale educational reforms lobbied by international financial institutions in exchange for foreign assistance. The effects of foreignsponsored education policies like the Education Act of 1981 and the recent introduction of the Revised Basic Education Curriculum will always be

Punong Patnugot Kapatnugot

Patnugot sa Balita Patnugot sa Lathalain Patnugot sa Grapix

Mga Kawani

Pinansya Tagapamahala ng Sirkulasyon Sirkulasyon

Mga Katuwang na Kawani

Pamuhatan Silid 401 Bulwagang Vinzons, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Diliman, Lungsod Quezon Telefax 981-8500 lokal 4522 Email kule1213@gmail.com Website philippinecollegian.org Kasapi Solidaridad: UP Systemwide Alliance of Student Publications and Writers’ Organizations, College Editors Guild of the Philippines Ukol sa Pabalat Dibuho ni RD Aliposa

Editor’s Note bitter reminders of how the country’s education system and interests are compromised to fit the socio-economic paradigms espoused by powerful countries like the United States.

In the case of K-12, Filipinos are led to believe that increased years of studying would translate to an improved education system and better work opportunities. Yet these assumptions barely hold water.

Prospects of speedy employment after high school graduation, for example, are hardly supported by current employment statistics: 33 percent of those unemployed are high school graduates, 22.6 percent college undergraduates, and 20.2 percent college graduates, according to the latest government fig-

ures. In this dire situation, not even a college degree can assure stable job opportunities and decent salaries.

Viewed in a more practical sense, the K-12 poses a logistical nightmare with the grim statistics of the education sector even in the current 10 yearcycle. At present, we lack 52, 758 classrooms, 13.2 million seats, and thousands of teachers.

In a country where education has increasingly being seen as a privilege rather than a right, it is alarming that the government actively pushes for a policy that does not only reek of insensitivity and sheer wishful thinking, but also lacks well-established correlations.

The Aquino administration seems to miss a crucial point:

that the chronic problems experienced by the education sector are largely the result of decades of inadequate state spending for social services. If the government is sincere in its effort to improve access and the quality of education, it must begin by allocating adequate funds to address the shortage of classrooms, facilities, and just compensation for teachers.

As K-12 shifts into high gear, so too will the struggle for genuine education reform.

The people will find stronger voices that can no longer be ignored, until the government recognizes the errors of its ways and shift to a progressive and responsive education system that truly serves the national interest.

When the welfare of the university is disregarded by the officials on the campus, it is only right for the students to protest against such disregard of the University’s welfare.

Democratic Imperatives On the protests of UP students and faculty against the prolonged delay of the selection of a new UP president Homobono Adaza January 8, 1958 As the Philippine Collegian celebrates its 90th year, we revisit lines from prized editorials that defined the publication’s tradition of critical and fearless journalism.

UPLB admin bars students with unpaid loans from enrolling UP LOS BAÑOS (UPLB) STUDENTS WITH unpaid loans were tagged as ineligible to enrol this semester after the UPLB registrar’s office refused to allow promissory notes in lieu of loan payments.

Arguelles sent a letter to UPLB Chancellor Rex Cruz on November 12, requesting that UPLB students be allowed to write promissory notes for unpaid loans. Cruz, however, rejected the appeal on November 17, saying the amount of unpaid loans in UPLB has

amounted to almost P10 million for the last 40 years.

As a result of this new policy, at least seven UPLB students were not able to enrol within the registration period from November 6 to 21, said Student Regent Cleve Arguelles.

“The UP administration boasts of earning an additional P96 million from the [new] Bracket B certification (BBC) [policy], and yet they cannot be lenient for these students? This clearly

Cutting classes K to 12 and the college GE program

PLAYBACK DESPITE THE SPATE OF CRITICISM from various sector of society, the House of Representatives passed the Revised Basic Education Reform Act of 2012, otherwise known as the K-12 Bill, without amendments on the third and final reading on November 19.

Implemented this year, the K-12 program prescribes mandatory kindergarten and two additional years for basic education.

Since some General Education (GE) subjects in college will be covered in the additional two years, some courses, like Engineering, may be shortened, said Commission on Higher Education Chair Patricia Licuanan in a media interview.

As the first batch of K-12 graduates are set to enter UP in less than six years, how will the UP Diliman curriculum, particularly the GE program, be affected by this curricular reform?

“First of all, some Filipino as well as History subjects shall go down to grades 11 and 12 (senior high school). The assumption is that Komunikasyon or basic skills in Filipino courses should be taught in these grades and thus will be redundant in college. [S] tudents who finish Kom classes, whether in English or in Filipino, in college, are still, in fact, not fluent in oral communication.

[Neither] are they equipped in writing academic papers. Thus for me, there should still be Kom courses in college.

[Also], what will happen to our instructors, even middle and senior professors who will soon be out of courses to teach? Come 2016, there will be no freshmen in UP except for the transferees.

There has already been a lot of talk, but I have not seen any document or just a primer even about how UP intends to respond to the challenges of the K to 12 curricular enhancement program.”

- Dr. Ma. Crisanta Flores, Departamento ng Filipino at Panitika ng Pilipinas “[D]efinitely, affected ang Math 11, Math 14 at Math 17 [which covers College Algebra and Trigonometry]. Sa ngayon, ang pinag-uusapan naming [ay] hindi naman kung ano ang mangyayari sa K to 12, [kundi] kung ano ang mangyayari sa large-class [curriculum, currently being implemented since last year on Calculus subjects]. Baka, [by then] hindi na kailangan itong large-classes.”

- Dr. Ma. Lailani Walo, GE Mathematics Program Coordinator, Institute of Mathematics “[W]e will have to revise our teacher education curriculum so that we will be able to produce

shows that providing quality and accessible education is no longer the thrust of the university,” said Arguelles.

The UPD administration implemented the BBC in June this year, where students are automatically placed in Bracket A and pay P1,500 per unit, unless they submit requirements for Bracket B and pay P1,000 per unit, or apply for a lower bracket under the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program.

“Kevin”, a UPLB Philosophy sophomore who requested for anonymity, still owes the university P9,000 from last school year when he was assigned to Bracket B. Though he has been assigned to Bracket C this year, Kevin still could not pay the loans by November 21 and appealed to the Chancellor for late payment.

The payment deadline was eventually extended until November 27, and Kevin was able to raise the necessary funds to pay his loans on

November 26. However, if the payment deadline were not extended, he may have not been able to enrol this semester at all, he said.

In UP Diliman (UPD), the total amount of unpaid tuition loans from 2006 to 2011 is around P29 million, data from the Office of Scholarships and Student Services as of February 2012 show.

Currently, UPD students with unpaid loans are allowed to enrol once their promissory note has been approved, but they cannot apply for a new loan until their existing loans have been settled.

Meanwhile, those with unpaid loans for two semesters are required to submit an appeal to the chancellor, explained UPD Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Maria Corazon Tan. Meanwhile, several UPM students who failed to pay tuition on time were forced to file a Leave of Absence, after the UPM administration released a memorandum which barred

students who failed to meet the payment deadline from attending their enlisted classes.

The University Committee on Scholarships and Financial Assistance, comprising of UP system officials, administrative staff, and student leaders, have not yet set concrete plans to reform UP’s financial assistance programs as discussions are still ongoing, said Tan. “Kung ang layunin ng UP ay i-accommodate ang pinakamaraming estudyante, [h]indi dapat nagkakaroon ng policies na makapipigil sa estudyante na makapasok,” said UPLB University Student Council chair Ynik Ante, who was almost disqualified from her holding her post, because she failed to pay her tuition on time last school year.

“Kasama dapat natin silang mga iskolar ng bayan na manawagan ng mataas na badyet para sa edukasyon,” Ante added.

PANSAMANTALANG TIRAHAN. Nagmistulang silong ang mga karatula para sa isang residente ng Village C na dumalo sa isang kilos-protesta na ginanap sa Quezon Hall noong Nobyembre 25. Tinutulan ng mahigit 400 pamilya na kasapi sa Village C at CP Garcia Homeowners Association ang nakaambang demolisyon sa Marso o Abril 2013 para magbigay daan sa proyektong pabahay para sa 200 pamilya ng mga empleyado ng UP.

the teachers who are ready to teach until Grade 12 and who are equipped to teach the reformed [or] revised curriculum for basic education.”

- Dr. Dina Ocampo, Dean, College of Education “Ang importante kasi sa Engineering ay ang level of Math competency. If the K to 12 program follows the international baccalaureate curriculum [which includes calculus], then we’re confident that [the students] will be ready for the professional courses.

Right now, our students really struggle with their Math, Physics and Chemistry. Hindi pa nila masyado ma-imagine kung saan magagamit ang mga pinag-aaralan nila. With the two additional years, they are coming in as young adults already. With that age, we hope that they have earned a little bit of maturity [on] deciding on their career path.

If they are going to commit to engineering, then, hopefully, we expect them to do better.

Whether we reduce to four years or maintain the five years, definitely, luluwag ang curriculum. We may institute more courses relevant to the new technology and [include a one semester] internship.”

- Dr. Aura Matias, Dean, College of Engineering

BALITA Huwebes 29 Nobyembre 2012

Congress panel OKs FOI bill, junks ‘right of reply’ BALITA Huwebes 29 Nobyembre 2012

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Committee on Public Information approved the consolidated bill on Freedom of Information, 17-3-1, and junked the Malacañang -backed “right of reply” provision on November 27.

Based on 15 bills referred to the committee’s technical working group (TWG), the consolidated bill is now ready to be scheduled for deliberation at the House plenary where it needs a majority vote on second and third reading.

If approved, it will then be reconciled with the Senate version and ratified by the bicameral conference committee before being signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III. “The passage of the FOI at the committee [level] is already a victory, [but] this is only the first step. Kailangang mas paigtingin pa ang kampanya para tuluyan itong maisabatas sa lalong madaling panahon,” said Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino.

The FOI measure seeks to institutionalize open access to government-held documents of public interest, such as income statements of officials, financial records, and contracts entered into by the government.

The House panel meanwhile overruled objections by Nueva Ecija Representative Rodolfo Antonino, who has consistently insisted that the body should include the “right of reply” provision in the panel’s final version of the bill.

The said provision seeks to require media practitioners to allow government officials to respond to reports based on information obtained through the FOI. Antonino’s bill, however, was not considered by the panel, because it was never referred to the TWG in the first place, said Bayan Muna Partylist Representative Teddy Casiño, who co-authored the final consolidated bill.

The inclusion of the said provision is neither urgent nor necessary, because the FOI bill is based upon ensuring the people’s right to transparent governance and not the government’s prerogative to defend itself from media scrutiny, the lawmaker explained.

“The right of reply provision is unconstitutional, [it] impinges on the freedom of the press, and it is redundant [because] there are already existing legislative mechanisms which [promote] responsible [media practice],” Palatino added.

Several lawmakers who were in favor of the bill however maintained that the approved

bill is “far from perfect” and that further amendments are necessary.

“The exclusion of the ‘right of reply’ provision is a welcome development, but [the consolidated version] is still not a perfect document and must be further revised to remove existing unwelcome provisions, such as the President’s executive privilege and exceptions for national security,” Casiño said.

Meanwhile, Casiño and Palatino both warned that there might be little time left for the FOI bill to be scheduled for plenary

discussions before the 15th Congress adjourns, as Aquino has withdrawn the bill’s priority status.

There are less than 10 plenary sessions remaining before Congress adjourns for the holiday season on the third week of December. Meanwhile, Congress will resume session for only 15 working days next year – from January 21 to February 8 – to give way to the campaign period for the 2013 midterm elections.

The lawmakers also said FOI opponents might also use technicalities to further postpone

the passage of the bill. Attendance at Congress traditionally declines in December and FOI opponents may cite the lack of quorum as an excuse to prolong the deliberations.

“The people have been kept in the dark for so long. The immediate passage of the FOI will finally grant the people’s right to information and help the government perform its duty to serve the interests of the public,” said Casiño.

With the national elections only a few months away, it is urgent that the youth sector participate in pressuring the

Aquino administration and both houses of Congress to pass the FOI Bill, said UP Diliman (UPD) University Student Council councilor and Disclose All Records (DARe) Movement convenor Julliano Fernando Guiang.

“As one of the primary stakeholders [of government policy], students must [help ensure the passage of] a bill [which will open] political decision-making to greater public participation,” Guiang explained.

Policebriefs Stolen DSLR recovered in front of Kamia dorm A DSLR camera stolen from a resident of Kamia Residence Hall was recovered in front of the same dormitory on November 27 at around 5 PM while the security guard on duty was doing regular inspections of the dorm premises.

The said camera was found among the shrubs in front of the dorm, wrapped in a paper bag and still in good condition, Police Inspector Jolly Dimaala said in her official report.

The case was first referred to the UP Diliman Police (UPDP) on November 21, when a fourth year Fine Arts student reported that her bag, containing a Nikon D3000S with an 18-105 mm lens worth P100,000, went missing after she left it at her dormitory cabinet on November 12.

Investigation on the case is still ongoing, but initial findings hint that the suspect might be someone who knew the victim personally, Police Inspector Jolly Dimaala said in her report.

Laptop thief in Bahay ng Alumni caught in the act

by CCTV Meanwhile, the suspect in another robbery incident was caught in the act by CCTV cameras at the Bahay ng Alumni on November 26, according to initial reports by the UPDP. Ellen del Rosario, an employee of UP-based engineering consultancy firm AMH Philippines Inc., said she left her company laptop worth P43,000 when she went out of the office at around 12 PM for her lunch break . When she came back an hour later, the laptop was already missing.

UPDP Police Inspector Exsel Glomo is assigned to the case and is currently studying the videos recorded by the CCTV to determine the identity of the suspect.

Science Complex guard assaults pedestrian Meanwhile, a pedestrian passing by the UP Science Complex was assaulted by a security guard stationed at the new Institute of

KILLING FIELDS. Journalists from various organizations burn the effigy ‘Impunity Monster’ as part of the commemoration of the 3rd year Anniversary of the Maguindanao Massacre and the International Day to End Impunity on November 23, 2012 in Mendiola . The group protested the Aquino administration’s lack of initiative in delivering justice to the 58 victims, 32 of which are journalists, in what was considered as the single deadliest event for journalists in the world.

Biology building at the UP Science Complex on November 24 at around 10 PM. Ariel Aro, 18 years old and a resident of Barangay Pansol, Quezon City, said he was passing by the Science Complex with his friend, when Robinson Ramirez of Metrolink Security Masters agency suddenly followed him and hit him in the head with a piece of wood.

He then lost consciousness and his friend rushed him to the Quezon City Medical Center.

After his release from the hospital, Aro returned to the UPDP headquarters on the following day to file a report and submit a medical certificate which recommended a seven-day recovery period.

Aro said he did not know why Ramirez attacked him, because he has never met him prior to the incident. UPDP is currently coordinating with Metrolink to verify and resolve the case.

Testigo sa pagtorture kina Karen at She, muling humarap sa korte MULING HUMARAP SA MALOLOS Regional Trial Court si Raymond Manalo, pangunahing testigo sa kaso ng mga nawawalang estudyante ng UP na sina Karen Empeño at Sherlyn Cadapan, matapos ibasura ng Court of Appeals ang petisyon ng depensa na itigil ang paglilitis.

Sa ikalawang bahagi ng crossexamination ng depensa kay Manalo noong Nobyembre 26, muli niyang isinalaysay ang nasaksihan niyang pagtorture ng militar sa dalawang estudyante sa Camp Tecson, San Miguel Bulacan noong Agosto 2006.

Ibinitin umano patiwarik sina Karen at Sherlyn at paulit-ulit na pinaso ng sigarilyo ng mga sundalo.

Ikinuwento rin umano ni Sherlyn kay Manalo na ginahasa silang dalawa matapos silang pahirapan.

Pebrero 2006 nang dukutin si Manalo at ang kanyang kapatid sa kanilang tahanan sa San Ildefonso, Bulacan. Ipiniit umano sila sa iba’t ibang mga kampo ng militar at at sa kalauna’y nakilala at nakasama ang

Karen Empeño

Sherlyn Cadapan

BOR upholds suspension order for UP Cebu Dean UP’S HIGHEST POLICY-MAKING body, the Board of Regents (BOR), upheld the six-month suspension penalty against former UP Cebu College (UPCC) Dean Enrique Avila and two other administrative officials, during a two-session special meeting on November 22 and 26.

The BOR held the meeting to finalize the penalty against Avila, lecturer Ernesto Pineda, and budget officer Alsidry Sharif, which was decided upon in the September 20 BOR meeting originally by six of the total 10 regents, explained Staff Regent Jossel Ebesate.

As the meeting adjourned on November 26, eight regents had reaffirmed their vote in favor of the six-month suspension. Regents Senator Eduardo Angara and Congressman Juan Edgardo Angra were still absent but called in to cast affirmative votes, said Ebesate.

Details of the meeting are

exclusive only to the BOR and minutes of the two November meetings were not recorded, said Student Regent Cleve Arguelles.

In August 2011, UP President Alfredo Pascual approved the “dismissal from office” penalty against the three officials, as recommended by the Administrative Disciplinary Tribunal (ADT). By granting a private company the use of university property as a dumping site for excavated soil, the three were found guilty of violating UP Charter rules on the use of UP property, among three other separate counts.

The three respondents appealed to the BOR in September 2011, saying they have been “unfairly persecuted,” citing Pascual’s “hasty” approval of the ADT’s recommended penalty.

After deliberating on the appeals and delaying the verdict for three meetings, the BOR

lowered the penalty from dismissal to only a six-month suspension for three separate counts of gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct on September 20 this year.

If the respondents are still unsatisfied with the decision, they may appeal to the BOR or bring the case to court, said Ebesate.

The six-month suspension will only be applicable to Avila who may return to UPCC as faculty. Meanwhile, Pineda and Sharif may already file for retirement, said Arguelles.

The three UP officials, how ever, should have been dismissed, said the student regent. When the administrative complaint against the three respondents was lodged in March 2011, the UPCC community launched a series of protest actions against the three for alleged “graft and corruption,

student repression, and abuse of power.”

“The case has been traumatic for the UPCC community. Their dismissal would [have sent] a clear message to any official that justice will be served,” said Arguelles.

The BOR will hold the next regular meeting on December 4.

dalawang estudyante sa Camp Tecson.

Nakatakas si Manalo at ang kanyang kapatid noong Agosto 2007 matapos ang 18 buwang pagkakadakip, habang naiwan naman sa isang safe house sa Zambales sina Karen at Sherlyn.

Nagsasaliksik ang dalawang estudyante ukol sa mga magsasaka ng Hagonoy, Bulacan nang dakpin sila ng mga hinihinalang ahente ng militar. Mahigit anim na taon ang nakalipas, hindi pa rin natitiyak ang kalagayan at kasalukuyang kinaroroonan ng dalawa.

Samantala, hindi pa rin nahuhuli ng mga awtoridad si Ret. Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan at isa pang akusado na si Master Sgt. Rizal Hilario, sa kabila ng P2 milyong pabuya sa sinumang makapagtuturo ng kinalalagyan ng dalawang opisyal.

Kasalukuyan namang nakapiit sa Fort Bonifacio Army Custodial Management Unit sina Col. Felipe Anotado Jr. at Staff Sgt. Edgar Osorio, ang dalawa pang akusado sa kaso.

Tugma sa mga naunang testimonya ni Manalo ang kanyang mga inilahad sa huling paglilitis, ayon kay Gng. Connie Empeño, ina ni Karen.

“Parang nililito nila si Raymond dahil sa sinasabi nilang inconsistencies. Kaya paulit-ulit na ang kanilang pagtatanong. Ngunit wala namang [inconsistencies] dahil pareho rin lang ang kanyang mga sagot,” paliwanag ni Gng. Empeño.

Matapos ang cross-examination, higit na napatunayan ang katotohanan ng testimonya ni Manalo at higit ring nadiin sina Palparan, dagdag ni Atty. Julian Oliva, abogado ng mga biktima.

Samantala, hiniling ng depensa na bigyan pa sila ng panahon upang makapaglabas ng sariling ebidensya ngunit hindi ito pinagbigyan ng korte.

Haharap sa korte upang tumestigo sa unang pagkakataon ang ina ni Sherlyn na si Linda Cadapan sa susunod na pagdinig sa Disyembre 10.

WAN TED NEW KULE BEDSPACERS Walang downpayment. Walang deposit.

HUSAY, ANGAS AT LAKAS NG LOOB lang ang kailangan para maging bahagi ng 90 taong tradisyon.

Akyat na sa Room 401, Vinzons Hall!

BALITA Huwebes 29 Nobyembre 2012

A spell is cast in Ipil Residence Hall whenever the clock strikes ten at night. In this unholy hour, darkness creeps in the hall corridors as lights illuminating the rooms are turned off. Bed-checks signal dormers to cease their activities and contain themselves in their rooms. For BS Chemistry student Ray Padernilla, 17, and BS Chemical Engineering student Kyle Madrid, 17 such ritual simply reminds them they have been hitting the books for hours already.

Freshmen Ray and Kyle welcome the silence that ensues soon after, a signal for them to shift to high gear on their studies. They usually spend their nights in their chambers with three things: a sleeping roommate, coffee, and readings.

Part of Ray’s routine involves shutting the outside world and taking advantage of his roommate’s constant absence before bed-check.

Unless his readings are in electronic format, he shuns any temptation to use his laptop. In this way, he could focus on the reading materials better, Ray says.

Similarly, Kyle hunches down his desk lamp to read and solve problems, careful not to let the dim light spill all over the room and wake his sleeping roommate. He scans his lessons from thick textbooks and jots simple summaries in index

Night spell

Sa totoo lang, kailangan maging madiskarte sa buhay,” aniya.

“While we recognize that schooling and working develops a certain kind of discipline, we must question what kind of consciousness and development this kind of situation engenders,” ani Isabelle Baguisi, pambansang kalihim ng National Union of Students of the Philippines.

Bagamat maagang natutunan ng mga working student ang pagiging maabilidad, mababatid sa kanilang kalagayan ang mistulang paglalapat ng maraming suliranin sa edukasyon ng bansa, mula sa usapin ng access tungo sa kakulangan ng trabahong naghihintay pagkagradweyt.

Tuwing lumulubog ang araw, naglalapat din ang dalawang buhay ni Jhon bilang mag-aaral at raketero. At habang nag-aagaw ang kahel at lila sa kalangitan tuwing bukangliwayway, pilit niyang ginigising ang sarili—‘di alintana ang paghihirap kapalit ang isang hindi tiyak na hinaharap.

by her sorority, Valerie shares that from the P60,000 ticket sales sold at P200 each, more than 90 percent or P56,000 went to the party’s expenses including payment for the venue, audio and lights, drink mixers, and logistical materials.

Also, parties tend to be exclusive.

If attending parties are equated to advancing socially-relevant advocacies, it seems that one’s ability to pay becomes a prerequisite to participating in forwarding social causes. “[Parties cannot be truly open because] these actually divorce the general public via ticket acquisition costs and elite spaces,” says UP popular culture Prof. Michael Andrada.

Hence, by charging a few hundred for tickets, parties do not enjoin maximum participation in its so-called advocacies.

The support for particular causes that parties purportedly give seems to end once the raised amount is given to its beneficiary.

Participation is again limited to providing finances without critical discernment of the conditions that have spawned such issues to begin with. After

Kyle’s scholarship for instance, exclusively caters to science courses, automatically barring students from other disciplines – who also need financial assistance – to apply.

In 2011, there were at least 30 private scholarships for engineering courses, while there are only 7 private scholarships for courses in the College of Arts and Letters, according to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

Although scholarships indeed provide alternatives, its effects remain to be very limited in addressing the deeper wound of inaccessible education. Hence, the challenge to make education accessible to everyone remains.

As midnight draws near, Ray and Kyle reward themselves with much-deserved rest for enduring the long night of studying that would ensure their stay in UP, while other students not fortunate enough to have scholarships are hexed by expensive tuition rates.

In the end, no spell can decisively destroy the barriers that have made education a privilege than a right, than the ones collectively cast by students.

Hindi na nakapagtatakang malaki ang bilang ng working students sa bansa, lalo’t lumalaki rin ang halaga ng matrikula sa kolehiyo. Sa UP Diliman pa lamang, nakapako na sa P1,500 kada yunit ang tuition ng mga estudyante kung hindi sila pasasailaim sa STFAP o magbibigay-patunay na sila ay mahirap. Sa ganitong lagay, tila nakakaligtaan ng estado ang tungkulin nitong magbigay ng abot-kayang edukasyon, at nagiging solong pasanin ng mga mag-aaral ang pagkamit ng kanilang diploma.

Kahit kabi-kabila ang raket, sinisikap pa rin ni Jhon na magkamit ng matataas na marka. “‘Pag nag-compromise[ako sa] studies, hindi ako makakakuha ng stable na trabaho [sa hinaharap],” aniya.

Ngunit kung tutuusin, mailap ang posibilidad na makahanap ng trabaho ang mga bagong gradweyt.

Sa mahigit 2.8 milyong Pilipinong walang trabaho, halos 1.2 milyon ang nakapagtapos ng edukasyong tersyaryo, ayon sa tala ng National Statistics Office noong Hulyo 2012.

Gayunman, hindi nababahala si Jhon sa kawalan ng trabaho oras na makatapos. “Alam ko ang gravity ng pera at mahirap hanapin ito.

Indeed, new landscapes for advocating social causes have passed in the consciousness of UP students. Parties held by UP students, however, have gone beyond the usual party-till-dawn shindig, and have been infused with forwarding social causes like providing school materials and renovating schools.

Partying is a popular platform for these causes because they are much more enjoyable and comfortable than protesting on the streets, reasons Valerie*, a member of a UP sorority.

The economic principle of utility maximization offers a possible explanation to such behaviors, where students opt for activities that could deliver most returns.

Indeed, in the darkness of such parties, students indulge in booze, dance with strangers and friends alike, as bright and frantic lights prance with no clear logic—all these, while contributing to social causes.

Parties are effective income generators, which organizers claim will be directed to their chosen causes. Although large resources are pooled from ticket sales, such amount also covers the party’s expenses. In a recent party hosted

around P12,780 per month, almost insufficient to cover the P12,000 basic tuition of a bracket C student carrying a 20-unit load.

Furthermore, a family of 5 in NCR needs at least P11,856 a month to live decently, and has only P1,458 for other expenses such as education, according to independent research institution IBON Foundation.

In this backdrop, receiving a scholarship becomes a viable alternative to finance one’s studies, underscoring a convention that has run unquestioned in the country: that education must be paid, and more so, at a hefty price.

After confirming eligibility, submitting requirements, undergoing screening, and passing exams for some, students enter into a two-way deal. In exchange for the scholarship, students are expected to comply with certain conditions such as maintaining a prescribed GWA or render volunteer services.

Besides maintaining the required GWA, Kyle for example, is also spellbound to work in the country after graduation as stipulated in his Department of Science and Technology scholarship.

After all, scholarships are also contracts entered into by students and donors. Scholarships also tend to patronize certain courses, and become selective in nature.

nito upang tustusan ang kanyang matrikula, kahit pa nalipat siya sa Bracket D at naging P7,500 kada semestre ang kanyang tuition.

May scholarship si Jhon, ngunit kinailangan pa rin niyang humanap ng iba’t ibang pagkakakitaan upang makihati sa gastusin nilang magama, at upang maipagpatuloy ang kanyang pag-aaral. Nasubukan na niyang maging tutor sa elementarya at hayskul, lightsman ng isang propesyunal na photographer, tagahatid ng customized T-shirts sa mga kumpanya, at taga-organisa ng events tulad ng kasal at birthday.

“Kung ikukumpara dati, mas stable ang aming kondisyon kaya mas nakaka-focus ako sa pag-aaral,” aniya. Makailang beses na rin niyang sinasalubong ang umaga ngayon nang hindi man lang nakakaidlip para sa P4,000 hanggang P5,000 sweldo kada buwan, aniya.

Ayon sa pinakahuling tala ng Department of Labor and Employment noong Oktubre 2011, halos kalahati, o may 15 milyon sa 35 milyong manggagawa sa Pilipinas ang estudyante. May limang milyon naman sa mga ito ang tulad ni Jhon na nasa kolehiyo.

cards. “Para kung nag-aaral ako, may portable notes” Kyle explains.

Although in different rooms, Ray and Kyle share a common goal at night: to keep their general weighted average (GWA) above 2.00 and 2.75, respectively, to maintain their scholarships.

Ray hails from South Cotabato, and is classified as bracket C under the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program, thus he pays P600 per unit every semester. Last enrolment, Ray’s scholarship paid his P12, 046.50 matriculation for his 20unit load.

In light of his family’s financial situation, where an annual income of P350,000 is barely sufficient to finance his sibling’s college studies in their province, and his older brother’s internship in Manila, Ray’s provincial government scholarship proves to be crucial.

“Sobra na sa income ng parents ko [ang tuition naming tatlo] kaya napaka-importante…ng scholarship…dahil di na ako makakapag-aral sa UP kung wala ito,” Ray explains.

As his case indicates, scholarships provide relief to fortunate recipients.

However, dependence on scholarships is symptomatic of the chronic problem of inaccessible education in the country.

A family residing in the National Capital Region (NCR) with one minimum wage earner has

Hindi natatapos ang araw ni Jhon, 21, sa pagsasara ng dapithapon.

Kasabay ng pagtatalik ng liwanag at dilim, nagmamadaling nililisan ni Jhon ang UP upang magtrabaho. Para sa third year BS Community Development (CD) major, hindi alintana ang araw-araw na pagkayod para lamang matustusan ang kanyang pag-aaral.

Taong 2008 nang unang pumasok si Jhon sa UP bilang Computer Science major.

Bagamat nag-iisang anak, hindi siya lumaking sunod sa layaw. Sapat lamang ang kita ng kanyang mga magulang upang tustusan ang halos P13,000 matrikula niya kada semestre, sa ilalim ng Bracket C ng Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP).

Ngunit nagbago ang kanyang pamumuhay nang mamatay ang kanyang nanay noong 2010.

Tumigil siya sa pag-aaral ng isang semestre, at kalauna’y lumipat sa kursong CD. Dahil hindi regular ang trabaho ng kanyang tatay bilang tutor ng Ingles, hindi na sapat ang kita

Doble kara

A multitude of voices rise in unison. Bodies move to a single rhythm. A collective declaration of freedom charges the atmosphere with energy. Yet this is not a crowd of street protesters under the hot afternoon sun. These are UP students partying

the night away.

After enduring long days of rigorous academic work, it seems fair that UP students be rewarded. And for some, there is no greater reward than a night of freedom – partying, drinking, dancing and having fun.

The proliferation of parties hosted by students based in UP, some assert, concretely indicates the shifting demographics of UP students.

Such an assertion becomes logically sound, especially when considering UP’s historical tradition of activism.

In previous decades, the idea of UP students partying was unthinkable, or at least, was the least expected of a UP student.

Those admitted in the university usually came from financiallychallenged families, who were more concerned with fulfilling basic necessities, than attending expensive occasions.

Especially during martial law, the socialization of UP students came in the form of collective action forwarding social causes, not fulfilling individual whims, says Prof. Judy Taguiwalo, a UP student leader in the 1970s.

Midnight madness

Folklore and bedtime stories tell about creatures of the unknown that lurk in the shadows at dusk. In such tales, creatures of the night are portrayed as menaces, monsters that imperil unsuspecting souls.

Yet night creatures do exist: in dormitory rooms, city streets, leisure houses, call centers, and other places that come alive after the sun has set. They are students who find their daytime hours scarce, students who choose to stretch the limits of time to continue their activities in the ensuing darkness.

They are sons and daughters of the night – studying, working, and partying, while other mortals sleep snugly in their beds. By forsaking rest, these students enter transactions wherein they exchange a few hours of sleep for a ticket to redemption from the real monsters they face during the day – grades to be maintained, bills to pay, families to feed.

For in a society governed by capital, the struggle for survival has pushed its own boundaries way beyond twilight. It rages on into the wee hours of starless nights.

Creatures of the night

sweat is exuded, dance floors cleaned, and party halls emptied, problems like child exploitation or lack of classrooms will continue to prevail, unless its root causes are addressed.

As such, the potential of parties in advancing social causes cannot be likened to mass demonstrations. In the streets, participation of individuals goes beyond financial contributions; they are asked to invest time, effort and dedication to register their dissent. In exchange for the individual’s selflessness, broad gains become possible to achieve, says Andrada.

Surely, nobody holds the monopoly of activities which have “worthy” causes, as parties and rallies are not entirely irreconcilable. In fact, no logistical barriers exist between the two, as demonstrations are often held during the day, and parties at night.

Faced with threats that hound UP and society however, the track record of time-honored means shall always outshine any other alternatives, and bring the brightest light in times of darkness and uncertainty. *not her real name

Huwebes 29 Nobyembre 2012

LATHALAIN

A spell is cast in Ipil Residence Hall whenever the clock strikes ten at night. In this unholy hour, darkness creeps in the hall corridors as lights illuminating the rooms are turned off. Bed-checks signal dormers to cease their activities and contain themselves in their rooms. For BS Chemistry student Ray Padernilla, 17, and BS Chemical Engineering student Kyle Madrid, 17 such ritual simply reminds them they have been hitting the books for hours already.

Freshmen Ray and Kyle welcome the silence that ensues soon after, a signal for them to shift to high gear on their studies. They usually spend their nights in their chambers with three things: a sleeping roommate, coffee, and readings.

Part of Ray’s routine involves shutting the outside world and taking advantage of his roommate’s constant absence before bed-check.

Unless his readings are in electronic format, he shuns any temptation to use his laptop. In this way, he could focus on the reading materials better, Ray says.

Similarly, Kyle hunches down his desk lamp to read and solve problems, careful not to let the dim light spill all over the room and wake his sleeping roommate. He scans his lessons from thick textbooks and jots simple summaries in index

Night spell

Sa totoo lang, kailangan maging madiskarte sa buhay,” aniya.

“While we recognize that schooling and working develops a certain kind of discipline, we must question what kind of consciousness and development this kind of situation engenders,” ani Isabelle Baguisi, pambansang kalihim ng National Union of Students of the Philippines.

Bagamat maagang natutunan ng mga working student ang pagiging maabilidad, mababatid sa kanilang kalagayan ang mistulang paglalapat ng maraming suliranin sa edukasyon ng bansa, mula sa usapin ng access tungo sa kakulangan ng trabahong naghihintay pagkagradweyt.

Tuwing lumulubog ang araw, naglalapat din ang dalawang buhay ni Jhon bilang mag-aaral at raketero. At habang nag-aagaw ang kahel at lila sa kalangitan tuwing bukangliwayway, pilit niyang ginigising ang sarili—‘di alintana ang paghihirap kapalit ang isang hindi tiyak na hinaharap.

by her sorority, Valerie shares that from the P60,000 ticket sales sold at P200 each, more than 90 percent or P56,000 went to the party’s expenses including payment for the venue, audio and lights, drink mixers, and logistical materials.

Also, parties tend to be exclusive.

If attending parties are equated to advancing socially-relevant advocacies, it seems that one’s ability to pay becomes a prerequisite to participating in forwarding social causes. “[Parties cannot be truly open because] these actually divorce the general public via ticket acquisition costs and elite spaces,” says UP popular culture Prof. Michael Andrada.

Hence, by charging a few hundred for tickets, parties do not enjoin maximum participation in its so-called advocacies.

The support for particular causes that parties purportedly give seems to end once the raised amount is given to its beneficiary.

Participation is again limited to providing finances without critical discernment of the conditions that have spawned such issues to begin with. After

Kyle’s scholarship for instance, exclusively caters to science courses, automatically barring students from other disciplines – who also need financial assistance – to apply.

In 2011, there were at least 30 private scholarships for engineering courses, while there are only 7 private scholarships for courses in the College of Arts and Letters, according to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

Although scholarships indeed provide alternatives, its effects remain to be very limited in addressing the deeper wound of inaccessible education. Hence, the challenge to make education accessible to everyone remains.

As midnight draws near, Ray and Kyle reward themselves with much-deserved rest for enduring the long night of studying that would ensure their stay in UP, while other students not fortunate enough to have scholarships are hexed by expensive tuition rates.

In the end, no spell can decisively destroy the barriers that have made education a privilege than a right, than the ones collectively cast by students.

Hindi na nakapagtatakang malaki ang bilang ng working students sa bansa, lalo’t lumalaki rin ang halaga ng matrikula sa kolehiyo. Sa UP Diliman pa lamang, nakapako na sa P1,500 kada yunit ang tuition ng mga estudyante kung hindi sila pasasailaim sa STFAP o magbibigay-patunay na sila ay mahirap. Sa ganitong lagay, tila nakakaligtaan ng estado ang tungkulin nitong magbigay ng abot-kayang edukasyon, at nagiging solong pasanin ng mga mag-aaral ang pagkamit ng kanilang diploma.

Kahit kabi-kabila ang raket, sinisikap pa rin ni Jhon na magkamit ng matataas na marka. “‘Pag nag-compromise[ako sa] studies, hindi ako makakakuha ng stable na trabaho [sa hinaharap],” aniya.

Ngunit kung tutuusin, mailap ang posibilidad na makahanap ng trabaho ang mga bagong gradweyt.

Sa mahigit 2.8 milyong Pilipinong walang trabaho, halos 1.2 milyon ang nakapagtapos ng edukasyong tersyaryo, ayon sa tala ng National Statistics Office noong Hulyo 2012.

Gayunman, hindi nababahala si Jhon sa kawalan ng trabaho oras na makatapos. “Alam ko ang gravity ng pera at mahirap hanapin ito.

Indeed, new landscapes for advocating social causes have passed in the consciousness of UP students. Parties held by UP students, however, have gone beyond the usual party-till-dawn shindig, and have been infused with forwarding social causes like providing school materials and renovating schools.

Partying is a popular platform for these causes because they are much more enjoyable and comfortable than protesting on the streets, reasons Valerie*, a member of a UP sorority.

The economic principle of utility maximization offers a possible explanation to such behaviors, where students opt for activities that could deliver most returns.

Indeed, in the darkness of such parties, students indulge in booze, dance with strangers and friends alike, as bright and frantic lights prance with no clear logic—all these, while contributing to social causes.

Parties are effective income generators, which organizers claim will be directed to their chosen causes. Although large resources are pooled from ticket sales, such amount also covers the party’s expenses. In a recent party hosted

around P12,780 per month, almost insufficient to cover the P12,000 basic tuition of a bracket C student carrying a 20-unit load.

Furthermore, a family of 5 in NCR needs at least P11,856 a month to live decently, and has only P1,458 for other expenses such as education, according to independent research institution IBON Foundation.

In this backdrop, receiving a scholarship becomes a viable alternative to finance one’s studies, underscoring a convention that has run unquestioned in the country: that education must be paid, and more so, at a hefty price.

After confirming eligibility, submitting requirements, undergoing screening, and passing exams for some, students enter into a two-way deal. In exchange for the scholarship, students are expected to comply with certain conditions such as maintaining a prescribed GWA or render volunteer services.

Besides maintaining the required GWA, Kyle for example, is also spellbound to work in the country after graduation as stipulated in his Department of Science and Technology scholarship.

After all, scholarships are also contracts entered into by students and donors. Scholarships also tend to patronize certain courses, and become selective in nature.

nito upang tustusan ang kanyang matrikula, kahit pa nalipat siya sa Bracket D at naging P7,500 kada semestre ang kanyang tuition.

May scholarship si Jhon, ngunit kinailangan pa rin niyang humanap ng iba’t ibang pagkakakitaan upang makihati sa gastusin nilang magama, at upang maipagpatuloy ang kanyang pag-aaral. Nasubukan na niyang maging tutor sa elementarya at hayskul, lightsman ng isang propesyunal na photographer, tagahatid ng customized T-shirts sa mga kumpanya, at taga-organisa ng events tulad ng kasal at birthday.

“Kung ikukumpara dati, mas stable ang aming kondisyon kaya mas nakaka-focus ako sa pag-aaral,” aniya. Makailang beses na rin niyang sinasalubong ang umaga ngayon nang hindi man lang nakakaidlip para sa P4,000 hanggang P5,000 sweldo kada buwan, aniya.

Ayon sa pinakahuling tala ng Department of Labor and Employment noong Oktubre 2011, halos kalahati, o may 15 milyon sa 35 milyong manggagawa sa Pilipinas ang estudyante. May limang milyon naman sa mga ito ang tulad ni Jhon na nasa kolehiyo.

cards. “Para kung nag-aaral ako, may portable notes” Kyle explains.

Although in different rooms, Ray and Kyle share a common goal at night: to keep their general weighted average (GWA) above 2.00 and 2.75, respectively, to maintain their scholarships.

Ray hails from South Cotabato, and is classified as bracket C under the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program, thus he pays P600 per unit every semester. Last enrolment, Ray’s scholarship paid his P12, 046.50 matriculation for his 20unit load.

In light of his family’s financial situation, where an annual income of P350,000 is barely sufficient to finance his sibling’s college studies in their province, and his older brother’s internship in Manila, Ray’s provincial government scholarship proves to be crucial.

“Sobra na sa income ng parents ko [ang tuition naming tatlo] kaya napaka-importante…ng scholarship…dahil di na ako makakapag-aral sa UP kung wala ito,” Ray explains.

As his case indicates, scholarships provide relief to fortunate recipients.

However, dependence on scholarships is symptomatic of the chronic problem of inaccessible education in the country.

A family residing in the National Capital Region (NCR) with one minimum wage earner has

Hindi natatapos ang araw ni Jhon, 21, sa pagsasara ng dapithapon.

Kasabay ng pagtatalik ng liwanag at dilim, nagmamadaling nililisan ni Jhon ang UP upang magtrabaho. Para sa third year BS Community Development (CD) major, hindi alintana ang araw-araw na pagkayod para lamang matustusan ang kanyang pag-aaral.

Taong 2008 nang unang pumasok si Jhon sa UP bilang Computer Science major.

Bagamat nag-iisang anak, hindi siya lumaking sunod sa layaw. Sapat lamang ang kita ng kanyang mga magulang upang tustusan ang halos P13,000 matrikula niya kada semestre, sa ilalim ng Bracket C ng Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP).

Ngunit nagbago ang kanyang pamumuhay nang mamatay ang kanyang nanay noong 2010.

Tumigil siya sa pag-aaral ng isang semestre, at kalauna’y lumipat sa kursong CD. Dahil hindi regular ang trabaho ng kanyang tatay bilang tutor ng Ingles, hindi na sapat ang kita

Doble kara

A multitude of voices rise in unison. Bodies move to a single rhythm. A collective declaration of freedom charges the atmosphere with energy. Yet this is not a crowd of street protesters under the hot afternoon sun. These are UP students partying

the night away.

After enduring long days of rigorous academic work, it seems fair that UP students be rewarded. And for some, there is no greater reward than a night of freedom – partying, drinking, dancing and having fun.

The proliferation of parties hosted by students based in UP, some assert, concretely indicates the shifting demographics of UP students.

Such an assertion becomes logically sound, especially when considering UP’s historical tradition of activism.

In previous decades, the idea of UP students partying was unthinkable, or at least, was the least expected of a UP student.

Those admitted in the university usually came from financiallychallenged families, who were more concerned with fulfilling basic necessities, than attending expensive occasions.

Especially during martial law, the socialization of UP students came in the form of collective action forwarding social causes, not fulfilling individual whims, says Prof. Judy Taguiwalo, a UP student leader in the 1970s.

Midnight madness

Folklore and bedtime stories tell about creatures of the unknown that lurk in the shadows at dusk. In such tales, creatures of the night are portrayed as menaces, monsters that imperil unsuspecting souls.

Yet night creatures do exist: in dormitory rooms, city streets, leisure houses, call centers, and other places that come alive after the sun has set. They are students who find their daytime hours scarce, students who choose to stretch the limits of time to continue their activities in the ensuing darkness.

They are sons and daughters of the night – studying, working, and partying, while other mortals sleep snugly in their beds. By forsaking rest, these students enter transactions wherein they exchange a few hours of sleep for a ticket to redemption from the real monsters they face during the day – grades to be maintained, bills to pay, families to feed.

For in a society governed by capital, the struggle for survival has pushed its own boundaries way beyond twilight. It rages on into the wee hours of starless nights.

Creatures of the night

sweat is exuded, dance floors cleaned, and party halls emptied, problems like child exploitation or lack of classrooms will continue to prevail, unless its root causes are addressed.

As such, the potential of parties in advancing social causes cannot be likened to mass demonstrations. In the streets, participation of individuals goes beyond financial contributions; they are asked to invest time, effort and dedication to register their dissent. In exchange for the individual’s selflessness, broad gains become possible to achieve, says Andrada.

Surely, nobody holds the monopoly of activities which have “worthy” causes, as parties and rallies are not entirely irreconcilable. In fact, no logistical barriers exist between the two, as demonstrations are often held during the day, and parties at night.

Faced with threats that hound UP and society however, the track record of time-honored means shall always outshine any other alternatives, and bring the brightest light in times of darkness and uncertainty. *not her real name

Huwebes 29 Nobyembre 2012

LATHALAIN

G THE RECENT AGES BECOME OTTEN AS NEW

OPINYON KULTURA Miyerkules 27 Hunyo Huwebes 2012 29 Nobyembre 2012

IMAGES OF BABIES WITH crushed skulls, young girls with torn limbs, and young boys halfburied in the rubble have been circulating online since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas targets in Gaza on November 14.

The operation was named after an Exodus passage describing a pillar of cloud protecting the Israelites in their desert journey. The original goal of Operation Pillar of Defense was to cripple Hamas’ rocket-launching capability against Israel.

The conflict is not only a war of ideals and territory but has become a battle for world attention. Both camps utilized the Internet, specifically Twitter and Facebook, in an attempt to gain international sympathy.

Gruesome photos of dead children grace the aftermath of Israel’s attacks on Gaza. The shocking effect these images produced highlights the power of imagemaking in propaganda.

To fight off the impotence of sympathy, our indignation must be armed with action. To act is the only effective way to respond to what the photograph shows.

Poster child Images of children are a common tool in propaganda and politics.

In 1977, American conservative Anita Bryant’s “Save our Children” campaign against the passing of anti-discrimination rights in Florida relied heavily on the idea of protecting children against the onslaught of homosexuality.

Currently, both sides of the Reproductive Health Bill camps use children in their campaigns.

The Anti-RH side chose the image of a fetus, while the Pro-RH side used the image of children living in poverty. Moreover, Senator Tito Sotto recently claimed that Diane pills used by his wife in 1975 caused his son’s death.

According to Bayer Pharma, Diane pills were introduced in the market in 1978, three years after the death of Sotto’s son.

Children caught in conflict or in dire social conditions have been central to some of the most iconic images in history. Lewis Hine’s photographs of child laborers working in glass factories and mills prompted changes in labor laws in the United States during the early 1900s.

The anti-Vietnam War poster entitled “And Babies” shows

PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHILDREN CAUGHT IN THE GAZA CONFLICT HAVE BEEN WIDELY SHARED IN SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING THE RECENT CONFLICT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE. THESE IMAGES BECOME PART OF OUR COLLECTIVE MEMORY, ONLY TO BE FORGOTTEN AS NEW EVENTS UNFOLD AND NEW IMAGES ARE PRODUCED.

massacred women and children—some partly naked—in the My Lai Massacre. The campaign, according to American historian M. Paul Holsinger, was the “most successful poster to vent the outrage that so many felt about the conflict in Southeast Asia.”

Images of suffering, especially of children, aim to pique the viewers’ sympathy, arousing a shared sense of injustice. In the shared sense, these individual memories contribute to the collective memory.

Childhood memories Images are important in the construction of memories. As English art critic John Berger observed, the camera, as a mechanical device that enabled the capture of images, also contributed to the creation of a living memory.

Photographs that belong to private experience are appreciated and read in continuity, surrounded with meaning based on the moment from which it was removed.

Meanwhile, a public photograph usually encapsulates an event, a set of appearances frozen in time, which, according to Berger “has nothing to do with the readers or with the original meaning of the event.” What it offers is information removed from lived experience, the memory of an unknowable stranger.

Inasmuch as it lacks continuity, Berger adds that “public photographs remind us of the lived reality behind the abstractions of political theory, casualty statistics, and news bulletins.” As the image of children running away from a napalm attack showed the grim reality of the Vietnam War, so do the images of dead children attest to the gravity of the recent conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Throughout the week, images of dead babies from Gaza circulated online through

various social media. Public photographs that attest to the recent conflict in the Middle East have invaded spheres of socialization, thereby penetrating the realm of the personal.

Images of children are often associated with collective memories of childhood, with innocence, and with hope for the future. This is also why images of children are often used to address sentiments against war, conflict, and societal changes that threaten the peace and the status quo. When the welfare of children is threatened, it is also deemed to threaten the future of humanity.

Such sweeping generalizations and appeals to human emotion tend to misdirect the public’s understanding of certain issues.

While sympathy for the unfortunate circumstances of children seems to be a valid reaction, our response to their plight should not be limited to the realm of emotion.

Save our children Seeing the images of children and their plight, “we” are drawn into the conflict—“we,” the noncombatants, the ones “regarding their agony from a safe distance.” As American writer Susan Sontag observed, the pain of others intrigues people, if only at a safe distance—victims of

tragedy are always people that they do not know. They see their pain, but they do not necessarily feel it.

Images of suffering invite the obligatory sense of sympathy and indignation. But a picture’s “visceral impact” is not its meaning, nor is it always part of the intention. It remains part of a rhetoric, and the sentiments it elicits serve strategic uses.

Without the proper context, photographs could only “speak” so much on their own.

As with the images from the recent Gaza conflict, lacking context, there is the risk of mistaking the combatants with the civilians, like images of Israeli and Syrian children for Palestinians.

This inevitable confusion with images has been used by both the IDF and Hamas in garnering international sympathy for their plight.

Sympathy, inasmuch as it is deemed deep and universal, prove to be inadequate. As Sontag observes, “So far as we feel sympathy, we feel we are not accomplices to what caused the

suffering. Our sympathy proclaims our innocence as well as our impotence.”

On the other hand, our sense of indignation makes us question and move beyond our incapability to intervene. To fight off the impotence of sympathy, our indignation must be armed with action. To act is the only effective way to respond to what the photograph shows.

Merely looking at and sharing photos of dead babies online reduce suffering to an act of consumption, forgotten once the news feed refreshes.

This fleeting nature of sharing images is in essence a failure of the public sphere of photography.

Whether one acts on or shrugs off the sense of indignation brought about by shared images of suffering, Berger argues that “the issue of the war which has

caused that moment is effectively depoliticised.”

Photographs, no matter how iconic they might be, have never been able to change the world on their own. With the surplus of images available for visual consumption on a daily basis, photos that were once integral to our memories fade away with the coming of new headlines, conflicts and administrations.

Yet, photos have been instrumental in arresting people’s attention to the things that matter.

Images are free-floating in our minds, waiting to be understood and acted upon. These images, as with our memories, are constantly being pieced together in our struggle to remember and be remembered.

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KULTURA Huwebes 29 Nobyembre 2012

LAKAS TAMA

PRINSESA

OPINYON Huwebes 29 Nobyembre 2012

LUMAKI AKO SA KASABIHANG hindi kailanman maikakasal ang mga dalagang napagliligpitan ng plato. Minsan, kumakain kami ng kaibigan ko nang napagligpitan ko siya nang hindi sinasadya. “Naku, ikaw ang sisisihin ko kapag hindi matuloy ang same sex marriage sa Pilipinas,” sabi niya sa akin.

Hindi ko lubos mailagay ang sarili sa kalagayang mga pinggan at iba pang kasangkapan sa bahay ang magiging batayan ko sa pag-ibig. Sa panahon ngayon, hindi naman mahalaga kung sino ang napagligpitan basta ba’y maganda o gwapo, mabait at matalino—at siyempre, dapat pasok sa sexual preference.

Kung tutuusin, wala naman akong karelasyon. Masaya naman ako na ganito pero sabi nila, mas masaya raw umibig. Siguro hindi lang talaga ako pasok sa opisyal na rubrics ng pag-ibig, o baka hindi ko pa lang talaga natatagpuan ang The One. Ang paghahanap sa The One ay parang paghahanap ng perfect match sa iyong natatanging DNA pattern. Siya ang maalamat na nilalang na naatasan kang hanapin sa mundong ibabaw.

Ngunit taliwas sa ideyang espesyal, natatangi at nag-iisa ang The One ng bawat isa, sa katunaya’y may pagkakatulad ang mga pantasya natin ng romansa.

Pagpapatiwakal 101 Nitong mga nakaraang araw, muling nabuhayan ang lupon ng kababaihan sa kasalang Zoren at Carmina. Sino ba naman ang may ayaw ng production number at cherry blossoms sa isang wedding proposal? Sa gabing iyon, nagmistula silang prinsipe’t prinsesa na magsasama at mag-iibigan habambuhay. Dahil napa-ibig din nila ang sambayanan sa kanilang kwento, muling

Ngunit taliwas sa ideyang espesyal, natatangi at nag-iisa ang The One ng bawat isa, sa katunaya’y may pagkakatulad ang mga pantasya natin ng romansa. humigpit ang rubrics para sa pag-ibig na tunay at wagas.

Hindi nalalayo sa mga kinalakhan kong Disney fairy tales ang kuwento ng mga prinsesang inililigtas ng kanilang mga prinsipe. Dito, nakasuot ang mga kababaihan ng magagarbong damit habang naghihintay sa kani-kanilang tore. Samantala, ang mga

prinsesa naman ng Studio Ghibli ay abala sa pagtatanggol sa kanikanilang mga kababayan.

Sa huli, babalik pa rin tayo sa mundong nakagisnan natin kung saan ang pag-ibig ay may badyet at ang forever ay may hangganan.

Ang kahulugan ng pag-ibig ay patuloy na hinuhubog ng mass media at nilalako sa ating mga pantasya.

Pero paano ang “happily ever after” para sa dalawang prinsipeng nagmamahalan?

Magpapahaba na lang ba sila ng buhok sa tore at maghihintay sa kung sinong magngangahas na umakyat dito?

Ang kasal nga ba ang patunay ng tunay at wagas na pag-ibig?

Marami-raming pinggan pa ang kailangan basagin. Magiging maingay, hindi lamang ang mass media kundi pati ang mismong kongreso sa daing ng pagpapalaya sa pagibig. Tila nagpapatong-patong na ang mga palisiya tulad ng Divorce Bill at RH Bill na daig pa ang pace ng mga telenobela sa pagproseso.

Sa mundong magulo at masalimuot, patuloy lamang ang paghahanap sa kahulugan ng pag-ibig.

Bagamat marami ang nabibiktima nito at umuuwing sawi, patuloy pa ring umiibig ang mga tao. Patuloy na may bumubuhay sa salitang pag-ibig na kailanma’y hindi magagapos sa “happily ever after.”

WALANG UWIAN HINDI KO NA ALAM KUNG ANONG hitsura ng bahay namin.

Mahigit sa isang linggo na kasi akong hindi umuuwi. Ilang araw na rin akong kinakapos sa pera, pagkain, at paligo. Buti na lang mababait ang mga kaibigan ko, isang text ko lang sa kanila pwede na akong makikain ng hapunan, makipaligo, at makitulog sa mga bahay nila. Ilang sofa at kutson na rin ang napalundo ko dahil sa kabigatan ko, pero mukhang ayos lang naman sa kanila iyon basta hindi ako natutulog sa sahig.

Kung walang ibang mapuntahan, nandyan lang din naman ang opisina—maluwag, malinis, air conditioned, tagpuan ng matatalino at magagandang nilalang, pero konting tiis nga lang kapag walang tubig sa banyo at kailangang palayasin si Mang Romy.

Minsan iniisip ko, hindi ako dapat nagtataray kay Mang Romy kasi pareho lang naman kami—mga palaboy na may bahay at pamilya na ayaw uwian. May pamilya pa si Mang Romy, at minsan nag-iipon siya ng barya para sa pamasahe pauwi ng Anonas. Pero mas pinipili niyang manatili sa 4th floor ng Vinzons, sa opisina namin kung saan lagi din naman siyang itinataboy.

Hindi naman sa itinataboy din ako ng mga kasama ko sa opisina,

pero may bahay at pamilya din ako na ayaw kong uwian. Lagi’t lagi akong tinatanong ng nanay ko kung uuwi ako, at lagi’t lagi ko ring sinasabi na uuwi ako mamaya kahit hindi ko naman ginagawa.

Linawin ko lang a. Hindi naman ako galit sa nanay ko, at hindi naman kami nag-away. Ayaw ko lang talagang umuwi. Pakiramdam ko kasi minsan, wala namang puwang para sa akin sa sarili kong bahay.

Buti pa sa opisina nakakatulog ako sa sofa nang matiwasay, samantalang sa bahay, naitutulak pa ako paalis ng kama.

Kung wala din naman akong puwang sa mundo mo, hindi ko na ipagsisiksikan ang sarili ko

Pasensiya na, parang ang babaw ng dahilan ko. Mahalaga kasi sa akin ang espasyo. Kung wala din naman akong puwang sa mundo mo, hindi ko na ipagsisiksikan ang sarili ko. Kaya mas masaya rin ako sa pagiging palaboy ko, ang dami kong nadidiskubreng puwang na

malugod ang pagtanggap sa akin, kahit panandalian lang. Hindi man ako nagtatagal sa isang lugar, lagi naman akong bumabalik.

Kaya naman baka umuwi din ako mamaya pagkatapos kong magsulat.

Nakikita ko na ang mga napipintong pagsalubong. Pagbukas ko ng gate, matutumba ng aso ko ang mga paso ng oregano sa harap ng bahay sa kanyang pagpupumilit na lumapit sa akin. Ang kapatid ko, may nakapasak na earphones sa tenga kaya hindi man lang mapapansin ang aking pagdating.

Ang nanay ko, kung hindi man tulog, nasa harap ng kanyang laptop at nag-aayos ng mga numero sa spread sheet.

“O, umuwi na ‘yung galing Dubai, batiin niyo naman.”

Pero alam kong wala namang ibang babati sa akin kundi ang aso ko, ang nanay ko, at mga butiki sa kisame. Ilalapag ko ang bag ko sa sahig, at saka unti-unti kong lilinisin ang kama. Tila nga wala nang puwang para sa akin sa sarili kong tahanan, pero fuck that, there’s still no place like home.

MINSANG NAGING usap-usapan sa Kulê kung ano nga ba ang pinakamainam na paraan ng pagpapatiwakal. At kapag sinabing mainam, hindi lang basta convenient, o hindi masakit, o mabilis gawin. Kailangan cool—iyong tipong matatadyakan sa mukha ang lahat ng nilalang na makakarinig sa kuwento.

Sabi nga ni Ernest Hemingway, “Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”

Totoo. Pero lagi namang mas interesanteng pag-usapan ang mga wala kaysa sa nariyan. Kinikilig ako tuwing tinatalunton ang posibilidad ng ‘di maiiwasang pagdalaw ni Kamatayan.

Ibang usapan na nga lang kapag ikaw ang nag-summon sa sarili mong katapusan. Parang ‘yung ginawa ni Sylvia Plath, isa sa mga paborito kong manunulat. Maraming teorya kung ano nga ba ang tunay na insidente ng kanyang pagkamatay.

Ang tanging malinaw: isang oven ang kumitil sa buhay niya.

Batay sa pinakatanyag na kuwento, ipinasok ni Mareng Sylvia ang ulo niya sa oven at doon naghintay hanggang sa mawalan siya ng malay. O ‘di ba astig?

Pero sabi naman ng ilan, binuksan lang niya ang oven at isinara ang lahat ng pinto at bintana sa kusina. Hindi niya isinuksok ang ulo niya sa kung saan. Sa halip, hinintay lang niyang malason siya sa carbon monoxide.

Tiyak kong malungkot na nilalang si Mareng Sylvia—kaya ko siya naging paborito. Tanong nga niya, “Is anyone anywhere happy?” Sino ba nga naman ang tunay na masaya sa mundo. Siyempre may mga magmamaganda, magsasabing kuntento sila, na masaya sila sa kung ano mang nagaganap sa kani-kanilang mga buhay.

Pero nilikha ang tao para mag-asam at mangarap, para hanapin ang mga bagay na hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon ay posibleng mayapos sa palad. Pero sige, walang basagan ng trip. Hayaan na lang natin silang magpanggap.

Mabalik tayo sa usapan. Interesante rin ang pagkamatay ni Maningning Miclat. Ikinuwento lang ito sa akin ng dating propesor na naging kaibiganslash-kainuman. Sabi niya, tumalon daw si Mareng Maningning mula sa pinakamataas na palapag ng building kung saan siya nagtuturo. Pero may twist: patalikod siyang tumalon. Hindi niya tanaw ang sementong sasalo sa kanya. Nang hinayaan niya ang sariling mahulog, ang langit ang huli niyang nakita.

Nang marinig ko ‘yun, natahimik ako. Wow. Iba talaga ang trip ng mga makata. Hanggang sa kamatayan, gusto nilang magpaka-matalinghaga.

Second nature na siguro ng mga manunula ang pagiging senti ano?

Nariyan si Virginia Woolfe na naglagay ng maraming bato sa bulsa at nagpalunod sa ilog. Si Ernest Hemingway na nagbaril sa bunganga, si Anne Sexton na nagkulong sa kotse at nilason ang sarili sa usok ng tambutso.

Ilang beses ko na ring pinag-isipan ang iba’t ibang kick-ass na pamamaalam sa mundo. Pwede akong tumalon mula sa umaandar na Jungle Log Jam. Pwede ko ring hukayin ang sariling mga mata gamit ang kutsara.

Death by pancit canton diet. Death by a thousand and one Marlboro reds. Death by loving too much.

Marami pa. Singdami ng dahilan para piliin na lamang na maglaho. Sabi nga ni Pepsi Paloma sa kanyang suicide note, “This is a crazy planets.”

www.philippinecollegian.org

Eksenang Peyups

Textback

Ano sa tingin mo ang solusyon sa umiiral na gera ngayon sa pagitan ng mga Israeli at

Maliban sa alak at yosi, ano pang bisyo ang gusto mong

Palestinian?

Maliban sa alak at yosi, ang isa pang bisyo na gusto kong patawan ng buwis ay PAGMAMAHAL. :)) Para maiwasan ang pagkasawi ng mga inosenteng puso! :) 1120658 dapat lagyan ng buwis ang mga nagfuFuBu(friends with benefits) 0903758 ba as Dapat po may buwis na binabayaran yung mga conyo! Para makatulong sila sa bayan haha.

Afan BSCE 11-09214 PAMBABABAE. (Or panlalalake? Pangangaliwa.) Mas malalang bisyo ‘yan kesa sa alak at yosi. Cheers~ para sa pag-unlad ng Pilipinas! 2011-55343 H/BSFT DOTA po ..ahaha 2012-52110 Pambababae. Masamang bisyo yan eh. 200702057 DOTA. 201207893 di ba po sin tax naman? ba’t ndi lagyan ng tax ang paggamit ng mga motel para sa mga nag-... ayun and maybe isama na din ung iba pang sins tulad ng pagiging matakaw. buwisan sa

Hello kuya Kevin Gomez. :D solusyon po ba sa gera? LOVE! :) 201217277 Red Bs Math ang tingin ko po na magandang solusyon para sa panibagong giyera sa gaza ay ang pasikretong pagsponsor ng u.s.-israeli bloc sa isang coup o katulad nun para makabuo ng autonomist faction na kokontra sa ruling faction ng hamas at fatah. that way, they’d be too busy with their internal affairs to attack israel again. 2012-21271 Al Raposas BA Hist kailangan nila ng intervention!

Pero hindi sa paraan ng eeeeow dugsh o ratatatat. Matagal nang problema ang pangaabuso ng mga israeli (pinipigilan ang ilang resources na makapasok sa mga palestino). Na-warfreak siguro dahil sa WW2. UN na dapat ang gumawa ng treaty sa pagitan ng dalawang bansa para pigilan ang terrorism na tinawag na “selfdefense”. 2012-62655 ella

patawan ng buwis?

Wala na bang kultura sa up?

pamamagitan ng fasting. wala lang. haha. 2012-21271 dota, dami na kasing naaadik dun 12-12115 BS ECE Dapat ng buwis ang pagkain ng sobrang junkfoods lasalle croomwell manalo bsece Pakiusap, lagyan ng buwis ang Pambababae! UPDEPP 11-49410 APsych MARIJUANA. Kung legal, regulated, at taxed iyon gaganda ang buhay. Pramis hahahahaha 201278832 Sam milby cfa Ung friend ko.. Bad3p ngiging bisyo ko na siya.. Kelangan na syang lagyan ng buwis, baka skaling tumigil ako sa nraramdaman ko skanya.. T.T 2010-50663

Comments Lekat! Bakit b ang daming may lablayp na? Napag-iiwana n b talaga ako ng mundo? RC Guerrero i know that feeling! 2012-22793 EM SMPF comment lang po sa pushing the offensive article. actually, kung BABALIKAN ANG KASAYSAYAN, ang mga palestinian ay ang mga dayuhan sa israel. nag-

simula lang dumami ang mga muslim sa gaza dahil sa pagkatalo ng europa sa crusades. then naging bahagi ang israel ng ottoman empire. tapos, ang mga british na ginawang protectorate ang bahaging iyon ang nagpangalan na palestine, mula sa pangalan ng matagal nang kaaway ng mga hudyo, ang mga philistines. bago pa po nasakop ng babylon ang jerusalem nung 586 b.c. sa mga hudyo talaga ang lupaing un. 2012-21271 Al Raposas BA Hist

Next week’s questions: 1. Kapag naipasa ang FOI Bill, anong dokumento ang una mong hihingin?

2. Kung madudugtungan pa ang ruta ng monorail sa UP, hanggang saan mo ito gustong umabot?

Key in KULE <space> MESSAGE <space> COMPLETE STUDENT NUMBER <required> NAME AND COURSE (optional) and send to

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Newscan “Satisfy your cultural cravings” Join International Club of UP! Applicant’s orientation on December 4, 5:30 PM, at Room 210 Vinzons Hall. For inquiries, contact Karen at 09175312306 or visit us on our Facebook Page http://www.facebook. com/theicup.

Remembering Bonifacio: From Nationalism to Nationalist Economics In cooperation with UP CMC, Associate Dean’s Office of UP College of Science and the Bonifacio 150 Committee, IBON Foundation, CNS UP Diliman, UP Solidaridad Sytemwide, and Agham-Youth UP cordially invites you to “Remembering Bonifacio: from the relevance of nationalism to the need for nationalist economics.”

A forum on November 28, 2012 at UP College of Mass Communication Auditorium (Press Freedom Hall), 2 PM. See you there!

Opportunity: An Eng’g Icon Interactive Seminar Eng’g Icon Interactive Seminar Series presents: “Opportunity” with guest speaker Mr. Francisco Colayco of Colayco Foundation Inc. on November 29 at Engineering Theater, Melchor Hall. Registration starts at 3:30 PM. To the 300 attendees of the first seminar, don’t forget that you still have the chance to win a 5th Generation iPod Touch, a 500GB external hard drive, or an iPod Shuffle!!!

UP REPERTORY (UP REP) GOES ON TOUR!

Sumali sa Kultura section ng Kule.

Pumunta saRoom 401 ng Vinzon’s Hall at magdala ng dalawang bluebook at ballpen. Kitakits!

Aminin niyo, namiss niyo kami! At dahil namiss niyo kami, siyempre, namiss din namin kayo. Diba, sabi namin marami kaming pasabog na inihanda para sa inyo, kaya ngayon, iisa-isahin na naming itong pasasabugin! Ito na ang early Christmas gift namin sa inyo, ang UP REP GOES ON TOUR! Not couture but on tour! I-block niyo na sa mga kalendaryo niyo ang mga araw na ito: November 27 (Kalayaan and Molave Residence Halls – 7 PM), November 28 (Yakal, Ipil and Ilang-Ilang Residence Halls – 7 PM), and November 29 (Kamia and Sampaguita Residence Halls – 7 PM). Kitakits!

Deh kilitian ng tchinggil edishun!

Hello mga teh, beks, mudras, papabooms, bellas, and all muchachos out there! It’s so hot in this season as in papalapit na ang Christmas but we’re still like in summer. Aside from our tchinggils getting fried and your namamawis na singit, umaapaw din sa hot jizz ang season na itey!

Tchinggil #1 Gedhz! As if ateng amalayer went out of popularity this weekend. Oh no no no, ang mga shadows ng kanyang naguumapaw na galit spurted in our Kulutera office! As in mader, sa sobrang white ng lie ng one of the curly jeditors, yah know caught in the act ang kanyang uber malagim na lihim. ‘Coz this koyang ay nagpabili ng Mongol # 2 one Sunday afternoon, nang biglang magtaka ang isang Kulutera girl and suddenly realized he’s a LAEr! Ugh, koyang walang malapot na lihim ang hindi nabubunyag. Hihihi.

Tchinggil # 2 Sinetch namang koyang itey ang biglang nagthree drops underneath nang makita ang kanyang uber crush na koyang from the machikang college?

As in three drops na pang-gondola sa Venice ang peg! Eto naman si koyang crush natalo pa si Gaga sa pagka-Pokerface ng peg. Nakow patulan na bago sumabog ang mga hot desires. You know, it’s so hard kung sinusuppress.

Tchinggil # 3 At para sa uber pasabog ng araw na ito, may kuyang nagpasabog din ng kanyang puting kasa across the beki kingdom! Gedhz, who is this koyang asking for a chupa-chups hidden sa isang secret number. Beware, baka may crabs. Or the Big HIV for more!

Hay kakalurkey ang week na ditey! As in, nararamdaman ko na ang paglipad ulit ng mga chichibelles in the next few weeks.

Can’t wait to see them! Asus teh, I know ‘wag ka nang magpademure, two weeks to go before the birds fly across the University of the Pilipenis. Be ready and spurt your tchinggil!

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OPINYON Huwebes 29 Nobyembre 2012

DAPITHAPON NANG BUMABA ANG LALAKING MAY TABAK MULA SA MONUMENTO. NAGITGIT NG NAGMAMADALING MGA KATAWAN, NABUSINAHAN SA PAGLALAKAD SA MALING TAWIRAN. SA PAGLINGON-LINGON, AGAD NIYANG NAMALAS ANG NANGYARI, ITONG KINAHINATNAN. MAY PANLULUMO SA MATA NG LALAKI, BITBIT ANG NAUPOS NA PAG-ASA MULA SA SIGLONG LUMIPAS. TILA WALANG BOSES ANG NG PUMAIMBABAW SA INGAY NITONG BAGONG LUNGSOD—ANG MISMONG INGAY NA GUMISING SA NAHIHIMBING NA REBOLUSYONARYO. PATULOY ANG DAGSA NG MGA TAO. SA NGAYON ANG TABAK AY NAKABABA AT NAGHIHINTAY, NAKAKUYOM SA PALAD, HANDA SA PAG-UNDAY.