For the benefit of some readers, a united front is an alliance of many organizations or sectors whose interests or orientations are not fully compatible, yet finds many common points of agreements. An example of this would be the united front presented by the Soviet Union and the West, lead by the US, during World War 2 against Fascism. Another example would be the united front against Marcos where the politician Lorenzo Tanada chaired the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Joker Arroyo defended Joma Sison during the latter’s military trial, and priests and nuns marched along with members of the League of Filipino Students, KADENA and Kilusang Mayo Uno. A united front against Arroyo is definitely not a far-fetched idea. There are your opposition politicians who see a chance to capitalize on popular opinion against Arroyo for their re-election chances (and a chance for us to put into power politicians who may ultimately be like Gloria, but in the meantime, will be forced to act more decently than her). There are the religious who are gradually becoming united and gradually becoming bolder in their condemnation of Gloria due to the fact that even priests and nuns have not been spared by AFP murderers (with the exception of course of Iglesia ni Cristo, Opus Dei, Born-Again and other "Christian" extremists). The gap between so-called student intellectuals and student activists along with youth activists from the basic masses is slowly being bridged. Patricia Evangelista’s latest column sounds more like an impassioned speech of a member of the Student Christian Movement than from someone who used to parrot globalization’s benefits. And of course, the peasants, workers, fisherfolk, national minorities, Moros, and urban poor have always been solidly disgusted against Gloria, which is why the vast majority of victims of the blood-thirsty AFP comes from their sectors. Some lines however, were never meant to be crossed. The an idea of a united front actually first entered my mind when I read in the papers a few days ago that leaders of other Leftist partylist groups such as Sanlakas and PM actually visited Satur Ocampo in the WPD station to give their support. In fact, now that I mention it, I think the term "united Left" came from one of them. In fact, Sanlakas released a statement through their e-groups that condemned as "propaganda" and "rumor-mongering" their claims that the likes of Akbayan were against Bayan Muna and Company. However, I can still see a major discrepancy between the pronouncements of their leaders and the actions of their rank and file. A few days before Satur Ocampo was arrested, a professor in UP Diliman posted in her blog that Akbayan organizers denoucned KABATAAN Partylist as "NPAs lang mga yan". And Akbayan partisans in online forums continue to denounce KABATAAN and other progressive partylist groups as "communist fronts". And even on the day UN Special Envoy Philip Alston released his findings on Pinoy extra-judicial killings, Etta Rosales was caught in a statement that still tried to insist that the victims of extra-judicial killings were actually communists. I can give Sanlakas and PM the benefit of the doubt because they are relatively silent when it comes to condemning nationalists from KABATAAN Partylist and ANAKBAYAN (or maybe the silence simply comes from the fact that they are nearing membership extinction?). But Akbayan, whether its leadership or its members, have continued to be anti-Left fanatics. They continue to march to the beat of the AFP’s genocidal drum. As such, I can only view their pronouncments as a desperate measure to cash in on the sympathy votes for Bayan Muna and added airtime for Bayan Muna to discuss its platform and programs. I would like to thank the AFP for continuing to campaign for Akbayan and other dummy partylist groups of Gloria, such as the 3 straight times losers ANAD and Aksa, and the 11 exposed extensions of the DILG (hahaha! morons!). Campaigning for them is the kiss of death for the people will certainly not elect anyone you gun-crazy retards support.

UST Cracks Down on Student Leaders

Students from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) had another taste of repression.  This did not result in the murder of another student, as what happened to Mark Chua, the student who exposed the corruption in the Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC). But this involved the death of the students’ democratic rights. 

BY ZOFIA LEAL
Bulatlat

Students from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) had another taste of repression.  This did not result in the murder of another student, as what happened to Mark Chua, the student who exposed the corruption in the Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC). But this involved the death of the students’ democratic rights. 

Last January 19, 2007 students from the University held an indoor mobilization for the immediate refund of their tuition fee and to oppose the supposed tuition and other fee increases for the school year 2007-2008.

By January 21, three students who have joined the mobilization received a letter from the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) inquiring about the incident.   The three students were JC Valleroso, a third year AB-BSE (Bachelor of Arts- Bachelor in Secondary Education) Major in Social Science and then Vice-President for Internal Affairs of the College of Arts and Letters Student Council,  Rommel Gerali, a fourth year Economics student and Lucan Villanueva, second year Economics student.

Villanueva sought the assistance of a lawyer from Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights). 

The three students were summoned together with their parents on January 23.  The OSA explained that they were called because the university administration wanted to know the reasons for the students’ protest action. 

Another indoor mobilization was held on January 25 to protest the increase in tuition and other fees and to question the letters sent to the students.

In response, the OSA issued another letter to the three students.  The second letter charged Villanueva with violating PPS 1027 (h) that states that students are not allowed to join illegal boycotts or assemblies that tend to create unnecessary noise, and the good grooming policy that indicates that the hair of male students must not touch the collar of their uniforms.  The hair of Villanueva is in dread locks. 

Gerali and Valleroso were also charged with violating the PPS 1027 (h). 

They attended the February 14 hearing set by the administration.  But they were not allowed to explain their side, “sinermonan lang nila kame,” (They just scolded us.) Villanueva said.

The investigation panel formed by the administration was composed by professors who are also practicing lawyers, the guard on duty during the mobilization, and the OSA.   

After the hearing, the students received another letter on March 9, two weeks before the final examinations, informing them of the resolutions of the investigation panel. Valleroso was placed on a 100-day probation starting June of 2007.  He was also required to attend a psycho-trauma clinic, Gerali was also placed on probation until his graduation.  Villanueva was suspended for five days, required to attend a psycho trauma clinic, and prohibited from entering the school building until he cut his hair. The OSA also warned Villanueva that they still have three more security journals which could serve as basis for more cases that can be filed against him. 

The OSA did not explain the basis for the resolutions but they were given the opportunity to appeal their cases. 

When Villanueva asked about the appeal, the OSA said that if they wanted to appeal, they should address their appeal to the rector.  All three students have filed an appeal last March 20 through the party organization ACT-Now! (Alliance of Concerned Thomasians). Villanueva filed another appeal last March 22.  As of March 23, there has been no response yet from the rector.

Villanueva said that he is saddened by the fact that they were not accorded due process. “There is something wrong with the manner the cases against us were filed and decided upon. The OSA was the complainant, the investigator, and the judge, “Villanueva said.   

Villanueva’s mother fears that he might be expelled. His suspension had affected his academic standing.  Two of his professors gave him a grade of Failure Due to Absences for getting low scores in his examination and missing the quizzes that were given during the time of his suspension. 

Villanueva said that he did try to review during the time he was suspended but he still had difficulties because he did not have the benefit of classroom discussions and the opportunity to ask his professors about lessons which were not clear to him.

While Villanueva is still waiting for the response of the rector, he is firm in saying that the cases filed against them are threats from the administration to stop the students from questioning their policies. He added, “The administration only wants to pacify the students and warn them that if you join these activities, this will happen to you.” 

“Hindi kayang harangan ng papel ang pag question ng estudyante.  Ang isang magandang eskwelehan ang nagtuturo kung paano magiging kritikal mag isip at magtanong sa established order, kung wala nun walang karapatan magturo ang isang paaralan.” (A piece of paper cannot stop the students from questioning.  A good school teaches the students to be critical and to question the established order, if the school does not encourage that, then they have no right to teach.), Villanueva said.

He said that, “What I did was in line with the Thomasian ideals of constant pursuit of truth and justice.  They wanted to stop us from questioning by scaring us.  They think that the students’ resolve will weaken once they learned of the cases filed against us.  But these did not even cause me to falter from what I am fighting for.  Every tuition fee increase forces more and more students to quit school.  It is, therefore, in my conscience to continue the fight.”

(reposted from Bulatlat.com)

From radulce.livejournal.com

In a country where the vast majority of Filipinos have no access to the internet, it is inevitable that voter education efforts such as www.votester.yehey.com have still a long way to go.

Yet, for everyone of us who espouses "new politics", a quick peek at votester is very heartening. In its online poll, Bayan Muna has placed at #5 (not that they need it, its been projected that only massive cheating can stop them from being the #1 partylist for 3 straight elections), Gabriela Women’s Party at #3 and KABATAAN Partylist at #1!

The Inquirer has already documented how some politicians have recognized the internet as a good medium of reaching out to certain sectors of our society. As Jenny pointed out (Happy Graduation!), senatoriables such as Chiz, Sharon’s Kiko, and Manny Villar have websites with feautures pandering to the easily impressionable youth. Lieutenant Trillanes has a friendster account (I resisted the baseless urge to add him.. Haha!).

But I guess the biggest proof would be how KABATAAN Partylist, as proved by votester’s poll, is the most talked about partylist group among Pinoy netizens nowadays. Friends have told me how they have encountered people campaigning for KABATAAN in mIRC and Y!Chatrooms. A video in which Angel Locsin, Dennis Trillo and Dino of Brownman Revival (among others) endorses KABATAAN Partylist (for free, of course!) has more than 10,000 hits in Youtube.com. Asides from the video, other stuff such as downloadable songs, poster designs and KABATAAN’s platform can be found in their official website and multiply site (www.kabataanparty.com and http://kabataanparty.multiply.com). And a peek at KABATAAN’s official friendster account (oh yes! friendster! kabataan.national@gmail.com) has a testimonial containing a video in which Fil-Ams in a Washington rock concert endorse KABATAAN!

But of course, arguably the biggest factor is the Pinoy blogging community. Mong Palatino, the partylist’s first nominee, is well known in the Pinoy blogging community. But asides from that, hundreds of bloggers are promoting the said partylist in their blogs. Not to mention hundreds who use their friendster, multiply, hi5 accounts and other websites to promote KABATAAN.

Hopefully, certain readers will get the hint and promote KABATAAN more aggressively in their sites. Harharhar.

So whats with the negative-sounding title of this post?

Its actually inspired by someone me and a few of my colleagues thought we knew. Taking to cyberspace is a welcome move for any political group, especially a partylist group that espouses the interests of the youth. Its a move that smacks of change. Its a move that befits the youth as a sector of our society that is theoretically a sector of change.

Yet to actually give emphasis to blogging and cyber-campaigning is not the opposite of traditional politics and campaigning. It is not the new that is counter-posed against the old. They are in fact, two sides of the coin.

Candidates in motorcades, shaking hands, giving out plastic or cardboard fans with their faces plastered into it, supporters wearing shirts with the candidate’s name written all over it, etc. Such images are connected with traditional politics. The politics of traditionalism. The politics of elitists. Elitist politics.

But pandering solely to cyberspace is just as elitist. Anyone who claims to "serve the people", who claims the title "Iskolar ng Bayan", or even just the claim of being a "critical thinker" should know that. They should know that the vast majority of Filipinos have never even seen a computer, much less used Friendster.

Yet these are the people that compose the majority of our population. The sea surrounding the small islands of elitists such as Forbes Park, UP, Dasmarinas, Hacienda Luisita and Malakanyang. The same sea that slowly erodes the islands and when stirred up, violently smashes and floods into the islands themselves.

So how will blogging stir up the sea?

In the end of the day, a blogger’s self-worth will be determined not by the # of posts he/she has made, the # of comments one has received, the pictures one has posted in their online album, the aesthetic value of the layout, or even an award from a so-called bloggers group.

As with everything, it can be divded into two, as a great Chinese warrior-poet said: "For, or against, the People".

Blogger, are you for or against the People? Is your blog’s content for or against the People? And finally, do your actions match your blog’s pronouncements?

visit: radulce.livejournal.com

please visit this site, as i will be more active here

This is the latest entry from his blog:

(http://galahad10.blogs.friendster.com/aware_of_wonder/2007/03/xientians_a_cal.html)

Dear Fellow Xientians:

Every now and then we make a choice to take a stand. Once we do that, there is no turning back and we must see it through to the end.

An injustice has been done and this is my call for support.

Last February 13, 2007, Tuesday, the Local Math Quiz was held at Quesci and I was present to assist in the competition. During the preparations for the first year level competitions, i was onstage instructing one of the contestants on what to do. That’s when I felt someone hit me on the arm.

It was Mr Lorenzo. And he was furious, "Bakit nandito ka nanaman? di ba pinapaalis ka na?"…

Needless to say, I was stunned. I never thought he’d go so low. I tried to hold myself together, and hence I did the only thing I could do at the time. I looked him in the eyes. I wasn’t going to back down.

Seeing this, he took of his glasses and challenged me to a fight. Mr Lorenzo clenched his fists and challenged me to a fight…

In front of students…

In front of faculty…

in front of his son…

Thankfully, I managed to find the strength to control myself and walk away.

Still, I was apalled. And I was even more disgusted when Mrs. Cayetano, the Math Dept Head, did nothing about the incident. Instead, they made me leave the campus, and I have been banned (again) from entering since.

Now, I know when I am at fault. But this was totally unprovoked. Mr Lorenzo was out of line and has been for a long time. This is the last straw. I cannot keep my mouth shut any longer. Enough is enough.

The battle has begun friends.

And this is my shoutout to every student who has ever suffered an injustice at the hands of Mr Lorenzo.

There is no room in our schools for monsters. Mr Lorenzo is a shame to every student who proudly calls himself a Xientian, and to teachers all over the Philippines.

It is time to stand and be heard.

There were plenty of witnesses to the incident, and I pray you will have the strength to speak up about this when the time comes. You know what happened. You saw it with your own eyes. And I can say it with conviction: Friends, I am innocent.

The actions of Mr Lorenzo were uncalled for.

It was unacceptable. And he crossed the line by deliberately trying to inflict physical harm on me.

So Fellow Xientians, It’s time.

Our voices have been supressed for far too long.

It is our turn now.

We must Stand and be heard.

In defense of dignity and integrity and honor.

But don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying this battle is going to be "you’re either on my side or against me". Rest assured that won’t be the case.

However, I don’t think I have to convince you that I have a case.

Stand and be heard.

It’s about time.