TINIG NG PLARIDEL
THURSDAY / FEB. 2, 2017
YEAR 38, ISSUE 7 The official student publication of the College of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines Diliman tinigngplaridel tinigngplaridel.net
University of the Philippines Diliman students staged a protest against President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘false promise’ of free education at the Palma Hall Lobby, Tuesday. / Krysten Mariann Boado
Youth groups slam attacks against education sector Jeuel Barroso & Ara Nacario
AMIDST THE LOUD c o nver genc e o f c o l l e ge organizations from various universities, 17-year-old Caella Serrano stood on the platform beneath the Mendiola Peace Arch with words that far outgrew her small frame and young age. Decrying the ‘false promise’ of free education proliferating in the Batasan Hills National High School, the League of Filipino Students member aired the struggles of the youth sector on the National Day of Action for Free Education, Friday. Aside from condemning President Rodrigo Duterte’s proclamation on free education, Serrano also brought up the issue of the K-12 curriculum, which she fears is in danger of being buried under several other social issues. “Ang pag-iimplementa ng
tinatawag na K-12 ay isang aspeto ng pagpapahirap sa mga estudyante at magulang,” Serrano said. The K-12 curriculum was implemented in 2013 in all public schools under the Department of Education (DepEd) and in over 2,000 schools nationwide. It added three more years--one to kindergarten, two to senior high school (grades 11 and 12)--to the previous 10-year education system under the Basic Education Curriculum of 2002. Despite the 33,608 classrooms DepEd has started constructing as of 2014 as well as their plan to establish 5,899 Senior High Schools nationwide, Serrano said her school still cannot accommodate all the high school students who will move-up from grade 10 to grade 11. “Sinasabi nilang libre yung edukasyon pero bakit may
babayaran parin kaming 22,000 ‘pag tungtong namin ng senior high? Bakit hanggang ngayon wala pa din kaming maayos na pasilidad sa aming mga eskwelahan?” she added. Moreover, she said her school is “pushing” them to enroll in private colleges for their tertiary education, such as Centro Escolar University and Systems Technology Institute (STI). “Mas maraming prinopromote sa amin na mga pribadong paaralan kung saan hindi namin kayang tugunan ‘yung matrikula, hindi talaga siya angkop sa pamumuhay namin,” Serrano said. The young activist said she wants to study in state universities such as the University of the Philippines (UP) as she dreams of being a teacher in future. “Kami namang mga high school [students], may mga pangarap din pero ‘yung pangarap
namin ay nagiging pangarap na lang dahil sa kabulukan ng edukasyon,” Serrano said.
Same old scheme Prior to the protest in Mendiola, around 150 students from the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman gathered at the Palma Hall lobby for a twofold purpose--condemning the persisting Socialized Tuition System (STS) and forwarding the right to free education. Although the UP community is no stranger to these rallies, student organizations soldier on with their plight until quality education is accessible to all. On Dec. 16, 2016, Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Chairperson Patricia Licuanan confirmed that students from state universities and colleges (SUCs) would enjoy free tuition CONT. TO P3
ISSUE 7 / THURS. FEB. 02, 2017
compromise and consensus
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE Philippines’ (UP) militancy has proved its legacy of victories for decades, but in the debate on a document formally declaring our rights as students, questions and doubts remain. In these times of uncertainty, however, it is important to assess if we, students, are asking the ideal questions and fighting the right struggle. The Students’ Magna Carta has divided the UP community to choose between two polar premises---that the Magna Carta will weaken UP’s long-running student movement and that the document will safeguard the rights of its students. The much-debated codified students’ rights was first drafted by student council chairpersons, sectoral representatives, and randomly selected UP students in the summer term of A.Y. 2014 to 2015. The representatives who crafted the document came from the different organizations and political parties, proving that it is not an endeavor only of a sole political party. After the process of drafting, informing the students, and conducting a referendum that resulted to a 94 percent support from the student body, the University Student Council of has finally made their stand last January 24, 2016 to support the Magna Carta. On November 4, the current USC made a decision to suspend a stand-making on the Magna Carta. The University Student Council garnered widespread attention on their treatment of the Magna Carta, and drew criticisms from the student body. Recognizing the growing public concern on the issue, the USC released a statement regarding the decision, stating
that among the most contentious provisions of the document was in Section IV of Article 4, where the “students shall have the right to be consulted on any proposed increase or creation of school fees” by the Board of Regents (BOR). As of January 13, the USC voted to support the Magna Carta in a 19-10-1 vote. Following the basic premise of RA 9500 that gives power to the BOR to increase school fees, and that the Magna Carta cannot in any way, supersede the law, students must realize that it is not the document that they should be questioning in the first place but the very law and system that the document falls under. Another point of contention raised is that the document allows the administration to “facilitate the operations of campus publications.” This phrase is in fact derived from Article V, Section 1 which exactly states that: “Students shall have the right to establish and run structures of self-governance, mechanisms for advocacy, and systems of decision-making. To this end, the University shall support and facilitate the creation and operation of student councils and student publications.” The contention is clearly taken out of context as it implies that the document condones the administration’s control over the operations of publications-- the exact opposite of what it truly suggests. Section 6 further supports student publications when it stated that: “All publications produced by students shall be self-regulated. School authorities shall not unduly sanction members of campus press and media.” If students want their rights to be recognized by the UP administration, they must work
TINIG NG PLARIDEL 2016 - 2017
around a multifaceted approach with the passage of the Magna Carta being but one aspect of it. Rather than debating on whether UP students ought to have a formal declaration of rights, we should address the fact that while the document should be seen in good faith, it will never be enough, and this is where collective action comes to play. Since the document is being created under a framework that is presently governed by repressive policies, it must be subjective to further amendments in the future, amendments that shall be representative of all students and for students. While the system is obviously flawed, students must work around it, not as a form of compromise but as a way to gain better footing against those in power through both legal and collective action. UP has been known for its long-running mass movement, and it should not limit itself to such. The UP community must remember that the means to defend students’ rights have no hierarchy and that there are other avenues to forward students’ rights. The success of Kabataan Partylist in representing the youth to the Congress and the continuous forwarding of sectoral groups’ demands by the Makabayan bloc are some
EDITORIAL | PAGE 2 IN PHOTOS: concrete examples that a different approach in attaining change does not preclude the mass movement. We have achieved victories in part because we know the rights we are entitled to and because we are determined to fight for them. History has also witnessed that no code, or law for that matter, is ever superior to our own voices. After all, the document can only be maximized by the junking of existing repressive policies through the student movement. Establishing a document codifying UP students’ rights is but a single step. What more progressive action we can do is to see the bigger picture and fight for a nation where free education for every student is upheld. The bigger battle for a quality and accessible education across the country still holds. However, it is time we give support where support is due. Questions and doubts have been answered, and should continuously be, as long the lines of communication of all parties involved are open. Students must go beyond party politics and focus on continuously watching for those who are in power. The Student’s Magna Carta is neither the supreme solution nor a signal to devalue collective action. The struggle for attaining our rights must grow stronger now, more than ever.
Illustration by: Andrea Jobelle Adan
Editor-in-Chief Krysten Mariann Boado Associate Editor for Print Pathricia Roxas Associate Editor for Broadcast Shain Epanag Managing Editor Dale Calanog News Editor Frances Josephine Espeso Features Editor Beatriz Zamora Sports Editor John Remil Isaga Chief Photographer Mariel Frances Urbiztondo Layout Director Mikhaela Dimpas Art Director Renee Cuisia | Writers Jeuel Barroso, Ara Nacario | Photographers Krysten Mariann Boado | Illustrator Andrea Jobelle Adan Contact tinigngplaridel@gmail.com | twitter.com/tinigngplaridel | facebook.com/tinigngplaridel TNP is a member of UP Solidaridad and College Editors Guild of the Philippines
SPORTS | PAGE 4
YEAR 38 / ISSUE 7
UP: Fighting, Marooned John Remil Isaga
DESPITE THE LACK OF quality facilities athletes can train in, the University of the Philippines, Diliman (UP) remains home to the finest athletes in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP), proven by a perennial top-half finish in the league’s overall standings. Compared to other elite member universities of the league who are funded by private institutions and wealthy individuals such as business magnates Henry Sy and Lucio Tan, UP is left to make do with the scanty spaces of its gymnasium that has always been cramped and overused by different teams. However, UP does boast two wide open fields for multipurpose training: its Sunken Garden and its track oval. Two years ago, UP and the Futbol Pilipinas Azkals Foundation, Inc. (FPAFI) agreed to improve the track oval as the UP-Azkals Football Field. However, FPAFI pulled out of the project in 2016 and rendered the track oval unusable due to unfinished ground work. What was once an ideal training ground was reduced to
a bumpy hill, and hundreds of athletes hailing from different sports such as football, softball and baseball were forced to find and use other spaces for practice. Merely days before the second semester of the UAAP Season 79, these terrain-based teams remain struggling to find suitable training grounds on top of their other hardships as student-athletes. UP Women’s Football Team player Kali Navea-Huff reveal that about 90 percent of their funds go to field rentals. “We also usually use our expenses for equipment for our underprivileged teammates, “added Huff. According to her, these financial problems have hampered her teammates along with other struggles such as waking up earlier than usual to get to these very far fields. While the Sunken Garden has been offered to them as a playing field, they quickly moved out due to the uneven terrain being dangerous for the players. “It is unplayable, not just for the ball moving around, but our teammates were also suffering injuries,” Huff said.
STILL NO PLACE TO GO. The proposed UP Football Field is still left untouched. / Nowhere To Go But UP
“I myself re-injured my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) when I trained there back in March.” the former UP Diliman University Student Council (USC) councilor recounted. Huff took nearly a year to rehabilitate her knee, as ACL tears are among the most feared and difficult injuries that players have to face. Because of such conditions posed by the Sunken Garden, Huff added that not even baseball and softball teams would train there. Meanwhile, the UP administration has shown no definite action towards the conclusion of the proposed field improvement. According to UP Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora,
the project was oringinally delayed due to frequent rains affecting construction. The new completion date is targeted to be either March or April this year; however, there has been no additional work done at the area since the beginning of the new semester. For athletes like Huff, it is difficult to see UP teams struggling more than they should be. “Handling all the sponsors is really taking a toll on me because I see our money that should be for the team going to things that should be for free,” said the former USC Councilor. A full year after the promise of better facilities, the athletes of Diliman are still hard at work away from home, just to bring glory back to it.
THURS. FEB. 02, 2017 / ISSUE 7
PAGE 3 | NEWS CONT. FROM P1
YOUTH GROUPS... after an additional budget of P8.3 billion was added to the commission’s budget. A week later Licuanan’s statement, President Rodrigo Duterte said the Higher Education Support Fund will prioritize financially disadvantaged but academically able students. Duterte had asked the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and Department of Budget and Management to issue guidelines for said fund. This was done in spite of the president’s goal to invest in human capital development, including the education system, as stated in his 10-point socioeconomic agenda. The students also slammed Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Chair Patricia Licuanan’s statement on free education. In a television interview with Winnie Monsod which aired Jan. 16, Licuanan said if CHEd had its way, it will subsidize those coming from the “poorest segments” first. UP Diliman University Student Council Councilor Ben Te said that the notion of prioritizing the academically excellent is problematic, adding
that this has no other effect other than profit from the poor. “Ang totoo, walang ibang ginawa ang socialized tuition kundi magkamal ng kita. Mula sa mga tuition fees, tinatago nila ang kita sa mga bangko para gamitin sa karagdagang projects nila,” Te said. UP has been practicing a socialized tuition scheme since the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) was established in 1989. STFAP placed students into brackets based on their economic status; these brackets indicated the price students pay during registration. The STFAP was criticized for its tedious processing time, which usually lasted up to 10 months. Its successor, the Socialized Tuition System (STS), reduced the STFAP’s 14page application form to two. The STS also implemented income cut-offs for bracketing, increase in monthly stipend, streamlining of bracket assignment and appeal process, although some student leaders observed otherwise. Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP) Chairperson Josiah Hiponia said the faulty system only pushed students to tell lies about their real economic status, hoping to be assigned to lower brackets.
Gawad Plaridel 2017 to honor TV practitioner Dale Calanog
The University of the Philippines (UP) College of Mass Communication is accepting nominations for this year’s Gawad Plaridel, which will honor a practitioner from the field of television. Individuals and institutions, such as media corporations, media advocacy groups, and cultural foundations may nominate any living Filipino, who has excelled in the television industry. The deadline for the nominations will be on March 1, and the awardee will be announced in April. Last year, the award was
given to Francisca “Babes” Custodio, a radio personality. The last time that the award was given to a media practitioner for their contributions, particularly for television was in 2012 when accomplished television and film actress, Rosa Rosal received the honor. The UP Gawad Plaridel will be given in August in commemoration of Marcelo H. del Pilar’s birth anniversary. FOR MORE DETAILS AND NOMINATIONS, PLEASE VISIT MASSCOMM.UPD.EDU.PH
UP Diliman students call for free education and the abolition of the Socialized Tuition Scheme on the first day of the second semester at the Palma Hall lobby, Jan. 17 . / Krysten Mariann Boado
“Hinaharap pa rin natin ang kontradiksyon dahil hindi tayo hinahayaan ng ating estado sa mukha ng administrasyong Duterte na makamtan ang dekalibreng edukasyon,” he said. “Kaya napakaraming mga kabataan ang hindi tumuntong sa ating pamantasan dahil napakamahal, napakahirap ng proseso, kailangan mong patunayan na napakahirap mo.” Expensive fees, cheap facilities Youth leaders also slammed CHEd for being the primary institution charging expensive fees from students. In a 2014 interview with Bulatlat, the Office of Student Regent (OSR) said that since the STFAP was implemented in 1989, UP tuition rates have “skyrocketed” from P40 per unit to P1,500 as the default rate per unit--leading to “a steady increase in the number of appeals for late payment and loan applications.” Members of the university’s largest stakeholder, however, are not satisfied with the apparent lack of results from the heightened fees, which are coupled with even more charges that come in the form of energy fees and laboratory fees, among others. UP College of Engineering Representative to the USC Alfrey Oria noted that despite costly dues such as laboratory fees, UP’s facilities remain in dire need for rehabilitation and restocking. “Nagva-vary yung lab fees depende sa program, sa iba
more than P8,000 to P10,000. Pero nagpapatuloy yung mga kakulangan sa kagamitan tapos iba pa yung mga miscellaneous fees,” Oria said. He also added that even students taking their on-thejob training (OJT) outside the campus need to pay miscellaneous fees. However, according to Oria, consultation with the students and dialogues with the College of Engineering administration continue in order to address student concerns. “Syempre patuloy yung pag-oorganisa at pagkilos ng mga estudyante para mapressure ang administrasyon. Pero alam natin hindi ito agadagad maibibigay kaya dapat hindi mapagod lalo yung mga lider-estudyante na manguna sa laban ng mga Iskolar ng Bayan,” Oria said. While quality education remains inaccessible to those in the margins of society, the likes of Serrano, Te and Oria will continue to air their concerns and take the battle to the streets. Age will be no hindrance and economic status shall bear no weight when the youth band together to take action like the nation’s future they are expected to be. As long as finishing college or entering school remains a fairytale for most, the youth shall persevere, and the streets shall witness the struggle to obtain the means by which such future can be attained - through free quality education for all.