By 2007-2008 FEATURE STAFF

“UP, ang galing mo!” paulit-ulit na hiyaw sa pasimulang pagdiriwang ng sandaang taon ng pamantasan. Samu’t saring programa ang nakalinya upang ipagbunyi ang matagumpay na nakaraan ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas. 

Sa gitna ng dalita, tila pinipilit na isiwalat ang isang kaaya-ayang imahe ng unibersidad – UP na binubuo ng pinakamatalino sa bansa; UP na nangunguna sa larangan ng sining, literatura at siyensa; UP na waring walang pagkukulang. 

Hindi masamang ipagdiwang ang sentenaryo ng pamantasan. Ngunit mapanganib ang paggunita sa haraya kung walang kaakibat na pagtugon sa mga kabalintunaan ng kasalukuyan. Kung tutuusin, hindi magiging matagumpay ang kasaysayan ng unibersidad kundi sa matapang na pagharap ng mga naunang mag-aaral sa mga suliranin ng kanilang panahon. 

Start UP: The University in Its Nascent Years

By LARISSA MAE R. SUAREZ

The University of the Philippines (UP), formerly known as the American University of the Philippines, has its beginnings in the circumstances and precepts of colonial rule. The University Act which conceived the university was passed in June 1908. At the time, there were still factions around the country that continued to resist American occupation. Yet the government, largely composed of illustrados, lauded the “benevolent” colonizing powers for creating an institution of higher learning that would “prepare the Philippines for independence.” 

The plaudits greeting the birth of UP concealed the American agenda: the integration of a generation of Filipino intellectuals into the neocolonial order. In reality, UP became an instrument in the consolidation of American rule in the Philippines.

The first colleges, built in Manila and Los Baños, taught law, political science, medicine, dentistry, engineering, and agriculture, among others. According to a 1984 paper on UP history, prepared by the Department of Social Science, these courses would inculcate among students the supposed logic of aligning Philippine resources to serve American demands and interests.

Indeed, the College of Medicine and Surgery actually served as an infirmary for American soldiers wounded by Filipino rebels. The College of Agriculture paved the way for efficient production of products to be exported. The College of Education produced teachers who would use English as the medium of instruction. The College of Pharmacy set up a profit-oriented system of health care which considered drugs as goods to be purchased by consumers. 

During the first decade of its existence, UP’s Board of Regents and faculty were almost wholly American, ensuring that the bright Filipino youth who entered UP would be molded to become pro-American. This reflected a broader national condition — the occupation of many key government positions by Americans.

The Americans claimed they were teaching Filipinos how to govern themselves. Eventually, however, Filipinos began to question the necessity of a colonial government. In 1910, during the search for the first UP President, UP became the focus of a growing clamor for the “Filipinization” of government. UP students preferred a Filipino UP President, but still, the position went to an American.

Meanwhile, unrest brewed throughout the Philippines. Workers held marches and strikes to oppose exploitation and imperialism, demanding freedom from American rule.

Despite the pervasive colonial presence and influence, UP students had also begun to mobilize, using collective action as a means of involving themselves in national issues. When a newspaper alleged that the first Filipino UP President, Ignacio Villamor, was incompetent, it sparked the first major rally of UP students in protest of the discrimination against Filipinos. Later, in 1925, students formed one of the first activist organizations in UP, the National Civic League, which aimed to unite the youth sector.

UP activists began organizing massive rallies in the 1930s, many of them involving thousands of students, to support the nationwide call for Philippine independence. Former Philippine Collegian editor-in-chief Wenceslao Vinzons founded the Young Philippines Party in 1933 to address issues peripheral to independence, like labor reform.

When World War II erupted, the mounting student movement was stalled as many young Filipinos were drafted into the Philippine army. While some UP students like Vinzons turned into soldiers and guerillas, UP was temporarily closed. It reopened only after the end of the war and the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines. 

The first few decades of UP history ensured that in the social and political struggles yet to be fought, UP must be at the forefront. In its infancy, and despite the conditions of its conception, the groundwork was laid for the future character and reputation of UP as a genuine university for the Filipinos. ●

Laro sa Bago: Ang UP sa Ligalig ng Dekada ‘70

By PAULINE GIDGET R. ESTELLA

Gawa ng matinding krisis sa bansa, sumibol ang malawakang pagkilos ng mga makabayan at maka-demokrasyang sektor ng lipunan.

Subalit nang ipatupad ang Batas Militar, tinugis ang mga naghahangad ng pamalit sa mapaniil na sistema. Naging palasak ang paglabag ng estado sa karapatang pantao. Gayunman, hindi natakot makibaka ang mga mag-aaral at guro ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP) laban sa pasismo ng rehimeng Marcos. Patuloy na naglagablab ang ningas ng aktibismo sa pamantasan.

Simula ng sigwa

Malala ang panghihimasok ng Estados Unidos (EU) bago pa man ang deklarasyon ng Batas Militar. Makikita ito sa pagbawas ng taripa ng mga inaangkat na produkto mula EU. Bukod sa nagdulot ito ng labis na kahirapan, nagkaroon ng monopolyo ang EU sa ekonomiya at tuluyang nangingibabaw sa mga patakarang panlabas ng Pilipinas.

Laganap ang kawalan ng katarungang panlipunan tulad ng pangangamkam ng lupa sa kanayunan. Talamak na rin ang katiwalian sa pamahalaan. Niluwal ng mga nasabing kalagayan ang First Quarter Storm (FQS), isang serye ng mga demonstrasyon noong 1970 na pinangunahan ng mga estudyante sa mga lansangan at mga plaza sa Maynila. Naging aktibong kalahok nito ang maraming mag-aaral at propesor ng UP tulad ni Jose Maria Sison, tagapagtatag ng Kabataang Makabayan na talibang organisasyon sa FQS.

Sa panahong ito naganap din ang Diliman Commune, na nagsimula sa pakikiisa ng mga mag-aaral sa welga ng mga drayber ng dyipni dahil sa pagtaas ng presyo ng langis. Sinakop ng mga estudyante ang kampus ng UP Diliman at nagtayo ng barikada upang pigilang makapasok ang militar. Nagkaroon ng karahasan sa pagitan ng mga mag-aaral at pulis nang piliting buwagin ng mga ito ang barikada. Maraming estudyante ang nahuli ngunit nagpatuloy ang Commune. Dito, binigyan ng bagong pangalan ng mga magaaral ang mga gusali sa kampus gaya ng Sison Hall na ipinalit sa Palma Hall, naglabas ng maraming isyu ng Bandilang Pula, pahayagan ng Commune, matapos makuha ang UP Press at DZUP, at binuhusan ng pulang pintura ang istatwa ng Oblation.

Ang teorya at praktika ng pambansang demokratikong pagkilos ang pamana ng FQS sa mga sumunod na henerasyon, ayon kay Prof. Monico Atienza ng UP sa isa sa mga dati nitong panayam. Pamana rin nito ang malalim na pagsuporta ng kabataan sa laban ng ibang sektor ng lipunan partikular ang mga manggagawa’t magsasaka.

Martir

Sa kabila ng matinding oposisyon, idineklara ni Marcos ang Batas Militar upang manatiling pangulo. Sa ilalim nito,pinatawan ng parusa at restriksyon sa mga karapatan kahit ang paghahayag lamang ng paninindigang hindi panig sa administrasyon. Maraming militanteng mag-aaral mula sa UP ang ikinulong nang walang paglilitis tulad ni Abraham Sarmiento, dating punong patnugot ng Philippine Collegian. Mayroong mga tinortyur, gaya ni Prof. Judy Taguiwalo, dating estudyanteng aktibista; mayroon ding mga pinaslang, gaya ni Dr. Juan Escandor, na namuno sa isang armadong grupo sa Gitnang Luzon.

Maraming aktibista ang napilitang magunderground dahil ito na lamang ang nalalabing alternatibo upang ipagpatuloy ang pakikibaka. Ilan sa mga ito sina Lorena Barros, na nagtatag ng Malayang Kababaihan at kalauna’y sumapi sa New People’s Army, at Luis Teodoro, dati ring punong patnugot ng Collegian. Dagdag dito, palihim na inililimbag ang ilang publikasyong tumuligsa sa rehimen gaya ng Collegian.

Patuloy pa rin ang pagyabong ng UP bilang institusyong malaki ang pagganap sa mga pambansa at pandaigdig na isyu. Hindi natatapos sa kabanata ng Batas Militar ang papel ng unibersidad sapagkat narito pa rin ang mga kalagayang umusbong sa naturang kapanahunan. ●

Muling Pagkilos: Mula Konserbatismo Tungong Aktibismo

By KRISTOFFER C. REYES

Sa sinasabing pagkamit ng kalayaan ng bansa noong Hulyo 4, 1946, katuwang ng Pilipinas ang Estados Unidos (EU) sa pagbangon mula sa pinsalang natamo ng bansa noong ikalawang digmaang pandaigdig. Bilang pagtanaw ng “utang na loob,” pumayag ang Pilipinas na makapagtayo ang EU ng kanilang mga base-militar sa bansa. 

Subalit ang panghihimasok militar ng EU ang naging hudyat ng pagtindi ng hawak ng mga Amerikano sa iba’t ibang larangan ng bansa – ekonomiya, pulitika at maging kultura. Bunga ng kaisipang maka-Amerikano, nakaranas ng paniniil ang mga unyon at mga organisasyong makabayan. At sa paglaganap ng dayuhang impluwensiya sa pamamagitan ng midya at ng kanluraning oryentasyon ng edukasyon, hindi naging ganap ang kalayaan ng Pilipinas.

Kaugnay ng panukala ng EU noong huling bahagi ng dekada 40 hanggang dekada 50 na “palaganapin ang demokrasya” sa Asya, pumasok sa UP ang McCarthyism na nag-uudyok sa pagsugpo sa komunismo noong Cold War. Sa pangunguna ng Civil Affairs Office, naipakalat sa mga mag-aaral ang ideolohiyang makaestado, kung saan itinumbas ang pagkilos at protesta sa pagiging komunista. Nabuo din ang UP Student Catholic Action (UPSCA), isang konserbatibong organisayon na naglalayong gawing sentro ng edukasyon ang relihiyon sa UP, alinsunod sa tunguhin ng Simbahang Katoliko na maglingkod sa sistemang pyudal. Naging pinakamalawak na organisasyon ang UPSCA sa loob ng unibersidad noong kalagitnaan ng dekada 50. Kalaunan, naging dominanteng partido ang UPSCA sa pamumuno sa UP Student Council. 

Noong 1961, tuwirang nakita ang epekto ng konserbatismo sa UP nang maglathala ang Philippine Social Sciences and Humanities Review ng artikulong nagtalakay sa suliraning kinaharap ng mga magsasaka. Nagsagawa ng imbestigasyon ang Congressional Committee on Anti-Filipino Activities (CAFA), upang hanapin ang mga itinuring na “komunista” sa likod ng artikulong ito. Samantala, sinuportahan ng UPSCA ang imbestigasyon ng CAFA. 

Subalit unti-unting nagkaroon ng malawak na oposisyon sa konserbatismo. Dumami ang mga mag-aaral na sumuporta sa liberal na pwersa ng pamantasan at umusbong ang pagtuligsa sa UPSCA. Noong Marso 14, 1961, nagtungo sa Kongreso ang higit sa 2,000 mag-aaral mula sa UP upang ipatigil ang imbestigasyon ng CAFA. Ayon sa pangkat ng mga liberal, taliwas ang tunguhin ng UPSCA sa malayang tradisyon ng unibersidad. 

Samantala, naging kakampi ng mga liberal ang mga radikal na intelektwal ng unibersidad sa paggiit para sa pang-akademikong kalayaan ng UP. Kalaunan, nabuo mula sa mga grupong ito ang Students Cultural Association of the UP (SCAUP) na naglayong palaganapin ang aktibismo sa mga mag-aaral. Nagsilbing tagapayo ng organisasyong ito ang dating propesor ng UP na si Jose Maria Sison. Sa pagdami ng mga miyembro ng SCAUP, humina ang impluwensiya ng UPSCA sa unibersidad.

Dito rin nagsimulang umusbong ang iba’t ibang organisasyon na nakaambag sa pag-igting ng aktibismo sa mga kolehiyo at unibersidad. Itinatag ang Kabataang Makabayan (KM) noong Nobyembre 30, 1964 sa layuning mapalaya ang bansa sa lahat ng larangan sa pamamagitan ng pagsulong ng pambansang demokrasya. Napagtipon-tipon ng KM ang hanay ng kabataan – mga mag-aaral, kabataang propesyunal, kabataang manggagawa at kabataang magsasaka – at nakiisa sa pakikibaka ng masa.

Sapagkat nananatiling tagibang ang umiiral na sistema, patuloy ang pagkilos ng mga magaaral para sa pambansang paglaya. ●

Sanggunian:

Abinales, P.N. (1988). The Post Colonial Period to the 1960’s. Radicals and Activists: the Birth, Hegemony and Crisis of the Philippine Student Movement. Third World Studies Center , University of the Philippines.

Santiago, C. (1972). Significant Demonstrations: Two Decades of the Republic (1946-1966). A Century of Activism.

Privileged Education: UP at The Crux of the Neoliberal Agenda

By Ma. ROSA CER M. DELA CRUZ and ALAYSA TAGUMPAY E. ESCANOR

The onslaught of anti-student policies has marred the University of the Philippines’ centennial celebrations.

The Administrative Code of the Philippines asserts that: “the state shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.” However, the actions of the state demonstrate a deliberate disregard for the youth’s right to education, such as the incessant cuts on the budget of UP and other state universities.

Subsequently, the UP administration has implemented a round of tuition and other fee increases (TFI), the most recent of which raised the tuition from P300 to P1000 per unit. The Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) was also executed alongside the TFI, despite the students’ condemnation of the bracketing scheme as a flawed, apologist measure. 

The administration has also ventured into tie-ups with private business firms to construct Science and Technology (S&T) parks on UP ’s idle lands – a misleading term since S&T parks may include non-academic, commercial structures such as call centers. Meanwhile, the Revised General Education Program (RGEP) has replaced 42 fixed units of General Education (GE) subjects with 45 free units, making once-compulsory nationalist core courses optional.

According to Sociology instructor Jonabelle Asis, the policies’ market paradigm are indicative of the UP administration’s neoliberal bent. This has made the university vulnerable to the wiles of the market system, which emphasize capital accumulation rather than a “scientific and mass-oriented education.” With UP President Emerlinda Roman’s announcements that “tertiary education is not a right,” knowledge has become a commodity, to the detriment of the poor majority. Consequently, UP has become a site of an ongoing struggle between the progressives, who advance a critical and academic culture, and the neoliberals, who maintain a commercial and corporate stance.

In effect, neoliberalism permits the domination of an individualist ideology, which posits that UP students receive education by their own means, owing nothing to society. Meanwhile, the current system’s logic of accumulation is inherently antagonistic to courses that protect national interests through the preservation of Filipino identity and culture. To illustrate, included within Roman’s centennial plans is the gradual phasing out of less marketable and “unpopular” courses. In contrast, only programs with high demand from private and foreign corporations are promoted by the state and, subsequently, by the UP Administration. Thus, the Philippine educational system remains “colonial, feudal and elitist.”

By and large, colleges and universities have become mass-producers of intellectual power that is imperative in the sustenance of the capitalist order. Blinded by the individualistic ideology ingrained by the neoliberal educational system, students are only too willing to be part of the capitalist system despite its exploitative nature.

The state, meanwhile, is all too willing to sacrifice the education sector for an eschewed economic development. For instance, the Higher Education Modernization Act (HEMA) allows state universities to enter business ventures with private firms, and to fix the tuition fees as they so desire. The state also prioritizes debt servicing over subsidizing education, as illustrated by the actual budget appropriations in the past seven years. For instance, the 2006 budget for education, culture and manpower development is P146.3B, while the actual debt service for principal payments is P544.3B and P310.1B for interest. At present, the administration-sponsored version of the UP charter bill allows the university to sell or lease land to private companies for profit while retaining the colonial and undemocratic structure of the Board of Regents. 

History illustrates how education can be a liberating force: as people learn about society’s ailments, they also discover ways with which to heal the structural disorders. With the current neoliberal set-up of UP, however, students are inundated with a commercial and individualist ideology that is hostile to the struggle for the right to state-subsidized education. Yet, resistance to the neoliberal paradigm persists as students insist on a truly democratic educational system. ●

REFERENCES:

Arao, Danilo A. Mula Tore Patungong Palengke. Deregulation at the  Expense of Quality Education. IBON Foundation, inc. Quezon City,  Philippines.

Villegas, Edberto M. Mula Tore Patungong Palengke. Liberalism, Neoliberalism and the Rise of Consumerist Education. IBON Foundation,  Inc. Quezon City, Philippines.

Department of Budget and Management, Budget of Expenditures and  Sources of Financing, Bureau of Treasury

Nailathala ang mga artikulong ito sa isyu ng Kulê noong ika-25 ng Enero 2008.