The question was raised in the panel on “Post-Pandemic Southeast Asia: Systemic Perils and Peoples’ Alternatives” at the 5^th Biennial Southeast Asian Studies in Asia (SEASIA) Conference held at the University of the Philippines Diliman last July 18-20. The panel served to introduce the work of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies, Program on Alternative Development (UP CIDS AltDev) and to “soft launch” the book “Reimagining Development in Southeast Asia: Alternative Practices from the Grassroots and Social Movements.”

I had been tasked with participating in the panel to present a work-in-progress case study for an upcoming third volume to the Alternatives practices in Southeast Asia and also with pushing me to make some progress in my graduate thesis. The panel was composed of Assistant Professors Jose Monfred Sy and Benjamin Velasco, Dr. Tadem, Rafael “Arvin” Dimalanta, and myself. 

Ivory tower

Sy opened the panel discussion with AltDev program’s theoretical framework and introduced the idea of scholar-activists as “being politically engaged researchers [whose task] is to draw critical vocabularies and replicable designs from practices that already stand as alternatives to the dominant systems.” The concept is embraced as an overt critique to the detachment of the academe and mostly western institutions from social criticism and their state of privilege—their being in an “ivory tower” removed from the rest of society, especially the marginalized. 

In the East, or the Global South, scholarship and activism are often epistemically intertwined. It was fitting that UP hosted this year’s SEASIA conference with the theme “De/Centering Southeast Asia.” The conference was “intended to be a platform for centering Southeast Asian scholarship within Asia, by shifting one’s analytical position away from a dominant center towards the periphery to strengthen expertise, amplify voices, and resist subordination in these peripheries,” the conference brief read, and continued: 

“De/Centering challenges dominant narratives and perspectives historically centered in the ‘West’ and its gaze on Southeast Asia, and highlights the diverse and complex experiences, histories and cultures of the region as told by Southeast Asians themselves.”

Fitting venue

The conference venue was fitting not only because of UP’s proud tradition as a bastion of academic freedom and activism in the Philippines and to an extent in the region, but also because these traditions are realized by the conference organizers who, in their youth, were radicalized by the signs of the times and Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s dictatorship. 

I felt that the theme was addressed to UP as well, who cherishes international accolades and its standing in the world rankings yet fails to “decenter” itself enough to issue criticism where and when due and is blind to the injustice it commits against its own community. Contrary to the activist tradition, its administrators allow state forces to conduct surveillance operations, pays lip service to issues of democratic governance and autonomy, allow the corporate commercialization of university services, and are inattentive to labor concerns such as the contractualization arrangements—that is, no employee-employer relations—binding university researchers and administrative staff. 

I am convinced that the activist mantra “Serve the People” needs to be seen in action. If UP wishes to honor and excel in its mantra, there must be cascading reforms that embrace the will of the academic community rather than the whims of its governing bodies. Enacting the activist tradition means integrating with and establishing itself among the people, providing for their necessities, and being humbled that power is created through people’s action. 

‘Iskolar ng bayan’

In the panel discussion, each of us spoke briefly on our notions of scholarship and activism. Being the youngest in the panel, I talked about being a student under Rodrigo Duterte’s regime including the gross mismanagement of the pandemic which, I felt, took away the best years of our youth. I recalled entering UP as a freshman exactly 10 year as well as the burdens of being a “iskolar ng bayan,” an institution continuously being defunded by the state. I was fortunate enough that the Kabataan (Youth) Partylist was able to win and secure the “Universal Tertiary Education Act” in 2017 which covered my studies until I graduated in 2019. I recalled as well how, after graduation, I became a “full-time” activist in the youth sector and assisted in organizing various campus publications in Metro Manila up until the pandemic. 

I first met Arvin Dimalanta in 2018 while accompanying some of our junior editors for the student paper Sinag to establish contact with the urban poor struggle in Sitio San Roque. Later, Save San Roque (SSR) was established as a network of volunteer architects, engineers, educators, artists, writers, and students in solidarity with the community. 

Dimalanta’s panel presentation was on SSR’s history in the heart of the Quezon City Triangle, its decadelong struggle and contentions with the local government’s housing plan, which culminated in a people’s community development plan that has since been used in lobbying efforts to the local government and national agencies. His research serves as an example of putting the community’s interest at the foreground as a means to reach a broader audience and to legitimize their claims, histories, and struggles. 

Both needed

Velasco, who served as AltDev co-convenor until late last year, recalled his long involvement as an activist with the labor sector before he joined the faculty of the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations. “Activism needs scholarship,” he said. “Both are needed in a rigorous and robust movement enlightened by debate, discussion, and innovative ideas.” He turned the question around to ask: “How can a scholar remain objective when they are embedded within movements that they are studying?”  Belonging and growing within a movement is a better arrangement than a scholar merely extracting data from the community for academic advancement, he said. 

Velasco’s second point addressing the question on alternatives reflects deeply on the question of how we can help sustain these practices. In his panel presentation, he noted that the gains and losses of the urban poor, the agroecology movement, and the ecozone union workers are mostly confined in their respective spaces and serve as responses to a particular phenomenon or societal condition they aim to address. The question then is how to further consolidate these alternative practices to enable the emergent movement to challenge the status quo.

Such has been the research question of the Program on Alternative Development since it was convened in 2017 as one of the 12 research programs of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies. As coordinated by Tadem, the ongoing project of “Alternative Practices in Southeast Asia” has documented more than 50 case studies from across the region, most of which are articulated in the vocabularies of community organizations, unions, confederations, and support groups. These case studies represent four alternative practices—economic, social, political, and cultural—that have long existed in isolation in communities within context or geography. 

In his seminal work “Weapons of the Weak,” James C. Scott wrote: “Resistance is rarely dramatic or newsworthy; it’s the quiet, persistent actions of individuals that create a barrier reef against oppressive systems.”

Our program’s ongoing mission is to document these alternatives on the ground and to assist in the emerging regional network called the Movement on Alternatives and Solidarity in Southeast Asia (or Massa), an outcome of people-to-people convergence in various conferences including the Asean Civil Society Conference/Asean People’s Forum and the Southeast Asian Regional Conference on Alternatives. 

To continue Tadem’s response to the question on scholarship and activism: “Scholars need to be activists so that they are not confined in an ivory tower.  They need to leave the university regularly to learn from the grassroots their real problems. Scholars are tasked to facilitate a process to communicate with each other. In the same vein, activists should also be scholars in order to adopt a critical mind to immediately reflect on the activist work they are engaged in, in order to improve and to respond to challenges on the ground.”

Ryan Joseph Martinez is part of the program staff of UP CIDS AltDev and a graduate student in sociology at UP Diliman.

Read more: The dimensions of inequality in the Philippines, by the numbers

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It was in September when the secretariat started planning for the 3rd Edel Garcellano Conference on Literary and Cultural Studies at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Santa Mesa, Manila.

The conference, launched in 2018, was aimed at highlighting the pivotal role of criticism and scholarship in the Philippine academe, aligning with the significant research undertaken by theorists and literary scholars through the years.

When we issued our call for the submission of abstracts, we received tremendous response from scholars and researchers who approached the idea of utopia through an interdisciplinary lens and critiqued the prevailing dystopian trends. The conference would again be conducted in person after a challenging three-year pause caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

We scheduled the conference on Nov. 16-17 at Bulwagang Bonifacio and ICTO Lab 1 in the Ninoy Aquino Library and Resource Learning Center on campus. It was attended by students from PUP, writers, researchers, and other professionals from various institutions of higher learning, as well as members of Edel Garcellano’s family.

Support from the PUP Office of the Vice President for Research, Extension and Development ensured the provision of food and refreshments for the attendees. The conference’s success was the result of collaborative efforts between the Center for Creative Writing and the Center for Philippine Studies under the Research Institute for Culture and Language, and in partnership with the Gender and Development Office.

Why Edel Garcellano?

For nearly three decades, spanning 1987 to 2002 and again from 2012 to 2016, the novelist, poet and literary critic Edel Garcellano taught humanities and philosophy at PUP. His impact on his students was profound. He passed away on April 23, 2020, yet many still reminisce about his teaching methods and pedagogical approach with a sense of nostalgia.

Esteemed figures in Philippine criticism and literature, such as Caroline Hau, Neferti Tadiar, Bliss Cua-Lim, and John Blanco, acknowledge his influence on their work.

The decision to name the conference after him stemmed from his influence as PUP’s foremost literary critic and scholar. The conference continues to serve as a tribute to his legacy, honoring his enduring impact on the university’s intellectual landscape.

‘The Persistence of Utopian Imagination’

In its third iteration, the conference was organized in keeping with the essence of Edel Garcellano’s intellectual work of defying mainstream thought.

The theme was “The Persistence of Utopian Imagination,” which not only acknowledged his unexplored utopianism but also provided a platform for scholars, researchers and students who, like him, challenge conventional ways of thinking.

We divided the two-day conference into two keynote sessions and 12 panel sessions covering diverse topics related to utopias such as peasant experiences, feminism, hope, creative writing, social movements, gender studies, literary and visual cultures, archives, digital culture, philosophical interventions, and Edel Garcellano’s praxis.

The keynote speeches delivered by Dr. Jayson C. Jimenez from the Department of Philosophy and Humanities and Dr. Emanuel De Guzman from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs on Nov. 16 and 17, respectively, offered insightful philosophical and sociological perspectives while exploring utopian ideas.

Both keynote speakers are scholars who made their mark in the academe and who consider Edel Garcellano as a sui generis writer and critic; the paper presenters in the sessions are some of the best young writers today who, in one way or another, have been influenced by his work.

The discussions and conversations in the open forums helped the students satisfy their piqued curiosity on possible research topics and gain a deeper understanding of the topics presented.

Imagining possibilities

At the end, Edel Garcellano’s wife delivered a message—titled “Encountering Edel while Imagining this Conference’s Possibilities”—in which she expressed appreciation for the event and “its planned theme of the imagined Utopia and locating his work in it.”

“Young people, you, young people,” the journalist Rosario Garcellano said, “because you are now the frontliners in the fight for a better future, have to be awake, correctly informed and contextually aware” in the face of the ever-shifting dynamics within society.

Much like how we carefully organized the conference, those who encountered Edel Garcellano would agree that his commitment to shedding light on the plight of the oppressed and to helping others understand systemic injustice resonated in the discourses he led, and in the classrooms he stood in. In and despite his constant critical stance, he wanted discourses like this conference to go beyond the academe, and to open doors of possibilities and hope—the last word, his wife recalled, in a short story that he wrote in his late 20s.

But now, “exhaustion sets in more often,” Rosario Garcellano admitted, “along with the sinking feeling that this continuing struggle is Sisyphean and ultimately meaningless.” Yet, she said, “it is during such low times that we must fight to come to terms with what we, you, are here for: to engage, to resist, to write, to produce.”

The legacy of Edel Garcellano lives on, not only in his scholarly works but also in the commitments he ignited. And just as he imparted his wisdom to young poets, so did Rosario Garcellano remind the next generation that “to write is already to choose,” a dictum that maintains resonance in this time of socioeconomic and political unrest.

Her words also echoed what Edel Garcellano constantly explained to his students and friends: “The condition that afflicts everyone oppressed and exploited by state power,” she said, “and the necessity of recognizing it, naming it, to begin the process of healing.”

“It’s an abiding hassle, to be blunt about it,” Rosario Garcellano conceded, “but surely and always it is a declaration of hope, a demonstration of a profound awareness: This is not right, this is unjust, this needs a principled stance, resistance.”

With the success of this conference, we believe as its organizers that it stands as one of the legacies of PUP in modern times. The conference’s emphasis on Edel Garcellano’s literary legacy and critical commentary on societal issues will help shape the future discourse within the academe and the struggle beyond it.

Jenna Dolovino is a media correspondent of Manila Today and a staff member of the PUP Center for Creative Writing. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in sociology, and nurtures a passion for creating zines that highlight the experiences of women and workers. —Ed.

Read more: The crisis in Philippine education began 120 years ago

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Look no further for evidence of this kinship: When a woman leaves home for work, she can count on the natural support system of her mother, sister, aunt, daughter, even grandmother.   

In the early 1970s, a group of wives in Manila put up a school for young women from underprivileged families. They drew inspiration from the teachings of Opus Dei founder St. Josemaria Escriva on women’s dignity and the sanctification of work.   

Punlaan School, located at 173 M. Paterno, Barangay Pasadena, San Juan, initially trained housewives and housekeepers in homemaking. 

Five decades on, it has evolved into a multiawarded institution offering a tuition-free program in hospitality and culinary arts with guaranteed job placement in the hotel and restaurant industry worldwide. 

It transformed its technical course in home arts into the dual training system in food and beverage (F&B) services, which it pioneered in partnership with a German foundation during the term of executive director Luz M. Filmer in the early 1990s. The dual system integrates classroom skills instruction and character formation with on-the-job training in a hotel or restaurant. It is accredited by Tesda (or the Technical Educational and Skills Development Authority), with National Certificate II qualifications. 

The government soon institutionalized the dual training system for vocational courses in the country, and upheld Punlaan as a model for its successful implementation. 

With over 3,000 graduates—among them F&B supervisors, restaurant managers, sous chefs and chefs de partie—now practicing their expertise in top-tier hospitality industry establishments here and abroad, Punlaan is a success story in women empowerment. 

7-story building

On Oct. 6, to mark its golden jubilee, the school will inaugurate a seven-story building that can accommodate 700 students. It has 180 scholars at present; it expects around 500 more in the next three or four years.

Along with the new building, Punlaan is introducing an apprenticeship program for pharmacy assistants, in partnership with Watsons. It will also open a one-year health care and wellness program in June 2024 and offer specialized short courses of up to 10 sessions in culinary and home management to tap the big market of young professionals, culinary enthusiasts, and mothers of all ages.  

The expansion is intended to meet the growing demand for high-quality education and skills training over the next 20 years. 

More and more young women aged 18-23 from disadvantaged families are looking to get an education and access to employment, according to Punlaan executive director Mila Araneta. The majority are daughters of seasonal workers such as drivers, carpenters, laborers, as well as unemployed parents. Those from the rural areas are daughters of farmers, fishers, and contractual workers.

The demand for job-ready graduates for the hospitality industry is also increasing as businesses are fully back to normal after the pandemic, and with tourism seen as one of the drivers of economic recovery, Araneta says in an email interview.  

Consider the impact of a scholarship, with a job placement to boot, on these women’s families. 

“Our graduates earn as much as P15,000 a month as entry-level workers and up to P50,000 after five years if they are working abroad. They become the family breadwinner; they are able to send their siblings to school, pay the rent, and in many cases build a new home,” she says.

Underscoring the multiple roles women play in the family and society, Araneta expresses the belief that “an educated woman or mother has greater possibilities of bringing up children of good character who hopefully will become good citizens.” Being employed enables them not only to provide for their dependents but also to participate in the building of a stable family and community. 

“Women from the poor sector should have the same opportunity to be part of the effort to transform individuals and build sustainable societies,“ she insists.

The group behind Punlaan subsequently opened more training centers for women (in the provinces of Laguna and Cebu) and organized the Foundation for Professional Training, Inc. (FPTI), which owns and operates the schools. The foundation is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bureau of Internal Revenue as a donee institution. 

Donations and other forms of support from industry partners as well as individual and corporate benefactors and other local foundations with a similar vision enable FPTI and its schools to finance their operations and the scholars’ tuition. The government provides some funding in the form of Tesda scholarships. 

State-of-the-art facilities 

The new building is equipped with the best housekeeping modules and what must be any budding chef’s dream—industry-standard, state-of-the art facilities and utensils for kitchen and baking laboratories. Ideally, the kitchenware should approximate what students will eventually be using on the job. 

Besides comfortable classrooms and offices, the new building also has an auditorium and an oratory (a small chapel usually for private worship).    

The increase in demand for staff is seen not only in the F&B services but also in hotel housekeeping. Given that the graduates come from simple backgrounds, the school is particularly circumspect in assessing requests for chambermaids. 

“We want to ensure the safety and welfare of these young women,” says FPTI director Cynthia Picazo in a phone interview. “Our graduates are also employed in cruise liners, so security is very important to their families, especially with the high incidence of human trafficking.” 

The other aspect of Punlaan training is character formation through personalized mentoring. Each student is assigned a mentor who assists her in identifying and communicating her academic needs so that these may be addressed and she can achieve her best. 

“This formation sets Punlaan apart from other technical schools,” says Picazo. “As it equips its students with academic and technical skills, it also imparts core values to enable them to fulfill their work and achieve the quality of life consistent with human dignity.” She highlights Christian virtues such as respect, courtesy, helpfulness, sincerity, integrity, humility, and selflessness.

The school’s industry partners have observed the students’ dedication and commitment, qualities that make them highly employable. 

Fighting chance

In an audiovisual presentation, some Punlaan scholars speak of their common aspiration for a better life for their families. Pastry chef Mary Ann Garcia Agajanian, sous chef Angelica Velasco, restaurant manager Rochelle Dequito, and graduating student Ragen Rome Vergara all acknowledge how Punlaan gave them a fighting chance and enabled them to attain their goals. 

Dequito quotes the poet and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “Success is not something to wait for, it is something to work for.”

School director Anna Marie N. Jacinto remarks that Punlaan has truly adhered to the teaching of St. Josemaria Escriva, “who wanted to promote women empowerment.” 

Punlaan conducts information campaigns in public schools, barangays, and parishes. Applicants must be 18-23 years old, single, senior high school graduates with 80% grade average. They must pass the entrance exam and the interview for the scholarship.

More information is available at www.punlaanschool.edu.ph and facebook.com/punlaanschool, or call t8250-4534 local 1016.

Punlaan’s hotel partners are Grand Hyatt Manila, Hilton Clark/Manila, Conrad Manila, Herald Suites, Park Inn by Radissons, Seda Hotel, Fairmont Raffles, Ascott Makati, Diamond Hotel, Marco Polo, Bayview Park Hotel, The Bellevue Manila, Discovery Suites, New World Manila Bay Hotel, and New World Makati Hotel. 

Its restaurant partners are Cafe Mary Grace, Conti’s, I’m Angus Steakhouse, UCC Vienna Café, Amici, J.CO, BRTO, Pan de Manila, ALC Bistro Inc., Annabel’s, Barcino, Cafe Ysabel, Icings, Via Mare, Apartment1-B, Pancake House, Katherine’s Café, Mann Hann, Pico de Loro, Max’s Group, French Baker, Pasto, Bistro Remedios. 

Foreign institutions and sponsors are American Initiatives, Limmat Foundation of Switzerland, and Wonder Foundation, London. 

Donors will be present at the Oct. 6 inauguration of the new Punlaan building. They will be joined by FPTI chair/president Imelda G. Nibungco, Punlaan School director Theresa E. Nabatar, and Ana B. Pastelero, head of the Development Board of the New Punlaan Project. 

The special guests are Maria Gerty D. Pagaran, Tesda director for Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina; and San Juan Rep.  Maria J. Zamora. 

A Mass will be officiated by Rev. Fr. Julio Dieguez, Regional Vicar of Prelature Opus Dei. 

Seedbed  

“Punlaan is Tagalog for seedbed,” Araneta points out. “By providing skills training, character development and work values, Punlaan is planting seeds not only of economic well-being but also of moral and spiritual growth of the young women it nurtures.”   

The original Punlaan school was a humble two-story mostly wooden structure with a few classrooms and a kitchen. It used to be a private maternity hospital. 

With the new building and expanded teaching programs, the site is indeed a women’s domain.

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