Maayong pag-abot sa UP Mindanao!

Maayo katuod ka diri. Wa ka nasaag? 8 7

The Iron Throne 86 Youth groups slam TOFI, K to 12 83 Walo ka tips sa nagkalisud sa kwarta 8 17
Volume 17, Issue 1 June-July 2013

HIMATI

06/07 2013

Updates
2013 Freshmen Population Drops
Sancia Palma

2013 Stats

220
Total number of Freshmen for AY 20132014 (excluding transferees)

Though small in number, the freshmen of batch 2013 were in high spirits as they were welcomed during the University Convocation.
(Photo by Therese Tinio)

114 92 14

CSM

CHSS

SOM

While last academic year was considered to have the highest number of freshmen enrolees after five years, the freshmen population dropped again this year according to the Office of the University Registrar. It declined to 220, not including the fifteen transferees, compared to last years 269 enrolees. The BS Architecture program for this year has the most number of freshmen with 45 while the BA Anthropology with only six enrolees as the least numbered. For five consecutive years since A.Y. 2008-2009, BA Communication Arts had the highest number of freshmen enrolees until this year, in which they only had 32. Among the 405* UPCAT passers for UP Mindanao, only 220 was able to enrol. Prof. Julius T. Quiz, the University Registrar, stated that it is their assessment that the late release of admission notice from the Admission office is a factor of the decrease of the freshmen population. He also recognized the universitys competition against other universities and colleges.

Colleges may not be aggressive enough to promote their programs, he said. With this, Prof. Quiz plans to initiate promotional activities for UP Mindanao all over the island together with Prof. Karen Joyce G. Cayamanda, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The nine degree programs will be also encouraged to campaign their own courses. Initially, the promotional approach will be through printed campaign materials that will be disseminated during the campaign. Special invitations to choose UP Mindanao on the UPCAT form will be also mailed to some high schools. UP President Alfredo E. Pascual also expressed financial support for this campaign plan initiated by the OUR by including it in the budget for UP Mindanao last April. Amidst the decrease of freshmen students, this years highest Universitypredicted Grade or UPG reached up to 1.832 by Kristoffer Miguel R. Abella from BS Architecture.

Number of enrolled freshmen per college

2008-2012 Population

168 225 219 269

AY 2008-2009

AY 2009-2010 AY 2010-2011

AY 2011-2012

AY 2012-2013

Source: Office of the University Registrar

06/07 2013 Youth leaders take to the streets at the opening of the school year, with calls decrying K to 12 and TOFI.
(Photo by Paulo Rizal )

HIMATI

Youth groups slam latest TOFI, K to 12

Kikko Kalabud

The K-to-12 implementation and recent Tuition and Other Fee Increases (TOFI) among 354 Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) were met with protests and criticisms among many youth groups in the country, including a Youth and Students Mobilization last June 26 at Freedom Park, Davao City. In the Davao region alone, 29 out of the 31 HEIs that applied for hikes will be increasing tuition and other fees this school year. John Gultia of Kabataan Partylist (KPL) Davao, stressed the significance of protests in addressing pressing issues such as TOFI and K to 12. Basta among gina-assure kining mga panawagan sa mga kabatan-un dili lang mahuman diri sa Roxas. Ipadayon ang pakig-bisug aron makuha nato ang makamasang edukasyon, he said. UP Student Regent Krista Melgarejo also criticized the latest undertakings of the government for the education sector, saying that they have only worsened [the situation], instead of relieving the problems of the students. Last May 15, President Benigno Aquino III signed R.A. 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, which will institutionalize the K to 12 program, in the bid of assuring a brighter future for Filipino students. The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), in response to the official implementation of K-to-12, released a statement saying that the new program will pose a majority of low-skill, lowwage high school graduates that will be turned over

abroad to serve the needs of foreign companies, reinforcing neoliberal education under the Aquino administration, instead of training intellectuals and professionals for national industrialization. With President Aquinos forthcoming 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) this July 22, KPLs John Gultia said that it is expected that PNoy will most likely talk about the countrys economic growth that earned the Philippines the growling tiger title under his term. Akong panawagan sa mga tao, sa mga kaubang masa na maminaw sa SONA ni Noynoy Aquino. Dili kita dapat maimpluwensyahan sa unsa kagwapo iyang speech ug magmata kita sa katinuod nga kahimtang sa edukasyon, sa sistema sa ekonomiya, ug sa uban pang mga batakang panihanglanun sa Pilipinas, he said. UPMin University Student Council (USC) Chairperson Malaya Genotiva insisted that this economic growth will remain unfelt if it is not translated into basic social services, especially education. May pagtaas raw sa ekonomiya. Pero kung tutuusin, ang mga nakakaranas lang ng growth na ito ay 25 families lamang tulad ng mga Sy at Cojuanco. Sy and Friends kung tawagin, she said. Chairperson Genotiva also described PNoys performance for education and other social services in the last three years as a manifestation of state abandonment for he was unable to address the masses plights, but, instead, aggravated the situation through programs and policies that only cater to foreign companies and imperialists.

HIMATI

06/07 2013

Opinion
Makibaka? Para sa mga bagong Iskolar ng Bayan
Jennie Arado

UPsurge: Pagharap sa Hamon para sa Makabayang Edukasyon Kagaya ng taun-taon nang nakagawian ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Mindanao, idinaos ang Torch Night upang salubungin ang mga freshmen ngayong taon. Idinaos ang nasabing pagdiriwang noong ika-4 ng Hulyo ngayong taong 2013. Sa taong ito idinaos ang Torch Night sa ilalim ng temang UPsurge: Pagharap sa Hamon para sa Makabayang Edukasyon. Kagaya ng taon-taon na ring ginagawa ng mga freshmen, naghandog sila ng pitong minutong presentasyon ukol sa temang naibigay. May mga sumayaw, may mga nagsadula, may ibang kumanta, ngunit umangat at mas naging kapansin-pansin ang presentasyong inihandog ng mga freshmen ng Food Technology. Sa pamamagitan ng kakaibang porma ng pagsayaw na mas kilala sa tawag na Shadow Dance, ipinakita ng grupong ito kung paano nila naintindihan ang tema. Kung paanong bilang Iskolar ng Bayan, haharapin nila ang mga hamong kinakaharap ng isang Pilipinong mag-aaral. Kagaya ng Food Technology, maayos na naipakita at naipahayag din ng ibang mga grupo ang kani-kanilang mga paraan sa paglampas sa hamong kinakaharap ng edukasyon ngayon. May mga grupong binanggit ang CCFRE o ang Commercial, Colonial, Fascist, Repressive, Elitist mga salitang tumutukoy sa umanoy edukasyong mayroon ang Pilipinas ngayon. Ang pag-aaral ng mabuti, ang pakikilahok sa mga rally at mga pagtitipon laban sa pagtaas ng tuition naman ang mga paraang ipinakita ng ibang grupo para maipaglaban ang karapatan ng bawat estudyanteng makapag-aral. Iba-iba man ang kanilang mga paraang ipinakita, nangangahulugan pa rin ito na kahit papaano ay naiintindihan ng mga bagong mag-aaral ng unibersidad ang kahalagahan ng edukasyon at ang mga bagay na dapat gawin kapag naiipit sila sa mga partikular na sitwasyon. Isang mabuting bagay na may alam ang

Scan to watch the Torch Night feature at

youtube.com/user/ himativlogs
mga bagong Iskolar ng Bayan sa mga bagay na may kinalaman sa edukasyon at mga isyung kaakibat nito. Kapansin-pansin na halos lahat ng grupong nagpresenta ay nagpakita ng pag-aalsa laban sa gobyerno o sa mismong paaralan. May mga grupong nagpakita na ang pag-aalsa sa pamahalaan ang siyang solusyon upang maiparating ang mga problema ng mga estudyante sa mga kinauukulan. Hindi maitatanggi na ang unang impresyon ng ibang mag-aaral sa mga taga-UP ay mga rebelde o mga madalas na tumututol sa pamahalaan. Hindi rin nakapagtatakang alam ito ng mga bagong Iskolar ng Bayan bago pa man sila pumasok sa Unibersidad. Ngunit gusto nating isipin na hindi lamang ang surface level ang naiintindihan nila. Gusto nating isipin na hindi lamang nila ito ginawa dahil sa imaheng mayroon ang UP. Gusto nating malaman nila na madalas man ang rally sa UP, hindi ito ginagawa dahil gusto lang nating mag-ingay. Ginagawa natin ito dahil sa lahat ng mga paraan na sinubukan na nating gawin ay wala pa ring umubra sa kinauukulan. Ang pagsasagawa ng rally ay hindi nangangahulugan na ang mga taga-UP ay matitigas ang ulo o rebelde, ito ay nangangahulugan na handa nating ipaglaban ang mga karapatang palihim na inilalayo sa atin. Hindi maitatanggi na ang UP ay nalalayo na sa diskripsyong paaralan para sa mahihirap. Sa UP Mindanao man ay untiunti nang dumarami ang mga estudyanteng de-kotse. Nakakalungkot mang isipin na sa dami ng mga mag-aaral na nakapasa sa UPCAT ay kakaunti lamang ang tumutuloy 8 14

06/07 2013

HIMATI

Ang Katotohanan ay Wala sa Talumpati

Kikko Kalabud

Halos tatlong taon na ang nakararaan nang pinangako ni PNoy ang mahigit kumulang 40,000 na trabaho para sa susunod na tatlong taon. Ngunit ayon sa National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), 624,000 sa agrikultural na sektor pa lamang ang nawalan na ng trabaho ngayong taon. Ang unemployment rate ay umangat sa 7.5% mula sa 6.9% ng taong 2012. Ito ay sa kabila ng pinagmamalaki ng rehimeng Aquino na rising tiger economy na mayroon daw ang Pilipinas. Sa unang kwarter pa lamang ng taon, umakyat na sa 7.8% ang economic growth ng bansa. Hindi nagsisinungaling ang mga numero. Subalit iilan lang din ang nakikinabang sa pag-angat ng ekonomiya dahil mga korporasyon na pagmamay-ari ng malalaking pamilya tulad ng mga Ayala, Sy at Aboitiz ang nagpapatakbo ng Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ng Pilipinas. Isa sa mga pagtugon ni PNoy sa problema ng kahirapan ay ang ipinagmamalaki niyang Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) na sa panahon pa ni Arroyo nagsimula kahit tingin ng kasalukuyang administrasyon na ang mga programa ng rehimeng Arroyo ang nagdulot ng malaking dagok para sa mga kababayan nating mahihirap. Layunin ng programang ito ang tugunan ang problema ng kahirapan sa bansa. Noong unang taon pa lamang ni PNoy sa pwesto, kritisismo na kaagad ang bumungad sa CCT ng pangulo. Iginiit ng ilang mga kritisismo, tulad na lamang mula sa isang manipesto ng 37 na kongresista, mas-importanteng masbigyang pansin ang mga social at economic services na mastutugon sa kahirapan. Sa kabila nito, pinagpatuloy pa rin ng pangulo ang programa. Nang sinimulan ito noong 2008 ni Arroyo, umabot na sa P120 billion ang naging badyet para sa programa. Ngunit sa

kabila ng malaking badyet na inilalaan dito kada taon, wala pa ring pagbabago sa kalagayan ng kahirapan. Ipinapakita lamang kung gaano ka inepektibo ang programang ito. Ayon sa National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), kasalukuyan ay na sa 22.3% ang Poverty Incidence among Families sa buong Pilipinas. Halos kasing-taas na nito ang porsyento ng kahirapan noong si Arroyo pa ang na sa pwesto. Ang mga rehiyon sa Mindanao ang iilan din sa mga may pinakamataas na porsyento, lalo na sa mga lugar na tinamaan ng kalamidad noong nakaraang taon tulad ng Compostela Valley na may 38.6% at Davao Oriental na nasa 48.0%. Ang probinsya naman ng Maguindanao ang pinakamahirap na probinsya sa Mindanao para sa taong 2012 na mayroong 57.8%. Hindi naman makapaniwala si PNoy sa ulat ng NSCB at di umanoy nagdududa siya rito dahil iginigiit nito na naibsan naman ng kanyang administrasyon ang problema ng kahirapan ng bansa. Ngunit maskaduda-duda pa rin ang pinagmamalaki niyang inclusive growth sapagkat taliwas naman ito sa tunay na kalagayan ng bansa. Mga eksperto na mismo ang nagsasabing hindi maaaring maituturing na rising tiger ang isang bansa na hindi kayang iahon sa kahirapan ang mga mamamayan nito sa kabila ng lumalagong ekonomiya. Sabi ni Willy Arcilla na nagmamayari sa Business Mentors Inc. sa isang artikulo mula sa The Daily Tribune na the key to being a real Asian economic tiger is the ability of the country to uplift masses from poverty. Hindi dapat ipinagdidiriwang ang pagtaas ng ekonomiya lalo na kung hindi naman ito nararamdamankung hindi ito namamanipesta sa sitwasyon natin ngayon. Kinakailangan ay inclusive ang epekto ng paglago ng ekonomiya. 8 14

HIMATI

06/07 2013

Persepective
The Iron Throne
The Mindanao constituency warmly welcomes the selection of the first UP Mindanao Chancellor coming from the Mindanao Unit. Previous selections were fraught with discontent over this very issue, not because of the personality of the nominee who won per se, but because first and foremost, UP Mindanao called for a chancellor who would understand its needs, its culture, and its viewpoint in understanding its past and in planning for the future of the national university in Mindanao. The recent selection was not the smoothest of processes either. Nomination was extended, candidates were hesitant, and things looked bleak for a while for those who followed the selection. The pragmatic expectation, back then, would have been to anticipate another Diliman nominee who could not likely adapt right away to his constituents. Things took a turn for the better when the search committee decided to assert the importance of the selection and was able to round up three nominees, two from the Mindanao campus, and better-attended consultations. But the Mindanao constituency, choosing to remain vigilant, did not stop at the nominations and rallied openly for a Chancellor from UP Mindanao, as individuals and groups alike expressed this emphasis in many different platforms. At the announcement of Dr. Sylvia Concepcion, then Dean of the School of Management, as incoming Chancellor for the next three years, UP Mindanao celebrated to a new beginning, to the first Chancellor in its history to have hailed from its own ranks. The price of all victories is constant vigilance, and all eyes must remain ever watchful of the Office of the Chancellor. At the helm of all administration in the campus, the chancellorship is a precarious situation, with budget deficits, booming researches wanting for outlets, departments in need of more faculty items, facilities to upgrade, audit anomalies of the previous term, and a debated democratic access and public character of the university, among others. We must all closely guard our newly-hailed chancellor, and her promises of close cooperation with her constituents. Particularly, the student body calls upon Chancellor Concepcion to support the students in their fight for higher state subsidy, and to uphold the universitys mandate to provide accessible and quality education for all. We also push to maintain a nationalistic, mass-oriented and scientific university culture, in terms of its student affairs. It is the responsibility of every Iskolar ng Bayan to contribute to the welfare and development of the country, and we spurn calls heeding us to direct our energies solely to academic pursuit; for while the University must maintain academic excellence, the other half of the mandate is to uphold honor, and the place of honor belongs in the service of the people. We, the students, choose this position, and we hold our Chancellor in high regard to believe that she will join us there.

06/07 2013

HIMATI

Cover Story
Cover Page 8 Pero bitaw, unta nalipay ka sa pag-enroll nimo dinhi, bisan naa ra ta sa bukid. Dili gyud ka magmahay sa pagsulod nimo diri, kay ang UP, bisan asa nimo ibutang, UP gihapon. Ingun pa sa UP Naming Mahal, na dapat na gyud nimo i-memorize, Malayong lupain, amin mang marating, di rin magbabago ang damdamin. Wala pa gani ta kagraduate, malayong lupain na daan ta. Pero ang akong point, dili pasabot na UP Mindanao ta, UP Mindanao lang ta. Wala man gud na sa lugar. Naa na sa tao. Kung ikaw, tinuod nga hawud, hawud pud imung gawas. Pero diri man gud, dili uso ang pagpakuyaw, pagpadatu, pagpasikat. Diri sa UP lahi ang uso. Iskolar ng Bayan ka: pasabot, dili na ka imuha. Ikaw tinag-iya na sa kada Pilipino nga nagpaskwela nimo, kada empleyado nga gahatag sa ilahang buhis, kada tawo na maagian nimo sa dalan, kada mag-uuma ug mangingisda, kada pobre na galimos sa imuha. Ayaw kabalaka kay lingaw na siya, ang mahimog Iskolar ng Bayan. Kay mahimo kag dili lang si Juan dela Cruz na nakigbisog para sa iyang kaugalingon, kung dili isa ka bayani nga mubag-o sa kahimtang sa Pilipinas. O diba? Achiever kaayo! Lisud gyud diri. Usahay wa kay tulog, way kaon, way ligo, ug wala na ka kasabot unsa imong ginahimo, ug ngano, para asa, para kang kinsa. Syempre, para sa Pilipinas, para sa masa. Nganong kinahanglan kita may magpahero-hero? Pwede lain na lang? Ang tubag: dili. Ikaw gyud na, kita ra jud na. Ingon pa ni Ditto Sarmiento, isa ka writer na gikan pud ug UP, Kung hindi tayo kikilos, sino ang kikilos? Kung di tayo kikibo, sino ang kikibo? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa? O diba, Tagalog pa na ha. Sulod sa imuhang mga klase, apil ug org, adto sa mga events, basa ug readings ug lain pa nga dili readings, labi na ang HIMATI. Ayaw pabilin. Lihok-lihok pud pag naay time. Taga-UP na ka. Tunay, palaban, makabayan. Maninuod unta ka.

Pero ang akong point, dili pasabot na UP Mindanao ta, UP Mindanao lang ta. Wala man gud na sa lugar. Naa na sa tao. Kung ikaw, tinuod nga hawud, hawud pud imung gawas. Pero diri man gud, dili uso ang pagpakuyaw, pagpadatu, pagpasikat. Diri sa UP lahi ang uso. Iskolar ng Bayan ka: pasabot, dili na ka imuha.

The Board Vol. 17, #1

Editor in Chief: Kit Iris Frias Associate Editor: Kikko Kalabud Managing Editor: Kiana Peroy Circulation Manager: Blaise Sigue Editorial Department News Editor: Sancia Palma Feature/Literary Editor: Jennie Arado

Contributors Allen Samsuya Chris David Lao Jeffrey Javier Creative Department Art Director: Anne Eliseo Layout Editor: Sam Sanchez Graphics Editor: Dave Alvarez Photojournalists: Therese Tinio, Paulo Rizal Illustrators: Daisuke Tatsuda, Yancy Valencia

HIMATI

06/07 2013

Infographics
Philippine Political Clans / 2013 Midterms
Sancia Palma / Dave Alvarez

which potentially disenfranchised

18,000 out of 80,000 units failed to transmit election returns

1,000+ PCOS Machines malfunctioning

Legend:

COMELEC proclaimed the winning senators with just

10 million voters

20% of the COCs counted

Source: Political clans are more entrenched after mid-term polls, CenPeg, Issue Analysis #02 Tuazon, B. M., Roller coaster poll automation, Philippine Daily Inquirer (posted by CenPeg)

06/07 2013

HIMATI

Exposures
Torch Night 2013
Anne Eliseo / Therese Tinio / Paulo Rizal

Scan to view the whole album

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HIMATI

06/07 2013

Timeline
UP All-Workers Union Rally
Kit Iris Frias / Dave Alvarez

February 20, 2013

was a festive day: it was the day of UP Mindanaos Recognition Day. Students, alumni, and personnel were honored on this day for a years hard work, contributing to the Universitys honor and excellence. Classes were suspended, all administration and faculty were expected to grace the event, and honor students parents even showed up for the morning-long occasion. Meanwhile, at the Atrium, a makeshift sound system was plugged in. Angrily scribbled calls in red ink were taped to what is commonly referred to as The Tower, an enclosed staircase by the atrium steps that thenChancellor Rivero preferred to use going to her office instead of the usual stairs by the back of the Administration Building.

Students began to flock around the OUR, expecting a students rally. Instead, administration and college employees took center stage. They were members of the UP All Workers Union. They spoke of how the recipient of the Gawad Chancellor Award para sa Pinakamahusay na Empleyadong Administratibo was changed at the last minute from Annie Dismas of the HR Department to Sharon Jean Ao from the CSM College Secretarys office, allegedly without due process and as directive from Rivero herself suddenly, over the weekend.

The attendees of the Recognition Program filed out at were surprised at the spectacle. Rivero, flanked by administration and college officials as well as her personal assistant, arrived at the scene, looked surprised for a fraction of a section, and breezily walked across the atrium to use the regular stairs. The rally ended with a promise of securing justice for Annie Dismas and of storming the Office of the Chancellor (OC). The Union members leave and the students disperse, gossiping, until they run out of theories and the story died away. Or so they thought. The Union demands a dialogue with the Chancellor. The OCs door is locked. The Union, along with a few student representatives, moves to VCAd Calags office.

06/07 2013

HIMATI

11

11:24
The OC, through Calag, negotiates that only the Union head, Prof. Stella Salazar, come into the OC to talk. Assembly disagrees. Riveros apology and explanation must be public, and recognition must be redone.

11:51
Nominator further castigated. Assembly agrees.

Rivero: University is put in bad light.

11:28
Calag asks assembly to come into Gaisano Room, where the Rivero will meet them shortly.

11:46
Chancy questions committees approval of Ate Bems qualification as second runner-up, rhetorically. Assembly groans in agreement.

11:54
Rivero: I do not like talking about people when they are not present. (Calls for Bem) Salazar: The OC must issue a public apology. Rivero: Not me. I am not at fault. I trusted the system.

11:32
Rivero comes out of OC. Discussion with UP All Workers Union and student representatives commences, held at the Gaisano Room. VCAd Calag and VCAA Bayogan as well as Prof. Acosta, members of the Gawad Chancellor Committee, sat at the head of the table with Rivero.

Rivero: I should have been informed that she [Bem] was not qualied.

UPAWU says they were not fully consulted; their attendance was not called for at all of the meetings of the Gawad Chancellor Committee. Rivero says that she should have been told. She trusted the system.

11:58
Rivero: I am disgusted with all levels below. (To Salazar) Would you like to stay as we talk with Bem?
The Union unanimously answers no and clears the Gaisano Room.

Rivero: ...report received over the weekend about Annie Dismas that disqualied her from award. Report details as well as sender are classied information.

Rivero emphasized that she was not at fault and wholly trusted the SOPs and the system of the Gawad Chancellor awardee search process. The students at hand (representatives from HIMATI and the USC) discussed among themselves how after six years, the Chancellor whose namesake the award was and therefore her direct responsibility, failed to check up on these standard operating procedures and technicalities. It could not all be the fault of all levels below, we thought. Being an open forum where everyone was encouraged to ask questions, we asked the Chancellor why she merely decided to trust the system and not check up on its faults. She did not answer the question directly. The students present also wondered why the Union members left the dialogue without clear resolution. We have yet to follow up on this story.

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HIMATI

06/07 2013

Literary
Barbershop Blues
There are things we know by heart, and things we don't. Andrea Gibson Waiting on a wooden bench at Toms barbershop, I watch the child riding gleefully a thin wooden horse, staring at his own reflection in the mirror before him, one hand holding a lollipop to his mouth. The buzzing hair clipper starts grazing the back of his head. And then against his sideburns running its cold metal base up his scalp in a slow, even motion, following the shape of his head. When I was his age, wide-eyed and baby powdered, my father would bring me to Mr. Uys barbershop a cheap, run-down barbershop near T. Padilla Public Market in Cebu the one with dull scissor blades and an electric hair clipper that overheated and smarted when hot metal base touched the skin. As soon as the elderly barber draped the white cape around my shoulders, he would tip my head slightly forward pressing the scorching clipper shakily on my nape, moving it upwards along the back of my head. There was no wooden horse, no lollipop to lure me there. I couldve jumped outof the barber chair, and screamed my way out. Now I came here alone and sat up straight on my seat stiff as a Chinese ear cleaner the way my father wanted me to do. I sit on my fear that if I move a little the barber might snip off my ears and I would bleed to death, the voice of my father inside my head cursing me for giving his words of advice a deaf ear.

Word History
Every day, a letter falls from the Word Tree. Forgotten, or if preserved in the thick slough among the entanglement of roots, someone has already failed to articulate accurately the exact pitch and tenor of its particularities, forever searching for a pulse in the utterance within the living universal language, the beats missing the fingers to fiddle or isolate sounds. One asks, how to pronounce the word? Why here, why now in all our centuries of doubt? To ignore words still breathing within our air of speaking sphere, why do we deny another day of meaning when we still have devices for straightforwardness? Of all the centuries of sincerity and frankness, why do we speak of something else, say, a bough, roots, a tree, when we really mean is love, trust, or fear? Will you hold my hand as daybreak banishes the night? Will you stay with me in the same tight embrace as yesterday until I fall asleep? Why do we still adhere to leaves of dissent when in such pronouncements the seasons always come to deaden the air, change tides, weaken the hold of branches to their greens? In sleep, the words dream of men dreaming of them. At times, in fevered sleep, I dream of you drowning in our incoherenciesforce in the stutter, outbreath of disappointments, grasps for air, surface, and lightall these, our inability to speak with stripped honesty.

06/07 2013

HIMATI

13

Space Jump
for Felix Baumgartner
Higher and higher, the tiny ship rises to the airless magenta skya balloon and an air-locked capsule, both built sleek whitea mere cabin to one man climbing a steep flight of astral stairs. Now airborne and winged featherless with desire, he vows to penetrate swift the heaven, prick its arenas full of dust, its thick layers of light, and to fall back just in time for judgment hour, to drop embracing a planetcurve of its gravity, pull of its horizon stretching hazy blue and to a yank from a string a quick draw of breath, a blink as quick as to eternity the parachute opening. Now the hour of death, the divine rush of a meteorite: of fire and cleansed of fear, he plunges, descends: Earth receiving a son of Man.

Lullaby

Of every prayer I keep for good luck, a tenement rooftop, clear weather, some peace and quiet, if it isnt too much to ask. Tonight, I ask if the flipside of my pillow can stay cool for a little longer, the moon be a little fuller, and vagrant angels be more graceful across the atmosphere in this part of town. If only heaven surveys this part of the planet at all times and there is enough music to sing to the spheres. Even if its common courtesy to close my eyes and say good night, I will roll out of bed and walk

across auroras come afterhours. Sleep will come to me like a stranger and I will be charmed. For now, I think of how ancient dreaming feels like. Somewhere, someone can only keep count of every passing car, a newborn star catches fire for the first time, an alien satellite sails past the shadows of starlight. A dinosaur lands the perfect somersault under the summer sun, pressing prehistoric footprints on the face of the Earth as it circles its part of the universe with its great olden orbit utterly undisturbed._

ode to a broken inkjet printer

I do not know what to call myself this morning a surgeon? a soldier? a lover?where inside of you, my hands bruised and milked of colors I have seen bloom once in a bouquet of dying flowers. be a glass of water, be shallow shores of a lake, where my dipped fingers will dissolve into swirling tones of the ever-changing seasons: matted with hues, silky with tints, the decaying and budding of lifeshades of your wet touch on someones cheeks will trace away shyness, the virgins blush. be a whirring and unbroken everlasting machine again that smokey petals will drift above a lily pond before a looming mountain of deadlines, and that in my hands your unseen mechanical heart will beat vibrant in echoing colors, into stirring life once more.

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HIMATI

06/07 2013

Opinion
Makibaka? Para sa mga bagong Iskolar ng Bayan

4 8 na pumasok sa UP dahil una, masyado nang mahal ang matrikula. Kaya man ng utak nila ang UP, sa kasamaang palad ay kapos ang mga magulang. Pangalawa, ang UP ay hindi na katulad nang dati na pangunahing pinapapasok ang mga mahihirap ngunit karapat-dapat na estudyante. Noon, kapag sinabing UP, mga mahihirap ang matatalinong mag-aaral ang matatagpuan diyan. Ngayon, hindi na tayo sigurado. Sa nangyayari ngayon, maaaring malabo na nga. Nangangahulugan lamang ito na ang edukasyon, kahit na sa pangmahirap na paaralan man gaya ng UP, ay nagiging mahirap nang abutin. Para sa akin, ito ang pangunahing hamong kinakaharap ng isang tunay na Iskolar ng Bayan. Naka-Bracket A or B ka man at hindi gaanong naaapektuhan ng mga ganitong suliranin,

tungkulin mong lumabas sa yung lungga at makialam. Ang pakikialam ay hindi nagtatapos sa presentasyon sa Torch Night habang nakataas ang kaliwang kamao sabay sigaw ng Makibaka! Makibaka!. Umpisa pa lang ito, Isko at Iska. Ang pagtaas ng kamao kapag kinakanta ang UP Naming Mahal ay hindi ginagawa dahil nakitang ginawa din ito ng ibang mga upper class men. Ang pagiging Iskolar ng Bayan ay hindi isang maskarang sinusuot para kabiliban. Mabigat mang ituring ang mga bagay na nakaatang sa balikat ng isang Iskolar ng Bayan, hindi naming maikakailang mayroong masasaya pagkakataon sa apat (o higit pang taon) sa loob ng unibersidad. Huwag mag-alala, hindi ka nag-iisa. Bagong Isko, Iska, maligayang pagdating sa UP Mindanao.

Ang Katotohanan ay Wala sa Talumpati

4 8 Mga talumpati laban sa nakaraang administrasyon ang palagi niyang sagot sa paghihikahos ng mga kababayan natin ngayon. Ngunit wala naman siyang nagagawang produktibo para maiahon sila sa kahirapan. Ngayong palapit na ang ikaapat niyang State of the Nation Address (SONA), marahil hindi pa rin niya mailalahad ang tunay na sitwasyon ng bansa. Ang patuloy na pagtaas ng gasolina at iba pang bilihin, ang halos taun-taon na pagtaas ng twisyon sa mga pribadong paaralan, ang mababang prayoridad na ibinibigay sa sektor ng edukasyon at ng iba pang social services, ang patuloy na pag-angat ng unemployment rate at porsyento ng kahirapan at marami pang ibang mga suliranin ang ilan lamang sa magpapatunay sa kung ano na ba talaga ang sitwasyon ng bansa sa nakalipas na tatlong taon. Minsan na niyang sinabi na dadalhin niya daw tayo sa tuwid na daan. Ngayong tatlong taon na siya sa posisyon, tilay hindi pa rin natin nararamdaman ang pag-unlad na naging bahagi sa kanyang mga paporma. Marami pa rin ang nagugutom nagugutom sa katotohanan. Malaki itong hamon para sa ating lahat na maging mas-kritikal at masmaalam sa kung ano ang tunay na kalagayan ng ating bansa sa kabila ng kung ano man ang lalabas sa talumpati ni PNoy sa SONA ngayong taon.

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From the eyes of an Iskolar watching through a window Riveros last day as Chancellor
Jennie Arado

The glass door leading to the water fountain was locked. There were extra cars parked on the parking lot that werent there on regular school days. One or two guards were also on post by the tunnel entryway of Chancy, different from the familiar Admin building guards that were on post every day. The scene seemed different, so unfamiliar, an obvious declaration that something was not right. There was food brought in the Atrium and a small group of administration personnel and students were crowding in. Food in Tupperware containers were arranged neatly on the tables aligned especially for this specific event. Students were starting to crowd, even if they didnt fully understand what was going on. Everyone looked confused. A few weeks after the fuss in the atrium regarding the Gawad Chancellor Award, this was the scene that welcomed the students. 8 16

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15 8 Kani atong pagkaon, from the heart ni siya. Made with love. Ang kanilang kinakain galing sa pera ng mamamayaan. The Admin personnel announced over the microphone that there was a little party upstairs Chancys office some form of thanksgiving before she end her term, that only chosen people, those owning the extra cars in the parking lot, were allowed to go in, and that the whole buffet budget was almost equal to a students one year stay in the university. Perhaps the party was really grand, and the food was catered from a famous hotel downtown but whats with the locked doors? Whats with the roving body guards? If this was nothing but a simple thanksgiving, then why was HIMATI not allowed inside just to cover when HIMATI could only be the means students have to know what the heck was going on? Already a public personality since she became UP Mindanaos Chancellor, students should be well-updated of the gatherings in her office especially something as important as a thanksgiving party before the end of her term. Former USC Chair Trisha Aligato started calling out to students in the atrium through a microphone attached to a small speaker: Inaanyayahan po namin ang mga kapwa namin Iskolar ng Bayan na kung maaariy lumabas sa kanilang mga classroom at makiisa sa amin. Para simulan, sabaysabay po nating aawitin ang UP Naming Mahal. Students passing by slowed down, each one turning their heads to the source of the sound. Everyone was slowing down but no one cared to stop except for a few freshmen students excited for what may happen. Would a rally be pushed through, this will be their first time to witness such an event in the campus. Their phone cameras were ready to capture this once-in-a-freshie moment of their college lives. The singing of UP Naming Mahal commenced the rally; the angry voices of the students could be heard right after the singing of the hymn.

It was exactly Chancellor Riveros last day on her throne. The students of UP Mindanao knew what they wanted and needed right from the start even before Rivero was officially re-elected as chancellor. Right from the start news for what Rivero was doing were not hidden from the student. They had been mad but their anger hidden in the shadows, somewhere deep that the chancellor couldnt hear or even feel. But on her last day as chancellor, the students decided to untie the cloth that had been tied over their mouths. On her last day, they decided to step out of the shadows. But even if the angry voices reached her office, even if students had rallied right in front of her face, theres nothing that could be done about it anymore. Eventually, shes going to step down from her throne, not because students made her to, but because her term was finally finished. The phrase Pagbayarin si Chancy might not be as relevant as it was ages ago. If only reactions were made earlier, maybe the so-called agony might have been shorter. Students kept on yelling and echoing phrases difficult to decipher. Hands were held together, fists were raised after the end of an angry phrase. But no matter how great efforts are, if it was done late, the effort might just be put to waste. There were also freshmen students from the crowd. It was a good thing that there were finally exposed with university-issues like these, except for the fact that a few of them were just laughing and just taking pictures of the rally that might just be posted on Twitter or Instagram after a few minutes, not even sure what the rally was for in the first place. Social networking sites are great mediums of distributing information especially now that almost everyone from this generation has computers and are into networking sites. But internet is something to be used for information dissemination and not merely to boast to high school friends that you are really in UP Mindanao, taking part in a rally.

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Walo ka tips para sa mga naglisod sa kwarta

Kikko Kalabud Illustrations by Daisuke Tatsuda and Yancy Valencia

Maki-avail sa grocery ni Mama.

Diba gauli man pud mo sa inyo usahay? So kung muuli man mo, grab the chance ug maki-avail sa grocery sa imong mama. Palit na dayon ug Ovaltine, tinapa, loaf bread, pancit canton, biskwit nga delata, tanang naa sa delata palita na kumbaga, kana imong survival kit against hunger.

Butangan ug sticky notes ang kwarta.

Lahi na jud ni nga level. Basta i-gets na lang ang among gi-drawing.

Igs-igs pud kung naay time.

Kung naa kay uyab, labi na kung ikaw ang babae, sige jud kag ilibre niya kung mukaon gani mo sa gawas. Ambot lang though kung parehas pud mo gahulat ug libre. Anyway, ang tip lang ana kay magshare na lang mo sa isa ka 32-peso meal sa Lings. Sweet na gani, tipid pa.

Make friends pud oi.

Daghan gud mo na every week naga-antos sa gamay nga ` allowance. So its time to organize and make friends. Kung ana, dili kaayo harsh ang feeling nga maglisod sa kwarta. Mahimo na dayon mog closer to each other like you never expected ana.

Pag-attend ug mga seminars. Himuang Pancit Canton Days ang imong M-W-F.
Sa kinse pesos nimo, naa na kay pancit canton. Ayaw kabalaka. Kinse jud ang universal price sa tanang karenderya diri sa UPMin.
Always remember na importante para sa atuha na muattend ug mga ingana na seminars labi na kung socially-relevant sila. Dili lang pud ta dapat muadto para sa Monde ug kape.

I-update ang self sa mga

charchar

sa mga orgs.

Magtuon na mukabit sa Ikot.

Kabalo naman ta tanan noh na naa juy org anniversary almost every month and always jud na naay mga free ice cream, free barbeque, piso print, blue book day, ug uban pa.

Kani na jud ang #MedyoPamatayTip so kung dili ka expert, ayaw na ug effort. Pero if desperado na kaayo ka, hmmm. Basta gunit jud. Basta kung i-try nimo ni, maghulat lang jud dapat ka na mupuno na ang IKOT before ka mukabit. Ug ayaw pahalata pud na kana imong ginaplano buhaton.

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HIMATI:Index
2011-08474
1: I miss her immovable hair. 2: Marami pa ring mga estudyante na tinatapon sa maling bracket. Go home, STFAP, youre fucking drunk. 3: Instagram that shit. 8 mayayaman sa bracket E1 at E2. Sana nga matuloy na talaga ang plano nag awing online ang pag-apply (sa OSA na lang ipa-certify ang mga papeles) at nang sa gayon mas may pondo at oras silang mailaan sa pagsiC.I. sa bawat aplikante ng STFAP. 3: Kung may zombie apocalypse, pupunta ako at ang pamilya ko sa mall dahil masmaraming supplies doon.
ign.com

1 Miss mo na ba si Chancy Rivero? 2 Anong masasabi mo sa pagproseso ng STFAP ngayong taon? 3 Anong una mong gagawin kung may zombie apocalypse?

2011-61473
1: Oo, lalo na ang walang kabuhay-buhay na buhok nito. Well-fixed yet stiffed. 2: Akoy di nakaabot sa deadline ng submission ng STFAP ngayong taon. Gayunpaman, umaasa ako sa masepektibong pamamaraan at pagbabahagi ng benepisyo para sa mga Iskolar upang maiwasan ang anumang sigalot. 3: Magtatanim ako ng maraming sunflower at sili sa tapat ng bakuran. Chos.

2012-47811
1: Dili mankaayo. She was rarely visible anyways. 2: Wala kaayo koy napansin na kabag-uhan. Wala man gud ko nag-apply for lower brackets. 3: Pangitaon nako akong uyab. Unya magpapicture mi sa usa ka zombie kay ganahan kaayo siya ana.

2010-68207
1: Minsan namimiss ko makita siya sa Atrium. 2: Actually hindi na ako nag-apply ng STFAP this year kasi masyadong maraming requirements. Eh pera rin naman yun. 3: Titingnan ang paligid. Mag-iisip kung anong magandang isulat patungkol sa Zombies.

200x-xxxxx
1: Of course NOT. 2: Wala ko nag-apply sa STFAP pero natingala lang ko ngano automatic bracket B ko. 3: Ambot! LOL

2012-71026
1: Di ko nafi-feel kahit sinong Chancy na presence. 2: Dumami ang echos. New face, same crap. 3: IDK. What I know is sa first wave of zombies, patay na ako.

2008-33071
1: Hindi ko miss si Maam Rivero, hindi ko naman siya nagging teacher, hindi ko naman siya kaano-ano. 2: May napansin akong pagbabago: may bracket certification na silang binibigay attached to our form 5 tuwing enrolment. In the case of application naman, ganun pa rin, walang pagbabago, pahirapan pa rin ng pag-apply kasi ang daming kailangan. Alam ko naman na kailangan nila talaga ito para mapatunayan na karapat-dapat ang estudyante sa naatasang bracket. Ang hindi ko lang mapaniwalaan ay bakit may nakalusot pa rin na 8

2010-68157
1 Oo, kasi alam kong she cares for us #pushmoyan 2: Disappointing. Maraming dapat nasa E brackets ang nasa higher brackets. 3: Tatakbo siyempre, ang lusog pa naman ng brain ko.

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Nadunggan sa HIMATI
Daisuke Tatsuda / Yancy Valencia

Off to HKC

2 Days and Counting

USB Problems

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