Not all Just (according to the system)
is Just (according to the people)
is Just (according to the people)
It was yesterday when this writer had read a post in a social media site, and it seems that most, if not all students, faculty members within the University of the Philippines had joined the bandwagon along with other big 3 schools in moving the calendar from june to August.
As months ago, the UP system (or rather say the administrators), with the exception of the main campus at Diliman, had chose to move their school calendars in accordance to ASEAN integration and even international standards, citing possible developments such as academic-related tourism, "cooperation" with other universities within the southeast asian region, and much obviously, commercialization of education and having courses geared to the demands of the market.
It is quite surprising though that Diliman had stopped resisting after few months of insisting June as its first month of the school calendar, that, with changes in the chancellor and certain officials in the main campus also ought this writer think that those who had sat in those positions had chose to nod on the proposal instead of opposing as their predecessors do. Much more that with the support of some faculty members and the bourgeois studentry having the calendar changed as if that someday the Philippine education system would be at par with others who chose to abide international standards, commercialization, globalization, and neoliberalism a la Fukuyama with the the latter as "end of history."
But come to think of this, if most, if not all within the UP system, whether they come from Diliman, Padre Faura, Miag-Ao, Baguio, Davao, Cebu, or even the ravaged Tacloban had chose to change the calendar from June to August, how come there are those who chose to oppose? Again, just like opposing Neocolonialism and favoring genuine National development, these people within the UP community rather chose to advance the interest of the university as a "University for the People" instead of "vested interests" who had favored policies those who favor what this writer stated earlier. That changing the calendar or any showcase made under neoliberalism cannot ease the issue on the rising number of dropouts, yearly tuition fee increases, repression against students expressing political views, budget cuts on education, and others controversial not just in the university system itself but to Philippine education in general.
And citing that those who had favor the move and calling it as change lies the blurring between development and crisis. Blurring in a sense that they think international standards as just yet that same international standards also brought crisis, particularly in developing countries like the Philippines. Is just dependence on international capital instead of investing on national resources by the people are in accordance to international standards? Is the demands for international standards, ASEAN integration are in accordance to the wishes of the people? The latter seemed to be supposedly in accordance to the people within South East Asian region yet in fact ruling systems are benefiting from it instead of the people. Indonesia's Pancasila been diluted, if not scrapped off entirely in favor of neoliberalism that started during Soeharto's time, so was China's Maoism that end behind in favor of Dengism with its neoliberal thought predominant! Those who favor chose to revert UP or any other institution back in its origins such as a school for bureaucrats, same as a school for neoliberal-inclined economists, academicians, anything whose idea is just to support the rotting status quo.
Anyways, as people chose to dilute the idea and making it as presentable to many, such as those of the University of the Philippines from a University for the People to its origins as a institution founded to create bureaucrats, then right as what Orlando Putong said that:
"It's really saddening to see how many UP students have become 'idealistic' in terms of their thinking. We have students who can't see the relationship of things such as the interconnection of the academic calendar shift with the worsening crisis of a commercialized, colonial, and fascist education, students who worship neoliberalism and globalization and hail individualism and subjectivism."
But despite that blurring of ideas and unjustly similarizing terms, those who chose to be consistent in opposing neoliberalism and favoring genuine National development has to continue advancing what is really developmental, contrary to those what the system favored and insisted to everyone, such as a oppressive, stunting bullshit. Today's students, faculty members are too obsessed with the wonders of modernity neoliberalism had offered. Malacanang's Ochoa once said that "National Industrialization is Passé" while favoring the so-called wonders of just foreign investment, or this writer had rather say as dependent on international moneylenders to support the system's so-called programs, that somehow made people as if these neoliberal crap can resolve the problem like what their idolized country, the United States of America did!:
"first, it is natural for students, bombarded with a kind of education that pushes for globalization at the expense of national industrialization and self-reliance, as well as an education that remain a privilege of the few, to think that things cannot be changed and must only be accepted as absolute and immovable. For example: "we cannot stop globalization, therefore, we should only adapt and accept it." "Since the government is reducing budget for education, we should just adjust.""
So is their political consciousness. Putong's statement, regardless of the lamentation would say that there lies chance to overturn the ordeal made by the system whom unjustly favors their interest and given a populist alibi. Not all international standards being offered by neoliberal lords are just regardless of its sugarcoated rhetoric. The Philippines had been stunted because of that neoliberal policy that happened first after the war and intensified time and again by those who had chose to insist in it, that the creation of steel and the utilization of natural resources for domestic consumption are much abhorred in favor of importing cheap ones, whilst exporting the nation's raw materials, a garden, barn and mine for the biggest foreign entities like in the past, hence a neocolony that ought to be liberated:
"Second, as politically conscious individuals, we have the responsibility of raising the level of political consciousness of the studentry. Remember that no one is born 'red.' Therefore, it is crucial for activists to painstakingly conduct propaganda education, as well as the launching of intensive mass campaigns and struggles to break the dominant culture and to introduce an alternative and progressive counter-culture. A counter-culture that is nationalist because it promotes national industrialization, scientific because it's dialectical and grounded on objective conditions, and mass oriented because it serves the people.
Our history of struggle has shown what the students are capable of: they are capable of breaking away from idealism and embrace a more scientific and progressive outlook that genuinely pushes for change. This can be achieve through painstaking arousing, organizing, and mobilizing."
Hence, no matter the system justifies cannot stop the tide of protest as what Putong and others who opposed the scheme insisted. Let those who favor think that their protest as "uncollege-like" yet seeing them favoring neoliberalism had their minds blurred, distorted so as to accommodate the illusions what the system insisted, or rather say offered.
Again, this writer may had remind this post of earlier writeups regarding idealism and their disregard on real matters such as a progressive outlook, that anything can be resolved far beyond the reality, yet in fact aggravates age old issues regardless of their statements given.