Drill #3

“Meron na po ba kayong memo from OSA regarding dun sa breakdown for the tuition fee increase?”

            These were the words from a representative of the Arts and Letters (AB) Board of Majors regarding plans for tuition hike during the “Speak Up” forum last Feb. 10 held at the Rizal Lecture Hall of the St. Raymund de Peñafort Building.

            The proposed hike was said to be implemented next academic year, raising current fees by 5-8% as plotted by the economic board of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), saying that the funds collated will be used in preparation of the K-12 shift for 2016.

            Arts and Letters Student Council (ABSC) President Majann Lazo answered that she was invited to a meeting along with other leaders from various college bodies for a discussion concerning the said proposal on Feb. 20 which was said to be a private matter. 

 

         On the day of the meeting, student activist gathered in front of the venue to oppose further tuition fee increase, citing that there is no valid reason to do such actions.

           Organized by the Rise for Education and joined by Kabataan Partylist Representative Terry Ridon, the issue was also taken to Twitter, associated with the hastag #AyokongMagmahal making it third place among those who were trending in the Philippines.

            In an interview with Representative Ridon, he said the reason he was there was to show support to the UST community against Tuition and Other Fee Increase (TOFI), adding that since he is a member of the Commision on Higher Education (CHEd), he wanted to make sure that the reason for such increase would not be unwarranted.

            He also said that there would be instances that his presence is acknowledged during hearings conducted by CHEd and he is free to express his side as to why these actions should not be continued.

“Hindi naman tayo nagkukulang doon sa pagkakaroon ng paninindigan na dapat regulated yung pagtaas ng matrikula at pinapabayaan lamang sa mga paaralan and reason kung bakit magtataas,” added Ridon.

            “Kahit anong explain naming ang side ng mga estudyante, of course ipipilit at ipipilit nila yung increase ng [5%-8%],” quoted Lazo after the panel meeting, showing disappointment at the motives of the administration for the said plan.

When asked to give reasons why UST should not hold another increase, she said “[Taas na ng taas] ang tuition, hindi pa ba yun enough? Pangalawa, hindi naman tumataas ang sweldo ng magulang natin. Kung itataas yun, paano na yung mga estudyante na ginagapang talaga ang pagpapa-aral?”

Saying that the hearing was scripted, Lazo further expressed that there are redundant fees (e.g. energy fee, cultural fee) that she said were “exorbitant and dubious”, pointing “these are deceptive on the students’ part.”

If approved, this will be the fifth time UST has held an increase on its education over the last few years, with the previous increase of 3% of the supposed 5%-7% but was arranged by the administration and student council members to have a reduction.

 

Stories to tell: An Interview with Micaela Papa

    

 

 Micaela Papa is known to have been in the business for only four years as a senior correspondent for GMA News, yet she has already gained recognition for her work in the documentary program Brigada entitled “Gintong Krudo”, earning her an award at the prestigious New York Festival. With all the credits she has garnered, she maintains her goal as a journalist: to educate people about what happens.

            During an interview with her at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus, she recalled on how journalism took a toll onto her: “I have been writing for as far as I could remember, though that was always a passion that took a backseat to my true love, which was acting. It never completely went away though, & throughout high school and college I was a member of the student publications, which felt like perfect platforms for my natural stubbornness & tendency to be outspoken when it came to things I truly believed in. In college, I took up Broadcasting, which still gave me a lot of leeway to be in both acting AND journalism. The definitive moment came when I realized I was exhausted with all these acting gigs on the side, and for what? I realized if I had an advocacy, if I wanted to change society, I would be better able to do it through journalism,” she quoted.

            Currently studying at the university for a M.A. degree on Women and Development Studies, she believes that this will help in her profession in the sense that she will give a fair representation of women due to her belief that media has built a misogynistic role for women by featuring more perspectives of men. Citing prostitutes as her example, she tells that they are blamed as suspects but they are also victims of the trade. “It also helps me in the sense that it will help me understand more of the reports that I am assigned to when I do my coverage,” she added.

            When asked on who was the most intimidating person she interviewed, she answered UP Political Science professor Clarita Carlos, saying “I don’t really get intimidated when it comes to interviewing celebrities nor do I get star strucked. I’ll have to say it’s her because she knows her stuff. She research and studies everything in her profession.” 

            The temptation to make a news story does has never crossed her mind, saying that those who do and saying that she knows one but she said it off the record. Adding to her first statement, she said that one must interview the two sides of the story in order to get fair and balanced news without being biased. It also serves the “regularization” of the scoop without negativity being shown it.

            “Nasasaktan din ako when it comes to criticism. Di talaga maiiwasan ang ganyan, especially if you are always shown on [television]. The most widely flak that I get is how I pronounce words having the letter R. Sa totoo lang, hirap talaga ako when it comes to its diction. When reading, nakaka-ilang repeat ako dahil ‘di talaga nila maintindihan yung pagsabi ko ng ganoong words,” she quoted when asked on how she deals with criticism. Asking me on how many followers do I have on social media, she warned me about the possibilities when it comes to having too much and without knowing most of them. “You have to be careful when it comes to social media and the number of followers that you get, especially if you don’t know them. They can “troll” you and join in the trend of bashing you on your account. When it comes to those deals, you just have to ignore them or don’t open your account nalang,” Papa added.

            While answering my questions during the encounter, I noticed that behind the seriousness she brings into reporting her assigned stories, she includes her wit when it comes to the time to share her query. “Di porket you’re a reporter, my ideal is that you have to be yourself off cam. Not all the time that you have to shoulder all the professionalism that you have when you report. Make time for yourself. It may be hard to do, but it gives me the fulfilment that I need,” sharing her insights with me.

            Journalism takes the risks of consequences. Time and one’s life is on the line is a factor when it comes to taking on the role of being the watchdog. Sharing her perspective on how easy and how hard the job is at the same time, she said that 8 hours is not enough for a journalist’s job, having to be there 24/7 because it is a requirement and a necessity for the work. “It does not stop when you are done with the assignment, but it gets harder and harder overtime. Meticulous research needs a lot of time and effort. Hindi madali ang trabaho hindi porket may internet where one click you can get the information you need, in fact, there are some sites na not reliable. In our case, we can use it naman din, mostly government web sites and other news sources. It is important to cite them or else you can get accused for plagiarism,” Papa quoted.

On the issue of bribery, she said that she already experienced the idea, telling that she received bribe from a certain politician (preferably a congressman) because of a story, but declined saying that the story is what she is for, not for the amount.

The achievements she received did not change her, despite the recognition of her works. The humility is still there, and with all the stress she gets from her job, she said that it was fulfilling in the end. “Young journalists like you should keep the notion of idealism when conducting your stories. Look at the two sides of the story and never be biased when reporting them,” telling me as our conversation ends with stories often shared.

Drill #2

The Arts and Letters Student Council (ABSC) organized an open forum entitled “Speak Up” last Feb. 10 at the Rizal Conference Hall of the St. Raymund de Peñafort Building in line for the forthcoming college week.

            The said event was led by both the student leaders and members of the administration, mainly by Assistant Dean Narcisa Tabirara, Faculty Secretary Ma. Zenia Rodriguez and Professor Lino Baron answered questions regarding the current issues of the Faculty of Arts and Letters.

            AB students predominantly asked about the loss of the P50, 000 supposedly by the ABSC back in October 2014 which originally was for the use of organizing events such as the Athena Cup and support for the Pautakan Quiz Bee team of the college.

            When asked about how the leaders will aim to regain the students’ trust, Vice President-Internal Dominic De Castro replied that they do not have a specific agenda, depending upon the individual, quoting “It is a subjective thing. Every personality or every student has this standard that the student council would really try their best in order to gain their trust.”

            It was also tackled whether a hearing may be held in view for the public or between the Board of Majors (BOM) comprised of the society presidents, the administration and the council itself, scheduled initially for November of last year but delayed due to the preparation for the final examinations for first semester.

            Asst. Dean Tabirara answered by saying that there are certain processes to be followed when the inquiry is handled, adding that the Student Welfare Development Board (SWDB) were informed first hand but declined for the petition.

            Questioned about the hearing’s privacy as it will be held as a change of objectivity, Tabirara replied that it is unfair for it to be held as it is, affixing that the SWDB who will hold the case are independent people and their questions will be subjected to objectivity.

            Other concerns were pointed out by the audience, such as the lack of equipment, the events for AB week, the overpopulation of its students and the rumored Type-B uniform to be implemented on Feb. 19 in line with the start of the summer season.

            One question that had everyone’s attention was about the college’s faculty, emphasizing their complaints on the professors citing various reasons such as their unpunctuality and the kind of service they provide when they teach their students.

            “Iyan kasi ang problema sa inyo. Reklamo kayo ng reklamo, hindi naman itinataas sa authorities. Kaya sa faculty room marami kaming naririnig tungkol sa mga reklamo galling sa inyo [students] na hindi naming ma-confirm. It’s best if you express it written or orally to settle it”, said Prof. Lino Baron who served as the representative of the faculty.

            After the forum, ABSC president Majann Lazo told in an interview that in her point of view and of others, the questions asked were not that liberal, commenting that the questions were still on school politics and not of other concerns.