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Where
have
 fees 
gone?
VOLUME 35
ISSUE 3
October 16, 2008
NEWS
It’s 12-0 in favor of SAKBAYAN
page 2
CULTURE
Isang rebyu sa Isko’t Iska 2008
page 7
OPINION
Bangungot
page 10
FEATURES:
Where...
ON PAGE 6
     L     A     Y     O     U     T
   A   L   E   T   H   E   I   A   G   R   A   C   E   D   E   L   R   O   S   A   R   I   O
GRAPHICS
KERVIN GABILO
“In a government-subsidized (or is it nowdecreasingly so?) institution of higher learning, studentsstill have to wrangle with that perennial boon calledfees. Indeed, these fees – some of them redundant andothers exorbitant – might as well be the university’struest and greatest equalizer.”
As you register for another semester, you must gothrough 10 (to 11) windows and pay (PhP 1000 per unit for batches 2007 and younger) before your Form5 is stamped with REGISTERED. Though paying moredoes not entitle you more right to question where your money is going, it would certainly give you a greater deal of headache if you were to discover that your money is straying too far from where it should go. After all, as the old admonition says, your parents do notplant money-bearing trees right on your own backyard.And so we have to ask, where have all those feesgone?
“Anything to do with student fees is never used for  salaries...anything to do with student fees dapatbumabalik din sa inyo [students] fully.”
 –Dr. Roberto Rañola, Vice Chancellor for Administration
“Deposit fee [is] being refunded to students uponclearance from the university.”
-Prof. Myrna Carandang, University School Registrar 
WINDOW #1: Deposit Fee
Keen observers must have wondered where thatPhP 100 deposit fee (and guess what, PhP 130 for thebatch ’07 and younger) they paid in their first semester as a UP student went. Though these observers – keen or otherwise – are already bordering on extinction, their doubts must have been a little misplaced: this fee, yousee, is perfectly reimbursable after graduation. You just have to accomplish a voucher and follow it up ona multi-level bureaucracy, to the point that even theadministrators will discourage you from refunding it andyou just have to make the university a hundred - pesoricher by donation.
“No more late registration fee for the last three years.”
-Prof. Myrna Carandang, University Registrar 
PHOTO ESSAY
Silip sa Kabute
page 5
WORDS
LIBERTY NOTARTE
 
all
the
 
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES LOS BAÑOS
 
COUNTED IN HISTORY.
UPLB students ocked polling precints in the most widely-parcipated USC-CSCelecons in years. The two-day elecon period has paved the way for the successfulracaon of the plebiscite and the long-awaited elecon of UPLB’s Centennialstudent leaders.
PHOTO
PAUL ANDREW MANUALES
NEWS
UPLB Perspective
2
VOLUME 35 |
ISSUE 3
|
 
October 16, 2008
Victory for the 1984 Charter
The Samahan ng Kabataanpara sa Bayan (SAKBAYAN)clinched all 12 UniversityStudent Council (USC) positionsin what could be the mostparticipated elections in UPLB’shistory.
Outgoing USC ViceChairperson Charisse BernadineBañez will lead the Centennialbatch of student leaders aftersecuring 4,590 votes as againstthe 1,530 votes earned by StevenGatacelo of BUKLOD-UPLB. John Mark Violeta, former USCcouncilor, will serve as USC ViceChairperson after gaining a leadof 989 votes over BUKLOD-UPLB’sErnest Calayag.Likewise, candidates fromthe SAKBAYAN slate will occupyall 10 councilor positions. MarkVincent Baracao, Ira Olivia Garcia, John Lloyd Balon, Reynaldo Araja Jr., Odraude Alub, Jose AlbertoNuez, Christian Kevin Latiza,Maricris Cynthia Delos Santos,Andrianne Mark Ng, and AdrianMiki Macalanda will complete this year’s USC and will serve until thestudent council elections in Marchnext year.For the second time in arow, SAKBAYAN swept the USC
elections since BUKLOD-UPLB rst
dominated the student councils in2004. Outgoing Chairperson Leo‘XL’ Fuentes, together with Bañezand the 10 outgoing councilors,ran under SAKBAYAN’s bannerlast 2007 student council elections.
CENTENNIAL LEADERS
“Habang nagbibilangan, forone thing, preoccupied ako dun sastatus ng buong slate at lalo na ngbuong partido-alyansa, kung anongstatus ng mga lokal na kolehiyo,”Bañez related.Even at the early stages of the canvassing of votes, Bañezhas consistently led over Gataceloin most of the voting precincts. Though SAKBAYAN maintainsits own quick count, it was only
 when the ofcial tally sheet was
posted did Bañez felt certain of her winning.Meanwhile, College StudentCouncil (CSC) parties withoutcontenders from the Collegeof Agriculture, College of Development Communication,College of Forestry and NaturalResources, and College of Veterinary Medicine, were able toreach the required 50 percent plus
one condence vote to assume
the position. Also, the GraduateSchool was able to re-establish
its CSC this year, the rst since
1995. The newly elected USC
and CSCs were ofcially
inducted last Sept. 26 at theMakiling Ballroom Hall, StudentUnion Building. UP PresidentEmerlinda Roman, StudentRegent Shahana Abdulwahid,Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco,and College Secretaries of thedifferent colleges attended theprogram.
IRREGULARITIES
 Though there were no formalprotests regarding the conductand results of the elections, there were reports of irregularities suchas the unexpected withdrawal of the candidacy of Sarah Salamatand Andrea Nagit for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) councilorposition less than a week after thestart of the campaign period.Faith Lumicao, BUKLOD-UPLB’s campaign manager for CAS,said they immediately removedthe names of the two from theirsample ballots and posters afterthey expressed their intention to withdraw from running. Janet Dolor, head of theStudent Organizations andActivities Division (SOAD), saidSalamat and Nagit failed to submita formal letter of withdrawaladdressed to the CEB. As a result,their names were retained in the
ofcial list of candidates.
Meanwhile, Fuentes said theelection started late during the
rst and the second day because
of the delayed distribution of theballot boxes, even while studentshave already lined up in thepolling precincts to vote.Dolor, however, refuted thisand said that SOAD was set todeliver the ballot boxes as earlyas 7:30 a.m. the second day,but failed to do so because there were no volunteer students who will watch and guarantee for the“clean” transfer of ballot boxes.
[P]
It’s 12-0 in favor of SAKBAYAN
On USC-CSC elections,
Christian Ray Buendia
2008 USC Elections Official Canvass of Votes
Bañez, Charisse Bernadine 4,590
Gatacelo, Steven 1,530
Violeta, John Mark 3,389
Calayag, Ernest Francis 2,400
Vice Chairperson
ChairpersonTotal Votes
Councilors
Baracao, Mark Vincent 2,869Garcia, Ira Olivia 2,869Balon, John Lloyd 2,807Araja, Reynaldo 2,789Alub, Odraude 2,736Nuez, Jose Alberto 2,728Latiza, Christian Kevin 2,694Delos Santos, Maricris Cynthia 2,655Ng, Andrianne Mark 2,612Macalanda, Adrian Miki 2,552
Javier, Samantha 2,121Cruz, Carlo Angelo 2,058Barrosa, Paul John 1,911Marasigan, Paul Christian 1,807Aves, Reynaldo Bernabe 1,741Frio, Adrian Angelo 1,729Sebastian, Mark Allan Paul 1,610Manalang, Karen 1,533Relente, Marvin Joseph 1,521Sopeña, Christopher Kenneth 1,521
70.54 percent voter turnoutone of the highest in recent history
Students made history lastSept. 10-11 in what could be themost participated election inUPLB’s post Martial Law years.
 The plebiscite for the 1984UPLB Student Council (SC)Constitution has achieved a 70.54percent turnout with 7,261 totalstudent participation, whichsurpassed the required 50 percentplus one votes for it to be valid.Out of this turnout, 6,850
students cast an afrmative vote,
117 voted for “No” while 188
students abstained. The ofcial
turnout has included the 88missing ballots from the plebisciteas based from the election ballotsand accounts for the total studentparticipation.
 The 95.5 percent afrmativevotes successfully ratied the
1984 SC Constitution. It exceededthe results of the plebiscite in
Rogene Gonzales
August 1984, the rst plebiscite
held to ratify the 1984 SCConstitution, which gained 94.89
percent afrmative votes from
1,760 students.With the success of the plebiscite, the Board of Regents approved the 1984 SCConstitution last Sept. 29 in UPDiliman.
SUCCESS OF THE PLEBISCITE
Former USC ChairpersonLeo ‘XL’ Fuentes stressed that
though the ratication of the SC
Constitution indeed spelled victoryfor students, support from thestudents should not end in merely“having a constitution.”“Hangga’t nariyan angkomersalisasyon ng edukasyon,pagpapalayas [sic] sa tambayan,hindi pagrerecognize sa mga orgs,paglilimita sa aktibidad at ibapang isyung pangkampus, higitkinakailangan ng konseho angsuporta ng mga estudyante,” hesaid.As agreed upon by studentleaders and the UP administrationduring the Aug. 4 dialogue in UPDiliman, the election ballots will
be counted only upon ratication
of the 1984 SC Constitution. Also,
only after the release of the ofcial
tally for the plebiscite, which wason morning of Sept. 12, that thecanvassing of the election ballotsproceeded.
HIGHEST TURNOUT IN YEARS
 This year’s voter turnoutincreased by 29.57 percent fromlast year’s 40.97, making it thehighest since the student council was re-established in the 1970’s.Among the colleges with thehighest turnout were the Collegeof Forestry and Natural Resources(CFNR), College of DevelopmentCommunication (CDC), andCollege of Veterinary Medicine(CVM) with 81.77, 81.67, and80.94 percent, respectively.Student Regent ShahanaAbdulwahid said the turnoutcould be the highest in recenthistory of the UP System.“Pinatunayan ng UPLB naang mga Iskolar ng Bayan aynakikilahok sa mga issue nakinakaharap nila,” Abdulwahidstressed. She added that the UPLBstudents, through voting, havetruly advanced student democraticrights.Meanwhile, Fuentes saidthe repressive policies of theUPLB administration could be afactor for the increase in studentparticipation. He also pointed outthat students could not afford tolose student leaders who defendtheir rights.“Isa itong patunay na hinditotoo ‘yung sinasabi ng UPLBadmin na walang pakialam [angmga estudyante],” he furthered.
Victory...
ON PAGE 5
 
PAGTUDLA SA NAKARAAN.
Muling ibinahagi ng mga miyembro ng mga militanteng grupo ang kanilang karanasan noong kasagsagan ng kapangyarihan niMarcos. Nangangamba sila sa maaring pagkabuhay muli ng batas militar sa pinaplanong Charter Change ng rehimeng Arroyo.
3
NEWS
UPLB Perspective
VOLUME 35 |
ISSUE 3
|
 
October 16, 2008
Forum laban sa Cha-cha idinaos
Yves Christian Suiza
Isang forum ang idinaosng Movement of ConcernedCitizens for Civil Liberties(MCCL), sa pakikipagtulunganng mga progresibong grupoat mamamayan, upang ilahadumano ang mga “makasarili”at “mapanirang katotohanan”sa likod ng Charter Change(Cha-Cha) na isinusulong ni Gng.Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Ang MCCL ay isang grupongbinubuo ng mga mamamayanmula sa iba’t ibang sektorng lipunan na naglalayongprotektahan ang interes ng mgapangkaraniwang mamamayan.Pinamagatang “Cha-Cha:A Dictatorship in the Making,”ginanap ang forum noong ika-18 ng Setyembre sa MakilingBallroom Hall sa Student UnionBuilding.Ilan sa nagbigay ng pahayagukol sa Cha-cha ay sina dating
Pangalawang Pangulong Teosto
Guingona at ilang miyembro ng Tagaytay 5, na naging biktimang karahasan sa ilalim ngadministrasyong Arroyo.Dumalo rin sa nasabingforum ang tatlo sa mga estudyanteng Polytechnic University of thePhilippines (PUP) na inakusahanng rebelyon. Pinaratangangrebelde sina Catherine Rufo,Eugene Nollas, at Jerome Obligarmatapos maglabas umano ng mgapekeng litrato ang mga miyembrong military.Inilahad ni Guingona ang mgapangyayaring panloloko umanong rehimeng Marcos na hindinagkakalayo sa pamamaraan ngrehimeng Arroyo sa pagmamani-obra na matuloy ang Cha-Cha sakasalukuyan. Nangolekta umanong pirma ang rehimeng Arroyoupang maipasa ang Cha-Chang hindi ipinapaliwanag sa mgapumirmang mamamayan angimplikasyon nito.Ayon kay John PauloBautista, Deputy SecretaryGeneral ng ANAKBAYAN-TK, angrehimeng Arroyo ay isang “hindideklaradong Batas Militar,” hinditulad ng rehimeng Marcos.Ayon naman kay GlenMalabanan, Secreatary Generalng KARAPATAN-TK na dinudukot,ginugulpi, at kinakasuhan umanoang mga nangangahas pumalag sarehimeng Arroyo.Nabanggit ni Axel Pinpin,miyembro ng Tagaytay 5, na angunang magagawa at dapat gawinng estudyante bago makialam ayumalam. Ito umano ang magigingbasehan ng mga estudyante sapagbuo ng konkretong desisyon.Ayon kay Aries Sarmiento,nagtapos ng BS Agriculture saUPLB at miyembro ng Tagaytay5, walang nagbago umano samga polisiya ng panunupil naipinapatupad ng estado mulanoong diktaturyang Marcoshanggang sa kasalukuyan. “Kungmay nagbago man, siguro ‘yunay kung dati lalaki ang pangulonatin, ngayon ay babae na,”pabiro niyang binanggit.“Kung ano ‘yung lala ngsitwasyon sa ilalim ng 1987Constitution, higit pa itongsasahol kapag nagkaroon ng Cha-Cha,” dagdag pa niya.Habang namumulat angmga estudyante, malaking papelumano ang ginagampanan ngmga ito sa pagmumulat ng buongbayan, pahayag niya.“Ang Cha-Cha mismo aybanta sa kabuhayan ng buonglipunan, banta sa karapatan ngbuong sambayanan, at banta sanalalabing patrimonya ng bansangPilipinas,” diin ni Sarmiento.Bilang pagtatapos, nagdaosng isang candle lighting ceremonyang mga lumahok sa harap ngHumanities Building bitbit angpanawagan ng grupong tutulanang Cha-Cha.
[P]
GS to increase tuitionnext academic year
Estel Lenwij Estropia
with reports from Andrea Velasquez
Disappointed by promotion results
Academic staff appeals to Roman
Yves Christian Suiza
 
PHOTO
KARL SUMINISTRADO
The Graduate School(GS) administration is set toimplement a 20-percent-per-unit increase in tuition startingacademic year 2009-2010.
Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma,GS College Secretary, said the initialplan was to base the increase onthe ‘popularity’ of the courses beingoffered, which means that courses with a larger number of enrolees would have higher increases.However, after a series of consultations with GS students lastAug. 13-27, the administration hasdecided to implement equal tuitionand other fees increase (ToFI)regardless of the course graduatestudents are taking.
Cuaresma said ination is one
of the reasons for implementing ToFI. “Yung actual cost nabinabayad nila dati, kung baga
ngayon, hindi na sufcient to cover
prices na dapat sinusuportahan ngtuition fee,” she related.She said the ToFI of the GScame after the implementation of the tuition and fees increase of the undergraduates. The tuitionof graduate and undergraduateprograms in UPLB is currentlypegged at PhP 1000 per unit.In terms of miscellaneousfee, the undergraduates pay PhP2000 while the graduate studentspay 1016 Php, almost half of whatthe undergraduates are payingaccording to Cuaresma.“Mas malaki talaga angexpense in putting up a graduateclass than an undergraduate class,”she stressed.Cuaresma also said that theycompared the actual cost in otherinstitutions that are offering thesame programs as the GS of UPLB.In UP Diliman, the tuition feeof graduate students ranges fromPhP 1500-2000 per unit while in UPManila, graduate students pay 990Php per unit.Prior to the increase, there hasalready been a ToFI in academic year 2003-2004. From PhP 600per unit, the tuition increased to
PhP 800 by the rst semester of 
2003, followed by another PhP 200
increase by the rst semester of 
2004, making it PhP 1000 per unit.Bert Salang, who is takingup his doctorate in Soil Science,said graduate students have beenconsulted even before the plan forthe increase has been submitted.He said those who were ableto attend the consultations agreed with the conditions incorporated inthe ToFI since they deemed them
 justiable.
He said the current tuitionfee of the GS in UPLB is lowercompared with other privateinstitutions of higher learning suchas Ateneo De Manila University andDe La Salle University.Salang also pointed out that85 percent of the 903 graduatestudents found the increaseacceptable because they havescholarships.However, Lizt Soriano, MSDevelopment Communicationstudent, said some graduatestudents were unaware of the
consultations conducted and nd
the ToFI plan a burden especiallythose who are not grantees of anyscholarships.“Bihira lang ang population ng walang scholarship. Napakaliit langng voice namin if ever magprotestkami,” Soriano stressed.
[P]Headed by the All-UPAcademic Employees Union(AUPAEU), faculty and staff of different colleges expresseddisappointment on the changesmade in the promotion systemfor academic personnel.
AUPAEU President Theodore
Mendoza said he nds the
promotion procure “unfair andshould not be applied on allfaculty and staff.” He added that it was “non-transparent” and “non-
exible” for all faculty members.
Mendoza said the promotionprocedure heavily concentratedon research works andpublication releases of facultymembers, which is inapplicableto other faculty members’ line of  work.“For instance, in CAS (Collegeof Arts and Sciences), they(faculty members) have heavierteaching load compared to othercolleges such as CA (College of Agriculture). How else would theydo research, which had been ahuge basis for promotion?” he said.Dr. Corazon Rapera, anassociate professor at the Collegeof Economics and Management(CEM), said a “change of rulesin the middle of the game” arosebecause changes were made onlyafter the documents of facultymembers have been submitted.Faculty members did not haveenough time to respond to thesenew requirements, she said.She added that during thepromotion process, the AcademicPersonnel Board (APB), theevaluator in the promotionprocess, did not present anydocument or progress report.Rapera explained that the APBreleased the documents too latefor those who were affected toappeal.Mendoza and Rapera wouldlike the recommendations fromdepartments and colleges to begiven more consideration by theAPB in evaluating promotionssince the division knows moreabout the scholarly merits of theirconstituent’s works.Dr. Enrico Supangco, ViceChancellor for Research andExtension and a member of theAPB, stated that their CollegeAcademic Personnel Committees(APC) are informed about theproblems regarding the documentsof the faculty and staff who wereconsidered for promotion.Concerning theincompatibility of the criteria onall faculty, he said, “We knowthat not all faculty memberscould comply, that is why weformulated equivalents thatrelates to their line of work.” Asan example, Supangco, said thatin CAS, if faculty members cannotpublish a journal, they must have
an equivalent of at least ve lead
roles in plays.
Last May 29, the Ofce of the
Chancellor released the guidelinesfor promotion of faculty membershaving the criteria for Teaching,Scholarly or Creative Work(Research), Service or Extension(participation and activities), andProfessional growth.Supangco said these
Disappointed...
ON PAGE 5
of 00

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