Kasarinlan 26 (1-2) Now Available Online

The full content of Kasarinlan: Philippine Journal of Third World Studies Vol. 26 Nos. 1-2 (Food Sovereignty in Southeast Asia) is now available online, free of charge. To access its full content click here.

David Wurfel (May 22, 1929-November 12, 2012)

With the passing of Dr. David Wurfel on the 12th of November 2012, the staff of the University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center (UP TWSC) would like to convey their most deeply felt sympathy to Dr. Wurfel’s family, friends, and colleagues in this time of loss. Dr. Wurfel had given to the TWSC much generosity and support since its founding in 1977. Among his other notable contributions to TWSC, Dr. Wurfel had established a Memorandum of Agreement with the University of the Philippines that made possible the Violet Wurfel ASEAN Lecture Series (named after his mother). Since 2005, the lecture series on peace social justice, agrarian reform, environmental protection, human rights, and democracy has hosted lectures by experts in Southeast Asian studies. Dr. Wurfel had also written for Kasarinlan: Philippine Journal of Third World Studies on the Philippine party-list system.

The TWSC looks back with gratitude to what Dr. Wurfel had shared with the Center and is firm in its commitment to continue his legacy of critical and committed scholarship on Southeast Asia, especially on the Philippines, a country that he no doubt loved—indeed, his fellow scholars have been unabashed in saying that he had been a true friend of the Filipino people.

A memorial of Dr. David Wurfel's life and work as an academic was held last 3 December 2012 at the Third World Studies Center Conference Area. Testimonials were given by Dr. Francisco Nemenzo, Dr. Joel Rocamora, Professor Felipe Miranda, Dr. Jose Abueva, and Dr. Eduardo C. Tadem--some of his friends and colleagues who had worked with him during the long years of his career as a revered academic.

Please click here for a playlist of the video recordings of the memorial.

Below are some of the photos taken during the event:

Winner na ba ang LGBT sa UP? (A Public Forum)

"Winner na ba ang LGBT sa UP?" is the fourth forum of the 2012 TWSC Public Forum Series, "Ang Tama ba sa UP, Tama rin sa Bayan?"

Please click here for the playlist of the forum's video recordings.

SCHEDULE
28 November 2012 (Wednesday), 9:00 AM - 12:00 NN

VENUE
Pulungang Claro M. Recto (Faculty Center Conference Hall), Rizal Hall, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

PROGRAM

8:30 – 9:00
REGISTRATION

9:00 - 9:10
WELCOME REMARKS
Michael L. Tan, PhD
Dean
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman

9:10 - 9:20
INTRODUCTION OF SPEAKERS

9:20 - 9:40
Heart F. Diño
Chairperson
University Student Council
University of the Philippines-Diliman

9:40 – 10:00

Prescilla D. Tulipat

Guidance Counselor

Diliman Gender OfficeUniversity of the Philippines-Diliman

10:00 – 10:20
Eric J. Manalastas
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman

10:20 - 11:50
OPEN FORUM

11:50 - 12:00
SYNTHESIS                                                                                                                         

MODERATOR
Soledad M. Dalisay, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman

ABOUT THE FORUM
In March 2012, the Philippine Daily Inquirer editorial wrote that, UP, “true to its vaunted cutting edge . . . has produced another first,” with the triumph of Heart Diño as the first transgender University Student Council (USC) Chairperson. Bisexual and transgender students were also elected as USC Vice Chair and Councilor respectively. But this unprecedented victory has blotted out events that left a bad taste in the mouths of those exalting UP as “a sanctuary of openness, acceptance and liberalism for members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community.” Other candidates to the USC chairperson post, belonging to progressive organizations and taking pride in their feminist and “inclusive-activism” advocacies, have allegedly made heteronormative and transphobic remarks against Diño during her candidacy. Moreover, said milestone for the LGBT struggle transpired shortly after UP Babaylan, the first and largest LGBT student organization in the Philippines, had claimed that discrimination is still prevalent in the UP Diliman campus. Graduation rites, org applications, rest rooms, office space, and classrooms remain sites of bullying, ridiculing, and stigmatization. This is despite the promotion of gender equality within the university through university gender sensitivity initiatives, university gay games, university educational discussions on LGBT issues, and tie-ups with other LGBT organizations. The UP Charter of 2008, as stated in the UP website, mandates UP to go beyond traditional solutions and pursue innovative approaches on issues confronting the University. Despite UP’s avowedly progressive view of LGBTs, can UP be considered as privy to gender discrimination or is UP’s cognizance of LGBT issues “marked by a mild or negligent tolerance” as suggested in the UP Forum? This forum thus looks at the present stance of UP towards the LGBT community from the perspectives of the various sectors within the UP System.

KEY QUESTIONS:

1.    What are the different issues confronted by the LGBT community in the university?

2.    What is the stance of UP towards the LGBT community against the backdrop of LBGT issues in the country?

3.    Despite its avowedly progressive view of LGBTs, can UP be considered as privy to gender discrimination? How can it be demonstrated otherwise? Or is UP’s cognizance of LGBT issues “marked by a mild or negligent tolerance”?

4.    Does UP adequately address gender discrimination issues within the university? What are the policy frameworks and institutional mechanisms in place to ensure that the university promotes and protects LGBT rights? Does UP have the statistics to back up its claim to the existing LGBT climate in UP?

Pangmayaman na lang ba ang UP? (A Public Forum)

"Pangmayaman Na Lang Ba Ang UP?" is the third forum of the 2012 TWSC Public Forum Series, "Ang Tama ba sa UP, Tama rin sa Bayan?"

Please click here for the playlist of the forum's video recordings.

SCHEDULE
14 November 2012 (Wednesday), 9:00 AM - 12:00 NN


VENUE

Pulungang Claro M. Recto (Faculty Center Conference Hall), Rizal Hall, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

PROGRAM

8:30 – 9:00
REGISTRATION

9:00 - 9:05
WELCOME REMARKS
Maria Corazon J. Tan
Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs
University of the Philippines-Diliman

9:05 - 9:15
INTRODUCTION OF SPEAKERS

9:15 - 9:35
Gerald Pio M. Franco
Director
Office of Admissions
University of the Philippines

9:35 - 9:55
Richard Philip A. Gonzalo
Former Officer in Charge
Office of Scholarships and Student Services
University of the Philippines-Diliman

9:55 – 10:15
John Erwin S. Bañez
Assistant Professor
Department of Community Development
College of Social Work and Community Development
University of the Philippines-Diliman

10:15 – 10:35
Cleve Kevin Robert V. Arguelles
Student Regent
University of the Philippines

10:35 - 11:50
OPEN FORUM

11:50 - 12:00
SYNTHESIS                                       


MODERATOR
Jean Encinas-Franco, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman

ABOUT THE FORUM

“Edukasyon! Edukasyon! Karapatan ng Mamamayan!” If only the zeal in shouting such tired slogans are made into money, then all the poor but deserving students would indeed end up in UP. But it seems the reality in UP these days is this: only those who can pay their way are allowed to bring home a college degree. The so-called poor and deserving students fend for themselves—if only to prove that indeed they will survive out of sheer intelligence. Even the UP Collegian, in its 20 June 2012 issue, quoted UP President Alfredo Pascual as saying, “mayayaman na lang talaga ang nag-aaral sa UP.” Section 9 of the UP Charter of 2008 says UP “shall take affirmative steps which may take the form of an alternative and equitable admissions process to enhance the access of disadvantaged students, such as indigenous peoples, poor and deserving students including but not limited to valedictorians and salutatorians of public high schools, and students from depressed areas, to its programs and services.” However by some prestidigitation, the present dispensation’s UP Strategic Plan for 2011-2017 now claims “to recruit the best and the brightest students from all over the country regardless of economic status.” What's more, it aims to review and rationalize UPCAT “to make it more aptitude-based rather than achievement-based.” This ambivalence results in the further marginalization of the disadvantaged students who were granted privileged status in the UP Charter of 2008. In teasing out the above contrarieties, how can we define the goal of “democratic access” in the National University? How far is UP in addressing in full said objective? This forum will be a survey of how committed UP is to this singular mandate.

New TWSC Deputy Director

We are pleased to announce that effective today, 01 October 2012, Perlita M. Frago-Marasigan, PhD, an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines-Diliman is TWSC's new deputy director.  

A Public Lecture on South Africa's Foreign Policy by South African Deputy Minister Hon. Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim

South Africa’s Foreign Policy: A Vision For South–South Cooperation

A Public Lecture by Hon. Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim
(Deputy Minister, Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Republic of South Africa)

25 September 2012 (Tuesday)
10:00–11:30 AM

Department of Political Science Audiovisual Room
3rd Floor, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Faculty Center
(at the back of Palma Hall Annex)
University of the Philippines-Diliman
Quezon City

Please click here for the playlist of the lecture's video recordings.


PROGRAM

10:00 – 10:05

Welcome Remarks
Maria Ela L. Atienza, PhD
Director
Third World Studies Center and
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman


10:05 – 10:10
Introduction of the Speaker
Hon. Agnes Nyamande-Pitso
Ambassador
Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in the Philippines

10:10 – 10:40
Hon. Ebrahim Ismael Ebrahim
Deputy Minister
Department of International Relations and Cooperation
Republic of South Africa

10:40 – 11:25
Open Forum

11:25 – 11:30
Closing Remarks
Ruth Lusterio-Rico, PhD
Chair and
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman


Moderator
Ronald Molmisa
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman

Organized by the Embassy of South Africa in the Philippines and the UP Third World Studies Center in cooperation with the UP Diliman Department of Political Science.

Please click here for a copy of the Deputy Minister's speech.

Gwardya, Kamera, Aksyon?: Surveillance and Security in the University (A Public Forum)

"Gwardya, Kamera, Aksyon?: Surveillance and Security in the University" is the second forum of the 2012 TWSC Public Forum Series, "Ang Tama ba sa UP, Tama rin sa Bayan?"

September 26, 2012 (Wednesday), 9:00 AM - 12:00 NN

Pulungang Claro M. Recto (Faculty Center Conference Hall), Rizal Hall, College of Arts and Letter, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Please click here for the playlist of video recordings of the forum. 


PROGRAM

9:00 - 9:15
REGISTRATION

9:15 - 9:20
WELCOME REMARKS
Neil Martial Santillan, PhD
Associate Dean for Administration and External Affairs
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman

9:20 - 9:30
INTRODUCTION OF SPEAKERS
Filomin C. Gutierrez, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman

9:30 - 9:50
Melania Abad-Flores
Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs
University of the Philippines-Diliman

9:50 - 10:10
Edgardo E. Dagdag 
Chief Security Officer
University of the Philippines-Diliman

10:10 - 10:30
Agerico M. De Villa
Associate Professor
Department of Philosophy
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman

10:30 - 11:50
OPEN FORUM

11:50 - 12:00
SYNTHESIS
Filomin C. Gutierrez, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman


ABOUT THE FORUM

The recent string of violence in several UP campuses paved the way for the entry of new forms of anti-crime measures. With the launch of a technology transformation initiative dubbed eUP last March 2012, UP President Alfredo Pascual stated, among other things, that UP is already preparing the deployment of various technology solutions to address security issues in the different campuses. Such preparations involve the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in strategic areas within the constituent units, aside from increasing the number of security guards and watchmen. Some have welcomed the impending installation of CCTV, calling it long overdue in the midst of what the media had portrayed as a near-system-wide crime wave in the last months. Others have deplored it, crying violation of student rights and academic freedom. Some even believe that CCTV cameras will serve as spy cameras to be used by external entities on the assumption that UP serves as a breeding ground for rebels and activists. Moreover, the cynical warn of the private sector's encroachment of the university's public space and the potential emergence of a security industry. This forum thus provides a platform for the debates on CCTV as anti-crime measure, particularly in UP campuses, which have been slow in coming. It seeks to examine UP's delicate balancing act--on how at a click of a camera, UP catches perpetrators in the act and in a zoom, rob its constituencies of their deserved anonymity while in a public space. Will UP think before it clicks and zooms in?

See photos of the forum here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.462156343807265.103267.125780737444829&type=1

UPTWSC is now on Twitter

Follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/UPThirdWorld) @UPThirdWorld. See sidebar on the right.

The 2012 Asian Democracy Index Conference

30 August 2012, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Claro M. Recto Hall, Rizal Hall,

University of the Philippines-Diliman

31 August 2012, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Third World Studies Center, Palma Hall

University of the Philippines-Diliman

The University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center (TWSC) is hosting this year's international conference on the Asian Democracy Index (ADI) on August 30-31, 2012. The ADI is an initiative of the Democracy and Social Movements Institute  (DaSMI), Sungkonghoe University, South Korea, in collaboration with the research institutes comprising the Consortium for the Asian Democracy Index (CADI). Since its formation last year, CADI's member institutes have conducted annual perception surveys of various local specialists on politics, economics, and civil society to examine the state of democratization in their country. Unlike most democracy indices, the ADI does not seek to be a tool for ranking democracies. Instead, it seeks to become a means of looking at how well countries in Asia are fighting threats to unhampered national democratization. This year's ADI conference will focus on the results of the 2011 ADI pilot test as well as the preliminary findings of the 2012 survey. CADI researchers from the Philippines, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India will serve as the main speakers of the conference. Philippine experts on democracy will also attend the conference to give their take on the ADI's theoretical framework and methodology. The conference is open to all; no payment is required for attendance. 

PROGRAM:

DAY 1 (30 August 2012)

Venue: Claro M. Recto Hall, Rizal Hall, University of the Philippines-Diliman

9:00 - 10:00
REGISTRATION

10:00 - 10:10
OPENING REMARKS

J. Prospero E. de Vera III
Vice President for Public Affairs 
University of the Philippines 

10:10 - 10:15
CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

10:15 - 10:35
ADI FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY

Hee Yeon-Cho

Director

Democracy and Social Movements Institute

Sungkonghoe University, South Korea

10:35 - 11:05
SUMMARY OF THE 2011 ADI PILOT TEST FINDINGS

Representatives from the first three member-countries of CADI (Indonesia, the Philippines, and South Korea) will present a summary of the findings of the 2011 pilot test in his/her country.

11:05 - 11:45
REACTIONS

Banajit Hussain

Independent Researcher and Political Analyst

Felipe B. Miranda

Professor Emeritus

Department of Political Science

College of Social Sciences and Philosophy

University of the Philippines-Diliman

11:45 - 12:00
OPEN FORUM

12:00 - 1:00
LUNCH

1:10 - 3:00
PRESENTATION OF THE 2012 ADI SURVEY FINDINGS

A representative/s from each of the four member-countries of CADI (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South Korea) will give a presentation on the conduct and preliminary findings of the 2012 Asian Democracy Index project.

3:00 - 3:20
COFFEE BREAK

3:20 - 4:05
REACTIONS

Temario C. Rivera

Professor

International Christian University, Japan

Edna Estifania A. Co

Professor and

Dean

National College of Public Administration and Governance

University of the Philippines-Diliman

4:05 - 4:50
OPEN FORUM

4:50 - 5:00
CLOSING REMARKS AND SYNTHESIS

DAY 2 (31 August 2012)

Venue: Third World Studies Center, Lower Ground Floor, Palma Hall, University of the Philippines-Diliman

9:30 - 10:00
REGISTRATION

10:00 - 10:20
OPENING REMARKS AND RECAP OF DAY 1

10:20 - 11:10
DISCUSSION: Democracy in Asia through the ADI Looking-Glass

11:10 - 11:35
REACTION

                                     

Malaya C. Ronas

Professor

Department of Political Science

College of Social Sciences and Philosophy

University of the Philippines-Diliman

11:35 - 11:55
OPEN FORUM

11:55 - 12:00
CLOSING REMARKS AND SYNTHESIS

CADI Presenters/Discussants 


Andrew Aeria 
Associate Professor 
Faculty of Social Sciences 
University of Malaysia, Sarawak 


Dirga Ardiansa 
Data and Publications Division Manager 
Centre for Political Studies 
Faculty of Social and Political Science 
University of Indonesia 


Amrapali Basumataray 
Assistant Professor 
Kirori Mal College 
University of Delhi 


Clarinda Lusterio Berja 
Assistant Professor 
Department of Social Sciences 
College of Arts and Sciences 
University of the Philippines-Manila 


Hyung-Chul Kim 
Research Professor 
Democracy and Social Movements Institute 
Sungkonghoe University, South Korea 


Irwansyah 
Assessment Division Manager 
Center for Political Studies 
Faculty of Social and Political Science 
University of Indonesia 


Tan Seng Keat 
Research Manager 
Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research, Malaysia 


Seoungwon Lee 
Research Professor 
Democracy and Social Movements Institute 
Sungkonghoe University, South Korea 


Anton Pradjasto 
Executive Director 
Center for Democracy and Human Rights Indonesia 


Miguel Paolo P. Reyes 
University Research Associate 
Third World Studies Center 
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy 
University of the Philippines-Diliman

CO-SPONSORS:

The Office of the President, University of the Philippines

Social Sciences and Philosophy Research Foundation, 

Sungkonghoe University Academy Industry Cooperation Foundation

For more information, please visit the conference website.

Documentary on Climate Change

A TIDE OF CHANGE: 

VULNERABILITY IN A CHANGING CLIMATE

Please click here for the documentary.

About the video documentary:

"A Tide of Change: Vulnerability in a Changing Climate" is a product of the collaborative efforts of six young individuals from multidisciplinary perspectives from the University of the Philippines-Diliman and the University of Montreal, Canada. The video documentary aims to highlight the increasing vulnerability of people in regions previously unaffected by extreme weather disturbances in the case of Cagayan De Oro (CDO), Northern Mindanao through typhoon Sendong. It features the lives of Sendong victims in different resettlement communities in CDO, six months after Sendong's wake---from the best rehabilitation practices in Xavier Ecoville to the inherent problems in resettlement camps---to build on the pressing need to go beyond the reactionary frame of disaster risk reduction and management to that of preparedness. Otherwise, tent cities could soon become the norm.

About the Student for Development project:

The University of the Philippines Third World Studies Center (TWSC) is one of the partner institutions of the Department of Political Science of the University of Montreal on a Video Documentary Project called Student for Development. The project began last 2011 with four other countries, Brazil, India, Mali, and Senegal implementing an internship program. The Philippine project is unique in piloting the video documentary component of the project. This year, undergraduate political science students from the University of Montreal teamed up with TWSC interns. The project lasted for four months of collaborative work on the video documentary, which will be uploaded to a bilingual blog that can then be used for teaching and awareness-raising by non-governmental and grassroots organizations.

May Tubo ba ang Pagtulong ng UP? What Counts as Public Service in the National University (A Public Forum)

"May Tubo ba ang Pagtulong ng UP? What Counts as Public Service in the National University" is the first forum of the 2012 UP TWSC Public Forum Series, "Ang Tama Ba sa U.P, Tama rin sa Bayan?"

September 5, 2012 (Wednesday), 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon

Pulungang Claro M. Recto (Faculty Center Conference Hall), Rizal Hall, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Please click here for the playlist of video recordings of the forum.

PROGRAM

9:00 - 9:15

REGISTRATION

9:15 - 9:20
WELCOME REMARKS
Maria Ela L. Atienza, PhD
Director, Third World Studies Center
University of the Philippines-Diliman

9:20 - 9:30
INTRODUCTION OF THE SPEAKERS

9:30 - 9:45
FRANCISCO NEMENZO, PHD
Professor Emeritus and
Former President,
University of the Philippines

9:45 - 10:00
J. PROSPERO E. DE VERA, DPA
Vice-President for Public Affairs
University of the Philippines

10:00 - 10:15
EDGARDO D. GOMEZ, PHD
University Professor Emeritus
Marine Science Institute,
University of the Philippines-Diliman

10:15 - 10:30
NICETO S. POBLADOR, PHD
Retired Professor of Management, UP Mindanao and
formerly Professorial Lecturer, UP School of Economics

10:30 - 11:30
OPEN FORUM

11:30 - 12:00
SYNTHESIS


MODERATOR
Rosalinda Pineda-Ofreneo, PhD
Moderator
Dean, College of Social Work and Community Development
University of the Philippines-Diliman


ABOUT THE FORUM

The present UP System has embodied its role as public service university through the UP Padayon Disaster Response Team, the Green UP program, and special grants for source of solutions, to name a few. The UP Padayon Disaster Response Team, a team of experts from the fields of medicine, public health and sanitation, forensics, and geohazards, was deployed in response to the devastation left by typhoon Sendong in 2011 and was hailed by the UP Newsletter as the university‟s flagship program on volunteerism. Green UP, President Alfredo Pascual's flagship program, has aimed to turn UP into a showcase of environmental projects through public-private partnerships. A special research grant for results-oriented projects and open innovation solutions has also been created to transform UP into a source of solutions to many of the country‟s problems, churning out patents and copyrights. A closer look at these initiatives point to the glaring absence of institutionalized voluntarism, spanning educational assistance, community health and social welfare, advocacy, and research—where students get the opportunities to give flesh and blood to the term Iskolar ng Bayan, according to the UP Pahinungod website. Gone are the days when students, employees and faculty would go to far-flung areas to help in the skills enhancement or when they help preserve the Filipino culture through a local history program. Has UP been sidetracked in its commitment to the service of the nation when it got caught up in public-private partnerships geared towards instant return of investment and definite media exposure, i.e., greening the university and practical, immediate response to natural disasters? The internal logic and allocated resources for the university's engagement with the public must therefore be laid bare before an audience that without hesitation will test the soundness, efficacy, and relevance of said rationale. How much of UP's resources are actually devoted to these public service efforts? What counts as public service? When is it mere photo op and lip service? During the forum, the UP administration will have a chance to reflect on and refine its chosen architecture of intent and for the participants to offer alternative perspectives and directions on UP's role as a public institution, on how the university addresses the delicate interplay of private interest and public concern.

The Occupy Movement and Anarchism: A Public Forum

The Occupy Movement and Anarchism: A Public Forum
Thursday 23 August 2012 10:00 am - 12:00 nn
Third World Studies Center Conference Area
Lower Ground Floor, Palma Hall,
University of the Philippines-Diliman, Quezon City

Please click here for the playlist of the video recordings.

Program

9:45 - 10:00        Registration

10:00 - 10:05      Maria Ela L. Atienza
                           Welcome Remarks
                           Director, UP Third World Studies Center

10:05 - 10:25      Chris De Vera
                           Local Autonomous Network

10:25 - 10:45      Baz Umali
                           Local Autonomous Network

10:45 - 11:05     Jo Mo
                          Occupy Seattle
                          Black Orchid Collective

11:05 - 11:20    Eduardo Tadem, PhD
                         Reactor
                         Professor, UP Asian Center

11:20 - 11:55    Open forum

11:55 - 12:00    Ronald Molmisa
                         Moderator
                         Synthesis
                         Assistant Professor, UP Department of Political Science

                      
Co-organizers

UP Third World Studies Center
Local Autonomous Network


About the forum

The impact and magnitude of the Occupy Movement deserves serious attention and reflection. From Occupy Wall Street in New York to over 600 cities and communities in the United States, Occupy protests have taken place or are still on-going in over 95 cities and across 82 countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America. In many of these Occupy protests, activists employed Anarchist tactics such as general assembly, general strikes, non-violent direct action and property destruction. This forum aims to provide a platform for grounded accounts of Occupy movements in various cities, including Manila. It will trace the Occupy movement’s historical roots and its potential impacts to social and political movements and expound on the theory and practice of Anarchism through the personal accounts of the occupiers themselves. Furthermore, the forum will trace the history of Anarchism in the Philippines by invoking and linking pre-historic social conditions, the 1898 Revolution, punk subculture/counter-culture ethics and practices, and other events with contemporary anti-authoritarian initiatives and campaigns. The forum features speakers from various Occupy protests from the Philippines and across the globe.