Sa kabila ng malalakas na
hanging yumanig sa mga banderitas at mga tarapal na pinagpuyatang ihanda ng mga miyembro
ng House Council, matagumpay
pa ring naidaos ang ika-sampung Pasalubong Festival ng
Kalayaan Residence Hall noong
ika-10 ng Enero 2009.
Ang PasaFest ay isang taunang selebrasyon sa dormitoryong Kalayaan kung saan itinatanghal ng mga residente ang
kultura, produkto, at mga tanyag
na pook ng kani-kanilang rehiyon.
Ito ay ginanap sa Kalai Sports
Complex, na pinalamutian ng
kulay ginto at pilak na mga banderitas. Nangalap ang mga residente ng mga taong titikim at
makikisaya sa pamamagitan ng
isang tarpaulin na inilagay sa
tapat ng dormitoryo kung saan
isinasaad: “Uniting the best of
the islands...PasaFest 09”, at sa
pamamagitan na rin ng salita ng
bibig at text messaging.
Hindi lahat ng residente ay
nakilahok, ngunit nairaos naman
ang pagtatanghal.
Alas tres ng hapon nang
magsimula ang programa para
sa PasaFest. Bago iyon ay
kanya-kanyang pag-aayos at
pagpapaganda ng booth ang
pinagkaabalahan ng mga miyembro ng bawat rehiyon. May
mga naghukay at nagtusok ng
mga kawayan sa lupa, at mayroon namang mga nagmartilyo
at nagpinta. Ilang rolyo ng tali
ang naubos bago mapatibay ang
mga booth upang ‘di liparin ng
hangin ang mga trapal na nagsilbing bubong nito. Ilang sandali
pa at pinamunuan na nila San
Barney Agbayani, Ashley Usman
at Steff Quintin ang panalangin.
Tapos ay ipinatong ng lahat ang
kanilang kanang kamay sa dibdib at inawit ang Pambansang
Awit sa pamumuno rin ni Steff
Quintin. Ang mga host para sa
programa ay sina Miriam Edig,
Vice Chairperson for Internal
Affairs, Kiboy Tabada, House
Council Chairman at Kim Suvilla,
Resident Assistant ng dormitoryo. Inanyayahan din ang Kontra
Gapi para maghandog ng mga
katutubong tugtugin at sayaw.
Sumunod ang mga Regional
Presentation. Nauna ang Rehiyon I o Rehiyon ng Ilokos na ipinagmalaki ang kanilang Bangus
Dagupan, Pinakbet, at Hundred
islands, at pagkatapos ay inawit
at inarte ang “Manang Biday”,
isang katutubong awit na tungkol
sa panliligaw. Ang Rehiyon II naman o ang Lambak ng Cagayan
ay nagpakilala bilang “The Land
of the Rising Stars”. Ipinag-
PasaFest 09
malaki naman ng Rehiyon III ang
pagkabansag ng Nueva Ecija
bilang rice capital ng Pilipinas
at ng Bulacan bilang Catholic
Center. Sumunod ang Rehiyon
IV-A o CALABARZON na umawit ng kanilang CALABARZON
March, at nagpakilala bilang ang
rehiyon kung saan idineklara
ang kalayaan ng Pilipinas (Cavite) at kung saan ipinanganak
ang pambansang bayaning si
Dr. Jose Rizal (Laguna). Ang
mga taga-Rehiyon IV-B o MIMAROPA ay umawit ng kanilang Regional Hymn habang
nakagayak tradisyonal at may
dala-dalang rain maker. Ipinagmayabang naman ng Rehiyon
V o Bicol Region ang Pandaka
pygmea (ang pinakamaliit na uri
ng isda sa mundo), Butanding
(whale shark), at Mt. Mayon na
lahat matatagpuan sa kanilang
rehiyon. Samantala, ang Rehiyon
6 o Kanlurang Visayas ay umawit ng “Pilemon” – isang kanta
tungkol sa pangingisda at pagbebenta ng huli sa palengke,
“Turagsoy” – awit tungkol
sa pagluluto ng isdang
turagsoy, at “Inday” –
kantang nagbibigay
pugay sa babaeng
Ilongga. Ipinagmalaki
nila
ang isla ng
Boracay, Atiatihan
Festival, Negros
Occidental bilang
Sugar Capital ng
Pilipinas, at Guimaras bilang Mango Island ng Pilipinas.
Matapos ang mga presentasyon ng Rehiyon 1 hanggang 6 ay nagsipasok ang UP
Singing Ambassadors suot ang
kanilang mga bughaw na gown
at mga barong na may mga gintong disenyo, kasama ang kanilang konduktor na si G. Edgardo
Mangguiat. Ang mga sandali
ng katahimikan sa pagitan ng
bawat kanta ay pinupunan
ng malakas na palakpakan
ng mga manonood. Nang
matapos na ang kanilang handog
ay nakipagkamay si G. Manguiat
kay G. Rodolfo Robidillo, Dormitory Manager ng Kalayaan Residence Hall.
Sa isang panayam ng SIGAW
kay Kiboy Tabada, House Council Chairman, nabanggit niyang
McDonald’s McSavers meal at
transportation lang ang tanging naisukli ng organizing body
s a
galing,
talento, at
k a butihang
loob ng
UPSA
at Kontra Gapi.
Gayon pa
man, nalibang din
naman
ang
UPSA at Kontra
Gapi sa paglilibot
at pagtitikim sa mga
booth ng bawat rehiyon.
Ayon pa nga kay Kiboy,
iilan sa mga miyembro ng
UPSA na nakausap niya
matapos ang Pasa Fest
ay nabusog nang
husto sa mga
dalang pasalubong ng
bawat
rehiyo n ,
kaya
naman
ipinanghapunan na lamang nila ang Chicken Mcdo.
Ang huling kanta ng UPSA
ay ang “Let it Be” ng grupong
The Beatles.
Sumunod dito ang presentasyon ng mga taga-Rehiyon VII
o Gitnang Visayas kung saan
ipinagmalaki nila ang kanilang
Chocolate Hills at Tarsier. Inawit din nila ang “Bakakon Ka”,
isang modernong kanta tungkol sa isang lalakeng mahilig
magsinungaling at magnakaw
sa kapwa. Sinayaw naman ng
mga taga-Rehiyon VIII o Silangang Visayas ang “Curacha”,
isang sayaw panrehiyon na karaniwang itinatanghal sa pista o
kasal. Habang nagsasayaw ang
pares, may isang makulay na
telang nakalatag sa sahig kung
saan maaaring ilagay ng mga
manonood ang kanilang ambag
na salapi. Sumunod ang Rehiyon
IX o Zamboanga Peninsula na
ipinagmalaki ang kanilang vinta,
Spanish sardines, daing, Rizal
Shrine sa Lungsod ng Dapitan
at Fort Pilar sa Lungsod ng Zamboanga. Ipinagmayabang naman
ng Rehiyon X o Hilagang
Mindanao ang Lungsod
ng Iligan bilang city of
waterfalls, lalawigan
ng Bukidnon bilang
may
pinakamalaking
plantasyon
ng pinya sa
Pilipinas,
sukang
Pinakurat
ng Iligan,
at Pastel
ng
Camigui n .
Sumunod ang
Rehiyon XI o
Dava
o
R e gion
kung
saan
napanayam
n
g
host na si
Miriam Edig
si Dodong
Langgam,
ang mascot ng rehiyon na naka-costume na Philippine Eagle. Inawit din nila ang “Gikumot-kumot”, isang modernong
novelty-love song. Ipinagmalaki
ng Davao Region ang WalingWaling (isang uri ng orkidyas na
matatagpuan sa Davao Region)
at ang Durian. Isang sayaw naman ang inihandog ng Rehiyon
XII o SOCCSKSARGEN habang
ipinagmamalaki ang Pinya ng
ki-
Polomolok at Tuna ng General
Santos City. Samantala, ipinasok
ng Rehiyon XIII o CARAGA ang
isang modelo ng balangay at ipinagmalaki ang rehiyong sagana
sa ginto at lamang-dagat. Huling
nagtanghal ang Cordillera Administrative Region o CAR kung
saan inawit ang Cordillera Hymn
kasabay ang isang katutubong
sayaw ng mga Igorot.
Matapos ang closing remarks
ni G. Robidillo ay excited na naglibot sa iba’t-ibang booths ang
mga panauhin at mga residente
ng Dormitoryong Kalayaan.
Ang Pilipinas sa Loob ng Kalai
Unang-unang mapapansin sa
pagpasok sa basketball court ang
agaw-pansing booth ng Rehiyon
ng Ilocos. Nakasabit ang mga
shells na nagmistulang kurtina,
at nakapatong naman ang mga
lambat sa pawid na nagtataklob
sa nasabing booth. Nakahilera
ang sangkaterbang pagkain sa
mga hapag na siya namang dinumog ng mga tao. Sadyang
masikip ang lugar ngunit ayos na
rin kung malalasap ang kanilang
dalang Pinakbet, mga kakanin,
at iba’t ibang uri ng pagkaluto ng
Bangus. Ang mga ito naman ay
siyang inihandog ng mga taong
nakasuot ng dilaw na pantaas, o
mga residente ng Kalayaan na
taga-Ilocos, La Union, at Pangasinan. Ayon kay Ryan Cristoffer Eden, ang kanilang regionhead, humigit-kumulang 30 ang
mga residenteng taga-Rehiyon I.
Ika nga niya, “fulfilling ang PasaFest”. Kitang-kita naman ang
magandang bunga ng kanilang
ginawang paghahanda.
Dinagsa ng mga tao ang
binalay (giniling na malagkit na
sinasawsaw sa latik), suman at
chicharabaw (chicharong gawa
sa taba ng kalabaw) ng Rehiyon
II. Tampok din sa kanilang booth
ang modelo ng kweba na marami sa nasabing rehiyon, at ang
modelo ng Cagayan River na
siyang pinakamahabang ilog sa
kapuluan. Sa booth nila ay may
karatulang nagsasaad: “Abangan mamayang 6 pm” dahil
marami pa umanong delicacies
pinipig ng rehiyon ang idedeliver
pagsapit ng nasabing oras. Sa
pagsapit ng ala sais ay dumating ang buko pie, milk candy,
pastillas, at pinipig. Ayon kay
Archie Jerome Maramag, ang
regionhead ng Lambak ng Cagayan, humigit-kumulang 20 ang
residente ng Kalai na kabilang
sa nasabing rehiyon. Dagdag
pa niya, hindi raw nila sineryoso
ang Pasa Fest sapagkat na-cram
ang mga preparasyon at hindi
raw niya na-enjoy ng husto
dahil sa inaasikaso niyang
tungkulin. Ukol naman sa program, “napaka-flexible ng mga
hosts at masayang makinig sa
kanila” at “lumelevel ang mga
guest performers”.
Katabi naman ng Rehiyon II
ang makulay na booth ng Rehiyon III. Nakalatag sa kanilang
mesa ang mga nagsasarapang
Sisig, Tocino, Dilis, cookies, pastillas, at maging mga putahe ng
mga exotic na hayop, tulad ng
palaka at kamaro. Maya-maya
pa’y pinaputok nila ang kanilang
dalang mga lusis at namigay pa
ng mga sparklers. Sabi ni Kenneth Cruz, regionhead ng Rehiyon III, na hawak pa ang dalang
kape ng katabing rehiyon, humigit-kumulang 20 katao ang tumulong sa ilang araw na paghahanda para sa PasaFest. Ngunit
naniniwala naman siya na sobra
70 katao ang mga taga-Rehiyon
II na naninirahan sa Kalai, at karamihan sa kanila ay mga tagaBulacan. Nang matanong naman
si Kenneth patungkol sa naging takbo ng Pasa Fest ay okay
lang naman raw. Hindi naman
maipagkakailang naging maayos ito bagamat hindi ito kasing
engrande ng nakaraang taon.
Sari-saring matatamis na
kakanin naman ang nakahilera
sa booth ng Rehiyon IV-A na mas
kilala sa tawag na CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, at Quezon). Makikita
roon ang Puto Biñan, kutsinta,
sapin-sapin, at butchi. Maliban
sa kakanin, mayroon rin ditong
panutsa (minatamis na mani),
bukayo, broas, buko pie, at puto
seko. Ipinakita rin nila ang paggawa ng kapeng barako mula sa
coffee bean hanggang sa pagiging inuming kape nito. Sapagkat
mahigit sandaan ang mga residenteng taga-Calabarzon, dalawa ang regionhead ng Rehiyon
IV-A, sina Juan Carlo Caldo at
Ritche Maximillan Uy. Ayon sa
kanila, ⅓ lamang raw ng mga
miyembro nila ang tumutulong
sa paghahanda, sapagkat laging
umuuwi ang mga nanggaling sa
malalapit na lalawigan. Ngunit
maayos pa rin naman ang kanilang booth sa disenyong pinamunuan ni Irina Tan. Hindi naman akalain ng mga regionhead
ng CALABARZON na maraming
tao ang dadalo at pupunta sa
kanilang booth. Ika nga nila, ito
ay ang naging “paspasang Pasa
Fest”.
Sa katabing booth ay matatanaw ang salitang MIMAROPA
sa dakong ibabaw at bigla ka
na lamang babatiin at aanyayahin ng mga taong nakagayak sa
natatanging kasuotang malapanahong Kastila. Sa loob ng
kanilang booth ay unang-unang
tutunguhan ang guestbook, kung
saan ang bisita ay magsusulat
ng kung anumang nais ipaalam,
sa itim na papel kartolina gamit
ang gintong glitter pen. Matapos
no’n ay mamimigay ang mga
naroroon ng lalagyan ng pagkain
para sa bisita, na may lamang banana chips mula Mindoro, arurot
cookies ng Marinduque, at kasuy
galing ng Palawan. Sa bandang
kaliwa ng booth ay masisilayan
ang iba pang mga produkto ng
MIMAROPA, ngunit pang-display
lamang ang mga iyon, tulad ng
marble products ng Romblon. Sa
paglabas ng booth ay maaaring
ilapat ang pagmumukha sa ginawang Morion (isang sundalong
Romano noong kapanahunan
ni Kristo), na siya namang itinatampok sa pista ng Moriones.
Ayon kay Amor Mendoza, ang
regionhead ng Rehiyon IV-B na
tinatawag ring ‘suprema’ dahil
sa kanyang mala-Katipunerang
gayak, labindalawa lamang ang
mga residente ng Kalai na nagmumula sa MIMAROPA. Pinaghandaan nila ang kanilang
booth sa loob ng dalawang linggo. Ayon pa kay Amor, ang Pasa
Fest ay “haggard, pero masaya”.
Isa raw itong magandang oportunidad para ipamalas ang kanilang kultura.
Iilang hakbang lamang mula
sa booth ng Rehiyon IV-B ay madadayo naman ang kapansinpansing booth ng Bicol Region.
Nagsilbing tent ang kanilang mahabang telang bughaw. Makikita
ang mga Bikolanong residenteng
nakasuot ng kulay berde, na
kung paminsan ay naghahandog
ng mga dalang Pili Nuts, bukayo,
Sangkaka (mula sa sugarcane),
biko, salabat, latik, at Puto de
Oas. Ang iba naman ay abala sa
kanilang papremyo, kung saan
ang magwawagi ay makakatanggap ng isa sa kanilang mga
produktong gawa sa abaka. Sabi
ni Niezl Buenaventura, regionhead ng Rehiyon V, 40 raw ang
mga residenteng nagmumula pa
sa Bicol, subalit humigit-kumulang 15 lamang ang maituturing
na aktibo sa paghahanda. Maging ganoon man, nasabi pa rin ni
Niezl na ang Pasa Fest ay chaotic ngang tunay pero nanatili pa
ring masaya.
Sa booth naman ng Rehiyon 6
ay tampok ang modelo ng isang
kastilyong buhangin, hot pink
two-piece bikini na nakasampay,
Piaya, Pinasugbo, Butterscotch,
Biscocho at Barquillos. Ang mga
residenteng taga-Rehiyon VI ay
nakangiting pinagsilbihan ang
kanilang mga bisita, suot ang
puting damit na may nakatatak
na “Tilawi ni” o kung sa Filipino
ay “Tikman mo ito”.
Sa katabing booth ng Rehiyon
7 naman ay may handang Rosquillos, Pork Chicharon, Broas,
Suspero at Pinasugbo. Pinalamutian ng anim na residenteng
taga-Gitnang Visayas ng mga
makukulay na guhit ng starfish at
dikya ang kanilang booth. Tampok din dito ang modelo ng Magellan’s Cross at Chocolate Hills.
Samantala, ang booth ng Rehiyon VIII ay iniayos para magmukhang San Juanico Bridge,
ang pinakamahabang tulay sa
bansa. Pinatikim nila sa mga
dumayo sa kanilang booth ang
kanilang Roscas, Moron, Biti,
Ginataang Langka, pastillas at
Binagol.
Tawag-pansin naman ang
makulay na vinta model ng Rehiyon 9. Bitbit ang kani-kanilang
mga paper plates ay kanya-kanyang sandok ng kanin, Dilis, dinaing na pusit, Spanish sardines,
at uyap o shrimp paste ang mga
bumisita sa kanilang booth. May
nakahain din silang Tinagaktak
para panghimagas.
Sa Rehiyon X naman ay dinayo ang hilaw na manggang
isinasawsaw sa uyap, sukang
Pinakurat, Cheding’s toasted
peanuts, Pastel at Shakoy, sa kanilang booth na kadikit sa booth
ng Zamboanga Peninsula.
“Pag sure uy!” Iyon naman
ang sabi sa isa sa mga karatulang may mga nakasulat na
Bisaya expressions sa booth
ng Rehiyon XI. Pinalamutian ng
mga bulaklak at makukulay na
pambalot ng durian candy, durian bar, durian yema, mangosteen sticks at milky durian ang
kanilang booth. May nakahain
ding saging na lakatan at pomelo. Humigit-kumulang 50 naman
ang mga residenteng kabilang
sa Davao Region. Ayon naman
kay Ruben Salvador, regionhead
ng Rehiyon XI, “lingaw (masaya)
ang Pasa Fest” dahil nakita niyang madaming nagtutulungan
at maraming natuwa.
Sa isang dako ng volleyball
court ay madadayo ang booth ng
Cordillera Administrative Region
(CAR). Nakadikit sa mga poste
ang mga artipisyal na mirasol,
na tila nagpapamalas ng magandang mga pananim ng rehiyon.
Tampok sa kanilang booth ang
mga matatamis na strawberry
jam, peanut brittle, at mga alak
na gawa sa Bugnay, Strawberry,
at Yakon. Humalili si Kurt Linus
Ursua sa ginawang panayam
ng Sigaw sapagkat panandaliang umalis si Ron Jay Armas,
ang regionhead ng Cordillera,
sa mga sandaling iyon. Ayon kay
Kurt, 40 ang mga residente ng
Kalayaan na nagmula sa Cordillera, ngunit humigit-kumulang
15 lamang raw silang kumilos sa
paghahanda para sa Pasa Fest.
Sabi pa niya, “enjoy ang Pasa
Fest”, lalo na’t makikita ang enthusiasm ng mga kalahok.
Sa malayong dako ng volleyball court naman makikita
ang booth ng Rehiyon XII. Sa
gawing kanan ay nakatayo ang
isang diorama ng nasabing rehiyon, na ipinapakita ang Bundok Apo, Lawa ng Sebu, Bundok Matutum, at ang Sarangani
Bay. Makikita ring nakasabit ang
isang tarpaulin, na nagpupugay
sa pista ng Shariff Kabunsuan
ng Lungsod ng Cotabato. Tampok sa kanilang booth ang mga
kending Durian at Mangustan
ng Kidapawan, hopiang may
Durian, Pandan, at Mani galing
Cotabato, mga processed na
pinya mula sa Dole Philippines
ng Polomolok, at ang pinakadinumog na sinugbang tuna belly
ng Heneral Santos. Ayon kay
Kurt Louis Solis, regionhead ng
Rehiyon XII, 12 lamang ang mga
residenteng nanggaling sa nasabing rehiyon, na binubuo ng
Lungsod ng Cotabato, lalawigan
ng Cotabato, at ng SOCSKSARGEN (Timog Kotabato, Sultan
Kudarat, Sarangani, at Lungsod
ng Heneral Santos). Nang tinanong si Kurt ukol sa naging takbo
ng Pasa Fest, pressured raw sila
lalo na’t “super bongga ng nakaraang Pasa Fest”. Dagdag pa
niya, okay naman raw ang props
at products nila kaso hindi lang
raw gaanong nakapag-solicit
ang mga miyembro nito.
Tampok naman sa booth ng
Rehiyon XIII ang kanilang Balanghay model, Hipon, kinilaw na
Bariles, at Peanut Delights. Dahil
sa napalilibutan ng mga dagat at
ilog ang rehiyon ay murang-mura
ang seafood dito.
Bagamat may mga batang
nagsiakyatan sa bakod para
makikain at makigulo sa Pasa
Fest ng Kalai, may kumuha ng
pomelo ng Rehiyon XI na hindi
man lamang nabalatan o natikman ng iba, at napuno ng mga
paper plate, plastic cup, at mga
balot ng kendi ang basketball at
volleyball court ng Kalai, wala
namang nawalan ng gamit at
nailigpit naman ang lahat ng kalat bago pa man pumatak sa alas
nuwebe ang orasan, na siyang
curfew ng dormitoryo.
Ang “say” ng Council
Nagkaroon ng pagkakataong
makapanayam ng SIGAW ang
tagapangasiwa ng Pasalubong
Festival. Siya si James Clifford
Talabong, nagmula sa Ilo-Ilo at
kasalukuyang associate head
ng Socio-Cultural Committee.
Ipinagkaloob na ng head ng
Socio-Cultural Committee na si
Heidi Torralba sa kanyang mga
associate heads ang mga gawaing pinangasiwaan ng komite.
Ayon kay James, ang nakalaang
budget para sa Pasa Fest ay 12,
500 piso. Ngunit hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin nakatala kung
magkano ang tunay na nagastos para sa Pasa Fest sapagkat
noong isinagawa ang panayam
ay hindi pa nakapag-liquidate
ang house council at ang mga
komite.
Nagsimula agad ang preparasyon para sa Pasalubong
Festival pagkatapos ng naganap
na Christmas Production. Aniya,
“Kung ano ang nasa proposal, iyon ang nandoon sa Pasa
Fest”, maliban na lamang sa
nakaplanong booth. Inasahang
maging sponsor sa Pasa Fest
ang Coca Cola, ngunit hindi na
natuloy sapagkat holiday season
na at hindi na nakapagbigay pa
ng booth ang Coke. Dahil doon,
naisakatuparan ang plan B: trapal. Dagdag pa ni James, sobrang stressful raw ang Pasa
Fest sapagkat nagka-time constraint sila. Isang linggo lamang
ang naging panahon nila bago
pa mag-holiday season at umuwi
ang mga residente. Isang panghihinayang lamang raw na “sana
ay nag-coordinate ang lahat ng
nasa committee”.
Ayon din kay James, “ang
PasaFest ang pinakamatagumpay at pinakamalaking event
ng Socio-Cultural Comittee”, sa
ngayon. Naging matagumpay
raw talaga ito at dinayo nga ng
maraming tao. Sa buwan naman
ng Pebrero ay maaabangan ng
mga residente ang Kalai Week,
Open House, at ang Wacky Day.
Hindi magiging masaya at
matagumpay ang Pasa Fest ‘09
kung hindi sa pagpapahiram ng
University Student Council (USC)
ng sound system, sa pagpupuyat
at pagpapagod ng house council
at mga residente para maihanda
ang venue, mga banderitas at
booth, sa pagtutulong-tulong ng
janitorial staff, maintenance staff
at security guards na ayusin ang
seguridad sa Kalai, sa suporta
ng mga RA at ni Sir Robidillo, sa
pagpapaunlak ng Kontra Gapi
at UPSA, at sa pagdalo ng lahat
ng mga taong nakitikim at nakisaya.
Hirap man daw sa budget ay
masaya si Kiboy Tabada sa kinalabasan ng Pasa Fest. Aniya
no’ng gabi pa lang bago ang
Pasa Fest ay naramdaman na
niya ang tagumpay nang makita
niyang nagtutulungan at nagkakaisa ang mga magkakarehiyon sa paghahanda. Ayon din
kay Kiboy, ang pinaka hindi niya
malilimutang parte ng Pasa Fest
ay ang narinig niyang pag-uusap
ng dalawang residente ng Kalai:
“Friends forever ha? Kahit next
school year”.
Regine Joyce Ferrer
Mark Sherwin Bayanito
SPECIAL
THE ASSOCIATION FEE
Perhaps the most controversial, most
widely-debated matter, and one of the
longest societal cases unsolved in the dormitory - the Association fee - not only did
become the subject of numerous overnight
Council meetings and the head-aches
because of stubborn tax-payers. The fee
drew the line between the conformists and
mavericks, putting the whole Association
in subjective division, and became the
standing proof of how immobile an organization could be without enormous budget
in its hands. As so, SIGAW decided to put
on paper extracted facts from interviewed
sources, compiling them to bring this discussion not only of this contentious fee,
but also of another thing that has helped in
hanging our Kalayaan in delay.
and is not part of the UP administration.
This implies that the management can
not force or even collect the fee. It doesn’t
mean that it is forbidden to collect, but the
fact is that it is optional to pay. Concreting
this was what OSH Officer-in-charge Dr.
Alcantara told during the 3rd General Assembly, in which the dialogue between the
OSH and the dormers was intiated. She
said that paying the Association fee was
optional.
Tabada answered these problems.
Firstly, he said that the General Assembly
needed not to be asked if the Association were to adapt the 2001 Constitution
because the Association was only following the constitution of the previous batch.
Secondly, he questioned the revised rules
and regulations, noting that the cover letter of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for
Student Affairs to Chancellor Cao said that
it “maintains the substance of the
policy that has guided
the
previous
rules.”
Two committees, the Sports and Sociocultural, have budgets beyond Php 15,000.
Sports Committee is allocated with Php
16,500 for the Sports Fest alone (note that
the Sports Fest’s conclusion is still a question mark), while Socio-cultural is granted
with Php 34,800 for 5 activities. The Sports
Fest, which was not approved by OSH, has
by far the biggest individual portion. Second to it is the Christmas Production last
December 12 with about Php 12,500. But
not every penny here was used or is to be
used. Obviously, because there are some
activities that are not yet approved by the
housing office, they are hanging in mid-air
together with their respective budget allocations.
Because only about
61% of the
porary reside in the conference room and
the counter. Bactol said that the budget is
still being anticipated that’s why the two
rooms are still being occupied. Furthermore, this transfer would benefit the freshmen because they would no longer go the
Vinzon’s for approvals, and application for
the dormitory would be nearer.
This issue took with it the waves of other subject matters and concerns initiated
by the chairperson. While the residents
were vacationing in their own
provinces,
Tabada,
disappointed
with
come in and out of the dormitory. Bactol
said this policy was being implemented,
before to residents, to employees not only
in Kalayaan but also in other university
buildings. Secondly, the Multi-purpose hall,
library, and conference room were closed.
Alcantara said that MPH and conference
room would be opened once more to residents after the renovation of their officeto-be near the dorm manager’s. Thirdly,
during the first weeks of the semester,
the rigidity of the once-loosened policies
annoyed many residents.
Back then, before the arrival of the
office, the dormitory could be considered
soft with its implementations. During afternoons, the lobby would be packed with
people, residents and their acquaintances. The library was also being used by
the dormers every night without permission because it is obviously given that
the library should be open in assisting
the academic needs of the students.
However, together with these conditions
which are expected to be understood by
the office, residents also abused in different ways.
In the light of the changes which have
happened, the dormers could easily be
rational in accepting that these “modifications” are part of the office’s wanting for
better order and security. But it is also
logically reasonable for the residents to
question as to why some of the facilities
are closed down and why some activities,
majority of which are part of the annum of
our Kalayaan, are being turned down.
According to a Council member, the
PasaFest was not approved, like the
Sports Fest. He told me that the Council
is already expecting a call from the housing office because they have pursued the
anticipated festival.
H.
S
O
the
d
n
a
ee,
F
n
iatio
c
o
s
s
eA
h
T
,
l
i
nc
The Survey
u
o
C
Executive Order 08-08-01 directed
ouse
that a survey on the collection of a Php
H
e
450 association fee be conducted. After
th
n
e
two months since it was released, auditor
e
Ariella Paula Digal produced a summary of
betw
s
k
the survey.
OSH’s
n
i
L
Based on her report,
r e e
h
t
only three corg
n
i
ridors passed
xplor
their documen- E
g
n
i
t
c
e
n
n
s
o
t
C
o
D
e
h
t
tation of the survey, although only two,
Second Floor Boys
(DelikaDOS)
and
Boy’s Annex Girls
(βα SOTERNITY), are
listed in the report as
those who have submitted. There were 96 (out
of 143 in the three corridors who
have listed the specific figures) who approved of the Association fee. This does
not include Third Floor Boys’ (TRInoma)
report which indicated that only four residents disapproved. There is a dominance
of “yes” answers in the First Floor Girls
(Isa One) and Second Floor Girls (Dos Flor
Dos). Meanwhile, Third Floor Girls (TRESpassers) and First Floor Boys (bjs) presented no survey report during the August
18 General House Council Meeting.
The wide difference in the corridor representatives’ reports ascertains that there
was no concrete procedure on how to
conduct the survey, which was to give the
House Council an idea about the actions to
be done regarding the collection. The term
majority is also questionably imprecise
because it basically means fifty percent of
the total plus one. Without specifying how
many the total was, or even listing if the
total number was the total corridor population, the survey remains to reflect a vague
result.
Bases and Contradictions
The House Council has collected, as
of January 6, Php 132,400 (60.8% of this
sum will be the Association’s budget for the
whole semester excluding the Formal Dinner) from the 331 residents (nearly 60% of
the total residing students) who paid and
are considered by the Council as “association members”.
Article 2 Section 2 of the Kalayaan
Residence Association 2001 Revised Constitution, the constitution which the present
Association is following, clearly requires all
members to pay a “non-refundable semestral Association fee of two-hundred and fifty
pesos or any sum as may be reasonably
determined by the House Council”. This is
what Tabada is pointing as the basis for the
collection of the fee. Also, according to the
Revised Residence Hall Rules and Regulations in the Student Guide published
1999, “Each resident shall pay a semestral
association fee to the Residence Hall and
other fees determined and established by
the House Council”.
The problems with these two bases
are that, OSH Residence Assistant Jerome Bactol said, the General Assembly,
which is the highest decision-making body
of the Association, wasn’t given the chance
to approve if it will adapt the 2001 Constitution, and that the second quotation no
longer exists in the newly-revised rules and
regulations of dormitories.
For additional information, Tabada
spoke of a 2004 constitution whose copy of
which is presently missing. This was never
discussed in the General Assembly nor
was any topic regarding the present constitution raised. The fact here is that the Association is following an older body of laws,
obviously less apt to use than that of 2004.
The chairperson said he plans to amend
the constitution by the end of the semester,
which is already too late if it is for the benefit of the members and would be useless
if the batch to success us here in Kalayaan
were to amend again the constitution.
Kalayaan’s Association is not recognized by the Office for Student Activities
The
r e v i s e d
rules and
regulations
only
specified the admissions policy. If this was the case, he said,
why were there some provisions deleted
from the older version most especially that
concerning the Association fee? Thirdly,
what Alcantara had said did not cohere
with the old implementing rules and regulations most especially with the 2001 Constitution.
Kalayaan and the Fee
The opening of the second semester
saw the posting of the Php 80,500 budget
for Association activities. Also, this semester witnessed the reduction of the
fee from 850 to 400. The House Council
decided that because not everyone paid,
the Php 50 insurance would no longer be
availed. Also, the 400 per person budget
for the Formal Dinner was declared to be
voluntary. This was because not everyone,
Tabada said, saw the essence of the Dinner. Still, many see this reduction as not
enough. Some of the 200 unpaid residents
argue that the House Council should have
presented first their programs with their respective budgets in order to determine the
real amount of the fee. Also, the Council
must raise funds through various activities
so that programs would not rely heavily on
the Association fee.
The price of the association fee for the
whole year was based on calculations by
the previous councils. Bactol said that before Ms. Tirona’s time, the Association fee
was only Php 50. It rose to Php 75, then
to Php 250 as stated in the Constitution.
Afterwards, it became Php 400 per semester. House Council meetings were devoted
to debates for the Association fee, said the
chairperson.
Those who have not paid the fee are
considered to be non-members of the Association and therefore can not join the
activities, confirmed by Tabada during the
two interviews by SIGAW. Only those who
have paid the fee have the right to benefit
from the fee. This rule may pose to contradict Section 1 of Article 2 of the Constitution, which says that all bona fide residents of the dormitory shall automatically
be members of the Association, stating no
clear consequence or even the specified
exclusion if a member were not to pay the
fee. Therefore, if the non-membership of
those unpaid would be valid, this implies
that these non-members had become
members the moment they became residents and had stopped being members
when they decided not to pay. The possible
incoherence of the Constitution and Tabada’s phrases would prove to be confusing
because residents would not know who or
what to believe in, the adapted Constitution
or the chairperson speaking in behalf of the
House Council.
The Budget
whole collected sum would be
the budget of the Association,
the remaining 39% (about Php 51,900)
would most likely, if not used for the Formal
Dinner, be turned over to the account of the
succeeding batch in Kalayaan. Tabada expressed his willingness regarding this, saying that he doesn’t want the future House
Council officials to start from scratch like
what happened to the present.
Concerning the last program for the
school year, according to Tabada, they still
haven’t talked about whether those who
have paid for the Formal Dinner but not
for the Assoc fee could join the said event.
Most likely, they could not. In the “spirit of
fairness”, he added, because inevitably,
the excess of the budget is eaten by the
Dinner, it goes to show that paying the Php
400 for the event would not fully to take the
individual expenses.
Presently, after this article has been
published, it would already be two months
away before the dormitory releases its Association members and non-members.
Probably, the non-members would no
longer pay the fee. Tabada has shared to
SIGAW how beautiful the plan was for the
second semester, perhaps as beautiful as
their promises were while campaigning for
their spot to the House Council. Nevertheless, there came situations like this, the
questioning of the fee that was expected
to open the doors for activities that would
make residents bond with each other.
The controversy is one thing. Another
issue that has indirectly or directly hindered
the plan, catching the whole dormitory population unaware, is the arrival of the Office
of Student Housing, which SIGAW fearlessly presents as its second discussion.
KALAYAAN AND THE OSH
With the arrival of the second semester came also the unexpected advent of the
Office of Student Housing in the dormitory.
Bactol has traced this installation of OSH’s
new workplace with a letter to former dormitory manager Oscar Gonzales released
on October 14. With the reassignment of
Gozales to Molave and of Rodolfo Robidillo here, the office finally transferred in
Kalayaan’s counter on October 20.
Permanent Guests
The move became a very controversial issue not only to the whole dormitory
but also to other halls as well. Not only did
there have been text messages antagonizing the arrival, the new office stirred confusion for the residents because of the
stricter atmosphere and of some policies
they were not used to.
OSH said that because their former
site in Vinzon’s was to be occupied by the
Student Disciplinary Tribunal, they had to
relocate the office. Kalayaan was the target transferal hall because there were no
more rooms in the other residence halls to
use, and this dormitory is the largest in the
campus.
It was the management’s decision to
move the office here, where it shall tem-
plies of his
letters, wrote to President Emerlinda Roman about
the arrival. All in all, together with the
letters requesting for water dispensers to
OSH and a letter asking security from the
Business Concessionaire’s Office regarding the same subject, the issue of the dormitory with the concerned office ascended
from level ground until it reached the point
where the 2nd General Assembly was
called for, with Tabada’s explaining details
of his opposing side regarding the whole
matter.
Clearing the Field
On November 25, another General Assembly was called, this time by Alcantara,
who has just arrived from a seminar in
Canada, due to information of anomalous
things being spoken against the office during the first weeks of the second semester.
“Matiwasay ang puso namin nang dumating kami dito,” said Alcantara in defense
against the suspicions of OSH’s real motives of the transfer. This phrase also was
embedded in the discussion together with
her “Yes, permanent” answer when asked
if the OSH were to remain. She questioned
Tabada not only of the text messages but
also of the individual who, according to the
chairperson, was putting pressure on him
to go against the office.
The dialogue didn’t just reveal the side
of the OSH, which had been silent for quite
some time after their transfer amidst the
obvious tension with the residents; it also
brought up the topic about the existence of
the Association, its House Council, and the
debated Association fee. Alcantara queried
about the existence of the Association and
the Council. The Association is not recognized by the Office of Student Activities,
she pressed. Tabada argued that it should
no longer be recognized given that there
had been councils the previous years. Alcantara pushed that “without that [recognition by OSA], illegal ang existence”. Putting
the fee in topic, many of the residents
who were in the T.V. area that night were
shocked at hearing that the alleged compulsory payment was, in fact, voluntary.
At least, the water dispenser was finally answered. This previous December,
OSH already sent letters for bidding to water suppliers. The House Council had once
tried to employ RAV Water Refilling Station.
Tabada asked Prof. Marilyn Canta of BCO
for a draft of possible costs of electric consumption of 9 hot and cold water dispensers. This was, unfortunately, turned down
by OSH, saying that if Kalayaan were to
have additional dispensers, all dormitories
should acquire additional ones altogether.
Anyway, the possible expense would be
Php 12,000 per month for the nine water
dispensers of Kalayaan. However, it is
practical and logical to say that the upcoming dispenser would no longer benefit us,
given the tiring length of the process.
Change is Inevitable
Noticeable changes have occurred
since OSH entered the premises. Firstly, there was the new security agency,
Glocke. Later, security guards were already inspecting bags of residents who
The Passion of Tabada
Tabada, interviewed for the third time
by SIGAW this January 6, still has his suspicions. “OSH’s motive is not clear,” he
said. Late November, he once said that
the 3rd General Assembly was not enough
to disperse skepticism. After hoping for
another dialogue, he expressed his weariness in the issue with OSH.
“Put it this way, if you are an employee,
you have to win the consent of your boss
before you do anything in connection to the
company. But if the employee has a concern against his/her boss, that’s a different
matter,” Tabada told the Editorial Board.
The chairperson indirectly blames the
office for the spoilage of the House Council’s plan for the second semester. The
Sports Fest, still unfinished, was never
approved. Pasa Fest, perhaps the biggest event in the dormitory, is still unapproved as of the date of this writing. He
complained that the House Council was on
its own, with no one even the RA’s helping
them out.
But he admitted that with he was reconciling with the office, saying that he was
“torn between the pursuits of the House
Council that I started and clearing matters
against OSH.”
From my own perspective, it seems as
if there is no more way to oust OSH from
Kalayaan, not that the whole dormitory
wants the office to flee for good. Looking
at the bright side in all of this, there are always RA’s in the counter. The security is
fine together with those policies designed
to safeguard us residents.
As the two months shrink fast to only a
week, the activities become no more than
promises that used to be attainable, but,
because of certain factors in our Kalayaan,
those programs now serve as lessons not
only about living under one roof together
with more than 500 children.
Although it is subjectively true that a
part of the fault is in the Association administration for some of the hall’s activity’s approval-rejection, it should have been better
if the two parties discussed things thoroughly. This continuous misunderstanding
would only result to deeper conflict.
Those issues the Editorial Board had
just researched are some that gives the
residents the greatest effects. We dormitory residents are entitled to rights we
haven’t yet exercised, like the amendment
of the constitution, or the vocal interrogation on why the Association fee is that large
compared to other dormitories.
To sum these things up, I shall be quoting the usual Tabada style heart-appealing
lines the chairperson said to the Board as
a New Year gift, and I will be leaving this
figurative statement for you to interpret. He
said, “There are things in the dormitory na
kailangan mong pagbigyan, but now that
they’re here, hindi na napapagbigyan.” I
couldn’t say it better myself.
-Louies Paolo M. Abellanosa
What makes the Kalayaan
Residence Hall unique from
other residence halls aside from
being a freshmen-exclusive residence hall is the existence of its
resident assistants.
Resident assistants are UP
students, usually of a higher
batch, who support and guide
a resident in Kalai in his or her
whole stay in the residence hall.
By doing bed checks about every 9:00 p.m., the checking of the
welfare, the relay of information
and the hearing the concerns of
each resident are being carried
out by the resident assistant.
Also, resident assistants aid the
residence hall in maintaining the
peace and order and in making
transactions with the residents.
One resident assistant assigned to each corridor:
Basement Boys
“If something doesn’t kill you,
it will only make you stronger,”
quoted by Arman Louie Samaniego as his philosophy in life.
Kuya Arman is the resident assistant assigned to the basement boys. He is taking a degree
of Bachelor in Science major in
Chemical Engineering. Also, he
was a former resident of Kalai
The Centennial Kalai RAs
Filing the RA 2008-2009:
05-06 and is from the province of
Albay. In the present, he is affiliated with the UP ALCHEMES.
What is love? – “Love makes
the world go round.”
1st Floor Girls
“It does make a change being
yourself,” answered by Beverly
C. Tubigon when asked about her
own philosophy in life. Ate Beverly is the resident assistant assigned to the first floor girls. She
is currently taking Master of Arts
in Sociology. With Zamboanga
Del Sur as her home province,
Ate Beverly took her first course
in the Mindanao State University.
Currently, she is a member of the
Sociological Society.
What is love? – “Love is both
a feeling and a decision... These
should go together. ”
1st Floor Boys
“Life is like riding a bicycle.
In order to maintain balance,
you must keep going forward,”
Jerome Bactol said in reply to
the question of what is your philosophy in life. Kuya Bacs is the
resident assistant assigned to
the first floor boys. He is taking
The Eternal Light
Remodelling the Traditional Panuluyan
Rodante Manansala
In celebration of the Yule- Talabong) and Mary (Angeline
tide season, the Kalayaan Alagao) walked towards the staResidence Hall held its annual ble, then the shepered (Polo)
Christmas production. The main came out to assist the two. The
event of this activity was the Live three wise men, played by AnBelen, which is a reenactment gelo, Abby and Kyle, came out
of the birth of Christ, mixed with next. Each brought their presents
contemporary performances of for the king. The angel (Roween)
song and dance. witnessed and guided the event
to its realiza-
Spearheaded by the Artist’s Guild and the Socio-Cultural
Committee, the show featured a
mesmerizing array of pure Kalai
talent.
On the night of December 18,
2008, the audience, hoping to delight their eyes with extraordinary
performances, slowly gathered in
front of the dormitory’s facade. It
was a chilly waiting experience,
yet the loud Christmas carol
played on the sound systems
made it a heart-warming one. Indeed, the spirit of the season enveloped the entire Kalayaan.
The show started with a doxology; an interpretative dance
performed by a resident and a
guest. The Live Belen, which
was the main attraction, immediately followed. Joseph (James
tion.
Indak Kalai also participated
in the show. They showed their
fluid moves that certainly wowed
the residents. Other Kalai residents also performed in other
parts of the show like in the poem
reading and singing. And lastly,
the Himig Kalai also showcased
their talent by belting out notes.
They ended the night with the
song “You Raise Me Up”, where
the audience also joined in the
singing.
This is indeed an excellent
contribution of Kalai to UP’s
plethora of Christmas events,
and also a memorable one to
send off the residents as they
pack their luggage to their respective provinces.
Diego Garcia
a degree of Bachelor of Science
major in Chemical Engineering.
In the present, he is the president of UP ALCHEMES and a
member of UP Palaweños, UP
ARISE, UP Sunken Pleasure
and the Yakal Residence Hall
Association.
What is love? – “”Love is a
gift freely and willingly given; it is
without expectations. You don’t
love to be loved, you love to love. ”
2nd Floor Girls
“One person can make a difference,” quoted by Lourdes
Maripobeda as her philosophy in
life. Ate Lourdes is the resident
assistant assigned to the 2nd
floor girls. She is taking a degree
of Bachelor of Arts major in Linguistics. Also, she was a former
resident of Kalai 04-05 and is
from the provinces of Bulacan
and Quezon. At this time, she is
a member of the Every Nation
Campus Ministries Diliman.
What is love? – “Love is a decision, not based on a feeling. It
should be based on commitment.”
2nd Floor Boys
“Beauty is effortless,” Kim
Floyd Suvilla said about his own
philosophy in life. Kuya Kim is
the resident assistant assigned
to the 2nd floor boys. He is taking a degree of Bachelor in Science major in Hotel, Restaurant
and Institution Management. He
was also a former resident of
the 2nd floor of Kalai 05-06 and
is from Sagada, Mountain Province. Presently, he is a member
of the UP Bannuar, UP Anido,
UP Parish Choir and the Manila
Vocal Club.
What is love? – “Love is stupidity. Love is respect and devotion.”
3rd Floor Girls
“Happiness is a choice,” said
Thinette Joy Quilaneta referring
to her own philosophy. Ate Thinette is the resident assistant assigned to the 3rd floor girls. She
is taking a degree of Bachelor
of Landscape Architecture. She
was also a former resident of
Kalai 05-06 and is from the province of Leyte. Right now, she is a
member of the International Club
of UP and PR and Advertising
Society.
What is love? – “Love is just a word.”
Centrefold
“You can if you think you
can,” Lalilenc Mondejar said in
response when asked about her
philosophy in life. Ate Lalilenc is
the resident assistant assigned
to the Centre fold girls. She is
from the province of Negros Occidental and is currently taking a
degree of Bachelor of Science
major in Chemical Engineering.
What is love? – “Love is longsuffering and kind. It does not
brag. It does not get tough. Love
is not jealous. It hears all things,
hopes all things, and endures all
things. Love never fails. -Corinthians”
BA Girls
“Much is expected to whom
much is given,” Anika Rafaella
Real said as her own philosophy. Ate Anika is the resident
assistant assigned to the girls in
the boys annex. She is from the
province of Bulacan and is taking
a degree of Bachelor of Arts major in Broadcast Communication.
In the present, she is affiliated
with KAISA.
What is love? – “The meaning of love can be sufficed by the
passage in Corinthians 13. ”
Sportsfest ‘09
Hanggang saan masusukat ang katatagan ng isang kapatiran?
Biglang pumasok ang katanungang ito sa aking isipan
habang pinanonood ang co-dormers kong naghahanda para sa
pinaka-engrandeng aktibidad sa
Kalai - ang Pasafest.
Noong
nakaraang
taon,
sunud-sunod na mga
pangyayari
ang yumanig
sa buong dormitoryo. Kahit na mga
pangyayaring
hindi kailanman pumasok
sa isipan ay
nangyari na.
Sa
tatlong
buwang natitirang
kami'y
sama-sama
bilang isang
pamilya, marami pang mga
pagsubok ang
dumating sa
amin.
Isa sa mga
hindi makakalimutang aktibidad sa dormitoryo ang
Sportsfest. Marami talaga ang
nag-abang dito. Kaya naman,
maging ang House Council- na
siyang pasimuno at nanguna sa
pagpaplano ng palaro- ay nangangati na ang kamay sa pagsisimula nito.
Naging bongga ang naganap
na Opening Ceremonies. MalaOlympics sa garbo ng preparasyon at maging ang torch lighting ay hindi nawala sa eksena.
Nabasag ang katahimikan ng
Biyernes ng gabi at napuno ang
Maria Christina Pangan
Kalai ng hiyawan, sigawan, at
tawanan ng mga residente. Siyempre, nakakahawa ang enerhiyang dala ng mga nanonood.
Matagumpay ang opening.
Nang sumunod na mga araw,
nagpakitang-gilas na ang mga
kalahok ng partner corridors sa
bawat laro.
Wala namang nararamdamang tensyon sa hangin habang
nagpapaligsahan dahil enjoy na
enjoy ang bawat team. (Manalo,
matalo, peace tayo.) Hindi inisip
ng bawat team ang pressure
na kailangan sila ang magnumber one sa patimpalak. Walang
tigil din sa hiyawan (Siguro, may
mga namaos na sa kasisigaw ng
team nila) ang mga manonood.
Isa sa mga pinakamainit na
sinubaybayan ang basketball.
Ito ang tinutukan ng halos lahat
hanggang sa pinakahuling segundo ng laro. Walang oras ang
pinipiling paglaro nito- kahit tirik
ang araw at pwedeng maprito ang
balat ng sinumang magbababad
dito ay sige pa
rin sa paglalaro
o kahit malalim
na ang gabi
at
nagsisitawagan na ang
mga surot sa
sulok. Grabe
ang determinasyon at dedikasyon ng bawat manlalaro.
maingay mode
pa rin ang mga
tao sa Kalai
at hindi talaga
mawawalan
ng pagkaramiraming
audience ang mga
laro. Nagising
din ang natutulog na sports
skills and talents ng players.
Nagdaan
ang mga linggo at hindi ko namalayang tapos na ang Sportsfest.
Sino'ng mga nanalo? Walang
makapagsabi kung sino'ng overall champion. Marahil ay hindi
naman mahalaga iyon. Ang importante, nagbuklod sa isang gawain ang buong Kalai.
Tahimik na naman ang dorm.
At kasabay ng katahimikang ito
ang isang talinghagang ang humigit-kumulang na 550 dormers
ay posibleng magbuklod. Kailangan lamang gawin ang lahat.
You get into bed. You
try to relax, but your legs
keep shaking. This is
you trying to keep your
mind off of that joyride
you had with pa’s car;
the one that ended with
a busted taillight and a
visit from the cops, or
your breakup with Jackie;
the one that broke a few
plates and a window and
kept the neighbors up.
Those seem miles and
miles away as you try
to close your eyes. You
wish for a nice dream to
come take you away.
A boy lies in the dust
of a village in a far-flung
land. A gust of wind
kicks up the dust around
him. The dust scrapes
his back, some large bits
leaving bloody scratches
on his skin; it was as if
the dust was eating him
alive, much like his hunger is scraping the insides
of his stomach. He looks
around and sees that his
family could not take
the scrapes anymore. He
closes his eyes and wishes for some bread. The
bread is soft, crumbling
at the boy’s touch as he
Fastfood
Takbuhan tuwing gutom,
ibig ng tiyan ilamon;
naglipana kung sa'n-sa'n,
isipin may betsin yan.
Cellphone
Pindot dito, pindot d'on
dala sa'n man naroon;
pudpod man mga daliri,
kitikitext palagi.
Next issue
tocomeout
on March!!!
reamland
D
Daniel Joshua Valbuena
tears
off a piece to eat. It is
sweet, causing the boy’s
tongue to drip saliva on
first contact. The bread
goes down the boy’s
throat without so much
as a sound; the scrapes
have stopped. The boy
wakes up; the bread was
but a dream. All he has
to eat is the hard bits
of dust blown into his
mouth by the wind, tearing at his teeth and gums
as he flexes his jaws, and
drying what little spit is
left in his mouth. The
scrapes continue.
Not too far away, a
soldier lies in the corner
of a house torn apart by
bombs. The walls don’t
offer much to shut out
the war raging outside.
He grips his rifle tight,
but it’s cold and dry to
If you have
comments,
suggestions, and
messages,
just text
SIGAW
(space)
message
(space)
room
number
and send to
09213028138
or
09276259619
the touch; after all these
long years of fighting, his
only friend greets him
with a chilly welcome.
He closes his eyes and
longs to go home. The
walls shut out the noise
of the outside world; he
can barely hear his neighbors arguing. He sees his
daughter run up to him
and give him a hug; the
warmest thing he’s felt
in years. He gives his
wife a kiss; her lips are
moist and sweet, and remind him of apple pie.
He wakes up, something
warm and moist trickling down his arm. He
looks at the red, gaping
hole in his arm. He licks
the blood away, the sour,
metallic taste upsetting
him. “Certainly no apple
pie,” he muses.
Across the seas, much
closer to home, a thief
ducks into an alley, in a
desperate attempt to escape with his quarry. He
sighs with relief as the
red and blue lights whiz
by; the police haven’t
gotten whiff of his position. He slumps onto
the wall, his legs wobbling beneath him. His
sweat trickles down his
neck, doing little to help
him keep his head up.
He lowers his head and
closes his eyes, and sees
a clean and silent hospital room. His young son
lies on the bed, his skin
white as the sheets covering him. The silence is
broken by a rough, raspy
cough from the child.
The thief looks into his
bag; his money is gone,
and in its place, bottles
of medicine. He opens
one and helps his son
drink a tablet. The silence is again broken, but
by a soft, gentle chuckle
from the child. The thief
wakes up, and sees no red
and blue light in sight.
He turns his gaze toward
the dark alley and scurries off into the night,
not heeding the trembles
in his legs.
You wake up, still in
your bed. You realize
that you’ve been dreaming the most vivid dream
you’ve ever dreamt. You
get out of your room,
you say sorry to your
father or you call Jackie up to apologize, and
you go up to your room
once more. You realize
that the “problematic”
life you’ve been living
pales in comparison to
the world of hunger,
pain, and fear that some
people live in. You now
no longer treat dreams
as getaways from your
problems, but symbols
of hope, because now
you know that for someone out there, dreamland
is his only home.
Roll Jervis Manahan
Editor-in-Chief
Louise Paolo Abellanosa
Assoc. Editor (Filipino)
Ryan Cristoffer Eden
News Editor
Daniel Joshua Valbuena
Literary Editor
Jan Vincent Tayaban
Assoc. Editor (English)
Regina Joyce Ferrer
Features Editor
Ma. Christina Pangan
Contributing Coordinator
Athena Czarina Generoso
Photojournalist
Irina Tan
Cartoonist
Gerard Peter Ursolino
Layout Artist
Staff:
Rodante Manansala, Diego Garcia, Mark Sherwin Bayanito
Rodolfo Robidillo
Dormitory Manager
oPINION
Darkness at the End of the Tunnel
Jan Vincent B. Tayaban
Editorial
(Un)Disciplined
Several salient issues have been concerning the dormitory and
its residents lately, and as always, – including the most questionable OSH move of office from the Vinzon’s Hall to several officeturned spaces inside Kalai. This gargantuan and sensationalized,
in a way, issue overshadowed lots of other things worthy of the
dormers’ attention.
The alleged theft of a laptop owned by an anonymous girl from
the first floor was, in effect, followed by checking of bags of dormers
and other people going to and from the dormitory at the guard’s
post. Ideally, there is nothing wrong with this rule – except when one
who is five-minutes late from his class in NIP or other far buildings
gets to queue with ten other residents in the main door. There isn’t
a need to check everyone’s personal belongings just because one
resident was not careful with her precious gadget. And still, lots of
other stuff were already rumored to have been lost yet did not stir
anything with the dormitory people. Checking every bag is just parallel with blaming everyone for the careless loss.
Another thing, food orders from outside was restricted until 11
pm only. This pseudo-law created a mini uproar upon the residents
who regularly order food until the wee hours of the morning. “As if
the concessionaire serves good food...” was a common remark of
those habitual customers of Bermonts’, Vicky’s, Mcdo, and to the
high-end residents, Yellow Cab. The indifferent lawmaker who created this rule didn’t even ask for the dormers’ side. Did he or she
or they even know that the dormers go hungry because of studying
until hours after the midnight? Oh boy, this thing might seem to be
a minor issue, but on the perspective of the dormer’s themselves –
well – this is something serious. Isang pagsikil sa mga karapatan ng
mga residente ng Kalayaan.
Next issue to be tackled – Key Borrowing. What was once a free
and unlimited right to borrow one’s room keys was again controlled. Apparently, the dormitory’s management and a self-proclaimed
better government tried to impose a far-from-wise rule upon the
residents of Kalayaan. In the good light, this rule might teach the
dormers to take good care of their keys. But on a correct logical
thinking, if we managed to borrow keys on an unlimited basis before, why can’t we today? Are the RA’s on duty getting tired of lending us our keys? Or does the management again did try to impose
a disciplinary measure to the perpetual key borrowers? And add to
this fact is that THEY are requiring us an index-card-cum-borrowers-document thing to serve as our record. Muli, isang pagsikil sa
mga karapatan ng residente ng Kalayaan.
Permission to use the library and conduct meetings. This is by
far the heaviest issue, apart from the OSH ones, the Sigaw editorial board has faced. Prior to the move of OSH to the premises of
the dormitory, rules like this did not exist, and the dormers could go
inside the library anytime they wanted to. However, after the controversial incident, the residents lost their access to certain places
such as the library. The House Council, in the previous general assemblies, reiterated that they reconstructed the library for the dormers to freely use. And again, where would you find a “closed” library – where it would entail you to have a written permit approved
first before the access of the facility? And it does not end there. The
dormitory manager requires a letter before meetings could be held
– stating the time, place and the agenda of the meeting. This is a
clear oppression of freedom. The Kalayaan Residence Hall is slowly becoming a democracy-less entity. And surprisingly, it is located
inside the grounds of the University of the Philippines, a bastion of
liberalism and freedom.
SIGAW will continue to assert the dormers’ rights especially if
the latter is being oppressed. Enough said.
Trudging the ever-changing
crossroads of life after years of
lost battles and failed dreams
creates nothing but melancholic
memories and empty recollections. The ecstasy of first love,
the triumph of graduation, all past
accomplishments seem to fade
into oblivion amidst yet another
crossroad. All the struggles and
hardships once defeated rekindle and start anew, old wounds
open and past adversities strike
back with renewed vigor. The
hard climb of surviving college
snuffed by the pitch smoke of terror teachers and endless homework grows evermore impossible.
The beauty of time that was once
high school where innocence
was truth and memory was yet
to be born gleams in the mirror of reality. The victory gained
through stepping forward against
all odds and the traversing the
crossroads that lay ahead. The
fruit of four years of hard work
and perseverance is carelessly
mocked by an unforgiving mêlée
of higher knowledge. There is
no victory by crossing the crossroads of life, success in the end
is but smoke and mirrors.
The New year, where old mistakes are forgotten amongst the
birth of new opportunities, has
once more bewitched the island
nation of the Philippines. Annually this quiet stretch of land is
brought to life by the sound of
boisterous explosions and flying bullets. The streets are filled
with merry drunkards living life to
the fullest just a few meters from
hazardous half used firecrackers.
Even the sky joins the festivities,
intoxicated in the mist of carbon
monoxide and sulfur particles
while watching breathtaking
pyrotechnics. As the year dies
and is simultaneously reborn,
the occult act of driving spirits
away with loud noises goes into
full swing. Nowhere else in the
world will one see people beset by countless problems and
deep in debt happily spending
and partying the night away. All
wrongdoings are put on hold as
the country welcomes the New
Year with overflowing booze and
merriment. The season has but
one demand of its participants,
a “New Year’s Resolution.” How-
Selling Bets
Ryan Cristoffer C. Eden
Slabs of white sunshine shoot
off their faces at noon. Riding on
an Ikot jeep, hapless commuters
regrettably stare overhead. Some
faces are smirking, some are grim.
These faces, with explicable intents,
have the gall to use anything—
almost everything, at least—just to
keep their names at the top in public’s mind before the time when the
ballot boxes shine.
It is year 2009. Just a year
ahead before the year hopeful voters would decipher the future of the
country in the elections. As I type
this, a number of incumbent officials
are now certainly thinking helterskelter of ways to conquer again
voting booths on May next year.
In Quezon City—just entering
the narrow-roaded labyrinth of Krus
na Ligas, for example—scraps of
near-life-sized tarpaulins float overhead. What I find exasperating is
that whenever a celebration comes
close is the time these men and
women take the opportunity to flash
their faces with superfluous and
exaggerated publicities. Aside from
the irked and clichéd letterings that
include “A project of…” or “Made
under the administration of…” on
the public facilities and projects
that should not be totally indebted
to them, greetings of different occasions and seasons are made as
excuses to manifest their purpose to
emblazon their faces everywhere.
Opportunist they seem, they have
no qualms: if not about the Yuletide
season, it’s about birthdays, graduations, Valentines, and so on.
In the maiden issue of Inquirer
for the year 2009, a reader reacted
with exclamation point bombardments that “these officials now have
the gall to advertise also the faces
of their children or spouses in an
obvious attempt at establishing
their own local dynasty of satraps,”
amidst their mockery of public intelligence.
The act of this form of political
projection is outrageous, a palpable
practice of premature electioneering. Worse, the money wasted for
these unnecessary propagandas
came not from their own pockets
but from public funds. Constituents
are not looking for their bold-faced
names beside their giant faces; they
more need of a sincere service.
But the issue is just a microcosm
of a more serious yet identical deception.
In EDSA, Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani
Fernando’s faces in pink tarpaulins are scattered around his pink
metropolis. He wears white, poses
like a matinée idol, and articulates
peace and order. “Kaayusan” -- it
urges everybody. With all these
“government properties” watching Metro Manila—with the exception of Makati areas—I guess the
Chairman also has the intent to
compete with the tri-faced billboard
structure of John Lloyd Cruz, Akihiro Sato and Richard Gutierrez in
front of SM North Edsa or the gorgeous Karylle in yellow lingerie from
a “Single is Sexy” Bench billboard
in Balintawak. In a showbiz article,
BF confirmed that the prize he won
in GMA7's Celebrity Duets Season
2 would help his presidential campaign in May 2010.
Some people of the Senate
have the same circus version, too.
One endorses facial care, other
cosmetic drug. Some testify for a
soap and detergent, for a food, for a
health supplement—in exchange of
popularity-igniting space.
I can’t understand why a number
ever resolutions have long since
tarnished and is but a hollow
meaning of its former self, a last
minute ritual, a cultural fad. Perhaps the resolution much like the
season itself is only short term.
If light does not lie at the end
of the tunnel, are we but doomed
to wander the darkness that is
UP alone and without cause?
Knowing the futility of moving
forward, should we continue on
the path of life forever plagued
by the crossroads of fate? If the
future, much like resolution - an
entity hyped by meaning but
gone tomorrow, why then do we
continue to change our destinies,
fighting ever so fiercely against
the hand of fate?
That depends on one’s resolve to continue the journey of
change, the strength to follow
through on one’s resolutions.
Destiny and hope can only exist with hardship and strife, the
sweet taste of victory will only
be tainted by an easy win. The
crossroads are not mere stones
to step on, but ever rising pedestals destined for the top. If victory
is not within sight, nor will it ever
be at the finish, look back and
see distance passed, another
year traversed; it is there where
victory lies.
of public servants are willing to jump
into the bandwagon of endorsement,
can’t find the reason why politicians
are eager to hop into seconds-lived
spotlight with their gleaming pearly
whites, claiming implicitly that they
have the credibility of a year-end futurist in Mel and Joey.
The only reason I can think of
is this: That these people who are
mandated to serve the common citizens have chosen to partially drop
that mandate to swear allegiance
to products they endorse. Anyway,
behind these products are private
companies waiting with open wallets. Whatever message is distinctive in commercials that flicker from
network to network, product endorsements' common denominator
is to sell and gain money. No more,
no less.
The more they are shown in
mass media, the more they spark
their popularity.
Advertisements, many will agree,
are effective means to disseminate propaganda. But in this case,
transgressions are made beyond
the limit, leaving ethics a negotiable
condition. This skullduggery is a
more of a method of madness, than
a rationale to be justified. How much
sincerity is there when a public servant disguises his campaigning in a
form of product endorsements? And
how insensible and idiotic of public
decency do these public servants
think the Filipino citizenry is?
By May next year, hopefully
without any impediments, almost
all of the Kalai residents would have
turned 18, the age where we start
to choose the ladies and gentlemen
of the Philippine government. In the
voters’ hands lie the irreversible ballot inkblots that dictate the future
of the country. By that time, hopefully again, there would be greater
chance that no brazen face be seen
being shot by slabs of white noontime sunshine.