Echoes February 2016

1 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 2

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 3

61 6

BTS

7

EDITORIAL

8

COMMITTEE NEWS

14

NEWS

38

FEATURES

78

CULTURE

30

News By The Numbers

46

Daja, Moja, Wali Kuku

90

Key Lessons from DJ Khaled's Snaps

Miguel Dela Cruz

34

A World For The Few

Gino Gerodias

57

Power of Pretend

74

Pita Ochave

44

The Greatest Man I Know Paolo Tejano

92

Se7en

94

Tweetable Tweets

Jeremy Gemzontan

Van Guno

Sam Cinco

40

Power Of Fear

Ryan Jacob

The BD-SM Model

Kelsey Mariano

Anton Sison

84

Chito's Corner

98

Ali Balindong

Mornings at Olympus Olivia Solomon

CONTRIBUTORS Carlos Jacinto Miggy Villamor Aaron Galano Justin Villas

Emil Apostol Jan Ramos Karla Tuplano Ann Geron

David Balmes Sam CInco Carlos Cabaero Paolo Tejano

Gio Perez Bea Balbacal Anton Sison Cai Antonio

Lady Hester Sheena Dy Lyon Leus Jem Gemzontan

Ryan Jacob Josh Siat Gino Gerodias Dale Lim

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 5

BTS

Editors SELENA YAO Editor-in-Chief

DOMINIC CARREON Associate Editor

IVAN GUNO Managing Editor

MA. PILAR OCHAVE Creative Director

PATRICIA YSABELLE BANSON Features Editor

RACHELLE ANNE BASAS News Editor

KELSEY MARIANO Culture Editor

DEA VILLAROSA Photo Editor

MAYA PARAGUYA Photo Editor

LORENZO CANARIA Art Editor

ANNA PAGDANGANAN Layout Editor

KEN RECASATA Web Editor

DANIELLE GONAZALES Echoes TV Producer

GUSTAVO VITRIOLO Echoes TV Director

ALI BALINDONG III Echoes TV Director

OLIVIA SOLOMON Event Director

Staff

KRISTINA VIRAY

LERIZZE TAN

TIMOTHY JACOB

KIMBERLY TENORIO

ANTONIO CASTILLO

ALESSANDRA GABORNI

MIGUEL DELA CRUZ

JUDE GERON

KATRIELLE ABRENICA

VILMAR GAYUTIN III

BERTRAND BELEN

ALFONSO PANIS

Errata

Our mistakes in the October issue Grammatical errors and incompleted captions are corrected in the online edition of the October issue.

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 1st semester of the academic year 2013-2014, Echoes is released four times in a sem and eight times in a year, on the months of February, March, April, May, August, September, October, and November.

It draws its funding from a subsidy from UP Ecosoc, sponsorships, subscription revenue, and other small funraisers. For this semester, 35 subscription copies, 1 tambayan copy, 1 archive copy, and a complimentary copy for each of our sponsors, featured members, featured alumni, and one lucky winner 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 posted on issuu.com/echoes. If you spot any errors, do not hesitate to tell us by emailing us at upecosoc.echoes@gmail.com 6 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

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No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

FROM THE EDITOR

Hello and thank you for reading the first issue of Echoes for the second semester of AY 2015-2016! Releasing this is still a feeling I can't quite describe, but as some of you probably know, it's the last thing I would have ever expected. Nonetheless, putting this month's issue together with the team was such a fun and crazy experience - from racking our brains for possible themes, to conceptualizing and actually doing the cover shoot, to gathering all the articles and making sure they're ready for publishing. It seemed like there were a million and one things that I didn't know how to do, but I'd like to think that every second spent on learning the ropes was worth it.

For this month, our content will revolve around the theme 'Power'. We felt it was only fitting, given that a new batch of Executive Committee members is now leading the organization with none other than President Cha Surdarlingam at the helm.

(It was a blast shooting with her, by the way. I think we did a pretty goob job at making her look like an earth princess with the lovely gowns and colorful flowers in her hair.)

Speaking of the theme, I personally feel a close connection with it. Admittedly, the past couple of months have been trying, and there have been many instances wherein I felt pathetic

and utterly powerless. At times, it seemed as though there was nothing else I could possibly do to change things, no matter how much effort was exerted on my part. Giving up seemed like the best recourse then. If you've ever felt similar sentiments before, I won't be surprised.

Despite bad times though, I didn't give up on life, on myself, or the situation. The truth is, there is this innate power within all of us that could probably kick a load of ass. All we need to do is figure out how to tap into it (semi-pun intended). A fancy title is not a prerequisite to take proper control of a situation and turn things around, but overcoming our fears and anxiety is. Many of us have just gotten too used to letting our doubts dictate what we do that we often forget that how to stand firmly on our own two feet.

The next time you feel hopeless, just remember that you've gotten this far in life already. Surely, there is something out there that can inspire you to move forward - be it DJ Khaled's snaps, a meal from Jollibee, your favorite sport, whatever keeps you going!

You're stronger than you think you are. You're more powerful than you give yourself credit for. Don't forget it, friends.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 7

COMMITTEE ECHOESNEWS HELLO ECOSOC!! How r u doin mga b3h??? First 2 months of the year almost done! First and foremost, ty to Selena Kaye and Echoes because ako cover for this issue WAHOO!! Special thanks to Van the pose director (love you Van sorry di ako magaling magpose), to Maya the forever photographer (nakasurvive ka with flats congrats), to Pita the supplier of all the clothes I used which are all super nice plus kasya to me, and to THE Kristina Viray aka my makeup artist and new friend (WUW HAHAHAHA).

So the theme for this issue is power and Sel asked us what empowers us. One thing that empowers me is C3 HUHU SOLID JOLLIBEE FOREVER like chicken na thigh part plus spaghetti for only 99 pesos! Endorsed pa by Jadine (na for realz na) so yah fave!

I suggest you guys try this awesome food by our very own Jollbs.

When I eat C3 it is like best part of the day aka I am happy aka I can do all things with C3! Cc: Jollbs Nuque, Erwin Mate, Telle Tibs, Lyon Leus. Also, if interested kayo malaman, ako nga pala gumagamit ng C3 sa Ecosoc Locker HAHA. HI #12, 2 months in for our term and I can say that I’m so proud of you guys! Super excited for the next months being with you all and I'm so excited for all the things in store for your committees and for Ecosoc! Ty for the little things aka replying to my brigs.

Hi Thirdy and Mar, ELC’s Speaker of the Council and Secretary General respectively. Yahuuu to a productive leadership council!

Thank you for stepping up! Pam and Angela, love you both!! Ty for representing SEC-C sa Valentine's Week!! Kahit na talo tayo hay jk. Bawi tayo sa Scav Hunt @SEC-C!! ROOTS 2016 team, UDABEST!!! Sold out ang Roots dahil sa inyo aka more money for our beneficiaries! EK with the scholars na na next! I hope you guys enjoyed the night and the process of making Feb. 13 the best night evah! Last TF GA + pakain soon! Shoutout to Mark Bue, the 5-2 AM peace team, Mel and Irah the side entrance gurlz forever din, Adriel, Chesca, Tanya, Peaches, Juvi, Sel, Nikuo, Benjie, Aaron, etc naubos yata voice niyo that night to make sure na maayos yung lines. To the BOD, Jimael, Thea, BLej, BArroyo, Mix, Jude, Ken, Chino, JP, couldn’t have asked for a better set of people to work with tbh! Thank you for giving your best to be able to deliver the best night of UP Fair 2016! LOVE YOU ALL #TAGOSPUSO. Mel, Carlo, Peaches, Ram, Ana, Gino, Louis, Roma, Cholo, LA, Angelie, Jolo, Jasmin, Erin, Meghan, Je, Ian, and #12, MARAMING SALAMAT SA PAGVOLUNTEER SA ROOTS!! Amazapps aka the future members of Ecosoc, enjoy the journey of your application process and good luck sa acquaintance party!

An amazing 58th year is otw!! Love u ecosoc to the moon and back!

C3 Meal from Jollibee

CHA|Task Force

To Ecosoc, greetings/helloooooooo!!!!!!!! First of all, I just want to put it out there that this is my first time writing for Echoes, let alone for Comm News, so I hope y’all forgive me if I’m not doing this right HAHAHA. Nevertheless, because I never got to express my gratitude to you wonderful people after elections/induction, I just want to say thank you for putting your trust in me; rest assured, I’ll put that trust into good use wahahaha. And even beyond that, thank you for supporting #12’s endeavors so far, whether it be services or events, internal or external, and watch out as better things are yet to come!

To Task Force, thank you for delivering more than what was expected and pulling off one of the most clutch performances I have ever seen!!!! Achieving a full house, especially the Sunken Garden, is no easy feat. Admittedly, I did not expect it to be as such going into the day itself because of several seemingly insurmountable problems. But because of all of your help, from the organizing body to the volunteers, we were able to give them the best night UP Fair has ever seen! As I said during our final GA, we did all that we did (from perfectly executing the program proper, to braving and managing the loooooooong, long lines, among others) for ALL of our stakeholders: not just our beneficiaries, but also the very concertgoers and bands themselves. It fills my heart to the brim knowing that we made everyone involved in the process happy and fulfilled!

In line with this issue’s theme, I guess what empowers me are the moments when I get to do acts of volunteerism or service for other people. Yes, helping other people has long been seen as an altruistic social ethic. But in my context, admittedly, I have my own selfish motives for doing such. For me, it’s not completely about making others happy. Yes, it becomes a “by-product” if you do acts of volunteerism so to speak, but it’s more of about making me happy, my appreciation of how I can make a difference whether big or small. That very much matters to me. There is always something about service that is critical to one’s own inner needs. With that, I hope you readers enact or render services too. You should not be ashamed of promoting it despite fear of it coming off as bragging or it “cheapening” the experience, so to speak, because in reality, there really is self-fulfillment or self-growth in service. (*enter poor segue*) Fortunately, Ecosoc provides the best avenue for that through Task Force. I hope you all join TF and watch out for our subsequent events! #ForTheScholars

Service

JJ|Task Force

8 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

COMMNEWS OLA ECOSOOOOOC!!! <3 <3 <3 For some, February is all about love and all that shit. But for Echoes, it's all about POWER! What empowers me are all my SCHOOL AND OFFICE SUPPLIES!!! Fun fact: I can stay for two hours in National Bookstore. If moms know everything about the supermarket, I know everything about NBS. HAHHA I hoard notebooks (that I don't use LOL), page flags, sticky notes (if you want sticky notes, I have a lot), ballpens (I only buy Pilot pens, which means G-tech and the Coleto pens), and even bulldog clips (yes the boring black ones, I have a jar full of it LOL). It empowers and motivates me to get the job done because it gives me the illusion that I have everything under control, that I am organized, and that I'm being productive. I think hindi naman illusion???? LOL I think my obsession with NBS has manifested to my committee and my members?? It's nice to hear Seccom asking why my Econ 172 book has so many page flags. HAHAH And I share the happiness whenever we talk about art supplies (S/O to Sheena and Sab!!). I also enjoy reading articles on how to use my time productively and spend time away from social media (TIP: If you have money to burn, download Forest on your phone to actually make you spend time away from your phone). ^______^ So yeah, that's what empowers me.

This February was a month full of beginnings for me and my team! We recently made a lot of changes in the tambayan (signages, the new calendar, announcements board, cleaning supplies), which leaves the whole of Ecosoc to /please/ keep the tambayan clean (or I'll burn all your stuff MWAHAHHA)!!

We also held our first series of Photoshop Workshop in an attempt to increase the pub population of Ecosoc (on behalf of the speakers, we hope you learned a lot ^___^). Another exciting thing Seccom's up to is WE'RE RENOVATING THE WEBSITE THIS SEMESTERRRRR!!! We'll be having a Website Task Force of sorts to have all the content, design, and code errthing, so I hope you support our efforts. <3 Lastly, expect the apps to get your sigs soon, sigsheet will be released by the end of February! All of that would not have been possible without my solid members. <3 <3 To Rella, Sam Ceniza, Arlene Daro, Pat Ybañez, good job on the new tambayan improvements!!!! To Carlo and his team, Sab, Fau (kahit busy ka sa Roots!!), Paul, and Mia, LOVE THE SIGSHEET PO. Ty to Sam Cinco and Joleena for helping out in the workshops, I really appreaciate it. :) To Jamby, I hope we enjoy coding AHAHHAHA. To my VCs, I think you'll hear me say thank you a lot, but either way, thank you thank you thank you love u both. <3 <3 <3

Notebooks and Stationery

NIKA|Secretariat

Your Money

YELLOW ECOSOC!!

I guess what empowered me this month is being able to hold Ecosoc’s money and having power over budget allocation MWAHAHAHA. Kidding aside, I believe it would be being able to lead such great people — Fin, and of course, the whole Ecosoc. To the people who’ve asked me how my execomm journey has been, I would always answer them… “Now I understand what Mel (Sta. Maria) would always say, ‘You’re not only leading your committee but the whole Ecosoc.’” When I was running, I somehow could envision how Finance would be. But, I honestly did not have a clear picture of the “whole” execomm role. Now that I’m actually part of it, I understand this “leading the WHOLE Ecosoc.” Yup, it’s something you can’t imagine or fully grasp unless you’re in it. Although it’s been such a “semi-@-)” experience, I could say it’s been a very “EMPOWERING” one. #mema #peroseryosoako HAHA Moving on to some Fin updates!! This February, Finance has lotsa things in store for y’all! Of course, we have our staple projects: Back To Basics, our online clothing shop with its newest collection — Aquarius; and our UP Ecosoc shirts (Thanks to all those who submitted their designs!) AAAAND *drum roll please* For our newest projects for this semester, we have: Merch Street, an avenue for your miscellaneous interests. This FB page will serve as Finance’s online merchandise store which caters to anyone and everyone! For our first merch release, we will be having a Star Wars collection. You vader (better) be ready! (HAHAHA I tried. #lame) Anyway, watch out for our other products and events to come from the four Fin teams! :> With that said, I hope you’re excited for what Fin has in store for y’all!

These are just some of the many things that await ya. ;) Of course, all these initiatives, projects, and events would not be possible without my Awesome, Beautiful, Charming, Dedicated, Energetic, Finance members! (Did ya notice how my adjectives are in alphabetical order - A, B, C, D, E, then F for Fin!? HAHAHA #sabaw) First off, I wanna thank my super solid Management Team for creating an efficient Financial System and being able to implement it properly. Thank you so much for your patience and dedication, Cami, Abby, Nicco, Rodd, and Quincy! Next off, my sobrang swift, sobrang fast as lightning (LOL) Fundraisers Team! Can I just say, how quick they were to execute 3 fundraisers in just a month!? WOW. You go guys!

Thank you for activeness and continuous push, Tin, Erveen, Jasmin, Krista, Lino, and RD. Third, Team Major Events! TYSM Joel, Aaron, Aina, Bea A, Bea Lej, Carina, Danes, Hezi, Julienne, Kazel, and Renzo for all the effort you’ve put into creating the foundations of your 3 different events. There’s still a lot to accomplish but I believe and know you guys can do it! #excited <3 Last but not the least, Team Finance Project! To Theresa, Ana, Emira, Erin, Giulia, Jay, Jericho, Lawrence, Monje, Nina, and Rizel: XIE XIE for conceptualizing such a well-deserved branding and legacy event of Fin — Sunīkā Mnl. Same as TME, there’s still a lot to do but from how I’m seeing you guys perform, I know you’ll do amazing! ILY FIN. :-)

NIKUO|Finance

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 9

COMMITTEE ECHOESNEWS Hello, Ecosocers!

I hope you’re all doing well in all aspects of your life (labo).

It’s only been roughly two months since we started the semester pero dami na nangyari WOAH and we still have a lot in store for you!!!! I hope you’re all excited to spend the upcoming months with the organization you all love (and the people you love yuy)!

Our term as execomm has just begun and if there’s anything that empowered me this month it would be OHANA! It amazes me how one’s idea of a family transcends all complexities and adversities in life. I must say that my family has been, and will always be, one of the driving forces as to why I keep on doing the things that I do. Much like how my biological family inspires me, it is also the newfound family that I found in Ecosoc that pushes me to improve everyday and lead the organization with a heart for service (wew).

It’s been a busy start for us and I would just like to thank everyone who supported The Rundown 2016! Shoutout to our hardworking BOD: Cara Ig, Cara Lat, Kiss, Gio, Ana, Bea, Emira, Gino, Joshua, and Jutuy! Thank you so much for the sleepless nights and keeping up with our unending pangungulit. We only had a little over a month to prepare for Rundown and it was such a breeze working with you guys! To the entire Organizing Body, thank you so much for all the effort and for spending your Christmas and New Year doing Rundown work. The outcome of The Rundown was way beyond our expectations. We made history for Ecosoc and I can’t thank all of you enough for making all of this possible! AND OF COURSE TO MY CO-CONVENER, TRISH, WE DID IT MAHAL KITA!!!!! On to our next event, UPFront 2016!!!! This year, we’re opening the campaign season as the first USC Elections Forum to take place (w0w)! Work will start this month so watch out! More awareness initiatives, photo updates, and partnerships c/o Externals are yet to come!

To my Externals babies, thank you for the enthusiasm and always delivering! To my Awareness VC, JemGem, and to the team—Max, Sean, Nikki, Rich, Louise, Kissa, Isa, and Erica—great job with the first infographic release! To Kristine, my Partnerships VC, and to the officers—Flora, Dana, Daryl, Jecs, Je, Bea R, Lia, Cielo, and Mio—we’ve already had a lot of partnerships and there’s more to come soooo thank you so much for helping me keep track of everything! And lastly to my BM VC, Martin, and to the team—Jutuy, Jolina, Bea B, Henny, Enrique, Apa, Clare, and Kamille—we’re finally recognized and you guys made this possible! I love all of you and I hope you continue to love Ecosoc just as much! Keep the fire burning.

Family

CHESCA|External Affairs

Hello, Ecosoc! It’s only February, but honestly, it already feels like a year has passed because of the solid events (special mention to The Rundown 2016!) and projects that we had. The countless meetings, sleepless nights, profile picture campaigns, and milestones that happened in Ecosoc could already amount to a semester’s worth of successful org work, but I’m glad we’re all just getting started. Congrats!

This month’s theme is all about empowerment and for me this means feeling like the universe is on my side and nothing can drag me down, lol. One Directions brings me this empowerment. I don't really have an explanation because I don’t get it either, but for some reason seeing their faces and hearing their songs play in the most random places and times of the day puts the biggest smile on my face no matter what mood I'm in. I have all of their songs on my phone because when I feel like I hate the world, when I'm pissed or sad about the things going on in my life, I'd put my headphones on to shuffle my 1D Playlist to listen to their songs and I'd feel a lot better and ready to face the world again. Sounds corny, but this is 100% true, haha.

More than that, I also think empowerment is about believing in oneself. We can do anything we put our minds to and we should not let anyone tell us we cannot make it happen. I think really big when I set goals, and I believe everyone should do so as well. Try to take things a notch higher even if it may seem scary and impossible at first and then work your heart out to achieve those goals step-by-step until you see them unfold.

This is exactly what we're doing in Acad this semester – we set our goals high, believe we can make it happen, work hard and love what we do, and then end up surprising ourselves with the results. Our grad-shoot-level profile photos, the solid book-a-likes, the new tambayan Acad Supplies Box, the February Acad Digest, the Academic Opportunities Website, the ACDC Orientation with Teach for the Philippines, the new ACDC program, the very solid Recognition Day, and of course, the adorable Wormy on Twitter all show how solid my members are. This is why I'm so proud of you, Acad! Congrats, Services! To Emil, Kyanne, Badette, Trix, and Josen, thank you for handling the book-a-likes efficiently. To Lotlot, Faye, and Alyss, thank you for making the tambayan Acad Box a reality. To Louis and Lora, thank you for making Wormy loved by many, especially with the DP changes and random tweets of motivation! Congrats, Symposia! To Rose and Audrey, thank you for revamping the Acad Website. To Ynna and Jecx, thank you for the solid first Acad Digest! To Allen, Dianne, Jela, and Mariel, thank you for the brand new and improved ACDC lesson plans. To Cielo, Tin, Shaira, Mia, and Zyra, thank you for making Transcendence the best Recognition Day yet!

Congrats, Iyla & Maye! You delivered much more than what is expected of you. Thank you for being the leaders behind the success of everything that we do in Acad! And finally, congrats to all of my mems for really #BreakingTheStereotype! I’m super happy to see everyone having fun working together. I hope you’re all proud of what we’ve all achieved together so far. Keep it up! This is just the beginning. We have a lot more in store for you, Ecosoc!

One Direction

TRICIA|Academic Affairs

10 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

COMMNEWS

Hello there Ecosoc!!! Welcome to #12’s first ever set of Comm News! Woooo thank you to Echoes for giving me another avenue for me to be extremely mema lol.

Something that empowered me this month was my “leather jacket.” HEHEHE IT MAKES ME FEEL MORE LIKE A BOSS AND IT MAKES ME SEEM LIKE I AM WORTH FOLLOWING Y’KNOW. (Disclaimer: It isn’t actually made of leather.)

On a more serious note, one of the things I love the most about Ecosoc is how it is able to give its members the power to make a positive change in many different ways.

Being in CDC though, I can say that there is nothing more empowering than the opportunity to interact with the Pook Ricarte community. For many years, Ecosoc has been giving assistance to Pook Ricarte through CDC projects, and the privilege to be able to organize projects for their benefit has been nothing short of fulfilling. For sure, the work to get these projects done can get tiring, but to hear about the constant excitement from the kids when they ask their parents to check outside and see if we’re coming to visit, and to see the smiles and signs of gratitude on their faces whenever we spend time with them never fails to be a major source of strength.

I’m really happy to say that those smiles and signs of gratitude were on full display during the first two CDCs we had at Pook Ricarte this semester, the Community Survey and the first ACDC session! Shoutout to my awesome Staple Projects team for organizing these events, and special thanks as well goes to the people who volunteered, for being so enthusiastic and willing to help. Aside from that, we also had a successful ACDC Orientation in partnership with Teach for the Philippines, and we hope you keep all the insights from that in mind during future ACDCs! To my amazing CDC members, thank you for all your hard work so far. As I always say, never forget to keep in mind WHY we do these events. I’m already so proud of all of you.

The fun is just getting started, and I hope all of you are just as excited as I am! Happy February, Ecosoc!

Faux Leather Jacket

CARLOS|Community Development

Being Single

HELLO ECOSOC!!! Hope you’re all doing well and had a great month celebrating love in all its forms!!!

Since our theme for February is POWER, I’m going to let you all in on the number one thing that empowered me this month.

No, it isn’t a boyfriend... In fact, it’s precisely my lack thereof!

Because you know what? I DON’T NEED A MAN TO BE THE PROUD WOMAN I OUGHT TO BE. In this day and age, being Ms. Independent is no longer weird nor pathetic. If you’re the go-getter type who can’t afford to be distracted by the woes of being in love – like moi (HAHAHA weh) – then let’s be one in enjoying the benefits of singlehood. ???

First of all, I just want to say TYSM to Echoes in general!! I’m so proud of us for winning best booth and committee video. <3 Dom, thank you for being on-top of everything, and for always having my back #FAM. To Pita, who conceptualized and fixed the logistics of our cover shoot, thanks for the really fun day. The photos look amazing! Van, thank you for directing Cha’s poses and for being present whenever, wherever. To my features editor, Trysh, my cultures editor, Kels, and my news editor, Rachy, thank you for being so responsive and bearing my annoying follow-ups.

I’d also like to acknowledge my wildest members (chauze), Kristina (thanks for doing Cha’s makeup!) and Peaches – you’re both so active, keep it up! Migs and Anton, I’m still so glad you guys chose Echoes HAHA. To Maya, you talented photographer you, thank you for always being game to take photos. I’m so sorry my dog bit your memory card. <///3 Dea, thanks for making sure all the photos are perf! Zo and Leri, thank you for designing the pretty graphics and publicity materials! To my layout loves, Anna and Vim, you guys did an amazing job with this beautifying this issue! Shout out to my solid Echoes TV team for the many releases we had this month. Dani, I can’t thank you enough for being willing to edit all those videos. Chino, you are awesome for finding a way to shoot our Pleasure Place episode. Chito, your column cracked me up LOL. To the web team, thank you guys for making sure that our site has regular content! To the web editor Ken, thanks for your efforts for the travel features. Thank you also to Botan for curating our playlist for the month, and Alfonso for designing the album artwork + our stickers (which will be for sale soon). To the Litnight team – Olivia, Lisanne, Katie, and Timmy – I really appreciate you guys starting your work as early as now. I love your ideas and I’m so stoked for the event. <3 A big thanks also to all the contributors and subscribers! Feel free to send in any of your work to us. Lastly, thank you so much Timmy, Dani, and Jude for always being there to answer my noob questions! HAHA. We’ve got a lot more in store for you next month… SO GET READY!!! Fliptop Tournament! Pixy Stix! Stickers! Etc! Etc! Etc! WATCH OUT FOR ERRTHANG AND BE EXCITED, FRIENDS. Sobrang solid ng Echoes. I love you guys! Thanks for welcoming me into your committee huhu. :)

SEL|Echoes

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 11

COMMITTEE ECHOESNEWS

Greetings to all Ecosocers out there in the wild!

Just like my other co-execommers this is my first time to write the monthly comm news for Echoes. Please bear with me and my writing skills. No judgin’, all lovin’. <3 Lol. What empowered me this month? (P.S. Thank you Sel/ Echoes for that wonderful question.) Empowerment is such a strong word (WOAH) but if anyone had empowered me this month it would be definitely MYSELF because I’m an independent and self-motivated person. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Anyway, kidding aside, I really think that there’s no other person or thing that could empower you the most rather than yourself. There have been a lot of challenges these past few months related to adapting to the commitments that comes with being an execommer and achieving all the goals that I’ve set for myself to become a better person. One of which is uninstalling my favourite game which is Dota 2. I’ve been on a hiatus from Dota 2 for about three months now and it was rather easy to keep on going because of the hectic day to day schedule that keeps me pre-occupied. Fast forward to this month that I’m still not fully adjusted but slowly getting used to the life that I have chosen. My main take away these past few months is that when you know yourself, you are empowered. This is because you dictate what you do, and if you know what you want to do, then it’s easier to take action. I still have a long way until I fully know myself, and I hope that someday I learn that I am someone that would make myself proud.

Thank you for all those who bought a Privcard! We’ll be releasing it next month! We’ll deliver it to you personally. <3 Also, thank you for the applicants and members who went to Eventology! I hope you learned a thing or two on how we do work the Ecosoc way. Watch out for more Liai events and initiatives next month!

Special shout-out to the Alumni Relations team who handled Eventology: Khy, Elle, Mae, Ricci, Kiss, Eina, and especially to one of my Liai Angels/ VCs, Harriet/Abbey! Congratulations on making a successful event! Shout out to the rest of the Liai Fambam – Karen, Roma, Telle, Meeka, KM, Jus, Migs Ventura, Josef, Angelie, Howie, Carlos, Thea, Karla, Coleen and Kim (kahit inactive ka HAHA). Let’s push for an even greater sem for Liai!

Thank you guys!

Himself

LEAN|Liaison

Hello everybody!!! How are you? This is Alfonso Roces.

You may have heard of me, I’m your Membership Committee Chairperson. Thanks for reading this if you are.

Anyways, hope you all are having a fun season of love this February! Speaking of love, that’s what empowers me the most. I love this organization, its people and what we stand for. And, that’s precisely what I wish to espouse in my committee and its members. We, through what we do, want to give back to our members and take care of them.

Here’s some recent services/features we’re offering right now: Membership Phone – Memcom will soon be purchasing a permanent Ecosoc Phone soon so you guys can receive the latest news on what’s happening.

Ecosoc Snapchat – Missed any cool event in Ecosoc? Want to get to know more about the personal lives of other members in Ecosoc? Then, follow us on Snapchat (Ecosoc Memcom) Revamped Membership Grade – The new membership grade promises to be clearer and well-promulgated to help maintain an active membership base.

If there is any service you believe that we can provide for you to make your Ecosoc experience a much better one, do not be afraid to inform any Membership Committee person. I would like to thank my committee so far for the solid execution of the RNR Week and for helping out with Applicant’s Orientation. Thank you very much to my VC’s Thirdy (for leading team apps), PLim (for leading team mems), and for Keeve (for being a great events head). My appreciation to the efforts of the freshmen, Kim, Christian, Greggy, Aimee, LA, David, Jand, Miggy and Bella. Thank you for picking out Membership Committee and for having 100% attendance during the Apps Orientation; I hope you guys are enjoying yourself in Memcom and learning a lot. A big thanks to the sophies and juniors of the committee, Marianne, Renzo, Jed, Gino, Bo-Min, Alyssa, Nuie, Nicole, Joshua Chan and Matthew; I appreciate all the help so far. To the seniors of Memcom, Alpo, Abby, Nepo, Gel, Steph, I hope that you are enjoying your last semester and I hope Ecosoc has been a memorable part of you guys. To Marte, thanks for being a great photo partner LOL. Thank you very much Memcom! Can’t wait to work with you guys for the rest of the semester.

Ecosoc Love

PONCHO|Membership

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COMMNEWS

People Who Gym (at Gold's)

FATI|Special Events

Hello there Echoes Reader!

Thank you for taking your time to read my possibly (very) mema comm news. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my first time to do this (LOL) so it might be a little weird. But TY, Echoes, for giving me this avenue to express my love for Ecosoc and most especially to SPEV! <3 What empowered me this month? Lahat ng gwapo at batak sa Golds Gym. They are just so damn hardworking.

OK but real talk - what really empowers me is seeing all the overweight people in gym working their butt off for a better life. You are my true inspiration. đ&#x;&#x2019;Ż Another thing would be my love for Ecosoc and Spev. I never really expected all the stress and extra responsibility that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have to deal with, now until the rest of my term. And to be honest, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been quite a bumpy ride. But nevertheless â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what pulled me through and what kept me strong despite all the trials and disappointments, is my love for the organization and seeing it soar to even greater heights.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also seeing Ecosocers happy and so in-love with the org that empowers me to keep going. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so thankful for all the Ecosocers who give so much just for the org. Thank

you, for empowering me to love the org even more.

Thank you so much to everyone who supported SPEVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Valentines Week. I hope you felt the Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spirit with our little initiatives and enjoyed a good laugh from our couples. Thank you, #Catai, #Pamgela and #Macho for participating in the kalokohan. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty much it for SPEV this February! Watch out for more exciting things in the next few months. ;) Special shout-out to my Valentines Team: Ann, Juvy, Cara Ig, Josh, Nico and Jason! Congratulations for pulling off a successful weekinitiative! Thank you most especially to the event heads: Ann and Juvy, for doing a great job. It wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been a success without you guys. Shout out to the rest of my SPEV Fam â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Julia, Ila, Cholo, Sofia, Jolo, Aya, Paje, Yanna, Earl, Gio, Aaron, Raffy, Miggy, Mix, Daryl, Mel, Erwin, Jus, Cara Lat, Ayi, Matt, Bruno, Jena, Hazel and Lyon! TY for all being so SOLID and SABAW as always. Stay that way.

OOO (hug) Fati

Muay Thai

BENJIE|Sports

This month, I was empowered by Muay Thai!! It taught me how to effectively defend myself against danger!

As Sports chairperson, what empowers me to do my job well are all the people who wish to have a more active and healthy lifestyle. It really pushes me to find and create different avenues for them to do so. It is challenging because with all the academic workload, people find it hard to make time for physical activities. Despite the challenge, I can proudly say that the first small initiative of Sports, Joggerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Club, is a huge success because of all the people who participate. It may not be a lot but for me it is more than enough knowing that these people take time from their hectic schedule to be there. If I were to be remembered for anything as Sports chairperson, it would be this because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not about doing the â&#x20AC;&#x153;one time, big timeâ&#x20AC;? events but rather the small things every day to really make a difference. A great man once said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;True genius lies not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing the ordinary things extraordinarily well.â&#x20AC;?

Aside from Joggerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Club, another small initiative is Sports Trivia! Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s even better about it now is that instead of just summarizing the trivia, it uses INFOGRAPHICS (shout out to Team Micro)! It may not seem like a big deal, but it is a vast improvement from previous semesters because it really

engages the organization.

Upcoming events are even more workshops!! YAY!! Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really pushing for a more diverse selection of workshops so that hopefully everyone will be interested to attend one! Also, if you have suggestions for any workshops, please do not hesitate to hit me up or Ysa Zacarias haha (e.g. Bridge Workshop).

I really want to give workshops that you, the people, want!

Finally, I am thankful and grateful to my three VCS (Juancho, Ysa, and James) for making my work so much harder!! Kidding. I meant so much easier.

All my plans and dreams would not have been realized without them helping me. I also want to thank my Sports members because Sports would be nothing without you guys (and girls). I am the luckiest chairperson alive to have such a wonderful team behind my back.

I know I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hit the minimum word count (sorry Sel), so instead I will put more quotes in order to reach it.

NO PAIN, NO GAIN. SWEAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR FAT IS CRYING. KEEP YOUR GOALS OUT OF REACH BUT NOT OUT OF SIGHT.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 13

NEWS

THE RUNDOWN:

A youth-oriented senate elections forum was held at UP Diliman • Photo by Cara Latinazo 14 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

INSIDE ECOSOC

FOR THE KIDS: ECOSOC MEMS GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

By Carlos Jacinto

ACDC tutorial sessions, a collaborative effort between the Academic Affairs and the Community Development committees, have been a staple Ecosoc event for the past four semesters, and are enjoyed by both members and kids alike.

Last February 6, an ACDC orientation was held at SE 121 to prepare the general membership for the upcoming tutorial.

This orientation was held in partnership with Teach for The Philippines, an organization whose goal is to provide all Filipino children with relevant and excellent education. Ms. Ann Clarice Fajardo, a fellow from the said organization, was able to share her experiences as a teacher of young kids. Over fifty Ecosoc members were present in the orientation.

The following Saturday, February 13, the first ACDC tutorial was held at the Pook Ricarte Basketball Court, where volunteers and more than 30 kids from Barangay Pook Ricarte took part. For the first session, each kid was given a diagnostic test that would serve as a stepping stone for more personalized tutorials in the future, based on each CDC kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability. In the end, both events proved to be both fun and fulfilling. It was truly an event that everyone would be looking forward to.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 15

NEWS

A FRESH START

By Miggy Villamor

The newly elected Executive Committee of UP Economics Society discussed and planned the events for the second semester and presented them to their fellow members during the first general meeting held last January 28, 2016 at SE 114. The theme was one of the most anticipated announcements. Cha Surdarlingam, President of Ecosoc, presented the “Amazon theme”, citing the diversity of each of the members within the organization, much like the diversity of flora and fauna in the forest.

After that the following announcements were made by the various committee heads: Sel Yao, Echoes Editor-in-Chief, announced the date for “Lit Night” and also the revamp of Echoes TV; Fati de Pano, SPEV Chairperson, explained one of the most awaited events of the second semester which is the ScavHunt; Nika Espiritu, Secretariat Committee Chairperson, revealed the new system of keeping the tambayan clean; Tricia Cañaveral, Academics Chairperson, and Chesca Alba, Externals Chairperson, hyped up the

senatorial debate, Rundown which was held the following day;VP JJ Saliman revealed the line-up for ROOTS, the annual concert Ecosoc holds during the UP Fair to raise funds for its 7 scholars; Poncho Roces, Memcomm Chairperson, explained the new system of grading the performance of the members; Finance Committee Chairperson Nikuo Tai pumped up the committee’s annual brand sale; Benjie Gana, Sports Chairperson, revealed Joggers Club, which would hold jogging sessions every Tuesday and Wednesday to keep the members fit; and Carlos Jacinto, CDC Chairperson, showed the new way of recording the CDC counts, which included a negative count if a member failed to show up to a CDC event.

ECOSOC PLANSEM AT CATTLEYA RESORT

By Aaron Galano

Last January 15 to 17, the 58th Executive Committee brought the members closer to nature for Plansem 58A. It was held at Cattleya Resort, a cozy inland resort situated in the hills of Antipolo.

The event aimed to provide an avenue where Ecosocers can plan together for the upcoming semester. It featured activities such as committee meetings and SWOT analyses of the past and current Execom and their respective committees. The Execom also presented their committees’ plans, which were a pleasant mix of organization staples and new innovations. Finally, Cha Surdarlingam, the current Ecosoc president, revealed the semester’s theme: “Unity in Diversity”, citing that the diversity of each of the members is key towards achieving the organization’s goals.

Plansem was not just about working hard. It was also about playing hard. The members enjoyed team-building activities like the “cotton ball relay”, spearheaded by the Membership Committee. Bonding over swimming, card games, and karaoke singing, among other fun things also took place.

Everything considered, plansem was definitely the productive getaway that the Ecosocers needed before classes resumed.

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NEWS

AMAZOR: THE APPS ORIENTATION

By Justin Villas

The UP Economics Society held the Applicant’s Orientation for the second semester last February 6, 2016 at SE 114. It was an event full of fun-filled activities designed for the soon to be members, wittingly dubbed as the Amazapps.

To start off, the applicants were ushered into a room where the current members await to welcome them. Icebreakers, one of which being the Human Bingo, were incorporated for the applicants to familiarize themselves with the group. After that, Alfonso Roces, current Membership Committee Chairperson, proceeded with the introduction of the general framework of the application process to the Amazapps. This was then quickly followed by the introduction of each of the UP Economics Society’s committees through the presentation of committee videos.

Some of the memorable ones included the Academics Committee’s song dub to one of One Direction’s current hits, and the Special Events Committee’s random rapping of Stupid Love, headed by Daryl Yu. Following the committee introduction was the tour of the committee booths to help initially bond the app batch. The groups of apps went around the School of Economics to do random tasks in competition with the other groups. These booths, among others, included a wet and wild sponge game, and an ala-tug-of-war battle.

Towards the end of the program, food was served and the applicants were given the chance to choose their preferred committees.

Soon after that, the days’ awardees were given their proper recognition – Applicant’s Early Bird Award (Miguel Yatco), Most Active (Alexandra Vitasa), Ecosoc’s Best Committee Video (Echoes), and Best Booth Awards (CDC and Echoes) to name some. The program was formally ended with the committee singing the Ecosoc Song.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 17

18 â&#x20AC;¢ FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

AMAZOR:

Members and applicants all together during the Applicants' Orientation • Photo by Maya Paraguya

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 19

RECOGNITION DAY: The Executive Committee in a tight group hug. Since when did Nikuo Tai allow herself to be embraced?

• Photo by Maya Paraguya

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ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 21

NEWS

RECOGNITION DAY 2016

By Emil Apostol

On February 17, Transcendence: the Ecosoc 58A Recognition Day was held at SE 125. Organized by the Academic Affairs Committee, the Recognition day is an internal event wherein Ecosoc's best and brightest in Academics and Extracurriculars are given due recognition.

What was special about Transcendence is that it truly went beyond what was expected in terms of event proper. For the first time, Recognition Day had partners and sponsors. Also, instead of the usual 12-1 PM Genmeet time every Wednesdays, the event took place from 5-6 PM. The members enjoyed free food that was provided by the organizers. This semester's recognition day truly transcended beyond what was expected of this Ecosoc tradition.

SPORTS WORKSHOP By Jan Ramos

The sports committee held its first workshop for the second semester with a class on Muay Thai on February 4, 2016 in the School of Economics. There were about 15 participants in the said workshop. Head of the Philippine Boxing Association and Head of Training and Doctrine of Muay Thai, Mr. Khru Zhie Villega, tackled the basic cores of muay thai and mixed martial arts (MMA). Mr. Vallega first drilled the participants by simple stretching. After that, the apprentices were taught on how simple kicks and punches can be incorporated with self-defense. Later on, they were taught the more complicated combinations of punching, kicking, and agility to be able to outsmart and surprisingly disarm the opponent. He also taught the students different varieties of kicks such as the roundhouse kick and the 45-degree kick, and also the usage of the elbow as a powerful defensive option in case of attacks, just to name a few. To relax the participants, he then topped the event off with a series of stretching for them to finally rest.

APPS IMMERSE THEMSELVES INTO EVENTOLOGY 101

By Karla Tuplano

Last February 20, the Liaison Committee held its semestral event for the applicants, Eventology 101. The theme was Survival Series, in accordance with Ecosoc’s new semestral theme of Amazon. One that aims to introduce the different aspects of planning an event, apps first listened to speeches by esteemed alumni before moving on to a simulation in order to apply the concepts they learned. The event was held in anticipation of the Amazapps acquaintance party to be held on Febuary 26.

The first talk was given by former Sports Committee Vice Chairperson and self-proclaimed Tambay Lord, Erol Miranda, on the subject of Ideation. He mentioned his experience as a Media Relations and Promotions Director for Roots 2014, and the new and different ways he and his team had to figure out and market the concert to the U.P. community. His main point was keeping in mind the 5W’s and H when creating an event to always maintain a sense of consistency and cohesion.

After we heard from Mike Saulo, former VP and Task Force Chairperson from 2013-2014, and known across the org as VOLUNTEER NG LAHAT NG ECOSOC EVENTS. From his talk on Event Planning, he discussed the importance of creating different teams to handle individual departments, and how every person chosen must have the same goal and mindset, to ensure the event’s success. But most of all, he capitalized that experience was the best teacher, and that enjoying yourself through everything

22 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

NEWS

was the best and most vital part of it all. Ria Tensuan came next with her talk on Advertising and Public Relations. In her presentation, she kept her points simple. “Be creative and strategic.” She emphasized the value of being innovative when it came to advertising the event, but also making sure you had the proper means to follow through and execute those plans.

Lastly, GJ Agregado spoke about Crisis Management, and how unavoidable it was in planning any event. He stressed the importance of having a clear and level-headed team when dealing with these issues, how compromise is always necessary situations like those, and that every person be kept updated, in order for all to be on the same page.

After all the talks, applicants were split into groups and sent to different stations for a Simulation of planning an actual event. They were to apply everything they had learned so far, and create a whole new Ecosoc event which would then be pitched to the members and later evaluated. According to the members, each group had a new and exciting idea, and they looked forward to seeing what the applicants had in store for the org.

Applicant Bianca Rañola had this to say about the event: “It was really interesting! It was great hearing from people who have lots of experience when it comes to organizing events. I also liked the simulation because it encouraged us to think on our feet and it gave us a taste of what being in Ecosoc is like.”

SPECIAL EVENTS: VALENTINE'S WEEK 2016

By Ann Geron

To kick off the activities of the Special Events Committee this semester, the committee members held the SPEV Valentine Week from February 9-12, 2016, a 4-day initiative which aims to get Ecosoc members in the romantic spirit. The first day was Free Hugs Day. On the second day, Ecosoc members teamed in pairs and dressed up in matching outfits. In line with that, the “love wall” was displayed, and members wittingly answered what they thought of love.

The following day, members got the chance to have their photos taken and printed. To cap off the week-long event, members were given chocolate roses that they were to give to another member. Smiles were wide as the treats that were handed out to each other.

The last and the most exciting part of the initiative was entitled “Love is for the Week". Three pairs, namely Pamgela (Pam Ramos & Angela Mantes), Macho (Poncho Roces & Marte Caronongan), and Catai (Nikuo Tai & Lean Cacatian), battled it out in a 4-day photo contest, portraying different stages in a relationship. The themes for the days were the following: Day 1 - First meeting; Day 2 - Meeting the parents; Day 3 - First date; and Day 4 - Video reenactment of a famous love scene from a movie. The pairs’ creativity was highlighted by parodies of The Fault in Our Stars, Dirty Dancing, and One More Chance respectively. The winner was determined by a combination of piso votes, adherence to theme, and Facebook likes.

From getting over the Great Wall, winning over strict Chinese parents, to dating over siomai -- in the end, Catai won the contest and our hearts.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 23

NEWS

THE RUNDOWN 2016

By Rachelle Basas

On January 29, the UP Economics Society held The Rundown 2016, a senatoriables forum sponsored by ANC. A total of 14 senatorial aspirants joined the forum, along with Ms. Karen Davila who acted as the moderator.

To start off, each of the candidates had to present the unique selling proposition of their platforms.

After that, they had to take turns in answering the questions that were thrown at them.

When asked about the Divorce Bill, all candidates except for Kapunan and Colmenares expressed their opposition as they, for the most part, consider marriages to be sacred. In the same manner, they also believe that a married couple would always be able to work things out in the end.

They acknowledge the existence of annulment and legal separation in this country as alternatives to divorce. Kapunan, on the other hand, supports no-fault divorce.

“I am for families. No-fault divorce is for strengthening value formation at the home,” she said when asked about her stand on the issue. All were supporting the proposition of the Anti-Dynasty Bill except for Martin Romualdez, who decided to be neutral on the topic, and Ina Ambolodto, who said she was in favor of it but with reservations. “If a leader is good, why does he have to be replaced?” she was quoted as saying.

Surprisingly, even Mark Lapid and Jericho Petilla, who belong to what may be considered as politically dynastic families, expressed their strong support for said bill.

Regarding the BBL (in its current form), it was just Ina Ambolodto, the only Muslim candidate, who initially expressed her support for this, but later on explained that she’s actually for the BBL in its “purest” form, i.e. without all the unnecessary modifications and revisions. She goes on by saying that the current form of BBL that we have right now has already been watered down and even admits that she is thankful for its non-passage as a lot of its sections have already been removed. Nevertheless, she still hopes to pursue BBL as she thinks it is our best chance for peace.

In line with this, the other candidates propose that the discussions on BBL be more inclusive and transparent.

When asked whether they were for or against Same-Sex Marriage, some had to point it out that their religion has nothing to do with their view on homosexuality. All candidates answered that they respect same-sex partnerships, except for Sandra Cam who boldly expressed her disfavor of same-sex marriage because of her being a Catholic. She would later add that the Philippines is a “Christian country” which Atty. Kat Legarda, one of the three panelists, found to be a rather absurd argument.

The candidates were also asked about their take on the imposed budget cuts in several state universities and they reached a concensus that education deserves the biggest slice in our pie.

The Open Forum was continued even after the show. Members of the audience had the chance to ask the candidates anything under the sun. The questions that were raised covered a wide range of topics.

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NEWS

To sum up, the Rundown 2016 was the perfect avenue to get to know the senatoriables and their stands on the most critical issues that we face as a nation.

RUNDOWN 2016: BEHIND THE SCENES

By Bea Balbacal “Campaign period officially starts on February 9, 2016,” said one of the many campaign managers who had previously told me the same thing. I glanced at the calendar on my planner, the current date December 9, 2015 personally embellished in full birthday regalia, refusing to let me avert my eyes. “The senatorial candidates will be going out to the provinces by then, so I suggest you hold your event before that – I think January 29 would be best!”

I put the phone down, strangely laughing in disbelief. It was our first Rundown BOD meeting, and we didn’t have to do the math to see we’d have less than two months (including Christmas break!) to put together our biggest Ecosoc event by far. “Kaya yan, guys! Tiwala!” our conveners Chesca and Tricia said over and over. We all responded excitedly, raring to get to work, but no one dared ask the question drilling at the back of our minds: 'Kaya nga ba?'

The entire Rundown Organizing Body got straight to work on setting goals. As External Relations Director, my team and I set one of our own - a minimum of 12 senatorial candidates and a maximum of 15 for our initial 4-hour program along with panelists, hosts, and a moderator. With the little time we had on our hands and the upcoming Christmas break where practically everyone would be on vacation, we knew it was time to bring out all the connections, favors, and a whole lot of our own blood, sweat, and tears. The next few days went by in a flurry of phone calls, meetings, emails, and office visits. Our pub calendar filled up like wildfire and our Gmail erupted in the colors of corporate sponsorship proposals, org partnership letters, and formal invitations – pretty much like any big Ecosoc event, just with a much much shorter timeline.

My ER Team and I got to interact with many chiefs-of-staff, campaign managers, and party representatives. Getting brushed off, being given false hopes, and the 24/7 round-the-clock shift on our phones and emails taught us the art of persistence, patronizing, public relations, and well, even landi when the time called for it. ;) Conversation with a certain campaign manager (CM): Me: “All right, Sir! May I know where I can send all the formal invitations?”

CM: “Sure you can send it to my personal email…or you can hand it to me over coffee?”

Me: ”…Your treat?”

CM: “Of course! When are you free?”

(Of course, we found a way to get it to them without that happening.)

All that aside, the short preparation time was one that taught every single member of the organizing body the value of grace under pressure, and little did we know that we were in for something bigger than we had even hoped for. At this point, we ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 25

NEWS

were still working under the impression of just 2,100 students in the University Theater and a possible partnership with another company. It was already daunting as it was – having Karen Davila as our moderator was but a dream, and having it televised never even made the wishlist. Many people now have asked us “How did you get The Rundown to be so big?” and honestly, all I can say is that it was an accident – an unexpected blessing.

My mom had a blockmate in her college days who happened to work at ABS-CBN, and she suggested that I talk to him for a possible sponsorship. Now known among us as Tito Carlo The Rundown Adviser, neither I nor my mom knew just how big-time and big-hearted this person was. After our first conversation, he hooked us up with Ms. Karen Davila, his very close friend, who said yes almost immediately. Both of them met with us and even mentored us on how to take our event notches higher – Ms. Karen Davila was even the one who volunteered to be both our moderator and our host, without any monetary compensation. She was very excited to have us on her DZMM Teleradyo show, and also helped promote The Rundown on all her social media accounts!

Tito Carlo also helped us set a meeting with ANC ‘s and DZMM’s CEOs, along with other News Heads for a possible livestream on their website and radio station. When we walked in there that day and pitched our event to them, we weren’t prepared for this: “Oh my dears, a 4-hour program is way too long for live TV Coverage. Let’s cut it to 2 hours.”

We had to clarify that more than once, as we seemed to stop breathing after they said they’d cover us LIVE on their website, radio, AND television; and promote us on their channel pre-event, and report on it post-event. It was an investment worth millions and it took us days to realize we weren’t dreaming. Working very closely with them was an amazing experience – they really listened to our plans and helped us refine them, teaching us much from their expertise.

Of course, in the midst of all these successes, we weren’t without problems. My ER Team had the problem of having way too many candidates, so many that we had to reject some. We reached 20 at one point, which was way too many for a 2-hour program.

We eventually had to deal with last minute cancellations from both big and small names (One even backed out because of “back pains”!) It was amazing that we never went below our minimum of 12, and ended up with a final roster of 14.

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NEWS We did have real problems financially, however, as our expenses were rather large, particularly that of the venue costs. We almost reached a point where we were hoping to make the futile attempt of selling red velvet crinkles around campus to make up that sum, when another unexpected miracle came in the form of a text message – ANC was willing to pay for it all in cash, something they never do, as this added up to the millions of pesos they were already investing. (That would explain the billing, and we didn’t mind, as it was our form of thank you.)

The event itself was one of the most fulfilling, yet also one of the most tiring. Ingress started at midnight, with us having to show up in yesterday’s clothes and greasy unwashed hair. Sitting in class with my phone endlessly vibrating with calls was the hardest thing, and running straight to the theater after class wasn’t any easier. My ER Team and I spent the event proper talking to candidates and their staff, making sure they kept their cues, finding them water or coffee, and taking a few peeks of the program here and there. Positive feedback came from the audience, ANC, and even the candidates, which made all the hard work more than worth it.

I guess the best thing about putting this event together was the relationships that were built behind the scenes. Endless meetings, late night planning, and surviving the stress together forged the most unlikely friendships. We made friends with the candidates and their staff - one of my officers received a gift from a particular candidate, and I embarrassingly (and accidentally) asked a candidate to take our team picture with another candidate, which he good-naturedly did even if I kept apologizing! The laughter and camaraderie not only made our job easier but seeing them up close and personal also helped us be more critical as voters. The friendships we made with the people of ABS-CBN – the staff, Tito Carlo, and even Ms. Karen Davila – are also now things that we treasure.

We cannot thank them enough!

I am proud to say that the entire experience opened many opportunities not just for us as individuals, but also for the entire UP Economics Society. It’s amazing that our organization’s name is now out and lauded – our name was mentioned countless times in news programs and news articles, and hey, we’re even going to be featured on ABS-CBN’s station ID! We are all very thankful to everyone on the team, all our incredibly hardworking volunteers, and to everyone who believed in us right from the beginning!

Thank You for Your astounding grace and for spoiling us with all Your surprises.

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN, UP ECOSOC AND THE RUNDOWN ORGANIZING BODY! ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 27

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ROOTS 2016:

Friends, lovers, and families were all present for UP Fair Saturday to spend the eve of Valentine's Day. • Photo by Thea Morales

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 29

NEWS

NEWS

400

BY THE

NUMBERS

new islands were discovered in the Philippines by NAMRIA. Most of these islands are located in Mindanao.

BY MIGS DELA CRUZ

12,000

people attended #Roots2016.

18

is the total number of All Star Games Kobe Bryant had throughout his 20-year NBA career. He is set to retire at the end of the season.

1,500

6.3%

is the Philippines' GDP growth for the 4th quarter of 2015. This is the highest quarterly growth of the year.

30 â&#x20AC;˘ FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

is the number of animal species said to exhibit homosexual behavior, as studied by the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo. Saranggani Rep. Manny Pacquiao issued a statement against same-sex marriage, describing homosexuals as "mas masahol pa sa hayop", believing that animals do not exhibit homosexual behavior.

NEWS

$132,750,000

is the amount earned by Marvel movie, Deadpool, during its opening weekend. It is the highest grossing R-rated film. It beat out 2003's Matrix Reloaded, which grossed $91.7 million over its opening weekend.

35 45 to

minutes is the average range of travel time of commuters riding DOTC's Point to Point Bus Service from Quezon City to Makati City. The service currently operates in fixed intervals along three routes, namely: Trinoma to and from Glorietta 5, SM North EDSA to and from Glorietta 5, and SM Megamall to and from Glorietta 5.

19

was the age of UP men's football player, Rogie Maglinas, when he passed away after a long battle with cancer.

50

editions of NFL's Super Bowl have taken place. The last one was held last February 8, 2016. The Denver Broncos defeated the Carolins Panthers in a lowscoring game of 24-10.

67

was former NEDA director-general and well-loved UPSE professor, Cayetano Paderanga Jr.'s, age when he passed away in January.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 31

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OIL-SPOILED: 5 THINGS TO DO AS OIL PRICES PLUMMET

BY DAVID BALMES

A DRASTIC DROP IN OIL PRICES PER BARREL, FROM 110$ IN EARLY 2014 TO UNDER 30$ TODAY, HAS CAUSED EVERYONE TO HAVE AN OPINION ON THE OIL CRISIS AND WHAT IT MEANS AT THE CONSUMER LEVEL AND ITS GLOBAL ECONOMIC IMPACT. Multiple factors easily described by economics have contributed to the declining prices, chiefly: oversupply and ramped-up oil production coupled with declining demand. The world has been experiencing relatively weak economic activity in light of China slowing down its growth, the Euro crisis, and an overall slowdown in the global economy. In the US, the discovery of hydraulic fracturing, new technology for extracting oil, has led to them importing much less oil than they did previously, creating spare supply. With oil-producing countries having produced too many barrels, governments are scrambling to sell off barrels and minimize their losses. While much can be speculated about the causes and effects of this impactful crisis, one thing’s for sure: it’s the perfect time to capitalize on cheap oil. In this time of abundant fuel, here are five things to do (and not do) to maximize your utility.

DO: BUY A CAR Consumer benefits are evident in the oil crisis, with its diminishing prices trickling down to the costs of automobile fuel.

Gasoline and diesel prices haven’t been this low in years. If you were thinking of spoiling yourself with your own private vehicle, now’s the best time to do it. Unfortunately, other people have had the same idea, resulting in an 18% increase in Philippine automotive sales in 2015 compared to the previous year. Consequently, the number of vehicles prowling the roads of EDSA, C-5 and even your local city streets has increased to the point of over-congestion and unbearable traffic. It’s then 32 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

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reasonable to expect that Manila roads will be even more insufferable than it already is.

DON’T: EXPECT A SMOOTH TRAFFIC FLOW One obvious drawback to lower fuel prices is the fact that more people can afford to drive their own cars. Couple this with public transportation operating costs going down (along with the fares), and you have yourself a sudden influx of vehicles in an already-cramped road system. Expect unpredictable travel times across the metro, and expect to see a lot of red lines on Waze.

What can one do then, if traveling around the city has become such a hassle? measures. Venezuela, for example, is facing 275% consumer price inflation and is close to defaulting. It’s best to put your money elsewhere and far away from the unpredictable and volatile oil market.

DO: CONSERVE RESOURCES While oil may seem abundant and easily accessible today, keep in mind that this resource is limited and will eventually run out. Do your part to lessen the impact of fossil fuels and encourage investment in alternative forms of energy. This is obviously easier said than done, but the sooner we move away from crude oil, the closer we get to environmental stability.

After decades of being spoiled by oil, it’s time we move forward into a more sustainable future.

DO: GO ON A ROAD TRIP Now is the best time to take a much needed vacation away from the cramped stress of city life, gather some of your closest friends, and take your dad’s old van for a trip around the country. With gasoline so cheap, you’re free to spend more on food, accommodation, and maybe even some equipment for backpacking adventures. You could go to classic rest spots such as Tagaytay or Baguio, or take the road less travelled and venture into lesser-known but equally fun places like Nagsasa Cove in Zambales or Sagada, Mountain Province.

Where can you get the cash to go on these trips, you may ask? Well, one thing’s for sure.

DON’T: INVEST IN OIL-PRODUCING COUNTRIES The general consensus among economists and analysts is that the low prices are here to stay for the foreseeable future, and this spells poor tidings for oil-exporting countries such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates. Extreme drops in price have led to budget deficits for these countries and have led to budget cuts and austerity

David Balmes is a freshman student taking up BS Business Economics. He has an opinion on a lot of things. He's also really friendly and can be your best friend!

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 33

ECHOES

A WORLD FOR THE FEW

BY SAM CINCO SIXTY-TWO PEOPLE HAVE ACCUMULATED MORE WEALTH THAN THE REST OF THE WORLD PUT TOGETHER.

Can you imagine that? Only 62 people have more wealth than the rest of the world combined. Seem like a frightening thought? Well, unfortunately, it happens to be true. According to a recent Oxfam report, the world’s richest 1%, 62 individuals, have more wealth than the rest of the world put together. In 2015, these 62 people have about the same wealth as 3.6 billion people – the bottom 50% of all of the world’s population. The wealth of these 62 individuals has risen by 44% in the last five years, while the wealth of the bottom 50% of the world’s population fell by around 41%. Aside from that, this poorest half of the world’s population has only received 1% of the total increase in global wealth and the annual income of the poorest 10% of the world’s people has risen by less than 3 dollars each year in almost 25 years.

What is this? What is this phenomenon that seems to be spreading faster than the most recent epidemic? This is inequality.

No, this is severe inequality and it’s been getting worse and worse. And frankly, it really has got to stop. The world’s economy may be growing, but not everyone is able to benefit from this growth. Some don’t even benefit at all. Worse, some are even left worst off than before.

If you think that there’s nothing really wrong about inequality (relative poverty) as long as absolute poverty is fought, you’re wrong. Inequality destroys social cohesion. It gives the rich a very unfair advantage over political and economic resources.

This can lead to the poor receiving even less and less in social, political, and economic aspects. To give you an example, just look at the current situation in the Philippines. Who gets to control the top positions in this country? The rich. Who gets access to all the resources? The rich. Who gets special treatment in courts? It’s all the rich. And if we continue this situation, what can possibly be left for the rest, what will be left for the poor?

So what’s the problem? Well. I’m not really an expert who can pinpoint the exact cause of all of this, but I am going to try.

For one, there’s a problem with the institutions of government.

We learn in welfare economics that while the market is there to primarily ensure efficiency, while government is there to primarily ensure equity, to ensure social justice. It is the task of government to redistribute income and, maybe even wealth, at 34 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

a point where markets can still work its magic. That way, we still have an efficient outcome where the poor can still benefit. This task of government is pragmatically done through taxation and other social safety net programs.

I guess now you’re starting to see the problem right? Just how effective are our governments in making sure this is met?

Just look at our tax system, who actually pays more, is it the rich or the poor, the working class? In terms of social safety nets, do the people who need them actually receive those adequately?

I’m going to leave these questions for you to think about and I’m sure you won’t find it hard to answer them.

But, is government the only problem? As what we also learn in welfare economics, we also should not blame our government for everything. While the role of government in ensuring equity is very big, we cannot only rely on only them, there is also a role for ordinary people to play. What I will give now is a very important lesson about humanity, an important understanding of the human person that if everyone knew, this inequality could be lessened or even totally eradicated.

We are all human beings and this is what binds us together.

And being humans, we all have worth. Given this, we have a great responsibility not only to ourselves but also to others. We must be there for other people, we must be willing to help in any possible way we can.

This is what you call solidarity. Solidarity is having something that unites people together and what unites us is our worth. We must acknowledge that everyone has worth, as much worth as we, ourselves, do. When we have this basic

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understanding, inequality could possibly cease to exist. If we all have this basic understanding, we’d all work together to making sure that no one is left behind in growth and development. We would all work together to making sure that everyone benefits from the beauties and gifts that the world has to offer.

When we truly value others, we wouldn’t be able to travel comfortably in expensive cars or eat 5 course meals while other people are mired in poverty. If we truly valued others, we’d all do something in our own littles ways to help others.

People aren’t poor because they choose to be poor. Given the right resources, given the right help, they too can give greater contributions to our economy. We must find it in ourselves to be the people to help them.

You may say that maybe I’m being a little too idealistic. That may be the case but I don’t think any problem in the world can truly be fixed without a bit of idealistic attitude. Further, what I’m talking about is a very real truth. Everywhere, all around the world, people are using their money, their influence to step on others, to make sure they continue to have more wealth and this is the innate human nature of greed which can only be remedied by a complete change in attitude at how we look at

what we have.

This is why I call on governments, businesses, organizations, everyone to care about each other and to help one another.

Most of all, I call on you, the youth because you can truly help in making a change. Now, more than ever, with the advent of terrorist threats, with communicable diseases, with drastic changes in the environment, and with the grave inequality that persists, we must help one another. We must all make sure that a brighter future is there for all of us and for the next generation.

Let’s all help one another and create a world for everyone.

Otherwise, what we’ll have is just a world for the rich, a world for the few.

Sam Cinco is a currently in her senior year of college. She is the Students Rights and Welfare Councilor of the School of Economics Student Council. She wants to make a difference in the world someday.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 35

ECHOES

CHINA BRINGS IN MISSILE SYSTEMS AS SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE CONTINUES

BY CARLOS CABAERO TWO BATTERIES OF SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE SYSTEMS WERE PLACED BY CHINA IN THE HIGHLY DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEA. Situated on Woody

Island, this news has been confirmed by US officials, as well as the Defense Ministry of Taiwan, in line with continuous land reclamation and infrastructure construction initiatives of China.

In response to the news, Secretary Edwin Lacierda implored all parties to not undertake any actions that may further aggravate the situation, citing a 2002 Declaration of Conduct.

“It will not be the interest of any nation, considering that a large percentage of trade happens in our seas, to exacerbate the situation or to (get us to a point) where tensions may arise…” said Lacierda. Later this week, as the news was confirmed, the Department of Foreign Affairs released their statement saying: “These developments further erode trust and confidence and aggravate the already tense situation in the region. It is a clear violation of the [declaration of the conduct of parties] and other relevant [Association of Southeast Asian Nations]-China Declarations and Statements…They put into question the good faith of China to work with Asean for the early conclusion of the [code of conduct], and to cooperate in the efforts of all parties to find ways forward on the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas].”

The South China Sea is a prime area in terms of political,

military and economic positioning. Stratfor Chief Geopolitical Analyst Robert D. Kaplan, in his book, “Asia’s Cauldron: The South China Sea And The End Of A Stable Pacific,” emphasizes that the South China Sea is the throat of the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. Half of the world’s merchant fleet tonnage, as well as a third of all maritime traffic. Goods that flow through this channel include energy, as well as other finished and unfinished goods from Japan and Taiwan. Furthermore, South China Sea has rich natural gas and oil reserves, rivalling that of the Persian Gulf. China’s construction efforts in this territory continues to cause tension in ASEAN countries and the United States.

President Barack Obama hosted a summit with the Philippines and other ASEAN countries like Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam to discuss the issue and possible courses of action. All the participating countries condemn the perceivably aggressive movements of China on the disputed territory.

President Benigno Aquino, upon his return, called for China and the entire international community to respect the result of the United Nations tribunal case on the South China Sea dispute; a decision is being expected come midyear regarding the case.

Carlos Cabaero is the current SESC Education and Research Councilor. When not doing his dayjob, his mind plays around somewhere between mental gymnastics, dabbling in current affairs and professional wrestling.

36 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

OPEN FORUM:

Chito Balindong asks a question regarding the Bangsamoro Basic Law during The Rundown 2016.

• Photo by Cara Latinazo

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 37

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38 • SEPTEMBER 2013 | ECHOES.PH

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ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 39

ECHOES

THE POWER OF PRETEND (or the story of how I snuck into a Taylor Swift Concert)

BY PITA OCHAVE

2010 WAS A BIG YEAR FOR ME. I was twelve, about to graduate from elementary school, and on the cusp of young adulthood. While many of my friends had long passed their tween years, I had yet to experience the soirees, the parties, and the boys that seemed to come easily with turning the big onethree. At the time, teenagers, to me at least, seemed to operate on a higher playing field. They could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, with limited to no repercussions. I wanted nothing more than to join the big kids in their big tables and have the license to drudge on about the miseries and angst that came with being young and middle class, all while getting sad and sappy to queen teen angst herself: Taylor Swift.

Eventually, it was under the influence of all these delusions that a friend and I foolishly decided we could sneak into the heavily secured Speak Now concert, equipped with nothing more than two fake ID’s and a point-and-shoot camera.

Before you rush into judgement about the stupidity of risking everything for a country singer, you must first understand the context in which we made the decision. Before she traded in her country guitar for sicker beats, Taylor Swift’s hit song formula: meet cute boy, cute boy hits on you, fun stuff happens, and then you live happily ever after, was like tweenage girl cocaine. Her 40 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

third album, Speak Now, sold in the millions and her songs read almost like gospel to my young ears. I can’t even begin to count how many times I played Dear John while solemnly staring out of my mom’s backseat window. You’d have thought I had just gotten through a really difficult divorce if you saw the amount of passion I put into singing that song. Taylor Swift’s life was the epitome of what I thought a teenager’s life should be as it never lacked in drama and excitement, especially during the Speak Now era. One day she was singing duets with John Mayer, and the next, she was getting close to one-third of the most important love triangle of my tween life, Jacob Black. The way I saw it, Taylor Swift was my prophet and her concert in Manila was my Holy Land. Breaking into her concert and seeing the goddess herself would be my own personal pilgrimage to teendom.

It was five in the afternoon when my friend’s dad dropped us off at the Araneta Coliseum, the venue of Taylor Swift’s first ever Manila concert. He wished us a good time and we thanked him for driving us all the way to Quezon City. As soon as his car disappeared in the distance, my friend handed me what was to be my identity for the night: Pita Ochave, teen photographer for one of the country’s biggest Philippine newspapers. I hung

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the ID around my neck with pride whilst my friend assumed the identity of a young writer, which to be honest, wasn’t actually that far from the truth. Throngs of people waited in line to buy tickets from scalpers or waited for the doors to the venue to open. It was getting dark by that time and my friend and I knew we had no time to waste. We set about looking for the doors that would lead us backstage and into the company of one of the biggest stars on the planet.

After a few minutes of searching, we realised we wouldn’t be able to get inside without a ticket so we bought two GA tickets to the concert for about P500 each, if I remember correctly. Upon entering the venue, we found that a path that lay beyond some locked bars of iron would lead us to Taylor Swift. We quickly got into character and approached the bouncer that guarded said path. The man we met was the dictionary definition of a bouncer. He was big and burly with buzzcut hair and spoke with a deep voice. We cheerfully introduced ourselves to him as the writer and photographer tasked with interviewing Taylor Swift. As proof, we showed him our ID’s and for added effect, I even brought out my tiny point-and-shoot camera and snapped a picture. After a few minutes of conversation and far too many moments of silent panic, the bouncer finally let us in and told us to follow him inside. My panic turned into joy as the prospect of meeting my idol became more and more real. However, that joy would be cut short by another bouncer we encountered while passing through.

Anong ginagawa nila dito, the bouncer asked the bouncer who let us in. Reporters daw sila, Kuya Buzzcut replied. To prove his point, we raised our ID’s at the bouncer and smiled.

Wala sa listahan mga pangalan nila, Kuya New Bouncer said as he eyed us with suspicion. By then, my hands were sweating rivers and the hand holding my measly camera was shaking in fright. That’s impossible. I’m going to talk to my boss. Our names should be on that list, my friend, ever the cooler one between us two, insisted at the bouncer. I nodded in agreement and gave a pathetic, yeah. As a last ditch attempt at convincing Kuya New Bouncer of our story, I nervously whipped out my cellphone and pretended to call my big, imaginary newspaper boss. If there is such a thing as a bouncer hierarchy, I’m pretty sure Kuya Buzzcut wasn’t at the top of the list because as soon as my fake conversation ended, my friend and I were kicked out.

Now, you’d think that with the failure of our first plan, my friend and I would give up and go home. But you’re wrong. The failure of Plan A only meant we had to switch to Plan B, which in this case, was to enter GA and jump down to the lower levels.

With whatever hope we had left, my friend and I entered GA and enacted our plan. At first, getting through the throngs of Taylor Swift fanatics was difficult. People were dancing and swaying in all different directions so we had to be very careful about where we chose to pass through. If you’ve ever been to Araneta, you’d know that to get from one section to the other

would mean a steep jump. At the time, I had never been to Araneta so I was clueless as to the height I would be jumping from. I had assumed that the jump would be like jumping off a desk, but to my surprise, jumping down from GA to the lower boxes would be more akin to jumping the fence of a well-fortified house’s gate. Taking a deep breath, I straddled the wall while my daredevil friend jumped off. Jump down, my friend called out to me from below, but I was too frightened to move. Jump down!

One of the guards is coming, my friend called out to me again.

True enough, I saw a guard patrolling the barrier and walking our way. As he was inching closer and closer to where I was, I found myself frozen on the spot. That is until a man, who must have been frustrated with my indecisiveness, pushed me off the wall and I fell to the lower box. While the initial fall intimidated me, I found that jumping the next few barriers becamee easier, and with a little bit of luck on our side, we made it closer to the front and to Taylor Swift herself.

Despite all of the difficulties we encountered, the night proved to be a massive success. I got to breathe the same air as my idol, sing along to her songs, and have an adventure of a lifetime with one of my best friends, all for about P500. While I do not advocate identity theft, fraud, or anything else that exists between those lines, this experience has proven to me that there is a power bigger than a superstar and her security team. That power is playing pretend. Use it wisely.

Pita Ochave likes pancit canton, foot cramps, and traveling.

She has been mistaken for your mother since 2008.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 41

ECHOES

HOW TO BECOME THE 57TH ECOSOC PRESIDENT

BY ZO CANARIA

BEFORE YOU EVEN START READING THIS ARTICLE, I HAVE ONE HUMBLE REQUEST: DO NOT JUDGE ME. Throughout this article, there may be instances where you will hate me. Starting off with this tone may be one of them.

But, what you are about to read is how I, and probably most of the other presidents before me, used the Presidency to run this organization. You will not like everything about it, but I wouldn’t write an article on the subject if it didn’t work.

The first thing you have to know about the presidency and the power that it holds is its nature. When you win elections or you get appointed for directorship you are not given power: you are given authority. The position you held, hold and will hold - not who you were or who you are - give you authority. Authority is respect for the title, power is respect for you. Now, I’m going to tell you the things former (myself included) and current leaders used to earn that power, power over you.

CONTROLLING THE TRUTH

explain how or why. They’re being Truth is relative. Don’t you just hate “smart”, and you are the victim of that it when opinion suddenly becomes the “smart”.

Power is derived from smart because truth on the internet? And, don’t you just your opinion becomes the truth. You despise websites that craft misleading control the truth, you control the people. headlines? Let’s not even talk about How do you control the truth? those who share the articles without The most important thing you have reading them. Whether you like it or not, to do is know what the people know it happens, and I assure you it’s going to and want to know. Let’s say you were happen over and over again. the head of a team with people who are Opinion becomes the truth once insanely good at Logistics, Marketing, the opinion is delivered by someone Creatives, etc. You don’t necessarily you personally trust (whether through have to be as good as them at what intelligence, likability, etc.) or by being delivered the most truthful way possible. they do, but if you want to have actual power over them, then you have to look What should you get out of that? You have to be smart. People follow smart. good. Know their shit: their jargon, their thought process, everything. If you know And I am not talking about IQ; I am your way around what they do, you know talking about those moments when you your way around them. Your opinion will call someone “magaling” but you cannot 42 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

start to matter. As your opinion become more credible to them, you earn their trust. What’s beautiful about trust is that it’s not a one-is-to-one kind of thing. You earn one’s trust, and you earn their trust in a lot of other things.

Take a look at the Bible. It’s full of stories with life lessons that offer opinions on how we should think and behave in our everyday lives. I am neither saying the Bible is the “one”, nor am I saying it is not. I am in no position to intelligently state the level of truth that there is in the Bible historically and intrinsically; all I’m saying is that the Bible is smart. People know that there are mistakes in their lives from time to time – some they invoke, some happen on their own. After some of these mistakes they feel very bad about their

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life, about themselves. So people look for guidance. The Bible gives you exactly that: a collection of stories of the common mistakes people make accompanied by what they did to get over such mistakes.

It worked for a lot of people. Now it’s the truth for billions of Christians around the world.

The next time you enter a meeting, know what the people you are talking to know and give them what they want to know. It’s basic.

If you want to know how I used this, just recall how many times I’ve said during GAs the org was doing pretty well.

Also, see how important speaking up in your Facebook status about issues is nowadays. I mean, you’re from UP - help form the truth.

THE PRICE OF KINDNESS

I’m more than certain that you have at least one friend that is too nice that you just can’t hurt his or her feelings. Nope, even if s/he really seems like s/he needs real talk, you just can’t give it. Some people are just too kind (or are they?). If you’re in a relationship, there is an 80% chance you already get what I’m trying to say. If you’re part of the 20%, don’t worry.

You’re the point of this piece.

“We accept the love we think we deserve." Let me replace “love” with “kindness”. “We accept the kindness we think we deserve.” Kindness is a virtue that the human race values immensely. I mean, after two World Wars, countless existing civil wars, I cannot blame us. Ironically, this is where the power from kindness comes in – people think kindness is scarce. This makes the value of kindness a very simple economic concept: everyone demands it, there is perceived very limited supply, and thus the price is very high.

There are two basic ways to extract power from kindness: love and utang na loob. “Love is patient, love is kind,” says the Bible. More often than not, in any relationship, love is equated to kindness.

That is the exact reason why a lot of people use kindness to, maybe unconsciously,

manipulate other people to follow them.

In the beginning the process goes like this (exaggeration necessary, sorry!): “Do you want flowers?”

“It’s okay.” *You have to get the flowers* Eventually, “I fell asleep.”

“I’ve always been there for you when you needed me, but you…” *Realizes how kind she was, always being there for him, staying up late for him... How dare he get tired and sleep.

Now he has to get flowers.* Case in point: the kinder people are to others, the harder it is for those others to repay the kindness. One, because there is no currency that can ever repay it and two, the “price” of such repayment is indefinitely high.

Kindness is valued highly. Being kind to other people makes those other people want to repay such kindness.

Power is exercised through the decision of what kind of repayment is to be made.

I mean, come on. To be honest, I didn’t like every single one of the 300. I doubt anyone likes every single person in the org. But see how nice I was to you all the time? I had Kindness for breakfast every day for a year, b*tch. You can hate someone, but you should always be the better man.

learn from this organization, it’s this law.

This law is the very foundation of how we annually build our hierarchy in this org.

Your value is based on how you handle shit.

Handling your own shit earns you respect. Handling other people’s shit vests you power. Immense power. Why? We might not like it but people generally crave for superheroes. An image of a savior always sells; even just a bit of it is clamored in our society. Look at Rodrigo Duterte. He was no one and although he doesn’t top the polls, his rise from nobody to a contender is a clear manifestation of people’s hunger for superheroes.

Now the goal is to become badass.

Being badass is not a single-minded kind of branding. It comes in many ways: you can be some sort of gladiator all fierce and feisty as you face shit, you can also be a survivor that exudes the image of always getting through anything. I can go on and on. But the only requirement is that you fight battles for and with principles. The soundness, morality or erroneousness of your principles do not really count.

Once you’re a badass, you are able to slap shit in the face with all your might.

Moreover, you can slap the exact person you are fighting with and for if the need arises. Being badass is becoming a superhero for others. Being badass is providing people of what they crave for in a leader. It is in providing this badass superhero vibe to them that gives you power. Security, safety and being able to do what a lot of people cannot is what supplies power to the badass. If you want to be powerful through being badass, you have to claim you can save the world.

The piece is short because there is no exact formula to being badass, but principles are necessary.

I trust what you can recall in trying to figure out when or where I was ever badass. Haha.

Zo is the #1 pabebe in Ecosoc. He believes pabebe is the new form of Murphy’s Law: Shit happens. All the expression at walang makakapigil sa time. If there’s one thing you should kanya.

YOU WANT TO BECOME BADASS

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 43

ECHOES

THE GREATEST MAN I KNOW

BY PAOLO LORENZO TEJANO PROF. CAYETANO W. PADERANGA, JR., PH.D.

His name alone carries with it a ring like no other. It’s not everyday you get to meet someone who has done so much for his country, let alone have him as your professor for an entire semester. I considered myself incredibly lucky every single time I walked through that door in SE 114 every Tuesday and Thursday at one in the afternoon last year because I knew that I was going to learn from one of the best people I could ever learn from.

Sir Padi was as unique inside the classroom as he was out of it. He was a man of stark contrasts, leading one to sometimes question how a man like him could have done the same things we read about in news archives. A major source of this suspicion was his trademark sense of humor. It’s like he was rarely serious with anything, and everything was worth making a joke about.

I struck an accord with the man as his jokes were exactly those which I found funny – inappropriate, green, the ones that make you squirm in your seat. He liked talking about women. A lot.

Sir Padi would share stories of his encounters with beautiful eccentric women from his time abroad – Esperanza the most 44 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

notable. He would joke about how he loved visiting his banker friends in their offices just to be served coffee by their secretaries in skirts. He even taught us how one could hide infidelity by not using credit cards when purchasing lingerie for someone other than your wife. I mean, really?

This man was the Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning and Director General of NEDA? But yes, he was. Twice. He also held a doctorate in economics from Stanford University, a postdoc from Yale, served on the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral, was Executive Director for the Philippines at the Asian Development Bank, and even became the President of the Philippine Stock Exchange at one point in his illustrious career. And he brought it all together, bigpicture, for his students in Econ 121. Every session, he drew on his incredibly sharp memory to share with us how he and his colleagues handled the problems thrown at them, guiding the Philippines to anchor on a safe harbor after the perilous voyage of re-establishing her democracy.

Sir Padi had an uncanny ability to simplify the complex theories he taught us. He excelled in making the abstract

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relevant. He knew that a bunch of 20-year-old college students would never last an hour and a half with him if he just told us how the central bank managed interest rates.

So he made sure that he always took a personal experience (that would now be considered an important part of this country’s history) and sprinkle it all over the lectures on monetary policy and finance. As much as he was there to tell us how these things work, we could all see that more than that, he loved to tell us why. The “why” was always directed at something deeper than simple economic growth and stability. He was always teaching with an underlying purpose – that of a brighter future for this country and her people.

Sir Padi was also consistent in the way he conducted his lectures – which, when you think about it, weren’t always just lectures. He would walk around the classroom, coiling the microphone’s wire with his hand, as he sought interaction by asking us a barrage of questions. Many times, we would be intimidated by the technicality of the question and would avoid his gaze by pretending to read the book or jot down notes. He would sometimes get frustrated with our silence and subsequently threaten us with a quiz. It seems so trivial today, but when you think about it, the only reason he kept asking us to recite was because he knew that we were capable of doing so. He knew that we all had the brains to grasp what he was teaching, and interpret them on our own.

All of us. No exceptions.

I knew that these opportunities to interact with someone so wise came seldom, and so I always had the urge to take advantage of it as often as I could. I would speak to him before and after class, and when I’d see him along the hallways too.

I would make sure that I was able to gain the slightest bit

of new knowledge in our minute-long encounters. I know that I sometimes earned the ire of my classmates for this. But one thing’s for sure, hindsight tells me that sucking up to this guy was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. Many of my questions for him were aimed at getting a sneak peek at the kind of work that a man like him would do. I was so fascinated with the kind of quiet prestige and glamor of working these top-level jobs that he had. At that time, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in economics but was still very much confused as to what kind of work I actually wanted to do. I tried to find the answer through my after-class-sipsip moments. Instead, those conversations ended up confusing me even more. I was always waiting for him to tell me how wonderful it was to have been this or that but he always told me how much problems he had to deal with and how terribly hindering some people were to progress. This left me even more confused because here you have a man who seems so accomplished and happy, yet has very little nice things to say about his time at the top. Even more baffling was that if he did not enjoy his time in public service, why did he keep coming back to it in the first place?

I consider it hugely symbolic that the answer I had been searching for the entire semester hit me like a train on my birthday. It was a nice little coincidence that our last class fell on my birthday. I expected him to simply say a short farewell message but what he went on to say that day is something that will always live with me (and surely, with all of my classmates as well). Nearly in tears, Sir Padi made an appeal to us to do something for this country. He told us what I now consider one of my life’s guiding principles: “Give back more than what you took.” This special moment allowed me to realize that fretting over what kind of work I wanted to do was useless. I was completely missing the point. It’s not so much what we should do, but rather, whom we should be. And that is someone who would serve the Filipino people with all sincerity and honesty like he did, regardless of what work you do.

It is indeed incredibly painful for someone like me, who found his inspiration and motivation in Sir Padi’s short but well-lived life, to hear the tragic news of his passing. I know that I was never his favorite. That honor always belonged to Trysh.

But when talking about favorites, what matters most to me is that he would always be mine.

So yes, Sir, in honor of your life of dedicated service to the Filipino people, I promise to study well like you always ask me to. You lit a fire within me that will never ever die. I look forward to leaving a better Philippines than what I inherited.

Though you will no longer be able to witness the fulfillment of this promise, I know that you will be watching us from up above.

Maraming maraming salamat. Mahal na mahal ka naming lahat. Rest in peace.

Paolo Tejano was part of Dr. Paderanga’s Econ 121 class last year. He had a good relationship with Sir Padi, often coming to him for advice and insights even after the end of the semester.

Sir Padi has helped him with many endeavors throughout the past year.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 45

ECHOES

DADA, MOJA WALI KUKU

BY GINO GERODIAS

TANZANIA WAS TRULY ONE OF THE BEST EXPERIENCES I HAVE EVER HAD. In my two month stay volunteering in the East African state, quite simply, I had come to love the place and the people. This is the reason why I find it one of the most difficult tasks to write about. I could never imagine myself being able to capture and give justice to the experience that I had through my writing. Even the title alone took me quite some time to think about – the title being one of the handiest and my most used Swahili phrase when I was in there – “dada, moja wali kuku” or loosely translated, “Sistah, one order of chicken and rice please”. But I will do my best to share what I experienced as well as tell you more about the country and culture that I had come to love.

KWAHERI MANILA (GOODBYE MANILA)

So I guess it would be only logical to start with the beginning. Tanzania was never a sure destination when I was applying for my AIESEC Exchange. I knew it would be a hard sell to my parents to allow me to go into a country none of us had ever heard of or a country whose most popular answer to the word association game is that of the Tazmanian devil, an animal that isn’t even found in Africa. So when it was time to ask permission, I had brought with me a 25-slide powerpoint presentation detailing a sort of fact sheet of Tanzania—population, well-known tourist destinations, cost of living, common misconceptions, crime incidence, malaria incidence, yellow fever incidence, distance from the war in Libya and the improbability of Ebola—all to hopefully paint a better and safer picture of the country I would be staying in. But the detail that I felt most strongly about and what probably won their approval was the project that I would be working under, the Tuleeni Project. Lucky enough, after several health check-ups and 5 vaccine shots, a frustrating month-long visa application coursed through Malaysia, more than a 18-hour flight and another combined 11-hour layover in Dubai and Kenya, I found myself in Moshi, Tanzania.

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MAMBO KAKA! (SUP BRO!)

Mambo, habari? – Hello, how are you?

These were the first phrases I heard when I got out of the plane. The Moshi AIESEC team, John their president, Stephen and Tausi, had welcomed me and picked me up from the airport. The commute to Moshi town proper was probably my first and biggest culture shock. Aside from the airport, a dirt football pitch and the random Coca-Cola painted sari-sari stores, the 39km distance was filled with acres upon acres of sunflower and maize fields. Even when we arrived in the town center there were only a few concrete buildings, the tallest of which would only reach 3 floors. Only the main roads were paved, the rest were mud tracks that would bulge in the middle—which the locals aptly referred to as an “African Massage” when one would drive through it. There were no street lights. By 5:00pm it was pitch black. Visibility was not a problem for the locals as they would easily walk around at night guided only with their sense of direction and familiarity with their routes. But thank goodness for a foreigner like me, the ambient shine of the millions of overlooking stars and the ever trusty iPhone flashlight helped with getting from one place to another.

Soon enough though, the town of Moshi would become my home as well.

Together with my housemates and fellow volunteers, Shawn and Gloria from Malaysia, Helena from Ireland, Moz from Taiwan, Chen Li and Stephen from China and later on Mariana from Portugal, we had mapped out the city, we knew the shortcuts and the quickest routes around.

We had made good friends with the locals, having our own “suki” at the street side vegetable market and butcher shop. We were regulars at the Rau Pub, frequent visitors enough to get extra grilled banana in our goat meat platter or an extra piece of liver or intestine when we would order their soup of the day. We considered ourselves not as mzungu’s (local slang for white person) or konnichiwa (what anyone Asian was called) but a kaka (brother)/dada (sister)/rafiki (friend).

NINA NJAA (I’M HUNGRY)

Starch heaven - I think that’s probably the best and most accurate representation of Tanzanian food (Sorry, Ana). The only reference I’ve ever had of African food before my trip was from the book “Things Fall Apart", where they mention FooFoo, a dish made up of boiled cassava.

True enough, Tanzania would have its equivalent. Ugali or mashed maize was probably their most popular dish.

They would eat it with everything and anything; there was also a certain way of eating it. The soft, airy, cloud-like mash would be picked up by one’s dominant hand and gently cupped and rolled into a ball and subsequently eaten. Funny enough, mid-lunch conversations were considered rude if you didn’t play with your ugali. Pretty much anything could be matched with this staple dish, the most popular viands consisted of beans, fried bananas, stewed bananas, grilled bananas, potatoes, peas more beans and more bananas. Rice and British chips were also a common side dish and, as evident by the title, I was most fluent in Swahili when ordering food. So if you’re hungry and find yourself at an East African eatery in the near future, all you need to do is remember a simple formula: Quantity + Staple dish + Viand Ex. Moja (1) or Bili (2) + ugali, wali (rice) or chipsi (fries) + ndizi (banana), nyama (meat), maharage (beans), kuku (chicken), samaki (fish), etc.

SIKILIZA MTOTO! (SHHH KIDS SHHH, PLEASE LISTEN TO ME)

For two months, Shawn, Gloria and I worked with two organizations. The first was with the Tuleeni Orphanage and the second with the Komboa Learning Center.

Tuleeni houses the abandoned and orphaned children of the village, whom, under the guidance of Mama Faraji, the sweetest and most caring lady I have ever met, have been given a home and the opportunity to continue their education.

Every morning at 5 am we would walk

with the kids to the Mrupanga Elementary School. It’s about a 4km mud trail through, what else, sunflower and maize fields. The walks were always scenic and fun as the kids would often hold our hands and point to the different things around us, naming them in Swahili and asking the English equivalent. As soon as we would arrive at Mrupanga we’d see several kids already playing in the field and when we passed they would cry out with their tiny voices, “Teacha teacha!” and hold their hand out for a high five or fist bump. Our task at the school was to teach Basic English to grades 5 and 6. We volunteered during the time of their national examinations and so we would regularly review them on their tenses, subject verb agreement and sentence construction. To be honest, the level of English proficiency they were at was far from any standard, but this would never stop them during recitation. It is truly the most heart-warming and cutest scene whenever (whether they knew the answer to the question or not) I would ask a question, and all of them would eagerly raise their hand screaming the all too familiar “Teacha teacha! Me! Me! Me!” Some would even get up from their seat and actually move towards the board just to be called, and when they were they’d give out the biggest smile and gloat to their classmates that they were picked.

Those who weren’t called would “Awwww” and snap their fingers in frustration.

Our classes would end by 1 pm and the kids would wave kwaheri. We volunteers would then proceed to the Komboa Center, about a 20 min dala-dala (FX shuttle) ride from the school. Komboa is a learning center for out-of-school youth and street kids. Mandala owns and runs the place. He himself came from the streets and had, to put it simply, a rough childhood prone to many vices. He put up the center to serve as a safe haven for the youth, and would help them reintegrate themselves back into society. There were different recreational and technical courses provided by the center all aimed towards job creation. There were brick making, farming, sewing and crafts ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 47

ECHOES

lessons. Gloria taught music and guitar lessons, and Shawn and I helped with the Computer Program. The center had 6 old, Windows 98-run, bulky, fat screen computers received as donations. The program was a one-on-one instructional lesson on how to operate the PC, how to type and how to use Microsoft Word and Publisher. I am very proud to say that by the end of my stay, my student Gifty had made the best Safari Brochure Sample on Publisher!

SAFARI JEMA! (HAVE A SAFE TRIP!)

All of us housemates would have work from Monday to Friday, meaning we had the weekends off to explore the town of Moshi and luckily even have out of town trips. By the end of our stay we had considered ourselves truly immersed in their city culture. Together with the Aiesec of Moshi Cooperative University we had gone food tripping, bar hopping and even clubbing, where my already quite negligible self-confidence in the art of dance was truly and utterly smashed by dem African moves. Moz and I had also asked the help of the village elders to teach us how to brew our own mbege— banana wine/beer—the traditional drink of the Chaga mountain tribe. By the end of which we had 10 liters of homemade mbege for our personal consumption.

Mama Faraji had also invited us to the birthday party of a former Tuleeni kid and to the wedding of one of her friends, a wedding wherein a whole goat was grilled and where everyone at the reception had a drink in hand and a piece of goat meat and bone in the other.

Together with Joel and Ladislaus, two French volunteers from Komboa, we had organized a trip to Ndoro falls with the youths. Truly, Tanzania, and in fact, the whole continent of Africa, feature the most beautiful views in the whole world.

Nature, the environment and the natural landscape would never cease to put one in an ejaculatory awe. Shawn and I actually watched a football match at the university, featuring non-degree majors versus the College of Business, where the trill 3-1 48 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

score line was played in the grandest of all stadiums, dare I say even better than Old Trafford. Its grandeur was all thanks to what lay behind the concrete walls of the stadium. In the distance, the backdrop was host to the spine-shivering slopes and the ice-capped peaks of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in the whole of Africa. The highlight of our weekends would definitely be our safari (trip) to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. It was 3 days and 2 nights of scenic views, changing terrain, all sorts of animals, and the blasting of The Lion King original soundtrack out of the jeep as we would drive from sunrise to sunset. We had the most amazing of guides, Freddie, who at random times would just stop the jeep, pull out his binoculars, flip to a page in the animal encyclopedia and point out into the distance, “leopard by the tree.”

At his word, all of us in the jeep would the pop out of the sunroof and selfie the hell out of whatever he was pointing at.

Aside from the jeep, there were really no boundaries between us and the wild. A

pack of lions would just walk right beside our jeep or a herd of hundreds of zebras would be grazing right out the window.

Even in our campsite, the animals were free to roam as I learned the hard way one night. Basically, I was left trapped inside my tent, really needing to pee but too afraid to go out due to the rustling of grass and the sound of something grazing the side of my tent. It was only in the morning that we had learned that a pack of hyenas had visited our camp that night. The next day we were visited again, but this time by an elephant who had stomped his way around all the tents in order to drink from our water supply.

NAKUPENDA TANZANIA (I LOVE YOU TANZANIA)

I have experienced so much in my trip and there isn’t one thing I would redo about it. The original reason on why I decided to go on exchange was because I thought it was a natural progression for me. Coming from a private and exclusive high school, I had always felt

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reluctant and uneasy whenever they would ask for donations or money for charity and other causes. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to donate, but I didn’t like the feeling that all I could do to help was to give money. I relished the moments where I could immerse myself, to be more hands-on in the advocacies and projects that I felt passionate about. In UP I was able to do that, I was able to help in the UP community and beyond.

One of my proudest moments in Ecosoc was the Lights for Leyte trip to Tacloban exactly for this reason. However, in Tanzania my biggest takeaway was the most surprising one. Hard to swallow sometimes, but I learned that no matter how I view it, I gained so much more during this trip than I could ever give. I learned that real sustainable help isn’t given through money or volunteering.

The best help that I could give is actually — like the cheesy line one would answer in his grade school Cristian Life Education class — to study well, to learn, to graduate, to enter public service, to create jobs,

to get rid of extractive governments and companies, and to build better institutions. Volunteerism is a great and wonderful thing, but even with the best of intentions it can actually do more harm than good. In Tanzania, there are hundreds of international organizations aimed to help uplift the standards of living there. However, an unforeseen externality has been a sort of backward reliance on free welfare. The average Tanzanian will only finish up to middle school. Most job opportunities that they have are bluecollar jobs or are either in agriculture or tourism. They need to be able to provide for themselves. Tanzanians need jobs more than giveaways. They need more permanent teachers than volunteer teachers. They need good schools. Most public schools, like Mrupanga, are dilapidated and under staffed. There are no books or pens provided. A desk for 2 is shared among 6. Students are often absent from class because they need to do household chores or help in the harvest. Tanzania needs medicine

and doctors — most of my students are positively diagnosed with AIDS. One of the leading causes of mortality is that of misdiagnosis and overdose. They deserve better institutions may it be in the fields of education, health or industry — but most of all their security.

Unfortunately, during our stay, Mama Faraji had to absent herself from going to school because on her way to Mrupanga to teach she came across a student taken advantage of and left beaten up behind the maize field. Tanzania deserves better, but that is something which I cannot give, at least not yet.

I’ll always keep the memories of Tanzania with me. Much like the introduction, I cannot emphasize enough how thankful I am for having an opportunity like this, for the help given by the AIESEC teams both home and abroad, for the support and the occasional Facetime/Skype with my family, friends and Ana. Words cannot describe how much admiration I have for Mama Faraji and Mandala, how lucky I am to make great friendships with Gloria, Shawn, Helena, Moz, Chen-li, Stephen and Mariana, Joel and Ladislaus, how proud I am of Gifty and everyone at the youth center, and how lucky I am to teach and learn from the kids, Fratime, Joachim, Bryan, Joseph, Innocence, Eugene, Emmanuel, Jazzila, Angela, Sylvina, Omari and the rest.

Gino Ismael S. Gerodias is a third year BS Economics student in the School of Economics, UP Diliman. His favorite things to write are progress reports, investigatory projects, research papers and academic reflections/commentaries.

He thus had to scrap his first two drafts of this article since it sounded too much like a textbook or the writing at the back of a box of medicines — you know, the one right beside the vitamin content chart.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 49

ECHOES

THEY SAY WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER. What they don’t say is that when you get stronger,

THE POWER OF REALISM

BY LYON LEUS

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everything else gets ten times as strong as you do, therefore creating a vicious cycle of you getting knocked down and struggling to get up again. What, then, is the point of getting up at all? Why should we even bother risking our necks to get to a semblance of a finish line if all we’re going to get after running a thousand miles is a punch in the face?

All of humanity can be divided into two categories: the optimists and the pessimists. And through our varying lifespans, each and every one of us experiences both categories – we’re all one bad day away from being pessimists and one good day away from being optimists. Our ideals are in a constant state of flux, and so are our outlooks on failure.

The optimists are the people who think that failure is nothing but a minor setback to prepare you for a major comeback. The optimists get knocked down but they get up again, because they know nobody can keep them down. We’ve all been optimists before – it’s probably how we began, shrugging off failure with a smile on our faces, taking each failure as an opportunity to bounce back, stronger than ever before. But with optimism comes a weakness, a certain naiveté, and oftentimes we end up unknowingly setting ourselves up for a major failure that leaves us feeling a little too battered and a little too bruised, which leads us to the second category…

The pessimists, who, on the other hand, have come to the realization that no matter what they do, they’ll end up getting dragged back down anyway, so they’re just going to lay low so that the fall doesn’t hurt them. Pessimists have been hurt a little too much and a little too often and have come to believe that maybe they deserve the pain that they receive from failure. The dazzling optimism that these pessimists once had has now been replaced by a numbing cynicism, with nothing but self-doubt influencing their judgment, driving them towards mediocrity because they believe that they deserve nothing more. We’ve all been there – sometimes fate deals us too bad a hand and we think, “What’s the point of even trying anymore?” But then, by chance, something really good happens to us and we’re left thinking that maybe things could be better…

And then we’re back to optimism. Then life fucks up and we’re back to pessimism. It’s a cycle of ups and downs, peaks and troughs.

We still constantly ask ourselves why we do things, and let’s face it, we’re never going to stop asking why. This constant realization and continuous acceptance leads to a new form of dealing, a combination of positivity and negativity. After such a long time of expecting things to go very very good or very very bad, we finally come to terms with the fact that hey, this is just how life is. After a while, we learn to think realistically.

There’s a certain power that comes with being grounded in reality.

Being a realistic thinker endows you with a suit of armor, one that isn’t heavy with self-loathing like pessimism, nor light, breezy and easily blown away like the whiff of optimism. It wraps around you, assured of its existence, and tells you, through your highs and lows,

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that this is just how life is. It’s difficult to grasp, sure, especially for the people who are currently at the ends of the spectrum, and it might seem pretentious, even. But realism’s power lies in its humility – that something as simple as keeping our feet on the ground could change how we see ourselves.

A common misconception by a lot of people is that they think that being realistic is equal to settling for less, but I believe that being realistic also equals to being happy with what you have. Life is a never-ending pursuit of happiness; we chase something that we believe will grant us the joy that we so crave but once we achieve it, we begin fixating on the next thing. Realism is the power to control what you crave – it acts as your personal check and balance system, telling you when you’re striving for too much or striving for too little. It never tells you to settle, it tells you to enjoy what you’ve got, given all the effort you’ve been giving to get them.

There’s a brutal honesty lying underneath the concept of realism, and it’s there to remind us about our limitations, whether we like to or not, which I believe is a power on its own. Realism makes you a certain kind of resilient; it lets you enjoy your victories without them getting over your head and lets you mourn your defeats without them taking control of your life. We may end up feeling a bit good or a bit bad again sometimes, for sure, but reality will always be there to keep us from going off-course.

Lyon Leus is the human for of the 100 emoji. He's also kind of a hypocrite for writing this article, because he himself has been stuck in the ditch of pessimism for a while now.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 51

ECHOES

INFLUENTIAL ECOSOCERS

BY JUSTIN VILLAS

EVERY SEMESTER, THE UP ECONOMICS SOCIETY GIVES HONOR TO THE MOST OUTSTANDING MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZATION . These people are the members who best exemplify the three core thrusts of

Service, Excellence, and Tradition. Some, however, stand out more than others. This list aims to give recognition to some of these personalities and their personal contributions to the organization.

1. ZO CANARIA I first noticed Zo during the Lego Applicants’ Orientation as the bubbly guy flitting from group to group, excitedly talking with that characteristic laugh of his. I wasn’t aware at that time that he was the president of Ecosoc, and I guess in some ways that was a good thing – he wasn’t overbearing with his authority and just made me want to be his friend!

I soon learned that behind the lively and self-admitted medj-jej personality of Zo is the experience he has had with the organization. He was one of the go-to creatives people of the organization, always producing stellar pubmats that some people only dream of making.

He is also an amazing example for determination. I think it’s amazing that he ran 2 times prior to the elections when he was elected as the org’s president. This just proves that apart from his strong-minded style of leadership, Zo was able to show his undying love for Ecosoc, and it’s the same kind of love I want to have.

As if he weren’t incredible enough, Zo is also a solid dancer! I had the privilege of dancing with him in Edance, and his love for dance along with his outgoing personality made me enjoy his company even more. It was also interesting for me to find out that Zo used to be a part of the Popsters – Sarah Geronimo’s official fan group – but, according to him, was unnecessarily disowned by their community. Apparently, he didn’t contribute enough to their worshipping of the Queen of Pop. As the president of Ecosoc during my app batch, Zo was one of the people who personally made an impact on my application for Ecosoc. When he was chairperson of last semester’s Ecosoc Month, he was able to show the true essence of EM – that is truly a wonderful experience to be an Ecosocer. As an app, I fell in love with everything Ecosoc stood for, and that would not have been possible if EM was handled by anyone else other than Zo. Time and time again, Zo has been very hands-on when it comes to his work. He really takes time to ensure that everything and everyone turns out the best as they can and really gives effort in befriending everybody in the org as well.

A lot of people in Ecosoc say the line “Love the org, and the org will love you back”, but Zo was someone who lived it, and that made me love the org more.

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2. JUDE GERON Unbeknownst to some of the new members of the organization, Jude Geron was able to lead the organization as its Echoes Editor-inChief during Ecosoc’s 56th year. I have personally been given the opportunity to work under Jude as he was the Advertising and Public Relations Director of Roots 2016, so I have firsthand experience with how he works.

Jude could be best described as that type of leader who explains things with simplicity, but also contains value-adding information. Though minsan, he’s medj mema, and sneaks in a joke from time to time, generally, what he’s saying is actually important and could really help the team he’s working with. All these, he does with a chill attitude, so it would be rare to find someone who wouldn’t want to work with Jude Geron.

Chilling with Jude is also very fun because he sometimes brings up a hugot line out of nowhere which, honestly, nobody sees coming. Most of the time, anyway, the hugots aren’t serious, so people just let out a laugh if he does decide to mention a hugot line here and there. Generally, he’s a very easygoing guy, so anyone would enjoy hanging out with Jude Geron.

Jude’s positive outlook on things are most of the time contagious, so if you just want to be filled with good vibes, chilling with Jude Geron is the way to go.

3. TELLE TIBERIO I’ve personally coined Telle as the “Host ng Bayan” due to her outworldly happy and smiley attitude towards everything. Incidentally, this was also how I first met Telle when I entered college – during the UP School of Economics Freshies Orientation. I still remember when she, along with Erwin Mate, called me up in front of the whole Freshie body to do some randomly weird and awkward dance.

She was very accommodating, to say the least, because she just wants people to not be shy in front of other people. Similarly, to nobody’s surprise, she was also one of the hosts for the UP Economics Society’s Application Orientation, which made her presence even more felt by the applicants of the organization.

She has also made a reasonable contribution to the org, serving as its previous Liaison Committee Chairperson from two terms ago.

Likewise, she was appointed as the Ecosoc Month’s one of two CoChairpersons, which, by the way, matches her very well due to the fact that she constantly shows everybody how awesome it is to be an Ecosocer.

These are just to name a few to show that Telle, in fact, behind the cheerful façade is a woman who is nothing less than great.

Just a tip: most of the time, Telle is generally very sabaw, so it’s best to keep your most sabaw self in order to match her hilarious attitude.

4. MARTE CARONONGAN The final person on our list has been with the organization for a long time, and is also the batch-mate of every freshie batch coming in.

It would actually sound weird if a current Ecosocer would claim that he or she does not know Marte, because he dedicates his time to get close with the members of the organization. If you check out his Facebook wall, he keeps a well organized and chronological log of his stay in UP, a lot of which are pictures with the different members of the organization. You’ll also be constantly seeing him going out to eat with everyone, mainly due to his very loose schedule.

Marte has made significant contributions to the organization. To name a few, he has experienced being a Director, both for Ecosoc Month and Task Force, and has held a major position in a lot of Ecosoc’s base committees as well.

I can’t say much about Marte that people do not know already, as an experience with Marte speaks for itself. Just always open your wallet and schedule up whenever Marte is around because he will just usually randomly invite people to eat out.

Justin prefers to live his college life by enjoying everything that he does. He is always open to making kwento sessions with anyone, and will surely be one of the most kaladkarin people you will ever meet!

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 53

ECHOES

THE POWER OF SELF-CONTROL

BY PEACHES TENORIO

IT WAS THEOLOGY CLASS. It was probably around one in the afternoon. I can hear the screeches. I can hear it loud and clear.

I can hear the taunting. I can see the stares. Their eyes were like Lucifer laughing at people who gives in to sin. All eyes were on me like when Carrie (Carrie by Stephen King) got her first period in the showers. I felt like a jaded mandarin. It was scary. I was so afraid. Everything around me felt so sinister.

I was so humiliated.

I broke a fucking chair.

Okay, I got a tad bit carried away with all the emotions but it was the most terrifying day of my twenty years of existence. Dude, who breaks a freaking chair? Imagine it. It was Theology class then you hear a loud boom. It was like when the United States dropped a bomb in Nagasaki. But people in the parameter weren't crying for me, they were mocking me. They were laughing like hyenas. I was a little gazelle waiting to be shredded by my insecurities.

I was around 200 lbs. or 80+ kilos. I didn't really mind what I ate before. I've been cynical ever since. I'd rather enjoy the scrumptious God-given gifts placed on my plate than to complain or check they were carbs or infested with sugar. And butter isn't 54 â&#x20AC;˘ FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

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a carb. Yup, I wasn't Regina George. I'm more of a Cadie who would enjoy her greasy burger. I'm not Chanel Oberlin who packs two cotton balls for lunch. I might be someone you'd see in Kappa's meat locker. I'm a sweet tooth and a solid carnivore.

Nope, ain't gonna be a vegan for you, boy. I didn't care at all. I was pretty athletic but not to the extent that I'd eat what's good for me. Let's just say I loved indulging.

And that day in Theology class woke me up. I remember crying to my mom saying, "Why can't I be like my skinny classmates? Why am I alive? Why is this happening to me?

Why do bad things happen to good people?" I sounded so whiny but mothers know best. She grabbed a tub of my favorite cookie dough icecream and gave me a long ass sermon. And it boiled down to one thing: mastering the Art of Self-Control.

There were added factors making me want to lose weight: 1. My crushes going for my hot skinny friends.

2. Sales ladies looking at me weirdly when I try on slightly provocative clothing.

3. Being the freaking bridge to every relationship where I super wished that I was the girl. Nope, I'm always the bestfriend.

I jogged for at least ten minutes a day. I controlled my portions. I tried to avoid junk food and carbonated drinks. I couldn't (and still can't) say no to dessert though. I made some changes like eating one or a couple of doughnuts versus me eating a box of 12 in a split second like I used to. I lost around 10 lbs. during that time.

Senior year came. I met someone who loved me including all my flaws AKA me still being a chubby, filled-with-lovehandles girl. And because of that love, I loosened up a bit. I forgot the whole discipline or self-control thing. I gained back some of what I lost. I didn't care because he said he loved me. Yup, it was pure bullshit. He met someone hotter and skinnier than me.

He broke up with me with a really cliche line (LOL whatever, he ended us going to a seminary. Yup, he's going to be a priest).

And that break up woke me up. I wanted revenge. I needed some reinvention. I needed to be skinny. I needed to be like one of those girls. I needed to. I had to.

I did everything from jogging like a drooling dog to killing plyometrics like a pro. I tried boxing. I did basketball. I did

interval training. I got a trainer. I did all sorts of cardio and muscle conditioning. I remember working out with my gymspiration, also former Ecosoc Sports Chairperson, Lance Lim. He would train me three times a week. UP was pretty much our gym. I never liked doing sprints. He would run like a Men's Fitness model while I dashed like a pig being chased by a butcher. We would do squats, burpees, elastics, all sorts of jumps anywhere in the campus. Our sessions were even held in the econ atrium. No shame at all. I also remember him saying, "Gusto mo pumayat, diba? Galaw!" "Again from the start. You can't cheat your way." I'm very thankful for his patience with me. He's the best brother/trainer anyone could ever have. I also did the three-month 1,200 calorie diet. You wouldn't have seen me licking the Cheetos crumbs on my fingers. You'd see me mumching on carrot sticks or sweet potatoes. I'd feel so guilty for eating a slice of cake or even getting a frappe from Starbucks. I'd whine all day because of one doughnut or chocolate bar. I worked out 5-6 times a week with one cheat day.

That cheat day wasn't really a cheat day. It was more like slabs of protein, which are still pretty good for the body. I would hate myself for missing out on a workout. That's how disciplined I was. This continued until I reached my lightest weight ever which amounts to one sack of rice. Everyone got scared because I looked sort of anorexic. I think my self-control went a bit overboard.

After a lot of insisting and I actually missed some of those fatty goodness, I tried to loosen up a bit. I tried to be healthy but still has some space for cake from time to time. I'm not the old gym junkie who'd rather spend the whole day at the gym than hanging out with my friends or enjoying some cocktails at night. I might be chubby now, but I think I found some balance in everything. And I guess, I did everything for the wrong reasons, like vengeance. Now, I'm doing whatever I do for me, for my own happiness. We aren't born to impress others but to impress ourselves. Do what makes you feel good about yourself may it be pigging out on a Wednesday or doing yoga on a Friday.

Peaches is cynical and loves peanutbutter. It's her first time writing for Echoes. And she thinks that she found her home here.

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AS A FRAME OF THINKING

BY DALE LIM

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (IR), MUCH MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, PROVIDES US WITH DIFFERENT

lenses on how to look at the relationships between states, societies, even economies. As a field of study, it doesn’t limit itself to the topics of conventional global issues, but it gives us different perspectives of phenomena around the world. Like in economics, IR theories come with their own set of assumptions and main ideas. They are, in their rawest form, an oversimplification of reality used to frame problems in international affairs to determine possible implications, effects, and motives. The three most interesting theories for me are liberalism, realism, and constructivism, although much of usual analyses use combinations or improvisation of these theories. We want to see in detail how IR is important, and how IR may lend itself to us when critical analysis is needed.

REALISM

With power as its central definition, realism assumes that states, as the basic unit of international relations, are in play in an arena where everyone is seeking self-preservation. From a pragmatic approach, it means that hard power, usually military power, as national interest is the main driver of a state’s attitude towards other states. Each seeking to maximize its gains by interacting — maybe aggressively — with others.

States in this sense perceive so-called international institutions such as the UN as having no actual power. Deeming these as ineffective, states usually prefer alternate means to achieve their end. The balance of power is a very important concept here. It refers to a situation wherein countries increase their own military capabilities to respond to another state’s aggression. The irony here is that the security dilemma forces states to increase military strength in response to the other, making the situation at the end by heightening tensions, even when no side desires it.

The post-WWII Cold War era easily exemplifies the security dilemma, as the USSR and the United States kept increasing their stock of nuclear weapons in response to the other. Another case here is in the South China Sea, wherein 56 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

aggressive action by the Chinese government lead other countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines to send more of their navies into the area.

LIBERALISM

Liberalism accepts the international system in such a way that it follows ideals and morals that have been set by these states as a collective. Institutions crafted by a community of states set standards that actors must follow, thus constraining their actions. Like realism, national interest is still of utmost importance to states. However, they realize that they may only achieve what they want by operating within the sphere of what is morally acceptable by international conduct. The central concept in play here is legitimacy in this world order. Complex interdependence, a central motif in liberalism, shows us that interstate relations may get very complicated. States may choose to exert influence by operating within the agreed-upon standards. Economic pressure such as trade embargoes, or invoking of international law such as court arbitrations, may be used as means to achieve particular goals. These states claim that soft power like economic strength is the new measurement of how powerful states are. Even cultural influence such as

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language and exported media (e.g., Korean soap operas and Japanese anime) may be used as leverage.

Japan in the post-WWII order has been very weak in terms of military assertiveness. However, it does use economic means to achieve foreign policy goals, such as gaining diplomatic capital from Southeast Asian countries for being one of its largest economic investors and aid-relief donors. An excellent example of a country relying on international conduct is our very own; the Philippine government did rely on the ITLOS for its arbitration case against the Chinese government to achieve its own ends on moral and legal grounds.

CONSTRUCTIVISM

If realism and liberalism had many sets of assumptions about how states relate to each other and how the international order looks like, constructivism is a little more philosophical in a sense, yet it is the most alluring theory to me. Relatively a new school of thought, constructivism claims that nothing is permanent; definitions, meanings, and ideas are shaped over time by different factors. Everything is socially constructed, therefore nothing is fixed. Constructivism rejects the notion that states and international institutions are the basic units of analysis in the international arena. Ideas are main drivers of actions of agents.

It considers practically everything that could be put into the picture. Perhaps the following quote from Wendt (2005) perfectly captures constructivism for what it is: “The impact of ideas and identities, how they are created, how they evolve and shape the way states respond to a situation.”

As an example to explain this, we put terrorism alongside this theory. By assumption, terrorism is socially constructed— it is shaped by identities, ideas, and interactions. Meaning, it is what other states make of it. The quote, “One person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter,” proves exactly this point.

A realist approach on terror may induce states to view it more as a power struggle, while a liberal approach may view the issue by a lack of enforcement of international law. Inserting words into Buzans’ statement, “Though constructivism offers no picture of what the world is like [of what terrorism is like], it pushes enquiry into the processes by which humans construct 1. The balance of power concept became evident in 19th century after the Congress of Vienna, when Europe was characterized to be in a state of equilibrium because there was no state strong enough to conquer another one.

2. The Cuban Missile Crisis was the climax of this, wherein there was almost a direct confrontation between the United States and the USSR when missiles were placed in Cuba in preparation to attack the US mainland.

3. Article 9 of its Constitution forbids the Japanese government to pursue war as a means for foreign policy. Recently however, Prime Minister Abe and the National Diet passed amendments to allow a so-called collective self-defense if it deems that its allies or the regional balance are in danger.

understandings [of terrorism].”

WHY IS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IMPORTANT?

After all the discussion about these theories, we come back to this question. International Relations is both important and interesting for two main reasons. First, it gives us not just one frame of how to think about issues or events themselves, whether domestic or international, relevant or irrelevant, personal or non-personal. The framing used to analyze world affairs may also be helpful in economics to provide them in a more realistic context, especially with how the world is increasingly becoming interconnected. The fact that it is a multidisciplinary field means that there is no monopoly on how analyses should be made.

Second, it gives us a sense of how we all belong into this world like pieces to a big puzzle. It may give us answers to where we are in this world and how we are able to shape events around us that may ripple across the world, especially when we become important people in the future. As my IR professor always used to say, “A local effect is always an international effect,” and we as local actors have much in store for the international.

REFERENCES Heywood, A. (2011). Global politics. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Kissinger, H. (2014). World order. New York: Penguin Books.

Krishnaswamy, J. (September 2012). How Does Terrorism Lend Itself to Constructivist Understanding? E-International Relations. Retrieved from http://www.e-ir.info/2012/09/18/ how-does-terrorism-lend-itself-to-constructivist-understanding/ Dale sometimes thinks he belongs in Political Science instead of Economics but then remembers traumatic experiences with his PolSci groupmates and realizes why he never shifted.

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THE POWER OF FEAR

(AN INSIGHT ABOUT THE HUMANIZATION OF FEAR AND THE SUPERNATURAL)

BY VAN GUNO THROUGHOUT HISTORY, THE HUMAN RACE HAS ALWAYS BEEN WARY OF SUPERNATURAL FORCES, WHETHER THEY WERE DIVINE OR HELL-BORN, PARANORMAL OR CRYPTIC. We, as a race, have the habit of trying to

explain things that we don't understand, a trait that seems as a matter of fact and a no-brainer. From the time of the early humans to the postmodern man, we've interlaced our culture with that of the occult, the religious, and the unexplainable. Our perception of the supernatural reflected our interpretations of the underlying power coming from our fear of the unknown. It's not too much of a surprise that almost every region in the world have their own deities, forces that instigate adoration and despair in the hearts of their people.

For example, imagine being born a thousand years ago, devoid of the knowledge you possess now. You'd probably be a hunter, prowling through the savannahs of Southern Africa, looking for your prey and all of a sudden, the sky darkens and you hear thunder like you have a hundred times before. For sure, you would know that the hunt is over as the dark clouds loom over the horizon.

Unbeknownst to our modern mind, one would probably think that the sky is living and is acting of its own accord â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that the sky is an agent with a specific purpose. From there, the implications of having limited understanding fueled the creation of the so-called 'supernatural forces'.

In my opinion, man took up a belief in the supernatural out of fear and because of our desperate desire to humanize our suffering, our accomplishments, and our surroundings. We try to take the unexplainable apart and apply a layer of personification to every single part of it, rendering it more 'human' to us and thus, more relatable and believable. We want the unknown to act like us, to act independently like us, because in our minds, there is always that doubt that there are other sentient beings aside from what we normally see. Our people were so used to the fact that we had a monopoly on sentience that the idea of other forms of life being

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sentient seems infinitely absurd. However, therein lies the real warping power of the supernatural.

From the ideas of ghosts and visages, one can see that these beliefs did not only provide the explanations we were looking for but they also passed on the emotions of those who conjured them – like the very traditions we have today. Interestingly, it would be highly inappropriate to talk about supernatural forces without mentioning religion. You might not completely agree with me but religion has been a result of this so-called humanization of fear and the unknown. Our fear of the afterlife, of what will happen next, rendered the idea of salvation and more obviously, faith. Frankly, I'm pretty sure you know how powerful and influential religion can be.

Don't get me wrong, the humanization of fear isn't a negative thing at all. Contrary to popular opinion, fear shouldn't be shunned or ignored as it is a neutral force that guides us. It has made us cautious, prepared, and alert during times of great suffering but it has also been our downfall as of late. Especially since fear had been commodified in the modern market. You see all those advertisements that capitalize on one’s fears? That’s one thing we should be more afraid of than the supernatural.

Afraid of being dark and berated? Buy our whitening products.

Afraid of being different? Buy our clothes. Afraid of being fat?

Buy our diet pills. This is certainly one aspect of fear that I am disgusted with and the fact that it happens now in our so-called ‘civilized’ society is riveting in the worst way possible. I don’t know about you but I’m more afraid of this common occurrence than any old ghost story or apparition.

Overall, fear is an influential part of our lives and it's the driving force behind supernatural powers and common sense. Every major decision we've had in our life was influenced by the presence of fear, all scientific innovations were thought of to combat the fear of unadaptability, and even the way we act in public is controlled by the very fear we have of fitting in. Needless to say, the humanization of fear had allowed our race to take great leaps in advancing but ironically, it also proves to hold us back. Fear had also caused us to back away and squirm out of situations that we deem terrifying. We have lost opportunities, moments in time, that could have changed our lives in the grandest of ways. How many times have you chickened out of something that you'd regret later on? It happens to the best of us and that shows the sheer force of fear on a personal level, wherein the notion of being human is threatened by the unknown as experienced by our ancestors before us. As a result, they have humanized fear in the form of the supernatural forces we know now: fear breeding into our culture in the forms of cautionary tales, legends, folklore, and worship.

Remember those stories your parents used to tell you so you wouldn't behave badly? Fear of dissent. Remember that creepy old boogeyman in your closet? Fear of uncertainty. Remember that time you wanted to buy the same fucking bag your snotty friends bought? Fear of being different. Remember the time you listened to your guilty pleasure song privately? Fear of judgment.

In short, there is a mutual relationship between man and fear. We humanize fear in order to identify with it but in the same way, fear humanizes us to show that we have our own vulnerabilities and emotions. I, for one, am humbled by my own fear of personal isolation and my fear of being useless when I'm older. My darkest fear would be living alone by the ocean in a shack with a view of the sea's relentless waves, painting the rest of my days away. There'd be no one that needs me, no one that knows I exist, no one that views me as someone significant. Tragic, right?

Who fucking knows? Maybe the late US President, Franklin Roosevelt, was right about his speech. Maybe the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. So, how about you? What are you afraid of?

Van Guno is an extremely avid horror movie junkie who also happens to love Taylor Swift. He spends his free time listening to pretentious hipster music, watching obscure art films, attending numerous bands' bar shows, and playing DOTA 2.

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FORGETTING VALENTINES DAY

BY GIO PEREZ

“WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE OPEN THEIR HEARTS?” “THEY GET BETTER.”

- Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

It’s 11pm on a Monday night as I’m writing this and as it turns out, Valentines is just a couple of days away. If you inhabit the social media biosphere during this hour like many of us, then I can imagine that you’re already being bombarded by dozens of Valentine related events, merchandise, quotes; and the outright hugots of our hopelessly romantic friends on twitter around this hour, you know who you are. Kidding aside, I think that most of us are really wondering what makes Valentines special in the first place. Why is it that for twenty-four or so hours, the world is covered in red hearts brimming with flowers and chocolates?

I haven’t had what you would call a formal Valentine date. During my puberty-ridden teenage years, the act of planning the horrendous (i.e. socially awkward) task of asking someone out on a date just never really got to me. And now looking back at my college life, I just enjoyed the past two Valentines by spending quality time with my friends. Valentines I think, in its most basic essence is just a generally feel-good day. There’s always a tendency to get sucked into the generally positive mood of the whole populace no matter how much you’re feeling down or longing for that certain someone. And in reality, even if you weren’t able get a date it’s perfectly fine because you can still choose to enjoy the day with your close friends. In totality, remembering all the smiles and enthusiasm that radiated from everyone that I encountered in my past Valentines would always remind me why we celebrate it in the first place. Valentines as I have aptly realized throughout the years, is one whole day purely dedicated to revel 60 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

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in love. And that’s why we should forget it.

We should forget Valentines Day because it shouldn’t take the whole world celebrating love as your cue to ask him or her out to that foodtrip plus movie date you’ve been playing out in your head for quite some time. Sure it’s a cheesy excuse and a really damn good one at that, but the thing is any other day would be perfectly fine as long as you’re spending time with each other and to add to that, you don’t really know if they’ve been playing the same scene in their heads over and over again for the past couple of weeks while waiting for you to make the first move. We should forget Valentines Day because your special someone deserves more than a single day to feel like the most special and important thing that has ever happened to your life. You’ve given your whole body, soul, and God knows a lot more just to get him/her and they’re still with you after all the good and most especially the bad; they basically deserve three hundred sixty five days a year to be honest. We should forget Valentines Day because who needs that anyway when you’ve got your ever supportive friends and family loving you every single day through thick and thin. Do we really need Valentines Day to revel in love? Millions of people around the world will be celebrating Valentines this Sunday. Forgetting it after will be easy, but cherishing, appreciating, and letting the special people in your life know that they matter to you constantly and unwillingly days after Valentines is over will be a lot more difficult, and yet a thousand times more rewarding.

I opened this short essay with a quote from Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. In this scene the main protagonist, Toru asks the vixen-like Reiko what happens when people open their hearts. As to which, after flicking her cigarette on the ash tray she responds “They get better.” In summary I like to think that all of us are Torus and Reikos, and sometimes even both in our own rights, questioning and yet knowing the answers in the first place. Valentines is a day for love, and in opening our hearts not just for this one day but ultimately also for others will undoubtedly make us and those around us better.

Gio is a 3rd year Economics student. He’s very open minded about business ventures. If you’re also open minded like him, feel free to chat with Gio over some coffee.

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CHAMPION

OF THE WILD WORDS BY SELENA YAO PHOTOS BY MAYA PARAGUYA

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WITH HER TERM AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UP ECONOMICS SOCIETY HAVING JUST BEGUN, THIS YEAR IS SET TO BE CHARIE SURDARLINGAM'S WILDEST ONE YET. Her glasses are as iconic to Ecosoc as Ninoy Aquino’s are to the Filipino people. Her exotic features make those who don’t know her wonder where she came from. Her rambunctious, high-pitched laugh is ever-present in the tambayan. Her name is Cha Surdarlingam, the newly elected president of the UP Economics Society.

Charie “Cha” Villafuerte Surdarlingam was born on the 4th of October 1996. For those of you too lazy to do the math, she’s nineteen years old, going on twenty in about eight months.

Currently, she’s a junior finishing her bachelor’s degree in Economics. A mixed race beauty with her big, deep set eyes, curly hair and lovely tan skin, Charie is half-Filipino (her mother, Remedios, hails from Camarines Norte) and half-Sri Lankan (her father, Chandran, is from the tiny South Asian island nation).

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Growing up, Cha was an only child. The closest thing she had to siblings were her two older cousins, who are now both married and with their own families. She presently lives with her mother and a dog named Piglet, who apparently really resembles a pig and whose breed is unbeknownst to Cha because according to her, “Hindi lang talaga kami close.”

On a different note, when asked about her mother, Cha responds in a fonder fashion. She describes their bond as close, which allows them to be very open and honest with each other.

She says she owes a lot to her mother for raising her right, being the ultimate support system, and giving her just enough freedom to discover what life has to offer.

Cha was a typical kid who grew up playing games like patintero and Chinese garter. Crash Bandicoot on PlayStation 1 was her absolute favorite. Things have changed since then:

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now all she does is play Bridge in the tambayan, and you just might suffer my fate and lose to her nine out of ten times. As a seven or eight year old Cha also had voice lessons during the summer. We are now entitled to a solo performance the next time she makes us sing the Ecosoc Song during a general meeting.

For those of you who are unaware, Cha was the Student Council President back in grade school and high school. Having such titles and experience under her belt only makes being the president of Ecosoc seem like the natural next step in her college life. For Cha, though, the position wasn’t something that she knew she wanted when she was just a freshman. She admits that she wasn’t even completely sure if she was fit for the position until the tail end of 2015. “Siyempre sa UP, iniisip mo na maraming mas magaling sa’yo, na mas kaya nila,” she says. When campaign season was looming over her like an unavoidable rain cloud, Cha said she envisioned herself more as the chairperson of the Membership Committee rather than the Ecosoc president. So what pushed her to her run for the latter?

“Too much love for the organization and its members. Sobrang love ko lang talaga ang Ecosoc, especially the people,” says Cha with no hesitation.

She follows that up by mentioning Ecosoc Month.

Last September, she was the Public Relations Head of Ecosoc Month 57. It was only her first time being part of the team, but that didn’t matter. The results were nothing short of anyone’s expectations.

Cha describes September as ‘the peak of being an Ecosoc member’, when the pride of being part of the organization is felt more than ever amid everyone throughout the entire month. It’s this festive culture that she really wants to continue during her term.

Cha recalls her application process as an integral part of her Ecosoc journey. She already knew back then that Ecosoc would be her home in college – and it really is despite her being part of three other organizations: Junior Finance Association, School of Economics Registration Volunteer Corps, and Career Assistance Program. As an applicant of the Platoon 55 batch, her base committee was Community Development, with Paulo “XP” Damian as the then-chairperson. When asked about who she looks up to the most in Ecosoc in terms of leadership, she quickly mentions his name. “Si XP kasi, kahit na applicant ka lang, binibigyan ka niya ng trabaho. I’ve tried logistics, marketing, external relations, and even creatives nung app palang ako. He really made us feel important. At saka ang saya talaga ng CDC. Close talaga kami.” She credits XP for playing a big role in her decision to run, something he himself doesn’t even know.

Cha’s experience as an applicant is something that she translates onto her vision for her term as president. This year, she wants to put the focus back on the members. What she'd really like to accomplish during her stint is to make the organization a place where members can learn and grow, but at the same time feel like a home. Given the weekly events and the numerous projects of each committee, sometimes it runs the risk of feeling like just work and not much else. But Cha believes it doesn’t have to be that way. She wants everyone to remember that apart from all the skills one can learn as a member, it’s important to enjoy the company of the people, too.

I asked Cha what it’s like being the head honcho of such a huge organization. “So far, so good,” she says. “’Di ba super stressful?” I ask. “Not yet. Pero siyempre may mga hilo-hiloECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 65

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moments,” she replies. This is what amazes me about Cha – the way she can keep her composure and deliver positive results despite having so much on her plate1. She’ll crack ten jokes in a span of a single conversation and will make fun of you at least once, and you won’t even know about the mountain of tasks she needs to accomplish until she intersperses your conversation with reminders to herself about stuff from her to-do list.

Cha is the kind of leader who knows how to be ‘one with the people’, but doesn’t fall short on getting things done. She stresses how much she dislikes it when people look at her too highly or treat her differently just because she’s now the president. Of course there should be respect – because everyone deserves to be treated with respect, duh – but not the kind that will make a down-to-earth person like Cha feel awkward. If you want to make her squirm, you can call her ‘Madame President’, pretend to bow down whenever she passes by, and bless her as if she were your elderly tita – all of which Cha has experienced ever since she was elected.

Don’t get me wrong though – it’s not like Cha doesn’t enjoy the authority she possesses with her current position. When I ask her what her favorite thing is about being president, she immediately responds, “YUNG POWER! (giggles)” She says she also loves the people she works closest with: #12, also known as Ecosoc’s 58th Executive Committee. “Gusto ko talaga yung chemistry namin eh.”

Meanwhile, Cha feels that the scariest thing about being Ecosoc president is the responsibility she holds for the welfare

Cha is the kind of leader who knows how to be ‘one with the people’, but doesn’t fall short on getting things done.

She stresses how much she dislikes it when people look at her too highly or treat her differently just because she’s now the president.

1. A plateful of Jollibee spaghetti, Chicken Joy, and work, work, work.

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to let you in on some more of her favorite things: The Korean dramas ‘I Hear Your Voice’ and ‘The Healer’ (in that order). The song ‘Dessert’ by Dawin (“Nung Foodgasm talaga eh!” she says with mild frustration as she recounts how she heard it at least ten times). ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ (the book, not movie). The C3 meal from Jollibee (can’t have the spaghetti without the fried chicken and vice versa). Ken Recasata’s biceps (confirmed). And Erwin Mate, obviously (credits to EM 57).

So what’s next for Cha after college? The answer is not yet clear. “’Di pa ako sure kung ano gagawin ko sa buhay eh,” she laments. Going to law school is one possibility, working a corporate job is another. Whatever path she chooses to take, one thing’s for sure: you'll find her at the top.

After all, we are talking about Cha Surdarlingam here. Can you expect anything less?

of all the members. There is no other choice but to live up to the expectation that she always knows what’s best. For Cha, having the trust of the entire organization is frightening, but it is an honor that she’s extremely grateful for.

With her presidential post being undoubtedly demanding, it’s not hard to wonder whether she even has time to relax anymore. Well, the answer to that is yes. Everyone knows that Cha has a slightly mad obsession with Olivia Reyes, also known as Andi Manzano’s baby. Every night before going to bed, she proudly admits to checking out Andi’s snaps and stalking five different Instagram accounts where new photos of Olivia may surface1. Cha says it’s the perfect way to end her day. Thanks in part to Olivia Reyes, our president manages to get five or six hours of sleep a night. Let's hope it stays that way.

Another thing she loves doing to de-stress is playing Sudoku.

Fun fact: back in freshman year, Cha joined a Sudoku competition in SM Marikina where she was called a ‘Grandmaster’, which refers to all participants who are in college, regardless of their Sudoku skills. You should know that Cha totally deserved the title though. She was two games shy of making it to the finals. #That’sOurPresident #ProudNoMatterWhat To achieve a deeper understanding of Cha’s being, I'm going 68 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

1. @oliviamreyes, @gpreyes, @andimanzano, @rosemanzano, @daisyizon

Selena Yao is turning 21 years old in a couple of months and still hasn't fixed her resume. She's worried about it, but is also too lazy to do anything about it.

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THE PACQUIAO EFFECT

BY JOSH SIAT

(*Author’s note: This article was written a week before the “incident” where Manny Pacquiao made a controversial analogy regarding same-sex marriage in an interview. This article merely analyses the sources of Pacquiao’s political power and capital, so do read it as such. It is neither a validation nor condemnation of the man. An additional paragraph has been added at the end of the article in light of the incident and its implications on the contents of this article.)

THE LATEST PULSE ASIA PRE-ELECTION SURVEY CONDUCTED JANUARY 24-28, 2016 IN THE RACE FOR THE SENATE HAD MANNY PACQUIAO PEGGED AT THE 8TH TO 10TH PLACES. Barring any major changes in the

election season in the coming months until May - though such is never a guarantee in Philippine politics - Pacquiao seems to have already punched his ticket to the Senate. Generally scoffed at by the intelligentsia of this country for even attempting to run for a higher post despite a near non-existent record in the Lower House and having sided himself under the banner of the Internet’s favorite whipping boy/presidential candidate Jejomar Binay, Manny has become a divisive figure in a variety of topics not related to boxing. Despite the lack of credentials with respect to his political colleagues, Pacquiao has amassed huge political capital that at the moment has yet to run out of steam. His clout may be enough to get him gunning all the way to a race for Malacañang in the near future, which doesn’t seem like an impossible prospect given this country’s political history (as of this writing), what has given Pacquiao this level of political clout the past few years? Here we present a brief inquiry into how Manny became as 72 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

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powerful as he is today, and in this author’s opinion, largely owing to both the ruling orthodoxy of Philippine politics and the prevailing mindset of the majority of Philippine society, in particular, the masses, who serve as the Pambansang Kamao’s greatest source of political capital.

We all know the Cinderella story. The young man who grew up in a small fishing village way down South who used boxing as a means to lift himself and his family out of poverty, rose through the ranks, and arguably, became one of boxing’s alltime greats. The man has become a brand all on his own and has pervaded nearly every aspect of popular culture: acting, singing, apparel, and even professional basketball. Finally, during the 2013 midterm elections, he crossed over to the public sector, completing his status as one of the most unlikely, loved, and derided jack-of-all-trades this generation has seen.

Pacquiao has had his fair share of controversies over the years (adultery charges, tax evasion cases, etc.), but has brushed them all off with a rather Teflon-like demeanor that to some people, only endeared him more. Manny Pacquiao, for better or worse, idealizes the Filipino dream. In a nation where a quarter - around 25 million - live below the poverty line, the Pacquiao story encapsulates the hopes and dreams of these people who dream to rise out of poverty. Millions of people project themselves onto Pacquiao, thus, his success is practically their success as well. He serves as someone who the masses can see themselves in. It would be very hard for a struggling, makeends-meet factory worker to identify with an extremely wealthy landowner-politician whose family has lived comfortably while pillaging the country’s natural resources. Identity is a crucial key to his massive influence and popularity. Filipinos love a good story and person they can easily relate with, and Manny Pacquiao fits the bill.

Another similar, but slightly different aspect of Pacquiao’s political capital is his image as a God-fearing, kind-hearted, family man who knows his roots. Again, he has cultivated and proudly displayed such an image throughout his long career that upon searching for Pacquiao supporters’ defenses on why he should be elected to the Senate, most state that his “good heart, honesty, values, and personality will make him an effective senator”. Most of you reading this would roll your eyes at such a statement, but it is telling of the current state of our political system. Everyone is tired of corruption in the system, more so those in the lower-income brackets. Why? Because they are the ones who suffer the consequences of this corruption the most. It’s easy for those who have lived mostly comfortable lives to select officials on the basis of merit and performance, but these people, who have been under the vicious cycle of rampant corruption, prefer to see someone different. They want someone who typically isn’t known for being a politician,

someone who has not shown him or herself to be part of the bureaucracy that has conjured images of despicable acts and has extinguished any hope that a decent man in politics may come along. This line of thinking has not changed much over the years. The idea that a pop culture icon could transcend the political sphere is not a recent phenomenon. The first case of that goes all the way back to 1957 when Rogelio dela Rosa, a matinee idol of the time, won a seat in the Senate consequently paving the way for the “entertainer-politician” career track.

The tarnished image of the Philippine politician/bureaucrat goes back even further.

So, is Manny’s power warranted? Yes, both as a function of his considerable achievements (in boxing) and how contemporary society perceives him. It’s a classic two-way creation of an icon: the individual builds himself up while society creates him. Does he deserve to get into the Senate? Now that’s a matter of opinion, but there are far better options (in short, a resounding no). Regardless if he wins or not, it would not be surprising to see Pacquiao remain a political force long after his boxing days are over. It seems that whatever he enters, he leaves it a marginally more “accomplished” individual. His latest conquest, politics, may soon be subject to this “Pacquiao effect".

We all know what happened. No need to run it through here again but we all know what Manny had said and the resulting internet shitstorm it created. I will not be blatantly taking sides here for the sake of this article but reflect on the incident’s implications on the topic. Does this finally show Pacquiao losing his grip on his power and image? Sadly, no.

Upon checking the comments to articles related to the issue, for every one person damning Manny for his statement there will be five other Bible-thumping folks to defend him.

For Manny, the work of his apologists may only garner him sympathy votes. As they say, bad publicity is still publicity. I wouldn’t be surprised if this particular debacle only ends up as a minor footnote in the boxer-politician’s career. In Philippine politics, you can lead a reckless coup d’etat that cause civilian deaths and still be elected senator. I doubt this will hurt Pacquiao’s chances, much to my dismay. That’s the sad truth about Philippine politics. At least there’s one good thing that came out of this controversy: a more widespread discourse and education on same-sex relationships.

This is Josh Siat’s 13th article for Echoes. His writing hiatus is finally over. Good to be back!

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THE BD-SM MODEL

BY ANTON SISON [Trigger Warnings: consensual non-consent, bondage, domination and submission, consensual forced sexual activity]

SEX IS A LOT LIKE CHOCOLATE: IT’S GOOD ON AN AVERAGE DAY AND GREAT ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS, IT TENDS TO GET STICKY IN THE HEAT, AND IT’S GENERALLY A LOT OF FUN ON ITS OWN. AND SEX, MUCH LIKE CHOCOLATE, DESPITE BEING ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE THINGS ON THE PLANET, TENDS TO LOSE ITS APPEAL WHEN YOU ONLY EVER HAVE IT ON ITS OWN. Chocolate is good, but chocolate with strawberries and cream is better.

Sex is good, but sex with strawberries and cream is also better.

For some people, it takes a bit more than strawberries and cream to spice up the ol’ sex drive. For some people, it takes...

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WHAT IS BDSM? When people think of BDSM, they tend to imagine the dichromatic black and silver of zippered leather bondage gear.

In reality, BDSM is much more colorful – like a rainbow of pain and power-play delicately hanging over the verdant green landscape of vanilla sex.

BDSM stands for Bondage and Discipline (B/D), Domination and Submission (D/S), and Sadomasochism (S/M). It’s the set of sexual activity that involves the restriction of movement, dominant and submissive power roles, and/or the giving or receiving of pain.

(FOR THE LOVE OF GOD) WHY BDSM? When people ask me why I’m into BDSM, I tell them the true story of how I discovered I was into masochism.

A few months ago, I was killing time at a restaurant at the Bahay ng Alumni (I’m not sure if I’m allowed to specify where,

FUN WITH BDSM For the curious, here are a variety of activities common among people who engage in BDSM. 1. BONDAGE Bondage is the restriction of a person’s movement during sex, using a rope or rope-like implement (get creative!). Enthusiasts of bondage enjoy the feeling of helplessness that comes with being bound, and/or the feeling of power one receives over their partner when he or she is unable to resist.

How to know if you might be into it: If you enjoy holding/ pinning your partner down during sex, or if you yourself enjoy being held or pinned down.

2. ROLE-PLAYING (DOMMING/SUBBING) BDSM role-playing specifically focuses on an overt power imbalance among the partners involved. Partners may be in a clear position of power (the dominant, or “dom”) or a clear position of relative powerlessness (the submissive, or “sub”).

This plays out a lot like regular role-playing, for example student-teacher, but with an emphasis on the ability of the dominant partner to exercise control over the submissive. This can go as far as erotic humiliation, fear play, and even r*pe fantasy or consensual nonconsent.

How to know if you might be into it: If you particularly enjoy telling/being told by your partner what to do during sex OR if being in or out of control has ever given you a sexual thrill.

so let’s just say it rhymes with Pockolate Swiss) when I asked a friend to drip some hot wax from one of the little mood candles they had set up outside onto my hand. Because I was bored, and because this is just something I do.

To my surprise and to my friend’s immediate regret, I found myself openly vocalizing my pleasure at the sensation in the middle of the restaurant patio, and thus did I begin my selftaught education into the fun of BDSM. Since then, I’ve discovered a number of other things I never thought I’d enjoy: role-playing as master-and-slave or ownerand-pet, whipping, my girlfriend’s CWTS paracord, et cetera.

My point is that we all have our reasons for getting into BDSM: for some people it’s because they like it, and for others it’s because vanilla sex gets boring. The only general statement I can make is that some enjoy it, and you’ll never know if it’s right for you until you give it a shot or have a friend unwittingly trigger a positive sexual response while you’re dicking around in a public place.

3. PUNISHMENT AND DISCIPLINE Punishment and discipline tend to supplement bondage and role-playing. It involves the psychological reinforcement of certain kinds of behavior through sexual reward, and the punishment of others through pleasure denial or the administration of controlled physical and/or verbal abuse.

How to know if you might be into it: If mind games and mental domination has ever given you a sexual thrill. People who enjoy punishment and discipline tend to also enjoy dom/ sub role-playing.

4. SADOMASOCHISM (S&M) For some people, receiving certain kinds of pain under certain conditions enhances the pleasure of sex, be it from the anticipation of strong stimulus or the sensation itself. There’s a wide spectrum of activities falling under this domain, including but not limited to: Impact play, which involves giving/receiving pain through sudden force: spanking, flogging, whipping, etc.

Body part torture, which involves the enjoyment of pain to certain regions of the body: nipple clamps, hair-pulling, cock and ball torture, etc.

Erotic asphyxiation, which involves restricting a partner’s air supply to enhance sexual pleasure: choking, clamping down over the nose and mouth, etc.

How to know if you might be into it: If certain kinds of pain or discomfort give you a sexual thrill. Or if you’re the kind of idiot who asks a friend to pour hot wax on you in a restaurant.

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THE DO’S AND DO-NOT’S OF BDSM It’s all fun and games until someone’s physically or mentally scarred for life. Keep the following in mind if you ever decide to engage in BDSM: 1. DO prioritize communication.

The single most important thing to remember when engaging in BDSM is to keep clear and open lines of communication among partners. Always establish boundaries and no-go areas and stick to them. Always establish a safeword (a word which is unlikely to come up during sex, which signifies that the partner wants whatever’s happening to stop). And always, always, ALWAYS respect the consent of your partner: talk through everything beforehand, no means no, and when in doubt, silence means no.

2. DO keep it safe and sanitary.

The toys and tools used in BDSM all have to be considered carefully to ensure no lasting harm befalls any of the partners involved. Clean your ropes, gags, knives, and other whatsits before and after every session. Remember, kids: parents and doctors know when a wound is from kinky play. Don’t risk infections, and more importantly, avoid having to explain that sh*t to the authorities in your life.

3. DO keep BDSM in the bedroom.

Forget all the BS that Christian Grey taught you about BDSM. Unless you’re a douchebag, the use of force, humiliation, and other acts of dominance stops as soon as the session is over. Be Prince Charming in the streets, and the Marquis de Sade in the sheets.

4. DO NOT forget aftercare.

BDSM can get intense both physically and emotionally.

Whether you’re with a loving partner or fuck-buddy, don’t forget to wind down from BDSM with deliberate gentleness and care. Some deep emotional issues can surface as a result of role-play – don’t be a dick, hear them out. Remember that your partners are people too.

5. DO NOT go apesh*t.

BDSM is about enjoying control and the loss of control in a safe and responsible way. Don’t underestimate your own strength, remember your partner’s limits, and be sure never to cross the line whether physically or psychologically.

Anton Sison is a guest contributor from the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Anton writes for Deus Sex Machina, the Philippines’ first (and so far only) comedic erotica performing arts group. He enjoys smoking at the SE back parking area, day-drinking, and the intricacies of electoral politics.

You can send all messages of admiration/disgust to him via Twittter at @clevernamepun.

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HELLO, I AM A SLUT

BY CAI ANTONIO

I remember when the label first hit me the hardest. It was a period of four years that, for others, was the best four years of their life. High school turned out to be the opposite for me. High school revolved around me struggling to come to terms with being labeled negatively. I always knew I was different – and it showed. I was the girl who never subscribed to societal notions of the proper girl. I was carefree, I was a little too adventurous, and I used experimentation as my form of learning about life. I lived through high school along with the judgmental looks, the bullying, and the feeling of loneliness. I remember vividly how I barely had any friends; how I spent lunch periods eating alone in a bathroom cubicle; and how night after night would come a period of suicidal thought – all that because I was known to be a slut.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word “slut” refers to a promiscuous woman. Being labeled this word used to make me feel degraded; but I look back at it, and I wonder, how bad could it be to be a slut? The Madonna/Whore Complex was a theory propagated by Sigmund Freud. This theory states that women are viewed

by society in two ways. Either as the Madonna, the kind of girl people would respect; or as the Whore, the kind of girl people would avoid. Added to this, the Sexual Script Theory suggests that sexuality is culturally defined through reinforced scripts that dictate one’s behavior. If sexual behavior is simply dictated by cultural norms, conceptions of correct behavior by majority of society, why is being a slut wrong when there is a possibility that the majority’s claim is falsifiable?

What society dictates to be right will not always feel right to you. Others may end up labeling you for being different but always know that how it affects you will always be up to you. Hillary M. Lips states that “labeling an individual…has a powerful impact on others’ perceptions of and reactions to that individual.” A label has the power to make or break a person. As human beings, we naturally crave for affirmation; and the label that comes with our reputation is one way to gauge whether or not others affirm or deny us. We want others to think good of us; we all crave a certain kind of love from those around us. However, what we forget is that the others are not you; and only you have the power to allow a label

to destroy or to strengthen you.

Coming to terms with a negative label is never an easy task. It is a journey of self-discovery – a path full of pits and crossroads. However, through this journey, you must never forget that only you have the power to give yourself a definition. People will continuously label you but the kind of definition you give that label is entirely up to you.

Three years after and high school here I am – confident in myself even if I still carry the label “slut”. How I went from who I was to who I am today is a result of accepting myself for all that I was. I used to think that being labeled a “slut” meant that I was undeserving of respect but I have come to realize that I am a slut - a woman who takes charge of her sexuality; a woman who stands out; a woman who defies cultural norms with her unconventional beliefs – and for that, I could say with conviction that I am a respectable woman.

Cai Antonio is a second year BA Art Studies major. She is an outspoken feminist and spoken word artist, often portraying her thoughts through her writing.

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STAFF PICKS 1 | SONG: Bitch by Meredith Brooks This song is the reason I’m still alive and breathing. It was my favorite song to sing after every single Math 17 class, and it’s STILL my favorite song to sing when I’m crying over my EWA, pubmats and boys. (It's just a REALLY good guilty pleasure song to sing when you're locked up alone in your condo.)

-Anna Pagdanganan

3 | MAKEUP BRAND: MAC A bold lip can make me feel like I'm ready to take on big things even on a shitty day. MAC lipsticks are my default for everyday wear. My signature red lip? Russian Red! -Kristina Viray

2 | TV SHOW: Scandal Scandal is just the TV show that inspires me so much! As a matter of fact, I wanna be the first Olivia Pope of the Philippines!

I just love how she's so principled and she has integrity while still being bad ass.

-Zo Canaria

4 | MOVIE: Gravity Gravity, a sci-fi survival film, empowers me because it showed me just how strong the human mind can be even when facing the most out-of-thisworld odds.

-Katie Abrenica

5 | ACTRESS: Natalie Portman Natalie Portman! Everyone knows how she was able to pursue both her passion of acting and her education (from, oh, Harvard lang naman). But what makes her story even better is how she (I think...) isn't the type to take the easy way out; I think what made me respect her so much is how she didn't use her fame as an excuse or as a stepping stone during her time in Harvard, and she made sure that people took her seriously for who she was, not for who or what she was connected to. Check out her 2015 commencement speech for more! Oh, and she is gorgeous and fit AF. #goals -Dea Villarosa

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6 | APP: Bleacher Report Team Stream Knowledge is power, and as a sports fan, the Bleacher Report Team Stream app keeps me in the know with the latest news and updates from the different sports I follow.

-Dom Carreon

7 | ALBUM: Off & On “I was whispered in heaven and sung in hell”. Signed under Island Records UK, Findlay (Natalie Rose Findlay) released the Off & On EP in 2014. “Greasy Love” is the carrier track in this EP and if you give it a listen, you might just be converted into a rock fan if you aren’t yet. Other notable tracks are “You Gave Me Grace” and “Fever.” Trust me on this, it’s all good stuff.

-Olivia Solomon

8 | BAND: The Wonder Years "The whole world's full of losers - if you get a chance to win, take it."

Simple straightforward lyrics like that from the Pennsylvania based poppunk band The Wonder Years always better my mood in times when I feel down. The band does an amazing job at writing powerful and relatable music that uplifts those who feel alone in their struggles. They're an absolute must-listen for any fans of pop-punk music.

-Timmy Jacob

“Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself.”

-Elie Wiesel

9 | BOOK: Bossypants The book is hilarious, informative, and written by a successful woman. Need I say more?

-Pita Ochave

10 | QUOTE: By Elie Wiesel There are many things in life that you cannot change and often times, the only thing you do have control over is yourself. Let not the demons that exist around you and inside your head get the better of you. Only you can decide on how you will let your life proceed despite all of the hurdles you may face.

-Dani Gonzales ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 81

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THE 'FILIPINO' IN FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS

by Emil Apostol

BEFORE I START, LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF (AS IS CUSTOM WITH MOST FORMS OF MARTIAL ARTS).

Hello, I am Emil Apostol. I am a practitioner of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), more popularly known as Arnis, Eskrima, Kali, and the like. I’ve been practicing Arnis for about eight years now, starting when I was at the sixth grade. I don’t claim to be the best at the craft but I love it very deeply, and since Echoes asked me to write about the subject, I was more than glad to contribute. For this article, I decided to focus on the “Filipino” aspect of FMA and what makes the Filipino Martial Arts “Filipino” in the first place?

Upon reflection, I have come up with three points to answer this question.

Firstly, I believe the Filipino quality of Filipino Martial Arts can be seen in the forms and terms used in FMA. I can think of two examples, the most prominent one being the “Pugay”. It is customary for students of Arnis to start every training session by acknowledging and paying respect to their teacher. To do this, they put their right hand on their left chest and bow slightly toward their master, as a show of respect. The concept of respect towards superiors and teachers is not unique to the Filipino culture, but this particular showmanship is something I have yet to see in other cultures.

The other example is one more commonly heard of since most of you have had Arnis as a PE subject at some point in your life.

I would like to think you’re familiar with the term “Sinawali”. The Sinawali is a technique done in doble baston, or with one stick in each hand. The technique itself is hard to describe, but it resembles a person weaving (Trust me. You need to see it in action to get it.), and it is tied to how Filipinos worked with needle and thread to weave garments together. I can think of other examples, but these illustrate the point that in the practices, techniques, and terms of FMA, the “Filipino” aspect of the art shines through.

The next point I thought of is the culture within the Filipino Martial Arts community. Most practitioners of FMA are very accommodating and hospitable, as Filipinos are. Case in point: I was part of the Ateneo High Arnis Society (AHAS), the Arnis organization of the Ateneo High School. I admit that I tried to leave the org on many occasions due to my want to pursue other 82 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

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passions and hobbies. However, when such a pursuit failed to work, I went back to the org, always to be welcomed back into the fold with warm smiles and accommodating souls. Sounds very Filipino, doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, the prevalence of Filipino culture in FMA also brings up a very ugly part of the culture when it comes to the Filipino Martial Arts: regionalism, and egoism.

The Filipino Martial Arts, because of the geography of the Philippines, are hugely disconnected and divided. There is no unified system that the entire country can claim as its own; instead, there are many different systems that prevail in the different regions of the Philippines. For example, the Visayas region is predominantly the territory of two systems: Doce Pares Eskrima and Balintawak. The island of Luzon has many different systems as well, a few examples being KAMAO (the system I train under) and Lightning Scientific Arnis Institute (LSAI), which is the style taught in UPD. In Mindanao, the Moro martial arts, such as Kuntao, are the predominant styles taught in the area. Couple this glaring division with the fact that there are so many smaller systems that are taught in the different areas of the Philippines and you can see why there is a regionalist mentality amongst most FMA practitioners, especially in cases when students of different systems compete and come to blows with each other in an effort to prove whose system is the best. Again, sounds very Filipino, doesn’t it?

The third aspect, and the saddest one admittedly, is that, like most things Filipino, Filipinos under-appreciate their own martial arts, and that’s if they even appreciate them at all. I know of people who practice foreign martial arts such as Taek-won-do and Judo (arts of which I have utmost respect for, by the way), but do not even consider giving Filipino Martial Arts a try. I have also heard some say that there is no such thing as Filipino Martial Arts, as these “Filipino” Martial Arts are nothing more than the combination of martial arts brought here by traders from China, India, and other regions in Polynesia and Southeast Asia. The worst I have experienced, however, are the confused reactions of some individuals upon the mention of Filipino Martial Arts, with some saying that it was their first time to hear about it. This bit does not need much explaining on my part, does it? This aspect of Filipino Martial Arts of Filipinos not appreciating, deriding, and even being ignorant of their own culture is especially prominent today. There really is nothing new with the prevalence of colonial mentality.

It is interesting to note, however, that Filipino Martial Arts, though unpopular in its country of residence, have grown in popularity amongst other countries such as the United States.

There is a sense of irony in this situation, as we Filipinos in our own rights cannot bring ourselves to look at our own arts with the same appreciation and love that foreign countries hold for what we do and what we have done. Again, it all sounds very Filipino.

In conclusion, the Filipino Martial Arts are very “Filipino” through and through. From the techniques and terms used, to the attitudes of practitioners of FMA, and even to how Filipinos view the art. One could even say that the similarities are quite striking to what most of our other local art forms, such as music and visual art, are going through today.

However, all is not lost. I wouldn’t want to end this article on a sour note, after all. The theme for the February issue is “Power”, and I can say for myself that the Filipino Martial Arts has “Power” in spades. These martial arts, aside from having the power to put someone flat on their ass, have the power to awaken a sense of pride of country and culture in a Filipino’s soul. The fact that these martial arts are “Filipino” through and through poses as both a privilege and a challenge. This is a privilege in the sense that we have a sport, art, and fighting system that we as Fiipinos can level with on the cultural and spiritual level; this gives us the opportunity to empower ourselves like no other practice can. This is also a challenge in the fact that Filipino Martial Arts, though they have the ability to empower us, are not empowered themselves (as demonstrated by my points above). Therefore, I am issuing a call to you Ecosocers: get out there, find someplace to train, and go nuts! We have so much going for us in the way of this treasure that is FMA; all one needs is to harness all that power.

Emil Aposiol does not only practice martial arts but he’s also a musician and a singer. You can usually find him jamming with Ryan Jacob at the Back Parking.

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COLDPLAY ANNOUNCES 2016 MANILA CONCERT AKA CHITO'S CORNER

GOT YOUR ATTENTION, DIDN’T I?

First of all, I would like to apologize to all those whose dreams of seeing Coldplay live were finally accomplished but were then broken all in a span of five seconds. Yes, I know I’m a horrible person. Not as horrible as the people who double-dip into shared condiments, however.

Let me introduce myself formally. You guys can call me… actually, I don’t have an alter-ego yet. As well as a name for this column. That explains the evil Coldplay title. Why is that so? Well, simply because I have not thought of anything 84 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

by Chito Balindong

captivating (or what you young’uns like to call “benta”) yet.

I mean, Iron Man did not come up with the name “Iron Man” overnight, right? He could’ve named himself Magnesium man or better yet, Buckminster Fullerene man. Anyway, I would like to ask you to give me until the next issue to come up with something. In the meantime, you can just call me… anytime. ;) Joke. Just call me anything you want.

Figuring out what to write for the very first article of this unnamed column required a lot of thinking, meditation, and looking out the window during late nights while sipping tea.

Doomed to write an article of filler sentences such as this one and the one before it to surpass the minimum word count set by our Editor-in-Chief, I decided to look to Twitter for some muchneeded inspiration. After spending a considerable amount of time stalking my, er… I mean casually scrolling up and down on my feed trying to come up with something, huwalah! I eventually decided to write an article on the “5 most powerful people in the world!”. Well, 5 most powerful in my world at least.

(I am aware that this is not the most original article idea out there, but I’m still a newcomer in the world of non-academic writing so please bear with me.) Also, the topic coincides with this month’s Echoes theme, “Power”! How convenient.

Now, without further ado, here’s what I have come up with:

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KANYE WEST

REFEREES

This guy. This man. This dude. I’ve never been a fan of his but I must say that he’s the one who gave me the idea for this article. Well, not him exactly but all of my friends and colleagues who tweeted about “The Life of Pablo”(?). At first I thought it was the title of a “Life of Pi” sequel starring Pi’s Hispanic cousin but apparently, it’s Kanye’s newest work of art. The sheer amount of tweets about it reminded me just how large of a following Kanye has. I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if my grandpa actually has a couple of Kanye tracks in his iPad. Whatever he does, he does it with magic only he is capable of conjuring and people love him for it. The man could probably make a million in a day by selling paperclips on the street. That is how powerful he is. I don’t know how he does it but I sure want to be like Kanye. I’ll be the King of me always.

You either love ‘em or hate ‘em (but mostly hate). These guys have the power to decide the outcome of any sports game without even playing. You would expect them to have mastered their craft but like any human, referees can also commit mistakes. The hard part is, in the field of sports, even the smallest officiating mistake can lead to the direst consequences.

Take for example, a boy destined to become the greatest President the Philippines has ever known gets devastated by his favorite basketball team’s loss after the referee decided to award the opposing team two crucial free-throws. He then flunks all of his exams due to extreme sadness. After getting kicked out of school, he decides to move to a secluded island to live out a post-“Return of the Jedi” Luke Skywalker life. As a result of one referee’s mistake, the Philippines was robbed of its saving grace. You get my point China – Gilas LUTO!!!

“

This man could probably make a million in a day by selling paperclips on the street.

JOLLIBEE

JOLLIBEE

EDDY GORDO Everybody who grew up playing Tekken would have to agree with me. The fella’s invincible. Just tap “O” and “X” and you’re good to go. He’s not only powerful. HE’S FREAKIN OVERPOWERED SON!!! Eddy Gordo is the perfect player to choose when going up against your uncles who are inevitably better than you in anything that concerns videogames. Now, imagine if Eddy were a real person. He could probably carry out a Napoleonic conquest on the world armed only with a plethora of Capoeira moves. Not even Chuck Norris can stop him. Well, I wouldn’t really mind a leader who likes to dance. It would probably lead to a large influx of dancing traffic enforcers.

I know what you’re thinking. No, I was not under the influence of anything when I wrote this article. I am also aware that he’s not a human being. But nonetheless, you have to agree that Jollibee is one powerful bee. Just simply hearing his name can immediately make someone’s day 185.35% better. If Voldemort is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, then Jollibee has the right to be called He-Who-MUST-Be-Named. A red line also does not appear when you type “Jollibee” in MS Word so that’s probably saying something. Not to mention that he’s basically a saint to all college students by making it possible for us to fill up our stomachs and hearts with his heavenly selection of food when our wallets are most empty. However, when the day comes when Jollibee runs out of its signature Chickenjoy, everything as we know it will probably cease to exist. A world without Jollibee is a world not worth living in.

(At this point, feel ko talaga dapat “most influential” and hindi “most powerful” yung subject ng article based sa lahat “Dad, can I go out?” ng nasulat ko so far pero let’s carry on with my super sabaw “Ask your mom.” article.)

MOM

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 85

ECHOES

THE POWER OF MAKEUP WE CAN TRACE BACK THE ROOTS OF COSMETICS TO 1000 BCE, WHERE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS USED SCENTED OILS TO MASK SCENTS AND CLEAN THEIR SKIN. Over time, cosmetics underwent different evolutions and changes, depending on the prevalent culture and trend. Certain procedures and developments in ancient makeup involved the use of substances we now (thankfully) consider poisonous and toxic, such as lead and copper.

Fast forward a couple of centuries later and we are met with rows upon rows of

by Kelsey Mariano

(safe) makeup products. From bronzers, contour kits, eyebrow pomade, liquid lipsticks, highlighters, blushes, powder, and foundation, we see how far makeup has gone from crushed gems and white lead. How people perceive makeup also changes with time. A perfect example of this would be the transition of makeup from a “beauty product” to a product that would later empower people of the trade.

Certain techniques are used in modern makeup, and are popularized for the incredible results they have. There are three perfect examples for this case.

The first one, and undoubtedly, the most popular one, would be contouring. There are other categories under contouring, such as tape and clown contouring, but generally, contouring is a method used to give more definition to the face. A matte bronzer, either powder or cream (or a dark concealer), with a matte finish and grey undertone is typically applied to the areas of the face which would normally have shadows. This gives off the appearance of higher cheekbones, a narrower nose bridge, more defined jaw, and a smaller forehead.

Bronzers are also used in conjunction with concealers to make certain areas “pop” and make for a much sharper contour.

Another popular technique is strobing, which some people would opt to use instead of contouring, as it is less precise and quite easier. Strobing, or highlighting, is the application of a highlighter on the high areas of the face, such as the brow bone, the tops of the cheeks, the tip of the nose, the center of the forehead, and the chin. Highlighters come in different finishes, some with a metallic, pearly finish, and some with a more matte finish. Highlighters also come in different forms, such as powder highlighters, illuminators (cream), and in baked form. Colors usually range from a gold, light bronze to a soft, peachy pink. It is actually an old method which was reintroduced recently, with celebrities like Kim Kardashian popularizing the trend. It is a much easier method, and has a more natural and glowy look to it.

86 • JUNE FEBRUARY 2015 2016 | ECHOES.PH | ECHOES.PH

CULTURE The last technique is called baking, which is the application of a colorless, translucent powder to the areas where you would typically apply your concealer. This gives off the appearance of a poreless, creaseless, and overall brighter face.

Applying an opaque concealer to the under eyes, chin, and forehead would be the first step, and the second to blend the concealer out with a buffing brush or a beauty blender. The third step is to grab a semi-damp beauty blender and press it into the translucent powder and apply to the areas with concealer. A generous amount of translucent powder is used, and is made to stay for about ten to twenty minutes, and then brushed off with a large powder brush. Baking was actually a technique used by drag queens to make their makeup stay longer, but the use of such a technique on celebrities gave way to its popularization amongst the public.

We can clearly see that makeup has the power to change and define an individual’s face. Each product and technique has the ability to transform a person into any way they want to be. As powerful as these makeup products and techniques are, the power it gives its users is even more astounding.

Sadly, the power of makeup has been judged harshly, with society perceiving it to be a negative form of expression that involves putting up a fake identity. There was a recent issue that came up with the use of makeup, specifically the “why you should take a girl swimming on the first date.” The issue that popped up on Twitter made makeup users seem fake and superficial, and indicated that the use of makeup was something highly negative, which is something the creators of the issue got wrong.

There is a sense of empowerment when one is able to control one’s physical appearance--and this is more than just putting up a façade, which is sadly how most perceive the use of makeup to be. More than that, it gives a sense of empowerment to its users (for example, when one is able to master the art of a fierce contour and winged eyeliner!).

Especially in constricted societies, the freedom of expression

is something people hold with longing, and makeup allows users to have just that kind of freedom.

Makeup has powered a movement of both men and women.

The value of makeup lies further than the aesthetic value it gives--its real value lies in the sense of empowerment, control, and expression it gives its users. It is a power that makeup users, who are often shamed for such usage, appreciate. After all, nothing is better than knowing your favorite contour kit will always be there to power you up with a fierce contour.

But, we must always remember that we are most empowered when we embrace the things that make us who we are. If empowerment is a fresh, makeup-free face, or a face stocked with Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk foundation, Nars’ Creamy Concealer, Laura Mercier’s Translucent Setting Powder, Soleil Tan de Chanel, and Anastasia’s Liquid Lipsticks, then so be it. Power will always come from within and we are truly powerful when we embrace whatever makes us feel beautiful.

Embrace yourself and the things that empower you -- there is no better way to love yourself than that.

Kelsey Mariano is a makeup addict who is quite sad that there is no physical Sephora store here in the Philippines. If you have no idea why you should use a matte bronzer with a grey undertone for contouring, feel free to ask her why. If you have no idea what’s wrong with foundation that doesn’t match, don’t ask her lest you would like to experience a breakdown.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 87

ECHOES

YEEZUS WALKS, WE FOLLOW

by Dominic Carreon

VISIONARY. EGOMANIAC. ICON. In a career that has spanned almost two decades, sold millions of records, and created numerous watershed moments for pop culture, Kanye West has been labeled all of these. Here is a man with such unshakable belief that he has compared himself to Da Vinci, Shakespeare, and Jobs. Brazen, yes, but one can’t help but give this assertion credit given the amount of influence he has had not only in music but in pop culture. His brand of music – molding samples from any genre to fit his vision and pairing these with thoughtful lyrics – have influenced a new generation of rappers such as Drake, Logic, and Kendrick Lamar. His famous on-stage rants and public meltdowns have millions of views on YouTube, and his ventures into the fashion industry have made established designers take notice of him. All of these, whether planned or not, have only cemented his status as a cultural icon. How does one man have all this power?

Timid and Kanye West never usually appear in the same sentence together. The man reeks of self-belief to the point where his own hubris has caused him his fair share of controversy. Most people would quickly dismiss this as a product of his status as a celebrity, a term that West takes offense at. “When they use the words celebrity, nigga or rapper, it’s not in a positive way. All those words can be used in a positive way, ‘What’s up my nigga?’ That’s not the way it’s used, so I have to define who I am,” West states in an interview with ShowStudio. This need for self-definition stems down to his childhood. From a young age, his mother Donda raised him to learn how to love himself. She raised West in an environment where he believed anything was possible if he worked hard enough. It is that same mentality that allowed him to succeed after dropping out of art school at 19 to become a music producer. It is that same mentality that has pushed him to innovate his sound and become a musical icon; the same mentality that has made him relevant in a fashion industry dominated by established names.

Such willpower also comes with a desire to question the norm, something West has done throughout his music career and expressed in multiple interviews throughout the years. West has constantly criticized the idea of class and organized oppression from people with power in the music and fashion industry. When asked what his greatest contribution to creativity was, West 88 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

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explained, “[My] greatest contribution to creativity is taking away the bullying. People bully creatives…We’re bullied and controlled by organisations and money and you know the people with money are in power.” Most of what he says in interviews revolve around trying to change this status quo and promoting individuality not just within the music industry but in society.

Here is a man who firmly believes in people and the power that people have in shaping their future. “If you have the ability to lead, if you are a leader or you have the answers or you have the ability to find people with the answers, and your will is to help, you should not be humble. You should speak up. Because this world is broken. So someone needs to say something. And sometimes I just feel like I’m the only one that’s not crazy.”

Crazy is something most of us would accuse West of being.

A peek at his Twitter account would provide enough proof that he may be a bit unhinged. Say what you will about the man, but not many people in the world boast the amount of drive and ambition West has. When he was already producing tracks for big artists like Mos Def early in his career, West decided to start making his own music and rap. Many of his peers in the music industry thought he wouldn’t make it in rap, but years later, he has shown that he is what he said he would be: one of the most influential rappers of our generation. “From now on, I want to be seen alongside only the musicians you see in the old blackand-white photographs—Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles.” His success in the music industry is built on a bedrock of hard work and determination. Now, he is bringing that same drive and ambition to a new industry: fashion. “As far as apparel

goes, I will make the Apple of apparel and the Apple of apparel isn’t high street. It isn’t fast fashion. It isn’t a $9000 sweatshirt.

It’s the thing you want to keep for the rest of your life.” So far, his plan is working. His signature sneaker line with adidas is an instant hit, with the shoes selling out at ridiculous prices. His new fashion line just debuted at the New York Fashion Week in front of 18,000 people; the debut also served as the launch of his new album, The Life of Pablo. He’s also designed a video game as a memoir to his mother. Time will tell how large West’s influence on fashion will be, but based on what he’s done so far, he looks like he will be leaving a massive mark on the industry.

Kanye West’s huge influence on pop culture can be attributed to his constant need to express himself. A man this confident and ambitious needs an audience to listen to him, and we are more than happy to oblige. We listen because we are entertained by his give-no-fucks attitude, intrigued by his philosophies on life, and amazed that one man can reinvent his style while staying true to his foundations. We want to be Kanye. We want to be leaders and innovators, people who challenge and question society’s norms. Most of all, we want to succeed, to see our hard work validated by our peers. No one man has all the power, but Kanye is pretty damn close.

Dominic Carreon is actually more of a Kendrick Lamar fan, but his inner child couldn’t resist writing an article about Kanye West. Dom also covers raps for karaoke and moonlights as a fake black man.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 89

ECHOES MOST OF US PROBABLY DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT DJ KHALED, ASIDE FROM HIM BEING THE GUY WHO SHOUTS OUT ‘DJ KHALED!’ IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 2010 ANTHEM ‘ALL I DO IS WIN’. It’s because his songs

don’t really appear in our country’s radio and music TV channels. But, for some reason, his name has been going around. In recent months, DJ Khaled has been dominating the world of Snapchat, a social media app that allows users to share moments of their lives as it happens. He might have taken concept a little too far. Every day he films a combination of inspirational talk, outrageous adventures and mundane moments of his life. The only time he probably doesn’t snap is when he’s asleep or on the throne - but yes, the man even films himself in the shower, slathering his body with cocoa butter. Let’s not forget the time he got lost at sea in the middle of the night while jet skiing and had to find his way home.

Obviously, DJ Khaled leads a pretty entertaining life but what really has caught everyone’s attention are his proclamations of what he calls the major keys, his personal lifehacks to reaching success that he wants to share to the world.

“Mouthwash. Major key, you’ll never know if you’ll meet someone important today.”

“Major key to success: water. Drink like a gallon of it a day.”

“Keep your face clean. Keep your back dry. It’s a cold world out there. Bundle up.”

Though these major keys sound a lot like your mother’s hygiene advice, DJ Khaled has garnered a large and growing number of followers, all adept and understanding in DJ Khaled-speak. DJ Khaled is clearly not exactly the ideal philosopher / life-expert of our age, but his emphasis on ways to reach success has turned him from a delusional advice barker to a beloved and sought-after public figure. At the end of it all, we simply can’t deny that there is some truth to what he says. Here are a few keys to success we can learn from following DJ Khaled on Snapchat.

THREE KEY LESSONS WE LEARNED FROM DJ KHALED’S SNAPS

by Ryan Jacob

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2. SPECIAL CLOTH ALERT: MORE POSITIVE THOUGHTS

1. STAY AWAY FROM ‘THEY’

If you follow his story, you will notice that DJ Khaled’s thoughts are preoccupied with some vague entity he calls They. “Some people have different names for them.”

Khaled says in an interview, “The haters.

F---boys. The devils. The people who don’t love us, who don’t want to see us smile.”

Basically, They are the people who don’t want DJ Khaled to do anything: They don’t want you to enjoy your breakfast. They don’t want you to be happy.

DJ Khaled constantly tells his followers to not let they stop you and to have nothing to do with they. Though his repulsion of all things they borders on delusional obsession, he makes a point. They are the obstacles that stand between you and being happy.

“Everybody has that in their life, am I correct?” DJ Khaled tells his beloved fans to forget everyone who doesn’t believe in you, the distractions that keep you from focusing on what’s important, the negative people and energies that drag you down. “Don’t let they [sic] stop you.“

MAJOR KEY ALERT: Stay away from all the people in your life who put their false sense of happiness at the expense of yours and others. However, it will take a lot of sincerity to recognize who these people are and a lot of strength to not let them have their way. It’s a waste of time and energy trying to help people whose selfishness won’t let them get out of their own heads.

Likewise, genuine success doesn’t come by bringing other people down to get there.

Move along, and achieve great things.

DJ Khaled’s obsession with success hinges on the tenet that you always have to motivate yourself. Among the arsenal of DJ Khaled jargon are his motivational special cloth talks. “This is cloth. This is special cloth alert. What I’m saying to you now: this is cloth talk.” Basically, every motivational DJ Khaled jargon you hear falls under cloth talk, including tour bus talk (or any vehicle he’s in, for that matter) and elliptical talk (I still don’t know how he snaps while running). But my favorite of all DJ Khaled special cloth talks is the hammock talk.

Hammock talk is basically DJ Khaled on a hammock, being human and in reflection, saying to screen his best ideas on how to live life and give thanks for his blessings. “You can’t rely on anyone but God and yourself,” he said in a recent hammock talk. “Just being honest. Inspire yourself. Don’t wait for anyone to inspire you.”

MAJOR KEY ALERT: One of the hardest disciplines to master is that of clear thinking. And often times the most negative influences to our judgment are our own insecurities and pessimistic attitude.

Keep in mind the useful Buddha quote: “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts.” Learn to master your thoughts with constant reflection and selfexamination, and it will show in your actions.

Always plan ahead and think positively. In

3. BE PATIENT, SUCCESS TAKES TIME

As mentioned earlier, DJ Khaled is the owner of a beautiful garden in his house in Miami. Every morning he asks his viewers to walk with him on what he calls “the pathway to more success” before going on to water his plants. “Success is like a seed,” he once said. “You won’t see it at first, but when you take care of it, you’ll watch it grow.”

MAJOR KEY ALERT: We hear it time and time again only because it’s the truth: if you really want something -- and you know it’s something good -- then go get it and never give up. Everyone has their own ideas of what personal success is and their own journeys to get there, but it’s always going to take time and hard work. We’re all old enough to know that there isn’t an easy route to achieving our dreams but committing to it is always a choice.

If you have a Snapchat, and you’re not following DJ Khaled (@djkhaled305), you’re not doing it right. If you don’t, go make one and follow DJ Khaled. Be inspired. We the best. Bless up.

Ryan Jacob recently found out that he is exactly half the age of DJ Khaled and born on the same day. With that, he believes that he is the next superstar mogul that will change the game. Add him on Snapchat: @fryanmychicken.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 91

ECHOES

se7en: A FILM THAT LEFT ME POWERLESS

by Jem Gemzontan

SE7EN, A 1995 PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER, TELLS THE GRIPPING STORY OF A ROOKIE DETECTIVE AND AN AGED VETERAN WHO HUNT DOWN A SERIAL KILLER TERRORIZING THE CITY WITH A SERIES OF MURDERS THAT RESEMBLE THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS. I’ve always been a big fan of crime movies that get my heart racing. It’s always a thrill to watch the detectives spend the entirety of the movie solving clues and tracking down the killer. But the best part of it all is always the final reveal; the shocking truth to who the killer really is.

However, Se7en breaks completely away from this typical crime film mold. Through the clever use of its storyline, plot twists and innately scary atmosphere, it instead maximizes its being a psychological thriller. Rather than having you glued to the screen trying to figure out who the killer is, the film focuses more on tickling your brain and encouraging you to test your limits and try and imagine just how grotesque the next murder will look.

And it is for these imaginative and downright sick murders that the film receives all of its critical acclaim. Throughout the various murder scenes that you will encounter in its 127 minute run, viewers will repeatedly endure numerous “nope”s and thoughts of “I’m done.” The scenes progressively become more gory and grotesque and it is for this same reason that I couldn’t help but keep my eyes glued to the screen. The innovative ideas used in these scenes wowed and surprised me, and at the time probably surprised the entire film industry as well.

Finally, the way the story panned out was almost flawless. While the main plotline stuck to what it had to do and delivered excellently, the x-factor had to be in the various side stories that popped up throughout the movie. These extra scenes allowed an inside look on the two main characters and gave viewers the opportunity to get to know them on a deeper level. Beyond this, however, the way the entirety of the movie wraps everything up and brings every single detail and minor plotline all together breathes an air of relief and satisfaction. Finally, a movie that leaves us with more answers than questions. All in all, the movie ‘se7en’ is the one movie that continues to shock and ‘wow’ me every single time I watch it. Its grotesque visual aspects, along with its riveting story and amazing characters are the reasons why this movie is one of my all-time favorites.

Jem Gemzontan is the resident Chinese panda bear of Ecosoc and he spends his time raising awareness about social issues like panda appreciation, and politics-related debates like Rundown and UPFront.

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THE SCARLET LETTER

by Lady Hester

2. I'M NOT SURE IF I MOMOL GOOD OR NOT. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS? -MM Lady Hester answers: Saan ka ba humuhugot ng confidence?

Sa pwet mo?? Seriously, here’s a simple rule: ever heard of the cherry test? If you were able to knot a cherry using your tongue, then congratulations, you are a good kisser ;)

3. HI LADY H! I'M A SENIOR AND I REALLY LIKE THIS FRESHIE GIRL. SHE'S CUTE AND STUFF BUT I FEEL LIKE A PEDOPHILE. AM I A PEDOPHILE? WHAT DO I DO ABOUT THESE FEELINGS?!

H E L P. -HO Lady Hester answers: Obviously, you are. I’m so sorry your life sucks. NEWS FLASH…. College relationships never last, trust me bb. Things will never really work out in college especially since it’s like four months na lang before graduation? You are H O P E L E S S, lol. Bye Felicia J.

1. WHAT DO I DO, LADY HESTER? I'M SO LONELY AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. -LONER4LYF Lady Hester answers: Release your frustrations, baby ;) Or maybe find time to mingle with other Ecosoc people in the tambayan so you don’t have to do it by yourself, IYKWIM. All of them are soo talkative & friendly, tbh. If you’re kinda shy, this is actually a great time for you to know yourself better. Try new things or maybe expose yourself to a different environment.

Make it a point to do that! This year is all about YOU.

4. LADY HESTER, I FEEL SO SCARED WHEN I'M TALKING TO GIRLS, ESPECIALLY ECON GIRLS SINCE THEY'RE THE PRETTIEST. I KNOW THEY'RE JUST AS HUMAN AS I AM BUT SOMETHING ABOUT THEM MAKES ME INCAPABLE OF EVEN SPEAKING TO THEM. I MAKE JOKES ABOUT HOW I PREFER THE SINGLE LIFE BUT IN REALITY, I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO EXPERIENCE BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP. I DON'T NOW WHAT TO DO AND WOULD REALLY LIKE YOUR ADVICE ON HOW TO LET THEM KNOW WHO I AM. -HE-WHO-WILL-NOT-BE-NAMED Lady Hester answers: Not only pretty but sexy af, fam. You know what, just be yourself and the right people will come in your life. Remember, positivity attracts people. Here’s a simple rule: don’t ever make a joke on how you prefer being single ‘cuz that won’t help. Like seriously, it won’t. Just be chill & live for the moment. Love can wait, but life can’t.

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 • 93

ECHOES

#TWEETABLETWEETS

compiled by Kelsey Mariano

@puchangina

bakit pag may nag-lbm parang nattransfer sakin paguwi ko :((((

@jandmagpantay

prof: "diba class pag nag-masturbate kayo parang... ay joke pag nagmasturbate TAYO hahaha kasama ako diyan" ???? MA'AM TMI PO

@aaronstmary

My mom found the stash of condoms I received during the UP Fair WTF WHAT'S GOOD

@kristinaviray

Go for someone who makes you feel like you're made of unicorn dust or some magical whatever

@akometry

Hu u @ecosocnewmems

@kristinaviray

Apparently this went down Drunk me: “Where are we?”

Dad: “Why?” M: “Where are we?”

D: “Why?” M: “I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE.”

@telenobella

bio prof 10 am: wats a cell 10:10: dito sa testes is the sweet fluid 10:15: LALABAS DIN YAN BOYS kaya may wet dreams kayo!! #0to100realquick

@3Dsuntoast

"Girls love women of faith and service, so I became a woman of faith and service"

@ianserranooo Valentine's Day with @itsBeaArroyo :)

@miggyjuix

time 2 put da fat in kung hei fat choi

@david_balmes

So I asked my 6 year old sister how school was last week. Her response: "it was lit af, fam" ?????????????

@pmorada

*at the shoot earlier* Sam Milby: Ano ba gusto mo?

Me: Ikaw!

Amp lang! Nakakahiya! I totally forgot na di pala kami close!!!

@theroyalspice

confirmed: talagang amoy weed ang netherlands

94 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

@marANNAthaa

told myself i would only make 40 rice flag things for CAP but i ended up making 160 #active #overachiever

@TheKelseeey

Uber Driver: Happy Valentine’s day po ma’am! Bakit wala po kayong date?

CULTURE

@BrotherAli11

Yung exercise habits ko, parang slope lang. rice over run.

@vimpromptu

mom: parang secondhand naman yang nabili mong book me: hindi ko kasalanang masipag ako mag-aral #yes #whattason

@alysapola

I'm the "edi mag kumot ka" in a world of "i need a cuddle buddy rn" #behave2016

@jandmagpantay

*using little brother's iPad with his FBC account logged in* brother's (male) friend: "hey babe" nakakaloka I'm gonna sumbong to mommy

@3Dsuntoast

When you accidentally match while studying for Econ 121 #DamnDaniel

@ayi_dave

*lolo enters my room while i was on my bed* lolo: it's raining... raining MONEY (proceeds to throw cash on my bed) ...what just happened

@david_balmes

Chinese grandfather: *speaks to me in Chinese* Me: uh I don't speak Lolo: *starts swearing and shoots a disappointed look at mom*

@juliefrann

I already feel like tikoy bcuz of all the tikoy i've eaten #whiteandfluffynaangpegko

@vitriYOLO

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

STOP TAKING OUR TERRITORIES THNX

@thealyssonlucas

*while buying boxing gloves* Kuyang salesman: Ilang taon na kayo ma'am?

Me: 19. Bakit?

K: Oh?!?

M: Anong akala mo, 12?

K: Oo mga 13 ganun.

@unodosTRYSH

Chaperoning a soirĂŠe a.k.a.

My brother's 17th birthday #HijosdeCortijos #FolkfromPolk

@charlotteamante

I just called my kuya "ate girl" k lang naman daw

@prenchpries

dad: talo si Donald Trump sa first round ahh.. he got TRUMPed WAW you're so witty dad nakakaloka

@pitathecrackers

Prof: This topic is easy Random guy in my class: WHAT? THAT'S EASY?!? *slumps down on desk* ya u go boi exercise ur right to be overwhelmed

@ApostleLimo

Lol I still have to write that Echoes article. (Editor's Note: Mhm. That's right.)

@theroyalspice

So kung maliit ako sa pilipinas, microscopic na ako dito HAHAHAHAH kalahati lang ako ng katabi koooooo

@ZoCanaria

Naghuhump na si Ken #ew

@jolozeee

Three hours into my Eng 10 paper and I have 2/3's an outline 3 sentences An existential crisis

@lyonunfiltered

WALA NA NGA AKONG LOVELIFE MAWAWALAN PA AKO NG ALAK putangina

@benj_evar

bruh when shower thoughts hit u so hard u dont remember if u soaped. gago ang bango ko #momweoutofsoap

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 95

ECHOES

POWERTRY Mornings at Olympus

by Olivia Solomon

I want to spend September mornings with you when the sky wrings out its nightmares and calls it Storm. When the earth leaks out its past sins and we don’t care what or who we step on in our glory. When we glide across daydreams and rub last night’s wishes from our eyes. When we eat galaxies and try to find them in each other.

And I see you. Muscular back and sweet softness in your eyes.

I am lost in those push-and-pull kaleidoscopes. Those dark wine kisses on your collarbone and that weight on your shoulder, Atlas-ing its way onto the sheets. You lie there and I say, “Don’t let go of me”, the grams of happiness weigh in my mind and I think I can do this forever - staying, watching, waiting, loving you.

The vultures peek behind the curtains and we let them see the mess we’ve made - how we’ve tumbled across kingdoms and fought crusades on white flagged palaces. We don’t know what’s going on, why they have to stare at the wreckage we’ve made.

Olympus has fallen because they could never figure out how we were, who we are, how we brought down palisades and made paradise. Tell them we’re wrong, tell them we’ve sinned, tell them we’ll do it again. And again.

But we can’t. You used to say, “I am a God.” And I would agree in silence and kiss eternities into your immortal lips. I used to think that your dreams were so real that they made civilizations rise from the dust. That you were as mighty as you seemed. I loved that about you. The only sin I ever did was loving you. And you punished me for it. The first time I loved was like loving Hell itself. The reason why God created Hell was for stupid people like me, who believed in Olympus and untouchable gods but when I touched one, I was too close to the radiant sun. I fell.

Hard.

There was no ocean to welcome my demise. No wings to soften my fall. Just sunburst fire and gravity. Falling was like 96 • FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

dying and loving you. Death came in seedy old motel rooms telling you I was in Olympus with you while you shut me up with kisses because you never believed me. You never believed a mortal could love someone like you so deeply, so dangerously, so madly that you thought I was making you choose between being a God and loving someone like me. You say, “Why would I choose you?” I say, “Because I love you.” But you don’t listen One night, you say you’ll drive a knife through your chest you won’t die anyway. So I say, “Don’t. I love you.” You say, “That’s not enough.” And you fly to the sun without a second glance, without a warning, without a goodbye. And I’m left here with my mortality and all my love for you - lost, deserted, and unwanted.

But I know that I’m more than just a lonely mortal soul. I am mortal, yes. But I can move mountains with my love and my words and I can take back what was once mine - I’ll be whole again. You took too much from me. You let me carry the world and then blamed me for even touching it. You made me believe that my body was something you could possess and that my choice wasn’t mine to give and only yours to take. That I was only something you could use and abuse whenever you wanted.

That you could erase who I am and build someone new to love that would suit your taste.

I will let you drink the wine from my collarbones so you can taste the gold in my blood. I will scratch your back with diamond nails and create planets on your skin with my kisses.

I hope you remember that. I can fly to the gates of Olympus to show you that I don’t need mornings with a God to be happy. I can fly to Olympus myself. You never asked me who I was so you never knew the truth - that I am a Goddess, I am me, and I am not weak anymore.

Olivia likes writing things that would probably make people uncomfortable. She tries to be as honest as she can with her poems because honesty brings out the best - good or bad.

CULTURE somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond

by e.e. cummings

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond any experience, your eyes have their silence: in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me, or which i cannot touch because they are too near your slightest look easily will unclose me though i have closed myself as fingers, you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens (touching skilfully, mysteriously) her first rose or if your wish be to close me, i and my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly, as when the heart of this flower imagines the snow carefully everywhere descending; nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals the power of your intense fragility: whose texture compels me with the colour of its countries, rendering death and forever with each breathing (i do not know what it is about you that closes and opens; only something in me understands the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses) nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

Power

by Adrienne Rich Living in the earth-depositis of our history Today a backhoe divulged out of a crumbling flank of earth one bottle amber perfect a hundred-year-old cure for fever or melancholy a tonic for living on this earth in the winters of this climate Today I was reading about Marie Curie: she must have known she suffered from radiation sickness her body bombarded for years by the element she had purified It seems she denied to the end the source of the cataracts on her eyes the cracked and suppurating skin of her finger-ends till she could no longer hold a test-tube or a pencil She died a famous woman denying her wounds denying her wounds came from the same source as her power ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 97

98 â&#x20AC;¢ FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH

ECHOES | FEBRUARY 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ 99

100 â&#x20AC;¢ FEBRUARY 2016 | ECHOES.PH