Accents
...And benefits for all
Award-winning actor Al Pacino gave all he had in that one in a million movie that measures up to the cliché ...And justice for all. The title of this column paraphrases that of the movie. Yes, benefits for all. Beautiful! However, more than just the spreading of benefits, there should be justice; otherwise, the uneven, unfair, unjust distribution of benefits would rankle -- as it does rankle in the members of the three unions in the University of Iloilo: the UI Faculty Union, the UI Employees Association, and the UI Security Guards Union.
The bone of contention is the distribution of the tuition fee increase among the beneficiaries. The UI administration has its own formula of dividing the tuition fee increase; the three unions have their own. Talk of the immovable object and the irresistible force. Never shall the twain meet, to lend a bit of poesy to this very economic issue. Thus, a continuing adversarial atmosphere exists as protesters picket the university to dramatize their position.
The National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) stepped in when the three unions served the UI administration a notice of strike. The NCMB has presided over several meetings between the management on one hand and labor on the other hand as represented by the three union presidents: Arnold Lima, Hector Sumagaysay, and Bobby Dagandara of the faculty, the employees, and the security guards, respectively. The three union presidents had approached my husband Rudy, former head of the National Labor Relations Commission and now of the Iloilo Legal Assistance Center, to stand as their counsel.
In support of eco-journalism, I'd like to quote from a column I wrote when, as a teacher at UI, I was caught up in faculty-administration confrontations. "Some thirty years ago, as an English instructor of UI, I sat in the board of the UIFA, Inc. Oh, yes, we had the association registered in the SEC and had its laws and bylaws printed into a booklet. How we struggled in the faculty elections trying to capture the majority in the 15-member board of directors that represented the different colleges of the university, only to end up with 6 pro-faculty and 9 pro-administration. When voting time came on issues, the result expectedly turned out 6 vs. 9. It was no Freudian slip that 6 and 9 became the famous numbers in the campus. We were outnumbered all right, but considered ourselves never outfought, priding in the fact that we had the student body on our side."
I recall how in a dialogue with the then Vice President of the Philippines Fernando Lopez (Note that this happened during the pre-Marcos Martial Law regime), the faculty were divided in a seating arrangement that showed the pro-administration on one side of the aisle and the antis on the opposite side in the huge UI auditorioum. That was also when we stood tall by walking out on the Vice President and his subordinates because like Sophocles' Antigone, we believe loyalty was not to King Creon and his ilk but to the Divine that stands for the immutables -- morality, integrity, and truth. (Antigone from the classic Greek play finds kinship with former DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman who left the highly flawed Arroyo administration to stand up for timeless, absolute, incontrovertible virtues that transcend the governance of presidents and the reign of kings and queens. But that's another story.)
Still for more of eco-journalism, let me quote from the verbal sparring, crisp and to the point, between Atty. Tony Lagon of the UI administration and Atty. Rudy Lagoc of the UIFU before NCMB Director Adorico Dadivas, Jr.:
"Atty. Lagon: You are forcing us [with your notice of strike].
"Atty. Lagoc: The essence of strike is to force you.
"Atty. Lagon: That's war.
"Atty. Lagoc: This is a class war."
In retrospect, that "war" was resolved through voluntary arbitration with Atty. Ernesto Ladrido as the voluntary arbitrator.
In the present controversy, how far is entente cordiale between the contending parties? The problem has persisted for several weeks now with the picket going on from 12:00 noon to 1:00 P.M. and after 5:00 P.M., meaning off office hours. In the NCMB mediation last Oct. 9 presided by Conciliator Joseph Llanto, the parties have agreed to form a Grievance Committee composed of the three union presidents on one side and three nominees of the management on the other side plus one impartial member agreeable to both sides. Hope is pinned on the Grievance Committee to dispel animosities and smoothen relationship in the conflicting parties for the sake of the student body they are mandated to serve.
Finally, food for thought from one more column (yeah, I like to quote myself): "Far from being a business proposition, what is a university but a wellspring of knowledge and a citadel of freedom. It must pursue everything that is fair and just and not exploitative. Otherwise, the name university is but a farce."
(Comments to lagoc@hargray.com)