In Pursuit of the Untarnished Truth: The Discourse of ​Pisay​ (2008) Position Paper 2

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 Aureus Solito,who alsogoesbyhispennameKanakan-Balintagos, isbest knownfor filmsthataremeant toprovokediscourse;mostnotoriousofallbeinghis first, ​AngPagdadalagani MaximoOliveros (2005). Incontrast to the rest of his filmography, ​Pisay (2007) is a much lighter and simpler filmas a series of coming-of-agestoriesabout studentsatPhilippineScienceHighSchool.However, Solito iscareful to tacklepoignant questions inhis tributetohisalmamater–an almost autobiographical take of the stories that he and his own batchmates experienced (Zafra, 2008), while they were studying in the middle of Martial Law. What isnotableabout ​Pisay​, thefilm, isthat thequestionsitasksarenever thequestions that Pisay, theschool systemadministration,wants itsstudents to focuson. Insteadof celebratingthequalityeducation,monthlystipend, freetuition, andotherperks thatPisaypromotional postersarewont tofeature, thecharacters are forced to realize the limitations that theyareboxed inpreciselybecausethey chosetostudyinPisay. It tacklesthestiflingneedtofocusonhighgradesaboveall else, includingtheromanticrelationshipstypical forteenagerslikethem; thepainsof beingaprobinsyanofar fromhomeinthemidstof thecool,settledcity-dwellers; the struggleofbeingpoliticallyactive inatimeofpolitical turmoil,despite–orperhaps because of–being too young; andmost significantly, the ramifications of the infamous contract that obligates all Pisay scholars to takingaSTEMcourse in college in thehopesof pursuingaSTEMcareer.Manystudentshave resonated deeplywiththequestionthatEuriasksinthelast thirdof thefilm:“​Kapagbatwelve or thirteen years old ​ang tao, alam na niya kung ano gusto niya​?” Thepowerdynamicbetweentheadministrationandthestudents, inboththe filmand inreal life, isclear.UponentryinPhilippineScienceHighSchool,noneof thestudentsareabletoprocessthat theyareextremelylimitedinthelifeandcareer they can choose from then on. Foucault’s analysis of discourse places great emphasisontheroleofpowerdynamicsinshapingthemannerofhowcertaintopics arediscussed,andevenifcertaintopicsaresuitablydiscussedatall (Mills,2003). In the caseof ​Pisay​, the students are influencedby their teachers tochoose their responsibilitiesasscholarsaboveeverythingelse–abovelove,abovehome,above justice,andmostespecially,aboveself.Theadministrationandthefacultyinstilla certainsetof rulesthat tell thestudents:Youcannot refuteitnorescapeit, theonly thingyoucandowith thepath that ​youchose isexcel in it.Theyarepushedto believethat this lineof reasoningandsubservienceisonlynormal,nothingbut the typical trialsof being inaschool forwhatEugeneDomingo’scharactercalls“the creamof thecreamof thecrop.”Freedomandpassion, throughtheinfluenceof the power of thesystem, havebecomenothingbut farawaydreams forstudents that have realized where their heart lies too little, too late. It isnomistakethat thesearethestoriesSolitotellsin ​Pisay​. Inaninterview withJessicaZafra, yet anotherPisayalumna that pursuedanon-sciencecareer, Solito shares: “I believe thePisay administration should bemore open to the possibility that theirstudentswillnotonlyexcel intheappliedsciences,but inother fields, too.”Asanaward-winning filmmaker andanalumnus, he isabletotackle these subjects without worry of the systemmaking petty retaliation. More importantly, he isable to tackle thesesubjectswith theforesightof knowinghow deeply theseexperiences haveshapedhimandhisbatchmates longafter their graduation. These two factors put together means that ​Pisay is able tomake discourse that bothunderminesand reinforces thepower that it investigates.The rigidityof thispowerfulsystemensuresthat it isineffective,orevenactivelyharmful, towards its goal of producing science-orientedFilipinos inservice to thenation. Giventhis,howcanthesystemuseitspowertoinstillapassionforscienceevenif– or perhaps, ​especially if–astudent hasnodesire toactually pursueacareer exclusively in STEM? ThemostquotedlineinthePisayHymn, “Inpursuitof theuntarnishedtruth,” ismeant toconveyadevotiontoascientific,objectivetruth.Solito’s ​Pisayconveysa devotion to the scientific, objective truth that thePisaysystemmust becritically examined for its negative effects on the personal and emotional growth of its students, an area of discourse that the system refuses to acknowledge.

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