Philippine Collegian Issue 2

TOMO 91

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BLG. 2

HUWEBES, HUNYO 20, 2013

Land distribution to Luisita farmers delayed anew

Balita

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Wanted: Bedspace Lathalain

DEBT

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THREATS CURRENT TUITION AND LOAN POLICIES AND PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE UP CODE

Detached disclosures Kultura

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN Opisyal na lingguhang pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Diliman

NOWHERE MAN

Alan P. Tuazon

Kira Chan & Victor Gregor Limon WHILE THE MULTI-SECTORAL JUSTICE for Kristel Alliance (JKA) called for the repeal of “anti-poor” provisions in the Revised University Code of the UP System, a committee of five former university officials said these policies are needed to ensure the university’s “order” and “sustainability.”

The 1975 UP Code is a body of rules which govern the operations of all seven constituent units and five regional units in UP. In a report submitted to UP President Alfredo Pascual on June 14, the UP Code Review Committee did not recommend proposals to repeal Articles 330, 430, and 431.

The said provisions serve as the codal basis for policies such as the Forced Leave of Absence and No Late Payment rules in UP Manila (UPM) and the “ineligibility management system” in UP Diliman (UPD).

Article 330 states that students who have not paid their tuition are not allowed from being officially admitted to their enlisted classes, while Article 430 sets the deadline for payment of loans at one month before the final semestral examinations.

If unable to settle his financial obligations to the university, a student is barred from taking the final examinations, receiving grades, or enrolling for the next semester, according to Article 431.

The implementation of these articles, however, varies among UP units. (See sidebar 1).

‘Junk and replace with new provisions’ Through a paper drafted on May 27 and received by Pascual on June 9, the JKA proposed to effectively repeal Articles 327, 330, 430, and 431, and to replace them with provisions consistent with the new tuition policy statement by the Board of Regents (BOR). (See sidebar 2 on page 3.)

“No qualified UP student shall be denied access to education due to financial incapacity,” read the statement issued by the university’s highest policymaking body on April 12.

Convened after the death of UPM student Kristel Tejada, the JKA is composed of individuals and organizations, including Student Regent Cleve Arguelles, Staff Regent Jossel Ebesate, Faculty Regent Lourdes Abadingo, the All-UP Academic Employees Union, the All-UP Workers Union, and Katipunan ng mg Sangguniang Mag-aaral sa UP. The case of Kristel, and other students who had to go on leave from their studies due to financial constraints, demonstrated that there are university policies prevent students from fully enjoying the right to education, the JKA said in its proposal.

“UP must take affirmative action to create favourable conditions so that our students’ right to accessible education are protected, promoted and fulfilled to the fullest.”

Continued on page 3

Clamour and Silence

I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE THAT I AM A MAN OF FEW words--a lie which fools no one but me.

Last week, when the Collegian editors told me I was chosen to write this year’s weekly column, my brain went short circuit. I lamely protested that I do not have much to say about anything.

They only stared me down in amusement the same way I have seen them stare down people who just said something remarkably silly.

“For someone who talks even in his sleep, that’s quite a statement. Go away and bother someone else with your false humility,” one of the editors said in his trademark deadpan tone.

But of course they were right. Hordes of attractive girls do prefer the quieter type of bloke over the more vocal sort like yours truly. But is there really a point to mincing words when there’s so much excitement happening in the world?

Take for example this nasty rumour about the urgent need to reform the STFAP. I am not absolutely sure about other people, but say your car keeps conking out every week even after a vast amount of expensive repairs. Perhaps you should think about getting rid of the damn thing and start taking the jeep or bus instead. A full tank costs about two thousand bucks anyway.

It’s not that “Bracket A” students prefer to pay less tuition than what they can afford. This is a suspicious thought—even if prompted by the best intentions. My parents, who have worked hard all their lives as a lawyer and a private school teacher, could pay my “millionaire’s bracket” tuition, only because they could afford to save from their relatively higher salaries.

Since I was a freshman, we decided not to apply for STFAP, not merely because we believe there’s a slim chance of getting the right bracket from a “socialized” tuition scheme which essentially seeks to generate money, but also because we decided we could shoulder the high cost of tuition anyway—at least at the moment.

Last Sunday, when my family went to treat Dad to a Father’s Day dinner at his favourite restaurant, my three older brothers all teased me about the “fact” that this column will be the death sentence to any possibility of college romance.

“However sensible you argue your ideas, you’ll forever be that guy who shoves his opinion down people’s throats whether they like it or not,” my brother, the “King in the South,” declared with a smirk.

Dad however came to my rescue—in broken Mandarin: “Don’t listen to any of his bullshit. I’m sure UP girls don’t share any of his dumb ideas. Besides, even if he’s right and you’re going to fail in furthering our royal bloodline, you might as well make some noise. Otherwise, we should have your graveyard stone etched with ‘Here lies Alan, the adorably timid.’ ” My father is the best. He is my hero.

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OPINYON

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

BIYERNES, HUNYO 21, 2013

The root of evil The Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) of the national university has been—and will always be—a token of surrender, a deadly truce with the very same challenges we seek to defeat.

A few months ago, the notoriety of the STFAP reached a lethal point.

Unable to afford tuition under the STFAP, UP Manila student Kristel Tejada was forced to file a leave of absence. Two days later, she took her own life.

Yet even since its inception in 1988, the STFAP has always been a lame apology. Faced with financial woes, the UP administration resorted to a perverted rationale: Given the declining government support, the premier state university must generate its own funds to support the education of the deserving but underprivileged.

The STFAP, however, ultimately failed to meet its own objective, not because of procedural difficulties such a goal entailed, but due to the scheme’s inherent and irreconcilable contradictions.

To subsidize those who cannot afford to pay the cost of UP education, the STFAP aims to generate enough funds by collecting tuition from students according to their financial capacity. The STFAP thus inevitably became a smokescreen for tuition hikes and the introduction of redundant fees.

In 1989, when the STFAP was first implemented, tuition was hiked from a flat P40 per unit

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PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN 2013 - 2014 Punong Patnugot Julian Inah Anunciacion Kapatnugot Victor Gregor Limon Patnugot sa Grapiks Ysa Calinawan Tagapamahala ng Pinansiya Gloiza Rufina Plamenco

RD Aliposa tuition rate to a base tuition of P300 per unit. In 2007, when STFAP was restructured into five alphabetic brackets, the base tuition was increased anew from P300 to P1,000 per unit. Just four years ago, the STFAP was revised once more to effectively shift the base tuition to P1,500 per unit.

The UP administration and other supporters of the STFAP are always quick to point out that “socialized tuition” has translated these tuition hikes into subsidies and benefits for the less privileged. Figures, however, say otherwise.

Editor’s Pick

The Philippine Collegian republishes distinguished photographs from its past issues that captured its YEARS tradition of critical and fearless journalism.

Members of QC Fire Department clear out the Institute of Chemistry Pavilion after putting out a fire that had broken out in the building

Photo by Airnel Abarra June 17, 2010

Statistics from the Office of Scholarships and Student Services betray an unflattering picture. In a span of two years from 2009 to 2011 alone, the number of Bracket A students who pay the full cost of tuition rose by more than 8,000 percent. Meanwhile, the number of students with free tuition declined from an average of 52 percent from 1986 to 2006 to only an average of 10 percent from 2007 to 2012.

Some would say these figures are representative only of the changing demographics of the student body. UP officials would point to parking lots jammed with cars, the number of electronic gadgets inside students’ bags. Yet these very same arguments miss the crucial point of upholding the public character of UP and access to education as a basic, constitutional right.

The STFAP thus reinforces, rather than supposedly mitigate, the government’s long-standing policy of abandoning its own institutions.

For while the STFAP exists, and UP relies on the pockets of its primary stakeholders, our demand for sufficient government support shall remain a half-hearted call at best.

In fact, throughout the years, the funds allocated for UP consistently fall way below its proposed budget.

Worse, the government is beginning to hail UP for its efforts to sustain its own existence.

Even the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, which has the lowest tuition rate in the country, has not been exempt from the trend of “socializing” tuition. The attempt to pattern PUP after UP’s STFAP,

however, has been a frustrated one, thanks to the solid unity of students and even school officials in opposing this threat to their right to affordable education.

This success can and must be replicated here in UP. For history has stood witness to the decisive strength of a shared and just cause, and the undeniably dire conditions within a flawed status quo necessitate such a unity of principle and action.

Our rigorous efforts to study and analyse our situation has brought us to the conclusion that scrapping the STFAP is necessary to roll back to a flat tuition rate that will not exploit students according to their capacity to pay tuition.

Rather than be content with taming the STFAP through procedural reforms, there is a need to forsake the status quo and reorient our goal towards a more substantive and radical agenda. After all, what is truly “anti-intellectual” is to persist in doing something over and over again and, at the same time, expecting different results.

Only by utterly rejecting STFAP and other income-generating schemes can we truly bolster our demand for full state subsidy. And only then can we hope to promote the interests of the students and the UP community in general.

The time for study is already past.

The time for action is now upon us. As long as the STFAP is allowed to exist, the university cannot move forward towards genuinely serving its mandate as a university for the people. ∞

Panauhing Patnugot Piya Constantino Samantha King Margaret Yarcia Mga Kawani Keith Richard Mariano Kimberly Ann Pauig Emmanuel Jerome Tagaro Tagapamahala sa Sirkulasyon Paul John Alix Sirkulasyon Gary Gabales Amelito Jaena Glenario Ommamalin Mga Katuwang na Kawani Amelyn Daga 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

BALITA

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

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BIYERNES, HUNYO 21, 2013

Continued from page 1

Debt threats Extended deadlines, ‘exceptional’ cases Opting instead for a more lenient application of the rules, the review committee recommended amending the articles in question.

“If matriculation will not be required, who among the students will opt to pay tuition and fees to get a degree? UP has never received sufficient subsidy and without funds from tuition and other fees, UP will no longer be able to provide the quality education mandated by the [UP Charter],” read the committee’s report.

Matriculation, or payment of tuition, is also necessary to identify “officially enrolled” UP students, added the report.

The committee however recommended that the deadline for settling unpaid tuition and loans be extended to until the end of the following semester, allowing indebted students to enrol during an ongoing registration period.

Students with “exceptional cases” may also be exempt from the recommended matriculation and loan policies, though there are no guidelines yet as to what constitutes an “exceptional case.”

The committee based their recommendations on data submitted

by CUs regarding the implementation of policies, statistics of tuition and loan payments (see sidebar 2), and consultations with the USCs of UPD and UPM.

A unified position paper, signed by the student councils of UPD, UPM and UP Los Banos (UPLB), was also reviewed by the Committee on May 31.

Chaired by former UPD Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Elizabeth Enriquez, the review committee however lacks a student representative. The other members of the committee are former University Registrars Pamela Constantino and Lundendorffo Decenteceo, former UPM Office of Student Affairs Director Nymia Simbulan, and former Assistant to the UPLB Chancellor Damcelle Cortes.

The BOR will meet on June 20 to deliberate on the final report endorsed by the Presidential Advisory Committee.

Student Regent-select Krista Iris Melgarejo said she will still push for the approval of the JKA proposals in the BOR, the university’s highest decision-making body. ∞

Photo by Angerica Hainto

Sidebar 1

Number of appeals for late payment per constituent unit:

3.96% 1.36% UP Manila UP Diliman

951 out of around 24,000 79 out of around 5,800

Breaking the code

Comparisons between the UP Code and the proposed amendments from the Justice for Kristel Alliance and the UP Code Review Committee

0.24% UP Visayas 0.6% UP Mindanao

Justice for Kristel Alliance

9 out of around 3,800

6 out of around 1,000

UP Code Review Committee

Article 327

 No student shall be denied admission by reason of age, sex, nationality, religious belief, or political affiliation.

Article 330

 Students who have not paid tuition may not be admitted to classes.

 No student shall be denied admission by reason of age, sex, nationality, religious belief, political affiliation, or financial incapacity.

 No student shall be denied admission by reason of age, sex, nationality, religious belief, political affiliation, or economic status.

 Students shall not be denied admission to classes on the sole basis of non-payment of tuition.

 Students who have not paid tuition may attend classes. In exceptional cases, the Registrar may authorize enlistment and attendance to classes.

 Loans must be settled before diplomas, transcript of records, clearance and other academic records are released.

 Loans must be settled before the following registration period.

 Students unable to settle their accounts, due to financial incapacity, shall not be barred from attending classes, from receiving grades, or from enrolling in the next semester.

 Students with unpaid accoutns may not be allowed to register, unless authorized by the Registrar in exceptional cases.

Article 430

 Loans must be settled one month before the final semestral exams.

Article 431

 Students with unpaid accounts will be barred from taking the final semestral exams, from receiving grades, or enrolling in the next semester.

More than 10,000 hopefuls submitted their UPCAT forms on the last day of registration on June 14, causing the Office of the University Registrar to extend the deadline for another week. About 70,000 students took the UPCAT last August 2012.

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Sidebar 2

UP Code

INVESTED INTEREST

Tuition loan applications up this sem Jiru Rada and Keith Mariano More students in UP Diliman are lining up for tuition loans in this semester’s enrolment.

As of June 18, at least 2,800 students have already applied for tuition loans, surpassing the average 2,500 applications the Office of Scholarships and Student Services (OSSS) received in the last two semesters.

Of the 2,800 students who have availed of tuition loans so far, 10 applied for loans in amounts equivalent to 100 percent of their total assessed tuition and other fees.

The OSSS only grants tution loans in amounts of not more than 70 percent of the assessed fees to freshmen and sophomores, and up to 80 percent to juniors and seniors. Graduate students, meanwhile, may borrow 85 percent of their tuition at the most.

On May 31, however, UP President Alfredo Pascual issued an executive order authorizing all chancellors and the UP Cebu dean to approve loans of up to 100 percent of total assessed fees on a case-to-case basis.

Meanwhile, the number of students applying for tuition loans is still expected to rise following the delay in the processing of applications for the university’s Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP).

The results of the third batch of STFAP applications will not be released until June 30, said Aristeo Dacanay, officer-in-charge of the OSSS. Students with pending STFAP applications were then placed under Bracket B to pay P1,000 per

unit. This was until Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Ma. Corazon Tan directed the OSSS to assign affected students to their previous backets instead.

Tan, however, issued the memorandum a day after the general registration period. The vice chancellor said she was not consulted of the OSSS’ decision to assign students with pending STFAP applications to Bracket B. “We have tried to reach out to students letting them know that we will really help them and make sure na hindi sila hihinto sa pag-aaral just because wala silang pambayad,” said Tan. Applicants who will be assigned to a lower bracket will be allowed to reimburse the excess of their payment, said Dacanay. However, they will still have to pay a sixpercent interest rate, he added.

The students are already unable to pay for their tuition on time, yet they are obliged to pay for an interest, said Charlotte France, head of the UP Diliman Student Council’s Rights and Welfare Committee.

“Kahit kailan hindi mo naman dapat pinapatawan ng punishment yung estudyante kung hindi niya kayang magbayad dahil ang edukasyon ay karapatan.”

Students who fail to settle their tuition loans a month before the final examinations are tagged ineligible to enroll in the following semester.

For this semester, at least 27 students have requested for extension in the payment of their previous loans for the semester, according to OSSS. ∞

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BALITA

SUMATOTAL

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

BIYERNES, HUNYO 21, 2013

Is a tuition-free UP possible?

Andrei Cobey Keith Mariano The suicide of the UP Manila freshman not only showed how UP education has become inaccessible to the poor, but also intensified debates on scrapping the university’s Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program and making tuition in the national university free.

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Number of brackets

6

5

Number of brackets where students enjoy free tuition

2

P300

Highest tuition students pay per unit

P1,500

2,073

Average number of students enjoying free tuition every academic year

264

1989

STFAP

50,000

Average number of students enrolling in the UP System

P436.7 million Average annual income of UP from tuition and other fees from 2010 to 2013

P8,398

2007

Average annual income of UP from tuition and other fees from 2010 to 2013 per student

P1,500 per unit Full cost of tuition, based on a study conducted in 2006 for the restructuring of the STFAP

P58,093 Tuition and other fees students under Bracket A pay for an academic year of 18 units each semester

OPEN ARMS Photo by Angerica Hainto

2013 Freshmen are welcomed by various acts from university organizations and personalities such as Chancellor Saloma, University Student Council Chairperson Alex Castro, and incoming Student Regent Krista Melgarejo. Aside from the festivities, however, freshies are also welcomed by issues such as the Student Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) that causes divisiveness on the tuition fee payments to answer the lack of state subsidy in the university.

P2.7 billion

Estimated full cost of tuition of all UP students for an academic year with a credit load of 18 units each semester

P2.06 billion Total pork barrel of congressman and senators allocated in 2013 per month

P3.7 billion Average monthly budget allocated for conditional cash transfers in 2013

Land distribution to Luisita farmers delayed anew Ronn Joshua C. Bautista Farmworkers at the Hacienda Luisita have yet to officially own the land they till, 18 months after the Supreme Court (SC) affirmed their right to own lands held by the country’s largest sugar plantation.

The distribution process of the hacienda to 6,296 farmworker beneficiaries (FWBs) has been stuck in the selection of an auditing firm which will look into the sale of some parts of the land. Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) and peasant groups have yet to agree on which firm will conduct the audit.

In a petition filed before the SC on June 13, Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid ng Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA) and other peasant groups asked the high court to let the farmworkers choose the auditing firm.

The high court earlier ruled to distribute the hacienda, which President Benigno Aquino III’s family has held for more than five decades, in line with the government’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Prior to the SC decision, however, HLI has sold more than 580 hectares, or about a tenth of the 4,915-hectare land to Rizal

Commercial Banking Corporation and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway for P1.3 billion.

“Considering that the [580-hectare land sold] should have been included in the compulsory coverage, it is only but proper that [proceeds] should be given to the qualified FWBs,” according to the SC. The high court then required DAR to “engage the service of a reputable accounting firm to be approved by the parties to audit the books of HLI” before distributing the proceeds.

Three firms have shown their interest so far: Reyes, Tacandong & Co

(RTC), Mendoza, Leung, Lim (OMLL), and San Agustin & Co. (MS & Co.).

The peasant groups rejected RTC and MS & Co for their alleged links with HLI’s external auditor from 1989 to 2006. In a vote on May 17, the farmworkers chose OMLL but the DAR disregarded this after a dissenting vote from HLI. The decision, however, did not specifically require that all parties must agree in the selection of the auditing firm, prompting DAR to seek clarification from the SC on May 27.

“The opposition of HLI to the choice of the farmworkers should not have been given due weight by the

DAR. It is on behalf of the farmworkers that the audit is being conducted,” said AMBALA in a statement.

Meanwhile, AMBALA also questioned Land Bank of the Philippines’ report that only 3,396 hectares of HLI can be distributed, or 938 hectares less than what the SC declared for distribution.

“The DAR has harped so much on the decision of the farmworkers to appoint OMLL to audit the books of HLI, but its silence is deafening on the survey of the land and its valuation which favors the HLI,” AMBALA said. ∞

BALITA

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

5

BIYERNES, HUNYO 21, 2013

1 sa 2 jeep sa UP, hindi pasado sa inspeksyon Jul Mar Esteban

TRIPLE THREAT Photo by Angerica Hainto

P15.27 billion Average annual budget proposed by the UP administration from 2007, when the 300 percent tuition increase was first implemented, to 2013

P6.47 billion Actual budget UP has received on average from 2007 to 2013

Anakbayan National Chairperson Vencer Crisostomo speaks against the impending water and power rate hikes. Kabataan Partylist also calls attention to the recent unjustified tuition fee increase in over 300 colleges and universities nationwide.

Mahahabang pila sa mga sakayan ng jeep ang bumungad sa mga balik-eskwelang estudyante ng UP, matapos hindi mabigyan ng “permit to operate” ang halos kalahati sa mga pampasaherong jeep na bumabyahe sa UP Diliman (UPD).

Sa 314 na jeep sa UPD, 158 ang hindi nabigyan ng permit ng Office of Community Relations (OCR) na nagsagawa ng inspeksyon mula huling linggo ng Marso hanggang katapusan ng Mayo. Ang nasabing mga jeep ay mula sa lahat ng ruta sa UP: Pantranco, SM, Katipunan, Ikot, at Toki.

Muling isinalang ang mga hindi nakapasang jeep sa isa pang inspeksyon na ginanap naman noong ika-10 ng Hunyo hanggang ika-15 ng Hunyo, ngunit wala pang tiyak na petsa kung kailan ilalabas ang resulta ng nasabing inspeksyon.

Pagbabalik trabaho ng mga empleyado ng Digitel naantala Jul Mar Esteban Wala pa ring katiyakan kung makakabalik sa kanilang mga trabaho ang 88 empleyado ng Digital Telecommunications Philippines (Digitel) matapos bilhin ng Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) ang kompanya.

Matapos ang tatlong buwang kilos-protesta at hunger strike na

P8.79 billion Difference between the proposed and actual budget of the university

P6.4 billion per week Budget automatically allocated for debt servicing in 2013

P13.5 billion

Increase in the budget of the military from 2012 to 2013

Sources: ADROTH’s PH Defense Today, DBM Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing, DBM General Appropriations Act, CHED Consolidated Report on Average Tuition and Other School Fees (TOSF) Increase for Private Higher Education Institution (PHEIs) AY 2013-2014

nagsimula noong Abril 10, pumayag ang PLDT na ibalik sila sa trabaho kapalit ng pagbuwag nila sa kanilang hanay sa harap ng opisina ng kompanya sa Makati.

Nakatakda sanang isalang ang mga natanggal na empleyado sa interview at medical examination noong Hunyo 12 para sa kanilang pagabablik trabaho. Gayunman, ipinatigil ito ng administrasyon ng PLDT dahil umano sa pagsali ng dalawang miyembro ng Digitel Employees’ Union (DEU) sa isang kilos-protesta.

“Makikita natin ang kawalan ng sinseridad ng PLDT sa ginawa nilang ito. Naghahanap lang talaga sila ng butas,” ani DEU President Allan Licardo.

Isa si Noel De Leon sa mga pinangakuang ibabalik sa trabaho bilang regular na empleyado.

Nagsilbi siyang transmission engineer ng Digitel sa loob ng anim na taon bago matanggal kasama ang 437 pang empleyado sa trabaho.

Dahil sa pagsasailalim ng operasyon ng Digitel sa pamunuan ng PLDT, idineklarang “redundant” ang posisyon nina De Leon. Inalok silang sumailalim sa voluntary resignation program (VRP) ng kompanya o manatili sa kanilang mga trabaho, ngunit bilang mga kontraktwal na empleyado.

Gayunman, 350 lamang sa mga empleyado ng Digitel ang

nagboluntaryong magbitiw sa trabaho, kung saan makakatanggap sila ng separation pay na katumbas ng halos triple ng kanilang sahod sa kabuuang taong kanilang inilagi sa kompanya.

Sapilitang tinanggal sa trabaho ang natitirang 88 empleyado matapos nilang tanggihan ang alok ng PLDT noong Marso 15.

“Ang VRP ay smokescreen lang para sa kontraktwalisasyon, para bigyan kami ng mas mababang sahod at bawas na banepisyo,”ani Licardo.

Samantala, limang araw matapos ang sapilitang pagtanggal sa mga empleyado, ipinag-utos naman ng Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) ang pagpapatupad sa isang collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

Alinsunod ang CBA sa desisyong inilabas ng Korte Suprema noong Enero 21 at kaugnay ng mga nauna nang kasong isinampa laban sa Digitel, kabilang na ang pagtanggal sa ilang miyembro ng DEU. Gayunman, wala umanong kakayahan ang Digitel na ipatupad ang CBA dahil naisama na ang operasyon nito sa PLDT at lahat ng empleyado ay natanggal na, ayon sa PLDT. “Isa itong pambubusabos sa batas ng ating bansa. Naglabas ng desisyon ang Korte Suprema at ang DOLE, pero wala nangyayari. Ibig bang sabihin nito ay hindi sakop ng batas ang mga malalaking kumpanya tulad ng PLDT?” ani Licardo. ∞

WWW.PHILIPPINECOLLEGIAN.ORG

Binubuo ang komiteng naginspeksyon sa mga jeep ng dalawang pulis mula sa UPD Police (UPDP), na nagsuri sa pangkalahatang kondisyon ng mga jeep, at isang mekaniko mula sa Campus Maintainance Office, na nagsuri naman sa estado ng mga makina.

Ipinatupad ang inspeksyon matapos itong mailagay sa mandato ng OCR noong Hunyo 2011 sa simula ng termino ni UPD Chancellor Ceasar Saloma.

Ayon sa OCR, nauna nang pinag-aralan ang mga patakarang ipinatutupad ng OCR, gaya ng inspeksyon sa mga jeep. Nagkaroon ng konsultasyon sa mga transport groups sa loob ng UP at kinuha ang kanilang mungkahi sa implementasyon ng polisiyang ito, ani Prop. Thelma Magcuro, direktor ng OCR. “Kahit ang petsa ng inspeksyon sa mga jeep ay resulta ng pakikipagugnayan sa mga transport groups…

Ang bawat [pasya] tungkol dito ay kinokonsulta sa mga kaukulang sektor,” dagdag ni Magcuro.

Bagaman nagreklamo ang ilang mga drayber at operator ng jeep dahil sa gastusing dala ng mga pagpapakumpuni sa mga sasakyan, natuwa naman ang iba dahil tataas ang kalidad ng mga jeep, ani Magcuro.

Isa si “Roy Lacson” sa mga drayber ng Ikot na sumailalim sa inspeksyon.

“Halos P40,000 ang ginastos ko sa pagpapaayos ng sasakyan,” ani Lacson, na walong taon nang namamasada sa loob ng kampus.

Sa kasalukuyan, 28 na lamang ang natirang Ikot jeep, kaya naaantala rin ang oras ng pananghalian at hapunan ng mga namamasadang jeep para lamang mapunan ang trabaho ng mga hindi nakapasang jeep, paliwanag ni Lacson.

“Hindi naman masisisi yung OCR, talagang dahil ito sa mga jeep na hindi nahabol ang 1-buwang palugit. Sana maging aral ito, kasi para rin naman ito sa safety ng mga pasahero.”

Dumulog ang USC sa OCR matapos makatanggap ng reklamo sa mahahabang pila sa jeep at mga haka-hakang tatanggalin ang mga jeep at bubuksan ang UPD Automated Guideway Transit System, ang tren na ginagawa malapit sa College of Fine Arts, na pinabulaanan naman ng OCR. Kasalukuyang nagtutulungan ang OCR at USC upang ipaliwanag ang sitwasyon sa mga estudyante, habang sinusubukan naman ng OCR na pabilisin ang proseso ng inspeksyon. “Tungo naman ito sa kaayusan ng Unibersidad, ” ani Erika Isabel Yague, UPD USC Community Rights and Welfare Committee head.

“Ang mga polisiyang tulad ng pag-iinspeksyon ay kailangan.

[I]tinataas nito ang kalidad ng transportasyon sa unibersidad at sa huli ay para rin naman sa kaligtasan ng mga estudyante at madla,” paliwanag ni Magcuro. ∞

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LATHALAIN

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

BIYERNES, HUNYO 21, 2013

Wa n te d : B e d s p a ce Gloiza Plamenco

THE BLINDING SUNSHINE shoots through the dusty jalousie windows of Natty’s* room in Sampaguita Dormitory, waking her up. Her three other roommates are still asleep in their own beds, so she tries to get carefully out of her squeaking bed.

She dashes off to the nearest communal bathroom in their corridor, its broken lock and shower far from her worry. Then she grabs the clothes sticking out of her cabinet, and gathers her school things on the wooden table that she shares with a roommate.

Natty, a Materials Engineering major, hails from Samar, the first from her family to become an Iskolar ng Bayan. The second of four children of a public elementary teacher and a retired soldier, she has but a monthly allowance of P6,000 for all her school, food and laundry expenses, making it important for her to find an affordable place to stay in. Like her, thousands of UP students also come from the province, and were hopeful about finding a home away from home in the university.

Sifting process Applying for a dormitory is easy.

Students just need to fill out a form online and bring the Income Tax Return of their parents and Form 5 to the Office of Student Housing (OSH) located at the Kalayaan Residence Hall. Application period is usually set from March to April, and results are immediately displayed after submission of the online form.

Getting in is the tricky part.

In fact, this academic year, over 4,000 students applied for a space in UP’s 11 dormitories, but only half were accepted. The UP administration has pointed to ongoing renovations as the reason, but numbers show that dormitories

are still inadequate even after the repairs (see sidebar).

To screen the students who will earn a dorm slot, OSH uses a point system to evaluate the application for dormitory space. The system has two criteria: the financial capacity of an applicant’s family for 55 points and the location of his permanent residence for 45 points.

Applicants earn higher points if they belong to lower brackets, and if they live farther from the university. “Bracket C ako at dahil taga-Samar ako, nakakuha ako ng 90 points. Masaya ako at na-renew ang kontrata ko. Mahihirapan din kasi ako sa gastusin kung kinailangan ko pang maghanap sa labas,” says Natty. Because of this, she only pays P537 a month, covering P225 for lodging, P100 for mineral water, and P212 for additional electricity fee for her gadgets.

financial constraints also hound the University’s dormitories. At the Sampaguita dorm, Natty complains about the peeling wall paint and rusty doorknobs. “Kailangan ding ayusin ang mga inaanay na cabinet at palitan ang mga lumang dingding.

Minsan pag nagsasara ng pinto ang kabilang silid, nayayanig pati ang kwarto namin,” she quips.

The lack of staff members, housekeepers and security guards has become a growing concern.

Today, there are only 78 UP employees in charge of maintaining the facilities. Even the security guards had been trimmed down in number, compromising student safety. “Dahil nagbawas ng badyet, dati may dalawang guwardiya sa gabi. Ngayon, isa na lang sa umaga, isa sa gabi [sa lahat ng dorms], maliban sa Athletes’ Quarter na wala nang guwardiya,” says Lanuza.

Limited spaces Due to inadequate dormitory spaces, OSH Director Geraldo Lanuza regularly faces a flood of appeals of parents for their children’s application at the start of every semester. “May parents na walang-wala talaga, gaya ng single parent, o walang trabaho. Pinaprioritize natin [sila]. Kaya nga tayo may appeals e,” he says.

From last year’s 150 appeals, he received more than 900 this year. His office studied each request, and was able to give slots to students who had supporting documents such as medical certificates or expenses of the family. “If we can give everyone the dorm, why not? Pero kakaunti ‘yung resources. Siyempre magaagawan,” he says.

However, inadequate spaces are not the OSH’s only concern.

Deteriorating facilities and shortage of workers rooted in UP’s

Accustomed bargains UP has since tied up with private entities to address deficiencies in facilities and manpower, as in the case of the Centennial 1 and 2 Dormitories, the newest dorms in the university. The Centennial Dormitories are UP-owned, but the operation is managed by third party human resource services company Servicio Filipino Inc. (SFI).

According to Lanuza, SFI is under a contract with UP for five years, after which the latter will again hold a bidding for a human resource provider. All workers in the said dorms are employees of SFI, including four staff members and three housekeepers, says Dorm Manager Nanette Baena.

But problems have arisen under this setup, since SFI employees are changing all the time, making it difficult for them to adjust to the different concerns of students.

“I don’t think it is efficient,” says Lanuza of the SFI style of management. He argues that implementation of rules are smooth if managed by the university. As part of the community, UP employees are more invested in taking care of the students, and the dormitories they stay in. Moreover, this becomes an alternative instead of regularizing people who work for UP. Instead of proposing tie-ups with the private sector, Lanuza advocates the call for greater government subsidy for state universities and colleges: “Dapat i-pressure pa rin ang gobyerno na magbigay ng malaking badyet. ‘Yun lang naman ang solusyon niyan e. How can we hire workers? Paano maipapaayos ang dilapidated dorms?”

These problems are manifestations of the insufficient budget that the government allots for the education sector, says Charlotte France, University Student Council Councilor.

“Kaya ang kampanya natin ay makuha ang full state subsidy na kailangan ng UP upang ma-sustain lahat ng pangangailangan ng mga estudyante, kasama na ang dormitories,” she adds.

As Natty takes out her notes to study back at her dorm, she smiles at the thought of how closer she is to becoming an engineer. But not everyone was given the chance that she has.

Somewhere in the metro, another Iskolar may be skipping dinner or working part-time, to be able to pay for a room to come home to. And the call for greater state subsidy will remain relevant for as long as there are students like them, who need more help in their pursuit of the UP dream.∞ *not her real name

Photo: Jiru Rada Page design: Ashley Garcia

LATHALAIN

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

7

BIYERNES, HUNYO 21, 2013

SA LUNGSOD NG JEDDAH SA Saudi Arabia matatagpuan ang konsulado ng Pilipinas. Ilang hakbang mula rito, nakatayo ang may pitong daang tagpi-tagping lona at tolda na bumubuo sa ngayo’y tinaguriang Tent City.

Dito, sa isang bakurang napaliligiran ng matataas na pader, pansamantalang tumutuloy ang humigit-kumulang 2,500 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) na nagigipit sa gitna ng nakaambang pagpapatupad ng Saudi Nationalization Policy, mas kilala bilang ‘Saudization Law’.

domestic helpers, o kaya’y doktor o nars.

Hindi nakakapagtaka kung bakit maraming Pilipino ang naaakit na magtrabaho roon. Sa Saudi, ang mga inhinyero ay karaniwang naguuwi ng P40,000 hanggang P65,000 kada buwan. Ang mga domestic helpers naman ay kumikita ng P25,000 hanggang P50,000 – di hamak na mas malaki sa P3,000 hanggang P5,000 na sahod dito sa bansa. Gayunpaman, kapalit nito ang hamon ng pamumuhay sa isang bansang may ibang wika, relihiyon, at kultura.

Lupang pangako Mula nang maghigpit ang pamahalaan ng Saudi lalo na sa kaso ng mga undocumented OFW, nasa 7,000 Pilipinong manggagawa na ang humiling ng repatriation sa embahada sa Riyadh at konsulada sa Jeddah.

Malaking dagok ito sa Pilipinas, na nagpapadala na ng mga manggagawa sa Saudi mula pa noong 1973, nang magkaroon ng malaking pangangailangan sa mga inhinyero roon. May 800 hanggang 900 na trabaho araw-araw noon ang inaalok ng embahada ng Saudi sa mga nais magtungo sa kahariang mayaman sa langis at oportunidad.

Sa kasalukuyan, mahigit 1.5 milyong Pilipino ang naninirahan sa Saudi, na itinuturing na nangungunang employer ng OFW sa mundo. Sa tala ng Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), karamihan sa mga Pilipino roon ay nagsisilbing inhinyero, pipeline workers at empleyado sa mga kumpanya ng langis at paggawaan. Samantala, ang ibang Pinoy ay naninilbihan bilang

Katas ng Saudi Si Boyet*, 48, ay higit 15 taon nang nagtatrabaho bilang delivery manager sa isang water station.

Nakakauwi lamang siya sa Pilipinas minsan sa tatlong taon. Para sa kanya, ang matamis na pangako na hatid ng Saudi ay totoo lamang para sa iilan.

“Sa mga unang araw mo ‘dun, homesickness ang kalaban mo,” kwento ni Boyet. “Mahihirapan ‘kang mag-adjust.

Iba ang paniniwala ng mga tao. Ang mga babae balot na balot ang katawan ng abaya, at sa lahat ng lugar, bawal makipag usap sa kanila. Bawal rin ang alak, pork, at kahit anong religious object na hindi ayon sa Islam.”

Dagdag niya, napakakonserbatibong bansa ng Saudi at bilang Kristyano, nahirapan siyang umangkop sa Sharia o ang batas ng Islam.

“Napakahirap ng buhay doon.

Akala ng marami, umuulan ng pera sa Saudi, na yayaman ka kapag nagtrabaho ka ‘dun. Hindi ganun.

Araw-araw mong iisipin kung kailan ka makakauwi o makakauwi ka pa ba at pag nakauwi ka na, iisipin mo naman kung hanggang kailan

ka pa kailangang mag-abroad para mabuhay. Wala nang mas hihirap pa sa pag-iwan mo sa pamilya mo,” aniya.

Sa kabila ng paghihirap, nanaig parin ang pangarap ni Boyet na mabigyan ng magandang buhay ang kanyang pamilya. Sa loob ng maraming taon ng paninilbihan sa mga Arabo, nakapagpatayo siya ng bahay at maliit na babuyan sa San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte.

‘Balikbayan’ Ngunit noong Mayo 20, umuwi si Boyet sa Pilipinas. Gusto na raw niyang manatili sa bansa kasama ng kanyang asawa’t nag-iisang anak.

Bukod dito, nakita niya ang bantang hatid ng ‘Saudization Law’.

Halos pitong taon na ring ipinatutupad ang ‘Saudization Law’, ngunit ngayon lamang naramdaman sapagkat maraming kumpanya ang humiling sa pamahalaan ng Saudi ng oras upang pag-aralan ang batas.

Sa ilalim nito, dapat gawing prayoridad ng bawat kumpanya ang pagtanggap ng mga Saudi national kaysa sa ibang lahi. Ang mga lalabag dito ay hindi pahihintulutang magbukas ng pamahalaan. Ngunit hindi saklaw ng patakarang ito ang mga OFW na nagtatrabaho bilang kasambahay.

Noong nakaraang taon, tinuligsa ng pamahalaan ng Saudi ang mga undocumented na OFW, na nagbunga ng pagpapauwi sa halos isang daang Pilipino. Kung nais manatili ng OFW, kailangan niyang ayusin ang kanyang mga papeles

upang mabigyan ng panibagong working visa.

Gipit Ayon sa DOLE at POEA, tinutulungan nilang makakuha ng panibagong passport at visa ang mga apektadong OFW. Nakikipagusap na rin daw sila sa deportation offices ng Saudi upang mapabilis ang pag-aayos ng kanilang mga papeles.

Ngunit salungat dito ang kwento ng Migrante, isang pandaigdigang alyansa ng mga organisasyon ng mga OFW: “Ang nangyayari ngayon sa Saudi Arabia at sa ibang bansa sa gitnang silangan ay ang pagliit ng labor market na nagbubunsod ng job displacement… nasa 120,000 OFW ang direktang apektado ng Saudization, kasama na ang tinatayang 28,000 undocumented OFW,” ayon kay John Monterona, vice-chairperson ng Migrante.

Mas lumalala rin ang kondisyon ng mga OFW sa loob ng Tent City. Idinadaing nila ang kawalan ng pagkain, gamot at malinis na tubig dahil umano sa hindi pagtulong ng embahada sa mga OFW na nanganganib mapauwi, kapag nagtapos na ang palugit ng pamahalaan ng Saudi sa Hulyo 3.

pangarap na nadiskaril, dahil sa ‘Saudization Law’, at sa kawalang-aksyon ng pamahalaang Pilipino.

Sa ilalim ng Philippine Labor Migration Policy, sila ang mga manggagawang hinikayat ng mismong pamahalaan na mangibang-bansa. Kaakibat sana nito ang tungkuling alalayan ang mga OFW sa panahon ng kagipitan.

Ngunit ayon sa Migrante, lumilitaw na ang labor export policy ng ating bansa ay tila nagiging panakip-butas lamang sa katotohanang hindi kayang lumikha ng trabaho ng pamahalaan ng Pilipinas. At ipinakikita ng kasalukuyang krisis sa Saudi ang panganib ng pagsandig sa ekonomiya ng ibang bansa para sa pagkakakitaan ng mga Pilipino.

Kung may maunlad na kabuhayan sa bansa, na makakamtan sa pamamagitan ng pagtatayo ng mga lokal na industriya, hindi na sana nila kailangang lumisan. At wala nang pamilyang tulad ng kay Boyet, na magkakawalay. ∞ *Hindi niya totoong pangalan

Naudlot na Pangarap Sa pagtatapos ng nasabing palugit, inaasahang nasa 12,000 na OFW ang babalik sa bansa. Dala nila ang mga

Klidel Rellin

Illustration: Rosette Abogado Page design: Ashley Garcia

8

KULTURA

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

IT WAS HALF PAST NINE. from the fact that the public still sees biggest daily newspapers if he knew that there would be no receptive Viewers glued their eyes to the pilot them as objects of derision.

An assurance of acceptance from audience. Rappler would not take episode of My Husband’s Lover. A stunning Carla Abellana stepped out the public, however slight, drove the him in if they knew that he had lost of the bridal car with a melodramatic media into investing on films and his appeal to the public. air that was complimented by the shows with gay men assuming the pouring rain and sentimental music. lead role. Among the most successful The episode ended with Abellana is Praybeyt Benjamin, one of the Closet Clamor Media influences our perception almost catching a glimpse of her highest-grossing Filipino films. No groom—played by Tom Rodriguez— matter how comical the public’s of events, some of which are reduced treatment of Vice Ganda is, he steps to mere spectacles that create a kissing another man.

Only a few days ago, international into the spotlight and holds the sense of detachment between the singing sensation Charice Pempengco audience under the spell of his humor. event and the audience. However, More recently, My Husband’s spectacles such as these recent came out on national television, gender issues mimic a sense asking forgiveness from those of public involvement and who could not accept her The fact that it needs to participation by gathering homosexuality. That same a generous amount of week, Philippine Daily Inquirer be recognized bypeople responses. These spectacles comic artist Pol Medina Jr. have a ready audience—a resigned from the publication outside the self indicates profitable market. after having his Pugad Baboy Despite causing a series banned because of a June that the LGBT community commotion, even pushing 4 comic strip which insinuated the artist to resign from that lesbians populate an allis still seen as the Other, his post, the Pugad Baboy girls Catholic school. comic strip did not further Witnessing almost a week the discussion on why such a one assumed heterosexual of these LGBT issues piqued phenomenon like lesbianism the interest of the public and occurs in highly policed unless stated otherwise. penetrated social media. Media Catholic institutions. however discourages a deeper “My Husband’s Lover” discourse on the issue, preferring to Lover deviated from the usual premiered with high ratings due portrayal of gay men as flamboyant revel in the superficiality of the recent to themes atypical from teleseryes figures.

The show depicted Tom events.

Rodriguez and Dennis Trillo as centered on heterosexual romances.

Media Mayhem masculine gay men—a far cry from While many laud its brave attempt, Homosexuals, especially gay the cross-dressers we see in so many many also smirk at the idea of rooting men, have not always been properly films. The novelty of the homosexual for a gay love team.

Charice embraced her sexual portrayed in the media. Popular theme skyrocketed the ratings of the identity in public. This grabbed the Filipino films treat gay men as the pilot episode. sidekick, the comic relief—the Other.

With the current media hubbub public’s attention and enabled more Societal portrayal of the LGBT on the LGBT, the slight assurance talk shows to feature Charice and her however has improved in recent years. of acceptance by society gave them mother. The public may have shown Members of the LGBT community a freer choice to “out publicly,” a support for Charice, but her plight are claiming powerful positions in the thing not usually done by famous as a lesbian in a conservative country Philippine media, including celebrity personalities in fear of ruining has been overshadowed by the chaos made by her spectacle. hosts Vice Ganda and Boy Abunda. their image.

The media also necessitates Other Filipino LGBTs have also Charice came out with the become more vocal of their identities. guarantee that even without general ‘coming out’ as a mode of Through the “Pride March,” they acceptance, a portion of the public legitimization, and is seen as the occupy the streets and rally their would still understand her. Similarly, only method through which one can causes. Still, we cannot divorce Pol Medina Jr. would not let his gain public acceptance. The fact that this passive public acceptance work be published in one of the it needs to be recognized by people

BIYERNES, HUNYO 21, 2013

outside the self indicates that the LGBT community is still seen as the Other, one assumed heterosexual unless stated otherwise.

With the lack of discourse about the normality of the LGBT identity, their recognition is stifled by their image as a source of entertainment and a subject of ridicule. By being reduced to media spectacles, they remain the Other.

It is only through engaging in discursive activity that the audience will be able to see through the façade of the spectacle and begin to exhort the discrimination and struggle that the media has so cunningly concealed.

Public Prison Aside from the use of media portrayal and spectacle creation to heighten the increasing popularity of LGBT advocacies, we need to acknowledge the perspectives used to view the issues that concern them.

The issue is viewed from a heterosexual gaze. My Husband’s Lover is, based on the title, seen from the point of view of the wife. Speculations on Charice’s homosexuality sprouted when she cut her hair short—a practice only done by males. The Pugad Baboy comic strip was conceived by a heterosexual male.

Though the country appears and claims to be one of the most gayfriendly, the existing realities prove otherwise. The lack of extensive discourse on sexuality and the static feudalism of the country trap the public from further understanding, and therefore accepting, the LGBT. By creating and condoning consumerist spectacles out of someone’s gender identity, society extends and merely glamourizes the plight of LGBTs in the country. ∞

Colleen Abesamis

DETACHED ES R U S O L C S I D linawan Illustration : Ysa Ca i Cobey dre An Page design : Jan

KULTURA

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

9

BIYERNES, HUNYO 21, 2013 ng sumabog na bulkan. Namatay naman ang kanyang maybahay matapos silang makalikas pansamantala sa San Rafael, karatig bayan ng Iram.

Ilang taon lamang ang nakaraan, kinailangan ni Munaw na ipagbili ang bahagi ng kanyang lupain upang makapagbigay ng dote sa kasal ng kanyang anak na lalaki. Isa lamang ito sa mga tradisyon na isinasagawa pa rin ng mga katutubo, tulad ng ritwal na pagsasayaw sa paligid ng pala-pala, o pagkaing pagsasaluhan ng bagong-kasal.

Bagaman sanay sa malalawak na lupain sa kagubatan, pinili na lamang ni Munaw mamuhay sa maliit na lupaing ibinigay ng Pinatubo Commission sa mga nasalanta ng pagsabog ng bulkan.

Ngunit mayroon ding mga pagkakataong gustuhin man niyang ipagpatuloy ang dating pamumuhay sa kabundukan, katulad ng ibang katutubo napipilitan na lamang siyang umangkop sa kanilang bagong buhay.

Mary Joy T. Capistrano SA HALOS TATLONG ORAS NAMING biyahe mula Maynila, hindi ko akalaing madali lang naming matatagpuan ang Iram Resettlement Area (IRA).

Madadaanan lamang ito ng bus patungong Olongapo City. Sa bukana pa lang, tanaw na namin ang pila ng mga dilaw na traysikel na magdadala sa amin sa maliit na sitio ng Iram.

Tila roller coaster ang biyahe namin papasok sa resettlement. Akyat-panaog ang traysikel sa mga bundok-bundok na daan patungo sa Iram. Tanging ang main road lamang ang sementado. Ang ibang mga kalsada, maalikabok kapag tag-araw, at maputik naman kapag tag-ulan.

Bumaba kami sa plaza kung saan magkatabi ang isang basketball court at ang Mababang Paaralan ng Iram. Doon kami sinalubong ni Nanay Esteling, isa sa mga Aeta na nasalanta ng pagsabog ng Bulkang Pinatubo.

Buhay katutubo Higit dalawang dekada nang tahanan ng mga katutubo ang Iram matapos sumabog ang Pinatubo noong 1991.

Tatlong taon na lamang ang nalalabi sa 25-taong kontrata ng resettlement, bago tuluyang ipagkaloob sa kanila ang kanilang bagong mga lupain.

Dalawampu’t isang kilometro ang layo ng Iram sa San Marcelino, ang lugar na kinalakhan ng mga katutubo. “Ito na ang pinakamalapit na resettlement area mula sa bayan na kinalakhan namin, kaya ito ang pinili namin,” ani Nanay Esteling.

Tinatayang 300 katutubo ang inilipat sa Iram. Aabot sa 1,250 katao na ang kasalukuyang naninirahan sa lugar, kabilang na ang mga unat na may dugong katutubo. “Unat” ang tawag nila sa mga Pilipinong nakatira sa siyudad.

Samantala, “katutubo” naman ang tawag nila sa kanilang mga sarili—patunay lamang na may pinanghahawakan pa rin silang pagkakakilanlan at sariling paraan ng pamumuhay.

Halimbawa, hangga’t maaari, hindi sila kumakain ng mga de-lata at mumurahing bigas. Anila, kung may daraang naglalako ng sariwang isda, agad

[H]iram na lupa nilang ipinagpapalit ang kanilang mga de-lata para sa sariwang pagkain.

Bihira din silang makisalamuha sa mga unat, bunsod ng diskriminasyong nararanasan sa kabayanan.

Nakapagtapos man ng kolehiyo si Nanay Esteling, hindi siya natatanggap sa trabaho dahil mas pinipili ang mga unat.

Maging ang kanilang pinuno na si Trolie Romualdo, tila minamaliit sa mga pagpupulong sa barangay dahil isa lamang umanong katutubong hindi nakapag-aral. “[Malay] kami sa diskriminasyon ng mga unat. [Gayunman], buo pa rin ang loob naming ipaglaban ang aming karapatan at patuloy na panghawakan ang aming kultura at [pagkakakilanlan].”

Kalimitan, nagmimistula silang mga antigong bagay na palamuti ng kasaysayan.

Piraso ng lupa Sa aming paglalakad, nagbalik-tanaw si Nanay Esteling sa kanilang nakaraan.

Natunghayan niya ang sunud-sunod na pagkamatay ng kanyang mga katribo dahil sa sari-saring mga sakit sa siksikang evacuation center.

Hindi man nila kagustuhan ang paglipat, ipinagpapasalamat pa rin ng mga katutubo na nakaligtas sila sa sakuna.

Dinalaw rin namin si Munaw Kabuyaw, pinakamatanda sa mga katutubong galing ng San Marcelino.

Abala si Munaw sa pagtatanim ng talong, sitaw, kamote, mga bungangkahoy at ilang mga halamang-gamot sa kanyang bakuran. Nagtotroso din siya sa bundok at gumagawa ng “souvenir items” tulad ng alkansya, pana, flute, lapis at rainmaker na gawa sa buho ng kawayan. Bumababa siya sa Subic upang ipagbili ang mga ito sa mga turistang dumarayo sa lugar.

Apat sa sampung anak ni Munaw ang namatay dala ng pagkakalason sa singaw

Ligalig Mahalaga ang mga katutubo, hindi lamang dahil nasasalamin sa kanilang kultura ang ating nakaraan, kundi dahil bahagi sila ng kasalukuyan nating lipunan. Kalimitan, nagmimistula silang mga antigong bagay na palamuti ng kasaysayan.

Dagok para sa mga katutubo ang palipat-lipat ng tirahan. Ngunit hindi nila magawang magreklamo bunsod ng kahirapanatmatindingpangangailangan.

Katumbas ng unti-unting paglaho ng kanilang pagkakakilanlan ang kanilang pag-angkop sa pamumuhay ng mga unat.

Batid sa mga pang-imprastraktura at pangkabuhayang programa ng pamahalaan ang tunguhin sa

modernisasyon. Marahil ito ang dahilan kung bakit laging sa mga liblib na lugar nilalagak ang mga katutubo—pilit ikinukubli dahil sa pagpapalagay na wala silang kakayahang sumabay sa pag-unlad.

Sa kabila ng pangako ni Pangulong Aquino at ng Pinatubo Commission, nangangamba pa rin ang mga katutubo na muling mawalan ng tirahan, lalo na’t nais bilhin ng ilang dayuhang kumpanya ang kanilang lupain.

Dagdag pa rito, nakatakdang ipatayo ang Coal Fired Power Plant (CFPP), isang alternatibong pagkukunan ng enerhiya na tugon sa mataas na singil sa kuryente ng pribadong kompanya sa Olongapo. Tutustusan din nito ng enerhiya ang mga barko ng Estados Unidos na dadaong sa Subic.

Ngunit bagama’t alternatibong pagkukunan ng enerhiya ang CFPP, magdudulotitongsuliraningpangkalikasan at pangkalusugan sa mga katutubo.

Sa unang tingin, tila matiwasay at simple ang pamumuhay ng mga katutubo. Ngunit biktima rin sila ng mga tiwaling programa ng pamahalaan, na nagbabalat-kayong mag-aangat sa antas ng pamumuhay ng mga Pilipino.

Salat pa rin ang mga katutubo sa permanenteng tirahan at ang kabuhayang inialok sa kanila ng pamahalaan, tali sa paggawa ng mga “souvenir items” at pansamantalang pantawid lamang sa kahirapan.

Lubog na ang araw nang lisanin namin ang lugar, bitbit ang aral na hindi lamang sa lungsod makikita ang huwad na kaunlaran. Lalo’t higit sa mga kabundukan ng mga katutubong Pilipino, karahasan, pagpapabaya, at pananamantala ang nananatiling mas nakapipinsala pa kaysa anumang sakuna. ∞

Photographs : Kimberly Pauig Page design : Jan Andrei Cobey

10

OPINYON

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

Lalaya din tayo K.

SA HULING PAGKAKAALAM KO, hindi pa naman naililipat ang Halloween sa June 12. Ngunit base sa mga palabas sa telebisyon, tila panahon ng katatakutan.

Walang pasok at tanging sa mga ganitong araw lang ako nakakapagbabad sa harap ng telebisyon magdamag, hanggang sa nauulit na ang mga palabas. Pati mga cooking shows, pinatulan ko na rin.

Naka-sign off na ang mga lokal na istasyon, samantalang dati nang pinalabas ang mga dokumentaryo ng National Geographic at History Channel. Wala na akong nagagawa kung hindi panoorin ang The Devil Inside na sinundan ng isa pang horror film.

Patay na ang mga ilaw at tulog ang lahat. Tanging sina Josh, Dalton at Renei ng Insidious lang ang aking nakikita. Wala na rin akong ibang naririnig kung hindi ang mga buntong hininga at sigaw nila.

Ngunit pansamantalang nabaling ang panonood ko dahil sa text na natanggap ko galing sa isang kaibigan. “Gusto mo pa rin bang mag-Law?” tanong niya.

Napag-usapan na namin

ito noon. Ilang beses ko na rin itong sinagot. “Oo, pero trabaho muna para makapagipon ng pang-tuition.”

Kasama ko siya dati sa maya’t mayang pagbibisita sa website ng College of Law para sa mga subject na kailangang kunin bago kumuha ng LAE. Tapos na siya sa kolehiyo ngunit nakabinbin muna sa ngayon ang kanyang planong maging abogado. Kailangan muna niyang problemahin kung paano niya matutustusan ang pagbabalik sa pag-aaral.

Ni hindi nga siguro siya papayagang kumuha ng LAE hangga’t hindi inilalabas ng Registrar ang transcript of records niya. At mangyayari lang ito kapag nabayaran na niya ang kanyang mga pagkakautang sa UP. Pautangin ko na lang daw siya ng ipambabayad niya dito, sabi niya. Wala akong nagawa kung hindi tumawa na lang. “Kaya mo na iyan. Ipunin mo na lang lahat ng sahod mo.”

Nagsimula na siyang magtrabaho ngayong buwan. Higit sa P446 ang araw-araw niyang kita—sapat para

Patapos na ang palabas sa telebisyon ngunit masyado pang maaga para sa katapusan ng mga isyu namin sa buhay.

makaipon ng ipapantubos niya sa kanyang diploma. “Tatlong buwan.

Kung kailangan ka pa nila, aalukin ka ulit ng panibagong kontrata.”

Marahil pagkatapos ng tatlong buwang ito, may transcript of records na siyang mailalakip sa resume para sa paghahanap ng mas maayos na trabaho.

Matutuloy na din siguro ang mga naudlot niyang plano.

Alas dos na pala ng umaga.

Patapos na ang palabas sa telebisyon ngunit masyado pang maaga para sa katapusan ng mga isyu namin sa buhay.

Kailangan na niyang matulog, maaga pa siyang gigising bukas.

Hindi na gabi para batiin siya ng “good night” at masyado rin namang maaga para sa isang “good morning.”

Sa halip, sumabay ako sa uso at binati na lamang siya ng “Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan!” Huli na nang maisip kong patuloy siyang natatali sa hindi mabayarang tuition sa UP, sa walang kasiguraduhang trabaho.

Maging ang Pilipinas nga, hindi pa rin lubusang malaya.

“Maligayang araw ng huwad na kalayaan!” sagot niya. ∞

Wala ka sa tatay ko Annie

ANG TANGING MAGANDANG alaala ko lang sa’yo ay basketbol. Mag-iisang dekada na simula noon.

Madalas kapag sinusundo mo ako noong elementarya, hindi sa SM Megamall ang diretso natin para sa aking piano lessons, kundi sa Araneta Coliseum o Cuneta Astrodome para manood ng laro ng Ginebra.

Natataon din na tuwing Pasko, tumatakas tayo mula sa picnic sa Luneta Park dahil naglalaro ang paborito nating koponan. Sabi mo, iyon ang pinakamasayang panahon para manood – puno ang buong coliseum, ni hindi na tayo magkarinigan sa lakas ng mga hiyaw ng “Get that ball!”, “Rebound!”, “Defense!”. Minsan may kasama pang panduduro sa referee at players sabay bulyaw ng “Bobo!”

Kapag sa bahay naman ako nanonood, binibilisan kong kumain ng hapunan para maabutan ang pagtawag sa mga pangalan ng starting five na kadalasang sina Mark Caguioa, Jayjay Helterbrand at Eric Menk.

Baka ang posibleng pag-aayos natin ay gaya ng back-toback-to-back championship ng Ginebra noong 2005, naudlot at hindi na naulit pa.

Sa isang sulok ng kwarto, mag-isa akong nag-a-ala Rukawa’s Angels ng Slam Dunk.

Gumagawa ako ng pompoms mula sa diyaryo. Pero ipit na ipit ang pagtaas ko ng dalawang kamay at pag-angat ng paa habang binubulong ko lang din sa sarili ko ang pagcheer ng “Gi-neb-ra! Gi-neb-ra!

Gi-neb-ra!”

May mga ritwal din akong isinasagawa. Halimbawa, kapag nasa free throw line ang kalaban, hindi ako tumitingin sa basket para hindi pumasok ang bola.

Lagi ko ring inaabangan ang pagpasok ng mga paborito kong manlalaro – sina Sunday Salvacion, Mark Macapagal at Aries Dimaunahan.

Inaabangan ko kung gaano sila kabilis nananatili sa court na halos hanggang sampung minuto lang, kumpara sa playing time ng paboritong mong sikat na backcourt tandem na The Spark and The Furious na umaabot sa 40 minutong pagpapakitang-gilas.

Malamang, hindi mo ‘yan alam lahat.

Madalas kong ikumpara ang larong basketbol sa relasyon natin.

Mula sa paborito nating mga manlalaro, parang mahihinuha na natin ang pagkakaiba natin sa ugali --- tahimik ako, kabaligtaran ka naman.

O ‘di kaya, parang ang pagpifree throw ni Rommel Adducul ang ating pagtatalo, laging pumapaltos. Baka ang posibleng pag-aayos natin ay gaya ng backto-back-to-back championship ng Ginebra noong 2005, naudlot at hindi na naulit pa.

Halungkatin ko man ang memorya ko para sa iba pang natitirang alaala ko sa’yo, hanggang basketbol na lang talaga ito. Kasi sa malimit mong pagbisita, ang TV pa rin ang kausap mo samantalang ako’y nasa isang sulok pa rin ngunit hindi na kilala ang mga manlalaro. Mas lalo lang tuloy nadidiin -- wala akong tatay.

Pero babatiin na lang din kita ng “Happy Father’s Day”, alam ko namang hindi mo ito mababasa.

Duwag kasi ako, tulad mo. ∞

BIYERNES, HUNYO 21, 2013

OPINYON

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN

11

BIYERNES, HUNYO 21, 2013

TEXTBACK

Sa tingin mo, ano ang Top 3 issues na kailangang i-address ng bagong SR? • Pagbarred ng mga freshies sa mga Eng’g orgs. 2. STFAP system. 3. Delinquency rule sa College of Law. 2011-30507 • STFAP 2.PPP 3.Ending ng Ina, Kapatid, Anak 2010-78**6 • ang sa tingin ko na dapat i-address ng bagong sr ay ang stfap, univ. budget, at ang mas magandang pasilidad ng up 2012-XXXX0

2. Ano ang masasabi mo sa bagong Kule?

• andami atang space na walang laman sa bagong KULE. tsaka, nasan na si Delfin Mercado tsaka yung emo articles nya? :O grumaduate na sya? :( 201041329 • In my opinion, mas mukha na po syang komiks kaysa newspaper. :( -2012*5*40Kaye • Bakit po si Mr. Tuazon na yung magsusulat sa kolum ni RC, nasan siya?? :’( • Mas pormal at intelektwal 201130583 • Saan na yung Lakas Tama? :( 11-00955 • Ano ang SR? 2. Moosorop sa mata ang bagong font at layout!! Puwede ba malaman ung name ng font? :D 201231403 RAIN • hassle tong pinuputol-putol yung article, sana buo nang nakalapat sa pahina kung saan siya sinimulan 09-31395 • Ansabe?? Level-up na si Kule?! Like syempre!! 12-78922 Oseyo BA Art Stud Comments • Love the UP Dream article. RC Guerrero, mami-miss ko ang kolum mo! :) 20122***7 BS Math • Ang galing ni Kevin Gomez! Hehehe. Sobrang kritikal at sistematiko ang arguments niya re: STFAP and the educ system. 201052364 • Hi Kule! Congrats Inah! Rakenrol! \m/ Sana maayos yung EP. Wala na yung authenticity nung column. Trying hard na masyado yung writer eh.

• sana s next isyu ay madagdagan ang laman ng jaryo tungkol s isyu ng komunidad eg pook arbo. pook cp. village c at daan tubo. jun cruz present chairng multi-sectoral alliance (msa) at konseho ng ma2yan s up campus (kmupc) tnx • ang cute ni ronn bautista. nakita ko siya sa mascom nung araw. 2004-XXXXX

EKSENANG PEYUPS

NEWSCAN

HARO MGA MUMS AT FRESHIES! Nakakaloka ang dami ng mga visitors namin lately dito sa tuktok ng ivory tower huh! Lahat sila aspiring to be one of us - from the College of Eng-eng to the College of Sayang, from the College of Bekis to the College of Alindog and Libog. Very interesting mix at the start of the sem! And speaking of the beginning of yet another hell, I’m oh-so-pretty sure na naloloka pa rin kayo sa mahal ng binayad ng mga magulang, syota or ng benefactors niyo for your tuition fee. Jusko! I cannot remember the amount of hair na nalagas sa anit ko nitong nagdaang linggo.

This New University Tuition System is really NUTS! Beyondce Witkoknowles. Just like my all-time favorite single lady and brokenhearted girl, this girlash recently broke up with her USC Cheugh.

This USC Cheugh raw apparently went crazy like as if Annabelle Drama possessed the not so biggy body of USC Cheugh. He started to make curse the university’s patron saint, St. Fap, and started stress eating raw kasi to gain more pounds. Pero siyempre chika lang yan, witkoknowles nga kung ano talaga nangyari. Ang alam ko lang na certified and verified eh magaling itong si USC Cheugh at kahit truly at nagbreak sila ni girlash eh so happy together na uli ang life peg nila. Congrats cheugh! Smart lang ang may alam nitey mga mums! hihihi Sarap St. Fap. Many are leaving on agit plane right now kasi some are trying to go beyond sarap. Aba, is there really something greater than sarap?

Witkoknowles din yan girl kasi ako when I reach sarap, it is to my heart’s content. Speaking of heart’s content, can we socially just tease the tuition payment skyeme in the university and forget about its flawed and Income for the Ganid People characteristic? Why just tease when we can tirease it altogether?

Repeat St. Fap. All together o altogether? Whichever is right, I want to see that we all push the limit together in this one big fight. Narepeat lang kasi ang panawagan na kung tutuusin ay under the same roof naman. Pero kerimae mums kung iisa ang nais. Sarap St. Fap sounds better lang and I think that is just my preference. Hahaha. Sorry for the rant again. Repeat nga kasi di ba!

That is my somehow failed attempt to make fun of the colorful politics in Yuppiee. Papa P’s new tuition scheme is really NUTS huh! Still, I would like to congratulate St. Fap, the patron saint of Yuppiee, for being the talk of the town for two decades already! Daming airtime at bida-bida ka girl. Soooooo, til nextime para sa mas light at mas juicy pang mga cheugh! Sheeeyuwa ∞ Next week’s questions 1. Scrap or Reform?

2. Ano ang iyong mensahe para sa basketball team ng UP? Key in KULE <space> MESSAGE <space> STUDENT NUMBER <required> NAME and COURSE (optional) and send to

0916 7392 684 Non-UP students must indicate any school, organization or sectoral affliation.

CONTACT US! Write to us via snail mail or submit a soft copy to Rm. 401, Vinzons Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Email us pkule1314@gmail.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.

Congratulations

www.philippine collegian.org

Patrick Alzona & Krixia Subingsubing New Kultura Writers

Jem Guhit

New Features Writer

UP BREAD Bible Studies Tara! Bible Study tayo! :) Every Tuesdays, 5pm at Vinzons Tambayan Complex.

For inquiries, feel free to contact us at 09267113800. We hope to see you there!

UP Singing Ambassadors The UP Singing Ambassadors is Now Open for Auditions! For inquiries, contact: 09158217770 / 09479664565 or you may visit www.upsingingambassadors.com.

See you there! :) UP Repertory Company Hola freshies, transferees, shiftees at lahat ng ‘di pa nakakakilala sa “University’s Official Performing Group for Philippine Theater”. Ikaw ba e magaling umarte? Or kumanta?

Or sumayaw? Or... (dahil bida-bida ka) ALL OF THE ABOVE? Well then, ngayon pa lang ay paglamayan niyo na ang inyong mga hiya, ibaon na sa lupa ang inhibitions, ilabas na si Gretchen Barretto at rumampa sa BAHAY NG ALUMNI sa darating na JUNE 29, 10AM! See you!

UP ASTERISK Iniimbitahan ng UP ASTERISK (Asosasyon ng Kabataang Artista, Kritiko, at Iskolar ng Sining at Kultura) ang lahat ng may interes sa Sining at Kultura na makilahok sa isang paglalakbay. Tumungo sa CAL CNB o sa CFA grounds para sa sign-up booth. Dumalo sa mahiwagang piging ng Applicants’ Orientation sa July 2 at 3. Para sa dagdag na detalye ukol sa inyong pakikipagsapalaran, i-summon lamang si Ed sa 09177346594.

Sama-sama tayong bumuo ng alamat na hindi malilimutan. Handa ka na bang maging legendary?

UP Diliman, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Department of Political Science Indulging Comparisons: Peace Negotiations in the Philippines and Colombia STEFAN KHITTEL Third World Studies Center Visiting Research Fellow 21 June 2013, Friday, 4 pm Political Science AVR 3rd Floor, CSSP Faculty Building

Pamantasang Hiram Sa ika-105th dantaon ng iyong pagkakatatag, Pamantasang Hirang tila ba humahabol na sa iyo ang panahon: waring tindig at tikas ay unti-unti nang nababaluktot, namimigat ang mga nakadipang kamay sa patong-patong na mga salaring bayaring nagnakaw sa iyong kalayaan.

Kung ang iyong mga tinig ay naging alingawngaw, ang damdaming nagbago, hubad ang bulwagan sa dangal, at hinuhugot ang luntiang buhay mula sa iyong ugatâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kung ang natitira na lamang ay ang pag-asa ng bayan hahayo pa kaya ang pagtanghal ng giting at tapang?

Patrick Alzona Illustration: Ysa Calinawan