MANILA, Philippines – Undeterred by allegations thrown at activists, various youth groups from different universities in Metro Manila took to the streets to condemn red-tagging allegations and attacks against young Filipinos on Wednesday, August 14.

Through simultaneous protests at select universities such as University of the Philippines (UP), and Polytechnic University of the Philippines, among others, students slammed the government’s efforts to oppress the youth.

Attacks against the youth

Among these are the proposed revival of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), falsification of kidnapping cases due to involvement with progressive groups, and the proposal to increase police and military presence in schools.

Just recently, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año and Senator Ronald dela Rosa proposed to increase military presence in schools to curb recruitment and alleged kidnapping of students by leftist groups. 

On the morning of the protest, Anakbayan youth activist Alicia Lucena publicly denied that she was kidnapped, stating that she does not want to be used to justify the military agenda to put police in schools. Kidnapping charges were placed by the Philippine National Police against Anakbayan when Lucena‘s mother reported her leaving home shortly after joining the militant group. 

“If you're from Anakbayan or Akbayan, who are in opposition with the government, [you] can literally be given these false cases of kidnapping. It's like a catch-all: if you infringe on the rights of student activists, the youth will be punished as well,” warned Hen Namoca of One Big Fight for Human Rights and Democracy (OBFHRD) during the protest outside Ateneo de Manila University.

UP student councils reiterated in their unity statement that military presence in schools will endanger students’ right to organize and protest, especially in universities where “academic freedom and collective decisiveness shall continuously thrive.”

“The intrusion of these state forces inside the university will result to massive surveillance and monitoring on the students, especially leaders and vocal critics, in their attempt to pacify the ever growing resistance among our ranks,” they said.

Anakbayan also pointed out in its statement that the government’s attacks against the youth is not new, remembering the Red October plot that tagged universities where students are allegedly being recruited to help in Duterte’s ouster. Schools had fired back at the Armed Forces of the Philippines for “red-tagging” their students.

Not just the youth

Aside from the youth, groups pointed out other sectors were also under threat. Among the nation's pervasive issues are the rise of killings in Negros Island as part of Oplan Sauron and innocent victims of EJKs as part of Oplan Tokhang. These are campaigns by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against communist rebels and the Philippine National Police (PNP) against illegal drug pushers, respectively.

Youth groups stressed attacks against marginalized sectors, especially the youth, show signs of a failing democracy. They highlighted the need for the Filipino people to speak up against injustice, pointing out how the oppression of student rights may later lead to the oppression of the citizens.

“We see that our rights are being stepped on, and that's happening to the EJKs, the Negros farmers... these issues aren't separated, they're not isolated cases. It's not just about the attacks against students; it's about the attacks against the farmers, the women, the people. They're all connected. They’re all signs of a crumbling democracy,” Namoca added.

As the sole youth representative in Congress, Kabataan Partylist urged Dela Rosa to stop using his power to malign youth groups for expressing their right to dissent.

“We call for Senator Dela Rosa along with the PNP and AFP to end such defamatory activities that discredit the legitimate advocacies and demands of the youth, and furthermore put the youth's lives in danger,” they said

Panday Sining-College of Saint Benilde echoed the call, pointing out how the combined efforts of AFP and PNP have “left thousands of families without parents and ripped countless children from their families’ embrace.”

To assert students’ rights to academic freedom and organization, the Student Regent of the University of the Philippines has declared August 20 as the UP Day of Walkout and Action for all UP campuses in the country. – Rappler.com

Dorothy Andrada is a Rappler mover in Quezon City. She is currently a college freshman at Ateneo de Manila University.

MANILA, Philippines – In simultaneous protests on Thursday, August 15, students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), youth, and activist groups criticized the mandatory random drug testing of students from the 15 colleges of the university.

On the same day the drug tests were held, students from different groups such as the League of Filipino Student (LFS)-PUP, the College of Communication Student Council, and PUP SPEAK marched from the PUP main building in Manila to streets surrounding the university.

PUP’s College of Architecture and Fine Arts Student Council (CAFASC) said the university conducted the drug tests without orienting the students.

The council added that since the student handbook revision 2019 is yet to be finalized by the Board of Regents, the highest policy-making body of the university, the mandatory random drug testing should not have been implemented.

“CAFASC believes that the mechanisms and guidelines of the mandatory random drug testing are still vague to the majority of the students, therefore consultation and orientation shall be provided to the students of the College for them to fully understand the exact parameters of the said matter,” the statement read. 

University officials however said that they conducted a seminar among students and that the activity was mandated by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). One of them added that what happened on Thursday was merely a dry run.

PUP: Seminar was held

In a report by The Catalyst, PUP President Emanuel de Guzman was quoted as saying that they held a drug awareness seminar before the drug testing. 

"The University conducted anti-drug awareness seminar to students, faculty members and employees last July 30 and 31, 2019 to explain the procedures of the random drug testing," PUP Communication Management Office also said in a press statement released Friday, August 16. 

CAFASC urged the administration to discuss the various issues related to these drug tests to its students. 

Parents' consent

The PUP College of Political Science and Public Administration (CSPA), on the other hand, said it’s not clear where the directive came from.  

“At higit sa lahat, walang malinaw na pamantayan ang nasabing Mandatory Random Drug Testing na maaring maging mag-resulta sa kapahamakan ng Iskolar ng Bayan sa kadahilanang biglaan ang pagpapatawag at pagsasagawa nito,” the group said.

(And most of all, there is no clear standard of the said Mandatory Random Drug Testing, which may put the students at risk.)

The CSPA Student Council pointed out that the students were only given a limited period of time to get their parents' consent as posted on the Student Information System (SIS). The university also didn’t mention the consequences if parents refuse to give their consent. 

"Ang CHED memorandum no. 18 ay pagsikil sa karapatan ng Iskolar ng Bayan at malaking kasalanan sa bahagi ng administrasyon ng PUP ang pagpapatupad nito sa kabila ng ng isyu na wala itong malinaw na pamantayan at nang napakalakas na protesta ng Iskolar ng Bayan dahil sa maaring maging kapahamakan sa mga estudyante sa loob ng pamantasan," CSPA added in its statement. 

(The CHED memorandum no. 18 suppresses the right of the Iskolar ng Bayan, and it's a big mistake for for the PUP administration to implement this in the absence of clear standards and in the face of strong protests by the students.) 

OPISYAL NA PAHAYAG NG CPSPA STUDENT COUNCIL HINGGIL SA ISYU NG MANDATORY RANDOM DRUG TESTING SA LOOB NG PAMANTASAN pic.twitter.com/99Fm5H0nNc

— PUP CPSPA Student Council (@pupcpspa_sc) August 14, 2019

PUP clarified that the drug testing was in accordance with the CHED's Memorandum Order 18  to ensure that universities are drug-free communities. 

As of writing, a total of 120 of the 800 students from the 15 colleges of the main campus were randomly selected for drug testing, the school said. This will continue in the next few days.

Dry run 

In an interview done by The Engineering Spectrum, PUP Vice President for Student Affairs and Services Zenaida Sarmiento said that list of those tested is confidential. She also stressed that only a sample population of students will be tested while the university officials, Executive Committee, security guards, and other staffs are required. 

"With regards sa consent, it's just an information, not a waiver to parents na kung papayagan ba o hindi kasi ito ay mandatory ng CHED to State Universities and Colleges (With regard to the consent, it's just an information, not a waiver to parents if they will allow or not because it is a mandate of CHED to SUCs)," Sarmiento clarified.

Sarmiento added that the testing that happened on Thursday was only a dry run, and even the university officials are not informed about the exact date of the next drug testing.

Rappler has yet to receive a response from PUP on the status of proposed student handbook revision that includes changing the dress code, raising the maintaining general weighted average, and pushing for mandatory drug testing. 

PUP said students who test positive would not be dismissed but would undergo appropriate intervention or rehabilitation, based on to the PUP Student Handbook. It also guaranteed confidentiality of results. 

“Confirmed positive results shall not be a basis for disciplinary action unless the student concerned is held liable for violations of other University rules and regulations."

Youth and progressive groups also protested the presence of policemen inside the PUP main campus on Thursday.

In a report by The Catalyst, university officials said the policemen are students of the Open University. 

Senator Ronald dela Rosa, at a recent hearing of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs which he chairs, said he wanted increased police patrols at the PUP to deter communist recruitment in the state school. – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – For every member of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer) community, there is always one ever-present topic in ice breakers: coming out.

When? Where? How? Who did you first come out to?

For many LGBTQ+ members who have done it, it’s a transformation from hiding to going out into the open, from a sense of guilt to pride. For others, it remains a burden given how acceptance is never certain, even by their loved ones.

Transgender woman Gretchen Diez weighed in on coming out, particularly on the pressure to do it as soon as possible.

“There should never be a standard of when a person should come out. Whenever you feel that you’re ready, then that’s the perfect time for them to come out. If they feel like there is no time for them to come out, then they can keep it to themselves, as long as they're comfortable about it,” Diez said in a Rappler Talk interview on Thursday, August 15.

Diez said that she had the privilege of growing up in a “loving and accepting family.” Her parents immediately accepted her when she told them that she had always felt she was a girl even when she was much younger.

She recognized that not everyone in the queer community can be as lucky, even in a country ranked as among the most gay-friendly nations in Asia.

“I grew up in a society where my gender is a big issue. For lack of a better term, being a transgender is a disgrace,” Diez said.

Ultimately, Diez said, it all boiled down to one's personal choice.

“Think of what will make you happy, what will make you feel better as a person, what will make you more successful. Is it me coming out or I’’m okay with me keeping my gender to myself? It's always your choice. You always have a choice,” she said.

For those who have come out to family and friends and want to be more public with his or her gender, Diez believed that consulting with these people would be the best. (EXPLAINER: What you need to know about SOGIE)

“Consult those people whom you can trust. If you can consult your family, if you trust your family more, then go with your family. If you feel that you trust your friends more, then go with your friends,” Diez said. – Rappler.com

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – The city’s famed Iloilo River Esplanade may soon be reopened to cyclists as Iloilo City Councilor Jose Efraim “Jay” Treñas III eyed to pass an ordinance that will lay down rules to foster a safe shared space for both pedestrians and cyclists.  

Treñas, a biking advocate, bared the plan during the launch of the international Gran Fondo New York (GFNY) Asian Championship biking tournament at the Iloilo Business Park on Thursday, August 15. 

“With more and more Ilonggos taking on biking as a hobby and as an alternative means of transport, it is high time we reopen the Esplanade to [cyclists],” Treñas said. 

He said the city council is in the process of consulting stakeholders to draft an ordinance that will set the rules and regulations for the reopening of the Esplanade to cyclists. He stressed that the campaign has the full support of Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas.

“We believe the longest linear park in the country, with the proper rules in place, can become an accessible venue for bike enthusiasts to enjoy the city,” the councilor said.

Touted as the longest linear park in the Philippines, the scenic Iloilo River Esplanade stretches 8.1 kilometers, tracing the path of its namesake waterway as it runs along major thoroughfares in the city. (READ: People's project: How Ilonggos turned a road into a riverside park) 

Designed by celebrated Filipino architect Paulo Alcazaren, the park was recently deemed as a Haligi ng Dangal awardee for best landscape architecture by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the National Committee on Architecture and Allied Arts.

Envisioned as a place of leisure for Ilonggos and as a potential tourist spot, the Iloilo River Esplanade started out as a 1.2-kilometer public park that ran from Diversion Road (officially Senator Benigno Aquino Jr Avenue) to Carpenter Bridge in Molo District. It now features several completed phases that snake around Iloilo City.

Bikers were allowed to traverse the park when it first opened, but safety concerns brought by the heavy foot traffic of both pedestrians and bikers prompted the city government to ban bikers from the Esplanade.

"Our problem before was how to manage the foot traffic along the Esplanade, because when its first 1.2-kilometer phase opened there were both pedestrians and bikers who would patronize the park. Cyclists, who move faster, may face the danger of running into joggers, and vice versa," said Treñas.

"It was a safety concern and the reaction was to close the Esplanade to bikers. But now it's an over 8-kilometer linear park, congestion along it has been cleared, paving the way for an adequate space now to welcome again cyclists. With more and more Ilonggos taking on biking as a hobby and as an alternative means of transport, it is high time we reopen the Esplanade to them," he added.

Safe sharing

Currently, Iloilo City has two bike-related ordinances, both sponsored by the younger Treñas: Ordinance 2014-193, which requires government and non-government buildings with existing parking spaces to provide a safe bicycle parking zone; and Ordinance 2016-299 or the Benigno Aquino Avenue bike lane ordinance. (READ: Tour on two wheels: Seeing Iloilo City's historic sights by bike)

Treñas was previously recognized as a Bayanihan sa Daan awardee for his ordinances and for being the local biking community’s champion in the city council. 

The city official shared that the city’s Transportation Management and Traffic Regulation Office (TMTRO) has begun studies to get a better understanding of the foot traffic at the  Esplanade and to draft guidelines to ensure the safe and effective sharing of the park between pedestrians and cyclists.

“This will surely further the thrust of Iloilo as the emerging bike capital of the Philippines. It will also complement the 5-kilometer dedicated bike lanes along Diversion Road," Treñas said. 

He said to ensure the success of the project, they would reconsolidate the Iloilo Bike Council and the Federation of Ilonggo Cycling Organizations to mobilize local bikers for the cause.

PhilBike Awards  proclaimed Iloilo City as the most bike-friendly city in the country during the PhilBike Expo in Manila last year.

“It was an uphill battle in the first couple of years [championing biking in Iloilo City], but now we have a thriving local cycling community that supports and holds up each other. The Iloilo River Esplanade will be a welcome addition to the city’ safe spaces for bikers,” Treñas said.

Optimism

Veteran Ilonggo artist and well-known biking advocate Rock Drilon has expressed support for the proposal. The long-time cyclist said biking organizations he is involved with submitted suggestions for potential rules in the reopening of the Esplanade to bikers.

The recommendations inlclude requiring cyclists to wear proper cycling gear like helmets when in the vicinity of the park, the installation of more bike racks, and requiring bells and nighttime blinkers for bikers so cyclists can signal to pedestrians with ease.

“I’m sure if this development pushes through, many tourists will go to Iloilo just to bike,” Drilon told Rappler in a mix of Filipino. “I hope even those who don’t know how to pedal yet will be inspired to learn and explore the full potential of Iloilo as the most bike-friendly city in the country.”

Cyclist Noma Escalo, 23, shared similar sentiments, as she saw the proposal as a new way for tourists to enjoy the beauty of the Iloilo River.

“The heart of the city is the Iloilo River. When bikers are finally allowed again on the Esplanade we’ll have another avenue to showcase the attractiveness of our revitalized Iloilo River to tourists and locals alike,” said Escalo, also an apprentice biker tour guide of FitStop Tours and Events.

“This will contribute a lot to Iloilo’s tourism. I’m also excited to see Ilonggos of all walks of life and ages taking their bikes to the Esplanade for some fun and leisurely rides,” she added. – Rappler.com

Rhick Lars Vladimer Albay is a Rappler Mover based in Iloilo. He reports mostly on the local cultural community and art scene. 

Almost two months ago, I posted an essay on being discriminated as a transgender woman both in my workplace and in school, a part of which was an account of my struggles concerning the women's public toilet. (READ: U.P. trans woman professor talks about workplace discrimination)

Personally, I know how painful it is to be barred from using the toilet of the gender I identify with, so I can only imagine the horror that Ms Gretchen Diez felt when she was arrested, after being blocked from using the public toilet for women in a mall in Quezon City a few days ago. The physical and verbal abuse, as well as the outright denial of her gender identity, were a clear violation of her humanity.

Our country has an overwhelming number of transgender women. Hence, it is not uncommon to see trans women in public toilets for women. To be honest, I cannot recall an instance where trans women had harassed, attacked, or assaulted women and children in ladies' public toilets in the Philippines. And while it is a fact that transgender people are way more likely to get assaulted than cisgender people, many people still hold the belief that trans women are a threat to women's public toilets, a belief that is a product of unfounded fears around sexual victimization.

Trans women are women. They are not men who want access to women's public toilets to sexually assault women. Have we not come to realize yet that men need not pretend to be women to carry out assaults? In this heteropatriarchal society, men will sexually assault women if they want to. They do not need the excuse of pretending to be women because that will only degrade their machismo. Moreover, it is interesting to note that most cases of sexual assault happen in private in lieu of public spaces.

Sizing it up, it seems a bit of a stretch to think that trans women should be banned from using women's restrooms because they are men who would go as far as wearing dresses, high heels, and makeup only to sexually assault women. I do not know about you, but it sounds petty and illogical to me.

Now, let me present a few statistics that I gathered about transgender people. The life expectancy of transgender women of color in the US is 35 years old due to high rates of suicide and hate crimes. Transgender people are also 9 times more likely to commit suicide than the rest of the population, and a staggering 40% of transgender people have attempted suicide in their lifetime.

As for hate crimes, 1 in 4 transgender people are assaulted for simply being transgender. The number of transgender people murdered has also hit record highs in recent years, and is expected to continue. A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report shows that crimes against transgender people this year increased by 81% in the UK alone.

So what is the point of saying this? First, I want you to know the appalling truth and realize how vulnerable transgender people are to suicide and violence simply for living their truths. Second, I want you to acknowledge that we all share the moral responsibility of allowing transgender people to use the public toilet that matches their gender identity, because this is part of protecting them from violence.

So for those cisgender women who feel uncomfortable by the presence of trans women in women's public toilets, I am sorry to inform you that the safety and security of trans women are more important than your comfort. The TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) and transphobes might come for me for saying that, but shouldn’t human rights take precedence in this situation?

A number of people had already expressed their support for the construction of gender-neutral toilets in public spaces to provide a safe haven for transgender and gender nonconforming people. Why build toilets with different categories when our toilets at home are not even categorized according to gender identity? For me, building gender-neutral toilets while maintaining the heteronormative ones is not the best solution to the problem of where we should put transgender and gender nonconforming people in the binary categories of toilet segregation. This segregation should not even exist in the first place, because separating men and women in public spaces is sexism.

We should abolish this segregration and build instead a single gender-neutral toilet for everyone’s use. This would be a progressive step towards gender equality because this would (1) address the problem of space equity between men and women's toilets, which is the cause of women waiting in longer toilet lines than men; (2) normalize gender as a non-binary concept and affirm that public spaces should not be gendered; and (3) provide the inclusion of people of all SOGIESCs (sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics). Since this will not happen in the near future, it is only right that transgender people be entitled to use the toilet that matches their gender identity. (READ: EXPLAINER: What you need to know about SOGIE)

With all that being said, I stand in strong solidarity with Ms Gretchen Diaz! This issue may have divided Filipinos, but at the very least, I hope that we can all agree that the experience of Diez only demonstrated the urgent need for the passage of the SOGIE equality bill in the country. Her experience is a call for the LGBTQIA+ communities and our allies to be vigilant and proactive in advocating for the SOGIE equality bill because we LGBTQIA+ individuals do not need tolerance nor acceptance. We need our civil rights.

Let us also take this opportunity to educate people about the experience of transgender people and campaign for the protection of transgender people against violence. Human rights are transgender rights and transgender rights are human rights! PASS THE SOGIE EQUALITY BILL NOW! – Rappler.com

Hermie Monterde is a former Assistant Professor of Mathematics in UP Manila and a PhD Mathematics student in UP Diliman.

We have 5 dogs in total, and we didn’t buy any of them. Our female shih tzu was given by a former boyfriend, our male shih tzu is her offspring, an aspin (asong Pinoy or Filipino dog) was given to us by our former helper, a lost beagle puppy stumbled into our house and was never claimed by the owner, and a stray aspin decided to make our house his home.

While all of them are special (I try not to have any favorites), it’s the stray aspin that has the most remarkable story. 

I was feeding two other village strays when I first saw him in 2017. He was in such a sorry state – he was emaciated, his right ear was infected, his tail just a stump, and his hind leg was injured, causing him to limp badly. That’s why I named him Biscuit, because, you know, Limp Bizkit ('90s kids will understand). Despite his misfortunes, he was still a happy and trusting dog. While it took some time for me to gain the village strays’ trust, Biscuit immediately went straight to me, begging for food. 

It became a routine for me to stop by the ihawan near our village gate after work to buy something for the strays. Eventually, the pack learned to wait for me at the village gate and then escort me home so I could feed them more. They would leave right after. I think Biscuit didn’t really notice his injury because he was limp-running with the other two like it was nothing. This went on for several months.

On one of our walks to my house, he nudged my hand with his nose, and when he saw that he got my attention, he started running ahead of us – without a limp! I felt like a proud mom, proud of this resilient and carefree dog. 

Sadly, one of the strays died, the other one was adopted, and Biscuit kind of disappeared for a while. Sometimes he was there at the village gate waiting for me, but sometimes I wouldn't see him for days or weeks. When I did, he would give me the biggest smile and run towards me, begging for ear and belly rubs.

One stormy night, our helper discovered Biscuit seeking refuge in our garage. Thank God we didn’t have a gate back then! He stayed with us for the rest of the rainy week, only leaving to do his business elsewhere. My mom referred to him as our boarder because he came and went as he pleased, but I could tell Biscuit charmed my mom and our helper as well.

Eventually we went back to our routine – he’d wait for me at the village gate then he’d walk me home, but this time, he’d stay. He’d still be there the next day. And the next. In the mornings he would escort my mom to the village gate on her way to church, in the afternoons he would walk me home. He became ours officially – or we became his.

Adopting a stray isn’t without its fair share of challenges. It still took a while for all of us to adjust and to completely get to know each other (and we’re still learning!) – his habits, his likes, his dislikes, his fears. After all, he had a free life before he met me, and who knows what sort of abuse he experienced then. It took some time for him to let me put a collar on him, even more time to let me walk him with a leash, and it took a lot of patience to finally coax him for a bath. I had to train him not to sing in the middle of the night, too! Unlike my other dogs, we discovered that he prefers cuddles over food.

Biscuit’s love is completely unconditional and unentitled. He chose me. For him to place his absolute trust in me to take good care of him is such an honor. To see his transformation from that skinny, injured dog, to this clean, healthy (and neutered!), happy dog is absolutely one of the best feelings in the world. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – In an effort to assert academic freedom, University of the Philippines (UP) students and faculty members united in a systemwide walkout to protest against police and military intervention in schools on Tuesday, August 20.

UP Student Regent Isaac Punzalan released a memorandum last August 14 declaring August 20 as a systemwide “Day of Walkout and Action” to assert the state university’s right to academic freedom.

Several student councils and top officials, including UP Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan and UP Cebu Chancellor Liza Corro endorsed the walkout.

The call for a systemwide walkout came after Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who chairs the Senate’s public order and dangerous drugs committee, proposed increasing the military presence in state universities to curb recruitment and alleged kidnapping of students by leftist groups. (READ: 'Crumbling democracy': Groups call for end to attacks against the youth) 

In a statement, UP School of Economics stressed that the state university will remain firm despite the attacks to activism and academic freedom. 

“UP shall never be silenced— for in times when our very institutions and freedom are under siege, we must spark collective action and assert our rights for our university and for our country,” the group said. 

The UP Office of the Student Regent warned that military presence in schools will hamper the rights of students and teachers to express, study and practice their own principles and beliefs to serve the people. 

"We shall fight for our university to remain a zone of peace and a sanctuary for the oppressed and marginalized, where academic freedom thrives in the pursuit for genuine social change for the welfare of the Filipino people," it said in a statement. 

Students reiterated the 1989 agreement between the UP administration and the Department of National Defense (DND) which prohibits the entry of state forces in the university except in cases of hot pursuit or other emergencies. 

UP Business Administration Council emphasized that the proposal to allow military presence in state universities threatens academic freedom as student movements, especially in a bastion of student activism like UP, might be silenced. 

"We believe that student activities and activism should be empowered and strengthened – they should not be silenced by those in power in the struggle to create positive change in our society," UP BAC stressed. 

The University of the Philippines Speech Communication Association (UP SPECA) said the government only continues to use the situation “to revive the 1950s Anti-Subversion Law, which claims that any form of dissent against the government can result to the arrest of an individual.” 

“This intensifies the attack on the students’ right to speak up and analyze the current situation of our nation. This is the how the rhetoric of the administration works: it continues to consolidate power by pacifying the ever-growing student movement to forward their own interests,” the group stressed. 

Lumad students from Bakwit School also joined in the protest at the UP Diliman Palma Hall as they called for their right to education and condemned militarization in their communities. 

Aside from UP Diliman, other UP campuses – Baguio, Cebu, Los Baños, Manila, Mindanao, Visayas, Tacloban, and Pampanga – staged their own protests in their respective campuses to take part in the systemwide walkout.

Here are some photos from the protests led by various UP campuses nationwide: 

In UP Visayas, students join the protest against the threats to academic freedom through police and military intervention and declaration. | via @RhysLaikapic.twitter.com/GRekyjeofc

— MovePH (@MovePH) August 20, 2019

– Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – We are in the middle of a global climate crisis. Can technology and innovation help address the complex problems that come with it? 

Experts say we only have 11 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change. If nothing drastic is done to stop polar ice from melting, sea levels in the Philippines are predicted to rise up to 20 centimeters by 2100, displacing entire coastal communities and inland areas.

This is not the only urgent environmental crisis that threatens us.

Marine debris has previously been found to be negatively affecting more than 800 animal species, according to a UN report. Studies show that 1 in 3 fish caught for human consumption contain microplastics, with serious consequences to public health. The Philippines contributes significantly to this global problem. It’s one of the 5 countries from which half of all land-based plastic-waste leakage originates.

Meanwhile, urban congestion is making our day to day lives unlivable, between pollution, poor transportation systems, and the lack of proper housing.

Search for solution

As we confront these issues, our collective search for solutions is hampered by discord and hate in the digital platforms that are now our public conversation spaces. 

How can we burst through filter bubbles and echo chambers in cyberspace in order to transform these platforms once again into venues for constructive dialog?

How can we cut through the social media noise so we build communities of action that will help make the world a better place?

What can emerging local leaders do to help facilitate this process? 

With the theme, “Insight for Impact,” the 2019 Manila Social Good Summit will answer these critical questions.  

To be held on September 21, 2019 (Saturday) at the Yuchengco Hall, De La Salle University, along Taft Avenue, Manila, this year’s summit will bring together student leaders, policy-makers, community leaders, advocates and industry representatives, to discuss how we can effect lasting change.

The summit is organized globally every year to open up the conversation around the United Nations General Assembly, the Social Good Summit shines the spotlight on critical social issues and the role digital media plays with respect to these concerns. Rappler has been organizing the Manila leg of this global event since 2012. Visit rappler.com/aboutsgs learn more about the purpose and history of the Social Good Summit. 

HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN SGS 2019

1. Be a partner/sponsor

To those interested to be a partner or sponsor of SGS 2019, you may also email socialgood@rappler.com using Partnership in the subject line. Values for partners and sponsors include:

• Speaking opportunity

• Branding on all SGS microsite and story pages

• Brand mentions on social and during the event

• Desktop Display Ads

• Booth at the Rappler XChange

• Post Activity Report

2. Have a booth at the Social Good Summit XChange

XChange is a space for learning, interaction and ideas. It is a marketplace that will feature technologies and ideas that are shaping the world and partner initiatives around key issues and themes: 

• Environment

• Media and democracy

• Transportation

• Gender equality

A fun way to learn and connect, exhibitors and participating groups in the Social Good Summit XChange are encouraged to think of challenges related to Sustainable Development Goals which the participants can take on to get goodies. 

To those interested to sponsor a booth, email socialgood@rappler.com using XChange Exhibitor in the subject line. Exhibitors’ meeting will be on Friday, September 6, 1pm at the Rappler office.

3. #InspireCourage: Share your +SocialGood story in 5 minutes!

Does your organization have an existing project or program that you are so passionate about? We are allotting space for passion initiatives that will help the Philippines achieve the global goals by 2030 at the Summit.  Focus on a single visual or a 1 minute video and take off from it. Answer the basic questions: What do you do exactly? Why are you so passionate about this initiative? How does the initiative help us reach our common goals? What has been the impact of that project? How can other people help?

Slots are limited. To those interested, send an email to socialgood@rappler.com using #InspireCourage in the subject line not later than August 30, 2019.

4. Be part of the Huddle 

HUDDLE is a way to bring the conversation on ground, gathering students, partners and interested individuals for a meaningful discourse on certain issues. Huddles can be

Partners and sponsors who are interested to be part of a specific huddle should email socialgood@rappler.com no later than August 30, 2019.  Please use HUDDLE in the subject line.

5. Organize a viewing party

Help us rally more communities around the global goals by organizing a Social Good Summit viewing party in your school or community.  For those interested to organize a viewing party, email us at socialgood@rappler.com so we can send you details on how to go about it. Please use Viewing Party in the subject line. 

The requirements are easy. All you have to do is to secure a venue good for your target audience and to make sure you have a stable internet connection. All registered viewing parties will be acknowledged live during the summit.

6. Be an SGS Volunteer!

Our yearly Social Good Summit would not be possible without help from movers and volunteers who have been participating and helping us organize these events since 2012. If you want to volunteer for the SGS 2017 Organizing Committee, just email socialgood@rappler.com using SGS volunteer in the subject line. You can sign up to be a volunteer until August 30, 2019.

7. Be a participant

The Social Good Summit is an annual global event organized around the United Nations General Assembly. It is sustained globally by +SocialGood, a community which shares world-changing ideas to spark action in our social media era. This year’s Philippines Social Good Summit will celebrate human judgment and values--compassion, integrity, hope, courage--which distinguish us from the machines. It will also highlight youth-led innovation and entrepreneurship both in the plenary and in #HackSociety.

Stay tuned for details on how to register for the event. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines– The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) condemned the supposed intimidation of state forces towards The Pillar, the official student publication of University of Eastern Philippines (UEP), on Wednesday, August 21.

CEGP described the police’s reaction to the publication’s candle lighting ceremony for victims of the killings in Negros Island as an "irresponsible exercise of power to harass the practice of independent and free journalism of the campus press."

It all started when, according to the student publication, at least 4 men – including a person who introduced himself as a patroller from the Regional Mobile Group stationed in Lavezares, Northern Samar – visited the publication’s office and interrogated the editor in chief (EIC) at around 9 pm on Tuesday, August 20.

According to The Pillar, the visiting men asked about a candle lighting ceremony organized by the student publication together with the Ibabonon Norte San Samar Artists Community as a call for justice for the victims of the killings in Negros that was held earlier that day.

In Negros Oriental, at least 21 people have been killed from July 18 to 27, including a lawyer, a barangay captain, a city councilor, a former mayor, and a one-year-old child. Rights groups say at least 87 people have been killed in the two Negros provinces since 2017.

Series of incidents with police 

The Pillar added that the men “aggressively” asked if another organization aside the publication was behind the event, demanding to see the letter approved by the Office of Student Affairs to conduct the activity. They also asked why the publication was holding a candle lighting ceremony for Negros.

Earlier that week, The Pillar also noted that two girls had attempted to take photos of the publication’s office, claiming that they were ordered by a policeman to do so, at around 1 pm on Monday, August 19.

Two hours later, the UEP Security Office supposedly summoned the editor of The Pillar because an intel of Catarman Municipal Police Station said that the publication’s candle lighting ceremony might be “infiltrated” and posed as a “threat” to the safety of the campus.

Following that meeting, The Pillar reported that armed policemen were seen inside the campus and across the publication’s office from August 19 to 20. The UEP security office explained that the police presence in campus was a precautionary measure to avoid “threats” and chaos” after the Philippine National Police received information from their intel that a rally was going to be held at UEP.

The Pillar said this was not the first time the publication has faced intimidation from state forces, mentioning how police and military have attended and monitored previous events of the publication. They added that the then EIC of the publication had once been followed by a military officer all the way to her dorm in 2017.

“Interrogations and sending someone to take photos of the publication and the people in it by our policemen are manifestations that the freedom of expression and of the press are at stake,” The Pillar emphasized.

The publication asserted that these incidents are “clear manifestations of the red-tagging of state forces against campus journalists and human rights advocates.”

“There is no question as to their responsibility of making sure that peace and order be protected but a mere candle lighting ceremony is not and will never be a threat to the National Security nor it is an act which would call their attention to station within the area,” The Pillar said.

“It is alarming that the publication is being seen as a threat just for exercising the right to organize and the right to freedom of expression,” it added.

CEGP echoed The Pillar’s sentiments, reiterating "its strong position that we will never crouch down in fear. We will continue to fight and resist."

It called on all campus publications to remain vigilant and continue to “persistently uncover the true state of our society.”

Coincidentally, the incident happened on the same day that University of the Philippines students and faculty members united in a systemwide walkout to protest against police and military intervention in schools. 

The call for the systemwide walkout came after Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa raised the proposal in an effort to curb recruitment and alleged kidnapping of students in leftist groups. Youth groups emphasized though that the effort might threaten academic freedom, hamper student activism, and result in massive surveillance. – Rappler.com

Bookmark to watch on Thursday, August 22, at 4 pm

MANILA, Philippines – "If you can drive in the Philippines, you can drive anywhere" is fast becoming an adage to the driving population, but this veneer of resilience masks a deeper problem – death by lack of visibility.

The numbers from the Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System (MMARAS) 2018 report show that there were 383 fatal road crashes in Metro Manila alone, resulting in 394 deaths. Most of these deaths happened at night. 

How can we make our roads safer at night?

In this episode, road safety advocate Vince Lazatin and 3M Philippines' John Vallinan focus on the dangers posed by the lack of properly marked road signs to motorists. From signages to road barriers to safety vests, visibility is a serious matter that transport authorities and sign makers must look at. Watch as they transform a dark street into one with proper visibility with retro-reflective material used for signs and road markings.

Shot on location at Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa

Soundtrack: 'Mission Control' by Wicked Adobo – Rappler.com

More episodes from the Right of Way-3M series

• Road Signs 101
• The city's most dangerous job?

MANILA, Philippines – "Let him serve his 7 life sentences."

This is the call of thousands of people to the Department of Justice (DOJ) through a Change.org petition after news broke that rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez, former mayor of Calauan, Laguna, may get out of the New Bilibid Prison soon because of a reduced prison term, as provided under a 2013 law that the Supreme Court (SC) had made retroactive.

The Change.org petition, started by a certain B Vergara, had more than 26,000 signatures as of 1 pm Thursday, August 22.

"We petition the Department of Justice to stop Sanchez's release and affirm his 7 life sentences," the petition said.

“He used his power and position to kidnap, rape, and murder. His actions terrorized a university and an entire town. For full justice to be served, he must remain incarcerated for the duration of his lifetime,” it added.

Sanchez and his accomplices were meted 7 terms of reclusion perpetua for the 1993 rape-slay case of University of the Philippines-Los Baños student Mary Eileen Sarmenta, and the murder of her boyfriend Alan Gomez, also a UPLB student.

Sarmenta was abducted by Sanchez’s deputy chief of police George Medialdea and other accomplices “as a gift” to the then-mayor. Sanchez and his accomplices later took turns raping her before they killed her, along with Gomez.

Aside from the rape-slay case, Sanchez was sentenced to two terms of reclusion perpetua for the double murder of Nelson Peñalosa, the political leader of Sanchez’s opponent for the mayoral seat at the time, and his son Rickson.

After 25 years in prison, convicted rapist Sanchez may soon be freed because of a recent SC ruling on the law on reduced prison terms, according to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday, August 20. 

Sanchez qualified for a 2013 law on new guidelines on how to compute good conduct time allowance as basis for reducing prison terms, as a High Court ruling had made the law retroactive.

Public backlash followed the news of Sanchez's impending release, but human rights lawyers were bound to agree with the SC ruling because of equality of laws. Senators were divided on the issue but some, including Senators Risa Hontiveros and Franklin Drilon – a former justice secretary – disagreed, saying he did not qualifiy for early release. 

The petition  asserted that Sanchez must serve his 7 life sentences to achieve full justice for Sarmenta and Gomez. Eileen Sarmenta’s mother also demanded proof of Sanchez’s good behavior. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – How will commuters, urban planners, and mobility advocates reimagine EDSA? 

This is one of the questions that the Huddle, an action-oriented gathering among advocates, intends to answer.

MovePH, Rappler's civic engagement arm, in partnersip with Right of Way and AltMobility will be hosting "Huddle: How would commuters reimagine EDSA?" on Saturday, August 31, from 2 pm to 4 pm at the Rappler HQ. 

News and posts about the horrible traffic, especially along EDSA, have been a regular fixture on social media in the past few days. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) also introduced the yellow lane policy which netizens, however, slammed as anti-poor.  

The traffic problem is not new. Commuters have long lamented about their long commute that has affected their work, family life, and personal well-being. With Christmas just around the corner, commuters are also bracing for a longer and more tiresome commute. 

How can we, as a community, reimagine EDSA? 

Regular EDSA commuters are encouraged to join this huddle. Click the button below to register or fill up this form.

An email will be sent to confirm reservation to the Huddle.

Aside from the Huddle, MovePH is also doing a series of roadshows around the Philippines to bridge the online gap by bringing the conversation to communities. – Rappler.com

Ikinasal ako sa isang atheist. 

Noong una 'di ko alam na hindi pala siya naniniwala sa Diyos o sa kahit na anong may kinalaman sa relihiyon. Pero ako, ang pamilya namin ay saradong Katoliko. Although magkaiba ang relihiyon ng nanay at tatay ko, ang nanay ko Katoliko, ang tatay ko naman Born Again, lumaki akong naniniwala at may takot sa Diyos.

MANILA, Philippines– Several areas in Ilocos Norte and Metro Manila were flooded following heavy rains brought by Severe Tropical Storm Ineng (Bailu) and the enhanced southwest monsoon on Saturday, August 24.

In Ilocos Norte, Laoag City was among the severely affected areas, prompting the City Council to decare a state of calamity.

Ilocos Norte is among the 5 areas under Signal No. 1.

Here are some scenes of flooded areas in Laoag City on Saturday.

Laoag residents took videos of their areas, as well as their homes, to show the gravity of the flooding situation.

In Metro Manila, residents struggled with massive flooding as well due to the enhanced monsoon.

Based on the latest forecast track, Ineng will leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) Saturday afternoon. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Wesleyan University, a private liberal arts college in Connecticut, USA, only accepts one out of over a hundred million Filipinos for its highly competitive program for a full scholarship. That Filipino just so happened to be the son of an impoverished farmer, hailing from the little-known, rural town of Sigma, Capiz.

This September, 18-year-old Aldrean Paul Alogon will be enrolling as the only Filipino recipient of the Freeman Asian Scholarship worth $300,000 in Wesleyan University. 

The opportunity of a lifetime

The program only benefits eleven “exceptionally able” students annually, each one coming from select countries in Asia. It provides expenses for a four-year course of study towards a bachelor’s degree, including the scholars’ yearly tuition. 

Along with getting the chance to be educated in one of America’s top liberal arts colleges, the scholarship will also sponsor one round-trip for the scholar: a trip going to USA when the student starts his Wesleyan journey, and a trip back home when the student ends it.

For Aldrean, it is this last fact that he names as the saddest aspect of his great opportunity. His family wouldn’t be able to support even a one-way flight to America on their own income. With his father barely making ends meet as a farmer, his mother deceased, and his two older siblings with families of their own to support, Aldrean will not be able to go home for a very long 4 years. 

“It’s difficult,” said Aldrean. “Pero kung gusto makuha ang langit, maagi ka gid sa makitid na dalan. Kailangan ko gid ni agyan kung gusto ko mapanami ang kabuhi sang akon na family.”

(But if you want to reach the heavens, you have to go through narrow roads. I need to experience this if I want to better the lives of my family.)

A sciences-inclined student

Ultimately, it is a risk that he is willing to take. Aldrean believes that he has to take advantage of this opportunity to gain the education that he needs to help his community “socially, politically, academically.” 

“I grew up on a farm,” he said. “Kung makita ko ang akon mga kaingud balay, kag akon family, na indi man gid ka as rich and as high social status, nasubuan gid ako. Gusto ko na ma-experience man nila ang life na sang, at least, middle-class na Filipino.”

(When I see my neighbors, and my family, that isn’t rich or with a high social status, I feel depressed. I want them to be able to experience the life of, at least, a middle-class Filipino.)

With this in mind, he plans to pursue economics as his major alongside physics, the science that he loves. 

Pursuing two majors at once, both of them equally difficult, may be an ambitious feat. But Aldrean has been a gifted student ever since his elementary school days, as shared by his former teacher and class adviser, Florence Azarcon. 

“Nakita ko na sa iya ang iya potential, ang iya na inclination academically,” she said, “Buot pa gid siya na bata, mahugod gid. Studious na siya, friendly man, obedient na siya na bata na more on the sciences gid.”

(I saw his potential, his inclination to the academics. He was also a nice kid, very hardworking. A studious, friendly, obedient child who was inclined to the sciences.)

Aldrean’s passion for science eventually brought him to Iloilo, where he enrolled at Philippine Science High School - Western Visayas Campus (PSHS-WVC). Being in a science high school enabled many other opportunities to hone his mind, and he quickly took them to prove his worth through contests, conferences, and leadership positions in the student government. 

Most prestigious of the contests he joined was the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, which he entered in 2016 and 2017. While he lost both times, he found many wins in various national and international research conferences from Palawan to Singapore. 

Because the school pays for all of its contestants (inclusive of travel fare, registration fees, accommodation, and even food allowance), Aldrean was free to take advantage of all these opportunities at no burden to his family.  

Aldrean graduated top 4 in his batch and received an Academic Excellence Award in physics.

As one of the Top 10 in the batch, PSHS-WVC also funded Aldrean’s travel fares, accommodation, and application fees for him to take the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) in Cebu: the exams that allowed him to go to Wesleyan University.

Family, home, and pride

Alner, Aldrean’s father, fondly recalls how his son never forgets to buy pasalubong for his family from wherever his contests took him. 

This is because, as Aldrean confesses, his family is the most important thing to him. His earnest dream is that he will be able to provide a comfortable life to his family, elevating them to at least a middle-class lifestyle. In the same way, he hopes to help his friends and community as well, as all of these are his home.

“Home for me are those people na gusto ko buligan, ang people na nagahatag sa akon drive na maging better ako sa self ko,” said Aldrean. “Sila ang ga-push sa akon na maging better sa akon self.” 

(Home for me are those people that I want to help, the people that give me the drive to better myself. They push me to become better.)

With Capiz being a two-hour bus ride from Iloilo, Aldrean always tried his best to make the ride home every weekend, only growing out of it in his last years of high school.

Kiko Cruz, Aldrean’s roommate and close friend, mentions how Aldrean even managed to express his regionalistic pride in song form, composing the original song “Dayon Na Kita” (in Hiligaynon, “Let’s All Go”) for the school’s video entry for the 14th National Youth Congress. 

With over 3,000 likes and 2,000 shares, Kiko believes the video gained traction online because of Aldrean’s strong roots. “[It] is Aldrean being proud of his region. Which is why, I think, the song really clicked with the public - his passion and pride for home made it more authentic and heartfelt.”

Looking forward

As Aldrean's only living parent, Alner admitted that he is conflicted with how he felt regarding Aldrean’s endeavor in the US. “Malipayon man ako, na medyo masubo,” he said. “Sa subong na tiyempo, daw minsan-minsan nahidlaw man ako sa iya ah.”

(I’m happy but also slightly sad. At this time, I think I’ll miss him often.)

Despite this, Alner believed his son could manage it, as he couldn’t help but be proud of what Aldrean has achieved and be hopeful for what’s to come.

But for Aldrean himself, he only feels proud of his achievements only when he can see how happy it makes his family.

“Kung tulukon ko ang mga tawo na gakalipay magsugataay kami,” said Aldrean. “Mga relatives na gahambal, ‘Salamat gid. Ikaw ang gahatag sang dungog sa aton apelyido,’ ganami akon buot, gakaproud ako. Nadala ko man ang ila na ngalan, nadala ko ang glory indi lang para sa akon self kundi para man sa ila.”

(When I see the people that are happy when we meet, those relatives that say, “Thank you. You give honor to our family name.” I feel good, I feel proud. I carry their name, I carry this glory not just for myself but for them as well.)

Aldrean will be landing in Connecticut on Sunday, August 25. 

As he starts his four-year journey in Connecticut, Aldrean can only think that this is God’s will. “I don’t think na natabo ni by accident, I think may plano ang supernatural being sa akon kabuhi na maka-give back man ako sa less fortunate. Ang akon na dreams not for myself na but for the people that I love, for the people I call home.” 

(I don’t think this happened by accident, I think a supernatural being has a plan for my life where I can give back to the less fortunate. My dreams are not for myself anymore, but for the people that I love, for the people I call home.) – Rappler.com

Dorothy Andrada is a Rappler mover from Roxas City, Capiz. She is currently a college freshman in Ateneo de Manila University. 

MANILA, Philippines – Do you want to know how to use social media for social good?

MovePH, the civic engagement arm of Rappler, will be heading to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines to promote the responsible use of digital technology for social good on Thursday, September 5, at 8:50 am.

#MoveManila, in partnership with The Communicator, is the seventh stop of MovePH’s series of roadshows around the Philippines. Throughout 2019, MovePH has brought its roadshows to Cavite, Quezon City, Cagayan, Baguio, Iloilo, and Palawan.

The forum hopes to highlight the role of the community and the opportunity for everyone to use social media as a platform towards social good and nation building.

Participants will learn the ropes of responsible social media use for advocacies, including connecting with possible collaborators; identifying, handling, and preventing disinformation; promoting positive online behavior; and ultimately, inspiring courage in themselves and in others.

Tickets to the public forum are free, but seats are limited. Register below:

The program is as follows:

Be part of the MovePH and Rappler network! Meet like-minded individuals from across the country who aspire to create ripples of change by transforming advocacies and ideas into action. – Rappler.com

I was in second year high school when Ninoy Aquino was assassinated in 1983. 

“Did you hear? Ninoy Aquino was shot,” said my best friend.

I answerd back: “Who’s Ninoy Aquino?”

When I saw the news on TV and read about it the next day, I was as indignant as about any Filipino could be at that time. I became a joiner in the weekly confetti rallies along Ayala Avenue. I proudly wore my yellow T-shirt with Ninoy’s face printed on it. I flashed the L-sign at anyone who cared to look.

During the 1986 snap elections I volunteered for Namfrel. I went to the Philippine International Convention Center and later Baclaran Church with some La Salle Brothers to help protect the Commission on Elections technicians who walked out to protest the cheating. 

I was in EDSA in those 4 heady days of February. I was in Mendiola the night Ferdinand Marcos left. 

After seeing history unfold right before my eyes, I told myself to help make a better future for me and my country.

From blissful ignorance to radical knowledge 

I entered UP Los Baños a few months after the 1986 EDSA People Power uprising brimming with hope. I believed I could make a difference. 

It was there that I became intrigued with the grim and determined, kupas-na-maong-wearing, sandal-clad, pasikin-toting, tubao-adorned activists. They were so different. So anti-establishment. Counter-cultural. So UP.

But they seemed to have an explanation for everything, especially the questions that were burning in my mind.

It was from them I learned that the struggle for democracy did not end with Marcos’ ouster. That the problem was systemic. And that indeed, I had a role to play in making the country and the world a better place.

They taught me about structural analysis. How to conduct social investigation and class analysis. The struggle between the oppressed and the oppressors and whose side we had to take to make things better for all.

We were not content with slogans and empty rhetoric. Coming up with a sharp analysis and taking a stand on issues required a firm grasp and good articulation of history, economics, politics, sociology, statistics, anthropology and philosophy. My understanding of these subjects extended into the formal classroom, earning nods of appreciation from my professors. 

This was not brainwashing. This was enlightenment. 

Widespread corruption, chronic poverty, systemic injustice, underdevelopment - I got to see them not as accidents or punishments from a vengeful god. I realized these were products of a system deliberately designed for the benefit the few and the suffering of the many. And since people make up the system, then they have the power to change it.

More important was the realization that I could help bring about that change. Not just by electing good candidates. Not just through prayers. Not simply by graduating with honors, getting a nice job, buying a car, house and lot, helping my family, paying taxes and obeying traffic rules. All that was fine. But that wouldn’t change the system. I had to do more than that.

Suddenly, life made more sense and purpose. Such knowledge was powerful. Intoxicating. Liberating.

From shopping malls to picket lines

I started out as a campus journalist but found myself marching in the streets alongside farmers demanding land reform, with nationalists calling for the removal of the US bases, and with various sectors demanding an end to the debt trap. I learned how to speak out, organize, and mobilize fellow students. 

I studied outside the 4 corners of the classroom. I joined strikes and picket lines, lived in farmers' huts in faraway places, and tried to understand what was happening around me and what my role was in creating a more democratic, just, and fair society. 

This meant more time away from my family and old high school barkada. There were many sleepless nights putting the school paper to bed, weeks out of town organizing conferences and seminars, and hours hanging out with fellow activists, debating all kinds of stuff while singing progressive songs from a beat up guitar.

I drifted away from my closely knit circle but created wider arcs of friends and kindred spirits. 

From obedient child to stubborn activist

And when I went home, there would be heated discussions at the dining table. Running debates with my parents. And a lot of tension.

My parents never agreed fully with my activism but did not force me to quit. They could be persuasive but at the end of the day, they allowed me to make decisions and supported my endeavors. 

In return, I was careful not to hurt their feelings or cause any unecessary friction. We learned to accept our differences and stay away from each other’s hair.

I stopped studying for two years to be a full time activist. After graduating in 1993, I disobeyed my father’s wishes for me to take up law. I worked full time in the labor movement and then in various social movements and progressive organizations. Activism catapulted me to Congress in 2004 as a partylist representative. After 9 years as a legislator, I went back to the parliament of the streets. 

From activist to parent

I have been an activist for the last 33 years. My journey has brought me from classrooms to picket lines, shopping malls to poor rural villages, stinking hovels to the hallowed halls of Congress. 

And yet the struggle goes on. 

I won’t probably live to see the full flowering of national democracy in the country, much more  the socialist society of my dreams. As an activist, how I wish that the next generation continues the fight.

But as a parent, do I want my sons to be activists too?

My father, who was a lawyer, wanted me to be a lawyer. Of course I also want my kids to follow in my footsteps. Unfortunately, that choice is not mine to make just as it was not my father’s.

I understand that my children’s life choices will be determined largely by their own experiences. I cannot force my political beliefs on my kids or on others kids for that matter. I just hope they see sense in what I do and say.

All I can really hope for is to be a good example and inspiration to them. To be able to share my experiences and whatever knowledge and wisdom that I may have acquired. And then, after all is said and done, to have the capacity to respect their decisions and support their endeavors – just as my parents did with me. – Rappler.com 

CEBU CITY, Philippines – If you're asking for commuting directions by jeep in Metro Cebu, you're most likely going to get an answer in a series of numbers and letters. These are the jeepney codes of Metro Cebu.

The code for the route between SM City Cebu and Barangay Lahug, for example, is 04F.

A video posted by a certain Jewish Araneta on Facebook shows a 5-year-old boy who has mastered these codes and could give you directions anywhere in Metro Cebu, but using the jeepney codes.

"If I need to go to Talamban, what should I ride?" the woman in the video asks the boy in Cebuano.

The boy gives her 6 choices. While simultaneously playing cell phone games, he answers, "13C, 13B, 62C, 62B, 13H, 13I."

She then asks him the routes for several other locations and he confidently tells her the route names and which jeeps to transfer to.

Rappler reached out to the owner of the video, but hasn't received a response as of posting time.

– Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – “It seemed like they wanted to erase a part of us.”

Twenty-three-year old Lyn Gomez, a Manobo Lumad who studied sociology at the Caraga State University (CSU), recounted how the fear of "discrimination" has endangered indigenous languages.

“Our parents no longer teach us the Manobo language out of fear from the discrimination they faced,” said Gomez. “They want us to blend into mainstream society.”

Chad Booc, a teacher at Lumad school Alcadev, echoed these sentiments, adding that militarization, displacement, and constant evacuation also heavily contribute to the death of the Manobo language. (READ: U.P. cum laude answers call to teach Lumad students)

“Several Lumad families had to flee from their ancestral lands to seek safety from the violence and atrocities that have occurred since the military’s intrusion into their lands,” said Booc. (READ: What the Lumad are fighting for)

“Since their language is rooted in their land, a lot of their language is lost when they move to another place,” Booc further explained. 

Lumad dictionary 

In an effort to preserve the Lumad indigenous language in Agusan and Surigao, the Save Our Schools (SOS) Network, an alliance of child rights groups and church-based organizations, launched a Manobo Dictionary app, a mobile software that compiles Manobo words and their definitions. 

Given the Lumad communities’ far-flung locations, the app works even without internet connection and just needs a one-time download. It  can even be passed from one gadget to another using mobile sharing technologies like bluetooth and SHAREit. 

“The Manobo Dictionary app is a unique project because rarely do we see mobile applications that allow us to learn our native languages such as the Manobo language,” said the app's developer, Ricardo de Leon.

“We have a number of apps that teach us Chinese, Korean, French, and other foreign languages, but seldom, if ever, do we see apps that put focus on the languages spoken by our fellow Filipinos,” lamented De Leon.

He said the app was crafted based on the community’s needs and will be primarily used by the community itself.

Empowering technology

The app not just aims to educate the Lumad but to empower them, De Leon said.

“The app’s community-driven nature further stresses on its use as a piece of technology aimed at empowering the Filipino, especially the Lumad communities,” the app developer said.

“It is a needs-based educational tool, motivated by the needs of the Lumad people to learn the Manobo language, which is also a feat not often achieved by the learning apps and technologies we have available.” he added.

Gomez said that this Manobo Dictionary app would help the Manobo youth learn their own language and by extension, their own culture and identity as Manobos.

To be used for education

Lumad school teachers like Booc also welcomed the launch of the app, which they said would be of great help in educating Lumad children.

Armed with smartphones they charge during the night when the generator is running, the teachers said that they would use the app in their language classes where there is a need to translate words from Bisaya, Filipino, English, and Manobo. 

"Most of our students only know the basics and they can no longer articulate the deeper words and more complex terminologies that their elders know. With this app, we can reclaim what was lost,” said Booc.

Currently, Booc and De Leon are working together to further improve the app. 

Booc also hopes that the app will inspire other computer scientists to create technology that will be beneficial to marginalized sectors like indigenous peoples and farmers. 

The app utilizes public data from the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) Philippines and is available for download at bit.ly/ManoboDictionary. – Rappler.com 

Nicolas Czar Antonio is a Rappler intern who studies psychology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He tweets at @Nicolas_Czar.

MANILA, Philippines – Una kong narinig ang St Nicolas Senior High School of Cabanatuan City nang naimbitahan akong maglingkod bilang isa sa mga hurado sa Spoken Word Poetry at Speech Choir competition sa CACES Encounter Year 3 noong Pebrero 1, 2018. 

Ang CACES o Cabanatuan Catholic Education System ay samahan ng mga Catholic school sa lalawigan ng Nueva Ecija. Noon ko nakilala ko si Gng Carmela “Ma’am Maila” Garma, ang school director at principal ng St Nicholas Senior High School (SNSHS). Sina Mrs Garma, Most Reverend Sofronio Bancud, SSS, Dd, at Reverend Father Michael Veneracion ang nagtatag ng paaralang iyon. Misyon nilang pag-aralin ang mga batang kabilang sa pinakamahihirap na pamilya sa Diyosésis ng Cabanatuan. Isinunod ang pangalan ng eskuwelahan sa parokyang nakasasakop dito – ang St Nicholas of Tolentine Parish Cathedral. Inikot nila ang 16 na bayan upang piliin ang mga karapat-dapat na mag-aaral.

Salâng-salâ daw ang nakapapasok dito – may series of interview. Kailangang may patotoo ang kapitan ng barangay na sila ay talagang indigent. Dapat din nilang ibigay ang litrato ng kanilang bahay gaano man kaabá ito. Mas kaawa-awa, mas kalipikado. Ang mga napili ay
makikitira sa kani-kanilang kamag-anak sa Cabanatuan. Ang mga wala namang matutuluyan ay tutulungan ng SN-SHS na makahanap ng tirahan. At kaalinsabay ng pagpapatupad ng K to 12 curriculum noong school year 2016-2017, binuksan ng SNSHS ang pintuan nito para sa 185 estudyante ng Grade 11.

Naitataguyod ang pag-aaral ng mga bata mula sa pinagsama-samang donasyon ng may mabubuting kalooban. Ipinapagamit sa kanila ang lumang gusaling katabi ng katedral. Libre ang matrikula at libro. 'Pag may okasyon gaya ng graduation, libre ang damit at makeup.

Karamihan sa mga estudyante roon ay matagal natigil sa pag-aaral at ang ilan nama’y nakatuntong lang sa senior high dahil sa Alternative Learning System. May kabilang sa broken family. May abandonado. May ulila. May nawalay sa pamilya. May working students. May kani-kaniyang pakikipagsapalaran; may kani-kaniyang pinagdaraanan.

Noong Agosto 14, 2018, nagbigay ako ng panayam tungkol sa katatapos nilang subject – ang 21st Century Literature and the World. Lahat sila ay matamang nakikinig. Nakikilahok sa
usapan. Nagbigay ako ng kaunting lecture at tips sa masinop na pagsulat. Mas nakahihigit ang pagbabahagi ko ng karanasan. Maaaring ako’y hindi mabungang “resource person” subalit marahil ako’y naging isang mabisang motivational speaker. Pagkatapos ng aking panayam,
kailangan nilang magbigay ng output. Ang mapipili ko ay isasama sa newsletter na ilalathala bago matapos ang taon. Pinasulat ko sila ng sanaysay na may paksang “Sana ay alam ng mga
magulang ko na __________.”

Kapansin-pansin ang kanilang pangit na sulat-kamay, palibhasa’y matagal na hindi nakahawak ng bolpen. Gayumpaman, pinagtiyagaan kong isa-isang basahin. Halos lahat, nangangarap na sana’y alam ng kanilang mga magulang ang dinaranas nilang hirap. May isang tumatayong magulang sa kaniyang maliliit na kapatid. Igagayak na muna niya ang mga ito sa pagpasok bago harapin ang sarili. Patâ na ang kaniyang katawan pagdating sa klase.

Mayroon ding nagsabing “Sana’y alam ninyo ang pagtitiis at paghihirap ko sa araw-araw na wala kayo sa aking tabi.” Ang isa naman ay nahihirapang mag-out: “Sana ay alam ng mga magulang ko na ako ay bading.”

Ang higit na nakatawag sa aking pansin ay ang nagsabing “Sana, hindi na lang sila’ng mga magulang ko. Sana’y alam nila na sobrang mahirap mabuhay nang walang umiintindi at nagpapahalaga. Sana’y alam nila na GUSTO NANG MAWALA NG ANAK NILA!”

Kaagad kong ipinaalam kay Ma’am Maila ang mga natuklasan kong dalahin ng mga bata upang maagapan iyon sa lalong madaling panahon. Baka kung ano pa ang maisipan nilang gawin. Ipinatawag ni Mr Ian Radge “Sir Ian” Melad, guidance counselor, at Ms Anna Lorena
“Ma’am Nini” Abique, ang head ng Office of the Student Affairs, ang 3 sa mga bata para kausapin. Ang lahat ng pangangailangan ng mga ito – pinansiyal man o medikal – ay kanilang tinugunan. Mayroon ding hinanapan ng bubong na masisilungan. Dahil dito, nag-isip ang mga
opisyal ng paaralan ng isang programang mabibigyang-pansin ang lahat ng aspékto ng pagkatao ng mga mag-aaral. Binuo nila ang proyektong “Pag-igpaw.” Inspired ko raw ang proyektong ito.

At noong Agosto 7, 2019 – isang taon makalipas ang aking panayam doon – ay nagsagawa ang St Nicholas Senior High School ng isang variety program na nagtatampok sa “Pag-igpaw.” Inimbitahan ako ni Ma’am Maila upang saksihan ang programa at magbigay ng mensahe. Mas marami din ang participants; mahigit 300 sila ngayon.

Naunang nagsalita si Ma’am Maila. Ikinuwento niya sa ang pinagmulan ng proyektong iyon at ang kinalaman ko dito. Nang ako na ang magsasalita, hindi ko alam kung ano ang sasabihin. Para akong nablangko. Sino ang mag-aakalang ang simple kong pagpapasulat ng sanaysay ay aabot sa ganito? Nababasag ang boses ko. Nahihinto ako para magpahid ng luha. Ikinuwento ko kung paanong ako ri’y naisalba ng pagsusulat, kung paanong ako’y nakararating sa ibang mundo dahil dito, at nakalilipat sa iba’t ibang persona. Pagkatapos kong magsalita ay hinandugan nila ako ng munting alaala.

Ang huling bahagi ng programa ay ang Mental Health Awareness Seminar. Nagbigay ng panayam ang isang guidance counselor mula sa Central Luzon State University. Tunay ngang iyon ay kapaki-pakinabang hindi lamang sa mga kabataan kundi pati sa isang magulang na tulad ko.

Habang nananghalian kasabay ang pamunuan ng paaralan, mas marami pa akong kuwentong narinig. Mas lalong nakapanlulumo. Ang sabi ni Ma’am Nini, “Dito lang ako nakakita ng maraming estudyanteng hinihimatay. Hinihimatay dahil hindi nag-aalmusal.” Dahil raw dito
kaya mayroon silang libreng almusal at tanghalian. Nakikipag-usap na rin sila sa isang restawran para sa libreng hapunan ng mga piling estudyante.

Kaysarap maging bahagi ng ganoong programa bagaman hindi ako expert sa literature man o mental health. Batid kong malayo pa ang mararating ng St Nicholas Senior High School. Marahil sa isang taon, mas marami pang bata ang papasok doon. Maaaring mayroon pang mas mabigat ang pinagdadaanan subalit hanggang nariyan sina Ma’am Maila, Ma’am Nini, at Sir Ian, lahat ay mapagagaan.

Para sa anumang tulong na nais ipaabot sa kanila, maaari kayong mag-email sa saintnicholasshs@gmail.com o tumawag sa telephone number (044) 9511404. – Rappler.com