Surviving the Revolution - An Essay on Digital Revolution

Surviving the revolution. This is foremost in everyone's mind in tackling the issue of digital revolution. Like every revolution, the digital upheaval ushers in tremendous impact on society. Socio-politico and cultural changes have emerged and affected every fabric of the global community. Old practices and ideas have been discarded and new norms, some constructive and some are not, are being adapted at a mind-boggling rapid pace. The mantra of today is information high-technology. Either you jump in or you fizzle out.

The Social Basis of the Digital Revolution

The Digital Revolution is a direct result of the western industrial revolution of the 19th century. The invention of the steam engine revolutionized the productive capacity of society therefore giving way to a system of mass production and rapid technological advance. Everything has to be on a mass basis on a much faster and efficient way. Thus the subsistence economy and individual production system of old feudalism has been overthrown.

The onset of the Industrial Revolution also brought about a rapid concentration of wealth and the means of production on a few individuals who control the capital and the increasing dehumanization of the productive forces of society due solely to the single-minded motive of capital holders to increase profit. On the outset, this has progressive characteristics in that the leaders of industries constantly improves their technique and technology to gain an edge over their competitor. From a simple steam engine comes the fuel-powered turbines to nuclear fission technology. These changes rapidly revolutionized knowledge and the advance of superior than the superior technology can not now be stopped.

However, the increasing productive capacity of society and rapid advance of technology increases also the concentration of wealth on few capital holders who own and control this technology thus giving way to monopolies and super-monopolies who operate on a global scope, ending the era of nation-states. These monopolies in turn continue to perpetuate the virulent competition for superior technology so as to achieve  greater, faster and efficient production thus giving them the edge, production-wise and technological-wise.

It is in this context that the Digital Revolution came about. There is a tremendous paradigmatic shift that occurs in today’s society with the advent of this revolution. Not only human practices have changed but also human relationships. The world shrank but expanded itself in-depth. As mentioned earlier, the all-consuming magic word now is information high technology.

The Computer is Born

The advent of computers changed everything. Man has invented an ènfant terriblè of tremendous computing power and logical reasoning with a near 100% accuracy. The approximation of the human brain is born and this brain doesn’t suffer from emotion. A simple processor can churn hundreds of thousands of data and create accurate outputs and store these data and outputs for easy retrieval for future use. A much larger processor can quadruple these operations, or much more.  Connect these processors and the result would be a global outbreak of information which can not be easily imagined. The dawn of new civilization has come.

The Digital Revolution: A Revolution from the Top

Unlike other revolutions which was initiated by the mass of people seeking to change their way of life, the Digital Revolution was initiated by the industrial super-monopolies, those who occupy the upper stratum of the world’s social triangle. The underlying motive of the race for superior technology was to out-produce and out-technologize their competitors so that they can enjoy world hegemony through the monopoly of information and technology. Cutting-edge technology means cutting-edge leadership in product and capital thus achieving hegemony on the world body-socio-politik.

In the genesis of the digital revolution, nowhere can you find any mention of bettering the condition of the simple folk – the common man. Of course there are motherhood statements of improving humanity and advancing the human race, but the be-all and end-all of this revolution is to expand social production efficiently and rapidly so as to gain maximum profit. Is it not an irony that the advent of digital revolution also saw the alienation and outright destruction of the productive forces? Why is it that companies in the First World nations downsize their workforce thus driving millions of workers to pauperization? Because high technology and computerization entails the maintenance of a small workforce. A computer can do the work of ten or more working-man. A robotized production and assembly plant needs only a minimum of breathing human beings to operate the computer-controlled robots.

The boom of society is the bane of its inhabitants, especially the underprivileged. The resultant deepening social cleavage does not help the human race. A few are getting richer and wiser while many are getting destitute and impoverished. The social divide is getting bigger and wider.

This is not to say that high technology and computerization should not occur. This is only to point out and shatter the ideological assault of the super-monopolies on the less privileged sections of the global community. This is to demystify and deglorify the misconstrued notion that the global super-monopolies develop these technologies to advance the interest of the simple folk.

Surviving the Revolution: Digital Revolution for All

In concluding this essay, we may forward the key question which hounds us today: how do we survive the digital revolution? Computer high technology and digitalization opens for us new oppurtunities and horizons in democratizing information technology. The slogan of Digital Revolution for All must be the rallying cry of the global community.

New educational method can be developed so as to master the intricacies of the digital media and create an environment of creators and not just IT consumers. An all-encompassing cultural rejuvenation through the development of a consciousness geared towards man-friendly-I.T. should be addressed and we can use the current technology to speed this cultural reawakening.

We must remember that technology, and the digital technology in particular, is a neutral entity. It can do benefit or it can do harm depending on, as the saying goes, “who has the wheel”. It is therefore imperative for society to reconstruct the course of digital technology, one that is pro-people. Once this is done, we can definitely survive the revolution.

Kumukulo Ba ang Dugo Mo?

Kapag lumalabas sa balita ang sinasabing Chinese incursions sa Scarborough Shoal o sa Spratlys Islands, nakamamangha rin ang naglalabasang mga komentaryo sa mga pahayagan, radyo, TV, at lalo na sa mga social media websites kagaya ng Facebook.

Sa totoo lang, parang kayraming makabayan ngayon.  Tila ba sila ay handang-handang magpakamatay para labanan ang mga Intsik na nangmamaton sa Filipinas.  Kumukulo talaga ang dugo; ang titindi ng angas.

Subalit karamihan ng mga "makabayang" komentaryo ay lagi at lagi na lang nagtatapos sa pahayag na: "kailangan talaga  natin ang U.S. para labanan ang China," "...buti pa ang mga kano...," "...sa U.S. na ako kaysa sa Tsina," "kailangan natin ang alyadong Amerikano para hindi tayo pakialaman ng China," at marami pang katulad na mga kahunghangan.

"WAAH!!!" (ika nga ni Sen. Miriam), anong kagaguhan iyan?  Ang tapang mong labanan ang isang maton, subalit hihimod ka sa tumbong ng mas malaking maton?  Aasta kang makabayan sa pagsasaboy ng retorikang kontra-Intsik, pero mangangayupapa ka sa U.S. na batikan na sa panlalapastangan sa Filipinas mula noong 1898 hanggang ngayon.

Kung kumukulo ang dugo mo at nag-aasta kang makabayan, heto ang mga tanong sa iyo.

Kumukulo ba ang dugo mo kapag nakikita mo ang mga larawang ito:

Ilan lang iyan sa mga napakahabang listahan ng kahayupan at pamamaslang ng tinatawag nating "benevolent" U.S. noong panahon ng digmaang Filipino-Amerikano.  Maaaring sabihin ng ilan na bakit kailangang ungkatin pa ang nakaraan, tapos naman iyon.  Heto ang sagot sa mga kumukulo ang dugo diyan:
HINDI pa humihingi ng opisyal na paumanhin ang Estados Unidos sa mga nagawang karumaldumal na krimen ng mga tropa nito noong digmaang Fil-Amerikano.  

Sa mga nag-aastang "makabayan," kumulo ba ang dugo niyo?  Tanungin niyo ang sarili ngayon kung talagang kaibigan ba ng Filipinas ang U.S.

Hindi nagtatapos diyan ang mga katanungan. Heto pa:

Kumulo ba ang dugo mo nang may bariling bata ang tropang Amerikano na noo'y nakabase sa Clark at Subic?

At the height of the U.S. Bases in the Philippines, when a U.S. G.I. shot and killed a boy salvaging scraps from the garbage area of the U.S. base, the boy was suspected as a “pig.” Nobody knows if the boy’s relatives were ever compensated from the shooting. (http://www.mabuhayradio.com/jgl-eye/ph-should-be-wary-of-u-s-s-carrot-and-stick-diplomacy)

Kumulo ba ang dugo mo nang itago ng U.S. sa kanilang embahada ang Marine na si D. Smith matapos mahatulang nagkasala sa kasong panggagahasa ng isang Filipina?  Malamang hindi.  Maaring ang iba'y kumutya pa sa biktima.

Kumulo ba ang dugo mo nang may mapatay na sibilyan ang ilang tropang Amerikano sa Basilan dahil sa walang pakundangang pagmamaneho:

...witnesses had told police investigators that they saw three vehicles bearing American soldiers running at a high speed toward Isabela City prior to the incident.
Kalbi said one of the vehicles, bearing license plates MIL-025 and was driven by Brown, overtook a passenger bus and encroached on the lane intended for motorcycles.
“When the driver overtook the bus, he narrowly missed the first motorbike, which fell into the ditch. But the pickup driver hit the next motorbike, being driven by Mallatin,” he said.
Kalbi said because of the impact, the Mallatin siblings were thrown several meters away from their motorbike.
He said Brown refused to be detained and rejected police efforts to impound his vehicle. (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/17795/vfa-commission-probes-road-mishap-involving-us-soldier)

Kumulo ba ang dugo mo sa napabalitang pagpaslang kay Gregan Cardeno, isang Filipinong interpreter, sa loob ng pinagkakampuhan ng tropang Amerikano sa Marawi.  Tingnan mo dito:  http://www.karapatan.org/gregan-carde%C3%B1o-3mar10

Kumulo ba ang dugo mo nang ratratin ng bala ang isang Mosque sa Sulu ng pinagsanib na tropang AFP at U.S.Army:

The Philippine soldiers composed of Marines with the help of US Army stationed in Sulu, attacked the mosque (house of prayer) in Jolo, Sulu. (http://www.afrim.org.ph/minda-news-page.php?nid=6732)

Kumulo ba ang dugo mo nang ginawang mistulang Bahay-Aliwan ng mga tropang Amerikano ang Filipinas noong mayroon pang base militar.  At nag-iwan pa sila ng halos 30,000 Amerasian:

The phenomenon of Amerasian children, now estimated at 30,000 is another consequence of the US bases presence in the country. These children receive no assistance from the US and Philippine governments, save for the very minimal and oftentimes difficult to access educational grants from one American organization. Ingrained in the culture of colonialism are racist attitudes so that particularly the children of Afro American fathers and Filipino women are ostracized and seen more negatively than the light-skinned, light-haired counterparts. (http://catwap.wordpress.com/resources/speeches-papers/prostitution-and-the-bases-a-continuing-saga-of-exploitation/)

Napakarami pang kaso nang pambubusabos ng U.S. sa Filipinas ang naitala na at mas marami marahil ang hindi naitala.

Ngayon, sa mga umaastang "makabayan" at gigil na gigil tirisin ang mga Intsik, heto ang pag-isipan niyo:

Galit na galit ka sa isang maton, pero gusto mong patuloy na mangayupapa sa mga pumaslang, gumahasa, at dumambong sa maraming Filipino at Filipina.  Anong klaseng kaisipan iyan. Pastilan.

Uyayi ng Himagsik by George T. Calaor

UPDATE:  George T. Calaor's first book of poetry, Uyayi ng Himagsik, is now available in several formats and ebook shops.  Here are your options:

1. Print Edition at Lulu (Perfect Bound Paperback, B/W): BUY THE BOOK HERE
2. Uyayi ng Himagsik at Smashwords
3. Uyayi ng Himagsik at Barnes and Noble
4. Uyayi ng Himagsik at Sony Reader Store

My friend, George, recently published his first book of poetry, Uyayi ng Himagsik.  It was a compilation of his most militant poems about the "struggle of the Filipino masses for freedom and democracy."
Clearly, it was a revolutionary book.  I will write a comprehensive review on Uyayi ng Himagsik and will publish it here. (See the first chapter review, Paghehele ng Isang Makata: Pagsusuri sa Uyayi ng Himagsik)

Forced Cutting of a Pupil’s Hair is Corporal Punishment

Forced Cutting of a Pupil’s Hair is Corporal Punishment
(Why This Policy Is Unjust and Violates Basic Child Rights)

Valencia City, BUKIDNON.  The Department of Education (DepEd) has a long-standing policy that governs good grooming. This includes prescribing a so-called proper haircut for male pupils in both private and public schools.  According to Undersecretary Yolanda Quijano, “the prescribed haircut for boys is at least one inch above the ear and three inches above the collar line.” Schools under the supervision of DepEd are required to follow such standard.

Unfortunately, this “haircut policy” has no clear implementing guidelines.  As a general practice, school principals and administrators have the authority to define their own sets of rules on how to implement the policy, including the enforcement of disciplinary actions on erring pupils.

Guided only by ‘outdated and handed-down’ practices, some schools resort to forced cutting of hair, known in Filipino as “sinasatsatan” or in Bisaya as “pinahakan.”  This involves cutting just a portion of the child’s hair so that he can be forced to get a proper haircut from a legitimate barber.  Most of the time, forced haircutting is done in front of the whole class or in full view of other students.

Incidents of Forced Haircutting in Valencia City Central Elementary School (VCCES)

Sometime in November 2011, a few days after the celebration of All Saint’s Day, an incident of forced haircutting came to the attention of this author.  Several pupils in Grades 1 and 3 were subjected by a certain Mr. Flores to a forced haircut.  Flores entered each classroom and picked several pupils who were sporting “un-prescribed haircut.”  He then started cutting the hair (pinahakan) of hapless students in front of the whole class.  One pupil felt terribly embarrassed because his classmates were laughing at him.

After the incident, this author visited the office of Ms. Margie M. Bayagna, the principal of VCCES, to point out that forced haircutting, as a form of disciplinary measure, can be considered corporal punishment and tantamount to child abuse.  It clearly violates the DepEd’s standing order against the application of corporal punishment in schools.

Ms. Bayagna stressed that the pupils were informed about the “scheduled forced haircutting” during the previous day’s flag raising ceremony.  She also added that such disciplinary measure was a standing policy of VCCES.  This author countered that it is wrong to implement a measure that violates the prohibition on corporal punishment.

After a pleasant discussion and exchange of ideas, the good principal promised to look deeply into the matter and make appropriate actions, if necessary.  Apparently, the points I raised with the school principal were totally ignored.  I belatedly heard that in a general assembly called by the school in late November, the parents were ‘advised’ that their children can be subjected to forced haircutting if they continue to sport ‘un-prescribed’ haircut.

And so in January 30, 2012, another round of forced cutting of hair was implemented, again by Mr. Flores.  This time however, the punishment was applied ‘en masse.’  All male pupils were gathered on the school’s open field and were asked to ‘line-up’ for inspection.  The good Mr. Flores started cutting the hair of several students who were found sporting the un-prescribed haircut.  This second incident was done in full view of everyone in the school.  

Forced Haircutting Is Corporal Punishment and Violates Child Rights

Arbitrarily cutting the hair of a pupil is a form of corporal punishment.  This has been established by Save the Children-Sweden under the category of Other Direct Assault.  Some of the specific forms of assault that fall under this category include “pinching, pulling ears or hair, cutting or shaving hair (emphasis mine), cutting or piercing skin, carrying or dragging children against her or his will.”

To further establish the fact that forced haircutting is a form or corporal punishment, one must take note of the groundbreaking judicial precedent in Bangladesh.  The Bangladeshi Supreme Court said that caning, beating, chaining, forced haircuts (emphasis mine), and confinement are used to punish children in primary and secondary schools and ruled that “such punishments are clear violations of children's fundamental rights...”

In the Philippines, the law provides specific protection for children under Republic Act 7610.  Section 3, Paragraph (b), Number (2) of the said Act specifically states that: “Any act by deeds or words which debases, degrades or demeans the intrinsic worth and dignity of a child as a human being;” is considered child abuse and maltreatment.

Forced cutting of hair, especially in front of the whole class and other students, constitutes an act that debases the intrinsic dignity of children.  This form of punishment embarrasses the child and could scar him psychologically.

The Department of Education Service Manual of 2000 also prohibits “meting out cruel or unusual punishment of any nature, holding up a pupil/student to unnecessary ridicules...  (emphasis mine)”.  Teachers and school officials can be suspended or expelled from the service if they are found violating these specific provisions of the Service Manual.

Forced Haircutting Is Unjust Punishment

Forced cutting of hair is unjust and uncalled for.  A child in primary school (Grades 1 - 4) does not control how his hair should look like or when he should get a haircut.  It is the parents who decide on these matters.

Punishing the child for an offense that he can not control is simply unjust.  It is like punishing Juan for an offense committed by Pedro -- there is no justice in this kind of situation.  The best approach to address the infraction is to call the parents or send notice to them.  It is not right to mete out punishment to an innocent child without exhausting all available constructive measures.  

Forced haircutting maybe considered by some people as a minor issue.  The sad reality is that corporal punishment, child abuse, and child rights violations continue to exist in Philippine schools.  The best way to start solving these bigger problems is to start correcting small and seemingly harmless abuses, such as forced haircutting.

It is also important to take note that imposing child discipline does not mean meting out punishments.  Schools must apply constructive disciplinary measures that do not violate the basic human rights of schoolchildren.  ##

January 31, 2012
First published as a Letter to the Editor in Bukidnon Online Blog (February 2, 2012)

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