Entries for May, 2006

I have never been away for this long. 33 days to be exact. It just feels great to be home again.

Many of the Dev Stud practicumers who are older than me say that the practicum is life-changing. Many of them became part of progressive orgs when they got back and have been more active in fighting for the rights of the oppressed and for other causes. And now that I'm back, I can't help but ask myself if I was changed by the practicum in the same way it has changed the others. My answer to such is that no, it didn't change me in the same way. I still don't plan to join any progressive org. It's not that I think the abuses being done by sugar plantadores to sugar cane farmers are not worthy of my attention. In fact, in my three years in college, it is exactly this kind of problem, together with all the other abuses taking place in our society today which we want to find answers to. As a Development Studies student, my task is to analyze the problems of our society and the current model of development being put in place, whether such model is really promoting development and is serving the interests of all the people involved. It's just that, I don't believe in  the solution being proposed by progressive orgs to the 3 root causes of poverty in our country today which are: imperialism, bureaucratic capitalism and feudalism. Anyhow, I believe that farmers should not be taken advantage of. They should have wages that are not below the minimum wage and they should be given employment benefits as stated by the law. In Batangas, the minimum wage is P150 and all farmers are supposed to be receiving the Social Amelioration Fund (SAF), a fund provided for the farmers from the farm's earnings to aid them in their work. However, most of the sugar cane farmers' wages are below the minumum wage and the SAF only goes to their plantadores.  They only get P110 per day and are not being provided with Medicare, SSS and burial insurance, yet they're working for 8 hours everyday under the scorching heat of the sun.

I'm not saying that the practicum did not change me at all. It did in terms of me learning how to do household chores and becoming a stronger person. I had to wash my clothes without the use of a washing machine and I also had the chance to try to cook. The practicum was a test of one's endurance. Imagine having to take a bath in a bathroom made out of bamboo stalks and sacks which have holes on it. My group mates and I had to endure that for 1 week. There was also a time when we weren't able to take a bath for 2 days because there was no water available. The water was just enough for the food and for washing the dishes. In those 2 days, we weren't even able to wash our faces nor brush our teeth. We had to settle for wet wipes and Mentos. The concept of hygiene just ceased to exist.  

Overall, the practicum was a learning experience. Although, I was really, really bored during the first two weeks and I couldn't wait to get home, it was still fun. Thank God I had my friends Dona and Monette as group mates. Things would have been a lot different if we weren't together.

Currently listening to: Ironic---Alanis Morisette
Currently feeling: happy
Posted by Louie on May 23, 2006 at 04:14 PM | 4 comments
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