ECHOES July 2011 by Echoes

CONTENTS July 2011

PREVIOUS ISSUE/CORRECTIONS

EDITORIAL

COMMITTEE NEWS NEWS

INDUCTION BALL by Cocoy Vargas PRE-PLANSEM by Kenneth Reyes PLANSEM by Ayla Reyes

AD HOC TBS by Mark Matibag TF TBS by Yasmin Sehob R&R WEEK by Cocoy Vargas

FIRST GENMEET by Dave Cruz

FEATURES 18

FEATURED MEMBER Wonder woman Janna Ong—by Risa Crisostomo

FEATURED ALUMNUS Gian Panganiban, real estate investor and amateur occultist —by Raphael Dantes

ONE BIG JOKE Debuting the Laglag Panty attire—by Gab Sollano and Hari Orosco

SCHOLAR UPDATE Darius Flores and his life since Saturday CDC’s—by Cid Campos

INSIDE THE EXECOM How the group picked up the pieces—by Jessica Biscocho

OPINION Reconciling our events with our nature and cause—by anonymous

ESSAY Musings about music and colors —by Judith Pascual

CDC ORIENTATION by Pers Betana

CULTURE

TF3 SCREENING by Benedict Bismark

APPS’ OR by Pat Aquillo

FILM Beaver, no fever? Mel Gibson in The Beaver—by XP Damian

MUSIC Plant a Tree and their beautifully, noisy album—by Sam Gonzales

LITERATURE The frightening world of Bob Ong’s MacArthur—by Matt Dailisan

37 38

GOSSIP by Gossip G

JPES PARTY by Leus Punsalan RECOGNITION DAY by Irene Arzadon

APPS’ TBS by Derek Parreñas CDC WITH ALUMNI by Mhela Calugay EVENTOLOGY 101 by Kenneth Reyes

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITORS kenneth reyes

Editor-in-Chief avril bries

Associate Editor hazel sumampong

Managing Editor raphael dantes

News Editor jessica biscocho

Features Editor beatriz bayudan

Photo Editor nadine eleazar

Logistics Director joseph “matt” dailisan

Creatives Director kevin estopace

Webmaster

REPORT CARD by Kenneth Reyes

Irene Arzadon / Ma. Patricia “Pat” Aquillo / Beatriz Bayudan / Illenor “Pers” Betana / Jessica Biscocho / Benedict Bismark / Carmela “Mhela” Calugay / Sol Cortes / Samantha “Risa” Crisostomo / John “Dave” Cruz / Joseph “Matt” Dailisan / Paulo “XP” Damian / Raphael Dantes / Felichie “Faye” Ferrer / Margarita “Sam” Gonzales / Ancilla “Chila” Inocencio / Arsenio Lukban / Mark Matibag / Hari Orosco / Ma. Isabela “Lia” Pablo / Derek Parreñas / Judith Pascual / Leandro “Leus” Punsalan / Regina Reinoso / Ayla Reyes / Kenneth Reyes / Yasmin Sehob / Jose “Gab” Sollano / Jose “Cocoy” Vargas ABOVE Gian Panganiban, photographed at Promenade on June 11 by Kenneth Reyes cover photograph by arsenio lukban

PREVIOUS ISSUE

March 2011

CORRECTIONS

Our mistakes in the February issue On page 5, the picture is credited as art by Georgina Gonzales. Rather, it is a picture by Kevin Estopace. In “21st Century Everywoman,” the names of Inez Reyes’ children are incorrect. They are actually Patrick and Pael. On page 23, Aaron Lara is incorrectly credited as Fiona’s bassist. He is actually their lead guitarist. We’ve been misspelling Chila’s name for the longest time! It’s Inocencio, not Innocencio.

Echoes is the official publication of the UP Economics Society (UP Ecosoc), a non-stock, non-profit, student organization based in the University of the Philippines Diliman School of Economics. Since the 2nd semester of the academic year 2010-2011, Echoes is released four times in a sem and eight times in a year, on the months of January, February, March, July, August, September, October, and December. It draws its funding from a subsidy from UP Ecosoc, sponsorships, subscription revenue, and other small funraisers. For this semester, 60 subscription copies, 3 tambayan copies, 1 archive copy, and a complimentary copy for each of our sponsors, featured members, and featured alumni are produced. This publication is printed by Yza Copy Systems and Trading, located at Stall 22 at the Shopping Center, UP Diliman, Quezon City. contact us

upecosoc@gmail.com upecosoc.echoes@gmail.com visit for more information

All errors are corrected when posting on TheEchoes.net. If you spot any error in this issue, call us on it by sending an email to upecosoc.echoes@gmail.com.

upecosoc.org theechoes.net facebook.com/up.economics.society No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

4 TheEchoes.net

EDITORIAL most of us are familiar with the saying that those who

do not remember history are doomed to repeat it. This is actually paraphrased from Spanish writer George Santayana. The full quote goes like this: “Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It’s not as snappy as the first quote, but it perfectly captures the creed Ecosoc must take up this year. The Society has existed for more than fifty years. We’re older than the college we are based in, and indeed, we are even older than the constitution of the country we are based in. But with half a centruy of history under our belt, can we say we have been retentive? We are old yes, but have we remained in perpetual infancy? We grow, but not steadily— while we have come a long way from Godofredo Bamba’s small after-class club, our current membership of 158 pales in comparison to 1983’s 350 members. Perhaps we blame changing times, like the strengthening of surrounding organizations and the growing diversity of the SE students’ interests. And yet in theory, our age should allow us a first-mover advantage of some sort: we’ve been here longer than anybody, and it’s only logical to expect us to always be ten steps ahead. But instead, we might as well have been napping like the hare as the tortoise steals our lead. Our Society exists cyclically. The Execom leads Ecosoc in part by looking to the wisdom of the two—maybe three—Execoms preceding them, but no further. In a way, it’s as if every four years, our organization begins from square one. We used to pull off movie screenings at the Meralco Theater. We used to sponsor events as unique as a stand-up comedians contest. The Philippine Stock Exchange donated what we can assume to be a large amount of money to us. Task Force once organized a drive-in movie at Ortigas. We used to hold miniconcerts at the back parking. Do we ever draw from these experiences? Do we apply the lessons learned from the glorious achievements and painful mistakes our predecessors made? Fast forward to the present. We hosted a forum for senatorial candidates. We earned six figures in Musikapella. We bested many other orgs with Solstice. Will the Execom of art by sol cortes

2015 remember these events as more than just a byline in our website’s history page? Will they remember them as we remember them? Will they soak in all our regrets and errors and pull off the same events except bigger and better, because those regrets and errors were polished? Will their successors do something even bigger and better? Sadly, the answer to all these is, most likely not. We are standing still, condemned to repeat the same mistakes over and over again for another fifty years. Case in point: last year’s Musikapella was only our fifth installment, yet we already know almost nothing from the first four. Indeed, the same goes for this year’s National Youth Congress 8. Nevertheless, it’s not too late to change. The current Execom must devise a system of archiving—a system that is standardized and accessible. The commheads, VC’s, and members must also take part passionately in this system. President Paolo Tamase was right to ask the rest of the Execom to draw up a report about their events’ finances, details, and recommendations for their immediate successors, although the archiving system must widen its scope to target all successors for the rest of Ecosoc’s hopefully long life. Mistakes are made so we can learn something from them, but if we choose not to do so, then they just end up becoming failures. Our theme this semester is “Power Up,” a battlecry for upping our game and taking this Society to greater heights. We want our events, projects, and members to power up, to evolve for the better—it’s only been a couple of months and the average Ecosocer can already see this happening: genmeets and the tambayan are packed once again, the apps are numerous and enthusiastic, and Ad Hoc and Task Force continue to give us reasons to be excited for the coming months. But hopefully, we also power up the less sensational but equally important task of preservation. Echoes is not enough; we need the archiving system. Once we get that, we not only power up this sem, but our descendants’ sems as well. Hindsight is a powerful gift. Who doesn’t wish he could rewind time just so he can do something a bit better? But Ecosoc can do just that, since all our events are essentially done in the same moulds. It’s only a matter of taking advantage of that hindsight. Once we learn to, we will progress not just linearly, but exponentially as well.  5

COMMITTEE NEWS

PAOLO TAMASE

SELENA ORTIGA

welcome back, ecosocers!

hello ecosoc!

That is the fourth and last time you read that in my commnews. My friends know I’m not the sentimental type; still, it’s difficult to ignore the reality that my two years in the Execom will end in three months. While I will always push myself to do my best because that was my campaign promise, I’m also personally motivated to end my term on a high note. Seeing how almost everyone has been very active since we began the semester, I am confident in accomplishing all the things I promised (and more). Since June, I noticed that the number of people who have been spending time in the tambayan has been increasing. It might have been the summer break, the change in environment, a realization that classroom lectures do not make a complete college experience, or a combination of any of these and other factors. Honestly, I care more about the fact that people seem to have been reenergized, and given that (as highlighted by Power Up, our theme) we committed ourselves to an Ecosoc that is excellent in its service and other endeavors, this is a welcome change. I also welcome this semester’s applicants, the Power Apps! From our early observations and interactions, I know you are a batch with incredible potential. You’ve made really good first impressions; I hope you continue to be promising until I induct you as members. I apologize in advance if I am unable to spend a lot of time with you (I am handling a lot of committees in and matters for Ecosoc), but if there is anything important that you need to discuss with me, know that I am always willing to make time. Before I end, I would like to welcome back Frawesome (Sel, Cocoy, Gilbert, Reg, Reuel, Faye, Kenneth, Mads, Enzo, Jason, Myk—I know we’re all busy but let’s find time to go out sometime!); Ad Hoc (Janna, Cocoy, Lia, Ray, Race, Romano; Miguel, Jacques, Angelica, Jiggy, Raya; Kiele, Pat, Kat, Dave, Nadine, Camille; Mark, Jess, CJ, Geli; Sam, Chrissie, Noreen, JoGan, Lia, Andre, Stef; Hari, Bea, Lesley, and Just—the ones behind the best Ecosoc month ever), and Scholcom (Faye, Chiara, Car, Angeli, and Kat—thank you for committing yourselves to our scholars). There are many things to be happy about, but it’s just the start of the sem and we can do even better. Let’s go, Ecosoc! 

Welcome back everyone! Here we go again, new school year, new semester, new theme! POWER UP! So nice right? Say it’s nice because it really is! HAHA. How fun is a theme that not only brings us back to our childhood days of video games, but also tells us about how we should all be this semester. TIME TO POWER UP! Let’s all welcome ourselves to a new level of excellence in everything we’ll be doing this semester! ENTER: TASKFORCE 11! ‘New level of excellence’ is a more than perfect way to describe this beautiful committee. I’ve never been so proud of 38 people who mostly are one, two or three years younger than me. I’m so proud of all of you! Two months in the semester and look how much you’ve all accomplished. There is no doubt that we will bring you better events, and more ways of helping the scholars! This year is extra special for Taskforce because not only are we going to bring Musikapella’s sixth year to a whole new level, we’re also helping out our very own schoolmate. Thanks to Scholcom, we’re welcoming Madz Aloria as our first college scholar! Taskforce is at your service, as always. :)

PRESIDENT / AD HOC CHAIR

VICE-PRESIDENT / TASK FORCE CHAIR

GO TASKFORCE!

Nothing would be possible without the beautiful team I call my family here in Ecosoc. I’m so proud to be Taskforce and I’m so proud of all of these people! Dhiren, THANK YOU TALAGA FOR EVERYTHING. You don’t know how much you saved me from dying the entire June. To Jeremae, Yasmin, Georgina, Jess, Karla, Von, Bea, Kevin, Chila, Trixie, and Hannah, we’ve been working together since April and I’m glad that we’re all getting more comfortable with each other. Superb job guys! :) To the staff: Cid, Bing, Shelly, Juliet, Matel, Bettina, Janeen, Angeli, Niña, Pers, Topy, Tong, Matt, Myra, Kyla, Simone, Patty, XP, Queenie, Janine, Cathy, Pai, Ayla, Chello, Mariel, and Cyril, thank you once again for choosing to be a part of Taskforce! Let’s make this sem rock! I guess that’s it for now! This is my last first commnews! :( I’m slowly getting nostalgic to the fact that it’s almost about to end but it makes me want to make the best out of it! Frawesome, this is it. :) Lez do this!  photographs by beatriz bayudan and kenneth reyes

ANDRES “COCOY” LICAROS III

GILBERT BUENO

greetings ecosocers! welcome back to an all new

hello ecosocers! it’s been one month since the school

semester that’s just brimming with the potential of being the best Ecosoc has ever seen. There is no doubt in my mind when I say that from the energy displayed by the general membership at the onset of this semester to the excitement that I feel from observing the eagerness of our applicants in their approach to our beloved organization, this is the best shape I have seen Ecosoc in since my time as an applicant. And I’m not just beating our very own Ecosoc drum either, I’m just really happy to see just how much this org can be capable of. Maybe it’s a bit too early to be saying so but I mean it when I say I have too much faith in this organization for me to take anything back. The potential is just so inspiring! First off, hello to my beloved members (both new and returning)! Hello, Geoff, Thea, Janine, Lia, Myra, Denise, Henry, Tong, Shelly, Van, Irra, Sol, and Mareca! Thank you so much for all of your outstanding contributions thus far and I look forward to this entire sem of working with all of you. To my ever amazing vice-chairs, Bing and Yasmin, we were able to do so much last semester and I’m giddy in anticipation of finding out just what else we can accomplish together. I think I’ve said a couple of times in my previous commnews that I have never been more honored to lead such a talented group of people. A big hello also to my applicants, Brian, Bruno, Carlo, MJ, Monina, and Red! I know you guys are going to be awesome! For this semester, expect Seccom to power up in every possible way; Better prodworks, better services, excellent merchandise, an epic sigsheet and you can bet your ass we’ll wring every ounce of awesome possible from our September Gallery. This is our chance to showcase to everyone the best that this amazing organization has to offer and we’re going to knock it out of the park like nobody’s business. There’s so much to do that it makes a single semester so short in trying to do all of it, so power up with us as we take everything to a whole new level. The ass-kicking starts now. 

year started, but I’d still like to say, “WELCOME BACK ECOSOCERS!” Woot! Welcome back to the “lungs” of Ecosoc, the FINANCE COMMITTEE, Bettina, Simone, Ica, JYA, Paul, Georgina, Tin, AC, Niña, and Elwin. Naks! Super loyal ah! Haha! Welcome din to the new recruits: Ben, Matt, Norika, Dana, Angeli, and Avery. I’m so looking forward to working with this new batch of Finance people. I hope to enjoy my last term as Finance chair with you guys, and I hope you enjoy this semester too. And since I’ve mentioned it already, CONGRATULATIONS to all of us for a job well done during the Transformers screening! YAHOOOO! Thank you so much for your efforts, and also to other Ecosocers who helped out and those who bought tickets. It really means so much to me that you were there. I know that P250 for a ticket is ta lot, but all this is for the organization we all love so much naman eh. Super thank you! :) Next on the list: HARRY POTTER 7, which is tomorrow naaaaa! Finance, kaya ito! Another big event after 2 weeks, super galing natin. Haha! Our efforts may be underappreciated by some, but we all know that a screening is super hirap to organize, but we still manage to do such. And this time, there are some new additions to our committee! I’d like to WELCOME the Finance applicants, Darrell, Brian, Keith, Pauline, Ariane, and Sel! Super sorry na first/second week nyo pa lang, may major task na kaagad. Haha! Bawi ako sa inyo after ng HP7! :) I assure you, if this event turns out okay, like what we (Finance) feel everytime na may successful event kami, you too will feel super fulfilled! You get to help raise funds na for Ecosoc, you get to experience organizing BIG fundraisers pa like this. And take note, UP Ecosoc is (I’m quite sure) one of the first orgs to do movie screenings for fundraiser, and is one of the best in such event. HAHA! Just approach me if you need anything, I’ll be more than glad to help you! DON’T DEFER ah!!! HAHA! FRAWESOME!! OMG! Last sem na natin! Super thank you for helping me out with stuff, and for being so understanding! Sorry if nagiging “Transformer” ako when I have big events. Anyway, let’s make the most out of our remaining months as Execom. More bondings, please! Goodluck to all of us! 

SECRETARY / SECRETARIAT CHAIR

TheEchoes.net

TREASURER / FINANCE CHAIR

COMMITTEE NEWS

REGINA REINOSO

REUEL REALIN

hello ecosocers! i can’t believe how fast everything’s

heeello hello ecosoc! it’s been a month since classes

been! So last sem was good, but I assure you that this time, this semester is going to rock your world! So what does External Affairs have in store for you? Watch out for our events, CAPPcom: Eventology 101 (although it might be over when you read this), Friendship Week in August, and of course the first-ever Youth Economics Summit, which will be a gathering of many economics students from different universities to talk about the general topic of Philippine development! Also take note of our amazing services! We will soon have…the Externals Board! It’s about time we disseminate important news to the organization in a way that’s noticeable and seen by all! Haha! We also are currently revamping all our college/university organization databases! If you need contacts from other organizations from other universities, do let us know! And finally, we’ve brought back the JPES and CES (formerly known as PhilCES) elections! This is probably the first time in ages since we’ve elected our representatives and I, as well as the Execom and External Affairs Committee, am very happy that things pushed through at last! I hope that we, as the founding members, do strengthen our ties with these two prestigious organizations. And I am confident that the new generation of representatives will do just that. Another semester is under way! I would like to thank the Externals members of last semester for a wonderful and eyeopening experience. I’ve definitely learned a lot from you! And of course, I would like to welcome my current members and VCs: Chila, Ars, Dhiren, Hannah A., Kiele, Quek, Chiara, John Gan, Cheenie, Kevin G., Miko, Peter, Leus, Larissa, and Cheska :) I really want to empower each and every one of you this semester because you all are amazing at what you do. Thank you for joining me in the last leg of this crazy ride! I’m nothing without all of you. To Ines, Nikki, Cel, Stef, Rino, and Mabel: WELCOME TO ECOSOC AND EXTERNALS! Good choice! Stay bibbo and active! So far you guys have been great! I hope that by the end of this semester, you will find the love for Ecosoc that many of us found when we applied. Frawesome, THIS IS IT. KAYA! 

began, and I hope that everyone’s doing well. The recently concluded Recognition Day Rites has been a success for everyone as it has showcased the 70 Ecosocers who have managed to balance their acads and extracurriculars. May they serve as an inspiration to all of us! This semester, Academic Affairs will be a whole lot different. We will be going back to our roots as a service committee, and as such, we have limited the events that we will be holding this semester. We plan to intensify our efforts to give you, Ecosocers, the academic services that you need. Also, we currently have a tie-up in the works with CDC on the weekday tutorials. Finally, on the 26th and 27th of August, the annual seminar-workshop for high school students just got more “National”! The National Youth Congress Team has been planning since April and we’re cooking something awesome in its 8th year. To my awesome vice-chairs, Von and Jess, you did a great job with the Recognition Day Rites! I hope you guys maintain your high level of energy you have given Acad despite your numerous commitments. Alam ko naman kaya niyo eh. :) To the committee that’s going to make this semester a blast: Sam, Acad’s own PUB MACHINE! Keep the creative ideas flowing! Cathy, too bad hindi ka naka-ballet nung Recognition Day. Next time! Diane, welcome back to Acad! It’s been such a long time. Irene, my NYC8 co-convenor, welcome back to Acad! Cid, mon conseiller! Merci beaucoup! Liette, welcome to ACAD! I hope you have fun in your stay here. WYD! Marian, I’m very thankful that you’re still in Acad despite your commitments. :D Neil, you’re starting to become more active now! Stef, your updates contribute in helping us serve sophomores better! Horace, thanks for being so reliable as before! Nads, IKAW NA. Good job with the letterman jackets! Diana, Good Luck! SO proud and inggit! hahaha! To Nikki, Sam, Bryan, Jean, Topy, Camille, Lance, and Donelle, I hope you get to learn what Ecosoc is about through the committee. The application process might be grueling at times, but it’s a process that ALL Ecosocers must undergo. Your committee will always be here to support all of you! :) Pao, Sel, Gilb, Reg, Faye, Ken, Mads, Enzo, Cocoy, Jason, Myk—FRAWESOOOME! Final stretch! Let’s do this! 

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER / EXTERNAL AFFAIRS CHAIR

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS CHAIR

photographs by beatriz bayudan and kenneth reyes

FELICHIE “FAYE” FERRER

KENNETH REYES

welcome back ecosocers!

in the

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CHAIR

:) Before cellphones, laptops and internet became our friends, we were bestfriends with BOOKS! They took us to places we’ve never imagined, meet people we’ve never encountered, and let us play the role we thought we cannot have! The wonders books can do to us are endless, and that is why for this sem, we bring you back the company of our old best friends :) Each Sat CDC session will feature a book by our very own Filipino authors! Through the CDC Orientation (Thank you for coming! :D) and Prof. Pado’s talk, we hope you’ve learned a lot and be able to use the learnings in our sessions :) We just finish the PCA (Parent-CDC Assembly)! :)) where CDC members met and interviewed our Saturday kids and their parents. We’ve encountered problems last sem like tardiness, and hopefully with the cooperation of the parents, this time it’ll go more smoothly :) It’s hard but don’t be scared to discipline the kids! More than being their friends, of course, we want them to be able to teach them values and let them grow in a way we will be proud of :) Ecosocers, you have no idea how much your time and attention is valued by the kids, the nanay’s and the other communities. There are sooo many kids who wants to join CDC and tutorials, and even the vendors miss your presence! I hope you continue to be of service to others! To my CDC family and Frawesome, you also have no idea how much I value each one of you! Thank you :) And to my apps: Carmel, AK, Migs, Annamix, Sarah, Celina, and Loice! I am excited to work with you and see you shine this sem. God bless! :) 09.03.11 Save the date! The biggest story is about to unfold ;) 

TheEchoes.net

ECHOES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

1960’s, walter haettenschweiler introduced Schmalfette Grotesk in a book called Lettera. It was an ultra-bold, ultra-condensed typeface of capital letters that was immediately adopted by the French weekly magazine Paris Match. Soon, graphic designers were going crazy for it, and several variations—including ones with lowercase letters— were developed. Fifty years on and it lands on the cover and pages of Echoes in its modern form, Haettenschweiler, named after its creator. It replaced Bebas as our headline font, mostly because Bebas is now used everywhere. Whattup graphics people who know what I’m talking about! Anyway, here I am again at the start of a new sem with new children to nurture and care for. Hey Ecosoc, meet my applicants! There’s Derek (the one with glasses), Gelo (the one without glasses), and Judith (the girl). Already I sense the immense cosmic forces that say you three are fated to be great Ecosocers. And then there’s my team: Avril, my right-hand woman! From sock puppets to investigating unicorns, we’ve come a long way. Hazel, my financeer! I’m sorry for a lot of things, and I’m thankful for everything you’ve done for Echoes so far. Ralph, my news man! Still reliable after you’ve granted me so many favors. Good luck with your application! Jess, my genmeet showgirl! You’re ah-mazing. Echoes has been waiting for someone like you. Bea, my photobug! I hope you don’t regret staying! I’m glad I get to talk to you more than last sem! Nadine, my log head! You’ve taught me a valuable life lesson: making cellphone code-numbers is hard! Matt, my pub head! I can see you onstage, at Grand Trad, with a guitar, playing beside a dude dressed like a girl. Boom, I think we have a talent portion! And finally, Kevin, my webmaster/life adviser! We ought to be professional pubmat judges. Pop quiz! How many permanent committees does the senate have? Ecosoc, this is Echoes. I’m not going to say that we’re going to win Grand Trad, or ENTM, or Treasure Hunt. This Echoes is not in it to win it. This Echoes is in it to own it. We may be small, but who cares? After all, it’s not who we are, but what we do, that defines us. Yeah baby! I got that from Batman! On a final note, my brother Joshua turns 18 today. Happy birthday Broshua!  9

COMMITTEE NEWS

MADELENE “MADS” SALAZAR

VICENTE “ENZO” CLEMENTE

we’re starting this year off with a

hello ecosoc!

LIAISON CHAIR

HUGE BANG! There are so many awesome events, really energetic members, very promising apps and our love for Ecosoc to keep us working through all the stress :) Welcome back, Ecosocers!! I hope your summers turned out to be great. Liai this semester is trying its very best to give you more services and to cater to what the members and apps would enjoy. My VCs, Ayla and Mark are right on track with the service and dedication! I have no doubt they will deliver! My members: Bianca, Cj, Chie, Chrissie, Gab Roque, Gab Sollano, Kat, Nathan, and Pai are just as promising and willing to be of service to you! We hope you enjoy the series of Company Tours we have planned for you this semester! Other more regular services regarding the alumni, career options and Ecosoc excellence (:>) will also be delivered by our committee. Power Up is definitely what we will try to do for you. There are so many fields to engage ourselves in, so many people to meet and learn from and we really hope that we can allow you to see that with us. I am more than excited about what Liai can do this semester. We hope you support us and rise to the occasion of awesomeness that is upon us (that was my attempt at sounding.. game like)! HAHA sorry I’m really bad at these videogame things! Feel free to enlighten me! Like always, I’m super super open to meeting new people and starting new friendships! Don’t hesitate to let me know if there’s anything you particularly need or want from me, or if you just wanna say something! That’s exactly what I’m here for! To the Liai apps: Aris, Briana, JM, Josh, Marte, and Pito, goodluck with this semester! I hope you have a great time and remember that no one believes in you more as apps than I do!! Just let me know if there’s anything I can do for you! :) My welcome back ends here! See you all around the tambayan! <3, Mads 

MEMBERSHIP CHAIR

:) it’s a brand new semester where we can all start anew. I hope that’s what many of you are doing right now, letting go of the past and looking forward to the bright future. :) I would just like to welcome you to the Next Level, welcome to the “Power Up” semester, a semester to really look forward to. This will be a semester many of you won’t forget. Better watch out of for what the Membership Committee is bringing you this semester. With almost a brand new team, we assure you of brining the best quality service you deserve. With this, I would like to introduce you the Membership Committee. My VCs, Ryan and JR. Members coming from the Memcom last semester, Cocoy, Angel, Pat, Ria, Camille, and Janna. New members of the Memcom family: Ray, Car, Just, Jade, Karla, and Angelica. To my Memcom family, yes, we are a family. I am really excited for the semester head. I hope all of you are too. We will rock this semester! :) To Frawesome, one semester has passed. It’s been all so fast. I know all of us are inspired to do better from last semester. We can do this :) Let’s all have a semester of a lifetime :) 

photographs by beatriz bayudan

JASON TAYAWA

MICHAEL “MYK” NARCISO

welcome back, people! another semester has started

power up ecosoc!

filled with fun and fierce events hence, SPECIAL EVENTS. The new team of young guns will be lead by the awesome twosome, Romano Alonzo and Risa Crisostomo. Romano, a kid with the passion to lead, is a sports-addict who likes to travel and uhm.. stuff! Truly, he is value-adding to the powerhouse which is SPEV. Risa, a kid with strong dedication, is an expert in studying math and making pubmats (ish) and likes washboard abs; a strong addition to arsenal of this committee. Under Team Alonzo are the bold and wild people known as Chrissa of the South, Cyril of Lourdes Somewhere in Manila, Jacques of the Chinese community, Kelvin of Zamboanga, Noreen of LA (lower Antipolo) and Raya of BAA. They will deliver you the gut-wrenching Treasure Hunt and Green Day. Team Crisostomo will definitely back down as they are composed of the fiercest people in town (Ecosoc) who are the Judas-loving Andre, iron-pumping Jiggy, campus-hottie Lesley, cheerleading Maika, man-with-a-big-thang Miguel, and girl-with-two-big-thangs Ryna. They will deliver you the hottest season of Ecosoc’s Next Top Model, Tambay Week and Night of Culmination. This bad*ss, hardcore, sons-ofb*tches will take you down, eat you up, and throw you out. To my lovely apps Issa, Nicolle, Iso, Mark, Wax, JP, and Klaud, it is time to show your full potential because we will welcome you through the baptism of fire! HOHOHO! This may be the hardest semester you will ever get but do not defect; only those who try succeed. You are a strong-willed team and I know you will follow through! These are very inspiring words from a good friend: “there will always be another mountain, and you will always want to make it move, but it does not matter as much as the climb.” To Frawesome, this is our last semester together. LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN! 

This semester, let’s welcome the next level with enthusiasm and excitement. The Sports Committee is now prepared more than ever to launch well-executed events and well-thought-of services for everyone! As we gained more experience during the last semester, we are now ready to embrace Service, Excellence, and Tradition to a whole new level. To Hari and Chello, you two are really awesome! I am excited for you guys! Let’s bring Sports to greater heights! To the my returning Sports members, Tikay, Issay, Patty, Junjie, Tobie, Topy, Louie, and Mik, thank you for being more active this semester. I am glad that all of you are really living up to this semester’s theme! To the new addition in our cool family, Trixie, Jorell, Janeen, and Dave, I hope you’re enjoying the committee as much as we do. You all bring energy and vigor to Sports! Keep it up! To my Sports apps, Tracy, Paulo, Paolo, CV, Soleil, Jed, and Cesca, you all made the right choice. In Sports, you’ll be like a member, work like a member! Just what I told you last time, Sports will help you in every way possible. Just don’t forget to attend the required events and do what is needed. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you in the next Induction Ball. To Sports, all the best! Let’s Power Up! This semester is very special to me as this is my last as a UP student. I will miss everyone that has been part of and will be part of my Ecosoc life. To may co-wards, Enzo, Lia, and Chello, let’s reunite soon! To the AHTF Sales family, thank you for everything! Go Sisfire! To my Memcom family, I miss you everyone! To all my wards, I’m really proud of you guys! You’ve all grown so much that seeing you all being very active makes me really happy. To Ad Hoc 2010, I miss the old times! Pressure-packed days! Wohoo! To Sunny Side Up, thank you! More parties to come and more experiences to share! To everyone else, I’ll miss you all! And lastly, to Frawesome, Fridays will never be the same again. It has been a great ride. There’s no stopping us coz we’re Freakin’ Awesome! Cheers to the next level! 

SPECIAL EVENTS CHAIR

TheEchoes.net

SPORTS CHAIR

NEWS

ECOSOC RETURNS TO NEVERLAND FOR INDUCTION BALL & SEND-OFF BY COCOY VARGAS

ecosoc took a step back in time and

celebrated their youth last March 22, 2011 during the annual Induction Ball and Seniors’ Sendoff entitled Return to Neverland, held at the Acropolis Clubhouse in Quezon City. This event is held to welcome the Society’s new members and pay tribute to the graduating seniors. Miguel Andres opened the night with a rendition of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” after which the masters of ceremonies Benedict Bismark and Patty Bucao welcomed all the guests. That night, the Imprint applicants batch was inducted as members of the Society. Awarded the distinction of Most Outstanding Applicant was Karla Ruiz. The distinction of Most Outstanding Member of the UP Economics Society was awarded to Membership Committee vice chairperson and Ecosoc Leadership Council head Cocoy Vargas. The tribute to the graduating seniors of the Society was held that night. The tribute ended with a video, a black light presentation, and the final surprise: each senior was given back their applicant sigsheets. The night ended with Ecosocers dancing and partying the night away with drinks by Party Shaker Mobile Bar. Return to Neverland: The UP Economics Society Induction Ball and Seniors’ Sendoff was organized by the Membership Committee. 

3/22/11 INDUCTION BALL & SEND-OFF 12

ECOSOC RETURNS TO SUNSET SHORES FOR PLANSEM BY AYLA REYES

EXECOM OVERNIGHT AT TAYTAY FOR PRE-PLAN 4 to 6, 2011, the executive Committee held their pre-planning seminar at the Licaros residence for the first night and the Ferrer residence for the second night, both of which are at Taytay, Rizal. At secretary Cocoy Licaros’ house, the Execom applied a SWOT (StrengthsWeaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) analysis to their and their committee’s performance during the past semester, which lasted for five hours. At about 2 a.m., they watched Paranormal Activity 2 before going to bed. As certain officers had other commitments the following day, the pre-plan only continued the next night. To pass the time, Execommers who had nothing to do swam and bonded at the Valley Golf Country Club. At CDC chairperson Faye Ferrer’s house, the Execom drafted members for their committees. The theme for the next semester was also discussed, followed by the planning of the semestral Ecosoc planning seminar, which was slated for May 6 to 8. Again, the Execom viewed a horror film, Child’s Play, after the meeting. However, the movie was not sufficiently frightening enough to keep them awake. The pre-planning seminar is held to reduce the workload of the Execom during the planning seminar proper. 

6-8, the execom held ecosoc Big Brother: Plansem Edition, the semestral planning seminar at Sunset Shores, Morong, Bataan, in the midst of the strange summer weather. Twentyfive Ecosocers attended the plansem to evaluate the organization. Immediately after arriving at the house, the Ecosocers played a few games. Later on, the Execom cooked and served dinner. The members began their SWOT analysis of the previous semester at 10 p.m. while the Execom discussed the events for this semester and plotted them on a calendar. The members’ SWOT finished at 1 p.m. the next day after taking a break from 5 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The SWOT evaluated the committees of the organization, their committee heads, the application process, and the organization as a whole. Additionally, the members also gave their views on the upcoming constitutional change while the Execom discussed the budget. The members participated in another team-building activity in the afternoon and then watched The Exorcist at night. Despite the power outage on the last night (which creepily occurred after viewing The Exorcist), the Ecosocers were able to play beach volleyball, Frisbee, card games, and other pool games during their stay. There were also special tasks as part of the plansem program to fit the Big Brother theme. The planning seminar, also known as plansem, is held before each semester begins. 

4/4-6/11 PRE-PLANSEM

5/6-8/11 PLANSEM

BY KENNETH REYES

last april

last may

photographs by (l-r) arsenio lukban, regina reinoso, arsenio lukban

AD HOC BONDS ITS MEMBERS THROUGH TBS BY MARK MATIBAG

last saturday, june

18, 2011, the ad Hoc chairpersons and directors assembled the entire committee for their time-honored team building session for all of its members. The TBS comprised not only bonding activities among the members of Ad Hoc’s five different departments, but also simulations that particularized the Ecosoc Ad Hoc’s features and functions. The session started with a small introduction by the directors, followed by the random grouping of members for the team game, a competition similar to Amazing Race. This was held in the School of Economics, where four stations were arranged. The tasks for each station involved knowing the basic functions of the departments of the committee: Sales, Logistics, Marketing, and Publicity. Subsequently, the teams were tasked to devise their own plans for the Ecosoc Month. The presentation of plans occurred at the Tamase residence. Refreshments were served to the members there as well. The team building session of the Ad Hoc Committee is an internal event that allows its members to not only bond but also wholly comprehend the specific tasks they would do as members of the committee. Nearly twenty members attended. 

6/18/11 AD HOC TBS

TF BONDS AND LEARNS AT TBS BY YASMIN SEHOB

MARIO CAMEOS AT R&R WEEK BY COCOY VARGAS

20, 2011, the task force committee held its Team Building Session (TBS) at the UP School of Economics from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event was split into two parts: the first part was a mini-seminar and the second was a race. Former TF Chairperson Laurence Go was also present at the event. He gave a short presentation about the committee and its grand event, Musikapella. The members were then grouped into their respective departments and were given short lectures from “the experts” (Laurence Go for External Relations, Dhiren Karnani for Logistics, Jeanne Limgenco for Marketing, Kenneth Reyes for Publicity, and Geoff Bautista for Sales). Assistant directors and staffs were randomly divided into four teams for the race. Each challenge had two levels. Level one included physical challenges (flag searching, longest line, bubblegum art, etc). Level two included TF departments’ dilemmas; the team would have to call Sel or Dhiren and come up with a solution for the given problem. The TF TBS aims to strengthen the internal bond among the TF members.  last june

6/20/11 TF TBS

photographs by (l-r) lia pablo, chila inocencio, arsenio lukban

membership committee spearheaded UP Ecosoc’s Recruitment and Re-affirmation period last June 21 to July 1, 2011, along with the six other organizations of the School of Economics at the School of Economics Walkway. In line with the semestral theme, the Secretariat Committee created Ecosoc’s Mario Brothers-themed booth that featured the organization’s semestral goals and thrusts, and as well as a hand-made remote control mushroom. Members went to the booth in order to re-affirm their membership to the organization for the semester, after which they were given a bookmark containing the calendar of events for the semester. The Membership Committee’s goal of reaching 80 sign-ups was achieved by the end of the recruitment period. This was despite the suspension of classes during the end of the week due to the Typhoon Falcon. Recruitment was extended to the following week, leading to the Applicants’ Orientation. Currently, there are 60 applicants, well in the range of the Membership Committee’s goal.  the

6/21-7/1/11 R&R WEEK 13

NEWS

STORIES SHARED AT CDC ORIENTATION BY PERS BETANA

after being postponed due to typhoon

22, 2011 marked another important event for the Society as it held its first general meeting for school year 2011-2012. Unlike previous genmeets, it was held at the SE Lounge beginning at 4 in the afternoon. The event started with a prayer led by CDC chairperson, Faye Ferrer. Afterwards, Cocoy Licaros, chairperson of Seccom, introduced a game where songs from video games were played and the members had to name which video game it came from. Afterwards, the members listened intently as president Paolo Tamase as he gave his opening remarks. He introduced the theme for the sem, “Level Up,” which is conceived to encapsulate the organization’s goal to take further steps in living out Ecosoc’s thrusts of eervice, excellence, and tradition. Vicepresident Sel Ortiga followed, presenting the events for the entire semester. Next came the introduction of the committees. Each committee head presented a short video clip that acknowledged their members or presented their collective endeavors. Finally, the event was capped off with a small banquet and a song presentation by the Executive Committee. With the conclusion of the first general assembly comes the official beginning to a fresh new semester for the UP Economics Society. 

Falcon, the Community Development Committee (CDC) finally held the CDC Orientation last June 29, 2011, which gathered around 80 members at SE 127. The program started at around 4:30 pm with an opening prayer followed by opening remarks from CDC chairperson Faye Ferrer. A talk started right away with the event’s speaker, Dr. Felicitas Pado, from the College of Education. Dr. Pado opened her discussion through storytelling. She then explained the process in which a child learns to read, along with proper teaching methods in reading a book to children. It served as guide for the members on how to facilitate storytelling sessions on Saturday CDC’s. Some kids from Pook Ricarte were also present that afternoon to share their experiences and thoughts on being part of the daycare sessions. The kids, who were told to write their “speech” beforehand, said they were happy to be part of Saturday CDC and to be introduced to Ecosoc. One of them also found the tutorials (particularly in Math) very helpful. The last part of the program introduced the intensified theme of CDC from last semester – Level Up!, the committee’s members, event line-up, and revised rules on attendance and blacklisting. To tease the members for the first Saturday CDC, a skit was portrayed by some members of the committee. The program was capped off through the distribution of the “Library Pass” and brochure. 

6/22/11 FIRST GENMEET

6/29/11 CDC ORIENTATION

VIDEOS ABOUND AT FIRST GENMEET BY DAVE CRUZ

june

FINANCE’S TRANSFORMERS SCREENING A SUCCESS BY BENEDICT BISMARK

1, 2011, the finance committee screened Transformers: Dark of the moon at Robinson’s Galleria cinema 9 . The preparations for the event started mid-May as the team chose which movie to screen. Early June was dedicated to locating a venue for the screening. Trinoma, Eastwood, and Shangri-La were all considered, but as they were already fully booked by mid-June, the team had to settle with the stricter yet still available Galleria Cinemas. Sales had a rocky start as the team entered Galleria with a below-breakeven status. Fortunately, certain members exceeded their sales quota: Norika Ishikawa sold over 15 tickets during the screening, and Georgina Gonzales sold over 20. However, most of the revenue are still in the form of accounts receivables. There were no problems encountered during the screening itself other than a minor microphone glitch that was promptly rectified. There was even a surplus of giveaways. No one—other than Finance members—had to stand during the screening. Profit-wise, Transformers 3 fared better than last year’s Harry Potter 7 part 1, earning around P18,000 from about 320 guests. The movie screenings are one of Finance’s staple fundraisers. There will be another one this semester, this time of Harry Potter 7 part 2, this July 14.  last july

7/1/11 TRANSFORMERS 3 SCREENING

photographs by (l-r) arsenio lukban, beatriz bayudan, kenneth reyes

ACHIEVERS AND NEW COLLEGE SCHOLAR AWARDED AT RECOGNITION DAY

VIDEO GAMES RE-ENACTED AT APPS’ OR BY PAT AQUILLO

the membership committee welcomed

the new semester with the Game Boythemed Applicants’ Orientation held last July 2, 2011. Thirty-seven fresh and undoubtedly lively individuals painted the town red as they gathered in SE 125 for an afternoon of acquainting themselves with the organization, its members, and their fellow applicants. Hosted by Memcom’s Cocoy Vargas and Car Sta. Maria, the event was set in motion with the traditional parade of members. The presentation of the Execom and their respective committees took place afterwards to introduce the applicants to the framework of the Society. The orientation also showcased different stations prepared by all committees. These stations let the applicants not only immerse in the nature and proceedings of Ecosoc, but also allowed them to socialize and enjoy their time with the members and their co-apps. The Ad Hoc/Task Force booth, in the mould of Plants vs. Zombies, received the Best Station award. Abiding by the mechanics of the popular video game, this booth had the applicants, who represented the “plants,” making and throwing water balloons to the members, which represented the “zombies,” to eliminate them. At the end of the event, the applicants ranked their committee preferences and elected their officers, with Iso Garrido elected as their app head, Celina Hilario as the secretary, and Paolo Bautista as the treasurer. 

7/2/11 APPLICANTS’ ORIENTATION

BY IRENE ARZADON

JPES PARTY BRIMS WITH GLAMOUR

college and university scholars of

nior Philippine Economics Society held its acquaintance party entitled Glamorous last July 2, 2011 at the Area 05 Superclub at Tomas Morato, Quezon City. Held annually, the event provides a venue for economics students from the different universities to meet in a casual setting. This year’s theme took on a fashion show, with selected students serving as models for styles provided by designer Tin Villalino and clothing brands Penshoppe and Shapes, as well as for bags by Marithe Francois Girbaud. Prizes from the different sponsors were also given away, which included a Marithe Francois Girbaud bag for the attendee with the most glamorous attire. Music, provided by the club’s inhouse disc jockey, was in the air as alcoholic drinks were served. In addition, attendees made good use of the Photobooth set up by Sneak Pic. Ateneo de Manila University students Karsie Lorenzana and Mayo Floro served as hosts for the event. Glamorous was co-presented by Area 05 Superclub, Tanduay Ice, and Marithe Francois Girbaud. Sponsors included Shapes, Penshoppe, Smart, and Nova Multi-Grain Snacks, while the media partners were Discounts Magazine, Circuit Magazine and television channel ETC. 

the UP Economics Society during the 2nd sem of AY 2010-2011 were awarded at The Academic Awards: Recognition Day Rites on July 6, 2011 at SE 125. This event was spearheaded by the Academic Affairs Committee. There were 13 college scholars (CS) and 13 university scholars (US) from the 2nd year batch, 16 CS and one US from the 3rd year batch, and 16 CS and 7 US from the 4th year batch. Each was called during the program and was given a certificate by the Academic Affairs Committee chairperson Reuel Realin. Gab Roque, who is currently a senior, received the Best Original Score Award for having the highest GWA among the Ecosocers last semester. Another special honor was the UP Economics Society Humanitarian Award, which recognized four members of the organization who attended the most number of CDC. The awardees were Bettina Ramas, Cid Campos, Risa Crisostomo, and Dhiren Karnani. The award was presented by CDC chairperson, Faye Ferrer. To cap the event, president Paolo Tamase presented the UP Ecosoc College Scholarship grant to Madz Aloria, a 3rd year BS Economics major of the UP School of Economics. She is the first college student who received a scholarship from the Society. Aloria will receive P12,500 and P2,500 for academic and extra-curricular expenses respectively, among other non-monetary benefits. 

7/2/11 JPES ACQUAINTANCE PARTY

6/29/11 RECOGNITION DAY

BY LEUS PUNSALAN

it was a night of high style as the ju-

photographs by (l-r) arsenio lukban, sneak pic, risa crisostomo

NEWS

APPS BOND AT OWN TBS BY DEREK PARREÑAS

the membership committee held a

Team Building Session (TBS) for the Power Apps last Friday, July 9, 2011, at the back parking lot from 4pm to 5:30pm. Despite the rainy weather, the event produced great laughs and pleasant smiles from both members and applicants alike. Hosted by Carissa Sta. Maria with the help of Ryan Malit, Angelica de Guzman, and Membership Committee Chairperson Enzo Clemente, the games produced a lot of collective effort and bonding among the applicants. They first got to know each other’s names and then were divided into two teams, which then competed in the three games the Membership Committee organized, namely: “Guess Who?,” “Magpapalit Ang Balat ng Ahas,” and “The Longest Line.” For “Guess Who?,” Team One won, recognizing almost all the applicants from Team Two that were picked by the hosts. In the second game, however, Team Two picked themselves up from their loss with a 5-4 win. “The Longest Line” resulted in a tie, with all the applicants efficiently placing their belongings on the ground and collecting them with precision. After all the fun and games, announcements regarding upcoming events were made and CDC Passes were given out to the applicants. Team Building Sessions are events that are frequently organized by the Membership Committee in order to foster unity and friendship among the applicants. 

7/8/11 APPLICANTS’ TBS 16

ALUMNI RETURN FOR CDC BY MHELA CALUGAY

APPS LEARN EVENTS-PLANNING AT EVENTOLOGY 101 BY KENNETH REYES

more than ten alumni were reunited

with the entire Ecosoc community, the Pook Ricarte kids, and an overwhelming number of Power Up applicants at the first Saturday CDC of the semester last July 9, 2011. The event was organized and sponsored by the Liaison Committee, who also provided balloons and other props for the occasion. Activities started with an opening prayer followed by a video-game themed version of the noontime show staple, “Pera o Bayong.” The kids with their respective guardian members were divided into groups and spent the rest of the morning doing tasks in different stations such as balloon-popping and the like. The event was well-attended, and among those in attendance were former CDC chairpersons like Jay Tolentino, Gel Fernandez, and former president Raymond Zabala, who are now alumni. The affair ended with pasta and orange juice meal and a picture-taking at the SE walkway. 

last monday, july

11, 2011, the externals Committee held CAPPcom: The Evolution of Events-making, this semester’s Eventology 101. The day began with an icebreaker for the applicants, which was followed by the first speaker, former president Raymond Zabala. Raymond talked about the programs aspect of events. He was followed by fromer Spev chair Aaron Aw, who talked about the logistics aspect of events. Cams Bayhon and Janna Ong came after, and they discussed their experiences with publicity and marketing, respectively. A lunch break happened afterwards, where the apps were served siomai and rice. They then participated in a simulation where they had to plan a party and defend their model to the Execom. In the afternoon, Ecosoc alumnus and former vice-president Gian Panganiban spoke about customer centricity. Eventology 101 is a seminar for applicants that acquaints them with basic events-planning knowledge. 

7/9/11 CDC WITH ALUMNI

7/11/11 EVENTOLOGY 101

photographs by (l-r) kenneth reyes, beatriz bayudan, regina reinoso

FEATURES

The accomplished, loveable Janna Ong graces our cover this month with her regal presence. Our Featured Alumnus meanwhile is Gian Pangilinan, the former Ecosoc vice-president who was behind the successful stand-up comedy competition Jebska. Gab and Hari take over One Big Joke and write about how to gym—GaHari style. Bea then follows with the story of Darius Flores, a former Ecosoc scholar who is now a successful businessman. Jess unleashes an epic Execom article, chronicling their internal disputes and eventual resolution before we take a look at what socio-civic means to us. Finally, Echoes app Judith closes with a pensive essay. ABOVE The Power Applicants, playing a game during the applicants’ orientation. Photograph by Arsenio Lukban

FEATURED MEMBER

THE PRINCESS OF ECOSOC Every once in a while, there comes a person who shakes the Society from the ground up BY RISA CRISOSTOMO

espite being the country’s premier learning in-

stitution, the University of the Philippines Diliman has its fair share of bums and burn-outs, looking to coast along the sidelines of college life. Many join an organization or two just to have a place to tambay, while others view these extra-curricular activities as extras to beef up their resumés. All the same, it’s unfair to cast aspersions on people who join for these reasons, since, to an extent, we are all guilty of the same thing. Hoever, what sets apart a true student leader is not her purely professional work ethic, nor is it her lack of ignoble intentions. A true student leader is a student (first and foremost) who manages to transcend all that and accomplish what she sets out to do for the sake of serving others. The U.P. Economics Society, the University’s biggest and oldest School of Economics-based organization, has had ts fair share of brilliant leaders who have fulfilled its Vision of becoming movers of youth dynamism. U.P. Ecosoc has had many presidents, vice-presidents, and Execommers come and go, but Ecosoc has only seen one Janna Ong. Janna Marie Giannina Ong, the eldest of four children, was born on August 21, 1990 to a loving and supportive family. It was through her family life that Janna discovererd and cultivated many of her passions and principles, such as travel and the value of hard-work. Despite being the eldest child, Janna never felt any pressure to take on the family business, with her parents even encouraging her to branch out and explore other fields first. Remaining modest even at the face of all her achievements, Janna recounted her humble roots. Throughout her seven years of grade school at Poveda Learning Center, 18

Janna claimed that a leadership opportunity had never really crossed her mind. Her focus was on her studies and it paid off in honors, awards, and quiz bee victories. It was only in high school that Janna got her first real taste of leadership, becoming the president of her class. Already an effusive, encouraging, and effective personality, Janna took to her presidency like a duck to water and her confidence in herself as a leader grew, so much so that Janna decided to take a stab at student council. Her campaign for batch representative ended in a loss, but there was still no defeating Janna’s drive to serve. She was elected president of her class yet again and committed herself to the job, doing it to the best of her abilities. When another opportunity arose, Janna did not shy away from the challenge and ran once more; this time, for public relations officer. As this was a school-wide position, Janna had to campaign to all year levels, including mine. Admittedly, my first, clear memory of Janna Ong was the semi-famous rhyme that her friends created and spread around campus to help her campaign: “Janna Ong, Janna Ong, amoy bagoong!” Needless to say, her name stuck in my head during election time and, clueless freshman that I was, I cast my vote for her. Although it wasn’t the most informed decision, it was undoubtedly the right one. Janna Ong-Bagoong was elected P.R.O. and all of a sudden, she was not only serving her class but the entire school. Janna did not shy away from the challenge. She rose to the occasion and put in hours, days, weeks, months of her time to putting on events and programs that would benefit the student body. From her time as a student council officer, Janna learned the right amount of dedication it took to make a good idea a great event ad the sacrifices a leader must undertake in order to achieve all that she can. photographs by arsenio lukban

The start of Janna Ong’s illustrious U.P. career was marked with several distinct ironies. For starters, Janna never had any intention of going to U.P. With her sights set on Ateneo, passing U.P. just seemed like the cherry on top. But as the summer waned, so did Janna’s desire to go to Ateneo. Upon having enrolled as a BS Business Economics student, Janna told herself that she would focus on her academics and not become so involved with extra-curricular activies—yet another irony. In the first semester of the first year, Janna Ong applied to the UP Economics Society, and the rest—as they say—is history. From app officer to top applicant, to vice-chairperson of the Membership Committee, Janna didn’t take a break from rising to meet every challenge, leaping past every hurdle as she slowly, but surely, made her way to the top. Janna said she committed herself to Ecosoc because the people who she served made it worth working for. In her second semester as a member, Janna ran for Memcom chair and won. Just in her sophomore year, the task would have daunted anyone, but she did what she did best: she moved mountains. For any other person, this would be a gross misuse of hyperbole. But any member who was even a small part of Janna Ong’s term as Memcom chair will remember how she took on every event head-on, with a vision clear in her mind of what she wanted to achieve and going to every length to see that vision fulfilled. Events like Kampai, the Induction Ball and Seniors’ Send-off in Janna’s first term as chair, and Grand Tradition, in her second, define the standards Ecosoc strove to live up to. The sky was the limit for Janna, and there was nobody she pushed harder but herself in meeting her expectations. Nevertheless, she smiled through all the stress and laughed through all the trials, never forgetting the aspect of service separate from events that came with being the Memcom chair. As an applicant under Janna, I can attest to how an encouraging word from her would inspire us to work harder and how she tried to make us all feel like we were a part of the organization. Her term as Memcom chairperson ended over a semester ago, but it did not signal the end of Janna TheEchoes.net

Ong’s contributions to Ecosoc. Her legacy is still in the making. Taking last sem off, Janna had more time for herself and her studies. Nevertheless, she still managed to staff for Chrome, organize PR events for JMA, serve as marketing director for CAP, and become a University Scholar to boot! This semester, Janna Ong is back, and this time, she’s taking on Ad Hoc as its co-chairperson. She promises to bring the celebration not just to the members, but to the entire University and beyond. More than a party, Ad Hoc, this semester, is a month to celebrate the organization and put Ecosoc, as a brand, on the map. Ad Hoc is typically described as a training ground for some of the Ecosoc greats, and Janna is no exception, having been a part of it for four semesters. This time, Janna and Pao are teaming up to bring out the best in their team and the best in Ecosoc, because they believe the potential of their members is in them. Ecosoc has only seen one Janna Ong, but we’ve yet to see all that she can do. Despite everything she’s accomplished, Janna prefers to have people think of her as the girl who enjoys simple things,

like singing random songs, going to the beach, and anything with green tea. It says a lot about who she is and what she values in life. Anyone else would have done half of what Janna had accomplished and been content, but that’s what sets her apart from all the others. There’s a fire in Janna that just won’t quit. Momentarily quenched by her latest achievement, it comes back burning with a brighter ambition and a higher expectation. She feels that she still hasn’t done enough to be worthy of people’s praise, and she certainly doesn’t see what she’s done to be Echoes’ Featured Member. Janna, behind the big voice and the even bigger smile, is a person who hasn’t forgotten who she is amidst all the roles and positions she’s had to take. Her modesty towards selfdeprecation struck me the most, but they did not surprise me. Janna knows that a true leader never stops giving, never stops serving. If you keep aiming for the horizon, you may never reach it, but if you take the time to look back, you’ll see how far you’ve gone. I’d like to believe that Janna is the kind of person who won’t stop to look back until she hits the horizon. 

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE Janna and her contagious smile 19

FEATURED ALUMNUS

BRIGHT EYES ON THE PRIZE Meet Gian. He works in banking, he loves to cook, and he can control the world with his mind BY RAPHAEL DANTES

n december 27, 1980, gian paulo panganiban was

born to Ramon and Carmelita in Quezon City. As a young child, he developed an affinity for nature and all things adventurous. A self-affirmed “farm boy,” Gian spent a good deal of his youth frolicking in a duck farm his family owned. Though he had a lot of freewheeling fun as a kid, Gian was also never lax with his school commitments. He was quite studious even at a young age, and he gained a predilection for subjects like Math and Science. High school was when his social and academic life began to take concrete form. Gian was part of the accelerated program of La Salle Greenhills, skipping 7th grade and directly entering high school, where he was also part of the honors section. These feats became the impetus to Gian’s realization of his potential. He set off his extra-curricular involvements when he joined the La Sallian Youth Core and the religious org Covenant to be with his friends. The clubs in high school served to be Gian’s first taste of org involvement. It was an experience that would later culminate in his college years. As college dawned on him, Gian had been conditioned to go to DLSU. The existence of UP as the prestigious national university of the country hadn’t even grazed his mind as he considered which college to enter, let alone the possibility of actually studying in it. It was his father who convinced him to apply to UP, aside from ADMU and DLSU. This fortuitous scheme of events eventually led him to enroll in UP, with Business Economics as his major. As it happens for many individuals, college became one of the most enlightening and entertaining experiences he’s ever had. The UP setting taught him independence and edified him with holistic life experiences. It was his years in the UP 20

Economics Society that became the keystone of that marked phase in his life. Encouraged by his brother and the additional credentials joining an organization would avail, he signed-up for Ecosoc during his sophomore year, where he belonged to the External Affairs Committee. He learned very early during his stay in Ecosoc about the Grand Tradition, so to please the members of the organization, he agreed to join the pageant. Gian is aware of the effect that the infamous Grand Trad has on people, hence he’s thankful that at least he did it before he settled into his group of college friends. Very much attuned to the work of the organization, Gian eventually became the Vice-President and head of the Task Force Committee in the second semester of his third year in UP. Holding these positions, he succeeded not only in fulfilling his duties and responsibilities but also in organizing and launching lucrative and creative events. During his term, “parachute concerts” resembling the Woodstock Festival were done in UP. The bands invited to perform for these concerts ultimately hit it big in the future—Imago, Slapshock, Greyhoundz, and Sugarfree all performed in these concerts, sharing a part of their early history and beginnings with Ecosoc. Furthermore, he made marked strides on an event of an earlier VP, a stand-up comedy competition. Seeing an opportunity in how the energy of the crowd abated in-between comics, he added a concert component to the event, thinking that this will let the audience stay engaged all throughout the duration of the event. Thus became the music concert and stand-up comedy hybrid entitled Jebska—a pun involving the colloquial word “jebs” and the hip and vivacious music genre ska. Acclaimed comedian and impressionist Jon Santos, also a former Ecosocer, had been tapped to host the event, and it photographs by kenneth reyes

became immensely successful, packing the old Kubblai’s in Katipunan to brimming capacity. Ecosoc, like for many people, was an experience through which Gian forged friendships and affiliations. He acknowledged that “Ecosoc strengthened his core and diversified his experiences.” The delightful time he spent in the organization with friends alleviated the stress of academic commitments that college imposed on him. He looked very fondly upon the socio-civic core of the Society, saying “helping others was more pronounced in Ecosoc.” He even recounted a particularly memorable CDC session wherein they had to abruptly stop the tutoring because there was a fire in the community, and they all carried furniture with them as they evacuated. The socio-civic facet of Ecosoc, in addition to the skills that he learned in negotiating with partners and people management, was what ultimately endeared the organization to him and distinguished Ecosoc from other comparable prominent organizations in UP. In 2001, as with all good things, his time in UP and in Ecosoc as a college student concluded. Thoroughly enjoying the process of organizing and executing events in Ecosoc, Gian looked for a job that could offer him the same experience. This led him to a job in the multinational company Citibank. He admitted that the job, while rewarding and exciting, was grueling—12-hour work days from 9 to 9, taut competition

with other gifted peers—but he understood completely that this was an educative experience that would be valuable to him in the long run. Young and filled with the prospect of possibility, Gian decided to test the limits of his comfort zone and resolved to sample other professional experiences. He left Citibank and worked for Megaworld Corporation as a real-estate agent selling condominium units. He recognized this change as a move borne out of the urge for discovery, seeking to explore different experiences just to get a grasp on his options. However, this experiment proved to be transitory, as it occurred to Gian that he wanted to go back to banking. That’s how he ended up in BPI. Currently, Gian is a department head in BPI. Despite having accomplished a lot at a fairly young age, he still aspires to achieve more and to do more. In the future, he intends to be a “diversified businessman,” getting a good handle on business risks and branching out into different fields of business. He reads a lot of business books and books dealing with the potentials of our mind to keep him informed and sharp. Through a spirit-questor friend, he became an ardent advocate of developing the power of the mind, saying that if you play it in your mind enough, it’ll happen. His meticulousness in planning what he wants and improving himself reflects just how stimulated he is. Despite the straight-laced nature of his profession, he understands that life

should be balanced. For him, this balance comes in his zeal for adventure. At one point in 2006, while he was inbetween jobs, Gian decided to go on a road trip with his friend to Mindanao after they saw the Alfonso Cuarón film, Y Tu Mamá También. The opportunity presented itself when this friend invited Gian to go along with him to take a truck, a Mitsubushi Canter, to their farm in Bukidnon. Gian promptly agreed to his friend’s offer, eager for any form of adventure and roused by the film they just saw. Thus began a thirty-six hour road trip from Manila to Mindanao with only him, his friend, and his friend’s uncle. Fueled by caffeine and almost nothing else—sleep was relegated to the two hours they expended in the roll-on, roll-off ferries—they swept through long expanses of roads and whisked over provinces. Gian has a very spirited perspective on life, relishing both the thrills of adventure and the fulfillment in wellmerited success. This goes hand-inhand with his conviction in the widely held adage carpe diem. His sense of adventure continues to thrive, having journeyed around the fringes of Luzon, crossed mountains in Sierra Madre, and even sampled shrooms in a beach in Mindanao. While he continues to work relentlessly to achieve his goals and to enhance himself, he keeps the fire of an adventurer ablaze in his core through his travels. “Believe in the purpose,” as he says, and “hone your mental power.” Gian is a man who’s out there to live. 

NOWHERE BOY Never content with where he is, Gian continually strives to learn and attain more TheEchoes.net

ONE BIG JOKE

GYM JUNKIES Featuring Dean Dulay and Aaron Aw BY GAB SOLLANO AND HARI OROSCO

after inspiring the world to stop illegal logging, gab

and Hari decided to do something for themselves. (Puta, syempre, tao rin kami na may mga kailangan.) They only had one thing in mind: to make their bodies macho by going to a gym. Wala kang magagawa ‘pag hindi ka batak e. One problem though. Currently, they are in a financial crisis because they donated to charity and stuff, so they asked the EIC of Echoes (who is very handsome, by the way) to build a gym for them. Since the EIC recognizes the urgency of this dilemma, he erected a gym from the ground using his bare hands. Now we have the official One Big Joke Gym and Gab and Hari can focus on more important things. (Alam na!) Of course, they wanted two other real men to try out their new gym too, so they invited Dean and A to join in.

Gym wear When going out of your house, you always need to dress up! This is a tip everyone should adhere to because you don’t know who might see you. You can’t just go out of your house naked... pero nagawa na namin ‘to at wala namang nagreklamo. But the gym is a different place. Gab and Hari wanted to find out what their fellow guys were wearing, but sadly, they were disappointed. Men wearing jogging pants and baggy shirts! Gago, hindi kami ganon!!! So we decided to create our own gym appearance. We call it the Laglag Panty Outfit. Mga chickababes, magtago na kayo kung ayaw niyo malaglag mga panty niyo! First, get the most bad-ass sando you’ve ever seen. A Bench Bodytm one will do. We have it in black to compliment our skin tone. (At may alam rin kami sa fashion.) Then, find the short shorts like the ones chicks wear. (Hindi ito kabaklaan. Sorry, gay people.) This will help you see the progress of your leg workouts. Next, get long socks like what soccer players use to keep your legs warm. To top it all of, cover your forehead with a headband and cover your feet with slippers because style and comfort can happen. Underwear is optional in this outfit because all the ladies that see you will lose their underwear, too.

Workout let’s start with the body part that most men enlarge...

the biceps (Akala mo bastos, no? Sige, pwede mong isipin 22

na nag-fleflex kami.) But Gab and Hari don’t do any average workout. We make our own. While our guests picked up the barbells and started doing bicep curls, we tackled the thing like it was out of this world. (Kailangan mo hintayin yung video para may suspense.) Next, we went after the bench press equipment. We let Dean and A have their fun with the stick before we had a go at it. (Puta, walang kabastusan ‘to.) Our guests were baffled by what was unfolding in front of their eyes. It was something they had never imagined. (Malakas pa yung mga imagination nitong mga ‘to a.) You’ll get to see it for yourself too. (Oo! Hintayin niyo yung video!) Last, but certainly the hardest to develop among them all: the abs. (Mayroon na sina Gab and Hari nito. Wag maiinggit!) We found a mat and did our ab workouts there. As usual, we let our guests have the first try. (Bait kami e.) After their abs were hurting, we decided to relieve them of their misery and show them how it’s done. We got on the mat and did it! Hindi ‘to sex a! Everyone was looking at us weirdly but they couldn’t say a word after we showed them the results. (Gago, wala talaga silang masabi non.)  GAB AND HARI FUN FACTS ♥ Mang Inasal boasts that they have unlimited rice. When Gab and Hari went to Mang Inasal, nagkulang yung rice. ♥ A woman has a stronger sense of smell than a man, pero mas malakas naman ang pang-amoy nina Gab and Hari pag dating sa mga bulaklak. ♥ The tongue is the strongest muscle in the body. Alam nina Gab and Hari ito kasi lagi nila itong ginagamit. ♥ Women have more tastebuds than men. Proven na ito nina Gab and Hari with their hands-on experiment. ♥ A man’s beard grows fastest when he is waiting for sex. Kaya pala balbon sina Gab and Hari. ♥ Men sweat 30% more than women. Hindi sigurado nina Gab and Hari kung “sweat” ang tawag doon. ♥ Hindi kami bastos. theechoes.net/gymjunkies

warning: Masyadong manly yung video namin. july 20

photographs by beatriz bayudan, photo-illustration by kenneth reyes

A FAMILIAR FACE As Ecosoc welcomes its first college scholar, let’s take a moment to remember the scholars of yesteryear, like entrepreneur Darius Flores BY BEATRIZ BAYUDAN

THE BOSS Darius Flores at Spa 101’s Katipunan branch

photograph by kenneth reyes

FEATURES

KING OF THE SPA News editor Ralph Dantes hanging out with Darius

lair waldorf, the upper east side’s diva, is com-

pletely content in a stylist’s chair, being pampered and having her every whim attended to. Other than Barney’s and the salon, the fictional Miss Waldorf frequents the spa for an all-out de-stressing and makeover experience. A lot of women, unsurprisingly, echo that sentiment. And it’s not just us—more men have been flocking to spas to enjoy the same services, if the term ‘metrosexual’ is an indicator. More and more guys have been getting a lot more conscious about their appearances, hence the rise in interest. In addition, for both the men and women, these relaxation and pampering services are slowly crossing the line from want to need. This is exactly the reason behind Spa 101’s name. Darius Flores, one of the owners, explains this succinctly. “Basic needs,” he says. “Just like Econ 101, right?” Of course, economics, Spa 101, and Darius Flores have a deeper connection: Spa 101’s owner is actually a former scholar of the UP Economics Society. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here—first things first. This is, after all, Darius Flores 101. Darius was born on May 20, 1975 to Estrella and Donato Flores, the second of five siblings. He spent his early years in Balara Elementary School, which is just on the outskirts of 24

the UP Diliman campus. “Ecosoc did CDC’s even then,” he shares. “I was part of those. Well, not really—it was really my brother who joined those, but I was always there on the side. We were from a public school, so CDC’s were something we looked forward to.” He is all praises for the committee’s daycare sessions. “CDC was always fun!” he recounts. “There would be games like spelling bees, mini-math contests where you would answer a question and run to the front—those kinds of things. They really took care of us there, studies and everything.” After graduating valedictorian from Balara Elementary School, Darius went on to attend Quezon City Science High School, where he describes himself as not too studious. “I did not take down notes, much,” he recalls, in Filipino. “I was the type of kid who always sat in front. I had a pretty sharp memory, so I just listened to my teachers. I loved math and science, and I only took down notes when the lessons got, you know, complicated and formula-sensitive.” Even then, his memory proved to be more than enough— he was always one of those who were picked to join academic competitions. “Yes, I joined the math ones,” he shares. “But not the science ones. In a science high school, of course, the class consists of valedictorians who are really good, so it was hard to compete with that. If you were just average, you would have a hard time.” That was around the time Ecosoc found him and adopted him as a scholar. During those years, there was only one photographs by kenneth reyes

scholar per batch, unlike today where we have more. As an Ecosoc scholar, he received around P200 a month for allowance plus books. When he needed money for projects, all he had to was ask. Mark Querubin and Jose Antonio Colet were the presidents he remembers. He was especially close to Querubin (whom he last heard was an assistant director to filmmaker Erik Mati), since the former president would even visit Darius at home. “They were very nice,” he says, referring to Ecosoc members then. “They made sure I had what I needed. We had no tuition, but that P200 went a long way. It was a big help.” One of his favorite anecdote —one where his sharp memory figures in—is during a competition he joined just right before high school. “It was a science competition, when I was in grade 5,” he shares. “I was not even actually part of it, but there was an emergency. My brother woke me up and told me that I was going with them to the competition because they were lacking a member.” So young Darius went with them and spent the whole day with index cards, memorizing a lot of facts. “Come competition time,” he says humbly, “we actually won. I’m very proud of that.” Clearly he is, because that impressive feat wasn’t all that he had accomplished. “In addition, I was also the top scorer for the individual category.” This little anecdote is indeed remarkable, one that would warrant an admiring “ikaw na!” in today’s slang. That’s not all he did in high school though. If you’re picturing a Darius Flores à la Spencer Reid of Criminal Minds fame (the typical nerd, complete with glasses and an unkempt appearance and an eidetic memory), think again. Darius, while being an above-average high school student, was also proficient in sports. He played football, to be exact, and was part of the varsity team. “The Azkals weren’t popular then,” he quips. It is kind of fitting that he played football, because he shares a birthday with goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who captained Spain to victory during the 2010 World Cup. “I didn’t watch the last game, TheEchoes.net

though,” he says, pertaining to the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifiers match of the Azkals versus Sri Lanka. “I just watched the highlights on the news. But yes, football was my sport.” He graduated high school in 1991 and he pursued higher studies in UP Los Baños. Incidentally, he took up economics. Darius describes his college life as normal, “Not too many extracurricular activities like high school. I concentrated on my studies more.” It was in 1996 where he entered the labor force as a management trainee for A&W restaurant, where he eventually went up the ranks and became a fullfledged manager for the said fastfood place. “Eventually I got bored, so I left and changed industries,” he says. “It wasn’t what my course prepared me for, right? So I looked for other fields.” He went on to the construction industry, where he worked for two years as a sales executive and a supervisor under Hooven Philippines. After this short stint, he tried his luck in Saudi Arabia, partaking in a restaurant called Dajen. He came back in 2002 and put up a coffee shop called Sugar and Beans. It went on to grow to six branches across the Batangas and Manila area. He went back abroad in 2006 when Chili’s in Dubai hired him as an Assis-

tant Training Manager. Having sold his shares to his partners before he left the country, he spent three years abroad. 2009 was the time he opened up Spa 101, originally in Timog. “I came back here, and my girlfriend didn’t want me to leave anymore,” he laughs. “Why a spa? Well, she was always asking me to come with her when she wanted to get a massage, or cut her hair. So I told her: okay, I’ll just put up a spa for you!” And thus Spa 101 was born. His thengirlfriend (now his wife, Pamela) had a high school friend, Joanne Gonzales, and together, they built the business. 2010 was an eventful year for Darius. He married his high school sweetheart, became a Born-Again Christian, and opened a new branch of Spa 101. Looking back, Darius cannot find much to regret about what his life has been so far. “I am grateful to God, of course, for everything. It’s been a lot, and coming from a humble background, I think I can say that I have reached far. And certainly Ecosoc has been a big part of this—that’s what I missed in college, actually, having them guide me, because back in high school and elementary they made sure I was doing well in my studies. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to pass Quezon City Science and UP.” All things considering? “Life is good, yes,” he says. Just like in a spa. 

SWEET SUCCESS “Life is good,” says Darius 25

FEATURES

HOW THE EXECOM WAS WON To save Ecosoc from hard times, the Execom had to face their greatest adversary—themselves BY JESSICA BISCOCHO

here are a number of unlikable things we have

grown accustomed to, things that have become so familiar that our social mindset has, against its will, learned to embrace them as part of reality. “Hard truths,” we have termed them such. The field of governance is a good example. It is common for authoritative figures to struggle with their own match of critics. However admirable their intentions may be, there’s always going to be an opposition. Our own Executive Com26

mittee, the Ecosoc Execom, can fervently attest to this. It’s like getting thrown into a brawl, where you either form allies who will defend you from the punches, or be left alone to fend for yourself—the latter being a show of unwavering dignity or foolish immaturity at accepting defeat. “Take a stand,” they say, “even when you stand alone.” This call for honor has unfortunately become a convenient excuse to justify self-righteousness. It is valid to an extent, but conflict occurs when it is forcibly pushed beyond the lines of its true context. The question then is when to draw the line between nobility and pride. This may just be the exact inquiries our incumbent Execom pondered to themselves as they faced a tough match: them versus the general membership. With a significant number of Ecosocers expressing discontent in their way of running Ecosoc, the drama stirred, spreading faster than how the Black Plague turned Europe into a graveyard. The second semester of the school year 2010-2011 wasn’t exactly a period of rainbows and butterflies for the organization. The Ecosoc tambayan, formerly its members’ favorite place for rendezvous, suddenly emptied out. The non-stop buzz of sounds coming from simultaneous sharing of kwento’s were hushed to extended dead hours. Clearly, things were sloping downhill. In fact, the last gossip column entry of Echoes’ last issue gave a voice to the hush: “spotted: The Executive Committee not working well as a group, and minimally as individuals as well.” Coincidental or not, the strained chill from the leaders’ photographs by arsenio lukban

ON A DAY LIKE TODAY Before all the drama, they were just another batch of bright-eyed Ecosocers hoping to make a difference. Here, they take their oaths as officers of the Society. (October 29, 2010) factions paralleled the Ecosoc community’s decline. Pretty soon, it could no longer be contained within the Execom. Unsympathetic comments were being tossed around, questioning the credibility of our leaders. Fingers were pointed, first from the members to their committee chair, then in turn, from the chairs to the president, Paolo Tamase. For quite a while, what ignited this chaos of resentment remained unclear to most of us. Different editions of the story circumnavigated the org. Some said it was Paolo’s iron fists, while others blamed the Execom’s unattainable idealism to reestablish the image of Ecosoc—all of which were merely unconfirmed speculations. Until now. It’s time we make our way backstage and hear from the Execom members themselves their own version of what really happened.

The Recruitment but let’s hit the pause button first.

Of course, before these leaders were TheEchoes.net

elected into the Executive Committee, they each lived their separate lives. Before their roads intertwined, before taking up their great responsibilities, before the limelight, before the quarrels, they were just twelve Ecosocers walking down twelve different paths. Before Paolo Tamase was the Paolo we now know as perfectionist, organized, responsible, and a little more uptight than the rest, he was, well, perfectionist, organized, responsible, and a little more uptight than the rest. “Quite honestly,” he says, “there wasn’t much of a difference.” As Echoes Editor-in-Chief for the previous Execom, his display of fervor for the Society was evident, and it came as no surprise when he started to campaign for the presidency under a platform of change Meanwhile, a co-Execommer of his was planning a similar route. Selena Ortiga’s extent of skills and talents is definitely a lot greater than her vertical stature. Similar to Paolo, Sel has always displayed her leadership potential. She held a position, got the job done well

and even loved it to the point of wanting another Execom opportunity. She campaigned for the presidency under a platform of unity and friendliness. Elsewhere, other Ecosocers were heeding the call for service. Faye Ferrer, a dedicated and motherly CDC vicechair, whose warm smile and optimism makes her stand out in a hectic room full of people running errands and stressing themselves out with work. “The world is too beautiful for us to frown and hate things,” she says. When it was Kenneth Reyes’ turn to describe who he was before the Execom, his answer was simple: he was, is, and probably will always be, Echoes. “I was Echoes all the way. I love it that much!” Shy as he may be, Kenneth stepped up to the challenge. “I started to want more,” he recounts. “There are so many stories that could be told through Echoes.” Another person born and raised in one committee is Mads Salazar. “I’d like to think I’ve always been friendly,” she answers with her endearing sheepish laugh. Honest and true, Mads really is 27

FEATURES

one of the friendliest faces of Ecosoc. She treats everyone with the same respect and without prejudice. But more than reaching out and making friends, she aspired to make a difference for the organization, and she found that fulfillment in Liaison. Regina Reinoso, on the other hand, has a different opinion of herself. “They all think I’m a nerd.” She has always excelled in her academics, but what’s even more admirable is how she juggles that with Ecosoc and RVC. With her ability to perform a “Mary Poppins,” as one of her fellow Execom members call it, it seems she’s really made for the superheroine task of being in the Execom. Another energetic member is Gilbert Bueno. He has always been bibo, and it makes you wonder where he gets all this energy from. He never runs out of things to say, even if most of them are hilariously senseless. This was and is Gilbert: animated, talkative, and full of life. But he was honest enough to admit that some adjustments had to be made. He had to tone himself down to better the image that people had of him. When asked what exactly this image was, his answer was succinct: “Palaging lasing.” Perhaps Jason Tayawa can relate. 28

Happy-go-lucky, bastos, walang modo are the three adjectives that stood out when he described himself. To those who know Jason, he’s the one you’d want to hang out with no matter what mood you’re having. His carefree spirit has a way of entertaining, more so his jokes, hirits, and words of wisdom. His truthfulness to himself is also one to admire: “Huwag kang magpapabago sa tao dahil Execom ka.” And then there was the significantly quieter Reuel Realin. Although an active member of Ecosoc, Reuel’s been more into the backstage work. Unlike the aforementioned Execom members who were quite sure of themselves in terms of taking up a higher position in the organization, it never crossed his mind that he would end up in the same picture. As an Academic Affairs vice-chair, a push from his former chairperson was what took him to finally consider running, and this obviously served him well. “Sometimes, people just need the push to run for Execom.” That might just be what happened to Enzo Clemente as well. “Practically ordinary member lang ako,” he says. “Always in the tambayan, playing cards, getting to know apps, etc.” Enzo, though

YOU TALKIN’ TO ME? Their name was coined by Sel during plansem and is short for “freakin’ awesome.” Here, Frawesome pulls a straight face at the camera. (October 29, 2010) very active in the organization never really saw himself as an Execom member. “I wanted to have a great impact but as a member lang talaga; I was there to support.” But obviously, something along the way convinced him that he was meant for something greater. Many were surprised when Myk Narcisco, an ex-Memcom and ex-CDC applicant, ran for Sports. But despite his lack of experience, Myk’s always been consistent in terms of involvement in Ecosoc. He’s always accepted extra work and offered what he can to contribute. Now that he’s in a higher position, he says, “Mas mapabiro ako ngayon, mas willing to reach out.” According to him, the Execom allowed him to be more of himself in the organization. Another big surprise was Cocoy Licaros, who initially ran for Acad but unexpectedly dropped out during the campaign week. “I was nothing,” he says. “I was a bum.” He felt burned out and

photographs by faye ferrer and kenneth reyes

removed from the Ecosoc circle, to the point of considering filing for inactivity. But one morning, divine intervention got to him and made him realize that this isn’t how it’s supposed to be. “I missed the work. I wanted to do reintegrate myself back into Ecosoc.” So when he was offered the vacant position of Secretary, he readily took it.

The Uprising it’s no secret to the ecosoc com-

munity that its current Execom began its reign on a sketchy start. Getting a glimpse of their individual backgrounds immediately gives us the notion that their personalities are really diverse. The elected candidates come from greatly varying social groups and it can only be expected that an instant mesh would be hard to attain. “Ibang-iba talaga kami sa isa’t isa e, very distinct yung mga personalities namin. Yung tipong kahit pilitin mo, mahirap.” True enough, harmonious and family-like

atmosphere proved a struggle. You’d be surprised at how a small group like theirs is still capable of being subdivided into smaller factions. According to the Execommers, at the onset, they were divided into little cliques; beyond their own groups, they barely even spoke to each another unless it was work-related. “Yung problem pa is, we settled for that. It was only later on when we decided to really mesh together.” How then was this issue reconciled? Ironically, the bridge that allowed them to cross over and bring down their walls was the issue of dissention against Paolo. Some of the Execom members were honest enough to say that they had serious issues with their president. “The funny thing is, we all had something to say about Paolo.” Corollary problem no. 1: According to them, Paolo was too imposing. He had a tendency to boss them around, especially the cohorts whom he had clear superiority over. “Iba-iba yung pag-

treat niya samin. Naramdaman talaga namin yun.” He especially had his eyes locked on the young ones tediously evaluating their plans and ideas. But Paolo was scrutinizing only to some, which made it even more problematic; there was an obvious exercise of favoritism. “Kung titingnan niya yung mga mali ko, maiintindihan ko yun eh. As long as ganun siya saming lahat, pero hindi e.” Corollary problem no. 2: Paolo would oftentimes compare Cliquish (his previous Execom) to Frawesome (incumbent). “Up to the point na we said, ‘Okay, rule no. 1: Don’t compare.’ We’re different people. We don’t have a Janna, nor a Dean, nor an A.” Remember the typical after examination scenario where even if everybody is done, you’re all still hesitant to stand and submit until one brave soul steps up? The same is true with this issue. They all knew there was a problem but they all turned a blind eye until someone finally laid it on the table. Like a trigger

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS Frawesome bonds at the Valley Golf Country Club in Taytay, Rizal. (April 5, 2011)

TheEchoes.net

pulled, feelings flied out in explosion. They were quite surprised themselves at how most of them were starting to harbor the same feeling of dissent. “We really pushed for an evaluation [on Pao]. He evaluated all our performances; it’s only fair that we be given the chance to evaluate him as well.” Going over the fence, Paolo expressed his take on the matter: “I saw my role as trying to help out the new ones understand. I guess to the point na I was already dictating on what they should do, how they ought to do it. And it was my fault na I forgot to realize they are (already) aware of their duties; they already know what they need to do and I failed to consult them. That was for me, the root of the problem.”

The Cliché in all fairness, it was never their in-

tention to single Paolo out. Some may have jump-shipped to the opposition for personal reasons but there were still those who stayed objective on the matter. “I wanted to hear him out muna and try to make sense of the situation,” as one Execom member says. “I guess it was easier for me kasi wala naman

akong issue sa kanya.” These mediators tried their hardest to keep the rising emotions at level, but they could only try so hard. With the tension building up to a blow, something had to be done. The Execom pre-plan session gave way to this settlement. As a cliché happy ending is to a movie, the pre-plan was to this grueling story. Hurts were expressed, explanations were given, and apologies were said. It was finally time to kiss and make-up. Perhaps it was to avoid more bashing from Gossip G—or from any of the members for that matter—or perhaps they realized that being Execom requires looking beyond personal concerns and actually taking in consideration what is best for the entire organization, that it’s not going to work out if they continue to let pride get the best of them. Being Execom may be a powerful position, but it isn’t a reason to gloat. In fact, it’s the opposite: being Execom is all about humility and acceptance. “Yung org natin, di siya magwowork for you dahil Execom ka, but they will work with you.” Nevertheless, it requires leadership. “Tandaan mo lang na mas kaibigan mo sila more than being co-workers.”

Love Ecosoc and it will love you back—we’ve heard this time and time again. The Executive Committee may have a great impact on the course of the organization, but what is a captain’s power to steer a ship if the rest of his crew members gear towards the other direction? The internal conflicts of the Execom may have been a factor to Ecosoc’s flaking out in the past semester, and more of those conflicts may happen again, but it’s not an excuse for the rest of the members to stop fulfilling their own responsibilities. For now, it’s enough to see that everyone’s trying their hardest to uplift the current state of the Society. “Really, we’re far from being the perfect Execom. In fact, we will never be, but what I appreciate in our group is that everyone’s trying their best, there’s so much potential pa.” Good Execom, bad execom—Ecosoc’s been faithful in providing us all it can offer. Ecosoc’s been a home to many a great name in our country today, and we wouldn’t want to put a stop to that. “We can’t just wait and sit around for someone to change all that. If you want to be something, this is the best place to do it. Here, in Ecosoc.” 

HALF-WAY THERE Frawesome at the first genmeet of the semester, re-energized for the coming months. (June 22, 2011) 30

photograph by arsenio lukban

OPINION

SOCIO-CIVIC 101 It’s not always what the event is about—sometimes, it’s what the event is for BY ANONYMOUS last semester, we opened discussion

on constitutional change, which made us look at our Society critically and tried to find issues that need to change. This made members stumble on the definition of the org—are we really a sociocivic organization, and if so, do we even define socio-civic properly? Some argue that our brand has been compromised by the semestral parties that we conduct—that we are more known as a party organization and not a society that exemplifies service. This raised a lot of concern on whether or not it is beneficial to do events that are not commonly referred to as socio-civic. As an organization, we follow a cause: to promote economic understanding as a step towards change, and we promise to deliver. But again, some question the process of “delivering.” I think our events may be divided into two: sociocivic in nature and socio-civic by cause.

Socio-civic in nature we organize events and activities

that shout socio-civic. Our Saturday CDC’s alone make up for the service part. We also have the Caravan and the Medical Mission among others. Then you have the civic part through seminars and symposiums, and most notably, the National Youth Congress for high school students. These events exemplify how we became the organization we are today. You see service and national pride at a glance.

Socio-civic by cause as economics students, we learn the

shifting of preferences of the consumers. You should provide what they demand so that you can get your profit. Hence the other side of the coin: events that are socio-civic by cause. Parties, chorale competitions, and band perforart by kenneth reyes

mances may not be projects that would come to mind when you say, “We are from a socio-civic organization.” But these events are created for that cause. For example, after organizing Sisfire 7, Ecosoc felt that UP students are starting to grow weary of concerts. And being one of the organizations that will lose the most (if we do not earn, we can’t support our scholars), we decided to look for another activity the following year. Same goes with pushing for events that are socio-civic in nature to be fundraisers. If, for instance, we do a symposium as our main fundraiser, this may not yield the profits we need to support our beneficiaries. This is the same principle we follow in sales teams—we look for that best item to sell and it may not necessary be linked to the project that it’s supporting. And a party, at this time, is something that still is enjoyed by the market. (Well, I feel we have to start looking at preference shifting again.) A better way to put it is, “I enjoyed my night, and I also sent a scholar to school!” This is what’s unique about our fundraising events. We should not just settle for pilitang pagbenta. We try to make sure that what we offer is something mutually beneficial and we should not just rely on convincing friends or members to buy just so that we can call our events successful. This is our edge as economics students—we see the shifts in preference of our consumers and we try our best to provide for what they demand. Also, stretched as it may seem, this is also service for the members. If we do not expand what we do, how do we expand the training in events management for them? How we promote and package this party is the question, the root of this misconception. Removing these questionable proj-

ects is not the key to change our image. Instead, proper brand management is something that we have to intensify with this organization. Yes, we have started focusing our attention on events that exhibit our civic nature, like the Academic Symposium for college students or sponsoring a university-wide debate for the USC Elections. But still, there is this image that haunts SE 121. i am leaning to think that we as mem-

bers fail to embrace this view, and that is what’s reflected outside of the organization. So let’s ask ourselves, there might be something wrong in how we, as a socio-civic Society, shape our members into embracing the very essence of this org? I’d like to believe that we are UP Economics Society—it’s not the room or just its projects, but it is the members that define the org. After all, we are the ones who act upon the organization. If we do not understand this definition, we ourselves will argue about the way we handle our home. We are one of the best organizations in the University. Actually, I believe we are the organization. Try to consider any other group that is college-based yet can handle diverse events, from national chorale competitions to metro-wide parties; to one-of-a kind movie screenings to national high school forums; and then after all that, put smiles on the faces of our less fortunate brothers and sisters and send deserving scholars to high school and college. But the reason that our image became a party organization is maybe, in previous years, we really did capitalize on our parties. And now that we are sharing the limelight to NYC, Musikapella, and the like, I see that we are on our way to making that change—we just have to live up to it. I’m still not sure why I wrote this. Blame Kenneth!  31

ESSAY

IMAGINING LIFE IN HD AND SS BY JUDITH PASCUAL

people live such workaday lives.

Eat. Breathe. Study. Laugh. Eat again. Breathe. Play. Read. Sleep. And again, for days on end. Where did all the colors go? Did they ﬂy back to the rainbow for us to chase? Did they prefer to be admired in the form of ink and canvas? Did they abandon sunshine and die? The palettes on that Artist’s hand had dried up from the wind, that it had lost all of its vibrant and dazzling energy. But what if the Artist suddenly ran wild? What if the skies were as pink as Barbie dresses? What if skin and ﬂesh were neon green and yellow? Would we then emit light, turn luminous and spontaneously combust? I’m sure John Donne would. Where did the music go? Did it travel faster than light and return to the darkness and silence of the atmosphere? Did it 32

go to your iPod and sing you to sleep? Did it wake you up in sinful melody while you recover from a broken heart? Did it ﬁll your soul with empty promises of love, friendship, and peace? Music that makes the ears drunk are clearly music that we need. What if the music were to speak, to talk to us and relate in its innate form? Would we then understand? Would we relate and be thankful for the music that got us singing? Would we even listen? The hustle and bustle of our lives tells otherwise. Life gives us a lot of tiny things to be thankful for each day, so tiny that we don’t acknowledge their presence. We are always absorbed by what to do that we fail to see and listen. I guess people have one-track minds, but life is bursting with endless possibilities of adventure and new discoveries. All we need to have are eyes open enough to see the beauty of tiny leaves creating a dance-like whirl in the air before laying to rest on the sidewalk, and ears ready to listen to the pitterpatter of the rain on the stony pavement. Here I sit and ponder about life; how it has always been like a movie captured in high deﬁnition where we can see in all directions at the same time, and set with surround sound where the soundtrack has always been the beating of our own hearts.  art by pat aquillo

CULTURE

After a sling of scandals, Mel Gibson returns with The Beaver, a box office flop that nevertheless features a stunning performance from the actor. Then we go small-scale with the Filipino indie band Plant a Tree and their electronic album JUMBNGLE, an effort they generously make available for free online. Matt recounts his experience in reading Bob Ongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MacArthur, an unusual book for the author that portrays a gritty account of the Philippine underbelly. Meanwhile, for the past two weeks, Gossip G has been collecting the gossip you have sent in. Now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to reveal them all. Finally, Kenneth closes with the June Report Card. ABOVE Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson in The Beaver. Movie still from AceShowbiz.com

CULTURE

NO FEVER? The Beaver is not so much quirky as it is disturbing, but Mel Gibson shines BY XP DAMIAN

despite mel gibson’s stellar per-

formance (to me, his best so far), The Beaver’s box office performance, however, still ended up down in the dumps as a big fat flop, earning a little over $900,000 compared to its $21,000,000 production cost. Mel Gibson plays the role of Walter Black, a depressed toy company executive who is thrown out of his own house by his wife Meredith (Jodie Foster), not to mention that his son Porter (Anton Yelchin) pretty much despises him. Just before he loses it, he starts to communicate through a toothy beaver hand puppet, thus the title. The puppet eventually becomes his alter ego as he tries to fix his life piece by piece. Although it was promoted as a dramedy, it’s over-all impact to me was dark, even disturbing, in certain scenes, like the part when Walter and Meredith have a sex scene with the beaver, which almost seemed like a threesome with a puppet. Another possible reason to why it flopped is its predictability, and at times, it felt like it was just another film despite its “high concept.” Some parts were also very confusing and unrealistic. For example, why would the Board of Directors of a company allow a loony man, talking through a freaking beaver puppet, continue to assume the position of CEO? And what kind of wife in the right mind would let his husband speak through a beaver and live as if everything is normal rather than bring him to a mental institution? Aside from the conceptual aspects, over on the technical side, the musical scoring was also a little off. A side story also occurs in the film about Porter who writes school papers for his classmates in exchange for 34

FOSTER CARE Commercially speaking, The Beaver is directress Jodie Foster’s poorest performing film

money. This brings him closer to Norah (Jennifer Lawrence), the class valedictorian, who asks him to write the valedictory speech for her (odd that she could not write her own valedictory speech). They eventually engage in an intimate relationship. Although it’s a little off for me, Yelchin and Lawrence still show great promise judging from the way they performed. But definitely, Mel Gibson deserves two thumbs up for the way he took on and played the role. Despite the absurd idea of using a beaver puppet as a psychological therapy, Gibson still managed to deliver a believable and convincing performance. He did not resort

‘Gibson’s performance, at times subtle, at times showy and never less than remarkable, is what makes The Beaver worth seeing’ —bill goodykoontz, arizona republic

to ventriloquism as to what most would predict in a film involving a puppet—although he did have this little Aussie accent going on. Watching this film would remind people of Gibson’s incomparable ability as an actor and his dedication to make a quality film. I would recommend this movie for the sole reason that Gibson’s act, for me, is worthy of another Academy Award. A lot of people would say that for him, taking on the role was not that difficult, considering that he is also struggling with alcohol problems and depression in his personal life, but for me, that just makes him a better actor because he was able to push through all of that despair, all of that angst, and still come out strong in the performance. All in all, I would give the film a 6.75 out of 10. It wasn’t that good, but Mel Gibson held it together. It’s one of those films that hide behind the back of its actor. I hate to say it, but this probably signals the start of the fall of Mel Gibson’s stardom, considering that he also had a flop last year with Edge of Darkness. Nevertheless, it’s still a nice film to watch if you are interested in this kind of creativity, or if, like me, you don’t want to believe that it’s the end for Mel Gibson.  photograph from daemonsmovies.com

CULTURE

JUMBNGLE Filipino indie band Plant a Tree’s chaotic, grating, and strangely mesmerizing album

a mixture of strings and synths matched with jagged, unstable beats. “INTLFAPOG IWPYAPIMH” is the Manila morning, already crowded and building up to a busy and noisy day. It’s the sign that warns you of your impending migraine. You begin to be immersed in the busy-ness of Manila and that’s when the track “CSTCSY” comes in. It’s a mashup of sound effects and the familiar dial tones of a telephone that sounds like one of those dance-y 80’s tunes played in a construction site. You take an Advil but it doesn’t help—the ringing is still there and you don’t know how to get rid of it. You decide to stray away from the damn construction site and find yourself on a crowded street. It’s a break from the annoying sound of “CSTCSY” but you realize that “Indie Jesus” is a different kind

BY SAM GONZALES

to describe the sound of plant a tree

would be like to describe Manila: it’s chaotic, everything’s mashed up sloppily, and at rush hour, all hell breaks loose and the multitude of sweaty commuters and drivers and barkers chatting and laughing and spitting on the ground and yelling and asking you to buy DVD’s is just too much. Oh... and you’re a lost tourist who can’t speak English. At the end of the day, you wonder what you got yourself into. To put it simply: Plant A Tree is not for the melodically-conservative. When you, the consumer, who are used to the pleasant sounds of Taylor Swift and Owl City, listen to JUMBNGLE, you picture something familiar but unpleasant: typical Manila. Plant A Tree does a terrible job at making pleasant, comprehensive, and down-right listenable music, but it does a great job at capturing the essence of Manila. The overpowering sounds of the synths are laced with the sounds of traditional instruments such as the nylon guitar, some brass, and the piano, which is what Manila is: a mixture of the metro and the traditional. The record starts off with “INTLFAPOG IWPYAPIMH,” and immediately, you here its urban roots through

Plant a Tree does a terrible job at making pleasant, comprehensible music

of noise altogether. It’s the same urban sound but it’s a bit tamer, and a bit more folk that uses Bon Iver track cuts. Who knew you could use Bon Iver and make it sound repulsive? Then again, saying that there are tracks in the record that are like ‘rest periods’ essentially means that they are the calm before the storm. After the tolerable tracks come the heavyon-the-ears ones. It is similar to when a storm hits Manila and you realize there are streams forming beside you. The traffic builds up and the jeepneys honk their horns because a cab in front stops to drop off a customer. “Highburn Hey Shawn!” is like when you’re on that street when it’s raining hard and people are screaming at each other for being idiotic drivers. You decide you’ve had enough of Manila for one day. You discover solace in “QWERTY,” the last track on the record, comparable to the trains and quiet streets of Manila at night. You learn to appreciate it in its silence. And then you realize that you have to go back tomorrow.  Download their album for free at

numberlinerecords.com/artists/ plantatree

SHE-ROCKER Plant a Tree’s Pat Sarabia plays drums for Big Hat Gang at the Number Line Records Launch last May 6, 2011.

album art from numberline.bandcamp.com; photograph by mayee gonzales, taken from mayeemayee.wordpress.com

CULTURE

A DIFFERENT SIDE OF BOB ONG MacArthur exposes the Philippines we all don’t want to see BY MATT DAILISAN

“kumain ka na.” this is a line that i’m sure most of us have heard from our moms, dads, kuya’s, and ate’s. We hear it when we wake up. We hear it after a long day at school, doing things tha— well, things. We hear it. But when you do, what exactly do you feel? Do you feel loved, cared for, hungry? What if you live a life so scarce that even if your family wants to ask you if you’ve eaten, there is simple no food to be served? What if you live in the slums, unprotected from weather, dirt, and disease? Where your sense of “home” has become fragmented? Every person for himself? I’ve been reading the works of Bob Ong for as long as I can remember. I’ve laughed out loud, rolled on the floor laughing, OMGWTFBBQ’ed, etc. Upon hearing the name Bob Ong, most of us would form in our minds an image of a writer who can effortlessly tap our funny bones with the use of corny anecdotes and peculiar lines, yet who also inspires us with amazing ideas. These things, I have first-handedly experienced in reading his first five books. And after manically enjoying the hilarious first five, came MacArthur. What sets MacArthur apart is its undeniably dark storyline and realistic depictions of slum experiences. It has an idiosyncratic essence that probably comes from Ong’s departure from his usual writing style and towards his depiction of the gritty underground society. The book also features a barrage of cuss words and gross euphemisms aimed to immerse the readers deeper into the setting, in some cases, deeper than what you would expect. MacArthur features the story of four 36

BIBLIOGRAPHY MacArthur is Bob Ong’s fifth book friends: Noel, a typical college boy; Cyrus, a snatcher; Voltron, whose body is built like a robot, hence the name; and Jim, the eldest in the group. The four live in a typical slum community surrounded by the wastes of society (and by wastes, I mean the corrupt and the criminal). They spend their time burning crystal meth when they don’t have anything else to do. The four, however, were crippled by the immense pressure of the people “above” them. As if life in the slums wasn’t hard enough, they were forced deeper and darker into the shithole of life. The setting of the book revolves around the slums, the marketplace where Cyrus “works,” and the police station where the corrupt and the criminal both lurk. The detail in some scenes may be nice, but the other scenes are somewhat excruciating, especially the scene where Cyrus was trapped in a public restroom, hiding from the police;

Some scenes are definitely not for the squeamish

what he did to hide the jewelry he stole was just wrong. Some scenes are definitely not for the squeamish. What I really liked about the book is that it served as a looking glass. I didn’t really know that many of our fellow countrymen lived in such situations. What I visualize of our poor countrymen’s lives is nothing compared to what many of them actually experience or what the story depicts they experience. It may seem like a thing of the movies, but now, after reading MacArthur, I realize that I am lucky that no one in my family needs to be harmed for me to eat, unlike many of our countrymen. We tend to take many of the things we have for granted, yet most people were not granted with many things at all. Although MacArthur can be considered a first by Bob Ong, this departure from his original style is surely one of his best. Kapitan Sino and Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan, his seventh and eighth books respectively, also departed from the usual Bob Ong style (kung fu?), but still are amazing works. I like it that Bob Ong experiments with different kinds of genres in his works, which gives his loyal fans a new flavor of what he thinks of the world, and as much as I love the old Bob Ong, I think I’m liking this new one more. To Bob Ong, “Kumain ka na.” 

CULTURE

GOSSIP The truths, half-truths, and lies buzzing around the tambayan BY GOSSIP G

hello upper east-siders! it’s been a

long summer break, so why don’t we start the semester with a littlebut of... intrigue? SPOTTED! Ad Hoc in a frenzy! Seems like someone (or someones?) hasn’t been too quiet with the theme of the coming Ecosoc Month party. Now the committee’s scrambling to keep its big reveal from premature exposure. Take it as a compliment Ad Hoc. With this much hype surrounding the party, who isn’t dying to know what you’ve got in store? I must admit, your little infinity logo has got me at the edge of my seat. But let’s make this a bit more fun shall we? Whoever can text me the theme of Ad Hoc 2011 gets a text back with a mind-blowing secret. Are you confident in your team’s oath to secrecy, Ad Hoc? I guess we shall see. SPOTTED! A most regal coupling—still fighting for survival after all this time? It started out as a feeling, and then grew into a hope. But the fairytale stops there because when this one’s head is shaking and that one’s shoulders are shrugging, it becomes easy to tell what kind of story this really is. A tale as old as time—yes, for it is unrequited love, the one-sided tango. Well, there’s still one year, and a lot can happen in a year. Until then, we’ll be watching. After all, if PNoy’s love life can’t escape national attention, neither can PPT’s. SPOTTED! Two of Ecosoc’s resident rainbow flaggers were seen amid tiles and cubicles ‘sharing their views on Greek love,’ though their mouths were a little too occupied to be talking. We’d blame it on their hormones, but apparphotographs by beatriz bayudan

ently they’ve been caught canoodling at our last Ad Hoc, not to mention the rumor of their summer romance over plansem—instead of making plans, these two were a little more into making out. It’s a shame that repeat performances aren’t translating into a relationship; their state of affairs is more unpredictable than Lady Gaga’s outfits. But with all the femme fatales of Ecosoc hooking up with one other, we think it’s about time that our gorgeous guys set a precedent too. SPOTTED! Break-up season is nigh! Couples and non-couples are splitting left and right. Was there something in the summer air? One particular pairing comes to mind. Its fruition rocked the tambayan, but everyone always thought it wouldn’t last. And, well, it didn’t last. From a shocking beginning to a shockingly predictable end. And since one of them’s a bit of a loose cannon, the story’s practically in the public domain! But what’s this? A man from the past peering out of the shadows to check up on the princess he never had? Yikes. Be careful girl, this one sure sticks around.

Just what is it about this enchantress that makes men go gaga? You better watch out—you could be her next victim! SPOTTED! Revolution: Egypt style! Yes, the Arab Spring may very well happen right in our own Society! One breathy committee has had just about enough from its abusive dicktator, and word on the street is, a wave of civil disobedience is on the verge of overthrowing the madness once and for all. Hey Mr. Dicktator, listen to your people, yeah? They’ve stuck by you this far, the least you could do is... actually, scratch that. Do the most you could do, because that’s what they deserve. And if you don’t, well, they’ll bomb your panties off honey. Don’t even think they’d hesitate. those secrets coming bkk’s. Didn’t you hear? Secrets are made for sharing. On a final note: has anyone checked the mems’ logbook recently? XOXO.  keep

Got a tip? An unconfirmed rumor? Or are you just looking to start trouble? Text Gossip G at 0917.667.2016. She is always listening.

CULTURE

grade

2.5

REPORT CARD June 2011 BY KENNETH REYES this is a month full of bickering—from pnoy vs.

PGMA to the Philippines vs. China—showing that our country by and large has much to be ashamed of. We’re not working hard, we’re hardly working.

shame

Pride 1 Bill banning political dynasties finally discussed in Congress 2 Manila City Hall bans employees from using Facebook; Says they should focus on other things, like doing their jobs 6 Binay suggests burying Marcos at Ilocos Norte with full military honors; Marcos Jr. finds the compromise “reasonable”

7 Ampatuan assets freezed

7 Losses in Batangas and Pangasinan fishkill amount to P190 million 8 Inspection discovers rich Bilibid inmates chillin’ in prison and watching porn

12 UP Manila health students required to serve in the country for two years 14 Supreme Court allows live coverage of Ampatuan trial, with guidelines 21 PNoy halts P2 billion worth of anomalous government deals 22 Pulitzer Prize-winning Filipino journalist Jose Antonio Vargas outs himself as an illegal immigrant to promote dialogue on immigration reform

23 PAGCOR grants coaches longoverdue cash rewards even if 3 of the 21 receipients have already died, adopts “better late than never” slogan 25 Plastics ban leaves Muntinlupa flood-free; Mayor Aldrin San Pedro surprised

11 Records reveal 887 escaped prisoners since 2000; “I wasn’t supposed to go out?” ranks as most popular excuse 14 PHL education is 7th best... among 8 Southeast Asian countries 19 PHL deploys only warship to defend waters from China; “Our knees are shaking,” says China

13 Iriga radio broadcaster killing becomes 6th journalist death under Aquino and 145th since 1986

21 Falcon will not make landfall, says PAGASA; Falcon makes landfall 2 days later 22 Abu Sayyaf abducts Indian national 24 81.9% of Filipinos know who our national hero is, but 2.8% think it’s Manny Pacquiao 25 Falcon devastates 329,000; garbage and road repairs contribute to flooding 26 PNoy deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte denies bickering with Rep. Mitos Magsaysay on Twitter, even though they obviously were

photograph by beatriz bayudan