Philippine Collegian Tomo 93 Issue 12

KULĂŠ

Opisyal na lingguhang pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Diliman Sabado 27 Pebrero 2016 Tomo 93 Blg 12

landas sa paglaya LATHALAIN 8

2 EDITORYAL

Sabado 27 Pebrero 2016

DEAD END SIX YEARS IN POWER HAS proved too short for the Aquino administration to heed calls against the spate of tuition increases in the country. This indifference can only be reversed through an executive order, as the power to stop impending tuition hikes now rests on the president’s signature alone.

The high cost of tertiary education has taken too many lives, with a total of four educationrelated suicides recorded across the country just between 2013 and 2015. This February, another student from the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture hanged himself in desperation after the school administration withdrew his scholarship, forcing him to pay an amount his family could not afford.

The government, nevertheless, turned a blind eye toward these deaths, evident in the incessant rise of tuition rates in the past six years.

Around 400 public and private higher educational institutions have already proposed to hike tuition in the next academic year, since the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)’s Memorandum No. 3 Series 2012 allowed for such as long as consultations with stakeholders are met.

The lack of transparency in these consultations makes it easier to impose hikes. For instance, the University of Santo Tomas has been increasing tuition by two to five percent annually since 2011. Fees have also doubled under Aquino’s term, with the national average tuition rate currently pegged at P603.62 per unit from P334.80 per unit in 2010. The University of the Philippines is no different, with tuition fee collection hitting an alltime high in 2014.

Aquino’s Roadmap for Public Higher Education Reform (RPHER) has only worsened tuition hikes. The program shifts the government’s responsibility of subsidizing education to SUCs in order to push them to selfsufficiency. The very nature of

P L AY B A C K What is the most pressing issue that candidates must address in their platforms?

Candidates should address genuine land reform as the most pressing issue in their platforms. It is the economic pillar of the Philippines. "Land is life" for 75 percent of our population. Genuine land reform is the only way to alleviate poverty in the country.

Sham Astudillo

2nd Nominee Kabataan Partylist

RPHER treats students as moneymaking puppets who rake in profits for SUCs. Dubious and excessive collections in the form of other school fees also amass money from students for the school’s profit.

While a whopping increase greeted the budget allocation for SUCs, to P43.7 billion in 2016 from P23.8 billion in 2010, this stands immaterial as it is still only half of the proposed P82.6 billion that SUCs need, according to CHED. The budgetary increases trick us into thinking that education is getting more funding, when these are only made to support RPHER. Tuition hikes, coupled with the high cost of living and families living with measly wages, have made tertiary education inaccessible.

A study by the United Nations revealed that the Philippines had the highest dropout rate in Southeast Asia in 2013, with a total of 535,896 out-of-school youth.

To address the number of drop-out youths, the Aquino administration implemented scholarship programs under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, a dole-out system to

The government, nevertheless, turned a blind eye toward these deaths, evident in the incessant rise of tuition rates in the past six years

poor families. However, this is only a band-aid solution that provides unsustainable solutions, when what the government should address is greater state subsidy to make education free and accessible to all.

The government should go back to its roots and realize that education is a right that should be enjoyed by all. Instead of railroading the increase of tuition fees, CHED should impose stricter mechanisms to ensure that no student is left behind because of his inability to pay tuition. The provision of scholarships must also advocate toward the poor and deserving.

Every decision ordering the increase of tuition fees is a decision made against the future of the Filipino people. An executive order preventing any form of tuition hikes serves as the last resort to stop any deaths claimed by the price of education, lest the Aquino regime stand ground on the gross neglect toward the citizens it promised to serve. 

Ang matulungang makauwi kaming mga Lumad sa aming mga komunidad.

Michelle Campos

ALCADEV Graduate Daughter of slain Lumad leader Dionel Campos

Implement a Genuine Agrarian Reform program, with the central goal of land distribution to solve the fundamental problem of landlessness among landless peasants.

Immediately enact into law the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill.

Rafael Mariano

Former Chairperson Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas

Pagresolba sa lumalalang kahirapan at karahasan sa kababaihan. ... Kasabay ng pagdami ng bilang ng naghihirap na kababaihan ay ang pagdami rin ng mga kaso ng karahasan.

Kamil Manangan Gabriela Youth

UKOL SA PABALAT

Dibuho ni Guia Abogado

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN 2015-2016

Punong Patnugot Mary Joy Capistrano Kapatnugot Victor Gregor Limon Tagapamahalang Patnugot Jiru Rada Patnugot sa Balita Arra Francia Patnugot sa Grapiks Guia Abogado Tagapamahala ng Pinansiya Karen Ann Macalalad Kawani Kenneth Gutlay / Chester Higuit Pinansiya Amelyn Daga Tagapamahala sa Sirkulasyon Gary Gabales Sirkulasyon 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 kule1516@gmail.com / www.philippinecollegian.org / fb.com/philippinecollegian / twitter.com/phkule / instagram.com/phkule

BALITA 3

Sabado 27 Pebrero 2016

Protesters in UPLB walkout face disciplinary charges z JONA CLAIRE TURALDE UP LOS BAÑOS (UPLB) STUDENTS who led a walkout protest against the P2.2 billion budget cut and the implementation of a new registration system on November 13 are now facing a complaint filed by faculty members, after the mobilization of more than 800 students allegedly disrupted classes.

UPLB College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean Myrna Rodriguez and Institute of Computer Science Assistant Professor Lailanie Danila lodged separate complaints in the university Student Disciplinary Tribunal on the same day of the walkout, calling the actions of the students “too rude, inappropriate, and beyond what they were allowed to do.”

The UP Police Force testified that the UPLB University Student Council (USC) authorized the walkout, prompting members of the council to be the main respondents in the case. The complaint stipulated that student protesters must post an apology in two UPLB buildings and conduct sessions in the Literary Training Service Program.

However, the USC found out about the complaint only three months after its filing, in time for the case’s first hearing on February 11, UPLB USC Vice Chairperson Yvann Curtis Zuñiga said. “[It’s frightening that] the UP administration can actually do that to the UPLB students just because they are expressing their sentiments about a specific policy that is being implemented,” Zuñiga said.

The UPLB USC and Council of Student Leaders decided to launch a university-wide walkout to address the implementation of the Student Academic Information System (SAIS), a new registration system set to replace SystemOne, a counterpart of the Computerized Registration System in UP Diliman (UPD).

In preparation for the enrolment process in the second semester, the UP administration announced that they will be stopping all SystemOne operations to transfer the necessary files and information to the SAIS platform.

LABAN SA LUPA Jiru Rada

“The announcement caused mass hysteria among the students because the Office of the University Registrar also said that they will be proceeding with manual registration for the second semester enrolment,” Zuñiga added.

SAIS is under eUP, the P134.6 million flagship project of UP President Alfredo Pascual which seeks to computerize all information and communication transactions across the UP System. The SAIS alone has a budget allocation of P37.7 million.

UP Manila, UP Baguio and UP Cebu have already begun using SAIS since the first semester of the academic year 2015 to 2016.

“We’re investing millions of pesos para sa isang software na hindi talaga natin ma-maximize at wala naman talaga tayong kasiguraduhan kung [ito] ay akma dun sa objective situation and objective needs of the students,” Zuñiga added.

Prior to the walkout, the administration withdrew its decision to implement SAIS supposedly due to logical incapacities.

“That would take you out of your [academic work],” Pascual said on October 6 last year in a forum regarding the eUP project in the UPD College of Engineering.

“In a separate meeting with members of the UPLB USC and college councils on December 2015, Pascual insisted that the walkout was a mistake, calling the councils’ stands on various university issues “not acceptable,” said Zuñiga.

Despite the pressure imposed by the UP administration, the UPLB student body continues the call to stop the implementation of SAIS. “The manifestation of student repression is the code of student conduct.

When we exercise our right to organize, we risk being denied a certificate of good moral character,” Student Regent Miguel Enrico Pangalangan said. “[We see this as] a form of repression against the academic freedom of students. It is the right of the students to organize inside the campus, to hold protests to have their stand on issues inside the campus,” Zuñiga added. 

Nakaambang mawalan ng tahanan ang halos 300 pamilya ng Brgy. Patungan sa Marogondon, Cavite dahil sa lumalalang militarisasyon at banta ng demolisyon sa komunidad ng mga magsasaka at mangingisda. Kinakamkam ng pamilya Sy at Virata ang mahigit na 600 ektaryang lupain upang tayuan ng mga condominium, resort at pasyalang pang-ekoturismo. Kasalukuyang nakabantay ang mga puwersa ng pulis at militar sa bukana ng barangay at hindi pinahihintulutan ang sinuman na makapasok sa komunidad.

ON BORROWED PAINT Tony Reyes

UP Diliman Fine Arts student Babylyn Fajilagutan sells her own paintings to raise money after she applied for a 100 percent tuition loan from the Office of Scholarships and Student Services to pay for her P29,000 matriculation fee in August 2015. She had to appeal to the chancellor and pay P5,000 as partial payment for her outstanding balance in order to enroll this semester. She says tuition loans do not alleviate the burden of paying for tuition as it only gives her additional time to make the payment. If Fajilagutan fails to pay the rest of her loan, she will again be tagged as ineligible to enroll in the next academic year.

Students decry approval of UP Manila GE reforms z MEGAN AGLAUA STUDENTS OF UP MANILA (UPM) decried the approval of proposed reforms to the General Education (GE) program in their campus, stating that this would disintegrate the holistic and critical nature of education within the UP system.

Voting 91-7 with one abstention, the UP GE system council headed by College of Arts and Sciences Professor Rosario Rubite approved on February 9 the curricular GE reforms, reducing the number of required units from 45 to a minimum of 21 to 36.

The reconstruction of the GE framework will be established depending on the degree program, as it will include revisions done by the courses offered, according to Rubite.

The reforms cater to foreign needs at the expense of the Filipino, who should be given a nationalist and mass-oriented education, said Alfred Omaga, UPM University Student Council councilor.

Curricular changes Established in 2001, the Revitalized GE Program (RGEP) is a set of courses taken prior to a student’s program specialization. The RGEP is targeted toward developing critical thinking among students, as the liberal arts is seen as the foundation of an undergraduate curriculum, said former UP President Dr. Nemenzo Jr. during the program’s initial implementation.

The GE courses are currently grouped into three domains of

knowledge: Arts and Humanities, Math, Science and Technology, and Social Sciences and Philosophy.

With the revamp, GE subjects will be classified into three thematic sets: Culture and Identity, Language and Expression, Social Systems, and Natural Systems.

A total of 24 units stand as core units and an additional 12 units will be for electives, according to a draft of the 2013 GE reforms proposal.

UPM will now be working toward the next steps of implementation, which is to conduct teacher trainings, material development, and establishing new course outlines which will assure the application by 2018, said Rubite.

“If there is a comprehensive study conducted as a basis for UPM’s decision, it’s the responsibility of the institution to release the details to the public” said Journalism Professor Danilo Arao, who also acts as the spokesperson for the UP Sagip GE team, a group of students and professors seeking to keep and revitalize the current GE program.

The UP Diliman University Council earlier rejected the proposed GE reforms during its meeting at the National Institute of Physics on January 25. In a vote of 256-187 with 29 abstentions, the council decided to review the current program before instituting any reforms.

The approval in UPM may create a domino effect, where all constituent units may follow suit, or they may choose to oppose the changes, said Arao.

‘Foreign-oriented’ education Amid the approval, there were no efforts from the administration to consult the vast majority of the students in UPM, Omaga said.

“No efforts were made to consult the students. With opportunities narrowed down, the well-roundedness of a UP student is disregarded,” said David Guzman, a second-year Public Health student.

The draft of the 2013 UP GE program revision proposal cited the Enhanced Basic Education or K-12 program as the fundamental influence for the reform.

The K-12 program adds two additional years to the country’s 10year basic education curriculum, supposedly to improve the technical skills of students to make them more prepared and equipped for the international market.

“While the K-12 program discourages majority of Filipino students from taking college education, the curriculum is being revised and state universities are gradually being privatized to encourage the entry of foreign students and the profiteering of international businesses in education,” Omaga said.

The reduction of GE units will only uphold foreign educational institutions and encourage the commercialization of education, he added. 

4 BALITA

Sabado 27 Pebrero 2016

UP dormers in Koronadal campus to be displaced z J O N A LY N B A L O M E

LIVING WAGE Katrina Artiaga

Public health workers slam the Salary Standardization Law IV (SSL IV) that would increase their monthly pay by P500 because it removes around P7,000 worth of Magna Carta benefits. These benefits include hazard pay, night-shift differentials, subsistence and remote assignment allowance, alongside their basic salary under The Magna Carta of Public Health Workers. On February 19, President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive Order 201 which implements the wage hike despite failing to pass the Congress. Workers’ groups call for a just salary increase and demand for a P16,000 monthly national minimum wage.

Health groups slam kidney center’s new discount policy z KAREN ANN MACALALAD PATIENTS AND HEALTH GROUPS denounced the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) administration for scrapping the 80 percent discount on one of its kidney failure treatments on January, as the additional costs of would further burden the patients. The NKTI reduced the discount to 20 percent for its hemodialysis that amounts to at least P5,000 for laboratory fees because only 10 to 12 percent of its operations are being funded by the government, according to a letter addressed to the patients by Romina Danguilan, head of NKTI’s hemodialysis center.

Health groups moreover called on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to include the laboratory procedures and injections in its 90-session package for the indigent sector. The agency may have expanded its old 45-session package that covers almost all the medical expenses of its members, but it decreased the cost of it from P4,000 to P2,600.

As a result, the hospital increased the cost paid by the kidney patients to P750 per session in 2016, higher than the P350 fee on July last year to compensate for expenses not covered by PhilHealth, according to Danguilan’s letter.

“Wala [nang] ginawa [ang mga pasyente] sa araw-araw kung hindi maghanap ng ipambabayad, dati hindi nila problema iyan. There are instances na hindi na nakakapagdialysis ang mga pasyente,” said Rosalinda Tablang, deputy executive director of the Council for Health and Development (CHD).

Additional burden Hemodialysis is one of the two bloodfiltering treatment procedures offered in NKTI, with peritoneal dialysis as the other method that can be practiced at home.

Service patients who are PhilHealth members and have passed an interview can avail of discounts on their hospital bill.

Patients with chronic kidney failure usually choose hemodialysis since peritoneal dialysis is prone to infection. Among NKTI’s patients under the treatment are 32-year old Randy Fernandez and 38-year old Marivi Toledo, who have undergone hemodialysis for nine and six years respectively.

Fernandez takes his treatment twice a week which usually costs P3,500 per session, while Toledo’s hospital fees amount to P2,300 excluding the cost of injections.

Since both of them have no stable jobs, they rely on solicitations from legislators and different health agencies which would amount to at least P1,000.

“Minsan doon na kami natutulog [para pumila],” Fernandez said.

With the new policy, a patient would need to pay at least P1,341 per session which according to the Hemodialysis Patient Organization (HPO) based in NKTI. A monthly session would then total to P8,124 worth of fees.

There are times when we skipped our dialysis sessions even before the removal of the discount since we cannot afford it, Toledo said.

“Toxic, congested, at irritable ang pakiramdam. Hindi ka makatayo dahil bagsak ang hemoglobin mo,” she added.

Insufficient health subsidy Over the years, the NKTI has been incurring expenses beyond what the government subsidizes. Only P230 million out of the P1.88 billion net hospital fees in 2014 was shouldered by the government, P203 million subsidy in 2013 also fell short of NKTI’s expenses amounting to P1.85 billion.

“Ipinapakita ng health system dito na hindi talaga kinakalinga lalo na ang mga mahihirap na mamamayan.

[T]otally inabandona ng government ang responsibility to provide health care dahil pinapasok niya ang mga negosyante sa ilalim ng kanyang Public-Private Partnership Program,” Tablang said.

For instance, the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC) for example confronted a modernization proposal in partnership with private investors in 2010. The project was met by several protests until November 2015, when the Megawide-World Citi terminated the contract due to failure of securing the land where the POC will be constructed.

The Philippine General Hospital in UP Manila meanwhile collects P4,000 from the poor for laboratory fees, according to a 2013 report by the Collegian.

Indigent patients are entitled to free charges and accommodation during their confinement in any government hospital, according to Republic Act. No. 747.

“Kailangan i-increase ang budget hindi para sa private sector, kundi para mabigyan ng serbisyong pangkalusugan ang mamamayan,” Tablang said. 

KORONADAL CITY—STUDENTS OF THE UP Manila School of Health Sciences Extension Campus in South Cotabato (UPM SHS ECSC) residing in makeshift dormitories are in danger of getting displaced, following a request from the administration to remove the dorms due to the school’s lack of budget.

The dormitories, dubbed as bahay kubos by the students, reportedly consumed high electricity costs which the campus cannot afford. The administration also cited the students’ uncontrolled garbage disposal as basis for their request to remove the bahay kubos.

“If they will be eliminated from the [bahay] kubo, the school will greatly mitigate electric bill … They should look for their own boarding houses if the proposal will be approved,” said Medelyn Peria, manager of the bahay kubos and UPM SHS-ECSC instructor.

Established in 2010, the UPM SHSECSC in Koronadal City offers degree programs on midwifery and nursing.

The campus serves as one of UPM’s regional campuses seeking to train health workers that UPM’s medicine program can no longer accommodate.

Budget for the regional campus is sourced from both the UP administration and the local government unit.

A total of 12 bahay kubos that houses three to five students are being used by around 50 percent of the campus’s student population. The provincial government of South Cotabato has been subsidizing

the cost of the bahay kubos since 2011 so students can stay there for free.

“The maintenance and other operating expenses from the provincial government are not sufficient to maintain our expenses in the school,” said Peria.

Amid the lack of funding from the provincial government, the UP administration has also failed to address the problem on student housing in UPM SHS ECSC as no allocation under the university’s P11.4 billion 2016 budget has been allotted for the construction of dormitories in any campus.

Meanwhile, students were alarmed by the faculty’s proposal, stating that measures other than the complete removal of the bahay kubos can be taken. “[Displacing] all students who stay in the kubo is not the right course of action.

Disciplinary actions like imposing not to use electric stove, minimize charging gadgets, mitigating water consumptions and installing garbage bins are small things which can be helpful to minimize the electric bill and garbage,” said one of the students staying in the bahay kubo.

Since majority of the students come from poor families, most of them cannot afford the rent expenses in boarding houses, according to midwifery student Evelyn Aturdido.

“Our parents cannot provide enough allowances regularly. These kubos really help us and our family because [we can't afford the boarding houses outside campus].

Here, as long as we have rice, we can continue our studies,” Aturdido added. 

Cente dorm opens stalls for business z JONA CLAIRE TURALDE

VARIOUS COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHments have started operations in the spaces leased by UP Centennial Residence Halls (Cente) in UP Diliman, paying rental charges of as much as P22,000 every month.

The leasing spaces located in the dormitory’s ground floor currently house a law office, an internet shop, a convenience store, and foreign-funded research office, among others. Of the 10 businesses present in the dormitory, roughly six can be of aid to dormers.

All of the stalls should cater to the essential needs of the residents, said University Student Council Councilor Bryle Leaño, who also heads the Alliance of Concerned Dormitories of UP Diliman.

“Ito ay hindi nalalayo sa malaking usapin ng ating edukasyon sa unibersidad na patuloy na sinisingil ang mga magaaral ng mataas na bayarin at patuloy na nagpapapasok ng mga pribadong identidad sa UP upang makapagaccumulate ng kita,” Leaño added.

Inaugurated in 2010, the P40-million Cente dorm can hold a total capacity of 288 residents. The dormitory stands as the most expensive student housing offered by the university inside the

campus, with lodging fees pegged at P1500 per month compared to the usual P300 monthly rent in older dorms.

Some stalls are of benefit to the students, said Cente dorm manager Nanette Baena. However, Baena is unaware of where the proceeds of the rental charges as the stalls are managed by the Business Concessions Office (BCO).

The Collegian has tried to contact the BCO personally and through email to ask where the proceeds of the rent will go, but has yet to receive a response as of press time.

Aside from a stall allotted for the University Food Service which has yet to operate, no other UP owned entities was allotted a space in the said commercial stalls.

In the past, UP has incessantly relied on income generating projects to augment the university’s budget.

For instance, the UP administration has intended for the Acacia Residence Hall to house commercial establishments as supplement for its operating expenses.

“Imbis na itaguyod ang karapatan sa edukasyon at pampublikong serbisyo, patuloy na pinagkakakitaan ang mga espasyo ng UP,” said Leaño. 

BALITA 5

Sabado 27 Pebrero 2016

Taas-pasahod ni Aquino, tinutulan ng mga manggagawa z MARY JOY CAPISTRANO SA KABILA NG KALIWA’T KANANG batikos mula sa mga progresibong grupo ng mga manggagawa, pinirmahan ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino III noong ika-19 ng Pebrero ang pagsasabatas ng Salary Standardization Law 4 (SSL4) na layuning dagdagan ang sahod ng mga kawani at manggagawa ng pamahalaan.

Sa loob ng apat na taon, panukala ng SSL4 ang dagdag na 27 porsyento sa sahod at 8 porsyento sa 14th month pay ng mga manggagawa kabilang ang mga sundalo, nars, at guro. Tumaas tungo sa P11,068 ang P9,000 kada buwang kinikita ng mga kawani ng pamahalaang nasa pinakamababang antas ng pasahod, samantalang P25,000 kada buwan ang sahod ng mga guro mula sa P19,000.

“Ang SSL4 ay hindi tumutugon sa kahingian ng mga kawani at manggagawa. Pambabarat ito sa mga sumasahod ng maliit, pero napakalaking dagdag sahod naman sa mga matataas na opisyal,” ani Ferdinand Gaite, pambansang pangulo ng Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE).

Hindi naipasa ang batas dahil hindi napagkasundo ang bersyon nito sa Senado at Kamara bago matapos ang sesyon ng 16th Kongreso noong ika5 ng Pebrero. Kasama sa bersyon ng Senado ang sana’y dagdag na pondo para sa pension ng mga sundalo at iba pang kawani ng gobyerno.

Nauna nang sinabi sa isang panayam ni Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. na wala umanong dahilan upang hindi maglabas ng executive order ang pangulo, lalo na’t may nakalaan nang P57.9 bilyon badyet para sa unang bahagi ng SSL4 na nakasaad sa 2016 General Appropriations Act. Sa bisa ng SSL4, tataas nang 250 porsyento ang sahod ng pangulo na nasa

Salary Grade 33, pinakamataas sa antas ng sahod, mula sa P120,000 tungo sa P338,986 kada buwan. Nakabatay ang Salary Grade sa sahod na tinatanggap ng isang manggagawa, kung saan ang sumasahod ng P9,000 kada buwan ay nasa Salary Grade 1.

“Matataas na opisyal na empleyado lamang ng gobyerno ang makikinabang dito na nagbabaon kay Noynoy sa ideya na wala siyang malasakit sa mga kawani ng pamahalaan,” ani Jerome Adonis, kalihim ng Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).

Isa pang hindi sinasang-ayunan ng mga manggagawa ang pagtanggal sa ilang benepisyong tinatanggap ng mga manggagawa batay sa Magna Carta katulad ng hazard pay, subsistence pay, at allowance. Nakasaad sa isang probisyon ng SSL4 ang “related laws, including the Magna Carta [benefits], are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.”

Kaugnay ng pagsasabatas ng SSL4, patuloy namang ikakampanya ng mga progresibong grupo ang P16,000 National Minimum Wage, na nagtatakda ng pagpapasahod ng P16,000 para sa mga sumasahod sa Salary Grade 1.

Aabot sa P1,088 kada araw ang dapat na sinasahod ng mga kawani upang umabot sa Family Living Wage na P1,086 kada araw, batay sa pag-aaral na isinagawa ng Ibon Foundation. Iginiit pa ng KMU na tahasang pambabarat umano ang SSL 4 at walang katarungan dahil hindi pa ito umabot sa nakabubuhay na antas.

Kahit tatlong ulit mang palakihin ang sweldo ay hindi pa rin ito aabot sa Family Living Wage, ani Gaite. “[I]lalatag namin ang Government Employees Agenda kasama ang Workers Agenda kahit pinirmahan na ito ni Aquino. Sa March 14 may inihahanda kaming Nationally Coordinated Action para itambol ang panawagan na P16,000 at P700 naman para sa mga manggagawa sa pribadong sektor,” aniya. 

Opportunity Cost

RECOLLECTION Chester Higuit

A mother of a political prisoner from Laguna looks at the images of human rights violation (HRV) victims under the Aquino Administration during the monthly gathering of the relatives and friends of HRV victims at the UP Sunken Garden on February 20. Attendees of the Third Saturday Gathering come together to consolidate and strengthen their call for justice.

In the past six years, there have been 294 victims of extrajudicial killings, 172 of torture, 28 of enforced disappearances, and 3,237 of illegal arrest according to the September 2015 report of human rights group KARAPATAN.

Suspected paramilitary agents torch Lumad camp, 5 injured z VICTOR GREGOR LIMON FIVE LUMAD REFUGEES, INCLUDING two children, were injured Feb. 24 after suspected paramilitary agents attempted to burn down their evacuation camp at the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Haran compound in Davao City, according to reports from the PASAKA Confederation of Lumad Organizations in Southern Mindanao.

In a phone interview with the Collegian, PASAKA Secretary-General Jong Monzon said they were awakened by the smell of gasoline poured on the roofs of their makeshift houses at around 2:30 AM. “May tatlong lalaki kaming nakita na sakay ng motorsiklo na naghahagis ng gasolina, pero hindi na sila nahabol dahil nagliyab na ang apoy sa dalawang bahay sa kampo,” Monzon said.

A few minutes later, the boys’ and girls’ dormitories of Lumad students were also torched.

The five injured Lumad include a 2-year-old who sustained burns on both arms and a 14-year-old who sustained burns on his feet. They were rushed to the hospital but were sent back to the camp without receiving medical attention. They are now recuperating at the camp after receiving treatment from fellow Lumad refugees, Monzon said.

More than 700 Lumad are presently housed at the camp after the occupation of their schools and communities by military and paramilitary agents. On September 1 last year, paramilitary agents killed two Manobo leaders and the director of their

school. Students who witnessed the killing said the paramilitary agents were accompanied by members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

This new attack could come from no one else but the military and their paramilitary cohorts who have been harassing and threatening the Lumad, Monzon said. “Umalis kami sa komunidad namin sa bundok para takasan ang banta sa buhay namin, pero sinusundan nila kami at mukhang hindi sila titigil hanggang mapatay nila kami,” he added.

Monzon also condemned the government’s inaction on their plight, even after the Lumad launched Manilakbayan in October 2015, a caravan continued on page 11 

S U M A T O T A L The battle of rhetoric and promises has begun once again with the upcoming 2016 elections. With the way campaign advertisements are already flooding all forms of media even before the official campaign period has officially begun, one cannot help but wonder how much a campaign costs.

The numbers below tell the story. 

z KAREN ANN MACALALAD FORMER SILG MAR ROXAS

P2.78 B

Estimated spending cap for five presidential candidates in the 2016 campaign period

P2.29 B

Total cost of premature campaign commercials of presidential candidates in 2015

P1.1 B

Campaign expenses of presidential candidates in 2010

P1.4 B

Budget cut in UP for the academic year 2016 to 2017

P477.8 M

Budget cut in maintenance and other operating expenses of 59 state schools

P774 million

* Total cost of premature campaign (2015 TV ads) of the highest-spending presidential candidate 2013 Quick Response Fund for Yolanda victims P692.77 M Calamity victims allegedly misused by Roxas P43 M Estimated net worth of Roxas P202.8 M

VP JEJOMAR BINAY

P695 million

Total cost of 2015 TV ads Binay’s total expenses in 2010 VP campaign P201 M Alleged collection from janitorial and security contracts in Makati P1.26 B Estimated net worth of Binay P60 M

SEN. GRACE POE

P694 million

Total cost of 2015 TV ads Poe’s total expenses in the 2013 senatorial campaign P123.4 M Average annual cost of irrigation service fee for 154,200 hectares of land P693.9 M Estimated net worth of Poe P89.5 M

DAVAO CITY MAYOR RODRIGO DUTERTE

P129 million

Total cost of 2015 TV ads Budget for border security operations expansion and prevention of illegal entry of illegal drugs P165 M Estimated net worth of Duterte P1.35 M

SEN. MIRIAM DEFENSOR-SANTIAGO

Defensor-Santiago’s total expenses in the 2010 senatorial campaign P117.5 M Budget for the School-Based Feeding Program for 61,000 students for 120 days: P117 M Estimated net worth of Defensor-Santiago P73 M

Maximum amount each presidential and vice presidential (VP) candidate can spend for every Filipino voter Six-year term presidential salary

P8.64 million

Estimated spending cap for each presidential and VP candidate

P557.4 million Six-year term VP salary

P7.2 million

SEN. ALAN PETER CAYETANO

P398 million

* Total cost of premature campaign (2015 TV ads) of the highest-spending vice presidential candidate P382 M Budget the Iskolar ng Bayan Program will receive in 2016 P23.32 M Estimated net worth of Cayetano

P3.34 B

Estimated spending cap for six VP candidates in the 2016 campaign period

P636.93 M

Total cost of premature campaign commercials of vice presidential candidates in 2015

P760 M

Budget cut in the Department of Health for 2016

P653 M

Campaign expenses of vice presidential candidates in 2010

Estimated number of voters in 2016

55,739,396

Sources: Manila Bulletin, Rappler, The Manila Times, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, IBON Foundation, CNN Philippines, Philippine Star, Business Mirror, Philippine Daily Inquirer, InterAksyon

P505.97 M

Combined net worth of six vice presidential candidates

P3.88 B

Total cost of premature campaign commercials of presidential, VP, and senatorial candidates

P4 B

Budget cut in the Pension and Gratuity Fund in 2016

P4.46 B

Cost of campaign materials of national and local candidates in 2010

Infographic by John Reczon Calay

6-7 KULTURA AMONG THE SHADOWS OF CUBAO, amid beggars sleeping on cold concrete and the smell of open sewers, women ply the streets desperate for a few hundred pesos in exchange for a few hours of intimacy. It is here that, for the right price, they surrender their bodies to strangers.

One of these women is Axle*, a sex worker who started at just 19. She ran away from her parents in Cebu when she was 17 as a stowaway on a ship bound for Manila. The allure of fast money tempted her to join this industry, the stresses and dangers of which she felt she could handle because she had been raped before by her two cousins.

Just a year after starting her new occupation, she got pregnant. She could not identify the father among her many customers. Axle swore to her sister’s family that she was raped and had them adopt her son. He is now 19 and is still unaware that Axle is his mother. He calls her “tita” and Axle, in turn, calls him her favorite nephew. To this day, Axle says she has never admitted to her family that she has been and still is a prostitute. She fears the worst if they knew: “Baka sila pa ang makapatay sa’kin.” Her family thinks she is a KTV bar waitress.

In her real job, she earns P300 to P1000 per customer depending on how much she thinks he can afford.

Whatever money she earns, she spends really quickly – new clothes, partying, and even the occasional “shabu.” Axle has no permanent home or rented apartment; she often moves from motel to motel. She feels that her family also does not really care about her. “Kung mamamatay ako, walang tutulong sa’kin. Walang maglilibing sa’kin.” Axle's mother was the only person who loved her unconditionally

DAMA DE NOCHE M I G U E L V I L L A L U N A C A A C B AY

KWENTONG OBRERO SHEILA ABARRA

SANGKATUTAK NA LABAHAN at samu't saring gastusin ang sumasalubong kay Tita Maris* tuwing uuwi siya mula sa maghapong trabaho.

Kinabukasan, maaga siyang gigising para asikasuhin ang dalawa niyang anak. Hindi nagbabago ang ganitong eksena na kinagisnan ko simula noong hayskul hanggang ngayong nasa kolehiyo na ako at minsanan na lamang umuuwi sa amin.

Pumapasok si Tita Maris mula Lunes hanggang Sabado sa isang pabrikang pagmamay-ari ng isang Koreano. Patahian ito ng mga dekalidad na klase ng damit tulad ng mga gown at makakapal na sweater na pang-export. Sa loob ng apat na taon niyang paghahanapbuhay sa pabrika, nakasanayan na niya ang isa’t kalahating oras na biyahe mula sa amin sa dulo ng San Pablo sa Laguna patungong Santo Tomas sa Batangas.

Ayon sa kwento ni Tita, mahigpit ang pamunuan ng kanilang pabrika.

May guwardiya ang bawat kanto—apat sa gate, dalawa sa mismong pasukan, at may dalawa sa production room.

Tila sinadyang sampung kilometro ang layo ng mismong pabrika sa gate, na para bang ikinukulong ang mga manggagawa sa isang kahong malahurno ang init.

and knew all her secrets. However, her mother passed away two years ago.

Axle’s experiences have taught her to fear all men, even her own son – a response to all the wickedness of men in her life. One of her previous customers, for example, didn’t sleep with her—he just beat her instead. A man even once drugged her, tied her up, raped her together with five other men, and then threw her down a cliff.

She survived. A policeman also once hired her. Throughout the deed, he had her handcuffed and jammed his pistol against the back of her head.

Indeed, even the supposed guardians of society are the ones who commit injustice themselves. During raids on clubs, cops would swear at them, throw them into their police vehicles, and even kick them, Axle said. She seems to live in a society that chooses to forget that women in her line of work are also human beings. From her experiences, she has learned to conceal her emotions, but as she tells the story of her life, she fails to hold back her tears.  *Not her real name

Kuha ni Jiru Rada

Mala-impyerno ang pagkakalarawan ni tita sa akin ng pabrika. Kakaunti ang mga bintana at electric fan, ngunit hindi alintana ni tita ang init. Iniisip na lang niya ang dalawa niyang anak na parehong nasa kolehiyo na—nasa huling taon ang kanyang panganay habang nasa ikatlong taon naman ang bunso.

Sapat lang ang sweldo ni tito na mekaniko sa Cavite para sa pangmatrikula ng kanilang mga anak, kaya kinailangang magtrabaho ni tita para tugunan ang gastusin sa tubig, kuryente, at pang-araw-araw na pagkain nila.

“Nakakasama lang ng loob na maliit na nga ang [sahod], ‘di pa nila maipa-sweldo sa amin,” reklamo ni tita. Sa Batangas, pumapatak sa P310 ang minimum na sahod ng mga manggagawa, ngunit P285 lang ang tinatanggap nina tita.

Kada limang buwan, kailangan pa nilang pumirma sa isang papel bilang patunay na tumatanggap sila ng P310 na sahod kahit na P285 lang ang ibinibigay sa kanila. Tuwing kinsenas at katapusan sila sumasahod at laging may nakabukod na suhol para sa punong barangay.

Hindi rin pantay ang pagtrato sa mga trabahador sa pabrika.

Sa katunayan, prayoridad ng

pamunuan ang pagtanggap ng mga lalaking tagapagtabas ng tela, kaya dumami ang populasyon ng lalaking manggagawa kaysa sa babae.

Kuwento ni tita, wala nang nagrereklamo ngayon dahil sa tuwing may nangangahas noon, iisa lang ang sagot ng sekretarya ng pabrika: “Malaya kayong umalis kung ayaw niyo sa patakaran.” Lalo tuloy siyang nawalan ng lakas ng loob na lumaban at hindi na niya magawang sumali sa unyon para maipagtanggol ang sarili at mga kasamahang babae.

Isa dati si tita sa bumabatikos sa patakaran ng pamunuan ng pabrika lalo na’t lantaran ang pananamantala nito sa mga kapwa niya manggagawa, ngunit takot ang namamayani ngayon kay tita. Sa edad niyang 46 anyos, mahihirapan siyang makahanap ng bagong trabaho.

Sa ngayon, pampalubag-loob na lamang niya na bagaman mahirap maghanapbuhay, darating din ang araw na makakapagtapos sa kolehiyo ang kanyang mga anak at sa wakas ay makalalaya na siya mula sa takot at pangamba.  *Hindi niya tunay na pangalan

Kuha ni Chester Higuit

V O I C E S

O F

W O M E N

Disen Pahin Jiru R

V O I C E S

O F

W O M E N

nyo ng na ni Rada

Sabado 27 Pebrero 2016

MY GRANDMOTHER, ANACLETA Avendaño, is a farmer. This is something I am proud to say, and if there is anything I should be ashamed about, it is the fact that I knew too little of her life before I decided to write this article.

Inay grew up in San Pablo, Laguna to a family of farmers. As a child, she helped in harvesting copra, which is dried coconut meat used to make coconut oil. She spent a lot of time on the fields, helping her father and brothers. She cooked for them and brought them their meals, and joined them in the harvesting, threshing, and grinding of palay.

But back-breaking farm work was not her only hardship. Only her brothers were allowed to go to college, while she and her sisters had to learn skills like sewing clothes. Like many Filipina women trapped under the rule of patriarchy, their vocation is marriage.

My grandmother, however, made use of all skills and opportunities available

to her. When she got married, she both sewed clothes for her children and repaired rice sacks in need of mending.

When my grandfather died, she took over of the management of both home and farm. He left her to manage five hectares of land and six young children to look after.

Especially when she was younger, she worked in the fields herself with help from a few hired people, proving everyone wrong who thought she could be nothing more than a wife and a mother.

"Marami ka pang hindi alam at hindi nararanasang hirap," she teased me. She has seen the ways of farming change before her eyes—from carabaos to tractors, from exhausting manual labor to the use of machines.

But every planting season still remains a waiting game on her part, with her crops at the mercy of wind and weather, and the landlord that owns more than half of the land she tills.

FIELD OF DREAMS A N D R E A J O YC E LU C A S

Kuha ni Tony Reyes

HUDYAT NG PAGBANGON NI Mailyn Quiampo ang unang tilaok ng manok sa gitna ng siksikang kabahayan sa kalye ng Baluyot sa Krus na Ligas.

Maaga niyang inihahanda ang almusal ng kanyang mga anak bago pumunta sa kabilang barangay para maglaba at maglinis. Sa hapon ay uuwi siya para harapin ang labahan nilang mag-iina.

Pagsapit ng gabi, nagtitinda siya ng kape sa ibaba ng tulay ng Philcoa.

Kung dati’y nasa bahay lang si Mailyn, doble-kayod siya ngayon para tustusan ang pangangailangan sa eskwela ng kanyang apat na anak, buwanang upa ng kanilang bahay, at bayarin sa tubig at kuryente. Sa kasalukuyan, nakaasa sila sa pensyon ng kanyang asawa na pitong libo kada buwan. Lagi niyang inuunang bilhin ang isang kabang bigas. “Kumbaga, inuuna ko na lang ang mabibigat tapos ‘yung pang-ulam at pambaon ng mga anak, dinidiskartehan ko na lang,” ani Mailyn.

Mas naging mahirap ang buhay ngayon para kay Mailyn matapos pumanaw ang kanyang asawang inatake ng stroke noong nakaraang taon. “Laking diperensiya, laking pagkakaiba. Dati may inaasahan akong kinsenas-katapusan na sahod. Ngayon, wala na,” aniya. Halos wala pang isang buwan nilang nakasama ulit ang kanyang asawa matapos ang sampung taong paghihiwalay.

Kuha ni Kenneth Gutlay

Every planting season, my grandmother is required to pay 41 cavans of rice as rent to the landlord, regardless of whether it was a good harvest or a poor one. At times, the harvest is so poor, it was barely enough even for the family's consumption. In order to break even, she supplements her income with what she earns from tending livestock.

Thanks to all her efforts, my grandmother has single-handedly ensured a better future for her children and grandchildren—an education, stable jobs, and lives of relative comfort. Most of all, to her daughters and granddaughters, her strength as a woman is both a gift and an inspiration. 

Napilitan silang mag-iina na umuwi sa Mindanao nang masunog ang bahay nila noong 2006. “Mahirap masunugan, lahat mawawala, pati kaldero natutunaw.

Mabuti kung nakawan ka, mayroon pang matitira,” ani Mailyn. Pinapadalhan na lang sila noon ng asawa niya na nagpaiwan sa Maynila dahil maliit ang sahod ng guwardiya sa probinsya.

Nang hindi na regular ang pagpapadala ng kanyang asawa at napabalitang nambababae, minabuti niyang bumalik sa Maynila. “Kahit gaano ka katapang, sa ngalan ng mga anak mo, titiklop ka talaga. Pinusta ko ‘yung pag-aaral at magiging buhay namin dito para lang mabuo ang pamilya namin,” ani Mailyn. Matagal umano niyang pinangarap na magkasama-samang muli kaya labis niyang ikinalungkot ang biglaang pagkamatay ng kanyang asawa.

“Mahirap, pero kailangang lumaban.”

Malayo sa nakagisnan niyang pagiging maybahay ang buhay niya ngayon. “Iba-iba ang pananaw ng mga nanay, pero para sa akin, iba kapag ikaw ang kinalakihan ng mga anak dahil ang pagmamahal ng nanay sa mga anak ay espesyal,” ani Mailyn. Kapag wala siyang trabaho, binabawi niya ang oras sa pag-aasikaso at pakikipagkwentuhan sa kanyang mga anak.

“Sabi ko sa kanila, kapag nagkagusto na sila, ‘wag mahiyang magsabi sa akin.

Normal lang ‘yun, ilagay lang sa lugar.”

Nais ni Mailyn na maging bukas ang mga anak niya kaya kahit usapang pag-ibig ay gusto niyang malaman.

Hindi rin kinakaligtaan ni Mailyn na bigyang pangaral ang kanyang mga anak lalo na ang panganay niyang dalaga.

“Ikinikwento ko sa kanila ang mga naging karanasan ko dati, para makakuha sila ng aral.” Ayaw niyang matulad sa kanya ang mga ito na naging rebelde, napariwara, sumama sa barkada, at naging tambay ng Quezon City Circle.

Simple lang naman ang pangarap ng bawat ina sa kanyang mga anak— magandang kinabukasan. Nawala man ang kasangga ni Mailyn sa pagtataguyod sa mga anak, patuloy siyang lalaban.

Hindi niya alintana ang kahirapan; ang mahalaga ay magkakasama sila. “Nawalan na kami ng isang miyembro. Hindi ko na hahayaang may mawala pa.” 

ILAW NG TAHANAN MARY JOY CAPISTRANO

8 LATHALAIN

Sabado 27 Pebrero 2016

LANDAS SA PAGLAYA ALDRIN VILLEGAS

TILA DIGMAAN ANG SINUSUONG sa pagtalunton sa kahabaan ng EDSA. Nilalason ng hangin ang baga, nagpapaligsahan ang mga busina, nakikipagpatintero kay Kamatayan ang mga motorista.

Tila patikim ang EDSA sa napakahabang paglalakbay ng bansa patungong hustisya't kaunlaran. Ngunit higit sa pagkakakilanlan nito ngayon dahil sa malalang trapiko, naging lunan ng tunggalian ang EDSA ng mapanghamong pagkilos ng mga mamamayan laban sa diktadurya ni Ferdinand Marcos.

Tatlong dekada matapos pabagsakin ng taumbayan ang rehimeng Marcos, tila natrapik sa EDSA ang makinarya ng demokrasya. Minamaniobra pa rin ng naghaharing uri ang manibela ng bansa, at inuungusan pa rin ng iilan ang taumbayang naiipit sa buhul-buhol na mga problema.

Pagmulat Kabilang sa mahigit dalawang milyong kataong dumagsa sa EDSA si Bernadette Aquino o Nanay Bernie, bilanggong pulitikal ni Marcos. Apelyido lang ang pagkakapareho niya sa pamilyang Cojuangco-Aquino. Sa katunayan, isa siya sa mga lider-estudyante noong panahon ng Martial Law. Hanggang ngayon, may talas at talab pa rin ang pananalita ng halos sisenta anyos na ginang. Malakas at masigla pa rin si Nanay Bernie na patuloy sa pagmumulat ng mga kabataang tila nakakalimot na sa madilim na bahagi ng kasaysayan ng bansa.

Ayon sa Amnesty International, isang global human rights organization, may 70,000 bilanggong pulitikal, 34,000 biktima ng tortyur at 3,240 katao ang pinatay noong Martial Law. Samantala, pinakamalalang krisis sa ekonomiya ang naranasan sa pagkalugi ng mga industriya ng asukal, niyog, at kopra. Sa ilalim ni Marcos, lumobo rin ang utang ng bansa mula $2 bilyon hanggang $30 bilyon, habang dumami pa ang bilang ng mahihirap mula 24 porsyento patungong 40 porsyento. Tumaas din ang presyo ng langis nang mahigit 16 na beses, at

anim na porsyento ang naitalang taunang pagbaba ng sahod ng mga manggagawa.

Bilang estudyante ng Economics sa Philippine College of Commerce (PCC) na ngayon ay Polytechnic University of the Philippines, sa ganitong krisis nagsimulang mamulat si Nanay Bernie sa tunay na kalagayan ng bansa. Mula sa mga isyu tulad ng pagkakaltas ng badyet ng PCC hanggang sa mga usaping lumalagos sa tarangkahan ng pamantasan, kasama niya ang mga ordinaryong mamamayang nanguna sa pagbabago.

“We started organizing the students.

Hindi lang tayo estudyante. May higit [na] responsibilidad to give back to the people,” aniya. Malaking hamon ito para kay Nanay Bernie dahil nakatataas na opisyal ng militar ang kanyang ama na dekano noon ng National Defense College. Pinapaliwanagan niya ito at sa umpugan ng ideya, naiigpawan ang tunggalian upang makausad sa susunod na hakbang.

Alam ni Nanay Bernie na maaari siyang pahirapan at pagsamantalahan tulad ng panggagahasa, pagkuryente, at iba pang tortyur na sinapit ng kanyang mga kasama. Matapos mamulat sa piniling landas, pinagtibay niya ang paninidigan sa pagsali sa mga progresibong organisasyon. Inspirasyon at paalala sa tunay na diwa ng EDSA ang kanyang mga anak na pinangalanan niyang Dakila, Diwa at Kalayaan.

Pag-oorganisa Hindi man sinapit ng mga anak ni Nanay Bernie ang Martial Law, tila Batas Militar naman ang dinanas ng anak ni Nanay Nimfa Lazanas sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino III. Sa tala ng grupong Hustisya, nasa 557 ang mga bilanggong pulitikal sa kasalukuyan, kung saan 136 ang kabataan, 88 ang may sakit, 50 ang senior citizen, at 50 ang kababaihan.

Hindi man aktibo noon sa EDSA si Nanay Nimfa, ang pagiging bilanggong pulitikal ng anak niyang si Eduard ang nagtulak sa kanyang lumaban para sa anak at iba pang biktima.

Katatapos lamang ng high school nang magsimulang mag-organisa si Eduard ng mga magsasaka sa Laguna.

Kasama niya si Andrea Rosal, ang anak ni Ka Roger na tagapagsalita ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas.

Patungo sila noon sa ospital para magpacheck-up ang noo’y buntis na si Andrea nang harangin sila ng mga miyembro ng National Bureau of Investigation at akusahang kasapi ng New People’s Army.

Kalunus-lunos ang sinapit ni Andrea na piniit sa kulungang mas maliit pa sa silid-aralan kasama ang 31 na kapwa bilanggo. Nagkasakit siya ng pneumonia at kakulangan ng oxygen sa dugo subalit hindi siya pinalabas ng kulungan hanggang sa siya ay manganak. Dahil sa kumplikasyon, namatay ang sanggol matapos ang dalawang araw at ni hindi pinayagan si Andrea na dumalo sa libing ng sariling anak.

Bunso naman sa tatlong magkakapatid si Eduard, na kinakitaan ng galing bilang guro sa Alternative Learning System. “Hindi sakit ng lipunan ang anak ko. Pero winasak nila [ang] kinabukasan, pati pagkatao [niya],” ani Nanay Nimfa.

Para sa kanya, walang pinagkaiba ang administrasyong Aquino sa panahon ng Martial Law. “Inaaresto 'yung mga nagsasalita, sinasampahan ng kaso na ‘di naman nila ginawa.

Sinusupil ang aming mga karapatan— sa pagpapahayag, sa paninirahan, sa hanapbuhay,” aniya.

Bunsod nito, kusang lumalahok si Nanay Nimfa sa mga pagkilos upang ipanawagan ang pagpapalaya sa anak at mga bilanggong pulitikal.

Nangunguna na rin ito sa mga kilosprotesta bilang tagapagsalita at kasapi ng Karapatan-Laguna.

Pagkilos Habang patuloy ang pananamantala, pagtapak sa karapatan, at pagsikil sa

Dibuho ni Guia Abogado Disenyo ng pahina ni Kenneth Gutlay

kalayaan, itinutulak nito ang sambayan na kumilos, tutulan, at panagutin ang pamahalaan—pasulong mula sa nasimulan ng EDSA. Ngunit pinupuksa ngayon ang diwa ng EDSA ng mga kasinungalingan ng isang bagong rehimeng Aquino.

Habang idinadambana ang sariling mga magulang bilang mga bayani, ibinabaon ni Noynoy Aquino sa limot ang alaala ng kapangyarihan ng mamamayang tunay na nakipaglaban para sa demokrasya.

Sa muling paggunita ng EDSA, mainam na linawing nagpapatuloy ang karahasan, katiwalian ng gobyerno, laganap na kahirapan at kagutuman, kahit hanggang sa kasalukuyan. Ayon kay Dr. Carol Araullo, kasalukuyang tagapangulo ng Bagong Alyansang Makabayan at isa sa mga liderestudyante ng UP noong panahon ng Martial Law: “Bumagsak ang diktadurya pero hindi ang bulok na sistema.”

Sa gayak ng “demokrasya,” ibinalik lamang ni dating Pangulong Corazon Aquino ang pamumuno ng mga elitista na uring kinabibilangan niya, kaya para kay Araullo, hindi katakatakang walang tunay at makabuluhang pagbabagong nararamdaman ang mga mamamayan.

“Ang manufacturing natin katulad pa rin noong ‘50s. We were producing agricultural goods then for our domestic consumption, but now even basic goods are imported,” ani Araullo.

Napanatili rin ng mga Marcos ang impluwensya nito sa pulitika hindi lang sa baluarte nila sa Ilocos kundi sa buong bansa. Sa

katunayan, tumatakbo pa ngayon si Senador Ferdinand Marcos Jr. bilang bise-presidente.

Malinaw samakatwid ang kahingiang humalaw ng inspirasyon mula sa milyun-milyong mga bayani ng EDSA at lagutin ang siklo ng kahirapan at pananamantala.

Pinatunayan ng EDSA na mulat at militanteng mga mamamayan lamang ang magpapatumba ng anumang pasistang rehimen. Ito ang hamon sa kasalukuyang henerasyon ng kabataan na siyang mga tagapagmana ng tunay na diwa ng People Power. 

LATHALAIN 9

Sabado 27 Pebrero 2016

SERVICE CHARGED DANIEL BOONE TO STRANGERS, THE SHOPPING Center (SC) looks nothing more than a dilapidated building crammed with stores. But to UP students, the SC is a “life saver.” Compared to many establishments outside UP, it offers a variety of affordable products and services—from food and school supplies, to computer rentals and haircuts.

Yet this humble establishment is not just a commercial hub but the very manifestation of the UP community's culture of service.

History of the SC It was in 1975 when the first stalls in SC opened after the request of students for an accessible hub for services. Four decades later, most these stores are still open to serve students including popular food stalls like Rodic’s.

Remy’s Beauty Parlor is also one of these pioneer stores. Before SC was built, students had to go all the way to Cubao to find a place to eat.

SM North and the business complex in Philcoa would not be constructed until much later.

In fact, Nanay Remy played a significant role in the establishment of SC as both students and the UP officials visit her for get haircuts.

She recalled that students would often tell her how it was so difficult to buy food and school supplies. She then relayed the message to the wife of then UP President Salvador P. Lopez, who also frequently visited her.

In response, the UP administration loaned money to be able to pay for the SC’s construction which was completed in 1975, according to Nanay Remy, “Wala pang P400 [isang buwan] ang renta noon. Bale sa nasisingil nila, kalahati [ay ginagamit] pambayad sa utang, ‘yung kalahati kita ng UP. After 10 years, sa UP na itong building.”

Nanay Remy boasts that all UP Presidents go to her to get their hair or nails done, except President Angara, whose administration implemented the first rental fee hike, from less than P400 to almost P2,000 every month,

Nanay Remy recounted.

For 40 years, the stalls in SC have seen many UP students come and go, including some who went on to become famous celebrities. For instance, Eraserheads lead guitarist Marcus Adoro and blogger and columnist Jessica Zafra have both said they get their eyewear from Sarabia Optical shop in SC. Rental hike Beginning his year, however, rental fees in SC were increased from P80 per square meter to P450. On average, stallholders who used to pay less than P2,000 a month will now pay P12,602.76.

The increase in fees will supposedly be used to provide security and renovation for the 40 year old establishment, according to the Business Concessionaires Office (BCO). “UP Diliman will renovate and improve the area so as to comply with all the government requirements, specifically compliance with the National Building Code and the Fire Code of the Philippines,” said BCO Director Raquel Florendo.

Some stalls were forced to also increase their prices. For instance, school supply store Holy Book raised their prices by P1. Meanwhile, a haircut in Edwin Eugenio’s barbershop was increased from P65 to P80. However, most stallholders chose not to increase their “student-friendly” price.

Photocopying services remain P0.50 per page, while an hour of computer rental is still P15 per hour.

The BCO implemented the 463 percent increase this February, but stallholders were asked to pay their January dues at the new rates, according to Lawrence Torres, owner of Zodiac Computronics.

Moreover, although a security guard was deployed to patrol the SC, the renovation of the building has yet to start. “For the P12,000, what I expect is [improvement] in the surroundings. We asked for a date, and they said ASAP (as soon as possible),” said Dr. Nella Sarabia, owner of Sarabia Optical.

Stallholders also condemn the prohibition of the use of mezzanines, which they built to provide extra space for employees and customers.

“Kami naman ang nagpagawa niyan with the approval of the Architect’s Office ng UP… Kung sa tingin nila ay hindi safe, bakit hindi nila ipa-check sa mga licensed structural engineers?” said Torres. “Kung sasabihin ng engineers na hindi safe at kailangang magdagdag ng pundasyon o poste, willing naman kaming mag-comply.”

Meanwhile, under the new contract signed by the stall hodlers, only P11,191.50 will go to the rental fees. They will also have to pay P1342.98 for tax, P40 for garbage collection, and P28.28 for insurance fees. Electric fees are not included and are paid separately.

Also written in the contract is the provision that the fees will increase three percent every year until 2018.

The P450 that stallholders pay this year will increase to P463.50 next year until it eventually becomes P477.42 the following year. By that time, average stallholders will have to pay P13,370.27 every month.

Aside from these problems, stalls in SC currently do not have any pipedin water supply. In desperation, some stalls—especially those which sell food—now get their water supply from deep wells, which has been illegal since 2004.

Reality check Stallholders in SC do not treat their service to UP community as business.

After all, students and professors spearheaded the campaign for the construction of the SC, and they are its primary stakeholders. However, they were never consulted regarding the increase in rental fees.

In fact, even student leaders and officials of the UP administration recognize SC’s role to the UP community.

“Hanggang ngayon kumakain pa rin ako [sa SC, at doon] din ako nagpapa-xerox ng books,” said UP Diliman (UPD) Vice-Chancellor for Community Affairs Nestor Castro.

“Dapat dumaan sa masinsinang dialogues sa pagitan ng BCO at ng mga stall owners [‘yung increase]. Matanda na ‘yung building at kailangang maayos, pero dahil mabagal at matagal ‘yung proseso, napag-iwanan na ang SC kahit pa sobrang daming nagpupunta rito para sa serbisyong hatid nito sa komunidad,” said UPD University Student Council (USC) Councilor Beata Carolino.

The hike in rental fees is nothing but against UP’s tradition of service to the community, said Library Information Science student Gillian Reyes. “The SC

has always offered somewhat fair prices for services, and it [has been a home] to small-time ventures,” he explained.

For students like him, this community culture is what makes it different from the Ayala-operated UP Town Center, whose name actually means nothing but a marketing strategy. 

Photos by Katrina Artiaga Page Design by Kenneth Gutlay

10 OPINYON

Sabado 27 Pebrero 2016

The People's Chump

Larger than Life

K E N N E T H G U T L AY WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, AT AN age when memory flickers, I watched a lot of cartoons. One day, my dad took me to my tita’s house to watch a boxing match. I thought it was still one the Tom-and-Jerry brand of violence. I don’t remember much, but I’m told I laughed my ass off until one boxer was beaten bloody still on the ring floor. Macabre, but adorable, I'm told.

What spurred this sudden burst of poignancy? Pacquiao. Manny Pacquiao’s sweeping statements against the LGBT community ran through the deepest recesses of social media like wildfire. Like a perverse joke, Pacman stripped members of the LGBT of their humanity, reducing them to animals.

In an ironic twist, Pacman became the punching bag, receiving every tweet, every status post and share like blows to his career. No matter how ludicrous his statements are, however, I am not laughing.

I am not laughing when an entire community is discarded by a politician who’s supposed to represent the public. Gay rights are human rights. No one is asking for special treatment for the LGBT, only for already existing rights enjoyed by straight couples.

Being gay is never a choice; no one would choose to be gay in a bigoted world like this

Benefits are abundant in legalizing same sex marriage. Not only does it promise social security in the family, but also financial security, joint ownership in property, and protection to children of samesex couples.

I am not laughing when a politician and lawmaker’s views are discarded as opinions and weighed with the same gravity as the casual passerby's.

Freedom of speech ends when the boundaries of another person's rights as a human being begin. A politician's statements and opinions, be it hifalutin or misinformed, are tomorrow's policies.

Whatever direction a lawmaker's moral compass points to will be the same course the Philippines will inevitably traverse. The same goes for Pacquiao.

I've seen local politicians whose platform carry the same weight as air, platforms centered on personalities rather than policies beneficial to the masses. Is it not high time to ask more from our leaders?

I am not laughing when thousands of LGBT youth are bullied, harassed and physically abused. Hundreds are treated inhumanely for something they cannot change like the color of their skin. Being gay is never a

choice. No one would choose to be gay in a bigoted world like this.

I am not laughing when LGBT youth are committing suicide from the same brand of prejudice that Pacman exhibited.

Arguments against same-sex marriage are often religion-fueled.

There is separation of religion and state, that much is true, and the freedom to exercise personal beliefs must never be curtailed, but infringing on the civil liberties and rights of other people, especially the marginalized, must never be tolerated.

Through the years, I've seen increasing tolerance of the LGBT community by the greater population.

Members of the queer community have permeated and excelled in many fields in society, contributing to the social and economic aspects of this country. It has long been overdue: we no longer need to merely tolerate the LGBT, but accept and fight for inclusion. 

In Defense of the Millenials VICTOR GREGOR LIMON

IF YOU GOOGLE THE WORDS “EDSA” and “millenials,” the search results would include articles such as “Do millenials still recall Martial Law, EDSA?” or “EDSA for Millenials: Like a Breakup from an Abusive Relationship.” Written with such condescension by non-millenials, patronizing articles like these often have cynical undertones and hint at a presumption that the youth regard people power as so exotic, so remote from their lives of apathy and decadence.

I guess it's time to put things into proper perspective. For the truth is that milllenials are not ignorant about EDSA, we have not forgiven the Marcoses for their corrupt and murderous rule of our country, and, most importantly, the truth is that we have not been idle.

During elections, we register highest voter turnout rates and have consistently elected a representative in Congress through Kabataan Partylist. On the streets, we have joined our forces with other sectors in condemning the worsening corruption in the government and in calling for justice for the continuing violations of our human rights. In

EDSA failed to deliver longterm and meaningful change because it got rid of Marcos but not the structures that made their rule possible

the countryside, many youth have even decided to join the army of the revolutionary government.

And this is not surprising as the youth have remained at the losing end of the EDSA bargain. Education remains for sale at a high price, pushing some students to such desperation that they see suicide as their last resort. The youth are also the most susceptible to the government's labor export policy, stunting their potential through the K to 12 program and luring them towards the global labor market.

Indeed, the EDSA People Power revolts have failed and the reason is not because millenials know little about the horrors of fascism or that they have forgiven Marcos. EDSA failed to deliver long-term and meaningul change because it got rid of Marcos but not the structures that made their rule possible. Farmers remain landless, wages remain low, prices of basic commodities and utilities are high. The powerful families of the oligarchy remain firmly in control of our economy and government.

If indeed some of the youth do not have the correct appreciation of EDSA, it is because its meaning has

been hijacked by the Aquinos. The commemoration of EDSA for the past six years under Noynoy Aquino's administration has been nothing but a staged farce—protesters cannot even approach the shrine because hundreds of policemen have been deployed to bar them from challenging the government's version of remembering EDSA. If indeed some millenials fail to see people power as a potent weapon against state fascism, it is because of those who romanticize EDSA but also pronounce radicalism as either extinct or passe. It is on account of those willing to turn a blind eye to the crimes of the Marcoses in exchange for political expediency. They are the ones who have forgiven and forgotten. 

Polo F. Imperial

FIVE MINUTES WITH THE IRON BUTTERFLY WHEN I FIRST HEARD OF THE NEWS about Imelda Marcos attending a mass for human rights victims during Martial Law, I remembered the first and only time I met her.

Our encounter lasted only five minutes and maybe a few seconds.

It was 2014, the final summer vacation before I went to UP, and we had just arrived at our home in Laoag. My dad had fallen asleep in his favorite chair in the veranda, tired from the ten-hour drive from Manila, my mom was busy in the kitchen with my grandmother, my grandfather was busy with his morning tobacco, and my twin brothers were already off to the beach in Pagudpud with their friends.

I decided to go the plaza to read a book under the trees. The book was a gift from my parents for passing all my college entrance exams. When I reached the plaza, I realized at once that something out of the ordinary was going on. A group of uniformed men was escorting a colorfully dressed old lady who held a fan in one hand and a gold lame purse in the other. A photographer snapped pictures of her while she simulated laughter.

There was no doubt who the lady was. I walked towards the tree nearest the fountain in the middle of the park. When I sat down to begin reading, I became suddenly aware that the uniformed men were pointing at me.

That was when I realized that, besides me and the old lady’s escort, there was nobody else in the plaza.

Then I saw the Iron Butterfly turning her gaze towards me and she fixed me a stare made of knives. But I was foolish, excited that I could be daring, so I decided that I would not move an inch even if that meant they would adjust so that I will not appear on the photographs they were taking. Besides, I had lost interest in my book and only wanted to pretend reading when I was really just stealing glances at what they were doing.

A couple of minutes later, the photographer packed up his gear and the group started to leave. In my peripheral vision, I saw the Iron Butterfly gesturing towards me and she said something to one of her men, who only scratched his head in response.

That was when I looked up from my book’s pages for the first time and met her gaze.

I felt the annoyance seething out of her and fear finally caught up with me. Then, almost as suddenly, she smirked, as if she realized that I was not worth the trouble. She turned, walked towards a shiny black car, got in, and sped away.

I never found out what the photographs were for. 

OPINYON 11

Sabado 27 Pebrero 2016

SOS NETWORK DECRIES TORCHING OF LUMAD EVACUATION CAMP

SAVE OUR SCHOOLS NETWORK

CEGP DEPLORES CAMPUS PRESS FREEDOM ATTACKS IN UP DILIMAN

COLLEGE EDITORS GUILD OF THE PHILIPPINES

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

FEBRUARY 20, 2016

A CHILD RIGHTS GROUP VEHEMENTLY condemned the torching of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Haran compound in Davao City resulting to the injury of five lumad evacuees including three children and two others.

According to initial reports, over 700 lumad evacuees in Haran Compound were roused early dawn today by the outburst of fire which burned down two dormitories of students and shelters of evacuees inside the temporary sanctuary. The evacuees, who were displaced from their militarized communities in May last year, alleged that the burning was premeditated and intentional.

“Military attacks continue to haunt Lumad, even tormenting those who sought safe shelter. This is an abominable act which only a desperate, spiteful party could do; those who oppose the lumad’s intensifying struggle for genuine peace, land and integrity which have garnered a wide support both nationally and internationally in recent years,” said Kharlo Manano,

SALINLAHI secretary-general and lead convener of Save Our Schools Network, during a candle-lighting protest held at Boy Scout Rotunda in Quezon City.

The group is asking whether the Alamara, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and even the ill-intentioned Rep. Nancy Catamco has something to do with the arson incident, especially since these actors have been found to be involved in a series of harassments and unwarranted interventions that have put the lives and security of children evacuees and their families at risk.

“The incident also underlines the Aquino government’s complete disregard of our indigenous peoples.

Not one person of authority has been made accountable for the numerous human rights violations proliferating in indigenous communities – the very reason why over 700 Lumads are currently displaced. Their call to pull out military troops in indigenous schools and communities continue to fall on deaf ears. Rather, it is being met with further harassment and violence,” Manano ended. 

ERRATUM: In the last issue released on February 16, the Collegian published a photo with the title Wasted Opportunities. The cutline cites the IBON Foundation as the source of the data “9 out of 10 farmers remain landless” instead of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.

The Editorial Board apologizes for this oversight and regrets any incident this misinformation may have caused. 

Suspected paramilitary agents torch... From p. 5 where they traveled from Mindanao to Luzon to gather support for their call for justice.

“Hanggang ngayon, kahit pahayag man lang ng suporta, wala kaming natanggap mula sa administrasyon ni Aquino. Mas mabuti pa ngang huwag na niyang hintaying tapusin ang termino niya at magbitiw na lang,” added Monzon. 

THE COLLEGE EDITORS GUILD OF the Philippines (CEGP), as the national center for the advancement of campus press freedom, denounces the recent attacks on campus press freedom in the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.

Last February 16, the National AntiPoverty Commission (NAPC) organized an event at the UP Bahay ng Alumni where Liberal Party (LP) candidates were also present. LP supporters and UP Diliman Police (UPDP) harassed members of Tinig ng Plaridel (TNP), the student publication of UP College of Mass Communication, and Union of Journalists of the PhilippinesUP Diliman (UJP-UPD).

According to TNP, UP campus journalists were supposed to cover NAPC’s event “Our New Social Contract: Panawagan para Lubusin ang mga Nasimulang Reporma” but were barred by the UPDP to enter the venue for “security reasons” even after asserting that they are members of the campus press. They were also “verbally abused, called out and jeered by the LP crowd.”

CEGP views this incident as a violation to campus press freedom and to the people’s freedom of information.

The Guild condemns the harassment and treatment of campus journalists as a security threat.

Meanwhile, Allan Pangilinan, the Students Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Committee chairperson and councilor of the University Student Council (USC) and a local affiliate of LP-Akbayan, posted on his Facebook account his intention to abolish the student publication fee for the Philippine Collegian, the official weekly student publication of UP Diliman.

Pangilinan also accused the Philippine

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Collegian as a propaganda machinery of a political party in UP Diliman.

The student publication fee is the lifeblood of student publications and the non-mandatory collection of the student publication fee is a violation of the rights of the campus press.

It has been the struggle of student publications in the country for the mandatory collection of the student publication fee. Campus journalists until today are staunchly struggling for this right and it is an insult to those who fought and died in the name of campus press freedom to take away what is rightfully for the students and their publication.

For over 90 years, the Philippine Collegian gives alternative viewpoint on various issues of students and other sectors of society rarely given the focus in the dominant media. It is the commitment of the Collegian and other members of the campus press in the country to give social reality a face and voice.

The campus press is a veritable pillar of students’ democratic rights and the disrespect of the rights of campus journalists and student publications is appalling. It is alarming for the CEGP that these violations happened just in a week in UP Diliman and the Guild deplores such attacks to the campus press.

The CEGP, as the oldest, widest and only-existing alliance of tertiary student publications in the Asia-Pacific, and with its more than 750 member publications challenge the LP and Pangilinan to issue their apologies to the campus press for their outright violations to the rights of the campus press, not just in UP but in the whole country. 

SIPAT LANGIT, LUPA, IMPYERNO Jiru Rada

Happyland Tondo, Manila Nobyembre 2012

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PEOPLE POWER Break out of your comfort zone and join a rally against budget cut, militarization or extrajudicial killings.

Take our challenge and have this human bingo signed by the individuals you meet during the protest.

Remember, to fight for our rights is not an easy task and this game is nothing but child's play.

Dibuho ni John Kenneth Zapata