EDITORYAL page 2

KULTURA
page 10

TERORISTA NG BAYAN
Dibuho ni Ysa Calinawan

EDITORYAL

p. 2

EDITORYAL

Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015

Terorista ng bayan
dahilan: ang $5M na patong sa ulo ng tinutugis
na kaaway ng US na si Zulkifli bin Adhir, o mas
kilala bilang Marwan.
Binatikos ng masa ang maanomalyang
operasyon ng US-Aquino sa Mamasapano.
Lumalabas na ang diumanoy kontrateroristang operasyon ng US-Aquino terror
operation ay naghasik ng terorismo sa
Mamasapano, at sa mamamayang Pilipino.
Hindi lamang nalagay sa panganib
ang usapang pangkapayaan sa pagitan ng
pamahalaan at ng mga Moro, na ilang taon
nang nakasalang, bagkus pinatindi pa nito
ang diskriminasyon sa mga Moro. Muli
na namang sumambulat sa sambayanan
ang ibat ibang opinyon hinggil sa allout war laban sa mga taga-Mindanao na
ilang taon nang ipinapain, isinasalang at
ipinapahamak ng gobyernong Aquino.
Sa gitna ng pagdadalamhati ng
pamilya ng mga biktima at mga Pilipinong
nakikiramay, tila naging interesante para
sa pangulo ang usapin ng Bangsamoro
Basic Law (BBL), isang batas na kikilala
sa kasarinlan ng mga Moro at ng kanilang
lupain. Nagkukumahog ngayon ang pangulo
na isalba ang BBL katumbas ng pag-asang
maisasalba ang kanyang sarili at mga
kapanalig.
Noong nakaraang taon lamang natapos
ang pagbuo sa BBL. Kasalukuyan pang pinagaaralan ang mga isyung tinatalakay dito
tulad ng power sharing, wealth sharing at
normalisasyon na sa kagyat na suri ay hindi
tuwirang kumikilala sa kasarinlan ng mga
Moro. Malinaw na kung papasa man ang
BBL, hindi garantisado na magkakaroon ng
kapayapaan sa Mindanao. Walang katiyakan
ang mga Moro kung may insentibo nga ba
silang makukuha sa nasabing batas o patuloy
lamang sila nitong ibabaon sa kahirapan.
Habang hindi pinagtutuunan ng
pamahalaan ang pagkakaroon ng tunay na
kapayapaanpagtukoy sa mga tunay na
dahilan ng armadong tunggalian sa rehiyon
o sa ibang panig ng bansa dala ng kahirapan,
korapsyon, pangangayupapa ng Pilipinas sa
US, pangangamkam ng lupa, paghahari ng
iilanmagiging hungkag ang anumang batas
para sa kapayapaan.
Sa katunayan, marami pang tanong ang
nangangailangan ng sagot mula sa gobyerno lalo
na at sangkot sa nasabing operasyon ang US na
naglalagay sa soberanya ng bansa sa panganib.

Philippine Collegian
Mary Joy Capistrano
Punong Patnugot

Gloiza Rufina Plamenco

Kapatnugot

Emmanuel Jerome Tagaro

Patnugot sa Leyawt

Ysa Calinawan

Patnugot sa Grapix

John Keithley Difuntorum

Patnugot sa Litrato

Kawani Patricia Ramos

Pinansiya Amelyn Daga Tagapamahala Sa Sirkulasyon Paul John Alix
Sirkulasyon Gary Gabales, Amelito Jaena, Glenario Ommamalin
Mga Katuwang Na Kawani Trinidad Gabales, Gina Villas Kasapi UP
Systemwide Alliance of Student Publications and Writers
Organizations (Solidaridad), College Editors Guild of the Philippines
(CEGP) Pamuhatan Silid 401 Bulwagang Vinzons, Unibersidad ng
Pilipinas, Diliman, Lungsod Quezon Telefax 981-8500 lokal 4522
Online kule1415@gmail.com, www.philippinecollegian.org,
fb.com/philippinecollegian, twitter.com/kule1415

Patuloy ang US-Aquino sa paghuhugaskamay at pagtatakip ng kanilang kasalanan:

blackout hinggil sa Operation Wolverine,
kuwestiyonableng deklarasyon ng pagkamatay
ni Marwan, at diumanoy ang marubdob na
layunin ng makabayang pagsusulong ng
kapayapaan ang dahilan ng pagpapadala sa
PNP SAF sa Mamasapano.
Taliwas sa binitawang mga pahayag
ng gobyerno at MILF hindi lamang
mis-encounter ang nangyari. Tahasang
ipinagkanulo ng gobyerno ang mga pulis
sa isang operasyon na ibinaba ng dayuhang
Amerikano para diumano sa kanilang
operasyon para sa kapayapaan, na kung
tutuusin ay operasyon para sa pera at
operasyon para sa pananatili ng tropang US
sa bansa.
Sa kabilang banda, kailangang bigyangdiin na hindi all-out war ang solusyon
sa problema na magdudulot lamang ng
pagkamatay hindi lamang ng buhay ng mga
sundalo at rebelde kundi maging ng mga
sibilyan. Higit sa anuman, kinakailangan
na agarang matugunan ang ugat ng
armadong pakikibaka ng mga mamamayan
na nag-uugat sa kapabayaan at patuloy na
pagbingibingihan sa panawagan ng mga
mamamayan.

Hindi na
maitatanggi ang
katotohanang
mismong
gobyerno ang
lumilikha ng
sakuna at
trahedya.

Inaasahan na sa darating na mga araw

gagamiting lunsaran ng administrasyong
Aquino ang pagsusulong ng BBL upang
magpabango sa mamamayan at itago ang
karahasan na nangyari sa Mamasapano.
Kaugnay nito, mananatili at palalakasin
ang panawagan ng mga mamamayan at ng
mga progresibong grupo na makamit ang
hustisya para sa mga nasawi, ipagpatuloy
ang usapang pangkapayapaan, itakwil ang
anumang plano ng all-out war laban sa
mga Moro, at panagutin ang pangulong
Aquino at ang US sa pilit na pagsusulong
ng terorismo.
Sa lahat ng pambubusabos at patuloy
na pagpapabaya ng administrasyon, labislabis na ang dahilan upang paigtingin
ang panawagan na pagbitiwin sa pwesto
si Aquino. Doon lamang makakamit
ng mga biktima, hindi lamang ng
Mamasapano, Yolanda, at Zamboanga
kundi maging ng iba pang biktima ng
pagkawala at pananamantala sa ilalim ng
administrasyong Aquino, ang hustisya.
Umabot na sa quota ang pangulo.
Ngayon, higit kailanman, kailangang
maipaturol na ang kurakot, sinungaling,
traydor, pasista at teroristay walang lugar
na pamunuan ang bayan.

SIPAT
Sa ika-92 taon ng Philippine Collegian, maglalathala ang pahayagan ng mga larawang
sasalamin sa tunay na kalagayan ng mga mamamayan sa isang marahas na lipunan.

Dagim

Sa tuwing umuulan,
natatakot na ako. Baka kasi
may paparating na naman
na bagyo.
John Ralph Bituin, 13, biktima ng
bagyong Yolanda
Brgy. Anibong, Tacloban City

UMABOT
NA
SA
QUOTA
ang panguloang dapat na ituring
na Ama ng Bayan ay siya ngayong
itinuturing na Terorista ng Bayan.
Patong-patong
na
isyu
ng
pambubusabos ang kinasasadlakan ng
pangulo at ng kanyang administrasyon.
Kaugnay nito, higit na lumalakas at
tumitindi ang panawagan ng mamamayan
na panagutin at magbitiw ang pangulo.
Isang araw matapos ang madugong
engkwentro sa Mamasapano sa pagitan ng
Philippine National Police Special Action
Force (PNP-SAF), Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF), at Bangsamoro Islamic
Freedom Fighters (BIFF), tumambad sa
bayan ang kalunos-lunos na sinapit ng mga
nagsagupaanbulwak na mga mata, durog na
bungo, putol na mga paa, at mga katawan ng
mga pulis, Moro at maging ng mga sibilyan na
tadtad ng tama ng baril.
Pighati at poot ang nararamdaman
ngayon ng mga pamilya, kaanak, at kaibigan
ng mga nasawi dahil sa kawalan ng
katarungan at patuloy na paghuhugas-kamay
ng tunay na may mga sala sa tinaguriang
Wolverine Operation na pinamunuan ng
kaisahang militar ng Estados Unidos (US)
at ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino III. Hindi
lang payak na walang aksyon ang pangulo,
siya mismo kasama ang US ang naging ulo at
pasimuno, sa isa sa pinakamalaking trahedya
sa bansa.
Hindi pa man nakakabangon ang
mga Pilipino sa trahedyang sinapit noong
panahon ng bagyong Yolanda, at ng bakbakan
sa Zamboanga sa pagitan ng Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) at mga sundalo,
muli na namang naranasan ng mga Pilipino
ang mawalan ng mahal sa buhay kung saan
mahigit-kumulang 70 ang napaslang 44
mula sa hanay ng PNP-SAF, 18 mula sa MILF,
lima mula sa BIFF at pitong sibilyan.
Hindi na maitatanggi ang katotohanang
mismong gobyerno ang lumilikha ng sakuna
at trahedya. Noong panahon ng bagyong
Yolanda, naging talamak ang korapsyon
pinabulukan ang mga relief goods sa halip na
ipamigay at pakinabangan ng mga biktima.
Umigting din ang isyu ng pribatisasyon lalo
na sa diumanoy programang pabahay o
resettlement areas. Ngayon namay kinikilala
si Aquino bilang tuta ng US, ang promotor
ng operasyon sa Mamasapano. Ang tunay na

BALITA

Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015

Boycott TOFI consultations- youth groups

Arra B. Francia
YOUTH
GROUPS
URGED
students of public and private
higher educational institutions
(HEI) to combat tuition hikes
by boycotting consultations on
proposed tuition and other fees
increase (TOFI) in their respective
colleges and universities.
The call came from the Rise
for Education Alliance (R4E), a
community of members of the
academe advocating for accessible
education,
and
nationwide
coalition of student groups
National Union of Students
of the Philippines (NUSP) in
time for February 28, the last
day for TOFI consultations set
by the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED).
We recognize that our fight
must go beyond participation
in
administration-sponsored
consultations.
Despite
our
consistent and staunch opposition
every year, CHED and the Aquino
administration have been brazen
in their collusion to approve and
even encourage these hikes, said
Sarah Jane Elago, R4E convenor
and former UP Diliman University
Student Council councilor.
HEIs are allowed to introduce
new fees, provided they conduct
consultations
with
their
constituents on the February
immediately
preceding
the
academic year with the proposed
TOFI, according to CHED
Memorandum No.3, Series 2012,
or
the
Enhanced
Policies,
Guidelines,
and
Procedures
Governing Increases in Tuition
and Other School Fees.
Well get to learn more
about the school fees being
charged against us, ones which
are questionable and redundant.
After which, definitely, action
must be taken, said KASAMA
sa UP National Chairperson
Eduardo Gabral.

Dubious and exorbitant

In March 2014, the NUSP,
along with the College Editors
Guild of the Philippines and
League of Filipino Students, filed
a complaint in CHED against
universities for allegedly violating
tuition regulation by imposing
tuition hikes. The commission
failed to answer the petition for
eight months, by which time the
universities have already collected
fees from students.
Instead of imposing sanction
to HEIs with violation, CHED
issued [CMO] providing a regional
inflation consideration which is 4
to 7 percent, and yet schools collect
at most 15 percent increase,
said Elago.

For academic year 2014 to 2015,

a total of 361 from 1,681 colleges
and universities nationwide filed
an application to implement TOFI.
Of this number, CHED approved
171 cases, constituting an average
increase of 9 to 15 percent in other
school fees (OSF), which include
development fee, energy fee,
miscellaneous fee, athletics fee,
and cultural fee among others.
For instance, UP charges
students P 2,000 every semester
for OSF, including registration,
internet and energy fees, according
to data from Kabataan Partylist.
The total amount collected for OSF
in SUCs could supposedly reach
up to P 4.4 billion this year should
CHED approve more tuition hikes.
Most of these fees are
questionable,
exorbitant,
redundant and dubious, revealing
a great deceit to students and
parents. School expenses that
should have already been covered
by tuition are being passed on
to students through charging
of OSFs, according to the
R4E alliance.

Call for action

Upon approval of tuition hikes
last year, CHED Commissioner
Patricia Licuanan argued that
there is a need to enforce tuition
hikes since some schools not
subsidized by the government
have no other source of income but
the tuition fee of students.
For the past five years, the
average tuition rate in public and
private universities nationwide
has increased by P115. In the
National Capital Region alone,
the average tuition fee is currently
pegged at P1,143 per unit, more
than twice the amount of P440 per
unit in 2001.
Every increase in tuition
and other school fees lessens the
chance of the youth and the next
generation to attain education,
which is parallel to looting
their future. We do not want to
inherit this scandalous system,
said Elago.
Aside from the junking of OSF,
the R4E alliance also furthered
its call to repeal the Education
Act of 1982, which covers the
maintenance of the education
system in the country, in order to
provide the people with quality
and accessible education.
R4E has declared February
27 as their National Day of
Action against TOFI and tuition
deregulation, campaigning on
students to conduct mass protest
within their respective campuses.
Collectively, we shall assert
the removal of these fees, to
lighten the burden not only of
todays youth but of generations to
come, Gabral added.

Pagpapanagot. Nagsagawa ng kilos-protesta ang ilang militanteng grupo sa harap ng Embahada ng Estados Unidos
noong ika-4 ng Pebrero upang ipanawagan ang pagpapanagot sa administrayong Aquino at gobyerno ng Amerika
sa naganap na engkwentro sa Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Kinundena ng grupo ang pagkakasangkot ng Amerika
sa Operation Wolverine na ikinamatay ng 44 sundalo, walongmiyembro ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front, limang
miyembro ng Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, at pitong s ibilyan. | Dylan Reyes

Highlights of the 39th GASC

Body upholds CRSRS without amendments

Gloiza Plamenco
THE 39TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
of Student Councils (GASC) upholds
the 17-year-old Codified Rules for
Student Regent Selection (CRSRS),
a student-drafted set of rules
which govern the annual process
of selecting the Student Regent, the
lone student representative in the
universitys Board of Regents (BOR).
Attended by 44 student councils
(SC) from all over the UP system,
the largest congress of student
leaders convened on January 9
to 11 at UP Cebu to deliberate on
proposed CRSRS amendments
and resolutions to be adopted by
the body.
One of the key amendments
proposed
by
UP
Diliman
University Student Council (USC),
College of Social Sciences and
Philosophy (CSSP), and the Law
Student Government (LSG) was
to extend voting powers to each
student council.
In
the
middle
of
the
deliberations, Marielle Marcaida,
a member of the UPD CSSP SC
expressed her disapproval of the
proposal. The SC was forced to hold

a caucus, resulting to UPD CSSP

withdrawing their proposal instead
and leaving UPD USC and UPD LSG
as proponents of the amendment.
The proposal was defeated after
29 councils voted to junk the said
amendment, nine councils voting
no and six abstaining councils.
The current voting power allows
small units to be on equal footing
with big units like UP Diliman,
according to UPB USC.
Considering the welfare of the
assembly after hours of debate on the
first proposal and to build consensus
in the decisions of the body, UPD
USC and CSSP withdrew their
remaining proposals, which were
to impose a minimum academic
requirement for SR nominees,
and to ensure a 3-year effectivity
clause of the amendments. These
have been consistently proposed by
previous SCs since the CRSRS was
first adopted in 1997.
Another
amendment
proposed by the UPD LSG to elect
representatives per unit to the
OSR in lieu of appointments was
also junked by the majority of SCs
present in the assembly. SR Neill
Macuha explained to the body
beforehand the structure of the

Office of the SR having members of

volunteer corps from different UP
units.
Meanwhile, the GASC also
approved resolutions proposed
by various SCs, including to hold
a campaign to abolish CHED
Memorandum Order No. 20 Series
2013 which removes the 9 units of
Filipino courses included in the
General Education Program in
tertiary education, as well as to call
on the UP administration to review
and junk ludicrous and exorbitant
other school fees in the university.
The body also approved to call
for the abolishment of the pork
barrel system and the eradication
of corruption, to stop the
privatization and junk service fees
of public hospitals and to call for the
expulsion of militarization activities
in all academic institutions.
Moreover, the proposal for the
body to be a member of the Rise
for Education Alliance calling
for quality, free and accessible
education was approved, but subject
to ratification of the individual SCs
on their decision to join the alliance.
Macuha reported the said
resolutions of the GASC to the BOR
during the meeting in January 29.

BALITA

Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015

Aquino unable to sustain fading

economic miracle IBON
Andrea Joyce Lucas
Arra B. Francia
WITH
THE
COUNTRYS
economic growth hitting a decline
during the first three quarters of 2014,
the Aquino administrations banner
indicator of progress and development
proves inefficient to sustain its
fading economic miracle, according
to independent think-tank IBON
Foundation.
In its yearend forum Birdtalk held on
January 23 in UP Diliman, IBON showed
the Philippines economic growth rate to
have had retrogressed to 5.8 percent last
year from 7.2 percent in 2013.
While
the
administration
consistently boasted of the countrys
economic booms in 2012 and 2013,
these are dependent on services
that benefit foreign trade and fail to
develop the base economy, making it
unsustainable and artificial, according
to IBON.
The sooner the countrys economic
directions are focused on building the
domestic economy, the better. There
must be more democratic income,
asset and wealth reform and greater
assertions of economic sovereignty
in the countrys international trade
and investment relations, said Sonny
Africa, research head at IBON.

Foreign-based economy
The economy for the present
administration has been driven mostly
by services, which account for the
business-process outsourcing (BPO)
industry, remittances from overseas
Filipino workers and real property
sales. For the first three quarters of
2014, services contributed 57 percent of
the countrys gross domestic product.
However, outputs from the services
sector alone are not enough to sustain
economic growth because of its
inability to create more jobs, according
to IBON. For instance, the real estate
sector is already showing a significant
decline to 8.6 percent from 18.3 percent,
which will supposedly worsen as prices
of real properties are expected to rise
in 2015.
Since the countrys trade profile
is geared towards exporting goods,
the raw materials released into the
global economy lean towards the
improvement of the United States,
European, or Japanese markets,
according to IBON.
Meanwhile, the agriculture sector
experienced its biggest drop in growth
rate since 2009 to an average of 0.6
percent last year from an average
of 2.7 percent.
The decreasing capacity of
productive sectors, such as agriculture,
to create and sustain jobs aggravates
the crisis for jobs in the country,
said Africa.

Wage-led growth
Around 2.7 million Filipinos were
without jobs in 2014, according to the
Philippine Statistics Authority. While
the number of employed Filipinos
increased by 1.02 million last year,
90 percent are only part-time jobs
that provide work for less than 40

hours every week, according to data

from IBON.
Along with the employment crisis
in the country, the daily minimum wage
for workers averaged at P365.89 daily
has only increased by P84 since 2010.
Last year, labor group Kilusang Mayo
Uno demanded to raise the national
monthly minimum wage to P16,000 yet
the government has refused wage hikes
by claiming that it would only increase
current market prices.
IBON estimates, however, show
that the proposed wage hike would
cut the profit of all companies in the
country by a mere 17.1 percent, from an
estimated original profit of P1.57 trillion
to P1.30 trillion.
Higher wages would not only
improve the welfare of workers, but
would also increase local production
and generate more jobs, according
to IBON. Transforming a portion of
profits to higher wages is a concrete
shift to wage-led growth, which is an
internal and more sustainable source of
economic growth, the group added.

Sigaw ng Kabataan. Nagtanghal ang ibat-ibang grupo ng mga kabataan sa University Theater noong ika-30 ng Enero
upang gunitain ang ika-50 taon ng Kabataang Makabayan. Itinampok sa palabas ang naging pakikibaka ng mga kabataang
estudyante noong panahon ng Batas Militar. | Dylan Reyes

Glitches in fees assessment

stall UPM enrolment
Arra B. Francia
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF
an online information database in UP
Manila (UPM) delayed the registration
period for students yet again, due
to its failure to provide the correct
breakdown of fees for the second
semester of academic year 2014 to 2015.
Glitches in the Student Academic
Information System (SAIS) caused
some students to pay for debts they
no longer owed, as their accounts
still reflected previous tuition loans.
Without the breakdown of fees,
students were also unable to check why
there was an increase in their assessed
fees. Instead of the Form 5, students
received a stub of paper where the
total amount of their assessed fees
was printed.
[W]ala na kaming Form 5 kung
saan may breakdown ng fees. Yung
iba, nakalagay na may utang pa daw sila
kahit fully paid naman na, said Thalia
Villela, a second year Organizational
Communication student.
SAIS is an online database for all
UP students, faculty, staff, and alumni
where they can conduct various
academic and financial transactions
such as enrolment, grades viewing,
and payment of tuition fees, among
others. The system is part of eUP, a
multimillion-peso project that aims
to integrate all Information and
Communications Technology systems
across the UP system.
All
constituent
universities
currently have their own online
database for students and faculty.
For instance, the Computerized
Registration System (CRS) has been

in use for more than a decade in UP

Diliman. The CRS has also been used
in UP Cebu (UPC) until last academic
year, before the implementation of
SAIS for their registration period
this year.
The university is currently
conducting workshops in various
constituent units, including UP Los
Baos and UP Diliman to prepare them
for the implementation of SAIS in
subsequent years.
In light of the glitches in SAIS, the
UPM administration was forced to
extend the enrolment period from the
original schedule of January 7 to 11 to

January 23. The deadline of payment

was also moved to February 23.
During the first semester, the
enrolment period was delayed
for at least a week after the UPM
administration failed to transfer
student information files to SAIS.
Nung ibinaba ang SAIS, wala
man lang kahandaan ang admin para
dito, walang training o test run para
sa mga kawani at sa mga estudyante,
said Carlo Lorenzo, UPM University
Student Council chair.
The Collegian has tried to reach
the UPM Information Management
Service, the team in charge of

Police Briefs
Sheila Ann Abarra

FRESHIE, NAWALAN NG P28K

Sa isa sa mga kiosk sa tapat
ng Faculty Center, nawala ang
envelope ni Gem Robino Barba,
1st year student ng BS Computer
Science, na naglalaman ng P28k
noong ika-12 ng Enero.
Ayon sa saksi na si Elizabeth
Anggot Tadang, manininda, may
isang di kilalang babae, 52 ang
tangkad, kayumanggi at payat ang
pangangatawan ang kumuha sa
nasabing envelope na nakapatong
sa isa sa mga lamesa sa kiosk. Hindi
na umano niya pinuna ang nasabing
babae sa pag-aakalang siya ang
may-ari ng nasabing envelope.
Hindi pa rin nahahanap
ang suspek kaya kung may
impormasyong nakalap ukol dito ay

mangyaring ipagbigay-alam kaagad

sa tanggapan ng UP Diliman Police
(UPDP), ani Police Inspector Kabo
Cabrera, imbestigador ng krimen.

ESTUDYANTE, HINOLDAP SA
UP-PANTRANCO JEEP
Hinoldap sa loob ng UPPantranco jeep si Nia Paulina
Nuez, 18, mag-aaral mula sa College
of Social Sciences and Philosophy,
ng isang hindii kilalang lalaki noong
umaga ng ika-28 ng Enero.
Habang lulan ng jeep, tinutukan
ng holdaper si Nuez ng patalim sa
likod at pilit na kinuha ang kanyang
mga gamit. Agad umanong bumaba
ang suspek nang makarating ang jeep
sa tapat ng City Hall.
Natangay sa biktima ang kanyang
cellphone na nagkakahalaga ng
P7k at wallet na may laman na

administering SAIS but has yet to

receive a reply as of press time.
Meanwhile, students from UP
Cebu had to pre-register their subjects
manually for the second semester due
to errors in SAIS. The release of Form
5s for students already finished with
their registration was also delayed.
[We are] asking the system
administration to reconsider the
application of the SAIS as the previous
system, CRS, is reportedly working
fine thus there is no need to apply the
new system in which is very costly to
implement, said Student Regent Neill
John Macuha.

P1.2k, isang ATM card at health

card. Agad na ipinagbigay alam
ng biktima kasama ang kanyang
propesor ang nasabing insidente sa
tanggapan ng UPDP .

LALAKI BUHAY MATAPOS

NA MA-HIT AND RUN SA CP
GARCIA
Buhay ang isang lalaking
matapos na magtamo lamang
ng sugat sa kamay at binti nang
mabangga ng isang itim na owner
jeep sa C.P. Garcia Traffic Light
noong ika-26 ng Enero.
Batay sa salaysay ng biktima
na si Joseph Boreta, 24, isang
construction worker sa ABE
Construction Company,
pula
pa umano ang traffic light nang

Sundan sa susunod na pahina

BALITA

Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015

Pagtaas ng pasahe sa LRT, MRT, pahirap

sa mga manggagawa Bayan Muna
Hans Christian E. Marin
KINUNDENA
NG
IBAT
ibang mga progresibong grupo ang 50
hanggang 87 porsyentong pagtaas ng
pamasahe sa Light Rail Transit (LRT)
at Metro Rail Transit (MRT) matapos
itong ipatupad ng Department of
Transportation and Communications
(DOTC) noong ika-4 ng Enero.
Batay sa petisyon ng mga
progresibong grupo tulad ng Bagong
Alyansang Makabayan, United Filipino
Consumers and Commuters Inc at
Bayan Muna, walang kapangyarihan
ang DOTC na magpatupad ng mga
kautusan lalo na at kulang ang
konsultasyon na isinagawa nila sa
publiko. Bukod dito, wala rin umanong
batayan ang ibinibigay na mga dahilan
ng DOTC ukol sa pagtaas ng pasahe.
Noong 2011 pa unang inaprubahan
ang pagtaas ng pamasahe sa LRT at
MRT kung saan umani ng batikos
si Pangulong Benigno Aquino III
at ang kaniyang gabinete dahil sa
dagdag pasahe na maituturing lamang
umano na dagdag-kita para sa mga
pribadong kumpanya na katuwang sa
pagpapatakbo ng tren.
Kaugnay nito, ilang porma ng
protesta ang kumalat sa social media
katulad ng selfie protests, mga litrato
ng mga pasahero na nagpapakita ng
kanilang mga hinaing hinggil sa taaspasahe sa MRT at LRT. Gayundin
ang Star Wars-themed protests ng
mga taong nakasuot ng mga costumes
habang may mga hawak na plakard.
Halos 1.5 milyon ang tinatayang
bilang ng mga pasahero ng LRT at
MRT kung saan ang 81 porsyento ay
kinabibilangan ng mga manggagawa,
habang 15 porsyento naman ay
mga estudyante. Sa kasalukuyan,
umakyat mula P15 hanggang P28 ang
pinakamataas na pamasahe sa MRT-3
(North Avenue-Taft) habang tumaas
naman ang sa LRT-1 (Baclaran
Roosevelt) mula P20 hanggang P30 at
ang sa LRT-2 (Santolan Recto) mula
P15 hanggang P24-25.

Police Briefs

The fare hike is oppressive to

the low income workers/commuters
and is violative of the social justice
provision of the Constitution;
government subsidy and light rail fare
rates must be based on the ability to
pay of the minimum wage earners,
ayon sa petisyon ng Bayan Muna.
Sa 2015 budget bill, naglaan
si Aquino ng P4.65 bilyon para sa
rehabilitasyon ng MRT at P7.4 bilyon
para sa LRTl. Kumpara sa badyet
noong nakaraang taon, bumaba ito ng
P1.21 bilyon at P728 milyon.
Samantala, 81 porsyento ng
kabuuang binabayaran sa MRT
ang nakalaan para sa build-lease
transfer (BLT) sa MRT Corporation
at 19 porsyento naman ang para sa
operasyon at pagpapanatili nito.
Sa ilalim ng BLT, 15 porsyento ang
rekisitong bayarin ng gobyerno bilang
return of investment kada taon.
Malinaw na hindi na kailangan
ang
nasabing
pagtaas
dahil
maliit na porsyento lamang ang
binabayaran para sa pagpapaayos
ng pasilidad ng MRT at LRT,
ayon sa IBON Foundation, isang
institusyong pampananaliksik.
Isa lamang si Bea Perlas, ikalawang
taon sa UP Manila na nakatira sa
Caloocan sa mga estudyante na arawaraw tinitiis ang siksikan at mahabang
pila sa LRT upang makapasok ng alasiyete ng umaga sa kaniyang paaralan.
Aniya, wala pa rin siyang nakikitang
pagbabago sa pasilidad at serbisyo ng
LRT sa kabila ng pagtaas ng pamasahe
ngunit wala naman siyang magagawa
dahil mas mabilis pa rin umano ito
kumpara sa jeep.
The [LRT and MRT] privatization
only means there would be more fare
hikes in the coming years. We will
exert all efforts to stop Aquinos anticommuter and anti-poor fare hike, ani
Riles Laan sa Sambayanan Network
Spokesperson Sammy Malunes.

UP Booters pinasadsad ang Growling Tigers, 3-0

Mula sa pahina 4

umarangkad ang itim na owner

jeep. Matapos umano siyang hagipin
ng nasabing sasakyan agaran
tumalilis ang drayber na nasa edad
na 60 hanggang 70 at may payat na
pangangatawan.
Aniya pa, hindi na umano siya
nagpadala sa UP Health Service
sapagkat galos lang umano ang
kanyang natamo. Wala ring nakasaksi
sa insidente kaya iiwan na lang
umano niyang bukas ang krimen sa
talaan ng pulisya.

On the Defense.
UP Maroons Kali
Alexandra Huff
intercepts the ball
from FEU Lady Booter
Ina Araneta during
a UAAP Womens
Football match at
the Ateneo Moro
Lorenzo Football Field
on February 7. The
UP Womens Football
Team currently places
second in the overall
rankings after failing
to clinch a win against
FEU, 0-2.
| Kenneth Gutlay

UPFight
Hans Christian E. Marin
NAPATIBAY
NG
FIGHTING
Maroons ang kanilang kapit para sa
unang pwesto sa Final Four matapos

nilang dispatsahin ang University of

Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers,
4-1 sa ikalawang round ng Season 76
ng University Athletics Association
of the Philippines (UAAP) Mens
Football noong ika-8 ng Pebrero sa
Far Eastern University-Diliman.
Naging krusyal ang apat na sunodsunod na goals ng UP sa loob lamang
ng anim na minuto ng unang half
upang mahirapan ng makabawi ang
naghihikaos na Tigers.
Ipinamalas ng dalawang koponan
ang kanilang mala-lintang depensa
sa unang half ng sagupaan kung
saan walang nais na magparaya ng
puntos. Ilang clear goal attempts
nina Maroons midfielder Nino Muros
at forward Gerardo Valmayor ang
napigilan ng Tiger noong ika-26 at
28 minuto ng labanan.

Ngunit tila nag-iba ang ihip ng

hangin matapos ang free kick miscue
ng Tigers sa ika-38 minuto upang
maisakatuparan ng Maroons ang apat
na magkakasunod na goals kung saan
ang dalawa ay mula kina midfielder
Carlos Monfort at forward Vincent
Aguilar at ang dalawa pa na mula
kay Valmayor. Nangunguna pa rin sa
Valmayor para masungkit ang Golden
Boot Award kung saan pinakamarami
ang kaniyang 13 goals sa buong torneyo.
Nagsagawa ng ilang pagbabago sa
depensa ang Tigers sa ikalawang half
upang makakuha ng ball possessions
at makamit ang kanilang unang goal
sa ika-72 minuto. Ilang mintis din ang
muntik pa sanang maging goal para sa
Tigers, ngunit hindi na ito hinayaan
ng goalkeeper na si Ace Villanueva na
makapasok sa teritoryo ng Maroons.

We cant be happy with the way

we played. If you look at the result, its
flattering. But if you look at the game,
its not, because we conceded a goal,
ani UP head coach Anto Gonzales.
Sa kasalukuyan, hawak ng UP ang
24 puntos upang maangkin ang unang
pwesto habang napanatili pa rin ng
UST ang 12 puntos para sa ikaanim na
pwesto. Tatlong puntos ang nakukuha
ng mga nagwawagi sa bawat laban
habang isang puntos naman para
sa parehas na koponan kung tabla
at walang puntos ang makukuha ng
matatalo.
Susunod na makakasagupa ng
Maroons ang University of Santo
Tomas Growling Tigers sa ika19 ng Enero, ala-una ng hapon sa
FEU - Diliman.

LATHALAIN

6-7

CHILLING
EFFECT

Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015

BAKAS NG ALAALA

PAGWASAK

Aldrin Villegas

Gloiza Plamenco

Dominic Dayta
THAT WAS ALMOST THE END
of my dream. Who wouldnt be
afraid?
Christian Reyes, a UP Diliman
student and an aspiring journalist,
recalls feeling threatened after
hearing of the Ampatuan massacre
in November 2009. He was only in
his second year high school then, and
was accepted as a feature writer for
the school paper that same month.
In the TV reports, he learned of 100
gunmen who murdered a convoy
of 58 people on the way to register
an opposition for the upcoming
elections. Of the victims, 32 were
journalists.
The massacre shook the world
that the Committee to Protect
Journalists,
an
international
nonprofit advocacy for press
freedom, named it as the most
atrocious attack against the press the
world has known.
The force of that grisly night was
no less palpable on the smaller scale,
especially in Christians case. The
fear prevented him from applying
for Journalism in college, and chose
instead a bachelors in Architecture.
Maybe [I regret this decision] a
little, but the fear never leaves. Im
sure for other aspiring journalists,
and even those in the field, the fear
will always be there.
Five
years
hence,
justice
remains elusive for the victims of
the massacre. Atty. Harry Roque,
a human rights lawyer assigned to
the side of the prosecution, says
the case has been stalled due to the
governments inaction. Malacanang
has not done anything the whole
case was implemented to fail, he
says.
For instance, the government
continuously
fails
to
ensure
witnesses are out of harms way for
the case not to resolve with violence,
as four witnesses have already been
killed. The latest, Dennix Sakal, a
former employee of the Ampatuans,
was gunned down by unidentified
men in Shariff Aguak. Sakal died
instantly.
Hazel Galang-Folli, a researcher
for
Amnesty
International,
condemns the killing as indirectly
caused by the cases slow crawl along
the Philippine court system. Justice
delayed is justice denied, she adds.
Despite the fear, Christian still
envisions himself as a journalist.
With the numerous press
conferences
he
has
participated in, he has

built an attitude towards reporting,

a passion that stayed with him even
in college.
Back in high school, he wrote a
feature about the poor quality of the
restrooms, pinning it on the school
boards incompetence. The article
caused a backlash that reminded him
of the Ampatuan massacre. Teachers
gave him disapproving looks as if
he had instead threatened to bomb
the school. No doubt this reception
justified his anxiety towards
journalism.
But it was symbolic of power,
Christian reflects. Journalists reveal
the dirty corners of society and this
puts those in power at discomfort.
The government can never silence
the media, and taking into account
recent
developments
in
the
Ampatuan case, Christian believes
that justice will prevail.
In December 2013, the Supreme
Court mandated the First In, First
Out (FIFO) system for the court
hearing as proposed by Atty. Roques
law firm. Under the FIFO, the court
can convict defendants for whom
evidence have already been heard,
according to Atty Roque. He adds
that with this system, justice can
promulgate until next year: This
2015, against the three Ampatuans;
in 2016 against all Ampatuans.
Ultimately, to bring justice to the
victims of the Ampatuan massacre
will mean a milestone in the arduous
fight against impunity. It will also
mean better conditions for those
who aspire to become the watchdog
of the government, like Christian
who plans to pursue his ambition to
be a journalist after he graduates. He
keeps on to his belief that Journalists
should not be afraid of their
government; the government
should be afraid of its
journalists.

SUNUD-SUNOD
NA
PUTOK
ng mga baril ang umalingawngaw
matapos ang marahas na pagbomba ng
mga pulis ng tubig at tear gas sa mga
magsasakat manggagawa ng Hacienda
Luisita na may 6,435-ektaryang lupain
na pag-aari ng angkan ng CojuangcoAquino sa Tarlac.
Habang gumagapang palayo sa
insidente, tinamaan ng bala sa hita
si Jhaivie Basilio, 20 taong gulang.
Nang damputin siya ng mga pulis,
tinalian siya ng alambre sa leeg,
isinabit ang katawan sa bakod, at
saka binaril sa dibdib, kwento ni Nay
Violeta Basilio, ina ni Jhaivie.
Sampung taon na ang nakalipas
ngunit sariwa pa rin sa alaala ni Nay
Violeta ang sinapit ng kanyang anak.
Si Jhaivie ang pinakabata sa pitong
napaslang sa tinaguriang Hacienda
Luisita Massacre noong ika-16 ng
Nobyembre taong 2004, kung kailan
nagwelga ang mga magsasakat
manggagawa ng asyenda bunsod
ng kalunos-lunos nilang kalagayan.
Ilang buwan bago ang masaker,
namatay ang ama ni Jhaivie kaya
napilitan siyang magtrabaho bilang
isang tauhan sa tubuhan, kasabay
ng kanyang pag-aaral. Nung
buhay pa yung asawa ko,
P9.50 lang kada linggo ang
kinikita niya dahil sa
mga kaltas, at sa
pagpapatupad
ng patakarang
S t o c k
Distribution
O p t i o n
(SDO),
ani
Nay Violeta. Sa
ilalim ng SDO,

kinakaltasan ang kanilang sahod para sa

rasyon ng bigas, asukal, at pautang para
sa pangangailangang pang-edukasyon
at medikal ng kanilang pamilya.
Gayunman, hindi umano nila
napakikinabangan ang nasabing mga
benepisyo. Sa katunayan, napilitang
mangibang bansa ang dalawang anak
ni Nay Violeta, kaya naman tanging ang
bunsong anak na lamang niya ang kanyang
kapiling. May sarili na silang pamilya
doon. Hindi ko na nga maalala kung
kailan umuwi yung mga anak ko, isa nasa
California at yung isa nasa
Singapore, pahayag
ni Nay Violeta.

Matagal nang ipinapanagawan

ng mga magsasaka na ipamahagi na
ang lupang matagal na dapat nilang
pagmamay-ari. Taong 1957 nang
bilhin ng pamilya Cojuangco ang
Hacienda Luisita at Central Azucarera
de Tarlac mula sa Tabacalera, isang
korporasyong Espanyol. Pautang
mula sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
at Government Service and Insurance
System ang perang ipinambili ng
Cojuangco, sa kondisyong
ipamamahagi sa
mga

magsasaka ang lupain matapos ang

sampung taon.
Lumipas ang dalawang dekada
ngunit hindi tumupad ang CojuangcoAquino sa kasunduan. Sa halip ginawa
pang legal ang pag-angkin sa lupain
nang isabatas ang 1988 Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)
sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni dating
Pangulong Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino.
Sa ilalim ng CARP, hindi maaaring
ipamahagi sa mga
magsasaka
ang
lupaing hindi

agrikultural kaya isinailalim ang

asyenda sa land use conversion
kung saan tinayuan ng mga
komersyal at residensyal na gusali
ang malaking bahagi ng tubuhan.
Dahil dito, maraming mga magsasaka
at manggagawa sa tubuhan ang
nawalan ng trabaho.
Instead of seeking justice
for the victims, Aquino continues
to champion the interests of the
landowning class and the coercive
state apparatus that brought about the
Luisita Massacre, ani Renato Reyes
Jr., Secretary General ng partidong
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan.
Dagdag ni Nay Violeta, karahasan
ang sinalubong sa kanila ng mga
pulis nang magprotesta sila sa harap
ng bahay ni PNoy sa Time Street
noong anibersaryo ng masaker.
Tumakbo ako sa sasakyan kasi
pinagpapalo na ng mga pulis yung
mga kasama ko. Ani Nay Violeta
hinarangan din ng bato
ang sasakyan para hindi
sila
makaalis,

SAKSI ANG BUONG MUNDO

sa pagbayo ng bagyong Yolanda
sa Kabisayaan noong Nobyembre
2013. Sa pananalasa ng bagyo, hindi
lamang kabuhayan at kabahayan ang
nasira, kundi maging ang buhay ng
libu-libong mamamayan ng Leyte,
Samar at iba pang bahagi ng Visayas.
At para kay Gelleene Casino, isang
mag-aaral ng BS Management sa UP
Visayas Tacloban Campus (UPVTC),
may dala pa ring lungkot ang
pagbabalik-tanaw sa naranasan niyang
trahedya. Nakaligtas man ang pamilya
niya at ang kanyang mga kababayan sa
Catbalogan, Samar, humagupit naman
ang bagyo sa siyudad ng Tacloban, ang
pangalawa niyang tahanan.
Umiiyak lang ako noong narinig
namin yung balita sa nangyari [doon].
Nag-alala ako para sa mga kaklase at
schoolmates ko. Hindi ko sila noon
ma-contact, lalo nat walang balitang
dumadating sa Samar, kwento niya.
Nagdulot ang bagyong Yolanda, isa sa
pinakamalakas na bagyo sa kasaysayan ng
buong mundo, sa pagkasawi ng humigitkumulang 6,300 katao, at pagkawala
ng mahigit 1,000 katao, ayon sa tala ng
National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (NDRRMC).
The devastation wrought by
Typhoon Yolanda manifests the
continuing failure of the government
to adequately prepare the country
for the worst challenges of climate
changea
comprehensive
failure that cost lives and
livelihoods, ayon sa pahayag
ng
grupong
Kalikasan
Peoples Network for the
Environment (Kalikasan PNE).
Nagkaroon man ng babala
mula sa mga internasyunal na
ahensya, hindi sapat ang naging
pagtugon ng pamahalaan upang
paghandaan ang pagdating ng
bagyo at mailikas ang mga residente
ng Tacloban at iba pang karatig-bayan.
Despite this chronic situation of
disaster and climate vulnerability,
no sufficient disaster riskreduction
and
climateproofing

at nakalabas lamang sila nang

dumating na ang midya,
Nobyembre
2011
pa
nang
sangayunan ng Korte Suprema
ang pamamahagi ng lupain sa mga
magsasaka subalit hanggang ngayon
hindi pa rin ito naipatutupad ng
administrasyon ni PNoy. Aquino cannot
ensure justice for the victims because he
himself is one of the main perpetrators
and staunchest defenders of the
Hacienda Luisita massacre, ani Ranmil
Echanis, Punong Kalihim ng Unyon ng
mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura.
Sa pagbabalik ni Nay Violeta
sa lugar kung saan pinaslang ang
kanyang anak, napansin niya ang
malaking pagbabago nakatindig
na ang mga gusalit bakod at wala
na rin ang bakas ng dugo ng mga
manggagawat magsasaka. Subalit
kahit tila nilimot na ng panahon ang
alaala ng karahasan, umaasa si Nay
Violeta na ang bawat pagkilos niya
ay hakbang tungo sa
pagkamit ng hustisyang
patuloy na mailap para
kina Jhaivie at sa iba
pang magsasaka
ng asyenda.

B A H I D N G PA N L I L I N L A N G

o
ny

ise

an
aw bey
n
i
al Co
a C rei
s
Y nd
ni
o an A
h
bu i J
Di na n
i
ah
gp

measures are seen to be implemented

across the country's hazardous and
climate-sensitive areas, ayon sa
Kalikasan PNE.
Maging ang mga relief operations
pagkatapos ng bagyo, tila napabayaan
din ng pamahalaan. One year after,
thousands of our kababayans in Yolandahit areas find it difficult to recover from
the tragedy, receiving little or no aid
from government, ani Suyin Jamoralin,
convenor ng Climate Change Network
for Community-Based Initiatives, sa
isang forum na ginanap sa UP Diliman.
May mga pagkakataon talagang
napapaisip ako kung saan ba napunta
yung bilyon-bilyong tulong mula
sa ibang mga bansa, lalo na kapag
nakikita ko yung mga pamilyang
nakatira pa rin sa mga tent hanggang
ngayon, ani Gelleene. Hanggang
ngayon, humigit-kumulang 250,000
pamilya ang nakatira pa rin sa mga
evacuation centers, tent cities, at bunk
houses, ayon sa IBON Foundation,
isang institusyong pananaliksik.
Ilan pang malalakas na bagyo ang
tumama sa Visayas at ilang bahagi
ng Mindanao matapos ang bagyong
Yolanda, subalit tila hindi pa rin natuto
ang pamahalaan sa nagdaang trahedya.
Kamakailan lang nang tumama ang
bagyong Seniang at 59 katao ang
nasawi dahil sa pagbaha at pagguho ng
lupa, ayon sa tala ng NDRRMC.
Sa kasagsagan ng pananalasa
ng bagyo, bumida naman sa mga
pahayagan si Pangulong Benigno
Aquino na nakikisalamuha sa kasalan
ng sikat na mga artista. Tila sinasalamin
nito hindi lamang ang mapagpanggap
na paghahanda ng gobyerno sa mga
kalamidad na nananalasa sa mahihirap
na mga komunidad sa bansa, kundi
maging ang pagsasawalang-bahala ng
mismong lider ng bansa.
We dont want to experience
another Yolanda tragedy. We must
demand accountability from the
Aquino government for abandoning
its responsibility to prepare people for
disasters, rehabilitate communities
after the destruction, and help people
to recover from tragedies, pahayag ni
Dr. Efleda Bautista, tagapangulo ng
Peoples Surge, isang alyansa para sa
mga biktima ng bagyong Yolanda.
Para kay Gelleene, nagsisilbing
instrumento ang pag-alala sa
trahedyang dinanas ng kanyang mga
kababayan upang pagtibayin ang
kanyang paniniwalang makakamit
din ang hustisya hindi lamang ng
mga nasawi noong bagyong Yolanda,
kundi maging ng mga biktima ng
pagpapatuloy na kapabayaan
ng pamahalaan.

MAHIGIT DAL AWANG DEKADA NA ANG DUMAAN MUL A NANG MAGANAP ANG

SUBALIT HINDI L AMANG SA MGA BIKTIMA NG MENDIOL A MASSACRE NAGING

MENDIOL A MASSACRE, KUNG SAAN 13 MAGSASAKA ANG ANG NAPASL ANG SA

MAIL AP ANG HUSTISYA. KAUGNAY NG PAGGUNITA SA NAGANAP NA MGA

ISANG KILOS-PROTESTA NA NANANAWAGAN NG TUNAY NA PAGBABAGO SA

MASAKER SA BANSA ANG PAIGTINGIN ANG PANAWAGANG PANAGUTIN ANG

IL ALIM NG PANUNUNGKUL AN NI DATING PANGULONG CORA ZON AQUINO.

MGA TAONG RESPONSABLE SA LIKOD NG BAWAT TRAHEDYA.

LATHALAIN

6-7

CHILLING
EFFECT

Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015

BAKAS NG ALAALA

PAGWASAK

Aldrin Villegas

Gloiza Plamenco

Dominic Dayta
THAT WAS ALMOST THE END
of my dream. Who wouldnt be
afraid?
Christian Reyes, a UP Diliman
student and an aspiring journalist,
recalls feeling threatened after
hearing of the Ampatuan massacre
in November 2009. He was only in
his second year high school then, and
was accepted as a feature writer for
the school paper that same month.
In the TV reports, he learned of 100
gunmen who murdered a convoy
of 58 people on the way to register
an opposition for the upcoming
elections. Of the victims, 32 were
journalists.
The massacre shook the world
that the Committee to Protect
Journalists,
an
international
nonprofit advocacy for press
freedom, named it as the most
atrocious attack against the press the
world has known.
The force of that grisly night was
no less palpable on the smaller scale,
especially in Christians case. The
fear prevented him from applying
for Journalism in college, and chose
instead a bachelors in Architecture.
Maybe [I regret this decision] a
little, but the fear never leaves. Im
sure for other aspiring journalists,
and even those in the field, the fear
will always be there.
Five
years
hence,
justice
remains elusive for the victims of
the massacre. Atty. Harry Roque,
a human rights lawyer assigned to
the side of the prosecution, says
the case has been stalled due to the
governments inaction. Malacanang
has not done anything the whole
case was implemented to fail, he
says.
For instance, the government
continuously
fails
to
ensure
witnesses are out of harms way for
the case not to resolve with violence,
as four witnesses have already been
killed. The latest, Dennix Sakal, a
former employee of the Ampatuans,
was gunned down by unidentified
men in Shariff Aguak. Sakal died
instantly.
Hazel Galang-Folli, a researcher
for
Amnesty
International,
condemns the killing as indirectly
caused by the cases slow crawl along
the Philippine court system. Justice
delayed is justice denied, she adds.
Despite the fear, Christian still
envisions himself as a journalist.
With the numerous press
conferences
he
has
participated in, he has

built an attitude towards reporting,

a passion that stayed with him even
in college.
Back in high school, he wrote a
feature about the poor quality of the
restrooms, pinning it on the school
boards incompetence. The article
caused a backlash that reminded him
of the Ampatuan massacre. Teachers
gave him disapproving looks as if
he had instead threatened to bomb
the school. No doubt this reception
justified his anxiety towards
journalism.
But it was symbolic of power,
Christian reflects. Journalists reveal
the dirty corners of society and this
puts those in power at discomfort.
The government can never silence
the media, and taking into account
recent
developments
in
the
Ampatuan case, Christian believes
that justice will prevail.
In December 2013, the Supreme
Court mandated the First In, First
Out (FIFO) system for the court
hearing as proposed by Atty. Roques
law firm. Under the FIFO, the court
can convict defendants for whom
evidence have already been heard,
according to Atty Roque. He adds
that with this system, justice can
promulgate until next year: This
2015, against the three Ampatuans;
in 2016 against all Ampatuans.
Ultimately, to bring justice to the
victims of the Ampatuan massacre
will mean a milestone in the arduous
fight against impunity. It will also
mean better conditions for those
who aspire to become the watchdog
of the government, like Christian
who plans to pursue his ambition to
be a journalist after he graduates. He
keeps on to his belief that Journalists
should not be afraid of their
government; the government
should be afraid of its
journalists.

SUNUD-SUNOD
NA
PUTOK
ng mga baril ang umalingawngaw
matapos ang marahas na pagbomba ng
mga pulis ng tubig at tear gas sa mga
magsasakat manggagawa ng Hacienda
Luisita na may 6,435-ektaryang lupain
na pag-aari ng angkan ng CojuangcoAquino sa Tarlac.
Habang gumagapang palayo sa
insidente, tinamaan ng bala sa hita
si Jhaivie Basilio, 20 taong gulang.
Nang damputin siya ng mga pulis,
tinalian siya ng alambre sa leeg,
isinabit ang katawan sa bakod, at
saka binaril sa dibdib, kwento ni Nay
Violeta Basilio, ina ni Jhaivie.
Sampung taon na ang nakalipas
ngunit sariwa pa rin sa alaala ni Nay
Violeta ang sinapit ng kanyang anak.
Si Jhaivie ang pinakabata sa pitong
napaslang sa tinaguriang Hacienda
Luisita Massacre noong ika-16 ng
Nobyembre taong 2004, kung kailan
nagwelga ang mga magsasakat
manggagawa ng asyenda bunsod
ng kalunos-lunos nilang kalagayan.
Ilang buwan bago ang masaker,
namatay ang ama ni Jhaivie kaya
napilitan siyang magtrabaho bilang
isang tauhan sa tubuhan, kasabay
ng kanyang pag-aaral. Nung
buhay pa yung asawa ko,
P9.50 lang kada linggo ang
kinikita niya dahil sa
mga kaltas, at sa
pagpapatupad
ng patakarang
S t o c k
Distribution
O p t i o n
(SDO),
ani
Nay Violeta. Sa
ilalim ng SDO,

kinakaltasan ang kanilang sahod para sa

rasyon ng bigas, asukal, at pautang para
sa pangangailangang pang-edukasyon
at medikal ng kanilang pamilya.
Gayunman, hindi umano nila
napakikinabangan ang nasabing mga
benepisyo. Sa katunayan, napilitang
mangibang bansa ang dalawang anak
ni Nay Violeta, kaya naman tanging ang
bunsong anak na lamang niya ang kanyang
kapiling. May sarili na silang pamilya
doon. Hindi ko na nga maalala kung
kailan umuwi yung mga anak ko, isa nasa
California at yung isa nasa
Singapore, pahayag
ni Nay Violeta.

Matagal nang ipinapanagawan

ng mga magsasaka na ipamahagi na
ang lupang matagal na dapat nilang
pagmamay-ari. Taong 1957 nang
bilhin ng pamilya Cojuangco ang
Hacienda Luisita at Central Azucarera
de Tarlac mula sa Tabacalera, isang
korporasyong Espanyol. Pautang
mula sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
at Government Service and Insurance
System ang perang ipinambili ng
Cojuangco, sa kondisyong
ipamamahagi sa
mga

magsasaka ang lupain matapos ang

sampung taon.
Lumipas ang dalawang dekada
ngunit hindi tumupad ang CojuangcoAquino sa kasunduan. Sa halip ginawa
pang legal ang pag-angkin sa lupain
nang isabatas ang 1988 Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)
sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni dating
Pangulong Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino.
Sa ilalim ng CARP, hindi maaaring
ipamahagi sa mga
magsasaka
ang
lupaing hindi

agrikultural kaya isinailalim ang

asyenda sa land use conversion
kung saan tinayuan ng mga
komersyal at residensyal na gusali
ang malaking bahagi ng tubuhan.
Dahil dito, maraming mga magsasaka
at manggagawa sa tubuhan ang
nawalan ng trabaho.
Instead of seeking justice
for the victims, Aquino continues
to champion the interests of the
landowning class and the coercive
state apparatus that brought about the
Luisita Massacre, ani Renato Reyes
Jr., Secretary General ng partidong
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan.
Dagdag ni Nay Violeta, karahasan
ang sinalubong sa kanila ng mga
pulis nang magprotesta sila sa harap
ng bahay ni PNoy sa Time Street
noong anibersaryo ng masaker.
Tumakbo ako sa sasakyan kasi
pinagpapalo na ng mga pulis yung
mga kasama ko. Ani Nay Violeta
hinarangan din ng bato
ang sasakyan para hindi
sila
makaalis,

SAKSI ANG BUONG MUNDO

sa pagbayo ng bagyong Yolanda
sa Kabisayaan noong Nobyembre
2013. Sa pananalasa ng bagyo, hindi
lamang kabuhayan at kabahayan ang
nasira, kundi maging ang buhay ng
libu-libong mamamayan ng Leyte,
Samar at iba pang bahagi ng Visayas.
At para kay Gelleene Casino, isang
mag-aaral ng BS Management sa UP
Visayas Tacloban Campus (UPVTC),
may dala pa ring lungkot ang
pagbabalik-tanaw sa naranasan niyang
trahedya. Nakaligtas man ang pamilya
niya at ang kanyang mga kababayan sa
Catbalogan, Samar, humagupit naman
ang bagyo sa siyudad ng Tacloban, ang
pangalawa niyang tahanan.
Umiiyak lang ako noong narinig
namin yung balita sa nangyari [doon].
Nag-alala ako para sa mga kaklase at
schoolmates ko. Hindi ko sila noon
ma-contact, lalo nat walang balitang
dumadating sa Samar, kwento niya.
Nagdulot ang bagyong Yolanda, isa sa
pinakamalakas na bagyo sa kasaysayan ng
buong mundo, sa pagkasawi ng humigitkumulang 6,300 katao, at pagkawala
ng mahigit 1,000 katao, ayon sa tala ng
National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (NDRRMC).
The devastation wrought by
Typhoon Yolanda manifests the
continuing failure of the government
to adequately prepare the country
for the worst challenges of climate
changea
comprehensive
failure that cost lives and
livelihoods, ayon sa pahayag
ng
grupong
Kalikasan
Peoples Network for the
Environment (Kalikasan PNE).
Nagkaroon man ng babala
mula sa mga internasyunal na
ahensya, hindi sapat ang naging
pagtugon ng pamahalaan upang
paghandaan ang pagdating ng
bagyo at mailikas ang mga residente
ng Tacloban at iba pang karatig-bayan.
Despite this chronic situation of
disaster and climate vulnerability,
no sufficient disaster riskreduction
and
climateproofing

at nakalabas lamang sila nang

dumating na ang midya,
Nobyembre
2011
pa
nang
sangayunan ng Korte Suprema
ang pamamahagi ng lupain sa mga
magsasaka subalit hanggang ngayon
hindi pa rin ito naipatutupad ng
administrasyon ni PNoy. Aquino cannot
ensure justice for the victims because he
himself is one of the main perpetrators
and staunchest defenders of the
Hacienda Luisita massacre, ani Ranmil
Echanis, Punong Kalihim ng Unyon ng
mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura.
Sa pagbabalik ni Nay Violeta
sa lugar kung saan pinaslang ang
kanyang anak, napansin niya ang
malaking pagbabago nakatindig
na ang mga gusalit bakod at wala
na rin ang bakas ng dugo ng mga
manggagawat magsasaka. Subalit
kahit tila nilimot na ng panahon ang
alaala ng karahasan, umaasa si Nay
Violeta na ang bawat pagkilos niya
ay hakbang tungo sa
pagkamit ng hustisyang
patuloy na mailap para
kina Jhaivie at sa iba
pang magsasaka
ng asyenda.

B A H I D N G PA N L I L I N L A N G

o
ny

ise

an
aw bey
n
i
al Co
a C rei
s
Y nd
ni
o an A
h
bu i J
Di na n
i
ah
gp

measures are seen to be implemented

across the country's hazardous and
climate-sensitive areas, ayon sa
Kalikasan PNE.
Maging ang mga relief operations
pagkatapos ng bagyo, tila napabayaan
din ng pamahalaan. One year after,
thousands of our kababayans in Yolandahit areas find it difficult to recover from
the tragedy, receiving little or no aid
from government, ani Suyin Jamoralin,
convenor ng Climate Change Network
for Community-Based Initiatives, sa
isang forum na ginanap sa UP Diliman.
May mga pagkakataon talagang
napapaisip ako kung saan ba napunta
yung bilyon-bilyong tulong mula
sa ibang mga bansa, lalo na kapag
nakikita ko yung mga pamilyang
nakatira pa rin sa mga tent hanggang
ngayon, ani Gelleene. Hanggang
ngayon, humigit-kumulang 250,000
pamilya ang nakatira pa rin sa mga
evacuation centers, tent cities, at bunk
houses, ayon sa IBON Foundation,
isang institusyong pananaliksik.
Ilan pang malalakas na bagyo ang
tumama sa Visayas at ilang bahagi
ng Mindanao matapos ang bagyong
Yolanda, subalit tila hindi pa rin natuto
ang pamahalaan sa nagdaang trahedya.
Kamakailan lang nang tumama ang
bagyong Seniang at 59 katao ang
nasawi dahil sa pagbaha at pagguho ng
lupa, ayon sa tala ng NDRRMC.
Sa kasagsagan ng pananalasa
ng bagyo, bumida naman sa mga
pahayagan si Pangulong Benigno
Aquino na nakikisalamuha sa kasalan
ng sikat na mga artista. Tila sinasalamin
nito hindi lamang ang mapagpanggap
na paghahanda ng gobyerno sa mga
kalamidad na nananalasa sa mahihirap
na mga komunidad sa bansa, kundi
maging ang pagsasawalang-bahala ng
mismong lider ng bansa.
We dont want to experience
another Yolanda tragedy. We must
demand accountability from the
Aquino government for abandoning
its responsibility to prepare people for
disasters, rehabilitate communities
after the destruction, and help people
to recover from tragedies, pahayag ni
Dr. Efleda Bautista, tagapangulo ng
Peoples Surge, isang alyansa para sa
mga biktima ng bagyong Yolanda.
Para kay Gelleene, nagsisilbing
instrumento ang pag-alala sa
trahedyang dinanas ng kanyang mga
kababayan upang pagtibayin ang
kanyang paniniwalang makakamit
din ang hustisya hindi lamang ng
mga nasawi noong bagyong Yolanda,
kundi maging ng mga biktima ng
pagpapatuloy na kapabayaan
ng pamahalaan.

MAHIGIT DAL AWANG DEKADA NA ANG DUMAAN MUL A NANG MAGANAP ANG

SUBALIT HINDI L AMANG SA MGA BIKTIMA NG MENDIOL A MASSACRE NAGING

MENDIOL A MASSACRE, KUNG SAAN 13 MAGSASAKA ANG ANG NAPASL ANG SA

MAIL AP ANG HUSTISYA. KAUGNAY NG PAGGUNITA SA NAGANAP NA MGA

ISANG KILOS-PROTESTA NA NANANAWAGAN NG TUNAY NA PAGBABAGO SA

MASAKER SA BANSA ANG PAIGTINGIN ANG PANAWAGANG PANAGUTIN ANG

IL ALIM NG PANUNUNGKUL AN NI DATING PANGULONG CORA ZON AQUINO.

MGA TAONG RESPONSABLE SA LIKOD NG BAWAT TRAHEDYA.

KULTURA

Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015

Julian Bato
TOUTED AS THE PEOPLES POPE
by believers and non-believers alike,
Jose Maria Bergoglio has continuously
stunned the Filipino nation by
highlighting the struggle of the poor
and marginalized. But beyond the
religious hysteria, his visit might
mean more to this country where a
system prevents the prevalence of
mercy and compassion. Millions of
Filipinos, including the President
himself, listened as a foreigner in
billowing, white clothes preached of
the current social structure and how
it perpetuates poverty, ignorance, and
corruption.

A poor church for the poor

Existing for almost two millennia,
The Roman Catholic Church is
arguably one of the most influential
religious institutions in the world, with
the Pope as the human embodiment of
Catholic virtues and morals. Being the
Vicar of Christ himself, according
to Roman Catholic doctrine, the
Pope has been assigned the highest
evangelical responsibility to lead
and promote the said doctrine.
Despite some Popes like
Paul VI and John Paul II that
tried to reach out to the
masses by travelling, most
Popes before Francis I
have maintained long-

standing traditions, restricting their

potential to incite change in a Church
caught in antiquity. The Churchs
streak of conservatism is disrupted
with the ascension to the papacy of
Pope Francis. Branded by some as
revolutionary, Pope Francis began to
return the backward institution to its
subversive roots by reclaiming the
Church for the poor.
Aware of a world outside the
Holy Sees comforts, Pope Francis has
consistently affirmed his stand against
economic systems that ushered in a
global zeitgeist of economic disparity.
Under his tutelage, the Holy See
had readmitted liberation theology,
a movement which situates the
teachings of Christ in the struggle
against the worlds social injustices.
But a Pope doesnt easily turn
around from traditions that shackle
the papacy. While showing sympathy
to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender (LGBT) community
and recognizing the significance of
women in the church, Pope Francis
unwaveringly kept the traditional
Catholic stance against gay marriage
and women ordination. He has also
remained orthodox on issues of sexual
morality, abortion, and birth control.
Despite bringing fresh air, the papacy
still has miles to go to recreate a
Church that is accepting of all.

Learn from the poor

Despite Pope Francis ideological
contradictions, his planned visit
still set waves of excitement and
anticipation. After all, he is still
the religious leader of more than
75 million Filipinos but his radical views
have yet to be genuinely embraced
by the masses. The government and
its agencies and institutions, and
commercial corporations including
the largest mainstream media outfits
in the country, have, sadly,
portrayed the Pope as a mere
foreigner,
focusing

more on accolades for the Pope and

on less important details such as the
Popes fashion and appetite.
His visit has suspended work
and school and attracted millions to
give way for the Filipino culture to
venerate an important religious icon
through acts of sacrifice, a tradition
also manifested in the Translacion of
the Nazareno. To even see a glimpse of
him or even hear him preach become
ultimate life goals for the faithful,
as how the Roman Catholic Church
and even the reactionary Philippine
government have envisioned it. In
misplaced hopes and dreams of getting
cleansed from their sins or having their
wishes granted, the multitudes have
walked miles, starved, and endured
cramped spaces. The country has
been caught in a religious frenzy and
a conservative atmosphere of culture,
with songs, paintings, sculptures,
and other artforms made for him and
in adornment of him, showing that
their state-reinforced fanaticism has
blurred the boundaries of Pope Francis
as man from deity.
The visit has undoubtedly
reaffirmed the feudal power relations
violently built by the Spanish
colonizers and maintained by the local
ruling class order. What is taken as
proof of the unshakeable faith of the
country is really a manifestation of
the Filipino Catholics subservience to
the colonial power. The visit has also
revealed capitalist cooptation. Even
before the Popes arrival, capitalists
have already taken Popemania for
granted, selling Pope merchandise of
all sorts, incorporating images of the
venerated in advertisements of oil
corporations, malls, beverage products
and even skin whiteners. To also profit
from the peaked interest of the masses
for the Pope, the media religiously
documented his arrival and departure
and exhausting all possible trivias,
putting a celebrity spotlight on a Pope
that hates being the center of attention
especially when the plight of the
marginalized is denied airtime.

9
To conceal its deficiencies, the
government induces a temporary
cultural amnesia, hiding the trappings
of an oppressive society that they
helped create. Overnight, Manila
streets part of the Popes route
transformed into decent roads,
decluttered from the usual garbage the
citizens pass by. Even street children,
informal settlers, and beggars were
admittedly displaced temporarily by
BS Aquino IIIs Department of Social
Work and Development (DSWD) out
of sight to hide urban poverty just as
what it has done to numerous victims
of forced disappearances to conceal
the states fascist might.
Youth, women, workers and other
marginalized groups who marched to
personally tell the Pope the numerous
injustices done against the poor were
blocked by police and state violence.
In the Pope, they see hope that their
problems will meet a solution since
their calls fall on the deaf ears of the
government. Perfuming their hands
stained with the systematic abuse
of the lower classes, the ruling class
wields false hospitality to keep its
status quo.

Learn how to weep

However, critical groups and
individuals in the country have tried
to raise the ante of the Popes visit by
highlighting the progressive ideas of
Francis. Contrary to what mainstream
media is stressing, the importance
of the papal visit goes beyond the
discourse of the Catholic doctrine. Its
objective, which is to see firsthand the
horrific struggle of Yolanda victims,
affirms his subversion and opposition
to corrupt states. For a foreigner
to be able to go to Tacloban out of
a desire to fully understand what
abandonment has done to the victims
creates an ironic clash with a
president willing to leave

the hurricane-stricken town before

it recovered for personal, political
interests.
Through his visit to Yolanda,
the Pope has been a reminder that
a government unaligned with the
empowering of the masses will
spell disaster for a country that has
suffered centuries of colonial slavery
and of a continuing neo-colonial
order purported by the United StatesAquino regime. The papal visit made it
clear that the same oppressive forces
are more than willing to distort the
reality of a revolutionary Pope to
suit their interests. The masses should
listen to what the pontiff has been
telling them between the lines: to weep
in order to clear their ignorant eyes
of the infinite forms of injustice and
inequality in a system rife with greed.
Because only when they are awakened
that the masses can unite to create a
better world for all men of all religions.
Moreover, the masses should listen
to what the masses themselves have
been telling all these centuries:
that a systematic and radical
change of the politics, economics
and culture of the country is
imperative.

Illustration by Ysa Calinawan

Page design by Jerome Tagaro

Where are the Poor?

Papal Visit, State Hospitality and Politico-Cultural Amnesia

10

OPINYON

Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015

PASAKALYE

I am not Charlie
Patricia Ramos
BEFORE JANUARY 7, CHARLIE HEBDO
was just some French satirical magazine
originally known as the monthly
publication Hara-Kiri that was first
published in 1969. I certainly didnt know
of it until the headline Four French
cartoonists murdered in terrorist attack
was all over my Facebook newsfeed. All
I remember feeling then was the kind
of shock you felt with the death of a
colleague, someone who shared more or
less the same experiences as you did.
As an illustrator myself, the deaths of
cartoonists Stphane Charbonnier, Jean
Cabut, Philippe Honor, Bernard Verlhac,
Georges Wolinski and 12 other innocent
victims at the hands of two masked terrorists
hit me pretty hard. Several of my friends
posted drawings expressing mourning
and sympathy, sending out their prayers to
Charlie Hebdo and those close to the victims.
A drawing has never killed anyone,
Charbonnier once said in 2012. Now, the
world is aware of the irony of the situation
of the dangers that even illustrated ideas
post. This awareness bore the now-famous
hashtag #JeSuisCharlie, or #IAmCharlie.
In the aftermath of the attack, everyone had
identified with some previously vague French
satirical magazine that had been violently
attacked on the first week of the year.
Prior to the attack, however, Charlie
Hebdo had already been the target of several
threats, resulting mostly from their cartoons
on the Islam faith. Drawings of a hooknosed prophet Muhammad, stereotypical
images of West Asians, and cartoons that
sometimes generalized all Muslims as

extremists were the satirical, irreverent

trademark of Charlie Hebdo. Very often,
they bordered on
being racist and
d i s re s p e c t f u l ,
yet they fail to
provide deeper
analysis
on
the issues they
portray in their
cartoons.
Even
the
survivors
issue released
on January 14
had a Prophet
Muhammad
holding a Je
Suis
Charlie
sign on the
cover,
still
re t a i n i n g
its
careless
philosophy. I might be over-reading,
but even there, his head was drawn to
look slightly phallic.
As a Visual Communications
student, I have learned that it is
impossible to control how people
receive our work, and Charlie Hebdo
would have known that. They were well
aware of how provoking their cartoons
were. Several staffers including
Charbonnier were under police
protection, and they had already been
criticized. After a 2012 attack, French
Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius
addressed the publication when he said,

Is it really sensible or intelligent to pour

oil on the fire? And with utmost sincerity,
I think the 2015 attack
wouldnt have come off
as a surprise.
I do not and will never
condone violence in the
name of ideas in any
form, especially when
it is against people who
do nothing else but draw
and write. But where
do we draw the line
between cartoons being
blatantly
impertinent
versus
being
brave
and saying something
unique? Charlie Hebdo
crossed that thin line
repeatedly, to the point
of discriminating against
ones religion and being
sexist and racist. If
they directed their art for the benefit of
the majority and were persecuted for it
the way victims of the Martial Law here
in the Philippines had been, then I could
confidently side with them being martyrs of
freedom of speech and expression.
To loosely quote Jacob Canfield who
wrote a critique towards Charlie Hebdo
after the attack, killing people over cartoons
is one thing, and its very atrocious and
condemnable. Drawing and sending out
hateful messages with cartoons is another, but
that too can be atrocious and condemnable.
I am a cartoonist, but I can never be like
Charlie Hebdo. I am not Charlie.

But where do
we draw the line
between cartoons
being blatantly
impertinent versus
being brave and
saying something
unique?

The Presidents Eulogy

John Keithley Difuntorum
ARRIVE
FASHIONABLY
LATE.
Let them realize that youre still the
commander-in-chief and you still call the
shots. Let them think you have better things
to do than grieve. Besides, even with all
their bravery and gallantry, those soldiers
still failed you. And
the president doesnt
entertain failures. He
only accommodates
weddings,
ribboncuttings and funny
interviews. Funerals
are bad for the press.
Start by discussing
the
eventuality
of death, like its
supposed to abate grief
or something. Tell
them you understand
how they feel because
your father too was
mercilessly
gunned
down. Make this
funeral about you and your fathers story.
Indulge your vanities, like you did when
you sent those soldiers on an operation
filled with uncertainty just so you could
revel in the glory if it succeeded. Wear
a pained look on your face; it might help
people forget that yesterday, you were
busy celebrating the opening of a car store
instead of welcoming the arrival of the

corpses.
If all else fails, invoke Gods name.
People love a religious and spiritual
president. Get good karma from the
success of the Popes visit. Just brush
aside the news of Secretary Solimon
rounding up the
street children to
help keep your
image of the
country sparkly
clean. Remember,
its all about
keeping a good
image.
A s s u r e
the
mourners
that
here
in
our
country,
justice is served.
Mention trivial
but
thoughtprovoking words
like
rule
of
law and board of inquiry. Console
them with the supposed existence of
a due process and regale in the fact
that theyll believe anything you say.
You already did this with the families
of Jennifer Laude, the victims of
the Zamboanga Siege, and of the
Maguindanao Massacre. By now, this
should be elementary.

Never mention
your stake in all
thats happened.
The important
thing here
is to escape
unscathed.

Bring up the reality of a financial aid,

but take heed in mentioning long-term
assistance. These families should not get
any ideas. Secure them like you secured
the beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash
Transfer program.
End by talking about legacy and
sacrifice as if the Fallen 44 were made
aware that they were walking into their
death. Compare your fathers death with
that of the soldiers; forget the fact that
your fathers death was glorified because
he came home against all odds to face a
dictator, while the death of the Fallen 44
was merely dubbed as a mis-encounter
by no less than your own people.
Never mention your stake in all thats
happened. The important thing here is to
escape unscathed. Distance yourself from
the fall guy. Limit your involvement with
the matter, just like what you did with the
Disbursement Acceleration Program. After
all, Filipinos easily forget. Sooner or later,
this will all be swept under the rug. Wait
for the next great scandal for the media to
feast on. If things dont go fast enough, how
about opening talks for charter change?
Dont forget to shed a tear or two. Hug
the mourners convincingly. Its all good
press.

Unang tingin
Dessa Arissa P. de Dios
MAY ANGKING HALINA NG BATUBALANI ANG UNANG
beses ng pagtatama ng ating mga mata.
Una kitang nakilala sa field ng isang GE na pareho nating
inelist dahil naniwala tayong uno-able ito. Ikaw yung bibo kong
kagrupo pero sobrang corny ng mga jokes. Naalala ko pa kung
paano tayo unang nag-usap. Magka-grupo tayo noon sa isang
activity at nang matalo ang grupo natin sa tug of war bigla kang
nagjoke pero walang pumasin. Natawa ako, hindi sa joke mo
kundi sa reaksyon ng mga tao.
Mukhang natuwa ka sa akin dahil akala mo ako lang ang
naka-appreciate sa joke mo. Noong sumunod na activity ako na
lang ang kinausap mo.
Sa totoo lang tamad na tamad na akong pumasok sa klase.
Hindi na ako masaya na araw-araw kong pinoproblema ang mga
numero habang yung mga kaibigan ko ibang bagay ang iniisip.
Hindi ko magawang magpasalamat kasi ito lang ang problema ko,
pakiramdam ko wala lang akong kwenta dahil wala akong maibigay
na tulong sa kanila. Ni hindi nga ako makapagbahagi ng kung anong
problema ko kasi nahiya naman ako sa mga kwento nila.
Nung nakaraang linggo lang nang magkayayaan kaming
magkakaibigan na mag-inuman sa may Kalayaan. Sa kabilang
table pamilyar ang isang boses at nang lumingon ako isang
pamilyar na katawan ang nakita ko. Lumapit ako at akmang
hahawakan ko na siya sa braso nang bigla itong lumingon.
Sorry, akala ko yung kakilala ko. Bilis-bilis akong umalis.
Nakakainis, yun na lang ang nasabi ko sa sarili ko. Akala
ko ikaw na yun. Hindi na ako natuto. Oo nga pala, daig mo pa
nga pala ang kabute na biglaang sumusulpotsa CASAA, SC,
Vinzons, acad oval at hamakin mo yun sa college. Siguro may
tinatapos kang series sa college o natipuhan mo lang kumuha
ng GE noong nakaraang semestre.
Sa isat kalahating oras ng klase natin marami ka ng
naibahaging kwento sa akin na mataman ko namang pinakinggan.
Mula sa paborito mong sports, pinaka-ayaw na pagkain, hanggang
sa mga unang karanasan sa loob ng unibersidadunang beses na
pagpasok sa isang gusali, pagpunta sa UP Fair o Oblation Run,
unang tikim ng isaw ni Mang Larry, unang litrato na kasama si
Oble, at maging ang unang sabak mo sa rali.
Sa katunayan, aliw na aliw ako sa mga kwento mo. Lalo na sa
tatlong beses na pagpunta mo sa rali, na sabi mo nga nagkataon
lang o di kayay nahila ka ng ilang mga kaibigan. Pero sabi mo
rin okay lang sayo, kaso ang hindi okay ay ang maranasan
na mahampas ng batuta, mabuhusan ng tubig at matamaan
ng itinapong teargas ng mga pulis. Sa dinami-dami ng mga
nagrarali, ikaw ang tunay na pinagpala. Madalas din tayong
magpalitan ng kuro-kuro tungkol sa mga pinapanood natin na
balita, pelikula, dulaan at kung ano-ano pa. Para kang si Kris
Aquino, opinyonada. Ang kaibahan lang siguro yung sayo may
point, yung kay Kris wala. Ika nga nila, arte lang.
Ewan ko ba, pero hindi ka naman boring kasama. Sa totoo
lang, witty ka naman talaga, kaso bad joke lang talaga ang
ginawa mo nun sa isang activity natin sa class.
Matapos ang GE class na yun hindi na tayo ulit nagkausap.
Paminsan-minsan na lang kita nakikita. Nung isang araw lang
hindi ko inaakalang makikita kita sa rali ng mga estudyante
hinggil sa Mamasapano. Marami kang kasama, lahat sila nakaitim. Taliwas sa nauna mong kwento, mukhang may org ka na.
Naglalakbay pa ang diwa ko habang iniikot-ikot ang
isang daliri sa bunganga ng bote ng hawak kong alak. Tagay
at buntong-hininga. Kailan kaya kita ulit makikita?

OPINYON

Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015

EKSENANG PEYUPS

NEWSCAN

Matuto, mamulat, gumanda!

SALI NA SA UP REPERTORY
COMPANY!

AND SO WERE BAAAAAAAAACK

Iskos and Iskas! Ang edishung ito ng
eksenang peyups ay magtatampok
ng mga hugot na tatagos at kikiliti
sa mga tigang niyong pagnanasa. Its
Valentines season na nga at nanalo
nang bonggang-bongga si papa Sam
Smith sa Grammys! Kulang na lang
ay manalo ka sa puso niya. Hahaha
chikaaa!
HUGOT #1: Dearest papabell
who doesnt get tired fighting for
our rights. I love you so much
poooo. Nakakainlove ang pagiging
articulate mo in class and in mobs
poo. Nakakainlove rin ang pagiging
student leader mo. Youre so cute
and it makes me want to put you in
a jar and keep you forever!!! Sobrang
nakaka-L, nakaka-laway, kapag
naaalala kita because your presence
reaches me even if we are two
floors away! Mygaaaad I want this
fantasy of mine to remain between
me and my hands only, chos! Basta
alalahanin mo ang sinabi ni Ninalyn
Uy, isa lang naman ang pamantayan
ko sa karelasyon ikaw. Sorry
fellow iskas, hindi ko siya pwede
pangalanan. Waaaaaah
HUGOT #2: Dearest friend mula
sa maskomportableng kolehiyooo.
Yang ganyang ka-overwhelming
na love ay imposibleng walang
mapuntahan, okay? Pero pleaseee,
wag mo naman sanang sayangin na
lang yan at ibuhos sa mga what-ifs
mo sa buhay. Jusko ka girl, ginawa
mo pang venue to daydream yang
Feel Star rum niyo. Theres a thing
called tadhana and theres also a
thing called P*TA-ALAM-KONGGUSTO-KA-RIN-NIYA so go na
pleaseee! Make your valentines
special!
HUGOT #3: Kathing called
bawal-sa-jeep itong last na hugot.
Mygaaaad sobrang kalurkey itong
makahugot ng kamay sa blusa ni
ateng itong si kuya while on their
way to Kruz na Ligaz Heights.
Kathing-kathing na ba talaga?
Infernez nagenjoy naman ako taking
a glimpse sa pagkakapaan niyo.
Hahaha. Im open to join you both,
akyat lang kayo sa opis ko. chaaaaaar
And thats the Victor Hugots of
this season. I will lurk around the
fences of this years UP Fair wearing
a lavender dress and nothing under.
If you want to share some feels
with me, you can fill me in. Hahaha.
Happy Single Awareness month
everybody!!!

UP Communication Research
Department
in cooperation with

Philippine Association of
Communication Educators and
Philippines Communication
Society
Invites you to

4th National
Communication Research
Conference
COMMUNICATING HEALTH,
WELLNESS AND LEISURE

February 16 17, 2015

Cine Adarna, College of Mass
Communication ,University of the
Philippines Diliman, Quezon City
FB: https://www.facebook.com/
NationalCommResConference
Twitter: @ncrcph
Email: ncrcph@gmail.com

Tara na't sumali sa tinaguriang

"University's Official Performing
for Philippine Theatre"! I-avail ang
libreng workshops, educational
discussions, maging artista sa
produksyon at marami pang iba!
Bukas ang aming tambayan
(Rm 104-B ng Vinzons Hall) mula
February 10 hanggang 13 para sa
lahat ng gustong mag-apply.
Kung
interesado,
kontakin
lamang
si
MAMA
MERZ:
09268022072
O kaya'y magsign-up online:
http://goo.gl/forms/HHB1qxNfQO

BILANGGO NG PAG-IBIG

based on Jean Genet's Prisoner of

Love and some events from his life
by: Rodolfo Vera | direction: Jos
Estrella
Opens this February 11 to
March 1, 2015 at the Wilfrido Ma.
Guerrero Theater 2nd Floor Palma
Hall, University of the Philippines
Diliman
For tickets, sponsorships and
showbuying inquiries, call Camille
Guevara 09178239531, 9261349,
4337840, 9818500 loc 2449 or email
dulaangupmarketing@gmail.com or
dupguevara@gmail.com.

11
UP Experimental Democratization
Students Association

TEXTBACK

BALLET & BALLADS

Ballet Manila
Lisa Macuha
Luke Mijares
Abelardo Hall, College of Music,
UP Diliman
February 13, Friday, 4:00 PM
Soar new heights this UP Diliman
Month 2015!
Experience a new high with the
vibrant UPDC - University of the
Philippines Dance Company
in

NEXT WEEKS QUESTIONS:

Sa bilang na 1-10, gaano

kalamig ang Valentines
Day mo at bakit?

Anong mensahe mo para

kay Purisima/Aquino at sa
isyu ng Mamasapano?

CLASS MENU REVISITED

dance concert

on Friday, February 13, 7pm at the

UP Theater.
Diverse genres of dance, from
classical ballet, neo-classical, folk, to
contemporary will be performed.
Fly to the National Institute
of Physics, College of Science
on Monday, February 16, 6pm to
participate in the exhibit opening of
BAGWIS 2, featuring photographs
of UP and Quezon City's avian
treasures. The exhibit is co-curated
by Dr. Reuel Aguila, Prof. Bert
Madrigal and Dr.Armando Somintac.
#UPDilimanMonth2015

Ipadala ang inyong mga

sagot, opinyon at komento sa
Kule! Itype ang KULE <space>
STUDENT NUMBER <space>
PANGALAN at kurso at ipadala sa

09286362326