OPINION OPINION
OPINION
December 20212022 - April 2022 XXXIssue Special Issue December 2021 - April | Vol. XXX| Vol. Special
urbulent skies have been an inevitable occurrence for the last couple of months in the political stratosphere of the Philippines. With only just a few weeks remaining until the National Elections, the rate of voter engagement regardless of age, sex, and religion has bolstered relatively over the weeks in every possible avenue. Leading this eventful and revolutionary scene in the Philippine elections are the educated youth, who have been the most vocal and active demographic compared to others. A truly lovely sight for J. Rizal, but not for everyone, apparently. The political involvement of the youth has been continuously on the rise since the 2020 lockdown. The access to articles from verified sources and in-depth research of the current issues have transformed the young into politically aware citizens. Usually embarking on transforming the digital spaces of social media into a column of fact-based opinions, the youth also gravitate toward challenging disinformation head-on. As of February 2022, 56% of the 65.7 million registered local voters fall under the youth bracket. This data provided by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) was further realized when the youth treaded the rallies and protests with their progressive principles as soon as restrictions on public gatherings were eased by the government. Such activities have received positive, enlightened responses complementing how wholesome it is for them to be taking a step in the country's political discourse. However, quite a few displeased individuals seemed to look at this initiative as an ill-conceived comedic matter, claiming that politics is not a conversation the youth should dwell upon because they are still young. A Case of Superiority Complex? No one will argue otherwise how much this society, the elderly, at large, tries to silence the politically active youth who seek concrete reform. The youth being labeled with numerous insults and receiving massive backlash for speaking up for the betterment of the country is not fair, especially when the 1987 Constitution itself supports such involvement. Article II, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution states that "The State recognizes the vital role of youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs." In today's modern systems and upbringing, one might wonder why a responsible act from a patriotic group of budding individuals would receive such ridicule from people of the older generation. A case of superiority complex, perhaps? Definitely. “Anong alam mo? Bata ka pa.” Shutting down a non-traditional statement by bringing up age gaps is the most traditional way of undermining a youth's progressive nature. More often than not, elders use phrases along these lines to reiterate that someone's opinions are not valid for them because apparently, they are older, therefore, wiser. This thinking might be true in some cases but definitely not in the political context, especially when one's opinion is backed by collated shreds of evidence rooted in the country's history itself.
Roots Embedded in the Past Youth engagement in politics is not a rare phenomenon in the Philippines. Tracing back the pearl's long history of colonial oppression and political repression, the youth have always been at the front line of the Philippines' nation rebuilding and fight for democracy--- from rising against foreign oppressors to ousting a thieving murderer and a power-greedy dictator. The youth of today's age can do the same; they have ideas, and they can make them work if the right people listen. For years, they have been trying to prove their relevance, only to be shut off merely because of the number of years they have breathed air. It is not fair that it continues to happen when there are numerous proofs that the proactive youth can be so much better than traditional conformists, especially if given the right platform. Just take that one young mayor in the capital as an example. "The Youth is the Hope of our Nation." Indeed, the youth is the hope of our nation. Therefore, it is important that their voices are heard. No one knows better what the future society needs than the people who would be living in it. As the bearers of the next generation, they are entitled to have their opinions heard, considered, and valued, especially because all decisions set for approval in the next couple of years would create significant repercussions in their future. In the heart of civic commitment and political involvement, age should never become a tool for shrugging fresh viewpoints down the curb. For the youth to succeed in their future endeavors, the older generation should stop their incessant trivialization of the youth's abilities and start harmoniously working with them. After all, you cannot just expect someone to take over a job and show efficiency when you have never provided them with proper orientation and basic training around the workplace.
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Shutting down a non-traditional statement by bringing up age gaps is the most traditional way of undermining a youth's progressive nature. More often than not, elders use phrases along these lines to reiterate that someone's opinions are not valid for them because apparently, they are older, therefore, wiser.
ery issue starts with an area of conflict: most especially on the mental aspect; it all boils down to the way one thinks on whether or not problems like these are slowly being resolved or taking a turn for the worse. Yes, men may still have greater chances at life than women have to this day, but there are just some situations that prove that that’s not always the case. Take the ongoing case of Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard—where to this day, a respectable man in the American film industry is still fighting for his name to be cleared for abusive events that have been inflicted on him from the latter— circumstances that a man would usually get called out for being in the wrong side. Through the lens of ordinary people like us, “toxic femininity” doesn’t get talked about as much as “toxic masculinity” does beyond physical abuse cases. In fact, it can even be found in the people around us more than ever: with things as simple as materialistic attitudes, the need for too much “flexing” in social media—things like these seem to make a woman feel better about themselves—an indication of assurance—especially in the presence of a man. But does it really make them any special? No, it does not. As a woman myself, I cannot fathom why a man should have to go through such lengths for a woman’s so-called “boost of confidence”. Some “empowerment” that is. May all women be reminded of this: You are a woman, not a historical figure full of filters to be displayed in a makeshift social media museum.
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But the more that this is so, the subjects “women empowerment” and “gender equality” have become more one-sided than you might think.
Modern Art Heist: An Artist’s Struggle in Digital Age
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rt is fascinating and it is everywhere. From a small craft of an origami boat to a digital art of a fictional character, these are arts that are created by their respective artist. Artists create a different world, from the films directed by Taika Waititi or a local artist that creates traditional art for fun, it’s the way they are free to manifest their imagination to reality and share it with others. When it comes to artists, they look at things differently, they see art everywhere, nature, human interactions, human inventions, and everything that exists and then they create artwork that is inspired by those. Paintings, sketches, doodles, there are a lot of things an artist can create. They see life and think that they need to create their version of it. At some point, artists will love their art so much and post it on the internet. It’s not bad, to share the things you love, but there are some dangers. Once your work is out in public, some threats will arise; reposting, plagiarism, and rude users to name a few. Art Theft
Are You Really Keeping Touch With The Feminist” Side?
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he world often hears about contemporary issues on women empowerment, gender equality, and the protests and movements that correspond with them. And in this modern day and age, citizens of the 21st century have grown to become quick to respond to social happenings such as these. But the more that this is so, the subjects “women empowerment” and “gender equality” have become more one-sided than you might think. We get that a lot of statistical data on published journals and reliable Internet sources have shown us measurable proof of this gender divide: whether it be surrounding labor participation, education, and most especially, gender-based violence. We’ve heard more than enough about these things, and I believe that ev-
To give you a simplified version of what art theft is: imagine yourself creating something, a poem, an invention, or a picture-perfect shot of your beloved pet. You are proud of how flawless and a masterpiece it has come out to be. And then someone stole it and claimed it as their own, wouldn’t that make you mad? Art theft happens once someone on the internet steals an artwork by saving it and reposting it on their social media and claiming it as their own. Some used others' art, traced it over, and plagiarized the whole thing. Actions like this are shunned in any art community that exists on the internet. Some artists despise the thought and won’t allow it because to the artist, their art is like their creation, they make it and they are proud of it. No one wants to take away their hard work; they are protective of their creation and reposting it should not be tolerated at all. On other hand, some artists will allow a repost if someone asks and credits them, though, putting ‘credits to the artist’ means nothing, you either credit the right person, ask them if you can post it, or don’t post it at all. Artists posting their art means that they are proud of what they have done and they want to share it with the people who enjoyed the same thing as them but this doesn’t excuse the reposting of their art to other platforms... Simply ask them if you will repost, but if they refuse, accept it and move on.
Intellectual Property Code Having a first copyright law made by the Spaniards and inspired by the Spanish law which was effective in 1880 and then Republic Act no. 8293 also known as ‘the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines’, we came a long way to having a legal law protecting intellectual properties. Intellectual Property is about a creation that is made by human intellect. Be it inventions, artistic work, design, and a brand name, it is a law that enforces protection for this creation from unauthorized users and protects the creator’s right toward their creations. People can’t use something they found online easily, it also won’t allow plagiarism of said works, nor let you slide easily for pirating a work online and selling it for a price. Intellectual Property Code allows creators, not just famous ones but all of them, to have their original work safe and avoid copyright infringement. The law discourages stealing because this creation, as some would think would be insignificant, is made to bring entertainment and image, stealing said creation is like stealing someone’s precious property. Artist vs. Non-Artist: Commission Problem Freelancing artists either start commissions if they need money or it is their work. Some artists would choose commission as their last resort to earning money and some artists would start a commission because they want to expand their portfolio. Riz Anne Joy Gallanongo, a fourth-year Bachelor of Science in Education Major in English starts commission once the pandemic started, “I have passion in making arts.” She said, “I started accepting commissions when many people wanted their portraits or group photos to be turned into art.” Commissioning artworks to artists can be intimidating, but if you, as a client, dared to request a commission, you will be helping the artist a lot. But there is a problem regarding it— it’s the way some clients treat them. “I have encountered many people thinking that drawing or arts don’t worth much since they only see the finished product and not the struggles, time, effort, and skills that the artist is putting into their work just so the client will be satisfied.” Ms. Gallanongo said. Art has worth. Artists put everything into creating something that will resonate with people and give a sense of awe to those who view it. They share a bit of their perspective but some non-artist would not pay attention to the toil an artist had put into making their art. ‘To see is to believe’ which we may call the behavior; a finished product seems impressive if people know the hard work an artist does but the figuratively banging of your head against the wall and staring blankly on your canvas just to imagine art that will satisfy your client's expectations seems to be not applicable to give to a client. Artists are quite passionate about their work, right? but aren’t we all? Rude behavior towards their work affects artists. If people don’t respect what they do for a living and have fun, they will lose interest and passion for making arts. I always see post or tweets about this on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram and it makes me wonder how an artist handle art theft and impolite clients. Artists work too, and if others think that they barely move or put in an effort, they are wrong. “Rude behavior towards the artist will impact their self-esteem, their work, and their behavior towards their passion,” Gallanongo said. People think that drawing is easy. I see comments that claim that drawing is easy but the painstaking process of thinking about what to draw, drawing figures that won’t show how you imagine it, and searching for the right reference for a pose that you need, it’s a process and you, as a client, must trust it. If the creator of the work continues to redo their creation to be perfection to their eyes, then you, as someone who commissions it, or you, as someone who views their posts, should give them a pat on the back (figuratively) for doing a job well done. Be a dear and praise the effort of an artist, it takes time to bring an idea to life.
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At some point, artists will love their art so much and post it on the internet. It’s not bad, to share the things you love, but there are some dangers. Once your work is out in public, some threats will arise; reposting, plagiarism, and rude users to name a few.
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Age? Fine… You can whine
“Hindi ka pa buhay nung panahon na ‘yan.” Some people do not think as much as they talk. In recent months, words such as this have been spoken at an indescribable rate as if articles fact-checked by verified sources do not exist. "Hindi ka pa buhay nung panahon na 'yan." is an old person's blatant attempt to make someone feel uncomfortable for being aware of political affairs without realizing that them, having been able to live through that specific period and failing to see the severity of the situation is far worse. Refusing to see the truth for what it truly is, harms us and our future just as much as not refusing to accept the lies they claim to be facts. Being blinded by one's prejudice is the reason why the progress this country desperately needs never comes.
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Climate Crisis... | p3 na dapat ay sila ang unang nagbibigay ng solusyon sa kabila ng bilyong-bilyong kinikita nila. Masyado talagang masakit malaman ang katotohanan na ang lahat ng ito ay umiikot sa mga kamay ng malalaking imperyalistang korpurasyon na siyang umaabuso sa ating mga natural resources gamit ang mga daliri ng maruming sistema ng kapitalismo. Malabo na rin ang kahulugan ng mundo na siyang ating tahanan. Ngunit bilang mga estudyante, tungkulin nating alamin at maibahagi ang mga nangyayari sa mundo sa abot ng ating saklaw. Karapatan nating mangialam sa mga isyung may kinalaman sa panahon at lipunan. Kung hindi tayo kikilos ngayon ay maaaring hindi na tayo makakilos kailanman. Seryosohin natin ang ating mga natutunan dahil hindi lamang ito iniiwan bilang requirements sa eskuwelahan—isinasabuhay ito. At kung hindi ka pa rin nababahala sa mga ingay na ito, siguro nga ay ikaw na ang may pagkululang.
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December 2021 - April 2022 | Vol. XXX Special Issue
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