A Day of Shame for UP Mindanao

by: Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco, Jr.

Few considered it an important issue. For the first time in the history of the 100 year-old university, a scientific experiment, the symbol of UP’s academic tradition, was destroyed upon the order of the honorable mayor of Davao City.

The order is unjustifiable. It was based on half-truths and exaggerations manufactured by the City Agriculturist. UP Mindanao took pains to clarify all of these directly and indirectly to the City Mayor, in newspapers and in various public fora. But the explanations fell on deaf ears. UP Mindanao pleaded for more time to explain; this was summarily denied.

Even if the City Agriculturist’s claims were true, it could be argued that the local government could not justify the destruction of the experiment. There was no imminent danger to life or the environment that might justify a drastic local government action on an activity that is officially permitted by the national government. The basis of the order, in the final analysis, was that UP Mindanao failed to post a notice in 1 out of 4 places in Davao City where it is supposed to, as a condition for granting a national government permit to do the experiment. The punishment, if warranted, would have been to revoke the permit. This could only be decided by the Bureau of Plant Industry, the organization that issued the permit. But the permit had not been revoked; BPI had not been asked by anyone to revoke the permit.

The order was carried out, in full view of the leadership of UP Mindanao, and by the same people who worked hard to set up the experiment, all of whom knew that the order was at best questionable, if not outright illegal.

A photo taken in an interview with Himati early December. This statement, however, was sent recently.

Who gave the command to destroy on site? It was not even the City Agriculturist, the man who was sent to carry out the order. She was an associate professor, a member of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) of UP Mindanao -- the same IBC, by the way, that was remiss in posting the controversial notice.

The role of the IBC at that stage of the experiment was to monitor the procedures to ensure that they comply with BPI’s (the regulatory body’s) conditions for granting the permit to do the experiment. If the experiment was compliant, it was IBC’s duty to make sure that no one illegally interfered with it. If it was not compliant, it was IBC’s duty to report this to BPI. But the experiment was compliant; BPI, the official body to whom the IBC reports, said so in an official certification that everyone knew exists.

But one member of IBC decided that it is her role to carry out the order of the City Mayor, even without consulting the rest of the committee. In a fit of sadism, she asked the young researcher who worked so hard for the experiment, to destroy her own work while a noisy mob of anti-GMO advocates cheered. It is a spectacle that I will never forget.

While the rape of the university tradition’s symbol was taking place, most of the university’s constituents were in downtown Davao City 20 km away, participating in the annual parade of Christmas lanterns, even as they were alerted earlier in the day that the order was about to be carried out, and that their presence could help prevent the virtual invasion of UP Mindanao. Few cared. Those who do and were present in the experimental site, did little to stop the invasion. The project leader of the experiment, the UP Mindanao faculty who should be most concerned, was hundreds of kilometers away, enjoying an early Christmas break…

December 17, 2010 permanently tarnished the University of the Philippine’ self-image as a family of fearless, principled advocates of social change and a bastion of righteousness in the academic world. This image, recently enhanced by the standoff with the Supreme Court over a plagiarism issue, was lost in UP Mindanao.

On December 17, 2010, the name UP Mindanao has assumed a derogatory meaning. It is too embarrassing to print what this meaning may be. We will forever carry this badge of shame. A former UP President once rhetorically asked: Does UP Mindanao deserve to be called UP? Many of us questioned this skepticism. But he may be right, after all.

This statement was emailed by Dr. Rasco to the UPMin school paper, Himati. It was sent December 19, 8:34 PM for 'immediate' publication; but since Himati couldn't publish a print issue at the moment, it was posted for public viewing in Google Docs.

**reposted from Facebook

Quest Physics

"I have come to believe in something called the physics of the quest. a force in nature governed by laws is real as the laws of gravity. the rule of quest physics goes somthing like this, if you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting which can be anything from your house to bitter old resentments and set out on a truth seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if your truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared most of all to face and forgive some very difficult reality about yourself then the truth will not be witheld from you. i can't help but believe it given my experience."


-Liz Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)

The Aquino Boom

Our country has had very few leaders like Corazon

Aquino, in whose name and in whose defense
millions deed tyranny: few Filipinos have been so
widely admired and cherished
at home and abroad. It would have been easy for her to
enjoy the comforts of retirement and abandon
the political stage:
easy, but at the peril of betraying everything
she stood and suffered for – freedom and the
principle that no man or woman is indispensable
to the country.
It was the only time in her presidency that Mrs. Aquino
matched the toughness of celebrated world leaders like Golda
Meir and Margaret Thatcher. And that time, everybody did Cory’s bidding.
With her death, the Philippines went wild about her son
Benigno Simeon C. “Noynoy” Aquino III. An outpouring of
grief over the death of his mother in August of last year had convinced Mr. Aquino to give in to massive calls for him to run
for president on the platform of change.
The simple explanation of the current Aquino-inspired
rejoicing must be that the Filipino people as a whole are fundamentally sound and that they know a good, faithful, and
patriotic public servant when they see one. It is more apparent that in P.Noy, they have seen one.
It is doubtful if any administration has received so much public condemnation for tolerance of ofcial crookedness,
corruption, inefciency, and incompetence. But despite the
general damnation that has come from the people, Aquino has been singled out as a shining exception. Maybe or not because
of what his parents did.
Nacionalistas –liberal’s greatest rival during the campaign
period – who feared their party’s collapse then that Aquino is running, planned and schemed to woo back the ex-senator. But
all attempts have proved futile.
It wasn’t the strength of a political party, but the people’s
thirst for “true reforms” that won for Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III the presidency.
And now that he is married to our country, when should the “honeymoon period” start? Right after he won the elections, or
after he assumes ofce?
It does not matter whether he starts early or late if he is
headed for the cliff.
Many will have conicting judgments. But one thing they
can’t differ about – are the facts.
Like the new graduates who are stepping forth from
their halls of learning into the world of affairs, the Philippine government is about to pass out of its period of tutelage and
make its bid for a place in the concert of nations. Out of these facts we will have diverging opinions – all opinions are equal –
and reality has a way of taking shape according to the manner an opinion presents how it will take shape.
As P.Noy has declared, the leaders must unite and consolidate all their efforts. Anything short of whole-hearted,
whole souled and undivided effort will spell certain disaster for
the Philippines.
Meanwhile the Aquino boom keeps increasing. To try to stop it would be tantamount to the old story of sweeping back
the ocean with a broom.
Then it will be a hundred days after the May 10, 2010
elections and two hundred and so on– what next, where to –
Philippines. SIX YEARS.

VEGAS

My first attemt at creating something from Vegas Pro 9.0. Sorry for the crapiness. LOL




Oh, and after you watched this trailer, please read

HIMATI, The $3X Issue (Volume XIV, Issue 1)