DILIMAN DIARY

Doctor Love: My Pinoy Valentine By The Numbers

2012-02-14T14:35:00.003+11:00

by Sigrid Salucop

Statistics taken from The Philippine Daily Inquirer

UP Fair 2012 List of Bands

2012-02-10T06:37:00.001+11:00

Every year, the student council along with fraternities, sororities, and organizations inside the University of the Philippines Diliman host the UP Fair. The week-long event does not only involve the biggest bands in the country or the different bazaars that set up shop at the sunken garden in preparation for the fair but also involves a bit of drinking –although the said activity is prohibited.

The UP Fair is an event that many students look forward to and it has already been a tradition for a number of UP Diliman’s alumni to go to the fair every year.

If you are interested in joining UP in this celebration, you would have to pick a date and get a ticket. Here is the list of bands playing at the fair on certain dates:

February 14, 2012 (Tuesday)

SyamnAPO sa Ilog kong Irog

The Youth

The Wudz

Datu’s Tribe

Siakol

Philippine Violators

Grin Department

Tropical Depression

Greyhoundz

Razorback

Wolfgang

Kamikazee

Franco

Typecast

De lara

Paramita

Wilabaliw

Giniling Festival

Noel Cabangon

February 15, 2012 (Wednesday)

A Date with Destiny

Gary Valenciano (exclusive performance)

Paolo Valenciano

Yeng Constantino

Spongecola

Gloc9

Imago

Sandwich

Paraluman

Gracenote

Kitchie Nadal

Barbie Almalbis

Quest

Duncan Ramos

Acel van Ommen

Julianne

Salamin

Upeepz

UP Streetdance

UP Indayog

Fromtheauthor

Destiny band

February 16, 2012 (Thursday)

Loverage 6: Innervate

Pupil

Urbandub

Ebe of Sugarfree

Callalily

6cyclemind

Kjwan

Moonstar 88

Chicosci

Typecast

Tanya Markova

De lara

Paraluman

Paramita

Peryodiko

Hilera

General Luna

Giniling Festival

Gracenote

Ernville

Duster

Kamote Club

Never the Strangers

Rox Puno

Banda ni Kleggy

Squeezers

Intolerant

Inday Bote

February 17, 2012 (Friday)

Status Change

Salamin

Julianne

Doki

Maya’s Anklet

Quest

The Crew (UP Street Dance Club)

Stephanie Dan

Alarice (Australian Acoustic Sensation

Every Nation Singapore

February 18, 2012 (Saturday)

Himigsikan

Parokya ni Edgar (exclusive performance)

Up Dharma Down

Silent Sanctuary

Urbandub

Kamikazee

Franco

Razorback

Chicosci

Hilera

Moonstar 88

Typecast

Gloc9

The Jerks

Datu’s Tribe

Sanity Kit

Republicka de Lata

Giniling Festival

The Youth

The Wuds

The Lowtechs

Talahib

UP Repertory

UP Music Circle

UP Samaskom

UP Sinagbayan

Diliman Diary Blog: 02.07.2012 (Our Sacrificed Youth)

2012-02-07T10:24:00.000+11:00

(Youtube link courtesy of Dennis Gorecho)

The greatest and most powerful message I was exposed to from my stint at the University of the Philippinbes (U.P.) at Diliman, was not about reciprocated love, but the power of unrequited love for country. That is the pure love for country and one's countrymen and women that does not ask for payback, for positions, power, privilege or treasure. That message of the sacrifice of the nation's greatest treasure - its youth - is inscribed at the base of our Immortal Oblation and I had the chance to read it as an undergraduate in U.P. Diliman and it still reads thus:

Nasaan ang kabataang mag-aalay

ng kanilang kasibulang buhay,

ng kanilang adhikain at sigasig

sa kabutihan ng bansa?

Nasaan ang siyang puspusang

magbubuhos ng dugo

upang hugasang lariat ang ating kahihiyan,

ang ating mga kalapastanganan,

ang ating kabalintuan?

Tanging yaong dalisay at walang bahid

ang karapatdapat na naging alay upang

matanggap ang kasalantaang ito.

Binigkas ni Padre Florentino sa El Filibusterismo, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, 1891:

(Translation)

Where are the youth who will consecrate their golden hours, their illusions and their enthusiasm to the welfare of their native land? Where are the youth who will generously pour out their blood to wash away so much shame, so much crime, so much abomination? Pure and spotless must the victim be that the sacrifice may be acceptable, Where are you, Oh youth, who will embody in yourselves the vigor of life that has left our veins, the purity of ideas that has contaminated in our brains,the fire of enthusiasm that has been quenched in our hearts? We await, Oh youth, come, for we await you!

- Dr. Jose P. Rizal

How many have gone before us in the prime of their youth and given it all up for their country? How many are preparing themselves to do so, even as we speak? We can only watch in awe and try perhaps to follow these examples, in our own small ways. But maybe this love is not so unrequited after all.

As the days grow into weeks and the weeks into months and into years, we come to appreciate the sacrifices of those, including the youth from U.P. who fought the Japanese in World War II, who were present fighting the Marcos dictatorship during the first Quarter Storm. We recall them marching in EDSA I and crying in outrage against the bumbling buffoonery of Joseph Estrada or the Machiavellian machinations of Gloria M. Arroyo to stay in power. We watch them today, acting as watchdogs against government excesses and fighting still for many unresolved injustices, and how can we not fail to be moved by this?

And so, the love is not unrequited after all. We love these youth: their health, happiness, and futures were and continue to be sacrificed for that most abstract of concepts: the People and the Nation.

We love them with a bright fierceness of appreciation for what they have done across the continuum of time. We love them with hearts that are filled to bursting with the unspoken emotions of sympathy for mothers who have lost sons and daughters; for brothers and sisters or young lovers untying their psychic bonds over the fundamental choices of whether to reform and change the system or to join it.

I think about all the youth who have given it all up, and of course, being from U.P., I am especially touched, by those who came from there. I think of their hastily abandoned graves in some forlorn mountain pass, the political or state-sanctioned murders of those who tried to change things; but also of their victories: More progressive laws passed, dictatorships toppled, injustices corrected, bridges built, patiens cured, and progress, learning and literacy brought to the far corners of the land.

In the dead of the night, I sit bolt upright, and think of this love of many of these youth in their untold numbers, and yes, it is not unrequited: For I and many others love them back for what they have tried to do for us, for all of us; imperfect though the results may have been. And yes, Rizal was right. Their love was pure, and it did manage to wash away many injustices, but many more sacrifices will be needed to make this country a better place.

In the dead of the night, unable to sleep, I contemplate the enormity of all of this.

And a single tear trickles down my cheek.

(Chanda Shahani)

Harana at Lata: The Way To Go This Valentine's Day

2012-02-06T19:33:00.003+11:00

Thinking of a good way to profess your undying almost psychotic/obsessive love for that boy or girl this Valentine’s Day? UP Diliman has a lot to offer – nope the admin is not selling flowers but student organizations have their own Valentine’s Day gimmicks to raise funds. The Philippine Association of Food Technologists – Alpha Chapter for example has the “A Whole Lata Love” project. For only Php 60, you can have them “wrap” your gift in a can. Intrigued? You can contact Joyce at 09276065584. The organization also offers chocolates in heart-shaped tins.

For those who would like to give their Lata Love the more romantic way, UP Ictus offers the Harana Express. The Harana Express promises to put an end to the friendzone.

Diliman Diary Blog: 02.05.2012 (The Faces of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society)

2012-02-05T11:24:00.041+11:00

A cat bridge at the PAWS facility, so that cats can exercise and maintain their athleticism while still being confined at the facility

PAWS Program Director Anna Hashim Cabrera
briefs new volunteers during the orientation

The case of Joseph Candare, the University of the Philippines (U.P.) at Diliman physics student who was sentenced to do community service and levied a fine for violating provisions of R.A. No. 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act which involved animal cruelty for killing a cat at U.P. Diliman has brought home to the residents and those who work and study at the Diliman area, the importance of treating animals with compassion and humanity; for the creation of a more peaceful society starts with the widening of mankind's circle of compassion, which includes animals.

And so it came to pass that I found myself attending a volunteer's orientation on February 4, lasting four hours at the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) compound at Aurora Boulevard corner Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City, given by its Program Director, Anna Hashim Cabrera. This is the same PAWS compound where the judge at the Quezon City Muncipal Trial Court ordered Candare to render two months worth of community service (which he is still completing to this day). Candare was also levied a fine of PhP 2000.00. In both instances, the punishments were for stomping a kitten to death at the National Institute of Physics compound at U.P. Diliman.

The orientation involved listening to lectures about the purpose of PAWS, its objectives and hsitory; inspecting the various animal cages where dogs and cats in various stages of quarantine were displayed; interacting with fellow volunteers to put together a project, and basically getting to know the group.

It wa refreshing to be surrounded by so many affectionate animal lovers and hundreds of dogs and cats in various stages of catatonic languor and manic excitement. There was even a special area where six dogs from Iligan City were rescued by PAWS volunteers when Typhoon Sendong hit the Mindanao area.

It's obvious that animal rights still have a long way to go in the Philippines, though. R.A. 8485 was approved by both houses of congress and signed into law by then President Fidel V. Ramos in 1998, but Ms. Cabrera said that a very important provision for the banning of cock fighting in the Philippines was left out as PAWS, which was lobbying for the passage of the bill, had to bow to the reality that the majority of legislators were sympathetic to the national practice of cock fighting.

One of six (6) dogs rescued from the Typhoon
Sendong disaster that hit Iligan City

"We know how to pick and choose our battles," she said.

Other areas of concern are pet mills in such places as Tiendesita's in Pasig City, Cartimar in Pasay City, and Arranque Market in the City of Manila which not only sell pets in unsafe and stressfulconditions, but also act as conduits for the trafficking of Philippine and foreign wildlife.

On a more basic level, PAWS, which only has four full-time staff members headed by Ms. Cabrera, is trying through its volunteers, to instill a culture of caring for animals in the PAWS tradition, as the volunteers end up being PAWS' frontliners and ambassadors. Among the policies they are trying to instill are:

Animals who will be admitted are onluy tjhose who have been rescued from cruelty or neglect with the specific aim of filing corresponding criminal charges against animal offenders. "We try not to "just rescue" without the filing of charges. Filing of charges is important in preventing furure crimes from being committed against animals," the PAWS volunteer guidelines for animal rescue and admission says.
Animals who are in severe distress will be admitted. For example a cat whose front leg was run over. In other words, any injured live animal who is in pain and may be still admitted.
Not all animals in distress can be admitted when the quarantine kennels are full or the shelter has reached maximum capacity.

Pet cemetery at the PAWS compound

And so with all of this in mind, I am basically committing myself to eight hours of service a month, cleaning dog and cat cages, writing about this whenever I can, helping to spread the word by talking to groups of people and raising funds. Why do I do this? It's simple. I feel for all dogs when they wag their tails, and look at me with their limpid brown eyes with silent entreaty. In fact even when they are mad, I still feel affection for them.

Cats are cool, too. They are so elegantly oblivious to you; so royally fascinating. They rub against your leg, arching their backs with their tails curled high. They languidly groom themselves with their raspy tongues. They jump from ground to tree branch in the flick of an eye.

Here in the PAWS facility, they have hundreds of cats and dozens of dogs. It should be a fun period (but hard work, too) for this animal lover. I am looking forward to it.

The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) website may be accessed at this link (http://paws.org.ph/site/1/default.aspx).

(By Chanda Shahani)

UP Diliman statement on the Vinzons Hall incident

2012-02-04T22:55:00.000+11:00

STATEMENT ON THE UP VINZONS HALL INCIDENT

Released by the Office of the Chancellor, 3 February 2012

The UP Administration is profoundly affected and deeply saddened by the incident that happened at the University Student Council (USC) office at the UP Vinzons Hall (VH) that resulted in grave injuries to Ms. Lordei Camille Hina, a 4th year AB Political Science student and an active volunteer of the USC.

On February 1, Wednesday, at around 3:00 in the afternoon, two young men, posing as applicants for a booth in the 2012 UP Diliman Fair to be organized by the USC in mid-February, went to the USC Office in the VH 2nd floor. They violently attacked Ms. Hina by hitting her with a hard object on the head and robbed the USC office of two laptops. The VH security guard on duty in close coordination with other campus security personnel was able to apprehend one of the two suspects after a brief chase. He is now in the custody of the Quezon City Police and is initially charged with robbery and frustrated murder. The Quezon City Police has organized a special task force to arrest the other suspect(s).

As of this writing, Ms. Hina is still at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Capitol Medical Center, having sustained serious head injuries. The UP Administration continues to monitor her condition and is committed to provide support to Ms. Hina and her family.

On 2 February 2012, UP Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma called for an emergency meeting with the UP Diliman Committee on Security and Welfare to assess the status of the case and to examine our current campus security arrangement with the aim of making it more effective. The committee is recommending the strict checking of ID’s and bags by security personnel who will be issued metal detectors, at the entrances of all colleges, dormitories and buildings in UP Diliman. There will also be increase UP Diliman Police visibility especially in the vicinity where the incident happened in order to rebuild confidence.

Consultations with the students, employees, and administrators will be conducted to promote more vigilance and to come up with measures to ensure the safety and welfare of UP Diliman stakeholders.

As UP Diliman’s student’s center, VH has been an ‘open, free and accessible space’ where students from UP and other universities gather for various assemblies, seminars, training and other activities. For many years now VH has served as a venue to engage freely in discussions, hone their leadership skills and collectively learn and find effective solutions to the various issues that plague our society today.

As the UP Administration attempts to maintain VH and UP Diliman (493 hectares, 24,300+ students, 1500+ fulltime faculty members, 1500+ regular staff, tens of thousands of visitors daily) as an open and publicly accessible academic institution, it will continue to develop better ways to ensure the security, safety and well-being of its faculty, staff and students so that UP is able to accomplish its stated mandate as a national university.

Student stabbed with ice pick at Vinzons Hall

2012-02-03T09:27:00.000+11:00

Lordei Camille Hina, a Political Science major in the University of the Philippines Diliman was stabbed above the left temple with an ice pick while alone inside one of Vinzons Hall’s offices.The Philippine Collegian whose office is also within the premises immediately tweeted about the incident last Wednesday.

The 20-year-old Hina is reportedly in critical condition and is confined at the Capitol Medical Center. Carlo Pecayo was arrested by UP Diliman authorities shortly after. Pecayo, a resident of Antipolo, Rizal had Hina’s possessions along with an ice pick at the time of arrest. Pecayo, however, denies stabbing the student.

Pecayo is now at Station 9 at the QC Police District and will be facing frustrated homicide and robbery charges.

Anakbayan slams latest oil price hike, connivance between government and "Big 3"

2012-02-01T20:24:00.019+11:00

Anakbayan activists at Philcoa shortly before marching on to
the Commission on Higher Education and Development.

By Chanda Shahani

The national youth group Anakbayan held a noise barrage at Philcoa, and in front of the Commission on Higher Education and Development along C.P. Garcia Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City today to condemn the latest oil price hike, as well as what it called ‘connivance’ between the Aquino administration and the ‘Big 3” oil cartel.

A PhP 6 per kilo increase in LPG prices, or a PhP 66 hike for an 11-kilogram LPG tank, took effect earlier today. This means an 11 kilogram tank now costs PhP 833.

“If the Aquino administration can act quickly to impeach a member of the Supreme Court, why can’t it do the same in protecting Filipinos from oil price hikes? Is it because the government earns billions in ‘windfall’ VAT from the hikes? Is it because his uncle Danding owns a large stake in Petron? Or is it because Noynoy is simply sympathetic towards corporations?” said Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of Anakbayan.

He cited a recent Congressional study which showed that the government earned P70 billion in ‘windfall’ VAT last year, which came from the oil price hikes. Because these taxes are beyond what the government projected for that year, they are not allocated towards the national budget, but in the ‘special funds’ of the Office of the President.

In addition, the youth leader pointed out that presidential relative and big businessman Danding Cojuangco’s San Miguel Corporation owns 51% of one of the ‘Big 3’, Petron.

“Inuuna ang sarili at kamag-anak muna bago ang bayan” quipped Crisostomo.

‘Independent’ review committee?

Meanwhile, the youth group also expressed apprehension over the so-called ‘independent’ committee formed by the Department of Energy to review the books of oil companies.

“How can the committee be independent when some of its members have clear ties with corporations? It’s like the proverbial wolf watching over the sheep” said Crisostomo.

Among the ‘questionable’ committee members is Atty. Vigor Mendoza, the representative for the transport sector as head of the ‘yellow ‘transport group 1-Utak. Aside from being legal counsel for the controversial Hacienda Luisita Inc., his group has also been accused by other transport federations of ‘conniving’ with the government to justify oil price increases.

Another is the committee head himself, former Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, whom Crisostomo described as ‘unabashedly neoliberal’ or ‘sympathetic towards coporations’.

(Photo by: Chanda Shahani)

Diliman Diary Blog: 01.30.2012 (UP No Longer Leftist)

2012-01-30T10:27:00.002+11:00

The atmosphere inside UP Diliman has changed over the past few years. Since the tuition fee increase, it has been observed that membership in leftist organizations has dwindled. The political atmosphere is unlike before and the new breed is now accused by the leftist to be lax and apathetic.

It seems however that the former “activists” in UP Diliman should learn one thing from the current students inside UP Diliman. We should all learn that there are different forms of activism and hitting the streets with red banners is not the only way to fight the system or to fight something (not necessarily the system). Not going to a rally doesn’t make any UP student less of an Isko or Iska because a real Iskolar ng Bayan should be presenting solutions to a problem and not make things worse. (Photo via obamaism.blogspot.com)

(Sigrid Salucop)

UP Diliman Fishball, Isaw Unsafe

2012-01-27T19:09:00.001+11:00

Photo via sentinelpatricio.wordpress.com

The Department of Science and Technology and the Center for International Migration and Development say UP Diliman's street food are unsafe. CIM food safety consultant Dietmar Speckmaier said that the results of the tests conducted in UP Diliman, Davao, CDO, and Laguna are "basically the same". Speckmaier cautioned the public regarding the consumption of street food in these areas as well as other places that sell local fare like isaw, fishballs, kwek-kwek, etc.

The initial findings showed significant amounts of salmonella and E.coli -the amount confirmed to be large enough to make people sick. In an interview, Speckmaier made it clear that CIM is "not trying to destroy the food street vendors sector" but is "trying to groom this sector".

CIM is said to be eyeing a food safety training program for street vendors for the sector to be able to comply with sanitation standards.

Diliman Diary blog: 01.25.2012

2012-01-25T15:16:00.000+11:00

Marxism is a joke. Its bankrupt philosophies ended up enslaving millions of people, especially in Eastern Europe and Asia, and resulted in untold numbers of deaths worldwide through spin-off sub-ideologies resulting in massacres such as the derivative Cultural Revolution(via Maoism), Cambodian Killing Fields and the Bolshevist massacres of the White Russians.

And was it not Marx himself who coined the slogan, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" in his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Program? It is from this slogan that the Socialist states' model of centralized socialist planning started which resulted in the deprivation of the masses, while members of the Communist Party apparatchik lived in obscene luxury. Meantime the wealth of the Socialist nations was exported for hard currency, rather than uplifting the well-being of their peoples.

There has been no successful socialist state that I can think of in the modern era that I can think of that has succeeded in uplifting the quality of life of its people. On the contrary, it is worldwide socialism, and not capitalism that has been dumped into the dustbin of history.

The PKP and the CPP-NPA have been around for most of the last century in this country, and they have never come close to attaining their so-called strategic offensive stage (perhaps the closest was between 1983 to 1986). Even in this country it is clear that people want something else than what socialism has to offer.

It of course behooved Marx to undermine the authority of the established church (in this case, the Catholic Church, since he was German), since he regarded this institution as being a competitor for hearts and minds, and thus power of the masses. It is important to understand the motivation of this author in writing the way that he did.

The Catholic Church is a living, organic entity, obviously made up of fallible human beings. But if the Church was so bankrupt, it would have fallen by the wayside of Marxism, Leninism, Maoism, etcetera two thousand years ago. It never has. Scientific Materialism, or even dialectical maeterialism can never adequately satisfy the human being's intrinsic hunger for faith and God.

It is impossible to reduce the component parts of the DNA molecule, for example to mere physics and chemistry. It is so obvious that there is something that animates mere matter that science itself has been unable to explain. Put another way, "Although a DNA molecule cannot exist without physical properties, these properties are constrained by higher level ordering principles." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism). That higher level principle is God himself.

And so some of us continue to believe in the primacy of the Catholic Church: exploitative though it has been; obscene and immoral as it can be. It has admittedly been an albatross around our necks in this country for many centuries, as has been vividly described by Jose P. Rizal in his Noli and Fili. But going back in time, minus the doctrine and the dogma of centuries, the power of the Church, especially the early Church, harkens back to the faith of simple fishermen which Jesus liked to a rock or a foundation. In Matthew 16:18 scripture says that Jesus told Peter: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church."

It is on the strength of this phrase that some of us recognize the primordial primacy of the Catholic Church over derivative sects.

But going back to dialectical materialism, let us not forget that the Communists, once they had imprisoned and murdered the Orthodox priests in their native Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Catholic priests in East Germany, Poland and so on also banned all forms of "superstitious" rituals, worship of religious icons, saints, etcetera. Once they had done this, they had to invent their own empty meaningless rituals, which is itself a criticism of dialectical materialism which sought "The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness."

Marxism had the opportunity to provide so-called "real happiness" to the people of Poland, East Germany, Romania, USSR which fell like dominoes at the hands of the disgruntled masses whom their masters claimed they were serving.

The bottom-line is this: People are hungry for faith. They want to believe in a force larger than themselves. They want to believe in a God: because neither ideology nor wealth, nor any other form of materialism is enough to satisfy this intrinsic hunger. This is why the Communist regimes were toppled. This is why people still go to Church. This is why Communism cannot succeed in this country.

And focusing on the issue that truly matters, as in what is worth living and dying for, we are faced with the historical reality and the simple truth that, 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:4).

(Chanda Shahani)

Celebrating The Chinese New Year With Manny O. Wines

2012-01-24T06:27:00.001+11:00

by Sigrid Salucop

A flood of women in red gowns and men wearing the same color greeted the Manny O. party upon our arrival at the Manila Hotel. The event started with the traditional dragon dance while guests sipped Manny O’s red wine and snacked on dumplings. While the Philippines’ King of Talk Boy Abunda was happily hosting the event with Feng Shui expert Marites Allen, we spotted Manila’s mayor Alfredo Lim, members of the glitterati, and a few celebrities.

From L-R Princess Tishreen Mariam I. Bahjin from the Royal House of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, Sigrid Salucop, and Manny O. Wines' Brand Manager Yes Tirol Dumagan

The Chinese New Year is an important event in the Philippines’ Chinese community and is also welcomed with a grand festivity among many Filipinos. While Allen talked about the Year of the Water Dragon, those who were not intently listening to her Feng Shui advice started reading the Horoscope Forecast for 2012 that Allen wrote.

The Chinese New Year celebration also known as the Spring Festival in Mainland China has been brought to the Philippines by Chinese traders centuries ago. The festival itself has been around for centuries and involves several myths and traditions. In the case of the Manila Hotel celebration however, the festivity was a good mix of modern elegance and Chinese rituals.

From L-R Rachelle Ann de Guman, Princess Tishreen, Boy Abunda, Sigrid Salucop

The King of Talk Boy Abunda and Manny O. Wines' Brand Manager Yes Tirol Dumagan

After the dragon dance and dividing the participants according to their animal year groups guests drank more wine courtesy of Manny O. The merrymaking continued and while we were on our way to the hotel’s parking lot, we took the chance of taking a few photos with Boy Abunda while Manny O. Wines’ Brand Manager Yes Tirol Dumagan discussed a few things with the talk show host. It seems there’s nothing better than starting the Chinese New Year right by doing business.

At the parking lot, guests were given a balloon each. The balloons served as messengers to the heavens for the wishes of the people who participated in the celebration. Before the clock struck 12:01 however, we chanted the Tibetan Mantra of Chenrezi Om Mani Padme Hum. The mantra either sung out loud or silently invokes the blessings and attention of the benevolent Chenrezig –the deity of compassion. According to experts, these four words cannot be translated into one simple phrase but it does invoke all the teachings of Buddhism. The usual explanation however involves the growth of a lotus flower and how wonderful it is that it can still look beautiful even if it grows from muddy water.

The balloons were released at exactly 12:01 on January 23, 2011

Hundreds of wishes aim for the sky

Still holding a wine glass filled with Manny O.’s finest wine, I chanted with over a hundred people before we finally released the balloons to the heavens. We were all facing the southeast –the direction where according to Marites Allen, wealth and happiness will be coming from this year. Like any other New Year’s celebration, we greeted the Chinese New Year with fireworks.

After the beautiful fireworks display, we headed back inside the hotel to partake in the festivity's prosperity dinner. Before the sumptuous meal however, each table had to mix the prosperity salad for good luck. The prosperity dinner is an important part of the celebration because the dishes symbolize luck, wealth, and longevity for the new year. The buffet included an array of sumptuous dishes such as Dried Fried Shrimp Glazed with Almonds, Steamed Garoupa Fillet in Brown Sauce, and of course, Tikoy or Nian Gao.

The prosperity salad is a mix of pomelo, dried cranberries, nuts, sliced mangoes in clam sauce, carrots, cucumbers and a sprinkling of black and white pepper among other ingredients.

The auspicious meal was prepared by Manila Hotel's Executive Chinese Chef Sun Bing

Manny O. Wines is a major sponsor of the grand festivity at the Manila Hotel held January 22-23, 2012. An award-winning company, Manny O. Wines brought home 8 major awards from Hong Kong’s International Wine competition last November 2011.

Salvador P. Lopez conference highlights U.P.'s current problems

2012-01-22T23:08:00.112+11:00

By Chanda Shahani

A conference on the achievements and times of U.P. President Salvador P. Lopez held on January 19, 2012 at Faculty Center, U.P. Diliman highlighted the current problems now currently being faced by the University of the Philippines (U.P.) System.

The conference, entitled the Salvador P. Lopez Centennial Academic Conference dwelled on several themes which were relevant during S.P. Lopez's term of office as U.P. President from 1969 to 1975, and which have applicability to the situation facing the U.P. System even today.

U.P. President Pascual makes comparisons between his term and that of of former President Lopez

Speaking at the conference, U.P. President Alfredo E. Pascual said that his term began in 2010 as the 20th U.P. President. He said that the challenges facing former President Lopez were vastly different compared to today's job of managing a university system which, "as massive as U.P. is, is never easy."

He said that the idea of a U.P. System was originally conceptualized by S.P. Lopez in 1969 and that it was meant to be one overarching entity made up of organized but separate entities.

He said that the four pillars referred to by S.P. Lopez in running a university were still valid today. He said these four pillars were:

Accessibility
Democratization
Relevance
Autonomy

He said that the inspiration for creating a U.P. System was inspired by the University of California System with its flagship campus being U.C. Berkeley, which was roughly analogous to U.P. Diliman.

Pascual said the U.P. System was trying to develop linkages with various UC units, and that he was already in discussion with UC Berkeley's Health Sciences System wherein they are trying to develop a joint research institute with U.P.

He said that his administration faced challenges "unheard of in the time of S.P. Lopez." He pointed out that the U.P. System was made up of seven (7) constituent universities and one (1) autonomous college

Pascual narrated that the U.P. System itself "was tsked to ensure that all autonomous units develop to maximum completion." He pointed out that the differeent U.P. units were in different stages of development, with U.P. Manila, Diliman and Los Baños being the most favored.

He said that the overall vision was to equalize the standards throughout the U.P. System. Consequentially, and as a symbolic move, he said that since the graduates of the different constituent universities should be of the same caliber, that U.P.'s plan was to remove the name of the constituent universities from all of U.P.'s diplomas as a "symbolic move."

Unifying standards and quality assurance

President Pascual said that it was imprtant for U.P. to ensure a system-wide implementation of quality assurance. However, potential problems existed with the autonomy of U.P. units which "is an issue that is fraught with danger," he said.

He said the existence of different university councils among the different U.P. constituent unversities compounded the problem of standards. "There is no formal system at the system level at unifying reforms, for example, of the General Education Program," he said, adding that the value of general education is seen in conferences on education that he has attended all over Asia.

To unify the actions of the U.P. System, you must rely on the oneness of vision among its officials, he said.

He said that he would invoke Article 50 of the U.P. Code which gives the U.P. President the blanket discretion to modify any resolution of any body of the university in order to ensure that any collegial decisions made by lower-ranking bodies were consistent with U.P.'s overall vision.

U.P. Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma highlights UPD's problems

Speaking also at the conference, U.P. Diliman Chancellor Caesar saloma said that UPD has 136 degree programs offering the Ph.D. degree but only 73 Ph.D. graduates are produced by UPD every year. In other words, there are more programs than there are graduates. He traced this to the iffy quality of mentoring now in place in UPD and said this has to improve.

Chancellor Saloma said that U.P. Diliman has 1535 faculty members, but that only 528 or 36% of them had Ph.D.'s Of the existing Ph.D. holders, 46% of them were 56 years old and above; meaning that close to half were nearing retirement age.

The bottom-line is that there is a shortage of Ph.D.'s now in the UPD faculty, and aggressive measures will have to be undertaken to improve these numbers in order for UPD to remain a leading educational institution in the country.

He also said the Philippine population had increased by 20 million from 1999 to 2010, which resultd in more pressures being put on U.P. to provide more services, but without a corresponding increase in budget. He said that U.P. thus had a potent argument to increase government subsidies given the huge impact of population pressures on U.P, to provide more services.

Open forum, a former Faculty Regent questions U.P.'s policy on Corporatization

During the open forum with President Pascual, former Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo agreed with President Pascual that U.P. was on the right track to continue ensuring academic excellence, democratic governance and academic freedom.

However, Professor Taguiwalo expressed concern with U.P.'s policy of increasing "corporatization," which played into the hands of neoliberal advocates who wanted public universities such as U.P. to be subjected to market forces rather than as universities with a public character. She asked how the U.P. President would address this concern.

Answering Professor Taguiwalo's question, President Pascual said that U.P., did not have professionals among its administrators, unlike some other universities. He said all the supervisors of the university were derived from the faculty; and this helped ensure the university's public character.

President Pascual said that he came from the enviornment of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) where the faculty there were jealous of safeguarding their role in running the affairs of the institute; rather thanletting professional managers call the shots.

But President Pascual was firm in advocating what he said was a global trend of increasing corporatization that U.P. could not escape. He said that U.P. should instead strive "to create its own brand" of corporatization with the overall consensus of its faculty.

Rock My Heart Round 2

2012-01-20T18:02:00.002+11:00

Another fundraiser for Zoei will take place on March according to her mom. Called as the Zoei Project among Nouella's friends, a number of small fundraisers has been done to help hit the Php 2 million needed for Zoei's surgery in the United States. The said operation cannot be done in the Philippines due to the lack of equipment and lack of specialists who can perform the procedure.

The UP Grammermons -a group of UP Diliman alumni pretending to be grammatically challenged sold shirts last year for Zoei's sake. Just last month, Amrey's Kitchen sold uber delicious cakes and pastries for the Zoei Project as well.

Rock My Heart will include a number of bands who agreed to play at the concert for free. Rumor has it that the tickets will include a free drink. The Diliman Diary is yet to hear from Mrs. Abig regarding the exact date of Rock My Heart.

You can send your donation to:

Banco de Oro (BDO)
Nouella Laura P. Abig
4690105815

or donate through PayPal
nouella.penullarabig@yahoo.com

U.P. President highlights significant issues in U.P.'s financing

2012-01-20T00:26:00.066+11:00

By Chanda Shahani

There is a worldwide trend that points to declining support by governments for education; and the University of the Philippines (U.P.) System needs to take concerte steps to address this reality in the Philippines, said U.P. President Alfredo E. Pascual.

Speaking on January 19, 2012 at the Salvador P. Lopez Centennial Academic Conference held at Faculty Center, U.P. Diliman, Pascual said that while U.P. needs to intensify its campaign for more subsidy from the national government, there were other steps that U.P. must and should implement to bolster its finances.

These are:

Develop U.P.'s land grant and other properties, such as the U.P.-AyalaLand technohub located along Comonwealth Avenue in Diliman Quezon City. Pascual said that since the U.p. Charter of 2008 (R.A. 9500) said that all U.P.'s land grants were for the use of the national university; the revenue derived from leasingout U.p. lands to Ayala Land, Inc., were meant for the entire national university, and not just U.P. Diliman alone. The same concept would apply to other U.P. lands outside U.P. Diliman. Any revenues derived from such would go towards the funds of the U.P. System which were held collectively, he said. He said the reason for this was that the level of endowmenets varied across constituent units; depending on accident and history, not design.
With regards to Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) or "pork barrel" initiatives of congress, he said that that at least PhP 6.2 billion were allocated to U.P. in previous General Appropriations Acts (GAA) in Congress, but were not fully released to U.P. It was time that U.P., reclaimed these lost funds, he said.
He said that grants, endowmenets and scholarships should be coordinated through common fund raising efforts in order to maximize targets.
General alumni support needed to be tapped, he said. A spirit of giving among the alumni needed to be strenghtned, Pascual said.
Overhead costs needed to be brought down even further. One way that this could be done was to foster the development of the e-U.P. software and hardware system where both payrolls and procurement needs across the U.P. System could be consolidated for greater economies of scale and efficiencies.
He also said that U.P. had to find ays and means to maximize trust funds and earnings and thus pool resources under the control of one individual system. "It's better to have one portfolio in order to diversify risks and maximize returns," he said. He said that U.P. could easilyt double its earnings from its combined trust and other funds which totalled about PhP 10 billion.
He also said that U.P. needed to start harnessing the provisions of the U.P. Charter where it should take advantage of the fact that it was zero VAT rated. This means that U.P. does not have to pay 12% Value Added Tax in such diverse expenses such as electricity and purchase of construction materials or services.

"U.P. is not immune to the problems of other higher institutions," Pascual said, adding that "The annual amounts given by the government to U.P. are not enough for U.P. to develop and grow."

Doctor Love: Women Are From Venus, Men Are From Mars

2012-01-18T01:00:00.033+11:00

While a 20-something guy friend is talking about getting laid, 20-something me is being emotional. These are two different things of course and one is not related to the other but it made me realize how different men and women are even if some women and some men have commonalities.

A German magazine I read published a scientific study months ago, the study said that we are related to apes –now this is hardly surprising news but what the scientists found is that women and men are more related to apes than to each other. Is it really true that women are from Venus and men are from Mars? Under these circumstances how does one even find the right person to be with if men and women are so different? It is no wonder that some men date other men while some women marry each other.

On Thinking Too Much

Women have a tendency to think too much when it comes to their relationships –Why hasn’t he called? Why hasn’t he emailed? Does he still love me?

A man would say that there is really nothing to decipher since men are used to straight talk and they will tell you if they like you or if they don’t but often there are grey areas and these are the areas that women dread. These grey areas drive us to ask ourselves a number of questions we cannot answer. One has to remember however that often, women jump into conclusions and often, we just end up hurting ourselves.

If he hasn’t booked the next date or hasn’t sent you an email, he is most definitely not that into you. Do you remember that movie of the same title? There are bits of information women can learn from that movie. If he doesn’t return your calls, it may be better to just leave him be. If he really likes you or love you for that matter, he will do something about it. Don’t go around pushing him or fighting for a spot in his heart because if you have to fight for a spot then it is probably not worth it.

When it comes to how men think, women must understand that men process information in a different manner. Women are global thinkers and take into consideration all sorts of information. Men on the other hand have a tendency to work on a problem repeatedly rather than addressing it all at once. Now these are just tendencies and are not absolute.

Cheaters Never Win?

Men and women are different through and through and I am not just talking about the birds and the bees. According to statistics, 60% of Filipino men cheat on their wives. This study was done in the mid-90s, it must be much worse now. The latter part of that sentence has no supporting evidence though so let's focus on what we know.

Women cheat too but did you know that being emotionally attached to someone else is also defined as cheating by some women?

Under Philippine law, a married woman can go to jail if she is seen holding hands with a man other than her husband while a man cheating on his wife must be caught in the act so that the wife can file charges against him. In the Philippines, both in matrimony and in politics, cheaters seem to win.

Tell Me How You Feel

Women are more verbal than men. If you remember Tarzan saying to Jane, “Me Tarzan, you Jane” this practically explains it all. Only very few men can tell you how they really feel. Women on the other hand can voice their emotions pretty easily.

Physical, Biological

No one would argue about the physical differences between men and women. Our physical differences have functional advantages and of course survival value. Men have body strength, have thicker skin that rarely bruise and they have thicker skulls too. This means that calling a man thick-headed is not at all far fetched.

Men are built for physical confrontation that is why they are more reckless than women. Women on the other hand have more neurons and can access both the left and the right sides of their brains. This is the explanation on why women can multitask while men (who only have access to one side of their brains) have a tendency to solve problems one step at a time.

Now this leads us to solving problems –any problem for that matter. Psychologist Michael G. Conner found that if one places a group of teenage boys and a group of teenage girls in a maze, the two groups would be solving the problem in a different manner. According to Conner, the boys build a chain of command and in this particular study, the boys explored the maze through the use of scouts. The girls on the other hand did not establish a chain of command and explored the maze together. Relationships among girls have a tendency to be co-equal and the use of collective intelligence is enforced.

The conclusion? We might be different but we can still get along..or not. Agree to disagree maybe?

Photos via

desicomments.com

guardian.co.uk

weird-websites.info

Questions? Comments? Reactions?

You may email Doctor Love at

dr.lovebytes@gmail.com

DCAAP in Diliman on February 9 to 10, 2011

2012-01-17T18:17:00.001+11:00

There will be a 2-day-training for technical writing on February 9 to 10 at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City. The event, organized by the Development Center for Asia Africa Pacific (DCAAP) will be given certificates of completion.

To join, you may send an email to info.dcaap@yahoo.com or to dcaapintl@gmail.com. You may also contact (632) 926-9522. You would have to pay a Php 2000 fee.

DCAAP, a global consulting firm that organizes research and development programs in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific based in Manila has already helped a number of organizations in 43 countries not only in Asia and Africa but also Europe. The organization also provides inter-country research as well as study tours and consultancy.

UP Diliman Calls For Justice

2012-01-13T06:05:00.000+11:00

The Online Community Newspaper of the University of the Philippines Diliman calls on President Benigno Aquino III to defend the rights of UP students and its faculty members especially those who were detained, the ones who have gone missing and the ones who were killed because of their political affiliations.

The arrest of UP Diliman students and professors is hardly surprising news but through the years, the rights of individuals have been trampled on while government officials and the mainstream media turned a blind eye. Those who studied in the University of the Philippines Diliman already know that calling for justice and holding protests to call on government officials is almost an everyday occurrence.

The University’s commitment to be a catalyst in Philippine politics and in the Philippine society has maligned the University’s reputation though. Today, it is no secret that the Philippine military brands anyone from UP as very left-wing even if not everyone from the University is a leftist.

E-Cigarettes, Smoking, and Addictive Personalities

2012-01-12T11:00:00.000+11:00

By Sigrid Salucop

Photo via publichealthforums.com

We’ve heard this a lot of times before –smoking is bad for you but those who are addicted to smoking just can’t kick the habit. From nicotine patches to chewing candy to pills to quitting cold turkey, what other choices does a smoker have?

Addictive Personality and Smoking

A report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism titled “Alcohol and Tobacco” says that heavy smokers usually have addictive personalities and that most heavy smokers are likely to abuse alcohol as well.

Another study back in 2007 has found a link between other addictions and smoking. Carolyn Schaefer Placko’s study on smoking revealed that 70% of alcoholics are also chain smokers. Six years before these studies were done, an article on addictive personality was published in the Encyclopedia of Psychology stating that people who get addicted easily use their addiction to soothe anxiety and to drown uncomfortable emotions. If this is the case, is there a possibility for a smoker to quit smoking through therapy? There is no clear cut answer to this question because experts believe that a smoker would have to have the will to stop smoking because if he or she does not want to stop smoking, therapy won’t work. Commitment is a very important thing when an individual chooses to go through therapy.

E-cigarette Review: Is it time to switch?

Photo via e-cigarettez.blogspot.com

E-health cigarette, an electronic cigarette brand sold in the Philippines holds a promise for those who would like to quit smoking. E-cigarettes became popular in the Philippines when many Starbucks branches within the metro banned smoking in their premises.

In the Diliman area alone, many Starbucks patrons in the coffee shop’s Matalino branch started using e-cigarettes inside the café just days after the issuance of the ban. Although these cigarettes look cool, they aren’t like the real thing.

The first thing one would notice is that it is more difficult to suck that nicotine out of the e-cigarette compared to smoking real cigarettes. There is an advantage of having an e-cigarette though because you can finally smoke in air conditioned places without having to worry about non-smokers getting annoyed by you.

In terms of health, switching from real cigarettes to the electronic version is a good thing because one can choose the nicotine content in the cartridges that they buy. Another way to finally get rid of nicotine addiction is to switch from nicotine cartridges to those that do not have nicotine.

If you have seen someone smoking an e-cigarette before, you would notice that there is still smoke coming from the user’s mouth. This is a good thing because it simulates the experience. However, chain smokers do not like it because of the smell. There is also a sweet after taste when one smokes an e-cigarette but this depends on the flavor one chooses.

If you work in an air conditioned place and then go out for a smoke, the contents of the cartridges will “melt” once you step outside. This is a minor disadvantage of course but if you get irritated by it, it is better not to switch.

For those who would like to save money in the long term, getting an e-cigarette today would be a good idea because you’d only be buying your cartridges instead of a P36 pack of Marlboros. The cartridges last a long time and one cartridge is equal to about 10 cigarettes.

Although those who are addicted not only those who are addicted to cigarettes usually do not know how to stop the addiction, it may be time to look for other reasons other than your own health.

#ItsMoreFunInDiliman

2012-01-10T18:11:00.001+11:00

The Its More Fun in the Philippines ads circulating allover social networking sites Facebook and Twitter has inspired Twitter users from the University of the Philippines Diliman to make their own.

Photo by Jolly Estaris

Jogging #ItsMoreFunInDiliman –it is more fun indeed especially when stark naked frat boys are jogging around the Academic Oval as well.

Unfortunately, the photo above is the only “ad” for #ItsMoreFunInDiliman but the Diliman Diary suspects that UPD students are now editing some photos or even taking photos to add to the #ItsMoreFunInDiliman hype.

If you are from the University of the Philippines Diliman, it might be time for you to get a short break from reviewing for your Midterms and take photos for #ItsMoreFunInDiliman.

Diliman Diary Blog: 12.06.2012

2012-01-06T20:13:00.000+11:00

Social networking has given power to many internet users in terms of voicing their opinions. It has made a lot of things possible –getting a certain number of signatures for petitions became faster and people no longer had to directly spend money to communicate to anyone thanks to private messaging capabilities of social networking sites.

Although this freedom is being enjoyed completely in other parts of the world, in some countries, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are banned. We could say we are lucky really but just yesterday, in a country where mass media has so much freedom, a friend of mine was blocked by the news channel ANC just because he said the news they posted is irrelevant. He added in his comment however that this is hardly surprising because ANC is a corporate-owned news outlet and that it is only interested in getting ads in or sponsors and not necessarily give importance to news itself.

It seems that the media in the Philippines specifically ABS-CBN has a tendency to feed crap to the masses and also have the audacity to not broadcast news that would hurt their interests.

2012-01-04T03:30:00.001+11:00

You Can Help Typhoon Sendong Victims

2012-01-02T18:05:00.000+11:00

If you haven’t had the chance to help fellow Filipinos from the southern part of the country, you can do so today just by liking a page. 7 ELEVEN in partnership with Philippine Red Cross recently launched a campaign to send up 1 Million pesos to Typhoon Sendong victims in Northern Mindanao.

According to the page which one can view here, one “like” will be translated to P10.

Various companies both Philippine-based and multinational ones have been doing their own campaigns to send help in Northern Mindanao. Even small companies such as RareJob have sent over P400, 000. The said effort was a success thanks to its Filipino tutors, staff and the company’s CEO.

Happy New Year to our Readers! Have a Safe New Year's Celebration With the Diliman Diary and DOH!

2011-12-31T12:07:00.010+11:00

U.P. Diliman 2010 Lantern Parade fireworks display

Are you stuck at home during New Year's Eve? Abroad and unable to come back in time for the New Year's celebrations back in the Philippines? Or do you simply plan to save your digits from being mangled during the New Year's Eve celebration by enjoying a virtual fireworks celebration? Do you plan on staying indoors to avoid stray bullets hurtling back to earth and causing more than just a passing headache? Then hang out with us at the Diliman Diary and enjoy a virtual celebration. All you need is a laptop, PC or netbook adjusted to full volume to enjoy the virtual sound of celebration and firecrackers and fireworks. These audio files are courtesy of the Department of Health (DOH) website with their Goodbye Paputok project. The DOH Hotline may be accessed at number 672-7177.

Enjoy these audio files which may be used in lieu of actual and more dangerous firecrackers and fireworks. Save your digits, and just download these audio files of exploding fireworks and firecrackers from the DOH-designated website: And Happy 2012 to our readers from the editors of the Diliman Diary! :-)

Diliman Diary blog: 12.31.2011

2011-12-31T01:05:00.002+11:00

Photo via free-extras.com

I love trees, they make places look more pleasant but it’s not just its social benefits that we should focus on. What happened in Iligan City has made a lot of people investigate what went wrong and what Filipinos can do to prevent this from happening again. The answer of course boils down to planting more trees. The benefits of having trees around can be categorized into communal, economic, environmental, and social benefits which will be discussed below.

Social

Photo via dreamstime.com

Their social relevance does not only touch beautification of the environment but also the lives of those who have planted them. Often, we associate ourselves with the trees we have planted, and sometimes we even carve hearts on them to show the world we made a promise to love someone forever since trees seem to last forever minus of course the fact that some trees are also cut down. Do you remember that song that goes, tie a yellow ribbon on the old oak tree? It's a reminder of one social benefit -the kind that one can never replace i.e. memories.

Environmental

Trees moderate the climate. They improve the quality of the air that we breathe, they help in conserving water and also encourages wildlife. In the case of Iligan City, trees would have prevented the flood.

Communal

Photo via philippineforesttrees.blogspot.com

Trees are usually private property especially when planted on a private land but even if they are owned by someone else, the community benefits in having them around. In cities, trees are very important because they have several engineering and architectural functions and also provide privacy for townhouses, emphasize views of certain buildings and in the case of large cities in the Philippines –screen out views that aren’t so nice to look at. Apart from all these, trees also reduce glare and reflection making driving during the daytime a lot easier. They are also a great way to direct pedestrian traffic and prevent people from walking too far from the sidewalk.

Economic

Trees have value even when they are not cut down. However since there are a number of species, it is difficult to determine their exact economic value. I remember one of my professors in the National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG) saying that we should compute the amount of oxygen being produced by one tree multiplied by the cost i.e. oxygen in tanks that hospitals use and declare that as the value of the tree. This means that if a logger cuts one tree down without replacing it, the logger would have to pay for the oxygen costs since he or she has just deprived a number of individuals a certain amount of oxygen in the air. This is of course very drastic but it shows that no one seem to think of trees in such a point of view. If everyone did, no one would probably cut down a tree without replacing it with ten trees.

The direct economic benefit of having trees around has something to do with energy costs. For example, a house that has a lot of trees around it would not require the use of air conditioning all the time. Homes with lots of trees also have more value than homes without trees. Landscaped homes cost a lot these days so this means that if you are planning to sell your home at one point, it would be best to invest on trees.

(By Sigrid Salucop)