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Plenty of politicians have been in conviction due to their corruption in the past. An example of this is Joseph Estrada, who intervened in government positions and assigned his relatives to them. He was also exposed to receiving jueteng payoffs and bribes by Chavit Singson, etc. Despite that, some citizens continue to support him. It is time for us to know the true nature of these politicians and stop supporting them. Up until now, there are still immoral and corrupted politicians. People bash them on the internet, who has stated their opinion about their actions. Regardless, corrupted politicians continue to dominate the political scene.

It is significant for us to keep in mind to avoid voting for a politician that belongs to a corrupt ruling class or only has a lust for power, fame, and money. "Trapo" is another term for these people made by Filipino citizens. They are corrupt, have a hidden agenda, make lots of meaningless promises, egotistic, and possess lots of dirty tricks. They buy their votes with money that sometimes comes from drugs, create dirty campaigns, does dagdag bawas in which they take legitimate ballots and insert fake ones to win. If it is necessary, they slay people who can be and is a threat to them.

Similarly, it is needed for us to keep in mind what their priorities are. Is it necessary? Will it even help us to improve both present and future wise? As shown above, in the editorial cartoon,

The Awakening

where Trapo prioritizes social media apps, we need to question ourselves. Do I agree to make this a priority? Will it improve the lives of us citizens? If it does, in what way does it improve it? Is it worthy of my vote? Juan Dela Cruz's priority list having jobs, education, health, housing, Wi-Fi protected setup, vaccine, and economy listed is better than the ones listed on the Trapo's list. Comparing the two, it is evident which one is more effective and more significant in the lives of residents.

A proper politician should always think first about what will be better for the citizens. In contrast to that, a Trapo, most of the time, only thinks about themselves and what is good for them. They run to keep themselves in power, not because they want to help improve their country. They use the money from the government for their personal needs. They are selfcentered, unethical and conscienceless.

We need to replace these types of people for us to improve our lives and our country. We have the power to decide who will lead us. Therefore we must choose the one who is worthy of the position.

Drawn by: Aedan Jose

Discrimination, a menace to equality and the nation

Our diversity as people must be what binds us all together as one. Every human is born different. Race, beliefs, genders, colors, social status, age vary depending on the person. All these things make us unique from one another, but this also shows the beauty of the human race. People love biodiversity, yet when it comes to human diversity, some individuals prefer to overlook it. If someone sees a person of different culture and color, they'll discriminate against them for not being the same. I see this as an immense difficulty that may affect society and its ways. The unjust treatment of individuals and groups based on qualities like race, color, age, beliefs, and sexual orientation is called discrimination. Many people discriminate because of their differences, which we should prevent.

Discrimination is an issue that we have faced from the beginning of time. It has caused a lot of damage to the people who went through it. They are hated purely for being themselves. We must resolve this immediately. I haven't personally witnessed discrimination, but I am mindful of the suffering and harm it can cause. I saw numerous documentaries and articles on what they went through, how they felt, and what they had to endure due to prejudice and discrimination. I am also a witness to discrimination here in the country I live in, the Philippines. Growing up, I see people ignoring or giving weird stares to foreigners, especially black people. I'd see them whisper badly to each other at times. As a child, I wasn't too aware that this was wrong, so I just shrugged it off. But as a teenager, I'm now informed that doing that is racist.

Giannie Lee, an In Real Life Twitch streamer, is one of the well-known victims of racism. She often streams while walking or traveling in various locations, showcasing the area's beauty to her audience. Many of her videos have gone viral on Twitter, YouTube, and Tiktok, and a majority of them are pre-COVID. These cases demonstrate that Asian racism happened even long before Corona took over. Two men interrupted her as she was eating in one clip, and they began to stretch their eyes horizontally and blabber gibberish. They mocked her race and kind, while she just smiled and tried to convince the men to leave her alone. She seemed helpless, and no one intervened or even bothered to assist her. One woman who was there the whole time did nothing but laughed it off as if it was a funny joke.

She strikes me as a mentally and emotionally strong woman. To think she went through all of that while doing nothing but something she loves. I'm not sure how I'd treat such racist humans if I were in her shoes. I'm sure I'd yell angrily at them while Giannie tries to remain composed when it occurs to her. I saw some videos of her crying, but she tried to brighten up quickly for her viewers. Though sometimes some cheer for her and compliment her, I find it heartwarming because she deserves it. But again, I cried just thinking about what she went through and felt. I was disappointed to learn that racism and discrimination still existed in 2021 and that individuals had to deal with them regularly. It sickened me that people would find these racist and mocking jokes amusing. It makes me wonder whether those adults realize what they're doing or if their brains are stuck in the phase of humorous racist jokes.

This issue affects everyone, not just Asians. It involves black people, Muslims, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and many others. Anything that deviates from their type of people, discrimination has a potential to happen. Aspects such as age, faith, sexual identity, ethnicity, color, and abilities all play a role. I'm not sure why these differences have to be a concern. People seem to adore diversity in wildlife, but when it comes to humans, do they discriminate? Then they turn racist? I'm perplexed. I figured they wanted variety? Many that are discriminating seem to be looking for a type of variety. However, this is not possible because individuals come in various sizes, genders, shades, and other characteristics. Nobody is the same, and you must understand this. The world will not change to accommodate your desires.

Dear Editor,

I'm hopeful that this issue will come to an end soon. Remember, LGBTQ+ people are still human, and love is love. If you're a Muslim or Hindu person, you can worship your God, for that's what you believe. If you're a PWD, you may have a disease or injury, but that doesn't mean you're not equal. If you have a different race, that's how you're born, and you can't change it. Please bear in mind that displaying discrimination would not fix or benefit anyone. Let our differences not be the reason for our separation but rather our key to unification.

Dear Claire,

I believe a relevant issue now is the Taal Volcano updates. The updates regarding this issue are essential these days because it can affect many people, as reports say that it can erupt again sooner or later. And the effects of the emitted sulfur dioxide from the volcano become acid rain, and it can cause harm. I hope that you will publish an article regarding this. So that people will know updates regarding the events occurring in certain places in the country. (Claire Darren Bajas) Thanks for bringing this topic up. I agree that our country needs updates about one of the most active volcanos here in the Philippines. Though COVID is our primary issue now, we must not overlook other significant threats to the public’s health and the environmental changes that can affect the public. I remember that it erupted before, and its ashes were spread over the land on areas of the country. Due to this, we’ll make sure to add updates about the Taal Volcano.

Perspectives and Differences

Growing up, I realized that there are differences between you, me, and everyone. Specifically, I am talking about our differences through our perspectives. If I look at the sky and see a cloud-shaped dragon, you might say that it is a cloud-shaped eagle. I am sure we all went through that point in life where your friend likes something else more than what you had in mind. It amazes me how you and I have the same brains but quite different perceptions. Thus, making us perfectly imperfect, perfectly diverse.

When it comes to lifestyles, some say becoming picture-perfect is the way to live life. While others believe that hard work with patience is the key. Then others say that both good looks and good behavior are the ideal way of life. Then when it comes to colors, others like pink, while some like yellow or blue better.

Opinions and arguments would never end, for we all have different visions. We all have mixed views, ideas, mindsets, and words, all with various meanings. The possibilities of endless opinions are widespread. They lead from one end to another like how a river flows gently to the sea of thoughts and connects to another hundred rivers.

Humans are different from one another, whether through looks, manners, and characteristics. Even if you compare a twin to their twin sibling to the slightest detail, their fingerprints may not even be the same. It does not irritate me, but rather it fascinates me to the deepest core. Life as a human being, this life of ours has no same other. No matter how

many people there are in this world, there would never be another like you. Isn't the thought enough to make you want to cherish your life a little more? Being different makes us distinctly unique to the point where only you make you.

If you ask me, our opinions and perspectives are based solely on facts mixed with our consciousness and mindset, pointed directly to our benefit. And with what we are born with and what we grew up with, our life changes based on decisions solely decided by our own hands.

Having thought of that, having a different mind makes us different individuals compared to animals. People and animals rely on instincts, but humans also have something else, which is the mind. We do not simply rely on the quick movement itself; we also rely on our minds, thinking about what to do in a dangerous situation. Making our brains the best weapon for survival, outsmarting those instinct-kicking animals, and surviving at the top of the food chain.

f you think about it, what would happen if all of us had the same mindset, same perspective? Life would be dull and mundane. It would be like a school filled with teachers without students. It would feel incomplete, and it would feel strange. Human activity, history would have no progress. No one would have discovered anything because no one would have thought of that.

With this, we now know the importance of being different, being you. Ever ask why people

discovered new things when no one even knew they had ever existed? The reason is that they became true to themselves. They became different from the rest of the world. Proving to the rest that being different is a charm, being different is an asset. It is something we can use for both the better good and worse.

Understanding life through each other’s eyes is such a pleasant experience. I think of it as both a gift and a miracle. We are, after all, dependent on one another. In terms of family, we have parents and children. While politically, we have a government and citizens. We also have farmers, who are the backbone of society since there would be no food to consume if they did not exist. The saying “Walang sinuman ang nabubuhay ay para sa sarili lamang”. (No one lives only for themselves) pops to mind when it comes to this.

Maybe there are still things I have not yet uncovered. Things that would yet come to mind, things I might have missed to add or have misunderstood. Since being different doesn't mean being perfect. Well, there would still be a lot of things to learn and opportunities to learn in this one-of-a-kind lifetime. All of this is part of being different, and after all, this was all from my perspective. Get it?

Should we be proud of OFWs?

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), often nicknamed the “Modern Day Heroes” by both the media and public for all the hardships that they experience while working abroad. Not only that, but OFWs also play a significant part in sustaining the economy of the country.

For this reason, I have always respected and thought of them highly. However, as a country, having OFWs or the fact that citizens need to work in another country to have a source of income is not good in any way as it only shows that a country lacks employment opportunities.

One of the main reasons Filipinos bother to travel overseas is a lack of income in the Philippines, which the government should address. schedules. A way to fix that is by creating new jobs, raising the minimum wage, and establishing proper work. So, the country can earn more money, and the government should also make more tourist places, take care of the environment, and improve anything related to tourism.

Due to the lack of sufficient resources to export, resulting in low incomes for citizens, which is the second reason some Filipinos go abroad. This situation does not make sense, especially given the abundance of exportable resources in the Philippines. The problem is with the government; they should learn how to conserve and use the resources for the better instead of “exporting” people as slaves. The government should allow people to mine for minerals once again and stop the mindset of stopping it because it “destroys the environment". Mining is a necessity for a country to improve. Take China as an example. They have a lot of columbite-tantalite, which contains tantalum, which is utilized widely in the electronic industry.

The third is probably because of the lack of jobs available here. Accounting is one of the most common courses that every parent wants for their children because it gives them an easy chance to find a job. This action results in a limited variety of jobs available in the country. People who find interest in doing something that is not as well-received as the others will decide to work abroad for their passion.