Ika -86 ta on • Blg . 16 • 12 Nob 2008
Philippine Collegian
r
C
Opisyal na lingguhang pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas - Diliman
as
The world at the brink
of financial meltdown
W
hen the United
States
(US)
sneezes, the world
catches a cold, or so an old
saying goes. And true enough,
when disastrous closing prices
flickered on the tickers of the
New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE), its dire repercussions
virally spread across the globe,
h
sending other world superpowers
and, more so, underdeveloped
nations, scampering to cushion
themselves from its devastating
impacts.
During the past few months,
US
banks
and
financial
institutions have plummeted
into bankruptcy, prompting the
US government to save them
through an unprecedented $700billion bailout plan. Financial
institutions Freddie Mac and
Fanny Mae, whose mortgage
loans amounted to 70 percent
of all housing credits in the US,
were placed under the control
C ur
o
of the Federal Reserve (Fed),
the central banking system
of America. The American
International
Group,
the
biggest insurance firm in the
world, was infused with $85
billion by the Fed to avert a
possible collapse.
‘Grand casino’
The NYSE, as with the
other stock exchange centers
in the world, is a financial
market that facilitates the
selling and buying of stocks,
bonds and securities, and
extension of loans. Banks and
other financial institutions
gain profit in the financial
market through interests and
dividends. As opposed to the
productive real economy, the
financial economy deals with
fictitious or paper capital that
does not produce any single
commodity.
se
Feature >>p.5
Illustr ation: ARCHIE oCLOS PAGE DESIGN: Angelo Reyes
Manic
Mondays
False
ImPRESSions
07
08 kultura
lathalain
Novemb er 2 0, 1 9 7 2
SUMMING UP
The UP College of Agriculture, through Presidential Decree No. 58, was transformed
into UP Los Baños, the first autonomous unit led by a chancellor. The UPCA then became
the core of UPLB, together with the College of Forestry (CF), ACCI, the DTRI, the Graduate
School, and the Agrarian Reform Institute (ARI), which was then located at UP Diliman.
I n com m em orati on of the U ni vers i ty o f t h e P h i l i p p i n e s ' c e n t e n n i a l , t h e P h i l i p p i n e C o l l e g i a n
l ooks back o n o n e h u n d re d y e a r s o f h i s t o r y.
02 Balita
Philippine Collegian | Miyerkules, 12 Nob 2008
Unappealing:
The appalling appeals process of the STFAP
ULAT
SIYASAT
Kristine Angeli Sabillo*
N
ow on its second year,
the revised Socialized
Tuition and Financial
Assistance Program (STFAP)
continues to draw criticism,
ranging from the factors
considered
in
establishing
a student’s socio-economic
condition to the efficiency of the
bracket assignment process.
The STFAP, approved in
2006 along with the 300percent tuition increase in
undergraduate courses in UP,
categorizes students according
to their family incomes and
other variables to determine the
tuition subsidy they are entitled
to. Students with family incomes
from P500,000 are automatically
assigned to either bracket A or B,
charged from P1,000 to P1,500
per unit, and may enjoy a lower
rate if they apply for the lower
STFAP brackets. (See sidebar.)
STFAP data show that only 26
students or 0.48 percent, less than
half of last year’s 1.09 percent, of
the freshmen and sophomores in
UP Diliman are in bracket E and
have received a semestral stipend
of P12,000.
While application for the new
STFAP increased by 49 percent
this year, only two out of three
from the 2007 batch applied
again, according to the latest
data. The 293 appeals last year
or 18 percent of the new and old
STFAP applicants also declined
to 11 percent this year amidst the
increase in applicants.
For your (re)assignment
In the new STFAP, a student’s
bracket is derived from these four
factors: the bracket requested,
stated annual income of the
family, predicted income and
wealth indicators, which may
Alphabetic STFAP Scheme
Annual Family Income
Bracket
Tuition per unit
E
P80,000 and below
D
P80,001 and P135,000
P300
C
P135,001 and P500,000
P600
B
P500,001 to P1 million
P1,000
A
more than P1 million
automatically assign a student to
bracket A like having swimming
pools.
This information is collected
through the student’s application
form, submitted documents
and the Computer Center’s
computation of the family’s
predicted income based on a
formula assessing the value of
the family’s assets.
The predicted incomes resulting
from the STFAP computations,
however, do not seem reflective of
the real condition of the student,
said UP Manila (UPM) student
council chair Robert Go, also a
member of UPM’s Committee
on Scholarship and Financial
Assistance (CSFA). UP Student
Regent Shahanah Abdulwahid
added that a lot of students appeal
for bracket reassignment because of
the predicted income computation.
Go mentioned an instance
when three students in bracket C
were appealing to be reassigned
to bracket D. According to him,
one of the students with a father
working abroad seemed better
off, while the other two, who
were in the same bracket, lived
in “squatter’s areas” and slept on
mats.
Under bracket D, they would
be required to pay P300 per unit,
an amount which they cannot
afford, said Prof. Maria Serena
Diokno, one of the proponents
of an alternative STFAP structure.
Diokno said that based on the 2003
Family Income and Expenditure
Survey (with prices inflated to
the 2006 level), families with
income under bracket D can only
afford to spend P800 annually on
education.
From E to A
“There is an appeals process
if the student doesn’t feel that
it (bracket assigned) is not a fair
assessment,”said Prof. Emmanuel
Esguerra, an economics professor
and member of the committee
that revised the STFAP.
Sophomore April (not her real
name) underwent the appeal
process, submitting a letter
citing her reasons for the appeal
and another application form.
However, she was twice denied
and remains in bracket A.
When she first enrolled in UP,
she was under bracket B. Since
her family could not afford the
P20,000-fee per semester, she
applied for bracket C but was
reassigned to bracket A.
Now on her third and
final appeal, if the committee
maintains her assignment in
bracket A, April would have to
pay a P15,000-deficit, due to
the lower bracket assignment in
her first year, to be able to enrol
again.
Depending on a student’s
reassignment, one may get a refund
or pay a deficit for being assigned to a
lower or higher bracket. According to
Go, the refund sometimes only applies
to the student’s second semester
payment, as the result of appeals come
out way after the first semester.
No house visits
“If they could only see our
house and its condition, [they
would understand],” April said,
frustrated that the STFAP office
has not visited their house in
Nueva Ecija even after more than
a year of appeal.
Armando de Leon, Diliman
scholarship affairs officer, said
home visits are vital to gauge and
prove the claimed condition of
the family. Due to financial, time
and geographical constraints,
some houses are not visited, and
the student is simply interviewed
at the STFAP office.
Among students who appeal,
those living in Metro Manila
and provinces in Region IV are
usually the first to be visited.
Those in farther provinces may
also be cross-visited by other UP
units.
“There are times when we
lack manpower. [Sometimes]
P12,000 plus stipend
P1,500
most [of our colleagues] are on
home visits and only two are left
[in the office],” De Leon said. In
UPD, every one STFAP employee
entertains at least 204 applicants,
based on the 2008 data.
Abdulwahid said that during
her consultations with students
in different UP units, she was
told that some STFAP employees
discourage
students
from
applying for lower brackets in
the socialized tuition program
because they lack manpower to
process the applications.
Unappealing committees
After a home visit, a report,
together with footage of the house,
is written and sent to the campus’s
CSFA, which is responsible for
reassigning brackets.
The CSFA handles granting
appeals only up to bracket D and
two brackets higher or lower
the student’s original bracket. A
change to a bracket more than
two levels higher or an eligible
appeal for bracket E is sent to
the university-level committee,
which has members from the
different campuses.
The appeals committee’s
deliberation, however, also seem
arbitrary, said Abdulwahid who
was a member of last year’s
Diliman appeals committee and
this year’s university committee.
Go said that sometimes the
committee members in Manila
disregard the predicted income
assessment altogether and assign
the bracket they deem fit.
Abdulwahid added it is harder
in Diliman, where certain
members stick to the criteria
of the formula, disregarding
the other pertinent factors not
included in the set variables.
Go suggests that the campus
andcommittees also convene more
often, instead of meeting only
once a month to deliberate on the
large number of appeals, and the
university committee, also more
often than once per semester.
Subsidize the students
Abdulwahid also said, “It’s
supposed to be [that] the
administration subsidizes the
students, not the other way
around where the students
subsidize their schoolmates.”
She added, “If we really want
to give financial assistance,
we should be considerate in
[assigning
lower]
brackets.
Besides, the administration said
we’re not after the income. We’re
after socializing the system.”
Both UP President Emerlinda
Roman and Esguerra said that they
are open to a change in the STFAP,
but only after enough data are
gathered by the end of the year.
While Esguerra said these are
errors that the program can learn
from, for the students, it’s a matter
of being able or not able to enrol,
and study in the premier state
university that used to claim that it
is the University for the Poor. n
*Sabillo is a student of journalism
at the UP College of Mass
Communication in Diliman. She
wrote this article for her investigative
journalism class last semester.
Relentless
nMembers of various student organizations hold a program at the Palma Hall
lobby during the registration period to reiterate their stand on the tuition and
other fees increase implemented by the UP administration. Om Narayan A. Velasco
Balita
Balita 03
Huwebes, 7 12
AgoNob
2008
Philippine Collegian | Miyerkules,
2008
Mga kontraktwal na
manggagawa ng UP Min,
wala pang dagdag sahod
Marjohara Tucay
B
agaman
nauna
nang
naipamahagi
sa
mga
permanenteng kaguruan at
kawani ng UP Mindanao ang 10
porsyentong karagdagang sahod,
wala pa ring nailalabas na pondo
para sa umento ng mga kontraktwal
na empleyado dito.
AniUPMindanaoChancellorGilda
Rivero, sapat lamang ang inilaang
pondo para sa 94 permanenteng
empleyado sa yunit, at wala nang
naitabi ang administrasyon para
sa mga kontrakwal na empleyado,
na mahigit sangkatlo ng mga
manggagawa sa UP Mindanao.
Manggagaling sa lump sum
o matitirang pondo na ibinigay
ng Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) ang sahod ng
mga kontrakwal na manggagawa,
ayon kay Vice President for Planning
and Finance Ma. Concepcion Alfiler.
Aniya, sa pagtutuos ng DBM,
tanging mga regular na empleyado
lamang ang isinasama sa anumang
pagtataas ng sweldo.
Panandaliang naantala ang
pamamahagi ng karagdagang
sahod, ayon na rin sa utos ni Rivero,
matapos umano niyang malamang
para sa mga regular na empleyado
lamang ang inilaang pondo ng
DBM.
Kasalukuyan
pang
nakikipagnegosasyon
ang
pamunuan ng UP sa ahensiya para
makapaglabas ng karagdagang
pondo para sa mga kontrakwal na
empleyado, ani Alfiler.
Samantala, sa halip na Oktubre
15, na itinakda sa memorandum
ni UP President Emerlinda Roman,
ipinamahagi ang karagdagang sahod
sa mga permanenteng empleyado
ng UP Mindanao noong Nobyembre
7 lamang. Nakatakdang tumanggap
ang lahat mga empleyado ng UP
ng karagdagang sahod mula noong
Hulyo.
Ayon kay Judy Taguiwalo, national
vice president for faculty ng All
UP Academic Employees Union,
“Kailangang mai-follow-up ng UP
administration ang usaping iyan
sa DBM dahil hindi naman regular
employees lang ang dapat [may]
salary increase,” ani Judy Taguiwalo,
“Ngayong nakuha na ng mga
regular employee [ng UP] ang
wage increase, it is time [for the
administration] to consider other
important issues gaya ng biglaang
pagtaas ng tax bracket ng mga
empleyado dahil sa wage increase,”
dagdag niya.
Aniya, hindi na umano
makasasapat ang 10 porsyentong
dagdag sahod dahil tumataas din
naman ang lahat ng mga bayarin at
ang cost of living.
"If you want to have a university
that combines excellence and service,
there should be a commensurate
salary allocation for the employees,"
saad ni Taguiwalo. Kailangan pa
umanong magkaroon ng kahit
P3,000 across-the-board na umento
upang tunay na maramdaman ng
mga manggagawa ang dagdag
sahod.n
Ebidensya umano sa pagkawala
nina Karen at She, pinababantayan
Balao, nawawala pa rin
Marjohara Tucay
N
agpetisyon sa Korte
Suprema ang pamilya
Empeño at Cadapan
upang ilagay sa pamamahala ng
korte ang isang lugar sa Limay,
Bataan na pinagdalhan umano sa
dalawang nawawalang mag-aaral
ng UP.
Ayon sa petisyong may
petsang Oktubre 16, kailangan
umanong bantayan ng lokal
na pamahalaan at pulisya ng
Bataan ang hinihinalang kampo
upang hindi magalaw ang mga
ebidensyang naroon.
Batay
ang
petisyon
sa
imbestigasyong isinagawa ng
isang fact-finding team na
binubuo ng mga miyembro
ng Karapatan, Commission on
Human Rights (CHR), Senate
Committee on Justice and
Human Rights, at ng ilang mga
anthropologist mula sa UP.
Nagtungo ang grupo sa Brgy.
Bliss, Limay, Bataan noong
Oktubre 12 at 13.
Nauna nang itinanggi ng
militar na nagtayo sila ng kampo
sa Brgy. Bliss. Ayon sa pahayag ni
Colonel Felipe Anotado, dating
pinuno ng 24th Infantry Battalion,
sa Brgy. Duale sila nagtayo ng
kampo.
Nagsagawa ng imbestigasyon
ang fact-finding committee
kaugnay ng inaprubahang writ
of amparo para kina Empeño
at Cadapan, at Manuel Merino,
magsasakang kasama umanong
dinukot ng dalawang mag-aaral,
na nagbibigay-pahintulot na
magsagawa ng mga pagsisisayasat
sa mga lugar na sinasabing
pinagtaguan sa tatlo.
Mga piraso ng buto
Ayon sa Karapatan, nakakuha
ang grupo ng mga ebidensya
tulad ng tinibag na semento,
mga lumang tubo ng tubig, at
mga piraso ng buto na ayon sa
anthropologist na si Dr. Francisco
Datar ay pag-aari ng tao.
Si Raymond Manalo, nakatakas
na biktima ng pwersahang
pagdukot, ang gumabay sa grupo
patungo sa eksaktong lokasyon
na sinasabi niyang katatagpuan
ng dating kampong pinagpiitan
sa kanya kasama ang dalawang
mag-aaral at ni Merino.
Alinsunod
ang
mga
ebidensyang
nakalap
sa
testimonya ni Manalo, kung
saan isinaad niyang nagtayo ang
militar ng kampo sa nasabing
lugar. Isinaad din ni Manalo na
sinunog sa kampo ang mga labi
ni Merino.
Mahigit dalawang taon na
ang nakakaraan nang dukutin
umano ng mga militar sa
Hagonoy, Bulacan sina Empeño
at Cadapan. Bagaman binigyan
na ng writ of amparo ang dalawa,
nawawala pa rin sila hanggang
ngayon.
Nawawalang UP alumnus
Samantala, higit sa isang
buwan nang nawawala si James
Balao, kasapi ng grupong
Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA),
na hinihinalang dinukot ng mga
militar.
Ayon sa Cordillera Human
Rights Alliance, may mga
nakalap silang impormasyong
nagsasabing dinakip si Balao
ng mga nakasibilyang lalaki
bandang ikawalo ng umaga ng
Setyembre 17 sa La Trinidad,
Benguet.
Naghain na ng petition for
writ of habeas corpus at writ
of amparo sa Korte Suprema
ang pamilya ni Balao noong
Oktubre 8. Hiniling ng kanyang
Bloody Heist
n Onlookers, media and the police surround the crime scene in front of the
Philippine Veterans Bank at the Bahay ng Alumni after a group of robbers gunned
down two security escorts and a bank teller on November 10. The incident
has caused fear around the campus, especially those living near the Bahay ng
Alumni. While Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte Jr. has appealed to the UP
administration to "re-examine" its police-ban policy, the Diliman Police calls for
more reinforcement to further ensure the security in the campus. Om Nar ayan
A. Velasco.
3 men killed in Diliman
bank robbery
Ma. Rosa Cer M. dela Cruz
T
hree bank employees
were shot dead after
unidentified men robbed
an armored van delivering a still
undetermined amount of cash to
a bank at the UP Bahay ng Alumni
in Diliman on November 10.
Investigators from Quezon City
Police District (QCPD) identified
the victims as Philippine Veterans
Bank (PVB) teller Genaro Aguirre
of San Andres, Manila, and
security escorts Rene Demery of
Alabang, Muntinlupa City, and
Renato Reyes of Tondo, Manila.
The victims were to deliver
money to the branch. Demery
and Reyes stationed themselves
to secure the area, while Aguirre
carried the collections. Van driver
Reynaldo Escranda, meanwhile,
remained inside the bulletproof
vehicle and stood witness as
the robbers gunned down his
colleagues.
Initial reports stated that at
around 1 pm, as the victims
stepped out of the armored van,
reportedly six casually-dressed
men arrived and fired, killing
them instantly with fatal wounds
on the head and chest. One of
pamilya na imbestigahan ang
mga kampong maaari umanong
pinagtataguan kay Balao, gaya ng
Camp Aguinaldo at Camp Crame
sa Quezon City, at sa 50th Infantry
Battalion sa San Juan, Ilocos Sur.
Ayon kay Beverly Longid,
tagapangulo ng CPA, nakatanggap
din sila ng impormasyong buhay
umano si Balao at nakakulong
sa isa sa mga nabanggit na
kampong piitan ng militar.
“These developments make the
the suspects also took Reyes’s
rifle before leaving the scene.
Marlo Pempe, a security guard
stationed at the bank’s entrance,
said he saw the suspects driving
away in a blue Mitsubishi
Adventure with plate number
WJK 409 parked along Magsaysay
Ave. He ran and fired at the
departing vehicle, resulting to
a brief crossfire as the robbers
escaped. According to reports,
witnesses had seen the robbers
as they transfered to a maroon
Toyota Revo.
The QCPD is still investigating
the incident. Witnesses including
Escranda were brought to the
QCPD headquarters in Camp
Karingal
for
questioning.
Based on reports, Escranda,
who survived the encounter
unscathed, is now considered a
suspect of the crime.
Meanwhile, UP Diliman Vice
Chancellor for Community
Affairs Cynthia Grace Gregorio
said that the administration
issued a directive to security
units on November 10 that will
strengthen security on campus,
particularly in Palma Hall and
the Cashier Office, where tuition
payments are being collected. n
granting of the writ of amparo
more urgent,” ani Longid.
Kabilang si Balao sa 7 biktima ng
sapilitang pagkawala sa Pilipinas
ngayong taon. Sa kabuuan, 199
kaso ng sapilitang pagkawala at
933 kaso ng politikal na pagpatay
ang naitala mula 2001. Nagtapos
siya ng BS Psychology sa UP
Baguio noong 1981 at naging
patnugot ng Outcrop, ang opisyal
na pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral
ng nasabing campus. n
04 Balita
Philippine Collegian | Miyerkules, 12 Nob 2008
Proseso ng admin sa pagpili ng staff
regent, tinututulan ng mga kawani
Richard Jacob Dy
M
ariing tinututulan ng
unyon ng mga kawani ng
UP ang panghihimasok
umano ng administrasyon sa
pagbalangkas ng alituntunin sa
pagpili ng staff regent.
Alinsunod sa bagong UP Charter,
magsisilbi ang staff regent sa loob
ng dalawang taon sa Board of
Regents (BOR), ang pinakamataas na
tagagawa at tagadesisyon ng palisiya
ng pamantasan. Siya ang magiging
kinatawan ng halos 8,000 kawaning
administratibo at 1,500 na research,
extension at professional staff (REPS)
sa BOR.
Ani Noli Anoos, pambansang
tagapangulo ng All-UP Workers’
Union (AUPWU), inatasan umano
ng administrasyon ang bawat
chancellor na magtalaga ng komite,
na binubuo ng REPS at kawaning
administratibo, na magtatakda ng
patakaran sa pagpili ng staff regent
sa pagpupulong ng Presidential
Advisory Council noong Oktubre 13.
Ayon sa charter, tanging “duly
recognized organizations” ng REPS
at kawaning administratibo lamang
ang magbabalangkas ng patakaran
sa proseso.
Sinabi ni Anoos na ipinanukala
ng administrasyon na maaaring
magmula ang mahahalal na staff
regent sa lahat ng yunit ng UP
maliban sa Diliman, dahil dito rin
magmumula ang susunod na faculty
regent. (Sumangguni sa kaugnay sa
artikulo sa pahina 4.)
Habang isinusulat ang balitang ito,
wala pa ring komento si UP President
Emerlinda Roman.
Ayon kay Anoos, ipinaliwanag ni
Roman sa pulong ng PAC na paiiralin
umano ang alituntunin na ginawa
ng komite bawat yunit kung saan
magmumula ang nominasyon para
sa posisyon. Taliwas umano ito sa nais
ng unyon na bumuo ng pinag-isang
patakaran na iminungkahi nito sa
administrasyon ng bawat yunit, aniya.
Kinundena naman ni Anoos ang
hindi pagkilala sa AUPWU upang
gumawa ng unified rules bagaman
sila ang“sole and exclusive bargaining
unit” na siyang nararapat kumatawan
sa mga usaping pangkawaning
administratibo at REPS.
Sa panukalang unified rules ng
AUPWU, magsasagawa ng dalawang
nominasyon kung saan tatanggap ng
nominasyon sa lahat ng yunit at pipili
ng limang kandidato na maglalaban
sa huli. Bubuo ng commission
on elections na mamamahala ng
halalan.
Ilang
kwalipikasyong
iminumukahi ng All-UP Workers’
Alliance (AUPWA) ang pagiging
aktibong miyembro ng AUPWA nang
hindi bababa sa tatlong taon, hindi
nahatulan ng kasong administratibo
at hindi hihigit sa 63 taong gulang.
Nararapat ding makapasa ang mga
nominado sa performance evaluation
ng alyansa, ayon sa panukala. n
Hindi Sapat
nNagmartsa patungong Batasan ang mga kasapi ng All Government
Employees Unity upangsalubungin ng protesta ang pagbukas-sesyon
ng Kongreso at igiit ang P3,000 dagdag sa minimum wage noong
Nobyembre 10. Nanindigan rin ang mga grupo laban sa Salary
Standardization Law 3 kung saan nakasaad na 30 porsyento lamang
ang dagdag para sa mga empleyadong nasa salary grade 1 (utility
workers, clerks) habang 100 hanggang 142 porsyento sa matataas na
posisyon (kawaksing kalihim, Pangulo ng Pilipinas). Om Narayan A. Velasco
The nominees at a glance
Article by
John Alliage Morales
Judy Taguiwalo
774 nominations
Associate professor, College of Social Work and
Community Development
Founding national president, All-UP Academic
Employees Union (AUPAEU)
I am also aware that [being a BOR member] demands
the broadest possible vision of UP as national university in
the service of our people
Dante Canlas
243 nominations
Professor 12, School of Economics
Former Director-General, National Economic and
Development Authority
Being a faculty regent is about governance, which
encompasses formulating rules and administering the play
of the game in an institution of higher learning
Leticia Peñano-Ho
14 nominations
Professor, College of Education
Former Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Relationship between the faculty and administration can
be collegial, not adversarial since they have a shared goal
Principled faculty representation in the Board of
Regents (BOR) is Taguiwalo’s administration thrust
should she win in this year’s selection. Known
union leader and progressive educator, Taguiwalo,
who has served the university for 20 years, says her
administration will ensure that the Office of the Faculty
Canlas envisions to make UP a “world-class university
in the 21st century.” Each university constituents, he
says, need to strenghten unique advantage in course
and degree offerings, research and development, and
promulgate rules of tenure, promotion and merit
increases.
“Being a faculty regent is about governance, which
For Peñano-Ho, governance is most effective
when there is cooperation among the stakeholders.
”Relationship between the faculty and administration
can be collegial, not adversarial since they have a shared
goal,” she says in her vision paper.
Peñano-Ho, who has 37 years of service in the
university, believes the OFR should serve as the voice
in the governance of the university and as a mode of
redress for grievances. In doing so, she plans to mobilize
con ti n u e d on p.10
cont inu ed on p.10
c o n tin ued o n p.10
Kultura 05
Philippine Collegian | Miyerkules, 12 Nob 2008
N
agmamadali. Tumatalilis. Bumibilis.
Libu-libong mga paa ang naguunahan sa pagsakay sa mga dekur­yenteng tren ng Light Rail Transit (LRT)
sa Taft at sa Santolan-Recto. Halos walang
pansinan ang hindi magkakakilala sa
pagsakay at maging sa pagbaba. Hinahabol
ang takbo ng mga kamay ng orasan, huwag
lang mahuli sa trabaho o sa eskwela. Umaga
pa lang, tagtag na ang enerhiya ng mga
pasahero.
At upang hindi maburyong sa sikip sa loob ng
tren ang mga pasahero, bukod sa pagpapakinig
ng musika sa loob ng tren, may mababasang
posters ng mga tula sa wikang Español at salin
sa Filipino. Mga tulang nakalimbag, kasama
ang makukulay na larawan ng Maynila, mga
halaman, at mga hayop sa lupa’t dagat.
Ito ang Berso sa Metro, isang programang
inilunsad noong isang taon ng Instituto Cervantes
en Manila, na pangkulturang institusyon ng
pamahalaan ng España sa Pilipinas.
Wikang Indio
Layon ng Berso sa Metro na maibalik ang
halaga’t sigla ng pagbabasa ng publiko, lalo na ng
mga sumasakay sa LRT. Umaabot ng humigitkumulang isang milyon ang pasahero ng LRT
araw-araw. Dahil nasa pampublikong sasakyan,
hindi maiiwasan ng paningin ang mga tulang
nasa may bandang kisame ng tren.
Naipakikilala ng Berso ang akda ng mga
makatang Español na sina Calderon de la
Barca, Lope de Vega, Federico Garcia Lorca,
Antonio Machado, Luis Cernuda, Luis Rosales,
Miguel Hernandez at Gil de Biedma; ng mga
Pilipino na sina Jose Rizal, Jesus Balmori, Claro
M. Recto, Jose Palma, at Evangeline Guerrero;
at ng mga Latino Amerikano na sina Pablo
Neruda at Cesar Vallejo.
Mababasa sa orihinal na Español at
salin sa Filipino ang mga siniping tulang
kabilang sa Berso sa Metro. Umiikot
ang mga paksa sa pag-ibig, pagsulat,
at kalikasan. Halimbawa nito’y ang
pigil na pagsinta ng “De mi Jardin”
ni Jose Palma: ayokong magdusa
ang mga bulaklak na iyan,/ gaya
ng pagdurusa ng puso kong
malayo sa iyo;/ ayokong sa
sandaling hawakan ng aking
kamay,/ iya’y malanta’t
mamatay. Sining naman ng
paglikha ang inilalahad ng
“Mi Piden Versos” ni
Jose Rizal: Tinuruan
Artikulo
Louise Vincent B. Amante
akong umawit/ ng huni ng mga ibon;/ ng
lagaslas ng mga talon;/ ng alingawngaw ng
dagat/ sa dalampasigang malawak. Ganito
ang dominanteng nilalaman ng iba pang tula
sa Berso na nagpapatingkad sa tamis ng tula,
bilang para sa mga nagsusuyuan lamang.
Bagaman makikilala ang mga may-akda
ng orihinal na tula, hindi nakalimbag sa mga
poster ang mga nagsalin nito sa Filipino.
Ganito rin ang sitwasyon ng mga makatang
ladino – mga indio na nagsasalin ng mga
tulang relihiyoso mula Español tungong Tagalog – noong panahon ng kolonyalismong
Español sa Pilipinas. Kaugnay nito ang karaniwang kaalaman na hindi kayang pantayan
ng isinaling akda (Filipino) ang dáting at lasa
ng orihinal na akda (Español).
Isinubong kultura
Bukod sa pagiging bahagi ng reading
campaign ng Berso sa Metro, ipinakikita nito
na may bahaginan ng kultura ang España at
Pilipinas. Makikita pa rin natin ngayon ang gilas
at tatag ng Intramuros, ang lumang Maynila.
Ipinagbubunyi nga sa tulang “A Manila” ni
Pacifico Victoriano ang ganda nito: O, Maynila
sa talulot/ ng mahinhing liryo isinilang/
mabunying prinsesang nahihimlay/ sa bula
ng karagatan. Makikita rin sa poster nito ang
larawan ng Intramuros.
Ipinahihiwatig ng tula at ng
larawan
ang
pag-usbong
ng
Intramuros
bilang
sentro
ng
urbanidad
at
pagpapatibay
sa
naging
Litrato
Chris Imperial
pananakop ng mga Español. At hindi naging naghangad ng pagbabago sa Pilipinas.
At kahit na may bantayog ni Bonifacio
madali ang pananakop na ito. Nang magapi
ang mga mandirigma ni Raha Sulayman, sa Monumento na nagpapaalala sa
itinayo ang Intramuros sa mismong pakikipaglaban ng mga Pilipino para sa
kalayaan, may mga balak noong 2003 na
tanggulan ng dakilang raha.
Bagaman kasama sa Berso ang isang tanggalin ito para lang maidugtong ang
tula ni Miguel Hernandez na “Vientos del ruta ng Metro Rail Transit mula sa Edsa
Pueblo Me Llevan” na tungkol sa pakikibaka hanggang sa LRT-1.
ng sambayanan, sadyang hindi pinili ang
Senyal ng
mas matatapang na akda
Nakaraan
nina Neruda at Vallejo,
Iilang Pilipino lang
Isang senyal diumano
maliban sa kanilang
ng
pag-unlad
ang
ang
natuto
ng
wikang
mga tula tungkol sa pagibig. Kilala ang dalawang Español noong panahon pagkakaroon ng dekuryenteng tren. Ngayo’y
makatang ito sa pagiging
ng
kanilang
pananakop.
may bagong tren ang
m a k a m a n g g a g a w a’t
politikal
na
mga At maging ang Berso ng LRT-1 na nagmula sa
manunulat. At dahil Instituto ay patikim lamang bansang Hapon, bukod
sa bagong LRT-2. Mas
ipinagkakait ng Berso
sa
wikang
ito
maluwag, mas maliwanag,
ang ganitong mga tula
at mas maginhawa ito.
upang mabasa ng mga
sumasakay sa LRT, ipinagkakait din nito ang Makikita din sa mga tren na ito ang mga
talinghagang magpapaisip sa publiko tungkol poster ng Berso sa Metro.
Hindi makikita sa mga luma’t masikip na tren
sa kanilang paligid.
Kaya naman ”malapit sa ating kultura” ang ng LRT ang mga tula. Ngunit dahil maginhawa
Español, ipinatanggap ito sa mga katutubo sa ang pagsakay sa mga bagong tren ng LRT,
pamamagitan ng relihiyon. Mahigit 300 taon mabuting dito ipaskil ang mga tula ng Berso.
ang kanilang pananatili sa bansa. Mababasa Nakapaskil dito ang ”Learn Spanish” ng Instituto,
pa ang nakapaniping pahayag sa lahat ng bukod sa iba pang LRT signs. Pero kung susuriin
posters sa Berso. Ipinagmamalaki pa ng ang kasaysayan, iilang Pilipino lang ang natuto
ilang grupo na Pilipinas lang ang bansang ng wikang Español noong panahon ng kanilang
may dominanteng populasyon ng pananakop. At maging ang Berso ng Instituto ay
Katoliko sa Asya. Subalit ang mga patikim lamang sa wikang ito.
Sa isang pahayag ni Jose Rodriguez, direktor
nagpatakbo sa relihiyong ito ang
nagnakaw ng mga ng Instituto, “You must learn Spanish or be left
lupain sa mga behind.” Ayon sa mga ulat, maraming trabaho
k a t u t u b o ’ t ang maihahatid ng pagkatuto ng wikang
nagpapatay Español lalo na’t ikaapat ito sa mga wikang
ng
mga may pinakamaraming gumagamit sa mundo.
Makapangyarihan ang wika. Nagagamit
t a o n g
ito upang maipakita kung sino ang nasa
poder. At dahil nasakop tayo ng mga
Español, naibabalik ng Berso sa Metro ang
kanilang prestihiyo bilang mananakop
kahit sa panahong ito ng modernisasyon. At
napakabilis ng mga pangyayaring ito at hindi
magpapahuli, tulad ng mga humahagibis na
elektronikong tren ng LRT. ■n
Disenyo ng Pahina
Angelo Reyes
06-07
Lathalain
and the necessarily visible safety nets required
of politically mature societies.”
Historically,bailouts have become,however,
During the past decades, however, the
productive economy could not keep up with a means for capitalist governments to extend
the boom in the financial market until this the life of their failed financial and economic
“bubble” economy busted. The unprecedented markets, says Villegas. For instance, when
growth was spawned by the finance capitalists’ recessions started to haunt the US economy
drive to increase the value of their enterprises after the Vietnam War in 1976, the real estate
achieved by encouraging public investments business experienced a great crash following
even from low-income citizens, artificially an increase in speculative investments in the
US money market. The
raising up the prices of
Yet, no system endures on government came to the
stocks and bonds, and
faking books of account. its own account. Capitalism, aid of bankrupt capitalist
Thus, Marxist economist for instance, does not endure corporations through a
bailout of $500 billion.
Edgardo Villegas likens
While the financing
the capitalist finance naturally and is constantly
market to a “grand casino defended and preserved by and near-nationalization
where the unscrupulous the few who benefit from it at of some segments of the
financial sector seemingly
and the manipulative
the expense of the majority oppose the dogma
thrive.”
of
neoliberalization,
The
profiteering
designs by monopoly capitalists in both it coincides with the government’s longthe real and financial economy, then, have time tenet of upholding the interests of the
yielded the five major economic downturns monopoly capitalists in the US, says Villegas.
for the past 25 years. But despite its historical According to Villegas, there comes a point
failures, the volatile financial market thrives that “a capitalist government violates its
because of an unregulated financial sector. principle of free enterprise when it comes to
According to IBON research head Sonny saving the rich.”
Africa, economic managers of the US and
other industrialized countries have long At the receving end
Given a “skewed” type of government
implemented deregulation, which meant
lowering taxes, eliminating regulations and intervention, Africa sees that the financial
meltdown will intensify in the coming
leaving the markets to their own devices.
Such economic framework, which months and years as the government will
alternative economists call “neoliberalism,” is only be buying the rotten debts of these
espoused by the world’s economic leaders and corporations, preserving the profitgenerally opposes any form of government accumulating means of the financial
intervention except in times when the oligarchs. Furthermore, the government
financial sector needs to be saved from its will be rescuing these banks using taxpayers’
money, which could also mean that budget
eventual decline.
allocated for social spending might be
realigned to accommodate the b a i l o u t
The visible hand
This is evident in the US government’s program, Africa says. Wages
bailout plan, which UP School of Economics and social services in
(SE) Professor Benjamin Diokno says would the North, for example,
help the economy “recover.” Diokno predicts have remained stagnant
that we may see increased government throughout the years.
However, third world
intervention in the future through stricter
US-dependent
monetary policies and increased regulation. and
such
Once the economy has recovered, however, economies
the
Diokno believes that it will shift back to its as
current framework of “market”capitalism.
Such optimism in the status quo is shared
by economic analyst John Nery, who argues
that capitalism has “always been about
striking a balance between market and state,
between the invisible hand of market forces
from p.01
Philippines will receive the biggest blows of
the financial meltdown even as banks from
underdeveloped countries have less exposure
to subprime loans, or loans for those with lower
incomes, and the housing market bust in the
US. Paul Quintos of the Ecumenical Institute
for Labor Education and Research says that
US-reliant economies will experience a
decrease in US-demand for imports, reduced
foreign investments, dwindling migrant
remittances, and massive lay-offs especially
in export processing zones.
Aside from these economic offensives,
Africa fears that the US-led “war on terror”may
intensify amid the US recession. According
to Villegas, “war is the tested way for
monopoly capitalism to recover.”Historically,
wars of aggression and increased military
intervention mitigated US economic crisis
by exacerbating production of war material.
This benefited merely corporations in the
military industrial complex, and economic
relief became unsustainable since jobs and
incomes were not generated.
The ballooning household and national
debt, a manufacturing slowdown and a budget
deficit during the start of the century, for
example, were mitigated by the “war on terror”
launched in 2001 by the Bush administration.
The superpower may now target other
countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq,
predicts Rey Casambre of the International
League of People’s Struggles,
after bold declarations by
newly-elected US president
Barrack Obama that
the US should pay
more attention to
Afghanistan
and
Iran.
To the graves
Amid fears of intense economic and
political crises, faith in the neoliberal
market has declined after 117 systemic
banking crises in 93 countries exploded
since the 1970s. Champions of the
neoliberal agenda, however, continue to
defend the capitalist system despite its
excesses and historical failures.
According to UPSE professor Raul
Fabella, “capitalism endures because it
is an ever metamorphosing organism.”
The present capitalist model attributed
to Ronald Reagan, Fabella says, is now in
the process of a “metamorphosis” into
another market model with “safeguard
standards against moral hazard and
vulture capital.” This presumption is
based on Austrian economist Joseph
Schumpeter’s view that “destruction” is
a regular feature of capitalism.
Yet, no system endures on its own
account. Capitalism, for instance, does
not endure naturally and is constantly
defended and preserved by the few
who benefit from it at the expense of
the majority, says Africa. While the US
government continues to uphold the
interests of the privileged few, Africa
says that it “will be implementing
policies that sustain capitalism of one
model or the other - but they will all still
be capitalism that keeps vast numbers
of poor people.”
While neoliberal economists trumpet
the supposed dynamism of the capitalist
paradigm, they are the very same
architects who crafted the economic
policies and created market conditions
that resulted in its destined failures. The
proponents, in effect, are digging their
own graves. n
r
C as hC o ur s e
The world at the brink
of financial meltdown
Article
JM Ragaza
Illustration
Archie Oclos
Page Design
Angelo Reyes
N
i
C
A
M
I
B
iyernes pa lamang, handa na
si Lean sa kanyang pag-uwi
sa Laguna mula sa kanyang
dormitoryo. Sa paglilipat ng
araw ng pahinga sa Lunes
mula Miyerkules, mas mahaba na ang
panahong kanyang gugugulin kasama ang
pamilya. Kapalit nito, ang dire-diretsong
oras ng klase, pagpapatung-patong ng
gawain sa eskwela, at kawalan ng panahon
sa linggo para sa mga makabuluhang
gawaing liban pa sa pag-aaral.
Noong unang semestre, sinimulang
ipatupad ang Lunes bilang libreng araw
ng mga estudyante upang maibsan ang
problema sa mga nasasayang na araw
ng klase dulot ng mga pista-opisyal.
Paliwanag ni Assistant University
Registrar Heidi Emily Abad, alinsunod
ang pagbabago sa batas sa holiday
economics na ipinatutupad sa bansa.
Sa bisa ng RA 9492, itinatakda ng
pamahalaan ang mga pista-opisyal
na pumapatak sa gitna ng linggo
sa pinakamalapit na araw ng Lunes,
maliban sa Mayo 1 at mga tradisyunal
na pagdiriwang tulad ng Pasko.
Ayon kay Abad, naging hinaing ng
mga dekano ng kolehiyo ang madalas na
pagkakakansela ng klase tuwing Lunes.
Bilang aksyon, isinaayos ng OUR ang
kasalukuyang taong akademiko upang
hindi maapektuhan ang araw ng klase
ng RA 9492. Ayon kay Abad, ibinigay
Article
Marvin Lim
ang desisyon sa isang pulong ng mga dekano
noong Oktubre 17 ng nakaraan taon.
o
n
M
Philippine
Nob
2008
Philippine Collegian
Collegian || Miyerkules,
Biyernes, 1212Set
2008
dAY
pang subject sa umaga. Hindi siya healthy
para sa mga estudyante,” ani Guibani.
Hindi rin magamit ng mga estudyante ang
Dagliang pagpapatupad
Lunes bilang ‘research break.’ “Marami man
Para sa iba, maganda ang epektong dulot ang napadalas ang pag-uwi sa probinsya dahil
ng pagbabago sa araw ng klase. “Nasasayang sa long weekends, marami ring dormers ang
kasi ang araw na may pasok kapag tinatamaan ‘di natuwa sa mahabang panahong pagkakasara
ng holiday. Ngayon hindi na naging problema ng ilang opisina at silid-aklatan,” ani Cadiogan.
ang paghahabol ng klase,” ani Miriam Nava,
Bukod sa kakulangan ng oras para sa mga
mag-aaral ng Peryodismo.
takdang-aralin, maraming estudyante ang
Ngunit ani Airah Cadiogan, Pangalawang nawawalan ng panahon para sa mga aktibidad
Tagapangulo ng University
ng kanilang organisasyon.
Student Council, walang
Bukod sa kakulan- “Nakakapagod, lalo na
naganap na konsultasyon
kapag may general assembly
sa panig ng mga estudyante gan ng oras para sa mga sa hapon. Pagdating ng
bago
ipinatupad
ang takdang-aralin, maram- kinabukasan, parang wala pa
pagbabago. Bilang resulta,
estudyante ang rin ako sa sarili ko,” reklamo
mas marami sa mga mag- ing
ng isang estudyante ng
aaral
ang
nahirapang nawawalan ng panahon Sikolohiya.
sumabay
sa
dagliang para sa mga aktibidad ng
implementasyon nito. “Mas
Kakulangan sa
panahon
haggard,
dahil
walang kanilang organisasyon
Ayon
kay
Rodellon
pagitan sa buong linggo,
nakakatamad pa kapag long weekend,” Principe, Tagapangulo ng College of
saad ni Charmaine Cordero, mag-aaral ng Engineering Student Council, sinusulit na
lamang ng mga estudyante ang mahabang
Edukasyon.
Lubos namang naapektuhan ang pagpasa katapusan ng linggo kaysa dumalo sa student
ng mga proyekto ng mga mag-aaral mula activities sa kanilang kolehiyo. “Noong
sa College of Fine Arts (CFA). Ani CFA nakaraang Eng’g Cup, kakaunti lang ang
Student Chair Ralph Guibani, nasasakripisyo dumalo. Kaya nga ngayon, hindi na kami
ang kalidad ng kanilang mga dibuho dahil nagtatakda ng mga programa tuwing Lunes,”
sa siksikang oras ng klase. “Pwede mang ani Principe.
Ganito rin ang naging suliranin ng iba pang
pagpuyatan sa gabi ang projects at plate, [pero]
kailangan mo ring maghanda para sa iba mo mga organisasyon sa UP Diliman. “Madalas,
Illustration
Nico Villarete
absent na sila sa meetings. Kung makadalo
man, hindi na rin sila gaanong aktibo sa mga
(pulong),” ani Jhon Rhener Ghianan, pangulo
ng UP Catandungan.
Pahayag ni Carlos Maningat, Pangulo ng
League of Filipino Students-College of Mass
Communication, bumaba ang bilang ng mga
dumadalong miyembro sa kanilang mga
mobilisasyon. “Hindi pinapayagan ang iba
na dumalo sa mga pagtitipon dahil alam na
walang pasok sa paaralan,” ani Maningat.
Ani Cadiogan, sinisimulan na ng League
of College Councils ang pag-aaral hinggil sa
naging epekto ng pagbabago ng iskedyul sa
mga estudyante. Gagamitin ang resulta ng
pag-aaral upang gumawa ng petisyon hinggil
sa pagbabalik ng dating araw ng mga klase.
Paspasang paggawa
Hindi lamang sa Pilipinas ipinatutupad
ang paglilipat ng araw ng kanilang pistaopisyal. Sa bisa ng Uniform Monday Holiday
Act (UMHA), itinakda ng Estados Unidos ang
selebrasyon ng kanilang mga pista-opisyal sa
pinakamalapit na araw ng Lunes.
Sinuportahan ang UMHA ng mga
kumpanya ng negosyo dahil mababawasan
ng nasabing batas ang abala sa produksyon
ng paggawa at makakapagbigay ng mahabang
pahinga sa mga manggagawa. Ito rin ang
mga dahilan sa pagpapatupad ng RA 9492.
Dagdag pa ni Abad, malayo nang ibalik pa
sa dati ang mga araw ng pasok sa pag-iral ng
batas na ito.
Sa ganitong pagtatasa maikakabit ang
paglilipat ng libreng araw sa paaralan. Sa pagayon dito ng patakarang pang-pamantasan,
maitutulad ang mga mag-aaral sa mga
manggagawang paspasang nagtatrabaho sa
loob ng linggo at pilit isinisiksik ang lahat
ng kailangang gawin sa apat na araw nang
walang pahinga.
Salungat, kung gayon, ang naging resulta
sa primaryang dahilan umano sa likod ng
bagong polisiya, ang pagbibigay ng mas
mahabang panahon ng pahinga para sa mga
mag-aaral. Kapalit nito, ang pagkakupot ng
pagkatuto ng mga estudyante sa masikip na
mga sulok ng silid-aralan. n
Page Design
Angelo Reyes
08 Kultura
A
stench hovers around uncollected mounds of trash
on the sidewalks. Defective streetlights flicker erratically, causing accidents and traffic jams. Faulty sewage systems
contaminate water supplies and
breed diseases in rodents.
All over the country, a myriad
of problems regularly spring up
in various communities, usually
concerning the most basic amenities. Yet the government, even
at the local level, often takes no
notice of such matters. At least
until a citizen decides to make a
report that will be shown on TV.
By the time it airs, the media
would have coaxed the authorities into action, as the segment
inevitably ends with a feel-good
narrative of how concerned government officials solve a community problem.
Indeed, the Philippine media
have made it seemingly possible
for anyone to effect change in
his own neighborhood. For the
average citizen, it only takes
Philippine Collegian | Miyerkules, 12 Nob 2008
with multimedia message service
(MMS) and short message service
(SMS) through cellular phones
are now commonly used in the
dissemination of information.
An example would be “Youscoop”
of GMANews.tv, where people
can upload newsworthy videos
and photos, and
Ratings show that programs
relying on user generated content
tend to click with the majority of
viewers. For instance, the October
31 to November 3 survey by ratings company AGB Nielsen shows
that the GMA-7 program Imbestigador, which features the resolution of complaints sent by viewers,
is one of the most watched weekend shows in Mega Manila households. This rakes in profit from advertising for media networks.
Power to the people
Citizen journalism is often
viewed as a means of promoting
active participation in changing
society. One can report on faulty
electrical posts which cause ac-
Notions
of empowerment
remain problema­tic
due to the limitations
of citizen journalism
in the country
cidents, or blog about the rising
crime rate, or send a letter complaining about the dilapidated
facilities of public schools. The
list of problems festering in barangays and barrios around the
nation is a long one.
Prof. Danilo Arao, journalism
professor at UP DiIiman, says
that “citizen journalism may be
a mechanism to empower the
public by making them directly
involved in the writing and production of journalistic outputs.”
Hence, rendering the management of public information more
accessible sends the message
that the audience is not confined
to being mere viewers. Arao adds
that there may be “media organizations who intend to empower
audiences through citizen journalism and who see it as a form
of media literacy.”
This aspect of citizen journalism
arises from the role of the media
itself in shaping society. Due to the
wide reach of media, most people
regard journalists as people with
power to influence their society.
Ordinary people who engage
in journalism perceive themselves
as taking on the mantle of the
profession. However, notions of
empowermentremain problematic
due to the limitations of citizen
journalism in the country.
For one, showing a person
single-handedly solve a community
problem figures individual efforts
as effective, dismissing collective
action as the better option. In
addition, citizen reports can only
include local issues or problems
found in the civilian reporter’s
communities. National concerns,
meanwhile, are reserved for
professional journalists to tackle.
And the new media popularly
used in the practice of citizen
journalism like the internet and
camera phones are far from the
reach of most citizens.
Just for show
In the Philippines, citizens
seek for their problems to be
given news coverage not just for
the sake of publicity but also for
the threat of exposure to force
the government to address their
concerns. Citizen Patrol, along
with other similar TV programs,
only propagates this setup.
Such
programs
regularly
expose the dismal performance
of government, through the
reports of unfinished roads,
contaminated water supply and
inadequate municipal services so
often featured in the show. Still,
instead of being condemned for
their incompetence, government
agencies appear eager and
capable of answering the issues
raised. Ironically, the government
reinforces itself as the prime
solution to the people’s problems,
as each report concludes with the
False ImPRESSions
Claims to empowerment of citizen journalism
concern, a bit of nerve and a
segment in a primetime news
program.
issue resolved and the citizens
satisfied and grateful. This
practice impresses on the public
an image of the government
accountable to its people.
In this respect, the media
assist the government in
sustaining power. At the same
time, media networks gain favor
from its audience as the citizenjournalist acknowledges the help
of the media outfit in solving his
community’s problems.
According to the manual on
journalism ethics by the Center for
Media Freedom and Responsibility,
the media must be committed to
providing the citizenry with the
information they need to “make
meaningful and intelligent change
possible.”Yet, the practice of citizen
journalism, despite having the
citizenry as its source, is limited
to effecting temporary, shortterm solutions. It fails to educate
the people on how they can effect
genuine social change.
In its current context, the
media have become part of the
chain of illusions sustaining the
status quo. Ultimately, citizen
journalism as practiced in the
Philippines only serves as a link
in the retention of a system
responsible for perpetuating
the perennial problems of the
people. n
Anybody’s headline
Nowadays, it appears that
professional training is not necessary to practice journalism.
Ordinary citizens can and do
participate in the process of collecting, analyzing and disseminating news. This trend, known
as citizen journalism, is defined
by its dependence on user-generated content, or information
produced by its audience based
on their own experience.
This media practice has become increasingly popular in the
Philippines, as the country’s major broadcasting networks tailor
the format of citizen journalism
to the local setting. In ABS-CBN’s
Citizen Patrol, a viewer texts in
issues in his community that he
wants to report. If chosen, the
segment will feature his story,
with the viewer himself as the
reporter. On another medium,
the national broadsheet Philippine Daily Inquirer has opened
its pages to reader’s contribution
in the section Metro Citizen’s
Call.
Advances in technology have
also boosted citizen journalism.
Online journalism via blogs along
Article
Dianne Marah E. Sayaman
Illustration
Nico Villarete
Page Design
Angelo Reyes
Opinyon 09
Philippine Collegian | Miyerkules, 12 Nob 2008
Survival
of the
Fittest
Diana Kaye Precioso
Armed men in UP
L
ast Monday, in broad daylight,
three people were shot dead inside
the UP Diliman campus. The first
text message said only that there
had been a shooting at the Bahay
ng Alumni; the next one announced that
three had died. Within a few hours, the
messages included the names of those who
had been killed, and the little details: that it
might have been an inside job, that there
was urine in bottles inside the van where the
criminals had stayed (indicating how long
they waited there), and that they had been
dressed in soldiers' camouflage gear.
One texter informed me that, according
to police reports, the same vehicle used
in the UP robbery had also been used in a
similar heist in St. Scholastica.
My mother called to order me to be
home before dark. She has always derided
the TV media as alarmist, certain that they
hype up fears to feed their own ratings, but
she decided that just this once, they might
be right about UP being a seedbed of crime.
After all, it was my safety at issue. So I went
home early, and spent dinner answering
questions about the robbery and murders.
And I watched the evening news. I learned
once again the truth of the old adage that
politics, like rust, never sleeps – it had been only
six, seven hours since the shooting, and already
politicians were jumping into the fray.
Local government and police officials
are falling all over themselves to urge UP to
"rethink" its policy of not allowing the police
and the military inside campus. It makes the
campus "vulnerable," according to QCPD
chief Senior Superintendent Magtanggol
Gatdula. The policy is a "deficiency," adds
Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte.
They all agree that the university would be
much, much better off were police allowed
to patrol the UP campus.
To hear the media tell it, the UP
community is sunk in terror, desperate for
the protection of policemen and soldiers.
Let us keep a few things in mind.
UP already has its own security system:
the UP Diliman Police, and the Special
Services Brigade. They are understaffed, but
then, so is the Philippine National Police. The
UPDP can guard the university as well as the
PNP. (Although it's actually the QCPD which
is handling this case. Guarding UP aside, the
UPDP is admittedly less well-equipped than
the state police to deal with three murders.)
Also, the importance of preserving UP
as sanctuary from the state's militia was
established nearly three decades ago, during
the First Quarter Storm and later, Martial
Law. Too often, the military and police resort
to violence, and they would be in hostile
territory in UP, a bastion of activism.
Student activism is alive and well in the
university, and it must remain so, as I'm sure
even non-activists would agree. I cannot
imagine, and hope never to see, a university
wherein soldiers and policemen are allowed to
monitortherallies,protests,anddemonstrations
which are a vital part of UP life. n
FT*
Raffy Sarmiento Jr.
M
ay mga dahilan kung bakit ko
sila hinahangaan. May mga dahilan kung bakit sa isang banda
ay kinaiinggitan.
Gabriel. Madalas siyang tahimik at
pasimple kung humirit. Isa sa mga pinakamalapit kong kaibigan sa department.
Nakasama ko siya sa panonood ng sine, sa
mga gabing inaaliw ang sarili sa sigarilyo’t
kuwentuhan, sa pagpapaumaga sa Luneta
at sa mga martsa sa Espana.
Mahigit isang taon na nang huli siyang pumasok sa eskwela. Thesis na lang
ang kulang niya. Ngunit hindi niya nagawang matapos ang kaniyang pelikula at
makadalo sa defense. Iba kasi ang dinedepensahan niya noong araw na iyon. Dinedemolish noon ang komunidad kung saan
siya nakatira at kung saan siya kasapi ng
isang progresibong organisasyong pangkabataan.
Silang. Sa klaseng Language and Grammar in Film kami unang nagkilala. Natutunan naming marami kaming pagkakatulad sa aming mga sarili. Ang tendensiyang
malulong sa sariling emosyon. Pana-panahon, nangangati kaming magsulat ng
mga kuwento at tula na madalas naming
hindi naisasakatuparan.
Scriptwriting ang huling klaseng nagkasama kami. Nitong nakaraang bakasyon
man naglalambing. Madalas, para siyang
isang nakababatang kapatid na masarap
pagtripan at asarin. Ngunit madalas ko
siya noong yayain sa mga kaganapang
nagtatagpo ang mga hilig namin.
Ikalawang semestre noong nakaraang
lamang, nakausap ko siya tungkol sa kani- taon nang laging siya ang nakaririnig ng
yang mga alinlangan sa pag-aaral at sa mga angas ko pagkatapos ng bawat araw.
pamilyang nais niyang siya’y maunawaan. Nitong sembreak, ako naman ang nakinig
Nagdesisyon siya. Pinahanga niya ako sa sa kaniya. Mula sa mga kuwento ng hindi
kung paano niya ipinakilala sa kaniyang pagkakapasa ng kaniyang thesis proposal
mga magulang ang mga bagay na gusto hanggang sa mga kuwento ng pakikipagtalo niya sa mga magulang. Sa ngayon,
niyang gawin habang-buwala na siyang thesis na
hay.
poproblemahin kundi ang
Ilsa. Dinamay lang ako Alam kong hindi ito
diskarte sa bagong pangaang
pinakamahusay
ng kaniyang kaibigan sa
raw-araw niyang gawain.
isang birthday surprise para at pinakawastong
Enrolled ako. Ikalimang
sa kaniya. Hindi namin in- desisyong dapat
taon
ko na sa kolehiyo. At
akalang susundan ito ng kong gawin
hindi
pa ito ang huling
mga inaraw-araw na mga
taon. Isang semestre na
shoot, gabi-gabing pagkain
sa Katipunan, pagkuha ng mga larawan at lang at maibibigay ko na sa pamilya ang
sana’y huling hiling nila. Marahil isang
paglalangoy sa isang isla sa Zambales.
Kilala na ako pati ng kaniyang mga bagay na binitawan na ng mga dating
magulang at kapatid . Kaya naman sa pa- kaklase’t kaibigan.
Alam kong hindi ito ang pinakamahusay
nahong nawawala siya o di kaya’y gusto
nilang malaman ang lagay niya sa esk- at pinakawastong desisyong dapat kong
wela, ako ang kanilang tinatawagan. Ako gawin.Kaya ko sila hinahangaan at kinaina ang bahalang gumawa ng alibi at mag- inggitan. Silang nakapagasya at ganap na
paliwanag. Di tulad ng dati, hindi ko na naihanda ang sarili sa mga desisyong sa
kailangang magdahilan ngayon. Nasabi isang banda, ay magtatakda ng kanilang
na niya sa kanila kung nasaan siya sa mga patutunguhan. Sabi nga nila, may mga pamamaraan para makabalik sa pamantasan,
panahong hindi na siya pumapasok.
Roja. Mahilig siya sa mga damit, sa ngunit mahirap ang magpasyang iwan ito
pagguhit, sa mga larawan, at siguro sa para sa buong panahong pag-aaral sa mas
pag-eeksperimento ng kaniyang buhok. mapangahas na mga larangan.
*Para kay Gabriel, Silang, Ilsa , Roja
Mataray siya kung minsan. Minsan napa doon, naaalala ko sa kanya ang nakagisnan
kong lolo.
Nitong nakaraang linggo, nanghina si Mang
Romy. Kaya pala siya matagal magbanyo dahil
hirap na siyang umihi. Tumulong ang ilang
taga-Kule para patingnan siya sa Infirmary
dalawang piso sa tuwing magkikita kami. Siya [na noong una ay tinanggihan siya, noong
yung tipo ng matanda na walang intensyon mag-isa siyang nagpunta]. Napag-alaman na
magbiro, pero mapapatawa ka. Minsan may urinary tract infection siya at mas malala
nanghingi siya ng dalawang piso sa akin para pa, baka may problema sa prostate. Noong
idagdag raw sa pamasahe niya [“sumasamba” hapong huli kami magkita, hirap siyang
raw siya sa Quiapo yata, tuwing Biyernes], makatulog sa mesa sa conference room. Sabi
binigyan ko siya ng limang piso. Pagbalik ko, lumipat na siya doon sa kama sa kuwarto
para mas makapagpahinga siya.
niya, binigay niya ‘yung sukli.
Tumitiklop ang katawan niya sa
Kuwento ng isang dating Kule,
sakit ng puson kahit nakainom
huwag raw tatawagin si Mang Nakakatuwang
na siya ng gamot. Hindi raw
Romy na “manalo” o ipaparinig kabahagi si Mang
siya nakasamba. Wala akong
ang salitang iyon. May muntik Romy ng pagkain
nagawa kundi hawakan siya sa
na raw siyang hatawin ng dos
dahil ang lakas
balikat. Naalala ko si Papa (lolo)
por dos dahil ‘don. Medyo
na pumanaw dahil sa prostate
matagal na iyon, kaya’t mas humingi pero
cancer. Napatitig na lang ako
malakas pa siguro siya noon. laging nahihiya
Ngayon, sa mga ordinaryong
kapag napaparami sa kulubot at nakakunot na
noo ni Mang Romy noong
araw, kung hindi nanghihingi,
hapong iyon. Nakayuko siya
lagi siyang makikita sa sarili ang bigay
at napapapikit sa sakit ngunit
niyang lugar sa opisina ng Kule.
Nakaupo sa monobloc na upuan, nakayuko at patingin-tingin sa akin. Akala ko papaalisin
kinakausap ang sarili o kumakanta at sa gabi, niya ako, ngunit hinayaan niya akong hawakan
doon din siya natutulog sa malaking mesa ang buto’t balat na niyang balikat. Ang payat
na nilalatagan niya ng dyaryo. Iyon ang pinili pala talaga ni Mang Romy. Wala siyang sinabi,
niyang kama at para na rin siyang guwardya ngunit iyon ang unang beses na naramdaman
ng Kule. Noong minsang bumagyo, kusa ko na matagal na niyang inaasam ang
siyang naghanap ng karton para takpan ang pagkalinga at pag-aaruga ng pamilya.
Huwag kayong mag-alala, Mang Romy. Kahit
bintana kung saan pumapasok ang tubig-ulan.
Nakakatuwang kabahagi si Mang Romy ng makulit ka, hindi ka namin pababayaan. n
*Sa mga nakakakilala kay Mang Romy o
pagkain dahil ang lakas humingi pero laging
nahihiya kapag napaparami ang bigay. Masaya minsang nahiritan niya ng tanong na ito, kung
rin siyang kuhanan ng litrato dahil sa mga nais ninyong magbigay ng kaunting kontribusyon
papogi niyang pose. Nakakainis siya kapag para sa kanyang gamot na nagkakahalaga ng
masyadong makulit tuwing nanghihingi o P110 bawat araw, akyat lang kayo sa Kule opis,
nagtatanong kung nasaan daw ang boypren Rm 401 sa tuktok ng Vinzons. Salamat. Sana
ko at kambal ko [wala naman akong kambal] at gumaling na siya.
kapag matagal siyang magbanyo. Ngunit higit
"Meron pa ba tayo d'yan?"*
Candice L. Reyes
Y
an ang laging banat ni Illuminado
Campos o mas kilala sa tawag na
Mang Romy. Hindi ko matiyak kung
ilang taon na siya, pero mukhang siya ang
pinakamatandang tambay sa Vinzons Hall.
‘Kita ito sa kanyang puting buhok, kubang
likod at lukot nang balat. Pero marunong pa
rin ‘yon pumorma—laging nakapomada at
hindi makikitang naka-shorts lang. Kapag
may nagtanong ng edad niya, sagot niya
43 o minsan 50. Puwedeng nalimutan na
niya talaga sa katandaan, dahil ang mga
pinakabeterano nang alumni ng Kule ay kilala
rin siya. Hanggang ngayon, kasama namin si
Mang Romy sa silid 401.
May ilang mga artikulo na dating inilabas
sa Kule tungkol sa kanya. Kilala siya ng lahat
ng empleyado at estudyante na madalas sa
Vinzons. Ngunit walang nakakaalam kung
paano siya napunta doon. Kung mayroon
man, hindi ko pa siguro nakakuwentuhan.
Kahit tanungin ko man si Mang Romy, hindi
ko rin malalaman kung seryoso siya o ano.
Madalas sinasabi niya na kamag-anak niya
si FPJ, si Erap at iba pang mga sikat na artista
noon. May mga birong multo raw talaga si
Mang Romy na nagpapanggap na tao at dati,
nabanggit din na siya ang may-ari ng Vinzons
Hall. Sabi naman sa isang artikulo sa Kule
noong 90s, may kamag-anak raw si Mang
Romy o siya mismo yata ay isang messenger
dati doon, nagkaroon ng malaking problema
kaya’t pinili na lang huwag umuwi.
Walang kamag-anak si Mang Romy.
Dumedepende siya sa Kule sa bawat terminong
nagdaraan. Magtatatlong taon na rin niya
akong araw-araw kinukulit para sa lima o
10 Opinyon
Philippine Collegian | Miyerkules, 12 Nob 2008
Contact us!
Write to us via snail mail or submit a soft copy to Rm. 401, Vinzons Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. ••• Email us kule0809@gmail.com. Save Word attachments
in Rich Text Format, with INBOX, NEWSCAN or CONTRIB in the subject. ••• Fax us 9818500 local 4522. Always include your full name, address and contact details.
••• Contributions We are open for contributed articles from student writers, subject to the approval of the Editorial Board. All submitted articles should have a maximum length of 900 words.
Regent (OFR) is accountable to
its contituency, and that faculty
rights and welfare are advanced
in the BOR.
Ensuring transparency in the
processes and justified scholarly
requirements, Taguiwalo wants
to contribute to ongoing efforts
to assess and revise current
policies on recruitment, tenure
and faculty promotion. She
moves for the democratization
in the governance of the
university by setting up a
mechanism of holding fora
for students, staff and REPS to
discuss non-academic issues.
Her administration will work
with organizations to demand
the payment of back-COLA of
qualified employees and likewise
with the staff regent to demand
for higher salary and additional
benefits for workers.
“While I am aware of my
main mandate to represent the
rights and welfare of our faculty,
I am also aware that to serve as
a member of the BOR demands
the broadest possible vision
of UP as a national and public
university in the service of our
people,” Taguiwalo says in her
vision paper.
As the present chair of the
University Council committee on
faculty development, Taguiwalo
led the committee to work in
amending the BOR-approved
policy which removed the
original lifeline ban on rehiring
those who were not able to
complete the requirements for
promotion and tenure.
She is the national vice
president for faculty of the
AUPAEU and heads the union’s
panel on the ongoing collective
negotiation agreement with
the UP administration for rankand-file faculty and REPS. Under
her leadership, AUPAEU has
forced the administration to
give P20,000-centennial bonus,
release the much-delayed 10percent salary increase and
grant P1,500-rice subsidy to UP
employees, among others. The
chair of the women’s committee
of the Alliance of Concerned
Teachers, Taguiwalo is a member
of the First Quarter Storm
Movement. n
A L A N A BA N G M A HI LI G
MA G - DR OW I NG S A U P ?
Join the Philippine Collegian's Graphics section! Exams can be taken
anytime, 401 Vinzons Hall. Magdala ng portfolio at drawing materials.
Sumali at simulang iguhit ang iyong kapalaran!
Download the
Philippine
Collegian
in PDF!
kule-0809.deviantart.com
Taguiwalo from p.04
Canlas from p.04
encompasses formulating rules
and administering the play of the
game in an institution of higher
learning,” he says.
Serving the university for
four decades now, Canlas says
he will dedicate his whole
tenure in promoting academic
excellence in teaching and
research. He wants to create
an environment conducive to
faculty development by raising
not only adequate resources in
the service of quality teaching
but also ensuring the financial
security of UP professors.
One of his goals is to generate
additional
funds
through
government subsidy, tuition and
other fees, alumni contributions
Peñano-Ho from p.04
a system-wide task force on
faculty issues, and continue to
celebrate excellence in teaching
through additional incentives,
institutionalized
mentoring
and others. If selected, she will
actively address issues on salary,
tenure and faculty development,
and
closely monitor
the
implementation of new faculty
priveleges allowed by the new
UP Charter. There should be
ANO ANG ASSESSMENT MO SA
KULE NGAYONG FIRST SEM?
Mahusay, kahit papaano’y napapanatili
ng Kule ang katalasan nito sa pagsipat sa
mga iba’t ibang usapin. Kahit papaano,
dahil medyo mapurol ito noong 1st sem
kumpara sa mga issues from previous
years. Kumokorny yung Kultura section,
sa particular, minsan wala pa ngang
relevance. -05-21756, BS PSYCH
kule dz sem? Aus naman..c0mpared sa
‘news letter’.. Maganda rin kc bnibgyan
tlga ng space ung mga ‘dpat’ bgyan! .next
sem ulit. 08-50689
I thnk dpt kau mging careful s pgsu2lat
kc npncn q my mga mali s previous issues
niu. It’s m4tant coz it affcts d view of d
readrs. Just a remindr lng. 08-43915
mas naging maaus lay-out ng kule
ngayun!ü gudj0b kule! 07-37865 jedd
I super luV kule.D writers r ol great,tho
my mga articles n mejo d objectV.BuT
stil galing p dn ng kule.NaiINIS nga q pg
nau2Busan aq ng copy.Sna lng evryWIK
Tlga meroNG kule.Aun,go kule!:) 0878755
ANO ANG GINAWA MO
NUNG SEMBREAK?
paumpisa plng sembrk q pro msaya.
gngwa q?at p2loy png ggwin? “MAGORGANISA”. 08-50689
N0ng nkraang sembreak super
namahinga aq,pero lagi aq ng-o0nline,kc
ng-aAntay ng gradE at ng-c-CrS,tp0s
bumcta dn aq s hiGhscho0L q,nk2miss kc
e,ü 07-42911 BLIS
COMMENTS
astig tlga ang bwat print ouT ng kuLe.
Sana nman ma post na ung msg.q plss.I
just wud lyk 2 make a c0mment sa mga
c0mmercials ng pulitik0 especially ke
VILLAR.kelangan pb na ipgcgwan sa
bu0ng pilipnas na xia ang sumg0t ng
pamasahe ch0rva.kainis a.so me utang na
l0ob pa2la tau sa mga k2lad niang kurak0t.
damn!sana ung pnangadvertise nia nun
dn0nate nlng nia sa charities de nk2long
pa xia.ang agang kampanya!Tsk!Tsk! ACIE
and private philanthropy. “I am
committed to exploring further
the possibilities from foundations
and
private
philanthropy
in
financing
scholarships,
fellowships and research grants,
and support to institution
building,” he says in his vision
paper. Canlas, a department
chair at the School of Economics,
adds that the socialized tuition
program should be refined.
From 2003 to 2004, Canlas
became the executive-director
of the Asian Development Bank
for countries like the Philippines
and Pakistan. Awarded as the
Outstanding Young Scientist for
Economics in 1987, Canlas is the
current Millenium Challenge
Account “point of contact” in the
Department of Finance. n
closer communication between
new and senior faculty members,
she says.
She has been a consultant for
education and drug education
for the UNESCO, World Health
Organization,
Internaional
Labor
Organization, World
Bank, Department of Education,
and Commission on Higher
Education, among others. She
is the presidents of professional
organizations like the Philippine
Association for the Gifted. n
NEWSCAN
Get free publi­city!
Email us your press
releases,
invitations, etc. DON’T
TYPE IN ALL CAPS
and, go easy on...
the punctuation!?
Complete senten­
ces only. Dnt use txt
lnguage pls. Please
provide a short title.
Be concise, 100
words maximum.
BROAD ASS AT 40: IT’S
PAYBACK TIME!
The UP-CMC Broadcasting Association presents Dulaang Kapiterya 2008 (BACK TO BACKbakan
of the DeKade). Dulaang Kapiterya features two stories: Alien VS
Premetev, a play which tackles UP
students’ social awareness amidst
the UP centennial celebrations and
Dito sa Puso Co, a love story which
focuses on socio-political aspects of
two warring media organizations.
Watch it on November 21 and 22,
7 pm at the Dalisay Aldaba Recital
Hall. For more information, please
contact Roxanne at 09062819274.
Youth ACT Now! Assembly
The Youth for Accountability and Truth
Now, or Youth ACT Now!, an alliance of
student councils and national youth and
student organizations will be having an
assembly at Emilio Aguinaldo College, Taft,
Manila on November 13 at 4:00 in the afternoon.
This assembly aims to bring clarity to
pressing issues, such as the charter change
and the return of Jocelyn "Joc-Joc" Bolante,
the most prominent figure in the fertilizer
scam.
For queries, do not hesitate to contact Trina at 09104803098, or Vanessa at
09277515365.
ng FEU.
Re:bey0nd
visitng h0urs,
Send in your opinions and feedback
gnun
nga
back
via SMS! Type: KULE <space> YOUR
ang
buhay
MESSAGE <space> STUDENT NUMBER
d0rm,luckily
(required), NAME and COURSE (optional)
nsa
m0lave
and send to:
p q & may
0927.419.2853
fud,kht
p2n0
Non-UP students must indicate any school,
nk2tpid,ung s
organizational or sectoral affiliation.
stfap s tngin
q
d
mxdo
nm02nit0r
NOTICE: Messages without the corresponding
kc
ung
iln
student number (or school/organization
dpt
1500/u
for non-UP students) will not be published.
bnbyrn,ngb2yd
Greetings, love notes, and the like will also not
lng 1k or l0wer/
be entertained.
u,o kya nmn
ung dpt l0wer
Kung mga k2lad m0 lng ang kakauspn at
bnbyrn,nbr2Ckt
isa2li q sa org. WAG NA! 08-50689
ng ms mtaAs, 07-42911
To 08-13477:anu gus2 mu sbihin. N
Naisip ko lang. Siguro kaya walang
wlang depth ang ma222nan ng isang
nangyayari sa mga sumisigaw ng Gloria
enrold s mga subject at prof n mgpa2ulan
Resign at walang sumasama sa mga
ng uno. Mxado k manlait. Ndi naman
pagkilos kasi hindi yun ang tamang
lahat ng mdaling mauno e paeasy lng
paraan para magkaroon ng pagbabago sa
lagi. Tska prerogative n ng s2dyante kung
konteksto/panahon natin. Noong Martial
la2gyan nya ng lalim ang pgaaralan nya.
Law siguro, pwede pa. Ano kaya ang
Nsa UP k. Ndi s OTHERS. 06-60766.
tamang paraan? :) 05-43479
bsmath
SAGUTAN
To 08-11813:mxdo kp ytang naïve
To 03-43200: Ilang alumni ng UP ba
2 bliv n ktamaran ang ris0n s mbbang
ang nasa pamahalaan at kumikilos para
inc0me.kht nd mgrally at nd n m2log
sa tunay na pagbabagong lipunan? ‘Wag
ang mga tao sa kktrbho,kng kulang nman
tayong maghasik ng kalituhan na ‘it’s only
ang j0b opp0rtunities,blewala dn.i hope
through studying well, gaining economic
msmaintndhn m yn in ur nxt yrs s UP.no
power & attaining social capital we could
offnce dn.^_^ 04-38729
affect significant change. Si Marcos
Next Semester's questions
mismo na diktator-pasista ay summa cum
1) Ano ang dapat gawin sa seguridad
laude ng UP at minsang naging ‘Lawyer
ng UP matapos ang insidente sa Bahay
of the Year’. Di sapat ang magpakahusay
ng Alumni?
sa pag-aaral at ang magpayaman kung
2) Ano ang paborito mong linya sa
magiging isa ka lang din sa ganid na
teleseryeng "Iisa Ka Lamang?"
mga burukrata-kapitalista. 05-21756, BS
PSYCH
To 06-69110: mhya ka naman! ,isa
aqng “FIRST YEAR” student pero mas
mulat pa aq sau! Hndi usapin ng kung
ilan ta0n kna sa lo0b ng UP,usapin ito ng
pag-unlad!! Sa tingin q wla ka ng pag-asa!
TxT
http:/ kule-0809.deviantart.com
Grapiks 11
Philippine Collegian | Miyerkules, 12 Nob 2008
Hello mga utaws! I’m like, here na
naman, your ever trustworthy
social climber to nth level.. Um,
what should I be discussing in
this so napakaliit na space pero
pinakaaabang-abang na part ng
Kule?
Hmmm. Gossips ng sangkayupihan,
what elz? I know, right?? harhar..
Peyups
Dead Opportunities, Felipe Neri Cemetery,
Mandaluyong - Chris Imperial
Eksenang
SIPAT
Gossip 1:
Who is this mystery tao from FC at CAL who is so, well... mysterious. Bakit?
With a so outstanding outfit (scarf sa head, aviator glasses, checkered polo),
he makes ikot-ikot like, forever around the aforementioned lugars para lang
mag-seek ng mga libro at tumingin sa mga galleries. According pa sa aking
very reliable source, mukhang no way siyang student or prof ng UP. Sino kaya si
mystery guy? Well, rush na sa FC to find out!
Kwento 2:
Eh sino naman tong confused guy from a small college *ehem*stat*ehem* na gusto
nang makipag-peace sa isang mystery girl from the same college? Apparently the
confused guy had a jolly conversation with her sa isang social networking site, so he
thought that everything was ok na(?) Ayun, he like, tried to approach her during the
enrolment,pero to his surprise, she made lakad away from him, even pushing her girl
kaibigan in front of her. Kawawa naman si confused and stupid guy, he doesn’t know
how to handle the pangyayari, and just walked away feeling malungkot. Haynaku,
advice ko sayo confused and stupid guy... wala lang. It’s not like, I know everything
naman e.
Ayan. I’m so mabait talaga. i like, gave you a freaking chance para makita yung sarili
mong story sa Eksenang Peyups, kahit illusion lang. *laughs* So, if you want your own
tsika to like, appear na talaga in print, make sugod sa gaganaping MASS EXAM para sa
Kule applicants. See posters and print ads for details.
12 Opinyon
Philippine
Collegian
Miyrkules, 12 Nob 2008
opisyal na lingguhang
pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng
unibersidad ng pilipinas - diliman
Punong Patnugot
Larissa Mae R. Suarez
Mga Kapatnugot
Jerrie M. Abella
Melane A. Manalo
Tagapamahalang Patnugot
Frank Lloyd B. Tiongson
Patnugot sa Balita
John Alliage T. Morales
Antonio D. Tiemsin Jr.
Janno Gonzales
P
resident Barack Obama.
These
three
words carry a special
significance. They do
not just mark the start
of a new chapter in history, as
the door is forever closed on the
conventional wisdom that an
African-American could never
be elected US President. These
words also bear the weight of
over 63 million people's decision
to vote for Democrat Obama
over Republican John McCain,
an irrefutable repudiation of the
party that has ruled the US — and
consequently, the world — for the
past eight years.
Obama's election may be
hailed as the end of racism, but
the stigma of racism cannot
be erased overnight. There
are still too few blacks in the
US government, even if that
number includes the President,
and the burden of poverty still
falls disproportionately on US
minorities. Yet history is marching
on, inexorably. Obama won over
sixty percent of the youth vote in
the US. Impromptu celebrations
broke out across the globe when
his victory was announced,
with people from countries like
Indonesia, Kenya, and the United
Kingdom chanting his name. If
nothing else, Obama's election
gives us the hope that the day will
come when future generations
find nothing remarkable about
presidents, governors, senators,
and other politicians who happen
to be black.
Obama's victory results from a
convergence of opportunity, skill,
and timing. It is doubtful whether
Obama would have won had he
been preceded by anyone other
than Bush, whose unpopularity
with his constituents is rivaled
only by the negative approval
ratings of our own President
Gloria Arroyo. Certainly, there
is no disputing that Bush is
condemned by almost everyone in
Edi tor ya l
Making history
the international community, politician. For instance, during
except the Philippines, where the course of the elections,
Arroyo and her cohorts continue then-Senator Obama voted with
to declare support for Bush and McCain in favor of the $700his policies.
billion bailout package to bolster
At the heart of the now-rejected Wall Street during the economic
Bush doctrine is the perpetration crisis. Like McCain, Obama
of US hegemony through such wants to keep American troops
tactics as military expansion, in the Middle East, to hunt down
unilateralism, and preemptive terrorists and, not incidentally,
strikes. This crude strategy has maintain a military presence in
backfired. Today, Bush led his party that oil-rich region. Like McCain,
to their biggest loss in generations; Obama sees the rest of the world
and when Bush steps down in in terms of US interests, and will
January 2009, he will relinquish act accordingly.
to President-elect Obama a
Indeed, the era of Obama, for all
nation in crisis: two expensive the goodwill with which it begins,
wars, a collapsing
poses risks of its
economy, and all in
own. The leaders of
the era of
a world where global
powerful European
warming
remains Obama, for all
and Asian nations
unaddressed
and
found it practical
countries like China the goodwill
to
disassociate
and Russia gain ever
themselves
from
more power and with which it
Bush, a President
leverage.
openly
despised
Obama's landslide begins, poses
by average citizens
victory, with 364
around the world;
electoral votes to risks of its own
and the lack of
McCain's 162, gives
support from ally
him a decisive mandate to change nations contributed to the failure
the way in which the US deals of US-waged wars under the Bush
with the rest of the world — if the administration. However, Obama
rest of his nation will let him.
gives these nations cover to start
For we cannot forget that supporting the US again. With the
nearly 55 million cast their ballots departure of Bush, the justified fury
for McCain and Sarah Palin. That at the US wars of aggression will lose
figure is a sobering reminder that steam, for Obama is not as easily
plenty of Americans still support a demonized as his predecessor.
continuation of the Bush years.
Obama's first major action as
And amidst the enthusiasm President-elect was to choose a
generated by Obama's victory partisan Washington insider and
all over the world, it is prudent a supporter of the Iraq war, Rep.
to wonder just how different Rahm Emanuel, as his Chief of
President Obama would actually Staff. As the glow of Obama's win
be from President Bush. The begins to fade, reality sinks in: the
grand rhetoric wielded so adroitly "new" US under Obama probably
by Obama during the elections won't be too different from the old
promised a new kind of politics, one under Bush, except, perhaps,
yet Obama's cool, pragmatic much less blatant in its aggression
decisions are those of a traditional and hypocrisy.
The Philippines itself is a
testament to how little difference
exists between one US President
and the next, regardless of his
party.
Consider:
Republican
President Ronald Reagan was a
close ally of the dictator Ferdinand
Marcos. Under Democrat Lyndon
Johnson, the Philippines sent
troops to fight in the Vietnam
War; under Repubican George W.
Bush, Filipino troops were sent
to Iraq. And it was Democrat Bill
Clinton who gave us the skewed
Visiting Forces Agreement.
How will the Philippines fare
under Democrat Barack Obama?
Obama declared in his
acceptance speech, "To all those
watching tonight from beyond
our shores… tonight we proved
once more that the true strength
of our nation comes not from
the might of our arms or the
scale of our wealth, but from the
enduring power of our ideals:
democracy, liberty, opportunity,
and unyielding hope."
From beyond their shores —
under President Arroyo, a staunch
Bush ally tainted by human
rights violations, corruption, and
illegitimacy — Filipinos watched.
The nightmare of the Bush years
is over, but the counterpart Arroyo
regime and its blind obeisance to
Bush doctrine threatens to last
indefinitely for Filipinos.
If he is to be true to the ideals
touted in his brilliant victory
speech, Obama must withdraw
his support for the Arroyo regime.
It would be a bold move, but then,
Obama did not win by promising
more of the same.
The four years ahead of President
Barack Obama will be difficult
ones. He will be tested, he will
make mistakes and compromises,
he will be criticized and his
followers will be disillusioned. He
has won, history has been made
— now, the challenge for him is
to make his presidency as widely
celebrated as his election. ■n
Mga Patnugot sa Grapiks
Piya C. Constantino
Candice Anne L. Reyes
Tagapamahala ng Pinansiya
Ma. Rosa Cer M. dela Cruz
Mga Kawani
Louise Vincent B. Amante
Janno Rae T. Gonzales
John Francis C. Losaria
Timothy Medrano
Archie A. Oclos
Jan Marcel V. Ragaza
Dianne Marah E. Sayaman
Om Narayan E. Velasco
Mixkaela Z. Villalon
Nico Villarete
Pinansiya
Amelyn J. Daga
Tagapamahala sa
Sirkulasyon
Paul John Alix
Sirkulasyon
Gary Gabales
Ricky Icawat
Amelito Jaena
Glenario Omamalin
Mga Katuwang na Kawani
Trinidad Basilan
Gina Villas
Pamuhatan
Silid 401 Bulwagang
Vinzons, Unibersidad ng
Pilipinas, Diliman, Lungsod
Quezon
Telefax
9818500 lokal 4522
Email
kule0809@gmail.com
Website
http://philippinecollegian.tk
http://kule-0809.deviantart.
com
Kasapi
Solidaridad UP System-wide
Alliance of Student
Publications and Writers’
Organizations
College Editors Guild of the
Philippines