Magna Est Veritas Et Prevaelebit

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(This was published in print in the 11th issue of The Manila Collegian on October 10, 2011.)

Written by:  Aries Joseph Armendi Hegina

Savagery is clad in a blood-soiled camouflage uniform. 

Pledging servitude and loyalty, the Armed Forces of the Philippines is an institution that is respected as it protects the state and its people from threats and discord. The military forces of the country have shown its adherence to the said ideals through serving the interest of those who are in the helm of power as the institution knows the extent of power that it readily possess and stands guard against the attacks of terrorist groups that threaten our nation’s peace. 

However, the ideals that they uphold are bastardized by the acts of dishonesty and brutality that continuously hound the state body. The still unresolved cases of political killings and enforced disappearances are shelved as no one is convicted, despite the fact that sufficient evidence is found to render closure and justice for the victims. The furtherance of a bogus framework devised against counter-insurgents by the Aquino administration only intensifies the military’s role in promoting an anti-people defense corps.

The cases of atrocity prevailing with the aid of the supposed defenders of the masses is a blatant manifestation of where the true allegiance of the institution lie—that is to side with the one who further empowers the institution. As the military pledges loyalty to the powerful, the genuine ideal of serving the interests of the people is sacrificed.           

Savage Butchery

Killing the innocent has been the normal fare for the uniformed forces in the ranks of the militia.

“I saw droplets of blood. When I walked around the corner, I saw the bodies of my husband and son. My husband was lying with open wounds on his chest and neck…. His fingernails were removed…. His forearms were scratched like his arms had been tied up…. His chest was bruised as if he had been beaten with the butt of a rifle. My son, Rudyric, was curled up on his side and I could see bullet wounds on his back with exit wounds on his upper chest…. I then fell unconscious. “

Such was the narration of Mercy Dejos, Rudy’s wife and Rudyric’s mother, on how she found the two family members dead in their home on the fateful afternoon of February 27, 2011 at their farmhouse in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur. Rudy Dejos is a tribal chieftain and in his lifetime, held several positions in their community. Prior to the killing, Mercy said that soldiers from the 39^th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army threatened, harassed and tagged Rudy as a member of the New People’s Army, in which the slain leader vehemently denied. Officers of the battalion attended the wake of the two Dejoses and even participated in the funeral march, fully armed. Until now, justice has been elusive for Mercy. 

The case of the Dejoses gave a face to the 48 people who were killed during the first year of President Benigno Simeon Conjuangco Aquino III’s regime. The 48 people who perished and the five people who disappeared in the hands of the military proves to be a stark contradiction to the promise of the president during his campaign period that he would end the series of extrajudicial killings that persist in the country. Furthermore, after a year under the Aquino leadership, the military has not strived to impose reforms to promote an environment that would be intolerant of such killings and impartial in investigating the tragic crimes.

The highest echelons in the military have placed more importance in denying that the forces of the institution played a part in the occurrences of killings and disappearances. Such example is best exemplified by the Supreme Court decision dated last July 19 to release the missing UP students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan. Retired General Jovito Palaparan denied the allegations linking him to the disappearances of the two students. Impunity remains as a binding force as the perpetrators of the crimes remain free. It should be remembered that it is both the responsibility of the national government and the military in bringing those who are responsible under the rule of law.  

The Philippines in 2009 enacted the Crimes against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes against Humanity Act (Republic Act 9851), in which in its provisions, war crimes and crimes against humanity is penalized. With this legislation, it should have become an avenue for rendering resolution to the decades-old atrocity in the Philippine’s situation of human rights as the law would bring the perpetrators of the crime to trial.

As impunity remains a palpable force that is still not relinquished, partiality would continuously be a force that would damn the rights of the people.    

Devious Stratagem

The furtherance of a framework that is known to inviolate the welfare of the masses is a brazen anti-thesis to the mantra of transformation being upheld by the yellow-clad regime.

Oplan Bayanihan, the counter-insurgency plan of the Aquino administration was implemented in January 2011 to end the armed resistance in the country. The regime states that the plan is a deviation from the counter-insurgency plan of its predecessor, Oplan Bantay Laya I and II as it focuses on “winning the peace, rather than defeating the enemy.” The military also accentuated that this time, the plan would involve a “paradigm shift” that aims to promote “respect for human rights and international humanitarian law… and the rule of law.” The Bayanihan plan would focus on two important facets: “whole of nation” approach and “people centred” approach. The former would focus on the participation of the society in the program while the latter considers human security.

The Aquino counter insurgency program aggravates the human rights situation in the country as it only continues the programs included in the Oplan Bantay Laya. Moreover, the inclusion of civil society in the Oplan Bayanihan exacerbates the need of military presence in the communities. Associated with the forces’ presence are the risks of intimidation, harassment and political imprisonment that would be passed on to the innocent civilians who will be coerced into participating in military “exercises.”   

Oplan Bayanihan is being lambasted as the concepts of advocating human rights serve only as a front for the continuance of violating the rights of the masses and breeching the peace of communities. As an institution that should have been on the side of the people, the plan foregoes the accountability of the military in investigating and castigating its members who are involved in the killings and disappearances. The counter-insurgency plan of the Aquino regime proved to be detrimental to the masses as the allocation that it would receive in 2012 would amount to P 28.7 billion, a bigger chunk considering the funds allocated for basic social services such as education and public health care are incessantly being decreased. It is ignoble that the state is willing to compromise the basic rights and liberties of the people through allocating a big slice of the budget pie to ensure the furtherance of the repressive program.     

The Aquino regime seemingly forgot that desperate situations such as extreme poverty and inaccessibility of basic social services have led to the dissent of the people. Peace would not feed a hungry mouth nor would it cure the sick. It is only imperative that the state should prioritize the solutions for these problems of the common tao.

The ideals promoted by the military, grounded by the concepts of honesty and servitude, are tainted with the deeds that bastardize these very ideals. As it continuously promotes an environment where the perpetrators of these horrendous crimes are still left unscathed, the military falsely promotes that partiality is acceptable in the nation’s culture.

As the military remains grounded on serving the interests of those who yield power, the idea of the institution as a refuge that advocates the rights of the masses would remain as an ambition too bleak to be realized. Unless such system will be abolished and the culture of impunity will be subjugated by the government and the military, only then will the welfare of the people be genuinely upheld. 

As inaction and partiality remain pervasive in contemporary Philippine society, one fact remains—the road to achieve true liberation is far from over. Only when the allegiance of the nation’s defendants would ultimately be of favour to the masses will all the bloodsheds and struggles end.

(This was published in print in the 11th issue of The Manila Collegian on October 10, 2011.)

Written by:Jewel Anne Formeloza and Jore-Annie Rico

As the struggle for equality intensifies, so does violence.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community dared to assert and defend their rights for equality and justice amidst stern opposition from conservative social forces. In a world where homosexuality is deemed synonymous with immorality and deviance, members of the LGBT community faced various forms of harassment and discrimination. Despite multitudes of trials and persecutions, the LGBT community remains steadfast in their struggle not just for social acceptance, but also for equal rights and freedom of choice. The challenge, however, rests not only in the promotion of LGBT advocacies but also in the eradication of the alarming increase of violence against its members particularly in the Philippines.

Aside from the alarming increase of violence against members of the LGBT community, gender discrimination has been continuously mainstreamed for the past decade. What makes the situation of the LGBT community critically perceived in the Philippines is partly attributed to the fact that the unending culture of patriarchy wielded an unconstructive influence on the role of women in the process of nation-building. Moreover, religious conservatism has unquestionably instilled negative conceptions on homosexuality. These socio-cultural factors, in actuality, profoundly influenced the history of hate crimes in the Philippine contemporary society.  

The fight against LGBT violence has just begun.

Unjustifiable Odium

As prejudice pervades society, the stage is set for the proliferation of unjustified crime.

Rolando Cervantes, a 40 year-old salon owner, was raped and stabbed to death by an unknown suspect last February 6, 2008 at Taguig City. Aside from the brutal murder, crime scene investigators suspects that the perpetrator had also stolen a huge amount of cash and other valuable materials from the victim before he was put to death.

Defined as “hate incidents which constitute criminal offenses, perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hate,” hate or prejudiced crimes are gaining both public and media attention due to its increasing number and intensifying nature. Homophobic hate crimes that are perpetrated against LGBTs are brought about by severe intolerance and hatred to the sexual orientation or gender identity of the victims. Social prejudice consequently sets forth a notion of superiority thus, inculcating a false sense of dominance among people while breeding hostility and anger toward homosexuals. Motives for social prejudice are subliminally reflected by discriminatory messages, bullying, public humiliation, public display of abuse and violence and even murders.

Hate crimes against homosexuals have been rapidly increasing in many countries across the globe, such as in Brazil, Iran, the United States, and United Kingdom, among others. In Asia, the Philippines represents the most disturbing figures of gruesome hate crimes. In addition to the increase in crime rate percentage, the nature of violence reflects more staggering cases. For one, perpetrators choose to execute their crimes in public so as to create a prolonged atmosphere of terror and heightened abhorrence. For another, extreme cases of violence included mutilation wherein chauvinistic symbols were inserted into the bodies of victims in an attempt to express racist viewpoints.

As hate crimes become more and more apparent, the call for the passage of laws that will protect the rights and safeguard the security of members of the LGBT community undoubtedly becomes a necessity.

Unpardonable Murders

Violence can never be justified by sheer hatred.

Rodolfo Cruz, a businessman in Malabon City, was beaten to death by his 15 year-old lover brought upon by a heated quarrel last April 5, 2005. At first, the suspect thought that Cruz merely lost consciousness after he had struck him with a heavy blow on the head. Realizing that he had slain his lover, the suspect tried to escape but unfortunately, he was caught and eventually arrested by the police.

The Philippines, being the sole Catholic nation in Asia, is consequently hailed as one of the most conservative Asian countries in terms of LGBT acceptance. The wielding influence of the Roman Catholic Church on the notions of homosexuality has caged the distorted way of thinking of Filipinos for centuries. As such, it is but no wonder that the contemporary Philippine society has a negative perception of homosexuality and also learned to detest it. The long-standing abhorrence paved the way for the intensification of homophobic hate crimes in the country.

According to the research made by the Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch, an inclusive, non-partisan, and diverse community of Human Rights Defenders and Civil Society Organizations dedicated to end prejudice and hate crimes against LGBT, there are 141 killed LGBT Filipinos from 1996 to present. The nature of violence takes the forms of multiple stabbing, dismembering, burning, gunshots, rape, torture, poisoning, and suffocation. However, it must be noted that hate crimes are not limited to murders due to the fact that there are some unrecorded violence committed against LGBT communities. 

Out of the 141 hate crime victims in the country, ninety five were gays, twenty six were transgendered, sixteen were lesbians, and four were bisexuals. The most dangerous region for gays, transgendered, and bisexuals is the Greater Manila Area while for the lesbians, the Mindanao region. It must be noted, however, that increasing crime rates must be acted upon accordingly, so as to prevent further assaults.

Unsolicited Response

Even as the forces of prejudice continue to thwart the progression of LGBT recognition and acceptance, the sector stood firm in its endeavor to establish a reign of equality.

Along with the Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch, other sectoral organizations international entities, and advocacy groups support the call for the welfare of the members of the LGBT community. Sectoral organizations, like the Ladlad Party list and the Gabriela Women’s Party, lobby for equal rights that will seek to address the long-standing need for administrative actions. The Amnesty International-Philippines, in collaboration with the CHR, serve as watchdogs for hate crimes. Constituting the advocacy groups are the Rainbow Rights Project Inc., the Pro-Gay Philippines, and Bayan Muna Party list, whose proposed “Anti-Hate Bill” is still under the legislative process. Rainbow Rights Project Inc., and Pro-Gay Philippines, on the other hand, advocate LGBT acceptance through educational networking and research programs.

As hate crimes take its toll on the LGBT community, governmental and institutional reforms would never suffice for the need to minimize, if not totally eradicate, the impunity rendered by conservatism. Instead, civil society must be emancipated from the distorted notions of homosexuality.  Public acceptance plays a pivotal role in eliminating social prejudice and stereotyping that has been inculcated by biased and conservative social sectors.  Members of the LGBT community have been ceaselessly striving for equal rights and public recognition yet, society selflessly ignores the clamor for homosexual acceptance for the reason that it remains conformist and it proved to be intolerant in the face of LGBT advancement.  

Unlike other undermined social sectors, the LGBT community has been constantly strained by issues relating to gender inequality and their struggle has long been taken for granted, or blatantly ignored. What makes their case specifically distinct from other marginalized sectors is that the LGBT community is hailed as the sole “deviant” sector. Although members of the LGBT community do not strive for material embellishments, they seek acknowledgment so as to assert their personal identities and convictions.  Despite the fact that society mistakenly labels the LGBT community as deviant and immoral, what accounts for true existence of the sector of LGBTs is their purpose to pursue rightful living beyond the prejudices and stern mass reception.

Gaining public acceptance and social recognition ultimately marks the hoisting of colors.

(This was published in print in the 11th issue of The Manila Collegian on October 10, 2011.)

Ang edukasyon ay karapatan na patuloy na niyuyurakan ng gobyernong lumilihis sa matuwid na daan.

Sa panimula pa lang ng kanyang kampanya hanggang sa mahalal bilang presidente ng bansa ay ibinandera ni Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino na bibigyang-pansin ng kanyang administrasyon ang sektor ng edukasyon ngunit di naglaon, ito ay kanyang tinalikdan sa pamamagitan ng pag-abandona sa responsibilidad nito sa mga State Universities at Colleges (SUCs). Sa halip na maghain ng mga produktibong pamamaraan upang maitaas ang kalidad ng edukasyon, K+12 ang solusyon na nais ikintal ni Aquino sa isipan ng maraming Pilipino.

Ang naturang programa ay tumatalakay sa bagong sistema ng pag-aaral na kung saan ay magkakaroon na ng kindergarten na susundan ng 6 na taon sa elementarya, 4 na taon sa sekondarya na tatawaging junior high school at dagdag pa na dalawang taon bilang senior high school. Kung susuriin ang programang ito, mahihinuha na magbubunga ito ng isang hungkag na kaisipan — ang implementasyon ng dalawang taon sa sekondarya na gugugulin sa kursong bokasyonal.

Ito ay mistulang panakip-butas sa kanyang pagkukulang at hindi maitatatwa na ang kasalukuyang pamahalaan ay nagbubulag-bulagan sa kalunos-lunos na kalagayan ng edukasyon sa bansa. Sinabi ni Aquino na sasagutin ng pamahalaan ang lahat ng gastusin sa programang ito, ngunit batid ng bawat mamamayan ang krisis sa sektor ng edukasyon — ang kakulangan sa guro, pasilidad, at kagamitan — na hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin natutugunan. Bukod pa rito, may posibilidad na ang kakarampot na subsidiya sa mga SUCs ay lalo pang tapyasan ng pamahalaan upang magbigay-daan sa pagsasakatuparan ng naturang proyekto.

Sa kabila ng mga matatamis na salita at masidhing pag-amuki, masasalamin pa rin ang mapanuyang landas na tinatahak ng administrasyong Aquino. Hangad ng pamahalaan ang isang mataas na kalidad ng edukasyon, ngunit ang hakbang na ito ay posibleng magbunga ng salungat na kahihinatnan — unti-unti nang mananaig ang kultura ng semi-skilled workers na maaaring pumigil sa ibang mag-aaral na magpatuloy pa sa kolehiyo. Masasabi ngang yumayabong ang kasanayan ng tao sa paggawa ngunit nalalanta naman ang kanyang kakayahang pangkarunungan at pangkaisipan. Kapag ang potensyal ng isang tao ay hindi napaunlad hanggang sa pinakamataas na antas, ito ay isang malinaw na indikasyon ng opresyon.

Ang huwad na programang ito ay magreresulta sa pagbugso ng dami ng mga manggagawa, subalit kakaunting bilang ng trabaho sa ating bansa. Patuloy na humuhubog ang Pilipinas ng mga semi-skilled workers na balang-araw ay hindi rin naman mapapakinabangan ng sarili niyang bayan dahil sa kawalan ng mapapasukan na hanapbuhay. Ito ang mag-uudyok sa mga naturang manggagawa na makipagsapalaran sa ibang bansa na siyang magpapasidhi sa labor-export policy ng pamahalaan.

Nais ng bayan na magkaroon ng kasarinlan — malaya mula sa kahit anong kapangyarihan ng dayuhang bansa, pero katakatakang ang gobyernong binigyan ng mandato ng sambayanan ang siya pang tumaraydor sa sariling bayan at patuloy na pumapailalim sa kolonyal na kaisipan.

Ang dekalidad na edukasyon ay palihim na ipinagkakait ng pamahalaan sa mga kabataan na siyang sana ay pag-asa ng bayan. Marahil, ang mga kabataan na puno ng dunong ay maging mangmang dahil sa patuloy na pagtalikod at pagsasawalang-bahala ng pamahalaan sa mga responsibilidad nitong pang-edukasyon.

Ang mga nakasisilaw na istratehiya at programa ni Aquino ang nagdadala sa bansa sa walang katiyakang kinabukasan. Hindi na madalumat ng mamamayan ang liko-likong landas na tinatahak ni Aquino — malayo sa kanyang daang matuwid at pangakong pagbabago.

Written By: Jeo Angelo Chico Elamparo

(This was published in print in the 11th issue of The Manila Collegian on October 10, 2011.)

You made your way to the office of a college administrator.

After a stressful two-day stay at your office which is devoted fully for accomplishing the issue that is scheduled to be published that week, her  wall post on your facebook account has given you something to look forward to. She told you it was about the Ayala Young Leaders’ Congress. You read her message twice to confirm your disbelief. She wants you to be one of your university’s representatives in an event organized by one of the country’s most prominent elites because apparently, being the Editor-in-Chief of your school’s official student publication, regardless of your principles, qualifies you to be one. You need not to review your history books for you know right away that the Ayalas are the landed, probably the wealthiest lineage in the country and that the name Ayala itself is synonymous with business and money. But despite your misgivings, you still gave it a shot. Sayang naman.

On your way there, there’s no denying your emotions. Your obvious grin and the iridescent glow of your eyes scream loudly of nothing but your excitement. You pushed the door open and let yourself in. The college administrator explained to you the awfully long procedure you have to undergo and the tons of requirements you have to accomplish. But you agreed still. You took your papers and fled. On that day, you let the Ayalas control your fate, you agreed to play by their rules for you entered their arena and has become a piece of their game.

Yet, you managed to extract some wisdom from the situation. Applying some concepts you have learned from your majors, you realized that you are no more different than the masses whose everyday lives are always hanging by a thread and whose survival is always at the mercy of those who gorge on money and power. But the masses cannot choose, you tell yourself, for if they cease to work under the landed and the elites, they and the rest of their families will certainly perish. You, on the other hand, are not without an option but you acted otherwise.

You skimmed the rest of your forms and there you learned that universities and colleges are eligible to send representatives only if they are recognized and accredited by an accrediting body. One does not need to be a genius to know that in the entire UP System, your own campus, UP Manila is the sole UP unit that underwent accrediting schemes, under the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) in particular. You were taken aback by what you’ve just discovered. So this is the fruit of PAASCU that they brag about. For the increases in tuition and other fees that resulted from your university’s accreditation, your school has qualified to participate in some leadership congress. For the trampled rights of those Iskolar ng Bayan who were forced not to enter your university as a result of the neo-liberal policies implemented by PAASCU, you get to be a pet of the elite. Of course you can only think of the situation mockingly and sarcastically, for no amount of logic could explain why the UP Manila administration pursued the accreditation of colleges when it is clear that the UP System is the premier state university and it needs no accreditation of some sort to prove it.

Then it dawned unto you: that you head a publication that has remained very critical of these issues. Thus, to join the leadership congress is to contradict your principles. To support the congress is to support the magnification of the elite and the plunging of the masses further into the depths of destitution. To submit your accomplished forms is to submit to the dictates of PAASCU and surrender to its neo-liberal policies. These sudden thoughts gave you a jolt that brought you back to your senses. You realized that if you do this, you veer away from your principles.

A week, maybe even a month has passed. You left the forms somewhere in the jungle that is your room, unaccomplished. You forgot about its existence until a week ago when you decided to write a column. By ignoring the congress, by letting it pass, you want to prove something: that not everyone can be controlled nor chained by the elites and the landed. And this includes you.

Well, at least, not today. 

Written By: Jesse Nicole Rubio Santos

(This was published in print in the 11th issue of The Manila Collegian on October 10, 2011.)

If perfect marks comprise the holy grail of a student’s academic existence, then I might have fallen from grace a long time ago.

Because in a world where an exam-filled day earns the label of bitay day, and panic rises at the sight of a grade that is a notch lower than the highest one, it seems that grades matter more than they should. Students, especially those used to the homogeneity of being grouped with the achievers, perceive grades as the means and ends of everything. Life should revolve around these, and in turn, these should not adapt to how you want to live your life. Academics should reign supreme; if you falter somewhere along the way, it is immediately seen as a sign of weakness or an emulation of a flaw that would be utterly humiliating to reveal.

Grades became the epitome of a person’s character, and the measure of intelligence. By this mishap of a label, the dynamism of the studentry has been reduced to producing good grades; that somewhere along the way the love for learning itself has been lost.  

And yes, as someone whose academic record slid a little during the past semester, I took these numbers to heart. It compelled me to not only take drastic yet just as catastrophic action, but also to contemplate about the vile predicament, and worst of all, consider myself a failure.

The sad thing is, whenever my parents see me surrounded with piles of readings and papers, they think I’m going to receive class cards printed with immaculate numbers. And I just can’t say, “Mom, I’m nowhere near where you want me to be.” But I’m trying, always trying, even if surviving is all I can attain. Truth is, more than disappointing anyone else, what hurts the most is that I might have just failed myself.

I don’t know if I succumbed to unrelenting laziness, took my subjects for granted, or simply lacked the capability to cope with the requirements. I know that I exerted great effort in all possible endeavors. Yet despite all the exhaustion, the results do not even touch the surface of satisfaction. Survival has been attained, but excellence is far from my grasp. Even if I put up a good fight, I lost. When your best isn’t good enough, what is?

And all this turns into a ravenous self-doubt that no amount of ice cream could possibly get rid of. At this point, it is so difficult to find words of inspiration to dispel all the lament and pessimism. Things do not always follow a smooth course. And even if taking refuge in the thought that everything will be alright can provide temporary comfort, there is still no guarantee that the thought will materialize.

Behind every mark is a story of how it has been attained. An uno does not always equate to intelligence, in the same way that a singko does not always mean laziness. The person who achieved the highest grade is not always the best, and likewise, the one who achieved a passing mark is not at all deficient.

In the same vein, a bad attendance record never depicts the story behind every mark of tardiness; that the engine of the bus you rode just happened to disintegrate in the middle of the road or the heavens that day just felt a tad melancholic and wreaked flood-induced havoc along Taft. Last night, you just had to finish a requirement for your beloved organization, leaving you sleep-deprived. And sometimes the alarm clock just isn’t capable of waking you up any more than your mother can.

Grades can never account for experiences. Numbers can never give justice to sleepless nights, caffeine-induced trances, and ineffable worries over dreaded requirements. The effort invested in producing a draft amidst tons of other paperwork can never be accounted for by a mere number. The relationships involuntarily strained by gridlocks during group works, sparse bonding time, or misunderstandings wrought from academically toxic dispositions just aren’t worth it.

Still, grades comprise an integral component of academic life. The significance of these marks is not to be downplayed; life, however, should not revolve around these. Education is more than that. Life should be more than that.

Because at the end of the day, no matter how much grades can seemingly quantify a student’s very being, each one has more to offer than what numbers can measure.

Marks can never define who you are nor dictate who you should be. And as an irrevocable and indisputable truth, grades can never predict who you will eventually become.

*Escaping a dreaded subject barely unscathed.