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Power Tripping
Lathalain
Panatat Paglaya:
Kultura
Power Tripping
Before losing to Japan only last year, the Philippines was infamous for having the highest power rates in Asia after beating countries like Taiwan and Australia in 2011. Until now, the Philippines electricity still ranks among the worlds most expensive. This year, Manila Electric Company seems to have plans to take the record further. Over the holidays, Meralco announced what could have been the largest power hike in history: a whopping P4.15 per kilowatt hour (kWh). Although Meralco claimed it was only a response to market forces, this brazen act shows just howunder the governments neoliberal patronagepowerful electric corporations can cash in big and easily get away with it.
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OPINYON
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
A cycle of oppression
DESPITE DEPARTMENT OF Agrarian Reforms (DAR) most recent reports of a successful distribution of lands among farmers in Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac Development Corporations (TADECO) recent bulldozing of agricultural lands is a more telling picture than what DAR has to say. Beyond the means of manipulating laws that will supposedly distribute farmers lands, TADECO takes further steps by resorting to violence. Violence is not a new phenomenon to HLI farmers, yet the growing number of police forces deployed in the area present another layer of security threat for farmers, if only to suppress dissent among them. As TADECO and the police force of Tarlac work together against the farmers, the government seems to turn a blind eye on the worsening exploitation of farmers. Farmer lands distributed are supposedly owned by TADECO. In fact, the lands are not covered by DAR. However, farmers insisted that this should have been a part of the Supreme Court ruling. Instead of the said 4,336 hectares of farmlands, DAR only started to distribute 4,099 hectares of land. TADECO surely knows how to play the game of power and manipulation, as they hold inuence in the lawmakers and ocials who
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
2013 - 2014
Punong Patnugot Julian Inah Anunciacion Kapatnugot Victor Gregor Limon Patnugot sa Balita Keith Richard Mariano Patnugot sa Grapiks Ysa Calinawan Emmanuel Jerome Tagaro Tagapamahala ng Pinansiya Gloiza Runa Plamenco Panauhing Patnugot Piya Constantino Margaret Yarcia
are landed elites themselves, who will ensure that passed laws, most particularly concerning land reform in the country, remain favorable to their own interests. Aside from Aquino belonging to the very family involved in the issue of land disputes, other local and national government is lled with law-makers who are also landed
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EDITORS PICK
The Philippine Collegian republishes distinguished photographs from its past issues that captured its YEARS tradition of critical and fearless journalism.
About 10,000 farmers and members of other sectors called for a genuine agrarian reform as they commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Mendiola Massacre on January 22, 2010. The call remains for the farmers of Hacienda Luisita despite a landmark ruling of the Supreme Court directing the distribution of the land. The farmers are decrying the random assignment of farm lots to beneciaries and the non-distribution of agricultural lands being claimed by the Tarlac Development Corporation.
elites possessing the power to bend the law in accordance to their own interests. One particular instance would be former President Corazon Aquinos initiative of land reform in the face of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). It only bore out falsities and vague provisions that resulted to the trickery of the HLI farmers through mechanisms such as the stock-distribution option, further plunging them in poverty compared to the millions of pesos that the Cojuangcos earned on the scheme. And after more than two decades, Aquino is still not keen on giving the lands that the farmers rightfully own. Beset with a series of failed land reforms mostly manipulated to serve the governments interests, the country cannot truly achieve a genuine agrarian reform. The said success of the distribution of land through Certicate of Land Ownership Awards (CLOA) by the DAR is mainly farce. As the CARPER is about to end under the term of Corazon Aquinos son, it failed to reach its end goal. Even with the rm decision of the Supreme Court in 2012 to distribute lands, Aquino found ways to maneuver benets to his own advantage such as the tambiolo system with its impracticality of land locations and the recent claims of TADECO to already plotted lands. CARPER has been a living proof of a failed agrarian reform, ever since its inception in the Corazon
Aquino regime. The recent dispute Ronn Joshua Bautista only shows how Aquino devised Mary Joy Capistrano CARPER as just another political John Keithley Difuntorum trick he built to his advantage. Ashley Marie Garcia Aquinos real intention in pursuing an ineective agrarian reform Pinansya reveals his intentions of favoring his Amelyn Daga familys fortune over the right of the people. Tagapamahala sa Sirkulasyon Some of the faults are the Paul John Alix tambiolo systems impracticality of land positions wherein the assigned Sirkulasyon land is far from the source of living of Gary Gabales the farmers, and the non-inclusion of lands converted by TADECO prior Amelito Jaena SC decision. Glenario Ommamalin The series of fake reforms and a stealthy government that makes Mga Katuwang na Kawani use of its power and the peoples Trinidad Gabales resources brings nothing but burden Gina Villas to the people. An assertion on the part of the oppressed is a right and a Kasapi must to end the cycle of oppression. UP Systemwide Alliance The failure of the tambiolo system is of Student Publications and Writers but another addition to an endless Organizations (Solidaridad) collection of Aquinos manipulations College Editors Guild of the Philippines of laws and reforms for his benet. (CEGP) The country is slave to a government that actively subjugates Pamuhatan the people and silences the faintest Silid 401 Bulwagang Vinzons, sound of dissent. We are already in Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Diliman, an era where mere understanding Lungsod Quezon and knowing is no longer the only acceptable action. Even after the endless witnessing of forms Telefax of violence, killings of dissident 981-8500 lokal 4522 farmers, and fake reforms by the hands of the family of our own Online President, HLI farmersinstead pkule1314@gmail.com of becoming desensitizedremain www.philippinecollegian.org strong in active opposition to the fb.com/philippinecollegian injustices of the system.
twitter.com/kule1314
Mga Kawani
BALITA
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
1971-72
UPCAT takes into account the weighted average grade in the rst three years of high school and scores in the written entrance exam, or what is now known as the University Predicted Grade.
1968-69
UPCAT is administered for the rst time. Automatic admission for specic groups like valedictorians is still in place.
2006
The EEAS uses a regression equation for campus admission to avoid arbitrariness in the distribution of weights to various UPCAT subtests and HSWA.
March 1977
A project team is formed to make recommendations in an effort to democratize UP, following then President Onofre Corpuzs concern over the underrepresentation of the poor in UP.
1984
UPCAT became the sole mechanism for admitting freshman students. Cut-off grade must not be lower than 2.8, except in UP Diliman, where it must be 2.6.
The Excellence-Equity Admission System was adopted to increase the number of poor, ruralbased and public high school students in the university.
1996
TYPE
WIDE
Sources: UP Office of Admissions, Democratizing UP Education: A report submitted by the Study Group on Admissions created through Administrative Order No. PAEP 13-70 of 22 July 2013 to University of the Philippines (UP) President Alfredo E. Pascual
BALITA
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
Academic requirement
The UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Student Council (CSSP SC) along with the student councils of UP Manila College of Medicine (CM SC) and UP Los Banos College of Agriculture (CA SC) moved that nominees pass at least 49 percent of their total academic unit load. The requirement ensures that the student regent will not be forced out of oce due to academic problems, said CSSP SC Chairperson Yanna Perez. [T]his criterion reects the capability of the nominated student. As a student, we must be responsible enough to handle our academics, UPLB CA SC Chair Reimond Corona added. Currently, the CRSRS only requires SR nominees to be a Filipino citizen enrolled in the university for at least one year, and to have a track record of student service. Article 3.2 species that that no academic requirement is needed.
The present rule guards our right to autonomous selection process free from administrative intervention such as grade and registration status manipulation, said former Student Regent Cleve Kevin Robert Arguelles.
The three student councils proposed giving each college and university
student councils a vote in the student regent selection. With each student council allotted with one vote, the representation of the student body will be maximized, Corona said. Under the CRSRS, the autonomous units of the university like UP Diliman and UP Los Banos wield two votes in the GASC while regional units such as the School of Health Sciences in Leyte have one.
The voting system in the GASC prevents a candidate from taking the regency by simply winning in heavily populated campuses [and] helps the lesser populated units be relevant during the selection, explained former Student Regent Ma. Kristina Conti. Should the voting scheme be adopted, UP Diliman and UP Los Banos
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Epektibo ngayong Enero 2014 ang 0.6% contribution increase ng Social Security System (SSS) sa mga miyembro nito sa buong bansa. Tataas ng P25 kada buwan ang kontribusyon ng isang ordinaryong manggagawa, pero ayon sa Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), hindi naman madaragdagan ang kanilang benepisyo. Hindi ibinigay ng Korte Suprema ang Temporary Restraining Order na inihain ng KMU laban sa pagtaas ng kontribusyon ng SSS.
ILOILO CITY IT WAS A BLACK shirt day at the UP Visayas College of Management (UPVCM) on January 20 as students aected by the supertyphoon Yolanda are asked to pay for their tuition at the university's Tacloban campus. The UPV Tacloban College (UPVTC) administration refused to automatically waive the tuition of about 800 students,
BALITA
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
Huwad na tagumpay
Sa kabila ng apela ng mga magsasaka, nakatakda nang magtayo ang DAR ng mga muhon, o palatandaan sa hangganan ng lupang sakop ng isang benepisaryong magsasaka. Aabutin ng tatlong buwan ang pagtatayo ng mga mohon, ani Anthony Parungao, Agrarian Reform Undersecretary for Legal Aairs. Tapos na ang pamamahagi ng lupa sa Hacienda Luisita [bagaman may] mga panghuling hakbang na kailangang gawin para maitalaga ang mga kwalipikadong manggagawang bukid at mabigyan sila ng [angkop] na tulong serbisyo, ani Parungao. Gayunman, pinabulaanan ng mga magsasaka ang matagumpay umanong pamamahagi ng lupa ng DAR. Sa tala mismo ng DAR, tinatayang may 300 benepisaryo pang hinihintay na pumirma sa Application to Purchase and Farmers Undertaking (APFU) upang makatanggap ng CLOA. Marami sa kanila ang hindi pumirma ng APFU at tumanggap ng CLOA matapos nilang kwestiyunin ang pamamaraan ng pamamahagi ng mga lupa. Dahil sa idinaan ng DAR sa palabunutan ang pamamahagi ng mga lupa, marami umano sa mga magsasaka ang napalayo sa kasalukuyan nilang sinasakang lupa. Hindi rin pabor ang mga magsasaka sa pagbabayad ng P70,000 amortisasyon sa loob ng 30 taon. Kung sakaling hindi mabayaran ang halaga sa tatlong magkakasunod na taon, maaaring maging dahilan ito upang kunin muli sa mga magsasaka ang kanilang mga lupa. Hindi na kami [dapat magbayad] dahil matagal na kaming nagtatrabaho sa asyenda ngunit hanggang ngayon wala pa rin kaming nakukuhang share. Matagal nang pinakinabangan ng pamilya Coquangco-Aquino ang lupa, ani Sibayan.
UPs Alaine Gonzales denied an attack by UEs Mark Santos during the fourth set of the UAAP Season 76 Mens Volleyball tournament held at the Mall of Asia Arena on January 12. The UP Fighting Maroons won 3 sets to 1, capping o the rst round of games with 3 wins and 4 losses.
POLICEBRIEFS
Chester Higuit Reducing redundancies
The student councils from UP Manila and Los Banos, meanwhile, moved to abolish the role of KASAMA sa UP in the selection process to supposedly prevent redundancy. [We] believe that the KASAMA sa UP has already done their part in representing the students. The OSR, in cooperation with student councils from dierent UP units, can fulll its duties and responsibilities to the students [alone], Corona explained. KASAMA sa UP is a system-wide alliance convened in 1981 to call for the reinstatement of a student representative in the Board of Regents. When President Corazon Aquino nally amended the composition of the BOR in 1987, the alliance was tasked to select the student regent. Under the CRSRS, however, KASAMA sa UP is only tasked to launch information drives about the oce and the selection process to ensure
Three-year restriction
Should the proposed amendments pass, CSSP SC and CM SC, which belong to the system-wide student council alliance Bukluran ng mga Progresibong Iskolar, sought to ensure its eectivity for at least the next three years. The proposed amendment only allows the GASC to repeal or revise the CRSRS every three years. As policies need time to take eect, passed amendments need to be given due time to be implemented and observed, Perez explained. On the other hand, Arguelles argued that such amendment is an attack to the right and power of each council to scrutinize the CRSRS. If these proponents are condent on the merit of their amendments, why are they afraid of the wisdom of the next GASC to pass judgment on the validity of their amendments? * With reports from Julian Anunciacion
Nahuli na ng mga miyembro ng UP Diliman Police (UPDP) ang suspek sa pananalisi umano sa isang estudyante sa loob mismo ng library ng College of Home Economics (CHE) noong Disyembre 13. Sa isinagawang operasyon nitong ika-8 ng Enero, sa pamumuno ni Capt. Ruben Villaluna, nadakip ang hindi pa pinangalanang suspek batay sa nakunan ng closed circuit television (CCTV) camera na nakakabit sa CHE library. Natangay ng suspek ang isang iPad na nagkakahalaga ng P16,000 mula sa bag ng isang second year BS Community Nutrition student. Ayon sa salaysay ng biktima, bandang 2:30 ng hapon nang magtungo siya sa library at iwanan ang kanyang mga gamit sa bag counter. Makalipas ang dalawang oras, napansin na lamang umano ng estudyante na nawawala na ang kaniyang iPad.
Iniwang natutulog ang isang merchandising assistant sa kahabaan ng Roxas Street malapit sa UP Main Library matapos umano siyang sadyang patulugin at pagnakawan ng isang taxi driver noong Enero 11. Ayon sa biktima na si Mary Ann Villamos, residente ng Pasig, ika-7 ng gabi nang sumakay siya sa puting taxi sa may Muoz, Quezon City. Sa kalagitnaan ng biyahe, nakaramdam umano siya ng pagkahilo at tuluyang nakatulog. Nagising na lamang umano ang biktimang nakaupo sa kahabaan ng Academic Oval at napansing nawawala na ang mga dalang gamit. Ilan sa mga natangay sa biktima ang isang cookware at dinner set, walker at brown na bag na naglalalaman ng ATM card at voucher check. Bigong makuha ni Villamos ang pagkakakilanlan sa suspek at ang plate number ng sinakyang taxi.
ng UP College of Law nitong ika-13 ng Enero. Umaabot sa P25,000 ang halaga ng nanakaw na tablet mula kay Daphnen Llanto. Ayon sa biktima, ipinatong lamang niya sa likod ng mesa ng kahera ang nasabing tablet sa pagitan ng ika11 ng umaga hanggang ika-12 ng hapon nang bigla na lang itong mawala. Kasalukuyan pang iniimbistigahan ng UPDP ang nasabing kaso. Samantala, hinimok ng pulisya ang mga estudyante, faculty at sta ng unibersidad na agad ipagbigay alam sa mga awtoridad ang ganitong mga kaso. Makabubuti kung kaagad magreport sa himpilan ng [UPDP] para agad maaksyunan ang anumang reklamo, ani Sgt. Cesar Julian.
Power Tripping
The shocking price of electricity under EPIRA
Power out(r)age The timing of Meralcos overcharged power hike could not have been more impeccable. Just as the country was still recovering from Super Typhoon Yolanda, new tuition rates, higher SSS and PhilHealth contributions, and exorbitant oil and water prices struck ordinary Filipinos like lightning. With nothing but the minimum wage of P466 that cannot even meet what the National Wage and Productivity Commission itself pegs as the minimum cost of living of P956, Juan Dela Cruz can only hope for a miracle if he is to survive a new wave of price hikes. Already, to pay for the average consumption of 200 kWh, the common worker must set aside five days worth of wages. With Meralcos new rates, workers would have to shell out another days worth of pay. The government however sees no cause for alarm. In a press briefing, Presidential Communications secretary Sonny Coloma justified Meralcos new prices and in effect told consumers that this was something expected from a privatized utility. Hindi na tayo dapat maligalig doon sa pagbabago ng presyo ng singil sa kuryente dahil ito ay market-driven Hindi ito arbitrary. But when pressed to take direct action against the power hikes, Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte retorted that the executive is limited by the law. There is no magic wand to wave. Despite Malacanangs history of mustering support in the legislature like in the Corona impeachment and the Reproductive Health Law, the governments lack of political will betrays its long and strong relationship with the power corporations that benefit from the status quo. Grounded During the Arroyo presidency, the governments first order of business included striking a deal with international financial institutions (IFI) about the countrys power industry. In exchange for foreign loans from the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, Arroyo and Congress ceded control of the power industry to private entities such as Meralco and independent power producers (IPP) through the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA). Today, the industry is open to anyone with enough capital while the market, instead of the state, sets power prices. IFIs argued this would supposedly foster a competitive power industry that would lower electric costs, the very same rationale behind the privatization of NCRs water supply in 1997 and the deregulation of the oil industry later in the Arroyo presidency. More than a decade later however, like water and oil prices, power prices only further skyrocketed. Since 2001, Meralcos rates have increased from P4.87 per kWh to P10.35 per kWh in 2010. Mali kasi ang assumption na magdudulot umano ng mas mababang presyo ang kumpetisyon sa isang industriya katulad ng kuryente, explains Glenis Balangue, senior researcher at independent thinktank IBON Foundation. Sidebar: Power-hungry In reality, companies actually find it more to their Only five corporations dominate the power industry in the whole country. Besides also owning mutual benefit if the power plants in the alleged collusion, these companies also buy-out small electric cooperatives they work together to retain their hold in the industry. SMC for instance, is buying-out the debt-ridden Albay Electric and manipulate the Cooperative despite public opposition. market for higher profits, something Ironically, Meralco posted a not difficult to pull off when the power from an average of P13.74 before the industry is only dominated by a few shutdownclearly taking advantage booming profit of P17.5 billion for of Meralcos sudden demand for power. 2013, at least a billion higher than their corporate giants (see sidebar). Other IPPs at the WESM followed suit, 2012 profit of P16.25 billion. Pero Abuse of power costing Meralco P22 billion in pinili pa rin ng Meralco na ipasa ang Amid the controversy surrounding generation charges. lahat ng lugi nila sa consumersfor a Meralcos recent power hike, Congress Despite this, Meralco and simple reason: to protect their profits, solons have deduced that Meralco collaborating IPPs were never at the Bayan Muna Congressman Carlos and its partner independent power losing end. The Aboitiz groups Therma Zarate explains. producers (IPP) simply staged a series Mobile for instance, while failing to As private entities inherently of unfortunate events to hike prices deliver its contracted 238 MW to place their own goals above anything with the aid of EPIRA. Meralco, sold 90 MW at the jacked else, cases of collusion are nothing In a petition to the Supreme Court up prices at the WESM. Meanwhile, new under the deregulated industry. (SC), Bayan Muna partylist noted Meralco had EPIRA as a safety net. So To permanently prevent future that when Meralcos major power while IPPs made a killing through the cases like this then would entail generator, the Malampaya Gas WESM, Meralco in turn simply passed the states reclamationfor unlike Field, underwent its scheduled on the bloated prices to the consumers, private companies, it does not have maintenance shutdown from in the form of its P4.15 per kWh hike. an inherent motive to profit, Balangue November to December If this collusion is any indication, proposes. 2013, Meralcos contracted EPIRA then turns out to be the Affordable electricity after all IPPs suspiciously also sweetest deal the private sector has is a crucial component to national underwent repairs. struck with the government. In the development. Without it, vital social Citing reasons like end, EPIRAs purported competition services and public works like housing emergency repairs not just limited the power industry and roads would be near impossible to and a leaking tube, to big corporations who can afford to power. But by running the industry IPPs First Generation play, but also converted electricity to itself and creating cheap power, Corp., Kepco Philippines, Team merely a profitable commodity. industrialization would never have to Energy Corp., AES Philippines, cost the people a hefty price. DMCI Inc., and Therma Changing currents Yet, before such a feat could be With only an SC Temporary achieved, the state must first sever Mobiles unavailability then gave the impression that Restraining Order keeping consumers its ties with the elite few and the Meralco had to buy power from from the power hike, Meralco has inherent greed for profits. For only by the Wholesale Electricity Spot lashed out against their critics. In rejecting corporate interests, can the Market (WESM), a marketplace for their 230-page consolidated comment government repeal EPIRA, reinstate readily available electricity, to continue to Bayan Muna, Meralco said that state regulation on the power industry, some IPPs may now refuse to sell and truly bring back power to doing business. Interestingly, the owners of them electricity should its power hike the people. these IPPs also had sister companies be junked. Meralcos constraints to pay bills selling at the WESM. Moreover, when Malampaya underwent repairs, beyond the P5.6673 per kwh price, Illustration: Karl Aquino their prices surged to as much as the will result in rotating blackout[s], Page design: Ashley Garcia WESM price ceiling P62 per kWh Meralco threatens.
LATHALAIN
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
LATHALAIN
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
MARTES, ENERO 21, 2014 wealth and might before the world. Hounded by controversies of human rights abuses of migrant workers, disregard for historical ethnic atrocities, and threats of terrorism, the countdown to the Sochi Olympics flickers in city centers. After all, the sports event superficially represents what Russia has in store for the global public. As part of BRICS, a bloc of economic powerhouses composed by Brazil, India, China and South Africa, Russias role in the world economic order has become more sharply pronounced. The BRICS were seen to be sources of growth amidst the lingering effects of the 2008 financial meltdown on major economies. According to United Nations estimates for 2014, the Russian economy is projected to grow at 2.9 percenta figure higher than any of the established powers. At least in St. Petersburg and its surrounding areas, construction and development of high-rise flats and roads are a common sight. To complement this economic strength, the country also projects its military might in regions of the Middle East and nearby Eurasia, o f t e n opposing if not competing with official US position, as in the case of Iran and Syria. More recently, Russia skirmished with the European Union in a high-profile tug-of-war over trading concessions in Ukraine, whose bitter decision to side with Moscow triggered wide-scale unrest. Russia is clearly far from resting its case for global influence, especially in ex-Soviet countries, against the West. This time however, Russia competes not as a harbinger of an alternative setup, but a fledging challenger against oldtimers of the free marketthe very system it once challenged. Reviewed Y e somehow, Russia feels like t
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home. Beset by accusations of massive human rights violations, most strikingly state-sanctioned attacks against LGBTQIs, and crackdown against government critics like the detention of Greenpeace activists, some conditions in Russia resemble things back at home. Returning President Vladimir Putin and his government for instance, is the subject of countless criticisms, ranging from rigged elections to allegations of corruption. Contradictions also abound. Post-Soviet income inequality across the country worsened, with 35 percent of its total $1.2 trillion wealth or $420 billion are owned by only 110 of 143 million Russians, according to Forbes and Credit Suisse data. Although nonconclusive in itself, stories of bureaucratic corruption due to low wages are quite common, and vagrants also loiter the streetsand I have heard these rumors in St.Petersburg, one of Russias major cities. Its hard to tell what stories the countryside would offer. Several analyses of Russian society conclude that majority of Russians still long for the good old days when the SU enjoyed the status of a superpower. Some even point that this sentiment precisely explains the support for Putin, who is perceived to have steered the country to order and progress after the troubled years that followed the SUs dissolution. To my generation born in the 1990s, the SU seemed an odd villain from a distant narrative only kept alive by academic discussions, war films, or cultural references. But for many Russians, it talks of an era when they were on top virtually unchallenged, except by the Americans. Still, the revolutionary lessons that propelled toiling Russians to take control of their lives were not in vain. For while the countrys ambitious experiments with communism in the past failed, there is no denying that Russia once opened the possibilities of a better alternative, of a system collectively driven by a people determined to chart their own history. Although Russia has been assimilated by the system it once fought, the peoples aspirations for a more humane and just world order remains. Despite the Russian states tight control of democratic freedoms, wave of protests intermittently erupt and disrupt the governments power monopoly. Whether in Russia, or in the Philippines, or elsewhere, such struggles will continue.
an all-fronts showdown for world supremacy. The SU had its ups and downs, had achieved significant strides and certainly committed mistakes. Unfortunately for the system it represents, the SUs collapse gave western capitalist countries an opportunity for propaganda, to dismiss communism as simply undesirable. Yet what I find amusing however, is how Russia remains to be seen as socialist or communist, when it has long turned its back against its ideals, even during the SUs time. Resurgence Since settling in the city, it was hard to miss a familiar polar bearhare-leopard cartoon gang that adorned supermarkets, shops, and conspicuous public spaces. They remind pedestrians and shoppers of the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics which, experts agree, meant more than a gathering of world athletes united in solidarity it was also a celebration of Russias return to power. This is no exception. The 2008 Beijing Olympics for instance, often evokes images of a prosperous China, which symbolically showcased i t s
KULTURA
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
References: Adorno, T. (1991). The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture. London: Routledge Lumbera, B. (1989). Pelikula: an essay on Philippine Film. Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines. Lumbera, B. (1997). Revaluation 1997. Manila: University of Santo Tomas Publishing House. Tolentino, R. (2000). Geopolitics of the Visible. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press. Tolentino, R. (2004). Paghahanap ng Virtual na Identidad. Manila: Anvil.
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kontrol ng lokal at dayuhang naghaharing uri. Halimbawa, ang Pista ng Nazareno ay hindi lamang isang relihiyosong okasyon. Ito'y tiyak na pagkakataon para sa kita, ganansiya at politikal na panlilinlang. Pangekonomiyang kita at ganansiya ito para sa mga estabisimiyento, laluna para sa malalaking negosyante at mamumuhunan, sa Quiapo. Panlilinlang naman ito para sa mga tulad ni Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III na kumasangkapan sa Nazareno at sa Diyos upang pagtakpan ang kaniyang mga kakulangan, kabilang na ang kawalan ng kahandaan at kawalan ng hustisya para sa mga biktima ng mga sakunang tulad ng Yolanda. Our unbreakable spirit and ability to recover nd root in our rm belief in a benevolent God who has the perfect plan for all of us. These tragedies tell us that, despite all our eorts, we are indeed powerless without God, pahayag ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino III. Tulad ng isang pangkaraniwang araw sa Quiapo ang Pista ng Nazareno -- naidagdag lamang ang midya, pulitiko, manininda at mga pulis. Sa Pista ng Nazareno, hindi lamang ang naghihinamalang imahe ang ipinagdiriwang maging ang jackpot na araw ng mga negosyante at naghaharing politiko. Sa abalang siyudad ng Quiapo, laluna sa Pista ng Nazareno, mahihinuha na hindi naman ang Diyos ang nagbuklod sa mga mamamayan kundi ang kahirapang nararanasan ng kalakhan ng mamamayang Pilipino. Sa halip na lumayo sa ugat ng problema, dapat tingnan ang Pista ng Nazareno na salamin ng lumalalang kalagayan ng lipunan at ang pagbuwag sa ganitong uri ng sistema ang naiwang solusyon para sa mga Pilipino.
Tuwing ika-siyam ng Enero ipinagdiriwang ang Pista ng Nazareno. Taon-taon itong dinudumog ng mga debotong tulad nina Aling Tina at Cristina. Mula Quirino Grandstand hanggang Quiapo, inililipat ang rebulto sa pamamagitan ng isang prusisyong tinatawag na traslacion. Pinaniniwalaang nagmula ang imahen ng Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno sa isang nasunog na barko galing sa Mexico noong 1606. Ayon sa mga kuwento, himala itong nakaligtas subalit nagbago ang kulay nito kayat mula nooy binansagang "Itim na Nazareno." Simbolo ang Nazareno ng pagpapakasakit ni Hesukristo sa krus at ginugunita ito sa pamamagitan ng mga ritwal na isinasagawa ng mga debotong tulad ni Cristina pagyayapak habang nagpuprisisyon at paghalik o pagpunas sa Nazareno at sa pasan nitong Krus. Pamana ng kolonyalismong Kastila ang mga tradisyong gaya nito. Bago dumating ang mga mananakop na Espanyol sa Pilipinas, laganap ang pagsamba ng mga Pilipino sa mga anito, sa mga ispiritung naninirahan sa kalikasan. Politeistiko rin ang mga sinaunang relihiyon sa bansa -- ang paniniwala sa marami at iba't ibang uri ng diyos at diyosa. Taliwas ang politeismong ito sa monoteistikong Romano Katolisismo na kinakasangkapan ng mga Kastila sa pananakop. Upang mabaka ito, ipinangtapat ng mga kolonisador sa samu't saring diyos at diyosa ang
Reduccion
Ang ganitong kultura ng kolonyal na manipulasyon ay bahagi ng geopolitikal na sistemang tinaguriang reduccion o sistemang pueblo. Ayon kay Robert Reed sa Colonial Manila, nagpatupad ang mga Kastila ng sistemang reduccion na nagtatakda sa mga simbahan bilang sentro ng kolonyal na urbanisasyon. Ang lahat ay hinimok na dumugin ang mga cabeceras at manirahan sa kung saan dinig ang tunog ng kampana. Kung gayon, ang debosyon sa Nazareno at ang paglalakbay tungo sa sentro ng reduccion -- ang simbahan -- ay bunga ng kolonyal na manipulasyon sa pag-iisip at pagkilos ng mga Pilipino. Mula sa traslacion at prusisyon hanggang sa mga nobena at pamamanata, ang reduccion ay hindi
Debosyon
Nagpapatuloy sa kasalukuyan ang pangunahing gamit ng Nazareno -- instrumento ng mga nasa poder ng pampolitika, pang-ekonomiya at pangkulturang kapangyarihan. Batay sa paliwanag ni Karl Marx, ginagamit ng mga naghaharing uri ang relihiyon upang itatag, panatilihin at patatagin ang sistemang pangekonomiyang pabor sa naghaharing iilan. Isinama ni Louis Althusser ang relihiyon sa tinatawag na Ideological State Apparatus (ISA) o kasangkapan ng naghaharing estado at uri upang kontrolin ang kamalayan ng mamamayan. Kasama ang iba pang superistruktura tulad ng mga institusyon ng reaksyonaryong paaralan at midya, kinakasangkapan ang relihiyon para sa pampolitika, pang-ekonomiya at pangkulturang
P anatat P aglaya
Kasaysayan at Pulitiko ng Himala ng Nazareno
10
OPINYON
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
Survival and the desire for a better quality of life are two of these biological imperatives
OPINYON
PHILIPPINE COLLEGIAN
11
NEWSCAN
EKSENANG PEYUPS
TEXTBACK
Ze Stalker Edishun!
HALLOOOO, THERE! SO NEAR NA the Valenties Day, opkoprz heto na naman ang malamig na hangin para ipangalandakan further ang singular noun n gating relationship status in need of heat. Malamang hunting season na to the hightest level ang peg ng sangkaUPian. Mind yer fezzbok pages na, linis-linis din ng bump-able material pag may time, baka ibang imprezzzion ang masighting ni Bet. You know na, imagimage din. Sighting # 1: Ze Pa-Oscar Nominee Pegger Such peg. Sinetch iteng former Miss Univerz of College of mga Soyal at Pilisopo who makes sabay sa Oscar Zeazon sa pagcompose ng dramatic speech on ALL her statuseseseses? After surviving daw a month at work, so much drama at thank you acceptance speech na ang peg sa fezzzbook. Inisa-isa pa mga families, friends, Romans, countrymen, testing the limits of the status word count! Pangalandakan mo pa mga biyaya mo sa layf, teh. So much thanks ah, so celebrity. Much wow. You know the meaning of PM, gurrrl? Such knowledge. Sighting # 2: Ze Image-Maker So much pa-image naman itong si Ateng from Kolehiyo ng mga Pangladlad na Komunikayson with her God-God status every now and then. Supah ineective na ang style The. And unconvincing. Try another pa-perfume to your image, gurrrrl. Papahingahin mo muna si God, ples. We know naman who you are, ate gurl. Sighting # 3: Ze Celebrity Status Silence is louder than words, sabi ng mga utaws, yet this koyaso hot pa namanfrom College of Engg loves silence so, so much! He keeps posting vague pa-celebrity status Its really hard, So much pain, I cant take it, that accumulates so much comments and likes, but keeps iniignore mga paparazzi-friends! OMG, Kuya, why u so Feeler? Isa ka sa mga daily problems ng Pilipinas, Teh? Zew, if you want to manhunt/ womanhunt for zis upcoming dreaded season of hearts, wag chumoba sa Fezzbook. So kalurkeyy mga people, just go and make landiii to all nations! Hanggang sa susunod, mga beks! Mwah! Ano ang masasabi mo sa naging tugon ni Aquino sa pagresolba sa problemang dulot ni Yolanda, lalo na sa Tacloban? Nagresolba man lang ba siya ng kahit ano? Sabihin na nating meron pero importante ang bilis. Napakatagal ng response time niya. 2013 - *0*7* From what we endured in Tacloban after the typhoon struck, I NEVER SAW THE PRESIDENT MAKE SIGNIFICANT RESOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY THE TYPHOON. Once again, the president at his nest. Of course, it took him forever to get over his hesitance to help Tacloban because the mayor is a political rival. Pure immaturity if you ask me. Then add Mar Roxas into the mix and I can tell you, the Phils. is very much f*cked. *Sigh* 2013-35153 AlexUPTac Ano ang resolutions mo para sa panibagong semestre? Wala pa kong resolution para sa panibagong semestre kasi 2nd sem pa din kaya huhuhu :p pero magsisipag na talaga ako kahit nagamit ko na tong line na to n times. KAYA YAAAAN! 201****29 arkiboy Bs arch Resolution ko ay magka-girlfriend this year :D 2011-12079 Comments/Pabati bkt ndami pong articles abt US colonialism in phils nd asia? Y nt talk abt agresivenes of china vs spratly claimants lyk phils? Lets b fair ds aspect, kule. Thanks. Jojit, updepp. 2013-****6 shoutout ito sa crush kong 'di pa inaaccept friend request ko! 2014 na po! lol jk. suggest ko lang, publish naman kayo ng LGBT-related article. Yehey tengkyu :* 2013-***2* Hi Ana! Happy Birthday!!! :) 2008-17381 Ibang klase at nagsuggest pa ng Super Bracket A o Bracket A+ yung Albarracin na yun "to generate funds for subsidizing lower bracket students!" Di ko rin maintindihan yung ibig sabihin ng pagjunk ng proposal ni SR Melgarejo re: tuition rollback, sabi pa student body ang dapat mag-initiate ng proposal. Hindi bat ang SR nga ang rep ng mga estudyante sa BOR? O mali lang intindi ko? Tunay ngang galit sila sa estudyante at mahirap! -200929283 Engg Ang galing ng Kule. Sayang na ngayong bakasyon ko lang uli nabasa nang buo. Parang nakikisalamuha sa iba't ibang uri ng tao sa 'kultura'. Sya nga pala, sana ma-update na ang website nyo ng bagong articles.
IMPRESS.
January 22, 2014 2:30-4:00PM PH 207 Be condent in your ability to stand out in the crowd. Join us on the rst installment of Transform You Norm with Prof. Jonathan Malicsi, Ph. D and Prof. Aurora Corpuz-Mendoza, Ph. D as they help you work on feeling good in order to look good. The UP Psychology Society, on its 61st anniversary, presents Instinct! A quiz bee to test your knowledge on PSYCHOLOGY and on SURVIVAL! Do you know what it takes to survive?
CONTACT US! Write to us via snail mail or submit a soft copy to Rm. 401, Vinzons Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Email us at pkule1314gmail.com. Save Word attachments in Rich Text Format, with INBOX, NEWSCAN or CONTRIB in the subject. Always include your full name, address and contact details.
Form a team of 5 and register here: http://tinyurl.com/ psychsocadhocINSTINCT Registration fee is PHP 50.00 per member. January 24, 2014; 4-7pm at Palma Hall Rm. 207 For inquiries, contact: Mayumi (09178216324), Vea (09178302771) or Nico (09162426839)
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NOWHERE MAN
Alan P. Tuazon
Time and convenience
TO BEGIN WITH, THE problem is that there is always not enough time. I am not usually prepared for class, yet this specific report on the Japanese notion of mono no aware, had me researching. At the middle of my report, a classmate has started shoving his school things to his rucksacka signal that I should stopjust as the way we all do as professors extend beyond their time slots. All others have started doing the same. The things you do when seen in others tend to look more hostile. As deadlines start to bombard us again, time consumes us into blissful ashes like fire from a cigarette. We are full of the short happiness if being alive. The fleeting is seen as more beautiful, so we try capturing the precious minutes of the rare ringed moon last week. I remember a heartbreaking scene for me in Giuseppe Tornatores Cinema Paradiso when the cinemas projectionist Alfredo told the protagonist Toto to discover the world and enjoy the time of his youth without glancing back to his homeland. Life is not what you see in films. Life is much harder. Go away! You are young. The world is your oyster, the fatherly projectionist has advised a young Toto. Times ephemeral nature makes us choose the convenient that would serve us. We have a lot of convenience stores and instant things to attest to that. We have a 24-hour fast-food delivery, seven days of the week. We tend to fall in love with strangers because we know we will never encounter them in the distant futurejust a passing beauty, a passing happiness in a world where happiness is calculated in gin bottles and packets of cigarettes. There is an art in finding time, but we must not wait to master it before realizing that our time must not be dedicated solely to self-gratification.
Kel Almazan