Tag Archives: University of the Philippines

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Portrait of Spocky Farolan as UP Regent (Part 2)

Does this man deserve two blog entries?

Yes, for two reasons. One, he has not stopped. After he went ballistic on that first thread, he actually posted another status, this time saying that he might now be open to the proposal to make the State University a post-grad university, so that he doesn’t have to deal with UPCAT examinees anymore. He hashtagged this thoughtless assertion “Not really a proponent of this but I’m pissed so screw you” and “galit sa mga punyetang ingrato” and “I have been anger free for a while ngayon pumutok so putangina niyo.”

Two, while he *tries* to admit that he lost his temper when he shouldn’t have, he also spends as much time defending his original violent, angry, and absolutely uncalled for responses to the public on his Facebook page, saying that in fact, if you look at his thread, whenever there’s a proper comment, he actually responds properly as well.

That is not only the weakest excuse, it’s also a lie.  (more…)

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Portrait of a Duterte appointee as UP Regent (Part 1)

One wanted to give UP Board of Regents member Spocky Farolan the benefit of the doubt, and imagine that whatever was posted by the Philippine Star on Twitter on April 7 about his response to UP entrance exam (UPCAT) takers on his Facebook wall was just taken out of context. But as I read through Farolan’s Facebook comments thread myself, I realized that what was tweeted by Philstar was but the tip of the iceberg.

This government official and Presidential appointee, went ballistic on social media unlike any Duterte appointee so far. This is a man who represents first of all the President of the Philippines in the UP Board of Regents, and here he was using foul language, calling K-12 graduates names, throwing invectives their way, and saying to kids and parents waiting for the UPCAT results that they didn’t have to go to UP anyway — UP doesn’t need them.

It’s easy to dismiss Farolan as just another one of Duterte’s men — after all, we’ve got many Farolans in Congress and the Senate, across the Cabinet and our government agencies. What else is new?

But what is new is that Farolan is speaking for the State University, which (we would like to think) is held to higher standards of professionalism and ethics and public service. This is not the kind of behaviour we stand for in the State U. In fact my UP education taught me to stand against displays of arrogance and entitlement such as that which Farolan displayed for all the world to see on social media.  (more…)

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Portrait of a UP teacher as mining lobbyist

On Wednesday, March 29, GMA News Online ran a story about a UP teacher claiming two things: that Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) employees were ordered by an undersecretary to “find fault” in mining operations, and that students will not find good jobs in the mining industry after graduation.

These are University of the Philippines students, ones this same professor has taught, ones that taxpayers’ money has put through university education, and they are being told they will have no options outside of the current mining status quo.

The thoughtless statements, the baseless nameless accusations, this doomsday scenario, is unexpected coming from a teacher of the State University. But then again, we have heard this same professor at the Commission on Appointments (CA) caucus standing against the confirmation of environmentalist Gina Lopez as DENR Secretary, as we have heard him countless times defending the mining industry, while always falling silent on irresponsible mining projects and how these have wreaked havoc on communities and the environment.

I guess these statements shouldn’t have been such a surprise. (more…)

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Activism* (or what is wrong with the STFAP and STS)

Activism, to me, has always been about daring to ask the more difficult questions. And wanting to do – and actually doing – something about it.

Anyone who thinks Kristel is being used for the cause of free education was obviously blind and deaf to the years of protests against tuition fee increases and the repercussions of the slow process of the State ceasing to subsidize state colleges and universities. So no, Kristel is not some mascot being used for this cause; Kristel is but proof that this cause is a valid one to take on, to engage in. Kristel proves that the current system kills, the spirit and otherwise. (more…)

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Rage* (or what is wrong with the STFAP and STS)

When I entered the State University as a freshman in 1995, I was part of an English block that was diverse by virtue of class. It didn’t take long to find that while some of us were from well-off families (I had a Romualdez in my class for example, and there were children of lawyers), and there were some of us who were versions of middle class; many of my blockmates came from poorer families, many from the provinces. Many of them, I later found, were dependent on scholarships, mostly from elsewhere other than the State U.  (more…)