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Biyernes 12 Hunyo 2015

Wikang Filipino, patuloy na ituturo sa kolehiyo Hans Christian Marin PATULOY NA ITUTURO ANG asignaturang Filipino at panitikan sa kolehiyo matapos maglabas ang Korte Suprema ng temporary restraining order (TRO) laban sa Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 20, Series of 2013 noong Abril 22. Isa sa mga layunin ng ‘antiFilipino’ na memorandum na tanggalin ang mga kursong ginagamitan ng wikang Filipino sa kurikulum ng mga kolehiyo katulad ng panitikan, gayundin sa konstitusyon ng Pilipinas. Kabilang ang CMO No. 20 sa Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 na nagbukas ng K to 12 Curriculum o 12 na taon sa elementarya. Nauna nang naghain ng petisyon laban sa CMO No. 20 sina National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera, Kabataan Partylist Representative Terry Ridon, ilang mga propesor at estudyante na miyembro ng Alyansa ng mga Tagapagtanggol ng Wikang Filipino (Tanggol Wika) at League of Filipino Students. Ayon sa kanila, lumabag umano ang memorandum sa limang probisyon ng konstitusyon ng bansa na may kinalaman sa pambansang wika, kultura, at sistema ng edukasyon. Ilan sa mga probisyong ito ang Republic Act 7104 o Commision on the Filipino Language Act, Republic Act 232 o Education Act of 1982, at Republic Act 7356 o Law Creating the National Commission for Culture and Arts na naglalayong gawing makabayan ang general education (GE) na kurikulum sa kolehiyo. “[The CHED memo order] does not comply with the law’s provision on a nationalist-oriented general education curriculum in college, as it abolishes subjects that are vital in promoting national identity, indigenous cultures, and responsible citizenship – such as Filipino language, literature, and Philippine Government & Constitution,” nakasaad sa nasabing petisyon. Dagdag pa rito na aabot sa 56,771 na mga guro at 22,838 na mga kawani sa kolehiyo ang maaaring mawalan ng trabaho sakaling maipatupad ang CMO No. 20 sa 2016, ayon sa nasabing petisyon. Sa kabila ng TRO na ibinaba ng Korte Suprema kontraimplementasyon ng CMO No. 20, nanindigan ang CHED na kinakailangang tanggalin ang Filipino sa kurikulum ng mga kolehiyo at ilipat na lamang ito sa kurikulum ng senior high school. Alinsunod sa kurikulum ng K to 12, binigyang-diin ng CHED na napapanahon na upang ang wikang Filipino ay ituro na lamang sa Grade 11 at 12 upang makapagpokus sa mga pangunahing asignatura sa kolehiyo.

“The Commission believes that the [TRO] is a minor setback towards the realization of educational reforms in the country. The CHED hopes to enlighten the high court with the upcoming responses and arguments,” ayon sa isang pahayag ni CHED Chairperson Patricia Licuanan Naniniwala naman ang isa sa mga pangunahing may-akda ng petisyon na si propesor David San Juan ng De La Salle University na kinakailangan sa kolehiyo ang Filipino upang mas mapaigting ang pagiging makabayan ng mga estudyante. Ang patuloy na pakikibaka ng mga guro upang mapanatili ang wikang Filipino ay mahalaga upang basagin ang mali sa sistema ng edukasyon sa bansa na nasa ilalim ng isang sistemang kolonyal na bigong iangat ang buhay ng mga nakararami, ayon kay San Juan. “Kinakailangang mapalawak pa ang kamulatan ng mga estudyante at kaguruan sa pamamagitan ng patuloy na kampanya, forum at iba pang aktibidad na magpapaalam at maghihikayat sa mas malawak pang bilang ng mga estudyante na kumilos at tutulan hanggang sa maibasura na itong CHED Memorandum 20,” ani UP College of Arts and Letter Vice Chairperson Joey Mariano.

In Memoriam. Members of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines held a candle-lighting vigil at the Benguet State University during the National Student Press Convention, May 17,to condemn the working conditions at the Kentex Manufacturing Corporation that caused the death of 72 workers in a factory fire. According to reports, the footwear factory that was gutted by fire last May 13 operated without a fire clearance. | Dylan Reyes

Moro group slams approved BBL Hans Christian Marin SUARA BANGSAMORO denounced the swift approval of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) at the House of Representatives committee level, stressing that it served only the interests of President Benigno Aquino III and the Liberal Party. The lower house approved on May 20 the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the creation of a new Bangsamoro region in place of the current Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, voting 50-17 with one abstention. BBL disregards the interests of the Moro people and loses the essence of the right to selfdetermination, or at least the right to govern, which the MILF wanted in the law, according to Suara Bangsamoro National Spokesperson Amirah Lidasan.

Failed consultation Congress started drafting the BBL after the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro on January 25 last year. The passage of the law in the House committee level came amid protests from various groups concerning the bill’s constitutionality and the sharing

of powers between the MILF and the central government. “The House committee is rushing because they need to shorten the implementation of the peace process. This is for the MILF to have a lesser time duration as a transition authority,” said UP Institute of Islamic Studies Dean Julkipli Wadi. The BBL is part of the ongoing peace process between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro people since 1976. Until now, the government has failed to consult other Muslim separatist groups such as the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the drafting of BBL. “As the BBL is being passed on to lawmakers, it becomes more and more diluted and sometimes bordering anti-moro. The provisions under it have the highest tendencies to conform to the development plans of the central government,” said incumbent University Student Council Councilor Menchani Tilendo.

‘Diluted provisions’ Progressive lawmakers of the Makabayan bloc, composed of party-lists Bayan Muna, Kabataan, Anakpawis, Gabriela and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, accused the

house committee of retaining most of the provisions from the bill’s Malacañang version while ignoring the proposed amendments. Article V of the BBL’s current version only addresses the power-sharing and division of wealth between the GPH and the Bangsamoro government, according to the position statement of the Makabayan bloc. Oppressive GPH laws such as the 1995 Mining Act, laws on foreign investments, agreements such as the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade and the World Trade Organization, laws on land ownership, Oil Deregulation Law, and Electric Power Industry Reform Act will remain in the BBL, added the Makabayan bloc. Meanwhile, the amendments proposed by Bayan Muna partylist representative Carlos Zarate ensuring the economic rights of Moro farmers such as land ownership were rejected. The amendment could help resolve landlessness, and lessen the power of the warlords in Mindanao, according to Lidasan. Moreover, the amended BBL provisions on basic rights and social justice will not involve land distribution while the provisions on rights of labor only replicated the anti-labor programs and policies, according to Lidasan.

“BBL fits in the Aquino administration’s political and security objective, that of subduing the MILF and the MNLF through political settlement,” said Anakpawis Representative Fernando Hicap in a statement.

Unconstitutionality Joint committees on appropriations and on ways and means will still review the House-approved BBL before the final voting occurs in the plenary. President Aquino will sign into law the unified version of BBL of the House and Senate, which has yet to finalize its own version. Senators, however, question the constitutionality of the Houseapproved BBL because of its failure to conform to the constitutional provision of the establishment of autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao. But the Palace ensures that the proposed BBL would comply with the constitution amid concerns that some of its provisions would have to be deleted. “It is sad that the BBL could simply be subjective into the demand of political experiencing rather than the dictate of high principles that could have been an opportunity to further develop a vibrant Moro community,” said Wadi.