Himati Vol.

XVIII Issue I August - October 2014

news | 1
Vol. XVIII Issue 1 August to October 2014
1 OUT OF 10
STUDENTS GETS
FULL TUITION
DISCOUNT
UNDER
STS
UNEARTHING:
A STORY
OF LAND
STRUGGLE
THE CURE
FOR CANCER
PAGE 3
PAGE 14
PAGE 17
C
o
v
e
r

I
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n

b
y

R
e
n
e
e

F
r
a
n
c
e
s
c
a

G
a
l
e
n
o
Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 news | 3 2 | editorial
The Peoples Campaign
Editor-in-Chief
Khurshid Kalabud Jr.
Associate Editor
for Internal Affairs
Sancia Palma
Associate Editor
for External Affairs
Nur Jannah Kaalim
Managing Editor
Paulo Rizal
Circulation Manager
Charlotte Cubero
News Editor
Noemi Visto
Features Editor
Nicole Mangaoang
1 out of 10 students gets Full Tuition
Discount under STS
O
ut of the 937 undergraduate students
who applied for the new Socialized
Tuition System (STS), only 93 students
or 1 out of 10 were granted the full tuition
discount or the non-paying bracket of the
new socialized tuition scheme.
Only 16 out of the 93 recepients of the
discount, in which four are freshmen, will be
receiving a monthly stipend of P3,500. Students
with full tuition discounts are assumed to have
a gross annual family income of P80,001
P135,000 for full discount (FD) grantees and
P80,000 below for FD plus stipend grantees
(Bracket E2).
Based on the results released by
the Offce of Student Affairs (OSA), 63
students have no tuition discount and
are subjected to pay the full tuition rate
of P1000/unit. The rest, excluding the full
tuition discount grantees, were assigned
in other discounts while there are 10
students who did not apply for STS (See
fgure).
Shift from STFAP
The Socialized Tuition and Financial
Assistance Program (STFAP) was replaced
by the STS when the UP Board of Regents
approved the new tuition scheme last
December 13, 2013.
The system now provides tuition
discounts at rates that are based on
assessment of the paying capacity of
the household to which the applicants
belong.
Other changes in the new tuition
scheme include adjustments of income
cut-offs, an increase in the monthly stipend
for non-paying students, and a simplifed
application and appeal process.
STS has two indicators for tuition
discount assignment: the self-declared
household income of the applicant,
by Noemi Visto
T
he UP system will be only getting almost half
of the initial budget they requested for next
year.
Although, UP originally proposed a P25.5-
billion budget to cover the expenses of its seven
constituent units and the Philippine General
Hospital (PGH), it will only receive P13.17 billion
in the 2015 National Expenditure Program (NEP)
prepared by the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM).
In the DBM-approved budget, Capital
Outlay (CO), which includes infrastructure and
building projects, will be receiving P4.34 billion.
P35 million from the CO will be allocated to UP
Mindanao for the construction of the Center for
Advancement of Research in Mindanao (CARIM)
Phase 2 building.
P6.03 billion will be appropriated to
personal services (PS), the fund for salary
and benefts of faculty and employees,
while P558.15 million will go to Retirement
and Life Insurance Premiums (RLIP). P2.24
billion will be allocated to maintenance
and other operating expenses (MOOE)
to cover utility expenses such as water
and electricity.
While the budget approved by
the DBM bears a 32.63 percent increase
compared to this years P9.9 billion-
budget, Student Regent (SR) Neill John
Macuha stressed that the budget for
2015 would still be insuffcient to cater
the needs of the university.
At the end of the day, malaki
pa rin ang pangangailangan ng UP kasi
kasama pa [sa budget] ang PGH, SR
Macuha said in a phone interview.
According to SR Macuha, the
government is deliberately slashing
the budget for State Universities and
Colleges (SUCs) including UP as part of
the Roadmap to Public Higher Education
Reform (RPHER).
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Terry
Ridon lobbied for an increase in state
subsidy for the countrys 113 public
colleges and universities during plenary
deliberation for the budget of SUCs last
September 22. SUCs proposed a P122.7-
billion budget for 2015 but only P41.2
billion was approved by the DBM.
Under the RPHER program, the
government will only subsidize half of
the budget of 22 SUCs including UP by
DBM cuts P12B from UP budget in 2015
and the results from the Marketing and
Opinion Research Society of the Philippines
(MORES) on household consumption and
expenditure, which was conducted in the
university last academic year.
Smokescreen for tuition fee increases
Following the death of Kristel
Tejada, a 16-year-old UP Manila student
who committed suicide last year after
being forced to fle a leave of absence (LOA)
because she could not pay her student
loans, UP students initiated system-wide
protests for the scrapping of STFAP.
According to Richard Gonzalo,
the UP system STS Director, the new
tuition scheme made UP education more
affordable and was used to reach students
who are in need of fnancial support...
However, University Student
Council (USC) Chairperson John
Villadolid stressed that full state subsidy
is the solution to the inaccessiblity of
UP education and not socialized tuition
schemes. Socialized tuition only translates
to tuition fee increase, he added.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 17
by Khurshid Kalabud Jr.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 17
C
hange in society is often
the result of collective
and militant action of
the masses. In our country, we
have ousted corrupt ofcials,
raised labor wages, and even
halted budget cuts through
mass movements in the streets.
And in the face of political and
social crises, the people must
once again stand up and ght
for their sovereignty.
Because of last years
Million People March and
other mass mobilizations that
followed, the Supreme Court
declared both the Priority
Development Assistance
Fund (PDAF) and President
Aquinos Disbursement
Acceleration Program (DAP) as
unconstitutional.
The PDAF and DAP,
however, are only two types
of pork barrel funds as there
are many, particularly those
presidential funds that remain
to be excluded from the annual
national budgeting. This means
that pork barrel funds continue
to thrive in the bureaucracy,
allowing corruption to remain
while denying the majority of
the masses of their rights to
basic social services.
It is no shocker
that President Aquino, who
primarily benets from the pork
barrel, continues to defend his
presidential pork and disregard
the calls of the people. His
government even went as far
as redening savings in the
proposed 2015 budget.
It is obvious that we
can no longer rely on this
anomalous government the
very same government that
has persistently slashed the
budget for social services
including health and education
while the peoples funds are
being pocketed by so-called
public ofcials. This is the time
for the people to uphold their
sovereignty and ght for their
democracy.
Therefore, we must
support the Peoples Initiative
Campaign. Under Republic Act
6735 or the Peoples Initiative
and Referendum Act, the
sovereign people are given the
right to abolish or enact laws
albeit through a rather long
process.
Last August 23,
delegates from diferent parts
of the country convened in
a peoples congress in Cebu
City to nalize the draft of the
Abolish Pork Law, which will
criminalize the creation of pork
barrel funds and hold implicated
politicians accountable.
The Peoples Initiative
needs six million signatures
from registered voters all over
the country to enact the law. The
campaign ofcially launched
in Davao City last September
12, which was attended by
thousands of people from
diferent provinces in the
Southern Mindanao Region.
People from diferent walks of
life, including the church, have
already pledged their support
in this peoples campaign.
The Peoples Initiative
may take months but the
struggle for genuine social
change will not leave the streets
and the parliament, as long as
the people are united in this
ght. While the government
is continuously attempting to
obstruct the peoples ght, we
must reinforce our strength and
power as a sovereign people in
the midst of these crises.
This is not the time to
stay indiferent. This is the time
to be critical and protest. This
is the time to stand up and
support the peoples campaign.
This is the time to unite and
ght.
History is proof enough
that a united force of the
people can never be defeated.
STAFF WRITERS
Bai Almira Faiqah Sinsuat
Evan Michael Clerigo
Monique Carillo
Monique Kapunan
Rovie Ain Arienza
John Gilford Doquila
Dane Anthony Gonzales
John Oliver Ladaga
Riziah Jahziel Perez
A.Y. 2014-2015
ART DIRECTOR
Kenneth Paul Senarillos
ILLUSTRATORS
Maria Louisa Pasilan
Renee Francesca Galeno
Vanessa Jay Homez
Ellen Joi Miales
Lawrence Valencia
Jeremiah Lorenz Onor
Virginia Grace Ruaya
PHOTOJOURNALISTS
Therese Claudine Tinio
Rene Cajoles Jr.
Meagan Wenceslao
Marga Mangao
HIMATI
Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 news | 5 4 | news
Progressive groups slam AFP on red-tagging,
HR violations
T
he accusations by the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
are baseless and illogical,
according to League of Filipino
Students - Southern Mindanao
Region (LFS-SMR) spokesperson
Juno Vargas.
SMR representatives of
progressive organizations soaked
themselves in fake blood when they
staged the Blood Bucket Challenge
to condemn the recent red-tagging
incident, and also the record of
human rights violations committed
by the AFP in a press conference last
September 3 at Freedom Park, Davao
City.
In a forum dubbed as Threat
to National Security in Ateneo de
Davao University last August 23,
Capt. Nathaniel Morales of the 10th
Infantry Division accused progressive
groups including youth organizations
such as the College Editors Guild of
the Philippines (CEGP) and LFS as
legal fronts of left-wing organizations
such as the Communist Party of the
BLOOD BUCKET CHALLENGE Leaders of progressive organizations doused themselves in fake blood in protest of the
recent vilifcation by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Photo by Paulo Rizal
Philippines (CPP) and the National Democratic
Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
Days after the incident, CEGP released
a statement calling the accusations baseless
and dubious. The group also stated that the
incident only shows that the State is hostile
to the progressive orientation of the campus
press.
In the frst place, these organizations are
legal. And its quite alarming [for AFP] to
point their fngers on students and unarmed
civilians and call them communists,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Paninigarilyo, mahigpit nang ipinagbabawal
sa loob ng kampus
K
alakip ng mahigpit na implementasyon
sa lungsod at ng kagustuhan ng
Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) na tuluyang ipagbawal ang
paninigarilyo sa mga unibersidad at
kolehiyo, sinimulan na ng administrasyon
ng UP Mindanao ang striktong pagsunod
sa ordinansa.
Sa unang araw ng pasukan,
bumungad sa mga estudyante ang
mga No Smoking na karatula at ang
pagtanggal ng dating smoking area na
nasa likod ng gusali ng Administration
Building.
Ito ay bilang pagsunod sa New
Anti-Smoking Ordinance na ipinatupad
noong ika-31 ng Mayo 2013 sa lungsod ng
Dabaw. Ang nasabing bagong ordinansa
ay isang panibago at mas detalyadong
bersyon ng naunang ordinansa.
Nakasaad dito ang pagbabawal ng
paninigarilyo sa mga pampublikong lugar,
sasakyan, establisyimento at pagdiriwang
o pagtitipon. Ipinagbabawal din ang
paninigarilyo sa loob ng 10 metro mula sa
pinto ng mga gusali na madalas daanan.
Para sa inyo itong ginagawa
namin. Hindi lang dahil may ordinance,
naniniwala ako na nakakabuti sa lahat
ito kaya ini-implement, pagsang-ayon
ni Vice Chancellor for Administration
(VCA) Antonio Obsioma sa paghihigpit
ng administrasyon sa pagbabawal ng
paninigarilyo sa kampus.
Kasabay ng pagsunod sa
ordinansa ng lungsod, inilahad ni
Obsioma na ipapatupad ang karapatang
parusang naaayon sa ordinansa. P500
at pagdalo sa smoking cessation
counseling ang parusa sa unang beses
na mahuhuli habang ipagbabayad
naman ng P1,000 hanggang P5,000 o
pagkakakulong ng isa hanggang apat
na buwan ang mga mahuhuli ng higit
sa isang beses.
ni Faiqah Sinsuat
by Riziah Jahziel Perez and John Oliver Ladaga
US Military to put up 5 bases in PH
D
elegates from the United States
(US) will be visiting the country
in October to fnalize the number
of Philippine military bases that will be
made available for US forces to rotate
aircraft, ships, equipment and troops, as
the Philippines airs to counter Chinas
increasing control in the region.
I think isa sa mga agreed
locations na malamang pagtatayuan ng
mga base militar ng Amerikano ay yung
facilities sa General Santos, of course sa
Zamboanga, meron na, former Bayan
Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casio
said in a forum held at Sangguniang
Panlungsod, Davao City last September
25.
The US military is seeking access
to the fve provinces in the country,
including one in General Santos City
and three other civil airports in Palawan,
Cebu, and Laoag, as well as the Batanes
airfeld.
Ang ginagamit nilang
justifcation para sa pagbabalik ng
base militar ng mga Amerikano ay
yung nangyayari sa China. Defnitely
tinututulan at nilalabanan natin ang
panghihimasok ng China sa pagpasok
nila sa ating economic zone pero hindi
kinakailangan na ibalik natin ang base
militar ng Amerikano dahil yan ay
magdadala ng higit pang komplikasyon,
Casio added.
Casio claimed that the US
government is interested in the natural
oil deposit and mining industry in
Mindanao.
Furthermore, he forewarned that
the proposed US military bases will
pose a threat to national sovereignty.
This move is in line with the
Enhanced Defense Cooperation
Agreement (EDCA) that was signed by
Philippine defense secretary, Voltaire
Gazmin, and US ambassador to the
Philippines, Philip Goldberg last April
28 during the offcial state visit by US
President Barack Obama in the country.
The said agreement is a ten-year
accord initiated by the US government
that would provide the US military wider
access to local bases and would allow
joint activities between the two countries
militariesincluding the implementation
of US related services and facilities, as well
as other enhanced defense cooperation
activities.
US troops will also have rent-free
access to bases, camps, facilities, roads,
ports and unspecifed agreed locations
in the Philippines under EDCA.
Several progressive groups
slammed the agreement as a violation of
the constitution.
The Philippine Constitution clearly
states that our sovereign nation should
pursue an independent foreign policy.
By approving EDCA, President Benigno
Aquino III may have committed another
culpable violation of the Constitution, apart
from his liability over the Disbursement
Acceleration Program, Kabataan party-list
Rep. Terry Ridon said.
Dangers of EDCA
Meanwhile, there are other effects
that have been cited regarding the
increasing US military presence brought
by the agreement.
Ramon Mejia from Iraq Veterans
Against the War (IVAW) disclosed the
dangers of US drones in the Philippines,
especially in Mindanao, in another forum
held at Mindanao Training and Resource
Center in Davao City last August 8.
Mejia, a US veteran who served in
Iraq, said that drones are being used in the
country to strike so-called terrorists here
in Mindanao and in the Philippines.
In military were taught to
dehumanize our enemy. Theyre our
enemy. We have a mission and in war, we
by Evan Michael Clerigo
dont care if people die. Its just war,
he said as he recounts his combat
experience in Iraq.
Drones are despicable
invention. I am concerned as a US
Iraq war veteran that they are used in
here because they are not strategic.
The US government [and] the media
would say that these drones are
sophisticated technology that are
being used for good purpose. But no,
these indiscriminately kill civilians, he
added.
Meanwhile, International
League of the Peoples Struggle (ILPS)
US Co-coordinator Kuusela Hilo calls
for ecological justice and human rights
observance after imparting the threats
of US Militarization especially in the
increase of prostitution and human
rights violation in the same forum.
We must be demanding
justice in the streets, especially in
the streets of US, so that the US
government knows that it cannot
get away with its crime against
humanity here in the Philippines
and anywhere else in the world,
Hilo added.
6 | news news | 7 Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014
ROTC suspended; cadets cross-register
in USEP
Mintal-Roxas jeeps to add UP in route soon
I
n spite of the universitys
plan to revive the Reserve
Offcers Training Corps
(ROTC) this academic year, the
program is put on hold for the
semester because Col. John
Oberio, the commandant
that the administration had
been eyeing to be the adjunct
faculty for the program, was
assigned to another area,
according to Vice Chancellor
for Academic Affairs (VCAA)
Karen Joyce Cayamanda.
The only four enrolees of the
program were then made
to take the ROTC in the
University of Southeastern
Philippines (USEP).
The revived ROTC
began as a summer program
and was supervised by Col.
Oberio. Originally, there were
seven freshman students who
enrolled but only fve were
able to fnish the program. At
the start of the semester, only
four remained. According
to university policy, classes
would get dissolved if there
are only less than 10 enrolees.
Although the students are
given the freedom to enlist
in their program of choosing,
the number of enrolees for
the ROTC is still not enough
to reinstate it.
VCAA Cayamanda
explained during the ROTC
orientation last semester
that the revival is part of
the system-wide effort to
comply with the National
Service Training Program
(NSTP) Law or Republic
Act 9163, which states that
all higher and technical-
vocational institutions, public
and private, must offer at
least one of the program
components: Provided, that
state universities and colleges shall
offer the ROTC component and at least
one other component.
There are three NSTP
programs, namely: ROTC, Literacy
Training Service (LTS), and Civil Welfare
Training Service (CWTS). Prior to the
re-implementation, the university only
offered the latter. Cayamanda also
added that there were also requests
by some students for the revival in the
past.
However, University Student
Council (USC) Councilor Jerome
Thomas Capulong denounced the
revival of the program and stressed that
there were no student consultations
at all and that the orientation was
apparently unannounced.
The implementation [of
ROTC] was undemocratic. It did not go
through proper student consultation.
The orientation organized by the
administration lacked publicity and
was unannounced, Capulong said.
The orientation was facilitated
by Prof. Erwin Protacio, Director of the
Offce of Extension and Community
Service (OECS) last February 17 held at
the College of Humanities and Social
Sciences (CHSS) Audio Visual Room
(AVR) in the Administration Building.
Only the freshman students taking
CWTS were required to attend but...
according to some, they were not
informed by their instructors that it
was for the ROTC orientation.
Cayamanda said that the on-
going correction of NSTP programs
among UP campuses as mandated by
the Offce of the President is also one
of the factors why the administration
pushed through with the ROTCs
revival.
While the correction would
also include the implementation of
the LTS, it is also put on hold for the
meantime because the syllabus of the
program is still being fnalized by the
NEVER AGAIN. Progressive groups from various sectors staged the Martial Law anniversary protest last September 19 to
call for the impeachment of President Aquino whom they considered as a modern-day Marcos. Photo by Marga Mangao
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
by Rovie Ain Arienza
J
eepneys from downtown may soon
include UP in their routes as announced
by university business managing offcer
Cherrylyn Cabrera last August 18 during
the Freshmen Convocation.
According to Cabrera, the
administration has already coordinated
with the Land Transportation Franchising
and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) regarding
the universitys proposal. There will be
thorough discussions and negotiations
regarding the fare, the road capacity, and
other concerns especially the planned
implementations effects on Mintal-Bago
Oshiro Tricycle Operators and Drivers
Association (TODA) and Ikot drivers.
The transportation means in here
are not exclusively for UP, so as much as
possible, we have to maintain a good
relationship within the community, Cabrera
said.
Cabrera mentioned that there
were some jeepneys from downtown
operating around the campus before but
were stopped since there were no proper
arrangements among the jeepney, ikot and
TODA drivers, and even with the students.
Moreover, the jeepney drivers
earned less compared to what they would
earn in the city proper.
On the other hand, ikot and TODA
drivers will face new competition with the
possible implementation.
Jose Pavilona, TODA President,
said that they will be greatly affected as
their average income of P100-300 a day
is already not that suffcient to sustain
their families. He added that unless the
university admin will demand to stop their
operations, habal-habal and tricycles will
continue their operation.
Okay lang man na magbyahe
diri ang jeeps pero kung pahawaon mi sa
admin, wala man sad mi mabuhat, Pavilona
said.
Some of the ikot drivers also
agree that the new implementation may
also affect them. Cabrera has previously
revealed that the ikots will still operate
around the campus, especially the route
from the administration building to the
College of Science and Mathematics (CSM)
building.
Since the implementation is still
being planned, habal-habal, tricycles
and the ikots are still the means of
transportation within the university.
H
animay Suazo, spokesperson of
Karapatan Southern Mindanao
Region (SMR), an alliance of human
rights defenders, says that the arrest of
retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan does not
end impunity in the country.
After almost three years in hiding,
Palparan was arrested at a residential area
in Sta. Mesa, Manila by a composite team
composed by members of the National
Bureau of Investigation Anti-Organized
Transnational Crimes Division (NBI-AOTCD)
and the Armed Forces of the Philippines
(AFP) Naval Intelligence and Security Force
last August 12.
Palparan is held responsible for
several cases of human rights violations,
including the abduction, torture, and
enforced disappearances of UP students
Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeo eight
years ago in Hagonoy, Bulacan.
But it was only on December 15,
2011 when he was offcially indicted for two
counts of kidnapping and serious illegal
detention for his involvement in Karen and
Shes cases.
He evaded his arrest for three
consecutive years since the warrant of
arrest was issued by the Bulacan Regional
Trial Court.
The warrant of arrest was issued
against him, Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado Jr.,
S/Sgt. Edgardo Osorio, and M/Sgt. Rizal
Hilario. While Anotado and Osorio have
already surrendered, Hilario is still on the
loose.
While Suazo said that the arrest
of Palparan can be considered as a
development of the cases, she reiterated
that impunity is still continuously being
perpetuated by President Aquinos Oplan
Bayanihan.
Karapatan has recorded 204
victims of extrajudicial killings, 21 victims
of enforced disappearances, 99 cases of
tortures, 664 cases of illegal arrests and
detention and 39,800 victims of forced
evacuation under Aquinos term. Most of
these victims were activists, human rights
defenders, farmers, and other civilians, in
which the AFP is implicated.
Karapatan secretary general
Cristina Palabay added that the AFP under
the Aquino government cannot cover their
record of human rights violations with
Palparans arrest and that they should also
be held responsible for these abuses.
Last September 15, Palparan was
transferred from the Bulacan Provincial Jail
to the Philippine Army Custodial Center in
Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City as requested
by his camp for security reasons.
Up to this date, Cadapan and
Empeo are still missing.
Palparan arrest does not end impunity rights group
by John Gilford Doquila and Monique Carillo
By Nicole Mangaoang and Charlotte Cubero
Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 8 | news
M
ahigit kumulang na anim na
milyong lagda sa buong bansa
ang kailangan para tuluyan nang
iwaksi ang kontrobersyal na sistemang
pork barrel.
Noong ika-12 ng Setyembre,
inilunsad ang Peoples Initiative Against
Pork Barrel (PIAP) sa Southern Mindanao
Region (SMR) sa Rizal Park, Lungsod ng
Dabaw. Dumalo ang mahigit kumulang na
1,000 ka tao na nagmula pa sa ibat ibang
probinsya sa rehiyon tulad ng Compostela
Valley at Davao del Norte.
Inaasahang makalikom ng 150,000
na pirma sa buong lungsod at 450,000
naman sa buong rehiyon.
Ayon sa pamantayang nakasaad
sa RA 6735 o Peoples Initiative and
Referendum Act, para maisakamay sa
mga mamamayan ang hatol upang
magpatanggal o magmungkahi ng mga
batas, nangangailangan ng pirma sa
mahigit na 10 porsyento sa lahat ng
rehistradong botante sa bansa at tatlong
porsyento naman sa mga ito ang dapat
kumatawan sa bawat distrito.
Nagsimula na ang pagpapatayo
ng mga sign up booths sa ibat ibang
pampublikong lugar gaya ng mga
palengke, paaralan, at barangay.
Ang mga naipong lagda ay
susuriin, ipaaapruba at siyang kikilanin ng
Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
Pagkatapos, hudyat na ito upang
bumuo ng isang plebisito kung saan
hingin ang opinyon ng taong bayan kung
papanatilihin pa ba o tuluyang alisin ang
pagkakaroon ng pork barrel.
Ayon kay Prof. Andrea Malaya
Ragragio ng Pagbabago! SMR, target ng
Abolish Pork Movement na malikom ang
lahat ng pirma bago magtapos ang taong
ito nang sa gayon ay maaga nitong alisin
ang pork barrel sa nalalabing panahon ng
Administrasyong Aquino at bago ang 2016
Presidential Elections.
Puspusan ngayon ang kampanya
upang maghimok sa lahat na sumali.
Maraming grupo at organisasyon na
rin ang nagsagawa ng mga forum,
educational discussion at pagprotesta
upang ikampanya ang PIAP.
Naging kontrobersyal ang pork
barrel noong nakaraang taon noong
unang pumutok ang Priority Development
Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam na kung saan
napag-alaman na 10 bilyong piso ang
napunta sa mga ghost projects na kung
saan sangkot ang ilang mga opisyales ng
gubyerno.
Nabunyag din ang ibat ibang porma
ng pork barrel tulad ng Disbursement
Acceleration Program (DAP), Special
Purpose Funds (SPF) at Presidential Social
Fund (PSF) na nakapaloob sa tinatawag na
presidential pork ni Pangulong Aquino.
Sinundan ito ng malawakang
pagkilos at pagprotesta mula sa ibat ibang
sektor sa bansa, gaya ng makasaysayang
Million People March noong Agosto ng
nakaraang taon.
Naghain din ang ilang grupo ng
mga impeachment complaint laban kay
Pangulong Aquino dahil sa paglabag niya
diumano sa konstitusyon sa pagkakaroon
niya ng mga discretionary at lump-sum
funds. Subalit, ibinasura ang mga ito ng
kongreso.
Expected nato ni sa gubyerno
na kung asa gunit sa presidente ang
mayorya sa kongreso. Aduna gihapon
patronage politics. Dili gihapon kini ang
makapahunong sa atong mga panawagan
na i-expose si Noynoy at pagpalagpot
kaniya, sabi ni Sheena Duazo, SMR
Spokesperson ng Bagong Alyansa
Makabayan (BAYAN).
Dagdag pa ni Duazo, mas
paiigtingin pa nila ang mga kampanya sa
tuluyang pagbasura ng sistemang pork
barrel sa pamamagitan ng kulektibong
pagkilos mula sa taong bayan.
Let us all participate in this
historic change. Peoples Initiative is our
political right as people na sawa na at
galit sa korapsyon, sabi niya.
PIAP, nangangailangan ng 6 milyong pirma
para iwaksi ang pork barrel
ni Dane Anthony Gonzales
CEGP Deputy Secretary General for
Mindanao Nur Jannah Kaalim said in an
interview.
In the same forum, Capt. Morales
also tagged former CEGP Vice President
for Mindanao Benjaline Beng Hernandez
as a combatant of the New Peoples Army
(NPA).
Hernandez was murdered by
members of the Citizens Armed Force
Geographical Unit (CAFGU), led by
Master Sergeant Antonio Torilla of the
7th Airborne Battalion of the 12th Special
Forces Company of the Philippine Army in
a fact-fnding mission last April 5, 2002 in
Arakan Valley, North Cotabato.
Because of this red-baiting, they
get to justify all these extrajudicial killings
and harassments when they do not have
proof, Kaalim added.
The AFP has been linked to several
incidents of human rights violations
committed against activists, journalists,
students, and human rights defenders.
Karapatan, an alliance of human
rights defenders, reported a total of 288,672
cases of human rights violations, including
seven cases of extrajudicial killings in the
youth and student sector alone, under
President Aquinos administration.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
(BAYAN) SMR spokesperson Sheena Duazo
asserts that the recent red-tagging and
the continued intimidation and threats by
the AFP will not weaken their campaigns
against heightened militarization in rural
areas and other anti-people policies of
the government.
Gipakita na jud sa gubyerno ni
Aquino ang iyahang tinuod nga dagway
na kontra-katawhan, she added.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4, PROGRESSIVE ORGS RED TAGGED BY AFP
G
r
a
p
h
ic
b
y
: K
e
n
n
e
t
h
P
a
u
l S
e
n
a
r
illo
s
P
h
o
t
o
s
b
y
: P
a
u
lo
R
iz
a
l
Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 feature | 11 10 | feature
Kung hindi na kaya ng pamilya
ko at hindi na rin kaya ng UP,
sino pa ang susuporta sa pag-
aaral ko?
Pam, a freshman architecture
student, was originally assigned to the
40 percent partial discount level (PD
40) but was eventually granted the 60
percent partial discount level (PD 60) after
appealing.
However, she was disappointed
that it would still not offer her the fnancial
assistance that she needed.

I deserve a lower bracket, pero
hindi iyon nakikita ng STS. she
said.
Even though their annual income
was around P600,000, her family is still
paying bank loans, which were used to pay
for the hospitalization of her sister who
died last year due to a complication in the
kidney.
For 10 years, my sister was
repeatedly brought to Intensive Care Unit
(ICU), she added.
She later applied for a student loan,
adding to their familys list of unsettled
debts.
Pam was one of the students who
felt that they were misbracketed under
the new tuition schemethe Socialized
Tuition System (STS).
STS was created to supposedly
cater more students who deserve more
fnancial assistance. (see related article on
page 3)
Meanwhile, a communication arts
sophomore, Nina only depends on her
widowed mother whos earning an average
of P1,000 weekly from laundry work.

I dont know why I was assigned
to bracket C, said Nina.
Under Bracket C or now called as
the PD 60, she would be compelled to pay
P400/unit, which means that her average
tuition per semester would be around
P8,000 including miscellaneous fees.
Nina was devastated when her
mother told her that she had to stop
schooling because they could no longer
afford the tuition.
She spent the four-month break
trying to fnd work to fund her education
for this school year but unfortunately, the
only available job posts at the time required
her to be 18 years old or older.
Her only chance to continue her
education was by appealing for a change
in discount assignment.
The appeal process required Nina
to prove to the Offce of Student Affairs
(OSA) that she is indeed poor and entitled
to a non-paying discount.
Eventually, after a
rather painstaking process,
she became one of the
93 students who were
granted free tuition.
Even so, the
result of the appeal
process did not totally
guarantee her comfort
as schooling did not
only translate to tuition
payment.
She still has to survive
with P100 a day, in which
more than half of it goes to
transportation because she
lives in Bajadaroughly a two-
hour travel from Mintal. It means
that she needs to have around P2,000 per
month and P10,000 per semester.
At the beginning of the semester,
146 students appealed to OSA for a change
in discount level assignment.
OSA said that there are 142 cases
were considered resolved, but did not
mean that the students were assigned to
their desired bracket.
The deteriorating public
character of UP
Under STFAP, the default bracket
was Bracket B. Students are assumed
to be capable of paying P600/unit or
around P13,000 per semester including
miscellaneous fees, until they apply for
lower brackets.
But with the STS, non-application
would automatically assign a student to
the no tuition discount level or P1,000/
unit.

Muntik na nilang pigilan ang
paglipat ko [sa UP], dahil tingin
nila sobrang mahal ng tuition
sa UP,
Mark, a food technology freshman, told us.
In his previous school, tuition
fee increased every year. Since his family
is currently facing a fnancial crisis, the
promise of free education in UP made him
want to transfer.
But Mark was disappointed when
he found out that the STS assigned him to
the 80 percent partial discount (PD 80).
His father, a construction foreman
whose income only depends on the
availability of projects, told him that they
could not afford the tuition fee.
Mark was left with no choice but
to appeal. Luckily, his appeal granted him
full tuition discount (FD) and a monthly
stipend of P3,500.
Meanwhile, his two other sisters
were forced to stop schooling to let him
fnish college.
In the minutes of the proceedings
of the grievance consultation on STS
results last July released by the Offce of the
Student Regent (OSR),
SR Neill Macuha asserts that
STS maintains the income
generation scheme.
State subsidy for UP and other
state universities and colleges (SUCs) has
been deemed to be insuffcient over the
years, which is why to meet the fnancial
requirements of the university, they highly
depend on the money collected from
tuition fees.
(see related article on page 3.)
The insuffcient state subsidy,
which resulted to the creation of socialized
tuition, continues to tarnish the universitys
public character.
Murag wala nay sense ang
pagka-iskolar ng bayan, Rico,
an architecture student said.
Rico has almost abandoned his
dreams to become an architect someday.
He also had plans to take up a
masters degree but the circumstances
brought by STS have shattered these
dreams. It would not be practical anymore,
he added.
Rico was already in his second
year when his father died from
lung cancer. Since then, he and
his three other siblings rely on
their mothers income from
selling viands in various offces.
Under the new tuition
scheme, he and his freshman
sister was assigned to the PD 80. With
an average of P1,000 per week that their
mother earns, paying the P200/unit tuition
would be very diffcult for them.
He even attempted to transfer or
to stop schooling just to give way to his
sister. He later realized that education in
the country has truly become a privilege,
rather than a right.
After appealing, however, they were
both granted FD sans the monthly stipend,
which was why Rico was compelled to look
for a part-time job to sustain their daily
expenses in school.
Although he already earns income
from selling customized shirts, he struggles
to juggle his job and his school work.
Kung ako lang papilion,
magskwela lang unta ko. Dili na
mag-trabaho kay lisud ang arki,
he added.
These stories continue to attest that
socialized tuition is ineffective in providing
accessible and affordable education.
Students still line up for appeals and
tuition loans, confrming that this system of
discount assignments is not the solution to
accommodate more students who are in
need of fnancial assistance.
State subsidy for basic social
services such as health and education are
still experiencing budget cuts.
Prices for basic commodities
continue to soar due to the commodifcation
of goods and services. Many are still jobless
as contractual jobs do not guarantee tenure
and income stability.
These circumstances have
contributed to the worsening conditions of
students like Pam, Nina, Mark and Rico.

That is why, these accounts
of misbracketing under
STS should only validate the
struggle for full state subsidy
and the scrapping of socialized
tuition schemes.
Discounting Education
by Khurshid Kalabud Jr. and Nicole Mangaoang
Illustration by Renee Francesca Galeno
Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 12 | feature feature | 13
Lost in the urban jungle
by Nicole Mangaoang
I
t was already way past our curfews and
we had no place to stay. We were still
euphoric from the party but my friends
and I couldnt dare to dismiss the fact
that it wasnt going to be fun anymore. A
torrent of rain rendered us homeless that
night.
We were at the heart of the citys
robust night life, where neon-drugged
clubs and 24-hour coffee shops populated
by college students greeted midnight. Up
above, skyscrapers reached for the stars,
which most would usually consider as a
sign of progress. But down below spelled
a visible contrast: bodies that braved the
cold were constantly shifting on beds
made out of scraps or just about anything
one could fnd in the streets.
For a moment, I refected on
the fact that we were probably going
to be homeless for the night. But these
people have been homeless for most of
their lives. They neither had blankets nor
comforters to keep them warm, not even
a roof to shield them from the downpour.
Davao City is an urban jungle
and naturally, it has its abundant share
of big and tall structures. As it expands
its horizon and reaches for the skies,
building bigger, wider infrastructures,
promoting and improving luxurious living
and prioritizing projects that only cater
the privileged class, 40 percent of our
fellow Filipinos live in slums, according to
Homeless International.
There are thousands, millions,
even, who live in makeshift cardboard and
cellophane houses, which we all know are
never going to provide them the warmth
and the protection that they need.
Their cardboard houses are never
going to protect them from poverty itself,
much less from the rain and the cold,
harsh world.
The irony of a nations progress is
refected on the booming metropolises
such as in Davao City where some people
still turn to the streets for shelter due to
the apparent scarcity of housing. There
are people who live under bridges and
even near disaster-prone areas, constantly
in the presence of inevitable danger.
According to the Housing and
Urban Development Coordinating
Council (HUDCC) only 1.1 percent of
the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was
allocated to housing programs and relocations
in 2013, which has little to no effect in giving
our marginalized countrymen proper housing.
Demolitions have also paved way to
structures that supposedly manifest progress
to most of us. But at the expense of those
who have been denied of their rights to
social services such as education, health and
housing, these structures are nothing but tall
fruitless edifces that have rendered many
homeless. As we traversed and explored the
city that night for refuge, there amassed a
throng of restless people with helplessness in
their eyes, of souls whose fres have died out.
In the face of corruption in the
bureaucracy that continues to delay the equal
and just distribution of social services, there
is really nothing to celebrate in this so-called
progress.
As I peered through the glass walls
of the coffee shop that would now be our
temporary shelter, I saw the same painful
image of bodies laid on the ground near
the road. It came to me that for as long as a
system thrives to maintain a certain status
quo, these people would remain destitute
in the midst of hollow progress in this
urban jungle.
POVERTY IN THE CENTER OF PROSPERITY. Rising economic inequality in the cities manifest in the growing number of homeless families that live
in the streets. Photo by Paulo Rizal
I
n a bid to internationalize
UP, the university launched
a new academic calendar
that would shift the start of
classes from the archetypal
June-March to an August-
June calendar scheme, which
began this academic year.
The shift is part of the
universitys continuing efforts
to develop into a global
university and to maximize
the opportunities offered by
the ASEAN integration that
is due to take its full effect in
2015.
It was the 7 constituent
universities who asked for the
immediate implementation of
the academic calendar shift,
Chancellor Sylvia Concepcion
clarifed when asked about
the supposed railroading of
the Academic Calendar Shift.
Chancellor Concepcion
claimed that consultations
were done among faculty and
personnel in all UP units from
April to June last year. The
imminent need for student
mobility especially with a
looming ASEAN integration
in 2015 was discussed in the
consultations.
The ASEAN Integration
is the institutionalization
of coalescence among
the regions member-
states. It entails the idea of
internationalizing all spheres
of national life through
materializing the ASEAN
Community 2015. Hence, in
a meeting among member-
states of the ASEAN eleven
years ago, the making of an
ASEAN University born from
strong linkages of leading
universities in the region was
envisioned.
UP Mindanaos
decision to adopt the shift
was more of UPs interest to
make its students globally
competent, Chancellor
Conception noted. Our
students deserve the best
and changing the academic
calendar would only give
more students the chance to
experience how good things
are in other countries so they
could improve their own.
B u t
internationalization in
itself remains a vague
concept especially among
stakeholders. Since the shifts
offcial announcement early
this year, it has received
various criticisms as it does
not answer the prevailing
and more pressing crises
that confront the current
education system in the
country.
In a statement
released by the University
and College Student Councils,
they asserted that this drastic
change and the manner in
which it was approved are on
all levels undemocratic and
unpatriotic.
The railroading of the
Academic Calendar shift was
unfair towards the students,
John Villadolid, USC
Chairperson decried. While
students are supposed to be
the main stakeholder of the
university, the administration
has not done a comprehensive
and detailed consultation
with us regarding the matter.
A student consultation
was conducted in July of last
year but was only attended
by around 50 students.
However, Villadolid
pointed out that the
consultation appeared to be
more of like a presentation of
an already approved policy.
V i l l a d o l i d s
statement ascertains that
Untimely
Departure
by Nur Jannah Kaalim
the railroading of the shift
contradicted the universitys
democratic tradition. While
UP administration is supposed
to encourage a culture
where students get to take
part in policy-making and
implementation, it rapidly
regressed into a culture of
disregard for student and mass
welfare.
Prof. Andrea Malaya
Ragrario of the Department
of Social Sciences
reiterates that this call for
internationalization does not
cater the urgent needs of the
students. Instead of addressing
the root cause of the education
crisis, the administration
prioritized the calendar shift,
which is, according to her,
more favorable to foreigners in
making inroads into economy,
politics, and culture than it is
to the common Filipino.
She further emphasizes
that should UP fnd the need
for internationalization,
it must be founded on
nationalism, which entails
the development of
national industries and
local sustainability.
Before this plane to
internationalization took
fight, the administration
should have frst checked if
the engines were working.
There are still a lot of
backlogs for the university
to launch a new academic
calendar.
We have to ask,
how well do we do in terms
of academic performance?
How about in terms of
fnishing rates?
CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
i l l u
s
t r a
t i o
n
b
y
L
a
w
r e
n
c
e
V
a
l e
n
c
i a
Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 feature | 15 14 | feature
B
efore morning broke last August 6, 2013, trucks with
construction equipment started arriving at the campus.
Settlers, dumbfounded, were startled by the screeching
sounds of running tires. Construction for the then-planned
main library of the university had already begun.
Classes were eventually cancelled that Tuesday
morning. The settlers, headed by the Bago Oshiro Farmers
Association (BOFA), had barricaded the construction. In favour
of the construction of a new facility, their banana plants, which
offered livelihood to them, were going to be uprooted.
Soon, the police came to mediate the tension. Students
were barred from getting near the area, including the HIMATI
coverage team at the time. Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs (VCAA) Karen Cayamanda claimed that the settlers
were violent and that they supposedly threatened anyone
who got in their ways.
It then led to a dialogue among representatives of the
administration, Brgy. Bago Oshiro Captain Macarayo, and the
settlers represented by some of the associations offcers and
members.
The administration had neglected to perform their
obligation to relocate or transfer land to the settlers, as cited
in one of the provisions in the Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) of 1999 between the Board of Liquidators (BOL)
and the university, according to association board member
Raphael Paglinawan. But university land reserve offcer Joel
Sacadal asserted that the provision is not mandatory as the
wording implies in Section 4 of the MOA:
The Second Party (UP Mindanao) shall have the right
to transfer and/or relocate the occupants to any suitable
portion of its property with the commitment that all the
improvements introduced by them in their respective
area of cultivation shall be compensated in accordance
with law.
The dialogue eventually agreed on a 7-working-day
moratorium, wherein the settlers should be able to produce
a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) while the construction
of the library would be stalled in this period. Since the
settlers were not able to provide one, the trucks returned last
October 17 of last year, now with police assistance, to resume
construction of the library.
11 of the settlers were then arrested for barricading
and were charged with grave coercion. They were detained in
the Mintal Police Station for fve days. Among the detainees
were a senior citizen and a minor. One of the detained settlers
said that they never resisted violently against the police force,
and did not even have deadly weapons with them except their
calls for respecting the MOA written on placards.
At present, more than a year has passed. Construction is
almost done. And those banana plants that once provided the
settlers income were destroyed in favour of cemented structures.
Now stands a library that the university had been waiting for the
last 17 years.
But the settlers struggle for land ownership has been
around for more than fve decades.
Digging history
Part of the UP Mindanao land, which comprises lots 129
and 127, were originally used by Ohta, a Japanese company,
for the Bago Oshiro Plantation. A myriad of plants were being
experimented and developed in the area because of its rich soil.
The locals who were employed by the company were considered
to be the frst settlers.
After the Second World War, it was
transferred to the Philippine government,
in accordance to the Philippine Property
Act of 1946, and was placed under the
administration of National Abaca and
other Fibers Corporation (NAFCO).
The said agency was later abolished by
Executive Order No. 372. And on March
25, 1952, the area of about 1,004 hectares
was transferred to the Bureau of Plant
and Industry (BPI) through Executive
Order No. 372.
Since the 1960s, the settlers
started to apply for ownership to the
land. But their applications were denied
as the land they were cultivating could not
be included under the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). But
the struggle for ownership continued,
especially in 1995 when Republic Act
7889 was enacted to establish the
national university in the Bago Oshiro
land reserve.
By 1996, settlers started to pay
to the BOL for land title. However, their
payments did not suffce and the BOL
was later dissolved. The university began
its operation on the 204 hectare-land
granted under Proclamation No. 822. All
payments made to the BOL were also not
refunded.
On the other hand, the university
only earned the transfer of land title by
2002, around three years since the MOA
was created, in which it says that the
transfer was expected to be granted 10
days after the signing. This agreement
contains the premises, which both parties
had agreed upon to partake on whatever
activities shall be taken that can affect
either of the two parties.
Land development
Years latermore than fve
decades of struggle for land
the university started to lobby the
construction of the main library. The
Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
had given P26 million for the said project,
while P9 million came from the university
system. But the Delos Santos family has
been claiming ownership to the site of
the construction even way back in the
1960s.
A series of meetings and
negotiations were conducted between
the university and the settlers concerning
the construction since September 2012.
UP offered a check payment of P20,000
as disturbance fee for the fruit-bearing
trees in the site that were being cultivated
by the settlers.
Originally, the City Assessors
Offce only estimated P6,800 for the
affected trees but the university tripled
the amount. However, the Delos Santoses
did not accept the payment, asserting
that the compensation should be in
accordance to what was written in the
MOA.
Contrary to what was said during
the administrations information drive
on the land dispute, the settlers did not
request for a P1 million payment and it
was merely taken out of context during
one of the meetings.
One of the members of the Delos
Santos family told us that the amount
would not suffce to their needs as a
family compared to the income that
they would earn from harvest. What
they wantedand still wantwas a land
transfer within the land property of the
university, continuously citing what was
stipulated in the MOA.
But construction still pushed
through. And the settlers painfully
watched how the land that they once
cultivated to sustain their daily living
being replaced by cement and concrete
edifce.
Wala na miy mabuhat kung
gubyerno na ang kalaban, one of the
settlers said in an interview.
During the August 6 dialogue, the
administration said that they have always
included the settlers in the development
plans of the university, citing the planned
Green University Town, in which the
settlers would be encouraged to open up
businesses such as parlors, photocopy
stations, laundry shops and the likes.
But these settlers are farmers and their
means of livelihood depend on farming,
which is why they continue to struggle
for land ownership.
Land struggle in the country
could be traced back to the Spanish era,
where laws have impeded the rightful
distribution of land to peasants who
comprise the majority of the population.
It has become a domino-effect over
time; early land decrees were applied
erroneously creating prejudice among
the affected; thus, land-related conficts
and disputes never ceased even up
today.
Still, the construction of the main
library will also beneft the students since
they are the primary constituents in the
university. However, while university
expansion projects like this is always a
welcomed development, the issue of
land dispute is still an important concern
to consider.
The struggle of the settlers
will always remain for as long as
development continues to be at their
expense.
by Sancia Palma
Illustration by M
aria Louisa Pasilan

Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 opinion| 17 16 |opinion
Department of Mathematics, Physics
and Computer Science (DMPCS) of the
College of Science and Mathematics
(CSM). But, unlike the ROTC, there had
been no reported orientation for the
LTS so far.
USC Chairperson John Villadolid
stressed that the ROTC only promotes
blind culture of obedience, as is the
nature of military training. He also
added that ROTC programs in the past
had become breeding grounds for
corruption, as occasions in which the
high-ranking soldiers were given money
as bribes in exchange for grades.
Villadolid also cited the case
of Mark Chua, a former student of
the University of Santo Tomas (UST)
whose murder is linked to his expos
of the irregularities and corruption
within the ROTC program. The case
is also one of the factors for the
enactment of the NSTP Law, which
made ROTC non-mandatory for male
college students.
2016. SUCs would have to produce money
from income generating projects (IGP) for
the other half.
According to Rise for Education
Davao spokesperson Francisco Alforque,
the insuffcient government subsidy easily
manifests state abandonment.
Dahil sa kakulangan ng
pondo, napipilitan ang mga SUCs na
maghanap ng mga alternatibo tulad
ng pagpapataas ng tuition upang
manatiling tumatakbo. Dahil dito, iilan
na lang nabibigyan ng pagkakataong
makapag-aral, Alforque added.
CONTINUED FROMPAGE 3, 1 OUT OF 10 STUDENTS
GETS FULL TUITION DISCOUNT UNDER STS
CONTINUED FROMPAGE 3, DBMCUTS PHP12B
FROMUP BUDGET IN 2015
CONTINUED FROMPAGE 7, ROTC REVIVAL ... In 2007, when the new bracketing system
of STFAP was frst introduced, tuition fee
increased by 300%.
Aside from the annual budget
subsidized by the government, the
university also depends on the funds
collected from the tuition fees paid by
paying students to subsidize STFAP and,
now, STS grantees.
UP initially proposed a P17-billion
budget for this year but only P9.93 billion
was approved by the national government.
The state has failed to provide
enough subsidy that would suffce the
needs of the university as the national
university, National Union of Students
of the Philippines (NUSP) Vice President
for Mindanao Malaya Genotiva said in
an interview.
PAULO RIZAL | DISSONANCE JOHN OLIVER LADAGA | THE DREADED SIRENS
Towards the dream
A
s of writing this column, we are two
weeks behind the schedule. A block
of space in the opinions page lies
empty and waiting for me to fll it with actual
words. And I am lost. I have not written an
actual, to-be-published article in years.
A year ago, I joined Himati not as
a writer but a photojournalist. Honestly, it
was because I simply wanted an avenue to
practice my hobby. Working for the student
publication meant adventure, because I was
sent to different places within the city, not
to mention that my photos would have the
chance to be published. As shameful it is to
admit, back then it was for vanitys sake. I
thought of the publication as an opportunity
for my interests, and not as service.
A semester later, following the
resignation of some staff members partly
due to internal problems, I suddenly saw
myself taking over the art department
which at the time included me (who had to
learn rudimentary layout basics as quick as I
could apart from still doing photojournalism
duties), two illustrators and one other
photojournalist.
We crammed the second semester
for Lilinaon, our frst literary folio, but due to
some problems concerning the processing
of our funds, the actual release came a
semester later.
We were clearly not in the best of
times.
Today, however, following the infux
of freshmen who decided to join the fold
this semester, we feel a little more optimistic,
even as we cannot help but hear that
nagging voice in our heads that continue to
tell us that even in our publication, there is a
natural selection that occurs every semester.
As you probably already know,
Himati is not exactly what you would call
a solid publication. The current staff has
been struggling to pick up from the stump
that we were left in a few years ago. Our
publishing schedule is erratic and often
subject to the availability and oftentimes
commitment of its staff. It has come under
fre from many directions and with different
kinds of ammunition: from inaccuracies,
publishing delays because of bureaucratic
issues within the university and within the
staff itself, typographical errors, journalistic
inadequacies, and many more.
Many people accuse us of being too
red, whatever that means.
But Ill tell you what we really are. We
are a troop of self-proclaimed (and mostly
self-taught) wannabe journalists with a
rundown offce that we share with hordes
of other living things outside the Homo
sapiens sapiens species.
We work hard day and night without
compensation, sometimes even without
appreciation because we have a dream.
No, we do not yearn for respect and
high esteem.
We dream for a student body so
abreast with social issues that we should lose
our purpose. We dream of students that will
burn their brows in midnight candles not
only for high grades and latin honors, but
for the chance of bettering and contributing
to the betterment of our nation.
We dream of a people who will
fght for each others rights a people
whose concept of development will not be
towering buildings that reach for the clouds
while there are people in the streets fghting
for their right to live; we dream of a world
where society takes into account each and
everyones welfare, including those in the
lowest strata.
We dream for the peoples
emancipation from the talons of greed
and apathy that continue to impede our
progress. And we realize that it will not be
a walk in the park. But we will press on. We
will struggle from our own inadequacies and
shortcomings because we dare to do so.
We will continue to work for the
realization of our dream, because there is
simply no other way.
The Cure for Cancer
I
keep coming across this thought that if
all of humanity were to be represented
by a single human being, that human
being would be suffering from cancer.
Stage 3, and I dont know which kind
theres lots of them but its spreading,
and fast. The human being is coughing
blood. The antibodies and the rest of the
immune system spring into action, trying to
combat the rogue cells, and yet the cancer
continues to fester. To grow.
It is a cancer that preys on human
natures innate greed, his vanity, his constant
thirst for more. His desire that pushes him
to do whatever it takes, be it good or bad,
to get what he wants. His Id.
Now that the pictures been painted,
lets scale it down to size. All of humanity
is too big, so lets select a country a
third-world country. Why third-world
countries, you ask? Its because in third-
world countries, this cancer is still rampant
and people are more likely to prey on other
people just as rogue cells beget other rogue
cells. In the meantime, the antibodies are all
in full force.
The Philippines while livable
(if you have the means) is one such body,
making it the perfect theater.
It is in this particular country that
this cancer of Id festers, and it leeches on
the masses every single day. Rich people
grow richer. The poor grow poorer (even
though the when youve hit rock bottom,
theres nowhere to go but up logic prevails).
The middle class petty bourgeoisie as
they are are caught between a rock and
a hard place. Its interesting, these petty
bourgeoisie (I am one of those, by the
way), how they have three choices: become
hosts for the cancer cells, become the
cancer themselves, or they can become the
antibodies that fght the cancer.
Therein lies the problem: there are
less and less healthy cells that continue
to keep the body that is the Philippines
working in good order.
I hate being shit-faced Mister
Raincloud on everyones parade, but I can
guarantee that the cure for cancer does not
exist even if we remove the tumor thats
spread from the gut to the chest to the
lungs and all the way to the brain. I rescind
my case its not one tumor, but multiple
tumors spread all over the body.
In every living cell, there is id
ingrained. Everyone is just as vulnerable to
becoming that rogue cell that forgets that
it is serving a higher purpose once they get
a taste of power. Power, then, by this train
of logic, becomes paramount. I guess we
can say that power is like a sickness that
is inherent and is necessary for producing
antibodies to regulate it, but the Philippines
simply needs a new body altogether.
Id is cultivated and constantly
reinforced everywhere from textbooks to
mainstream media to advertising, and even
pop culture. Id is something also inherent,
like power, and when cells come into
contact with it, it is Id that reacts to this and
changes the nature of the cell. But there are
three sides to a cell (or otherwise known as
the person): id, ego, and superego. The ego
is the cell (or person) itself. The id changes
the nature of the cell from good to bad.
Thus it is the job of the superego to keep
the id in check and prevent the cell from
going rogue.
Sadly, with the current situation
with the body that is the Philippines, the id
proves more powerful than the superego
seventy-fve per cent of the time.
There lies the problem.
Essentially, most of the remaining
healthy cells here in the body that is the
Philippines, the chances of the id taking
over once the cell encounters the virus
called power are three to one. Although
no, I have not actually performed an actual
study, and yes, the statistics that I have
made up are now classifable as utter and
complete bullshit, I would still argue this,
given the nature of the average Philippine
cell (otherwise, the person, for a lack of
a better term). Here we can imply that the
average healthy cell is unsurprisingly very
susceptible to id and going rogue.
As aforementioned, this is even
more harmful to the already weakened
state of the body that is the Philippines.
There lies the problem.
I hate being shit-faced Mister
Raincloud here, but here is blood raining
on your parade: the cure lies in the
very nature of the cell.
We are tribeless and all tribes are ours. - Eman Lacaba
Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 Himati Vol. XVIII Issue I August - October 2014 18 |index index| 19
MELON SHAKE ni Vanessa Homez
Daw?
Unsa
Do we have enough teachers? Enough buildings and classrooms? Do
these classrooms have the proper ventilation? We have to look at how in touch
is the university in their decision to shift the academic calendar with the present
crises confronting the country. Otherwise this academic calendar shift could well
be considered undemocratic and unpatriotic because it doesnt really answer
the genuine need of the students and the basic masses, Prof. Ragrario said.
Academic competency for basic and tertiary education can only
be fully realized by adequately increasing state subsidy, which is why the
shifts supposed goal to improve the countrys educational system will
remain null for as long as education still gets insuffcient budget.
CONTINUED FROMPAGE 13, UNTIMELY DEPARTURE
2014-15166
1. Wala. Nasa bahay lang.
2. Unfair.
2012-*****
1. Travelled and made new friends :)
2. Wala namang pinagkaiba sa dati. Pinagkait
pa rin kung ano yung karapatdapat sa mga
estudyante.
2013-**3**
1. Natulog at nag-help sa parents. Mabait
kasi akong anak eh.
2. Nakaka-sad kasi last year nasa bracket E ako
ngayon tumaas na baka maging Bracket A ako
maging fourth year nito. huhuhu. Magpastol
nalang ako na baka sa hkc ani kay dili na kaya
ang tuition...
1. Kamusta ang 4 months na bakasyon?
2. Kamusta ang STS?
Q:
A:
HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO
UP MIN
ni Virginia Ruaya
FRIENDSHIP OVER. Youth organizations burn an effgy symbolizing their outrage towards Pres. Aquinos
policies that according to them, serve not the Filipinos, but the US govts interests last July 4 during
Phil-Am Friendship Day. Photo by Therese Tinio
THE TURNOVER. Freshmen bloc leaders from the nine undergraduate degree programs receive the torch
from their sophomore counterparts in the annual Torch Night, a long standing university tradition that
symbolizes the passing of responsibility. Photo by Meagan Wenceslao
G
r
a
p
h
i
c
s

b
y
:

J
e
r
e
m
i
a
h

L
o
r
e
n
z

O
n
o
r