———– VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE ———-
You will soon receive new email invites to the new NSTP blog at http://upsenstp.wordpress.com/, the URL written on your syllabus. I apologize for this confusion and for the inconvenience this may have caused.
For those who have posted contents already to this blog (nstp1), plewase repost them to the new address once you have received the invites.
Thank you.
RTC
The Filipino people have experienced so much up to this point. They have experienced invasions by foreigners. they stood tall and fought. They have withstood domination. They rebuild after every death, flood, fire, war, earthquake, eruptions, revolutions. They rebuild with a smile on their faces, always positive. That is how we see ourselves every time something bad happens. It begs the question: Are Filipinos masochistic?
To avoid obvious innuendos, I’ll define masochism as the enjoyment of suffering that is being inflicted on thyself. So are we?
I am personally starting to think so. Our resistance to change allows us to experience whatever disaster that befalls us. We pay taxes that is eventually spent on Disaster Preparedness, yet we still experience disaster. We vote for leaders who are corrupt, with knowledge of their actions and schemes. We disrespect nature. We don’t evacuate when authorities tell us to. Then these small mistakes eventually pile up to become one huge grave we are digging ourselves. Why? Is changing a little too much of a hassle? Is it tradition? or are we born this way?
Questions keep piling up as try to understand as much as I can on the Filipino Situation. One of the most obvious answers is we, as a people, are a mess. Now, no matter how much I complain about my country, and my countrymen, I cannot do anything about it. Change cannot simply happen because one man asks for it. Change in a society can only happen with when enough people start it themselves. To put more simply, to change this country, I must ask the question”What are we doing wrong?”
There is no definite answer to that. What is wrong for some is right for others. It seems hopeless but it is not. We can always aspire as a people for huge changes. But individuals can only make small changes. Assume that the eradication of poverty is a 1000 peso bill. Then let’s assume that twenty thousand people want that 1000 peso bill. But each one of those people can only have five centavos. They want that five centavo coin, but they want the one thousand peso bill more. But no matter how they belittle that mere five centavo coin, if there is twenty thousand of those who have a five centavo coin, you would have a full one thousand peso. Now assume that a five centavo coin is equal to studying well in school, or not jaywalking or voting properly. These small changes you wanted will amount to something bigger if enough people made small changes. A good change, no matter how insignificant, amounts to something bigger when people have that bigger goal as a common goal. Now if we want to change the state of our nation, we start small. We start by not jaywalking. Or not destroy a concrete pedestrian barrier so you would not have to use the footbridge. or keep your candy wrapper in your pocket or if you can’t, hang around trashcans all day. The list goes on and on. There is no shortage of what small thing you can do for yourself and others. Small changes lead into big changes. I believe in that
Rowell Macapagal II
2013-22494
Last November 10, the class tackled the situation of the indigenous people in the Philippines. As I entered the School of Economics Auditorium, what attracted my attention was the presence of children donned in traditional clothing as one may find in textbooks. There were I think more than ten of them. Hence, I assumed that the topic today would be more serious compared to the past ones.
And I was not wrong- it is indeed a serious one.
According to the speaker, there are around twelve to fifteen million indigenous people in our country. They compose about eleven to fourteen percent of the total population. They are located in fifty provinces and is divided into a hundred and ten ethno-linguistic groups. They live in a total of five million hectares of land.
Moreover, they experience national oppression. It is the state’s historical and non-recognition and violation of all collective rights of the indigenous people to their ancestral lands. It also violates their self- determination which means their right to freely pursue their development and determine their political status as they see fit.
Aside from the non recognition of ancestral lands, there is also militarization. This involves the increased military presence which causes unrest among them. According to them, children are not able to study because of the fear towards men who are holding guns. This is due to the encampments situated in their schools . These also cause the rise of extrajudicial killings. From July 2010 to 2014, fifty indigenous people were reported to be killed. Forced evacuation seems to be rampant as seventeen incidents were reported in five provinces.
Another threat they face is land conversion. Private firms use their lands for doing their business such as mining. According to them, these greatly affects their people as they were forced to leave their ancestral lands which they hold dear.
The government who, according to them, should protect them turned against their own people. This is proved by the Mining Act of 1995 which allots eighty-one thousand hectares of land for extracting minerals. Moreover, the Philippine Development Plan states that mining is the key which makes them more worried about their future. The eight megadams is another testament of it. According to them, there are two hundred eighty-one approved mining applications.
After the lecture, the children, wearing the traditional dress of their tribe (Lumad) went in front and showed a skit. It revolved to the situation of their tribe on the hands of the military.
As I watch their presentation, I could not help but admire these children. Despite their young age, they are trying their best to make the voices of their fellow indigenous people heard to the public. With regards to their performance, they presented it well and, in my opinion, chose the right medium to convey their feelings. Also, I can say that they are proud of their heritage .
Honestly, it is rare to see in the columns news regarding our indigenous people. Hence, I do not have an idea what is going on. However, with this lecture and simple presentation, looks like these issues should be the one given priority by the public. They are the living testament on how rich our culture is and ,thus, needs to be protected.
Bryan Martinez
2012-03258
Did you watch the new Star Wars teaser trailer? It was released last week and was generally well-received by fans except for two things; First, a lightsaber shown in the video had three blades. This is not really a real world issue, just a fandom thing. Second and final perceived problem was that a black man was in a stormtrooper outfit( a stormtrooper is a fictional soldier type seen in the film series who wears white armor and helmet). This caused an uproar amongst fans because according to them, black people can’t be stormtroopers. And that is in an imagined universe. It’s sadly hilarious to find people that cannot, and will not accept a real life “minority”(Black people(African-Americans) are a minority in the United States) from taking an imaginary job from imaginary people. In a film series that allows for different kinds of beings, black people can’t be stormtroopers. Sounds like a joke.
Before you say that it is messed up, or ridiculous, think about what you watched on local television. Think about the old telenovela antagonist, someone who speaks english and filipino interchangeably. or the comedic reliefs in the form of bisaya yayas or the preppy best friend( who may be gay or a female childhood friend). That is cliche. It might not be a bad thing but it is. TV stereotypes people that are being portrayed. Stereotypes are not an inherently bad concept. Stereotypes are formed from observations by a non-member of the group that was observed. Some of these stereotypes are considered positive like how filipinos are welcoming to their guests. But a lot of stereotypes are bad. How many bisaya(or any other perceived minority) derogatory jokes have you heard? or Bumbay/Intsik/Koreano jokes have you heard? As an example, try googling DJ Bumbay.
For those who didn’t, it is a video of Michael V. dressed up as a stereotypical Indian man. He goes around town offering faulty goods at a discount to people. He raps about it. He offers 5/6 as a way of compensating for those goods. He wears a turban. I am left speechless. An established comedian goes this way. Cheap humor at the expense of respect for people. Star Wars fans pale in comparison to this very insulting video. This is real life. Some might argue that this is the truth. Or, my personal favorite, “It’s just a joke”. It’s not a joke. It’s an insult to a group of people who live in this country. and yet, people do not find it wrong to do so. I watched the show from which the video came from. It’s called bubble gang. This show has been playing non-stop for nineteen years. That is a long time. This show bases its jokes on stereotypes about gay people, minorities, foreigners, men, women, and spoiled brats and yayas(“You’re such a loser”). The sad thing is, the stereotyping is not exclusive to late night comedy but is also present in almost every show on local tv. From konyo kontrabida, to the bisaya yaya, these are present in television. The question is, when will viewers be eventually disgusted by this practice?
Rowell Aquila Macapagal II
2013-22494
Last October 13 of this year, starting from twelve noon, the Alternative Class Learning Experience ( ACLE) was held throughout the campus of UP Diliman. As part of completing my requirements in my Science, Technology and Society (STS) course, I went to the College of Mass Communication to listen to a lecture regarding science and media. The lecture will be counted as an enrichment activity.
The lecture was in a room. I believe the room can accommodate at least 30 students without adding more chairs and in a corner an air conditioner was installed. A projector, which was used for the lecture, was in between the white board and the first row of seats.
When I entered the room, it was already crowded . Moreover, the number of attendees were still increasing as time passed by. The organizers, who was probably caught off guard by the crowd of students, hastily brought additional seats. However, it was not enough. Some of the audience sat on the ground as the lecture started.
Starting the lecture, the hosts called their speaker. She, if you ask me, is in her early twenties and has the height of an average Filipina. She currently works as a science journalist.
Her talk focused regarding the life of a science journalist. She said that it is difficult to insert science in our media as the higher ups in the media sees it as unprofitable. The lack of interest of the public makes it even more harder to spread some general information about what is happening in our science industry.
However, though she finds it frustrating, she still enjoys her work. First because she loves science and journalism. For me this situation it is not surprising to hear these words uttered. If you want to excel in your field, you must, to a certain degree, have the drive to see something interesting in your field. However, what interests me is this. In my opinion, science journalists here in the Philippines is quite a rare find. This was further supported by her statement.
She said that there are only three organizations which make science articles. These are the Philippine Science Journalist Association, Philippine Network of Environmental Journalist and Cyberpress. There are only a handful of members and most of them are old. Although there are recognitions being given to her from other countries, this is not enough to solve the current issue.
As you can see, on top of people inside the newsroom who has only a little or no interest in reporting science and also the uninterested public, people who are interested in this field are few and there are only a handful are going to continue what the older generation of science journalists started. With all these problems in hand, I could not help but admire her resolve to continue her present career. Probably this is her dream since she was little that resulted to the intensity of dedication she pours in her work.
Reflecting on what she said in her lecture, it is really gloomy when you realize that there is not so much attention given to science in our society. I believe this persists because we do not know how to start solving the problem – should we start reforming the media or start reforming the opinion of the public towards science. However, media stated to make its move by launching educational shows such as “Matanglawin” and “AHA!” which focuses in general information about science. Hope is not yet lost.
Raising the interest of the public in science has still got a long way to go. It may not end in the current generation and, in the worst case scenario, she (the speaker) may not be able to witness the day science is considered as a major portion in the mass media. However, I still believe there will be young people in the future who, in spite of these situations that may discourage them in pursuing this career (science journalism), will have the same, or even greater, dedication in improving the bridge between science and journalism.
Martinez, Bryan B.
2012-03258
It was around seven (I guess) in the morning when I arrived to the UP School of Economics. Though I thought I was late, there were only a handful of students who were waiting for the others to arrive. As soon as I realized that, I felt somewhat relieved. A few moments later, the number of students grew and our instructor ordered us to board the bus located at the back parking.
That day (Monday) was set for our class to go to a conservation center. It is somewhere in Batangas and is located near the Taal Volcano. At that time, I do not know what we would do that day until someone handed me a copy of our schedule.
After I exchanged greetings to those who I know, I took a seat beside the windows. It is a habit of mine when I get to travel for such a long distance especially when going to province. Besides, it is a good thing to remember where you pass so that you can at least recall two or three places to help you when going back to your home.
After a very long trip, we finally arrived in the conservation center. In my opinion, the place is not so big yet also not so small for a conservation center. It is located just at the shore of the lake. At the center of it, there is a gathering hall where they conduct most of their activities . Probably since we went there, several tables were placed. From there you can see the Taal Volcano though at first I could not identify where it is until a person from the center pointed it out.
The people from the center welcomed us as soon we settled down. They introduced us to what are they doing here. These included the history of Taal Volcano, the organisms we can expect to find while surveying the area and our current location in Taal. Also, they briefed us what are we going to do. For some of us, they went to a certain area and some went to kayak while the others, including myself, went to the shoreline. For the last two, we were asked to gather organisms found in the area.
As soon as we finished our tasks, we ate our lunch and proceeded to observe what we got during our time in the shore. Mostly got shells and algae(?), but some picked up snails and its eggs and even a frog. With the guidance of them, we used microscopes to be able to see organisms such as plankton which a normal human cannot see with a naked eye.
I can say we finished ahead of schedule and for the remaining time were spent talking with others. As for me, I opted to stay silent due to drowsiness. This continued until we boarded the same bus to go home.
Honestly, I can say that in this trip I learned a lot when it comes to Taal Lake. Though it was not discussed, I observed that plastic bottles, paper and a bottle beer were found along the lakeshore. It seems even this lake, even maintained by the volunteers we met and residents, is not safe from the perils brought by human activities.
As I end my blog, I hope, in the near future, many will be able to help in conserving no only this place, but also other areas in order to promote sustainability.
-Bryan Martinez
2012-03258
During the span of my first semester third year, I am very lucky to enlist STS, also known as Science, Technology and Society, as one my classes. I was unable to get it until now and it was because of a raffle conducted during the prerog period. I wanted it not only because it is required for most, if not all, of the students to take it, but also due to its goal of applying science to different aspects of human life particularly in culture and society.
As the semester comes to a close, I can say I enjoyed and learned a lot from this class. Among the topics discussed, one of my favorites is about how science tries to explain some folk illnesses. The talk focused on the local folk illness called bangungut or nightmare.
As for the one who gave the lecture, he is Felipe Jocano, Jr . He is currently an assistant professor under the Department of Anthropology in the University of the Philippines Diliman.
According to him, many kinds of illnesses tend to be considered as folk illnesses or superstition when no explanation can be given by clinical medicine. Examples of which are bangungut, pasma and even possession or sapi. Adding to the fact that it cannot be interpreted in the biomedical model of modern medicine, these syndromes are usually bizarre, at least to someone who hails from outside the cultural setting in which these illnesses are found. These are specific to particular cultures and include both behavioral and biological changes. These are considered as spiritual in nature and, thus, beyond scientific inquiry.
After this he began focusing on the case of nightmare or locally known as bangungut.
Bangungut is a condition where a person who is asleep is suddenly gripped of a sensation of heavy weight on top and is unable to move. It can be fatal if the person is not woken in time. According to him, the survivors have reported another presence in the room, usually a humanoid form sitting on top of their chest.
Aside from the Philippines, bangungut is also known as lai tai in Thailand, pokkuri in Japan, and is widely reported elsewhere in SEA. According to Professor Jocano, it is potentially fatal in males, though women have reported bangungut-like episodes while sleeping.
In the European and American culture, it is known as nightmare. It is simply because it has been depicted as a mare which is a female horse. According to him, In the Euro-American version, the old hag is reported as sitting on the chest of the sleeper, or else choking him.
From the medical point of view, this is now classified as sleep paralysis. As for the cause of the paralysis, many hypotheses have been proposed to explain it. One of it is the Brugada’s Disease.
According to his lecture, Brugada’s disease is a genetically inherited cardiac condition limited to males, in which arrhythmia can be induced by sleeping immediately after a full meal. Sleeping immediately causes a shift in blood chemistry by affecting the sodium level. This, in turn immediately affects the heartbeat. This is widely reported among migrant Filipino males and is possibly due to some factors such as stress brought by life situations.
He ended his talk with a short conclusion. He said that “ not all folk ailments are necessarily relegated to the realm of folk knowledge and therefore beyond the scope of scientific research; many of these ailments may have a physiological basis that is recognized in a particular way in a different culture. “
Personally, I did not like it solely because of the topic but also from the speaker himself. He was, in my own observation, is eager to impart this information among the listeners. His jokes are also a contributing factor though.
For those who have not yet taken STS, I hope you’ll find it enjoyable. The lecturers are very knowledgeable and are good in giving comprehensive lectures. Again, I might be lucky that I got picked only at this point in time.
-Bryan Martinez
2012-03258
Last month, our NSTP class had some visitors from the Southern part of our nation. This group of people is called Lumads. Honestly, I really don’t know anything about them. It’s my first time to hear their ethnic tribe. What only makes them familiar to me is their name- lumad- which as far as I know, another word for putik or clay. I thought it has something to do with, perhaps, their ancestors’ idea of creation that man came from clay. However, as I made my research on the Internet, lumad , actually, is a Cebuano word meaning “native” or “indegenous.”
These people basically visited our class in connection with our topic for that day- indigenous peoples’ rights. Lumads represented in front of our class the other hundreds of ethnic tribe that our archipelago has. This unknown, almost “foreign” group presented their beautiful, enticing culture by songs, dances, acts with a hint of revenge. Their silent voices against the deprivation and negligence of their rights were heard in their music coming from the youth of their community; almost like a scream commanding for attention.
With UP KAPP’s discussion about their rights and issues, they gave us a picture of how the government policies actually violate their rights. One of the best examples is the militarization in Mindandao. Because of the so- called war initiated by some militant groups, the Philippine government exerted a lot of effort (and money) to strengthen the military operation.
President Aquino’s counter – insurgency program Oplan Bayanihan that aims to defend the people from attack of militant groups just led to the attack to alternative schools. This is because the soldiers used the public schools as their base camp or if not most of them surrounds the school. With this setup, schools, which serve as second homes for children, became a perfect warzone.
This strategy, obviously just made the whole situation worse and complicated. Schooling is always interrupted, students and teachers are conquered by fear and these public schools turned into an institution unsuitable for learning. It turned out that the military directly violated the rights of the children and the community to have safe institutions for education.
As I hear their songs, I can feel their demand for justice and respect for their rights. These voiceless ethnic people, which is obviously muted by the modern society, screams at the top of their lungs all their predicaments and injustice. They were the victims of these inhumane militarization operations.
The government says the purpose of military is to defend our country and its people from their enemy. But who will defend us from their irrational actions? Who will defend these ethic groups form dangerous actions of our own military? Who will save them from the risks of having surrounded by men with guns?
Definitely, it is our job. It is the responsibility of every other citizen to save our countrymen from injustices and irrationality of the actions of others. Because after all, we are all lumads- natives of this land.
On November 2, 2014 Typhoon Haiyan or locally known as Typhoon Yolanda struck Philippines destroying 80:000 homes and taking 6,340 lives. The aftermath was said to be similar to the popular television series the walking dead. Bodies of dead people were everywhere ,everything destroyed, stores have been all looted. Everything was just like a really bad nightmare, but it was the reality. As soon as news struck the whole world of what had happened to the Philippines, response units from all over the globe went to the Philippines into our aid. Bringing military support, relief goods, medicinal aid, and many more in order to help us back to our feet.
For most of us this tragedy was a nightmare and a day that we will never forget for the things and love ones that we have lost. Though to other’s, the politicians, the one who rule our nation they saw this an opportunity to throw their faces to the “relief goods” as a form of early campaign to earn the people’s favor for the elections. Instead of just helping the people and doing what is right, these so called people just took advantage of the situation for their own gain. While people died from starvation, having no means to burry their relatives, having next to nothing by the small things that they were able to salvage, this politicians smiled with a grin and clasped their hands for the golden opportunity that was infront of them.
One of the memorable things that was told to me by one of the survivors, a high school friend of mine who was able to experience the full force of Typhoon Haiyan. The aftermath of typhoon hyan left a great sign of human catastrophe, stores were looted, bodies were left everywhere. He even showed me a video of the current environment what has happened in Tacloban. Even a week after the storm, bodies were still everywhere and there was still no order. Hence thehe mayor had requested from the government for military support in order to maintain the order. When the government replied was they had to submit the proper proposal and paper works. Which was of course really alarming considering the chaos and state of the city of Tacloban is in. That is how amazing our government’s support is, while the city of Tacloban itself is gone.
Today, the tv, the radio, and other forms of media have stopped showing news related to what happened in the city of Tacloban. People have forgotten the hardship that the citizens of that city have been through. Different forms of media have said that everything have been back to order and all is well. In reality, people in Tacloban are still suffering the effects of the Typhoon. All because those in top, those people that are supposedly leading in order to make things better, are instead only thinking of themselves to proppel themselves to get more fame and riches. If only we learn how to put others in need before ourselves, then the suffering of other people and the reconstruction of the city of Tacloban would have been faster than it should have been.
Castro, Danielle Rose D. 201323615
There was a day in class when we had a talk/ skills training related to risk management and disaster preparedness hosted by speakers from Red Cross. Our speakers explained some safety regulations and the reasons why we needed them. We were shown past events that were in relation to the regulations explained.
When the speaker was discussing about fire safety, he really emphasized the importance of having fire exits in public areas such as movie theatres and events venues. He explained the reasons why even though a venue has the capacity to hold more than the designated number of people allowed, they have to limit the number of people in correlation to the number of fire exits accessible so as to prevent catastrophes such as the tragic Ozone Disco Club Fire of 1996.
For those who are not familiar with the aforementioned event here is a brief background. The Ozone Disco Club Fire broke out the night of March 18, 1996. It has been dubbed the worst fire in Philippine history and is listed as seventh among the ten deadliest nightclub fires in world history by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). It killed about 162 people and injured 95, mostly students and fresh graduates who were there for a graduation party. The fire began after sparks flew from the disc jockey booth, followed by smoke and flames engulfing the venue. After the flames broke out, a stampede occurred, everyone headed for the exit but the mezzanine had collapsed. The following day after the tragedy, the corridor to the only exit was waist-deep in burnt bodies. Safety officials had said in a statement that the club was only approved for occupancy for 35 people but during the night of the fire about 400 people were held inside.
When the speakers were flipping through the pictures in the presentation, I was shocked. Even though most of the pictures displayed were somewhat blurry you could still see the pile of the victims’ burnt bodies and how devastating the venue looked after the fire. You really cannot help but feel sad looking through it and hearing about the event. A night which was supposed to be full of joy and celebration had ended up being the worst night possible not only for the victims of the fire but also for their families who had to go through the torture of having to identify their loved ones the next day. It was not through the recognition of their bodies but by the accessories and clothes they wore for their faces and bodies were far beyond recognition.
This is event is truly an example why all of us should be aware and follow not only fire safety regulations, but any type of rule or policy about safety precautions because we can never know or control what can possibly happen. We can just try our best to prevent these tragedies from happening and by preparing for it if anything occurs.
This year marks the eighteenth anniversary of the Ozone Disco Club Fire and it was only recently that they were able to convict seven former Quezon City officials who were connected to the fire tragedy. The overall timeline of the tragedy has taken 18 years to resolve and convict people responsible. If it takes 18 years to resolve a fire tragedy and seek justice for the victims how much longer will it take to solve heavier cases such as the Maguindanao massacre?
Alyssa Tan
2013-72176
Sources:
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/11/21/1394152/timeline-18-years-after-ozone-disco-tragedy
There is no such thing as natural disasters.
Hazards and disasters are two different things. Hazards are inevitable while disasters are preventable. We can’t blame these disasters for the slow growth of our economy. We are the ones responsible why such disasters have costly effects and we also have the power to prevent it.
A country should master disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness for less catastrophic effects. Our country, is still striving to master these three. Our government and some NGOs are doing their roles and we, the citizens should also do the same thing. BUT sad to say, we are not doing our part. It’s kinda ironic that victims blame the government for the damage that a disaster caused. Some would say ” Kinukurakot kasi ng gobyerno natin yung pera na nakalaan para sa mga ganitong pangyayare.” Whether this is true or not, let’s be honest here. We also have our own faults to admit. Our own faults which we do not consider as a factor that in some way heightened the effects of a disaster. One good example is, whenever the government tells us to leave our houses and immediately go to the designated evacuation centers, some would opt to stay no matter how dangerous it is for them. What we must prioritize is our own safety rather than our precious belongings. Our belongings may be restored or may be bought but our lives is one that we couldn’t afford to put into risk. The government can only proclaim decrees to help us in solving problems with regards to the effects of disasters but we have our own free will to choose whether we are to abide what the government asks us to do for our own sake or we are to disregard such announcements by the government.
In this modern world, we could do a lot of things to lessen the number of casualties due to a disaster. We could use our facebook or twitter accounts to spread the information we know about it. This may look like a little thing, but every little thing counts. With such a simple act, you could already save a life or lives.
Let us help one another, do what is best for our country. Step UP, do your part.
Castro, Danielle Rose D,
2013-23615
NSTP @ UP School of Economics 