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#LandToTheTillers
JOVANNIE ALMARIO
Tug-ani
the official student publication of the University of the Philippines Cebu
Editorial board Kenneth Michael Baba Editor-in-Chief
Jovannie Almario
Associate Editor - Internal
Beatrice Jubilee Orbiso Associate Editor - External
Candice Dorothy Alcarez Managing Editor
Kurt Daryle Romariz News Editor
Clive Joshua Rabuya
Feature and Culture Editor
Anil Yap
Creative Director
Kathryn Nicole Pareja Social Media Manager Secretariat:
Samantha Adriana Amatong Claire Angelie Gabisay Robert Roy Gallardo Sofia Lee Jae Yu Mel Joseph Castro
Harsh Year for the Tiller The Rice Liberalization Law, also known as Repubic Act 11203, remembers one year of enactment in February this year. However, this accomplishment equates a year of suffering among farmers, millers, and workers in the agricultural sector of the Philippines. This law, which opened our markets to rice imports from our neighboring countries, pit our farmers at a comparative disadvantage. Although this law imposes lighter prices among consumers, they are done at the expense of our tillers. Since its imposition, the price of palay (unhusked rice paddies) has gone down tremendously. The Philippine Statistics Authority released data that show a one-year decrease of prices from Php 23 per kilogram in September 2018 to an excruciating Php 15.50 in October 2019. Our local farmers experience an economic form of oppression through this law. In this current year, the prices depreciated to around Php 7-10 per kilogram. If this is deducted with the price of production, our farmers are almost at a loss, if not at equal leverage.
Their efforts in planting and growing a kilogram of this staple agricultural product could not even afford them to buy a can of sardines. In March, the Covid-19 pandemic came, and lockdowns alongside strict health protocols were imposed. As the crisis heightened, farmers continuously grieved to increase the prices of their palay to even just a little percentage. They were resented by the chairperson of the Senate Committee
on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform and RLL principal author, Senator Cynthia Villar, through a response saying “yung mga rice farmers natin, hindi sila competitive relative to the rice farmers of Vietnam and Thailand.” Now as the virus remains uncured and the possibility of creating a vaccine is still amorphous, farmers do not earn enough to sustain their daily needs. The Social Amelioration Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development proves insufficient to address these daily needs since farm-to-market roads were paralyzed and workers were restricted from reporting for duty for the past several months. What the government must do especially now in a time of great need is to scrap the implementation of this law and give financial aid to farmers to boost our agricultural sector’s economic boons. The 2021 national budget should cater to the needs of both the consumers and the producers without jeopardizing recovery measures and their cost of labor. Among these allocation initiatives must be bringing our farms closer to our markets by building efficient delivery mechanisms and adopting technological advancements from other nations to beef up economic production. A law instituting a genuine land reform program must also be legislated and implemented alongside an absolute end to slaying of farmers and union members. Instead of focusing on industrial and commercial projects under the Build, Build, Build program, the government should do well to first edify the country’s capacity to be food self-sufficient, at par with its Asian neighbors. In contrary to Villar’s hostile pronouncements, it must be noted that it is both the government’s and civil society’s challenge and mandate to make our local producers competitive, for our sake and the future’s.
02 TUG-ANI The Official Student Publication of the University of the Philippines Cebu
Guest Editor
Member of UP Solidaridad and the College Editors Guild of the Philippines
about the cover
Anil Yap How long can a mother’s heart bear longingness to her child’s warmth? And just how much more will a motherland bear her children’s spilled blood? For only until children could freely raise their arms and heads up high, and triumph in a field of withered hopes can a grieving mother’s tears be truly justified.
Hazel Joy Arong
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04 TUG-ANI The Official Student Publication of the University of the Philippines Cebu
Kyle Isabelle P. Francisco
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Kyle Isabelle P. Francisco
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DA RKER SHADES OF GREEN Gid Medina It’s the rainy season. Cold winds brush up people’s shoulders, dark clouds spur above, and raindrops delicately dance down windows and branches. We clasp on the mug in our hands, all while sitting down and goggling at the lush ambiance which somehow soothes a pinch of our worries. A few months ago, household walls were as plain as the color of coffee, and the soil was nothing but chocolate and a few rocks. How did this canvass bring into both house and apartment alike growing flora in just a few months?
Agnes is a fifty-year-old Cebuana self-made “plantita,” the newly coined term for flora lovers who joined in this quarantine gimmick. She owns over twenty species of plants in her home including a bougainvillaea plant, money tree, justice plant, and succulents, among others. It started when her friends posted their own plants on social media during quarantine, which eventually caught her interest in the green fever and successfully enticed her to start decorating the family garden. Agnes purchased plants from her friends and received gifts from other budding enthusiasts. They all believe one thing in common: plant tending has become an effective icebreaker, a positive distraction from stay-at-home stress. However, the massive influx of sales among Agnes and their growing community of hobbyists also paved the way for price inflation of exotic and rare plant species. From ferns to caladiums to rubber trees, prices have increased by 35 to 40 percent above its usual numbers before the pandemic. Despite the national economic situation and these ballooning costs, people still set aside some cash to augment their collection.
People hoard different kinds of plant species as long as they please the eye and match preferred garden themes. Given the rich biodiversity of our country, plants come in different sizes and forms, are beautiful on their own, and present as a great addition to our greeneries.
Greening the new normal
Thus, the trend presents a looming problem from a conservation standpoint. Home-grown green sanctuaries and increasing demand in online selling platforms have caused a rise in illegal trade for endemic and rare plants. Already facing unemployment and little government support, many residents in rural areas have resorted to wild flora poaching as an alternative source of income.
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For me and my family, it is good to have plants in our homes especially that we are living in an urban place where pollution is everywhere.”
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Beatrice Jubilee Orbiso
From petting to penalty
The pandemic which shoved us to our homes turned these blank spaces into luscious green. While outside life is on hold, isolation has compelled many people to join a gardening craze and, fascinating enough, open up another slice of life few ever expected to have. Filipinos now venture into a verdant new normal of plant tending culture.
Being a plantita can significantly help the environment. Plants help in making fresh air and also promote happiness and reduce our stress,” said Agnes.
Wild plants, pretty as they may be, sport a different kind of shade—one that exudes protecting instead of ownership. In a positive light, becoming a plantito and plantita has no malice in and of itself, and is even beneficial for personal well-being. Still, one should be aware of the varieties we put on our soil, and this will only take fruit when we uphold and develop environmental awareness and education. If we ever aspire to become responsible plantitos and plantitas, we should first need to realize the value these natural resources hold in preservation and, in extension, sustainability.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Central Visayas Executive Director Paquito Melicor emphasized that the public be reminded that poaching threatened wildlife plants is a violation of Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. Under law, oblivious offenders may be apprehended for owning a plant they never thought to be endemic or wild, with punishment for involvement reaching as high as fouryear imprisonment and a 300,000-peso fine. Even the simplest act of transporting threatened wildlife can lead to a year in jail.
Anya Isabela Abadia Welcome to the Philippines, a country with the most amiable and breathtaking tourist spots. Here, in our lovely land, operations do not stop just because of a “common cold” running rampant across the globe. Despite approaching the top countries with most Covid-19 cases, we are ready and raring to accommodate the every need of those who need a vacation after months of being under lockdown. Enjoy your time here—as long as you’re able to pay for your accommodations, of course.
What makes the Manila Bay White Sand Beach shine its pristine white? Well, it comes from dolomite mined from the hillside of Alcoy, Cebu. It’s embarrassing to say, but it wasn’t discovered that the operations pursued for years without permit until the beach was opened. The mining companies responsible have been suspended, but the hillside has already taken significant damage. Not to mention, the provincial government admits that extraction of rocks has damaged marine ecosystem in the area.
Now, I’m sure you must be here to visit the newly rehabilitated Manila Bay White Sand Beach, are you not? The timing of your visit is rather inconvenient. On September 20, people amassed along the entire 380-meter stretch of Manila Bay just to see the teeny-tiny beach covering only the baywalk in front of Roxas Boulevard.
But, it can’t be helped! What’s done is done. You can shift your environmental concerns toward Manila Bay instead. Surely, that area is now good as new.
Don’t worry! Warnings were issued to observe distancing. It’s inevitably on the shoulders of those irresponsible Filipinos—no, not the government—if they happen to contract the disease and spread it further. But at least they nabbed a few good pictures of the lovely view!
Are you still concerned about other environmental issues surrounding the implementation of Manila Bay’s white sands? Why, the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program was implemented with the intention the help the environment! Both dolomite boulders and corals contain calcium carbonate, says DENR’s Benny Antiporda. So there’s no need to worry about damaging the sea even when dolomite are washed away—not that such a thing is happening with the beach. What’s actually happening on the beach is that darker sand is being washed in from the sea, at least that’s what DENR sells. It’s truly rewarding to see a 389 million-peso project flourishing. The whole rehabilitation program began back in January 2019 and only now, in the midst of this pandemic, are we seeing physical results. The best part is, supposedly, only Php 28 million of the Php 389 million allocated for the beautification has been used so far, leaving plenty of potential for further improvement to the Bay.
06 TUG-ANI The Official Student Publication of the University of the Philippines Cebu
The ever-generous and dolphin lover Palace spokesperson Harry Roque has also informed us that these funds can’t be reallocated to the present COVID-19 crisis, not when it could feed 80,000 hungry Filipino families, or provide 21,000 laptops for online classes, or purchase 114,000 testing kits*. But, of course, the Manila Bay White Sands Beach will surely do more in improving public mental health and distracting people away from the crisis, as long as its coupled with daily prayer, that is. So many questions from you, my friend. You sound like those environmental groups, public officials, and many other Filipinos who have been criticizing this project’s untimely priority in a pandemic. You should be thankful that, as our beloved visitor, you get exclusive access to the beautiful beach. Run along now, and make sure you take a good selfie of yourself at the beach and share it with your friends! The Philippines would love to welcome more paying visitors to the country, preferably Chinese ones. Thank you, and enjoy your stay!
*Numbers were lifted from the October 5 infographic of the Today’s Carolinian.
Candice Dorothy Alcarez
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HARVARD NAMING * MAHAL Clive Joshua Rabuya
Elijah Redoble
In a nation where education has gone online and backups have been exhausted, Filipino students are oftentimes left with little choice in their pursuit of a diploma. And in a fad which swept the nation for a few days, some resorted to humour and escaped to fictional narratives to aspire for quality education that remains out of reach. On the last days of August, social media feed was flooded with posts of Filipino netizens pretending to be students of academic giant Harvard University. The fad apparently started when Harvard’s official Facebook page released a photo album depicting their empty campus as the administration implemented distance learning and other precautions against Covid-19. Several Filipinos feasted on the photos and added their own captions of made-up, albeit humorous, memories of their experience of studying in the university. The phenomenon snowballed from there. Although generally harmless, some Filipinos took to replying under real Harvard student and alumni’s comments, causing unintended irritation and confusion. A counter-movement dubbing the fad as toxic formed, and the whole thing died down just as quickly as it lured unwary netizens, but not without opening an opportunity for discourse.
Tinig namin, sana’y dinggin As it is, no definitive reason can be pinpointed as to why the fad started in the first place. Perhaps it came from the distinct Filipino humor, or the inherent need of belonging in a crowd. Maybe no logical answer exists at all. Whatever the case may be, the short-lived phenomenon can be seen as a reflection of unequal education, and as a critique of how a privileged few are able to thrive while others wallow in dreams and fantasy.
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Nearly all major tertiary institutions in the nation have begun an unpredictable, unprepared, untested school year under a global pandemic. Determined to prevent a delay, the Department of Education ordered basic and secondary levels to follow suit in October. If thousands of posts from students across the nation are to be believed, the first weeks of the semester have already been draining as is, and full repercussions on mental health, finances, and learning capacity have abound. Students feel like lab rats for the second time, the first one being under the K to 12 curriculum, and teachers have become cogs in a structural machine which has been oiled with callousness to human needs. The entire process of learning detaches students from community goals, teaching them that schooling exists for personal situational improvement. Because of this, many people graduate with little more than a tokenistic lesson about using acquired skills for nation-building. Since barely any success is viewed in the future of peasants or factory workers, children are taught at a young age to pursue schooling at whatever cost. Well-being is casually shoved aside if it means graduating on time with a profitable diploma. Under that context, it becomes easy to see why many who are woefully unfit to pursue online classes choose to do it anyway. The alternative becomes an implicit admission that one is a failure who is not good enough, even when the circumstances are beyond one’s control.
Malayong lupain, hindi kailangang marating The Filipino society has long embraced the notion of human value being based on productivity. As such, learning institutions have become businesses, and the academia is commodified. And such as with all other products, foreign ones are perceived as better, brought not by nationalist practice but by post-world war neocolonialism. Thus, new generations deserve more than profit-driven and restrictive universities who brag about accolades but sweep compassion under the rug. An environment that prioritizes output and productivity above all else is not an environment of education, but a factory. Scholars of the nation should not fantasize about attending elitist, Western-centric universities when fellow youth are left in the dust. An education which fosters disparity is not an education worth having. A cry for change needs to come from the ground up, one that demands education that is accessible, empowering, and—despite the pandemic—safe.
*Title and headers are derived from Nicanor Abelardo’s university anthem.
Under the banner of the Ligtas na Balik Eskwela campaign by Rise for Education Alliance Cebu, both the Unified Student Organizations and the All UP Academic Employees Union - UP Cebu chapter forwarded concerns and demands amid remote learning of students (left) and workers (right), respectively.
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04 TUG-ANI The Official Student Publication of the University of the Philippines Cebu
Kyle Isabelle P. Francisco