This was the statement of Aki Merced, spokesperson for the League of Filipino Students, as students from all over the country burned flags of the United States of America to express rage over the parasitic control of the United States to the Philippines and continued puppetry of the Aquino regime to the United States. The group also commended Marjohara Tucay, Editor in Chief of the Philippine Collegian, for standing up and protesting inside the Hillary Clinton forum held at the National Museum yesterday.

“All over the world, people are rising up against the greedy monopoly capitalists and banks of the USA. The Philippines is not saved from the crippling effect of the global capitalist downfall, especially because we are in the throes of US imperialist control. In time of great economic depression, the US turns to its semi-colonies like the Philippines to suck more blood and attempt to revive its economy.”, said Merced.

Merced continued that even the problems of the Philippine education sector are due to the ongoing policy control of the US and its instruments—the IMF, WB and WTO. “Deregulation and continued slashing of the education budget is directly attributable to the profit-promoting policies of these financial institutions. The people have retaliated and the US government, together with Aquino, has responded with intensified military campaigns against naysayers.”

“We commend Marjohara Tucay for serving as a great example for the Filipino youth, standing up with militancy and principle. It is for Ms. Hillary Clinton’s benefit, now that she knows that the Filipino youth is not happy with the US troops staying in our islands and pinning down the iron hold of the United States on the Philippines.”

‘Today, on the International Students Day, we collectively call for the junking of all unequal and onerous US-PH agreements, and vow to intensify the struggle for genuine patrimony and sovereignty. We are one with the Filipino people in saying: Down with US Imperialism!”

LFS Spokesperson, Aki Merced, hands Marjohara Tucay, a torch as a symbol of the youth’s admiration for his bravery for protesting at yesterday’s forum, the torch that will burn the US Imperialist greed to flames

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Nationally coordinated US flag burning set tomorrow

PRESS RELEASE

NOVEMBER 16, 2011

 References:

Aki Merced, 09322537600

Aries Gupit, 09157938089

“Junk the Mutual Defense Treaty! Junk the Visiting Forces Agreement!”

This was the call of youth and student groups led by the League of Filipino Students as they today in front of the National Museum where US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held a forum. The groups say that as part of the continued protests for Clinton’s stay, patriotic youth and students will be holding a nationally coordinated US flag burning tomorrow. The center of protest will be at UP Diliman at exactly 12 noon.

At around 2:30 pm, the protesters were already assembling in front of the National Museum where they threw paint balls at Clinton’s convoy.

“This is to send out the message that the Filipino youth are enraged and cannot bear the unequal relations between the Philippines and the United States anymore, as concretely seen in the 60^th anniversary of the onerous Mutual Defense Treaty. Hillary Clinton is here to further solidify the US’ hold and control of our land, through its obedient puppet, Noynoy Aquino.”, said Aki Merced, spokesperson of the League of Filipino Students.

The protesters were harshly dispersed and as a result, some student leaders were seriously hurt. Moreover, LFS commended Philippine Collegian Editor-in-Chief Marjohara Tucay for bravely standing up and making the Filipino youth’s call heard inside the said Clinton forum. They condemn the police for harshly reacting to the legitimate calls of the protests.

“Is this what we get for asserting our nation’s sovereignty? It is too obvious how the present regime is again engaged in hardcore US puppetry, with the 2^nd most powerful US government official paying our country a “special” visit.”, continued Merced.

“Rest assured, the youth will continue to fight for the junking of unequal treaties that continue to cause peril to our people and our sovereignty.”###

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Progressive youth groups Anakbayan-Panay and League of Filipino Students-Panay today assailed the Aquino government’s giving of a P31 million peace bribe” to the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB), saying this will only lead to the intensified militarization.

Anakbayan-Panay Regional Spokesperson Eric Alip said that the funds given to the RPA-ABB for bogus peace talks is being used by the group to gain a foothold in urban poor communities in Iloilo City and surrounding municipalities, sowing fear, criminality and terror upon civilian communities.

“If the Aquino government is sincere in defeating corruption and poverty to achieve a just and lasting peace, then it should resume the peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and agree on the country’s socio-economic reforms rather than coddling the RPA-ABB gangster clique,” said Alip.

The Anakbayan spokesperson said that the first step to the resumption of peace talks is for Aquino to immediately release NDFP peace negotiators and consultants who are detained on trumped up cases. The Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) signed by the Philippine government and the NDFP states that these people must not be arrested.

“The RPA-ABB is not a legitimate beneficiary of peace funds because it surrendered to the government years ago and is now used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as special CAFGU in its counterinsurgency operations. It is also used by despotic hacienderos like Danding Cojuangco as goons,” said LFS-Panay Regional Spokesperson JC Alejandro.

Alejandro said that more than giving funds to criminal gangster factions like the RPA-ABB, the Aquino government must address the roots of armed conflict in the country like landlessness, high cost of education, chronic unemployment, extreme hunger, poverty, exploitation, and oppression.

Reference:
JC ALEJANDRO
LFS-Panay Regional Spokesperson
09298834757

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Warm greetings of solidarity!

Our kababayans (fellow countrymen) urgently need our help and support. Days after typhoon Pedring (international codename: Nesat) lashed the country on September 27, 2011, we witnessed the gravity of devastation it has brought to Filipinos. Pedring left the country with more than PhP 3 billion and PhP 545 million damages to infrastructure and agriculture, respectively, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

As of September 30, there are 43 casualties, 44 injured and 30 missing due to typhoon Pedring. The onslaught of heavy rains and winds affected a total of 205, 885 families in Regions I, II, III, IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, CAR and NCR.

National youth organizations, student councils, campus publications and Kabataan Partylist have formed TULONG KABATAAN, a relief drive for the victims of Typhoon Pedring.

The major objective of the relief drive is to consolidate efforts among the youth in gathering immediate relief for the affected communities. We also aim to reach out to other communities affected by the floods that are not currently covered by ongoing relief and rescue operations.

TULONG KABATAAN WILL:

1. Gather as many donations as possible, whether in cash or in kind, from fellow youth and students, institutions, schools and churches
2. Pack goods and materials for distribution
3. Deliver of goods in affected areas, integrate and express solidarity with the victims.

PRIORITIES FOR DONATIONS

FOOD: Rice, canned goods, dried fish, bread and biscuits, eggs, mongo beans, coffee and sugar, milk and formula milk, bottled water, oil and cooking condiments

MEDICINE: paracetamol, anti-diarrhea, medicine for cough and colds, hydration salts, water purification tablets, medicine for prevention of leptospirosis, vitamins

NON-FOOD: Blankets and sleeping mats/bags, tents for temporary shelter, jackets and sweaters, clothes for the young and old, cooking utensils, candles and flashlights

CASH DONATIONS

Cash donations can be made through the following:

Paypal:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8526313

Bank Account:

Account name: Student Christian Movement of the Philippines
Branch:  Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), Kamias-Anonas Branch, Quezon City Philippines.

US Dollar Account No: 3324-0048-06
Peso Checking Account No: 3321-0176-64

MAIN DROP-OFF POINTS

TULONG KABATAAN COMMAND CENTER

118-B Scout Rallos, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Quezon City

Contact Person: Vanessa Bolibol 0926-1703655

OTHER DROP-OFF POINTS

SERVE THE PEOPLE BRIGADE (STP Brigade)

Volunteers will primarily gather donations, and help in the packing and distribution of goods. They are also encouraged to invite more volunteers to join the STP Brigade. Volunteers can enlist on STP Brigade Booths nearest to their schools or contact Makakalikasan through the contacts below.

CONTACT

HOTLINES: 0926-8037591

E-MAIL: makakalikasan.alliance@gmail.com

WEB: www.lfs.ph

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‘Squeeze’ appears to have been copied straight from the press release of Sec. Butch Abad which denies for the second straight year the existence of budget cuts in state colleges and universities, despite a categorical declaration by President Aquino himself that the budget of SUCs indeed will be trimmed down during his presidency.

To deflect the truth of the cut that has been reflected in the DBM website itself, Abad has changed the language of the budget, boasting now about the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit Fund, when in years past there was no such animal in the budget debates.

It is arrogant for the Inquirer and Sec. Abad to describe the different budget estimates as mere “deliberate attempts to create an issue when there is none” as it pins outright stupidity on the students, teachers, staff administrators that joined the week-long university strikes nationwide. In other words, the Inquirer just called the UP President, who is a financial expert, a buffoon for supporting the fight against the budget cuts.

Moreover, this “DBM PR mill” editorial conveniently missed the point that mere internally generated income by the SUCs had never be enough even for their operations, and we are all but certain that an increase in tuition and fees would seriously interfere with greater access of students to SUCs – the supposed alternative to expensive private higher education.

Also, whether the establishment of SUCs was merely for the “vanity” of local government leaders is of no moment for the students. As long as such schools had been chartered, it is government’s obligation to fund and to develop it into centers of excellence. Besides, ten state universities in a region as vast as Samar is a step towards bettering access.

However, what is most instructive of this DBM PR-cum-Inquirer editorial is that it is no different from the position of the previous Arroyo administration on the funding of SUCs, which is to systematically cut its funding and force the schools to raise their tuition and fees.

If this is the change that has been promised by Aquino, then change is indeed constant. Our suffering has indeed been constant.

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Aquino III is going through a Historical Amnesia, Belittle brains of thousands of Nationalist Youth!

Statement of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) Lanao Chapter

11 September 2011

Benigno Aquino III is going through a historical amnesia.

While he and his family are notorious land grabbers concealing historical truths that Hacienda Luisita has been acquired by public funds and for this they should be ashamed to say that the militants are outsiders trying to agitate the poor farmers, the ignoramus President is now again on a rampage spewing dribbles against authentic nationalism being espoused by the League of Filipino Students (LFS).

We, the Lanao Chapter of the LFS, are enraged by the statement of the supposed-to-be honorable President of the Republic of the Philippines. By likening organizational discipline of the LFS to that of Marcos, clearly he denies, that the disciplined mass movement, to which LFS has been a part of, brought down Marcos dictatorial rule. Aquino III is trying to slaughter the youth’s nationalist desires by discouraging students to join organizations like LFS, and breeding the youth to become egocentric creatures—follow him in his self-indulgent old days of disco-hopping and beer-drinking, and later be a Play-Station-aficionado president of the republic.

We would like to remind Aquino III that the history of ousting the Marcos regime is not a history of the struggle of the Aquino family, but of the Filipino people. Aquino III is completely slow on the up take to know the historical role of LFS—starting as a broad alliance against tuition fee increase; reviving closed student councils, student publications, recognizing political student organizations, fraternities and sororities, and fighting against arbitrary school fee hikes implemented by the fascist government of Marcos.

Never did Aquino III realize that the organization he is accusing as a dictator of the few is the same organization that has been part of the struggle that overthrew the Marcos dictatorship and positioned her mother in Malacanang. Aquinos are becoming political rags that have benefited most from the downfall of Marcos dictatorship, and are sleeping in bed with the clerico-fascists in prolonging historical lies.

Long before Aquino III’s name existed in political limelight, LFS have already earned the reputation as nationalists who fought hard against the dictatorship. His statement is utterly irresponsible and an apex of stupidity for him who was never been a part of the organization and has no understanding of the principles defended by LFS.

As members of the nationalist LFS, we have persevered to remold ourselves towards patriotic and selfless direction. We have remained to be firm in organizational discipline in order to effectively advance the aspirations of the suffering masses of workers and peasants. We follow democratic principles inside the organization and all the time consider the ideas and views of each member before crafting any course of action, and strictly enforces centralism to maintain the organization’s unity of will and action. With the interest of the toiling people as the point of departure for our political thrusts, LFS’ organizational principle is completely the opposite of Marcos’ as he became a marionette of US imperialism and local landlord class, that Aquino, lest he is not aware of, is upholding up to the present days.

We can never forgive Aquino III for maligning the memories of martyrs coming from the LFS in Lanao—Kimberly Jul Luna (MSU-IIT), Metucielo Razo (MSU-IIT) and Jeffrey Mondejar (MSU-Main Campus)—along with other nameless faces that offered their time, brains and life to the cause for national democracy.

Aquino III needs a historical doctor, and the suffering people, very soon, will restore his mental health and will teach him lesson. Years from now, when his regime will fully be exposed as a rabid US maniac, defender of land snatchers and drainer of public coffin, Aquino III will find himself rotting in the dustbins of history. The masses in millions will laugh at his extreme ignorance and absolute infamy as champion of the system he is trying to save from harm.

In commemoration of the 34th anniversary of LFS today September 11, we proudly raise our fists in giving the highest honor to all comrades that sacrificed and offered their lives against martial law, and up until today versus the class dictatorship of capitalists and landlords represented by Aquino III. We will carry on our tasks in militantly arousing, organizing and mobilizing the broadest number of youth and students to stop Aquino III for turning back the wheels of history.

Long live the the LFS in its 34th year!

Long live the toiling masses of workers and peasants!

Advance national democracy to complete victory!

For Reference:

Vennel Francis Chenfoo

Spokesperson

League of Filipino Students – Lanao

Contact #: 09352331509

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AUGUST 29, 2011

LFS calls for the immediate release of 3 UP students illegally arrested in Cebu

Reference:

Jed Bautista, 09329138187

The League of Filipino Students calls for the immediate release of 3 University of the Philippines Cebu students who were illegally arrested and are currently detained in Philippine National Police Precincts in Toledo City and Pinamongajan.

Melanie Montano, a member of the League of Filipino Students UP Cebu chapter; Remy Jade Manzon, a member of KARATULA UP Cebu chapter, and Januelle Rontos of the Nagkakaisang Kusog ng mga Estudyante, a political party in UP Cebu were arrested while elements of the Philippine National Police violently dispersed a protest camp of peasants in Sitio Camarin, Brgy Bonbon, Aloguinsan, Cebu. The students were there for an immersion program, joining the campaign against land grabbing allegedly led by the powerful corporate family of the Aboitizes, to convert the 168 HA of land into a shipyard and a special economic zone.

At around 5:30 in the morning, a 300-strong group of PNP units and SWAT elements coming from 5 municipalities in the area, including Aloguinsan, roused the sleeping camp saying they have an order to arrest everyone who was staying at the camp. By 10 am, the 3 students, with peasants and youth, were arrested and brought to the custody of Toleda City Jail and Pinamongajan Municipal precinct.

The League of Filipino Students is fuming over this recent blatant violation of the people’s human right, another manifestation of whose interest the government is serving. The peasants of Sitio Camarin have all the right to defend their land, more so continue to till it, but elements of the government’s defense, the Philippine National Police became the principal ushers of the ruling few in stepping on the right of the peasants to the land and their right to peaceably assemble for redress of grievances.

This incident soundly fit the framework of the Aquino regime, putting first the few’s interest for more profit, in this case the filthy rich Aboitizes, over the land and lives of the 200 families whose ancestors have tilled the land.

All over the country, hundreds of thousands of peasant families experience the same fate, to be betrayed by their own government in pursuit of greater profit for the ruling elite and foreign corporations. This mirrors Aquino’s skewed agrarian reform policy or the CARPER.

While the Aquino government and its whole machinery continue to use force and the people’s money to quash the rights and interests of the people, thousands upon thousands of youth and students will continue to join the peasant’s fight for genuine land reform and the people’s fight for a government that will truly serve its interests.

IMMEDIATELY RELEASE MELANIE MONTANIO, REMY JADE MANZON, JANUELLE RONTOS!

GENUINE LAND REFORM, NOW!

FIGHT THE FASCIST AND ANTI-PEOPLE AQUINO REGIME AND ITS COHORTS! ###

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FOR THEIR BARBARIC ATTACKS ON THE PEOPLE IN LIBYA

By Prof. Jose Maria Sison

Chairperson, International League of Peoples’ Struggle

26 August 2011

We, the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), condemn in the strongest terms the US, NATO and their puppet forces for their barbaric military campaign against the people in the whole of Libya since several months ago and in Tripoli currently. The combination of escalated NATO air bombardments and ground movement of Libyan puppet forces and NATO special forces against Tripoli since 20 August aims to deliver the final blow on the Gaddafi regime.

The invasion of Tripoli is the culmination of the bloody bombing campaign against the people of Libya by the air and naval forces of the US, UK, France, Italy and other NATO powers since March in collusion with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and the most reactionary and treasonous elements of Libyan society, including high bureaucrats recruited by the CIA from the Gaddafi regime, monarchists, warlords and Islamic fundamentalists associated with the CIA and al Qaeda.

The brutal campaign against Libya and the Gaddafi regime has been unleashed by the US and NATO under the pretext of saving civilian lives under Resolution 1973 of the UN Security Council. In fact, this so-called humanitarian intervention has been characterized by wanton bombings of homes, churches and civilian infrastructure, including power and water utilities, hospitals, children creches and schools, resulting in the killing and maiming of thousands of Libyans.

Accompanied by covert agents and special forces of the US and NATO, the anti-Gaddafi Libyan mercenaries have been able to advance from one point to another only after being preceded by NATO bombardments on the military positions of the regime as well on civilian communities regarded as pro-Gaddafi. Subsequently, the anti-Gaddafi mercenaries mostly play-act as fighters before the TV camera, attack helpless civilians off the camera and serve as bait to lure out the pro-Gaddafi forces for attack by helicopter gunships and predatory drones.

The cowardly military campaign of bombardments, involving more than 20,000 sorties by the air forces of the US and NATO and already costing more than 1 billion USD are intended not only to ruin and subjugate Libya but also to test he accuracy and killing efficiency of the weapons systems. The murderous campaign has been complemented by an internationally-coordinated psywar campaign by the biggest media conglomerates to justify foreign military intervention and aggression against the national sovereignty of Libya and the Libyan people and to misrepresent the puppets as democratic forces .

By their brazen acts, the US, UK, France and Italy have exposed their scheme of turning Libya into a neocolony deprived of sovereignty, putting the country’s oil and other natural resources under their absolute control through puppets and punishing Gaddafi for his refusal to allow the US African Command to build its military base in Libya, and for declaring that he wants to retract and re-nationalize what he has conceded to the imperialists since 2003 and to replace the US dollar with the gold dinar as the medium of buying oil from Libya in the face of the sharp worsening of the crisis of global capitalism.

When the US unleashed its war of aggression on Iraq in 2003, the Gaddafi regime worried as never before that the US could unleash a similar war against Libya. Thus, it decided to have rapprochement with the US, Britain and the other NATO powers. This enabled the imperialist powers to impose fully the policy of neoliberal globalization on Libya, which resulted in extreme privileges for the multinational corporations, wanton corruption among regime’s officials as well as Gaddafi relatives and in significant rises in the prices of basic commodities, in erosion of social benefits and in the mismatch of qualifications and jobs among the youth even as Libya continued to have the highest standard of living in Africa.

The Gaddafi regime also went into military and intelligence cooperation with the US and the other NATO powers, especially with regard to military supplies and the so-called US global policy of war on terror. Through expanded economic and military relations with Libya, the imperialists and particularly their intelligence operatives were able to gain influence among the officials of the Gaddafi regime, to recruit some of them and turn them against Gaddafi and his relatives. Thus, we now see former high officials of the Gaddafi regime in leading positions in the National Transitional Council.

The strategy of the US and NATO to overthrow the Gaddafi regime involves the use of bombardments on military positions and formations, on communities deemed as hostile and on the social infrastructure; the freezing of financial assets abroad; and the blockade on essential supplies, especially food and medicine. These brutal measures are calculated to allow the puppet opposition on the ground to rouse the people against the regime.

The imperialist powers have boasted that they shall have finished off Gaddafi by the 27th of June. But they have failed and have reset their deadline to end of September, although they now claim to be well ahead of schedule. They have also boasted that they do not have to put their boots on the Libyan sand. In fact, they are planning to deploy their troops in Libya under the cover of UN peacekeeping. Their covert agents, advisors and special forces are already in Libya to guide the puppets.

The people of Libya have suffered from the steady erosion of their national economic rights and standard of living under the neoliberal policy of imperialist globalization since the last decade. The imperialist powers aim to tighten their squeeze on the people of Libya and grab the huge oil resources and all major related businesses. They have wreaked havoc on the lives and properties of the Libyan peoples and are planning to make them pay for the costs of the war of aggression, The Libyan masses stand to lose their access to free education, free health care and other ample socio-economic benefits

Under the imperialist powers, the Libyan constitution will be replaced with one that institutes a puppet republic serving the economic, political, military and cultural interests of the imperialists. Libya will be made to accept the establishment of the military base of the US African Command and thus become another military outpost of US imperialism like Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.

To dominate Libya, the US and NATO will certainly continue to promote puppetry and treason and to manipulate the differences among the various puppet political forces, the tribes, the secularists and Islamic fundamentalists in order to divide and rule the Libyan people as in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The ILPS wishes the Libyan people and their anti-imperialist and democratic forces to take advantage of the current social and political turmoil in their country in order to gain strength and override the current conflict of the pro-Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces. The turbulent conditions and the widespread distribution of arms in Libya today are favorable for establishing a revolutionary party of the working class as well as for developing a national liberation movement.

The Libyan people should not be limited to choosing between the Gaddafi regime and a new regime of puppets extremely servile to the US and NATO. At any rate, a new regime of traitors conflicting with each other and having their respective armed groups is bound to be unstable. Whether Gaddafi becomes a martyr or remains alive to exercise leadership over his followers, the Gaddafi camp can redeem itself through continued anti-imperialist struggle and remain a major force for fighting the imperialists and traitors and for contributing significantly to the rise and growth of a national liberation movement.

We are confident that the Libyan people will continue to draw courage and strength from their long and proud tradition of fighting colonialism and imperialism and to advance on the road of national independence, democracy, social justice and development. They should not allow the Arab spring to be merely a way of empowering a new set of rulers that is more servile to US imperialism than a previous one.

We stand firmly in solidarity with all the people of Libya in fighting for national independence and democracy. We call on ILPS member organizations and all friendly forces to promptly mount protest actions at the embassies of the US and other NATO powers involved in the current assault on Tripoli and in the entire barbaric campaign against Libya and the people of Libya.

Uphold and defend the national sovereignty and democratic rights of the people of Libya!

Down with US and the other imperialist powers in NATO! Get out of Libya!

Long live the people of Libya! Onward with the struggle for national liberation and democracy!

*The League of Filipino Students is a member of the ILPS

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AUGUST 25, 2011

Students condemn violet dispersal of anti-budget cut rally

Will file charges; stage more massive protests, strikes and boycotts

Reference: Aki Merced, 09322537600

“Our demand is for Congressmen inside that building to reverse the anti-people budget proposed by Aquino. We get violence instead.”

This was the statement of Aki Merced, spokesperson for the League of Filipino Students, as more than 20 protesters were injured in a multi-sectoral protest joined by youth, migrants, health workers and urban poor today against budget cuts in social services.

“We were in the middle of our program in front of the House of Representatives when the police from QC station 10 and security units of the HOR assaulted us. Of course the people were angry, they were hitting us with metal rods and blasting us with water from a fire truck.”, Merced said.

Merced said that LFS together with other groups is preparing to file cases against the QCPD station 6 Chief and the head of security of the HOR.

“Some were poked in the eyes with blunt objects, some got seriously hurt because the police hit them with wooden rods that had metal inside. Ironically, among our demands is to augment the health budget. We probably won’t be able to afford getting medical attention as most public hospital services are privatized now.”

Merced said that some of the injured protesters were brought to the UP Health Service in UP Diliman.

“The fight is definitely on against budget cuts in social services. Expect larger protests, boycotts and strikes in the weeks to come. With the Congress reacting the way they did, we have no choice but to take our demands to the streets.”, Merced said. ###

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K+12 ni Noynoy, tutulan, labanan!

Gabay sa pagtatalakay

May 2011

League of Filipino Students

Sa pagpasok ng June 2010, ang naitala ang 103,599 na kakulangan sa kaguruan, 152,569 na classrooms, 13,225,527 na upuan at 95,557,887 na textbooks sa elementary at high school. 7,931,047 naman ang nakatalang kabataan na hindi nakakapag-aral. Mataas ang bilang ng mga kabataan na makatapak man sa paaralan ay hindi naman nakakapagtapos at napakarami din sa ating mga graduate ang walang trabaho. Pag-upo ng bagong pangulo na si Aquino, sinabi niyang prayoridad niya ang edukasyon. Ngunit sa lahat ng kakulangang ito, hindi man lang kalahati ang tinarget ng kanyang gubyernong tugunan para sa taong 2011. Patuloy din tumitingin sa ibayong dagat para paglagyan ng ating mga kababayan. At labas sa mga nakapag-aaral na, milyon-milyon pa ding kabataan ang hindi man lang makatapak sa paaralan. Sabi ni Noynoy, ang kanyang solusyon sa problematikong edukasyon sa bansa ay ang K+12.

Ano ang K+12?

Ang K+12 o ang Enhanced 12 year Basic Education program ng Department of Education ang pinakabagong programa ni Noynoy Aquino sa edukasyon. Bitbit niya ito sa kanyang 10 point agenda noong panahon ng kampanya sa pagkapangulo. Sa K+12, ang lahat ng kabataan na edad 5 ay dapat pumasok sa kindergarten (pre-school) bago makatuntong sa grade 1, at ang kasalukuyang 6 na taong Elementary o Grade School at ang 4 na taong High School ay madadagdagan ng dalawang taon na Senior High School. Lalagyan ang curriculum ng mga subject na magbibigay ng vocation at technical skills training sa mga estudyante. Halimbawa ng mga ito ay ang welding at machine operation.

Bakit kailangang pigilin ang K+12?

Universal Kindergarten

Sa gitna ng matinding kakulangan sa pasilidad at kaguruan ngayong taon, ipapatupad na ang Universal Kindergarten. Magsisimula na ang pagpasok ng higit kumulang 2.6 milyong kabataang nasa edad 5 sa kindergarten. Ang sabi ng DepEd, kung walang silid-aralan para sa mga bagong estudyante ng kindergarten, dapat ay gamitin ang iba pang espasyo sa paaralan katulad ng pasilyo, gym, atbp. Ang problema ay dahil sa libo-libong kakulangan sa klasrum at milyun-milyong kakulangan sa upuan, matagal na itong ginagamit ng mga nasa elementary at high school. Kung gayon, ipinipilit ni Aquino na ipatupad ang K+12 sa unang bahagi nitong Universal Kindergarten kahit kitang-kita na walang paglalagyan ang mga batang kukuha nito.

Sa Universal Kindergarten, ang gubyerno ay wala sa balangkas ng pagkuha ng mga regular na guro para sa kindergarten. Higit sa 30,000 na kontraktwal na guro ang kukunin para sa pagpapatupad ng Universal Kindergarten, at sila’y makakakuha ng P1500-P3000 lamang kada buwan. Hindi rin maaaring kumuha ng higit sa isang klaseng tuturuan kada buwan. Kung maubos na ang mga nais magvolunteer o magtrabaho bilang contractual Kindergarten teacher, ang mga nanay na nakapagtapos ng high school ang pagtuturuin ng kindergarten.

Dagdag dalawang taon ng technical at vocational skills training

Ang sabi ni Aquino, sagot daw ang K+12 sa matinding krisis sa edukasyon. Mula sa pag-aaral hanggang sa trabahong nakukuha ng mga nakapagtapos.

Titiyakin daw ng K+12 na magiging employable ang mga graduate ng high school dahil pasok sa global demand for skills ang kanilang mga kakayanan. Ani Aquino, sa panahon ngayon marami na ang bilang ng mga kabataan na nais magtrabaho pag-graduate pa lamang ng high school. Ang pagdaragdag daw ng dalawang taon ay magtitiyak na nasa tamang edad na ang mga graduate ng high school para makapagtrabaho.

Katotohanan na walang trabaho ang marami sa mga nagtapos ng high school na walang kakayanang makasampa ng kolehiyo. Ayon sa datos ng gubyerno, kalahati sa 2.7 milyong walang trabaho ay nasa edad na 15-24. Mula rito, 30% ang nakapagtapos ng kolehiyo at tinatayang nasa 52% ang nakapagtapos ng high school. Maging ang mga nakapagtapos ng kolehiyo ay walang mahanap na trabaho kaya’t malinaw na hindi dagdag taon ang sagot sa unemployment. Ang dahilan kung bakit walang trabahong nakukuha ang ating mga nagsipagtapos, high school graduate man o college graduate, ay dahil wala sa balangkas ng paglikha ng trabaho ang ating ekonomya.

Patuloy tayong pinaaasa ng gubyerno sa trabaho sa labas ng bansa, barat na barat din ang sahod sa mga trabahong narito sa ating bayan. Kaya naman, sa pagtingin ng gubyerno, hindi ang pagpapaunlad ng lokal na ekonomya at paglikha ng industriya ang sagot sa kawalan ng trabaho sa bansa. Ani ni Aquino, kaya walang trabaho ang karamihan sa Pilipino ay dahil sa job mismatch o ang hindi pagkakatugma ng mga graduate sa mga available na trabaho. Ito ay batay sa mga trabaho sa ibang bansa. At mula dito, ang nakikitang solusyon ng gubyerno ay ang K+12. Ipapasok ang mga subject katulad ng welding, machine operation at mga training para maging computer technician, electronic technician.

Dahil sa magiging paglobo ng mga semi-skilled workers na produkto ng K+12 na magaagawan sa limitado ding trabaho kahit sa ibang bansa, babaratin ng husto ng mga kapitalista ang sahod nito. Isa ring skema ang K+12 para ipako ang napakababa at hindi makatarungang sahod ng ating mga manggagawa.

Layunin ng K+12 na direktang pagsilbihin ang basic education ng bansa sa pangangailangan ng dayuhan. Lumaki ang henerasyon ng kabataan ngayon sa paniniwala na makaambag ang mga kabataan sa pag-unlad ng bayan kung sila ay makakapangibambayan, at ito ang nais ipaniwala ng gubyerno sa kanila. Dahil wala sa plano ng gubyerno na paunlarin ang lokal na ekonomya, ang tulak nito sa edukasyon ay ang lumikha ng mga manggagawa para sa pangangailangan ng dayuhan at hindi lumikha ng mga prupesyunal na makaambag sa pag-unlad ng bayan. Kaya rin naman hindi nakabalangkas ang gubyerno na pag-aralin ang lahat ng kanyang mamamayan, dahil kinakailangang panatilihing mangmang at naghihirap ang karamihan sa mamamayang Pilipino upang patuloy tayong umasa sa dayuhan.

Ang pananagutan ng rehimeng Aquino

Ito ang pangkalahatang programa ng rehimeng Aquino sa edukasyon na repleksyon din ng pangkalahatang programa nito sa ekonomya. Layunin ng gubyernong Aquino na direktang pagsilbihin ang ekonomya ng Pilipinas sa ibang bansa, gayun din ang edukasyon. Patuloy tayong nakaasa sa ayuda at pagpasok ng dayuhang puhunan sa ating bayan habang ang produksyon ng ating bayan ay palabas ng bansa ang tunguhin. Dahil dito, nananatiling bansot, atrasado at tali sa lupa ang ating ekonomya habang ang milyun-milyong kabataan ay hinuhubong na maging mga manggagawang magiging alipin ng dayuhan.

Malinaw kung gayon na ang bagong rehimeng Aquino ay walang pinag-iba kung hindi man masahol pa sa mga nakaraang rehimen. Tinutulak nito ang mga repormang mistulang solusyon sa mga matatagal nang problema ng bansa pero sa katunayan, sa pinakaubod nito, ay palalalain pa ang mga krisis na kinakaharap ng mamamayan. Patuloy ang pagpapakatuta sa dayuhang kapitalista at mamumuhuna, sa pangunguna ng US,  habang sinasantabi at sinasalanta pa ang kalagayan ng napakadaming  mamamayan.

Ang ating mga tungkulin

Nang unang inihapag ni Pnoy ang planong ito, malakas na ang naging paglaban ng mamamayan sa buong bansa para pigilan ang implementasyon ng baluktot na K+12. Malawak na ang pagkakaisa ng mamamayan na pigilan ito, kaya’t nararapat na likhain na at pasigabuin ang kilusang masa na maglalantad ng tunay na katangian ng K+12 at ng rehimeng US-Aquino na nagsusulong nito. Magiging mapagpasya ang mga pangmasang kilos-protesta sa pagpigil ng K+12 at pagsusulong ng edukasyon para sa lahat at pagwawakas ng sistemang patuloy na nagpapahirap sa masang Pilipino.

Ipalaganap ang ating suri at paninindigan, maglunsad ng malalawakang propaganda edukasyon sa hanay ng masang estudyante at mamamayan. Palakasin at palawakin natin ang mga alyansang nagsusulong ng karapatan sa edukasyon at tunay na panlipunang pagbabago. Pataasin natin ang kakakayanan ng mga kabataan-estudyante at mamamayan na labanan ang sunod-sunod na bigwas ng rehimeng US-Aquino at makibaka para sa pambansang demokrasya sa pamamagitan ng malaganap na edukasyong pampulitika. Hamigin ang mamamayan sa malalakihan at militanteng aksyong-masa at kasama sila ay ilantad ang papet, pasista at pahirap sa masang rehimeng US-Aquno.

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