tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-439780673744598132024-03-05T17:18:01.937+08:00DILIMAN DIARYUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1084125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-8977756116092325332018-03-21T12:04:00.000+08:002018-03-21T12:06:40.407+08:00Valle Verde trailThe Department of Public Works and Highways is completing now the last leg of a road expansion that will link the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Pangasinan through the Valle Verde trail which converges in Barangay Malico, San Nicolas, Pangasinan. Previously this trail was known to historians for the relentless drive of United Forces to sustain enormous casualties during World War II to decimate the troops of General Yamashita who were on retreat mode at the tail end of the war.<br />
<br />
The trail is expected to foster more economic development and opportunities for Pangasinenses and Nueva Vizcayans. This is good news.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-44066527062855729842017-11-18T18:50:00.000+08:002017-11-18T18:50:11.240+08:00No to EJKsThe Diliman Diary opposes Extra Judicial Killings (EJKs) because it is simply the wrong thing to do. It is a crime against humanity.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-5929626560122582672014-01-19T09:11:00.001+08:002014-01-19T09:11:48.721+08:00Shortlist for U.P. Diliman Chancellors has been set.Sources from the University of the Philippines at Diliman Search Committee have identified the seven (7) nominees for UP Diliman Chancellor:<br /><br />Dr. Patrick Azansa (UP alumnus), Dr. Guy Claudio (Director, UP Center for Women's Studies), Dr. Prospero de Vera (Vice President for Public Affairs and UP NCPAG Professor), Dr. Roger Posadas (retired UP professor), Prof. Nes Raneses (AVP for Administration and Directors, UP ISSI), Dr. Cesar Saloma (incumbent UP Diliman Chancellor), and Dr. Michael Tan (Dean, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy and Professor of Anthropology).<br /><br />A special meeting to discuss the issue is expected on Monday, January 20, 2014 at 8:00 a.m. at Quezon Hall, U.P. Diliman.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-58981598663846829432013-11-18T11:02:00.000+08:002013-11-18T11:02:49.867+08:00Statement of UP President Alfredo E. Pascual on the Status of Disaster Management Efforts for UP Visayas in Tacloban and UP School of Health Sciences in Palo, Leyte<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0FyibVNK5K-mkqaMgzpavvOqzhYjIADE_MzPg7i4SCTDeFnrKofm1jAYqUl2L0B-S-5V27YbXEr3lAGrJamZI5TdAgRPPM79K5xKlRfjZRDkNKPCAe80dBA8NEVk8pnii85um5l-NA/s1600/TulongUPv3b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0FyibVNK5K-mkqaMgzpavvOqzhYjIADE_MzPg7i4SCTDeFnrKofm1jAYqUl2L0B-S-5V27YbXEr3lAGrJamZI5TdAgRPPM79K5xKlRfjZRDkNKPCAe80dBA8NEVk8pnii85um5l-NA/s320/TulongUPv3b.png" width="226" /></a></div>
Statement of UP President Alfredo E. Pascual on the Status of Disaster Management Efforts for UP Visayas in Tacloban and UP School of Health Sciences in Palo, Leyte<br />
<br />
Tropical cyclone Yolanda hit the eastern seaboard of the Philippines on Friday, 8 November 2013, and devastated the provinces of Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, Iloilo and Palawan. Two UP units were severely damaged by the super typhoon – UP Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC) campus (1,543 students, faculty and staff) and UP Manila School of Health Sciences (UPM SMS) in Palo, Leyte (209 students, faculty and staff).<br />
<br />
As news of the devastation reached me, I immediately instructed Vice President for Public Affairs Prospero E. de Vera to organize a disaster relief effort.<br />
<br />
I also met with my executive staff and the chancellors of all UP constituent units on Monday, 11 November 2013 to map out a coordinated effort to reach out and assist our students, faculty and staff in the affected areas.<br />
<br />
Aware of the need for urgent action, I also issued the following memoranda to hasten our disaster management effort:<br />
<br />
1. Memorandum PAEP 13-35 (11 November 2013) launching Tulong UP to mobilize material and financial donations for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (http://www.up.edu.ph/memorandum-no-paep-13-35-help-for-victims-of-typhoon-yolanda/). By late afternoon of the 11th, dozens of of UP students, faculty, and staff worked together to pack 1,000 relief packs which were immediately dispatched for delivery to Tacloban via Air Force C130 flight. We also shipped out that night several boxes of clothes and other goods collected by the UP Diliman Student Council. A truckload of relief goods was provided by UP Los Banos the other day. Senator Koko Pimentel responded as well with a cash donation of P100,000 and medicines worth P100,000. We thank all our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends here and abroad who are sending donations for this effort.<br />
<br />
2. Memorandum 13-36 (13 November 2013) and Memorandum 13-37 (15 November 2013) instructing the chancellors of UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Baguio, UP los Banos, UP Mindanao, and UP Visayas in Iloilo, plus the dean of UP Cebu to accommodate all affected students from UPVTC who wish to cross-register in their respective campuses for the second semester so that these students do not suffer a delay in their studies. (http://www.up.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Memo-PAEP-13-36-URGENT-cross-registration-of-UPVTC-students.pdf) (http://www.up.edu.ph/memorandum-no-paep-13-37-implementing-guidelines-cross-registration-of-upvtc-students/). A number of UPVTC students have already signed up to cross-register in UP Diliman, Manila, Cebu, and Iloilo. UP Los Banos has offered dormitory accommodation and living allowance to at least 100 of those who will cross-register there. Still, there is a need to further widen the dissemination of information re the cross-registration opportunity for benefit of the UPVTC students.<br />
<br />
UP Visayas Chancellor Rommel Espinosa sent a 4-member reconnaissance team to Tacloban to look over the UPVTC campus and bring money for cash advance to UPVTC faculty and staff. The team arrived in Tacloban on Thursday, 14 November and stayed for two days. The contacts on the ground for UPVTC are Dean Anita Cular (0917-328-1357) and Associate Dean Anida Lorenzo (0917-357-0650).<br />
<br />
UPM SHS Dean Buddy Dastura (0917-803-4929) returned to Palo from Manila also on the 14th and is now on the ground to assess the situation and provide recommendations on how we can best assist our constituents in the School of Health Sciences there.<br />
<br />
From reports received so far, we are thankful that there is no fatality among our students, faculty and staff in the two areas. We will continue to seek and assist all the affected members of our academic community until we know everyone in need of assistance been provided with aid.<br />
<br />
A UP Manila Pahinungod medical team led by Dr. Eric Talens will leave this Sunday (17 November 2013) to render emergency medical assistance to our Palo, Leyte campus. A forensics team led by Dr. Racquel Fortun is now working with the Department of Health, Asia Foundation, and the International Red Cross to handle the management of dead bodies in Leyte and Samar.<br />
<br />
We are also preparing to send a technical team of UP professors who are experts in civil engineering, architecture, urban planning, and geohazard assessment to be led by former Architecture Dean Dan Silvestre. The team will evaluate the damaged physical infrastructure and facilities of our Tacloban and Palo campuses. Their work will provide guidance to our rehabilitation plan. We will continue to work with Philippine authorities on the ground to offer the services of our medical, forensics, and technical experts in the areas that are not covered by other government agencies.<br />
<br />
While the situation on the ground is improving, the road to relief and reconstruction will be long and challenging. I appeal to all members of our academic community to continue helping us locate, reach out and help all our students, faculty, staff and their families in the affected areas. I also ask that you continue to mobilize resources and expertise to help us provide relief and reconstruct our campuses, the communities around them, and all other areas devastated by this typhoon.<br />
<br />
The loss in the affected provinces is immeasurable, but there are reasons to hope. For one thing, this Philippine tragedy has served to bring the world together, as the international community quickly responded by sending aid and rescue teams. Help came pouring in from foreign governments, from international agencies, and from ordinary people. We are truly living in a global village now, and this growing awareness of our interconnectedness, not only among nations but with our own planet and its inhabitants, is a source of inspiration for us.<br />
<br />
In the wake of this devastation, we are given an unparalleled chance to start again. When we rebuild our towns and cities, we can take the opportunity to make them better, smarter, more resilient and more sustainable. We can redesign our communities into places that healthy and creative lives for people.<br />
<br />
http://www.up.edu.ph/statement-of-up-president-alfredo-e-pascual-on-the-status-of-disaster-management-efforts-for-up-visayas-in-tacloban-and-up-school-of-health-sciences-in-palo-leyte/Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-26195130447531741732013-08-28T16:52:00.000+08:002013-08-28T16:54:41.560+08:00Why the government should continue increasing the UP Budget<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jyA6Rt5g63o" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
</div>
By Chancellor Caesar Saloma<br />
<br />University of the Philippines Diliman<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
26 August 2013<br />
<br />The Philippine government, through the Aquino administration, started to increase earnestly the budget of the University of the Philippines in fiscal year 2013. It allocated Php10.09B which is 1.66 times more than the 2012 UP budget. The average UP budget per year in the last ten years ending 2012 is Php5.63B. The UP budget was Php 4.34 B in 2003.<br />
<br />UP is the only national university of the country (Republic Act 9500). Its annual budget consists of three major expense categories: Personnel Services (PS), Maintenance, Operating & Other Expenses (MOOE), and Capital Outlay (CO). The PS allocation is used to pay for the salaries, wages and other compensation of permanent, temporary, contractual and casual employees while the MOOE is utilized to operate the seven (7) constituent universities of UP and maintain its fifteen campuses. On the other hand, the CO allocation permits UP to purchase goods and services as well as implement infrastructure projects that add to its collection of assets. Included in the UP budget is the allocation for the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).<br />
<br />
The PS component of the 2012 UP budget was 64.8% higher than that in 2008 implying an annual average increase of 16.2% in the said span of time. The increases enabled UP to apply a series of compensation adjustments for its employees in accordance with the Salary Standardization Law Policy of the Philippine government. For example, the full professor salary (SG 29‐8) in 2012 was 1.37 times higher than that in 2010. For associate (SG 25‐5) and assistant (SG 21‐5) professors, the corresponding increases were 1.32 and 1.2 times, respectively. <br />
<br />
Better compensation is aimed at attracting and retaining highly talented and productive scholars, scientists, researchers and artists to serve in UP on a full‐time basis. The PS component of the 2013 UP budget is 24.69% higher than in 2012.<br />
<br />
The MOOE component is a distinctive feature of the 2013 UP budget. At Php2.06B, it is 2.88times larger than its 2012 counterpart. The relative increase is even more telling at 3.53 times when the MOOE allocation for the PGH is considered separately. The average annual MOOE budget for UP is Php785.655 M from 2003 to 2012.<br /> <br />In 2012, UP Diliman, the main campus of UP, received an MOOE allocation of Php 103.243 M which was highly inadequate to cover the cost of energy and water consumption as well as security and janitorial services. The energy bill of UP Diliman amounted to Php 193.203737 M, which is 6.99% higher than that in 2011. Energy consumption increased by 4.18% primarily due to the completion of new buildings and facilities particularly in the National Science Complex and the Engineering Complex. The 2012 water bill was Php70.130146 M, which is 8.74% lower than in 2011. Concerted efforts to repair or replace leaking pipes and defective water fixtures have led to a noticeable 21.95% reduction in water consumption in UP Diliman buildings. <br />
<br />
The 2013 MOOE allocation of UP Diliman is Php 268.983M, which is 2.61 times larger than in the previous year. The said amount however, is still not sufficient to cover the increasing cost of energy and water consumption as well as security and janitorial services that is projected to be at least Php 420M.<br /> <br />To bridge the gap between actual operations cost and insufficient MOOE allotment from the national government, UP Diliman uses its income from tuition fees and other asset utilization initiatives. Such a deficit‐funding scheme however, reduces the amount of money that is available for making the campus more enabling and nurturing. It has postponed the overdue rehabilitation/retrofitting of aging infrastructures, scaled down vital student support programs, and stymied the acquisition of modern equipment and facilities that enhance the safety and welfare of the UP community and the general public that regularly spend time in the 493‐hectare campus.<br />
<br />The 2013 UP budget included a CO allocation of Php1.45 B – none was allotted in the previous two years. In 2012 however, UP, through the efforts of UP President Alfredo Pascual was able to secure Php 1.3B from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as part of the Disbursement Acceleration Plan of Philippine President Aquino, that enabled it to implement new CO projects in its constituent universities. <br />
<br />
For 2014, UP has requested for a budget of Php17.1 B that included funding proposals for major CO projects such as the Sports Complex (Php435M), the College of Architecture Complex (Php260.590M), the College of Home Economics Complex (Php 425M) and Vinzon’s Hall‐Student Center (Php100M) in UP Diliman. The Executive Branch has submitted to Congress a National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2014 that includes a UP Budget of Php 8.098 B of which Php1.991B is allotted for PGH. The UP Budget in the proposed 2014 NEP represents only 47.36% of the amount that has been originally requested. It features a proposed MOOE allocation that is 1.04% higher than in 2013 and there is no explicit CO budget allocation. <br />
<br />The instruction is for UP to source the funds for its proposed CO projects separately from CHED. Investing seriously in UP is a wise strategy for the Philippine government and the country. The infusion of public funds that permitted the on‐going completion of the National Science Complex and t he Engineering Complex, and increased the available number of graduate scholarships in the basic and applied sciences, mathematics and the engineering sciences, has already resulted in meaningful human capital buildup in the form of more highly trained PhD and MS graduates. It has accelerated the generation of new scientific knowledge, and advanced the development of technical expertise in critical areas of national importance such as weather forecasting, disaster risk response and mitigation as well as terrestria l and marine resource management. <br />
<br />Other government agencies such as the DOST, CHED, DA, DENR, DOH, DA and DepEd as well as Congress and the Judiciary continue to rely on the valuable expertise of UP scholars and researchers in the formulation and implementation of their respective programs and projects. State universities serve about a third of all college students in the country, and they have depended on UP to provide them with their next generation of PhD faculty members.The number of high school seniors taking the yearly UP College Admission Test is increasing at an average rate of 3.94% since August 2007. In the 2012 UPCAT, only one out of every 13 applicants qualified for admission into UP Diliman – a majority of them came from private (55.7%) and public science (29.4) high schools. A total of 12,732 applicants were qualified for the entire UP System indicating a success rate of one in 5.83.<br />
<br />
More than 83,500 high school seniors took the 2013 UPCAT ‐ an increase of 8.95% than the number in 2012. About 65% of them are competing for the 3,875 available slots (the same number as in 2012) that are distributed in the 68 undergraduate degree programs offered by UP Diliman. Admission is getting more difficult for SY 2014‐2015.<br />
<br />Providing solid budgetary support to UP would allow it to continue rationalizing public access to top‐quality higher education by young Filipinos from all over the country.<br />
<br />The additional funds would enable the training of more talented undergraduate students at a rate that is proportional to the annual increase in the number of UPCAT applications. More investments are also needed to enhance and strengthen the academic and research programs in the other six constituent universities (UPLB, UP Manila, UP Baguio, UP Visayas, UP Mindanao, Open University) and reduce the relatively high concentration of undergraduate and graduate students (representing 45% of all UP students) studying in UP Diliman.<br />
<br />As the leading university of the country in terms of research productivity and breadth of academic programs, UP is at the forefront of on‐going efforts to harmonize and standardize the academic degree programs that are offered by leading ASEAN universities in line with the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint in 2015. UP should be provided with the means and resources necessary to become one of the truly great universities in the ASEAN. The success of UP will mean greater opportunities of leadership for many more highly skilled Filipinos in this dynamic ASEAN region and the Pacific Rim.<br />
<br />Thank you. <br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-----------------<br />About the author. Dr. Saloma is a professor of physics at the National Institute of Physics, UP Diliman. He received the Galileo Galilei Award from the international Commission for Optics in 2004 and the triennial ASEAN Outstanding Scientist and Technologist Award from the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology in 2008. He is included in the Ultimate List of 15 Asian Scientists To Watch by Asian Scientist magazine (15 May 2011). He is a member of the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines and a Senior Member of the Optical Society of America. In August 2011, he wrote an article entitled, “Why the Philippine Government Should Increase Its Budget for the National University.<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-42723259171581281822013-08-27T14:14:00.001+08:002013-08-28T21:58:50.275+08:00Manila Hotel Kapihan reveals that PDAF abolition is just the tip of the iceberg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhqaI7IRLKXC3qVP-AcmIkLOL9xIAxaoZDRjh2bTIw-wjnOoiuGsGRsjbC-JsEfel3sVJeluNQclmhuEPr5jdWJtPs0W7dd7ye0AAgoInQ8ll04RrsFhx6BBSlNK7cquAqwXrEsgJSQ/s1600/mock+pig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhqaI7IRLKXC3qVP-AcmIkLOL9xIAxaoZDRjh2bTIw-wjnOoiuGsGRsjbC-JsEfel3sVJeluNQclmhuEPr5jdWJtPs0W7dd7ye0AAgoInQ8ll04RrsFhx6BBSlNK7cquAqwXrEsgJSQ/s320/mock+pig.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
By Chanda Shahani<br />
<br />
Abolishing the pork barrel or the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) would not solve the systemic problems of corruption and mismanagement plaguing in the Philippines, an emerging consensus at a forum at the Manila Hotel, held last August 26, 2013, shows.<br />
<br />
I went to this forum with my mother, former Senator Leticia R. Shahani; which was held on the same day as the million person march. "Come with me instead," my mom said, promising that I would gain more in sights than merely attending the medley of sit-ins held right outside the Manila Hoitel and in other venues. And so I did.<br />
<br />
One of the organizers of the march, Rasti Delizo of Sanlakas, said that the march was one where the miuddle class was expected to take the lead. "People are outraged at the misuse of funds worth PhP 10 billion or more," he said, adding that the uniting line of thge various groups involved in the march was to scrap all pork barrel, and to hold all those guilty to account and to punish them.<br />
<br />
The forum or kapihan also revealed the following which, loosely, could be lumped under the general heading of "pork barrel" or funds which fell under government discretionary spending:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>President's Social Fund, funded from Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Philippine Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) remittances.</li>
<li>The Judicial Development Fund</li>
<li>The Mampalaya Fund</li>
<li>Local funds. For example, the Quezon City pork barrel is PhP 42 million a year.</li>
<li>Internal Revenue Allotments of the local government units (LGUs).</li>
<li>The intelligence fund of the President.</li>
<li>Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).</li>
</ul>
<div>
The forum was emceed by Manila Hotel President, former Senator Joey Lina. Atty. Lina said that the senators had PDAF or pork barrel of PhP 200 million a year, of which PhP 100 million had to go towards "hard" projects while PhP 100 million had to go towards "soft" projects. In the case of congressmen, they were alloted a total of PhP 70 million, of which PhP 40 million had to go towards "hard" projects while PhP 30 million had to go towards "soft" projects.<br />
<br />
Sister Mary John Mananzan, one of the forum participants, said that rather than funding projects helter-skelter via PDAF, it was more important to use the money to fund "the most glaring" projects in order to solve these problems as quickly as possible. These areas were in housing and government hospitals.<br />
<br />
Former Senator Leticia R. Shahani, a member of the Former Senior Government Officials (FSGO) a group made up of former high-ranking Philippine government officials, said that the million person march was "a manifestation of the anger of the people." She said that no matter what form of structure evolved to take the place of PDAF and other pork barrel funds, it was "useless," unless long-term attention was paid to changing the values and mindsets of people, because ways and means could be found again and again to sybvert the structure and filch money from the people.<br />
<br />
Given that Philippine-style government is operating under a system with two houses of congress with one president given one six (6) year term; and with congress given the power of the budget, it would become apparent that congress is allowed (under the 1987 constitution) to approve items on the budget. Thus, in order to remove this glaring self-serving anomaly; the constitution itself has to be amended in order to reflect a system of government that is more attuned to the people's needs.<br /><br />More on our system of government later.</div>
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-80425961337946785312013-08-25T10:33:00.000+08:002013-08-25T10:33:17.987+08:00PAHAYAG NG UPCSWCD: TANGGALIN ANG PORK BARREL NGAYON NA!<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">PAHAYAG NG UPCSWCD<br /> 22 Agosto 2013 <br /> <br /> TANGGALIN ANG PORK BARREL NGAYON NA!<br /> PONDOHAN ANG MGA BATAYANG SERBISYONG PANLIPUNAN!<br /> <br />
Nakikiisa ang Kolehiyo ng Gawaing Panlipunan at Pagpapaunlad ng
Pamayanan (CSWCD) ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP) sa mga miyembro ng
faculty, staff, estudyante at alumni ng UP na mariing nagkokondena sa
walang pakundangang paglulustay ng pera ng bayan sa mga bogus na NGO at <span class="text_exposed_show">proyekto
gaya ng ipinahihiwatig ng tinatawag na P10-bilyong Napoles scam.
Bilyun-bilyong piso ang inilalaan sa Priority Development Assistance
Fund (PDAF) ng mga senador at congressmen ngunit walang linaw kung paano
ito nagagasta kayat nagiging oportunidad para sa walang habas na
pandaraya at pandarambong.<br /> <br /> Mayroon din ibang malalaking pondo
na ang tawag ay lump sum appropriation ng mga ahensiya ng gobyerno,
kasama na ang ehekutibo, na hindi alam kung ano at saan ang pupuntahan. <br /> <br />
Ang ganitong sitwasyon ay tunay na nakakapanlumo, nakakaiyak at
nakakagalit lalo na sa konteksto ng laganap na kagutuman at kasalatan
ng mahihirap na Pilipino. Ngayon ay dagdag pang hagupit ang pananalanta
ng mga bagyo at pagbaha.<br /> <br /> Sa harap ng ganitong kalagayan ay
malinaw ang tuwid na landas na dapat tahakin ng lahat ng mamamayang
Pilipinong may malasakit sa Inang Bayan. Di dapat palampasin ang
tahasang pagtalikod sa matitinding pangangailangan ng ating mga
kababayan at garapal na paglustay ng pondong dapat sila ang nakinabang.
<br /> <br /> Dapat imbestigahan at parusahan ang lahat ng maysala! <br />
Dapat suportahan ang panukalang batas para sa pagtatanggal ng sistemang
pork barrel! Isabay na rin dito ang pagtatanggal ng lump sum
appropriation ng lahat ng ahensiya ng gobyerno!<br /> <br /> Dapat gamitin
ang pondong nakalaan sa pork barrel (P25.4 bilyon para sa taong 2014)
at sa mga lump sum appropriation sa mga batayang serbisyong panlipunan
para sa kalusugan, edukasyon, pabahay, mass transport, imprastruktura sa
kanayunan, at reporma sa lupa!<br /> <br /> Lumahok tayo sa sama-samang
pagkilos ng pamayanan ng UP at sa pamayanang binubuo ng lahat ng mga
Pilipinong naghahangad ng isang malinis na pamahalaang nananagot sa
lahat ng kanyang gawain at gastusin, at tumutugon sa mga
pangangailangan at hinaing ng mga maralita at nasasantabi sa lipunan.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-44822696383239977032013-08-24T19:27:00.003+08:002013-08-25T10:21:38.191+08:00U.P. Diliman: Remembering 32 journalists killed in Maguindanao <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BEHlsDYqyruFptn7XB1Y3yqlBiaN6fe1vaK_sFqI7mdmnJVA4zo7K-hf5yy2fs-1fPqgk03aA09mXEbVN_M6XwKG3ZqFUNrTQs6J_jtKNUDxXyBpg2igq2moIqR50ZAx1SBBy9-SNA/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BEHlsDYqyruFptn7XB1Y3yqlBiaN6fe1vaK_sFqI7mdmnJVA4zo7K-hf5yy2fs-1fPqgk03aA09mXEbVN_M6XwKG3ZqFUNrTQs6J_jtKNUDxXyBpg2igq2moIqR50ZAx1SBBy9-SNA/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORiHUORIaj_xKlo-63KuOlKGzADtHbhqUmrQQILak4IrW_gW0rrI2upE0eNV6fwxjeYoACxE9XD5SxfCTjnExkfqe84wybbA5KHETl85WNKQYfL3Mnanuurob38qh-AMRrx3Nn2Tq-g/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORiHUORIaj_xKlo-63KuOlKGzADtHbhqUmrQQILak4IrW_gW0rrI2upE0eNV6fwxjeYoACxE9XD5SxfCTjnExkfqe84wybbA5KHETl85WNKQYfL3Mnanuurob38qh-AMRrx3Nn2Tq-g/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_7mt1cjb_9O_uyLIjheGQ9l8EenMzRUCaroKCiSw5blhLsYNsDgRUDYY6rYLFuEWgW5VLhlipzlM0xah-W-0G7dSozM1zlwQIvbjxZPYSSPfsuN5YqJSeLdyquTrEQMY0vxRWDurWw/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_7mt1cjb_9O_uyLIjheGQ9l8EenMzRUCaroKCiSw5blhLsYNsDgRUDYY6rYLFuEWgW5VLhlipzlM0xah-W-0G7dSozM1zlwQIvbjxZPYSSPfsuN5YqJSeLdyquTrEQMY0vxRWDurWw/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEum7T7O6VwIFRCqfXurmP7VVQGGfLZDsEx4z0hxCHmVx16Pe2hVYwI3z2M7Ey_HA4L-aPPoTnEu6Iyetk_K9vBs8qDulWHJgAgOlXkF8enNN-Fq3jbS0ESLKsG2NgJepuog76Nfy3A/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEum7T7O6VwIFRCqfXurmP7VVQGGfLZDsEx4z0hxCHmVx16Pe2hVYwI3z2M7Ey_HA4L-aPPoTnEu6Iyetk_K9vBs8qDulWHJgAgOlXkF8enNN-Fq3jbS0ESLKsG2NgJepuog76Nfy3A/s320/5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sVEaBIXAWxK4k7SDV0xT-heLbz0DkL5HEWgDbY4AKSb_YXbXlCOuhjPmHLhVAFDJhaQol7tKuWG4fE4W1NCnRWR6gomNadolGGN0OaA240Hle3H4lPWWM2YYrhHwEJgObyqRBAsylw/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sVEaBIXAWxK4k7SDV0xT-heLbz0DkL5HEWgDbY4AKSb_YXbXlCOuhjPmHLhVAFDJhaQol7tKuWG4fE4W1NCnRWR6gomNadolGGN0OaA240Hle3H4lPWWM2YYrhHwEJgObyqRBAsylw/s320/6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YJIvPcKrcCYFcqV9CcIPw6W_PEQ-SfeosY9ywqDl0UyQPVW3bfcabbM5cdfwnz-Fyd567OK7QbZZlVr5rmUmYudygPTtkBt4OYLN6wLzbT0JSJ1joezoc6MPUQPdCcQ3J6uGdFHqlw/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YJIvPcKrcCYFcqV9CcIPw6W_PEQ-SfeosY9ywqDl0UyQPVW3bfcabbM5cdfwnz-Fyd567OK7QbZZlVr5rmUmYudygPTtkBt4OYLN6wLzbT0JSJ1joezoc6MPUQPdCcQ3J6uGdFHqlw/s320/7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOhON26TfbYuypa7AkCl46RaLxHLG0yK5FKtIW0C97RsRZhPUkCUvpYhfcfecz3vEe9ka94vdi1XhwmdTh4AJq7rRSbstCjLM77fQwJnRWjtNJzJgh53vz56LKF1Q8QXv9murqSIhjQ/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOhON26TfbYuypa7AkCl46RaLxHLG0yK5FKtIW0C97RsRZhPUkCUvpYhfcfecz3vEe9ka94vdi1XhwmdTh4AJq7rRSbstCjLM77fQwJnRWjtNJzJgh53vz56LKF1Q8QXv9murqSIhjQ/s320/8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Elo-zXEKZB4JZwVPabL6UsF7pb4y7uRnrKO78ylIiSToRqanIw1_PsmOmiGTzdfws_5kfXYt-Q6tQAoOhat5xbcQKHPWUvhn47enqUxU32ElgqL5U1g3BHo21UfgxD_YAJzMCUw_Ig/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Elo-zXEKZB4JZwVPabL6UsF7pb4y7uRnrKO78ylIiSToRqanIw1_PsmOmiGTzdfws_5kfXYt-Q6tQAoOhat5xbcQKHPWUvhn47enqUxU32ElgqL5U1g3BHo21UfgxD_YAJzMCUw_Ig/s320/2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="_wk">
<span class="fwb"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151837840938254.1073741828.571018253&type=1"></a></span><span class="fcg"><br /></span></div>
<span class="userContent">By Chanda Shahani<br /><br />Last August 23, 2013, Cyd Godinez and I went ot to the College of Mass Communication at U.P. Diliman to attend the commemoration of the November 23, 2009 massacre in
Maguindanao where some 32 journalists died, out of a total of 58 victims.</span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent">On hand were the faculty and students of the College of Mass Communication, headed by CMC Dean Roland Tolentino. There were some talks, and then candles were lit to commemorate the victims. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">Coming before the August 26, 2013 million person march to Quirino Grandstand to protest the existence of the priority development assistance fund (PDAF) or pork barrel resulting in losses of at least PhP 10 billion to the Filipino people; Dean Tolentino and fellow CMC professor, Danilo Arao, collectively made the point that PDAF was an egregious instance of the misuse of government resources towards unethical ends. On the other hand, the machinery of the local government: local police, personnel, even a backhoe were used to massacre 32 journalists and other people. These assets employed were paid for with the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the local government units (LGUs).</span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">In other words, even IRAs are subject to abuse, and even IRAs, PDAFs should be looked into and be subjected to oversight and inspection so that abuses of such horrendous proportions can never be repeated again.</span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent">In both instances - that of the PDAF and that of the Maguindanao massacre - presidential patronage allowed actors to act with impunity. In the case of the Ampatuans, who delivered valuable votes to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Maguindanao, and are still seen as political assets to the President benigno S. Aquino III, the trial seems to drag on with an ever elusive sense of justice for the families and friends of those who died in Maguindanao. </span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent">Dean Tolentino called for the abolition of the Presidential and Congressional pork barrel.He urged those who attended the commemoration of the murder of 58 people, to attend the million person march towards Quirino Grandstand and other points of Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines to march with the PDAF in mind, and the Maguindanao massacre in mind. <br /><br />"Makibaka tayo at huwag tayong matakot," Dean Tolentino reminded his audience.</span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent">At issue regarding the IRAs, it turns out is that the IRAs reflect the same kind of greed for resources and power that are reflected in the presidential and congressional pork barrels, said Danilo Arao, a professor of journalism at the CMC.</span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent">Arao also urged journalism students to stick to the time honored University of the Philippines ideals of honor and excellence as part of their public service as working journalists; which included letting concealed information come out to be scrutinized by the public. </span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent">He also said that other issues that need to be kept on the front burner through activism were:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="userContent">Justice for the Maguindanao massacre victims and other victims of extra judicial killings.</span></li>
<li><span class="userContent">The retention of freedom of speech.</span></li>
<li><span class="userContent">Stop the killing of journalists</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="userContent">Arao said that the high survey satisfaction ratings of President Benigno S. Aquino III were not an excuse to collectively make the public's heads spin with distorted information related to PDAF ore pork barrel, which he said might simply be given a new name.</span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>
<span class="userContent"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-57303552940219578532013-08-24T18:52:00.000+08:002013-08-24T18:52:59.433+08:00Noynoy PDAF `abolition’ misleading, protests to continue – UP community<br />
<br />
<b>PRESS RELEASE</b><br />
August 24, 2013<br />
<br />
Noynoy PDAF `abolition’ misleading, protests to continue – UP community<br />
<br />
Concerned students, faculty, staff and residents of the University of the Philippines denounced the misleading announcement of President Noynoy Aquino as regards the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).<br />
<br />
In a press conference last August 23, Aquino said that it is now time to “abolish” PDAF and put in place a new mechanism to meet the needs of the people. Members of the Senate and the House of Representatves can still recommend projects but they will have to go through the process of finalizing the national budget.<br />
<br />
The concerned UP community members said that Aquino’s policy pronouncement is just a “sugar-coated reform of the inherently flawed pork barrel system.”<br />
<br />
In a statement, they stressed that the PDAF will just be repackaged, “such that the Congress will be at the behest of the Department of Budget and Management and the Office of the President.”<br />
<br />
They called for the “just distribution and rechanneling of funds to basic social services, NOT a rehashed pork barrel system that is even more vulnerable to corruption. These funds must be allocated through public agencies such as public hospitals, state universities and colleges, public schools, salary upgrading of teachers and government workers, etc. The skewed regional allocations in the proposed budget must be realigned, with sufficient allocations for neglected regions in the Visayas and in Mindanao.”<br />
<br />
In this context, they stressed the need for people to rage against “unbridled corruption” in government. “On August 26, we shall march from Liwasang Bonifacio to Rizal Park to Mendiola to decisively assert our resolve to abolish the presidential and congressional pork barrel and rechannel funds to basic social services!”<br />
<br />
The statement was signed by the UP Faculty for the Abolition of the Presidential and Congressional Pork Barrel System, UP Kilos Na, Multi-Sectoral Alliance, Office of the Student Regent, Office of the Staff Regent and the University Student Council.<br />
<br />
For verification and more information, please call Prof. Sarah Raymundo at (0939) 925-9368<br />
<br />
<b>STATEMENT</b><br />
<br />
Marching On: UP Community for the Abolition of the Presidential and Congressional Pork Barrel System<br />
<br />
We, the University of the Philippines community, strongly condemn the deceitful and misleading announcement of President Aquino to “abolish” the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and to institute, in its place, a supposedly “new” mechanism for allocation. This is a clear attempt to pacify and diffuse the just anger of the people and their clamor for the abolition of the pork barrel system and the rechanneling of funds to basic social services. In fact, PNoy’s proposal is by no means an abolition of the PDAF; rather, it is a sugarcoated reform of the inherently flawed pork barrel system. It drowns the more substantive problems of graft and corruption and patronage politics that result from this system. Worse, it conveniently leaves the president’s Special Purpose Funds, amounting to at least 310.1B, untouched, even increasing his discretionary power in the management of national funds.<br />
<br />
In PNoy’s proposal, the congressional pork barrel (PDAF) will merely be repackaged, such that the Congress will continue to be at the behest of the Department of Budget and Management and the Office of the President. In the guise of transparency, the proposal actually places the PDAF under the stricter and more direct control of the President, making legislators more beholden to Malacanang. This farce is by no means an “abolition” but a perpetuation of the pork barrel system: it fortifies patronage politics both at the presidential and local levels, and violates constitutional principles by blurring the lines between the executive and legislative functions of government.<br />
<br />
We are calling for just distribution and rechanneling of funds to basic social services, NOT a rehashed pork barrel system that is even more vulnerable to corruption. These funds must be allocated through public agencies such as public hospitals, state universities and colleges, public schools, salary upgrading of teachers and government workers, etc. The skewed regional allocations in the proposed budget must be realigned, with sufficient allocations for neglected regions in the Visayas and in Mindanao.<br />
<br />
Let not the deceitful machinations of the PNoy Administration dampen our rage against unbridled corruption in government and attacks on our right to social services. On National Heroes Day, we shall continue the legacy of our heroes in upholding the people’s interests against the rich and the few who secure seats in government and reduce the national agenda to their own selfish interests. On August 26, we shall march from Liwasang Bonifacio to Rizal Park to Mendiola to decisively assert our resolve to abolish the presidential and congressional pork barrel and rechannel funds to basic social services!<br />
<br />
Join the August 26 March from Liwasang Bonifacio to Luneta to Mendiola: 7AM mass-up at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman; 9AM meet-up at Liwasang Bonifacio and march to Rizal Park.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-6699032611173995742013-08-24T18:43:00.000+08:002013-08-24T18:43:41.811+08:00UP CMC calls for abolition of pork barrel, investigation of corruption, arrest of plunderers<br />
N.B. – This is the official statement of the UP College of Mass Communication on the pork barrel issue, signed by 29 faculty members and 14 staff led by Dean Roland Tolentino and former deans Luis Teodoro and Georgina Encanto.<br />
<br />
Statement of the University of the Philippines<br />
College of Mass Communication<br />
August 23, 2013<br />
<br />
THE FACULTY, students and staff of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) will join the people’s assembly and march at the Luneta on Monday, August 26 to express our collective outrage. We demand the abolition of the pork barrel system; the immediate arrest of, and the filing of appropriate charges of plunder and other high crimes against those involved in the P10-billion pork barrel scam from both the private and public sector; and a thorough and non-partisan investigation into the entire system of which the scam is only a small part of the estimated P250 billion lost to corruption in the public sector.<br />
<br />
Together with the rest of the Filipino people, UP and its constituents, as well as the other state universities and colleges, are among the victims of the corruption that has metastasized throughout officialdom as well as the private sector. While our budgets are being reduced to the detriment of our mandates to train those among our young men and women with the most potential to serve this country and its people, billions are funnelled annually into the pockets of scoundrels and thieves both in and out of government so they may indulge their greed for fleets of luxury cars, palatial homes, and shopping binges abroad.<br />
<br />
This is a horrendous crime for which those guilty of it should be penalized. President Benigno Aquino III should first of all forthwith cause the withdrawal from the 2014 General Appropriations Act of the P27 billion in pork barrel funds for Congress, selected agencies, and his own office the Department of Budget and Management has appropriated. He should immediately organize an investigative body credible enough to look into the extent to which not only pork barrel but also other funds have been and are being misused, while ordering the Department of Justice to file the appropriate charges of plunder against those involved in the P10-billion pork barrel scam.<br />
<br />
President Aquino’s “bosses” have spoken. His defense of the pork barrel and his insistence on keeping the system intact despite widespread outrage and opposition of the Filipino people are unacceptable. These are completely at odds with the people’s sentiments and the objective interest in seeing to it that taxes are well-spent for the people’s own benefit rather than that of a handful of rapacious individuals whose greed knows no limit.<br />
<br />
COLLEGE OFFICIALS<br />
Dr. Roland B. Tolentino, Dean<br />
Prof. Danilo A. Arao, Associate Dean<br />
Prof. Randy Jay C. Solis, College Secretary<br />
<br />
Dr. Georgina R. Encanto, Former Dean<br />
Prof. Luis V. Teodoro, Former Dean<br />
<br />
Prof. Jane O. Vinculado, Chair, Broadcast Communication Department<br />
Prof. Lucia P. Tangi, Officer-in-Charge, Journalism Department<br />
Prof. Patrick F. Campos, Director of Office of Extension and External Relations<br />
<br />
FACULTY<br />
Broadcast Communication Department<br />
Dr. Elizabeth L. Enriquez<br />
Dr. Perlita G. Manalili<br />
Prof. Rosa Maria T. Feliciano<br />
Prof. Victor C. Avecilla<br />
Prof. Josefina C. Santos, DZUP Radio Station Manager<br />
Prof. Fernando A. Austria, Jr.<br />
Ms. Ma. Ivy A. Claudio<br />
<br />
Communication Research Department<br />
Prof. Jacques Rusanna Yves DM. Gimeno<br />
<br />
Journalism Department<br />
Prof. Evelyn Katigbak<br />
Prof. Ma. Diosa Labiste<br />
Ms. Teresa Congjuico<br />
<br />
UP Film Institute<br />
Prof. Shirley P. Evidente, Faculty Coordinator for Academic Programs and Research, UPFI<br />
Prof. Eduardo J. Lejano, Jr., Faculty Coordinator for Film, Theater and Extension Services<br />
Prof. Jose C. Gutierrez III, College Webmaster<br />
Mr. Roy C. Iglesias<br />
<br />
LECTURERS<br />
Broadcast Communication Department<br />
Prof. Melba S. Estonilo<br />
Prof. Marinela M. Aseron<br />
Mr. Dexter Mantes<br />
<br />
UP Film Institute<br />
Maria Lourdes De Guzman<br />
Carlo Gabriel Pangilinan<br />
Bryan Quesada<br />
<br />
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND REPS<br />
Gina Villegas<br />
Marianita P. Cinco<br />
Rosalita S. Burlat<br />
Armando H. Hirao<br />
Nemesio B. Faulan<br />
Clarissa S. Concepcion<br />
Raquelita Bacarra<br />
Jacqueline Manalo<br />
Teresita Santos<br />
Irene Sia<br />
Hermana Dela Paz<br />
Ma. Christine Hernandez<br />
Jam Tolentino<br />
Janette Pamaylaon<br />
<br />
CMC Student Council (composed of 13 elected student leaders)<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-41895666650895642302013-08-07T08:09:00.000+08:002013-08-07T08:09:19.426+08:00U.P. Professor shoots a student dead: Remembering a death<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNLm-0HtaVwbYdGv_9LKPkcGFxUemUJzqJ5YALjV3H_VV3qF2tNltU3yPVuM07S6zid0aBOBb-sI1OtTYttEbSuMDT1pZ9-uanzLzu_y4HwfiqMaSmKzu6sXJx7Sfu8IcwjAsjruVPQ/s1600/qqq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNLm-0HtaVwbYdGv_9LKPkcGFxUemUJzqJ5YALjV3H_VV3qF2tNltU3yPVuM07S6zid0aBOBb-sI1OtTYttEbSuMDT1pZ9-uanzLzu_y4HwfiqMaSmKzu6sXJx7Sfu8IcwjAsjruVPQ/s320/qqq.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photograph by: Chanda R. Shahani</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With demand for reforms intensified and student activism was defined by frequent altercations with authorities, the atmosphere within the University of the Philippines Diliman was chaotic to some extent. One must note however that at this point in UP’s history, students were rallying because of gasoline prices.<br />
<br />
Student organizations, at the time, were actively involved with issues concerning the Philippines and were often very enthusiastic about their advocacies. UP later on came to be known for its activism whatever issue it may be.<br />
<br />
It was February 1, 1971 when students decided to do a massive human blockade to keep vehicles from entering the university. By 9 AM student leaders started rallying their fellow students to join the protest and a few hours later, the UP Security Force arrived at the scene acting on complaints from professors and residents of the area. As one can imagine there was a scuffle right at the University Avenue with students behind pillboxes and in a heated argument with university security.<br />
<br />
Although activism at the time was not only popular but necessary, there were still those with dissenting opinion and those who did not want to involve themselves in the protests. One of these people is a professor of the Mathematics Department. Prof. Inocente Campos is known for his eccentricities and is infamous among students because he kept on ignoring boycotts –on three occasions to be exact.<br />
<br />
The professor tangled with student activists who wanted to go inside his classroom to persuade the class in joining the respective rallies. In one occasion, Prof. Campos fired three warning shots to drive away student activists out of his classroom. Despite his rather eccentric nature, there is no question that Prof. Campos is a dedicated teacher. In fact, he believed that teaching was a sacred responsibility as well as a public duty.<br />
<br />
On that day, the professor was on his way to the university to conduct a class since the University Secretary’s office did not suspend classes. Upon entering the first checkpoint, the professor slowed down but he was not blocked by the students. However, someone recognized him and soon, students started throwing pillboxes at his car. He continued driving but one of the tires was damaged and his car stopped. By then, students advanced toward the teacher as he got out of the car.<br />
<br />
According to records, he put on his vest and took his shotgun from the back seat then tried to fire it to scare the activists. The gun however was jammed so the professor took out his .22 caliber rifle and started shooting. He did not stop firing and at the heat of the moment drew his revolver and fired more shots. Minutes after the shooting, Prof. Campos was arrested by the police and brought to the Quezon City police station.<br />
<br />
As a result of this untoward incident, a student by the name of Pastor “Sonny” Mesina Jr. was seriously wounded. He was rushed to the UP Infirmary and was later transferred to the Veterans’ Memorial Hospital located just a few minutes away from the university. He however did not survive and died four days later.<br />
<br />
It is important to note that while many of Mesina’s peers were both angered and saddened by the incident, his death became a crucial factor in latter developments because it turned the protests for gasoline price increase into a massive protest against military intrusion. Pastor Mesina Jr.’s may not be remembered by many but the plaque in remembrance of the student can still be seen today. The plaque was placed right where he fell when he was shot by the irate professor.<br />
<br />
Because of the rich history of the university, many incidents are no longer remembered but many of Mesina’s peers will always have a vivid picture of the shooting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-70646254492728493192013-07-31T15:44:00.001+08:002013-07-31T15:44:00.141+08:00Press Release of UP Staff and Student Regents: UP Board of Regents reopens discussions on naming college after Marcos technocratN.B. – This is a joint press release of the Staff and Student Regents on a controversial issue at UP. Please feel free to share. Thank you.<br />
<br />
Joint Press Release of the University of the Philippines Staff Regent and Student Regent<br />
31 July 2013<br />
<br />
UP Board of Regents reopens discussions on naming college after Marcos technocrat<br />
<br />
The University of the Philippines Board of Regents (UP BOR) has decided to reopen discussions on the renaming of the UP Diliman College of Business Administration (CBA) to the Cesar EA Virata School of Business.<br />
<br />
At its 1,289th meeting last July 29, the members of the UP BOR agreed to discuss the issue further even if the renaming was already approved last April 12.<br />
<br />
According to UP Staff Regent Razel Ramirez, this will allow UP to revisit opinions and expand discussions. “It will also give more time to consider the necessary steps, including the establishment of guidelines in renaming colleges and schools in the university.”<br />
<br />
Ramirez made a motion to rescind the renaming of the CBA. In her position paper, she stressed Virata’s role as prime minister during the Marcos dictatorship. This, according to her, is the main reason there is a public outcry over the BOR’s decision last April. She said that Virata supported the Marcos dictatorship until the very end.<br />
<br />
She also questioned the claim of the UP CBA Dean that the renaming is the sole concern of the college and the BOR. She said that this sets a dangerous precedent in the university, especially in the absence of clear guidelines. “By allowing CBA to change its name in honor of its supposedly distinguished alumnus, what will prevent the other colleges from changing theirs and on what bases? If a simple change of nomenclature of an academic course requires approval of the University Council (composed of assistant professors, associate professors and full professors), what more the renaming of an academic unit?”<br />
<br />
For her part, UP Student Regent Krista Melgarejo said that Virata’s being a loyal technocrat of Marcos is not a good role model for the youth. She said that Article 3.1.2 of the UP Naming Rights Policy approved by the BOR on August 28, 2009, clearly states that the individual “must have sterling reputation or could be looked upon as a role model of the youth.” This policy, however, does not include the renaming of academic units.<br />
<br />
“This is yet another case where the university’s soul is being sold in exchange for funding. A clear and present danger brought upon by commercialization schemes resulting from the national government’s failure to provide greater subsidy to education,” she said.<br />
<br />
According to Melgarejo, the petition papers signed by many students from the university, including those from the CBA, must not be disregarded. She said that the online petition has more than 500 signatures and comments.<br />
<br />
Aside from Ramirez’s position paper and the online petition, the two regents also presented a statement from the UP Alumni Association in America, Inc. President Dr. Romulo Aquino supporting Ramirez’s arguments on the issue. They also furnished copies of the petition paper signed by 13 deans from various UP constituent universities, as well as by former and current UP officials, faculty members, staff members and students.<br />
<br />
The BOR is the highest policy-making body of UP.<br />
<br />
For verification and more information, please call UP Staff Regent Razel L. Ramirez (0908-591-3737) and Student Regent Krista Melgarejo (0920-645-3953).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-13160184177470983072013-07-31T10:34:00.003+08:002013-07-31T10:34:57.102+08:0031.7.2013Dear Diliman Diary,<br /><br />I am awakening again. =)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-63205851707935248862013-06-18T21:29:00.002+08:002013-06-19T13:02:40.185+08:00The Indian Navy to expand maritime interests in South and Southeast Asia, retired Indian military official says.By Chanda Shahani<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
India can provide a balanced multipolarity to the increasing assertiveness of China in East and Southeast Asia, said Major General Vinod Saighal (Ret.), India's former Director General of Military Training and presently the Executive Director of Eco Monitors Society, an NGO involved in demography and ecology issues, at a forum today at the Asian Center at the University of the Philippines at Diliman. <br />
<br />
Saigal said that India is now definitely committed to projecting further east into the South China Sea and beyond is no longer in doubt. Thus far, its maritime projection has been towards maritime activities related to trade and exploration for hydrocarbons, when it has been invited by a host country, such as Vietnam.<br />
<br />
He said that much will depend on China's military assertion in the region as well as the projection of the Chinese navy into the Indian Ocean to either balance or rival India's historic primacy in the Indian Ocean.<br />
<br />
He said that if and when India does move in more meaningfully into the maritime speheres claimed exclusively by China as its core interests, the chances of tensions heightening between the two regional powers becomes a distinct possibility.<br />
<br />
Saigal said that a greater presence by the Indian Navy beyond the Malacca Straits would be welcomed by practically all the nations of Southeast Asia as well as Japan and South Korea.<br />
<br />
Referring to the Philippines in particular, Saigal said that the Philippines was Asia's first democracy, and that India was Asia's largest democracy. He said that both India and the Philippines, therefore were standard bearers for democracy in Asia.<br />
<br />
In the same forum, Commodore Caesar Taccad, the Deputy Commander of the Philippine Fleet, Philippine Navy, said that countries such as China and India were already major regional maritime players, and that India's projection into the Indo-Pacific region "would heighten tensions" with China.<br /><br />He said that India's roile would complement that of the United States, which has begun concentrating its military resources in the Pacific; but whose sustainability to continue operations would remain in question.<br />
<br />
He said that India has interests in the South China Sea, and that it was entirely possible that it would seek strategic partnerships with countries such as Australia and the Philippines. <br />
<br />
Dr. Aileen S.P. Baviera, a professor of Chinese studies and international relations at the Asian Center, University of the Philippine and currently its officer-in-charge and former Dean whose research interests include regional security, territorial and maritime disputes, major power relations and China-Southeast Asia ties, said that there was now a trend towards "balanced multi-polarity in South East Asia."<br />
<br />
"All countries operate under pressure from domestic considrations," she said, but said that norms such as the following of the rule of law" should prevail and that "the resort to arms buildup isndicative that diplomacy is failing."<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-55998386916654163832013-04-27T09:25:00.000+08:002014-04-29T15:06:18.982+08:00An Open Letter to U.P. President Alfredo E. Pascual<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh564UAg8pzvgFhLgaqS7k-c4vG1OzhZjSwc_akaWz1kYlkd3Ltz9rhTTdsulWRt_zBAjInvuXzjyoOp2HXPGkYFms-taJinIE0REGHkbc6jo1OK5gXoYAa-H5QooDnhhErONcdusFYgw/s1600/sablay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh564UAg8pzvgFhLgaqS7k-c4vG1OzhZjSwc_akaWz1kYlkd3Ltz9rhTTdsulWRt_zBAjInvuXzjyoOp2HXPGkYFms-taJinIE0REGHkbc6jo1OK5gXoYAa-H5QooDnhhErONcdusFYgw/s320/sablay.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">An open letter to UP President Alfredo E. Pascual<br /> <br /> Dear Sir:<br /> <br />
The baybayin characters on the Sablay of our graduates read as “upa”.
This would connote that the iskolars ng bayan are for HIRE upon their
graduation, when they are suppose to prioritize service to the nation.
Baybayan characters are not the same as our Abakada alphabet where each
letter is a basic sound or phoneme, either a vowel or a consonant. In
baybayin, which is a syllabic writing system, each character is already a
syllable. It seems that there was no in-depth study in using baybayin
characters on emblems. Somebody just thought to translate the English
letters “U” and “P” to the Pilipino abakada “U” and “Pa” and then to the
baybayin characters of syllables “U” and “Pa”. This was reverse
engineering at its worst and with<span class="text_exposed_show">out any historical basis whatsoever, most definitely not worthy of a UP scholar.<br /> <br />
In the military, we revere symbols, especially those made with the
blood of our heroes. A well-known usage of the baybayin characters is
that found in the flags and emblems of the Katipunan in the 1890s, which
bear the baybayin script Ka Ka Ka the acronym for Kataas-taasan,
Kagalang-galang Katipunan. They DO NOT stand for the first letter “K”
but for the first Syllable “Ka” of the three words. We are often
confused into thinking that the symbol is the same as the letter “Ka” in
our Abakada. The Abakada is an indigenized Latin alphabet of the
Tagalog language, created by Lope K. Santos in 1940. During the
Philippine Revolution against Spain, THERE WAS NO Pilipino alphabet then
and the baybayin character “Ka” stands for the FIRST SYLLABLE of
Katipunan. Therefore, to “abbreviate” words using baybayin, the
character of the first syllable of the word is used.<br /> <br /> The
baybayin characters on the Sablay are the acronym for Unibersidad ng
Pilipinas. The first syllable of “Unibersidad’ and the baybayin script
for “U” on the Sablay is correct. The first syllable for “Pilipinas” is
“pi” but in the Sablay the character there is for “pa”. A tuldik must be
placed on the “pa” character to change it to “pi”.<br /> <br /> Since 1990,
when the Sablay was first used, we have been parading our graduates for
the world to see, carrying the word “UPa”, a tagalog word for “Hire”.
Sadly, this does not speak well of UP.<br /> <br /> Eliseo M. Rio Jr. (UP Vanguard ’65)</span></span></span></span></span></h5>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-10374060820721058312013-04-11T08:59:00.003+08:002013-04-11T09:01:23.245+08:00On Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales and former army comptroller Carlos Garcia<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoP5-Lju9Crmfl_N3jr1QxWIlt9QgWjwbufFwcXlRWLFOlDJljObnriJQipDb9Xo1ssO4dCNCw-RyS9PwFjCk_-3Eg1USNiU2os1asAELleeyKnCLB0vzP-_Kvd4nEDmvpyrxZUKN_Xw/s1600/conchita-carpio-morales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoP5-Lju9Crmfl_N3jr1QxWIlt9QgWjwbufFwcXlRWLFOlDJljObnriJQipDb9Xo1ssO4dCNCw-RyS9PwFjCk_-3Eg1USNiU2os1asAELleeyKnCLB0vzP-_Kvd4nEDmvpyrxZUKN_Xw/s320/conchita-carpio-morales.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales<br />
Source: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ckomqqd">http://tinyurl.com/ckomqqd</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By Lorenzo Ed Valenciano<br />
<br />
BAD BAD BAD............HAS SHE GONE BONKERS? OR EXPERIENCING THE ONSET
OF DEMENTIA? The ombudsman, Conchita C Morales, affirms the former army
comptroller, Carlos Garcia, is not deserving of a jail sentence due to
procedural flaws, despite the following voluntary information the latter
had offered: a) he is willing to give back 1/2 of the loot b) his wife
herself admitted [in court] the corrupt practices of her husband; and
c) acknowledged that he fled the country with the loot.<br />
<br />
My simple logic
along with possibly 99% of those who followed the case are wringing our
heads and gnashing our teeth in disbelief, to say the least. Does this
mean that the neatly-coiffed ombudsman is favoring the argument re
procedural flaws over outright admission of guilt? Can somebody please
explain to me in simple language why the neatly-coiffed and well dressed
lady justice is thinking this way? What is the message behind this
guffaw? Could it be: SIGUE LANG SIGUE LANG. MAGNAKAW ng MAGNAKAW.
MAG AMIN SA BANDANG HULI. ISAULI ANG KALAHATI NG NINAKAW MO. UNG
KALAHATI, I-INVEST MO SA BANGKO AT MAG INTEREST NG SOBRA SOBRA. [wag
mong kalimutan ang commission ko, ha].<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hlfPP-AlIEqOSDPTbMxtcq1EoG5RR4Yrgt7JHKsQYf1dCXJb7yyfpCLA4XqHFpCIhO5KHCHVZ_DX9xr-EmCzmCSkbGcpwV4i_WnC8wmDUiVKWdEk7xV0NQV9BJF0q6Y3ZeylIG2vlg/s1600/carlosgarcia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hlfPP-AlIEqOSDPTbMxtcq1EoG5RR4Yrgt7JHKsQYf1dCXJb7yyfpCLA4XqHFpCIhO5KHCHVZ_DX9xr-EmCzmCSkbGcpwV4i_WnC8wmDUiVKWdEk7xV0NQV9BJF0q6Y3ZeylIG2vlg/s320/carlosgarcia.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former Philippine Army General Carlos Garcia</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
BUT HAVING SAID THE FOREGOING,
if there is a legal issue behind the well-coiffed/dressed justice's
decision, I guess I will have no choice but to kowtow to that]. PS: I
wish the CJ would look as presentable as Ms Morales. CJ needs a
consultant. Calling the stylist friend of Kris, and ex of PNoy (her
name escapes me now). The CJ needs help - your help! LOL<br />
<br />
<br />
(Source for photo of former Philippine Army General Carlos Garcia: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/d9yrot8)">http://tinyurl.com/d9yrot8)</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-41327896710630330332013-04-08T20:43:00.003+08:002013-04-08T21:05:13.690+08:00Diliman Diary's 2013 heartthrobs (First of a series)With summer temperatures reaching a blistering 39 degrees Celsius in the Diliman area alone; the Diliman Diary decided to look around the metropolis and find good examples of how to dress to beat the summer heat. We decided to marry fashionability with appeal, and came up with the start of a new series: Diliman Diary's 2013 hearthrobs.<br />
<br />
<b>Patricia Buhat</b>: An everyday sensibility with extraordinary appeal.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVbOswLpA3LuZNPu0aI2U1zWudXFWELWxFx1Um3NWcApnziciCFNdAQ8QwfHH4foRIljvUqiRU89gPmjYTUVTQa9BUqeqwK5yTQ0y41-RLMKKm8aznaxa-VUquv2SvPvuKrzTkVfvCg/s1600/buhat5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVbOswLpA3LuZNPu0aI2U1zWudXFWELWxFx1Um3NWcApnziciCFNdAQ8QwfHH4foRIljvUqiRU89gPmjYTUVTQa9BUqeqwK5yTQ0y41-RLMKKm8aznaxa-VUquv2SvPvuKrzTkVfvCg/s320/buhat5.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lnWYRIcg8mnm5LaZLlv9W9lG52OzEFbCzJDuycrGuqLYa3wPQMCdDpou6gtybZ6dVjoE5hakwZBY7QNta9lHrzMSEaYg5dJi7lGj7mtyqan7KHvgZ9EyuQ9ZHmdx1Sluc9MuLGuasw/s1600/buhat4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lnWYRIcg8mnm5LaZLlv9W9lG52OzEFbCzJDuycrGuqLYa3wPQMCdDpou6gtybZ6dVjoE5hakwZBY7QNta9lHrzMSEaYg5dJi7lGj7mtyqan7KHvgZ9EyuQ9ZHmdx1Sluc9MuLGuasw/s320/buhat4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybo7i44pQUpGO3GoyoP4oc7ZCWohK6d2qNuzIB14866EI3LZrosgKfQcqdiAPqFfy9Ge_J1eb9qttbcqij5Yb4apcGzeuwr78S8imCJ28-e27q3aXWRbKzCsagXNdMtqyKrwQ3Q-pvQ/s1600/buhat3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybo7i44pQUpGO3GoyoP4oc7ZCWohK6d2qNuzIB14866EI3LZrosgKfQcqdiAPqFfy9Ge_J1eb9qttbcqij5Yb4apcGzeuwr78S8imCJ28-e27q3aXWRbKzCsagXNdMtqyKrwQ3Q-pvQ/s320/buhat3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0t7F8_SuL0StETbMcaasEFygSAi7VZUpVrEQHpbFhghBMSQmByA6r4hqBYYVpWEV-8HmqzFpMwrm1Cv8HGBh6LSi9ifdyPHthrzRm4L1eQhQlLhjrUkqk8q9Uz548P6YYCfsqQffXQ/s1600/buhat2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0t7F8_SuL0StETbMcaasEFygSAi7VZUpVrEQHpbFhghBMSQmByA6r4hqBYYVpWEV-8HmqzFpMwrm1Cv8HGBh6LSi9ifdyPHthrzRm4L1eQhQlLhjrUkqk8q9Uz548P6YYCfsqQffXQ/s320/buhat2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUCo6cHi3GwFeVd1Or3pOYusY2JhgdDz4IYfI7TCdQAeavGctG1SMbHm4C3c-j6N1ZQA8AzfOs5WQmXqv1uyRhkjmVD-RoL4rTZSzxY847Be5fteaxWTn8iXRuxf8SR6y6SneuXEe3w/s1600/buhat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUCo6cHi3GwFeVd1Or3pOYusY2JhgdDz4IYfI7TCdQAeavGctG1SMbHm4C3c-j6N1ZQA8AzfOs5WQmXqv1uyRhkjmVD-RoL4rTZSzxY847Be5fteaxWTn8iXRuxf8SR6y6SneuXEe3w/s320/buhat1.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Luis Hontiveros</b>: Charisma personified. Luis is the nephew of Risa Hontiveros whos running for senator and like her is photogenic and reached out to viewers and readers beyond the camera lens.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm0y5isBYhvDzc064SBu7lYnHItgVGKhCbLSrYelQAiqEQKbJjPEuox2UiirJ2RtWasY0S6FALI2K2_7YT3bmMyGZw_fzKuQ5jI7zlGvz57DI_rU2cMVhjU-CsrlSDOmWME3TzO6XkA/s1600/hearthrobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm0y5isBYhvDzc064SBu7lYnHItgVGKhCbLSrYelQAiqEQKbJjPEuox2UiirJ2RtWasY0S6FALI2K2_7YT3bmMyGZw_fzKuQ5jI7zlGvz57DI_rU2cMVhjU-CsrlSDOmWME3TzO6XkA/s320/hearthrobs.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjnkg8EVkhGuR8gL8FVjyQU8qFM_a6yw43KA6uBkWH0AxLDDHDDRaTOAeYO-mBubURqaCzqkUQG8BC3N_5apv_tl2Jq4PWIyOrTJ3CPHaNV9YAx85aBkU8MjhQYCdT5pUmWhh9Otxzw/s1600/hearthrobs2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjnkg8EVkhGuR8gL8FVjyQU8qFM_a6yw43KA6uBkWH0AxLDDHDDRaTOAeYO-mBubURqaCzqkUQG8BC3N_5apv_tl2Jq4PWIyOrTJ3CPHaNV9YAx85aBkU8MjhQYCdT5pUmWhh9Otxzw/s320/hearthrobs2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfM-6EUnrQ4g-jGKu8eptZ2o-FSEtR2s7S-OoQaCr0mVEovQ5rx1GmHfOZFDDmpNcrLnTsjVB2HGzQKnfnkQBFkWd3D3HRGbi6o48naxIfD7qtUL1bD29vmaezurATSPaahf3sa4fRFg/s1600/hearthrobs3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfM-6EUnrQ4g-jGKu8eptZ2o-FSEtR2s7S-OoQaCr0mVEovQ5rx1GmHfOZFDDmpNcrLnTsjVB2HGzQKnfnkQBFkWd3D3HRGbi6o48naxIfD7qtUL1bD29vmaezurATSPaahf3sa4fRFg/s320/hearthrobs3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Jaimie Barameda</b>: Coolness on a hot summer's day. Jaimie shows how to keep one's equanimity despite soaring temperatures. with The secret? A detached good humor coupled a sexy attitude.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvm6_TMJJgGD1Jqr3brj7MS_30cLCmQXPTjjBJ_1x9FbVXSFQUqIzvPYJh6Eag5lgQmJNQy80y-npN2NownRFXS0JT7V6nnyX70PlhRrHn1lM61k3ac2zfN3LlmwOf2-ngcqCEo39fg/s1600/jamie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvm6_TMJJgGD1Jqr3brj7MS_30cLCmQXPTjjBJ_1x9FbVXSFQUqIzvPYJh6Eag5lgQmJNQy80y-npN2NownRFXS0JT7V6nnyX70PlhRrHn1lM61k3ac2zfN3LlmwOf2-ngcqCEo39fg/s320/jamie2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmCdeM7QyNK0Paxe_U9VRWIBZTxHRc8WHRwKmnhyphenhyphen1BP5DGaXot5jHWl3hkmmSdXmCr9HqFMCKx0LKwVoTvrT00rkDXTJyXQE01mHW_YwsYH6VRmCLC9eEn1-bb5ygtkYE1xb9jWC1Tw/s1600/jamie3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmCdeM7QyNK0Paxe_U9VRWIBZTxHRc8WHRwKmnhyphenhyphen1BP5DGaXot5jHWl3hkmmSdXmCr9HqFMCKx0LKwVoTvrT00rkDXTJyXQE01mHW_YwsYH6VRmCLC9eEn1-bb5ygtkYE1xb9jWC1Tw/s320/jamie3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacTRAw2MM9C384JbZR_8U78CA_K6IDXWjdXGUnaMtNQEbayX2VntMrP2NLXE0AP6bik_ErVctwWGZE1hn5pTL7uUfgPOOsToBbsis5ggyUX0FXL0iSw92shybJcK7MShdoVrFQjDj2Q/s1600/jamie1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacTRAw2MM9C384JbZR_8U78CA_K6IDXWjdXGUnaMtNQEbayX2VntMrP2NLXE0AP6bik_ErVctwWGZE1hn5pTL7uUfgPOOsToBbsis5ggyUX0FXL0iSw92shybJcK7MShdoVrFQjDj2Q/s320/jamie1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-52140197643260413092013-03-29T11:23:00.001+08:002013-03-30T09:12:08.794+08:00A Dying Way of Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPA1FwdeE91qMyM6ok960R3vpv8dmH6xhmlFcaSRFl8uBm9MoEzVYyrtikQGI6amLNjvk3rwuswVhWVlxLceclhhVSREwUDBQIgRYLb2kJPEewy13LksImJtWTLEIwMBahbvGeLdgKQ/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPA1FwdeE91qMyM6ok960R3vpv8dmH6xhmlFcaSRFl8uBm9MoEzVYyrtikQGI6amLNjvk3rwuswVhWVlxLceclhhVSREwUDBQIgRYLb2kJPEewy13LksImJtWTLEIwMBahbvGeLdgKQ/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
By Anatoly P. Agapito<br />
<br />
Photos by Jai Murcillo <br />
<br />
The bus sped past the
seemingly unending line of houses fronting the vast expanse rice fields
that extended to the horizon. He couldn't see where these fields ended
and where the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains began but the warm
air from the fields gave him a nostalgic feeling. It is for this reason
that he chose to ride in an ordinary bus going home just to feel this
air - the warm air that reminded him so much of home - the home that
exists only in memory for everything has changed. Slowly albeit so
surely... nothing has stayed the same.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWJcxG-56rJ8KcOrGRXbWQu98I8NeSfcdzpJK60MGqA-9QncXRtHLj0pdl_nUglQDGPmraClTjlJYwJGKIooL2MEuseHmXy-vBub8j62azWj5UbXdE2bPPiQEz64FjXgxXSgajn55Wg/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWJcxG-56rJ8KcOrGRXbWQu98I8NeSfcdzpJK60MGqA-9QncXRtHLj0pdl_nUglQDGPmraClTjlJYwJGKIooL2MEuseHmXy-vBub8j62azWj5UbXdE2bPPiQEz64FjXgxXSgajn55Wg/s320/20.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
The houses the
lined the highway were denser now. Here and there there were the
unmistakeable marks of "progress." What once were green ricefields were
now houses.. if not rice mills.. if not feeds factories. Everywhere...
everything reminded him that "coming home" can never be coming home to
what it once was before. "Sentiments of an old fool" he said to himself.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3kmmpbak11ynp4JKNVey7yGbiB1OEnqVbQSFzKwsS07AxbMEyfxik2PKA_SBZGKMPBItBilunOjiLXE_6ZPxaRMfug0V9bjQbOy0c4qnYfIV7l33VTlJ1MqHgK6tENwsPyYNOQNwRA/s1600/30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3kmmpbak11ynp4JKNVey7yGbiB1OEnqVbQSFzKwsS07AxbMEyfxik2PKA_SBZGKMPBItBilunOjiLXE_6ZPxaRMfug0V9bjQbOy0c4qnYfIV7l33VTlJ1MqHgK6tENwsPyYNOQNwRA/s320/30.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
His
eyes fell upon the carabaos that hauled the heavy rice harvested from
the rice fields. They still used the Maharlika highway to haul their
loads but they too have changed. What was once wooden carts made from
"kawayan" were now intricate contraptions of wood, rubber, some parts
metal, and the innovation of adding wheels. "At least that made it a lot
easier for the lowly carabao" he murmured to himself.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhsX0QHsZB1W5ra3QmDx5DPsyWDu-6hwRF_CLQw3ku2Z8P1J1cfyMNZlRyK_ewNZwmZusUS3RTmPsS2xlojh_Ced3e2ojZyUMbecO9LmQa7enfRmwhS_L8enc-pGRfd6of26v7_i9bw/s1600/40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhsX0QHsZB1W5ra3QmDx5DPsyWDu-6hwRF_CLQw3ku2Z8P1J1cfyMNZlRyK_ewNZwmZusUS3RTmPsS2xlojh_Ced3e2ojZyUMbecO9LmQa7enfRmwhS_L8enc-pGRfd6of26v7_i9bw/s320/40.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
"Still,"
he said to himself, "this is a dying way of life." It was undeniable.
He sees it. The wheels of progress are moving too fast for the farmer
and the beast of the fields to catch up. Along the same highway rice
fields were being converted to subdivisions in anticipation of man's
growing need for shelter. Somewhere along the superhighway where his bus
exited was huge coloseum being erected for cockfighting complete with
parking space and lights. He asked himself "As our populations grow...
as we convert these vast lands to commercial and residential spaces do
we not decrease the amount of palay that we can harvest for food? If
then, what will feed the Filipinos of tomorrow? As we choose the
concrete parking spaces of tommorrow.. without really having guarrantees
if our means of livelihood can one day afford a car or even the food
we're going to eat as food prices are set to rise as supplies ran out,
are we not starving ourselves later? Have we not read the signs of
progress wrongly? Has everyone so hastily jumped into the bandwagon of
commerce without regard to what the future may hold?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoURVYSB-vr5I1LoZKRMZmRJ21rpOOE5tJXHtjNZ_rB2iJyvF2Hu14kH_DEGfDT6NCWJmwdKQTYkpNNeyG5dYowGk1aPY6IIB3w-JZAnkFWe1EdtQDNlKKtiuDiHVGdL4PbDwBBp91g/s1600/50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoURVYSB-vr5I1LoZKRMZmRJ21rpOOE5tJXHtjNZ_rB2iJyvF2Hu14kH_DEGfDT6NCWJmwdKQTYkpNNeyG5dYowGk1aPY6IIB3w-JZAnkFWe1EdtQDNlKKtiuDiHVGdL4PbDwBBp91g/s320/50.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
His
heart ached. The wheels of progress are opressing the way of life that
he grew up with. The glitter and glamour of the shining lights... the
false promise of comfort of city life... were all enticing farmers away
from farming. And the lack of certainty of a life firmly planted on the
soil had robbed them of their sons and daughters who fled the provinces
to take their chances in the city. He can't blame them. Everyone
deserves a chance to progress. Everyone except the farmer and the
carabao who are forever cursed to serve the land they were born to and
they were fated to die under. That way of life is dying. Everyone now
thinks that if you are a farmer... then you are poor. You cannot afford
the comforts of life. You wouldn't have enough money to send your
children to school.. buy their books... even provide for their everyday
allowance. Much less let them set their foot in college. This way of
life is dying.. he said to himself and he wept bitterly.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOmvx3H_3z2gC6Phcym0_OtIH-a3SM6hf4h30NmWlriYrc9CQhS-8f9pNZTCa98oUf9rqntvnNie5a3w_yLQA7rAW_tNJx4TXkjx5tI_JAH5XwwBndGa6YK7lh7Wr1dh-w-dPfWwTSg/s1600/60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOmvx3H_3z2gC6Phcym0_OtIH-a3SM6hf4h30NmWlriYrc9CQhS-8f9pNZTCa98oUf9rqntvnNie5a3w_yLQA7rAW_tNJx4TXkjx5tI_JAH5XwwBndGa6YK7lh7Wr1dh-w-dPfWwTSg/s320/60.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And
the more bitter part of it is it didn't have to be that way. If only
industries would give due importance to the agriculture that feeds them.
If only they would recognize that the Filipinos that drove the wheels
of industry are being fed by rice fields that they so blindly destroy to
profit. But no one would want to see it. The promise of large sums of
return is too attractive to stay in agriculture. A farmer who once had 3
hectares of land would rather sell this land to the developer.. who
would invest on average investments in gravel to cover it up and
concrete to erect townhouses. It is not an easy task and looking for
money to fund such a transition also has its commensurate amount of
difficulty. But there are more of those who have that kind of money and
are more willing to spend on this than those who would stay in farming.
In a few years these units would be priced 1.3 Million a piece - a
"better" valued investment.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZXjUouRRgWJxeTUFDKEnQ4KoASNQO0InepweT2mus10NQGYpj02pv7bfQ3pDc3uFElVQkXBA20JQcbgoBr9QThi8_X73-4uQRRXzPyi4aW29If6oiahseIhyDfCj__B98itEdbLHpw/s1600/70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZXjUouRRgWJxeTUFDKEnQ4KoASNQO0InepweT2mus10NQGYpj02pv7bfQ3pDc3uFElVQkXBA20JQcbgoBr9QThi8_X73-4uQRRXzPyi4aW29If6oiahseIhyDfCj__B98itEdbLHpw/s320/70.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
One day when even with the
amount of investment we've accumulated we can't afford to put food on
the table would we realize that this is the "fork" in road - when we
could have made a difference but we did not. When we could have avoided
widespread starvation and we did not. It is the simple mathematics of
supply and demand really. The more lands we convert to residential and
commercial areas the less we have for agriculture. The less land for
agriculture, the less rice we harvest. The less rice we harvest the less
supply of rice in the market. The less supply the more demand. The more
demand the higher the price. And for those who have barely enough to
supply for three meals a day. What will happen if the price of rice
would increase by 20 pesos more. 5 years ago we still could afford to
buy rice for 21 pesos per kilo. Now it has risen to 34 pesos. And no one
seems to care or notice. And as population increases the demand only
grows. That is a factor of millions his mind could calculate. He wept.
"What will happen to my children?" Suddenly he found himself not weeping
for the past but weeping for the future? If we do not stop this now...
what will happen then?<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-50368306672100158022013-03-25T08:01:00.001+08:002013-03-25T08:08:55.533+08:00Pasang Awa<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdh_Pzg1le9pErMoYFkq4ze_SAh4grghpy2f7zX3l3k6v0UUifNszPnsYCmVzRrPOcYGgEL0Pr65l1U5J4Rk3jmi89D49eORKYaZ0aP8Wv1o-JIBAisEiVd-dnLatqncfNRCHURjXuXg/s1600/deadlines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdh_Pzg1le9pErMoYFkq4ze_SAh4grghpy2f7zX3l3k6v0UUifNszPnsYCmVzRrPOcYGgEL0Pr65l1U5J4Rk3jmi89D49eORKYaZ0aP8Wv1o-JIBAisEiVd-dnLatqncfNRCHURjXuXg/s320/deadlines.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Source: http://tinyurl.com/atgpx6y)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">By Lorenzo Ed Valenciano<br /><br />PASANG AWA ( as in the last bar exams): is this not one of the greatest reasons/obstacles why the PH, our dear PH, is finding it rather difficult to earn a decent place under the sun? AWA is treated in our parts as a commandment from God that should be extended to all without qualification as to reason or logic. This predominantly Catholic country of ours which we love so dearly, has succeeded, over the years, to twist, give a new meaning to, and culturalize [if there is such a word] it. Unfortunately, our distorted interpretation of AWA is proving/has proven that it does not do us good: we make ourselves non-competitive in a highly competitive world. We must stop the abuse of the word AWA because if we do not, we are pulling ourselves deeper and deeper into the pit of the non-entities. If you think on the word longer and internalize it you might get the sense that it really deters growth..........our propensity to accommodate is so ill-placed, many times we get into trouble being that way. Did you notice how reluctant the attorney who, on TV, tried to explain why the passing mark of the last bar had to be lowered, because he himself could not agree with the decision of the SC to compromise, and allowed a lower passing grade? What is worse, the person said, the compromise was done in deference to the coming holy week. Ngek!</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-76126737982191973682013-03-08T10:51:00.001+08:002013-03-08T10:51:29.570+08:00U.P. Manila Dramatista presents We Tell the Story: A Musical<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GN8lGVKkSSSbHrNbaNSdI61uz4veSM-ORGogf1FjO97JiHIrlKO76okoPs9BaJxoH2SY8b3-7aIXuyageACkRZhovtpblqKJQC2-V0ZLAhxDqS2eWYmy1gePMcboGq9ivAmkXSeNVg/s1600/UPMANILA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GN8lGVKkSSSbHrNbaNSdI61uz4veSM-ORGogf1FjO97JiHIrlKO76okoPs9BaJxoH2SY8b3-7aIXuyageACkRZhovtpblqKJQC2-V0ZLAhxDqS2eWYmy1gePMcboGq9ivAmkXSeNVg/s320/UPMANILA.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This March, let UP Manila Dramatista tell you a story of two different worlds that were never meant to meet, and in the end conquered fate with love, hope and faith. It will also take you to a journey of unity and harmony within different races and societal status.<br />
<br />
For ticket inquiries and reservations contact Janel Mamorno at 09357425860.<br />
<br />
The show will run from March 15 until March 23 at the CAS Little Theater, UP Manila.<br />
<br />
Like the pages,<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/WeTellTheStoryDRAMATISTA">http://facebook.com/WeTellTheStoryDRAMATISTA</a><br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/UPMDramatista">http://facebook.com/UPMDramatista</a><br />
<br />
Follow this on Twitter,<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/UPMDramatista">http://twitter.com/UPMDramatista</a><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-89157568341127457952013-03-06T00:35:00.000+08:002013-03-07T13:57:11.024+08:00Ladies of the UP Corps, to unite alumnae group on March 16, 2013, International Women’s Month<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyTnZzW15Gi3_EqtjqkEBRFJU2MQuwJrKXlKh8LV_T55KLrnLTTk5Ri4Olu14rHtPNVOP8yTWScIE8ZFeBPT8KeZECgX7jwzBOy-dCDsRmbq0QmGwd77tUmMhB_hSunaG6dDSOtWE3w/s1600/Miriam+Defensor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyTnZzW15Gi3_EqtjqkEBRFJU2MQuwJrKXlKh8LV_T55KLrnLTTk5Ri4Olu14rHtPNVOP8yTWScIE8ZFeBPT8KeZECgX7jwzBOy-dCDsRmbq0QmGwd77tUmMhB_hSunaG6dDSOtWE3w/s400/Miriam+Defensor.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago as head of the <br />UP ROTC Corps of Sponsors in the late ’60s.</span><br />
<br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmi9Mb9Jk24zfOJFFA4NOksUXA1I7MMA2xH1QW8-kZEZm6Gix2u9QyUWiu7IPMKG7C4YUSA9tKHshQwx23zhiqodgjbHzrL1_F9zAsY20N9x6hqkawqkhkl-oZ79TUNNClwoR8PEnEg/s1600/capture-20130306-002952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmi9Mb9Jk24zfOJFFA4NOksUXA1I7MMA2xH1QW8-kZEZm6Gix2u9QyUWiu7IPMKG7C4YUSA9tKHshQwx23zhiqodgjbHzrL1_F9zAsY20N9x6hqkawqkhkl-oZ79TUNNClwoR8PEnEg/s400/capture-20130306-002952.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Corps Sponsor ’97 Joyce Marie Rose Cuaycong during the</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
traditional Presentation of Sponsors at the UP Sunken Garden, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
on board the “white carabao” while trooping the line of cadets.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">UP Diliman, QC - “We are calling on our co-alumnae to join us in addressing contemporary challenges of the ROTC and the UP Corps of Sponsors, as well as relive our distinct culture of relevant and altruistic service,” the UPCOS Alumnae Assembly Organizing Group proposes.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">The UP Corps of Sponsors alumnae will conduct their initial lunch workshop at the Bahay ng Alumni on March 16, 2013 from 11am to 3pm. Ladies who served as mediators between the cadets and cadet officers of their battalions in the ROTC during their college years, from all over the UP System shall meet to relive their glorious years in the Corps, relish friendships, and discuss the organizations’ contemporary social relevance. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">The UP Corps of Sponsors is the socio-civic arm of the UP Department of Military Science and Tactics. It is an organization known to select the beautiful and bright young women leaders in the University of the Philippines, and offers a distinct paramilitary training for its members preparing them to be graceful and empowered women leaders under its shibboleths of Honor, Excellence, and Service. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Among its notable alumnae are Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Prof. Solita ‘Winnie’ Monsod, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, Commission on Human Rights Commissioner Coco Quisumbing, Philippine Information Agency NCR Director Riza Baldoria, and former Congresswoman Lorna Verano, who will be keynote speaker during the event.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">The corps ladies will also grace the Parade and Review of troops at the UP Sunken Garden organized by the UP Vanguard Inc. The parade and review shall be in celebration of UPROTC’s 52nd anniversary. No less than the Philippines Vice President Honorable Jejomar Binay shall grace the said event. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">The workshop will be facilitated by Dominique Monera-Tabora, another distinguished alumna from UP Baguio and the current World Vision Asia-Pacific Communications Specialist. Discussions will cover the formalization of the organization’s objectives and next steps. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Former UPCOS members can reach the Organizing Committee of the UP Corps of Sponsors Alumnae Assembly through email at upcosalumnae@gmail.com or access their facebook page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/UPCOS">http://www.facebook.com/UPCOS</a> for related information and updates.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-53958826506823101812013-03-03T14:54:00.000+08:002013-03-03T14:54:17.677+08:00Hungry for hummus<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMcBBaDOSqrFxhfZ5sKP4wLnPbuADA4FF8YE7Q8dmvrfG0FOOQHXzaoE9HpGgHH47IGXYgAFCbaucbyItYpHbw2h_FDd824BTGWL-jviGlTLE8N-SOvR9PvFvAD8GRH5-Wpg0hVEC_Q/s1600/kazam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMcBBaDOSqrFxhfZ5sKP4wLnPbuADA4FF8YE7Q8dmvrfG0FOOQHXzaoE9HpGgHH47IGXYgAFCbaucbyItYpHbw2h_FDd824BTGWL-jviGlTLE8N-SOvR9PvFvAD8GRH5-Wpg0hVEC_Q/s320/kazam.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Source: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/bjwuyvb">http://tinyurl.com/bjwuyvb</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
By AS Bonifacio<br />
<br />
Whenever I have a craving for Middle Eastern food beyond shawarma, I hie off to Kazam in Maginhawa Street in Diliman. My previous go-to haven, Al-Fakr, had long been gone from this foodie stretch, so I was happy to find another similar restaurant likewise serving falafel. This dish is popular that even in Al-Fakr back then, it was hard to come by. I’ve been twice to Kazam where they ran out of falafel, which is simply fried chickpeas (garbanzos). Fortunately, as a healthy alternative, Kazam has rather decent hummus, the non-fried version of falafel, basically, just mashed garbanzos with olive oil etc. thrown in.<br />
<br />
I have always been disappointed with the hummus served in Metro Manila restaurants, even at the expensive Cyma, which otherwise has delicious offerings. The best hummus I’ve tasted was homemade, and I was even taught how to make it, but it takes a lot of effort. First you boil the garbanzos, and then you mash them in a blender. Well, they can be mashed by hand too. I’ve tried precooked hummus, sold in dried, powdered form, and it was plain yucky.<br />
<br />
Thus I was happy to find Kazam set up space sometime in 2012 at the Sikatuna Village side of Maginhawa Street, no. 162, although they were rudely interrupted by street diggings that required closing down for weeks. Finally late last year, they were back, with their sidewalk trimmed down and now sharing a nice balcony space with their neighboring foodspots. Kazam not only offers hummus but other Middle Eastern delights, particularly Persian food, such as keema (ground beef) and kebabs. I especially love their chelo kebabs, grilled meats with a generous serving of buttered rice, grilled tomatoes and onions. They have a protein-rich chelo combination of tenderloin with either beef or chicken. No pork at all.<br />
<br />
Their motabal (mashed eggplant) is a bit too salty for me. The hummus, however, puts the expensive Middle Eastern restaurants to shame, and the added olive oil is not at all stingy. Sometimes I go there just for the hummus alone, with one order needing two orders of pita bread. They have a shawarma variant with falafel and hummus, which I find too rich, carb-wise, but it’s actually a good deal for the price. Last I went, Kazam had a promo of unli shawarma from noon to 3 p.m. daily, but it’s a shame, since I’m not impressed with their beef version.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-71532697635323717142013-03-01T19:00:00.000+08:002013-03-01T19:04:33.776+08:00U.P. Board of Regents denies Posadas extension<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMFMSsN5AJ-zHYR_1aMIqXHOk3TXkg7W7VrE0qbeENr_CvXTSwbLgOpAAU76Ua_5IPXEoUBdSGVIcNCDWX-NEKxw454tyxLSzNmT2oNqqC_CVT-dJNeQV_VzVIfZ2KbOsCC-DD-b2ew/s1600/posadas+pic+rev+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMFMSsN5AJ-zHYR_1aMIqXHOk3TXkg7W7VrE0qbeENr_CvXTSwbLgOpAAU76Ua_5IPXEoUBdSGVIcNCDWX-NEKxw454tyxLSzNmT2oNqqC_CVT-dJNeQV_VzVIfZ2KbOsCC-DD-b2ew/s1600/posadas+pic+rev+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Technology Management Center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Statement of former College of Science Dean Roger Posadas:<br />
<br />
<br />
To all my fellow faculty members, my students, UP alumni here and abroad, old and new friends, and all others who supported me in my appeal to the UP Board of Regents (BOR) for the extension of my full-time faculty appointment, I am very sad to inform you that the BOR today (February 28, 2013 - ed) denied my appeal with finality and decided to downgrade my faculty status to Professorial Lecturer, a part-time faculty position with a salary that is about 50% of my last full-time salary. This setback for me and other professors who are older than 65 (Jun Cruz Reyes, Naida Rivera, Daisy Carlota, Claro Llaguno, et al.) is a triumph for UP President Pascual's, UP Diliman Chancellor Saloma's, and the All UP Workers Union's new policy of regarding senior professors as unwanted costs and unneeded old fogeys that have to be discarded.<br />
<br />
The principal thrust of the incumbent UP administration is not to achieve world-class academic excellence nor to produce UP graduates that embody expertise coupled with virtues but rather to achieve operational excellence by reducing faculty costs and computerizing UP operations. I am very sad not so much for myself -- because my family and I will find ways of surviving somehow -- but for the future of our UP beloved which is now going to the dogs and becoming UP benighted as we keep losing our excellent faculty members to other local universities and to other countries.<br />
<br />
I wish to thank all of you sincerely from the bottom of my heart, especially those who have not met me in person, for all your expressions of support and for signing the petitions to the BOR. I am also very grateful to all those who extended their support, comfort, and love to my son, Gregor Ethan. We may have lost this particular battle, but we have won many new genuine friends. My family and I will never forget your help and support. Maraming salamat. Tuloy ang laban. Ipaglaban ang UP.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-38551641061478473212013-02-16T11:56:00.001+08:002013-02-16T11:58:29.017+08:00Retiring in the Philippines with a Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCX_CcWAovQy7vCfeKbrnSlBVBecVaR_4REFnnnO8L5ZBOkEBJgtIMhc10LiHW59JzSx4ysAbBtJB8sWRNK7hLxa_9yLe23-e-DjAwgQy0czun2kOU-Igt-eIj0lgHJzCvOqmYdEGYQw/s1600/medical+vacation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCX_CcWAovQy7vCfeKbrnSlBVBecVaR_4REFnnnO8L5ZBOkEBJgtIMhc10LiHW59JzSx4ysAbBtJB8sWRNK7hLxa_9yLe23-e-DjAwgQy0czun2kOU-Igt-eIj0lgHJzCvOqmYdEGYQw/s1600/medical+vacation.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
“Smile at Life in the Philippines.” This is our invitation to our former Filipino citizens and foreign nationals to choose the Philippines as their second home. Famous for our vibrant culture, hospitality, friendly English-speaking population, natural attractions, and tropical climate, retirees can expect the good life in the Philippines at an affordable cost.<br />
<br />
GEOGRAPHY<br />
The Philippines is an archipelagic nation made up of 7,107 islands spanning 1,840 kilometers north to south. It is part of the Southeast Asian region, and is bordered by Taiwan to the north, Indonesia and Malaysian Borneo to the south, the South China Sea to the west, and the Pacific Ocean to the east. The Three main Philippine Island groups are Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao. The Capital is Manila. Time Zone is GMT +8 hours.<br />
<br />
CLIMATE<br />
Generally, Philippines has a tropical climate. March to May is hot and dry. June to October is rainy, November to February is cool. Average temperatures: 78F/25C to 90F/32C; humidity is 77%.<br />
<br />
LANGUAGE<br />
Understanding each other will not be a problem between the retirees and our people. Almost every Filipino can understand and speak some English. In fact, we are the third largest English-speaking nation in terms of population.<br />
<br />
Two official languages are Filipino and English. Filipino which is based on Tagalog is the national language. English is widely used and is the medium of instruction in higher education. Eight (8) major dialects spoken by majority of the Filipinos: Tagalog; Cebuano; Ilocano; Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense.<br />
<br />
RELIGIONS<br />
Some 83% of Filipinos are Catholic. About 5% are Muslim. The rest are made up of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhist.<br />
<br />
COST OF LIVING<br />
The principal appeal for retirement in the Philippines is the lower cost of living. Housing, food, and labor costs are quite reasonable. Global Filipinos and foreign retirees can retire in the Philippines and enjoy not only the lower cost of living but also the very favorable currency exchange rate.<br />
<br />
The Philippines’ monetary unit is the Peso. Foreign currency may be exchanged at any hotels, most large department stores, banks and authorized money changing shops accredited by the Central bank of the Philippines. International credit cards such as Visa, Diners Club, Bank Americard, Master Card, and American Express are accepted in major establishments.<br />
<br />
WORLD-CLASS MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES<br />
In terms of medical services, our facilities are comparable to the best anywhere else. Our highly trained medical personnel and caregivers are in demand all over the world not only for their competence and expertise but most especially for the care and compassion they show to their wards. Healthcare, a top priority of the senior market, is an expertise of the Filipino who is world-renowned for his excellent healthcare practitioners.<br />
<br />
FILIPINO HOSPITALITY<br />
Filipinos are naturally warm, friendly and hospitable. We have a ready smile for everybody and our religious background that is predominantly Catholic makes service to others an innate trait.<br />
<br />
TELECOMMUNICATION EDGE<br />
Every retiree can avail of the country’s continuously improving telecommunication facilities. They can keep abreast of what is happening around the world and keep in touch with their relatives and friends back home.<br />
<br />
ECO-TOURISM DESTINATION<br />
Philippines can provide the retirees endless choices of world-class destinations that will bring them closer to Mother Nature with clean air and beautiful sceneries. The white sand beaches of Boracay and Panglao and the virgin islands of Palawan often referred to as “the last frontier” are truly unforgettable places that entice the visitors to come back in the Philippines.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To learn how to avail of the Department of Tourism's Special Resident Retiree's Visa program, read the rest here: <a href="http://www.internationalmedicalvacations.com/2013/02/retire-in-philippines-with-special.html"><span style="color: red;">http://www.internationalmedicalvacations.com/2013/02/retire-in-philippines-with-special.html</span></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43978067374459813.post-15246055231885018352013-02-05T22:20:00.000+08:002013-02-05T22:20:38.666+08:00Eng Ho bakery goes beyond Binondo, Banawe<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRRoPgLglAeXJQDkucw-u3UqdQUzHk09nSqiCkUfdXGqugLZuWEHpYS8CdX0jZRfOZHTFDvXUbhzl71_wuYdBdtmp3B-RcQkId4iP6CfXwoNURgJdEPmpaRRaLaEn9PR_i1c8mIuSyQ/s1600/buns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRRoPgLglAeXJQDkucw-u3UqdQUzHk09nSqiCkUfdXGqugLZuWEHpYS8CdX0jZRfOZHTFDvXUbhzl71_wuYdBdtmp3B-RcQkId4iP6CfXwoNURgJdEPmpaRRaLaEn9PR_i1c8mIuSyQ/s400/buns.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Source: <a href="http://blauearth.com/2010/11/06/eng-hos-classic-cakes/">http://blauearth.com/2010/11/06/eng-hos-classic-cakes/</a>)</div>
<br />
<br />
By AS Bonifacio<br />
<br />
There's a new-old kid in the block, for foodies who love baked goodies and Chinese delicacies. Eng Ho gone beyond Chinatown and its Banawe branch, setting up space some months ago on Magiting Street, near CP Garcia Avenue and UP campus. This might be due to the ever-growing Korean presence in the neighborhood. <br />
<br />
I came upon this happy and delicious find one afternoon after strolling from CHED (corner University and CP Garcia), heading for Teachers' Village. I turned right at the intersection near the stud farm. I hadn't been in the area since October last year, and as I turned to Magiting going toward Maginhawa Street, I was amazed to see new foodie spots to my right. Impulsively I went into the first one, looking forward to a refreshing snack.<br />
<br />
I immediately saw a huge mocha chiffon cake, no icing, wrapped in plastic and encased in a box, with smaller versions nearby, all displayed on the middle shelf. There were also vanilla chiffon cakes, mocha rolls, butter cupcakes, muffins of various flavors, and boxes of tikoy. On the top were loaf breads, carrot bread, and cheese rolls. Beside the cashier stood an upright cake display fridge, showing fancy cakes with icing, and brazo de Mercedes. They accept advance orders for specially designed cakes for birthdays etc. The store itself has no actual bakery in the premises, just a few tables and chairs for dine-in snacking, but they have regular deliveries.<br />
<br />
On the other wall were more shelves with more baked goodies such as pandesal with fillings such as tuna, corned beef and asado, not bad for 15 pesos each, student-friendly prices. The asado and bola-bola siopao were available not just steamed and ready-to-eat (P35 each), but also in take-home plastic bags for freezing and steaming later. There were lots of other Chinese goodies, assuring signs that a Binondo landmark was finally in Diliman.<br />
<br />
I haven't tried all their offerings, but I have enjoyed, and will continue to do so, their mocha cake and filled pandesal. The mocha cake is yummy even without icing, a boon for those watching their calories and cholesterol. The same goes for their butter bread, soft sweet rolls that can be eaten on their own. The puto pao didn't have much asado inside, but the siopao and asado rolls were decent. The hopia mongo was OK, but not a match for Ho-land's version, still the best.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0