Alpas Alpas Alpas AnAnthology
P h o t o c o u r t e s y o f R a p p l e r M o d i f i e d b y C h e l s e y L i b oo n
Alpas-AnAnthology
AlpasisderivedfromaFilipinowordthatmeans
to breakfreeorbreakloose. Weallhavethingswewanttobreakfree from.Love society self.
Alpas Volume1,October2022
TheLiteraryFolioofGroup3fromHUMSS12C PublishedbythestudentsfromUniversityofSt.LaSalle SeniorHighSchool (LiceoDeLaSalle).
Allrightsreserved,includingtherightofreproductioninwholeoranypartorform. ThethemeofthisLiteraryFolioisinspiredfromreal-lifeeventsofsocietalissueswith hintsoffiction.Mostphotosweretakenfromrealliferalliesandprotestsaroundthe Philippines.However,charactersandeventsthatresembleactualpeople,incidents,and placesareeithercoincidentaloraproductoftheauthors’imagination.
LiteraryEditor ChelseyM.Libo-on Contributors KylieJimenea GiselleMaeAmbrosio LayoutArtist PaulaVillar VisualCreatives KrizzandraGallermo AlyannaAlisbo ThePublicationStaff 1
P h o t o c o u r t e s y o f V o i c e s o f G e n Z M o d i f i e d b y C h e l s e y L i b oo n
TableofContents Foreword............................................... POEMS consignedtooblivion..................................... Thebeautyinyou........................................ dreamingfree............................................ Sunisup,evenifit'smeanttorain........................... DisparityinSociety....................................... thepenthatwasforcefullyhidden............................ SHORTSTORIES WailofaSiren........................................... Adreamweoncehave.................................... DefintionofTerms....................................... Acknowledgments........................................ 3 5 7 8 11 13 15 16 19 23 27 29
P h o t o c o u r t e s y o f : B a s i l i o S e p e M o d i f i e d b y : C h e l s e y L i b oo n
weallhavethingswewanttobreakfree from.Love theverythingthatmakesourworldgo round,society—thecommuniythatshapedus,andself— thepersonwesometimesrefusetoacknowledge.Butwhy dowehavetoresist?
democraticcountryintoanuncertain,chaoticland.The individualsthatshould'vebeentheretoprotectusarethe veryfirstwhowouldjeopardizethefreedomweonce foughtfor.Therichgetricher,thepoorgetpoorer;justice isselective;thegovernmentisalaughingstockcircus veryclichébutveryrealindeed.Alpas:Ananthologyisa literaryfolioofpoemsandshortstoriesthatconveythe fervorthatyouthfeelswheneverthereissomethingto breakfreefrom. Resistingisnotalwaysabadthing;resistingchangeis evenworse.
andfreedomwehavestruggledfor.
Truthbetold
Oursocietyisonthevergeofcollapsingfromafree,
Sogoon breakfreefromthingsthatviolatethepeace
Parasasarili,parasabayan—alpas! 5 foreword ChelseyLibo-on
PhotocourtesyofAaronFavila ModifiedbyChelseyLibo-on POEMS
consignedtooblivion
by Chelsey M Libo on
drugs—goons—deaths whenwillitevercometoanend? tellme aretheyeverworththebet? aspeopleinhighseatsholdthenet, whenfalsehoodenterstheirsystem, onlythepowerlesscanneverbeatthem. canweeversay—nevernottofear? thesedayswillsurelypass—mydear, butwillwebesheltereduntiltheend? knowingthattheyhavethingstheycanbend. tellmeagain—ishopeenough? becausesurely thesystemisfullofbluff itwasmeanttotakeusdown afterall—itwassupposedtodressyouinagown whichhandarewegoingtorestourbacksonnow? becausealltheywantareservantswhobow. thesethingswillsurelybeinthepast buthopefully itdoesn'tcomeatlast maywecarryafewlearningstobringon, asweconsignthesethingstooblivion. 7
Alyanna Alisbo
Isitmyfault? Wasitmyfaultforfeelinguncomfortable? Thoselongsilkyhairsbrushalongmyshoulderslikeacurtain onawindyday. Oh,howIhateditsomuch. Goingoutsideandfeelinguncomfortablewithmyskirt,shirt mylimbs,mylegs,andmybreasts. IfIcouldbeanotherpersonrightnow,Iwould. IfIwouldtellyouaboutmythoughts,wouldyouhurtme? Abeautiful,beautiful,beautifulfacehehasbecomebutalas shehastornitintopieces. Shockedwiththefaceofherdaughterasaman— Evenifshewasalreadydead,mymotherwouldalwaysbring herback Likeabodyheistryingtobury, Acondomheistryingtohideinhiswallet, Anadultmagazinehe’stryingtoshoveunderhisbed. Yetshewasalwaysthere, “Mybeautifuldaughter”shesaid, rippingapartmyface withdropletsofrainrunningdown hercheeks. WillIbebeautifulenoughforyou? 8 Thebeautyinyou by
Artworkby:AlyannaAlisbo
P h o t o c o u r t e s y o f S i d n e y S n o e c k M o d i f i e d b y C h e l s e y L i b oo n
by Chelsey Libo on
thefadingdreamsihadbefore werebittersweetmomentsihave nomore aspiecesofpaperdestroymetomycore, shoulditryagain whatfor? mumwouldsayit'sokaytodreamhigh, butiguess—shelikestolie thissituationisn'tsomethingtopry forthisthingcausesdreamstodie isdadsurehecanstillsweat? orhe'lljustloseallourmoneyonabet? ifyou'reheedless—that'swhatyouget insteadofworkingwithyournet sistersaid shewantstobeataskyscraper butsomethingsoimportantstoppedher paper myheartstoppedamomentforher oh,yousillydreamtaker brotherwasalwaysthere, thissituation canhestillbear? soobviousashegrabshisownhair ah!tohavesomeoneascaring—sorare hereiam sohopelessicanbe it'sasurpriseihadn'tflee asifihaveachancetodoandbe, forgiveme ijustwanttobefree
dreamingfree
11
PhotoeditedbyKrizzandraGallermo
Anchoredtimebefell Overlywindandexcessivehail Upuntilthenestistoounwell Shouldwefollowthistrail? Overmore,leavesfallrapidly Eventhebranchesstarttumblingoffthetree Likeabulblashedinsoquickly Beingswitchedonandoffexcessively Andwecan'teventell? What'sgoingonandwhat'smoretodwell Letusnotlingeronthiscrisis Andhidfromwhatwecallafarewell Hundredsofearshaveheard Thousandofeyeshaveseen Millionsofmouthshavespoken Butnooneansweredwhythesunisup evenifit'smeanttorain. SunisUpEvenifit'sMeanttoRain by Krizzandra Gallermo 13
PhotocourtesyofArjayHernandez ModifiedbyChelseyLibo-on
by Giselle Mae Ambrosio
Inequality threatagainstthehumankind Peopleinpowerkeeptheireyesshutblind Howarewegoingtorisefrompoverty? Iffortunateonesarekeptprioritizedcontinuously? Socialclassbroughtcountlessdeath Asitbecamethebasisoflendingahand Inequalitystillariseshiddenindifferentfaces Whereprejudicefoundinmanyofitsraces Blooddriesonskin,bonestearsapart; Ifwewouldnotfocusontheneglected,whowill? Goldyields,pickeddeftly; Yetwhyonlypeopleinpowerareseenrepeatedly? Inequality ismuchasaneyeglass, Initsabsence,whatmattersmostareunnoticeable helpless Whereisequality? Implyittohumanity! DisparityinSociety
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thepenthatwasforcefullyhidden, hiddeninthedarkestcupboards wecouldn'tthinkeven see thepenwassupposedtoprotectthebeaten alongedfreedomofourcountrymen, mournfully timelygiven fretnot lightshallbeforecasteduntothem mindandconsciousness sobrightlikeapieceofgem nevergonnaendunlikeaclothing'shem itdoesn'tmatterifyoudon'tlike'em, fortheyholdpropheticknowledgelikewiseoldshem whathaveyoudonetothesovereigntywelongedfor? withslaves—youonyourseat—youbore youcoveredtheirmouthslikeashutdoor didn'tleftany—notevenapore tocoverupwhatyouhavedone—gore now thepenshallbeseen forithas
fromthisworldthatdrunksusasagin aplacewhereiseldomlyseegreen honestly
#DefendPressFreedom
andwillprotectmykin
wereyouevenclean?
thepenthatwasforcefullyhidden by:ChelseyLibo-on 16
P h o t o c o u r t e s y o f P h i l s t a r M o d i f i e d b y C h e l s e y L i b oo n
SHORT STORIES
Artworkby:AlyannaAlisbo Reference:Parasite
WailofaSiren
byChelseyLibo on&PaulaVillar
neverreallyfailtodisappointme.I'mcuttingyourpayrollforthis monthforthedamagesyou'vecaused,”sheshoutedinannoyance.
Money—decency—justice—aretheyreallyoutofourreach?Max's beenthinkingaboutitlately;howtoobtainthesethingswithout losinghimselfinthissociety. He'shearingitagain.Hisboss'shighpitchedvoicewhenever she'sshoutingathim.Everytime,Maxcouldheararingingsound inhiseardrumsoutofpanic.“Youdiditagain,Mr.Santos!You
Maxlivesinalowlybungalowwithhischildrenandaminimum wagejob.Heraisedhissonsalonesincetheywerebabiesbecause hiswifeisnowheretobefound.Andnowthathisbossdecidedto cuthispayroll,hehastolookformoreworktodoinorderto gain—evenjustabitof—money. Tohisbadluck,hefailedtolookforanextrajob.Hewas extremelyhopelessbecausetherewasnofoodattheirhome;his childrenaregonnastarve.Outofdesperation,hedecidedtosteal 5piecesofbreadandsomesanitarythingsfromalocalgrocery store.Hewascaughtsoheran—asfastashecould.Whenhewas doingso—hewasthinkingabouthischildren—theycanfinallyeat ifhearrivesathomequickly.Tohismisfortune—hewascaught. Hewassenttothebarangaywiththeirmayor,MayorDelaCruz. Themayorquestionedhimuntilhewastootiredtoexplainand wassenttotheprecinct.
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with2policeofficerswhostaredathimwithdisdain.Theywere filingacaseagainsthimwithTheft.“Butsir,willyouprovidea
me!”Heaskedtheofficers.“Sorry,thepublicdefendantsare currentlybusywithapublicinterestcase.”
6monthsinjailbecauseheknewtoowellthathiskidswon'tbe abletopayaP10,000worthbail.
Theblindinglightsoftheprecinctwelcomedhim.Hewasfaced
lawyerforme?Anypublicdefendantwilldo.Myfamilyneeds
Helosthope;hecriedinagonywhenherealizedhehastostayfor
Ashewassittingbehindbars,amanwithluxuriousclothes enteredthesamejailashim.HissmellofalcoholintoxicatedMax's nostrils.Theywerecloudedwithsilence;unabletotalk.“What didyoudothatmadeyouenduphere?”heaskedtheguytobuy sometime.“Hittwochildrenandtheycaughtmewithabunchof alcoholinmycar,”Theguycasuallysaid.Maxthoughtthatthe guywastoocomposedforsomeonewhojusthitahumanperson. “Ting—ting—ting,”manyhourshadpassed,thekeysrattledasan officeropenedthejailfortheotherguy.“Goodevening,Mr.Dela Cruz, Mayor Dela Cruz is waiting for you outside for the settlement.”Theofficersaid. 20
Max'seyeswidenedinhorrortohisrealization.Buthewasbusy lookingattheTVthatwasfeaturingnews thesonofthemayor hittwochildren childrenwhohaveseeminglyveryfamiliarfaces toMax.Hewept andwept andwept.
Howlongwillwehavethiskindofsystem?Hethought.How longwillwekeeponfightingwithourpowerlessstanding?The lawisharsh,butitisthelaw indeed.Butwillwestillconsider thatwhentheharshlawitself—isbent?Thissystemislikeacry forhelp; a wail of a siren.
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h o t o c o u r t
P
e s y o f T h e T e l e g r a p h
Adreamweoncehave by.KrizzandraGallermoandAlyannaAlisbo Education—istherootofeverythingformanyofus.It'slikea headinabody.Ifit'stakenaway,we'restrippedoffourdignity, respect,andlove—notbyourchoice,butsurely,societywill.How farcanwegotobeeducated?Orisitevenourfaultthatweare deprivedofthesethings? AloudangryvoiceringedontheendsofMia'searsaftershefell asleepinherEnglishclass. “Ifonlyyoustayedatyourhouseandgotajob,youwouldn'tbe outheresleepinginthemiddleofmyclass!”MissJerawailedin frustration. Miaslowlyandconsciouslyrecognizedthatshewasdoomed.A mixtureoftirednessandlossofwilltocarryon—enteredher systemagainassheopenedhereyes.“Pardonformynegligence, miss.Iassureyou,thiswon'tbehappeningagain.”But,inMia's unfortunateevents,MissJeradidn'tconsiderherinvalidaction andorderedhertoleavetheclass. Thenextdayatschoolwasnothingbetter.Theenvironmentwas fulloflaughteranddiscomforttoher—asifshe'slivinginabox wherethere'slightbutshecouldn'tseeit. 23
“Goodmorning,MissJera,”Miagreetedwithaforcedsmileto cheerherup.MissJerarefusedtorespondwithahintofdisdain. AsMiawalkedtowardherchair,shenoticedthattherewas someonewhowassittingalready.“Excuseme,Jasmine,butthis chairismine.Canyoupleasechangeyourseat?”Miapolitely asked.“InwhatworlddoIowetoobeyyou?Youdon'teven belonginhere”Jasminescoffedandleftforthebathroom. Miafeltasifherwholebeingsuccumbedtothefamiliardarkness thatshehadalwaysfelt.“WhyamIevenhere?DoIhavetogo thisfartomakeherproudofme?” Miathought. Allday,Mia'smindwasoccupiedwiththoughtsanddoubtsabout hercapabilitiestopursueherrighttohaveaneducation andto makesomeonesheloveshappybythrivingtofinishherstudies. Mia'shealthconditionisnowgettingworsethanever.Shewould spendherbreaktimessleeping,resting,andcoughingherlungs out. Atthesamenight,Mia'sonlyfamilywenttoherplacewithfood andmedicinetogivetoher.Miasighedinreliefwhenshesawthe foodthatthepersoninfrontofhergave.Inreturn,Miagavethe personahandmadenecklacewithadaisyasapendant.“Takethis, Imadethisbecausethisflowerremindsmeofyou.”Theperson gotitthenlefther—nowordcameoutoftheirmouthsince. Thenextmorning,theteenagersfromMia'sschoolbarelynoticed shewasnotaround.Theydidn'tcare;whywouldthey?There— MissJeraenteredtheroomweepingherheartout.Shewas holdinganecklacewithadaisypendantonit. 24
Jeracan'tbelieveshewastoolate.Hermomdiedwithoutgetting thechancetofinishherstudies.Backthen,womenweren't privilegedenoughtogetthegoodeducationtheydeserve.And because of that—she hated her mom to the core—without realizingMiadidn'thaveachoicebuttobeincomplianceto circumstancesthatwouldmakesocietyaccepther. Noteveryonehasthechoicetogotoschool.Tosome,it's a dream we once had. 25
P h o t o c o u r t e s y o f T h e G U I D O N M o d i f i e d b y C h e l s e y L i b oo n
DefinitionofTerms
Bittersweet, adj afalsethreatorclaimintendedtodeterordeceivesomeone Belief, n thestateofbeingcharacterizedbysensation,emotion,volition,andthought Consciousness, n togive,transfer,ordeliverintothehandsorcontrolofanotheralso Consign, v aninhabitantornativeofaspecifiedcountry
pleasantbutincludingormarkedbyelementsofsufferingorregret
Countrymen, n acabinetorsmallrecesswithadoorandtypicallyshelves,usedforstorage. Cupboard, n aprophecy,estimate,orpredictionofafuturehappeningorcondition
Forecasted, v tocausetosufferemotionalstrain
Fret, v apreciousorsometimessemipreciousstonecutandpolishedforornament Gem, n acolorlessalcoholicbeverage Gin, n amanhiredtoterrorizeoreliminateopponents Goons, n topierceorwoundwithsomethingpointed Gore, n showingarecklesslackofcareorattention
Heedless, adj aborderofaclotharticledoubledbackandstitcheddown
Hem, n thehumanrace;humanbeingscollectively Humanity, n thequalityofbeingunequaloruneven
Inequality, n
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Kin, n theconditionorstateofbeingforgottenorunknown
agroupofpersonsofcommonancestry
Oblivion, n thestateofonewholacksausualorsociallyacceptableamountofmoneyormaterial possessions
Poverty, n lackingtheauthorityorcapacitytoact
Powerless, adj dislike,hostility,orunjustbehavior
Prejudice, n relatingtoorcharacteristicofaprophetorprophecy.
Prophetic, adj theeldestsonofNoahheldtobetheprogenitoroftheSemiticpeople
Shem averytallbuilding
Social Class
Skyscraper, n groupingofpeopleintoasetofhierarchicalsocialcategories,themostcommonbeing theupper,middleandlowerclasses
freedomfromexternalcontrol
System, n
Sovereignty, n aformofsocial,economic,orpoliticalorganizationorpractice
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Acknowledgments
Thisheartfeltgratitudegoesouttothewomenwhopouredout theliquidelementsoftheirheartsintothisworkofart—��������������, ��������������������, ��������������, ����������, ������ ����������.Theexperiencesyouhadto relive,theburiedemotionsyouhadtofeelagain,andtheyearningfor justiceforthehelplessthatwehavetofightforoverandoveragain—it istrulyastoundingtothinkthatallofthesecanbeanthologizedina singlestackofpages.Thankyouforexploringtherealmsofyour imaginations,yourhearts,andyourminds—withoutwhich,thesewill allbeimpossibletomake.
Alltheseweowetoourteacher, ����. ������������ ������������.Forshaping ourmindsandguidingusallthroughoutthisbumpyjourney.Thank youforteachingushowtoconveyandputintowordstheunspoken, theunfelt,andtheunknownintoabeautifulcreation.Ittakesone masterpiecetoupskillanothertocreateanothermasterpiece.
To ������ ������������ ������ �������� ���� ���������� ��������,doitforthethingsthat haveprimeessenceinyourhearts.Thankyouforbeingtheprimary inspirationbehindallthesewords.Thankyouforshowingusthat therearethingswehavetobreakfreefrom—andsometimesitisnot alwaysbadtofreeourselvesfromthem.
Andlastly, ���� ������ ���������������� ������������,mayweneverkeepoureyes closedtotheinjusticesthatcontinuouslyharmthelivesandreputations ofourcountrymen.Mayweneverforgetthehistorythatoncehadour countrysuccumbtothedarknessofanera.Maywealwaysstriveto breakfreefromthethings—andpeoplethatforceustostayquiet, blind,andunawareofourveryownnation.
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