Opisyal na lingguhang pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas - Diliman

Tomo 90, Blg. 10Agosto 24, 2012

IN LINE WITH UP President A l f r e d o P a s c u a l ’ s “One University, One UP” vision, a flagship pro-ject dubbed as “Electronic UP” (eUP) will be implemented next academic year, aiming to connect and manage the information systems of all constituent units.

eUP is a P745-million “massive digital interconnection project” that will use a US-made database management computer software called Oracle. This software includes five information man-agement systems for efficient student, faculty, staff and ad-ministrative records, finance and property transactions, and data and document tracking.

Oracle will ensure the gen-eration of more “accurate data”, which will lead to improvements in administrative and academic services, according to the UP ad-ministration. For instance, in the case of the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP), the new software might better prevent discrepancies in bracketing statistics gathered by the Office of Student Scholar-ships and Services (OSSS) and the Office of the University Reg-istrar (OUR).

Plans for the new p r o g r a m h a v e

THE UP ADMINISTRATION IS SET TO PHASE OUT THE UNIVERSITY’S

CURRENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS TO MAKE WAY

FOR eUP, TOUTED AS AN INFORMATION

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AT PAR

WITH THOSE OF INTERNATIONAL

INSTITUTIONS.

been launched and introduced this year in several UP campuses, ex-cept Visayas. The software will then get a pilot run in the UP System Office, UP Manila and Open University cam-puses on April 2013. By the end of Pascual’s term, in 2016, eUP is expected to be fully-functional in all UP units.

But several points of concern have been raised by UP’s home-grown web team and student leaders as regards the imple-mentation of eUP. Beyond the expected hype over a techno-logical upgrade, the system re-boot may also be another step towards the commercialization of UP and state education.

System crashAt present, there is a Computer

Registration System (CRS) in UP Diliman (UPD), and the cost of replacing this already functioning set-up with Oracle’s Student Academic Information System (SAIS) is a “budget misprioritization,” critics say.

CONCERNS RAISED BY STUDENTS AND ADMINISTRATORS PROVIDE AN INSIGHT INTO WHY THIS AMBITIOUS

PROJECT MAY NOT EXACTLY BE THE “UPGRADE” THE UNIVERSITY NEEDS.

HOWEVER,

SAIS is one of the five management infor-mation programs under the Oracle software which is focused on student, faculty, staff and administrative records. Six of the 13 applications featured in SAIS are already in UPD’s CRS such as class enlistment, online dropping, and student records tracking, according to a docu-ment of collated questions and concerns from various UP of-fices dated August 3.

Since Oracle is ready-to-use, automated processes will be standardized and additional

Continued on page 3

Isabella Patricia H. Borlaza

Balita

Decoding the issues behind the te

chy façade of eUP

BALITA

Miyerkules27 Hunyo

2012

Punong Patnugot

Kapatnugot

Panauhing Patnugot

Patnugot sa Lathalain

Patnugot sa Grapix

Mga Kawani

Tagapamahala ng Sirkulasyon

Sirkulasyon

We would rather be accused of being suspicious than of being timid. The studentry must remain ever-vigilant that its welfare is not sacrificed for the interests of higher authorities.

AGRABYADO

Mga Katuwang na Kawani

Pinansya

Editor’s Note

As the Philippine Collegian celebrates its 90th year, we revisit lines from prized editorials that defined the publication’s tradition of critical and fearless journalism.

Pamuhatan Silid 401 Bulwagang Vinzons, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Diliman, Lungsod QuezonTelefax 981-8500 lokal 4522Email kule1213@gmail.comWebsite philippinecollegian.orgKasapi Solidaridad: UP Systemwide Alliance of Student Publications and Writers’ Organizations, College Editors Guild of the Philippines

Ukol sa Pabalat Dibuho ni Luigi Almuena

ANOTHER EMPTY GESTUREOn the revision of the guidelines for the Collegian staff Abraham Sarmiento Jr. August 5, 1975

OPINYONMiyerkules27 Hunyo

2012

Patnugot sa Balita

LIPOS NG PAIT ANG KASAYSAYAN ng repormang agraryo sa Pilipinas.

Bagamat dalawa’t kalahating dekada na ang nagdaan mula nang ipatupad ni dating Pangulong Corazon Aquino ang Comprehen-sive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), wala pa ring natitikmang ginhawa ang mga magbubukid na matagal nang nag-aasam ng tu-nay na reporma sa lupa.

Nilayon ng CARP noong 1988 na ipamahagi sa maliliit na magsasaka ang kabuuang 7.1 milyong ektarya ng lupaing agraryo sa bansa sa loob ng 20 taon. Subalit hanggang sa ngayon, libo-libong ektarya pa rin ang nananatili sa kamay ng iilang panginoong maylupa at negosyante.

Samu’t saring paraan ang ginagamit ng mga ganid upang patuloy nilang makontrol ang mga lupain. Sa dalawang dekadang pag-iral ng CARP, malaking bahagi ng mga lupang agraryo sa bansa ang ginawang komersyalisado upang hindi ito masakop ng nasabing programa. Naging balakid rin sa agarang pamamahagi ng lupa ang mga probisyon ng CARP na humihingi ng kabayaran mula sa mga magsasaka, at ang paghihintay sa mga panginoong maylupa na kusang ipamigay ang lupang pagmamay-ari nila. Sakop rin ng CARP ang pangangailangang magkaroon ng Certficate of Land Ownership Awards (CLOA) upang mapatunayang karapat-dapat ang mga benepisyaryo nito.

Markado na sa kasaysayan ang mga kakapusan at kawalang-

pakinabang ng CARP sa mga magsasaka. Ngunit sa kabila nito, ipinatupad pa rin ni dating Pan-gulong Gloria Arroyo noong 2009 ang CARP Extension with Reforms (CARPER) na nagdagdag ng lima pang taon sa nasabing programa.

Ngayon, sa ilalim ng pamumuno ni Benigno Aquino III, hawak pa rin ng mga pribadong kumpanya ang halos 94 porsyento ng 1.034 milyong ektaryang lupain sa Pilipinas. Batay sa tala ng IBON Foundation, may 9,324 ektarya lamang ang naipapamahagi ng administrasyong Aquino bawat buwan—mas mababa pa sa naipamamahagi ng mga nagdaang pangulo. Bunsod nito, hindi naaabot ng pamahalaan ang 200,000 ektaryang dapat na naipamamahagi nito taon-taon. Malabo ring makamit ang 750,000 ektaryang target na dapat matapos maipamahagi pagsapit ng 2014, kung kailan nakatakdang magtapos ang CARPER.

Ayon sa nakaraang SONA ni Aquino, siya raw mismo ang tatapos sa CARP na sinimulan ng kanyang ina, subalit pinasisi-nungalingan naman ng datos ng mismong Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) ang kanyang pahayag. Mahigit isang taon na lamang ang nalalabi para sa pagpapatupad ng CARPER ngunit may tinatayang 921,962 ektaryang lupain pa ang hindi naipamamahagi.

Naging malaking problema rin noong 2004 nang mapawalang- bisa ang 2,000 CLOA na sumasakop ng 380,000 ektarya ng lupa. Dulot

nito, 1.7 milyon na lamang sa halip na 2.1 milyon ang magiging benepisyaryo ng CARPER.

Maraming butas ang parehong CARP at CARPER na lalo lamang nagpapahirap sa mga magsasaka. Maraming naitalang kaso ng land conversion, halimbawa, na basta-bastang nagpapalayas sa mga magsasaka upang bigyang espasyo ang mga ipatatayong komersyal na imprastraktura. Patunay ito na kung may tagumpay man ang nasabing mga programa, ito ay ang lalo pang pagpapayaman sa mga pribadong korporasyon at mga hasyendero.

Matinding balakid din ang pagiging hasyendero ni Aquino, at ang pagkakaroon ng napa-karaming panginoong maylupa sa Kongreso, sa pagpapabilis ng distribusyon ng mga lupang aprubado ng Korte Suprema (SC) gaya ng Hacienda Luisita. Walong buwan matapos aprubahan ng SC ang pagpapamahagi sa Luista, wala pa ring angking lupa ang mga benepisyaryo nito.

Sa kabila ng mga pagkukulang ng CARPER nitong nagdaang tatlong taon, lalong nakababahala ang landas na tinatahak ng rehimeng Aquino para sa repormang agraryo. Bumaba ang pondong nakalaan para sa DAR sa susunod na taon mula P30 bilyon tungong P21.4 bilyon. Kaakibat ng pagbawas na ito ang pagtatanggal ng halos 9,000 na empleyado ng DAR, isang salik na makadaragdag pa sa pagbagal ng distribusyon ng lupa.

Samantala, wala ring inuusad

sa Kongreso ang Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB), na siyang binuo sa pakikipagtulungan sa mga magsasaka upang maturol ang tunay nilang pangangailangan. Sakop ng panukalang batas na ito ang libreng pamamahagi ng lupa, pagbawi ng mga lupaing agraryo mula sa mga pribadong kumpanya at hasyendero, at pagbibigay ng sapat na pondo upang makapagsimula’t malinang ng mga benepisyaryo ang lupang makakamit nila.

Patunay ang mga datos at mga desisyon ng pamahalaan na hungkag ang pangako ni Aquino na magtatagumpay ang CARP sa ilalim ng kanyang pamumuno. Sa likod ng mga pagpapanggap, bakas pa rin kay Aquino ang mithing protektahan ang mga pribadong kumpanya at mga hasyenderong katulad ng kanyang mga kamag-anak.

Sa pagpapatuloy ng CARPER, higit pang lulubha ang kalagayan ng libo-libong magsasasakang ilang dekada nang pinagkaitan ng karapatang magbungkal ng sarili nilang lupa. Pinatitingkad lamang ng mga palyadong programa ng pamahalaan ang hamong ipaglaban ng mamamayan ang karapatan nilang magbungkal at mabuhay nang marangal. Ang labang ito ang lilikha ng bagong kasaysayan—hindi lang para sa mga magbubukid, kundi para sa mamamayan.

OPINYON

Biyernes24 Agosto

2012

Iyanah Camille Brucal & Victor Gregor Limon

BALITA

Biyernes 24 Agosto 2012

Continue on page 4

SYSTEM REBOOT

PAG-ALALA SA MGA NAWALABilang paggunita sa ika-1000 araw ng kawalang-katarungan para sa mga biktima ng Maguindanao Massacre, nagsagawa ng candlelighting ceremony ang ilang mamamahayag sa Bantayog ng mga Bayani noong Agosto 19. Noong Nobyembre 23, 2009, 53 katao, kabilang ang 32 mamamahayag, ang pinatay sa itinuturing na pinakamadugong kaso ng election-related violence sa bansa.

features, such as the STFAP, would be developed by the univer-sity, explained Pascual.

Still, “Efficient and Optimized Operations,” the philosophy of eUP, is already in practice in the current automated documentation and recording system used by UP, said University Registrar Evangeline Amor.

The CRS is already stable, adds the CRS team. Adjusting the SAIS of Oracle to the needs of the univer-sity would pull us back at least five years from what we have now, they explained.

Until 1997, enlistment was done manually on a first-come, first-served basis. UPD introduced an enlistment system which made use of cards and a random selec-tion process dubbed as ‘Write-in’ in 1998. This system evolved in 1999 into a computer-automated sys-tem pioneered by the OUR and the College of Engineering’s Depart-ment of Computer Science.

The three versions of CRS were coded into colors, namely, Maroon CRS in 1999, Blue CRS in 2007 and the current Maroon CRS in 2011. The later versions were character-ized by improvements in features and greater technology adaptation.

In June 2011, the CRS team, made up of an average of eight members of faculty and student computer programmers, submitted to the Of-fice of the Chancellor a three-year proposal to further develop the Ma-roon CRS 2011.The proposal was approved and part of the P18 mil-lion budget has been released for equipment such as laptops.

Other enhancements, such as the “change of matriculation” and “search by schedule” features un-der the preenlistment module were added last year, said CRS Junior Business Analyst Mary Macapagal.

At present, all UP campuses gen-erate their own computer registra-tion and automation system.

The CRS, however, is only one of the five information management programs under the Oracle soft-ware. “It doesn’t make sense any-more for [UP] to develop its own software for a process that is being done by thousands of other enti-ties,” said Pascual.

Pascual plans to hold a dialogue with the CRS team in September to discuss the web team’s reservations with eUP. “Baka mayroon talagang unique [characteristic ang CRS] na hindi ma-capture ng [Oracle]. But I don’t want us to be unique. We are [already] left behind. We have to adapt to the best practice,” he said.

If given enough support and confidence from the administra-tion, UP could generate its own in-formation management programs that would be at par with the Oracle software, said Amor.

“Ang pinakamalaking problem naman ng [CRS] team is umaalis yung experienced [web] develop-ers either dahil hindi na akma ‘yung salary nila sa experience nila or na-bu-burnout lang dahil sa lack of recognition,” said Macapagal.

This also begs the question: what is the scope of SAIS? Because for all we know, the CRS might have some

features that are more mature than SAIS, Macapagal adds.

Currently, the CRS has an annual average budget of P2.7 million, only 5.4 percent of the cost of the whole Oracle software which is P50 mil-lion.

DebuggingeUP directly contradicts an alter-

native recommendation of former UP President Francisco Nemenzo Jr.: the adoption of open-sourced systems, to prevent the university from being beholden to IT compa-nies and the maintenance fee these companies charge, said Diliman In-teractive Learning Center Director Peter Sy.

The eUP budget is comprised of P547 million from reprogrammed UP funds and P198 million addi-

tional budget from the Commis-sion on Higher Education, said Vice President for Development (VPD) Elvira Zamora.

The budget will be rolled out in the five years of implementation from 2012 until 2016. The regular budget for five years of Information Technology (IT) maintenance and operations in UP is around P430 million, while the added cost of im-plementing eUP is P314.8 million, according to the OVPD.

This year, a total of P422 mil-lion or more than half of the whole five-year budget, would be spent mainly on the purchase of the soft-ware, retraining of staff and web developers, and the creation and deployment of infrastructures that would strengthen the connectivity between networks. The remaining

funds would be for the continued operations, such as the mainte-nance of equipment, and salary of staff and web developers.

To further support eUP, the university has entered into a tie-up with telecommunications gi-ant Electronic Philippines Long Distance Telephone Company (ePLDT), which won the bidding as the system integrator that will ensure the smooth linking of the Oracle program into the computer networks of UP.

Meanwhile, ePLDT sister firm Smart Communications Incorpo-rated has also offered to set up wifi connections and infrastructures that will strengthen the network-ing system, among others, in UP.

Currently, the university’s inter-net service provider is a research

education network, the Philippine Research, Education and Govern-ment Information Network, which also provides the bandwidth used to gain access to journals or re-sources from partner institutions.

“What we fear in these off-the-shelf products is a possible lock-in, wherein clients are tied to using one brand because all the compo-nents needed is unique only for that brand,” said Computer Center Director Johnrob Bantang. In the dynamic nature of technology, reg-ular upgrades mean regular trans-actions with software providers.

Firewall protectionStudent leaders maintain that

the funding for eUP could have been used for more immediate concerns such as the development and improvement of facilities and equipment.

“Gumradweyt na ang first pio-neering batch ng Chemical engi-neering dito [sa UP Visayas] subalit hanggang ngayon, sa ibang schools pa sila gumagamit ng laboratories. Mas mapapakinabangan pa ng mga estudyante ang laboratories and new facilities kaysa eUP,” said UP Visayas Student Council Chair Jon-athan Gonzales.

Unspent UP funds could have been reprogrammed to meet the university’s other infrastructure needs, especially as the Depart-ment of Budget and Management (DBM) slashed P5.113 billion worth of capital outlay (CO) requirements in UP’s 2013 proposed budget.

Some of the proposed infrastruc-ture projects for 2013 that DBM did not grant include the construction of the Human Kinetics building in Diliman, the Veterinary Medicine Research Center in Los Baños, the Library, Gym and Museum Build-ing in Tacloban.

On the other hand, new and high-er fees are being charged to charity patients in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), an entity under UP, following the series of budget cuts for the university. PGH will not re-ceive any CO allocation for 2013.

The College of Human Kinetics is also mulling on new fees for Physi-cal Education classes (see related article).

Meanwhile, some sectors of the UP community have expressed fears of having a third-party take hold of university records and data. Zamora, however, assured that these fears are unfounded and that the database will be held and main-tained by the university.

“If the university decides to im-pose Oracle, the eUP team should assure us that we don’t have to go through the similar hell we went through when CRS was just start-ing and that Oracle can be aligned to processes that the University Council duly approved. Otherwise, an imposition of Oracle can only cause violence on internal Univer-sity processes,” said Sy.

Efficiency would always be wel-come, but not at the expense of our priorities and the welfare of our stakeholders, said Student Regent Cleve Arguelles. (With reports from Vienna De Francia)

ALTHOUGH THE P2-TRILLION proposed national budget for 2013 is 10.5 percent higher than this year’s P1.816 trillion, sectoral groups warn that the said increase will be exploit-ed for “electioneering” purposes in-stead of providing genuine social services to the people.

For 2013, the funding for eco-nomic services and social services increased by P72.1 billion and P85.4 billion, respectively. Economic ser-vices cover infrastructure projects which contribute to the country’s industry growth, while social servic-es include health care, housing, and public education.

The 2013 budget claims to rein-force the administration’s commit-ment to President Benigno Aquino III’s “social contract with the Filipino people,” which seeks to create jobs, provide social services, reduce pov-erty, develop agriculture, and pro-mote private business.

“[However,] there is much reason to conclude that the so-called ‘social contract’ … has been broken many times over. Growth remains exclu-sionary and the prospects for real, equitable, and sustained development remain poor,” countered independent think-tank IBON foundation.

Touted as the “Empowerment

‘Deceptive’ 2013 budget rears electioneering fears

Budget,” an offshoot of the “Re-form Budget” of 2011 and Results-Focused Budget” of 2012, the 2013 budget ultimately shows a pro-poor packaging but in fact remains unresponsive to the urgent social needs of the people and development requirements of the country, accord-ing to multisectoral group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).

‘Deceptive budget’Allocation for capital outlays,

which include spending for the construction and repair of infra-structure, hiked by 15.7 percent from P328.3 billion to P380 billion. However, higher spending does not necessarily mean better service to the people, said Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino.

Since the government has des-ignated the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as the agency in charge of all infrastructure projects, it has also become easier for corrupt officials to transact over-priced and other anomalous deals, explained Palatino.

“Instead of talking to various line agencies, politicians will now only deal with DPWH. One agency for the spoils, one-stop-shop for cor-ruption deals,” the youth solon said.

Meanwhile, allocation for per-

sonal services, which covers sala-ries and benefits, went up by eight percent, from P1.465 to P1.6 trillion for 2013. The budget increase, how-ever, was due mainly to the imple-mentation of the fourth tranche of the Salary Standardization Law, the state-mandated pay hike for gov-ernment workers.

The government will also go on a nationwide hiring spree next year, allotting P60.11 billion for 164,230 vacant and new positions in gov-ernment offices. “This only means that, despite the Palace’s repeated denials, [the government] did un-necessary underspending in the past two years and now has the funds for a hiring binge in time for the elections,” Palatino said.

The budget for maintenance and other operating expenses of gov-ernment offices, also increased by 17.5 percent to P313.3 billion. Debt servicing, meanwhile, will retain a huge share of the budget, with interest payments amounting to P333.9 billion for 2013.

No improvement in social servicesAmong government depart-

ments, the Department of Educa-tion received the highest allocation,

Decoding the issues behind the techy façade of eUPContinued from page 1

SHOOTING STAR Lady Maroon Karen Salapong executes a lay-up in a basketball game against UE held at the FilOil Flying V Arena at San Juan City on August 17. The Lady Maroons maintained a comfortable lead all throughout the game, clinching an easy victory against the Red Warriors, 79-73.

BALITA

Biyernes24 Agosto

2012

TUTOL ANG ILANG LIDER-ES-TUDYANTE ng UP kabilang ang student regent (SR), UP Diliman (UPD) University Student Council (USC) at mismong student coun-cil ng College of Human Kinetics (CHK) sa nakaambang pagpapa-tupad ng laboratory fees sa mga kursong Physical Education (PE) sa unibersidad.

Inaasahang ipatutupad na ng CHK sa susunod na semestre ang bagong laboratory fee sa PE courses na aabot hanggang P500 kada kurso, ani CHK PE Depart-ment Chairperson Francis Diaz.

Sa ilalim ng panukalang bagong bayarin, papatawan ng P500 laboratory fee ang mga kursong gumagamit ng mga “high main-tenance” equipment at pasilidad gaya ng swimming pool.

Samantala, P100 naman ang sisingilin sa mga kursong nan-

THE UP FIGHTING MAROONS clinched its first victory in the 76th season of the University Ath-letic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) basketball rounds, burying the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors with a 15-point lead on August 19 at the Araneta Coliseum, 63-48.

The State U ballers started the game in fighting form, with shoot-ing guard Anjelo Montecastro and team captain Mark Lopez leading a manic campaign to end the first quarter with an easy three-point lead, 14-11.

The Warriors briefly recovered when center Ivan Hernandez and forward Adrian Santos scored two-points each to clean the Maroons’ lead at the opening of the second quarter. The Maroons however eventually frustrated UE’s hopes of stealing the lead, as Lopez and Maroons forward Diony Hipolito piloted a sweeping crusade towards a four-point lead for UP before half-time, ending the second quarter at 30-26.

The third quarter of the game left the Warriors gasping for air as 15 year-old Maroons point guard Henry Asilum went on to hoard nine points for the Maroons in an impressive nine-point offensive play. With barely a minute left in the quarter, Maroons forward Mike

Maroons stun Warriors in first win of season

Mga lider-estudyante, tutol sa pagpapatupad ng PE lab fees

gangailangan ng mga itinuturing na “low maintenance” na kagami-tan. Mananatili namang walang bayad ang ilang kursong gaya ng Walking at Running for Fitness na hindi kailangang gumamit ng mga pasilidad ng kolehiyo.

“Pag-aaralan po natin ang [pag-kakasa] ng mga kampanya para tutulan ang [nakabinbing pagpa-patupad] sa PE laboratory fee,” ani USC Chair Gabriel Paolo Diño.

‘Approved in principle’Inaprubahan ng Board of Re-

gents (BOR), ang pinakamataas na lupon sa unibersidad, ang pa-nukala ng kolehiyo na magpataw ng laboratory fee sa PE courses noong Mayo 27, 2010.

Nakatakda sanang ipatupad ang bagong bayarin sa lahat ng estud-yanteng kumukuha ng PE courses sa unang semestre ng nakaraang taon ngunit ipinagpaliban ng

up by 69.39 percent, to P292.7 bil-lion from this year’s P172.8 billion. DPWH came in second with a 39.25-percent hike to P152.9 billion, from the current P109.8 billion while the Department of National Defense (DND) came in third with a 6.29-percent increase to P121.6 billion from from P114.4 billion this year.

Basic social services, such as housing and health care, however remain farther down the priority list. “Lantad na namang mas bibig-yan ng priority ng gobyerno ang militar kaysa batayang serbisyo,” said Anakbayan Chair Vencer Crisostomo.

The allocation for health and ed-ucation facilities will rise next year by P7.9 billion or 167 percent, and P8.9 billion or 54 percent, respec-tively. At the same time, however, the government is also promoting public-private partnerships (PPP) to provide such facilities.

“The increase in the proposed 2013 health budget does not intend to [make] health service [accessi-ble] to the poor and neither gives care to the plight of health work-ers. [Instead, it] prioritizes pro-jects leading to the privatization of health [care],” the Alliance of Health Workers said in a statement.

Once entrenched in the health care system, private companies will inevitably push for higher profits and consequently hike the fees which people ultimately will shoulder, Bayan explained.

Besides the lack of genuine pro-poor budget reforms in health care, the government budget also failed to provide meaningful budget hikes for public housing. Despite the seemingly huge increase in the housing budget for 2013, from P6.1 billion this year to P16.13 billion in 2013, the amount still falls way be-

low the P69 billion needed to meet the country’s 3.6 million housing backlog, according to IBON.

Meanwhile, the budget for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Pro-gram (4Ps) will similarly be in-creased by 12.4 percent from P39.4 billion to P44.25 billion, targeting 3.8 million household beneficiaries.

Patterned after conditional cash transfer schemes implemented in other developing countries, the 4Ps aims to invest in the health and ed-ucation of Filipinos in poor house-holds by providing cash grants.

Findings from the Commission on Audit, however, cast doubts on the accuracy of the procedures and methodology used during the se-lection of poor households for the CCT, including double entries of beneficiaries and non-liquidated P6.6 billion fund transfers.  

Electioneering fears“If the proposed budget is em-

powering anyone, it would be the Liberal Party of the administration, which [seeks to] clinch more local and senatorial posts in next year’s midterm polls,” according to Bayan.

The group noted the huge in-crease in the budgets of several government departments as a scheme for securing the support of local politicians and voters in the electoral bid of Aquino’s LP al-lies. For instance, the budgets of the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of Public Works and Highways were hiked by P21 billion and P26.5 bil-lion, respectively.

“A national budget is important because it sets how government will use its resources. For backward countries, the issue of budget takes a more crucial role considering the scant public resources available amid the massive needs of the peo-ple and economy,” Bayan said.

‘Deceptive’ 2013 budget rears electioneering fears

from page 3

Silungan’s secured a three-pointer, while the Warriors settled for a free throw by star guard Roi Su-mang, closing the quarter at an easy 50-41.

The final quarter saw the Warri-ors trapped in an offensive lethar-gy as Asilum fired five of the team’s total 13 points in the last quarter of the game, ending the game at 63-48 and snapping the Maroons’ 15-game losing streak for almost two years.

At the end of the first round of Men’s Basketball this season, UP currently shares the same win-loss card with Adamson and UE with each a single victory and six losses so far.

The Maroons have already suf-fered six losses from De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila Uni-versity, Far Eastern University, Ad-amson University, National Uni-versity, and University of Santo Tomas.

“We learned from our previous games. It took six games before we digested those skills, [but] we’ve learned. It’s really worth it. Forti-tude is a big word for us. Our guys showed them today that experi-ence is part of learning in UP,” said UP Maroons Head Coach Frederick Dandan.

The second round will begin on August 23 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

bagong-palit na administrasyon ng UP Diliman ang implementa-syon nito upang muling mapag-aralan, ani Diaz.

Gayunman, iginiit ni SR Cleve Robert Kevin Arguelles na hindi pa maaaring ipatupad ang bagong bayarin sa CHK, kahit pa payagan na ito ng administrasyon ng UPD.

Nakasaad sa desisyon ng BOR noong 2010 na “approved in prin-ciple” lamang ang panukala at kailangang muling aprubahan ng mga rehente ang mga itatakdang bayarin, paliwanag ni Argurelles.

Kakulangan sa pondoSamantala, iginiit ng pamunu-

an ng CHK ang agarang pagpa-patupad ng laboratory fee sa PE courses upang mapunan ang pan-gangailangan ng kolehiyo ng mas mataas na badyet.

Nasa P1.35 milyon lamang ang taunang badyet ng CHK na ang kalakhan ay nagmumula sa P75 athletic fee na binabayaran ng mga estudyante kada semestre.

Tinatayang tataas ng P2 mi-lyon, tungong P3.5 milyon, ang taunang badyet ng kolehiyo kung maipapatupad ang mga bagong laboratory fee, ani CHK Dean Ronualdo Dizer.

“The increase in the budget of CHK will just be enough to up-grade and procure equipment and facilities in the college from time to time.”

Sa kabila ng kakulangan sa badyet, nilinaw ng dekano na lab-oratory fees lamang ang ipapataw at hindi maniningil ang CHK ng P1,000 matrikula para sa bawat yunit ng PE courses. Sa kasaluku-yan, libre ang matrikula para sa bawat yunit ng mga kursong PE.

“Implementation of, or increase in tuition must originate from the college. The CHK administration has not proposed and does not even plan to do so, at least under my deanship. For now, we only seek to impose laboratory fees for the improvement of the college’s facilities,” ani Dizer.

‘Epekto ng mababang subsidyo’Kung maipatutupad ang panu-

kalang laboratory fees sa susu-nod na semestre, ito ang unang pagkakataon na magkakaroon ng bayarin sa PE courses ang unib-ersidad.

Iginiit ng CHK-SC na dapat manggaling ang pondong ginag-amit sa maintenance ng mga pas-ilidad sa tinatatanggap na badyet ng unibersidad mula sa gobyerno, sa halip na singilin ang mga es-tudyante.

“The university should start allocating sufficient budget for CHK. We are, after all, catering physical education to all UP stu-dents. The importance of CHK’s role to the holistic development of an iskolar ng bayan should be recognized,” ani CHK-SC Chair-person Andrea Victoria Eireen Castro.

Lavilyn Hysthea Malte

‘Pass a pro-women, pro-poor RH bill’

continued to page 11

BUSINESS AS USUALA gas station staff operates a fuel dispenser in a gasoline station at Sta. Mesa, Manila on August 21. Citing oil companies’insatiable greed and insensitivity, militant groups condemned the recent price hike of oil and other petroleum products by as much P1.80 per liter, days after the onslaught of torrential rains caused by Hanging Habagat.

BALITA

Biyernes 24 Agosto 2012

AFTER SIX MONTHS OF HOLDING a picket line at the Sta. Mesa campus of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), all 148 janitors who were removed from their posts will finally be reinstated next month as talks between the administration and a new manpower agency finally yielded an agreement to retain the said workers.

The maintenance staff found themselves unemployed after the expiration of the university’s contract with manpower agency Unitrend and the temporary employment of Care Best International Inc. maintenance staff members on February 15.

The PUP administration awarded the P7.4 - million contract to Sapro Manpower Agency (SMA) on August 17 after the new agency

SEVERAL PARTY-LISTS IN THE House of Representatives (HOR) have renewed their calls to junk provisions of population control in House Bill 4244 or the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill, as solons resume discussions of amendments on August 28.

“Population control can never be pro-women nor pro-poor. What poor women need is a national policy on genuine and comprehensive reproductive health care as basis for asserting their right to proper health care,” said Gabriela Women’s

Party-list (Gabriela) Representa-tive Luz Ilagan.

The RH bill, which provides for the promotion of both natural and artificial contraception, has been pending in the lower chamber of the Congress for almost a year now.

On August 6, members of the HOR voted to end the period of debates and proceed to amend the bill despite strong opposition primarily from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

PUP reinstates retrenched janitors

agreed to absorb all 148 janitors for three and a half months, from September 15 to December 31.

“Magandang balita na mayroon nang agency na tatanggap sa amin. Matagal na rin kaming walang trabaho at nakukontento na lamang sa pamamasura,” said Samahan ng mga Janitors sa PUP (SJ-PUP) member Jerry Padallan, who has been working in the university for 13 years.

ReinstatementPrior to SMA, the PUP administration

had already attempted to award contract to two other manpower agencies.

A month after Unitrend’s contract with PUP ended, the administration held a bidding on March 14 where the CBII won the new contract for the university’s janitorial services. CBII however refused to absorb the 148 janitors previously employed under Unitrend, prompting the university administration to call off the contract.

On July 19, the PUP administration called for a second bidding process and subsequently awarded the contract to Chemicals for Maintenance and Prevention Task Man Power Agency (CMTP). CMTP agreed to absorb the former PUP janitors, but the administration also cancelled the deal due to the agency’s non-compliance with required documents.

Due to two subsequent failed biddings, the PUP administration decided to undergo a negotiated contract, or an agreement with an agency that will be beneficial for both parties, with SMA, said PUP Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Chairperson Tony Velasco.

The HOR is set to end the period of amendments and proceed to vote on second reading on September 20, said House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte in a statement.

“It is time that we work on amending the bill to make it more responsive to the health needs of poor women,” said Ilagan.

Gabriela, Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, ACT Teachers Partylist, and Kabataan, collectively known as the Makabayan bloc, are pushing for the amendment of sections 3, 12, and 25 of the RH bill which “drum-beat population control as solution to poverty.” (See sidebar)

Section 3, the guiding principle of the bill, states that “[t]he limited resources of the country cannot be suffered to be spread so thinly to service a burgeoning multitude making allocations grossly inade-quate and effectively meaningless.”

The section must be rephrased as the provision tends to blame the poor and the women for the rising poverty in the country, according to a statement signed by members of Makabayan.

“Our people are suffering from

Aside from SMA, two other agencies have applied for the negotiated contract, including CMTP, which still failed to meet the requirements.

As the negotiated contract with SMA ends on December 31, the PUP BAC is set to conduct another public bidding in November to search for a new manpower agency for the university next year.

Effects of contractualizationMembers of SJ-PUP have been

picketing near the university premises since February 16 to protest their “unjust retrenchment” and “inaction” of the university administration on the matter.

With the signing of the negotiated contract, the SJ-PUP is set to abolish their picket line on August 24, said Kilusang Mayo Uno Chair Elmer Labog. However, the SJ-PUP will remain vigilant as SMA’s contract with the university is only effective for three months, he added.

The retrenchment experienced of SJ-PUP members is only one of the many problems that contractualization is facing nowadays, Labog said.

As essential services in government agencies are outsourced to private enterprises, workers lose the security of tenure enjoyed by regular employees, making them vulnerable to retrenchment and other labor issues, Labog explained.

“Hindi binibigyang garantiya ng muling pagtanggap sa amin sa trabaho ang paggalang sa aming mga karapatan bilang manggagawa. Magpapatuloy pa rin kami sa pagmamasid ng mga iba pang mangyayari,” said Padallan.

Sidebar: Proposed amendments to RH bill by Makabayan bloc

SECTION 3. Guiding Principles.

The limited resources of the country cannot be suffered to be spread so thinly to service a burgeoning multitude making allocations grossly inadequate and effectively meaningless.

SECTION 12.Integration of Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning Component in Anti-Poverty Programs.

A multidimensional approach shall be adopted in the implementation of policies and programs to fight poverty. Towards this end, the DOH shall endeavor to integrate a responsible parenthood and family planning component into all antipoverty and sustainable human development programs of government, with corresponding program support. The DOH shall provide such programs technical support, including capacity-building and monitoring.

The resources of the country must be made to serve the entire population, especially the poor, and make allocations adequate and effective.

A multidimensional approach shall be adopted in the implementation of policies and programs to fight poverty. Towards this end, the DOH shall implement programs that ensure full access of poor and marginalized women to reproductive health care services, products and programs. The DOH shall provide such programs technical support, including capacity-building and monitoring.

Original Provisions Proposed Amendments

SECTION 25.Implementing Mechanisms.

…The Commission on Population (POPCOM), as an attached agency of DOH, shall serve as the coordinating body in the implementation of this Act and shall have the following functions:(a) Integrate on a continuing basis the integrated health and population development agenda consistent with the herein declared national policy, taking into account regional and local concerns;(b) Provide the mechanism to ensure active and full participation of the private sector and the citizenry through their organizations in the planning and implementation of reproductive health care and population development programs and projects; and (c) Conduct sustained and effective information drives on sustainable human development and on all methods of family planning to prevent unintended, unplanned and mistimed pregnancies.

…The Commission on Population (POPCOM), as an attached agency of DOH, shall serve as the coordinating body in the implementation of SECTIONS 7, 10, 11, 13, and 17 of this Act and shall have the following functions:(a) Provide the mechanism to ensure active and full participation of the private sector and the citizenry through their organizations in the planning and implementation of reproductive health care and population development programs and projects; and(b) Conduct sustained and effective information drives on sustainable human development and on all methods of family planning to prevent unintended, unplanned and mistimed pregnancies.

poverty. [T]hey are not the ones causing it. To address poverty is to address inequity and address landlessness, lack of industries, low wages, high prices, and poor and inaccessible social services,” added the group of party-lists.

Meanwhile, Section 12 provides for the “integration of responsi-ble parenthood and family plan-ning component in [all] anti-poverty programs” of the government through the Department of Health (DOH).

The Makabayan bloc proposes to rephrase the provision under Section 12 to specify the function of DOH in the implementation of “programs that ensure full access of poor and marginalized women to reproductive health care services, products, and programs.” 

“The women’s right to informed choice must not be imperiled by any design for population control,” the party-lists explained.

Also, the party-lists seek to amend the current provision of the bill under Section 25, which further outlines the government’s population control agenda “under the guise of pro-choice and poverty

alleviation.”Section 25 defines the role of

the Commission on Population (POPCOM) as the “coordinating body” in the implementaion of the proposed law. Paragraph (a) of the section specifies the commission’s function to “integrate on a continuing basis the integrated health and population development agenda consistent with the herein declared national policy, taking into account regional and local concerns.”

Makabayan proposes instead to limit the function of POPCOM only to provisions “that fall within its mandate as a technical and information resource agency... and as lead strategic planner, [and] policy and program advocate for the population program.”

The party-list bloc also proposes to strike out paragraph (a) of the section, one of the three specific functions of the commission as de-fined by the bill.

“Allowing the [POPCOM] to serve as the coordinating body [in the implementation of the

LATHALAIN

Biyernes24 Agosto

2012

The sub-prime mortgage fiascoSub-prime mortgages are loans

to homeowners who relatively don’t possess good credit rat-ing. Despite being considered as “high-risk” investments, the sale of sub-prime mortgages brings large profit to investment institutions, compared to prime mortgages or loans to homeowners with good credit ratings. Profit opportunities in selling sub-prime mortgages en-couraged banking firms to continue lending to sub-prime credit home-buyers, resulting to a burgeoning $700 trillion worth of mortgage bonds lent in 2007.

Driven by profit, private banks that offer sub-prime mortgages sought additional capital to finance

Addicted

their risk-taking. Attracted by the low 1 percent interest rate offered by the government, these institu-tions flocked to the US Treasury to avail of mortgage bonds. The high demand for mortgage bonds forced the US Treasury to ask the Federal Reserve to inject capital into its vaults.

In 2008, the sub-prime mortgage bubble burst. Unable to pay mort-gage, thousands of homeowners defaulted on their loans, resulting to mass seizure of housing units as collateral. A housing surplus soon ensued, driving the price of real

property down. Since the hous-ing bust in 2008, real estate prices plummeted by 35 percent from their peak prices in 2006.

Because of the low housing de-mand and continuing drop in house prices, even large lending firms including Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs began defaulting from their mortgage bonds in the US Treasury due to loss of income. This led to a crisis in the US Treas-ury, with the government being un-

DEBT is a potent drug that has enslaved the international

economic system throughout the years. The global economy has relied on debts to service its deficits and provide capital to

stimulate economies since the 1980s. As such, the 1980s saw a new economic drive to stimulate a dying

1970s market back to life, through debt agreements that supposedly jump-started economic growth between developed countries willing to lend sup-port to developing ones. During this time, through multilateral organizations such as the IMF, even fully developed countries borrowed from neighbors to finance their deficits and expenditures, promising profits in exchange. These acts prompted the start of the debt addiction.

With the dawn of the new millennium, the ecstasy of the debt-driven world came, with the international community posting a booming 5.4 per-cent GDP growth in 2000. But as with other drugs, the disastrous side ef-

fects came soon after the initial high wore off, with world GDP growth steeply declining by 2008. As the world plunged in another reces-

sion, governments upped the ante by increasing debt reliance to save their ailing economies.

At the center of the debt crisis is the United States, the world’s dominant superpower

– and the worst debt addict of all.

able to pay loans from the Federal Reserve.

Mass layoffsWith banks defaulting and un-

able to pay corporations that have invested in their ventures, compa-nies and industries are also caught in the domino effect. When enter-prises lose capital, they lose money to finance their labor force, inevita-bly leading to massive layoffs. Due to the housing bubble crisis, unem-ployment rates skyrocketed to 10 percent in 2010 from 4 percent in 2008. Due to the contraction of the labor force, the government’s tax

revenues also contracted. Moreo-ver, funds for government benefits for the unemployed such as Medic-aid and Social Security were used extensively to aid the victims of the layoffs. This situation increased government deficits, with revenues contracting and spending for aid increasing.

War in Iraq and AfghanistanThe September 11 terrorist at-

tacks triggered the US Global War on Terror, resulting to American-led military aggression against countries believed to be harbor-ing terrorists like Afghanistan and Iraq. The obscene US government spending for warfare, amounting to over $3.7 trillion, further widened the government’s fiscal deficit.

LEGISLATIVE

BODIES SET UP

SUITABLE CONDITIONS

FOR CREDIT

THE US GOVERNMENT

ATTRACTS INVESTORS

TO BUY BONDS

BUDGET DEFICITS

GROW

The entire world is entangled in debt. According to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) 2011 World Outlook, public world debt stands at more than $54 trillion or more than thrice the United States’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the total value of goods and services a country produces. In recent decades, the debt crisis has intensified its grip to the world, enforcing a setup that leaves even the formidable struggling, and the vulnerable sinking.

Debt varies in nature and source, and its repercussions stretch to management of fiscal position and economies. As in the case of developing countries like the Philippines, government borrowings translate to the allocation of huge portions of their national budgets to pay such debts, depriving social services and other productive endeavors much needed allocation.

For developed countries, the burden of debt unfolds a slightly different story. The recent debt crises in the United States (US) reveal how even the world’s strongest economies are held hostage by debt.

Ronn Bautista

The debt cycle

begins when a country

incurs a deficit, or when a

government spends more than

their collected revenues.

The outstanding US public debt as of August 2012 already amounts to $15.94 trillion, surpassing

its GDP of $15.59 trillion as of June, setting its public debt-to-GDP ratio at 103 percent.In 2011, the US incurred a $1.3 trillion deficit, having

spent $3.6 trillion, while collecting only $2.3 trillion in revenues. Such deficit stems from federal overspend-

ing, that included government loans to banking institutions that sold subprime mortgages, and

obscene spending for wars waged overseas (see separate article).

Starting 2008, the US economy plunged into one of its worst recessions in history, result-ing to mass layoffs and bankruptcies of key

financial institutions, leading to lower gov-ernment revenues and decreasing the federal government’s capacity to pay outstanding debts. The US government is obliged to pay its outstanding public debt from external and lo-cal sources such as foreign governments and the Federal Reserve, a state organization yet paradoxically enjoys independence from the state’s control.

With the US government facing large fiscal deficits, the US Congress was forced to raise the country’s debt ceiling, or the legislated max-imum amount the government could borrow, to $16.4 trillion from $14.3 trillion.

To address

fiscal deficits, the

US Treasury sells Treasury

bonds (T-bonds), which are

essentially loans made by the federal

government to pay for public projects. T-bonds are highly sought after in the financial

market, as these are considered as “low-risk” invest-ments, since the government itself guarantees pay-ment of the principal and non-taxable interest when the bonds mature. In short, the government loans from finan-

cial institutions and investors, promising to pay after a given period no matter the situation.

However, with government revenues dipping due to recession, the government finds it hard to

pay for T-bonds which have reached maturity. One way the government secures payment

is through the issuance of more bonds with higher interest rates. Such process racks up government debt, and increasingly makes loans more expensive for the state.

The US is unable to write off its loans due to insufficient revenues,

and in turn only incurs further deficits. The US’ $15.94 trillion nominal public debt is composed of the $11.18 trillion

debt from private individuals and foreign governments, and $4.79 trillion debt from intragovernmental holdings. China and Japan hold large sums of US bonds at $1.17 trillion

and $1.12 trillion respectively. Intragovernmental holdings meanwhile, are debts by the US government to its own trust funds intended for services like Medicaid and Social Security.

All the contracted loans however, were largely used to service previous debts, leaving insufficient finances to close deficits due to decreasing tax collection. The US’ failure to

write off deficits pushes its government to once again tap the drug it conveniently uses, submitting itself to yet another round of the debt cycle.

CRASH & BURN

LATHALAIN

Biyernes 24 Agosto 2012

“MAINAM NAMANG MAALIS kami sa ilog, kung ganyan namang nagbabaha, siyempre kailangan din yung buhay ng mga anak ko kaso wala kaming magawa, sapat lang ‘yung upa namin,” housewife Virgie Venus, 33, narrates as she peers over the window showing her family and neighbors’ home submerged in Planters Berm Floodway, Cainta, Rizal. Virgie currently stays with her husband, Nelson, 40, and her kids in an evacuation center near their area.

A few blocks away from where Virgie’s family lives, Manay Openg Robles, 50, together with her husband Sigfredo, 53, and their three children also aban-doned their home and sought ref-uge in a small hamburger stand near their house.

Both Virgie and Manay Openg’s families migrated from the prov-ince to urban centers in search for greener pastures. Not long after settling did they know that making ends meet in the city was almost as difficult in the province. The high cost of living forced them to live in shanties near estuaries, where they could afford rent.

“Wala na kaming mapuntahan. Kahit maliit yan, kahit baha yan, babalik talaga para lang mabuhay,” says Manay Openg, who works as a messenger at a nearby school.

The Venus and Robles belong to the 195,000 families whose homes along the waterways of Metro Manila and Laguna Lake are threatened of demolition, owing to President Benigno Aquino III’s instructions to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson to “blast these houses if the residents do not leave within a certain period.”

In what was regarded as an “insensitive remark” to the plight of the urban poor, Singson him-self was flooded with criticism from progressive and urban poor groups. Blasting their homes af-ter all, is the most sensible solu-tion to end Metro Manila’s peren-nial flood problem, at least for the government.

“Sa dami namin, wala na talaga siyang konsensiya kapag gagawin niya yan,” says Manay Openg.

Rooting the problemThe effects of the rains brought

by the southwest monsoon winds reminded the country of the dam-ages inflicted by super typhoon Ondoy in 2009. The heavy rains left 109 dead, affected 934,285 families or 4,236,151 individu-als throughout Metro Manila and nearby provinces, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC).

“Kaya ‘di namin inaasahan na mauulit ‘yung Ondoy dahil wala namang bagyo. Sabi ng PAGASA, habagat lang naman at walang ty-phoon signal. ‘Di talaga kami naka-paghanda,” Manay Openg shares.

The Metropolitan Manila De-velopment Authority (MMDA) pointed the interconnected oc-currence of Metro Manila’s rapid urbanization, clogging and sil-tation, structural obstructions, inadequate flood control struc-tures and excessive rainfall as the main causes of flooding.

These obstructions, which are illegally built structures, need to be “blasted” to mitigate flooding, according to the DPWH. Certain groups however, argue otherwise.

“The existence of so-called il-legal structures is not one of the main reasons for flooding in Metro Manila. The lack of disaster prepar-edness, wanton logging and mining activities, dam owners’ greed, fail-ure to desilt Laguna Bay and other waterways, and unplanned urban development – these are the main reasons for heavy flooding,” says Kilusang Mayo Uno Chairperson Elmer Labog.

Also, the conversion of fish-ponds into other structures con-tributes to the floods, adds Senator Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate Climate Change Committee.

Reliance on reliefWhen the floods subsided, it

left behind P4 billion-worth of damage to agriculture and infra-structure. Along with this physi-cal damage, it became necessary to provide relief to flood victims.

Nearly P13 million worth of relief assistance from local gov-ernment units, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and nongovernment or-ganizations (NGO), was provided to affected families, according to NDRRMC. But even all the relief efforts could not substantially reach all 4 million affected indi-viduals, according to Badion.

“Kadalasan kaunti [ang tulong galing sa gobyerno], mas madami yung NGO. Karamihan daw may-roon, pero hindi na sa ‘min na-kakaabot ‘yung suporta. Kulang sa pitong anak, isang kilong bigas, dalawang Lucky Me, yun lang,” Virgie relates.

Indeed, the government seems to abuse the ‘bayanihan’ culture of Filipinos by continuously relying on the relief efforts of different sec-tors for every flood disaster, when it could address the roots of the problem by simply implementing efficient flood control programs and strictly reinforcing government regulations on the environment and urban development.

Disastrous responseDespite the country’s vulner-

ability to typhoons and other calamities, the government has acted only now to design a more comprehensive and permanent measure to solve Metro Manila’s flood problems, worsened by changing weather conditions.

June of last year, Aquino canceled the P18.7 billion Laguna de Bay dredging project proposed

by his predecessor, saying that the project was “a big expensive joke,” and that they had to “make them real plans that will address all of these situations throughout the country.”

“There are no immediate so-lutions. This is not ‘instant noo-dles’ and solution is not instant,” Aquino says regarding the gov-ernment’s actions to solve the flooding crisis. He also mentions that the government is working on more long-term solutions.

DPWH’s P325-billion flood management master plan by 2035, would branch into pro-grams like the Balik Probinsiya, housing projects, fixing existing drainage systems and the “squat-ter resettlement programs,” which allocates P7.5 billion for the relocation of some 735,000 indi-viduals to clear the metropolitan waterways.

However, this resettlement program would only cover relo-cation expenses but would not build houses, says Carlito Badion, chairperson of urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihi-rap (Kadamay).

The government builds only 20,000 housing projects for 2012, a long shot for the 195,000 families residing in Metro Manila water-ways, let alone the entire country.

Even the government’s Balik Probinsya program, where bene-ficiaries would be given two hec-tares of land and displacement allowance to return to their prov-inces, would not solve anything with substantial and genuine agrarian reform still inexistent, says Badion.

Virgie’s story complements Badion as she relates, “Wala na-man kasing pagkakakitaang lupain o niyogan doon sa Camarines Norte ang asawa ko, eh dito lang sa Maynila ang alam niyang tra-baho kaya kahit mahirap, tinitiis.”

Kadamay points that to fully eradicate the urban poor popula-tion, the government must provide a concrete plan that ensures long-term welfare of the poor that in-cludes proper relocation measures, stable livelihood and adequate so-cial services. Otherwise, the poor would only go back to their old homes, even at the risk of another flood or any physical threat.

“‘Yung sa Manggahan Flood-way, ‘yung pinalikas sa Laguna, bumalik rin dito kasi wala na-mang kabuhayan doon. Walang tubig, walang ilaw, may bahay nga daw doon, ano kaya yun?” says Manay Openg.

Evidently, the issue of floods in Metro Manila, stretches be-yond the existence of informal settlements in waterways. After all, the poor would rather risk liv-ing with the threat of calamities that occurs infrequently, rather than gamble their daily welfare to uncertainty. It would take the government more than building houses—or blasting shanties—to permanently end the plight of the urban poor.

Bunsod ng sunod-sunod na bagyo at malalakas na pag-ulan sa mga nagdaang araw, hindi napigilan ang pag-apaw ng Laguna de Bay at mga konektadong ilog sa Metro Manila. Tinatayang nasa P616 Milyon ang halaga ng pinsalang idinulot ng pagbaha. Kamakailan ay naglabas ng mga plano ang administrasyong Aquino na sapilitang paalisin ang mga pamilyang naninirahan sa mga tabing-ilog upang magbigay-daan umano sa mga bagong waterworks project ng DPWH.

FOR TWO STRAIGHT WEEKS, THE TORRENTIAL RAINS BROUGHT BY THE SOUTHWEST MONSOON WINDS TESTED THE COUNTRY’S RESILIENCE, DEVASTATING THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES LARGELY FROM DEPRESSED AREAS OF METRO MANILA. IN RESPONSE, PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE RALLIED IN RELIEVING THE CONDITIONS OF THOSE ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY THE FLOODS. THE GOVERNMENT HOWEVER, HAD AN ADDED RESPONSE: TO “BLAST” THE HOMES OF URBAN POOR PEOPLE DWELLING IN THE CITY FLOODWAYS, AS IF RELIEVING ITSELF FROM ANY BLAME.

Flawed controls Gelina Rose Bongon

BALITA

Miyerkules27 Hunyo

2012

KULTURA

Biyernes24 Agosto

2012

THE SUCCESSFUL LANDING ON Mars by the rover Curiosity on August 6 has renewed global interest and support for space science. Live videos of the robot explorer’s seven-minute descent toward the red planet’s surface had hundreds of thousands of people glued to their screens, while web denizens launched an overwhelming amount of coverage in social networking sites.

Indeed, when scientists at the US space agency National Aero-nautics and Space Administration (NASA) finally burst into triumphant cheers as Curiosity touched down on the red planet’s surface, people across the globe celebrated the moment as an admirable feat of human ingenuity and another huge milestone for science.

However, amidst cheers were also reactions by those who would rather understate the merits of the rover’s landing. Some thought the live streaming of Curiosity’s landing was merely an American stunt to steal the limelight away from Britain’s Olympic moment. Some even went as far as saying the whole “space thing” has contributed nothing substantial to the lives of ordinary people.

While these remarks are sometimes easily dismissed as the result of merely a unique mix of boredom, skepticism, and egotism, such “off-track” commentary in fact provides an opportunity to reveal the roots of these very same sentiments and why they persist even amidst an event generally regarded as a moment for worldwide celebration.

‘STAR WARS’Hours after Curiosity’s landing,

the White House hailed the achievement with nationalist fervour. “Tonight, on the planet Mars, the United States made history,” US President Barack Obama said in a statement, boasting that the landing “will stand as a point of national pride far into the future.”

Obama’s science adviser, John Holdren, struck a similar note in an interview, claiming that the US was the only country ever to land spacecraft successfully on another planet, and ignoring the fact that Soviet Russia had also made successful landings on Venus toward the end of the previous century.

Historically, however, America’s penchant for competition wasn’t something new at all. In 1957, the Soviets launched the world’s

first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1. Alarmed with perceived “threats” to national security and tech-nological leadership, the US Congress instituted several reforms which led to the birth of agencies such as the NASA.

Then in 1961, within a couple of months after Yuri Gagarin manned the first space flight in history, former US President John F. Kennedy announced the US’ plans to land an astronaut on the moon before the end of the decade.

In recent years, even after the collapse of Soviet Russia, the space race continues—with European states and China becoming new key players in the game. The Americans were of course quick as ever to adapt into the game.

In 1999, restrictions on sharing satellite technology were first implemented by the US. Last year, the US Congress banned the use of NASA funds in developing any partnership program with China without authorization. Only a few months ago, the US and its allies condemned North Korea’s attempt to put a satellite into orbit, claiming the launch was a disguised long-range missile test.

At the core of motives that steer the advancement of space science, imperialist competition between industrial nations historically remains the primary driving force of space missions.

‘TREASURE PLANET’Despite ulterior motives behind

the project, the Curiosity mission, however, still emerged primarily as heroic proof of the power of collective social effort and scientific planning of brilliant scientists and engineers at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

It is inevitable then to ask: Why are such methods not being applied equally to effectively resolve problems on our home planet, such as poverty, unem-ployment, and environmental devastation?

According to Dr. Giovanni Tapang, chair of AGHAM, Advocates of Science and Technology for the People, a scientists’ group

in the Philip-pines, the benefits of space science are tremendous.

“We have technologies we now use, such as air-plane and rocket design, telecommunications equip-ment, GPS, fire-fighting equipment, scratch-resistant and anti-corrosion coatings, foam cushioning, metallized plastic sheets, which all came directly from the space program,” Tapang said.

Furthermore, space explora-tion can tell us the future and the past of our planet, espe-cially with regard to planet-wide climatic change, while also opening the possibility of space colonization in the future, Tapang added.

But the advancement and applications of space science in particular, and research and develop-ment (R&D) in general, are also limited by what is profitable according to the owners of capital in so-ciety.

“Tonight’s success, delivered by NASA, parallels our major steps forward towards a vision for a new partnership with American companies to send American astronauts into space on an American spacecraft,” Obama stated in the same congratula-tory message, demonstrating the increasingly large role of private corporations in science and revealing the future of the space agency.

‘LOST IN SPACE’“Basic research such as space

science, astronomy and others are important because they open up new avenues for development and knowledge which we can use in the future,” Tapang said.

As with all the great advances of humanity in history, the basic question in space science remains “for whom?” There is a need therefore to reorient not just the motives behind space projects like the Curiosity mission but also the driving force behind the production of scientific knowledge in general.

Nowhere else is the potential of science more woefully stunted than in developing countries like ours, where the significance of a successful mission to Mars is easily eclipsed by the devastating effects of torrential rains and wide-spread flooding caused by poor disaster management planning.

In the absence of even basic

inaccessible to many young, bright minds of the country.

Ultimately, we live amidst fast-paced scientific advancement and the increasing social nature of information. It is thus urgent for the Philippines to focus not only on building its own national industries to fully benefit from the production of knowledge, but also on fully supporting home-grown skill and talent to contribute to science in a global capacity.

Until then, when space explo-ration shall finally be based on genuinely global collaboration among the scientists and engi-neers of the world, the Curiosity rover and its descendants shall remain unwitting toys of the powerful, while giant leaps of science in the future shall remain directed by the interests of the wealthy.

national industries, Filipinos are forced, and even encouraged, to peddle their labor and intellectual capital to local private firms and multinational companies. Even in state universities and colleges, home to most cutting-edge R&D projects, the fate of science and technology relies increasingly on income-generating partnerships with private companies, as government subsidy continue to fall below the budget needed by the education sector.

Unable to fully participate and meaningfully contribute in actual scientific breakthroughs that directly benefit them, the Fili-pino public inevitably sees space missions like Curiosity almost merely as outsiders watching a fantastic spectacle.

Quite predictably, local media coverage of the Mars landing hitched on a young Filipino-Amer-ican engineer’s role in the space mission, invoking a kind of false pride by proxy and overlooking the fact that quality education has become more and more

To Mars and Beyond

As with all the great advances of humanity in history, the basic question in space science remains “for whom?”

LATHALAIN

Biyernes 23 Agosto 2012

Mula noon, hinubog na ng mga Amerikano ang mga Pili-

pino upang mahalin ang kanluran-ing kultura. Ang pinakamabisang instrumento ng kanilang panana-kop ay ang sistema ng edukasyon na idinala nila sa Pilipinas na nagbigay-diin sa paggamit ng wikang Ingles. Naging pangan-gailangan sa akademya at mga in-dustriya ang kahusayan sa wikang Ingles.

Subalit nitong nakaraang hul-ing mga dekada, napatunayan ng panulat nina Virgilio Almario, Rolando Tolentino, at iba pang dalubhasa ang kakayahan ng wikang Filipino na tumalakay sa mga diskursong panlipunan, lalo na hinggil sa sarili nating kultura. Sa ganitong antas mapapatu-nayan na hindi nakahihigit ang mga wikang banyaga sa wikang Filipino.

Ngunit hangga’t nananatiling nakaratay ang ating mga industriya sa dikta ng Kanluraning merkado, mananatiling nakakadena ang ating mga dila sa mga wikang banyagang babansot sa ating sariling wika at kultura. Hangga’t hindi pa napagtatagumpayan ang pagkamit ng ating kalayaan mula rito, hindi malayong maisip na tuwing Agosto lang maibibida ang sarili nating wika.

KULTURA

Biyernes24 Agosto 2012

LIPAS NA SA KAISIPAN NG maraming mag-aaral sa kolehiyo na tuwing Agosto, ipinagdiriwang ang Buwan ng Wika. Samantalang sa mga elementarya’t hayskul, abalang-abala ang mga bata habang nag-eensayo para sa sabayang pagbigkas at sa kanilang papel na gagampanan para sa pagtatanghal ng dula na hango sa Noli Me Tangere.

Taon-taon, ipinagdiriwang ng mga paaralan at ng buong bansa ang Buwan ng Wika. Ngunit sa labas ng mga entablado kung saan namamayani ang tinig ng mga batang nag-eensayo ng kanilang mga makathang tula, nananalagi ang tanong kung bakit sa tuwing Agosto lamang ginugunita ng mga Pilipino ang kanilang sariling wika.

Dula-dulaanMatapos ang paglaya ng Pilipinas

sa pananakop ng mga Hapon, inilatag ng bagong gobyernong Komonwelt noong 1935 ang ilan sa mga hakbang upang maituring ang Pilipinas na isang malayang bansa. Isa rito ang pagpapatibay ng iisang katutubong wika na magbubuklod sa buong bansa upang mas lalong maitaguyod ang sarili nating pagkakakilanlan o identidad-- isang malaking hamon dahil sa dami ng katutubong wika sa buong kapuluan.

Kaya naman noong 1937, ipinagtibay ng dating pangulong Manuel L. Quezon at ng Surian ng Wikang Pam-bansa, na ngayon ay Komisyon sa Wikang Fili-pino, na ang p a m b a n s a n g wika ay marapat na bumatay sa wikang Tagalog. Napili ang Tagalog dahil ito ang wikang lubos na naiintindihan ng kalakhan ng populasyon sa bansa, maraming panitikan ang nailathala sa wikang ito, at ito ang wikang ginagamit sa Maynila bilang sentro ng kalakalan. Noong 1987 lamang itinakda sa konstitusyon na “Filipino” ang itatawag sa wikang pambansa upang ihiwalay na ito sa grupong etnikong “Tagalog” at upang buksan ang pambansang wika sa pag-aangkop at paghihiram ng mga salita mula sa iba’t ibang wika sa bansa.

Itinalaga sa buwan ng Agosto ang pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Wikang Filipino dahil sa buwang ito ipinanganak ang dating pangulong Quezon, ang kinikila-

lang ama ng wikang Filipino. Gayunman, pinaiiksi ng ibang paaralan ang selebra-syon nito sa isang linggo.

Tanging ang Pilipinas la-mang ang may pagdiriwang na nakalaan para sa sariling wika, kung kailan ito ang panahong gagawa ang mga mag-aaral ng malalaking poster ng Bayanihan, ma-ghahanda ng pagtatanghal na tatampok sa makalu-mang kulturang Pilipino, at kung minsan, may parada pa ng mga batang may suot na barong at saya. Ngunit mata-pos ang lahat ng ito’y mala-mang na magulanit rin ang mga poster na ito, malilimutan ang mga kaganapan sa pagtatanghal, at itatambak muli ang barong at saya sa loob ng aparador.

Isang buwang ipagbubunyi ng mga Pilipino ang sarili nat-ing wika. Ngunit para sa mga natitirang buwan, walang maka-pagtitiyak kung ipinagmamalaki pa ng mga Pilipino ang Filipino, o kung may ibang wika na itong idinadakila.

Epol / appleMay mainit na debate pa rin sa

kung ano nga bang wika ang mas wastong gamitin para sa pagtu-turo sa mga paaralan. Maraming mambabatas ang naggigiit na

wikang Ingles ang marapat na gamitin bilang ito

ang tinaguriang “lingua franca” o ang wikang kilala ng buong mundo. Samantalang ipinagtanggol

ng ibang mambabatas ang

paggamit ng wikang Filipino sa pagtuturo

bilang ito ang wikang mas madaling maiintindihan ng karamihan at sa gayon, mas madali matututo ang mga mag-aaral kung ito ang gagamitin.

Noong 2003, itinakda ng dating pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo na mas pag-igihan pa ang paggamit ng wikang Ingles sa pagtuturo, ayon sa Executive Order 210. Ayon sa kanyang adminis-trasyon, para raw ito sa pagtaas ng global competency ng mga Pilipino. Bukod sa may layunin itong sanayin ang mga Pilipinong maglingkod sa mga dayuhan, sinasabi rin nito na walang likas na kakayahan ang wikang Filipino na tumugon sa pangangailangan ng panahon. Ngunit ngayong napatupad na ang programang

K-12, ang pagkakaroon ng universal kinder at 12 taon ng basic education, sa ilalim ng administrasyon Aquino, hinihi-kayat ng DepEd na ang “mother tongue” o ang wikang bernaku-lar ang gamiting wikang panturo sa mga mag-aaral. Sa ganitong paraan daw, batay sa maraming pagsusuri sa loob at labas ng bansa, ay mas mauunawaan ng mga mag-aaral ang mga paksang tatalakayin sa kanilang mga klase dahil mas gagap nila ang wikang kanilang kinagisnan.

Sa aspektong ito, mahihinu-hang kinikilala ng bagong pro-grama ang kakayanan ng mga wikang katutubo at ng wikang Filipino m a k a p a g -p a l i w a n a g ng mga k o n s e p t o at aral-ing pang-akademiko. B a g a m a ’ t may posibili-dad na mahati ng ganitong sistema ang mga mag-aaral na tangkilikin ang kanilang sari-sariling wikang bernakulo, kasabay ng pagtang-kilik sa sarili nating mga wika ay ang unti-unting pagguho ng kolonyal na pag-iisip ng mga Pilipino, at pagpapayaman ng

ating sariling kultura.

AbakadabraHanggang sa ngayon, nakatali

pa rin ang ating mga kamay para mas paghusayan ang ating paggamit sa wikang banyaga kesa sa ating sariling wika.

Nagkaroon ng mainit na tala-kayan hinggil sa kahalagahan ng Filipino noong nakaraang taon nang nailathala sa Manila Bul-letin ang sanaysay ni James So-riano, isang estudyanteng kol-umnista, na “Language, learning, identity, privileged.” Ayon kay So-

riano, ang wikang Inggles umano ang wika ng

mga nakapag-aral, hindi ang wikang Filipino.

Sa isang banda, hindi rin natin ma-sisisi at mai-

kukubli ang katotohanan na

Ingles ang wikang madalas gamitin ng mga

“priviledged” na Pilipino sapagka’t mula pa noong panahon ng pananakop ng mga Amerikanoi-dinikta na sa atin na kailangan nating tangkilikin ang wikang banyaga upang maging maunlad ang bansa.

Sabayang pagbigkas, sabayang pagbaklasTUWING AGOSTO IPINAGDIRIWANG ANG BUWAN NG WIKA. NGUNIT MAGPASAHANGGANG NGAYON, USAPIN PA RIN KUNG ANO NA NGA BA ANG KALAGAYAN NG ATING PAMBANSANG WIKA AT KUNG TUNAY PA NGA BANG PINAHAHALAGAHAN ITO NG MGA PILIPINO.

Jonathan Alejo Valdez

Para sa mga natitirang buwan, walang makapagtitiyak kung ipinagmamalaki pa ng mga Pilipino ang Filipino, o kung may ibang wika na itong idinadakila

Kasabay ng pagtangkilik sa sarili nating mga wika ay ang unti-unting pagguho ng kolonyal na pag-iisip ng mga Pilipino, at pagpapayaman ng ating sariling kultura

People are infected with a syndrome that has the potential to paralyze the revolu-tionary functions in our brains

KUNG BAKIT AKO SUMALI SA KULÊ

LAKAS TAMA

Wala ‘yan sa lolo ko*

Sa totoo lang, hindi naman maituturing na laging negatibo ang Kulê — mas akma, para sa akin, ang salitang mapanuri

THE PETIBS SYNDROME

OPINYONBiyernes

24 August 2012

THE STREETS SHOULD BE packed with people right now. They should be grinding their teeth in anger, or marching steadfast in the heat of the long-missed sunshine, in response to the spectrum of issues that continue to assault them despite the promise of genuine change. They are still exploited for their labor, intellect, and bodies, while the dire condi-tions of life manifest in various ways: cheap wages, landlessness, unabated price hikes, inadequate social services, and continuing en-vironmental degradation.

The apparent normal-cy, the choking complacency enveloping the surroundings cannot be explained right away. For one, the people cannot be ex-cused for lack of knowledge. Af-ter all, the tipping points which lead to a mass revolt have long been mouthed by the oft-vili-fied, sometimes annoying, yet persistent activists. Saying people are busy on the other hand is simply lame; never in the history of mankind has there been more time to flood the world with self-referent materials via social media.

Finally, the fear of the state hand, of tear gases, water cannons, and police shields, cannot be used as reason for backing out of the fight. The State will always wield its power against resistance—a constant condition that must be looked at as part of the problem,

at the poor, premised on the blind yet denied worship of private property. Symptoms can begin with consenting to the preposterous suggestion from the Palace to ‘blast the homes’ of millions of Filipinos to clear the waterways, and can later devolve to cursing the ‘squatters’ and blaming them for the filth and floods of the Metro. Those who cannot own, they believe, are no good to society.

The lingering and most dangerous side-effect of this syndrome is the perceived separation of the afflicted people from the oppressed classes, and their belief in the ability of the rotten system to recover, provided it goes through token changes such as the elections. This mentality, hammered in the psyche of the afflicted masses so deeply by the constant barrage of propaganda via pop culture, must be countered by generous doses of critical education and exposure to life as experienced by the strug-gling masses.

This is not the first time the syndrome was observed—it is the nature of the middle-class, a tendency bred by years of frustration with the current system, pushing them to cling on to individual wants.

Fortunately, the progression of this syndrome can be arrested. The first step is class diagnosis. The next is the strengthening of the will to overcome the nature of the class we belong to.

galitan ang kapwa mo writer, pero nauunawaan mong hindi iyon personal. Kahit mga alumni ng Kulê, parang linggo-linggo pa rin ang presswork kung magkita sa inuman.

Napagkasunduan nga ng mga kasama ko rito na para na kaming may sariling kultura. May mga joke at hirit na hindi naiintindihan ng iba naming kaibigan. May mga expression din at partikular na tono sa pagbanggit ng ilang salita ang pare-pareho naming ginagamit. Dahil nasanay akong sila lagi ang kasama, hindi ko mapigilang magulat kapag may nagtatanong kung “kailan ang SONA” at “sino ang president ng UP.”

Iyon ang isa pang dahilan — kapag taga-Kulê ka, laging matatalino’t matatalas na tao ang sa paligid mo. May mga bagong Kulê ngayon ang naninibago sa mga “negatibong” anggulo sa mga isinusulat namin. Pero sa totoo lang, hindi naman maituturing na laging negatibo ang Kulê — mas akma, para sa akin, ang salitang mapanuri.

Totoong tumataas ang kamulatan ng mga taga-Kulê habang nagtatagal sila sa pagsulat, pagguhit o pagkuha ng mga litrato para sa dyaryo. Sa tatlong taon ko sa Kulê, nakapag-interview na ako ng batang prostituted, ng mamang nagnakaw at nakulong dahil walang makain, ng tindera sa Chinatown, at iba pa.

Linggo-linggo ko ring binasag ang bungo ko para masagot ang karaniwang tanong na “anong bagong angle” at “ano ang pinaka-sharp na analysis.”

Kapag bago ka sa Kulê, hindi malabong manghina o matakot ka sa edit marks ng editor mo; posibleng maramdaman mong hindi ka sapat para sa paman-tayan ng dyaryo. Pero sabi nga namin, “matitigas ang mukha” ng mga nagtatagal sa Kulê. Nakikipaglaro kasi ito sa ego ng mga miyembro — minsan naninira ng dangal, pero may mga pagkakataon ding wala nang papuring tutumbas kapag nasabi-han kang “bet!” ng mga kasama mo.

Kalaunan, magiging natu-ral na sa ‘yo ang pagpili ng mga akmang salita at pag-ayos ng mga detalye sa artikulo. At hindi mo rin maiiwasan na sa tuwing may maririnig kang issue, susuriin mo ito sa mas mataas na antas — sa isang pananaw na nakabubuti para sa marami at sa diskursong tumutunggali sa mga nakasan-ayan.

Tama namang haggard talaga sa Kulê — kumakain ng oras, nagiging “cause of delay” sa pag-graduate, at minsa’y naninira pa ng relasy-on sa pamilya, kasintihan at sa ibang mga kaibigan. Pero sa totoo lang, hindi ko maisip kung ano ang magiging buhay ko sa kolehiyo kung hindi ako sumali rito.

MAY TATLONG PAYO sa akin si Mama bago siya umalis patungong Saudi. Una, bawas-bawasan ko raw ang pagyosi’t pagtoma ko. Ikalawa, ituloy ko na ang pag-shift sa gusto kong kurso. At ikatlo, huwag ko raw bibigyan ng sakit ng ulo si Lolo.

Katabi namin si Lolo nang sina-bi niya iyon sa airport. At tulad ng nakagawian, deadpan lang ang matanda.

Nang paalis na si Mama, “’Wag kang OA” ang parting words sa kanya ni Lolo. Lahat ng pagbati’t mga bilin, ikinasa na lang namin sa mahihigpit na yakap at mabilisang halik sa noo.

Noong mga oras na iyon, hindi ko maiwasang maisip na mapapabilang na naman ako sa isang popular na statistics. Bukod sa bahagi ako ng dumaraming bilang ng broken families sa Pilipinas, ngayo’y isa na rin akong anak ng OFW.

Pag-uwi, dalawa na lang kami ni Lolo sa taxi—at iyon na yata ang pinakamahabang awkward silence sa buhay ko. May walong taon na kaming magkasama sa bahay pero kailanman, hindi lumampas sa limang minuto ang mga usapan namin. “Alis na po ako” ang madalas kong linya sa kanya, at suwerte na kung susuklian niya ito ng “sige,” o “ingat” o “heto baon mo.”

Kaunti lang ang alam ko tungkol kay Lolo. Halimbawa, alam kong mahusay siyang tumugtog ng piano. May isang beses ngang umuwi ako sa amin nang madaling araw—lasing na lasing. At walang biro, nanginig talaga ang puso’t kalamnan ko nang makarinig ako ng malumbay na musika habang sinasara ang pinto. Hindi ko mawari kung nagkaroon ba ng soundtrack ang buhay dahil sa walong bote ng beer na tinagay ko, o kung nagkatotoo na iyong mga napapanood ko dati sa horror special ng Magandang Gabi Bayan. Nakahinga lang ako nang magsalita si Lolo: “Kung susuka ka, doon ka sa banyo.” Hindi na ako nakasagot pero sa loob-loob ko, Wala na po akong amats, Lolo, thank you.

May mga bagay din akong nalalaman dahil sa mga naririnig ko sa usapan nila ni Mama. Alam kong nagyoyosi siya dati’t tumigil lang nang nabuntis si Lola. Siya lang din ang kilala kong napapangitan kay Risa Hontiveros. Mukhang “labanos na may make-up” daw ang “kunwaring aktibista,” sabi niya.

Tutol si Lolo sa pag-alis ni Mama. Narinig ko na silang magtalo tungkol sa akin, at kahit pa nakaupo ako sa may kusina, parang aparisyon lang ako na hindi nila nakikita. Natatakot si Lolo para sa akin, pero pinagpipilitan ni Mama na alam ko na ang ginagawa ko. “Akala ko rin dati alam mo ang ginaga-wa mo,” sabi ni Lolo. Critical hit iyon para sa nanay kong nabuntis, iniwan ng syota at nagpalaki ng anak kahit hindi pa siya handa. Gusto ko sanang sumabat pero naisip ko, hindi naman ako ang tunay na bida sa pagtatalo nila.

Hindi ko malaman ang gagawin at sasabihin nang makatabi ko si Lolo sa taxi kaya nagpanggap na lang akong natutulog. Nagsalita lang ako nang tumug-tog ang “If You Leave Me Now” ng Chicago sa radyo. “Gusto ko ‘yang kantang ‘yan,” sabi ko.

“Ako rin,” sabi niya. At parang sa pelikula, sabay naming inawit ang mga sumunod na linya hang-gang sa matapos ang kanta.

*pasintabi sa Eat Bulaga o sa kung saan man nanggaling ang catchphrase na ito

Lauren Anicia

not a game-changing variable.As all possible explanations

are unsatisfactory, only one hypothesis is left: the people are infected with a syndrome that has the potential to paralyze the revolutionary functions in our brains.

The following behavioural patterns can be seen in many peo-ple now: restlessness, impatience, arrogance, and ambivalence. These are most obvious in crucial mo-ments of decision, such as when an

activist-friend persuades a person to join a mass demonstration. The reply is usually just one of the two: mockery or apology. Either way, it’s a ‘no,’ even when the issue at stake is the increase in oil prices, which can determine whether he/she would have to pay a couple more pesos for an Ikot ride two or three months later.

The afflicted also exhibits ab-surd psychological maladies, which usually include—but are never limited to—irrational rage

Sabi ng isang malapit na kai-bigan, kaya raw nagtatagal ang mga tao sa Kulê ay dahil may mga kulang sa buhay nila na kayang punan ng pahayagan.

Matagal kong pinagnilayan ang puntong iyon. Dahil love-hate ang relasyon ko sa Kulê (sumali- umalis-bumalik), dumarating talaga ang mga pagkakataong inuugat ko ang mga dahilan ng pananatili ko rito’t pakikibahagi sa lingguhang sakit ng ulo.

Isang dahilan, siyempre, ang pagkakaroon ko ng malalapit na kaibigan sa Kulê. Freshman ako nang sumali kaya maaga pa lang,

nalimitihan na ang oras ko para maghanap ng ibang mga kaibigan.

Pero hindi ko ito pinagsisisihan. Hindi kasi basta-basta ang samahang nabubuo rito sa Vinzons 401. Bawat weekend, kakailanga-nin ninyong damayan ang isa’t isa upang maitaguyod ang dyaryo. Makikita mong napapa-

Anong masasabi mo sa madamdaming speech ni Tito

Sotto?hindi utak senador, dramang artista.

-0702789its not right to generalize that what

happened to you happens to each of the one hundred million filipinos. also, it could’ve been better if he stuck with the facts. artista kasi eh. haha. 2012-21271 Arius Raposas BA Hist

Dyan naman sya magaling sa pag-arte,forte nya yan eh! Puro cla photo-ops they 4get wat we really need, a long term solution 2 end the poverty here in PINAS! Vince maulana ncpag guard

Pang-best actor! Ikaw na TITO! Da best ka. Muah muah chup chup! :p 12-51184 BS Stat

sana nag-stay na lang si Tito Sotto sa comedy, bebenta pa sya. 201143213 abbi BA PolSci

Gusto ata ni Tito Sotto na masama din sa cast ng Walang Hanggan tulad ng asawa niyang si Helen Gamboa. Baka daw makita sya ni direk, makatyamba! Punyemas pati pulitika dinadaan sa drama! ‘10-010** Tekla

PLAGIARIZED! Nakakahiya ang speech niya, senador pa man din. 201078818

Madamdaming plagiarized speech ni sotto. D porket blogger ang kinopyahan nia, d n nya isacite. Nkakahyang senador. Tsk tsk. 2012-35490 BA JournalismSino ang bet mong maging bida sa pelikula ng “50 Shades of Gray”?

Since people keep accusing EL James of having written 50 shades of gray as a ripoff of twilight, why not reuse the lead actors from its film version too? They both have that creepy factor, Pattinson has his dead cold look (and sparkle), and I’m sure KStew deserves a little spank-ing after her little issue. ;) 2011-18140

Matt Bomer and Amana Seyfried 2010-55339 Alou Wy BS ChE

Si Noynoy para sa 50 different shades of gray ng buhok nya sa ulo. 112***3

IAN SOMMERHALDER ANG BET N BET N MAGING MR CHRISTIAN GREY!:)) 1027646

O, Mayor Lim na yan. 2012-78807First of all 50 shades of Grey yon kasi

wla ako bet na maging bida sa 50 shades of Gray. Well, kung ‘50 shades’ tril-ogy lang ang usapan bet na bet ko ang makalaglag panty na si MATT BOMER bilang si Christian Trevelyan Grey and I fucking nominate MYSELF as Anasta-sia Rose Steele. ;) Yen Legaspi BS Phys-ics PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila

Matt Bomer omg! He’s gonna rock it like it’s a boat! :)) 2010-0**94

Si IAN SOMERHALDER ang dapat na maging Christian Grey. Sa mystery and dark expressions palang ng char-acter, 100% match na! IanForGrey! 200949460 GELIX PILAPIL BS MetE

Sa sobrang gwapo ni christian grey, parang wala yata pwdeng gumanap. Ok sana si ian somerhalder, gwapo kaso bampira na eh. Haha. 0911780

CommentsHi kule! Miss ko na si gino chang! :))Para kay ate Marjohara para sa Pro-

ject NOAH, ayyiie pumi-PBB teens! Akala ko talagang para dun sa website yung article mo. U olredi :)) 2011-47xxx ic

HAHAHA. tawang-tawa po ako kay kuyang nasa mrt sa eksenang peyups .. XD 2012-21098.̂ _ .̂

Nakakakiliiiig yung article ni Ate Marjohara. Sana siya na nga talaga at sana tuloy-tuloy ang update ng kule sa mga susunod pang kilig moments ng lovestory na ‘to. :) 2012-78570 Cathy BS SW

Re: cultural table scraps. Kaya nga Sup-port Local Independent Music! :) 200*-4670*

Hahahaha! Winner ang Eksenang Peyups talaga! Lalo na ang chika #3. Para-paraan lang talaga. ‘10-65868

Benta ung chika3 ng EP, haha :D 2009-21886 b.s ge0l

kule.hanga aq sa mga cartoonist nio.. i want to be like them .. nakakainis ung mga intrimitidong freshie .bagamat freshie den aq. ansarap nga nung mai eye opener sa mga student e. 12-27409Sagutan

To Louie Posadas: Sorry but Kule is not the UP Newsletter. Go look for high school’s “objective” journalism some-

‘Pass a pro-women, pro-poor RH bill’

where else. 09-57***To 10-59856, laging may bias sa

pagbabalita, mainstream o alternative man na medium. Walang negative sa ginagawa ng kule. Masigasig silang na-ghahanap ng datos, gumagawa ng pa-nayam at nagsasaliksik. Sadyang nega-tive ang tunay na nangyayari at you can’t expect a positive headline from that. Disappointing talaga yung naka-paloob sa article na binanggit mo, pero mas disappointing kung lilinlangin lang din tayo ng pahayagan na mas kritikal at mas mulat kaysa sa iba. 12-20247 BA Journ

To: 10-658658. Kule PARA SA MAR-GINALIZED STUDENTS? Saan yung marginalized students sa UP? I was not informed. – 0782181

To 06-78686, I AGREE. Sa high sch0ol lng cnsbi n “dpat walang bias” ang j0urnalism. Ang Kule ay simbolo ng katapangan ng UP students. Di ko n rin kc mbilang kung ilan beses ko n nbsa n “bias” dw ang Kule. Ako po ay fan ng dyary0ng ito, in fact, 2 issues lng ang kulang ko nung freshie ako. ^_ ̂ 09-21886, b.s ge0l

PanawaganKung makabayan talaga ang UP,

dapat sinusurportahan nila ang mga community establishments tulad ng SC at hindi ang mga private sectors! 2012-24576

Pabatihi kay FRANCE OBISPO! napakagan-

da mo, lalo ka pang gumaganda araw araw! Nkakabighani! 200759523 harhar

Nais ko lng pong batiin c Celine, Mi-kee, Te Pao, Dhan, Carla at Marwin. Ha-haha. Lagi nman tyong mgksama, well ung iba, ung iba d ngrreply kht nkkailang text nko at prang nkkpag-usap lng ako s imagnary boyfriend kong c Enrique Gil. Pro no hard feelings. Haha. D more u hate d more u love, ika nga. Kain nman tau minsan kay Mang Robert. Whahaha. Ingat lagi. Enjoy ntin to! Rakenrol! 2012-30386 feelingFC

OPINYON

Biyernes 24 Agosto 2012

Hold Your Breath, Count to

Three, and SYAGIT!“Syagit” or the Cebuano term for

shout is what we do when we’re at our happiest. On August 25, 6pm at Moonleaf Maginahawa, UP Kagayhaan, an organization of UP scholars from Cagayan de Oro, brings you their annual fiesta party: “SYAGIT 2012: A Shout For Prosperi-TEA”. This event aims to help victims from the recent floods in Manila brought by the south-west monsoon. Lend a hand to those who are in need while having a great time grooving to acoustic and classical music. Altogether, let’s “Syagit” the night away.

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NEXT WEEK’S QUESTIONS:1. Sino sa tingin mo ang karapat-dapat na maging sunod na DILG secretary?2. Ano ang gusto mong maging tema ng UP Pep Squad ngayong taon?

Key in KULE <space> MESSAGE <space> STUDENT NUMBER <required> NAME and COURSE (optional) and send to

Non-UP students must indiate any school, organizational or sectoral affiliation.

#CHANGE

Revolutionizing Trends in Youth Involvement in Nation-building The Office of the Student Regent, in partnership with KASAMA sa UP

and UP Solidaridad will be co-hosting the 2012 University of the Philip-pines Student Congress with the theme: “#CHANGE: Revolutionizing Trends in Youth Involvement in Nation-building.” This annual Student Congress will gather UP’s top student leaders from student councils, organizations, publications, and other student formations from the different UP campuses to discuss our different concerns as well as to formulate our unified response.

For details, contact Cleve (09277334302), Kevin (091666052559) or like us on Facebook (fb.com/2012UpStudentCongress)! 

Tulong Sulong Fundraising GigHindi pa huli para makatulong sa pagsulong ng mga nasalanta ng

Hanging Habagat. Inihahatid ng Sinagbayan UP ang TULONG SULONG: Isang  Fund-raising Gig. Ang lahat ng kikitain dito ay mapupunta sa Oplan Sagip Kanayunan ng Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas. Tutugtog ang mga bandang Talahib, The Squibs, Pink Cow, KJah, CoffeeBreak Island, BLKD, The Axel Pinpin Propaganda Machine, Republika De Lata, Plagpul, Dictador, 5 Year Plan, Squibs. At may free TANGINA THIS printing! Sa Agosto 24, tara na sa Freedom Bar, Anonas!

Para sa ibang detalye bisitahin ang www.facebook.com/sinagbayan.up o kontakin si Bonnie Jenniedy Ruiz ng Sinagbayan UP (09272803351).

Pektus: Mga Maikling Kwento Isang book launch, film showing,

at graffitti art show, at exhibit ng mga artista ngayon. Ang Pektus ay antolohiya ng mga akda na iniluwal ng mga utak na uhaw at gutom sa gitna ng kalye habang hinahabol ng mga nampapayb-six, adik at asong ulol. May libreng pudtrip at toma! Rekta na sa August 31, 2012, 3-5 PM sa paligid ng CAL at FC. Andun kras mo! Pektusin mo!

CONTACT US. Write to us via snail mail or submit a soft copy to Room 401 Vinzons Hall, UP DIliman, Quezon City. Email us at kule1213@gmail.com. Save Word attachments in Rich Text For-mat, with INBOX, NEWSCAN or CONTRIB in the subject. Always include your full name, address and contact details.

DA BIRDIE EDISHUNHello mga bekibers, maders,

koyangs, and closeta muheras! Ahaha-ha! I am so back! Your very own devil in disguise and university bitchesa. Walang wala nang makapipigil pa sa aking isasabog na bagong chismis. My gedhz, sumasabog na sa super init ang mga luha ng tumititilanding birdies na naglipana muli across the univer-sity. Ugh, like they left the stains on the walls! Eww.

Birdie #1: Gesh! Sinong koyang itey na super lang makapaasa to the max? As in after the koyang sat on the jeep to SM, may sumunod na koyang in blue. Gedhz, like fatal attraction ang peg! In fair lang magskin to skin ang dalawa inside the jeep from the arms to the siko! Itinago ang arms behind his bag and slowly crawled his fingers across the fat tummy ni koya. Eto naman si koya ay hindi na makatiis at bumigay. Muntik nang sumabog ang pants ni koyang nang biglang su-migaw si manong driver ng “Visayas Avenue.” Ayon, napa-tsk tsk na lang si koyang in blue after bumaba. Hay, kasi naman mga beks, lesson learned, huwag hu-hook up sa jeep kung ayaw niyong mabitin.

Birdie #2: Sinetch ang koyang itey na during an afternoon tambay with his brads and sistahs across the uber quiet na kuboland ng kolehiyo ng Ka-landian, ay biglang may nagpasabog ng sama loob as in maders tiririt ang putok mula sa ilalim. In fair, sa mga nasa loob nagtinginan kay koyang at biglang napasabi ang isang mudra na “Ikaw ba yon?” Sabi ni koya, “sorry hindi ko alam kung may tunog siya o wala hanggang lumabas ang *.” Gedhz, koya ah ang bango!

Birdie #3: And for our super pasab-og, sinetch namang koyang itey na af-ter iwanan through letter ng kanyang boynetchiwa ay hindi pa rin lumilipas ang bitteresa effex. Kelan maghihilom ang pusong nasugatan ang peg ni koy-ang. In fair, mas nasugatan pa siya to the max nang malaman niyang nag-chugchugan fest ulet si boynetchiwa sa isang tenggabelles na boylash. Hay, naku koyang itigil na ang pangangarap wala nang babalikan sa mga balikong utrez. Keri be happy? Mwah mwah!

In fair, naginit ako dun. Hihi three drops na pang-gondola. Aavail muna ako ng mga boylalu from engineering, I heard they’re big daw. Harhar see yah mwahbelles bye!

proposed RH law] underscores the State’s intent in pushing for population control,” according to the Makabayan’s statement.

The Senate is also currently deliberating on its own version of the RH bill as proposed by Senators Miriam Defensor - Santiago and Pia Cayetano. The Senate ended the period of debates on June 6. The Senate has yet to start the period of amendments and vote on second reading.

Once the HOR and Senate ratify their respective versions of the proposed bill on third and final reading, the two chambers of the Congress will meet in a bicameral conference to reconcile differences in the two versions. The final version will then be forwarded to President Benigno Aquino III for him to sign it into law.

“[The] Congress should consider the unhealthy state that marginalized women are in, and be moved by their need for free, accessible, relevant, basic and immediate health services. Let us move towards a national policy on a genuine, pro-poor, and comprehensive reproductive health care,” said Gabriela Representative Emmy De Jesus.

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Hilig mo ba ang SANS TULUGAN? Baka ikaw na ang aming long lost layout artist! Magdala ng dalawang bluebook at panulat. Akyat lang sa Room 401 Vinzons Hall. Kitakits!

LATHALAIN

Biyernes 23 Agosto 2012

May bahid ng takot ang mga tanaw ni Teresa Garcia, 50, habang nakikipagsapalaran sa laot ang anak niyang si Juster, 14, upang manghuli ng isda. Katulad ng nararamdaman niya sa tuwing mamamangka ang anak, binabalot din ng takot si Aling Teresa sa tuwing naiisip ang napipintong paglisan nila sa kanilang tahanan dulot ng malawakang pagpapalawig ng lupain sa Freedom Island, Las Pinas.

“Lilipat na kami sa Taguig sa Disyembre, pero hindi ko alam kung paano kasi [wala pa kaming pamasahe],” ani Aling Teresa. Pinapirma na raw sila ng kasulatang nagsasaad na kasama ang kanilang tirahan sa Coastal Road sa Las Piñas na matatamaan ng Manila-Cavite Coastal Reclamation Project, isang proyektong naglalayong tabunan ng lupa ang 635.14-hektaryang katubigan sa Freedom Island.

Sa pamamangka s i n i s i m u l a n ni Juster ang kanyang umaga. May huli man o wala, basta’t nakakapaglaot ay para na ring nabusog ang tiyan niyang wala pang laman at mga mata niyang nais maglakbay.

Dahil sa matumal na huli ng isda, isang de-lata lamang ng sardinas ang pinagsaluhan ng mag-anak. Kahit kumakalam ang sikmura, kuntento na si Aling Teresa tuwing nakikitang kumakain ang kanyang mga anak.

Nakahanap ng mapaglilibangan ang bunsong anak ni Aling Teresa na si James, 6, sa tanging isdang nahuli ni Juster. Tinalian niya ang bibig ng isda at pinalangoy sa tubig hanggang makawala ito. Kagaya ng isdang nakatali sa pisi, nanganganib ding mawala ang kinagisnang pamumuhay ng pamilya Garcia dahil sa industriyalisasyon at reclamation sa kanilang lugar.

Muling makikipag -sapalaran si Juster sa laot. Ngunit ngayon, ang alon naman ng dumaraming mga gusaling nagbabantang t u m a n g a y sa kanilang p a m u m u h a y ang kanyang haharapin.

Dapithapon na senyas na dapat nang magsiuwian ang mga batang nagtrabaho’t naglaro buong araw. Ngunit para kina Juster at James, at sa iba pang mga batang nakatira malapit sa Freedom Island, walang katiyakang may mauuwian pa sila kinabukasan.

Sa pagkagat ng dilim, ang ilaw na galing sa street lights ang tanging tanglaw na nagbibigay liwanag sa tirahan nina Aling Teresa. Sa kanilang pagtulog, walang katiyakan ang pamilya Garcia na sa pagmulat ng kanilang mga mata ay hindi pa inaanod ng mga alon ng modernisasyon ang tagpi-tagping tirahan na kumanlong sa kanilang mga pangarap.

Pagharap sa daluyong