Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Philippine Collegian Tomo 91 Issue 12
Philippine Collegian Tomo 91 Issue 12
Philippine Collegian Tomo 91 Issue 12
BILANG 12
Pontifex Viva!
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
Opisyal na lingguhang pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Diliman
OPINYON
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
Nickel-and-Dime
The workers could almost hear the clink of coins thrown at their feet. Yet Metro Manila labourers should be grateful for even a measly wage hikeor so this government would like us to think. Amid the ongoing P10billion pork barrel scandal and exposs on Benigno Aquino IIIs own pork largesse, the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board of the National Capital Region announced what has to be the most recent of this administrations cruel japes on Manilas workers: a P10-wage hike. Effective November, the nominal increase will bring the NCR minimum wage level from the current P456 to P466still far below the required family living wage for decent living estimated by independent think-tank IBON at P1,051 as of August 2013. [We have] determined the need to enable [workers] to cope with the rising cost of living without impairing the viability of business and industry, read the RTWPB wage order
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
2013 - 2014
Punong Patnugot Julian Inah Anunciacion Kapatnugot Victor Gregor Limon Patnugot sa Balita Keith Richard Mariano Patnugot sa Grapiks Ysa Calinawan Tagapamahala ng Pinansiya Gloiza Rufina Plamenco Panauhing Patnugot Piya Constantino Margaret Yarcia
RD Aliposa
hauntingly consistent with Aquinos official press release template which unmasks this governments bias for local big business and foreign investors who profit at the expense of the Filipino workers cheap labor.
91
Editors Pick
The Philippine Collegian republishes distinguished photographs from its past issues that captured its YEARS tradition of critical and fearless journalism.
In 2009, Rey Reduccion, 42 is one of the 73 workers who were terminated because of the picket-protest they held to fight for wage increase under Arroyos administration. Four years hence, under Benigno Aquino IIIs presidency, labor groups were still dismayed with the P10 wage hike for the minimum wage earners.
Such a bias is founded on the perverted logic that bringing salary levels closer to the P125 across-the-board wage hike demand by labor groups will only further drag the labor force into unemployment and that plans to further raise wages are thus better shelved. Never mind that according to the governments own statistics, rates of labor productivity growth in the NCR has consistently risen throughout the past decade. The cruelty of the joke is even magnified by the fact that the P10 wage hike comes at a time when the national budget is expectedyet againto suffer drastic cuts in spending for basic social services while devoting large chunks to ineffective programs such as the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme. Yet this blatant disregard for the rights and welfare of ordinary working Filipinos hails from the more farreaching policy of the recently implemented Two-Tiered Wage System in the country. Under this scheme, wages are nailed at current levels, while any so-called productivity-based incentives shall be at the discretion of private employers.
Further, the dismal labor situation is hardly limited to those who earn a pittance in Pinansya Amelyn Daga exchange for their invaluable contributions to the economy. As of July, official Tagapamahala sa Sirkulasyon Paul John Alix government estimates place the unemployment rate at Sirkulasyon 7.3 percent, higher than the Gary Gabales seven percent rate in July 2010 Amelito Jaena when Aquino first assumed Glenario Ommamalin the presidency. Indeed, Aquino has never Mga Katuwang na Kawani forgotten to remind the public Trinidad Gabales that the economy is on a Gina Villas fast track towards economic development and inclusive Kasapi growtha shameless act UP Systemwide Alliance that repeatedly attempts to of Student Publications and Writers fool the public into turning Organizations (Solidaridad) a blind eye to dire economic College Editors Guild of the Philippines conditions: rising prices (CEGP) of basic commodities and utilities, fare hikes, continued Pamuhatan landlessness, homelessness, Silid 401 Bulwagang Vinzons, and the inaccessibility of Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Diliman, even the most basic of Lungsod Quezon social services. Halfway into Aquinos term, Telefax it is thus easy to predict the fate 981-8500 lokal 4522 of this regime. For whenever Online there is continued oppression, pkule1314@gmail.com there is dissent. And where www.philippinecollegian.org there is dissent, those who fb.com/philippinecollegian perpetrate the social injustices twitter.com/kule1314 that breed unrest must tremble with fear of the peoples Ukol sa Pabalat historical ability to reveal their Dibuho ni Mar Rios collective strength.
Mga Kawani Mary Joy Capistrano Ashley Marie Garcia Kimberly Ann Pauig Jiru Nikko Rada Emmanuel Jerome Tagaro
BALITA
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
DAANG BALAT-PALOS
Photo by Karl Aquino
Nagtatyaga ang kabataan ng Tagumpay Compound, Bacoor, Cavite na tumawid sa mga tulay na gawa lamang sa mga kawayan. Sa kabila ng ipinagmamalaki ng administrasyong Aquino na 7.5% paglago ng ekonomiya, ang pinakamabilis sa Timog Silangang Asya, nananatiling hirap ang mga pamilya sa lugar sa pagtawid ng kanilang pang-araw-araw na pamumuhay.
BALITA
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
BALITA
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
PEACE TALK
The peace process and the Aquino regime
PLAYBACK
the resumption of the peace talks and upholding the comprehensive agreements formed by the negotiating bodies. -Krista Iris Melgarejo, UP Student Regent [Human rights violations] are still existent and continuously happening. This is not how a peaceful country looks like. A peaceful country is where its citizens are free to express everything they want without any harm of getting killed, abducted or imprisoned because of their political beliefs, where all its citizens are given their [fundamental rights and] where justice is served equally to everyone. Achieving a culture of peace in a country can be answered by giving solutions to the core problem of poverty in the society. -Allyna-Haneefa Macapado, councilor, UPD University Student Council In both the Arroyo and Aquino administrations, weve seen the efforts to make peace deals on Mindanao. Especially with Aquino, weve seen that the GPH and MNLF have made significant progress with the current pace of the peace process. However, the government might not be pursuing a lasting solution on the Mindanao problem but rather uses the peace deal merely as a counterinsurgency tool, hence, not solving the real causes of the problem. A genuine culture of peace could be achieved if the government takes the Mindanao issue seriously and provides an inclusive solution [to] the root causes of the problem. -Al-Habbyel Baliola Yusoph, president, UP Muslim Students Association The [administrations] effort to negotiate a peace agreement is an important part of the peace process and the promotion of a culture of peace. However, a culture of peace is more than the peace negotiations. The OPAPP should make the peace
Continued on page 11
TOPPLED
Photo by Kimberly Pauig
UPs Andrew Harris attempts to outmuscle USTs Karim Abdul in the paint in the second round match at the Mall of Asia Arena on September 7. The Maroons set record low in a blowout loss against the Tigers, 63-39, converting only 18.5% field goals in the game and scoring six points in the last canto to remain winless in 12 outings. Cordilleras this year, while peace talks between the Philippine government and the CCP-NPA remain at a standstill. On May 31, the 503rd Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines dropped bombs near residential areas and rice fields in Malibcong, Abra in pursuit of the NPA. Two minors were nearly hurt with the attack, adding to the increasing number of human rights violations (HRV) under Benigno Aquino IIIs presidency. The first year of Aquino in office marked a peak in the number of encounters with the NPA within the decade, according to independent think tank IBON Foundation. These encounters have resulted in 30, 678 cases of forced evacuations, 7,012 cases of indiscriminate firing and 27,029 cases of military uses of civilian infrastructure as of April. [T]o think that it is the peoples money systematically corrupted and spent on senseless doings. These are the very resources used to kill people, destroy ancestral communities, forests and watersheds. Is this the tuwid na daan so hyped up by [Aquino]? said Anongos.
6
Ronn Joshua Bautista
Crisis alert For two years now, Syria has plunged into a civil war that has claimed the lives of 100, 000 Syrians and made refugees of some two million more, according to United Nations (UN). Conflict in Syria is basically divided between its eight ethnoreligious groups and a smaller sect in power, the Sunni Alawites. Over time, antagonisms between them brewed. Alawite officials began filling the military mostly of their sect while withholding some rights to other groups like disenfranchising some Syrian Kurds of their citizenships in 2011. But for five decades, unrest was curtailed. Since the Assad family seized power through a coup in 1963, Syria has since been under a state of emergency that gave Assad totalitarian powers. Syrians would only break their silence when the waves of antidictatorship protests, popularly known as the Arab Spring, swept the country in 2011. Tens of thousands Syrians poured out into the streets on a daily basis, but were met with the Assad regimes brutal force. The government also initiated a crackdown on activists and sanctioned the opening of fire on large peoples assemblies, which radical groups retorted with bigger demonstrations and a civil war. By the end of 2011, the Syrian opposition, composed of at least 10 political parties and peoples organizations, and defected soldiers formed the Syrian National Coalition and the Free Syrian Army to topple the Assad regime. Their war drags on until today. Intervention Syrias civil war is primarily an internal struggle for power between the government and the rebels. But a new party seeks involvement, proclaiming itself as a peacekeeper. Citing journalists, doctors, and non-government organizations, the US claimed sarin gas, a chemical weapon banned under the 1925 Geneva Convention, was used in the fighting.[T]he Syrian government carried out the chemical weapons attack against opposition elements in the Damascus suburbs on August 21 [where] 1,429 people were killed including at least 426 children, the White House announced. US media networks drummed up attention to the chemical attack by releasing the White Houses 13 videos of Syrians experiencing symptoms of inhaling sarin gas like foaming mouths and epileptic seizures as proof of the August 21 attack. The Geneva Convention outlines, among other things, several methods of warfare inherently dangerous for non-combatants, including chemical and biological weapons, and signatory countries are required to ban their use. As such, US President Barack Obama called on the international community to punish Assad by launching calculated airstrikes and missiles on government infrastructures. Failing to respond to this outrageous attack would increase the risk that chemical weapons could be used again and it would send a horrible signal to other nations that there would be no consequences for their use of these weapons, Obama said. But Russia and China, holding veto powers in the UN Security Council (UNSC), are unconvinced. The UN has initiated a fact-finding mission on the alleged August 21 attack but has yet to release its findings. Thus, no authorization has been given to any military intervention in Syrias civil war. Hesitant crowd The UN Charter outlines only two instances when a country may legitimately use force: in self-defense or with UN authorization backed by the UNSC. The international community was hesitant to support any military attack on Syria that will possibly affect the tides of the civil war, says UP Political Science Prof. Nelson Cainghog, who specializes in international relations. Last week, the British Parliament voted against its Prime Ministers proposal to join Obamas military action against Syria. Except for France, the rest of the 28-member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that supported the US in its previous wars of aggression, have refused any military intervention. Still, the US is hard-pressed to gatecrash into Syria. The US Navy even strengthened its Mediterranean Sea fleet, and with a tight 10-7 vote, the US Senate Foreign Relations committee has passed Obamas proposal, the first of several hurdles for congressional approval. Judge, jury, executioner This is not the first time the US has taken things remote without the UN. In 2001, the US barged into Afghanistan to fight the terrorist group Al Qaeda. Two years after, Iraq was eventually invaded on suspicions that Iraqi President possessed weapons of mass destruction. Moreover, former President George Bushs launched drone attacks against Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia to further decimate Al-Qaeda infrastructures. In the end, these wars left hundreds of thousands of civilians dead. Indeed, the US asserts its global position as the judge, jury, and executioner of countries as if it was UN. In fact, Obama already reinforces these roles in his second inaugural address: America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe. And we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. The aftermath of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan presents grim prospects for Syria, especially as the resulting political and economic reforms in these two countries expose the plunder of their home beneath all the American rhetoric.
FEATURES
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
BIYERNES, SETYEMBRE 13, 2013 Gatecrasher As its track record of military aggressions clearly illustrates, US wars have always led the US to immense profit. Under the guise of its war on terrorism and self-determined role as world police, the US historically forces itself in countries that need its help. For instance, Bush justified his governments attacks against Iraq and Afghanistan were necessary to secure the freedom of more than 50 million people who lived under two of the cruelest dictatorships [and to institute] democratic and free countries who are allies in the war on terror. However, after toppling the Taliban regimes and installing handpicked Iraqis and Afghans, the number of oil concessions to American companies could not be more telling of the US gains for their liberation operations: Iraq is now one of its biggest oil exporters, producing 2.3 million barrels per day (bpd), while Afghanistan is bound to economic and military partnership because of its proximity to oil-rich countries. Oil-rich Syria now also finds itself in a similar situation, with US warships on its shores and bomb attacks threatening to ravage its cities for alleged violation of an international convention. Sa mga kilos pa lang ng US, oportunista siya para makakuha pa ng mga paborableng concessions ng langis, argues Sonny Africa, executive director of independent think-tank IBON Foundation. In 2011, the US consumed 18.83 million bpd according to the US Energy Information Association, while its Department of Defense used up 350,000 bpd. Such comes at a time when the US military is spread in more than 150 countries worldwide and is moving 60 percent of its high-maintenance navy to the Asia-Pacific region. The US war in Syriais borne out of the desperate need to overcome an ever-deepening economic crisis. The US wants to control more regions and more resources and is prepared to go to war [to] advance this agenda, quips Renato Reyes, secretary-general of multisectoral alliance Bayan. As the international community hesitates from potentially changing the tides of war in Syria, it comes as no surprise that the US is all too aggressive in pressing for military intervention. Troubled countries will continue finding the US knocking on their door with the promise of peace and democracy, only to be ransacked and used. Now, the US is at Syrias bloody doorstep. In a war only Syrians can resolve, both factions rebel and government must first drive away this unwelcome visitor. For the US is not their friendly neighborhood patrol, but their greatest common adversary to sovereignty yet.
LATHALAIN
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
Hating kapatid
Sipat sa kalagayan ng Special Education sa bansa
Rufina Gloiza Plamenco
Ate, kailan ka uuwi? Pasigaw at paulit-ulit na tanong ng aking nakababatang kapatid na si Yodney nang mag-usap kami sa telepono nitong nakaraan lang. Higit isang buwan rin ang lumipas bago kami muling nakapag-usap, kaya bilang paglalambing, ilang beses ko rin siyang sinasagot. Nang nagsawa, ibinalik niya ang telepono sa Nanay ko nang hindi nagpapaalam sa akin. Tuwang-tuwa ang buong pamilya noong ipinanganak si Yodney. Kaiba sa kayumangging kulay namin ni Kuya, namana niya ang maputi at makinis na balat ng Nanay. Sa aming magkakapatid, siya lang ang may malalim na biloy sa magkabilang pisngi. Ngunit sa aming lahat, siya lang ang nahirapang lumaking katulad ng mga ordinaryong bata. Tatlong taong gulang siya nang magsimulang lumitaw ang mga sintomas: minsay bigla na lang siyang nag-aalburoto nang walang dahilan, hindi nakakapagsalita nang maayos, at tila hindi rin nakakaintindi sa mga sinasabi ng nakapaligid sa kanya. Kinalaunan, nalaman naming autistic si Yodneyisang special child ang kapatid ko. Gayunman, kailanmay hindi ko naisip na naging pabigat siya sa buhay ko. Totoong malikot pa rin siya sa tuwing may mga bisita sa bahay, ngunit madalas nakababad lang siya sa computer at nanonood ng YouTube videos. Minsan pa nga, mabibigla na lang ako na siya na ang nagliligpit at naghuhugas ng aming kinainan. Kakalabing-walong taon lang ni Yodney nitong nakaraang Linggo. Sa bawat ngiti niya, napupukaw ang pag-asa ng aming pamilyang maranasan niya rin ang pinagdaraanan ng mga karaniwang tao ang makapag-aral sa isang paaralan, magkaroon ng mga kaibigan, at makaharap ang lungkot at saya ng buhay. Kwento ng Nanay, nangapa sila sa paghahanap ng mga paaralang malapit sa aming tinitirhan. Sa huli, pumasok si Yodney sa isang pribadong paaralan sa Ortigas na umaabot hanggang P60,000 ang matrikula bawat taon. Hindi kinaya ng pamilya ang mahal na matrikula, kayat inilipat si Yodney sa isa pang paaralan sa Mandaluyong. Hindi man singmahal ng nauna, mabigat pa rin sa bulsa ang gastusin. Noong 2005, kinailangan nang umuwi ng kapatid ko sa Samar. [Isa sa mga nag-udyok] sa akin na magaral ng SPED ay dahil special child ang anak kokaramihan sa amin ay nag-aaral dahil sa mga mahal namin sa buhay, ani Kristina*, isang doctoral student ng SPED sa UP College of Education (UP Educ). Ngunit ani Prof. Myra Tantengco ng Educ, ninanais pa rin ng karamihang makapagtrabaho sa ibang bansa kung saan mas malaki ang sahod. Mula 2005 hanggang 2010, may 2,768 Pilipinong guro ang lumipad patungong Estados Unidos, kung saan in-demand ang mga guro ng SPED, ayon sa National Statistics Coordination Board. Dagdag ni Olores, mabibilang sa mga daliri ang mga therapists ng mga special children na nagtatrabaho para sa public SPED centers sa buong bansa. Kumpara sa P130,000 kada buwang sahod ng mga guro sa US, kakarampot ang sweldong natatanggap ng mga guro sa bansang nasa mahigit-kumulang P18,000. Pero hinihimok namin ang aming mga magaaral na maglingkod sa mga special children dito sa bansa, ani Tantengco. Samantala, planong ilatag ng SPED Department ng UP Educ sa administrasyon ng UP ang pagkakaroon ng edukasyong inclusive para sa mga espesyal na magaaral sa pamantasan. Naniniwala kami na mas mapapagyaman ang pag-aaral ng mga special children sa UP [kung isasama sila] sa mga regular na iskolar ng bayan, ani Dizon. Matindi ang magiging preparasyon at malaking rekurso ang gugugulin para rito, ani Dizon, ngunit kung pagtutuunan ng pansin ng UP at pamahalaan, isa itong hakbang na mas magbubukas ng edukasyon sa pamantasan para sa lahat. Bilang pamantasan ng bayan, magsisilbing mabuting ehemplo ang inisyatibang ito ng UP kung maayos na maipatupad na maaaring sundan at tularan ng iba pang mga institusyong pang-edukasyon. Subalit mauuwi lamang sa pagkabigo ang anumang hangaring mapabuti ang SPED sa bansa kung nananatiling kalunos-lunos ang pangkabuuang kalagayan ng sistemang pang-edukasyon. Sa patuloy at sistematikong pagpapabaya ng pamahalaan sa sektor ng edukasyon, hindi maiiwasang maapektuhan maging ang SPED na madalas isinasandig na lamang sa mga pribadong paaralan. Kung tutuusin, munting regalo lang sa kaarawan ng kapatid ko ang magsaliksik at sumulat ng artikulo hinggil sa kanyang kalagayan. Hanggang ngayon, umaasa pa rin kaming darating ang araw na mararanasan ni Yodney ang mamuhay ng normal, at mag-aral sa isang mura ngunit dekalidad na paaralan, kung saan maaari niyang makilala ang mga katulad at di niya katulad na kasabay niyang matututo at tutuklas sa mga hiwaga ng buhay. *hindi totoong pangalan
Pangalawang subok
Unang hakbang
Taong 2000 nang ipinayo ng doktor na pag-aralin si Yodney sa mga pribadong paaralan sa Maynila na nag-aalok ng Special Education (SPED), upang mas mapabuti ang kalagayan niya. Kayat noong apat na taong gulang na siya, inilipat siya ng aming mga magulang mula Samar tungong Maynila. Nahahati ang SPED sa dalawang klase ng mag-aaral: mga mentally gifted; at mga batang may kapansanan kagaya ng mga bulag, pipi, bingi, at may developmental disorder kagaya ng aking kapatid, ayon kay Maam Mirla Olores, SPED Division Chief ng Kagawaran ng Edukasyon (DepEd). Hindi ganoon kadaling makahanap ng paaralang may murang matrikula at maayos na mga pasilidad para sa mga special children sa Pilipinas. Sa katunayan, sa mahigit limang milyong special children sa bansa, mahigit 230,000 lamang ang nakakapag-aral ng SPED, ayon sa tala ng DepEd.
Sa limang taong pag-aaral ni Yodney sa pribadong paaralan, natuto siyang banggitin ang kanyang pangalan, bumasa, sumulat, humawak ng kutsara't tinidor, at kinalaunan, bumuo ng mga simpleng pangungusap. Noong 2010, ipinasok namin siya sa isang pampublikong SPED center sa Samar ng ilang buwan. Nang minsan akong nagbantay kay Yodney, naisip ko ang kalagayan ng ibang mga batang hindi nakapag-aral sa mas maayos na paaralan. Napagtutuunan ba ng pansin ang bawat isa? Halimbawa, hinahayaan na lang si Yodney ng ilan sa kanyang guro na biglang lumabas ng silid-aralan upang maglaro. Matalino raw ang kapatid ko, tamang nakakasagot kapag tinatanong. Walang matrikulang binabayaran sa 381 pampublikong SPED centers sa buong bansa, ngunit hindi maikukubli ang kakulangan ng mga ito sa mga gurong tututok at maging kagamitan. Hindi lahat ng SPED center sa bansa ay may mga kagamitan para sa bawat uri ng kapansanan, ani Olores. Gustuhin mang mapahusay ng SPED Division ng DepEd ang kanilang serbisyo, hirap pa rin sila bunsod ng mga perenyal na suliraning hindi natutugunan ng pamahalaan. Ayon kay Olores, bagaman itinaas ng pamahalaan ang badyet ng SPED ngayong taon sa P180 bilyon mula P115 bilyon nitong 2012, nananatili itong kulang upang mapaayos ang bawat pampublikong SPED centers sa buong bansa o kaya makabili ng mga mahahalagang kagamitan tulad ng Braille writer para sa mga bulag. Sa karanasan, hindi hamak na mas maayos ang pasilidad sa mga pribadong paaralan na may sapat ring mga gurowari bang tanging mga may salapi lamang ang may pagkakataong mapagaan ang pag-aaral ng mga espesyal na mahal sa buhay.
Huling pagpipilian
Bukod sa maliit na badyet at kakulangan ng mga guro at propesyunal, nariyan din ang isyu ng nararapat na pagtutok sa mga special children. Kailangan ang masinsinang pagsasanay sa mga guro ukol sa tamang pagtuturo at pakikitungo sa ibat ibang kaso ng mga special children, dagdag ni UP Educ SPED Department Head Dr. Edilberto Dizon.
KULTURA
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
THE PITCH-BLACK BACKDROP further highlighted her beauty: silky smooth skin exposed by the thin sleeves of her red laced dress, alluring lips traced by blood red lipstick, and elegant curls falling by the side of her slender neck. Her chiselled cheeks and defined brows emphasize the solemn beauty of her eyesone of which is brutally bruised. Profiles of similar women with this semblance of elegance fill the next pages of Bulgarian fashion magazine, 12, for its beauty spread Victims of Beauty released in 2012. Models featured with cut lips, bruised noses, and acidthrown faces aimed to depict in a literal sensehow fashion victimizes women. Using the theme of violence against women in the fashion industry has been a trend to achieve higher sales or for the purpose of publicity. Capital dictates the pursuit of profit at whatever cost.
Beauty
cultures. Women experience what has been touted as double oppression due to the hegemonic systems of patriarchy and capitalism. In Middle Eastern cultures, for example, men are allowed even encouragedby the existing norms to control their women through violence such as throwing acid on their faces. In a patriarchal society wherein women are confined within the corners of the home and dominated by the male species and ideology, oppression against women prevails. Under a capitalist system, women are not only subjugated to capital, but to her sexuality seen by many as inferior. Having lesser demands in work, women are forced to sell their bodies, labor and services at a cheaper price in order to survive, such as the prostitution industry. They cannot avail the wide range of jobs available to their male counterparts. Abuse on women penetrates societies and traverses social classes. Capitalist dominated societies, through and through, use woman image in profit-making. This is further aggravated by the use of violence on women as theme or motif in selling products.
Dangerous
was assigned to both male and female. This was the time of the chalice when violence was subjugated by the existing feminine ideology and values. In the Filipino context, the place of women in society was esteemed long before the entrance of gender and class divide. In her nude glory, multiplebreasted Filipina goddess Mebuyan was the ultimate symbol of fertility and feminine power. These early seeds of feminist thought in pre-colonial religious traditions deemed womens role to be essential, not only in the domestic but also in the productive and reproductive aspects of the society. Women assumed the roles of healers, warriors, and leaders of tribes and religions. The advent of violence through pursuit of power was the turning point of the time of the chalice into the time of the blade, dominated by male values. The partnership society was replaced with the new male-dominated society wherein work is no longer assigned equally to both sexes. The Spanish colonizers, with their blades, cross and a patriarchal religion, debunked the idea of a nude multiple-breasted goddess and replaced Mebuyan with the shrouded Virgin Mary. According to Eisler, women are the bearers of peaceful virtues, and only when men succumb to these feminine virtues can the bygone partnership society be restored. Fashioning Woman From a partnership society replaced with a patriarchal society, capitalism birthed a culture of use and abuse of women. In the current scenario of Philippine economy highly controlled by imperialist countries, women become more challenged as capital utilize women for production. T e l e v i s i o n advertisements place sexualized women in skimpy clothing adjacent leisure products such as cigarettes, liquors, and cars that are present even in billboards and more public spaces. In 2004 when there was no advertising regulation in billboards, a Disteleria Limtuaco liquor advertisement sparked controversy after using the catchphrase Nakatikim ka na ba ng kinse anyos?After Gabriela countered the advertisement, the billboards were talken down and the news was published in newspapers. To overthrow the current system of using womeneither in a sexualized or violent wayto sell products, women participation is highly essential. Gabriela, the frontrunner of womens rights advocacy in the country countered these abusive advertisements with campaigns condemning violence against women most notable of which is the Jayme Syfu wherein women used their lipstick and makeup to hide the evidence of violence inflicted upon then. With daily exploitation of womenfrom a casual commercial of Marlboro with sexualized women to shocking news of gang rape or acid attack in Indiawomen participation is not only an essential, but a vital part to counter this existing culture of submission and overthrow it with a culture of resistance.
Illustration : Ysa Calinawan Page design : Jan Andrei Cobey
Run(a)way beauty Online criticisms against the appalling beauty spread photographed by Vasil Germanovaimed at showcasing Max Factor products and the skill of the makeup artistdid not prompt apology from the magazines editor. Instead, the editorial board denied the spread as a portrayal of domestic violence and issued an explanation of it representing woman power amid scars. These images however were not the first atrocious media representation on women as objects of violence, making women the inferior sex. Numerous advertisements including those from high fashion lines Dolce and Gabbana and Calvin Kleinboth of which featured gang rape utilized this tactic to gain publicity and profit. Other fashion lines such as Esprit, Jimmy Choo, and Louis Vuitton used such advertisements with women, if not in lewd poses, in an act of brutal surrender to a dominant male figure. This method reifies women, turning them into objects of profit. This perverted culture of violence against women is evidenced in contemporary
Femme Fatale A striking advertisement campaign by Save the Children India to stop violence against women unravelled the oftensilenced contrast in a goddessworshipping India. The advertisement featured elegantly dressed Indian goddesses Lakshmi, Durga and Saraswati bearing the evidence of domestic abuse with bruises and wounds on their faces. American writer Riane Eisler described in her feminist book The Chalice and the Blade a bygone goddess-ruled society wherein equal responsibility
KULTURA
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
CLAD IN WHITE AND SMILING, an old man squeezes himself with three teenagers inside the frame of a smartphones camera, a click and a flash sending the photograph into the world of social media. Seconds later, cyberspace was abuzz with talk of the first ever papal selfie. For the old man in the immaculate robes was no other than Christs vicar, the leader of millions of Catholics across the globe Pope Francis I. Construction Before he became known as Francis I, Jose Mario Bergoglio was a chemical technician until he decided to enter the Jesuit order. As a priest, he became known for his simple lifestylea humble cleric who lived in a modest apartment and cooked his own meals. In the weeks leading to his election as Pope, the media emphasized his concern for the poor and the disenfranchised. As Pope, Francis I broke traditions and sympathized with homosexuals and atheists. Pope Francis I holds a certain appeal. The media calls it revolutionary. In his Mythologies, Roland Barthes discussed how hegemonic institutions such as the Church create myths that conceive an image of their present ideologies. For instance, in the time of Pope John Paul II, globalization began to permeate the worlds consciousness. Therefore, a pope that travels was imperative as it was important for the Church to make its presence felt. Because of the perceived decline of the youths religious participation, the Vatican also made the pope a role model for the youth by initiating World Youth Day, making him write poetry, and having films about him made. Together, the church and the media created a pop cult youth icon, reigniting the worlds interest in the papacy. Getting closer to home, Pedro Calungsod is another example. To create a politico-religious iconto subsume people under the logic of colonialism and Catholicismit was necessary for the Church to raise into sainthood even those who are from the ranks of the masses. Calungsod was unknown in his diocese until his endorsement for beatification. The Church used the martyr formula to make Calungsod the quintessential saint. His sainthood was seen to spark holiness and faith revival in the country. The Church used a similar formula for Bergoglio. The Holy See recognizes a decline of faithful for the past decades. In 2008 alone, the Week reported that almost 400,000 people left the Church. Even in the Philippines, Catholic groups like C4RH (Catholics for Reproductive Health) continue to support laws that the Church is strongly against.
Pontifex Viva!
Julian Bato
To revitalize membership, the Church needed Pope Francis to invite and keep the masses in the fold. It is no wonder then that the pope breaks into pop culture by taking selfies, phoning ordinary people, and being seen while doing activities his flock go through everyday. The media is always quick to brand these actions as fresh, new, and revolutionary. Contradictions Eyebrows were raised when the Vatican recently readmitted liberation theology, a movement which aims to apply the teachings of Christ in the struggle against the worlds social injustices. Under his guidance, the Popes desire to reform the Catholic Church as a poor church for the poor becomes concrete. Though he does not label himself as a liberation theologian, he believes in the uplift of the poor and the oppressed. However, while the Supreme Pontiff showed sympathy to the LGBT community, saying they should not be judged or marginalized, the Pope maintained that homosexuals
should not act upon their sexuality because it is a sin. He also opposed gay marriage, shutting down any chance for the gay faithful to pursue a family life. Moreover, while the pope recognizes the significance of women in the Catholic community by referencing the Virgin Mary as even more important than the apostles, he kept the doors closed on women who aspire to preach the word of God. To add to the contradictions, Bergoglio was the leader of the inquisition of progressive revolutionaries during the Argentine Dirty War. Even with the Church condemning worldwide violence such as in Syria, the papacy clearly has to go beyond washing feet, kowtowing to royalties, and sending letters to political figures to effect social change. Deconstruction Religion and politics have never been two distinct things for the Church. As a monolithic institution, the Church needed to
preserve its power and influence. And in the realm of religious power play, every player must exhaust its meand to do so. The papacy then needs to be reinvented to stall the Churchs perceived decline. Like it had done to almost every pontiff, the church yet again has to create a myth out of Pope Francis. To reinforce the status quo, he must integrate pop culture with religious stimulus as a form of motivation. Commonplace cultural images like committing fashion faux pas and riding public transportation are married to political agendas. The facade would appear normal, modern, and revolutionary and it is imperative to look like so. The popes attempts to usher the papacy beyond the usual boundaries and limitations of the Church, however, must not be dismissed as insincere. But to do so, Pope Francis I faces the challenge of being brave enough to continue opposing even the traditions of the church, for it takes persistence to bolster social change in an institution that has always been conservative. For now, the Pope is forced to limit his efforts to the shallow joys of selfies and symbolic acts. The pope surely is commendable in his efforts to usher in a new era of Catholicism. But to truly achieve this goal, the Pope must go beyond words and symbolic acts and push for progressive actions which will birth a new social order.
10
OPINYON
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
Baon ang samut saring kwento ng mga residente, hindi ko maiwasang umalis na may mabigat na damdamin
Ngayon lang naging mali ang mangarap kung hindi naman ako kikilos para sa iyo para sa ating dalawa
makasama ka. Sinikap kong tapusin ang lahat ng dapat tapusin. Pinutol ko ang ilang relasyon sa iba na hadlang sa ating pagsasama, dahil ikaw ang kailangan ko ang kailangan ko para lumaya. Sa huli kong taon sa unibersidad, ikaw lang ang gusto kong makasama. Ipinagdasal ko na sanay magkaroon ako ng sapat na kakayahan upang mapagtibay ang ating pagsasama. Dumating ang araw na nagkaharap na tayo. Kaiba sa inasahan ko dati, medyo nagkagulo yata tayo. Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit tayo nagkakaganito. Marahil ay kasalanan ko rin ang lahat. Bakit ako nagkakaganito sa iyo kung ako mismo ang humabol sa iyo noong una pa lamang? Ikaw nga lang ang sentro ng mundo ko ngayon pero nawawala pa rin ako sa sarili. Kailangan ko bang ipaalala sa sarili ko kung bakit tinahak ko ang daang ito? Araw-araw kang nasa isip ko. Puro plano para sa hinaharap ang iniisip ko, pero ngayon lang naging mali ang mangarap kung hindi naman ako kikilos para sa iyo para sa ating dalawa. Kailanmay wala kang sinabi. Hinihintay mo lang ako. Sa tuwing naiisip kita, bigla na lang akong nalulungkot at nagagalit
sa aking sarili. Wala akong ginagawa para tumibay ang ating relasyon. Selosa ka rin kasi, e. Tulad ng ibang lalaking nakarelasyon ko, humihina ang ating relasyon sa tuwing tumitingin ako sa iba. Inaamin ko, minsan sinasadya kong iwasan ka. At dahil naging regular ang ganitong gawain, nauwi na ako sa punto kung saan hindi na kita naiintindihan. Hindi tayo magkasundo sa mga bagay na gusto nating gawin. Natakot ako sa ideya na wala tayong patutunguhan. Pero kailangan ko pa ring subukan at ipagpatuloy ang laban. Nakakahiya rin kasi sa mga magulang ko kung bigla akong titigil ngayon, kung kailan magkasama na tayo. Alam kong kakayanin natin ito hanggang sa huli. Bilang mag-aaral sa pamantasan, sanay na ako sa ganitong klaseng pagkabigo. Hindi ko maiwasang magalit sa sarili ko dahil ako ang nagpa-pasya para sa atin, at alam kong hindi tama ang mga desisyong iyon. Alam kong nakikita mo ang mga nangyayari ngayon, ngunit hindi ko inaasahang may gawin ka. Pero sana lang may sabihin ka. Baka sakaling malaman ko kung ano ang kailangan mo, dahil pagod na akong manghula.
OPINYON
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
11
NEWSCAN
TEXTBACK
EKSENANG PEYUPS
Kung ikaw si Janet Napoles, kanino mo isusuko ang sarili mo at bakit? Sa Monterey coz look at my pig face naman diba. Its a no brainer. The slaughter house is my home. 20**21871 kbV Kung susuko ako, kay Juan Ponce Enrile kasi sabi niya, GUSTO KO HAPPY KA. 2011-22597 kay wally bayola para may libreng creampie 201335683 Ano ang mensahe mo para sa UP Pep Squad sa nalalapit na Cheerdance Competition? Wag masyado mapressure. Have faith in Him and for sure miracle will happen. Yakang-yaka niyo yan! The best kayo eh! Party party lang sa Linggo! :) 201*7*06j IanThoughts Dear UP Pep Squad, Wag nyo masyado galingan para kabahan mga supporters. Mehehehe. 201011*62 russell
The Baklakid Edishun! Haler mga vaklushee at vekizz there! Mag-ingay sabay tambling!!! Baklakid is in the balur! Kung sa fliptop may BLKD, ako naman si BKLD ang makatang matalim ang anoang dilaaaa!!! Hmmm akala mo kung ano na, no?! Ikaw haaa! Antipatiko! Wag na tayiz magpatumpik-tumpik pa at simulan na ang mga mala-impaktitang lyrics na may halong kwentong nakakalerky! Geym, simulan na ang paglalagay ng ritmo sa bawat pangungusap! Lets gaw! Round 1! May Iskong nato-tomguts at umistop-over sa cantunan. Di na siya makatiis dahil ang bituka niyay nagrarambulan. Si Koya ay umorder ng pancan with kwek-kwek, pagkakuha ng order may pulubing nanghingi ng barya, sagot ni Koya sa bata, nek-nek. napagtanto ni koya na American citizen yung beggar sinabihan niya ng nek-nek, si Koya natuwa! Pag nasagot ng pulubi ang tanong niya, bibigyan niya ito ng kwek-kwek! Tinanong ni Koya kung ano ang tagalog ng wings ang sagot ng amerikanong beggar, pek-pek. Tumpak! Winner ni American beggar! Bigyan natin siya ng kiss with cheddar! Charrr! Round 2! Sinetch itong bracket E to the second power na vaklusheeng Isko na gustong-gusto sumama sa fieldtrip sa Kas1. Kelangan niya ng pirma ng kanyang guardian at di niya alam kung sinetch ang the right one. He blossomed kasi in his life na walang parents, nakapag-aral siya sa university kaka-join ng kabaklaan beauty pageants! So he needs pirma nga with his waiver chorvalu, waley na siyang choice so he goes to somewhere eklavoo sa underpass ng Philcoa! May matandang beggar na nakita si Isko at binigyan niya ng imahe ng Birheng Maria. Pulubiy natulala, sabay biglang lumundag sa tuwa! Na-foundalushi ng pulubi ang kanyang ina, dahil ang pulubi ay si Hesu- Kristo na nag-anyong kaluluwa! Amen to that! Na-windang ang Iskong vaklurr at na-starstruck on the spot! Nagpapirma siya ng waiver kay Hesu-Kristo with kiss paaa!!! Ang taray ng baklitang ito at nakipag-selfie pa! (na-snatch yung phone niya after. Shunga, 1 billion likes sana). Sa kabila ng trahedya, nakakuha siya ng pirma, ang Prof ay nagulantang sa pirmang nakita at sinambit kay isko na makakapag-fieldtrip ka!!! sabay tumambling. Ayun, mali ang bagsak, sa heaven lumanding. Round 3! Ito nakaka-adik. Kasi yung iskong ito sa sobrang tindi ng kwento akala mo nakasaksi ka ng magic. Totoo, kaso itoy medyo tragic. Ito kasing si adik, ang hilig uminom ng Gatorade, Cobra, at Listerine. Araw-araw panlaban sa antok kasi lagi nagpupuyat, kaya ang itsura ay payat. Palagi niyang kasama ang tatlong droga niya, umaga hanggang gabi. Ang pagkaadik ay lumala, lalong tumindi. Incidentally, natae bigla ang lolo mur, nag-sweatcorn siya na ang kulay ay lavender. Pag-ebak niya, bumulwak ang limang cobra na may mapuputing ngipin, kase na-overdose sa Listerine. At infairness, walang amoy yung jerbaks. Bet mo ba baks?! At yun lamang mga vaklooosshh!!! Abangan niyo yung paghaharap namin ni BLKD sa FlipFlops Tumbang Preso Battle! At lastly, good luck sa darating na hell week! Keribumbum niyo yan mga Te! Gowlalu! Muamuabelles mga bakla! :*
NES was recognized as the best organizational event for 2013, according to the Junior Philippine Economics Society. We are two days away from the biggest economic convention of the nation! The UP Economics Society and SGV & Co. In partnership with Maybank, The Body Shop, Wacoal, and Coca Cola FEMSA Philippines present THE NATIONAL ECONOMICS SUMMIT 2013 Connecting the Brightest Economic Minds of the Nation September 13 - 15, 2013 Bayanihan Center, Pasig City Our Endorsers Commission on Higher Education, UP School of Economics, Philippine Economics Society, National Youth Commission, Junior Philippines Economics Society, and UP School of Economics Alumni Association Our Media Sponsors 99.5 RT, Rappler, When in Manila, Business World, DZUP 1602 GET YOUR GAME ON. Pay and play at the CBA 4th floor back lobby (12PM-5PM)! September 10-13: Dance Central, Wii Fit, Super Smash, Bros Brawl, and Mario Kart DULAANG UP MOUNTS JOHN WEBSTERS MASTERPIECE THE DUCHESS OF MALFI/ ANG DUKESA NG MALFI Dulaang UPs The Duchess of Malfi / Ang Dukesa ng Malfi runs from September 11 - September 29 at the Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater, Palma Hall, UP Diliman. Get your tickets now! Please contact the Dulaang UP Office at 926-1349, 981-8500 local 2449 or 433-7840 and look for Ms. Camille Guevarra or Ms. Samanta Clarin. OH, WOW! BRIDGE! MASAYA TO!! Do you think you have the skills to take all the tricks? Then join,
TRUMPS OUT: A Contract Bridge Tournament brought to you by UPMMC and the Philippine Tournament Bridge Association! Get a chance to win up to 2000 pesos! Those interested may register through this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/ d/1vqsrCxQIBJFOQ53HNFuDI0s_ e9f6rB0qNfqnD6AuPGo/viewform We highly encourage that you register with a partner. Solo registrants will be randomly assigned a partner before the tournament starts. You may also visit the UPMMC Tambayan at MBAn 109 for advance registration and inquiries. See you! HUWAW THIS IS FUN! The University of the Philippines Mathematics Majors Circle invites you to join Mix and Maths 6.0, a university-wide game show which consists of Tangrams, Scrabble, Price is Right and Minute to Win It Games! Form a group consisting of 3 members and sign up now! You may register online through this link: https://docs.google.com/ forms/d/1fu-62Ycke87ZHt8nuY S9isVLwpKChtABG7srD8IaU00/ viewform You may also visit our registration booth along MB Walk or the UPMMC tambayan at MBAn 109 for inquiries. See you! This years Inter-Freshman Machine Design Competition entitled Shoot M.E. Down is all about accuracy and precision. Do you have what it takes to hit the bulls-eye? Just form a team of 3, design a launcher, and get a chance to win 2,000 Php! No registration fee. There will be a registration booth on September 11 from 8am until 11:30am only, in front of the CAL library. On September 12 and 13, you may find our booth at the Math walk from 8am-5pm. Further details about the competition will be available in our booth. See you there!
PEACE TALK
Continued from page 5
process more inclusive, i.e. to build a peace constituency. The Supreme Court decision on the [Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain] reiterates that the negotiators should conduct consultations. The peace constituency should also include [not just] members of the civil society, international donor agencies, think tanks and the academe. It should also include young people, indigenous groups, community leaders and the ordinary Juan Dela Cruz. An inclusive peace process will contribute to a more sustainable peace and a culture of peace. -Dennis F. Quilala, professor, UPD Department of Political Science Next weeks questions 1. Ano ang masasabi mo sa mga MRT fans ni Kris Aquino? 2. Ano sa tingin mo ang dapat na tugon ng gobyerno sa mga nagaganap na demolisyon? Key in KULE <space> MESSAGE <space> STUDENT NUMBER <required> NAME and COURSE (optional) and send to
Congratulations!
CONTACT US! Write to us via snail mail or submit a soft copy to Rm. 401, Vinzons Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Email us pkule1314@gmail.com. Save Word attachments in Rich Text Format, with INBOX, NEWSCAN or CONTRIB in the subject. Always include your full name, address and contact details.
Micholo Medrana Julian Bato Kultura Writers Miriam Miciano Andrea Joyce Lucas Features Writers Johnwyn Ace Fornal New News Writer
WWW.PHILIPPINECOLLEGIAN.ORG
NOWHERE MAN
Alan P. Tuazon
On the Job*
I have been prey to an endless stream of disappointments since the start of the semester as professors called out Tuazon, Alan! from a pool of names in the attendance list. People just had higher expectations of me being a columnist for a venerated student publication, and tagged as the privileged Chinese guy at the Kule backpage. I often wonder what contribution my column even offers humanity, what addition to the growing mass of nothingness my weekly rants bring. There are other Kule writers more able than myself, more politically-charged to fill this weekly column. I have been an object of criticism for my so-called bourgeois leanings. I can only talk of cinema and books, they say. Some even label me a hypocrite for joining rallies after seeing me frequent tea shops in Katipunan. Writing for the Collegian has never been a piece of cake. The weekly dose of presswork has formed in us an abnormal sleeping pattern and dependence on nicotine, caffeine, and cheesy videoke-worthy songs in the wee hours of morning crunch time. We liberate ourselves with stolen trips to the rooftop where confessionsof intoxication from Kule work, of academic woes, of unrequited lovemost likely happen. After the strenuous legwork, we send our drafts to our editors only to be told that they are not Kule enough, and continue in a seemingly endless drafting process until the right blend of sharp arguments and smooth phrasing is achieved. Of the many issues instantly relayed on everyones newsfeeds, publishing a newspaper becomes more challenging. Kule does not exist to gain the popular sympathy; we write on realities we deem relevant and pressing. One news writer almost flipped the table upon reading the numerous articles on Kris Aquino riding an MRT while demolitions happen everywhere, unprioritized by mainstream media. Alternative media such as Kule is not the Cinderella of journalism. Kule does write fairytales anyway. *not a review of the Erik Matti film