02 Three decades sought justice: 3 ex-soldier guilty in ’86 Olalia-Alay-ay slay case by Merilyn Rubin
Kabataan Parylist in a protest (Larawan mula sa Kabataan Partylist)
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n Antipolo City court convicted three soldiers of Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) to reclusion perpetua for the 1986 murder of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) leader Rolando Olalia and trade union organizer Leonor Alay-ay, Ex-Sergeants Fernando Casanova, Dennis Jabatan and Desiderio Perez are the convicted three RAM soldiers among the 13 RAM members tagged in the double-murder case.
Kabataan PL files petition for scrapping of disqualification case
by Jel Emery Berdera
abataan Party-list, led by their incumbent representative Sarah Elago, appealed to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against the disqualification case filed to them by the government’s anti-insurgency task force. Earlier on January this year, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) represented by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), asked Comelec to cancel the registration of the sectoral youth organization, accusing it of being a front organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).
Solicitor General Jose Calida, whose office prepared the petition, remarked that the Kabataan party-list recruite and indoctrinate students and youth leaders with “thinly-veiled communist principles and doctrines”, citing materials and readings such as ‘Batakang Kursong Pagpahi-ara ha mga Aktibista’ (BAKAPA), ‘Araling Aktibista’ (ARAK), and ‘armadong pakikibaka’ (ARPAK) against the government. NTF-ELCAC then added fuel to the fire in June by seconding another petition and accusing the party-list of recruiting the youth to join CPPNPA-NDF, maintaining the main goal of the +
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DILG, RPOC-NCR red-tags progressive groups in webinar
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“The failure of the Agrarian reform is not just a rural problem but also a national one...”
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Olalia and Alay-ay were abducted in Pasig City on the night of Nov. 12 and their bodies were found mutilated in Rizal the following day. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) revealed the killings are part of the plan for destabilizing the Corazon Aquino administration. It took almost 21 years before the Supreme Court decided to proceed with the case and several years also followed when the case was finally raffled to the judges. Despite the guilty verdict, the Olalia family, however, claimed that their fight for justice is not yet over. For them, justice will only be served when all accused and unnamed principals are brought before the courts. KMU Chairman Elmer Labog said that the mastermind behind the killing of Olalia has yet to be prosecuted, thus, they are not fully happy with the verdict.
the national guilder november 2021
THE NATIONAL GUILDER The Official Publication of College Editors Guild of the Philippines
EDITORIAL BOARD RODOLFO DACLESON II
Executive Editor The Flare, Cavite State University - Imus
MIGUEL ATIENZA
Managing Editor Lyceum of the Philippines University - Manila
ANGELA JO NIDAY
Internal Associate Editor The NORSUnian, Negros Oriental State University
SOFIA BEATRIZ CABRAL
External Associate Editor Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Manila
RJAY CASTOR
News Editor Forum Dimensions, West Visayas State University
MAICA RAZON
News Editor Komunikator, Adamson University
GEORGE RIVERA
Feature Editor Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology
RUSSEL ANTHONY LORETO Literary Editor Trinity Observer, Trinity University of Asia
MIKKO SY
Research Editor De La Salle University - Manila
MARGALO DOHERTY AKANE ALGAO Graphics Editor The Paulinian, St. Paul University - Iloilo
CAMILLE FINULIAR
Layout Editor Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Manila
LANCE JEREMIAH TOLENTINO Circulation Manager De La Salle University - Manila
WRITERS Abdul Hafiz Malawani Jel Emery Berdera Micah Joyce Guillermo Rizadel S. Miras Merilyn P. Rubin Justine Xyrah Rennzel Garcia Renz Louie E. Galanto Angelica Eruela Butalid GRAPHICS AND ILLUSTRATORS Joshua Celestial Paulo Angelo Fronda Vincent Castillo Christina Michaela Cambiado RESEARCHERS June Vincent Ordenacion Karisma Primero Rizadel Miras Carl Andrei Alquero Jeanny Nova Punay Rey Ramben Gonzales
Plano, hindi bakuna lang Tila bakuna na lang yata ang nakikitang solusyon ng rehimeng Duterte upang makabalik sa paaralan ang mga mag-aaral kung kaya’t hindi nakapagtatakang umatras sa paglahok sa pilot testing ng face-to-face classes ang 29 paaralan na nasa ilalim ng Department of Education (DepEd). Patunay ito ng kawalang kumpiyansa ng mga magulang at lokal na pamahalaan sa hakbang na ito. Higit pa sa herd immunity ang kinakailangan ng bansa upang malampasan ang hamong dala ng COVID-19. Isa lamang ang pagpapabakuna sa mga salik na kailangang maisakatuparan para matiyak ang ligtas na pagbubukas ng mga paaralan. Hindi rin dapat balewalain ang iba’t ibang sosyoekonomikong suliraning kinahaharap ng mga mag-aaral, magulang, guro, at mga akademikong institusyon sa kasalukuyan. Bunsod nito, dapat pang paigtingin ang panawagang “Ligtas na Balik-Eskwela” (LBE) na nagbibitbit ng mga kongkretong plano na matagal nang ipinagkakait ng pabayang rehimen. Ligtas man sa panganib na dala ng virus, hindi naman maipagkakailang
maraming estudyante ang hirap makasabay sa distance learning. Sa pag-aaral na isinagawa ng Psychosocial Support and Children’s Rights Resource Center (PSTCRRC), nasa 67 porsyento ng mga mag-aaral ang nahihirapang umunawa sa kani-kanilang mga modyul, lalong-lalo na ang mga hindi pa marunong bumasa at sumulat. Karagdagang problema rin ito sa mga magulang na hindi nakaranas makapag-aral at walang kadalubhasaan sa pagtuturo ng mga modyul sa kanilang mga anak. Batid ang importansya ng mga guro sa lipunan na siyang tunay na inaasahan sa mga ganitong sitwasyon. Ngunit hindi ito mangyayari kung hanggang ngayon ay sarado pa rin ang mga paaralan. Ayon sa online sarbey na isinagawa ng Movement for Safe, Equitable, Quality and Relevant Education (SEQuRE) noong 2020, napag-alaman na pito sa 10 mag-aaral sa Kamaynilaan ang hindi nakakapasok sa klase dahil sa mga sumusunod: problema sa gamit, mabagal na Internet connection, at gastos sa online learning. Bukod pa rito, halos 48 porsyentong //continue to page 7
OPINION
the national guilder november 2021
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Our Indifference: PH
COUNTERCOUNTERAgriculture’s death sentence NARRATIVES NARRATIV Russel Loreto Let’s face it; the Philippine agricultural sector is dying. Decades of incompetency, corruption, and anti-poor legislation have made it so that our own products are uncompetitive when exported even in our local markets. The Philippines, an agricultural country, now imports food from other countries; this dependency on imports is just one of the red flags that our government needs to address. There is a significant problem when our farmers, who tend to our food, are going hungry. The rice tariffication law has worsened this plight, but let’s get back on track; let’s discuss the failure of the Philippines’ Agrarian reform. Access to land is a human rights obligation; an effective agrarian reform is essential to the fulfillment of the state to ensure the right for adequate food and land for marginalized
CODY CODY CODY CODY CODY CODY Abdul Hafiz Malawani
A recent study shows that there are many problems and issues associated with the ancestral land of the indigenous people (IP). Some of these are the Philippine laws, declarations, and administrative orders which conflict with the IPs’ needs and practices. The recognition and protection of indigenous peoples’ rights are one of the struggles that have been carried out avidly for countless years today. As the struggle continues, our government should uphold the rights of indigenous peoples by crafting a policy for the full recognition and inclusion of the IPs in the national and local agenda. In its place of blocking them for many years, the strengthening, and consistency of national policies should be addressed and exposed primarily to protect and uphold the rights of IPs at all times. In the article “The Struggle Continues: Uphold the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.” Konrad Adenauer Stittung writes: In
groups. In short, failure to create an effective agrarian reform leads to crises and food shortages. The agrarian reform failure has led people from rural areas to leave their homes to venture out into the cities for alternative livelihoods. This has led to the rise of the urban poor and the worsening divide and poverty in urban areas. The CARP has never addressed the issue of landlessness and exploitative practices in the countryside; instead, it has created a new set of problems. CARP has perpetuated the cycle of exploitation as people from rural areas flood into the cities. Many business owners see this as an opportunity to tap into a source of skilled, cheap, exploitable, and easily silenced labor. In the countryside, the peasantry have been arrested, feared, and silenced. Corporate landowners continue to have a tight grip on the land, an essential human commodity. The failure of the Agrarian reform is not just a rural
problem but also a national one, from the rising inequalities, to food security, national security, and human rights. However, no matter how pressing these issues are, the government has failed to address and correct the problem. Why is it so hard to break free from the colonial and feudal past? Why does our legislation lag so far behind? Why are we met with inaction and silence from the government on an important issue? Easy, because not everyone cares enough. Agrarian reform is a complex issue, but it is a human rights issue at its core. For the campus journalists who are reading this and covering this topic, I hope that when you write about the agrarian reform, you will simplify and make people understand that there are stories behind the statistics. We cannot mobilize if people don’t understand why they should. Make people listen, make people understand, make people care.
The blocked struggle and freedom the Philippines, the passage of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) on October 29, 1997, caused similar jubilation that reverberated even from the farthest outskirts of the Philippine society, home to approximately 14 to 15 million indigenous peoples sub-divided further into 110 ethnolinguistic groups. The common understanding then was finally a national law to protect and uphold the rights of the indigenous peoples has come at last. IPRA enabled the establishment of the National Commission for the Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), which the law mandated to “protect and promote the interest and wellbeing of the ICCs/IPs with due regard to their beliefs, customs, traditions, and institutions.” Contrary to what is happening right now, the NCIP disregards IP protest, plays loud music at an ongoing rally. According to a report, NCIP’s action and use of IP’s instrument to distract the protest was not welcoming.. This leads to questioning IPRA’s implementation; is the law effective? IPS themselves even demanded the abolishment of IPRA as it does not contain effective clauses providing protection against unlawful justice procedures. For them, the law just offers promises and false hope that
they can recuperate the rights to their land. The IPs need good governance and legitimate laws that will ensure their hold on ancestral lands and domains, not those that offer false hope only. Among the bills filed to protect IPs and rights to their lands is House Bill 639 or the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Conserved Act. It aims to strengthen IPs by recognizing their contribution to biodiversity conservation, establishing the national indigenous community conserved areas (ICCA) registry, and appropriating funds then and for other purposes. The Tagbanuas’ ancestral territory in Palawan is an example of such an area, and they honor its importance to them by only using traditional fishing methods. Now, more than ever, the government must recognize the role of the indigenous communities as partners in conservation protected areas. Aside from abolishing IPRA, the immediate passing of genuine laws protecting their ancestral lands should be prioritized. We should not let foreign capitalists and the dominant powers exploit their resources.Let’s listen to them and give IPs the chance to speak for themselves.
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HEADLINES
the national guilder november 2021
Kabataan PL files... Kabataan fights back On September 20, Kabataan answered the petition in Comelec, citing defects in the petition such as lack of legal standing in filing the case and fabricated evidence among others. The sectoral youth organization reiterated that NTF-ELCAC has no legal standing, citing that there is nothing in Executive No. 70 that authorizes it to commence cancellation cases against duly-registered party-list organizations. In a 33-page counter-petition against the anti-insurgency task force, Kabataan also denied the allegations of being a communist front. Moreover, NTF-ELCAC’s
Kabataan petition
called “plain
the and
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brazen red tagging” and an “illegal act” of silencing critics of the government. Elago maintained that the disqualification petition filed was nothing but harassment and underscored Kabataan’s track record. “Isa ito sa mga pinakamalaking banta sa pormal, direktang politikal na partisipasyon ng mga kabataang Pilipino dahil kung hindi ibabasura ng Comelec ang ikinaso ng NTF-ELCAC, hindi na makakasama at makakatakbo ang Kabataan partylist sa 2022 elections,” Elago remarked. “Ang Kabataan partylist ang kaunaunahan, natatangi at tunay na representante ng kabataan sa Kongreso,” she added.
Multi-sectoral groups call for land rights, agrarian reform on Peasant Month rally by Justine Xyrah Garcia
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ulti-sectoral groups led by Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Anakpawis Party-list marched to Mendiola to demand for land rights, socioeconomic aid, agrarian reform, and justice to victims of human rights violations. The protest on October 22 was part of the month-long nationally-coordinated series of activities to commemorate the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 27 by the late president Ferdinand Marcos, which was among the first land reform programs that covered rice and corn farms. Meanwhile, KMP National Chairperson Danilo Ramos asserted the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)—launched 16 years after the implementation of the PD No. 27, as “flawed and moribund,” citing it has failed to put a dent on land monopoly. Struggle for land rights CARP had 2.9 million beneficiaries only as of August, leaving 10.75 million farmers out of the agrarian reform. Farmers in the Southern Tagalog led by Katipunan ng Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK)
decried several land disputes in the region. Lupang Ramos and Lupang Javeliana in Cavite have been excluded from the land reform coverage. 100 families tilling 155 land hectares in Lupang Kapdula is attempted to be displaced by the South Cavite Land Company Incorporated (SCLCI). “Our hearts are filled with frustration and rage with the sheer destitution our food producers face under the Duterte regime while it boasts of land reform as among its so-called legacies,” KASAMA-TK’s Jesse Miranda said. Continued injustices While a protest was happening, the Metropolitan Water Sewerage System (MWSS) forcibly evicted 11 families in Sitio Seedling, Brgy. Macabud, Rodriguez in the Rizal province. According to KASAMA-TK’s Jerry Luna, no documents and proper consultation were made between the residents and MWSS. “Staging a demolition exactly on the day we remember the peasant struggle is the highest form of disrespect,” Luna reiterated. Peasant groups call on local authorities to stop the demolition and “support the farmers’ struggle in both words and actions.”
Drivers on Oil Price Hike: ‘Durog na durog na kami’ by Renz Galanto
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n Tuesday, October 26, 2021, several drivers decry the nine-week non – stop oil price hike due to increasing demand and decreasing supply. Rens Gallardo, a jeepney driver, has complained of the oil price, indicating that they cannot carry the increase and that their profit is just used to purchase gasoline for their jeeps. “Talagang durog na durog na po kami, ang kinakain po naming sa umaga, tuyo nalang, tuyo sa tanghali, pati ba naman sa gabi, tuyo pa.” Rey Mindioro, a jeepney driver said. As per the Department of Energy’s (DOE) monitoring, there have been oil companies selling at 70 pesos per liter in Metro Manila. In an interview with Assistant Director Del Romero of DOE, she stated that the range of gasoline that is octane 95 gasoline is 54.05 up to 72.24 pesos per liter, indicating that the range is high. “ ‘yung sinasabi ko na 70, mukhang nag-iisa lang siya dun sa area e, so capture niya yung market. May mga provinces, key cities na mataas kasi una, malayo sila sa source,” Del Romero said. On the other hand, a one billion fuel subsidy will be released that aims to benefit 178,000 jeepney drivers, which have also been subsidized before by the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB)’s Pantawid Pasada. On the other hand, LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra reported that the number of jeepney drivers has decreased so there is a need //continue to page 7
HEADLINES
the national guilder november 2021
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Anakbayan’s Sta. Rosa wins case against trumped up charges, freed from detention by Angelica Eruela Butalid
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ovenes Anakbayan chairperson Sasah Sta. Rosa was released after being detained for almost six months due to allegations of illegal possession of firearms and explosives last October 18. Sta. Rosa, a youth leader and alumna of the Ateneo de Naga University, was illegally arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Detention Group (CIDG) last May 2 this year. Former Naga City Mayor Atty. John Bongat helped secure her release after he discovered that the search warrant served by CIDG to Sta. Rosa’s home in Brgy. Cararayan, Naga had a different address. Several groups earlier accused the police of planting guns and grenades inside Sta. Rosa’s home before detaining her at the CIDG city headquarters.
Activist and student leader Sasah Sta. Rosa. (Photo from Anakbayan Naga City)
“Nakauwi na po ako. Maraming salamat sa inyong suporta,” the former Ateneo de Naga’s People’s Rights and Welfare of the Supreme Student Government department head wrote on Facebook.
which violates Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
rights violations, and trumped up charges against Filipinos, especially progressives critical of the government.
Sta. Rosa also called for the youth to care about the country because they have lots of roles to play and have the capability to correct the illrotten systems.
Furthermore, the national and educational situation has only continued to deteriorate as students and the rest of the Ateneo community continue to suffer and grapple with the Duterte administration’s failed pandemic response.
In an interview with Brigada News FM Naga, Sta. Rosa said that after nearly six months of imprisonment, they finally succeeded in winning the case against the alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosives,
This is the latest in the long line of human
DILG, RPOC-NCR red-tags progressive groups in webinar
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he Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Regional Peace and Order Council National Capital Region (RPOC-NCR) red-tagged progressive groups in webinars conducted in colleges and universities around Metro Manila on Oct. 12,14,19, and 21. Contrary to its title “#iHayag, Makabayang Mag-aaral: Youth Orientation on Building Patriotism and Good Citizenship” that aims to involve youth in “nation building” and promote peace and development, the webinar was used to accuse progressive groups as “front organizations” of the communist movement. Among the groups red-tagged are League of Filipino Students (LFS), Anakbayan,
by Rizadel Miras
Kabataan Partylist (Kabataan PL), Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP), National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), and the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP). The progressive groups mentioned have condemned the red-tagging incidents in the webinar. “Mariing kinokondena ng College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) at The National Guilder (TNG) and walang humpay na pag-atake ng administrayong Duterte sa kalayaang magpahayag at magbigay puna ng taumbayan. Muli’t muli naming ipapaalala sa sambayanan na itinakda ng Saligang Batas 1987 ang ating karapatan na maglabas ng hinaing at
iboses ang mga atrasadong sektor,” CEGP stated in a Facebook post. “Sa kabila ng kakulangan ng pondo sa edukasyon at mabagal na pag-usad ng ligtas na balik-eskwela, may gana pang sayangin ng NTF-ELCAC bilyong pondo nito para patuloy na siraan ang mga progresibong grupo at magpakalat ng maling impormasyon.” Anakbayan also posted. In retrospect, red-tagging webinars were also held by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and National Task Force to End Local Communist Groups in De La Salle Lipa last Sep. 22 and during the National Service Training Program (NSTP) orientation of Cavite State University Main Campus on Oct. 24. 2020.
6 FEATURE
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the national guilder november 2021
Write for Rights
tuttered. Stammered. Stumbled. Is it just because the word “La Solidaridad” is hard to pronounce that people had a hard time voicing these words? Or is it because this phrase carries dread, anguish, fears, and sufferings with it? In 1888, a group of Filipino liberals, European students, and organizations formed a strong organization of intellectual authors to raise Spanish awareness of the difficulties of its colony, the Philippines, and to promote closer connections between the two nations. Led by Galicano Apacible, José Rizal’s relative, they created La Solidaridad. February 15, 1889, the newspaper was launched in Barcelona, with the same name. Graciano López Jaena and Marcelo H. del Pilar rewrote the final edition, which detailed the colonial Philippines’ social, cultural, and economic problems, including the liberal Spanish speakers’ perspectives on the country. Propaganda Movement members formed La Solidaridad to express their desire to become Spanish citizens. While it was just a simple piece of paper, it helped open Filipinos’ eyes to the realities and oddities that had occurred throughout the country. They were motivated to take up arms for their liberties by the words that authors had taught them. They must, however, put the publication on hold
while they address the impediments to the publication of this newspaper imposed by reactionary persecutions. Nevertheless, even when obstacles were inevitable, they continued striving to overcome them. On November 15, 1985, del Pilar wrote on the last issue of La Solidaridad that reads, “We are persuaded that no sacrifices are too little to win the rights and the liberty of a nation that is oppressed by slavery.” Through this, Filipinos were convinced that deep down inside them is a sense of dignity and shame that they are fighting for. The sacrifices of our patriots for freedom have left a legacy in our country that must not be squandered. They did not shed blood and offer their lives for our freedom so that we should be held captive by those in authority who fed us lies. Being heard and developing a keen ear f o r the truth are the ways that will allow us to remain free and protect our country’s bequest. The independence and solidarity in our country will be achieved through exchanges of accurate knowledge and freedom of the press. Unless we drive a media with freedom and truth, we risk allowing history to repeat itself with powerful individuals from our nation colonizing the frails. We have the voice, we’re just afraid to use it. Fight for what is right. Write what is right for our rights.
Journalists ask: When can we be ‘truly’ free?
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ovember 2, 2021 marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. This begs the question: when will this end? Or—will it end? I have been inconsistently doing (campus) journalism since Grade 8. I started with cartooning, then the year after, my cartoons became relatively political. But with all honesty, those experiences were just “extracurricular” activities—but the order of things changed personally when I joined The National Guilder (TNG) of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP). Well, prior to joining the national publication, I knew there were journalists and activists being cracked down systematically by the government. But my sympathy intensified when I got back from journalism,
because I could be one of them: the gunned down, the labeled “terrorist”, the “biased”. And recently, a broadcast journalist named Orlando Dinoy was reportedly killed by unidentified men, which echoes something in our society. The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists is a day recognized by the United Nations. The UN reports that between 2006 and 2020, there were over 1,200 journalists killed, while nine out of 10 of the cases were not given judicial justices. And according to the Oct. 2020 report of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the Philippines is the deadliest place to be a journalist. The uprising draconian systems perpetuate the culture of impunity in the Philippines. With the absence of strong and righteous legal procedures, the normalization of violating democratic rights against student
and professional journalists continues. Therefore, it will not end. But let’s say in the best case scenario, where the national judicial system has outgrown the old corrupt and slow system: will journalists attain their liberties? To critically analyze this—it will help but definitely, it will not be enough. Circling back to “culture”, this involves the members of society. If many subscribe to certain practices, ideologies, and traditions, it creates various cultures. The “culture of impunity” against journalists in the Philippines
HEADLINES
the national guilder november 2021
Journalist...
Drivers on Oil Price... //continuation from page 4
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means that many individuals turn a blind eye, or/and worse, support the crimes against truth-speakers. This is evident in social media platforms of media outlets, both alternative and mainstream. In Rappler’s Facebook page, many have infested trolls in their comment and reaction sections. And farms of trolls also attacked journalist personalities like Pia Ranada, also from Rappler, who said that she received death—and rape threats, which is an indicator that being a female journalist is twice as dangerous as being a male. We are the watchdogs of democracy. When there is an attempt to sabotage the roots of our fundamental rights, then, it is our job, whether you are a student or professional journalist, to empower the masses to resist tyranny and oppression by speaking the truth. But don’t forget to talk to your fellow journalists even though there’s an uprising of societal depression in order to feel a little lighter. Of course, what goes on outside of our windows triggers anger, angst, and sadness; it feels so blue to be a journalist these days, but the intent to revive democracy is what motivates us mostly to continue. And the challenging question, yet, of a journalist to face is: what does it mean to be a journalist in this turbulent time?
Plano...
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BURDEN. Drivers complained of a nine week non-stop surge in oil prices last Tuesday, October 26. (Photo by: ABS-CBN)
to
review it to know how much the drivers will receive. In addition, their request for a minimum fare hike is pending because as per LTFRB, the needs of drivers are addressed using different measures. Moreover, DOTR will push for 100 percent capacity on jeeps to address the needs and demands of the jeepney drivers as stated by LTFRB during the interview.
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mga guro ang nagsabing hindi sila nakakatanggap ng pinansiyal na tulong upang makapagturo sa blended learning. Sa ulat na inilabas ng UNICEF, ang Pilipinas at Venezuela na lamang ang mga bansang hindi pa muling nagbubukas ng mga paaralan mula nang maipatigil dulot ng pandemya.. Ayon sa National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), masama itong pangitain dahil bukod sa nalilimitahan ang pagkatuto ng mag-aaral, tinatayang 11 trilyong piso ang mawawala sa bansa sa susunod na 40 taon. Kasabay ng pagbubulag-bulagan at pagbibingi-bingihan ng gobyerno sa mga hinanaing ng mga estudyante't guro, mas inuna pang paglaanan ng bilyon-bilyong pondo ang mga alagad ni Duterte tulad ng National Task Force to
End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), na kilala sa walang habas na red-tagging, paniniil at pananakot upang busalan ang mga kritiko ng pamahalaan, maging ang malayang pamamahayag sa bansa. Hindi totoong kulang at walang pondo, sadyang iba lang ang prayoridad ng gobyerno. Mas makabubuti pang tanggalan ng pondo ang NTF-ELCAC at ilipat ito sa iba't ibang sektor, gaya ng edukasyon, na higit na kinakailangan ngayon. Mainam na mas ibigay ito sa mga estudyanteng walang internet at sa mga gurong nangangailangan ng subsidiya para sa kanilang pagtuturo upang hindi masayang ang budget sa walang pakundangang pagbibintang at pagbabanta ng puwersang estado sa mga progresibong mamamayang kritikal sa administrasyon.
Hindi sapat ang bakuna lang, kailangan ng komprehensibong plano. Kalampagin ang nasa Kongreso, Senado’t pamahalaan na inuuna pang paglaanan ng oras ang nalalapit na Halalan 2022. Iboses ang pagsasabatas ng Safe Schools Reopening Bill na inihain ng Kabataan Partylist. Iparinig ang kolektibong tinig ng mga nasa laylayan ng lipunan na hangad ay edukasyong makapag-aahon sa kanila sa kahirapan. Magkaisa tayong tumindig, bumoses at sumulong para sa edukasyong makapagpapalaya sa atin sa baluktot na sistema. Sama-sama tayong makibaka para sa pagkatutong tapat at sapat! Tayo ay manindigan at isulong ang tama at hustisya para sa atin. Karapatan sa edukasyon, ating ipaglaban!