After meeting up with some friends in Mass Comm, we proceeded to Palma Hall to convene with other anti-Tuition Increase groups in coordination with Alpha Phi Omega’s Oblation Run, which carried the issue as well aside from opposing the Charter Change railroading.

It was my first Oblation Run, in my three years in UP. I didn’t see anything of that sort, personally. I let my camera with my arms raised up with it do all the picture-snapping. Geez. Looking at everyone’s reactions is interesting. Hahaha. This is so embarrassing for her, but our lady over here is too cute.

Boy, ang daming tao! This has gone too hyped up. Ang dami talagang sabik makakita ng mga hubad na lalaki. I wish everyone also took notice of the issues these naked men are pushing for.

I apologize for people who are searching for better pictures. These are all I can post. (Yea, go Oblation Run page hits!!)

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It’s almost eleven in the evening and I’m tired yet satisfied. I don’t care if I still have a 7 AM class to wake up to tomorrow.

We held our Carol Fest, a caroling contest among organizations and cliques in Mass Comm, this evening. For a first time event, it went by pretty well. We coincided a small Christmas party program with it, so it was also fun. We had some food and we lit up fireworks, how’s that! This should become a tradition!

Only four organizations participated in the first Carol Fest, but boy, all of them really prepared! In the end however, it was one of my organizations, UP CAST, which won! I’m really happy for the CASTpers. It was initially weird at first because UP MCO was also participating, and I’m a member of both. I refrained from joining any of their entries, to be fair.

Honestly however, my being part of the student council alienates me quite from my orgmates sometimes. I rarely get to hang out with UP CAST anymore. And to think I was really much closer and active in it the last two years. It makes me sad. When it was announced that they won, I really wanted to join their group hug. But, I don’t know. Bigla lang akong nahiya. I just took their pictures. Hay, anyway, this will be for another entry.

This event is probably one of the most enjoyable ones we held. It feels great to belong to this college during times like these. By the end of the day, we were one tired but satisfied student council.

I’ll upload the pictures from tonight in my Multiply page in a while. [EDIT] They’re here.

Seeing students from different organizations, even the freshmen, volunteer to help make the lantern and belen for Mass Comm, is quite inspiring, for student council members like me. I wish there are more ways and opportunities for more student involvement in such activities. It’s just that we’re so used to forcing and pleading for people to attend college assemblies, it always felt like nobody cared about college affairs.

This year’s Lantern Parade won’t seem to be too different from last year’s. Different colleges will have individual stationary booths where their lanterns are to be displayed. In other words, there won’t be much of a parade except for the Fine Arts lanterns. I don’t know how it will turn out. Last year, due to “austerity measures” the University administration said there won’t be a lantern parade contest. So our college didn’t make a lantern nor prepare for a presentation. It was quite a bore. It also was rather disappointing for me, especially because my first lantern parade experience in UP was really fun. We really paraded a giant “TV” and smaller “TV” lanterns around the academic oval and we even had a presentation at Quezon Hall. And we practiced for a few days for that. I always expected Lantern Parades to be like that every year, hence my disappointment.

—After spending an hour at the University Hotel’s gym, I was planning to walk straight back to Mass Comm. But I just had to succumb to the smell of grilled innards at a stall in front of Ilang-Ilang. It’s been a long time since I had isaw and atay and such. At that time, nothing would’ve beaten eating 20 sticks of assorted chicken and pork innards in solitude.

I really find it very astounding how badly our congressmen want to change our Constitution. Imagine, the insensitivity of shortcutting all the procedures, in a time when part of our country is just reeling from a terrible calamity, all in the middle of the night while everyone else is sleeping. Unbelievable. And they will be back at it by this afternoon. I wonder how things will turn out. These are the times I’m actually counting on the opposition to represent all those who dissent this incredulously dubious feat.

I have not against a systematic overhaul of our political system. But if these congressmen will be the same parliamentarians in the new order–then, there is no new order. This, aside from other less discussed issues within the proposed amendments, is what makes me oppose Charter Change, as proposed by the House of Representatives.

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During high school, whenever Speaker Jose de Venecia would be present at class gatherings, he would be made to talk, and when you make him talk, all he talks about are the virtues of a parliamentary form of government. When we had a class outing at their Pangasinan estate, he talked to us over merienda and, yes, he talked about the parliamentary form of government, aside from propping up the candidacy of President Gloria Arroyo. This was three years ago. And even when I browse through newspaper archives at the main library (for amusement, I’m weird like that), it appears that Mr. de Venecia has been at it for more than a decade.

Sometimes I’d force myself to suspend all doubts and believe that all his efforts are indeed selfless acts for the country. But, I’m sorry, I just can’t. Apologies to my friend and high school classmate for these dissenting opinion and such against his father.

To start of the Christmas season in the University of the Philippines - Diliman, the Administration hosted a free concert and fireworks display. It was fantastic. The chorale and the orchestra from the College of Music were at their best. Everybody was singing along to the Christmas tunes. The atmosphere was really festive. It feels really great to be part of the UP community during these occasions.

The lights at Quezon Hall are slightly better this year too.

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Tonight’s episode of Studio 23’s Y-Speak was about media and the role of the youth in media. A segment of the show tackled campus press freedom and they took on the case of the Philippine Collegian or Kule. Kule hasn’t been published for months now because the university administration is witholding its funds from the editorial board. The issue is greatly tackled at Kule’s website, and I’ve posted a blog entry about it here. [Sorry for the bad quality of the video. My Studio 23 signal is very noisy. The audio is okay, though.]

Let us also pray for and wish our Filipino athletes well in this year’s Asian Games in Doha, Qatar! This is a video clip of the Philippine contingent’s entrance during the parade of nations in the Opening Ceremonies last night.

Residents of Metro Manila may be thankful typhoon Reming barely caused damage to life and property in the metro, but it is very unfortunate how the typhoon took hundreds of lives and millions worth of property in Bicol.

Here are video clips of reports from tonight’s late night newscasts from GMA 7 and ABS-CBN 2 regarding the destruction and tragedy that Typhoon Reming (Durian) brought upon the provinces of Bicol.

ABS-CBN’s Bandila provided some information as to how some of us may help the victims of this calamity (through their network’s own foundation, of course).

Of course, while millions of Bicolanos are suffering the aftermath of the typhoon, we shall not expect our Congressmen to do anything substantial than to busy themselves with ramming their much desired Charter Change down everyone’s throats this week, while our President takes care of her sick husband at some posh Manila hospital.