volume
XXXVI
PHOTOS BY EDITHA AILEEN MIJARES
GEP now regular BU campus
Congress to approve P75 million for construction
Bicol University Gubat
Campus (BUGC) still
awaits approval of the P75-million budget
allottment for the construction of its new
campus facilities in Barangay Buenavista,
Gubat, Sorsogon.
Director Domingo Nace of BUGC said
there is still “no feedback” from Congress
regarding the budget proposal issued back
in September 2009.
As of now, the four-hectare property
allocated for the construction of the new
campus facilities remains idle and barren.
House Bill 4410 proposed two years
ago, which formally integrates the former
Bicol University Gubat Extension Program
(BUGEP) into a regular campus of the uni-
versity, had already been passed into law.
This act exempts BUGEP from the provi-
sion in the General Appropriations Act
(GAA) which states that universities can
only create or establish campuses and
courses within the province where their
main campus is located.
On delayed integration
Bicol University Gubat Campus
(BUGC) was supposed to be put up on June
13, 1996 but was again converted into an
extension program due to the resistance
of the Department of Budget Management
(DBM) to release funding for the campus.
Since the GAA does not cover the op-
BY ARLENE JOY DERILO
eration of Bicol University outside Albay,
the best way for BU to operate in other
provinces in the Bicol Region is through
special legislation. It is for this reason that,
through the efforts of Rep. Jose Solis of the
2nd District of Sorsogon, House Bill 4410
was proposed.
“Senator Mar Roxas promised to ex-
pedite the legislative process regarding the
bill,” BU Board Secretary Renato Hingco
stated.
It was back in 1996 that the BU Board
of Regents (BOR) came up with the prem-
ise authorizing the faculty to carry out an
extension program in Gubat, Sorsogon. It
was not, however, the responsibility of the
institution to provide additional budget for
the program’s operation.
Initial funding for the enhancement
of the Bicol University Gubat Extension
Program (BUGEP) “old building” was prof-
fered by former Representative of Sorso-
gon’s 2nd district, Cong. Bonifacio Gillego.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
signed by BU and the local government
unit of Gubat, Sorsogan delineated the re-
spective responsibilities of each party in
the operation of BUGC as approved by the
BOR in 1997.
Gubat Mayor Deogracias Ramos also
extended aid in restoring BUGC building
during his tenure. However, with Ramos’
loss in a subsequent election, the LGU’s fi-
nancial support of the program also dried
up.
In the same year, Dr. Eddie See, was
designated as full-time director of BUGEP.
in this issue
In 1998, the first class of graduates in
Gubat was recognized as BU Alumni and
the following year Prof. Daniel Buendia
was designated as BUGC director.
However, on August 11, 1999, a BU
Administrative Council approved BU-BOR
Resolution No. 46 for the disintegration of
BUGC because of its meager enrollment.
The Director designation was deemed
questionable.
The resolution stipulated the endorse-
ment of the terminated program to Sorso-
gon State College (SSC). At that time, the
extension program stopped admitting en-
rollees in AY 2000-2001 but concurrently
enrolled students were allowed to gradu-
ate under the aegis of BU.
BUGEP under BU’s premises
The agreement between BU and SSC
regarding the turnover of BUGC to the lat-
ter fueled a clamor among the Gubat com-
munity to petition the BU-BOR to cancel
the proposed transfer.
“According to the community, they
could not get their desired quality of ed-
ucation from SSC; and they thought BU
could provide such,” Board Secretary Hing-
co said.
► page 5 | GEP
number
01
KURAHAW. An pagpalaad nin mga kandila kan
mga estudyante nagsisirbing pangapodan ninda
sa marikas na hustisya para sa mga biktima kan
masaker sa Maguindanao. Sinda nangangapo-
dan man na pundohon an pag-gadan asin pag-
silensyo sa tingog kan sociedad; sa hinangos kan
demokrasya.
Tax deduction from part-timers
In August 2009, a former part-time instructor
in BUPC posted a blog about the deduction of
10% witholding tax from their monthly salary.
Universitarian contemplates the issue, reviewing
the tax laws and provisions provided by BIR, BU,
COA, and the constitution as regards the nature
of part-timers and their compensation. (Page 6)
Book purchase controversy
Students from BUGC question
the supposedly anomalous 2M
peso worth of newly purchased
books in their library. They de-
cry the discouraging the use of
the books, and their blatant
irrelevance to the courses
offered in their campus.
(Page 16)
Plight of BU athletes and ROTC cadets
Sweat. Blood. Soul. After giving everything, what
more could you still give? After you've sacri-
ficed a lot to chase your dreams, can you take
the misery of being trapped in a dead-end?
Would you still continue to brace yourself
for a battle when you know that in the end
it would be hopeless to fight? Where then is
this kind of life leading to? (Page 7)
Pageant clamor unveiled
What should have been purely a spectacle
of beauties and talents became a spotlight
of controversy in this year's Search for Mr.
and Ms. Bicol University. (Page 12)
» read more
www.unibeonline.com
|news
2
BU student tops CPA board
Macabeo’s success story is
one to ponder about, if
one believes that he is
a trendsetter for all BU
students to emulate.
See feature on page 10
BU to put up office in Manila
A P5-million new extension office of Bicol University
(BU) will rise in Metro Manila to house transient travelers
from the university.
The projected building will replace the house in Para-
dise Village, Project 8 Quezon City that BU has been renting
for 15 years now, at P15,000 a month. School officials and
students who travel to Manila or in other near vicinities are
expected to use the extension office. Students reviewing for
board examinations will also be accommodated. Transients
pay P100 per day while student occupants are entitled to 50
percent discount.
Vice President for Productions (VPP) Jerry Bigornia
said that the Board of Regents (BOR) has authorized BU
President Fay Lauraya to search for possible office sites. He
also stated the provisions that were set in search for the new
property which include its resistance from floods and its dis-
tance from the central office of the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED) in Diliman, Quezon City.
Bigornia said three properties were already evaluated
but were all turned down. First was a house and lot in a
subdivision in Tandang Sora, Quezon, another was near SM
North EDSA, and another one in the same city. Three other
sites are being considered. †
ORSON PRIVALDOS
■■■■■
3 new scholarships offered
Three new externally-funded scholarship programs
have been added to the 46 existing scholarship grants in Bi-
col University to give financial aid to more poor but deserv-
ing students.
These scholarships and loan grant are the Albay Higher
Education Contribution Scheme (AHECS), Conressional
Assistance and Relief to Education for Sorsoguenos (BU-
JGS CARES), and Delfin A. Co Foundation Incorporated
(DACFI).
The AHECS is a concessional loan facility designed by
the Provincial Government of Albay for Albay students in
the pursuit of higher education. Student-beneficiary must re-
pay cost of the Provincial Government’s expenditures when
he gets a job in order to finance other students who also de-
sire to avail the loan program.
The documentary requirements during the application
are two 1½ x 1½ colored photos, application form, copy
of official transcript of records if an old/returning student;
Form 138 if fresh high school graduate, copy of NCAE (Na-
tional Career Assessment Evaluation) result from the prin-
cipal, certificate of good moral character, and certificate of
indigence from the Barangay Chairman.
Eligible nursing students for the Delfin A. Co Founda-
tion Inc. must submit their parents’ Income Tax Returns and
belong to the upper 10 percent of the class.
Other scholarships and financial assistance programs
such as study grants, student assistance, grant-in aids, tuition
fee discounts and discount loans facilitated by the Office of
Student Services are categorized into two, internally and ex-
ternally funded scholarship grants.†
AMABELLE LOREMIA
Universitarian
The Bicol
5 others place in ME, Forestry, LET
BY TAMAR ANTONIO
Six graduates of Bicol University (BU)
emerged as top performers in recent licensure
examinations held in July and October last year.
Ivan Rhett Macabeo notched the top spot in the Oc-
tober 2009 Licensure Examination for Certified Public Ac-
countants (CPA) with an average rating of 91.7 percent
while Keiser Yohann Ballecer clinched the seventh rank
with a rating of 90.5 percent.
Macabeo and Ballecer, lead the 2,888 successful ex-
aminees nationwide, placing BU second to University of the
Philippines-Diliman (UP) in Category B of top performing
schools with 51 to 99 examinees. With 59 board takers,
the university savoured a 75 percent national passing rate
(the university’s highest passing percentage on record),
after producing 49 newly-licensed accountants.
Earlier in May 2009, 15 examinees from the College
of Business, Economics, and Management (CBEM) also tri-
umphed in the CPA Licensure Examination. The passers
seized a 70 percent school passing rate, pinning BU as
number one in Category D with 10 to 25 examinees.
Marcelo Santillan and Christopher Sanchez placed
third and seventh respectively, in the October 2009 Licen-
sure Examination for Mechanical Engineers (MEs). Santil-
lan, who graduated as Cum Laude, got an average rating
of 88.55 percent in the national board examination while
Sanchez secured the seventh place with a rating of 87.20
percent.
BU came up with a national passing percentage of
60.5 percent with its 43 newly registered mechanical en-
gineers.
Just this year, the College of Engineering (CEng) pro-
duced seven additional MEs, 49 master electricians, 10
new architects, 15 electrical engineers and 11 chemical
engineers in the national licensure examinations conduct-
ed by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) from
March to September.
Jose Jaucian Ronda Jr. attained second place in the
March 2009 Al Khobar Examination, a special licensure
examination for mechanical engineers that provides an
opportunity to work in Saudi Arabia while Romeo Avila Jr.,
took the seventh place in the Master Electrician Examina-
tion for May 2009.
Ma. Glaiza Panuelos, Marice Mae Competente and
Jeril Jay Ebrada later topped the Sept 2009 Master Electri-
cian Licensure Examination. Panuelos placed third while
Competente and Ebrada tied in fourth place.
Similarly, the College of Education (CE) also brought
pride and prestige to the university by grabbing the sixth
spot in the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET). Ronna
Despabiladeras, a Physics Major, outwitted more than 10,000
secondary teacher aspirants in the country by earning an av-
erage rating of 89.40 percent in the examination.
BU to host AFS
Bicol chapter
BY ARIANNE LABAYO
Bicol University will now host the region-
al chapter of the American Field Service
(AFS) Intercultural Programs.
Last September, Fay Lea Patria M. Lauraya, PhD, SUC
President, tasked the Bicol University High School Depart-
ment (BUCEILS) to spearhead the assimilation of the AFS
chapter in the region.
AFS, which was founded in 1919, is an international,
voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that
provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people
develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to
create a more just and peaceful world.
“We are proud of the President’s decision. It is addition-
al work but we feel honored. In fact, we recently received
a call from AFS for our future plans,” remarked Mrs. Carina
Altavano, BUCEILS principal.
The AFS committee plans to establish a program next
year wherein the chapter will be recognized. They are in con-
stant communication with potential host parents in Legazpi
City for future foreign scholars who will study here.
“We don’t have a foreign scholar yet. The school’s cur-
riculum is being considered and there is a fee to be paid to
become a host school. But we feel that it is an honor to be
FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE
In said recent exam, BU produced 105 licensed teach-
ers for Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) with a
passing rate of 42 percent. The graduates of Bachelor of
Secondary Education (BSED), on the other hand, recorded
a 46 percent passing rate with 148 of its 171 examinees
acing the examination. Compared to the examination’s
over-all national passing rate of 23 percent, BUCE finished
with 44 percent.
The BU-College of Agriculture and Forestry (CAF),
likewise, hailed its first board placer in the Forestry Licen-
sure Examination last July 2009.
Out of the 394 examinees, Darell James Sy, a magna
cum laude, became the university’s first forestry graduate
to secure a place in the PRC’s list of top ten performing
students after ranking third in the licensure examination.
He fetched an average rating of 83.95 percent, leading the
country’s 140 newly licensed Foresters.
More improvement, ‘better results’
Dr. Obdulia Rojas, newly-appointed dean of CE, said
that the administration aims to improve the performance
of their graduates in the licensure examination through
offering free reviews on a compulsory basis.
“We will gather our students come February or March
for a free review. It will serve as a prerequisite for their
graduation so that they will be mandated to participate in
the enhancement reviews. In that way, we will be able to
secure a commendable performance in the licensure ex-
amination,” Rojas conveyed.
CBEM Dean Liwayway Ables, on the other hand, cor-
relates the impressive performance of their graduates in
the CPA exams to the program innovations initiated and
judiciously implemented by her administration.
Aside from the strict implementation of the retention
policy in the department, “we have devised some ways to
improve our program in our pursuit for better results in
the licensure exams, through the rigid selection process
of our first year students, conduct of pre-review among
our third and fourth year students and the reinforcement
of our faculties,” as told by Dean Ables.
According to Dr. Teresita Galang, accountancy depart-
ment head, they have absorbed their top calibre gradu-
ates into the faculty to enable the provision of fresh ideas
to their students and “at the same time, inspire them to
go beyond their limits.”
Ables also imparted to The Bicol Universitarian that the
college will soon be adapting the five-year course provi-
sion of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to
their accountancy department. Dr. Galang remarked that
“it is already on the process.”
As of press time, BU already housed two CPA board to-
pnotchers; Janel Mujar in 1998 and just recently; Ivan Rhett
Macabeo, both from the town of Guinobatan, Albay. †
able to send students abroad,” Altavano said.
BU had been sending AFS scholars for the past years,
but it stopped in the 1980’s when the AFS Philippines ceased
its operations and remained closed for the next 20 years. The
organization was revived in 2000 and the university sent an-
other student to Japan in 2001.
AFS has three available programs for students. The YP
(YEAR PROGRAM) is an exchange program valid for one ac-
ademic year wherein the AFS YP students live with a host
family and attend a local secondary school as full-time stu-
dents. The YES (Youth Exchange and Study) is a high school
exchange program funded by the US state Department
aimed at promoting international understanding between
Americans and people in other countries. Meanwhile, the
JENESYS (Japan-East Asia Network Exchange for Students
and Youths Program) is a two-week or year-long program
for college students, senior high school students and their
teachers offering an opportunity to experience Japanese cul-
ture while fostering understanding and goodwill between
both countries.
“The advantage of this program is that we learn so much
from the scholars about other countries that we haven’t read
in books or in the internet. We let them share with us their
experiences and we learn. It is also one way of promoting the
Philippines, particularly Bicol,” Altavano said.
AFS operates in over 50 countries around the world.
350, 000 participants and host families have already taken
part in AFS exchanges facilitated by 100, 000 volunteers. It
continues to emerge as the leader in international cultural
exchanges.†
 U The Bicol
niversitarian news|3

Chamber singers take center stage

is a 3rd year BS Computer Science
BY JYREVI FERNANDEZ
PHOTO BY EDITHA AILEEN MI- Major at the College of Science.
JARES From a modest number of nine
members, the BUCS now has 23
members.
Musical style
According to Secundo, BUCS does
not only focus on musicality. The
voices must be balanced, and the
timbres should blend perfectly.
titions they find challenging, like Club (his former choir group) did not
open category competitions judged want to stop singing together after
by international artists. The group graduation (from high school).
also performs for various university “For the record, I have a lot of
activities. They have at least one re- respect towards Mr. Inocencio Ber-

The Bicol University

Chamber Singers
(BUCS), a student-initiated cho-
ral group, is now making its name
around the campus.
How the chorale was formed
“When my members went to
college, we didn’t want to stop sing-
ing, so we began a church group
called the St. Francis Chorus at the
St. Gregory Cathedral,” Baloloy nar-
rated. When the group started to
dissolve, he decided to go back to
BU.
Baloloy, along with the remain-
ing members of the church choir,
wrote to Dr. Amelia Dorosan, Dean,
College of Science, to ask permis-
sion to establish their headquarters
at the CS.
According to Tom Jordan Se-
cundo, assistant choir master of the
BUCS, the group was already accred-
ited last semester as a University-
Based Organization (UBO). Secundo
Why they chose BU
Even with a choir master from
another institution, BUCS still chose
to be accredited as a university-
based chorale in BU.
“Jim Rey [Baloloy] had been a
BU student ever since his elemen-
tary school days. He was offered a
scholarship in AUL , that’s why he’s
studying there,” Secundo explained.
Since most of the members are
studying in BU, the choir decided to
make their freelance singing group
legitimate, applying as a UBO in the
university.
“We get members from all the
colleges of BU, but we’re also open
to applicants from other schools,”
the assistant choir master said. “We
call them our honorary members.”
They had two honorary mem-
bers last year, one from AUL and an-
other from Divine Word College of
Legazpi (DWCL).
“In every performance, we
don’t just sing for presentation.
We make sure that we have fun be-
cause this is what we are passionate
about,” Baloloy further explained.
In November 2008, the choir
bagged 2nd place in the Ligao City
Chorale Festival and 3rd place in the
University of Northeastern Philip-
pines (UNEP) Chorale Competition
in Iriga City.
“We get our funds from various
sources, like concerts, engagements,
paid performances, and sometimes
from solicitations and sponsors.
Aside from that, we are a non-profit
organization,” Secundo explained.
As for the division of incentives,
the Choir Master gets 20 percent,
and the remaining 80 percent is di-
vided among its members. “But if a
member really needs money, we’re
willing to share more for him/her,”
Segundo justified.
Baloloy said that the chorale
is inclined to joining only compe-
cital concert every semester.
Last December 11, the BUCS
had a Christmas concert held at the
mundo and Mr. Ramil Chavenia,
(BUNGCUL choir masters),” Baloloy
said.
amphitheater of the College of Nurs- The Bicol University Chamber
ing, and is planning for another con- Singers (BUCS) was founded in August
cert sometime in February. of 2008 by Jim Rey Baloloy, a 4th year
BS Psychology major of Aquinas Uni-
On the issue of rivalry versity of Legazpi (AUL. He said that
With the emergence of anoth- The BUCS is a group of students with
er student choir in the university, is- the passion for singing and the arts.
sues concerning how BUNGCUL (the
university’s official student chorale) On incentives being received
reacted, and how BUCS adapted, Regarding scholarships, Secun-
arose. However, both parties dis- do quoted that only one university
claimed the issue of rivalry between choir can enjoy the privilege of a uni-
them. versity scholarship. BUNGCUL, which
“There is no problem with that. has been accredited long before the
This is better. More students are BUCS, is granted the scholarship. He
finding themselves inclined to sing- also mentioned that they may be
ing,” Mr. Ramil Chavenia, Choir Mas- able to get scholarships if they win in
ter of the BUNGCUL Singers said. national and regional competitions.
Jim Rey Baloloy, choir master “We sing for the experience,” he
of BUCS reiterated that the rivalry declared, “It is our passion.”
was not true. According to him, Baloloy said that his dream for
the BUCS was formed because the his group is to be able to compete
members of the High School Glee outside the country.†

Student population surges

Enrolment rate plunges in some programs

BY GERARD FRANCIS OGAD the last BU College Entrance Test (BUCET) to accommodate more in-
PHOTO BY BUDYONG coming freshmen.

Bicol University (BU) recorded a 9.24 per-

cent increase in student population for the first
semester of academic year 2009- 2010.
Compared to last year’s 15, 610 enrolees, the university now hosts
17, 199 students under its pre-baccalaureate and baccalaureate programs.
From the summary report of enrolment released by the Office of the
University Registrar (OUR), the Polangui Campus (PC) reaped the high-
est increase this year at 21.67 percent with 2 215 enrolees. Such increase
made PC the largest component of the university today in terms of student
population.
Reasons behind this trend
Erlinda Lorino, BU-OUR Administrative Officer V said that the in-
crease was caused mainly by the additional programs offered by the col-
lege.
Two years ago, PC opened three new programs consisting of Bach-
elor of Science (BS) in Information Technology (IT), BS Computer Engi-
neering, and BS in Electronics and Communications Engineering.
Other colleges of the university also opened new programs like
Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting in the College of Arts and Letters, Min-
ing Engineering in the College of Engineering (CENG) and Microfinance
in the College of Business Economics and Management (CBEM).
On the other hand, some colleges also lowered their cut-off during
FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE
In demand courses
Among the programs offered by BU, BS Nursing in the main campus
still boasts the highest number of enrolees with 610, followed by BS Civil
Engineering and BS IT with 506 and 442 respectively.
Out of these three programs, BS IT of the College of Science (CS)
acquired the highest increase of 40.95 percent despite being one of the
newest programs offered by the university.
“BS-IT is one of the more popular courses today along with BS
Nursing; thus the Office of Admissions has included it in the university’s
priority courses during the recent BUCET,” Amelia Dorosan, CS Dean
mentioned.
Cutback in some programs
Contrary to the increase in the over-all enrolment rate of BU, some
areas of the university however sustained a decline in its number of
enrolees.
The Tabaco Campus (TC) recorded the highest enrolment decrease
of 4.50 percent among the fourteen components of BU.
According to Welhelmina Henson, TC acting Registrar, the decrease
was brought about when a large number of Midwifery students did not
pass the board examination.
The college has a policy of automatically dismissing students who
failed to pass two consecutive board examinations in midwifery.
► page 8 | Enrolment
|news
4
Universitarian The Bicol

Admin collects pub fee, larly assessed fees.

“The students should get some-
thing for the money they are paying
University Publication have been
remiss of our duty by failing to pub-
lish an issue last semester despite

Unibê retains autonomy

BY SHEENA FERRER He also added that immediate-
ly after the regular semestral collec-
endorsed the proposal for the ap-
proval and signing of the MOU.
and I hope that all of us can receive
a copy of the university paper,” Tar-
rah Bulawan, College of Business,
Economics and Management, Col-
lege Student Council (CSC) Presi-
dent, said.
Daisy Lleno, CSC President of
the College of Science said that it
collecting the fee from the student
body. But we would like the student
to understand that we are not able
to do so because of circumstances
that are not under our control. We
neither had adequate manpower
nor the appropriate mechanism for
the efficient and viable collection of

Effective this second

semester, the
P12-publication fee of The Bicol
tion, the money will be transferred
to an account under the name of the
Bicol Universitarian.
Before endorsing the proposal,
she requested the publication to
produce an extra issue in lieu of the
was a good step made by the EIC
because Unibê is an instrument
that reflects everything that hap-
the university publication fee in the
years before this semester.”

Universitarian is now included in
the fees to be collected upon enrol-
ment.
Through a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) signed be-
tween the publication and the Bicol
University (BU) administration, the
amount has now been integrated
into the list of regular miscella-
neous fees being paid during the
enrolment period.
As stated in the MOU, the Bicol
Universitarian officially requested
the Bicol University administration
to provide the mechanism for col-
lection of the university publication
fee as mandated by both the Stu-
dent Handbook and Section 5 of Re-
public Act No. 7079 known as The
Campus Journalism Act of 1991.
According to Atty. Eduardo M.
Loria, Vice President for Admin-
istration (VPA), the publication
should be given enough financial
resources due to its presently insuf-
ficient funding.
”In accordance with the Cam-
pus Journalism Act, the administra-
tion already approved the request
for inclusion and the publication is
already ensured of the 100% col-
lection,” Loria remarked.
Goal to achieve 100% collection
Last semester, the publication
had P 32,796.95, an amount which
is not enough to publish copies for
even 15% of the 19,000 or so stu-
dents of the university. To be able
to furnish a single copy to each stu-
dent, P 230,000 must be at hand.
“The inclusion of the publica-
tion fee was rooted from the long-
time financial predicament of the
publication. For years, the Unibê
editorial board and staff, through
the help of some college councils
and publications, have been doing
the manual collections in the 13 col-
leges including the detached cam-
puses during enrolment. Indeed,
it was really impossible to achieve
100% collection with that system,”
Sarah Moran, associate editor of the
Bicol Universitarian said.
The publication made a pro-
posal for the integration of the pub-
lication fee and it was presented
during a meeting with the President
on October 19. It was consolidated
to the CSC Presidents of each col-
lege a week after it was proposed.
Jessica Biasca, University Stu-
dent Council (USC) chairperson,
publication that the former editori-
al board and staff failed to produce
two years ago.
“It’s just a suggestion so that
the burden won’t be passed any-
more to the next editorial board
and staff,” Biasca added.
Her request for publication of
an extra issue was included on the
fourth provision of the MOU which
states that,
“The amount collected will
constitute the funding of all opera-
tions of the Bicol Universitarian
including publication, purchase of
required facilities (a computer, a re-
corder, writing materials, etc), and
also the organization of and partici-
pation in campus journalism train-
ings and competitions. The Bicol
Universitarian also commits to put
aside part of the accrued amount
for the publication of an extra issue
in lieu of the publication the former
editorial board and staff under EIC
Jay Millena failed to produce two
years ago.”
Students’ reactions
Some students reacted to the
added fee while some did not even
notice its integration in the regu-
pens in the university. She also add-
ed that it is still a big challenge for
the staff to come up with a quality
publication.
“The fact that Unibê is the of-
ficial student publication of this
university means that the adminis-
tration should really support them.
The fee inclusion is a very good step
for them to continue informing and
influencing the students,” Sunshine
Lobrido, a student from BUTC com-
mented.
“I didn’t notice that I already
paid for Unibê and that it is already
included in the assessed payments
in my enrollment receipt. It’s only
P12.00 anyway, so it’s just fine with
me,” Cherry Calleja, a BS Nursing
student, said.
Meanwhile, Ben, a BS Electrical
Engineering student commented,
“Sayang lamang ang tigbabayad mi,
wara man lang kami nakukua maski
saro. Sain daw napapaduman ang
kwarta?”
When asked about his com-
ment on how the students reacted
to the fee inclusion, Gino Leocadio
Paje, the EIC of the Bicol Universi-
tarian explained, “Indeed we will
not deny that we as the staff of the
On its autonomy as a student
publication
It is stated in the MOU that the
BU administration will only pro-
vide the mechanism for the collec-
tion of the said fee in consideration
of the student publication’s limited
capacity and will immediately turn-
over the amount collected to an ac-
count under the name of the Bicol
Universitarian.
According to Tamar Antonio,
managing editor, the administration
will release the fund upon submis-
sion of the final report of collection
of each college during the previous
semester. Otherwise, the account-
ing office cannot issue the exact
amount to the publication.
“As of now the publication has
not yet received any amount from
the collection because of time con-
straints, I suppose,” Antonio said.
The publication, though depen-
dent to the administration for the
collection mechanism, still remains
fully autonomous in its operation in
accordance to the memorandum.
It is also settled that no state-
ment of expenses will be presented
by the publication before the bud-
get can be released.†

Food stalls to be centralized

BY GERARD FRANCIS OGAD
and AMABELLE LOREMIA ries the possible implications of the construc-
tion of the food service center in terms of its

A P3-million Food Service Center will

be put up to replace the existing food
stalls found between the College of Nursing
and College of Science as part of the ten-year
Bicol University (BU) Comprehensive Devel-
opment Plan.
Jerry Bigornia, vice president for produc-
tion, said that the project aims to provide a
sanitary, environment-friendly and accessible
food service both for the students and facul-
ties of the university.
The food stalls, which were originally
located around the Centennial Tree near the
soccer field, have reportedly caused unsani-
tary environment due to the absence of an
area where the owners can properly wash
used utensils and dispose their garbage.
Terms and conditions
The Physical Development and Manage-
ment Office (PDMO) will supervise the con-
struction of the proposed food service cen-
ter. cupants will be first prioritized provided that
It shall consist of eight rental spaces
(6.25 sq. m per stall) for vendors and canteen
operators, comfort room and kiosks.
According to Bigornia, the exact rate of
rentals is not yet determined. He said that the
amount is still subject to changes depending
on the cost of the building construction and
other operations. Should the new food ser-
vice center accommodate additional occu-
pants, Bigornia assured that the present oc-
they comply with the necessary requirements
during the bidding process.
The College of Science (CS), through the
administration of Dr. Amelia Dorosan, Dean,
will manage the operations of the food ser-
vice center. Dorosan however, refused to give
details. The BU administration and CS have
not yet discussed on the matter, Dorosan
commented.
Mixed reactions
Present occupants of the relocated food
stalls have different reactions on the pro-
posed construction of the new food service
center.
A vendor, when asked about his prefer-
ences told The Universitarian that she wor-
financial demands, particularly its rentals.
Another vendor, however, favors the
proposed food service center because of its
tendency to attract more student-customers
considering its cleanliness and stability.
On the other hand, students expressed
their varied reactions to the construction of
the food service center. Some backed its con-
struction while some opposed its actualiza-
tion because of fears that it might not receive
the university’s proper supervision.
“The idea of putting up a new food ser-
vice center is nice, however the administra-
tion should at least make sure that the area
is conducive for eating,” Jerick Vasquez, an
accountancy student commented on the ad-
ministration’s plan.
On the other hand, Ladyleth Pagdagda-
gan said that she preferred the original loca-
tion of the food stalls around the centennial
tree.
“If they plan to build a permanent food
service center, they must first develop the
area around the centree.” Pagdagdagan stat-
ed.
Engr. Raymond Bumalay, PDMO chief,
said that the construction will start in the first
week of January as soon as the contractor is
chosen through a bidding process.†

FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE

◄ page 1
|GEP
U The Bicol
niversitarian
PASABOT
news|5
Driven by the need for clarification between both institutions, an Ad The Bicol Universitarian publication fee has remained P12 for decades, but the newspaper
Hoc committee was tasked to study the petition recommending that BUGC
be reverted to BUGEP and that the program shall operate the campus until
you hold right now costs P15.70. Production costs, as you might probably discern, do not
such time that the campus can readily be evolved into a community col- allow us to distribute copies in a one-is-to-one ratio. That is why we hope that you will un-
lege. derstand if the editorial board mulls a proposal for a reasonable increase in the publication
In addition, a BOR Standing Committee recommended that the stu-
dents of BUGEP be made to enroll in the main campus and BUGEP to re-
fee to widen our readership and secure an informed student body. Thank you.
main for at least three years with BU while an arrangement with SSC is
being worked out for orderly transition.
The BOR finally decided on the gradual phase out of BUGC consider-
ing all recommendations. It was during Dr. Lilia Sena’s term as BU Presi-
dent (1999-2003) that she took deans from BU Main Campus to facilitate
teaching in BUGC.
SSC was not very eager to assume the privilege of gaining BUGC when
it was phased out so when Mayor Ramos was reelected, he resurrected his
idea of continuing the program and solicited assistance from Rep. Solis.
In February of 2003, the BOR passed a resolution authorizing the op-
eration of BUGEP in the municipality of Gubat.
The operation resumed thereafter. The funds serving as lifeblood of
BUGEP were from the consorted efforts of the local government unit (LGU)
in Gubat. Today, it operates on the funding assistance by Rep. Solis in the
GAA through insertions, not LGU funds as it did at the start.
By 2006, an agreement signed through the contract of Usufruct grant-
ed BU the right to take over BUGEP. It was invalidated when a deed of do-
nation was enabled in 2009.
The BOR proposed a 2009 resolution stating that the Sangguniang
Bayan of Gubat authorized the mayor to donate a parcel of land property COLLABORATION. BU President Fay Lauraya meets with representatives from
universities in Japan and Taiwan during the 3rd International Conference on
owned by the municipality located at Barangay Buenavista to BUGC for its
Kuroshio Science last Dec. 2-3, at Alicia Hotel, Legazpi City.
much needed additional facilities. Usufruct as stated in the Civil Code of

BUTC gains nat’l recognition

the Philippines Article 562 gives a right to enjoy the property of another
with the obligation of preserving its form and substance unless the title
constituting it or the law otherwise provides.

No opposition
Before HB 4410 was proposed, there were attempts to endorse the Yet enrolees still snub fishery courses
campus to SSC but all were futile. When BUGC phased out, the community
of Gubat persisted and insisted to petition the BU to address their clamor BY SARAH MORAN
PHOTOS BY PING PERALTA
in opposition of such an agreement.
The efforts manifested by the people drove the initiators of the bill to
act on the matter.
There have been no recorded silent or loud opposition regarding the
act, that if implemented, is believed to significantly affect the enrollment
In its pursuit of nation-
al excellence, Bicol Uni-
versity Tabaco Campus (BUTC)
rate of SSC. ascertained its distinction as a
There have been reports in radio that after a steep rise of enrollments National University in Fisheries
in BUGC, SSC found renewed interest in the proposed takover that it ig- last September 2009.
nored when BUGC was mired in enrollment problems. As identified by the Commis-
“We expected Sen. Francis Escudero to oppose, knowing his father 1st sion on Higher Education (CHED),
BUTC is the only educational in-
district Rep. Salvador Escudero III, has jurisdiction over SSC, but he did
stitution in Bicol tagged among
not,” Board Sec. Hingco relayed. the 15 newly identified National
It is believed that nobody in the Senate opposes the bill (which is now Universities and Colleges of Ag-
enacted) and that it is clearly acceded by the co-sponsors Senators Gringo riculture and Fisheries (NUCAFS),
Honasan, Miguel Zubiri, and Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Board Sec. Hingco under the National Agriculture
admitted however, that he is not sure if someone in Congress did oppose and Fisheries Education System
the bill. (NAFES).
Ramos, on the other hand, firmly opposes SSC’s sudden interest in Said citation is in accordance
with the pertinent provisions em-
claiming Gubat Campus stating economic concerns as grounds. He said
bodied in Republic Act (RA) No.
that it is cheaper to study in Gubat than in SSC since the fair is minimal if 7722, otherwise known as the
the student would ride from Bulusan to Gubat (considering students from “Higher Education Act of 1994”,
the 2nd district of Sorsogon). and RA No. 8435 or the “Agricul-
“We target every family to have someone graduate from BUGC,” Mayor ture and Fisheries Modernization
Ramos declared. Act of 1997”.
At present, all 551 students in BUGC are subsidized, benefiting from As an incentive, BUTC will
free matriculation, meal allowances, and other privileges such as annual receive 1 million pesos to be in-
vested for the development of
electronic journals (that cost One Million pesos a year), air-conditioned
the campus. According to Dr.
dormitory, library, and speech laboratory, and a wi-fi zone. Plutomeo Nieves, Dean of BUTC,
Today, the campus operates mostly on funding insertions by Rep. So- NAFES reiterated that the amount
lis in the GAA, not anymore very dependent on LGU funds; although the should be used to address a cer-
LGU continues to help BUGC with its internal revenue allotment (IRA). tain weakness of the school.
While BU awaits the implementation of HB 4410, BU President Fay Nieves proposed that the
Lauraya and Rep. Solis discuss about putting up a campus in Masbate money be spent to procure labo-
province. However, Hingco said there are still no categorical plans to put ratory equipment needed by the
students. This includes a moisture
up campuses in other provinces since it is quite encroaching to do so.†
analyzer as requested by students
specializing in Food technology,
and scuba diving gear and ac-
BU GUBAT CAMPUS cessories for the Marine Fisheries
Photo by BUGC CSC students.
Prior to its integration in NU-
CAF, BUTC passed two sets of
evaluations conducted by CHED
in April 2009. Already a Center
of Excellence, the completion of
such evaluations paved BUTC’s
designation as a National Univer-
sity in Fisheries.
Moreover, the university also
complied with the prerequisites
associated with universities vying
for NUCAF which consist of an en-
rolment of at least 100 students
in all levels, graduates being sent
to take the licensure examina-
tions, the college Dean being a li-
censed holder of valid registration
for Fisheries, and the publication
of researches.
“We submitted documents
and researches that support our
application. BUTC is recognized
as having outstanding research-
es, both in professional and un-
dergraduate [researches],” Dean
Nieves said.
Courses in marginal progress
Despite another academic
achievement attained by the BU
satellite campus specializing in
Marine and Fisheries technology,
the college Dean admitted that
until now, courses related to this
specialization are still marginal-
ized.
“I have to admit that a lot
of people don’t find fisheries and
aquaculture courses attractive. I
haven’t seen any improvement
yet in terms of the performance
of our students here since we
were identified as a National Uni-
versity,” Nieves shared.
Nieves also addressed the
continuous decline of the enrol-
ment rate in the related courses
offered by the college: Aquacul-
ture, Fish Processing, and Marine
Fisheries.
As regards to the passing
rate of their graduates in licen-
sure examinations, Nieves said
that BUTC’s results still turns out
poor.
“Not everyone who takes this
course, really wants and knows
what he is taking up”, as told by
Nieves. He further disclosed that
a student before sardonically
asked him, “Para ngaya masira,
ma-board pa ako?”
‘Educational excellence’ as a
goal
BUTC envisions excellence
in Research and Development.
According to Nieves, he strongly
urged his faculties to undergo ex-
tensive research.
“When we do researches,
we make sure that our research
assistants are our graduates,”
Nieves added, “I want our gradu-
ates to be competitive and mar-
ketable,” he continued.
To ensure educational ex-
cellence, the college’s long-term
plans include the improvement of
the laboratories and library, pro-
vision of equipment to each stu-
dent and the faculty’s assertion of
higher educational degrees.
On Achieving International
recognition
BUTC, in collaboration with
Kochi University of Japan, and
National Sun-Yat Sen University
of Taiwan conducted the 3rd In-
ternational Conference on Kuro-
shio Science last December 2 and
3 at Alicia Hotel, Legazpi City.
Anchored on the theme,
“Investigating Benefits and Bal-
ance along Kuroshio: Challenges
to Marine Biodiversity and Re-
source Management “, the con-
ference gathered all scientists,
researchers, and experts from
the participating universities and
agencies in the Philippines, Japan
and Taiwan. Participants were
expected to present outcomes
of the joint studies on Kuroshio
Current, referred to as Typhoon
Alley because of the severe tropi-
cal storms that follow its warm-
water energy path that strikes the
coasts of the three countries.
“With this, we expect better
collaboration among the three
countries in terms of Fisheries
and Aquaculture,” Nieves ended.
BU President Fay Lauraya ex-
tended her congratulations to the
BUTC for the national recognition.
“Let us learn from the experience
of BUTC,” Lauraya said.
Meanwhile, the BU College
of Agriculture and Forestry, in
Guinobatan, was also recognized
as one of the 76 Provincial Insti-
tutes for Agriculture and Fisheries
(PIAFs), via the same selection
process.†

FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE

|analysis
6
Blogger prof hits tax on BU part-timers
BY GINO LEOCADIO PAJE
with reports from SARAH MORAN
and TAMAR ANTONIO
lIVING with crocs. This is the ti-
tle of the first blog entry
posted by Prof. Ronaldo Banzagales of Bicol
University Polangui Campus, where he alleged
corruption in the collection of withholding tax
from part-time instructors like him.
Banzagales’ blogs, garnering up to 14,000
hits, caused an uproar, sparking comments in
online communities like forum site Go Bicol.
He said part time professors in the uni-
versity are taxed despite not having submitted
Tax Identification Numbers, which he thinks is
illegal.
Citing Republic Act 9504 or the Amended
Tax Law, he said minimum wage earners (be-
ing paid P237.00 per day and below) should be
exempted from withholding tax.
He later posted videos on Youtube accus-
ing BU officials of corruption by pocketing
the deducted tax along with videos showing
him receiving his honorarium deducted with
the questionable tax with allegedly from their
campus cashier.
Releasing a statement in reaction to the
accusations, BU vehemently denied any ille-
gality in the deduction of tax and the imputa-
tion of corruption in the university.
The Office of the President also issued a
directive to all deans and campus directors to
hold localized meetings orienting faculty and
personnel on tax deductions.
Nature of part-timers
Hiring part-timers is standard operating
procedure in the university. The purpose of hir-
ing part-timers is for the university to be able
to employ practitioners of different fields and
allow them to share their knowledge in prac-
tice and experience of their particular profes-
sion with the student body, so that students will
have a balance of understanding between both
practice from part-timers as well as theory and
concepts from regular academicians.
As such, part-timers are supposed to be
practitioners with engagements outside the
university carrying minimal teaching load
(twelve units or four 3-unit subjects). With that
assumption, it can be deduced that part-time
instructors earn remuneration from institutions
or agencies outside BU while receiving profes-
sional fees or honorariums the university itself.
It could be that they earn well more the stan-
dard minimum wage (SMW) of P239.
Such is not the case for all part-time in-
structors, however. Fresh graduates are hired
to give them an opportunity to jump-start their
careers, especially if they have exceptional cre-
dentials. Although in this scenario, the univer-
sity is being generous and noble, the ideal pur-
pose of part-time hiring being a consideration
of practice, professional experience and field
of specialization is defeated. More often than
not, these instructors do not have work outside
the university and do, therefore, earn minimum
wage or less.
Should the fact that they receive profes-
sional fees lower than the SMW make them eli-
gible to the tax exemption as provided by R.A.
9504? Apparently, no. The official statement
from the Office of the President (OP) entitled
Universitarian
The Bicol
Editorial Board and Staff
AY 2009-2010
Office at 2F BU CAL Bldg, Legazpi City.
unibeonline.com
Universitarian The Bicol
“Bicol University Against Corruption” stated
that there is no employer-employee relation-
ship between part-time instructors and BU.
The statement implied that part-time in-
structors are paid professional fee and are not
considered wage earners. The exemption pro-
visions of R.A. 9504 cover only regular fac-
ulty and not part-timers who only earn hono-
rarium.
Honorarium is given to part-timers as fee
for their professional service along with the
“honor of sharing their professional know-how
and experience with students.” The same goes
for speakers for seminars and symposia in BU
who also receive honorarium. Rates are dic-
tated depending on the scope of their expertise
and clout (international, national, local).
Regular or not, faculty or speaker, wage
earner or professional fee earner, however,
everybody is subject to the 10% withholding
tax deduction. According to the OP statement,
Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 56, 2009,
the professional fee paid to individuals earning
not more than P720,000 per year is subject to
10% withholding tax.
But still, one wonders why both regulars
and part-timers not having employee-employer
relationship with the university are subject to
the same 10 precent withholding tax deduction
but only the former are subject to exemptions.
The conciliation of these two seemingly con-
tradicting laws is yet to be addressed. But ad-
ministration says that it is not something they
can execute on, because they are laws of na-
tional government.
No corruption?
The statement from OP enumerated the
BU’s schemes for the remittance of tax to the
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR):
1. Tax Remittance Advice (TRA), for
funds coming from the regular ap-
propriations of government: For
regular appropriations, the Depart-
ment of Budget and Management
(DBM) releases the agency’s fund-
ing requirements net of the estimated
amount for withholding tax. This
estimated amount of withholding tax
is with the Bureau of Treasury (Btr).
The BIR simply informs the BTr of
the amount of taxes withheld and
collected as indicated in the submit-
ted TRA.
2. BIR Tax Payment Deposit Slip, for
funds coming from the agency’s
internally generated sources (Fund
164): For funds coming from inter-
nally generated sources, the agency’s
authorized depository bank pays di-
rectly to the BIR, by debiting the
account of the agency, equivalent to
the total amount of withheld taxes
covered by the BIR Tax Payment
Deposit Slip.
The OP statement claims that the above
SOPs ensure that the withheld taxes do not
even pass through the coffers of the university
so no actual cash is being handled by any of-
ficial or employee of the university.
Lawyer Josephine Gomez of the Chief As-
sessment Section of BIR-Bicol said that with or
without the employer-employee relationship,
part-timers are still subject to taxation because
EDITOR IN CHIEF GINO LEOCADIO S. PAJE | ASSOCIATE EDITOR SARAH MORAN | MANAGING EDITOR TAMAR ANTONIO | SENIOR EDITOR JYREVI
MAE FERNANDEZ | GRAPHICS AND CREATIVE EDITOR CHRISTIAN GIL GALEMBA | ONLINE CONTENT EDITOR MARK LAWRENCE SANTIAGO |
WRITERS GERARD FRANCIS OGAD, JOAN BRODETH TOLING, ARLENE JOY DERILO, ORSON MIKE PRIVALDOS, SHEENA FERRER,
AMABELLE LOREMIA, ARIANNE LABAYO, CARMELA CHUA | PUBLIC RELATION STAFFERS MARICEL ALARIN, ALFIENIDO BURCE,
SHEERYLENE ALTAREJOS, CYRILL KRIS DEDASE, CHRISTIAN BALQUIN, JESSA MAE JARILLA, IVY CASCANTE, JOANA MARIE
SODSOD, RAYMOND LORILLA, JONICO DEALCA | CARTOONISTS JOHN LESTER LETADA, LOU XAVIER LAURAYA, BONN JAMES TEANO
| WEB MASTERS JERVY ZABALLA, MARK ANTHONY CADAG | LAYOUT ARTIST CHRISTIAN GIL GALEMBA, JAMES PAUL BALBEDINA |
PHOTOJOURNALIST EDITHA AILEEN MIJARES | TECHNICAL ADVISER FELIPE JOSE PERALTA | LANGUAGE CRITIC EPHRAIM AGUILAR
FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE
they are still considered employed. However,
they are under a contractual basis and the rates
vary. Nonetheless, minimum-wage earners or
those getting not more than P239 per day are
exempted from tax deduction.
“The university accountant is the one re-
sponsible in remitting the tax revenue (through
cash) to the government- accredited agent
banks like DBP and Landbank . The bank then,
shall issue receipt, ” Gomez explained. Remit-
tances may be in full or installment.
A part-time instructor who requested ano-
nymity has disclosed that last year, withholding
tax used to be deducted from her honorarium
even when she had not applied for a TIN yet.
But now, she, and presumably all other part-
timers, have been required by administration
to apply for TINs in BIR. She has expressed
concern about the situation, as without TINs,
taxes cannot theoretically be remitted to BIR.
We cannot help but wonder, then, where the
revenue went.
Regulars vs. part-timers
While Banzagales’ blogs and videos have
undeniably caused an uproar, his credibility
has been attacked by both administration and
people on the internet. There are supportive
as well as downright violent comments. Some
have even suggested that he keeps on com-
menting on his website to make it look as if
people are interested in what he has to say.
Indeed, the intellectuality and profes-
sionalism of his blogsite and videos are very
questionable and his sensational style of writ-
ing does cause us to raise an eyebrow. Admin-
istration may be correct in saying that he is
thoroughly misinformed about what he keeps
on writing about.
The fact that he did not choose to send
in a formal complaint through the appropriate
channels only means that there must be a few
claims he isn’t entirely sure about.
But some of the issues he raised are cer-
tainly genuine. We are especially interested
about his take on the seeming protectionism
that regular faculty try to fence around their
positions and the huge disparity in number
between regular faculty andpart-time faculty.
In Polangui Campus, there are twice as many
part-timers as there are regular faculty mem-
bers.
Banzagales callously said that BU delib-
erately restricts the regularization of faculty
because it spends less resources on part-time
instructors, what with part-timers having no
benefits whatsoever.
Part-timers always decry that they receive
too little. If the basis for regularization is edu-
cational attainment, it will be hard for a part-
timer to enroll for postgraduate degree pro-
grams with their meager salary and demanding
double lives. Especially in consideration of the
CHEd memorandum circular which dictates
that by 2011, only Masters degree holders can
teach in universities and colleges.
But any institution will prefer to give ben-
efits to its faculty members who have a proven
track record. That is why higher positions are
always filled out before residual positions can
be given to part-timers.
Applicants for part-time positions are
given a letter of invitation to teach in BU. They
are shown the rates of honorarium and their
‘Why are they taxed
despite not having sub-
mitted Tax Identification
Numbers? Should they
be tax exempted?’
signature means that they approve of the terms and
agreements. They understand why they are not eli-
gible for the benefits regulars enjoy.
Anyway, statistics will speak for itself. At least
in Polangui, it seems that there are a lot of part-tim-
ers waiting to be regularized.
Part-timers are typically hired on a “need”
basis, to achieve a balance between theory and
practice. Since ours is a university, not a vocational
school, theory should still be prioritized. But that
will not be fulfilled if the trend is that there are twice
more practitioners than theorists in our institution.
A more ideal proportion would be 60 percent theory
and 40 percent practice.
The university cannot be so hasty in its regu-
larization of faculty. In a government institution
like ours, there is security of tenure. If a part-timer
is regularized but proves to be mediocre, it will be
next to impossible to replace them. That is why
there is a stringent probationary procedure in the
regularization of part-timers. Also, only those most
worthy of earning the people’s money should be
regularized.
“Hiring of practitioners is a normal practice in
all universities for the need to balance practice with
theory. To achieve that, augmentation of the faculty
is needed. In the course of this, however, practitio-
ners are under the impression that that they have the
same privileges regulars enjoy. In the assumption
that there is no employer-employee relationship,
they cannot be entitled to the same benefits. But in
the long term, the university will recognize the best
in part-timers and they will thence be absorbed. We
enjoin all part-timer, to commit to quality service
which eventually will be the basis for mainstream-
ing them as part of the university faculty.” Thus de-
clared BU President Fay Lauraya.
Indeed, we understand that. But we must also
be careful to take care of our part-timers, even with-
out this so-called employer-employee relationship.
There will always be that gifted part-timer who gets
disillusioned and disenfranchised with the system
and quits teaching in BU to employ himself in the
more financially rewarding private sector. And along
with his innovative and brilliant teaching strategies
hoes away our quality of education.
We do not doubt the excellence of our es-
teemed and erudite regular teaching force. But we
do believe that anything, even if it is of the high-
est quality, will go stagnant if it remains unmoving.
The regular professors should not engender a habit
of protectionism by lobbying to block the regular-
ization of part-timers just so their benefits and bo-
nuses will remain high.
The quality of education is sacrificed when so
few share so many teaching loads. Even the best
teachers cannot handle so many subjects each day.
Surely their exhaustion will result to a poor quality
of teaching, even if they are the best at what they
teach. So share the load!†

BY SARAH MORAN
S
weat. Blood. Soul. After you have
given everything, what more can you
still give? After you have sacrificed so
much to chase your dreams, can you take
the misery of being trapped in a dead-
end? Would you still continue to brace
yourself for a battle when you know that in
the end it could only be a hopeless fight?
Where then is this kind of life leading to?
The oval grounds, the basketball and
volleyball courts near the Grandstand,
the swimming pool, and other sports and
recreation areas in and around the Institute
of Physical Education and Sports Recre-
ation (IPESR), all these serve as sanctuaries
for the student athletes of Bicol University
(BU). Here, they are able to satisfy the
desires of their veins. They are given the
freedom to explicitly express their love for
their sport.
Meanwhile, the week never ends
for the cadets of the BU Reserve Officers
Training Corps (ROTC). Sunday, the day
which even God pronounced as day of rest,
serves as the day of labor for the cadets.
They might have already forgotten the
meaning of the word ‘rest.’
The Universitarian aims that the
fervor and passion of these people be
recognized.
An athlete’s love for the game
For years, the BU athletes have
retained their title as champions in the
annual State Colleges and Universities
Athletics Association (SCUAA) Meet, best-
ing over some 200 delegations from all
over the region. As holders of the top spot,
this could have been aninstant opportunity
for them to show off their athletic prowess
in the national competition. The chances,
however, were all thrown into oblivion as
there had been no national SCUAA meet
for the past five years already. The ath-
letes’ quest then ends after they are hailed
regional victors. But what comes next?
Prof. Glenn Narvaez, Dean, Office of
Student Services (OSS), said that the lack
of sports opportunities for BU athletes
and IPESR students is to be blamed to the
university’s failure to create a concrete plan
for the development of sports and physical
facilities in BU.
According to Narvaez, when he be-
came a member of the University Athletic
Board in 2005, he made a proposal to cre-
U The Bicol
niversitarian
ate a long-term sports development plan
for the university, but according to him,
the IPESR administration ignored it. He
also proposed to revise the standards
and criteria for selecting BU athletes,
and to create an official university
varsity team.
“With the current criteria, the ath-
letes compete only in regional SCUAA
Meet, and then win. Afterwards, there
are no competitions to join anymore.
Does the university aim to produce
athletes who will become national or even
international winners? Do we want the
dreams of our athletes to just end here?”
Narvaez lamented.
Prof. Marilou Borja, IPESR Direc-
FLOATING DREAMS &
FLEETING WARRIORS:
Probing the Plight of BU Athletes and ROTC Cadets
tor defended that they had considered
Narvaez’ proposal but decided to reject the
idea. “Having a varsity team means hav-
ing a certain group of students who shall
be exclusively trained year round. Only
these students will be given the chance
to compete outside the university, which
means that other students will not have
the chance anymore,” she protested.
Borja also added that students who
compose a varsity team are not products of
official games, but only of try-outs. Unlike
SCUAA players, they went through official
games in their units during Intramurals so
they are screened thoroughly, Borja further
explained.
Allan Diaz, University Sports Coordina-
tor commented that a conflict may arise
if BU creates a varsity team. “There will be
two sets of athletes and coaches. These
two cannot combine. What will happen
then?” Diaz argued.
On the contrary, Narvaez said that
having a varsity team will not mean losing
attention for the SCUAA players. Rather,
it would create a stronger foundation for
the team since the SCUAA players can join
the varsity team. Proper recruitment and
screening process will be observed, con-
tracts with athletes must be ensured, and
their attendance will be strictly monitored.
Narvaez expounded that creating
an official varsity team would also ensure
more privileges for the students. “More
students could benefit from university
scholarships, and athletes will be given
more opportunities to play outside the
university,” he said.
On the other hand, Borja and Diaz said
that they consider the SCUAA players as
varsity already, and that the administration
lacks budget for realizing Narvaez’ plans.
“We have budget for that. Only that
it needs to be properly programmed. We
could even procure equipment and facili-
ties. Varsity fund could be taken from the
P40 SCUAA fee or P50 athletic fee being
collected every semester,” he said. Since
Intramurals and Regional SCUAA happen
only once a year, Narvaez believes that
there is still a lot of budget spared for the
varsity team.
IPESR faculty shall stand as the
varsity’s technical consultants, and ask as-
sistance from a pool of experts and sports
enthusiasts. However, Narvaez said that
IPESR just didn’t have a plan for improving
FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE
the quality of sports training in BU.
Lawyer Eduardo Loria, chairman of
university athletic board, said, “I actually
haven’t seen that proposal because I was
not the chairman yet that time. But, per-
haps we could look thoroughly into that
study.”
Driving force
Winners in the regional SCUAA receive
the following incentives from the BU
administration: P1000, P800, and P500 for
gold, silver, and bronze medalists, respec-
tively. A training allowance of P350 per day
and P1200 during the actual meet is also
provided to the athletes.
As stated in the university student
handbook, students who have represented
BU in city or provincial meets are entitled
to 50% scholarship; regional meet, 75%;
and national meet (national SCUAA), 100%.
However, since there is no national SCUAA
anymore, athletes then became limited to
the 75% percent scholarship.
Mateo Maloon, a four-year SCUAA
athlete, said that perhaps it would help
the student athletes better if they will be
granted with 100% scholarship since there
isn’t national competition anymore. The
amount of incentive can be cut. “At least,
the students will immediately avail the full
scholarship during enrolment, unlike with
the cash incentive, they might just spend it
unwisely.” he explained.
Blaming it on the weather
Last February, the BU Athletic team
was invited by the Philippine Amateur
Track and Field Association (PATAFA) to join
in the 2009 National Athletic Champion-
ships in Lingayen, Pangasinan which was
slated in May. Winning in the said sports
open would have qualified the athletes
to the team that represented the Philip-
pines in the South East Asian (SEA) Games
scheduled last November.
The BU athletic team then, composed
of nine members, trained for almost three
months because of an assurance given by
Prof. Marilou Borja, IPESR Director and Al-
lan Diaz, University Sports Coordinator that
they will compete for the national open.
The athletes were dismayed when two
days before their departure, they found out
that their papers were not yet processed in
the admin’s office. No budget was released
yet because the travel still had yet to be
approved by the President. The athletes
then, without consulting the IPESR faculty,
appealed to the President to allow them to
go, so as not to waste their three months
of training.
Due to the appeal of the athletes, the
President allowed them to go except for
the two who graduated in March of the
same year. According to the President, they
were no longer students of the university,
thus the school didn’t have liability on
them anymore.
A day before the departure, May 8,
Typhoon ‘Emong’ devastated some areas
in Pangasinan The team called-up their
contact from PATAFA office to make sure if
the sports open will still be pursued. The
feature story|7
national office then, confirmed that it was
safe to travel to Lingayen since the venue
of the competition was clear and that the
typhoon had followed a different track. The
national office even provided coasters that
shall fetch the participants from Manila to
Lingayen. However, despite PATAFA’s as-
surance of safety, IPESR still did not allow
the athletes to go. This stirred the reactions
of the athletes, and their main sentiment
was, the IPESR faculty just led them on and
forsaken them in the end.
“We understand that they care for our
safety, but they must consider our pas-
sion to play above anything else. Since the
PATAFA head office assured us that the
way to the venue was safe, they must have
understood that we don’t want our efforts
to be wasted,” an athlete who opted not to
be identified said with remorse.
The athletes believe that the IPESR was
not that serious in sending them because
if they were, the papers must have been
processed sooner in the first place. The
athletes were disappointed to have their
summer vacation wasted.
On the other hand, three athletes still
pursued the open in Lingayen at their own
expense, and through assistance of their
team coach, Dante Miranda. Their efforts
were not at all wasted as Mario Maglinao,
won the silver medal in the 10,000- meter
run event, and was qualified for the SEA
Games.
The sad fact though was since his
travel to Pangasinan was no longer sup-
ported by the IPESR admin, his victory,
which was not only for himself but also for
Bicol University, was not recognized at all.
“Winning was almost impossible. We
went there with our fare as our only mon-
ey, and biscuits as our only food. Our team
is very thankful to our coach, Mr. Miranda,
for without him, we would not have been
able to reach that far,” Maglinao said.
In an interview, BU President Fay
Lauraya said that she was unaware of
Maglinao’s victory. Lauraya said that she
had approved the travel of the athletes,
and had released their budget despite the
abrupt notice. But as to what the IPESR`s
final decision was, she was unaware.
ROTC cadet: molding of a true leader
The cadets of the BU-ROTC unit are
trained to become potential members of
the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
ROTC is one of the three components of
the National Service Training Program
(NSTP), which is a two-semester program
that must be taken by freshmen students.
It was institutionalized under section 38
and 38 of Republic Act No. 7077, designed
to provide military training to tertiary
level students in order to motivate, train,
organize and mobilize them for national
defense preparedness. On the other hand,
ROTC is the least appreciated and chosen
by enrollees.
“One will never appreciate the orga-
nization unless he becomes part of it, and
unless its vision is the same with his,” said
Zottocles Bechayda, present unit Corps
Commander of the BU Knights, the of-
ficial name of the unit. “ROTC is a military
organization, so it is way too different from
a civilian organization. There really is com-
mand responsibility,” he added.
The ROTC Unit serves both the univer-
sity, and the AFP- Army Reserve Command
(ARESCOM). They provide safety and
security during activities of the university
such as Intramurals, Foundation Week, and
September Festival. On the other hand, the
unit is tapped by the AFP to assist in moni-
toring security and control during town
fiestas in Daraga and Legazpi.
► page 13 | ROTC
|news
8

Media students decry

Universitarian The Bicol

BU to procure new ID machine

Maguindanao massacre
SOURCE: Budyong (Rey Anthony Ostria, Johana “to make sure that the money will not come transportation and labor costs for two per-
November 25, 2009 - Media students and fac- Vi Gasga, Laarni Grageda) at a loss in the procurement of the IDs,” ex- sonnel in charge of operating the machine.

ulty members of the Bicol University College of
Arts and Letters (BU-CAL) and Aquinas Univer-
sity of Legazpi (AUL) marched inside the Main
campus to denounce the atrocities of the Maguin-
danao massacre.
The amalgamation of media students around
the country urged the National Union of Journal-
ists of the Philippines (NUJP) and other similar
association of journalists, most especially the au-
thorities, to intervene and pressure the government
to bring justice to the victims.
Carrying the acrostic, “Stop killing Journal-
ists,” as they shouted “Hustisya para sa Lahat”,
the marchers in BU expressed their condemna-
tion in a 30-minute rally, followed by a Mass and
candle-lighting vigil at BU Student Lounge. They
conveyed their sympathy to the bereaved families
of the 57 victims including the 30 murdered jour-
nalists.
Some local media practitioners also joined
the vigil of the journalism students. They gave
their statements regarding the gruesome killings
of their fellow journalists in the worst election-
related violence in the country.
Present in the event were Ephraim Aguilar,
correspondent of The Philippine Daily Inquirer
Southern Luzon Bureau; Michael Jucian, a GMA-
Bicol reporter and Professor Felipe Peralta, the
university’s Public Information Officer and Alum-
ni Relations Officer (PIO) and technical adviser of
The Bicol Universitarian.
Lighted candles forming the word ‘JUS-
TICE” highlighted the said event.†
TAMAR ANTONIO
R
esponding to the clamor of the
freshmen students regarding the
two-semester delayed release of
their Identification cards (IDs), Glenn Nar-
vaez, Office of the Student Services (OSS)
Dean, attributed the delayed approval of a
feasibility study on Bicol University’s (BU)
procurement of its own Digital ID system.
The proposal took four months of fur-
ther study before BU President Fay Lauraya
signed its approval to procure digital ID ma-
chine for the freshmen students, new BU
personnel and lost ID replacements. The re-
sults of the study were passed to Prof. Jerry
Bigornia, BU, Vice President for Production
(VPPA).
On the other hand, College Business
Manager (CBM) 1 Antonio Olaguer said that
the recommendation for the approval was
sent to the OP as early as July 30, and it was
only in November that Lauraya approved it.
“I don’t know if there were deficiencies in the
study (of the proposal) that it took months
for the president to approve it,” Olaguer
added.
However, Lauraya said, “I have already
asked the VPPA to speed up the procurement
of the ID machine.”
Although the University had been pro-
ducing IDs for the past five years, the Office
of the President (OP) still requested the OSS
and the CBM to propose a feasibility study,
BU hails awardees
plained Narvaez.
Through the procurement of the digital
ID machine, BU will no longer need to sub-
contract a service provider in producing IDs
in the next years.
For the past five years, the OSS, together
with its service provider, AZITSUROG Inc., has
been producing IDs for the University. But by
March this year, Narvaez assured that BU will
be producing its own IDs.
Financial, market estimates
According to the study, the University
is projected to spend some P397,000 in pur-
chasing the machine and in facilitating the
fabrication of the IDs. The budget will be
sourced out from the F-164 or ID fee col-
lected from the first year students during the
enrollment in the first semester.
“The OSS will be using the P75 ID fee
to cover the expenses for the procurement
as well as the maintenance of the machine,”
Narvaez said when asked about the source of
fund in the procurement of the new machine.
He added that for the succeeding years, the
office will only be using minimal materials
and will only purchase the consumables.
Said ID fee will cover the payment for
one dual-sided printer with lamination stage,
a Lenovo notebook, an ID database, a web
camera, a Genius signature pad, card acces-
sories for 4,500 freshmen, and a two-month
|Enrolment
◄ page 3
The OSS will also seek out prospective
customers and advertise the printing of the
digital IDs to other schools and offices in
Legazpi to generate income starting 2010.
In the proposal read by Olaguer, the
digital data stored in the ID will be utilized to
give added value to the students in terms of
security and other services, which will not be
possible if it was just an ordinary ID.
It was also indicated in the proposal
that the machine is estimated to have a con-
servative, economic life of three years. Then,
it would be replaced with a newer model to
improve the efficiency of producing digital
IDs.
Some P 20, 000 is projected for the
maintenance of the machine in its second
year. An additional 15 percent increase in the
following years is expected.
Meanwhile, Narvaez also requested the
procurement of another machine for the sat-
ellite campuses aside from the machine in
the main campus. “We will be having an ‘on-
site’ machine aside from the one in the main
campus. The ‘on-site’ machine will be going
to the satellite campuses where production
of the IDs will take place separately,” Narvaez
mentioned.
At press time, the OSS is in the bid-
ding process of the procurement of the
machine after it gained the approval of the
President. †

■■■■■ Among the programs, BS Management of CBEM under-

administrative category. went a decrease of 4.81 percent due to the revision of its program
BY Brodeth Toling
curriculum.
Student pubs grope in the with reports from The recognized employees

dark
Some college publications in the university
are still impeded in their operations due to finan-
cial drawbacks.
The Olympians, a newly-integrated student
publication of the Institute of Sports and Recre-
ation (IPESR), is still gasping in its establishment
because of insufficient finances. Currently, the col-
lege only has 297 students, which is deemed defi-
cient of three persons in order for the college to
sustain the operations of its own publication.
Media authorities recommend that for a cer-
tain unit or college to maintain a publication, its
students must comprise a general population of
300. The gross amount collected from a lesser
number of students will not be sufficient for the
editorial staff to sustain viable operations.
In its first year, the editorial board of The
Olympians, continuously seeks for reinforcements
on how to stabilize the “lifeblood” of their publi-
cation.
The College of Nursing, on the other hand,
encountered the same predicament for three con-
secutive years. The Vital Signs, a publication ex-
clusive for student nurses, was unable to publish its
semestral issues because of financial constraints.
Sources reveal that the publication was finan-
cially mismanaged because of lack of consolida-
tion and proper turn-over of accounts. Although
a hundred percent collection was ensured every
semester, its past issues were only distributed to a
small parcel of the almost seven hundred nursing
student’s population.
The present editorial staff struggled to come
up with a magazine release last semester after ex-
hausting their resources.†
JOAN BRODETH TOLING
S
Orson Mike Privaldos
eptember 21, 2009-
Bicol University cele-
brated its 40th founda-
tion anniversary.
Aside from the
lengthy celebration which was
a stint of almost two weeks, BU
commended its outstanding
alumni, scholars and employees
for their significant contributions
within and outside the university.
Bobby Garcia was chosen
as the Distinguished Alumni
Awardee along with Engr. Jo-
seph Esplana in Public Admin-
istration, Dr. Ofelia Samar Sy in
Medicine, Dr. Ruben Nayve Jr.
in Economics, Victor Soliman in
Fisheries, Nolan Belaro in En-
trepreneurship, Erlinda Rillo in
Science and Technology, Mergie-
Naz Moraleda in Agriculture, Rex
Milton Dolino in Police Works, Dr.
Marites Khanser in Literature and
Roberto Labayen in Media.
The awardees were chosen
based on the strength of their
character and integrity and the
impact of their achievements on
the field of work, public welfare
and national development.
Meanwhile, Ruby Ann Ayo
of the College of Social Sciences
and Philosophy (CSSP) was also
acknowledged as the university’s
Best Instructor. Professor Ag-
nes Nepomuceno of the College
of Arts and Letters (CAL) was
named as the Best Assistant Pro-
fessor while Dr. Plutomeo Nieves
was given distinction as the Best
Professor. Ronaldo Biron was
likewise identified as the Best
Non-Teaching Awardee in the
contributed their best practices
to their respective departments
and in turn, to the university. In
the Best Associate Professor
and Best Professor categories,
the awardees were recognized
institutionally and or locally as
researchers and were involved
in extension projects which had
been at least provincial in scope.
As an incentive, they were
given a one-time-all-expense-
paid round trip foreign study mis-
sion from Legazpi to identified
universities in an Asian country
and back, inclusive of travel al-
lowance and pocket money of
ten thousand pesos, not convert-
ible to cash or to any local travel.
On the other hand, forty out-
standing scholars from the dif-
ferent colleges of BU were also
acclaimed.
Five awardees came from
the Department of Science and
Technology Science and Educa-
tional Institute (DOST-SEI), three
were College Student Council
(CSC) officers, two were from
the Youth Scholarship Incentive
Program and the remaining por-
tion of which came from other
scholarship programs such as
that of the Commission on High-
er Education (CHED) and those
benefiting athletes and barangay
officials.
Said scholars are graduating
students that have undergone
the screening process through
a panel interview and who had a
satisfactory general weighted av-
erage (GWA).
The College of Science (CS)
turned out as the best organiza-
tional unit in BU.†
As explained by Salvador Abiño, CBEM’s Registrar, the
college now offers BS in Business Administration with foci in
Financial Management, Human Resource Management, Mar-
keting Management, Microfinance and Operations and Service
Management after restructuring the program.
He also added that some students filed a leave of absence
due to financial constraints.
A need for ‘Human Resource Capacity’
Dean Amelia Dorosan sees the increase in the enrolment
rate of IT in the College of Science as an indication that there is a
need to develop the human resource program of the college over
its physical needs. She considers the faculty as vital in addressing
the increasing number of students in the university.
According to her, funds are easy to find but “human resource
takes time and effort to attain”.
“The increase in the number of enrolees posed a challenge
to us on how we will be able to sustain the program with quality.
Rest assured we are doing something about it. For instance, we
have been strengthening our human resource since 2004,” Doro-
san imparted.
Dorosan further commented that the development of the IT
program in BU was very late but she still perceives it as an op-
portunity for the students.
“The administration is committed. The college is commit-
ted. We are reinforcing the faculties. The students should also
dedicate themselves to studying,” Dorosan remarked.
BU is the “one”
With such remarkable increase in the enrolment rate, Cora-
zon Bazar, BU University Registrar is confident that it will not
highly affect BU’s capacity to maintain its academic excellence.
“Of course the university is ready. We have sufficient re-
sources to accommodate the increasing number of students in the
university, “Bazar said.
Dr. Fay Lauraya, BU President is also positive in taking
the matter. Despite many struggles, she still recognized the in-
creasing number of students in BU as one of her administration’s
achievements.
“The increase in the enrolment of BU is based on our target
increase of 5 percent annually. But it was surpassed. We secured
a 9 percent increase. It seems to me that it is an indication that
Bicol University is the one,” Lauraya said.
The increase in the enrolment rate has been the highest since
Lauraya became the president of the university two years ago.†

FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE


Requisition
T
he problem with Philip-
pine tertiary education is that it
is highly centralized. Very few
tertiary institutions produce the
crème de la crème of Philippine
society. Notice that the highest policy-mak-
ing positions in the country are always occu-
pied by University of the Philippines or Ate-
neo de Manila graduates. Almost all of the
senators who mattered in Philippine history
once had UP as their alma mater, although
we can say that that is probably because UP
does actually offer Public Administration
courses. The most prestigious judges and
lawyers will only come from four universi-
ties in Manila. If you’re a Doctor of Medicine,
you won’t be big if you’re not from one of the
top three medical schools (UP-Philippine
General Hospital, University of Santo Tomas,
University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay).
Almost all generals were Philippine Military
Academy cadets once. And most business
tycoons are products of the Asian Institute
of Management, Ateneo de Manila or De La
Salle University.
Of course, what we said that last
paragraph has been slowly changing over
the years. As our society matures, so does
our education system. The status quo that
Manila once had monopoly over educa-
tion is gradually being disrupted. More and
more provincial universities are being able
to produce graduates at par with Manila
graduates. Universities in less metropoli-
tan areas are starting to prove themselves
capable of competing with Manila’s universi-
ties. Leading exemplars are Mindanao State
University, University of San Carlos, Silliman
University, West Visayas State University, our
own BU, Batangas State University, Univer-
sity of North Eastern Philippines and many
more.
For a university only forty years in
existence, BU has achieved a lot. When a
BU graduate applies for a job in Manila, he/
she doesn’t get asked anymore where BU is.
BU has earned deserving prestige with its
consistent production of placers in licensure
U The Bicol
niversitarian
exams, particularly in engineering and ac-
countancy courses.
Last year’s BU graduates have aced the
Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC)
licensure exams this year, with Ivan Rhett
Macabeo from Guinobatan, Albay notching
the top spot in the Licensure Examination
for Certified Public Accountants and ten oth-
ers in the Top Ten of other licensure exami-
nations. Worth mentioning also is BU’s first
ever placer in the PRC’s Forestry Licensure
Examination, Forester Darrel James Sy from
BUCAF who attained 3rd Place. Achieving BU
students have qualified for various programs
that have sent them abroad; with some
being dispatched to Asian countries like Sin-
gapore and Japan and still others to distant
nations in Europe like the Czech Republic
and Germany. The most notable among them
is Dandee Bitancor, one of our country’s only
four delegates to this year’s Bayer Young
Environmental Envoys Program in Germany.
This academic year marked the 40th
anniversary of the founding of the Bicol
University, the premier state university of
the Bicol Region. It will be recalled that the
passage of Republic Act 5521 on June 21,
1969 and the subsequent formal institution-
alization on September 21, 1970 by virtue of
Resolution No. 1 of the BU Board of Regents
amalgamated public schools and colleges
of established repute and gave birth to this
university as we know it.
Beyond the expected revelry accom-
panying the “Forty Amazing Years” celebra-
tion, this has been a pretty good year for the
university. House Bill 4410 integrating the
Bicol University Gubat Campus (BUGC) has
just passed Congress and will formally es-
tablish the first campus of BU outside Albay
upon implementation, with plans of another
in Masbate being deliberated by admin. The
Commission of Higher Education (ChED)
had just promoted Bicol University Tabaco
Campus (BUTC) from the status of Center of
Excellence into a National University in Fish-
eries while the Bicol University College of
Agriculture and Forestry (BUCAF) had also
FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE
been recognized as a Provincial Institute for
Agriculture and Fisheries.
The gregariousness and the penchant
for persistence of the university president
has resulted in several politicians and public
figures committing to give financial support
for the operation of and the augmentation of
facilities in our university this year. Senator
Edgardo Angara has committed P60 Million
pesos worth of funding for BU through inser-
tions in the General Appropriations Act.
Representative Jose Solis of the 2nd District
of Sorsogon continues to subsidize BUGC
and students there enjoy free matriculation.
Don Emilio Yap, Ph.D., owner of The Manila
Bulletin, Manila Hotel and Centro Escolar
University has donated the parcel of land in
Monumento, Caloocan City (just behind SM
City North Edsa, also near Trinoma) where
BU’s Extension Office in NCR is being con-
structed. BU conferred upon him a degree
of Doctor of Humanities (Honoris Causa) for
“his efforts in advocating service to humani-
ty through generosity in sharing one’s bless-
ings.” Though some would interpret this as
political patronage, we cannot disagree that
this trend of coursing funds for provincial
universities like ours has contributed to
rapid development that we hope shall once
for all end the monopoly to quality educa-
tion that Manila universities seem to hold.
But any institution will have room for
improvement. BU sure does have the entitle-
ment to claim its superiority as a state uni-
versity in Bicol. But it still has a long way to
go before all workplaces in the country will
start prioritizing BU grads over their Manila
counterparts.
There is simply no point of comparison
between our university and UP. But it will
pay to study the features that make it the
most successful university in the country. As
the premier state university of the country,
it serves as the archetype for other state
universities. Other state universities try to
imitate its structure since it has proven to be
so successful. BU is no exception. Notice how
some of our colleges’ names are eerily remi-
editorial|9
niscent of UP’s: CAL, CSSP, CE, CEng, CS and
etc.? Since many of BU’s faculty members
and developers of curricula are UP graduates
themselves, even our curricula tend to be
patterned from UP’s.
UP always gets the biggest cut for state
universities and colleges (SUCs) in the
national budget, it has the highest financial
endowment of all educational institutions
in the Philippines. In 2008, it had a financial
subsidy from national government of P6
Billion. That’s approximately P135,000 per
student. Now you know why UPCAT is so
hard. The quota is so hard to make because
everybody wants a piece of that 135k a
year! And yes, that’s PER YEAR! Imagine
how much the four to five year stay of a UP
student costs the Filipino citizens.
Anyway, that huge budget is exactly
why UP can afford to boast 246 under-
graduate programs and 362 graduate
degree programs. Although the buildings in
UP campuses are old, they are mostly still
conducive enough for study to produce the
intelligentsia and literati of the Philippines.
The P6 Billion budget makes possible the
purchase and establishment of the most ad-
vanced educational and laboratory facilities
and the employment of leading academics
and practitioners of the nation as a faculty:
composed of nothing less than senators, na-
tional artists, national scientists, renowned
doctors, columnists for national dailies,
department secretaries, diplomats, award-
winning directors and actors, novelists, etc.
That humongous budget is the reason why it
is able to maintain one of the biggest librar-
ies in the Philippines. That is why UP can
afford to have such an impressive General
Education Program.
A third world economy means that gov-
ernment cannot afford to subsidize all state
universities like it does UP. The reason why
it is so difficult to pass the UPCAT is because
it is like taking the test that will qualify you
for the best quality of public education that
the government can offer, a scholarship
subsidized by the nation’s blood, sweat and
tears. Since it’s tax money, only the deserv-
ing (UPCAT passers) are worthy of enjoying
it.
A glaring conundrum is that despite
BU’s apparent adoption of some aspects of
UP’s structure, the former never tried to
establish a general education program like
the latter’s. Based on the premise of freedom
of choice, UP’s Revitalized General Educa-
tion Program (RGEP), as it is called, gives its
students 45 units (5 subjects each for the
three required domains Arts and Humani-
ties; Social Sciences and Philosophy; Math,
Science and Technology) the privilege to
choose freely from a menu of general educa-
tion courses, the subjects useful in their
planned career path.
An AB Journalism student who has
studied in UP and undertook three Econom-
ics subjects under his/her Social Sciences
and Philosophy domain; Mathematics and
Statistics subjects in the Math, Science and
Technology domain; and three Communica-
tion subjects in his/her Arts and Humanities
domain will find himself/herself easy to be
hired by BusinessMirror as he understands
fairly well Economics, Math, Statistics and
Communications, all very important to busi-
ness journalism.
An AB Journalism graduate of BU will
find his/her situation a bit more difficult.
He/she has only studied one required
Economics subject in his four-year stay
in Bicol. If he/she does get employed by
BusinessMirror, he/she will be burdened
by learning what he/she does not know on
the job while the UP graduate pretty much
breezes through.
That also means that UP students will
study 15 general education subjects that
► page 12 | Requisition
 |feature story
10
Universitarian The Bicol
Ivan Rhett Macabeo:
A story carved in numbers
BY TAMAR ANTONIO
T
he 17th day of Octo-
Playing, err, praying with warlords! President Gloria Macapagal ber 2009 was just an
Arroyo prays with father and son Maguindanao Gov. Andal Sr. and ARMM ordinary day for most
Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan. BU students but for
one person, this day
marked the fulfillment of his
aspirations. At last, the grueling
journey was now over. Finally,
his dream is no longer confined
to the means and extremes of
numbers. He is now a Certi-
fied Public Accountant (CPA),
a bonafide number-cruncher, a
topnotcher.
Ivan Rhett Macabeo awed
thousands of his fellow hope-
fuls and astounded his beloved
Alma Mater when he turned out
Yummy Lobsters! Here the President enjoys a boodle fight with ARMM as the first placer of the CPA
Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan, Andal Jr.’s brother. board exam.
Driven by his professors
and co-students, he finished
with the highest recognition an
◄ page 13
|Missiles accounting student can ever
dream of.
“It’s my way of giving back
to them. They have worked
so hard in nurturing us and
clans in places where election-related violence are prevalent: Nueva Ecija, in preparing us for our line of
Abra, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu, Samar and business. I just want them to
our very own Masbate. Warlords continue to reign supreme in such areas. De- witness the fruits of their labor,”
fense Secretary Norberto Gonzales said that there are up to 130 private armies he joyfully shared. He said that
in the country. That means that the two thousand-strong Ampatuan private he shuddered at the thought
armed group (PAG) is only the tip of the iceberg. There are 129 or so more. of not passing the examina-
tion and being unable to give in
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno is at the helm
return what his professors had
of this ambitious project, although of course, upon blessing of the President. invested to him.
It is rightly his concern to do so because as Interior Secretary, he should be When asked about his
held partly accountable for the unchecked power of the Ampatuan warlords in preparations prior to the board
Maguindanao. The Ampatuans made government there all local and no central, exam, Ivan willingly imparted
and Puno could do precious little about it until the massacre (even after he was to the Universitarian that he and
powerless, some would argue). his classmates devoted ample
As of press time, six personalities have been named to make up the com- time for their prayers (with
the recital of the Holy Rosary
mission. They are Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, Mahmod Mala Adi-
everyday) and even resorted to
lao of the Bishops-Ulama Conference, retired Gen. Jaime Echeverria, retired a pilgrimage before the actual
police Director General Virtus Gil, broadcaster Herman Basbano, and Dante board examination. He also
Jimenez of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption. But membership is mentioned his high regards on
still being finalized as of now because apparently some of those appointed are eating a balanced meal and
still hesitant to take up the mantle. maintaining a stable emotional
We cannot, however, help but feel that this plan maybe nothing but lip predisposition.
service. Commissions like this are sometimes only created only to show that “Reviewing with a grum-
bling stomach and a depressed
government is doing something (or pretending to). They are always recom-
soul is indeed burdensome.
mendatory, but never given the power to execute. Of course, I do not want to
We will also recall the Melo Commission meant to probe and investigate pass the examination with an
the hundreds of incidences of extrajudicial killings in the country. That com- impaired health status,” Ivan
mission has been rather feeble in the sense that despite its incriminating find- imparted with humor.
ings that elements of the military were some of the perpetrators of the killings,
it was not able to actually effect the prosecution of anybody. It was only able to Accountant by nature
recommend that charges be filed for certain cases. Even in his formative years,
Ivan already has always proven
Presidential Administrative Order 275 which created the six-member
his intellectual prowess. He was
body is viewed by many as a mere study group, as Amando Doronila discussed a consistent valedictorian dur-
in a column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He has surmised that the recom- ing his elementary and second-
mendatory nature of such commissions denotes that it can only recommend ary years at a private school in
actions to executive agencies like the Philippine National Police. his hometown of Guinobatan,
Therefore, it is up to the PNP to dismantle and disarm these armies. But Albay. When he took the Uni-
that is indeed a tall order. These armies are mighty in their respective areas of versity of the Philippines Col-
operation and as in the case of the Ampatuans in Maguindanao, even the local lege Admission Test (UPCAT),
he passed the examination
police are part of the PAGs. How can the national police expect to dismantle
under the program of Bachelor
them when elements of their own agency compose said armies? of Science in Statistics. But he
And with only a couple of months before elections, how does the com- subsequently declined his slot
mission expect to dismantle the armies and prevent election-related violence because of inevitable financial
in good time when the study itself may take months and recommendation with constraints.
subsequent implementation must realistically take a few years, especially with “I wasn’t really expecting
red tape undoubtedly waiting around each legal and bureaucratic corner? that I’ll pursue Accountancy as
This may seem like a pipe dream, but the creation of this commission my course. When I was a pre-
school student, I dreamed of
is a step towards a more peaceful, private army-free society. Even if the re-
being an architect. But when I
sults may not be immediate, they will be appreciated. But it all depends on reached my elementary years,
the resolve of the commission to turn the other cheek on the political and eco- I wanted to be a scientist. My
nomic influence of the patrons of the PAGs, as well as the determination of interest was suddenly shifted to
implementing agencies like PNP. In the end, we, as bystanders can only hope teaching when I became a high
that the creation of the commission is not all sound and fury, that it is not school student,” Ivan narrated.
just mere lip service, that it will not be, as Amando Doronila has called it, a He later enlightened the
“TOOTHLESS CREATURE.”†
FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE
Universitarian that he decided to
pursue accountancy because it
is his mother’s profession, aside
from the fact that Mathematics
is also his favorite subject. “It
just happened in the blink of
an eye. I took accountancy and
I found myself liking it,” Ivan
recollected.
Ivan continued his aca-
demic excellence in his college
years. He placed second in the
over-all Bicol University College
Entrance Test (BUCET) and was
even recognized as an unswerv-
ing achiever. He marched the
graduation aisle as Magna Cum
Laude, and was also identi-
fied as one of the outstanding
graduates of the university. To
make it more accurate, he was
second in rank to the univer-
sity’s outstanding graduate last
April 2009.
“Unlike other student
achievers, Ivan’s grades in the
major subjects are far higher
than that of his minor grades,”
Dr. Teresita Galang, Accountan-
cy Department head, comment-
ed. She supported that with the
notion that when summed up,
Ivan’s high general weighted
average is overwhelmed by
his grades in the accounting
subjects.
Hurdling barriers
Ivan’s journey towards his
zenith was not all smooth-sail-
ing. Even though he was pres-
sured to maintain his grades, he
did not flank from his service.
He was a member of the Bicol
University Junior Philippine
Institute of Accountants (BU-
JPIA) for four consecutive years
and soon after he became its
president when he turned as a
senior student.
“In his term as BU-JPIA
president, it even came to a
point when he had to donate
his own money to finance the
organization’s projects and or
activities,” Dr. Galang recalled.
She also evoked that Ivan
once sought for his resignation,
fearing that his affiliation in
the said institute would entail a
negative effect on his studies.
“I told him that if he fails in my
three examinations, I’ll accept
his plea,” she disclosed.
Because of his innate
accounting analysis, Ivan
did not obtain the three
failing results that he must
accomplish for him to be
relieved from his service.
“He even got high scores in
it,” Dr. Galang acclaimed.
BU-JPIA is a congre-
gation of the university’s
accountancy students which
is affiliated to a national
chapter.
Ivan was
described by his
members as an
unselfish and
responsible
leader. He
would stay
up until
near mid-
night just
to work
out all
the organization’s activities.
When asked on how he was
able to balance his academic
and extra-curricular affiliations,
Ivan conveyed that he applies
the principle of equilibrium. “I
always think ahead of time.
When I was the president, I al-
ways see to it that all my tasks
are planned before I pursue
it. To avoid overcrowding, in a
sense,” he continued.
According to him, life as a
student-officer is more dif-
ficult than that of an ordinary
student. He enjoyed accounting
because of its concepts and he
was always exhilarated when-
ever he deciphers an accounting
problem.
Fragments of advice
Ivan did not opt to deeply
submerge himself in his studies,
like what most of the student-
achievers do. “Watching pro-
grams in the television was my
favorite pastime. Contrary to
popular belief, we can actually
obtain vast amounts of informa-
tion by just merely watching it,”
he declared with assertion.
“As an advice to my fellow
BU students, I would say that
they should just learn how to
love what they are doing. Be
optimistic. Believe in yourself
and on what God can do in your
life,” he ascertained.
He likewise shared that one
who is determined to reach the
summit should put aside his
impossible dreams and com-
plete the tasks at hand. “No
matter how distasteful, all great
achievements come from work-
ing and waiting,” he ended.
Right after the Professional
Regulation Commission’s (PRC)
official announcement of the
board passers, Ivan received a
multitude of offers from both
sides of the equation. It was af-
ter a sheer contemplation when
he chose to be the associate
editor of the SGV and Corpora-
tion, an accounting firm based
in Manila.
Ivan still works in the
abode of numbers but now he’s
doing it in a more competitive
arena of accounting principles.†

Halalan 2010: as BUeños see it
Despite the inauspicious start of election-campaigns, the
majority of the students still cling on to their faith that some-
body in position can lead the country.
The Universitarian conducted its own election survey
among BU students and they have already chosen who among
the ubiquitous presidential candidates will top their list.
“I want Noynoy for president because he believes in
democracy and he wants what’s best for the ma-
jority of the Filipinos. He also has a very good
record as a senator.”
Ivan Orville Crisol
Editor in chief, The Gearcast
College of Engineering (CENG)
“At first, I really wanted Noynoy for president but be-
cause of the subsequent interviews and debates
held among the presidentiables, I think Gibo
would be the best choice.”
Flyn Eric Cambusa
College Student Council (CSC) President, CENG
“If Chiz Escudero were still one of the presidential
candidates, he would be my personal choice. But
I think his decision not to vie for the position is
a vital step on being a good leader. The fact that
he is already a politician and lawyer at the same
time, I think there’s an existing conflict of inter-
est. You don’t have to be on top to prove your
worth as a person.”
Hubert B. Thomas
University Student Council (USC) PIO
“In my own point of view, Noynoy is the perfect candi-
date because he is a leader by blood. His parents
lived and died for the country and I presume he
won’t do anything that shall ruin his family’s
reputation.”
Wilson Dado
CSC PIO, Institute of Physical Education, Sports and
Recreation (IPESR)
“I want Manny Villar to be the next president be-
U The Bicol
niversitarian
Paglimot
Gaano man kasaya ang pagsasama ng da-
lawang nagmamahalan, darating pa
rin ang panahong hindi magkakaintindihan.
Inaamin ko, masaya ako sa piling ni Chris. Hindi ko
pinapansin ang mga pang-aasar na itinatapon sa’kin ng
mga kaibigan ko, hindi naman kasi nila alam ang
pakiramdam na magmahal at mahalin ng
bakla.
Binigay sa akin ni Applepie (ang
tawag ko kay Chris, at ako nga naman
pala si Honeypie) ang pagmamahal na hindi ko
man lamang naramdaman sa mga past girlfriends ko.
Pero sa paglamig ng mga araw ngayon, tila nanlamig na
rin ang pagtrato niya sa’kin.
Wala naman ako naaalalang pagkakamaling
nagawa ko. Hindi rin naman kami nag-aaway. Bigla na
lamang siyang nagbago.
At ilang araw lamang ang nakalipas ay nagtext siya
sa’kin. Magkita raw kami. Sa sobrang saya ko sa muli
niyang pagparamdam, hindi ko man lang naisip na dito
na pala magwawakas ang masaya naming pagsasama.
“Break na tayo, Justin. It’s not you, it’s me. Kelangan
kong bumawi sa academics. At sa totoo lang, nagsawa
na ako. Pasensya talaga, Justin. Kung mahal mo ko,
you’ll set me free,” wika ni Chris, ang dating malambing
nyang pagsasalita ay napalitan ng pananaray. Hindi ako
nakakibo, hindi rin makapag-isip ng matino. Wala akong
ginawa kundi pumayag sa gusto nya. Ano pa nga ba ang
magagawa ko?
Ilang araw na akong natutulala, lalo na kapag
naririnig ang kantang Masarap Magmahal ng Bakla. Eh
totoo naman kasi eh, kay sarap dam’hin.
cause I think he can give better solutions to the
problems faced by our country nowadays. And
honestly, I don’t want Gibo to win because if that
happens there is a great possibility for GMA to
be the prime minister. That would be a night-
mare!”
Cherry M. Calleja
2nd year, Bachelor of Science (BS) in Nursing
“Among the presidentiables, Gibo is the most
equipped. He already held different positions in
government and he has proven himself to be a
good leader. He even topped the bar exam. Being
a lawyer takes a lot of courage and intelligence
so I must say that Gibo should be the next presi-
dent.”
Maria Daisy Lleno
CSC President, College of Science (CS)
“As portrayed on his infomercials, Manny Villar al-
ready experienced being less fortunate and I
guess that’s one of the reasons why I see him as
a true leader. I believe that a true leader is some-
one who has the heart that understands the sit-
uation of his people.”
Zarah Joy Maralit
3rdYear, BS in Elementary Education
“I think Noynoy has the capacity to be a great lead-
er like his parents. He knows how to serve the
country in his own way. Being senator for the
past years gave him a chance to prove himself as
a leader.
Rod Anthony Castro
3rdYear BS in Architecture
“Chiz Escudero topped the survey conducted by the
Political Scence. department back when he was
still vying for the presidential position. But
personally, I want Gibo Teodoro to be the next
president because of his credentials. As a bar to-
FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE
feature|11
THUMBSUCKER
ni Justin Kutitob
Madalas na rin akong hindi matinong kumain,
matinong maligo, at makatulog sa ingay ng landlady.
Pero dahil yun sa kulang na allowance na padala ng
mga magulang ko, at hindi ko pa pagbabayad ng tubig
at renta.
Hindi rin ako pumapasok. Lagi kasi ako may hang-
over, pero dahil na rin ito sa pagkawala ng I.D. ko. Hindi
rin naman ako papapasukin ni guard, eh. Kaya ang
bespren kong si Anne ang araw-araw nagdadala ng mga
notes dito sa boarding house. Ilang araw na rin niyang
sinasabi na kelangan ko na raw magmove-on kay Chris.
Sabi niya, hindi raw maganda sa kalusugan ang pagmu-
mukmok.
Bigla kong naisipang tumingin sa salamin. Nagulat
ako sa aking nasilayan. Ang gwapong mukha ni Justin
Kutitob ngayo’y tinubuan na ng makapal na bigote,
maiitim na eyebags sa pagpupuyat, at halatang pag-
payat. Dumami na rin ang pimples ko lalo na sa noo.
Magulo at mahaba na ang buhok ko, ilang araw na rin
akong hindi nagsusuklay eh.
Tama si Anne. Kailangan ko nang kalimutan si Chris.
Alam ko, hindi ito magiging madali para sa akin,
pero sabi nga naman nila, time heals all wounds. Balang
araw, mahahanap ko rin ang aking Ms. (or Mr.) Right, at
sa pagdating ng panahong iyon, hinding hindi ko na siya
papakawalan.
At tila ba ginusto ng tadhana, biglang tumugtog ang
“Fixin’ a Broken Heart” sa radyo, eksatong pagpasok ni
Anne sa gate ng aking boarding house.
Siguro’y lumipas na ang bisa ng apple-flavored
Refresh na binigay sa akin ni Chris. It’s time to move on.
Isa pa gagradaute na rin ako sa Marso. Sana.†
pnotcher, he is indeed intelligent.”
Harry Jay B. Daet.
CSC Representative, College of Social Sciences and
Philosophy (CSSP0
“Harapan ‘09 at ANC helped me a lot in choosing
who’s the right candidate for the position, and
apparently Gibo’s answers impressed me. He’s
been a good leader before and basing from his
experiences, he’s the most fitted to serve as the
country’s president among the candidates.”
Tarrah Diandra C. Bulawan
CSC President, College of Business Economics and
Management (CBEM)
“The fact that Gibo is a bar topnotcher, no one can
question his leadership capabilities. He has gone
through several responsibilities handling differ-
ent government positions. He already proved
that he is a good leader.”
Rommel Regondola
CSC President, Bicol University Polangui Campus
(BUPC)
“After several surveys and brain-storming, I believe
Gibo has the capability to change the obnoxious
system of governance here in the Philippines.
He is intelligent and has a clean track record.”
Jovic Maurice Yee
Bicol Organization of Neo-Journalists (BONJOUR)
President BUCAL
Indeed, casting votes for the 2010 election is as easy as
it may seem, but still it takes a lot of thinking before one can
choose who suits the position best. Being blinded by the nu-
ances of a perfect life is not an option. At the end of the day,
the choice still lies on our hands.†
COMPILED BY SHEENA FERRER
 |feature story
12
Universitarian The Bicol

between the two parties actually occurred

and she also admitted that the concluding
provision, stated below, negated the one
that disqualifies Baldon:
“Any violation on any of the guidelines
will mean demerit.”
Jalgalado then insisted that the last
Jalgalado’s claim however, was invali-
dated by Raafat.
By the end of the pageant, Baldon
failed to get any major or minor awards.
CAL-CSC’s protests

Inconsistent rules mar guideline, which suggests demerit and not

disqualification, should rule over the other
guidelines and hence, be followed.
Jalgalado and Bellena told the Univer-
sitarian that CAL was not after the crown
but the truth. They claimed that the score

Mr. & Ms. BU 2009 The dispute was settled with the Office
of the President’s decision allowing Baldon
to join the search and thus enabling her to
participate in the pageant’s talent presen-
tation. However, CAL-CSC again appealed
BY GERARD FRANCIS OGAD pealed and brought the issue to the Office to the president as regards how Baldon
PHOTO BY EDITHA AILEEN MIJARES of the President through a letter dated will be rated since she already missed two
September 12, 2009. pre-pageant activities (press presentation
sheet was manipulated during the pageant.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with
Nashrene. She had done things which
were quite unnatural and she keeps on
avoiding the issue,” Bellena commented
towards the speculation that Raafat may
be have been responsible for manipulating
the scores since she took part in handing

W
hat should have been
purely a spectacle of
beauty and talent became
the spotlight of controver-
sy in this year’s Search
for Mr. and Ms. Bicol University.
Endeavouring to showcase the wit
and glamour of a true Bueño, the event
caused disputes when the female candi-
date of College of Arts and Letters (CAL)
was disqualified in the early part of the
competition due to some purported defects
in the pageant’s guidelines.
A provision in the guidelines released
by the University Student Council (USC)
states that:
“Any candidate with a regional or
national title cannot join the pageant.”
According to the USC, the afore-
mentioned stipulation aims to “produce
fresh beauty queens who will be the prime
promoters of the university.”
This provision of the guidelines be-
came unfavourable for CAL since Ms. CAL
2009 Alexis Joyce Baldon, a third year
Journalism student who has already been
the recipient of two regional titles – Miss
Philippine Association of State Universi-
ties and Colleges-Region V (PASUC V)
and Miss Magayon-Tourism 2009. The
prior titles were the basis of the USC for
disqualifying her from the pageant.
In a letter dated September 10, 2009,
the USC officially informed CAL College
Student Council (CSC) president Mariane
Mae Jalgalado that Baldon was disquali-
fied from joining the pageant.
CAL’s appeal
In response to the USC’s decision,
Jalgalado and three faculty members ap-
◄ page 9
|Requisition
they are truly interested in. We can surmise that a student who is
Dr. Jocelyn Bartolata, CAL-CSC Ad- and swimwear competition). The afore-
viser Gemma Bellena and Prof. Indira Tabo mentioned activities constitute 30 percent
declared that “guideline number nine (the of the candidate’s grand score.
provision disqualifying Baldon) is sense- Jalgalado said that Biasca made an
less and is contrary to the very end which internal arrangement with Baldon and
the search claims to realize.” CAL- CSC. Baldon’s remaining 70 percent
CAL also protested against the USC will be taken as 100 percent in the compu-
for providing them with delayed guidelines. tation of scores to compensate for the 30
The letter stated that the USC released the percent that she lost prior to her disqualifi-
guidelines on August 28, 2009. Baldon was cation (this was later negated).
officially crowned Ms. CAL on August 27. The internal arrangement however,
“Granting there is indeed any merit to was subsequently undermined when the
the provision, we could have dissuaded entire USC body rejected Biasca’s decision
our candidate from subjecting herself to through majority consent. Raafat said that
future “humiliation” as the USC allowed Biasca did not consult the body when she
on September 9. Ms. Baldon, in full make made the arrangement.
up and donning her best as becoming Biasca, however, mentioned that she
of a CAL beauty queen was recklessly called for an executive meeting with the
ignored when she showed up for picto- officers but it was boycotted by other of-
rial,” Jalgalado and the three CAL faculties ficers.
complained in the letter. An emergency meeting informing
Prior to the supposed disqualifica- the CAL-CSC that the arrangement will
tion of Baldon, several meetings between no longer be implemented persisted. The
Jalgalado and the USC were conducted to decision was grounded on Biasca’s state-
resolve the issue. According to Jalgalado, ments that the parents of the candidates
USC External Vice Chairperson Raymund might protest against them if they imple-
Ordan, also the pageant’s executive chair- ment the said modification. Instead, they
man, apologized to her for his inconsis- would just orient the judges to adjust their
tency. Jessica Biasca, USC Chairperson, point system if they really want Baldon to
also present in the meeting, expressed her be in the top 5.
regret for the late issuance of the guide- Raafat however denied that Biasca
lines. made such decision and told the Univer-
The Bicol Universitarian tried to get sitarian that it was Jalgalado who asked
Ordan and Biasca’s side. However, Ordan them to orient the judges.
said on a forwarded text message that
he was busy. Biasca on the other hand, On the pageant night
chose not to comment on the issue. It was Raafat oriented the judges hours
Nashrene Raafat, Deputy Secretary Gen- before the pageant night but according to
eral and the pageant’s honorary chairman, Jalgalado, only one judge for the female
who honored the Universitarian with an category attended the orientation. She said
interview. that Raafat did not even mention Baldon’s
Raafat confirmed that the meetings candidate’s number.
who graduated from BU with a Minor in anything.
Consultations are supposedly held as to what elective subjects
the score sheets to the tabulators.
Raafat, meanwhile was disheartened
by the allegations.
“Too much has been ceded. We
(USC) should also be firm about our deci-
sion, even if sometimes, one party will
be affected. It is our duty to protect the
interest of the majority as the highest ruling
body,” Raafat said.
In a written statement released by
CAL- CSC, they stated that their major
concerns were the faulty guidelines and
the unrealized adjustments made by
Biasca.
Baldon, having second thoughts in
joining the pageant, still pursued amidst
protests. According to her, CALibers, es-
pecially the CAL-CSC and faculty greatly
encouraged her to continue.
“I was totally moved and grateful that
the CALibers believed in me. The best
way to inspire a person is by encouraging
and supporting her. Indeed, they’re my
inspiration. I joined Ms. BU not for myself
but for my beloved college. I will always
remember their utmost support,” Baldon
proclaimed.
This is not the first time that a contro-
versy mired the university pageant. Last
year, a conflict also occurred when Jessica
Biasca (then still USC Internal Vice Chair-
person) joined the pageant despite guide-
lines clearly stipulating that candidates
holding any major position in a university
organization should not be admitted. When
asked why the USC bent its rules to allow
Biasca to partake in the pageant last year,
and did not do the same for Baldon this
year, Raafat simply answered that “it was
a mistake that cannot be corrected by
another mistake.Ӡ
FINANCIAL REPORT
First Semester, AY 2009-2010

truly interested in a subject that he/she chose for himself/herself
will be more enthusiastic in the course of his/her study and will, in
theory, be more productive. The program serves three purposes:
a more enthusiastic and productive student; a general education
Universitarian
should be included in the curricula of students. But student repre-
sentation is minimal, if existent at all. The Bicol
We can agree that BU’s block system makes it hard for some-
thing like RGEP to be implemented here. But even in high school,
INFLOW

truly beneficial for a student’s future career path; and a more inde- we were able to undertake electives even if we had sectioning Remaining Balance AY 2008-2009 980.80
pendent student, able to decide on subjects without dictation from similar to a block system. It is probably because of a shortage of Pub Fee Collection (First Sem) 44 592.50
his faculty or department. Because of the nonexistence of such a resources that a block system is being employed in BU. An inter-
system in BU, all three advantages are absent in BU. national class system would prove to be very demanding for both Wallnews 2 650.00
Office Materials 200.00
The rigid education system of BU remains a problem to be faculty and facility. So will a system like RGEP. Writer’s Exam 650.00
hurdled. It poses a limitation of academic freedom. Electives are The implementation of such a system in BU might be a pipe Writer’s Workshop 1 448.75
self-explanatory. They are courses or subjects supposed to be dream. We do not have the resources for a RGEP yet. But little by Website Hosting/Maintenance 1 490.00
OUTFLOW

chosen by the students on their own volition. To require them is little, it can be done. We can start by allowing electives to be chosen Office Key Duplication 35.00
Purchase of Receipts 2 422.00
defeating their very purpose. by students, not their departments in more frequent, transparent Communication 348.75
Maybe that is because provincial state universities and colleges and participatory consultations for curriculum amendments and SGT 1 350.00
(SUCs) like BU define electives differently. To SUCs in the province, developments. Koleksyon (Concert) 100.00
Reimbursements 2 201.75
electives might be courses or subjects not mandated by CHEd but Resources are still coming from our patrons. Why not channel SUB-TOTAL 12 796.25
applied to their curricula; as opposed to CHEd Mandated Subjects them towards a goal like a BU RGEP?
(MS) like Rizal. RGEP in BU may seem to be a star-crossed premise. But it pays
BREAKDOWN

From that, we can assume that students from typical provin- to have a target, no matter how ambitious. We have already proven CASH INLOW 45 573.30
CASH OUTFLOW 12 796.25
cial SUCs like our own cannot carry Minors because there are no ourselves to be capable of going elbow to elbow with our Manila TOTAL 32 777.05
elective subjects in the true prerogative sense. Subjects unrelated to counterparts. And in rare instances, we HAVE beaten them. With
their Major course tend to be given through required general edu- improvements in our curricula like an RGEP that will produce more
cation subjects which the department, not the student, chooses. At enthusiastic and independent students knowing broader knowl- Prepared by:
least that is the trend in BU where curricula are formulated by the edge on subjects of their own liking AND choosing, well, the sky TAMAR ANTONIO
faculty of each department. That is why we never hear of anybody truly is the limit.† Managing Editor

FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE

◄ page 17
|Missiles
U The Bicol
the investigation. So powerful were the Ampatuans in their king-
dom and central government so impotent that even after the hor-
rendous massacre, government looked hesitant to prosecute the
indubitably guilty Mayor Andal, Jr. until they declared martial
law later.
We will remember that Maguindanao was one of the prov-
inces mentioned in the Hello Garci tapes where the female voice
(suspected to be our own President Arroyo) asked for an “allow-
ance” of one million votes. We will also remember that in the
2007 senatorial race, the administration’s candidates got an in-
credible 100 percent victory in Maguindanao, when they were
being snobbed everywhere else. Maguindanao Provincial Elec-
tion Officer Lintang Bedol was the star of the show at the time.
Where am I getting at? Well, pundits suggest that one other
reason why the Ampatuans received so much money, power and
the right to do anything they want in their constituencies from the
Arroyo government was because they could presumably deliver
sure wins for their allies in administration in any general elec-
tions.
Of course, we can never prove this now that martial law has
been declared and subsequently lifted in Maguindanao. Critics of
administration suggest that whatever evidence there was of the
Ampatuans delivering votes in wholesale to adminstration has
been destroyed in the week-long imposition of martial law.
Now, the suspected illegitimacy of President Arroyo is
blamed for the irrational power of the Ampatuans. Well, after all,
had she been confident of her own ability to win in the presiden-
tial elections, she would never have had to rely on the patronage
politics offered by the Ampatuans to secure a victory. The same
goes for the 2007 senatorial lineup of the administration.
The Ampatuans were so confident of their clout that they
thought they could get away with mass murder. But we will not
let them. The international community has declared the massacre
anathema, with no less than United Nations General Secretary
Ban Ki Moon condemning it as “a heinous crime” and demand-
ing justice for the victims. The massacre has incurred the ire of
the world media, and one does not have to explain how powerful
niversitarian
the press is in any society. The rage of the media has triggered the
indignation of thousands of ordinary citizens, here and abroad,
by the atrocious event. The internet has been flooded by maca-
bre pictures and grisly tales about the massacre. If the person
who reads this is interested about the bloodcurdling details of
the massacre, he/she only has to type in the keywords “Maguin-
danao Massacre” on wikipedia.org. Social networking sites like
facebook and twitter have been inundated by cries and screams
of bloody murder about the massacre from both foreigners and
Filipino nationals alike. Many rallies and protest marches have
been sparked by the massacre, including one in our own univer-
sity (though I wonder if all of those who joined truly understood
what they were shouting about).
This administration cannot afford to be lenient on the Am-
patuans and the more than a hundred who participated in the mas-
sacre, even though Lorelei Fajardo has declared that the President
and the Ampatuans will still remain “friends” after the warlord
family was tied to the massacre. Fajardo was subsequently sacked
because of that statement. But the people can only be satisfied
with the sincerity of this government if it actively takes up a role
in the certain prosecution and the consequent punishment of all
involved. No amount of firing spokespersons will satisfy us.
If the enraged public sees any leniency on the prosecution of
the Ampatuans, there’s no saying how they will react. President
Arroyo may not be able to finish her few months left in office if
she tries to remain “friendly” with the Ampatuans in their pros-
ecution. It is not unthinkable to imagine another People Power
brewing if she insists on coddling her “friends” any further. Let
us hope that she has learnt her lesson.
Now even administration cannot help the Ampatuans. As
much as the administration has gained from their alliance, the
mobs simply abhor them too much. In this aspect, it looks like the
Ampatuans have brought downfall upon themselves.
It is evident that a culture of impunity still hovers our land-
scape. Even with the trials being held in the National Capital Re-
gion, far from the fiefdoms of the Ampatuan warlords, there still
dominates a fear of the influence and the capacity for violence
of this bloody thirsty Mafia-ish family. The first judge assigned
to handle the Ampatuan case refused his appointment, indicating
feature story|13
fear for his life and his family’s as his reason for refusal. Govern-
ment has assigned escorts to the female judge who accepted the
case in lieu of the former, as if it still fears that the Ampatuans
still have the capability to order the assassination of their inquisi-
tors thousands of miles away from their kingdom, and they prob-
ably do. This government cannot afford to underestimate this
coven of killers.
But our comfort rests assured on the premise that this en-
raged and aggrieved public will not allow the Ampatuans to
roam free, as exemplified by the fury the media have displayed
when they got a chance to literally smash Andal Jr. in the face
on his way to one of his trials. And given his arrogant and impu-
dent declaration of a NOT GUILTY plea in his arraignment, oh,
there’s nothing I wouldn’t give for a chance to clobber him with
a camera’s lens myself.
But there is hope. We still believe that justice will prevail,
even in this imperfect justice system of ours.
Warlordism relies on two basic concepts, the power to buy
people and the power to scare enemies, patronage politics at its
worst. The Ampatuans had both the power to buy and scare. And
they wanted the people to remain poor and educated to ensure
continuity of their reign. The poor are easier to buy off and the
uneducated simply never have the guts or the capacity to stand
up to warlords.
They also continue to hold on to such power by maintain-
ing private armies that they use to either smite their enemies or
instill fear in them to affect submission. The continuing existence
of private armed groups will only ensure more election-related
violence especially as May draws near. But the problem is in no
way only delimited to Maguindanao.
Administration has committed to form a commission that
will have broad powers to dismantle private armies of political
► page 10 | Missiles

◄ page 7
|ROTC
Responding to the call of duty
“Once our assistance is needed, we re-
port immediately,” Bechayda said. He add-
ed that they cannot decline on requests of
their service, even if it means they have to
sacrifice their academics. The cadets do not
endure physical exhaustion alone. Most of
the time, they have to battle with emo-
tional and psychological torments.
The officers have to report as early
as 4 AM every training day. Bechayda said
that as officers, they facilitate during lec-
tures, trainings, and have to compute the
grades of more than 1000 4th class cadets.
However, Bechayda disclosed that
most students do not understand the
cadets’ role during such activities. Ac-
cording to him, the unit often receives
discrimination rather than appreciation.
“Mga makauyamun ang ROTC, garu daing
mga isip,” Bechayda quoted a student who
was hindered by the cadets from going up
the already full-packed Grandstand during
the opening of the 40th BU foundation
anniversary.
When they served as marshals during
the Hataw event, they had to bear their
rumbling stomachs from 8 AM to 2 PM.
“We were thankful that the IPESR had given
us some food,” Bechayda said.
“Last time, we were requested to
serve as marshals during Dark Pink XVIII.
However, the request was only made verbal
and the organizers did not confirm. But
because they might be expecting assis-
tance, we still came.” Bechayda said that his
staff stayed there from 6:30- 11 PM but the
event organizers said that they didn’t have
budget for the cadets.
Professor Rowena Zoilo, University
NSTP Director, said that since activities
like this are not anymore handled by the
university, the inviting party must at least
shoulder the needs of the cadets.
One for all, all for one
Only the Corps Commander and his/
her sponsor/escort are entitled to the
scholarship given by the university. They
enjoy a 100% free tuition during their
terms. On the other hand, they also get the
chance to become scholars of AFP. The AFP,
through the Department of National De-
fense also gives incentives to the 1st class
and 2nd class cadets: a cash allowance of
P90 per training day or a total of P 1350 for
15 training days (15 Sundays).
However, former and present corps
commanders believe that not only the
corps commander and the sponsor/es-
cort must benefit from the university’s
scholarship grants. Jessica Biasca, former
unit Corps Commander, A.Y 2006-2007,
and incumbent University Student Council
Chairperson, disclosed that during her time
as corps commander, she and her staff had
tried to work out that at least 2nd and 1st
class cadets also be granted with scholar-
ship.
“In ROTC, everybody from the fourth
to first class, works and sacrifices his own
time and freedom. The officers man the of-
fice and trainings without compensation.”
Biasca said.
This has long been a major concern
of the cadets, especially the officers. In an
effort to address such circumstance, a case
study is proposed by last academic year’s
unit Corps Commander Mateo Maloon as a
subject for his undergraduate thesis.
“I had been part of the unit so I know
how hard it is to be a cadet. You do not
only endure physical distress, you have
to prove your emotional and psycho-
logical worth,” he said. As a former Corps
Commander, he wishes that his study be
realized for the welfare of his subordinates
and those who will soon become part of
the unit.
Maloon’s thesis will study the feasibil-
ity of granting scholarships to at least the
2nd and 1st class cadets. Two options were
presented; tie-up of BU administration and
AFP wherein the university shall subsidize
the tuition of the cadets while the AFP con-
tinues to provide incentives, and through
the use of the ROTC trust fund to subsidize
the cadets’ scholarships.
According to BU President Fay Lau-
raya, her office would like to look in the
possibility of the proposal. “Actually, that
is very good. If that proposal would be
pursued and processed through the proper
channels, I believe the administration will
welcome that. ” Lauraya said.
Prof. Rowena Zoilo, NSTP Director
attested that this must not only be the
obligation of the university. “Indeed, the
Department of National Defense should be
involved because that is advanced ROTC al-
ready. After the NSTP course, the student’s
decision to pursue military training will not
be handled by the university anymore,” she
said.
Zoilo then expressed her support
for the case study; “I hope the case study
shows that there are a lot of students who
want to pursue military training but could
not anymore because of financial con-
straints,” she said.
“What we do is for the spirit of pure
service, but if it is possible that other
cadets be also given incentives, then why
not?” Bechayda said. “After all, we are still
students despite the fact that this is a call
for volunteerism,” he added.
More than an obligation
According to Jessica Biasca, being
part of the unit is really exhausting and it
requires a lot of courage. “It felt so great
to be the head of a unit that is dominated
by men. It required great courage to be
firm and radiate bravery to your men. I had
to veil my feminine traits and front myself
as an example in all aspects. I had to gain
their utmost respect,” Biasca shared. She
further explained that the unit’s success or
failure is under the command and respon-
sibility of the corps commander.
Biasca, Maloon, and Bechayda all
agreed that their being involved in ROTC
has influenced much to what kind of per-
sons they are right now. All of them shared
the countless instances when they badly
wanted to quit from the obligation, but
because of the values and lifetime lessons
that they learned from the unit, they stayed
and continue to serve. Word of wisdom
that is common to all of them is: “The end
justifies the means, and the quitter makes
the loser.”
University’s pride
For three years already, BU’s ROTC unit
has been the best in the region. The unit
has acclaimed such recognition through its
three consecutive top performances in the
Regional Annual Administartive Perfor-
mance Evaluation (RAAPE), conducted by
the AFP under the Regional Command
Defense Group (RCDG). Every year the
university’s cadets exhibit their prowess in
doing field tactics, dismantling and reas-
sembling fire arms, and oral exams.
Prof. Rowena Zoilo, NSTP Director said
that she is proud of the responsible ROTC
unit of the university despite the many
discouraging situations the unit has to deal
with. According to her, surviving and still
pursuing the ROTC training justifies the
passion of the cadets. She shared that she
does not want the burning spirit of these
students be put to waste.
■■■
Sweat. Blood. Soul. These make up
the price one has to pay if he indeed, is off
to reach his destination. He has to come
on time to catch the ride for chasing his
dreams. He must be the responsible soldier
who shall guard himself all throughout the
journey. After all, reaching the finish line
won’t be that hard if one’s eyes are focused
on that direction, despite the obstacles
that may emerge along the lane.†

FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE

 |opinions
14
On GMA in congress
U
nder President Arroyo,
the Philippines has succeeded
in becoming both the most cor-
rupt country in Asia (accord-
ing to a Political and Economic
Risk Consultancy or PERC survey of for-
eign businessmen in 2007) and the world’s
most dangerous country for media workers
(as declared by the World Association of
Newspapers and News Publishers or WAN-
IFRA held recently in Hyderabad, India and
many global media rights groups such as
the International Federation of Journal-
ists). President Arroyo has also launched
several attempts to perpetuate herself in
power by sponsoring (directly or indirectly
through her minions in congress) numer-
ous attempts to change the charter via
people’s initiative and a constituent as-
sembly in her ally-dominated lower house.
She has also tried to actively stifle dissent
by proclaiming a state of emergency back
gino leocadio paje
crepuscular
musings
in 2006, through Proclamation No. 1017
when another coup d’état plot was report-
edly uncovered.
The president’s controversial cali-
brated preemptive response ordered that
any demonstration without permits would
be preemptively stopped. She also issued
Executive Order no. 464 that effectively
prevented all executive officials from ap-
pearing in congressional inquiries without
her prior consent. Senate has always been
ready to try her lieutenants for scandals
in “aid of legislation”. Both measures have
been challenged in the Supreme Court, and
some sections have been declared uncon-
stitutional. Her many detractors have linked
the recent massacre in Maguindanao to her
name, suggesting that she should be held
accountable for the deaths and rapes of the
57 victims for it was she who created the
monster that the Ampatuan warlord clan
embody today. She ceded unprecedented
power and wealth to the Ampatuans in ex-
change for help in the Moro Islamic Libera-
tion Front insurgency and a certain 100%
victory in Maguindanao in any elections.
Her government fostered the political pa-
tronage of the Ampatuans, who shared
their wealth (from the internal revenue al-
lotment given by central government) with
their supporters and shared their violence
and bullets with their enemies. This trend
soon became lopsided, with the Ampatu-
ans having virtual monopoly of power in
Maguindanao (even “owning” both police
and army) and the central government be-
coming an impotent presence. It resulted
in a culture of impunity that the Ampatu-
ans inundated themselves with, and soon
they developed the illusion that they could
get away even with mass murder.
It is not that we cannot attribute any
achievements to her administration. But
the failures of her administration simply
overshadow its successes. Being an econo-
mist, her economic measures have been
effective in fostering economic growth in
terms of gross domestic product. Economic
growth has relatively improved the most
in her administration as compared to the
last three, attributed to high tax remittanc-
es from Filipinos working abroad and to
President Arroyo’s controversial expanded
value added tax law. Curiously though, the
5% average of economic growth has yet
to curb poverty in any significant degree.
In fact, some studies seem to illustrate a
rise in poverty rate in the country. Never-
Universitarian The Bicol
theless, with all the demons haunting her
leadership (Hello Garci, ZTE, etc. scandals,
Maguindanao massacre) you would think
that she doesn’t have any illusions that she
can still rehabilitate her political career, but
no, she is a “champion”. And like any in-
domitable champion, she does not intend
to drop out of the limelight any time soon.
But what should she do when her term lim-
its dictate that she must leave office next
year and the threat of prosecution looms?
The ambiguous provision in the consti-
tution declares, “The President shall not be
eligible for any reelection.” Father Joaquin
Bernas, however, says in his weblog that in
the 1986 Constitutional Convention, there
was a discussion among the con-con del-
egates about this issue, to wit:
In July 30 (1986), before the final
approval of the Davide amendment,
there ensued the following exchange:
MR. [FLORENZ] REGALADO: May we
inquire from Commissioner
Davide why he proposes
that the President shall be
completely ineligible for any
future elective office lower
than the presidency?...
Would it not be possible
that perhaps a former Pres-
ident may wish to share his
talents and experience with
the people by running for a
lower position like that of a
Senator?
MR. DAVIDE: He can. He is
only banned from reelection, mean-
ing to the same office, but not from
running for any office. So the wording
is very clear: “THE PRESIDENT shall
be INELIGIBLE FOR ANY reelection”.
(i.e., to the same office)
So we can assume that our legal sys-
tem presently allows Pres. Arroyo to seek
election as Congressman, unless of course,
the Commission on Elections or the Su-
preme Court declares otherwise. She says
that she made the decision to run for con-
gressman as a response to the call of her
provincemates for her to represent them
in congress. Her own words go like this:
“Public service is emblazoned on my DNA.”
But of course, being the most unpopular
president with a current approval rating of
-32, very few people still take her words at
face value. Her political career after all can
only be characterized as being full of deceit
and calculation. Wasn’t it she who publicly
declared that she will not run in 2004 only
to do so regardless?
There are many theories as to why the
President suddenly made this truly peculiar
and unprecedented decision to run for con-
gress when her term ends next year. any new administration in the sense that
One is that she did this seeking the mantle
of protection that a position in congress af-
fords. The bitterest enemies that she has
made in her nine years of questionable
public service all await the day her term
ends, each ready to pounce on her with
charges of plunder, graft and corruption
and many more. But Pres. Arroyo has stat-
ed herself that the immunity offered by be-
ing a congressman is not what she is after.
“Congressional immunity is only from libel
suits for utterances made in Congressional
sessions. That is not what I am after,” she
said.
Some suggest that she intends to ef-
fect a transition to a parliamentary form
of government once she secures a seat in
congress by initiating yet again another
attempt at charter change from the lower
house. She can easily do this if she be-
comes speaker of the house. After that she
will get herself elected as prime minister
while relegating the power of the presi-
dency into a ceremonial one like in Ire-
land. If she becomes prime minister, she
will theoretically be immune from charges
of plunder and the like. But that depends
on what constitutional amendments are
implemented. This scenario is hypothetical
at best. As the December 3, 2009 editorial
FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE
of the Philippine Daily Inquirer points
out, if Pres. Arroyo could not effect a revi-
sion of the constitution as president, how
can she reasonably expect to change the
constitution as merely one of over 250
congressmen?
Philippine political status quo dic-
tates that congressmen will always gravi-
tate toward a new president like flies on
a fresh heap of dung in expectation of a
bigger pork barrel, creating a majority.
That is how Ms. Arroyo presently enjoys ri-
diculously enormous influence in the lower
house, by bribing our congressmen with
bigger congressional discretionary funds.
That is how she saved herself four times
from impeachment. Her hold on the coun-
try’s purse provides her “leash” on the con-
gressmen. Now, a new president means a
new majority in congress. There is no rea-
son to expect that the new elected presi-
dent would allow a mere Rep. Gloria Maca-
pagal Arroyo to “walk over all over him”, as
Rina Jimenez-David states in her column in
the Philippine Daily Inquirer. No sane
president, even the administration’s bet
and Lakas-Kampi-CMD gamecock Gilberto
Teodoro, would allow any movement in
congress that would wrest political power
from him.
And there lies the challenge. We must
intelligently consider our presidential votes
in May and make sure that the President
who wins has the political will to veto any
mode of charter change that originates in
congress when it reeks of vested interest.
Also, senate is always there to counter any
movement for charter change from the
lower house, and it has always been an-
tagonistic to Pres. Arroyo. A change in title
from president to representative or even
speaker of the house will not mean that
they will be any less hostile to her.
The present unpopularity of Mrs. Ar-
royo will surely prevent her from getting
any measure of support from the public for
a shift in government. Also, when she steps
down from the presidency next years, she
will also concede control of the purse of
Malacañang. If she is not able to buy the
congressmen with pork barrel like she does
right now, she will lose most of the degree
of influence that she now enjoys. But this
does not mean that she will be impotent as
a Pampanga congressman at all. We can
assume that given her enormous influence
in congress as of today, she may be able
to retain even a slight degree of that when
she becomes congressman.
As president emeritus of Lakas-Kam-
pi-CMD, the dominant party in congress
today, we can assume that at least a one-
third minority of congress is still well with-
in her reach. Rules in congress state that
when a third of the members of congress
concur, an impeachment complaint may be
raised. This means that Ms. Arroyo as a
representative can still affect influence on
she can threaten a new president with an
impeachment complaint. Surely as sug-
gests Amando Doronila in a column in the
Nothing
In my opinion, this is what will happen to the studentry
if incompentent and uncommitted candidates win in
the upcoming USC Election.†
Philippine Daily Inquirer, with the Ms.
Arroyo’s capacity to dispense the “kaban
ng bayan” at will as president, she can
assist partymates to secure seats in con-
gress and ensure a significant number of
ally congressmen.
She can then blackmail the next ad-
ministration even if she cannot be prime
minister. This leverage that she will be af-
forded is a dangerous weapon. She can
use it for protection against those who
want to prosecute her for the scandals she
was involved as president. Surely, the next
president can protect her if she blackmails
him. In fact, she has done that countless
times with her embattled lieutenants. She
can use that to manipulate the next presi-
dent. In that regard, a Rep. Gloria Maca-
pagal-Arroyo is certainly not a harmless
congressman. Again, we can prevent this
if we are able to elect a strong and credible
president next year, one who will not kow-
tow to anything but the greater good of the
Filipino. What we can be sure of is the in-
justice in Ms. Arroyo running for a seat in
congress as an incumbent president. She
has stated that she fully intends to finish
her term as president even as she seeks a
seat in congress. This means that she will
be contending with other candidates in the
second district of Pampanga while availing
herself of the perks that being chief execu-
tive affords.
Calls for her resignation boomed anew
after she declared her intention to run as
congressman, the most notable of which
is former President Fidel V. Ramos’. He
disparaged Ms. Arroyo for diminishing the
stature of her office by seeking an inferior
position. Ramos demanded the resignation
of Pres. Arroyo for three reasons: her di-
minishing the highest position in the land
by running for an inferior office, the cal-
lousness she displays by running against
relatively unknown personalities even with
her undue advantage as chief executive
and the possibility that she may ignore na-
tional problems while still president in an
obsessive pursuit of a congressional seat.
Indeed, in most societies, those who have
reached the zenith of the political system
retire into the august arena of elder states-
manship upon the end of their tenure, usu-
ally being an advisor, dignitary or an ad-
vocate of some social cause. Think of Cory
Aquino, Bill Clinton, or Winston Churchill.
But it seems Ms. Arroyo is not ready to be
a statesman yet.
In the end, there is nothing illegal
about Ms. Arroyo running for congress in
Pampanga, but this declaration of hers
does reek of turpitude and deceit, not to
mention degrading the highest office in the
land. If she has any respect for the presi-
dency, she should step down. Delicadeza
would dictate that she resign if she intends
to seek another elective position in gov-
ernment. Otherwise, she doesn’t give her
competitors any chance of winning with her
undue advantage. But then again, she has
never been known for her sense of delica-
deza, has she?†
christian gil galemba
Alt+C
alternative column
 U The Bicol
T
he game of deception is in full-swing again. The
suitors of the public are all-set for their well-scripted
speeches of endearment. It’s the season once again
of well-baked presents and promises. Well-directed
strategies of courting the masses are starting to go
mainstream. It’s showtime once again.
I often get annoyed with my little brother who is always
skeptic about eveything. Perhaps I should blame that on his Per-
fect Melancholic temperament. He never compliments anything.
Not that his taste is hard to satisfy, he just believes that things
that awe our senses are not really that extraordinary . He would
always think that there is something better than what I thought
was already best. However , I have to admit that at home, he
would always make the most sensible--but sarcastic-- interpreta-
tions of everything. At the young age of 11, he would lecture me
with who I should, and should not vote as president in the com-
ing election. Sometimes, I start to wonder if he really is my little
brother, or if I, indeed, am his older sister.
In an election forum held in Cebu City recently, reports
showed that deposed President Joseph Estrada elicited the most
laughs. Noynoy Aquino surpised the audience with his eloquence
in speaking. Manny Villar and Dick Gordon trumpeted their track
records. Gibo Teodoro, drew the most cheers from the women.
Having garnered the most number of updates and feedbacks on
their political quest, the ‘courtship exhibition’, indeed, centers on
these people. It’s showtime once again, and it’s up to the people
to choose their best candidates.
The automated elections, which shall be implemented in
the Philippines for the first time this year, is yet, another ‘brand-
jyrevi mae fernandez
ojos
inocentes
Stereotyping
A blonde, a brunette and a ginger were robbing some stores. A
policeman came for inspection so they hid in three shops. The
policeman went over to a dog shop where the brunette was hid-
ing. She barked, and the policeman thought she was a dog so he
went on to the cat shop next door. He looked in and the ginger
meowed. The policeman thought she was a cat and, went on to
the food store where the blonde was hiding. He looked in and the
blonde, trying to act natural, shouted “POTATOES!”
Yes, this is one of the many “dumb” blonde jokes. In this case,
however, the brunette and the ginger had been included, empha-
sizing the intellectual deficiency of the light-haired stereotype. But
aren’t they all human beings?
Relating this to the Bicol University, it is unfortunate that we
are judged because of the college we belong to. All colleges expe-
rience this bigotry, even those who appear to be first-rate in the
eyes of others. But come to think of it, aren’t we all BUeños?
For almost three years, I would hear my classmates whine
about being frowned upon by fellow students from different col-
leges. We are told to be poor in science and math in particular,
that’s why we chose to stay with AB courses. Others even say that
CAL is where the QBQs are gathered. Sometimes, I even lose my
temper at their claims, wishing to slap my BUCET result into their
faces, showing them my percentile rank of 98%. I still wish I had
it, anyway.
What’s worse is to know that even the faculty is guilty of this
labeling. In my sophomore year, I remember a heated discussion
in class about a project, when all of a sudden; a faculty member
from a different college asked us our course. “Journalism po,” we
replied with pride. She raised her brow and replied, “Kaya pala.
Please keep it down, may mga nursing students sa kabilang room.”
I would understand being requested to “keep it down”, but the
subsequent phrase is completely chauvinistic.
Sometimes, I lose my temper in heated debates when others
would claim their college’s superiority over the others. They would
say, in general, that certain colleges are home to the beautiful but
brainless, the brained but unsightly, the barbaric, the snobs, the
overrated, the underrated, and the desperately-wants-a-diploma.
And my retaliation would always be, aren’t we all BUeños?
Let’s not forget our recent topnotchers. CBEM with new CPAs
Ivan Rhett Macabeo and Kaiser Yohann Ballecer. CE with Rona
Despabiladeras and CAF with Darrel James Sy. CN with 100% pass-
ing rate, and TC is now a National University for Fisheries. Angela
Barcellano, last school year’s best graduate, came from CAL. And
they are all recognized in the name of Bicol University.
Even the blondes have Taylor Swift, Hilary Clinton, and Prin-
cess Diana to brag about.†
niversitarian
sarah moran
daybreak
inklings
Showtime
new show’ for the Filipinos. Although there have been continu-
ous campaigns and fora that call to ‘promote awareness’ on this
new electoral system, there never seem to be enough of these.
Actually, I fervently believe that the country is not yet braced
enough to implement automated elections nationwide. As early
as now, the people who must be directly involved in the system,
like the teachers and other pesonnel , must already be thoroughly
oriented about the How to’s, pros and cons of the system. Scrap
the theories and fultile talks about it. What we need is the actual
practice and testing of its effectiveness.
The COMELEC always brags that the automated elections
will prevent the different forms of political dishonesty. Forget
about the sanctity of poll automation if the people are ignorant.
According to Mark Twain, there are three kinds of lies: little lies,
big lies and statistics. True. In our case, those who control the
Political adversity
T
he May 2010 election just around the corner. I
barely noticed that my first voting experience is
only three months away. I only knew few of the
credible candidates, including their “maka-masa”
advertisements, political affiliations, colorful
dress codes, distorted hand signs and campaign slogans. It’s
terrible that there are actually ninety-nine presidential aspirants
and yet I am only weighing between four “karapat-dapat” can-
didates.
It’s indeed three months before the national elections take
the centre stage and I still find myself uncertain if we, Pinoys,
have already learned our lesson. Nine years ago, we have cata-
pulted into power the most corrupt president, if not, one of the
most corrupt, with her irrepressible cling to supremacy. Being
the second longest serving president in the history of Philippine
government, no one would doubt that she houses such insatia-
bility. She survived 1, 986 impeachment complaints and coup
attempts and prosecuted none with hundreds of journalists
killed under her vague justice system. She was our queen when
our land was christened as the most dangerous place for jour-
nalists and whose constituents were left with, not even “sina-
bawang” kanin, but just burned rice in their plates.
It’s indeed three months before the national elections
take the centre stage and I can still remember my father telling
me that he was regretful of voting Gloria Arroyo as our presi-
dent. “Nasa huli nga talaga ang pagsisisi,” he exclaimed. I just
nodded with the circumstances in my mind whirling like the
shuriken of Naruto. Could it be that the massive block of vot-
ers of that woman president are also dismayed with what their
votes caused them? I can only affirm as of this moment that it
is more acceptable if Fernando Poe Jr. won as the country’s
president. Although he was only an acclaimed actor, he had
something that Ms. Arroyo blatantly did not possess. I will not
stand to be corrected if I ascertain that FPJ is morally upright
and GMA is not. She will soon step down from her throne and
we, Filipinos, can take it as a source of jubilation.
The present face of Philippine politics gives us a lot of
choices on who’s rightful for our votes. There is this Manny
Villar, claiming that “siya ang tunay na mahirap”, who says that
he shall eradicate poverty for all Filipinos because he managed
to do so. We have Noynoy Aquino who starred all prominent ac-
tors in his campaign ads, with his trendy “laban tayo” sign. We
also have Gibo Teodoro, who consistently flashes his youthful
smile amidst his low ratings in surveys. And we can never erase
from these presidentiables, Dick Gordon, who never sleeps in
helping others (even in a very silent night). By the way, we also
include in the list, Eddie Villanuea, who boasts with his “Eddie
ako” slogan. I’m not even sure if it refers to “of course, it’s me”
or him reiterating that he is Eddie. I’ll still mention that Erap
Estrada sill had the guts of running for the presidential post
even though my intellect dictates me of not doing it.
The May 2010 election is indeed just around the corner
and we, students, will in a little while, exercise the special priv-
FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE
opinions|15
technology will always have the capacity to manipulate the re-
sults of elections.
In the end, it must be realized that it still pays to be honest
and sincere with things that we commit ouselves into. Luke 16:10
reads, “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be
faithful in larger ones.” The stability of everything falls on the
strength of the foundation built for it.
I remember the tragic 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti that
killed some 170,000 people and left almost a million homeless.
The lives and dreams of those people were stolen in just a mat-
ter of minutes. Worse, they have left their loved ones who will
surely find it hard to continue life without them. Worst, they will
be forever, just part of statistics,of history.
It is never impossible that the same fate may also happen
in the Philippines. I’ve read in a broadsheet some days ago, that
according to a study conducted by Columbia University, Philip-
pines has 15.6 million schoolchildren at risk from earthquakes,
the highest exposure cited.
The writer of the article linked earthquake devastation to
corruption. According to her, corruption in public works is like
planting a bomb that is timed to explode when an earthquake
strikes. “Earthquakes don’t kill, unsafe structures do,” she quot-
ed.
I do not however, totally believe with what the author said.
(Thanks to my little brother, I learned to use a little of his skepti-
cism). I believe that if (God forbid), an earthquake as destructive
or even stronger hits our land, even the palace which the ‘public
suitors’ dream to live in, will not be spared.
Remember, every show has to end.†
ilege that the Constitution generously bestowed upon us. It is
at this crucial time that we should be critical. There is a lot to
choose from but it’s highly preferable that we limit our choice
for our country’s next president to Gibo Teodoro, Manny Vil-
lar, Noynoy Aquino and Richard Gordon. (I would still like to
cut the options to Gibo and Villar, but that would be too unfair
considering that Noynoy has become an icon of democracy af-
ter her mother died and Gordon has transformed the lives of
the many when he served as the Chairman of Red Cross.) If
we still opt to include Erap Estrada in the list, just think of the
doable cases of graft and corruption that will be filed against
his term. It is of no use to put him into office when he is already
convicted of corruption. Though I’m pessimistic when it comes
to our political system, I would still want to be optimistic that
we are not dumb to commit that same absurd mistake again. I
can’t even imagine how he will combat the rapidly growing
vices of our youth when he himself doesn’t know what the term
VICE means.
With these, let’s just reflect on the unlikely effects that it
might bring to us for the next six years if we allow another Ms.
Arroyo or Erap to occupy our country’s presidential seat. Our
rarest chance to redeem ourselves from the stagnation brought
about by the past national election beckons us. The mainstream
media lays the platforms of our presidential aspirants and our
tamar antonio
ICU
see
access to the internet and other dependable sources allows us
to scrutinize their capabilities and sense of leadership. We are
offered with fancy and genuine candidates, and it is a disgrace
if we allow the pessimism of the many to cloud our decision
of not availing our right to vote and be heard. We are, after all,
responsible for what our country have become because of our
negligence.
If we still chose to be mum about it, better think again.
■■■
“Huwag kang magpakaduwag. Hindi lang ikaw ang nahi-
hirapan. Huwag kang magbingi-bingihan. Huwag mong takasan
ang kinabukasan mo. Kahit iisa lang ang boto mo, malaki pa rin
ang magagawa nito para sa bayan mo. Patunayan mong hindi
ka duwag. Patunayan mong hindi ka rin bingi. Piliin mong ma-
kialam. Markahan mo na ng pulang bolpen ang Mayo 10 sa kal-
endaryo mo. Sige ka, kasama ka rin naman sa mga malulugmok
kung mas pipiliin mo pang matulog at magliwaliw na lang sa
mismong araw ng halalan.Ӡ
 |in-depth story
16
P2-million books in BUGC ‘irrelevant, unused’
S
BY GINO LEOCADIO PAJE
ome of the P2-million worth of
books remain unused in the library
of Bicol University Gubat Campus
(BUGC). Students decry the irrel-
evance of most of these books pur-
chased to the courses offered in their campus.
Irrelevant books
College Student Council Vice President
Cynthia Figuerras who’s taking up Bachelor of
Education said that she still has to endure the
grueling 160km back and forth ride, which is a
six-hour round trip commute and the expen-
sive fair of P154.00 from Gubat, Sorsogon to
the Bicol University Main Library in Legazpi
City to borrow reference materials about her
Astronomy subject. “The increase of books in
our library almost didn’t make a difference,
because most of the books that were brought
here are not related to our course,” she
lamented.
Renz Alvin Gabay, CSC Secretary and
Bachelor of Science in Education Major in
Physics student, protested, “I still can’t find
some of the Physics books that I need in our
library, even with all the new books. It’s a good
thing our Professor lets us borrow her own
personal books, because I won’t find what I’m
looking for in the new books that are all about
Nursing, Engineering, Architecture, Internal
Medicine and Baking, courses not offered in
our campus.”
CSC Public Information Officer Rowell
Fonenas said that the new books were pro-
hibited from being photocopied. “They do not
want the books to be damaged so we cannot
have them photocopied, sometimes they even
discourage us from using the books altogeth-
er,” he complained.
The courses offered in BUGC are Bach-
elor of Science in Education (majors in Physics
and English), Bachelor of Education, Bachelor
of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of
Science in Agricultural Technology, Bachelor of
Science in Entrepreneurship and Bachelor of
Arts in Peace Studies.
Campus Director Prof. Domingo L. Nace
stated that the book purchase was done in
consideration of the curricular requirements
as set by the faculty. “Requisition slips were
given by administration to the faculty and
those were accomplished by the faculty to be
considered by our Librarian in the book selec-
tion process,” he explained. “It is not up to the
students but for the faculty to decide
the relevance of books
Universitarian The Bicol
to academic requirements,” he argued.
‘One Library Concept’
When asked about the apparent irrel-
evance of books to the courses offered in his
campus, Nace alluded to University President
Fay Lea Patria M. Lauraya PhD’s “One Library
Concept”. He elaborated that as part of the
President’s theme of “Moving One to be the
One” theme, all the libraries will be having an
intra-library loan model.
Under this concept, books can be loaned
from one library to another to ensure equal
sharing of reference materials and knowledge
among students. This will also be a cost-cutting
measure especially in light of the need for
economization in these trying times.
Nace recounted that President Lauraya
asked him to approve the purchase of books
with BUGC funds to help the university in
general in consideration of the fact that the BU
Main Library had budget constraints. “It would
have been selfish of us not to help so I autho-
rized the book purchase using the Two Million
Congressional Fund given by Rep. Jose Solis of
the 2nd District of Sorsogon.”
“After the purchase, the Main Library will
just loan the books they need from us. All they
need to do is send in a loan request of the
books they need,” Nace answered when asked
how the loan could be implemented.
Nace explained that the requirements of
the BU Main Library were also considered in
the book selection process, “A portion of the
Two Million worth of books are supposed to be
loaned by the Main Library, that’s why some
of the books here are not in line of the courses
currently being offered.”
Nace also said that the other books that
were bought were selected in anticipation of
courses that they intend to offer in the future
like Ecotourism and Hotel and Resort Manage-
ment.
Richest campus
“We spend more than that,” Nace an-
swered when questioned about the size of the
fund used for the purchase of the roughly 412
books now in the BUGC Library. An examina-
tion of the books revealed that they are really
expensive top grade books.
“We have the capacity to help the Main
Library so we decided to do so in a transparent
and legal way,” Nace declared when asked why
they decided to buy the books.
“Considering that the
whole university has
a Mainte-
nance and
Other Operat-
ing Expenses
(MMOE) fund
of only 20
Million, we
are very lucky
to have 27
Million just for
our campus,” the
Cam-
pus
Di-
rec-
tor
avowed.
Nace
explained that
it was through
insertions by Rep.
Jose Solis in the
General Appro-
FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE
priations Act that this was made possible.
And with BUGC only having 551 under-
graduate students and 127 post graduate
students, there is a lot of money to spare.
BUGC boasts the highest increase in enroll-
ment among the campuses of Bicol University
at 41% this year. But with so much money
for relatively fewer students than the other
campuses, BUGC can afford to spend more
than the other campuses of BU. Through Rep.
Solis’ efforts, all of the 678 students of BUGC
received educational benefits, they only pay
miscellaneous fees and are exempt from being
charged tuition/matriculation fees.
Not from LGU
Mayor Deogracias Ramos of the mu-
nicipality of Gubat, Sorsogon states that the
Two Million Book Purchase Fund did not pass
through their Local Government Unit (LGU).
“Our Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) does
not have any record of facilitating the awarding
of contract to any book company for the BUGC
Library,” he replied when asked if it was LGU
money that funded the book purchase.
“If it’s congressional, it won’t pass
through us,” he elaborated.
Mayor Deogracias Ramos, Mayor of
Gubat for 19 years, is one of the originators of
the establishment of a BU campus in Gubat. To
this day, he maintains a trust fund from LGU
exclusively for BUGC.
“Some of our Internal Revenue Allotment
(IRA) goes to BUGC because higher education
is one of our priorities, but our BAC didn’t ap-
prove of such a fund,” he concluded.
Help to the university
“When Rep. Solis chose to help, it was
not just for BUGC but for the whole university,
so one cannot say that the good Congressman
was disappointed that not all the books that
were purchased were exclusively for BUGC,”
University President Fay Lea Patria M. Lauraya
PhD said on the matter.
“Those rumors are unfounded. I was just
on the phone with Rep. Solis’ aid this morn-
ing and there was no mention of anything like
that,” she replied when asked about rumors
suggesting that Rep. Solis was angered by the
fact that his grant for the book purchase did
not all go to his constituents.
“Besides, part of the money went to the
purchase of Online Journals for an Electronic
Library we are developing, so one cannot
expect that it will only benefit the BUGC,” she
expounded.
Nace said that BUGC funds the Electric
Library and that One Million is used for it every
year.
An intra-library loan
“We were asking for a bigger budget from
the university to be able to address the needs
of the students more appropriately and in
consideration of the overall curriculum of the
university because we wanted to implement
the Intra-library loan,” University Librarian
Neria Gomez said in an interview concerning
the intra-library loan.
“We have not loaned the books yet
from the BUGC Library because we were not
informed that the books had already arrived,”
she replied when asked why the books that
were supposed to be loaned remain in BUGC.
“The plan was that we were to have a
Centralized Cataloguing System, and that the
books should pass through our office so we
can determine which ones we are to loan but
the books went directly to BUGC. We have not
even seen the books,” Gomez elaborated.
“The books went to them straightly be-
cause it was their budget that was used for the
purchase. You know that we post bulletins out-
side the library if there are new arrivals that
are available for the clientele,” she reiterated.
The books arrived in BUGC in the course
of three delivery periods, September 2 & 4,
2008, October 30, 2008 and March 15, 2009.
It has been a year since then, but as Prof.
Nace says, “We are still waiting for the request
from the Main Library so we can send them
the books they need.” He does not know why
the University Librarian still hasn’t forwarded
a request, even though she was a member
of the committee that selected the books for
purchase.
Secret bank account
“I was even haggling for a discount of
prices to the advantage of the university so it’s
sad that these people would imply that there
was an anomaly and that I was involved,” the
University Librarian mourned.
She was referring to a sensational article
published about her in the BUtlog Report, a
lampoon publication criticizing the Admin that
has been circulating in the university for the
last few weeks. It implied that the University
Librarian had a “secret bank account” and was
involved in anomalous deals.
“We don’t have a secret bank account.
If you want, I only have two bank accounts in
my name. It is the Camalig Bank and Cagsawa
Rural Bank because nagloloan ako doon, no
other banks,” she explained.
“Kami, hanggang purchase request at
selection lang, after that we have not seen the
books,” Gomez reiterates.
The book selection process
“Our main task is selection of the library
materials. We ask the faculty to submit the
course outline the syllabi so that we can be
helped in the book selection process,” Gomez
adds.
Gomez also wonders why the books se-
lected by the faculty members in BUGC are not
related to the course being offered there.
Gomez recounted how she, accompa-
nied by some faculty members and the BUGC
Librarian went to book fares for the book
selection.
They went to Manila several times. But
according to Gomez, there was one instance
when the BUGC Librarian who also happens to
be the Municipal Librarian of Gubat, Lina Ce-
losa failed to go with them because of budget
constraints.
She also considers that curricular offer-
ings expand with the progress of the university
and like Nace, chooses books she believes
will be needed in the future, so long as these
prerogative purchases adhere to the selection
policy.
The book fares they attended were in
Mall of Asia and Novaliches.
After the book selection, they forwarded
their chosen titles to the Bids and Awards
Committee of the university and the transac-
tions were overseen by the BAC.
The University BAC is headed by College
of Science Dean Amelia Dorosan but she was
unavailable for comment. The person in their
office refused to comment on the matter. We
only know that the companies contracts were
awarded to are: F and J, Linar, Academic Book
Sales, C and E, all presumed to be publishing
houses.
For now hundreds of books are still in
BUGC, unread because they are unrelated to
the courses offered there, and not loaned by
those who chose their titles because of banter-
ing between the two libraries. Is this the noble
One Library Concept that they espoused?†
with a report from Theza Ramos of Budyong
BY GINO LEOCADIO PAJE
I have seen pictures of massacres before.
I have seen, in black and white and other col-
ors, horrible images from war-ravaged places,
of bodies defiled and mutilated in ways not
meant to be described in print. I have seen,
through photographs in books and online, the
horrors committed in the rape of Nanking; the
civil war in Algeria; the ethnic cleansings in
Rwanda; the Bosnian war; the religious con-
flicts in Poso, Indonesia. Those harrowing de-
pictions have left in me impressions of what
evils the human being is capable of, in times
of strife, upon license from their religious and
political leaders. But I have always comforted
myself with the idea that such atrociousness
will never happen here in the Philippines, af-
ter all we are more civilized than the countries
I mentioned, and this is not wartime.
But alas, I was naïve to think so!
“Though we may be under the gun, we will en-
dure.” Thus declared the pooled editorial simultane-
ously published in various Philippine media outlets
last November 29, 2009. Entitled “Commitment”, it
condemned the mass slaughter in Maguindanao’s Am-
patuan town of 57 civilians, at least 30 of whom were
journalists and resolutely pledged to judiciously see to
fruition the prosecution of the bloodbath’s masterminds
and perpetrators.
The terrible scale of the crime is truly confound-
ing. It has put the Philippines in a firm place as the most
dangerous country in the world for journalists, ahead
even of war-torn areas like Iraq, Afghanistan and So-
malia, as global organizations like the Brussels-based
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) hold.
Our own Philippine Center for Investigative Journal-
ism (PCIJ) reports that the 30 deaths of media work-
ers in Maguindanao brings to 134 the journalists and
other media practitioners killed in the Philippines since
1986.
To give any measure of meaning to the deaths of
the 30 or more journalists, we must continue what they
strove to accomplish when they were silenced in the
most brutal of ways; that is the reportage of events for
the benefit of the public that they and we have sworn
to inform.
They sacrificed their lives in their pursuit of the
truth and that makes them martyrs. They deserve com-
memoration and declaration as heroes. And should we
abandon their crusade, we demean their martyrdom.
If anything, the deaths of these journalists should
only encourage more people to take up their pens in this
U The Bicol
niversitarian
“Though we may be under the gun, we will endure.” But what about missiles,
I wonder? Yes, missiles are what authorities found in one of the latest arms caches
to be discovered in the search for hidden armaments believed to be owned by the
Ampatuan clan in Maguindanao. In a warehouse owned by the Ampatuans, missiles
enough to wipe off the map a whole town were found behind a concrete wall that
was recently put up for concealing purposes. Authorities have recently accounted for
more than a thousand of the almost two thousand firearms suspected to be owned by
the influential Ampatuans. As it turns out, the Ampatuan clan owns enough firearms
to arm three battalions of soldiers.
No wonder they could easily maintain a two-thousand strong partisan armed
group that ensured their monopoly of power in Maguindanao. Anybody who dared
stand up to them faced the wrath of their private army. They could literally rain bul-
lets on anybody who stood in their way. After all, they do have a LOT to spare, what
with more than one million rounds of ammunition dug up in land allegedly owned
by the clan.
How did the Ampatuans manage to accrue and maintain such huge armories
literally just in their back yards? What made them think they could get away with
brutally butchering and raping 57 people in broad daylight, just a short distance away
from the public highway? Why was there nobody to stop them? These are the ques-
tions that need to be answered.
We could try to delve on the complex “rido” (clan feuding) culture that still
persists in the Bangsamoro badlands. But it may be a concept too alien to us to fully
understand. I mean, how could we ever attempt to grasp a tradition that has its roots
in ancient tribal Moro conventions dictating that the only way to save face is to kill
the person who humiliated you? Anyway, that is moot and academic. The massacre
in Mindanao hasn’t really become a full-scale “rido” yet, because the Mangudadatu
clan never got the chance to retaliate against the Ampatuans (probably because of
the international scope of indignation that the massacre got and the imposition of
martial law later). Suffice it to say that in a social landscape where “rido” is common
occurrence, it is not surprising that competition for political office could result in
bloodshed. In fact, incidences of election-related violence are commonplace in these
areas. It is only the scale of this one that’s truly sobering.
However, we must say that women, journalists and motorists simply at the
wrong place at the wrong time were all slaughtered is a violation of “rido” tradition.
The root of clan feuding is usually land dispute or political competition, but the very
object of “rido” is a restoration of honor. Because it is an honor-based custom, it
must be presumed that even in this seemingly uncivilized culture (to us who
are ignorant, it may not appear civilized, but their fundamentally Sharia-
bound society places paramount significance on it), a strict code of honor
is adhered to. Only male members of a clan are subject to “rido” and
females should be spared. People who are not members of a warring
clan should especially be not involved. It is usually the most traditional
families who participate in “rido” and we can assume that traditional
families are very honorable families because they have royal or noble
lineage. They are expected to take great pains to adhere to the strict
precepts of “rido”.
Thus, the circumstances of the massacre in Maguindanao
disqualify it as an incidence of “rido”.
Alright, the last three paragraphs did not answer the
questions we wanted to answer. Let us explore a more prob-
able theory.
Many detractors of President Gloria Macapagal Ar-
royo believe, write and say that she should be held
accountable for the horrific massacre that we shall
from now on call 11/23. We agree. We cry anath-
ema at this present administration’s espousal of a
culture of impunity that the Ampatuan warlords
were so immersed on, to the point that the de-
based bastards believed that they could com-
analysis|17
patronage politics. Although President Gloria Macapa-
gal-Arroyo is a centralist by ideology, her government
is sadly (for her) not as centralistically powerful as she
envisions.
The degree of power of central government today
is a far cry from how it was in the Ferdinand E. Marcos
dictatorship. Perhaps the stigma of Marcos so threat-
ened the authors of this constitution that they did ac-
tively try to diminish the power of central government
to prevent another authoritarian from being borne.
Anyway, the Ampatuans themselves are believed
to be former enemies of the Marcoses that were given
power by President Corazon Aquino when she came to
power, probably as political awards for their resistance
to the Marcos dictatorship.
The political influence of the Ampatuans, al-
though already significant even then, was really not a
very threatening prospect at the time.
But President Arroyo changed that, to a horrible
extent. Here enters the century-old Moro seperatism
conflict, with the Moro National Liberation Front then
and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front now. It is be-
lieved that this present administration ceded unprec-
edented power to the Ampatauans in exchange for their
support in the attempt to eradicate the Moro insurgency.
They were, as revealed by arms dealer Cris Aquino,
who supplied the government (and the Ampatuans
later) with Bushmaster M4A3 5.56-mm rifles, partners
of government in pursuit of Commanders Umbra Kato
and Bravo of the MILF.
The administration gave the Ampatuans the right
to rule almost all towns in the province of Maguindan-
ao (thus the result of every politician in the area being
an Ampatuan relative or friend) and access to billions
of pesos worth of internal revenue allotment (ARMM
Governor Zaldy Ampatuan got an IRA of P2.23 billion
in 2006) to ensure their help in the security of the state
interests in the province, the most notable of
which is Liguasan Marsh, believed to hold
the second biggest reservoir of natural
gas in Asia (worth a trillion pesos!). Said
marsh is currently untapped of its eco-
nomic potential because it is in an area
under the control of the MILF. Here
we see the weakness of a central
government accused of illegiti-
macy that has to rely on war-
lords for peace in the more
farflung areas.
It is further suspected
that the Armed Forces ille-
galy gave the Ampatuans ar-
maments, as the missiles men-
tioned in our introduction are
meant to be only supplied to
the Philippine military. Some
of the arms caches dug up
in Ampatuan property also
had the official seal of the
Department of Defense.
It would pay to investi-

war against swords. We cannot afford to be intimidated.
If we become less adversarial in fear for our lives, we
only let those who are willing to use bullets to smite the
truth win. And that cannot happen.
You see, each time a journalist is silenced, a facet
of the gem of truth disappears along with his last breath.
And we can only make up for that lost piece of the truth
with more pieces of the truth. The warlords will only
gain more power if we allow ourselves to be muzzled.
So more and more journalists should stand up for
the truth each time one is gagged, suppressed, interdict-
ed or assassinated. It is only our heedful reportage of
the abuses of power that these warlords commit which
will bring a swift end to their tyrannical reign.
Such is why we, as the publication of this univer-
sity and as writer-citizens of this country in danger of
becoming a failed democracy because of such horren-
dous violations of press freedom and human rights, join
the call for an end to the repression of the press as well
as swift punitive action on the Ampatuan warlords of
Maguindanao.
Our constant and devoted vigilance is our weapon
against the silencers, and we shall not let them win. But
above all, we heed the call for an end to the culture of
impunity that allows crimes like this massacre and the
hundreds of extra-judicial killings of activists and jour-
nalists to be committed!
Missiles!
mit a crime so foul and be exempt from just gate how the Ampatuans
got their hands on
government issue
weaponry.
The resources
and power that government gave
the Ampatuans ensured a
godlike influence in
retribution. their fiefdoms.
So brazen They could eas-
were these de- ily share the
generates that if wit- billions of IRA
nesses are to be believed, Datu Unsay Mayor Andal with their friends while
Ampatuan, Jr. personally delivered the coup de grace making their enemies cower in fear of
to the victims, shooting each one in the head with his baby ArmAlite, their bullets and bombs. What government did
while “laughing at the top of his voice”. And as another witness points out, with not anticipate was how lopsided this setup was.
the “kill them all” order of clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr., Andal Jr. and his civil- They thought they had the leverage over the Ampatu-
ian volunteer officers-turned-henchmen also did proceed to rape, mutilate and shoot ans but they were mistaken. Government had created a
at point-blank range the victims in the light of day, not far from military checkpoints. Frankenstein monster.
With at least 161 men, it did not take them more than a couple of hours to dispense The power President Arroyo yielded to the Am-
with the 57 victims. Andal Ampatuan Sr., governor of Maguindanao, whose name patuans was too much. Soon, central government lost
is inscribed on the backhoe found near the mass graves, is reported to have ordered, all control in the province. Even the police and military
“Kung dumaan ang mga Mangudadatu, ubusin sila lahat, pati mga bata, walang iti- in Maguindanao were bought off and essentially owned
rang buhay kahit isa!” Of course, everything went so easy because it was premedi- by the Ampatuans, as they became part of the payroll.
tated, with the pits for the mass graves dug a few days prior. So prevalent was this that after the massacre, govern-
Many believe that the monstrosity that is the Ampatuan warlord family is a cre- ment had to replace all the police and army officials
ation of the Arroyo administration, a product of weak governance, illegitimacy and in the area to guarantee (or pretend to) impartiality in

► page 13 | Missiles
FAIRNESS ■ ACCURACY ■ GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE
CARTOON BY LESTER LETADA