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EDITORIAL BOARD Mel Joseph Castro Editor-in-Chief
Abegail May Soria Associate Editor - Internal
Kenneth Michael Baba Associate Editor - External
Hazel Joy Arong Managing Editor
Michael Rey LogroĂąo Feature and Culture Editor
John Charlo Icot Creative Director
STAFF News Writers
Tingob sa tingog sa Unibersidad sa Pilipinas ang sangpit sa kinatibuk-ang masa. Bisan pa sa atong pagduol sa bag-ong dekada, padayon natong gipas-an ang katungdanan nga
Amor Dale Ocmeja Mark Leniel Tabaranza Bienne Marguarette Lugay Beatrice Jubilee Orbiso Kurt Daryle Romariz
gisangon kanato dili lamang gikan sa mga magtutukod,
Feature Writers
kon dili hasta sa mga sektor nga nagpabiling nag-antos sa
Kathryn Nicole Pareja Bea Betina Marie Veladiez
pagpanlupig. Kini atong gipas-an nga gaan ug gikalipay. Dili pod sekreto nga ang Tug-ani wala kapagawas og
Photographers
hagit, nagpabiling lig-on ang presensya sa publikasyon
Micah Nicole Chuim Vienna Lyn Muego Dominique Abellana Christianne Joyce Sese
diha sa social media ug bisan pa sa mga nagkadaiyang
Cartoonists
pinatikang edisyon sulod na sa duha ka tuig. Apan buot namong ipa-abot kaninyo nga bisan pa sa nasugatang mga
kalihokan sa sulod ug gawas sa tunghaan. Wala namo biya-i ang pakigbisog. Busa karon, among ipasalig kaninyo nga ang Tug-ani, ang opisyal nga mantalaan sa mga tinun-an sa Unibersidad sa Pilipinas sa Sugbo, wala mapalongan og paglaom sa propaganda. Wala malimas ang among tinta sa pagsabwag sa kamatuoran. Wala namo buhi-i ang pagkupot sa maong kayo nga unang midilaab pag 1974. Ang pagpakahilom usa ka matang sa pagbudhi diha sa usa ka katilingbang gihikawan ug kagawasan.
Anil Yap John Manuel Legaspi Jovannie Almario Gratz Jul-Elijah Redoble Layout Editors Alvin Dave Bensig Jose Roy Miana Candice Dorothy Alcarez Member of: UP Solidaridad College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) Rise for Education Alliance
ABOUT THE COVER
Among idalit kaninyo ang unang edisyon sa Tug-ani sa tuig 2019-2020. Alagaran ang Katawhan!
Cover Design by John Charlo Icot Meanings are mutable depending on how it is framed and who wants its propagation. Never believe things at the surface. Wiser still, do look beyond the stories they tell you, even if it means not agreeing with the majority. That makes you special. That makes you dangerous.
02 TUG-ANI The Official Student Publication of the University of the Philippines Cebu
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SITIO AVOCADO STILL HOMELESS
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Three (3) Months Since Demolition by Mark Leniel Tabaranza and Abegail May Soria
For their part, however, the UP Cebu admin assured everyone that they have complied with all legal procedures and necessities before pushing through with the demolition.
Nearly four months have passed since the Sitio Avocado demolition and yet affected residents are still inhabiting the area in makeshift tents. No proper relocation site has been given to them, they say.
“It started from the Municipal Trial Court. They lost. They appealed to the Regional Trial Court. They lost. They went to the Court of Appeals again. They lost. And so now, we have to file our motion for the writ of execution. It was granted by the Regional Trial Court,” Chancellor Liza Corro clarified during More than seventy houses in Sitio Avocado, Lahug, Cebu a dialogue with the admin’s legal team, UP Cebu University City were scrapped last August 7 to 9 after receiving a Student Council, Tug-ani, and several student leaders. go signal from Cebu City Regional Trial Court Branch 23 Judge Generosa Labra. Regarding the lack of amenities, Chancellor Corro said that The UP Cebu officials offered the families a relocation site in Sitio Nivel Hills, Busay, which has 84 home lots. But the families did not take the offer because of its reported lack of access to basic living amenities such as water, electricity, and even a concrete road.
it is not theirs but the local government unit’s job to provide facilities for its citizens, highlighting that UP is an educational institution and not a housing provider.
The UP Cebu admin also reported to have offered help for affected residents in terms of processing a PAG-IBIG housing loan. They also claimed that other informal settlers have In an earlier interview, Sitio Avocado Lahug Peoples’ already volunteered to avail from the Busay lot. Organization Inc. (SALPOI) President Eliseo Gulfan Jr. highlighted that a relocation site, which should be estaA 65-million peso UP High School building is set to be conblished before implementing the demolition order, must be structed in the reclaimed area. Chancellor Corro emphasized, “habitable.” first, the importance of constructing a new high school building for the students given the “dilapidated” condition of the “It is a requisite for a relocation site to have a subdivision old one, and second, that the allotted budget for the project plan that is already developed wherein the land is pro- depreciates over time unspent on starting its construction. perly distributed, containing document of ownership, and [indicated] whether it is for free or [for] rent,” he narrated.
GASC48
The 48th General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) convention held last July 27 and 28 at UPV Tacloban campus saw 39 student councils from across the UP system gather to debate on pertinent issues and craft resolutions that will be collectively advanced by the student body.
Illustration by Candice Dorothy Alcarez
pushes for junking of ‘anti-people’ policies
Martial Law in Mindanao. Declared on May 2017, the Martial Law in Mindanao has been extended for three times already—even after the end of the Marawi siege—and lawmakers are eyeing one more extension into next year. The government claims to use the enhanced mobility to quell the longtime ‘insurgency’ in Mindanao. However, it has instead Ivy Joy Taroma presided over what would be her last led to several human rights abuses and displacement of inGASC proceedings as the Student Regent (SR)—the digenous Lumad communities. sole representative of the student body in the Board of Regents, the highest decision-making body in the UP Executive Order 70 and Memorandum Order 32. Coupled with system. Malacañang’s dubious intelligence funds, the “whole-of-nation approach” against communist insurgency imposed by After respective basic mass integrations, national situa- EO70 has led to widespread crackdown against legal and tioners, and unit reports, the delegates finally sat down legitimate progressive groups and activists. The MO32, on to either amend, junk, approve, or manifest views on pro- the other hand, allows the president to concentrate the deposed resolutions. The student leaders devoted height- ployment of armed troops in “NPA-infested” Bicol, Samar, and ened attention on the following issues: Negros regions, where abuses are again reported. Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and Drug Testing. The proposal to compel schools to partake in mandatory ROTC and drug tests met public outrage, especially since it can be easily used as an avenue for military and police presence in campuses.
by Mel Joseph Castro
proposal allows warrantless detention for up to thirty days on the mere basis of suspicion. Wiretapping on media and suspected individuals is also made permissible under the proposal. The body also condemned all forms of red-tagging, the act of labeling or accusing individuals and groups as communists or terrorists, from both the government and within the academe. These policies altogether create what they call ‘de facto’, or undeclared, martial law.
Other topics lambasted include the massive fraud in the 2019 midterm elections, the “Build, Build, Build” program and its risks on national sovereignty, the Rice Tariffication Law, the CHED Memorandum Order no. 20 removing Filipino and Panitikan courses from college, the decreasing democratic spaces and org tambayans in campuses due to the Master Development Plan, and the Student Academic Information Amendments to the Human Security Act. The Duterte govern- System (SAIS), among others. ment’s proposed amendments to the HSA, the leading anti-terrorism law in the country, contains preludes to increased The convention ended with John Isaac Punzalan’s selection surveillance and coercion by state forces. For instance, the as the 37th student regent.
August - September 2019 Issue 03
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UP FACES P1.6B
BUDGET CUT IN 2020 NATIONAL BUDGET
In the 2020 National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by the Department of Budget and Ma- nagement (DBM), appropriation for the UP system dropped to 15.4 billion pesos from this year’s 17 billion. The said allocation is even lower than its 16.1 billion-peso counterpart in 2018.
When asked if the cut would affect UP Cebu’s projects moving forward, Chancellor Corro assured that any changes in the budget is “understandable” as long as it does not touch the appropriation for the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE).
It can be noted that the country’s premier university placed 95th in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings in 2019 and 401-500 for its World Rankings in 2020.
Under the 2020 NEP, MOOE for the UP system is granted 3.35 billion pesos, which is 52 percent higher than UP’s 2.2 billion budgetary request. The problem, however, lies with the capital outlays, or the funds used for construction and repair of buildings. Only 674 million pesos, roughly 2 percent of UP’s proposed allocation of 23.1 billion pesos, is granted by the DBM. This will then still be split amongst UP’s eight constituent universities.
Considering this performance set by the university, the cut garnered backlash from several student leaders and groups. “Dili jud tinuoray ang lihok sa gobyerno para mabawi nato atong katungod sa usa ka libre, kalidad, ug accessible na education,” said UP Cebu University Student Council Chairperson Aura Agbay. UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro, on the other hand, remains positive that these changes will not materialize.
by Mel Joseph Castro
“This is just a proposal yet. That is not yet final. And usually, what happens is that when it reaches the Congress and the Senate, many insertions happen in favor of UP,” said Corro in an interview with Tug-ani.
The Philippine General Hospital of UP Manila, for instance, is already suffering from facility deficiencies. The whole UP system, including UP Cebu, is currently in full throttle on the Master Development Plan, which prioritizes the construction and development of real estate properties. Funds needed in the projects come from capital outlay allotment.
Illustration by Gratz Jul-Elijah Redoble
STATE FORCES ENTER UP, STATE CAMPUSES by Bienne Marguarette Chan Lugay and Beatrice Jubilee Orbiso Several uniformed and armed officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were spotted inside campus premises three days after the semester started. On August 8, four of the spotted PNP personnel chatted with students in one of the AS kubos while two others sat near Tug-ani’s office. One of them was also reported to enter the library. All of them wore safety vests concealing their nameplates. When confronted regarding the matter, Vice Chancellor for Administration Weena Jade Gera was quick to admit the security lapse, assuring the student body that they did not, in any way, sanction the police to freely roam around the campus. Gera explained that the cops were deployed on purpose to “protect” students while the Sitio Avocado demolition was going on. However, this did not stop progressive groups from assailing the admin after the incident, calling it a direct violation of the 1989 UP-DND (Department of National Defense) accord. The UP-DND accord, a version of the 1982 Soto-Enrile Accord specially modified for UP, explicitly forbids military and police forces to operate inside any UP campus without any proof of hot pursuit or prior approval from the UP administration.
The UP Cebu University Student Council has released a statement on the issue, pointing out that “contrary to the expectations of the AFP-PNP, their attacks will only fortify the ranks of the struggling people” and “this will only further push citizens to the streets because the true recruiters of rebels [are] the government and the oppressive system it sustains.” On Academic Freedom Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, in a senate hearing last August 7, suggested the review of agreements between the government and state universities and colleges. PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde concurred in a press conference. Last August 27, another meeting between top officials from the PNP and the UP Board of Regents (BOR) was held to tackle the issue on academic freedom, from which Student Regent Isaac Punzalan was notably excluded. In the said meeting held at Camp Crame, Commission on Higher Education and BOR Chair Prospero De Vera III said that “portions of the UP campus” have been “identified as areas where there is prevalence of drugs”. That claim, however, is yet to be proven. Punzalan expressed concern on De Vera’s unwarranted statement as it may be used as “justification for increased police presence in the university”.
04 TUG-ANI The Official Student Publication of the University of the Philippines Cebu
Red-tagging persists In a forum held last September 16 at Bicol University, the National Police Commission Region V, in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, reportedly tagged several progressive groups as affiliates of the CPP-NPANDF. The speakers presented a slide labelling Anakbayan, League of Filipino Students, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, and Kabataan Partylist, among others, as insurgent groups while distributing malicious flyers of slain and captured youth leaders tagged as NPA members. A similar forum blatantly red-tagging these legitimate groups also occurred at the University of St. La Salle Integrated School in Bacolod last August 24. Several posters serving the same purpose also circulated in UP Visayas - Tacloban campus last July 29, UP Manila last September 10, and UP Visayas - Miag-ao campus last September 26. The identity of the culprits and as well as the question of whether there was a concerted effort in these activities are still on investigation.
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UP Walkout
garners backlash from ‘disrespected’ professors by Kurt Daryle Romariz More than 250 students and faculty from the University of the saya Rabago refuted the allegations in another interview with Cañedo, however, denied committing any form of coercion. Philippines Cebu marched out of their classrooms in support Tug-ani. She was one of the faculty members who marched “There were students who went out and there are still a lot of students who were still inside and yet, wala mi magforce na that day. of the system-wide UP Day of Walkout last August 20. they should actually go outside,” he clarified. Spearheaded by Student Regent John Isaac Punzalan and “Wala ko kabantay nga naay ga-force ug bang sa pultahan,” Rabago supported Cañedo’s claims as she stated: “Makita endorsed by UP President Danilo Concepcion, UP Cebu stated Rabago. nako sa face sa students nga ganahan sila mugawas.” Chancellor Liza Corro, School of Management (SOM) Dean Tiffany Tan, UP High School Principal Catherine Rodel, and Bern Cañedo, University Student Council Vice Chairperson other faculty heads, the protest was held in response to the and Walkout leader, was one of the better-known names ac- She also expressed being “disheartened” since UP students, issue of campus militarization and in commemoration of the cused. He also confirms entering classrooms to encourage she believed, are supposed to be the first people to make a stand. “It’s an old adage: Kung hindi tayo kikilos, sino ang students. National Day of Mourning for Negros. kikilos? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan?” The protest, however, garnered several concerns in its after- “If there are any lapses or if they see it as something [that’s] math. One of which, in particular, was raised in a university disrespecting, we actually take it as a puna [criticism], we ac- Prof Imbong: ‘Respect is relative’ council meeting last September 11 and was regarding the tually like to apologize,” said Cañedo. “Basically, ang siste‘courtesy’ of its participants during the room-to-room snake ma sa pag-encourage ng mga students at profs sa walkout CSS Professor and All-UP Academic Employees Union Cebu rally inside the campus. College of Social Sciences (CSS) is getting into their classrooms and asking them to join the Chapter President Regletto Aldrich Imbong highlighted that the “notion of being respectful is very subjective”. He also Professor Dr. Phoebe Zoe Maria Sanchez revealed on Face- mobilization.” backed the students by saying that there is no disrespect at book that a professor and a dean “complained at the UC (uniall, citing the long history and tradition of UP Walkout. versity council) because they felt disrespected by the protes- Walkout organizers deny coercion ters” during the previous Walkout. Another question raised after the event was whether students According to Imbong, if there was any disrespect at all, it would be the PNP and the military who actively want to “enwere forced to walk out of their classrooms. VC Cañedo: ‘We like to apologize’ croach and get inside our campus”. One of the professors mentioned was SOM Professor Rheno- Prof. Sinogaya believed that the protest organizers implicitly “They [students] were just doing what’s the right thing to be zo Barte. Professor Jonnifer Sinogaya, College of Sciences demanded idle students to join them. done,” Imbong said. “As a faculty, I would even encourage my Dean, also admits feeling the same. fellow faculty to condemn the issue [campus militarization].” “Ang mga estudyante wala man sila mugawas, Imbong, however, said that there is still no formal assessment In an interview with Tug-ani, Sinogaya narrated that their vi- so meaning to say na ang mga stubetween the faculty and the students post-Walkout. siting professor from University of Hiroshima was in a “state dents, gusto sila magklase,” of shock” after seeing the students “shouting and banging Sinogaya asserted. “But beUp until the present, the admin is yet to take measures, if doors”. He claimed that this event may pass off as rude to cause mao man na’y moveany, in reaching out to the protest organizers regarment ana nga adlaw, gusto the visitor and create a “generalization, convey a different ding the complaints raised. pud sa mga message” about Filipinos. nagrally nga ‘gawas mo’.” In contrast to their side of the story, College of Communication, Art, and Design Professor Ligaya Vi-
August - September 2019 Issue 05
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Cartooning by Jovannie Almario
OUR COMMON STRUGGLE It takes either malicious intent or incomprehension to dismiss the threat of campus militarization as “imaginary” and the public’s concern against it as an “overreaction.’’ To recognize how far we have fallen from grace, one simply needs to look at the severity of the national political atmosphere. We have an executive cabinet stuffed by eleven former military men in control of Malacañang’s rocketing intel funds. We have police heads all over the country stained with extrajudicial killings and tanim-ebidensya schemes. Acting supposedly as a check and balance system is a legislative body composed by a supermajority of the president’s lackeys and cronies, courtesy of the country’s lackluster party system. The newly appointed chief justice, on the other hand, has been a constant “yes” to all extensions of Martial Law in Mindanao. With third parties such as the media being undermined by occurrences of mis- and disinformation, not yet mentioning their licenses to operate and even their very lives being threatened, who is there left to stand against an increasingly blatant tyranny?
This is where the academe steps in, the last and firmest bastion of dissent, and the bulk of which is cradled in the University of the Philippines. Case on point would be UP Cebu, especially considering that the Visayas is home to three provinces under increased militarization by MO32. It is no secret that the National Task Force under EO70 has been actively trying to tap school heads as potential partners for “counterinsurgency” measures, which in practice has instead turned its vengeful gaze on legitimate progressive groups. In an interview last August, DILG
Secretary Eduardo Año used EO70 to justify police visibility in “infiltrated” schools after Bato dela Rosa suggested the review of the Soto-Enrile Accord. Later on, the Board of Regents shamelessly met with PNP heads without inviting the Student Regent, expressing support on friendly “dialogues” with students. This list of threats could go on and on. But the point is there and established. It takes either malicious intent or incomprehension to dismiss the threat of campus militarization as “imaginary”, and the public’s concern against it as an “overreaction”. This is why we dare to refute bothering claims made by our very own university administration. Chancellor Liza Corro, the threat of militarization is not as “imaginary” (Chancellor’s Advisory Council meeting, August 14) as what you purport it to be. How we wish it were for displaced Lumad students currently residing on our halls or for our farmers who are killed way before dawn by raiding troops. We remind you of your “commitment” to “protect the students” (March 7, 2018)—a promise you made after the arrest of Myles Albasin. In the same way; Dean Jonnifer Sinogaya, the Walkout is not an “overreaction” (Tug-ani interview, September 25). To say it is would be an insult to the thinking capacity of its organizers and participants. Moreover, it would imply a nigh complete unawareness to the extent of the damage. The Walkout was a legitimate action borne over time and from the atrocities unforgotten by the collective Filipino memory. To remain unmoved by instances of harassment against students and faculty would betray the university’s proud rhetoric on solidarity. How can one persist on denying the threat if solid incidents already exist? How can one blurt out that there is nothing to fear if even wearing a Mao cap—notably co-opted by popular fashion and in no way illegal—is already a ground for risky suspicion? Hence was the harassment of All-UP Academic Employees Union Vice President for Faculty Noe Santillan that fateful day of September 8.
06 TUG-ANI The Official Student Publication of the University of the Philippines Cebu
As students of science and history, we are obliged to forgo a culture of forgetting, learning instead to see patterns of abuse in the hopes of rectifying our prospects for the future. This is wisdom in praxis. In this increasingly dangerous times, one can only hope that this longtime issue would be front seated both in the special elections and multisectoral assembly moving forward.
This is what we urge the Corro administration. First, we demand the admin to include a well-informed student representative in crafting the security report to be submitted to the Board of Regents. Is it not crucial that the largest university stakeholder’s inputs be ably registered? During the Sitio Avocado demolition, for instance, to avail additional security was understandable. But to effectively refrain students from the right to consultation—that was and is the problem. Neither the student council nor the student publication were advised beforehand, but were the ones flooded with worried inquiries from students about men in full combat uniform during the day. Second, we challenge the admin to affirm its commitment to uphold the university as a safe refuge, a zone of peace, especially in a period where state forces are most active in recruiting academe heads for the National Task Force. Expose the undemocratic nature of EO70. Renounce their advances in encroaching our campuses. And lastly, we implore our fellow Iskolar to be vigilant as always. As much as we celebrate Greta Thunberg or Hongkong or Chile, there is a part of the global battle that exists here and now. Our security is a common struggle. As long as the student body refuses to be silenced but rather partakes in a socio-political discourse that listens to the poor and the hungry, corrupt governments will always tremble in fear. Rightly so. They should know their place.
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MILITARIZATION is not the solution by Kenneth Michael Baba
The debate on whether or not military personnel should be allowed inside universities has always been there since the Martial Law years of the late dictator. Although we acknowledge the State’s legitimate duty to maintain peace and order, dealing with universities has to be more careful. As a rich marketplace of beliefs and opinions, academic institutions should remain free from fear and censorship during public discourse and scrutiny. Unfortunately, some members of the academe, especially in UP, still believe otherwise. For them, the usage of the term “campus militarization” is only a melodramatic exaggeration. On the contrary, it wouldn’t take that long for a simple internet search to prove them wrong. In several scenarios, authorities insist that drugs are rampant inside universities, thus implying the need for mandatory drug tes-
The irony as a premier
university
by Abegail May Soria
The science on student activism by Hazel Joy Arong
ANIMAL FARM by Mel Joseph Castro
With roughly a hundred thousand applicants per year, the University of the Philippines strides on as the most sought-after university in the country. Although ranking 95 th in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings and clinc ing high places in other global standards, UP also continues to be the same university that is publicly criticized and, at times, trolled by the people it is mandated to serve. Nurturing adherence to moral and intellectual integrity, UP produces scholars who are not only academically outstanding but also passionately committed towards national good. Yet instead of support for the improvement of its services, the university has been recently greeted with a Php 1.6 billion budget cut from last year’s amount – a decision which could potentially harm the university’s long-term programs and objectives and further limit the youth from attaining free and quality education. This is The public generally view natural and physical science as an endeavor and a powerful source of authority in the society. However, it has been struggling to identify and maintain borderlines with politics. It has an empirical approach while on the other hand, social science has a more fluid approach. This is the main reason why one can find a contemporary voice that sociology is inherently intertwined with activism and protests. But why should a natural science student take a stand and cease to identify the borderlines with politics? It is because science itself has always been political. Science is the pursuit of knowledge, knowledge is power, and power is the subject of politics. Furthermore, today, the lust for power is destroying the nation. Being in the field of Sa zoo nga ginganlan og Senado sa Pinas, simple ra ang balaod—mohilak ka o magpaka-isog ka. Di gyod kuno puyde magpa-cute-cute. Mao na kining writer di gyod puyde ngadto. Kon wa naman gani diay pulos ang research (Landgrabber, 2019), unsaon naman lang ko ning akong mga pangutana? “Human rights o human lives?” “Kon ang dose anyos pwede na prisohon, nganong di man ta magsugod sa asawa sa diktador?”
ting. This is coupled with the obsolescing accusation that communist recruitment is also a culture within the premises. These worn narratives are merely lame excuses to justify an intrusion.
No matter how convincing their rhetoric might sound, students should stand firm against invasive military presence. Where should we draw the line between campus militarization and the bleak exercise of the state’s policing power? The gap is hazy. The existence of the 1989 UPDND accord should supposedly safeguard UP campuses from being war zones, but still not yet mentioning the Php 11.65 billion and Php 79.85 million budget cut for the Commission on Higher Education and Department of Science and Technology, respectively; both effectively putting beneficiaries within the university at stake. Despite President Duterte’s claim of prioritizing access and quality education, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police expect Php 2.5 billion and Php 11.4 billion additions, respectively. In addition, the administration’s intelligence and confidential funds also spiked up at Php 4.5 billion, which could be suspiciously used to target legal and legitimate progressive groups. Not covered by public disclosure and disbursement rules due to its “sensitive nature”, these intelligence and confidential funds have become subject to criticism as it is free from government transparency and accountability.
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the implementation of this law seems inadequate. If it had been flawlessly implemented, students –especially activists– won’t have to face these threats by now.. If we instead choose to tolerate the menial steps of the state in fully occupying our campuses, we should take time to reflect on the plight of the Lumad whose ancestral lands are being stolen and whose schools are being converted into military barracks, depriving them of their right to education. Militarization is not even a band-aid solution to the civil war raging in these regions. For a long time now, there exists a need to address the material conditions which foster insurgency, and addressing it is the government’s most plausible option. Frankly, we don’t want the conflict to reach our own shores. We don’t want that in UP Cebu.
Amidst all these, the students are adamant on being the checks and balances system against the government – a role which a supermajority rule in the Congress fails to comply. The burden of being a national university does not come in the university’s struggle to produce graduates who can ace the board exams or score high in university rankings. The burden lies in the irony that while it is still esteemed by the Filipino people as the premier university, it is also ostracized because of its unique position and legacy to intervene in socio-political affairs.
science, one should take into the heart the empirical ideology, that is, our observed and shared world is the real world, but the thing is this real world is only better for those who can afford it.
are. We have to disturb those who are comfortably lives in corruption and oppression. It is only in this way that we will truly understand the plight of the communities we are bound to help.
It is for science students to live their ideology and train themselves to engage in social critique, value political engagement, and dismantle unquantifiable actors such as social oppression,
The fight for our rights, the never-ending battle for freedom and the restoration of peace and safety will be of more magnitude when both constructivist and empirical ideologies come to call out and act against unjust and unlawful authority. It is our social responsibility, as a science student to create impact and enact change in the communities and in the society. We can never underestimate the risks of doing nothing. No matter what degree or career path we might choose to take, we all go down in the same boat.
which, though unseen, are very much apart of our shared world as cells and computers “From a scale of Senate President (lowest) to LGBTQIA+ community (highest), how homo sapiens are you?” “Nya reader, kon ang isda sa WPS puyde makapili og siya Chinese ba o Pinoy, nganong adto man gyod ka niya nga wala ka tagda?” “Motalab ba ang senatorial tutorials kon ang gitudlo-an daan nang tuta?” But wait. There’s more! “Kon ang Kaliwa Dam kay right, nganong di man gyod sila ganahan og left?” “Nganong ang kaso ato pa man ipa-korte
kon pwedeng adto nalang ta kang Idol Raffy?” “Nganong duna pamay Armed Forces kon ang lamok raman diay mo-paak?” “Sana ol may bromance nga murag kang Du30 ug Faeldon, or Du30 ug Albayalde. Sana ol kahibaw mo-recycle. Sana ol may pang-shopping sa Russia.” “Sana ol dunay due process una hukman.” “Pwede bang ma-stop ni Appointed Son of God ang hell-week nga padulong?”
Hahay. August - September 2019 Issue 07
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Kampana ug ang mga UNGO by Mel Joseph Castro
Matag pagsawop sa adlaw, ang mga lumulupyo niining sityoha mag-iyahay na sa pagtago sa tagsa-tagsa nilang panimalay. Tu-ngod kini sa rason nga adunay mga ungo niining lugara, ug sa pagtakob sa kangitngit manggawas na ang mga wakwak nga maoy tig-guba sa kalinaw sa kagabhion. Inig sugmat sa alas otso, mobagting og kusog ang kampana sa parokya ning Isla sa Negros, sa panghinaot nga maabog unta ang mga ungo sa palibot niini. Ang tanang panimalay nga makadungog maagni sa usa ka liyongin nga balaan. Apan wala’y balaan sa mga nahitabo niining lugara.
Kining lawak sa ugang yuta karon, usa ka madagayang darohan kaniadto. Ang mga anak magdagan-dagan samtang manabanog ug dungan niini ang ilang mga ginikanan magpuli-puli usab sa pagtigbas sa anihonong tubo. Yano lamang ang ilang kinabuhi apan nakakaplag sila og kalipay niini. Apan duna gihapoy mga panahon nga dili gyod malilong ang kalisod. Sa tempo muerto, dili maigo sa pangadlaw-adlaw nga kinahanglanon ang diyotay nga sweldo sa adunahang asindero. Dagmalan pa gyod kini kon magpatrabaho sa kainit sa udto. Kon moreklamo ang mag-uuma, panumbuyon. Kung mowelga, palayason. Dali rang hikalimtan ang pipila ka dekada nga serbisyo niya ug sa iyang mga apohan. Lakip na niini ang pipila ka gikahadlokang panahon sa huwaw. Gaantos sa sakit ug kagutom, ang pamilya sa mag-uuma mopilo sa ilang kamot ug mag-ampo nga untang dili sila hikawan bisan ultimo taligsik nalang. Kon dunay unos, magsadya. Kon walay madaginot, luha ang ibasa sa yuta. Maypa’g pahilakon permi. Sa walay abiso miabot ang mga wakwak sa gabii, gabitbit og dekalibreng armalayt sa ilang banha nga dyip. Walay laing makita ila mata kon di pula. Ug ang tanan nga ginganlang pula, makadawat og bisita. Ang mag-uumang nagdamgo pa sa pagabot sa ulan pukawon ra sa kahilwasan sa iyang panimalay, binlan og bala sa ulo, unya tamnan og pusil. Hurot naman ang luha. Dugo nalang ang ibasa sa yuta. Sa pagtaliwan sa mga minatay, ang ilang kalag padayon nga gasayaw sa ritmo sa danguyngoy sa ilang pamilya: ‘hain na ang hustisya?’ Apan dili sila mao ang mga ungo nga gikahadlokan sa mga buhi pa. Ang ilang gikasilagan mao tong kauban nilang buhi pa nga uhaw sa dugo. Bisan pag kuyapon nalang ang kampaniro sa pagbira sa pisi ug mapa-os nalang ang mga pamilya sa ilang pagpangadye, ang ilang giabog mao katong klase sa wakwak nga dili mohilom, dili mokalma.
08 TUG-ANI The Official Student Publication of the University of the Philippines Cebu
Katapusang Tabyog sa
DUYAN by Kenneth Michael Baba
Kasagaran sa mga duyan gimugna aron dunay kahigdaan ang bag-o pa lang nakamatngon og kahayag dinhis kalibotan. Sila kadtong mga bata nga wala pa’y igong kusog nga molakaw, dili pa makasibya kon unsay anaa sa ilang hunahuna ug labaw nang wala’y ikasukol kon moabot ang mga hilan nga takna. Ikatandi ang duyan sa usa ka pendulum, usa ka bug-at nga materyal nga tipik sa mga karaanang orasan. Atras, abante hangtod mahitagpilaw sa kumpas ang giduyan nga bata.
K Ang duyan nagsimbolo sa kaharuhay bisan niadtong dili na bata apan buot mouli sa lingkaw nga sabakan. Tuod man, ang duyan maoy unang balwarte sa kalinaw ug angayan lamang kining higdaan nila nga nag-umol pa lamang sa ilang mga damgo ug daman. Niadtong Hulyo niining tuiga, nakaplagan nga nagbuy-od ug wala nay kinabuhi sulod sa iyang payag ang usa ka lumulupyo sa Negros Oriental nga si Marlon Ocampo. Wala kaayo’y nahisulat mahitungod kaniya. Nakaila lamang kita niya tungod sa iyang dili tawhanong kamatayon. Natusak siya sa bala. Segun sa mantalaan, samaran usab ang iyang kapikas, apan bisan og luwas ang iyang duha ka anak wala gihapon sila makalingkawas sa kahigwaos hatod sa iyang pagpanaw. Kon atong hinuklogan ang esena sa iyang panimalay niadtong buntaga, tingali dunay kahilom nga napusgay pinaagi sa mga buto sa pistola sa wala pa maka-tuktogaok ang sunoy sa banag-banag. Apan wala diha matapos, kay taliwala sa iyang hawanan, gibitay ang duyan diin nakatagpilaw ang tuig kapin pa lamang nga bata nga malinawong gitugyan sa kamatayon pinaagi sa mga bala nga bisan wala’y tumong, mitagpas gihapon sa panapton, ang bata, kansang pangalan mamahimo na lamang tipik sa listahan sa tanang nangamatay ning tuiga. Sayop akong pangagpas nga ang duyan usa ka balwarte sa kalinaw alang niadtong wala pa masayod sa kalahian sa bangis ug balaan. Gihikawan siya sa liboan ka mga buntag nga buot pa unta niyang mohilak, moagik-ik ug magpahagwa.
Sa PAYAG sila
MINGPA
HuLAY by Alvin Dave Bensig
Yano lamang ang kinabuhi. Kita molihok.
Kita mopahulay.
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Sa Hacienda dinhi sa Sagay managsumpay ang kinabuhi natong mag-uuma. Adlaw-adlaw kitang molihok aron dunay ikapakaon sa atong pamilya ug aron mahatagan sa mga panginanghanlanon. Pirmi natong giatubang ang katubohan. Mananom. Mangbungkal. Ang panahon ang kontra ug payag ang higala. Ang minugnang payag gamit ang trapal ang atong kaambag sa panagkugi. Sa payag kita mopahulay kon asa ang pagsalo-salo sa mga giandam nga pagkaon sa atong pamilya ug mga higala. Sa payag kita mopahulay kon asa kita nagpakighinabi ug nag-ambit sa atong mga kahiubos, mga sugilanon, ug atong suporta. Mao ni ang atong langit. Apan sa unsa pagkahitaboa, kini nahimong impyerno. Ang mga buto-buto ang mingpukaw sa pahulay. Ang mga bala ang nisugat sa ato kon asa ang pagpahulay ning-abot na sa dayon. Sa payag sila mingpahulay kon asa ang mga dugo nga ning tulo sa ugang yuta ang mibisbis aron kini motambok og usab. Sa payag sila mingpahulay aron kining yutaa matuboan og himsog ug busok nga mga tanom. Ug samtang atong mga kauban nagpahulay na. Kita husto na ang atong pagpapahulay. Pagpapahulay sa atong mga hayahay nga kabalayan. Pagpapahulay sa atong maharuhay nga kinabuhi. Kay kadahuman sa pahulay. Ako. Kita. Molihok na og usab.
Ang pendulum sa mga takna mihunong diha-diha ug wala nay ritmo nga miuyon sa huyuhoy kay miungot man ang bala diha sa panapton ug nausab ang paagi sa pagtabyog. Naluwas ang bata sa kangil-ad niining kalibotan, unta didto sa iyang adtoan unta wala’y makapukan sa iyang mga bahakhak, didto wala’y buto ug gubat. Subo man pamalandungon, didto sa ilang payag, angay nang hiposon ang dili na matabyog nga duyan.
Illustration by John Manuel Legaspi
August - September 2019 Issue 09
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UP CEBU’S DAY OF REMEMBRANCE Graphics by Jose Roy Miana
by Bea Betina Marie Velaadiez
Forty-seven years ago, the nation stood still as the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos enacted Proclamation Order 1081, putting the entire Philippines under Martial Law. Priding on what the dictator called “New Society”, the ‘rebirth’ for the nation soon turned into the death sentence of thousands. Marcos’ Martial Law was a ploy to suppress the growing civil strife and dissent from the masses. The embossed “ironfisted” discipline in order to “save and reform society” was a mask to perpetuate a regime that was falling in its legitimacy. Under Martial Law, any suspicion of subversion was suppressed by the government, collective assemblies were banned, strict curfews were enforced, and the closure of media and print companies resulted to media blackout. The infamous Philippine Constabulary carried on orders to arrest and detain anyone deemed critical to the regime. Under his rule, Marcos plunged the nation into a reign of terror, debt, and human rights violations. Sumilon Once a farmer from Negros, Maximo Sumilon recounted his experience during the country’s darkest era during a cultural night held at UP Cebu Oble Square last September 18.
Judge Meinrado Paredes gave a more comprehensive, firsthand progression of the events which immediately followed Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law. When he began enumerating former peers who became Cebuano martyrs, Paredes could not help being emotional.
Sumilon, along with 70,000 more, was arrested under false charges of being a “communist”. He would later suffer the same fate as 34,000 others tortured under Martial Law. It was not until the People Power Revolution of 1986 that he would walk free.
If these would all happen again, I will march again.
Just when they thought they have already escaped state brutality, Sumilon also narrated how his 17-year-old daughter was gang raped by military men in Leyte during the Arroyo administration. Not being able to accept her fate, she committed suicide afterwards. Sumilon spends most of his time organizing communities at present. When asked if his family harbors any resentment, he said, “Wala raman. Kahibaw man mi nga ang gobyerno sad-an sa tanan.” “Di ni mausab ang sistema sa Pilipinas kung kita matulog ra.” Barcenas, Paredes, and Carvajal There persist claims that the 1972 Martial Law is the “golden era” of the country. The glory would soon turn to shame as the country would resurface after 1986 with P395.5B worth of debt from unpaid foreign loans that were supposedly lent for agricultural and industrial developments. “It can never be considered golden age unless you consider murder and plunder as characteristics of a golden age,” Atty. Democrito Barcenas blurted out during a public forum last September 19.
-Orlando Carvajal
“If these would all happen again, I agree with Judge Paredes when I say, ‘I will march again’,” Orlando Carvajal bravely suggested. “I’d run the risk of being he military safehouse. To tell you frankly, I did not even expect surviving it before.” Barcenas ended the discussion with an ominous declaration, “I want to be frank, we are facing a potential dictator,” urging students to remain vigilant and militant. A ‘De Facto’ Martial Law “Tataw gyud kung unsa ang tinuod nga tumong sa administrasyong Duterte—crackdown ug represyon,” Anakbayan UP Cebu Chairperson Nar Athena Mae Porlas exclaimed during the September 20 Day of Action. True enough, the Stop the Attacks Forum two days prior
10 TUG-ANI The Official Student Publication of the University of the Philippines Cebu
featured various stories of suffering and abuse under the Duterte administration mirroring the atrocities from 1972. Duterte’s onslaught against the poor on his ‘war on drugs’, re-extension of Martial Law in Mindanao displacing Lumad communities, deployment of armed troops in Samar, Negros, and Bicol under Memorandum Order No. 32, and baseless red-tagging against progressive groups, student leaders, and universities all seem to echo the makings of a one-man rule once again. Retrospective The “1081: Interactive, Retrospective” exhibit organized on September 20 by the Communicators of UP served as an immersive experience for students as they revisited and—to an extent—felt martial law first through reenactments and performances. “The exhibit deepened my understanding about Martial Law and its events, coming into somehow a close experience of what it was really like,” said a BA Communication freshie student after experiencing the interactive exhibit. Some of the participants were unable to bear the emotional weight of the exhibit as they broke down and lamented the bitter reality displayed by violence and impunity. Rightly so, to think that it was only a glimpse of a whole. The ultimate question, thus, is how we respond to this challenge thrust into us? Do we cower in fear? As the threat of a new era of martial law continue to loom over the margins of our nation, the tendrils of tyranny hold even the strongest of us into silence—and yet despite the gloom in our horizon, the youth will prevail, will remember, and will continue.
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ni ChiChi Rodriguez Illustration by Anil Yap
OBITUARY Helloooooo UP Cebu! Miss me? Ay char lang. Mga bibis paman wad Tsanselor awards? Luh. Abi ko man og students ato lardiay ni naa sa campus karon. Ahemm—take 2! gest stakeholder dre? Or tungod ba kay dunay mga estudyante kuno nga “walay pamatasan”? Ooof! Spill! Spill! Spill! Helloooooo freshiees! And sophomores! And sa mga 4th years nga gadali mahuman kay mahadlok mahibalik og first year, or Dapat pod diay ang Tug-ani naa nay Obituary page. And first sa mga 5th to 6th years nga na-fossil na sa tunghaan. of all, RIP sa UPBA. Reason of death kay basketball court nga gihimong parking lot. Huhu. Excited raba jod unta kayko anang My name is Chichi and na-finish na jod akong 2 years na LOA. ilang mga pubmat sauna kay hunk kaayo ila mga players. Pila Naka-graduate nalang si Ate Michelle, Papa Ed, nya Jace (con- pa kaha ka orgs ang dapat mamatay before naa natay action grats sa valedictory speech uwu) ug unbeatable Claire. Ari lang anang rental fees? Skskskss gihapon ko. Walay uso innovation or character development, EdBoard? Chezsmsss. Hapit na mosunod sa obituary kay ang transparency sa atong SC. Warning lang mga bibis ha? Dili ta mohulat nga naa nay Neweyzz, balik ta. Kamusta namo? Welcum to UP diay mga i-tweet before mo-reveal. Di sad ta mohulat og duha ka sebesh. Sry late ha? Laysho na raba kaayo ang UP namong ma- mana before mo-post sa minutes. Abi palang ene? Ma-politihal et. Naa nay pa-wellness ato OSA ug pa-zumba ang Union. cize nasad nya ta, kay “blue vs red” naman sad daw kuno ang Naa nay ampitheatre nga dako ug bidet nga hastang hinaya sa Cookout? Luh sirit. Chaka. Mas nakapanindot pa ang admin sa atong CR’s kumpara sa classrooms sa AS. Skl. Maypa ang SAIS way patay-patay. Sana ol. Speaking of admin, congrats diay tawn sa mga na-Gawad Tsanselor. Bongga kaayo atong event sah? Liman ka? 50,000 daw ang bouquet palang daan? Tapos duna pay LCD nga purting lapara. PEROOOO wala daw tay money enough para mo-accommodate sa Lumad? Hmm..
Ay dza! Mao na to oy. Nagbasa nalang ning akong baba sa kadaghang T. Want more of me? Chz. Stay tuned nalang sa next issue ppl. That is, if ma-process nanig paspas ato “no redtape” nga procurement, or if dili madayon ning militarization sa atong iskul.
Chika lang sad ba. Kanang, wala daw gi-invite ang SC sa Ga- Ciao!
Sugat is a double entendre. While on one end it may describe an “open wound”, it could also mean a “welcoming”. As we slowly approach the new decade, Hubo, the official Literary Folio of Tug-ani, in partnership with TINTA, will be opening our art and literary folio “Sugat”. MECHANICS: 1.) Submissions are open to all UP Cebu STUDENTS and ALUMNI. 2.) We are accepting poems, flash fiction, creative nonfiction/ essays, photos, drawings, and digital artworks that revolve around the theme. Contributors can either use their name or their pseudonym. 3.) Poems, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction/essays must be submitted as a Word document. Format: Times New Roman, size 12, single space. 4.) Poems, flash fiction, and creative nonfiction/essays must not be longer than 600 words. 5.) Artworks and photographs must be submitted in JPEG or PNG format. Captions are optional. 6.) Artworks and photographs in black and white are encouraged. 7.) Contributors can send as many submissions as they desire. All submissions shall undergo screening by the editorial board. 8.) Submissions must be sent to upcebutugani@gmail.com not later than January 24, 2020. The subject of the email must include “SUGAT LITFOLIO SUBMISSION” and must specify the category applied for. Multiple entries in multiple categories must be sent in separate emails.
Feel free to message us for questions or clarifications.
August - September 2019 Issue 11
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Ang Opisyal nga Mantalaan sa mga Tinun-an sa Uniberidad sa Pilipinas sa Sugbo 01 TUG-ANI The Official Student Publication of the University of the Philippines Cebu