US President Barack Obama speaking at an Interfaith service in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings
Speaking at an Interfaith service in Boston, host of a fabled marathon and target of bombings that left three dead and more than a hundred injured, Obama shunned angry rhetoric and the politics of revenge.
In simple sentences that grade school students can understand, Barack Obama chose to remind Americans and the world of the things that make his country a beacon even when, halfway across the earth, we sometimes despair over its frailties – with a disappointment reserved only for the strongest.
This is Obama at his best. Lyrical, speaking in a preacher’s cadence, from start to finish a triumph of story-telling.
“On Monday morning, the sun rose over Boston. The sunlight glistened off the Statehouse dome. In the Common and the Public Garden, spring was in bloom. On this Patriot’s Day, like so many before, fans jumped onto the T to see the Sox at Fenway. In Hopkinton, runners laced up their shoes and set out on a 26.2-mile test of dedication and grit and the human spirit. And across this city, hundreds of thousands of Bostonians lined the streets — to hand the runners cups of water and to cheer them on.
It was a beautiful day to be in Boston — a day that explains why a poet once wrote that this town is not just a capital, not just a place. Boston, he said, “is the perfect state of grace.”
Even if you’ve never been to Boston, the movie will fill your mind.
Obama flashed the brilliance that drew massive grassroots support in two elections. He eschewed the glittering bauble of policy or spin – a fatal attraction in a city that has graduated the world’s best and brightest — for the greatest common denominator, the spirit that continues to weave through the millions of Americans — even when they are too busy squabbling to listen much to it.
Martin Richard, the 8-year-old victim of the the Boston Marathon bombings. Photo from CBSnews website
Speaking of Martin, 8, the youngest victim of the bombings, Obama said:
“His last hours were as perfect as an 8-year-old boy could hope for — with his family, eating ice cream at a sporting event. And we’re left with two enduring images of this little boy — forever smiling for his beloved Bruins, and forever expressing a wish he made on a blue poster board: “No more hurting people. Peace.”
Addressing the many injured, this very modern man, the first African-American POTUS, sketched the spirit that made millions worldwide line up for the western films that cemented America’s iconic image. True Grit:
“As you begin this long journey of recovery, your city is with you. Your commonwealth is with you. Your country is with you. We will all be with you as you learn to stand and walk and, yes, run again. Of that I have no doubt. You will run again. You will run again.”
“…that’s what you’ve taught us, Boston. That’s what you’ve reminded us — to push on. To persevere. To not grow weary. To not get faint. Even when it hurts. Even when our heart aches. We summon the strength that maybe we didn’t even know we had, and we carry on. We finish the race. We finish the race.
And we do that because of who we are. And we do that because we know that somewhere around the bend a stranger has a cup of water. Around the bend, somebody is there to boost our spirits. On that toughest mile, just when we think that we’ve hit a wall, someone will be there to cheer us on and pick us up if we fall. We know that.”
This IS the American dream — the collective values that are the foundations of a life we all would want to live.
Sometimes America loses; many times it has lost a race by default and many times it has stumbled — as we all have.
It was genius to frame the bombers as men of puny minds and souls instead of ranting against the BIG EVIL. It was greater genius to refrain from harping on the United States’ role as besieged power.
Because, as all runners know, only rarely, very rarely will someone plot to trip us. And when that happens, there is only one thing to do, as the POTUS said with steel in his eyes, — get up and finish that race.
And get the world to applaud you for fidelity to a way of life:
“our free and open society — will only grow stronger. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but one of power and love and self-discipline.”
In this speech, a script that once more combines scriptures and everyday images of a life everyone deserves to have, Obama shows why, even while we protest the more inimical US policies, it is a no-brainer choosing between an admittedly flawed democracy on the one hand and a landscape of mayhem and death on the other.
Four decades of always having at least one soul on hand, a year of living with sisters and an extended family. Now I mosey around a small, empty cottage. The silence deafens at night. It is fucking cold and summer’s not officially ended yet. I read and read and listen to meditative tapes to ward off tears.”
No laughter; just his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. He straightens. Turns my way. Turns away. Turns back at at me. Opens his mouth. Closes it. Opens it again. Looks down. Takes a breath.
There’s a new post by The Footloose Kit. IMPERFECT HARMONY (the funny and darker sides of navigating Malaysia’s cultural divides) Here’s an excerpt:
Badgering people for interviews is not a very pleasant activity when the subjects are taciturn police intelligence officers who, like the people they hunt, prefer to release statements on their own terms. At least, I get to cajole and beg while amidst greenery.
The huge park in KL Suria is very clean, with plenty of benches. There is a sprawling playground, easily more than 1000 square meters. A cork carpet in geometric designs covers half the floor area. I take of my shoes and socks to try it out: like marshmallows hardened by a little chill, just enough give to put a spring to your walk.
Which general executed for WW2 crimes against humanity was an artist? Tales of Rage and Sorrow — WW2 in Penang, Malaysia: is a travelogue on men at war, both victors and vanquished, and the hapless. An excerpt:
There is nothing to do but close your eyes in silent prayer for the departed owners of the rows of combat boots; muddy, frayed and in some cases still caked with dried blood. There is a backpack. There are jackets and helmets. These were once owned by men who breathed and cursed and scratched their heads and crotches. Men who’d barely escaped internment but who would spend the next decade wondering at the fate of other men later brought to their old fort…
There is Death all over, with his black robe and sickle. There are his victims. And there is a life-size installation of a cartoon bubble, very Western, much like those gothic graphic tales, with a tortured man spouting curses at his tormentors.
In one building, I find myself looking at a room with a row of beds. It seems strangely unsoldierly, though at first there isn’t a single thing you can pinpoint.
Then my eyes fall on a white slip by a chair; it is almost hidden from sight.
I spent the Holy Week re-writing and updating old articles and scribbles. I ended up with so much stuff and finally decided to fill up the long-planned secondary blogs. Here’s the first of them, “The Footloose Kit” and housed in http://travelsofscarredcat.wordpress.com. I’ve got enough stuff and promise to upload at least thrice a week. So please, do visit regularly. Here’s the first of the travel pieces, “Tales of Rage and Sorrow: War in Penang, Malaysia”.
Hope you enjoy the ride! (Of course, I will still be writing on this main blog, but it will be mainly news features and commentaries. Watch out for other sub-blogs, which I’ll share as they go up. Cheers!
This is a press statement by the Mindanao Safety Office of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. My comments in itals follow this
A radio commentator and long-time Philippine Star correspondent in Iligan City was attacked and threatened by three people while anchoring a block-time program paid for by the provincial government of Lanao del Norte.
Lino dela Cruz reported to colleagues in the media that the incident happened at about 12:30 pm yesterday (Mar. 18) while he was on air hosting the radio block-time program Serbisyo sa Katawhan Una sa Tanan (Service to the People First and Foremost) at station dxLS Love Radio Iligan.
Dela Cruz said he was criticizing Casan Maquiling, a former board member of Lanao del Norte and former mayor of the municipality of Munai, when two men and a woman who identified herself as Maquiling’s elder sister accosted him inside the announcer’s booth.
One of the two men grabbed him by the throat and told him to stop making negative commentaries against Maquiling, Dela Cruz said.
Maquiling is running for governorship of Lanao del Norte under the administration (Liberal) party against incumbent governor Khaled Dimaporo.
Dela Cruz, who has only just began to anchor the block-time program, said he had earlier spoken against Maquiling after the latter criticized Abdullah Dimaporo, father of the incumbent governor, for refusing to sign a covenant among local candidates calling for peaceful elections in May.
The elder Dimaporo is running for a congressional seat in the 2nd District of Lanao del Norte.
Dela Cruz disclosed he also discussed on air Maquiling’s alleged support for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) when the latter was still mayor of Munai.
For reference:
JB R. Deveza/ Coordinator/ NUJP-Mindanao Media Safety Office/ 0999 536 9592
**
The fact that de la Cruz is a blocktimer does mean he should not be considered a journalist. There are grave ethical concerns over the practice of selling air space to politicians and businesses, who then hire (often times laid-off) broadcasters to “anchor” or act as commentators. It is, of course, direct conflict of interest. It is also brought about by unjust policies by media owners who cut loose employed broadcasters and then offer them the blocktime slots.
It is a terrible practice, yes, but the biggest blame should be placed on owners of these radio stations…. for abandoning their duties to the communities.
The Manila and central Diliman campuses of the University of the Philippines System tightened policies on delayed tuition this academic year, but a study and proposal on needed reforms in the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) and other related services highlights a chaotic system where processing of applications can sprawl across a full semester.
Assistant Professor Richard Philip Gonzalo, the main author, submitted the study on January 25, 2013. It states that announcement of STFAP results can be delayed by several months due to numerous documentary requirements required for STFAP applications, the huge number of students applying and the lack of university personnel and equipment dedicated to the program.
“The application and verification processes of the ABS STFAP are expected to take one month to finish so students can receive their bracket prior to enrollment in the 1st semester of the academic year,” the study pointed out. (ABS STFAP is the new 5-bracket system introduced in 2007. The old system had nine brackets. See Table below)
“However, the process is completed in (the) middle of the 2nd semester of the same academic year due to the large volume of applications, the length of time to actually verify submitted information, the processing time to obtain bracket assignments, and the difficulty of obtaining supporting documents.”
Kristel’s woes
The program has come under fire in the aftermath of the suicide last week by Kristel Tejada, a freshman student of UP Manila.
Suicide is often the result of depression and a confluence of triggers. Tejeda’s parents and siblings and UP Manila have said she repeatedly expressed distress at the campus’s no-late-tuition-pay that forces students to take a leave of absence.
The Chancellor of UP Manila, at a press conference today (March 18) alluded to frequent fights between Kristel’s parents, supposedly caused by financial pressures.
The Tejada family’s financial woes started when the father lost his job as warehouse coordinator. The family gave up a middle-class lifestyle and is now renting a one-room flat in Tondo, with a subsidy from Kristel’s grandmother.
Most of the five Tejada siblings grew up as school achievers. Still, it became a struggle to meet their tuition needs with the father’s income as a part-time taxi driver.
Table of 2011-2012 STFAP benefits (From Proposal to Revise STFAP… by Prof. Richard Gonzalo
Kristel applied for Bracket E of the STFAP, which provides free tuition and miscellaneous fees plus a monthly stipend. But she was assigned to Bracket D, which comes with P300/ unit tuition and payment of miscellaneous fees, or around P10,000 per semester.
UP STFAP brackets, from the UP System website
The student applied for a loan while waiting for the university’s decision on her case.
Hard-up, the family sought two extensions on the loan deadline, finally paying it in December 2013.
They also pressed the appeal to move Kristel to Bracket E. This was denied.
When, after the decision and payment of their loan arrears, the father sought a new loan, the university said they had missed the applications deadline.
Critics of STFAP blame the UP administration for Kristel’s death, a development UPM Chancellor Dr. Manuel Agulto calls “disturbing.”
Speaking to the press and at sometimes choking from emotion, Agulto said suicide “requires greater understanding from clinical perspectives. ”
“We want to provide our students the best education. This is a very isolated and unfortunate case. As administrators, we are not enemies. We are surrogate parents to our students, faculty and staff. UP Manila understands the anger and outrage. But there is time and forum for debate.”
Agulto defended the UP campus’ no-late payment policy, citing Article 330 of the University Code (formerly Article 335 in a 2006 PDF version).
Professor Judy Taguiwalo, former Faculty Regent, says the policy had been held in abeyance for years as tuition rose.
But both UP Diliman and UP Manila returned the policy this school year.
UP Manila memo, from the Facebook page of Prof. Carl Ramota
UP Manila Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Josephine de Luna issued a letter in November 2011, reminding faculty and staff to abide by the rule.
UP Manila Student Council Chair Mariz Zubiri acknowledged that student leaders had “grudgingly” agreed to the November 23 deadline after the administration brushed off their appeals.
In a telephone interview, she said officials told them the consultation was a privilege and that students should help disseminate the policy.
Asked why students agreed, Zubiri acknowledged they had lacked time to consult among themselves.
“We were not able to assert our opposition then,” she admitted.
Indeed, part of Agulto’s power point presentation included student leader’s role in calling in students with incomplete or unfiled STFAP applications.
“As in many organizations, there are many guidelines as regards punctuality. It is a means of putting order among students,” the Chancellor said.
‘Voluntary’
Agulto insists that no UP Student is forced to take a Leave of Absence.
The LOA Kristel “voluntarily” signed, he added, is “not a penalty, but “a solution so they can be enrolled as UP student for the next semester.”
That is a specious statement. For students dropped from the enrollment list for late tuition payment, LOA is the only recourse available to salvage an already grim situation.
The alternative is being tagged AWOL.
UP President Alfredo Pascual said he had asked chancellors of various campuses, just a day before Kristel’s suicide, “that we should not deny access to qualified students who cannot enroll because of financial constraints.”
He says reforms are underway. “But it takes time to implement change. We can easily be overtaken, as we have been by a sudden turn of events.”
Taguiwalo, in an e-mail exchange, points out that UP Diliman rolled out in September 2011 its version of UP Manila’s draconian policy, called “dropping and updating of official class lists”.
That sounds a tad nicer than the original “dropping and purging of unpaid students). It means the same thing:
“Students who have not paid their tuition and other school fees as of the deadline time for dropping will be removed from the class lists”.
The UP Diliman Executive Committee at least extended the deadline to the last days of classes.
Sanlakas Youth, which is allied with the Kaisa party that has just won UP’s Student Council elections, said the 2011-2012 academic year opened with a new default bracket of P1,500. All bracket B students had to shell out what bracket A students used to pay.
They accused Pascual’s administration of acting “like a ninja” in implementing the new STFAP. “There was no notice, no consultation,” the group said.
And just when students grappled with a huge rise in tuition, UP decided to take no prisoners in this area.
What students don’t get is this: The study cited by Pascual in today’s press conference has been two years in the making. If officials already knew problems were serious enough to merit a review of policies, why did they suddenly impose Article 330?
And why is the state university, supposed to be a vanguard of progressive thought, outdoing the private sector in strict tuition policy.?
CHED Art. XX SEC 99
The Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education, Patricia Licuanan, also chairs the UP Board of Regents. She has lashed out at protesters, accusing them of politicizing Kristel’s suicide.
But Licuanan’s Commission already follows a more rational policy. It bars private schools from denying final examinations to students with outstanding and financial or property obligations.
Students’ struggles
The Chancellor says they have not been remiss to appeals by students. All 79 appeals for late payment of tuition were approved during the period Kristel was trying to seek help. Of these, 28 cases cited financial difficulty.
Agulto notes that Kristel was not able to get the e-bracket she applied on September 2012 because she failed to submit supporting documentary requirements “despite frequent reminders from the Office of Student Affairs.”
She is not a unique case. The UP study on STFAP notes:
“…the current ABS made the STFAP program very taxing due to the large amount of data needed to establish brackets. This stems from the fact that the current STFAP model uses an income function that requires a number of verifiable data about their household and the assets owned by the family of the students. This data is sometimes difficult to obtain. The parameters to determine the “predicted income” from this income function is based on the Family Income and Expenditure Survey(FIES) and Labor Force Survey (LFS). In addition to the predicted income, declared income as stated inthe Income Tax Return (ITR) and other documents, are still used to determine the final brackets of students, along with special indicators that support a student’s capacity to pay…. Given these parameters, to satisfy the requirements,applicants must fill out a 14-page application form and submit supporting documents to verify the data provided in the form.”
Students apply for STFAP every academic year. Aside from the photocopies, they should bring original documents during submission of the application. The university also visits homes to verify whether claims are true.
Suicide is a rare response to tuition woes. Kristel may have had an unusually fragile psyche. But there is no question that too many students struggle from STFAP’s messy process, according Krissy Conti, UP Student Regend for 2011-2011.
“The lines are long, the requirements are substantial, and all too often, the system too convoluted to understand in one go. Qualifiers are announced midway through the semester; and until then every day is a waking agony,” Conti said.
The Gonzalo study said that UP’s STFAP has 52 personnel servicing almost 50,000 students. The UP Computer Center, it noted, processes application forms between one to four months. Students appealing their assigned tuition brackets also have to wait since the committee in charge meets only three times every academic year, usually in October, February and May.
“This means that apellants who wish to be assigned to Brackets E may have to wait until the end of the 1st semester to complete the process and hopefully be assigned to these bracket.”
Conti is hardly the rabble-rouser Licuanan fears. Rather than accuse officials of malign intentions, she diagnoses the problem as “a mix of bureaucratic inefficiency and policy weakness”.
“To be fair, UP conducts stakeholders’ workshops. I’m thankful that the staff last year sat through with an open mind to my presentation of students’ issues, especially those about blithering and inconsistent guidelines. In turn, we students took note of a capacity audit by scholarships offices, where they said needed more staff, more space, more computers.”
As student regent, Conti got involved in the appeals process.
“…on different levels, where every discussion is a heart-rending experience. It’s an endless slideshow of rickety houses and backyard toilets, computations of utility bills, and probing questions into other families’ lives. I leave these meeting thoroughly haunted by poverty up close, and disturbed that we can decide who gets what by comparing circumstances.”
The Gonzalo study, on the other hand, notes:
“In the current set-up, there is no section that explicitly delivers expert advice to students and their parents to help them enhance means to afford the cost of pursuing their chosen degree programs in UP. There is also no provision to ensure quality of services rendered to students that the organization presently offers. This is due to the absence of systematic operational audit activities, regular capability building to enhance the skills of personnel, and operational performance evaluation for feedback.”
Above all, there must be fairness and compassion. You cannot demand impossible standards from student beneficiaries when you can’t even clean up your act.
**
Meanwhile, nearly 6,000 people have signed a petition calling on UP Manila to revoke its no-late-payment and forced-leave-of-absence policies. You can read and sign here:
indayvarona 