PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

PRICE OF PROGRESS 

The scene may be reminiscent of a painting by Fernando Amorsolo but it certainly does not evoke the serene bliss of rustic rural life depicted by the national painter. Rather, danger lurks as the farm, seen here tended to by two farmers dutifully carrying their ligador of water, may yet metamorphose into a commercial complex soon. The farm used to be part of a vast swath of ricefields, rocks and century-old trees until the state-run University of the Philippines (UP) transferred its main campus in the 1950s from Manila to its present site in Diliman, Quezon City. If the UP administrators have their way – through a charter change – the whole campus may yet be commercialized and privatized and its real estate property – including this farm – turned over to corporate capital. They say it’s for a cause – to sustain UP’s operations – but at what price?                           

  Photo by Arkibong Bayan/BULATLAT.COM

We want to know what you think of this article.