The Corona Verdict- Who’s Next?

The conviction of Philippines Chief Justice Renato Corona should now pave the way for the
prosecution of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who was responsible for his
‘midnight’ appointment. If President Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III’s credibility is to be
enhanced by this historic decision of the Philippine Senate, he should then push for other
pending matters to be finished, including the Ampatuan massacres and the apprehension of
fugitive General Jovito Palparan.

Corona’s conviction, doubtless unprecedented, should be a lesson to public officials including

the military who choose to violate the law that someday, justice will be rendered.
For too long in the Philippines, we have witnessed corrupt officials escape prosecution either
because the government of the day lacks political will or the highest official itself is corrupt.
While President Aquino is seen as vigorously pursuing corruption, he is accused of foot-dragging
in cases of human rights violations.

The latest report by the U.S. Department of State confirms the impunity of these violations. It
seems that Aquino, like all his predecessors, is helpless to go after the military establishment or
risk losing their support. If he cannot go after the military violators in the same way that he goes
after civilians, the Corona verdict is a hollow symbol of his resolve to clean the country

The Perils of Journalism

Two incidents in Canada and the Philippines illustrate just how what journalists face in the
course of doing their work. In Canada, the mayor of Toronto, the country’s largest metropolitan
city, chased and drove away a reporter allegedly for ‘spying’ on him. Mayor Rob Ford was not
pleased with The Toronto Star’s Daniel Dale for taking a picture of his house from a public park.
The reporter was investigating a story about the mayor trying to buy part of the park which
adjoins his backyard so he can build a ‘security corridor’ around his property. Ford, who is no
darling of the media and whose disdain for the Toronto Star is well known, accuses the reporter
of intruding into his privacy which the reporter denies. Lately, he has been labeled as the
‘loneliest man in Toronto’ by Toronto Life and a jerk and a clown by columnists. One even
suggested he and his brother who is also a city councilor, could become Toronto’s biggest tourist
attraction - something like the Barnum and Bailey Circus. But aside from the humour that came
out of the incident, something more insidious lurks underneath the Toronto mayor’s threat to the
reporter.

Ford issued an ‘edict’ after the incident (police dismissed it as nothing more than a nuisance) that
he would bar The Toronto Star from city hall coverage specifically Dale. In the Philippines,
known for its reputation as one of the world’s if not, the most dangerous place to work for
journalists, we see the spectacle of a journalist being mauled by a group of people led by a celeb-
rity couple at the international airport.

Ramon Tulfo, a long-time broadcaster and columnist for the Inquirer happened to be at the
airport as Claudine Baretto was berating a Cebu Pacific airline employee for mishandling their
luggage. Tulfo, ever the alert journalist whipped up his cell phone and took a picture of the
actress while “in the act” of belittling as Tulfo describes, a poor worker for a mistake.
Unfortunately for Tulfo, Raymart Santiago, husband of Claudine and also an actor, noticed Tulfo
and approached him to question his action. One thing led to another and a scuffle ensued in
which Tulfo, an acknowledged karate expert was no match to the mini-mob. (see uTube video).

In the end, Tulfo, sporting a black-eye, could only trudge to the fiscal’s office to file charges
against the couple and others who manhandled him. In the case of Tulfo as with Daniel Dale, it
was the journalists’ word against their aggressors. To our brothers in the ‘pen’ (pardon the pun),
we can only say that incidents like these are part of the daily struggles we as journalists have to
contend with. We in fact, have recently been subjected to some form of abuse when we were
berated publicly for allegedly incorrectly reporting a story involving a Filipina nanny. If people
are scared of journalists it is because the pen is always mightier than the sword

Evelyn Florendo – The Consummate Volunteer

Perhaps it is a truism that no one is a hero or heroine in her own hometown. For a volunteer who
has been written about by other media for more than two decades, the seeming neglect of Evelyn
Florendo’s work in the Filipino media is quite an anomaly. But the recent recognition of Evelyn
Florendo by no less than the Governor General of Canada is proof enough that she could no
longer be ignored by her own community.
It is also an indictment of our community’s misplaced values when we neglect to recognize the
work of one of us simply because it does not involve the Filipino community. We do not know
the real reason why for so many years the work of this indefatigable woman remained virtually
unknown except perhaps to members of her own church. For some reason, the Filipino media
missed out on her and her valuable work in uplifting the spirit of young prisoners. Maybe
because we seem to think that it does not affect our own community. But volunteerism should
not only be limited to our own but also beyond.

For if we are to only think of our own narrow limits that is a myopic view of volunteerism.
Evelyn Florendo’s story is unique just for the sheer span of her commitment. To work for a cause
for close to three decades, working without pay and no organization behind her is something
extraordinary. To Evelyn Florendo, we extend our congratulations for a richly deserved award
and of course our apologies for not journeying with you over the years.

Your life and work is to be celebrated and we are proud of you

Domestic Violence and the Filipino Community

2 The recent murder-suicide deaths of two Filipino couples – one in Winnipeg, Manitoba and the
other in Brentwood, California brings the issue of domestic violence closer to home. If we are
not personally touched by it, we probably know someone who is in an abusive situation. As a
community we should not ignore the tragedies and dismiss it as just another event that will pass.
New immigrants are more vulnerable to the pressures and stresses that lies behind these
phenomenon – issues that maybe financial in nature but also to the sense of isolation in a new
country. In the Winnipeg case, the couple was relatively new and it seems that they were not yet
able to make the necessary connections to the Filipino community that could provide the re-
sources to support them. It might be recalled that in 2009, another Winnipeg case involving a
Filipino couple became national news when the abused wife killed her husband in self-defense.

It is high time that community leaders start thinking about what can be done in this regard. While
there are on-going initiatives to address other issues like elder abuse, domestic violence has to
have a priority in the light of the recent tragic event. We know that is neither easy nor popular to
start initiatives to tackle the issue.

For one, it is still very much a taboo subject in the community but we need to work to increase
awareness about the problem. A Dept. of Justice paper on family violence in Canada defines it as
including many different forms of abuse that adults or children may experience in their intimate,
kinship or dependent relationships. Family violence also includes being mistreated or being ne-
glected by these members.
Some common types of family violence include physical abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation
(being used for a sexual purpose), neglect, psychological or emotional abuse and economic or
financial abuse. The department says it is difficult to obtain a complete picture of the full extent
of spousal abuse in Canada because it often remains hidden.

A person who is being abused may endure the abuse for a long time before seeking support.
Some victims never tell anyone about the abuse. A person who is being abused may be reluctant
- or unable - to talk about or report abuse for many different reasons. For example, they may be
emotionally attached to the abusive partner or have strong beliefs about keeping their
relationship or family together.

They may fear that the abuser will retaliate (against them or their loved ones) or they may fear
being stigmatized by others. They may be economically dependent on the abusive partner. They
may live in an isolated area, or be socially isolated from others. They may face communications,
language or cultural barriers. They may feel ashamed or powerless and lack access to
information, resources and support.

In particular, victims may be reluctant to involve authorities because they: do not want the abuser
to be removed from the home, go to jail or have a criminal record or they do not believe that
involving the criminal justice system will stop the abuse, or can help or protect them

Noynoying and the Indolence of Filipinos

We Filipinos are known for our proclivity for acronyms – shortening or combining words for
maximum impact. Some memorable ones like ATOM (August Twenty One Movement) for the
anti-Marcos movement, RAM for the Reform the Armed Forces Movement, etc. come to mind.
Now comes Noynoying – a clever combination of President Noy Aquino’s nickname and the
adjective annoying. Clearly designed to annoy the President, it is being used to describe a form
of protest that ridicules his perceived worst qualities: a tendency toward indolence, procrastina-
tion, indifference and insensitivity. For starters, it was the Partylist youth group Anakbayan who
staged a street theatre in Manila during a nation-wide rally against oil deregulation. It turned out
to be a parody of Noynoy Aquino’s inaction on peoples’ pleas against the oil price hikes. Soon,
people were into ‘photo shopping’ images of the President and adding their own funny captions
to criticize the president’s inaction on rising fuel prices, unemployment, high tuition fees, land
reform, minimum wage hikes, and what many viewed as a lackadaisical response to the Sendong
typhoon in December that left over 1,000 dead.

Instead of dying out as the President’s apologists predicted, the Noynoying went viral on social
media and foreign media picked it up with the Wall Street Journal and now Aljazeera. It also
earned an entry in Wikepedia. But for all the notoriety that it is generating, the criticism against
Filipino indolence is not something new. The national hero Jose Rizal wrote his famous essay in
1890 for La Solidaridad – ‘Indolence of the Filipinos’ in which he argues that the perceived
laziness of Pinoys is due to the abuse and discrimination they suffered under the Spanish
colonizers who lead lives of indolence at the expense of the people.
Presumably, Rizal argues that this practice resulted in the deterioration of Filipino values.

Today, we are free of Spain’s colonizing influence but as Noynoying illustrates, the cancer that
has plagued our country still haunts us.

Election dirty tricks – only in the Philippines, you say?

Filipinos sometimes are resigned to the fact that corruption in the homeland is endemic and is a
constant source of embarrassment in social settings. The quip “only in the Philippines” captures
the depth of our acceptance that the country is rotten and beyond redemption. The ongoing inves-
tigations and trials involving no less than former President Gloria Macapagal -Arroyo and
Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona for election fraud and corruption gives credence to
the quip. Yet, today in Canada we are faced with what the opposition says is the “largest
electoral fraud in Canadian history.” The NDP is calling for a multimillion-dollar public inquiry
to look into phone calls they say changed the outcome of last May’s election.

The current controversy revolves around so-called ‘robot calls’ made by alleged Conservative
party hacks who mounted a coordinated campaign to disrupt the result of the last election. The
scheme involves making automated calls to targeted ridings telling voters that their polling
stations were moved. In some reported cases, calls were made to predominantly Jewish ridings
during the Sabbath, enraging voters.

Elections Canada is investigating the complaints, some of which first came to light during the
election, but were mostly ignored. Polling stations were re-located in more than 120 ridings the
day before the election, Elections Canada told an Ottawa radio station. In fact, just a while back
the Conservatives were also caught making bogus calls in Liberal MP Irwin Costler’s riding in
Montréal spreading rumours that the former Justice Minister was contemplating resigning and
asking people if they would vote for a Conservative candidate if a byelection was called.
The calls were again traced to Conservative operatives. Another is the “In and Out” scandal
involving improper election spending on the part of the Conservative Party of Canada during the
closely contested 2006 federal election. Elections Canada has laid charges against the
Conservative Party and four of its members, including two senators, over alleged violations of
election spending rules. They were charged with overspending over $1 million dollars in the
2006 election including allegations that Conservative election expense documents submitted to
Elections Canada were “false or misleading” and attempted to fraudulently gain almost $1
million dollars in refunds from taxpayers.

Senator Doug Finley, (the party’s campaign director in 2006 and 2008, and the husband of
Human Resources Development Minister Diane Finley), Senator Irving Gerstein, Michael
Donison (former national party director) and Susan Kehoe (who has served as an interim party
executive director) all face 3 months in jail, $1000 in fines or both.

The Harper Conservatives’ propensity to employ ‘bogus’ schemes did not only concern election
matters but also even in court proceedings. In a recent incident, Immigration Minister Jason
Keeney could not explain why his department used fake citizens to appear for a TV taping of a
citizenship-swearing oath. It turned out more than half of the people shown in the TV episode
were not ‘real’ and was just pulled out of their offices to ‘pose’ for the presiding Judge who was
unaware of the bogus people.

Only in the Philippines?

EDITORIAL - Disparities
Several women are contenders for the post of chief justice. If one of them gets the appointment,
it will be just the latest glass ceiling to be shattered in a country that has had two women
presidents and where women are active in all aspects of governance.

The other day the country had its first two-star female police general. Women are active in the
military, serving even as Air Force pilots in conflict zones. The country’s largest shopping mall
chain is run by a woman. Women also account for a significant number of the country’s overseas
workers, often serving as the principal breadwinners for their families back home.

A recent World Bank report on gender equality, however, noted that while tremendous progress
has been achieved in narrowing gender gaps in East Asia and the Pacific including the
Philippines, disparities remain in many areas such as the economy. Overall, according to the
report, Filipino women earn only 76 percent of what the men get. Women also tend to work in
smaller companies and in the informal sector, occupying lower-paid positions, according to the
report, which provides new data and evidence on gender and development.

The country has a Magna Carta for Women to promote gender-responsive development
programs. Tough laws have been enacted against domestic violence and sexual harassment and
discrimination in the workplace and in schools. Yet poverty and inadequate education leave
millions of Filipino women unaware of their rights, and vulnerable to many forms of abuse. Poor
women are the ones adversely affected by the failure of the government to pass a law promoting
reproductive health care. Women with education and financial means have access to this type of
health care, and are aware of their options.

The World Bank report pointed out that if women were given better access to jobs and more
opportunities in economic participation, worker productivity in the region could go up by as
much as 18 percent. Giving women a bigger role in nation building, with resources allocated on
the basis of skills and abilities rather than gender, speeds up poverty alleviation and promotes
better development outcomes, the World Bank observed. The Philippines is getting there, but it
should be prepared to do more. What’s good for half of the country’s population redounds to the
good of all.

EDITORIAL - Investing in self-defense

With one of the world’s most extensive coastlines, the country should have given priority a long
time ago to guarding its territorial waters. For nearly a century that task was undertaken by
American troops based in the Philippines, and this probably lulled the country into complacency.
When the US bases were shut down, the Philippines had no Plan B for policing its own waters.

Shortly after the Americans left, the Chinese moved in, building a military installation on
Mischief Reef off Palawan. All that Manila could do was emit a noisy protest. The installation is
still there, straddling endangered coral networks, flying the Chinese flag.

Now that Chinese vessels have also shooed away Filipino fishermen from Panatag Shoal, a
traditional fishing ground of Zambales, the Philippines is scrambling to upgrade its capability to
monitor its coastal waters.

China, which already occupies one of the largest landmasses on the planet, is laying claim to
nearly the entire South China Sea, leaving the other countries around it with just enough
territorial waters for use by beach resorts. And Beijing, with its new wealth and increasing
military capability, is flexing its muscles, showing that it is prepared to enforce its territorial
claim based on might makes right.

So the Philippines, long preoccupied with internal security problems, is belatedly moving to
develop credible external defense. This should be done with more speed. Instead of waiting for
help from others, the country should invest in its own radar system, for use at least in the West
Philippine Sea.

This will allow the Philippines not only to keep out intruders and poachers from other counties
but also to improve the campaign against smuggling and destructive fishing methods that
Filipino fishermen also employ. Much of the country’s coral reefs were destroyed by trawlers,
dynamite blasting and other destructive fishing methods used by local fishermen. Coastal
communities must also be enlisted to cooperate in any program to monitor the country’s
territorial waters. It’s good to get help from friends, but it’s better for the country to invest in its
own territorial defense. - (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

EDITORIAL - Help from friends

The nation celebrates the 114th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence today amid a
simmering territorial dispute with China in Panatag or Scarborough Shoal. The dispute should
serve as a wake-up call to the nation that independence needs to be nurtured and strengthened.

Faced with one of Asia’s most powerful armies in the West Philippine Sea, the country has
turned to its former colonial overseer, the United States, for help. Washington, which has close
economic ties with China, has vowed to abide by its commitments to the Philippines under the
Mutual Defense Treaty. The US has also made one of its submarines surface off Zambales, near
the disputed shoal. But Washington has also made it clear that it won’t take sides and prefers to
see territorial disputes settled peacefully by the concerned parties.

External defense is not the only area where the Philippines has had to seek outside help. The
country remains heavily dependent on official development assistance for many of its needs,
including infrastructure modernization and public health care. A tepid response from the private
sector to the government’s much-touted public-private partnership program prompted officials to
announce that the country would turn to ODA for jump-starting PPP projects.

The Declaration of Philippine Independence, delivered from the home of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
in Cavite 114 years ago today, announced the end of Spain’s colonial rule in this archipelago.
For a brief period, Filipinos took over the country, setting up a revolutionary government with a
full Cabinet and organizing a regular army. But the Philippine government was not prepared to
repel a new set of colonizers.

Over a century later, the country is just starting to make noises about developing credible self-
defense capability. During natural calamities, the country relies on other nations for the most
basic relief requirements such as medicine and sleeping mats.

Help from friends is always welcome and much appreciated. But the Philippines must do its part
and exert more effort to reduce its reliance on outside help. Friends also like and respect those
who help themselves. - (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)
EDITORIAL - Child workers
Here’s another reminder that more effort is needed to ease poverty: the number of child workers
in this country has gone up to 5.49 million, with about 2.99 million of them exposed to
hazardous conditions, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by the National
Statistics Office.

The survey, involving 50,000 families nationwide, showed that most of the child workers, aged 5
to 17, were employed in the agriculture sector, while the rest were in mining and quarrying sites,
factories and construction. NSO officials said other children could be in the flesh trade.

Apart from losing their childhood, many of the children lose their chance at completing basic
formal education. The NSO reported that while most of the child workers aged 5 to 9 remained
in school, the dropout rate soared to about 50 percent by the time the children reached age 15.

The problem is not new, and those responsible are often the parents themselves. While tuition is
free in public elementary and high schools, there are many other expenses needed to keep
children in school, which millions of parents cannot afford in this country. It is not unusual for
such parents to pull out their children from school as soon as the kids learn basic reading, writing
and arithmetic. The children then help in household and farm chores.

Older children find jobs in the informal sector as soon as they are able. They can be seen
working openly in gold panning sites, makeshift fireworks factories and quarries. Young teenage
girls leave home to work as maids. Some lie about their age to work overseas, opening
themselves to labor exploitation, physical and sexual abuse. Even infants are sometimes used by
individuals running beggars’ rings in Metro Manila.

The conditional cash transfer program, which requires beneficiaries to keep their children in
school, is one way of addressing the problem without punishing the parents who are forced by
poverty to make their children help augment the family income. At the same time, authorities
must strengthen the campaign against those who sell their children for sex or force them to work
in hazardous conditions. This problem will persist as long as there is poverty, but there are ways
of bringing down the number of exploited children.
EDITORYAL - Kaya naman palang mag-Tagalog

MABUTI at inumpisahan ni Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile na mag-Tagalog sa ika-limang

araw ng impeachment trial laban kay Chief Justice Renato Corona. At dahil sa kanyang ginawa,
nagsunuran na rin ang iba pang senador para magsalita na rin ng Tagalog. Nag-Tagalog si Sen.
Allan Peter Cayetano, Sen. Manny Villar at Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago. Ayon kay Santiago,
mahalaga ang pagsasalita ng Tagalog sa trial para ganap na maintindihan ng mamamayan ang
pinag-uusapan sa paglilitis.

Sa mga naunang araw ng paglilitis kay Corona, dalawang senador ang nagpakita nang husay sa
pagsasalita ng Tagalog o Filipino. Ang dalawa ay sina Senators Chiz Escudero at Jinggoy
Estrada. Purong Tagalog ang kanilang pagdeleliver kaya naman marami ang nakaintindi sa
kanilang sinasabi. Ganap na naintindihan ang kanilang mga punto at naunawaan ang kanilang
mga nais ipabatid sa mamamayang sumusubaybay sa paglilitis.

Kahapon, naging kapuna-puna naman na walang nagsalita ng Tagalog sa prosecutors kaya

malamang na mayroon na namang hindi nakaunawa sa takbo ng paglilitis. Mula sa unang araw
ng paglilitis, wala pang prosecutor na nagdeliver ng Tagalog patungkol sa kanilang inihahaing
kaso kay Corona. Siguro’y dapat sumunod ang prosecutor at maski ang depensa sa kahilingang
mag-Tagalog din sila o kahit man lang Taglish (Tagalog-English) para naman ganap na malaman
nang nakararami ang takbo ng paglilitis.

Kung ang mga senador ay sumusunod sa kahilingan ng mamamayan na magsalita sa sariling

wika para maintindihan, mas lalong dapat sumunod ang mga nagsasakdal para malaman ang
kanilang mga nais ipabatid. Sa dami ng karaniwang mamamayan na sumusubaybay sa paglilitis,
nararapat lamang na sa sariling lengguwahe ito sabihin. Mahalagang malaman ng mamamayan
ang nangyayari sa trial sapagkat kabilang sila rito bilang taxpayers. May karapatan ang
mamamayang nagbabayad ng buwis sapagkat sa kanila galing ang sinusuweldo sa inaakusahan.

Editoryal - Bawiin ang korona sa pamamagitan ng KO

SI boxing champ Manny Pacquiao ang nanalo laban kay Timothy Bradley. Ito ang kinumpirma
ng limang opisyal ng World Boxing Organization (WBO) noong Huwebes. Limang judges ang
nagsagawa ng pagrebyu sa laban at ang lumabas, panalo si Pacquiao. Ang score ng Judge 1 ay
117 (Pacquiao) at 111 (Bradley). Ang Judge 2 ay 117-111. Ang Judge 3 ay 118-110. Ang Judge
4 ay 116-112 at ang Judge 5 ay 115 at 113.
Noong maglaban sina Pacquiao at Bradley noong Hunyo 10 ang score ng tatlong judges na sina
Duane Ford, 113-115; C.J. Ross, 113-115 at Jerry Roth 115-113. Talo si Pacquiao!

Shock ang marami sa desisyon. Dinaya raw si Pacquiao. Napasok daw ng Mafia ang boxing.
Paraan lamang daw ang pagkatalo ni Pacquiao para subaybayan ng mga tao sa mga susunod.
Kung hindi raw ipatatalo si Pacquiao, malulugmok ang mga sugarol at mawawalan ng kinang
ang pagdaraos ng boksing sa lugar. Mula umano nang si Paquiao ang sunud-sunod na manalo,
malaki ang iniunlad ng boksing sa MGM grand arena. Laging puno ang mga tao para mapanood
ang Pinoy champ.

Sa kabila naman ng pahayag ng WBO na si Pacquiao ang nanalo, sinabi naman ng boxing hero
na hindi niya babawiin ang welterweight crown. Maski raw ibigay ni Bradley kay Pacquiao ang
crown ay hindi nito tatanggapin. Kung gusto raw ng WBO, ibakante na lang ang welterweight
division.

Tama naman ang desisyon ni Pacquiao na huwag tanggapin ang belt. Ang mas dapat ay
magkaroon sila ng rematch at sa pagkakataong iyon ay siguruhin ni Pacquiao na ina-knockout
niya si Bradley. Kailangang mapatulog niya si Bradley para hindi na maging mahirap pa sa mga
hurado ang magbigay ng desisyon. Kung matutulog si Bradley, iyon ang tamang panahon para
makuha ang korona. Mas masarap ang panalo sa ganitong paraan. Kung matalo naman ni
Bradley si Pacquiao, ito na ang tamang panahon para isabit ng people’s champ ang kanyang mga
glab.

Walang pagpapanggap
Wala nang halong pagpapanggap ang muling pagpapalakas ng Estados Unidos (US) sa Asya-
Pasipiko.

Kamakailan lang, inihayag ni US Defense Secretary Leon Panettana nakabalangkas na sa

kanilang plano na ilipat ang may 60 bahagdan ng mga US naval ship sa rehiyong Asya-Pasipiko
pagsapit ng taong 2020.

Samantala, bago magtungo sa magkasunod na state visit sa US at United Kingdom,

nakipagkasundo si Pangulong Benigno Aquino III kay Martin Dempsey, chairman ng US Joint
Chiefs of Staff, upang bigyang-pahintulot ang mga tropang Amerikano na gamitin ang naval at
airport facilities ng mga base-militar sa Clark, Pampanga at Subic, Zambales.

Matagal nang ipinagbabawal ang pagtatag ng mga base-militar sa bansa simula noong 1991 nang
ibasura ng Senado ang Mutual Defense Treaty. Ngunit sa pamamagitan ng Visiting Forces
Agreement (VFA) na naratipika sa parehong taon, muling nagpatuloy ang pananatili ng tropang
Amerikano sa Pilipinas.

Bawal man sa Saligang Batas, pinahintulutan rin ni Aquino ang pagtatag ng pamahalaang US ng
National Coast Watch Center sa dalampasigan ng South China Sea. Magiging katuwang umano
ng pamahalaang US ang gobyernong Pilipino sa paglulunsad ng intelligence operations.
Sa papaigting na panghihimasok ng US sa soberanya ng bansa, walang halong pag-aalinlangang
yumuyuko ang ating mga pinuno at agad na sumusunod sa kagustuhan ng banyaga, kahit na higit
na makapipinsala sa bayan kung tuturulin ang ganitong landas.

Mahalaga ang yugtong ito ng kasaysayan para sa US. Sa panahon kung kailan tumitibay ang
ekonomiya ng China habang naghihingalo ang sa US, kailangang pagtibayin ng Amerikano ang
posisyon nito bilang pinakamakapangyarihan sa buong mundo. Bukod pa rito, kinakailangan
ding maging mapagmasid ng US dahil patuloy na lumalakas ang kakayahang pangmilitar ng
China.

Agresibong pinalalakas ng Amerika ang kanilang presensya sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng Asya-
Pasipiko. At pagdating sa Pilipinas, hindi sapat ang mga hayagang kasunduang nilalagdaan nito
— armado rin ang US ng mga patagong taktika upang higit na mapatibay ang kanilang presensya
rito.

Kamakailan, naglabas ang AMSEC, isang sangay ng Huntington Ingalls Industries na

pinamalaking tagayari ng mga barko ng US Navy at Coast Guard, ng isang job opening sa bansa
na para lamang sa mga miyembro ng US Navy. Mistula itong simpleng job order, ngunit
napagmumukha rin nitong lehitimo ang pananatili ng mga tropang Amerikano sa Hilagang
Luzon.

Ano pa mang paraan ang gamitin ng US, dalawang bagay lamang ang tiyak: hindi nila
maikakaila ang kanilang makasarili’t ganid na interes sa Pilipinas, at lagi naman itong
susuportahan at kakatigan ng ating pamahalaan.

Ayon sa rehimeng Aquino, hindi naman umano nila hahayaang maglunsad ng gawaing militar
ang mga tropang Amerikano sa bansa nang walang karampatang pahintulot. Ngunit kung
pagbabatayan ang idinaos na Balikatan Exercises nitong Abrilat ang presensya ng mga barkong
pandigma ng US sa mga daungan at karagatan ng Pilipinas, mabilis na mahihinuhang hungkag
ang pasubali ng pamahalaan.

Napatunayan na sa kasaysayan na sa tuwing pumapasok sa kasunduang militarang US at

Pilipinas, umaayon lamang tayo sa itinakdang direksyon ng Amerika.

Walang ni isang sundalo, Pilipino man o Amerikano, ang nalitis matapos ang mga kaso ng
pagkadamay ng ilang sibilyan sa mga aksidenteng pagsabog ng bomba habang isinasagawa ang
mga pagsasanay alinsunod sa Balikatan Exercises ng VFA. Matatandaan ring nauwi na lamang
sa pagbawi ng kanyang pahayag si “Nicole,” ang babaeng ginahasa ng isang Amerikanong
sundalo sa Subic noong 2005.

Laging ipinamumukha ng pamahalaan na mahalaga ang presensya ng Amerikanong militar sa

bansa upang mabigyan ng pagsasanay ang sarili nating mga sundalo, at upang manatili tayong
kakampi ng pinakamakapangyarihang bayan sa kasalukuyan. Gayunman, walang katiyakan na
pagdating ng panahon ng kagipitan, handang ipagtanggol ng US ang Pilipinas.
Bunsod ng bulag na pagsamba ng pamahalaan sa mga patakarang Amerikano, nanatiling tali ang
bansa sa mga represibong palisiya, na apektado maging ang kabuhayan at ekonomiya ng bansa.
Patuloy pa rin tayong pinagkukunan ng US ng murang lakas paggawa, at sila rin ang nagtatakda
ng mga mapaniil na palisiyang ipinatutupad sa bansa gaya ng pribatisasyon ng edukasyon.

Kaya hindi tulong o ayuda ang patuloy na pananatili ng US sa bansa. Isa itong insulto sa mga
nagdaang laban ng mamamayan para sa tunay na kalayaan. Ang paglaban ng ating mga ninuno
ang nagpaalis sa mga kolonyal na mananakop; ang kolektibong pagkilos ang nagtulak sa Senado
na paalisin ang mga tropang Amerikano noong 1991. Hindi natin maaaring asahan ang
pamahalaan na tumangan sa parehong diwa ng pagbalikawas — matagal na nila itong binitawan
nang hinayaan nilang manumbalik ang presensya ng mga Amerikanong base sa ating bayan.

Sa panahon kung kailan tahasan at lantaran ang pagyurak ng US sa ating pagkabansa sa

pamamagitan ng pakikipagsabwatan sa ating pamahalaan, walang ibang nararapat itapat ang
mamamayan kundi tahasang pakikipagtunggali at paglaban. ●

Isa pang hirit sa STFAP

Pasukan na naman at tiyak bago pa man nakaupo ang mga estudyante sa klase ay dumaan munasila sa
magdamagang pagpupuyat para makakuha ng mga klase sa CRS o nakipag-karerahan sa pilapara
makapag-prerog at pumila sa student loans o sa bayaran ng tuition. Pero hindi lang ang mga ito ang
pinagpawisan ng mga isko’t iska ngayong semestre, nadagdag sa listahan ang muling pagpasa ng Bracket
B certificaton forms upang mapatunayang nasa pagitan ng P500,000 hanggang P1 milyon ang kinikita ng
kanilang pamilya. At kung sino man ang ‘di makapagpasa ng forms at requirements, o makakapag-appeal
ay mapupunta sa Bracket A kung saan tumatagingting na P1,500 kada yunit ang babayaran. Sino bang
matutuwa sa ganitong pabigla-biglang pagbabago ng palisiya?

Noong 2007, isang bigating pagbabago rin ang sumalubong sa mga freshie, kung saan tumaas ang base
tuition mula P300 kada yunit tungong P1,000. Marami ang direktang naapektuhan ng biglaang pagtaas ng
tuition — marami ang napilitang maglakad ng sandamakmak na papeles, ‘yung iba’y umasa na lamang sa
mga scholarship upang suportahan ang buong pananatili sa unibersidad, meron ding pinagsabay ang pag-
aaral at pagtatrabaho, samantalang ang iba’y ‘di na lang tumuloy.

Mukhang ‘di pa rin naaantig ang mga nasa taas sa mga protesta sa mga nagdaang taon, kaya’t nagpatupad
pa ng panibagong requirement na kung tutuusin ay nagdadagdag ng P500 sa bayarin ng default bracket.

Sa isang forum na idinaos sa College of Education, tahasang ipinagtanggol ng pangulo ng UP ang

epektibong pagbabago sa default bracket, sa paniniwalang marami nang mayaman sa UP. Ang pruweba
niya – marami na daw kotseng naka-park sa loob ng unibersidad. Marami ang nagtaas ng puntong hindi
na pang-iskolar ang binabayaran sa UP at sa gayon maraming mahihirap ang ‘di na nakakapasok dito.
Pero sadyang pinanghahawakan ni President Pascual na marami talagang mayayaman na nakakapasok at
ang hangad lang ng Bracket B certification ay tiyaking “honest” sila sa income tax report nila ngayong
semestre. May mga estudyanteng nagbahagi ng kanilang karanasan sa pag-aapply sa STFAP at pabago-
bagong bracketing na kanilang nakukuha, pero ipinamukha lamang sa kanilang nadadaan ang lahat sa
pagsusumikap, na kung higit lang silang magtitiyagang maglakad ng appeal forms at magpasa ng iba
pang requirements, makukuha rin ang inaasam na bracket.
Sa tuwing mayroong magsasalita upang patunayan ang mga kapalpakan ng STFAP, sa tuwing may tatayo
upang ilantad ang sarili niya bilang isa sa mga biktima ng STFAP, tataas ang boses ng pangulo upang
sabihin ang kanyang mga argumento at saka magbabanggit ng ilang mga komentong galing rin naman sa
kanyang sariling opinyon at hinuha.

Hindi man ako nakapagsalita sa forum na iyon, alam ko kung ano ang totoo — hindi matibay na basehan
ang bilang ng kotse sa loob ng UP para taasan ang tuition, hindi lahat ng estudyante’y benepisyo ang
nakukuha sa STFAP, at sadyang pandaraya ang paggamit ng kapangyarihan para mapigilan ang boses ng
mga estudyanteng humihingi ng pagkakataong marinig.

Bilang estudyante sa UP, sino nga ba ang matutuwa sa tuition na kasing taas na rin ng mga pribadong
unibersidad at sasabihing dapat pa nga raw ay taasan pa? Wala, tanging mga ignorante lamang ang
magpapairal ng katahimikan kahit pinapahirapan na ang mga estudyante hindi lang ng STFAP kundi ng
buong sistema ng edukasyon.