THE BIRDS EYE (7 INDEPENDENCE)

Marikina Launches Stay Safe Program for LGUs

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Philip Miguel Arce

MARIKINA CITY, Philippines - To monitor the COVID-19, the government of Marikina City will implement the Quick Response Code System using the Stay Safe Program for all LGUs. StaySafe is the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases’ official contact tracing mobile application. The QR Code System will ensure easier, safer and quicker tracking of positive COVID-19 cases for Marikina City. Using this application for recording and monitoring will surely assist the management of COVID-19 cases.

“Expediting the contact tracing process through the StaySafe.ph mobile app is a step further in solving the COVID -19 health crisis. We call on all Filipinos to download the app or register through the StaySafe.ph website. The platform will be more effective when more people are using it, so please explore and maximize. Every health report counts.” Said by Secretary Carlito G. Galvez.

Filipinos get vaccinated in the Philippines to guarantee the decrease of COVID positives throughout the year. (photosource: npr.org) John Zev Martirez The Priority Eligible A including workers in Frontline Health Services, Senior Citizens, and Frontline personnel in essential sectors, including uniformed personnel.

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s of May 30,2021 in the Philippines, exactly 5,180,721 total doses were administered with 3,974,350 being given their first dose and the other 1,206,371 completing the doses of the vaccine. The government encourages the population to register for vaccination and complete both the first and second dose as soon as possible.

Priority Eligible B consists of teachers, social workers, government workers, other remaining workforce and Sociodemographic groups at significantly higher risk other than senior citizens and poor population based on the NHTS-PR while the Priority Eligible C are the rest of the Filipino population.

The average daily administered doses in the last 7 days are 144,402. Around 3.5% of the country’s population has received the first of two doses of the vaccine. Meanwhile, those who have taken both dosages represent around 1.09% of the population.

The number of operational vaccination sites in 17 regions is based on the current supply of vaccines in the country. A total of 7,671,120 out of 7,779,050 delivered doses have been distributed to 3,850 vaccination sites as of May 18.

The remaining 107,930 doses have yet to be distributed.

The government released an online form to sign up for vaccination where the masses were given the chance to pick between the approved vaccines. Pfizer, Moderna, Astrazeneca, Sinovac, and Novavax are the vaccines available in the Philippines and all require two doses.

The government aims to vaccinate 70% of Filipinos in 2021.

Former health secretary Manuel Dayrit said an average of 350,000 to 500,000 Filipinos should be vaccinated each day to attain this aim.

Due to the global vaccine supply being constrained and to preserve the health system capacity of the country, the prioritization framework for COVID-19 vaccination was implemented..

FRANCIS RICAFRENTE

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Pokemon Company and Makati Business club partner supported learners in Marikina

“Instead of using other apps, it is imperative for LGUs to use the StaySafe app for a unified system that will allow seamless, fast, and efficient contact tracing efforts,” Said by DILG Officer-In-Charge Bernando Florence Jr. during the MOA signing.

The memorandum was signed on May 3, 2021 and the Management Information System was tasked to handle the registration of the city employees. All heads of department shall be responsible for the appropriate dissemination of this memorandum to all employees.

The vaccinated population is still being advised to continue practicing the minimum public health standards as you may still get infected with COVID-19 and infect other people around them.

ARABELLA SANTOS

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The application features a health reporting system to check the user’s condition. StaySafe generates QR codes for improved contact tracing, which is a superior option than quarantine passes. The bluetooth system allows the user’s mobile phone to exchange IDs with people around them to get notified who has the symptoms.

ACCEPT THE PRIDE

CHARMAINE MARZAN

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LA Lakers distancing themselves from Miami heat at Championships

Marikina now implements the Quick Response Code system using the Stay Safe Program to ensure a more COVID safe city.( photosources: pna.gov.ph)

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M

ay 24, 2021 – The Department of Education (DepEd) will not be allowing any face-toface graduation or moving up rituals for School Year 2020-2021 scheduled between July 12 and 16, 2021, in order to protect the health and welfare of students, teachers, administrators, and parents.

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Instead, schools and community learning centers (CLCs) are encouraged to prepare a brief virtual program that will run in less than two hours, taking into account the quantity of mobile data that will be consumed and the network connectivity of interested learners.

However, in compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012, schools must obtain the approval of parents and students if such broadcast would be publicly accessible.

If the public health situation prevents the End-ofSchool-Year (EOSY) rites from being performed during the designated week, schools may choose to reschedule or cancel the activity in cooperation with the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA). Meanwhile, private schools must follow their approved school calendars when carrying out the activity.

The Department is looking forward to highlighting the efforts of our learners, teachers, and personnel in lauding education amidst the public health situation in this year's EOSY rites, with the theme “Kalidad ng Edukasyon Lalong Patatagin sa Gitna ng Pandemya” (Strengthening Quality Education Amid COVID-19 Pandemic).

CHARMAINE MARZAN

The Department of Education (DepEd) will only be allowing Graduates to have a Virtual Graduation Ceremony to safely acknowledge the students’ achievements. (photosources: xinhua,net )

VIRTUAL GRADUATION FOR SAFETY

Pokemon Company and Makati Business club partner supports learners in Marikina The Pokémon Company, with the aid of the Makati Business Club, donated 530 tablets to 3 Marikina elementary schools to be used by Grade 1 students.

The Schools Division Office Marikina External Partnership team delivered the tablets to Malanday Elementary School, Concepcion Integrated Elementary School, and Fortune Elementary School. The delivery was led by Mr. Reinan Ignacio, with the help of two of the SDO staff, got assistance from Mr. Gil Catuday and Mr. Eros Bulaclac, both are SDO personnel.

The Pokémon Company aims to help increase the access of Filipino children to quality education, especially during online classes.

The said schools are currently implementing the BasaBilang project, a separate project between SDO Marikina and The Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. which uses learning devices for its recipients.

The donation is part of TPC Pokémon GO Fest 2020. The program is part of their effort to support non-profit organizations around the world to improve the lives of children and to provide them with the best experience as they study.

Francis Ricafrente Pokemon Company and Makati Business Club supports learners in Marikina in the upcoming school year to give them better education. (photosources: mbe.com.ph)

MARISCI EARNS BRONZE MEDAL AT WELLNESS CAMPUS OF THE YEAR AWARDS Marisci had taken the bronze medal in the Wellness Campus of the Year Awards because of the Mariscians' dedication and commitment. (photosources: MarisciUpdates)

Isaac Nicholas Reginales Another minor award is the Pinaka-best in Module Integration for the national level in which Marisci earned a bronze medal. And there was a Special Award of Pinaka-best Guro of the Year at the national level. The award was given to Arvin Lark Santiago of All thanks to the hard work of the Marisci Marikina Science Highschool. He was in the Wellness Council and the whole student body top three finalists together with John Frankof the school, they were able to persevere lin Dresser of Molugan National High School, and work hard to achieve the bronze medal. and Jeric V. Rey from Nursery High School, Masbate City.

There were also some minor awards which included the Pinaka-best in Dancercise, The Wellness Campus Awards is about awardwhere MariSci gained a gold medal. The entry ing which schools were able to teach and do for the dancercise is none other than the wellness activities effectively. Marisci’s per“Wellness is Life” Dance exercise which was formance shows that they were able to eduperformed by the members of Marisci Dance cate and that the students showed their Company. learnings through the wellness programs.

In the recently concluded Wellness Campus of the Year Awards, Marikina Science Highschool ranked third, earning a bronze medal, in the national level competition.

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TAAL VOLCANO AT ALERT LEVEL 3 AFTER A PHREATOMAGMATIC ERUPTION ARABELLA SANTOS MANILA —This Thursday, July 1, 2021, A phreatomagmatic eruption, or an eruption that involves both magma and water occurred at Taal Volcano in the province of Batangas. According to PHIVOLCS the volcano is now under Alert Level 3.(Alert Level 3 means there is magmatic unrest, or movement of magma that state volcanologists warn "may further drive succeeding eruptions.")

The threat of another eruption comes as the Philippines continues to struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, posing yet another challenge for the government and the public. Meanwhile, in a public briefing following the eruption, Batangas Governor Hermilando "Dodo" Mandanas said his provincial government is prepared to help residents who were affected by the sudden eruption.

The provincial government provided nine trucks in total and multiple personnel to the city of Tanauan as well as the towns of Laurel and Agoncillo. There are two forward trucks, two dump trucks, four mini dump trucks, and an elf truck

At 3:16 pm PST, Philippines’ Taal Volcano main crater generated a short-lived dark phreatomagmatic plume 1-kilometer high with no accompanying volcanic earthquake, according to PHIVOLCS. (photosources: rappler)

Lakeshore Bugaan East in the municipality of Laurel, according to NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal. deployed that can help in transferring evacuees from danger zones. In this case more than 3,523 families or 14,495 individuals are affected and are needed to be evacuated from barangays Banyaga and Bilibinwang in the municipality of Agoncillo, and barangays Gulod, Boso-boso, and

Taal is one of the 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines and has recorded 33 eruptions since 1572. Its worst eruption was in 1911 where some 1,335 people were killed, data from PHIVOLCS showed.

RISE OF COVID 19 CASES IN MARIKINA

ZENA CONEL

With the covid-19 update last June 12, 2021, Marikina City has shown great progress with keeping the active cases low. It showed that Marikina City has 33 active cases at the moment. It is also good news that seven of the barangays have zero active cases.

Marikina COVID-19 Cases having a jump from 33 to 128 active cases in just 10 Days. (picture source: rappler)

The LRT-2 East Extension Project is expected to help reduce traffic congestion along Marcos Highway, especially in Marikina, Pasig and Antipolo.

In a media bulletin, the DOTr said that the rail service, which will soon run from the Recto Station to the Antipolo Station, has increased the number of running trains from five to eight.

“Once operational, the LRT-2 East Extension Project will reduce travel time from Claro M. Recto in Manila to Masinag in Antipolo from three hours via bus or jeepney, to just 30 to 40 minutes,” the DOTr said.

With the two new stations, the DOTr said that it is expected to have 80,000 passengers daily.

The extension project would also generate at least 1800 jobs during its construction phase and 170 rail personnel hired to work in the two new stations.

In a facebook post, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said that the LRT-2 East Extension Project would be inaugurated on Thursday with President Rodrigo Duterte and LRTA Administrator Reynaldo Berroya as guests.

However, last June 22, 2021, as of 3 pm, a report has shown that the active cases climbed from 33 to 128 just in 10 days.

With this number, Barangay Concepcion Uno is leading with 21 active cases, and Kalumpang and Tañong having the least with each having one active case.

Unfortunately, the rise of covid-19 cases doesn’t stop there. With the latest update last June 28, 2021, the active cases rose to 194 as of 3 pm. The recoveries also rose from 10,819 to 10,844. Unluckily, the covid -19 deaths also ascended from 383 to 407.

In the two latest covid-19 updates, many residents have requested to strengthen and to make the protocols stricter again. They voiced out that people should still follow the health and safety protocols to fully win against the virus despite already having a vaccine.

RT-2 STATIONS OPENING

President Rodrigo Duterte hailed the construction of the PHP 4.5 billion LRT-2 East Extension Project, assuring Filipinos that they would continue to be benefited of other projects under his administration’s program “Build, Build, Build”.

JULY 5

He also noted that the project will improve mobility and ensure transportation connectivity, especially in Metro Manila’s eastern part.

“Allow me to thank the hardworking and visionary workers and engineers who took part in the planning and construction of this railway extension and the two new stations that we open today,” President Rodrigo Duterte said.

AERON VILLANUEVA

Manila – The two new stations of LRT-2 will open to commuters on July 5, said by the Department of Transportation, the commuters are expected to have a smoother transport . (photo source: pna.gov.ph)

LGBTQA+

ACCEPT THE PRIDE There are people around the world that face violence and inequality, and sometimes even experience torture or execution just because of who they love, how they look, or who they are. Sexual orientation and gender identity are integral aspects of ourselves and should never lead to discrimination or abuse. Human Rights Watch works for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender peoples' rights, and with activists representing a multiplicity of identities and issues. They document and expose abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity worldwide, including tortures, killings and executions, arrests under unjust laws, unequal treatment, censorship, medical abuses, discrimination in health and jobs and housing, domestic violence, abuses against children, and denial of family rights and recognition. We advocate for laws and policies that will protect everyone’s dignity, and create a world where all people can enjoy their rights fully.

Federal and local policies and practices are increasingly acknowledging and focusing on LGBTQ youth and numerous national advocacy and other organizations are also giving greater attention to LGBTQ youth in their work. Encouraging greater acceptance and support for all youth, including those who are or are perceived to be LGBTQ, will make communities, schools, and other settings safer, better places for all members of the community.

By deepening your understanding of LGBT-related issues, including basic terms and concepts - though it is a simple gesture, it can change other people’s lives. Try to support policies at school, work, or other places that help protect LGBT people from discrimination. Even if the issues seem small, they can have a big impact on people’s lives. When you speak up, it educates others, lets

Arabella Santos

them know if their words are acceptable or not, and may give others the courage to speak up as well. You can educate others, change their future actions by showing them that discrimination is not the answer.

Now, the LGBTQ+ Pride Month is celebrated annually in June to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts. LGBTQ+ Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost due to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.

Although there are still some that remain against the LGBTQ+ community, don’t let it stop you from spreading awareness or opening their hearts and minds. For those of us who are not LGBT, we hope this article provides a glimpse into the lives of some of our brothers and sisters. For those of us who do identify as LGBT, we want you to see that you are not alone, and we have the shoulder you need.

Members and even non-members of the LGBTQ community parades together amidst Pride month to fight for equality of all sexuality.

PHOTOSOURCES Twitter: YesillerPartisi , wcbi.com , nationphotolab , pinterest.co.uk, blog.oup.com, pin..it

FEATURE

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PHILIP MIGUEL ARCE Doctors are recognized for their honesty. They are educated in the field of medicine, and have taken an ethical oath to treat their patients. However, Dr. Farrah Agustin-Bunch has been selling products that are warned by the FDA for it can cause several effects that are dangerous to a human’s body. Breaking the image of doctors being reliable professionals, Dr. Farrah becomes one of the most notorious examples of fraud in the medical field.

Dr. Farrah claims that her product ‘Pixie Dust Magnesium’ can aid diabetes, hypertension, anxiety, insomnia, and ulcers. Apparently, she also conveys that garlic can heal toothaches, headaches, hypertension, migraines and even cancer.

Cancer is a very serious illness and must be treated with the right medications. Otherwise, instead of being treated, the illness may worsen than it already is. It is better to consult your doctor than to use sketchy products such as Pixie Dust Magnesium that Dr. Farrah made.

Cirrhosis of the Liver, Diabetes Mellitus, Edema, Sinusitis, and more. Taking these products, if fortunate, can only lead to sideeffects like diarrhea and abdominal pain. If not, it can even lead to something more severe. Taking her products will make the situation worse.

Aside from that, she declares that another one of her products, the ‘Mega Dose Vitamin C’ can aid lymphoma, a form of cancer that focuses in the lymphatic system. Vitamin C surely can not cure cancer. Another product of hers, ‘Boston C’ which she also claimed to be effective against stage IV cancer. Dr. Farrah also says that her product can also cure Prostate Bone and Brain cancers, Bronchial Asthma,

Testimonials are not evidence. It may be tempting to buy the products to make one’s life easier, yet let us remember to not count on articles or unlicensed people over the screen of our gadgets. Would you rather believe a person with shady products without concrete evidence? Or a professional with a medical degree to prescribe you the correct products?

COVID-19: Life During Quarantine ZENA CONEL

ety. We even create problems inside our homes just because of what we are feeling.

As all of this happened, it slowly gave us depression and anxiety. We feel depressed about what is happening. We felt lonely and sad. It became worse that some wanted to kill themselves. And what’s worse is that some did.

Quarantine is not just about being bored and staying inside. It could be about new challenges to take on other than just the virus itself. Along with the new normal, there are new hindrances.

Loneliness and loads of worries The first problem we faced was just staying inside. Due to the fact that we couldn’t go outside, our world felt bored, lonely, sad, and just missed being outside. We missed doing things that we normally do such as communicating with our families and going to places we usually go to whenever there is a special occasion. It became very hard to embrace that this is what is happening now.

Even though quarantine took away our freedom to go outside, it still gave us benefits amidst the virus. An example is that the more we stay inside, the more we get to know each other in the face of problems. People tend to change in these times.

However, there are drawbacks, example is that we become stressed about everything and our mind gets eaten by that stress. The news, the rising of Covid-19 cases, the vaccine, economic problems, and more problems worry us every day.

Carrying a burden, waking up every day worrying if we're safe from the virus or not. Another is thinking about how we will be able to go outside for our needs without overthinking the possibility of COVID 19. Everything around us gives us anxi-

Online Class: A help or a new problem?

As online classes came, countless students found it hard to adjust to the new normal. As we all know, it is very different from what we used to have, where we study in the same room with our teachers.

It is also another problem that students who have just graduated also need to adjust to a new school. This requires us to not only adjust to the new normal but also adjust to the sudden shift of grades. New teachers, lessons, and classmates.

ed us in a lot of ways. Due to the reason we are all staying home with our families, we are given the chance to get to know our family more by spending more time with them As months passed, quarantine improved our ability to cope with stress. Online classes and even work-at-home jobs were implemented. It eliminated the hour of commute time every day for students and workers which resulted in them having more time for themselves. Additionally, it also helps decrease pollution.

Learnings in the new normal

Aside from that, the poor internet connections in our country became a huge problem as well. Our country often experienced problems such as the sudden malfunction of a wifi company that can lead to numerous students' absence. This is the reason why some students use the mode, modular modality.

Due to the reason that not every student is good with technology and some do not even have the privilege to own one, they have to exert extra effort to pass the semester that grants them more stress.

New found inspiration: A light in the dark Although, it’s not all about the bad things. If you look on the brighter side, quarantine also benefit-

The hard lessons and piled-up modules became nothing but hardship. The new normal became a hindrance for us, students, to learn better. The sudden change of environment gave us problems to cope with. A lot of difficulties became an obstacle for us to become better leaders of ourselves.

But in every single hardship, there is a new inspiration. On every negative side, there is a hidden positive side. In everything that happened, We should learn to stay positive and faithful. Prayer and strength, physically and mentally, are all that we need.

EDITORIAL

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hough hate crimes against Asian Americans have been slowly rising since 2016, some evidence suggests that the past year’s surge was driven by racist reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. Former President Trump repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus,” which appears to have strengthened the association of Asians and disease in the minds of his followers, expressed through social-media hate speech. "When you have a former president, who stoked the flames of white nationalism by using ethnic slurs to refer to the coronavirus, you're going to incite hate against a vulnerable minority, in this case, Chinese Americans, and by extension, Asian Americans," said Jennifer Lee, a sociology professor at Columbia University in New York.

Around the world hate and racism, no matter what angle, is wrong. It is a powerful emotion, so powerful that it can hurt or even destroy others, worse kill. Asian racism as it spreads today gives us Asians, uneasiness and worries not only for ourselves but also for fellow Asians.

To begin with, hate crimes data reported by the FBI does not attempt to account for agencies that did not report or reported incomplete data. As a result, national hate crimes data is better thought of as a

Earlier this month, Congress reintroduced the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which calls on the Department of Justice to review antiAsian hate crimes related to the coronavirus pandemic and improve hate crimes reporting. President Biden has called on Congress to pass this legislation swiftly. The call for improved research of hate crimes gets to an important fact: Even as hate crimes against Asians and Asian-Americans seem to be increasing, little data is available to accurately keep track of these crimes.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence showing increasing hate crimes in the United States targeting the Asian community. Better and faster reporting of hate crimes data, including standardized reporting practices, could be an important tool in combating this terrible trend. Unfortunately, the nation’s hate crimes data collection system is not set up to rapidly and accurately identify the when, where, and why of rising hate crimes to better help the U.S. solve this problem.

Racism and Xenophobia have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by speculation and blame levied on China. People of Asian descent face yet another series of challenges. While Beijing has suggested that the U.S. military might have brought the virus to China and Trump has said China failed to alert the world to the risks in a timely and transparent fashion, many experts believe that SARS-CoV-2 started in a "live animal market" in Wuhan, China. Retrospective investigations by Chinese authorities have identified human cases with the onset of symptoms in early December 2019. Some of the earliest known cases had a link to a wholesale food market in Wuhan.

It is worth considering that Asians have been getting mistreated for the past few years already, even before the pandemic started. Why should we only focus on the pandemic when we can take a look with wider perspectives.

There has been escalating Anti-Chinese rhetoric aggravated since 2015, largely propelled by the Trump administration and the history of Anti-Asian sentiment in the US, such as the Chinese massacre of 1871, demonization of Chinese-

Americans, the internment of Japanese-Americans, demonization of Chinese-Americans during the McCarthy era, discriminations against South-East Asians following the Gulf war of 9/11. These events show that Asian hate has been going on for the past few years.

All races should be treated fairly due to reducing ingrained social and economic disadvantage, a more equitable and fair society is likely to be safer. Of course, this includes Asians. Asian hate should not be viewed as a trend for this is pure racism. Another example of this issue is the “Foxeye” trend, for this should be considered racist because it mimics Asian features. Asians started to realize what the trend was and couldn't hold back their grudges. It was meant to be a makeup trend, but people took it too far in the end.

More and more Asians start to experience being physically attacked, verbally harassed, spat upon, and subjected to racial slurs in other continents. Using Covid-19 as an excuse to harm our community is wrong. Blaming Asians for the spread of the virus would not do us any good for the only thing that should've been done is joining forces and helping each other to fight the virus. The youths are the voices and hope of the nation, we must speak and protest about wrongdoings of racism. Asians fight, not for superiority, but equality.

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ASIANS FIGHT FOR EQUALITY, NOT SUPERIORITY

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floor, rather than an accurate figure to be cited authoritatively. The murder of eight people in Atlanta on March 16, including six Asian women, has brought the issue of an apparent rise in hate crimes against Asians and even Asian Americans into the national spotlight.

This has extremely saddened citizens, especially Asians like us. We think that the prospect of being physically and verbally assaulted solely because of our race is frightening.

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Illustrator : Arabella Santos Writer : Gr oup four

COLUMN 07 Is flexible learning THE NEW NORMAL? CHED: "Flexible learning is the new norm." The question is, can the students handle or endure it anymore? We are all mentally, emotionally, physically and financially tired and unstable. When will our voices be heard?

The only advantage of online learning is asynchronicity, or, “anytime, anywhere learning.”

Lectures do not take place at a specified time but are recorded as videos or podcasts. Assignments are done on a computer, often graded by a computer.

Class size is no longer limited by room size but can grow to accommodate any number of students.

What this means in practice is that the student takes the class alone. There is no immediate interaction between the professor and the students, no immediate interaction among the students. It’s just a student sitting in front of a screen, and that’s what students disliked the most: “We basically have to teach ourselves. It’s like paying tuition to watch YouTube videos.”

Sometimes, even I, am lazy to study but we know that the face-to-face teaching relationship is more successful when it is in the classroom itself. It is sad to think of what the future holds as well as the less effective education system. It is natural for a student to complain, but what we want to convey today is our complaints regarding the system limiting the essentials possessed by students due to lack and unstable internet connection. When in another place and opportunity that will benefit a few, it can be a gathering or face -to-face. It is difficult for you, you want to fish in the deep part of the sea, but your boat remains tied.

Many people expressed dissatisfaction that they were not getting their money’s worth: “I do not pay the hefty tuition for online classes”; “I feel for all

the students paying thousands and thousands of money to attend classes when they are stuck behind a computer screen.” Someone close to me also said: a prerecorded video “is by far the least efficient and beneficial [mode of learning]. Pre Recorded videos give students no room to ask questions or engage in class discussion.”

My Alma Mater, which is also my brother’s school, started their Academic year on August 24, 2020.

Their classes only lasted for 7 months hence, we still must pay the complete school fees that is more or-less ₱30k. That’s our tuition for the whole year back when we still have face -to-face classes! They didn’t even make it to ¾ of their books. They had their graduation yesterday, but I was shocked. My brother told me a while back that some of their classmates’ cheat together. I was shocked because their Salutatorian was also caught cheating, but she still became the Salutatorian! It’s so unfair.

Loneliness and darkness made me want to go back to the old days where there was still light, where I usually only watched some “for kids” anime, it came back into my mind to watch again but this time it was not what I needed.

However, it made me fall in love but at the same time, I felt pain April 2020, trying my best to stay quiet while I come down stairs to watch some shows on Netflix. I remembered that I have an anime list and Black Clover was one of the shows that the list contained. I started on episode one. In the morning, I have already finished two seasons. In the show, I fell in love with the main character’s rival named Yuno. I was so in love I couldn’t even bear to see some of my close friends like him. So much in love that I hated the author for only giving him a few scenes in the anime and even cried just by seeing him almost face his death.

Anime has overcome everyone in quarantine, even in tiktok. Banana Fish is an anime that became trending on tik tok because of the song “Mr. Loverman '' by Ricky Montgomery. I watched it and when I finished, I cried for months. I didn’t even know what to do anymore. The main character named Ash died while reading his close friend’s letter. The main character experienced all kinds of hardships and he truly deserved a better life.

We asked 100 students from different schools whether they find online learning effective or not, 67% answered no.

Wake up, CHED! Online learning is not the future.

Never was. Never will be. It is not something we can learn from for learning and communicating with our teachers and cl assmates in the same room will always be the best.

Marley Francesca Perez

Well, in the current scenario, face to face class set up is not ideal. However, removing it completely? I don’t think so. Not everyone has the luxury of having high-speed internet, even the teachers themselves. Also, physical interaction with other people is the foundation of our social skills, not to mention that other lectures are well delivered, or should I say, should be delivered through physical manner.

I, myself, want to be a Physician. Imagine doing surgery on a watermelon. What about aspiring architects? Where should they do their OJT’s? On Minecraft? How about Pilots? Should they practice on a simulator game? No. No. No. The Philippine education system are producing incompetent professionals in the future.

Students dropped out because some didn't have enough money to sustain their needs during this pandemic. A lot of students suffered from mental health issues due to the pressure brought by the known “flexible learning”. Please consider the students’ situations.

ANIME IS FREE Ever since March 2020, the start of Quarantine, everything felt different. I tried interacting with some of my old friends and classmates but something keeps telling me that I should not. I felt like I was a burden to everyone. Every sleepless night, I opened every light in every room in our house because of my nyctophobia, staring at my pimples and eyebags. No one was there when I endlessly cried until I couldn’t breathe which resulted in severe headaches.

Do you think online learning is effective?

My head kept telling me not to be sad because they are only fictional characters. The thingis, every episode I watched made me feel like I was with them in their journey. As every episode passed and the characters slowly improved and developed, I felt joyful, but at the same time, there will always be scenes that aren’t happy and when those scenes occur, I will break down. I will cry till my eyes are swollen.

When I watched Haikyuu, I fell in love with every character though, there will always be someone who’s at the top. For me, it was Oikawa Tooru. I thought the two of us were similar and that we had something in common. Just like him, I also tried my best to achieve my goals in life but at the end of the day, someone born with more talent surpassed me and all my hardwork turned into nothing. “Trying so hard to get it but someone who has less experience defeated you.” Said by him as he cried because of defeat and I found myself crying too.

He was dumped by his girlfriend just because he paid too much attention to volleyball. Just like I was dumped because of my passion for music and gaming and just like him, I didn’t want to give up. Someday, I will be successful just by practicing and giving my best. I adored him and his hard work. He showed me that one day, if I work my hardest, my dreams will come true.

This girl wanted to run away from reality. She wanted someone to love her, she daydreams about having someone by her side. She was lucky to meet Anime characters, knowing that even though they are not real, they would care for her. If it wasn’t for them, she must have a rope in her neck or throat in her last breath.

Go to bed, open the phone, see some fictional character

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LEARNING IS THE NEW NORM CHED

Kryshana Rombaon

dying, and cry until sleep. It became a routine, I hated it, I wanted to sleep without thinking of anything. As this routine goes by, I become sick everyday and even vomit after I eat.

I want to see the light that shines brighter than the sun, a light that came from someone special to me. I want the light of Obanai and Mitsuru’s love. The fact that it shines so bright because of how their life ended while accepting each other’s love.

Can I see that light again? I want to put a stop to this struggle, but it's futile due to my mental health issues. I hope someone knows how much effort I used to get out of this dark room. Maybe I was not a good person, so I got punished for only loving fictional characters and wasn’t able to love a real man or a woman.

Well, I’m happy to be in this punishment forever. I would spend my whole life being alone than having someone come into my life and leave again.

Anime shows must’ve hurt me, but it also taught me what love is.

stuck

COLUMN

08 HOAX? Climate change is the alteration of the Earth's climate over time as a result of changes in the atmosphere and interactions between the atmosphere and other geologic, chemical, biological, and geographic components in the Earth system.

Climate and climate change affect all living organisms, even if the changes are minor and transient.

The loss of leaves by blooming plants when the water supply is limited, as well as shelter-seeking behaviors and hibernation in animals in reaction to colder or drier circumstances, are some of the most visible examples. Life on Earth appears to have evolved to endure a changing environment to some extent, and this is proof that climate change is occurring; however, our personal experience with climate through our lifetimes, as well as scientific data, also indicates that climate change is taking place.

natural cycles, sure. Deniers, for example, prefer to point to 17th century Dutch oil paintings as proof of a little ice age, although they frequently portray frozen lakes. Of course, a lake freezes in a few days and thaws in even less time. A paleolithic scientist is to see if recent developments resemble previous natural cycles. They don't have any! The situation has changed. Because of their personal experiences, some people disbelieve that climate change exists. Those who live in the American Midwest may argue that snow and ice are still there in the winter. Because the weather they've seen hasn't changed, they conclude climate change doesn't exist because it would impact their experiences. The changes in the last 40 years have been far too significant and far too rapid. Another issue with natural cycles is that people tend to focus on limited sample size. Climate change is not disproved by a cold winter in the United States. Did they double-check how hot Climate change is a big issue that the world is it was in Asia at the same time? We must look dealing with today, yet some people feel it is a worldwide and for a longer period than the recent hoax. Some well-known people feel this is a case few years. of fake science, while others believe it exists but not to the extent that some may claim. Those who Another probable reason is that there is no sciendeny it exists have a few key reasons for their tific proof. belief.

The media, not scientists, provide climate inforSome people say that climate change is mation to society. That is the issue. In order to part of a natural cycle. appear neutral, the media frequently pits one There are climate expert against one denier in a discussion.

However, this does not imply that the scientific community is evenly

TEENAGE PREGNANCY:

divided on climate change.

Because they do not believe in science, a small proportion of people in t h e world today do not believe in climate change. Those in extreme religious organizations and sects who believe that God created everyone and everything on the Earth are among them. Many people who reject climate change also reject evolution and refuse to trust in recent scientific breakthroughs. However, these individuals make up a small percentage of climate change doubters.

Lastly, some argue that climate change is a hoax because scientists can't agree on whether or not it occurs, let alone what causes it. While some data suggest that climate change is the result of human action, such as pollution, other research refutes this assertion. Deniers of global warming also say that global warming has stopped and that the average global temperature has stayed stable for decades. There are even allegations that instructors should not discuss global warming in schools. Many people will continue to deny climate change until scientists can uncover a reason and establish that it exists.

Marley Francesca Perez

Upshot of Love or Trauma?

Someone on Tiktok: “Hinding-hindi po ako magpapalaglag para lang matawag na dalaga.”

This is a very valid opinion, for the sake of the child and for you. However, for an unreasonable reason, no one ever stated that having an abortion makes you a virgin or so-called “dalaga”.

We shouldn’t also blame teenage moms for getting pregnant at a very young age. Perhaps they might be raped or forced by their boyfriends or strangers. I guess that traumatized them and young women really hoped to get their periods but got a “blessing” instead.

Teenage pregnancy is caused by a variety of social reasons. One of the primary causes is parental carelessness, which might be owing to a lack of sex education or the younger generation's proclivity for pornography. Because of these factors, the majority of teens become mothers at a young age, leading them to marry young or even drop out of school in order to be a mother.

A few months ago I saw a Facebook post about teenage pregnancy. It is stated that “We must normalize and promote teenage pregnancy to increase population since many people are dying from COVID-19.” Teenage pregnancy can expand the population, but it is not the solution to the epidemic, in my opinion. Is it really so difficult to just study and have fun as a teenager? Yes, for impoverished people but not for those who have privileges. Even poor youngsters who aspire to be successful work hard merely to learn.

Most cases men got to women with no good intentions just to have sex with them, give them a fine money and threats to shut the victim’s mouth.

Teenage moms should not be the only ones being responsible here, who are the men impregnating their kids, where are they, how old are they? Choosing men and setting standards is what women must do, if he really does love you why did he run away? A woman can only become pregnant once a year, but a guy can potentially impregnate one woman every day. Is it required that only women bear the brunt of responsibility? No, no and no.

Yes, this should not be normalized but let’s not shame them for getting pregnant at a young age whether it has been an accident or on purpose.

This country continues to deny young people access to adequate sex education, which disproportionately impacts women, particularly those

Kryshana Rombaon

living in poverty. Mostly in this country many people make memes about being a “batang ina”, mostly men, they don’t understand how hard it is to live as a woman. Men only put their key in any hole in anytime and anywhere they want, so if they shamed a teenage mom they are automatically dumb. TEEN MOMS NEED SUPPORT, NOT SHAME. Guidance and counseling must be reinstated in our schools. It should be a subject in schools from kindergarten to high school to teach our children about sex. Most parents want the best for their children, but due to poverty and other social difficulties, they are unable to provide them with the necessary advice. As a result, they require assistance, which may be provided through guidance and counseling sessions in schools. Another issue is that youths require excellent role models, and in today's culture, there are few role models for our youths to emulate.

It is also our job to help people who become pregnant as teenagers once they have entered their predicament. It is still our job as members of society to help them in becoming more effective and responsible parents. Teach men to be responsible about sex and pregnancy. Make everyone aware that being pregnant at a very young age is nothing to be proud of, you should be studying and having fun with your friends. When you don't have the capacity to live a family, don't give life,

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

09

TO TRUST OR NOT TO TRUST: Why we shouldn’t trust influencers easily

I

Shamira Kenah Imperial

F

n this day and age, people tend to buy their needs and wants online instead of shops in real life. Yet, are those items really safe? Or are they dangerous?

Due to those questions, consumers check the ratings of those items or check some influencers’ reviews about it.

airy Skin Derma Soaps are sold all over the Philippines even though it is still not FDA approved, yet influencers review the product and convince their followers to consume it as well.(photosources: lazada.com )

To review a dangerous product Influencers, YouTubers and even doctors review products they bought to let their viewers know what their experience and opinion about certain products are. Whether it's food, clothes, makeup or even skincare products. Many influencers review them truthfully but sometimes, those reviews may not always be right and honest.

Many people have voiced their thoughts on products that are proven to be safe but some of them recommended products that are still not FDA approved.

Some of those are Jea Barrameda and Mona Quimzon, who both reviewed a product called Fairy Skin Derma Facial Toner.

The two vloggers or influencers have reviewed the facial toner and recommended it to their subscribers without being aware that the product they are promoting is unapproved by the FDA. For the reason that they’re influencers, viewers easily believe them without being aware that the product can greatly damage their skin. Therefore, influencers like the two should be knowledgeable and have done enough research on the product they are trying to review before they make a video about it.

According to the FDA, this tested positive for the presence of Hydroquinone and Tretinoin. Hydroquinone, which was usually found in skin lightening products, was banned due to the fact that studies have shown the ingredient to be carcinogenic and contain trace amounts of mercury. Such ingredients are unacceptable to be put in cosmetic products as for annex II part 1 of the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive.

Putting the danger into the body There are products everywhere that surely benefit living organisms such as humans. However, there are also a lot of products that are dangerous and the amount of people who don't check the ingredients and reviews of the things they buy is unpleasantly high. This is the reason people need to be knowledgeable and wary about the products they buy.

tice and it will greatly help them in their daily lives.

Especially items that people consume or even put in different parts of their body such as cosmetics that people put all over their face. Moreover, parts of the body, if a person applies a product that their skin is sensitive to, can pose potential health hazards to the consuming public, such as allergies and skin irritations or something even worse. It is better to consult professionals about products or even just checking if it is FDA approved can help.

Administration to ensure safety

Products from all over the world including cosmetics, medicine, food, medical devices and other items invented by people are found everywhere. Nevertheless, before putting those products in stores and for it to be sold everywhere. It is needed to go through the Food and Drug Administration or better known as FDA, it ensures the Making sure that the product is safe is a great prac- safety of the items. It verifies if a product is safe

Now that several vaccines are appearing from around the world, the government urges the whole population to be vaccinated. Though after the recent incidents with Dengvaxia, a vaccine supposed to prevent dengue that had caused controversy among citizens after it started showing bad effects, is it really okay for Filipinos to trust another vaccine again?

The vaccines such as Pfizer, Moderna, Astrazeneca, Sinovac, and Novavax are all thoroughly consulted.

In other words, each vaccine is rigorously tested, going through numerous trials and even regularly tested once it is introduced. The vaccines are also approved by WHO, an organization made to ensure citizens safety. If potential issues around the world arise, WHO also makes sure to communicate and investigate.

enough for citizens to use or not if it meets a certain requirement.

There are tons of stages a product goes through before it can have the FDA's approval. What are those stages? The discovery or concept, pre-clinical research, clinical research, FDA review, and FDA post-market safety monitoring. Additionally, FDA approved products also have its benefits. One of those benefits is the impact of the approval on smart buyers. If the seller sells an item that guarantees the buyers’ safety, they will have a higher percentage of them buying the product.

Consumers should normalize educating themselves about what they are planning to buy. Particularly vloggers and influencers for the reason that their impact on netizens are exceptionally high. This simple practice will decrease problems and damage in the far future.

COVID 19

It is possible that a low amount of people may experience side effects. Low-fever, pain or redness where the injection took place are examples of mild side effects. Side effects that are long lasting and severe are also possible. Nonetheless, those are extremely rare and if any citizens experience these type side effects, it is requested for them to seek help from professionals immediately.

ed to strengthen the immune system and prevent COVID 19 from entering our body. Additionally, it will also help in reducing the spread of the virus and with it will decrease the chances of people -who are suffering from an illness and were prescribed not to take the vaccine, to catch COVID 19.

Despite the COVID 19 vaccine's chances of giving side effects, it is still better than not being vaccinat- It is also important to understand that vaccines do ed and catching the virus that may produce severe not make citizens invisible in terms of the disease, symptoms that can even lead to death. the same goes for COVID 19 vaccines. The population should still wear face masks and should take extra precaution to ensure their safety from the Why should the masses get vaccinated? Citizens virus. around the world should prioritize getting vaccinat-

Shamira Kenah S. Imperial

SPORTS LA Lakers distances themselves from Miami heat at Championships, 4-2 CHARMAINE MARZAN

LA Lakers, with the coordinated and skillful performance of each member throughout the game, outsmarts the Miami Heat at the 17th NBA Championships with a 42 match on Sunday, October 11, 2020.

Many said that the turning point of the first game for the Lakers might have started when Lebron James continued to attack and transition making point-blank shots that boosted the team's morale. Lebron James also showed amazing teamwork with Rajon Rondo despite the latter being newly transferred to the team.

Even after receiving a bad pass from Tyler Herro led to a lay-up point because of the outstanding skills Kentavious Caldwell-Pope showed. As the game continued, Rajon Rondo, one of the players LA Lakers fans were looking forward to witnessing play due to his past injury, continued to play his best and score with his powerful attacks.

Lebron James also maintained the consistent lay-up or a shot near the

When the game continued, Rajon Rondo carried on making lay-up shots including scooping lay-up shots, giving Lakers 13 points. The game finished in LA Lakers’ favor.

They won from games 1 to 2. The team truly had an astounding and exceptional gameplay from the start till the end. In the first game, the LA Lakers scored 116-98 and then scored 116-98 in the second game.

The LA Laker Lebron James still shook the game with 28 points, 14 Rebounds and 10 Assists. Anthony Davis Scoring a total of 19 points, 15 rebounds. Rajon Rondo with 8-11 FG which combined to 38 points. They claimed victory when they defeated the Heat 10693 in Game 6.

Despite the Miami Heat’s catching up from games 3 & 5 with scores of 104-115 and for the 5th game 108-111. The LA Lakers still won with their efforts.

28

POINTS Lakers and Heat compete for the NBA 17th Championship and bring back honor to their fans in Florida on October 11, 2020. (photosource: nba.com)

REBOUNDS ASSISTS

10

basket points throughout the game.

Shortly after, Eric Spoelstra, the coach of Miami Heat called a time out as the team he’s leading is in a tough spot.

14 10

MVP

Team China rules over Team Italy at Women’s Volleyball Nations League, 3-2 Team China won against team Italy with a score of China's side, the ball goes out of the court and gets 106-110 or a match point of 3-2 making a powerful China a point. Italy now only leads against China comeback at the third set at Hong Kong, China last with a single lead.

2019.

Team China made a great comeback at the third set, At the start of the game, as Zhang of team China China kept the rally going with 22 points for the tried to get the ball over Italy's side, Egonu and set, tied with Italy. China managed again to recover Danesi of team Italy managed to block the ball, the ball many times and with Zhu ended the rally making Italy earn a point. Danesi of team Italy with a spike, letting China now lead against Italy. served an ace serve, they scored two consecutive points.

As China served, Italy immediately got the ball back to China's side, with Chirichella, Italy's team capThe next rally became intense. China manages to tain, spiked the ball, the points now tied. As the set recover the ball many times. However, Italy man- continued, The rally kept going, giving an intense aged to get the ball to the floor, giving the team match. Egonu from team Italy spikes with China another point. The next rally came, Zhang from the receiving it efficiently. However, Egonu managed to China team spiked the ball, providing China their get it to China's side swiftly, which earned Italy a third point. point.

A fierce rally came. As China blocked the ball from getting to their side, Italy managed to get it to China's side. Despite that, Di Yao from team China recovered the ball and Zeng set the ball for Zhang to spike it. Zhang kills, giving China a point. This somewhat boosted the morale of the China team and their motivation.

The two teams' points are tied to 24. Zhu Ting, China's team captain kills, with a spike speed of 88.9 km/h, broke the tie and gave the China team their 25th point. It gave the set to China. Italy and China now both have 2 set points.

er, starting from the third set, we had better reception. Italy is a strong team, we will go back and reflect to Ting, the captain of the China Volleyball team spikes the ball i m p r o v e Zhu to victory at the Volleyball Nations League, 3-2. (photosource: volleyballsource.com) o u r selves.

Lastly, I would like to thank the fans from Hong Kong for their encouragement and support."

China team's captain Zhu Ting also stated: "I am very thankful to my team and fans. We are very happy with the victory and we will work hard to improve."

The 5th set came, now in China team's favor, Ni Yan Italy's head coach said: " Congratulations to China. of team China spiked, which gave them a 3-point It was an amazing match. I feel upset for Italy but When the second set took place, with Italy still in lead against Italy. our team has already had a good performance. At the lead, they made a dump shot which earned this moment, Team China is better than Team Italy. them a point. Minutes later, Egonu of team Italy As a tiebreaker, a team needs to win the fifth set However, I am happy and satisfied with our team's spiked the ball with a spike speed of 97.7 km/h. with 15 points. It is now a match point for China. match tonight. It is a good start for this season."

When Italy gave China a free ball, Yuan of team As Zhu Ting served, Egonu tried to spike the ball to China spiked the ball which obtained them a point.

China's side. Unfortunately for them, the ball went As for what Team Italy's captain Cristina Chirichella out. The match ended in China’s favor. stated: "We did lose a few critical points in the The third set started, with Italy still in the lead, Liu match today. We will perform better next time." of team China spiked the ball and gave them their China team's head coach Lang Ping said: "It was a fifth point for the set, with Italy having a 2-point wonderful match. In the first two sets, we did not Zena Conel lead. As Egonu of Italy tries to spike the ball to perform well in the first pass and blocking. Howev-