random thoughts

A country that spends more time and money on war will absolutely face degeneration and suffer the state of economic and political pandemonium.

Tapos na ang Undas

Sa mundo ng mga dapat, may gagawin akong mahalaga kahapon. Kaso dahil sa mga hindi ko maintindihan na mga dahilan ay hindi natuloy ang mga bagay na dapat ay matagal nang na-accomplish. Sa madaling salita, bokya ang productivity level ko kahapon. Nagmadali pa naman akong bumiyahe, nakipag-unahan at nakipagsiksikan sa mala-sardinas na bus.

Dahil bokya ako magpopost na lang ako ng mga litrato. boooo! Tapos na ang undas!

Students, teachers, and parents picket DepED vs. 2 more school years

Hundreds of high school and college students, teachers and parents staged a protest action yesterday outside the Department of Education (DepEd) Regional Office XI to express their disapproval over the extension of the 10-year basic education cycle to two more years, a proposal presented by DepEd Sec. Armin Luistro to Pres. Benigno Aquino III in Manila.

“Owing to the fact that the country lacks 49, 699 teachers, 57, 930 classrooms, 3.48M armchairs and 34.7M textbooks, the education crisis,” according to No to K+12! Alliance, “will not simply be solved by adding two more years in the students’ schooling.”

“Unless the poverty incidence in the country is given due attention, unless the teachers are given just compensation, parents employed with sufficient salary and benefits, and school facilities be improved, such reform will only serve as a “band aid” solution that temporarily covers, but will not essentially heal the wounds of the educational system,” said Paul Randy Gumanao, spokesperson of the alliance.

Gumanao said that the alarming increase in the drop-out rate is an indication that the students cannot sustain a longer stay in school due to many factors such as poverty. For every 100 students who enroll in grade 1, only 25 students can proceed to college and this, according to Gumanao, “should be looked into by the government rather than adding more years.”

“What has to be immediately addressed is the budget allocation for education that will improve the quality of instructions and the quality of the facilities. The government failed to see the real situation of education in this poverty-stricken country. Extra years in school would mean extra expenses and this is very burdensome especially to poor families whose primary concern is survival,” Gumanao added.

The alliance urged the Aquino administration to be faithful to its promise of allocating 6% of the GDP which will automatically go to education budget.
“Extending the basic education to 12 years would mean more school drop outs, more jobless graduates and more OFWs,” said Gumanao.

Gumanao called on the youth, the parents and the teachers to be part in campaigning against the K+12 and to help push for a genuine educational reform. He also urged the local legislators to make necessary actions to heed the clamor of their constituents to scrap the proposed moves.

Similar protests were held in different major cities in the country including Cotabato City and Zamboanga City.

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A reporter asked me if isn't it too violent that the high school students almost knocked down the agency's gate. I answered her that this is the best way to express the anger of the youth. And the destruction of the gate (if ever nasira o masisira man)is nothing compared to the millions of lives that will be ruined if this nonsensical program will be implemented.

DepEd Sec Luistro yesterday asserted that the additional school years under the K12 program will address the problem of deteriorating quality education in the country. Ito lang ang masasabi namin, ISTORYAHEEEEE!

LFS commemorates 33 years of anti-imperialist struggle; deplores continuing US intervention

Davao City- Members of the League of Filipino Students launched yesterday the month-long celebration of their 33rd anniversary through a protest action to condemn the continuing foreign intervention, principally by the United States of America in the country.

The students simulated the “Hostage Crisis” in a street play wherein they presented the Filipino people as hostages and Uncle Sam as the hostage-taker. According to Karlos Manlupig, LFS-Southern Mindanao Regional Spokesperson, “As citizens of a nation long trapped in colonial relationship with US, we are actually hostages to the economic, political and cultural dictates of US Imperialism.”

LFS has long held the tradition of being a consistent and the biggest anti-US student organization in the country.

The youth leader expressed his dismay over the present administration’s programs which kowtow to imperialist interest in the country. “P-noy, without doubt, is the commissioned replacement to the bootlicker Arroyo regime. Despite the massive movement calling for the pull-out of US troops and the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement, P-noy has refused to this call, he being the newest US puppet in Southeast Asia,,” said Manlupig.

In Mindanao, it was reported that more than 600 US troops are deployed in different areas in the island that actively participate in different overt and covert operations. Recently, USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered warship, docked in Manila Bay.

“The stories of the brutal massacres perpetrated by American soldiers during the Philippine-American War are still reminiscent . Modern cases of savagery by US forces have been recorded including the Subic Rape Case and the murder of Gregan Cardeno and Capt. Javier Ignacio,” Manlupig said.

Manlupig calls for the Aquino administration to learn from the mistakes of the previous administrations and listen to the clamor of the people. He also challenges P-noy to stand for the people and act on the scrapping of VFA on his coming state visit to the US.

“No country in the history of mankind attained development under the avaricious clutches of US Imperialism. And the people, including the youth, will fight back to cut off foreign domination and to dislodge the local puppets. Over the last hundred years, we have become ‘hostage’ victims. We have to work and struggle hard to end this oppression,” Manlupig said.

The students will conduct a series of protests, art exhibits and cultural activities this month to commemorate the LFS’ 33 years of militance and perseverance. #