(Oddly enough for this post, it was the UPCAT last weekend, I think I was told.)
AJ had a tweet yesterday that led me to read this post by some fellow named Dennis Relojo.
The post was making quite a little flurry in its niche of cyberspace. However, what I found rather interesting was not the post itself, but the reactions to it on its comment thread. Instead of engaging the blogger in debate on the merits of his post (I was reminded of a post I had intended to write, but never got around to doing it), comments were focused seemingly on the quality of his school or on the blogger being bitter, possibly not having passed the UPCAT.
As if the UPCAT was anything more than a mere entrance exam. Therefore, before I get into the meat of this post, I will establish my standing with regard to the rather inane presumption that those who criticize the UP didn't qualify and thus are bitter.
Let's progress up the line of questioning, shall we? Oh, and lest we forget -- I am an alumnus of a public high school in the barrios.
(Insert sound of katana hissing out of its saya here.)
For purposes of performance correlation -- did you pass the Ateneo entrance exam? Did you qualify for a full scholarship and full stipend support from the Ateneo?
Did you qualify for a full scholarship from the DOST? Did you qualify for a full scholarship from the DOST-SEI program?
Did you pass the UPCAT? Did you qualify for all the campuses of your choice? Did you qualify for all the quota courses you applied for? Did you qualify for the Intarmed program? Did you qualify for the Oblation Scholarship program?
I did. Now, who will use these rather inane set of questions in an attempt to deny me standing to criticize UP?
But let's go to other questions that will be used to attempt to deny me my standing to criticize UP.
(Interestingly enough, it feels rather like what the brilliant professor ATM of the UP College of Law says about constitutional challenges before the Supreme Court: pages and pages of establishing one's standing before getting into one's arguments.)
I am a student of the University of the Philippines. Therefore, I am and have been affected directly by its policies and programs, as well as the policies and programs implemented on it.
I am a registered voter. I have exercised my right of suffrage since the first election I was eligible to vote in, which were the presidential elections in 1998, and every election I had the responsibility to participate in thereafter. Therefore, I have standing to criticize UP, it being one of the universities under the aegis of the government, which is one formed via popular election.
I am a taxpayer. Not only am I taxpayer by virtue of the VAT imposed on my purchases, I have been a taxpayer since my the start of my employment in 1995. Therefore, I have standing to criticize UP, with part of my income going to the state subsidies of its students.
While I was in school, I did not slack off. I busted my butt to earn my bachelor's degree. I did not cheat in my exams, and did my best in my schoolwork, co-curriculars, and extracurriculars. I finished my Engineering degree on time, and with a respectable GWA. Therefore, I cannot be classed as a slob denying the slackers' tack, and thus can criticize with such a counterargument being void on its face.
Will there be anyone else who will dare deny me standing now?
Okay. Now, to deal with the commenters on Relojo's post, as a means to segue into my criticism of the university.
One of them, clevearguelles03 had this to say:
UP is not a state university. FYI, as 2008, UP is now considered the National University of the Republic of the Philippines. And I dont find anything wrong on why we call ourselves iskolar ng bayan, you are limiting the term for the financial state or for the cost of the education. Why we are calling ourselves iskolar ng bayan is because part of the taxes of the people of the republic is being utilized for UP. FYI, budget for colleges or universities that are handled by the government receive lesser (super lesser) money than UP (3/4 ata amin), hence, giving us the right to be the iskolar ng BAYAN, since most of the money is being use for us.
nuff said.
arg. i still want to argue. but that would take time. pagod nako eh. i dont want to argue about something written by a bitter blogger. sorry, dude.
First off, young man, for a student belonging to an institution where quality education is supposed to be dispensed, you have execrable grammar.
But let's gloss over that and let's speak of one of your arguments instead.
You claim the honorific "Iskolar ng Bayan" by virtue of the fact that your tuition is subsidized by taxpayers, of which I am one of them. You assert that "Iskolar ng Bayan is a label accorded to us because the taxpayers subsidize our education by form of government appropriation to the University, not on the basis of the tuition paid."
Is that even a valid reason?
I was told that "Iskolar ng Bayan" is in reference to a life not of privilege, but that of service. One is a true Iskolar ng Bayan not because he is enjoying tuition fees subsidized by the labor of taxpayers, but because he deserves the subsidy by virtue of service in return.
The subsidy you enjoy from the taxes I pay is not gratis et amore, child; it is in expectation that you will be deserving of the efforts that the Filipino people make to subsidize your education. It is in expectation that you will be serving the country in some way after you've finished college that our taxes help pay your way through school, not simply because you have a modicum of talent and intelligence.
You may be talented, you may be smart (not that I think so), you may be in UP, but if you think that's enough to deserve the honorific "Iskolar ng Bayan", you are sorely mistaken.
Prove you deserve the honorific -- it is not a right that you can enjoy. It is a privilege you must earn.
Further on to the child clevearguelles03's comment is this claim: UP students deserve the honorific "Iskolar ng Bayan" because the University of the Philippines gets the biggest slice of the pie of the budget for state-sponsored colleges and universities. (Aside: he's a UP student and yet does not know how much, exactly -- talk about being in touch with social issues.)
Bullshit. That is not cause for pride, young man -- that is cause for shame. By calling yourself an "Iskolar ng Bayan" because other students of state-sponsored schools get less subsidy than you do is an insult to these students. You are telling us that you deserve to be called "Iskolar ng Bayan" because your existence grabs more resources that could have gone to the support of these students. What makes these students less deserving of state support than you are -- the absence of an UPCAT?
Heh. Used tissue paper.
Prove you deserve to be called "Iskolar ng Bayan" -- it is not a right that because you are in UP that you are one. It is a privilege that you must prove you are worthy of, both while in UP and after.
Prove that you deserve the money I pay that goes to your tuition.
Of course, Relojo's assertion -- that UP students are not "mga Iskolar ng Bayan" because of the high tuition and fees that they are required to pay now (costs that are now higher than that of many other schools, some of them even private ones) -- is in itself flawed. The high cost of tuition (subsidized at that) is not necessarily why UP students are not Iskolars ng Bayan; however, it is an argument that takes a chisel and a sledge onto the edifice called the "Pamantasan ng Bayan."
I've long been told that the mandate of the University of the Philippines is to provide quality tertiary education to poor but deserving students. Fine. That's laudable. However, is that what UP is doing?
If it were truly an institution designed to provide quality tertiary education to poor but deserving students, then the University of the Philippines should have been applying a form of affirmative action in favor of students from lower-income brackets; that is, before allowing a student to take the UPCAT, his personal circumstances are assessed, and poorer students should be given priority over wealthier ones. Heck, between two students vying for a slot in a quota course, the poorer one must be given the slot instead of the wealthier one.
However, consider the facts: UP now has tuition and fees comparable to that of private schools, the costs being rather steep for middle-income and low-income households. The Socialized Tuition Fee Assistance Program (STFAP) likewise has not been effective in providing buffers for such households or for students who have had to support their own education (the STFAP looks at aggregate household income, and is blind to students supporting themselves). A friend who visited the Diliman campus recently commented rather tongue-in-cheek (or perhaps not) that he thought he was in De La Salle University (known for having its parking areas full) because of the apparently rather surprising number of high-end vehicles on campus.
(Heck, UP had to adopt a traffic routing scheme to address the increasing numbers of vehicles on campus.)
Is the University of the Philippines the "Pamantasan ng Bayan", in that it has been providing to the vast majority of our countrymen (of which the poorer classes of make the bigger fraction) a chance to get a quality tertiary education?
Prove that you still are relevant to the country "@100", UP. Otherwise, you are no more than a state-sponsored private school.
Still, if we are to go into the assertion that the University of the Philippines is the "Pamantasan ng Bayan" because it is mandated to be "the national university", thus presupposing that it is to be the school that will be the center of our country's education and research, UP has still failed in this mandate, by practically any performance measure.
Consider: how high is UP's ranking amongst other universities around the world, in terms of performance in science and math... heck, for that matter, in terms of the liberal arts? How much research has been made in UP that has resulted in scientific and technological progress, compared to other national universities around the world? How many studies have been made that have resulted in the average Filipino having a broader understanding of our country's history and culture?
Let's even dare distill these questions: has the University of the Philippines by way of an alumnus received a Fields Medal? A Turing Award? A Planck Medal? A Nobel Prize?
So, UP, can you prove that you are truly worthy of the moniker "national university"?
With all that said, I am in complete agreement with the thought behind Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales (herself a distinguished alumna of UP) in her ponencia Mane vs. Bulan, which was seconded by Raul Pangalangan, former dean of the UP College of Law. Dean Pangalangan puts it rather bluntly (and completely correctly):
And why not? As my professor ATM said once, it's of no moment that one is from UP or not -- what matters is what one does with his education. Even my professor PAA says that being from UP is not something to boast about, but is a responsility to live up to.
Consider:
As Conrado de Quiros related, at the height of the Erap impeachment trial there was this rather interesting scene (reproduced from Ultraelectromagnetic Blog):A young lawyer, Jasmin Banal, who had worked in a law firm that created dummy corporations for Erap, took the stand. Miriam Defensor-Santiago tried to demolish her credibility by asking her why she transferred from that firm to another one that offered lower pay.
Santiago said: "So you made the unusual deviation from the usual career path, since you and I and all UP law graduates virtually pursue the same career path after graduation. Isn't that so? We try and get the highest salary we can get... But in your case, you transferred from a law office with a higher salary to a law office with a lower salary. Is that correct?"
Banal replied, "Yes."
Santiago commented, "Remarkable."
When it was Raul's turn, he had this dialogue with Banal:
Raul: "We in San Beda Law, we were taught that law is a noble profession, it is not a business. Am I right to assume that you in UP Law were taught the same thing?"
Banal: "Yes, Your Honor."
Raul: "What is written on the UP Law School, engraved in stone?"
Banal: "The business of a law school is not to teach law but to teach law in the grand manner."
Raul: "We are brothers and sisters in the profession, we should always be motivated by a sense of idealism. Is this correct?"
Banal: "Yes, Your Honor."
Raul: "So when you transfer from a higher-paying job to a lower-paying job, that is not necessarily an erroneous career decision? In fact, it could be motivated by a sense of idealism?"
Banal: "Yes, Your Honor."
Raul: "Yes. I thought that should be elicited because I was surprised to learn that the usual career path of lawyers is going from lower-paying jobs to higher-paying jobs."
Note that the late Raul Roco was an alumnus of San Beda. Banal and Defensor-Santiago are both from UP, but look at the difference in their attitudes and ideals.
Was it the school or the alumnus?
Here are others: three of my UP alumni who have become professors have made an impact on how I view the practice of law: ATM, he who is a staunch advocate of women and children's rights and has been working against the paradigm of quality legal education being found only in chaos central (by traveling every weekend to Region III to teach); RDM, she who makes no distinctions when wielding her considerable talent and wit, whether her client is wealthy or her services are pro bono, and; PAA (he of whom even the Supreme Court's magistrates listen with respect), whose early career was spent in the service of those in the rural areas. On the other hand, we have UP alumna and former UP law professor Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who spoke of idealism as "remarkable" with heavy sarcasm.
Was it the school or the alumnus?
Still more: Benigno Aquino, jr. was from UP. Ferdinand Marcos was likewise a UP alumnus. Juan Ponce Enrile is one likewise, as was Haydee Yorac. Blas Ople was from MLQU; so is Benjamin Abalos.
Was it the school or the alumnus?
Thus, to Relojo and to that commenter clevearguelles03, to all your arguing over what makes or unmakes an "Iskolar ng Bayan" (hell, even a "Pamantasan ng Bayan") this much I will say:
From where I'm sitting, they don't mean squat. UP or not-UP, they're all schools. They're all just alumni. What they've done with what they've learned makes the difference whether or not they deserve to be called "Iskolar ng Bayan"... as will you.
'Nuff said.
Want to keep The Journal of The Jester-in-Exile running? Why not leave some spare change?
Send an email to The Jester-in-Exile!
104 comments:
Well said, Jester. Well said.
jester:
i'm totally in agreement with you on this one. "iskolar ng bayan" is a warcry, a form of protest, an exercise in irony; not a convenient label you put in a bottle(brain) and poof.
i would write about it, but you hit the nail right on the head with this one.
Pffft. He also moderates comments. I couldn't resist, left a flame.
well said :)
i hope UP will have a better screening process especially now with the TOFI.
aba, meron palang entrance exam ang the ateneo?? bakeet? ah, para pagkakitaan.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Sa totoo lang, I don't really get why there should even be an argument about UP students' "eligibility" to be called "Iskolar ng Bayan." Like I told my friends the moment I set foot on UP ground, sometimes (or maybe most of the time; depends on what kind of people you hang around with) that label is just being taken for granted, or, worse, being used to belittle others (and boast their own "social standing").
(When I was in UP, I did the former. Guilty, hehe.)
At the end of the day, a title is just a title if you don't take it to heart and mind.
I'm more inclined to agree with a certain thought that goes like, "The students make the school, not the other way around." Even though I think both aren't necessarily true. Becoming an "Iskolar ng Bayan" is not an automated process. Earn it and live it.
I must agree with Reyn though, who commented that the title is a wee bit disturbing. And the writer's subsequent comments are a little too sweeping.
I also zeroed in on that first comment. I was, like, "WTH is he saying?!" Both parties are taking the term "scholar" literally, methinks, despite the claim of the blogger that his understanding of it is "contextual." Neither is "critical" enough to make a valid points though. But that's just me. I care enough to share the link, but not enough to react.
Oh wait, I just did. Haha.
LOL. This is what you do best.
Sometimes, even though we know that our arguments don't hold, it's nice to take some facts for granted -- lazy people that some of us are.
When I was still in college, I know we are so proud that we brag that we're studying in one of the top universities in the country. It was something we knew, that once said, the one we're talking to wouldn't look down on us. But as I went to medical school, graduated, and started working, I learned that it doesn't really matter whether you're from the top (more popular) universities or you're from a lesser known college. As you've said, it's the student, not the school. What you do with the foundation given by the school defines what you'll be as a person contributing to the society, not an effing piece of paper that said you're a graduate of this or that university.
I do get annoyed by people who seem to brandish about the title, "Iskolar ng Bayan" carelessly. I think those who're deserving of the title are those who often don't brag about it.
--
actually, magyayabang ako at sasabihin kong pwede kong ideny ang standing mo sa pagcriticize sa UP dahil SM Scholar ako [eh anu naman]
hakhak
pasa ako sa ateneo, dost, ngunit hind pwedeng sabay ang SM at DOST isko kya pinili ko si henri si, psa ako sa UPLB, sa Dili hind
may full isko din pla ang ateneo, syang, di ku alam un ah
hakhak
eniweys, elyen ako kung kayat wla akong pakialam, kung eskwelahan lng naman, pataasan n lng ng ranking sa mga licensure exams
hakhak
kelan nga b huling ngtopnotch ang UP?
hakhak
elyens poreber
XXXxx
Remarkable post, Jester. And unlike Santiago, I say that to you with utmost sincerity and respect.
Sir, I must say, each has his/her own points for saying that UP deserves, or not, the "honorific Iskolar ng Bayan."
That is accepted and very well respected. In fact, I must agree to some arguments posted against my alma mater and its students. But I also disagree with some. This is inevitable, and only natural.
It is not a matter of university. So I don't think there is a need comparing one against the other. Each University has its own specialization.
Grammar is something worth pointing. However, it is not proper to refute a person by attacking him, in this case, on his execrable grammar. It is an argumentum ad hominem.
I have read Mane vs Bulan, even Mane vs Belen. Mane is a graduate of MLQU. I agree to the decision of the high court. No one has the right of stepping on others by the basis of the institution where one graduated. You are right to emphasize this sentence: "Look to the man and not to the school." I hope you live up to that.
In the end, you are right, it is not a matter of school or what. I think it is how you do your role in the society which matters.
As much as you don't want to be prejudged, we don't want it as well. Benefit of the doubt, as they say.
I guess there is nothing really to argue on.
Just respect the views of everyone. That's all.
JRRG
(If there are errors, my apologies.)
This is one nice way of checking how we live up to the title "Iskolar ng Bayan." Sadly, most of us don't. We tend to forget what we're here for (why we got into UP in the first place.)
This is a very nice read. I wonder why I haven't been seen this blog before. =)
Oblation Scholar ka?
you called the fellow a "bitter blogger" instead of demolishing his argument, JRRG. ad hominem, not?
don't dish it out if you won't take it, young man.
and yes, i look forward to your counterarguments against any of mine.
No offense, floppy hat, but I don't see why you even bothered reacting to the post and the comment. You're just lending credence to what is essentially a pissing contest between two college KIDS. It's an argument about titles and, as an earlier commenter had pointed out, some titles aren't worth the breath with which they are said.
@ the Nashman: I think such a comment is uncalled for. There in an ACET for the same reason there is an UPCAT...which is the same reason there is a LAE, a bar exam, and various other board exams. To see if you're qualified. And no, the qualification is not merely to see if you can pay the fee.
@ACS: true that. then again, it was the perfect opportunity to write the post questioning a) what is an "iskolar ng bayan" (re PAA) and b) the "pamantasan ng bayan" re (ATM).
remember what RDM likes to say about our seats?
This was a good read. It's even inspiring, driving one to strive to be worthy of said title. I agree. You have great skill, and have supported your arguments well, and for that you have earned much respect. Thank you for this post.
When did "topnotch" become a verb? ;D
I don't tell anyone for the mere purpose of telling or aggrandizing myself that I'm an "Iskolar ng Bayan". I'm not being modest. I'm not even trying to be humble. Just apathetic with the hype of UP students calling themselves such. I mean, what the hell do I need from a label I needlessly put on myself? Will it lessen the chances of being robbed? Will it give me more discounts other than the regular student discount in the jeepney? (There may be perks at certain establishments :D when you're from UP but we're actually talking about labeling ourselves.) (Gah! I'm too tired to think of a third one.) Also, people who have something to boast about usually do not boast about their achievements. Socrates, when told that he was the wisest man alive by the Oracle of Delphi, didn't believe it. That's because he hadn't gone around Athens to tell everyone he was, he just minded his own business of Socratic irony and argumentation. (Remember that schism between the Sophists and Socrates?) I don't know. Maybe he just wasn't insecure of his intelligence. ;D
You may criticize my grammar. I won't see it as an insult. :)
Well, honestly, I think your blog is well- written, but I think your one flaw is that you've never really known all UPians, have you?
These are my thoughts upon reading your blog.
First: Actually, some UPians commit themselves to a life of service, just like some people in other schools do. Don't make us look as if we're all lazy, ungrateful, undeserving beings.
Second: We appreciate the efforts the Filipinos make to subsidize our education. In fact, we demand from our administration transparency so we could be assured that your money goes to our tuition fees. 'UP now has tuition and fees comparable to that of private schools, the costs being rather steep for middle-income and low-income households.' Let me tell you this: I don't want TOFI. We fought against it, but, unfortunately, we failed. Just like some of you do.
Third: 'It's of no moment that one is from UP or not -- what matters is what one does with his education.' Exactly. This might come off as a surprise for you, but some of us braggart UPians actually work hard for our education. It's not a matter of going to a school called UP; it's a matter of being able to go to school. Period.
Fourth: 'Was it the school or the alumnus?' I presume all Ateneo graduates have the same ideals? Or La Salle? Or any other school? Because you have to share the same visions with your schoolmates, right? UP provided us with quality education of at least three to four years; they didn't give us a set of ideals to govern our lives.
Fifth: We did not invent the term 'Iskolar ng Bayan'. We did not print a banner of it and put it on our roofs. I agree with you on the fact that not all UPians can be called the name. Some, not all. Don't generalize us. That's unfair. We are just as diverse as everybody else. Some of us deserve to be called ISKOLAR NG BAYAN.
@acs
ikaw naman,kelan ba naging credible ang mga entrance exam at board exams na iyan? eh multiple choice lang naman mga yan? at sa aking pagkaka-alam it's the interview that gets you into up law (tama ba jester?) dahil madali lang pumasa ng written exam.
tapos yang mga exam may bayad pa!!!! (with matching 'review centres) so do you expect the best and the brightest to even go for those entance exams na pagkamahal-mahal? so ayun, who can afford lang ang nag-eentrance exam at lalong pinadali with the multiple choice.
(ang entrance exam po sa ivy league and russell group universities ay LIBRE at walang bayad)
pero dibale, hindi magtatagal ay gagawin ng mall at bowling alley ang katipunan campus ng ateneo.
@ putomaia:
"some"? pity. a fraction of a percentage is still "some".
but more specificially:
point one -- interestingly enough, this post has been blasted by not a few presumably UP students for not leaving UP students alone to do as they please.
couldn't care less, they, for the fact that their schooling is state sponsored. one could slack off, if it was his own money he was spending; since UP students are partially dependent on state support, would not gratitude mean that our views as taxpayers are listened to? that UP students feel the need to avoid slacking, given that their way through school is not of their making?
look around your peers' multiply posts and comments. tell them off, and then tell me off.
point two - so we subsidize your tuition. costs went up; fine, whatever -- it means more of our taxes go to your spending. do most, if not all (and not "some") make sure our subsidies are not wasted by at least working to finish school on time, with respectable grades earned honorably?
point three -- not a surprise that "some" of us do; it's a surprise that only "some" of us work hard for schoolwork.
(yes, i have standing -- i am paying my way through school. )
point four -- i thought UP does give a set of ideals for "iskolars ng bayan" to live by? aren't we supposed to use our education to serve the people in whatever capacity we can?
(the late roco must be turning in his grave to learn that jasmine banal had perjured when speaking of idealism.)
point five -- fine, perhaps the term was not invented by UP. likewise, perhaps there are "some" who deserve the honorific. therefore, the rest do not deserve the honorific.
that said, it is the responsibility of UP students to claim the honorific "iskolar ng bayan" only if they have in some way proven that they deserve it, and to deny it to themselves and their peers if they have not.
likewise, nobody (least of all UP students who have done nothing for the country save squander our subsidies) should deny any student from any other school whose academic achievements have contributed to our country's progress from calling himself "iskolar ng bayan."
"iskolar ng bayan" may not have been a term invented by UP, but the onus of proof is on each UP student, for each to demonstrate the truth of it.
but to go to what you call the flaw -- that i've never really known all UPians.
answer? probability and statistics, principle of random sampling, historical trends. should i need to know all upians, past and present, to make a valid judgment?
@ Nashman
1. So esssentially your argument is to do away with all sorts of standardized (i.e. multiple choice) entrance exams because they're "not credible" but it would be okay to keep them if they were free? So if you were to choose between a newly licensed doctor and a med student who is just about to take the board exam, between a building designed and approved by licensed architects and engineers and one that is not, between a full-fledged member of the Philippine Bar and a law student practicing under the Office of Legal Aid in UP, you might as well just flip a coin?
2. The interview at the UP College of Law is not the sole determining factor of admission. In fact the College has decided to scrap it altogether for next year's round of applications which means they do not even deem it as essential.
3. Unless things have changed in the past 8 years, if I'm nto mistaken applicants also have to pay a fee if they want to take the UPCAT.
4. I know this will ruffle some feathers, but who's to say that "the best and the brightest" can only come from families with lower socio-economic backgrounds? Just because a student is given access to a greater wealth of academic resources by virtue of his financial resources does not exclude him from being one of the best and the brightest if he rightly deserves it.
5. You seek to discredit entrance exams (which necessarily includes the UPCAT) because they are "easy" by virtue of their being multiple choice exams and are thus not truly reflective of the student's academic aptitude but lend credence to Ivy League and Russell Group schools because they're free. I do not see the congruence in the arguments. Neither am I trying to draw a parallel between local entrance exams and those of Ivy League or Russell Group schools, but I am fairly certain that they are, at the very least in part, multiple choice as well.
@ACS re item 4 -- this is why i argue that a) UP and its apparent mandate for quality tertiary education should have some form of affirmative action for poor but deserving students, and b) that UP students all (they being considered the country's best and brightest) should consider it a responsibility to give back to the country somehow, what with the country's investment in them via subsidized tuition.
of course, i must admit that i'm rather disappointed with the quality of defense and coherent thought of the kids on http://tinyurl.com/5jas6m and elsewhere bashing the relojo fellow -- and this post as well -- are these the country's best and brightest? really?
the first philippine legislature that enacted act no. 1870 must be rolling over in their graves.
(don't mind ruffling feathers. it's part of the whole online dynamic. :D )
@ Jester
Oh but it does...on paper. Unfortunately, it doesn't translate very well into practice. I'm all for the socialized system they have in place where those with more would pay more. It's only equitable. I just don't understand why they insist on the present stratification. We've already seen how inequitable it is. Admittedly, it is difficult to measure and/or validate aggregates (e.g. size of family, whether or not student is supporting himself or herself), but surely there is a better way than the present system. And I've always felt that the "best and the brightest" should only come second to "poor but deserving" such that anyone who do not fall under the latter should be an exceptional member of the former not only in academic terms but also in leadership and service.
Aside: I hate the word "poor." It connotes a sense of helplessness, of "I'm a victim to the whims of Fate" mentality that I refuse to ascribe to.
(continuation of above"
I prefer the term "lower socio-economic status." Cumbersome and annoying in its political correctness, I know, but it lends a sense of control and empowerment to one's life.
if you were an up student, like me, then you'd know what you're talking about.
but your not. bitter ka lang, jester. so sad.
being an iskolar ng bayan means that we are the best and the brightest of the country, and we deserve to be in up. anong paki nyo if subsidized tuition namin? we are entitled to it. we earned it by passing the upcat.
upians are the national university. paki namin sa ibang schools?
(hay, why am i wasting time on this?)
"Anong paki nyo if subsidized tuition namin?"
Kasi kami lang naman ang nagbabayad para sa subsidy ng tuition niyo. Oo nga at nagbabayad kayo din kayo ng VAT tulad namin sa mga pang-araw-araw ninyong gastusin, yun nga lang may dagdag sa aming pabigat. At iyon ang tinatawag na "income tax."
The comment of upjournforever is the very mentality that we are raging against. How does passing the UPCAT entitle YOU to OUR hard-earned money?
A scholarship, by it's very nature, is a grant and not an entitlement. Which is why you apply for it, because it needs to be granted. And even if it has been granted, it can be taken away by the granting authority.
admit I'm hurt. But it's pain worth taking.
You see I've defended UP from any kind of sally made by my La Sallian friends in Cavite. With all ferocity, at that. Once I barely held myself when, in the LRT, I overheard a La Sallian from Taft lambasting UP education. I could not tolerate any word said against UP.
But you see, it seems that everything I fought for is imploding. The State U I venerate so much is now home to several apathetic, apolitical, boisterous, sarcastic, filthy rich students (taken altogether, not singly) who rob the common tao's child of the education he deserves.
And why is that?
Tuition. Goddamn tuition fees. Rotten policies. The permeation of the passive mindset in the UP culture.
We lost our title as the "University of the Masses" because the masses are no longer in UP. When I say "masses" I mean those people who share the same sentiments with the common taos, who know how to stand for them, who know how to fight for them, who know how to break necks and cut throats for their sake. They are no longer in UP. Sadly we are reduced to some kind of, as the Jester-in-Exile says, a state-sponsored private university.
Gone were the days of glory. Those golden days of student activism, idealism, nationalism, social consciousness. What we are left with is a conglomerate of both idealist and apathetic students, mixed in such a way that you can't distinguish one from the other.
WHY, WE CAN'T EVEN TOP THE BAR ANYMORE, NOR THE NURSING BOARD EXAMS! Some of our best teachers flee UP because of the ridiculously low salaries they receive. And yet UP is charging much from the students! Where does all that go? It's supposed to improve the kind of education we get!
And yet the whole lot of us is proud of being Iskolars ng Bayan. We carry the title, we are proud. But do we really know what that means?
HOW CAN WE EVER DEFEND THE GLORY OF OUR UNIVERSITY FROM ALL THE SARCASTIC, BITTER REMARKS OF THOSE GOOD-FOR-NOTHING PEOPLE WHO DESIRE NOTHING BUT TO SEE U.P. FALL FACE DOWN IN THE MUD IF AMONG OUR RANKS ROTTEN TOMATOES EXIST?
Here, here!
Honestly, I don't want my hard-earned money to be used by arrogant people who don't even know how to capitalize and construct correct sentences.
Agree ako kay upjournforever... we're the best and brightest of the country, so the government is responsible to support our tuition.
Saka paki nyo, di naman kayo taga-UP? Bitter...
UPian ka nga, di ka nakiisa sa pag-defend sa school natin.
UPian ka nga, wala ka namang school spirit. Dapat sana, UP, right or wrong. Mag-isip-isip ka naman sana.
Nakakahiya ka Jester. Sayang lang ang pagiging UPian mo.
Mas nakakahiya kung ang paninidigan mo ay nasa dahil sa loyalties at hindi dahil sa isyu. Mas nakakahiya kung ipagpipilitan mong tama ang mali. May balak ka bang maging congressman? Kasi ganyan ang pag-iisip ng karamihan sa kanila, ng karamihan sa mga taong nasa pulitika dito sa Pilipinas.
That is what you call patronage politics.
We are not maligning UP. We are not against UP. To the contrary we are trying to defend the dignity, integrity, and credibility of UP as an institution. What we are against are those who populate the university but do not carry with them the ideals that the institution stands for.
"Anonymous said...
UPian ka nga, di ka nakiisa sa pag-defend sa school natin.
UPian ka nga, wala ka namang school spirit. Dapat sana, UP, right or wrong. Mag-isip-isip ka naman sana.
Nakakahiya ka Jester. Sayang lang ang pagiging UPian mo."
Pare, taga-UP din ako. Pero sana wag mo mamasamain yung sinasabi ko.
Siguro tayong mga taga-UP, dapat pinagtatanggol yung tama, tinitira yung mali. Yun yung mga ginagawa ng mga nauna sa'tin di ba? Hindi sila bulag na tagasunod. Hindi sila basta-basta naniniwala. Alam nila kung ano ang tama at mali.
Siguro dapat ganun din tayo. Ipagtanggol yung tama at tirahin yung mali. Bakit ba natin tinitira yung mga mali sa UP? Di ba para din sa mga iskolar ng bayan? Pagtatakpan ba natin yung mali para lang isalba yung karangalan ng school natin? Di ba mas malaking mali yun, kasi katumbas nun tinraydor na natin yung mga kapwa isko at iska natin?
Alam ko, naghihimutok din ako dun sa sinabi nung Relojo. Sige na, masakit nga yun. Pero siguro kung titirahin natin siya, base sana dun sa mga sinasabi niya at hindi kung ano siya. Para naman hindi tayo napapahiya. UP tayo di ba? Hindi tayo dapat mapahiya. Kundi, wala na tayong pinagkaiba sa mga tambay sa kantong walang ginawa kundi manggago.
Tingin ko, kung ginawa ni Jester yun, yun e para remedyuhan yung mga maling nangyayari, para magising yung admin natin. Ang nangyayari e parang pinagtatanggol pa natin yung mga anomalyang nangyayari sa UP.
At please pare, don't ever invoke school spirit. UP has always been motivated by the spirit of justice, truth, nationalism, not bigotry. Please don't equate UP school spirit with that of posh schools.
@acs
1. Does not follow naman ang logic mo.
But anyways, to emphasise, I'd trust someone who has apprenticed to qualify rather than taken a written exam. Exam results mean nothing really, even if you pass an exam it does not mean you are immediately qualified. Such is the limitation of our exam-based meritocracy. Have you seen our ECE board exam during my time? Meron pang trivia questions! Nakakatuwa siya. Kung ito lang para ang batayan para maging ECE eh di sana nag-Promil nalang ako.
2. Ay mali yan, sana hwag. Mas mahalaga ang interview. Madali pumasa ng exam.
3. Oo, sana walang bayad ang UPCAT to really get those brilliant ones. Marami ang can't afford the exam, isa na ako noon.
4. Tama ka diyan. Kaya in a real meritocracy, everyone should be given the opportunity
5. Russell group exams are not multiple choice! And you still have to pass the interviews.
cheerio
Animo La Salle!
PS @acs
as a taxpayer, i support state universities and more money should be put into them.
@upjournforever and kalaichique
Nalungkot ako sa mga post ninyo. Sa tingin ko, hindi dapat ganyan ang pag-iisip nating mga UP students.
I think our collective ego has been inflated enough with those "best and brightest" comments. I presume there are many people who are smarter than us who did not enroll in UP, for one reason or another (the TOFI is one of the possible reasons). By posting those messages, you are showing the egoistic mentality that some of us possess. You are proving them right that UP students are indeed braggarts, and that most of us are "mahangin". I'd like to believe that common notion is untrue, but I never was sure.
I do not think we earned our subsidized tuition by passing the UPCAT. We qualified for UP, yes, but I believe we only truly earn our tuition once we graduate and give back something to the country who paid for our education. We are not entitled to it simply because we're "smart". Ideally, we're supposed to use our intelligence to help the country. That is a reason why they are paying for our college schooling, more so than for other state universities.(Also why DOST scholars are required to stay in the country a number of years after graduation, if I am not mistaken).
Just because we passed the UPCAT does not mean we deserve to be in UP. It's more than just being intelligent. I'm having difficulty explaining it at the moment, but I always believed the essence of a UP student is not just about the smarts.
Our default reaction to people criticizing UP is "BITTER ka lang." or "Inggit ka lang, kasi hindi ka taga-UP." The situation in this blog post is completely different, and should be handled in a way other than accusing people of being envious. Even if Jester was not a UP student, he had good arguments, and that in itself should be enough for his posts to be distinguished from a jealousy-bitterness-rant.
oo nga naman. pero wait lang...
@anonymous: UP right or wrong? teka... hirap lunukin nun. it's one thing to defend UP against those who do it wrong. it's another thing to defend UP kung nagkamali ito. critical thinking: will you defend a wrong thing UP made because it's UP? hinay-hinay lang. minsan kailangang i-situate ang pride natin sa UP.
i think jester will agree with me on this one (oh yes you will, and you may even owe me coffee for this, hehe): sometimes, it takes a glimpse at the real world to pull you back from at least some of the harmful delusions of grandeur you have as a UP student. like holding down a job and actually paying taxes.
if i'm not mistaken: the economist amartya sen once wrote that entitlements give you freedom. the term "iskolar ng bayan" is never an entitlement. why? you paid a fee to take the entrance exam to one of the best universities the world has to offer (di yan yabang, that's a fact). so you don't have the freedom to brag about it and lower and debase other schools just because you're from UP.
this is why i sometimes think that all a self-proclaimed, self-entitled iskolar ng bayan needs is a reality check. at the end of it all, that long gray line of employment lines do not give a cut to "scholars of the state."
there will come a time that you will swallow every ounce of vomit you spew out, every ideal, and everything you think you stand for as a UP student or as an iskolar ng bayan. so do not throw the arrow that will turn against you.
i should know, i experience it every working day.
hay naku,
sige na nga pwede niyo ng i-ukit sa mga lapida or nameplate ninyo iyang "iskolar ng bayan".
i wonder lang why the germans or the french or the swedes or the brits don't call themselves as such eh libre tuition naman sila dahil lahat ng universities nila eh paid for by the taxpayer...
bakit naman masyadong dinidibdib ng mga taga-peyups ang appellation na iyan? kaya ako, dibdib nalang ng taga maryknoll tinitignan ko..
buti pa mga assumptionista, quiet lang..hindi na uma-aangal basta tumitihaya nalang..kaya ayun, hindi sila bitter dahil dun sila sa mas masarap gawin...
bitter dahil hindi nag-up (pero gold member naman ng ACA video store),
nash
adik ka talaga, nashman. :D
@ upjournforever
i presume that your a journalism major from the name by which you hide your identity. as a budding journalist, you must at least get your facts right, and try to make sense with what you say.
@ everyone
there's something about the word "UPian" that abhors me. i just can't find the right words at this moment.
whoops. typos. sorry
*you're
*i abhor.
i am amused at the number of comments this issue has generated and the intensity with which the comments were written.
i can name a thousand better (and more important) things to argue about and spend time and energy on.
i think so many UP alumna leave the campus physically for 20 years but never leave its shadow. the school debate is so college. our UP education helped mold us, but it shouldn't define us. people talk like UP is everything.
i, too, didn't like the guy's post. but hey, so what if he said we're fake? his opinion wouldn't kick you out of UP.
by the way, jester, maybe the kid with the terrible grammar can solve calculus problems in a flash. multiple intelligences, remember?
also, nashman, your comment isn't funny.
@ stox - remember, i owed a post on UP and the iskolar ng bayan and their relevance after 100 years? this is a quarter of it, but i didn't want to waste the opportunity, before getting into the usual MILF, SLI, and the rest of the issues on deck.
(oh, and i can do calculus, fourier transforms, AND write. ;) yun lang. haha)
(nashman, listen to stox. :D she's a gosh-darned sweetie, just don't cross her.)
well, can you paint? can you dance? i can't imagine you dancing, and your blog header needs improvement.
that's UP alumni, not alumna. sorry.
touche. :D no to both. i can cook, though, if that counts for anything haha
(myuzeeshun says the same thing about the header, by the way. birds of a feather?)
funny? well, i'm not from la salle so I can't do comedy very well and I'm not from the ateneo so i'm no joke.
atsaka, why is there anything serious here? "intensity" comments. eklat. as if naman as you pointed out, na ang usapang ito ay naka-angat sa ating GDP. LOL.
LQ lang ito ng isang bitter na hindi nag-UP at ng mga pikon na UPian. clearly, the UPCAT is a failure looking at the moronic comments from up-ians here. hindi na-filter ng UPCAT ang mga undesirables.
Incidentally, quiet lang ang mga San Beda sa 'issue' na ito because they are hiding in the closet. And mga UST naman ay hindi nakarating dahil sa maitim na tubig baha at talagang walang say ang AMA dahil busy ang kanilang spokesperson na si Jolina.
Man, do you think the anonymous "right or wrong" is a real post?
Find it hard to believe that a UP student thinks like that. So high school.
Dinalaw ko yung post sa Ramblings of Dennis.
Marami lang tanga sa UP.
Yun lang.
Allow me to bookmark your blog entry and possibly link to it. This is a wonderfully written entry that deserves to be read by any and all UP alumni and alumnae.
I would like to assert, though, that the rise of the population of richer students in the campus could be attributed to a growing divide between private and public schools. Not to say that public schools are inherently terrible. I should know, I came from one, too, and got to go on and pass the standards you've set in the beginning of the blog. Even now, I still have a hit with the NBI because of the cursed DOST scholarship, but I digress.
Yes, a lot of UP students succumb to arrogance, but don't show much for it. Many of them are content to live off the name, while applying for a host of jobs that they are supposed to be overqualified for. Simply put, they already rest their laurels upon getting the diploma.
It is there when the initiative to produce "mga iskolar ng bayan" fall way, way short.
I applaud this piece and your brilliant mind.
@jester
You claim the honorific "Iskolar ng Bayan" by virtue of the fact that your tuition is subsidized by taxpayers, of which I am one of them. You assert that "Iskolar ng Bayan is a label accorded to us because the taxpayers subsidize our education by form of government appropriation to the University, not on the basis of the tuition paid."
Is that even a valid reason?
the way i answered him is the way he answered my post about the freshmen orientation, una, teknikal ang kanyang ginawa upang ialis sa atin ang katagang mga iskolar ng bayan.
bakit teknikal? teknikal dahil idinaan nya sa teknikal na bagay kagaya ng tuition fee na ibinabayad nga mga mag aaral, it could have been the quality of education or anything sort of para hindi maging teknikal.
ano ang aking isinagot? isang teknikal na bagay rin, na kahit ganoon kataas ang ibinabayad namin, we still get the highest cut of the education budget ngunit di ko sinasabi na dahil dun kaya iskolar ng bayan, gusto ko lang mapakita sa kanya na kahit sa pamamagitan ng cost o halaga, iskolar pa rin ng bayan.
luminaw sana, kung hindi man, my apology. :D
Thanks for elevating the debate about the monicker "Iskolar ng Bayan".
It is refreshing to see another post that reminds us, the alumni, that graduating actually burdens us with the challenge to make ourselves worthy to be called scholars of the state in the truest sense of the word.
I saw someone link to that entry on multiply. Reading some of the subsequent comments on the post made me nearly fucking cry. Way to make yourself look totally myopic, arrogant, and stupid, UP students. (In general, I've noticed that Filipino net behavior is best left... unspoken of. Mm. It wouldn't be wise of me to comment now.) There are a lot of fairly reasonable comments, but they're largely ignored by the flamebaiting.
When the hell did not passing the UPCAT become an automatic assumption for bitter blog posts? People from other schools have a right to be angry if UP students do nothing but brag about how much better UP is, especially if they see that the attitude of the students sucks.
--anyway, thank you for the post. My parents came from a generation of UP students that lived up to the "Iskolar ng Bayan" title both literally and figuratively, and I think it's arrogant of my generation to assign that title to themselves without having earned it. Besides, aren't children supposed to surpass their parents? We have so much more choices and resources available to us than our parents did. You'd THINK we could do better than they did, don't you? :P
@rag - you'd be surprised. check these links out (courtesy of the trusty Technorati monster):
relojo's original post
relojo's follow-up
yoopee
bonsuplada
queng -- with this gem: "But I don't think he has the right to criticize that much even though he graduated from UP. And doesn't he have said too much? To think that he is a co-iskolar ng bayan, he should have known the feelings of UP students being insulted in such disrespectful manner." apparently criticism = insult.
putomaia
renz -- now blocked from view (which caused ACS to say yesterday via YIM "lumabas kayo mga duwag!" heh)
janrobert - also blocked
sphitbhrat -- with this gem from artjunkie "asan na mga brods? tubuhin yan!!" (seconded by uplbchic)
pjceliz who answers the question "you mean had i not been from UP, you would not be taking [the criticism] constructively? :D" with "Hmmmm... lemme think about that. Maybe, no. UP Pride? Peace!" oddly enough, he mentions Malcolm Hall with an interesting tone (of which ACS might quote Ed Angara to him).
and lots more.
such a pity. i'm almost tempted to agree with the other anonymous. (no, wait, res ipsa loquitur.)
@vince: most kind. feel free.
@clevearguelles: indeed? because of the larger slice ("gusto ko lang mapakita sa kanya na kahit sa pamamagitan ng cost o halaga, iskolar pa rin ng bayan"), this is one of the reasons why UP students can be called "mga iskolar ng bayan"?
read above again. it should be despite the cost of tuition and the subsidies provided -- despite, and not because of, mind you -- that UP students will deserve to be called "mga iskolar ng bayan".
@psych: it IS you! (blushes)
here's the thing -- it seems to me that there appears to be a fundamental difference between UP alumni and UP students: alumni think "iskolar ng bayan" is a badge (and burden) to be borne honorably, while students think "iskolar ng bayan" has become nothing more than a brand name... of no more import to a person than a shirt sporting "little miss fighting maroon".
sad. i seem to be encountering an increasing number of such kids these days.
@kytha: yes, it most certainly is a disappointment. as to what you call "Filipino net behavior", it's actually a common behavior not limited to the cyberPinoy at large, so let's let that go... except that we do need to have higher expectations of people supposed to be the "nation's best and brightest".
you say, "I think it's arrogant of my generation to assign that title to themselves without having earned it"; i say to you this: "Bra-VO."
best of luck in school. do find time to slap your idiot classmates silly.
To rag - diretsuhin na kita: nakakagalit at nakakagigil ang mga batang yan.
Sayang lang ang nireremit naming mga OFW na napupunta diyan sa mga tiga-UP.
Di ba nila naiisip kaya sila pinag-aral diyan kasi pagdating ng panahon sila ang tutulong sa bansa natin?
Kawawa lang ang Pilipinas...
To Jester - salamat sa dati mong tulong sa aming mga OFW sa blog mo noon tungkol sa POEA. Sana dumami pa kayong mga Pilipino na magiging concerned sa amin.
wala ng kuwenta talaga ang UP ngayon. mayabang nga, wala namang binatbat.
tapos pag talo na, iyakin naman pala.
sayang lang paggalang ko sa kanila dati. sana hindi magiging ganyan ang anak ko (second year siya sa UP Diliman)
ang yabang mo jester, akala mo kung sino kang magaling.... di mo ba alam? "an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness, resign your position and when you are on the outside, complain to your hearts content, but as long as you are a part of the institution do not condemn it." di mo ba alam yan? basic lang yan!
wag kang pakita sa elbi, baka kung anong mangyari sa yo.... wala kang kuwentang upian, wala kang karapatang tawaging isko....
bastos ka, saksak mo sa baga mo yang oble mo saka dost mo... eto APIR!
saka kayo ding mga ibang nagmamarunong diyan, wag ninyong binabastos ang UP, di niyo kilala binabangga nyo....
Sir Jester, wag naman po sana kayong magsalita ng ganyang kasakit. Di ba dapat dahil Isko at Iska tayong lahat, dapat nagdadamayan tayo?
Oo nga, siguro may mga ibang nagkamali sa pagkokoment nila tungkol sa blog na yun, pero siguro naman naiintindihan ninyo diba? Dala lang naman yan ng emosyon, dahil nga unfair naman ang mga sinabi tungkol sa atin. Kasi naman, kung tawaging "fake scholar", tama ba naman yun? Hindi naman niya kasi dapat kinuwestiyon ang pagiging iskolar ng bayan natin, kasi hindi naman niya siya taga-UP, di ba?. Kayo ba, di ba kayo nainis sa kanya? E bakit ganun kayo magsalita, na parang tayo pang mga taga-UP ang mali?
Dapat sana, dinefend nyo na lang ang mga kapwa nating iskolar ng bayan. Di naman tinatanong pa kung bakit tayo deserving, di ba? Dahil nga nasa UP tayo, deserving tayo, di ba?
Yun lang po. Sana maintindihan nyo yung gusto kong sabihin. At sana, maging fair din kayo sa amin kahit di pa kami alumni.
Saka doon po sa mga may hinanakit sa aming mga taga-UP, sana isipin nyo rin na nasasaktan din kami pag may mga nabibitiwang salita tungkol sa amin. Di naman porket kami ay tinawagang iskolar ng bayan ay puching bag din kami ng bayan. Wala namang perfect na tao, di ba? Lahat naman tayo nagkakamali eh, at si Hesus lamang ang perpektong tao sa mundo.
Salamat po.
that's your iskolar ng bayan, right there.
taga-LB ka kamo anonymous?
you're so duwag ha, baka naman san beda ka.
ayan, ayan lang alam mo, threats of violence. wala ka pala kwenta. pikon. hanggang diyan ka nalang.
Alam nyo ba na ang graduate ng UP [oo, graduate lang.] ay mas pinipili ng mga kompanya kaysa sa mga summa at magna ng Ateneo at La Salle?
Mag isip muna kayo bago kayo bumitaw ng maaanghang na salita.
i've fired UP graduates.
how is that argument relevant?
Relevant kasi ang mga taga-UP likas na magaling at matatalino, kaya kami pinipili ng mga kumpanya.
Paki namin kung may na-fire ka na na UP na graduates? Inggit ka lang kasi sa galing nila, di mo siguro ma-take, no? Insecure ka lang kasi.
Shut up na lang. Di mo alam ang sinasabi mo. Huwag kang pupunta-punta sa Diliman, isusuka ka lang namin.
this is the 3rd time I tried to post this. I hope this works...
Seems like most of the anger are coming from the students.
Instead of insulting or threatening Jester, rise to the challenge. Prove him wrong. You are among the "best and the brightest" and yet you argue by insulting his intelligence and threatening him with violence.
This is exactly the kind of behavior that makes you unworthy to be called Iskolar ng Bayan. This is what Jester was talking about: it's not the school, it's the students. If you got offended, PROVE HIM WRONG.
I am a proud alumna of UP but I'm not blind to its faults.
@Elsie & Little Miss Fighting Maroon:
I hope you two are prepared for a rude awakening when you graduate.
On another note: when did UP students start calling themselves UPians? It's sounds weird...
@ psycho:
is the "UPian" tag a desperate attempt to associate the populace with students from well-known universities populated with so-called "elites"?
there's something with the -ian thing that seems very off. heck, i don't think it's even unnecessary .
i remember a prof reprimanding a classmate for identifying herself as a UPian. He said that we are not to associate ourselves with students of other schools.
He had a point though.
Ok lang yan elsie.
and kumpanya namang pinapasukan mo ay pag-aari ng mga nag-University of Asia and the Pacific.
Shut up na lang kayong mga bitter! Nakikisabit lang kayo sa Centennial namin!
Inggit lang kayo kasi mga walang kuwenta mga school ninyo!
Di nyo alam? UP and OTHERS!
MGa OTHERS lang kayo!
@iskoakoanongpakimo:
parang ayaw kong maniwalang taga-UP ka. Actually, AYOKO talagang maniwalang taga-UP ka.
UP graduate ako. At mahal na mahal ko ang UP. Kaya nakakasama ng loob dahil kung totoong taga-UP ka nga, nanghihina ako na isang tulad mo ang estudyante doon ngayon.
At pansinin ko lang ang iyong ginamit na nickname: may pakialam ako dahil isa ako sa mga nagbabayad ng tuition fee mo kung totoo ngang iska ka. Pasensya na pero ang kapal naman talaga!
Kahit mahal ko ang institusyon na ito, hindi ako bulag sa mga hindi kanais-nais na nangyayari dito. Sana imbes na mang-insulto at mag-post ng comment na walang kakwenta-kwenta, sana ay nagbasa kang maigi at sinubukan mong intindihan ang mga naka-post dito, lalo na ang mga post ng tulad kong alumni.
Ayan. Tagalog na yan ha!
@jester: nakaka-stress na itong mga batang ito.
@ elsie and others who subscribe to the same:
Being a graduate from UP, La Salle, and Ateneo will only get your foot in the door. It will only get you the interview. IT WON'T GET YOU THE JOB.
If you don't believe me, then be ready for a very rude awakening when you finally start giving out your resumes.
@iskaakoanongpakimo:
Hija, nasagot na namin yan e.
1. May paki kami kasi kami ang nagbabayad ng matrikula mo.
2. At sino ang nagsabi sayong hindi kami estudyante ng UP? Based on that fact alone, your argument (if it can even be called that!) has already fallen on its face.
We are not denying the fact that UP students are intelligent. We whole-heartedly accept that as FACT (although recent comments on this and other blogs are fast proving that perhaps it isn't really a fact anymore). What we're saying is that intelligence is not the basis to be called "iskolar ng bayan." Ang BAYAN ang nagbabayad ng matrikula mo kaya ka iskolar NG BAYAN. Kaya dapat ay PAGLILINGKURAN mo ang bayan gamit ang mga natutunan mo sa UP.
COMMITMENT TO SERVICE and NOT INTELLIGENCE should be the basis of your being Scholars of the People. Otherwise, you're stealing from the people.
SOBRANG SIMPLE LANG NIYAN! BAKIT HINDI NYO MAINTINDIHAN!?
ACS, huwag ka nang nakikisawsaw dito. Alumni ka na. Di ka na dapat nakikialam sa buhay naming estudyante.
At wag mong sabihin binabayaran matrikula namin. Sino ka, si Gloria?
Intelligence ang basehan kung bakit kami ang "iskolar ng bayan" dahil nga kami ang "best and brightest," ika nga, kaya kami ang sinusustento ng gobyerno. Simple logic lang, tol. Di mo naiintidihan? Talagang taga UP ka ba? Baka naman PUP ka din hahahaha
Tumahimik na lang kayo, nagmamarunong lang kayo. Di nyo alam ang totoong buhay ng taga UP.
I'm going to say whatever the heck I want. This is... I'm going to say whatever the heck I want. This is a free country last time I checked. And even if I were an alumnus, why would that give me less of a right than a current student to speak on the topic of this blog? Don't you think that being an alumnus would give me the same if not better insight into what being a student of UP is all about?
No, I'm not Gloria. Don't insult me. But then again, Gloria is not the one paying for your education, is she? Heck, she's not even the one appropriating the money, that's Congress' job.
I am, however, a taxpayer. Taxes that go into subsidies that partly fund your tuition fees. So yes, I am paying for your tuition fee even if only in part.
And I'm not denying the fact that UP students are the best and the brightest. Why would I, as someone from UP, do myself such a disservice? Furthermore, we're not denying that the government is subsidizing your education because you're the best and the brightest. That IS simple logic. Why would the government subsidize someone who wasn't deserving? What we're saying is so you're being given quality tertiary education by the government, now what? What are you going to do with that education? How are you going to give back to the country that supported/is supporting/will support you throughout your four/five/six years of college education? How are you going to repay the Filipino People who paid for your education through the taxes that we paid?
That is the mark of a true "iskolar ng bayan."
I will be the first to admit that I can only call myself a "student from UP." Why? Because I have yet to use what I have gained through my UP education to serve my country. And that is my failing.
Shock horror! Si Upsilonian 'the best and the brightest'???? Ows talaga?
Eh bakit wala siya MIT or Caltech or Tokyo University? Or Nanyang para mas malapit?
Bakit siya nasa UP???
sa lahat ng UP jan:
tama na ang pagcomment na "wag ka papakita sa UP" o "bitter ka lang".
nakakainis lang kasi e.
PINAPAGMUKA NIYO NGANG TANGA ANG MGA TAGA-UP!
at di sapat na basehan ang eskwelahan para sukatin ang kagalingan ng isang tao....
@ Anonymous 8/13/2008 08:33:00 PM: HINDI TANGA ANG MGA TAGA-UP.
Dinedepensa lang namin ang pagiging iskolar ng bayan namin. Kung hindi ka proud sa pagiging taga-UP mo, bakit hindi ka na lang umalis sa UP? Bakit hindi na lang kayo dun sa mga conyo ng Ateneo at La Salle?
Pinagmumukha ninyo sa amin na kesehodang mga taxpayer kayo at kayo ang pinanggagalingan ng subsidy namin. Ok, fine, sa inyo na lang ang buwis ninyo. Mabubuhay naman ang UP kung wala ang sustento ninyo e. Di ba ninyo alam na nagtaas na ng tuition ang UP? E tanga pala kayo eh. Nagtatalak pa kayo diyan e, e hindi na buwis ninyo ang sumusuporta sa UP. Isa pa, kung kaya nyong magbayad ng buwis, bakit di na lang kayo dun sa mga private school?
Shit. Naiinis talaga ako. Mga walang school spirit. Walang loyalty. Ganyan ba ang mga alumni? Nakakahiya kayo, wala man lang kayong utang na loob sa UP?
Mga ingrato. Matuto naman kayong mahiya sa alma mater ninyo.
@ UPSILONIAN: Siguro nga di talaga mga taga-UP mga mayabang na to.
@little miss fighting maroon
"Mabubuhay naman ang UP kung wala ang sustento ninyo"...
eh mas TANGA ka pala eh. kung tuition lang ang bumubuhay sa UP eh di Private school na rin kayo at hindi ka na iskolar ng bayan...Bobo!
At saang lupalop mo naman napulot ang balitang kaya ng UP na tumayo na walang government funding??? Nabasa mo ba ang latest budget shortfall???
"kung tuition lang ang bumubuhay sa UP eh di Private school na rin kayo at hindi ka na iskolar ng bayan."
little miss fighting maroon = EPIC FAIL.
brilliant one-liner, taxpayer.
@ Little Miss Fighting MORON & Upsilonian
You really can't shut up, can you? Apparently, the words "respect" and "prudence" aren't in your dictionaries.
The alumni deserve utmost respect. They've been through more shit than any of you have yet to take. They showed their loyalty by going the distance, no matter the adversity. The mere fact that they've survived the UP experience is already worthy of our praise and gratitude; they didn't let the people down.
Oh sure, UP can survive without us taxpayers. Now how about another TFI? Wanna go bigtime? Just add 500%!! What's that, you want seconds? Have some more!!
btw, a word of advice: ¿Por qué no te callas?
Is Miss Little Fighting Maroon representative of the student population of UP now?
And how about the other lame comments made here and the Relojo blog? Are those representative samples of the UP student population?
If they are, so sad.
We better withdraw taxpayer support to UP RIGHT NOW.
Just out of curiosity, aren't graduates of UP subject to service contracts (meaning, they have to serve in the government a certain number of years for every year they are in UP)?
If they are not, then they should be.
Sis LMFM, tuloy lang ang laban, pero hinay-hinay lang. Di nila nage-gets e.
Kung kayo ba inagrabyado ng ibang tao, di rin kayo magagalit? Di rin kayo magre-react ng ganyan?
Proud lang kami sa UP, dahil ito ang NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. Proud din kami maging iskolar ng bayan. Dine-defend lang namin ang karangalan ng UP.
Ok, fine, si LMFM ay isa sa mga palaban na estudyante. At ano ngayon? Gusto nyo bang maging matakutin ang mga taga UP?
Hindi sad ang pagiging palaban ng mga taga UP. Sad ang pagiging apathetic ninyo.
Isa pa, unfair naman sabihin na i-withdraw ang taxpayer support sa UP. Iskolar nga kami ng bayan, dapat suportahan kami ng bayan. Dapat nga ang UP ang nakakakuha ng lahat ng budget ng state schools kasi kami ang national university, at ang mga ibang mga state schools sa probinsya ay susuportahan na lang ng mga LGU.
Saka unfair naman ang service contract. Bakit? Responsibilidad ng gobyerno ang bigyan ng edukasyon ang lahat ng mag-aaral. Hindi naman investment ang subsidy ng tuition namin. Hindi naman kelangan ibalik namin ang subsidy pagkagraduate. Dapat nga libre na lang ang pag-aaral namin, pumasa naman kami sa UPCAT kaya dapat bayaran ng gobyerno ng buo ang tuition namin.
Sana intindihin ninyo kami, at di nyo sana dinadaan sa yabang. Pare-pareho naman tayong isko at iska, di ba?
@ Anonymous:
You defeat your own argument.
First you say that all of subsidies earmarked for state schools should go to UP because it is the National University. Then you say that it is the responsibility of the government to provide eduction to ALL students. So are you saying now that ALL students should be allowed to go to UP? If your answer is "no" and that only students who pass the UPCAT should be allowed to go to UP, then that the government only has the responsibility to provide eduction to students who passed the UPCAT and not, as you said, "lahat ng mag-aaral."
Besides, your formulation is wrong. You say that we should pay for your education BECAUSE you are our scholars. Wrong. You are our scholars because we pay for your education.
At this point, let me disabuse you fromt the belief that the government is responsible to provide free tertiary eduction to all students. It is not. Article XIV, Section 1 only mandates the government to PROMOTE access to eduction to all levels. On the other hand sec 2, paragraph 2 of the same article says that the government is only mandated to PROVIDE free public eduction to ELEMENTARY and HIGH SCHOOL levels.
@ Little Miss Fighting Maroon.
Sino bang nagsabing hindi kami proud sa aming pagiging studyante ng UP? On the contrary, we are. Our love for UP runs deep. Which is why we don't want people who don't exemplify what UP stands for to associate themselves with this great institution. And we refuse to accept that UP stands for "We're the best and the brightest so shut up." How is pushing for the current students of UP to uphold what UP stands for a disloyalty to the institution?
Your formula is "we're the best and the brightest which is why the government subsidizes us which is why we're called iskolar ng bayan." So if, as you propose, the subsidies from our taxes that support your education are removed then how can you call yourselves iskolar ng bayan?
Hindi na kasi dapat nakikialam pa ang mga alumni. Pinapangunahan nyo kasi kaming mga studyante.
Saka may point naman si LMFM eh -- dinedepensa lang namin ang UP. Dapat nga, sinusuportahan ninyo kami at di ninyo kami minamaliit.
Akala ninyo kasi porket tapos na kayo, may right na kayong magyabang.
Congratulations Jester! You have successfully ignited a useless debate.
Sobrang divisive eh wala namang patutunguhan lahat ng pag-aaway ninyo. I graduated from UP and i understand the negative reactions that your blog has been getting. Natural madaming magagalit at magmumura sa mga pinagsasabi mo. So what? Ikaw ba, never kang nakapag-mura sa tanang buhay mo? Yan lang ba ang basehan ng pagiging tanga at stupid ng mga taga-UP? All this crap about intelligent arguements, ang corny corny. Hindi mo ba alam na once upon a time may isang estudyante sa ateneo by the name of janthina fong ang niratrat at minura ng kapwa atenista dahil sa pag-lait niya sa ateneo sa kanyang blog? O, asal ba ng atenista yun? I'm sure sasabihin mo hindi.
Kaso, ang tao, pag tinapak-tapakan, nagagalit din at lumalaban. Can you really blame these UP students for defending UP, albeit in a not so educated manner?
Ikaw kaya, bastusin ang girlfriend or boyfriend mo, makikipag intelligent debate ka pa ba?
Oo na't matalino ka pero sana ay matanggap mo din na hindi lahat kasing talino at cultured mo.
"Oo na't matalino ka pero sana ay matanggap mo din na hindi lahat kasing talino at cultured mo."
HAHAHA! Kawawa naman UP kung ganun! Akala ba namin lahat ng tiga-UP eh "best and brightest" daw? Di pala JEster e!
E kung yun din lan ang kalidad ng mga estudyante diyan sa UP, buti na lang di ako taga-UP.
Animo La Salle!
@anonymous:
if you can demonstrate the logic of {("insulting someone's girlfriend" = "criticizing UP's flaws") = ("valid analogy")}, then i will accept your point of view as valid.
else, i'll be forced to wonder over the quality of your UP education, under the assumption that you finished the course you started with on time, of course.
All this crap about intelligent arguements, ang corny corny.
Yan ang "best and brightest" ng UP?
Di kaya siguro ni Anonymous ang intelligent ARGUMENT. Tsk tsk tsk.
Siguro taga-CAL siya hahahahaha
pang call center lang naman kasi ang level of intelligence ni Anonymous hahahaha
Hahahaha! Kawawa naman kasi si Anonymous, kasi bf niya yung Oble statue ahahaha
Hahahaha!
Ang yayabang ninyong humirit kahit hindi niyo naman kilala kung sino yung mga nagpo-post dito.
Dyan kayo magaling, puro panginginsulto.
At baket my lasalistang nakikisaw-saw? What's in it for you? Proud to be a La Sallite? Good for you.
Kayong mga taga-ENG na isko na hirit ng hirit. Kayo dapat ang ikahiya ng UP. Saksakan ang kayabangan niyo! Eh ano naman kung taga-CAL? May masama ba dun? Kapwa taga -UP nilalait niyo.
Mahiya naman kayo sa balat ninyo. Meron lang nag-react na medyo hindi pabor sa inyo, iinsultuhin niyo na.
Mga arogante.
@Anon 2:08 -- E di i-prove mo na mali si Jester, imbes na tatalak-talak ka lang jan. Tignan mo naman, una pa lang, mali na agad premise mo. Saan ka naman nakakita ng argument na ang pangiinsulto sa boyfreind ay parehas lang ng pagki-critizize ng UP? Ano, boyfriend mo ang buong UP? Hay.
Oo nga, andun na tayo, at nacriticize na ang UP. Tulad ng sabi ng mga alumni, kaya ba nating panindigan ang pagiging iskolar ng bayan natin? Tama ba na pag nalagay tayo sa isang debate e insulto ang kaya lang nating isagot? Nakakahiya naman sa mga alumni kung ganun. Nakakahiya sa institusyon ng UP.
@ Anon 3:05 8/8 - agree ako sa yo. Sana nga ganun, kaso andito na tayo. May mga taga UP na nakapagbitiw na ng salita, at nabahiran na nila ang good name ng UP.
@Sir Jun Qatari and Anon 2:43 8/8 - anak din po ako ng OFW. Lagi ko pong naiisip ang magulang ko at sila ang inspirasyon ko sa pag-aaral. Tama po kayo, ang mga taga UP ang inaasahan na magiging tulong sa bayan natin, at talagang mataas ang expectation sa amin.
Di naman sa sinasabi ko na tama ang ginawa ng mga ibang commenters, pero sana po maintindihan natin na dala lang po ng emosyon ang mga yun. Sana naman po e pagpasensyahan nyo na lang po ang ibang comments.
@Sir Jester at sa mga alumni - Sana po, bigyan nyo kaming mga estudyante pa lang ng chance para ma-prove na deserving kami sa tawag na "iskolar ng bayan."
(Sa totoo lang, nakakapanlumo ang ibang mga comments dito. Nakakahiya. Lalong mahirap tuloy na sabihing iskolar ng bayan ang mga taga UP.)
icee said:
@Anon 2:08 -- E di i-prove mo na mali si Jester, imbes na tatalak-talak ka lang jan. Tignan mo naman, una pa lang, mali na agad premise mo. Saan ka naman nakakita ng argument na ang pangiinsulto sa boyfreind ay parehas lang ng pagki-critizize ng UP? Ano, boyfriend mo ang buong UP? Hay.
______________
Prove jester that he's wrong? Thanks but no thanks. It's hard enough as it is to not get cajoled here when you say your piece. Let alone convince someone who thinks he is so much better than the people around him. And why plead with the alumni when you don't owe them/us anything? We all went or are going through the same UP education. We are in no way better just because we finished ahead of you.
And please don't be too literal with the girlfriend analogy. Kaya nga analogy siya eh. Finding similarities with two things that are otherwise not similar. UP and girlfriend. Two things that can be both dear to some of the readers here. You insult either of them, you reap negative reactions.
My question is, if some UP students posted harsh remarks because they were offended with this post, does that make them stupid and tanga and any less isko? Sino nga ba dito ang totoong isko? The ENG students who commented and looked down on CAL students?
Go watch UAAP games live and see how students from opposing camps curse and insult each other. Mapa Ateneo, La Salle, FEU , UST etc. lahat naman pare-pareho. However, what makes UP students so special that they have to be singled out?
This whole issue started when this kid form NEW ERA called UP students braggarts and fake scholars. Madaming nag-react, nagmura at nagalit. Wenongayon, ika nga ni jester. What's the point of criticizing the reactions of those who reacted negatively? Nainsulto sila eh. Yun lang yun. If you read new era kid's post, may bitterness naman talaga.
The sad part is, if there is one thing that jester has succeeded in doing, it is to make a spectacle out of UP students. What's worse, UP students have exposed themselves to criticisms from students coming from other schools. What's that term again? Flamebaiting?
Isipin mo, sino ngayon ang talo?
And to jester, i have no doubt in my mind that you are smart. Pardon me for saying this but i find that some of your opinion are a bit too arrogant.
I do however agree that Gloria should resign.
And yes, i did not finish my course in 4 years. I had to take an additional semester. But you know what, who gives a s@#$?
"However, what makes UP students so special that they have to be singled out? "
a) higher set of expectations, given that they are supposed to be the nation's best and brightest.
b) higher set of expectations, because they are supported by the nation's coffers.
c) higher set of expectations, as they are supposed to be fueled by idealism.
to put it bluntly, i expected better of UP students.
but maybe you're right, and perhaps i should not have held UP students to a higher standard than i would other schools. i should have viewed UP as just another school and UP students as just another group of students. i should feel no esteem for those who are expected to be "iskolar ng bayan". correct?
"The sad part is, if there is one thing that jester has succeeded in doing, it is to make a spectacle out of UP students."
i didn't do much, and you've given me far too much credit. the kids did that all by themselves.
final point -- i'm sure you feel that nobody should give a damn about you taking an extra semester, but consider that said extra semester was another semester subsidized by the public. maybe that should be some cause for concern? no?
you say my opinions are arrogant, young man. fine; to me, that's not even remotely relevant. what is relevant is whether or not i can be proven wrong.
with the degree of respect i have for the institution, i sure would like the UP studentry to take the high ground ans show that they do deserve to be called "iskolar ng bayan". i don't mind being proven wrong in this case; i am disappointed by being proven right.
didn't really know where to put this so if this is misplaced, just read it then trash it! :)
I just chose you as one of my "kick-ass bloggers". please click here for the details:
http://psychogoddess.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/i-kick-ass/
Goodness Jester, you are a total contradiction. Wasn't it you who said:
From where I'm sitting, they don't mean squat. UP or not-UP, they're all schools. They're all just alumni. What they've done with what they've learned makes the difference whether or not they deserve to be called "Iskolar ng Bayan"... as will you.
'Nuff said.
Why then are you concerning yourself with whether or not UP students deserve to be called iskolar ng bayan? Akala ko ba pare-pareho lang yan, di dapat equal standards for everybody. You yourself have questioned the relevance and aptness of the tag iskolar ng bayan that current UP students have proudly associated themselves with and now you increase your level of expectation from them so called UPians? It's a catch 22. No soul will ever win when he/she reasons with you. Lagi na lang may lusot. You may have fooled a good number here but sorry, i ain't one of them.
Also, i had to take an extra sem because of subjects that required pre-reqs which were only offered once a year and had limited slots. ano sa tingin mo, nagbulakbol lang ako?
if you care so much for me taking an extra sem and being an added burden to the taxpayers, then stop paying your taxes. Otherwise, go run for congress and change the whole state subsidy system. Bracket 9 ako and the tuition that my parents paid for also subsidized the tuition of a fellow UP student.
Sorry dude, you do not know me well enough to assume that I have not given back to our beloved Philippines.
Good luck being on exile.
Enap sed.
re: extra semester subsidised by the taxpayer...
buti pa si anonymous na nag-extra sem, walang hiya at proud sa extra sem niya...ako na isa ring hamak na state scholar ay hiyang hiya dahil i extended by 6 months..
pwede siyang maging congressman na mahilig sa junket...(pero paano natin siya iboboto kung anonymous siya?)
"Why then are you concerning yourself with whether or not UP students deserve to be called iskolar ng bayan?"
ROI.
re: extra semester subsidised by the taxpayer...
buti pa si anonymous na nag-extra sem, walang hiya at proud sa extra sem niya...ako na isa ring hamak na state scholar ay hiyang hiya dahil i extended by 6 months..
_____
To Nash:
Ang kitid naman nga pakaka-intindi mo sa pagkuha ko ng extra sem. Did i ever say that i was proud of it? I was merely stating a fact. Why should i beat myself up over something that i had very little control of? Don't worry, if i ever land in congress, i will dedicate my pork to education. I hope that makes you happy. You however may want to consider working for Gloria Arroyo. I can already see that you'll make a good spin doctor.
ROI jester? Excuse me but I really don't get it.
Anyway...
Good luck with your blog and thanks for induging me.
re: extra semester subsidised by the taxpayer...
buti pa si anonymous na nag-extra sem, walang hiya at proud sa extra sem niya...ako na isa ring hamak na state scholar ay hiyang hiya dahil i extended by 6 months..
_____
To Nash:
Ang kitid naman nga pakaka-intindi mo sa pagkuha ko ng extra sem. Did i ever say that i was proud of it? I was merely stating a fact. Why should i beat myself up over something that i had very little control of? Don't worry, if i ever land in congress, i will dedicate my pork to education. I hope that makes you happy. You however may want to consider working for Gloria Arroyo. I can already see that you'll make a good spin doctor.
ROI jester? Excuse me but I really don't get it.
Anyway...
Good luck with your blog and thanks for induging me.
to clarify: you don't get ROI?
Ok anonymous.
My apologies.
Textual kasi ang blog comment so nung sinabi mong "who gives a shit" kala ko nagbubulakbol ka lang.
Anyways, tama ka. Kasalanan nga ng UP kung hindi nila maayos and schedule nila for ensuring that everyone finishes within 4 years. Siguro hindi taga-UP yung gumawa ng scheduling (Baka taga UST)
aray...
bigla akong natauhan dun.
sige na nga,
hindi na ako magyayabang...
mag-aaral na lang muna ako.
Si anonymous, di niya alam ang ROI? UPian nga ba talaga yan?
ROI = return of investment. Ibig sabihin, anonymous, ano ang pasubali mo sa pinangbayad sa tuition mo na nanggaling sa kaban ng bayan?
Kung arogante man si Jester --- na hindi naman, dahil tama at may punto ang blog niya tungkol sa inyong mga estudyante ng UP --- malayong mas arogante ka. Kita mo nga namang meron ka pang nalalaman na "if you care so much for me taking an extra sem and being an added burden to the taxpayers, then stop paying your taxes" --- e talaga namang katangahan yan. PRivate school na ba ang UP?
Sa susunod, iho, gamitin mo yang sinasabi mong UP education mo. Hindi kami naghihirap sa ibang bansa para makapagremit kami ng perang winawaldas nyo lang.
Sorry, Jester ha. Nakakainis lang yang mga kapwa mong UPian na di pala marunong magbasa.
tanginannyo wag nyo kaming pakialaman di nyo alam ang buhay isko
tanginannyo wag nyo kaming pakialaman di nyo alam ang buhay isko
Dear anonymous,
tanginamo rin, wala kang utak.
nagmamahal,
show-ender
Post a Comment