IBON LAUNCHED ITS NEWEST TITLE

Not even a brownout can prevent a progressive book to be launched before the public.

Last June 26, Tuesday, Ibon Foundation, Inc. launched their newest title Mula Tore Patungong Palengke : Neoliberal Education in the Philippines at the Recto Hall of University of the Philippines Faculty Center (UP FC) in Diliman, Quezon City.

The book launch cum forum was scheduled to start at 1 p.m., but just few minutes before the start of the program, the electricity went out.

The audience, guests and organizers patiently waited for the electricity to come back. At about 1:45 p.m., with the help of emergency spotlights, the program began. The electricity came back around 2:30 p.m.

Despite the power shortage, which caused the delay and adjustment of some parts of the event, the event was indeed successful.

Liberating or Conquering?

The six guest speakers, who are also contributors of he book, shared their views on the current situation of the education in the Philippines.

Dr. Edberto Villegas, vice president of ALL UP Academic Union and former chair of UP Manila’s Department of Social Science, described neoliberalization as the rise of consumerist education. In his opinion, it should be removed from the system of third world countries like the Philippines.

Meanwhile, UP College of Mass Communication professor Danny Arao emphasized the importance of education as an intellectual investment. The sad part with the current situation, according to him, is the thin line between education and tuition. Education ceases to be a public good as it evolves to a profit-oriented venture.

CONTEND Secretary General and UP Sociology Department assistant professor Sarah Raymundo, on the other hand, acknowledged budget deficiency as our major problem. Nonetheless, she emphasized that tuition increase, which is an evidence of marketization, is just a symptom and not a solution to the problem.

UP Sociology Department instructor Jonnabelle Asis reiterated the lack of funds as a big problem, which results in focusing on economic aspect and turning back against social cause of education.

As for Dr. Giovanni Tapang, head of AGHAM and assistant professor at the UP National Institute of Physics, imperialism is the root of our social problems and a hindrance to our growth as a nation. He pinpointed the country’s lack of basic industry and inability to produce its own goods amid continuous development in Science and Technology.

Lastly, All UP Workers Union head Clodualdo Cabrera, wondered about the effects of privatization on the labor force. He mentioned the closure of the printery section of the UP Press where he is an employee, and he feared that this act might cause bigger problems instead of solving them. #

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University of the Philippines
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