The University of the Philippines bore witness to our militant history of collective struggle. It has been a testament to the tide and ebb of our national affairs which have propelled thousands of students to forge an inextricable link with various sectors in our society in our clamor for a common aspiration—genuine social change.

At the dawn of the decade 60’s, the country was swept by the massive waves of rage and discontent among the youth, laborers and peasants and other sectors of the society weary of the existing social order favoring foreign interests and the ruling class. It was further aggravated by the government’s incapacity to ease the worsening crisis, tolerance for corruption and the use of fascism to quell the progressive mass movement.

At the height of political repression, the students of the University took both issues of national and local significance to the streets: from tuition fee increases, campus repression and the fight for academic freedom to US imperialism and its war of aggression in Vietnam, oil price hikes, land reform and decent wages for the workers.

Youth organizations that were founded in the University along with University professors propelled the progressive movement in the campus as they packaged militant ideas in fora, convocations, cultural performances, educational and classroom discussions and teach-ins.

As a reaction to the government’s inaction involving the release of its 9-millon budget, the Council of Leaders which includes traditional organizations, fraternities and sororities and progressive organizations such as the Kabataang Makabayan, Student Cultural Association of the University of the Philippines and the University Student Council led the picket protest.

The USC presented the general demands of various sectors in the University which included the recognition of all student organizations and the granting of autonomy to all student formations, security of tenure for the faculty, transparency in the affairs of the University among others. Such became known as the General Strike of 1969 which paralyzed the operations of the entire University and secured the victory of our demands.

For so many years until today, the gains of the General Strike and our fight for our democratic rights have been a mark of popular sentiment among various sectors as a precursor for collective action. The 1969 action verifies the fact that mass actions are indispensible in our collective struggle as the major stakeholders of the University. In and by itself, it has proven that it is our most potent weapon in our struggle to defend the gains of the student movement as we strive to achieve greater victories.

Up until now, the student movement continues to seek and uphold their democratic rights in the University. July 2008, different student formations united once again to petition to the administration the reclaim of their democratic rights through the 18 general student demands. Included in the demands are the right to tambayan, to peaceably assemble, student representation in all policy-making bodies, free use of university facilities, recognition of all student organizations, transparency in accounting of laboratory fees, and the rollback of tuition.

Four decades after the victorious General Strike and in the midst of the movement for the reclaim of such, the democratic space gained by the collective action of students is in threat of being completely seized by the administration through the passage of the 2009 Code of Student Conduct. The said Code will cancel out and curtail the basic democratic rights of students enshrined in the basic statutes of our justice system and recognized by other humanitarian laws.

At a time that our democratic rights are threatened by anti-student policies borne out of the administration’s intent to reshape the university into a commercialized institution, we are called upon to register critical dissent and launch mass actions for only in participating in such shall we be able to pursue our rights and defend the gains of the movement former UP student have paid for dearly.

Anyway, last night, since all the other cinemas were booked because of Transformers: The Revenge of The Fallen, we found ourselves rediscovering the cinemas of Metro Manila’s first mall (okay, apparently, Harrison Plaza claims to be the older mall). The last time I was at the cinemas of Ali Mall was two or three years ago, when it was still all dingy and dark. It was the opening weekend then, I think, of The Da Vinci Code, and my friends and I gave up upon seeing the humongous crowd at Gateway Mall in Cubao. Upon my suggestion, we walked to Ali Mall and watched the movie in its large, decrepit, and largely empty cinema. Last night to our pleasant surprise, however, it’s a lot, lot better. Together with the rest of the mall, the cinemas have been renovated. The large cinema has been divided into three smaller and cozier modern theaters that look like the cinemas at Gateway. And since I don’t think a lot of people are aware of Ali Mall’s recent transformation, the box office lines were pleasantly short.

Transformers was a great visual treat. Nothing artsy-fartsy. Funny how I think like a law student sometimes even when watching movies. The moment Sam’s family home was destroyed my first thought was, damn, I wonder if their house is insured (or if the insurance policy will cover destruction by robot).

Kabataan Party-list commemorated last June 19, 2009 the 148th birth anniversary of national hero Jose Rizal and its founding anniversary with a Youth Action Day against the convening of a constituent assembly and charter change.

The Youth Action Day kicked off with a Morning Jog against Cha-Cha at 8:00 in the morning around Rizal Park. After which, youth and student leaders led by Kabataan Party-list Mong Palatino went back to the Rizal Monument to offer a wreath symbolizing the youth’s respect and honor for the national hero.

In the main program held in Luneta, Palatino said that “Rizal should be honored for his patriotism and nationalism and today’s youth should all be made aware of the lessons he bequeathed upon us.”

Palatino said, “It was Rizal who said that ‘There can be no tyrants where there are no slaves.’ His words ring true today when our youth and people are being confronted with attempts to discard democracy and wield a modern-day dictatorship. It is just fitting that we commemorate Rizal Day with the youth’s resounding call against Arroyo’s cha-cha and tyranny.”

Students from different schools in Metro Manila were in attendance. National youth groups such as the National Union of Students of the Philippines, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, League of Filipino Students, Anakbayan, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, and Kristiyanong Kabataan para sa Bayan were also present.

Youth and student leaders capped the program with a Youth Pledge and collective signing of a petition campaign spearheaded by alliance Kabataan Kontra Cha-Cha.

In the afternoon, students from the University of the Philippines - Diliman held a noise barrage along Katipunan Avenue to protest against Con-Ass and Charter Change.

It was modern thinking that placed a high premium on Consent as a foundation of law. Consent has a transformative moral power, but it has its own pitfall: it can transform a wrongful action into a rightful one. If Manny Pacquiao had knocked down Ricky Hatton outside of the ring, he would have been prosecuted for serious physical injuries.

Still, this philosophy stems from the core belief that all men are reasonable, and that Reason will then lead us all to a single, unassailable conclusion. This legal theory, stridently discussed in Malcolm Hall, is relentlessly tested in practice. We note two particular instances: in proposals for a new code for student discipline in Diliman, and for a constituent assembly to change the Charter.

When the UP administration moved for the codification of student rules sometime in 2005, students were only allowed piecemeal participation. In a university where 80% of students are older than 18 years – the age of consent – the lack of active and inclusive student participation is suspect. The drafting of the Code undermines the basic right of students to be consulted, represented, and decide in the formulation of policies that affect their rights and welfare.

UMAKSYON last year joined 100 other student organizations, in submitting to the Board of Regents an 18-point demand “reclaiming the rights of student organizations in the University of the Philippines”. The document specifically demanded student council control over two properties; softer rules on organization and assembly; and secure student representation or participation in important campus activities.

In contrast, the draft Diliman Student Code emphasizes that the use of university facilities and the use of a tambayan is a grant, a privilege. It also offered stricter guidelines on student organizations, and barely promised solutions to staffing and appointment issues of student publications and representatives. What the draft code puts forward is a simpler procedure for discipline cases.

The mismatch is worse on the national arena. Charter change during the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has never had the support of the people. Yet still, at a time when citizens are clamoring for economic palliatives – jobs, higher wages, a more beneficial agrarian reform, lower tuition – the Philippine Congress decides to start changing the charter.

Personal political interests have always found their way into the legislature, but never before as daft and brazen. The House of Representatives approved House Resolution 1109, which converts Congress into a Constituent Assembly, before midnight of June 2. The Assembly, which finds no difference between members of the lower and the upper chambers, is legally infirm. It would be, in straightforward terms, a usurpation of power of the Senate by members of the House of Representatives.

Standing to benefit from nine years of similar political machinations is Mrs. Arroyo, one of the slyest UP alumni ever to sit in office. Amidst some of the worst scandals in political history, she was safely tucked in the immunity of public office. Charter change, a new run for office, and a whole motley of exit plans promise to unreasonably, but permanently keep her untouchable.

It will be one large question of political survival for Mrs. Arroyo – and for the Filipino people – after June 30, 2010. As we mark every milestone: her last State of the Nation Address in July, election day in May next year, it won’t take a legal education to answer: would Coercion succeed where Consent cannot?

June 18, 2009
Ugnayan ng Mag-aaral Laban sa Komersyalisasyon (UMAKSYON) UP College of Law

My parents decided to celebrate Fathers’ Day a week earlier this year, probably to avoid the crowds of families this weekend, and more importantly because we will all be probably a little more busy by the time school had already started. So last week, we had lunch out at PowerPlant in Makati. We also did a little family shopping the rest of the afternoon.

Today, the actual day of fathers, we just went to mass, then had pizza at home.

Now I’m just making digests for cases to be discussed in class tomorrow. I’m back to the law school routine, hopefully for good. It’s unfortunate I don’t have much time to write a more profound entry suited for fathers’ day so I guess this will do for now.

We are today’s generation of Filipino youth, young, vibrant and spirited, transcending professions, cultures and boundaries, and to whom the hopes and aspirations for the nation’s future is bequeathed.

Together, we vehemently oppose all attempts by the ruling Arroyo clique and its cronies in Congress to tamper with the Constitution and perpetuate itself in power. We denounce in the strongest possible terms the blatant abuse of power and treachery that have come to characterize this regime.

The shameless display of arrogance and callousness of the Arroyo government sends for all patriotic and freedom-loving young Filipinos to dissent. The signs of times are rallying us to lives of involvement and action.

The youth have always played a pivotal role in ushering in significant changes and junctures in history. We have always been at the forefront of uprisings and revolutions every time the social, political and economic conditions in society become too intolerable for Filipinos to endure.

Today, we have a moral and sacred duty to perform. We cannot remain silent or with our arms crossed. We cannot remain indifferent while our own future as a people and a nation are being compromised for selfish political ambitions. The stakes are too high for us to take a pass.

The Filipino youth are awake and are answering the urgent call of our time. Once again, we reaffirm the youth’s historic role as catalyst of change and renew our resolve to put an end to the tyranny of the Arroyo regime.

We express our solidarity with various church groups, the business sector, people’s organizations and concerned Filipino citizens who have similarly expressed opposition against any attempts of the Arroyo administration to extend her term.

We believe that national leaders should be accountable to the people and that government officials should portray the highest standards of morality and integrity to be able to propel the nation towards genuine progress, justice and peace.

We oppose the convening of a constituent assembly and Arroyo’s charter change on the following grounds:

• Any attempt at charter change by the Arroyo administration would only serve to extend President Arroyo’s regime. With her term expiration nearing, she and her allies in Congress, led by her son Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo, are left to resort to whatever “legal” means are possible to make sure she stays in power after 2010. Arroyo is desperate because she will inevitably have to answer to all the cases filed against her once she is removed from position;
• Charter change can be used by Arroyo to perpetuate herself in power through Martial Law. No different to what Ferdinand Marcos did, charter change can be used by Arroyo to remove the 60-day limit covering the President’s declaration of martial rule and to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus thus allowing the State to arrest anybody without a warrant. Alternately, the power of Congress to revoke the President’s declaration of martial law or the power of the Supreme Court to review the bases of a declaration of martial law can be removed;
• Charter Change will worsen the economic and social crises plaguing the country. All past attempts of charter change have pushed to amend economic provisions barring 100 percent foreign ownership of lands, social institutions, and basic services, industries and infrastructures in the country. This recent attempt through HR 1109 is no different as it explicitly aims to allow foreign interests and entities to dominate the country under the guise of ‘international competitiveness.’ Such a revision will only give way to further foreign exploitation and plunder of our natural resources, indigenous knowledge systems, and domestic human resources;
• Charter change will aggravate the colonial, corrupt and commercial characteristics of Philippine culture, education and mass media; and
• Charter change can allow further foreign intervention and exploitation by allowing one-sided treaties detrimental to national development and progress.

We call on all democracy-loving youth and citizens to stop efforts to change the Constitution before the 2010 elections. The government’s desperate efforts to continuously cling to power have sown deep social discontent and division among the people.

We strongly believe in the sovereign right that rests on the people to change a morally bankrupt and corrupt regime with a conscientious leadership that can genuinely unite the nation and can bring forth meaningful social change.

June 19 is also the founding anniversary of Kabataan Party, currently the only party-list representing the youth sector in the House of Representatives, with advocacies and campaigns inside and outside the halls of Batasan.

On Friday, there will be a whole-day festival of activities to showcase youth unity for change, starting off with “Morning Jog vs. ConAss” at 6 in the morning from Baywalk towards the Manila City Hall where first time voters will collectively register to be able to vote in the 2010 national elections. After the run, a youth mobilization will be held from 10 AM to 12 PM at Luneta, from where participants will embark on a march-parade around schools along Taft and Intramuros.

Participants will then converge in front of the Commission on Elections by 2 PM for a closing program to call for clean and honest elections in 2010. A youth concert will also be held at 6:00 in the afternoon in Quezon City.

See you all there!

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Mong Palatino today said that youth groups will launch a nationwide petition campaign against the convening of a constituent assembly when classes open on Monday, June 15.

“We expect to gather one million signatures until the State of the Nation Address in July. Let this be a testament of how youth and students everywhere despise con-ass and attempts of the Arroyo administration to extend her term,” Palatino said.

Palatino said that Kabataan Party-list will be putting up signature campaign booths in schools and universities nationwide starting Monday.

Palatino’s office would also be sponsoring forums and campus tours dubbed ‘Konsultahang Kabataan’ with the topic, “Con-Ass and the 2010 Elections.’

“We will continue to work despite (Congress being on) recess. We will be reaching out to our constituents nationwide to gather their opinions and unite our ranks against this dreaded con-ass. Expect youth protests to snowball in the following days,” he said.

June 19 Youth Action Day

Palatino also announced that they are preparing for a Youth Action Day on June 19, Rizal Day, and Kabataan Party-list’s founding anniversary.

“There is no better date to showcase youth unity and love for nation than this coming June 19, Rizal Day. Kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan, hindi para sa bukas pa kundi ngayon na when our youth are being confronted with tyrannical attempts to discard our democratic rights,” Palatino said.

June 19, Palatino said, will kick off with a Morning Jog vs. Conass at 6:00 in the morning in Baywalk towards the Manila City Hall where first time voters will collectively register. A main program will be held in Luneta from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, and then participants will embark on a march-parade around Metro Manila schools along Taft and Intramuros.

Participants will then converge in front of the Commission on Elections by 2:00pm for a closing program to call for clean and honest elections in 2010. A youth concert will also be held at 6:00 in the afternoon in Quezon City.

“We call on all democracy-loving youth to join us. Together, let us reject con-ass and demand regime and societal change in 2010,” Palatino said.

Tisay will begin her post-daycare schooling this week as a nursery student at some private school a few minutes from home. I’ve been doing errands for my mom with regard to her enrollment, so I’ve been to her new school a number of times the past week. It’s amusing how some of the people at her school mistook me as her father, that day I took her and bought the prescribed school uniforms. This time, she’d be taking the school bus, so there’d be no need for me to bring her and fetch her from school, as I used to do over the summer, when she was attending daycare school in UP.

A few weekends ago, we went to Amadeo for the Santa Cruzan. We had lunch at the residence of the presidente of the youth council of sorts in the community, organizing the festivities, who happens to be a second cousin also. It was the first time Tisay donned a gown for the parade. Too bad the dress made her itchy all over so she backed out from the parade the last minute. It’s hilarious how young girls are so excited over dressing up and parading, I don’t get it. Not that I’m supposed to.

A weekend ago, the family went out for lunch together at the mall. It’s been a while since we did that. There are those rare times when we’re not all busy with our own preoccupations.