Uphold the Collegian’s autonomy! Defend campus
press freedom! Protect the independence of all
student institutions and orgs!
Sign the petition!
www.philippinecollegian.netmakeURL(”www.philippinecollegian.net”,”eHNsL2J1bGxldGluLnhzbA==”);
LET’S JOIN US sa YOUTH SECTOR FORUM ON EDUCATION SITUATION!
SEPTEMBER 15, FRIDAY
11AM sa AS LOBBY tayo magkita kita!
Ayoko na.
Sabi ng marami. At iba-iba ang
dahilan.
Hirap na hirap ka na ba sa kakaisip
ng konspeto para sa plate mo? Ako rin eh. Mahirap mag-isip lalo na’t
ipinanganak tayo sa panahon kung saan lahat na yata ng ideya, naisip na ng
ibang tao. Sabi nga ng isang prof ko, wala ng orig na ideya ngayon, nagkakatalo
na lang sa interpretasyon. Hindi naman bawal ang manghiram eh, haluan mo lang
ng tatak mo, para maging sayo. Naks, parang expert lang. Pero diba, totoo
naman? Hindi rin nakakamatay kung liliko ka minsan sa library, kasi marami kang
makikita, mababasa at magbibigay inspirasyon.
Hirap na hirap ka na ba kasi ang
hirap timplahin ng prof mo? Hay, marami tayo! Hindi naman kasi mga robot ang
mga prof natin. Tao sila, at artist sila – may mga mood swings, may
sari-sariling taste, may sari-sariling lengwahe. Ang trick nalang yata diyan ay
magpapasok ka, kilalanin mo ang prof mo. Hindi ko sinabing ikompromiso mo ang
istilo mo sa panlasa ng prof, alamin mo lang kung ano yung benta sa kanya,
tapos, kumbinsihin mo siyang maganda yung ideya mo.
Ah, hindi ka nahihirapan. Walang
challenge? Hay nako. Noong freshie ako, takang-taka ako noon kung bakit natapos
ang isang sem na puro 6B at sketching sketching lang kami. Tanong ako ng tanong
kung bakit paulit-ulit hanggang minsan, nagpinta ako ulet.
Aba, pagsketch ko, napasabi nalang ako sa
sarili, “Naks. Parang gumaling yata ako.” Pero totoo, mas senstibo na ako
ngayon sa detalye, mas pino ang mga hagod ng lapis o ng brush, o maski ng
mouse. Minsan kasi, magtiwala naman tayo sa mga prof natin.
Pero hindi lahat ng bagay sa school
lang natutunan. Wag kang makuntento sa papetiks-petiks lang. Magbasa ka. Hindi
lang naman libro ang pwedeng basahin – andyan ang dyaryo (napapansin ko nga,
parang ang daming nagbabasa ng dyaryo sa library natin), mga magasin, mga
articles sa internet, mga blogs, mga brand label, mga vandalisms sa desk mo, at
marami pa – lahat ng ito, magbibigay inspirasyon sayo, magbibigay kaalaman
sayo.
Marami na akong alam. Marami ka
naring alam. Pero mas marami ang hindi pa natin alam, kaya huwag tayong umayaw.
O, ano na?
– blog entry galing kay Christiana Jade (CJ) M. De Silva na ngayo’y 3rd year Viscom student sa UP College of Fine Arts.
Congratulations to 2006 Ateneo Art Awardees from CFA:
Ronald "Poklong" Anading - Winner
Rodel Tapaya Garcia - "Shortlist 12"/Finalist
Maria "Tun" Cruz - "Shortlist 12"/Finalist
If you are a photography enthusiast, you are invited to join IRIS - a photography organization of the UP College of Fine Arts.
Assembly on Sept. 15 - Friday
Room B5 2:30pm
Bring your portfolio, bio-data, and Form 5
@ FA 1pm Joya Hall this Wed Sept 13
Speaker is a visiting museum education resource person from University of Nebraska
Sponsored by the CFA’s Art History Department
Come one, come all!
There’s a nice site which features a number of prominent FA peeps during the past decade such as Dino Ignacio, Romeo Lee, etc.
HOW WE CAN HELP: You can help by giving donations in kind such as
CLOTHES
CANNED GOODS
NOODLES
RICE
MEDICINE
and other relief items which can help sustain the evacuees during their stay at the evacuation centers.
CFA SC will be placing a BOX @ FA wherein you can place your donations/contributions until September 13 (Wednesday). It will be then centralized at the USC Office on September 14, 2006 (Thursday). Volunteers from partner organizations involved in the Mt. Mayon Relief Drive will collect the donations on September 15, 2006 (Friday) for delivery to the affected areas.
A small gesture of kindness and generosity on your part can mean a great deal to the victims of this impending natural calamity. Rest assured that any contribution you will give shall be safely transported and delivered to the intended beneficiaries.
As reported in the media, the Mayon Volcano has shown signs of restiveness since the third week of February 2006. As of August 22, 2006, six (6) minor explosions have been generated by the volcano. A total of 24 volcanic earthquakes and 431 tremor episodes have also been recorded.
ALERT LEVEL 4 is currently in effect, which means that hazardous explosive eruptions are still possible. The 8-kilometer radius Extended Danger Zone (EDZ) in the southeast sector should continue to be off- limits. Residents of areas just outside and adjacent to the EDZ are advised to be on alert regarding their status for possible evacuation in case volcanic activities escalate.
Evacuation Status: The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has recommended voluntary evacuation for residents of barangays located in the southeastern quadrant of the volcano since said areas have been identified as most susceptible to lava flow, rock fall and pyroclastic flow.
To date, there are evacuees from 32 barangays including Sto.Domingo, Daraga, Camalig, Malilipot, and Guinobatan; and the cities of Legazpi, Ligao and Tabaco. The number of evacuees staying inside the 29 evacuation centers has reached 9,245 families or 43,430 persons while those staying outside evacuation centers in Barangays Mabinit, Bonga, Natanag and Buyuan, Legaspi City have reached a total of 127 families or 561 persons.
by Antares Gomez b.
Published on Page 7 of the August 2006 issue of the
Oblation: The Official Publication of the
University Student Council
"Great is the truth, but still greater, from a
practical point of view, is silence about truth.”
-Aldous Huxley, Introduction
to Brave New World, 1950 Edition
It is undeniable
that there is a silencing upon us; a movement towards evasion and subsequent
disappearance; a silencing insoluble by dialogue. The simplest, most
fundamental things are slowly being smothered and dragged beneath the earth.
This silencing comes in a multitude of forms ranging from the tacit returns of
abstraction in art to the more explicit manifestations of state repression in
recent years.
Huxley
discussed, in his abovementioned introduction, how the simple act of exclusion could
enact a greater manipulation of consciousness than the most elegant of
arguments. He states that, “By simply not mentioning certain subjects, by
lowering… an ‘iron curtain’ between the masses and such facts or arguments as
the local political bosses regard as undesirable, totalitarian propagandists
have influenced opinion much more effectively…”
This brings to
our attention the contradiction between the steep increase in political
killings since the start of the Arroyo administration and their virtual
non-apparence in the mass media. How is it that these incidents did not flood
our television screens or radios? A simple assessment of mass media programs
would show that murder sells. So, why not these murders?
“… they’ll
hide everywhere. No one knows who’s in control.”
-MUSE, Ruled By Secrecy, Absolution, 2002
Who owns the
means of news production and dissemination; just where and with whom does the
capital lie? These are vital questions in assessing mass media practices for it
is of prime importance that we consider the politics behind interest and vice
versa, otherwise we will find ourselves in an unscientific mess of witch hunts
and speculation.
The procedures
of content filtering in mass media outfits figure heavily in the book Manufacturing Consent by E. Herman and
Noam Chomsky. By their assessment, the “size,
ownership, and profit orientation of the mass media” regulate the field of production, if not dominate it altogether.
The very cost of setting up even a small newspaper is ostentatiously restrictive
and this prerequisite of wealth does much to limit the number of players in the
field. Furthermore, there is the fact that the owners of mass media outfits
today are those with ownership of multiple enterprises spanning a gamut from
food processing to nuclear research.
Another
consideration is that large media firms are required license from the
government, which may impose special taxes and influence policy limits. Tons of
expenditure is geared towards lobbyists and not a small number of media
executives have experience as government officials. This dependence on
bureaucratic gobbledygook has often been used to bludgeon the media into
obedience.
Judging from the
facts, it cannot be said that the interests of the mass media corporations are
at all impartial. The capital controlling and controlled by the mass media are
positioned with and limited to a ruling elite. Do not doubt that those pulling
the strings are tugging in their direction.
“Sit down. Stand up. Sit down. Stand up. We can wipe you
out anytime.”
-Radiohead, Sit down, Stand up. Hail to the Thief, 2003
If there is a
profit motive behind the mass media it is derived most directly from the
hulking amounts of money involved in the advertising industry. After all, it is
the advertisers who buy and pay for the programs and features on television,
newspapers, etc. The utter dependence on their patronage grants advertisers a
de facto power of licensure.
Media firms that
do not ‘appeal’ to large groups of buyers are virtually ignored by advertisers
and soon run themselves into the ground. Thus, they must endorse and regulate
their programming in accordance with advertiser interests. ‘Expert’ teams are
created just for such endorsements, and also for monitoring ratings and
viewership/readership.
Mass audience
appeal is, sadly, determined and gauged in ‘common factors.’ In other words, it
is achieved by harping on commonalities and minimizing conflict. The resultant
preference for material that is politically docile and intellectually unengaging,
or ‘neutral’, apparently makes for content that is saleable. It then becomes
clear that the mass media, under the sway of advertiser demands, are not
looking for just any audience. What they seek in particular is a ‘buying
audience’ to dish up to ad executives in board meetings.
From this favour
granted to evasive and spiritless content in accord with saleability, we are
able to impute the withholding silence that pervades the mass media. Also, we
have little option but to conclude that its lack of concern for comprehensive
and forthright coverage is due to a misguided drive for profit.
“No, it’s just more lock-jawed pop stars thicker than
pig shit—nothing to convey. They’re so scared to show intelligence. It might
smear their lovely careers.”
-Morissey, The World Is Full of Crashing Bores. This
is the Quarry, 2003
The need to
entertain is not based merely on some abstract ‘calling’ to a ‘craft’ but stems
from a constant surveillance over and starvation of audience awareness on the
part of those benefiting from the status quo. ‘Lightly’ – this is how it must
be done, the populace must be ‘entertained lightly’. The term reeks of
Victorian courtliness and attests a flippant regard for matters of critical
importance and a deep-seated condescension toward the audience’s intelligence.
Many see the
news show Wazzup Wazzup as an innovative take on news reporting and
presentation. Upon closer inspection, however, its coverage proves insipid and
asinine. Evasive content is taken up under the umbrella of ‘alternative’ and
embellished with absurdist questions and fashioned lingo. In the end, all it
amounts to is so much talk about traffic, sports, and the weather. As
sociologist Pierre Bourdieu says in his book On Television, “People talk so much about the weather in
day-to-day life because it’s a subject that cannot cause trouble.”
Talk shows and
public service broadcasts only lightly
touch on local issues of relevance. As they tiptoe around their advertisers,
topics such as environmental degradation, the military-industrial machine, and
corporate multinational benefits from and effects on Least Developed
Countries (LDCs) merit only the briefest
mention in their programming. They just aren’t popular enough (read: profitable).
There are some
cases where media companies venture into serious programming, but they do so at
a loss, or if not, only as token penance to make up for recent embarrassments.
Even today, programs are hesitant to delve into the issues at hand. They
content themselves with playing mediators in debate shows and panel
discussions, careful to present ‘both sides’ of the ‘story’ and wrap up with
diplomatic (read: dodgy) conclusions. If not, as ‘a matter of preference’, they
cover the ‘human side’ of things:
July
7, the ABS-CBN News Channel shows youth from different schools as having
successfully held their protest program along Morayta. The violent mauling at
the hands of the police that left at least forty of us bruised and bloody was
nowhere to be seen. August 2005, newspaper reporters are at the CCP as a book
about bangus is launched by Jose DeVenecia; none of them ask him about the
despotic anti-terrorism bill that he and his cronies drafted only weeks before.
Little more than
pulp is presented while real issues are reduced to the level of gossip.
“They, who have put out the people’s eyes, reproach
them of their blindness.”
-John Milton
Consider that
the government’s fund for public information is greater than those of all the
dissenting groups combined. In light of this, even news research and sourcing
are put to question. As media outfits cannot afford to have reporters and
camera crews in every possible place at all times, news sources also tend to be
centralized into ‘hotspots’ like the Department of Justice, City Hall and other
government centres. Furthermore, the ‘official’, with its symbolic capital of
expertise comes into play. According to Mark Fishman in Manufacturing the News,
“Reporters
operate with the attitude that officials ought to know what it is their job to
know… In particular, a newsworker will recognize an official’s claim to
knowledge not merely as a claim, but as a credible, competent piece of
information. This amounts to a moral division of labour: officials have and
give the facts; reporters merely get them.”
Playing on this
expertise, it has become common practice for government agencies to ‘alert’ the
media of ‘newsworthy’ stories in order to bump off other, less pleasant or
defensible topics that may be on the headlines.
Among these
sensationalists is Justice Secretary Gonzales. This disbarred attorney with
more than a tendency for fascism has taken every opportunity available to turn
issues sideways with his disclosures. While it is understandabe that his
baseless accusations and bluster have made for tasty sound bytes due to their
ridiculous nature, one must remember that he was probably disbarred for a
reason (read: he’s a dumbass sonofabitch).
It
is not unheard of for politicians to have a number of media personnel in their
pockets. This allows them a constant presence in the media despite not having
anything of import to say, as well as giving them a practical advantage over
their rivals. Many politicians have made good use of the mass media as a
sounding board for Efets d’annonce.
That is to say, they have found the media as a convenient tool for reducing
their political actions to a few grand statements of intent. For example,
Arroyo’s herculean resolution to wipe out insurgency in a mere two years (why
not world peace while she’s at it?) or, better yet, her command to solve the
cases of ten political killings in ten weeks. The main objective here is to
appease the constituents who, as is the norm, encounter them mainly through the
mass media. The follow-up is optional.
“As the patterns get more intricate and subtle, being
swept along is no longer enough.”
-from somewhere in my plagiarist notebooks, V for
Vendetta, perhaps?
What can be
concluded here is that the bulk of ‘communication’ and ‘information’ channelled
through the mass media is corrupt by way of the conditions that enable its
existence, and, at the same time, empty since the abovementioned filters only
allow for a withered and depoliticized semblance of thought to surface.
What is left to
us students, as members of the academe, is to resist the anti-intellectual
predisposition that obtains from the field of corporate mass media. Critical
thinking must be fostered in opposition to sluggish reactionism, and a sharp
politic must replace the accommodating bog of political-correctness. We cannot
afford to play the role of the passive audience –anaesthetized by illusions of
civilian life. If ‘Plan A’ was to sit on our asses…
Antares
"Pog" Gomez b. is currently a fourth year Art History student at the U.P. Collegeof Fine Arts. He is the College Representative to the University Student
Council where he also works as the Editor-in-Chief of the Oblation.
CFA Student Council Disclaimer:
The information below are based on CFASC notes during the
CFA Deanship Convocation held last August 23, 2006 (Wednesday) at the CFA
Auditorium. They are intended to give a general idea of each nominee’s
platform. While such information was recorded by the CFASC during the
convocation with utmost care and good faith, these are not to be relied upon as
official statements/platform by the nominees.
CFA students are encouraged to send-in questions and/or concerns about the platform of any/all of the nominees so that ArtPaper (the official publication of the CFASC) can raise them during its interviews with the nominees.
Send it to artpaperonline@yahoo.com or cfasc2k6@yahoo.com or send a text message to (0917)8474969. Deadline is August 28, 2006 (Monday). Thank you.
Prof. Leonardo C. ROSETE (Sir Doi)
Facilities sufficient to support activities
Vision of CFA
- learning
institution of the arts
- enrichment
of Phil. Culture
- center of
excellence
lagging behind in terms of digital technology
resource generation
- projects
- corporate
trainings
challenge by dwindling budgets, increasing population
INTEL set-up shop in CFA
“I know you, you know me, and I know what we could do
together…”
Prof. Florentina P. COLAYCO (Ma’m Colayco)
Centennial
- launch
www.upcfa centennial website
- centennial
brochure
- series of
student art & exhibitions
- a
centennial marker (gallery, sculptures, etc.)
- 12 month
series of curated exhibitions on UP artist and alumni
- UPCFA
Centennial history book
- Upcfa best
student works displayed
Revitalizing Academic Programs
- faculty and
curriculum dev’t.
attract more exchange programs & artist residences
- access
entry to international exhibitions and conferences
- access
faculty grants and scholarships for masters & doctoral studies to raise
faculty profile
- study &
propose one-sem creative leave to enable faculty to complete research
- institutionalize
performance metric system applicable to artists, designers, & art
historians
Curriculum
- push new
knowledge and extended course scopes in reviewing and updating curriculum
offerings
- consider
new media courses
- consider
contemporary and Asian perspectives
Initiate interdisciplinary offerings to equip students with
multi-disciplinary offerings to equip students with multi-disciplinary
knowledge to operate at different levels and fronts of creativity and
innovation
Supplement curriculum offerings with workshops and seminars
that encourage discourse and inquiry
Linkages, Partnerships, & Alliances
- initiate
linkages & MOAs with educational institution abroad (visiting professors
& artists, exchange students & joint research project)
- partner
with corporations, organizations and foundations for joint activities that
raise artistic & environmental consciousness for students
Mobilizing Resources (Inside)
- university
channels that provide financial support for instructional, faculty &
academic dev’t.
- invite
professional usage of studio facilities for fees, donations
- art auction
& concerts
- establish
cooperative for Admin. Staff
(From outside)
- propose a
drafting of a credible prospectus for an overall fund raising program
- sample
UPCFA Centennial infrastructure modernization projects
o upgrade
auditoriums
o upgrade
classrooms
o etc.
- reach out
to alumni for Centennial Celebration
- summer
workshops, etc.
Guiding Principles of Leadership
- shared
decision making, shared leadership
- accountability
& transparency
- total
commitment
Prof. Benjamin I. CABANGIS (Sir Benjie)
Academic leader not confined in books; must also be dynamic
Translate disadvantages to opportunities
Proposed Plans and programs for 2006-2009
Academic programs
- continuing
progressive review of academic programs
- encourage
department of Industrial Design
- implementation
of the studio
- training of
students in portfolio presentation
- revisiting
art theory courses’ relevance to contemporary
- assess
effectiveness
- encourage
development
- revive CFA
Annual students art exhibition
- strengthen
all courses by digital media
Faculty & Staff
- sponsor
faculty & staff in special seminars
- promote
scholarships
Form a College Research Committee
Linkages
- tie-up with
other UP units (expertise/technical assistance)
- collaborate
with government institutions
Facilities
- maximize
existing structures into functional spaces
- construct
small scale hobby roof deck @ Enriquez Hall into a multipurpose space
- rehab
Corredor Gallery into an institutional exhibition space
- container
vans as alternative working spaces for small sized classrooms
Projected sources of support/income
- private
individuals & institutions (PLDT, Shell, etc.)
- partnership
with alumni for fund raising projects
- use of
foundry facilities by private individuals
- yearlong
workshops on various forms of visual arts (software, pottery)
Other plans
- metro-wide
all students art conference
- UP
Centennial Traveling Exhibit (to all constituent universities)
“We do not allow dreams to die in CFA.”
