Slice of liesUnmasking the pig-faced corruption of patronage politics

VOLUME 40 ISSUE 1 | JULY-OCTOBER 2013

PHOTOS FROM CHARLOTTE JOB DESPUEZ, JOHN PAUL OMAC & PAMANTIK-KMUCOVER DESIGN BY PAUL CARSON

“Walang pagbabago sa ilalim ni Aquino!”ST citizens march to PNoy’s residence Militant groups led by Bagong Alyan-sang Makabayan-Southern Tagalog (BAYAN-ST) trail blazed series of pro-test actions criticizing President Be-nigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III as he delivers his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22.

Presenting slogans such as “Walang pagbabago sa ilalim ni Aquino (No change under Aquino’s ad-ministration)” the protesters marched from Mabu-hay Rotonda to Aquino’s former residence at Times Street in Quezon City last July 21.

Andrianne Mark Ng, spokesperson of BAYAN-ST, stated that Aquino’s daang matuwid is daang naka-mamatay, as was represented in the effigy prepared by the organizations.

“It presents the perilous path of the Aquino admin-istration that it introduces to Filipinos: budget cuts for different social services such as education and

THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES | Militant groups from Southern Tagalog stormed to President Aquino’s former residence at Times Street, Quezon City to protest the “lack of change” midway through his term.

PHOTO FROM SOUTHERN TAGALOG EXPOSURE

health, sovereignty breaches and the continuing string of human rights violations through coun-terinsurgency plan Oplan Bayanihan, among oth-er issues,” Ng said.

The militants, upon reaching Times St., were met with a barricade of policemen, which started to beat the labor union members with truncheons at the front line.

Upon cessation of hostilities, the militants held a program criticizing the administration’s contin-uous negligence of the people in the middle of his administration, adding that the country’s eco-nomic progress only benefits the few who profit through big businesses and corruption. Repre-sentatives of mass organizations also present-ed the Aquino administration’s inability to solve these problems.

After the program, the Southern Tagalog delega-tion prepared for the next day’s SONA ng Bayan, a nationwide protest in anticipation of the Presi-dent’s SONA. [P] PAUL CARSON

NEWSUPLBPERSPECTIVE VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 JULY-OCTOBER 2013

Bracket E studes down this semMore student loan beneficiaries seen WORDSGUIEN GARMA

GRAPHICSPAUL CARSON

This University has seen an increasing elite: a dwindling number of poor but deserving Iskolars ng Bayan and more student loan beneficiaries in the past five years.

The number of students belonging under Brack-et E here in UP’s constituent university in Los Baños decreased in the first semester, academic year 2013-2014, [P] has learned.

Records of the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) in UPLB for the first semester this year show that a total of 883 students, or 17.13% of the 5,156 STFAP appli-cants obtained Bracket E status. 777 students (15.07%) were granted Bracket E1 status, while only 106 students (2.06%) were granted Bracket E2 status.

This is lower than the recorded number of Bracket E beneficiaries in the same period last year, which was equal to 1,064 students, or 23% of 12,789 registered students.

Bracket C, meanwhile, is the most populated bracket in UPLB, with 2,001 students.

The rest of the breakdown of the 5,156 students who applied and were accepted for STFAP are as follows: Bracket A: 73/1.42% Bracket B: 436/8.46% Bracket C: 2,001/38.81% Bracket D: 1,763/34.19%

STFAP, first implemented in 1989, is a pro-gram that seeks to “democratize undergradu-ate student admission” in order for poor but deserving students to continue pursuing UP education. However, this program has been criticized by students and groups, claiming that the program has failed to serve its pur-pose of making UP education accessible and, thus, calling for the abolition of the program.

A student whose family has an annual gross family income of P80,001 to P135,000 is qual-ified for Bracket E1, while one who has an an-nual income of P80,000 and below is qualified for Bracket E2. One under Bracket E1 avails free tuition, laboratory and other miscella-neous fees, while one under Bracket E2 not just avails free education, but also includes a P12,000 semestral stipend.

Increasing eliteThe Perspective looked at STFAP data from academic year 2009-2010 to the present ac-ademic year as of October 3. [P] has observed that while the number of applicants for Brack-et A may be miniscule compared to other brackets, their numbers are steadily increas-ing. From 27 students (0.47%) in year 2009-2010, there are 73 students (1.42%) now under the so-called millionaire’s bracket.

Bracket A students only decreased in academic years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, from 0.72% to 0.57%.

A consistent upward pattern was also observed in the number of Bracket B applicants, from 272 (4.74%) in 2009-2010 to 436 (8.46%) in this year’s first semester.

F l u c -tuating p a t t e r n s for C, D, EHowever, the num-ber of applicants for the rest of the brackets has been fluctuating.

For three years starting academic year 2009-2010, the number of students applying for Bracket C were in an upward direction. The only downward motion recorded was in 2012-2013, with 36.33%.

Currently this semester, 38.81% of the applicants for STFAP went for Bracket C.

(continued on page 5)

PROVING YOURSELF

RICHThe graph above

presents the trend of STFAP brackets through-

out the years, from the first semester of AY 2009-2010 to the

first semester of AY 2013-2014. Brackets are indicated by the legend

at the center of the graph. DATASFAD-OSA

The same pattern has been observed in Bracket D appli-cations from 2009-2010 to 2010-2011. It slightly de-creased to 36.61% the following academic year. It again decreased in academic year 2012-2013, but was able to pick up this year.

Undergrad population up, 12,114 this semesterThe number of undergraduate students enrolled this semester is 10.6% higher than the undergraduate population last semester, 2012-2013.

According to the data from the Office of the University Registrar, the entire undergraduate student population for the first semester of 2013-2014 is 12,114. The number of enrolled students this semester is significantly higher than 10, 944 students in the second semester, academic year 2012-2013.

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) re-mains the biggest college this semester with 3904 students from the 3635 students from the previous semester. The College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology comes second with 2512 students. The College of Agriculture (CA) follows third with 1355 students.

Lazaro fills in CHE rep seat, poll winner Noces protestsGUIEN GARMA

In the College of Human Ecology (CHE), Samahan ng Kabataan para sa Bayan’s (SAKBAYAN) Marvin Noces got the most number of votes for the position of CHE Representative to the University Stu-dent Council (USC) during the elections last February. But his competitor, KATI-PUNAN-CHE’s Carina Angela Lazaro, took the seat instead.

Lazaro joined the officers of CHE Student Council (CHE-SC), led by its chair Jean Paula Regulano last July 2 after Noces transferred to the College of So-cial Welfare and Community Development (CSWCD) in University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD).

Noces obtained 209 votes while Lazaro got 171 votes. Forty-one students abstained.

Noces told [P] that he was already a registered UPD student on June 13, 2013. He officially became a student of CSWCD in July 11, 2013, nine days after the CHE-SC officers took office.

In an interview, Regulano told [P] that she knew about Noces’ plan to transfer around the second or third week of June. She said that one time, while she and Dr. Wilma Hurtada, CHE college secretary, were talking, “Bigla niyang nabanggit, ‘O, si Noces pala magta-transfer.’” The CHE-SC chair said that when she was able to talk to Noces and confirmed the representative-elect’s intention to transfer, Regulano and the council al-ready worked on filling the college representative position.

Lengthy process“Matagal namin tong pinag-usapan sa council kasi hindi namin alam kung paano namin siya papalitan, though… may Constitution,” Regulano told [P], re-ferring to the 1984 Constitution of the University of the Philippines Los Baños Student Council.

However, the CHE-SC chair noted that the clause on filling of vacancies for the college representative

position is prone to various interpretations. Article VII, Section 7(d) of the Student Council Constitution states: “A vacancy in the office of College Representatives to the USC shall be filled, in so far as practicable in the manner provided above, for the university councilor.”

The “manner provided above” stated in Section 7(d) may have been referring to Section 7(c) of the same Article, which states: “If vacancy occurs in the office of the university/college councilor, the candidate who obtained the next higher number of votes in the last general elections of the student council shall take place.”

Because of varying interpretations, CHE-SC de-cided to consult three lawyers to interpret the 1984 Constitution. Regulano said that all three lawyers say that the candidate for the college rep-resentative who got the next highest number of votes shall fill the vacancy. She added that one lawyer suggested the conduct of special elections. “Kung wala siyang kalaban, doon possible na kukuha sa councilor o magkakaroon ng special elections. It’s our choice kasi autonomous ang councils,” she explained.

After seeking legal counsel, Regulano said, the council met again and finalized that Lazaro shall fill the vacancy. She added that it took them two to three weeks to settle the issue.

‘Undemocratic’Noces, however, asserted that the CHE Student Council’s decision was undemocratic. He said via a Facebook message that making the legal opin-ions of the lawyers CHE-SC consulted as bases for its decision to place Lazaro to the college representative position when the council itself should autonomously decide is undemocratic.

“Sa nakaraan na nagkaroon ng kaparehong kaso na ito, pinagpasyahan ng mga student council na ipalit sa sino man na umalis sa konseho ang isa pang nagmula din sa hanay ng mga ‘elected’ stu-dent council members,” he explained.

Omac is Perspective’s new EICPromises a “true, fighting, progressive” [P]

Third year BS Development Communication student John Paul Omac will lead this year’s UPLB Perspective editorial staff, besting fellow third year BA Philosophy student John Moses Chua.

Omac, a development journalism major, was “rec-ognized as a budding development journalist by the Department of Development Journalism, College of Development Communication (CDC),” according to CDC’s news site. He is also a member of the Graphic Literature Guild.

This year’s Editor-in-Chief examinations were marked by months of delay, with the date of exam-inations slated by June 24. According to reports, the delay in examinations was stemmed from the lack of a functional adhoc committee for the EIC selection, which was headed by Department of Development

NOCES LAZARO

OMAC

“[K]aya naman nanindigan ako kasama ng ilan ko pang kasamahan sa konseho na ang dapat pumal-it sa akin ay iyong nakakuha ng top slot sa pagig-ing councilor,” Noces added.

However, Regulano explained, “Hindi sinasabi na yung second rank is yung top councilor kasi it’s possible na yung votes ng top councilor is higher than the CHE rep… E ang sabi eh second highest number of votes sa last general election.”

Noces confirmed to [P] that he has not filed yet a resignation letter both to the University Student Council (USC) and CHE-SC as a form of protest.

‘Why run in the first place?’When asked about how she felt when the position Noces supposedly vacated was given to her, Laza-ro said that she “felt excited that [she] would still be able to serve the college despite losing in the elections.”

Through a Facebook message, Lazaro also aired her opinion about Noces’ move to transfer to CSWCD. “I wouldn’t have ran [sic] if I never had the intention of taking the position in the first place, or were planning to shift to another UP unit.”

She added, “When I heard of [sic] the news that Marvin Noces transferred, I thought to myself, why run in the first place if you had intentions of leaving the college?”

When asked about Noces’ stand that the coun-cil’s decision was undemocratic, Lazaro said that the 1984 Student Council Constitution al-ready bares the proper procedure of filling the vacancy. “I find it bothering that there was an effort in his part to not follow the constitution, even citing precedents in the CHE-SC, which does not apply in this situation,” she said.

Politics involved?Noces also noted that some CHE-SC members who stood by their stand that Lazaro should fill the vacancy seemed to be non-negotiable. “[T]inuligsa ko din noon kung paanong inawakan ni Ms. Regulano ang mga pagpupulong ng kon-seho at ang kanyang pagkiling kay Ms. Lazaro na kasamahan nya sa hanay ng mga kandi-dato ng kanilang partido na lumahok noong eleksyon,” he added.

However, Lazaro said, “There is no issue of politics in here, just plain and simple reading of the constitution would do, and would clearly explain what to do in such situations. Despite all these, Noces wishes Lazaro all the best.

“Dapat na lamang siguro nating siguruhin na si Ms. Lazaro ay tunay na maglilingkod sa interes ng sangkaestudyantehan. Kasaysayan na ang manghuhusga sa kanya,” he said. [P]

Journalism chair Prof. Rosa Pilipinas Francisco.

Omac’s appointment sur-faced on the CDC news site last July 10.

Even with the appointment long overdue, Omac still as-sured that the Perspective will not delay in presenting the student’s and peo-ple’s issues, and not waver in the Perspective’s tradition of militant and progressive journalism.

“The student paper I will now head has and will be a sentinel for the students and the people. Noth-ing much has changed since Martial Law, and with this, we will uphold a paper that is true, fighting and progressive,” Omac said. [P] PAUL CARSON

The College of Economics and Management is the fourth biggest college with 1,244 students, followed by the College of Human Ecology with 973 students. The College of Develop-ment Communication comes sixth with 753 students; seventh is the College of Forestry and Natural Resources with 729 students. The Col-lege of Veterinary Medicine has 551 students, making it the smallest college in terms of pop-ulation. Meanwhile, 93 students have enrolled in the joint CA-CAS BS Agricultural Chemistry program.

In terms of the number of students per degree program, the top three courses are B.S. Biology with 877 students, B.S. Computer Science with 776, and B.S. Development Communication with 753 students. [P] JUSTINE WILLAUER

PHOTOS FROM FACEBOOK

NEWS JULY-OCTOBER 2013 VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 UPLBPERSPECTIVE

TAKE THE EXAM!The UPLB Perspective is in need of writers, production and business staff (photojournalists, layout artists, graphic artists. Just drop by at the UPLB Perspective office (Room 11, Student Union Building). For production staff applicants, provide a folio of your

past works. For inquiries, contact JP (0905 370 8959).[P]

SLB, STFAP application forms go online

Starting this academic year, students were able to fill up the forms for filing of student loans and Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) online.

Forms for SLB and STFAP were opened online through uplbosa.org.

Computers were also set up at an office in the Student Union Building to accommodate students who wish to elec-tronically fill up their application forms. Setting appointments for STFAP applicants are now done online.

However, the queue of students submitting their forms and other documents remained long, reaching the stairs of the building.

New SR from UPMin

Krista Iris V. Melgarejo, a BS Food Technology graduate and former chairperson of UP Mindanao’s University Student Council, now represents the UP System stu-dentry to the Board of Regents. Melgarejo, the first student regent from UP Mind-anao, replaces Cleve Kevin Robert Arguelles of UP Manila.

The student regent selection was held during the General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) held May 19. Melgarejo was chosen over five other nominees, four of which are from UP Diliman, and UP Los Baños’ Allen Lemence. The second and third nominees were Leila Nur Aryanna Canacan and Victor Gregor Limon, respectively, both from UP Diliman.

NEWSUPLBPERSPECTIVE VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 JULY-OCTOBER 2013

The first half: A news timelineWORDSGUIEN GARMA GRAPHICS AND LAYOUTPAUL CARSON IMAGESGOOGLE IMAGES, PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN, FACEBOOK

The first half of year 2013 has been full of important stories, decisions, and contentions. Here is a summary of the year’s first six months, UP-wide and nationwide.

OSA distributes Bibles to freshies

The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) was in hot water just when classes start-ed after it led the distribution of Bibles for the university’s new freshmen be-fore the start of the annual campus tour. A video uploaded to YouTube by the Filipino Freethinkers shows OSA Director Dr. Leticia Afuang telling new freshmen that they shall receive one Bible each. She also told the students to “let this [the Bible] be your guide.”

In a statement released on June 14, the Office of the Chancellor clarified that the University did not purchase the distributed Bibles but were donated by an organization, adding that the said move “has been interpreted as sanctioned by the University, when in truth and in fact, it was not.”

The UPLB administration said that “additional mechanisms are now being discussed to ensure that the University continues to respect plurality and

diversity of faiths and beliefs of its constituents and the

community.”

UP BOR to chancellors: Don’t deny poor UP students of education

“No qualified UP student shall be denied access to education due to financial incapability.” That resolution raised during the 1,287th meeting of the UP Board of Regents was approved last April 12, in light of the various cases of students unable to pay for their tuition and other fees.

Meanwhile, on May 31, UP President Alfredo Pascual signed Executive Order No. PAEP 13-04, granting powers to all chancellors and the dean of UP Cebu “to approve on a case-by-case

basis, applications and appeals from students and/or their parents/guardians for loans under the Student Loan Board” of up to 100 percent.

In February this year, Kristel Tejada, a UP Manila student who was forced to take a leave of absence after not being able to pay her student loans, ended her life.

Her death roused calls to scrap, if not reform the university’s socialized tuition scheme.

CAS-SC vice chair-elect takes over

College of Arts and Sciences Student Council (CAS-SC) vice chair-person-elect Justin Benedict Balcera takes over the seat of chair-person-elect Krissah Marga Taganas after the latter received a

scholarship in South Korea. Taganas is currently in Far East Uni-versity in South Korea for a one-year Global Leadership Award scholarship.

Alecx Andrea Bagatsolon, the top councilor in the last elec-tions became the new vice-chairperson, while Eriel Sanchez completed the new councilor line-up of the largest college in the University.

New faculty regent from UPM

Dr. Lourdes Abadingo of UP Manila’s Col-lege of Arts and Sciences was elected as UP System’s faculty regent, replacing UP Los Baños’ Dr. Ida Dalmacio.

The UPM CAS website said that Dr. Aba-dingo, a political science teacher, was a former secretary and assistant secretary of the UP Board of Regents. She also held administrative positions in UPM, including Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Dorm alliance founding president reelected

Louis Karl Eusebio, the founding president of the Alliance of Dormitory Associations (ADA), was reelected during the All Dormers’ Assembly last July 25.

Eusebio is joined by Cesar Angelo Aurigue and Justine Maturan as vice-president and secretary, respectively.

The ADA, which has been revived again this semester, was first convened February 2013 at the height of the movement for dormers’ rights.

The University Student Council’s Students Rights and Welfare Committee helped reconvene ADA this semester.

Opening of classes: Bye June, hello August?

To keep up with international neigbors, Chancel-lor Rex Victor Cruz has proposed rescheduling the University’s academic calendar, moving the start of classes to August.

The Chancellor suggests that the first semester be scheduled from August to December, and the second semester from January to May.

Summer classes shall be held from May to June.

Multi-billion peso pork barrel scam exposed; scam poster queen surrenders

As of this writing, the pork barrel scam tele-novela continues as Janet Lim-Napoles, the so-called mastermind of a multi-billion peso pork scheme surrendered to President Aquino on August 28. Four days later, she was transferred from Makati City Jail to Fort Santo Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, the same facility where for-mer President Joseph Estrada was detained.

Reports from various media outlets explained that Napoles, owner of JLN Corporation, formed bogus nongovernment organizations and sought funds from congressmen and sen-ators for non-existing projects. The members of Upper and Lower House then provide funds for these bogus projects through their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), more known as pork barrel.

Approximately two weeks before Napoles’ sur-render, an arrest warrant was released against Napoles and his brother-in-law Reynald Lim for charges of illegal detention filed by Janet’s for-mer aide Benhur Luy.

Luy led a group of former JLN Corp. employ-ees who took Napoles’ corrupt practices to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, which then ran a front-page investigative series on the pork bar-rel scam.

Meanwhile, a new group called Youth for Ac-countability and Truth Now! (Youth ACT Now), organized by the youth sector and several or-ganizations, scheduled a protest last Septem-ber 13 in Luneta, a march to the House of Representatives, Senate, and Mendiola, Manila last September 9, and a nationwide boycott of classes on September 16 to 20.

Another group called Youth Against Pork (YAP) scheduled a general assembly on September 28 at the Ateneo de Manila University.

In this University, an alliance of students, faculty, and staff called Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Laban sa Baboy was formed and has launched protest actions and a the What the Pork? Forum held last September 16. [P]

SKETCHPADPinayid na mga dahon

PRINCES BULACLAC

Matulin kong binabagtas ang lupon ng mga luntiang puno sa masukal na gubat na iyon. Kasabay ng aking bawat paghakbang ay naririnig ko ang pagtibok ng aking puso na tila mga yabag ng nakikipagkarerang kabayo. Malapit na akong abutan ng mga armadong kalalakihang kanina pang sa aki’y tumutugis. Sa bilis ng mga pangyayari, ang nais ko na lamang ay makatakas sa sitwasyon ko ngayon.

Ako nga pala si Raymond. Isang mag-aaral sa paman-tasan ng bayan na kumukuha ng kursong BS Forest-ry. Ikaapat na taon ko na sa pag-aaral at umaasang ito na rin ang huli.

Kung hindi niyo na maitatanong, kaya ako nasa gu-bat ay dahil mayroon akong tinatapos na require-ment sa isa sa aking mga asignatura. Abala ako sa pag-eeksamin ng mga species ng mga halaman nang bigla akong makarinig ng impit na ungol ng isang babae.

Kinabahan man ako sa maaaring nangyayari ay pinil-it kong sundan ang pinagmumulan ng ungol na iyon. Maaaring nasa kapahamakan ang babae at kailan-gan ko siyang tulungan. Mapanganib pa naman sa loob ng gubat. Nang matunton ko ang pinagmumu-lan ng ungol, napatda ako sa aking nakita.

Mayroong apat na kalalakihang nakasuot ng un-iporme ng militar at may mga nakasakbit na mga baril sa katawan. Ang dalawa sa kanila ay tumatan-gan sa nakagapos at duguang babae. May busal ang kanyang bibig kung kaya’t ungol na lamang ang sa kanya’y naririnig. Mabuti na lamang at may malak-ing puno sa aking tabi kaya’t agad-agad akong nag-

tago sa likod nito. Sana’y hindi nila ako napansin.

Nagulat ako nang biglang sumigaw ang isa sa mga lalaki, “Sinabi naman namin sa inyong huwag na kayong makialam! Ayan tuloy, inilagay niyo pa ang buhay ninyo sa panganib. Ganun ba kahirap su-munod sa aming nais? Tsk tsk, kawawa ka naman bata, walang makakaalam kung nasaan ka.”

Sumilip ako at tinignan ang nangyayari. Nang ma-sulyapan ko ang babae, kaawa-awa na ang kanyang kalagayan. Nabigla pa ako nang mapansin kong pamilyar siya. Sino nga ba siya? Hinalughog ko ang aking utak hanggang sa maalala ko kung sino siya. Siya si ateng laging sumisigaw sa mga mo-bilisasyon sa pamantasan. Lider-estudyante yata yung tawag nila sa ganun.

Nagulat akong muli at naputol ang aking pag-iisip nang bigla na namang sumigaw ang lalaki,

“Paano ba yan? Magpaalam ka na sa iyong mun-dong kinagisnan. Sa susunod, huwag makikialam, hija. Ops, wala na nga palang susunod.. dahil mawawala ka na.”

Tinutukan niya ng baril sa ulo ang babae at dala na rin sa aking pagkagulat ay napasigaw ako, “Waaag!”

Ngunit kasabay ng pagputok ng baril at paghandu-say ng babae sa lupa ay sabay-sabay ding nagsilin-gon sa aking kinatatayuan ang mga lalaki.

“Kasama ka rin nila ano?! Lagot kang bata ka. Kay-

ong mga aktibista kayo, napaka-pakelamero! Mga p’re, hulihin niyo yan. Wag niyong hahayaang makatakas! Ako na bahala rito,” rinig kong utos nang lider nila. Gusto kong himatayin sa mga oras na iyon ngunit sari-saring mga senaryo ang nabuo sa isipan ko. Hindi ako pwedeng mamatay. Marami pa akong kapatid na umaasa sa akin. Tu-tulungan ko pa sa pagtatrabaho sina itay at inay.

Agad akong tumakbo upang iligtas ang aking sarili. Sa sobrang tulin nang aking pagtakbo ay tila kakapusin na ako nang hininga. Malapit na nila akong abutan. Kapag minamalas ka pa nga naman, napatid ang aking paa sa nakabuhol na halaman sa lupa. Habang iniinda ang sakit sa pagkapilipit ng aking paa, nagsisisi akong na-punta ako sa sitwasyong ito.

Kung sumabay lamang ako sa iba ko pang ka-mag-aaral sa pagtapos ng letseng requirement na ‘to sana hindi ako nandito ngayon. Kung bakit ba kasing sobrang tamad ko.

Ay. Hindi eh.

Wala nga pala akong pera nung panahong kail-angan ko ng mga kagamitan para dito kaya nga pala hindi ako nakasabay sa iba pa. Napakarar-amot naman ng aking mga kamag-aaral na kung umasta pa’y ‘kala mo, ang mundo ay pag-aari nila. Kung bakit ba kasing pinilit ko pang dito mag-aral. Bakit parang ang pagtupad sa mga pangarap ay tila kamatayan? Ano na nga ba ang pamantasan ng bayan? Pamantasang magtataguyod sa iyong mga pangarap? O pamantasang mas magsasadlak

sa iyo sa kahirapan?

Hindi ko na nagawa pang makatayo. Habang pinapayid ng hangin ang mga tuyong dahon sa aking harapan, parang unti-unti na ring pina-payid ng sirkumstansya ang aking mga pan-garap. Ipinikit ko na lamang ang aking mata. Naramdaman kong hinihila na ako nang mga lalaking sa aki’y humahabol kanina.

Habang tangan ako ng dalawa sa kanila ay pinagsusuntok ako ng isa pa. Kinaladkad nila ako patungo sa pinagmulan namin kanina.

Mukhang dadalhin nila ako sa lider nila. Pag-mulat ng aking mata ay muli akong napatda. Nakatutok na sa aking mukha ang baril na ku-mitil sa buhay ng babae kanina.

“Hindi talaga kayo marunong umunawa! Mga pakelamero!” sigaw ng lalaki habang kinaka-labit ang gatilyo.

Sumigaw ako nang ubod lakas.

Kasabay ng tunog ng pagputok ng baril ay nam-ulat muli ako ng aking mata. Tumambad sa akin ang maamong mukha ng aking instruktor sa isa kong asignatura.

Putangina. Panaginip lang pala. Letseng large class kasi ‘to, malamig na nga, nakakaantok pa.

(ipagpapatuloy)

““Habang pinapayid ng hangin ang mga tuyong dahon sa aking harapan,

parang unti-unti na ring pinapayid ng sirkumstansya

ang aking mga pangarap.

NEWS JULY-OCTOBER 2013 VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 UPLBPERSPECTIVE

[P]ananawUPLB Perspective Literary Folio

now accepting contributions.Submit your entries (hard or soft copies) at the UPLB Perspective e-mail at pananaw1314@gmail.com or at the UPLB

Perspective office (Room 11, Student Union Building, UPLB). Any literary piece or art piece is accepted.

Fluctuating by minimal digits is Bracket E1. From 7.74% in 2009-2010, the numbers played between 15 and 17% in the following academic years observed.

The most noticeable pattern in Bracket E2 was the sudden decrease in 2010-2011 to 3.22 % from 2009-2010’s 31.81 %. Since then, the numbers played between two and five percent.

SLB beneficiaries increasing, tooMoreover, a increasing trend can be seen in the number of beneficiaries of loans provided by the Student Loan Board (SLB).

[P] also looked at and studied SLB data avail-able from academic year 2009-2010 to the present academic year.

In the first semester of this year, 4,744 students, or 34.95% of the 13,575 registered students were granted SLB loans. This semester had the most number of loans granted for the past five years.

In the first semester of AY 2009-2010, 2,943 were granted SLB loans benefiting 27.52% of the student population. In the second semester

Bracket E students... (continued from page 2)of the same year, 23.61% or 2,427 students were granted loans.

Meanwhile, during the first semester AY 2010-2011, 3,683 loans were granted. This is 32.58% of the 11,303 students registered that time. In the second semester, 3,093 loans were approved, helping 28.53% of the 10,840 students.

For first semester AY 2011-2012, 4,131 stu-dents were given loans, benefitting 34.08% of the student population. The next semester saw 3,459 students, or 29.50% of the wholev studentry, having granted SLB loans.

Last academic year, 3,917 students, or 30.63% of the 12,789 registered students, were granted loans in the first semester, while 3,734 students were able to avail SLB loans in the second semester. This was 30.21% of the 12,359 students enrolled in that semester.

The Student Loan Board Program is a ser-vice that defers the matriculation payment of a student per semester. The maximum loan is 80% of the total as-

sessed fees, though a 100% loan may be granted if the Chancellor has approved the student’s request letter, as per Executive Order No. PAEP 13-04 issued by UP System

President Alfredo Pascual. The student then settles the loan in accordance to the terms of the Uni-versity which include an interest rate of 6% per year and a cash ba-

sis payment. A student with an outstanding loan cannot further avail an SLB loan. [P]

BYSTANDER EFFECTTHE CURIOUS CASE OF CHANCELLOR CRUZ

Chancellor Rex Victor Cruz, who succeeded for-mer chancellor Luis Rey Velasco in 2011, is now approaching the end of his sophomore year as the University’s primary executive officer. As with previous chancellors, his first two years in post is not an exemption from various difficulties that have struck the studentry. However, the lack of necessary actions to these issues further aggre-gates the problems which, in turn, burden the students.

Unattended vowsPrior to his election by the Board of Regents, Cruz presented his vision of “One University, One Goal, One Destiny for UPLB”. This vision is steered by his five point thematic agenda namely Governance for Growth and Unity; Innovation and Transdisciplinary [sic] Programs for Excellence, Collaboration and Integration; Resource Genera-tion for Productivity; Enhancing Support Systems for Empowerment and Inspiration; and Extending the Reach of UPLB for Visibility, Partnership and Nation-Building. Yet, after almost two years, these agendas proved to be just details of florid vows that are yet to be felt by the student body.

Under these agendas, Cruz also cited the es-sence of “individual commitment to be of service to the country and the willingness to work togeth-er as one university pursuing one goal towards a common destiny as a genuine public service university.”

Nonetheless, these appear to be ironic slogans as evidenced by the chancellor’s hands-off manner of resolving student issues.

On Bible distribution to freshmenThe annual campus tour for freshman students last June 9 saw the distribution of around 2,500 bibles spearheaded by Office of Student Affairs (OSA) Director Dr. Leticia Afuang. This incident stirred immediate attention and was denounced by various students. Several students expressed contempt and considered the incident a violation of the principle that UP shall uphold a secular uni-versity.

Article 3 of the UP code details the purpose of the university to uphold “a national university, a public and secular institution of higher learning, and a community of scholars dedicated to the search for truth and knowledge”. The act of distributing bibles is to the students in an attempt to inculcate a certain religion is obviously a flagrant violation of this provision of the UP code.

However, despite various calls of the students for the Chancellor to take necessary actions re-garding the issue, Chancellor Cruz played a safe position. His sole action was issuing a statement claiming “additional mechanisms are being dis-

Despite all the clamour against issues that have blatantly smacked the welfare of the students recently and all the efforts to reach out for immediate substantial actions, it appears none had been enough to incite Chancellor Cruz to take any sizeable step.WORDSJOHN PAUL OMAC GRAPHICS/LAYOUTPAUL CARSON PHOTOSGOOGLE IMAGES

cussed to ensure that the University continues to respect plurality and diversity of faiths and beliefs of its constituents and the community”. However, more than two months have passed, the Chancellor has not yet presented nor clarified these “additional mechanisms” that will suppos-edly ensure the plurality and diversity of beliefs.

Moreover, no sanctions or any substantial step has been done by Chancellor Cruz regarding Dr. Afuang. Calls for at least a public apology from the OSA director have been left as mere peti-tions. This is not the first instance that such inci-dent has happened. Last year’s leadership train-ing seminar also witnessed a similar episode. Furthermore, several students have also con-firmed that it has been common for Dr. Afuang to preach her religion in her classes, no matter how the curriculum deems unnecessary. It is intolera-ble that with all of these violations, the Chancellor remains hands-off from the issue.

On Student Housing RightsCruz’s entry to office welcomed him with a stag-gering 100-percent increase in dorm fee, exclud-ing additional appliance fees. In view of this, he included in the vision paper he presented in 2011 certain agendas aimed to promote the welfare of student dormers. Under the fourth point of his five-point thematic plan, he detailed his mandate to “Develop a system for assisting students find decent and affordable accommodation”. This system includes regulatory measure to ensure quality and safe accommodation in and off cam-pus, infrastructureimprovement, and steady wa-ter supply to dormitories.

Nearly two years have passed, his promises to uphold the welfare of student dormers still re-mains but a lyrical prose to ears of the student body, which is however, not as sweet as it was before.Various violations against student dormers have been recorded since Cruz assumed office. Such violations which are repressive in nature include citing a dormer for insubordination for voicing out her concern on dorm issues; telling old dormers to appeal for a renewal of their residency even though in fact, no more slots are available; and imposing other such provisions on dormitories and housing units without proper student con-sultation.

Several students also slammed the lack of secu-rity and privacy in the vicinity of the dormitories. Instead of the promised deployment of guards for every dormitory, personnel of the Commu-nity Security Brigade (CSB) who are unarmed and sans proper training are the ones tasked to guard the dormitories. Some students also re-ported dorm personnel inspecting rooms with-out the consent of the dormers.

These are all at odds with the visions of the Chancellor, whose actions up to now regarding these matters are still limited to petty dialogues. The studentry of the university is still calling for Cruz to take considerable and genuine measures to repeal these repressive and anti-student housing policies and promote, as he envisioned, decent and affordable accommodations.

On Org RecognitionThe Student Organizations and Activities Division of the Office of Student Affairs (SOAD-OSA) recently added to their long list of repressive policies their proposed rules for org recognition. Un-der this rules are strict requirements that are rather needless and impractical which a student organization needs to fulfil first before gaining recognition from the Universi-ty. These requirements varies from the required 80% of the members to have good academic standing, required submission of financial and activity re-ports, by laws, constitutions, and to even the submission of a detailed profile of each individual member. Moreover, SOAD-OSA issued a provision to cut the recruitment process of student organizations to a max-imum of three days.

These rulings against stu-dent orgs in-fringes the ba-sic rights of the people as declared in the Article 3 Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution which states that “No law shall be passed abridging the free-dom of speech, of ex-pression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for re-dress of grievances.”

A persistent callWith a little over than two years re-maining for the Chancellor before he steps down from his first term, it is imperative that he reconsider these issues and push forward a signif-icant solution for each. Once again, the students call for the chancellor to promote a genuine pro-student, pro-people UP. Rest assured that this call will not be in vain. For if ever these thundering clamours fail to reach the Chancellor, it will still surely be heard and echo throughout the student ranks delivering a certain message. [P]

FEATURESUPLBPERSPECTIVE VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 JULY-OCTOBER 2013

PARA

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FEATURES OCTOBER 10, 2013 VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 UPLBPERSPECTIVEPARA

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iba’t ibang pagtingin

at pananaw sa org

recognition policies

WORDS, GRAPHICS, LAYOUTPAUL CARSON

PHOTOSSAKBAYAN, GOOGLE IMAGES

Nasubukan mo na bang ipikit at idilat ang isa sa mga mata mo habang nakatingin sa isang poste o daliri? Napansin mo na siguro ang kaibahan ng lunan ng isang bagay na nasa iy-ong pokus habang pinapalit-palit mo ang dilat mong mata.

Ito ang parallax; isang pagkakaiba sa lugar ng isang bagay na tinitignan sa dalawang magkaibang pananaw, na ating ilalagay sa perspektiba ng napakamatunog na bagong mga org recognition policies.

Una: dilat na dalawang mataKamakailan lamang ay naglabas ang Office of Student Affairs sa pama-magitan ng Student Organizations and Activities Division (OSA-SOAD) ng isang burador ng bagong mga polisiya sa pagpapakilala ng mga samahan ng mga estudyante sa pamantasan.

Inilabas noong Leadership Training Seminar (LTS) noong Hunyo, nagla-man ang burador na ito ng mga panibagong mga kondisyon upang maging recognized ang isang samahan – kasama na rito ang pinaka-kontrobersyal na point system para sa mga ginaganap na mga pagdi-riwang o gawain ng mga organisasyon. Kasama na rin dito ang ilan sa mga aniya’y pagsasatupad ng RA 8049 o ang Anti-Hazing Law, tulad ng pagpapaigsi sa tatlong araw ng mga proseso upang maging kasapi sa isang organisasyon. Dagdag pa nito ang pagpapalagay ng iba’t ibang mga financial reports at pahintulot upang mairaos ang mga gagawing mga pagdiriwang ng mga ito.

Sinalubong ang bagong mga patakaran ng sari-saring batikos, lalo na sa dahilang isasakatuparan na ito kaagad nang walang mariing pag-plano at konsultasyon kasama ang mga mag-aaral na maapektuhan ng mga polisiyang ito. Lumakas ang kritisismo ng mga mag-aaral sa mga bagong-hain na polisiyang ito sapagkat hindi pa ito pinapayagan ng Board of Regents(BOR) ng UP, ang pinakamataas na komiteng ma-pagpasya, o kahit ng administrasyon ng UPLB o ng OSA.

Ngunit, ano nga ba ang mga salik na nagdala nito sa sangkaestudante-han ng pamantasan?

Pagbabalik-tanaw: animas ng kasaysayanNagsimula ang lahat ng ito noong 2005 nang maglabas ang OSA ng isang dokumentong naglalayon na magtatag ng isang recognition pro-cesssa pamamagitan ng SOAD.Sinusugan nito ang isa sa mga unang patakaran para sa mga samahan: ang Revised Rules and Regulations Regarding Organizations, Fraternities and Sororities na inaprubahan ng BOR noong ika-24 ng Oktubre, 1995, na nagbigay ng mahigpit na paru-sa sa sinumang magsisimula ng away o pagrekluta ng mga freshman sa isang samahan, na halaw sa RA 8049.

Inilatag dito ang mga nasasabing pribelehiyo ng mga organisasyon o kapatirang papasok sa isang recognition process.Sa pag-recognize, bibiyayaan ang organisasyon ng isang tambayan at pahintulutang gu-mamit ng mga silid at kagamitan sa pamantasan, at gamitin ang pan-galan ng ‘UP’ o ‘UPLB’ na idikit sa pangalan ng kanilang organisasyon.Kaugnay ng mga ito ang mga kinakailangang financial statements at activity proposals sa bawat idaraos ng organisasyon, ang pwersahang pagdalo sa Leadership Training Seminar o LTS at ang mga atas sa pag-gamit ng Student Union Building.

Pagsapit ng AY 2007-2008, nagbadya ang mga tambayan phase-out o resizing sa ilalim ni Chancellor Wilfredo David, kahit na sila’y recognized na mga organisasyon, kung hindi ay pinagbabantaan na hindi kikilalanin. Kabilang na dito ang mga samahang may tambayan sa mga gusali ng College of Arts and Sciences, lalo na ang gusali ng Institute of Biological Sciences (IBS), kung saan pinalipat sa isang sulok ng Student Union Building dahil umano sa paninikip ng mga daanan sa mga gusali, at ingay magiging sanhi ng mga sakuna sa loob ng pamantasan, at ang “landscaping” sa loob ng gusaling nabanggit.

Maraming kumontra sa patakarang ito dahil hindi ito kinonsulta at ipinakalat sa malawak na hanay ng mga mag-aaral. Noong 2007 ay naglunsad ng mga simbolikong paglilipat ng tambayan sa Humanities steps at paglalatag ng mga banig sa lugar na dating pinaglalagyan ng mga tambayan na pinaalis sa gusali ng IBS. Inilabas din sa panahong ito ang “Anti-Hazing Law of OSA-SOAD” kung saan kinailangang lihim ang reporting process sa isang organisasyon, at ipinagbabawal ang “public humiliation of new recruits.”

Pagdating naman ng sumunod na taon, sandaling pinatigil ang pag-rec-ognize sa mga varsitarian at religious organizations sa panahon ni OSA Director Severino Cuevas dahil “discriminatory” raw ang mga ito; ganoon

din ang sinapit ng mga bagong-tatag na mga fraternities at sororities dahil naman sa pagkakaroon umano nito ng

gender bias, na kinontra ng mga mag-aaral. Isa ring dahilan ay ang paglabag ‘di umano sa Chapter 72, Article 444 ng 1984 UP

System Code, na nagsasabing

“organizations that are sectoral, regional or provincial in nature shall not be allowed in the UP System.” Ito ay ibinasura na ng BOR noong ika-29 ng Setyembre, 2008.

Noong ika-9 ng Pebrero, 2009, inilabas naman ang OSA Memoran-dum No. 1 sa loob ng noo’y bagong OSA Director Lt. Col. Vivian Gon-zales, na nanghihingi sa mga organisasyon ng mga activity permit at mga sumususog na dokumento bago magdaos ng pagdiriwang ang isang organisasyon. Maraming mga estudyante at organisasyon ang mariing tumutol sa memo na ito dahil sa kawalan ng konsultasyon bago isabatas ang nabanggit na patakaran.

Noong ikalawang semestre ng 2012-2013, naghain ng isang mem-orandum ang pamunuan ng UPLB na kinakailangang 80% ng mga kasapi ng isang samahan ang mayroong good standing upang makila-la sa OSA-SOAD at makamit ang mga probelehiyo na hinahain nito, na dumagdag sa minimum na bilang ng mga miyembro (15) na kailangan upang ma-recognize.

Sa nakalipas na mga taon, isa ang isyung ito sa mga pinakapinaguu-sapan sa pamantasan dahil sa mga banta umano sa karapatan ng mga estudyante na mag-organisa at magpaunlad ng kabuuang pag-katao nito.

Pangalawa: Pikit sa kanang mataMahigpit na ipinahayag ng Anakbayan-UPLB, isang organisasyong pangmasa na “hindi kailanmang magpapa-recognize sa OSA-SOAD,” ang mariing pagtutol nito ukol sa mga bagong rekisitos sa pagpapaki-lala ng mga organisasyon.

Ayon sa kanila, mapanghati ang epekto ng mga polisiyang ito sa mga mag-aaral, dahil sa pagkakaroon ng pagtatangi sa recognized at un-recognized orgs at sa mayroon at walang kinasasapiang samahan. “Naipit na ang mga organisasyong dating malaya sa sariling desisyon at inisyatiba na sumunod sa bawat kahol ng OSA at ng SOAD,” ani nila.

Sinabi ni Diego Torres, tagapagsalita ng Anakbayan-UPLB, na ma-giging simula ito ng iba pang mga patakarang maniniil pa sa mga es-tudyante.

“Sa pag-isyu ng mga patakarang ito, hindi na siguro malalayo ang panahon na sobrang hirap na ang pagkakaroon ng isang organisasyon sa UPLB at sa mga napakarahas na pagtrato sa mga mamamayan noong Batas Militar,” sabi ni Torres.

Sinabi naman ng Buklod-UPLB, isang political organization, na ang layon ng sinusunod ng OSA-SOAD na RA 8049 ay “(to) avoid suffer-ing, injury or death of an applicant” at “strengthen organization (sic) by making its officers accountable”. Sinabi rin nilang ito ay paglabag sa karapatang magtipon ng mga mamamayan.

Ihinalintulad ng Buklod ang pagsali sa isang samahan bilang pag-ap-ply sa isang kumpanya, at ang initiation rites bilang ang pormal na pagtanggap nito sa isang trabaho. Hinain nilang solusyon ang pag-de-lineate umano ng “law-mandated 3-day process vis-à-vis the assess-ment process of an organization” sa paglagay ng isang “trainee sta-tus”.

Sinabi ng Movement of Students for Progressive Leadership in UP (Move UP), isa ring political organization, na isang importanteng aspe-to ng buhay UP ang isang organisasyon, at itinatag upang maglingkod sa pamantasan, mga estudyante at mamamayan.

Sa isang pahayag, ninais ng Move UP na i-suspend ang implemen-tation ng mga patakaran ng org recognition at freshman recruitment hanggang “proper due process is observed,” at hanggang dinaan sa konsultasyon ng mga estudyante.

Inilahad naman ng partido-alyansang Samahan ng Kabataan Para sa Bayan (SAKBAYAN) ang pagtutol nito sa mga umano’y represibong mga polisiya na ipinagpapatuloy ng OSA-SOAD.

Ipinahayag ng SAKBAYAN na hindi kapantay ng academic excellence ang organizational excellence nito, bilang tugon sa sinasabi ng OSA-SOAD na ito ay upang maiwasan ang pagiging mediocre at mapa-tunayan ang pagiging mahusay ng isang organisasyon.

PInabulaanan din nito ang pagsasabatas ng three-day application pro-cess at point system na nakasaad sa burador ng mga patakarang ito ng OSA-SOAD. Ayon sa kanila, ito ay nakasasama pareho sa aplikan-te at sa organisasyon sa pagtapak ng dinamismo ng kanilang mga proseso, at insulto sa kanilang mga tradisyon at prinsipyo. Sinabi rin nilang hindi nakapagpakita ng isang kopya ng Implementing Rules and Regulations ang OSA-SOAD ng RA 8049, isang dokumentong nagsasatupad ng batas na ito. Dagdag pa nito, wala rin daw na basehan ang mga patakaran sa mga varsitarian organiza-tions, laluna’t ito ay ibinasura ng BOR.

“Ang patuloy na burukrasya at pagbabawal sa mga or-

ganisasyon, fraternities at sororities ng SOAD-OSA ay nagpapakita ng represibong karakter ng pamunuan ng UP, sa kabila ng mga kampanya para sa isang abot-kaya at kalidad na edukasyon at pag-waksi sa paniniil sa kampus,” ani SAKBAYAN sa isang pahayag.

Pangatlo: Pikit sa kaliwang mataPInabulaanan ng OSA-SOAD ang mga pagprotestang ito bilang pagsunod lamang sa mga ibinaba sa kanilang mga patakaran at batas, katulad ng RA 8049.

Noong naganap na dayalogo kasama ang mga estudyante noong ika-30 ng Hunyo, nilinaw ng OSA-SOAD na ito ay para sa kapa-kanan ng mga estudyante at layon lamang silang protektahan nito – sa kabila ng mariing pagtutol ng mga mag-aaral.

Ayon kay Miguel Abriol-Santos, Information Technology and Com-munications Officer ng SOAD, na dumaan ang mga pinakita nilang patakaran sa isang napakamasinsin na proseso na dumaan ng ilang buwan, kasama ang iba’t ibang mga organisasyon. Sa pamamag-itan umano ng mga focus group discussions (FGDs) at pagkalap ng mga komento sa Internet, napapatunayan ang partisipasyon ng mga organisasyon. Ngunit winika naman ng isang estudyante na hindi ganoong ka-epektibo ang random sampling na ginamit sa mga FGDs sa pagtukoy ng tindig ng mga samahan, lalo na’t iba’t iba ang tradisyon, prinsipyo at patakaran ng mga organisasyong ito.

Mariin ding pinabulaanan ng mga mag-aaral ang patuloy na pag-babawal sa pagrekluta sa mga freshmen upang maging kasapi ng organisasyon, kahit nakasaad sa RA 8049 na ang mga fraternities at sororities lamang ang ipinagbabawal. Ayon kay OSA Director Leticia Afuang, ang mga freshmen ay highly discouraged na lumahok sa mga organisasyon kaya ito ipinagbabawal. Sinabi rin niyana ma-ramina siyang nakalap na mga ulat at karanasan tungkol sa mga freshman na na-dismiss dahil sa pagsali umano ng organisasyon, o mga balita ng “pamamahiya” sa kanila sa panahong sila ay aplikan-te. Ang pagbabawal din sa kanila na paglahok sa organisasyon, ani Afuang, ay isang paraan upang maprotektahan sila at bigyan ng panahong mag-ayos at mag-adjust sa kanilang unang taon sa pamantasan.

Pagmulat muli: Ano nga ba ang tunay?Walang nakalagay na kahit anumang patakaran laban sa pagsali ng mga freshman sa mga organisasyon.

Sa isang online statement, sinabi ni Ivan Aguilar, BS Mathematics and Science Teaching ’13 at chairperson ng UPLB University Fresh-man Council, na hindi dapat hinahadlangan ang karapatang pumili at sumali sa isang samahan ng “pagmamalasakit ng pamunuan sa (sic) UPLB.” Kahit hindi pa raw handa si Aguilar sa pagsali sa isang organisasyon, sinasabi niyang nararapat lamang bigyan ang mga freshman na ituring tulad ng iba pang estudyante sa UP.

Isa rin si Cesar Angelo Aurigue, BS Biology ’13, na nagnanais na sumali sa isang organisasyon, bilang “orgmates ang maituturing mong pamilya sa LB habang malayo ka sa totoo mong pamilya.”

“Ang nonsense po ng rule na ‘yun (pagbawal sa freshman na sumali sa isang organisasyon). Nakalagay sa existing rules and regulations na highly discouraged lang na sumali ng orgs ang freshies. Right pa rin naming mga freshmen ang mag-organize,” sabi ni Aurigue.

Sinabi naman ni Yazzee Mago, BS Applied Mathematics ’13, na nais niyang matutong magbalanse ng mga gawain at i-enjoy an kanyang pamamalagi sa UPLB. Nagtataka rin siya kung bakit sa UPLB lang mayroong pagbabawal sa freshman na sumali sa mga organi-sasyon. “Hindi naman ganito sa ibang UP, eh,” sambit ni Mago.

PagkilosSino nga ba ang mapagpasya? Ang mga iilang “mapagkalinga” o ang sariling naghahanap ng kasagutan sa kanyang mga agam-ag-am? Ang karapatan ba o ang kabig ng emosyon?

Mula sa mga manggagawa at mga magsasaka, hanggang maging sa mga mag-aaral, isang napakahalagang karapatan ang mag-or-ganisa. Hindi dapat maging hawla ang isang pamantasang dapat ay nagpalalaya ng mga kaisipan at nagpauunlad ng kaalaman; at lalong hindi dapat ginagawang mga bata at walang-muwang ang mga mamamayang nakapagpapasya.

Naipikit at naidilat na nating muli ang ating mga mata at natiyak ang tunay na lokasyon ng pag-apekto ng mga bagong patakarang ito hindi lamang sa ating mga paggalaw sa pamantasan, kundi sa ating mga demokratikong karapatan.

Ikaw ang magpapasya. [P]

FEATURESUPLBPERSPECTIVE VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 JULY-OCTOBER 2013

Public officials once again found themselves in the limelight of controversy as the issue of misused public funds under the Priority Development As-sistance Fund (PDAF) was unveiled to the public recently. The scam mainly involves the discretion-ary lump-sum funds granted to Senators and Rep-resentative to fund certain “development projects” which are mostly mere show-offs to deceive the public.

Dubbed as a “grand conspiracy to steal taxpayers’ money”, the Pork-barrel scam characterizes the current face of the public’s perennial nemesis—tainted with the connotations of its metaphorical greases, and with alleged trillions of pesos worth of public funds involved, it is no wonder where the citizens have been drawing their rage from lately.

Frantic race for porkThe controversial pork barrel derives its origins from American history. By tradition, slave own-ers, or masters, in the southern states of Ameri-ca would provide their slaves salted pork as a gift during holidays. Since there is only limited pork for all of them, as soon as the barrel containing the pork is laid on soil, the slaves would naturally engage themselves into frantic race to the barrel in order to secure their shares. Such onrush was likened to the stampede of legislators for public funds. From thereon, the pork barrel has become a symbol of patronage politics.

The first slices of pork landed on the plates of Philippine legislators during the American Colo-nial period in 1922 in the form of a public works act separate from the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Under the Act 3044, public works under the Department of Commerce and Communica-tions needs to seek approval from a joint commit-tee elected by the Senate and the House of Rep-resentatives. In 1950, the pendulum has swung to a more familiar face of the pork. The jurisdiction of choosing public works was transferred from the Secretary of Commerce and Communications to the legislators themselves. This period also start-ed the practice of releasing amounts in lump sum, wherein the law will not have to specify the proj-ects under it.

Under late president Corazon Aquino, pork went on to be named as the Countrywide Develop-ment Fund (CDF). This allocates PHP12.5 mil- lion for repre-sentatives and PHP18 million for senators. T h e adminis- tra-t i o n

The face of corruption evolves from time to time. Now it takes the form of a pig.

Slice of liesUnmasking the pig-faced corruption of patronage politics

WORDSJOHN PAUL OMAC GRAPHICS AND LAYOUTPAUL CARSONPHOTOSPAMANTIK-KMU, ARKIBONG BAYAN

boasts CDF to have “definitive parameters, equal appro-priations, built-in accountability and clear transparency;” which, however, failed miserably due to allegations of corruption linked to it. This paved way to refurbishing the pork and renaming it PDAF under the presidency of Jo-seph Ejercito Estrada.

Through PDAF, representatives receive an annual alloca-tion of PHP70 million while senators get an even larg-er amount of PHP200 million. These funds are spent through hard projects (capital outlay and infrastructures) and soft projects (social services such as financial assis-tance and scholarships). Due to the vulnerability of the presidential system to a political gridlock (wherein the ex-ecutive and legislative branches are from opposing par-ties with different interests), the PDAF has been utilized as a mechanism to generate legislative support for the programs of the president. Currently, PHP24.9 billion of the national budget is allocated to the PDAF. This figure doubled Arroyo’s allocation in the last year of her term which only amounts to PHP10.86 billion.

Conduit of corruptionProjects identified by the legislators through PDAF are assessed by the Commission on Audit (COA) for liquida-tion. However, COA does not have the jurisdiction on veri-fying the beneficiaries of the projects. This allows legisla-tors to allocate appropriations to bogus organizations and ghost projects—thus, blatantly stealing from the people.

This was evidenced when allegations of a PHP10 bil-lion scam against Janet Lim-Napoles, along with 23 representatives and five senators, burst forth. The scam involved a series of ghost projects under Napoles’ com-panies funded by the PDAF of the partaking legislators.

Napoles would usually use bogus non-government or-ganizations (NGOs), usually agricultural, to solicit funds for her “projects”. She would either write to legislators in request for funds

for a certain project or the the legislators themselves would indicate Napoles’ NGOs as a recipient of their PDAF. The Depart-ment of Budget and Management would then issue a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) to the legislator, and a No-tice of Cash Allocation (NCA) to one of Napoles’ NGOs. According to the former employee of Napoles and whistleblower of the scam Benhur Luy, These funds would be split between the lawmaker, the official from Department of Agriculture (DA) that facilitated the process of transferring the funds, and Napoles herself. Moreover, Luy affirmed that other signatories such as the local mayor or governor would receive a commission of 10-15%, “for good mea-sure”.

Moreover, the pork propagates the culture of political patronage. Through the pork barrel, politicians transform their constitu-ents into clients dependent to them for lar-gesse. The pork has been a powerful tool in buying not only the votes of the people, but even the support of subordinate offi-cials.

Pork barrel ‘beta version’In light of the controversies surrounding the pork barrel, various calls to abolish it

arise. Last August 26, hundreds of thou-sands gathered in Luneta to express their dissent over the pork barrel. Several region-ally-coordinated protest actions all over the Philippines have also been staged.

Prior to the protest, Aquino have already yielded to public pressure and affirmed that it is about time to abolish the PDAF despite his earlier statement that PDAF would be there to stay.

“Despite the reforms we have implement-ed, we have seen, as the events of the past weeks have shown, that greater change is necessary to fight against those who are determined to abuse the system,” Aquino said in his press statement in Malacañang, August 23.

However, critics have slammed the Aquino’s stand on pork barrel abolition. The presi-dent’s call for abolition is more of a deceit, as the real step he would be taking is—once again—refurbishing and renaming the pork barrel system.

The new system would remove the lump sum allocation and would instead introduce a line-item budgeting for the projects of the legislators. Moreover, the items to be pro-

The face of corruption evolves from time to time. Now it takes the form of a pig.

Slice of liesUnmasking the pig-faced corruption of patronage politics

FEATURES JULY-OCTOBER 2013 VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 UPLBPERSPECTIVE

posed would come from specific “menu” of projects which will not include soft projects anymore. The system would also introduce a public bidding process for contractors.

Youth groups have already denounced the proposed re-forms of the Aquino administration. In a press conference, KABATAAN Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon stated their con-tentions against what they call “pork barrel beta version”.

Ridon said that the proposed reforms will just revert the pork to its ancient ways, wherein the executive has full control over the budget while legislators beg the palace for their share. This is the “classic” pork which is insepara-ble to patronage politics.

“Under Aquino’s new version of the pork barrel, greedy legislators will flood the offices of DBM and other agen-cies to clinch projects. It’s the padrino system at its worst,” he added.

Ridon also expressed their fear that with the integration of the pork to the national budget, the limit for each legis-lator’s allocation has been removed, giving Aquino’s KKK (kaklase, kabarilan, kaibigan) an unlimited share of their pork. Moreover, he added that the new system would only create a system of “invisible, undetectable corruption” as the project will now be dissociated from the legislators since it is already included in the national budget.

Presidential sliceRidon also pointed out that the pork barrel is not limited to the PHP25 billion allocation given to representatives and senators annually. According to their primer “PRIME CUTS: Dissecting the presidential pork barrel”, all lump-sum allocation in which allocation and disbursement are left to the discretion of the executive department are con-sidered pork—including several lump sum appropriations for the president.

According to the Department of Budget and Man-agement, the lump sum allocation under the discretionary release of the president for the

Sunod-sunod na pagkilos laban sa pork barrel, ikinasa ng mga mamamayan at mga mag-aaral

TONI KRIZIA VIVARES

Sunod-sunod na kilos protesta ang pinasinayaan ng alyansang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Laban sa Baboy (UPLB) at progresibong partylist ng Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Southern Tagalog (BAYAN-ST) hinggil sa panawagang ibasura ang pork barrel.

Kasabay ng Million People March sa Luneta at ng Araw ng mga Bayani, isang kilos protesta ang isinagawa sa Crossing Calamba noong Agosto 26.

Inirehistro ng UPLB ang nagkakaisang tinig laban sa pork barrel noong Setyembre 3. Upang hikayatin ang mga mag-aaral, guro at empleyado, ginamit ang grupo ang isang dance craze mula sa UP Repertory Company at itinangahal ito sa iba’t ibang gusali sa loob ng UPLB campus. Nagkaroon din ng maikling pag-aaral hinggil sa Priority Development Assi-tance Fund (PDAF) at programa sa Carabao Park.

Kasama ng iba pang mga sektor, lumuwas ang mga estudyante ng UPLB at nagprotesta sa harapan ng kongreso at senado noong Setyembre 9, na umabot sa isang protesta sa Mendiola. Noong Setyembre 11 naman, bilang pakikilahok sa ‘EDSA Tayo’ at ka-sabay ng mga pagkilos sa buong UP system, isang protest action at candle-lighting ceremony ang muling pinasinayaan sa Carabao Park.

Pagdating ng Setyembre 13, kasama ang Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Southern Tagalog chapter (Bayan-ST), ipinagpatuloy ng mga mamamayan ang mga protesta sa Luneta, at tumugon ang mga es-tudyante sa ‘What the Pork!?’ Forum na isinagawa sa DL Umali auditorium noong ika-16 ng Setyembre.

Sa huling budget hearing session sa kongreso, lumahok ang grupo sa nationwide protest action. Isang programa ang muling ikinasa sa Carabao Park noong Setyembre 19.

Pagsapit ng Setyembre 21, dumalo ang grupo sa ikaapat na malawakang kilos protestang inorganisa mula noong Million People March. Iniugnay rin ito sa paggunita sa ika-41 na anibersaryo ng Martial Law. Sa pagputok ng isyu ng ma-anomalyang paggamit

ng PDAF ng mga kongresista, mainit ding tinutukan ng mga mamamayan ang pork barrel ni Pangulong Noynoy Aquino. Tinuligsa ang “presidential pork” na nagkakahalagang 1.43-trilyong piso, na tina-tayang 0.02% lamang nito ang 25-bilyong pisong pork barrel ng mga kongresista.

Pinapanawagan din ng mga mamamayan ang pag-rechannel ng mga naturang pondo sa ser-bisyong panlipunan katulad ng edukasyon, kalu-sugan, trasportasyon, at pabahay.

Isa si Gilla Velasquez, kalihim ng isang chapter ng Anakpawis partylist, sa dumalo sa pinaka-unang protesta sa Calamba. Kabilang si Velasquez sa mga biktima ng demolisyon noong Abril 2011.

“Kami yung mga binaha kamakailan lamang. Mara-mi sa aming mga kasamahan ang nawalan ng bahay. Bikitima kami ng demolisyon. Wala silang binigay sa amin na relocation. Kaya hanggang ngayon ay pinaglalaban pa rin naming ang aming karapatan sa paninirahan,” ani Velasquez.

Ayon naman kay Ronalyn Franca, Regional Coor-dinator ng Kabataan Partylist-Southern Tagalog (KPL-ST) at pangunahing tagapangasiwa ng aly-ansang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Laban sa Baboy, kaalinsabay ng korupsyon sa pamahalaan ay sini-siil din ng patuloy na komersyalisasyon ang mga mamamayan.

“Kung mababalitaan ninyo yung pagtataas ng presyo ng MRT at LRT nitong nakaraan. Yung mi-lyon-milyong yun, kumbaga ipapataw yun sa mga mamamayan. E basic [service] yan, transportation. Yung idinagdag na toll, hindi yan para mapaganda yung daan, kundi, dun sa nagmamay-ari ng SLEX. Dahil ang SLEX ay hindi na sa gobyerno,” ani Fran-ca.

Pinanindigan rin ni Franca na tuloy-tuloy ang kanil-ang pwersa sa pag oorganisa ng mga kilos protesta upang makapanghikayat pa ng suporta at patuloy na mapalaganap ang iisang layunin. Hinihikayat din niya ang lahat na huwag ipagsawalang-bahala ang isyu. [P]

2014 national budget can be classified under Spe-cial Purpose Funds (SPF) and automatic appropria-tions (PHP1.25 trillion), confidential and intelligence funds (PHP1.46 billion), Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) funds (PHP7.22 billion), Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) funds (PHP62.6 billion), Bottom-up Budgeting (PHP20.03 billion)—amounting to a staggering total of PHP1.34 trillion.

It can also be noted that in the budget for next year, PDAF was even increased from the current PHP24.79 billion to PHP25.24 billion. Other appro-priations that will be receiving an increase next year include the E-Government Fund (from PHP1 billion to PHP2.479 billion) and the dubious Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (from PHP69.09 billion to PHP80.7 billion). Even the International Commit-ments Fund, which is for pledges to international or-ganizations and hosting of conferences, will receive its share of increase from PHP2.637 to 4.816 bil-lion. Meanwhile, figures for DepEd School Building Program (PHP1 billion) and Calamity Fund (PHP7.5 billion) will remain the same as in the 2013 budget.

In his privilege speech, Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares explained that these funds under the presidential pork are essentially “funds that [the president] can play around with”. He also cited that one of the main problems of the allocation of funds in the national budget is that most of the funds are devoted in lump sum amounts. He stated that this practice defeats the purpose of allocating scarce re-sources.

“Not only is this ‘lump sum’ system a source of graft and corruption, or skewed allocation of resources, but also, because the [sic] power to allocate these lump sum amounts are given to the President, virtu-ally negating the constitutional power of the purse of Congress.” Colmenares added.

Ultimately, the pork barrel has been utilized by the legislators not as a means to help the people, but to promote their own interests. With the upsurge of the PDAF issue, the people have to realize that this is just the tip of the iceberg—and that we are all tasked to unmask the face of corruption to its full extent. The call for the people to stay vigilant remains. The face of corruption evolves from time to time, and with the current public clamour, it is also bracing itself for yet another metamorphosis. [P]

As the UPLB Perspective, along with the whole nation, commemorates the 41st anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, we honor those who braved the oppression. We honor the heroes and martyrs—those who died and dis-appeared fighting for social justice and genuine democracy. And we honor the masses, the Filipino people, who vowed

that never again shall this happen.

But there is more to a commemoration. More than the appraisals, we are left

with tasks at hands.

Be it be realized that September 21, 1972, is more than just a highlight in Philippine history. As we commemorate the courage of those who fearlessly called for rights of the people, we are also brought back to an excruciating scene of tyranny. Four decades and a year have passed since former presi-dent Ferdinand Marcos smacked the people’s democracy through the dec-laration of his martial rule—turning the 70’s into an era of political repression and censorship, a time of corruption and poverty, a period of the bedlam of democracy. Four decades and a year have passed, yet the people, especially the youth of this generation, seem to be unable to find a personal connection to

what has happened then.

Four decades and a year ago, the rule of an iron fist tried to quell a growing resistance against an authoritarian rule. It did not succeed. The increasing op-pression further fuelled the people’s resilient determination to topple the op-pressor. Even [P] was born out of the students’ dissent on media repression—making it the first student publication to be reestablished after the declaration of

martial law.

The establishment of [P] delivered a clear message throughout the student

ranks. The struggle shall not cease.

It is from these events that we must draw our consciousness and courage to prevent the rise to power of yet an-other fascist dictator. Four decades and a year have passed, but we are still haunted with the same oppressive ambience of the martial law. Human rights are often overlooked; press free-dom remains to be a myth; and equality seems to dwell only in our most hopeful

dreams.

Today we are challenged with extra-judicial and media killings, political re-pression and human rights violations which are all still raging in the country. The people are still burdened with the spoils of corruption and exploitation. Social services such as education and healthcare still fail to meet the needs of the people. Workers still yearn for fair salaries and work conditions. Farmers are still landless due to pretentious land

reforms.

This is our generation now—confront-ed with the same tribulations four de-cades and a year after Lean Alejandro and Abraham Sarmiento Jr., four de-cades and a year after Rizalina Ilagan and Ma. Leticia Pascual-Ladlad. As we savor the fruit of these people’s sacri-fices and labors, let us vow to continue the fight they have fought—carrying the same unfazed spirit they have carried.

The struggle will not be an easy one. Therefore, we must act collectively. We cannot afford to be divisive in our cam-paigns. Four decades and a year after today, the next generation—our chil-dren—will look back to this time. Some of them will ask, “Four decades and a

year ago, what have you done?”

When that time comes, we will have a definite answer.

NEVER AGAIN TO MARTIAL LAW.DARE TO ACT.

DARE TO STRUGGLE.

CONTINUING THE STRUGGLEFOUR DECADES AND A YEAR AFTER MARTIAL LAW

BACKTRACKMaria Leticia Pascual-Ladlad was the first woman editor-in-chief of the Ag-gie, Green and Gold, UPLB’s then-student publication and UPLB Perspective’s pre-cursor in 1971.

Hailing from Carigara, Leyte, she stud-ied BS Agricultural Chemistry. Ladlad exposed herself to the people’s struggle, being a member of the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines and Samahan ng Demokratikong Kabataan. She then mar-ried former student council chairperson Vic Ladlad.

Just like many youth activists, Ladlad went underground at the onset of Martial Law on September 21, 1972. She con-tinued to be part of the militant student movement until she, with a group of com-rades, went missing in 1975 within the auspices of the Philippine General Hos-pital in Taft.

Ladlad, along with her comrades, remains missing up until this day.

In memory of the thousands who were victims of Martial Law and in continu-ous condemnation of the widespread corruption of the pork barrel system, youth and student groups held a can-dle-lighting ceremony in Carabao Park in the University of the Philip-pines - Los Baños (UPLB) campus.

The organizations call for the abo-lition of the pork barrel system and rechanneling funds to social services, gathering various speakers from youth organizations, including KA-BATAAN Partylist and Anakbayan.

This was followed by cultural pre-sentations and solidarity messages by organizations which were “created by Martial Law,” including the UPLB Perspective, cultural organizations Umalohokan, Inc., UPLB Writers’ Club, UPLB Development Communi-cators’ Society, and Kapatirang Plebe-ians-UPLB Curia.

Umalohokan, Inc. presented a short act symbolizing the struggles of the people from the 1896 Revolution up to modern times.

The speakers claimed that the pork barrel scam, and the various human rights violations and extrajudicial killings reflect a “virtual, undeclared Martial Law.” which allegedly proves that there has been no change in the administrations following Marcos’.

“The struggle continues, and until there is, our fight for genuine free-dom and democracy remains,” said Diego Gabriel Torres of Anakbayan, himself a son of a Martial Law survi-vor. [P]

ML’s 41st, victims remembered, youth groups light candles

PAUL CARSON

FEATURESUPLBPERSPECTIVE VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 JULY-OCTOBER 2013

A call to the studentry yearning for genuine freedom from oppression.

“

CULTURE JULY-OCTOBER 2013 VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 UPLBPERSPECTIVE

Cinemalaya: ‘Di Na Malaya?Kapag sinabing Cinemalaya ang mga maiisip: indie, mura, uncensored. Ang Cinemalaya ay isang film festival sa Pilipinas na naglalayong maipalabas ang mga Filipino Independent Films, o sa mas maikli—indie.

Ang mga sumasali dito ay pawang mga inde-pendent na indibidwal o grupo. At dahil inde-pendent, sari-sarili rin dito ng gastos. Sariling camera, sariling direktor, at sariling artista. In short, mura. Lahat ng sakripisyo at gastos ay para lang talaga sa espirito ng sining at paglalahad ng mga mensaheng tanging sa sining lang maipaparating. Kadalasan, mase-lan o talagang subersibo ang mga tema sa ganitong pelikula. Kaya, hindi ito pumapasa sa classification ng Movies and Television Regulatory Board (MTRCB). Hindi napapaya-gang maipalabas sa publiko.

Kaso, kung mayroong maituturo na pinaka-maganda sa mga pelikulang produkto ng Cin-emalaya, ito yung pagiging bastos at subers-ibo nito. Kaya nga Cinemalaya, kasi malaya.

Nagsimula ang Cinemalaya ng 2005 at noon pa man, pinapalabas na ito sa Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) at UP Diliman sa ka-dahilanang nakaliban ito sa pagkakaroon ng censorship at classification mula sa MTRCB.

Ngunit, sa paunti-unting pag-usad ng pana-hon, paunti-unti rin ditong humahalubilo ang mainstream na pelikula. Nagsimula sa pagli-pana ng mga mainstream na artista, umabot sa mga direktor, at hanggang sa sumama na rin ang mga malalaking kumpanya para mag-bigay pondo.

Nito lang ay napagdesisyunan ng Board ng CCP na hindi na sa UP itatanghal ang mga pelikula. Bagkus doon na lamang sa tatlong Ayala Malls Cinema ito magbubukas: Sa Greenbelt3, Trinoma, at Alabang Center Mall. Tumalon ang Cinemalaya mula sa tradisyon nitong tahanan at bumagsak sa komersyal na bulwagan.

Sa unang tingin, tila magiging mas malaya nga ang Cinemalaya sa paglipat nito sa ka-

NIJOHN MOSES CHUA GRAPIKS AT LAYOUTPAUL CARSON LITRATOBALITA.COM, LIVEJOURNAL.COM, SOUTHERN TAGALOG EXPOSUREdahilanang mas bukas na ito sa tao. Mali ito. Bakit? Una, dahil sa sakop ng kapangyarihan ng MTRCB ang tatlong Ayala cinema, hindi malayong ma-censor din ang ilang pelikula ng Cinemalaya. Magiiba na rin marahil ang ugali sa paggawa ng pelikula ng mga lalahok dito dahil hindi lingid sa kanila na mas mal-awak na ang uri ng tao ang makakapanood sa gawa nila. Ika nga nila, “cine” na lang ang itawag imbis na Cinemalaya—sa kawalan nito ng kalayaan. Pangalawa, gaano ba kapan-git ang mainstream na pelikula kumpara sa indie lalo na kung pagbabatayan natin ang perspektibo ng mga alagad ng sining? Ang mainstream kasi ay walang taglay na esen-sya bilang sining. Kung mayroon man, naaan-inuhan lang ito ng mga bagay na naglalayong ibenta sa komersyo ang palabas. Marami rin ang nagsasabi, ang pagliwas ng Cinemalaya at paglayo nito sa UP ay isang malaking da-gok para sa festival. Mababawasan kasi ang pagiging akademiko nito. Sa pagbabago ng hanay ng mga manonood nito, magbabago din ang hanay ng pagiging ng mga pelikula nito.

Isa na naman ba itong nakakatakot na pag-sagupa ng multo ng komersyalisyalisasyon? Para sa ilan, parang hindi naman, ngunit para sa nakararami isa itong malaking senyales. Nakakapanghinayang na ang naging isa sa mga pinakamalalaking pundasyon ng mga orihinal na pelikulang Pilipino ay nabahiran na ng mantsa ng komersyalisasyon.

Sa kasalukuyang takbo ng Cinemalaya, ano nga kaya ang kahihinatnat nito? Kung ipe-preserba ang maselan at subersibo ni-tong laman, kahit di sa malayong mababa-wasan at mababawasan talaga ito, kahit papaano’y magiging maganda ito lalo na sa mata ng mga alagad ng sining. Makakadag-dag rin ito ng mas maraming kritisismo; lalo na ang mga hugot sa di-katalinuhang kritisis-mo. At, malamang sa malamang, magsasali-ta patungkol dito ang simbahang katoliko.

Halatang-halata kung ano ang mangyayari kung mababawasan ang subersibong laman

nito. Higit sa marahil matutulad na lamang ang Cinemalaya sa ibang film festival sa Pili-pinas. Maaaring maiwan ang ilan-ilan nitong distinguishing mark, ngunit makakatiyak tay-ong mababawasan ito.

Sa positibong pagtanaw, makakatulong ang pagiging komersyalisado ng Cinemalaya sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas. Kung ibabase kasi sa mga nakaraang pelikulang naipalabas, maganda ang pangkalahatang reaksyon ng mga tao. Hindi malayong panoorin siya ng mas malawak na hanay ng masa.

Gayunpaman, hindi maitatanggi na ang na-ganap na pagkalas ng Cinemalaya sa akade-miko at mapagpalayang pagkakaakap dito ng UP, at ang paglipat nito sa komersyalidong mundo ng pelikula ay isang pangit na kaga-napan. Hindi man literal, nawala na ang ‘ma-laya’ sa salitang “cinemalaya”. Cinemalaya: ‘di na nga malaya. [P]

Nakakapangh-inayang na ang

naging isa sa mgapinakamalalaking

pundasyonng mga

orihinal na pelikulang Pilipino ay nabahiran na ng

mantsa ng komersyalisasyon.

“

GRAPHICSUPLBPERSPECTIVE VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 JULY-OCTOBER 2013

BRACKET B BLUES | RYAN DELA CRUZ(Halaw sa tunay na karanasang nasaksihan ng kartunista.)

KWENTONGFRESHIEAfter SunsetTONI KRIZIA VIVARES

The sun shone at the eastern horizon like all the other mornings. It was my first day in UP. Papa woke up early to fix a breakfast for his darling princess, who’ll in a while be called Iskolar ng Bayan. Going to UP meant taking a number of roads, roads that my father fears. So at break-fast, under fork scraping against plate, he re-minded me to survive the shake. He told me that trouble comes once we are not sure anymore of where we stand and whom to stand for.

I didn’t understand him, until I was there.

My hair was all tousled up after a 40 minute ride from Calamba. I stood in a distance, look up un-der the high sun and count the tamarraws. I walk through. They call this UP. Some buildings were unfinished, some dilapidated, and walls are un-painted. Again and again, I’d put out my tabular schedule and ask every passerby where IBS is.

Throughout the day, I bounced like a ball with a video camera in hand documenting everything. I took a picture of myself, post it on Facebook with the cliché caption first class, first lunch, first everything. Upperclassmen raised their eyebrows when I put my hand up and stand for every recitation. People find it weird when you offer them an unsolicited ¼ sheet of paper. I

stopped at every bulletin board, rushing words to read every post. I run to the next building for the next class, unaware of the grace period.

Then, to not fear after sunset is never against the rule. I’ll go home with many stories to tell to Papa. Happy, innocent stories.

The sun never rested its ray to a girl I just knew early this semester. Her name is Ana, 16. She’s a new freshman. She never had a breakfast like mine that day. She was from her dorm. She nev-er had the same excitement, just fears and guilt for leaving home. She fought for this, she told me. When she learned that she passed she knew her parents wouldn’t allow her.

I didn’t find it shocking. They have reasons to fear. Kids get killed here, every time. It happens at 11-o’ clock, when after practice a 19-year-old boy got stabbed and killed at FO Santos. It hap-pens one night; when a girl at the same age, car-rying her laptop was forced to the ground to steal her breathe. It happens to children, even kids who sell sampaguita got raped. One day an 11 year old nut vendor disappeared. After 14 days, she was discovered, her pants pulled down, her body deteriorating, lifeless. One day again, two bodies just floated. Reports told us they were drowned.

It happens every semester. It’s as if, there’s a curse, and the curse took life. The curse wills ev-ery mama to go to LB, pick up her child and hide her under her wings.

It is not difficult to recognize the work needed to be done. One day a Professor lost his laptop and gadgets “inside” the CAS faculty room. One day an insane woman so freely, went inside the lec-ture hall in PhySci just before the class started. It made you so cynical about your security. There was a time when there was a scent of paranoia everywhere. And every time you walk alone, you fear for your life.

Ana told me, that of all the pulse of fears inside her, none could compare to the guilt of leaving home. Maybe her parents were right. Sure she can survive student meal for the rest of her stay. She can skip meal sometimes, or just eat siom-ai. She has none of the princess’ glass shoes. She wears flats and worn out bag. The dorm and tuition fee increase is too much to bear. Ever year, she’ll be afraid of her STFAP bracket as-signment.

The battle’s too much for a new freshman. This is a battle hardly won by anyone else. I have seen many people who stumble because they weren’t

able to gather their courage or they never had the chance to seek for it. They didn’t survive it.

In the ‘selfie generation’, the rise of narcissism, paralyze us. Only few are making sense of their world.

I wonder why we never engage. Why we settle for complacency and mediocrity when our call is to know better, and do better. People flare into self addiction, when there is a battle to be done, when there are issues to be faced. I won-der why we never thirst for ideas anymore, why we never test our perspectives until they are strong enough to stand for us. Sure Ana’s fight is my battle and yours.

My papa told me then that, trouble comes once we are not sure anymore of where we stand and whom to stand for. Whom do you stand for?

Know that Ana has another problem. Just in case her Papa calls one of these days, she has another story to tell.

An 18 year old UPLB student was hit by a drunken driver last August 7. After fighting for her life for five days, she died. [P]

In the selfie generation, the rise of narcissism

paralyze us. Only few are making sense of their world.

““

Freshie. Upper class. Irregular. CS o HR. Dismissed. Extended. Basta estudyante, dumaan sa pagiging freshman, may kuwento ng pagiging freshman. Willing magbahagi ng iyong Kwentong Freshie? Ipadala ang iyong Tagalog o English na entry na may 500-800 na salita sa uplbperspective1314@gmail.com o magdala ng kopya sa [P] office, Room

11, 2nd floor ng SU building.

CULTURE JULY-OCTOBER 2013 VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 UPLBPERSPECTIVE

CAMP

USFO

RUM Kung may ipapabasa kang libro kay

PNoy, ano ito at bakit?

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g: Para sa susunod na isyu:

1.2.

Ano ang say mo sa panukalang ilipat ang pasu-kan sa Agosto?

I-message ang inyong sagot sa fb.com/uplbperspective o i-tweet sa @uplbperspective!

Maari rin itong i-text sa 09178329667/ 09099169005.

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing ?

““Bakit di ka crush ng crush mo?” Para malaman niya kung pano di magmukhang minion.”-Jopao Nalica, BSEcon ‘12

““Why Nations Fail” by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. Reason: For him to realize that systems play a part in the suc-cess or failure of countries in their various goals (political, economic, etc.)”-Ian Lopez, BASoc ‘09

“Inferno by dan brown”-Ian Aragon

“HOW TO LOSE A GIRL IN 10 DAYS.”-Mheda G. Garcia

“Bible. Libre naman galing kay Ma’am Afuang. Hehe. Choz.”-Horace, BSCS ‘**

“Red Book ni Mao! Hardkor! Para mag-ing pro-people naman ang mga binabasa n’ya, hindi ‘yung nag-pi-PSP lang sya.”-hardkorboy, 20**-2****

“(Ang Paboritong) Libro ni Hudas. dahil maari itong magmulat sa kanya... LOL”-CA10, BSA ‘10

“12 Little Things Every Filipino... para malaman nya na maraming magagawa ang isang indibidwal at pwede syang pabagsakin kung sakaling maging ewan ang pamamahala niya sa bansa.”-tukong_cute, BSDC ‘11

“Wala dahil kahit ano pang ipabasa mo sakanya ay wala ring mangyayari.”-Ren, BSDC ‘11

“Bible. He needs enlightenment. :)”-Roman, BSDC ‘09

“Divergent! Kasi basahin niyo nalang para malaman niyo. Ahehe.”-Apollo, BASoc ‘11

“The Hunger Games! Maganda kasi. Tsaka pwede rin syang i-implement para maba-sawan ang population (HAHA. tawa pa.)”-BoyKuba, BSF ‘12

“Bible. Para mapalapit sya kay God at mapalayo kay Lucifer.”-Totoy Bargas, BASoc ‘10

“Bob Ong books, kasi it’s a satirical way para maipakita kay President ‘yung ka-lagayan ng Pilipinas ngayon, kasi feeling ko parang wala siyang alam, or parang wala siyang pakialam...”-Jaslynne Sevilla, BSDC ‘11

“Fifty Shades of Grey... kasi parang he needs a little drive, or whatever...”-Alexis Tajas, BSAEco ‘12

“Siguro ‘yung sinulat na Urbana at Felisa na nobela, doon kasi pinakita na ‘yung tunay na depinisyon ng isang lider... na in-em-phasize doon”-Andrew Estacio, BACA ‘13

Ano ang masasabi mo sa Bracket B certifica-tion?“Wala kong idea. Mama ko nag-asikaso. Nagu-lat ako. *_*”-Apollo, BASoc ‘11

“Unfair(?) Kasi napapansin ko na eto ‘yung pino-problema ng iba kong kakilala...”-BoyKuba, BSF ‘12

“Wala kong idea. Mama ko nag-asikaso. Nagu-lat ako. *_*”-Apollo, BASoc ‘11

“‘Di ko alam ‘yun... So Bracket A na ko? So mayaman na ko? Yay!!”-Totoy Bargas, BASoc ‘10

“Wala kong idea. Mama ko nag-asikaso. Nagu-lat ako. *_*”-Apollo, BASoc ‘11

“Sobrang nakakainis ang process! ‘Yung kai-bigan ko iniwan na lang sa counter ‘yung Brack-et B certification sa sobrang pagod ng pagha-habol ng papeles. Proof that you need to prove you’re poor in UP. Sh*t SCRAP STFAP NA!”-Horace, BSCS ‘**

“Hassle.”-Paw Escolano, BSEco‘12

UNDERSCRUTINYYet another budget cut

JOHN MOSES CHUA

Several months after Kristel Tejada’s death, another financially hassling registration phase in the university is commenced. Ev-ery bit of money handed down to the lady in the cashier’s office, is a connaissance of what she experienced during her last months. Maybe one would ask: how expen-sive is UP education?

The UP administration might say that UP’s tui-tion scheme increased, but is still in accordance with the students’ general financial position. Be-sides, the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assis-tance Program (STFAP) and Student Loan Board (SLB) exist to financially support students falling in the lowest brackets. STFAP serves a tuition scheme different for every economic class a stu-dent is in; the poorer or the richer the student is, the lower or higher his tuition is, respective-ly. SLB, on the other hand, is the loan program a student may apply for if one’s tuition has been

too large, that one is not able to pay it.

If we are to look at the systemic relationship between STFAP and SLB, it should be safe to as-sume that STFAP works to lessen the number of students applying for tuition loan; since, again, STFAP provides the right measure of tuition for a certain student’s bracket.

Though last June, during the registration pro-cess, the second floor of the Student Union building seemed to be insufficient to accom-modate all the students lining up to apply for SLB, which leads to doubt that tuition increase still conforms to the students’ financial status. It seems that STFAP, which served to compromise Tuition and Other Fees Increase (TOFI) in UP, has shown its ineffectiveness.

On the defense of STFAP, several contexts may also be considered such as: those who lined-up applying for SLB did not apply for STFAP, or

a HODGEPODGE‘Kume’PAUL CARSON

“Hindi na goberyno ang nag-papasweldo sa amin,” wika ng matandang babaeng naka-uni-porme. Kauuwi lang niya galing sa trabaho; buong araw siyang nag-aayos ng mga papeles sa isang land transportation au-thority. Araw-araw niyang nababasa ang balitang aakuin na umano ng isang kumpanya ang pam-amahala sa kanilang opisina. Nagsimula na nga ito nang ang kumpanya na ang naglalabas ng sweldo sa kanila. Bukas, parating na ang kinon-trata nito para ayusin ang layout ng opisina; may mga bagong trabahador.

Subalit bukas, makikita rin niyang wala namang uupo sa mga bagong cubicle. Madaragdagan ng sampu ang nasa listahan ng mga empleyado, at pareho silang P15,000 kada buwan ang sahod. Nangyari na ‘to dati, nang halos isang buong silid ang inilaan sa mga bagong empleyado, ngunit wala rin namang nag-oopisina dito. Ang nakapagtataka, may attendance record sila; walang liban, at puro overtime.

Tumaas na rin ang bayad sa ticket ng tren, para raw dumami ang badyet para sa pagpaparami ng mga tren at pagsasaayos ng mga serbisyo nito. Ganoon din naman ang nangyari noong bagong empleyado pa siya dito: puno ng sikhay at sigla sa pagtrabaho. Doon nagkaroon ng bayad ang mga bagay-bagay. Gaya ng pagdami ng mga kunwari’y “empleyado,” hindi rin niya makita ang dahilan kung bakit tumataas nang tumataas ang pamasahe sa tren kung marami namang pera ang mailalabas ng kumpanya sa pamamagitan ng public-private partnership.

Oo, alam niyang katiwalian na naman ang umiikot sa pamahalaan. Sa kabila ng mga panga-ko na “kapag walang kurap, walang mahirap,” ito siya, tumatandang sinasaksihan pa rin ang kahi-rapan at kurapsyon. Minsan, habang kausap ang mga anak, nagtataka na lang sila kung ano ang mauuna: kapag ba nawala ang kurap, mawawala rin ang mahirap; o kapag nawalan ng mahirap, mawawalan din ng kurap?

Magtanim ay ‘di biro. Totoo, lalo na kapag wala ka naman talagang pinag-aariang lupang pananim.

Taun-taon nagsasaka si Nestor, kasama ang daan-daang magbubukid sa isang malawak na hasyenda. Ilang taon na siyang nakikibaka sa pamamagitan ng pag-oorganisa sa mga magsa-saka upang makamit ang reporma sa lupa, para makamit ang sarili nilang lupa para pagtaniman at pagyamanin.

Sa kasamaang palad, tumatanggi ang hasyendero na ipamahagi ang kanyang lupa, o kahit taasan lang ang P9 nitong sahod kada araw: sakto para sa isang tasa ng kanin o kalahating sardinas, sig-uro. Ama sa tatlong anak (kanilang kagustuhan), nagtatrabaho sa kabila ng init ng araw at mala-mig na gabi; tunay na hindi maiangat ni Nestor sa simpleng sipag at tiyaga ang kanyang kalagay-an, hindi tulad ng mga ipinagmamayabang ng mga galing daw sa hirap.

Minsan, magtataka ka na lang talaga kung paa-no sila nakapagpayaman nang ganoong kalaki sa kabila ng panunupil at paniniil ng mga ganid. Dahil sa kakulangan sa sahod at pagkalat ng kagutuman, hindi maiwasan ang mga ganitong pangyayari: kailangang isugod ang bunsong anak ni Nestor sa pagamutan. Hindi rin naiwasan ni Nestor ang mga ganitong pangyayari: may bayad na pala ang paggamot sa kanyang anak. Kulang din daw kasi sa badyet ang mga ospital,

kakaunti na lang ang binibigay at kinakaltasan pa taun-taon.

Hindi na napigilan ni Nestor na umiyak at mainis sa pamahalaang nagtatamasa ng napakalaking ka-pital para maayos ang sistema sa serbisyong pan-lipunang nasasayang lang sa pambayad-utang. Wala namang napapala; lumalaki pa rin nang lumalaki ang pagkakautang ng Pilipinas, wika niya. Nagmistulang nagbayad ka lang ng barya sa interes.

Lubha na lang siyang nalungkot sa mga nasasay-ang na milyon araw-araw dahil sa mga bagay na hindi naman talaga kailangang gawin; parang bu-mili ka ng meryenda kahit busog ka pa. Nagsim-ulang magtaka si Nestor: bakit ginigipit ng pama-halaan ang sarili nitong mga boss?

Kagigising lang ni Isko mula sa pinagpuyatang mga sulatin at proyekto. “Eto na, papatapos na kong mag-aral dito sa UP. Kahit hindi ko na pina-payagang malaman ng mga kaklase ko sa large class ang batch ko, pinapaalam ko pa rin naman sa kanila ang mga nasaksihan ko simula noong naging NF ako,” at naglabas ng buntong-hininga.

Isang mainit na araw noong 2005 ang magsisim-ula sa kanyang malayo at matagal na tahakin para makapagtapos. Buhay ang militansya sa kampus, ngunit hindi naman niya iniintindi ang mga “si-nisigaw” ng mga tibak sa Humanities: ibasura, pa-talsikin; noon ay naiinis din siya kung bakit hindi na lang mag-aral ang mga estudyanteng ito.

Subalit sa ikalawang taon niya sa UPLB, tumaas ang matrikula mula sa P300 kada yunit ay naging P1,000 na ang bayad nang sabay ring ipinatupad ang bagong Socialized Tuition and Financial As-sistance Program. Noon, buntong-hininga lang ang binigay niya at sinabing baka kasi kulang na naman sa badyet ang UP. Hindi niya kinwestyon

“ “

ito; “Siguro, marami lang talagang binabayaran ang pamahalaan.”

Labing-isa ang pumasa ng UPCAT noon mula sa kanyang pinanggalingang eskwelahan, pero apat lang ang nakapasok. Hindi raw nila kaya ang taas ng presyo ng edukasyon at lalong hin-di nila kayang makapaglabas ng papeles para makamit ang gusto nilang STFAP bracket, kahit anumang sipag at tiyaga ang ilabas nila.

Tinignan niya ang isang estudyante noon sa Hu-manities: sumisigaw, nagpapaliwanag ukol sa pangyayari sa kampus. Sinubukan niyang maki-nig, isang pahinga mula sa pagkibit-balikat niya noong freshman pa lang siya, at doon nawala ang dating kuru-kuro at haka-hakang napanon-ood lang sa TV o nababasa sa diyaryo.

Kalauna’y nakuha niya ang katwiran sa likod ng paglaban. Naparami ang agam-agam, at na-patanong siya: Ga-graduate pa kaya ako dito na mura pa ang binabanderang “UP education”?

Sa kasalukuyan, ang tanong ay hindi na gaano, kundi magkano.

Nagiging tanong ang kakayahang magbayad kaysa kakayahang pisikal.

Nasusukat na ang lahat sa pamamagitan ng lak-as pang-ekonomiya kaysa lakas intelektwal.

Nagdurusa ang nakararaming nangamatay sa pagtrabaho para sa kayamanan ng iilan.

Naglalaban ang daan-daang kagalingan at daan-daang salapi ng mamamayan.

Sa panahong ito, salapi na lang ba ang tanging paraan, o makatwiran pa ring lumaban? [P]

that there are other very complex reasons why the line for SLB is too long. However, that is not the problem. It is neither the unproportionally large population of student applying for SLB nor the ineffectivity of STFAP, but about the empirical assertion that entails it; apparently asserting the need for higher state subsidy.

It all rooted from the government’s move. Un-der the Roadmap for Public Higher Education Reforms (RPHER), budget for state universities and colleges, like UP, are to be significantly cut in favor of income-generating projects. Recent-ly, another blatant cut for higher education costing PHP1.9 billion was seen in the proposed 2014 budget, specifically cutting PHP1.43 bil-lion to the UP budget. It is just one of the recent budget cuts higher education suffers annually.

These budget cuts were compensated by the UP system through tuition and other fee increases; and once again through STFAP and Large Lec-

ture Class Policy (LLCP) in UPLB. These policies then resulted to what they say a ‘certain isolated case of suicide’.

The Philippine Constitution mandates that the state “shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all”. Ironically, an immense amount of budget is cut from UP. Some students may not have felt the financial instability other UP stu-dents feel, but it should be known that it is obvious enough that the UP education is not getting the right budget allocation.

We should still fight for higher state subsidy. It is not about that there is not enough budget for UP—and other state subsidy so to include—but it is about the right of the students for education; the right of the students especially in the national university. [P]

...an immense amount of budget is cut from UP...should be known that it is obvious enough thatUP education

is not getting the right budget allocation.

Nagsimulang magtaka si Nestor: bakit ginigipit ng pamahalaan

ang sarili nitong mga boss?“ “

CULTUREUPLBPERSPECTIVE VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 JULY-OCTOBER 2013

NOFURYSOLOUDOn tipping points and cover-ups

GUIEN GARMA

Pansinin ninyo ang loob ng mga air-conditioned bus na bumabiyahe ngayon- walang bukasan at natatakpan ng mga kurtina ang mga bintana nito. Sa loob ay may isa o minsan ay mas maram-ing tv sets kung saan pwede kang manuod ng mga piniratang pelikula ng libre. Liban pa dito, mayroon ring free wifi kaya pwedeng-pwedeng mag-Facebook o Twitter sa mga high-tech na gadgets habang hinihintay mong makarating ka sa iyong pupuntahan. Masarap ring matulog da-hil malamig sa loob. Isa ako sa mga estudyanteng lingguhan sumasakay ng bus dahil malayo ang bahay namin sa Los Baños. At sa tuwing bibi-yahe ako, mas gusto kong nakakasakay sa mga airconditioned na bus dahil mas komportable kung ikukumpara mo sa mga lumang bus- hindi mo malalanghap ang usok ng mga sasakyan dahil hindi mo kailangang magbukas ng bintana para lang mahanginan. Minsan ay maganda rin ang ipinapalabas na pelikula at nakakatuwang man-uod habang nasa biyahe.

Isang araw habang pabalik ako ng Los Baños, napatingin ako sa labas ng bintana at nakita ang isang babaeng nakaupo ng mag-isa sa harap

MUMBLINGSHawlang salaminPAULIN REYES

ng kanilang bahay, nakatulala lang sa mga du-madaang sasakyan sa katapat niyang kalsada. Sa maikling sandali ng pagdaan ng sinasakyan ko sa harapan niya, nabuo sa isip ko ang imahen ng isang ina na iniwan na ng kanyang mga anak upa-ng bumuo ng sariling pamilya, namatayan na ng asawa, at wala ng ibang magawa sa kanyang buhay kung hindi ang umupo sa labas ng kanilang ba-hay araw-araw; Habang nakaabang sa bawat taong bumababa sa mga sasakyang humihinto sa tapat niya sa pag-asang naalala siya ng mga anak niya at bibisita sila sa kanya. Nakaramdam ako ng lung-kot, at napaisip kung bakit ngayon ko lang siya napansin. Sa sandaling iyon, tumitig lang ako sa labas ng bintana at pinanuod ang mga taong nasa kalsada hanggang makababa ako ng bus. Ilang pu-lubi ang nakita ko; ilang batang marungis at pa-kalat-kalat lunes na lunes imbis na nasa eskwela. Mayroon ring mga matatandang natutulog sa gilid ng kalsada, nakasandal sa mga poste ng kuryente at may katabing mga basong hinuhulugan ng barya ng mga nagdaraan.

Hindi na bago kung tutuusin ang ganitong tanaw-in para sa ating mga Pilipino. Sa dami ng mahi-

hirap na tao sa ating bansa, halos wala na tayong maramdaman tuwing makakita ng ina na bitbit ang kanyang sanggol at nanghihingi ng limos—kung minsan nga’y maiinis pa tayo kapag nagungulit sila para sa ilang barya. Ang henerasyon ng mga kabata-an ngayon na lumaki nang nakakakita ng ganitong kahirapan sa kalsada ay manhid na; naging normal na tanawin na lang sila para sa atin hanggang sa kadalasan nga’y hindi na natin sila napapansin.

Ito ang isang angat na katangian ng karamihan ng tao ngayon: hindi na tayo marunong magbaling ng tingin sa iba. Natutuon tayo sa ating mga sarili na tila ba walang ibang iniikutan ang ating mundo kung hindi tayo mismo. Balikan natin ang pagkaka-ayos ng aircon bus; idinidirekta ng mga pelikulang ipi-nalalabas ang ating atensyon tungo sa kathang-isip na nasa telebisyon at palayo sa totoong buhay na nagaganap sa labas ng mga bintana. Miski ang pag-kakaroon ng mga kurtinang pang-takip sa tanawin ay maaring tignan bilang sanhi ng hindi natin pag-tutuon ng pansin sa kung anong nagaganap sa la-bas ng ating komportableng kinauupuan. Ang bus ay isa lamang sa maraming pwedeng gawing halim-bawa ng kung paano tayo nahuhulma ng sistema

na maging makasarili- kung paano tayo nagig-ing tutok sa ating sariling mga hinaing at kung paano natin nakakalimutang ang mga hinaing na ito ay sintomas ng mas malalim na problema ng buong bansa. Hindi ba’t ito ang nagiging epekto ng Facebook at Twitter sa karamihan sa atin- ang kulungin tayo sa mundo na ang laman lamang ay tayo at ang ating mga kaibigan upang mabura sa ating alaala na mayroon pang mundo sa labas ng ating mga kinabibilangang pangkat?

Dahil sa pagkukulong na ginagawa sa atin, hindi tayo nagkakaroon ng ugnayan sa mga kapwa na-tin Pilipino. Hindi natin nakikita ang katotohan-an na ang ating suliranin, ang suliranin ng mga pulubi, at pati na rin ng babaeng aking nakita noong araw na iyon ay hindi nagkakaiba ng ugat na pinagmulan. Dahil sa ating pagkakakulong sa hawlang gawa sa salamin kung saan tanging ang mga sarili natin ang ating naaninag, hindi natin nakikita na tayo ay konektado sa iba. Kung kaya’t may pangangailangan na kumawala sa ating pa-giging makasarili; may pangangailangan na igala ang ating mga tingin at alamin ang nangyayari sa totoong mundo. [P]

Dahil sa pagkukulong na ginagawa sa atin, hindi tayo

nagkakaroon ng ugnayan sa mga kapwa natin Pilipino.“ “

CULTURE JULY-OCTOBER 2013 VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 UPLBPERSPECTIVE

The whole nation is now at a tipping point. After all the revelations brought about by whistleblow-ers about the multi-million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam involving Janet Lim-Napoles, people already had enough of the pork barrel system and this corrupt system of gov-ernance.

Various mobilizations have been done, from the Million People March, to Rock Against Pork, to the rallies against pork barrel in our university. Various alliances have been formed, from Youth Act Now, to Youth Against Pork, to our very own Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Laban sa Baboy. All the people joining these alliances and movements, and the rest of our countrymen who believe that all forms of pork barrel be abolished and rechan-neled to health and education, among other basic social services, are not letting their voices dwindle down. They are simply asking President Aquino one thing: abolish it, pronto.

One may ask: The pork barrel system has been in our government for a very long time (there are a lot of pork barrel-type funds, from PDAF to the Presidential Social Fund [PSF], and even the new Disbursement Acceleration Fund [DAP]). But why is the outrage flowing just now?

The public is more informed and vigilant than ever before since the Gloria Arroyo administration, when the fertilizer fund scam and national broad-band network (NBN)-ZTE scandal have occurred, among others. The electorate is becoming more mature (but not yet as mature as it should be), as it keeps watch of what is going on in the govern-ment’s coffers and of what our public officials in all three branches are doing. All eyes are on the executive, judiciary, and legislative branches of government, and most importantly, on the gov-ernment’s budget, which, in the first place, is the

people’s money.***

Meanwhile, the Aquino administration, courtesy of his communications group, tries to wash off the stains of these controversies off the President’s barong, invoking his tuwid na daan platform of governance. Before the Million People March on August, the President held a press conference and announced the abolition of PDAF. But in the 2014 budget, he gets to keep the Presidential Social Fund (PSF), which is his own version of pork. Also, just recently, it has been revealed that there is such a thing as the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), another lump-sum fund. The executive branch claims that several senators have used the DAP to realign funds to other projects.

President Aquino may proclaim his righteous path rhetoric all he wants, but as the pork barrel scam story developed – or, rather, branched out to oth-er anomalies, including this new budgeting jargon called DAP, he is no different from all the senators and congressmen involved in these scams. He may have technically abolished PDAF, but given that he is keeping his PSF and asserting that there is noth-ing wrong with DAP, the President seems to sing Gusto Ko ng Baboy.^

***

The PSF is a lump-sum fund given to the Office of the President from the funds of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), one of the high-earning government-owned and –controlled corporations (GOCCs) in our nation, and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), in-charge of the Philippine Lotto draws. The gov-ernment claims that the PSF can be used in cases of calamities, when procurements can be urgently needed. However, this is a lump-sum, discretionary

fund; we are not sure whether or not the PSF indeed goes to where it is supposed to be.

Just recently, the Department of Budget and Man-agement (DBM), led by President Aquino’s party-mate Sec. Butch Abad, said that the DAP is a fund from savings brought about by unusable funds from slow-moving projects and savings of various GOC-Cs. DAP – formed in 2011, a time when our gross domestic product went down to almost three percent – was supposed to stimulate the economy by in-creasing government spending. The Aquino adminis-tration also explained that several senators were able to fund several projects using the DAP, including a malnutrition program of the Food and Nutrition Re-search Institute and Project NOAH, both of which are implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). However, some senators denied having used – and even having heard – of the DAP.

The public is outraged by the emergence of this new “program” of the government. And indeed we should. PDAF already exists, yet there is another lump-sum fund at the discretion of senators. Where in the world did they get DAP? Was there really a need to formu-late another lump-sum fund? Did the DAP really bring the economy up? Heck, these questions are still left unanswered. And if they were indeed answered, the answers were not satisfactory.

***

Apart from PDAF and DAP, there are a whole lot of discretionary funds given in lump-sum. There are programmed and unprogrammed Special Purpose Funds (SPF) in our budget. Data shows that the un-programmed SPF went up from P68.9 billion in 2010, the start of Aquino’s administration, to P139.9 billion for financial year 2014.

There are also automatic appropriations, where mon-

ey is budgeted toward several functions, including debt interests and special accounts in the general fund (SAGF), the latter being the least scrutinized.

Confidential and intelligence funds, realigned sav-ings (which is the case for DAP), and off-budget accounts (which includes the PSF and the PCSO charity fund), and even funds for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program/Conditional Cash Transfer (4Ps/CCT) and Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) Program, are also prone to corruption because of its lump-sum nature.

***

The Filipino nation is already at a tipping point, as they are angry about the PDAF, the DAP, and the President who, it seems, does not see the problem with these discretionary funds. But it turns out these two are just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of discretionary, lump-sum funds in our bud-get. We shall seek more and be more assertive, if not angrier, about how government officials are able to systematically abuse our already damaged system.

If the President indeed believes that we are his bosses, as he said in his inaugural speech in 2010, then he should listen to our angry, assertive, united yet untiring voices, our shouts to abolish all pork barrel, and realign all these funds to social ser-vices and programs that will directly benefit each and every Filipino, from the sickly poor man to the state university student, to every middle and lower class citizen.

We dare say, enough of this porky crap+. [P]

^My apologies to the Radioactive Sago Project.+My apologies to innocent pigs.

If the President indeed believes that we are his bosses, then he should listen to our angry, assertive,

united yet untiring voices...to abolish all pork barrel,

and realign all these funds to social servicesthat will directly benefit each and every Filipino

“ “

No comebackEditorial

After two years since the Perspective re-leased its last tangible issue of the paper, we are here to finally set the records straight: the Perspective is not coming back.

The UPLB Perspective, which is considered as one of the primary stu-dent institutions in the University, has played a significant role in promoting the democratic rights of the students and other relevant sectors since 1973. Tracing its roots from the early publication Aggie Green and Gold, the Perspective has since took a critical, unshaken, progressive stance.

However, the student publication, no matter how crucial the part it plays for the students, is still no exemption from unrelenting chal-lenges. From its establishment in the martial law era, where it saw various human rights violations; to the rise of fiscal issues, which resulted to streaks of unpublished papers—various barriers have placed themselves in front of the paper one after the other to impede its operations. Nonetheless, the UPLB Perspective remained with an undaunted spirit despite being hard hit with several setbacks.

In fact, the Perspective remained to be vigilant even with limited ac-cess to its funds—and it will remain this way as this is the mandate of the students to the paper.

Similar to the storm that has recently swept through the region; various issues also bombard the students. The University Housing Office (UHO) has continuous-ly smacked the students with repressive Dorm policies which are mostly imposed without proper student con-sultation. The Student Organizations and Activities Di-vision of the Office of Student Affairs (SOAD-OSA), on the other hand, have been trying to subdue student or-ganizations with its new proposed rules for org recog-nition which contains strict requirements that are rather needless and impractical—a threat to the students’ right to peaceably assemble.State universities and colleges (SUCs) are also confront-ed with several struggles. Threats of commercialization, budget cuts, and tuition hikes under the current administration are still lurking. In fact, In Aquino’s latest SONA, he had relentlessly evad-ed the talk on the issue of the SUCs’ budget status. Also included to the concerns that burden the students are various national issues such as the current pork barrel scam involving a staggering PHP10 billion

that could have been utilized for rather more essential things than to just going straight to the hands of the greedy.

It is in this light that the students must remain vigilant in order to ensure that the people get the ed-ucation—the right—they actually deserve.

In the midst of all these issues, we would like to reiterate the point that the Perspective is not coming back—primarily because in the first place, it never left. Despite the lack of a tangible student pa-

per, we have persistently made efforts to voice out the concerns of the students through alternative means—be it through social media, be it through wall posts, or be it through photocopied issues. The

“

“...we encourage you—the students—

to join the struggle,

to dare to

...voice out your concerns.

Perspective will be here to remain.

As we face another school year, it is expected that the students will also be greeted by several challeng-es. The battle will be an arduous one, but we are not to take it alone—for the battle of the UPLB Perspec-tive is not just our own battle, but rather the battle of the whole studentry. Therefore we encourage you—the students—to join the struggle, to dare to act, and dare to voice out your concerns.

There could be no other sweeter way to celebrate our fourth decade than by continuing the fight of those who struggled to establish this paper during the martial law era. With this stance, the Perspective will be willing to endure four more decades, and even more than that. For as long as the need for student representation exists, the UPLB Perspective shall never settle.

Expect us. [P]

OPINIONUPLBPERSPECTIVE VOLUME XL ISSUE 1 JULY-OCTOBER 2013

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