KULTURApage 10»

EDITORYAL page 2

EDITORYAL p. 2

TERORISTA NG BAYANDibuho ni Ysa Calinawan

UMABOT NA SA QUOTA ang pangulo—ang 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 nagsagupaan—bulwak 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 diumano’y programang pabahay o resettlement areas. Ngayon nama’y kinikilala si Aquino bilang tuta ng US, ang promotor ng operasyon sa Mamasapano. Ang tunay na

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 diumano’y kontra-teroristang 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 iba’t ibang opinyon hinggil sa “all-out 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 pinag-aaralan 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 kapayapaan—pagtukoy 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 iilan—magiging 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.

Patuloy ang US-Aquino sa paghuhugas-kamay at pagtatakip ng kanilang kasalanan: blackout hinggil sa Operation Wolverine, kuwestiyonableng deklarasyon ng pagkamatay ni Marwan, at diumano’y 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 bigyang-diin 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.

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, labis-labis 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 terorista’y walang lugar na pamunuan ang bayan. -

Terorista ng bayan

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

2 Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015EDITORYAL

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

DagimMary Joy CapistranoPunong Patnugot

Gloiza Rufina PlamencoKapatnugot

John Keithley DifuntorumPatnugot sa Litrato

Ysa CalinawanPatnugot sa Grapix

Emmanuel Jerome TagaroPatnugot sa Leyawt

Kawani Patricia RamosPinansiya 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

Philippine Collegian

“

SIPATSa 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.

“

3Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015 BALITA

�

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 university’s 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

Highlights of the 39th GASC Body upholds CRSRS without amendments

Gloiza Plamenco

‘Boycott TOFI consultations’- youth groups

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.

“We’ll 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 actionUpon 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 today’s youth but of generations to come,” Gabral added. -

Arra B. Francia

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. -

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, walong miyembro ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front, limang miyembro ng Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, at pitong sibilyan. | Dylan Reyes

4 Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015BALITA

Glitches in fees assessment stall UPM enrolmentTHE 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

Aquino unable to sustain fading economic miracle – IBON

WITH THE COUNTRY’S economic growth hitting a decline during the first three quarters of 2014, the Aquino administration’s 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 country’s 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 country’s 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 country’s international trade and investment relations,” said Sonny Africa, research head at IBON.

Foreign-based economyThe 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 country’s 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 country’s 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 growthAround 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 iba’t-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

Arra B. Francia

Andrea Joyce Lucas Arra B. Francia

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

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 Baños 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

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. -

Police Briefs

FRESHIE, NAWALAN NG P28KSa 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, 5’2 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 UP-Pantranco jeep si Niña Paulina Nuñez, 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 Nuñez 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

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

Sheila Ann Abarra

Sundan sa susunod na pahina

5Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015 BALITA

Pagtaas ng pasahe sa LRT, MRT, pahirap sa mga manggagawa – Bayan MunaKINUNDENA NG IBA’T 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 taas-pasahe 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.

“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 araw-araw tinitiis ang siksikan at mahabang pila sa LRT upang makapasok ng ala-siyete 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 Aquino’s anti-commuter and anti-poor fare hike,” ani Riles Laan sa Sambayanan Network Spokesperson Sammy Malunes. -

Hans Christian E. Marin

UP Booters pinasadsad ang Growling Tigers, 3-0

Hans Christian E. Marin

NAPATIBAY NG FIGHTING Maroons ang kanilang kapit para sa unang pwesto sa Final Four matapos

“We can’t be happy with the way we played. If you look at the result, it’s flattering. But if you look at the game, it’s 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 ika-19 ng Enero, ala-una ng hapon sa FEU - Diliman. -

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

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.

UPFight

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) Men’s Football noong ika-8 ng Pebrero sa Far Eastern University-Diliman.

Naging krusyal ang apat na sunod-sunod 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.

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. -

Police BriefsMula sa pahina 4

Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015LATHALAIN6-7

C H I L L I N GE F F E C T B A K A S N G A L A A L A P A G W A S A K

“THAT WAS ALMOST THE END of my dream. Who wouldn’t 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 Christian’s case. The fear prevented him from applying for Journalism in college, and chose instead a bachelor’s in Architecture. “Maybe [I regret this decision] a little, but the fear never leaves. I’m 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 government’s 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 harm’s 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 case’s 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

Dominic Dayta

Aldrin Villegas Gloiza Plamenco

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 board’s 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. Roque’s 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 magsasaka’t manggagawa ng Hacienda Luisita na may 6,435-ektaryang lupain na pag-aari ng angkan ng Cojuangco-Aquino 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 magsasaka’t 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 Cojuangco-Aquino 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,

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 gusali’t bakod at wala na rin ang bakas ng dugo ng mga manggagawa’t 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. -

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 na’t walang balitang dumadating sa Samar,” kwento niya.

Nagdulot ang bagyong Yolanda, isa sa pinakamalakas na bagyo sa kasaysayan ng buong mundo, sa pagkasawi ng humigit-kumulang 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

change…a comprehensive failure that cost lives and livelihoods,” ayon sa pahayag ng grupong Kalikasan

People’s 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 risk-

reduction and c l i m a t e -

p r o o f i n g

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 Yolanda-hit 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 don’t 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 People’s 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. -

Dibuho ni Ysa Calin

awan

Disenyo ng pahina ni Jan Andrei C

obey

B A H I D N G PA N L I L I N L A N GMAHIGIT DALAWANG DEKADA NA ANG DUMAAN MULA NANG MAGANAP ANG MENDIOLA MASSACRE, KUNG SAAN 13 MAGSASAKA ANG ANG NAPASLANG SA ISANG KILOS-PROTESTA NA NANANAWAGAN NG TUNAY NA PAGBABAGO SA ILALIM NG PANUNUNGKULAN NI DATING PANGULONG CORAZON AQUINO.

SUBALIT HINDI LAMANG SA MGA BIKTIMA NG MENDIOLA MASSACRE NAGING MAILAP ANG HUSTISYA. KAUGNAY NG PAGGUNITA SA NAGANAP NA MGA MASAKER SA BANSA ANG PAIGTINGIN ANG PANAWAGANG PANAGUTIN ANG MGA TAONG RESPONSABLE SA LIKOD NG BAWAT TRAHEDYA.

Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015LATHALAIN6-7

C H I L L I N GE F F E C T B A K A S N G A L A A L A P A G W A S A K

“THAT WAS ALMOST THE END of my dream. Who wouldn’t 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 Christian’s case. The fear prevented him from applying for Journalism in college, and chose instead a bachelor’s in Architecture. “Maybe [I regret this decision] a little, but the fear never leaves. I’m 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 government’s 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 harm’s 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 case’s 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

Dominic Dayta

Aldrin Villegas Gloiza Plamenco

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 board’s 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. Roque’s 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 magsasaka’t manggagawa ng Hacienda Luisita na may 6,435-ektaryang lupain na pag-aari ng angkan ng Cojuangco-Aquino 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 magsasaka’t 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 Cojuangco-Aquino 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,

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 gusali’t bakod at wala na rin ang bakas ng dugo ng mga manggagawa’t 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. -

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 na’t walang balitang dumadating sa Samar,” kwento niya.

Nagdulot ang bagyong Yolanda, isa sa pinakamalakas na bagyo sa kasaysayan ng buong mundo, sa pagkasawi ng humigit-kumulang 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

change…a comprehensive failure that cost lives and livelihoods,” ayon sa pahayag ng grupong Kalikasan

People’s 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 risk-

reduction and c l i m a t e -

p r o o f i n g

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 Yolanda-hit 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 don’t 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 People’s 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. -

Dibuho ni Ysa Calin

awan

Disenyo ng pahina ni Jan Andrei C

obey

B A H I D N G PA N L I L I N L A N GMAHIGIT DALAWANG DEKADA NA ANG DUMAAN MULA NANG MAGANAP ANG MENDIOLA MASSACRE, KUNG SAAN 13 MAGSASAKA ANG ANG NAPASLANG SA ISANG KILOS-PROTESTA NA NANANAWAGAN NG TUNAY NA PAGBABAGO SA ILALIM NG PANUNUNGKULAN NI DATING PANGULONG CORAZON AQUINO.

SUBALIT HINDI LAMANG SA MGA BIKTIMA NG MENDIOLA MASSACRE NAGING MAILAP ANG HUSTISYA. KAUGNAY NG PAGGUNITA SA NAGANAP NA MGA MASAKER SA BANSA ANG PAIGTINGIN ANG PANAWAGANG PANAGUTIN ANG MGA TAONG RESPONSABLE SA LIKOD NG BAWAT TRAHEDYA.

5

9Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015 KULTURA

TOUTED AS THE PEOPLE’S 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 Church’s 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 See’s 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 world’s social injustices.

But a Pope doesn’t 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 Pope’s 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 Pope’s 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.

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 Pope’s 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 III’s 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 state’s 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 Pope’s 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 States-Aquino 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. -

Julian Bato

Where are the Poor?Papal Visit, State Hospitality and Politico-Cultural Amnesia

Illustration by Ysa CalinawanPage design by Jerome Tagaro

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 father’s death with that of the soldiers; forget the fact that your father’s 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 that’s 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 don’t go fast enough, how about opening talks for charter change?

Don’t forget to shed a tear or two. Hug the mourners convincingly. It’s all good press. -

corpses.If all else fails, invoke God’s name.

People love a religious and spiritual president. Get good karma from the success of the Pope’s 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, it’s 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 thought-provoking 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 they’ll 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.

10 Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015OPINYON

PASAKALYE

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 didn’t 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 Stéphane Charbonnier, Jean Cabut, Philippe Honoré, 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 hook-nosed 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 disrespectful , yet they fail to provide deeper analysis on the issues they portray in their cartoons.

Even the “ s u r v i v o r s ’ issue” released on January 14 had a Prophet M u h a m m a d holding a “Je Suis Charlie” sign on the cover, still r e 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 wouldn’t 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 one’s 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 it’s 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?

John Keithley Difuntorum

The President’s Eulogy

I am not CharliePatricia Ramos

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

ARRIVE FASHIONABLY LATE. Let them realize that you’re 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 doesn’t entertain failures. He only accommodates weddings, ribbon-cuttings and funny interviews. Funerals are bad for the press.

Start by discussing the eventuality of death, like it’s 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 father’s 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

Unang tingin

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 sumusulpot—sa 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 isa’t 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 unibersidad—unang 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 kaya’y nahila ka ng ilang mga kaibigan. Pero sabi mo rin okay lang sa’yo, 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 sa’yo 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 naka-itim. 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? -

Dessa Arissa P. de Dios

11Huwebes 12 Pebrero 2015 OPINYON

EKSENANG PEYUPS

AND SO WE’RE BAAAAAAAAACK Iskos and Iskas! Ang edishung ito ng eksenang peyups ay magtatampok ng mga hugot na tatagos at kikiliti sa mga tigang niyong pagnanasa. It’s 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 doesn’t 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. You’re 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. There’s a thing called tadhana and there’s also a thing called P*TA-ALAM-KONG-GUSTO-KA-RIN-NIYA so go na pleaseee! Make your valentine’s 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. I’m open to join you both, akyat lang kayo sa opis ko. chaaaaaar

And that’s the Victor Hugots of this season. I will lurk around the fences of this year’s 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!!! -

TEXTBACK

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?

NEXT WEEK’S QUESTIONS:

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

1

2

09286362326

NEWSCAN

UP Communication Research Department

in cooperation withPhilippine Association of

Communication Educators and Philippines Communication

Society

Invites you to

4th National Communication Research

Conference COMMUNICATING HEALTH,

WELLNESS AND LEISURE

February 16 – 17, 2015Cine Adarna, College of Mass Communication ,University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon CityFB: https://www.facebook.com/NationalCommResConferenceTwitter: @ncrcphEmail: ncrcph@gmail.com

Matuto, mamulat, gumanda!

SALI NA SA UP REPERTORY COMPANY!

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-IBIGbased on Jean Genet's Prisoner of

Love and some events from his life

by: Rodolfo Vera | direction: José 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.

UP Experimental Democratization Students Association

BALLET & BALLADS

Ballet ManilaLisa MacuhaLuke 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

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