DIALOGUE / SCRIPT

TITLE: An Urbanized Nation towards Class Struggles and Power

Relations.

Topic: Urbanism, Class Struggle, and Power Relations

Suzara: Hello and welcome to our webinar, entitled “An Urbanized Nation Towards
Class Struggles and Power Relations,” where we are going to highlight and dig deeper
into the mentioned social issues for our Formative Assessment in Purposive
Communication.First and foremost, we would like to express our gratitude to
ouraudience for taking the time to join and watch this educational discourse. We
genuinely hope that you will find this webinar anopportunity for knowledge acquisition
and integration.

Urbanism

Berenio: First, we are going to talk about Urbanism which refers to the study of the
people and social patterns in urban areas. Carla, you are nowon board again.

Suzara:Thank you, Ry! Well, I would like to talk about how I view urbanism as a social
issue. Urbanism, for me, is undeniably one of the issues the government should not
overlook. In all honesty, I find urbanism such a serious matter to the point where this
shouldbe one of the main issues addressed by the authorities,the rapid urbanization in
our country in their policy focus. How about you guys?

Delacruz: I agree with what you’ve said about the rapid urbanization that the
government is overlooking. Anyways, I’ve also noticed that it has been raining cats and
dogs lately, and the urbanization in our country is neglecting clogged or non-existent
sewage in urban communities, which can result in flooding in small and populated
areas. I mean, look at Manila… flooded streets have already been an issue because
there are numerous people in the city who can’t afford housing, and as a result, there
are people who end up living inslums. How about you guys? Do you think that there are
urbanization issues that are getting overlooked by the government?
Villegas: Right! I was commuting yesterday along Espana and there was a traffic jam.
We stayed in the same street for 30 minutes, the car was not moving, and the flood
rapidly increased. The clogged sewage needs to be fixed; it causes a lot of trouble, not
just with the commuters but also with the jeepney drivers that are trying to make a living.
Urbanization caused a lot of trouble, right?

Berenio: Truly, although, in the case of heavy traffic, that is one of the main problems in
our country, specifically in urban areas. Our government has already implemented
projects such as Public Utility Vehicle: Modernization Program, Plate number coding
scheme, and Designated pick-up and drop-off lanes - which became a huge factor in
reducing the said matter. However, if only the authorities prioritized our "Build-Build-
Build program," there would be a drastic change in the struggle situation of Filipino in
everyday errands. And the fact that the current regime only completed 9 out of 119
projects and take note that it is already at its final term makes it more disappointing.
Meanwhile, DENR addressed the citizens' concern about the clogged sewage and
pledged continuously declogging waterways to avoid torrents last year. And even
employed "Estero rangers" assigned to clean waterways, waste collection, and to relay
any hazardous way of disposal, didn't change the reality of how air, land, and water
pollution are widely spread, especially in the slums of Manila. Nevertheless, do you
think that our government must concentrate on these crucial issues?

Delacruz: I agree that our government should be paying more attention to what is
happening and affecting the people rather than creating some artificial beach. Because
of overpopulation, there has been massive pollution everywhere, especially in Manila. It
can cause environmental hazards and put the health of people at risk.

Suzara: All your sentiments resemble mine; it is genuinely an issue that needs to be
addressed. It has constantly been affecting people's daily lives and has hindered them
from being able to make a living properly. What is more concerning is that this isn't
mainly a recent issue- it's been something that has been overlooked for more than just a
few years. With many people living in poverty and barely making ends meet, this issue
is an additional obstacle they must overcome. We can see that this is significantly
affecting the working force, don't you all think so? Now more than ever, by this we can
see a clear divide in class and the persistence of class struggle.
*everyone agrees*

Class Struggle
Suzara: And since I mentioned “class struggle,” shall we proceed with the next talking
point? I'm sure you gentlemen have already encountered the term in textbooks and
even on the Internet. But for the audience purposes I would provide a brief background
about it. class struggle refers to the conflict between the capitalists, also known as the
factory owners, and the working class. Their relationship is generally a form of
exploitation because the former gains profit from the labor and services of the latter.
Furthermore, the laborers are given low salaries or wages disproportionate to the work
they provide. In conclusion, capitalism makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. And
clearly,It's undeniably unequal,isn’t that right? What are your thoughts?

Delacruz: It truly is sad that the society we live in resembles a triangle- where a small
number of elites rule at the top, and everyone else is in the middle and lower classes.
As you have mentioned, Carla, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. The labor
workers in the city and the whole country experienced a lot of exploitation and unjust
treatment. They have been constantly taken advantage of and put to work only to
receive payments below minimum wage. A construction worker from the province to the
city was thrilled when we provided him with food and fully paid on time. My family was
quite curious as he was in tears, and he told us that other employers failed to give him
meals and failed to pay the exact amount he asked for in exchange for his work. Sadly,
we are sure that he is not the only one to have such horrible experiences. How absurd
that such unequal and awful treatment still happens, isn’t it?

Villegas: Not only that, but we also know how the use of the socio-economic class is
still happening during times of pandemic. The privileged ones are likely to be prioritized
in government hospital wards and medical assistance due to the expensive healthcare
in our country; this makes it inaccessible for the people in the lower class.

Berenio: I agree that it’s unequal, especially that this year has gone through a rough
patch due to the pandemic and the yearly implementation of lockdowns. But the main
rough patch that’s active in The Philippines is also down to labor work as people are still
having difficulties adjusting through their jobs and just having a job. Last year, I saw on
various news outlets that workers all fought for the minimum wage as the National
Economic and Development Authority claimed that “10,000 pesos is enough to feed a
family of 5.” Unfortunately, the said minimum wage isn’t even enough to feed an entire
family for a week because there are monthly rent and bills that need to be paid. I also
took note of capitalism’s concept of “the rich getting richer and the poor stay poor.”
because being poor in the Philippines means difficult access to necessities and no
government support. There is no decent public healthcare, lack of affordable housing,
and corruption so there is little room for social mobility. Without a good education,
wealthy family, or good connections, they can be trapped in the poverty zone for
generations. Only the very exceptional & lucky ones such as the Upper Classes can
break free from the cycle of poverty.
Suzara: I couldn’t agree more! Sadly, there are a lot of big companies that abuse
laborers, don’t pay overtime and hazard fees or even minimum wage! This exists in
different countries, such as India, where people are desperate to get a job and abandon
their rights! But even though there are a lot of people that have the initiative to voice out,
the government cannot just stop this, especially if the leaders are part of the oligarchs.
This is a conflict between the people and the oligarchs that cannot be easily solved
without the unity of everyone.

Villegas: It is sad to see how our country treats its people, especially the healthcare
workers who sacrifice their lives to treat people, yet our government mistreats them.
They don't receive any benefits other than their low hazard pay. The phrase that Carla
mentioned "the rich get richer and the poor stay poorer" is still very relevant in our
country. Politicians are getting richer while the masses are struggling to make ends
meet. As a result, some people choose to work abroad because our health care workers
have meager salaries compared to those in other countries. Most importantly, when
they work abroad, the government provides them with their needs and benefits. I
believe that this kind of issue must stop because politicians and big companies abuse
their people, and it creates social inequality in society.

Delacruz: May we always remember that despite the existence of class struggle in our
society and how prosperous or penurious we are, being empathetic and compassionate
to our fellow people is essential to understand the situation of others and utilize our
ability to help, and it must never be the reason to take advantage of someone else's
life.Now that we have already talked about urbanization; and class struggles wherein
dominant and minority groups are involved; is power relations connected to these two
concepts?

Power Relations
Next slide Villegas
Suzara: Speaking of power relations, don't you find it concerning that many minorities
are constantly oppressed and outcasted? Because I do, and it's evident no matter
where we are. Just look at all indigenous people who get discriminated against for
reasons like their skin color, speech, appearance, and way of living. Aside from
discrimination, they have been constantly trapped in class struggle and affected by
urbanization. Anyways, I believe there is good and bad urbanization. As previously
mentioned, urbanization in the central city is lacking. However, it is a whole different
issue in the provinces. Homes of both indigenous and less privileged people are
destroyed for the sake of urbanization. These people can't even do anything about it!
They are constantly taken advantage of, and the power and authority of officials are
held over their heads.
Berenio: Oh, I agree... indigenous groups have suffered so much. From the state-
sponsored killings of IP members to the urbanization and militarization of their ancestral
domains, it is no doubt that they're one of the underprivileged sectors in society.

Delacruz: Yes, it is very concerning as for the fact that this happened in the past, only
means it must not happen again… EVER. Indigenous people worldwide lost their land,
resources, and control over their lives.This in turn broke down traditional structures,
institutions, and families.Residential schools especially for the Lumads, has been
established by the government to ‘civilize’ indigenous people which destroyed
indigenous education, cultures, languages, identities, and ties to communities. As in
many cases here in the Philippines, the indigenous people were threatened with
violence and destruction of their property, and, in certain cases, they are viewed as
political opponents, which has its own adverse consequences.

Berenio: Filipinos could have done better, we could have elected a public servant who
is qualified and competent enough to become representative of local people in our
country's senate is the best thing that we can do for them. Who is up to advocate about
the indigenous people's rights - to extricate them to different types of prejudice. In that
way, we're not only protecting them but also supporting the preservation of our very own
culture and identity and the betterment of their future.

Villegas: The abuse of power from those who lead caused a lot of oppression in
different minorities. Recently, I read that there is violence occurring where Lumads were
killed in Surigao. This includes 3 Lumads and a 12-year-old boy who were killed
mercilessly by the military in Surigao. It is sad that voicing out and fighting for our rights
can put our life on the line and even the lives of innocent people.We must protect
indigenous people and fight for their rights because they are part of the marginalized
group. We are privileged enough; therefore, fighting for their rights and educating
people about these cases can prevent it from happening again. Even having a normal
conversation without judging each other like what we are doing can inform the younger
generation about the social issues that our country is facing.

Suzara: Well, that was a healthy and fruitful discourse, everyone! I genuinely appreciate
how everybody engaged in the conversation without being condescending because it's
how political discussions should be, right? Taking all the topics we have discussed into
account, what do you think are adequate solutions or responses to these issues?
Personally, I highly encourage everyone to join democratic and progressive mass
organizations and mobilize starting from our university, FEU. I know some of you
already are, but I'd recommend this to those who still are not. In youth activism, you get
to hold educational webinars, join rallies, participate in a myriad of social movements,
learn about intersectionality, and more. It's fun, enlightening and fulfilling all at the same
time. How about you guys?

Berenio: I had a wonderful experience talking about essential topics in our society—a
talk without any hatred nor judgment from one another. I have joined organizations
wherein it promotes equality and peace. I believe that solutions to this issue are
changing, and change starts within ourselves. People should become more open-
minded about how this issue affects other people and constantly check our privilege, not
because something does not affect us, it's the same for everyone. I also think that
hatred or getting mad at people just because their opinions are different won't get us
anywhere; instead, we are just creating chaos. If hate is what will always do. We are
entitled to our own opinion but not the truth, and if we see that they are spreading fake
news, then it is better to educate them to show them reliable sources.

Delacruz: Engaging in discussions like these sure gives me an idea or knowledge of

what issues need to be addressed. It is a breath of fresh air of having a healthy
discussion about conflicts as to where we could all learn a thing or two. I would also
consider the idea of engaging in online or live discussions from which we can truly
express our perspectives or opinions on a specific take or issue. This can educate an
individual as it’s from the Internet and a credible source is just one click away.
Furthermore, joining online campaigns or advocacies using hashtags is much more
needed as social media is a very loud platform where we can persuade numerous
people online to do the same thing.

Villegas: Engaging in discourse such as this where everyone is free to share their
thoughts is undoubtedly refreshing. I’ve always been pressured to conform with the
opinions of others, especially considering that opening social media bombards you right
away with people choosing this or that and not considering or at least hearing out other
sides. A lot of people demand respect for their opinions but then undermine the opinions
of others.I felt like we achieved a calm and fruitful discourse that did not force anyone to
change their opinions abruptly but to question their knowledge further! I encourage
everyone to talk to other people, may it be your friend, family, or even strangers. It’s
nerve-wracking, yes, but it’s more than necessary to continue speaking out and
assessing information critically instead of blindly relying on other people's information or
worse Tik-Tok videos with no solid references. Knowing and understanding is a
privilege, especially regarding the issues we have touched upon. Let us all do our best
to branch out and be the change we want to make!
Suzara: Nicely put, Felix! Well, that ends our webinar for today. We hope that you were
able to enjoy our discussion. Thank you so much, everyone. I learned a lot from each
one of you. Let us all continue to become catalysts of social change!

Berenio: Regards! You’ve all captured and educated my thoughts from your own
opinions and experiences.

Delacruz: Thank you once again! I look forward to having another conversation with all
of you!

Villegas: Thanks a lot for sharing your views! It was such a significant learning
encounter!

REFERENCES

Department of Environment and Natural Resources. (2020, November 18). CIMATU:

DENR TO CONTINUE DECLOGGING WATERWAYS TO PREVENT FLOODS.

Republic of the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://www.denr.gov.ph/index.php/news-

events/press-releases/2004-cimatu-denr-to-continue-declogging-waterways-to-

prevent-floods

Rey, A. (2021, June 21). Revise, Revise, Revise: Duterte’s Build, Build, Build list

evolving up to the end. Rappler. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from

https://www.rappler.com/business/duterte-build-build-build-program-evolving-list-

moving-timelines-end-term