Philippine Collegian Issue 10-11

3

Tuition loans hit 24-year high

Balita

6

UP admin, students baulk at planned ‘free’ bus service

Balita

The Catch:

10

A look at scholarships and the strings attached

Lathalain

7

2

OPINYON

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

Pantawid-gutom PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN TILA HANDA SA PIYESTA ang nasyunal na badyet para sa taong 2014. Ngunit tulad ng nakagawian, isang malaking bandehado ang ihahapag sa iilan habang kailangang magtiis sa maliliit na rasyon ang mga kabataa’t estudyante.

Nadagdagan man ang inihaing badyet para sa buong sektor ng edukasyon sa susunod na taon, kakapusan pa rin ang malalasap ng mga State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).

Sa kabuuang P389.5 bilyon para sa edukasyon, P34.7 bilyon lamang ang inilaan para sa 110 SUCs ng bansa—sadyang napakalayo sa P50 bilyong inaasam ng mga SUCs. Tila ba inaasahan ng gobyerno na ang kakapiranggot na P1.9 billion na idinagdag sa badyet ng edukasyon ngayong taon ay sapat na para punan ang pangangailangan ng mga SUCs. Idinahilan pa ng administrasyong Aquino na mayroon namang pandagdagpanahog sa mga SUCs mula sa lumpsum items ng Commision on Higher Education (CHED) sa badyet nito. Sa panahon na talamak ang isyu ng pork barrel, binigyan pa ang CHED ng P6.047 billlion sa anyo ng unprogrammed funds para sa taong 2014.

Sa 110 SUCs sa bansa, 79 ang gugutumin ng pambansang badyet sa susunod na taon,

91 YEARS

2013 - 2014 Punong Patnugot Julian Inah Anunciacion Kapatnugot Victor Gregor Limon Patnugot sa Balita Keith Richard Mariano Patnugot sa Grapiks Ysa Calinawan Tagapamahala ng Pinansiya Gloiza Rufina Plamenco Panauhing Patnugot Piya Constantino Margaret Yarcia Mga Kawani Mary Joy Capistrano Ashley Marie Garcia Kimberly Ann Pauig Jiru Nikko Rada Emmanuel Jerome Tagaro

kasama ang UP na nakatakdang dadanas ng P1.4 bilyon na kaltas sa pondo.

Ginagawang palusot ngayon ng administrasyong Aquino ang pandagdag-sahog sa badyet ng SUCs sa porma ng lumpsum items sa badyet ng Commision on Higher Education (CHED)—na para bang ito na ang magsasalba

EDITOR’S PICK

As part of its 91st year of critical and fearless journalism, the Philippine Collegian relives history through the lens of definitive photographs chronicling events that helped shape the face of a nation.

In 2004, protesters took to the the streets of Morayta their dissent over the huge disparity between the budget allocated for education and foreign debt servicing under the Arroyo administration. Ten years hence, under Benigno Aquino III’s presidency, state universities and colleges continue to receive a dismal budget.

FED UP Photo by Rouelle Umali October 1, 2004

sa kakulangang tinatamo ng mga SUCs. Sa halip na direktang ipantustos sa mga SUCs, inilalagak ito sa pondong tila panlimos sa mga nangangailangang mga eskwelahan. Sapagkat sa katunayan, hindi nakabubusog ang matatanggap na badyet ng mga SUCs at muli silang mapipilitan na humanap ng paraan upang maitawid ang buong taon.

Sa UP, halimbawa ang sunodsunod na mga tuition hikes at pagpapaupa sa mga pribadong kompanya ng mga lupain ng pamantasan. Ang UP-Ayala Town Center, na dating kinatatayuan ng UPIS, ay halimbawa ng mga espasyong sanang tatangkilik sa interes ng mga estudyante ngunit inihahain na lamang sa dambuhalang tiyan ng mga kapitalista para lamang madagdagan ang kakarampot na badyet ng pamantasan.

Sa lahat ng ito, ipinapakita na ganap nang sanay ang administrasyon ni Aquino na tagain ang badyet ng mga batayang serbisyong panlipunan tulad ng sektor ng edukasyon.

Mas lalong pinasasahol pa ang ganitong resipe ng state abandonment sa pagpapatibay ng ganitong kalakaran sa pamamagitan ng Roadmap for Public Higher Education

Reform (RPHER). Sa ilalim ng RPHER, ibabatay ang paglalaan ng karagdagang badyet batay sa output na nalilikha ng bawat SUC. Sa loob ng ganitong programa, matagumpay ngayong pinagbabangga ng RPHER ang mga SUC sa kapwa SUC para mag-agawan sa pira-pirasong badyet sa edukasyon.

Malinaw na ang pambansang badyet ay sadyang inihain para sa mga naglalaway na bibig ng mga pulitiko at tusong inilalayo sa mga nag-aalborotong sikmura ng sambayanang Pilipino.

Habang abala ang administrasyong Aquino sa pagluluto ng pambansang badyet na muling magsisilbi lamang upang busugin ang interes ng iilan, kumakalam naman ang sikmura ng mga batayang sektor na siyang dapat na nakikinabang sa kaban ng bayan.

Sa gitna ng patuloy na panggigipit sa sektor ng edukasyon at iba pang batayang serbisyong panlipunan, nalalapit na naman ang panahong muling kakalampagin ng protesta ang mga lansangan.

Sa mga darating na araw at linggo, walang ibang aasahan ang rehimeng ito mula sa hanay ng kabataa’t estudyante kundi ang mas maigting at mas malawakang mga kampanya laban sa mga kalabisang ginagahaman ng iilan. ∞

Pinansiya Amelyn Daga Tagapamahala sa Sirkulasyon Paul John Alix Sirkulasyon Gary Gabales Amelito Jaena Glenario Ommamalin Mga Katuwang na Kawani Trinidad Gabales Gina Villas 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 Online pkule1314@gmail.com www.philippinecollegian.org fb.com/philippinecollegian twitter.com/kule1314 Ukol sa Pabalat Litrato ni John Keithley Difuntorum

BALITA

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

3

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

Tuition loans hit 24-year high 1,600

1,305

1,400

1,071 1,015 1,118 1,180

1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 -

Arra Francia

1,444 1,376

1,423 1,330

1,216

1,273 1,343

1,126 1,112

1,142

1,416

1,519

1,410

1,398

1,409

1,529 1,472

1,490 1,340

-

1991

106

1992

108

1993

112

1994

119

137 138

1995

1996

184

224 212

1997

214

1998

191

1999 2000 2001

2002

3,000 2,500 2,000

1,336 1,227

1,500

2712

1,161 1,088

1,000

1,022 994

920 886

500

839

118

797 1,235

1,134 1,450

1,542 1,869

2,036 2248

2965

2251 2372

107

-

83

2003

68

2004

75

2005

2006

2007

172

262 293 359

2008

307

2009 2010 2011

2012 2013

Number of Student Loan Applicants from 1991-2013

Hundreds of students lining up for tuition loans have become a familiar scene in UP Diliman (UPD) every enrolment.

This semester, however, the lines are longer than ever (see sidebar).

As of July 30, a total of 2,965 students have applied for tuition loans, amounting to around P39.9 million. This has been the highest number of students applying for tuition loans in the last 24 years, based on data obtained from the Office of Scholarships and Student Services (OSSS).

Prior to the 300-percent tuition increase and the subsequent restructuring of the university’s Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) in 2007, an average of 1,253 students only depended on tuition loans, amounting to P6.3 million at the most, every semester.

The average number of students applying for tuition loans has since increased by 47 percent to 1,836 in the regular semesters, according to OSSS data.

Currently, UPD students pay as much as P22,500 for a 15-unit credit load and another P2,000 for miscellaneous fees under Bracket A, dubbed as the “millionaire’s bracket.”

Though UP President Alfredo Pascual issued on May 21 a memorandum which allows administrators to approve loans of up to 100 percent worth of assessed fees, previous guidelines allow first and second year UPD students to

borrow up to 70 percent of their total assessed fees.

Third year and graduating students may borrow up to 80 percent, while graduate and law students may borrow up to 85 percent. Students must pay their loans a month before the final exams including a 6-percent interest per annum.

The increasing number of students applying for tuition loans only shows how inaccessible UP has become to the poor despite the university’s STFAP, according to UP Student Regent Krista Iris Melgarejo.

In previous interviews with the Collegian, Pascual had a different take on the increasing number of students applying for loans. A number of students supposedly avail of loans because of a mismatch in their family’s income flow and the mode of payment in UP. Yet, around one to six percent of student-borrowers have been unable to pay tuition in the last seven years, based on OSSS data. In the previous semester alone, 6.58 percent or 167 of the total 2,539 student-borrowers were cleared of their loans.

Meanwhile, four months before another enrollment comes, only 70 out of the total 2,965 students who availed of tuition loans this semester have settled their loans for the semester.

“Kailangan nating labanan ang komersyalisasyon ng edukasyon bilang nilalayo nito ang kabataan sa kanilang karapatan sa edukasyon sa pamamagitan ng mataas na tuition,” said Melgarejo. ∞

On Board

Reports on the August 30 BOR Meeting Franz Christian Irorita The Board of Regents (BOR) failed to decide on the proposed revision of the UP System Code, the renaming of the College of Business Administration (CBA) and the contested policy of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in admitting patients during the Board’s 1290th meeting on August 30.

The proposed changes in certain provisions of the UP Code and the issues arising from the renaming of CBA to Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business (VSB) have already been presented for the Board’s action in the previous meetings of UP’s highest policy-making body.

Proposed UP Code revision The Board has deferred deliberations on the proposed changes in Articles 327, 330, 430 and 432 of the UP Code until its next meeting in September.

The said UP Code provisions specify the matriculation policies of the university. Article 330, for instance, states that students, who have yet to pay for their tuition, shall not be admitted to class.

The Justice for Kristel Alliance proposed amendments to the Code following the death of a UP Manila student in March. Kristel Tejada committed suicide after she was forced to file a leave of absence due to unpaid fees.

The Office of the UP President, however, created a separate committee to review the provisions of the UP Code and recommend changes.

‘Cesar E.A. Virata’ School of Business On April 12, the BOR approved the renaming of the college to VSB after Marcos’ prime minister from 1981 to 1986. The renaming of CBA, however, drew flak because of Virata’s associations with the Marcos administration.

Staff Regent Anna Razel Ramirez and Regent Reynato Puno first questioned the renaming of the college in the Board’s July 29 meeting, after receiving negative feedback from UP alumni. With the

issue held in abeyance, confusion on how the college should be addressed in its official communications and transactions have become a concern to its constituents.

The Board, however, will not decide on the renaming of the CBA until a comprehensive consultation with the college’s students, faculty and staff is held.

All constituents of the CBA, especially the students, should become active and vigilant during these consultations, said Student Regent Krista Melgarejo.

UP-PGH policy The student regent called the Board’s attention to UP-PGH’s

policy in admitting non-UP Manila students. In a memorandum issued last year, the PGH administration required students from other UP units to pay an initial amount before they could be admitted to the Infirmary.

President Alfredo Pascual said the issue has already been resolved.

However, the Office of the Student Regent will still conduct a separate investigation, said Melgarejo. ∞

4

BALITA

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

Student leaders, youth solon slam CHEd ‘pork’ Hans Christian Marin Student leaders and lawmakers called into question the lump-sum allocations for the Commision on Higher Education (CHEd) amid impending cuts in the budget of state universities and colleges (SUCs) in 2014.

In the House Committee on Appropriations budget hearing for CHEd and SUCs on August 27, Kabataan Party-list Representative Terry Ridon criticized the allocation of at least P6 billion in “pork barrel” funds to CHEd. Under the proposed 2014 national budget, the commission would get a lump sum of P5 billion for scholarships, and infrastructure projects and equipment under capital outlay. CHEd would also receive another P1.047 billion under the Higher Education Development Fund.

“Why not put the said funds directly in the budget of individual SUCs? I believe the SUCs have submitted detailed proposals, and [the Department of Budget and Management] could have just funded said line-item proposals. This

revelation stands in stark contrast with the fact that 79 SUCs will suffer hefty cuts in 2014,” said Ridon.

The DBM proposed to the Congress a P34.65-billion budget for SUCs next year. While the proposed budget increased by almost 6 percent from this year’s P32.77 billion, 79 out of 110 SUCs would actually suffer cuts in their budget.

The UP System would suffer a P1.43-billion decrease from this year’s P9.53 billion. The UP administration originally proposed to the DBM an P18-billion budget.

The budget agency, however, only approved P8.1 billion, or a third of the proposed budget.

The decrease in the budget of SUCs is consistent with the goals of the Roadmap for Public Higher Education Reform (RPHER), the Aquino administration’s master plan for public tertiary education, said CHEd Chairperson Patricia Licuanan.

The roadmap aims to push SUCs to become self-sufficient through income generating schemes and partnerships with the private sector, among others, by 2016.

POLICEBRIEFS

POLICEBRIEFS Johnwyn Ace Fornal

Student robbed near Palma Hall

A 16-year old UP Diliman (UPD) Tourism student lost her phone worth P37,000 to a pickpocket near Palma Hall on August 27.

The student said she was walking near the said building at about 11:30 AM when she bumped into a guy around her age and 5’4” tall. When she later checked her bag, she noticed her white iPhone 5 missing. ∞

‘Bukas Kotse Gang’ strikes at KNL

An alleged “Bukas Kotse” gang broke into the parked car of a restaurant customer in Krus na Ligas

and stole several valuables worth at least P170,000 on August 24.

Maria Xenia Velmonte, a resident of Makati City, said she parked her Hyundai Tucson in the restaurant’s parking lot at about 7:30 PM to have dinner. When she came back three hours later, the rear window of her black Hyundai Tucson was already broken.

Medical instruments, a Security and Exchange Commission registration, Professional Regulation Commission endorsement papers and patient files from hospitals, among others, were taken from the car. ∞

UP guard pawns UP-NEC laptop

A security guard at the UPNational Engineering Center admitted to taking and pawning a laptop that was left in the building on August 25.

Security guard Rene Ortiz said he took the laptop because he needed money for the hospitalization of his live-in partner.

Ortiz pawned the laptop for the sum of P5,000. After admitting to the crime, the security guard was accompanied by two UP DIliman police officers to retrieve the laptop from one of the pawnshops in Cubao, Quezon City. ∞

In the budget hearing, four student leaders from UP expressed dissent as Licuanan justified the decrease in the budget of SUCs. The student leaders were escorted out of

Facing Transgressions Photo by Keithley Difuntorum

the House of Representatives.

“Education must be prioritized, budget cuts must be opposed, and income generating projects of state schools must be erased in the

picture,” said UP Manila University Student Council Chairperson Mariz Zubiri, one of the student leaders. ∞

A member of human rights group Karapatan arranges photos of a growing number of desaparecidos during the commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared on August 30 at Palma Hall. Enforced disappearances still persist under Pres. Aquino’s administration with 17 reported cases.

Namatay na UPLB student, higit 8 oras bago ginamot sa PGH Hans Christian Marin Naghain ng reklamo ang mga magulang ng isang yumaong estudyante ng UP Los Banos (UPLB) na higit sa walong oras umanong hindi nabigyan ng sapat na tulong medikal matapos hindi makapagbayad ng P11,800 na deposit sa Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

Binawian ng buhay noong ika-6 ng Abril si Alyssa Asilo, na ginawaran ng posthumous Doctor of Veterinary Medicine sa nakaraang commencement exercises ng UPLB. Personal na nakipag-usap ang tatay ni Alyssa na si Armando Asilo kay Dr. Bejamin Sablan, Coordinator for Health Service ng PGH, noong ika2 ng Hulyo. Nagpadala rin ng liham sa administrasyon ng PGH ang ina ni Alyssa na si Estrella Asilo noong ika-12 ng Agosto.

Ayon sa salaysay ni Gng. Asilo, ina ng 23-taong gulang na si Alyssa, naghintay sila ng kanyang nilalagnat na anak mula 4:00 ng umaga hanggang 12:41 ng tanghali bago tuluyang makapagpagamot sa PGH noong ika-4 ng Abril.

Bandang 4:30 ng umaga nang makausap umano nila si Dr. Carlo Evangelista na siyang susuri sana kay Alyssa, ngunit ang tanging bakanteng private na kuwarto ay nakareserba umano sa mga estudyante ng UP Manila.

Nang magkaroon na ng silid na maaaring pagdalhan kay Alyssa, hiningan muna ang pamilya ng halagang P11,800 bilang deposit, ani Gng. Asilo.

“Sana maging fair sa lahat ng taga-UP ang PGH lalo na sa mga taga-probinsyang tulad namin na walang nakahandang pera sa pagpapagamot,” dagdag niya.

Bagaman nakapasok na si Alyssa sa ER pagdating ng 9:30 ng umaga, walang doktor na maaaring gumamot sa kaniya, dagdag ni Gng. Asilo.

Niresetahan lang muna umano ang kanyang anak ng Paracetamol upang bumuti ang pakiramdam nito. Bandang 12:41 na aniya ng tanghali bago ito tuluyang nagamot ni Dr. Evangelista.

“Ilang beses si Dr. Evangelista pumunta sa room at sinabi niya sa akin na saksakan si Alyssa ng mataas na dosage at matapang na gamot. Sabi

ko naman, baka hindi makayanan ng anak ko,” ani Gng. Asilo.

Samantala, igniit naman ni Sablan na nakapagbigay ang PGH ng sapat na tulong medikal, gaya ng nasabing pagrereseta ng gamot kay Alyssa. “We also made it clear in our talk with Mr. and Mrs. Asilo that no deposit is required for admission to charity wards,” ani Sablan.

Paliwanag ni Sablan, ang clerk na humingi ng deposito sa pamilya ay kumilos lamang nang naaayon sa alituntunin ng pagbabayad para sa mga kuwartong pribado sa ospital.

“Hindi na talaga public service ang health. Naging negosyo na ito kahit sa pampublikong ospital gaya ng PGH,” ani Student Regent Krista Melgarejo. “Ang paghingi ng downpayment ay hadlang sa pagavail ng health service [na dapat ay accessible sa lahat].”

Kasalukuyang nakikipagugnayan ang pamilya ni Asilo sa kanilang abogado mula sa National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers upang makuha ang opisyal na talaang medikal ni Alyssa sa PGH. ∞

BALITA

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

5

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

Paraan ng pamamahagi ng lupain ng Luisita, tinutulan ng mga magsasaka Arra Francia Hindi pa rin natatapos ang laban ng mga magsasaka ng Hacienda Luisita, kahit napagtibay na ng Korte Suprema noong

SQUEALING GLUTTONY Photo by Keith Difuntorum

2012 ang kanilang karapatan sa pagmamay-ari ng mga lupain sa asyendang hawak ng angkang Aquino-Conjuangco.

Nais ngayong ipasawalang bisa ng Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang

Bukid ng Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA) ang ginawang pamamahagi ng 4,099 mula sa 6,435-ektaryang asyenda matapos itong idaan sa sistemang bunutan simula Hulyo 18.

Nauna nang ibinenta ng

Youth alliance group YOUTH ACT NOW expressed their dissent against the pork barrel system, including Pres. Aquino’s own pork amounting to 1 Trillion, through a noise barrage held at Palma Hall on August 30. The group reiterated the call to “sustain the momentum” for the genuine abolition of pork barrel and to rechannel the funds to basic social services.

Hacienda Luisita, Inc. (HLI) ang 2,000 ektaryang bahagi ng asyenda sa mga pribadong kompanya. Maging ang pag-audit sa pinagbentahan ng lupa ay kasalukuyang nakabinbin sa Korte Suprema nang kwestiyunin ng mga magsasaka ang pagpili sa auditing firm na kaalyado umano ng mga Cojuangco.

Para sa natitirang bahagi ng asyenda, paghahatian ito ng 6,212 magsasaka. Makakatanggap ang bawat magsasaka ng 0.66 ektaryang lote, o kasinglaki lamang ng kalahati ng lupang kinatatayuan ng GT Toyota Cultural Center sa UP Diliman.

Idinaan ng Department of Agrarian Reform ang pamamahagi ng mga lupa sa pagpapabunot ng mga Lot Allocation Certificates (LACs).

Matapos nito ay papipirmahin ang mga magsasaka sa LAC upang makuha ang Certificate of Land Ownership Awards na magsisilbing titulo ng lupa.

Dahil walang katiyakan kung aling lupa ang mapupunta sa bawat magsasaka, nababalewala umano ang mga “bungkalan,” o mga lupaing inaararo na ng mga magsasaka mula pa 2005, ayon sa AMBALA. Sa isinagawang bunutan sa Barangay Baleta noong Hulyo 18, halimbawa, 117 lamang sa 700 residente ang mananatili sa barangay. Mapupunta sa Barangay Mabilog, na 10 kilometro ang layo mula sa dating tinitirhan, ang marami sa mga magsasaka.

Nagsagawa ang mga magsasaka ng kilos protesta noong Agosto 15 upang pigilin ang pamamaraan ng pamamahagi ng mga lupa. Ngunit wala umano itong nagawa laban sa 200 militar na pumalibot sa asyenda sa araw ng pamamahagi ng mga lupa, ani Aurello Estrada, Media officer ng Unyon ng mga Manggagawang Agrikultura.

Maliban sa pagpapabunot ng mga LAC, mariin ding tinutulan ng mga magsasaka ang sapilitan umanong pagpapapirma sa kanila ng Application to Purchase and Farmers Understanding (APFU), ayon sa AMBALA. Nakasaad sa APFU na kailangang bayaran ng mga magsasaka ang mga lupang ipinamahagi sa kanila sa loob ng 30 taon.

Napasakamay ng mga Cojuangco ang Hacienda Luisita noong 1957 gamit ang mga pautang mula sa Central Bank at Government Service Insurance System sa kondisyong ipapamahagi ang asyenda matapos ang sampung taon.

“Ipinakita lamang nila na huwad talaga ang land reform sa Pilipinas. Bakit pa pababayarin ang mga magsasaka? Ni hindi na dapat idinaan ang pamamahagi ng asyenda sa bunutan dahil kung tutuusin, sila talaga ang may-ari ng lupa,” ani Estrada. ∞

Groups: Aquino only rebranded pork barrel Jul Mar Esteban The supposed abolition of the pork barrel system under the Aquino administration is but a change of name, according to several progressive groups.

On August 23, President Benigno Aquino III announced the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate amid the P10-billion pork barrel scam. At the same time, however, the president created a new scheme in disbursing the funds.

Under the proposed scheme, representatives and senators would have to itemize their priority projects and course them through government agencies for implementation. The reforms would also disallow “consumable” projects like fertilizers and medicine, and temporary infrastructure projects such as dredging and asphalt overlay.

However, progressive groups

like Anakbayan, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and Kabataan Party-list denounced the proposed reforms as a “mere gimmickry.”

“Basically, the Palace only removed PDAF in name, but the money’s still there. Worse, it’s now under the president’s full discretion,” said Kabataan Party-list Representative Terry Ridon.

Aquino’s proposed reforms would not even solve the issue of corruption, said BAYAN Secretary General Renato Reyes.

“Politiko pa rin ang magdidikta kung saan tutungo ang budget.

Sinong makapagsasabi na hindi pwedeng magkuntsabahan kahit sa hard projects?”

A study by GMA News, meanwhile, revealed that the projects disallowed under the proposed scheme amounted to P1.6 billion, or barely 2 percent of the total PDAF allocations from 2003 to 2005 and 2009 to 2010.

“There can be no ifs and buts. The system is so corrupt that there can be no other way to address the issue

but to abolish pork altogether,” said Reyes, adding that the president’s pork barrel must also be abolished.

For 2014, the presidential pork may reach to as much as P1.337 trillion, or more than half the proposed national budget, based on Kabataan’s estimates (see sidebar).

Aquino’s pork barrel includes the Presidential Social Fund and Special Purpose Funds that are under the president’s sole discretion, and automatic appropriations that are not subject to scrutiny in the Congress, according to Kabataan.

The Aquino administration, however, is not keen on abolishing the presidential pork barrel. “[These funds] could not be considered completely discretionary because they has specific uses,” said Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte in a press briefing.

“With the presidential pork remaining unscathed and the pork barrel system tweaked to better serve the interests of the Palace, there are actually more reasons to protest now than before,” said Ridon. ∞

The president’s pork in 2014* FUNDS

AMOUNT

Special Purpose Funds

P450 billion

Automatic Appropriations

P796 billion

Confidential funds

P627.8 million

Intelligence funds

P832.63 million

PAMANA funds

P7.22 billion

Conditional Cash Transfer Funds P62.6 billion Bottom-up Budgeting funds

P20.03 billion

TOTAL

P1.34 trillion

* based on the proposed 2014 national budget excluding realigned savings and off-budget accounts, which are government-collected funds Source: Kabataan Party-list, Department of Budget and Management

6

BALITA

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

UP admin, students balk at planned ‘free’ bus service Kira Chan The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is proposing a “free” bus service for all UP students, but the university administration, students and jeepney drivers are holding off on the proposal.

LRTA proposed the project, dubbed as Blue Line Student Bus Services (BLSBS), supposedly as a response to the impending increase in the train system’s base fare from P15 to P25 by 2014.

Around 214,662 people take the LRT-2 train, which stretches from Recto Avenue to Santolan Road,

on a weekday. Around 25 percent or 53,665 commuters are student passengers, according to LRTA. Six buses will make up the initial BLSBS, which will run from 6AM to 8:55PM, Mondays to Saturdays. The buses will make roundtrips from the Katipunan LRT station to UP Diliman (UPD).

The UPD administration and the LRTA will have to sign a Memorandum of Agreement to build a terminal inside the campus.

Availing of the BLSBS would be free among UP students.

According to the proposal, UP students may avail of the BLSBS for

sustainability of this venture is not laid out, said Abad-Flores.

While “the initial investment requirements shall be sourced out from the Department of Transportation and Communications,” funding for the maintenance and other operating expenses are not specified in the proposal.

Also, the livelihood of the jeepney drivers, who earn approximately P600 a day, may be affected because

free, but they need to continually purchase a Stored Value Ticket (SV) and a smartcard as part of the registration process.

As of press time, the UP administration has yet to make a final decision until they have consulted transport groups, said UPD Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Melania Abad-Flores.

The administration also needs to study the technicalities of the proposal, especially since the

students may choose to ride the “free” BLSBS, added Flores.

“Sa isang banda, nagiging deceptive at divisive itong panukalang ‘free’ bus line na ito for students. What we want here is for the government and the LRTA management to put a halt in their proposed fare hikes,” said Eduardo Gabral, national chairperson of Katipunan ng mga Sangguniang Mag-aaral sa UP. ∞

Maroons, bigong mapatumba ang Falcons, 53-67

Hans Christian Marin Nagpakawala ng 17 puntos, 14 rebounds at 5 blocks si center Raul Soyud para sa UP Fighting Maroons upang makamit ang kaniyang ikaapat na double-double sa torneo, ngunit kinapos muli ang Diliman upang patumbahin ang Adamson University Falcons, 5367 sa sagupaan para sa University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Basketball Season 76, ika-31 ng Agosto sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Opisyal nang humalili si Rey Madrid kay Ricky Dandan bilang coach ng Maroons simula noong ika24 ng Agosto sa tunggalian kontra De Lasalle University Green Archers kung saan bigo pa ring sumungkit ng tagumpay ang koponan, 63-85.

Sa unang quarter, umabante agad ang Maroons, 6-3, ngunit naisagawa ng Falcons ang 14-0 run sa bisa ng dynamic duo na sina Falcons forward Jansen Rios na kumana ng 8 puntos at guard Roider Cabrera na nagtala ng 6 puntos upang manguna ang Adamson sa pagtatapos ng unang quarter, 20-14.

Umariba naman si Falcons forward Celedonio Trollano na nagposte ng 11 puntos sa ikalawang quarter upang pangunahan ang Falcons sa ikalawang quarter, 35-24.

Sa ikatlong quarter, bumangon mula sa pagkakabaon ang Maroons at naisakatuparan pa ang 12-4 run, kasama ang 3-point play ni Soyud upang ilapit ang iskor sa 36-39.

Ngunit nabuhayan ang 6’10” center ng Falcons na si Ingrid Sewa na nagsagawa ng anim na sunod na

puntos upang umangat pa rin ang Adamson sa ikatlong quarter, 46-38.

Ipinagpatuloy ni Sewa ang kaniyang pagdomina sa pamamagitan ng post moves sa ikaapat na quarter.

Ipinamalas din ng Falcons ang kanilang mala-lintang depensa upang tuluyan nang mapag-iwanan ang Maroons at magwagi sa bakbakan.

“I’m investing on chemistry and team play and hope to achieve it by next game,” ani Coach Madrid. “I hope that I can get good results in the last 4 games,” dagdag pa niya.

Kumamada si guard Samuel Marata ng 8 puntos at 4 rebounds, guard Kyles Lao ng 8 puntos, at Asilum ng 7 puntos at 3 rebounds para sa Maroons.

Bumagsak ang panalo-talo kartada ng UP sa 0-11 habang umangat naman ang sa Adamson sa 4-8.

Susunod na makakasagupa ng Maroons ang National University (8-3) sa Setyembre 4, alas-dose ng hapon sa Smart Araneta Coliseum. ∞

INDOMITABLE Photo by John Keithley Difuntorum

Lordei Hina proves she can still rally for her rights as she joins fellow students in the call to provide justice for her. Hina, then a political science major, was stabbed in the head by suspect Dan Mar Vicencio in a robbery attempt at Vinzons Hall on February 1, 2012. Vicencio has since gone missing after posting a P16,000 bail in June 2012.

Lordei Hina, more than a year after Jul Mar Esteban It was February 1, 2012 when Lordei Camille Anjuli Hina, a 4th year Political Science student, was robbed and assaulted within the campus. More than a year has since passed, her wounds may have healed, but Lordei is still recovering.

Lordei was in the University Student Council office in Vinzons Hall when tattoo artist Dan Mar Vicencio and an accomplice, posing as UP Fair booth applicants, broke in and attacked her.

The political science student would later spend the next four months at the Capitol Medical Center and undergo a brain surgery.

When doctors finally allowed her to go home, Lordei remained bound to a wheelchair for another four months.

At present, Lordei is attending four therapy regimens instead of political science classes. The

attack has resulted in the student’s inability to control emotions and body temperature, speech, memory and motor skills.

Meanwhile, the suspects remain free.

The UP police was able to arrest primary suspect Vicencio the same day he allegedly robbed and assaulted Lordei. The other suspect was never arrested.

Vicencio spent four moths behind bars before he could post bail in June, 2012. The Quezon City prosecutor’s office only charged him with the bailable offense of robbery with serious physical injuries. Lordei’s family appealed for the upgrading of the case to robbery with attempted homicide but to no avail.

The court started hearing the case in February but postponements have dragged the process. In the third hearing set this August, Vicencio failed to appear before the

court, prompting the deferral of the hearing for two months.

“Na-delay lang nang kaunti pero tumatakbo pa rin ang kaso. In the end, makakamit pa rin ang hustisya para kay Lordei,” said Atty. Eric Mesoga, Lordei’s counsel.

However, the pursuit of Lordei’s recovery and justice has taken a toll on the family’s finances.

The UP administration initially released P380,000 as financial assistance. The administration, said Mrs. Hina, assured the family of shouldering the student’s hospitalization and legal fees.

However, the Board of Regents, the university’s highest policy-making body, eventually said that UP funds could not be used to cover the expenses in its June 2012 meeting.

Lordei’s hospital bill reached to P2.2 million. Lordei’s mother, Conception Hina, said she had to give up the family’s car to pay for

the bill. Yet, P1.3 million remains unsettled and the expenses even continue to add up as the student undergoes therapy sessions at home.

To help Lordei’s family, UP students, faculty and staff, through the Task Force Lordei, have since been holding fundraisers. The latest of these events is set in November, where a forum on the state of security within the campus would also be held.

“Gusto nating makatulong kay Lordei, na biktima ng kawalan ng security sa unibersidad. Hindi man ito ang pangkalahatang solusyon, kahit papaano ay makakatulong ito para sa patuloy niyang paggaling,” said Task Force Lordei Coordinator Eduardo Gabral. ∞ For the planned fundraiser in November, 17 student organizations have so far pledged support. For more details, contact Eduardo Gabral at 0927-384-1392.

FEATURES

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Search FOR

THE

disappeared “Midnight, our sons and daughters were cut down and taken from us…

In the trees our sons stand naked through the walls our daughters cry.” * Continued from Page 1

‘In the wind we hear their laughter’ Known as “She” to her friends and “Nenen” to her family, Sherlyn is someone who could never stay away from home for long, Nay Linda began to tell me. While she was a Sports Science major and varsity athlete at UPD, Sherlyn never missed an opportunity to visit their house in Los Baños during the weekends, holidays, and family occasions.

She stayed at the Kamia Residence Hall during weekdays but would always come home every Friday afternoon. Her allowance often ran out and she could not afford lunch anymore by the end of the school week, added Nay Linda with a laugh.

On Friday nights, Sherlyn would wash all the laundry at home to help with the household chores. During the mornings and late afternoons, she would run laps around the UPLB Oval.

Sherlyn often represented her school in triathlete competitions when she was a student at the UP Rural High School. During the 1993 annual games of the Palarong Pambansa, Nay Linda took the trip to Ilagan in Isabela to surprise Sherlyn, who was in the 100-meter dash competition.

The game was about to start and Sherlyn was already at the starting line, when Nay Linda called to her using their family’s pet name for her: “Nenen!” Nay Linda told me she has never seen her daughter happier.

Sherlyn finished silver that year, second only to Nancy Navalta, who was then the “heir apparent” to sprinting legend Lydia de Vega.

“Ngayon, kapag nanonood ako ng sports—lalo ‘pag takbuhan—‘di ko namamalayan na tumutulo na pala ang luha ko,” Nay Linda said.

‘Night hangs like a prisoner’ When Sherlyn became a student activist in UP, Nay Linda admitted that she was not surprised, though she began fearing for her daughter’s safety. In the 90s, Sherlyn was arrested by the police when she joined a picket of SM North employees— her daughter’s first brush with the authorities.

Sherlyn then became an active member of the militant youth organization Anakbayan. In 1999, she went on to become the College of Human Kinetics representative to the UPD University Student Council.

At home, Sherlyn sometimes cooked pots of soup for the neighbourhood children and gave them used plastic bottles and old newspapers to sell at the local junk shop. She showed keen awareness of the plight of those around her and found ways to help, Nay Linda said.

Thus, when Sherlyn found a new home among farmers as a full-time community organizer for local peasant group Alyansang Magbubukid ng Bulacan, Nay Linda supported her daughter’s decision.

“Ang request ko lang, sana ma-clear na niya ‘yung isa o dalawang incomplete niyang subject para makuha na niya ang diploma niya,” she said.

Though Sherlyn already had a new life in Calumpit, Bulacan with her husband, farmer Valentino Paulino, she would still often call and send text messages to her family.

One night, while Sherlyn was staying in Hagonoy with her friend and fellow UPD student Karen Empeño to research on the situation of farmers in the area, she called her family to announce that she would be having a child soon. “Madadagdagan na naman ang apo ni mommy,” she happily announced.

Two days later, however, on the 26th of June 2006, at around 2am,

Page Design : Kel Almazan

Photos : John Keithley Difuntorum and Karapatan

Victor Gregor Limon

a group of armed men stormed the house where Sherlyn and Karen were staying. The two young women were roused from sleep, blindfolded, hog-tied, butted with rifles, and dragged towards a waiting vehicle.

Also abducted was famer Manuel Meriño, who heard Sherlyn’s screams and tried to help the two. All three would be detained at various military safe houses across Central Luzon.

The two women were tortured while Manuel was set on fire alive, according to the court testimony of another abducted farmer, Raymond Manalo, who escaped his captors in 2008. Manalo could not provide any information about the fate of Sherlyn’s child.

According to Manalo, Sherlyn refused to leave her friend Karen, although she alone could easily outrun her captors. “Kahit na sabik na akong makasama siya ulit, hanga ako sa anak ko. Hindi lang sarili niya ang iniisip niya,” said Nay Linda with affectionate pride, adding that fearlessness and selflessness were two things her daughter probably learned from being an activist.

Seven years hence, Sherlyn and Karen remain missing. Nay Linda recounted the rollercoaster of emotions she and Karen’s mother Connie Empeño have to go through each time a woman’s body is found in riversides and abandoned lots— how they would always end up returning home with more questions than answers.

Nay Linda said her family struggled to cope with the tragedy.

Tatay Asher was forced to give up his job in Mindoro for fear of harassment from military troops, while she had to divide her time into meeting government officials, attending protest actions public fora, and court hearings.

Yet Nay Linda said her family clings to the hope that Sherlyn will

once again be reunited with them.

She said she feels her daughter is still alive and that now, more than ever, Sherlyn longs to finally come home.

Nay Linda keeps all of Sherlyn’s clothes in her old bedroom—even her readings, notebooks, blue books, and the medals she won throughout the years. Though other people sometimes hinted that it might be easier for them to accept that Sherlyn may never return, Nay Linda as a mother could not so easily give up.

‘In the rain we see their tears’ On August 31, the International Day of the Disappeared, Nay Linda joined other families of desaparecidos in a protest action held at the steps of Palma Hall. She said she often meets them during meetings of their organization, Families of Desaparecidos. They would often share funny anecdotes of their missing loved ones—though their reminiscences would always lead to tears.

Nay Linda remembers that there were already 206 cases of enforced disappearances under Gloria Arroyo’s administration the day Sherlyn and Karen went missing. Today, according to human rights group Karapatan, enforced disappearances continue— with 17 new cases under the watch of Benigno Aquino III, who assumed the presidency three years ago with promises of putting an end to human rights violations.

“Nakakatakot ang maging aktibista, pero sa sistema ngayon, pwede bang manahimik na lang tayo?

Kung makikiusap o susulat lang sa gobyerno, walang mangyayari.

Kailangang idaan sa sigaw para pakinggan,” said Nay Linda, who, in a way, has now become an activist herself.

Until now, the Malolos Regional Trial Court has yet to decide on the kidnapping and serious illegal

detention cases against the suspected perpetrators of Sherlyn’s disappearance.

Just last month, the court junked the bail petitions of two detained military officials who allegedly gave the orders for the abduction, Col. Felipe Anotado and Staff Sgt. Edgardo Osorio. Yet two other suspects remain at large: Master Sgt. Rizal Hilario and retired General Jovito Palparan himself, dubbed as the “Butcher.”

“May P2 milyon na pabuya sa magtuturo sa kinaroroonan ni Palparan, pero hinahanap kaya [siya]? Hinuhuli ba?” asked Nanay Linda. “Natuto na akong hindi umasa sa pangako ng mismong gobyernong sangkot din sa mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao.”

As we neared the end of our interview, Nay Linda shared where she draws the strength she needs in searching for her daughter. “Lagi kong napapanaginipang nakauwi na ang Sherlyn namin, nakaupo sa dati niyang kama, nakangiti. Alam kong darating din ang araw na iyon.”

Yet what truly makes Nay Linda determined to continue her fight, she said, is her determination that those who perpetrate violence against the people whom they ought to serve and protect must never be allowed to walk free and should be made answerable to their crimes.

Her brave words reminded me of a picture drawn by Sherlyn’s niece Eunika, who would have been about the same age as Sherlyn’s child. Rendered in a seven-year old’s strokes is a sea of people with raised fists. In the middle is Nay Linda, standing on top of a jeep and holding a megaphone—fearless and defiant like her own daughter. ∞ * Lyrics from U2’s “Mothers of the Disappeared,” from the 1987 album “The Joshua Tree.”

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PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

Template for Revolution: Probing the roots and prospects of protests around the globe Marie Barcelona “Those who do not move do not notice their chains.”

- Rosa Luxemburg WE LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES. In the last five years, the world has gone through the 2008 financial crisis, the subsequent global recession, the European debt crisis, the Occupy Wall Street movement, the Arab Spring, and the continuation of warfare in various parts of the world, from Afghanistan to Syria.

In June this year, over a million citizens took to the streets of Brazil to call for better social services, such as free public transportation. In Turkey, huge crowds launched a series of protests against government misdeeds, including the contested conversion of a public park into a mall. And here in the Philippines, hundreds of thousands held peaceful protest actions nationwide to condemn the corrupt use of the so-called “pork” or discretionary funds in government.

The exact framework of these struggles can be difficult to articulate, in part because of their seeming diversity.

Protesters manage to convey a unified dissent regarding a particular issue or situation, but proposed solutions vary.

For instance, in our own country, the anti-pork protests were centered on the consensus that the current system of discretionary use of public funds is flawed. But answers to the question of “what next?” differ across the political spectrum.

“Dissatisfaction without organization tends to be fruitless,” says Alfredo Filho of the Centre for Research on Globalization.

“Spontaneous mass movements with a mixed class base and fuelled by unfocused anger can be destabilizing without being constructive.”

Still, it is difficult to dismiss the kind of global dissatisfaction which has mobilized millions of people across five continents.

Analysts posit that among the chief factors driving the protests is grave economic equality, for the flip side of huge concentrations of wealth is poverty.

Some 1.4 billion people live below the poverty line (on less that P55/$1.25 per day), according to the United Nations; other organizations note that the UN estimate of the number of poor people probably falls short.

Meanwhile, the world’s ten wealthiest people are worth a staggering $451.5 billion (over P20 trillion), according to Forbes — to put that in perspective, the 2013 Philippine national budget is P2 trillion.

“There is a big picture,” argues Prof.

Peter Marcuse of Columbia University.

However, the present clamor for

change may be “either so limited as to end up producing individual reforms, or so general as to undercut concrete direction.”

“We are the 99 percent.”

- Occupy Wall Street Slogan Marx famously wrote in 1848 that “the history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggle.”

That dialectical analysis of society remains relevant to this day and is especially evident in the recent protests.

Even in the Philippines, the strongest image of the pork controversy is of Janet Napoles, who flaunted her ill-gotten wealth in trips to Beverly Hills and P400,000 clutch bags. The public outrage is not just over the corruption, it’s over the exposure of a lifestyle so far removed from the reality of life in the Philippines. Sixteen million Filipinos suffered from hunger and malnutrition from 2010-2012, according to UN reports.

“In reality, we have thousands of other problems worth marching to Luneta for,” writes DLS Pineda in the Philippine Star. “For starters, our public hospitals are being privatized, run for nothing but profit; our state colleges and universities will experience a bigger budget cut next year; and pretty soon, we’ll return to becoming an American military base,” These problems are replicated in various forms everywhere in the world.

Historically, social instability and upheaval foments in such conditions.

For instance, 1848 saw the rapid spread of protests and revolts throughout the European continent, in what would later be known as the “Springtime of the Peoples.” The rebellions were swiftly quenched, but while the 1848 protests “did not lead to any lasting democracies.”

Prof. Cihan Tugal of University of California - Berkeley argues that “the defeats of that massive revolt taught militants that they needed much more resilient leadership and organization to realize their aims.”

In January 1905, the masses of Russia marched on St. Petersburg, while in June, navy units mutinied, and in October, workers staged huge strikes. The wave of protests died down without any immediate result or gain; however, 1905 is now recognized as the historical antecedent to the triumph of the Russian Revolution in 1917, setting the stage for a similar socialist uprising in China in 1949.

“Just like 1905 put its stamp on history through the consolidation of a new organizational form (the centralized revolutionary party), 2011 might create (or bring to attention) a new (more democratic, yet still

efficient) form of revolutionary organization,” writes Tugal.

“The great only appear great because we are on our knees. Let us rise.”

- James Larkin In the current climate, protests tend to flare up, simmer down, then die away completely—a cycle that seems to prove nothing will ever really change. The Occupy Wall Street movement, for instance, faded away quickly, reaching its peak in September 2011 and vanishing from headlines by 2012.

Regardless of the length of time in which a protest dominates the mass media, a common theme underlying the latest political upheavals is rejection of the hegemony of capitalist ideology.

Protesters openly oppose its many permutations, from price hikes to bank bailouts to human rights violations.

Some, like Paul Jacob of Townhall magazine, see the protests as rote and insignificant, since the critique is allegedly not against capitalism in its purest form. “What’s failed is what’s dominant: crony capitalism… truly free markets require a rule of law, the suppression of government corruption, and effective public accountability and government transparency”—which protesters would be contented with, he suggests.

This myopic analysis of the massive protests over the past few years is lacking. For one thing, pure free-market capitalism was also the backdrop for the revolutions in the first half of the 1900s.

Moreover, even beyond cronyism and corruption, the free-market paradigm — which prizes profit and individual gain over social justice and public welfare — was the justification for policies which have left the majority of the global populace mired in poverty.

Today, governments following the capitalist framework repeatedly announce GDP growth and economic development, while international financial institutions asserted that the global recession had ended in 2010.

Yet recovery remains slow or stagnant even in the most developed countries, says research foundation IBON International.

Protests continue to spring up obstinately around the world. “We’re going to fight this battle with everything we have, and we will probably lose. But then we will fight it again, and we will lose a little less,” writes journalist Cory Doctorow. “We will fight on. Because as hard as it is to win by fighting, it’s impossible to win by doing nothing,” Every protest, if not a conscious build-up to an overwhelming upheaval that alters the course of history, is at least proof of a people willing to express their refusal to endure the current system. The wave of global protests indicates the kind of anger and activity that fuels revolutions. Widespread discontent is translated, with increasing sophistication and effectiveness, into collective action, in a process that shall continue until there is genuine, systemic, and revolutionary change. ∞

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

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BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

Principles of protests Dissecting today’s global dissent Kevin Mark Gomez A CLASSIC NARRATIVE OF A means to an end unfolds.

The past few months have witnessed familiar scenes of people’s discontent bursting in key public spaces of major cities across the globe—Manila is no exemption.

Thousands of people wearing mostly white shirts embellished with traditional symbols of excesses flocked to Luneta on August 26. For one symbolic day, Filipinos from all walks of life and political leanings supposedly confronted the obvious spoils of the country’s political system.

With the so-called “Million People March,” the Philippines joined the wave of people’s protests worldwide.

Despite much hype however, the aftermath of

Illustration: Rosette Abogado Page design : Jan Andrei Cobey

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the spectacular gathering left a bitter, unchanged reality: the pork system essentially remained as public outrage quickly dissipated.

The Luneta March distinguished itself as well as shared similar characteristics with its overseas counterparts. From 2011’s Arab Spring and Occupy Movement, the global stage has been set once again for another round of writing and rewriting of history, accommodating much-wanted reforms or ousting repressive regimes.

Much fanfare has surrounded these “new revolutions.” Whether these waves of protest could deliver concrete alternatives however, is yet unseen.

The nature of mass demonstrations* A bird’s eye view of the string of protests sweeping the world shows several interesting features.

For one, these are not fueled by usual activists and organizations, although they certainly took a large role; many of the protesters in the Philippines, Turkey, Brazil and elsewhere are normal middle-class citizens, not members of political organizations or lobbies. And these protests tended to begin online.

Political and media analysts have given credit to the Internet and social media networks for the rapid formation of progressive forces willing to take up the mantle of protester.

Status updates, tweets, likes and hash tags containing bits of criticisms against systemic oppression have periodically challenged and threatened governments in the cyber realm. Truly, the advent of social media introduced the single best platform to gauge brewing unrest, appraise real-time public opinion, and organize masses of distant peoples in such a short time —protest elements that were formerly absent.

For instance, invitations for the Luneta March circulated online and called for broad support, which cleverly appealed to the romantic notion of becoming modern heroes simply by joining the holiday protest.

In fact, the Luneta gathering were so consciously kept to be a “neutral” event where “banners, speeches, programs” or any activity

that was too “political” were initially banned, until progressive organizations successfully negotiated.

Quite understandable, as a simple picnic at the park as was previously planned, cannot possibly sustain the energy of dissatisfied Filipinos eager to register their dissent over an issue that is everything but beautiful.

Such attempted “neutrality” of middle-class citizens, who are bereft of solid organization, underscores the delusion of the thought that non-political activities can counter or cause a significant change in the sociopolitical system.

“The truth is that mass demonstrations are rehearsals for revolution: not strategic or even tactical ones, but rehearsals of revolutionary awareness… any demonstration which lacks this element of rehearsal is better described as an officially encouraged public spectacle,” asserts English theorist John Berger.

Imagined communities* The participation of the “modest middle class” is among the distinctive characteristics of these new waves of protest, asserts Prof. Saskia Sassen of Columbia University. "Often what people are saying is that you are the state. I'm a citizen. I've done my job.

You're not recognising that," she points.

This was what clearly happened in Brazil, Turkey, Bulgaria and the Philippines. One of the more popular Luneta slogans goes “I’m a taxpayer and I want a full explanation,” as though corruption only concerns those who directly pitch to public coffers. These sentiments cut through the individualistic middle class mindset, which seemingly entitles taxpayers the ‘right’ to protest while non-taxpayers are not.

Also, the lack of clear leaders, which contrasts sharply with the character of other protests throughout history, is evident in today’s global uprisings.

“Up to the 1990s, protests tended to be organized around a pyramid structure with a centralized leadership. Now protest is organized more like a network," says Israeli geographer Tali Hatuka.

Perhaps the primary pitfall of too broad a coalition is the absence of core beliefs and basis of unity that can adequately bind loosely related groups or factions with clashing ideologies.

Still, unfounded obsession with disorganization and lack of leaders has insofar fell short of delivering tangible results. The much celebrated Occupy Movements, for instance, starkly reminds how massive expressions of dissent, when directed against unknown enemies, eventually dissolve leaving no significant change. Protests against the Iraq war protests and the Million People March are no different, where enthusiasm for the cause eventually waned.

Activists in Istanbul have attributed the government’s failure to dismantle

their protests at Gezi Park due to semblance of leadership, although admittedly dispersed.

Without systematic understanding or sharp principles as guide, those disenfranchised at “the system” fail to become a collective with immense potential, and reduced to merely a group of complainants. For a struggle to succeed, the direction towards it must be clearly set, which invariably meant knowing the enemy and channeling every effort to defeat it systematically.

"The old pyramid way of organising protests does have its limitations, but so too do the new ways of organizing,” Hatuka adds. “Often it does not feel very effective in the long run. People will often go for a day or two and these protests are not necessarily offering an ideological alternative.”

It must dawn upon protestors from all parts of the world that their strongest chance at toppling the grand socioeconomic paradigm that spawned all these strife is by rallying an alternative as a collective against the powers that be.

A single spark can start a prairie fire* “If you compare what we are seeing today with the civil rights movement in the U.S. — even the movements of 1989 — those were much more cohesive.

Now the event itself is the message. The question is whether that is enough,” in which Hatuka says not.

More so, the ease and convenience social media afforded protestors cost the fostering of “weak ties” as against “strong ties” that have proven quite essential for activism to flourish. While this may not hold absolutely true, in the context of protests, a genuine protester fighting out of core beliefs offers farlasting impact rather than someone merely drawn by an event made hip or popular or a spectacle worth joining.

In an attempt to attract the broadest number of participants, critics of these “new revolutions” have argued how activists have tended to sacrifice the message of protests to give way for creative or experimental forms of communication. As it turns out, the “medium is now the message.” Hence, the crucial contents of demonstrations are inevitably limited by the parameters set by the chosen form; the effective discussion of a problem’s root causes and consequent solutions become secondary next to gimmicks or activist antics.

Yet, despite these, there are reasons to celebrate. As always, the youth’s involvement indicate that the new generation, like others before them, have recognized that the socioeconomic structure of the world is deeply flawed.

From Rio de Janeiro to Manila, more and more people are breaking their silence. ∞ *Apologies to John Berger, Benedict Anderson, and Mao Zedong

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PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

The Catch

A look at scholarships and the strings attached Ronn Joshua Bautista TOUTED TO BE THE HOME OF the country’s best and brightest students, UP is a formidable pool of future top scientists, lawyers, doctors, leaders, artists, and other professionals. It comes as no surprise, then, that business giants and other private corporations would consider investing in their education.

One way of investing in UP students would be through academic scholarships.

These offers can easily be a lifeline for poor students like Mining Engineering freshman Megan, who will realize, albeit too late, that scholarships always come with strings attached.

Hook This year, at least 76 different scholarships were cast among UP Diliman students, and Megan believes she tugged at the right one.

Megan lives with her father and two siblings. While her mother works as a domestic helper in Lebanon, her father serves as an all-around worker in a furniture shop. Together, they only make around P22,000 a month or roughly P700 a day, barely enough for their food, daily travel, and school expenses. Her older brother even stopped his college studies and turned to carpentry to ease the family’s financial woes.

Thus, when Megan learned that she passed the UPCAT, her excitement was soon dampened by her anxiety over the university’s high tuition. “Sigurado na sana ako sa UP, pero nung nalaman kong default bracket ang P1,000 per unit, [nagalangan ako], kasi baka hindi kayanin ng mga magulang ko yung tuition at mahal na gastusin,” she shares.

Mining engineering freshmen usually take 19 units in their first semester.

For Megan, this costs P19,000 or almost a whole month of her parents’ earnings. She was in dire need of a financial assistance to be able to enroll in UP. Fortunately, she snagged a scholarship offer of P50,000 per semester from a multinational mining company.

But there’s a catch: if the company has a slot for mining engineers, she would be asked to fill in once she graduates.

Scholarships usually include automatic employment in the terms as donors would want to absorb their scholars and regain their investment, explains Office of Scholarships and Student Services officer-in-charge Aristeo Dacanay.

“Kung wala akong scholarship, baka hindi na ako nakapag-UP…[kaya okay lang] na doon ako magtra-trabaho [kasi] sure employment na rin ‘yun,” Megan says. Like many other scholars who have signed the scholarship agreements, she had somehow committed herself and her future to her benefactor.

Line As Megan’s case shows, scholarships do have the potential to save students from dropping out due to expensive tuition and other fees. Yet the need for such a lifesaver points to an unquestioned reality that affects students in the first place – that education in a state university now comes at a hefty price, more so, outside the reach of ordinary Filipinos.

Megan was lucky to obtain a scholarship, but for other students in the same boat, the cost of tuition can make or break UP dreams. For example, a minimum wage earner family of five in NCR earns P12,780 per month. Since UP hiked its full tuition five-fold to P1,500/ unit in 2007 from the 1989 rate of P300/ unit, the common man’s monthly wage is definitely inadequate for even the minimum 15-unit load in UP. In fact, according to the OSSS, onethird of the 3,856 UP Diliman UPCAT passers this year did not enroll in UP. Of this, 1,133 are in one of the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program’s (STFAP) paying brackets. “ A n g pr imar yang dahilan naman kung bakit inaccessible ang UP education ay dahil sa sunodsunod na polisiya ng gobyerno na kailangan maging self-sufficient ang mga state universities and colleges,” explains USC Student Rights and Welfare committee head Charlotte France.

In line with the Aquino administration’s Roadmap to Public Higher Education Reform, the government has been approving less than one-half of UP proposed budget (see sidebar). To compensate for the

deficit, RPHER mandates SUCs to fund themselves through income generating programs such as tuition and other fees.

“We are gradually reducing the subsidy for SUCs to push them toward becoming self-sufficient and financially independent,” President Benigno Aquino III said in his 2011 Budget Message. Since 2010, government data reveals that the university has been earning an average of P435 million from tuition annually.

As the government continues to deprive UP and other state universities of proper funding, tuition and other fees can only be expected to increase.

Students like Megan w o u l d then turn to scholarships to be able to stay in UP, making it all the more appealing for private companies to dangle scholarship offers for their prospective employees.

Sinker Finding alternative financing options for students in need is an imperative for the current university administration, especially as these scholarship programs are also currently insufficient. Since 2008, in fact, scholars only comprise less than 4

percent of the annual average 24,000 UPD student population every year.

As funding cannot come from UP’s meager budget, strengthening the scholarships system becomes a viable option. The University has since been approaching various organizations to create new scholarships slots. “We need to promote and make it known that we are welcoming scholarships.

We encourage and ask for donations from alumni [and] from individuals to private organizations,” says UP President Alfredo Pascual.

So far, the OSSS has tapped 65 private donors whose proposed scholarship will pass through the Board of Regent’s approval. The OSSS is then tasked to manage these donations and disburse the negotiated amounts to qualified students.

Sadly, most scholarships are generally aimed at the colleges of business, engineering, and science, Dacanay says. As such, students from other academic domains – who also need financial aid – are left behind.

Worse, as these scholarships are tied to the interests of the donor, the university is letting these companies draw the track its students will take.

“Pinapackage kasi ang mga scholarships ngayon para magkaroon ng utang na loob ang mga estudyante.

Dahil dito tinatarget ng mga malalaking kumpanya ang UP upang [makakuha] ng quality at murang Pilipinong…magtatrabaho sa kanila,” France argues.

The existence of scholarships from private donors, however, becomes the

government’s basis for pushing UP’s “autonomy.” Through scholarships, students can still enroll, without the University having to roll back the expensive tuition. As a result, UP’s public character crumbles, with scholarships simply becoming means for private companies to cull future employees.

The trend can mean the triumph of private interests over public service.

For instance, scholars may soon find themselves simply parroting their company’s stands on issues, or contributing their talent to profitoriented endeavors. Other scholars hoping to become trailblazers in their field, especially to create impact on the lives of Filipinos, may end up trapped in their benefactor’s employ.

Fresh science graduate Kara*, who was also a private scholar, worries precisely this: that her future employer’s views in business may not be in line with hers.

For one, Kara is unsure of her employer company’s stances on the environment and how it responds to environmentprotection laws. “Being a student of my course, I have a responsibility to improve that industry [I belong in]…pero may mga companies kasi na di responsible.”

In the end, only one kind of scholarship can be the lifeline for the likes of Megan, this time, without strings attached: that which is supported by the state’s full subsidy on education. ∞ Illustration: Karl Aquino Page design : Jan Andrei Cobey

KULTURA

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

11

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

Kontra-[g]api at ang Kulturang Kontra-Puntal

TAMBAYAN 101 Walang matambayan? Halika’t kilalanin ang bawat organisasyon sa unibersidad at ang kanilang mga samu’t saring kuwento— malay mo, maisipan mo pang maging bahagi ng kanilang kasaysayan.

Mary Joy T. Capistrano ISANG MALAKAS NA HAMPAS sa gong ang hudyat ng pagsisimula ng pagtatanghal. Kasabay ng ritmo ang indayog ng mga mananayaw at ang wasiwas ng kanilang mga kamay sa hangin. Maya-maya pa’y bumilis at tila naghahabulan na ang mga nota sa hawak nilang mga instrumento Isa lamang ito sa mga pagtatanghal ng Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino o Kontra-GaPi (KG), grupong naglalapit sa mga Pilipino sa musika at awit mula sa kalakhan ng TimogSilangang Asya.

Paghubog Unang itinatag noong 1989, gumagamit ang KG ng mga tradisyonal na instrumento katulad ng tambol (gongs, drums), gawa sa metal at kahoy na xylophone (timbre, plauta, pito) at iba pang mga instrumentong gawa sa kahoy.

Gumagamit din ang KG ng mga instrumento sa porma ng ideophone (hegalong, kulibet, gitigit, kuitang), aerophones (diwdiw-as, esmi, tonggali, suling) at membranophones (debakan, solibaw, Cordilleran drums).

Tumutukoy ang Kontemporaryo sa salitang KG sa kasalukuyan samantalang mula naman sa salitang Javanese ng mga Indonesia ang “gamelan” na tumutukoy sa grupo ng mga tradisyunal na instrumento.

Naging inspirasyon ni Prop.

Pedro R. Abraham sa pagbuo ng KG ang isang pagtatanghal na nilapatan

niya ng musika at sayaw mula sa mga kontemporaryong kultura ng bansa.

Kaiba umano ito sa pangkaraniwang tugtog dahil pinagsama-sama nito ang mga instrumento ng gamelan na kadalasang hiwa-hiwalay na tinutugtog, ani Espher Ferrer, dating miyembro ng KG. Nito lamang Agosto 30, isinagawa ng KG sa Hardin ng mga Diwata ang “Pukpukan,” isang tuloy-tuloy na pagtatanghal sa loob ng isang araw bilang paggunita sa kanilang 24 taon na anibersaryo.

Kumpara sa ibang mga organisasyon sa Unibersidad, hindi kailangang dumaan ng mga aplikante ng KG sa tradisyonal na proseso— sigsheet, tambay hours, final interview at final rites—tibay ng loob ang tanging tiket sa pagiging bahagi ng grupo.

Idinagdag din niya ang pagkakaroon ng malayang porma umano ng awit o pagtugtog ng KG. “Hindi namin kailangang sumunod sa pattern, sapagkat ang porma ng aming awit at sayaw ay collaborative, indigenous, may certain form of authencity, at may pagka-theatrical,” ani Carlito Camahalan, dating miyembro ng KG. Bukas ang nasabing grupo sa lahat ng indibidwal kahit hindi galing sa Unibersidad basta nais magpakitanggilas ng kanilang talento at matuto ng kontemporaryong musika.

“KG took in applicants on the assumption that people start out with different aptitudes for music, but eventually anyone can learn how to make and appreciate music; it all starts with the interest and the desire to learn,” ani Lisa Ito, alumna ng KG. Gayunman, sinasanay sila bilang isang grupo kaya kailangan pa rin nila ng agapay ng isa’t isa, ani Taks Barbi. Gayundin ang kanilang tiyaga sa pagsasanay mula 6 hanggang 9 ng gabi, araw-araw.

Isang bilang Sa kabila ng tagumpay ng KG, kapansin-pansin pa rin ang bumababang bilang ng mga estudyanteng sumasali dito at ang kakulangan sa pagpapahalaga sa katutubong musika.

Kaugnay nito, hindi maitatanggi ang labis-labis na pagkahumaling ng mga estudyante sa kanluraning impluwensiya--maya’t mayang naririnig ang K-Pop o RNB habang tila pangkultural na mga programa na lamang ang turing sa tradisyonal na musika at sayaw ng mga Pilipino.

Sa kabilang banda, gumagawa ng mga bagong paraan ang KG upang madaling tugtugin at sayawin ng mga manonood ang kanilang itinatanghal.

Mula man sa tradisyonal na awit o sayaw ang kanilang inspirasyon nilalapatan naman nila ito ng bagong tugtog at choreography, ani Barbin.

Samakatuwid, sinisikap na iangkop ng KG ang kanilang sarili sa nagbabagong panahon. “Sinusubukan lang naming gumawa ng simbolo gaya ng watawat ng Pilipinas na nagpapakita ng dibersidad sa bansa. Ika nga, ‘unity in diversity and diversity in unity’ ang aming pangunahing tunguhin,” paliwanag ni Barbin.

Ayon kay Raymond Williams, nahahati ang kultura sa tatlong kategorya--pangunahing proseso ng kaisipang intelektuwal, at spiritwal; paraan ng pamumuhay ng isang tao at hayop; at ang kahalagahan ng mga gawain, tradisyon at sining ng mga tao.

Kadalasang ginagamit ang huling depinisyon kaya itinuturing ang awit, literatura, pinta, at iskultura na produkto ng kultura.

Itinuturing ng KG ang kultura bilang komunal, kaya naman malaya ang pagiging bahagi sa pag-aaral at pagpapayabong nito, sa loob ng isang disiplinadong pamamaraan. Isang halimbawa ang instrumento ng gamelan na ginagamit dati ng lahat ng miyembro ng isang komunidad.

“Pangunahing layunin ng KG ang ipagpatuloy ang kulturang Pilipino sa anyo ng kanilang sayaw at musika,” ani Camahalan. Maipapakita umano ang pagkilala sa kulturang Pilipino sa pagpapanatili ng kaalaman o mismong paggamit ng mga instrumento sa kasalukuyan.

Sa ganitong gawi higit na makikilala ang kultura sapagkat hindi ito nakukulong sa iilan lamang.

Dito papasok ang kahalagahan ng

isang mapagpalayang kultura kung saan may karapatan at kakayahang lumahok ang sinuman sa mga gawain katulad ng pag-awit, pagsayaw at maging pagtugtog.

Ayon kay Barbin, marami sa kanila ang sumasali sa KG dahil sa pagkilala at pagpapakilala nito sa kultura ng mga Pilipino, hindi lamang sa bansa kundi maging sa labas nito. Sa kabila ng kasikatan ng mga makabagong instrumentong pangmusika, mahalagang pangalagaan at kilalanin ang tradisyunal na mga instrumento bilang paggalang sa katutubong kultura.

Mabilis makaimpluwensiya ang kultura, kaya naman ginagawa itong pangunahing lunsaran ng mga may-ari ng malalaking kompanya o tinatawag na kapitalista, upang kumita ng malaking halaga.

Sa gitna ng perbersyon ng kapitalismo sa pagsalaula at pagbenta sa iba’t ibang katutubong kultura, sinsikap ng KG na payabungin ang mga kulturang ito at ituon, sa maraming pagkakataon, tungo sa mapagpalayang kaisipan at lipunan.

“I remember KG members would participate in the campaign against the UP budget cut and the Erap Resign movement of 2000 by performing during some mass actions,” ani Ito. Sa pakikilahok sa ilang mga panlipunang gawain nagiging instrumento ang kanilang pagtatanghal upang ipabatid sa kalakhan ng mga manonood ang mga panawagan ukol sa mga isyu ng lipunan na kinakaharap ng iba’t ibang mga sektor—estudyante, magsasaka, manggagawa, kababaihan at marami pang iba.

Samakatuwid bukod sa pagpapakilala sa kultura ng mga Pilipino higit na dapat magsilbing lunsaran ang mga pagtatanghal ng KG upang ipaunawa sa mga mamamayan ang mga isyung pilit na nagkukulong sa lipunan sa kahon ng karahasan. ∞

Lawak ng entablado Sinisikap ng KG na dalhin ang kanilang mga pagtatanghal sa mas malaking sakop ng mga manonood, paliwanag ni Ito. Sinasalungat din nila ang ideyang nagiging pabrika na lamang umano ng mga manggagawa at tagapahamahala ang Unibersidad at tuwinang napag-iiwanan ang tradisyonal na kultura sa bansa.

Gayunman, nagsisilbi pa ring instrumento ang KG sa pagpapa-unawa ng mga problemang karaniwang kinakaharap sa komunidad at ang pagpapakita ng tunay na tunguhin ng sama-samang pagkilos sa labas ng paaralan.

Photographs: Kontra-GaPi Page design: Ashley Garcia

12

KULTURA

Balintuwid Ian Gamboa TINANGGAL NA ANG MGA palamuti’t palatandaan ng nagdaang buwan ng wika. Niligpit na ang mga Filipinianang ginamit sa mga sabayang pagbigkas, at pinalitan na rin ang disenyo ng mga bulletin board sa mga klasrum upang makasabay sa mabilis na pagpapalit-pahina ng kalendaryo.

Unang itinakda ni dating Pangulong Fidel V. Ramos noong 1997, ang Proklamasyon 1041 ang naging lunsaran ng pagdiriwang ng buwan ng wika tuwing Agosto upang bigyang-diin ang kahalagahan ng katutubo at sariling wika sa pambansang kaunlaran.

Matapos ang mahigit isang dekada, marami ang nagtataka: bakit sa bansang nagdiriwang ng buwan ng wika, napakalaki pa rin ang pagkiling sa kolonyal at imperyalistang wikang Ingles?

At sa paggunita ng Buwan ng Wika, imperatibong balikan hindi lamang ang halaga ng sarili’t katutubong mga wika para sa pambansang kaunlaran.

Higit sa pagiging kultural na aparato, ang pagdiriwang ng buwan ng wika ay dapat magpakintal ng malaya at mapagpalayang kaisipan.

Taon-taon, ipinapaalala sa mga Pilipino ang buwan ng wika at ipinagdidikdikan sa pamahalaan at sa mamamayan na mahalin ang sariling wika. Ito ang tunay na balintuna ng pagpapahalaga sa sariling wika sa isang bansang kinukubabawan ng neokolonyal na palisiyang pampulitika, pang-ekonomiya at pangkulutura ng Estados Unidos.

Sa katunayan, masasalamin ang bigat ng kung anong mga institusyon ang nagtakda ng direksiyon sa pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Wika, lalong-lalo na ang Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) na naging kontrobersiyal kamakailan dahil sa paggigiit nito ng pagpapalit ng pangalan ng bansa mula Pilipinas tungong Filipinas.

Aquino-pikasyon ng Wika Bilang isang institusyong itinatag noong 1991, alinsunod sa Republic Act 7104 na mandato ng Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas, ang KWF ay naatasang mamuno sa pagtataguyod ng isang pambansang wika.

Sa pagtakda ng KWF ng isang temang maka-Aquino, “Wika natin ang daang matuwid,” nakababad sa politika at ideolohiya ng administrasyong Aquino hindi lang ang pagdiriwang ng buwan ng wika, kundi ang iba pang mga programa at palisiya ng KWF.

Kasalukuyang nasa pamumuno ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining na si Virgilio Almario at ng mga komisyoner ng iba’t ibang wika ng Pilipinas, nagsagawa ang KWF ng kauna-unahang “Pambansang Kongreso sa Wika” ngayong taon na dinaluhan ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino III. Ayon kay Louis Althusser, isa sa mga Ideological State Apparatus (ISA) o mga ideolohikal na aparato ng estado o gobyerno ay ang pangkulturang ISA. Ang mga kultural na produkto o instrumento, tulad ng wika at ng mga institusyong pangwika, ay kinakasangkapan ng estado o naghaharing sistema upang padaluyin ang reaksyonaryong ideolohiya nito.

Bilang isang ahensiya ng gobyerno at bilang pangkulturang ISA, nakasilid sa lilim ng Malacañang complex ang direksyon ng KWF. Hindi maikakaila ang pag-angkla nito sa administrasyon.

Sa bawat namumunong pangunahing komisyoner ng KWF, makikita ang pananahimik ng institusyon sa mga pasya ng administrasyon.

Magpahanggang ngayon, nananatiling kibit-balikat ang KWF sa Executive Order (EO) 210 ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal Arroyo na nagpapalakas sa Ingles bilang midyum ng pagtuturo dahil ito’y atas ng International Monetary Fund at World Bank.

Pinalamutian ng pamahalaan ang wikang Ingles bilang isang sangkap sa mas epektibong pakikipag-ugnay sa global na kalakaran. Isa sa mga naging epekto nito ay ang paglikha ng mga kurso na epektibong gagamit ng wikang Ingles at epektibong lilikha ng mga Pilipinong may kasanayan sa wikang Ingles upang maging balon ng murang lakas-paggawa.

Kasama sa EO 210 ang paglikha ng mga kurso sa paaralan para maging call center agents. At magpahanggang sa administrasyong Aquino, patuloy ang pagsuporta ng rehimen sa call center industry.

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

Ang Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino at Ang Balintuna ng Wika ng Tuwid na Daan

At tila nilalansi ng programang K to 12 ang mga guro’t mag-aaral sa balintuna nito.

Habang ipinangangalandakan ng programang K to 12 ni Aquino ang pagpapagamit ng Mother Tongue Language sa batayang edukasyon, nilulusaw naman ng K to 12 ang paggamit ng wikang Filipino sa pamamagitan ng pagbabawas sa oras ng pag-aaral nito at sa pagtatanggal rito bilang rekisitong kurso sa kolehiyo.

Ang pananahimik sa mga isyung pangwika ng isang institusyong naatasan upang pagyamanin ang wikang Filipino ay isang manipestasyon ng kontrol ng pamahalahan sa mga institusyong pangkultura upang punan ang rekisito ng globalisasyon na sa kalauna’y magdadala ng hindi pagkakapantay-pantay.

Binabaluktot na Wika sa Daang Baliko Sa pagpili ng KWF sa temang may lantarang alusyon sa daang matuwid na isinusulong ng administrasyong Aquino, ipinakikita ng ahensiya ang politikal na tunguhin nito.

Ayon sa Pambansang Alagad ng Sining at makabayang kritikong si Bienvenido Lumbera, ang wika ay isang konstruksiyong panlipunan— napaunlad ng tao ang wika bunga ng kaniyang interaksyon sa lipunan.

Pagdating ng wika sa kamalayan ng tao ay may bitbit na kahulugan at pakikiisa sa isang lipunang kapwa tagasalita ng parehong wika. Kung may kapangyarihang sumakop sa kamalayan ng wika, kasama

rin ang lipunang tagasalita nitong mapapailalim sa kapangyarihang iyon.

Ang pagdidikta ng KWF ng magiging tema ng taunang Buwan ng Wika ay hindi hubad sa politika.

Ang sapilitang pagpili sa slogan ng administrasyon upang bigyangbuod ang pagdiriwang ng wika ay isang uri ng pulitikang ito. Ani nga ni Lumbera, ang wika ay kasangkapan ng may kapangyarihan at may lakas upang magpasunod ng mga tao sa lipunan.

Sa katunayan, saksi ang kasaysayan ng Pilipinas sa politikal na paghuhulma at pagkasangkapan sa wika. Ang mga wika sa Pilipinas ay naging instrumentong politikal ng mga Kastila nang sakupin nila ang bansa noong siglo 16. Inaral ng mga Espanyol ang mga wikang katutubo at isinalin nila ang kolonyal at relihiyosong panitikan upang gamitin sa kanilang kolonyal na pananakop.

Sa dami ng mga wika ng Pilipinas, kung saan 70 bahagdan ay hindi na nagagamit, marapat lamang na suriin ang hakbang ng KWF na kung bakit sa lahat ng mga wika sa bansa, ang “wikang matuwid” ang sinentro ng KWF sa nakaraang Buwan ng Wika.

Wika at nasyonalismo Bilang isang bansang lulan ng maraming wika, isang malaking pagsubok ang paglinang sa napiling pambansang wika na magbubuklodbuklod sa pangkalahatang kultura, kamalayan at esensiya ng lahat ng wikang nakapaloob sa bansa.

Sa pagtatahi-tahi ng KWF ng isang pambansang wika, masusulyapan nating hindi epektibo ang paraan nito.

Ang konseho ng KWF ay binubuo ng mga iskolar ng wika na, sa iilang bilang lamang ay ang kabuuang nagpapasya sa magiging imahen ng pambansang wika. Ang kawalan o

Illustration : Patricia Ramos Page design : Ashley Garcia

napakalimitadong partisipasyon ng masa’t publiko sa paghubog ng mga patakarang pangwika ay isang pagsasalamin sa pagiging eksklusibo ng KWF. Sa ganitong lagay, lalong nailalayo ng KWF ang pambasang wika sa masa. Sa mga kumperensiyang ginaganap upang lalong linangin ang pambansang wika, halos mga kapwa iskolar at akademiko lamang ang nakikibahagi sa pagtatakda ng mga pagbabago sa wika. Bagama’t may pagtatangka ay hindi sapat ang mga rehistro, istandardisasyon, kumperensiya at mga panayam bilang mga paraan ng pananaliksik upang mapayabong at maging inklusibo ang KWF. Isa sa mga pinakamaingay na isyung kinaharap ng KWF ay ang pagpapalit ng Pilipinas sa Filipinas nang walang konsultasyon sa masa.

Ang usapin ng pambansang wika ay nakulong na lamang sa inatasang institusyon.

Bilang isang hantungan ng identidad ng isang lahi, ang pagpapalit ng pangalan ng isang bansa ay nasasapin rin sa usapin kung sino ang may kakayahang magpalit ng kabuuan ng diwang nakapaloob sa nakagawiang pangalan.

Sa tangkang pagpapalit ng KWF ng “F” sa “P,” lalo lamang naipakita na nakatali pa rin tayo sa pagiging isang isang kolonya o neokolonya.

Nakapangalan pa rin ang bansa sa isang dayuhang haring nanakop ng Pilipinas sa loob ng mahigit 300 taon. Isang paalala ito sa mababaw na pagtingin sa wika ng isang institusyong dapat ay may maalam dito.

Bilang isang malaking bahagi ng nasyonalismo at pagka-Pilipino, may kakayahang maghubog ng mga ideyolohiya ang paggamit sa wika.

Kaunting bahid lamang ng interes ay isang kultura’t pangkalahatang kamalayan na ang matatangay.

Sa lantarang pananamantala sa kapangyarihan ng KWF bilang institusyong nagtatakda ng wika, ang pagpasok ng ganitong klaseng interes ng pamahalaan ay kontra sa nakagawiang demokrasya.

Kung kaya’t panahon na upang lalong paigtingin hindi lang ang partisipasyon kundi ang malakas na pagpapasya ng mamamayan para sa kultura ng demokratikong pamamahala at pagdidireksyon sa wika at sa lipunan. ∞

GRAPIX

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

13

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

Pugad Baboy* Keithley Difuntorum Sampung inahing baboy ang alaga ni Tatay Juan, ang isa’y pinulutan ni Lolo Ponce at ang natira ay siyam.

Siyam na inahing baboy ang nag-aaral magbasa Naiwan sa mansyon ni Aling Janet ang isa at walo na lang ang natira Walong inahing baboy ang naglaro ng piko, Kay Ate Jeane ang isa ay nakipaglaro at pito lang ang nakatakbo.

Pitong inahing baboy ang kumain ng pananim, Sa palayan ni Pareng Bong ang isa ay giniling at ang natira’y anim Anim na inahing baboy ang gumawa ng bahay na nipa Sa gitna ng gabi, ang isa ay kinatay ni Kuya Ferdie, at ang natira’y lima Limang inahing baboy ang nangisda sa may sapa Nabingwit ni Kapitan Jinggoy ang isa, ang apat ay nakalangoy pa Apat na inahing baboy ang naghahanap ng pagamutan Nabitag ni Tito Gregorio ang isa at tatlo lang ang nakawala Tatlong inahing baboy ang nagprotesta sa Luneta Nairita ang asong si Mar, kinain ang isa at dalawa ang natira Dalawang inahing baboy ang naglakad papuntang Mendiola Natakot si Kuya Noy, dinakip ang isa, at isa lang ang itinira Isang inahing baboy kay Tatay Juan ay natira Siyam na inahing baboy, isa-isang kinawawa ng mga ganid at mapagsamantala Si Tatay Juan ay tumalima, sampu ng kanyang mga kasama Lilinisin ang pugad ng kababuyan bago ang huling inahin ay mawala pa

* pasintabi kay Pol Medina

Photographs: Keithley Difuntorum Page design: Ashley Garcia

14

OPINYON

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

Sa lahat ng binaon ng sistema* Rina Jacinto NAIS KO SANANG ILAAN ANG espasyong ito upang humingi ng tawad sa mga nawalan ng tirahan na hindi ko man lang naipagtanggol laban sa mga kaklase kong iskolar ng bayan pa man din kung ituring.

Sa isang talakayan sa klase, napag-usapan namin ang ilan sa mga kaugalian ng mga Pilipino, kagaya ng pagkahumaling sa pasalubong tuwing may balikbayan, ang pakikipagpalitan ng tsismis, at ang konsepto ng “hirit.”

Pero bigla na lang akong napatahimik nang binanggit na ang sunod na kaugalian.

Marami raw sa mga Pilipinong naggigiit ng kanilang karapatan sa disenteng pamumuhay ay iyong mga mahihirap.

Dahil sa hindi nila matustusan ang sariling pangangailangan, sa gobyerno na lamang daw umaasa para mabuhay. Lalong uminit ang dugo ko nang ginawang halimbawa ang mga nagpipiket na nawalan ng tirahan bunsod ng kaliwa’t kanang demolisyon na nagaganap sa buong Kamaynilaan.

“Wala silang bahay kaya nasa kalsada sila ngayon,” sabi ng propesor namin. Hindi man tahasan ang pagkakasabi, batid ko ang nais niyang ipahiwatig: reklamo ng reklamo ‘tong mga iskwater, hindi

naman sa kanila ang lupa, tapos ngayon sila pa ang galit?

Wala mang nagsasalita sa buong klase, naramdaman kong paniwalang-paniwala sila. May ilan pa ngang tumatango bilang pagsang-ayon. Ganito na ba talaga kababaw ang pang-unawa ng mga kapwa ko iskolar ng bayan? Hindi ba’t tinuturuan tayo sa pamantasan upang suriin ang mga usaping panlipunan sa mas mataas na antas? O kahit man lang ugatin kung paanong natatali sa siklo ng kahirapan ang mga walang natapos, walang nakabubuhay na trabaho, at walang sariling tahanan?

Pero mas nahihiya ako sa sarili ko, dahil hindi man lang ako nakapagsalita.Inaaminkongnaunahan ako ng kaba, kaya humihingi ako ng tawad sa inyo. Sa katunayan, hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili ko, kaya lumabas na lang ako ng classroom at nagkunwaring pupunta ng banyo.

Hindi ko na kaya pang pakinggan ang mga puna nilang kung hindi mababaw ay makitid.

Patawad at hindi ko kayo naipagtanggol sa mga kapwa ko iskolar na hindi nauunawaan ang inyong kalagayan. Hindi ko naipaliwanag sa kanila ang pang-aaping nararanasan

Hindi ko naipamulat sa kanila na lahat kayo, at maging ako at sila, ay biktima ng isang sistemang malaon na nating gustong wasakin

ninyo sa araw-araw na pagkayod.

Hindi ko naigiit ang mga paghihirap na dinaranas niyo sa trabaho, na hindi kayo nabibigyan ng sapat na sahod kahit na pinagsasamantalahan na ang inyong lakas at sipag.

Hindi ko naipaliwanag na tungkulin ng gobyerno na maghatid ng maayos na serbisyong panlipunan, sa lahat ng mamamayang dapat nitong paglingkuran.

Hindi ko naipamulat sa kanila na lahat kayo, at maging ako at sila, ay biktima ng isang sistemang malaon na nating gustong wasakin.

Patawad, hindi ko agad naayos ang lahat ng ito sa isipan ko noong oras na iyon. Sana ay may naibato man lang akong argumento sa mga taong kay bilis ipagmayabang ang paglahok sa Million People’s March sa Luneta pero kay bilis din namang batikusin ang pagkilos ng mga mamamayang mas api kaysa sa amin.

Gayunpaman, sana’y makabawi ako kahit man lang sa pamamagitan ng mga salita—na bago man gawing pambalot ang dyaryong ito, sa wakas ay maipaliwanag ko na ang inyong kalagayan na noon ko pa sana naibahagi sa aking mga kapwa iskolar ng bayan. ∞ *pasintabi sa Eraserheads

Usapang acads, atbp.

Penny Lane

NOONG HULI TAYONG NAG-USAP, tinanong mo ako kung pwede mo ba akong makakwentuhan. Libre ka noong araw na ‘yon, bilang free week noong nakaraang lingo at walang espasyo sa likod ng diyaryo na kailangan mong punan ng panibago mong mga hinaing sa buhay.

Sa totoo lang, nagulat ako— ikaw kasi ‘yung tipo ng tao na hindi magsasalita tungkol sa mga personal na bagay kung hindi tatanungin, kahit marami sa opisina ang nagsasabing madaldal ka sa ibang mga bagay. Kahit nga mga kainuman mo, saksi sa iyong kadaldalan kapag lasing ka.

Hindi na rin mabilang ang mga nakasagutan mo sa tuwing napapagusapan ang mga librong binabasa mo, ang mga bagong bandang nadidiskubri mo, ang mga isyung panlipunan, at ang mga pelikula ni Wong Kar-wai. Hinding-hindi ka mawawalan ng kadebate rito sa Kule, at karamihan sa mga usaping ito ay nangyayari sa ilalim ng belo ng mga bituin sa Vinzons rooftop kung saan paborito mong tumambay. At magyosi.

Halos paalis na ang lahat sa opisina noong hapong iyon.

Kung tutuusin, maraming pagkukulang ang sistema ng edukasyon sa bansa na hindi kayang ikubli ng tambak na readings at midterm exams

Tinabihan kita sa bintana at inabutan mo ako ng isang stick ng Marlboro red. Pang-ilang yosi mo na ito ngayong araw, sabi mo. Binalaan ka na ng doktor mo na maghinayhinay muna sa paghihithit ng nikotina.

Nabigla na naman ako nang sinabi mong sukang-suka ka nang mag-aral. Sa pagkakakilala ko sa iyo sa ating maikling pagsasama sa trabaho, hindi ikaw ang klase ng taong aayawan ang bagong kaalaman. Palabasa ka’t mahilig sa mga diskurso, kaya’t nabigla ako nang sinabi mong ayaw mo nang mag-aral.

Kailangan mo nang mag-drop ng tatlong subjects kasi hindi ka na makapasok. Siguro kasi wala ka nang motibasyon para gumising at harapin ang mahabang araw. Muntik ka nang mag-LOA pero siyempre, pinigilan ka ng mga tao dito sa opisina.

Naisip ko na baka tinamad ka na lang. Kung tutuusin, maraming pagkukulang ang sistema ng edukasyon sa bansa na hindi kayang ikubli ng tambak na readings at midterm exams. Nabalitaan ko rin mula sa isang photographer sa Kule

na hindi mo na pinasukan ang isang klase matapos mong salungatin ang isang propesor na pro-STFAP. Naikwento mo ang iba mong mga kaklase na ayaw mag-drop kasi sayang ang ipinambayad, at idadaan na lang sa dasal at pakiusap ang kanilang kapalaran.

Ewan ko ba sa ‘yo kung bakit bigla mong binuhos sa akin ang iyong mga angas sa buhay bilang isang non-major, sa iyong pamilya na wala nang magawa kundi pilitin kang sumunod sa yapak ng iyong mga nakatatandang kapatid, at maging sa bagong babaeng natitipuhan mo na, gaya mo, ay mahilig ding magbasa ng mga gawa ni Saramago.

Lalong gumaganda ang singkit mong mga mata nang bigla kang nanahimik. Marahil ay iniisip mo na naman siya. Unti-unting lumabas ang isang ngiti na bihira naming makita sa iyo ngayon.

Marami sa mga babae sa opisina ang nagsasabing lalo kang pumupogi kapag nakangiti.

Paupos na ang pangalawa kong yosi nang bigla kong naisip na sana - sana lang talaga - ako na lang ang dahilan ng ngiting iyan.∞ *Para kay A. P. T ng backpage

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/philippinecollegian Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kule1314

OPINYON

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

EKSENANG PEYUPS

newscan

TEXTBACK

Ano sa palagay mo ang magiging pangalan ng susunod na bagyo?

Ze Free Soup Edishun!

Heyy there, dudes and dudettes!

It's that time of the sem again when everyone is so sabaw, we can have a feeding program to end world hunger.

But let's cut to the chase and pick na from the menu 'coz I have my own bowl to fill. * Ginataan. There was this guy from the college of Fartsy Artsy who looked like hindi pa siya nakakatikim ng tulog for N days straight. So he was making pinta of his project and I guess he got thirsty because he grabbed the hugasan ng brush instead of his coffee and made higop of the murky water! Well, at least nagising si koya, right? lolz * Sinigang. Now there was this ate from the College of who loves Twitter so much, she re-tweets everything na lumalabas sa feed niya,

15

BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 6, 2013

as in EVERYTHING. Like when one dude tweeted he's going out, she retweeted with, "Oh, where? <3". Of course it looks sweet but things got sour when the dude's gf made eksena with the girl. Paheart-heart pa kasi eh, 'teh. <3 * Batchoy. And lastly, there was this dudette who was making chaka-chaka of all the tibak people when they joined the march against Pork Barrel. At nahiya naman ang yours truly sa dedication niya to change society through clicking the like button on tibak posts while everyone else is out there "making ingay". Ermahgerd, it made me re-evaluate my life choices!

Yum- yum-yum! And now that nalamanan na ang ating mga tummies, we can now go back to whatever you are supposed to be doing instead of reading this edishun of Eksenang Peyups. Babush, lovies!

∞

INBOX

KULE Bagyong Napoles! Bagay na bagay. Tapos ang mga masasalanta nito, ung mga walang hiyang manloloko sa ating gobyerno. 201*11762 jrisonfire KULE Oyn0y! Para kht salantain tayo, tuwid pdn ang mga daan! Hoho, 201111295 JEA B. STAT :) Nasa website po ng pagasa ung mga pangalan ng bagyo. Alphabetical naman yun eh.. So ang sunod kay nando eh O. Nakalimutan ko lang iyong O. I-look up niyo nalang po :) pero kung ako magpapangalan... ahhh Oblation XD lol xD para sikat tayo xD hahahahaha or..or mananalanta tayo!

Hahahaha xD 2013-1**** Stewie Gryffindor KULE Migs yung pangalan ng susunod na bagyo dahil pinapaulanan nia ko ng pag-ibig.

Hehe. 201x542yy Jana KULE So, Maring ung huling bagyo.

Bale, N na ung simula ng susunod.

NAPOLES! Napoles ang pangalan ng susunod na bagyo! Naku! Itago nyo sa mataas na lugarmga pera nyo 2013-33800 MatE Rancchodas

Next week’s questions

MANIFESTO of UNITY Scrap the Pork Alliance through the Office of the Student Regent We, students, faculty, workers, staff and administrators, along with other members of the UP community, are united with the Filipino people in its call for the abolition of the pork barrel system and its clamour to end the culture of corruption and patronage politics ingrained in our government.

Although President Aquino and other elected officials have expressed their favour for the abolition of the pork barrel system, we, the UP community, know better than to accept the false nobility of such rhetoric. We recognize that the pork barrel system is but one of the many faces of corruption.

Poverty and corruption share a mutual relationship especially in a nation where decades of backward industrial relations and foreign-dominated rule persist. The rage against corruption barely scratches the grain of the fundamental problems the common Filipino experience.

Beyond corruption is the blatant disregard for the rights and welfare of the people, particularly of the poor and marginalized. Despite its promise of tuwid na daan, we are forced to deal with the harsh terrain of budget cuts in social services and sky-high prices of basic commodities.

We call on the Aquino administration, the House of Representatives and the Senate to abolish the pork barrel system. We call on these public officials to rechannel these discretionary funds to basic social services including education, health, water and public transportation, among others, instead of imposing additional taxes and supporting price increases in social services.

We call on the entire UP community to unite to stop the pending P1.43 billion budget cut in the university. We cannot suffer to have another Kristel Tejada and Alyssa Asilo in our midst as access to education and health services continuously slips away from the public.

We thus rise to the challenge of living up to the role not just as critics of society but also as catalysts of social transformation, placing ourselves at the forefront of the call for government accountability and responsiveness, guarding against negligence and state abandonment, and ultimately, stand for genuine social welfare and meaningful change in the service of the people!

Prosecute the corrupt!

Abolish the pork barrel system!

Rechannel pork barrel funds to social services!

Fight for greater state subsidy for basic social services!

Join the September 11 Systemwide Parade Against Pork and Cuts.

1. Kung ikaw si Janet Napoles, kanino mo isusuko ang sarili mo at bakit?

2. Ano ang mensahe mo para sa UP Pep Squad sa nalalapit na Cheerdance Competition?

kule nanang ang next name, may cycle kasi ang mga pangalan ng bagyo every 4 years from rhs, pasig city KULE Pwede bang Bagyong Napoles na lang? Para uulan ng pera hihi 1236475 BSMath Noynoy. Kasing destructive ng mga pro-foreign, pro-privatization na mga programa ng ating mahal na pangulo.

Comments

KULE Yung page nyo na “Nasaan si Porky?” ang best na nakita/nabasa ko so far. “Kapag nahanap ang lahat ng lechon, manating mapagmatyag at mapanuri. Hindi nagtatapos sa pahinang ito ang paghahanap sa perang pinakinabangan ng iilan.” Ugh :> ang awesome talaga. Kudos, guys!

2012-30428 Kedz BS Stat KULE Pabati lng po ng happy 3yrs kay KIM (20**-70074, BS CE) iloveyou and sana magtagal pa tayo (yung tipong forever na :’’> )

CONTACT US! Write to us via snail mail or submit a soft copy to Rm. 401, Vinzons Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Email us at pkule1314gmail.com.

Save Word attachments in Rich Text Format, with INBOX, NEWSCAN or CONTRIB in the subject. Always include your full name, address and contact details.

Send in your opinions and feedback via SMS! Type KULE <space> MESSAGE <space> STUDENT NUMBER <required> NAME and COURSE (optional) and send to:

0916 739 2684

Non-UP students must indicate any school, organization or sectoral affliation.

PAFT-Alpha Gastro Bistro: A Food Bazaar On its 48th year, the Philippine Association of Food Technologists Alpha Chapter (PAFT-Alpha) brings you “Gastro Bistro: A Food Bazaar”. Drop by the College of Home Economics Gusali 2 Parking Lot from September 3-7, 2013 and enjoy treats from Dairy Queen, Bobba Jelly Tea and Coffee, Lotsa Pizza, Ajisakki and Mongolian on the Go. Freebies are up for grabs. See you there! :) This event is co-presented by CHE Student Council, GoNuts Donuts and Lemon Square, in cooperation with Fruit Magic, also brought to you by Cha Dao Tea Place.

UPStatsoc presents RUNDOM, a marathon w/ twists!

Sept 8|Acad Oval|5pm To register go to: tinyurl.com/rundom

ANSAVEH?! The Ultimate Pronunciation Competition Pronunciation has never been this competitive. Learn how to say things right. Join UP Speech Communication Association’s ANSAVEH?! The Ultimate Pronunciation Competition.

ANSAVEH?! is open to non-Speech Communication majors and will be held on September 12, 4PM at the C.M. Recto Hall, 1/F Faculty Center. For a registration fee of PhP100 per pair, you can have a chance to win P3000 for the grand prize.

For more inquiries, please contact us at 09176444198 or 09178685167.

In celebration of PADAYON UNYON, the 25th Anniversary of Union of Journalists of the Philippines - UP Diliman We invite you to join MULAT MANINIPAT: A Photojournalism Contest [Call for entries: August 13 - September 13*] This year's theme: PROGRESS AND REGRESS Telling the narrative of the (un) developed/developing Philippine society as it strives hard to cope with the change time brings.

NO REGISTRATION FEE OPEN TO STUDENTS

ALL

UP

DILIMAN

PRIZES: 1st Place - P3,000 2nd Place - P2,000 3rd Place - P1,000 + Many more! *Deadline extended until September 13!

NOWHERE MAN

Alan P. Tuazon Ars Poetica I HAVE BEEN ABSENT IN MOST of my classes these past two weeks, however I make sure to attend this creative writing class because of your presence, no matter how inconvenient the schedule is.

I remember one conversation among other Kule writers as we count the passing Kule hours by the number of cigarette butts. We were debating whether we would date writers too.

Everyone on the table said no: it will only invoke competition. I was the only one on the table who said yes.

Last class meeting, you were wearing your long hair loose which reminded me of Ophelia. The velvet texture of your voice reminds me of the poignancy of Neruda. Your careless series of laughter reminds me of the fluidity of the Beat generation poets. The poised way you tilt your head while listening reminds me of the silent beauty of Japanese poems.

“I was never a good reader in high school,” you told me fondly in between stolen moments in class. “I always skip to the ending in order to escape the painful parts.”

I give considerable effort in passing the requirements for this GE subject, even more so than the dedication I gave to past engineering subjects I took last year. I admire the way you craft your stories that bear truth on the plight of prostitutes, on the foolishness of religion, on the situation of urban workers. You make these realities the centrepiece of your works, giving them a sense of worth.

Unlike other Kule writers you know, I write too much about mundane things and inanities, you said. In front of the whole class during workshop you were the first one to criticise—in front of my face—my column as being too selfindulgent, and advised me to write on things that actually matter.

So forgive me if I write about you on this issue’s column. ∞