nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021
OPINION
the power to write is the power to achieve
4
nudoveritas editorialboard 2020-2021 Editor-in-Chief JAMES PUNSALAN Associate Editor MELIZA ROCAT Managing Editors DAN JUBAY DANICA FABRO Circulating Manager PRINCE JANINO CALIO KYLA TIFANNY JAVIER News Editors DANICA MAE FABRO EDJOP MEDADO* Opinion Editor MELIZA ROCAT Feature Editor NICOLE BONSILAO Science Editor DESIREE POJAS Sports Editors JOHN PAUL ESTARES IVY SILAGAN Graphic Design and Layout Editor DAN JUBAY Staff Writers LHIAN JOIE BRANZUELA SORAINE NOEL PATT NICOLE BOLIJUAN MARTHA MACALTAO OLIESHAN ORDOYO HANZ CALIO PRINCE CALIO Illustrators/ Page Designers JIREH MAE CASINO DAN JUBAY SHAUN ARTHUR PAO JAMES PUNSALAN SCOTT ROA School Paper Adviser JASMINE JOY TIEMPO JEANY MAE MACALAM ESTORMEO SERENA (Senior High School) School Journalism Coordinator ESTORMEO SERENA Consultant CHARLYN BAYLON *Interim
DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed by the Nudo Veritas Editorial Board do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those in the administration of Gusa Regional Science High School-X. Any content provided by our writers are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.
editorial
DOGGED PLAYBOOK The free marketplace of ideas, bustling with progressive critique—even more so due to the dire state of the country’s affairs—is under fire once again. Continued tirades of the administration now target academic institutions all over the nation, red-tagging students of these schools in a show of cowardly desperation to crack down against dissent.
On January 15, the Department of National Defense (DND) scrapped its 1989 accord with the University of the Philippines (UP), the safe haven of activists, which barred state forces from entering its campuses. According to DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the accord was obsolete, unnecessary, and not in the best interest of students; even going so far as stating that having such a mandate was ‘special treatment’ for UP. More than a week later, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) red-tagged 38 State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) as breeding grounds for rebels without evidence; Cagayan de Oro’s Xavier University and Mindanao State University (MSU) System Iligan and General Santos campuses included. Though at this point, having the government’s top ranks constantly red-tag individuals and link them to the communist insurgency is short of surprising. President Duterte himself has time and time again slammed critics—evidenced in the shutdown and attacks against media giants, the overwhelming rise in cases of impunity, and the signing of the AntiTerror Law (ATL), the latter of which prompts the administrative hand to be one finger away from pulling the trigger. And as if to drive the point home, Duterte said in a press briefing, “[If the enemy is holding a gun], kill them. Kill them right away. Ignore human rights. That is my order.” Just two days after, nine activists were killed and six were arrested in CALABARZON police raids. With every pronouncement made, the gun is just waiting to be pointed at anyone. But at the moment, its crosshairs align at the Filipino student. Democratic spaces continue to shrink in this regime, and with the safety of academia visibly threatened, activism and democracy are further jeopardized. The red-tagging spree on universities and abrogation of accords that safeguarded free thought only
enables oppression, militarization, and undeniably more bloodshed. It also produces a chilling effect to academic institutions nationwide, boiling down to the hampering of student activists and journalists even by their own faculty, instead of promoting critical thought and fight back against the state’s effort in exerting absolute subserviency. Robert Roy Gallardo, previous editor-in-chief of Nudo Veritas and now studying at the University of the Philippines Cebu, had his own share of experience in Gusa Regional Science High School-X (GRSHS-X). “With the current political climate of the country, the incompetence of the Duterte administration is worth talking, and of course, dissenting. I received a “pep-talk” from a faculty member once that I should be wary of the things that I do, especially with dissenting to the current administration,” he said. “With red-tagging present in academic grounds, it affects how students think about their political belief. […] The lack of spaces where we are open to discuss and subjects that involve politics and society are not used to their goals as the curriculum is problematic.” Even previous Ang Sinagtala editor-in-chief Danica Armendarez, now a member of Xavier University’s Crusader Publication, experienced the same situation in GRSHS. According to her, students would get backlash when they are not on the same page when it comes to political issues with their educators, and that they red-tag by way of smart-shaming even on social media, thus making the institution a toxic and unhealthy environment for political thoughts. “As journalists, you don’t deserve the feeling of being limited nor the anxiety of being called out because you have published these and that. We don’t write to filter out words just to comply for the reader’s liking. We write because we unleash truth for others, and it’s never our fault (and wala jud tay control) if the truth comes ugly or not,” she added. Stigma shrouding dissent and sound criticism against the state has existed far before Duterte’s reign; however, it has only festered in his administration. Stories like Robert’s and Danica’s are prominent not just in the student journalism circle, but also outside it where circumstances are harsher; Cagayan de Orobased journalists have since faced abduction, harassment, and security threats—all part of vilification
campaigns after being red-tagged for voicing disagreement. Collective action is significant in order to create change. This is evident in such that the youth, ever the driving force of the country’s activism, has become passionate in upholding human rights and embodying the pleas of the marginalized; merely radicalized by the government’s shortcomings that made itself clear over the years especially during the pandemic. Let this façade of powerplay be a reminder of how desperate the state is to turn away from accountability, and instead silence the voice of Filipino youth.
This regime’s dogged playbook must be at its last chapter—protect and uphold academic freedom, hands off our students, criminalize red-tagging. With the crumbling of academic freedom and the government’s continuing tirades, a fate just as perilous awaits student activists if not acted upon soon.
“
With every pronouncement made, the gun is just waiting to be pointed at anyone. But at the moment, its crosshairs align at the Filipino student.
art by SHAUN ARTHUR PAO
caughtincrossfire
At the Hands of the Trigger-happy
by LHIAN JOIE BRANZUELA
The Philippine National Police (PNP) stands by the motto of “To Serve and Protect,” and oaths to defend the constitution. Ironically, sequential events of their brutal and illogical actions towards the Filipino people seem to make it senseless. From human rights violations conducted by policemen themselves to an environment of impunity encouraged by the president, it seems to have been made as a culture in the system. Now, who do you call when the protectors attack those who they are supposed to defend? Not quite recently, news of a policeman killing a 25-year-old man and his 52-yearold mother in Paniqui, Tarlac sparked the nation with reactions ranging from the ordinary folk to celebrities and government officials especially on social media. There were plenty of mixed reactions on the case which caused a huge mass of action on Twitter with the hashtag #StopTheKillingsPH addressing the culture of impunity in the Philippine National Police (PNP) System. However, former national police chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa begged to oppose this alleged custom as well as saying that it is only full of stupidity. In a public press briefing, Dela Rosa stated that it is merely an isolated case and is used by the opposition to frame and create stories in order to wreak havoc towards the government. Moreover, he also questioned if
there were any police chiefs, regional directors or any to the lowest level of PNP’s command who ordered to shoot suspects; to which he confidently answered “None,” to his own rhetoric. On the other hand, several sources provided evidence of the system’s abuses even from several years before the climax of Duterte’s War on Drugs. Starting with the most prominent and recent for this year, at least 26 Lumad students and teachers from the University of San CarlosTalamban Campus (USC) in Cebu were taken into the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) alongside the Central Visayas Police on February 15 as a “rescue operation”. According to the PNP, with lack of substantial evidence, the students were brought to Cebu to “undergo training as future combatants.” Next, in 2020, the shooting of the Gregorios triggered netizens to
address the system. Then, last 2017 marked the death of Kian delos Santos during Duterte’s War on Drugs which according to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), was intentional. Lastly, according to the government’s own statistics, the PNP killed 50 percent more people during the lockdown from April to July 2020 than on previous months proving the increased number of killings during the pandemic. Duterte’s encouragements towards these bloodthirsty tirades remain an apparent reason of the government’s tolerance. Last 2016, he had also promised to “protect” policemen and soldiers who lead his bloody drug war, saying, “I will not allow one policeman or one military to go to jail.” In 2018, he lashed out yet again at Catholic bishops this time, saying that they should be killed for they have no purpose, and adds that “all they do is
criticize.” And on April 1 of last year, he addressed and ordered the police and military to “shoot and kill anybody who causes trouble, or questions the government’s measures during lockdown without hesitation,” adding that he would also protect them. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phil Robertson, “Countless times, Duterte has excused police misconduct and promised to let them off the hook.” With the president continuing to herald his unfavorable bias to the police, posing no real threat to those overstepping their line of work, it is no surprise that these same armed individuals also continue to do as they please. Truly, our country’s primary source of protection has turned into a group of trigger-happy loons. The currently existing culture of brutality, abuse, impunity, and human rights violations only show how
much it has been excused in the country. From the highest national leader to government officials, there is no denying that the tradition has been further instilled into the system with enough proof. As it turns out, even the hero backfires into the people they should be protecting. And when that happens, society is forced into silence and watch the blood spill. “To serve and protect” has been a phrase that, time and time again, has proven itself to be futile. Who do you call when the so-called protectors attack those who they’re supposed defend? Once the protector harms, society can do nothing with nobody else to save them. That is, unless somebody speaks up; which today is nearly impossible, lest you want to be at gun-point as well.
“
With the president continuing to herald his bias to the police, it is no surprise that these armed individuals also continue to do as they please.
