The Manila Collegian Volume 33, Issue No. 1

05 MAGNA EST VERITAS ET PREVAELEBIT The Official Student Publication of University of the Philippines - Manila VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 | DECEMBER 22, 2020

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editorial

02 VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

Officer-in-Charge: Tammy B. Habal | Associate Editor for Internals: Christina Michaela D. Cambiado | Associate Editor for Externals: Bianca Ysabelle M. Baldemor | Managing Editor: Pauline Mae F. Magsino | Assistant Managing Editor: Natasha Beatrice D. Carolina | News Editor: Angela Vanessa V. Manuel Features Editor: Shanin Kyle C. Manuel | Culture Editor: Gwyneth C. Cruz | Graphics Editor: Vince Julius V. Balaga News Correspondents: Ma. Rowz Angela F. Fajardo • Sean Gere V. Pascual • Elaine Joyce C. Diaz • Rochel M. Floron IV | Features Correspondents: Irish Jem R. Bantolino • Danna Carissa R. Gonsalves • Marianne Zen Therese O. De Jesus | Culture Correspondents: Sophie Mireille R. Echivarre • Mikaela Marie Santillan | Illustrators: Justine Vince A. de Dios • Abigail Beatrice O. Malabrigo | Layout Artist: Trevor Phoenix Lomotos

True recovery

as one

THE PHILIPPINES IS still enduring the consequences brought by COVID-19. With strict quarantine protocols being toned down through time, this unanimity is continuously violated by the enforcers themselves. Contrary to the endeavor to “heal as one,” quarantine protocols were being violated and disregarded, such as the controversial Philippine National Police Chief Debold Sinas, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, and Senator Manny Pacquiao rendezvous.

about the

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ILLUSTRATION BY VINCE DE DIOS

Feliz Mortalidad Sa panibagong realidad ng sansinukob ay naging kabaong ang sabsaban. Kalong-kalong ng isang ina ang mga malalamig na bangkay ng kanyang mag-ama. Aniya’y namatay ang sanggol dahil sa malubhang sakit, habang ang mas nakatatanda ay pinatay ng mga naghahari-harian at nagbabalat-kayong pantas. Tahimik ang gabing iyon, ngunit siya’y nabibingi pa rin.

Hanggang sa sinambit niya, “Presidente, Presidente, bakit mo kami pinabayaan?”

CONNECT WITH US

Ideally, empathy and compassion should be, by default, given in times of crisis.

The current situation, however, begs to differ for empathy and transparency remain far from the reach of the common masses.

Viral infections are not peculiar to the Philippines. Despite efforts in eradicating the novel coronavirus, the Philippines has faced the same repeating situation in every pandemic - negligence of the healthcare sector. This has been worsened by the government’s prioritization and protection of the military and governing bodies over the country’s frontline workers. In August 2020, 60 medical associations called on the government to revert back from general to enhanced quarantine in the National Capital Region due to endless COVID-19 patients admitted for emergency care. Given the constant exposure to the virus, they are still being underpaid. Instead, they received thank-you’s as compensation for their sacrifices.

On the other hand, officials who had violated these quarantine protocols are either being pardoned, excused, or protected by the state. Sinas was pardoned by the president since he reasoned that the gathering was a mananita and he “couldn’t do anything about it.” In the same manner, Roque, who couldn’t postpone the tourism event in Cebu, continued his agenda, setting quarantine protocols aside. Pacquiao, ironic to his proposal of the “New Normal Bill,” still chose to defend the mass gathering in Batangas.

These officials were still allowed to work despite the fact that they violated quarantine protocols that they themselves were religiously enforcing. Thus, this deliberate oversight on having them sanctioned appropriately became biased against citizens who were being chastised over the same actions.

Levelling efforts from doing the bare minimum, the country can quickly recover if the governing bodies are the first in line to do their job in prioritizing, allotting, and following basic quarantine protocols. The power given by the people to the government must be disseminated properly, with transparency and honesty. The Philippines must conduct

and implement not just strict, but also scientifically grounded & more efficient quarantine protocols. And ideally, empathy and compassion should be, by default, given in times of crisis. The current situation, however, begs to differ for these two things remain far from the reach of the common masses.

In a period where national recovery from a pandemic is uncertain, the country must strengthen its healthcare workforce and resources by providing sufficient stipulation and subsidy to the nation’s frontliners. Agreeably, maximal and proper funding allocations for healthcare, science and research should be prioritized, as this may aid and prepare the country in facing potential health issues in the near future. The government, in return, should prioritize programs that are urgent for the country’s fight with COVID-19.

A precaution must be automatically prompted: the country is still under a lethal pandemic. Even a layman can understand this claim, that no one must not be pardoned from violating simple, unsophisticated quarantine protocols, especially those who are expected to follow these protocols firsthand. In accordance, WHO released an advisory on basic guidelines during the pandemic: maintaining physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well-ventilated, avoiding crowds, washing and cleaning hands properly, coughing responsibly (through covering your mouth with tissue or cloth), and seeking local and national advice on where you live and work.

Collectively, the country must heed to these guidelines in helping the country heal from COVID-19. Without any bias or form of laxity, no person shall be excused from violating any implementations.

As 2020 is approaching its end, may this year be a reflection to the creation of a resolution into bringing the Philippines into a COVID-free state. Cooperation, with utmost understanding and analysis of the current pandemic, should pave the way into the true recovery of the Filipino people as a nation.

CARTOON: CHRISTINA MICHAELA CAMBIADO

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VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

iskotistiks

Real Terrorists

Human rights under threat amidst strict quarantine measures Christel Castro, Emil Escudero, and Ethan Galvan NINE MONTHS AFTER the imposition of the longest and martial law-like lockdown in the Philippines – as military checkpoints, tanks, helicopters, and troops have been deployed – several human rights violations were reported. Victims of these abuses include civilians, farmers, journalists, and activists, while the culprit, the police and military, are still acting with impunity and blessing from the President.

Militaristic lockdown

President Rodrigo Duterte announced anew on November 30 the extension of the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) in COVID-19 hotspots until December 31. The strict community quarantines left the poorest citizens in the country jobless, hungry, and even victims of several human rights violations as the government implemented a militaristic response.

Since Duterte placed a Luzon-wide lockdown in early March, police and local officials have arrested thousands of people for violating quarantine guidelines like curfew and social distancing.

Different reports of abuse of these nabbed individuals emerged online, some of these are mistreatments of violators being locked up in dog cages and forced to sit in the midday sun.

Further reports of police beatings and killings surfaced. In particular, two cops in Ilocos Sur, identified as Police Staff Sergeants Randy Ramos and Marawi Torda, are the suspects of a rape-slay case of a 15-year-old girl. On December 20, Parañaque Police Officer Jonel Nuezca brutally shot and murdered two unarmed individuals in Paniqui, Tarlac.

Moreover, according to a report released by Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), an international monitoring group, 47% of the total incidents of violence against civilians from March to May were committed by the police and the military.

Agrarian reform conflicts

As the lockdown ensued, the situation of farmers worsened due to military occupancy in rural areas. Since July 2016, when Duterte became president, there have been

288 documented killings of farmers and peasant leaders. The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Tanggol Magsasaka reported that about 190 of this number were killed in the first half of this year.

In June 2020, six peasant leaders, who pushed for land reforms, were killed by unidentified suspects in Iloilo, Northern Samar, Negros Occidental, and Albay. The victims were Harold Tablazon, Zaldy Meraya and Bebe Tobino, Jose Jerry Catalogo, Elder Molina, and Jose Arthur Clemente.

On August 10, 2020, Anakpawis Chair and KMP Secretary General was killed in his home in Quezon City. Randy Echanis was unarmed while undergoing medical treatment when police forces raided his house. Echanis’ autopsy reports revealed that he was tortured having sustained multiple injuries that were not intended to kill him outright.

Echanis was known for his contribution in the crafting of the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) and was a political consultant for the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). Echanis was the fourth NDFP consultant to be killed, after Sotero Llamas, Randy Malayao, and Julius Giron.

Furthermore, a decapitated body of a farmer, identified as Bernardo Guillen, in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental was found in September. He was the father of Bernand Guillen, one of the six activists known as Mabinay 6, who were arrested by the military in 2018 under the suspicion of being NPA rebels.

In a joint statement between KMP, A Growing Culture, and The Oakland Institute, they emphasized that the human rights violations that farmers and peasant leaders

INFOGRAPHICS: TREVOR PHOENIX LOMOTOS • VINCE JULIUS BALAGA

speech is laid bare by its worsening militarist and bureaucratic response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the groups reiterated.

Attacks on press freedom

suffered under the Duterte administration are not coincidental instances of brutalities.

“For the Filipino peasantry, the pandemic has exposed the cruel and rotten state of affairs they are subjected to. The Duterte regime’s disinterest in undertaking genuine agrarian reform and rural development, developing a self-reliant national economy, and protecting the constitutionally-enshrined rights of the people to life, food, and free

Media repression is a continuing dilemma in the Philippines.

This transpires through harassment and killings of journalists who expose critical views FOLLOW ON PAGE 17

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VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

Mailap na tugon ng admin, binatikos ng mga mag-aaral Angela Vanessa Manuel HINDI PA NAKAKABANGON mula sa pinsalang iniwan ng bagyong Rolly ay hagupit naman ng bagyong Ulysses ang kinakaharap ng kalakhang bahagi ng bansa. Sa kabila ng pandemya at ng trahedyang ito ay patuloy na ipinagsawalang-bahala ng administrasyon ng University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) ang kapakanan a t karapatan ng mga miyembro nito. Naging mailap ang UPM admin sa pagtugon sa panawagan ng komunidad, partikular na sa pag-isyu ng suspensyon ng klase at ng mga gawaing akademiko.

Maagap na pagresponde ng konseho

Ramdam ng mga miyembro ng komunidad ng UPM ang tindi ng hagupit ng mga nagdaang bagyo.

May mga naiulat na binaha, nawalan ng suplay ng kuryente at tubig, at may ibang kinailangan pang lumikas sa kanilang tinitirhan.

Muli’t muli nanguna ang UPM University Student Council (USC) at LCSC, sa kooperasyon ng Tulong Kabataan - UP Manila, sa paghahatid ng agapay sa mga naapektuhang miyembro ng komunidad sa pamamagitan ng kanilang mga relief operations.

“To be honest, the late response of the administration is largely manifested during COVID-19…

Questionable [rin] yung relief response ng UP Manila, mas mabilis pa umaksyon ang Councils.” wika ni Prince Turtogo, Chairperson ng USC. Patuloy na pagsulong at paglaban

Kasabay nito ay aktibo sa pakikipag-ugnayan ang mga konseho sa Office of the Chancellor (OC), Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA), at Office of Student Affairs (OSA) upang isulong ang mga hinaing at panawagan ng buong sangkaestudyantehan.

Ngunit ikinadismaya nila ang matagal, at kadalasa’y hindi kanais-nais, na tugon na kanilang natatanggap.

Sa katunayan, bago pa man tumama ang mga bagyo ay nagsumite na ng apela ang mga konseho para sa isang term break upang makapagpahinga at makapaghabol ng backlogs ang mga estudyante.

Gayunpaman, wala silang nakuhang anumang sagot mula sa mga opisina.

Iginiit naman ni Habagat Farrales, CAS Representative sa USC, na kailangang sa administrasyon mismo manggaling ang initiatibo na pakinggan ang pangangailangan ng nasasakupan nito.

Dagdag pa ni Turtogo ay na-

papako lamang sa pagtatangkang pagtulong at ‘di nagpepresenta ng long term plans ang administrasyon.

Aniya, “Masyadong dependent sa recommendations ng Councils pero upon their approval [pa rin] naman.”

Magulong sistema ng admin

Maliban sa mabagal nitong pag-suspinde ng klase ay mas kinundena ng mga mag-aaral ang magulong sistema sa pagpapatupad nito. Noong ika-12 ng Nobyembre, bago tuluyang isuspinde ang klase para sa susunod na araw, ay unang ipinahayag ng OVCAA na sa kabila ng naunang suspensyong inilabas ng lokal na pamahalaan ng Maynila ay susundin ng unibersidad ang Memorandum No. CCDP 2020–240.

Ikinagalit naman ng ilan na walang naging opisyal na pahayag mula sa administrasyon ukol rito, bagkus ay ibinahagi lamang ng opisyal na mga social media account ng UPM ang naging anunsyo mula sa Malacañang.

Ito’y malayo sa naging tugon ng ibang constituent universities, tulad ng UP Diliman at UP Los Baños, kung saan maagang nag-anunsyo ng suspensyon ang administrasyon nila at may kaakibat pa itong malinaw na guidelines.

Pinunto rin ng mag-aaral ang pagkukulang ng administrasyon upang siguraduhing maipapalaganap ang anunsyong ito sa komunidad ng UPM, tulad ng pagsasagawa ng text o email

blasts. ‘ D i makatarungang pamamahala

Matagal nang binabatikos ng hanay ng mga magaaral ang administrasyon, s a pamumuno ni Tsanselor Carmencita Padilla.

Ipinapakita umano ni Padilla na hindi kapakanan ng mga estudyante ang sentro ng mga polisiyang ipinapatupad niya.

Binigyang diin ni Aleijn Reintegrado, 2nd Year Batch Representative ng CASSC, na patuloy na nagbibingi-bingihan si Padilla.

Aniya hindi ito ang unang beses na pinahintulutan ng tsanselor na labagin at isinantabi ang mga karapatan ng komunidad ng UPM. “Pinapasok mo ang mga militar sa UPM. Nagbulag-bulagan ka sa paglabag sa mga karapatang pang-estudyante. Ang sabi mo lang sa mga estudyanteng ‘di makapagbayad sa RSA ay lumipat sila, kasi ginusto nila yan. Ngayon, wala kang sabi sa gitna ng bagyo,” pahayag ni Reintegrado.

Noong ika-4 ng Nobyembre ay umapela ang USC at LCSC na isuspinde ang synchronous classes at bigyan ng palugit ang academic deadlines mula ika-9 hanggang ika-

NA SAAN ANG UPM CHANCY?

“

I think our unit is trying to uphold that “toxic” honor and excellence ideals without considering that we are inthe middle of a pandemic and a series of typhoons.

Puro utak, asan ang puso?

Habagat Farrales CAS Representative sa USC

15 ng kasalukuyang buwan upang bigyan ng panahon ang mga magaaral na pahupain muna ang naging epekto ng bagyong Rolly. Subalit ang tanging naging tugon ng OVCAA ay, “suspension of classes is not one of the options to address the concerns and predicaments of students affected by Supertyphoon Rolly.”

Kaugnay nito ay inihayag ni Allan Sandiego, Vice-Chairperson ng USC at Convener ng LCSC, ang panawagang mas maging proactive ang admin sa pakikipag-ugnayan sa mga estudyante at kawani nito.

“Sana mas accessible ang mga opisyal ng UP Manila sa kanilang mga kinasasakupan, mas makinig, at maging mas sensitibo sa kalagayan ng mga estudyante bago gumawa ng mga memorandum at maglabas ng mga statements sa social media,” isinalaysay ni Sandiego.

Puso bago utak

Sa kabila ng pagkabigo ay patuloy na nanawagan ang mga magaaral na sana’y gawing prayoridad ang kalagayan nila lalo na’t iba-iba ang dinaranas ng kanilang hanay.

Isinulong rin nilang ngayon na ang tamang oras upang ibigay ng ad-

ministrasyon ang compassion na matagal nang hinihingi ng komunidad. Dapat umano’y mas bigyang halaga ang kaligtasan ng mga estudyante at kawani bago ang academic excellence, na pilit ipinangangalandakan ng unibersidad.

“Para sasaan ang pagpapatuloy ng klase kung hahayaan nating unahin ng ating mga estudyante ang gawaing pang akademik habang naghihikahos at lumalaban para lamang mairaos ang isang buong araw nang walang pagkain sa kanyang sikmura at walang bubong sa kanyang ulunan,” paglilinaw ni Jairo Tuazon, Councilor for Health and Environment ng CASSC. Idinagdagdag pa ni Farrales, dapat pangatawanan ng unibersidad ang pagturing rito bilang isa sa pinakamahusay na unibersidad sa bansa.

“I think our unit is trying to uphold that “toxic” honor and excellence ideals without considering that we are in the middle of a pandemic and a series of typhoons. Puro utak, asan ang puso?” panawagan ni Farrales.

Muling iginiit ni Turtogo na, “The Chancellor, the VCs, are nowhere to be found. They have not responded to the students’ call.”

PHOTO VIA UPM CAS SC

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VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

Calling them ‘heroes’ would not feed their families

PGH workers protest stalled hazard pay, allowance Rowz Fajardo SEVERAL HEALTH WORKERS of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and members of All UP Workers Union-Manila (AUWU-Manila) staged a picket at the PGH atrium on November 20 calling on their administration to immediately release their COVID-19 hazard pay and special risk allowance (SRA), which are delayed since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) ended. The employees together with AUWU followed the event with a Black Friday Protest on November 27 at the PGH Oblation Plaza.

Ineptness of PGH Administration

“

UPM PGH DO BETTER

For how many months, our Union has been asking for a dialogue with PGH Director Gerardo D. Legaspi but he remained numb to our request.

Karen Mae Faurillo All UP Workers Union-Manila President

UP-PGH sa gitna ng pandemya

Mga tagumpay at pagsubok bilang COVID-19 referral center ng bansa.

Sean Gere V. Pascual NANGUNA ANG UNIBERSIDAD ng Pilipinas — Manila (UPM) at ang kaugnay nitong Philippine General Hospital (PGH) sa pag-aksyon upang sugpuin ang COVID-19. Naging kabahagi ang institusyon sa larangan ng pananaliksik at pangangalap ng impormasyon tungo sa pagbibigay ng tunay na serbisyong pampubliko.

Larangan ng Pananaliksik (R & D)

Isa sa maituturing na pinakamalaking tagumpay ngayong pandemya ay ang pagkadebelop ng lokal na test kit para sa COVID-19 testing na tinawag na GenAmplify™ Corona Virus 2019 (COVID-19) rRT PCR Detection Kit, sa pangunguna ni Dr. Raul Destura. Noong Abril 3, matapos ang halos tatlong buwang serye ng field testing ay naaprubahan na ito ng Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Pinangunahan naman ni Dr. Abundio Balgos, isang pulmonologist at dating propesor ng UP College of Medicine, ang pagbuo ng ReliefVent, isang low-cost ventillator na kinakailangan ng mga

pasyenteng may COVID-19 na may malubhang kalagayan na.

Umarangkada rin ang PGH sa pagsasagawa ng Convalescent Plasma Therapy para sa mga pasyenteng nagpositibo sa sakit. Ito ay tugon sa patuloy na kawalan ng aprubadong gamot at vaccine para sa COVID-19. Ang Covalent Plasma Therapy ay isang proseso ng panggagamot kung saan gagamitin ang antibody ng isang pasyenteng gumaling na sa COVID-19 sa pagpapalakas ng immune system ng isa pang pasyenteng nasa kritikal na kondisyon. Naging matagumpayang mga naunang sumailalim sa plasma infusion kaya naman patuloy itong isinasagawa ng mga doktor.

PHOTO VIA JOSEPH PEDRAJAS/ MANILA BULLETIN

According to the workers, most of the hospitals and health facilities retained by the Department of Health (DOH) and local government units (LGUs) already received the COVID-19 hazard pay and the SRA, except for PGH. The two benefits are under the Administrative Order (AO) No. 26 of 2020.

“The said AO authorizes the grant of Hazard Pay to government personnel who physically report for work during the period of implementation of an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) relative to the COVID-19 outbreak. The PGH Administration has not released the said benefit to the health workers,” the AUWU-Manila said.

Moreover, the healthcare frontliners denounced the alleged ineptness of the PGH administration to provide their COVID-19 benefits. Despite the efforts of the AUWU-Manila to clarify issues regarding the delay of their benefits with the PGH administration, through formal writing and requesting for dialogue, it is unclear why these benefits are delayed and when they will be released.

“For how many months, our Union has been asking for a dialogue with PGH Director Gerardo D. Legaspi but he remained numb to our request,” Karen Mae Faurillo, the union’s newly-elected president, said in a statement.

With the ongoing pandemic, the Sa sunod-sunod na tagumpay ng larangan ng medisina sa bansa ay naging matunog ang diskurso hinggil sa pagtaas ng pondo para sa R&D. Ito ay dahil P23.89-bilyon lamang ang pondong inilaan ng gobyerno para sa Department of Science and Technology (DOST) sa taong 2021. Kabilang sa mga nakipagdiskurso rito ay si Senador Ping Lacson.

“This is what I meant by investing more on R&D instead of a mere 0.39% share in the country’s national budget year in, year out.

We’re wasting our homegrown scientists by not supporting them adequately.” ani ni Lacson matapos maaprubahan ang GenAmplify™.

PGH remains to be one of the most referred hospitals in dealing with COVID-19 and its health workers continue to risk their lives fighting the pandemic. According to Faurillo, providing them the benefits justly and on time is already a recognition of their contributions in ensuring the safety of the people.

“It has been six months of waiting! These benefits were supposedly a recognition to our heroic and invaluable contribution as we bravely and unselfishly risk our lives and health to be at the forefront in addressing COVID-19,” Faurillo explained.

Additionally, Faurillo mentioned the fatigue felt by the health workers during this prolonged pandemic and how they are demoralized by the delay of their benefits.

PGH’s response

The PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi released a statement on November 23 addressing the concerns of PGH workers during the protest.

In his statement, Legaspi assured the workers that the PGH administration did not fail to convene with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the University of the Philippines (UP) System regarding the issue. He added that several letters were sent to DBM clarifying that the hospital will be needing Php 49 million as funds for the SRA and the COVID-19 hazard Serbisyong pampubliko

Dagdag pa rito, naging tuluy-tuloy ang publikasyon ng UP Manila Healthscape at Acta Medica Philippina ng mga Special COVID-19 Issues. Hinahangad ng mga publikasyong ito na iparating sa madla ang mga hakbang na ginagawa ng PGH upang sugpuin ang COVID-19.

Ayon kay UPM Chancellor Carmencita Padilla, “We are fortunate that we live in a generation where technology is in our favor. This is a commitment of service to our fellow health workers and our patients.”

Kasabay ng pagiging COVID-19 referral center ng bansa ay ang paglulunsad ng Bayanihan Na! Opera-

pay of the workers.

However, the DBM explained that they cannot favorably respond to the request regarding the funding for the SRA and the COVID-19 hazard pay. Instead, they advised the PGH that the fund should be taken from the savings of the hospital or the UP System.

Legazpi then revealed that the PGH is not capable of funding the SRA and the COVID-19 hazard pay of workers due to the maximization of all the hospital’s revenue for the patients and the allotment of funds for the improvement of the facility’s infrastructures and equipment. He added that the unreleased funds and improper reimbursement due to the pandemic, along with the recent Philhealth issue also affected the funding for the said benefits.

Legazpi mentioned that he already reached out from the UP President Danilo L. Concepcion for help.

PGH health workers remained vigilant and slammed the statement of Legazpi saying that what they need is assurance through immediate action and not just an appeal to trust the PGH administration. The AUWU also staged a Black Friday Protest last November 27, in front of PGH to hold the government and the UP administration accountable for ignoring their demands.

On December 11, PGH health workers received their stalled hazard pay and allowance. tions Center (BNOC) na may Hotline na 155-200. Layunin ng BNOC na sagutin ang lahat ng mga katanungan ng madla hinggil sa COVID-19.

Noong Disyembre 9, inilahad din PGH na loob ng siyam na buwang laban sa COVID-19 ay mahigit 2,396 na ang mga pasyenteng kanilang naserbisyohan.

Bilang Health Sciences Center ng bansa ay hindi pa rin tumitigil ang UPM-PGH sa dakilang pagseserbisyo sa bayan upang tuluyan nang masugpo ang panganib na dala ng COVID-19. Subalit mayroon problemang iniinda ang mga manggagawa sa ospital gaya ng mababang sweldo, kawalan ng seguridad sa trabaho, at kontraktuwalisasyon.

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VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

UPlifting the bayanihan spirit UPM students, organizations launch donation drives for typhoon affected areas Yvette Lalaine Baroro DURING THE FIRST three weeks of November, five typhoons pummeled the country that left the affected citizens, mostly from Luzon, struggling to recover. With the need for efficient and immediate assistance, various organizations and concerned groups from the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) community organized donation drives.

Sharing is caring

Various organizations helped consolidate rescue efforts, load requests, and relief drives for the typhoon and flood-hit communities.

For instance, the UPM College of Public Health Student Council (CPHSC), in partnership with the UPM League of College Student Councils (LCSC) and Tulong Kabataan UPM, initiated a donation drive for the communities and UPM students affected by typhoon Ulysses. Collected donations were used to purchase food packs, garments, toiletries, and personal protective equipment (PPE).

The UPM College of Arts and Sciences Student Council (CASSC) focused on accepting cash and inkind donations such as clothing and undergarments. These items were given to university students who were victims of Typhoons Quinta and Rolly.

Meanwhile, the UPM Dentistry Student Council (DSC) launched a “Share-A-Smile” (SAS) donation drive wherein collected funds will be used for dental hygiene kits for the typhoon victims in Tumauini and Cabagan, Isabela. For every Php 2 donated, one toothbrush was provided.

Apart from the efforts led by the student councils, concerned groups from different colleges also extended their help through their own donation drives.

The “PharmAgapay” of the UP College of Pharmacy community also aimed to provide aid to calamity stricken areas. Meanwhile, the UP Medicine Student Council (MSC) together with the UP College of Medicine (CM) Class 2025 organized “Tulong Medisina” for communities, especially UPCM students, affected by the typhoon Ulysses.

In addition, Daebak UPM launched “Raffle for a Cause” wherein one slot amounted to Php 10. The prizes for the raffle were Korean pop albums. Gathered

funds were directed to the affected victims of Ulysses as this raffle ended last December 10.

The UPM Political Science Class of 2022 provided load assistance to the typhoon victims with their Tulong Dalubbanwahan initiative.

In order to facilitate relief efforts to the muslim victims, the UP Manila Association of Muslim Students also held their drive.

Resonating smiles

Last November 20, the SAS program successfully ended with a total of Php 15,210.26 donations which is equivalent to more than 7,600 dental hygiene kits.

Even before the closing of the said project already raised 500 pieces of hygiene kits during their first batch of distribution.

After helping the targeted victims, SAS is yet to be finished as the UP College of Dentistry (CD) Batch 2024 continues SAS as a Christmas Donation Drive for the same beneficiaries. Several students of the said batch accepted art commissions and held online concerts where proceeds were donated directly for the project.

While many applauded the bayanihan spirit of Filipino during times of crisis, there is still a need for the immediate government response as some emphasized how resilience has been repeatedly exploited when natural disasters hit the country.

Last November 19, the UPM University Student Council (USC) issued a statement demanding accountability for the Duterte administration's criminal negligence, along with the red-tagging against the university.

“Our country has suffered more than enough and if Duterte has no plan of acting on the country’s problems, it would be best that he relinquish his position and save us from further damage,” UPM USC stated.

Philippines met with multiple crises Still grappling with the pandemic, the country faced the wrath of successive typhoons Alexandra Kate Ramirez and Melissa Allauigan PHILIPPINES FACED A series of typhoons, namely Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses, on top of the public health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Heeding the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire island of Luzon under a state of calamity on November 17.

Casualties of the typhoon

After exiting the country in the second week of November, the three typhoons left 125 people dead, 443 injured, and 29 others missing. The NDRRMC also reported over 3.5 million affected individuals in different parts of the country.

The Department of Agriculture’s (DA) data from their November 18 assessment revealed that the onslaught of successive typhoons incurred a total of P12.47 billion in agricultural losses and P711 million damage to fisheries.

Lakas ng Maliliit na Mangingisda ng Bicol (LAMBAT-Bicol), one of Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas’ (PAMALAKAYA) regional chapters, shared that coastal towns in Camarines Sur and Albay were almost destroyed, displacing 80% of the region’s coastal families. Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson, urged the DA to provide long-term aid to rehabilitate, subsidize, and compensate affected fishing and farming communities.

Meanwhile, the NDRRMC dis-

closed that the three typhoons incurred P23 billion in infrastructural damage, alongside an estimate of 304,000 damaged houses and several health and quarantine facilities.

Poor disaster preparedness

With a global health emergency in existence, the national disaster bureau braced itself to mitigate the detriments brought by the typhoon. While preparedness is prioritized, NDRRMC sought to modify some of their plans to inhibit compromising the health of civilians given the pandemic.

At the height of successive typhoons that ravaged the country, several response teams of local government units (LGUs) were overwhelmed and crippled by the heavy floods. In line with this, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) suggested boosting the connection and collaboration between local actors in the country to strengthen the Philippines’ capacity to prepare for disasters.

Meanwhile, experts from the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI) and advocacy

group Agap Banta pressed for the establishment of a National Evacuation Center Investment Program (NECIP) as they noted that 182 of the 270 vulnerable municipalities do not have permanent evacuation centers Uproar over state negligence

Despite criticisms from civilians on the state’s negligence in preparation for the calamity, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque denied the allegations. Duterte then assured the public in a Malacañang address that there are continuing government operations to assist in the country’s recovery. He even brought up Filipino resilience and said that Filipinos will rise up again, just like they always do.

As this topic of ‘Filipino resilience’ emerged amid the aftermath of typhoons, progressive groups slammed the government for endlessly glorifying this narrative.

Furthermore, environmental advocates urged the administration to work on genuine climate action instead as the country grappled with the massive destruction of backto-back calamities.

INFOGRAPHICS: TREVOR PHOENIX LOMOTOS

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VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

NEWS FEATURES

Indigenous Peoples in Zambales, living in fear under Duterte regime

CAMPUS NEWSLINE

UPM students firm on call for mass promotion Ysabel Marie S. Vidor WHILE THE REST of the world is forced to adjust due to the pandemic, the Philippines unfortunately suffers again from a series of strong typhoons in November aggravating the situations of both the students and the teachers. Despite the issuance of Memorandum No. 2020-143 last Nov. 26, by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA), numerous colleges and organizations in the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) unite to call for the ending of the semester in hopes of ensuring the welfare of the student body.

Ysabel Marie S. Vidor

02

Aetas from Zambales

are the first known people to have been charged under the Republic Act 11479 or Anti-Terror Law

+2

What the students need

female Aetas

were also charged with: illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 48th Infantry Battalion and 703rd Brigade bombed Barangay Buhawen in San Marcelino, Zambales.

August 21 INJUSTICE SUBSISTS IN the whole nation as perpetrated by the Duterte administration. Minorities, specifically indigigenous peoples (IPs), are coerced to relinquish their culture and traditions for the sake of the state’s respective notion of development as well as the interests of large corporations that endorse capitalism.

Struggles of the IPs

The Aetas in Zambales face systematic injustice and violence for years due to exploitation of their lands, backward and low production, and militarization amongst their community. This was committed by the state, the military, as well as large corporations. For the IPs, justice is nearly impossible to obtain.

Mining operations, led by the Benguet Mining Corporation, caused a large portion of the mountain range to be damaged. Its river system was likewise destroyed.

“Ang lawa ay nalason din dahil tumigas diyan ang tubig mula sa mina. Hindi naiinom kahit ng mga hayop ang tubig,” Chieftain of the Aetas Peping Pulagay revealed.

Meanwhile, backward and low production jeopardized the livelihood of the Aetas as this necessitated their products and goods to be sold at lower prices. Their debts are piling up as the meager profits only pass through their hands. For the Aetas, failing to pay the debts connote that they would have to give up a portion of their land.

Aside from environmental degradation and the jeopardization of their livelihood, IPs are also being manipulated, tortured, and killed by the armed forces with the orders from the President. Last August 21,

the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 48th Infantry Battalion and 703rd Brigade bombed Barangay Buhawen in San Marcelino, Zambales.

How the ATL represses Aetas

National Union of People’s Lawyer Atty. Bonifacio Cruz argued that the Anti-Terror Law (ATL) is designed to repress and restrict people from showing support for change in this repressive state.

In an encounter between the New People’s Army (NPA) and the AFP, nine Aetas were arrested. Four of them, also known as the Lumibao 4, were charged with illegal possession of firearms, while only two of them were charged with violation of the ATL. The victims were also tortured before getting arrested.

“Once you are tagged as a terrorist and part of an underground revolutionary movement, you are looked at by the law as a combatant. In the case of the Philippines, there is no distinction between a civilian and a combatant,” Beverly Longid from the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self Determination emphasized.

With the crackdown on political dissenters, the state claims to instill security in the nation. However, Mai Taqueban of Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center - Friends of the Earth Philippines empha-

INFOGRAPHICS: VINCE JULIUS BALAGA \ ILLUSTRATION:VINCE DE DIOS

sized that the state only engenders insecurity in communities and tags them as insurgents and terrorists. “[The] government’s approach to human security which frames as if that everything’s in war. War on terror, war on drugs, war on COVID-19. By framing this so, the government is able to engender an atmosphere of insurgency that normalizes this power of the government. They do not simply become emergency powers in times of emergency, they become your everyday law that then becomes normalized,” Taqueban remarked.

The Call

With the Lumibao 4 arrested, Giya Clemente from UMAHON demands for their immediate release.

She reiterated that the Filipino people should unite with the IPs and join their fight as they are targets of numerous human rights violations.

Moreover, Kabataan Partylist Representative Hon. Sarah Elago gave prominence to the vilification of protesters and the importance of remaining steadfast to uphold self-determination.

“We must stand in solidarity in protesting against abuse, exploitation and plunder. In this tyrannical regime, killings, crackdowns, stifled the struggles of the rights of the people,” Elago concluded.

Due to the distress brought by online learning, students from UPM affirmed their desire to end the semester and implementation of mass promotion.

They claimed that the calamity worsened the effects of virtual learning as it inflicts more harm on the most vulnerable -- particularly students who were victims of the typhoon.

Statement by the College of Arts and Sciences Student Council (CASSC) and Voice of the Freshies (VOF) demanded a scientific assessment of virtual learning in order to make the necessary changes to the academic set-up, providing the students with adequate resources for learning, and providing all students with pass marks.

The council emphasized how these changes in the curriculum may inhibit learning gaps experienced by the students.

“This is an immense collective trauma we’re facing in the aftermath of K-12, COVID-19, forced remote learning, successive calamities, and extreme government negligence at the root of it all. Ending the semester may be a radical proposal, but so is the extent of the harm we’ve been subjected to,” Aleijn Reintegrado, CASSC 2nd Year Batch Representative, explained.

Meanwhile, College of Dentistry Student Council Public Relations Officer Khadija Sarael drew attention to how the mental health and academic motivation of students are now in slumber. She pointed out the necessity for the UP administration to probe the lapses within the education system.

Nowhere to be found

UPM Chancellor Carmencita Padilla’s sustained refusal to

take measures in suspending classes despite the typhoon tragedy caused the whole student body to be outraged. It incited the urge of both the councilors and the students to express their disappointment on the neglect of the chancellor.

Students also condemned the UP administration’s silence regarding the crackdown of activists, particularly the red tagging of UP students, considering that the Anti-Terror Law is currently implemented.

“I don’t think the UP administration understands the vulnerability that its constituents are facing, especially now more than ever as the Terror Law is in effect. Or worse, it might be neglecting that vulnerability,” Reintegrado stressed.

There is also widespread condemnation of the UP administration’s emphasis on world rankings alone as opposed to the safety of its students. “No world rankings can compensate for [the UP administration’s] neglect on student demands,” CASSC Councilor Ysebelle Ongrea pointed out.

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VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

UP not ready

Students, Faculty voice out concerns with remote learning set-up Natasha Carolina, Elaine Diaz, and Rochel M. Floron IV

UNIVERSITY OF THE Philippines (UP) System pushed through with the opening of classes for the academic year 2020-2021 last September 10 amidst concerns on the creation of course packs and the evident digital divide. Students and faculty expressed the problems and difficulties experienced during the online class set-up.

Coursepacks

Part of the remote learning setup this academic year 2020-2021 is the mandate of distributing course packs this first semester, which was announced last June 19, 2020 through the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) Memorandum No. 202068.

The original deadline for the course packs was dated September 1, which was later moved to October 16. Despite this, there were questions of whether this was enough time to make quality course packs.

Moreover, Faculty members also expressed concerns whether the materials they provided would effectively allow students to learn their courses. With the limited interaction they’ll have with professors, students are essentially left to their own devices.

On the other hand, numerous faculty member’s concerns are connected to the Intellectual Property Rights that need to be observed in the creation of these course packs.

Moreover, they men-

tioned that while there are a lot of free materials that can be found online for hard sciences, the case for social sciences are the exact opposite.

First Week Struggles

After the first week, UP Manila students call for #UPNotReady citing the problems and difficulties posed by online classes such as internet connectivity, lack of access to software resources (UP Mail, SAIS, Canvas), as well as unreasonable workload.

Faculty members were also not exempted from facing problems imposed by this new set-up.

Their capability to conduct online classes, conference calls, navigate classroom-based applications, and messaging applications tested their technological literacy and dictated how they would approach their classes.

Aside from the aforementioned challenges, students also voiced out their concerns on the unreasonable workload furthered by internet connectivity problems.

“It’s really hard. We weren’t given any time to adjust and what’s happening isn’t really online class but

self-study with lots of requirements, “ a student explained.

Furthermore, students also pointed out the ineffectiveness of the asynchronous classes implemented. They argued that as students were left to understand the lessons on their own, the quality of education they receive is at stake.

White colleges

One of the first casualties of this distance learning are the white colleges of UP Manila as their degree programs are heavily skill-based, most can only be acquired through supervised laboratory experience.

“Bawas pa rin ang antas at kalidad na edukasyon na maaari kong matanggap lalo na’t ang kurso ko ay kinakailangang may aplikasyon o may pagsasagawang magaganap upang lubusang matiyak kung ganap na bang aking naiintindihan at nauunawaan ang mga subjects na aking kinuha ngayong semestre,” said Nicco Nocum from the College of Applied Medical Professions (CAMP).

Additionally, Patricia Anne Palad from CAMP also shared her frustration over their supposed pre-practicum visit to Speech Therapy clinics, which was also put into hold due to the health risks brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the other hand, students from the white colleges are thankful for their professors who nevertheless showed compassion by accommodating students’ demands and by producing well-prepared coursepacks.

Call for accountability

Among the issues raised were the honorarium per course pack as Memorandum No. OVPAA 2020-92 disclosed that it will be pro-rated based on the number of faculty who collaborated. The total honorarium of each course pack should not exceed Php 15,000, with each faculty member receiving not less than Php 3,000.

ILLUSTATION: TREVOR PHOENIX LOMOTOS

“

Ang regular faculty naghahawak ng 12 units so that’s approximately four subjects, paano ‘yong may mga 16? 18? What if iba-iba pa ‘yong apat na ‘yon? Mahirap ‘yan. Lalo na kung ‘yong course pack is designed for students na walang internet.

Faculty member, CAS

When asked if this is enough, faculty members showed mixed reactions. A faculty member said no, especially if the contributions in making the course packs were not equal, but explained that they have the option of dividing it amongst themselves.

Amidst the struggles with online classes, others pointed out that the online blended learning set-up proposed by the UP administration failed to recognize that students come from different socio-economic statuses. Moreover, the students hold the government accountable for its inadequate response to ensure the safe resumption of face-to-face classes.

“Academic freeze is yet a compromising solution and it will affect those people who cannot opt to delay their education, some personnels and faculty will lose their source of living, and it will only let the government be as lenient to solving the main problem because of the “free time” the academic freeze will impose. The right call should be making the government accountable for this mistake. We can resume our classes if all students are ready and all their problems are addressed. No student should be left behind, ” a student emphasized.

Correspondingly, students still clamor for accountability coming from the UP administration for its apparent lack of support and shortsighted plans.

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VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

The house

that was once a home Bianca Baldemor and Pauline Magsino EVERYONE KNOWS HOW the saying goes, but that’s too farfetched even in the Filipino context, where intense adherence to familism seeps through the roots of every social undertaking. The family has always been there — a foundation of what makes us who we are. As tradi-

tion continues to ingrain toxic productivity into the family, there also appears to be a twist into it… “The family that quarantines together works together… but stays apart.”

It was settled: If we keep people in strict isolation by compressing them into the smallest units of

society — the family — then life will be safer, and thus the future will be better. The idea of celebrating the holidays together would seem enticing had we not spent every single day cooped up in our homes, taking up whatever space was available as if we were alone. But we weren’t, no matter how much work we tackle in this seemingly endless loop.

A Different Story

What was once a bedroom is no longer a source of comfort

se ent Hou everyone to bond r e ff i D A ger binds lon room no

hat is burden. T me d te a ti n re ho their diffe imilar to what a e n n’t ti s n y ra s e qua ernes ca in no wa al togeth der if our n that “th togethero ic s ti y o h n p e e h T fon is – th se of rts grow ilir the sen is a myth for e our hea k responsib a will foste e m ” s y n il e m m s fa d ay im a e w f re a o th , t th apart have ness in usual se to tear us that don’t e g u n th n e ti s tr n s ie o il fam ties c tion to nd affec social ge in h other. of love a rst place. When from eac ing work to loun difd n a fi n s o e n d g o n th Aba locati comin a s en in om is be nge the ers a ro rk h o c g w uence in rs d in e facto the d c conseq even detach ti f s ” o s ra n s D o in ti a t. rip the dom ficult fea who stop working ew ob desc ferent “j rn se ather to re b a with dif m await tho day --- this is ou ed hin give the it t e ep w n o e n o s te r o y d fo ra d but just oope alrea em to c ork has physiomes th h W e . r le th u b ty o a li in n a e re cle e in ediate cir lienation from ry crevic es like the imm into eve to our liv ea in th y a n w e tu s e th , rp d it n. The cal realm member only pe and foun inclinatio mily n e k o y p il s fa each fam some un yper-productive ’t n s e h o a s long d f a o f il ates. house d in to e one roo h c r n e re d re o n d u in tinues ract m Being will rema mic doldrum con et to inte is but a g e w t te a s mean th ing. e house as the sy into work other. Th s that usher us with each cture with room the to tru r big infras ompartments fo c s a nd settle a rk o serve w robots to alienated dining s once a What wa

It all boils down to the toxic culture that has propagated: We’re all tired because we see “rest” as a reward and not as a right. Now it’s all about work, work, work in a system where we’ve taken and succumbed ourselves in roles as cogs in this wheel. The most basic level of society is hell-bent on maximizing its working capacity, in service of the capitalist structures that bleed it dry.

ILLUSTRATION: VINCE JULIUS BALAGA

When the “hustle” culture or mindset is ingrained in the family, we are reduced to nothing more than just workers who try to tick off as many tasks from our checklists as possible. In the Filipino context, it is customary for family members to help each other out. No matter how busy our schedules get, we always find time to check up on family. This supposed chemistry has been thrown out the window since the lockdown started, cutting down bonding time by a significant amount. Now, instead of reaching out and asking for help, we put up signs on our bedroom doors saying “do not disturb, zoom meeting in progress” so that we can drown in work in our place of rest.

One day in the middle of the pandemic, I tried asking my sisters about what they are preoccupied with for that certain day. Although this generic answer is called

A Different Set-up

“Acads”, what we’re doing is still dissimilar because we study different subjects in different schools. While my other sister is doing Communication Arts voice recordings in the attic, my other sister is doing algebraic work in her bedroom. Then I am doing an overwhelming handful of deliverables in my Development Studies majors.

“You can help each other,” they said. But what if we’re all taking care of matters that are wholly disjoint in the first place, on top of the fact that we’re also not knowledgeable or skilled enough to synergize over different focus areas?

Just like workers with different job titles and job descriptions, it exposes one key reason why the house is now a quarantine workspace: the modes of work delivery are changed, but the detached focuses and priorities of every family member remain the same.

xing ambiance

m no longer fosters a rela

What was once a livring roo

sibiliAssignments and respon is bemon com a Suppose remuneration be to ed pos ties are sup fulfor s yee plo em n ers. upo mb d me stowe struggle among family case, the , ned cer con are filling their “job”. In that s As far as familie ty-orientuld sho ce gen same goes for productivi ver con of this area midst of piling-up ed family members in the bring them together. But exis ne ryo eve g time. din bon a pandemic where for work doesn’t call at. ands dem ply pected to strive to stay aflo sim up set The remote here be to ms see ic ry dem eve g pan The so much from us, makin Philippine . ible oss imp re for the long haul --- the little household cho ged the onthe in ed government has prolon est inv so e We becom they inefupon us, agony of the masses as line work that is hurled s viru ona cor cease sn’t doe ficiently handled the up as the virtual set with this rmainfo ile” “ag ever since its onset. line as us g from treatin -panpre al usu the ae, per enc coo pet incom tion receptacles. Lack of up being ng livi our d ntle demic operations end tion severely disma remote from it all “forced” into the sudden space and the exhaustion and s tric me e sam the h h apawit wit setup, seems to have cursed us and emed. car targets for both students thy --- we no longer ployees alike.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE & HIS GIFT OF REMUNERATION:

Hazard Pay for Frontliners Irish Jem Bantolino and Barbara Herondale THE MASSES HAVE long been echoing the right compensation for the workforce but never for the oppressors. Hazard pay is the bare minimum Santa can do for bringing the doctors and nurses to the death row, for its CULPABLE NEGLIGENCE, yet science and research are neglected because Santa is busy —giving the policemen more power. This has been more evident this pandemic where Duterte has become the generous Santa Claus to his own while the doctors have yet to receive their hazard pay—all despite their menacing sacrifice.

A Christmas Bonus for Policemen amid the Public Health Crisis

Since April 2020, a budget for the hazard pay of police officers on duty for the contact tracing of Covid-19 were expedited.

Working with the medical frontliners to weaken the growing active cases is supposed to be their job, but they militarize the public health crisis.

Santa has yet to formulate a viable solution to fight the virus, while other countries have already started vaccinating their people. He also promoted Debold Sinas as the new PNP chief rather than solving the Philhealth corruption—that could have been used by the Covid-19 patients for treatment and hospitalization.

The macho-policemen had no way in chance rallied behind health and science, always in the back of military trucks and guns to prompt fear to the masses. Their hazard pay is uncalled-for as bullets are futile to combat the respiratory viruses.

The Stalled Hazard Pay and Special Risk Allowance of Medical Frontliners

features 10-11 ILLUSTRATION: CHRISTINA MICHAELA CAMBIADO • ELAINE DIAZ DESIGN: VINCE JULIUS BALAGA • TREVOR PHOENIX LOMOTOS

As the pockets of gluttons’ overflow with aguinaldos, the cup of medical front liners shivering from the cold is yet to be filled. Barred from leaving the country to seek better working conditions, healthcare workers could at least be rewarded with a Christmas bonus. However, it is at the end of Santa’s list as even the unsung heroes’ adequate salary and special risk allowance are still nowhere to be found.

With over 16,700 medical professionals left wait-

ing for their hazard pay, the number of COVID-19 infected healthcare workers have almost risen to 12, 500 with 76 of them succumbing to death. This predicament may seem baffling at first given that Santa and his elves swiftly acquired their socalled special powers to address the issue of insufficient funds months ago; however, it is not surprising for a group with a history of delayed compensation for the fallen workers and self-confessed corruption within their agency.

Despite the setbacks, the medical front liners, and the masses have not ceased to cry out their demands through a series of carols: The All UP Workers Union-Manila’s Black Friday protest has paved the way for the release of the seven-month longstalled benefits of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) medical personnel. Likewise, the unions of several private hospitals in Metro Manila have successfully called out and extended the impossible deadline set by the Department of Health for the submission of requirements for their hard-earned pay. Regardless of the initial progress, the songs are far from ending, as the day that medical front liners no longer beg for basic human decency and compensation is yet to come.

As long as Santa Claus favors the naughty over the nice, the current health crisis will continue to terrorize beyond the holiday season. If even the basic pay of medical professionals is being withheld and pocketed by the prominent few, the country could only wonder what would happen during the awaited vaccination. With a leader slow in realizations and his blind army tailing behind, the masses could only hope that among the frontliners and “the frontliners,” the dignified heroes would be the ones standing tall to administer the injections.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Marianne de Jesus and Shanin Kyle Manuel NINE MONTHS HAVE passed since the onslaught came, yet a sense of urgency seems to be absent among statesmen as only the Filipinos themselves lend a hand to one another to survive the crises.

Earlier pronouncements from the President state that he is eager to curb the virus to fast track the return to the new normal. Despite not closing borders immediately when a first infected person has been detected, he still parades his populist tactic that he cares for the welfare of the people. With this, emergency powers have been enacted to pave way for faster response through a hefty budget under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act. However, leaders’ actions after the passage of necessary bills for the COVID-19 response show otherwise.

Headlines of news are being plagued with piles of bodies scattered on hospital floors, people committing suicide because of non-affordability to know whether they are infected or not, but the only militaristic response and corruption scandals have been the answer of the COVID-19 task force leaving Filipinos a hint of administration insincerity.

The then-narrative of wanting to curb the virus through lockdowns has been changed to “endure” coronavirus restrictions until December and pin hopes on a vaccine, as he claims that not any preventions can eradicate the soaring cases of infections. However, neighboring countries’ aggressive actions just show that response can make a difference despite the absence of a vaccine should he choose to genuinely work, but he never did.

Moreover, as mandated by the law, updates of the task force regarding the state of the nation must be publicized every Monday. Yet only reiterations of the false dichotomy that only a vaccine can save us and spewing unnecessary remarks have been witnessed.

Propaganda like this has worked and inculcated the minds of the people to shift the burden to individual actions instead of demanding accountability.

The masses were made to believe that the vaccine is the quick fix to all the burdens passed to them—not only by the virus but also by the administration. Like rumors, vaccine promises have circulated each town with a president claiming that 60 to

PRESIDENT DUTERTE & HIS GIFT OF RESTORATION:

Another Bayanihan Law JV Ulep and Danna Gonsalvez AFTER THREE CONSECUTIVE typhoons, millions of displaced workers, nine months of the world’s longest lockdown, two expiring Bayanihan laws, and one depressing holiday season, Filipinos yet again find themselves waiting for some sort of miracle. For our lawmakers and senators, the way forward then is clear: in order to revitalize the economy and the business sector, there is a need to give Filipinos another great gift: another Bayanihan act.

What is BAYANIHAN 3?

70 percent of his countrymen will be vaccinated in five years. Undeniably, the richest and the most powerful of them are thrilled to spring back to “their” normal, whereas the poorest are likely to be trapped in their miserable condition.

The impending success of vaccine trials creates a new climate of uncertainty and possible chaos once vaccines are made available for mass use. In a capitalist society, the ruling elite and profiteers will harness their power to hoard vaccine supplies for themselves. This has already been proven by the latest VIP testing scramble in the country, wherein government officials secured their own test kits while those who need it the most suffer the brunt of scarcity.

Such inequitable distribution will aggravate the already-existing health disparities, marked with skewed virus transmission and mortality. If it’s left unregulated, capitalists can freely dictate the prices of vaccines so as to generate huge profits. Ambitious politicians may even take advantage of the situation and use the vaccine as a bargaining chip to attract the general public— especially that Election Day is close.

It’s hard to imagine, then, what awaits those with less market power.

It seems that they’re stuck in a cycle: the most vulnerable of them are even more placed at a disadvantaged position, groveling in poverty. The administration should know that this is bound to happen and address the inequities as soon as the vaccines aren’t yet in the hands of a few.

The president promised the masses that the vaccine will get them to a better normal, and he should abide by that. The marginalized have had enough of his lame excuses and dismal responses. Hence, even in the vaccine redistribution, the call remains: no one should be left behind.

The Bayanihan 3 is believed by some legislators to be one of the country’s most crucial remedies for declining growth. This beautifully proposed and wrapped stimulus package is a gift, carrying within it the promises of a stronger and more effective government response to the pandemic.

One version of the gift necessitates a Php 247-billion stimulus package. However, for Marikina’s 2nd District Representative, Stella Quimbo, the gift should be packaged somewhat differently. For her, approximately a Php 400-billion stimulus package is needed for the nation to recover. Seeing as the majority of the country’s trillion-peso budget allotments for 2021 are merely remnants from this year’s infrastructure program, added funding for the DOH is necessary if there’s any hope of winning against the virus.

Do we really need it?

Right from the beginning, the government’s first Bayanihan Act had failed in effectively delivering its responsibilities. The special powers it granted to the President, one of the main features of the law, was a fiasco in itself. Provisions that ranged from containing the virus to easing the overburden of the healthcare system and giving cash assistance were not wholly felt.

As if the madness needed any more prolonging, the law was extended into the government’s second Bayanihan Act— which aimed to ease the breakdown of the economy and subsidize the healthcare system. Although authorities had suggested that the implementation of the second Bayanihan law, would help the economy rise again, trends suggested otherwise.

Whatever rises there have been in the Philippine economy as of late are incremental and unsustainable, proving that more support is still needed. The Bayanihan laws have thus far given the Filipinos an illusion of progress and action on the

government’s p a r t .

Whichever government’s intentions may be, genuine or not, one question still remains: will another Bayanihan Act really change things or simply drown Filipinos in even more state debt?In true spirit of the holiday season, our national Santa bestows upon us legislations wrapped in layers and layers of never-ending packaging, without any real promise of an actual gift or resolution underneath.

Imagine having to unwrap a present only to find the need to unwrap another, and another, and another, until finally unwrapping it for the last time, only to find a box empty of its promises. The same seems to be true for these Bayanihan Laws.

“No, thank you, Duterte” doesn’t seem like a viable option. Surely, if we desist, no matter how much we fear this particular empty promise and its repercussions, we’d only be labeled as ungrateful. What the government declares—or it wraps—is apparently what we need. As it is, Bayanihan 3 is already on its way— with an all-too-real possibility that everything about it could go wrong once again.

No thank you, duterte...?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE & HIS GIFT OF RECUPERATION:

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VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

ORASYON TILA ESPESYAL ANG mga butil ng palay dito sa Pilipinas, lamang-loob ang pataba at dinidiligan ng dugo, na animo’y paghahandog sa mga nasa itaas.

Ihanda na ang agwa-bendita, isuot na ang mga anting-anting, ikabit na ang bawang at ikalat ang asin, ilawan na ang mga kandila, at pag-isahin na ang mga palad. Simulan na ang orasyon. Palakas nang palakas ang puwersa ng kadiliman habang inaangkin ni Bakunawa ang liwanag ng buwan. Dahil dito’y humaba ang gabi, nagsilabasan na ang mga aswang.

Magtanim ay ‘di biro sapagkat, kasabay ng pagyuko ng mga palay ay ang pagyuko ng mga pesante sa mga aswang. Binibigkas na lamang ng uring magsasaka sa isang dasal ang kahilingang makatanggap ng sapat na kita. Ngunit sadyang sakdal ang pagkagahaman ng mga aswang, na kung sinumang humamak magsalita’y sasalubungin ng matatalas na pangil. Mayroong mga nangahas na ipagtanggol ang kanilang lupang sakahan, ngunit 277 sa kanila ang kinatay.

Kung tutuusin ay ikalawa ang uring magsasaka sa lakas-paggawa ng bansa ngunit hindi pa rin kayang punan ang pangangailangan sa bigas dahil sa pagbasura sa panawagan ng reporma sa lupa.

Dito rin nakaangkla ang iba’t ibang problema sa sektor ng agrikultura gaya ng kakulangan sa patubig, maayos na imprastraktura, at makinarya. Dahil na rin sa kawalan ng suporta, karamihan sa kanila ang ninais nang lumaya mula sa mga tanikalang nagbibigkis sa kanila at sa lupa. Unti-unting nalagas ang puwersa ng agrikultura, at tuluyang napasailalim sa malupit na pamumuno.

Ang tanging tugon ng estado ay ang paglilibing nang buhay sa mga natitirang magsasaka sa pamamagitan ng Rice Liberalization Law. Ito’y sa pag-aakalang mawawakasan ng taripa ang implasyon sa bansa habang binabansot ang sariling agrikultura. Matagal nang

Sa ngalan ng Lupa, ng Buhay, at ng Bulok na Sistema JV Ulep at Pauline Magsino umusbong ang pag-aangkat ng bigas mula sa ibang mga bansa dahil sa di umano’y napakamahal nitong presyo, ngunit sa naturang batas ay tinanggal na ang paghihigpit sa pag-aangkat at tuluyang bumagsak ang presyo ng palay.

Sa bawat subo ng kanin ng mga magsasaka ay ang hindi malunok na katotohanang umabot na sa P7-P11 ang presyo ng palay buhat ng mas maraming murang bigas sa merkado. Marahil sanay ang kanilang katawan sa sakit na dala ng buong araw na pagtatrabaho sa bukid, ngunit hindi nila masisikmura ang maliit na kita mula sa ilang taong paghihirap. Ni lupa na ng impyernong ito ay kanilang inararo at dugo na ang kanilang ipinandilig.

Buhay ang kanilang inisasangkalan makapaghandog lamang sa mga aswang na hindi kailanman nakulong ng kadiliman. Hindi palalampasin ng kanilang pagbabagong-anyo ang pagkakataong pagpiyestahan ang natitirang laman ng mga pesanteng bumubuhay sa kanilang mga lupain. Naka-uniporme ang mga ito at matikas ang tindig. Walang sinasanto ang malalaki nilang armas kundi ang mandatong pumaslang ng mga magsasakang babad sa init ng araw. Oo, impyerno nga ito.

May mga aswang ding nagsasanto-santohan. Pawang mga panginoong may lupa’t haciendero na walang habas kung umalipin sa mga magsasaka. Kung hindi sila kikitilin, papatayin naman

sa gutom at kakarampot na kita.

Pinananatili ang malapyudal na sistemang naglagay ng tali sa leeg ng mga pesante para lamang sa ilang pulgada ng lupang makokolekta sa mga kuko.

May mga aswang din namang naghahari-harian. Sa tindi ng kanilang kapangyarihan ay plantsado na ang kanilang pagbabagong-anyo; makikita mo silang nakaputi at napakalinis ng kasuotan na animo’y santo. Sa ginhawa ng kanilang tahanan ay tahimik ang mga itong humihigop ng dugo mula sa kanilang kopita habang nilalasap ang katas ng bawat kapirasong laman. Wala mang dugong mababakas sa kanilang mga kamay ay wala pa rin silang pinag-iba sa mga aswang.

Hindi bingi ang diyos. Subalit tanging si Bakunawa, Diyos ng Kadiliman, ang sumagot sa kanilang panaghoy. Kilala ito sa kanyang kulu-kulubot na mukha at malaking bibig na may napakatalas na dila.

Taliwas sa mga sinaunang kwento, hindi lamang buwan ang kanyang sinusunggaban tuwing makakaramdam ng gutom, Sa paglipas ng panahon ay umusbong na rin ang pagkahumaling nito sa mga laman na nilinang sa kahirapan.

Mayroong matandang propesiya na si Bakunawa ang magdadala ng tunay na reporma sa lupa. Subalit nang hirangin siyang diyos ng masa ay kinain siya ng kasakiman.

Ang pagmamahal sa kapangyarihan ay itinuring niyang higit sa pagmamahal

sa kanyang nasasakupan. Kamatayan ang kaniyang hatol sa mga magsasakang matagal nang ipinapain sa impyerno.

Nakapapaso ang init ng araw.

Tigang ang lupa at nalalanta na ang ekta-ektaryang pananim dahil sa El Niño. Kahit lunod na sa langis mula sa sarili nilang pawis ay hindi pa rin makontra ng mga magsasaka ang mga aswang.

Isuot man ang agimat ay patuloy pa rin ang pagpaslang. Taniman man nila ng bawang ang kanilang lupain ay patuloy pa rin itong aagawin. Magdamag man ang dasal para sa ulan ay patuloy pa ring bala ang isasagot. Ang kanilang pagkapako sa krus ay tuluyang isinabatas sa kasalukuyan.

Habang lunod sa utang ang mga magsasaka, lunod din ang yamang patuloy na kinakamkam ng mga halimaw mula sa lupang hindi kanila. Nilunod na ito sa dugo at nilagyan ng sandamakmak na lamang ginawang pataba, pero hanggang ngayon, wala pa ring tunay na reporma.

Nararapat lamang na kalampagin ang nagbibingi-bingihang estado sa mga demanda ng masa.

Hindi kailanman ipinanawagan ang bala o ang patuloy na panggigipit sa mga pesante pagdating sa napakababang presyo ng palay. Ang ating tugon? Mag-organisa, at makiisa sa pakikibaka laban sa mga pwersa ng kadiliman na matagal nang naghahari-harian sa lupain ng ating mga magsasaka.

Ihanda na ang mga plakard, yakapin na ang espiritu ng protesta, palakasin ang sigaw at ikalat ang paanyaya, sindihan na ang mga imahen, at itaas ang mga kamao. Simulan na ang demonstrasyon. Palakas nang palakas ang puwersa ng masa habang kinokondena ang pagpaslang sa uring magsasaka.

Dahil dito’y humaba ang araw, at tuluyang nagwakas ang paghahari ng mga aswang.

Tumindig kasama ng mga magsasaka!

ILLUSTRATION: VINCE DE DIOS

kultura

VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

Wag Kang Lilingon Joanna Honasan at Natalie Lüning

Habang nanalasa ang bagyo, kumapit lamang ako sa panalangin, bagot na nakatingin pa rin sa bintana. “Papa Jesus, patilain mo na ang ulan! Gusto ko nang lumabas!”

Kinaumagahan, wala na ang bagyo; maaari na ulit akong bumalik sa normal na kinagawian! Sa labas, naroon ang mga kababayan kong nasalanta ng bagyo, ngunit tiyak ko na kakayanin nilang bumangon muli. Tanyag yata kami sa kwentong katatagan sa harap ng unos.

Yan ang bayan ko! The Filipino people are resilient and can go through anything, ika nga.

Di kalayuan sa amin, may nakita akong matanda; tagos ang nagdadalamhati niyang mga mata.

Nanginig ang buong katawan ko.

May dala siyang balde at pala, pantanggal ng tambak na putik.

“Tay, anong nangyari? Asan po ang mga tao?”

Lumapit ako. “Hija, halika rito.

Tulungan mo ako.”

Kataka-taka. Pagsambit niya, naging abo ang kalangitan; biglang lumamig ang hangin. Uulan na naman? Hindi pa nga humuhupa ang baha't putikan pa rin ang mga kalsada! Kung uulan, bakit di sila mag-evacuate? Bakit ba nandito pa rin sila?

Alam na ngang bahain, diyan pa titira!

Sa sandaling iyon, kumurap si Tatay; mabagal na sinundan ng… pulang pagkislap? Puti—ha?

"Bakit ho kayo andito? Bakit hindi kayo lumikas?”

Kumalabog ang puso ko nang lumagapak pasara ang bintana ng aking kwarto. Pumagaspas ang mga ibon at nagliparan muli ang mga naputol na sanga.

Naputol ang tingin ni Tatay sa aking tagiliran bago siya malamlam na ngumiti't nagpala muli. Tumalsik ang putik sa puti kong sapatos, kaya ako'y napayuko.

Ugh! Puti pa—ha?

Sa aking paanan, sandamakmak na kamay ang pilit umaahon sa putikan. Isa rito'y… mahigpit na kumapit sa akin! “Tama na, tulong!” Bakit ang daming kamay?

"Huli na. Hindi dumating ang abiso!"

Desperadong silang humingi ng saklolo, ng kasagutan, at hustisya.

Humahagulgol akong lumulubog.

Saklolo!

Nagawi ang tingin ko sa aking bintana, nanlalamig nang maaninag ang di inaasahan; naroon ang repleksyon ng aking sarili—isang pigurang bagot, naiinip.

Sa aking paglubog, pansin kong nakatitig na ito sa akin, nakaporma ang labi sa isang malademonyong ngiti habang kumikislap ang patay niyang mga mata.

"Patawad! Naiintindihan ko na!

W-wala kayong kasalanan!”

“Tay, panagutan mo si Pepe” Sophie Echivarre at Mika Santillan

Malalim ang gabi ngunit humahagupit ang bagyo. Isang dalaga ang nagbabadyang manganak, nag-iisa at nababalisa. Siya si Salinpipi. Napako na si Salinpipi sa kama, nanghihina at hindi makatawag ng tulong mula nang pumutok ang kaniyang panubigan. Hindi pa rin umuuwi ang asawang inaasahan niyang sasagip sa kanila. “Drigo, nasaan ka na ba?” mangiyak-ngiyak na pagtawag ni Salinpipi.

Apat na taon na mula nang siya’y awitan ni Drigo ng matatamis na pangako noong siya’y sawi. Tinang-

ILLUSTRATION: GIAN CATIBOG • ELAINE DIAZ

gap niya ito at panandaliang nakuntento si Salinpipi sa matatamis na salita.

Ngunit paulit-ulit siyang sinasaktan ni Drigo--pambababae, ilegal na droga, pagpapaslang--ngunit sa ngalan ng pag-ibig ay paulit-ulit niya itong pinatawad dahil naniniwala siyang para ito sa ikabubuti nila.

Ngunit nang mabuntis si Salinpipi, hindi ito nagustuhan ni Drigo, aniya’y “dagdag gastusin.” Iniwan si Salinpipi, at ikinulong mula Marso hanggang Nobyembre.

Maraming babae si Drigo. Si Bonggang nakaaligid sa kaniya, si Sinasa na wala sa sarili, at si Roka, ang tsismosang kapitbahay. Ang pinakamalapit ay si Jinpang singkit ang mata. Lingid sa kaalaman nila ang malubhang sakit ng mga anak ni Jinpa kung saan nahawa si Salinpipi.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Sigaw ni Salinpipi na tila naliligo sa sariling luha. …

Patay na ang sanggol. Si Salinpipi ay lumulutang sa dagat ng delubyo.

“Hindi,” ani ni Salinpipi, nangangatog sa galit. Kung hindi niya tinanggap si Drigo, hindi sana ito nangyari. Kung pwede lang baguhin ang nakaraan, ngunit hindi. Pero hindi rin dapat dito magtapos ang lahat. “Hindi. “ …

“Kasalanan niyo ‘to mga p*t*ngina niyo!”

“Hindi,” wika ni Salinpipi. Napatingin sa kaniya si Drigo at ang mga kasama nito. “Hindi sila, ikaw, Drigo ang Tatay na nag-abondona ng anak, kaya panagutan mo.”

“Anong pinagsasabi mo, wala na ko magawa, kasalanan ng mga p*t*ngina nito, at hindi ako nawala-” “Salinpipi, hindi ka iniwan ni Drigo!

Mahal ka niya at lagi siyang nasa pil-

ing mo!” pagputol ni Roka. “At paano naman mananagot si Drigo sa patay na?” sapaw ni Bongga.

“Bumaba ka sa kinatatayuan mo, Drigo. Pagbayaran mo ang iyong pagkukulang. Ang pananagutan mo ang mag-aahon ng aking hinaharap.” banayad ang boses ni Salinpipi ngunit nakapangingilabot ang lalim nito.

Sa Ngalan ng Pagtatapos Christina Cambiado at Gwyneth Cruz

Nasa evacuation center na kaming pamilya matapos wasakin ng Bagyong Ulysses ang aming tahanan - isang delubyo na hinding-hindi ko makakalimutan at dadalhin ko hanggang sa hukay.

Ligtas na kami, ngunit hindi kinaya ng konsensya ko kaya minabuti kong balikan ang modules at laptop ko. Niyakap ko si Nanay sabay karipas ng takbo. Ganap na alas singko y media ng gabi. Nakasalubong ko rin ang si Aling Gloria’t nagbigay siya ng babala. Nangilabot ako pero nagpatuloy pa rin, hindi naman siguro mamamatay gaya ni Tatay dahil dito.

Nakarating na ko sa bahay at pahirapan ang pagpasok dito dahil sa baha. Narating ko na ang kwarto ko, inabot ang bag kung nasaan ang modules at laptop. Palabas na sa ako nang bumulusok ang tubig.

Sinikap kong kumawala’t umakyat sa bubong. Natanaw ko ang isang lumulutang na katawan – na nakababatang kapatid ko pala?

Una. Hindi ko napansin na nawaglit na pala sakin ang bag ko, nasa alanganing posisyon si bunso, at rumagasa ang tubig. Namatay ako.

Ikalawa. Maingat kong hinawakan ang gamit ko’t si bunso, ngunit hindi ko napansin ang lakas

13

ng hangin. Natumba ang puno. Namatay ako.

Ikatlo. Bigla ako mistulang hinigop pabalik ng baha at nalunod muli. Namatay ako.

Ikaapat. Iniba ko ang pagtatagpo namin ni Aling Gloria ngunit biglang tumaas ang lebel ng tubig at nanigas ang aking katawan.

Hindi ko naigalaw pa. Namatay na naman ako.

Ikalima. Sinubukan kong huwag na lamang umalis sa evacuation center pero nilamon kaming lahat ng dambuhalang baha. Lahat nakaligtas, pwera sakin.

Ikaanim. Humanap ako ng malaki-laking tipak ng bato sa evacuation center, at ipinukpok ko ang aking ulo rito. Paulit-ulti ko itong ginawa hanggang sa nakarinig ako ng sigaw.

Ikapito. Nilason ko ang aking pamilya gamit ang rodenticide. Sabay-sabay naming ninamnam ang kamatayan.

Ikawalo. Humiga ako sa puwesto sa bangketa kung saan kalahati ng katawan ko’y ligtas habang ang aking binti hanggang paanan ay nakalantad sa mga sasakyang kumakaripas.

Ikasiyam. Naputol na ang aking binti. Naging pula ang paligid.

Gamit ang maliit na pocketknife, nilaslas ko ang aking kamay, tinadtad ko’t binalatan ang aking mukha hanggang sa huminto ang tibok ng aking puso.

Ikasampu. tinapat ko na ang kutsilyo sa aking lalamunan at-Wala.

Nagising akong tagpi-tagpi ang katawan ko. ****** “Anong pakiramdam na makapasok sa next round gamit ang paulit-ulit na kamatayan ng iyong player? Masaya ba? Iba talaga kapag Pinoy ang piniling player hano Mr. President? Ibang klase ang tibay.”

14

culture

VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

ALL YOU FAITHFUL Sophie Echivarre

The Annunciation

In a health center on a cramped street corner, in a neighborhood without a name, a nurse sat by a weeping girl in the dead of night under the flickering lights. She clutched at her swollen belly while tears blurred her view of the sterile white walls. "How can this be," Mary asked, "when I-" But the tears choked her up once again.

"I know that you're afraid," the nurse did his best to reassure her, but how do you calm down someone who's welcoming a child into the world when she's hardly more than a child herself? Do you tell her that God will help her? Do you tell her that the donors who only come by the health center to play at being charitable as they're photographed for the society pages will help her?

And what was he to tell her about her child? Should he say that the world has set her up for a life of difficulty, of dead-end contractual jobs in the city or of dead-end tenant labor in the countryside as she struggles to provide for a child who will likely repeat the same cycle? No, that would only push her to despair, the last thing any parent needs, especially in times like this.

Or should he say that she'll be a wonderful mother, that he knows she'll be able to do her best to raise a child who will do great things? No, that would only give her false hope and insult a girl who's used to being lied to - by clergy who tell her God will provide but who are never to be seen in the community; by politicians who tell her that they will provide but are nowhere to be seen once the elections end.

"Your cousin Elizabeth has a child on the way too," is what the nurse settled on. "She'll know what to do."

Mary gulped, and like many other girls who came before her (and undoubtedly, who will

come after her), she resolved to be brave, for courage was all she had.

The Nativity

In those days, a decree went out from the powers that be that all the people should return to the provinces from whence they came. This was done while a plague ravaged all the land, and great suffering came down upon all. Go home, the rulers of the land continue to tell the ruled. Don't you want to go home?

Don't you want to face the new normal with your families?

So, Joseph set out with Mary on the long and lonely trip towards his parents' home, making the journey on foot. No space on the few buses being allowed to ply the roads. No space on the few jeepneys making their way through the strangely empty streets. Definitely no space for them in the cars occupied by single drivers, back seat crammed with meat and cheese and alcohol (for what are liquor bans to the immensely wealthy?) from a grocery whose name doesn't register to Mary and Joseph at all, for the neighborhood sari-sari is good enough for their daily bread.

Mary saw the lady in one car staring daggers at her and Joseph, then rolling her eyes as she went back to her conversation on her phone, leaving a trail of smoke in her wake that made Mary cough through her mask. Maybe she's just being paranoid - the nurse did tell her that none of this would be easy.

The scandalized whispers from the neighbors, and later on the pitying looks from the volunteers delivering “ayuda” to their corrugated iron house did not do wonders for an expecting mother's mental health.

Or maybe Mary was right to feel scrutinized. The judgmental glances from a woman driving back to hole up in her house behind a tall fence followed her as her swollen feet carried her on the dusty road.

God, why don't you just stay at home? Mary could almost hear her shrill voice.

The seconds turned to minutes, then to hours, then to days, then to weeks. Soon, Mary and Joseph arrived home, but they barely even got to stay home. A few days after they returned, Mary's childbirth pangs came so often and so fast that the newlyweds were forced to

leave home again. The little house out on the fields, ravaged by the winds from the typhoons, was no place to safely welcome a child.

“No room,” said the overburdened nurse at the emergency room of the only hospital in the village. Not with this plague. There was regret in his eyes as he turned them away, but what succor would a crowded ward offer them?

“No room,” said the exhausted nurse at the health center. Not with this plague. Joseph imagined she felt regret at turning them away, but she looked like she was ready to faint from fatigue after government forces made sure the little town was left without a doctor, so it was difficult to tell.

I'm not giving you a room, said the landlord whose door Joseph knocked on in desperation. Not in this plague. There was no regret in his eyes as he turned them away.

The ordeal led them full circle, back where they started, to the little battered house out on the fields.

Here, they ended up welcoming their child after all. His cries, ringing out into the night, filled his parents with hope and joy despite themselves.

The Flight

The peace of that starry night in the little battered house on the fields did not last long.

Things had appeared to be looking up for the young couple.

Diapers, clothes, and milk had arrived, gifted by family and friends and neighbors, more valuable than any oil or frankincense or myrrh.

Canned food from the relief packs and whatever could be scrounged up from the fields were not much

to live, much less raise a child on, but they were enough. The infant Jesus' cries could be overwhelming, but they were a daily, nightly reminder that he was here, and he was alive against all the odds.

But they found them. They always find you. Try as you might, there's no escape from Herod and his men. They follow you around the neighborhood, watching for meetings you shouldn't be hosting, for demonstrations you shouldn't be attending, for places you shouldn't be going, saying they're encouraging social distancing. They stalk you in the city on your way home, they hunt you in the countryside when you try to flee. There is no wriggling out of their grasp.

Did they know about Joseph's labor union at the factory in the city? Did they know about the mass organization that had gathered donations for Mary while she was expecting Jesus? Did they know about Mary's nephew who had kicked up a fuss by daring to suggest that Herod was unworthy of his crown and should be toppled?

It didn't matter what they knew, for either way, they were closing in. Arise, friends and family, angels all, had warned Joseph. Arise, take your child and his mother, and flee.

ILLUSTRATION: VINCE DE DIOS

By now, Joseph and Mary were used to escaping. First from hunger, then from the plague, then from the king's men. The lonely road greeted them like an old friend, and perhaps this would be their home again, the way it had been for the past months. It was easy to despair, and many had. But Jesus' voice, refusing to be silenced, gave them the strength to keep the faith. Faith that as long as he lived, he would never lose the defiance that had brought him into the world. Faith that his cries would join those of many others, clamoring. Enough of this, enough, enough.

Faith that after the darkest night, the sun would still rise over the world they had to win.

kultura 15

VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

PAANO PINAGHAHANDAAN NI

SANTA KLAWS ANG PASKO? Christina Cambiado

KAHIT ANO MANG sakuna ang pumanaog sa Pilipinas, hinding-hindi malilimutan ang pangunahing imahen ng Pasko, maliban sa sanggol na Hesus—Si Santa Klaws. At syempre, bilang mga Pilipino, hindi na mahihiwalay sa atin ang paggawa natin ng sarili nating bersyon ng makadayuhang icon na ito. Mayroon din tayong maipapakitang isang mataba [ilong] at dambuhalang lalaki na mahilig sa pula; iba ring klaseng kulturang pinairal niya sa ating bansa. Narito kung paano pinaghandaan ng Santang sariling atin ang Paskong Pinoy…

Step 1) He’s making a list, checking it twice.

Mula sa pagkakaupo niya sa puwesto, masinsin niya nang minamanmanan ang bawat kilos ng bawat mamamayan (from all ages, hindi lang bata!) sa Pilipinas. Ilang buwan bago dumating ang kapaskuhan, napadalas ang paghahayag ni Santa sa national television tuwing hatinggabi ng pagkadismaya sa pagdami ng pangalan sa kaniyang Naughty List. Nakasama ang iba’t ibang lupon ng aktibista, human rights defenders, at kahit organisasyon at estasyong pinapatulo ang kaniyang mga luha.

Mukhang nadagdagan ang mga batang makatatanggap ng red tagged gift ngayong Pasko [kasama sa package ang pagpapatahimik, pagpapakulong, at pamamaslang], Uh Oh. Simple lang naman kasi ang batas ni Santa para maisama sa kaniyang Nice List: huwag kang maging kritiko sa kaniyang pamamahala at makatatanggap ka ng iyong dream gift this December 25—payapang pamumuhay. Tuwang-tuwa rin ang fan base ni Santa Klaws sa ganitong sistema, sa pag-aakalang it brings out the good behavior in our citizens.

Ang nakapagtataka at nakagagalit sa Listahan System ni Santa ay wala naman siyang konkretong basehan na tayo nga ay talagang Naughty o kalaban ng estado. Basta may nasabing

ILLUSTRATION: TREVOR PHOENIX LOMOTOS

hindi kaaya-aya sa kaniyang tainga at sa panlasa ni Mrs. Klaws [ang kaniyang dakilang bodyguard] ay awtomatikong burado sa listahan ng mabubuting mamamayan sa Pilipinas. Maniniwala pa ba tayo sa listahan niyang ang NTF ELCAC ang gumagawa, ang kapulisan ang nagbantay, at siya ang nag-do-double check, twice? Sa unang check, kulong. Sa ikalawa, tigok.

Step 2) He proceeds to work at Santa’s workshop with the elves.

Hindi naman si Santa Klaws ang mag-isang bumubuhat at sumasalba sa pabulusok nang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas.

Since 2016, nagtatrabaho sa lilim ng kaniyang anino ang mga naghihikahos nang mga duwendeng manggagawa na pinangakuan niya ng ENDO. Habang nagpapakasasa sa bilyon-bilyong yaman ang nag-aastang Diyos na si Santa Klaws ng Pilipinas, dahil sa walang kupas na pagsamba ng kaniyang mga usang reno at bingi’t bulag na tagasunod, ang mga pagod na pagod na duwende ay hindi man lang napagbibigyan sa kanilang mga simpleng hiling—higit sa sapat na pasahod na kayang itaguyod ang pagkain sa araw-araw at ang kinabukasan ng kanilang mga anak.

Ang Ating Santang may malaking ilong, na minsanan lamang magtrabaho at madalas ay palpak pa, ang kumukuha ng lahat ng biskwit at gatas kahit na ang mga duwendeng manggagawa ang lumilikha ng mga pangangailangang laruan, makakain, at luho nang walang karampatang suweldo. Lalo na sa panahon ng malawakan at mahigpit na lockdown, ang mga duwende ang makikita mo sa lansangan, sa mga ospital, sa mga supermarket, at mga nagbabahay-bahay, ang walang tigil na tunay na naglingkod sa mga Pilipino. Nasasamantala ang katatagan ng mga duwende; kailangan pa rin nila ma-meet ang itinakdang deadlines ni Santa, mapabagyo o ano mang sakuna. Napipilitan silang magtrabaho nang walang proteksyon, at kasiguraduhan sa kanilang kaligtasan. At ang mga nagsusumamo pa para sa matinong kondisyon, ay hindi pinapayagang makalayo

sa malamig na North Pole sa Southeast Asia [Pilipinas]. Nasaan si Santa Klaws?

Naroon siya sa kaniyang pulang trono, nagmamantika ang tulog, at busog na busog sa cookies.

Step 3) He feeds his reindeers, making sure that they are full enough to fly around on Christmas.

Hinding-hindi hahayaan ng ating Santa Klaws na nanghihina’t matamlay ang kaniyang mga usang reno: sa pangunguna ng kaniyang bersyon ng Rudolph na si Sinas, Duque, Roque, at iba pang mga miyembro ng gabinete, senado, militar at pulisya.

Bago pa man sumapit ang bisperas ng Pasko, ipinaghahainan niya ang mga ito ng sandamukal na pagkain aka piging (kahit may COVID restrictions na sila mismo ang nagpatupad). Syempre, paano sila makakapagpabida sa buong bansa nang walang laman ang kanilang bulsa, este bulsa. Matinding pagkokondisyon ang ginagawa niya sa kaniyang mga alipores; binubudburan sila ng sandamakmak na special treatment at matataas na puwesto sa pamahalaan. Ang hindi masyadong espesyal o bantog na reyndir ay napaglalaanan pa rin ng extra magic - napakataas na badyet para sa susunod na taon. Higit pa rito, tuloy-tuloy ang kanilang training sa paglipad para maipagpatuloy ang legasiya ng administrasyong bakal at pahirap sa mamamayan.

Hindi sa Disyembre nagsisimula at nagtatapos ang kasakiman ng Ating Santang Satanas na si Duterte. Hanggang hindi natitigil ang kanilang kagahaman sa pera’t kapangyarihan, magiging Pasko ang kanilang pagtingin sa bawat araw. At gaya ng paglaho ng mga kathang-isip na istorya, madadala sa katapusan ang kaniyang paghahari-harian sa Pilipinas kung wala nang maniniwala, at matutuwa. Maganda siguro maabutan ang panahon na hindi na natin maririnig ang kaniyang nakaririnding halakhak at mga mura, at makikitang lugod na lugod ang kaniyang mga usa. Darating lang ito kung mamumulat na tayo sa katotohanang hindi natin kailangan ng mga Santa Klaws na katulad niya sa ating bansa.

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culture

VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

Phili in COVIDLand:

Grinch

the

who stole Christmas Gwyneth Cruz “SANTA! ANONG REGALO mo sakin ngayong taon?” Masiglang tanong ni Phili, isang batang babaeng naka asul na bistida sa lalaking nasa harapan niya. Nakasuot ito ng pulang polo na pinatungan pa ng checkered na tsalekong may mga puting disenyo. Kamangha-mangha rin na imbes na nakasanayang sombrero na may cotton ball sa dulo, bunny ears with matching hearts ang suot niya.

“Santa, dali! Ibigay mo na sakin!” Mabilis na pahabol ng nag-aalborotong paslit, magkasalubong na ang mga kilay nito’t nangangalay na rin ang braso. Pinanood ko kung paanong lumawak ang ngiti ng lalaki na konti na lamang ay mapupunit na yata, tumalikod at umalis palayo. Labis na naguluhan ang batang babae, ngunit pursigido itong makuha ang regalo kaya hinabol niya ito. Isang hakbang, ikalawa, ikatlo – hanggang mauwi sa lubos na pagtakbo na sapat lamang para sa maiiksi nitong binti. Takbo, Phili, takbo. Ngunit sa kalagitnaan ng nagaganap na habulan, sa paglapat ng mamahaling sapatos sa parte ng lupa, nangyari ang di inaasahan.

nanumbalik sa kanya ang mga panahon na na nandito ulit siya sa lugar kung saan una MagpaPasko na pero nandito pa rin si Phili nangangaroling pa sila ng mga pinsan niya, na niyang nakita ang misteryosong lalaking may sa panibagong mukha ng mundong kanyang tinatanaw pa niya sa kanto ang crush niyang bunny ears with matching hearts. Sa pagkinalakhan, iniisip kung saan siya nagkulang si Berto, na marami tingala niya, nakita o kung siya ba talaga ang nagkulang? Pilit siyang nakukuhang niya ulit ito, ngunit inaalala ang dahilan kung bakit tinawid niya regalo mula sa mga sa pagkakataon na ang distansya papunta sa lalaking inaakala **K2 nakatatanda niito’y batid niya ang niyang si Santa Claus. Ah, sa totoo lamang Bagong pulis ay lumabas ng yang kapatid at matunay nitong katauay alam niya. Alam niya kung bakit, pero hindi gulang. **K2 han dahil sa nanbahay niya alam na ganito pala kasakit at kalala ang Ilang araw na lang lilimahid na dugo hindi sinita noong nagmañanita mapaglihihan ng kapalaran. Hindi niya alam **K3 bago ang Pasko pero sa kanyang pulang na ganito ang magiging kapalit ng bawat usal Tayo’y nagulat, naging batas na bakit pakiramdam polo. Ramdam na ng “bahala na,” ng “hindi yan, wala yan, hayaan ang Anti-Terror Bill ng lahat ay sila’y mga niya ang kilabot na lamang natin.”

Dinayang contract tracing, preso, mga bagay na mula sa tindig nito “Santa! Anong regalo mo sakin ngayong bakit still ongoing? binalot at isinilid sa at matalim na pagtaon?” Sambit ng batang babae, hindi na katMga doktor ay inipit, mapanlinlang, kutingin, sinamahan ulad ng dati ang kinang sa kanyang mga mata.

Phili fell down the rabbit hole. mikinang na pulang pa ng malulutong na kahit pagod na’y pinilit Mababakas ang kagustuhan ni Phili na bumDumausdos ang kanyang munting karegalo. Gusto na ni halakhak at mura. alik sa panahon kung kalian damang-dama tawan sa hukay na hindi niya alam kung saan Phili na makapunta Hindi na siya nag-iiniya ang kalayaan, ang kasiyahan sa piling ng tutungo, sa isang butas na hindi niya alam sa tambayan nilsa. Katabi nito ang mga mahahabang gala kahit dis oras ng gabi, kung kalian matatapos. Naramdaman niyang ang magbabakarkada, kuna laging nagtatapos sa naging kulay putik na gusto na niyang mag-aral lay berdeng nilalang na “Umuwi ka na, hinahanap ang matingkad niyang kasama ang mga kaklase, may suot na top hat at ka na ng tatay mo.” **K3 damit, at nagiging margusto na niyang lumaban may malademonyong **K1 Ilang buwan pa ba Tayo’y mag-arestuhan, ahas na ang bawat pagsa mga paligsahan sa pagngisi, tila tuwang-tuwa sa ang gugugulin, ilang taon Enero’y sumapit liko at pagsirko. Kahit pa sulat at pagsayaw. Gusto sinapit ng batang babae. kahit wala sa listahan pa?

Ilang tiktok pa ba ng hindi pinansin ang COVID nasa isang mabigat na na niyang maranasang Kasabay ng pagluha orasan ang kailangan At magdolomite ngayon, Testing daw sa tuwina sitwasyon ang bata, hinmuli ang mamuhay na niya’y ang dahan-dahang pakinggan? Ilang araw kahit hindi kailangan bakit nabibili ng pera? di nito nakaligtaan ang walang iniindang takot at paglapit ng dalawa. pa ba ang dapat bilangin dapat pagbigyan mga boses na mistulang alinlangan. **K3 Kasabay ng pagpikit Dumarami na ang kaso, bago makawala sa isang Bagong taon ay bumubulong…kumakanAno na ba ang magigniya’y ang paglunok ng no travel ban pa rin ang siklo? Sawang-sawa na may bagong utang ta? **K1 ing plano? Nakarating na masakit na katotohanan ang bata sa paulit-ulit na gusto nang malugmok Malinaw na naririnsiya sa dulo ng lagusan. na siya’y pinaglaruan lagawain, sa paulit-ulit na Extended sa Abril, ig ni Phili ang himig ng Masakit man at puro sugat mang ng pinaniwalaan nipa ang bayan tanawin. iyan pa rin ang thing, paborito niyang kantang ang kanyang tuhod, siyang magliligtas sa kanya “Santa! Anong regalo Sige tayo’y manahimik this quarantine pinamagatang Ang Pasra-sira man ang kanyang mula sa kadiliman. mo sakin ngayong taon?” upang makamtan ko ay Sumapit – hindi bistida, pinagtibay niya Kasabay ng pagsuBulong niya. natin ang kabulagan siya maaaring magkaang sarili’t sinubukang ko niya’y ang pagdikit ng “Sa Pasko ng pagkamali dahil kabisado niya tumayo. Matapos ang ilisang papel sa kanyang buhay, ang lumabas ay ito, binibirit pa nga niya ang subok, nagawa na rin noo – “Tanga ako, huwag pagkamatay.” ang chorus. Biglang niya. Doon niya napansin tularan.”

ILLUSTRATION: GIAN CATIBOG

news 17

VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

?

Ano ang hinahanap mo sa susunod na Student Regent?

ITANONG MO KAY ISKO’T ISKA

JOIN THE

Manila

Collegian

KASABAY NG GAGANAPIN na ika-50 General Assembly of Student Councils sa ika-11 hanggang 12 ng Enero 2021 ay ang eleksyon para sa sa ika-38 Student Regent ng UP, ang tanging representasyon ng sangkaestudyantehan sa BOR. Ang apat na kandidato para sa nasabing posisyon ay nagmula sa UP Baguio, Cebu, Diliman at Los Baños.

Ang hanap ko sa susunod na Student Regent ng UP ay di lang dapat pro-student, kundi propeople rin. hHindi lang para sa karapatan nating mga estudyante kundi kabilang na rin sa laban ng mamamayang Pilipino.

Anon, BA Development Studies

Ang hinahanap ko sa bagong SR ay magawang buo at magkaisa ang mga panawagan at kampanya ng mga estudyanteng UP. Palakasin at palawakin ang ating hanay sa mas malawak na populasyon ng mga estudyante. Suriin at alamin paano maiugnay ang mga isyung panlipunan sa konteksto at buhay natin para mahikayat ang iba na makilahok at magorganisa kasama tayo tungo sa ikabubuti ng ating edukasyon at bayan.

Ang hinahanap ko susunod sa SR ay ang lider estudyante na may tapang at lakas na pag-isahin ang mga Iskolar ng Bayan sa pakikibaka hindi lang para sa karapatan nating mga estudyante kundi kabilang na rin sa laban ng mamamayang Pilipino.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR GRAPHIC ARTISTS, ILLUSTRATORS, AND CARTOONISTS

Ron Erasmo, University Student Council

MESSAGE US

Abdul Nasser Sabdula, CAS Student Council FROM PAGE 3

about the government or other private entities. There are 190 documented killings of journalists and media personnel in the country since 1986, 18 of which were killed since Duterte became president in 2016.

On June 26, during the peaceful Pride Month protest, Habagat Farrales, College of Arts and Sciences representative to the University of the Philippines Manila University Student Council and an intern in media publication Manila Today, was covering the protest as a member of the press when soldiers attempted to arrest him Additionally, there were three reported killings of journalists, all of which occurred during the lockdown. The three victims were Cornelio Pepino, Jobert “Polpog” Bercasio, and Virgilio Maganes, all shot and killed by unidentified gunmen.

The three were known critics of their respective local governments.

Pepino was murdered on May 5 and was the third radio journalist killed in Dumaguete City since 2018, alongwith Dindo Generoso and Edmund Sestoso. While, Maganes who was killed on November 10, had previously survived an attempt on his life in 2016 by pretending to be dead. In that incident a note was then found stating “I’m a drug pusher, don’t emulate me.”

Various attacks against press freedom also occurred during the lockdown. In July, ABS-CBN was denied to renew its franchise. A

guilty verdict in a criminal libel case was then issued to Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos Jr, a researcher from Rappler, on June 15.

Meanwhile, on December 10, International Human Rights Day, Manila Today editor Lady Ann Salem, together with six other unionists, were arrested due to alleged possession of firearms and explosives.

In a statement, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) dubbed the series of killings and red-taggings as an ‘assault on the foundations of democracy’. “[The] arrests [are] proof that this administration is bent on silencing the independent and critical Philippine media so it can manipulate the flow of information to the detriment of our people and of our democracy. We call on the community of independent Filipino journalists to close ranks and demand a stop to the repression of the media,” NUJP stated.

The casualties of ATA

A total of 37 petitions were filed at the Supreme Court (SC) to bar the implementation of Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (ATA), which took effect last July 18. This law, which is backed

by Duterte, allows state forces to arrest and detain suspected terrorists even without a warrant or concrete evidence.

Originally aimed at suppressing insurgencies, the ATA faced stiff

opposition from several activists and human rights groups over fears that it may be used by the administration to clamp down on its critics, undercut civil liberties such as freedom of speech, and pursue unfounded criminal prosecutions.

According to the petitioners, the ATA directly undermines judicial authority and independence as it constitutes unreasonable search and seizure due to the overly broad provisions for designating someone as a terrorist. Additionally, it violated the three-day period prescribed by the Constitution for pre-trial detention since its Section 29 allows law enforcement agencies designated by the council to arrest any suspected terrorists without warrant and detain them for up to 24 days.

On November 18, two Aetas from Zambales were the first persons charged under the ATA over their alleged involvement during a shoot-out between the NPA and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which killed a soldier in early August. However, the defendants’ counsel from the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) claimed that the two were facing trumped-up charges.

The NUPL also claimed that besides targeted individuals, progressive groups and lawmakers are now also facing intensified red-tagging and surveillance by law enforcement.

“These baseless, blatant, and damaging vilification and red-tagging by those who are key components of the Anti-Terrorism Council have escalated the petitioners well-founded fear that RA 11479 and its unbridled power of designation will be used arbitrarily without recognition of the principles of due process, the presumption of innocence and basic rules of evidence,” NUPL said.

Activists are made terrorists

Zara Alvarez was shot dead on August 17 in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental in what was described by human rights defenders as the Duterte administration’s continuing crackdown on dissent. According to Karapatan, Alvarez was the thirteenth human rights defender killed in the country since mid2016.

The Duterte administration’s crackdown on its critics, dubbed as the “War on Dissent,” certainly plunged to a new low as Amanda Echanis, the daughter of slain militant leader Randy Echanis, was arrested with her one-month-old baby Randall Emmanuel on December 2. The military charged her with illegal possession of firearms and explosives, a charge that is commonly levied against leftwing groups and activists.

According to Atty. Sol Taule, Echanis’ chief legal counsel, before she was taken to the detention facility in Camp Adduru, Tuguegarao,

she took her baby with her and pleaded with authorities to ensure that she could breastfeed inside prison.

“Dapat sundin ng mga otoridad ‘yung mga batas na may kinalaman sa pagpapasuso sa sanggol dahil hindi na po kapata-patawad na magkaroon pa ng isang Reina Mae Nasino,” Taule said in an online press conference on Dec. 3.

Nasino, was among the string of activists accosted in late 2019 over the same charges currently faced

by Echanis as part of Duterte’s plan to clamp down on leftist and communist groups. This comes as the trauma left by the death of the three-month-old Baby River back in October, placing the judiciary under pressure to have a deeper discussion of what courts can do to balance state interest and prisoner’s rights.

Moreover, Human rights group Hustisya Negros Oriental held the Duterte administration accountable and reiterated their call to stop the widespread red-tagging of political activists and immediately take action to stop the violence, threats and harassment against them.

“It has become state policy to kill civilians and sow terror in order to instill fear and stifle. We have no one to blame but the Duterte regime for his complete disregard of due process and rule of law and for trampling our rights and civil liberties.”

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opinyon

VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

KUWADRO

Bituin at karimlan \ GREGORIO LAKANDIWA

BALITA KO’Y NAGBUKAS na muli ang Bahay ni Kuya. ‘Di ako masyadong pamilyar sa Pinoy Big Brother, at lalong ‘di pa ako nakakapanood ng kahit isang episode nito. Naaalala ko lang noon ay yung tambalan nina Jason Francisco at Melai Cantiveros na kinabaliwan ng mga sumubaybay sa kanila. Mula sa pag-iibigan on-screen ay, ayan, kasal na sila’t may isang supling na. Mapapa-sanaol ka na lang talaga, no?

Katulad din nila ang marami pang mga pangkaraniwang taong nangangarap ding sumikat. Minsan nga kahit hindi na nila mapantayan ang angking liwanag ng mga iniidolo nilang artista; basta’t tumuntong lamang sa pedestal na para sa kanila’y exodo papunta sa mas maginhawang buhay.

Kaakibat ng pagiging artista ang pagyaman, pagkakaroon ng mga tagasuporta, paglitaw sa telebisyon at mga billboard, maski sariling hashtag ay kasama na sa package. Mismong mga oportunidad ang kusang kumakatok sa’yong pintuan. Sa pagiging artista, handa ang mundo na saluhin ka sa halos kahit anong sitwasyong kasangkutan mo.

Ngunit para sa mga katulad nating simpleng mamamayan, masyadong mailap ang ganyang kapalaran. Oo, marami na ang sumikat sa paggawa ng sarili nilang pangalan sa industriya. Pero paano pa kaya kung sa simula’t sapul pa lamang ay taglay mo na ang yaman at apelyidong kayang bilhin ang katanyagan? Nagiging opsyonal na lang itsura at talento dahil madadaan ‘yan sa mga mamahaling retoke at workshops.

Sa madaling salita, pribilehiyo ang pagiging isang artista sapagkat kasabay ng marangya niyang

pamumuhay ay ang paghihirap ng mas nakararami. Habang may mga tagahanga’t abogadong handa kang ipagtanggol sa kahit sinumang umapi sa’yo, nananatiling bulnerable naman ang karamihan sa pananamantala.

Sa unang tingin ay iisipin nating taliwas ito sa kasalukuyang pangyayari kung saan pati sina Liza Soberano at Angel Locsin ay naging mga biktima na rin ng redtagging.

Malaki ang implikasyon nito para sa atin dahil kung sila mismong mga artista ay hindi na sinasanto ng estado, paano pa kaya tayong mga ordinaryong mamamayan? Bagama’t kahanga-hanga ang pagiging progresibo nila, lalo lamang nitong pinapatingkad ang katotohanang may sapat silang sosyal at kultural na kapital upang protektahan ang kanilang mga sarili. Sa huli, pribilehiyo pa rin ang naghihiwalay sa atin mula sa kanila.

Samakatuwid, hindi natin masasabing ‘di pwedeng makisawsaw sa pulitika ang mga artista kung ang mismong katayuan nila sa buhay ay bunga ng sistemang pinapaboran ang mga mas may kaya. Dito natin makikita na may kapangyarihan sa pribilehiyo, at ang pribilehiyo ay pulitikal.

Pulitikal ang maging isang artista.

Isa pang dagdag na pasanin ang checklist ng kapalpakan ng gobyerno. ☑ Feeling depressed ka sa mga kaganapan? Ayan ang dolomite sa Manila Bay. ☑ Magla-landfall ang isang malakas na bagyo ngayong gabi?

Best time para sa beauty sleep ng pangulo. ☑ Nabasa at nasira ang mga modules dahil sa bagyo? Ibilad at plantsahin na lang.

Kaya naman naglipana rin ang mga panawagan ng mga estudyante upang maibsan ang mga problemang kinahaharap ng bansa.

Ilan na rito ang #AcademicEase, #EndtheSemNow, at #NoStudentLeftBehind kung saa’y palagi kang makakakita ng mga kumento na “Mga tamad!” o ‘di kaya’y “Kung ayaw niyong mag-aral, edi huwag! Bakit kayo nandadamay?!”

Itigil na ang pagbubulag-bulagan sa mga nangyayari. Hindi lang naman online learning ang inaatupag ng mga estudyante, nariyan din ang pasanin sa pandemya at sunud-sunod na kalamidad na nakaapekto sa milyon-milyong mamamayan sa Pilipinas. Bukod sa pagiging estudyante, kailangan ding gampanan ang tungkulin sa pamilya at higit sa lahat, sa bayan.

Hindi katamaran kundi pag-

mamalasakit ang layon ng agarang pagpapatigil ng semestre. Layunin nitong bawasan ang pasanin ng mga estudyante at kanilang mga pamilya upang mas makapag-pokus sila sa mas importanteng bagay. Madaling magbigay ng mga kumento dahil sa pribilehiyong tinatamasa, ngunit imbes na gamitin ito para isulong ang pansariling interes, gamitin natin ang ating mga pribilehiyo upang isulong ang makabubuti para sa masang api.

Hindi lang nakakulong sa apat na sulok ng classroom, o sa apat na sulok ng screen, ang pagkatuto ng isang estudyante. Mas marami pang kaalaman ang naghihintay sa atin kung ilulubog natin ang ating sarili sa masa.

Pasan ng taumbyan ang mga kapalpakan ng gobyerno sa panahon ng krisis. Kitang kita ang kawalan ng kakayahan at kapabayaan sa mga hindi makataong aksyon ng administrasyon. Dahil dito, isang panibagong to-do list na naman ang kailangan nating matapos. ☐ Lagi’t laging unahin ang kapakanan ng bayan at ng masang Pilipino ☐ Panatilihin at patatagin ang diwa ng aktibismo ☐ Paalisin ang mga pasistang nakaupo sa pwesto

SIGN

S

SCRIBBLE

To-do list \ CHRISTEL CASTRO

KALIWA’T KANAN ANG mga backlogs na kailangang tapusin. Gabundok na readings ang kailangang basahin. Pagkatapos gawin ang isa, agad na lilipat sa sususnod na gawain para makaabot agad sa deadline. Hindi nauubusan ng gawain sa to-do list. Ganiyan ang buhay ng mga estudyante ngayong panahon ng pandemya, halos walang pahinga!

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA MICHAELA CAMBIADO

ILLUSTRATION: CHRISTINA MICHAELA CAMBIADO

opinion 19

VOLUME 33 ISSUE NO. 1 THE MANILA COLLEGIAN

Unbalanced tides \ NATALIE UY

AS AN ARCHIPELAGO situated in the Pacific, the Philippines is no stranger to typhoons. With almost 20 typhoons ravaging the country in a span of 4 to 5 months every year, the Filipino people have gone through its worst effects. Just recently, in a span of 3 weeks, 5 typhoons ravaged different parts of the country, leaving little to no room for immediate recovery.

Defend, but don’t over glorify UP \ VINCE JULIUS BALAGA

I HAVE EXPERIENCED firsthand what it was like to be regarded as a part of communists by random people in my first year at the University of the Philippines - Manila. September last year while I was riding a jeepney along Taft avenue, a man noticed the ID lace I was wearing. And after inquiring about the enrollment process in the university for his child, he asked me if it is true that we are being recruited by the New People’s Army.

As the onslaught brought by typhoons disrupted the lives of people, stories of suffering and pleas for help became relentless. Many communities were left submerged, thousands of people displaced, properties destroyed, and many unrescued. Those who suffered the most took their suffering to social media as they awaited rescue and relief operations. Luckier residents, having to watch the rest of the country drown through their screens, could only do so much by reposting.

In an effort to counteract the effects of the typhoon, local governments have been at the forefront in conducting rescue operations. Almost immediately, private organizations and individuals took it upon themselves to initiate donation drives to provide what little help they can give to the victims. Funnily enough, many citizens prompted a nationwide query asking the whereabouts of President Duterte, having missed multiple opportunities for a national briefing about the typhoon.

While calamities are beyond our control, one would think that a country so familiar with the workings of a typhoon would have designed a better disaster risk reduction plan in place. But when local initiatives and donation drives become the primary source of immediate help and action during di-

sasters, all while the national government remains silent, we ought to question why the burden falls upon the least capable. We ought to question the system that places them in a difficult situation in the first place.

The issue goes beyond disaster preparedness. The worsening effects stems from a culmination of years of neglecting climate justice, silencing environmental activists, slashing the budget on calamity funds, and protecting capitalist ventures that continue to engage in development aggression.

Just this year, the Congress under the Duterte administration, cut a huge portion of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) initial budget proposal of P20 billion to P16 billion. Last 2017, the NDRRMC budget was decreased in half to P15.8 billion. Meanwhile, other agencies such as the National Task Force to End Communist Local-Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) received high ends of the national budget amounting to P19.1 billion, and a staggering P8.2 billion for Intelligence funds.

In 2017, the government shutdown the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, simply called Project NOAH, which aimed to provide a comprehensive disaster mitigation and prevention program. To add to this, the shutdown

of ABS-CBN, paved way to an even more drastic effect due to insufficient dissemination of the necessary knowledge to inform people about the coming typhoons.

The government, as a response, pins the blame on climate change being beyond our control. Its misplaced priorities, continued negligence, slow and ineffective response sends a clear message: we are left on our own.

Why should it be that disaster response primarily focuses on the after effect? Where are the government funds to properly address such calamities?

While the government sleeps through the night, thousands of people have lost their lives. While our national leaders refuse to open their pockets, thousands of victims are left to depend on donation drives and local initiatives.

This becomes problematic in a sense that in a situation where the government, in its full capacity, authority, and resources to address typhoons, the people have to beg for help in order to survive. No amount of small scale initiative will ever solve the problem. Instead, it serves as a clear manifestation of a failed government response.

Until our leaders are held accountable for state negligence and structural violence, we can expect the same old stories of suffering again.

Red-tagging has been around for many years already but the only difference now is that it is the talk of mainstream and social media because President Duterte himself deliberately practices this despite the increase in killings brought by this grave act. Last month, the chief executive threatened to defund the university on claims that the country’s money, which he does not own, should not go to an institution that retaliates against the government -- a pompous threat to mask his administration’s incompetence.

However, while we strongly condemn these intimidations and defend the university, here’s a friendly reminder for everyone to not glorify UP. The university is not a safe haven. Over the past 11 decades, UP has become the home of this country’s pioneers in various fields but it was also once the home of some corrupt and traditional politicians.

We gave birth to the best artists, scientists, and researchers of the country but we also produced a dictator and some power-hungry officials who only capitalized on the poor and minorities.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who seemed to have sold his soul to Duterte, was a product of UP and a professor at the UP College of Law. The lawyer handled the

Maguindanao massacre, Jennifer Laude’s murder, and UP Baguio Outcrop’s lampoon libel cases. The only thing that Roque’s defending now is his boss’ illogical, blasphemous, and sexist mouth. Palace Communication Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, who frantically red-tagged think tank IBON Foundation and CNN Philippines after retweeting League of Filipino Students’ donation drive, also graduated from UP Diliman. Ducielle Suarez Cardema, the representative of Duterte Youth party-list, apparently graduated as well from UP. As a member of the congress, she authored three bills requesting for investigation on campus youth groups being the recruiter for NPA -- all of these we get from electing a fake youth group whose only purpose is to add allies of the administration in the lower house.

The university also has a problematic system. To echo Luis Teodoro’s statement in his article ‘Dangerous UP’: UP is still a work in progress, an enterprise rooted in the colonial and domestic elites’ drive to preserve and is yet to fully grow into a truly Filipino university.

For one, the agony of students on a rotten system of enrollment every semester seems to be not an issue for the UP administration. The privatization scheme of the eUP

project, which involves the feckless SAIS, amounts to Php 752 million.

This mirrors the administration’s preference for a commercially-oriented system over a homegrown information system that is both available and cost effective.

In UP Manila, there are still contentions about the Return System Agreement that is seen to be repressive for it binds the students into a contract. Then once they realize that the course is not for them, they need to pay millions to shift out. Although there are terms, such as not getting some majors yet to be able to transfer, the students are still asking why there is a need to contractualize service.

UP is not a breeding ground for communists; it is the unfair and oppressive system that motivates people to join the armed struggle.

UP is also not full of activists. In fact, I personally met people in the university who are not interested in joining rallies and would rather focus on their studies. UP can only be defined by its students and so the moment you wear that sablay and face the world outside the university, you have two choices: be those who uphold honor and excellence in serving the people, or those people we include in this kind of write-ups discussing on why we should not be too proud of the university.

The issue goes beyond disaster preparedness.

The worsening effects stems from a culmination of years of neglecting climate justice, silencing environmental activists, slashing the budget on calamity funds, and protecting capitalist ventures that continue to engage in development aggression.

Over the past 11 decades, UP has become the home of this country’s pioneer in various fields but it was also once the home of some corrupt and traditional politicians. We gave birth to the best artists, scientists, and researchers of the country but we also produced a dictator and some power-hungry officials who only capitalize on the poor and minorities.

Mga Kalahating Inihurnong Estudyante ANG HURNO AY isang kagamitang ginagamit sa pagsasagawa ng tinapay. Bago ang paghurno, samut saring kasangkapan ang ipinaghahalo-halo ng panadero upang makabuo ng tinapay na maaaring ibenta

Biglang ipinasok ng panadero ang isang higanteng tinapay sa naghihingalong hurno. Maiging binantayan ang pag-alsa ng produktong kinulang sa sustansya’t tamis, dulot ng manaka-naka’t mapagpanggap na pagmamasa.

Ang mga estudyante ng UP ay mahahalintulad sa isang tinapay, na hinuhulma ng mga karansanan sa unibersidad upang maging matagumpay na mga mamamayan ng bansa. Tiyak at swak ang mga kasangkapan ng edukasyon, at tamang timpla ng pagtuturo ang paghahasang gagawin para sa kanilang kinabukasan.

Ngunit, bago pa man ang pandemya, nakararanas na ng mga kakulangan sa paghahanda ang sistema ng edukasyon sa bansa. Sa kasagsagan ng pandemya, patuloy na ipinaglaban ng mga mag-aaral, kaguruan, at iba’t ibang organisasyon ang kanilang panawagan na i-suspinde ang klase sa kadahilanang hindi handa ang buong pamantasan sa remote learning. Humigit-ku-

mulang 5,600 o 50% ng mga mag-aaral ang nahihirapan o walang kapasidad na dumalo sa mga online class. Kaagapay ng mga ito’y ang pagbibigay ng honorarium sa mga kaguruan sa magagawang course pack.

Sa kabila nito, hindi pa rin handa ang karamihan sa mga guro, dahil kagaya ng kanilang mga estudyante, sila rin ay nag-aadjust sa online setup.

Minadali ang mga course pack upang makahabol sa pagbubukas ng unang semestre ngayong taon.

Bagama’t lantad ang pagtutol ng karamihan dahil sa kakulangan sa paghahanda, napagdesisyunan pa rin ng UP Board of Regents (BOR) na buksan ang klase sa buong UP System noong ika-10 ng Setyembre. Sa isang pahayag ni UP President Danilo Concepcion ukol sa muling pagbubukas ng taong pangakademiko, wika niya na, “We have decided to resume teaching— albeit remotely—because it is the least we can do to reclaim our future, our control over our lives. By teaching, we reassert our humanity, our faith in the ameliorative value of education.”

Imbes na atupagin ng bawat isa ang pag-ahon at pakikipagsapalaran sa pandemya, nais pa rin ipagpilitan ang isang “band-aid” solution

sa krisis kung saan lubhang apektado ang edukasyon. Ang mahalaga’y makapasok at ipagpatuloy ang kasalukuyang sistema ng edukasyon; ang kalahating paghuhurno ng mga estudyante, kahit na ang kapalit ay ang dekalidad na edukasyon, na siyang karapatang matamasa ng bawat estudyante.

Sa kabila ng mga hinaing at panawagan, patuloy pa rin ang pakikipagsapalaran online, kahit na maraming isyu ang dapat na bigyang diin, kagaya ng internet connectivity, UP Mail, course packs, at pangkalahatang kalagayan ng mga estudyante, guro, at empleyado ng UP System. At hanggang sa ngayon ay wala man pa ring maibigay na maagap na solusyon sa mga isyung ito.

Patuloy pa rin ang semestre, patuloy pa rin ang paghihirap. Ang inaasahan ng edukasyong ito’y ang pag-akma na lamang sa kung ano ang mayroon sa kasalukuyan. Kahit nagkaroon ng reading break, hindi pa rin natutugunan ang mga problemang kinakaharap ng mga natitirang 5,600 na mag-aaral, na hanggang ngayon ay naghahabol pa rin sa kanilang synchronous at asynchronous classes, dahil mahina ang kanilang internet connection, o nakikiarkila lamang ng laptop o PC para maipasa sa nakatakdang petsa ang kanilang takdang-aralin.

Kasabay rin ng mga estudyante ay ang mga paghihirap ng mga propesor sa pagtingin sa daan-daang mga output ng kanilang mga klase

(dahil nakabase ang grado, marahil, sa pagpapasa ng mga online requirements).

Magpapatuloy pa ba dapat ngayong nagdaan ang iba’t ibang sakuna sa bansa, na lumumpo pa mismo sa kasalukuyang online setup? Imbes na unahing asikasuhin ng mga mag-aaral ang kanilang kaligtasan, nakadaragdag rin ang online classes sa bigat ng responsibilidad, ngayong mas hirap gumalaw ang lahat.

Bago pa man ang pandemya, under satisfactory, o hindi na angkop ang sangkap ng edukasyon.

Ngayo’y pinipilit pa rin itong lutuin, kahit na kulang kulang ang mga kasangkapan. Kailan ba talaga matatamasa ang tunay at pantay na edukasyon para sa lahat ng Iskolar ng Bayan? Hanggang kailan ba magmamasa at maghuhurno ang mga kaguruan ng mga estudyanteng kulang sa sangkap? Matitiis ba ng nakatataas ang patuloy na paglaban sa pandemya gamit ang kasalukuyang sistema sa edukasyon?

Sa pagtatapos ng mga magaaral na pumaloob sa pandemyang ito, hindi mapapalitan ng online classes ang mga aral na makukuha mula sa pisikal na klase – pagkakaroon ng interaksyong sosyal, paglibot sa bawat kampus, pagpasa at bagsak sa mga pagsusulit kasama ang mga kaklase, pakikisama sa mga organisasyon, pagtuturo sa pisara ng mga propesor, at ang pakikibaka sa lansangan para sa mga

karapatan ng mamamayang Pilipino. Sa dulo, ang pakikisalumuha sa mundo, sa labas ng iyong tahanan, ay ang importanteng sa sangkap sa pakikipagsapalaran sa buhay. Hindi mapapalitan ng virtual setup ang mga laboratory classes, hospital & community rotations, o mga field work na maari lamang matutunan sa labas ng iyong paaralan.

Kung nais pa rin na ipagpatuloy ang online classes, dapat na makasiguradong walang estudyante ang mapag-iiwanan. Bigyang pansin ang panawagan at mga pangangailangan ng mga estudyante, kaguruan at empleyado upang makasabay sa hirap na dulot ng pandemya. Marapat rin na sapat ang tulong at pag-aaral ng sektor ng edukasyon sa pagpapatuloy ng klase upang mas maging handa ang lahat sa online setup. Sa pamamagitan nito, hindi makukumpremiso ang kalidad ng edukasyon, na siyang pangunahing kasangkapan sa paghuhurno ng isang Iskolar ng Bayan, kahit na sa gitna ng COVID-19.

Masisiguradong masarap at patok sa lahat ang higanteng tinapay kung ito’y minasa ng panadero base sa kaligtasan at pagmamalasakit niya sa kanyang mga parokyano. Kung ang hurnong paglalagyan ay hindi na naghihinalo, at sa halip ay isinasayaw pa ang tinapay hanggang makuha ang tamang tusta - isang patunay na hindi dapat minamadali ang kalidad ng isang bagay.

ILLUSTRATION: CHRISTINA MICHAELA CAMBIADO