Linggo 26 Hunyo 2016Tomo 93 Blg 17

Opisyal na lingguhang pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, DilimanKULÊ

RADICALSHIFT

EDITORYAL 2

Ano ang katangiang dapat taglayin ng susunod naRehente ng mga Mag-aaral?

As former Student Regent, I know for a fact that lyrical tenacity and unending patience is needed for the position. The next SR must have the persistence to advance students’ demands even if at odds with the administration and must also always persevere to find unity of opinions in a very diverse student community. But more importantly, s/he should not lead alone. S/he must recognize the value of deliberation among her/his constituents and the importance of participation of the many committed student leaders of our university.

Cleve Kevin Robert ArguellesStudent Regent, A.Y. 2012-2013

Reaffirmation of principles when a room is filled with doubt and scepticism. A good track record, reflective of national and international.

Miguel Enrico PangalanganStudent Regent, A.Y. 2015-2016

RADICAL SHIFT

THE PAST SIX YEARS OF PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III have left behind a legacy that only isolated the people from the Tuwid na Daan formula. President-elect Rodrigo Duterte now faces the challenge of ironing out the previous administration's mistakes—a challenge forwarded by the youth and the people who have propelled him into the country's chief post.

The people’s optimism towards a Duterte-led government is anchored on the thirst for radical change. He constantly talked about upholding peace and order, with the foremost agenda of eradicating criminality within three to six months in office.

Ironically, Aquino’s win in 2010 was also brought by a nation hungry to see reforms in the corrupted government, hoping transparency would eradicate all other problems. However, he fell short of what the Philippines needed to stir it toward his so-called Tuwid na Daan.

As he steps down from office, 7.7 million Filipinos are left underemployed because of contractualization. He leaves with K-12 program in full swing, despite the lack of facilities and preparation of the faculty and students. Human rights violations also escalated with at least 31 cases of enforced disappearances, and several military attacks against thousands of the Lumad.

What the country needs is a genuine shift from policies that only benefited the country's upper one percent to the ones that truly reflect the needsof the masses

Punong Patnugot Mary Joy Capistrano Kapatnugot Victor Gregor Limon Tagapamahalang Patnugot Jiru RadaPatnugot sa Balita Arra Francia Patnugot sa Grapiks Guia Abogado Tagapamahala ng Pinansiya Karen Ann MacalaladKawani Kenneth Gutlay / Chester Higuit Pinansiya Amelyn Daga Tagapamahala sa Sirkulasyon Gary GabalesSirkulasyon Amelito Jaena / Glenario Ommamalin Mga Katuwang na Kawani Trinidad Gabales / Gina Villas

PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6

What the country needs is a genuine shift from policies that only benefited the country’s upper one percent to ones that truly reflect the needs of the masses.

Duterte set himself on a good start as for the first time in recent history, the president openly holds peace talks to address the poverty and harassment of the minorities that urged rebel groups to revolt in the first place.

His choice of cabinet members includes peasant leader Rafael Mariano for the Department of Agriculture and retired UP Professor Judy Taguiwalo for the Department of Social Work and Development. Welcoming the progressive people into seats of power gives the masses the prime opportunity of being served by people who have fought with them in their struggle.

Duterte, who brands himself as a leftist and prides himself for being the first president to be so, shows even more promise as this attitude will ensure that he will not fall trap under orders of the United States.

Yet we must remain vigilant given his record of summary killings—something he sees nothing wrong in. Duterte’s solution to all of the country’s problems lies in killing the perpetrators of the crime, a move reminiscent of the Marcos administration. His admiration toward the late president’s rule betrays the

Kasapi UP Systemwide Alliance of Student Publications and Writers’ Organizations (Solidaridad) / College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) Pamuhatan Silid 401 Bulwagang Vinzons, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Diliman, Lungsod Quezon Telefax 981-8500 lokal 4522 Online kule1516@gmail.com / www.philippinecollegian.org / fb.com/philippinecollegian / twitter.com/phkule / instagram.com/phkule

P L A Y B A C K

2 EDITORYAL Linggo 26 Hunyo 2016

thousands the dictator ordered to be killed and forcibly disappeared.

Moreover, Duterte’s justification of journalistic killings calls the Collegian to action, that we uphold the rights of the fourth estate. Unless he remains steady in his belief that all journalists are corrupt and deserve to be killed, the media are left with the choice to revolt against an administration that aims to silence it.

As Duterte takes his presidential oath, the youth must be reminded of their prime duty to make his incoming administration accountable for all the promises it has made, and of the misguided choices it has taken so far.

We must give support where support is due, criticize where critics are needed to stir the government to the right path, and disturb when our voices get drowned out by the status quo. The Collegian will not falter in delivering the sharpest critiques on Philippine society, and it stands as one with the masses who continue to struggle for genuine peace and progress.

UKOL SA PABALATDibuho John Kenneth Zapata

BALITA 3Linggo 26 Hunyo 2016

1k farmers to be displaced by MRT-7 project

Pagmodernisa ng Fabella Hospital, iginiit ng mga grupo

A man sets up power lines on June 15 in Metro Manila where workers in the non-agricultural sector earn P491 per day while those in the agricultural sector earn P454. The daily minimum wage for Metro Manila increased by P10 last June 2, a far cry from the daily P1,086 Family Living Wage identified by independent think-tank Ibon Foundation. On a related note, the World Bank has attributed poverty among those employed in the Philippines to low wages and limited access to regular and productive jobs, the root causes of which are poor education and job scarcity.

UNDER THE WIREKenneth Gutlay

C H E S T E R H I G U I T

D A N I E L B O O N E

AROUND 1,000 FARMERS IN San Jose del Monte, Bulacan will be displaced with the construction of the P69.3 billion Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) Project spanning from Bulacan to Quezon City, according to farmers’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP).

The construction of the 22.8-kilometer railway system will bulldoze around 300 hectares of land in San Jose del Monte which is still under dispute at the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) after a series of cancellation of land ownership awards and land conversion orders.

The construction of the MRT-7 will only benefit huge corporations at the expense of the lands tilled by farmers, KMP said.

Land grabbingAside from Cojuangco, KMP cited

prominent business names such as Sy’s SM Investment Corporation, Ayala’s Group of Companies, and Gokongwei’s JG Summit Holdings as entities that will benefit from the project by setting up real estates, commercial establishments, and business process outsourcing companies along the route.

The MRT-7 is set to have stations in San Jose del Monte, Tala, Sacred Heart, Quirino, Mindanao Avenue, Regalado, Doña Carmen, Manggahan, Batasan, Don Antonio, Tandang Sora, University Avenue, Quezon Memorial Circle, and, lastly, at Quezon North Avenue. The last station will connect MRT-7 and MRT-3.

On February 2016, the administration awarded the 35-year contract to the Universal LRT Corporation BVI Limited (ULC) to build, operate, and maintain the facility, which the corporation may renew upon expiry.

More than half or 51 percent of the ULC shares is owned by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) chaired by Cojuangco, according to Rosario Hapal, project monitoring officer of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center. “The project is Aquino’s ‘pabaon’ to [his] uncle [Danding Cojuangco] and other big businesses and oligarchs,” Hapal said.

The MRT-7 project began in April and will be finished after three years in August 2019.

Once completed, the project will supposedly alleviate the traffic by diverting northern provincial bus operations to San Jose del Monte,

MAHIGIT ISANG BUWAN NANG nagsasagawa ng kilos-protesta ang ilang mga pasyente, manggagawa at iba’t ibang grupo sa tapat ng Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital (Fabella) upang isulong ang pagpapanatili ng ospital sa kasalukuyang lokasyon nito sa Lope de Vega Street, Manila.

Ika-15 ng Abril nang i-anunsyo ni Fabella Medical Center Chief Esmeraldo Ilem na hindi pumasa sa pagsusuri ng International Organization for Standardization ang pagamutan dahil sa antas ng sira ng mga gusali nito. Inatasan umano ni Ilem na kailangang mabakante ang ospital bago ang ika-9 ng Hunyo, ayon sa Save Fabella Hospital Movement (SFM).

Tinatayang apat sa walong gusali ng Fabella ang hindi ligtas, mula sa suri ng pribadong kumpanyang Ernesto S. de Castro, Inc.

Pansamantalang ililipat ang mga pasyente nito sa Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP), Lungsod ng Quezon, pahayag ng pamunuan ng ospital.

Giit ng mga nagpoprotesta, maaaring sa apat na maayos na gusali ng Fabella na lamang ilipat ang mga pasyente. “Mas maigi iyon kaysa ilipat pa ang ospital sa panibagong lugar,” ani Elvira Mendoza, tagapagsalita ng SFM.

‘Paanakan ng Bayan’Tinaguriang ‘Paanakan ng Bayan,’

tumatanggap ng 80 hanggang 100 pasyente kada araw ang Fabella. Sa kabila ng 700 kamang kapasidad, halos isang libo ang nagsisiksikan sa ospital dahil sa murang serbisyo.

Sakaling matuloy ang pagpapalipat, hanggang 50 kama lamang ang kasya sa LCP. Aabisuhan ang mga pasyenteng hindi na matatanggap sa LCP na lumipat muna sa mga kalapit na ospital tulad ng Philippine General Hospital, Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center at San Lazaro Hospital, ayon kay Ilem sa isang press briefing noong ika-10 ng Hunyo.

Samantala, ipinahayag ng Department of Health (DOH) na sa Mayo 2017 pa matatapos ang tinatayong gusali na magiging bagong Fabella sa loob ng DOH compound sa Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Kung malipat ang ospital, nakaamba ang posibilidad ng pagtataas ng singil nito sa serbisyo lalo na at bahagi ito ng pribatisasyon at modernisasyon ng gobyerno, ani Mendoza.

“Sa Fabella, kung wala ka talagang pera, wala kang babayaran kasi pwede kang i-refer sa social service. Kung sakaling malilipat ito sa ibang lugar gaya ng LCP, hindi namin sigurado kung mura o libre ang magiging singil sa mga pasyente,” ani Fe Trinilla, isang nurse ng Fabella.

Humihingi naman ng tulong ang ilang manggagawa sa ospital upang bigyan ng sapat na pondo ang Fabella upang maipagpatuloy ang serbisyo nito sa kasalukuyang lugar at makapagbigay ng mas mainam na serbisyo sa mga mahihirap.

Sa tala ng Department of Budget and Management, walang pondong inilaan ang pamahalaan para sa capital outlay ng ospital para sa 2011, 2013 at 2015 sa ilalim ng administrasyong Aquino upang magamit sa pagsasaayos ng mga gusali.

Taong 2014 naman nang itinaas sa P840M

ang pondo para sa ospital, subalit ginamit lang ito para simulan ang pagpapatayo ng istrukturang lilipatan ng ospital sa loob ng DOH compound sa halip na paunlarin ang istruktura ng kasalukuyang Fabella, batay sa pahayag ng Alliance of Health Workers.

Kawalan ng lupaBukod sa mga sira ng gusali ng Fabella,

minamadali ngayon ng Home Guaranty Corporation ang pagpapalipat ng Fabella kahit hindi pa natatapos ang lilipatan nito sa DOH compound upang bigyang daan ang urban development project nito, ayon sa AHW.

Taong 2004 nang ilipat mula sa Public Estates Authority tungo sa HGC ang pamamahala ng Old Bilibid Compound kung saan nakatayo ang Fabella sa ilalim ng Proclamation 542 ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Una nang hinakot ang ilang kama mula sa ospital noong unang araw ng Hunyo, subalit napigilan ito ng protesta ng mga manggagawa. Sa araw na iyon din nagsimula ang barikada ng mga manggagawa at kalapit na komunidad.

Ipagpapatuloy ng mga manggagawa ang kanilang barikada hanggang sa pag-upo ni Rodrigo Duterte bilang pangulo sa ika-30 ng Hunyo. Umaasa ang grupo na susuportahan sila ng bagong presidente sa planong modernisasyon ng ospital.

“Tuloy ang barikadang bayan hanggang June 30. Huwag tayong mapagod at magsawang ipagtanggol ang Paanakan ng Bayan kung saan milyun-milyong mahihirap na nanay at bata ang naseserbisyuhan,” ayon sa AHW.

thereby decongesting EDSA and decreasing commute time from 3.5 hours to one hour, according to the Department of Transport and Communications’ (DOTC) description of the project.

Despite having a station called the University Avenue, the MRT-7 will not directly pass along UP, leaving UP residents unaffected, clarified Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Nestor Castro.

Another PPPThe farmers in the area have long

been asserting rights over the lands. On April 21, around 100 farmers from Bulacan led by the KMP protested in front of Aquino’s home in Times Street, Quezon City and at DAR calling to stop the MRT-7 construction.

“Actually, panahon pa ni Marcos, nandyan na ‘yang mga magsasaka na ‘yan, e. Tapos, panahon ni Cory, nagsimula nang mag-apply para sa [Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)],” said KMP Secretary General Antonio Flores.

The CARP was signed into law in 1987 for the purpose of granting landless farmers ownership for the land they till. Almost three decades after its passage,

the country’s agricultural lands remain controlled by large landowners.

Former DAR Secretary Ernesto Garilao approved the farmers’ request to distribute the land, but the petition was junked during the term of Obet Pagdanganan as secretary in 2003, Flores added.

To date, the project is the 13th and biggest PPP under the Aquino administration with an initial cost of P69.3 billion.

All PPPs under Aquino have an accumulative sum of P286.7 billion, which includes P2.02 billion for the Manila Cavite Expressway Project, P1.72 billion for the Automated Fare Collection for MRT, P8.69 billion for the modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Center, and P64.9 billion for the LRT-1 Extension Project.

PPPs, particularly, in agriculture only strengthened the landlords’ monopoly, said Flores in a statement. “Agribusiness venture arrangements led to widespread land-grabbing in the countryside … Genuine agrarian reform is the only guarantee for farmers not to be displaced from their land,” he added.

M A R Y J O Y T. C A P I S T R A N O

COLLEGIAN BUSINESS MANAGER and incoming senior journalism student Karen Ann Macalalad will serve as editor-in-chief of UP Diliman’s official student publication for the academic year 2016 to 2017.

Macalalad garnered the highest score with 85.12 in the Collegian editorial examinations, beating nine other contenders namely Malcolm Aniag, Arra Francia, Chrysologus Herrera, Chester Higuit, Frente Sur Melliza, Victor Gregor Limon, Allan Chester Nadate, Anton Onato, and Aldrin Villegas. The exam was administered last May 7 at the College of Mass Communication (CMC).

Geography sophomore Limon came in second with a total score of 80.2, more than five points away from Macalalad’s score. Herrera came in third with a total aggregate score of 80.12, a margin of 0.08 percent against second-placer Limon.

Meanwhile, Francia trailed Melliza for the fifth spot with a score of 78. Landing in the last five places are Villegas, Nadate, Aniag, Higuit and Onato who each gathered a cumulative score of 73.8, 70.22, 69.1, 68.96, and 66.6, respectively.

The examination consisted of three parts, with editorial writing comprising the bulk of the aggregate score with 70 percent, news writing covering 20 percent, and layout accounting for 10 percent of the score.

Macalalad bested the editorial writing with a total score of 62.72, while Francia topped the news writing exam with a total score of 16.6 percent. Limon came first in the layout exam with a total of 7.8 percent. For the editorial writing component, examinees were asked to write about the topic “The 2016 Elections and the UP Knowledge Festival.”

In her editorial titled “Tinig ng Pakikisangkot,” Macalalad wrote, “…malaki ang mga kapasidad ng mga Pilipinong lumikha ng rebolusyon sa larangan ng syensya at teknolohiya kung sapat lamang ang nakukuhang atensyon nito mula sa pamahalaan. Mapapansin ang kapasidad at kalinangang ito sa mga kombensyon gaya ng UP Knowledge Festival- mula sa tinig ng mga siyentista at mananaliksik naglalayong ihamig ang inobasyon sa lipunan.”

“Kung kaya’t mahalaga na makisangkot ang mamamayan, lalo na ang mga kabataan, upang igiit sa pamahalaan ang kagyat na tugon nito sa isyu ng iba’t ibang panlipunang sektor at kaukulang badyet na nararapat dito,” she added.

She concluded her editorial by stressing the capacity of the youth in affecting change not only in the academe. She also emphasized the crucial role of the Filipino vote in fostering change.

In an interview, Macalalad said she will continue the fearless and critical campus journalism that has defined the Collegian tradition throughout its 93-year existence.

“The Collegian will adhere to its role of being an avenue for the voiceless, and will not be shaken in delivering the sharpest critiques about the government and the most pressing social issues,” she said.

CMC Dean Elena Pernia chaired the editorial examination’s Board of Judges. Assistant Professor Larissa Mae Suarez of the College of Arts and Letters and Assistant Professor Ryan Oliva of the College of Law served as faculty judges, while Journalism major and UP Journalism Club President Erwin Colcol and Economics major Adrian Christian Castro served as student judges.

Collegian business manager is next EIC

THE STUDENT ALLIANCE FOR THE Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP) will lead next year’s UP Diliman (UPD) University Student Council (USC), with standard bearers Bryle Leaño and Beata Carolino taking the top two positions.

Chairperson Leaño garnered 5,840 votes against indie candidate Raymond Rodis with 3,603 votes and AJ Montesa of UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA) with 2,079 votes. A total of 1,261 students abstained from voting for a USC chairperson this year.

Carolino nailed the vice chairperson position with 8,409 votes, over opponent Vince Liban of UP ALYANSA with 2,798 votes. A total of 1,576 students chose to vote abstain for the position.

STAND UP has won majority of the seats because of the student movements it has staged all throughout the year, in response to the dormitory crisis, looming budget cut in UP, and the week-long stay of the Lumad in the campus, Leaño said. “Nakita ng mga estudyante na ito ‘yung gusto nilang council,” he said.

The results were quite humbling but the UP ALYANSA has to take these as a motivation to improve themselves, Montesa said. “I will focus on where we can improve, where we can get our message across students,” he said.

Rodis attributed his loss to his failure in holding as many room-to-room campaigns each day. “It was a really big advantage for my opponents who were incumbent USC members,” the former USC councilor added.

STAND UP secured a majority of the USC seats by taking 19 out of 35 USC posts, namely the positions of chairperson and vice chairperson, seven councilors, and 10 college representatives. UP ALYANSA won five posts including the positions of one councilor and four college representatives. Two councilors will represent KAISA UP in the council in the next academic year.

UP ALYANSA has dominated the USC for the past two academic years. Despite its loss, the party will continue its advocacies including the pushing through of the Magna Carta, a 10-page document which is said to uphold students’ rights and welfare, and their progressive rollback tuition campaign in UP, Montesa said.

STAND UP bet Ben Te garnered the most votes in the councilor race with 5,383 votes, followed by Donn Bernal with 4,606 votes and Micah Tolosa with 4,541 votes. Two independent candidates also made it to the list of winning councilors, with Patrick Sicat garnering 4,259 votes and RJ Belen with 3,633 votes.

The next USC will strengthen the call to junk the Socialized Tuition System and carry the campaigns of the students and other sectors even beyond the university, Leaño said. “Patuloy ang paghingi natin ng sapat na budget on education, regardless kung may budget cut man o wala,” he said.

This year’s UPD USC elections registered a 49.13 percent voter turnout, lower than the 51.24 percent all-time high recorded in 2015.

Diliman votes red‘K-12 prompts 27 percent dropout rate’

K A R E N A N N M A C A L A L A D

C A M I L L E J O Y C E M . L I S AYA R R A B . F R A N C I A

4 BALITA Linggo 26 Hunyo 2016

AT MOST 400,000 GRADE 10 students will be dropping out from school because of the Senior High School curriculum included in the K-12 program, according to youth group Kabataan Partylist.

The record-high dropout rate is an estimate based on the 1.5 million students who finished Grade 10 in March 2016. Of this number, only 1.1 million were expected to pursue senior high, or the additional two years mandated by the implementation of the K-12 program.

“[The Department of Education] is intent in downplaying the dire ramifications of the K-12 program. The stubborn implementation of K-12 has resulted to up to 400,000 dropouts,” said Kabataan Partylist Representative Sarah Elago in a statement.

More than 1.04 million students have already enrolled in SHS as of June 18, according to DepEd’s database called Learner Information System (LIS). A total of 1,409 out of 10,934 senior high schools have yet to transmit their enrollment records to the LIS.

Despite the wide gap in the number of students enrolled and the actual number of Grade 10 students, DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro called June 13

as the “best school opening thus far,” drawing flak from student groups.

“It is despicable that our government is trying to hide the fact that the K-12 has worsened the decade-old woes of our education system. They insist that this is the best school opening when in reality, around a million students were forced to drop out,” JP Rosos of the League of Filipino Students said.

The SHS program has four tracks: academic, technical-vocational livelihood (TVL), sports, and arts and design. So far, 628,000 students have taken the academic track, 402,000 for TVL, 2,800 have enrolled in arts and design, and 1,600 have chosen the sports track. The old four-year high school program will now be called junior high to accommodate changes in the curriculum.

Out of the existing 8,000 public junior high schools in the country, only 5,700 will be offering SHS. Students who cannot be accommodated by the public school system have been encouraged to enter private schools through the DepEd’s SHS voucher program.

The P12 billion voucher program grants students checks ranging from P8,750 to P22,500. This figure is a far

UP Cebu student Mary Rose Ampoon waits for her class in Palma Hall to begin after she cross-registered to UP Diliman for the midyear semester. After the implementation of the new academic calendar last 2014, the university’s constituent units found it difficult to open up classes leaving students to cross-register to other campuses. According to Ampoon, cross-registrants like herself were given least priority by the registration assistants during enrollment and were told that given the limited classes that Diliman can offer, slots will most likely be offered first to Diliman students.

OUT OF SLOTAliona Silva

cry from Kabataan Partylist’s estimate of the additional expenses for SHS, pegged at P100, 000 to P200, 000 for every student.

“The low enrollment in SHS only shows how great a burden K-12 is for students and their families. Imagine a minimum wage earner suddenly facing the problem of enrolling his or her child to a private school because of the way K-12 was set up,” said Elago.

The pilot implementation of the K-12 curriculum overlaps with President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s first year in office. While recognizing the challenges in implementing the program, Duterte has announced that he will continue the program.

Reiterating their call to suspend the implementation of K-12, youth groups staged nationwide protests on June 13, including in front of the DepEd Office in Pasig City, UP Diliman, Polytechnic University of the Philippines and other universities during the opening of classes.

“We intend to summon DepEd to Congress to assess the situation, with the end view of discontinuing this program that has proven to be nothing but a burden for many Filipino families,” added Elago.

BALITA 5

NAPIGILAN NG PROTESTA ng mga magsasaka mula sa Barangay Mapalacsiao, Hacienda Luisita ang tangkang demolisyon ng kanilang mga kubo at pananim sa utos ng mga Cojuangco-Aquino, bandang 10 ng gabi noong ika-18 ng Abril, upang magbigay daan sa itatayong gusali ng Iglesia ni Cristo (INC).

Tinatayang aabot ng 75 mula sa 6,453 ektaryang kabuuang sukat ng hacienda ang maaapektuhan ng tangkang demolisyon, na sinasaka ng humigit-kumulang 35 na magsasaka.

Natigil ang demolisyon sa pagbabarikada ng mga kababaihan, at napigilan ang pag-aararo ng kanilang mga pananim.

“Ang napagkasunduan po kasi namin, kahit na patuloy ang pagbu-bulldoze nila, [ay] magtatanim pa rin kami. Dahil wala naman kaming maaasahang iba pang [maaaring] gawin. Ang mga bata nga rito, wala nang pang-aral. Kawawa ang mga magsasaka,” ayon kay Florida Sibayan, pangulo ng Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA).

Una nang sinimulan ang pag-araro ng mga taniman at paninira ng mga kubo ng mga magsasaka noong ika-21 ng Marso.

“Ilang beses nang nagkaroon ng

probisyon patungkol sa pamimigay ng lupa, pero wala pa rin namang nangyayari. Hanggang ngayon, pagmamay-ari pa rin ng mga Cojuangco-Aquino,” ani Sibayan. Anumang oras, maaaring itulak ang pag-bulldoze ng mga pananim, mabuti at napigilan, aniya pa.

Sa kabila ng nakaambang demolisyon, patuloy naman sa pagtatanim ng mga bagong punla ang mga magsasaka upang isaayos ang lupa. Patuloy din umano ang pag-aangkat ng graba at buhangin sa tinutuluyan ng mga kontraktor para sa itatayong gusali sa nasabing sakahan, ani Sibayan.

Apat na taon na mula nang ilabas ng Korte Suprema ang kautusan hinggil sa pamamahagi ng lupa sa Hacienda Luisita sa Tarlac ngunit nananatiling nasa kamay ng mga Cojuangco-Aquino ang humigit-kumulang anim na libong ektaryang sakahan.

Taong 2012 nang magbaba ang Korte Suprema ng desisyon upang suspendihin ang stock distribution option (SDO) ng Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). Sa ilalim ng SDO, pinapayagan ang mga panginoong maylupa na bigyan na lamang ng bahagi sa stocks ang mga magsasaka sa halip na tuluyang ipamahagi ang lupa.

Demolisyon sa HLI, kinundena ng mga magsasaka

TV5 union signs new pact to increase benefits

A R J AY I VA N R . G O R O S P E

K A R E N A N N M A C A L A L A D

CONTRACTUAL AND REGULAR employees of TV5 will be receiving higher wages and increased benefits this year, as their continued protests urged the network to roll out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the workers.

The Associated Broadcasting Company Employees’ Union (ABCEU) and the TV5 management signed a memorandum of agreement for the new CBA on April 28. Rice allowance was increased from P1,300 to P1,500 and a new educational loan assistance worth P5,000 and free of interest will be introduced in 2016 and 2017. The union was also granted an office in TV5’s Reliance facility.

The CBA, which covers 489 members of ABCEU, will also grant P1,000 worth of performance-based wage hike in 2016 and P1,500 each for the next two years. The union initially proposed a P4,500 wage increase for 2016, while a total of P2,300 and P1,500 in the following years.

“Hindi ito ang inaasahan namin pero substantial na ito para sa iba,” ABCEU President Vladimir Martin said.

Negotiations for a new CBA started in September 2015 but reached a deadlock after the TV5 management insisted a wage increase moratorium in the same year. They also pushed for a two-tier wage scheme from 2016 to 2017 which only guarantees half of the total increase, leaving the other 50 percent dependent on the company’s and workers’ performance.

The performance-based salary increase only raises competition among media workers, Martin said. “Ok naman ‘yun kaso nga lang nagiging palakasan. Para mas tumaas ang increase, ‘yung iba sumisipsip sa supervisor, sumusunod sa management kahit nasasakripisyo ang welfare niya,” he said.

Contractualization in the mediaThe ABCEU has staged a series of

protest actions in front of the network’s building in Mandaluyong. On April 1, members of the union posted a notice of strike after earlier negotiations with the management failed.

TV5 has long cited its challenging financial conditions as hindrance to providing economic packages for its employees. The network registered P2.8 billion losses in the first half of 2012, as well as a P4 billion loss in 2011.

Nonetheless, the management said in a press release they gave “a fair and decent CBA economic package that tried to strike a balance between achieving increases in employee salaries, and ensuring the company's viability.”

While the CBA addresses the lack of benefits for the employees, it failed to tackle the contractual status of their employment. Only 10 drivers in the production department are regular, while 89 are contractual, Martin cited as an example.

“Mabilis ang decline ng regular employee dahil hindi masikmura ‘yung policies ng company. Nag-iiba ng job o nangingibang-bansa sila,” Martin said. The network is also offering early retirement pay to media workers, and increased salary of contractuals more than regular employees.

Contractuals who accept increased salary forget they lose security of tenure and other benefits, Martin added. The lowest paid TV5 employees in Metro Manila only earn P11,500 while those in the province get P8,000 salary, far from the P32,670 family living wage pegged per month.

The contractualization issue has been present among large media networks, where each company has a different label to call their contractuals, Martin said, who was also a contractual employee of ABS-CBN for eight years.

Martin previously worked under Internal Job Market, an agency run by ABS-CBN, which considered them as non-workers of the network. To date, the ABS-CBN calls contractuals “technical specialists,” who are treated like a regular employee but only with a fixed salary and no overtime pay, Martin explained.

“Iniiba-iba ng company ang pangalan [ng kontraktwal] para makalusot sila [sa labor code]. Inilalaban na namin ‘yan noong 2010 na dapat ‘yung necessary na desirable position, gawing regular,” Martin said.

Call for regularizationMeanwhile, 97 members of the

Talents Association Group have recently become regular employees of the GMA Network after two years of protesting against contractualization. The National Labor Relations Commission reiterated on February 17 that members of the union should be classified as regular workers.

On the contrary, the Court of Appeals dismissed the complaint for regularization and salary claims against the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Company filed by its talents in 2012. The court claimed that the talents failed to prove they are regular workers, and there were documents stating they were independent contractors of which the network paid with only talent fees.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) expressed support to all media workers’ fight for job security, urging media outfits to treat their workers fairly and provide them insurance and benefits, as the media practice remains to be a dangerous job.

“We urge TV5 to treat its rank-and-file employees as assets who have contributed to the network’s growth over the last five years. The workers’ other economic demands, like an increase in their per diems and better health insurance coverage, among others, are just,” NUJP stated.

Nakasaad sa CARP ang pamamahagi ng kabuuang 9.12 milyong ektarya ng pribado at pampublikong sakahan sa mga magsasakang walang sariling lupa, kabilang na ang Hacienda Luisita. Bagaman nakasaad sa batas ang pamamahagi ng lupa, sinang-ayunan pa rin ng mga Cojuangco-Aquino ang pagtatayo ng INC ng komersyal na gusali dito.

“Hanggang sa kasalukuyan, patuloy ang panggigipit [sa mga magsasaka] upang makasiguro ang mga Cojuangco-Aquino na ang lupa ay hindi maipamahagi,” ani Sibayan. Patuloy pa rin ang paghihirap ng mga magsasaka dagdag pa ang paglansag sa mga lupang pangunahing pinagkukunan ng kabuhayan ng mga magsasaka, dagdag pa niya.

Sa kabila ng sunud-sunod na mga banta at aktwal na demolisyon, patuloy na nagkakaisa ang AMBALA at iba pang mga grupo ng mga magsasaka sa pagkundena sa administrasyong Aquino sa patuloy na pagkakait ng lupang kanilang sinasaka.

“Talagang hindi na namin malaman kung ang gobyerno ba ay kalaban namin o hindi. Tapos ipaboboto nila sa amin, mga bata ni Aquino, samantalang sa sarili niyang bakuran, dito, walang daang matuwid?” ani Sibayan.

The El Niño climate cycle has ended after causing warm ocean surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific for more than a year, according to an advisory released by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society on June 9. This weather phenomenon has affected the local agricultural sector and caused 1.33 million hectares of irrigable land to remain unirrigated. Two drought-affected farmers from Kidapawan City were killed and 116 were wounded when police forces opened fire at a protest rally demanding help from the provincial government.

DRY SPELLJiru Rada

Linggo 26 Hunyo 2016

Linggo 26 Hunyo 2016

LUNSARAN ANG BAWAT ESPASYO SA paglikha ng sariling tinig.

Sa pamamagitan ng mga pahina ng pahayagan hanggang sa social media sites gaya ng Facebook at Twitter, higit na nagkaroon ang mga mamamayan at kabataan ng espasyo kung saan nila maaaring ipahayag ang sariling kuro-kuro at pananaw sa kasalukuyang nagaganap sa lipunan. Mas lumawak ang espasyo para sa impormasyon at diskursong layuning iangat ang kamulatan ng mga Pilipino.

Gayundin ang mga kombensyon at mga pagtitipong inilulunsad sa iba’t ibang lugar. Noon lamang ika-17 hanggang ika-19 ng Abril, ginanap ang UP Knowledge Festival sa Tagaytay City na nagsilbing pook ng pagtatanghal ng mga imbensyon at pananaliksik ukol sa syensya, kalusugan, climate change at edukasyon. Inilunsad ito kasabay ng ilang buwan ng tagisan ng retorika ng mga kandidatong tumatakbo

para sa nalalapit na eleksyon- mga kandidatong bitbit

Tinig ng Pakikisangkot The Way Forward

The 2016 Election and the UP Knowledge Festival

ang mga platapormang wawakasan umano ang kahirapan at isyung kinakaharap ng iba’t ibang sektor ng lipunan.

Dalawang boses ang narinig sa mga pangyayaring ito. Una ay ang boses ng mga mamamayang hangad na itaas ang kaalamanan ng mga mamamayang hinggil sa usapin ng syensya at teknolohiya. Pangalawa ay ang tinig ng mga kandidatong nais humango ng daan tungo sa kaunlaran ng bansa.

Sa isyu ng climate change halimbawa, inilahad ng mga kandidatong tumatakbo sa pagkapangulo ang plano nilang paigtingin ang panawagan sa paggamit ng renewable energy, nang mabawasan ang sakunang hatid ng naturang penomena. Kasabay nito ang pagpapatayo ng mga ahensya at imprastraktura na tutugon sa pangangailangan ng mga mamamayan, sa panahon ng bagyo, lindol at tagtuyot.

Sa kasalukuyan, hindi sapat ang atensyon na inilalaan ng gobyerno sa usaping pangklima. Mula sa P5 bilyon na hinihingi ng Department of Science and Technology noong 2015 para sa kanilang climate change adaptation research, tanging P3.8 bilyon lamang ang inaprubahan ng administrasyon. Nasasadlak ngayon ang bansa sa krisis na hatid ng climate change, marka ng matinding kagutumang hatid ng El Nińo sa mga magsasaka sa Kidapawan at dalawang sunog na nangyari sa dalawang kabundukan ng bansa.

Sa pangkalahatang isyu sa teknolohiya at syensya, hikahos sa

suporta ang sektor ng teknolohiya at syensya mula sa pamahalaan. Kadalasang

ang mga gadget na gamit ng mga mamamayan ay likha ng ibang

bansa, kahit ang mga semi-conductor na

materyales sa pagbuo nito ay matatagpuan na sa Pilipinas.

Kung tutuusin, malaki ang mga kapasidad ng mga Pilipinong lumikha ng rebolusyon sa larangan ng syensya at teknolohiya kung sapat lamang ang nakukuhang atensyon nito mula sa pamahalaan. Mapapansin ang kapasidad at kalinangang ito sa mga kombensyon gaya ng UP Knowledge Festival- mula sa tinig ng mga siyentista at manananaliksik naglalayong ihamig ang inobasyon sa lipunan.

Ang bawat tinig ay marka ng pakikisangkot.

Mananatiling plataporma at pangako lamang ang mga salitang namumutawi sa bibig ng mga kandidato kung hindi nila ito maisasakatuparan. Kung kaya’t mahalaga na makisangkot ang mamamayan, lalo na ang mga kabataan, upang igiit sa pamahalaan ang kagyat na tugon nito sa isyu ng iba’t ibang panlipunang sektor at kaukulang badyet na nararapat dito. Ang kapasidad ng mga kabataan na makalikha ng pagbabago ay hindi kulong sa pag-aambag lamang ng kaalaman sa akademya. Sa papalapit na eleksyon, ang bawat balota ng mamamayan at kabataan ang kanilang tinig na siyang simbolo sa inaasam na pagbabago.

K A R E N A N N M A C A L A L A D V I C T O R G R E G O R L I M O N

F R E N T E S U R M E L L I Z A

THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE WAYS to respond to a challenge. The first is to ignore its existence, the second and easiest is to despair, and the third is to confront the facts and work tirelessly towards a resolution.

On May 9, Election Day, the next six years of the nation hang in the balance, and we face once again an extraordinary opportunity to tip the scales in favour of the university’s commitment to providing quality and accessible education that is a crucial component of the engine of our country’s future. For we possess no greater power than the industry and skill of our people, and the results of the elections will have a tremendous impact on how the university continues to shape minds and hearts that shape the nation.

Last month, the university held the UP Knowledge Festival and this landmark event is exactly what its name imparts: a celebration of the creative and transformative genius of UP. Yet more than just revelling in past triumphs, the festival is also a rejection of mere nostalgia and is thus a reaffirmation of our commitment to work tirelessly and creatively towards

greater victories. Such a show-of-force reveals a firm grasp of the university’s place in national development and sends a clear and urgent message to those who aspire to helm the country in the next six years.

For UP faces challenges that can neither be resolved by denial nor despair. For next year alone, UP faces a budget deficit of more than half of its proposed P24.7 budget—an ill-advised fiscal policy of the government that mirrors its low priority for research and development. This harsh reality does not need to continue and we must maximize the opportunity to elect leaders who will most likely willing to continue the conversation. At the election booths on Monday, our vote must therefore favour the candidates with a clear commitment to remove these barriers, though we must be ready to defend our vote beyond the polling precincts should their promises prove empty.

They say hope is born often in the most unlikely of times. For UP and the nation which it serves with all its heart and mind, this is true, and history has given us endless examples of how UP has found a way to move forward despite the direst of circumstances. Even in

the midst of challenges during the Marcos regime and the administrations that followed it, the creative and radical potential of the university has prevailed. In fact, the pages of the Philippine Collegian have faithfully chronicled the UP community’s concerted and collective effort—not only in braving the challenges to its vision but also in working towards an alternative to the very conditions that hinder the advancement of research and scholarship.

In the words of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago in her winning editorial piece in 1968, “If national politics is sinking in its morass of viciousness, there is no reason why we should conform or abdicate our role as harbingers of change.”

It is difficult to ignore such a noble and urgent call to move forward, for we stand once again indeed upon the threshold of change. It is the deep breath before the plunge, and as the country’s only national university and premier research institution, the University of the Philippines must not be merely a stakeholder but a decisive agent not only in this crucial junction in the country’s history but in the challenging years ahead.

2016 IS A BIG YEAR FOR THE University of the Philippines. Last April’s UP Knowledge Festival brought together the nation’s brightest minds to tackle its biggest problems. But in spite of what was showcased in the UP Knowledge Festival, the outcome of the looming National Elections might auger a bleak future for the country’s premier university.

In choosing our country’s leaders, we must ensure that their platforms and track records show a genuine commitment to support the country’s arts and sciences.

The circus that is the National

Elections is, once again, in town. In its tow are the candidates who vie for leadership posts in government. Clad in different colors, they court and woo us for our votes. Some have concrete plans, while some only seek to con the electorate. Some are ostensibly strongmen, while some are, quite frankly, clowns. Some soothe with sincerity to serve, while some throw mean right hooks.

Dazzling as it is, we should see past the gold and the glitter and look at the candidates’ past and his plans. In other words, we should ask: what has this candidate done, and what does he plan to do? And, more importantly, in the context of the UP Knowledge Festival, how does he plan to improve the arts and the sciences?

The UP Knowledge Festival may inspire the worthies who are running this election season. The three-day affair held in Tagaytay rallied

scientists and artists from all over the country, and showcased the best works

and researches that the University of the Philippines has to offer.

But bear in mind that without proper funding and support, the UP Knowledge Festival will only be just that—a festival. And if ignored, its showcased ideas will only remain as ideas. Without proper government support, its outputs, despite how bright and bold they may be, will never see the light of day. Without proper government funding, its findings will only be unheard echoes, akin to the poor’s prayers, which beg the saints to save them from poverty and mass misery.

Our votes should not be swayed by vague plans and motherhood statements. A candidate must have a realistic plan, and should be well weathered in the problems that beleaguer this island republic. But a candidate’s platform, though held up by scientific and factual scaffolding, will only be demolished by his past of graft or incompetence. A candidate’s track record, quite rightly, shows if he could properly execute his plans. Simply put, a platform’s integrity is destroyed by the candidate’s lack of integrity.

Despite broken trains that force passengers to walk on train tracks, starving farmers who are fed bullets, and an administration that has turned irresponsibility into an

art form, rationality—and not rage—should prevail in voting for our leaders. It is not enough that a candidate snaps “I will do it.” His rough bluster must be backed up by real plans. And such plans must gear toward strengthening the country’s development of its arts and sciences. Long term development is the name of the game, and our leaders’ foresight must go beyond the tip of their noses.

In spite of a government’s ostensible efforts to cripple U.P. through its budget (or lack thereof), the University has shown that is capable of research that will redound to the benefit of those who need it most in this country. What more if U.P. had a bigger budget?

The UP Knowledge Festival is only a nudge. But to truly keep the science-and-art machine that is the University of the Philippines rolling, our leaders must properly support and invest in education. The prevailing candidates should have plans to strengthen the arts and sciences, and should have a track record of supporting the same.

But looking at how the 2016 Elections might turn out, we might only be facing more of the same.

1ST 2ND

4TH

PLACE PLACE

PLACE

EDITORIAL EXAM 6-7

The Way Forward

A Unified Voice

TOPIC

The 2016 Election and the UP Knowledge Festival

The Role of a U.P. Education in the National Conversation

A R R A F R A N C I A

C H R Y S O L O G U S H E R R E R Athe midst of challenges during the Marcos regime and the administrations that followed it, the creative and radical potential of the university has prevailed. In fact, the pages of the Philippine Collegian have faithfully chronicled the UP community’s concerted and collective effort—not only in braving the challenges to its vision but also in working towards an alternative to the very conditions that hinder the advancement of research and scholarship.

In the words of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago in her winning editorial piece in 1968, “If national politics is sinking in its morass of viciousness, there is no reason why we should conform or abdicate our role as harbingers of change.”

It is difficult to ignore such a noble and urgent call to move forward, for we stand once again indeed upon the threshold of change. It is the deep breath before the plunge, and as the country’s only national university and premier research institution, the University of the Philippines must not be merely a stakeholder but a decisive agent not only in this crucial junction in the country’s history but in the challenging years ahead.

SOCRATES ONCE SAID: “I CANNOT teach anybody anything; I can only make them think”. Education is widely acknowledged as one of the most effective tools for advancement and progress, both personal and national, not only because of the technical knowledge one acquires through good schooling, but also through the development of critical thinking and other relevant skills. Pursuant to this goal, the First Philippine Legislature established the University of the Philippines in 1908 through Act No. 1870, or the “University Act”, thereby creating what is widely considered to be the premier institution of higher learning in the country, often regarded as the benchmark, the gold standard of Philippine education by which all other Philippine schools are compared to. Throughout the 108 years the University of the Philippines has been in existence, it has been consistently pushing boundaries,

fostering an environment of academic excellence, while continuing to contribute to the holistic development of its students.

The recently concluded “Knowledge Festival – Utak at Puso” aimed to celebrate the accomplishments of the University thus far, and to further galvanize both faculty and the student body into reaching even further, to develop the knowledge capital needed in order to create innovative and progressive industries and a knowledge infrastructure that would benefit our nation. This event, while allowing us pride in our institution, only highlights the reality that though we’ve come so far, there remains a long way to go, as we can see that the Philippines lags behind our ASEAN compatriots when it comes to education, as the government only spends 3 percent of GDP on education, as compared to the other founders of the ASEAN which spend, on average, 5-6 percent on their educational systems.

The Aquino government has been attempting to make up for the deficit, to be sure, with the establishment of the K-12 educational curriculum in order to better teach core competencies, the calendar shift in order to better integrate with the other ASEAN nations and allow for improved exchange opportunities, and the increase of the budget for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs). In fact, coming from the PHP 309.5 billion budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2014, it was increased by 18.6 % to PHP 367.1 billion in 2015, and further augmented to a record PHP 436 billion in the year 2016. However, this still remains insufficient, as the Philippines ranked 89th in the Global Knowledge Economy Index back in 2010, and even though SUCs were given PHP 43.3 billion in 2015, a 14% increase over their PHP 38 billion budget in 2014, the University of the Philippines slid from its 2014 place as the 63rd best Asian

University to the 70th in 2015, based on the QS University rankings. We see that though our incumbent government recognizes the importance of the education sector, its current efforts are still not enough to properly develop and capitalize on our potential. We must hope that the next administration, to be chosen in the upcoming national elections, will recognize the crucial problems in our education sector and act to remedy them.

Elections in our country have oft been marred by accusations of personality and dynasty-based politics, of cheating, and of bribery. Even our own countrymen look down on each other come election time, often referring to others as “bobotantes”, mocking their selections, accusing them of being blind to the faults of their chosen candidates, while turning a blind eye to their own. These people, being citizens in the so-called “Social Media Capital of the World”, often turn to the internet to convey black propaganda, to spread false facts and rumors, and to engage in mudslinging. Though social media was developed with the aim of bringing people closer together, this election time, it has degenerated into a forum for insults rather than open-minded discussions, false propaganda over critical thinking, and mudslinging rather than intelligent discourse.

All of this only serves to highlight the grave necessity of the prioritization of education in our country, especially as the 2016 national elections draws ever closer. Elections play a huge role in the development of a nation; the Philippines being a representative democracy, will be selecting its leaders, and through them, the direction that this country will be heading in for the next 6 years this coming May 9.The role of our University has never been clearer: not only to inculcate students with both the knowledge

needed to succeed in their chosen fields, but to nurture critical thinking, social awareness, and social responsibility in the youth as well.

What then is our role as proud Iskos and Iskas, as we are so affectionately nicknamed? We have been entrusted with a U.P education, paid for by the people of the Philippines, thereby bestowing on us the duty of serving our country as best we may. We have an obligation to properly employ our education, to join in the national conversation currently happening, to engage in proper discourse, not to preach to others the benefits of our chosen candidate, but rather to examine each and every aspirant with a critical eye, and to encourage others to do the same. We have been well-equipped by our university to be able to separate the sacred from the profane, to identify the candidates that we feel would best serve our nation as a whole, not merely our own socio-political class. In fact, that was the goal of the U.P Knowledge Festival: to showcase the talent and innovation of the members of our University and to inspire others to reach greater heights. Now, in the time remaining for the upcoming elections, it is time for us to showcase our education, to inspire and galvanize others into using their reason, their critical eye. At the end of the day, it is our duty to go above and beyond mediocrity, to hope for a better future for our country, and to employ our talents in achieving that change. After all, it was also Socrates who said: “Let him that would change the world first change himself.”

art form, rationality—and not rage—should prevail in voting for our leaders. It is not enough that a candidate snaps “I will do it.” His rough bluster must be backed up by real plans. And such plans must gear toward strengthening the country’s development of its arts and sciences. Long term development is the name of the game, and our leaders’ foresight must go beyond the tip of their noses.

In spite of a government’s ostensible efforts to cripple U.P. through its budget (or lack thereof), the University has shown that is capable of research that will redound to the benefit of those who need it most in this country. What more if U.P. had a bigger budget?

The UP Knowledge Festival is only a nudge. But to truly keep the science-and-art machine that is the University of the Philippines rolling, our leaders must properly support and invest in education. The prevailing candidates should have plans to strengthen the arts and sciences, and should have a track record of supporting the same.

But looking at how the 2016 Elections might turn out, we might only be facing more of the same.

THE COLLECTIVE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE alone can bring genuine change.

For more than a hundred years, students of the University of the Philippines have been primary contributors to unifying this voice. The critical thought and radical actions espoused by the likes of Wenceslao Vinzons and Lean Alejandro forged UP into what it is today: a stalwart of activism always ready to lead the fight for academic freedom and democracy.

We stand once again at a time when change can be achieved with a single vote. At a time as crucial as the 2016 presidential elections, UP must now intensify its voice and move the people to action. Fulfilling this mandate comes in many forms. The UP Knowledge Festival is one of them.

This three-day event held just two weeks before the elections was crucial in highlighting the role of higher level education in the development of the country. Pooling together top researchers from across the UP system, the UP Knowledge Festival was an avenue for emphasizing the equal importance of the arts and sciences.

Ranging from topics on agriculture, disaster risk management, climate change and progressive teaching, among others, the UP Knowledge Festival also addressed what the past three presidential debates failed to tackle: the state of education in the Philippines. This is a glaring disenfranchisement of the millions of students attending the country’s 114 state universities and colleges. Year after year, these students are hounded by incessant problems on rising tuition fees and higher living expenses, among others.

The dismal state of tertiary education not only discourages students from actually pursuing a college degree, but also rids the government of vital human capital. The profound effects of such a condition can be seen in our unemployment rates, half of which is constituted by the youth population.

The accumulation of shared experiences and knowledge through research and data-gathering concerning issues the people face is vital in creating a well-informed electorate and thus, a critical vote.

The conduct of research is, however,

still a widely ignored field in the country. This already stifling condition is further limited by financial setbacks. Of the UP administration’s P25 billion budget proposal for 2016, only P11.8 billion was approved. Budget for capital outlay or the construction and purchase of facilities and infrastructure has all but been removed, crippling the university of the ability to procure equipment for research. It is then crucial that we choose candidates who not only have clear visions for education, but who see that the potential for development can be realized by touching the core of research.

As May 9 approaches, the people must look more than mere rhetoric and well-crafted promises the candidate, but look at how these words are translated into concrete action. In the end, the election is not the be-all and end-all of our demand for a better country. Filipinos must go beyond this political event and create a unified voice to shatter the status quo. Then and only then will we finally see change.

The 2016 Elections and the UP Knowledge Festival

3RD

5TH

PLACE

PLACE

8 LATHALAIN Linggo 26 Hunyo 2016

THE AUTOPSY REPORT READ SIX WOUNDS shot at close range. Two bullets while he was standing up. Two bullets while falling to the ground. One bullet to the right leg as he lay bleeding. One bullet to the head. Cause of death: Cranio-cerebral injury.

This was how my granduncle, Dr. Juan “Johnny” Escandor, died.

It was year 1983, eleven years since the proclamation of Martial Law. Dr. Johnny, aka Ka Mapalad, was in Manila, the belly of the beast, and doing his best to go undetected. His position in the movement’s Provisional Action Committee required frequent excursions to the city to clinch crucial provisions for the men and women of the Cagayan Valley Armed Command, at the time one of the best performing guerilla forces at war, not just against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, but also over timber, minerals, lakes, land, and rivers. Over the very soul of the country.

Dr. Johnny’s missions, however, were becoming increasingly dangerous as the military swelled from 60,000 in 1972 to more than 200,000 by 1983. But the people’s resistance continued as details of Ferdinand Marcos’ plunder began to emerge: first, from foreign economic assistance; second, from Philcag and other discretionary funds; and third, kickbacks from public works contracts.

While Marcos’ offshore accounts grew, the Philippine economy deteriorated under the weight of a US$26 billion debt. Refusing to relinquish power, Marcos increasingly relied on the police and military to keep his position secure.

And so, people continued to be disappeared, detained, or left dead. The terms “salvaging” and “safehouses” took on an ominous tone. By 1983, impunity–the enduring hallmark of Martial Law–reigned from the city center to the outskirts with a force approaching madness.

Dr. Johnny, rebel doctor and founder of Kabataang Makabayan, would not

make it back to Cagayan Valley on the night of the 30th

of March. The good doctor was sought, sniffed out,

spotted and seized. Viciously. Impunity exacted its due with the

crazed vengeance of a predator eager to punish the prey after eleven

years of being eluded. An eye gouged, bones broken, guts emptied, skull

smashed then stuffed with plastic scraps. Cause of death: cranio-cerebral injury.

The price to pay for waging a war for the soul of the country.

A war that did not stop with 34,000 tortures, 2,520 salvages, and 737

disappearances.

Memory and JusticeA generation has passed, but there has

been no show of remorse from the Marcoses. On the contrary, the Marcoses are back in power, with Ferdinand “Bongbong” Jr. inching closer than ever to take back Malacañan. There has been no compensation either despite the US Supreme Court’s conviction of Marcos for human rights violations.

When President-elect Rodrigo Duterte asked, "It’s just a matter of distributing the award. So anong problema?” he wrongly assumes two things. First, that the enormity of work that went into rebuilding lives out of the ravages of Martial Law can truly be compensated. And second, that the victims and families are lusting over monetary compensation, when actually it is the symbolic and historical victory that we are after. A victory that is as much ours as it is the country’s. A victory that, until now, wanes more than it waxes. A victory that is still being negotiated.

Not long after the toppling of the Marcoses, the calls were, first, “never forget” and second, “never again.” That is, to draw on the power of memory (“never forget”) so that history will not repeat itself (“never again”). The two calls have always been connected, with the first serving the second. Remembrance was in service of justice, and was not a goal on its own.

The urgent task for countries emerging from their violent past was to cultivate a “memoria fertile” (fertile memory), to borrow a phrase from the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, the mothers of desaparecidos in Argentina. Memoria fertile is a memory that feeds the thirst and hunger for justice.

To forget, therefore, is another variety of impunity. To forget is to abandon justice.

Still at WarOur failure as a people to cultivate that

“memoria fertile” is the reason why we see so much of our history being repeated. We have failed to “never forget”. And by that failing, we have not accomplished “never again.” This is why, decades after Martial Law, we are still dealing with the consequences of the past.

The past persists in the murder of Labor leader Rolando "Ka Lando" Olalia. The killing of celebrated activist Lean Alejandro. Ironic that the underground movement’s leaders–the backbone of resistance to Martial Law–were left out of the “new democracy” under Cory Aquino and became targets of assassination.

The past persists in the disappearance of Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan. The vanishing of Jonas Burgos. The regular occurrence of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture.

The past persists in the looting of national coffers. The abuse of foreign

economic assistance, the plunder of discretionary funds, and kickbacks from public works contracts.

To forget, therefore, is another variety of impunity. To forget is to abandon justice.

The past persists in the displacement of the Lumad of Mindanao. The hunger in the bellies of farmers. The continuing war over timber, minerals, lakes, land and rivers. The activists who pay with their lives for waging a war for the soul of the country. In the impunity that still reigns.

The war that Dr. Johnny fought is still with us today. It lives on in our everyday violence.

The task at handIt is alarming to me that the rhetoric of

forgetting is everywhere. Recently, Duterte said, “I will allow the burial of Ferdinand Marcos in Libingan ng mga Bayani because he was a great president and he was a hero.” And then, Sen Bongbong Marcos, “I think it will bring closure not only to my family but to the rest of the country.”

To sustain the position of remembering can be a painstaking task, especially when powers-that-be peddle forgetting as a solution to our national woes. And yet, we cannot leave the task of remembering only to the victims and their families, not only because it is untenable, but also because it rests upon the mistaken notion that Martial Law ravaged only a limited number of people, when in fact it was the entire country that suffered.

In the eve of this new administration, we must decide now, as a people, whether we continue with our forgetting, or do we, at long last, foster and fortify a “memoria fertile”.

My grandmother, who will be 85 this year, sometimes muses how long the wait has been for victory. Indeed, there are days when the wait seems to have congealed so firmly that we’ve forgotten, little by little, that we are actually waiting. Waiting comes with the expectation of a new future. But in this country where past is not past, there can be no new future.

The idea that the past belongs to the past, that the present has been redeemed, and that the future is new, is an illusion. A premature verdict on an unfinished war that still rages. An immature conclusion on a phase of history that still unfolds.

Illustration by Joshua Stark RiojaPage Design by John Reczon Calay

A L AY S A TA G U M PAY E . E S C A N D O R

The Persistence of Past'He who does not forgive does not forget,but he who does not forget often forgives.’

Madres de Plaza de Mayo

HINDI PA MAN PORMAL NA NAKAUUPO SA PUWESTO, BANTAY-SARADO NA ANG bawat galaw ng susunod na pangulo ng Pilipinas. Mainam ang ganitong mahigpit at maagap na pagmamatyag, lalo't pambihira ang mga kontradiksyong kailangang lutasin ni Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, at malaki ang pagbabagong inaasahan ng taumbayan matapos ang anim na taong panunungkulan ni Noynoy Aquino.

Kamakailan lang, umani ng batikos si Duterte dahil sa kanyang walang paumanhing pambabastos sa kababaihan. Malinaw na nagkamali ang alkalde ng Davao: Hindi magandang biro ang pagsipol sa isang babaeng reporter at lalong hindi wasto ang magbiro tungkol sa panghahalay at pagpaslang sa isang Australyanang misyonaryo.

Ngunit hindi madaling basta na lamang sabihing wala nang maaasahan pang respeto sa kababaihan mula kay Digong. Noong panahong malinaw nang siya ang magiging susunod na pangulo, sa puntod ng kanyang ina dumulog si Duterte, humahagulgol at humihingi ng tulong para sa napakalaking tungkuling kailangan niyang gampanan. Siya rin ang kauna-unahang alkalde sa bansa na nagpatupad ng isang women’s code.

Kailangan nang magpasya ng susunod na pangulo kung anong Digong ang magiging susunod na lider ng bansa. Ngayon pa lamang, kailangan na niyang tumindig laban sa patuloy na opresyon sa mga kababaihan. Sa katunayan, patuloy ngayon ang mga protesta sa napipintong pribatisasyon sa Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, na 65 taon nang nagsisilbi sa mga maralitang ina at sanggol.

Paano ba huhulagpos ang susunod na Pangulo mula sa kaniyang personal na kontradiksyon upang labanan ang iba’t ibang anyo ng pang-aapi sa mga kababaihan?

‘Paanakan ng bayan’Binansagang “paanakan ng bayan,” malaking

tulong ang Fabella sa libu-libong mga ina, kababaihan, at sanggol na umaasa sa mura at de-kalidad nitong serbisyo nito. Noong 2014, humigit kumulang 20,000 bata ang ipinanganak dito, o humigit-kumulang limampu’t limang bagong buhay kada araw. Bagamat dapat ay libre, nagagawa nang magtiis dito ng mga ina sa isang libong pisong gastos sa panganganak, kumpara sa 60 beses na mas malaking singil sa mga pribadong paanakan.

Pero sasambulat sa mga inang isinusugod sa ospital ang pagsisiksikan sa loob ng pasilidad. Larawan ang Fabella ng dalawang inang naghahati sa iisang kama, kaya’t naging laman din ito ng popular at mala-teleseryeng kuwento ng pagpapalit ng mga sanggol.

Kung hindi man makaagapay ang Fabella sa laki ng tungkulin nito, walang ibang dapat sisihin kung hindi ang pamahalaan. Noong 2011, 2013 at 2015, walang inilaang badyet ang gobyerno para sa capital outlay (CO) na maaari sanang gamitin para sa mas maayos na pasilidad at mas matibay na istruktura ng ospital. Kinuwestiyon naman ng Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) ang biglang pagtaas ng CO sa P840 milyon noong 2014, na alinsabay sa bidding ng planong proyekto sa lupang kinatatayuan ng Fabella.

Hindi rin naniniwala ang AHW na ang lumang istruktura ng ospital ang tunay na dahilan upang agad na ipasara ang Fabella at ilipat ito sa bagong gusaling itinatayo sa DOH Compound na inaasahang sa 2017 pa matatapos. Itinuturo ng grupo bilang dahilan ang planong komersyalisasyon ng Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC), isang korporasyong pagmamay-ari ng gobyerno, sa Old Bilibid Compound na kinatatayuan ng Fabella.

Kaya’t nagpapaigting sa kontradiksyon ng Pangulong halal ang positibong pagtugon niya sa sama-samang panawagan ng mga kababaihan, residente at manggagawang bumuo ng piket sa harap ng Fabella, nang sabihin niyang hindi matutuloy ang pagpapasara sa pambansang paanakan sa ilalim ng kaniyang termino. Dati ring pinangako ni Digong sa kanyang kampanya ang pagkakaroon ng libreng pasilidad sa lahat ng ospital sa bansa—pampubliko o pribado—para sa pinakamahihirap na pasyente.

Pananamantala ng estadoSalungat ang planong ito ng bagong Pangulo sa umiiral na organisado, sistematiko at

lehitimisadong pagbabalewala ng gobyerno sa karapatan ng mga kababaihan sa kalusugan.Sa ilalim ng administrasyong Aquino, naging iskema ng Public-Private Partnership

(PPP) ang pagsasapribado sa mga pampublikong serbisyo tulad ng mga pagamutan, kabilang ang Fabella. Hindi naman nakapagtataka ang interes ng

iilan na gawing negosyo ang sistemang pangkalusugan ng bansa. Sa tala ng Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) noong 2013, 18.9 porsyento lamang ang

ambag ng pamahalaan sa kabuuang P526.3 bilyon na health expenditure ng bansa, habang ang malaking bahagi nito, sa 56.3 porsyento o 296

milyon, ay mula sa bulsa ng ordinaryong mamamayan—malayo sa 45 porsyentong target ng Department of Health (DOH).

Ang umiiral ding labor export policy ng bansa ay pananamantala ng neoliberalismo sa mga kababaihan at mga manggagawa. Noong 2015, mahigit 51 porsyento ng mga migranteng manggagawa, o 1.2 milyon ay mga kababaihan. Mas maraming babae rin na

edad 15-34 ang nasasalyang magtrabaho sa ibayong dagat—sa kabila ng mga posibleng panganib.

Sa ilalim pa rin ng kasalukuyang administrasyon, babae ang karamihan sa mga nasawi sa mga nasunog na pabrika—Kentex noong 2015, Asia Micro Tech noong 2014, at Novo Jeans noong 2012, ayon sa Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU). Sa mga kasong hinawakan ng Migrante International noong 2013, 138 sa 174 na mga inabusong OFW ay babae. Nang nagdaang taon lamang, naging salamin ng mga pang-aabusong ito ang napigilang pagbitay kay Mary Jane Veloso sa Indonesia.

Patuloy din ang malakas na panawagan upang palayain ang mga kababaihang bilanggong pulitikal sa ilalim ng Oplan Bayanihan ng rehimeng Aquino. Ayon sa grupong Karapatan, 43 sa 491 na bilanggong pulitikal ay mga babae at humaharap sa patung-patong na alegasyon ng militar, 18 sa kanila ay walang awang pinaslang.

Malinaw sa mga numerong ito kung paano pinananatili at pinakikinabangan ng naghaharing interes ang subordinasyon ng mga kababaihan sa mapang-aping sistema.

“Sa bansang tulad ng Pilipinas na ang ekonomiya ay sinukuban ng pagpasok ng isang abanteng kapitalistang bansang tulad ng Estados Unidos, ang kolonyal na patakaran sa ekonomiya at ang nangibabaw na pananaw sa kababaihan ang magtatakda sa posibilidad at limitasyon ng paglahok ng mga kababaihan sa gawaing produktibo o may kabayaran,” ani Propesor Judy Taguiwalo, dating rehente ng kaguruan sa UP at direktor ng UP Center for Women's and Gender Studies, at susunod ng Kalihim ng Department of Social Work and Development.

KontradiksyonHindi maipagkakailang kaakibat ng naging paninipol

ng Pangulo ang nananatiling objektifikasyon at mababang pagtingin sa mga kababaihan—ang “nangingibaw na

pananaw sa kababaihan”—sa isang patriyarkal at paurong na lipunan. Sintomatik nito ang pagdedepensa ni Digong sa

kaniyang inasal bilang ‘freedom of expression.’Anupa’t ang personal na kontradiksyon ng bagong

Pangulo ay sumasalamin din at hindi dapat ihiwalay sa mas malaking tunggalian sa lipunan, kung saan aktibong iginigiit ng

mga kababaihan ang kanilang boses at karapatan.Tinukoy ni C.W. Mills sa kaniyang aklat na Sociological

Imagination (1959) na mahalagang suriin ang mga personal o pribadong suliranin (private troubles) sa konteksto ng mas malaking

isyung panlipunan (public issues). Ito ang naging inspirasyon, ayon sa ilang akda, upang mabuo ang tanyag na slogan ng mga lider-kabataan

at feminista ng dekada ’60: ang personal ay politikal.Ito mismo ang hamon kay Digong: Ang resolbahin ang kaniyang

personal na kontradiksyon sa konteksto ng umiiral na opresyon sa mga kababaihan, at sa kaniyang kapasyahang ito, maging kakampi ng sambayanan

sa pagsulong ng alternatibo sa umiiral na sistemang matagal nang malupit sa mga kababaihan.

KULTURA 9Linggo 26 Hunyo 2016

personal ay pulitikalMga Kontradiksyong Kinakaharap ni Rodrigo Duterte

Dibuho ni Guia Abogado Disenyo ng Pahina ni John Reczon Calay

S B D . A FA B L E

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE "ANTI-MINING?"

Weight of SilenceK E N N E T H G U T L AY

10 OPINYON Linggo 26 Hunyo 2016

IN SILENCE LIES COMPLICITY.In the aftermath of the Orlando shooting came

the outpouring of support for the LGBT. Tweets, statuses and grandstanding politicians—all spoke the same words: how the loss of life is too great, how the victims were killed in the prime of their youth, or how much of a loss they are to their families. While the massacre happened far from our borders, it sent ripples all throughout the world, prompting anyone with decent internet service to share his two cents’ worth. Silence, after all, during times of great tragedies implies complicity.

But the same silence in times of “peace,” or turmoil with underhanded oppression, also is not blameless.

Any action cannot be viewed in static, nor in vacuum; it is the product of a person’s upbringing and the societal conditions which shaped him or her. The Orlando shooter did not simply wake up one day and decide to murder. He is not a mere murderer; he is a product of his history, a reflection of his culture, molded by every aspect of society in which he belongs.

Repressive speech or actions, no matter how small, contribute to the biases and prejudices of a person, all culminating into murder by a psychopath, the hate speech of the pastor or an internet keyboard warrior, or the policies of the politician.

Silence, especially when oppression is subdued, subliminal or blatantly covert, is guilty.

EVER SINCE RODRIGO DUTERTE NAMED environmentalist Gina Lopez as the next secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, she has been almost unanimously branded by mainstream news reports as “anti-mining”—a term that now seems to be liberally applied to everyone else who dares to adopt a critical stance against present industry practices.

Now much has been said about Lopez's supposed lack of qualifications to deserve the post, and her sincerity of course must be mercilessly scrutinized, but I have also been thinking if the term “anti-mining” also applies to me and others who have no absolute faith that mining can be done responsibly and sustainably in our current situation, which is dominated by corporate greed and regulated by nominal state “controls.”

For how can we hope to benefit from our vast mineral resources if even the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 itself hardly inspires any confidence as a legal guarantee that the industry will benefit our national interest and protect both our environment and our people from plunder and destruction? If I do not believe large-scale corporate mining must continue without any significant reforms to the industry, does that make me “anti-mining”? If some people think mining should be suspended unless we are able to exercise our economic sovereignty over our resources, does that make them “anti-mining”?

Mining in the Philippines is nothing less than immensely profitable, especially with sustained global demand and rising market prices. And yet foreign corporations enjoy tax incentives and are even allowed to repatriate both capital and technology to their home countries. We hear reports of devastating spills and leaks, of large-scale deforestation and its ecological threats, of the militarization of indigenous people's communities—yet we hear nothing of neither penalties for the perpetrators nor justice for the victims.

Our country is one of the most mineral-rich in the world, especially in gold, copper, nickel, and chromite. According to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, the Philippines is sitting on about $840 billion worth of untapped mineral wealth. As a developing nation, I know these will be instrumental in our economic development. I just simply cannot subscribe to the idea that we must squander them at a time when we have so little to gain and so much to lose.

The more rabid but less sophisticated fans of market-driven mining shoots down these reservations with blindingly idiotic retorts: “If you're so against mining, then don't use electronics, cook your meals using bamboo splits, and while you're at it, don't take mass transport, because those are all dependent on mining.”

They forget we import these very same products, precisely because we have no working capacity to take full advantage of our mineral wealth and make our own computers, phones, or cars. We have zero national industries that can process extracted minerals into finished products. They forget that mineral resources are non-renewable and finite, their extraction posing some considerable measure of risk, no matter how responsibly and sustainably executed. Wouldn't it be more prudent to keep mining activities at a strict minimum until we can institute much-needed reforms, deliver long-delayed justice to victims of mining-related displacement and violence, legislate new laws that would protect the industry from corporate greed, and reestablish state institutions as vanguards of the environment and ordinary Filipinos.

It is in this context, that I would personally like President Rodrigo Duterte and DENR Secretary Gina Lopez to face the huge challenges ahead of them. Only then perhaps can I truly begin to entertain the thought that change indeed is definitely coming.

The oppressed is not to be blamed for being oppressed; sometimes, conditions are orchestrated by those with power to continue to the hegemony and strengthen their rule, and the right to speak freely sometimes comes at a cost. But when you have the privilege to speak free from the perceived shackles of economic, political, social or religious restraint, and you do not, you are complicit to the act.

If you hear anti-gay rhetoric, how unnatural it is, how it is looked down upon, or even the casual joke, speak up. If you hear language promoting oppression, speak up. If you see the common working man exploited, the woman or child abused, or the farmer landless, act.

Silence today is dangerous. Did we not just recently come close to electing to power the son of a dictator who denies Martial Law abuses or the existence of ill-gotten wealth by his family, from which he no doubt benefitted? Have we not elected with overwhelming majority someone who advocates killing criminals without due process, someone who casually throws out rape and misogynistic comments as jokes, someone who justified media killings as if they deserved it?

The struggle of the LGBT is not floating in vacuum; it is connected inexplicably with other facets of human society. We must defend the poor and the marginalized, until one day they don’t need us to.

Silence in times of “peace,” or turmoil with underhanded oppression, is not blameless.

Polo F. Imperial

Larger than Life

PAGHUBOG Katrina ArtiagaBataan, Abril 2014

DAVAO CITY—KARAPATAN SOUTHERN Mindanao raises alarm on the seven cases of extrajudicial killings particularly against farmers and lumads in Davao region in the past 30 days by suspected state agents in the end days of the Aquino administration.

The group urges the incoming Duterte administration to investigate the killings and hold military personnel and outgoing President Benigno Aquino III accountable for the blatant attacks on human rights of the poor.

Karapatan said the killings of the farmers and lumads were politically related as families and witnesses said the victims were constant targets of the state agents' red-baiting and surveillance.

Among the killed were: 1. Maria Myrna Cayag, chairperson

of Monkayao Farmers Association (Mofa) and board member of Binulig Cooperative. Cayag was shot by suspected state agents last May 7 and was comatose for a month until she succumbed to death on June 9 in the hospital. Last March the 25th Infantry Battalion told her to "surrender" as she was included in the Order of Battle list which usually targets the NPAs.

2. Datu Julio Laracio, 50, a tribal chieftain of Sitio Kisapwac, Barangay Digongan, Kitaotao, Bukidnon was killed June 15. Witnesses identified the perpetrator as an officer from the 68th IB.

3. Johnny Basilisco of Loreto, Agusan del Sur was shot dead last June 6 in Brgy. Sabud-Mansanitas. He was reportedly shot by a CAFGU who is also a barangay official. His finger was also chopped off.

4. Paul Saludaga was killed May 21 in Laak, Compostela Valley. Witnesses said the suspect was an intelligence operative, who went searching for Saludaga and confronted him early that day alleging Saludaga was an NPA supporter.

5. Marjun Baruer, of San Isidro, Davao del Norte was shot dead in front of a sari-sari store in his village.

6-7. Elenita Garing, 48 years old and Will Biliran alyas Ka Joel, were NPA members who were seen captured in Lumiad, Paquibato on June 9 by soldiers during an encounter, but were found dead the next day. The family of Garing suspects she was raped as her underwear was removed from her body.

Karapatan points out that the Aquino administration's counter-insurgency program Oplan Bayanihan has only set out to exterminate farmers and lumads.

This so-called 'winning the peace' campaign has left a trail of blood in Southern Mindanao with 66 people killed. It has turned state agents such as soldiers, CAFGU and paramilitary to become judge and executioner on farmers and lumads, who were raising their demands for the right to farms, land and ancestral domain against the entry of plantations and large-scale mining, and the overall neglect of the government on their needs as farmers.

The group also criticizes the AFP for the manner of killings of the captured NPAs Garing and Biliran, as it violates the International Humanitarian Law particularly on the Geneva Conventions relative to the treatment of prisoners of war, where captured combatants should be treated humanely.

Karapatan said there are also 17 cases of illegal arrests and detention on farmers and lumads in the same on mere suspicion of being members of NPA.

Karapatan condemns the outgoing Aquino administration for making its final strike against human rights before its term ends on June 30.

The group urges the new Duterte administration to investigate this matter, and bring Aquino pay for his accountability on extrajudicial killings against farmers and lumads.

KABATAAN PARTYLIST WELCOMES Duterte’s plan to release political prisoners even before signing a general amnesty. This is what Duterte plans to do upon his assumption to power, incoming Labor Secretary and GPH Peace Panel head Bebot Bello said last Tuesday.

Bello said they seek the release of political prisoners reportedly covered by JASIG (Joint Agreement of Safety and Immunity Guarantees). Those who are elderly and sick will also be released on humanitarian considerations. According to human rights group Karapatan, there are 18 NDFP consultants, 88 who are ill , and 48 who are already in their senior years.

The youth group previously hailed the success of the preliminary talks in Oslo last week following the signing of a joint statement by representatives of the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the incoming GPH panel signifying both parties’ commitment to discuss during the formal round of negotiations five substantive points, as follows:

1. Affirmation of previously signed agreements

2. Accelerated process for negotiations, including the timeline for the completion of the remaining substantive agenda for the talks: socio-economic reforms; political and constitutional reforms; and end of hostilities and disposition of forces.

3. Reconstitution of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) list.

4. Amnesty Proclamation for the release of all detained political prisoners, subject to the concurrence by Congress.

5. Mode of interim ceasefire.“We laud Duterte’s gesture of good

will. He respects the process and recognizes the need to boost confidence and trust among both parties. We are hoping for the success of the formal peace talks to finally address the roots armed conflict in the country,” Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago said.

“While we have high hopes for the outcome of the peace negotiations, the youth will remain vigilant and closely monitor the progress of negotiations. We look forward to the fulfillment of Duterte’s promise to release several political prisoners,” Elago added.

“The Filipino youth vows to intensify the campaigns not only for the release of political prisoners but also on the importance of the peace negotiations to the youth and the Filipino people. The Filipino people vows to actively push for the youth’s peace agenda which we aim to forward to the peace panel. The agenda includes fundamental changes in the neoliberal system of education and the fulfillment of the youth’s call for free public education at all levels,” Elago said.

I N B O X

OPINYON 11Linggo 26 Hunyo 2016

KARAPATAN ALARMED BY RISE IN KILLINGSOF FARMERS, LUMADS IN MAY TO JUNE

YOUTH PARTY WELCOMES DUTERTE’S PLANTO FREE POLITICAL PRISONERS AHEAD OF

AMNESTY LAWKARAPATAN Southern Mindanao - News Release

Kabataan Partylist - News Release

Dib

uho

ni J

oshu

a S

tark

Rio

ja

SUMALI SA KULÊ AT MAGING BAHAGI NG 94-TAÓNG TRADISYONNG PAG-UULAT NANG WALANG PAUMANHING PAGPANIG!

KAYA MO BANG PUNANANG PAHINANG ITO?

Bukas ang lahat ng seksyon para sa lahat ng estudyante ng UP. Tumungo lamang sa aming tanggapan sa Silid 401 ng Bulwagang Vinzons anumang oras.Magdala lamang ng DALAWANG BLUEBOOK at PANULAT para sa mga MANUNULAT, at PORTFOLIO NG MGA LIKHA para sa GRAPIX (PHOTOGRAPHER, ILLUSTRATOR, LAYOUT ARTIST).

Konsepto at dibuho ni John Kenneth Zapata Disenyo ng Pahina ni John Reczon Calay

Simple, pay your tuition po. :)I thought given na 'yun? Like how the farmers pay the landlords to pursue their veggies.(Char, livelihood po talaga).

Dear graduates,

Congrats, sumablay ka na rin! Para hindi na sumablay pa uli sa outside world, i-checkirawt niyo ang mga tips na ito na magagamit mo sa future! Brought to you by your fellow Iskos and Iskas:

A GRADUATE''''''''S GUIDE TO THE OTHER SIDE

how TO PURSUE MY STUDIES PO?

how TO RENT APARTMENT PO?

how TO MAKE IWAS HEAVY TRAFFIC PO?how TO RELIEVE STRESS PO?

serve the people',iskolar ng bayan!

how TO BE TIPID PO?

how TO JOB HUNT PO?

One must have 1-4 years (or 10... ormore, kebs lang kahit ilan) of experience ng haggard na enlistment at prerog procedures para sa limited slots.Good luck na lang sa kawindang-windang na kulang-kulang na job opportunitieson the otherside!

As the gastusin spurts along withPNoy's highly-acclaimed 'economic growth,' 'di ka na talo sa "PanPan," "PanDog," "PanLog," or iba pang "PanShits" variants each daypara sulit na, diet pa. Mmm.Kabog, friend!

Plus points ang may experience na sa pag-aaply sa Kalay, or *insert more accessible dorms here.* Pero honestly, settle ka na lang with Mami and Papi para hapi. Kaunting kaunti na lang kasi ang mga 'affordz' in this world of 'Ang mahal, besh, tiklopz.'

You can't. Pero kung sanay ka nang ma-stranded ng 2-10 hours sa dagat ng mga halu-halong vehicles, usok, at putok tuwing papasok sa klase, kaya mo nang tiisin 'yan!Sus, maliit na bagay.

Mag-Zumba ka with Bimby and Darla. Pero uy, 'wag ka naman mag-settle sa pahinga lang.Oks lang naman mag dream big. Like, go for change!

Hopefully magamit mo lahat ng napulot mo sa UP to shape a better place for you, for me, and the entire human race (Naks ambitious, pwedeng Filipino people muna para realistic)!