Philippine Collegian Tomo 93 Issue 14

KULĂŠ

Opisyal na lingguhang pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Diliman Martes 12 Abril 2016 Tomo 93 Blg 14

punla ng pakikibaka

EDITORYAL 2

2 EDITORYAL

Martes 12 Abril 2016

PUNLA NG PAKIKIBAKA WALANG PINIPILING SAKUNA ang paghahasik ng karahasan at trahedya ng pasistang estado. Sa kabila ng pagmamakaawa ng mga magsasaka na ipamahagi ang pondo para sa kalamidad bilang tugon sa nararanasan nilang tagtuyot at kagutuman, bala at dahas ang naging sagot ng pamahalaan.

Matinding krisis ng kagutuman ang sinapit ng Mindanao sa pagtama ng El Niño simula pa noong Pebrero 2015. Mahigit P4 bilyon halaga ng pananim ang nasira at 40,000 magsasaka ang lubhang apektado.

Napipilitang lumikas sa iba’t ibang bayan ang mga residenteng walang makain, subalit hindi nakatakas sa desperasyon ang isang magsasakang nagpakamatay noong Pebrero.

Dahil sa kawalang aksyon ng pamahalaan, nagprotesta ang 6,000 magsasaka sa Davao-Cotabato Highway noong Marso 30. Sa halip na ipamigay ni Gobernador Emmylou Mendoza ang pangakong 15,000 sako ng bigas, pandarahas ang inabot ng mga magsasaka.

Dalawa na ang kumpirmadong patay at mahigit 100 ang sugatan, habang 86 ang ilegal na inaresto kabilang ang tatlong buntis, pitong matatanda, at maging mga bata, ayon sa tala ng organisasyong Karapatan.

Tila limos na maituturing ang tatlong kilong bigas bawat pamilya na planong ipamigay ni Mendoza na kasalukuyang nahaharap sa kaso ng kurapsyon. Tatagal lang ito ng tatlong araw gayong ilang buwan nang nagdurusa sa El Niño ang mga magsasaka.

Bukod sa kapabayaan, tahasang nilabag ng awtoridad ang karapatang magprotesta ng mamamayan at ang pagpapatupad ng maximum tolerance kung saan mahigpit na ipinagbabawal ang pagdadala at paggamit ng baril sa isang protesta. Negatibo naman ang naging pagtanggap ng gobernador sa isinagawang imbestigasyon ukol sa insidente dahilan upang harangin ang pagdating ng mga donasyon mula sa mga pribadong grupo na nagpapakita lamang ng kanyang inkumpitensya.

Sukdulang pagpapaimbabaw naman ang pagbibigay karangalan sa kapulisan na nandahas at namaril sa mga magsasaka. Nilelehitimo lamang nito ang karahasan ng estado

P L AY B A C K Ano ang pinakamahalagang isyu na kinakaharap ng mga estudyante?

For ALYANSA, there are three pressing issues in the university. First is the problem of inefficient systems in UP. We have experienced a lot of delays when it comes to accessing slots for our GEs, renting of venues and equipment, and organizing events here in the university. Second, it is obvious that the administration's orientation is one that doesn't put premium to pro-student policies. The lack of progressivity in the tuition rates and the Magna Carta is proof of this. Lastly, there's a huge challenge for the Iskolars para sa Bayan to speak out on issues of national concerns.

Arjay Mercado

UP Alyansa Chairperson

na ipinapalagay na isang kagitingan ang pagpatay sa walang kalabanlaban at pinagsasamantalahan.

Hindi na bago ang ganitong eksena para kay Pangulong Benigno Aquino III na nahuhuli sa mga pangyayari. Ilang araw matapos ang insidente walang naging pahayag ang pangulo, pagkundena man o simpatiya. Nadagdagan na naman ang bilang ng Pilipinong dumanak ng dugo sa ilalim ng kanyang panunungkulan.

Hindi hiwalay dito ang sinapit ng 44 na miyembro ng Special Action Force at milyun-milyong nasalanta ng Bagyong Yolanda.

Patuloy na dinadahas ng estado ang Mindanao sa pagpapatupad nito ng mga counter-insurgency program na kumikitil maging sa ordinaryong mamamayan, gaya ng Oplan Bayanihan ni Aquino. Sa ilalim ng kapangyarihan ng pulis at militar, hawak ng awtoridad ang kapangyarihan upang higit na dahasin ang mamamayan sa halip na magbigay ng proteksyon katulad ng nangyari sa Kidapawan.

Nakatala na sa kasaysayan ang kaso ng pagpatay sa mga magsasaka dahil sa usaping agraryo. Sa termino ni dating Pangulong Corazon Aquino, 13 magsasaka ang pinatay sa Mendiola Massacre, habang 14

Mag-aanak ang patuloy na paghihirap ng mga magsasaka ng diwang palaban dahil sa materyal na kundisyon nabubuhay ang punla ng pakikibaka.

ang pinaslang sa kanilang lupain sa Hacienda Luisita dahil sa paggigiit ng mga magsasaka ng tamang pasahod.

Hangga’t pinamumunuan ng mga panginoong may lupa ang gobyerno, walang tunay na repormang agraryo na matatanggap ang mga magsasaka.

Tatlong dekada na ang lumipas noong ipatupad ang Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, ngunit hindi pa rin magsasaka ang nagmamayari ng lupa. Aabot lamang sa P156 kada araw ang minimum wage nila at 40 porsyento sa sektor na ito ang naghihirap, ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority.

Magbubunsod ang patuloy na pagpapahirap sa mga magsasaka ng diwang palaban dahil sa materyal na kundisyon nabubuhay ang punla ng pakikibaka. Hangga’t hindi nakakamit ang tunay na reporma sa lupa at patuloy na pinapatay ang mga magsasakang bumubuhay sa bayan, mas iigting ang pag-aaklas na hindi kailanman magpapasailalim sa kaayusang idinidikta ng pamahalaan. 

The most pressing issue students are facing right now still remains to be the inaccessibility of quality education in UP. Inaccessibility of UP education does not only pertain to the high tuition rates in the university but also the lack of quality housing for students, the limited slots for students' required classes, the subpar or lack of quality facilities in the university, and the lack of spaces for learning and organizing inside the campus; which is why KAISA continues to forward our call for free tuition through the Six Will Fix bill that aims to automatically appropriate at least 6 percent of the GNP to education as per the UNESCO world standard for developing countries.

Marlina Carlos KAISA Chairperson

Lumalalang krisis sa edukasyon kolonyal, komersyalisado, at pasista.

Kolonyal - pilit na nakabalangkas ang ating curriculum para tugunan ang pangangailangan ng pandaigdigang merkado sa anyo ng pagsstreamline ng courses, pagrereduce ng GE units, K12 at iba pang intetnationalization schemes.

Komeryalisado - bukod sa malaking tuition fee, lahat ay may kalakip nang presyo sa anyo ng other school fees.

Pasista dahil maging ang kakayanan ng mga estudyante sa organisadong paglaban at pagtutol sa ganitong mga patakaran ng pamantasan ay tinatapatan ng represyon.

Menchani Tilendo

STAND UP Chairperson

UKOL SA PABALAT Dibuho 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 Garry 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/philippinecollegian

BALITA 3

Martes 12 Abril 2016

'State neglect burned down Faculty Center' z VICTOR GREGOR LIMON THE CAUSE OF THE BLAZE THAT gutted the Faculty Center (FC) may still be undetermined, but for some student groups in the UP Diliman (UPD) College of Arts and Letters (CAL), there is no doubt as to what the culprit is: the government’s chronic neglect of providing ample funds for the national university.

“The FC not only burned down because of ineffable state abandonment but also because of the administration’s deliberate neglect for the arts and the humanities,” said mass organization Anakbayan CAL in a statement.

Known to most students and faculty as the FC, Rizal Hall was gutted by fire at around 1:15 AM on April 1. The blaze began on the third floor and quickly spread down to the lower floors, until the fire marshal raised the alarm to Task Force Alpha, one level higher than the fifth alarm. Around 55 fire trucks from all over Metro Manila responded to the alarm.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) declared the fire under control at around 4:42 AM, but the second floor of the FC blazed anew at around 7AM. The fire marshal officially declared “fire out” at 11:25 AM. As of press time, the BFP is still investigating the circumstances of the fire. The official report may take several weeks to be completed, said UPD Chancellor Michael Tan. In an April 7 update, Tan approved the requests for assistance by the All UP Academic Union and the All UP Workers Union, including an outright P5 million grant fund to assist in the purchase of new research equipment and the reconstruction of lost materials. Deadlines are also extended for the theses and dissertation defenses of affected faculty and staff.

Home to around 250 faculty members of CAL and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, the FC housed valuable documents, rare books, maps, manuscripts, research papers, artifacts, and irreplaceable works by the country’s leading writers, critics, and scholars. The university library meanwhile will waive replacement of books lost or damaged in the fire.

CAL students were also hard-hit by the fire, said Anakbayan CAL Secretary General Miyuki Kawachi. “Hindi [namin] alam kung saan kukuha ng readings ang mga propesor para sa susunod na semester,” said Kawachi, who faces difficulties in finishing her thesis because her department’s library lost so many books in the fire.

Cultural organizations in CAL also face challenges. “Isa ang FC sa mga naging tanghalan at linangan [ng aming sining]…labis na nahirapan ang aming organisasyon na makapagtipon at makalikha ng panibago pang sining,” said John Paul Alfonso of Alay Sining.

Classes originally held at the FC are now temporarily assigned to rooms at the CAL building, Palma Hall, and the UP Integrated School building.

Besides students and faculty, employees and other members of the CAL community were also severely affected by the fire. “May mga manggagawang nagtatrabaho sa loob ng FC, [gaya ni] Kuya Enteng na nagbabantay ng CM Recto Hall, si Ate Jofel na nagpophotocopy ng mga readings, ‘yung mga gwardiya, at ‘yung mga nagtatrabaho sa Katag,” said Alay Sining Chair Daniel Lorenzo Mariano.

In 2016, UP will not be receiving any funds for capital outlay, the part of the budget used for the renovation of buildings, construction of new infrastructure, and procurement of new equipment.

“The [Aquino] administration is one that continues to deprive UP and other state universities and colleges [the] ample budget it needs, despite its duty to provide quality and accessible education,” according to the UPD CAL Student Council in a statement.

“It is the greatest irony that big corporate names, such as Ayala and Sy, are prioritized and permitted to thrive in UP’s own lands while we in fields like the arts and humanities spend our days in inadequate, dilapidated facilities,” the student council added. 

LITTLE FIREMAN Jiru Rada

Eleven-year-old Ricardo Cruz helps douse the fire that razed the UP Faculty Center on April 1. Cruz, a member of the Pasig Alliance of Filipino-Chinese Volunteers Fire Prevention Brigade, was once an outof-school youth but will soon balance volunteer work as a firefighter and school work as a student in the next academic year.

Eng'g orgs tambayan suspension put on hold z A R J AY I VA N G O R O S P E THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING (COE) administration has temporarily lifted the suspension on the usage of nine organization tambayans in Melchor Hall after student groups and organizations decried the lack of due process in implementing the decision on April 4.

In a dialogue with COE Dean Aura Matias held on the same day of the implementation of the one-week tambayan suspension, members of the Engineering Student Council (ESC) and organizations requested to have an evaluation of the violations committed by the groups before any sanction was imposed.

Withdrawal of org tambayans was implemented due to the organizations’ alleged failure to abide by the cleanup instructions announced by the COE admin on March 14 after the celebration of Engineering Week.

Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers President Steven Masias admitted that a long-term storage of merchandise and Engineering Week paraphernalia were left in their tambayan.

Paul Jake Navarro from Chemical Engineering Society Incorporated also said that they left plastic containers in their area.

However, some students argued that other paraphernalia left by orgs were not meant for Eng’g week purposes.

“Yung ibang orgs ay 'di naman about Eng’g week paraphernalia 'yung nandoon,” as said by Arvin Alba from Rise for Education.

Meanwhile, Matias replied that “the nature of the cases is just being classified.

Industrial Engineering (IE) Club President Patrick Hermogenes explained that certain trash disposals from the Engineering Theatre were transferred to their garbage bin. “Some tarps that were placed near the IE Club tambayan are not from the org,” he added.

In addition to the problem on garbage disposal, Edgardo Alegre Jr. of the ESC also raised that the tambayan given to them is too small for the orgs’ growing population.

“About 200 na po kami, but the tambayan is too small for our population,” Academic League of Chemical Engineering Students (ALCHEMES) President Ian Pe Benito added.

Organization tambayans occupying a floor area of not more than 18 square meters are granted to groups recognized by the university and may be suspended as per the admin’s decision. According to the 2009 General Rules on the Use of Facilities in the COE, “the [college] has the right to remove the tambayan in cases where the space is needed for its academic and more important purposes.

Continued on page 5 

73 candidates race for 34 UPD USC posts z KAREN ANN MACALALAD

BANNERS OF BLUE, YELLOW, RED, and green filled UP Diliman’s grounds on April 6, as the start of campaign period officially marked the student council elections season in the university.

A total of 73 candidates compete for the 34 positions in the UP Diliman University Student Council (USC), according to the final official list released by the University Student Electoral Board (USEB).

Representatives from the university’s three political parties and independent candidates signed the Manifesto of Commitment for Fair and Ethical Student Elections at the Palma Hall Lobby, where HalalanUPD2016 was formally launched.

Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP

(STAND UP) fields the most candidates with 26 hopefuls, while UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA) has 23 candidates. Meanwhile, 10 hopefuls compete under the banner of KAISA–Nagkakaisang Iskolar para sa Pamantasan at Sambayanan (KAISA-UP).

A total of 14 candidates run as independent: chair hopeful Raymond Rodis, four councilors, and nine college representatives. Rodis was not in the initial official list of the USEB, as the UP College of Law personnel in-charge to release a requirement of Rodis was absent during the week of filing. Should Rodis get elected to the top position, UPD will have its first independent chairperson since 2000.

Five candidates were not in the final list, including councilor hopeful Tricia Roxas from UP ALYANSA who withdrew from the election and STAND UP councilor bet Rey Nazareno. UP ALYANSA and KAISA-UP each have a college representative who withdrew their certificate of candidacy (COC), while the other two students disqualified by the USEB have yet to reply to the Collegian’s queries as of press time.

Independent Public Administration representative Nicole Parreño was initially included in KAISA-UP’s line-up after her COC was incorrectly filed under the party.

In a statement given to the Collegian, Parreño clarified that while she is running under the Practice of Administrative

Leadership and Service (PALS), an affiliate of KAISA-UP, it does not grant automatic membership to the university-wide party.

Meanwhile, incumbent USC vice chairperson AJ Montesa and councilor Vince Liban of UP ALYANSA compete for the chair and vice chair positions, respectively. A total of 11 councilors and 10 college representatives from the party has been qualified to participate in the elections.

Leading the STAND UP slate are incumbent USC councilors Bryle Leaño as chair and Beata Carolino as vice chair.

A total of 11 councilors and 13 college representatives will compete from the party.

KAISA-UP still fields no standard bearers, and has six councilors and four college representatives under their party.

This is the first time the party presented no candidates to run for the top two posts in the USC. The party has always been about the quality of leaders over quantity of candidates, said KAISA-UP Vice Chairperson Fatsen Amano. “We are confident that these six will deliver genuine services that UP deserves,” she said.

The campaign period will end one day before the student council elections on April 21, and the official declaration of winners will follow immediately. The Office of Student Activities recorded a 51.24 percent voter turnout on 2015, higher than the 48.07 percent on 2014.

An estimate of 26,000 students will be voting this year. 

4 BALITA

Martes 12 Abril 2016

25 kabahayan, apektado sa planong pagbabakod ng VetMed z KAREN ANN MACALALAD MAHIGIT-KUMULANG 22 HANGGANG 25 na kabahayan sa kahabaan ng CP Garcia Avenue sa Lungsod ng Quezon ang nakaambang gibain dahil sa planong pagbabakod ng UP Veterinary Medical Hospital para sa seguridad at pagpapatayo ng mga bagong gusaling gagamitin sa pananaliksik.

Nagbaba ng kautusan noong ika23 ng Pebrero ang Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA) na kailangang lumikas ng mga residente sa CP Garcia Block 1 bago ang ika-28 ng Marso, na itinakdang araw para sa demolisyon ng mga tirahang nakatayo rito.

Hindi natuloy ang planong demolisyon matapos magkaroon ng dayalogo ang mga residente at opisyal ng UP Diliman Office of Community Relations (OCR) sa parehong araw. Sa kasalukuyan, wala pang bagong kautusan mula sa OCR ukol sa demolisyon. Wala ring inihaing relocation site para sa mga residente sakaling matuloy ang paggiba ng kanilang kabahayan.

Hindi umano tugma ang bilang ng mga bahay na maapektuhan sa tala ng CP Garcia Neighborhood Association Incorporation (CPGNAI) at OCR. Doble ng bilang ng mga kabahayang maapektuhan sa tala ng OCR ang nasa talang hawak ng samahan, pahayag ni Leonardo Plasencia, pangulo ng CPGNAI. Bukod pa rito, hindi rin kinausap ang asosasyon at diretsong nakipagnegosasyon ang OCR sa mga residenteng maapektuhan, ani Plasencia. Hindi naman naipaabot ng mga nakausap nang residente ang impormasyon sa samahan, dagdag niya.

Tanging 11 kabahayang maapektuhan ang lehitimong nakatira sa lugar habang

nangungupahan ang iba, ayon kay Community Relations Officer Ramonito Cortez. Bagaman naabisuhan nila umano si Placencia noon, hindi na ito nasundan dahil hindi alam ng bagong opisyal na nakikipag-ugnayan sa lugar ang tungkol sa naging pag-uusap.

Susukatin muna ng OCR ang laki ng bawat bahay bago ang demolisyon upang matiyak na ganoon din ang laking sakop ng kanilang lilipatan.

Batay sa Containment of Growth Policy ng UP, hindi pinapayagan ang mga self-built units (SBUs) sa unibersidad na hindi kabilang sa isinagawang 2011 census ng OCR. Mahigit 4,961 na kabahayan mula sa walong baranggay ang tinukoy na walang permit mula sa administrasyon.

Sa kasalukuyan, mahigit 500 na kabahayan ang matatagpuan sa apat na block sa CP Garcia na nanganganib umanong ipalipat matapos ang gagawing pagbabakod, ayon kay Placencia. Noong 2015, may 10 kabahayan sa Block 1 ang nauna nang inilipat sa Block 2 dahil din sa pagbabakod ng ospital.

Muling magkakaroon ng dayalogo ngayong Abril upang tugunan ang isyu patungkol sa demolisyon, ayon kay Philline Descalzo ng University Student Council na namumuno ng Community Rights and Welfare Committee sa konseho.

“Next move nila ay i-cross examine ang list [of names mula sa Konsehong Mamamayan ng UP Campus at OCR], baka daw may overlapping names na naisama sa list ng community na hindi naman talaga under sa fencing project ng Block 1,” ayon kay Descalzo.

Habang tanggap umano ng mga residente na pagmamay-ari ng UP

ang lupang kinatatayuan ng kanilang komunidad, nakiusap ang mga ito na sa loob ng unibersidad pa rin sila ilipat sakaling matuloy ang demolisyon, paliwanag ni Plasencia. “Hiling ko lang sa UP na sa bawat proyekto isama nila ang komunidad,” aniya.

Nakikipag-ugnayan naman ang OCR sa lokal na pamahalaan para sa relocation site ng mga residente, ngunit hindi pa ito agarang naaksyonan dahil eleksyon, ani Cortez.

Nahaharap ang iba pang komunidad ng UP sa mga proyektong tulad nito kabilang ang isang faculty housing project sa tapat ng Kamagong Centennial Residences, na masasakop ang Village C sa Emilio Jacinto Street na binubuo ng mahigit 120 na pamilya sa susunod na taon.

Mahigit 1,000 pamilya na nakatira sa UP Arboretum sa likod ng UP Ayala-TechnoHub ang nakaamba ring maapektuhan sakaling matuloy ang conservation project na isasagawa sa

lugar. Noong 2011, 57 pamilya sa Area 11 malapit sa National Institute of Physics ang napaalis nang ipatayo ang bagong gusali ng Institute of Chemistry.

“Nais natin na anumang miskomunikasyon sa pagitan ng komunidad at UP admin ay maresolve through dialogue. Ngunit sa huli't huli, we call for the administrations to provide an on-site relocation within the university for all these people who will be displaced," ani Descalzo. 

Contractual employees do not have an employer-employee relationship with the university, in addition to not receiving the same benefits as regular employees.

They also lack security of tenure and may be kicked out of service after six months when their contracts expire.

“Karamihan ng mga empleyado noon ng UP Coop, kontraktwal. Ang kalagayan nila, napaka-vulnerable kasi ‘yung iba sa kanila tinanggal at wala namang alam na ibang trabaho [na mapapasukan].

‘Yan ang mukha ng kontraktwalisasyon,” added Dulpina.

While members of the Coop have yet to arrange plans for the establishment, the Business Concessions Office (BCO) allegedly plans to demolish the structure to house a new Landbank office in the university, according to a source who requested for anonymity. The management of the UP Coop was transferred to the BCO in March 2016.

“Gusto nilang ipasara [‘yung UP Coop] dahil matagal nang may deal between BCO and Landbank,” he added.

The old Landbank office was located in the right wing of the Faculty Center’s (FC) first floor. All agreements, however, are verbal and happened before a fire burned the FC down, the source said.

Contrary to the source’s statement, the UP Coop still belongs to the members of the Cooperative, and the BCO has no right to intervene, said Anoos.

In February 2016, the BCO also imposed a 400 percent rental hike in the UP Shopping Center (SC) which caused the fees to swell from P2,000 to P12,602.76 per month.

“Kung ano ‘yung ginawa nila sa Shopping Center, ganyan din ang ginagawa nila sa UP Coop … at sa huli ang mahihirapan, mga estudyante,” Anoos added.

The Collegian tried to interview both the BCO and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administration personally and through e-mail to get their side, but they said that they will consult the central administration first regarding the matter. 

Still no plans to reopen UP Coop

z DANIEL BOONE A MONTH AFTER THE UP CONSUMERS Cooperative (Coop) was fully closed down, members of the cooperative have yet to be notified of the administration’s actions on the management of the establishment.

The members of the Cooperative are scheduled to have a general assembly this month to discuss the issue and the actions to take regarding it, said Noli Anoos of All UP Workers Union and also a member of the Coop.

The UP Coop halted operations in March after losing around P18 million to bankruptcy due to mismanagement.

Several employees were gradually dismissed from service, months prior to its full closure, said Anoos.

Meanwhile, around 50 former staff members of the UP Coop who were all contractual employees were not absorbed by other units in the university and are now jobless, according to Nelin Dulpina of the Alliance of Contractual Employees in UP (ACE UP).

Pasahod ng bagong ahensiya, binatikos ng mga janitors z JONA CLAIRE TURALDE

REELING IN HOPE Tony Reyes

Rodrigo Bibon, 49, earns around P300-P600 every week by fishing on the Binangonan, Rizal area of the Laguna Lake. The livelihood of the fisher folk living near the lake is now threatened after the Department of Public Works and Highways set a total of 700 hectares of the lake for reclamation for the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike Project (LLEDP). On March 28, however, the DPWH was forced to terminate the auction for the P123-billion project which will connect Bicutan to Los Baños, Laguna after the companies qualified for bidding did not submit their offers.

BINATIKOS NG ILANG JANITOR NG UP Diliman ang pagbaba ng natatanggap nilang sahod matapos ang taunang pagpapalit ng ahensyang nangangasiwa sa kanila.

Mula noong Pebrero, bumaba mula P5,800 tungong halos P5,200 na lamang ang sahod na natatanggap ng janitor na kadalasan ay nahuhuli pa ng dalawa hanggang limang araw, ayon sa ilang janitor na nakapanayam ng Collegian.

Nanalo ang ahensyang Care Best International Inc. (CBII) sa bidding process noong Disyembre kapalit ng Ultimate Care na humawak sa mga janitor ng south sector ng UPD sa loob ng isa at kalahating taon.

Isa si Romulo, hindi niya tunay na pangalan, sa mga janitor na umalma sa naturang pamamalakad ng CBII. Iba-iba umano ang halaga ng sahod na natatanggap ng bawat kasamahan ni Romulo.

Dahil sa kakulangan ng sahod, hindi rin makapagpadala ng pera si Romulo sa kanyang ina na nag-aalaga ng apat niyang anak dahil sapat lamang ang natatanggap niyang sahod para sa pang-

araw-araw na gastusin tulad ng pagkain, upa sa bahay, at iba pa.

“Pinag-initan ako dati nang minsang tinanong ko kung bakit mababa ‘yung sahod. Hindi ako pinapasok ng limang araw nito lang, dahil hindi maayos iyong uniporme kong [pantalon na nakatupi lang naman habang ako’y nagpipintura,]” ani Romulo.

Pabago-bago naman ang natatanggap na sahod ni Maria, hindi niya tunay na pangalan. Sa 13 araw na pagtatrabaho, umaabot sa P3,900 ang pinakamababa niyang sahod, samantalang pinakamataas na ang P4,700. Dahil walang payslip na natatanggap, hindi alam ni Maria kung sapat ang natatanggap niya buwan-buwan.

Sa halip na payslip, pinapapirma na lamang umano ang mga janitor sa dalawang papel ng CBII. Nakalagay sa isa ang mga benepisyong kinakaltas at kung magkano ang dapat sasahurin, samantalang sa isa pang papel nakalista ang halaga ng aktuwal na sahod na natanggap nila.

Continued on page 11 

BALITA 5

Martes 12 Abril 2016

2 dead, 75 detained after police dispersal in Cotabato z JONA CLAIRE TURALDE

TWO PROTESTERS WERE KILLED IN Kidapawan City, Cotabato on April 1 after police forces opened fire at the human barricade formed by around 6,000 farmers and Lumads asking for additional rice subsidy and relief for farmers according to latest updates.

Two of the victims were identified as Darwin Sulang, and Enrico Fabligar, according to Anakpawis Partylist (Anakpawis). While earlier reports stated there were three casualties during the incident, the group clarified that only two were confirmed dead.

In addition to the casualties, 89, including six minors, were reported to have been missing after the police dispersal that started at around 10:30 in the morning.

A total of 116 protesters suffered wounds mostly from police hits and gunshots. Two missing protesters, Ondo Paonel and Leonora Paonel were allegedly tortured, according to Anakpawis.

Following the dispersal, the protesters were transferred to the Spottswood United Methodist Church (UMC) compound where six Philippine National Police (PNP) patrol cars reportedly gathered in an attempt to conduct a raid among the Lumads and farmers.

Eng'g orgs tambayan suspension... z From page 3 “The size of the population is no longer proportional to the space provided to us. The space is really the problem. The more ideal solution is move out to the building. I cannot offer any possible solutions but ask to the committee to have a stretch,” Matias said, based on a copy minutes of the dialogue obtained by the Collegian.

Meanwhile, Matias directed the orgs to submit separate letters explaining why they should not be suspended.

“The suspension must be hopefully lifted due to broad interpretation of rules, and lack of due process,” said Guillermo Danipog III of Rise for Education. “Sana, hindi lang i-defend ‘yung admin, but to discipline them also similar to students,” he added.

The college admin under Matias currently plans to prepare a revised set of policies designated for and consulted from engineering students before her deanship end this academic year.

“I would like to propose a policy forum that would examine and revise tambayan rules and policies for a more consultative and a more participative action among engineering students,” Alegre said. 

The PNP Special Weapons and Tactics team allegedly requested for a search warrant in order to conduct the raid, said Ariel Casilao, national vice chairperson of Anakpawis.

“Pumunta kami sa UMC, [pagkatapos ay] pupuntahan sana [namin] ang mga ospital kaya lang di kami pinalabas, hinarang kami sa gate. Hiningi [namin] ang legal basis, wala naman silang maipakita puro command lang sa mga nakatataas,” said Casilao.

A total blackout occurred while the protesters were still detained at UMC, with military forces still in the area.

“The province [was] essentially under martial law, a cohort of President Aquino has ordered the violent dispersal resulting to the deaths and wounding of farmers who are demanding government help due to the effects of El Niño,” Casilao said in a statement.

Farmers formed their picket line on March 30 to demand for additional subsidy, relief and rice rations from the administration due to the severe drought caused by El Niño. Since February 2015, the El Niño has already affected 222,781 hectares of land across the country, damaging 349,620 metric tons of crops or P4.77 billion in losses, according to data from the Department of Agriculture.

In North Cotabato alone, the drought has reportedly affected 27,558.55 hectares of agricultural lands or P238 million worth of crops, according to the Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis report of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist.

Despite the end of the picket protest on April 5, 75 of the farmers have yet to be released from illegally detainment since April 4. All of the detainees were charged with direct assault with two of them facing frustrated homicide charges.

In response to the protest, the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights conducted a public hearing on April 7. Farmers invited to the hearing demanded for the distribution of 15,000 sacks of rice from the province’s calamity fund, grant of subsidies for seedlings, fertilizer and pesticides, and suspension and investigation of military and paramilitary operations in their area.

Another hearing happened on April 11 regarding the motion to reduce bail of the 74 detainees who were involved in the Kidapawan barricade. A mourning tribute was also conducted on the same day by Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas Southern Mindanao Region for Sulang.

“The massacre of protesting farmers is never justified and could never be justified. The farmers are only demanding immediate relief in the form of rice from the national government. Those responsible for the massacre and violence inflicted on the farmers are criminals who should be held accountable,” according to a statement released by Kilusang Mayo Uno. 

UMALOHOKAN Chester Higuit

Dumayo pa mula Mindanao patungong UP Diliman si Jerome Aba, isa sa mga nasugatan sa pandarahas ng mga pulis sa mga nagprotesta sa Kidapawan noong ika-1 ng Abril, upang manawagan ng tulong para sa karagdagang bigas sa mga magsasaka ng North Cotabato. Enero pa nang magdeklara ng ‘state of calamity’ ang probinsyal na pamahalaan ng North Cotabato dahil sa El Niño ngunit tinatayang P14 M pa lamang mula sa P238 M halaga ng calamity fund ang naipapamahagi sa probinsya. Nananatiling isa sa mga pinakamahihirap na probinsya sa Pilipinas ang North Cotabato na may 44.8 poverty incidence mula sa tala ng National Anti-Poverty Commission noong 2012.

Five bases to increase US military presence under EDCA z A R J AY I VA N G O R O S P E WHILE VARIOUS GROUPS CONTINUE to dispute its constitutionality, the Philippine and US governments have announced on March 19 the five military bases where American troops may be allowed to build facilities under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

American soldiers, planes, and warships will temporarily stay in Philippine military bases as rotation of ships and planes for humanitarian and maritime security operations are to be held under the defense agreement. The government has yet to release the exact date of arrival of troops.

The five in eight bases settled include the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan De Oro, and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.

The Antonio Bautista Air Base, near the disputed Spratly Islands in Palawan, is in a highly precarious zone disputed by China, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries. On the other hand, Basa Air Base in Pampanga is a major Philippine Air Force base located about 16 km from the old U.S. Clark Air Base.

U.S. military assets already use a small part of Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija to store weaponry and equipment needed for the annual Balikatan exercises. A part of the Lumbia airport will be transformed into a U.S. storing depository for disaster relief equipment,

while Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base has a 10,000-foot runway shared with the Mactan-Cebu international airport.

“Sa EDCA, binabagsakan ngayon ng U.S. ang Pilipinas ng mga kagamitang pandigma nito tulad ng mga baril, bomba, at maging mga warships–idagdag pa dito ang presensya ng mga tropa nila,” said UP Diliman (UPD) Anakbayan Chairperson Orly Putong.

Signed on 2014, EDCA was met with protests by various groups for supposedly violating provisions on national sovereignty, territorial integrity and interests, freedom from nuclear weapons and autonomy of local government units.

Article XVIII, Section 25 of the Constitution, which states that any foreign military base, troop or facility "shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate."

Former senators Rene Saguisag, Wigberto Tañada, and militant lawmakers led by Bayan Muna Reps. Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate filed cases in the Supreme Court (SC) questioning its constitutionality. In a ruling on January 12, however, the high court settled that EDCA is an executive agreement that does not need the concurrence of the senate.

In addition, the SC ruled that EDCA was a mere continuation of provisions stated under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). The VFA has allowed American troops in the country since 1999 for the conduct of the annual Balikatan

exercises, supposedly to strengthen Philippine and US military relations.

Along with the announcement of the five military bases, the US government has declared their intention to provide $50 million for the improvement of maritime security in the region, of which the Philippines was set to receive the lion’s share. The funds are to be used for improving radar and other monitoring facilities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Amy Searight.

Militant groups have initially warned of the effects of US intervention on maritime security in Southeast Asia, especially with the dispute on the WPS as the country has seemingly been used as a strategic military location by the US. “Sa pamamagitan nito, nagagawa nilang i-contain ang China, at matiyak ang pampulitika at pang-ekonomiyang interes nito sa rehiyon,” said Putong.

With the intended budget for maritime security to be given to the Philippines, the US military is bound to benefit more, said League of Filipino Students President Ben Te. “Any form of aid from the U.S. always comes with strings attached.

Our dependence on foreign resources to defend our territory legitimizes the neocolonial relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines. Through EDCA, the government allows the return of U.S. military bases as well as the destructive effects that come with it,” Te added. 

6-7 LATHALAIN

FEVER PITCH ASSESSING THE RETURN SERVICE AGREEMENT z VICTOR GREGOR LIMON

AT THE END OF EVERY ACADEMIC year in UP, students stage a lightning rally during the commencement exercises. It has become an annual tradition, largely tolerated by administration officials and government guests even as they sit uncomfortably in their seats, watching a group of students appeal earnestly for UP graduates to rise to the challenge of selfless service to the nation and the people.

Such an urgent appeal is not lost on Adam (not his real name), who plans to study medicine at UP Manila (UPM) after he finishes his undergraduate degree this year. To be admitted to the program, one of the requirements is to sign the Return Service Agreement (RSA), a contract that will require him to complete three years of return service in the Philippines within five years of his graduation.

Adam said he is aware that many opportunities await him abroad when he graduates from the UP College of Medicine (CM), the oldest college in the university and the premier medical school in the country. "But three years seem like a reasonable way to give back to those who paid for my education," he said in an interview with the Collegian.

Recently, however, the RSA has come under closer scrutiny, after the Board of Regents approved an amendment to the contract that seeks to impose a blanket penalty fee on students who will fail to comply with the RSA. Is the

RSA still the best policy to encourage UP health sciences graduates to serve the nation? Or has it in fact become merely a token policy that will further diminish the national university's service-oriented identity?

Symptoms Originally formalized in the UPCM in 2009, the RSA has now been implemented in six other health colleges of UPM: Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Public Health, Allied Medical Profession, and the School of Health Sciences in Palo, Koronadal, and Baler.

The wisdom of the RSA operates under the recognition that UPM is the country's Health Sciences Center, mandated to lead as a public service university by providing various forms of community, public, and volunteer service, explained UPM Chancellor Carmencita Padilla in an email to the Collegian.

As early as 1975, the World Health Organization has tagged the Philippines as one of the major exporters of health workers in the world. Among Asian countries, the Philippines holds the record for the greatest increase in migration of health professionals, according to a 2011 report by the Asia Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.

From 1997 to 2008 alone, a total of 3,678 doctors, 128,100 nurses, 2,120 dentists,

1,655 pharmacists, and 2,737 midwives sought employment abroad, mostly to industrialized nations like the United States and Canada, the report revealed.

As a result, there is an average of only one doctor for every 1,429 Filipinos as of 2014, according to official figures from the Department of Health (DOH). In rural areas, the ratio is much more dismal, at one doctor for every 33,000 patients, despite the fact that local government units are mandated to spend around 30 percent of their internal revenue allotment for public health care.

Such a bleak situation is aggravated by the K-12 education system and the ASEAN integration, which will further facilitate outward labor migration. As nations in Southeast Asia work towards the so-called internationalization and the liberalization of labor markets, Filipino health professionals will find it increasingly difficult to forego opportunities abroad, while the Philippine healthcare system becomes even more privatized in a bid to be more “competitive” in answering global market demand.

The RSA aims to respond to this situation by requiring UP's health professionals to render at least two years of required service to the people who are after all direct primary stakeholders in their education and training, said Dr. Gene Nisperos,

With the latest changes in the Return Service Agreement (RSA), sections of the UP community are questioning if the policy has remained faithful to its original idea of "service to the people"

CM professor and vice chair of the advocacy group Health Alliance for Democracy.

Diagnosis With the latest changes in the RSA, sections of the UP community are questioning if the policy has remained faithful to its original idea of “service to the people.” For some student leaders, the RSA is becoming a form of commercialization, where return service can be easily foregone by paying a penalty fee, which is equal to double the cost of medical education up to the year level completed.

As of academic year 2014-2015, the total amount of annual tuition and other fees for a CM student ranges from around P20,000 to P50,000, depending on the student’s family income bracket.

Under the amendments approved by the BOR in January, there are no longer any acceptable reasons for preterminating the RSA, which means that the penalty is imposed by default on all cases of non-compliance—pending any appeal which will be reviewed on a caseto-case basis.

In January, the UPM University Student Council slammed the amendments to the RSA, saying there was “absolutely no student consultation.” In an email to the Collegian, however, RSA Committee Chair Dr. Melfred Hernandez maintained

Martes 12 Abril 2016

that all colleges implementing the RSA have consulted all stakeholders through meetings, surveys, and presentations.

For Adam, however, such a policy is suspect in the first place, because it institutionalizes a backdoor, noquestions-asked option for those who would rather pay a penalty fee rather than rendering return service. "Even if I want to practice here in the Philippines where I am needed most, the penalty won’t really reinforce my decision, because my parents could just 'bail' me out of the RSA," he confided.

Militant student groups are quick to warn that the new blanket penalty fee will become an income-generating mechanism that merely attempts to recoup "investments," rather than addressing the urgent need for UP's health professionals to serve the nation.

“In a way, UP is trying to maximize the return of its [capital and] somehow [this reduces] students [to] mere investments,” said Mark Girasol, a first year MD-PhD student.

For Dr. Nisperos, the RSA has become a “watered-down” version that has strayed from its priorities. For instance, while graduates covered by the RSA were originally limited to practice in the public sector or in underserved areas, UPM’s health professionals have since been allowed to render service in private hospitals and clinics.

For the RSA to truly carry out its potential, other interventions have to be made, such as a more perceptive admissions process, a nationalist curriculum, and a needs-based deployment program

This sentiment is echoed by the UPM CM Student council. “We recognize the fact that medical practice is very metropolis-centric. We have to redistribute doctors to give equal attention and service to all the regions in the Philippines,” said UPM CM SC Chair Mark Jason Milan.

The RSA is, thus, only a stopgap measure to, at least, mitigate the effects of the deeply rooted problems of our healthcare system, said Adrian Sampang, an intern at the Philippine General Hospital and former UPM USC vice chair.

“We need to have improved health care services, create decent local job opportunities, build more hospitals.

But how do we actually do these if the budget for health remains low, hospitals are closing down, and the government has resorted to public-private partnership to escape its mandate of providing basic social services?”

Prescription The success of a truly nationalist and mass-oriented RSA therefore goes beyond a legally binding contract and deterrent penalties. For the RSA to truly carry out its potential, other interventions have to be made, such as a more perceptive admissions process, a nationalist curriculum, and a needsbased deployment program.

When the RSA was formalized in

2009 in the UPCM and implemented in the other white colleges beginning 2011, there was no simultaneous effort to review and revise the admissions policy. “Dapat mas mahusay na piliin ng UP ang mga estudyanteng tatanggapin nito, upang iyong mga tunay na may kagustuhang maglingkod sa bayan ang mabibigyan ng pagkakataon na makapag-aral,” explained Dr. Nisperos.

Given the finite resources of the university and the number of students dropping out of the medicine program, reforming the admissions policy seems to make sense. Based on figures from the RSA committee, the quit rate is an average of around one to three students per learning unit.

Fighting for a nationalist and serviceoriented university’s curriculum is also of the utmost importance, to shape students into future health professionals that will heed the call to serve the nation. Threatening the achievement of such an objective is the proposed reform to the General Education Program (GEP), which has been approved in all UP units except Diliman, where fierce opposition from faculty and students prevent its implementation.

The proposed reform to the GEP seeks to reduce the number of GE units from the current to 45 units to as low as 21 units, a clear bias for specialization over a liberal, more holistic education.

In a statement by the Congress of

Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy, UP professors slammed the proposed reform, saying UP’s GEP must be nationalist and firmly grounded in the interests of the Filipino people.

Finally, the RSA can only be strengthened if the government will also ensure that employment here at home meets both the personal and professional needs of our health professionals. “Sa madaling salita, para asahan ng gobyerno na manatili at magsilbi rito ang mga graduate ng UP, dapat ay may disenteng trabaho na may disenteng sahod na naghihintay sa kanila,” said Dr. Nisperos.

For students like Adrian and professors like Dr. Nisperos, the aspiration is for the day to come when the RSA becomes an obsolete piece of paper and UP’s Iskolar ng Bayan would willingly and selflessly choose to serve the nation and the Filipino people.

When Adrian graduates, he plans to serve his return service as a doctor in an underserved community or perhaps work at a public hospital. “I'd love to see the day when we no longer need a piece of paper to ensure we give back because every graduate is instinctively, unequivocally, and voluntarily geared towards the betterment of this nation's health and society in general.”  Photos by Kenneth Gutlay and Jiru Rada Page Design by John Reczon Calay

Gene Nisperos, vice chair of the Health Alliance for Democracy, argues that the Return Service Agreement was originally meant to address the issue of graduates from the UP opting to work abroad instead of serving the country. Under the RSA, incoming freshmen starting in 2011 in health-related colleges in UPM are required to sign the agreement, forcing them to work in the country for a minimum of two years.

Adrian Sampang, a student at the University of the Philippines Manila, says he's going to enter the Doctors to the Barrios program after graduating. Under the Return Service Agreement, students from health-related colleges in UPM are required to work within the country for at least two years, depending on the program entered, or pay double the amount of the tuition fee.

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Martes 12 Abril 2016

A N G D A I G D I G AY I S A N G MANSANAS* S A N N Y B . A FA B L E

SA SULSOL NG AHAS, KAKAININ NI Eba’t Adan ang ipinagbabawal na mansanas.

Magiging matandang palaboy ang ahas at iaalok niya ang prutas kay Snow White.

Babagsak ang mansanas mula sa kanyang palad at pag-aagawan ito nina Aphrodite, Hera, at Athena. Ngunit nanakawin ito ni Mario para sa kanyang anak na maysakit at matatanggal siya sa trabaho.

Magsasara ang tabing. Tatangayin ang mansanas ng panahon papunta sa baybayin ng California. Gugulong ito sa pagitan ng nagkikiskisang mga sasakyan ng siyudad. Para bang itinadhana itong pulutin ni Steve Jobs. Sa isang iglap, ang buong daigdig ay maaakit, matatakam, at magugumon sa isang mansanas.

Alamat Hitik ang kasaysayan at panitikan sa mayamang mito ng mansanas. Ayon sa kritikong si Roland Barthes, ang mito ay hindi lamang isang anyo ng kwento kundi isang “mensahe.” May kapangyarihan ang mito, at kapangyarihan din ang nagluluwal sa mito.

Noon pa ma’y simbolo na ng temptasyon ang mansanas. Sa Bibliya, nanunukso ang pulang kislap ng prutas na karaniwang inilalarawan bilang mansanas: ako ay inyong tikman. Sa galit ng Diyos, pinalayas niya ang unang babae’t lalaking sumuway sa kaniyang utos—ang una sa marami pang sumunod na kasalanan ng tao. Sa mitolohiyang Griyego, premyo ang mansanas sa pinakamagandang diyosa, Sinong makapag-aakalang mauuwi ito sa Digmaang Trojan?

Hanggang sa kasulukyan nagpapatuloy ang mito ng mansanas: nakatatakam ngunit makasalanan, simbolo ng kagandahan ngunit simbolo rin ng giyera. Mula sa mga alamat at kwentong-bata, ang mansanas ay naging pangalan, kapital, at simbolo ng paghahari ng kumpanyang Apple. Mapanganib pa rin ang tukso

ng makabagong anyo ng mansanas, at ang pag-asam dito ay pagpasok sa isang paligsahan ng salapi.

Sa Pilipinas, may ‘di-pangkaraniwang hiwaga ang mansanas at produktong Apple.

Hanggang ngayon, itinuturing ng maraming Pilipino na luho ang mansanas na nanatiling simbolo ng Amerika, ng wikang Ingles, ng karangyaan. Sa maikling dulang “The World Is An Apple” ni Alberto Florentino noong 1954, mansanas ang dahilan ng pagkakatanggal ng tauhang si Mario mula sa kaniyang trabaho, matapos siyang mahuling nagnakaw ng mansanas—isang luho kahit na para sa anak niyang may sakit.

Sa gitna ng kawalan ng pambansang industriya sa Pilipinas, pribatisadong mga serbisyong panlipunan, mababang pasahod at kahirapan, panandaliang ligaya at ilusyon ang hatid ng imported na luhong mansanas kay Mario, at produktong Apple sa neokolonyang tulad ng Pilipinas.

Panganib Mula Eden, naging tukso ang mansanas sa mundong pinaiikot ng teknolohiya.

Gumugulong sa merkado ang Apple bilang nangungunang information technology company sa daigdig. Nagtala ang Apple ng $180 bilyong na kita noong 2015, higit na malaki kaysa kita ng Microsoft na pumangalawa lamang sa halagang $90 bilyon. Samantala, aabot sa 700 milyong iPhones na ang naibenta sa buong mundo mula nang unang ilabas ito noong 2007, higit na sa kalahati ng kabuuang bilang ng yunit ng teleponong naibenta ng Nokia.

Pinakabago sa inilalako ngayon ng Apple ang iPhone SE, maliban sa mga bagong

henerasyon n g iPad, iPod, at Mac. Pero halos walang pinagkaiba ang SE at ang sinundan nitong 6 Plus: magkasingbilis ang mga processor at 12 megapixel pa rin ang kamera.

Ginagawang luma ng Apple ang mga dating produkto at lumilikha ng bagong uso. Tulad ng maraming kompanya, iskema ng Apple ang tinatawag na planned obsolescence, o ang patuloy na pag“reinvent” sa imahe at mismong produkto nito para sa patuloy na pagkonsumo at kita. Halimbawa, ang mga lumang modelo ng mga produkto ng Apple ay kailangan nang palitan dahil hindi na maaaring makatanggap ang mga ito ng software updates. Sa katunayan, ito rin ang kalakaran ng iba pang mga kumpanyang tech, gaya ng Microsoft, Sony, at Samsung.

Ayon kay Jobs, simple’t magaan ang dating ng salitang “Apple,” tulad ng mga produktong ipinagmamalaki nito na simple, elegante at nakahihigit sa iba. Superlatibo ang paglalarawan sa produkto nito— revolutionary, cutting edge, most exciting, most interesting, most amazing—kaya hindi kataka-takang napakamahal ng presyo ng mga ito sa pamilihan.

Karaniwang nagkakahalaga ang iPhone ng halos $600 o P27,000, malayo sa tinatayang $200 o P9,000 na gastos sa produksyon nito. Malayo rin ang presyo ng iPhone sa halos $250 o P11,000 na karaniwang presyo ng ka-kompetisyon nitong mga Android phones.

Malaki ang epekto ng presyo ng iPhone sa

pagpapaigting sa mitong ang Apple ay tatak ng kakayahang patuloy na bumili ng produkto—at untiunti’y pagpasok niya sa panaginip ng mas nakaaangat na uring panlipunan.

Palayo sa Eden Walang ideya ang ngayo’y nahihimbing na si Snow White na siya’y malalason ng isang mansanas. Tulad nito, mapanganib ang mitipikasyong nililikha ng Apple dahil inilalayo nito ang produkto sa produksyon nito, binabalutan nito ng kislap ang dugo’t pawis ng mga manggagawang lumikha nito.

Lumikha ng ingay ang Apple noong mga nagdaang taon dahil sa balita ng pananamantalang nararanasan ng mga manggagawa ng pinakamalaki nitong supplier sa Tsina. Taliwas sa itinatanghal na imahe ng Apple ang labindalawang oras ng pagtatrabaho at mababang sahod ng mga manggagawa ng Foxconn Technology Group. Pumutok ang balita noong 2010 nang labing-walong manggagawa ng Foxconn ang nagtangka magpakamatay. Labing-apat sa kanila ang binawian ng buhay.

Sa ulat naman ng Amnesty International, bigo ang Apple sa pagtitiyak na walang menor de edad na nagtatrabaho sa mga minahan ng cobalt sa Congo. Mahalagang parte ang cobalt ng mga Lithium-ion battery sa iPhone. Sa kabila ng ipinagmamalaking $50 bilyon na kita ng Apple noong 2015, tinataya ng United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) na 40,000 ng mga manggagawa sa minahan ng Congo ay wala pa sa legal na edad.

Samantala, habang patuloy ang proseso ng pagkamal ng murang lakas-paggawa, lalong tumitindi ang alienation: balintunang mismong manggagawa ng Foxconn o ng sa Congo ay hindi

Dibuho ni John Kenneth Zapata

makabili ng mga iPad at iPhone na kanilang binubuo.

Hindi na kataka-takang naghahanap ang Apple ng ibang “teritoryo” tulad ng Tsina upang palakasin ang produksyon at merkado nito. Ayon sa iskolar na si David Harvey, spatial fix ang tawag dito—bilang tugon sa krisis ng labis na kita at labis na produksyon, naghahanap lamang ang kapitalismo ng bagong mga lupaing paglalagakan ng kapital at muling paghuhuthutan ng bagong kita.

Ngunit bilang likhang puno ng nagpatung-patong na mitolohiya, ang Apple ay nakasisilaw na hiwaga sa kabila ng maraming batikos. Ayon sa kritikong si Jean Baudrillard sa kanyang Consumer Society, ang patuloy na pagkonsumo ay anyo ng “moral demonstration”—ang paghahangad na makamit din ang pribilehiyo’t “kaligtasan” ng mga nasa itaas, sa kabila ng tumitinding kontradiksyon sa lipunan. Kalakip nito ang pagsabay sa uso at paglikha ng komoditi mula rito, habang ang totoong merkado ay ang walang humpay na paghahangad.

Walang tuktok ang tore ng paghahangad. Kay Baudrillard, ang “selective innovation” at “re-invention” tulad ng “planned obsolescence” ng Apple ay nililikha ng naghaharing-uri upang mapanatili ang kanilang distansiya mula sa masang naghahangad ng kanilang posisyon. Halimbawa, habang nagiging pangkaraniwan ang SE, lilikha naman ang Apple ng bagong uso. Pilit itong aabutin, at patuloy lang ang proseso ng paglikha’t paghahangad para sa lumalaking kita ng Apple. Dagdag na baitang ang bawat iPhone sa walang katapusang pagnanais ng marami na umakyat sa lipunan.

Pero para sa hanay ng mas nakararaming manggagawa sa daigdig, isang hungkag na pangarap ang pasukin at akyatin ang tore ng paghahangad. Sa “The World is an Apple,” ang tangis ni Mario at ng marami pang tulad niya: “Nilikha ba ng Diyos ang puno ng mansanas para mamunga lang sa may kakayahang bumili nito?”  *Paumanhin kay Alberto Florentino

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Veterans for freedom A N D R E A J O YC E A . LU C A S

LIKE THE CELLS THAT CONFINE the political detainees at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Camp Bagong Diwa, this page is not enough space for their spirit and their stories.

These were people who had suffered much even before they ever set foot in Camp Bagong Diwa. Most of them have been tortured and harshly interrogated before they were jailed—through electrocution, being beaten up, kicked, punched. They entered prison with bruises, broken bones, wounds.

For organizing the marginalized and the oppressed and taking their cause to the streets and the countryside, they now sit behind bars for trumped up charges, while government crooks are allowed house arrests and criminals in Bilibid enjoyed luxuries.

In January 8 of this year, a political detainee at Camp Bagong Diwa, Ka Eduardo Serrano, died just before he was supposed to be released from prison. Two of his charges had already been dropped by then, and the courts were deciding in favor of his release.

But he died of heart complications after spending more than a decade in jail. On the other hand, Juan Ponce Enrile was granted bail, on account of his “advanced age.” He was charged with plunder.

Behind bars Among the prisoners we met was Ka Alex Virondo. Charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives, he was arrested in Quezon City along with five other men. They were dubbed the “Quezon City 6.”

When asked about his age, Ka Alex laughed and dismissed the question, saying he was still young. It has become a running joke among the detainees to say they were younger than they really were. Ka Alex did look spry and young, the only contradiction was his graying hair. It was clear that, even in jail, he refused to be beaten down, but as we talked to him more, we realized there was more to his easy smiles.

It turns out Ka Alex was not as healthy as we thought he looked. Before his arrest, he was already taking various medications for diabetes, and as he bided his time in prison he

had to keep a stash of his maintenance pills. The food in jail also did him no good. The inmates used to get fresh ingredients so they could cook their own food, but nowadays they only get rations of cooked food. The rations often do not agree with Ka Alex, who always has to watch his diet.

The inmates suspect the jail switched to rations because it was more profitable.

As we sat down together to have lunch that day, we shared the inmates’ ration, which was ginataang kalabasa, and the pakbet which we had brought. A good hard look at the food ration reveals the obvious: this is not a meal equal to the P50 allocation per prisoner in a national jail facility. But the inmates were happy enough to share what they had, even complimenting the ration, because the squash did not seem to be overcooked this time.

Political detainees like Ka Alex have been through worse times, as there were times before when jail officials forcibly searched their cells for contraband materials, like illegal drugs.

During these visits to their cells, the jail officials would trample all over their cells with dirty boots and spoil even their stock of food with gloves already used to handle garbage.

Ka Alex and the other detainees refused to suffer in silence and confronted the jail officials. The detainees asserted their rights, and this was a struggle they won. Another political detainee, Ka Adel Silva, explains, “Hindi [kami] madidisorient kahit na [nakakulong kami].” Besides resisting the forced searches, they have triumphed in other causes too, including the abolition of the strict policies for visitors of political prisoners. Before they fought for this, their visitors were required to strip down as jail officials searched them for contrabands, like drugs.

Still, life in prison could be lonely for detainees like Ka Alex. Most of his relatives, including his sister, only visited

him during hearings.

But Ka Alex has no regrets.

When he walks out of prison one day, he would continue to criticize the government, until he sees the day when his country becomes truly free.

Freedom through art The detainees in Camp Bagong Diwa triumphed not only in their struggles for their rights inside prisons. Through art, they also succeeded in expressing their criticism of social issues and messages of encouragement to their comrades outside. The prison cells they were in may be too small, but being confined in them did not cramp their art.

For Ka Alex, it was poetry. “Ang dating hindi manunulat, natutong gumawa ng tula,” he said. Writing came to him naturally after all the troubles he had been through in prison, he explained.

This was where he found an avenue for his beliefs and experiences.

The resident painter among the detainees is Voltaire Guray, whom other detainees call Ka Volts. He painted indigenous symbols and social realities, and he often incorporated anti-war themes and sentiments in his work. When his family and friends come to visit him, they would bring him paints and canvasses to work on. As he showed us a batch of his paintings, he shared that the latest artworks he is working on were about the Lumad people.

Like Ka Alex, Kuya Volts learned much of what he knows about painting as he spent time behind bars, but since then he has been able to share his talents with others, from his fellow inmates to people outside prison, through cultural nights and art exhibitions for political prisoners.

For the prisoners, the fight goes on even behind bars—so long as they do not lose hope. As we prepared to go home that day, the detainees gave us the gift of a parting song. It was composed by Ka Ruben Rupido, but the other detainees knew all the words by heart. The cell echoed with their voices in chorus:“Tuluy-tuloy sa paggawa, tuluy-tuloy sa paglikha, tuluy-tuloy sa pakikibaka hanggang sa ganap na paglaya.” 

Illustration by Joshua Rioja

10 OPINYON

Martes 12 Abril 2016

Larger than Life

Money trail ARRA B. FRANCIA

I ONCE JOKINGLY TOLD MY SISTER that I would dump my initial plan of pursuing a journalism career to study corporate law. This was after reading too many Wikipedia pages on how shady trade deals, shell companies, hostile takeovers and other legal terms worked so I can make sense of what was happening in the American legal drama series Suits.

Apparently, I haven’t been that far off the mark in my current field. The news on the Panama papers leak has come to be the headlining story on most broadsheets across the globe, and it has lots of what Mike Ross taught me: shady deals and over the top drama.

Together with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung pooled together about 400 journalists from 80 different countries to analyze 2.6 terabytes worth of leaked information. Thanks to this team of journalists, powerful names and figures are now under scrutiny for the bank accounts they own overseas.

A perfectly simple video released

by Vox online explains how offshore accounts are like piggy banks. Say you hide your piggy bank in a friend’s house so your parents won’t know you have all these savings. You’re not exactly doing anything bad; you’re just

making sure that all the money you save is all yours to keep.

In the same way, these offshore accounts aren’t illegal either. What could be illegal, however, is the reason why you decided to hide them from your home country in the first place.

Keeping offshore accounts is highly connected to tax evasion. When a businessman realizes that he’s not taking home most of his earnings because his country has such tight taxation laws, he can simply put up a company in a country with looser taxes. Then he can transfer his money to that shell company, and voila, his money is safe.

Henry Sy has been one of the names mentioned in the Panama leaks.

Sy is listed as the number one richest person in the Philippines, with a net worth of 13.8 billion US dollars in 2015. If he’s still keeping any money overseas, I hope it’s so he can distribute it to the thousands of SM employees who are overworked and underpaid.

It’s a different case when it comes to politicians. Government officials don’t earn as much as businessmen do, so being wealthy could be politically inconvenient.

The secrecy and lack of transparency in their assets, however, would always point to one thing:

The secrecy and lack of transparency in their assets, however, would always point to one thing: corruption

corruption. Around 200 politicians all over the world are supposedly also connected to the Panama papers, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping, and Icelandic Prime Minister Sigurður Jóhannsson--- who has already resigned from pressure of the allegations.

Surprisingly, the names of two Filipino politicians have surfaced during the investigation. Sen. JV Ejercito and Ilocos Sur Governor Imee Marcos are alleged to have money stashed in another part of the globe.

If anything, the Panama papers show us the extent to which the elite one percent and politicians go to cling on to their money, legal or illegal. While I’m sure journalists everywhere are rejoicing over the sheer brilliance of exposing what is now the largest data leak in history, we have to take the bigger step for accountability.

When Louis Litt, one of my lesser favorites from Suits, realized that he was helping a businessman avoid taxes, he offered to resign immediately.

The real world has long been deprived of this dignity, and so we journalists write, and push on until the money trail is as visible as it could possibly be. 

The FC Files CHESTER HIGUIT

1. HINDI KO MAN AMININ NGUNIT kasalanan ko ang pagkasunog ng Faculty Center (FC).

Hindi kasi ako naglaan ng malaking badyet para sa tertiary education.

Napabayaan ang mga gusali at imprastraktura ng mga pampublikong kolehiyo at unibersidad gaya ng Faculty Center. Inuuna ko kasi ang pagbibigay ng bonuses sa mga masunurin kong kaalyado kahit na hindi sila naging mainam at patuloy na nangungurakot, pinagbibigyan ko pa rin.

Mapagtatakpan naman siguro ito ng mga nakamit kong tagumpay sa UP. Katulad ng mga proyekto, nakapailalim ito sa Roadmap to Public Higher Education Reform (RPHER). Gamit ang RPHER, natutong kumita ang mga pampublikong unibersidad sa pamamagitan ng pagpapagamit ng lupa lalo na sa UP. Napopondohan nila ang kanilang sarili at hindi ko na kailangang maglaan ng pondo kaya naman nakakapagbulsa pa ako ng pera.

1976-***** Banoy 2. I am sorry. Hindi ko pinansin ang posibilidad na may magaganap na sunog.

Pinamamahalaan ko ang UP kaya dapat pinangunahan ko ang pagsasaayos ng mga imprastraktura at gusali sa loob

Tumitindi ang pangangailangan na ipaunawa sa administrasyon na hindi solusyon ang pagpapasa ng responsibilidad sa edukasyon sa kamay ng mga pribadong sektor

ng unibersidad. Pangunahin na ang paglalagay ng fire safety equipment para sa lahat ng fire hazard building katulad ng Faculty Center. Hindi na ako natuto sa pagkasunog ng Bowling Center at CASAA noong nakaraang taon.

Maiintindihan niyo naman siguro na prayoridad ko ang pagpapaupa ng lupa sa mga pribadong sektor upang patayuan ng mga gusali at mall na makadaragdag sa pondo ng UP. Dagdag pondo na rin ito sa mga proyekto ko katulad ng e-UP dahil mas mahalaga ito kaysa matugunan ang pangangailangan sa abot kayang matrikula.

19**- ***** Papa P 3. Patawad at hindi ako nakatulong bilang kasosyo ng UP. Para makabawi pwede naman akong magbigay ng donasyong pera at ipangalan ang itatayong gusali sa akin bilang “Kolehiyo Nego Sho”. Para naman makilala lalo ako. Kung hindi naman ay babayaran ko na lang ang mga hindi ko pa nababayarang upa sa lupa upang dagdagan ang badyet ng UP sa pagpapatayo ng mga gusali.

Pwede ko na ring ipagamit ang mga pag-aari kong mall bilang opisina at silid-aralan ng mga estudyante. Bilang pagsunod sa naunang kasunduan na

dapat pang-akademiko ang tunguhin ng ipapatayong gusali sa loob ng unibersidad.

19** - Nego Sho 4. Kikilos ako upang manghikayat ng mga mag-aaral na makibahagi sa panawagang gawing prayoridad ang edukasyon.

Nakatayo pa rin sana ang FC ngayon kung naging prayoridad lamang ito ng mga nakaupo at inuna ang kapakanan nating mga mag-aaral. Tumitindi ang pangangailangan na ipaunawa sa administrasyon na hindi solusyon ang pagpapasa ng responsibilidad sa edukasyon sa kamay ng mga pribadong sektor.

Kung nais tumulong ng mga pribadong kumpanya, uunahin nila ang pagpapaunlad ng ating mga akademikong imprastraktura sa halip na malalaking gusali para sa negosyo.

Kailangan ng UP at ng iba pang pampublikong unibersidad ang sapat na pondo mula sa pamahalaan. Tayo at ang edukasyon ng bansa ang direktang pinababayaan, kaya higit kaninuman tayo ang dapat manguna sa panawagang bigyang prayoridad ang edukasyon.

Isko 2013-1***5 

Polo F. Imperial

A COMEDY OF ERRORS BONGBONG MARCOS'S CRINGE-WORTHY performance in the vice presidential debate reminds me of what was perhaps the only funny story I know about his family. During Martial Law, a journalist asked the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos to describe his children. Makoy said Imee was his “intellectual twin.” Irene was everyone's sweetheart. As for Bongbong, he had to think long and hard about his only son. Then he said, “He has good muscle coordination.”

For someone whose claim to fame rests on being the heir of the late dictator who ruled the islands for two decades, Bongbong must be so huge a disappointment even to loyal die-hards and allies who have been staging the Marcoses' return to power. People often say Makoy was a man of considerable talents and that because Bongbong was his son, he would naturally inherit his father's abilities. Whether Marcos was really as legendary as they say or not would entail a different discussion, but anyone who knew high school biology knows that sometimes the apple does fall far from the tree.

Throughout the debate, Bongbong was at the receiving end of barbed hints, jokes, boos, and insults. Cornered on all fronts, he fumbled and stumbled trying to deflect the blows in vain, like a five year-old playing professional tennis on a grass court.

Yet his greatest weakness still wasn't his failure to measure up to his dad's eloquence. His fatal mistake was in fact his worst habit: lying. He lied that he knew anything of the alleged riches that his family amassed in their 21-year rule, when in fact his family lived so ostentatiously in public that he would have to be an idiot not to realize such a lifestyle required nothing but thievery of the highest order. He lied that his family is not the reason why compensation has not been awared to victims of human rights abuses during his father's declaration of Martial Law, when in fact his family has always refused to own up to their crimes.

Towards the end of the debate, the candidates were asked if they have ever engaged in corrupt practices. It was an eminently idiotic question, really, but Bongbong somehow still succeeded in staging an absurd comedy of errors. In what people are now calling a “Marcosian” slip, he innocently raised the green thumbs-up sign, unaware that somewhere out there, Imelda Marcos was in the verge of a cardiac arrest. Then Bongbong finally realized his ridiculous mistake and raised instead the red thumbs down sign.

There, once more, was proof that this elections is nothing but a circus, and beneath all the deceit, the sweet talk, the swag, and the saintly halos, we really know better than to singularly trust our future on such a farce. 

OPINYON 11

Martes 12 Abril 2016

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:

Ano ang #KwentongFC mo?

Eng 10, Sir Falgui, kami ng mga classmates ko laging nakatambay sa may labas ng room niya, for consultation sa paper. Minsan, nauubusan kami ng pagkukwentuhan kasi ang tagal ni sir, at minsan no show pa siya.

Pero masaya, nakakacomfort ang lamig ng sahig sa may Gal2. smile emoticon 2012-13137 Sa limang taon ko sa UP, lagi parin akong naliligaw tuwing may pupuntahang department o office ng prof sa FC. Feeling ko talaga may magic portal sa building na yun.

2011-20863.

That was in 2012, sabi nila magugunaw na ang mundo, pero ibang klaseng pagyanig ang ginawa mo sa mundo ko sa 3F Men's CR. 2010-19923 KULE freshie days, naghahanap ng CAL room 301(ata) sa FC. Pero walang makitang kahit isang 3-digit room. Nagpanic ako nang konti XD 2008-22616 MS Applied Math KULE sa katag ko nakasabay maglunch si crush,tambay kami lagi sa fc stairs after class,1 day doon sabi nya na lilipat sya ng school & di na daw nya makikita crush nya 201038107 [YepYep Nonmaj] Kule kwentong fc: sobrang tus, hindi tus One time na padaan ako sa fc sa may acad oval papunta sa direction ng vargas.

Nakita ko tropa ko sa may pinto dun sa may hardin. Pinuntahan ko siya. Pinasahan niya ko ng hinihit niya. Komentaryo ko, di ba tus dito tol? Sabi niya, sa sobrang tus, hindi tus. Bob marlou Nagpa-consult ako minsan sa prof ko para sa final paper sa Ling 250. Bago ako umalis, sa opisina niya sa FC 2nd floor, tinagayan

ako ng isang shot ng imported daw na rum.

Shinot ko. Asim. Maya-maya umikot yung tiyan ko. Kasunod nun, nasa CR na ako ng FC. Sarap pala umebs dun. Wala masyadong tao. Tahimik. Kaya lang, yung sa pang faculty yata ang nadale ko. 2007-78851 Jake MA Anthropology Habang naghihintay ng jeep, una kong nayakap ang dati kong kasintahan. Ayaw pa niya noong umuwi pero ngayon, ako naman ang ayaw bumitaw. 2011-26790 Jjamppong BS ChE Yung una kong inikot ang maze a.k.a FC at dito tumambad sa akin ang mga bigating pangalang pinapagawan lang ng story review noon tulad ng Salvador Lopez, NVM Gonzalez. Hinaplos-haplos ko mga pinto, nagbabakasakaling makahagip ng essence ng mga alamat. char 2014-779xx The place where i became the human version of taylor swift’s “i got tired of waiting, wondering if you were ever coming around” during i-don’t-know-how-many regs. Tthe place where i became a fool for having high hopes that i could get a slot, even when there’s not the place where i became a listener for the pieces of advice that had paved the way i have presently. The place where i became honed enough by those extensive stacks of readings and prolific write-ups. Too bad, in essence the place where i became a lot of things, an assortment of memories that before, i could still stroll wait and hang around was now reduced to residues of ashes.

SIPAT SHOWER OF JOY Jiru Rada

Wattah Wattah Festival San Juan City June 2011

Pasahod ng bagong ahensiya, binatikos ...

From p. 4 Hindi tugma ang nakasaad na halaga ng sasahurin namin at ng kinakaltas na benepisyo, ani Romulo.

Bukod sa kulang na pasahod, wala rin umanong basehan ang mga janitor kung sapat ang binibigay sa kanila dahil sa hindi pagbigay ng payslip ng ahensiya.

Bagaman alam ng mga janitor ang mga benepisyong kinakaltas, hindi nila alam ang eksaktong halaga na binabawas.

Dapat maibigay ang kopya ng kontrata at payslip at kailangang bigyang linaw na rin ang mga ibinabawas, ayon kay Nelin Dulpina ng Alliance of Contractual Employees in UP (ACE- UP).

Mababa na nga ang natatanggap nilang sahod pero pinapagawa pa ang mga janitor ng mga trabaho tulad ng pagmemensahero, pagtutubero na hindi na saklaw ng kanilang gawain, ani Dulpina.

Samantala, idinagdag naman ng CBII ang Caritas Health Insurance bilang benepisyo para sa mga janitor bagaman napagkasunduan na ng UP at ahensya na hindi obligadong magkaroon nito, ayon kay Dulpina. Dahil sa dagdag na benepisyo, tumaas din ang kinaltas sa sahod ng mga janitor.

“Sapilitan ang pagpapapirma sa kontrata para sa Caritas, tatakpan mismo ang kontrata at sasabihin na pumirma sa ibaba ng papel at kapag tumanggi ka, pag-iinitan ka pa,” ayon kay Romulo.

Hindi na kailangan pa ng karagdagang health insurance kagaya ng Caritas dahil may PhilHealth naman, ani Dulpina.

Sinubukang kapanayamin ng Collegian ang may-ari ng CBII ukol sa hinaing ng mga janitor ngunit tumangging makipagusap ang naturang ahensya.

Manggagawang kontraktuwal ang mga janitor sa UP Diliman. Dahil walang relasyong employer-employee ang mga janitor at unibersidad, ipinauubaya ng UP sa mga ahensiya ang pangangasiwa ng mga janitor, ayon kay Dulpina.

“Kung maayos ang pagpapatakbo ng UP, iyong pagmonitor nila kumbaga, ang Unyon hindi na kailangan palaging mayroong magrehistro na ganito ang sitwasyon,” dagdag ni Dulpina. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN! Camille Joyce Lisay Kultura Writer

CONTACT US! E-mail us at kule1516@gmail.com. Save Word attachment in Rich Text Format, with INBOX, NEWSCAN or CONTRIB in the subject. Always include your full name, address and contact details.

Dibuho ni Joshua Rioja