#bewarethebasement

No overselling: SweetDream lets you build a companion who feels like yours, then talk, call, and share moments with her in a way that genuinely feels real. That's the purpose, and it delivers.

LINKS

Mga Ipis ng Elbi • Mac Andre R. Arboleda

Displacement • Erika Belarmino

Trip to Jerusalem • Dennis Andrew S. Aguinaldo

PHSA as Privilege • Danielle David Castillo

During School Hours • Bea Rabe

Nyak  • Lyka Naranjo

Pantapal • Karma Kolektib

How to Get Your Artwork Featured in an OICA-sponsored Exhibit • Felipa Cheng

Spero Meliora • Judy Kristel Bayalas

For Your Consideration: UP Graduate for Sale • Cidee Despi

Sacrosanct • Gold Steps Productions

open to misinterpretation • Kelcey Alfonso Espejo

---

Zenith Jett Ilagan

Digital photograph (of found objects, paper, and drawings on ceramic, and film strip) 2019 

---

Jett Ilagan, a.k.a. escuri, is a music producer, sound and visual artist from Laguna, Philippines. His works explore sound and particularly the idea of “cultural soundscapes” through various methods such as field recordings and personal encounters with the subject environment and its locals.

John Daryl Alcantara

Foreplay

Katulad ng danas ng panonood ng porno o isang live sex show, magsisimula ang danas ng dulang “Arkanghel sa Maccrotel” hindi sa mismong akto ng pagtatalik kundi sa antisipasyon ng mga manonood na masaksihan ito. Katulad rin ng isang blog na puno ng malalaswang kwento, hindi ka maaring makapasok sa Maccrotel nang hindi ka pumipirma sa kasunduang hindi pananagutan ng mga organizers kung ano man ang mangyari sa iyo sa kahabaan ng pagtatanghal. Ngunit kung bakit kailangan pa ng ganitong kontrata at ganitong paghahanda ay masasagot lamang sa sandali ng pag-arok sa iyo ng dula.

Una ka munang babatiin ng mga ungol na tumatagos sa siwang ng mga bintana. Sa ilang hakbang pa ay sasalubungin na ang iyong paningin ng hubad na mga katawan nina Gab (Third Alub), isang PR officer sa Tanggapan ng Pangulo, at Rap-rap (Maude Barcos), isang papalaos na baguhang artista. Naroon sila sa kama, na ilang metro lang ang layo sa iyo, pawisan at nagpapakasasa sa karangyaan ng kanilang pag-iisa.

Sa gitna ng mga naghahalinhinang hininga ng mga manonood ay magpapalitan sina Gab at Rap-rap ng laway at kwento. Magtatalo sila tungkol sa politika at showbiz, sa karahasan at pag-ibig, at sa mga kasinungalingang pinipili nating paniwalaan. Paulit-ulit nilang poproblematisahin ang etika ng pagtatanghal at pagpapakatotoo ng mga personalidad sa TV habang malay nila tayong inaanyayahang usisain ang mga natural na simbuyo ng  kanilang mga katawan. Kasabay ng pag-init ng silid ay ang pag-igting rin ng tensyon—sa pagitan ng dalawang  tauhan, at pagitan ng teksto, espasyo, aktor, at manonood— na tuluyang puputok sa iyo bago ka pa man makapag-check out.

Paninilip, Pagpipiring at Pagtatanikala

Talamak na sa iba’t ibang media ang imahe ng mga nakahubong tao at mga taong nakikibahagi/nag-aaya ng mga tagamasid na makibahagi sa isang sekswal na aktibidad. Ginagamit ang mga replikasyon nito sa mga patalastas para makabenta ng ideya o produkto. Sa pornograpiya, talamak ang reproduksyon ng mga naturang imahe bilang ang mismong kalakal na kailangang ipatalastas at ibenta. Ngunit pagdating sa larangan ng teatro, ang katawan ay katawan at hindi imahe lamang, at ang hubad na katawan ay ang pinakadalisay na lunsaran ng makatotohanang pagpapanggap.

Madaling sabihing cheap gimmick lang ang paglalagay ng may-akdang si Vlad Gonzales ng mga eksena ng pagtatalik at kahubdan sa dula para gawin itong mas kontrobersyal. Ngunit sa paglalim ng gabi, higit pa sa isyu ng prostitusyon ang kailangang sikmuraing kontrobersya ng mga manonood. Sumuong rin ang dula sa masalimuot na usapin ng pulitikal na karahasan, kabulukan ng burukrasya ng administrasyon, at armadong tunggalian sa bansa.

Magpasagayunpaman, hindi pa rin natin maitatanggi kung paano kinasangkapan ng production staff ang aspeto ng kahubdan at pagtatalik upang makahikayat ng mga manonood. ‘Sex sells’ ika nga nila, pero sa kaso ng libreng pagtatanghal na ito ay walang dikta ng pamilihan o kumbensyon ng isang establishment na kailangang sundin. Sa Maccrotel, ang Kahubdan at Pagtatalik ay mga integral na bahagi ng katawan ng teksto. Ibinibilad ang mga ito, o ang simulasyon ng mga ito, sa Titig ng mga manonood upang mas madali nilang masalat ang mga pahiwatig.

Hinahamon ng dula ang manonood na ukilkilin ang mga pwersa ng mga institusyon na nagmamando at humuhulma sa mga batayan natin ng Malaswa at Disente. Para gawin ito, kumatha si Gonzales ng dalawang tauhang parehong nasa industriya ng pagpapanggap: isang batikang PR officer at isang baguhang aktor na suma-sideline bilang callboy. Matapos ang kanilang unang pagtatalik, bibigyan tayo ng pagkakataong masilip ang kanilang pagkakakilanlan lampas sa guhit ng kanilang balat. Mauulinigan natin na esensyal na bahagi ng trabaho ni Gab ang pagsusulat ng mga talumpati at paghahanap ng magandang anggulo ng balita para sa kasalukuyang pangulo. Parang scriptwriter lang, sagot ni Rap-rap, na magbabahagi rin kung paanong bahagyang fabricated lang pala ang ‘sob story’ niya noong sumali siya sa isang reality show. Istratehiko ang pag-iping ni Gonzales ng dalawang trabaho kung saan ang pagbuo ng pampublikong imahe ay nakasalalay sa paghahabi ng mga salita. Ito ang ginamit niyang pambuwelo sa lahat ng mangyayaring bungguan ng balat at labanan ng ideya sa pagitan ng mga tauhan.

Malinaw ang nais nitong sabihin  hinggil sa panlinlinang ng mass media sa publiko, ngunit sa ilalim ng direksyon ni Allen Joy Marquez, tumagos ang pagsusuri ng panlilinlang sa daynamiks ng burgis na teatro. Sa naturang pagtatanghal, higit sa 40 na manonood ang ikinahon mismo sa loob ng apartment-turned-art-space na Nomina Nuda. Batid nila na kailangan rin nilang magpanggap na wala sila sa loob ng tanghalan, kundi nasa loob ng Maccrotel. Pero para maitawid ang ilusyon ng privacy, kailangan rin nilang itanggi na hindi sila nakikita ng mga gumaganap na aktor at hindi rin nila nakikita ang reaksyon ng ibang manonood. Sa ganitong moda binibinyagan ng teksto ang mga manonood—lalo na yung mga nasa labas ng Nomina Nuda na aktwal na sumisilip lang sa bintana—bilang mga literal at piguratibong mamboboso. Binibinyagan rin nito ang pook-tanghalan bilang isang liminal na espasyo, na pina-iigting pa lalo ng liminal na panahon ng dula—ang transisyon sa bagong administrasyon.

Sinamantala ni Marquez ang liminalidad na ito upang mas mapaglaruan ang dama at diwa ng mga tauhan, aktor, at manonood. Sa pamamagitan ng ganitong pisikal na pagpoposisyon, pinalalabo ng pagtatanghal hindi lamang ang linya sa pagitan ng mga pribado at pampublikong espasyo, at ng mga gawaing katatanggap-tanggap na gawin dito, kundi maski ang pag-iral ng fourth wall ng teatro. Sa Maccrotel, ang mga manonood ay isinasangkot sa naratibo bilang mga maninilip, bilang mga bulag na konsumer ng mga yaring katotohanan, at sa paglaon, bilang mga walang kibong saksi ng isang krimen.

Roleplay/Powerplay

Sa bandang dulong bahagi ng unang pagtatalik,  pakakantahin ni Gab si Rap-rap ng popular na pambatang awitin na ‘Baby Shark’. Mag-aatubili ang binata sa simula pero aawit pa rin ito habang marahas siyang binabayo ng kliyente niya sa puwet. Bahagyang magtatawanan ang mga manonood sa eksenang ito pero madarama mo rin ang pagkabagabag nila sa nasasaktang mukha ni Rap-rap.

Isa sa sentral na tema ng dula ang Paggampan o Roleplaying. Sa mundo ng dula, ang mga tauhan ay may ginagampanang mga imahe sa loob at labas ng hotel sa parehong paraang ang mga tauhan ay ginagampanan lang din ng mga aktor. Sa pamamagitan ng eksenang ito, binigyan ng patikim ang mga manonood ng kung paano sasalatin ng teksto ang mga bakas ng sabayang pag-iral ng politikal at sekswal na kapangyarihan. Inaanyayahan rin nito ang mga manonood na galugarin ang ugnayan ng mga pwersang ito sa katawan ng tao at sa kalagayan ng bansa.

Pagkatapos labasan ni Gab, dagliang babangon sa kama at magbibihis si Rap-rap sa desperadong pagtatangkang ikubli ang sariling kahihiyan. Magpapaalam siya para umalis pero pipilitin siya ni Gab na manatili. Mahaba pa ang gabi, ani Gab, sayang naman raw yung nirenta niya sa kwarto. Bagaman halatang nag-aalinlangan, mananatili si Rap-rap dahil hindi pa rin naman niya nakukuha ang bayad sa kaniyang serbisyo. Makikita natin dito kung paano tinatahi ng salapi ang ugnayan at paraan ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga uri sa lipunan. Kung sinong nakaaangat sa buhay ang siyang unang makararaos, at ang naghihikahos ay makararaos lamang sa pag-aproba ng nakaangat.

Sa konteksto ng dula, ang kolokyal na ‘top’ at ‘bottom’ ay hindi lamang mga katagang ginagamit sa pagtalakay ng homosekswal na pagtatalik. Sa halip, ang mga ito ay puwedeng ring tumukoy sa gendered na ugnayan ng mga pwersa sa isang macho-pasistang sistema. Binabalangkas nito si Gab bilang ang tipikal na agresibo at masculine na pinuno na nagtatanghal ng dayalektikong ugnayan ng  karangyaan/posisyon sa lipunan at ng virility ng isang tao. Si Rap-rap naman ang submisibo at  emasculated na lalaki: walang pera, sunud-sunuran, nagnanais kumawala ngunit hindi kaya.

Kasunod nito, paulit-ulit na babanggitin ni Gab na hindi pa ‘nakakapagpalabas’ si Rap-rap. Aalukin niya ito ng blowjob na siya namang tatanggihan ng binata. Para kumbinsihin ito, ibabahagi ni Gab ang karanasan niya sa isang dating kasintahan. Kung totoo, yari, o fabricated ang kwentong ito ay hindi na nilinaw sa pagtakbo ng kuwento. Para sa kaniya, ang pinaka-dalisay na paraan ng pagpapahayag ng tunay na pag-ibig ay ang pagsuko ng mangingibig sa iniibig, at iyon ay sa pamamagitan ng walang maliw na pagsubo ng tite at paglunok sa tamod nito.

Magpoprotesta ang baguhang artista sa simula ngunit mapapasuko na rin ito kalaunan sa husay ng batikang PR. Sa pagitan ng mga ungol, sapilitan ring susubuan ni Gab si Rap-rap ng mga kataga gaya ng “Bobo ang mga magsasaka!” at “Kasalanan ng NPA ang lahat!” na siya namang paulit-ulit na isisigaw ng binata hanggang sa labasan ito. Dito inehersisyo ni Gab ang hangganan ng kakayahan ng kaniyang bibig: bilang tagabuo at tagawasak ng mga ideya, bilang pampasigla ng libido, at bilang pampahina ng politikal na paninidigan. Nagresulta ito sa literal at piguratibong panghihina ng tuhod ng binata habang pikit-mata itong sumisigaw.

Binabaligtad ng teksto, sa gendered na pagbabalangkas na ito, ang tipikal na pagpapakahulugan sa akto ng pagtsupa. Matapos ang marahas niyang pagbayo kay Rap-rap sa simula, gagampanan naman ni Gab sa pamamagitan ng pagtsupa ang papel ng emasculated na Lalaki. Dito niya isinasabuhay, sa interpersonal na antas, ang relasyon ng Gobyerno at Mamamayan ayon sa retorikang “Kayo ang Boss Ko” ng Administrasyong Aquino. Ginamit ito ni Gab upang magluwal ng ilusyon na pinagsisilbihan ng top/nang-aaping uri ang bottom/uring inaapi nito.

Bagaman sinasabi ni Gab na ang pagtsupa ay pagsuko, at ang pagsuko ay pagmamahal, ang tunay niyang ginagawa ay pagsakop sa katawan, kapasyahan at politikal na kamalayan ng binata. Maihahambing rin natin ito sa pamamaraan ng mass media sa panandaliang pagpapatikim sa atin ng ating mga panggitnang-uring fantasya, habang nilalayo nito ang ating mga pandama sa materyal na kahirapang ating dinadanas.

Talik-tanaw

Lumulusong ang “Arkanghel sa Maccrotel” sa mga mala-lumpen, dekadente, at taboo na naratibo na kung hindi nalalapastangan ay iniiwasan ng mga manunulat. Nangahas si Gonzales na tuklasin ang isyu ng kurapsyon, kawalang-kapanagutan, at masaker ng mga magsasaka (na hindi natin maikakailang kahawig ng naganap sa Kidapawan noong 2016) sa pamamagitan ng di-direktang paglalahad sa mga ito. Sa halip na mga goons, o byuda, o mga ulila, o mga pesante, hinainan niya tayo ng dalawang hubong tauhan na parehong di-direktang kasangkot sa nasabing insidente.

Una itong nakatulong sa paglulugar ng mga manonood (na hindi rin naman direktang kasangkot sa piksyunal na Shambhala Masscare o sa totoong Kidapawan Massacre) ng kanilang personal na kasaysayan sa mas malawak na naratibo ng bansa. At ikalawa, naging instrumental ito sa paglilinaw ng ugnayan ng politikal na karahasan sa loob at labas ng mga pribadong espasyo. Sa pamamagitan ng simulasyon ng pagtatalik, panggagahasa at pisikal na karahasan, muling ibinabalik sa kamalayan ng manonood na ang mga katawan ng biktima sa mga balita ay hindi lamang mga imahe na baog sa kahulugan at kasaysayan. Maselan ang mga piniling tema ng dula at ang piniling paraan ng pagtatanghal nito, ngunit hindi rin natin maitatangging sa ganitong mambobosong lente at paghuhubad ng mga isyu lamang natin ganap na masasalat ang mga kinukubli nilang katotohanan.

Kabilang ang “Arkanghel sa Maccrotel” sa mga radikal na dula na hindi lang naglalayong maglahad at magbaklas ng mga isyu, kundi nagtatangka ring magbaklas ng mismong aestetiko na nagdidikta ng kung ano ang radikal sa entablado. Pinapaalala sa atin nito na silang may ekonomikong kapangyarihan ang may hawak ng baril, at silang may baril ang may hawak ng politikal na kapangyarihan. Binabalaan tayo nito na kung hindi tayo mangangahas sumilip, ay manghihina rin ang ating mga tuhod, mapapaluhod, at magpoprotesta tayo nang pikit-mata.

____

John Daryl Alcantara is a student, writer, graphic artist, and activist from Taguig City. He writes poems, short stories, and personal essays and tries to make zines during his free time, and writes academic papers and critical essays when the deadline is near. He is currently taking up BA Communication Arts in UPLB.  

twitter.com/dardarjinx

dalumatin.tumblr.com

Working Online  Chat Room on Art Magpies

Screenshots of our collective’s online conversation on July 3, 2018 prompted by the erasure (as shown in Fig.1) of a Facebook comment on Christian Tablazon’s thread criticizing the management of OICA (Office of Initiatives for Culture and the Arts) UPLB are stitched together to fit eight photos.

While there are claims that Elbi is home to many artists and that “the OICA provides space for non-Manila artists”, the current setup favors established artists with a bulky portfolio more than artists-in-progress exploring the possibilities of their practice, art collectors more than those looking to be exposed to art, traditional, commercial works rather than experimental, non-traditional, and non-commercial--disappointing given Elbi’s nature as a university and research town outside the #ganap of Manila should have been enough reason for it to prioritize discovery and cultivation of emerging artists and practices. What more if art groups, now linked by just an online call for artists, have more room to interact and be exposed to each other’s work? Our efforts have since been towards looking for ways to make this biannual show of force last more than Zine Orgy’s hours, and make it more accessible: thus our attempts to archive zines from Zine Orgy, look for consignment opportunities for Elbi artists, hold short discussions with practitioners who reside in Elbi or have experience with the Elbi scene, distribute the responsibility of making Zine Orgy possible by reducing artists’ fee, tapping local establishments for marketing, and imposing a 10-peso door fee, continuously rethinking our notion of audience, community, and collaboration by works involving more kinds of people in production and distribution, and encouraging people to discuss and critique the works produced in Elbi or by Elbi artists. Currently, with criticism practiced only in academic requirements and reviews of films and books by the several art blogs and Elbi feature platforms, plus the stream of recent events within the vicinity including the UPLB BAO’s harassment and cancellation of the MatchCut Zine Fair, the refusal of the Philippine High School for the Arts administration to comment on the Maria-IRM award issue, the argument of artists and friends on the facebook OICA criticism that there are proper channels to voice out dissatisfaction with the university gallery management, we weigh in on what is feasible given what we currently have, and look at the possibility of making room for art conversations online. Take the points here as questions--openings for new answers and new members to join the conversation, inviting all to be part of the community and join in the working towards discovering and creating more spaces to talk about art.

___

MAGPIES is an independent publishing art collective based in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. The collective explores zine-making, visual media, performed poetry and other alternative forms that emphasize experimentation, collaborative work, and criticism through music, poetry, fiction, stickers, posters, photo prints, performances, and things in between. Magpies organizes Zine Orgy and Deep Thought and was founded in 2013.

Mac Andre R. Arboleda

“I will pelt you with filth; I will treat you with contempt; I will make you a public spectacle.” — Nahum 3:6

It’s not unusual for anonymous accounts that churn out content based on specific locations to show up in my timeline every now and then. I’d guess this started with popular pages like “Humans of New York”. Ever since then, we’ve seen similar accounts pop up on our Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram timelines. Although the earliest ones I can recall are “Hotties of [insert campus here]”, people have started making pages dedicated to very specific audiences. 

Around the same time Twitter pages @mgapusangelbi and @uplbkalachuchi came about, an anonymous user created @mgaipisngelbi. The page posted photo sets of “Elbi Ipis Sightings” with a number count and location details of each cockroach sighted. True to its bio, the posts included “other weird things” (read: “non-ipis”, “special sightings”) like a snake inside the UPLB College of Forestry and a dead rat found in a canal in front of an Italian restaurant.

Unlike the first two pages dedicated to pictures of (cute) cats and (colorful) kalachuchis sighted in Los Baños, I found “Elbi Ipis Sightings” infinitely more interesting because it featured what we usually regard as pests. The presence of cockroaches in your apartment could mean you’re unsanitary, careless. Scroll through YouTube and you’ll find hundreds of videos on “How to Get Rid of Roaches for GOOD!!!” It’s no surprise then that cockroaches are sold for Biology classes at 10 pesos each because a few students don’t want to face their phobia of flying insects. 

“Elbi Ipis Sightings” works against the dominant narrative perpetuated by Los Baños residents, and the university admin in particular, that this place is breathtaking, beautiful, serene: “a natural gallery of National Artists”. You only need to do a quick search on Twitter with the terms “ganda uplb”, “mahal kita elbi” or “elbi is home” and you’ll see the same shots (some filtered, some are videos with Johnoy Danao playing in the background) of palm trees, flowers, and UPLB’s landmarks. 

Not to say that Elbi being beautiful is untrue, but it’s long been brought up that UPLB has again and again prioritized the beautification of the campus (see: CEM’s Alumni Plaza, the renewed Marcos plaque) instead of, say, providing for the academic needs of its constituents, including the lack of artist spaces in the university. Back in 2016, the official UPLB Twitter account no less decided to block me for calling them out on an Instagram-reposting spree in the middle of the students’ clamor for subjects during the enrollment/#JunkSAIS campaign. 

“Elbi Ipis Sightings” implicitly responds to these embellishments with its unassuming posts. Ipis Sighting #16 in particular, made me laugh with its emotionless caption: “near the giant christmas tree in front of landbank.” The shots are beautifully composed that for some entries you forget that you’re looking at a photo of a dead cockroach. It remains a mystery why the author decided to one day create an account and publish photos of entomological species from their phone, and why this project had not been included in the latest Sining Makiling Gallery exhibit aptly called “Artfully Science.” 

It would be a reach to conclude anything about the anonymous author’s intent, but “Elbi Ipis Sightings” critiques this beautification campaign through a collection of found objects, surfacing issues inside and surrounding the university. I recall the viral video of President Duterte’s speech where a cockroach crawled on his shoulder last May, and I remember our scientists’ promise that cockroaches will outlive us in all this filth. 

---

Erika Belarmino

You would almost forget when the season is a perpetual stifling of heat and rain. 

It had not always been like this:  the streets ringing with big names and buildings preening,   beckoning you to its air-conditioned enclosures and the promise of relief. 

Inside the classroom, the professor’s voice floats— the air placid with somnolence, until the low humming reaches you in a question. You respond in measured statements  gleaned from the set of yesterday’s readings. 

The rhythm breaks momentarily when the space is punctured with voices booming from megaphones. You are familiar with these demonstrations, and  recall some of the faces of vacant seats. Today, they will amount to ‘X’ marks on the roll.  The professor is satisfied with your answer and you are permitted  to once again sink in your stupor.

Outside, people are lining up at the entrance of the auditorium. Letters spell out I-N-C-E-N-T-I-V-E-S, in bold ink. You wonder what fraternities have to do with films,  but it is a question that does not find itself written in the reflection papers due the next day.  

At sundown, you pass through the huddle of students, their faces orange in the lamplight. A chorus rings out faintly from one of the buildings. In a month or two, you will find yourself seated inside a hall— a spectator to the culmination of this craft. The stage is alive and ablaze  with lights that do not grieve over endless days of  peddling morsels in boxed containers. 

All your other questions become backwash.  You find your words echoed by copier machines in their incessant  whirring, these lesser truths dwarfed as the giant LED screen glares with its self-satisfied  brilliance. Congratulations, congratulations.

Other voices run amok in the streets. The barkers summon the fleeing passengers.  It is only a matter of time until the jeepney departs  and joins the line of vehicles in the traffic.  

From above, esteemed men and women peer down. They look at you, smiling from their posters— the colorful slogans swaying in the wind.  

---

Mary Sol Erika R. Belarmino is a member of Samahang Layb, a poetry organization based in Los Baños.

Dennis Andrew S. Aguinaldo

Nitong Mayo, binigyan ako ng ilang araw at isang weekend ng aking departamento upang magsulat ng tula para kay Prop. William Remollo, ang colleague naming malapit na noong magretiro. Sa a-bente ng buwang iyon, babasahin ang aking tula ng isa pang colleague bilang bahagi ng testimonial program: ang inilaang salu-salo at payak na pamamaalam upang parangalan ang impluwensya, trabaho, at pakikipagkapwa ng nasabing guro. 

May tatlong bersyon ang tula. Hinatulan ng aking misis ang unang bersyon na “masyadong matigas”. Binasa ng aking colleague sa testi ang ikalawa at mas malambot na bersyon. 

Tapos na dapat doon, ngunit ito ang ikatlong bersyon ng “Trip to Jerusalem”. Hindi na lamang ito tula kundi rekord ng isang artikulo katapat ang anino nito.

×

×

Sa p. 95 nitong isyu ng UPLB Journal, ipinakilala ang may-akda: “The author is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Humanities. Among his myriad responsibilities are: course coordinator of ENG 2 (AH) and chair of the curriculum committee.” 

Aralin sa ENG 2 (College Writing in English) ang maayos na atribusyon ng kaalaman bilang bahagi ng integridad ng isang intelektuwal. Kalaban nito ang “intellectual dishonesty,” partikular ang pamamalahiyo. Magdadalawang taon na ring hindi itinuturo itong ENG 2. Kasama ng karamihan sa kapanahunan nitong General Elective subjects, pinalitan ito ng bagong set ng GE upang salubungin sa kolehiyo ang mga unang nagtapos mula sa K + 12 program ng Departamento ng Edukasyon. Kasabay ng GE, nagkaroon din ng malawakang pagbabago sa mga degree program ng UPLB. 

Bilang chair ng curriculum committee, naging tungkulin ni Remollo na alalayan ang Departamento ng Humanidades sa unang bahagi ng malaking transisyon tungo sa sistemang huhubog sa kaalaman, kasanayan, at ugali ng mga susunod na gradweyt.

×

×

Isinagawa ang ganitong operasyon hindi lamang sa mga siping ibinahagi rito kundi sa kabuuan ng sanaysay. Walang kahit isang banggit kay Holcombe sa katawan o References ng artikulo ni Remollo. Sa dalawampu’t tatlo niyang bibliographical entry, tatatlo ang wala sa mga sanggunian ni Holcombe—

—ngunit walang indikasyon sa katawan ng artikulo ni Remollo na ginamit ang mga batis na ito. Maliban sa tatlong ito, wala rin kay Holcombe ang pamagat ng artikulo (“Poetry: A Lien, A Lift, A Link”) ang pito mula sa siyam na subheading na ginamit ni Remollo—

—pero kay Carl Gustav Jung ang ikalima riyan (nabanggit si Jung sa dalawang artikulo, ngunit walang atribusyon si Remollo sa quote). Kay Abraham Lincoln ang huling subheading (walang banggit kay Lincoln sa dalawang artikulo, at hindi nag-cite si Remollo.)

×

Setyembre, at ilang buwan nang retirado ang guro nang matuklasan itong kanyang ginawa. 

Sa labing-anim na linya ng ikalawang bersyon ng “Trip to Jerusalem,” kalahati na lamang ang nais kong manatili—

          At makikigising na rin ang mga estudyante?           Ang aming mga pasib, at gawing agresib           Ang ipin naming mga guro,           Ngayong tanyag pa rin ang ating ngiti at awa.           Sa init ng microwave, sa tagas           Ng gripo, sa walang-sawang seroks at eksamen.

          Ng ilang silya ang maliliit naming sarili,

          At isasatitik ang malalabong kopya ng panaginip.

×

Narito ang mga dulo ng dalawang artikulo—

---

Danielle David Castillo 

The Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA), which is situated in Mount Makiling, is a government-run high school founded to hone artistically inclined students. The institute provides free education to students who are drawn to Visual Arts, Creative Writing, Ballet, Folk Dance, Theatre Arts, and Music. As mentioned in PHSA’s profile, “it is committed to the conservation and promotion of the Filipino artistic and cultural traditions and makes every effort to develop the potentials of its young art scholars as future cultural leaders with a nationalistic orientation”.  

In the school’s website, the birth of the school is narrated: “[a]midst the forest of Mt. Makiling, the young former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, yearned for a people born to greatness and envisioned a society worthy of the heritage of the Filipino people.” By September 7, 1990, former President Corazon Aquino then converted PHSA into a regular government institution. 

While students enjoy its isolated forests and the view of the city from their dorms, we seem to be removed from this Mountain’s truth, that to build this campus, they had to obliterate parts of the highland to make way for the construction. 

Sometimes, we encounter unfamiliar children and families living near the Vargas Area, where the Folk Dance and Visual Arts studios are located. During my first year in school, I have always wondered why we usually see them around that area. I would see them either walking to the Chapel or heading down wearing their uniforms. I have heard a few stories that way before the school was built, families lived in the Mountain, and some still do, scattered in some areas of the campus. The people who used to inhabit the mountain supposedly called “Ibarangs”, merely became the origin story for the name and branding of PHSA students called “Ibarangs”. Our privilege to reside in the area has allowed us to disturb and exploit the history of Mount Makiling and its people.

Before I studied at PHSA, I barely knew anything about the school. I wasn’t aware of students having these kinds of opportunities while studying in an institution where almost everything was already provided. I viewed High School simply, where I’d still be getting the same old routine of having to study basic education subjects and do art only in forms of quarter projects or homework. 

As mentioned by Lampayan & Villaruel in their article What’s with Arts Ed?, art was not considered academic in our previous schools. Studying the arts gave students a notion of entitlement, that our education already confirms that we are artists and that our erudition allows us to produce “high art”. To say that an education in the arts is a necessity would be to create the false impression that one can only be considered an artist with the proper schooling (Lampayan & Villaruel, 2019). 

I entered PHSA as a Creative Writing student in the year 2015. While we still get time to study Basic Education subjects such as Math, Science, or History, unlike other schools, our afternoons are committed to our majors. In the Creative Writing program, our studies vary per year. In my experience, we’ve had classes specifically for Poetry and Fiction, Independent Publishing, Graphic Literature, Playwriting, Cultural Studies and Literary Criticism, Journalism, and Literary Appreciation. We also get to encounter formal classes under master teachers and guest artists, local or international.

Within my four years of studying the arts, continuously scrutinizing my craft, and witnessing how the arts scene in our community (PHSA, to be exact) progressed, I have realized how as a student of the said school, I am privileged to have this education. Studying the arts for free, and by free this also means the stipulation of food, board and lodging, transportation, and a monthly stipend, is not an ordinary provision. And from time to time, it makes me contemplate, what do we owe LB, for the location of the school, or the country in general, for having this sustenance? Are we making sure that the taxpayers’ money is utilized suitably? Do the students acknowledge the rationale of why the school is still enduring? With all the opportunities offered to the students, what do we do to intervene with the local art scene?

In Amansinaya’s article, On the Process of Dissociation to Integration, she says that “[w]e can afford to be detached from the LB community because of our privilege of studying in an isolated boarding school. As a Creative Writing student, it’s fairly easy to write a politically charged poem, be contented with it, and not embed myself in the struggle that inspired the creation of that work– finality makes things easier to be ignored”. I ponder on this thought sometimes, that even though I try and contribute to the local arts scene, our privilege as PHSA students dissociate us from society and removes us from critical issues due to our lack of participation.

The school arranges yearly events, such as the Makiling Intercultural Arts Festival (MAKILINC), to allow students to immerse themselves with other local and international artists. This already hints at a huge amount of expenses, having to cater to almost all Creative Writing majors and to pay the artists for imparting their knowledge on their art fields. Furthermore, students get much exposure from cultural exchanges, performances, outreach programs, and workshops they’ve attended. PHSA considerably expends on having the students explore outside the school and this is not limited to local venues. Students have been given opportunities to travel with invitations from countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan.

For us Creative Writing students, we get to merge with other writers in expos such as Better Living Through Xeroxography (BLTX) and Zine Orgy, both local events that afford space for independent publishers to sell their works and at the same time, start a conversation regarding the importance of Zines. 

I saw how students began to grow and became sensitive to stimuli to further engage in the conversation, speak our narratives as students studying the arts, and continue writing and creating for the movement. The more we let ourselves be present and support these changes, the more we grasp the need to play a part. There is a sense of necessity and urgency, factors we should always take note of as student-artists. To quote Amansinaya (2019), “[i]n this context, maybe it’s time as artists to focus on the concept of using our art and our craft as an inclusive, interactive, and humane research practice instead of constantly missing our opportunities in engaging with the community by confining our art education to mere celebration.” 

With this being said, the exposure we’ve had and the knowledge we earned should not be put to waste. Our formal art education should be treated as only a privilege for bettering our art skills, when other great artists did not receive this opportunity (Lampayan & Villaruel, 2019). It is our task to share, to contribute what we’ve acquired to our communities, and to recognize our role as student-artists that we too, should not limit ourselves to the classes we have in school. We should be involving ourselves in local art events, further enriching ourselves, and using our craft to concretize what we’ve learned. 

 REFERENCES

Lampayan, Sidney & Villaruel, Charlize. “What’s with Arts Ed?”. The Basement, Issue 3. 2019. Amansinaya. “On the Process of Dissociation to Integration”. The Basement, Issue 3. 2019.

 ---

Danielle David Castillo is a 17-year-old Creative Writing student of the Philippine High School for the Arts.

Bea Rabe

I have been a student of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) for around five years, an institution conceived by a fascist in an era of torture, disappearances, and killings. However, the blood-stained footing of its founders is seldom mentioned in orientations and seminars overseen by the administration. Instead, we are reminded of a bequeathed mission that we still so try to fulfill: the pursuit of the true, the good, and the beautiful.

To study in such an establishment that is very politically charged while essentially distanced from the community it was tasked to “instill pride in its people’s artistic and cultural traditions” demands a reflection on whose truth, goodness, and beauty do we really pursue—given the emphasis that we are a government-allied institution? 

Here is a skeleton in the closet: unlike the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) system, which is established and fortified by a Republic Act (R.A. 3661, 1963), the PHSA remains as an Executive Order (E.O. 420, 1990) to this day. The latter isn’t as secure as the former, as Executive Orders are but “acts of the president”. Although the Marcosian PHSA was thereby “abolished and created” into a regular government agency by virtue of the E.O., the surname of the conjugal dictators is still a name the school has to bear. 

In essence, its existence is reliant on the incumbent leader and their position on culture and the arts. Moreover, for an order to be promoted, there must be a political figure to endorse it unto enhancement. 

 This stipulates a parameterized space in terms of creating. One way or another, we must fit with a patron’s (and to an honest extent, with a bureaucracy’s) attitude on the sociopolitical climate to avoid discontinuance.  And with the looming threat of federalism nearby, the sense of a Philippine high school for the arts is devoid when the republic is but a discussion of imparted territory. The school must aid in a latent spectacle set by the current regime, in order to gain sponsorship and sustenance. 

While the teachers are highly encouraging in the production of works that challenge and provoke, we cannot dismiss the legroom that we are compelled to move in. The school administration is more wary—though not suppressive—but to make a student aware of their movement and its impact to the existence of the school is quite overwhelming and paralyzing. The question now, it seems, is until when is the student accounted for complicity?  

Regarding the outputs accomplished within the duration of the scholarship, there is nothing in the contract that binds and alters the ownership of such works—what you make is yours. Be that as it may, after graduating, the institution through the PHSA Ibarang Alumni Association, tracks the art-related activities of the graduates with aplomb should they achieve awards or any form of recognition. In addition, they are often used to justify the purpose and success of the school during senate budget hearings. Hence the theme of PHSA’s 41st foundation, Ang Ginto sa Makiling, which interprets the graduates as the ginto, referencing Macario Pineda’s novel, Ang Ginto sa Makiling.  This is furthered by the event’s ‘theme song’, “Alumni ating tagumpay / tagumpay ating alumni” from Alumnayan, written and composed by the preceding and current director(s) of the school, respectively.

If anything, this comes to show an unwritten law long after the expiration of your scholarship agreement. The accountability does not dwindle: it is overlapped with the newly appointed onus to the new scholars, but it is still there.  And for those who remain studying in Mt. Makiling, those who are within direct proximity of the administration, these contexts stay enshrouded and are silently embedded within us; we sing the Transcendentals as it is written in our school hymn. We practice what we are told to.

Furthermore, the disconnection is well established with the location of the institution—we have the privilege of barely bothering to ask who we create for nor identify who consumes what we create, because ultimately, we remain distanced and externally unbothered. With a cursory glance at the community, our primary audiences are ourselves. Even the awareness of the school’s existence is minimal. 

Until then, the intents of creating for the community, no matter how noble, are tainted. For the meantime, these questions remain questions, and products, of such an institution; the next best move is to respond and prevail over ignorance. Rather than represent, first, we must make things present.  

---

Bea Rabe is a Grade 11 student of the Philippine High School for the Arts. She likes downloading fonts and then forgetting to install them later.