PHILIPPINe CoLLegIAN

Ika -86 ta on • Blg . 12 • 11 S et 2008
Philippine Collegian
Balita >>p.03
Tribo UP: school
spirit sa tala ng
alaala
05 Kultura
Seat of power:
A profile of
the UP Board
of Regents
06-07
LAthalain
S ept emb er 4, 1 9 1 6
ILLUSTR ATION: Archie oclos PAGE DESIGN: ivan reverente
Opisyal na lingguhang pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas - Diliman
SUMMING UP
The UP Conservatory of Music,now the College of Music, was established through
Act No. 2623 of the Philippine Legislature by Sen. Joaquin Luna. It opened in a rented
building at 963 R. Hidalgo St., Quiapo, where a handful of students were first admitted.
I n com m em or at i on of t he U ni ver s i t y of 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 o o k s
back on o n e h u n d r e d y e a r s o f h i s t o r y.
02 Balita
Philippine Collegian | Huwebes, 11 Set 2008
Sugod UP!
UP Pep Squad
defends crown,
wows Araneta
Glenn L. Diaz
H
Back-to-Back
Champions
n The UP Pep
Squad celebrates
their second
straight victory in
the 2008 UAAP
Cheerdance
Competition at the
Araneta Coliseum
on September 7.
Candice Reyes
BOR OKs lab fees in new
pharmacy courses
Mini U. Soriano
C
urrent and incoming pharmacy students in UP Manila
(UPM) would have to dig
deeper into their pockets as the Board
of Regents (BOR) approved 12 new
laboratory fees for the newly formed
courses under the two degrees in the
College of Pharmacy.
In its monthly meeting on August 30 in UP Baguio, the regents
gave their nod to the recommendation of the college administration as it said the students support
the increase, said Student Regent
Shahana Abdulwahid.
According to the proposal submitted by the college to the BOR,
“New courses [are to be formed] to
develop competencies… and to acquire requisite understanding… of
the central aspects of pharmacy…
such as pharmaceutical engineering,
production, and purchasing.”
In a survey conducted last year by
the faculty, majority of the students
voted for the increase, saying they
could save by at least half the price
of laboratory materials by paying
fees instead of buying the materials
on their own, said Robert Go, chairperson of the University Student
Council (USC) in UPM.
The fees ranging from P500 to
P1,500 in five pharmacy and seven
industrial pharmacy subjects offered
by the college will be spent for the
acquisition of reagents and other
equipment. (see sidebar)
Go said that the faculty argued
that laboratory fees should be updated to account for inflation currently pegged at 12 percent. Louie
Legaspi, college representative to
the USC, also said that the present
actual cost of laboratory needs, such
as reagents, for one subject alone
reaches P2,000 to P3,000.
Abdulwahid said, “Kung pangangailangan ang basehan, mas
makakamura kung magbabayad ng
laboratory fee ang mga estudyante
kaysa sa bumili sila sa labas ng mga
reagent.”
Legaspi said students sometimes
buy their own chemicals when the
college runs out of stock.
However, Legaspi said that the UP
administration, and not the students,
should be the one providing the
needed laboratory materials, as the
budget of the university is subsidized
by the national government.
Go added that state subsidy received by the university is not enough
to cover the rising price of laboratory materials. He said that learning
would be “hampered” by the lack of
needed facilities for training.
Abdulwahid noted that the burden
of providing needed laboratory materials is transferred to the students
who are now obliged to pay the fees,
instead of the government.
Student assistants
salary increased
Starting next semester, student
(SA) and graduate assistants (GA) will
earn an additional P5 and P8 in their
respective salaries per hour of service,
after the BOR agreed on the proposal
of the Student Assistants Council
cont inued on p.4
ard-pressed to defend
its title on the University’s centennial and
hosting year, the UP Pep Squad
delivered, and it delivered in
ways the record 23,443-strong
crowd at the Araneta Coliseum
hasn’t seen in the past.
Another record was set on September 7 when the UP Pep Squad
finished on top with 93.3 points,
an astounding 8 points away
from first runner-up University
of Santo Tomas (UST) Salinggawi
Dance Troupe’s 85.27 and second
runner-up Far Eastern University
Cheering Squad’s 83.96. Ateneo
de Manila Unversity secured the
fourth place, followed by Adamson University, University of the
East, De La Salle University, and
National University.
Last year’s competition saw
a similar top three, but UP only
lead by half a point, 92.66 to
92.16.
Despite a shaky pyramid or
two, the unmatched level of difficulty made UP’s tribal-inspired
performance stand out. The win
is UP’s fifth in the UAAP Cheerdance Competition since the format was introduced in 1995.
Opening their routine to the
tune of a remixed version of the
Unibersidad cheer, the UP Pep
formed one intricate pyramid
after another, shattering all conventions of how pyramids are
supposed to look. After its rock
theme last year, this year’s battle
cry for the back-to-back champions is Tribo UP: Sugod.
While the rest of the squads
opted for modern pop music,
UP’s routine played to entirely
folk tunes, such as Una-Kaya
by Pinikpikan and Salidumay
by Grace Nono. While the rest
donned body suits and skirts, the
UP Pep members wore an eth-
nic-inspired maroon and green
ensemble on top of a skin-tone
base.
Known for never playing it
safe, the Diliman team presented a routine conceptualized by
Coach Lalaine Pereña and choreographer RM Garcia to bag
the first prize of P195,000 and
an MP3 player for each member
from sponsor Samsung.
“Our goal was to surpass what
we did last year,” said squad captain Angela Sison. “We wanted
the creativity that the squad is
known for to come out. We were
glad na kinagat ng UP crowd
ang tribal theme. It was very
risky, considering everybody had
American-based moves, music,
and dances.”
Among the highlights of the
UP Pep’s routine include the
never before seen four consecutive full-twist basket tosses, a
kick-double basket toss, and tick
tock stunts, all punctuated with
a memorable human version of
the Oblation, courtesy of squad
co-captain Inad Dionillo, to end
the five-and-a-half minute performance.
Asked whether the squad felt
any pressure given the special
circumstances, Sison said “having fun” was their ultimate goal.
She admitted, however, that UP’s
centennial year caused them to
lose a little focus going into the
competition.
Before securing the title last
year, the UP Pep was either second or third to five-time champion UST’s Salinggawi. Prior to the
five-peat, the Maroons held the
cheerdance tilt for three years.
“Sa lahat ng mga sumugod
at nagtiwala sa UP Pep Squad,
thank you. We did it for you. We
couldn’t have done it without
you,” Sison said. n
Download the
Philippine Collegian
in PDF!
http://kule-0809.deviantart.com
Balita
Balita 03
7 Ago
Philippine Collegian | Huwebes, 11
Set2008
2008
Bagong S&T Park, bubuksan sa Diliman
Mga call center, umuupa na sa Commonwealth
Toni Tiemsin
N
akatakdang magbukas
ang ikatlong Technology Business Incubator
(TBI) o Science and Technology
(S&T) Park sa UP Diliman bago
mataos ang taon, kung saan
maaari umanong mangupahan
ang mga nais magsimula ng negosyo sa information technology
(IT) na nakabatay sa open source
technology.
Itatayo ang Open Source Incubator (OSI) sa lupain sa tabi ng
Ayala TBI South Park sa C.P. Garcia Avenue, ayon kay Vice Chancellor for Research and Development (VCRD) Luis Sison.
Wala pang pormal na kontrata
para sa OSI ngunit patuloy umano ang negosasyon sa pagitan
ng administrayon at ng mga korporasyong posibleng mamahala
nito, kabilang ang Technology
Resource Center ng gobyerno at
ang pribadong Ayala Foundation,
Inc. (AFI), ayon kay Peter Banzon,
opisyal ng Advanced Science and
Technology Institute.
Kasalukuyang
hinahawakan
ng mga kumpanya ng Ayala ang
dalawang S&T Park sa Diliman at
isa sa Visayas.
Mula 2000, namamahala na
ang AFI sa South Park na isang
“experimental facility” para sa
technology-based entrepreneurship. Samantala, hawak ng Ayala
Land, Inc. (ALI) ang North S&T
Park sa may kahabaan ng Com-
monwealth Avenue, na nagpapaupa na sa mga opisina ng
Manulife Data Services, Inc. at
call center ng IBM Business Services, Inc. habang patuloy pa ang
konstruksyon ng ibang gusali.
Nasa pamamahala rin ng Ayala ang TBI na nasa computer
science department ng UP Cebu,
ayon sa website ng Ayala TBI,
ngunit nasa “conceptualization”
stage pa lamang ang proyekto,
ayon kay UP President Emerlinda Roman.
‘Call center campus’
Batay naman sa tala ng Philippine Economic Zone Authority
(PEZA) hanggang noong Hunyo
30, nangungupahan na sa North
Park ang mga kumpanyang IBM
DBM slashes capital spending for
SUCs by 20%
Military expenses, debt payments up
Toni Tiemsin
S
pending for new infrastructure and equipment for the
country’s 112 state universities and colleges (SUCs) may
erode by more than 20 percent
if Congress approves the 2009
budget proposal of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
In its P1.41-trillion National
Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted to Congress on August 27,
DBM has reduced by more than
P540 million the current capital
outlay (CO) of the SUCs amounting to P2.6 billion.
“The trend indicates a longstanding policy of state abandonment couched in the language
of rationalization of SUCs. Ang
pagliit ng pondo para sa CO ng
SUCs ay indikasyon na pabawas
ang ibinibigay na pondo para sa
pagpapaunlad ng mga ito,” Alvin Peters, chair of the National
Union of Students in the Philippines, said.
But Gloria Arroyo said in her
budget message, “We have raised
the funds for education to include a comprehensive package
that expands pre-school, reaches
the unschooled, keeps students
in school, and improves the quality of education at all levels.”
After the NEP passes through
hearings and deliberations in the
legislature, the appropriations
committees of both chambers of
Congress will meet in a bicameral conference to finalize the
budget, which the President can
either sign or veto.
Increase due to
salary hike
The total proposed allocations
for all the public tertiary institutions went up by 8.45 percent, to
P22.57 billion from P20.81 billion
appropriated this year, primarily
due to the additional P2.31 billion in the personal services (PS)
component of the budget, as
DBM has proposed restructuring of the Salary Standardization
Law, which sets the position and
compensation of government
employees.
Student Regent Shahana Abdulwahid said the increase in
budget for SUCs next year is “insiginificant.” She said while the
salary hike is a welcome news,
the decrease in spending for
CO does not respond to the real
needs of the SUCs.
“Maraming de-kalidad na mga
faculty ang napilitang maghanap
ng trabaho either overseas o sa
mga pribadong unibersidad,
dahil matagal nang kulang ang
compensation na natatanggap
[nila] sa SUCs,” Peters added.
The current appropriations of
P15.36 billion for the PS component of the SUCs eats almost
three-fourths of the entire SUCs’
budget, whereas the proposed
increase in PS next year will
make it 80 percent of the entire
budget.
cont inu ed on p.10
Grimmer Pastures
at Poinwest Innovations Corporation, na pawang nakatuon sa
business process outsourcing.
“Hindi tugma ang role ng mga
call center o insurance company
gaya ng Manulife sa North Park
sa pagpapaunlad ng research and
development ng S&T Parks,” ani
Abdulwahid.
Dagdag niya, salungat ang
ganitong “market-driven” ventures sa tunguhing pananaliksik
ng North Park, na ayon sa development plan ng ALI ay magkakaroon din ng mga tindahan,
gusaling pabahay at hotel.
Saad ni Roman sa Collegian,
“The market is down, so many of
them are starting with call centers. But [the North S&T Park] is
not intended to be a call center
forever and ever. We wanted to
give them a chance to recover
their investments.”
Ngunit, nauna nang sinabi ni
Marivic Añonuevo, ikalawang
tagapangulo ng Corporate Business Group ng ALI, na tunguhin
ng kanilang kumpanya na gawing pangunahing “BPO campus”
sa bansa ang UP.
Samantala, ang siyam na
kumpanyang nangungupahan sa
South Park ay may kaugnayan sa
pananaliksik at IT, ayon sa ulat
ng VCRD.
“Commercialization”
Ayon sa isang pag-aaral ng
tanggapan ni Sison, isa sa mga
layunin ng pagtatayo ng TBI sa
UP ay “to establish private and
public partnerships in such areas
as finance, research and development, technology transfer, and
commercialization and incubation.”
Magtatayo sa OSI ng mga
opisina gamit ang 20 shipping
container, dala na rin umano
ng kakapusan ng pondo para sa
pagtatayo ng mga kongkretong
gusali, ani Banzon.
Ani Banzon, hihilingin din
umano ng administrasyon ng UP
sa PEZA na palawakin ang hangganan ng Special Economic Zone
(SEZ) sa katimugan ng UP, mula
South Park hanggang sa OSI.
Binibigyan ng mga benepisyo
gaya ng tax incentive ang mga
namumuhunan sa mga SEZ.
Sa kasalukuyan, 163.5 ektarya,
o mahigit isang-katlo ng kabuaang 493 ektaryang lupain ng
UP Diliman ang idineklarang
SEZ.
Pampuno sa pondo
Nagpapaupa ang administrasyon ng mga lupain ng UP upang
“mapunan ang kakulangan” sa
subsidyo mula sa gobyerno, ani
Roman sa isang panayam ng Collegian.
Ayon sa pag-aaral ng VCRD,
mahigit P2.5 milyon ang kabuuang kinita ng UP mula sa
South Park noong 2006 at 2007.
Samantala, tinatayang halos
P4.34 bilyon ang matatanggap
ng UP para sa 25 taong pag-upa
ng ALI sa North Park.
c o n tin ued o n p.10
Government subsidy to state universities and colleges (2007-2009)
(In billion pesos)
Year
2007
(Actual)
2008
(Adjusted)
2009
(Proposed)
Personal
Services
Maintenance and
Other Operating
Expedintures
Capital
Outlay
Total
Growth from
previous
year
16.15
2.55
0.645
19.34
-
15.36
2.85
2.6
20.81
7.60
17.67
2.85
2.1
22.57
8.46
Source: Department of Budget and Management
n Bonifacio Quieta Jr., 43, braves the long lines for passport renewal in POEA in preparation for his departure sometime
in October to work as a seaman. Quieta, a father of 9 from Tagbilaran, Bohol, will be one of the 806,335 Filipinos who had
left for emloyment overseas in the period January - August 2008, which is approximately 27 percent higher compared to
the same period last year. As more and more Filipinos, especially the professionals, opt for work abroad, a "brain-drain"
situation is feared which will eventually jeopardize the country's overall competitiveness. Chris Imperial
04 Balita
Philippine Collegian | Huwebes, 11 Set 2008
UP employees not covered by 10% salary
increase - DBM
Dianne Marah E. Sayaman
F
or two months now, the
12,000 UP faculty and administrative
employees
have not been receiving their 10
percent salary increase earlier
Walang Kasalanan
promised by Gloria Arroyo.
The Department of Budget
and Management (DBM) has
excluded UP employees from
the salary increase by invoking
the “salary exemption” provision
in the new UP charter and citing the Board of Regents’ (BOR)
power to fix a salary scheme for
its employees.
“Mayroong provision sa Republic Act (RA) 9500 o ang bagong
charter that authorizes the [BOR]
to fix salaries and benefits. DBM
thought these provisions exempt
UP from SSL (Salary Standard-
n Binalikan ni Axel Pinpin, isang manunulat at kasapi ng Katipunan ng mga Magsasaka sa Kabite (Kamagsasaka-Ka) ang
araw noong siya at apat pa niyang kasama ay dakipin ng mga pulis sa Tagaytay, sa isang pagdiriwang alay sa kanilang
kalayaan sa Conspiracy Bar noong Setyembre 9. Kamakailan ay inabsuwelto ng korte ang Tagaytay 5 kung saan kabilang
si Pinpin na higit dalawang taon nabilanggo dahil sa kawalan ng merito ng kasong rebelyon na isinampa sa kanila ng
mga pulis. Nanawagan din si Pinpin na ipagpatuloy ang laban para sa hustisya sa iba pang bilanggong pulitikal na nakapiit
hanggang sa ngayon. Om Narayan A. Velasco
ization Law),” said UP President
Emerlinda Roman.
The salary of all government
personnel covered by the SSL
would increase by 10 percent
based on their salary grade, according to Executive Order 719
approved on July 1. For instance,
an employee under salary grade
10 would receive an additional
P1,000 on top of a monthly salary of P10,000.
But Roman said, “Walang expressed provision (sa bagong UP
charter) na we are outside (of )
SSL.”
Roman earlier sent a memorandum of agreement on August
26 asking DBM to include UP in
all government-mandated salary increases while allowing the
university to fix salary terms. The
DBM has yet to act on the matter.
“If the government has salary increases, we should also be
covered by them. Pero, give us
the flexibility to pay our faculty
more kapag may kinita na kaming kaunti,” Roman noted.
Judy Taguiwalo, national vice
president for faculty of the AllUP Academic Employees Union,
meanwhile, cited that employees
of the Philippine Normal University have received their salary
increase since the July payroll
despite its exemption from the
SSL as indicated in its charter.
CBA council chair, tinanggal sa pwesto
Richard Jacob Dy
T
inanggal sa pwesto ang
tagapangulo ng Business
Administration Council
(BAC) matapos katigan ng mayorya ng konseho na sapat ang
ebidensiya patungkol sa kanyang
maling paghawak ng pondo ng
konseho.
Labing-pitong kasapi ng BAC
na dumalo sa pagpupulong
noong Agosto 21 ang bumoto
upang paalisin sa panunungkulan si Juan Miguel Martin Tirona, habang dalawa ang bumoto
ng abstain. Limang miyembro
ng BAC ang hindi nakadalo sa
pulong.
Sa inihaing mosyon noong
Agosto 12 na nilagdaan ng 10
konsehal ng BAC, sinampahan
sa BAC ng kasong impeachment
si Tirona dahil sa pagpapabaya
sa tungkulin bilang tagapangulo
ng BAC at maling paghawak sa
pondo ng konseho at Executive
Council (ExeCoun) ng mga organisasyon na nakabase sa kolehiyo. Ayon sa mosyon, wala um-
anong kakayahan si Tirona na
pamunuan ang konseho at binahiran niya ang integridad nito.
Binigyan ng BAC si Tirona ng
isang linggo mula noong Agosto
21 upang magpasa ng pormal na
apela para ipawalang-bisa ang
naunang desisyon ng mayorya,
ngunit hindi nagbigay ng apela
si Tirona, ani Patricia Ann Rodriguez, councilor for external
affairs.
Sa panayam ng Collegian, ani
Tirona, hindi na umano kinakailangang umapela dahil inosente
siya at hindi niya kinikilala ang
proseso ng impeachment.
Ayon kay Student Regent Shahana Abdulwahid, sa pagbibigay
ni Tirona ng kanyang pahayag
laban sa mga nilaman ng mosyon para sa pagpapatalsik sa kanya, kinilala na rin ni Tirona ang
proseso.
Maling paghawak
ng pondo
“[Tirona] has been mismanaging the funds and finances of
BAC and ExeCoun without clear
and informed knowledge and
consent of the Vice Chairperson,
also convener of the ExecCoun,
the Councilor for Finance, and
the members of the ExeCoun,”
saad ng mosyon.
Ayon sa konstitusyon ng BAC,
ang councilor for finance ang
magtatakda ng sistema ng pamamahala sa pondo ng konseho,
batay sa pag-ayon ng tagapangulo at pangalawang tagapangulo.
Sa kasalukuyang konseho, itinalaga si Tirona bilang tagahawak
ng pondo.
Ipinagkatiwala kay Tirona
ang kabuuang P123,000, na ang
P80,000 ay galing sa BAC Fund
at ang P43,000, sa ExeCoun. Sa
kabuuang pondo, P93,000 ang
cash-on-hand.
Batay sa mosyon, hindi umano naipaliwanag ni Tirona sa
pulong ng BAC noong Agosto 7
kung saan napunta ang mahigit
P8,000 na pondong inilaan para
sa Bacbacan, isang palaro ng
kolehiyo. Ayon pa sa mosyon,
"In reviewing the said cash flow
statements, councilor for operations and for finance noted further discrepancies and unwar-
ranted expenses for events even
prior to Bacbacan."
Nang makapagsumite si Tirona ng financial statement ng
konseho, pinuna ng mga miyembro ng BAC na "the cash-on-hand
has been depleted to P6,000 from
an initial amount of P93,000."
Nilabag din umano ni Tirona
ang konstitusyon ng BAC matapos niyang gamitin nang walang
pahintulot ng mga miyembro
ng ExeCoun ang pondo para sa
mga proyekto ng BAC at ilipat
ang restricted cash-in-bank ng
BAC patungong ExeCoun, ayon
sa mosyon.
Hindi makausad
ang konseho
Hanggang ngayon, ani Rodriguez, hindi pa rin umano ibinabalik ni Tirona ang pondo ng
konseho. Aniya, nag-aambag na
lamang ang mga miyembro ng
BAC upang maipagpatuloy ang
mga proyekto nito.
Ani Abdulwahid, hanggang
hindi ibinabalik ang pondo ng
BAC, hindi lamang ang konseho
c o n tin ued o n p.11
“Unfair na hindi ibigay ang 10
percent increase na mayroon (na
sa) ibang agencies, dahil wala namang salary increase ang UP sa
bagong charter,” Taguiwalo said.
Clodualdo Cabrera, national
treasurer of All-UP Worker’s
Union (AUPWU), added that the
10 percent increase is a “big loss”
to employees earning P10,000
below.
At the current level, the national daily living wage for a
family of six is pegged at around
P800 or P24,000 per month. On a
national average, the daily minimum wage is around P200 or
P6,000 monthly.
“With the SSL exemption, you
have to generate your own income. And our fears are, it would
be at the expense of the students,”
said Taguiwalo.
“Hindi mapanghahawakan
ang kalagayan ng university sa
bagong UP charter. Tinanggal na
iyong ‘state university’, kaya wala
nang obligasyon ang gobyerno
na magbigay ng sapat na pondo,” AUPWU National President
Noli Anoos added.
Amid the rising cost of living,
Taguiwalo pointed out that more
than the 10 percent increase, the
government should legislate the
P3,000 across-the-board wage
increase for public employees
and the P125 hike for employees
working in the private sector. n
BOR from p. 2
(SAC) for an increase.
SAs will receive P30 from P25 for
an hour’s work while GAs will be
paid P50 from P42. In 1997, the BOR
raised the salary of SAs to its current
level from P12 while GAs’ salary increased from P18 per hour.
Abdulwahid said that the Presidential Advisory Council recommended
the 20-percent increase. The advisory
committee, however, did not attach
its justification in the agenda when
the BOR discussed the matter.
Along with the salary increase,
SAs and GAs can now render 20
hours more of service on top of
the 100 hours currently allowed,
said Abdulwahid, stating it was
the BOR’s proposal to raise the
number of service hours.
Marianne Aquino, member of
the SAC, said, “It’s about time to raise
the salary of the student assistants to
[make] the SAs’ salary [keep up with]
inflation.” Aquino, however, pointed
out that with the students’ monthly
cost of living at an average of P6,000,
the measly increase could hardly
make a dent as prices of basic commodities continually soar. n
Kultura 05
Philippine Collegian | Huwebes, 11 Set 2008
U
P shirt, lanyard at maroon
jacket. buong katawan na
yata ni Trina’y tatak-UP.
Unang pagkakataon kasi niyang
makapanonood ng UAAP cheerdance competition. Sabik na
sabik na siya nung gabi pa lang
bago ang patimpalak.
Kaya naman nasa Araneta
Coliseum na siya alas-siyete pa
lang ng umaga para makakuha
ng tiket. Maaga siyang dumating
para mauna, ngunit metro-metro
na pala ang haba ng pilang kanyang nadatnan.
Doon pa lang, madali nang
malaman kung saang unibersidad nagmumula ang isang
manonood. Ang mga estudyante
mula sa mga pamantasang
matatagpuan sa Taft at Katipunan ay madalas nakapila sa lower
box at patron seats ng Coliseum.
Habang ang karamihan nama’y
naggigitgitan sa general admissions kung saan nakasisigurong
mura ang tiket. Meron din namang mga nakapila sa mga
scalper -- ‘yung mga naubusan
na ng pasensya sa paghihintay.
Ramdam na ang tensyon sa paligid kahit sa pila pa lang para sa
mga tiket. Kumpul-kumpol ang
mga magkakapareha ang kulay
ng damit. May mga nagpaparinig
at nagyayabangan. “Walang duda
pare, mababawi natin ang atin naman talaga,” nasagap ng kaliwang
tenga ni Trina. Sa kanan naman
narinig niyang sinambit, “naku,
di na natin kailangang magmayabang... ipaubaya na natin sa squad
ang lahat.”
Halos limang oras ding nakatayo sa pila si Trina bago siya makakuha ng tiket na agad naman
niyang binulsa upang makasigurong hindi ito mawawala. Sumenyas na ng gutom ang kanyang
tiyan ngunit binalewala niya ito’t
tumakbo pa papuntang entrance
ng general admission, kung saan
maririnig ang nakabibinging
hiyawan ng mga dumalo. Ito na
yata ang tunog ng tinatawag nilang "school spirit."
ibersidad. Nagsilabasan din ang
mga tarpaulin na sadyang nangungutya sa ibang pamantasan
tulad ng “400 years of existence
is nothing compared to 100 years
of excellence.”
‘Di nagtagal ay napuno na ang
paligid. Halos magkapalitan na
ng mukha ang mga tao sa labis na
siksikan, lalo na sa kinatatayuan
ni Trina. Tinatayang nasa 23, 440
ang bilang ng mga estudyanteng
nasa Araneta ayon sa emcee. Ito
na raw ang pinakamaraming
nanood sa isang patimpalak sa
kasaysayan ng UAAP.
Napaisip tuloy si Trina habang
pinapanood ang mga nagtitilian sa paligid. Hinalughog niya
ang kanyang alaala upang
matandaan kung kailan huling nagbuklod ang
lahat nang tulad sa
UAAP.
Tila tumahimik ang pali­
gid nang
simulang
bagtasin ni
Trina ang mga
kwento’t alaala ng mga taga-UP.
Marahil mula sa tagpi-tagping
naratibo, higit na mabibigyang
saysay at damdamin ang paghiyaw, pagpalakpak, at pag-indak sa
saliw ng chant ng ipinagmamalaki
niyang
Pep Squad.
UP and others
Tensyonado sa loob ng coliseum na patuloy na dinadagsa
ng mga taga-suporta ng iba’t
ibang cheering squad. Hindi pa
man nagsisimula ang kumpetisyon, nagpakitang-gilas na ang
mga drummers ng bawat unibersidad na sinabayan naman
ng mga sigaw at palakpakan ng
mga manonood.
Kung anu-ano rin ang pakulo
ng bawat eskuwelahan para lang
mapakitang sila ang magaling.
May mga nagtsi-cheer na sinabayan ng organisadong galaw
ng mga kamay at ulo ng mga
kalahok. Iwinagayway ang mga
banderitas at mga lobong sumisimbolo sa kani-kanilang un-
Article
Marie Gerone Ba-ang
Background Photo
Candice Ann Reyes
Let’s go, UP!
Bumalik sa realidad ang lumilipad nang isip ni Trina at kanyang
napagtantong UP Pep Squad
na pala ang susunod. Lumunok
muna siya bilang paghahanda sa
mga gagawin nilang pagsigaw.
Natapos ang commercial
break, nag-drum roll, at sumenyas ang cheerleaders. Isa, dalawa, tatlo!
Matatapang, matatalino...
buong giting na sigaw ni Trina
at ng kanyang mga katabi bilang
pagpugay sa mga iskolar ng bayan.
Naalala niya ang kwento sa kanya
ng isa niyang propesor ukol sa
tungkuling ginampanan ng mga taga-UP
lalung-lalo na noong
Batas Militar. Ayon
sa propesor
niya, naging
mapanuri
sila
sa
lipunan
at mula
s
a
mga
pagsu-
suri nila'y bumuo sila ng mga paninindigang tuwirang sumagupa
sa diktaduryang Marcos.
Tunay ngang matatapang ang
mga iskolar ng bayan. Habang
hindi na maipagkakaila ang
talino’t husay ng mga estudyante
ng pamantasang kinikilalang
pinakaprestihiyoso sa buong
bansa, hindi maminsan ang mga
pagkakataong pinili nila ang mga
mas masalimuot na landas upang
makapagsilbi sa bayan.
Walang takot kahit kanino...
Bawal diumano ang kimi sa
UP. Kahit presidente ng bansa,
tinutuligsa – bagay na nagdulot
na rin ng ‘di-mabilang na pasa,
sugat, pilay, luha, pagkawala, at
kamatayan. Sa loob ng klasrum,
hindi sinasanto ang simbolikong
kapangyarihan ng guro basta
maipahayag lang ang saloobin.
Sa isip ni Trina, naging manipis na papel ang mga katunggaling cheering squad. Hindi sila
dapat katakutan.
Hinding-hindi magpapahuli...
Tumpak na tumpak, sa isip
ni Trina. Dahil hindi hinayaan
ng mga taga-UP nung araw na
iyon na kantyawan lang sila nang
basta-basta dahil sa mahinang
rekord sa ibang patimpalak sa
UAAP. Sa araw na ito, lubos na
pinaniniwalaan ni Trina na pagaari ng UP ang araw at ang coliseum.
Ganito rin kasi ang kaso, ayon
sa mga kwentong narinig niya
mula sa mga upperclassmen.
Hindi mo marinig na nanahimik
ang mga taga-UP nang taunang
binabawasan ang budget ang
pamantasan. Sinubukan pa nga
nilang barikadahan ang Quezon Hall noon para pigilan ang
pagpapasa sa tuition increase sa
pamantasan. Minsan na ring
idineklarang “state of emergency-free” ang kampus ng UP
noong ideklara ito ni Pangulong
Arroyo. Patuloy din nilang sinisingil ang militar sa pagkawala
ng dalawang kapwa iskolar ng
bayan na sina Karen at She.
Ganyan kaming mga taga-UP...
Sa huling linya’y napangiti si
Trina. Alam niya ang katuturan
ng pagiging iskolar ng bayan.
Muling nanumbalik ang ingay
sa loob ng coliseum nang matapos ang routine ng UP Pep Squad
at natuldukan ang rekoleksyon ni
Trina. Nakatindig pa rin ang kanyang mga balahibo. Tila pagkahigh sa sinasabing school spirit
ang nadarama niya.
At sa sandaling iyon, hindi na
kailangang hintayin pa ang desisyon ng mga hurado. Panalo na
ang UP. Dahil ang totoong diwa
ng iskolar ng bayan ay hindi
naipahayag sa araw na iyon – sa
isang maingay at masikip na coliseum. Tahimik ito sa mga talaan
ng kasaysayan. n
Illustration and Page Design
Ivan Reverente
06-07
Lathalain
Philippine
11 Set 2008
Philippine Collegian
Collegian || Huwebes,
Biyernes, 12
CO-CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD
Board Member
Dr. Francis C.
Chua
Malacañang appointee
Appointed only last January, taipan Chua is the newest member of the BOR. He
is an honorary president of
the Federation of FilipinoChinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Director-in-Charge of the trade
committee in the Philippine
Chamber of Commerce and
Industry. These are the two
biggest organizations in
the business sector, whose
stances directly affect economic decisions made by
the government.
Chua is also the chairman
of Central Luzon Mahogany
Corp. Group of Companies, in
construction, and vice-chairman of Basic Energy Corporation, an oil company. n
I
BOARD MEMBER
Board Member
Cynthia Villar
Chairman of the House
Committee on Education
Las Piñas Rep. Villar is the
principal author of House Bill
2845 or “An act to strengthen
the University of the Philippines as the Premier State
University”— the mother
bill of the new UP charter.
“Her orientation is mostly
for profit,” says student Regent Shahana Abdulwahid.
Villar favored the immediate
removal of informal settlers
in the university’s land, adds
former Student Regent Terry
Ridon.
She and husband Sen.
Manuel Villar own Crown
Asia, one of the top sellers of
property in the country. n
BOARD MEMBER
Nelia T. Gonzales
Malacañang appointee
Gonzales has been controversial for her role in the
failed 2005 Consultative
Commission, which aimed
to revise the 1987 Constitution. She also sat as Chairperson of Malayang Babae para
sa ChaCha at Reporma— a
women’s umbrella organization advocating charter
change.
Ridon says of Gonzales,
“When national issues like
Charter Change is raised
during meetings, she quickly
goes in defense of the government.”
Abdulwahid, meanwhile,
describes Gonzales as “diplomatic.” n
BOARD MEMBER
Shahana
Abdulwahid
Student Regent
Abdulwahid, who is an
Islamic studies student and
member of the Muslim Students Association, was last
year’s USC-UPD President.
She is the daughter of Supreme Court Associate Justice Hakim Abdulwahid.
In the BOR, Abdulwahid
is the lone representative of
the university’s largest sector
— the students. Critics of the
current structure of the BOR,
like the UP Wide Democratization Movement, assert
that the students should
have greater representation
in UP’s governing body. n
Abraham
Sarmiento, Sr.
Malacañang appointee
Currently the oldest and
longest-serving regent, former Supreme Court associate justice Sarmiento was
the legal counsel of Gloria
Arroyo’s father, Diosdado
Macapagal. With 20 years of
service in UP, Sarmineto remains influential and a figure of authority in the BOR,
says Abdulwahid.
Sarmiento, who chairs the
BOR’s special committee on
legal affairs, drafted the controversial UP-Ayala Land tieup, which permitted Ayala
Land Inc. to lease UP property along Commonwealth
for 25 years. n
Dr. Emerlinda
Roman
University of the Philippines
President
Roman, the Centennial
president of the university and
the first woman to hold the
position, has brought about
historical yet controversial
changes, such as the passage
of the new university charter.
Being the highest administrator of the University, Roman
represents the entire UP system
in the BOR. “We usually carry
over with her recommendations,” says Student Regent Shahana Abdulwahid. During her
tenure, however, the three hundred percent tuition increase
was approved, the number of UP
employees was limited, and UP’s
idle assets were leased to private
corporations. These spurred a
series of protests among members of the UP community. n
n the country’s premier state university, the directives of a minority control the majority.
The Board of Regents (BOR), composed of twelve individuals, is the highest decision-making body in the University of the
Philippines (UP). Its mandate encompasses all of UP’s seven independent units.
An air of mystery often shrouds BOR meetings as university issues and policies are deliberated behind closed doors. Regents
generally gather less than a dozen times per semester, including special sessions — and whether there were thorough and extensive consultations with all stakeholders in a decision is virtually immaterial. The 300 percent increase in tuition, for instance,
was approved despite the opposition of both the student and faculty regents, the representatives of the two largest sectors in UP.
And despite the clamor for more democratic representation, corporate bosses and Malacañang appointees currently dominate the
BOR.
Yet, history illustrates how corporate and political motivations are often antagonistic to an accessible and mass-oriented education. In the absence of democratic representation, the BOR cannot truly champion the interests of those it claims to serve. n
Chairperson of the Board
Emmanuel
Angeles
Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education
As the newly appointed
chair of CHED, Angeles will
serve as chair of the BOR, a
position previously held by
Social Security System President Romulo Neri.
Angeles has worked as
chief executive officer of Clark
International Airport and director of North Luzon Railways Corp. As an educator,
he opened the only private
tertiary teaching and research
hospital in Central Luzon, the
AUF Medical Center. Angeles was also a member of the
Presidential Task Force for
Education. Now, as CHED
chair, he will supervise 110
state universities and colleges
—including UP. n
BOARD MEMBER
Board Member
Alan Peter
Cayetano
Chairman of the Senate
Committee on Education
A former Taguig-Pateros
congressman and Political Science graduate from UP Diliman, Cayetano once served as
councilor of Diliman’s University Student Council. He also
sits as a board member of other
SUCs such as the Polytechinic
University of the Philippines.
During his bid for the Senate,
Cayetano touted the advancement of educational services, particularly in State Universities and
Colleges (SUCs), as a main thrust
of his campaign. He sponsored
the new charter that grants UP
“fiscal autonomy” in generating
financial resources — a move
criticized by student and faculty
formations as justification for
state abandonment of education.
Cayetano seldom attends BOR
meetings, says other regents. n
Ponciano E.
Rivera, Jr.
Alumni regent
Rivera is the vice-president of the UP Alumni Association and is currently the
acting president, while Tiongco is on leave.
Other regents note that
Rivera and Tiongco are similar in many ways. They are
both engaged in real estate
and construction businesses,
with Rivera serving as president of HR Lopez Co., Inc.,
where Tiongco is the chairman of the board. Also, as director of the Greenhills Memorial Park, Rivera’s projects
include building cemeteries,
like Tiongco.
Rivera served as president
of the Upsilon Sigma Phi
Alumni Association, where
he and fellow regents Tiongco and Romulo Davide are
“brothers.” n
Board Member
Board Member
Dr. Romulo G.
Davide
Malacañang appointee
The 74-year old regent is
a professor emeritus at the
UPLB College of Agriculture.
A member of the National
Academy of Science and
Technology, he was dubbed
“Father of Nematology” for
his 16-year research and
development work on plant
parasites in the Philippines.
His research led to the discovery of the first biological
control agent against parasites.
Dr. Davide’s brother, former Chief Justice Hilario
Davide, played a key role in
EDSA II and Arroyo’s ascension to the presidency. Arroyo later appointed Dr. Davide to the BOR, in 2005. n
Atty. Gari M.
Tiongco
President of the UP Alumni
Association
Tiongco is a practicing
lawyer in Davao City. As
a real estate developer, he
heads construction and real
estate companies such as the
Lopezcom Realty Corporation and Metro Aggregates
Crushing Company. His
projects include building “affordable” first-class cemeteries in Metro Manila, which
he describes as “a feel-good
project aimed at bringing
down the cost of dying.”
He was one of the seven
regents who voted for the
approval of the tuition fee
increase in 2006, together
with Gonzales, Davide, and
Sarmiento. He is currently
on leave in the UPAA. n
The Rulemakers
As constituted by Republic Act No. 9500 or the new
UP Charter, the governance of the national university is
vested in the Board of Regents. The BOR is mandated to
exercise “corporate powers” in leading the University towards attaining its goal of “unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and development.”
The BOR decides on the most important matters
and issues concerning the University, such as fixing tuition and other fees, electing the University President,
approving the graduation and granting honors of students, appointing faculty members and other University officials, and receiving and appropriating University
funds. Decisions of the Board are finalized through secret balloting.
The current members of the BOR were selected
Article
JM Ragaza, Marvin Lim and Marjohara Tucay
based on guidelines provided by Republic Act No. 1870,
the old UP charter. Of the 12 regents who constitute the
BOR, only the student and faculty regents are sectoral
representatives of the University.
With the approval of the new UP Charter last April 29,
the number of Presidential appointees decreased, and a
staff regent was included in the provisions for selection
of Board members. These changes will take effect upon
the expiration of the terms of the current regents.
All regents serve without compensation other than
reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in attendance to meetings or other official business authorized by the BOR. Former Student Regent
Terry Ridon, however, observes that Board meetings
Illustration
Nico Villarete
Board Member
Dr. Felix Librero
Faculty Regent
During his campaign to
become faculty regent, former UP Open University
Chancellor Librero said that
he plans to address the discrepancy in the compensation package of UP faculty
and Research and Extension
Personnel in various campuses. According to Librero,
the university should become self-reliant, in order
to generate funds for higher
faculty salaries.
Librero will serve until
December of this year. n
are usually expensive, since hotel accommodations and
other expenses of the regents are subsidized by the University.
The UP System code states that the Board shall conduct its regular meetings once a month during the academic year in any UP unit. Yet according to Abdulwahid,
the next Board meeting is to be held at a property owned
by Regent Cythia Villar.
Recent controversial decisions of the BOR include
the privatization of janitorial services of UP last 2006
that led to 138 janitors losing their jobs, the UP-Ayala
Land Inc. tie-up that permitted the erection of call centers and hotels on university land, and the approval of
the 300 percent increase in tuition last 2006.
Page Design
Marinelle Garcia
08 Kultura
W
alang hiya ang mga
rebulto ng UP.
Bilang lang ang mga
estatwa sa kampus, ngunit karamihan sa kanila’y nakahubad. Kitang-kita ang ipinagkaiba ng mga
ito sa mga rebultong matatagpuan
sa mga pribado’t sectarian na pamantasan tulad ng Ateneo at UST.
Halos lahat ng estatwa sa mga
kampus nila, mga bihis na bihis na
santo. Dito sa UP, kalakha’y anonimo -- kilala lang sa tema, postura,
pamagat at, siyempre, sa hubog ng
kanilang hubad na katawan.
Boso at simbolo
Minsan na ngang kinutya ni
DOJ Secretary Raul Gonzales
ang UP sa paglipana diumano ng
“naked runners,” na pasaring din
sa pamumugad ng mga kritiko ng
administrasyong Arroyo sa pamantasan. Ang hindi niya alam,
walang napikon. Bukod kasi sa
mababaw ang kanyang naging
pagtingin sa taunang Oblation Run
ng Alpha Phi Omega, nakaukit na
rin sa mga hubad na rebulto ng UP
ang tradisyon, kasaysayan, at tunguhin ng pamantasan.
Pinakatanyag nga sa mga ito
ang Oblation ni Guillermo Tolentino na mas kinikilalang
simbolo ng unibersidad
kaysa sa opisyal nitong
logo. Kahit ang huling
routine ng UP Pep Squad
sa UAAP cheerdance competition ay nakaangkla sa naturang
imahe. Bukod sa tila ipinintang
berdeng alibata at kapirasong tela,
ang kulay balat na costume nila’y
lumikha ng ilusyon na hubo’t hubad silang nagsayawan sa gitna ng
Araneta Coliseum.
Hindi na nakapagtataka na isa
sa mga tampok na programa ng
pamantasan sa taon ng sentenaryo
nito ang paglunsad sa eksibit na
“100 Years, 100 Nudes.” Sa pangunguna ng UP Alumni Association, pinasinayaan nitong Hunyo
ang eksibit na tumipon sa mga obra
ng 79 artistang alumni ng unibersidad. Kauna-unahang pagkakataon
din ito na nagsama sa iisang ek-
Philippine Collegian | Huwebes, 11 Set 2008
sibit ang mga gawa ng siyam na
pambansang alagad ng sining tulad
nina Tolentino, Napoleon Abueva,
Botong Francisco, Fernando Amorsolo, at Benedicto Cabrera.
Hubad na tradisyon
Mahaba na ang kasaysayan ng
estetika ng hubad na katawan.
Mula sa ideyal na sukat at symmetry ng mga rebulto ng mga
Griyego, tumungo ito sa pagkahumaling sa anatomiya noong Renaissance. Sa patuloy na paggamit
dito bilang tema ng sining at sa unti-unting pagbabago sa kamalayan
ng tao, naging kumplikado na rin
ang estetika’t pamamaraan ng pagsasalarawan ng hubad na katawan
ng tao, lalo na nang umusbong ang
mga kilusang tulad ng impressionism, cubism, at surrealism.
“Highlighting the beauty of the
human body,” diumano, ang isang
tunguhin ng “100 Years, 100 Nudes,”
ayon kay Alumni Regent Ponciano
Rivera. Ngunit sa lawak ng impluwensya nito sa kultura’t tradisyon
ng pamantasan, hindi na
marahil sasapat na ipaliwanag ang pagkahumaling ng
ima­
hinasyon
sa
hubad na katawan ayon
sa mga nasambit ni Rivera.
Sa madaliang pagkilatis, masasabing simbolo ng liberalismo ng pamantasan ang pagkahilig sa hubad
na katawan ng tao bilang subject ng
mga rebulto nito. Patunay din ito na
sekular ang unibersidad, walang kinikilingang relihiyon at, samakatuwid, naigpawan na ang konserbatismo ng Simbahang Katoliko lalo
na pagdating sa sining. Kung palalawigin pa, masasabi rin namang
tanda ito ng kapangahasan ng mga
taga-UP at patunay ng malawak at
bukas nilang isipan kumpara sa mga
estudyante ng ibang pamantasan.
Ngunit maraming bagay pa ang
nakaukit
sa mga
hubad na
estatwa
Artikulo
Frank Lloyd Tiongson
ng UP. Dahil ang hubad ng katawan
ay larangan din ng iba’t ibang tunggalian.
Inukit na tunggalian
Kung titingnan, halimbawa, si
Oble, masasabing angkop na angkop ang kanyang postura’t tindig
nang nakadipa habang nakatuon
ang paningin sa langit, tila walang
pag-aalinlangan sa sarili. Hango diumano ito sa pangalawang saknong
ng tulang Mi Ultimo Adios ni Jose
Rizal, na nananawagan ng buong
pag-aalay ng sarili para sa bayan.
Tumpak ang mensahe ng simbolong ito ng UP ukol sa dapat na
tunguhin nito bilang pamantasan.
Ngunit hindi naman talagang
maituturing na hubad si Oble. Ang
fig leaf sa
kanyang ari’y
nangangahulug a n g
m a y
isang
parte
pa ring
naka­
reserba
para sa
sarili. Sinasabi na iniutos ni dating UP Pre­sident Jorge Bocobo
kay Tolentino ang paglagay ng
fig leaf sa ari ni Oble dahil hindi
pa niya maatim ang sagad sa butong kahubdan ng rebulto. Sa pamamagitan nito, ginawang baog
si Oble, katumbas ng “castration”
ayon sa terminolohiya ng psychoanalysis, kung saan pinalabnaw
ang simbolikong kapangyarihan
ng rebulto.
Matatandaang naging kampanya rin ng Simbahang Katoliko
ang paglagay ng fig leaf sa mga
estatwang hubad noong Renaissance, partikular sa mga obra ni
Michelangelo. Samakatuwid, may
malaon nang kasaysayan ang tila
inosenteng dahon na ipinantakip
sa ari ni Oble – isang kasaysayan
ng konserbatismo sa pamantasan
na pana-panahong nanunumbalik
sa pamamagitan ng mga palisiyang
kumikitil sa iba’t ibang demokratikong karapatan ng mga mag-aaral
– tanda ng pananaig ng simbolikong
kapangyarihan ng estado.
Inukit si Oble noong
panahon ng asimilasyon ng Pilipi-
nas sa kolonyal na gobyerno ng
Amerika. Makikita rito ang mga
palatandaan ng classic na pamantayan sa sukat at symmetry
ng katawan ng tao. Kung gayon,
inukit ito ayon sa pilosopiya ng
liberal-humanism, na naituring na ideolohiya ng kolonyal
na pananakop na nakaangkla sa
unibersalismo ng nasabing pilosopiya. Ito rin ang naging
mitsa ng marahas na pananakop
upang umayon ang mga nalupig
na kultura sa mga kanluraning
paniniwala’t sistema.
Bagamat naging tumpak na
simbolo ito sa kasalukuyan ng
pag-aalay ng sarili, may pira-pirasong mapapait na alaala ang kasabay na naukit
ng pinakatanyag na simbolo ng
pamantasan.
Sinubukan din namang gawing lokal ni Abueva ang naturang
tema sa sining sa pamamagitan
ng kanyang Siyam na Diwata ng
Sining na matatagpuan sa tapat
ng Faculty Center. Kamakailan
lang, naisilang ang isa pa nilang
kapatid, si Magdangal, na makikita naman sa tapat ng Kolehiyo
ng Arte at Literatura. Hindi man
matatawaran ang husay at naging ambag ni Abueva sa sining
ng bansa, hindi pa rin naiwasang
maiukit ang ilang mapapait na
kasaysayan. Kinatawan ng siyam
na diwata sa obra ang siyam na
larangan ng agham at sining.
Ngunit sa representasyon nito,
hindi maiwasan ang pagbaliktanaw sa “civilizing project” ng
hegemonyang kanluranin.
Ngunit nagagamit din ang
hubad na katawan bilang anyo
ng protesta. Ang taunang Oblation Run ng kapatirang Alpha Phi
Omega’y unang inilunsad noong
1977 bilang protesta laban sa
pag-censor sa dulang Hubad na
Bayani na naglarawan sa mga
paglabag sa karapatang-pantao
ng diktaduryang Marcos. Hanggang sa kasalukuyan, inilulunsad pa rin ang ritwal
na ito upang tumugon
sa mga tampok na isyu,
gaya na lang ng pagpapanawagan para sa mas mataas na subsidyo para sa edukasyon.
Totoong iba ang konteksto ng
mga hubad na rebulto ng pamantasan. Ngunit hindi estatwa ang
lipunan, lalung-lalo na ang mga
taong umiinog dito. Sa paglipas
ng panahon, iba’t ibang pakikitunggali pa ang matatagpuan sa
mga tila inosenteng rebulto ng
UP alinsunod sa mga karanasan
at ideolohiya ng mga tagapagmasid. Sa huli, marapat lamang
angkinin ang simbolikong kapangyarihan ng mga ito at lumikha ng interpretasyong tunay
na makapagpapalaya sa sarili at
sa lipunan. n
Dibuho at Disenyo ng Pahina
Ivan Reverente
Opinyon 09
Philippine Collegian | Huwebes, 11 Set 2008
Survival
of the
Fittest
Diana Kaye Precioso
A Paradox
I
(second of two parts)
s there a Higher Being?
Bringing up the question has, for
me, led to many engaging and stimulating conversations, so long as all
the participants are more interested in saying “This is what I think” than
in saying “I’m right and you’re wrong.”
If you take into consideration all the
conflicting beliefs about a Supreme Being in the world, then the existence of
a God is what we in science would call
a hypothesis. Of course, believers frown
at the hard-evidence mentality of scientists, and hold up their faith as conclusive proof that God exists. There are also
those who point to miracles as empirical
evidence that there is a higher power.
I note that I use the term “God” to
mean the God of religions, not as a synonym for the universe or the laws of nature. And defining “God” is just the beginning. Words are thrown at each other
like bullets in these discussions – atheism, agnosticism, theism, deism, pantheism, secularism, ad infinitum. If one declares that he’s an atheist, what he means
might still be very different from what
others hear. How does that quote go? “I
know you believe you understand what
I said, but I am not sure you realize that
what you heard is not what I meant.”
There is great diversity of human belief even regarding a question that seems
to have only two possible answers: either
there is a Higher Being, or there isn’t. Yet
since Saint Thomas Aquinas defended
the God of Christianity in the 13th century, a whole host of people have come
along with different takes on the issue.
In view of the dismal state of humanity, Voltaire once famously said
“Either He is not good, or else He is
not almighty.” Another thinker, Dawkins, has derided the possibility that a
“supernatural intelligence” exists who
“answers prayers; forgives or punishes
sins; intervenes in the world by performing miracles; frets about good and
bad deeds... reads your thoughts, cares
about your welfare, and raises you from
the dead.” But Hall countered, “Atheism
is a ferocious system that leaves nothing
above us to excite awe, nor around us to
awaken tenderness.”
Personally, I find it hard to make any
sweeping statements. I would call myself
a Catholic who has doubts: I love the idea
of an omniscient, omnipresent God, but
I must concede that I don’t even bother
to contradict my atheist friends anymore,
when they argue against the existence of
any Higher Being. I can’t argue; their logic
is convincing, their reasoning sound. Yet a
part of me still hopes they're wrong.
God is a paradox: it seems impossible
to prove that God exists, yet it seems
equally impossible to prove that God
does not exist. The question of his existence is one I haven’t found an answer
to. But I shall continue asking. n
long gone. And you get left behind in the
process; wallowing still in the past rather
than learning from it, while everyone else
has moved along.
The planets must be realigning, I had
told a close friend of mine two months
ago, offering my best explanation as to why
that have long lost their significance.
we were sensing a portentous heaviness
I displayed symptoms of Peter Pan in the air. Everyone seemed to have been
complex, that same friend had once told displaced by some sense of imbalance and
me, laughing at how often I would trip on were all in the process of restructuring. Or,
my own feet from staring up at the sky or in more mundane terms, we were all prestaring down at the road while I walked – occupied with our own personal problems
I was always searching for
and seemed to have forgotNeverland, he said, or else
ten how trivial they really
assuring myself that I still Neverland will never are in a broader outlook.
had my shadow. And true stare back, for by the
Yet, however delusive it
enough, I had always trea- time its light reaches may seem, I will allow mysured the past too much, your vision, the star
self still to believe in an unand had kept all I could to
derlying, incomprehensible
itself
has
long
gone
remind myself of it. And it
system of things that need
is only now that I right mynot be fully understood.
self. Shadows must never be allowed to Because in hindsight, the planets seem to
precede, and the second star to the right realign every year during the months of
will only be Neverland for as long as it June, July, and August, and settle in their
remains distant; only the clock, wound new positions by the end of September.
by time itself, will continue to tick in the And as always, the aftermath of disruption
crocodile’s stomach.
and new gravitational interrelations is
Nostalgia is not really any different from both displacement and reestablishment.
eulogies: only the good are remembered, But as always, the settling of dust leaves
the past is ‘relived,’ endearments are fi- ever more room for us to adapt and, evennally vocalized, but all too late. Neverland tually, to laugh at and accept our own nawill never stare back, for by the time its iveties. n
light reaches your vision, the star itself has
Leaving Neverland
Nika E. Aguilar
F
ate never fails to demonstrate its
bitter sense of humor. I was throwing out almost a decade’s worth of
acquired memorabilia assigned, at one
point, sentimental values, when an old
friend’s text message arrived, telling me
how he’d kept the wrapper of a piece of
candy I had, countless years ago, given to
him. He would keep it still, he said, pressed
between pages of his favorite book. At the
same moment, I was leaving three extra
large garbage bags outside our gate for
the garbage truck to pick up.
The existence of that candy wrapper,
tucked miles away between dog-eared
pages of Barrie’s “Peter Pan,” made me
doubt my decision to throw away oncetreasured, otherwise useless junk. But as
fate would have it, the truck bounded down
our street moments later and took them
away along with all other garbage offered
by our street. And it was only then that I
remembered that I didn’t even remember
having given him that piece of candy. Perhaps, then, all the material memorabilia
I had collected were as irrelevant as that
candy wrapper; souvenirs of moments
Ad hominem
Margaret Yarcia
T
wo months ago, I was in Smokey
Mountain II, by far the most horrible
place I had seen in my entire life.
People lived in scrap wood and iron
sheets nailed together, which stood in a
mount of garbage that the world has forgotten. There were too many children,
walking around in soiled clothing, without footwear, not to mention without food
in their stomachs.
It is easy to blame their poor parents for
the condition that they are in, for “lacking
the discipline to stop the proliferation of
their ranks,” because in the process, they
have subjected themselves to a lifetime
of misery. It sounds ridiculous, but that is
precisely what is implicit in the arguments
against the reproductive health bill.
Apparently, Catholic priests vehemently
oppose government promotion of artificial
birth control methods and introduction of
sex education in schools. Like many Filipinos, I do not understand their views.
Be it noted, though, that I respect the
right of the clergy to advocate for their
cause – one can contend the correctness
of their position in terms of what the Book
of Genesis says, but that is another story.
However, I cringe at their gall to turn the
debate into an ugly, unprincipled flurry of
emotionally charged words and ad hom-
simply teaching teenagers about the act.
Sexuality education is also about informing
the youth about its repercussions, especially
in relation to the Philippine socio-economic
conditions. If the church is against that,
then I wonder why it is not against lessons
on substance abuse.
inems, one that labels people as either proBy the by, the debate has only shown how
life or pro-abortion (The nomenclature is the Church wields power to advance their
particularly disturbing, being non-parallel). antiquated beliefs. And in this state of affairs,
Critics have also gone as far as calling traditional politicians are not exactly blamethe bill’s proponents eugenicists and anti- less – they who rely on Church authorities
poor, declaring that the bill “seeks to im- for electoral mandate succumb even to its
pose a hedonistic sex-oriented lifestyle…
irrational positions on issues.
and reduce marriage into a
In recognizing the populaThe
debate
has
purely contraceptive partnertion issue, one does not necship.” That statement, which only shown how
essarily deny the existence of
involves manipulative rein- the Church wields
greater societal problems. It is
terpretation of the highest
true that the roots of poverty
power
to
advance
order, has prevented people
in the country are the people’s
their
antiquated
from making informed decilack of control over the means
sions, stuck as they are in the beliefs
of production, the elitist govstage of defining terms.
ernance and its puppetry to
For the record, in no dicthe neocolonial masters, and the skewed
tionary can one find that reproductive health relations that emanate from such a system.
is about abortion. On the contrary, women Even then, the government must implement
have increasingly sought information on short- and medium-term agenda to address
their reproductive system, of ways to pre- the chronic crisis, including programs to
vent diseases and unwanted pregnancy, of control fast population growth.
choices other than abortion and menstruaAs I ponder this, I remember the faces
tion-inducing decoctions in Quiapo. Modern of the children in Smokey, especially the
approaches are especially needed for women grime-covered but nonetheless smiling
with irregular reproductive cycle, for whom ones. With a government who cares so
the Church-endorsed calendar method will little, and whose submission to Church on
not work. Figures show that 470,000 ille- this issue in particular promises nothing
gal, induced abortions occur each year, with more than suffering, I wonder what future
around 80,000 resulting to complications.
lies ahead for them, and for the million
Nor is it true that sexuality education is others who are yet to be born. n
WI WAN TSU! WI WAN TSU! WI WAN TSU! WI WAN TSU! WI WAN TSU! WI WAN TSU!
[ W r i t e rs ] Bring two bluebooks, a pen, and a portfolio of sample works (may be submitted later).
You may join News, Features, or Kultura. Filipino and/or English writers welcome.
[ A rt i sts ] Submit a portfolio of your works. Illustrators, bring bond paper and art materials.
Photographers, and layout artists, bring two bluebooks and a pen. Exams may be taken at the Kulê office, Room 401,
Vinzons Hall. Freshies are most welcome! For questions, text us, +09062315207 or email [email protected]
10 Opinyon
Philippine Collegian | Huwebes, 11 Set 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 [email protected]. 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.
DBM from p. 3
Meanwhile, DBM’s proposed
spending for the maintenance
of facilities and operations of the
SUCs was retained at its current
level of P2.85 billion.
Lack of gov’t support
Peters said the lack of government subsidy pushes the administrations of the SUCs to search
for alternative sources of income
to fund the development of their
facilities.
These income-generating activities such as imposing tuition
and other fee increases further
burdens the students, Abdulwahid added.
Arroyo said she has proposed
to add next year about P20 billion more to the education sector that includes the SUCs, the
Department of Education and
the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), which supervises
tertiary education in the country.
The proposal is about 15 percent of the entire NEP but is far
lower compared to the 20 perCOMMENTS
maganda pagkakaprint ng 11th issue, malinis ung pagkakaprint at makinis ung papel
2004-12277 1st yr JD
grbe ganda nanaman ng kule! Problema
lang kci may mga erors. Hehe. Sa centerfold
ng issue 11, ung tunay n issue 11, may picture na sa bot0m ryt na kakaiba! Imagne nyo
n lang. Hehe. 08-61343
Kudos to the article Beyond Conception,
w/c pointed out the trueroot of poverty (and
it’s not overpop’n!). But the article Ninoy XL
is somewhat misleading—personally, I laud
the people behind the iamninoy campaign,
bec. at least they thought of something
to remind teens about ninoy’s legacy 0320785
I’m disapointd w/ 2artcls n issue11 of d
kule: BAON SA LIMOT bout d holiday econ,
and NINOY XL. At a glance, dey seem 2 give
out both d postv & negatv facts..but that’s
it. Only a slight mention of d positv, wyl d
negatv is expanded 2 d hundredth power!
No one was evn askd 2 comment bout d
holiday econ rxn..just negatv ones. 4 me, d
holiday econ is great! If ur worried dat d holidays r losing their significance, i cud only
say this: it doesn’t matter what day it falls
on!, the people shud b targetd..they r d ones
who shud exert effort 2 remembr & treasure..may d holiday b tuesday or monday!,
dba?..It’s gud dat d kule has a stand but give
d readers a chance to pick their own stand.
There shud b balance. Issue10 was balancd
4 me..issue11, hindi tlga. Gud luck on our
succdng issues! 08-52534 S.
ng-aagree aq dun s article abt holiday
ec0n0mics. nwwlan n nga ng saysay ang
mga arw n mhlga [at tnu2ring n mhlga] pra
s mga tao. s hlip n ptibyin ang nat’l patriotism, ms nwla ang dwang Pilipino nten. kwwwa nmn ang pinas.. 08-37369
Dun po s caption ng foto s lady maroons article, 9th win un db? Hnd 11th win.
11th game, kya nga 9-2 ung standing as of
aug24. 05-36294
bkt ganun? Oh bkt? Bkt nyo to gnaw
kule? Kala q ‘itutuloy’ si buknoooy?! Bukn0y
c0me back ! 08-31556
Hey mali ang meaning ng NCPAG na
nklagy sa last edition,sa caption ng pic related sa mass 4 chris mendez…Its Natl COLLEGE of PA nd Governance,not Natl Center
of PA nd Governance.Hope ud correct ur error nd be careful nx tym. 05-29580 BAPA
It sadns me 2 see that the phil collegian
has lost the essence of true journalism. This
is not a newspaper. This is an opinion page.
03-63675
cent
alloted in 1992, the highest
since then.
Meanwhile, if the DBM proposal is approved, allocations to
CHED will further decline by
more than P300 million totaling
to P1.59 billion, far lower than
the 2007 level of P1.74 billion.
Mounting debt
For 2009, the government has
to pay a staggering P302.65 billion as interest payment alone
on its outstanding debt. This automatic appropriation, which is
more than one-fifth of the entire
2009 NEP, grew by more than 12
percent from about P270 billion
this year.
According to the Congressional Planning and Budget Department, as of 2007, the Philippines has an outstanding debt
amounting to P3.7 trillion, which
is more than twice the budget of
the country for next year.
“Pinatutunayan ng rehimeng
Arroyo na hindi sinsero ang
commitment nitong iahon sa kahirapan ang mga mamamayan,”
SAGUTAN
To 08-67945: alam mo ba kung sinong
nagproposed nyan? Kais for me that proposal is a piece of shit, it’s non-sensical. Note
that the word ‘nation’, a group of people
who share a common cultural inheritance
and regard themselves as a natural political community, is embedded in the essence
of ‘national boundary’. NB, for me, should
not be demarcated geologically because the
people themselves are the primary concern
here. Gets ba? 06-73749
To 08-52108: hinay-hinay lang sa mga
salita. Ok lang na hindi umayon sa opinion
ng iba, pero hindi kailangan mang-insulto.
Magandang araw. :) 05-41806
To 08-52108: deregul8n c0nttrbutes to
the unc0ntrolld price increases causd by the
oil c0mpanies’ mere speculati0ns. What e is
a stable supply of fuel when it is una4dable
anyway? Did u stop 2 thnk b0ut the fact that
deregul8n works to amplfy the effects of the
oil cartel’s oligopoly and self intrestd provatizati0n? Energy is n0t just a pRoduct, it’s a
basic servce that ppl shud hav a4dble acess
to. Kule pakipublish 2 pls. 05-21830
To 08-51208: Easy lng pare. Actually, d
rin tlga totally n mccc ang global suppliers
ng oil kc d nmn infinite ang supply ng oil s
mndo. Dba? Easy lng 08-06702
To 08-52108: kung d kb naman gago.
That’s assuming lahat ng suplay ng langis galling sa Big 3. Maraming stocks of oil
producti0n na nagmumula sa mga bansa na
pilit hnahrangan ng US, lyk Venezuela. Go
shove ur capitalist propaganda up ur ass
03-21181
To 08-52108: dude,sagutin m man c 074822, i dnt c d y u needed 2 call him or her
stupid and imbecile. Yeah yeah pwd m0ng
iexplain ang deregulation kc nga from econ
ka,u shud kno better dan most of us wat
deregulation really has 2 offer.d q lang magets y u had 2 call 2 other dude names.kht d
ako xa, nakkaoffend.it’d b a better world w/o
disrespectful ppol lyk u around.. 05-32008
To 08-52108: ang alam ko,inelastic ang
supply ng oil,wc means oilproducrs cant respond 2 a change in price.costly ang pgstore
ng langis at wla i2ng substitutes.a cutback
in oil supply wouldnt be ok 4 companies
if mregulate ang oilprice.oil deregulation
is der pra lng mpangalagaan ang interests
ng cartel.Synga pla,gani2 b kaarrogant ang
mga econ s2dnts?Kkahiya asal mo.Freshi k
pa lng my tikas ka na,e ekung ilublub kta sa
kubets ng casaa! 05-16906 Bhuldaggat
To 06-73479: underh2o liesure swimming lng c dyesebel n0 hnd xa endurance or
Peters said.
On the other hand, while the
conflict in Southern Mindanao
is brewing, the Arroyo government has proposed an P8-billion
increase in spending for the government arsenal. This pushed
the proposed budget of the Department of National Defense to
grow by almost 11 percent, from
the current P51 to P56.54 billion.
“Mula sa mga mamamayan
ang perang ito, mula sa sinasabing ‘katas ng VAT’ na dapat ay
napupunta sa sa social services
gaya ng health, housing at education. Muling pinatutunayan ng
rehimen na may pera sa giyera,
[ngunit] wala sa eskwela [o] sa
mga batayang serbisyo,” Peters
said. n With reports from Marah
Sayaman
S&T from p. 3
Hindi naman matukoy ni Sison kung magkano ang kikitain ng UP mula sa bagong TBI.
Aniya, mas mura ang itatakdang upa sa mga opisina ng OSI
upang mas makahikayat ng mga
nagsisimula pa lamang na negosyante.
Samantala, nakatakdang magbigay ngayong buwan ng P10
milyon ang PEZA bilang tulong
sa pagsasaayos ng OSI, samantalang P9 na milyon ang ibibigay
ng Department of Science and
Technology para sa pamamalakad nito, ayon kay Banzon. n May
ulat mula kay Mini U. Soriano
S E X
S E X
S E X
Wanna know first-hand info
on these scandals?
Pumanhik sa tuktok ng Vinzons'
Hall nang marating ang rurok sa
ibibigay na DVD ng News Section.
Dalhin ang inyong matulis na bolpen at makinis na
bluebook. Hanapin si Xerex.
0921.272.5572.
P.S. Bawal ang SOP.
TxT
c0mpetitive!wla tlga binatSend in your opinions and feedback via
bt ang pinas tanga kc ang
SMS! Type: KULE <space> YOUR MESback
gobyern0 inubos lng ang
SAGE <space> STUDENT NUMBER (repera sa wla! 08-78963
quired), NAME and COURSE (optional)
To 08-41437: D nman
and send to:
0927.822.9652
ata tama ung term n
Non-UP students must indicate any school,
Muslim and Christian kac
organizational
or sectoral affiliation.
hndi religion ang isyu d2.
Karapatan s lupa isyu d2
NOTICE: Messages without the correspondkya hndi tamang gamitin
ing student number (or school/organization
ung term n Christian and
for non-UP students) will not be published.
Muslim. Mas appropriate
Greetings, love notes, and the like will also
cguro gmitin ung term n
not be entertained.
people native to the to the
land. Peace tau ah.. 07bagay na dapat sinasasarili lng natin. Keri
00012 bs em
lng yung magshare pero huwag to the point
To 06-23391: Re: at all cost Average meals
na imposing na masyado. Respetuhan ng
at lutong bahay is 45 hot monay wd cheese
paniniwala. Ang mga atheists may paniniis 10 php on 2006 nd 07, 12 php on 2008
wala din sila tulad ng mga Christians o ano
price of kikiam is not 2 pcs, 12php
pa, and vice versa. yun nga, irespeto n lng
To 08-78352: eh loko ka pala e. Walang
natin ang isat isa. Hnd magandang issuing
solusyon sa war? Baka tamad ka lang magnd
nd
pagtalunan, hnd healthy. 07-19953
isip. Pakisabi naman ‘yang 2 2 advent
sna kung gano kalinis tingnan ung vinof Christ sa mga pamilyang namatayan at
zons ngaun (bcoz of the repaint) ganun dn
patuloy na namamatayan dahil sa dyaskeng
kaLINIS ung cr dun. (particularly ung male)
gyerang yan. 05-00394
08-20002
mga ate, mga kuya, i undrstnd evryone’s
belief. d rn nmn msma i-defnd ung belief
Next week's questions
na un. i knw it sounds redundant pro its wat
1) Sa tingin mo, bababa sa puwesto si
we rly nid: RESPECT 08-20002
Gloria Arroyo sa 2010?
PANAWAGAN
Sa pinakamamahal kong lady maroons:
ok lang yan! We still belive in you! Buo pa rin
ang suporta at pagmamahal naming. Kaya
nyo yan! LADIES vs WE MEN kasi ung laban
e, hehe (walang student number. pakidelete
kung sumobra sa pahina ang textback)
to ppol in sgutan—its ok 2 xchnge
thoughts as l0ng as u kip it healthy. Feelng
q nga im wtchin da vinci c0de &passi0n of d
Christ a d sme tym. 08-20002
Ang relihiyon ang isa sa mga bagay na
hnd pinagdedebatehan. Relihiyon ang
ERRATA - Issue 11
p.2.The caption of the photo “On
the Roll” states that the “Maroons
made their 11th win...” It was the
9th win of the Lady Maroons out of
11 games.
p.3. The caption of the photo
“Alay kay Cris” mistakenly named
the NCPAG as “National Center for
Public Administration and Governance.” It should be “National College of Public Administration and
Governance.”
2) Ano ang masasabi mo sa panalo ng
UP Pep Squad sa 2008 UAAP cheerdance
competition?
LIVE A.I.D.S. 24
UP Samaskom proudly and fabulously presents: LIVE A.I.D.S. 24:
Round d' Clock ang Halakhak. Now
on its 24th installment, the comedyvariety show promises you non-stop
laughter til' the end of the day. The
LIVE A.I.D.S., Ang Istoryang Dinebelop ng Samaskom. WATCH IT!
Attend showings on Sept. 12 (7
P.M.) or Sept. 13 ( 3 P.M. and 7 P.M.)
@ the Dalisay Aldaba Recital Hall.
For ticket Inquiries and Reservations,
contact Kharleigh @ 09065701312.
UPAKan Na!
The UP Association of Karate
(UPAK) invites you to train with us
every Wednesdays and Fridays at the
Vanguard rooftop from 5:30 pm to
9 pm. Just come in jogging pants
and white shirt, or bring your gi and
white belt. For more details contact
09096501437 or 09163996285.
NEWSCAN
Get free publi­
city! 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.
UP ACM Java Lecture Series
The Java Lecture Series, which
is hosted by the Association for
Computing Machinery - UP Student Chapter (UP ACM), will feature
crash courses on Java SE, Java ME,
and JavaFX programming.
It will be held on September 13
(for Java SE), 20 (for Java ME), and
27 (for JavaFX) at the UP Department of Computer Science (beside
NIGS). Interested parties may register at http://javalectureseries.upacm.org. Non-UP ACM members
will have to pay Php 30 as registration fee. For inquiries, contact Ruzette at 0916409601.
PAN XENIA FRATERNITY MONTH
The Pan Xenia Fraternity, the oldest business fraternity in the Philippines, celebrates its 85th anniversary this September.
Planned events include the Leverage Lecture Series (September 11),
Goodwill basketball games (September 13), PX Gallery Exhibit at BA
(September 16-19), Narnia Movie
re-run (September 18), Medical
Mission (September 20) and Open
Tambayan (September 30).
The celebration will culminate
with the Fraternity's Grand 85th
Anniversary Ball on September 23
at the main lounge of the Manila
Polo Club. Distinguished members
of the Fraternity such as Manuel
Villar Jr, Francisco Nemenzo Jr, and
Ismael Mathay Jr, among others,
will grace the event. contact DJ @
0917.2043.751 for inquiries.
PARSIMONY: STATisfaction
Guaranteed!
The U.P. Statistical Society invites
everyone to join the celebration of
their 27th Anniversary Week, PARSIMONY: STATisfaction Guaranteed!
The week-long festivity shall include
Fund Run – Sept 7, Opening Ceremony and Mass – Sept. 9, Grand
Pakain – Sept. 10, 22nd Annual
Stat-is-Eeks! – Sept. 13.
The 22nd Annual Stat-is-Eeks, a
quiz show for non-stat majors, is
open to all interested organizations,
including those from other universities. Prizes: 1st place = 12000 +
giftpacks, 2nd place = 7000+giftpacks, 3rd place= 5000+giftpacks.
For more details, text (0919)6681689
or (0916)2141784.
PSME Cup 08
The Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers University of the
Philippines Student Unit (PSMEUPSU) proudly brings the PSME
Cup, which proves that academic
excellence and athleticism can coexist.
Students from PSME Junior Units
battle their way to become champions of various sports such as Basketball and Volleyball to race their
points into snatching the bragging
rights of being this year’s PSME
Cup Overall Champion. PSME Cup
08 will be held on 6 September
2008 at the Department of Agrarian
Reform Gym, Quezon City, from
8am to 5pm.
Grapiks 11
Philippine Collegian | Huwebes, 11 Set 2008
Eksenang
peyups
Heto na…
Heto na…
Eksenang Peyups na!
Mga utaw, pagkashopos ng ilang EP na di badessa
ang nagsulat, itembang na ang genuine na artikulo.
Eeksena na ang tunay na eksena! Kaloka!
Eksena #1: Bobito Katipunero
Katipunero 1: (ituturo ang Che Guevarra shirt ni
Katipunero 2)
Paweh, ang cool ng shirt mo.
Katipunero 2: Ah yeah paweh, cool di ba? Got it from
CBA from p. 4
ang maaapektuhan kung hindi
ang mga mag-aaral ng kolehiyo.
Ngunit, ani Tirona, “I am willing to fund the projects but not
give them all the money, because
I am still questioning the validity
of the impeachment process.”
Bukod sa maling pamamanihala sa pondo ng BAC, bigo rin
umano si Tirona na bigyan ng
solusyon ang mga problema sa
loob ng konseho na bunga ng
kawalan niya ng kakayahang mamuno, ani Rodriguez.
Panghihimasok ng
administrasyon
SIPAT
Sumulat naman noong Agosto
28 si Tirona kay CBA Dean Erlinda
Echanis upang hinging magsagawa ang administrasyon ng pormal
na imbestigasyon ukol sa isinagawang impeachment ng BAC.
Bagaman nagbaba na ng desisyon ang konseho, ani Kalihim
Manuel Manuel III ng CBA, na
tagapayo rin ng BAC, hindi pa
rin umano nareresolba ang isyu.
Ihahain ng administrasyon ang
pagpayag nila sa hiling ni Tirona
sa Setyembre 10.
Ani Rodriguez, nauna nang
sinabi ng administrasyon ng
CBA na wasto ang proseso ng impeachment kay Tirona. Dagdag
niya, sinunod nila ang mga nasa
kanilang konstitusyon na hindi
naman nagsaad na kailangan
ang administrasyon sa impeachment. n
Langit, lupa - John Clemente
Tiendesitas paweh.
Katipunero 1: Who’s that guy ba on your shirt paweh?
Katipunero 2: Ah… Dunno paweh pewo I think he’s a rockstar.
Katipunero 1: Really? Astig paweh! Apir!
Gawing rockstar si Che Guevarra? Kaloka! Buti na lang cute silang mga Ateni--Charing! Next Eksena!
Eksena #2: Klasmeytsung Mongoloidung
Isang klasmeyt na agitated ang gumora para magshonong sa isa pang klasmeytsung sa loob ng Main Library:
Klasmeyt 1: Girl, ang hirap maghanap ng sources para sa paper na sinusulat ko!
Klasmeyt 2: Wala ka bang nahanap dito?
Klasmeyt 1: Meron. (ipapakita ang isang ROOM USE ONLY na book)
Klasmeyt 2: Oh, ayan naman pala eh.
Klasmeyt 1: Pwede ko kayang ilabas itong libro?
ROOM USE ONLY! Bunga? Kalurkey ang girlaloong itembang! Pag nakilala
n’yo siya, pakidala kay Madame Roman, magsama sila! Mga mongoloid! Charito!
Wahahaha!
Eksena #3 Juwatikus Warlacious
Dalawang magwarla na jowatik sa gilid ng street sa harap ng PHAN. Nakajupo
ang boylet in an emo pose while girlaloo is standing beside him wearing a hideous
backpack:
GF: Tumayo ka nga diyan!
BF: Minahal naman kita di ba?
GF: Mag-usap nga tayo. Please!
BF: Ayokong makipag-usap. Period.
Aaaaaww… Akala kis may shooting. Mega-crayola si boylet! Kiss ko kaya para maging ok… Charot! Eksena?
O siya, girl, boy, bakla, tomboy, butiki baboy, wit na akirang pag-eksena. Bababoo
na muna ang Diyosa ng EP at walang kokontra. Period.
Join the
Philippine Collegian's
Graphics section!
Exams can be taken
anytime, 401 Vinzons Hall. Magdala ng
portfolio at drawing
materials.
Sana mero'n pa. Sana ikaw na nga.
12 Opinyon
Philippine
Collegian
Huwebes, 11 Set 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
Patnugot sa Lathalain
Alaysa Tagumpay E. Escandor
Mga Patnugot sa Grapiks
Piya C. Constantino
Ivan Bryan G. Reverente
Candice Anne L. Reyes
Janno Gonzales
I
t is with rage and regret
that we now confront the
real motivations, more
than what is purported to
be a critical review of UP's
role in nation-building, behind
the UP administration's idea of
a centennial celebration.
Militant groups in the university have been tireless in
reminding us that harking
back to UP's 100 years of history must not be an exercise
in futile recollection and misguided reflection. Indications
to the contrary, however, assault us in various fronts, that
it now seems unthinkable that
such were met with little reaction from the university's
primary stakeholders, the students.
It has long been asserted
that UP President Emerlinda
Roman seems bent on turning
UP's 100th year into a mere income-generating opportunity.
Just recently, the administration inked a deal with Toyota
Motor Philippines Corp. for a
P100-million building donation. The proposed GT Toyota
Asian Center will supposedly
be a "cultural and policy hub
for intellectual and cultural
exchanges in the Philippines
and Asia."
Drawing from the numerous
deals that the administration
signed with private corporations, one wonders, however,
what ill foreboding the words
'hub' and exchanges' bring.
It would be much easier to
think that such agreements
Edi tor ya l
Regressions
are indeed aimed at improv- here in Diliman and in Cebu.
ing the university in terms of Commercial establishments,
its academic resources, and like housing units and mermuch convenient to say that chandise stalls, will also soon
we should actually be thankful be erected. We have yet to see
to these corporations especial- even a single venture in the
ly in the face
S&T parks
of dwindling The centennial year
that cater
budget alsolely
to
locations for will be remembered
the project's
UP in the
original repast years. not as a fruitful and
search and
It is always
developpalatable to reflective celebration,
ment purargue
that but as the beginning
pose.
such
partEqually
n e r s h i p s of a malevolent
questionwould enable
able is how
us to update regression
these kinds
our facilities
of deals are
and be at par
negotiated.
with the best
Almost all
higher education institutions are shrouded in secrecy, with
in the world, instead of sim- members of the UP comply flooding the streets with munity knowing about them
our protests and clamoring for only when the deals have
higher state subsidy for edu- been signed, or worse, when
cation.
constructions have already
But the same grandiose yet commenced. It is thus not
dangerous rhetoric was em- far-fetched to think that some
ployed in the various S&T park vested interests are at work
projects in UP lands. What in these transactions. Student
was originally declared to be a and faculty groups in Los Bacenter for research and devel- ños, for example, cried foul
opment now houses outsourc- over reports that the unit's
ing and call center companies outgoing chancellor forged a
like HSBC, Pointwest, Manu- clandestine deal with a local
life, and IBM, among others, private school.
with the Ayala group of comWe must, of course, not
panies managing them both forget the unjust 300% hike
in tuition and imposition of
other fees, the relentless demolitions of UP communities, and the railroading of
a new UP Charter that now
enshrines commercialization
and corporatization as foremost virtues. More than being unfortunate, it is enraging
how such tragedies have come
to be what UP's 100th year will
be remembered for
UP's centennial year thus
proves to be one that will be
remembered, not for the lessons drawn from it, but for its
departures from the nationalist principles that should
have defined it. The centennial year will be remembered
as that dark juncture in UP's
history when commercial ventures were aggressively and
shamelessly pursued, and the
ideals of a pro-people and
pro-student orientation were
conveniently relegated to the
margins. The centennial year,
most of all, will be remembered not as a fruitful and reflective celebration, but as the
beginning of a malevolent regression.
It is a different matter altogether to stand pat in the
midst of such irregularities.
Crafting the university's history, after all, is never the
territory of just a single formation. What remains a question, then, is whether to allow
such regression to continue,
or to put a stop not only to it
but the people leading us to
certain damnation. n
Tagapamahala ng Pinansiya
Ma. Rosa Cer M. dela Cruz
Mga Kawani
Louise Vincent B. Amante
Mark Angelo V. Ching
Glenn L. Diaz
Janno Rae T. Gonzales
Timothy Medrano
Archie A. Oclos
Jan Marcel V. Ragaza
Antonio D. Tiemsin Jr.
Om Narayan E. Velasco
Mixkaela Z. Villalon
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
[email protected]
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